Buck. Decorative and Fine Arts Society
MEMBERS attended the AGM at the community centre in Buckingham on Wednesday, May 21 when out-going chairman, David Firnberg relinquished a vibrant society to Buff Crisp, who was elected as the new chairman.
The AGM was followed by a talk about the Tradescants, father and son, who were plantsmen, garden designers and collectors in the 17th Century.
They were responsible for the introduction to Britain of many now familiar species and their collection of artefacts collected during travels to Virginia and elsewhere formed the basis of the Ashmolean Museum in the 17th century.
The lecture was given by Joanne Kidd who illustrated it with slides showing varied examples of their achievements and interests.
The recent trip to Italy was most successful and members spent nearly five days visiting Naples and its museums as well as Pompeii and Herculaneum together with a visit to Capri and the Amalfi coast.
Another recent visit nearer home was to see the collection of art at Kettles Yard in Cambridge and Anglesey Abbey which allowed the members to see the beautiful house and grounds.
The society is also keen to support and raise awareness of art among children in local schools and a visit to Doddershall House raised funds for Young Art.
Grenville School benefited from this fund by a contribution towards materials for a version of a wellknown work of art from each year group for the exterior of the school.
The next monthly meeting will be A Victorian Idyll: Arts and Crafts Gardens from Ellingham to Lutyens, to be given by Dr Anne Anderson.
New members are welcomed and for further details please contact the membership secretary on 01280 813008.

Friends of Railway Walk
TOMORROW, Saturday, the Railway Walk Conservation Volunteers will be installing rustic signs, produced by Aylesbury Vale District Council, welcoming visitors to this wildlife area.
This is a change from our planned activity because, as we have learnt, wildlife doesn't always follow the text books and our calendar of activities has to be flexible to fit in with seasonal changes.
The abundant mix and spread of wildflowers, all at various stages of growth, means that we will not attempt to cut and clear any of the glades until later in the year.
Roy Maycock, county recorder for wildflowers, identified over 30 varieties of wildflowers along the grass verges bordering the path, during a very enjoyable walk last week, organised by Susan Le, the Buckingham community wildlife project officer.
With our recent wood clearance efforts and transplanting scheme started in the glades last year, and many species yet to bloom, we hope to see more flowers and associated insects and butterflies, throughout the walk during the coming months.
Many thanks to Susan for promoting wildlife in Buckingham by arranging so many activities for all ages and interests, we are very lucky to have such an enthusiastic project officer.
Forthcoming events include a badgerwatch, minibeast safari, photography competition, wild art and woodland earthwalk, all at various locations in Buckingham.
The Railway Walk has a mixture of environments supporting different species depending on the local conditions.
If you would like to join us to help maintain this site with all the different aspects, some more challenging than others, new volunteers are always welcome, no experience necessary.
Tasks, always on the first Saturday of the month, usually run from 10am until 2pm, meeting in the university car park at the top of Station Road, Buckingham. Tools, safety gear and light refreshments are provided.
For further information please contact Jenny Manning on 01280 815223 or at railwaywalk@tiscali.co.uk.

Buckingham Inner Wheel Club
OUR guest speaker at the May dinner meeting, Ros Phillips, who has been blind from birth, gave a very interesting talk about how she learnt to read Braille from the age of four.
Inner Wheel members continue to hold fundraising events for Relay For Life with a coffee morning/Angellica party and a Virgin houseware party still to be held before the big event this weekend.
At the Relay For Life weekend we shall continue to raise funds by holding a table top sale and also providing a healthy breakfast on the Sunday morning from 7.10am.
We look forward to seeing you there and hope you will support us.

Diabetes UK
THE Northampton & South Northants Branches Diabetes UK are holding a Walk in the Park on Sunday, June 15 from 10am to 2pm at Towcester Racecourse.
The money raised will help fund essential research projects.
If you would like to take part call Amanda on 01327 351535 for registration and sponsorship forms.

Northants Rare Breeds Support Group
NORTHANTS Rare Breeds Support Group are holding their annual poultry, fleece and plant sale at Elm Tree Farm, Evenley on Sunday, June 29 between 10am and 2pm.
For more information contact Toddy 01869 346554 (Poultry) and Carole 01280 850677 (Fleece).

The Film Place
THE Film Place is showing There Will Be Blood (15) today, Friday, at 7.30pm and tomorrow, Saturday, at 7.30pm at the Ian Fairbairn Lecture Hall, Chandos Road Building, University of Buckingham.
Daniel Day Lewis is riding high, winning Best Actor in this year's Oscars for his portrayal of the fiery, obsessive oil prospector Daniel Plainview, and earning lavish praise from the critics as 'the finest actor of his generation'.
The opening sequence sets the early 20th Century scene when the dangerous game of scratching a living out of silver prospecting is replaced by the far more lucrative discovery of oil.
It is a ruthless story of single-mindedness spanning 30 years.
There are plenty of real-life comparisons with Daniel Plainview's character and director Paul Anderson has pulled out all the stops to give us a mesmerising drama. Unmissable.

Band Jam
BAND Jam, held in the Granary bar at the Grand Junction, is a great place to be for Buckingham's musicians and music lovers on a Thursday evening.
Since the relaunch of Band Jam in December of last year, an eclectic mix of bands has delighted audiences every week.
Last week, Band Jam kicked off with a lively performance from Buckingham band The Outsiders.
Their set included some classic covers from Queens of the Stone Age and Kings of Leon as well as some original material written by lead vocalist and guitarist Daniel Buckland.
The band, comprising of Daniel, Dave Catamole (on base guitar), John Swinburn (guitar) and Julian (drums), has been performing together for over two years, never rehearsing before their gigs.
The night also featured well-received performances from Westbury band the Angry Pirates performing rock covers and Band Jam regulars Sirenide. The latter, a young band performing all its own material, will be competing in the Live and Unsigned final organised by Sky channel Red TV.
The band has successfully fought off competition from over 8,000 other bands to reach the final to be held in Croydon next month.
All in all the evening was lively, full of excitement and enjoyed by all!
We look forward to seeing you next Thursday, 8.30pm to midnight, for a much-awaited appearance of the Swamis.

Buckingham & District Horticultural Society
THE next meeting will be a coffee morning from 10.30am to noon tomorrow, Saturday, which will include a gardeners' question time, at Buckingham Community Centre.
The next show is on Saturday, July 19, at Winslow Public Hall.

Puzzle Pre-School
A PUZZLE Magic Party is being held on Sunday, June 8 from 2.30pm (Juggling John, the magician, performs from 3.30pm) in the gardens of Hill House, Buckingham (by kind permission of the High Sheriff Peter Thorogood and his wife). There will be a marquee in case of rain.
Tickets are available on the door, £10 for a family (one set of parents or grandparents plus children) or £4 per adult, £2 per child, under threes free.
This party is for the under 11s.
There will also be teas and ice creams, lucky dip, Find the Treasure, a raffle, plant stall from Buckingham Garden Centre, and face painting.
All proceeds will go the Puzzle Pre-School.

Buckingham Acoustic Club
HERE is our report on this week's activities, including the first of a series of mini-reports from our successful eighth Music in the Market.
Linda kicked off an interesting evening's entertainment with a mix of self-penned and covered numbers, aided by the talented Mike Moyse on bass guitar for what proved to be a very relaxed and fun set.
Remaining on stage, Mike then swapped bass guitar for a six-string, sharing some lovely 60s covers – of particular note was the Gordon Lightfoot song, If You Could Read My Mind.
Udo, up next for some finger-style tunes, had feet tapping and guitarists watching every move.
Visiting from west London (with one local connection, Greg!) we heard the very first acoustic set from three members of an otherwise electric indie-punk band, The Get Down Convention. Their set of originals went down very well with the audience although it was clear that the missing keyboard, drums and bass guitar make up an important part of its brand of music.
The group has been enjoying some success in London recently and has not only won the Brunel University Battle of the Bands but is currently in the finals of the prestigious Emergenza Battle of the Bands at University of London Union on June 14.
We wish them luck and look forward to perhaps hearing more of the band acoustically in the near future.
And yet another newcomer this week, Mark, a Buckingham resident, made his first tentative steps on to the acoustic club stage to share a self-penned number and the lovely David Gates' song, Everything I Own.
These steps need not have been tentative at all as Mark soon won us over with some very competent guitar playing and tuneful vocals. We know he'll be back soon and can't wait to hear more of his repertoire.
Riff Ruff 2, up next, with the set they didn't get to perform at Music in The Market. Derek, Suzy and Chris treated us to some lovely harmonies with rhythm guitar from Suzy and lead electric from Derek.
With songs as diverse as Material Girl and Ruby, Ruby, the audience was soon joining in and applauding.
Despite a few problems with his amp, Derek continued undeterred to complete a set which would have carried well on the big stage.
To finish the evening we heard from Willin' with their now familiar brand of Americana songs from the pens of masters like Johnny Cash.
As you may have read, the eighth Music in the Market was a little damp weather-wise but our intrepid team kept the music flowing for over eight hours! (see www.buckinghamtoday.co.uk for a picture slideshow and report).
At 1pm Loose Covers stormed the stage with a cracking set of familiar tunes which soon attracted quite a crowd.
Next up, Scott Wilson and Tony Kendrew made their mark with a collection of well-known covers.
Udo Dolz delivered a competent set of tunes and songs and was appreciated by the still-growing crowd.
Kobold, a three-piece comprising of guitars, vocals and bass, introduced us to some pleasant harmonies and a good variety of music from folk to pop. Pete Thirlby and Trevor Shipston (who flew back from Egypt especially to take part!) shared a gutsy, bluesy set which was very popular with the increasing number of people taking their seats in the slightly damp air.
Next up, one of Buckingham Acoustic Club's newest friends showed just how well you can step up to the mark when faced with your first major solo appearance.
Mike Moyse, who seemed totally at ease throughout, confidently delivered a very entertaining and varied mix.
And the audience certainly showed their appreciation!
Fraser's Rag and Roll Band saw Mike on stage again – this time playing bass guitar – plus Fraser and Susanne Winterbottom with guitar, vocals and accordion.
A bouncy set of ragtime and popular music led us nicely on to the first of our younger performer's sets – more of that next week.
In the meantime, keep up with what is happening at BAC by logging on to www.buckinghamacousticclub.co.uk or just come along on Thursday at 8.30pm, The Britannia.