Buckingham and District Age Concern
Our group meets on the last Saturday of each month for a coffee morning at the Well Street Centre, where folk come together and chat over refreshments and our raffle always proves very popular.
On August 15 at the Well Street Centre, tea and entertainment were provided for the less able. The tea was provided by Stoke Lyne WI. Ann Swaithe, a great favourite with our people, was our entertainer, singing a variety of popular songs and folk enjoyed singing along with her.
On September 16, our trip was to Stamford, a lovely market town with many Medieval and Georgian buildings, a wide variety of shops in the High Street and alley ways.
After lunch, we visited Geoff Hamilton Gardens, which consists of 37 individual gardens, a memorial garden and much more. The heavily laden fruit trees and vegetable beds were amazing.
Our trip on October 21 is to Cheltenham. The coach leaves at 10.30am from the bus station. If interested please contact Beryl Brian, on 01280 815374.
We would welcome volunteers to come and help at our coffee mornings. To find out more about us, please contact Ros Hutt, secretary, on 01280 816570.

Buckingham Women's Institute
Janet Eason-Bassett opened the September meeting and welcomed members and two visitors.
Minutes were read and signed correspondence and other matters were discussed, along with forthcoming events.
Thursday, October 29, Buckingham will host the group meeting in the Community Centre. The speaker will be Louise Reed giving a talk about Emmeline Pankhurst. Admission, £5.
This year the Buckingham Group celebrates its 80th anniversary so something a bit special is planned.
Five of our ladies joined other county members and spent a very enjoyable week's holiday. We were based at Swansea University. There was plenty to see and do, we were kept very busy, the Mumbles, the picturesque Gower Peninsula with lovely sandy beaches, some of us did go in the sea. Several ladies went down a gold mine and some ventured on a pleasure boat when we visited Cardiff - and no-one could complain about the weather.
Our September speaker was Sue Crisp, who entertained us with her attractive rag rugs and wall hangings. Sue has found a way of recycling stores' plastic bags - she turns them into more bags, much more exciting than the originals. Her new bags would make ideal beach bags. After her talk, we all were given the chance to have a little dabble with the rags - a very enjoyable evening.
Our next meeting is October 21, from 7.30pm in the community centre. The speaker is Doreen Kempton with ribbon floral art. Visitors are welcome.

Buckingham and District Talking Newspaper
Every Friday, volunteers from the Buckingham and District Talking Newspaper make a recording on tape of that day's edition of the Buckingham and Winslow Advertiser.
The Buckingham School in London Road, generously provide facilities for the recordings to take place there. The recorded tapes are then delivered free of charge on Saturday mornings by the Royal Mail.
Our listeners, who have sight difficulties, are thus kept up-to-date with the local news. The Talking Newspaper consists of six teams who make the tape in rotation.
On Friday, October 9 however, team number three, which consists of Angela Jones, Don Horne, Brenda Smith and Ron and Mary Buckingham were joined by an additional reader. Not for the first time, Buckingham's MP and speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, arrived to assist with reading the local newspaper. We are so pleased that the speaker does exactly that for our organisation.
Copies of the tapes are freely available to people with sight problems. This includes anyone who has moved out of the district, but who would enjoy hearing the local news.
For further information, contact Charlie Macdonald on 01280 822688 or John Murray on 01280 813792.

The Film Place
Tonight, Friday, The Film Place will be showing Genova (15), from 8pm, and tomorrow, Saturday, it will be showing Morris: A Life with Bells On (12A), from 7.30pm.
There will also be a special mid-week screening of the Short Cuts Film Festival on Wednesday, October 21, from 6pm.
Genova stars Colin Firth, Catherine Keener and Willa Holland. An eerie thriller with deliberate echoes of Don't Look Now, the film gives director Michael Winterbottom an excellently written drama with which to pursue the mysteries of the supernatural.
It opens with a tragic car accident in which Marianne, the mother of two daughters is killed.
The girls, Kelly, 16, and Mary, 10, escape with only minor physical injuries. Their father, Joe, a university lecturer accepts a new teaching post at the University of Genoa, convinced that a fresh start is necessary for all three of them.
Kelly quickly begins to pick up the threads of her new life while Joe has an old college friend, Barbara, and an attractive new student, Rosa, to help take his mind off his grief. Mary, on the other hand, has nightmare visions, blaming herself for the accident. Her mother's ghost reinforces her guilt and appears to lure her into unsuspecting dangers.
There are fabulous close-up shots of Genoa's labyrinthine streets and sweeping panoramas of the city's coastal beauty, all building up to an atmospheric climax and cleverly contrasting the everyday sights and sounds of a vibrant outside world at odds with the individual turmoil of family loss. In this, Winterbottom is aided and abetted by superb performances; the ever reliable Colin Firth and startlingly subtle portrayals from the young Haney-Jardine as Mary and Willa Holland as Kelly. A hauntingly good movie.
Morris: A Life with Bells On, stars Derek Jacobi and Naomie Harris. Forget Strictly Come Dancing and immerse yourself in the glorious traditions of the Morris Men!
Described as "The Full Monty with bells on", this film has quickly established itself as a cult classic. It's a mockumentary comedy that follows the fortunes of the Millsham Morris, who, under the inspired – and delightfully eccentric – leadership of Derecq Twist are in pursuit of "Extreme Morris." Director Lucy Akhurst celebrates the quirky honesty of - in her own words - "good, decent people."
Audiences throughout England have been demanding to see this film, which was a sell out hit in the south-west locale of its birth. Now it is coming to The Film Place. Do not miss this wonderfully gentle and hilarious take on the whole business of being English.
The star-studded list of celebrities are an added bonus.
But what really makes this film special and why it has played to such rave reviews is its sheer entertainment value. Full of delightful surprises, it engages all ages and lifts the spirits with its wit and celebration of the best in British traditions.
Buckinghamshire's annual Short Film Festival is to be held over four days at four different venues.
Each event will bring together filmmakers and the creative industries, show-casing all the best in local talent and business acumen. The venues are spread throughout the county at Aylesbury, Buckingham, Pinewood Studios and High Wycombe.
This celebration of all that's great about contemporary British filmmaking will be hosted at The Film Place on Wednesday, October 21, from 4.30pm to 10pm.
There are three separate screenings, each featuring 60 minutes of different short films, encompassing all the genre: comedy, drama, documentary, music, thriller, horror and experimental.
Darren Cliff will be present throughout the evening and will give a brief introduction to the films before each screening. Some of the filmmakers will also be in attendance.
A competition entry will be shown at each screening, giving you, the audience, a chance to see the local films shortlisted for the festival prize of Best Film.
The Buckingham event will feature a business networking opportunity from 4.30pm to 6pm, designed to highlight the strengths available in the creative industries and bring all sectors together.
Please note the respective film categories. The first screening at 6pm will show films suitable for all ages. The second and third screenings at 7.30pm and 9pm will contain some shorts with an 18 certificate.
Ticket prices are one screening, £4, students £3, two screenings, £7, students £5, three screenings, £10, students £7 or for a festival pass, £15, students £12, which enables access to any venue and any screening.
For a full listing of the programme, and to book tickets, visit www.cliffproductions.co.uk/shortcuts09 or you can email the festival team at shortcuts@cliffproductions.co.uk or telephone 0845 094 9014.
Tickets will also be available from the Old Gaol Tourist Office in Buckingham and can be reserved for the Buckingham event only online at www.thefilmplace.org.uk.

Bicester Drama Society
The society will be holding a new members' evening in the function room of the Littlebury Hotel, Bicester on Wednesday, October 21, from 8pm.
Everyone is welcome. We are looking for people to get involved both on stage, back stage and front of house for our next production, Alan Aykbourn's Bedroom Farce, which is to be staged next April.
If you are interested and can't make the evening, then email bicesterdrama@tiscali.co.uk.

Padbury Women's Institute
On September 10, Padbury WI returned from the summer break with a meeting in the village hall, when our speaker was Amanda Beckett, from Calvert Green.
Amanda showed us how to make pretty earrings using silver threads and coloured glass beads. Even the least artistic of us managed to make her own pair of earrings (several people even managed to make two pairs.)
Then on October 8, our speaker was Claire Rogers, from Abingdon, who spoke on hearing dogs. We have all heard about Guide Dogs for the Blind, but many people are unaware of the availability of hearing dogs for people who are deaf.
We learnt about these dogs, which are trained to recognise the sound of the telephone or doorbell, and to recognise the noise of smoke alarms. There are also special dogs that help deaf children and their families.
Our next meeting will be the annual general meeting on Thursday, November 12, in the village hall, when we will be electing our new officers and committee for next year.

Cherwell Cats Protection
On Saturday, October 17, from midday to 4pm, Cherwell Cats Protection will be fundraising outside Pets Corner, Bicester Avenue, Wyevale. Come and find out about what we do. There will be free goodies for kids available. Cat food donations would be gratefully received.

Bicester Community Twinning Association
We would like to invite people to become members of The New Community Twinning Association for Bicester.
In doing so you would become a founding member in a very important step for this new association.
We have set the date of November 1, 2009 for membership to start, then annually from that date each year.
One of our aims is to get our membership actively involved, taking part in what we do. If there is something you would like to see us do, please get in contact with us and we can discuss this with you.
The membership fees are £5 for single membership or £8.50 for family membership.
We will also introduce a pricing scale for example the next wine tasting is £10.50 but in future there will be a double scale and it will be £10.50 for a member and £12.50 for a non-member – as an example.
Also we expect anyone who travels with us to be a member. It helps cover admin.
Please write to Sue that you are interested in becoming a member.
Write to secretary, Sue Clutterbuck, at 8 Longfields, Bicester, OX26 6QH.

The Old Gaol Museum
The renowned family history expert, Eve McLaughlin will be at the Old Gaol Museum in Buckingham on Thursday, October 22, in the second of our autumn talks.
Eve's talk is entitled Buckingham in Black and White - an insight into town life gleaned from Victorian newspapers.
Her talk will commence at 7.30pm and tickets may be bought from the Tourist Information Office at the Old Gaol. They are £4 if bought in advance or £5 on the night.
Trust members may collect a free ticket before the event and on presentation of their membership cards only.
Eve will bring a variety of her many publications for sale, and an interesting evening is expected.
Paul Fricker, from Buckingham Pottery will be at the children's activity session on Friday, October 30, bringing with him a potter's wheel. Children will be able to have a go at making a pot by wheel and by hand.
The session is from 1pm to 3pm. Call in anytime but last admission will be at 2.30pm. Full details on our website www.buckinghamoldgaol.org.uk or telephone 01280 823020.

Just Friends
The singles social club for those aged 35 to 60+, formerly known as Two's Company. Still going strong since its inception in 2004. The aim of the group is to provide a social network for single people to enjoy theatre trips, walks, days out, concerts, Sunday lunches, bowling, canal boating, parties, barbecues, car treasure hunts, weekends away and lots more!
Last Sunday, some of us went to Stoke Bruerne for their Village at War weekend event.
Traditional narrowboats of wartime vintage and military vehicles were on display, and even the Home Guard was patrolling the area. Lots of 1940s memorabilia and exhibits with villagers and many others dressed in 1940s gear.
There was a Canals at War exhibition in the museum which demonstrated that the women's land army also worked on the barges.
One of the highlights occurred in the afternoon when it was all eyes to the sky for the fly past of the Hurricane sea fighter plane (from the Shuttleworth Collection) and was combined with the sounding of the air raid sirens, the all clear and strains of Vera Lynn singing The White Cliffs of Dover. It was absolutely brilliant and the sun shone – a great day out!
Up and coming events include a visit to Batsford Arboretum on October 18, bonfire and firework display followed by a curry on the evening of Saturday, October 31 and a walk followed by Sunday lunch at Charlton on November 8.
The Best Party Ever @ Towcester Racecourse – our venue for our Christmas dinner dance – for Saturday, December 19, is all booked up.
Anyone wishing to join us at this stage will have to book independently – contact Sheila to get the details.
If you are interested in finding out what Just Friends can offer you, please don't hesitate to drop in to one of our club nights which are fortnightly at 8pm on Wednesdays in the Lounge, Villiers Hotel, Buckingham.
If you wish to talk to a club member to find out more please telephone 07907 472441 after 6pm.
Please note forthcoming meetings are October 28, November 11 and November 25.

The Old Gaolers
The Old Gaolers is Buckingham's amateur drama group, now 25 years old, and always welcomes new members, whether to act, direct or help behind the scenes.
Anyone wishing to join should contact David Pickering on 01280 816156, email david@pickering96.freeserve.co.uk or come to our annual general meeting on November 11, at 8pm – venue to be announced soon.
Young people are particularly welcome, and it is pleasing that our latest play features small parts for three new junior members, alongside experienced actors.
This forthcoming production is a dramatisation of Helene Hanff's bestselling book of real life correspondence, 84 Charing Cross Road, to be performed on October 29 to 31. Please see the article in this newspaper's It's Friday section for full details.
Tickets are £8 and are now on sale at the Old Gaol and the The Duke's Music, both on Market Hill.

ABBA Bridge Club
ABBA celebrated its third birthday with an invitation scratch and handicap team bridge competition held at Maids Moreton Village Hall on October 11.
The overall winner in the scratch event was won by AVBG by a healthy margin with ABBA coming an honorable second.
The handicap competition was won by the recently formed Bee Gees bridge group.
At the end of the afternoon the winners were rewarded with certificates plus the rare opportunity to view the ABBA trophy cabinet and memorabilia followed by afternoon
tea.
The climax of the afternoon was the visit of the acclaimed German bridge player, John BM Horstkamp.

Bicester National Childbirth Trust
Our next nearly new sale will be on Saturday, October 24, at Bicester Methodist Church Hall from 11am to 12.30pm.
We will be selling nearly new baby and children's clothes, maternity wear, baby equipment and books and toys at low, low prices.

Brackley Royal British Legion
On Saturday, October 3, a concert by the Brackley and District Band was held in the presence of the town mayor Caryl Billingham to celebrate the 80th birthday of the Brackley branch of the Royal British Legion.
Everyone enjoyed a variety of music from the band. A raffle during the evening raised £111 for branch funds.
The Brackley branch of the Royal British Legion would like to thank the Brackley and District Band for a very entertaining evening.
A branch meeting was held on Tuesday, October 6, at 7.30pm at the rear of the Red Lion pub in Brackley Market Place. Eight members attended and the act of homage was observed. A report was made by the chairman about his visit to Wootton Bassett to pay his respects to fallen servicemen returning from Afghanistan.
All various aspects of the Royal British Legion were discussed and any actions taken where necessary. Various fundraising events were discussed, including the band concert and the car boot sale. The next meeting is to be held on November 3, at 7.30pm at the Red Lion in Brackley.
The Brackley and District branch of the Royal British Legion has raised more than £8,800 for the 2008/2009 Poppy Appeal. This is a record for the Brackley branch.
As the time for remembrance comes around again, with poppies on sale from October 24 to November 11, there has been a change of poppy appeal organisers within the Brackley area. Lionel Waldron, who has been organising the appeal for the last seven years and helping out for the last 30 years, has chosen at the age of 82 to stand down and pass the reins to someone younger.
Colin Waldron, his son, has taken over the job from this year onwards.
He said: "I did not realise the amount of work that goes into organising such a large appeal. The planning started in July of this year, with letters going out to organisations for the orders of wreaths and to companies and shops asking them if they would have a poppy box on their till area.
"We have to have our order in to the poppy appeal headquarters by the beginning of September, so that they can ensure that all wreaths and poppy boxes can be with the appeal organisers by the time the appeal starts."
We are always looking for new people to help with the appeal. We need people to help with manning static collection points and to do door to door collections.
If you would like to help please contact Colin Waldron on 01280 700840 or Lionel Waldron on 01280 702784.