Brackley Royal British Legion
The Brackley branch of the Royal British Legion held its annual meeting on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at The Red Lion, Market Place in Brackley.
The act of homage was observed.
All officers were re-elected to their posts.
The standard bearer, Russell Barrie, brought to the branch's attention that he would be attending the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance with the branch standard and that he felt privileged to represent the branch in this way. Remembrance Sunday was discussed, as was the poppy appeal collections over the weekend in Brackley.
The chairman on behalf of the poppy appeal gave four members long service awards.
Mr C and Mrs S Y Waldron were awarded five-year service awards; Mr L G Waldron was awarded the merit badge for 25 plus years' service; Mr A Furn was awarded the long service medal for 30 plus years' service.

Buckingham U3A
The president, Russell Tobin, opened the meeting and welcomed the members and explained how the Buckingham U3A had developed since its inception.
He announced the names of members who had sent their apologies. He then asked for approval of the minutes of the AGM held on October 22, 2008.
The minutes were proposed, seconded and approved.
The president then asked the out- going chairman, John Walton, to give his report.
He said there were now 560 members and 47 groups. He went on to thank the committee members and group co-ordinators.
He said it had been a very successful year in all but one aspect.
The committee were concerned about the low level of income achieved by the stalls in support of our chosen charity.
He said Margaret Elliot had worked very hard to make the stalls a success, but John urged the members to, in future, take a stronger interest.
It was important for the U3A to be seen to be making at least a modest contribution to its chosen charity.
The treasurer Pat Costello then gave a brief report on the annual accounts and said there was a modest surplus of £856.44.
She went on to explain the reason for the increase in annual subscriptions.
She said the increase in various costs such as the Third Age Trust capitation fee, rents, printing and postage combined with the reduction in investment revenue had made the increase necessary.
The adoption of the reports were proposed, seconded and adopted by those present.
The election of the committee was next considered. John Walton had completed three years in office and had to stand down. He received a huge vote of thanks from the members present. The president had received one nomination – Pat Tonge to fill the vacancy.
The new committee was proposed, seconded and elected en-bloc.
In order to elect the officers Bryan Weston Thomas had been proposed as Chairman and Pat Tonge as vice-chairman, while the secretary and treasurer were willing to continue.
The officers were proposed, seconded and elected en-bloc. The president then introduced Bryan pas the new chairman.
As the president was stepping down Bryan asked the members present to provide a warm vote of thanks to Russell for his work as president and formerly as chairman.
The new chairman then said there were a number of announcements to be made.
He reminded members that the Christmas party would take place on December 16 and the annual luncheon would be on January 17, 2010.
Beryl Carr then made her usual announcements about outings.
The chairman introduced the members forum when the following topics were discussed: figure raised for charity; poor attendance at the July social; microphones for use at the annual meeting; the failure of the hot water system which had been a temporary fault.

Just Friends
The singles social club for those aged 35-60 plus, formerly known as Two's Company, is 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!
A few weeks ago a big group of us went for a wander around Charlton, a beautiful picturesque village, with lovely views across the countryside.
We then went to the Rose & Crown for what proved to be an excellent meal. A future event to revisit this area in 2010 is already in the planning stages!
The Best Party Ever @ Towcester Racecourse – our venue for our Christmas dinner dance on 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 phone 07907 472 441 after 6pm.
Please NOTE forthcoming meetings are November 25, 2009 and December 9, 2009 with a break over the Christmas period. We shall be resuming club nights in 2010 on 6 January 6.

Brackley WI
This month we were given a talk on a most unusual and sometimes sensitive subject.
Sue Renigan makes wigs, was a hairdresser when young, then studied wig making for a City & Guilds certificate, and began a wig-making career in 1983.
She explained that she could make any style, any colour, straight or wavy, whole wigs or pieces, for sufferers of alopecia, those undergoing chemotherapy and on a lighter note for the theatre and fancy dress parties.
The synthetic wigs can be bought off the peg, for those who have no time to wait.
Mrs Renigan has a catalogue of these.
Another type of wig is implanted with a fine monofibre, very close to real hair, offers a choice of many colours, and is easy to wash; costing approx. £100-£400.
Mrs Renigan spends a lot of time with clients, to make sure they have the correct fit and colour.
She respects her clients' wishes, and will go to the clients home if necessary.
Making hand-made wigs can be tedious and very intense, and can take at least 48 hours of weaving. We were then shown a collection of coloured hair, which she buys from a hair merchant. The strands must be at least six inches long. The white hair of the collection was in fact from a Yak's belly, this is used because it is soft and will keep white, as apposed to real hair, which can yellow in time.
It takes 15 ponytails to make a wig, the hair having first gone through an extensive washing programme.
The foundations of a wig are made of net, elastic and metal supports. Mrs Renigan has found that there are better wigs on the market now, made in New Zealand, for those who are completely bald. It is a vacuum wig, made to fit the head so well as to create suction.
They are made individually, are revolutionary and can cost £1200 or more. The one she held up was indeed so very natural looking.
We were all spellbound with the talk, and when Mrs Renigan finished, she told us she would be weaving some hair onto a wig, while we had a cup of tea and a biscuit.
It was fascinating to watch such intricate work. We applauded her sterling work, especially for sufferers of hair loss.
Carol Singing at The Methodist Church, December 6, 2.15pm (mince pies after). Next month: members' night, food and entertainment. Any questions: 01280 702748.

Buckingham and Winslow Film Society
The recent Woody Allen 'return to form' movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona will be shown on Friday, November 20 at the Rose Room, Winslow Centre on Park Road in Winslow.
Made in 2008 and starring Penelope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem and Rebecca Hall, Vicky Cristina Barcelona is back to Woody Allen doing what he does best (after his short and much criticised 'British' period) with a romantic tale of two American women, sensible student Vicky and risk-taking film-maker Cristina (Hall and Johannsson) holidaying in Spain.
Both fall for the charms of a Catalan artist (Bardem).Vicky has a one-night stand with him, while Cristina becomes his live-in lover.
Enter ex-wife La Cruz, who only appears halfway through the film, but effortlessly upstages all of them. Well-cast and witty, this exhilarating movie has plenty to say about relationships, commitment and human frailty.
The movie starts at 7.30pm with doors open from 7pm onwards. Wine and soft drinks are available. Everyone is welcome – admission is £1.50 for members and £4 for non-members.
The new coming Spring 2010 season schedule of movies is available online www.bwfs.org.uk

Winslow WI
A very busy year was reviewed at our annual meeting this month.
The out-going president Anne Liverseidge was thanked for her work, especially as group covener in organising some excellent outings.
Our new president is Thelma Sackman who hosted a summer barbecue for members at her home, as did Valerie Alsford.
Two new interest groups have been started for playreading and discussion. Rosemary Hall provided some light relief from the business of this annual meeting by telling us how she met the Queen through their common interest in corgis.
The competition for my favourite brooch was won by Geanne Ball with her exquisite heirloom in the shape of the musical clef. Irene Smith was second and Diana Kemp third. For details of our activities, refer to the WI board in Winslow High Street or contact 01296 670335. Guests are made very welcome.

Buckingham Tea Dance
Join us every afternoon at Buckingham Community Centre. Enjoy an afternoon of dancing and socialising. Ballroom, latin and sequence, 2pm-3.45pm, entrance fee £2 per person. If you require more information contact Beryl or Alan Carr on 01280 823080 or Beryl Morgan on 01280 822191.

Buckingham Probus Club
A good turnout of members of the Buckingham Probus Club met in November at The Old Thatched Inn for their monthly meeting. Club president Vic Pemberton opened the proceedings with a warm welcome to their past president, Colin Richardson.
Members were pleased to see him again after his recent unavoidable absence.
Following the Loyal Toast, the birthday boys for November were announced – Don Horne, Roy Taylor, and Freddie Scott.
JohnMurray, who is coordinating the social programme for the coming year, enlarged on the suggestions for a visit to Althorp, an outing to Hungerford, with a trip on the Kennet and Avon Canal, and the possibility of a theatre visit.
Frank Blake, is the club welfare officer and he delivered his report on the current health status of three of the club's members.
Frank's contribution underlines the concept of fellowship that exists in the club.
Frank stayed on his feet, because he was the speaker for this meeting. His subject was that well- know location in London, The Elephant and Castle.
He was brought up there, and he described in a vivid way, the famous land marks that were an every-day part of his early life.
As a boy, Frank was a chorister in Saint Georges Cathedral, the first Catholic cathedral to be built in the UK since the Reformation. Close by, he played in the large and beautiful Harmsworth Park that surrounds the Imperial War Museum. He also recalled the splendour of Spurgeon's Tabernacle. Before it was bombed and rebuilt, it could seat 5,500 people, with another 500 standing.
Colin Richardson gave the vote of thanks.
Having been brought up in the same area, the talk had obviously captivated him. After Ron Jones was presented with his raffle prize of a bottle of whisky, the meeting closed with a toast to Fellowship and Friendship.

Winslow District Ramblers
On October 10, we went along the Waddesdon estate drives, bridleways and field paths to Eythrope.
The trees were beautiful and there were excellent views including one of Aylesbury parish church in the distance.
Afterwards, the leaders Jean and Ruth kindly provided tea at Jean's home.
A week later we visited woodland in Milton Keynes and walked a stretch of the north Bucks rural route between Mursley and Drayton Parslow.
Twenty eight members followed Don in the environs of Cosgrove and the Grand Union Canal on the 25th. We passed the aptly named Wharfe Farm and The Navigation public house.
On yet another fine day, Peter led us from Grendon Underwood village along the rights of way to Springhill Prison and Edgcott.
A week later we were in Wendover Woods with Ken to walk the two miles called the Firecrest Trail.
These woods of 325 hectares are managed by the Forestry Commission.
Other trails have been made for horse riders and cyclists and there are car parks, a cafe and an information point.
Our December walks are:
December 6: Maids Moreton, 2pm, five miles, 01280 812418; December 12: Mentmore, 2pm, four miles, 01280 814457; December 16: Wolverton, 10.30am, four miles, 01908 606874; December 20: Wakefield Country Courtyard, 10.30am, four miles, 01327 855919; December 26: Winslow, 2pm, three-and-a-half miles, 01296 670277.
Our January 1, 2010 meet at Cornwalls Meadow car park at 2pm for a stroll of three-and-a-half miles.

The Needle and Thread Society of St Peter and St Paul, Buckingham
This year, the society has been involved with small projects for the church, next year bigger ones will have to be considered.
In order to continue with our refurbishments and repairs, we are holding our Christmas Fair in the community centre on Saturday, November 21 from 9.30am-noon. Please come and support us.

Buckingham and District Branch of the Royal British Legion
The next branch meeting will be on Tuesday, November 24 at 7.30pm. The annual general meeting will commence at 7.30pm and we hope members will support the evening.
Following the annual meeting, there will be a talk on the history of Finmere airfield.
At the October meeting, we had a talk by Ruth Humphries about her escape during the second world war with the kinder children.
We will be taking part in the Christmas Parade on December 12 with military vehicles, help with collections for the poppy appeal would be welcome.
Meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday in the month at Buckingham Town Football Club, Ford Street, Buckingham.