Abthorpe
John Riches 01327 857703
EASTER: EASTER in Abthorpe was celebrated in a traditional manner.
The Easter Day Service in our lovely old parish church dedicated to St John the Baptist was well attended. As Canon Bridget Smith has retired and the Whittlewood Benefice - of which Abthorpe forms part - is in interregnum, worship was led by the Rev Arthur Hughes.
The spring flowers, particularly the daffodils and tree blossom, have been truly wonderful this year.
Some of the bluebells that abound in Bucknells Wood, the large Forestry Commission plantation entirely within Abthorpe parish, are already in bloom - although it will be another week or so before they are at their peak.
Why not come to see them? Park at our pub the New Inn tucked away in a back street close to the church and then walk along that wonderful by-way Brackley Lane to see the bluebells.
On Easter Monday the weather was ideal for an Easter egg hunt arranged in the pub garden by Barbara Smith and her daughter Sam.
Tickets were hidden and when discovered the children redeemed them for chocolate eggs. The child who found the hard-boiled hen's egg was awarded the special prize of a large chocolate egg.
Chef Stuart Pape set up a barbecue in the warm sunshine and cooked sausages and minted burgers made from lamb reared in Slapton.

Adstock
Marian Mason 01296 713457
AN ANTIQUE EVENING: AN antique evening, with guest speaker Hugo Morley Fletcher, is being hosted by Adstock Village Hall Committee on Saturday, April 25, in the village hall at 7pm for 7.30pm.
You are invited to bring a piece of porcelain or glass for valuation.
The tickets are £10 each to include supper and are available from Alison Walker on 01296 713397 or Lorraine Horley on 01296 713438.
ADSTOCK OPEN GARDENS: ADSTOCK is holding its open gardens weekend on June 6 and 7, from 2pm to 6pm both days.

Akeley
Sherri Holland 01280 860486
STEP BY STEP: STEP by Step dancing lessons at the village hall each Thursday from 8pm to 9pm, come and join in the fun.
AGM: YOU are invited to Akeley Village Hall AGM which will be held on Wednesday, April 22, at 8pm at the village hall. A review of the past year and plans for the future.
AEROCISE: AT the village hall on Wednesdays from 9.30am to 10.30am starting on April 22, £5 per session. Contact Joanne on 07851 032316 for further details.
TAI CHI: TAI Chi-based exercise on Mondays from 1.45pm to 2.45pm at the village hall (excluding the first Monday of the month). The cost is £3.50 per session.
VILLAGE WALK: A VILLAGE walk is being held on Monday, May 4, starting from the village hall and finishing at the scout field in Chapel Lane, where the Scouts will provide refreshments.
There is a 10.15am start for a longer walk and an 11.30am walk for children and those who just want a short stroll (dogs welcome).
ART EXHIBITION: AN art exhibition is being held on Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26, from 10am to 5pm at the village hall.
John Tibbetts and Angela Hawker are holding their annual exhibition of watercolour paintings and drawings, some of which are of the local area, and greetings cards will be for sale.
John's new book, Akeley in Pictures, which contains original drawings of Akeley, will be on sale, and refreshments will be available.

Gawcott
Susanne Winterbottom 01280 821079
QUIZ NIGHT: JAMES and Annette invite you to come to their regular Monday night quiz at The Crown, at 8pm.
Entrance £2 per person with teams of up to six.
Prizes for winning teams and a free light tasty snack to feed the brain cells!
All entrance money is divided equally between a lucky draw winner and the charity of their choice.
For more information ring 01280 822322 or go to www.thecrowngawcott.co.uk

Great Horwood
Patricia Rudkin 01296 712930
GREAT HORWOOD PARISH COUNCIL: THE latest meeting was held on Monday, March 9, with 12 members of the public attending.
Discussions are ongoing about the village green. How should it be used? It was held over to the annual parish meeting so a wider consultation can be held.
Annual parish meeting, Thursday, April 30 at 7.30pm in the village hall. Invitations have been sent out to 24 village organisations to be represented and, of course, all villagers are very welcome and encouraged to attend.
Plans to clear the ground for new allotments on the old recreation ground in Willow Road are in hand with six residents coming forward to use this land.
The tree on The Green: the work group had reported back but the size of proposed replacement tree did not meet the requirements of AVDC so the clerk is going to contact AVDC to clarify the requirements. A final proposal for agreement by the council should be presented to the next meeting.
Annual litter pick was carried out on Sunday, March 8 as planned and proved a great success. Almost 30 people turned up to help and more than 20 bags of rubbish were collected plus nine tyres.
Please let me know if you have any questions or comments on items mentioned in this report or on any other matters affecting life in your village.
Also if you have any items that you would like to bring to the council's attention at any time please contact either the clerk or any councillor.
John Gilbey, chairman, Great Horwood Parish Council, john@gilbey98.freeserve.co.uk
THE REFUSE FREIGHTER COMES AGAIN: THE roving village freighter service will next visit on Thursday, April 30 between 7.30am and 11am.
For the use of the villagers, AVDC provides a special refuse freighter which comes to a regular site in Willow Road on a half-day visit. Householders can then deposit waste into the vehicle.
If you need waste items removing at any other times contact 01296 585510.
The service is only for the collection of household waste and will not take any of the following: fridges and freezers, clinical waste, tyres, exhausts, batteries, oils etc, hazardous waste - asbestos etc, commercial waste, building rubble, paint, liquids etc. These all need special collection, please call 01296 585510 to arrange.
BELLRINGERS: IT is hoped to get the bells ringing again at Great Horwood, consequently there will be a practice on Tuesday evenings at 7.30pm, starting on April 21.
Everyone is welcome. If you can ring or are interested in learning, please do come along.
For further details contact David Moore on 01296 713281 or simply turn up on the night.
GREAT HORWOOD WI NEWS: THANK goodness the weather has improved!
Last month it was a perilous tramp to the hall in snow and ice, but spring has sprung.
The meeting was well attended and after our business section we were pleased to welcome Monica Jones to tell us about the wildlife project and make us more aware of what is going on around us.
It is the little things which we all take for granted that we need to be more aware of.
Our resolution, to be debated at the Albert Hall in June, is all about bees, so we were pleased to have Monica tell us what is happening with bees in our village.
Some of us attended the WI's Denman College and, with the help of a Lottery grant, we tried painting, silver jewellery making and quilting.
We had a slide running to cover the flower pounding open day and we also enjoyed the grounds of Denman College. It was a most enjoyable evening.
Next month is our annual dinner, which is home cooking at its best.
For further information on what the WI is doing for the the rest of the year, contact Jeannie Marshall on 01296 713727.
GREAT HORWOOD VILLAGE HALL: THE management committee is looking for a new chairperson.
Jeannie Marshall, who has occupied this position for a number of years, wants to retire.
So contact Jeannie for more information on 01296 713727.
GREAT HORWOOD PRE-SCHOOL: WE will be holding an exciting family creative fun day on Saturday, May 16.
Some of the activities will include painting, sticking, face painting, refreshments to name but just a few. Watch this space for more information.
With the ever-changing way we live, we can now confirm that we have extended our opening hours, and we are currently enrolling children of ages two to four-and-a-half years.
The leader and staff are friendly, fully qualified and trained for every individual need.
We look forward to welcoming you and your child to this happy, safe, fun and supported environment.
If you are interested in a place for your child then please contact the leader, Wendy, on 07999 806961 or email greathorwoodpre-school@hotmail.com
The pre-pchool is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
We can also pick up children from the Reception class from Great Horwood School at 12.15pm.
GREAT HORWOOD SILVER BAND: THE band is very much a family band and at the moment there are three families with three generations playing in the band.
Its next outing will be on Sunday, May 17 for the opening of the new recreation ground.
Details of all the band events for the coming year can be found on www.freewebs.com/greathorwood
GREAT HORWOOD CRICKET CLUB: IS looking for sponsorship, and your advertisement can go pitchside, billboards, in our handbook and on our website.
Our league cricket brings in teams from all over Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. The friendly fixture list contains teams from Milton Keynes, Luton and other local areas and we also host junior cricket on behalf of Bucks Cricket Board, which means we can offer you excellent exposure for any potential sales or contacts.
We are also very keen on forming partnerships with local businesses so if you are looking to raise your profile, please contact Gary Lee, hon secretary, Great Horwood Cricket Club on 01296 712772 or email garymlee1@hotmail.com. The club's website is www.greathorwoodcc.com
200 CLUB: GREAT Horwood Pre-School runs a 200 Club and if anyone would like to join, please let Karen Hogston know on 01206 714501 or 07956 074785.
It costs £12 a year to join and every half-term there is a draw and a chance to win cash prizes.
The pre-school keeps half the money raised by the scheme and the other half goes back into the prize fund to be won.
This is a good way to raise funds and the pre-School benefits from your support.
A big thank you to all those already in our 200 Club - your support is very much appreciated!
DOCTOR'S CAR SERVICE: RING 07704 140110 for availability.
This service is available to be used by anybody in the village who needs transport to the doctors' surgeries in Winslow, Buckingham or Whitchurch.
Simply call the mobile number above and speak to a member of the volunteer team about your requirement.
If you get the answerphone, just leave your name, phone number and date and time of your appointment and somebody will ring you back.
The drivers are all volunteers who will not be claiming any expenses and so we will be asking for a voluntary contribution up to a maximum of £1 for the return trip to Winslow or £2 for Buckingham or Whitchurch.
This will be used to cover the cost of the mobile 'phone. If there is any surplus then this will be donated to a deserving village cause of our choosing.
If you have any questions or would like to be a volunteer driver please let me know: John Gilbey, 01296 711915, or email john@gilbey98.freeserve.co.uk

Lillingstone Lovell
Malcolm Jones 01280 860312
FROCKSWAP: REVAMP your wardrobe for just £5!
A frock swap will be held at the village hall Lillingstone Lovell tomorrow, Saturday, from 2pm until 6pm.
Just bring along good quality nearly new clothes evening and daywear or acces-sories and swap them for others. Tickets are just £5 and you will get swap vouchers for every item bought.
Please bring clothes on the morning of the event if you can, this will help us avoid the rush and get you registered early.
Refreshments will also be available and you can enjoy a stroll around the picturesque village. Also, there will be Ruby Rocks designer clothes available to purchase.
Towards the end of the day there will be a clothes sale and any unwanted items will go to Willen Hospice.
For further enquiries go to the website www.frockswap.net or email info@frockswap.net or contact Verity on 01280 860014.

Little Horwood
Chrissie Beckett 01296 712436
COFFEE MORNING: THANK you to all the people who came along to support the coffee morning in aid of the church.
The next one to be held will be in aid of the Memorial Hall, dates to follow.
In the meantime, please do remember what a brilliant asset having a local Post Office can be for us.
It may only be one morning a week but it is regular and gives the opportunities of meeting up with other villagers as well as posting your letters and parcels and buying your bread!
SWANBOURNE SHOP: PLEASE support our village shops.
We still sorely miss our own stores but it is important we use the asset we have in Swanbourne.
Please continue to take any spare shopping bags you may have lurking in your cupboards to the shop or bring along for Paula at the coffee morning every Tuesday in the Memorial Hall.
CHURCH SERVICES: THE following services are being held on Sunday, April 26: Little Horwood, 9.30am, Holy Communion; Mursley, 11am, Family Service and Swanbourne, 11am, St George's Service.
The next Interactive Family Service followed by shared lunch in the Old School will be held on Sunday, May 3.
Everyone is welcome to come along and join us.

Maids Moreton
Anita Matthews 01280 814358
CHURCH SERVICES: ON Sunday there is a service of Holy Communion at 8am followed by a Family Service at 10.30am.
Searchlights should check with their leader for their arrangements.
WHIST DRIVE: THE next whist drive is on Friday, April 24 in the village hall at 7.30pm.
WHEATSHEAF QUIZ EVENING: FOLLOWING the success of the last two quiz evenings at The Wheatsheaf there will be one on Monday, April 20 commencing at 8.30pm. Teams should be a maximum of four people.
There will be a nominal charge which includes a snack buffet, the proceeds of which will be donated to a local charity.
If you require any further information please call Gary on 01280 815433
GRUMBLE GRANGE GROUP: THE next meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 21 at 7.30pm.
MAIDS MORETON CONSERVATION GROUP: THE annual litter pick will take place tomorrow, Saturday, setting off from the playing field car park at 2pm.
Please bring gloves and bin liners.
The rubbish will be collected by AVDC's contract services on Monday.
Please support this worthy event and join in giving the village a spring-clean.
SOUP LUNCH: THE next soup lunch will be held today, Friday, in the village hall at 12.15pm for 12.30pm.
MERRYMAKERS: THE first outing of the season will take place on Wednesday, May 6, going to Lichfield.
The coach will leave the village hall at 9am and will pick up in all the usual places.
The cost of the coach will be £9 for members and £10 for non-members.
If you would like to join the Merrymakers please call Bob on 01280 814295.

Padbury
Sue Wrigley 01280 814199
NEW INN ACTIVITIES: COME along to the next quiz night at the New Inn this Sunday, April 19, starting at 8pm.
Question-master Bob will be ready with some more fun questions and there will be free nibbles to help the thinking process along.
New to the New Inn is Nigel's card night which will take place on Sunday evening next week, April 26, from 7.30pm.
This will have a whist theme and will be for all levels of players.
I am told that for those who are not so experienced, someone will be going round giving a bit of help.
Contact Nicki or Terry on 01280 813173 for more details.
CHURCH BELLS ON ST GEORGE'S DAY: DURING the evening of next Thursday, April 23, the bells of St Mary's Church will be rung to celebrate the feast day of our patron saint, St George, so do listen out for them.
If hearing the bells makes you think you might enjoy becoming involved in bellringing, please contact Richard Stanworth on 01280 814172.
He would be delighted to hear from you.
OPEN GARDEN IN PADBURY: THE Morley-Fletchers' garden at The Old Vicarage, Thornborough Road, will be open to visitors on Saturday and Sunday of next week, April 25 and 26, from 2pm to 6pm.
It is a large garden of two-and-a-half acres on three levels with flowering shrubs and trees, a vegetable garden, pond and sunken garden, parterre, magnolias and trilliums.
Teas with home-made cakes will be available and admission to the garden is £3 a head (children free).
TENNIS CLUB: THE tennis club's Strictly Not Come Dancing evening is on Saturday, April 25, in the village hall, and tickets are going well.
A real dance teacher will be on hand to help on the night.
And for those who do feel like having a go at a small competition, there will be a 'dance off'.
You don't have to be a member of the tennis club (or even able to dance) to take part.
So contact Tracey Sargent on 01280 816203 for ticket availability.
ALI'S DREAM CLAY PIGEON SHOOT: THE annual Ali's Dream clay pigeon shoot is once again taking place next Sunday, April 26, at the Padbury Hill Farm.
This very popular annual event will open at 9am and spectators are welcome at a cost of £10 a head (£5 for children under 12).
There are lots more events coming up during the year for Ali's Dream, so to help raise money to fund research into childhood brain tumours, please do contact either Sue or Karen at Padbury Hill Farm on 01296 730230 to see what's going on.
ANNUAL CHURCH MEETING: NOT to be outdone during what appears to be the very busy weekend of April 25/26, St Mary's Church is holding its annual church meeting on Sunday, April 26 at noon.
The meeting is in two parts - the first is to elect the churchwardens (and anyone on the parliamentary electoral roll may take part) and nominations must be handed to the minister before the meeting.
The second part is to elect the members of the parochial church council and the sidesmen.
Do give vicar Ros a ring on 01296 813162 if you want more information about it.
PADBURY FRIENDLY AFTERNOON: EVERY other week on a Wednesday, the Friendly Afternoon Club meets in the village hall from 2pm to 4pm.
They usually alternate bingo and whist followed by a raffle, a cuppa and a chat.
But on occasions they ring the changes with card games, a beetle drive or a quiz - it's really down to what people want!
Most of the group are either nearing retirement or are already there and there is a good mix of ages, gentlemen and ladies.
The group is self-funding, although they are very grateful for the donation from the Bessie Potter Fund each year together with the special donation that is received from the Miss Duckett bequest.
Each member pays £1.50 per meeting which covers the cost of the hall and refreshments, and helps subsidise outings and meals.
So, if you are at a loose end on a Wednesday and would like to meet new friends, then please feel free to come along.
The dates are May 6 and 20, June 17, and July 1 and 15 (and a boat trip on the 29th).
There is no meeting in August, but it re-starts on Wednesday, September 2.
Please give Sylvia Nutt a ring on 01280 812333 if you are interested.
Transport can be arranged if you have any difficulty getting to the village hall.
MAIN STREET PLAY AREA: A FEW weeks ago there was talk of some new play equipment in the Main Street play area and, as plans were well in hand, it was now time to raise the necessary funds.
To encourage people to contribute, boxes for donations are in the New Inn, the Blackbird and Padbury Meats so please feel free to put spare change in the boxes (and even something extra) and help give the children in the village a great new play area.
If anyone wishes to sponsor a piece of equipment or a bench or even a picnic bench, do contact Debbie Gibbs on 01280 815044 for details.
BINGO: THERE will be bingo in the village hall today, Friday, starting at 8pm and although it's usually fortnightly, the next bingo evening will be next week, Friday, April 24.

Steeple Claydon
Isobel Ashford 01296 730648
STEEPLE CLAYDON PARISH COUNCIL: EVER wondered who to contact to book the Steeple Claydon Village Hall?
What hours the Steeple Claydon Library is open or which of your refuse bins is going to be emptied next Wednesday in Steeple Claydon?
You can find the answers on the Steeple Claydon Parish Council new website www.bucksinfo.net/steeple-claydon-parish-council/

Syresham
Christina Munsey
GEORGE AND GERALD'S SALE AND COFFEE MORNING: THE first sale of 2009 will be held tomorrow, Saturday, from 10.30am until 1.30pm outside Syresham Chapel.
As always, there will be books, bric-a-brac, toys, videos, furniture plus lots of new stock.
Come along and find a bargain and enjoy a cup of coffee and a chat with your friends.
FUN QUIZ: THERE will be a fun quiz in the village hall on Friday, April 24 starting at 7.30pm.
Teams of four are invited to participate.
Tea, coffee and biscuits will be served, but please bring your own drinks and nibbles.
There will also be a raffle.
Come along and enjoy a great fun evening with your friends.
MAY DAY FETE: ST JAMES Primary School is holding a May Day Fete on Monday, May 4.
Follow the procession from St James Church at 1.45pm.
The fete starts at the school at 2pm and there will be Maypole dancing, stalls, barbecue, raffle, teas and much more.
Plus lots of traditional family fun!

Thornborough
Chrissie Vernon 01280 813073
BINGO: THE next bingo in the village hall is tomorrow, Saturday, at 7.30pm.
Donations of raffle prizes would be much appreciated. All welcome.

Tingewick
Joanna Brown 01280 847479
PATH WALK: THE annual survey of all the footpaths in the parish will be taking place tomorrow, Saturday.
If you can help by walking one (or more) of them, please come along to the Royal Oak at 10.30am for hot drinks and bacon butties before setting off.
Any questions, please 'phone Tim Poil on 01280 847354.
CHURCH SERVICES: THERE will be Holy Communion Service in St Mary Magdalen's Church at 10.30am on Sunday, April 19.
RAINBOWS: RAINBOWS meet on Fridays at 6.30pm in the school hall.
Contact Janet Bowden on 01280 817052 for more information.
PARENT & TODDLER: ON Thursday afternoon from 1.15pm to about 2.30pm there is a drop-in parent and toddler group meeting in the pre-school on Main Street.
Costing just £1 per family group, this is a chance to meet other parents and have a drink and a biscuit while your child makes friends and gets used to the pre-school room.
Contact Claire Groves on 01280 847130 for more information or just come along!

Wappenham
Jane Harries 01327 860350
VILLAGE HALL AGM: THE Village Hall Committee will be holding its AGM on Wednesday, April 22 at 7.30pm in the hall.
Members of the public are welcome.
I know that the committee are planning quite a few new events for the village this year, including a barn dance, a jumble sale and a party for senior citizens in the village at Christmas.
If you would like to help or ask about these events, or suggest others, do come to the meeting.
JUMBLE SALE: A JUMBLE sale is being held on Saturday, June 27 at 2pm, in the village hall.
Now is the time to start collecting anything you'd like to pass on to the jumble sale, which is in aid of the senior citizens' Christmas Dinner.
Refreshments will be available.
There will be a prize draw, with ticket price included in the 50p entry charge.
We are also planning to have an auction, so dig deep among your clutter/not- so-treasured-but-saleable-possessions, for things that can be auctioned!

Water Stratford
Helen Hilsdon 01280 848216
OPEN GARDENS: FOUR springtime gardens in the village of Water Stratford will be open to visitors on Wednesday, April 29 from 10am to 5pm in aid of the Church Restoration Fund.
Home-made refreshments will be on sale all day and the ticket price of £3 will include a coffee or tea.
The gardens which are open and the refreshment area will be clearly marked as will a walk down to the river (weather permitting).