Abthorpe
John Riches 01327 857703
LAMBING: LAMBING has almost finished on the farms around the village and lambs can be seen frolicking around and enjoying the warm spring sunshine.
Over a pint in our pub, one local farmer explained that these days lambing has become very high-tech.
Using a mobile ultrasound device, all his ewes have been scanned when their foetuses were likely to be between seven and 12 weeks old to see if they were pregnant.
For a very reasonable fee, the operator of the ultrasound device can determine the number of lambs that each ewe is carrying with a very high degree of accuracy.
Ewes are colour marked to show whether they are expecting one, two or three lambs and are then housed in groups according to how many they are going to have so that they can be given the right amount of feed.
CHARITY QUIZ NIGHT: A CHARITY quiz night will be held on Tuesday, March 24 at 8.30pm in our pub, The New Inn.
Rob Smith, our landlord, has explained that for a charge of £1.50 participants will be able to enjoy taking part in a well-organised quiz and enjoy a supper that includes pie and chips. The winners will donate the profit to local charities.
Although the quiz is organised principally for villagers and regulars, anyone who wishes to fill the few vacant places should first contact the pub on 01327 857306.

Akeley
Sherri Holland 01280 860486
STEP BY STEP DANCE SCHOOL: LESSONS are now weekly at 8pm on Thursdays at the village hall.
MOTHERING SUNDAY: THERE will be a Mothering Sunday church service in the village hall on March 22 at 10.30am.
BINGO: THERE will be bingo in the village hall on Monday, March 23 at 7.30pm with your host John Cowley.

Croughton
Jean Coles 01869 810473
READING ROOM: THE Reading Room will be open on Sunday, Mother's Day, at noon.
So come and see what we have been doing and bring your mum for a meal – we will be serving a hot buffet and desserts at £7.50 per person.
There will be two sittings, 1pm and 4pm, and more information can be obtained by calling 01869 810172.
We have had lots of enquiries regarding uses for the building so come and talk to us about what you would like to see.
Mo Bryant and the Trustees
HISTORY GROUP: MILITARY historian Martin Marix Evans will be speaking about Operation Sealion – the German plan for the invasion of England in 1940.
The meeting is on Tuesday, March 24, commencing at 7.30pm in the village hall.
Members £1, non-members £3, including refreshments.

Dadford
Ivy Cakebread 01280 813279
REFUSE FREIGHTER: THE refuse freighter from Aylesbury Vale District Council will visit the village hall car park on Wednesday, March 25 from noon to 3.30pm.
Please use it if you can or it might be a case of 'use it or lose it'.

Deanshanger
Jennie Dott 01908 564725
DEANSHANGER SCOUTS RAISING FUNDS: THE 2nd Deanshanger Scout Group will be holding a table top sale at Deanshanger Community Centre on Saturday, April 4, to raise funds towards a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Russia, to take part in a Jamboree celebrating 100 years of Russian Scouting.
The sale will be held from 11am to 1pm (setting up from 10am) and refreshments will be available.
Clear out your clutter, bag a bargain and beat the credit crunch by booking a table from only £5. The Scouts will be running their own stall and any donations of books, games, bric-a-brac etc. (in good condition) will be gratefully received and can be collected at your convenience.
For table bookings and all other enquiries please contact Jackie on 01908 542960.
DEANSHANGER VILLAGE HERITAGE SOCIETY AGM: THE AGM of the Deanshanger Village Heritage Society will take place on Friday, March 27, at Deanshanger Methodist Chapel, Church Lane, starting at 7.30pm.
It will be followed by a presentation of Victorian parlour entertainment in the form of a Magic Lantern Show.
Non-members are welcome to attend.
Refreshments will be served after the AGM and before the Magic Lantern Show.
DISPLAY OF PLANS – LAND OFF CHURCH LANE: PROPOSED plans, for the extension of the burial ground, provision of a new public open space and construction of two dwellings on land off Church Lane, will be displayed by Deanshanger Parish Council in the new Meeting Room at Deanshanger Community Centre on Saturday, March 28 from 10am until noon.

Great Horwood
Patricia Rudkin 01296 712930
HAVE YOU WRITTEN YOUR LETTER YET?: THIS is your chance to comment on the Winslow Green development proposals.
Write to Mr Anthony Barker, Development Control Division, Aylesbury Vale District Council, 66 High Street, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP20 1SD before April 1 (Ref 08/02944/AOP).
WINSLOW & DISTRICT FUNDRAISING FOR WILLEN HOSPICE: THE coffee morning in Winslow on Saturday, March 7, for Willen Hospice, raised £962.05, all of which will help patients being cared for either in their own homes or in the hospice itself.
Thanks to all the amazing supporters for yet another marvellous result.
GREAT HORWOOD PRE-SCHOOL: WE will be holding an exciting Family Creative Fun Day in May.
Some of the activities will include painting, sticking, making items and face painting, and there will be refreshments.
Watch this space for more information.
Great Horwood Pre-School has extended its opening hours and hope this suits all those mums who are thinking of returning back to work.
We are currently enrolling children of ages two to four-and-a-half years, so they can experience the world of learning and development through their eyes. The leader and staff are friendly, fully qualified and trained.
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.
Pre-school 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 Annual Concert was held at the Community Centre, Buckingham, on Saturday, March 7, and a large and very appreciative audience enjoyed this event.
The band would like to thank everyone who helped make this year's concert a success.
The next outing for the band will be on Sunday, May 17 for the opening of the new recreation ground in Great Horwood.
Details of all the band events for the coming year can be found on its website www.freewebs.com/greathorwood.
GREAT HORWOOD CE COMBINED SCHOOL: THE school is continuing to save Books for Schools tokens from cereal packets and has now started to save book tokens from The Times and Sunday Times newspapers.
Please support us by sending in any tokens you have – your help is appreciated.
We need two play leaders for an hour a day from 12.15pm until 1.15pm, term time only. This is a paid position.
If you would like more details please contact the school office on 01296 712622.
The school is in the process of planning to extend its age of admission to include nursery provision, which means admitting children in the term after they are three years of age.
We are still at the consultation stage at this present time, but if you would like more information about this proposal or would be interested in your child joining the school in the nursery, please contact the school on 01296 712622.
GREAT HORWOOD CRICKET CLUB: IS looking for sponsorship – your advertisement can go pitchside, on billboards, adverts 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 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, the club's hon secretary, on 01296 712772 or email garymlee1@hotmail.com.
The website for the club is www.greathorwoodcc.com.
CHURCH FETE 2009: AN organiser is needed to join an enthusiastic team to run the fete this year on July 4.
For more information please contact me, Monica Gilbey (churchwarden), on 01296 711915.
TIC TOC: CHILDREN'S Sing-A-Long in Great Horwood Village Hall every Friday from 2pm until 2.45pm, term time only.
Suitable for children up to five years of age and the first session is free.
Please contract Tracey for further information on 01296 715780 or email tic_toc@ymail.com.
HELP US RAISE CASH: FOR the Great Horwood and Singleborough Recreation Trust.
We are taking part in the Fonaid mobile phone recycling campaign.
By donating your mobile phones of any age or condition, Fonaid will give us £3 per phone, plus an extra £100 of vouchers for every 100 phones we collect.
The mobiles are recycled.
The Trust will be very grateful for your donations, it all helps to fund our new recreation ground.
Any you have please drop them into me at The Green.Liz Nicholls
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH: JOIN Neighbourhood Watch and help in the prevention of crime.
If you need to contact the police with information, the control room number is 0845 8 505 505.

Little Horwood
Chrissie Beckett 01296 712436
JUMBLE SALE: THANK you to all the crowds of people who turned up to enjoy the afternoon and release us from a mountain of goodies!
It was so good to see so many of our 'old faithfuls' and to welcome new people to our village.
Thanks to the multitude of villagers who gave their time, energy and precious wardrobe and cupboard contents to make the afternoon such a success. Special thanks to the children who helped with sorting and selling – you did a fantastic job!
Thanks also for the patience and kindness of villagers who couldn't come and managed to weave their cars to homes in Wood End!
We took the amazing sum of £461.35, with a profit of £450 which is for our church fabric.
LITTER BLITZ: THE next exciting village event takes place tomorrow, Saturday, starting at the bus shelter at 10.30am.
If you and your family have never taken part in a litter blitz, now is the time to start!
It gets you out in the fresh air among friends and neighbours as well as helping to keep our village so tidy.
Everything you need to do a good job is supplied.
Parents with children are steered towards the rec and spinney where a good time is had by all.
Others tackle the verges and ditches alongside the roads.
The more people who turn up, the quicker and more proficiently the job is done, so thanks in anticipation of your attendance!
CHURCH CLEAN: ON Saturday, March 28, more fun on the same lines, and with the practise of the week before, we should be experts in the cleaning field!
Tea and coffee will be available in church from 10am onwards and you just turn up whenever suits throughout the day.
There will be plenty of cleaning stuff available unless you prefer to bring your own.
People of all ages are welcome because it's a community time as well as a work time.
CHURCH SERVICES: ON Sunday, March 22 at 9.30am there is Holy Communion at Little Horwood and also a Mothering Sunday Family Service at Mursley at 11am.
A warm welcome for everyone.
EASTER COFFEE MORNING: ON Tuesday, April 7, a bring and buy will be held during Post Office Coffee Morning in the Memorial Hall, between 10.15am and noon.
Please come along to support us – toys will be available for young children.

Maids Moreton
Anita Matthews 01280 814358
CHURCH SERVICES: THERE is a Mothering Sunday Special Service at 10.30am followed by Holy Communion.
Searchlights should meet at the church.
SPRING CLEAN: VOLUNTEERS are required for the annual spring clean at St Edmund's Church tomorrow, Saturday, from 8.30am onwards.
Cleaning involves inside and outside work and some materials and equipment will be provided, but if you would like to bring your own you are very welcome.
If you require further details call Georgie on 01280 815317.
WHIST DRIVE: THE next whist drive will be on Friday, March 27 in the village hall at 7.30pm.
MAIDS MORETON FRIEND AT HAND SCHEME: THERE will be a fundraising coffee morning at Wellam House, Foscote Road, on Saturday, March 28, between 10am and noon.
You will be able to enjoy tea and coffee and some amazing home-made cakes and pastries.
There will be a bring-and-buy stall together with a raffle.
A donation from the proceeds will be made to Buckingham Hospital Car Service.
For further information please contact Georgie on 01280 815317.
WHEATSHEAF QUIZ EVENING: THERE will be a quiz evening at The Wheatsheaf public house on Monday, March 30, 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. For further information call Gary on 01280 815433.
GRUMBLE GRANGE GROUP: THE next meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 31, at 7.30pm. This will be the last meeting before the Easter break.
ANNUAL PARISH COUNCIL MEETING: THE Maids Moreton Annual Parish Meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 1, in the village hall at 8pm.
All members of the public are invited and there will be various speakers reporting on the many activities that have been happening in Maids Moreton over recent months.
SOUP LUNCH: THERE will be a soup lunch today, Friday, in the village hall at 12.15pm for 12.30pm.

Padbury
Sue Wrigley 01280 814199
PADBURY SCHOOL & PRE SCHOOL: IF you are interested in seeing the excellent facilities available at Padbury School and Pre-School, come along today, Friday, any time between 9.30am and 11am and enjoy a cup of coffee while having a look round.
Entrance is £1 per adult (children free) and this will include a drink and cakes.
There will also be a raffle, a guess the weight of the cake competition and a cake sale.
All proceeds will go to the Quicken Trust, a charity that helps a Ugandan orphan community.
Due to increased numbers of children, Padbury Pre-School is looking for a second assistant to work for five mornings a week, 8.45am to 11.45am each day (15 hours).
Applicants must have an NVQ level 2 qualification or above and ideally be available to start as soon as possible.
Please note that the post is open to job share.
Please apply for an application pack to angela.evans5@hotmail.co.uk or telephone 07816 876426.
SCHOOL RACE NIGHT: PADBURY School and Pre-School are holding a joint race night tomorrow, Saturday, in the village hall in aid of school funds.
Tickets are £5 a head so to check for availability, please contact Sara Birch, either by ringing her at home on 01280 821236 or on her mobile, 07880 547494, or by emailing her on sara.birch@talk21.com.
Each ticket will go into a grand cash draw to be drawn at the end of the evening, and please note that the first race will start promptly at 8pm.
PADBURY LOCAL & FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY: THE Padbury Local & Family History Society will be meeting again next Thursday, March 26, at Frank Hartley's home, South View (opposite the school), starting at 7.30pm.
Everyone is very welcome to come along and if you have any questions, please call Frank on 01280 816463 or e-mail frankhartley@sky.com.
NOTICE TO ALL ALLOTMENT HOLDERS: RENTS for 2009 are now due and should be paid to allotment manager John Depear by Wednesday, March 25 at the latest.
In order to update the records, please let John have your current address and phone number, and when you have paid your rent you will be issued with a set of revised and updated Allotment Rules which apply from March 25.
John can be contacted at Lovatt View, Main Street, or on 01280 812570.
BREAST CANCER CHARITIES' COFFEE MORNING AND RAFFLE: SUE Paxton is holding a coffee morning in conjunction with Avon Cosmetics in aid of UK Breast Cancer Charities, on Saturday, April 4, from 10am to noon at Wayside Cottage, Winslow Road.
Proceeds from the sale of refreshments and the raffle will be donated to the charities.
Avon have been raising money for UKBreast Cancer Charities since 1992 so bring a friend and help support this very worthy cause.
If you would like to contact Sue, ring her on 01280 815289.
AGAPE SUPPER: THE popular Benefice Agape Supper will take place once again in St Mary's on Maundy Thursday, April 9.
Those who have been before will know that this is a simple meal in commemoration of the Last Supper in the upper room.
Good food and good company, but places are strictly limited, so please give your names to Jenny Shields (01280 814474) as soon as possible.
ST MARY'S COFFEE MORNING: A COFFEE morning in aid of St Mary's Church will be held at my home, The Well House, Lower Way, on Friday, March 27, starting at 10.30am.
I shall endeavour to make some cakes and there will, of course, be a raffle.
Everybody welcome.
ANNUAL DINNER & AUCTION OF PROMISES: THE Friends of St Mary's are holding their Annual Dinner & Auction of Promises on Friday, April 3 at The Bell Hotel, Winslow, at 7.30pm for 8pm.
There are some great items to bid for so it should be a good evening.
Tickets are £15 from John Wrigley on 01280 814199 or Andrew Lightbown on 01280 815042, and the evening is open to all, whether or not they are a member.
EASTER LILIES: IF you wish to donate an Easter lily in memory of a loved one as part of the decoration of St Mary's at Easter, please give the names and your donation to Jenny Shields or Grace Tearle before April 3.
Jenny can be contacted on 01280 814744 and Grace's number is 01280 813600.
LENT LUNCHES: THE Lent lunches are taking place in the church every Thursday up to Easter, from noon.
There is choice of home-made soups plus fresh bread, with a cup of tea or coffee to finish, all for a donation which goes to charity.
BINGO & 100 PLUS CLUB: THE 100 Plus Club's cheese and wine evening last Saturday was a great success and excellent value at only £5 a head for wine and all the cheese you could eat.
Winner of the draw was Carol Carter from Birmingham who took the first prize of £250.
Zazie Stride won £150, Buckingham Camera Club came third with £100 and Sarah Morris took home £50.
The charity raffle at the recent bingo evening raised £100 for the Teenage Cancer Trust and thanks must go to the many people including, in particular, Linda Morton, who brought along raffle prizes.
Dates for the next two bingo sessions are March 27 and April 3.

Tingewick
Joanna Brown 01280 847479
SPRING SHOWS: TINGEWICK and Water Stratford Horticultural Society is holding its annual Spring Bulb Show in the village hall tomorrow, Saturday, from 11am, entrance is free.
There's still time for members and non-members to enter the Spring Garden competition on April 16.
Schedules are available from the post office or from Pat Swinburne on 01280 847764.
RACE NIGHT: ROUNDWOOD School will be holding a race night on Saturday, March 28, in the village hall.
Doors open at 7.30pm for an 8pm start, £7 per ticket to include food.
Tickets from Alison on 01280 847774 for Tingewick or Beverly on 01280 815745 for Gawcott.
EASTER CRAFT FAYRE: FOLLOWING on from last year's popular event, Tingewick Pre-School will be holding another Easter Craft Fayre this year.
It will be on Saturday, March 28, in the village hall, and run from 2pm to 4pm.
Entry is free and there will be a small charge for each activity such as painting egg cups or making baskets, masks and Easter cards.
There will also be home-made refreshments and an Easter egg raffle.
VILLAGE DESIGN STATEMENT: IF you are interested in the history of Tingewick and its future development, then come along to the village hall on Saturday, April 4 from 11.30am onwards.
It will be your opportunity to contribute and have your say.
CHURCH SERVICES: THERE will be a special Mothering Sunday service at St Mary Magdalene's Church on Sunday, March 22, at 10.30am.
QUIZ NIGHT: IT'S quiz night at The Royal Oak on Main Street on Thursday, March 26, starting at 8.30pm.
Telephone the pub on 01280 848373 for more information.
POLICE CLINIC: ON Monday, March 30 it is the regular police clinic at the village hall from 5pm to 6pm.
Come along to meet your local community support officer who will be available to discuss issues relating to our village and surrounding area.
Contact Mike Poole on 01280 847736 for more information.

Wappenham
Jane Harries 01327 860350
PARISH COUNCIL MEETING: THERE will be a parish council meeting on Tuesday, March 31 at 7.30pm in the village hall.
Members of the public are welcome. The agenda will be published on the noticeboard outside the shop before the meeting.
Excerpts from parish council minutes from February 24:
A photo of standing water on the Abthorpe Road has been sent to the county council.
CPRE Litter Pick – this campaign was considered but it was agreed not to participate, as Brian Peart does such a good job that it is not needed.
A footpath map is being looked into, consulting another village about theirs.
Obtaining land for the recreation ground is proving difficult, so the Council and Recreation Association is enlisting county support.
Implications of obtaining land for the recreation ground: Resolving this last issue could transform village life for Wappenham, as having the recreation ground near the village hall would be safer, create a community space for multiple uses and help increase the usefulness of the village hall.
Sports teams could be established, new events created and children would have a flatter, safer place to play in, and safer access, well away from the main road.
The space could be room for all of us to go, even if we are not active, and promote mixing of the age groups.