Flaunden Flyer Winter 2019

Flaunden
Flyer

Winter 2019 - Issue 66

The Green Dragon

Flaunden
17th Century Country Pub

Free House

Work is well underway and
we look forward to
the pub re-opening

in the spring of 2020.

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Contents

Editors’ Corner ..................................................................4
Contacts................................................................................5
What’s On ............................................................................6
The Informer ......................................................................8
Family News........................................................................9
History Notes...................................................................10
Flaunden Reminiscences ..............................................14
The Flaunden Gardener...............................................16
The Case of the missing Dragon...............................17
Christmas Past................................................................18
Christmas Present .........................................................19
The Friends of Flaunden Church ..............................20
Church News....................................................................21
Events and Services ......................................................22
Ruth’s Message ................................................................23
Messy Church...................................................................24
Conifers ..............................................................................25
Where in Flaunden? ......................................................26
Cake recipe .......................................................................27
Chorleywood Bookshop ................................................28
A future classic ...............................................................29
Energy from Waste .......................................................31
Rickmansworth Arts Society .....................................32
The Hospice of St Francis ...........................................33

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Editors’ Corner

Who knows, maybe this will be the year for a white Christmas. Failing that,
immerse yourselves in our front cover’s beautiful snow scene in Lower
Plantation, near the Bricklayers, captured in mixed media by Pam Dawson.
(Copyright: Pam Dawson)
As always, there is plenty going on in the run-up to Christmas and beyond,
and we also asked a few residents to share some of their local Christmas
memories from many years ago. This issue includes a heart-warming story
from Shaun Burgin about a lady he helped trace her family’s connections to
Flaunden, a fairy tale from Jenny Liversedge about snowdrops, a photo quiz
of things to look for in our village and more.
Of course, no Christmas is complete without some Christmas cracker corkers.
How about these:
Who hides in a bakery for Christmas? A mince spy.
What do you get if you eat Christmas decorations? Tinselitis.
On that note … Merry Christmas to you all.
Taryn and Jane

Please send your ar cles for the next issue to
Taryn at [email protected]
by 2 March 2020

Editors’ Picks

Nice shopping: Returned to Glory’s Christmas Shopping Evening,
Thursday 5 December, 6-8 pm, Berkhamsted www.stfrancis.org.uk

Nice restaurant: Rosanna’s, Berkhamsted
Nice movie: Judy

Nice event organisers: Abacus Marquee and Event Hire

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Contacts

FLAUNDEN FLYER TEAM

Taryn McAleer Editor [email protected] 833335
Jane Duncan Chair/Editor jfd4@b#nternet.com 833581
Vanessa Robinson Adver#sing [email protected] 833528
Jack Debnam Produc#on [email protected] 834425
Pam Dawson Distribu#on [email protected] 832160

PARISH COUNCIL

Vivienne Adams Chairman vivienne.adams@flaunden.com 834874
Pam Esom Planning [email protected] 834491
Jill Saunders Environment jill.jasper@b#nternet.com 833109
John Newman Highways john.newman@flaunden.com 832390
Diane Wass Community [email protected] 07832 133416
Jack Debnam Clerk & RFO jack.debnam@flaunden.com 834425

CHURCH Priest in Charge [email protected] 01923 286131
David Whale Flaunden’s Minister [email protected] 01494 764221
Ruth Boughton Church Warden [email protected] 831362
Andrea Norman Church Warden &
Helen Savage Minutes Secretary [email protected] 831900
Member PCC
Sarah Banks Member PCC [email protected] 834656
Angela Burgin Sec./Publicity PCC
Jane Duncan Member PCC newmaldenfarm@b#nternet.com 832286
Dick Liversedge Treasurer PCC
Gary Norman Safeguarding Officer jfd4@b#nternet.com 833581
Jane Page Member PCC
Kirsty Parsons Member PCC [email protected] 833047
Susan Shyvers
garymar#[email protected] 831362

[email protected] 259061

[email protected] 01923 263786

s.shyvers@b#nternet.com 831762

VILLAGE HALL Chair [email protected] 603501
Hon. Secretary [email protected] 834425
Andrew Boniface Bookings [email protected] 832254
Diane Debnam Member jmrugg@flaunden.u-net.com 831974
Patsy Blackshaw Treasurer [email protected] 832577
John Rugg Marke#ng [email protected] 833714
Carol Crimmins
Georgina Donnelly

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What’s On ...

SUNDAY 1 DECEMBER FRIDAY 13 DECEMBER WEDNESDAY 25
DECEMBER
9.30 am 7 – 9 pm
9.30 am
Gi/ Service for the Drinks and Singing Christmas Day Service
Flaunden church
Salva on Army Oak CoDage
……………………………………..
Flaunden church Hosts: Jenny and Dick FRIDAY 17 JANUARY
Liversedge
…………………………………….. 10.30 – 12 pm
Village Coffee Morning
SUNDAY 1 DECEMBER …………………………………….. Mar#ntop Farm
Host: Helen Savage
2 – 4.30 pm SUNDAY 15
Christmas Cra/ Fayre DECEMBER ……………………………………..
SATURDAY 25
Village Hall 6 pm JANUARY
…………………………………….. Nine Lessons and Carols
SUNDAY 1 DECEMBER Flaunden Church 2.30 – 4 pm
…………………………………….. Messy Church for Kids
4 – 8 pm Flaunden church

Street Fayre & Christmas WEDNESDAY 18 ……………………………………..
FRIDAY 28 FEBRUARY
Lights DECEMBER
10.30 am to 12 pm
Bovingdon High Street 6 – 7 pm Village Coffee Morning
107 Flaunden
………………………………… Carol Singing Hosts: Pam and Terry Esom

MONDAY 9 DECEMBER In aid of St. Francis Hospice

11 am to 5 pm Start at top crossroads
Cancer Research Tea
39 Flaunden Park ……………………………………..

Host: Susan Shyvers TUESDAY 24
DECEMBER

2 pm

Chris ngle and ‘Scratch

Na vity’

Flaunden church

Recommended last UK pos ng
dates for Christmas

Wednesday 18 December
for second class mail
Friday 20 December
for first class mail
Monday 23 December
for special delivery

Please use the two mailboxes in Flaunden
if possible, to prove that we s#ll need
both of them

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CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAYRE

Flaunden Village Hall

Sunday 1 December 2 - 4.30 pm
Santa will visit at 3 pm

Something for everyone
Mulled wine, tea and
mince pies
Carol singing
Raffle and tombola
Free children’s craft
activities

Stalls selling silk art, homemade produce,
affordable gifts, charity cards, Christmas
decorations, greetings cards, portraits, lavender-
inspired presents, children’s gifts, stocking fillers

Hetty Loxston Rocks

Many thanks to everyone who supported our
fabulous jazz and swing evening with the HeDy
Loxston Band. We had a full house and raised
an impressive £1,000, which will be put towards
the cost of refurbishing the gents’ toilets.

Many thanks are due to Diane Debnam for
making beau#ful tablecloths for all the tables
and for cooking an amazing meal for 80 people.

Andy Boniface

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THE INFORMER Parking: Recently cars have been
parking on the verges and road just round
NEWS AND UPDATES FROM YOUR the dangerous blind bend at the bottom of
PARISH COUNCIL Birch Lane Hill in Hogpits. Posts and an
appropriate notice are now in place to
Remembrance Sunday deter this from happening.

I am always very proud and honoured to Our Village Warden: At our last PC
read out the names of the fallen from meeting Colin Gurney kindly gave a
Flaunden for the Remembrance Sunday report on the village from his perspective
Service each year and I find it extremely and suggested that the ‘Village Hall’ sign
moving. This year our church shared the was in need of refreshing! This was much
Remembrance Service with villagers appreciated. Thank you, Colin.
from Latimer and I was asked to read out
the names of their fallen along with our Footpaths, bridleways and kissing
own. gates: Please do notify Jill if on your
walks you find any problems on any of
Poppy Banks and I shared the reading of: the footpaths &/or bridleways.

‘They shall grow not old as we that
are left grow old. Age shall not weary
them, nor the years condemn. At the
going down of the sun and in the
morning, we will remember them.’

(Part of the poem ‘For the Fallen’ by
Laurence Binyon, first published in The
Times in September 1914)

Green Dragon: Work is in full swing at
the Green Dragon, both interior and
exterior.

Hedges: Hopefully the very overgrown Herts County Cllr. Richard Roberts
hedges around Flaunden along the roads
and up the footpaths and bridleways will and Dacorum Cllr. Stewart Riddick:
be cut soon. The PC has authorised and
pays for part of the hedge just before We were very grateful to Richard and
bottom crossroads along Flaunden Lane
and the landowners organise and pay for Stewart for coming to our last PC
other hedges. A few have been done, but
there are lots more to do! meeting. Both councillors were able to

Plantation Wood: Approximately 200 update us on Dacorum and Herts CC
yards of the really muddy part of F14, the
footpath up through Plantation Wood, matters. Richard reported on tree works
will be resurfaced soon, funded through
the Parish Paths Partnership grant. Some in Herts (Highways Dept!), the dangerous
was done last year, and this is now the
bad bit left to be done! narrowing of roads due to increased

hedge growth (landowners’

responsibility) and his budget for the

planned repairs to Flaunden Bottom -

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specifically ‘the beach’ on the bend near If you have any issues you would like the
the quarry and the numerous potholes and Parish Council to discuss at our next
poor edging along the road there. Stewart meeting, please contact a member of the
gave support and information re planning Parish Council before the next meeting.
issues. Thanks to both of them.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Millennium Books: Please do let me from all the PC
know if you are new to the village and
haven’t received a FREE millennium Vivienne
book. (email and phone number at the
front of the Flyer) REPORT FLY TIPPING TO DACORUM -
Search “Dacorum Flytipping” in your browser.

We do want to hear from our residents HIGHWAYS FAULTS
and continue to welcome everyone to all
of our meetings. We want to let you To report problems such as potholes, trees
know what is happening and also to hear or fallen branches on the road:
your concerns. Please do come. www.hertsdirect.org/faultreporting/
detailspage.php or call the Clerk: Jack
We continue to keep the website up to Debnam on 834425
date. Don’t forget that here you will find
dates of meetings and copies of minutes, FORTHCOMING PARISH
etc. We also continue to send out emails COUNCIL MEETINGS
via the village noticeboard. If you are new
to the village, or wish to update your Monday 13 January 2020
email address to ensure you continue to Monday 27 April 2020
receive updates from your PC, please
email: [email protected] All meetings are in the Church Room
and start at 7.30 pm

Family News

Congratulations to …

Amanda Mead for completing her charity trek in India in aid of The Hospice of
St. Francis. She will be writing an article on her experiences in India in the next
issue.

Birthday congratulations to:

Hannah Burgin, who turned four years old on
16 November and had two birthday parties

Finlay Donnelly on his second birthday on
14 December

Simon Duncan on 4 December, Ruth Boughton on 21 December, Susan Shyvers
on 26 December

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A Bird returns to the nest

Back in August, the Parish Council was contacted by Brenda Crosby, who was tracing
her family history. She was intending to visit the area and was interested in finding
some houses in Flaunden where her ancestors had lived. Brenda’s great-great-
grandparents were Joseph and Ann Bird. Joseph was born in Dunstable in 1809 and he
married a Flaunden girl, Ann Barton, in 1832. Some of their children were bap#sed in
Flaunden, at both the old and new churches.

One of their children was Brenda’s great grandfather David
Bird, born in Flaunden in 1853. He married Annie Skelton in
1878, and they had 5 children between 1879 and 1886, living
first in Chiswick, then Bovingdon and finishing up in KiDers
Green, Abbots Langley. It was here in 1886 that David died
from typhoid, aged 33.

Two girls, including Brenda’s grandmother Ethel Mary, were
adopted by an aunt, one brother was taken in by an uncle,
and the two youngest boys stayed with their mother. Annie
remarried in 1888 – but died during childbirth the following
year, aged 31. The stepfather then remarried and turned the
David Bird, born in 1853 two boys out. They were sent to orphanages - the younger,
Frederick William, was sent to Dr Barnardo’s. His last known
whereabouts was thought to be Canada and the USA, but contact was lost.

“Up to now, what happened to her brother, my great-uncle, has always been a brick
wall in my family history research,” said Brenda.

Brenda had been researching the history of her maternal grandmother’s family over
the past few years. She recently contacted Dr Barnardo’s to see if they had any record
for a Frederick William Bird.

Brenda: “The response was posi ve. He was sent to Dr Barnardo’s in London in 1896, at
the age of 10, and then was emigrated with many other boys to Winnipeg, Canada, in
1897 to a Dr Barnardo’s home that trained the boys in farming skills. The last address
they had for him was in 1901 in North Dakota, USA.

In the mean me, I decided to have my DNA tested through Ancestry and made contact
with a Norma Heath, née Bird, who lives in Iowa, USA. To cut a long story short, it turns
out that she is the youngest daughter (now aged 83) of Frederick William Bird’s eleven
children. (She is therefore my first cousin once removed.) She doesn’t know much
about her father’s background because he wouldn’t talk about his childhood as he
found it too upse6ng. All she knew was that he came from England, went to Canada

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and then worked his way down on farms to America, where he met her mother.”

Frederick was ill-treated by the farmer he worked for and ran away as a teenager,
following the railway tracks south and finding work where he could. He eventually made
it to Iowa, where he was taken in by a family – and eventually married the daughter!

Norma had never travelled outside America, and came to England in October with her
daughter, mee#ng with Brenda for the first #me.

Brenda: “She is so overjoyed to know the background history of her father a9er all these
years and to make contact with family in England. She has never travelled out of the
States and has decided to come to England with one of her daughters to meet me and
then visit Abbots Langley, Flaunden and Bovingdon to see where her father and family
lived, the relevant churches for bap sms, marriages and burials.”

Brenda’s ini#al enquiry to the Parish Council was passed to me, and I was able to send
some informa#on to Brenda about the houses her ancestors lived in. We arranged to
meet when she came to the area, and on the morning of Saturday 5 October, I met with
Brenda and her husband, and Norma and her daughter Judy. We visited the church, and
I was able to show them some of the houses that their ancestors had lived in:

• In 1871, Joseph and Ann were living at 121 Flaunden.
This was one half of Clonmel (the other half being
number 120). Diana Fry very kindly showed us
around her house and garden, allowing Brenda and
Norma to see the rooms that their ancestors lived in.

• Joseph died in 1877 and was buried in the
churchyard. In 1881, the widowed Ann was living
with her daughter Eliza at 86 Flaunden, opposite the
church.

• By 1891, Ann had moved to 87 Flaunden. This later Diana Fry with Brenda, Norma
became the old village hall, and has been extended and Judy outside Clonmel
since then, but at the #me would have been a small
coDage.

Ann died in 1895 and was also buried at the church (neither Ann’s nor Joseph’s grave

is marked, so their exact loca#on in the churchyard is not known).

APer showing Brenda and Norma around Flaunden, we travelled to Bovingdon Green,
where David Bird was living in 1881, working as a gardener at Bovingdon House.
The house was demolished in the 1950s but was originally a 28-acre estate belonging to
a variety of wealthy businessmen – most of the land is today used by Bovingdon Football
Club. The next stop for the travellers was to see more rela#ons for a family reunion.

Norma told me that it had been her father’s dying wish to find his family in England. It
took nearly 60 years but, with DNA tes#ng and a bit of detec#ve work, his wish was
finally granted.

shaun.burgin@b nternet.com

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Bovingdon Village Market

Held on the third Saturday of the month
(excluding January) 10 am to 12.30 pm

Memorial Hall Bovingdon
Enquiries to Julie Steer 07803 141254

There will be Christmas Lights
and a Street Fayre

in Bovingdon High Street on
Sunday 1 December, 4 un#l 8 pm

Churchyard Blitz

Friday 6 December, 10.30 am – 12.30 pm
If you happen to be walking past the churchyard
on Friday 6 December between 10.30 am and
lunch#me, carrying a rake* and wearing suitable
clothes and gardening gloves - we would love to
invite you in to help us do a much-needed
pre-Christmas #dy up!
Do come and join our working party, and there will
be refreshments and doughnuts as a thank-you.
Flaunden PCC
* Or indeed a strimmer, leaf blower, or brush.

Tea and Cake in aid of Cancer
Research

Monday 9 December from 11 am to 5 pm
Wansfell, 39 Flaunden Park

We invite you to join us for tea and cakes, to enjoy your
company, and to help us raise funds for Cancer Research

All ages welcome

12

Hark the herald angels sing …

Fancy joining us for some tradi#onal carol singing
round the village? It’s fun, free, and everyone
knows the words (although we do supply you
with carol sheets to be sure).

The money raised will go to The Hospice of St. Francis in Berkhamsted, and the
evening, as well as being fun for the singers, gives pleasure to many village residents,

par#cularly those who can’t get out in the evenings.

This year we will be mee#ng at the top crossroads, wending our way down
Birch Lane and back again, up to the church and back to the crossroads,
and then on to Flaunden House for some very welcome refreshments,
stopping at the houses along the lane.

The more, the merrier - so if you can join us, do let us know, or just turn up.
We need all ages and ranges of voice, and dogs are welcome too.

Date: Wednesday 18 December
Time: 6 pm for about an hour Meet: Top crossroads

Bring flashlights, wear warm clothes, and
sharpen up those vocal cords!

Jane Duncan jfd4@b#nternet.com
Vivienne Adams vivienne.adams@flaunden.com

Flaunden Ladies’ Night

Returns to the Bricklayers Arms on
Wednesday 18 March 2020.
This is always a popular event and we hope to have even more Flaunden ladies
joining us this year. Menu and cost will be confirmed in February.
Please email me to express your interest, and do let me know if you aren’t on our
email list or you know someone who isn’t and would like to be.
Carol Crimmins
[email protected]

13

Flaunden Reminiscences (Part 2)

Paul Pritchard has lived in Flaunden all his life. In Issue 56 (Summer 2017) he shared
some of his memories with Ken Walker. He con nues here.
In 1945, aPer the end of the Second World War, Bri#sh and American airmen
gradually disappeared from those houses in Flaunden and the huts on Bovingdon
Green where they had been accommodated, but Bovingdon Airfield con#nued to be
used by the US Air Force un#l 1966. The inaccurately named RAF Chenies, a
communica#ons relay sta#on with a tall mast (thought to be connected with the early

Bovingdon Airfield www.bovingdonairfield.co.uk
warning system set up during the Cold War), remained un#l about ten years ago at
the Flaunden end of Chenies Hill, on land that had been requisi#oned from a local
farmer at the beginning of the War. A small part of the land it occupied was then set
aside for a white meteorological radome, which is s#ll there. The rest of the site
reverted to the heirs or successors of the original owners. The tall mast has gone, and
now the property comprises two houses (Fogaback and its guest coDage) occupying a
similar ground area to that of the military buildings that had remained since the War.
Another mast of war#me vintage, in Long Lane between Flaunden and Bovingdon, has
since been replaced by a communica#ons radome.
My father, Alfred Edwin Pritchard, known as ‘Ted’, lived in the village for many years
since 1907. His father owned sixteen coDages, which he sold eventually in the 1950s
for a few hundred pounds each. He was a regular at The Green Dragon, where he

14

used to play darts with, among others, the spies Guy Burgess* and Donald Maclean,
who in the mid to late 1940s frequently came to visit their friend Peter Pollock who
lived at Sharlowes Farm. Pollock was a wealthy engineer with a passion for the arts,
and he opened his home to painters, writers and actors at weekends. I heard that
Pollock and Burgess wrote leDers to one another aPer the laDer’s defec#on to the
USSR in 1951.

By the end of the War the butcher’s shop at what is now Rose CoDage in Hogpits
BoDom had closed, but, as well as the general store that was owned by my
grandfather and later by Mr Divell, there was also a tea room at The Old Forge which
remained in business un#l the 1950s. The village had a daily bus service, running
from Hemel Hempstead to Chesham un#l the 1970s. Some residents used to order
provisions from the Co-op in Chesham, which they would collect from the bus driver.

I remember two notable local events in par#cular. An American space capsule was put
on display at Bovingdon Airfield during the 1960s; and, in 1974, a 20-pound IRA bomb
exploded at one of the gates into the grounds of La#mer House, which then housed
the Na#onal Defence College. It injured ten people but there were no fatali#es.

Paul Pritchard

Paul’s mother Anita Pritchard, Paul Prichard and
Michael Fletcher (Mary Fletcher’s brother) c.1938-9

* Those of us whose sons went to school at Lockers Park might be interested to
know that it is also Guy Burgess’s alma mater. Not something the school tends
to publicise! Ed.

15

The Flaunden Gardener

Christmas is nearly upon us and we are frost glaring at them. “I don’t allow fairies
awash with holly, ivy and mistletoe. I have to come here in the winter. Why didn’t
said much upon these subjects in past you wait un#l bluebell #me?” So he held
Christmas issues and so I am going to them prisoner and punished them by
leapfrog into the start of the New Year saying that every winter they would
and talk about snowdrops. However, appear as snowdrops peeping through the
Christmas is a #me for fairy tales so, you cold snow.
never know, I may relent and tell one.

Symbolizing hope, sympathy, purity,
op#mism and virtue, Galanthus nivalis
(the most common form of snowdrop) is
one of the first to flower in the New
Year. It is not na#ve to Britain, origina#ng
from the mountainous regions of the
Alpines. It was first men#oned in print in
1597 in Gerarde’s ‘Great Herbal’ where he
says, ‘These plants do grow wild in Italie
and places adjacent, notwithstanding, our
London gardens have taken possession of
them all, many years past.’

It is thought that Italian monks may have Illustra#on - Cicely Mary Barker (1895-1973)
brought snowdrops into Britain at some
#me in the fiPeenth century, plan#ng There are at least twenty species now
them in their monastery gardens. There is growing in Britain, and although the main
s#ll a tradi#on for snowdrops to be flush of snowdrops occurs at Candlemas in
planted in churchyards as a symbol of the February, there are some that flower
passing of sorrow. earlier in December and January.

There are many charming fairy tales about Take Galanthus Woronowii, which
snowdrops. originates in North Eastern Turkey and
Southern Russia; this is a giant snowdrop,
One wriDen at the turn of the last century the leaves growing to around ten inches
tells of some naughty fairies that were tall and the flowers some seven and a half
bored with fairyland and wanted to see inches tall. It is one of the most valuable
what earth was like in the winter, so they
ran away to earth to play, dressed in their
liDle green hats and snowy white dresses.
Tired, they fell asleep in some green ivy,
only to wake with snow and ice upon the
ground and Jack Frost wearing a cap of
glistening icicles and a coat edged in hoar

16

snowdrops; a galanthophile bought one Many enthusias#c villagers have planted
for the enormous sum of £725 on ebay in lovely golden yellow daffodils outside
2012! their homes to flower sunnily in April.
What about Flaunden becoming the
Another example of a giant snowdrop is village of snowdrops to welcome in the
Galanthus Elwesii which grows not only in start of spring in February?
Turkey but also the Ukraine, Bulgaria and
North Eastern Greece. This snowdrop is I find that they do not mind being dug up
named in honour of Henry Elwes who and re-planted whilst s#ll in flower. There
discovered it growing on a mountain in are many odd spots in the village that
Turkey in 1874. could do with cheering up in February by
the plan#ng of these charming flowers.
How about plan#ng some snowdrops?
They like alkaline to neutral soil, moist but Merry Christmas and a successful and
well-drained and cool semi-shade happy start to the gardening New Year.
condi#ons, and they clearly love to grow
in Flaunden as evidenced by the abundant Jenny Liversedge
display in our churchyard every year.

The case of the missing Dragon

If you drive up the lane from La#mer and think there is something missing as you
round the corner by the church, you would be correct.

The green dragon’s head that normally peers
at you from behind the hedge has gone to
Ireland and is currently in a workshop there
undergoing long-overdue repairs.

It needed completely restoring and this wasn’t
possible to do on site. Once all the
landscaping works have been completed, it
will return to its righYul place, hopefully in the
spring of 2020.

The same goes for the Green Dragon sign that
is normally at the front of the pub. Watch this
space!

Incidentally, the dragon now has planning approval to actually be where it is. It seems
it had originally flown in without permission …

Mike Ghazarian
Owner of The Green Dragon

17

Christmas Past …

We asked some of the people who have lived in the village for many years for their
memories of Flaunden Christmases from several decades ago.

Former owner of The Green Dragon, William Nickell, has many fond memories of
Christmas going back to when his grandparents (from 1932) and, subsequently, his
mother Barbara Green (from 1974) owned the pub.

“Christmas Day was for the family, but we always opened the pub from 12 to 2 pm. It
was packed and always difficult to get the revellers to go home … but, as you know,
no one argued with Barbara! Boxing Day was celebrated in the Club Room at the back.
The whole village was invited to a lunch of cold meats and pork or game pie, with
mountains of mashed potatoes that I remember made my arms ache to mash! It was
a magnificent party, with my grandmother on the piano and everyone leZng their
hair down! When Les Wall (ar#st and musician) moved to the village, he would dress
in a Russian gypsy ouYit and fiddle away for hours un#l he collapsed, exhausted!”

Paul Pritchard remembers, “Mr. and Mrs. Burgess (Barbara Green’s parents) gave
each village child a Christmas present during the years of the Second World War, and
for a few years aPerwards. As a boy, they gave me a chess set, which I s#ll use today.”

Jill Saunders recalls, “My uncle, Charlie Wakefield, who lived in what is now Flinders
CoDage (then it was two coDages) made the wooden crib that we s#ll use in the
church today. As a girl in the 1950s, I had the job of puZng the na#vity figures into
the crib by my godmother, Alice Cunningham; she was churchwarden and lived in Oak
CoDage. Sixty years on, I s#ll put the figures in the crib! My mother and I used to
decorate the church font. Mum loved to make her coDon wool snow scene, and
enjoyed throwing generous amounts of #nsel on the tree.

When I was at Sunday School in Flaunden, we always went to the WaYord Palace
Theatre for a fun Christmas ou#ng to see the pantomime. Not much has changed
since those days – rather taDy costumes and lots of noise and shou#ng from the
audience! We had Sunday School par#es in the old village hall (87 Flaunden), with
tradi#onal games such as musical chairs. Our rector, the Rev. Tom South, was the
Master of Ceremonies.”

Pauline Bosher remembers being snowed in over New Year several #mes in the early
1960s. “We walked up to the village shop (now Copse CoDage) and went skiing behind
the church and ska#ng on the lake at St. Albans. In January 1961, there was a sale at
Chenies Place and I bought a job lot of an armchair, a swivel bookcase and a Ransome
mower for the princely sum of 30 shillings.”

30/- = £1.50. Quite a bargain!

18

… and Christmas Present

If you can tear yourself away from the TV and/or the kitchen, there’s plenty to do
locally leading up to Christmas and beyond.
Enjoy Christmas in Chesham on Friday 29 November from 6 pm. The high street
and market square will be filled with charity and market stalls, with fairground rides
for young children, Father Christmas, a musical procession, and local musicians and
performers on stage. See more at www.chesham.gov.uk

The Chiltern Society is offering:
- Winter tree iden#fica#on course on Friday 29 November, 9.45 am – 3 pm
- Winter walk & Christmas tea at La#mer House, Monday 9 December, 1.30 – 4.30 pm
- Biscuit icing workshop on Wednesday

11 December, 7 – 9 pm
- Candle making workshop on Tuesday

17 December, 7 – 9 pm
More details on www.chilternsociety.org.uk

From now un#l Sunday 5 January, enjoy what
Waddesdon Manor near Aylesbury has to offer:
Christmas market, illuminations, art installations, decorated rooms, food and
shopping. Grounds: 11am – 6 pm. House: 11.30 am – 6 pm, last entry 5.30 pm.
Details at www.waddesdon.org.uk

Follow the Nutcracker themed trail through the woods at Ashridge Estate near
Berkhamsted: answering questions and getting engrossed in this Christmas tale, then
return to the visitor centre to claim your present from under the Christmas tree. £3.00
per child. Check the dates on the website www.na#onaltrust.org.uk/ashridge-estate.

As for what’s on in London, you can choose from:
- A meal in an igloo at Coppa Club or The Aviary
- Christmas carol concert in aid of Battersea Dogs’ and Cats’ Home
- Christmas Lights Bike Tour or Skating at Somerset House
- Gingerbread cities created by the Museum of Architecture
- Syon Park’s Enchanted Woodland or Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland
- The London Pantomime Horse Race
Find out about all this and more on www.#meout.com/london/christmas

19

Friends of Flaunden Church

Evidently Autumn is well and truly upon us, though I don’t think anyone could have
predicted the almost biblical rains we’ve been facing. As I’ve been riding the trails and
roads around Flaunden it’s felt like a boat would be more appropriate rather than a bike.
OPen, I’ll come home caked in mud and soaking wet, whereupon my dearly beloved will
provide me with a wash basket and expect me to disrobe in the driveway.

The rain is also clearly causing havoc for the trains. It feels like every #me I venture into
London for work, my return journey from Euston is blighted by cancella#ons or delays. In
fact, I think I’m running at close to a 100% failure rate for the return journey home. Thank
goodness for the Met Line’s reliability into Chorleywood. Though I feel like I’m
singlehandedly keeping the HerYordshire taxi industry in business as a consequence of my
car inevitably being in a different loca#on to where I intended to be.

For those who’ve had the misfortune to catch me as I peel off my mud-soaked cycling gear,
I can only apologise. The sight of this is in complete contrast to the beauty of the russet
tones in the trees at the moment. It certainly seems like one of the most colourful autumns
I’ve seen, and we certainly live in a charming place in which to experience it.

Despite the blight of rain, mud, trains and taxis, my return home to Flaunden s#ll feels like
a welcome respite from the City. On the occasional day when I get to work at home,
I some#mes manage to sneak in an hour’s walk in the woods, complete with the occasional
deer sigh#ng and obligatory mud. As I’ve reflected on before, walking up to the church is
an essen#al part of these sojourns so I can contemplate the views across the Chess Valley
and, of late, take in the impact that the restora#on effort is having on the church’s
appearance.

Restoring a historic building is not without its challenges and certainly comes at
considerable cost. The work involved in delicately stripping back the layers of previous
paint, carefully erec#ng scaffold towers and re-applying ‘breathable’ paint is not
insignificant. Many of the events that the Friends and the PCC will be running have the aim
of raising the funds required to support this worthwhile work.

Recently, the Friends had the pleasure of
hos#ng an evening with the much-loved
Budapest Café Orchestra. As ever, Chris
Garrick and the band played to a packed
village hall; to hear a group of musicians
of their calibre is a rare privilege and, if
you’ve not heard them play before, you
should seek them. Thanks to all who
helped organise the event and of course
to the Flaunden-ites (Flaunden-bergers?)
and miscellaneous others for making it a
memorable evening. Without an
audience there would be no performance, and, without events such as these, our church
would struggle for the funds needed to keep it in such good repair.

Graham Drury

20

Church News

Good news for our bap#stry walls – for the first #me since the interior of Flaunden church
was redecorated 27 years ago, the walls of the entrance and font area can breathe and are
no longer trapping damaging moisture … Thanks to a generous contribu#on from the
Friends, the old non-breathable paint in this part of the church has been painstakingly
removed and replaced with the correct stuff. The work was finished in #me for our popular
Harvest service and it looks lovely (please do pop your head round the door to have a
look).
This is just the #p of the iceberg, however. The
rest of the church walls need to breathe and dry
out too, and this restora#on project will be costly.
More on this in the New Year.
Thanks are due too to the team of six Flaunden
ladies who researched, made and donated the
beau#ful new curtain that hangs between the
bap#stry and the aisle.
Our Remembrance Service was packed this year,
and we welcomed our friends from La#mer church
too. Ev spent hours decora#ng the church, and it
looked beau#ful – thank you, Ev. I can say with
complete confidence that the church will look
fabulous over the Christmas period too, so do
come and join us when you can.
Jane Duncan

Easy fundraising while you Christmas shop online

Did you know that you can raise money for St. Mary Magdalene church via
www.easyfundraising.org.uk and it literally won’t cost you a penny? If you shop

online, check out easyfundraising.org.uk before making your purchases, and
you will be amazed how many popular websites will donate to a cause.
Do email me for more informa#on: JFD4@b#nternet.com

21

Events and Services:
December 2019

Sunday 1 December, 9.30 am: Family Service and GiP Service for The Salva#on Army.
Please bring a giP for someone in need this Christmas. It should be new, unused,
wrapped and clearly labelled. Please put on the outside the age if the present is for a
child, and whether it is for a boy, girl, teenager, adult or elderly person. No food or
chocolates please.

Also on Sunday 1 December, 2 – 4.30 pm: Flaunden’s annual fundraising Christmas
CraP Fayre in the Village Hall (see page 7 for ad). Santa will arrive at 3 pm.

Monday 9 December, 11 am – 5 pm: Tea and cake in aid of Cancer Research, hosted
by Susan Shyvers at 39 Flaunden Park.

Friday 13 December, 7 – 9 pm: Drinks and singing at Oak CoDage in aid of church
funds. Join us for Jenny and Dick Liversedge’s popular Christmas drinks and singsong,
now in its 23rd year, at their home (opposite the phone box at the top crossroads).
Bring children, musical instruments and good cheer!

Sunday 15 December, 6 pm: (No morning service). Nine Lessons and Carols: service
to welcome Christmas with carols and Christmas readings. Followed by mulled wine
and mince pies in the church room.

Wednesday 18 December, 6 – 7 pm: Carol singing around the
village in aid of The Hospice of St. Francis. All ages welcome.
Meet at the top crossroads. Our route will be Birch Lane, up to
the Green Dragon, back to the crossroads, then the houses
towards Flaunden House – do join in along the way if you can’t
get there for 6 pm. Wrap up warmly, bring flashlights and
strong voices! Refreshments aPerwards at Flaunden House.

Tuesday 24 December, 2 pm: Family Service, Chris#ngle and ‘Scratch Na#ivity’.
Children: dress up in na#vity costume and join in if you wish to – no rehearsal
necessary (adults too, but no obliga#on).

Also on Tuesday 24 December, 11.30 pm: Midnight Communion and Carols at
St. Michael’s Church, Chenies (there is no Midnight Service at Flaunden).

Wednesday 25 December, 9.30 am: Christmas Day Family Communion, Flaunden.

Sunday 29 December, 11 am: Communion service for the whole benefice,
St. Michael’s Church, Chenies (no service at Flaunden).

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

22

Ruth’s Message

I had only gone into the local florist shop to buy some flowers to remember my
mother when I saw him. It had been a year since Ian Macleod died, and my own
mother had died on the evening of the same day – so BeDy and I had decided to have
lunch out together that day this October. And there he was ...
He seemed hard to resist, so I bought him. His nose almost twitched as he looked up
to the sky... looking away from this earth to the hope of the world to come. Call me
fanciful, but that is what he seemed to be doing. So I bought one for BeDy too.
And then there was that other liDle mouse, which was very earth-bound and had
done me wrong. He (and it surely had to be ‘he’) had
found my clerical robes hanging, as they usually do, on
the back of my dining room door, and had decided to
nibble his way through the clothes protector, to see what
joys may be inside.
He did not get as far as the sugar-free Polos in my pocket,
but made short work of the boDom of the protector, so
that, later on, I was to lose one of my stoles that I wear in
church some#mes; it must have at some point fallen
through.
So what, you might ask, has that got to do with this
ar#cle? Well, one mouse looked down and the other
looked up. That seems to me to be a beDer idea – to look up.
On a cold winter’s day, when the trees are bare, the bulbs are s#ll hiberna#ng, and
the wind is howling around the chimney tops, we too can look up. And, in looking up,
we see the angels in the sky on a cold Bethlehem hilltop. We see the star that guided
those posh travellers with expensive giPs. We look up to the heavens to see what a
modern hymn writer described as “He Who flung stars into space”, and we are
thankful again for Christmas. Christ-mass ... the coming of The Christ. I am so glad He
came. Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without Him.
By the way, my liDle stone mouse is called Luke ... LUKE UP!!
With love to you all from Ruth

23

We have been running Messy Church at Flaunden Church for almost 2 years and shared
the experience with more than 16 families from the village and local area. We have had
some great #mes, and the atmosphere is always buzzing as the children have fun
expressing their crea#vity through ac#vi#es rela#ng to the theme of the month: Easter,
Harvest, Summer Garden Party, Teddy Bears picnic, Christmas, Mother’s Day and many
more.
The one-and-a-half-hour session consists of craP ac#vi#es and a short celebra#on of
story, song and prayer, followed by aPernoon tea, during which children, parents and
helpers have a chance to catch up over sandwiches and cake.
Messy Church is the perfect way to introduce children and families to church in a
different way to the tradi#onal church service and is a great way for children and
families in the village to meet and socialise.
Ac#vi#es are aimed at children from 6 months to 10 years; however, all ages (including
adults) are welcome to par#cipate, help, support, supervise, or just chat – we can all
learn from each other and it’s a great way of mee#ng others in the community.

Messy Church con#nues throughout 2020 every other month on a Saturday a/ernoon,
2.30 – 4 pm. Come and join us - it’s a lovely aPernoon, with lots of crea#vity and
laughter.

2020 Dates for your diary:
25 January * 28 March * 6 June * 26 September * 28 November

For further informa#on, contact Sarah Banks [email protected]

24

Conifers

Conifers, as the name suggests, are cone-bearing, generally evergreen trees, with tough
needle-like green leaves. The one excep#on to the rule is the European larch, which was
introduced to Britain from central Europe in the 1620s. The larch is a deciduous tree, which
has fine, light green needle-like leaves in the spring; at this #me, it also produces its female
cones, which are reddish in colour and oPen known as 'larch roses'. In autumn the leaves
turn a beau#ful yellowy bronze before they drop in winter. Look out for these in Baldwin's
Wood and Wallace's Wood above La#mer and Chenies.

In December our thoughts turn to Christmas trees. Several non-drop varie#es are now
popular, but the Norway spruce was always our tradi#onal Christmas tree. The tree was
introduced into our woodlands from Central Europe. The tradi#on of bringing the tree into
our homes began in 1841 when Prince Albert and Queen Victoria introduced the German
tradi#on of decora#ng the tree inside at Windsor Castle. I have some tall Norway spruce in
my garden and this year they have produced masses of long cylindrical cones.

Locally the best place to see a variety of conifers is in the Baldwin's Wood complex, taking
Bridleway 5 or 10 from the track by the church to the observatory then into the woodlands.
The Chilterns branch of the Forestry Commission owns these woodlands, and they have
given me a list of the species that grow here: European larch, Grand fir, Douglas fir, Norway
spruce, Corsican pine and Scots pine.

Grand fir is an impressive tall tree which can grow up to 60 metres in height. It is a na#ve
of Northern California. A fine group of these trees can be seen at the far end of Bridleway
10 before it leaves the wood to join the Chess Valley Walk. Douglas fir is a na#ve of North
America and it is doDed throughout the wood. It has very dis#nc#ve scaly appendages on
its cones. The fir is named aPer a ScoZsh plantsman named Douglas, who brought the
seed to the UK in the 1800s. Corsican pine is a na#ve of southern Europe. it was
introduced in the late 1700s. Today the wood is used for telegraph poles.

Scots pine is our only true na#ve conifer. Famous old pines in Scotland are in Caledonian
pine forests in the Cairngorms region. Some can live for up to 700 years.

Conifers are a fascina#ng group of trees producing male pollen, which is wind blown to
pollinate indis#nct female flowers, which become hard woody cones.
Most conifers were introduced for their economic use as soPwoods, but now the Forestry
Commission has a policy for plan#ng broadleaved deciduous trees, which have a greater
biodiversity value for nature.

An interes#ng way to study and iden#fy conifers is by making a cone collec#on. They are
diverse and beau#ful and make lovely natural Christmas decora#ons.

Jill Saunders

25

Where in Flaunden?

Can you iden#fy these photos - all easily seen when walking around our village?

1 23

4
56

8
7

9

10

Answers on page 32
26

SUNDAY TEAS

A very big thank you to all our bakers, servers
and supporters. We have provided church funds
with yet another increased sum this year of
£2,000. As you may know, we are aiming to
restore the church next year, so all of your help
and support is greatly appreciated.

We look forward to seeing you all again on
29 March next year!

I am always happy to welcome new volunteers, whether to bake a cake now and then,
or help to serve teas on a Sunday (once or twice between March and October).
If you would like to help us, please contact me either on 01442 831762 or
s.shyvers@b#nternet.com

Susan Shyvers

Eaten too much Christmas cake?

Try Blueberry Swirl Cake instead. I have made this a few
#mes for church teas, and several people have asked me to
share this easy and delicious recipe.

Simple Blueberry Swirl Cake (Serves 8)

900g loaf #n or 20cm round cake #n, lined with baking
parchment. Preheat oven to 180 C/Gas 4

175g buDer, soPened 175g caster sugar
3 large eggs 200g self-raising flour
25g almonds Grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
4 tbsp blueberry conserve

Place all ingredients except the conserve into mixing bowl. Whisk to blend. Spoon into
the prepared #n and level. Put four tablespoonfuls of the conserve on top and gently
swirl through the cake.

Bake for 40-50 minutes un#l skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean. Sprinkle
a liDle demerara sugar on top. Cool for 10 minutes, then turn out and leave to cool
completely on a wire rack.

Note: Equally as good with other flavours of conserve; my favourites are cherry or
blackberry. For anyone who doesn’t want to use nuts, just leave out the almonds and
use addi#onal 25g flour instead.

Enjoy. Linda Inchenko

27

Can you spare an hour a
week in Flaunden?

BeDy Macleod and her late husband Iain have cleaned
the church room next to St. Mary Magdalene Church,
Flaunden for many years. She has decided to hang up her
duster, and the PCC is looking for someone who can
spare literally an hour a week to take over from BeDy.

Contact Andrea Norman on 01442 831362 or
[email protected]

Fancy a game of
badminton?

A friendly group of ladies and gents
headed by Erik Vischer plays every
Thursday evening in the Village Hall.
We will be delighted to see new members.

Call Erik on 01442 831291

A local bookshop with a difference

Chorleywood Bookshop, which has been around for over forty years, is a bit more
than those two words. As well as being a store where knowledgeable staff can give
you personal service on choosing great books, they also run a series of fascina#ng
talks by a wide variety of novelists, cookery writers, celebri#es and historians. We’ve
been to several of their author talks and they were excellent.
Don’t just take our word for it. Check out www.chilternbooks.co.uk and get on their
mailing list. The shop is open seven days a week.
Jane and Taryn

28

Attention dog lovers

A one-#me opportunity for your four-footed friend.
Would you like a *FREE* dog training class for your
adorable muD?
Have a look at the ad for Focus Dogs on page 34
and be one of the first six to sign up for a taster
class at the Village Hall in the New Year.
Woof!

Quiz Nights

The Quiz Supper in the Village Hall on 30 November is sold out, but
don’t despair. Quiz lovers can go to The Crown in Ley Hill and take part
in a quiz most Sunday evenings from 8.30 pm, finishing at about 10 pm.
Do phone the pub on 01494 783910 to double-check, in case of any change due to
special events or public holidays.

A future classic from Flaunden author

Is there no end to our very own Jack Debnam’s
talents? In between his ac#vi#es as parish clerk and
RFO, produc#on editor on the Flaunden Flyer team,
badminton player and golfer extraordinaire, not to
men#on do#ng grandparent, he has wriDen and
illustrated a charming book for young children
en#tled Hide and Seek!
Available in hardback and paperback from Amazon
and all good booksellers, this future classic is a lively
tale suitable for liDle ones and young readers. It
started off as Jack telling his five-year-old
granddaughter a bed#me story about her looking for
her cuddly toys at bed#me, and it was such a hit with
Katy that he decided to jot it down, and do some
illustra#ons … and this is the result.

29

Can you help a neighbour?

For a number of years now we have offered Flaunden Care to the village,
providing transport to hospitals, doctors, etc. for those in need
without their own vehicles.

A few more volunteers means when we get a call from someone who needs
transport, we can e-mail around to determine people’s availability and then
we can connect villager to villager to help. The cost is 45p per mile, which covers

petrol and reimbursement, which is s ll much cheaper than a
commercial taxi and a great help to those that use this service.

Please could you help? You will not be called upon o/en, but if a person has repeat
appointments we do need the volunteers. If you are able to help, please contact us
with your e-mail, phone number and address. Thank you to all, especially those who

con nue to help and those who have helped over the years.

Please contact: fl[email protected] or 07832 133416

30

Energy from Waste

Did you know that the UK’s largest single Energy from Waste facility is located not far
from here?
Greatmoor, located in Woodham near Aylesbury, allows up to 300,000 tonnes of
non-recyclable waste per year to be diverted from landfill and instead enter a
treatment process to generate power, producing 25 megawaDs of electricity. This is
enough to power 40,000 homes.
Household waste is incinerated and has the toxic fumes removed. The energy that
is produced is then put into the household grid.
Greatmoor has a very interes#ng website if you would like more informa#on, and it
has open days when members of the public can visit the facility.
YOU CAN VISIT! If you would like to join a group from Flaunden to visit the site,
please contact Vivienne Adams (vivienne.adams@flaunden.com ) or Diana Fry
([email protected]). The next available dates are in the New Year. So please let us
know if you are interested as soon as possible, so we can book a slot.
Diana Fry says, “This really appeals to me, as I don't agree with landfill and it helps the
planet get rid of some of the terrible rubbish that this world keeps accumula ng, but
at the same me it provides clean energy.”
www.greatmoor.co.uk
Greatmoor Road, Woodham, Aylesbury,
Buckinghamshire

31

The Arts Society Rickmansworth

Our lectures are held at SarraD Village Hall on Tuesdays at 11 am, with coffee served
from 10.30 am.

Tuesday 3 December: At our Christmas mee#ng, Caroline Holmes will give a lecture
en#tled Messenger or Missile: Angels with Glad Tidings, Doom, Gloom or Perdi on. The
lecture will contrast the beauty and light of cherubims and seraphims with the dark,
fiery abyss of Satan and contemplate the Angel of the North.

Tuesday 14 January: The Magic of Prague: Czech Art and Culture. Gavin Plumley will
show how the Czechs created a capital that was fit for a new independent na#on.

Tuesday 11 February: Imperial Purple to Denim Blue: The Colourful History of Tex les.
Susan Kay-Williams will explain how cloth and yarn were coloured, and how the
different colours represent power, achievement and desire.

Tuesday 10 March: A Tour of Big Ben. Tim Redmond
promises to demonstrate that there is a lot more to this
tower than its beau#ful gothic architecture.

A Special Interest Day will take place on Friday
17 January at Tate Britain. This will focus on the William
Blake exhibi#on and will include both a lecture and #med #ckets for the exhibi#on.

Visitors are very welcome at all our lectures and there is more informa#on on the
website: www.tasrickmansworth.org.uk

Vanessa Robinson

Where in Flaunden? (p 26) - Answers 7. The Church
8. Granary CoDage
1. Opposite the Green Dragon car park 9. The Dragon over the hedge (currently
2. By the Green Dragon
3. Sharlowes Farm on holiday)
4. 94 Flaunden (nr upper crossroads) 10. Cowslip CoDage, Hogpits BoDom
5. Flaunden Park entrance
6. Bricklayers Arms

32

The Hospice of St Francis - Hospice
News

As the seasons change, we reach that #me of year when the nights draw in, the air
gets colder and our aDen#on shiPs to creature comforts. For our team of trekkers,
however, this couldn’t be further from the truth as they recently returned from
trekking in India.
We are always so grateful to you, our amazing community who, just like our trekkers,
con#nue to go above and beyond, helping us to offer a hand in the darkness to local
families when they need us. Whether suppor#ng one of our events, dona#ng your
#me through volunteering or choosing to shop local with us, the difference you make
is ever appreciated and the impact always significant to our pa#ents and their loved
ones.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
With best wishes
Claire Jones - Events Manager

Santa Dash

It might be your family's favourite tradi#on or your first
fes#ve fundraiser. Either way, our Santa Dash is perfect to
kick start your Christmas!
Sunday 15 December at 10 am
This year we have discounted family registra#on op#ons
and under 5's go free!
Whether you choose to skip, stroll, sprint or scoot the
route…the difference you will make will go far beyond the
fes#ve season.
Sign up now and make some fes#ve memories with your
family and friends as you take on the dash, knowing you'll
be helping other local families when they need it.

Full details of all events and news at the Hospice website www.sYrancis.org.uk/

33

Ski Apartment BOVINGDON DRY CLEANERS
Sainte-Foy-
Tarentaise Same day service

7/8 bed self-catered, ski-in ski-out Services
apartment to rent in fabulous Professional Dry
Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise, Cleaning
Laundry
a hidden gem in the French Alps. Ironing
Duvet Cleaning
Open plan kitchen/diner siZng area, Curtains Cleaning
3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, Bed Linen
Wedding Dresses
private balcony, fully serviced.
Mon-Sat 8:00 am – 6:30 pm
2 minutes from ski liP Sunday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
ski hire, supermarket, bar, etc.
20 mins to Val d’Isere &Tignes. -------
Call 01442 834749
Vanessa Robinson 01442 833528
33b High Street, Bovingdon HP3 0HG
www.saintefoy-tarentaise.com www.bovingdondrycleaners.com

Focus Dogs needs you for a taster

We would like to make our modern, fun dog training classes
available to the residents of Flaunden and the surrounding area.
We will be holding a 90-minute session at Flaunden Village Hall in
the New Year - the date TBA.
This is open to the first six dogs whose owners register with us at this email address:
[email protected] This will be a free taster session
to allow you to meet us and see how we coach these wonderful animals. ThereaPer, it is our
inten#on to create a regular class at Flaunden Village Hall for dogs from puppies to senior
dogs at a reasonable cost to you.

Any breed is welcome and any age. Due to the size of the hall, with dogs being in close
proximity to each other, this is *NOT* suitable for dogs that struggle with other dogs or new
people. (If you do have these issues, get in touch and we can help).

For more informa#on about us, please visit our website at www.focusdogs.co.uk
We look forward to mee#ng you.

Simon Allen

34

"Tim Humphrey"

Furniture Repairs & Restorations

All Types of Furniture
Repairs & Restorations

Carried Out
Friendly Local Service

Call 0800 043 5237
or 07968 202061.

Mike Joseph RA Fyfe & Son

Local Electrician Family Butcher

01923 261 305 Meat, Deli & Pet Food

www.mikejoseph.biz 10% for senior citizens on
Tuesdays
***
Part P Qualified 81 High Street
City and Guilds Trained Bovingdon
Elecsa Member 30604
01442 833492
Why not pre-order by phone

and collect later?

DELIVERY AVAILABLE

35

House-siMer, Cleaner
& Animal Care

WRIGHT WAY CARE • Friendly, local DIY yard
• Good, all-year round grazing
Many years of Experience • Spacious Boxes, with storage
• Large, flood-lit Arena
~~~~ • Jump Paddock
• Brick built Tack room
References and DBS available • Rug drying room
20% off first visit • Assisted livery can be arranged

~~~~ Please contact Angela Burgin

Contact: Cathy High 01442 832286
07790 010586 01442 380455
[email protected]
[email protected]

Shantock Hall Lane, Bovingdon HP3 0NQ

We are a small family owned veterinary prac#ce in Shantock Hall Lane between
Bovingdon and Flaunden (map and Direc#ons on our website). We are very
proud of our custom built fully equipped surgery and our experienced animal
mad staff who can help you with all aspects of pet ownership.

If you need a vet or if you just want some advice, please give us a call on:

01442 833198

In the mean#me, check out our website to learn more about us.

www.hopevets.com

36

: [email protected] : [email protected]
: www.leoncatering.co.uk : www.rossco.shop

Leon Catering is an established professional catering company delivering
first class dinners, buffets and lunches.

Our new RossCo store is focussed on freshness and variety.
For the first #me, RossCo’s provides an opportunity to
buy a complete new range of produce
straight from the market to your home.

37

PAUL EMPSON TREECARE

Full tree surgery service, Woodland
management, Surveys and inspections,
Dangerous tree removal, Stump and root
removal, Emergency call outs, Insurance work,

TPO applications

Free expert advice

Free quotes for residential, commercial and Est.1996
agricultural services

Logs/Woodchips available for delivery

[email protected]
TEL: 07778288698 / 01442834571

38

LAND AND ESTATE AGENTS
PROPERTY CONSULTANTS

KINGS LANGLEY
1 High Street, Kings Langley

HerNordshire, WD4 8AB
Tel: 01923 270072

BOVINGDON
10 High Street, Bovingdon

HerNordshire, HP3 0HG
Tel: 01442 834834

www.pendley.co.uk

INDEPENDENT ADVICE TRADITIONAL
VALUES

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PROFESSIONAL CARPET AND
UPHOLSTERY CLEANING

Providing Service of a High Standard

01923 680 651

www.shannoncleaning.co.uk
•FREE Survey and Quotation, without Obligation

•Proud Member of The National Carpet Cleaners’ Association
•Stainguarding
•Natural Stone and Hard Floor Cleaning

16 Magnolia Avenue, Abbots Langley WD5 0SW

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Wilsons - Helping you find your dream
home

Thinking of selling or letting, or just curious as
to the value of your home?

Call now to book a free valuation or
market appraisal
Visit our website

www.wilsonsofbovingdon.com

35a High Street
Bovingdon

Herts HP3 0HG
Tel: 01442 831500

Email: [email protected]

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