Wendover Parish Council, Matters Arising

Having returned from our holiday at the start of December, it was great to see Wendover dressed for Christmas, it looks lovely. My thanks to Jo Durden-Moore for ably stepping up to the many events which were scheduled for November. I was sorry not to be able to attend the opening of the park, Remembrance and Christmas events especially. Also grateful thanks to Andy (Clerk) and Phoebe (Estates and Events Manager), who have proved real assets at this busy time, taking up the challenge with enthusiasm. Jane Ellis has been very helpful in supporting the office with her extensive experience of organising the events and thanks again to her for stepping in since September. Wendover would not look so festive without Andy and Stefan (Groundsmen) who have worked hard to make sure that lights, tree etc were all sorted, so thanks again.

The Christmas event was highly successful, and probably the busiest ever! Entertainment from the Wendover Singers adult and children’s choirs and John Colet School Choir was brilliant by all accounts, and we look forward to hearing more from them in the future. Congratulations to the winners of the tree decoration competition, who switched on the lights with Jo Durden-Moore.

At time of writing the amount raised for Wendover Shed has yet to be finalised.

The Annual Quiz 2022 is now over for another year, thank you to all the teams who joined us, we hope to see you again next year. A massive thank you also goes to Alan - Quizmaster,

Stephen - Scorer and Jennifer - Timekeeper, they are volunteers, and the quiz could not happen without them! The two teams that reached the final on 24 November were Wendover U3A and The Quizzly bears, the winners of the Annual Quiz 2022 were Wendover U3A! Commiserations to The Quizzly Bears and a massive congratulations to Wendover U3A. See also page 7.

The Parish Council has recently awarded a minor grant to the joint Church initiative, Warm Welcome, which offers a space to socialise, hot drinks and keep warm together. This is free to all and please see page 17 for times etc. Do make use of this opportunity whatever your circumstances.

As the New Year gets underway, we are setting the budget and Precept for April, details next month. There will have to be an increase but we are trying to keep that at a fair level, whilst maintaining services. Projects still being progressed are repairs to the wall and trough at the Clock Tower, Hampden Pond maintenance, Skatepark and mending the clock which will definitely be correct at midnight on 31 December 2022 as the year turns!

Lastly on behalf of WPC, may I wish everyone, a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Sheila Bulpett

We are looking to co-opt a Parish Councillor, anyone wishing to put their name forward must contact:

Wendover Parish Council: Andy Smith, Clerk to the Council

The Clock Tower, High Street,

Wendover,

Aylesbury,

HP22 6DU

01296 623056

clerk@wendover-pc.gov.uk

To apply, please fill in the form on the webpage www.wendover-pc.gov.uk/co-option and return to the office.

Wendover Parish Council have been working hard to get the clock in the clock tower fully working, but it will be some time before it can be fixed and that includes New Year's Eve.

The problem with the clock almost certainly started with the extreme heat. At first it was thought that a faulty sensor was the issue but that repair didn’t work and the clock started running slow. After a more detailed inspection it was discovered a highly specialised part was needed. With the current climate of supply chain issues, we are one of the many victims and it could be a further 6 weeks before the part arrives (from China) and the complete repair can be scheduled.