Following last year's successful event, we will again be hosting a cocktail party on Friday 21st August at 7pm, this year in the garden of Pear Tree Cottage, 9 Back Street, Wendover. Our thanks go to Nicky Gregory for allowing us to use her garden.

There will again be a selection of delicious canapes available, as well as cocktails, Pimms and non-alcoholic drinks. Tickets will cost £22 (members) and £25 (non-members).

Please be aware that the Cocktail Party is being held in a garden with steps, ridges, bumps and uneven ground. You may not want to wear high heels!

Last month the Wendover Society Village Tidy Up working party concentrated on litter picking. Even though this is done during the week, there always seems more to do by the weekend!

This month the Wendover Society Village working party will meet on Sunday June 28th 17.30 at the Clock Tower, a bit later than normal, but the temperatures should have dropped a little bit by then.

Litter picking will continue but we will also focus on weeding in different parts of the village, as directed by the Wendover Parish Council.

Any suggestions as to how future working parties could help improve Wendover are always very welcome. 

This event has unfortunately been cancelled.

For the March Tidy up the Wendover Society will join forces with the Rotary for the Great British Spring Clean on the canal towpath:

• date: Saturday 28th March 2026
• start time: 10am
• start place: Wharf Road for Rotarians; Perch Bridge for Wendover Society
• equipment: litter pickers borrowed from Wendover Parish Council, black sacks and sack openers provided by Wendover Parish Council
• clothing: stout shoes and clothing appropriate for the weather
• gloves: please provide your own to avoid allergies.

Please reply to janelarkham@me.com by Wednesday 25th March if at all possible to help with organising equipment.

Rotary will provide the risk assessment for this activity.

Many thanks for your positive response to this invitation.

The Wendover Society’s Spring Supper and AGM will be held on the night of Friday, 13th March (7:00 PM for a 7:30 start), so please make your booking if you would like to come.

Members will have an opportunity to be updated on the Society’s activities (the agenda for the AGM is here, the minutes of last year's AGM are here).

This year the food will be a hot buffet to enable people to have the chance to socialise, if they would like, before the speaker starts his presentation. There will still be a table plan and chairs for everyone but the main courses will be served in small bowls and be easy to eat to enable people to try a variety of dishes and walk around and mingle if they choose. The bowls for main course will be prawn thai curry with rice, vegetable chilli and rice (very mild), cheese and leek pie, beef ragu and chicken tagine with fruity couscous (not spicy). All items can be available gluten-free. For dessert there will be a choice of lemon cheesecake, profiteroles, fresh fruit salad and cheese and biscuits. There is no need to order in advance, you will be able to choose what you would like to eat on the night. Wine, beer and soft drinks will be on sale in the bar.

Following dinner, we are fortunate to have Stephen Goss, an academic historian, as our speaker. His topic is 'This is the room from which I will direct the war': Churchill and the Cabinet War Rooms. In 1938 Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain gave the go ahead for the creation of ‘Central War Rooms’ – a top secret bunker from which the Government could safely fight another war should it come. On a tour of the bunker shortly after becoming Prime Minister, Winston Churchill stepped into the War Cabinet’s meeting room and said, 'this is the room from which I will direct the war'. Hear how a collection of basement rooms under the Treasury building served as the centre of Britain’s war effort. What came to be known as the Cabinet War Rooms was occupied by leading government ministers, military strategists and Churchill. The talk takes you around the top-secret corridors of the War Rooms and provides an insight into what life was like in the bunker, the vital work carried out there, and Churchill – the man and war-time leader.

We very much hope that you will be able to join us and look forward to seeing you at 7:30 PM on 13th March

The Wendover Society had another successful Wendover Tidy up meeting on Sunday February 22nd when again the weather smiled on us. More weeds were dug up along the High Street, this time on the Post Office side, and litter was removed along Aylesbury Road, the High Street and most of all from the Ellesborough Road around the HS2 bridge which was looking terrible. Thank you to all who took part.

Our next Speaker Evening will be on Friday 30th January in the Memorial Hall, at 7:30 pm. Please note the change of location. The doors will open at 7:00.

Our speaker is John Tyler who will be talking about The Changing Wildlife of the Chilterns.

The talk follows the story of the Chilterns and their wildlife from their birth over a hundred million years ago on the bed of a tropical sea, through Ice Ages, the return of forests and people, the arrival of farming and the impact of the furniture industry, through to the present day and ends with a brief glimpse of what the future may hold for our local wildlife.

On the 22nd of November, the featured speaker at our most recent Speaker Evening was Dr. Helen Farr, Associate Professor of Archaeology at the University of Southampton. Helen specialises in prehistoric submerged landscapes and early seafaring.

Helen has spent much of the past four years as a leader of the Black Sea Marine Archaeology Project (MAP) exploring the Black Sea for shipwrecks, the remains of which have largely been preserved by the anaerobic (oxygen free) nature of the Black Sea. The lack of oxygen means that those organisms that would normally feed on wooden shipwrecks can’t function … and the shipwrecks remain largely untouched, in some cases, for thousands of years.

Over the past four years, Helen has spent 100 days at sea, 40 of those days underwater. She and her colleagues have discovered 65 new shipwrecks from as recently at the 19th century to as ancient as the Greek Classical Period (500 BC). She shared with us fascinating photos and videos of those wrecks, some with features like masts and rudders still intact.

The Ukraine conflict and the ending of a major grant from the Rausing (TetraPak) family has brought the Black Sea MAP to a close and Helen is already exploring her next projects. She has recently returned from a dive in the Straits of Taiwan (another conflict zone) and is in discussion with the Saudi Arabian government about surveying their entire coastline. We’ll have to ask for an update in a year or so!

The annual Harvest Supper event was attended by over 70 guests and it was delightful to hear their unrestrained laughter when listening to some of the amusing anecdotes from the life of our genial speaker mP Greig Smith.  He obviously has an affinity with Wendover having lived in Grenville Avenue for some years and of course his office is now in our village above Brown and Merry.  Apart from his humorous side  he showed a serious and caring  persona and talked of his particular interest in energy and power. He told us he had a second appointment in Wendover this weekend as he was helping Wendover Rotary with their charity duck race on the Heronpath Stream.

The  welcoming restaurant at the Chiltern Forest Golf club  was the venu for the evening and they provided a tasty two course meal with three options including a vegetarian option, followed by by coffee or tea and a chocolate.

As Ron Peterson was unable to host the evening due to a recent knee operation Martin Chambers greeted the guests and he and his wife Jane entertained the top table.
Congratulations on an enjoyable evening were expressed by many attending.

The Wendover Society held a Speakers Evening on Friday 5 September from 1900-2100 at St Anne's Hall.

Callum Walker, Community Engagement Officer at Buckinghamshire Archives dicussed their work, their history, and what the upcoming move means for Wendover. Callum also explored some interesting parts of local history, including the 1906 Coombe Hill trespass, an often forgotten act in the long history of public land access.

On Friday, the 15th of August, we celebrated the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the Wendover Society with a Cocktail Party in the newly renovated Library. Almost 70 members attended, with the event proving a wonderful opportunity to chat with old friends and make new acquaintances.
 
An array of delicious canapes was provided by Bon Viveur. There was a wide choice of drinks available, from elderflower cordials to Pimms and pre-mixed cocktails of a high standard (passion fruit martinis were a particular favourite). Special mention should be made of Pat Riley Page’s two grandchildren, Sam and Milly, who served drinks with a smile for several hours.
 
The very pleasant weather enhanced the conviviality of occasion, with the Library’s new outdoor deck proving a magnet even as the sun disappeared.
 
One mark of a successful function is whether, at the closing bell, there are still plenty of people chatting animatedly. On that measure, the Cocktail Party can be deemed a success, as we had to start turning out the lights to encourage movement!
 
There is already some talk about replicating this event, potentially at a different time of year. 

The Wendover Society were fortunate to have Dr Jill Eyers, geologist, archaeologist and author as speaker for the Speaker Evening on 30th May.

Her talk was a ‘Journey through the Chiltern Hills’. The 'journey' is both through time (geological to archaeological) and through geographic locations in the Chilterns. Starting with the making of the Chiltern hills, the talk explains the geological processes and people that have shaped the Chiltern landscape from hunter-gatherer times to today. It also provides a glimpse of the Chilterns that our early ancestors experienced – from Ice Age to Bronze Age

The Wendover Society annual AGM and Spring Supper was held at the Memorial Hall at 7:30 PM on Friday, 7th March. Members will have had an opportunity to be updated on the Society’s activities (the agenda for the AGM is here, the minutes of last year's AGM are here).  There was also be an opportunity to catch up on the Society’s project to improve the appearance of the High Street and have the opportunity to express views. 

Then we were able to enjoy a delightful meal. 

Following dinner, we were fortunate to have Dr Helen Fry, historian, author and broadcaster as our speaker. Helen Fry is the author of more than twenty books on intelligence and the social history of World War II. She appears regularly in media interviews and podcasts and is a sought-after consultant for leading TV and documentary productions. Her talk on the 7th was a discovery of MI9's untold role in WWII which was run out of Wilton Park in Beaconsfield. This clandestine branch of military intelligence masterminded secret escape routes through Nazi-occupied Europe, saving countless Allied lives.

Our speaker was Gordon Rogers. He lives in Long Crendon and is a renowned public speaker on topics from science to history. He is also an amateur astronomer, with his own observatory in his back garden! Gordon told us about ‘Churchill’s Toy Shop' – the fascinating array of weapons and other instruments of war that flowed from Churchill’s fervent brain as we approached the Second World War – from floating tanks to portable harbours and beyond.

The Wendover Society’s Harvest Supper was held on the night of Friday, 11 October. This year, the event was held at the Chiltern Forest Golf Club, Aston Hill, Halton, HP22 5NQ, known for their excellent food.

In addition to providing an opportunity for a review of the Society’s activities, we were treated to a fascinating talk by John Bateson, a Wendover resident and a world authority on ‘consumer ageism’. John, a professor at the London School of Business and a successful businessman in his own right, will demonstrate why ‘You’re Only As Old As You Feel’, as he debunks many of the myths about ageing – and why today’s senior citizens are the most attractive customers for many businesses. (You can read his blogs on consumer ageism on Substack.)

In view of the weather forecast for 7th July (rain) we have cancelled the Jazz Picnic this year.

Speaker evening - 'Place Names from Around the Area'
A talk by Alison Bailey from Amersham Museum at St Anne's Hall Friday 7th June 2024 at 7.30 pm.

Alison Bailey from Amersham Museum spoke on place names from around the area and their origins and meanings. This area’s rural past can be reflected in names and they often give clues to history, particularly local history, events, people and geography. 

The Wendover Society annual AGM and Spring Supper was held at the Memorial Hall at 7:30 PM on Friday, 22nd March. Members were updated on the Society’s activities (the agenda for the AGM is here) before enjoying a delightful meal provided again by Posh Nosh.

Following dinner, there was an opportunity to catch up on the proposed developments at RAF Halton, which are currently the subject of a consultation by Bucks Council. This is now rapidly becoming a reality – and Bucks Council has devoted significant resources to developing a detailed planning framework for it. The consultation will have closed by the date of this event, but we brought you up to date with what is proposed, how it fits into the wider local development context, and the possible implications for Wendover..

Speaker evening - 'The Secret Life of a Mounted Police Officer'
A talk by Alan Hiscox - Director of Safety, The British Horse Society at St Anne's Hall Friday 2nd February 2024 at 7.30 pm.

Alan Hiscox retired as the Chief Equitation Officer for the Metropolitan Mounted Police after spending 32 years in the Police, 26 of them in the Mounted Branch. He has taken clinics and seminars to teach Mounted Police training and tactics to Police Units in Europe, USA, Canada and South Africa. He was the Ride Leader of the Police Display Ride for 14 years, performing at Olympia, Horse of the Year Show and abroad.

Taking part in ceremonial events, serious public disorder events and many football matches, Alan explained the passion, professionalism and sometimes pantomime that he has experienced whilst on a police horse in London. He also spoke on how police horses are trained and the amazing job that these incredible animals do, every day.

Alan is now the Director of Safety at the British Horse Society and heads up the 'Dead Slow' safety campaign.

The Wendover Society’s Harvest Supper was held at the Memorial Hall on Friday, 27 October. In a break from the past, this year’s Harvest Supper featured a Hog Roast by King’s Farm, with all the usual condiments (stuffing, apple sauce, etc.) and with vegetarian options available.
 
We started slightly earlier than usual – at 7:00 PM – because we were treated, before dinner, to a delightful performance by the Wendover Children’s Choir. 

In this talk, Peter Bassano, Music Director of the Wendover Choral Society since 2001, tracked his musical journey from regularly playing the trombone at the Royal Festival Hall to conducting the choir at St Mary’s Church. His talk included amusing anecdotes and more serious encounters with the great and good of the music profession. Many of these are are retold in his 2021 book, Before the Music Stopped. 

The Wendover Society’s annual Jazz Picnic was held on 23 July at the same venue as last year: Picket Piece on Hale Lane (HP22 6NQ).

Entertainment was provided by the Blue in Green jazz quartet.

The Right Hon. Dame Eleanor (‘Elly’) Laing MP was born in Paisley, Renfrewshire in 1958. She was educated at St. Columba’s School, before graduating from Edinburgh University, where she was the first female president of the Edinburgh University Students’ Association. Following graduation, she practiced as a solicitor in Edinburgh and in the City of London.

Elly was elected as MP for Epping Forest (a seat formerly occupied by Winston Churchill) in the 1997 General Election. She was elected Deputy Speaker of the House in 2013 and, in 2020, became the first women to serve as Chairman of Ways and Means.

Her experience in these challenging times – devolution, Brexit, a succession of Prime Ministers, etc. – made for a fascinating 'Speaker Evening'.

The Wendover Society held its annual AGM and Spring Supper at the Memorial Hall at 7:30 PM on Friday, 31 March. 
Members had an opportunity to be updated on the Society’s activities (the agenda for the AGM is here) before enjoying a delightful meal. 
Following dinner, there was a fascinating presentation by Nick Shepherd, HS2 Heritage Manager, about the remarkable discoveries that have been made in the Wendover area – discoveries such as "141 Anglo Saxon burials, rich in grave goods", said to be of "national significance" and the woodhenge unearthed on Wellwick Farm.

Our speaker – on the evening of 9 December at St. Anne’s Hall - addressed an issue that affects all of us today. 
We are experiencing a winter of unprecedented challenges in energy. National Grid has warned there could be interruptions and we have all seen our bills go through the roof. To understand how we got here - in a global sense - and what needs to happen to meet all the energy challenges, we invited former Energy Minister Charles Hendry to speak at our inaugural December meeting. His comments covered the entire range of energy issues, from alternative means of production to distribution to conservation and the impact of geopolitical forces, like the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking from a personal perspective, I’ve known Charles Hendry for over 30 years. You can read a short biography of Charles Hendry here.

The Wendover Society’s annual Harvest Supper took place at the Memorial Hall on the evening of Friday, 14th October starting at 7:30pm.

The Committee presented the Society’s forward plan, reflecting the priorities that members have placed on the issues facing the community in areas including:

•  Heritage
•  Planning
•  Infrastructure
•  Business
•  Transport
•  Social functions

Then following a delicious supper, the archivist and tour operator of Halton House presented the fascinating story of that magnificent home’s heritage. There has been a manor house on the site since the days of the Norman Conquest, but the present building was constructed between 1880 and 1883. It was sold to the RAF by the Rothschild family in 1918, since which time it has served as the Officer’s Mess for RAF Halton. As the plans for RAF Halton are still unclear, Halton House faces an uncertain future – and plenty for the archivist to comment on.

We celebrated the Jubilee summer and a return to normality with friends and family at the Wendover Society’s first Jazz Picnic since 2018.

Music was provided by the talented Melody Room Jazz Band.

The picnic took place on the grounds of Picket Piece on Hale Lane, about 1/3 of a mile up from Hale Road, with plenty of room for parking. (For those who would like a post code for their sat nav, that code is HP22 6NQ).

The Society is considering the possibility of setting up a support group for families hosting Ukrainian refugees in Wendover. We have had some interest in this idea, and so we have set up a meeting to explore how it can be taken forwards. One of the two founders of the support organisation which is now up and running in the neighbouring hilltop villages has offered to come and talk to us about what they have done. There will then be an opportunity for discussion, and we will invite everyone to let us have their thoughts, based on this, on whether this would be of interest and if so, in what ways. The meeting is on Wednesday 6th July at 7:30 pm at the Wendover Christian Centre, Aylesbury Road, Wendover HP22 6JG.

The Wendover Society Spring Supper and AGM was held on 8th April 2022 at 7.30 pm in The Memorial Hall, Wendover. Members and friends are cordially invited.

After dinner, the Committee presented the follow up to the questionnaire that Harvest Supper attendees filled out, describing their concerns and their hopes as to what the Wendover Society can accomplish in the years to come. There was a virtual avalanche of opinions, with a number of recurrent themes. We reviewed that feedback and discussed it with you at this Supper event.

AGM

The AGM was brief – the agenda is here

The Wendover Society held its AGM and Harvest Supper
1st October 7pm
Wendover Memorial Hall
Keynote Speaker Rob Butler, MP
2 course meal with welcome drink, cash bar

Our food was prepared by Beverley Edwards of ‘Posh Nosh’ who has catered for us in the past and included a choice of Home-Made Chicken Curry with Rice, Homely Lamb and Redcurrant Hot Pot, Vegetarian Casserole, all accompanied by a selection of Fresh Vegetables and New Potatoes.   Each table had a Cheese Board and Fresh Fruit Platter.

Our after-dinner speaker was our local MP, Mr. David Lidington.  He has held several Cabinet and ministerial posts in the last few years and addressed topics of interest to Wendover residents.

Venue: St Anne's Hall, Aylesbury Road, Wendover

7.30 PM

A GENERAL MEETING of The Wendover Society was be held in St Anne’s Hall, Wendover on Tuesday 23rd April 2018 at 7.30pm for the following purposes: -

AGENDA

1. To receive apologies for absence.
2. To receive nominations for and elect a Chairman
3. To receive nominations for and elect a Vice Chairman
4. To receive nominations for and elect a Secretary
5. To elect members to the Executive Committee.
6. To consider the future of The Wendover Society
7.  Any other Business

Venue: Wendover Memorial Hall
7.30 pm

AGM

The Agenda for the meeting and Vice Chairman's report can be downloaded by clicking here.

Draft Minutes of the 2018 AGM can be downloaded by clicking  here.

A copy of the Audited Accounts for 2018 can be downloaded by clicking here.

Dinner

Tickets for the evening are £17.50 per head and as usual wine, beer and soft drinks will be available for purchase in the Hall.

Our speaker at the dinner following the AGM will be Brian Thompson, the Chairman of Halton Parish Council.  He will talk to us about the forthcoming closure of RAF Halton and the Parish Council’s views of what should happen to the site.  Come equipped with topical questions.

Our food will be prepared by Beverley Edwards of ‘Posh Nosh’ who has catered for us in the past and will be a choice of Home-Made Beef and Mushroom Pie, Homely Chicken and Bacon Casserole, Vegetarian Casserole, with a selection of Fresh Vegetables and New Potatoes.  Each table will have a Cheese Board and Fresh Fruit Platter.

We anticipate having an interesting and enjoyable evening and I hope you will be able to join us.

Booking forms can be downloaded by clicking here.

If you would like to come to the Annual General Meeting and Dinner, please complete the booking form and send it Forouz Saunders together with your payment.

Payment will acknowledged by a phone call or an Email but to reduce administration and cost, tickets will not be issued. All forms and request for tickets must be accompanied by full payment. All payments for this function must be paid in advance. Should we receive more applications than we have places, a waiting list will be established. If, after you have booked, you find you are unable to attend please let Forouz Saunders know so that your place can be offered to a member on the waiting list
 
Tables will be set for eight people.  Should you wish to have a whole table reserved for you, please advise the names of the 8 people on of the booking form bellow. Please note that I will have to add to the tables that are less than eight in order to fit all the guests in.
 
We hope to be able to have one or two “Introduction Tables” that may be hosted by Committee members. These are to be allocated to new members or those attending on their own if they wish to join.  If so, please indicate on the booking form and we will endeavour to oblige otherwise you will be placed in the gaps available elsewhere.
 
On the evening, you are asked to enter through the main double doors. We look forward to seeing you on 22nd February from 7.15 for 7.30.