The formats and venues are varied, with different topics and focuses for each meeting, but the churches are united in wanting to seek God together and bless the local area. Head along for a prayer walk, soak in meditative prayer, or join the prayers for global crises and the environment.
For the full schedule of events go to the website.
The Illuminated Boat Parade is an annual event for any boat, any size, any age providing a fun evening for the community.
Last year around 50 boats, powered and unpowered, participated watched by over 3,000 spectators. There were all kinds of themes including the Mamma Mia Abba all singing all dancing crew, a 15ft illuminated octopus for the Under the Sea theme, butterflies, pirates, and even a 7ft penguin accompanied by many other penguins, some singing and dancing overlooked by an enormous polar bear (ok, that was the crew). Many boat owners were so impressed they said they were going to ‘up their game’ this year.
A panel of judges will decide on the trophy winners. This year we have introduced an award for the Funniest Theme and there’s even a prize for the Best Lit Spectator! So, start planning now – get your thinking caps on and come up with a great idea for your boat. Everyone who takes part says it’s a magical evening, participants and spectators, so come on down and enjoy the magic.
The exclusive, historic Leander Club will open its doors to the public for one night, so everyone can come in and see the prize-giving. There will also be bars and food trucks with refreshments, truly a full evening of entertainment for the whole family.
For more on the event and how to enter, please visit Illuminatedparade, Facebook: Henley Parade, Instagram: @thehenleyparade and email: [email protected]
There is no age limit to growing flowers, as long as you keep fit and healthy. In fact, can there be any more wonderful way to connect with nature and spend your life outside?
That’s the message from Fiona & Chris who set up their own small-scale flower farm in their late fifties. “We’ve lived in Bledlow Ridge for 29 years,” says Fiona, “but we only set up the flower farm in 2018, with a view to having a retirement project for our future.
“We don’t have children, but we do support our local primary school in Bledlow Ridge, who visit us as part of their nature studies, learning about the four seasons… Shout-out to the best primary school in Bucks!”
The couple are passionate about conserving our ecological environment in The Chiltern Hills. The chalk grassland and meadows are rich habitats for wildflowers and wildlife. Owls, bats, red kites, grass snakes, bees, moths and butterflies are some of their companions.
Their flower beds are constructed using the “no dig” method. They also use peat-free compost and are committed to reducing single-use plastic and recycling. They harvest rainwater from their cottage roof, storing it in deep, brick-built Victorian wells.
Right now the summer flowers (including a dazzling display of achillea, ammi, cornflowers, cosmos, dahlias, phlox, snapdragons and fragrant sweet peas) are blooming, before autumn-flowering highlights such as dahlias take centre stage, along with anemones, asters, helianthus, verbena and zinnias.
Fiona and Chris have nothing but love for their village. “Bledlow Ridge is small but full of local talent,” says Fiona. “There’s a fabulous café run by Martina up at the cricket club. Martina bakes our cakes when we host workshops.
“Bledlow Ridge is a small, friendly community and there are plenty of groups you can join”
“It’s a small, friendly community here and there are plenty of groups you can join to meet and make friends. Bledlow Ridge sits high up in the Chiltern Hills with beautiful views. It’s a fabulous area for walking and hiking, and brilliant wildlife with unspoilt countryside.
“We have a wonderful pub, The Boot. Down the road is the great pub, The Sir Charles Napier, then you have The Lions of Bledlow, the wonderful West Wycombe Walled Garden café and – our favourite venue for buying presents for family and friends – The Apple Orchard at West Wycombe.”
The duo can provide flowers for weddings & other special events. The farm will host a floristry workshop on Saturday, 7th September.
September is the perfect month for new starts, so don’t miss this opportunity for some shopping style!
Krista Madden has organised an evening kicking off with a talk, 5-6pm at Court Garden House, from Lucia Santa-Maria who has been working on Marlow Murder Club this summer. She’ll talk about Building Confidence with Fashion, picking key high street pieces.
Find out about health and fitness tech at Sweaty Betty, including the next-generation Power Plate and a lymphatic drainage compression, with experts on hand, and health & make-up showcased in Jigsaw.
Nutritionist Brigette Hancock will launch her first book, Live Like a Lobster, at The Marlow Bookshop. The shops will stay open until 8pm with free drinks, special offers and lots of activities along the high street for you to enjoy. The evening will showcase local fashion, beauty and creative talent in Marlow.
Tickets to Lucia’s talk are £10pp including a drink & free for Marlow Living Loyalty App subscribers. For more details visit In Your Element Festival. Book your tickets for The Devil Wears Prada at Everyman Cinema. Follow In Your Element on Instagram for more updates!
The Watlington Wheels Project is a registered charity that supports the facilities within Watlington Park for skateboarding, BMX, rollerblading and scooters. The project has been set up by locals to revamp the area, writes Karen Parry.
The halfpipe in Watlington has stood for as long as people can remember and was, for many, a rite of passage. The bright blue skating bowl, which boasts a giant graffiti style octopus, is a unique addition to the skate park. It definitely has the wow factor and is a focal point in the community.
While the halfpipe served the town well over the years, it is now in dire need of refurbishment. It has become an unappealing sight and more difficult to ride.
The Watlington Wheels Project is hoping to replace the halfpipe with a new improved four feet high and 16 feet wide wooden version. They want it to be something useable by all ages and all abilities. This is more than a construction project to the locals, it’s about revitalising the community spirit, fostering inclusion, promoting physical activity and most importantly giving the youth of Watlington a safe place to express themselves.
They are looking to raise £8,500 to cover the install and maintenance for the first three years. If they can do this, they will not need to use any money earmarked by the council for the bowl renovation and resurface. If you live around Watlington and would like to see a new halfpipe replacing the old one, then please donate through their Crowdfunder link. We would very much appreciate any donation you can make.
Many thanks for your support!
Crowdfunder link: Watlington Flow Park & Halfpipe
Also see Facebook
The initiative, which is now going into its 13th year, sees each centre choose a local charity to work with over the course of the year, running 1st August to 31st July.
Charitable organisations who are selected to partner with each of Squire’s 16 centres as well as Farnham-based group office, must meet specific:
• that they benefit local people with donations reaching a local cause (rather than funds going to a national pot)
• they must be a registered charity
• they are a family or people-based charity or support the environment.
Squires MD Martin Breddy says: “I would like to congratulate colleagues on their brilliant efforts over the past year in showing their support for their chosen charity partners and hosting various events and activities. We couldn’t raise the fantastic amount we have without the generosity and support of our valued customers who assist in our fundraising efforts – a very sincere thank you to them. I know the sums raised will make a big difference to our charity partners.”
“We couldn’t raise the fantastic amount we have without the generosity and support of our valued customers.”
As well as the crucial fundraising, working together often provides a platform to help communicate the charity’s work and relevance to local people and the community. In some cases, there may be the opportunity for a charity’s client to be involved with the centre providing valuable learning opportunities and experiences.
Funds raised over the course of the year come from charity boxes in each centre, the annual Plantathon event, ticket sales from Squire’s grottos, raffles and other customer-facing activities. Centre teams also have taken on larger events and initiatives, including walking to the summit of Mount Snowdon, a staff member running a 10k race, a pop-up shop selling donated Christmas gifts and a charity partner’s gardening club visiting a centre to experience potting-up and selling planted containers.
Chairman Sarah Squire adds: “Squire’s colleagues have continued to support their local communities through their fundraising efforts in support of our Charity of the Year programme. They strive to do their best, working in partnership with their chosen charities that play such an important role in the local community. Our Charity of the Year programme is all about making a big difference for local people.”
Squire’s also supports Greenfingers Charity, the national charity which builds gardens for children’s hospices as well as Perennial, which assists people who work or have worked in horticulture. Squire’s also assists many local causes and events within their local communities in addition to the figure donated through the Charity of the Year programme.
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) has opened public voting to select the first-ever ‘People’s Choice Award’ winner of its annual photography competition.
Nature lovers of all ages have sent in their best shots of animals, plants, people and scenery at BBOWT nature reserves and in the community.
For the first time ever, the vote has also been thrown open to the public with a new ‘People’s Choice Award’. The winner will not only enjoy pride of place as the public favourite, but also receive a Nexcam solar-powered trail camera, perfect for capturing remote shots of camera-shy creatures.
Votes for the shortlisted photographs can be cast by visit https://www.bbowt.org.uk/peoples-choice-award which will remain open until Monday 26th August.
Rachel Levis, BBOWT’s Head of Events, said: “It’s always such a treat to see so many amazing photos of wonderful wildlife taken on our patch, and this year has been no exception! We’ve been sent stunning summer scenes on our reserves, macro shots of insects with incredible detail, and precious wildlife moments captured for all to enjoy.
“We’re excited to have introduced the People’s Choice Award this year which will get our supporters involved with the very tricky judging decisions. With a superb selection, we know it’s going to be a hard choice, but we can’t wait to see which photo is crowned the winner!”
It’s also not too late to submit photos for this year’s wider competition, with entries for all nine categories remaining open until Monday 26th August.
Each year the competition attracts entries from across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, with nearly 150 people submitting almost 500 photographs for judging in 2023.
Selected by a panel of expert judges, all category winners will enjoy a workshop with wildlife photographer Steve Gozdz from GG Wildlife Experiences and receive a copy of the 2025 BBOWT wildlife calendar featuring their winning entry.
In addition, this year’s overall winner will be awarded a Technaxx bird feeder camera station, while the winners of the Children and Teen categories can claim a bundle of nature books for their school libraries (or to the schools which they nominate).
The Trust is extremely grateful to GG Wildlife Experiences for once again sponsoring this year’s competition. For full details on how to enter, visit https://www.bbowt.org.uk/photocomp24
Guests can take a seat for a luxury afternoon tea at Royal Berkshire, whether in The Polo Bar, Fork restaurant, or out on the terrace during the warmer months.
Those visiting will indulge in this English tradition in a charming English setting, a treat for everyone who experiences it. Royal Berkshire also offers special family-friendly afternoon teas on Halloween and Easter, with specially curated menus and activities designed to delight even the youngest guests.
Head Chef Jamie Brown and his team are behind the menu development, which features seasonal and locally sourced ingredients. Menu highlights include honey roast ham and wholegrain mustard sandwiches, Early Grey tiramisu and Baileys cheesecake. Available all year round: from 12:00pm to 5:00pm daily, Monday to Friday in The Polo Bar or garden terrace weather permitting and Saturday & Sunday in Fork restaurant, for £42 per person. With 15% off Adult Afternoon Tea Monday-Friday for the whole of August.
This summer’s Summertime Live is set to be the biggest event to date.
The event has gone from strength to strength since 2018 and now features three stages of live music and DJs. As well as the Classic Ibiza orchestra, expect performances from The Shapeshifters, Majestic (KISS FM), 24hr Garage Girls, Fabio & Grooverider, Artful Dodger and more.
As well as some of the UK’s biggest dance acts, festival goers can enjoy a variety of bars, street food, festival fashion stalls and live entertainers.
Event organiser Anthony Ellis, says: “We are so excited to head into our sixth year of Summertime Live Windsor! This event started as a small concert and has grown into an all day event with multiple stages. Myself and my business partner Jonathan were born and raised in the area, so it’s great to see an event of this nature growing in Windsor.”
Tickets, which typically sell out a long way in advance, are available for £35 for a limited time. With a premium VIP option priced at £85. Please visit https://www.summertimelive.co.uk/windsor
Tired of drinking underwhelming coffee? This guide brings you the best coffee hot spots & cafes around Oxford. So, if you’re making plans to visit Oxford any time soon, make sure to add these to your to-do list.
A favourite for students, this café is renowned for its Antipodean-style coffee and lively ambiance. The Missing Bean is perfect for a quick takeaway or a cosy sit-in.
Situated on St. Michael’s Street, this café features a wide selection of espresso and filter coffee options, sourced from premier coffee farms and roasters. It’s a favourite for its spacious interior and co-working-friendly atmosphere.
Known for it’s micro-roastery, Jericho Coffee Traders offers tailored coffee blends and pop-up locations around the city. It’s a must visit for coffee lovers.
Besides great coffee, GAIL’s offers an array of freshly baked goods, making it a perfect spot for breakfast or a casual coffee break.
Situated above a bike shop, this café is renowned for its atmosphere and delicious toasted banana bread. It also offers extended hours for evening hours.
Located on the site of England’s oldest coffee house, The Grand Café is more famous for its tea and opulent decor, offering a unique historical experience.
Located in the Covered Market, this café specialises in single-origin coffee from Colombia, complemented by tasty baked goods.
Located in the Ashmolean Museum, this rooftop café offers stunning views alongside a solid coffee and tea selection, with profits supporting the museum.
Located in Witney, Oxfordshire, this café receives a huge amount of praise for its delicious brunch & speciality coffee offerings.
Gatineau offers a range of artisanal fresh breads, viennoiserie, cakes, savouries, biscuits and chocolates.
