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.
Esha Ahmed has earned her stripes in more ways than one. Akshata wore a Lina dress from Omi Na-Na as she accompanied her husband Rishi Sunak on his exit from Downing Street in July. This resulted in this wondrous design being splashed all over the national press.
But, while all this is wonderful publicity, it’s not about the big names for Esha, but the bigger picture. She takes pride in being part of the UK’s sustainable fashion community, prioritising people over profits. As you can tell from her beautiful garments, she champions longevity through craftsmanship over disposability.
“I’ve always been passionate about advocating for doing better – not just for ourselves but for communities worldwide,” says Esha. “My journey began in the policy world at the EU, driven by a desire to make a positive impact. However, my early 30s sparked a creative awakening, leading me to leave my job and start Omi Na-Na. This platform bridges the gap between fashion lovers in the UK and the most talented, yet often under-appreciated, artisans in India. It’s a win-win, fostering a meaningful relationship that benefits everyone involved.”
“It’s a win-win, fostering a meaningful relationship that benefits everyone involved”
Omi Na-Na is an online shop full of statement clothing, made both sustainably and ethically. Unlike mass retailers, the brand curates breathtaking clothing designs from talented designers in the global south, crafted in partnership with local artisans and made to order just for you. Yes: that means you may have to wait three or four weeks for your bespoke piece, but it will be made just for you through the most intricate hand-crafted processes such as hand-dyeing, hand-blocking printing and hand-embroidery. Each piece is a wearable piece of art!
The made-to-order process means Omi Na-Na operates sustainably, minimising textile waste which represents a huge global environmental issue. Buying “slow” from them also means supporting a new way of bringing fashion to life as each order contributes to uplifting artisans communities that have struggled due to the rise of the exploitative fast fashion system.
The “slow shopping” trend is gaining momentum with London’s most popular fashion influencers, stylists, academics, activists, celebrities and even individuals in political circles (hello Akshata!) embracing Omi Na-Na and other slow fashion brands.
Esha was diagnosed with dyslexia as a child. “I struggled with the stigma and lack of support throughout my education and early career,” she says. “Everything changed when I read The Dyslexic Advantage by Broke Eide & Fernette Eide. This book highlighted unique skills such as big-picture thinking, creativity, and problem-solving that are perfect for entrepreneurship! Embracing my dyslexia rather than fighting it has made life so much easier and fulfilling.”
Esha moved to Marlow from south-west London this summer with her family. “The change has been incredibly positive! We’ve settled into a welcoming neighbourhood where everyone is friendly and kids play together on the street. We love exploring the local woods with my son. The vibrant high street, river, and parks which drew us to Marlow haven’t disappointed us either. We’ve already got our favourite local spots like Marlow Green and farm shops that we’ve been visiting weekly.
“As we settle in, I look forward to connecting with other passionate about sustainable fashion and finding a pop-up location to showcase our beautiful designs. Until then, visit us online at Omi Na-Na or catch us at the Marlow In Your Element Festival’s fashion night out on 26th September. Exciting times ahead!”
Charlotte, aged 34, lives with her partner and four-year-old daughter. In April this year, her family were presented with the devasting news that Charlotte had been diagnosed with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma (ACC), a type of head and neck cancer. ACC is a rare form of cancer affecting only five in every million people in the UK. Charlotte is currently undergoing intense radiotherapy treatment and has been told she faces a very uncertain future.
Charlotte says: “In January 2024 I noticed a blocked nose without any other cold-like symptoms. After waiting for it to subside on its own for two to three weeks, I went to the doctor but was sent away twice. By the middle of February, I started developing a tingling sensation in the right side of my face. As the nose didn’t clear and the tingling became burning, I went back to the GP and was diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia. They referred me to ENT, but the wait to be seen was about 20 weeks. The pain in the face worsened so with help from my parents, I had a private consultation. The ENT doctor found a polyp in my nose and, to rule anything serious, requested scans and a surgical biopsy. On the 18th of April my consultant said I had Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma, a terminal cancer and the chances of being cured are in the single percentages.”
Charlotte and her sister Sophie, who grew up in Hook Norton but now lives in the Lake District, are planning a festival for their friends and family to enjoy once the unwanted side effects of Charlotte’s radiotherapy wear off. The event will take place on 12th October at Hadsham Farm in Horley, Oxfordshire. The local venue has very generously provided the event space at a discounted rate to host the festival.
The sisters are hoping local people and businesses will support the fundraiser and have set up a JustGiving page for donations. They aim to raise £10,000 to put on the festival, with proceeds on the evening going to Oracle Head & Neck Cancer UK. Charlotte and Sophie are also calling on Oxon-based companies who may wish to donate raffle prizes, auction items or become a drink or food sponsor.
Sophie says, “Seeing Charlotte approach her treatment with such grit and determination has encouraged us to do something big that we can look forward to once the unwanted side effects of radiotherapy wear off. She is incredibly sociable and one of her dreams is to host a festival for friends and family. We are hoping to raise enough money to throw one heck of an event! We will be using the money raised from the Just Giving page and are asking for donations from local businesses where appropriate.
“Seeing Charlotte approach her treatment with such grit and determination has encouraged us to do something big”
The festival will be a private event for friends and family – but on the night we hope to raise money for the Oracle Head & Cancer UK through entrance donations, games and competitions, and an auction of promises. Any money raised that exceeds the amount needed to fund the event will also be donated to the charity.”
Michelle Vickers, Chief Awareness Officer at Oracle Head & Neck Cancer UK says: “We are incredibly grateful to Charlotte and Sophie for sharing their story to raise awareness of these types of cancers. Head and neck cancer is the seventh most common cancer and yet many people have never heard of it. We hope the Oxfordshire community gets behind them to put on a fantastic event for Charlotte and her friends and family whilst also raising funds for Oracle Head & Neck Cancer UK to help combat the head and neck cancer crisis.”
Do you enjoy singing? Even if you haven’t sung in a choir before, why not give it a try? Choral singing is a fun and rewarding pastime that has been proven to promote a sense of wellbeing.
South Bucks Choral Society have established an excellent reputation in the area, performing some of the greatest choral works in western music. Our next performance, the ever-popular Handel’s Messiah on 30th November, is a great intro to choral singing.
South Bucks Choral Society was founded by our conductor, Iain Ledingham, in 1980. Iain is a professor at the Royal Academy of Music. He has been Director of Opera there and was musical director of the Academy’s prestigious and highly successful Bach Cantata series from 2009 to 2018. We have received great reviews in the local press.
Accompanied by a first-class professional orchestra and excellent soloists from the Royal Academy of Music, our main concerts are centred around one of the great choral works. Past performances include Verdi’s Requiem, Bachâs St Matthew Passion and Christmas Oratorio, Handelâs Samson, Haydnâs Creation, Mozartâs Requiem & C minor Mass. The choir have also taken part in operas by Handel and Mozart. In 2019 we performed Mozartâs great opera Idomeneo with the amazing young tenor Freddie de Tommaso in the title role. He is now singing major roles at the Royal Opera House and throughout Europe.
Even after the most challenging day at work, going to rehearsal takes away the stress, I feel happier and have so much more energy. I’ve been a member of SBCS since I was 18! Verdi’s Requiem was the first work I learned, and I was hooked. Singing with the choir is exhilarating. Together we can create this amazing sound – the sum is so much greater than the parts.
Each year we perform two major concerts with orchestra, in November and April. There’s also our popular carol concert in December and a summer concert featuring opera choruses, folk songs and shorter choral works. We are aiming to increase our number to nearer 100 (so we can return to performing works that demand a larger choir such as Verdi’s Requiem.
We meet for rehearsals 8-10pm on Tuesday evenings, from September to April, in St Joseph’s School Hall, Chalfont St Peter. We also run an optional summer programme during May and June. Why not head to a 10-minute audition at Chalfont St Peter Parish Church 9.30am to 3pm on Saturday, and 2-6pm on Sunday 8th? Feel free to bring a piece of music to sing if you wish. Ability to sight read is not essential, we just ask that you can sing in tune!
If you’d like to take part, please email [email protected]. For more info please also visit South Bucks Choral Society
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.
Marlow has been awarded the Buckinghamshire Best Kept Village Michaelis Cup in the small towns category of the annual competition. The judging, which took place in early June, evaluated various aspects such as green spaces, children’s play areas, floral displays, the cemetery, war memorial, nature conservation areas and community engagement. The judging panel praised the town’s hanging basket displays, the tidiness of the Cemetery, and the maintenance of the Causeway and War Memorial. Marlow received an impressive 192 points out of a possible 200.
The competition, based in Buckinghamshire and held annually between June and July, was established in 1957 by Sir Francis Dashwood and the Local Councils’ Association. It aims to encourage community collaboration across all age groups to enhance the attractiveness of villages and town for both residents and visitors.
The Leader of Marlow Town Council, Cllr Chris Funnell said: “We are proud of this success and see it as a foundation for addressing greater challenges such as environmental issues. This recognition motivates us to continue improving our community and we would like to thank the council team, community groups and residents for their dedication and support of our entry.”
Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care is calling on people and local businesses to step up for the 15th anniversary Chilterns 3 Peaks Challenge.
In the run-up to the event, Chris, whose mum Caroline was in the care of Rennie Grove Peace, has shared his experiences in the hope of promoting others to volunteer for the charity.
Caroline went into the care of Rennie Grove Peace in 2023 after her seven-year battle with cancer took a turn, with doctors identifying that cancer had returned in her brain.
Throughout Caroline’s end of life care, Chris said the nurses at Rennie Grove Peace were supportive and worked to find ways that she could remain independent.
Now Chris hopes his story will raise awareness of the work Rennie Grove Peace do and prompt more people volunteer to help out at the Chilterns 3 Peaks Challenge on 8th September.
Chris’s mum, Caroline, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016 at the age of just 49. Months of treatment successfully treated her cancer until there was no evidence of disease remaining.
All was well until 2019 when an MRI revealed that the cancer had metastasised and was present in her liver, lung, spine, brain, head and jaw. Further treatment followed, to try and reduce the tumours and keep Caroline well for as long as possible.
Regular tests helped the family understand how Caroline’s tumours were responding to treatment and by 2020 many of the tumours had cleared up, so they remained in just her lung and liver. This was celebrated by the family, Caroline’s friends and anyone that knew her.
However, in 2022 tests revealed that the tumour had returned in Caroline’s brain. At this point, the family was told that her prognosis would be shorter. By 2023, Caroline was starting to deteriorate and that’s when the Rennie Grove Peace team stepped in.
Chris says: “The Rennie Grove Peace nurses were so supportive and really worked to find ways for Mum to stay as independent as possible. The nurses visited regularly, and they could advise us when we were ready for the next step, like suggesting when we might like to think about a stair lift or a hospital bed.”
As Caroline began to deteriorate, she was referred to the Rapid Personalised Care Service, which sees Rennie Grove Peace healthcare assistants visit up to four times per day to support with personal care such as washing and dressing.
Chris continues: “Everybody who visited from Rennie Grove Peace was compassionate and honest with us. At one point the nurses told us that, based on her deterioration, they thought she would probably die within a week.”
Sadly, Caroline died three days later, on 6th October, four days before Chris’s 30th birthday.
During the time Rennie Grove Peace staff were visiting, Chris learned how little of the charity’s funding comes from the government and how reliant the organisation is on fundraising. He decided to start fundraising to ensure other families can access the same care his family benefitted from. Most recently, Chris completed the National Three Peaks Challenge to raise vital funds for Rennie Grove Peace.
Now, Chris wants to encourage people in Buckinghamshire to get behind the Chilterns 3 Peaks Challenge on Sunday, 8th September, to ensure other local people can benefit from the support his family received.
Rennie Grove Peace is also appealing for on-the-day volunteers to help the event run smoothly. Various roles are available, including road crossing marshals and car park marshals, with volunteers asked to commit to four hour shifts on the day.
Anyone wishing to help on the day is asked to email: [email protected]. For more information about the event visit renniegrovepeace.org/C3P
For more information on the work of Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care, visit Home – Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care or call 01923 330 330.
Two Weeks In Nashville (TWIN) – who live together in Lingfield – have been making waves within the music industry for the past couple of years thanks to their indie rock sound with a modern twist, their love of live gigs and their aim to bring back fresh, raw energy, personality and big guitar riffs in a hark back to the 70s.
The three-piece band have already had multiple sell-out headline shows as well as supporting a series of major artists including The Hoosiers, Tom Grennan, Supergrass, Razorlight, the Boomtown Rats and more.
Their online videos have more than 8million views and their music has been steamed almost 3 million times.
TWIN won Glastonbury’s Pilton Stage competition in 2023 which led to them supporting Arlo Parks and The Streets at The Pilton Party in Glastonbury. They also reached the final of the Emerging Talent Competition 2024 and were Sir Michael Eavis’ choice and favourite act on the night. Also, in 2022 the band performed at the Silverstone Formula One Grand Prix.
The three band members (Billy LeRiff – Vocals and Guitar; Marc De Luca – Guitar; Ian Wilson – Drums) live together and have a busy summer of gigs ahead.
The band were founded in 2019 after a two-week trip to Nashville which helped them gain clarity on their sound… and their name.
Billy, Marc and Ian all bring their own unique style and personality to the band, with interests varying from tennis, bitcoin, skiing and cooking to Formula 1, handstands and service stations! The band are part of the Purple Heart Records and the lead singer Billy LeRiff also runs a recording studio in Lingfield which is used by other artists and producers, as well as podcast recordings.
You can catch them on tour this summer at Priory Live Festival in Orpington on 10th August, Tilford on 20th September and more dates including London. Make sure to catch the TWIN wave, and watch this space for more from them!
Have you ever wanted to enjoy the beauty of the countryside with the sun on your skin?
Well you can soak up plenty of this (weather-permitting!) with a walk this month, in your birthday suit, to see whether naturism is for you.
The walk organisers have arranged a pick-up from Great Missenden station to the start point. The walk is mainly through open country and common land with some woodland, along mostly flat terrain with some slight to moderate hills. The circular route follows a network of public footpaths, starting near the village.
The event is organised by British Naturism is association with the Milton Keynes Naturist Meet and Greet Group. It’s open to all members of British Naturism and other naturist (walking) groups; anyone new to naturism is welcome. When booking, just state whether you’re a member of BN or other naturist groups.
A 2015 survey proved that Naturists have higher self-esteem and better body confidence. Shedding your clothes might also help you shed a few of the burdens of everyday life.
Fancy giving it a go and embracing this liberation? The Diogenes Sun Club in Gerrards Cross will host a sport taster day on 14th September.
For further info please contact Andrew and Amanda Roch by emailing [email protected]. Joining details will be provided to those who register. For more about the naturism movement visit British Naturism (bn.org.uk) & also visit Diogenes Sunclub for info.
