Talking turkey at Mayo Brothers!

Liz Nicholls

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Chesham

Liz Nicholls

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Jenni & Rob Sawyer tell us a bit more about the much-loved Mayo Brothers butchers shop in Chesham Bois as the team get ready for the busiest season…

Christmastime seems to be celebrated earlier and earlier these days… So spare a thought for Jenni and the rest of the team at Mayo Bros butchers…

“We actually start our Christmas run-up in March!” says Jenni. “That’s when we put our order in to the turkey farmer, and then from September we really start prepping and preparing behind the series. We start opening our Christmas order book in October ready for the others and the busiest of the year.”

Beloved as a village institution by locals as well as foodies who flock from further afield, Mayo Brothers is an independent family butchers.

“We love being part of a community,” adds Jen who, along with Rob, grew up here in Chesham Bois. “It makes it even more special to be here.

“We believe in supplying a high-quality product to our customers and offer a wealth of experience and knowledge. The most rewarding aspect of business so far has been the support we felt from the local community during the pandemic and the support we had when we completed our new shop fit. Our customers are definitely the most rewarding part of the job.

“We are looking at providing new products all the time and the development of our ‘prepared by us’ meals continues all the time. Keep an eye on social media for new products!”

Jen, Rob and the team are very much involved in village life, especially Chesham Bois summer fete every other year. “It’s a real village atmosphere, and we enjoy doing the barbecue,” says Jen. “We now also provide our BBQ service for other local villages for their summer fetes and larger events. We are already booked for next year at Stoke Poges village fete and the Chorleywood car show. It’s so popular because it’s professional, friendly BBQ service, a fully managed BBQ for parties, weddings, special occasions… or just an excuse not to cook!”

All successful businesses have to evolve and, understanding that modern life keeps us busy, Jen and Rob recently created a range of homemade products for customers to take away and bake in the oven at home.

“We only use meat from our shop and fresh ingredients to produce the finest quality meals with the majority of our sauces being allergen-free,” says Rob.

“As for our favourite cut of meat… it has to be a rib-eye steak – a Saturday night treat! We also really like to eat at independent restaurants and support them, as we know how important it is to have the support of your locality. We love visiting Darmon Deli, the brewery shop in Amersham, and Jen loves a coffee (and sometimes an early breakfast before work) at Jester in Hill Avenue.”

Mayo Brothers, 32 Bois Lane, Chesham Bois, HP6 6BP. Find out more on the Facebook page & visit Welcome to Mayo Brothers award winning Butchers and Speciality Grocery for more info.

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Chesham Bois Tennis Club’s oldest member

Liz Nicholls

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Chesham

Liz Nicholls

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Peter Henry tells us more about Chesham Bois Tennis Club’s oldest member Roy Thorn who is still smiling at 100

As a member of Chesham Bois Lawn Tennis and Squash Club for some 30 years I have known and played tennis with Roy for a considerable time. On his 90th Birthday, when he was still playing twice a week, I had the opportunity to interview about his life and he turned out to be quite a character. Now that he reached 100 it provides the opportunity to share some of his stories with the world.

Roy was born on 7th August 1924 in Chesham where apart from his time in the RAF and 10 years working in London, he has spent all his life in the area. He was married to Mary, a talented painter and Sculptor, for 46 years until her death in 1997, with whom he had 3 children, Robin, Jane and Timothy, four grandchildren and three greatgrandchildren. His career was in the legal profession as first a solicitor’s clerk and later as a Legal Executive when he was a founder member of the Institute of Legal Executives. Outside work he has been a keen sportsman all his life with tennis and badminton as his two games. He founded Chiltern Badminton Club and has been a member of Chesham Bois LT&SC for 76 years.

Roy has always been a keen photographer and during the early part of the war Roy delighted in taking illicit photographs of the military vehicles and troop movements either from the offices of Blaser Mills which overlooked the Broadway or by concealing his camera under his coat on the Avenue in Lowndes Park where British Army vehicles were concealed under the line of trees.

“Roy has always been a keen photographer”

One night in 1941, during the period of the London Blitz, bombs were dropped on a field on the outskirts of Chesham. Roy went out early the next morning and picked up an unexploded incendiary bomb sticking out of the ground taking it home on his bike concealed in his gauntlet gloves much to his mother’s horror. On returning home for lunch the bomb had gone, taken away by the police. Roy went round to the Police Station in a high dudgeon, had a heated but failed argument with the sergeant to get ‘his’ bomb back.

In 1943 Roy joined the RAF and was then sent on an aviation course in Leicester where he flew Tiger Moths learning all the tricks of the trade including Acrobatics, Night Flying, Navigation and Forced Landings. As part of this course, they were required to travel an 80-mile route with an instructor and then retrace the route flying solo the next day. The course took them north from Leicester but Roy, who as shown by his clandestine military photography was always keen to take a risk, worked out that if he fiddled his log he could fly to Chesham and back. This he did successfully with the only difficulty being when he encountered 3 Bovingdon based US Flying Fortresses and was forced to climb so they couldn’t see his registration and possibly report his presence in the wrong part of the country!

During his time in the RAF, he was working alongside the now famous actor Robert Hardy. Robert asked Roy to take some photographs and, being enamoured of the Laurence Olivier 1944 film of Henry V, came to the shoot with full costume including armour, hired for the occasion.

Roy left the RAF in 1946 and returned to his old firm of Blaser Mills and then spent 10 years working in similar roles in London from the late 1950s but returned to Chesham and joined the solicitors Iliffes (now– IBB).

With two friends, who both safely survived the war, he founded Chiltern Badminton Club in which he was involved for the next 25 years including the roles of secretary and chairman. Roy joined Chesham Bois LT&SC in 1948, was made an honorary member on the Club’s Centenary in 2008 plating until he was 97.

Three further facts that demonstrate his character are; that he rode a motorbike until he was 87, and at the age of 96 he also managed to climb through a very small window that was a good 6ft above the ground, after he’d locked himself out of the house upon return from his granddaughter’s wedding. Having achieved entry with the aid of a ladder he then took it outside, locked himself out again, and had to repeat the whole process!

Roy lived independently in Amersham until February this year when he moved to The Willow Care Home in Chesham where he continues to make the most of life.

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The Unknown Warrior theatre tour

Round & About

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Chesham

Round & About

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John Nichol, the former RAF Navigator who was taken hostage during the Gulf War who is now a successful author, shares his thoughts with us ahead of his theatre tour including the Elgiva in Chesham

“It’s rare to find a tale so strange, intimate and human yet at the same time so enormous, so global in its importance.” These are the words from historian Dan Snow upon reading John Nichol’s book, The Unknown Warrior – A Personal Journey of Discovery and Remembrance.

John, the former RAF Tornado Navigator, and Sunday Times best-selling author, is embarking on his first theatre tour. He hit the headlines in 1991 when his plane was shot down during the Iraq war. John and his pilot John Peters were taken captive, tortured, and paraded on TV. Since that fateful moment, John has established himself as a bestselling author with 17 books to his credit, including Tornado Down, written with Peters, describing their ordeal.

Of joining the RAF John says: “We were a family of six living in a council house. I was lucky to go to a grammar school, and I got eight O Levels. I was expected to stay on and do A Levels and go to uni. I would have been the first in the family, but I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to get out and experience the world. I’d always been interested in electronics – batteries, bulbs, magnets. I was building burglar alarms when I was 12 years old. I loved it. I had Meccano sets, electrical sets, chemistry sets. I applied for 40 or 50 apprenticeships and got an interview in Newcastle for the Central Electricity Generating Board. As I was waiting for the bus home, I was standing outside the RAF careers office. and I noticed they had glossy brochures. Now, my brother was in the Air Force, so I knew a little bit about it, but I’d never thought about joining myself. But I got a glossy brochure, took it home, read it and more or less on the spot thought, ‘this might be for me’.

“I joined as an electronics technician and loved every minute. For somebody like me, who’d been in the Scouts and was happy under canvas and having adventures, the RAF was great. Four years later, I applied for a commission to be an officer as I wanted to be a pilot, but I wasn’t good enough for that. So, I trained as a Tornado navigator, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

So how did John deal with the trauma of captured, and how was he dealt with the PTSD? “What choice did I have? What else could I have done when I was being beaten with rubber hoses or when they were stubbing cigarettes out on my ears or stuffing burning paper down the back of my neck? Being a Geordie who enjoyed a few pints, my concept of recovering was going straight back to my mates and having one quiet beer followed by 15 extremely loud ones. I just wanted to get on with my life.”

During the First World War (1914-1918) more than 9.7 million military personnel and about 10 million civilians were killed. More than 1 million soldiers from the then British Empire lost their lives. Over a century later, around half of them still have no known grave.

John’s emotive show retraces the Unknown Warrior’s journey home from the battlefields of Northern France to Westminster Abbey to be buried “Among the Kings”. The grand state occasion culminated with a funeral at Westminster Abbey on Armistice Day, the 11 November 1920. An estimated 1,250,000 people visited the Abbey to see the grave.

“It was important at the time, and it continues to be important now because it is still a focal point,” adds John. “At Westminster, there are many, many hundreds of graves. The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is the only one nobody ever steps on. Even the Royal Family, as they walk past it when they come in, never step on it. It’s surrounded by a rampart of poppy crosses. It’s always the one with the biggest crowd around it. It’s still so significant because it represents loss.

“I hope the audiences on this tour with be enthralled, I hope they will be entertained, and I hope that they will be enlightened in the same way that I was when I discovered the story. It’s an astonishing story. My hope is that people go away at the end and say, ‘wow, that was amazing story. I really learned something, and I was really entertained for two hours.”

The Unkown Warrior A Personal Journey of Discovery and Remembrance will be brought to life with haunting visuals and a sound scape. You can book tickets for The Elgiva in Chesham on Saturday, 5th October, St Albans on 16th October, the Royal & Derngate in Northampton & more.

For tickets and info please visit John Nichol’s The Unknown Warrior – Norwell Lapley Productions Ltd.

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Vox pop Q&A with Roger Runswick

Liz Nicholls

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Chesham

We chat to Roger Runswick, dad, DIY lover & founder & director of The 50plus, about his best bits of Bucks

Q. Hi Roger. Where do you live & what do you enjoy doing?
“I’m 72 and I still work full-time. I’ve lived in Chesham since the late 1970s (but with spells abroad for work). I have two adult children. My hobbies (and work!) are software coding, DIY (what a surprise!), applying technology in the home and (mostly) pleasure maintaining an old Morgan car and producing garden figures in acrylic.”

Q. Where are your favourite local haunts?
“I love walking in the Chilterns, The Grand Union Canal and the BBOWT [Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust] reserves such as College Lake in Tring. I occasionally cycle, particularly along the Phoenix Trail from Princes Risborough to Thame – great for us oldies as being an old railway it’s reasonably level and Thame is a great coffee/snack halfway stop before returning.”

Q. What do you most love about where you live?
“Who can complain about living in the Chilterns? An AONB with marvellous countryside coupled with easy access to London and transport links!”

“Who can complain about living in the Chilterns?”

Q. What don’t you like so much?
“We’ve all got our gripes at the moment but as someone running a business what I’d really like is a few years without political instability, epidemics, wars so the global ‘we’ can instil confidence and grow the economy (politicians please take note!)”

Q. What are your favourite local pubs or restaurants?
“We often eat in Amersham. I’d mention the Pomeroy, Zaza, Bistro Twelve Twenty and Seasons Café.”

Q. What about shops or local businesses – any in particular you love to mooch round, or any worthy of a mention?
“Being a (possibly typical) male, I shop when I need something and ‘mooching’ is unusual for me. That usually means shopping for birthdays and Christmas when I certainly like the street markets where I can find unique gifts. I also like Amersham Owned and its partner bookshop Chapter Two in Chesham. Both are Hospice of St Francis shops and well worth a visit.”

Q. Where is your favourite local landmark or hidden secret locally?
“I suspect most people know about Wendover Woods, Coombe Hill and the Little Missenden to Amersham river walk but all are to commended.”

Q. What highlights are you looking forward to?
“The first is spring and summer and hopefully less rain this year! A warm summer providing plenty of opportunity for garden works, walks and open-top car drives to some favourite destinations, especially the Chinnor & Princes Risborough railway for a good breakfast and a train ride if it takes your fancy.”

Q. What’s on the horizon for your business?
“The 50plus is a business that provides a very broad range of home maintenance and improvement services. The name originally derived from the age of the service providers (the plumbers, electricians, and handypersons etc) but the company’s domestic customer base demographic and service offering is orientated toward the more mature customer – although the level of customer service finds fans across a broad age range.”

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Chesham Fringe Festival

Round & About

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Chesham

Immerse yourself in the vibrant tapestry of art and entertainment at the Chesham Fringe Festival this late May bank holiday weekend.

The inaugural Chesham Fringe Festival is set to be a jubilant celebration of both local and international talent, bringing together artists from diverse background to create an unforgettable cultural extravaganza. From May 25th to 27th, Chesham will come alive with over 100 acts spread across ten central venues, offering a wide array of performances to suit every taste.

This exciting event not only showcases the vibrant creativity of the Chesham community but also welcomes talent from around the world, mirroring the spirit of renowned festivals like the Edinburgh Fringe. Whether you’re a fan of music, comedy, poetry, cabaret, or theatre, there’s something for everyone at the Chesham Fringe Festival.

Local venues, including Chesham United Football Club and the Elgiva Theatre, will host performances alongside independent cafes and pubs, providing a platform for artists to share their talents with enthusiastic audiences. The festival also aims to support the innovative spirit of Chesham by raising funds for local charities and organizations further strengthening community ties.

Attendees can look forward to an eclectic lineup featuring disco/soul legends, tribute bands, pop icons, jazz performers, and acclaimed comedians, promising a weekend filled with laughter, music, and entertainment. In addition to ticketed events, the festival includes ‘Free Fringe’ performances, ensuring accessibility for all members of the community.

One of the festival’s unique features is its family-friendly atmosphere, with selected venues open to attendees of all ages until 9pm. This allows families to introduce their children to the magic of live music and theatre, fostering a love for the arts from a young age.

Chesham’s picturesque surroundings and vibrant atmosphere make it the perfect setting for such a dynamic and culturally enriching event. By showcasing the best of local talent alongside acts from around the world, the Chesham Fringe Festival aims to establish the town as a hub for arts and entertainment, further enhancing its reputation as a creative destination in the Chilterns.

Find out more at Chesham Fringe Festival

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