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Village Notice Board - Parish Council Initiatives
The Tree Seat
On a cold windy day early in March the various components for a tree seat to be erected around the Sycamore tree in the meadow adjacent to North Road arrived on the common. The seat, hexagonal in shape was erected by Dave Reynolds, the blacksmith commissioned to make the seat together with help from his assistant. Each of the hexagonal sections weighed in at just under a hundredweight and were welded together on site. The final touch was a coat of British Racing Green paint. All we need now is some lovely warm weather to enjoy sitting on it.
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here for more photographs
Chesham Bois Common
Wooden
posts have been installed in various locations to prevent unauthorised
vehicle access to the common. Where vehicle access will possibly be
required entry can now be controlled by recently installed locked gates.
The
common and woodland are regularly inspected and there is a rolling
programme of maintenance in progress, this not only includes the
felling of dead, dieing or dangerous trees but also things like the
removal of ivy from roadside trees. Ivy can act like a sail in trees
and increase the likelihood of a tree toppling in high wind.
Previous
initiatives by the council have included provision of new street
lighting, planting of a willow hedge at Bricky Pond and arranging the
formal adoption of footpaths.
The footpath in North Road which puddled badly in wet weather has been
refurbished and widened.
Extension of
the Burial Ground - Woodland Burials
In June 2004 the Parish Council completed the purchase of some 10 acres
of land between Great Bois Wood and the existing Burial Ground off Bois
Moor Road, which it had been offered earlier in the year.
The acquisition will provide the Parish Council with a unique
opportunity to extend the existing Burial Ground to almost double its
present size.
The purchase was funded out of capital reserves and hence is not a
charge on the Council Tax Payer; grants will be sought for the
development of the Woodland Burial area.
Since the Council purchased the field next to the cemetery in 2004 a lot of planting has been carried out by volunteers in preparation for its future use. An area which mirrors the existing burial ground has been set aside and defined by a line of new hedging to allow for future expansion of the current formal facility. To the south of this, a number of tree saplings have been planted to create future glades in the area designated for Woodland Burials. This facility together with a possible pets’ cemetery, are quite rare in this part of the country. Planning consent has been obtained to permit the planned burials on the land.
The remainder of the land is for the moment to be set aside with free access to the community.
Log Seat
This log seat was made from the wood of the Punch Tree, which used to stand in South Road near the junction with Sycamore Road. It was condemned as unsafe and taken down by the County Council. Thanks to Amersham Town Council, 2 benches have been created from it. This one stands on the common, near the Old Rectory. Because of the long association between the Punch Tree and the Scouts, the other seat has been given to them and stands outside the Pioneer Hall. In the past every new cub was enrolled under the tree.
Jubilee Oak
Tree
On
the 18th March 2003 Robin Reid, one of our senior residents, planted on
behalf of the Parish Council an oak tree to commemorate the Queen’s
Golden Jubilee in 2002.
The oak is situated on the south side of the
cricket ground, on the common, where there are a number of oaks
celebrating various royal events of the past.
Robin Reid remembers that just before his 11th birthday he watched another oak being planted to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V.
He was delighted to plant our oak in honour of our gracious Queen and he also thanked the Council for their dedicated care of the village common.
Robin Reid sadly died peacefully at Stoke Mandeville Hospital on Wednesday 28th November 2007.