A day to walk
NATIONAL Walking Day on Sunday, September 18, will be marked locally by a
Dacorum Festival of Walks, set in the National Trust’s Ashridge Estate from The
Bridgewater Monument.
Between 2pm and 4pm participants can choose between a
variety of routes and the Monument tea room and visitor centre will be open all
afternoon.
Self-drive mobility scooters are available free, but must be
booked in advance by phoning 01442 851227. There are disabled toilets on
site.
There is no charge, nor any need to book walks.
For the Health Walk,
meet at 2pm for a 2.5 mile walk in Thunderdell Woods with an optional longer
loop, with trained leaders.
For a family walk and for the less mobile, there
is Meadleys Meadow - a flat 1km circular loop (about 40 minutes) or Duncombe
Terrace, a linear route of up to two miles. Both routes are suitable for
pushchairs and wheelchairs, but sometimes bumpy.
If travelling by bus, show
your ticket from the Chiltern Ramblers Bus (No 327 Red Rose Service) for a
refunded fare at the walk.
Bus departs Hemel Bus Station 13.40, Ashridge Park
15.15 or 17.25.
Further information is on 0870 608 2608 or www.travelione.org.uk
As well as National
Walking Day, a programme of Sunday afternoon walks runs from September to
December at various locations across the borough. For further details, contact
Josie Heffernan on 01442 228789 or 01727 848168
Before that you can stretch
your legs by taking part in the guided walks led by local historians around
Tring on Saturday, September 10 and Sunday, September 11. The walks are to mark
Heritage Open Days which is run every year by the Civic Trust to celebrate
England’s architecture and culture.
There will be two Tring walks on offer
for both days which will start at 2pm outside the Walter Rothschild Zoological
Museum. One will be a tour of Tring Park and the other a walk around the
historic town centre.
Walkers will be guided by local historians including
Mike Bass, Wendy Austin and Tim Amsden from Tring and District Local History and
Museum Society. Each walk will take about two hours and are free of
charge.
They are not suitable for young children. People in wheelchairs can
arrange to join the Tring Park walk by contacting Tim Amsden on 01442
827453.
Details of other Heritage Open Days can be found at visitor
information centres or by calling the Civic Trust on 020 7539 7924.
New rector
THE Reverend
Jonathan Gordon (far left) last week became the new rector for both St Mary’s
Church, Northchurch and St Bartholomew’s, Wigginton.
Services were conducted
at both churches by the Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Rev Christopher Herbert
(left) and the Rev David Abbott, Vicar at St Michael and All Angels, Berkhamsted
in his capacity as Berkhamsted’s Rural Dean.
Both churches were packed for
the very special occasion with the local congregations joined by the Rev
Gordon’s wife, Rachel and his three daughters, friends and relations from far
afield, together with local mayors and other representatives.
An announcement
of a new Rector for Berkhamsted is expected shortly and there are still
vacancies for Little Gaddesden and Great Gaddesden churches.
Music and fireworks
A PUDDING tent and glasses of Pimms should help draw crowds to a charity
fireworks concert in St Leonard’s near Tring in aid of a new children’s room for
the church.
Picnickers are invited on Saturday, September 3 to enjoy an
evening of music, fun and fireworks.
Children can learn circus skills and
there will be music from jazz band Summer Wine, blues band Re-Loaded and from
mezzo-soprano Joanna Strevens and tenor Jeff Stewart accomapanied by Audrey
Hyland. The evening will be topped off with an impressive fireworks finale and
will finish at 8.30pm.
The event starts at 6pm, but gates open in the grounds
of the village hall at 5pm. Tickets cost £10 for adults, and £5 for
children.
For more details call Anne Butterworth on 01494 758700.
Champneys latest plans
TOP health farm Champneys has put forward a second phase of proposals to
revamp its Wigginton site as part of a £15m programme of upgrades.
Recently
completed improvements costing £6.5m include a 25 metre swimming pool, two
modern fitness studios, a gym, new changing facilities, more guest rooms and an
upgrade of the TV systems.
Champneys, set in 170 acres of parkland, was the
first health farm to open in the UK and this December it celebrates 80 years of
providing a haven of relaxation.
At the moment works are underway to
rearrange the treatment room areas costing £2m which is due to be completed at
the end of October.
The latest plans submitted to Dacorum Borough Council
include proposals for more guest accommodation, improved staff accommodation, a
second restaurant, new staff offices and an organic garden.
Built around a
former Rothschild mansion, Champneys is based in the countryside of
Wigginton.
If proposals go ahead the Stanley Lief room, named after the
naturopath who opened the resort, will be transformed into a restaurant seating
between 30 and 40 people.The neighbouring Sundial room would become a cafe and
relaxation area.
An extension would be built onto existing accommodation to
provide 12 standard guest rooms and convert 15 rooms into seven luxury suites. A
new apartment block would also be built.
It is hoped an organic garden would
provide produce for the restaurant and tea room and for guests to buy from an
‘organic’ shop.
Extra classrooms and a lecture theatre are also outlined in
the plans and would be available for local schools to use and a new cricket
pavilion could be used by the local community.
Accommodation for the 20
Champneys live-in staff set in an old stable block would be refurbished. The
redevelopment of an existing barn would provide the owner, Stephen Purdew, with
a business suite and accommodation with three bedrooms.
At the moment he
stays in the Orchard Cottage in the grounds when at the Tring resort and this
would be retained as VIP guest and rehabilitation accommodation if plans go
ahead.
Improvements would also be made to parking and garden
landscaping.
Planning officers are still working on the application and a
date has not yet been set for a decision to be made on the proposals.
Military tattoo date for Max
A TRING marine had the honour of taking part in the Edinburgh Military Tattoo
this month.
This year’s dazzling military show of dance, music and battle
re-enactments celebrated the Royal Navy and commemorated the anniversary of the
Battle of Trafalgar.
Max Carter, 26, a Royal Marine Commando and Kings
Badgeman joined a 1,000 strong cast in the final salute at Scotland’s stunning
outdoor military spectacular.
The show which takes place between Friday,
August 5 and Saturday, August 27 is televised around the world and draws a
massive crowd every year.
Since joining the Royal Marines in 2002 Max’s
military career has soared. He became a fully fledged marine in March 2003 and
was awarded the Kings Badge - an honour given to the best all-round recruit of
that year. Since then Max has gained his Wings and is a para-trained sniper. He
will be posted to Afghanistan next year where he will be a helicopter
gunner.
To top his successes Max celebrated his first wedding anniversary
with wife Raziel McQueen-Carter on Sunday, August 7.
Max’s mum Amanda went to
see her son in the tattoo. She said: "We were thrilled to bits that he was
taking part because it is an honour. It is quite
special."
