Archive

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Sculpture's whirly ugly

A SCULPTURE with a revolving face has been turning the heads of shoppers in High Wycombe. Artist Alan Evans' £14,000 Whirligig sculpture was hoisted above a walkway leading from the High Street to the Swan theatre on Wednesday afternoon. But the stainless

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Silent tribute to Emma

A PROTEST meeting and a one minute's silence for Emma Taylor will be held next week at the bridge where she died. Residents have formed an action group to fight for safety measures on Bradenham Road where the 18-year-old died in a car crash a fortnight

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Heroic publican saves girl's life

Picture shows David Acton HEROIC pub landlord David Acton dived into a swimming pool and saved the life of a three-year-old girl after he spotted her drowning at a hotel in Majorca last week. Mr Acton, 40, the owner of the Pheasant Pub, in London Road

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RGS head quits for London job

Picture shows David Levin HEADTEACHER David Levin will leave High Wycombe's Royal Grammar School next year after being headhunted by a top London school. Mr Levin has accepted the post of headmaster at the City of London School for Boys, and will leave

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Help us find this vicious sex fiend

POLICE have launched a massive hunt for a man who carried out a sickening sexual attack on a 14-year-old girl. The teenager was walking along a footpath linking Packhorse Road to East Common in Gerrards Cross at around 5.15pm on Monday, when she was grabbed

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META name="description content="Armageddon (12)

A lump of rock from space threatens to destroy Earth.> FILM CLIPS Armageddon (12) A lump of rock from space threatens to destroy Earth. A lump of rock from Earth (Bruce Willis) is sent to destroy, erm, the thing from spaceHHH Barney's Great Adventure

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Lethal Weapon 4

Dir Richard Donner Cert 15 150mins ALARM bells should have started ringing when the rumours surfaced that Lethal Weapon 4 was being rushed out by Warner Bros studios - desperate for a hit and with a hole in their scheduling since the no-show of Tim Burton's

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Join Hugh Grant for an 'Oscar-winning' meal

OKAY, Henry VIII never slept here. But the King's Arms in Old Amersham has a very strong claim to fame: a few minutes of the film Four Weddings and a Funeral were shot outside the inn. And that's what really causes excitement among the many transatlantic

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Opera memorabilia is exhibited

FANS of opera and the glory days of musical theatre should head down to a new exhibition at Wycombe Museum. The late John Robinson, who lived in Cores End, near High Wycombe, amassed a collection of photographs, programmes and other memorabilia during

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Artist joins the battle against blindness

Sam Fryer talks to Bucks artist Romeo Di Girolamo about his work with a charity which helps partially sighted people to paint ARTIST Cavaliere Romeo Di Girolamo is taking up the Fight for Sight to encourage people to see that art is for everyone. Romeo

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META name="description content="Don't splash out on another pool

An open letter to the councillors of Wycombe District Council UNDER the stewardship of its councillors, Wycombe District Council delivers any number of excellent services, but please always remember that we are all paying for them and we can only afford

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MAY I through your columns thank the 100 or so members of the public who attended the Marlow Council Tax Forum last Tuesday.> Note council tax meeting dates MAY I through your columns thank the 100 or so members of the public who attended the Marlow

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I WOULD like to reply to the letter by Ms Parsons (Bucks Free Press, September 4) on Chiltern Railways.> Chiltern Line is all right by me I WOULD like to reply to the letter by Ms Parsons (Bucks Free Press, September 4) on Chiltern Railways. I can

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I HAVE said many times to your reporter Julie Voyce that I am not against the height barrier per se at High Heavens and other civic amenity sites, but I am against the method of operation of the barriers.> Councillor gives barrier update I HAVE said

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Wood clean-up deserves praise

WYCOMBE District Council always gets blamed when things go wrong. This time I want to sing its praises. When we moved into our house in 1966 the woods at the side made a pleasant screen from the hill above. Now the woods are used as a rubbish dump and

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I KNOW art is a matter of taste, but I wonder who chooses the artistic additions to High Wycombe's town centre.> Face of Wycombe is a bit distorted I KNOW art is a matter of taste, but I wonder who chooses the artistic additions to High Wycombe's town

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'I'll man the barriers,' pledge

'WATCH this space' is the message to barrier protesters from Bucks county councillor Bob Woollard. Cllr Woollard (Con, Marlow Rural) said: "It looks as if our representations are being taken note of and the message is being understood." He feels strongly

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Mel you B mine? Scary Spice and her finance Jimmy Gulzar

THE world's media has besieged Little Marlow expecting Scary Spice Mel B to wed fiancee Jimmy Gulzar at St John the Baptist Church this weekend. Pop star Scary Spice, 23, is believed to be the mystery buyer of the £2.25 m Manor House, Little Marlow, and

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The barrier grief - your questions answered

SINCE the launch of the End the Barrier Grief campaign to raise the height barriers at the Buckinghamshire County Council tips, the Bucks Free Press has been flooded with letters and telephone calls demanding to know the reasoning which lies behind the

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Regatta-goers brave gloom for a fine time

FAMILIES braved the gloomy weather to enjoy Cookham's tenth Fun Regatta. Organisers estimate the event at Marsh Meadow on Saturday raised nearly £4,000 for charity. It was opened by Royal Borough Mayor Theresa May. Organiser of the land-based events Chris

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'Clip round the ear' to tackle youth crime

THAMES Valley Police chief Charles Pollard says nipping youth crime in the bud will be the "equivalent of the clip around the ear-hole". Mr Pollard, Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police, said moving away from tackling crime in a "wishy-washy" way has

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Rebel MP happy to belt up for Securon

Picutre shows the MP with Securon managing director Ronny Proctor MAVERICK MP Ken Livingstone helped seatbelt company Securon celebrate 25 years of business. The would-be London mayor spoke at a celebration lunch on Friday attended by about 200 people

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Market returns to town

Picture shows one of only ten stalls set out for the reopening of Princes Risborough charter market ONLY ten traders opened their stalls at last Thursday's Princes Risborough charter market, which set up for the first time in the High Street for more

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Farmers fight council plans to sell their sites

FARMERS Keith and Liz Bennett claim the county council could ruin them if it goes ahead with plans to sell their holding. Mr and Mrs Bennett, of Stockings Farm, Coleshill, were among tenant farmers who heard Buckinghamshire County Council debate farm

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BFP columnist Anne Edwards comments on a week at County Hall

OLD friend Crispian Graves, former chairman of the county education committee, who did not stand again in the 1997 election because of failing health, is back on the election trail. Crispian, a former headmaster, hopes to fill the place of former member

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War hero canoeist, 76, takes to the water again

Picture shows decorated war hero Bill Sparks and his stepson David Sell WAR hero Bill Sparks will paddle down the Thames on Sunday - more than 50 years after taking on the might of the German fleet in a humble canoe. Bill is famous as one of the Cockleshell

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Blockbusting raft race has a big screen theme

Picture shows the Cavewood team from Cressex DOUBLE the number of rafts were launched at the 16th Thames Valley Grand Prix Raft Race at Higginson Park on Sunday. The aim of the annual race is to raise money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

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Questions fly at first council forum

MORE than a hundred residents packed the Shelley Theatre to discuss spending and council services at the first Local Area Forum at Court Garden in Marlow last Tuesday. Residents were given the chance to 'play at being councillors' and make basic decisions

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Recession fear as 120 jobs shift

FORMER mayor Doug Anson fears recession is biting in Marlow after news that the town has lost a further 120 jobs. Cllr Anson, of Marlow Town Council, voiced his concern after hearing that telecommunications firm 3 Com (UK) Ltd had relocated 120 staff

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Waitrose offer over new store

WAITROSE is offering to trade a car park for permission to build a new superstore in Marlow. The supermarket said new homes could be built on Riley Road car park, part of which the company owns, leaving Portlands Alley free for supermarket development

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Kids really, really want visit from Mel

Picture shows pupils of Little Marlow First School PUPILS at Scary Spice's neighbouring school have written to invite her to drop in for tea. The children of Little Marlow First School, School Lane, have put pen to paper to ask Scary, otherwise known

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Teenager's handbag is snatched

A TEENAGE girl had her handbag snatched by two men in broad daylight. The 17-year-old girl was confronted as she walked through Bridge Street car park, Bridge Street, High Wycombe, at about 2.30pm last Thursday with a friend. The men blocked their path

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£2.1m cuts on cards

A PLEA for social services not to be used as a "political football" was made on Wednesday as councillors started examining where a likely £2 million worth of cuts can be made in the county next year. Buckinghamshire County Council's social services policy

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Stories from the Bucks Free Press in days gone by

September 1973 DELIVERY of mail in the High Wycombe area was delayed on Tuesday by a bomb scare at High Wycombe General Post Office. After a carefully-packed cylindrical object had been placed in a litter bin in the post office yard - later blown up by

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For Full Story

PEOPLE queuing for bread in Desborough Road, High Wycombe, in 1974 after the Bakers Union supported a strike for higher pay. A scramble for flour and yeast also took place to home-bake loaves. The bakers who saved the day for many people by continuing

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Changing rooms need not cost

Lindi Bilgorri finds out how to decorate on a budget DECORATING your living room can cost a small fortune. It isn't something most of us can afford to do too often. But what happens when, after a few years of splashing out on new curtains, carpets and

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Plan for Adams Park unveiled

PLANS for Wycombe Wanderers' brand-new £2 million stadium were unveiled ten years ago this week. The ground, in Hillbottom Road Industrial Estate, Sands, was set to have a 6,000-seat capacity and was named after Frank Adams whose family donated the old

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The coffee bar comes of age for cyber-kids

Samantha Fryer finds out about plans for an internet cafe for High Wycombe's young people WHEN a young person is too young for pubs and clubs, but old enough to want to do something in the evening, options are limited. Organised events and centres have

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I REFER to the front page piece in the Marlow Free Press (September 11) by Mr Fontannaz regarding the proposed Marlow swimming pool.> Will forum vote be forgotten? I REFER to the front page piece in the Marlow Free Press (September 11) by Mr Fontannaz

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AS one who is very appreciative of the improved environment in High Wycombe centre, I note with some disappointment the comments of Lorna Cassidy with regard to the new sculpture.> Sculpture critic disappoints AS one who is very appreciative of the

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I HATE to be the little boy running around the market place shouting "The Mayor is wearing no clothes!" but clearly, whoever agreed to the placing of a £14,000 whirligig in Wycombe town centre, must have been told that only the very wise could appreciate

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Parry's comments leave councillor sick as a parrot

FOOTBALL fan and Wycombe district councillor Nigel Vickery has hit back at claims made by Alan Parry, a director of Wycombe Wanderers Football Club, that the council does nothing to help the club. Mr Parry, also a television and radio commentator, said

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I DID not observe the letter to which Mr Fontannaz claims to be responding, but it cannot, surely, merit the vicious slur on the character of Messrs Blair and Brown which Mr Fontannaz inflicts by accusing them, by inference of being socialist? Socialism

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Margaret's £1m gift of love for injured wildlife

ANIMAL lover Margaret Beer has left her £1m Marlow Bottom home and gardens to a charity devoted to caring for injured wildlife. She has left the property in trust for the use of St Tiggywinkles at Haddenham. Mrs Beer, who died last year aged 84, moved

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Funding problems for show

THE Wycombe Show may face a funding crisis as one of its major sponsors withdraws support. The threat comes even though the 50th anniversary show, held on The Rye at the weekend, attracted up to 10,000 people. Insurance giant AXA Equity and Law is pulling

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'We need cash to cut class sizes'

CLASS sizes for five to seven-year-olds in Bucks schools could be reduced to no more than 30 pupils, a year ahead of the Government deadline. Latest statistics available from County Hall show primary school class sizes this April were up on April 1997

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Angry PC sues over new home

Picture shows PC Tindal POLICEMAN Chris Tindal is suing a housing company after claiming he has waited nearly a year for 99 faults in his new home to be repaired. The 29-year-old Amersham PC, of Bierton, near Aylesbury, bought his new house two years

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Colin Baker writes his regular Look Who's Talking comment

"EXCUSE me - aren't you the man responsible for installing the height restriction barriers at Bucks County Council domestic waste disposal sites?" "Ye-es" "Oh, well I'm just a little confused about your reasons. Something to do with saving money isn't

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Scary spices up life in a quiet village

Picture shows photographers and film crews LITTLE Marlow residents are still coming to terms with their new-found fame after their village hosted the first Spice Girl wedding. Thousands of fans, photographers and reporters descended on Church Lane on

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BFP columnist Arthur Church says dealing with these firms isn't a gas

IT might be thought strange even in this increasingly topsy-turvy world that householders are being enabled to buy their gas from the electricity undertaking and their electricity from the gas company, or even both from the same source. Promises of improved

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Veterans applaud grim war film

Picture shows John Gwatkin, 75, and his mate James Bradley, 78 VETERANS of World War Two have hailed Steven Spielberg's epic movie Saving Private Ryan as the ultimate anti-war film. Star reporter Derek Suffling accompanied two Bucks veterans to a screening

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The BFP comments on some of this week's stories

Pay tribute to hero and learn to save lives HOW many of us could honestly say we would have had the skills to save a three-year-old girl's life after finding her floating face down in a swimming pool? Happily, local publican David Acton had both the know-how

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Mum fears for her family's safety

Picture shows Darren and Lorna King PREGNANT Lorna King has asked for her family to be moved from their council house after the ceiling fell in on her daughter's bedroom. Mrs King, 22, of Hicks Farm Rise, High Wycombe, is frightened for her family's safety

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Couple are dismayed by parking fine

Picture shows Mr and Mrs Stocke ARTHRITIS sufferer Dorothy Stocke returned to her car to find a traffic warden had slapped a £20 parking fine on it. Mrs Stocke, 72, who can only walk a few steps without her wheelchair, had to go to Specsavers, in Oxford

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Troubled waters for £3.4m pool after shock vote

DISCONTENT from some residents has stalled plans for a £3.4 million swimming pool in Marlow. Now people in the town will be asked for the second time what they think about the idea of the pool. The outline of the scheme has already been given permission

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Tories get in a whirl over 'awful' sculpture

SENIOR Tory Valerie Letheren boycotted the official opening of High Wycombe's Whirligig sculpture, branding it an insult to the town centre. The unveiling ceremony of the town's controversial £14,000 sculpture took place in the High Street on Tuesday.