CLIVEDEN MANOR residential and care home on the Little Marlow Road held its opening ceremony last Wednesday and marked the event by introducing their Heart of the Community awards.

The event saw a final short-list of three nominees.

Jean Peasley works in her spare time for the Bourne End Community Centre, promoting the interests of the elderly. She works tirelessly caring for the local seniors in Bourne End.

Her nominator, Karen Moody, said: “Other people’s interests always come first with Jean, although no-one would know if you met her; it is all part of her normal life.”

Mayor Suzanne Brown has a job with Age Concern, but also contributes personally to the annual Santa Fun Run and many other local charitable causes. Suzanne runs Marlow Age Concern and arranges Christmas lunch for residents who would otherwise be on their own.

Her nominators Annie Mulady and Sally Field commented that few people work harder.

I took the liberty to nominate Raji Amlani, confidently believing that most people here would vigorously support my choice. Her value to our community is very well known, since she has run her pharmacy in Marlow Bottom for over a quarter of a century.

During that time she and her business have become indispensable to the community, particularly to our above-average proportion of older residents. She is viewed as a friend by many of her customers, and has an encyclopaedic knowledge of their medical needs. Her shop has also become a meeting place for those needing company and conversation.

Everybody knows and respects Raji for her assiduous attention to detail in the interest of her patients. I mooted that it is strongly felt in Marlow Bottom that her presence and service have greatly influenced the community and that it would be a severe loss if she ever left.

Most of us would probably nominate Raji as the single most valuable person in the village and will be delighted to know that she was selected as the overall winner of the title Heart of the Community.

Each of the other nominees received large bouquets, and a £100 cheque for their chosen charity. Raji was delighted with her bouquet, bottle of champagne and a cheque for £500 for the Iain Rennie Hospice at Home. I’m sure the valley will add their own congratulations to this very deserving lady and her chosen cause.

RESIDENTS will be interested to know that the application for two new houses at the corner of Ragman’s Lane, having been rejected by WDC, has now been turned down on appeal. It is believed that a new application may be considered for a single house, with access from Marlow Bottom. That would therefore not entail the removal of a large stretch of the Ragman’s Lane hedgerow.

On the last day of September, Valley Plus will be marking the end of a glorious summer with the first meeting after the August break. The main speaker is from Hearing Dogs for Deaf People at Saunderton, explaining how they train the dogs to provide such wonderful support and companionship to their owners.

As well as this, Peter Borrows will be updating us on the latest developments at Archaeology in Marlow, and also telling us the latest news on our trees in the Valley.

It’s the usual time and place, 2pm in the Valley Methodist Chapel.

ROCK Bottom certainly enjoyed a reception somewhat higher than its name, at first sight, might suggest. The valley’s new rock event is acquiring fame around the area and may well prove a productive replacement for the Rose Carnival, in terms of attendance and profit for the Playing Fields Committee.

Numbers of the public who enjoyed a perfect day were, at around 1,100, almost double last year’s attendance, and Jason Batten told me earlier this week that the proceeds for the valley’s prime recreation facility will probably exceed £3,500 when all the figures are in.

Jason also said that the audience came from a wide area around Marlow Bottom, as well as from within the valley, suggesting that the reputation of the festival is spreading.

While some people will have been inconvenienced, I have heard of no instances of serious noise or traffic disturbances.

Admittedly, there was a very long line of parked cars along our main road, but nothing of the mayhem that pessimistic critics forecast last year. Rock Bottom it may be, but rising fast.