5.23am was the first train from Chesham and it marked the start of Geoff Marsham's attempt to break the world record for the fastest time to travel the entire length of the network and visit all 275 tube stations.

Jack Welsby hold the record for visiting all 275 in the shortest time which was 19hours 18minutes 45seconds and earning him a place in the Guinness Book of Records.

RELATE, who deal with marital problems, are seeking people interested in becoming voluntary councillors. Full training is given so please ring 01296 427973 if you want more information.

COUNCILLOR Derek Lacey has commented on the closure of the toilets in Lowndes Park. He says that the District Council is closing the toilets to save money, not because of the reported problems associated with drugs and sex. He says that all the other toilets in the district are run by Chiltern District Council yet Chesham has to pay for its own toilets.

The Town Council could re-open the toilets but would face a £20,000 renovation bill.

TOWN TALK is the local magazine which is issued twice yearly, in May and November. Each issue takes months to produce from a set copy deadline. All text is written, free of charge, by voluntary specialist contributors and members of the public.

The editor charges £10 per page for copy editing and type setting. The designer charges £30 per page for layout and page make up. Photographic charges are around £5 per image. The advertisement manager charges 20% commission on the fees for advertisements.

4000 copies of each issue are printed and they are distributed, free of charge, by volunteers.

Town Talk aims to promote the town's businesses and shops. It intends to create better community relations. Through its pages it informs residents about what there is to do and see in the town. Environmental issues are promoted to create a better understanding of this vital area and Town Talk provides an insight into the town's history.

Chairman Peter Hawkes has approached the Town Council suggesting that the community magazine should be published in conjunction with them. The pages could be used for publicising the Town Council's activities. In this way the magazine would be given added purpose, identity and credibility.

To achieve this, formal distribution is required preferably via Royal Mail, door to door, which would mean an increase in the print run from 4000 to 12,000. With this there would be a weight constraint to keep costs down. The ideal size would be 24 A4 pages with 14 pages dedicated to editorial and 10 to advertisements, although the two would be interspersed. Chesham Town Council would be offered half of the editorial space ie seven pages.

The estimated cost for 12,000 copies of a 24 page issue would be £6,310 with an estimated advertising revenue of £4000. The shortfall of £2,310 would be met by the Town Council.

Chesham Town Talk was established nine years ago and would easily act as the voice of the Town Council and become its official magazine.

SOME dates for your diary and it's worth noting that you can still see the pantomime 'Sinbad the Sailor' with Chesham Bois Catholic Players at The Elgiva. Last performances take place tomorrow.

The Arts Festival takes place from Friday, February 14 to Sunday, February 23. More details closer to the date.

Sooty returns to the Elgiva in April on Friday and Saturday, 4 and 5. He is always popular with the children so book early.

On Good Friday, April 18, there is the traditional Walk of Witness in the Town Centre.

The Annual Town Meeting takes place in May and the Tuesday, May 6 it's the Pednor Five Mile Race.

On Saturday, May 24 an event which attracts lots of visitors is the Round Table Beer Festival.

January 24, 2003 12:00