A CHARITY appeal in memory of an 18 year old Penn man who died from a rare heart condition 12 years ago is set to reach one and a quarter million pounds.
Alexander Jansons, pictured above, of Beacon Hill, Penn was a fit and active teenager but collapsed and died from a little-known inflammatory condition, Myocarditis.
His family and friends launched an appeal in Alexander’s name to raise funds for research into the causes, prevention and to eventually find a cure for the disease.
They set themselves a target of raising £80,000 a year and have surpassed that target every year since his passing.
Now, what started as a local appeal, has grown into a national charity, Myocarditis UK that aims to raise at least £2million in Alexander’s memory.
Meanwhile local fund-raising continues. The appeal currently stands at £1.23 million and a Christmas party at Tylers Green Village Hall this month will edge it to a £1.25m landmark. You can find out more on https://myocarditisuk.com
UPDATE – Councillors approve Gomm Valley development provided Taylor Wimpey and officials can reach agreement over conditions
Updated report 18 December
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE councillors today agreed to a major development in the Gomm Valley, between Hammersley Lane and Cock Lane, Tylers Green…but only if the builders, Taylor Wimpey, agree to a series of planning conditions.
The proposed development, which met with hundreds of objections, is the biggest ever in the Penn and Tylers Green area.
Taylor Wimpey have been given permission to build 79 houses on a green field site which runs parallel to the A40 London Road, with access off Hammersley Lane.
They have also been given outline planning permission in principle to build a further 465 houses plus a new school, community facility and offices/workshops in the remainder of the valley and alongside the hillside on its Cock Lane side.
However councillors have left it to Steve Bambrick, their corporate director for planning, growth and sustainability, to legally agree 16 key points with Taylor Wimpey before final agreement can be signed off.
If agreement cannot be reached – and many demands include significant financial contributions from Taylor Wimpey – then the plan will be refused, says the council.
A Government planning inspector last year rejected the scheme, saying that traffic from the development would overwhelm road junctions on the A40 London Road.
Since then however, both Taylor Wimpey and Buckinghamshire Council’s Highways department have conducted separate new traffic prediction exercises, both of which conclude that traffic congestion will not be as bad as first thought.
There will be more details in the next blog, published 1 January.
We’re thinking of you Pauline. Penn homecoming as star’s son ends marathon walk
Updated report 13 December
PAULINE Quirke’s actor son Charlie has ended an emotional fund-raising trek in Penn when he arrived at his parents home in time for Christmas.
The award-winning actress was diagnosed with dementia four years ago and has retired from acting, spending much time at home in the village.
In a 140 km (87 mile) trek Charlie, 31, started in Chigwell, where his mum’s Birds of a Feather TV show was set and travelled through London stopping off at old family homes and studios where Pauline is fondly remembered.
His last stopping point was the headquarters of the Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts in Loudwater before he walked up the hill to Penn.
Pauline, husband Steve and children Emily and Charlie moved into the village over 20 years ago and are well known in the community.
Charlie undertook the challenge to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s Research UK. You can donate by texting Charlie5, Charlie10 or Charlie20 on 70255 to give £5, £10 or £20. Alternatively you can donate online at https://trek.charliestrek.org
Local news
Shop reopens – The former Village Shop on the Green in School Road, Tylers Green, which has been empty since March, is set to reopen again as a convenience store with new branding. Satsoroopan Kandasamy, a 43 year old Sri Lankan from Bedford, has formed a new company, KAS Retail Connect Penn Ltd, and has applied for a licence to sell alcohol. He intends opening from 6am to 10pm Monday to Saturday and from 7am to 9.30pm on Sundays. The shop is likely to be run under the Premier brand, which is part of a wholesale supply company owned by Tesco.
All change – JJ’s, the coffee shop next door to the Village Shop on the Green, came under new management last month and has been renamed Mug & bean. In Hazlemere the Crown pub reopened last month after an extensive refurbishment while next door the former Darvell bakery reopened as Hungry Yasmine, selling Italian style pizzas and delicacies. The Raj Indian restaurant at Hazlemere Crossroads also reopened last month under new management.
Farewell Anne – Anne Hornabook, of Elm Road, Penn, who taught at Tylers Green First School for 20 years until 1991 before running a nursery school in Penn Street, died last month. A long term, active supporter of the annual fun run, she was always one of the first up on the common on fun run day enthusiastically banging in the stakes to the finishing line, and one of the last to leave taking them out again. Anne was also a long-standing member of the team who organise Carols on the Common.
Farewell Gail – Gail Wellings, who was the parish administrator for Holy Trinity, Penn and St Margaret’s, Tylers Green also died last month. A former secretary of the chairman of Marks and Spencer Gail later worked in the USA. When she returned she used her secretarial skills for the benefit of the benefice from 2007.
Woodland plan – The Forestry Commission has approved a ten year management plan for Common Wood, Penn which aims to conserve and improve woodland biodiversity and allows selective tree felling. The wood is managed by the Penn and Tylers Green Residents’ Society, supported by the Woodland Trust.
Scouts charity – Penn and Tylers Green scouts and cubs, who are delivering Christmas cards for free in Penn, Tylers Green and Manor Farm estate Hazlemere, have chosen a charity which helps children with critical or life-limiting conditions if people wish to donate for their service. Donations for Emmett’s Genies can be made on https://emmettsgenies.co.uk
Gazan help – Children and parents at Curzon Church of England School in Penn Street are donating to help a refugee family from Gaza settle in this area. Their gifts have included basic English learning books to help the children learn their new language.
Driver appeal – Penn and Tylers Green Village Care, the charity whose drivers take local people with mobility problems to medical, shopping or social appointments, is looking for drivers who can be on standby for a few hours on one day every four weeks and telephonists who can work from home for three hours a day once every four weeks. Call 01494 816909 for details.
Road concerns – Penn Parish Council say repairs for a large part of Witheridge Lane, the B474 to Beaconsfield, should be a top priority for next year. One councillor said the road’s foundations were no longer sufficient for the amount of traffic it carries.
Car gutted – A car which caught fire on the narrow country road between Penn and the Royal Standard of England pub at Bayley’s Bottom completely blocked the road for some hours last month. The fire brigade extinguished the blaze but the car was completely destroyed. No-one was injured.
Darts marathon – Members of Penn and Tylers Green Football Club’s darts teams are taking part in a 12 hour non-stop darts marathon this month in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. You can find out more and donate on this link https://dartsmarathon.macmillan.org.uk/teams/penn-and-tylers-fc?
Fun quiz – There’s a fun quiz night in St Margaret’s Parish Rooms on Saturday 24 January in aid of St Margaret’s, Tylers Green and Holy Trinity, Penn. It incudes a buffet and licenced bar. Full details on https://tinyurl.com/fun-quiz-2026
Roman conquest – Ron Hedley’s Prostate Cancer Awareness XI rounded off its cricket tour of Rome last month (see last blog) attending a mass in a private chapel in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City. As the players were leaving they witnessed Pope Leo walking through the Basilica to conduct a Holy Mass.
The team’s visit prompted significant publicity in the Catholic press. On return Ron, of Old Kiln Road, Tylers Green, attended one of his charity fund raising walks with members of Yorkshire Cricket Club in Barnsley. Details of the appeal (now nearing £79,000) are on this link https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-rons-march-for-prostate-cancer
Penn councillor calls for curbs after gang attack on student shown on social media
POLICE are investigating an assault on a student in the area whose beating-up was featured for all to see on Facebook, WhatsApp and Snapchat.
Penn and Tylers Green councillor Jonathan Waters, pictured above, has called for such violent videos to be blocked on social media.
He told the Bucks Free Press: “That this is being filmed and then circulated on social media encouraging this criminal violent behaviour is unacceptable.”
Police have not issued any details of the assault but are said to be studying the videos to identify the group of attackers. It’s not been revealed how serious the teenager’s injuries are. He is a student at the Highcrest Academy in Hatters Lane.
Neil Stocking, the headteacher of nearby Sir William Ramsay School in Rose Avenue, Hazlemere told the newspaper it would be inappropriate to comment on an ongoing investigation, but added: “We are aware of issues impacting the community as are all secondary schools in the area.”
Earlier this term Mr. Stocking wrote to parents saying there is an “increased number of complaints regarding a minority of students whose behaviour has raised concerns after school.
“(We) are working closely with (the bus company) Carousel, the police and other stake holders in the community to identify the culprits and act accordingly.
“GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) does sometimes slow our efforts to identify students, however, once confirmed we have and will suspend students in accordance with our behaviour policy for inappropriate behaviour…”
It has not been publicly established that students from Sir William Ramsay are involved in the filmed attack of the Highcrest Academy pupil.
Big changes planned for local fire service
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE Fire Brigade insists that proposed drastic changes to our local on-call fire service will not affect its response to every day fire emergencies.
On-call firefighters are people with other full-time jobs who can be called in to help full-time firefighters when it’s considered necessary.
However, the fire authority says the on-call service has been underperforming for several years and needs streamlining to meet the needs of today. The authority is holding a public consultation until the end of next month on proposals that include:
- Removal of the on-call fire engine at Beaconsfield to be replaced with what’s called a Crew Welfare Unit to assist full-time firefighters at incidents. The Beaconsfield fire station at Holtspur will continue to house a full-time fire engine and a boat and water rescue unit.
- The closure of Great Missenden on-call fire station. The brigade says the on-call crew there have not been used for five years. It’s also proposed to close Stokenchurch fire station.
- Removal of the on-call fire engine at Amersham to be replaced by a “Rural Firefighting Vehicle” – a smaller more agile vehicle says the brigade, ideal for reaching remote rural areas quickly in dry summer months when wildfires occur.
- Removal of the on-call fire engine at High Wycombe. The station hosts two full-time fire engines and specialist appliances.
Chief Fire Officer Louise Harrison says the proposals are not cuts but will “strengthen and modernise our on-call service”. The Fire Brigades Union say the measures are a “slash mechanism badged up as improvements.” Buckinghamshire Council also has reservations.
You can read details and respond to the public consultation on this link https://bucksfire.gov.uk/public-plans/on-call-improvement-programme-consultation-2025/
It’s A Wonderful Life…or House of Horrors? Scene One, Take One for Marlow Film Studios
FOR FOUR years arguments raged over the building of a major film studios on a Green Belt site between Bourne End and Marlow.
Except for the diehards, nearly everyone agreed there were strong and justifiable arguments on both sides.
In the end it was the money that talked. But not without considerable hand wringing.
Cabinet minister Steve Reed, who made the ultimate decision last month to allow the construction of Marlow Film Studios – albeit with a bucket-load of planning conditions – actually agreed with many of the environmental objections.
Yes, he said, the studios would be large and expansive and of considerable height causing an adverse effect on the landscape. And yes, the views from the National Trust’s Winter Hill and the Chilterns National Landscape would also be significantly adversely effected.
Furthermore there would be additional traffic jams in the area but not, in his view, severe. And the studios would “harm the significance of the settings” of the old and listed buildings in the conservation area of Little Marlow village.
But – and it’s a big but – the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages according to Mr Reed and the planning inspector who carried out a planning inquiry early this year.
The £750m complex will include 18 soundstages and support up to 4,000 jobs according to Dido Properties, the developers.It will also include a skills academy.
The film world’s big-wigs have piled in to support the project.
Film director James Cameron is set to base his company Lightstorm3D, which develops tools and new tech for movies, at Marlow. “The new studios will harness AI and the digital revolution to revolutionise the art of storytelling,” he told Deadline, the Hollywood-based website for the movie industry.
The critics, which includes Buckinghamshire Council, are yet to be convinced. “It’s going to be about cars not stars,” says the protest group Save Marlow’s Green Belt. “Make no mistake, the charm, character and wealth of Marlow and its surrounding villages will be permanently damaged by this development.”
Regional news
Royal tree – A 20 foot (six metre) Nordman Fir, taken from Windsor Great Park and dressed in thousands of twinkling lights, has been placed in St George’s Hall as one of the highlights of this year’s Christmas displays at Windsor Castle.
Flu alert – Buckinghamshire NHS Trust issued its highest level of alert for two days last month after a surge of flu cases put staff under severe pressure at its hospitals. The trust says it has made arrangements to provide additional capacity to deal with an increase in demand if and when flu cases reach their peak after Christmas.
Peasants winning – Windsor and Maidenhead Council has changed its rules so that residents of Prince Andrew Road and Prince Andrew Close, Maidenhead who want to change the roads’ names do not have to secure the approval of every single resident involved. Now a “substantial majority” will suffice.
Slough of Despond – Some residents in Farnham Royal, Stoke Poges, Hedgerley, Fulmer and Wexham – all of which are in Buckinghamshire – are asking Royal Mail to remove the Slough designation in their postcode. They say insurance companies assign higher premiums on them because of the Slough designation compared to a Buckinghamshire designation. Slough is in Berkshire.
Blooming success – Amersham came first in the RHS Britain in Bloom Awards last month in the category for medium sized towns, while Stony Stratford in Bucks was a finalist in the small town section. The picture shows Amersham’s Memorial Gardens in the spring.
Not just any closure – Marks and Spencer is closing its store in Maidenhead town centre and opening a new food-only outlet in a retail park nearby. The new store will have a facilities for customers to pick up fashion and homeware items ordered online. Meanwhile, a £500m plan to demolish Nicholson shopping centre in the town and replace it with another shopping centre plus flats for over 800 people has been approved.
Growing old – Latest official figures predict that in 20 years time a third of population of Buckinghamshire will be over 65 years old.
Bind the gap – Engineers are preparing to physically lift the 193 year old Marlow Bridge so they can replace the bearings underneath the road surface in a once-in-50 years job.
Everlasting walkies – A pet cremation company in Oxfordshire is offering a service where it will use a drone to scatter a dog’s ashes over an area the pet particularly loved in life.
Cabbie clipped – A taxi driver whose driving was so bad Buckinghamshire Council took his cab licence away has lost his court appeal to get it back. Amersham Court heard that Malik Paracha had committed a number of driving offences and had being involved in a collision.
Circle of Life – Volunteers have restored the famous white lion on a Chilterns hillside by Whipsnade Zoo to mark the 200th anniversary of the Zoological Society of London next year. They did so by “stomping and dancing” on tons of fresh chalk laid on the 90 year old lion cut-out.
SPECIAL REPORT
150 years of memorable Christmases in Penn and Tylers Green
CHRISTMAS is a special time, full of joy and merriment but also sadness and reflection.
Here’s a look back at some memorable Christmases in the village over the past 150 years together with our warmest wishes to all readers for this festive season.
1875 – Sir Philip Rose, the ‘lord of the manor’ who lived at Rayners, delivered plum puddings and soup to 100 local residents, while Thomas Grove, who lived in Watercroft, gave beef and a shilling to the tenants of the cottages he owned in Penn. A kindly lady called Mrs Knollis delivered meat and coal to the 50 “most necessitous and deserving poor” in the village.
1900 – Pay-out day in the week before Christmas always meant a great night for the Horse and Groom Slate Club in Elm Road. The 28 members who had given their savings to the landlord every week throughout the year each received back £1/3/3d and three farthings – the equivalent of about £160 today. By agreement the landlords, Mr and Mrs Carter, kept some back to enable everyone to enjoy “a good, substantial supper” sing some “capital songs” and “drink heartily”.
1914 – It was obvious to all that the Great War that “would be over by Christmas” wasn’t going to be and festive celebrations had a muted tone. Proceeds from carol concerts given by the Penn and Tylers Green Excelsior Brass Band were donated to Belgian refugees pouring into the area with only the clothes they stood in. At Penn Church School the children were asked to write a poem for Christmas. Ten year old Maudie Pusey wrote:
Think of the brave Army and Navy.
The terrible wounds they endure,
But they’re fighting for King and country,
And life and peace to secure.
1918 – Although the war had ended six weeks before Christmas to great celebration, the festive mood was more reflective than celebratory. At Penn Church a diarist noticed an improvement in the choir… “A good harmonic balance of voices was this year made possible by the soldier members of the choir on leave and the musical result was effective.” At Hazlemere all the children of the village – 300 in all – were treated to a Christmas party. Lady Ramsey (wife of Sir William Ramsey) welcomed Father Christmas and there were “roars of laughter from the children at Sgt Holland, whose powers as a ventriloquist are well known.”
1925 – One hundred years ago, with motoring all the rage, 420 motor bike and sidecar riders and passengers took part in a run from London to Exeter and back on Tuesday, 29 December. Among them, and gaining national press attention, was 17 year old Bluebell Slade, daughter of George Slade who owned Penn’s only garage. She had wanted to drive the bike – she had been a keen motor-cyclist since the age of 12 and had 100,000 miles under her belt. But the rules didn’t allow it so she was the youngest passenger instead.
A new Tylers Green scout hut in the Vicarage Meadow, Hammersley Lane, was dedicated just in time for Christmas by the Bishop of Buckingham. “It is heated and lighted by gas, contains bookshelves suitably filled, and portraits of the King, the Prince of Wales and Chief Scout,” reported a local newspaper.
1933 – Tylers Green School was ordered to close early for the Christmas holiday after cases of diphtheria broke out among the children. Six children had been identified as carriers as early as October and at one stage attendance dropped to just 40 per cent. Tragically, just ten days before Christmas, one pupil, Dorothy Druce, died at Booker isolation hospital. Another pupil, nine year old Kenneth Deane, also died at the hospital six months later. All text books and exercise books were burned and siblings ordered to stay home for weeks in an attempt to stop the spread of the disease.
1940 – There were scores of London evacuees in the village and Christmas was particularly hard for many of them. As the festive period approached there was panic when 13 year old Kathleen Bush disappeared. Later that evening police found her at her home in Brixton determined to be with her parents despite the Blitz.
1953 – The handful of people in the village who had bought a TV set to watch the Coronation that summer were able to watch Christmas telly for the first time, highlighted on Christmas night with a variety show starring Norman Wisdom, Arthur Askey, The Beverley Sisters and 18 year old Julie Andrews. The village Christmas tree was sited not on the common but outside the Lucas engineering factory opposite the village hall.
1962 – The coldest Christmas of the century. A heavy frost on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day made everything rather pretty. But on Boxing Day a raging blizzard dumped tons of snow everywhere – five inches (18 cm) in one day with four foot (120 cm) drifts. Roads were blocked and cars were stuck for days. Then on New Year’s Eve another enormous fall of snow followed by weeks of snow and frost. They couldn’t play football at Penn until 15 March. At Tylers Green School the outside toilets froze solid for days. The children had to use the single staff toilet. Widmer Pond on the common became a regular skating venue, as did the River Wye in Wycombe.
1974 – In Christmas week the council dropped a bombshell saying it was thinking of allowing what was called a “satellite town” of 1,000 houses in the Gomm Valley. Here we are, 51 years later, still arguing and protesting over a smaller scheme. For many though the highlight of the Christmas break was Wycombe Wanderers’ first ever appearance in the third round of the FA Cup where they drew 0-0 at Loakes Park against Jack Charlton’s first division Middlesbrough. They lost to a last minute goal in the replay.
1987 – The end of an era. This was the last Christmas postmen and women gathered at Penn Sorting Office to sort and deliver the Christmas mail. In the week or so before the holiday ten posties delivered mail in the village two or three times a day. Four years later, in 1991, the Penn and Tylers Green scout group launched their own Christmas delivery service in the village, a community service that’s still going strong today.
2020 – Covid Christmas. A difficult Christmas for families and friends as social gatherings were banned or severely restricted. The pubs shut on 20 December and didn’t reopen for some weeks. Theatres were closed and pantomimes abandoned. Christmas Day church services were severely restricted with advance booking required to limit attendance and attendees having to sit metres apart. Carols on the Common was abandoned too but a ceremony to light up the village Christmas tree went ahead – watched by villagers on YouTube.
By the way…
WHO NEEDS a PR consultant when you’ve got Muddy Stilettos for free?
Just in case you didn’t know, Muddy Stilettos, according to AI so it must be true (!), is a “prominent UK-based lifestyle website and blog…that provides curated insider information for smart, fun-loving women living outside London.” It has over four million readers every month.
And last month Muddy Stillettos got the hots for Penn and Tylers Green, naming us as one of the best eight places to live in Buckinghamshire.
Its review of our little abode is positively gushing… “This is about as English as it gets from kids running egg-and-spoon races on the village green to Mama Duck leading a crooked line of ducklings across the road,” begins its eulogy.
“The authentic charm of the village is fiercely protected, so much so, locals refused to add streetlights, and that’s why you’ll see locals walking with torches and headlamps after dark. How’s that for village spirit?” (There hasn’t been a vote on the subject for over 30 years but, hey, who’s counting!)
The report goes on to lavishly praise our pubs, businesses, village hall and community spirit and gives a special mention to “Joe the Butcher who has been fuelling Sunday roasts for over 40 years.”
(If you want to see how wonderful we are check out the whole thing on https://bucksoxon.muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live/buckinghamshire/penn-tylers-green/)
So Merry Christmas Muddy Stilettos and thank you. You’ve made our local estate agents and pub landlords, not to mention Joe the Butcher, very happy.
You can contact this blog on peter@pennandtylersgreen.com. It will be updated as necessary during December and next fully updated on 1 January 2026.