Friday 31st December 2004

Family wiped out - Local communities with families and relatives in the areas devastated by this week’s tsunami are bracing themselves for confirmation of fatalities and casualties this weekend. Yesterday Berkshire petrol attendant Abdul Hakeem, aged 30, who is earning money to send home, learned that seven members of his Sri Lankan family were dead and 30 relatives are still missing. In the Wycombe area there are thought to be about 5,000 people with families in the stricken area, and communities are helping each other with fund raising and support. Special prayers and appeals will be made at Wycombe Mosque today.

Car park plunge - Easton Street car park in central Wycombe was closed yesterday after a woman apparently fell from the top deck. She was discovered by shoppers at the foot of the building and pronounced dead by ambulance personnel. A few weeks ago a man died in similar circumstances in what turned out to be a suicide attempt.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include:

New year - - Theatres switch performance times today to cater for New Year’s Eve and many pubs and clubs are introducing ticket-only attendance. Check first before venturing out tonight. Shows in the area include: Wycombe Swan - Snow White with Anita Dobson and Shane Lynch
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Snow White with Sue Holderness and Jez Edwards
Windsor Theatre Royal - Jack and the Beanstalk with Wayne Sleep and Sooty
Reading Hexagon - Mother Goose with Bonnie Langford and Christopher Lillicrap
Hayes Beck - Beauty and the Beast with Paul Daniels
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Peter Pan, with Paul Moriarty


Thursday 30th December

Student safe - Exhausted High Wycombe student David Sequeira returned safely home last night having amazingly survived Sunday’s tsunami. The 23 year old was in a beach hut with his girlfriend Elizabeth Newington, aged 20, when the giant wave suddenly swamped them without warning. But the young and fit couple, with the help of locals, managed to scramble to higher ground on the island of Phi Phi off the Thailand coast. They stayed on the hill for virtually the whole of Boxing Day without food or water because locals were convinced a second wave would follow.

Gerrards not Cross - Wealthy homeowners in Gerrards Cross - named by the Halifax bank yesterday as the most expensive place in Britain - were rubbing their hands last night because many believe the “top notch” title will add even more to the value of their homes. A massive 37 per cent leap in property prices in the town in 2004 puts the average price of a home in Gerrards Cross at £627,000. Henley, last year’s “winner”, dropped to fourth, although there are more houses there to affect average price.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Snow White with Anita Dobson and Shane Lynch
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Snow White with Sue Holderness and Jez Edwards
Windsor Theatre Royal - Jack and the Beanstalk with Wayne Sleep and Sooty
Maidenhead Norden Farm - The Owl and the Pussycat
Oxford Playhouse - Peter Pan
Reading Hexagon - Mother Goose with Bonnie Langford and Christopher Lillicrap
Hayes Beck - Beauty and the Beast with Paul Daniels
Amersham Common Village Hall - Snow Queen by travelling theatre group
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Peter Pan, with Paul Moriarty
Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy
Oxford Greyhound stadium - race night

Wednesday 29th December

Tsunami victim named - Lisa Jones, a 31 year old conservationist from Windsor, was last night named as one of the British victims in Sunday’s devastating earthquake. Her family said she had been working on environmental projects on Koh Phru Thay island, off the coast of Thailand, when the tidal wave struck.

Teresa targeted - Liberal Democrats said last night that Maidenhead will be one of their key target seats in next year’s expected general election. Teresa May, shadow secretary for the family, holds the seat with a majority of 3,284. Lib Dems leader Charles Kennedy said he expected a number Shadow Cabinet members to lose their seats.

Cruel blow for Blues - Two injury time goals depressed the Blues and raised the passion as Wycombe Wanderers lost 2-1 at Macclesfield yesterday. Wycombe fans thought their team had earned a deserved point when Roger Johnson equalised in the 91st minute. But the team’s celebrations had hardly finished when Macclesfield scored a winner with the last kick of the game. Officials had to part angry Blues manager John Gorman and his opposite number as the final whistle blew.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Snow White with Anita Dobson and Shane Lynch
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Snow White with Sue Holderness and Jez Edwards
Windsor Theatre Royal - Jack and the Beanstalk with Wayne Sleep and Sooty
Maidenhead Norden Farm - The Owl and the Pussycat
Oxford Playhouse - Peter Pan
Reading Hexagon - Mother Goose with Bonnie Langford and Christopher Lillicrap
Hayes Beck - Beauty and the Beast with Paul Daniels
Chalfont St Giles Memorial Hall - Snow Queen by travelling theatre group
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Peter Pan, with Paul Moriarty
Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy

Tuesday 28th December

Agonising wait - The family of an Amersham diver holidaying in a remote Indian Ocean island devastated by Sunday’s tsunami were anxiously waiting for news last night. Steve Pretty is spending Christmas diving off the coast of the Andaman Islands which are just a few hundred miles from the epicentre of the undersea earthquake. Virtually all communications with the islands have been destroyed, but news agencies report 3,000 dead and a similar number missing.

Tough task - Wycombe Wanderers’ tough Christmas fixture list continues today with a visit to top four side Macclesfield. Goalie Frank Talia is likely to have a last minute fitness test after picking up an injury during the Boxing Day fixture against Southend.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Snow White with Anita Dobson and Shane Lynch
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Snow White with Sue Holderness and Jez Edwards
Windsor Theatre Royal - Jack and the Beanstalk with Wayne Sleep and Sooty
Maidenhead Norden Farm - The Owl and the Pussycat
Oxford Playhouse - Peter Pan
Reading Hexagon - Mother Goose with Bonnie Langford and Christopher Lillicrap
Hayes Beck - Beauty and the Beast with Paul Daniels
Beaconsfield Beacon Centre - Snow Queen by travelling theatre group
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Peter Pan, with Paul Moriarty
Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy
Oxford Greyhound stadium - race night
Colne Valley Park visitor centre - eight mile guided walk from 10am

Monday 27th December

Family escape - A High Wycombe family told of their lucky escape from yesterday’s terror tidal wave which has estimated to have killed more than 10,000 people. Health worker Mike Williams, his wife Kathryn and daughter Sam were roused by earthquake tremors in their hotel on the beachside of Phuket in Thailand. Mr Williams told the BBC : “Sam went onto the hotel balcony and said ‘the sea has disappeared’ - the water had literally being sucked over the horizon, but roared back moments later as a 15ft tidal wave.” The wave - known as a tsunami - smashed onto the beach killing scores of people before their eyes, swamping the beachside road making it “like a floating bumper track with cars, beach brollies and street furniture swirling madly around”, said Mr Williams, aged 59.

Stay away - London Wasps last night urged fans without tickets not to come to their match with Gloucester at Adams Park today because the game has sold out. Officials from Wycombe Wanderers and Wasps are due to hold further talks before the game prior to an announcement about Wasps’ future tenancy at the stadium.

Heating fails - The undersoil heating failed at Adams Park yesterday making Wycombe Wanderers’ match with Southend touch and go on the frozen pitch. Hundreds of fans were late getting into the ground because turnstiles were not opened until the referee completed a last minute ground inspection. To round off a bad day at the office, the Blues lost their first league match under manager John Gorman by 1-0. The undersoil heating failed at Adams Park yesterday making Wycombe Wanderers’ match with Southend touch and go on the frozen pitch. Hundreds of fans were late getting into the ground because turnstiles were not opened until the referee completed a last minute ground inspection. To round off a bad day at the office, the Blues lost their first league match under manager John Gorman by 1-0.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Snow White with Anita Dobson and Shane Lynch
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Snow Whit with Sue Holderness and Jez Edwards
Windsor Theatre Royal - Jack and the Beanstalk with Wayne Sleep and Sooty
Maidenhead Norden Farm - The Owl and the Pussycat
Oxford Playhouse - Peter Pan
Hayes Beck - Beauty and the Beast with Paul Daniels
Holmer Green Village Centre - Snow Queen by travelling theatre group
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Peter Pan, with Paul Moriarty
Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy
Reading Hexagon - Mother Goose with Bonnie Langford and Christopher Lillicrap

Sunday 26th December

Hunt gathers - Police are on standby today as Aylesbury Vale Hunt, one of the biggest foxhunts in the country, holds its traditional Boxing Day hunt. Anti-hunting groups, angry at the likelihood of a delay in the hunting ban because of court action, are thought to be planning a new demo, while pro-hunting demonstrators are also planning campaigns.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Adams Park - Wycombe Wanderers v Southend United
Wycombe Swan - Snow White with Anita Dobson and Shane Lynch
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Snow White with Sue Holderness and Jez Edwards
Windsor Theatre Royal - Jack and the Beanstalk with Wayne Sleep and Sooty
Maidenhead Norden Farm - The Owl and the Pussycat
Oxford Playhouse - Peter Pan
Reading Hexagon - Mother Goose with Bonnie Langford and Christopher Lillicrap
Hayes Beck - Beauty and the Beast with Paul Daniels
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Peter Pan, with Paul Moriarty
Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy

Saturday 25th December

Shops recover -Shopkeepers who introduced last minute sales to boost Christmas shopping were smiling last night as they reported a last minute flurry in business. Top Christmas present - iPods. Big surprise - a swing to goose for Christmas dinner rather than turkey - supermarkets sold out of geese two days ago.

Theatres and cinemas are closed today. There are drop in centres in Hatters Lane, Stokenchurch and Great Missenden if you fancy company. From us all at Wycombe.Info a happy Christmas.

Friday 24th December

Sentenced increased - A judge increased the sentence against the killer of a High Wycombe computer worker Rana Faruqui yesterday after protests by her family that his suggestion of parole after 11 years was not enough. Mr Justice Silber said he was not influenced by the protest, but increased Stephen Griffiths prison sentence to a minimum of 15 years. Griffiths admitted last week stalking and stabbing his former lover as she tended her horse in Burnham.

White-ish Christmas - Weather forecasters still feel the Wycombe area will be covered in white tomorrow, but although snow flurries are likely, its more likely to be frost covering the area.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Snow White with Anita Dobson and Shane Lynch
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Snow White with Sue Holderness and Jez Edwards
Windsor Theatre Royal - Jack and the Beanstalk with Wayne Sleep and Sooty
Maidenhead Norden Farm - The Owl and the Pussycat
Oxford Playhouse - Peter Pan
Hayes Beck - Beauty and the Beast with Paul Daniels
Reading Hexagon - Mother Goose with Bonnie Langford and Christopher Lillicrap
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Peter Pan, with Paul Moriarty
Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy

Thursday 23rd December

Extradition orders - Mystery surrounds the whereabouts of two men on the run from road death charges after a court heard yesterday that extradition proceedings were underway to bring the men back to Britain to stand trial. However lawyers refused to say if the men - wanted in connection with the death of Wendover schoolteacher Deborah Peaty - had been arrested or in which country the extradition proceedings were being brought.

Ratnam Yogan, 29, and Pushiparajah Sinnappayal, 26, fled the country last year shortly after they were accused of charges surrounding the death of Ms Peaty and her unborn child in a road crash. It was believed one fled to Sri Lanka and the other to Germany. A judge in Oxford yesterday set a trial date for March next year.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Snow White with Anita Dobson and Shane Lynch
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Snow White with Sue Holderness and Jez Edwards
Windsor Theatre Royal - Jack and the Beanstalk with Wayne Sleep and Sooty
Maidenhead Norden Farm - The Owl and the Pussycat
Reading Hexagon - Mother Goose with Bonnie Langford and Christopher Lillicrap
Hayes Beck - Beauty and the Beast with Paul Daniels
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Peter Pan, with Paul Moriarty
Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy
Oxford Playhouse - Peter Pan
White Horse, Wycombe - Dance Electronic night

Wednesday 22nd December

White Christmas? - Odds on a white Christmas shortened dramatically last night when weather forecasters gave a 50-50 chance of snow on Saturday across the Chilterns.

Rail boost - Local rail services received a second boost in 24 hours yesterday when a scheme to straighten lines at Beaconsfield was announced. The work will enable trains to reach speeds of over 75 miles an hour and, together with signalling improvements and additional platforms at Marylebone announced on Monday, it will mean that Wycombe to London trains will increase from 17 an hour to 20 an hour.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Snow White with Anita Dobson and Shane Lynch
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Snow White with Sue Holderness and Jez Edwards
Windsor Theatre Royal - Jack and the Beanstalk with Wayne Sleep and Sooty
Maidenhead Norden Farm - The Owl and the Pussycat
Oxford Playhouse - Peter Pan
Reading Hexagon - Mother Goose with Bonnie Langford and Christopher Lillicrap
Hayes Beck - Beauty and the Beast with Paul Daniels
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Peter Pan, with Paul Moriarty
Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy
Beaconsfield Sycob FC - Christmas jazz party with Zenith Hot Stompers

Tuesday 21st December

Rail deal - An £80m deal to build two new platforms at Marylebone Station will mean more rail services from High Wycombe, it was announced yesterday. It’s anticipated that improved signalling will also shorten journey times.

Armed robbery - A “substantial” reward was offered last night to catch a masked gunman who robbed a cash and carry store of its day’s takings. The robber, wielding a handgun forced his way past security doors at Booker Cash and Carry half an hour before it was due to close, aiming his gun at staff. Police said he made off with a large amount of cash.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Snow White with Anita Dobson and Shane Lynch
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Snow White with Sue Holderness and Jez Edwards
Windsor Theatre Royal - Jack and the Beanstalk with Wayne Sleep and Sooty
Maidenhead Norden Farm - The Owl and the Pussycat
Oxford Playhouse - Peter Pan
Reading Hexagon - Mother Goose with Bonnie Langford and Christopher Lillicrap
Hayes Beck - Beauty and the Beast with Paul Daniels
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Peter Pan, with Paul Moriarty
Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy
White Horse, Wycombe - Kooler Klub Kristmas Krackers

Monday 20th December

Triple rape charge - A 20 year old man, George Valentine, of Redman Road, Booker, Wycombe, will appear in court today charged with three rapes in Beaconsfield. They follow a series of attacks and alleged attacks in the town in early September. He also faces charges of burglary, attempted burglary and assaulting a police officer.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Snow White with Anita Dobson and Shane Lynch
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Snow White with Sue Holderness and Jez Edwards
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Peter Pan, with Paul Moriarty
Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy
Windsor Theatre Royal - Jack and the Beanstalk with Wayne Sleep and Sooty
Oxford Playhouse - Peter Pan
Reading Hexagon - Mother Goose with Bonnie Langford and Christopher Lillicrap
Hayes Beck - Beauty and the Beast with Paul Daniels
Nettlebed village hall and Chesham White Hill Centre - Folk music Christmas party

Sunday 19th December

Old boys act - Wycombe Wanderers old boys Steve Guppy and Keith Ryan combined to give the Blues three points in a 1-0 victory over Lincoln City at Adams Park yesterday to put the revived Chairboys into sixth place in League 2. In the closing minutes a Guppy corner found the head of Rhino, ending the game with wild celebrations.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Maidenhead Norden Farm - The Owl and the Pussycat
Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway - Santa Steam Specials
Hayes Beck - Beauty and the Beast with Paul Daniels

Saturday 18th December

Driver dies - Police yesterday named a driver who died when his car left the road and rolled over several times in Mentmore Road, Wing. He was Marek Butkaj, aged 21, who lived in Dormer Avenue nearby.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Adams Park - Wycombe Wanderers v Lincoln City
Wycombe Swan - Snow White with Anita Dobson and Shane Lynch
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Snow White with Sue Holderness and Jez Edwards
Windsor Theatre Royal - Jack and the Beanstalk with Wayne Sleep and Sooty
Maidenhead Norden Farm - The Owl and the Pussycat
Oxford Playhouse - Peter Pan
Reading Hexagon - Mother Goose with Bonnie Langford and Christopher Lillicrap
Hayes Beck - Beauty and the Beast with Paul Daniels
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Peter Pan, with Paul Moriarty
Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy
Aylesbury Limelight - The Frog Prince
Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway - Santa Steam Specials

Friday 17th December

Shops struggle - Some shops in High Wycombe are extending sales in a frantic attempt to boost Christmas shopping figures. With just seven shopping days to go retailers in the town are disappointed with festive spending so far.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Snow White with Anita Dobson and Shane Lynch
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Snow White with Sue Holderness and Jez Edwards
Windsor Theatre Royal - Jack and the Beanstalk with Wayne Sleep and Sooty
Oxford Playhouse - Peter Pan
Hayes Beck - Beauty and the Beast with Paul Daniels
Reading Hexagon - Mother Goose with Bonnie Langford and Christopher Lillicrap
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Peter Pan, with Paul Moriarty
Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy

Thursday 16th December

Motocross death - Twelve year old Aiden Bristow who died after losing control of his motocross bike was the victim of a tragic accident his inquest heard yesterday. The ride was a treat for doing well at school. The court heard that the bike was in good condition and Aiden, of Marlow, was wearing the right protective gear for the ride in Flackwell Heath. But he flew over the handlebars after accidently accelerating the bike. Minutes earlier he had told his mum he was enjoying the best day of his life.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Snow White with Anita Dobson and Shane Lynch
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Snow White with Sue Holderness and Jez Edwards
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Peter Pan, with Paul Moriarty
Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy
Windsor Theatre Royal - Jack and the Beanstalk with Wayne Sleep and Sooty
Maidenhead Norden Farm - The Owl and the Pussycat
Oxford Playhouse - Peter Pan
Reading Hexagon - Mother Goose with Bonnie Langford and Christopher Lillicrap

Wednesday 15th December

Cab clampdown - A Christmas campaign to stop passengers racially abusing cabbies gets underway in High Wycombe today. Most of the town’s 70 cabbies are Asian and last Christmas there were scores of complaints of race abuse by drunken passengers and instances of people refusing to pay fares. From today every cab in the town will carry large posters warning passengers that all cases of abuse and refusal to pay will be reported to police and prosecutions will follow.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Snow White with Anita Dobson and Shane Lynch
Windsor Theatre Royal - Jack and the Beanstalk with Wayne Sleep and Sooty
Maidenhead Norden Farm - The Owl and the Pussycat
Oxford Playhouse - Peter Pan
Reading Hexagon - Mother Goose with Bonnie Langford and Christopher Lillicrap
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Peter Pan, with Paul Moriarty
Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Beaconsfield Sycob FC - Delta Jazz Band

Tuesday 14th December

Mother’s fury - A distraught mother hit out yesterday after a judge sentenced her daughter’s killer to life imprisonment, and then said he could be considered for parole after 11 years. Carol Faruqui said her family had been sentenced to a lifetime of loss and her daughter Ranu’s killer, Stpehen Griffiths should spend his life behind bars.

Ranu, 35, a computer manager at the High Wycombe Hyundai car offices, was stabbed to death last year as she tended her horses in Burnham. Griffiths, 41, was her former lover who attacked her after the relationship broke down. He changed his plea to guilty when he appeared in court last week and was yesterday sentenced without, said Mrs Faruqui, “showing a shred of remorse”.

Arson attack - Police were last night still trying to determine whether an arson attack on a bungalow in Marlow was a malicious prank or something more. The front of the house in Sandygate Close was badly damaged, but no-one was injured.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Town Hall - Buddy Holly tribute gig
Wycombe Swan - Snow White with Anita Dobson and Shane Lynch
Windsor Theatre Royal - Jack and the Beanstalk with Wayne Sleep and Sooty
Maidenhead Norden Farm - The Owl and the Pussycat
Oxford Playhouse - Peter Pan
Reading Hexagon - Mother Goose with Bonnie Langford and Christopher Lillicrap
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Peter Pan, with Paul Moriarty
Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy

Monday 13th December

Medic centre - Thousands of patients in the Wycombe area will get access to quicker surgery following a weekend announcement from the Government that an £11m diagnostic medical centre is to be built in the town. When it opens in Wycombe Business Park in August next year, the centre will cater for over 18,000 patients a year from the Wycombe, Beaconsfield, Amersham and Aylesbury areas. Patients will be able to have ailments quickly diagnosed saving time for GPs and hospital consultants.

Champ Hayley - Marlow maths teacher Hayley Yelling stormed to a sensational victory in the European Cross Country championships in Germany yesterday when a final sprint won her the title by just one second. It was a big consolation for Hayley who failed to qualify for this year’s Olympics, and now staff and pupils at Sir William Borlase School in Marlow are planning a pre-Christmas celebration for her.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Snow White with Anita Dobson and Shane Lynch
Windsor Theatre Royal - Jack and the Beanstalk with Wayne Sleep and Sooty
Maidenhead Norden Farm - The Owl and the Pussycat
Oxford Playhouse - Peter Pan
Reading Hexagon - Mother Goose with Bonnie Langford and Christopher Lillicrap
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Peter Pan, with Paul Moriarty
Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy

Sunday 12th December

Blues win and lose - Ian Stonebridge gave Wycombe Wanderers a welcome three points at Notts County yesterday when he scored the game’s only goal to put the Blues in tenth place in League 2. However former manager Tony Adams’ decision to let supporters favourite Darren Currie leave the club for free at the end of the last season was yesterday proving to be his worst decision of all. Currie joined Brighton who on Thursday sold him to Ipswich for a quarter of a million. - and on his debut yesterday the attacking midfielder scored for Ipswich, helping to take them to second in the Championship league.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Marlow Chequers - Comic Mitch Benn
Maidenhead Norden Farm - Comic Inder Manocha
Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway - Santa Steam Specials

Saturday 11th December

Plea change - A former lover of a horsewoman found stabbed to death changed his plea in court yesterday and admitted her murdered her. Stephen Griffiths, 41, said to have a violent temper, said he killed Rana Faruqui, 35, as she tended her horses in stables in Burnham two years ago. He had earlier pleaded not guilty to murder but changed his plea at Reading Crown Court. The court heard he hunted down Miss Faruqui, who worked for a High Wycombe IT company, after she had broken off their relationship. He’ll be sentenced later.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Town Hall - Christmas party
Wycombe Swan - Snow White with Anita Dobson and Shane Lynch
Windsor Theatre Royal - Jack and the Beanstalk with Wayne Sleep and Sooty
Maidenhead Norden Farm - The Owl and the Pussycat
Hayes Beck - Dick Whittington
Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Union Baptist Church, Wycombe - Wycombe Orpheus Male Choir
John Hampden School, Wycombe - Wycombe Sinfonia
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Peter Pan, with Paul Moriarty
Oxford Playhouse - Peter Pan
Reading Hexagon - Mother Goose with Bonnie Langford and Christopher Lillicrap
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy
Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway - Santa Steam Specials

Friday 10th December

Arson arrests - Police hunting arsonists who destroyed a Holyport preschool in a £100,000 blaze, last night arrested two 17 year old youths.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Town Hall - Christmas party
Beacon Centre, Beaconsfield - Christmas Concert with Laurene O’Medal
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Windsor Theatre Royal - Jack and the Beanstalk with Wayne Sleep and Sooty
Maidenhead Norden Farm - The Owl and the Pussycat
Oxford Playhouse - Peter Pan
Reading Hexagon - Mother Goose with Bonnie Langford and Christopher Lillicrap
Wycombe Swan - Snow White with Anita Dobson and Shane Lynch
Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy
Hayes Beck - Dick Whittington
Aylesbury Limelight - Ola Onabule


Thursday 9th December

Cement works death - A post mortem will be held today to discover how 19 year old Daniel Stratford died after his body was found on a 60 foot ledge at a disused cement works in Chinnor yesterday. The discovery of Daniel’s body ended two days of intensive searching by police using tracker dogs and a helicopter. They were concerned that he had not been seen since leaving Saunderton’s Gold Cross pub late on Saturday night. Paramedics, who yesterday scaled a dangerous bank and crawled along the ledge to retrieve Daniel’s body, said it looked as though he had fallen through a flimsy roof and landed on the ledge. They said he had been dead “for some time.” Daniel lived in Carleaze, Chinnor. Police said last night his death was not suspicious.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Town Hal - Hellfire Comedy Club
Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy
Aylesbury Civic - Carols for Everyone
Windsor Theatre Royal - Jack and the Beanstalk with Wayne Sleep and Sooty
Maidenhead Norden Farm - The Owl and the Pussycat
Hayes Beck - Dick Whittington
Oxford Playhouse - Peter Pan
Reading Hexagon - Mother Goose with Bonnie Langford and Christopher Lillicrap

Wednesday 8th December

Teenager missing - A police helicopter search team backed up by dog searchers combed woodland near Chinnor yesterday as concern grew for the whereabouts of a 19 year old not seen since Saturday night. Family and friends of Dan Stratford said it was “totally out of character” for the genial Arsenal supporter to go missing without trace. He was last seen when he left the Gold Cross pub in Saunderton late on Saturday night.

Blues draw - Two goals from Nathan Tyson gave Wycombe Wanderers a deserved point in a 2-2 draw at Bury last night in a League 2 game.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Town Hall - Georgie Fame
Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Windsor Theatre Royal - Jack and the Beanstalk with Wayne Sleep and Sooty
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy
Maidenhead Norden Farm - The Owl and the Pussycat
Hayes Beck - Dick Whittington
Oxford Playhouse - Peter Pan
Reading Hexagon - Mother Goose with Bonnie Langford and Christopher Lillicrap

Tuesday 7th December

Festive crackdown - Operation Gabriel, a major Christmas crackdown on burglars with stolen goods, got underway yesterday when police launched a pre-dawn raid on a house in Micklefield, making one arrest. Police said there would be several other arrests in the coming weeks as they target thieves.

Bridge smash - A driver who died when his car hit a bridge on the Bradenham Road, High Wycombe, was named yesterday as Maurice Wilson, aged 66, from Larkhill, Aylesbury.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy
Aylesbury Civic Centre - The Saw Doctors
Maidenhead Norden Farm - The Owl and the Pussycat
Hayes Beck - Dick Whittington
Oxford Playhouse - Peter Pan

Monday 6th December

China deal - A growing Wycombe company has signed a multi-million pound deal which gives them a good foothold in China. Walters Microsystems makes antennas for mobile phones and has already increased its Wycombe production four fold. But the company says the 50,000 antenna a month it currently produces at Wycombe will leap to more than two million a month next year and it needs to take on extra capacity in China. The company has taken a 50 per cent stake in a big factory in Nantong.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy
Oxford Playhouse - Peter Pan

Sunday 5th December

Cup defeat - Wycombe Wanderers are now out of every cup competition following a 3-0 defeat at home by League One high flyers Luton at Adams Park yesterday in the second round of the FA Cup.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Adams Park - London Wasps v Leicester
The Chequers, Marlow - Comedy with Paul Provenza
Wycombe Swan - Festival of Carols
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway - Santa Steam Specials
Court Theatre, Tring - Jazz band Ko with Niki King

Saturday 4th December

Fingers crossed - Wycombe retailers are holding their breath that the first big Christmas shopping weekend will bring people out in their thousands today. Although traders are optimistic many admit that the festive shopping season in the town has got off to a slow start compared to last year.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Adams Park - Wycombe Wanderers v Luton in FA Cup Round 2
Windsor Theatre Royal - Spirit of Christmas - festive songs
St Mary’s Church, Chesham - Baroque concert by candlelight
Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy
Tring Court Theatre - Absurd Person Singular
Hayes Beck - The Searchers
Aylesbury Limelight - Alarms and Excursions, Michael Frayn comedy
Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway - Santa Steam Specials

Friday 3rd December

Schools celebrate - Local primary schools were celebrating yesterday after performing well in the national curriculum tests for year 6. Figures out yesterday showed that the village school in Bledlow Ridge was the eighth best in the country, with every pupil reaching the grade. The school got extra points for showing big improvements. Little Kingshill County School also got top pass marks.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

All Saints Church, Marlow - English Mozart Ensemble
Windsor Theatre Royal - Spirit of Christmas - festive songs
Hayes Beck - Blues Brothers tribute show
Wycombe Swan - Don Lusher Big Band
Dr Challoner’s School, Amersham - Piano classics
Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Watford Palace - Mother Goose
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy
Tring Court Theatre - Absurd Person Singular
Aylesbury Limelight - Alarms and Excursions, Michael Frayn comedy

Thursday 2nd December

Sex charges - A former history teacher at Amersham’s Dr Challoner’s Grammar School is facing jail after he admitted yesterday five indecent assaults on three teenage boys at the school. Richard Small, 57, who left the school to become a campaign agent for Aylesbury MP David Lidington, now lives in Wolverhampton. He admitted carrying out the offences between 1982 and 1984, and will be sentenced in January.

Natasha’s farewell - Hundreds are expected to pay their last respects today to 25 year old Natasha Derby, who died after being shot in the head on the dancefloor of Wycombe Multi-Cultural Centre in October. The service is being held in Wycombe’s main Church of England church, All Saints. A man is currently in custody charged with her murder.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Elkie Brooks
Wycombe Town Hall - Hellfire Comedy Club with Richard Morton and Simon Fox
Windsor Theatre Royal - Spirit of Christmas - festive songs
Hayes Beck - Slade Christmas show
Chesham Elgiva - Cinderella with Bobbie Chat and Roy Miles
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy
Tring Court Theatre - Absurd Person Singular

Wednesday 1st December

Classroom cop - Former police chief inspector Steve Clark was yesterday appointed as Bucks’ first ever consultant to help teachers deal with violence in the classroom. His appointment came after four incidents of school violence involving weapons in the country in three years.

New team - Wycombe Wanderers new boss John Gorman will work with veteran players Keith Ryan and Steve Brown as assistant managers, the club announced yesterday. However the ex-assistant manager of England got off to a losing start last night when the Blues lost 1-0 at Bristol Rovers in the quarter final of the LDV Vans Trophy.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - That’ll Be the Day Christmas Show
Windsor Theatre Royal - Spirit of Christmas - festive songs
Independence Day writer Richard Ford in audience discussion at Maidenhead Norden Farm Arts Centre
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order, Ray Cooney comedy
Hemel Hempstead Old Town Hall - I Am A Viking
Hayes Beck - Raunchy comic Jimmy Jones

Tuesday 30th November

Public inquiry - A public inquiry into the multi-million pound scheme to improve traffic flow at Wycombe’s worst congestion spot - the Handy Cross roundabout - gets underway today. The Highways Agency plans to build a new road linking the Marlow by-pass with the Oxford-bound M40, and build another new road across the centre of the roundabout. If they get the go-ahead building will start next year.

Gorman nicks it - In a dramatic last minute development, Wycombe Wanderers are set to announce former Swindon boss John Gorman as their new manager today. Ex-Bristol City boss Danny Wilson, who was favourite right up until the weekend, is thought to have had second thoughts. Gorman, former assistant England boss with Glenn Hoddle, will be a popular choice with both players and most fans. He was in control for a short period before Tony Adams’ arrival and has a close working relationship with chairman Ivor Beeks.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree with Alvin Stardust
Rock group The Open at Bucks Chilterns Uni Student Union
Windsor Theatre Royal - Spirit of the Christmas
Mill at Sonning - Out of Order - Ray Cooney comedy
Hayes Beck - Salvation Army Christmas concert
Knowl Hill village hall - organist Len Rawle

Monday 29th November

Wilson ponders - Wycombe Wanderers remained silent last night on press reports yesterday that former Bristol City and Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Wilson had been offered the vacant managers’ post. Wilson is said to be interested in taking over the Blues but wants to consider two other footballing jobs that have been offered to him. He will make up his mind in the next day or two.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Windsor Theatre Royal - Spirit of Christmas
Folk singer John Conolly at White Hill Centre, Chesham
Folk singer Vin Garbutt at Nettlebed Village Hall

Sunday 28th November

Chairboys victory - Wycombe Wanderers celebrated their first home league win since September following a 1-0 victory over Bristol Rovers yesterday. The only goal came from the penalty spot when Nathan Tyson scored early in the second half. However Wycombe fully deserved the victory in a game that saw returning legend Steve Guppy receive a hero’s welcome. Keith Ryan’s final game in caretaker charge is expected to be on Tuesday when the team again face Bristol Rovers in the LDV vans trophy before a new manager will take over a much more confident side from the one Tony Adams left three weeks ago.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

The Chequers, Marlow - Comic Robin Ince, from The Office
Wycombe Swn - City of London Sinfonia
Wycombe Abbey School Elgar Chamber Orchestra
Henley Kenton - From Basin Street to Broadway
St Peter and St Paul, Great Missenden - Classical trumpeter Bill Houghton

Saturday 27th November

Gupps returns - A little bit of football history occurs at Adams Park today when Steve Guppy, the most successful player ever to play for Wycombe Wanderers, returns for just one game. Fans favourite “Gupps” left the Blues 10 years ago and made appearances for England, Celtic and Leicester City. He puts on a Blues shirt again for just one game against Bristol Rovers today. Next week the club is expected to name its new manager - expected to be either John Gorman or Danny Wilson.

Ozzy’s barricade - Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne are to turn their Chalfont St Peter home into a fortress after their burglary, it was reported yesterday. Twenty four hour security guards, laser tripwires, guard dogs and watchtowers are to be put in place because Ozzy says that he and wife Sharon don’t feel safe in their country mansion.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Adams Park - Wycombe Wanderers v Bristol Rovers
Beaconsfield High School - Classical concert
Mill at Sonning - Murder by Misadventure
Windsor Theatre Royal - The Haunted Hotel
Wycombe Swan - Jekyll and Hyde, the musical
Wycombe Oak Room - Murder Mystery dinner
Oxford Playhouse - Iolanthe
St Mary’s Church, Hambledon - the Phoenix Choir
Five live bands at White Horse, Wycombe
Five live bands at Chesham British Legion
Hayes Beck - Syd Lawrence Orchestra
Court Theatre, Tring - Romeo and Juliet

Friday 26th November

Bad heroin - Police put out an urgent appeal to drug users in the Wycombe area last night after two men died after injecting bad heroin. Post mortems on the men are being held today but experts say the drug circulating in the town is particularly strong and poses a major threat to users. They are particularly keen to track down the supplier and appealed to users to contact them. One man died earlier this week and the other yesterday.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Mill at Sonning - Murder by Misadventure
Windsor Theatre Royal - The Haunted Hotel
Wycombe Swan - Jekyll and Hyde, the musical
Wycombe Town Hall - Christmas party
Beaconsfield Bar Med - Dreamboys, male strippers
Oxford Playhouse - Iolanthe
St Mary’s Amersham - Oboist Christopher Hooker

Thursday 25th November

Murder suspect - Police in South Africa yesterday arrested a 22 year old “foreigner” suspected of murdering Aylesbury man Darryl Kempster, a crew member of the Lord of the Dance stage show. Mr Kempster, 37, was shot in the head outside his Johannesburg hotel in June. The cast was so upset the show was cancelled and everyone flown home.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Town Hall - Hellfire Comedy Club
Mill at Sonning - Murder by Misadventure
Windsor Theatre Royal - The Haunted Hotel
Wycombe Swan - Jekyll and Hyde, the musical
Oxford Playhouse - Iolanthe

Wednesday 24th November

Heat is on - The crooks that nicked Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne’s personal jewellery will be quaking in their boots after the rock star put a £100,000 price on their head, unofficial police sources said last night. “No-one will want to touch the jewellery, but everyone will be trying to find out who is touting the gems with that sort of reward on offer,” said one experienced cop. Police are also convinced that one of the burglars is in agony after fighting with Ozzy in the star’s Chalfont St Peter mansion before falling 30ft from a window to the gravel path below.

Wilson early favourite - Ex Bristol City and Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Wilson emerged as favourite to take over the Wycombe Wanderers manger post last night, after he was spotted with directors watching the team at Leyton Orient last Saturday. Former Blackpool boss Steve McMahon is also tipped, as the club said it had reduced its short list of managers to seven names. They hope to make an appointment next week.

Pedestrian dies - An 83 year old man who died after he was involved in a collision with a Saab convertible in Wendover is expected to be named today.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Mill at Sonning - Murder by Misadventure
Windsor Theatre Royal - The Haunted Hotel
Wycombe Swan - Jekyll and Hyde, the musical
Chesham Town Hall - Psychic Festival
Beaconsfield Sycob FC - Hugh Rainey Jazz Band
Oxford Playhouse - Iolanthe

Tuesday 23rd November

Ozzy detail - Police will hold a press conference today to give more details of the dramatic middle of the night break-in at the Chalfont St Peter mansion of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne yesterday. Burglars escaped with high value jewellery from the home, but police are particularly anxious to find one of the burglars who must be injured after falling 30ft onto gravel after being tackled in the house.

Starlet returns - Promising young striker Adam Burchall has returned to Arsenal after being offered a continued loan spell until the end of the season at Wycombe Wanderers. The 20 year old came to the Blues to learn from his Gunners hero Tony Adams, but admitted yesterday he had no real interest in staying at the club now his hero had gone.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Jekyll and Hyde, the musical
Wycombe Town Hall - Jeff Green
Mill at Sonning - Murder by Misadventure
Windsor Theatre Royal - The Haunted Hotel

Monday 22nd November

Write off - Wycombe Council looks set today to write off up to £60,000 of debt accrued by the Wycombe Dial-a-Ride service, which takes elderly and disabled people on essential trips. The service is likely to continue however, only this time under the control of Buckinghamshire County Council.

Luke wins - Wycombe golfer Luke Donald was celebrating last night after he and partner Paul Casey won the WGC World Cup in Seville, beating Spanish golfer Sergio Garcia and Miguel Angel by just one shot. The win rounds off 26 year old Donald’s most successful year so far as a pro golfer.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Mill at Sonning - Murder by Misadventure
Windsor Theatre Royal - The Haunted Hotel
Wycombe Town Hall - Irish county singer Dominic Kirwan
White Hill Centre, Chesham - Folk singer Clive Carey

Sunday 21st November

Blues brawl - Wycombe Wanderers may be in more trouble after every one of their players were involved in a brawl with every member of the Leyton Orient team in a bizarre game at the Orient yesterday. Later referee Kevin Friend was knocked unconscious when he collided with Blues player Danny Senda and the game was delayed for six minutes. However, despite it all, temporary player manager Keith Ryan led his team to their first league victory for nine games. The Blues came from behind with goals from Nathan Tyson and Roger Johnson to win 2-1.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - The Bootleg Beatles
Wycombe Town Hall - Pete Allen Jazz Band
Maidenhead Norden Farm - Tom Thumb
Crown at Marlow - Australian comic Kitty Flanagan

Saturday 20th November

Tory shock - Local Conservatives were stunned yesterday when they managed to cling on to a safe seat in a by-election by just 43 votes. Voting in the Bucks South ward on Aylesbury Vale District Council showed a 5 per cent swing to Labour, which surprised even Labour supporters. In a county council by-election the same day the Tories did enjoy a five per cent swing to them in an area where the Aylesbury Vale hunt is situated.

Blues inundated - More than 60 people have applied for the job of Wycombe Wanderers manager, the club revealed yesterday. Meanwhile club captain Keith Ryan - who has put a message on a supporters discussion board web site calling for fans to back the team - leads the Blues out as player-manager today when they visit Leyton Orient.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - St Petersburg Ballet Theatre present Swan Lake
Wycombe Town Hall - Queen tribute gig
Widmer End Tennis Club - 24 hour tennis marathon for Children in Need. All welcome
St Mary’s Amersham - South Bucks Choral Society
Rickmansworth Watersmeet - Girls Night
Marlow Shelley Theatre - Hobson’s Choice
Oxford Playhouse - Man and Boy
Mill at Sonning - Murder by Misadventure
Beacon Centre, Holtspur - Present Laughter
Windsor Theatre Royal - The Haunted Hotel
Henley Kenton - Billy the Musical
Maidenhead Norden Farm - Sex, Drugs and rock ‘n roll

Friday 19th November

Hunt protests - Riders from the Vale of Aylesbury hunt led protestors outside Windsor Castle last night where the Queen was entertaining France’s President Chirac. As MPs voted to end hunting with dogs by February, the protestors said they were ready for a long and disruptive campaign.

Rainy start - Christmas got off to a wet and windy start last night when Wycombe’s panto stars Anita Dobson and Shane Lynch switched on the town’s Christmas lights.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Rickmansworth Watersmeet - Girls Night
Marlow Shelley Theatre - Hobson’s Choice
Oxford Playhouse - Man and Boy
Mill at Sonning - Murder by Misadventure
Beacon Centre, Holtspur - Present Laughter
Maidenhead Norden Farm - Romeo and Juliet
Maidenhead Norden Farm - Sex, Drugs and rock ‘n roll
Windsor Theatre Royal - The Haunted Hotel
Henley Kenton - Billy the Musical

Thursday 18th November

Adams fall out - The fragile truce between Wycombe Wanderers and their ex manager Tony Adams was shaken yesterday when the club general manager John Harrison told a local newspaper that Adams had let himself down by leaving. Last week chairman Ivor Beeks issued a gritted teeth statement wishing Adams well, but Harrison told the Midweek paper “Tony Adams has made a fool out of himself…I think he let himself down by handling it so badly.” For his part, Adams has told journalists he was “depressed” by the Wycombe job.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - St Petersburg Ballet Theatre present The Nutcracker
Wycombe Town Hall - Hellfire Comedy Club
Chesham Elgiva - All that Jazz
Marlow Shelley Theatre - Hobson’s Choice
Oxford Playhouse - Man and Boy
Mill at Sonning - Murder by Misadventure
Beacon Centre, Holtspur - Present Laughter
Maidenhead Norden Farm - Sex, Drugs and rock ‘n roll
Windsor Theatre Royal - The Haunted Hotel
Henley Kenton - Billy the Musical

Wednesday 17th November

Conern for missing woman - Police issued an urgent appeal last night to find a “very shy” woman from Amersham who hasn’t been seen for five days. They said they were concerned for the safety of Maria Wicks, aged 40, of Bridge Place. They raised the alarm after checked with Ms Wicks’ relatives and friends.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Town Hall - Bee and Bustle Old Time Music Hall
Oxford Playhouse - Man and Boy
Mill at Sonning - Murder by Misadventure
Beacon Centre, Holtspur - Present Laughter
Windsor Theatre Royal - The Haunted Hotel
Beaconsfield Sycob FC - George Huxley’s Jazz Band
Henley Kenton - Billy the Musical

Tuesday 16th November

Musican dies - A talented young musician and artist, well known in Wycombe, has died after his car smashed into a tree in Sussex. James Gravenstede, aged 25, a former graphics design student at Bucks Chilterns University College formed the band Cartel which played gigs here and in London. Contemporaries said he had a promising career as an artist.

Rhino rides in - Keith Ryan, the veteran battling Wycombe Wanderers club captain was called on to face his biggest challenge yesterday when he was appointed temporary player-manager. The club board were wasted no time in clearing out the remnants of Tony Adams’ management team, announcing that head coach Peter Cawley had left the club and accepting the resignation of chief scout Alan Foggarty. “Rhino” - who has been with the Blues for 13 years - has enlisted youth team boss Gary Smith to help him and there’s speculation he may call on his old mate and fellow enthusiast Steve Brown to help put some commitment into the team.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - English Touring Opera present La Boheme
Oxford Playhouse - Man and Boy
Mill at Sonning - Murder by Misadventure
Windsor Theatre Royal - The Haunted Hotel
Rock group The Factory at Bucks Chiltern Uni Students Union
Henley Kenton - Billy the Musical
Maidnhead Norden Farm - My Uncle Arly

Monday 15th November

Board meets - Members of Wycombe Wanderers board meet today for the first time since manager Tony Adams walked away from the club last week. Top of the agenda will be the search for a new manager. The directors are expected to advertise the post, even though they have had more than 20 applications from out of work managers.

Customers fight - Tesco customers tackled credit card fraudsters in an amazing bust up in the Amersham store’s car park, it was revealed yesterday. A customer noticed a camera and card reading device on the store’s cash machine and went into the store to alert security. When they came out again they found two men dismantling the machine. The male customer and security man then gave chase and were joined by other Tesco customers. There was a scuffle in which the security guard was injured, but the two fraudsters, with East European accents, managed to escape in a car.

Boris safe - Henley MP Boris Johnson, sacked at the weekend as a shadow front bench spokesman for allegedly lying about an affair, was boosted by support from his constituents yesterday. Conservative bosses in the true blue town are also expected to give him their support when they meet later this week.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - English Touring Opera present The Cunning Little Vixen
Nettlebed Village Hall - Folk singers Chris While and Julie Matthews
Oxford Playhouse - Man and Boy
Mill at Sonning - Murder by Misadventure
Windsor Theatre Royal - The Haunted Hotel
Henley Kenton - Billy the Musical

Sunday 14th November

Wycombe through - Wycombe Wanderers are through to round 2 of the FA Cup but only after making heavy work of a team 5 leagues below them. A 71st minute goal from defender Roger Johnson proved to be the deciding goal but the blues had to endure a few scares on the way.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - The Hollies
Crown, Marlow - American comedy night
Theatre Royal, Windsor - From Basin Street to Broadway

Saturday 13th November

Schoolboy stabber - A 15 year old boy who stabbed a girl at a Wycombe school was detained for four years by a judge yesterday. The court heard that the youth stabbed the 14 year old in the back with a bread knive at Sir William Ramsay School, Hazlemere, as she tried to protect his ex-girlfriend. The teenager, who was said to have “an anger problem”, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Adams Park - Wycombe Wanderers v Coalville in Round 1 of the FA Cup
Wycombe Swan - Oh What A Night
Wycombe Town Hall - Viva Santana
Chesham Elgiva - The Little Match Girl
Windsor Theatre Royal - Michelle Collins in Appetite
Tring Court Theatre - Tomb with a View
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Mike Reid

Friday 12th November

Guns swoop - Seven people were helping police last night after pre-dawn raids on homes yesterday recovered a variety of illegal weapons, including grenades. Police made the raids on houses throughout the Thames Valley area, including Wycombe.

Booze con - The owner and manager of a Marlow restaurant were fined a total of £500 plus £1,500 court costs after they were found guilty of using cheap gin in Gordon’s bottles and cheap vodka in Smirnoff bottles. The court heard that trading standards officers paid an unannounced visit to the Tiger Garden restaurant armed with equipment that can tell one brand of booze from another.

Gutted we are not - A Wycombe Wanderers fans poll showed yesterday that 30 per cent were not surprised Tony Adams left the club this week because they never thought he would make a manager. Twenty seven per cent were disappointed he left when he did, saying he should have hung on a bit longer. But only two per cent on the Chairboys on the Net fans site ticked the box saying “I’m completely gutted; he was my hero”.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Oh What A Night
Chesham Elgiva - The Little Match Girl
Windsor Theatre Royal - Michelle Collins in Appetite
Tring Court Theatre - Tomb with a View
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Pink Floyd Tribute concert

Thursday 11th November

Backroom shambles - The spotlight was turning on Wycombe Wanderers chairman Ivor Beeks last night when friends of walkaway boss Tony Adams revealed the ex-England star was unhappy with cut backs and the lack of backing from some directors. Beeks himself admitted that Adams was unhappy with the set up at the club, but said the Adams left because he wanted to manage better players. Head coach Peter Cawley and youth team boss Gary Smith were yesterday put in temporary charge for Saturday’s FA Cup game against Coalville. Meanwhile sacked MK Dons boss Stuart Murdoch was the first out-of-work manager to stake a claim for the Wycombe job.

Murder charge - Wycombe man Roger Vincent, 32 and two London men denied murdering a bodybuilder outside a gym when they appeared in court yesterday. David King, 32, was shot by a killer with an assault rifle in Hoddesdon last year. The three accused men will stand trial next year.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Oh What A Night
Wycombe Town Hall - Hellfire Comedy Club
Chesham Elgiva - The Little Match Girl
Windsor Theatre Royal - Michelle Collins in Appetite
Tring Court Theatre - Tomb with a View
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Reduced Shakespeare Co

Wednesday 10th November

Here we go again - Wycombe Wanderers will today name their tenth manager/caretaker manager in nine years following yesterday’s shock departure of Tony Adams. The ex-England star’s one year tenure ended bitterly on the club’s side after Adams first told the players yesterday morning that he was off; then issued a statement to the media and didn’t get round to telling the chairman Ivor Beeks until five o’clock last night in a tense meeting. Both sides disguised their anger in public statements however, thanking each other and wishing each other well.

He couldn’t hack it - For all Tony Adams’ image as a non-quitter, when it boiled down to it he couldn’t hack it in division 2, a source close to the club said last night. He said that Adams could never get to grips with the fact that the players he had to deal with did not have the same skills or footballing brain as himself, and he could never understand why they were unable to do what he wanted them to do. Adams told the players yesterday that he made his decision to walk away after considering his options following Saturday’s dismal 0-1 defeat by Yeovil. He told the players he was going to continue his university studies.

Club in turmoil - Yesterday’s shock departure leaves Wycombe Wanderers at its lowest ebb in its recent history. Backroom bust-ups resulted yesterday in the departure of marketing director Mark Austin a day after Tony Leese returned as conference/catering manager a year after mysteriously leaving the club. Money has failed to come in as expected after the club went public in the summer and issued new shares; and further financial troubles loom if rugby side London Wasps decide not to renew their ground share as expected. More superstitious fans point out that Wanderers has staggered from crisis to crisis since it decided to sell its treasured stadium name of Adams Park to the software company Causeway.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Oh What A Night
Windsor Theatre Royal - Michelle Collins in Appetite
Tring Court Theatre - Tomb with a View
Wycombe Town Hall - Film show, Bucks at War

Tuesday 9th November

Homeless - The number of homeless has leapt dramatically in Wycombe this year as more and more people fail to keep up mortgage repayments. Councillors will tonight agree to spend an additional £140,000 over the next four months to cover the extra cost of housing homeless people whose numbers have risen 20 per cent and are still rising. A council report says that increasing personal debt is the main reason for the jump.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Jeremy Hardy
Windsor Theatre Royal - Michelle Collins in Appetite
Wycombe Town Hall - An evening of clairvoyance
Reading Hexagon - John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers

Monday 8th November

Wyman farewell - Hundreds of Bill Wyman fans who have been unable to get tickets for his last ever tour performance tonight are expected to gather outside Wycombe Swan. The ex-Rolling Stone and his band the Rhythmn Kings finish touring for good tonight in what will be an emotional gig at the Wycombe theatre.

Last try - Wycombe MP Paul Goodman will today launch a last ditch attempt to save the town’s hospital services from being decimated. He is to try and get Health Secretary John Reid to intervene and prevent children’s wards being moved from the town to Stoke Mandeville 15 miles away. There’s increasing concern that the decision by the local health trust to downgrade the special care baby unit in the town will eventually lead to its closure.

Adams anger - Tony Adams decision to dash off to a fireworks party rather than explain his side’s poor performances after Wycombe Wanderers game with Yeovil on Saturday is convincing more fans he couldn’t care less about the club. The ex-England star has already spoken of what he plans to do once he leaves the Blues and his demeanour throughout Saturday’s game was one of controlled boredom.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings
Windsor Theatre Royal - Michelle Collins in Appetite
Folk group Craobh Rua play Chesham’s White Hill Centre
Nettlebed Village Hall - Kathryn Tickell Band

Sunday 7th November

Murder remand - A 28 year old man was remanded in custody when he appeared at Aylesbury Crown Court yesterday charged with murdering Natasha Derby of Crest Road, High Wycombe. Dwayne Haughton from Caversham will appear in court again next week. Natasha, 23, was shot in the head on the dancefloor of the Wycombe Multi-Racial Centre on September 4. She died the next day.

Adams under pressure - Tony Adams was under increasing pressure as his Wycombe Wanderers side put up another disorganised, uninspired performance in a 0-1 defeat at home to Yeovil Town yesterday. The ex-England and Arsenal star, who is finding his first foray into managership more and more difficult, declined interviews after the game. The Blues are now in 17th position and have gone 10 league games without a win.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - The Stylistics
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Moscow Ballet present Sleeping Beauty
Windsor Theatre Royal - The Commitments
Wycombe Irish Club - Live Irish music from 3pm to 6pm
The Crown, Marlow - Canadian comics night

Saturday 6th November

Murder charge - Dwayne Haughton, aged 28, from Caversham in Reading will appear in court today charged with the murder of Natasha Derby, who was shot in the head on the dancefloor of the Wycombe Multi-Racial Centre on September 4. Miss Derby, 23, died the next day. Haughton was charged yesterday after police visited his home.

Adams anniversary - Tony Adams celebrates his first anniversary as manager of Wycombe Wanderers today when his side entertain former non-league opponents Yeovil Town. It hasn’t been the glittering year that the former England and Arsenal ace hope for. Out of 45 games in his first year, the Blues have won just nine.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Adams Park - Wycombe Wanderers v Yeovil Town
Wycombe Swan - Bjorn Again
Chesham Elgiva - Musical comedy Rip ‘Em Off
Windsor Theatre Royal - Michelle Collins in Appetite
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Aussie comic Kevin Bloody Wilson
Wycombe Town Hall - Boothby Graffoe

Friday 5th November

Gurkha settles - Wycombe ex-Gurkha Lal Budha, 44, settled a race discrimation case against the Ministry of Defence out of court yesterday when he accepted a one-off payment of £55,000. Mr Budha, of Loudwater, was invalided out of the army after 24 years service. But he was shocked to find his pension of £95 per month was about a fifth of what British soldiers in the same circumstances would receive. He said he hoped the case would force the Government to change the rules in favour of other Gurkhas.

Toy protest - Local businessman Gary Grant, who owns The Entertainer chain of toyshops, was featured in a national TV documentary last night because his religious beliefs means he doesn’t stock anything to do with Harry Potter or Halloween and he doesn’t open his 35 stores on a Sunday. Yet Mr Grant, who opened his first shop in Amersham and donates much of his profits to charity, now runs Britain’s biggest independent toy shop chain.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Bjorn Again
Chesham Elgiva - Jazz singer Stacey Kent
Windsor Theatre Royal - Michelle Collins in Appetite
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Russian Cossack State Dance Co

Thursday 4th November

RAF base doomed - A “technical note” attached to the end of a Ministry of Defence document yesterday spelled certain doom for the RAF’s Strike Command base at Naphill in High Wycombe. Last night the Government said it was still consulting over the future of the base and the 2,000 people working there and that an announcement would be made before the end of the year. But yesterday, in a document announcing that up to 10,000 MoD jobs will be lost or moved from the south east, the Ministry all but confirmed that the Naphill base would go by saying “RAF Strike Command may leave its headquarters.”

Kidnap charges - Lee Bozward, 24, of Stoke Mandeville and Stephen Baker, 21, from Aylesbury were remanded in custody until January charged with kidnap, false imprisonment, robbery, grievous bodily harm and actual bodily harm when they appeared at Aylesbury Crown Court yesterday.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Windsor Theatre Royal - Michelle Collins in Appetite
Wycombe Swan - The Elvis Collection
Wycombe Town Hall - Hellfire Comedy Club
Oxford Playhouse - Lenny Henry

Wednesday 3rd November

Internet rapist jailed - A Wycombe carpenter who snared a 13 year old girl through an internet chatroom was jailed for life yesterday for rape and indecent assault. The judge said that John McIver, 40, of Westover Court had shown complete lack of remorse or “victim empathy” by forcing the girl to give evidence. McIver had acted as a teenage girl in the chatroom and then when he met the 13 year old claimed to be the father of the fictitious girl.

Blues win - On loan striker Adam Burchell scored the only goal that gave Wycombe Wanderers victory over Swansea City in the LDV Vans Trophy at Adams Park last night.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Girls Night
Beaconsfield Sycob FC - Gambit Jazzmen
Wycombe Town Hall - Irish folk singer Brendan Shine
Rickmansworth Watersmeet - Tea Dance with Mr Wonderful
Hayes Beck - Foster and Allen
Windsor Theatre Royal - Michelle Collins in Appetite

Tuesday 2nd November

Market stalls - Property sales in High Wycombe have virtually ground to a halt, estate agents admitted yesterday. They said buyers were making low offers for houses fearing that prices will fall in the coming months - one said that Christmas, the traditional “dead” time for the property market, had come six weeks early. Halifax said at the weekend that the Wycombe area - which has the fourth highest average house price in the country outside London - saw property increases of just one per cent in the last three months, the lowest increase for over 10 years.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Richard Alston Dance Co
Hemel Old Town Hall - Romeo and Juliet
Hayes Beck - That’ll Be The Day
Windsor Theatre Royal - Michelle Collins in Appetite

Monday 1st November

Hospital protests - Local MPs are to make a last ditch bid today to try keep Wycombe’s special care baby in the town. Health officials are expected to agree to move the unit and other children’s wards to Stoke Mandeville from Wycombe Hospital when they meet later this week. Protesters however say babies about to be born prematurely could die if mothers have to travel a further 20 miles to give birth. Local midwifes toured the Wycombe area yesterday to drum up support for the protest - hundreds gave their backing.

Couple to be named - An elderly husband and wife who died in a car crash at Little Missenden on Saturday are expected to be named by police today.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Oxford Playhouse - Folk singer Kate Rusby
Live folk music at Chesham White Hill Centre and Nettlebed Village Hall

Sunday 31st October

Midwife protest - Midwives from Wycombe Hospital begin a bus ride of protest today. They have hired a double decker to tour the town in a last ditch attempt to keep the Special Care Baby Unit in the town. The local health authority meets on Thursday and is expected to go ahead with plans to close the unit and other children’s wards at Wycombe and move them to Stoke Mandeville Hospital as part of an economy move.

Blues slip - Wycombe Wanderers slipped to 16th position in League Two - their lowest position since they joined the Football League 11 years ago - following a 1-0 defeat at Darlington yesterday. No luck either for village club Flackwell Heath whose attempt to get into the first round of the FA cup failed 3-0 at Billericay. Following the draw for that round Wycombe learnt they will take on non-league minnows in either Liversedge or Coalville Town. The match which Wycombe should win with ease (at least on paper!) takes place at Adams Park in two weeks time.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Town Hall - Acoustic duo Show of Hands
Wycombe Swan - Hits from Broadway
Mill at Sonning- Old Time Music Hall
Court Theatre, Tring - Claire Martin
Hayes Beck - Humpty Dumpty
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Brass Band Concert
Hughenden Manor - Halloween stories for children

Saturday 30th October

Couple killed - A husband and wife were killed instantly yesterday in a car smash at Little Missenden. The 74 male driver and his 68 year old wife were in a Volvo which collided with an Audi at a junction on the Little Missenden Road. The Audi driver is in hospital with head injuries. Their names are not being released until relatives have been told.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Watford Palace - The Country Wife
Mill at Sonning - Murder by Misadventure with Jeffrey Holland
Masked Ball at the Monkey Island Hotel, Bray
Wycombe Swan - Bad Girls
The Harrow, Hughenden Valley - Charity Halloween party
Theatre Royal, Windsor - Jus Like That - Jerome Flynn in Tommy Cooper tribute
Hemel Old Town Hall - Harry and Me
Norden Farm, Maidenhead - Jeremy Hardy
Reading South Street - Singer songwriter Keith James
White Horse, Wycombe - Four live rock groups

Friday 29th October

Queen’s dentist mourned - Hundreds of people crammed into RAF Halton’s chapel yesterday for the funeral of the Queen’s dentist, Surgeon Commodore Geoffrey Myers. The 57 year old commodore, who was one of Britain’s top dental surgeons, died after a car crash near Aylesbury 12 days ago. His 15 year old son, who was in the car with him, escaped with minor injuries. Commodore Myers was awarded an OBE for his work in the Gulf War.

Red faced council - The council that caused a stir by putting up town centre Christmas decorations a month too early have now put town centre clocks back a week too early, the Bucks Herald reported yesterday. Goofy Aylesbury Vale District Council again blamed its contractors for the screw-up - the clocks go back an hour this coming Sunday. Meanwhile the paper reports the council has made yet another cock-up - it is having to rebuild the entrances to a new town centre shopping development because they are not wide enough to allow buses in.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Watford Palace - The Country Wife
Mill at Sonning - Murder by Misadventure with Jeffrey Holland
Wycombe Swan - Bad Girls
Norden Farm, Maidenhead - Puppet Theatre
Theatre Royal, Windsor - Jus Like That - Jerome Flynn in Tommy Cooper tribute
Lancaster Arts Centre, Wycombe - Little Shop of Horrors
Oxford Playhouse - Cyrano De Bergerac
Hayes Beck - Sing-a-long-a-Elvis
Hemel Old Town Hall - Comedian Mitch Benn
Wycombe Town Hall - Medieval banquet
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - English Sinfonia family concert

Thursday 28th October

Boot camp - Local children between eight and 13, who are deemed to be in danger of setting off on a life of crime, are to be among the first in the country to experience American style “boot camps”, it was announced yesterday. Youngsters from the Wycombe and Aylesbury area will be sent to Wendover’s RAF Halton for six day courses involving strict military discipline and tough outdoor exercise. Halton is one of three military bases in the country being used by the Government to trial the scheme.

Wasps blow - QPR dealt Wycombe Wanderers finances a blow yesterday, saying that if rugby champs London Wasps don’t return to QPR’s Loftus Road ground at the end of this season, they will sue. The west London club reckons that Wasps are under contract to return now that Fulham are no longer sharing the Loftus Road ground. Wycombe are bending over backwards to keep Wasps as their tenants at Adams Park, not least because the deal is worth tens of thousands of pounds.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Watford Palace - The Country Wife
Mill at Sonning - Murder by Misadventure with Jeffrey Holland
Wycombe Swan - Bad Girls
Aylesbury Civic Centre - The Singing Kettle
Theatre Royal, Windsor - Jus Like That - Jerome Flynn in Tommy Cooper tribute

Wednesday 27th October

New Tesco - A multi-million pound deal that will change the face of the centre of High Wycombe is set to be signed today when Tesco agree to take over the Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College site at the bottom of Marlow Hill. It will eventually lead to one of the biggest Tesco stores in the country and probably enable a redesign of the new Wycombe shopping centre which was to have being built around the existing Tesco store. Meanwhile the college, which is set to become a “proper” university, has plans to build a state of the art uni on old furniture factory sites behind Morrisons - another massive development which will enable all the existing spread-out campuses to be on the one site.

Girl missing - Police last night appealed for a 14 year old girl, missing from home for ten days, to make contact. They believe that Emma McCullach, from Aylesbury, is in the Wycombe area but need to find out to ensure she is safe.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Watford Palace - The Country Wife
Mill at Sonning - Murder by Misadventure with Jeffrey Holland
Wycombe Swan - Bad Girls
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Engie Benjy

Tuesday 26th October

Joining forces - Ministry of Defence police, RAF police and local police have joined forces in a unique anti-crime move in High Wycombe. The three are to share resources and cover for each other, working from a specially built base by the entrance to RAF High Wycombe in Naphill. The move, announced yesterday, follows a spate of burglaries and anti-social behaviour in the area.

Canoeist named - Police last night named the man who died in the weekend canoeing accident at Marlow Lake as Roy Sandalls, aged 49, who is believed to come from the Marlow area.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Bad Girls
Watford Palace - The Country Wife
Mill at Sonning - Murder by Misadventure with Jeffrey Holland
Chosen Few Jazz Orchestra - TJ. O’Reilly’s, Marlow Bottom
Limelight Theatre, Aylesbury - Firebird, play based on Russian folklore

Monday 25th October

Canoeist dies - A canoeist who died when he capsized in foul weather on a Marlow lake at the weekend is expected to be named today. The 49 year old man was discovered after an intense search by helicopters and police divers late on Saturday night. Bypassers reported seeing him capsize in the lake in Fieldhouse Lane four hours earlier.

Flood alerts - Flood watches on two local rivers remains in force today after a weekend of torrential rain. The Environment Agency said that Bear Brook, between Aylesbury and Aston Clinton, and parts of the River Thame are liable to burst their banks.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Tony Robinson
Watford Palace - The Country Wife
Mill at Sonning - Murder by Misadventure with Jeffrey Holland
Theatre Royal, Windsor - Jus Like That - Jerome Flynn in Tommy Cooper tribute
Wycombe Swan - The Singing Kettle
Rock, Salt and Nails, folk band from the Shetlands, play Nettlebed village hall

Sunday 24th October

Fireworks danger - Police yesterday issued an urgent warning after a set of display fireworks were stolen. If the fireworks were not stored properly the giant rockets could cause serious injury, they warned. The Shellshock fireworks - stolen from a garden centre in Amersham - should only be lit by an expert, they warned.

Blues unlucky - Wycombe Wanderers were unlucky not to take all three points from a strong Mansfield side at Adams Park yesterday, but had to make do with a 1-1 draw, with Arsenal loanee Adam Birchell netting the Blues’ goal.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Adams Park - London Wasps v Biarritz
Wycombe Swan - Richard Digence
Merlins Cave, Chalfont - Lunchtime music with jazz violinist Christian Garrick
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Paul McKenna
Court Theatre, Tring - The Vale Symphonic Wind Band
Watersmeet Theatre, Rickkmanswroth - Engle Benjy family show
Wycombe Swan - The Singing Kettle
Three stand up comics at Marlow Comedy Club in The Crown

Saturday 23rd October

Near miss - A major disaster over Chesham was averted with just seconds to spare it emerged yesterday. A report on a near miss between two Boeing 777s blamed an air traffic controller for directing a plane into an area he thought was empty air space, only to discover with 600 feet to go that another plane was already there. The incident happened at 6am on December 1 last year in what’s called the Bovingdon Stack - the area over Chesham where planes waiting to land at Heathrow circle until they are called in. An inquiry heard there were so many planes in the stack the controller mistook an aircraft at 12,000 ft for a British Airways plane at 13,000ft. When he ordered a United Airlines plane into what he thought was empty space at 13,000 ft the two planes - carrying more than 500 passengers between them - had to take evasive action.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Adams Park - Wycombe Wanderers v Mansfield Town
Watford Palace - The Country Wife
Mill at Sonning - Murder by Misadventure with Jeffrey Holland
Windsor Theatre Royal - Season’s Greetings
Wycombe Swan - The Shell Seekers
Chesham Elgiva - Carmen
Wycombe Wesley Church - The Wycombe Philharmonic Choir
Four local bands, including Ladyfuzz, play Wycombe’s White Horse
Curzon Centre, Beaconsfield - Salad Days

Friday 22nd October

Fans clash - Wycombe Wanderers directors are set for another clash with their fans over plans to build a new stand for home supporters. The club wants to make the new stand an all-seater as they continue to bend over backwards to keep the rugby side London Wasps as tenants at Adams Park. But last night both the official and independent supporters groups joined forces to issue a statement urging that the new stand remain as terraces for fans preferring to stand. Most fans are still unhappy with the board for selling the name of the Adams Park ground to a software company, feeling the move betrayed the sacrifice of Frank Adams who gave the club their town centre ground in the 1940s which the club later sold for thousands.

MPs relief - The three Wycombe area MPs - Paul Goodman, Dominic Grieve and Cheryl Gillan - were all relieved last night when figures showing how much MPs claim for additional expenses showed them amongst the most frugal. None claimed any travelling expenses, while other expenses were in the lower half of politicians’ spending scale.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - The Shell Seekers
St Mary’s Church, Amersham - Festival concert
Watford Palace - The Country Wife
Mill at Sonning - Murder by Misadventure with Jeffrey Holland
Windsor Theatre Royal - Season’s Greetings

Thursday 21st October

Postmaster fights back - A post office manager was praised for his bravery yesterday when he fought off a would-be robber wearing a Scream mask and wielding a 10inch knive. The manager, who was not being named last night, struggled with the robber after he entered the post office in Chesham’s Waterside. The thief fled, still wearing his mask, through lunchtime shoppers.

Drugs raid - wenty people were arrested yesterday when police carried out dawn raids at 16 addresses in Marlow and Maidenhead. Drugs, including heroin, and stolen property were recovered.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - The Shell Seekers
Wycombe Town Hall - The Hellfire Comedy Club
Watford Palace - The Country Wife
Mill at Sonning - Murder by Misadventure with Jeffrey Holland
Aylesbury Civic Centre - 80s night with Nick Heyward and Toyah
Windsor Theatre Royal - Season’s Greetings
Reading Hexagon - The Waterboys
Chesham Elgiva - Folk singer Dougie Maclean

Wednesday 20th October

Woman identified - A woman who fell to her death from the Easton Street car park in the centre of Wycombe was named yesterday as Margarita Hickox, aged 54, of Anriston Avenue, High Wycombe. Police are still keeping an open mind on her death until a post mortem is completed today.

Gloomy night, gloomy result -Wycombe Wanderers huffed and puffed in the mist but produced an uninspiring display to gain a 1-1 draw with Rushden and Diamonds at Adams Park last night. A crowd of just over 3,800 - the lowest for the Blues’ League 2 games this season - watched the match, a number leaving before the end.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - The Shell Seekers
Wycombe Town Hall - Sherlock Holmes - the last act
Watford Palace - The Country Wife
Mill at Sonning - Murder by Misadventure with Jeffrey Holland
Windsor Theatre Royal - Season’s Greetings

Tuesday 19th October

Death fall - Lunchtime shoppers looked on in horror yesterday as a woman fell to her death from a Wycombe town centre multi-storey car park. Police were last night still trying to confirm the identity of the woman who fell from the car park in Easton Street. They were keeping an open mind on the cause of the fall.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Adams Park - Wycombe Wanderers v Rushden and Diamonds
Wycombe Swan - The Shell Seekers
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - The Music Man
Watford Palace - The Country Wife
Mill at Sonning - Murder by Misadventure with Jeffrey Holland
Windsor Theatre Royal - Season’s Greetings
Hayes Beck - The Vagina Monologues

Monday 18th October

Heroes return - More than 4,000 people lined the streets of Henley yesterday to welcome home Britain’s Olympic medal winners. The rowers - including Matthew Pinsent, Ed Coode, James Cracknell and Steve Williams and the successful women’s competitors - arrived by river and then took an open topped bus through the town to a civic reception. Most of the rowers are based at the town’s Leander Rowing Club.

Adams wrath - Tony Adams’ interviews about what he plans to do after leaving Wycombe Wanderers as manager at the end of next season are beginning to get up some fans’ noses. In another case of a footballing man’s honesty being castigated - following David Beckham’s lamasting last week - fans have bombarded official and unofficial web message boards saying Adams should go now if he is so keen to leave.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - The Shell Seekers, starring Rosemary Leach
Watford Palace - The Country Wife
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jacks
Windsor Theatre Royal - Season’s Greetings with Matthew Kelly and Lisa Goddard
Folk trio Coope, Boyes and Simpson at Nettlebed folk club
Hayes Beck - Male strip show

Sunday 17th October

Cabinet leak - A temp from Flackwell Heath was at the centre of a storm over an embarrassing leak from the Cabinet Office last night. Wannabe journalist Claire Newell, 23, was arrested and questioned after information which could only have come from official sources appeared in the Sunday Times. Yesterday the Government admitted that Miss Newell had been dismissed as a temp doing admin work. It later transpired she had also done temporary work at the Sunday Times and wanted to be a journalist. It’s alleged she fed secret papers on subjects ranging from identity cards to US foreign policy. Last night Miss Newell kept her head down as the rest of the press tried to find her. Her mother Elaine said she didn’t know where her daughter was.

Blair denial - Also biting his lip last night was Great Missenden priest Father Tim Russ who caused an official prime ministerial denial yesterday when he said Tony Blair wanted to become a Catholic. The priest, who officiates when Mr Blair and his Catholic wife Cherie attend his church when they are staying at nearby Chequers, the PM’s country retreat, told local radio on Friday that Mr Blair was ready to convert. Mr Blair, aware that any decision by him to convert to Catholicism would cause a storm in Northern Ireland, denied the claim, dismissing it as a rumour that comes up every now and then.

Blues blow - Wycombe Wanderers dropped to mid table after another lack-lustre performance at Boston is League 2 yesterday. There was better news for village side Flackwell Heath who beat Harrow 1-0 in the third qualifying round of the FA Cup yesterday and are now one game away from the first round proper. Other local teams in the round included Maidenhead who beat Windsor and Eton 2-1; and Thame who drew 1-1 at Weymouth. Aylesbury lost out to Ashford 0-1.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Little Missenden Church - Concert of Mozart and Bach
Wycombe Swan - City of London Sinfonia
The Crown, Marlow - Marlow Comedy Club
Bucks Art Society autumn exhibition - Fitzwilliam Centre, Beaconsfield

Saturday 16th October

I’m off - Wycombe Wanderers manager Tony Adams repeated his intention to leave the club at the end of his contract at the end of next season - this time to coach a foreign club. And the straight talking boss will have angered some fans when he told the BBC that he wants to go abroad because he wants to coach more and manage a team with more “flair”.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Oxford Playhouse - The Price
Abbey Farm, Great Missenden - Abby Woodwinds
Little Missenden Church - Steve Waterman trumpet quintet
Watford Palace - The Country Wife
Windsor Theatre Royal - My Cousin Rachel

Friday 15th October

Medics verdict - It’s crunch day today for Wycombe Hospital’s children and baby wards when four senior childcare medical experts tell the local health trust their view on the effect of closing the units. The panel, which includes one of Britain’s top paediatricians, Professor Sir Cyril Chanter of Great Ormond Street Hospital, were asked to give their verdict on the trust’s plan to close the units at Wycombe and move them to Stoke Mandeville. They were called in after local people protest at the closure plan in their thousands. The trust makes its final decision on 4 November.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Oxford Playhouse - The Price
Windsor Theatre Royal - My Cousin Rachel
Limelight Theatre, Aylesbury - Stephen Sondheim songs
Little Missenden Church - Full string orchestra, Sound Collective
Watford Palace - The Country Wife
Maidenhead Norden Farm - Elgar Chamber Orchestra
Mill at Sonning - New production, Murder by Misadventure
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Audience with Barry Norman

Thursday 14th October

Bill’s farewell - Rock and roll legend Bill Wyman is to finish his touring career in High Wycombe, it was announced last night. The former Rolling Stone and his band the Rhythm Kings finish their British tour at Wycombe Swan on Monday, November 8 and then the guitarist plans a long break with his young family. The time has come, he said, to call and end of touring. Tickets for the show are selling like hotcakes and the theatre expects to sell out today.

M&S expansion - Marks and Spencer have shrugged off doubts about their poor performance by announcing a big expansion in High Wycombe. A store three times the size of their existing one is to be incorporated into the new Wycombe town centre scheme. It will be opposite the planned House of Fraser department store and be below a new 12 screen cinema. But what’s good news for the new town centre is a worry for the existing Chilterns Centre shopping arcade where M&S is currently the main player. There’s concern if the Chilterns can remain viable.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Oxford Playhouse - The Price
Little Missenden Village Hall - five centuries of folk songs
Watford Palace - The Country Wife
Windsor Theatre Royal - My Cousin Rachel

Wednesday 13th October

Storm in a testube - The American emeritus professor featured in nearly all the national newspapers yesterday because he’d been told he could not keep his job as head of physics at Wycombe’s Royal Grammar School unless he took a GCSE in maths, will be given the go-ahead to continue to teach after a two hour assessment by the Teacher Training Agency. Last night officials at the Department for Education were privately wondering why the head of one of the brainiest schools in the country had not thought of such a simple solution. In Westminster Labour politicians were putting it down to political point-scoring - the story featured strongly in the Tory press and the issue was quickly highlighted by local Tory MP Paul Goodman and shadow education spokesman Tim Collins. The RGS head, Tim Dingle - the official spokesman for grammar school heads in the country and a leading opponent of education secretary Charles Clarke’s scepticism about grammar schools - was said last night to be relieved the situation had been resolved just hours after it appeared in the national press.

Child killer hangs himself - A 20 year old found hanging in his cell at Aylesbury Young Offenders Institute was a child killer who lived in constant fear that other inmates would discover what he had done, his inquest heard yesterday. Brian Smith was 13 when he killed nine year old Jade Matthews on a railway line in Merseyside. The inquest at Amersham heard that when he was found hanged last September he had severed all connections with his family because he did not receive any cards on his 18th birthday. The inquest resumes today.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Oxford Playhouse - The Price
Watford Palace - The Country Wife
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Elkie Brooks
Windsor Theatre Royal - My Cousin Rachel
Norden Farm, Maidenhead - Ralph McTell, folk singer

Tuesday 12th October

Cancer breakthrough - Scientists in Amersham are at the centre of a major breakthrough in cancer detection. The medics, who work for Amersham Health, have joined forces with an Italian company to produce a substance that whizzes through the body highlighting where cancer cells are forming. It was described yesterday as a major breakthrough in early diagnosis of cancer.

Man dies - A motorist who died in a smash which injured three others was named yesterday as John Collett, 74, of Hillside Road, Marlow. Three women received minor injuries in the two car crash at Little Marlow.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers
Oxford Playhouse - The Price
Watford Palace - The Country Wife
Windsor Theatre Royal - My Cousin Rachel

Monday 11th October

Stadium talks resume - Behind the scenes talks on the future of Adams Park resume today with Wycombe Wanderers and London Wasps pressing the council for either an enlarged Adams Park with new road access or the building of a new stadium just off the M40. The need for improved or new facilities was pressed home again yesterday when spectators took over an hour to clear the car park at yesterday’s sell-out clash between Wasps and Newcastle Falcons.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - The giants of jazz
Oxford Playhouse - The Price
Windsor Theatre Royal - My Cousin Rachel
Watford Palace - The Country Wife
Live folk music at White Hill Centre, Chesham and Nettlebed village hall

Sunday 10th October

Remarkable escape - A motorist drove 25 miles unaware that a muntjak deer was wedged into the radiator grill by its horns, it was revealed yesterday. When the motorist, who was not named, hit the deer on the Chalfont Road in Amesham before dawn on Friday he thought he’d hit a stone. It wasn’t until he arrived at work in Borehamwood 25 miles further on that he discovered the tiny deer. Fire fighters and the RSPCA freed the deer which suffered no more than a slightly bleeding horn. It was later released back into the wild in woods near Amersham.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Adams Park - London Wasps v Newcastle Falcons
Wycombe Swan - Singalong Joseph & Singalong Rocky Horror
St Dunstan’s Church, Monks Risborough - opera with the Full Monteverdi
Oxford Playhouse - Yo Manifiesto
Chiltern Open Air Museum - Victorian Harvest Festival
Little Missenden Church - Dante Quartet
Eton College School Hall - Southbank Sinfonia

Saturday 9th October

Stupid 1, Sense 0 - Local Football Association bosses were under fire last night for insisting that local football clubs must play their games at 3pm today, at exactly the same time as England play a vital World Cup qualifying match against Wales - a move that has angered local players. A similar stubbornness by the national FA in insisting on a Saturday 3pm kick off for the England game also hit Wycombe Wanderers and their fans. Only a handful of supporters managed to travel all the way to Scunthorpe last night for a rearranged League 2 game. To add insult to injury, the Blues lost 2-0.

Station closed - Gerrards Cross station will be closed today as the major work to build the first Tesco store over a railway line gets underway. Eventually trains will not only travel under the controversial superstore, but a special sideline will enable Tescos to take deliveries by rail. The station will also be closed next Saturday.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Ramert Dance Company
Wycombe Town Hall - The Kaos Richard III
St Nicholas’ Church, Great Kimble - organ recital
All Saints, Marlow - Vespers by candlelight
Windsor Theatre Royal - Rula Lenska in Pride and Prejudice
Chiltern Open Air Museum - Victorian Harvest Festival
Little Missenden Church - Pavio Beznosiuk
Watford Palace - The Country Wife
Oxford Playhouse - Misconceptions , surreal adult comedy
Court Theatre, Tring - Pink Floyd tribute gig

Friday 8th October

Accused missing - A man accused of killing a Wendover teacher and her unborn baby is likely to stand trial in his absence after he is believed to have fled the country. Ratnam Yogan, 29 is accused of killing Deborah Peaty and his unborn baby daughter by dangerous driving. He failed to turn up for a court hearing shortly after the smash last year and hasn’t been seen since. Interpol are searching for him in Sri Lanka where he is believed to have fled. Yesterday a judge said he would start the trial in January but wanted to give police a few more weeks to trace him. Another man in the car which allegedly pulled out of a traffic jam to hit Mrs Peaty head-on, is also missing. A third man accused of offences relating to Mr Yogan’s disappearance did appear in court yesterday and will be dealt with in December.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Ramert Dance Company
Wycombe Town Hall - Love and Madness- Hard Times
Holiday Inn, Wycombe - Black Media Festival
Little Missenden Church - Tenebrae by candlelight
Windsor Theatre Royal - Rula Lenska in Pride and Prejudice
Oxford Playhouse - Sheila Hancock
Chesham Elgiva - Led Zeppelin tribute gig
Watford Palace - The Country Wife
Maidenhead Norden Farm - Deitra Farr
Oxford Playhouse - Misconceptions , surreal adult comedy

Thursday 7th October

Pub ban - Public pest Jason Oram was yesterday banned from 42 pubs for the next five years when he became the first man in Buckinghamshire to be served with an anti-social behaviour order. Oram, 34, of Bury Lane, Chesham, has been banned from every pub in and around the town after a court heard he had a string of offences for aggressive and abusive behaviour when drunk. He was told that he was found drunk or being a nuisance again anywhere in the country he would serve a prison term.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Ramert Dance Company
Wycombe Town Hall - Taking Charlie, directed by Susan Tully
Wycombe Town Hall Oak Room - Poetry Reading
Four live bands at White Horse, Wycombe
Windsor Theatre Royal - Rula Lenska in Pride and Prejudice
Chesham Elgiva - Gerry Marsden
Hayes Beck - Audience with Jimmy Greaves and Ron Chopper Harris
Maidenhead Norden Farm - Harold Pinter’s The Caretaker
Oxford Playhouse - Misconceptions , surreal adult comedy
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Elvis tribute show

Wednesday 6th October

Doctor accused - Chesham doctor Ronald Tovey is one of seven medics accused of serious professional misconduct by wrongly prescribing medicines at a private clinic for drug addicts in London. Dr Tovey, 47, who is no longer working at the clinic strongly denies the accusation, which is being heard by the General Medical Council.

Accident girl identified - The girl killed in a road accident in Bell Street, Princes Risborough on Monday was identified yesterday as a 13 year old schoolgirl. Jessica McCully, of Winterton Drive, Aylesbury, was a pedestrian involved in the accident with a lorry.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Rambert Dance Company
Live jazz bands at Beaconsfield Sycob FC
Windsor Theatre Royal - Rula Lenska in Pride and Prejudice
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Four hands at one piano
Hayes Beck - Flamenco music
Oxford Playhouse - Misconceptions , surreal adult comedy
Old Town Hall, Hemel - Brecht play Mother Courage

Tuesday 5th October

Murder link - Police are checking any possible links between a double killing at a London nightclub and the shooting of Wycombe woman Natasha Derby at a reggae party a month ago. Two men were shot dead at a Croydon night club on Saturday. Police believe a gangland Yardie link is likely but they are still baffled about the motive for Natasha’s killing. Many witnesses to the Wycombe murder have still to come forward despite a £10,000 reward for information.

Road death - An 18 year old woman pedestrian died yesterday after an accident involving a lorry in Bell Street, Princes Risborough. Police are expected to name her today.

Rising star - At least Wycombe MP Paul Goodman has something to smile about amid the battered egos and gloomy scenarios at the Conservative Party Conference. Tory heavyweight Stephen Norris yesterday tipped Goodman as a rising star in the party, destined for the top. Norris said the former novice monk and Telegraph leader writer was “able, amusing and ambitious.”

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Town Hall - My Uncle Arly
Windsor Theatre Royal - Rula Lenska in Pride and Prejudice
Tea dances at Rickmanswoth Watersmeet Theatre
Hayes Beck - The Bachelors and Susan Maughan
Oxford Playhouse - Misconceptions , surreal adult comedy
Court Theatre, Tring - Audience with Barry Norman

Monday 4th October

Sports centre - Plans for a new multi-million pound sports centre for Wycombe, to replace the Handy Cross centre, are being considered tonight. Top councillors are meeting in secret to look at the figures involved in selling the existing Handy Cross site for a big hotel development and rebuilding a smaller, but more modern, sports centre nearby. The plans will be looked at in conjunction with an offer placed on the table last week by Wycombe Wanderers and London Wasps to build a new stadium also in the Handy Cross area.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Reelin and Rocking- sixties gig
Wycombe Town Hall - Biserk Dance Company
Live folk music at White Hill Centre, Chesham and Nettlebed Village Hall
Windsor Theatre Royal - Rula Lenska in Pride and Prejudice
Oxford Playhouse - Misconceptions , surreal adult comedy

Sunday 3rd October

Store blaze - A pine furniture and household goods store was badly damaged by fire yesterday. Firefighters spent most of the day at the Etc store in Aylesbury after a blaze started in the early hours. A cause has still not been identified - and neither has the cause of a blaze at farm outbuildings by Marlow’s Rebellion brewery on Thursday.

Adams blast - Wycombe Wanderers manager gave a half-time rollicking to his side for what he described as their worst first-half performance ever seen. The bawling did the trick - after going 0-1 down for the fifth game in succession in the first half, Danny Senda pulled a goal back against Shrewsbury at Adams Park to ensure the Blues salvaged a point. But it was still two points lost than a point saved as many Wycombe players spent the first 80 minutes distinctly off colour.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Lenny Henry
The Crown at Marlow - Comedy club with Reginald D Hunter and Howard Read
Kings Arms, Stokenchurch - psychic fair
Bourne End Community Centre - Classical concert
Court Theatre, Tring - National Youth Jazz Orchestra
White Horse, Wycombe - drag acts
The Rye,Wycombe - Cottle and Austen circus
Hyde End near Great Missenden - Crafts fair
Mill at Sonning - Dutch Swing College Band
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Festival of Well Being

Saturday 2nd October

Christmas crackers - Red faced council workers yesterday took down Christmas tree decorations they had put up a month too early by mistake in Aylesbury town centre. Earlier council officials said they wouldn’t remove them because it would be a “waste of money”, but the outcry from shoppers was such that the trees yesterday went back into storage.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Adams Park - Wycombe Wanderers v Shrewsbury Town
Court Theatre, Tring - Travels with my Aunt
Wycombe Swan - Grease
Oxford Playhouse - The Glee Club, poignant drama
Windsor Theatre Royal - Rula Lenska in Pride and Prejudice
Wycombe Town Hall - The Merchant of Venice
Chesham Elgiva - Terry Lightfoot band pay tribute to Louis Armstrong
White Swan, Wycombe - Six live rock bands
The Rye,Wycombe - Cottle and Austen circus
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Victorian music hall
Hyde End near Great Missenden - Crafts fair

Friday 1st October

New stadium plan - A plan to build a new stadium for Wycombe Wanderers and for London Wasps rugby club just off the M40 at Wycombe’s Handy Cross is being considered by the local council, it was claimed last night. In hush-hush talks which paused yesterday, the council told the sports clubs that the chances of expanding Adams Park much beyond its present 10,000 capacity and building a new access road through Green Belt were virtually nil. But in response the clubs produced plans for a brand new jointly owned stadium on a green field site by the motorway. The council is considering the scheme but Government permission would be needed if it’s to be a runner.

Fireman hurt - A Marlow firefighter was hurt when a gas tank exploded in farm buildings next to Marlow’s Rebellion brewery yesterday. The blaze was so intense at one stage yesterday that nearby residents were evacuated and the Marlow Bottom Road closed. Firefighters spent the night at the farm - Bencombe Farm - last night just in case flames sprang up again. The fireman was allowed home after hospital treatment. The cause of the blaze is being investigated - the brewery itself was undamaged.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Court Theatre, Tring - Travels with my Aunt
Wycombe Swan - Grease
Oxford Playhouse - The Glee Club, poignant drama
Windsor Theatre Royal - Rula Lenska in Pride and Prejudice
Limelight Theatre, Aylesbury - Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolf
Wycombe Town Hall - The Merchant of Venice
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Jaleo - flamenco dancing

Thursday 30th September

Armed robbery - A armed robber made off with a “substantial” amount of money after a raid on a Marlow betting shop. The robber staked out the inside of Ladbroke’s for several minutes before pulling a gun when other customers had left.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Grease
Court Theatre, Tring - Travels with my Aunt
Oxford Playhouse - The Glee Club, poignant drama
Windsor Theatre Royal - Rula Lenska in Pride and Prejudice
Wycombe Town Hall - The Merchant of Venice
Norden Farm, Maidenhead - Endellion String Quartet

Wednesday 29th September

School sport boost - Local schools will be able to boost their sports facilities after a £4.5m kitty was made available to them yesterday. Plans include the reopening of the swimming pool at Millbrook Combined School in Wycombe which will also serve children from three primary schools. Elsewhere multi-purpose sports facilities are to be built in schools in Princes Risborough, Amersham and Great Kingshill which will also be made available to local communities.

Commuter chaos - Thousands of local motorists had a nightmare journey home last night after the A40 was closed in both directions for eight hours at the Polish War Memorial junction. It appears the driver of a big lorry collapsed behind the wheel, careered over the central barrier and overturned. The driver was declared dead at the scene.

Blues win - Young striker Jonny Dixon did his chances of winning a regular first team place some good last night when he scored a 66th minute winner for Wycombe Wanderers in an LDV Vans Trophy victory at Aldershot.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Grease
Court Theatre, Tring - Travels with my Aunt
Oxford Playhouse - The Glee Club, poignant drama
Windsor Theatre Royal - Rula Lenska in Pride and Prejudice
Wycombe Town Hall - The Merchant of Venice
Wycombe Town Hall Oak Room - Lunchtime recital
Norden Farm, Maidenhead - Eugene Onegin

Tuesday 28th September

Predatory paedophile - Wycombe man John McIver of Westover Court, was yesterday found guilty of raping and indecently assaulting a 13 year old girl he met via an internet chatroom. The jury at Warwick heard that McIver, 39, first posed as a teenage girl called Lisa to attract the 13 year old's attention, and then met his victim by pretending to be Lisa's father. McIver, described as predatory paedophile, was told by the judge that he will be sentenced to a lengthy prison term

Fresh appeal - Police will today make a fresh appeal to find the occupants of a Mini involved in a horror smash near Henley one year ago today. Six year old Jack Powell, his mother Rachel Turk and her husband Richard were killed in the smash which left Jack's nine year old sister Emily seriously injured. A red Mini was seen driving erratically just before the crash in Gangsdown Hill. Police have spoken to hundreds of mini owners in the past year - and have been featured on the BBC programme Crimewatch - but so far they have failed to find the one they are looking for.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Grease
Oxford Playhouse - The Glee Club, poignant drama
Windsor Theatre Royal - Rula Lenska in Pride and Prejudice
Old Town Hall, Hemel - Gus Gascoigne, one man show

Monday 27th September

Wasps talks - Wycombe Wanderers and their Adams Park tenants London Wasps begin unofficial talks with Wycombe Council this week to see what can be done to improve traffic access at the stadium. London Wasps are keen for a new road to be built linking the stadium to the M40, but as that would involve building in Green Belt, the council will say no. If the talks make no progress London Wasps are likely to decide before Christmas not to renew their Adams Park deal and return to Loftus Road, the home of QPR. Yesterday less than 8,000 people attended a key local derby between Wasps and London Irish and some Wasps officials believe the poor access to and from the ground is putting fans off. Some fans were still stuck in the car park yesterday an hour after the end of the game.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Windsor Theatre Royal - Rula Lenska in Pride and Prejudice
Live folk music at White Hill Centre, Chesham and Nettlebed Village Hall

Sunday 26th September

Village mourns - Villagers in Stone will say special prayers today for the families of the three friends from the village who died in an horrific road smash on the Thame to Aylesbury Road last weekend. Richard Ladyman, 20, Richard Friday, 22, and Ashley Stolp, 17, died after the car they were in hit a tree. Damien Montague, 19, is still in a critical condition in Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

Unbeaten away - Wycombe Wanderers preserved their unbeaten away record at Cheltenham yesterday when scored a second half equaliser, to finish the game 1-1. The point puts the Blues in fourth position in League 2.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Adams Park - London Wasps v London Irish
Holyport Green - Carters Steam Fair
Norden Farm, Maidenhead - Indian classical music

Saturday 25th September

Rape denial - Wycome man John McInver, 39, denied in court yesterday raping a 13 year old girl he allegedly met via an internet chatroom. Prosecutors at Warwick Crown Court said that McInver, of Westover Court, High Wycombe, was later trapped by police pretending to be a young girl in a chatroom.

Medical breakthrough - Research work carried out at Amersham Hospital made headlines around the world yesterday when the medics declared that for the first time there’s real evidence that dogs can detect cancer in humans. The research work is being partly sponsored by the local charity, the Hearing Dogs for the Deaf.

Murder quiz - Police hunting the killer of 25 year old Natasha Derby on the dancefloor of Wycombe’s Multi-Racial Centre two weeks ago, will this afternoon join black community leaders to talk to shoppers in the town centre to see if they offer any clues to the shooting.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Grimethorpe Colliery Band
Wycombe Town Hall - Spirit of the Drum with Kagemusha Taiko
Norden Farm, Maidenhead - World of Orpheus, 1pm
Norden Farm, Maidenhead - Does Love Have A Plan? By Poet’s Kitchen, 8pm
Sarratt Festival of Music, village hall - Locrian Ensemble
Oxford Playhouse - Macbeth, featuring a walking audience and African theme
Windsor Theatre Royal - Nunsense
Bell House, Beaconsfield - Best of West End Cabaret
Court Theatre, Tring - Swing to the Rythmn
Beck Theatre, Hayes - Wheels on the Bus
Watersmeet, Ricmansworth - Wind in the Willows
Elgiva, Chesham - Sixties night
Holyport Green - Carters Steam Fair


Friday 24th September

Amazing escape - A woman and her grandson are back home today after what was described as a “truly amazing escape” when they were thrust through a brick wall by a mechanical digger. The woman, who has not yet been named, was pushing the 11 month old baby in his pram near Henley Library when the digger - which was gouging out a trench in the road - suddenly lurched backwards. It forced them three metres into and through the brick wall of a garage. The woman however walked away uninjured; while the baby was hardly aware of what happened - he was saved by his pram cover which was covered in bricks. The pair were lucky because the shape of the digger was such that it offered them some protection as they smashed through the wall.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Sarratt Festival of Music, village hall - Tango Volcano with Los Tangueros
Windsor Theatre Royal - Nunsense
Oxford Playhouse - Macbeth, featuring a walking audience and African theme
Life and Times of Gus Gascoigne, Maidenhead Norden Farm
Wycombe Swan - Comic Al Murray, the pub landlord
Wycombe Town Hall - The Yetties
Elgiva, Chesham - Ballet, The Sleeping Beauty

Thursday 23rd September

Radio expansion - The Wycombe based Local Radio Company continued its march to become a big player in the radio market yesterday when it snapped up Southport’s local commercial station Dune FM for £1.2m. Last month the group, launched with expansionist plans by former bosses of Jazz FM, bought 2BR, a local station in Burnley. The group now owns 23 stations, claims over 800,000 listeners and employs over 300 people. The move comes at a time when big changes are occurring in commercial radio, with the new earlier this week that the companies behind Capital Radio and Classic FM are to merge.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Windsor Theatre Royal - Nunsense
Oxford Playhouse - Macbeth, featuring a walking audience and African theme
Wycombe Museum - exhibition on 50 years of G Plan furniture
Wyccombe Swan - The Wheels on the Bus, for toddlers this afternoon
Wycombe Swan - Psychic performer Tony Stockwell
Wycombe Town Hall - Rosemary Squires
Wycombe Town Hall Oak Room - Poetry reading

Wednesday 22nd September

Missing witnesses - More than half of the partygoers at a reggae party when 25 year old Natasha Derby was shot dead on the dancefloor have still to be traced by murder squad detectives more than two weeks after the killing. Inquiries have been concentrated in the Brixton area of London and yesterday police opened an email address in the hope that witnesses contact them anonymously if necessary. Natasha, of Crest Road, Wycombe, died in hospital after the shooting at Wycombe Multi-Cultural Centre.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Windsor Theatre Royal - Nunsense
Oxford Playhouse - Macbeth, featuring a walking audience and African theme
Live jazz at Beaconsfield Sycob FC
Wycombe Museum - exhibition on 50 years of G Plan furniture

Tuesday 21st September

Horror smash victims named - Police yesterday identified two of the three men killed in the horror smash on the Thame to Aylesbury Road at the weekend after the Fiesta they were travelling in hit a tree. They are Richard Friday, aged 22, from Aylesbury and Richard Ladyman, aged 20, from Stone. A 17 year old also died in the smash and a 19 year old is in a critical condition in Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Police are withholding their names for the time being.

Adams not staying - Wycombe Wanderers manager Tony Adams yesterday appeared to rule out any question of him staying beyond his current contract at the club which ends at the end of next season. In and interview with yesterday’s Independent he said he will take some time off at the end of the 2005/06 season to consider what to do next. In a swipe at his predecessor Lawrie Sanchez - now Northern Ireland manager - Adams told the paper that Wanderers was “dusty” when he arrived, adding “it was horrible.” He added that when he arrived in November last year he did not think he would be able to work with any of the players.

Olympic silver - Wycombe salesman Ian Rose, 32, took a silver medal in the paralympics games in Athens yesterday in the 100kg division of judo, improving on the bronze he took in Atlanta.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Swan - Think Floyd
Wycombe Priory Centre - Rise and Fall of Marshall Zhukov
Windsor Theatre Royal - Nunsense
Oxford Playhouse - Macbeth, featuring a walking audience and African theme

Monday 20th September

Speechless Luke - Wycombe golfer Luke Donald - the rookie of Europe’s victorious Ryder Cup team - received special praise from his team mates last night for one of the best debuts in the competition. Luke, 26, lost his singles match but played a crucial role in earlier team games. For once, after the team victory, he was speechless telling millions on TV that the experience was indescribable.

Victims to be named - Police are today expected to identify the three men in their twenties who died when the car they were in smashed into a tree on the Thames to Aylesbury road at the weekend, closing the road for 10 hours. A fourth man is still in a serious condition in Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Windsor Theatre Royal - the musical Nunsense
Live folk music at White Hill Centre, Chesham and Nettlebed Village Hall


Sunday 19th September

Horror smash - Three men in their twenties died yesterday when the Fiesta they were travelling in hit a tree between Stone and Haddenham at three o’clock in the morning. A fourth man is in a serious condition at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. The road - the main Thame to Aylesbury road - was shut for 10 hours while investigators searched for clues to the cause of the smash.

Blues slip up - Wycombe slipped down to third in the table after a 0-1 home defeat to Swansea City. Despite having a majority of the possession, the blues never looked like scoring as the home fans went home frustrated.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include

Sarratt Festival of Music, village hall - music from Hamelin to Hogwarts
Wycombe Swan - Caroline Salmon School of Dance
New Theatre, Oxford - Aida
Mill at Sonning - Vince Hill
Chiltern Open Air Museum - The Sealed Knot present English Civil War re-enactment

Saturday 18th September

Donald delight - Hundreds of golf fans crammed clubhouses in Wycombe and Beaconsfield last night to celebrate a stunning Ryder Cup debut by local golfer Luke Donald. The 26 year old - who hails from Wycombe and plays for Beaconsfield Golf Club - shared the spoils in his first game - fourballs with Paul McGinley - and then last night, playing with his friend Sergio Garcia, beat the American pair in the foursomes.

New loan - Wycombe Wanderers manager Tony Adams is set to secure another loan signing of a bright young Premiership player today, in time for today’s clash with Swansea at Adams Park. He is 18 year old defender Charlie Comyn-Platt who is joining for a month from Bolton Wanderers. Top of the table Blues are expecting their biggest crowd of the season today when they face Swansea.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include

Adams Park - Wycombe Wanderers v Swansea
Sarratt Festival of Music, village hall - Jazz from Claire Martin
Wycombe Swan - The Merry Widow
Oxford Playhouse - Twelfth Night
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Don Lusher Jazz Band
Windsor Theatre Royal - Going Straight with John Alderton and Pauline Collins
New Theatre, Oxford -Boogie Nights 2
Court Theatre, Pendley - Jesus Christ Superstar
Chiltern Open Air Museum - The Sealed Knot present English Civil War re-enactment

Friday 17th September

Stuff Wycombe - Councillors in Wycombe are furious with the Department of Health following a reply they received to a letter calling for a review of funding of health services, because they disproportionately worked against people in south Bucks. Secretary of State John Reid didn’t bother to reply but in a pass-the-buck response a civil servant only talks of extra money going to Milton Keynes, without reference to the rest of the county.

Hunt supporter “knocked unconscious” - It emerged last night that one of the pro-hunt supporters injured in the battle of Parliament Square on Wednesday was 19 year old Thomas Fillery, a member of the Buckinghamshire branch of the Countryside Alliance. His friends said Mr Fillery was knocked unconscious when riot police surged through the crowd and suffered a head injury. They have complained and the incident is being investigated by the Police Complaints Commission.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include

Wycombe Swan - The Merry Widow
Wycombe Town Hall - murder mystery dinner
Oxford Playhouse - Twelfth Night
Windsor Theatre Royal - Going Straight with John Alderton and Pauline Collins
New Theatre, Oxford -Boogie Nights 2
Sarratt Festival of Music, village hall - Chamber music
Court Theatre, Pendley - Jesus Christ Superstar

Thursday 16th September

Blind leading the blind - Bats have proved the latest obstacle to Wycombe’s battered and batty multi-million pound town centre development plans. The Environment Agency has put in a holding objection to the scheme because they say bats, a protected species, are likely to roost on the site. The objection is the latest to rock the ill-fated plan - councillors themselves are getting restless because developers want to cut back on the originally outlined leisure facilities, and conservationists think the council itself lacks vision for failing to take a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make Wycombe different from scores of other town-centre clones by bringing back to the surface the underground river that runs through the centre of the town.

More protests - Pro fox-hunting supporters, fresh from the battle of Parliament Square yesterday, will descend on the area today for Thame Show, the biggest country show in the south of England. Police will keep a low profile after angry claims that Met officers wielding batons were heavy handed on countryside protesters yesterday.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include

Thame Show
Wycombe Swan - The Merry Widow
Oxford Playhouse - Twelfth Night
Windsor Theatre Royal - Going Straight with John Alderton and Pauline Collins
New Theatre, Oxford -Boogie Nights 2
Court Theatre, Pendley - Jesus Christ Superstar
Wooburn Green Fair
Tylers Green Fair

Wednesday 15th September

Town centre row - There’ll be a row tonight when councillors meet to decide whether to give outline planning permission to Wycombe’s new multi-million pound town centre development. Some councillors are unhappy that there have been so many changes to the original plans - and the one the council carried out a minimul consultation with the public on - that it is now completely different.

The new plans show a 31 per cent increase in shopping space, but a 50 decrease in restaurants, a 36 decrease in leisure facilities - the complex includes a new cinema and bowling alley - and a 68 per decrease in housing. Both the new library and new bus station will also be smaller than originally outlined. Cllr Peter Morris will tell tonight’s meeting:”The development is less and less attractive as time goes by. The size is being increased but at the expense of the people of High Wycombe.”

Court victory - Bucks County Council yesterday agreed it was wrong to charge an elderly woman for the cost of her care and refunded £68,000 plus £10,000 interest to her family. Suzanna Phillips was sectioned under the Mental Health Act in 1993, and later went to a nursing home in Amersham where she died five years later. The council took the money to help pay towards her nursing care from her savings, but after a ten year battle through the courts her son Robin, from Masham Lodge, Gerrards Cross, yesterday heard the council finally concede in the High Court it was wrong. Lawyers said Mrs Phillips should not have been charged because she was detained under the Mental Health Act. The case could set a legal precedent for scores of others in the country.

Morrison’s boost - City analysts said yesterday that Morrison’s had attracted 35 per cent more customers at its High Wycombe branch since it converted the old Safeway store into a full-blown Morrison’s supermarket three weeks ago. The news caused Morrison’s shares to jump 4p.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include

Wycombe Swan - The Merry Widow
Oak Room, Town Hall - lunchtime recital
Oxford Playhouse - Twelfth Night
Windsor Theatre Royal - Going Straight with John Alderton and Pauline Collins
New Theatre, Oxford -Boogie Nights 2
Court Theatre, Pendley - Jesus Christ Superstar

Tuesday 14th September

Pigeons 1, Council 0 - Wycombe councillors will tonight concede defeat in their attempts to reduce the pigeon population in the town centre. They will call a halt to a scheme that’s supposed to trap the birds so they can be destroyed because the pigeons got wise to where the traps were and, in fact, their population increased. Instead, councillors will tonight decide on a cunning plan. They will build nesting boxes throughout the town to encourage the birds to nest. Then, when they are not looking, they will steal their eggs.

Man stabbed - A 27 year old man is recovering from stab wounds after an early hours attack in Totteridge Road, High Wycombe. Three Wycombe men, aged 18, 20 and 22, have been charged in relation to the attack and will appear in court on Thursday.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include

Wycombe Swan - The Merry Widow
Oxford Playhouse - Twelfth Night
Windsor Theatre Royal - Going Straight with John Alderton and Pauline Collins
New Theatre, Oxford -Boogie Nights 2
Court Theatre, Pendley - Jesus Christ Superstar
Marlow Jazz Club at TJ O’Reilly’s, Marlow Bottom
Greyhound racing at Oxford stadium

Monday 13th September

Rape charges - A 20 year old Wycombe man has been charged with three rapes and burglary offences at two houses in Beaconsfield in the early hours. George Valentine, of Redman Road, Wycombe was remanded in custody at a special sitting of Aylesbury magistrates at the weekend. Police obtained a special order prohibiting the identity of the addresses. The attacks allegedly took place in the early hours of last Thursday morning.

Blues boost - Multi millionaire businessman Steve Hayes is expected to announce today a major investment into Wycombe Wanderers. The club is expected to say that Mr Hayes will become a director and that his company, Loans.co.uk, which is already the team shirt sponsor, will invest a quarter of a million pounds into the club - bringing investment near the one million pound mark since it became a public company last month. Mr Hayes, 38, is a long time friend of former Blues captain Terry Evans whom he now employs to run his company’s gym in Watford. He has been a Blues supporter since 1993 and his company is the fastest growing credit broker in Britain.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include

Wycombe Swan - Cambridge Footlights
Oxford Playhouse - Twelfth Night
Windsor Theatre Royal - Going Straight with John Alderton and Pauline Collins
New Theatre, Oxford -Boogie Nights 2
Court Theatre, Pendley - Jesus Christ Superstar
Folk singer Andy Irvine at Nettlebed Village Hall

Sunday 12th September

Tops - Wycombe Wanderers found themselves top of the league for the first time in over a decade last night following a 2-1 win at Southend. An equalising goal from Nathan Tyson and a cracking long shot from Danny Senda sent the Blues to the top of League Two, although after the game manager Tony Adams warned fans there was still a long way to go.

Hunt protest - erie Blair, the prime minister’s wife, had a rowdy reception for her 50th birthday party at Chequers, the PM’s country residence near Princes Risborough last night when hundreds of local pro-fox hunting supporters gathered in the country lanes near the estate blowing hunting horns and beeping on tractor horns. Hunt supporters from three local hunts contacted each other throughout yesterday to mount the imprompu non-violent protest - the first of many in the area as the Government prepares this week to abolish fox hunting.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include

Oxford Playhouse - Twelfth Night
Traditional Irish Night at Irish Club, High Wycombe
Haddenham Flower Show
TV antiques show Flot It! at Wycombe Town Hall
Thomas the Tank Engine day at Bucks Railways Centre, Quainton
Antiques Fair at Bellhouse Hotel, Beaconsfield

Saturday 11th September

Revellers questioned - Murder detectives were out and about in the pubs and clubs in High Wycombe town centre last night trying to find witnesses to the murder of Natasha Derby one week ago. They also plan to be on the streets until the early hours tonight. Natasha, 23, of Crest Road, Wycombe was shot in the head at a reggae party in the Multi-Racial Centre in the early hours of last Saturday. So far police have failed to find any substantive witnesses even though 100 dancers were in the club at the time. They are also trying to find a motive.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include

Adams Park - London Wasps v Sale Sharks
Marlow Parish Church - Choral Concert by Indulgence
Wycombe Swan - Puppetry of the Penis
Oxford Playhouse - Twelfth Night
Windsor Theatre Royal - Going Straight with John Alderton and Pauline Collins
Chesham Elgiva - Pirates of Penzance
Rock band Dog House at Gate Inn, Wendover
Five live bands at White Horse, Wycombe
Punk rock night at Wycombe British Legion
Headington Hill Park,Oxford - Romeo and Juliet
Village flower shows in Winchmore Hill, Tylers Green and Booker
Singer and song writer festival at Windsor Arts Centre

Friday 10th September

Milkman trapped - A milkman is in a serious condition in hospital after spending “some hours” lying in a ditch, trapped under his milkfloat. The milkman, who hasn’t been named, has serious chest injuries. Motorists reported the milkfloat upturned in a ditch in Peters Lane, Princes Risborough just after 6am yesterday. Gallons of spilt milk mixed with spilt battery acid to create an environmental hazard, and the road had to be closed while Environment Agency workers cleared up the scene.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include

Wycombe Swan - RAF Central Band
Oxford Playhouse - Twelfth Night
Windsor Theatre Royal - Going Straight with John Alderton and Pauline Collins
Chesham Elgiva - Pirates of Penzance
Hayes Beck - Tribute concert to the Beach Boys
Limelight Theatre, Aylesbury - Mick Abrahams Blues Band
Court Theatre, Pendley - Fat Maggi

Thursday 9th September

Hospital to close - Closure of Chesham Hospital will get the go-ahead today despite a 3,000 signature petition to try and save it. The Victorian hospital will be closed by Christmas and patients moved to Amersham Hospital. An outpatient unit will replace the existing hospital. Health bosses decide next month on whether to close children’s and special baby wards at Wycombe Hospital and move them to Stoke Mandeville.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include

Oxford Playhouse - Twelfth Night
Windsor Theatre Royal - Going Straight with John Alderton and Pauline Collins
Chesham Elgiva - Pirates of Penzance
Court Theatre, Pendley - Blues/Rock band The Hamsters

Wednesday 8th September

Murder has "no motive" - Murder detectives hunting the killer of 25 year old Natasha Derby have no idea why she was shot on the dance floor of Wycombe's Multi-Racial centre last Saturday. Friends and flatmates said yesterday that Natasha, who had lived at Wycombe's YMCA in Crest Road for four years, "always had a smile on her face." And her mother Margaret, 48, told a press conference yesterday: "It wasn't a fight. She didn't have any enemies. It was a total waste." Both Mrs Derby and police again pleaded with partygoers to come forward. Inquiries yesterday moved to Brixton in south London where Natasha lived before coming to Wycombe. It's thought some of revellers at the reggae party were from the capital.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include

Mill at Sonning - I Remember You
Windsor Theatre Royal - Going Straight with John Alderton and Pauline Collins
Downhome Jazz Band at Beaconsfield Sycob FC
Poetry reading at Wendover Library by Wild Card Theatre Company
Chesham Elgiva - Pirates of Penzance
Medium Colin Fry at New Theatre, Oxford

Tuesday 7th September

Murder appeal - The mother of murdered party girl Natasha Derby will plead with partygoers today to help find her daughter’s killer. Natasha, 25, who lived at the YWCA in Crest Road, High Wycombe died early yesterday, 48 hours after being shot in the head at a reggae party in Wycombe’s Multi-Racial Centre, launching one of the biggest murder hunts in the town for years. Many of the 100 guests who were on the dance floor with Natasha disappeared into the night, but police want to interview all of them.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include

Today Natasha’s mother Margaret will launch her appeal for witnesses at a press conference. Chief Inspector Andy Taylor, leading the murder hunt, said the party was advertised in Slough, Reading and London and it was important that everyone there contacted police, even if they think they saw nothing. Natasha was shot as the party was drawing to a close.

Horse attacks - Stable owners are being warned to be on their guard while police hunt a “sickening” attacker who is trying to set fire to horses. In the latest attack lighter fuel was poured on the neck of Celeste, a 25 year old grey, in a field at Taplow and set alight. Days earlier the grey’s companion was slightly injured when someone attempted to set fire to its mane. Celeste is recovering from severe burns.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include

Windsor Theatre Royal - Going Straight with John Alderton and Pauline Collins
Chesham Elgiva - Pirates of Penzance
Medium Colin Fry at New Theatre, Oxford
Mill at Sonning - I Remember You

Monday 6th September

Shot woman still critical - Police will continue an inch by inch search of Wycombe’s Multi-Racial Centre in St Mary’s Street today in an attempt to track down the person who shot a 23 year old woman in the head early on Saturday morning. She remains in a critical condition in Wycombe Hospital under police guard. She has not yet been officially identified but security guards say they heard the name “Tasha” called out seconds before the blast. Police, who only opened the streets around the centre yesterday, 36 hours after the shooting, again appealed for some of the 100 guests at the party to come forward. They said people who did not want to speak to them directly could call the anonymous Crimestoppers line.

Shopping boost - Wycombe councillors meet in secret tonight to consider whether to compulsory purchase more properties around the new town centre shopping site. Developers say interest from retailers has been strong and it may be necessary to make the shopping area in and around the existing bus station bigger than originally envisaged.

Luke’s flying - Wycombe golfer Luke Donald won his second European tournament in a month yesterday when he romped home in the European Masters in Switzerland, winning by five clear strokes. Luke, 26, who took the last available place in the Ryder Cup team to play the US later this month, beat Spanish Ryder Cup team-mates Miguel Jimez and Sergio Garcia. The confidence of the Beaconsfield Golf Club member has soared since winning the Scandanavian Masters in August and then grabbing the Ryder Cup place.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include

Windsor Theatre Royal - Going Straight with John Alderton and Pauline Collins
Folk singers Pint and Dale at White Hill Centre, Chesham
Mill at Sonning - I Remember You

Sunday 5th September

Town centre shooting - A 23 year old woman is fighting for her life in hospital today after being shot in the head in Wycombe town centre. She was blasted at a party in the Multi-Racial Centre under the Octagon flyover in St Mary’s Street in the early hours of yesterday, which was attended by over 100 people. Police sealed off the town centre within minutes of the shooting at 2.37am but the assailant slipped through the net. Several party guests also left and yesterday police issued an urgent appeal for witnesses. The Swan Theatre and theatre car park remained closed until yesterday afternoon while police carried out a minute search.

Death driver named - A 20 year old driver who died when his car hit a tree on the Holmer Green Road, Hazlemere on Friday was named yesterday as Terry Davey of Cressex Road, High Wycombe. Three other passengers in the car were slightly hurt.

Cup runs - Local teams had a good start in the preliminary round of the FA Cup yesterday - Holmer Green, Thame, Beaconsfield Sycob and Marlow all made it through to the next qualifying round. Flackwell Heath and Henley need replays to secure their place.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include

Wycombe Swan - Blues Brothers party
Model Aircraft flying display, Hard to Find Farm, Flackwell Heath
Cliveden - Puppet Theatre barge

Saturday 4th September

Local derby - Wycombe Wanderers and Oxford United met for the first time for some years at Adams Park last night, and shared the spoils in a hard fought 1-1 draw, marred only by inconsistent refereeing decisions

Events in and around High Wycombe today include

Wycombe Swan - Engie Benji
Oxford Playhouse - The Shell Seekers
Mill at Sonning - There Goes the Bride
Reading Hexagon - Jim Davidson
Elgiva, Chesham - Abba tribute
Clivden - Puppet Theatre barge

Friday 3rd September

Uni’s expansion - The Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College, which has campuses in and around High Wycombe, begins to process its application for full university status today after being given the nod by the Government. Later this month plans to move the university to a massive site on former industrial land next to Morrison’s in the town centre will be detailed. If both schemes are agreed it will lead to Wycombe being one of the top specialist university towns in the country.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include

Wycombe Swan - Bananas in Pyjamas
Oxford Playhouse - The Shell Seekers
Mill at Sonning - There Goes the Bride
Windsor Theatre Royal - Going Straight

Thursday 2nd September

Jo’s the tops - Wycombe mountainteer Jo Gandi and husband Rob have become the first married couple in the world to scale the seven highest peaks on the seven continents. Jo, 35, is a physiotherapist originally from Penn but now lives with her Australian husband in London. The couple completed Europe’s highest mountain in Russia last week have earlier topped peaks in Alaska, Tanzania, Antarctica, Argentina, Australia and, of course, Mount Everest. Jo is also awaiting confirmation that she has completed the seven peaks faster than any other woman - a climbing total of one year and 38 days.

Events in and around Wycombe today include

Bucks County Show, Weedon Park, Aylesbury
Oxford Playhouse - The Shell Seekers
Mill at Sonning - There Goes the Bride
Norden Farm, Maidenhead - Cello and piano concert

Wednesday 1st September

Curfew thought - Police and council officials in Wycombe are considering a plan to put a curfew on town centre rowdies following success in neighbouring towns. A scheme in the centres of Windsor and Maidenhead - where police have the power to escort children under 16 home between 9pm and 6pm if they are being a nuisance - has so far had a big impact in reducing late night rowdiness this bank holiday weekend.

Events in and around Wycombe today include

Oxford Playhouse - The Shell Seekers
Mill at Sonning - There Goes the Bride
Jazz with the Fenny Stompers, Beaconsfield Sycob FC

Tuesday 31st August

Up the table - Wycombe Wanderers moved up to third place yesterday after a comfortable if uninspiring 2-0 victory over Grimsby. The chairboys could go top on Friday if they can beat local rivals Oxford Utd in front of live sky tv cameras.

Events in and around Wycombe today include

Headington Hill Park, Oxford - Romeo and Juliet
Norden Farm, Maidenhead - Dave Gorman
Oxford Playhouse - The Shell Seekers
There Goes The Bridge - Mill at Sonning

Monday 30th August

Donald Delight - Luke Donald was celebrating yesterday after receiving the final wildcard place in the Europe Ryder Cup team. Captain Bernard Langer chose the High Wycombe golfer along side Colin Montgomery to face the USA later next month. Donald’s recent good form and his previous experience in the amateur version - the Walker Cup were said to tip the balance.

Events in and around Wycombe today include

Adams Park - Wycombe Wanderers v Grimsby
Summer fetes in Hazlemere, Tylers Green, Cholesbury Common, Freith
Littlewick Show
Norden Farm, Maidenhead - Dave Gorman
Oxford Playhouse - The Shell Seekers
Headington Hill Park, Oxford - Romeo and Juliet
Stonor Park - Chilterns Craft Show
Towersey Village Festival
Noddy weekend at Chiltern Open Air Museum
Chenies Manor House and Garden open
Bucks Rail Centre, Quainton - historic transport event
Flaunden Flower Festival
Museum Day at Pitstone Green Museum
Rolf Harris art exhibition, Bray Village Hall
Milling demonstration at Ford End Watermill, Ivinghoe
Beer festival, White Horse, Hedgerley
Reading Festival

Sunday 29th August

Back on track - Wycombe Wanderers resumed their winning ways with a 2-0 victory at Kidderminster yesterday, with goals from Nathan Tyson and an injury time decider from Shahed Ahmed.

Events in and around Wycombe today include

Norden Farm, Maidenhead - Dave Gorman
Amersham Old Town walk, Amersham Museum from 2.30
Stonor Park - Chilterns Craft Show
Towersey Village Festival
Noddy weekend at Chiltern Open Air Museum
Bucks Rail Centre, Quainton - historic transport event
Flaunden Flower Festival
Music in the Park, Loundes Park, Chesham
Irish Craic, Wycombe Irish Club
Rolf Harris art exhibition, Bray Village Hall
Beer festival, White Horse, Hedgerley
Reading Festival
Classical piano concert, All Saints, Marlow

Saturday 28th August

Blues virus - Wycombe Wanderers midfielder Joe Burnell was isolated from the rest of the squad yesterday when it was discovered he had contacted glandular fever. Now coaches are keeping their fingers crossed that the contagious illness has not spread already to other team members. Burnell, 23, first complained of feeling unwell during a training session on Wednesday.

Holiday bug - A Chalfont St Giles family was back at home recovering yesterday after being hit by a virulent bug which laid low 35 people at a Norfolk holiday camp. Nurse Amy Sinclair, her six year old daughter Jemima and 18 month old son George all suffered violent sickness and stomach cramps.

Events in and around Wycombe today include

Norden Farm, Maidenhead - Dave Gorman
Puppet Theatre at Higginson’s Park, Marlow from 2.30 and from 8pm
Oxford Playhouse - The Shell Seekers
Amersham Martyrs History Walk, Amesham Museum pm
Headington Hill Park, Oxford - Romeo and Juliet
Windsor Theatre Royal - Wife Begins at 40
Stonor Park - Chilterns Craft Show
Towersey Village Festival
Noddy weekend at Chiltern Open Air Museum
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Midsummer Night’s Dream
Loundes Park, Chesham - The Tempest

Friday 27th August

Hunter cleared - Gamekeeper Anthony Burns was cleared yesterday of causing grievous bodily harm to a man he shot after mistakenly identifying him as a fox. A jury at Aylesbury Crown Court decided that Mr Burns,52, of Prestwood was genuine when he mistook Trevor Lawson’s night vision goggles for a pair of foxes eyes. Mr Burns wept with relief after the jury took two hours to unanimously clear him, but wildlife conservationist Mr Lawson, 37, who lost a lung following the shooting in woods near Amersham, is pursuing a case against Mr Burns through the civil courts for damages.

Events in and around Wycombe today include

Stonor Park - Chilterns Craft Show
Puppet Theatre at Higginson’s Park, Marlow from 2.30
Oxford Playhouse - The Shell Seekers
Windsor Theatre Royal - Wife Begins at 40
Towersey Village Festival

Thursday 26th August

Gamekeeper “haunted” - A gamekeeper told a court yesterday that he was “one hundred per cent” sure that a conservationist he shot was in fact a fox. Anthony Burns, 52, from Prestwood, denies causing grievous bodily harm to Trevor Lawson by shooting him in the chest. He said Mr Lawson’s night vision goggles looked like a pair of foxes eyes. Mr Lawson was spotting badgers in woods near Hyde Heath, Amersham. Mr Burns told Aylesbury Crown Court that the incident had haunted him for months.

Not disabled enough - A man training with disabled athletes at Stoke Mandeville has been told he is not disabled enough for the Paralympics in Athens next month even though he has no feet and only two fingers. Mark Fosbrook,28, is training with members of the British wheelchair rugby team. He competed in the British Paralympics volleyball team in Atlanta in 1996. Officials say Mr Fosbrook’s “disability score” is not high enough for rugby.

Events in and around Wycombe today include

Puppet Theatre at Higginson’s Park, Marlow from 2.30
Oxford Playhouse - The Shell Seekers
Headington Hill Park, Oxford - Romeo and Juliet
Windsor Theatre Royal - Wife Begins at 40
Beck Hayes - Kosmic Krew
Towersey Village Festival

Wednesday 25th August

Rugby overtakes - Rugby is now more popular than football at Wycombe’s Adams Park after London Wasps yesterday announced a 31 per cent increase in season ticket sales. More than 4,600 people have bought season tickets to see the European and Premiership champions compared to just over 3,000 who have paid up front to watch Wycombe Wanderers, who were relegated from division 2 last season. Wasps pay a rent to Wanderers which is a big boost to the football club’s revenue, but the contract runs out at the end of the season. Chief Executive David Davies said last night that a decision on whether Wasps will stay at capacity-restricted Wycombe or return to Loftus Road in west London and risk losing their new found local fan base will be made soon.

Meanwhile Wanderers were knocked out of the Carling Cup in the first round last night, losing to Bristol City 1-0.

Events in and around Wycombe today include

West Wycombe Caves - Family Fun Day
Puppet Theatre at Higginson’s Park, Marlow from 2.30
Oxford Playhouse - The Shell Seekers
Headington Hill Park, Oxford - Romeo and Juliet
Windsor Theatre Royal - Wife Begins at 40

Tuesday 24th August

Bosses call - Local businesses yesterday called on the Government to scrap its target of getting half of young people into university. Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce said many youngsters would benefit more from on-the-job training. Their calls comes at a time when 43 per cent of schooleavers in the Wycombe area are going to university while 42 per cent of businesses in the area say they are having difficulty recruiting skilled staff.

Events in and around Wycombe today include

Wycombe Wanderers v Bristol City at Adams Park
Puppet Theatre at Higginson’s Park, Marlow from 2.30
Oxford Playhouse - The Shell Seekers
Headington Hill Park, Oxford - Romeo and Juliet
Windsor Theatre Royal - Wife Begins at 40

Monday 23rd August

Olympic cheers - There was further Olympic success for Marlow Rowing Club yesterday when Alison Mowbray won a silver medal as one of the quad sculls team. On Saturday club members Cath Bishop and Katherine Grainger also won silver in the women’s pairs and Sarah Winckless the bronze in the women’s double sculls.

Supporters meet - Wycombe Wanderers supporters meet tonight to see if they can raise sufficient money - at least £50,000 - which will enable them to “buy” a place for a supporters’ representative on the club board.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Windsor Theatre Royal - Wife Begins at 40
Puppet Theatre at Higginson’s Park, Marlow from 2.30
Headington Hill Park, Oxford - Romeo and Juliet
White Hill Centre, Chesham - folk singers Paul and Lin

Sunday 22nd August

Olympic success - Marlow was a town in celebration last night as three of its rowing residents won Olympic medals. Cath Bishop and Katherine Grianer took silver medals in the women’s pairs and Sarah Winckless won bronze in the women’s double sculls with Elise Laverick. But it was upriver at Henley’s Leander Rowing Club where celebrations went on throughout the day and night as friends and family of Henley based Matthew Pinsent celebrated his fourth Olympic gold medal and the victory of his men’s coxless four yesterday.

Oops - Rochdale well and truly burst Wycombe Wanderers early season bubble yesterday, beating the Blues 3-0 at Adams Park and bursting with it the Blues' unbeaten record.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

The Rye, High Wycombe - The Wycombe Mela
Puppet Theatre at Higginson’s Park, Marlow from 2.30
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Old Film Club present To Have and Have Not
Gala weekend at Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway

Saturday 21st August

Holidaymaker drowns - Police confirmed yesterday that Aylesbury holidaymaker Andre Leigh-Haworth, aged 40, drowned in rough seas off Messanges, France on Thursday while his family watched desperately from the shore.

New striker - Wycombe Wanderers manager Tony Adams used his Arsenal influence yesterday when he signed one of his old club's brightest young strikers on a month's loan. The Welsh under-21 international Adam Birchall will boost Wycombe's squad as they face a heavy fixture list in the next four weeks.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Adams Park - Wycombe Wanderers v Rochdale
Wycombe Town Hall - summer youth project - Richard III
Windsor Theatre Royal - Marti Webb in the musical Tell Me On A Sunday
Puppet Theatre at Higginson's Park, Marlow from 2.30 and from 8pm
Oxford Playhouse - The Railway Children
Stowe Gardens - Battle Proms Concert
Headington Hill Park, Oxford - Romeo and Juliet
Hurley Regatta
Elgiva Theatre, Chesham open day
Piddington Horticultural Show
Gala weekend at Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway

Friday 20th August

Ecstasy death - A 16 year old schoolgirl attending a illegal rave in a disused High Wycombe factory, took three Ecstasy tablets, fell over, fractured her skull and died her inquest heard yesterday. Coroner Nicholas Gardiner said the tragedy emphasised the “grave danger” in taking recreational drugs. He recorded a verdict of accidental death on Sophie Ksher, from Bedfordshire, who attended the rave in Cressex on February 1. She died five days after taking the drugs after suffering a fit. Police pledged to find and arrest the organisers of the rave but met with a wall of silence even though the event was attended by 400 people.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Bananas in Pyjamas
Wycombe Museum Gardens - summer youth project - Richard III
Windsor Theatre Royal - Marti Webb in the musical Tell Me On A Sunday
Puppet Theatre at Higginson’s Park, Marlow from 2.30
Oxford Playhouse - The Railway Children
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Three Little Pigs
Headington Hill Park, Oxford - Romeo and Juliet

Thursday 19th August

High Street fire - A blazing lorry caused Beaconsfield High Street to be closed for several hours through the rush hour yesterday, bringing traffic chaos to the town. The lorry had been part of an overnight road marking exercise, and road workers were just packing up when the lorry became engulfed in flames. No one was injured.

A-level success - Youngsters in Wycombe area schools have recorded the best ever A level grades. When candidates learn their results today scores of them will find they have reached maximum grades.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Wycombe Museum Gardens Summer youth project - Richard III
Windsor Theatre Royal - Marti Webb in the musical Tell Me On A Sunday
Puppet Theatre at Higginson’s Park, Marlow from 2.30
Oxford Playhouse - The Railway Children
Headington Hill Park, Oxford - Romeo and Juliet

Wednesday 18th August

Crime crackdown - A massive summer purge on burglary and car crime in the Wycombe and Amersham area has resulted in 55 people a week being arrested every week for five weeks, police said yesterday. More than 1,500 vehicles have been stopped after police used the latest computer technology which gives instant information on suspect vehicles and stolen cars. Police are hoping the purge will reduce crime figures dramatically.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

West Wycombe Caves - Family Fun Day
Windsor Theatre Royal - Marti Webb in the musical Tell Me On A Sunday
Puppet Theatre at Higginson’s Park, Marlow from 2.30
Oxford Playhouse - The Railway Children
Vine Street Six jazz sextet - Beaconsfield Sycob FC
Headington Hill Park, Oxford - Romeo and Juliet
The Bet Lynch Experience at Smokey Joe’s, Maidenhead

Tuesday 17th August

Trial stopped - The trial of a Prestwood man accused ot shooting a wildlife conservationist was dramatically stopped yesterday and the jury sent home. Anthony Barnes, 52, of Blacksmith Lane, denies causing grievous bodily harm to Trevor Lawson. He says that while he was out “lamping foxes” - a form of night hunting - he mistook Mr Lawson’s night vision goggles for fox’s eyes. Mr Lawson was shot in the chest in April last year in woods at Hyde Heath, near Amersham. He spent two days in intensive care and had a lung removed.

No reason for given for yesterday’s trial adjournment at Aylesbury Crown Court - the public were simply told it was for “legal reasons”. The case could set a legal precedent for “lamping” where hunters use infra-red lights to flush out their prey. A new trial will now take place.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Hughenden Manor gardens - Alice Through the Looking Glass, 2.30
Windsor Theatre Royal - Marti Webb in the musical Tell Me On A Sunday
Oxford Playhouse - The Railway Children
Puppet Theatre at Higginson’s Park, Marlow from 2.30
Headington Hill Park, Oxford - Romeo and Juliet

Monday 16th August

Post office reprieve - Some of the dozen local post offices threatened with closure in the Wycombe area may get an eleventh hour reprieve after the Government announced yesterday it would find more cash to subsidise up to 8,000 threatened post offices throughout the country. But the local post offices facing closure will not know their fate until October.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Windsor Theatre Royal - Marti Webb in the musical Tell Me On A Sunday
Puppet Theatre at Higginson’s Park, Marlow from 2.30
Live folk music at the White Hill Centre, Chesham

Sunday 15th August

Still unbeaten - It may be only three games into the season, but confidence is riding high at Wycombe Wanderers. They visited promotion favourites Northampton yesterday and came away with a 1-1 drawn, the Blues goal from new signing Ian Stonebridge .

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

High Wycombe Town Show, The Rye
Windsor Theatre Royal - Marti Webb n the musical Tell Me On A Sunday
Knowl Hill Steam Fair
Puppet Theatre at Higginson’s Park, Marlow from 2.30

Saturday 14th August

Grieving family reunited - Amy, Hema and Kiran Patel, the three Amersham teenagers injured in the Austrian coach crash earlier this week were reunited with their father David in a Salzburg hospital yesterday, so they could mourn together their mother Claire who died from crush injuries when the coach rolled three times down a mountainside. Mrs Patel, 39, who worked in a charity shop in the town, died in hospital after desperate attempts by her husband, an accountant, and by paramedics to save her. Mr Patel has severe burns to his leg. The family hope to return home with Mrs Patel’s body late next week.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

High Wycombe Town Show, The Rye
Windsor Theatre Royal - Marti Webb in the musical Tell Me On A Sunday
Old Thatch, Enid Blyton’s old home in Well End, near Maidenhead, opens its gardens for charity
Pendly Manor, Tring - Twelfh Night (open air production)
Puppet Theatre at Higginson’s Park, Marlow from 2.30 and from 8pm
Oxford Playhouse - Ballroom, comedy about tea dancers
The Gate Inn, The Lee, Wendover - rock group Control Freaks

Friday 13th August

Coach tragedy - It was announced last night that an Amersham mother of three was among the dead in Tuesday’s Austrian coach crash which claimed the lives of five Britons. Claire Patel, 39, died when the coach rolled three times down a mountain side at Halleon near Saltzburg after it was hit by another vehicle. Her husband Dave was badly injured and underwent emergency surgery at a hospital in Saltzburg. He was recovering last night and is expected to be joined today by his three teenage children who had been treated in another hospital for less serious injuries. The children’s grandparents flew to Austria yesterday from their home in the Amersham area to be with them.

Striker sought - Premiership clubs Crystal Palace and West Brom were said to be considering bids yesterday for Wycombe Wanderers star striker Nathan Tyson, who has begun the season in lively goal-scoring mode. The clubs will need to make a move before the transfer deadline on August 31, but Wycombe manager Tony Adams will fight tooth and nail to keep Tyson, who joined Wycombe last season from Reading.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Windsor Theatre Royal - Marti Webb in the musical Tell Me On A Sunday
Pendly Manor, Tring - Twelfh Night (open air production)
Puppet Theatre at Higginson’s Park, Marlow from 2.30
Oxford Playhouse - Ballroom, comedy about tea dancers
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Brer Rabbit. 2pm

Thursday 12th August

Busted - Eleven men were being held by police last night after the biggest ever police drugs bust in the Wycombe area. Seventy police officers, accompanied by specially trained dogs, made early morning raids yesterday on seven addresses - four in Marlow, two in Wycombe and one in Aylesbury. Quantities of drugs were found and the 11 men, in their twenties and thirties, have been arrested on suspicion of conspiring to supply drugs.

Last night police said the raids were as a result of a “lengthy” investigation into what’s thought to be the area’s biggest drugs ring. Det Inspector Mark Wheatman, who led the operation, went out of his way to thank residents for their “support and co-operation”. Houses were raided in Jerome Close, James Close, Seymour Court Road, and Barley Way, Marlow; Castleview Gardens and Walton Drive, High Wycombe and Highbridge Walk, Aylesbury.

There was speculation last night that a drugs ring had been infiltrated by an undercover cop. These latest raids are not thought to be linked to the biggest ever find of cocaine in Britain in a storage unit in Aylesbury last week.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Windsor Theatre Royal - Marti Webb in the musical Tell Me On A Sunday
Pendley Manor, Tring - Twelfth Night (open air production)
Puppet Theatre at Higginson’s Park, Marlow from 2.30
Oxford Playhouse - Ballroom, comedy about tea dancers

Wednesday 11th August

Insect swarms - The hot sticky weather has brought increased complaints of insect swarms in the Wycombe area. Pest controllers are seeing a 20 per cent increase compared to last year’s hot summer on the number of wasps nests they have to deal with; while there have been several calls about swarms of hover flies, which look like small wasps but are perfectly harmless.

Driver dies - A woman died on the M40 at Loudwater yesterday after apparently losing control of her Mini Cooper while overtaking a lorry and hitting the crash barrier. The car rolled several times during the early morning smash. A man travelling in the car is being treated in hospital for serious injuries.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Wanderers win - Wycombe Wanderers played an impressive match at a rain-soaked Chester last night, winning 2-0 with goals from Mike Williamson and Danny Senda. That makes two out of two in League 2 for the Blues, putting them in joint second place in the division.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

West Wycombe Caves - Family Fun Day
Windsor Theatre Royal - Marti Webb in the musical Tell Me On A Sunday
Pendly Manor, Tring - Twelfh Night (open air production)
Puppet Theatre at Higginson’s Park, Marlow from 2.30
Oxford Playhouse - Ballroom, comedy about tea dancers

Tuesday 10th August

Rape charge - Carl Gomm, 24, of Stoney Grove, Chesham has been remanded in custody by magistrates charged with rape following an alleged attack in the town last Friday night.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Windsor Theatre Royal - Marti Webb in the musical Tell Me On A Sunday
Pendly Manor, Tring - Twelfh Night (open air production)
Puppet Theatre at Higginson’s Park, Marlow from 2.30
Oxford Playhouse - Ballroom, comedy about tea dancers

Monday 9th August

Good times ahead - A sensational study yesterday declared that the Wycombe area is set to become the most prosperous place in Europe. The three counties of Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire saw the biggest increase in wealth creation - known as the Gross Domestic Product - in the last five years compared to anywhere else on the continent, said the respected research group Experion.

The group said that over the next five years Bucks, Berks and Oxon will continue to be Europe’s fastest growing economic area and, Experion predicts, the area will eventually surpass the most prosperous areas anywhere in Europe. The news comes as interest is apparently surging in Wycombe’s new town centre. Another major department store group is expected to announce setting up a store in the town, joining the existing John Lewis and the proposed House of Fraser.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Puppet Theatre at Higginson’s Park, Marlow from 2.30
Folk singer Kaye Tilley at White Hill Centre, Chesham

Sunday 8th August

Striker hurt - Wycombe Wanderers striker Nathan Tyson was stretchered off the pitch and taken to hospital after scoring his second - and winning - goal for the Blues in their 2-1 defeat of Cambridge in the first game of the season yesterday. Afterwards Blues manager Tony Adams said Tyson had badly hurt his ribs in the goal-melee and he would be fully assessed today. The injury however is not thought to be long term.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Wycombe Carnival on the Rye
Thomas the Tank Engine Weekend at Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway
Chiltern Open Air Museum - Living Victorian history
Amersham Cricket Ground - satirical cabaret, Fascinating Aida
Old Thatch, Enid Blyton's old home in Well End, near Maidenhead, opens its gardens for charity
Puppet Theatre at Higginson's Park, Marlow from 2.30

Saturday 7th August

Bodyguard murder - A Wycombe man arrested as he stepped out of a plane from Spain at Heathrow appeared in court yesterday charged with murder. Roger Vincent, 32, from Penn is accused with another man of shooting celebrity bodyguard David King, 32, outside a gym in Hoddesdon, Herts last October.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Adams Park - Wycombe Wanderers v Cambridge United
Stonor Park - Proms spectacular
Wildlife gardens in Deeds Grove, Wycombe open for charity
President’s Garden, Magdalen College, Oxford - Julius Ceasar
Wycombe Swan - Summer youth project, Peter Pan
Chiltern Open Air Museum - Living Victorian history
Amersham Cricket Ground - satirical cabaret, Fascinating Aida
Chesham Elgiva - The Sound of Musak
Pendley Manor, Tring - A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Gaby Roslin and Stephanie Beacham in the comedy Dinner at Oxford Playhouse
Waddesdon Manor - The Way of the World, Congreve comedy
Puppet Theatre at Higginson’s Park, Marlow from 2.30 and from 8pm
Gate Inn, The Lee, Wendover - rock group Granite Thomas the Tank Engine Weekend at Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway

Friday 6th August

Rape charge - A man will appear at High Wycombe court today charged with a rape that occurred in the town 14 years ago. Mohammed Riaz, 30, from Hansworth, Birmingham is accused of raping an 18 year old woman in woodland off Chairborough Road in May 1990. The charges follow the reopening of the case by a team of police looking at unsolved crimes with the advantage of modern day forensic science, including DNA technology.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

President’s Garden, Magdalen College, Oxford - Julius Ceasar
New Theatre, Oxford - Jim Davidson
Wycombe Swan - Summer youth project, Peter Pan
Amersham Cricket Ground - satirical cabaret, Fascinating Aida
Chesham Elgiva - The Sound of Musak with the Blag Youth Theatre
Pendley Manor, Tring - A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Gaby Roslin and Stephanie Beacham in the comedy Dinner at Oxford Playhouse

Thursday 5th August

Murder charge - Robert Browning, 22, of Bellingham Road, Chesham has been remanded in custody until next Monday charged with the murder of Ben Cargill, 25, of Rose Drive, Chesham in Lowndes Park last Sunday. Mr Cargill was stabbed while watching the Hemel Hempstead Band along with hundreds of others.

Canoeist drowns - Welsh police said last night that canoeist David Philips, 68, who lives in Aylesbury, died after his canoe capsized on Lake Vyrnwy, near Newtown, earlier this week. His wife is recovering in hospital.

Veteran remembers - William Stone, aged 103, from Beaconsfield, was one of four World War One veterans who laid a wreath at the Whitehall Cenotaph yesterday to mark the 90th anniversary of the start of the Great War.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Norden Farm, Maidenhead - classical pianist Ronan O’Hore
President’s Garden, Magdalen College, Oxford - Julius Ceasar
Wycombe Swan - Summer youth project, Peter Pan
Amersham Cricket Ground - satirical cabaret, Fascinating Aida
Pendley Manor, Tring - A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Gaby Roslin and Stephanie Beacham in the comedy Dinner at Oxford Playhouse

Wednesday 4th August

Flood chaos - The worst thunder storm for years brought havoc to Wycombe yesterday. Local weather experts said storm clouds appeared to be trapped in the Wye Valley, resulting in nearly two hours of continuous heavy rain. The first hour of rain was the heaviest ever recorded in the town for a 60 minute spell - a total of 42mm, over one and a half inches. Fire and council services were overwhelmed as hundreds of homes and shops flooded, and traffic was brought to a standstill as a torrent gushed down Marlow Hill, flooding the roundabout at the bottom. Floods on the A40 at Loudwater were said to be over a foot deep at one stage. A number of buildings were hit by lightening. Last night neighbours and police were trying to contact people on holiday whose homes have been damaged.

Further afield, Wexham Park Hospital lost all its power when it was hit by lightening, trains were delayed by over an hour and motoring commuters were taking up to four and five hours to get to Wycombe from central London because floods closed various sections of the A40, stranding some motorists between the flooding.

Drugs chase - An 82 year old cyclist was recovering in hospital last night after being hit by a car involved in a dramatic police chase through the centre of High Wycombe yesterday. Police had swooped on three suspected drug deals at the town’s railway station, but one escaped and drove off at breakneck speed, colliding with another car at the Easton Street junction and causing whiplash injuries to the driver. It then hit the cyclist. Police sealed off the whole of the London Road and later arrested a 32 year old man in Queen’s Road. Three men were being questioned last night in connection with possessing and supplying drugs, thought to be heroin.

Village celebrates - Britain’s oldest model village, Beaconscot in Beaconsfield, celebrates its 75th birthday today with a family fun day. Staff were working late to prepare the attraction after yesterday’s deluge caused damage.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Beaconsfield Sycob FC - Phoenix Jazz Band
Beaconscot model village celebrates its 75th anniversary with family fun day
President’s Garden, Magdalen College, Oxford - Julius Ceasar
West Wycombe Caves - Family Fun Day
Amersham Cricket Ground - satirical cabaret, Fascinating Aida
Halton House open to public
Pendley Manor, Tring - A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Waltham Place organic farm and park open to public, White Waltham
Gaby Roslin and Stephanie Beacham in the comedy Dinner at Oxford Playhouse

Tuesday 3rd August

Victim named - Police last night named the man stabbed in front of hundreds of people in Chesham’s Lowndes Park on Sunday as Ben Cargill, aged 25, who lived in Rose Drive in the town. A man of 27, who was arrested on suspicion of murder, was still being interviewed last night. Yesterday the local council praised local people and members of the Hemel Hempstead Town Band who rushed to aid Mr Cargill as he was dying. Police, meanwhile, are trying to find a reason for what seems to be a totally motiveless attack. Eyewitnesses said a man with long flowing hair and beard appeared with a long knive and lunged at Mr Cargill while parents,children and band members looked on in horror.

Gurkha sues - A Gurkha soldier who is suing the Ministry of Defence for racial discrimination is receiving support from local people and charities. Lal Budha, 44, from Loudwater, his wife and two children are living on £97 a month pension after he was invalided out of the army following a liver transplant. He says British veterans in the same position receive five times that amount. Lal, who served 24 years in the 2nd Gurkha Rifles before catching hepatitis B in Hong Kong, was being financially supported by local people.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

TJ O’Reilly’s, Little Marlow - Geoff Mason jazz quintet
President’s Garden, Magdalen College, Oxford - Julius Ceasar
Amersham Cricket Ground - satirical cabaret, Fascinating Aida
Pendley Manor, Tring - A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Aylesbury Civic Centre - The Wheels on the Bus
New production starts at Sonning Mill - comedy There Goes The Bride
Thames Hotel, Maidenhead - physic festival
Gaby Roslin and Stephanie Beacham in the comedy Dinner at Oxford Playhouse

Monday 2nd August

Park horror - A pleasant Sunday afternoon in the park turned to horror yesterday when a teenager was stabbed to death. Hundreds were enjoying the sunshine and listening to the Hemel Hempstead Band in Chesham’s Lowndes Park at around four o’clock when it appears a fight broke out. Police and paramedics were called when it became apparent a 19 year old man had been stabbed, but he was declared dead at the scene. Police closed the park and interviewed scores of witnesses. Last night a 22 year old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and is being interviewed by police today.

Golfing success - There were celebrations in golf clubs around Wycombe last night when local golfer Luke Donald won his first European tour event, taking the Scandanvian Open in Malmo with a three under par score of 69 in the closing third round. Wycombe born Luke, a member of both Beaconsfield and Hazlemere golf clubs, has increased his chances of taking a wildcard place in next month’s Ryder Cup.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

White Hill Centre, Chesham - Live folk music
Amersham Cricket Ground - satirical cabaret, Fascinating Aida
Gaby Roslin and Stephanie Beacham in the comedy Dinner at Oxford Playhouse

Sunday 1st August

Supermarket first - The Wycombe branch of ASDA is the first in the country to introduce a scheme to stop able-bodied people from using disabled parking spaces. Electronic barriers have been placed across the parking spaces and will only open when they read a number plate of a pre-registered disabled shopper. If it’s a success in Wycombe it will spread over the rest of the country. Yesterday the scheme won a special award.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

American football at Amersham and Chesham Rugby Club - Chiltern Cheetahs v Essex Spartans, 2.30
Lowndes Park, Chesham - Hemel Hempstead Band, from 3pm
Amersham Cricket Ground - satirical cabaret, Fascinating Aida
Pendley Manor Flower Show, Tring

Saturday 31st July

Luke’s surge - Wycombe golfer Luke Donald yesterday increased his chances of joining Europe’s Ryder Cup team when he smashed a course record at the Scandanavian Open. The Beaconsfield Golf Club member hit a 65 - ten below par - at Malmo to take the lead after the first day.

New signing - Wycombe Wanderers manager Tony Adams pulled off a coup yesterday signing young Plymouth striker Ian Stonbridge for a “nominal fee”. The 22 year old has scored 45 times for Argyle out of 201 appearances.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Pheasant Pub,Amersham - Fun Day
Three live bands at White Horse, Wycombe
Windsor Castle gardens - Twelfth Night
Headington Hill Park, Oxford - Romeo and Juliet
New Theatre, Oxford - Annie
Amersham Martyrs History Walk, 2.30 from Amersham Museum
Children’s play The Pink Centipede at Maidenhead Norden Farm

Friday 30th July

Club changes - The 500 fans who in effect own Wycombe Wanderers football club voted by a narrow majority last night to change the club’s constitution so it becomes a public limited company. Three quarters of the shareowning membership (75 per cent) needed to agree to the plan for it to go ahead, and in the event 78 per cent did so.
The vote was a victory for club chairman Ivor Beeks, backed by manager Tony Adams, who said the club could have gone into administration unless fresh investment was allowed. But opponents argued that by ditching Wycombe’s unique constitution in the Football League, the club was now vulnerable to an asset-stripping multi-millionaire.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Windsor Castle gardens - Twelfth Night
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Hansel and Gretal
Headington Hill Park, Oxford - Romeo and Juliet
New Theatre, Oxford - Annie
Chesham Elgiva - Best of British Jazz
Watersmeet, Rickmansworth - Ballroom, drama play

Thursday 29th July

Blues crunch - The 500 fans and members who run Wycombe Wanderers football club - making it unique in the league - decide tonight whether to change the constitution of the club to make it into a public limited company. The present board have threatened to resign if a sufficient 75 per cent of the fan members do not vote yes because they say without the change - and a consequent investment of shareholders cash - the club cannot survive financially. But opponents say the club could be vulnerable to a take-over by a mega-rich asset-stripper if the change is agreed.

Drugs haul - There’s astonishment in Aylesbury over the discovery yesterday that a nondescript storage unit on a nondescript industrial estate in the town has probably been the main centre for Britain’s illegal storage of cocaine. Police made their biggest ever seizure of cocaine - 160 kilos in 180 packages at the unit yesterday - after an undercover operation in which the drugs were followed to Aylesbury from at Tilbury. Two people from London have been charged. The cocaine was destined for the streets of London and the south east.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Boney M play the Chicago Rock Café, Maidenhead
Rock band The Vaults play Wycombe’s White Horse
Windsor Castle gardens - Twelfth Night
Headington Hill Park, Oxford - Romeo and Juliet
New Theatre, Oxford - Annie

Wednesday 28th July

Schools row - A bitter row between Wycombe’s Royal Grammar School and its grammar school rivals was settled yesterday by an independent schools adjudicator. He ruled against the RGS who complained that a new catchment area scheme for taking in new pupils would disadvantage them. The other schools argued the RGS was only interested in “pick of the crop” pupils and would cash in on its popularity. The adjudicator also ruled against the RGS’s verbal reasoning tests to decide which out-of catchment area pupils it could take. Instead it will have to take out-of-catchment area pupils who live nearest to the school.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Windsor Castle gardens - Twelfth Night
Headington Hill Park, Oxford - Romeo and Juliet
The Delta jazz band at Beaconsfield Sycob FC
Mill at Sonning - comedy play Stepping Out
Windsor Theatre Royal - drama Final Judgement with Simon Ward and Adam Rickett

Tuesday 27th July

School stabbing - A boy of 15 yesterday admitted stabbing a 14 year old girl outside a school in January this year. A judge at Aylesbury Crown Court slapped a ban on naming the school, and said he would sentence the boy next month. The girl received a two and a half inch stab wound to her stomach. The boy is being kept in secure accommodation.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Mill at Sonning - comedy play Stepping Out
Windsor Theatre Royal - drama Final Judgement with Simon Ward and Adam Rickett
Windsor Castle gardens - Twelfth Night

Monday 26th July

Theatre figures - One in four people in the Wycombe area have never been to the town’s theatre, the Wycombe Swan, a survey out today reveals. But the majority of those that do go praise the theatre for its variety of shows and value for money. The figures are part of a survey into Wycombe’s leisure facilities. They also show 70 per cent of people have visited the town’s cinema complex, Filmworks, but less than a quarter take an active part in sport.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Windsor Castle gardens - Twelfth Night
Live folk music at White Hill Centre, Chesham
Summer Circus Week for children at Norden Farm, Maidenhead

Sunday 25th July

Lotto fantasist - Maidenhead student Dalip Singh was laughing on the other side of his face yesterday when his joke claiming he had won two and a half million on the lottery backfired. The 21 year old had been conning people all week about the win - four of his friends had arranged time off work because he said he was going to take them on a holiday to Las Vegas today; Friday’s Maidenhead Advertiser carried a front page picture of him celebrating, and he even lied to his own mother, telling her he was buying her a luxury house. Yesterday though he found himself on the front page of the Sun, described as a callous hoaxer, a lotto liar and a crackpot.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Windsor Castle gardens - Twelfth Night
Six mile sponsored walk for dogs in aid of Hearing Dogs for the Deaf. 11.30. Wycombe Road, Saunderton
Womed live music festival at Reading
Cliveden Craft Show

Saturday 24th July

Post Office attack - A 64 year old man collecting a neighbour’s pension was grabbed by armed robbers in a botched post office raid in Old Amersham. The two robbers fled empty from the shop in Market Square after blasting a security door. Police last night praised the customer for remaining calm as he was held in a bear hug and then flung to the floor.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Womed live music festival at Reading
Sgt Pepper rock concert at Berkhampstead Collegiate
Windsor Castle gardens - Twelfth Night
Wycombe Swan - All that jazz.
Maidenhead Norden Farm - The BBC, Andrew Gilligan and Me presented by Chris Neill
Vanilla Pod and four live groups at White Swan, Wycombe
Cliveden Craft Show

Friday 23rd July

Fame at last - The quiet and secluded village of Hughenden Valley near Wycombe found itself under the spotlight twice yesterday when the latest batch of statistics from the 2001 Census were released. It turns out the village has the highest average number of cars and van per household in England and Wales - two vehicles per household. It also has the highest proportion of residents with an English-only ethnicity - 95.9 per cent.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Wycombe Swan - Hold That Tiger! with Cantabile
Sgt Pepper rock concert at Berkhampstead Collegiate
Windsor Castle gardens - Twelfth Night
The Elephant Woman, play performed by Population 3 at Norden Farm, Maidenhead
Enchanted Journey, a musical for children at Aylesbury’s Limelight Theatre
Rock group Frowser play Hangings Lane pub, Prestwood

Thursday 22nd July

Base closure - The fate of RAF Naphill seemed sealed last night following the Government’s latest defence review. Although Defence Minister Geoff Hoon did not name four of the five RAF bases to be closed he told MPs that Britain’s ground based air defence capability was being reduced. In Wycombe last night there was little doubt that the minister meant RAF Naphill, the HQ of RAF Strike Command. Government sources said last night that consultation on the future of the base - which employs 2,000 people, many living in the town - was still underway.

Striker injured - Wycombe Wanderers confirmed yesterday that young striker Mark Philco broke his ankle when he fell awkwardly in a friendly against Portsmouth on Tuesday night, and will be out of the game for six months.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Sgt Pepper rock concert at Berkhampstead Collegiate
Windsor Castle gardens - Twelfth Night
Comic Ross Noble at Wycombe Swan
Maidenhead Norden Farm - Debut Theatre Group present Shostakovich
The Galeazzi Ensemble, Maidenhead Norden Farm art centre

Wednesday 21st July

Hospital decision - Health authority managers meet today to consider whether to accept sweeping changes to local hospitals, which have met with enormous opposition from local people. The authority has suggested concentrating specific hospital services in one of three hospitals in Wycombe, Stoke Mandeville and Amersham so they can concentrate resources and save money. But some of the more contentious plans - including moving all children’s and maternity services to Stoke Mandeville, and moving cardiac services to Wycombe - have met with anger and despair by people worried about longer travelling and inconvenience. Opposition groups should find out today if their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Sgt Pepper rock concert at Berkhampstead Collegiate
Maidenhead Norden Farm - Prelude to the dead - you will be!
Windsor Castle gardens - Twelfth Night
Wycombe Swan - Musical celebration of Heartbeat

Tuesday 20th July

Crossrail boost - The Government’s expected announcement today to build the Crossrail link from Paddington to Liverpool Street will send property prices in the Wycombe area booming, estate agents forecast last night. The south Bucks area is already popular with people who work in the city - Crossrail could reduce the journey from Wycombe to the City to just over half an hour, making the area more popular than ever.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Wycombe Swan - Sounds of Glenn Miller
Windsor Theatre Royal - Final Judgement starring Adam Rickett
Play, A Quiet Afternoon at Norden Farm, Maidenhead

Monday 19th July

Weapons swoop - Early morning police raids on addresses in Marlow this weekend netted 62 offensive weapons. The raids, part of a sustained crackdown on burglary, have so far resulted in 69 arrests in the Wycombe area in the past two weeks.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Live folk club nights at White Hill Centre, Chesham, and Nettlebed near Henl

Sunday 18th July

Wycombe win - at last! - Wycombe Wanderers won their first match since 3rd April with a 3-0 win over non-league Dorchester in their third pre-season friendly. The side included several of the new signings including Clint Easton who only signed from Norwich on Friday. The Chairboys now go onto face a tougher task when they take on Premiership side Portsmouth at Adams Park on Tuesday.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Mothers and Daughters - Elgiva, Chesham

Saturday 17th July

Open disappointment - Beaconsfield and Hazlemere Golf club member Luke Donald just failed to make the cut at Royal Troon yesterday. Donald fired a good 71 level par but a costly bogie on the 18th meant he missed the cut by one stroke which still eludes him. Meanwhile novice player Lewis Atkinson who is from Flackwell Heath finished joint last in his first open finishing up 22-over-par.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Wy combe Swan - the musical Chess
George Cole stars in Party Piece at Windsor Theatre Royal
The Chilterns Show at Great Missenden
Sgt Pepper rock concert at Berkhampstead Collegiate
Court Theatre, Tring - An Evening with Gary Lineker

Friday 16th July

Shooting incident - Police revealed details yesterday of an incident in the early hours of Sunday morning in which a teenager was shot at. A 19 year old man was been chased by three to four men along Lance Way with one of them firing a shot at him. The youth then took refuge in a block of flats when another shot was fired damaging some reinforced glass. The bullets did not hurt the victim and police are keeping an open mind about the motive for the attack.

Donald Blow - Luke Donald is unlikely to make the cut at Royal Troon today after he fired a disappointing 75 (4-over-par) to leave him a long way of the pace. The poor showing could significantly damage the High Wycombe star’s chances of making the Europe Ryder Cup team later this year.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Wycombe Swan - the musical Chess
George Cole stars in Party Piece at Windsor Theatre Royal
The Chilterns Show at Great Missenden
Sgt Pepper rock concert at Berkhampstead Collegiate
Court Theatre, Tring - An Evening with Gary Lineker

Thursday 15th July

Donald’s open shot - High Wycombe golfer Luke Donald tees off this morning at 7.58am alongside world number two Ernie Ells and American Justin Leonard in the Open championship at Royal Troon. The world number 62 is hoping for a good performance to boost his hopes of making the European Ryder Cup team. Bookmakers don’t fancy his chances however and rate him as a 125-1 outsider to win the championship.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Wycombe Swan - the musical Chess
George Cole stars in Party Piece at Windsor Theatre Royal
Court Theatre, Tring - An Evening with Gary Lineker

Wednesday 14th July

Bullying fear - A post-mortem is to be held today on 11 year old Stokenchurch Primary School pupil Nathan Matthews who died yesterday during a swimming lesson. It emerged yesterday that Nathan was in the shallow end and had gone to retrieve a relay ring but did not resurface. His parents fear bullying could have played a part and questioned the amount of time he must have been under water. Speaking yesterday Nathan’s dad Terry said that his son had been physically sick following bullying incidents while his mother Penny said that they even had to call the police because he was been bullied at the bus stop. The school’s head teacher Andrew White said there was no evidence of physical contact.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Wycombe Swan - the musical Chess
George Cole stars in Party Piece at Windsor Theatre Royal
Court Theatre, Tring - An Evening with Gary Lineker

Tuesday 13th July

School tragedy - A school swimming lesson ended in tragedy yesterday with the death of an 11 year old boy. Nathan Matthews, a pupil in his final week at Stokenchurch Primary School was completing a set of lessons at Thame Leisure Centre when he was spotted lying motionless in the water. He was then pulled from the water by a lifeguard but attempts to resuscitate him failed and he was later pronounced dead at John Radcliffe Hospital. His headteacher Andrew White described him as a fun-loving and friendly boy and promised a swift investigation. Counselling is now been offered to his fellow pupils, staff and family. A post mortem is due to be held tomorrow with an inquest opening later in the week. Police are not treating the death as suspicious.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

George Cole stars in Party Piece at Windsor Theatre Royal
Court Theatre, Tring - An Evening with Gary Lineker

Monday 12th July

Council bungle - Chiltern District council could have lost up to £1,000,000 of taxpayers’ money after an attempt to transfer leisure services ended in disaster. The Conservative controlled council admit they have lost over £500,000 but Lib Dem opposition councillors think it could be nearer a million. The money was lost after leisure services were transferred to Chiltern Leisure Trust four years ago, but due to inefficient management the trust are heavily in debt and council loans have been lost. Wycombe Leisure Trust have taken over the services in the interim until a new provider is found.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

George Cole stars in Party Piece at Windsor Theatre Royal

Sunday 11th July

House price slowdown - A report published by Nationwide building society shows that house prices in Wycombe are among the slowest to rise in the country along with Tower Hamlets and Winchester. However Nationwide point out that these are already some of the most expensive areas and do not expect house prices to drop.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

The Rye - Wycombe Half Marathon
Spirit of the Horse, Berks College of Agriculture, Maidenhead
Clivden - Outdoor, riverside production of Wind in the Willows
Monteverdi concert at St Dunstan’s, Monks Risborough
Bisham Gardens Open Day

Saturday 10th July

Friendly defeat - Less than a week after the final of Euro 2004, the new football season began last night with Wycombe Wanderers playing their first friendly against Beaconsfield. An experimental side made up mostly of traillists started the season like they finished the last with defeat, going down 2-1. There was a further setback as long standing player Keith Ryan was forced off with an ankle injury after half an hour.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Spirit of the Horse, Berks College of Agriculture, Maidenhead
Bryan Ferry at Cutteslowe Park, Oxford
Tring Festival Fringe - Cabaret at Court Theatre
Clivden - Outdoor, riverside production of Wind in the Willows
George Cole stars in Party Piece at Windsor Theatre Royal
RAF Band at St George’s Church, Halton
Wycombe Orpheus Choir at St Mary’s, Old Amersham
Open air Music from the Movies concert at Waddesdon Manor
Henley Festival - Fireworks and classics on a floating River Thames stage

Friday 9th July

NHS report - A report yesterday published by Thames Valley strategic health authority claims that waiting times for both inpatient and outpatient services are getting shorter and that all trusts have met their targets. However campaigners against modernisation plans which include moving some services away from Wycombe Hospital say any improvements are meaningless if people can not get basic services from their local hospital.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Spirit of the Horse, Berks College of Agriculture, Maidenhead
Wycombe Swan - Kit and the Widow
Tring Festival Fringe - Cabaret at Court Theatre
Chesham Elgiva - Hit songs from Broadway
Clivden - Outdoor, riverside production of Wind in the Willows
George Cole stars in Party Piece at Windsor Theatre Royal
Limelight Theatre, Aylesbury, - Wilde at Heart, play about Oscar Wilde
Henley Festival - Operatic tenor Jose Cura

Thursday 8th July

Frogmore fight - Police spent yesterday investigating an incident in Frogmore that left four people with serious injuries. Officers were called into the area in the early hours of yesterday morning following calls from concerned passer-by’s. Police then had to corden off the area throughout the day while investigations took place. Three men aged between 18 and 20 have been arrested in connection with the incident.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Roald Dahl’s garden at Gipsy House, Great Missenden open for charity
Spirit of the Horse, Berks College of Agriculture, Maidenhead
Wycombe Swan - Anti-BBC campaigner and former Downing Street mouthpiece Alistair Campbell in conversation
Tring Festival Fringe - Cabaret at Court Theatre
Chesham Elgiva - Hit songs from Broadway
Clivden - Outdoor, riverside production of Wind in the Willows
George Cole stars in Party Piece at Windsor Theatre Royal
Henley Festival - Kiri Te Kanawa
Henley Festival - Georgie Fame


Wednesday 7th July

Taxi increase? - Councillors meet tonight to consider increasing the number of licensed taxi's in Wycombe. It is currently set at 50 but this could be increased as many people are left waiting.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Wycombe Swan - Comic Bill Bailey
Evelyn Glennie at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle
Tring Festival Fringe - Cabaret at Court Theatre
Chesham Elgiva - Hit songs from Broadway
George Cole stars in Party Piece at Windsor Theatre Royal
Momiji Concert at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle
Henley Festival - The Vienna Vegetable Orchestra
Henley Festival - Guitarist, John Williams
Henley Festival - Hazel O’Connor

Tuesday 6th July

Students warned - Students heading for university later this year were worned yesterday to make sure they are not been ripped-off by unscrupulous landlords. Buckinghamshire Trading Standards yesterday said they had received many complaints from students in the area who have just left accomodation that depostits have been refused to be paid back. They also said there had been instances where they had been charged the cost of new items to replace old ones that had often just deteriorated through reasonable use. Students are advised to check their contracts carefully and take it to trading standards if unsure.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Wycombe Swan - The Cholmondeleys and the Featherstonehaughs
George Cole stars in Party Piece at Windsor Theatre Royal

Monday 5th July

Fading hope for post offices - Campaigners fighting to save local post offices under threat of closure were given another blow when Tory Wycombe MP Paul Goodman and his prospective Labour opponent Julia Wassell both said there was little chance in saving them. Mr Goodman said that the doomed post offices were going broke in any case while Ms Wassell said that only the one in Holmer Green had a chance of been saved. Both candidates said however that they would still fight the closures. Meanwhile campaigners were reporting a good response to their hastily arranged petitions.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Tring Festival Fringe - Cabaret at Court Theatre
Folk singer John Kirkpatrick at White Hill Centre, Chesham
Bike night at Bull and Butcher, Ludgershall

Sunday 4th July

Traffic Chaos - Commuters using Marlow Road are been urged to leave extra time starting from tommorrow as improvments into improving traffic flow at Handy Cross moves into the 4 month next stage. Planners have senisbly coincided the roadworks with the school holidays but with the schools still on this week, long delays are forecast.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Cookham Dean Beer Festival
Henley Regatta
George and Dragon, West Wycombe - Alan Ayckbourne’s Round and Round the Garden
Leukaemia Research summer fete at Little Kingshill
Chiltern Steam Ralley at Prestwood
South Bucks Antiques Fair at Missenden Abbey

Saturday 3rd July

Dawn raid - Police launched a dawn raid on a house in Hughenden yesterday as part of a big crackdown on crime. Twenty four hours earlier a house in West Wycombe was searched for stolen items. In the latest raid a 23 year old man was arrested for possessing drugs. Police said the raid was part of a crackdown on summer crime, adding they will carry out search warrants every day for two months.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Cookham Dean Beer Festival
Henley Regatta
Prestwood Steam Rally
Susan Penhaligan and Peter Duncan in Things We Do For Love, Windsor Theatre Royal
Wycombe Swan - Roland Gift and the Fine Young Cannibals

Friday 2nd July

Post Office farce - There was grim news for campaigners trying to save 12 High Wycombe area post offices from closure last night after Post Office Ltd announced it was ignoring similar pleas from campaigners in Oxford and Aylesbury and going ahead with the closure of 10 post offices in those areas. In as move condemned as totally arrogant, the Post Office refused to tell its customers in Oxford how many people used the doomed post offices because such info was “commercially sensitive” - a strange excuse considering the post offices will soon be commercially dead. So far the Post Office has not changed its mind on any proposed closures in the Bucks and Oxford areas, despite pleas from councils, newspapers and customers.

Rape quiz - Detectives investigating the rape of a 25 year old woman near Amersham last week were last night questioning a 26 year old local man who was arrested yesterday on suspicion of rape.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Blenheim Palace music festival with Joan Armatrading and Van Morrison
Cookham Dean Beer Festival
Fusion Band Night at Chesham Elgiva
Henley Regatta
Spiritual medium Tony Stockwell at Hayes Beck
Susan Penhaligan and Peter Duncan in Things We Do For Love, Windsor Theatre Royal
Tring Fringe Festival - Plant Funk, at Court Theatre
Wycombe Swan - Comedy play Stones in his Pockets

Thursday 1st July

Same game, new faces - You may have thought the football season was drawing to a close, but it starts up all over again at Adams Park today when Wycombe Wanderers players return to begin training for next season. Three players will be signing one year contracts - defenders Gus Uhlenbeek from Chesterfield, Joe Burnell from Bristol City and keeper Steve Williams - and two players short term contracts for the pre-season period - Gary Silk from Portsmouth and Mike Williamson from Southampton. Two Blues players dumped by Tony Adams last season have found jobs with other clubs - Michael Simpson has joined Leyton Orient and Dannie Bulman is at Stevenage.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Henley Regatta
Maidenhead Norden Farm - Evening of Kathak Dance
Psychic Fayre at Liston Hall, Marlow
Susan Penhaligan and Peter Duncan in Things We Do For Love, Windsor Theatre Royal
Tring Festival Fringe - Dick!, adult panto at Court Theatre
Wycombe Swan - Comedy play Stones in his Pockets

Wednesday 30th June

Rapists sought - Police are hunting two men from the Amersham area after a woman was raped in a field. The victim, a 25 year old from Rickmansworth, had accepted a lift with two other women after leaving Winkers night club in Chalfont St Peter in the early hours of Friday morning. The two other women - whom police are anxious to interview -were dropped off at Amersham Tesco. The rape happened 10 minutes later. Last night questions were being asked as to why police waited four days before appealing for information. One of the rapists was called Chris, wore several earrings in his left ear, had close cropped mousey hair and spoke with a strong Yorkshire accent. The other called himself Richard and was short and skinny with cropped brown hair. They are both in their twenties.

Events in and around High Wycombe area today include:

Chenies Manor House and Garden open
Cliveden - Open air production of The Tempest
South African play Amajuba at Oxford Playhouse
Susan Penhaligan and Peter Duncan in Things We Do For Love, Windsor Theatre Royal
The Heart of England Jazz Band at Beaconsfield Sycob FC
Tring Festival Fringe - A night at the Opera, Court Theatre

Tuesday 29th June

Promoter shot - Members of the hit show Lord of the Dance were in trauma last night after one of their team was shot dead in South Africa. Darryl Kempster, 36, who lives near Princes Risborough, was a merchandising salesman with the show. He was shot three times on the steps of his hotel on Sunday in Johannesburg and robbed of his bag and laptop. Leading dancers tried unsuccessfully to revive him. Star Michael Flatley said the cast and crew were traumatised by the shooting and would be flying home today, cancelling the remaining shows.

Housing war - The Government yesterday blasted planners and councillors in Beaconsfield for being one of the worst councils in the country for “wasting land”. The Government set density levels for new housing developments at between 30 and 50 per hectare, but South Bucks Council has ignored the guidance and in the last couple of years has permitted more big houses surrounded by lots of space - averaging just 13 buildings per hectare.

Events in and around High Wycombe area today include:

RAF Band with compere Jim Bowen at Hayes Beck
South African play Amajuba at Oxford Playhouse
Susan Penhaligan and Peter Duncan in Things We Do For Love, Windsor Theatre Royal
Tribute to country music legends at Wycombe Swan
Tring Festival Fringe - Not the Last Night of the Proms, Court Theatre

Monday 28th June

Naked ambition - Ex City worker Andrew Welch, 39, today starts work as the first ever commercial manager of British Naturism, the society for nudists. But his neighbours in Chalfont St Peter could be in for a bit of a shock. He told a Sunday newspaper yesterday: “We don’t bathe naked in the garden - I don’t want to test the neighbours. I don’t think they know!”. Mr Welch said that a recent survey found that nearly one million Brits consider themselves naturists.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Cookham Dean Church flower festival
Folk singer Sid Kipper at Nettlebed Village Hall
Jaleo Flamenco, music and dance of Andalusia, Wycombe Swan
Susan Penhaligan and Peter Duncan in Things We Do For Love, Windsor Theatre Royal
Tring Festival Fringe - Hard to Swallow, play about anorexia at Court Theatre

Sunday 27th June

Post office row - Communities in the Wycombe area quickly got their act together yesterday, organising protest meetings and arranging mass petitions in an attempt to stop Post Office Ltd closing a dozen local post offices. Wycombe MP Paul Goodman, Maidenhead MP Teresa May and Amersham and Chesham MP Cheryl Gillan also waded in, condemning the proposals.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Aylesbury Concert Band on Ivinghoe Lawn, 8pm
Aylesbury Dog Show, Aylesbury rugby ground
Cookham Dean Church flower festival
Donkey Derby at Wooburn Park
Light classical music concert at Amersham Cricket Club
Lord of the Dance at New Theatre, Oxford
Singing in the Rain at Reading Hexagon
Toy Theatre at Maidenhead’s Norden Farm Arts Centre
Tring Festival Fringe - Big Band Special at Court Theatre
Wycombe Swan - React!, young singers, dancers and actors do their thing

Saturday 26th June

Last post - The Post Office was under attack last night after giving people just six weeks to put their case together to stop the closure of a dozen small but well used community post offices in the Wycombe and Amersham area. The Post Office say they need to reduce the number of post offices so they can increase profits, but local communities say older people in particular will be further isolated, and to give them just six weeks in the holiday season to mount arguments against the closures is unfair. The move comes after a similar purge to close small post offices in the Aylesbury area.

New players - Dutch defender Gus Uhlenbeek, 33, yesterday signed a year’s contract with Wycombe Wanderers yesterday after being released by Chesterfield. Manager Tony Adams has also taken teenager Portsmouth defender Garry Silk on a month’s loan, with a view to signing him full time.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include:

Alan Price at Watersmeet Theatre, Rickmansworth
Ayckbourn’s Things We Do for Love - Windsor Theatre Royal
Beaconsfield High School - Mostly Musicals with A40 Choir
Cookham Dean Church flower festival
Country fete at Bradenham Manor
Lord of the Dance at New Theatre, Oxford
Roald Dahl Festival at various locations in Aylesbury, starting with a parade in the Market Square at 11am
Roald Dahl’s garden at Gipsy House, Great Missenden open to the public from 2pm
Sixties musical Hair at Maidenhead Norden Farm Arts Centre
Spitfire Proms Concert in West Wycombe Park
St Andrew’s Church, Wycombe - Songs from the Shows

Friday 25th June

Golfer decides - Wycombe’s Luke Donald changed his mind yesterday and decided to play his professional golf in Europe this summer so he will be able for selection for the Ryder Cup. Donald, 26, a member of Beaconsfield Golf Club, is ranked 21st in the world but had earlier decided to stay on the American circuit this year, thereby ruling himself out for the Ryder Cup. But after failing to qualify for the American Open he decided yesterday to play 11 tournaments in Europe.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include

Ayckbourne’s Things We Do for Love - Windsor Theatre Royal
Lord of the Dance at New Theatre, Oxford
R&B night at Wycombe Swan
Sixties musical Hair at Maidenhead Norden Farm Arts Centre

Thursday 24th June

Pop up con -A family from Great Kingshill are warning internet users to beware of a con which has cost them hundreds of pounds and is being investigated by web authorities worldwide. Susan Westedge’s daughters were faced with a pop-up ad whenever they logged on to the internet asking them if they wanted to download free software. But when they clicked No or the closebox they were unknowingly connected to a premium-rate phone line, charging them £1.50 a minute for the duration of their time on the internet. Mrs Westedge’s phone bill was increased by over £100 in the last quarter because of the scam.

Cricketer signs - David Taylor, the 29 year old explosive batsman whose brilliant innings’ helped High Wycombe secure two Home Counties championships, is today expected to sign for Derbyshire until the end of the cricket season. Taylor left High Wycombe after a row and joined Henley last season.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include

Ayckbourne’s Things We Do for Love - Windsor Theatre Royal
Lord of the Dance at New Theatre, Oxford
Rock band Bridgetown at Three Pigeons pub, Milton Common
Sixties musical Hair at Maidenhead Norden Farm Arts Centre
Wycombe Swan - History of Motown

Wednesday 23rd June

Human fireball - A 25 year old man is in a critical condition in Stoke Mandeville Hospital after it’s thought he set fire to himself. Police were received a midnight call to White Lion Road, Amersham found what was described as “a human fireball”. It’s believed the man had earlier been celebrating England’s Euro-soccer win against Croatia.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Ayckbourne’s Things We Do for Love - Windsor Theatre Royal
Comic Omid Djalili at Hayes Beck
Lord of the Dance at New Theatre, Oxford
Rock talent contest at Here and Now, Wycombe
Sixties musical Hair at Maidenhead Norden Farm Arts Centre
Students from Bucks Chilterns University Design Faculty show their designs at Wycombe campus
The Antique Six Jazz Band at Beaconsfield Sycob FC
Wycombe Swan - Sleeping Beauty by English Youth Ballet

Tuesday 22nd June

Don Con - Only one thing marred the celebrations around England’s Euro victory against Croatia for Wycombe Wanderers’ fans in pubs and clubs last night - the news earlier that the Football League had allowed franchise club Wimbledon to change its name to Milton Keynes Dons. Many were already practising a new chant for next season - there’s only one real football league club in Bucks! Wanderers fans are used to commercial concerns buying out footballing tradition - most supporters still refer to the home ground as Adams Park, refusing to acknowledge what they see as the here-today, gone-tomorrow commercial company that bought the name of the stadium, dishonouring the name of the club’s saviour and benefactor Frank Adams.

Violent past - The violent past of Wycombe killer Stuart Hogan was revealed last night, hours after he killed himself in jail where he was on remand for murdering his wife Vicky and her sister Emma Watson. Hogan, 39, who spent most of his life in Wycombe, shot the women in front of their children at a barbecue at their home in High Cross near Henley two weeks ago. Last night it was revealed he had a long history of violence in Wycombe, and was nearly sent down for causing grievous bodily harm. One ex-friend Gavin Watson said: “Stuart seemed to enjoy violence. There was always a deeper anger that blew up into a volcano that erupted.” Another friend added: “He was just a bully and a thug”.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Ayckbourne’s Things We Do for Love - Windsor Theatre Royal
Lord of the Dance at New Theatre, Oxford
Norman Cudd at Litten Tree, Frogmoor
Sixties musical Hair at Maidenhead Norden Farm Arts
Students from Bucks Chilterns University Design Faculty show their designs at Wycombe campus
Wycombe Swan - Sleeping Beauty by English Youth Ballet

Monday 21st June

Hospital pressure - It is looking increasingly likely that Buckinghamshire health bosses will go back to the drawing board after overwhelming opposition to their plans to reorganise hospital services by concentrating treatment for specific services at either Wycombe, Amersham or Stoke Mandeville hospitals. Today Bucks councillors will be told that the plan, if implemented, would add tens of thousands of pounds of social services in the county. All local MPs, consultants, local doctors and thousands of members of the public have condemned the plan, one part of which would mean the closure of Wycombe’s acclaimed special care baby unit. Consultation on the scheme end on Friday, but it seems likely health bosses will ask those opposing them to join in a plea to the Government for more money to fund hospitals and help with recruitment.



Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Theatre on a narrow-boat - the Mikron Theatre Co present Pedal Power berthed at the Bounty pub, Bourne End
Students from Bucks Chilterns University Design Faculty show their designs at Wycombe campus
Folk group Maerlock at White Hill Centre, Chesham

Sunday 20th June

MP nicked - Beaconsfield MP Dominic Grieve, the Conservative’s Shadow Attorney General - chief law officer - has been done for speeding after he was caught by a speed camera in his constituency. Mr Grieve was fined for travelling at 38 mph in a 30 mph area and had three points added to his licence. But he told fellow Tory members: “No wingeing about speed cameras from me. I deserved it.”

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

A Cappella plus a Fella - an evening of music and laughter at Chesham Elgiva
Afternoon jam session at Le De Spencers pub, Downly
Big craft exhibition at Great Missenden
Fun day at Quainton Rail Centre
Live Irish music between 3 and 6 at Wycombe Irish Club
Medeival sword fighting and jousting at Chiltern Open Air Museum
Oxford Playhouse - Three Men in a Boat
Penn and Tylers Green Fun Run
Wycombe Swan - Tribute show to Showaddywaddy, Boney M and Bee Gees

Saturday 19th June

School closures - A reduction in the number of children led to the council yesterday announcing the proposed closure of three primary schools in Wycombe. In plans to be put to parents, Bucks County Council wants to close Hannah Ball Infant School, Wycombe Marsh Infant School and Beechview Junior school and build a new school on the site of Beechview. It also plans a children’s centre to cater for children from one to six. The council said there were 143 empty places at two of the primary schools.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:
Abba gold at Hayes Beck
Big craft exhibition at Great Missenden
Marlow Regatta at Dorney Lake
Medieval sword fighting and jousting at Chiltern Open Air Museum
Punk band Ciderfex reform to play tribute gig to their ex-member Simon Hutton, who died of a heart attack aged 30. White Horse, Wycombe. Also starring Hacksaw.
Ralf Little stars as Billy Liar at Windsor Theatre Royal
Seer Green’s Cherry Pie Fair
The Merry Wives of Windsor by Chiltern Shakespeare Co at Hall Barn, Beaconsfield
Wycombe Swan - Tom’s Midnight Garden by Birmingham Stage Company
Wycombe Town Hall - play A Servant to two masters

Friday 18th June

“Evil” driver - A Thame man who was branded an “evil driver” by a judge yesterday is today beginning a seven and a half year prison sentence after causing an accident which killed two men and severely injured another. Daniel Palanca, 32, of Wellington Street, had spent the afternoon drinking in Aylesbury before driving off in a car without a licence or insurance to his home in Thame. For three miles he drove at high speed, often on the wrong side of the road, before losing control and smashing into another vehicle - driving that amounted to “really evil conduct” said Judge David Morton. Palanca’s childhood friend, Ryan Dormer, 29, and the driver of another car, Philip Edwards, 58, both from Thame, were killed instantly. Another driver, Andrew Broughton, was permanently injured, wrecking a promising yachting career.

Hero dies -Yeti, the last horse to survive the IRA nail bomb attack in Hyde Park 22 years ago, died peacefully yesterday at his retirement home, the Home of Rest for Horses, near Princes Risborough. The 36 year old black gelding had retired with other equine survivors Sefton and Echo. Four men and seven horses were killed in the blast.

Events in and around Wycombe today include

Big craft exhibition at Great Missenden
Comic Boothby Graffoe at Norden Farm, Maidenhead
Ralf Little stars as Billy Liar at Windsor Theatre Royal
The Merry Wives of Windsor by Chiltern Shakespeare Co at Hall Barn, Beaconsfield
Wycombe Swan - Tom’s Midnight Garden by Birmingham Stage Company
Wycombe Town Hall - play A Servant to two masters

Thursday 17th June

Swans hit - The number of swans on the River Thames has dropped for the second year running, environmentalists said yesterday. They blamed increasing attacks by mink, dogs and yobs with shotguns. The news came ahead of next month’s official count, known as swan-upping.

Events in and around Wycombe today include

Local artists open their studios - www.bucks-open-stuidios.org.uk for details
Ralf Little stars as Billy Liar at Windsor Theatre Royal
The Merry Wives of Windsor by Chiltern Shakespeare Co at Hall Barn, Beaconsfield
Wycombe Swan - Tom’s Midnight Garden by Birmingham Stage Company
Wycombe Town Hall - play A Servant to two masters

Wednesday 16th June

Shoppers tackle car thieves - Two men from the Wycombe area are being questioned last night after a spectacular chase involving a top of the range Mercedes stolen in Beaconsfield. The Merc smashed through a barrier over a toll bridge near Shrewsbury before driving at high speed into the centre of the Shropshire town chased by police. The stolen car screeched to a halt in a junior school car park and the two occupants legged it. But they didn’t reckon on local people. Teachers left their classrooms to give chase, as did a passing postman, several shoppers and a bus driver who leapt from his cab. Eventually the two men were cornered and arrested. They were bailed to appear at Wycombe police station.

Events in and around the Wycombe area today include:

Andy Roddick plays a pre-Wimbledon challenge match at Stoke Park Club, Stoke Poges
Live jazz at Beaconsfield SycombeFC
Local artists open their studios - www.bucks-open-stuidios.org.uk for details
Ralf Little stars as Billy Liar at Windsor Theatre Royal
Rock talent contest at Wycombe Here and Now bar
The Merry Wives of Windsor by Chiltern Shakespeare Co at Hall Barn, Beaconsfield
Wycombe Swan - Tom’s Midnight Garden by Birmingham Stage Company

Tuesday 15th June

Tim arrives - Top Wimbledon stars are to play warm up matches locally this week. Tomorrow tournament favourite Andy Roddick features in an exhibition match at Stoke Park in Stoke Poges, and on Thursday Tim Henmen will be playing to get in some vital grass-court practice. The public will be allowed into the private sports centre to see the games.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Ralf Little stars as Billy Liar at Windsor Theatre Royal
Wycombe Swan - Tom’s Midnight Garden by Birmingham Stage Company
Local artists open their studios - www.bucks-open-stuidios.org.uk for details
Ska bands Fleshies and Meenies at Wycombe Roundabout, Bridge Street

Monday 14th June

Shops fear - Top Wycombe councillors meet in secret tonight to discuss the latest news surrounding the town’s controversial town centre redevelopment, amid suggestions that big retailers are reluctant to either expand or move to the town. Councils of similar sized shopping towns just a few miles away, such as Aylesbury, Uxbridge and Maidenhead, have been quicker off the mark than Wycombe in getting their new town-centres underway.

UKIP hotbed - There were indications last night that the south Bucks area is a stronghold for the anti-Europe party the UK Independence Party. Votes in the Euro elections have still to be fully analysed, but initially it looked as though up to one in five voters favoured UKIP.

God’s a Frenchman - A Chesham church attracted double its normal congregation last night - after it moved its evening service forward and then invited the worshippers to watch the England v France Euro game on a big screen. But as we all know, any prayers for an English victory at Emmanuel Church were unfufilled.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Ralf Little stars as Billy Liar at Windsor Theatre Royal
Local artists open their studios - www.bucks-open-stuidios.org.uk for details
Beaconsfield Operatic Society play Opera-tunity in Venice, Hall Barn, Beaconsfield

Sunday 13th June

House cost rise - The average cost of a house in Beaconsfield has risen to a staggering £550,485 the Halifax bank announced yesterday, making the area by far the most expensive market town in Britain. The average house cost is nearly twice as much as the second most expensive market town, Midhurst in Sussex.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Chris Addison at Marlow Comedy House, The Crown
Dragon boat racing at Marlow Town Regatta; and tribute concerts to Abba and Stones tonight
Eagles tribute show, Wycombe Swan
European Ballet at Watersmeet Theatre, Rickmansworth
White Waltham organic farm and gardens open to the public
Local artists open their studios - www.bucks-open-stuidios.org.uk for details
Live Irish music at Wycombe Irish Club

Saturday 12th June

Café stabbing - Two men have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following a stabbing in a busy coffee shop yesterday morning. Their 21 year old victim is in a critical condition after a row in the café in Buckingham Parade, Chalfont St Peter. The men, aged 33 and 28, were still being questioned by police last night.

Dead heat - Two local council candidates created local electoral history yesterday when they each received the same number of votes in at election count at Slough. The returning officer ordered three recounts, but they had each received 711 votes each. Both men - a local Tory leader and an independent - agreed to settle the result by the throw of a dice…the Conserative threw a five, and the independent a two.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

American Ska band Slow Gherkin at Wycombe multi-racial centre
Amersham and Wycombe college students production of Godspell, Amersham campus
Baroque concert at Broadway Baptist Church, Chesham
Blues guitarist Gregg Wright at Norden Farm Arts Centre, Maidenhead
Chesham Elgiva - stage version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Eton College gardens open to public in aid of charity
Hideaway, play about Jewish children in the warm at Limelight Theatre, Aylesbury
Maidenhead Carnival
Marlow Town Regatta by the river ending with fireworks display
Ralf Little stars as Billy Liar at Windsor Theatre Royal
Rambert Dance Company, New Theatre, Oxford
The Merry Wives of Windsor by Chiltern Shakespeare Co at Hall Barn, Beaconsfield
Wycombe Sinfonia at All Saint’s Parish Church
Wycombe Swan - Terry Lightfoot and his band

Friday 11th June

Health retreat - National health bosses who are holding a public consultation on the future of hospitals in Bucks are refusing to attend a public meeting in Marlow tonight because they say it will be “too confrontational”. Organisers are angry that part of the plan proposes closing the special care baby unit at Wycombe Hospital.

Today’s events in the Wycombe area include:

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Pegasus Theatre, Oxford
Amersham and Wycombe college students production of Godspell, Amersham campus
An audience with Sir Jimmy Young at Rickmansworth’s Watersmeet Theatre
Chesham Elgiva - stage version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Frank Sinatra tribute concert, Wycombe Swan
Ralf Little stars as Billy Liar at Windsor Theatre Royal
Rambert Dance Company, New Theatre, Oxford
The Merry Wives of Windsor by Chiltern Shakespeare Co at Hall Barn, Beaconsfield

Thursday 10th June

Ozzy’s back - Rock superstar Ozzy Osbourne is to return to his Chalfont mansion next week for the first time since a quad bike accident in the grounds of his home nearly killed him six months ago. But the bikes have already been ditched - never to be ridden again by Ozzy. He’ll be using his home as a base as he prepares for London’s Oympic torch concert in the Mall on June 26.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Amersham and Wycombe college students production of Godspell, Amersham campus
Wycombe Swan - Jazz star Stacey Kent and her musicians
Ralf Little stars as Billy Liar at Windsor Theatre Royal
The Merry Wives of Windsor by Chiltern Shakespeare Co at Hall Barn, Beaconsfield
Wycombe Town Hall - Hellfire Comedy Club
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Pegasus Theatre, Oxford
Rambert Dance Company, New Theatre, Oxford
Reduced Shakespeare Company at Norden Farm, Maidenhead

Wednesday 9th June

Tories worried - Conservative leader Michael Howard was drafted into Wycombe yesterday to boost Tory morale after private local polls indicated they are about to be badly hit by the UK Independence Party in tomorrow's European elections. Mr Howard spent nearly a hour "pressing the flesh" in Wycombe High Street, while a UKIP bus toured town centre streets urging voters to vote for them. One source said Tory party membership has been hit by ten per cent in Wycombe and Beaconsfield, many defecting to UKIP, a party wanting to pull Britain out of the European Union. Leading UKIP campaigner Robert Kilroy Silk - tipped to become leader of the party - lives in Little Chalfont and has been canvassing much local support.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include:

Amersham and Wycombe college students production of Godspell, Amersham campus
Ralf Little stars as Billy Liar at Windsor Theatre Royal
The Merry Wives of Windsor by Chiltern Shakespeare Co at Hall Barn, Beaconsfield
Papa Joe's All Stars play jazz at Beaconsfield Sycob FC
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Pegasus Theatre, Oxford
Rambert Dance Company, New Theatre, Oxford

Tuesday 8th June

Paramedics kept waiting - A major internal police investigation gets underway today after it emerged yesterday that police kept paramedics waiting 75 minutes before they could attend to three people who had been shot at the barbecue. Two women died after the shooting in Highmoor Cross, near Henley, and last night a third was critically ill. Police said yesterday they had reason to believe the gunman was still in the vicinity after the shooting and it was not safe to let paramedics into the garden of the house. But neighbours were critical, some saying that the gunman had driven off. A 39 year old man was arrested in Cambridge yesterday and was being held by police locally last night. The victims are due to be officially named today.

Bakery arson - Police announced last night that a fire at a Wycombe bakery last week was arson and that a baker was lucky to escape with his life. Three youths aged between 13 and 16 set fire to cardboard boxes and equipment at Lees Bakery in Cressex after breaking in near midnight. The baker was trapped by the flames but managed to escape by a rear door.

Skipper fined - A Great Missenden skipper was fined £4,500 by London magistrates after he admitted failing to keep proper documents about safety equipment on his yacht. The court heard that Francois Haussauer, 52, took friends out to sea for nude sunbathing trips off the French coast.

Events in and around Wycombe today include: -

Wycombe Swan - Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane Dance company
Ralf Little stars as Billy Liar at Windsor Theatre Royal
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Pegasus Theatre, Oxford

Monday 7th June

Gunman hunt - Police last night issued an urgent appeal to the public not to approach a man with a gun after a woman was shot dead and two others were seriously injured at a family barbecue in Henley. Police were called to a house in Highmoor Cross at around 5pm and within minutes scores of police descended on the town when it was realised a gunman was at loose. Later it emerged that the dead woman was shot in front of her children.

Events in and around the Wycombe area today include: Ralf Little stars as Billy Liar at Windsor Theatre Royal
Folk duo John Spiers and Jon Boden at White Hill Centre, Chesham
Morris dancers at Nettlebed Village Hall
Gwen Taylor stars in About Alice at Reading Hexagon

Sunday 6th June

D-Day remembered - Hundreds of sons and daughters of local D-Day veterans, plus scores of the veterans themselves, are attending commemoration ceremonies in Normandy today, 60 years after the momentous landing. For the many unable to attend there are ceremonies in Chesham and Flackwell Heath.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Cliveden - historic re-enactments
Garden at The Thatch, Littlewick Green, open for charity
Howard Read - voted best comedy newcomer last year - plays Marlow Comedy House at The Crown
Pam St Clement and Esther Rantzen at Hearing Dogs for Deaf fete, Saunderton
Rock gig at Wycombe Judo centre featuring bands RedHouse, Puzzle Factory and No Reason
Romeo and Juliet at Aylesbury Civic Centre performed by Independent Ballet Wales
The Edwardian garden at Craiglea House, Chalfont St Peter, open today for charity

Saturday 5th June

Olympic call - Chalfont St Giles rider Nicola McGivern is celebrating today after being selected for Britain’s dressage team in the Athens Olympics with her horse Active Walero.

Events in and around Wycombe today include

Cliveden - historic re-enactments
Cotton Club Orchestra at Lancaster Arts Centre, Wycombe Abbey School
Elgiva, Chesham - Jacqui Dankworth band
Gerrards Cross Fun Fair
Kenny Ball and his jazzmen at Hayes Beck
Pop band Easy Street at Wycombe RAF Club
Red Lion, High Wycombe - rock band Buzz
Rock band Big Blue at Wycombe’s Belle Vue
Sound of Music singalong, Wycombe Swan
Three one-act plays battle it out at the English final of the British Theatre Festival at Maidenhead’s Norden Farm Arts Centre
Treorchy Male Choir at St George’s Church, Halton
Twelfth Night at Pegasus Theatre, Oxford

Friday 4th June

Flying high - Bookies yesterday rated Wycombe Wanderers fourth favourites to win next year’s Division 3 championship - even though manager Tony Adams hasn’t enough first team players to make a full team at the moment. As odds for next season opened yesterday, most bookies rated the Blues at 11/1 to come top next season, but gave shorter odds to Chester, Grimsby and Northampton. Last year the bookies were proved right when they tipped Wycombe for relegation. Adams meanwhile has had a number of rejections from players in his attempt to find new blood, but new signing announcements are said to be imminent. The club yesterday announced the appointment of a new physio Shay Connolly from Watford.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Gerrards Cross Fun Fair
Norden Farm, Maidenhead - Once in a Lifetime, life and music of Anthony Newley
Second World War singalong, Polish Club, Amersham
Seventies Night (ie 1970s!), Elgiva, Chesham
St Tiggywinkles wildlife hospital open day, Haddenham
Twelfth Night at Pegasus Theatre, Oxford
Wycombe Swan - That’ll Be The Day
Wycombe Town Hall - Kosmic Krew - outer space funnies

Thursday 3rd June

Reward offered in pub attempted murder hunt - The hunt for a gunman who blasted a man outside a village pub was stepped up dramatically last night when it emerged that last Friday night’s shooting was motiveless. The 28 year old New Zealander, who was shot in the arm and leg outside the Full Moon pub in Hawridge, near Chesham, had only been in the area a week. He left hospital yesterday, having been told by doctors he was lucky to be alive. Police last night offered a £5,000 reward for the capture of the gunman who fired from a passing car just three metres away from the victim. They are treating the case as attempted murder and fear they may have a madman with a shotgun on the loose prepared to take potshots at random victims.

Events in the Wycombe area today include

Bill and Ben and Andy Pandy at Wycombe Swan
Gerrards Cross Fun Fair
Hayes Beck - A night at the musicals
Hellfire Comedy Club, Wycombe Town Hall with Simon Evans, Gavin Webster
Open mic night at Carpenter’s Arms, Marlow
St Tiggywinkles wildlife hospital open day, Haddenham
Twelfth Night at Pegasus Theatre, Oxford
Wycombe Festival - Marlow Arts and Crafts Society exhibition, Church Hall, Marlow

Wednesday 2nd June

Phone law ignored - Many motorists are simply ignoring the new law forbidding drivers from using hand-held mobile phones while driving police said yesterday. The law was introduced six months ago, but for the first couple of months police simply issued warnings. But in the last four months 850 motorists have been prosecuted, in the Thames Valley area that covers Bucks and Berks - that’s a rate of seven a day. Road safety campaigners last night said many drivers were prepared to risk using the phone because the fine was a “measly” £30.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Bill and Ben and Andy Pandy at Wycombe Swan
Children’s craft workshops, Waddesdon Manor
St Tiggywinkles wildlife hospital open day, Haddenham
TV presenter, writer and gossip Janet Street Porter at Norden Farm Arts Centre, Maidenhead
Twelfth Night at Pegasus Theatre, Oxford
Vo De O Do Orchestra at Beaconsfield Sycob FC
White Waltham organic farm and gardens open to the public
Wycombe Festival - Marlow Arts and Crafts Society exhibition, Church Hall, Marlow

Tuesday 1st June

Farewell Aidan - Hundreds are expected to attend the funeral today of a lad who shortly before he died told his parents he was enjoying “the best day of his life”. Twelve year old Aidan Bristow, of Lane End, died last weekend after an accident on his trials bike on a track at Flackwell Heath. An investigation into the accident is still underway.

Events in and around Wycombe today include:

Benny Goodman tribute at Marlow Jazz Club, TJ O’Reilly’s Marlow Bottom
Bill and Ben and Andy Pandy at Wycombe Swan
St Tiggywinkles wildlife hospital open day, Haddenham
Twelfth Night at Pegasus Theatre, Oxford
Wycombe Festival - Marlow Arts and Crafts Society exhibition, Church Hall, Marlow

Monday 31st May

Potter mania - The biggest single film launch ever in the Wycombe area gets underway today. There are 46 separate showings of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in cinemas in Wycombe, Gerrards Cross, Maidenhead, Aylesbury and Henley today and by last night virtually every one had sold out - helped for a weather forecast for a dull and rainy bank holiday.

Events in and around the Wycombe area today include:

Beer festival at White Horse, Hedgerley
Bill and Ben and Andy Pandy, Wycombe Swan, 4.30
Canal trips from Pitstone Lock
Chalfont Fair
Chenies Manor open 2-5
Chiltern Open Air Museum - Homes and Garden Show
Chinnor Railway - 2nd world war theme weekend
Fun Fair on Wycombe Rye
Garden of Spurlands End Road, Great Kingshill open
Hughenden Manor - Victorian puppet show, noon and 3pm
Hughenden Manor Victorian weekend
Jazz afternoon, Hit or Miss, Penn Street
St Lawrence Church Flower Festival, West Wycombe
St Tiggywinkles wildlife hospital, Haddenham, open day
Stamp Fair at Aylesbury Civic Centre
Tring Canal Festival
Veteran transport festival, Bucks Rail Centre, Quainton
Wycombe Festival - Marlow Arts and Crafts Society exhibition, Church Hall, Marlow

Sunday 30th May

Man shot - A Chesham man was in a stable condition in hospital last night after he was shot by a gunman in a passing car. The man, who is in his mid-twenties but whose identity is being kept secret, had just left the Full Moon pub in Cholesbury with his partner at closing time on Friday. He was hit in the arm and leg. His partner was uninjured. So far police are unable to find a motive.

Events in and aournd Wycome today include:

Beer festival and cricket match, Holmer Green sports ground
Beer festival at White Horse, Hedgerley
Canal trips from Pitstone Lock
Carpenters Tribute, Hayes Beck
Chiltern Open Air Museum - Homes and Garden Show
Chinnor Railway - 2nd world war theme weekend
Comedy Club, Greyhound pub, Chalfont St Peter
Crafts Day at Amersham Museum
Fun Fair on Wycombe Rye
Hughenden Manor - Victorian puppet show, noon and 3pm
Hughenden Manor Victorian weekend
St Lawrence Church Flower Festival, West Wycombe
Tring Canal Festival
Veteran transport festival, Bucks Rail Centre, Quainton
Wycombe Festival - Celtic singer Tanya with Irish folk guitarist John McGuire, Wycombe Guildhall
Wycombe Festival - Marlow Arts and Crafts Society exhibition, Church Hall, Marlow
Wycombe Swan - Joe Brown and Marty Wilde

Saturday 29th May

Cowardly killers - A furious coroner yesterday branded as cowards two men who punched an 85 year old woman as she tried raise her carers’ alarm bell while they robbed her house. The men, who are being hunted for murder, escaped with just a few pence from the home of Viola Mead in Dobbins Lane, Wendover just over a year ago. At her inquest yesterday coroner Richard Hullet could barely hold his temper as he described the thugs as cowards without basic human standards. Miss Viola was found the next day by a neighbour and died a few days later in hospital. The men are still be hunted, and Mr Hullet recorded an open verdict.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Actors in costume retrace the history of the Amersham Martyrs in walk around the town. Amersham Museum 2.30
An evening with Germaine Greer, Reading Concert Hall
Beer festival at White Horse, Hedgerley
Canal trips from Pitstone Lock
Chiltern Open Air Museum - Homes and Garden Show
Controversial classical musican Rainer Hersch at Norden Farm, Maidenhead
Fun Fair on Wycombe Rye
Honk! plays Chesham Elgiva
Hughenden Manor Victorian weekend
Rolf Harris art exhibition, Bray Village Hall
St Lawrence Church Flower Festival, West Wycombe
Syd Lawrence Orchestra, Hayes Beck
Wycombe Festival - Marlow Arts and Crafts Society exhibition, Church Hall, Marlow
Wycombe Festival - musicians Demon Barbers, Wycombe Guildhall
Wycombe Swan - Phoenix Dance Theatre

Friday 28th May

Speed trap - A new and controversial speed trap that will net thousands of pounds from local motorists begins operation today. The speed cameras on Marlow Hill are not like conventional cameras - instead they take pictures of vehicles between two fixed points so that if the time taken between the two pictures is below a particular time frame they know how fast a vehicle has been travelling. However, motorists are angry because one camera is in a 40mph zone and the other in a 30mph zone and it’s alleged they are deliberately designed to hit those who don’t reduce to the correct speed immediately.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Wycombe Festival - Organ recital, All Saints, Marlow, 1.10pm admission free
Watersmeet Theatre, Rickmansworth - The Flanagan and Allen Story
Wycombe Swan - Phoenix Dance Theatre
Janet Street-Porter at Wycombe Town Hall
Concert of baroque music at Wycombe Town Hall Oak Room
Honk! plays Chesham Elgiva

Thursday 27th May

Village mourns A village was in mourning last night for the jovial Welshman who got bored in retirement but died trying to help rebuild Iraq. Friends of Bob Morgan, from Tylers Green, near High Wycombe, said the 63 year old was frustrated by retirement from BP and flattered when the Foreign Office offered him a job helping the Iraqi oil minister. On his last visit home two weeks ago he said he felt safe because of the extra security. But on Monday this week Mr Morgan died instantly when his car was hit in a rocket attack in Baghdad. Last night his wife Viv was being comforted by friends - police are still trying to trace his son Adam, 28, who is on holiday in Cyprus.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Aylesbury Civic Centre - Stones in His Pockets
Rock band Ward 4 at Wycombe’s Golden Fleece pub
Wycombe Swan - Hellfire Comedy Club with Alistair Barrie, George Egg and Rob Rouse
That’ll Be The Day - Hayes Beck

Wednesday 26th May

Oilman dies - The Foreign Office announced last night that Buckinghamshire oil expert Bob Morgan was one of three who died in a rocket grenade attack near the coalition headquarters in Baghdad on Monday. Mr Morgan, 63, who is believed to have lived in the Amersham area, was working for the British government, advising on the reconstruction of the Iraqi oil industry. He is the twelfth British civilian to die in the country since the war began.

Events in and around High Wycombe today include:

Wycombe Festival - Piano lunchtime recital, Town Hall, 1.10pm. Admission free
Wycombe Festival - History of the Workhouse, Wycombe Library 7.30
Wycombe Swan - High Wycombe Schools Music Association annual concert
An Audience with film critic Barry Norman at Court Theatre, Pendley

Tuesday 25th May

Boy dies in motocross accident - An investigation will get underway today after a 12 year old Wycombe boy died when he came off his bike on a motocross practice track. Aidan Bristow was on the official motocross track off Daws Hill Lane in Flackwell Heath when he apparently parted company with his Kawasaki KX on Sunday. Aidan, of Lane End, High Wycombe, was rushed to Wycombe Hospital but was dead on arrival there. A post mortem is being held today.

Events in the High Wycombe area today include:

Wycombe Festival - Organ recital, Union Baptist Church, Easton Street, Wycombe 1.10pm admission free
Wycombe Festival - Chiltern Camerata Spring Concert, St John’s Church, Desborough Road
Wycombe Festival - Pure, one woman show by Shirin Youssefian Maanian, Town Hall
I was a Rat by Oxford Youth Theatre opens at Peagasus Theatre until Saturday
Wycombe Swan - Russell Maliphant Dance Company
Comedy Club at Beaconsfield’s Bar Med

Monday 24th May

Wasps move - Pressure will mount on Wycombe Council this week to make rugby champs Wasps more welcome in the town. Wasps, who became champs of Europe yesterday following their Heineken Cup victory against Toulouse, want to stay at Adams Park in High Wycombe beyond the one further season they have on contract. But they say that planning conditions must be relaxed to enable the stadium to become bigger and to allow better access to ease traffic conditions. However, the council, backed by some local residents, say the area around Adams Park is in Green Belt and its not possible to improve things dramatically. But with Wasps now seen as a major tourist and sporting attraction the pressure is on councillors to give way.

Events in and around Wycombe today include

Fairport Convention at Nettlebed Village Club
Comedy An Evening with Gary Lineker, Mill at Sonning
My Boy Jack opens at Oxford Playhouse for the week
Psychic Fayre at Greyhound, Beaconsfield
Roy Chubby Brown at Hayes Beck (plus Tuesday and Wednesday)

Sunday 23rd May

Sir John’s move - Veteran actor Sir John Mills and his wife Mary are to leave their Denham home after 30 years to live in Gerrards Cross. The 17th century listed house in Denham village centre was the venue for lavish show-biz parties held by the Mills’ and also in earlier years when the film director Sir Alexander Korda lived there. Now Sir John, 96, and Lady Mary, who is wheelchair bound, think the house is too big and have bought a luxury ground floor flat in Gerrards Cross. They bought the house for £85,000 in the seventies - it is now expected to fetch around two and a half million.

Events in the High Wycombe area today include:

Wycombe Festival - City of London Sinfonia, Wycombe Swan
Kenny Ball and his jazzmen play the Mill at Sonning
Pinocchio for 4 to 11 year olds at Norden Farm, Maidenhead
Comics Glenn Wool and Alex Horne at The Crown, Marlow
Panocha String Quartet at Mayflower Barn, Jordans

Saturday 22nd May

Parents attack - The parents of a 16 year old girl who died after taking two ecstasy tablets at an illegal rave in High Wycombe hit out at police yesterday. Mustafa and Madeline Ksher said their daughter may not have died if they had been allowed to see her after she left home in a family row. But, they said, police had threatened to arrest them if they contacted Sophie. Police are still facing a wall of silence over the circumstances surrounding Sophie’s death in a vehicle parked outside the disused Cressex factory where the all night rave was being held.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Wycombe Festival - Caribbean Sunset Steel Band, All Saints Churchyard, 11am - 2pm
Wycombe Festival - New exhibition of paintings and sculptures of local area - including Sir Joshua Reynolds and Sir Peter Lely, at Wycombe Museum
Wycombe Festival - French comedy Honni Soit Qui Mal y Pense, Marlow’s Shelley Theatre
Rock band Straight Eight play Wycombe Town Hall
A choral celebration, with Dame Felicity Lott at Wycombe Swan

Friday 21st May

Fire campaign - Local firefighters are to launch a campaign against Government plans to close nine emergency fire control centres and replace them with just one covering the whole of the south east. Fire union members from Bucks, Berkshire and Oxfordshire are not ruling out industrial action ballots to stop the move which they say will increase the risk to the public and fire fighters.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Wycombe Festival - High Wycombe Society present The Golden Age of the Thames, Wycombe Guildhall, 7.30
Wycombe Swan - Royal New Zealand Ballet
Wycombe Oak Room - Murder mystery dinner

Thursday 20th May

Blues change - Wycombe Wanderers directors have won the first round of their battle to change the unique constitution of the club to enable a big-money individual to buy in. At present the club is the only one in the football league where supporters hold the majority share, but directors say that prevents potential big backers from investing millions. Most of the supporter members backed the idea to change at a warm-up meeting on Tuesday night, but a significant number of supporters, backed by other supporters clubs throughout the country, are unhappy with any change. A special meeting has been called for next week to begin the formal process for change, but it could fall if the majority isn’t high enough. Meanwhile the Blues announced yesterday that they have lined up premiership clubs Charlton Athletic and Portsmouth to visit Adams Park in August for pre-season friendlies.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Royal New Zealand Ballet present Romeo and Juliet at Wycombe Swan
Milton Jones, Marcus Brigstocke and Susan Murray are the comics at the Hellfire Comedy Club at Wycombe Town Hall tonight.
Wycombe Festival - Organ recital, All Saints, Marlow, 1.10pm admission free
Freddie Starr plays Aylesbury Civic Centre (over 18s only)
Rare public opening for the Frogmore Gardens and Royal Mausoleum in Windsor Great Park today 10 - 5

Wednesday 19th May

Lawnmower accident -Wycombe Wanderers goalkeeper Frank Talia has lost part of a toe after he tripped over while mowing his lawn in bare feet. Doctors who treated the Aussie at hospital in Reading said his career would have been finished had his foot travelled a further couple of centimetres into the swinging blade. The club are hoping he should be OK for the start of next season.

Rose selected - Wycombe judo player Ian Rose has been selected to join the Great Britain squad in the paralympics in Athens in September. Rose, who won a bronze medal at the Atlanta paralympics and came fifth in Sydney will compete in the over 100kg section.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Royal New Zealand Ballet present Romeo and Juliet at Wycombe Swan
Top US comic Rich Hall plays Wycombe Town Hall with Canadian comic Mike Wilmot
Wycombe Festival - Clarinet and piano recital, Town Hall, 1.10pm. Admission free
Wycombe Festival - Professional story-telling - A Ladder to the Moon - Church House, Hughenden Park, 7.30
Dave Gorman at Reading Hexagon
Talk on the history of Wycombe's Pann Mill at Wycombe Museum

Tuesday 18th May

Dentist suspended - Amersham dentist Hendik Bruwer has been suspended by the General Dental Council for four months for serious professional misconduct. The council heart that at a practice in Cambridge he told parents of seven different children that a particular treatment was not available on the National Health Service, and then proposed to charge them £500 each for the treatment.

Events in the HIgh Wycombe area today include

Royal New Zealand Ballet present Romeo and Juliet at Wycombe Swan
Wycombe Festival - Organ recital, Union Baptist Church, Easton Street, Wycombe 1.10pm admission free
Wycombe Festival - Wycombe Russian Cultural Club present Eisenstein, Dickens and Film, Bassetsbury Manor, High Wycombe
Four poofs and a piano, backing group on Jonathan Ross’s TV show, play Hayes Beck
Double Cross, thriller about sex greed and deception, Windsor Theatre Royal
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Supergrass, the Hits Tour

Monday 17th May

Dawson returns - Matt Dawson, the England scrum half who hails from Marlow and who learnt his rugby at Wycombe’s Royal Grammar School, now looks certain to play his rugby in the town next season as speculation mounts that he is about to sign for Wasps from Northampton. The London club play their Zurich Premiership games at Wycombe’s Adams Park, where yesterday they powered into the Premiership final, ironically beating Northampton 57-20

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Kiss Me Kate opens for a week at Oxford Playhouse
Folk group Lindisfarne play Chesham Elgiva
Rock band Corporation:Blend play BCUC Students Union
John Tams and Barry Coope at Nettlebed Village Hall folk night

Sunday 16th May

News - George Harrison’s widow Olivia is threatening to call off plans for a memorial to her husband after a spat with the council in Henley where she lives. She has already vetoed plans for a memorial at the gates of their home, Fiar Park, fearing that she would be over-run by ex-Beatle fans. Now, after hearing one councillor say she needed “kicking into gear”, Mrs Harrison has told the council that it might be best to abandon the idea altogether.

Events today include :

Adams Park - Wasps v Northampton
Fawley Court, Henley - Craft and Design exhibition
Spring plant fair at Hughenden Manor
West Wycombe - Carter’s Steam Fair
Wycombe Festival - The Carnival Band, St Lawrence Church, West Wycombe
Wycombe Festival - Choral evensong, Marlow Parish Church
Wycombe Swan - “Halfway to Paradise”, the Billy Fury story
Wycombe Town Hall - Horizons, presented by Bucks Dance

Saturday 15th May

Soccer purge - In the biggest clear-out ever seen at Wycombe Wanderers, manager Tony Adams yesterday booted out eight more first team players. Michael Simpson, Chris Vinnicombe, Danny Bulman, Lewis Cook, Charlie Mapes, Richard Harris, Andy Thompson and Scott Marshall joined Darren Currie and Steve Brown on the exit list. Three other players - Stuart Nethercott, Ian Simpemba and Steve Williams - have all been offered a further year provided they take a 20 per cent wage cut, and none have yet signed up. In an extensive cull of youth team players, only four have been retained, although 11 promising youngsters have been offered soccer scholarships. At the moment Adams has just 10 first team players under contract, and it’s thought some of them would have gone had they not had existing deals.

Events in the Wycombe area today include:

Battle of the bands at Wycombe Multi Racial Centre
Fawley Court, Henley - Craft and Design exhibition
Lisa Goddard stars in the comedy The Constant Wife, Windsor Theatre Royal
Local youngsters star in Oliver at Wycombe Swan
The Drifters at Aylesbury Civic Centre
Wycombe Festival - Marlow Parish Church, David Briggs organ recital, 7.30
Wycombe Festival - Open Art Exhibition, Environment Centre, Holywell Mead
Wycombe Festival - Piano music in Octagon shopping centre from 11am
Wycombe Festival - Punch and Judy, All Saints churchyard, 11, noon and 2pm

Friday 14th May

Kidnap charges - Two High Wycombe youths were among a gang of four who kidnapped, imprisoned and threatened with death to a woman they thought was connected with the murder of their friend, a court heard yesterday. Isus Woods, 19 and a 17 year old youth who can’t be named, plus two other men from Slough, deny threatening to kill 20 year old Melanie Green. The court at Reading heard they kidnapped her two days after Daniel Higgins was shot in the head at a house in Burnham in November last year. Miss Green managed to escape but, it’s alleged, the youths torched her car.

Events in the Wycombe area today include

Wycombe Festival - Organ recital, All Saints, Marlow, 1.10pm admission free
Wycombe Festival - Open Art Exhibition, Environment Centre, Holywell Mead
Wycombe Festival - Musical evening Called to the Bar, Town Hall
Wycombe Festival - The Chosen Few Jazz Orchestra, Irish Club, High Wycombe
Fawley Court, Henley - Craft and Design exhibition
Comic Joe Pasquale at Aylesbury Civic Centre
Local youngsters star in Oliver at Wycombe Swan
Bucks Art Forum exhibition, Market Hall, Old Amersham

Thursday 13th May

Builders accused - Two men charged an 85 year old High Wycombe widow £12,370 for repairing some roof tiles, a court heard yesterday. She was one of 18 alleged victims from High Wycombe - mainly women over the age of 80 - who were ripped off by Anthony Bolt, 52, from Wycombe and Ray Williams, 52, from Poole, said prosecutor Ian Fenny. He said the pair, who run ABB Property Maintenance, defrauded elderly people of £115,000 by grossly overcharging and performing unnecessary work. He told a court in Bournemouth, where the men deny charges of conspiracy to defraud: “There comes a moment when overcharging goes beyond expensive and becomes downright dishonest - it becomes fraud.”

Today’s events in the High Wycombe area include

Wycombe Festival - Open Art Exhibition, Environment Centre, Holywell Mead
Top Blues band The Hamsters at Norden Farm Art Centre, Maidenead
An Evening with Anne Widdecombe, Elgiva Theatre, Chesham
Lisa Goddard stars in the comedy The Constant Wife, Windsor Theatre Royal
Janet Street-Porter’s one-woman show at Aylesbury Civic Centre
Local youngsters star in Oliver at Wycombe Swan
Wycombe Town Hall - Linda Marlowe’s “No Fear” presented “physically” in mime, music and monologue
Bucks Art Forum exhibition, Market Hall, Old Amersham

Wednesday 12th May

Wage drop - Two young Wycombe Wanderers players have been signed up for a further year, but they are having to take a 20 per cent pay cut because of the club’s relegation to division 3. Goalie Steve Williams and midfielder Ian Simpenda have both agreed to the cut. Meanwhile the club announced yesterday that midfielder Darren Currie - “Ruby” (Murray) to the fans - who was bought for £200,000 from Barnet in better days, has left the club now he has come to the end of his contract.

Events in theWycombe area today include

Wycombe Festival - Cello and Piano lunchtime recital, Town Hall, 1.10pm admissin free
Wycombe Festival - Open Art Exhibition, Environment Centre, Holywell Mead
Wycombe Festival - Talk at Wycombe Library on the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
Wycombe Festival - Poetry reading celebrating local countryside, Church House, Hughenden Park, 7.30
Local youngsters star in Oliver at Wycombe Swan
Satirical comedy Flamingo, Flamingo, Flamingo at Maidenhead Norden Farm
Vienna Festival Ballet present Swan Lake at Hayes Beck

Tuesday 11th May

Have-a-go MP - Beaconsfield MP Dominic Grieve turned on a yob smashing up a bus shelter and issued a citizen’s arrest, it emerged yesterday. The 47 year old Tory, who is shadow Attorney General, was in his dinner suit returning from a Grosvenor House dinner when he saw the vandal smashing the bus shelter with a parasol stand. He chased him down Piccadilly calling police on his mobile, before the yob turned on him and started a fight. Within seconds though police arrived and the culprit was arrested. Now Mr Grieve says more people should carry out citizens’ arrests, but admitted he had worried about whether the man was armed.

Today’s events include:

Wycombe Festival - Organ recital, Union Baptist Church, Easton Street, Wycombe 1.10pm admission free
Wycombe Festival - Open Art Exhibition, Environment Centre, Holywell Mead
There’s a walk to spot Red Kites starting at Grays Lane, Ibstone at 10am
The comedy, An Evening With Gary Lineker begins a month’s run at Sonning’s Dinner Theatre .

Monday 10th May

Golfer’s dilemma - There’s a mixed reaction to Wycombe golfer Luke Donald’s decision to take the money before the glory and virtually rule himself out of contention for this year’s Ryder Cup. The 26 year old, who learnt his golf at Beaconsfield Golf Club, would almost certainly have been chosen to represent Europe in the Ryder Cup, but needs to compete in 11 European Tour events first. However Donald, who lives most of the time in Chicago, decided at the weekend to continue playing matches on the American circuit where he can make more money. Now he will need to win his next two US tournaments to put him into the world’s top 50 to be eligible for Ryder Cup action - a feat nigh impossible. There was some disappointment amongst local golfers playing the rounds yesterday but support from other professionals such as Lee Westwood and Jesper Parnevik who said “ridiculous” Ryder Cup entry rules were to blame.

Events today include:

Wycombe Festival - Open Art Exhibition, Environment Centre, Holywell Mead
Lisa Goddard stars in the comedy The Constant Wife, Windsor Theatre Royal
Top folk band Brass Monkey at Nettlebed Village Hall

Sunday 9th May

Poles remember - Polish veterans of the Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy 60 years ago today will gather with their families for a special service and unveiling of plaques at a Little Chalfont Church today. Hundreds of Poles died in the battle. The Wycombe and Amersham areas have one of the country’s largest Polish communities - nearly 400 asylum seeker Polish families settled here after the war.

Today’s events include : -

Bledlow Ridge - Medieval Jousting in Knights of Merrie England, 3pm
Chiltern Youth Chamber Orchestra at Chesham Elgiva, 5pm
Jagger and Co tribute when The Counterfeit Stones play Wycombe Swan
Roy Hudd’s one man show at Windsor Theatre Royal
Waddesdon Manor - Fine Food, Wine and Spirits Fair
Wycombe Festival - Open Art Exhibition, Environment Centre, Holywell Mead
Wycombe Festival - Open day at Pann Mill on the Rye

Saturday 8th May

Colour bar - Wycombe Wanderers captain Steve Brown thinks his chances of becoming a football manager are slim because he’s black. Fans favourite Brownie plays his last game for the Blues today after ten years and takes a Uefa coaching badge exam on Monday in the hope he can take up football management. But in his last column in a local paper yesterday, he wrote “The odds are stacked against me becoming a manager. I can only think of two black managers in the league - an incredibly low percentage when you think of how many black players there are in the game.”

Today’s events include : -

Aylesbury Civic Centre - Anneka Rice, Josie d’Arby and Jean Boht star in The Vagina Monologues
Bledlow Ridge - Medieval Jousting in Knights of Merrie England, 3pm
Chesham Elgiva - “We’ll Meet Again” - 1940s singalong, at 2pm and 8pm
St Mary’s Thame - the Thame Choral Society
Stand up comics Natalie Haynes and Sarah Kendall at Norden Farm Arts Centre, Maidenhead
Waddesdon Manor - Fine Food, Wine and Spirits Fair
Wycombe Fesival - Pianoist Richard Meyrick’s Personal Reflections - Union Baptist Church, Easton St. 7.30
Wycombe Festival - Jazz band Anything Goes play All Saints Churchyard 10.30 - 1pm
Wycombe Festival - Traditional Tales for children - Union Baptist Church, Easton Street.
Wycombe Swan - Orpheus Male Voice Choir

Friday 7th May

Ozzy’s help - Rocker Ozzy Osbourne, still recouperating in the States from the nasty quad bike accident at his Bucks home, hasn’t forgotten the folks in his village. He is sending a donation to keep open the village shop near his mansion. The shop, in Jordans, is being kept going by 60 volunteers from the well-heeled village who have so far donated £26,000. “We’ve had women who live in some of the biggest houses scrubbing the floor and retired judges working behind the counter,” local resident Alan Sealy told his local paper yesterday. Ozzy, who pops into the shop when he’s around, is expected to return in the summer - but the quad bike has been locked away for good.

Today’s events include : -

Wycombe Festival - Organ recital, All Saints, Marlow, 1.10pm admission free
Wycombe Festival - Photography exhibition, Wycombe Guildhall
Wycombe Festival - Concert to celebrate 300th anniversary of Marc-Antoine Charpentier, St Mary and St George’s, Sands. 8pm
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Anneka Rice, Josie d’Arby and Jean Boht star in The Vagina Monologues
Abba tribute show Mama Mia at Reading Hexagon
Wycombe Swan - The RAF’s Squadronaires celebrate Big Band songs and music
Rock group Seafood play Wycombe’s White Swan
Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen at Chesham Elgiva

Thursday 6th May

Drug raid - Four men have appeared in court on charges of supplying crack cocaine in the district, and seven others have been arrested following police raids in Princes Risborough and Aylesbury. It’s believed the raids were carried out after a van was stopped during a spot check in Princes Risborough town centre. The men, who included Carlington Myers, age 26, of Southfield Road, Princes Risborough and Wayne Anderson, aged 23, of Anton Way, Aylesbury and two from London, were remanded in custody to appear again later this month.

Today’s events include : -

Mike Gunn and Tony Law lead the stand-ups at the Hellfire Comedy Club in Wycombe Town Hall tonight
Wycombe Festival - Photography exhibition, Wycombe Guildhall
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Anneka Rice, Josie d’Arby and Jean Boht star in The Vagina Monologues
Kenton Theatre, Henley - Pinter’s The Caretaker by Blackeyed Theatre Group
Wycombe Swan - The Meat Loaf story - tribute show
Psychic Fair at Wycombe Holiday Inn from 6pm

Wednesday 5th May

Two local rivers were put on flood watch last night as torrential rain continued to batter the region. Thames Water alerted farmers and homeowners near the River Thame between Thame and Long Marston and by the Bear Brook, between Aston Clinton and Aylesbury. River levels on parts of the River Wye en route to the Thames are also high. Around 20mm of rain have fallen on the Wycombe area in the last two days, wiping out Bank Holiday attractions on Monday and causing minor flooding on roads for people returning to work yesterday.

Events today include:

Wycombe Festival - Violin and Piano lunchtime recital, Town Hall 1.10pm. -admission free
Wycombe Festival - Photography exhibition, Wycombe Guildhall
Wycombe Festival - Wycombe Film Society’s History of Wycombe. British Legion Hall. 7.30
Wycombe Festival - Pictures and Poems by Stuart King, “the Bard of Bucks”. High Wycombe Library 7.30
Wycombe Swan - Brazilan dancers Companhia de Danca perform in Britain for the first time
Paul Young plays Wycombe Town Hall this evening

Tuesday 4th May

Soccer rage - A local footballer faces a lengthy ban from the game after he drove his car onto the pitch after being sent off by the referee. Other players reckon he tried to drive at the referee in the Aston Clinton v Jakeman Sports match in a local league cup semi-final. He drove away when other player stood in front of the ref. The player - from Jakeman Sports - faces an FA disciplinary hearing. The match was abandoned.

Events today include:

Wycombe Festival - Organ recital, Union Baptist Church, Easton Street, Wycombe 1.10pm admission free
Wycombe Festival - Photography exhibition, Wycombe Guildhall
Wycombe Festival - Songs with words by favourite poets. Town Hall, 8pm
Wycombe Swan - Brazilan dancers Companhia de Danca perform in Britain for the first time
Top jazz stars Bruce Adams and Alan Barnes play TJ O’Reilly’s in Marlow Bottom

Monday 3rd May

Quiet return - TV host Robert Kilroy Silk today makes his first local public appearance since he was forced from the screen last year following remarks about Arabs. The lawyer is opening the bank holiday fete in his home village of Little Chalfont. Last week he made a national return on TV with an appearance on Have I Got News For You

Wycombe Festival - Photography exhibition, Wycombe Guildhall
Bassetsbury Manor Bowls open day, Wycombe 2.30 and Chesham Bowling Club open day 10am
Guided tours of Wycombe’s Hell Fire Caves, West Wycombe
Natural healing show at Maidenhead’s Magnet Centre
Live Crafts at Chiltern Open Air Museum
Rolf Harris art exhibition, Bray Village Hall
Beer festival at the Land of Liberty pub, Chorleywood

Sunday 2nd May

Brownie’s tears - Steve Brown, the fans favourite player, broke down in tears at the end of Wycombe Wanderers season at Adams Park yesterday as he left the club after ten years. Wearing a vest bearing the slogan “I’m going to miss you all”, Brownie buried his face in the shirt he has worn for 270 league games as thousands cheered his name. Earlier fans had voted for young defender Roger Johnson as their player of the year. The Blues finished their last home game with a 1-1 draw against Wrexham.

Events today include

Wycombe Festival - Photography exhibition, Wycombe Guildhall
Wycombe Festival - History Trail around High Wycombe. Start 2.30 Rye Environment Centre
Cactus show in Great Kingshill Village Hall
Guided tours of Wycombe’s Hell Fire Caves, West Wycombe
Robin Ince - comedy partner of Ricky Gervais - plays Marlow Comedy House tonight
Live Crafts at Chiltern Open Air Museum
Rolf Harris art exhibition, Bray Village Hall

Saturday 1st May

Players farewell - Veteran Steve Brown will be made captain today as he plays his last game at Adams Park for Wycombe Wanderers after 10 years. “Brownie” has made more league appearances for the club than any other player - today will be his 370th appearance - but he won’t be the only long standing player saying his farewell. Darren Currie, Chris Vinnecombe and Dannie Bulman are all out of contract at the end of the season next week and are not expected to be re-signed by boss Tony Adams. There’s also speculation about midfield favourite Michael Simpson, who is out today through injury.

Today’s events include:

Live Crafts at Chiltern Open Air Museum
Kenton Theatre, Henley - Rodney Bewes in his acclaimed one-man show version of Three Men in a Boat
James Taylor Quartet play Wycombe Town Hall
The Self-Righteous Brothers play Wycombe’s Golden Fleece
Wycombe Festival - New Penny Theatre Co present Gypsy at Wycombe Swan
Wycombe Festival - Photography exhibition, Wycombe Guildhall
Wycombe Festival - Owlswick Morris Men, All Saints churchyard 10.30 and 11.15
Wycombe Festival - Jacobean chamber music, Marlow Parish Church

Friday 30th April

Manslaughter verdict - The owner of a taxi company which ran a mini-bus with a faulty tyre was found guilty of manslaughter yesterday. The driver of the bus, hired from Aylesbury-based Falcoln Cars, was found guilty of death by dangerous driving. Simon Scotton, 24, from Bedgrove, died when he returned with friends in the bus from a birthday party in Watford. On the A41 the tyre burst when the minibus was travelling at speed and the vehicle overturned. At St Albans Crown Court yesterday the judge told Mohammed Yaqoob, 45, the owner, and Zafar Aybal, 50, the driver, to expect prison sentences when they are sentenced later. Last night Bucks County Council was urged to hold an inquiry when it emerged that the company had a contract from the council to transport special needs children throughout the county.

Today’s events include:

Amersham Festival Chamber Orchestra, St Mary’s Church, Old Amersham
Wycombe Festival - New Penny Theatre Co present Gypsy at Wycombe Swan
Kenton Theatre, Henley - Rodney Bewes in his acclaimed one-man show version of Three Men in a Boat
Tribute concert to Barbra Streisand at Wycombe Town Hall

Thursday 29th April

Baby crisis - Wycombe MP Paul Goodman told MPs yesterday that babies may die unnecessarily if maternity services at the town’s hospital are closed and move to Stoke Mandeville near Aylesbury. In an adjournment debate Mr Goodman slammed proposals currently out for public consultation which would centralise children’s hospital services up to 30 miles away for some. Pregnant mums who may need an emergency birth but without the transport to get to Aylesbury could lose vital minutes, he said, leading to a greater risk and possible death of new born children. He urged the Government to adequately fund health services in Buckinghamshire.

Adams ex-wife held - Jane Shea, ex wife of Wycombe Wanderers manager Tony Adams, was arrested on suspicion of murder yesterday after she and a man were found in a car in Fulham with a dead woman. Miss Shea, who separated from the Wycombe boss seven years ago, was released on bail but will be further interviewed by detectives today.

Events today include:

Kenton Theatre, Henley - Rodney Bewes in his acclaimed one-man show version of Three Men in a Boat
Richard Digance plays Rickmansworth Watersmeet Theatre
Stand up comics Mitch Benn, Matt Welcome and Matt Kirshen are in the Hellfire Comedy Club at Wycombe Town Hall
Steeleye Span bring their 35th anniversary tour to Hayes Beck
Wycombe Festival - New Penny Theatre Co present Gypsy at Wycombe Swan

Wednesday 28th April

Wycombe base for Wittering? - RAF High Wycombe - the headquarters for Strike Command - looks likely to move to RAF Wittering in Cambridgeshire it emerged last night. Officially RAF top brass have yet to make up their mind on whether to close Wycombe and another Strike Command base in Gloucestershire; or to merge the two on one of the sites or move to another site altogether. However union representatives speaking for civilian workers believe a decision has already been made to move to Wittering after a group of admin workers were asked to transfer there. The RAF would make millions if they sold the Naphill site in Wycombe for housing development. Over 1,000 people work at the base.

Events today include:

Jazz with Bev Peg and the Good Time Gang at Beaconsfield Sycob FC
Old Time Music Hall at Wycombe Town Hall
Penn House, piano recital with Richard Meyrick
Wycombe Festival - New Penny Theatre Co present Gypsy at Wycombe Swan
Wycombe Festival - lunchtime guitar, cello and piano recital, Town Hall, 1.10pm - admission

Tuesday 27th April

Market raid - Investigators who swooped on Thame cattle market in a spot raid said yesterday they found “shocking” breaches of animal welfare laws. The market is used by farmers in the Wycombe and south Oxfordshire areas. Trading standards officers said 22 offences under animal and welfare legislation were being committed - including four breaches of the law designed to prevent the spread of Foot and Mouth disease. Other alleged breaches included inadequate ventilation and incorrect tagging. In addition 11 vehicles used for transporting animals were found to be unroadworthy and taken off the road.

Wycombe doctor cleared - An 18 year old Wycombe woman failed in the High Court yesterday to have a Wycombe Hospital consultant censured. The woman, who can’t be named, wanted to court to overrule a General Medical Council ruling that Dr Christopher Cheetham was not guilty of serious professional misconduct. The woman and her family alleged the doctor tried to interfere with the woman’s treatment for ME - the chronic tiredness disease - even though they had made it clear they no longer wanted him to treat her. But the judge ruled that Dr Cheetham’s actions were justified and in the public interest.

Today’s events include:

Chenies Manor House, Harp recital
John Challis and Sue Holderness - Boycie and Marleen from Only Fools… star in the comedy London Suite which opens at Windsor Theatre Royal
Comics John Ryan, Tanyalee Davis and Phil Butler perform at Beaconsfield’s Bar Med

Monday 26th April

“Barbaric” festival - TV astronomer Heather Couper is calling on people to boycott the annual festival in her town of Princes Risborough because the organisers are holding a pig roast. A vegetarian, Dr Couper, described the pig roast as “totally barbaric,” adding “A pig roast may have played a role in the age of Henry VIII but in the 21st century it is both misguided and insensitive.”

Champs here - It looks as though Premiership champions Arsenal will play their first game of the new season at Adams Park when they take on Wycombe Wanderers in a friendly on July 31. Blues boss Tony Adams was one of the first to send his congratulations to the Gunners after they secured the championship against Spurs yesterday. The friendly will be a testimonial for Blues hero Steve Brown who plays his last game at Adams Park this coming Saturday after 10 years and 368 appearances for the club.

Sunday 25th April

Another pub goes - The last “traditional” pub in Amersham on the Hill closes today, with regulars complaining they have not had time to launch a campaign to try and save it. Drinkers at the Iron Horse were told only nine days ago that the owners Wizard Inns had sold the pub to a property developer who is going to build homes on the Station Road site. The Iron Horse is the latest in a number of pubs in the Wycombe area to fall to property developers in recent months. Around a dozen pubs have disappeared in a couple of years. Tomorrow villagers in Fifield will hand in a petition to the council to try and save the Hare and Hounds from being pulled down for housing. They say the Hare and Hounds is the last “real” pub in the village - the other being more of a restaurant.

Meanwhile, in Maidenhead, the new owner of the Hand and Flowers, which reopened as the area’s first non-smoking pub a week ago, says that business is brisker than in the smoking days.

Blues point - Wycombe Wanderers manager Tony Adams yesterday switched his team around in an experiment as preparation for next season in division three - and came away with a deserved draw at Brentford. In fact the Blues would have won if Danny Senda - playing centre forward for the first time in his life - had not missed a sitter in front of goal.

Events today include:

There’s free or discounted entry for Wycombe area residents at Hughenden Manor, Lacey Green Windmill, Odds Farm Park and other attractions today, but you’ll need a voucher from local information centres first.

Aylesbury Civic Centre - Joe Longthorne Ex-Squeeze artist Glenn Tilbrook brings his new band to Wycombe Town Hall
Gaudier Ensemble, St Mary’s Church Amersham
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis play their new sketch show at Maidenhead’s Norden Farm Arts Centre
The Chiltern Concert Band play Woodrow High House in Penn Street
Wycombe Festival - A guided history walk around High Wycombe town centre begins at All Saints Church at 2pm

Saturday 24th April

On-line uni - Bucks Chilterns University College confirmed a deal yesterday which will make it one of the most flexible on-line unis in the country. A new broadband wire-free system will mean students can go online from virtually anywhere within the college’s spread out campuses, including bedrooms, bars and lecture rooms. The college said students will have the freedom to “work, rest and play” on-line.

Today’s events

There’s free or discounted entry for Wycombe area residents at Hughenden Manor, Lacey Green Windmill, Odds Farm Park and other attractions this weekend, but you’ll need a voucher from local information centres first.

Amersham School - Young artists concert
Windsor Theatre Royal - Joeseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
Wycombe Festival launches today with the Caribbean Sunset Steel Band playing 11-2 in All Saints Churchyard and a 70th anniversary concert, featuring works from Elgar and Tchaikovsky in All Saints tonight
Wycombe Museum - Royalists re-enact a Civil War camp between 11 and 4pm
Wycombe Swan - Matthew Bourne choreographs story of the film The Servant

Friday 23rd April

Major find - Britain’s top archaeologists admitted yesterday they had been caught on the hop by the discovery of a major Bronze and Iron Age site between Bourne End and Taplow. They have been working for months on the site but are still keeping its exact location secret. They have found good quality pottery and flint, some two and a half thousand years old. The archaeologists admitted they would not have known of the existence of the fortification had not Thames Water engineers uncovered part of it while digging for a new water main. Now the whole of the area around Wycombe and Maidenhead may be reassessed as a centre of Bronze and Iron Age activity.

Today’s events include…
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Phoenix Night stars Paddy McGuinness, Archie Kelly, Janice Connolly and Steve Edge present a night of laughs
Chesham Moor - The Chesham Charter Fair
Hemel Old Town Hall - Jazz with Alec Dankworth Trio
Marlow Higginson Park - Jay Miller’s Circus
Windsor Theatre Royal - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
Wycombe Swan - Matthew Bourne choreographs story of the film The Servant

Thursday 22nd April

Ghost riddle - The controversy over whether Wycombe’s famous Hellfire Caves are haunted is no nearer resolution even though Living TV’s Most Haunted programme had its physic experts spend 24 hours there this week. They detected orbs - specks of mysterious lights that can only be seen by a special camera - they heard unexplained noises; saw a heavy iron gate open for no apparent reason; and had one of their cameramen swear he was touched on the tummy when no-one was around him. But none of the mysterious goings-on were sound enough evidence for the programme’s psychic experts to declare the caves ghost-ridden.

Clearout continues - Tony Adams’ summer clearout at Wycombe Wanderers continued yesterday when defender Mark Rogers, a Canadian international, was despatched to non-league Stevenage on a permanent basis.

Today’s events include:
Wycombe Swan - Matthew Bourne choreographs story of the film The Servant
Windsor Theatre Royal - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
Wycombe Multi-Racial Centre - Rock group Some Like It Hot

Wendesday 21st April

Supermarket raid - Terrified staff were held hostage by a gun-wielding gangster, police revealed yesterday. The gunman and another masked robber armed with a crow bar herded staff together in an early morning raid at Budgens in Chalfont St Peter. Then they threatened to harm staff unless someone opened the safe. The two men, in their 40s, one with dark hair and the other blonde, escaped with what is described as a large amount of cash.

Today’s events include..
Hemel Old Town Hall - Exit Napoleon Pursued by Rabbits, solo show with Nola Rae
Steven Berkoff presents Shakespeare’s Villains at Oxford Playhouse
Windsor Theatre Royal - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
Wycombe Swan - Matthew Bourne choreographs story of the film The Servant

Tuesday 20th April

Wet Wycombe - Figures released by the Met Office yesterday showed that High Wycombe was the wettest place in England on Sunday, being drenched by 25mm of rain, nearly two thirds the amount that falls in the entire April in a average year.

Adams rebuilds - Wycombe Wanderers manager Tony Adams will today telling players who he wants to release at the end of the season as he beings a major rebuilding programme. He’s hired former Arsenal team mate Lee Dixon as a scout to help find future star players.

What’s on today
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Jack Dee
Merritt’s garage, Old Amersham - Jazz cabaret 8pm
Steven Berkoff presents Shakespeare’s Villains at Oxford Playhouse
Windsor Theatre Royal - Joeseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
Wycombe Swan - Matthew Bourne choreographs story of the film The Servant

Monday 19th April

Battle of St George - Landlady Elaine Cooley is threatening to go to the European Court after she was refused an extension so her customers can celebrate St George's Day on Friday. Magistrates turned down her applicaiton for an extra hour's drinking time at the Dairy Maid pub in Elmhurst on the grounds that St George's Day is "not a special occasion." However Miss Cooley says the ruling is unfair because drink extensions are allowed for St Patrick's Day.

Today's events
Chehsam's White Hill Centre - Tudor Folk Club
Hazlemere Library - Singer and storyteller Bernard Tagliavini, 10.30am
Steven Berkoff presents Shakespeare's Villains at Oxford Playhouse
Windsor Theatre Royal - Joeseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat

Sunday 18th April

Bad to worse - Just when you thought Wycombe’s could not get any worse - it did. With just pride to play for after been relegated earlier on in the week, Wanderers put in an awful uncommitted performance to crash 0-3 to Swindon Town yesterday at Adams Park. Hoards of supporters left 15 minutes before the end to show their dissatisfaction.

Today’s events
Amersham School - children’s concert
Chiltern Open Air Museum - Fun events for children
High Wycombe Tennis Club open day
Little Chalfont - 6 Oldfield Close garden open for charity
Oxford New Theatre - Steeleye Span
Wellington Country Park, Reading - Boat jumble
Windsor Theatre Royal -International singer Al Martino
Wycombe Swan - West End singing star Dave Willets
Wycombe Town Hall - High Wycombe Piano Festival

Saturday 17th April

Migrants - Met police unable to cope with the high number of bogus asylum seekers are been forced to hold them in police stations outside of London with High Wycombe one that is most commonly used it emerged yesterday. The migrants are been held for up to 96 hours as part of a government crackdown but is preventing police from spending more time on tackling serious crime.

Today’s events
Adams Park - Wycombe Wanderers v Swindon Town
All Saints Marlow - Bucks Symphonic Wind Ensemble
Amersham Free Church - young artists concert
Chiltern Open Air Museum - Fun events for children
Oakfield Road, Aylesbury - Easter travelling fun fair
Ricmansworth Colloseum - Ken Dodd
Space age adventure for children, Chesham Elgiva, 2.30
Wycombe Swan - Country music group Lambchop

Friday 16th April

Restaurant blitz - Wycombe councillors are being asked to stop the trend from shops to restaurants and amusement centres in the town centre. Unlike its more famous name-sake, Wycombe’s Oxford Street is losing its shops, and local councillor Alan Hill says enough is enough. Yesterday Currey’s announced it was closing its town centre shop in Oxford Street and wants to sell the site to a restaurant chain. Dolcis shoe shop next door but one closed a few weeks ago and planning permission is being sought for an amusement arcade. Over the road in Frogmoor, eateries have been replacing shops steadily over the past year. Cllr Hill will tell councillors next week the situation has reached “saturation point”, but its likely his plea will fall on deaf ears.

Today’s events

Amersham Festival Chamber Orchestra, Eton College
Aylesbury Civic Centre - Controversial Asian comic Paul Chowdhry
Bucks Art Society spring exhibition, Obsidian Art Gallery, Stoke Mandeville
Chiltern Open Air Museum - Fun events for children
Wind in the Willows at Hayes Beck
Wycombe Swan - Joe Pasquale
Wycombe Town Hall - Irish country singer Ann Breen on her farewell tour

Thursday 15th April

Baby crisis - Controversial plans to concentrate all Buckinghamshire’s maternity services at Stoke Mandeville Hospital are based on wrong figures and will lead to a baby crisis, a maternity expert warned yesterday. Janice O’Flynn from the Home Birth Support Group said Stoke Mandeville was designed to cope with 5,000 births a year. Yet, she said, in the area Stoke Mandeville was expected to cover, latest figures show there were 5,500 births. The health authority say they will have sufficient beds to cope. Meanwhile more than 20,000 people in the Wycombe area have so far signed a petition calling for maternity and children’s wards at Wycombe Hospital to remain.

Today’s events

Bucks Art Society spring exhibition, Obsidian Art Gallery, Stoke Mandeville
Chiltern Open Air Museum - Fun events for children
Oakfield Road, Aylesbury - Easter travelling fun fair
Windsor Theatre Royal - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
Wycombe Swan - Tribute concert to Queen

Wednesday 14th April

Olympic swimmer - High Wycombe swimmer Simon Burnett is celebrating today after being selected for Britain’s Olympic swimming squad to compete in Athens this summer. The 22 year old, who trains at Handy Cross, is expected to compete in the 100 and 200 metres freestyle. He is the first swimmer from Wycombe to represent his country in the Olympics.

Today’s events

Bucks Art Society spring exhibition, Obsidian Art Gallery, Stoke Mandeville
Chiltern Open Air Museum - Fun events for children
Oakfield Road, Aylesbury - Easter travelling fun fair

Tuesday 13th April

Down and out - Wycombe Wanderers were relegated for only the second time in their history after a 1-2 defeat at Adams Park to Tranmere Rovers yesterday. Their fate was sealed because other fixtures involving bottom clubs means Wycombe will be unable to reach the 47 points needed for safety. Manager Tony Adams is now expected to spend the rest of this season’s games putting together the team he will want to see leading the club out of Division 3 next season.

Today’s events

Bucks Art Society spring exhibition, Obsidian Art Gallery, Stoke Mandeville
Cookham’s Stanley Spencer Gallery - Summer exhibition
Oakfield Road, Aylesbury - Easter travelling fun fair

Monday 12th April

Rail swoop - A major clampdown on yobs on local train services ends today. A special squad of police, transport police and railway officials have spent Easter on Chiltern Railways services ready to throw the book at any drunks being a nuisance. The clamp down follows two recent incidents - one at Wendover and another at Saunderton - where rail staff were harassed by young drunks, and another incident on the Denham to Wycombe line described as “potentially fatal”. The results of the purge will be announced later.

Special treatment - Wycombe Wanderers are asking special permission from the Football Association to hire in a goalkeeper for today’s match against Tranmere at Adams Park because both first choice keepers are injured. Frank Talia is out long-term and Steve Williams dislocated a finger on Saturday.

Easter Monday events include:

Aylesbury Civic Centre - Model Railway and Toy Fair
Bray Village Hall - Rolf Harris art exhibition
Brush Hill Nature Reserve, Princes Risborough - Easter Fun Day
Bucks Art Society spring exhibition, Obsidian Art Gallery, Stoke Mandeville
Bucks Railway Centre, Quainton - Thomas the Tank Engine in steam
Chenies Manor House - Easter Egg Festival
Chiltern Open Air Museum, Chalfont St Giles - Food Fair
Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway - Easter Egg special steam trips
Hyde End, Great Missenden - Craft Fair
Oakfield Road, Aylesbury - Easter travelling fun fair
Odds Farm Park, Wooburn Common - Easter Treasure Hunt
Thame Country Show
West Wycombe’s Ham Farm - Lambing Day

Sunday 11th April

Williams worry - here’s concern over Wycombe Wanderers goalie Steve Williams after he was stretchered off yesterday with fears of a broken arm. He had made a string of great saves against league leaders Plymouth, as a Blues put up a fighting performance in an unlucky 2-1 defeat.

Today’s events

Thame Country Show
Bucks Art Society spring exhibition, Obsidian Art Gallery, Stoke Mandeville
Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway - Easter Egg special steam trips
Odds Farm Park, Wooburn Common - Easter Treasure Hunt
Chiltern Open Air Museum, Chalfont St Giles - Food Fair
Bucks Railway Centre, Quainton - Thomas the Tank Engine in steam
Hyde End, Great Missenden - Craft Fair
Bray Village Hall - Rolf Harris art exhibition
Oakfield Road, Aylesbury - Easter travelling fun fair
Adams Park - Wasps v Gloucester in Heineken Cup quarter final
West Wycombe’s Ham Farm - Lambing Day

Saturday 10th April

Superbug - The number of people dying from the hospital superbug MRSA has reached record levels at Wycombe, according to reports yesterday. Half of the 20 cases reported at the hospital resulted in death.

Today’s events

Bray Village Hall - Rolf Harris art exhibition
Bucks Railway Centre, Quainton - Thomas the Tank Engine in steam
Chiltern Open Air Museum, Chalfont St Giles - Food Fair
Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway - Easter Egg special steam trips
Great Missenden Memorial Hall - Antique Fayre
Hyde End, Great Missenden - Craft Fair
Kimble, near Aylesbury - Point to point races
Marlow’s All Saints Church Hall- Thames Valley Orchid Society annual show
Oakfield Road, Aylesbury - Easter travelling fun fair
Odds Farm Park, Wooburn Common - Easter Treasure Hunt
Stoke Mandeville - Bucks Art Society spring exhibition, Obsidian Art Gallery,
West Wycombe’s Ham Farm - Lambing Day

Friday 9th April

Arson reward - An arsonist who caused more than £100,000 of damage to a warehouse in Asheridge Road, Chesham is being hunted by police. A £5,000 reward was offered last night for information leading to the arsonist’s arrest. Two lorries, carrying aluminium foil, were also damaged.

Events for Good Friday

Bucks Art Society spring exhibition, Obsidian Art Gallery, Stoke Mandeville
Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway - Easter Egg special steam trips
Odds Farm Park, Wooburn Common - Easter Treasure Hunt
Chiltern Open Air Museum, Chalfont St Giles - Food Fair
Bucks Railway Centre, Quainton - Thomas the Tank Engine in steam
Hyde End, Great Missenden - Craft Fair
Bray Village Hall - Rolf Harris art exhibition
Oakfield Road, Aylesbury - Easter travelling fun fair

Thursday 8th April

Girl assaulted - Parents in Aylesbury have been warned by police to keep an eye on their children after a seven year old girl was indecently assaulted as she played near her home in the Fairford Leys area of the town. Police are hunting a man with a scar running diagonally across his stomach.

Blind appeal - Blind and partially sighted people, transport bosses and councils throughout Bucks get together today to work out a way to co-ordinate public transport timetables so people with limited vision can better use them.

No Easter bunnies - The Blue Cross charity in Chalfont St Peter are urging people not to buy pet rabbits for Easter. The shelter is full to overflowing with rabbits that have been bought as pets and later abandoned.

Wednesday 7th April

Murder probe - A 49 year old Wycombe man arrested on suspicion of murdering a 31 year old man in a pub fight in Torquay at the weekend was released on police bail last night pending further inquiries. He has not been named.

Rider identified - A motor cyclist who died after hitting a telegraph pole on Lye Green Road, Chesham, was identified yesterday as Jason Shirley, aged 28, from Rachel Way in the town.

Senda signs - Wycombe player Danny Senda has signed a new two year deal to stay at the club, the Wanderers confirmed yesterday. Manager Tony Adams has moved the player from defender to midfielder in recent games - and Senda has relished the change.

Tuesday 6th April

Health protests - Heart patients are set to protest today as health bosses hold a meeting to discuss hospital reorganisation plans throughout the Wycombe, Amersham and Aylesbury area. The patients are worried that a plan to centralise cardiac services at Wycombe and to close heart wards at Stoke Mandeville could lead to a poorer service.

Luke’s success - Wycombe golfer Luke Donald is on the verge of entering the world’s top 50 list of professional golfers after finishing highly in the BellSouth Classic and bringing his earnings so far this year to over £450,000 - more than he earned throughout the whole of last year.

Ambulance appeal - A new appeal to keep an air ambulance in the air has been launched. The helicopter is run by a charity but has already been able to whisk nearly 6,000 patients to hospital from local emergencies in the Bucks and Berks area.

Monday 5th April

Bosses win - Concern for the future is likely to turn to anger at the Wycombe based Mayflower group today after reports in Sunday newspapers that directors at the troubled company will be able to share in an untouched £10m pension scheme, whereas the pension pool for workers has an £18m deficit. The firm reported a £20 “hole” in its accounts last week and is now in the hands of administrators. According to one report, a director who left last week has taken with him a £300,000 pay-off.

Prof’s GBH - A top heart specialist faces jail after breaking a barman’s arm in two places in a pub brawl. Professor James Scott, 57, of Chalfont St Peter, admitted grievous bodily harm on the barman at a pub in the Isle of Scilly on the night before his wedding. He will be sentenced next month.

Currie rethink - Wycombe Wanderers boss Tony Adams is under pressure to rethink his decision to let Blues favourite Darren Currie go at the end of the season, especially after a wonder goal and a well struck penalty from the creative midfielder in Saturday’s game against Port Vale.

Sunday 4th April

Glider protest - Hundreds of local people will stage a march and demonstration at RAF Halton today in protest at plans to increase gliding activity at the station. They say there will be extra noise and safety risks over the whole area.

Wood display - Chainsaw sculpture and tree surgery will be among the crafts on display today at a special woodland management and crafts event at Wendover Woods today.

Seeing double - Something to smile about at last at Adams Park last night after Wycombe Wanderers secured their first back to back win since January last year after beating Port Vale 2-1, with both goals coming from Darren Currie. Good news too in that in-form on-loan defender Stuart Nethercott has agreed a permanent deal with the club.

Saturday 3rd April

Health extension - The local health authority yesterday extended the public consultation about controversial changes to local hospital services by a month - to mid June - because of large public interest in the plans.

Rail takeover - It looks as though a passengers group is set to run its own railway line. The Marlow and Maidenhead Passengers Association is considering joining with other community groups to run the services between the two towns - known for years as The Marlow Donkey - following an approach from the Strategic Rail Authority.

Record breaker - Wycombe Wanderers will be hoping for two league wins in a row - the first time that will have happened for over a year- when they entertain Port Vale at Adams Park today in Nationwide division 2.

Friday 2nd April

Administrators in - The Wycombe based engineer and transport group Mayflower rounded off a horrible week by calling in administrators. On Monday the London Road company announced a £20m block hole in its accounts, and on Tuesday senior managers left. On Wednesday a rescue plan collapsed and yesterday workers learned their pensions could be threatened.

Furniture plan - Councillors have given the go ahead to plans to build a major housing development on the site of the former Ercol factory off the London Road. In all 265 flats and houses will replace the furniture factory, which has moved to new premises in Princes Risborough.

Arsenal date - Arsenal look set to play at friendly at Adams Park against Wycombe Wanderers in July in a testimonial game for Blues favourite Steve Brown, who is retiring at the end of the season. It will be the first time the Gunners have played at Wycombe.

Thursday 1st April

Pensions fear - The pensions of workers at the Wycombe based company Mayflower are at risk because of the firm’s financial crisis, it emerged yesterday. Reports say the company pension fund has assets of £36m but pension promises to workers amount to £57m. Shares in the engineering and transport firm, based in London Road, Loudwater, are suspended. The Financial Services Authority are said to be launching an investigation into accounting irregularities.

Health demo - A big demonstration to protest against moves to change local hospital services - and in particular to close the special care baby unit, maternity ward and children’s wards at Wycombe Hospital - is being held tonight as health chiefs discuss their plans.

Donald dilemma - High Wycombe international golfer Luke Donald looks set to turn his back on a chance to play for Europe in this year’s Ryder Cup after being told yesterday he needs to play 11 tournaments in Europe to be considered for selection. The 26 year old former Beaconsfield Golf Club player told reporters: “I’d love to play the Ryder Cup, but I have made my home in the States now. It wouldn’t make sense to uproot myself.”

Wednesday 31st March

New deal - There were sighs of relief all round at Wycombe Wanderers last night when rugby premiership side London Wasps announced it would be continuing to ground share at Adams Park for a further season. The deal is worth more than a quarter of a million pounds to the Wanderers, a possible lifeline if they are relegated. Wasps made its move just 24 hours before the deadline for telling the Rugby Football Union where it would be playing next season, but chairman Chris Wright said that during the next year the club would decide where it would play its rugby “in the longer term.”

Company crisis - Shares in the Wycombe based engineering and transport company Mayflower were suspended yesterday as the firm admitted that a deal to help it out of a financial crisis were “near collapse.” Senior managers left the London Road based company earlier this week after admitting a £20m accountancy “hole” in its books. The Loudwater firm employs 3,500 in Britain and several hundred at its HQ.

Base “difficult” - Chances of RAF High Wycombe remaining open as a base for Strike Command slimmed yesterday after an RAF officer told protestors the base was “difficult to maintain.” The RAF is looking to merge the Wycombe base with another in Gloucestershire - saving around 1,000 jobs - but hasn’t decided where to locate the merged Command. An RAF officer told a group in Gloucestershire that Wycombe was favourite to close because it was more expensive. In addition it did not have sufficient married quarters. Defence minister Adam Ingram told MPs that a decision will be made before the end of the year.

Tuesday 30th March

Students warned - Police are holding a special session in Wycombe today aimed at preventing university students becoming crime victims. The session at Bucks Chilterns Uni will give students security tips and help them prevent burglaries to student accommodation, which normally soar in the Easter holiday. Police said last week that one in three university students are crime victims each year in the Thames Valley area.

Company crisis - A Wycombe based company was in crisis last night after its chief executive, joint managing director and finance director announced they were leaving after a £20m hole was found in company’s accounts. Shares in the transport company Mayflower dropped by a third yesterday - only weeks after the company’s value lost 80 per cent of its worth after a profits warning. Now the firm looks ripe for a take-over.

Red turns blue - Adam Flynn, a 19 year old midfielder released from Liverpool’s youth squad last week, will play a friendly for Wycombe Wanderers today as manager Tony Adams seeks to rebuild his squad.

Monday 29th March

Doctor quits - A GP is quitting her practice today and claims others will follow when new arrangements for family doctor services come into effect on Thursday. Dr Amanda Brown, who has practised in Little Chalfont for 19 years, says the new deal - designed to enable doctors to spend more time with patients and less with paperwork - will put docs under more pressure for less money. She is going into private health work. Part of the new scheme will mean that weekend and night call outs will be dealt with at special centres and not necessarily at local GP surgeries.

Company wraps - The Central Railway company - which was told officially last week that its plan to run big freight trains from the north and midlands, through the Chilterns and onto Europe was non-starter - is likely to be officially wound up today.

Generous town - Amersham is the third most generous town in Britain according to a survey published yesterday. A market research company found that 75 per cent of the population give regularly to charity, placing big hearted residents just slightly behind Marlborough, Wilts and Pulborough, west Sussex

Sunday 28th March

Biker dies - A 19 year old cyclist died early yesterday hours after police had confiscated the keys to his Suzuki because he had been drinking in Thame. Police thought he’d gone but they saw him again in the early hours driving a bike at speed. He left the Chinnor Road at Kingston Blount, and despite desperate efforts to revive him, he died at the scene. He is expected to be officially identified tomorrow.

Pitch warnings - Sunday soccer teams in the Maidenhead area are being warned to examine pitches closely before they kick off today. It follows an incident last Sunday at Braywick when a Holyport player badly gashed his leg on a broken bottle left on the pitch. The game with Badshot Lea was abandoned.

Hallelujah! - Wycombe Wanderers earned their first away win for over a year with an astonishing 3-2 victory at Oldham yesterday. Two Blues goals came from new signing Nathan Tyson and the third from Craig Faulconbridge - the striker who scored his first goal for a year last week and who has now scored in two consecutive games. Up until yesterday Wycombe were the only side in the football league not to have won away this season.

Saturday 27th March

Red cards - Motor cyclists in the Wycombe area will be red and yellow carded under a new scheme announced by local police yesterday. Bikers will be given a yellow card if they commit a minor offence and a red card if more serious. Police will then give them the option of being prosecuted or taking a retraining course. It’s part of new police moves to cut down on motorbike deaths which leapt by 50 per cent last year.

Train deal - Trains travelling at up to 125 mph will be introduced on the main western line following a deal yesterday enabling the First Group to take over Thames Trains. It could result in a journey from Maidenhead to Paddington taking around 15 minutes.

Missed out - It emerged yesterday that Wycombe Wanderers manager Tony Adams failed to obtain two new players before the transfer deadline elapsed on Thursday. He made a bid for young players from Notts Forest and Liverpool, but was thwarted. The Blues travel to Oldham Athletic today with Darren Currie, who himself has been talking with Oldham officials about a transfer.

Friday 26th March

Hoon pressed - Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon is being pressed by MPs to make a Commons statement over the future of RAF High Wycombe - the headquarters of Strike Command - amid fears from military top brass that the base may go for financial reasons rather than sound defensive ones. The RAF said last week it planned to merge the Wycombe base with another Strike Command base in Gloucestershire, and probably set up the combined unit on another base altogether. They warned that 1,000 jobs could go.

Blues shock - A ruthless Tony Adams yesterday signalled he is prepared to let Wycombe Wanderers’ two top goalscorers - who between them cost £300,000 - go to other clubs for nothing. Yesterday, Jermaine “Jocky” McSporran, who has been with the club for six years, joined Walsall on a free until the end of the season, while Darren “Ruby” Currie spent the day trying to find another club after he too was told he could go. Currie failed to find a club by the time this season’s transfer deadline expired at five o’clock. Veteran player Steve Brown, who is due to retire at the end of the season, said players were “bewildered.”

Post Office fight - A campaign was launched yesterday to try and stop the Post Office closing four of Aylesbury’s ten post offices in a cost-cutting move.

Thursday 25th March

Deal stalled - A new groundsharing deal between Wycombe Wanderers and London Waps has stalled at the last minute as the rugby club and the council engage in brinkmanship. The council want the club to stay in Wycombe but the club want the council to allow improved access and crowd capacity increases at Adams Park. Wasps yesterday announced a sell-out at the 10,000 seater stadium for their Heineken Cup clash with Gloucester on Easter Sunday and indicated they could have sold “twice as many” tickets. They have less than a week to tell the rugby authorities where they will be playing next season.

Reforming - Meanwhile Blues manager Tony Adams yesterday began rebuilding a side expected to be playing in division three next season by signing 18 year old Andy Reilly - a promising midfielder who has already been selected for Scotland’s under-21s - on a year’s contract. He is expected to complete the permanent signing of Millwall on-loan defender Stuart Nethercott today.

Ridgeway ban - Britain’s oldest road, The Ridgeway, which runs from Wiltshire up into the Chilterns will be banned to four by four vehicles in the winter, local councils decided yesterday. The track is popular with walkers and horse riders but has been churned up this winter by four by four drivers wanting to take advantage of the spectacular views it offers.

Wednesday 24th March

Students warned - Police last night warned students planning an Easter break back home to take their valuables with them. Burglaries to properties rented by students in the area soared by 84 per cent during the Easter break last year, and police don’t want the same to happen this year. Throughout the Thames Valley one in three university students suffer theft every year, they said.

Housing boost - Key workers in the south Bucks area - particularly further education teachers and children’s social workers - are to be offered up to £100,000 in interest free loans to enable them to buy their first home, the Government announced yesterday. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott admitted that the high cost of housing in places like south Bucks was forcing some key workers to other parts of the country.

Attempted murder - Aylesbury man John Marshall-Deane, 42, of Stratford Drive, has been remanded in custody by magistrates charged with an attempted murder last weekend in Buckingham Road in the town.

Tuesday 23rd March

Back room clearout - Wycombe Wanderers were denying a back-room bust-up last night after the club announced that a second long-term stalwart is leaving. Sports therapist Dave Jones is leaving after 18 years at the club. At the weekend it was announced that Terry Evans, former club captain and fans favourite, was quitting as youth team physio. Both were saying their departures were due to “family reasons”. However, there’s talk the pair fell out with boss Tony Adams over fitness regimes.

Disappearing wife - A Maidenhead man is denying murdering his wife so that his lover could move in with him. Veronica Packman has not been seen for 19 years, but prosecutors at Exeter Crown Court said yesterday that her husband, now called Russell Causley, of Portlock Place, Maidenhead, murdered her and kept up a pretence she was still alive. Eventually, they say, Causley told neighbours his wife had “gone off with a man in a red Porshe” and his lover came to live with him.

Tax petition - Wycombe MP Paul Goodman will today present a petition to Parliament signed by just over 1,000 Wycombe area people calling for a rethink on council tax as a means of local tax gathering.

Monday 22nd March

Rowers rescued - Rowers from Marlow and Henley were among those pulled from the river on the Oxford/Cambridge boat race course between Putney and Mortlake yesterday. Lifeboats were called to rescue competitors in the Head of River race when freak weather conditions hit the event. Lifeguards pulled 34 of the 1,000 plus competitors taking part in the event from the river.

Blackouts - The gales also caused sporadic blackouts throughout Bucks throughout the weekend. Electricity companies said they hoped to have everyone back on stream by last night.

Double trouble - Health bosses seeking views on reorganisation of local hospital services face a new campaign tonight. People in the Wycombe area are already staging mass protests over one idea to close children and baby wards in Wycombe Hospital and transfer them to Stoke Mandeville. Now, people in Aylesbury are organising themselves to protest at plans to close cardiac wards at Stoke Mandeville and move them to Wycombe.

Sunday 21st March

Tel going - It emerged last night that Wycombe Wanderers youth physio Terry Evans is leaving the club after an apparent row with manager Tony Adams over fitness levels of young players. Evans, a former club captain, is a survivor of the Martin O’Neill era at the club and immensely popular with fans. Meanwhile the Blues drew their ninth game in the last 13 at Adams Park yesterday - 1-1 against QPR.

Wind damage - Winter said its farewell with gusts of up to 70mph across the Wycombe area yesterday, uprooting trees, blowing down fences and disrupting public transport.

Mother’s walk - Hundreds of local mums are spending their Mothering Sunday this afternoon walking through West Wycombe Park to raise money for the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

Saturday 20th March

Residents’ guard - Neighbours fed up with burglaries in their road have clubbed together to hire a security guard to patrol outside their homes at night, the Maidenhead Advertiser reported yesterday. Residents in Willow Drive and neighbouring Ascot Road in Holyport are paying a security firm £14 an hour - a move which has not been welcomed by police, but not openly condemned either.

Grief-stricken village - A village came to a halt yesterday as hundreds paid tribute at the funeral of 36 year old father of four Jonathan Kirton, who fell to his death from a ladder while fixing an alarm system to his home in Sonning Common.

Local derby - Wycombe Wanderers take on local rivals QPR at Adams Park today in what is likely to be the last meeting between the two for sometime. QPR are among the favourites for promotion while the Blues look set to go in the other direction.

Friday 19th March

RAF shock - The RAF announced yesterday it thinking of closing or relocating its Strike Command base at Naphill, High Wycombe in job-saving exercise. It plans to merge the base with personnel and training operations currently based at Innsworth in Gloucestershire. A decision will be made in the autumn on whether to combine both bases at Wycombe or at Innsworth or, as seems most likely, at a new location altogether. Two thousand people work at the Naphill base, including 400 civilians. The RAF says if the two bases combined they would save around a thousand jobs.

Naphill future - Staff at the Strike Command base said last night they have been told by managers that “we will be moving as soon as we can manage it.” Closure of the Naphill base would be tempting because it would fetch a good price for housing development, but no decision will be made until trade unions and the local council have been consulted. However Ministry of Defence top brass may be reluctant to let the RAF dispense with the Naphill base because it contains one of the biggest underground chambers in the country and would be used as a key Nato base in the event of a nuclear attack. It is also very close to the Prime Minister’s country residence at Chequers.

Adams Park deal - Wycombe Wanderers and their premiership rugby lodgers London Wasps are on the verge of a new five year deal. A ground sharing contract will be signed next week, but it’s thought that Wasps will have a get-out clause if improvements are not made to access roads and the ground’s capacity.

Thursday 18th March

Housing battle - Environmental and rural campaigners were gearing up for a fresh battle last night after the Government indicated in its Budget that it is prepared to look at plans for building thousands of new homes in the south east. Campaigners thought they had won the argument against building extra homes in the Wycombe area after the Government said it would concentrate new building in Bucks around Milton Keynes. But now there are fresh fears Green Belt boundaries will be redrawn.

Grammar fears - Some analysts predicted last night that the Government’s desire for more specialist secondary schools, outlined in the Budget, was a further indication that new attempts may be made to abolish grammar schools in Bucks. Last night veteran politician Tony Benn told anti-grammar school campaigners in Wycombe there was no justification for Bucks retaining grammar schools when neighbouring counties had abolished them.

Weapons haul - A CS gas canister, a machete and a cross-bow were amongst a haul of knives and other implements handed in during a weapons amnesty in High Wycombe, police said last night.

Wednesday 17th March

Bail money lost - Three friends who put up £11,000 bail money have lost the cash after the two accused people they helped failed to turn up in court and skipped the country. A judge yesterday said that the three students had not made sufficient efforts to ensure that Ratnam Yogan and Pushparajah Sinnappayal attended court. They are accused in connection with the death of Wendover schoolteacher Deborah Peaty in a car crash last autumn. The court heard that Yogan, 29, is thought to be in Germany and that his wife and young child have not seen or heard from him since early February. She has had to return to Sri Lanka. The bail money will be used to help track down the fugitives.

Burglaries down - Police were claiming success for their safer homes campaign yesterday after burglaries in the Wycombe area dropped by a third. Police said that during February there were 114 burglaries compared to 168 last year. Detection rates are up too. More police patrols together with a publicity campaign are thought to be responsible for the drop.

Another draw - A lively Wycombe Wanderers earned a point with yet another draw in a 1-1 game with rivals Colchester United last night. With nine matches left relegation is a virtual certainty however. Just think, if only we had scored one extra goal in the 15 drawn matches this season, the Blues would be sixth from top and looking to promotion!

Tuesday 16th March

Grammar pressure - Buckinghamshire’s grammar school system is coming under renewed pressure following a report from the Government’s Qualifications and Curriculum Authority saying that tests for 11 year olds should be downgraded. With the Prime Minister suggesting that the school leaving age of 16 should be scrapped and suggestions that A levels and exam equivalents should be taken when pupils are “ready” between the ages of 14 and 19, there’s growing speculation that the grammar schools’ rigid system could be outlawed in a future Labour manifesto.

Fruitless battle - Neighbours who battled over the ownership of a two foot strip of land and a garden path have both ended up losers, with legal costs of nearly £100,000. A Court of Appeal judge yesterday dismissed both claims for the land between two homes in Cuba Cottages, Maidenhead. After an 18 month legal battle it left Juliet Plemay and her neighbours Peter and Alan Hampton back at square one.

Playground fear - A six year old boy was airlifted to hospital yesterday after he fell from the top of a climbing frame in the playground at Cookham Rise School and landed on his head. But he will be back at school tomorrow, thanking his lucky stars that the school had put an extra-soft surface beneath the frame.

Monday 15th March

Baby row - The midwife in charge of maternity services in the Wycombe area stood against a tide of growing protest yesterday saying that plans to move the special care baby unit from Wycombe to Stoke Mandeville should go ahead. Celina Eves said some doctors were working up to 72 hours a week to keep the unit going. By joining forces at Stoke Mandeville doctors the unit can run effectively seven days a week, 24 hours a day she said.

Company troubles - The Wycombe based transport company, the Mayflower Corporation, is set to receive a take-over bid according to gossip in the City. The company, which employs several hundred at its London Road base and 5,600 people worldwide, is set to announce annual figures next week but it has already seen its value fall from £700m four years ago to £42m today. It ran into difficulty with an investment in a big bus company.

Fighting on - Wycombe Wanderers manager Tony Adams will tell his players today that he is not conceding relegation to division 3, despite an effective 14 point gap from safety with just 10 games to go. He told newspapers after Saturday’s disappointing 1-1 draw with Notts County “We are not chucking in the towel… we will fight to the end.”

Sunday 14th March

Down and out - Wycombe Wanderers now seem certain to be relegated for only the second time in their history after a 1-1 draw with fellow division two strugglers Notts County at Adams Park yesterday. With the team rooted at the bottom, 14 points from safety, and having won only four of their last 44 league games, boss Tony Adams is certain to have a further clearout of players in the coming weeks.

Hare raids - Police are mounting weekend raids throughout the Chilterns in an attempt to catch illegal hare coursers.

Anglers woe - Local fishermen wrap up their angling season today, reporting that local rivers have produced less fish than for many years.

Friday 12th March

Deal nears - Wycombe Wanderers and London Wasps are said to be nearing a new deal which will keep the premiership rugby club at Adams Park for another five years. Wasps have just two weeks in which to tell rugby bosses where they will be playing next season and a new financial deal will be a mighty relief to soccer bosses facing the prospect of a drop in income due to relegation.

Rave appeal - Police are set to renew appeals at raves being held in a 50 mile radius of High Wycombe this weekend in an attempt to catch the drug dealer who supplied 16 year old Sophie Ksher. Sophie died after taking ecstasy at an illegal rave in a disused factory in Wycombe six weeks ago. So far four people have been questioned and released.

Hospital plea - A campaign to keep children’s and maternity services at Wycombe Hospital gets underway today in response to a consultation by health bosses on whether to move the wards to Stoke Mandeville and concentrate other services at Wycombe. There’s particular concern over the proposed closure of the Special Care Baby Unit at the hospital.

Thursday 11th March

Library plan - High Wycombe library could be turned in shops, offices or even a restaurant once it is replaced by a new library in the town’s new-look town centre. Councillors last night removed planning restrictions in the hope that the library, in a key position in the town, is transformed into something useful rather than be left derelict.

Biker names - A motorcyclist who died when he collided with a road sign was named yesterday as David Bone, 57, of Birch Way, Tylers Green. Police are still trying to discover what caused the accident which resulted in them closing the main Beaconsfield to Slough road in the morning rush hour.

Millionaire homes -More than 100 homes a year in south Bucks are selling at a million pounds or more, according to figures out yesterday. Outside London, it’s the second biggest area in the country for super-priced houses.

Wednesday 10th March

Pensioners protest - A Wycombe pensioner and his wife due to appear in court next week for non-payment of council tax arrears are vowing to face the consequences rather than pay up. Retired fire-fighter Terry Price, 70, and his wife Pauline say the tax should be linked to ability to pay. Members of the British Legion and other anti-council tax protestors will be demonstrating outside Wycombe Magistrates Court next Wednesday when the couple have been summonsed to appear.

Biker dies - A motor cyclist who died when his bike left the road and hit a sign at the start of yesterday morning’s rush hour is expected to be named today. The main Beaconsfield to Slough road was closed while police investigated the cause of the smash, causing miles of traffic jams.

Ready to drop - Wycombe Wanderers manager Tony Adams told reporters yesterday that he would not be leaving if the Blues are relegated to division 3, telling them “I am getting ready for division 3 and have scouts around the country looking at things.” He expects to complete his first real signing in the next day or two when striker Nathan Tyson signs a two year deal. Tyson, who has been promising on loan, will move from Reading for a £20,000 fee.

Tuesday 9th March

Securicor raid - An armed raid on a Securicor van on a garage forecourt was thwarted when one of the guards sounded an alarm, police said yesterday. Another guard had been attacked by a man with a truncheon as he was transferring money from the van to Tesco Express in Marlow Road, Wycombe. The robber fled empty handed when the guard in the van set off a piercing alarm.

Air crash fears - Residents in Wendover will tell the Government today of their fears of an increasing risk of an air crash if more gliders are allowed to fly to and from RAF Halton. An RAF minister will hear the protests after considering plans to move a new gliding club to the base from Banbury.

Butterfly plan - A scheme to build the world’s biggest butterfly dome in the Chilterns was revealed yesterday. The £15m dome, which would be similar to one at the Eden Project in Cornwall, would recreate a tropical jungle environment and contain a quarter of a million butterflies. If it gets planning permission it will be built near St Albans.

Monday 8th March

Rail rejection - It looks as though the multi-million pound plan to build a “super-railway” through Wycombe and the Chilterns, enabling freight to travel from the north and midlands to the Euro tunnel, is going to fail. The Central Railway scheme, as it was called, would have met with massive protests because of extra noise and disruption. But leaks to newspapers say the scheme is likely to be elbowed this week so rail money can be used to fund the Crossrail scheme linking west and east London.

Circulations fall - Every local newspaper in Buckinghamshire suffered a fall in circulation in the final half of last year according to figures out today. It’s a continuing trend as local papers have been losing circulation steadily over recent years. Even the biggest selling local paper in the county, the Bucks Free Press, is actually bought by less than one in ten of the population it serves.

Companies praised - There’s no Monday morning blues at two Wycombe area software companies today after they were named in a Sunday Times survey yesterday as two of the best companies to work for in the country. Marlow based SAS UK was in the top 50 of bigger companies and Wycombe based Softcat did well in the league of smaller companies. The survey was based on staff interviews about job satisfaction, goodwill, conditions, pay and feeling valued.

Sunday 7th March

Another defeat - Wycombe Wanderers remain the only side in the top four divisions without an away win after a 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth yesterday. The Blues put up a fight - Senda hitting the bar - but to no avail.

Kick-Boxing - A special England v Rest of the World kick-boxing competition - with European and world titles at stake - takes place in Amersham today.

Daffs show - West Wycombe Park opens its grounds for charity today so the people can view the thousands of daffodils on display.

Saturday 6th March

Trial date - Two men who fled the country when they were charged with offences connected with the death of Wendover schoolteacher Deborah Peaty are to be tried in their absence, a judge ruled yesterday. Ratnam Yogan, who is accused of death by dangerous driving last October, is being hunted in Germany. Pushparajah Sinnappayal, who is also missing, is charged with perverting the course of justice. A judge said yesterday that their trial will begin with or without them in August.

Web pastor - The Oxford diocese, which includes the Wycombe area, is to be the first in the country to appoint a cyberspace-vicar. The church advertised for a “web pastor” yesterday who will provide an on-line daily prayer and set up a website for local worshippers.

Goalie shock - Southampton reserve goalie Scott Bevan yesterday turned down an offer to play permanently for Wycombe Wanderers, opting to sign for Wimbledon instead. However there was some good news for boss Tony Adams as he takes his team to Bournemouth for today’s Division 2 game. Reading’s on-loan striker Nathan Tyson has said he is keen to sign a full-time deal with the Blues.

Friday 5th March

New clues - Police are following up new clues after a TV programme featured a multi-million pound theft from the National Trust house Waddesdon Manor. Scores of gold and jewelled boxes were stolen in a daring raid on the Rothschild collection last June. A programme on the Trust and the house on Wednesday produced a number of phone calls from viewers. Last week five men were arrested but released without charge.

Shane’s gift - EastEnders star Shane Ritchie last night rejected a £150,000 deal from a celebrity magazine for exclusive rights to take pictures at his 40th birthday bash next week at his home in Denham. Instead he has sold the rights to The Big Issue - the newspaper sold to help the homeless - for a total of £1.10… one pound for himself and 10p for his agent!

Rising star - Tony Adams yesterday offered a Wycombe Wanderers professional contract to 18 year old midfielder Mark Philo, who has impressed the Blues boss with his performances in the youth team.

Thursday 4th March

Hospital changes - Plans to concentrate medical services at either Wycombe, Stoke Mandeville or Amersham Hospital, instead of offering all-purpose services at all or at two out of three were unveiled by the Bucks Hospital NHS Trust yesterday. The Trust opened a consultation exercise to find out what the public think, but said that in order to save money and make better use of hospital staff, changes will have to be made.

Baby Unit fight - Biggest shock in the medical review means the concentration of maternity services at Stoke Mandeville near Aylesbury, which would mean the closure of the Special Care Baby Unit at Wycombe. In their report health bosses say the children's nursing team at Wycombe is "stretched very thinly despite efforts to recruit new staff."

Other changes - The reports suggests that beds for heart care, haematology, rheumatology and dermatology be concentrated at Wycombe and Amersham hospitals; whereas gynaecology, orthopaedic, trauma and emergency surgery beds be concentrated at Stoke Mandeville. Earlier this year Tony Blair was treated at Stoke Mandeville when he had a heart scare while staying at Chequers - in future, if the plans are agreed, he would have to take the longer journey to Wycombe. Elsewhere, it's proposed to concentrate all adult mental health services at one hospital too.

Full details - You can find out full details of the changes on www.buckshospitals.nhs.uk/shaping/reports

Wednesday 3rd March

Station hanging - An early morning commuter discovered the body of a man hanging near Bourne End railway station footbridge an hour before dawn. An inquest is being opened today but the circumstances are not thought to be suspicious.

CCTV flop - Bucks councillors are red-faced after expensively installed CCTV cameras installed at well-known fly-tipping spots managed to catch one man dumping an entire bathroom suite of bathtub, sink and toilet in the entrance to a field in Wycombe’s Winchbottom Lane. But the visibility was so poor council environmental bosses are unable to identify the culprit.

Fighting draw - Wycombe Wanderers growing self-belief was on show last night when they earned a 1-1 draw at promotion-seeking Bristol City in Division 2. An equalising goal from Jermaine McSporran gave the Blues just a faint hope that the battle against relegation is not yet over.

Tuesday 2nd March

Chips are down - A nationwide survey yesterday showed that people in the Wycombe area are some of the slimmest in the country. The survey by Experian was based on the number of people admitted to hospital suffering from type 2 diabetes, which is linked to obesity and high fat diets. It showed that Beaconsfield was the tenth “slimmest” town in the country, and Amersham and Chesham the 14th.

Woman dies - An 83 year old woman pedestrian who was knocked down in Glade Road, Marlow on Friday died in hospital yesterday. She will be identified later today.

Scott’s back - It looked last night as though lanky Southampton goalkeeper Scott Bevan is returning to Wycombe Wanderers on a permanent basis after impressing in a loan spell earlier in the season. However, he cannot be signed in time for tonight’s daunting clash at Bristol City, who are second in the division 2 table.

Monday 1st March

Travel rethink - Councillors will tonight agree to look at schemes to increase pedestrian-only areas in Wycombe town centre. As part of a masterplan for dealing with a revamped town centre, the schemes will also include plans for new car parking areas in Cressex and along the London Road where motorists can park and catch frequent bus services into the town centre. A “light railway” plan using the old track bed between Wycombe station and Bourne End will also be considered.

Weird weather - The Met Office issued an emergency weather warning yesterday when snow and blizzards brought a crop of minor accidents to the busy junction of the M25 and M40. Yet at the same time just 10 miles away Wycombe was basking in sunshine and spring-like temperatures.

New keeper - Wycombe Wanderers boss Tony Adams starts a fresh week today with a new goalkeeper as his top priority. His first choice, Frank Talia, and his youth team keeper are both out injured for weeks, while only available keeper Steve Williams is going through a tough time. Adams told reporters yesterday that he still thinks the Blues can avoid relegation.

Sunday 29th February

Losing ground - Most Wycombe Wanderers fans were last night quietly accepting the fact that the Blues will be relegated from division two this season after a 4-3 defeat at home to Hartlepool yesterday. With 13 matches left the team are 10 points from safety.

Full house - With the football team struggling, the Adams Park paying guests - London Wasps - are top of their rugby tree. There’s a full house expected today when Wasps meet Birmingham/Solihul in the quarter-final of the Powergen Cup.

Maids of honour - Elsewhere on the sporting field, Maidenhead United’s hopes of reaching the semis of the FA Trophy were dashed yesterday when they lost 4-0 to Canvey Island.

Saturday 28th February

Rich set - Knotty Green, near Beaconsfield, was named as the area with the highest average income by the Office of National Statistics yesterday. The village was the first in the country a couple of years ago to build a housing development where every property was priced at over a million.

Weather strikes - Shopkeepers are bracing themselves for another slow weekend as bitter weather sweeps the area. Arctic blasts last weekend meant that many of the stallholders at Wycombe’s bustling Saturday market did not bother showing up.

Welcome Hartlepool - Hartlepool United make their first ever visit to Wycombe Wanderers today. The game would have been a gift for Sky Sports presenter and human stats machine Jeff Stelling who’s a lifelong supporter of Hartlepool but also a resident of the Wycombe area. But he’ll be at work as usual in Sky’s studio 15 miles away.

Friday 27th February

Marathon death - UK Athletics coach Alex Johnson, who helps hundreds of runners prepare and compete in the Wycombe Half Marathon, has died of a heart attack aged 57, the Bucks Free Press reports today. Mr Johnson, who commenates at the annual event, died in his sleep at his Flackwell Heath home.

Intruder sought - A woman who nodded off in front of the TV awoke at 3am to find a stranger stroking her cheek. The man immediately left the home in Bowerdean Road, Wycombe leaving the woman, in her thirties, suffering shock. Police yesterday issued warnings to people in the area to ensure they lock their doors at night.

Watch this space - Wycombe Wanderers boss Tony Adams told over 200 supporters last night to “watch this space” within the next few weeks as changes will happen in the club. He spoke with confidence about the future and hinted at possible new signings in attacking positions for the fight against relegation.

Thursday 24th February

Doctor accused - Chesham doctor Ronald Tovey is one of seven doctors facing charges of serious professional misconduct for allegedly giving “excessive and improper” drugs to heroin addicts trying to quit. The case, the biggest ever before the General Medical Council in its 145 year history, will have a profound effect on the treatment of addicts if Dr Tovey and his colleagues are found guilty. The doctors deny the allegations.

Lorry chaos - Road and rail traffic into Aylesbury was brought to a halt for several hours yesterday when the driver of a lorry carrying a fork-lift truck misjudged the height of a railway bridge over the A41. The fork-lift truck toppled over and landed on top of a Fiesta coming the other way, seriously injuring the driver. The road was blocked and train services suspended until the bridge was declared safe.

Robbo’s gone - Striker Stuart Roberts, who returned to Swansea City on loan from Wycombe Wanderers earlier this week, is expected to learn that the move is permanent today. Blues manager Tony Adams is expected to have sold the player for considerably less than the £100,000 Wycombe paid Swansea for him two years ago. Robbo managed to make an appearance for Swansea against Leyton Orient on Tuesday night after he was given clearance to play just one minute before the game kicked off.

Sunday 22nd February

Frank's heroics - Former out of favour goalkeeper Frank Talia came back into the Wycombe Wanderers side and played a blinder as the Blues gained their fifth draw in a row in a 0-0 battle at Barnsley. But Wycombe are still nine points from safety and the only team in the Nationwide League not to have won away from home.

Saturday 21st February

Victim hits out - Jason Leach, partner of Wendover schoolteacher Deborah Peaty who was killed in a road smash, hit out yesterday at a system that let her alleged killer escape the country. Ratnam Yogan, 25, failed to appear in court last week to face charges of death by dangerous driving and is now thought to be in Germany. Mr Leach, who said Miss Peaty’s family had been “virtually broken” by the tragedy said they were all angry that Yogan had managed to get to German “on a travel visa that was supposed to have been taken away.” Mr Leach was speaking after Miss Peaty’s inquest was opened and adjourned yesterday.

Helper sought - A man who helped divert traffic after 34 year old motor cyclist Jonathan Gaze mysteriously came off his bike and died was being sought by police last night. They said the helper may know more about how Mr Gaze died in the accident at the notorious Gangsdown Hill in Nettlebed.

Barnsley bound - Wycombe Wanderers travel to Barnsley today knowing that their improved form - the team have earned four draws from the last four games - has to result in wins if relegation is not to be a certainty by the end of March.

Friday 20th February

Ecstasy probe - Five people arrested in connection with the illegal rave at which 16 year old Sophie Ksher died after taking ecstasy have been released on bail from police questioning. Meanwhile police say more arrests are expected and they have issued a fresh appeal for witnesses who attended the all-night session at a disused Cressex factory in High Wycombe earlier this month.

Legoland slump - The number of visitors to Windsor’s Legoland dropped by 19 per cent last year it was revealed yesterday. The drop was the biggest of any major attraction in the country, but tourist bosses say the weather was too hot last summer and many parents did take young children out and about.

Blues talks - The main Wycombe fans website Chairboys on the Net said last night that talks between Wycombe Wanderers, London Wasps and the local council are due to take place soon to see if access to Adams Park can be improved by the building of a new access road across open fields to link up eventually with the M40. Increasing the capacity of the stadium may also be on the agenda.

Thursday 19th February

Have-a-go heroes - There was a bizarre battle in the centre of Gerrards Cross yesterday when three masked robbers, armed with a sledgehammer, a crowbar and a baseball bat were seen off by three passers-by armed with a shopping trolley, a fire extinguisher and bare fists. The robbers had just plunged the sledgehammer through the window of Percy Davis jewellery store in Packhorse Road and were about to help themselves when the three have-a-go heroes stepped in - one covering them with fire extinguisher foam; one prodding them with the trolley and the other giving chase when the thugs turned and ran. Last night police praised them for their "incredible bravery". The robbers are described as white and in their early twenties.

Ecstasy death arrests - Five people were arrested yesterday in connection with the death of 16 year old Sophie Ksher who died after taking ecstasy at an illegal rave in High Wycombe. One person from High Wycombe, one from Stokenchurch and three from Hertfordshire were being questioned last night. Police, who vowed to track down the illegal rave organisers, said more arrests were anticipated.

Dental delays - Thousands of people in the Wycombe area are failing to see a dentist because they cannot find someone willing to give them treatment on the National Health. The news comes a day after 2,000 people in Scarborough queued to register with a NHS dentist in the town. The situation in Wycombe and many other towns in the area is the same, according to health officials. The situation is said to be even worse for those requiring NHS services for dental specialists, such as orthodontists.

Wednesday 18th February

Mega deal - Medical research giant Amersham yesterday signed a multi-billion dollar deal with one of the world's biggest drug companies, Bayer, to develop new methods for treating Aids. The deal will establish south Bucks as a major world centre for medical research. Amersham, now owned by the mega-company General Electric, says it wants to double the size of its HQ in Pollards Wood, Chalfont St Giles. The company expects to change its name next month to GE Healthcare.

Drivers hit - About 25 drivers in Wycombe had their driving tests cancelled yesterday when driving examiners joined a national strike in pursuit of a pay claim.

Motorist dies - A man who died in a three car pile-up on Friday the 13th was named yesterday as Solomon Butler, 32, from the village of Latimer Bottom. The smash occurred on the Chesham Road in Bellingdon.

Tuesday 17th February

Another runner - A second man charged in connection with the death of Wendover teacher Deborah Peaty has done a bunk it emerged last night. Already, Ratnam Yogan, 29, who failed to appear at Northampton Crown Court last week to face charges of causing the death by dangerous driving of Miss Peaty and her unborn child, is believed to be hiding in Germany. Now Pushparajah Sinnappyal, 25, who faces charges of perverting the course of justice has also disappeared. Police and Miss Peaty's family are angry because they wanted the men to be remanded in custody until the trial, but defence lawyers successfully called for the accused to be bailed.

Housing surge - The asking price for houses in the Wycombe area has soared by nearly 13 per cent since the beginning of the year, figures revealed yesterday. The rise is the largest in the country outside London but does not indicate it is the price people are prepared to pay. However local estate agents say it's proof that sellers feel they will get much higher prices in the near future.

Blues change -

Monday 16th February

Tax protest - Anti council-tax campaigners throughout the south Bucks area begin a campaign today to screw up the system. They are urging supporters to pay the equivalent of a three per cent rise, instead of the average six per cent that's going to be approved by most local councils over the next two weeks. However the councils say that if people don't pay the full wack they'll be prosecuted and face additional legal bills.

Toad help - A campaign for volunteers to help thousands of toads cross a busy road safely gets underway today. As toads come out of hibernation hoards of them make their way from woods to Maidenhead's Summerleaze Lake for their annual rumpty-tumpty Trouble is, hundreds of them have been squashed in the past as they pour across the busy Ray Mill Road East. This year volunteers will be asked to round up the randy toads and carry them across the road.

Generous donor - A well-off music lover was so enchanted by the performance of Stoke Poges-based violinist Hui Qin Jiang that he or she has given Hui £12,000 so she can buy the violin she had borrowed for the concert. Hui, 21, arrived from China four years ago and is taking a year out from her studies at the Royal Academy of Music so she can raise money to complete her course.

Sunday 15th February

Woman found - A 71 year old "very frail" woman who had been missing from her Brackley Road, High Wycombe home since Thursday night was found 24 hours later safe and well, police said yesterday. Mrs Decima Long was making a full recovery last night in Wycombe Hospital.

Giant killers - Ryman League club Maidenhead United pulled off a giant killing win against Conference side Halifax Town yesterday to reach the quarter finals of the FA Trophy. The "Maids" beat the Yorkshire club 0-2.

Blues best - Wycombe Wanderers produced what many thought was their best performance of the season against Luton at Adams Park yesterday yet, undeservedly, could only manage a draw, 0-0. At least it showed that if they are to go down they will go down fighting. Premiership referee Steve Bennett had to retire at half time after pulling a muscle.

Saturday 14th February

Gibbo goes - Tony Adams' assistant manager Terry Gibson left Wycombe Wanderers yesterday after reaching an agreement to pay off his contract. Adams and Gibson had never seen eye to eye - and not just because one is 6ft 4in and the other 5ft 4in. Gibbo is joining former Blues manager Lawrie Sanchez as part time coach of the Northern Ireland squad. Bottom of the table Wycombe take on Luton at Adams Park today.

Geller attack - Police are investigating a racist attack on the Sonning home of TV personality Uri Geller. Graffiti vandals daubed anti-Semetic slogans on the walls of the spoon-bender's luxury home by the Thames.

Missing woman - Concern was rising last night for 71 year old Decima Long, who has not been seen at her home in Brackley Road, High Wycombe since Thursday night. She is described as "very frail".

Friday 13th February

Interpol hunt - Interpol revealed last night that a Euro-wide search has been launched for Ratnam Rogan, 29, who failed to show up at court earlier this week to face charges of causing the death by dangerous driving of Wendover teacher Deborah Peaty and her unborn child.

Royal turbo - The Royal Family received planning permission yesterday to build a couple of electric turbines at Romey Weir on the Thames which will generate electricity for Windsor Castle. The permission for the environmentally friendly generators - the first of its kind in the south of England - could mean that the face of the Thames will change dramatically over the coming years as more turbines are built at locks and weirs.

Waste trial - Meanwhile, in another environmentally friendly move, Wycombe Council announced yesterday that it is to begin a kerbside collection of garden and kitchen waste from 12,000 homes in the town as part of a pilot scheme.

Thursday 12th February

Ecstasy death - A teenager has died after taking ecstasy at an illegal rave in High Wycombe. Yesterday the family of 16 year old Sophie Ksher pleaded with partygoers to grass on the dealers who sold Sophie the tablets. The schoolgirl, from Arlesey, Bedfordshire, was one of about 400 people at the all night rave in a disused factory on the Cressex industrial park on January 31. She fell and hit her head after taking three ecstasy tablets. She lapsed into a coma and never recovered.

Police helpless - At an emotional press conference yesterday the police admitted they knew about the illegal rave at which Sophie Ksher died, but were unable to do anything about it because they did not have enough officers. However Det Insp Phillip Chandler vowed to find the rave organisers and "bring them down." He said the organisers had no regard for people's safety.

Farewell BFG - Members of the family of children's author Roald Dahl will attend the funeral today of Wally Saunders, the man on whom the author based his best-seller The BFG - the Big Friendly Giant. Mr Saunders, of Hazlemere, died last week at the age of 91 and became friendly with Mr Dahl after he built the hut at the bottom of the author's Great Missenden garden, where many of his great fantasy adventures were written. Meanwhile hundreds attended the funeral yesterday of Marlow FC and Wycombe Town footballer Andy Auguste, 22, who was killed in a road accident. He was buried in his number 7 soccer shirt.

Wednesday 11th February

No show - A nationwide hunt was on last night for Ratnam Yogan, 29, who failed to appear at Northampton Crown Court yesterday where he was due to face charges of causing the deaths by dangerous driving of Wendover teacher Deborah Peaty and her unborn baby. Police with an arrest warrant raided his London home, but there are fears he has fled to Sri Lanka.

Post office raid - A man and a woman in their teens were being sought last night after they entered Cookham Dean post office minutes after it opened, threatened the owner with a knive, bundled him into a store cupboard, and fled with the cash register.

Call up - Wycombe Wanderers 18 year old midfielder Andy Reilly - who has broken into the first team under Tony Adams - is expected to be called up to the Scotland under-21 side tomorrow for their game against Hungary next week. Meanwhile two Norwich trainees, Greg Crane and Damien Butts, both 19, are being given trials by Adams.

Tuesday 10th February

Customer sought - Police are hunting an armed gang who tied up a 19 year old off-licence shop assistant and pointed a gun at his head as a way of forcing him to tell them where the shop's safe keys were. But they are equally desperate to trace a woman customer who witnessed the whole thing, unbeknown to the gang. She entered the shop - Threshers in Great Missenden - while the raid was taking place on Sunday night but quickly left. She hung about outside, waited until the gang left with cash from the safe, then returned to untie the shop assistant before herself disappearing into the night.

Road protest - Gangsdown Hill on the Henley to Oxford Road has been named the most dangerous stretch of road in the country by residents after a motor-cyclist involved in a weekend smash died last night. He was the tenth person to die on the hill in the last year, the accident happening yards from where a mum, dad and eight year old son died in a horror smash last September. Retired TV sports commentator David Vine, who lives nearby, is leading a residents campaign for improved safety measures.

Tony's Atticus - Wycombe Wanderers manager Tony Adams returned to Adams Park yesterday with something to smile about - a new son, born shortly after Saturday's game. He's called Atticus, weighs 9lb, and is Adams' first child with partner Poppy Teacher, heiress to the Teacher's whisky family business. Adams has three other children from a previous marriage.

Monday 9th February

Begging clampdown - Police and transport officials are taking special action to clamp down on aggressive beggars following an increasing number of complaints from people using Wycombe bus station.

Rents increase - Councillors in Wycombe are set to agree an above-inflation increase in council rents tonight. Rents are expected to rise by just over four per cent.

Jim's fix - Sir Jimmy Savile has told Stoke Mandeville Hospital that he'll pay half a million pounds of his own money so the hospital can build the first unit especially designed for children with spinal injuries. Sir Jim, who's thought to be approaching his 80th birthday, has been an honorary "nurse" at the hospital's spinal injuries centre for over 30 years.

Sunday 8th February

Fans injured - Two Wycombe Wanderers fans were injured in Hillbottom Road, leading to Adams Park yesterday, when a heavy metal fence being carried by workmen toppled over on them. Fortunately their injuries were not serious.

Gus tribute - All teams playing in today's matches in the High Wycombe Sunday Combination League will pay a minute's silent tribute today in memory of Wycombe Town player Andy "Gus" Auguste,aged 22, of Shelley Road, Marlow who died in a road accident last weekend. His friend, Wycombe Wanderers player Danny Sender, yesterday wore a black armband at the match against Brighton and a T-shirt under his player's shirt with a tribute message.

Blues battle - Wycombe Wanderers put on their best performance under Tony Adams' management yesterday and were unlucky to only come away one point in a 1-1 draw at Adams Park. Adams himself rushed off after the final whistle to be at the side of girlfriend Poppy Teacher who was due to give birth to their first child.

Saturday 7th February

Poster U-turn - Two months after they caused offence around the world by refusing to allow Wycombe's parish church to advertise its carol concert at the local library for fear of offending other religions, councillors finally got round to taking a policy U-turn yesterday. After admitting the policy was "outdated" councillors in Bucks said that from April 1 they will allow library managers to make up their own mind about what's suitable.

Soccer sit-in - Brighton fans will stage a 20 minute sit-in at Adams Park after today's game against Wycombe in protest at their local council's refusal to back the club's plans for a new stadium. They will have plenty of support from Wycombe fans whose own council's support for their club has been negligible, bordering on the negligent, over the years.

Jobs shock - Parker Knoll's decision to close its Chipping Norton factory in Oxfordshire sent a shudder round Wycombe's furniture industry yesterday. The factory closes in the spring with the loss of 250 jobs.

Friday 6th February

Mobile clamp - Police say that from today they will stop "pussyfooting" with drivers caught using their mobile phones. Since the law forbidding drivers from using mobiles began a few weeks ago, police have been warning local motorists rather than prosecuting them if they've been phoning and driving at the same time. Today, instant fines will take effect.

Future plans - Councillors in Wycombe are to ask people what they want the town to be like in 20 years time. They say for their part by 2026 they want Wycombe to be established as "the gateway to the Chilterns" and to be the "transport, enterprise and retail hub between the Thames Valley and the south Midlands."

Gibbo no - Wycombe Wanderers look set to intensify the rift with their former manager Lawrie Sanchez by turning down the new Northern Ireland boss's request for Wycombe's assistant manager Terry Gibson to join him before international matches to help with coaching.

Thursday 5th February

Anorexia probe - A hospital launched an inquiry last night after the family of a Haddenham woman who suffered from anorexia nervosa said her life could have been saved if she had been admitted. University student Samantha Price, 22, died from heart failure five days after being treated at hospital in Tooting. Her mother Maureen said doctors had know Samantha has suffered from the disease for ten years and should not have discharged her. An inquest into her death yesterday recorded a verdict of misadventure due to malnutrition .

Fire and road deaths - Police are still trying to identify the body of a man found in a burnt hout house in Wycombe Lane, Wooburn Green on Tuesday. They are not treating his death or the fire as suspicious. Yesterday they identified the driver of a Citroen who died after his car left the Maidenhead slip road of the M4 on Sunday morning as 22 year old Mark Auguste of Shelley Road, Marlow.

In/out - Defender Andy Thompson has played his last game for Wycombe Wanderers after he was ruled out for the rest of the season following a knee operation yesterday. His contract finishes in June and manager Tony Adams has said he will not be renewing Thompson's deal. Meanwhile Adams is thinking of taking on 21 year old Watford midfielder Sam Swonnell.

Wednesday 4th February

Ambulance booked - An ambulance rushing to take a patient to hospital was booked for speeding after it was caught on a London Road speed camera in High Wycombe. It was travelling at 44 mph in a 30mph zone. Embarrassed cops yesterday cancelled the ticket claiming it was common practice for emergency vehicles to be booked only to have speeding tickets later cancelled. But ambulance personnel who leaked the story say it’s a waste of time and money booking vehicles on genuine emergencies.

Homes blow - The Government has slashed its funding to the Wycombe area for the construction of “affordable” homes, prompting fears that the town will become too expensive for people on low wages. The council asked for nearly five and a half million pounds to help build 68 subsidised homes in the next year but instead the Government granted just over a quarter of a million. Now, the council announced yesterday, there is only enough money for a couple of affordable homes schemes to go ahead.

Wasps move - London Wasps rugby team are planning to desert Wycombe’s Adams Park for their quarter final in the Heineken Cup in April to return to their old ground of Loftus Road in west London. They reckon the 10,000 seat capacity Wycombe ground is too small for their lucrative clash against Gloucester whereas Loftus Road, which they claimed was “unsuitable” for them before their move to Wycombe, has a capacity of around 18,000.

Tuesday 3rd February

Medical history - An 18 year old Wycombe woman is attempting to make legal history by proving that a General Medical Council decision involving a Wycombe Hospital consultant was legally flawed. The High Court heard yesterday that the GMC cleared paediatrician Christopher Cheetham of serious professional misconduct six years ago. But the woman, known only as Miss A, and her family claim Dr Cheetham tried to interfere with the girls’ treatment for the exhaustion disease ME after they told him they no longer wanted him to treat her. The case will make medical and legal history if Miss A wins because doctors have traditionally held the right to “speak out” about patients, even if they are no longer treating them.

Leisure storm - The future of council-run leisure and sports centres in Amersham, Chesham and Chalfont St Peter are being discussed tonight as councillors decide what to do about massive losses. It’s expected that Chiltern’s council tax payers will have to write off over £800,000 of debts and the management of the centres handed over to a leisure contractor.

Club arson - Police said last night that a fire that devastated Aylesbury’s Lounge Night Club in Market Square on Sunday night was arson. No-one was injured in the blaze. Police are checking if the arsonist could have been a former customer with a grudge.

Monday 2nd February

Big loss - Wycombe Wanderers is set to lose half a million pounds this season, directors will tell members tonight. Ironically, they say that if the Blues are relegated this season they could actually be in a better financial position next season - provided they stay in the top ten of division three. The bald facts are that more people turn up to watch a team winning than losing, even if it is in a lower division.

Gibbo call - Meanwhile ex-Wycombe boss Lawrie Sanchez, who was last week appointed manager of Northern Ireland, has asked Wycombe if his old number two, Terry Gibson, can be released to help him in Ulster. Gibson hung on after Sanchez’s departure but is never seen in the dugout with new boss Tony Adams. Another of Sanchez’s old Wimbledon teammates, goalie Dave Beasant, who lives in Chalfont, is set to be the Northern Irish goalkeeping coach.

Council quandary - Council bosses meet today to decide which council services to cut in an attempt to keep this year’s council tax rise to six and a half per cent. It’s thought that fees for such things as council sports facilities could rise, but there could be cuts in libraries and social services.

Sunday 1st February

Weather blast - Winds of up to 70 mph caused damage around Wycombe and the Chilterns last night, demolishing trees, fences and scaffolding. Heavy rain accompanying them brought the return of official flood watches last night to the River Thame between Thame and Long Marsden and the Bear Brook between Aylesbury and Aston Clinton.

Fire threat - Firefighters in Berkshire are tabling a motion with two other local branches of the Fire Brigades Union in the country calling for their union to withdraw its support of the Labour Party because of the way the Government acted in the firefighters pay dispute.

Marlow ousted - Marlow’s cup dreams were wrapped up for another year when their injury-hit side lost 4-0 at home to Conference side Tamworth in the fourth round of the FA Trophy yesterday.

Saturday 31st January

Body search - Police are spending the weekend checking hundreds of missing person’s files in an attempt to identify the human remains found on a railway embankment near Taplow station on Wednesday.

Blues hero - Young Wycombe Wanderers striker Ian Simpenda was taken to hospital in Sheffield last night seconds after scoring an opening goal in the Blues match with Sheffield Wednesday. He was stretchered off the pitch with what was feared to be a serious head injury but made a full recovery in hospital. The game ended 1-1.

Pub goes - Wycombe town centre pub The Gate closes today so that bulldozers can shortly move in to make way for a controversial new shopping development, the Phoenix, which is being forced through by the council without consultation on other schemes and amid great criticism.

Friday 30th January

Schools close - Hundreds of children in the Wycombe area stayed at home yesterday as scores of schools closed their doors because of overnight frost, even though temperatures were just below freezing and overnight gritting and salting ensured all roads were passable.

Homeloving dormouse - Biologists announced yesterday that the edible dormouse, which escaped from Lord Rothschild’s home in Tring 100 years ago, has only established itself within a 25 mile radius of the town.

Hillsborough bound - Wycombe Wanderers travel to Hillsborough today for a televised match against Sheffield Wednesday.

Thursday 29th January

Utter chaos - A snow blizzard followed by a quick rush-hour frost brought utter chaos to the Wycombe area last night. By eight o’clock only the Marlow Hill and Amersham Hill roads were passable as abandoned cars and skating rink conditions made other hill-roads impossible. Grit and salt laid earlier was washed down the hills by the snow. Ice then formed when temperatures plummeted at 5pm creating hazardous conditions.

Road chaos - Motorists were taking over two hours to travel from Amersham to Wycombe and Slough to Wycombe on main roads. There were frequent blockages as cars skidded on ice and motorists took on traffic cop roles to guide other cars round abandoned or broken-down vehicles. The M25 was closed periodically to allow gritters to re-grit and re-salt and the M40 was gridlocked. Local bus services were abandoned, and there were scores of minor accidents.

Rail chaos - London Transport Commissioner Bob Kiley said “heads would roll” last night after the railways failed to cope throughout the day. Met Line services from Chesham and Chalfont were suspended because of ice on the lines, and tube stations were closed throughout the Chilterns and West London. Main line Chiltern Line services between Aylesbury and Marylebone were suspended, while there was severe distruption to Wycombe services. Marylebone closed early last night.

Wednesday 28th January

Murder witness - High Wycombe security manager Martin Jones told a murder trial yesterday that he took his friend to the police after he confided to him that he had witnessed a murder. But the friend, Peter Taylor, was charged with committing the murder and burying the victim, Maidenhead security officer Patrick Welch, under Ascot Racecourse car park. Taylor and another man, both from Windsor, deny murdering Mr Welch.

Trolley check - Supermarket group Asda are checking the safety of their trollies following a £10,000 fine for keeping an unstable trolley at their High Wycombe store. A court at Aylesbury heard the trolley tipped over, taking an 84 year old woman customer with it. She broke her hip.

Scream robbery - A robber brandishing a gun and wearing a Scream-style mask made off with cash from an Oxford Road petrol station in Denham in the early hours.

Tuesday 27th January

Blues change - An attempt to change the way Wycombe Wanderers football club is run will begin tonight when members of the club attend the first of three meetings called by the board. Directors want to change the club’s constitution to allow big backers into the scene. They say the current system, where a mass of members have paid just £1 for their share, restricts the club’s expansion.

Cash fiddle - Police warned cash machine users in the Wycombe district last night to be extra vigilant following outbreaks of card cloning. Thieves are able to fix cash machines and then draw money out of your account provided they can get a clear view of you tapping in your PIN number. Hundreds of pounds have been taken illegally from accounts in recent weeks.

Gran’s gesture - Wycombe granny Gill Twissell was so concerned over her grandchildren’s walk to school that she has paid for special road signs on a narrow stretch of road. She forked out £200 for the signs on a country lane without a footpath in Suffolk and then twisted the arm of the council to erect them.

Monday 26th January

Solicitors strike - Defence solicitors are on strike today at courts throughout Berkshire over plans to reduce their fees for legal aid work in police stations. They say it could lead to miscarriages of justice, but the police say they will just look further afield for lawyers. However the dispute could soon spread to neighbouring Buckinghamshire.

Race watch - Wycombe council officials meet today to consider whether to recommend community wardens on the streets particularly in areas where mosques and Sikh temples have been vandalised. The wardens do not have the power of the police but they act as extra eyes and ears.

Youngsters back - Wycombe Wanderers two brightest striker prospects, Gavin Holligan and Jonny Dixon, return to the club today after loan spells with none league teams. Manager Tony Adams is hoping the experience will have sharpened their appetites as he plans his strategy for getting the Blues out of the relegation zone.

Sunday 25th January

Cup in Wycombe - London Wasps will parade the rugby world cup before local fans when they play Calvisano in the Heineken Cup at Adams Park today. Fans will be able to have their photographs taken with the cup before the game.

Chinese celebrations - There’s a Chinese dragon dance and fireworks in Wycombe town centre today as the local Chinese community celebrates its New Year - the year of the Monkey.

Points lost - Wycombe Wanderers gave up a two goal lead to end with a 2-2 draw at fellow division 2 strugglers Chesterfield yesterday. The Blues remain bottom of the table, eight points from safety.

Saturday 24th January

Ethnic bid - Local police are to make a special bid, with Government funding, to recruit more officers from black and ethnic minority backgrounds. Yesterday’s announcement follows news of race attacks in the Wycombe area last October which were kept under wraps by police and community groups until they were leaked to a local newspaper this week.

Must win - Wycombe Wanderers face a must-win game against fellow strugglers Chesterfield today if they are to stand any real chance of avoiding the drop from division 2. Meanwhile manager Tony Adams yesterday continued his demolition job of ex-boss Lawrie Sanchez’s old team by telling goalie Frank Talia he can go; transfer listing striker Craig Falconbridge and loaning out youngster Lewis Cook to Weymouth.

Roman task - Local chiropractor Chris Turner has an interesting challenge this weekend - attempting to put together the bones of a Roman soldier into as complete a skeleton as possible. The scattered bones were found in an archaeological dig in Bray.

Friday 23rd January

Schoolgirl attacked - A major manhunt was launched last night for a scruffy man with “dirty uneven teeth” attacked a nine year old girl in Chesham. He grabbed her as she walked home from school in Elmtree Hill, held her round the neck and indecently assaulted her. Police fear the attack could have been much worse, but he ran off when he saw a woman approaching. He is in his 30s with collarlength brown hair and a beard with grey flecks in it.

Camera help - Paramedics in the area are to be issued with digital cameras to take pictures of patients at scenes of accidents. The pictures will help doctors provide quicker diagnosis and treatment at local hospitals, but there are calls for security so that gruesome pictures don’t end up in sensational hands.

Burglary shock - Burglaries in the Thames Valley area rose 17 per cent last summer while the rest of the country saw a one per cent drop. The shock figures coincide with the time when police bosses were warning they were losing police constables because they could earn much more money working for the neighbouring Met Police just a few miles away.

Thursday 22nd January

Gibbo thwarted - There was some surprise last night that former Wycombe Wanderers boss Lawrie Sanchez, who yesterday landed the job as manager of the Northern Ireland team, did not call on his old deputy Terry Gibson to join him. Instead he is likely to appoint Gerry Armstrong today. Gibson, who is rumoured to be unhappy at Wycombe, is a long term friend and partner of Sanchez.

Blood mystery - Forensic experts are today examing blood found in an isolated telephone box in Cheham. A pool of blood was found by the door of the kiosk in Bois Moor Road and in and around the phone. Yet there’s no evidence of a call being made. Police are treating the find as suspicious.

Sorry Sheikh - An Arab sheikh who wanted to extend his mansion in Chalfont St Giles so it could accommodate his 60 strong household has had his plans rejected by council planners. He argued he needed all his family and staff with him for security reasons. But the council said Sheikh Al Sharqi, a Royal prince, had already extended the house several times - including converting a helicoper hanger into a games room - and enough was enough.

Wednesday 21st January

Travellers victory - Villagers were fuming last night after a group of travelling families who bought a field three years ago were given Government permission to stay there permanently. Protestors in Weston Turville said the site was unsuitable in a Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. A Government planning inspector agreed, saying the site “seriously affected” the countryside. But he ruled that a stable background for the 21 children on the site was more important. He also slammed local councils for not providing sufficient sites for the travelling community.

Rich town suffers - Henley’s affluence is beginning to strangle its services. It’s MP Boris Johnson told the House of Commons that there were plans to close the town’s hospital partly because it couldn’t recruit staff; bus routes were being closed down because there aren’t enough drivers, and there’s a shortage of barmen in the town’s pubs. Last week the Halifax Bank said Henley was the most expensive place in Britain to buy a house - the average price is £412,000.

Rhino’s plea - Wycombe Wanderers club captain Keith Ryan came to the aid of his beleaguered manager Tony Adams yesterday by urging people not to blame his boss for the club’s current plight. The veteran player, who has been with Wanderers for 11 years, took a side swipe at previous manager Lawrie Sanchez by claiming the club’s problems started in his reign. Adams, he said, spent more time on the training pitch than any other manager he had worked with, including Martin O’Neill.

Tuesday 20th January

Farm’s secret - A Wendover farm was at the centre of a multi-million pound international drug smuggling ring it emerged yesterday. The news came 30 months after farm owner Graham Piper was jailed for 14 years at the Old Bailey. But the case had been kept secret until yesterday because police wanted to conduct other inquiries. The court heard that Russell Farm, where Piper trained racehorses, was used as a base where crooks tried to smuggle £18m worth of cocaine.

Jay Kay’s tonic - Jamiroquai star Jay Kay bought himself a Rolls Royce Phantom, a Bentley GT and an electric scooter in a £365,000 two-hour spending spree at the weekend to “cheer himself up”. They’ll join the seven Mercedes, three BMWs, another Bentley, a Ferrari Enzo, a Maserati, a Lamborghini Diablow, an Audi Quattro and Rolls Royce Silver Shadow already housed at his Princes Risborough mansion - where he has also got his first car, a 1972 BMW.

Helping hand - It looked last night as though former England and Arsenal coach Don Howe was ready to come out of retirement to give Wycombe Wanderers manager Tony Adams a coaching hand for one day a week. After pressure on him to find an experienced aide, Adams admitted he had been chatting to some of his own former coaches

Monday 19th January

Frank’s thanks - Frank Bruno ended a successful panto season at Wycombe Swan last night by thanking local people for helping him and for being so friendly following his treatment for depression last autumn.

Tony’s trauma - Wycombe Wanderers boss Tony Adams admitted for the first time yesterday that the Blues may well be relegated from the Nationwide Division 2 this season. He said the team may not have the talent to stay up, but promised that if they do go down they’ll go down fighting. Meanwhile it’s thought that inside the club pressure is mounting on Adams to seek the services of an “old hand” to help with the challenges of managership in the lower divisions.

Luke’s challenge - Professional High Wycombe golfer Luke Donald is enjoying one of his best starts to a golfing season. The 25 year old Beaconsfield Golf Club player was yesterday just three shots off the lead in the Sony Open in Honolulu.

Sunday 18th Janaury

Ozzy’s gift - Rock star Ozzy Osbourne gave Wexham Park Hospital a cheque for £50,000 as a thank you for saving his life following the quad bike accident at his Chalfont home in November. It emerged yesterday that Ozzy slipped into the hospital en route to Heathrow to catch a flight to his Los Angeles home to complete his recuperation.

Top nosh - There are only three Michelin 3star restaurants in the country - and two of them are in the Thames-side village of Bray. The latest version of the top nosh guide gives prestigious three stars to the Fat Duck and Michael Roux’s Waterside Inn, both at Bray. The third goes to Gordon Ramsey’s Chelsea restaurant.

Facing the drop - Another insipid performance yesterday by Wycombe Wanderers left them nine points behind safety at the bottom on division 2 and, on this showing, with no chance at all of saving themselves from relegation. The 3-0 defeat by Blackpool puts real pressure on new manager Tony Adams.

Saturday 17th January

Ozzy’s return - Rock star Ozzy Osbourne will not be returning to his Chalfont home for several months after it emerged last night that he’s flown to his Los Angles home to complete his recuperation following a nasty smash on his quad bike in the grounds of his Chalfont estate. His wife Sharon said he’s still in a lot of pain.

Whiff of success - Wycombe based company Merchant Retail, which owns the Perfume Shop chain, increased sales by 11 per cent over Christmas and said yesterday that they soon expect to be in a position where one in every five bottles of perfume sold in Britain will be from their stores.

Giant’s Causeway - Tony Adams has brought in a 6ft 5in goalkeeper to try and keep Wycombe Wanderers out of trouble. He has used his last loan signing of the season on Southampton’s 24 year old Scott Bevan. He’ll go straight into the team when the Blues play Blackpool today at Adams Park, also known by the board as the Causeway Stadium.

Friday 16th January

Adams denial - Wycombe Wanderers manager Tony Adams angrily denied a report in yesterday’s Daily Express saying he was going to quit just 70 days after taking the job. Adams and the club put out a statement saying he was no quitter, adding “I have never walked away from anything in my life and I’m not going to start now.”

Top swots - Lads at Dr Challoner’s grammar school in Amersham were celebrating last night after figures showed they were the best in the country at sitting exams. Every one of the 185 pupils who took GCSEs last year got an A-C grade in at least five subjects - a score that even beat the most expensive public schools.

River flows - A stretch of the River Wye that’s been underground for a century was opened up again yesterday, albeit flowing a slightly different route. The quarter mile stretch alongside the London Road at Wycombe Marsh was tunnelled under an old paper mill in the early 1900s. It’s been brought back to the surface as part of a new housing and shopping development.

Thursday 15th January

Prison probe - The institution used to most local young offenders yesterday denied reports that prisoners have been kept in cells naked and without sanitation. The prison reform charity the Howard League last night called for an independent investigation into the way teenage prisoners are kept at the Huntercombe Young Offenders institution near Henley.

Club changes - Directors at Wycombe Wanderers want to change the way the club is run so they can attract new money for investment. Wycombe is one of a handful of clubs in the country that is owned by members who pay just a pound a share. It means that ordinary fans have a big say in the way the club is run, but critics claim it stops rich benefactors pouring thousands into the Blues. Chairman Ivor Beeks last night called three meetings of members for later this month to “discuss the future direction of the club.” It’s thought the board want a compromise where they can sell off a third of the club in an attempt to raise more cash.

Lottery winner - Local chauffeur Harry East was celebrating last night after scooping £2.8m on the lottery. Harry, 76, who lives in Maidenhead, has spent a lifetime driving celebrities, royalty and executives in the Thames Valley and south Bucks area. He said his wife originally picked the winning numbers and he carried on after she died four years ago.

Wednesday 14th January

New charges - The 15 year old boy accused of stabbing a 15 year old girl pupil in the stomach at Hazlemere’s Sir William Ramsay School faced two new charges when he appeared in court yesterday. He is also accused of causing actual bodily harm to another 14 year old girl and unlawfully wounding a school caretaker. The boy, who cannot be named because the law says that people aged 16 and under appearing in court can’t be identified, lives in the Hazlemere area. He was remanded to a secure accommodation until he appears in Wycombe Youth Court again next Tuesday.

Campbell’s show - Tony Blair’s hard-ball former media spokesman Alistair Campbell has chosen High Wycombe to be one of three towns in the country where he is going to try out a one man talk show, it was announced yesterday. He’ll appear at Wycombe Swan to talk about life behind the political headlines, take questions from the audience and tell people “how poisonous the Daily Mail really is”. If it works he plans to take in other dates later. Previous “An Evening With…” at the Swan have included veteran politican Tony Benn and political commentator John Sergeant - both to sell out audiences.

Tony’s trial - Beating alcoholism and surviving a prison sentence are nothing compared to managing Wycombe Wanderers. Tony Adams, who has experienced both, told the Bucks Free Press yesterday that getting on top of his new job was “as tough as anything I have faced in my life.”

Tuesday 13th Janaury

Thinking the unthinkable - Wycombe Wanderers directors are set to meet today to consider among other things a nightmare scenario - what happens if there’s a double whammy next season of relegation to division three and the loss of rugby tenants London Wasps? Together it could mean a million pound blow for the Blues. Meanwhile a poll of regular fans showed last night that 57 per cent think Wanderers will go down.

3D sound - A Wycombe high-tech company yesterday signed a big deal with a Japanese technology giant to produce the next big move in mobile phones. Audio technology developed by Sonaptic will mean that mobile phones will be able to produce the equivalent of 3D surround sound.

Puppy tribute - Thames Valley Police are today naming two puppies to be trained as police dogs as Morse and Lewis, as a tribute to the famous TV Thames Valley cops.

Monday 12th January

House watched - Police were keeping a special eye on the home of TV presenter Robert Kilroy-Silk near Amersham yesterday in case there were demonstrations following the furore caused by his newspaper column castigating Arab people. Mr Kilroy-Silk is staying in the house today following his suspension by the BBC from his daily morning talk-show.

School investigations - Investigations into the circumstances surrounding the stabbing of a 15 year old girl pupil will continue at the Sir William Ramsay school in Hazlemere today to enable the police and the school to find out if there is any other background to the incident. A 15 year old boy who has been charged in connection with the stabbing will appear in court tomorrow.

Flood alert - The Environment Agency maintained its flood watch along most of the River Thame in and around the town of Thame last night, and also at the fast-flowing Bear Brook between Aylesbury and Aston Clinton. Gales are expected to batter the whole of the Wycombe and Aylesbury region for a good part of today, depositing several centimetres of rain.

Sunday 11th January

Girl stable - A 15 year old girl with stab wounds, who was injured at Hazlemere’s Sir William Ramsay school on Friday, remained in a stable condition in Wycombe Hospital last night and continues make a good recovery. A 15 year old boy has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm, actually bodily harm and wounding with intent. He cannot be named because the law says that people aged 16 and under appearing in court cannot be identified. He will be appearing in court on Tuesday.

Rugby protest - There’s another sell-out crowd expected at Adams Park today when London Wasps take on Celtic Warriors in the Heineken Cup. Hundreds of Welsh fans are expected to protest at the game against proposals to merge the Warriors with Cardiff Blues.

Not looking good - A game seen by many as a “must win” fizzled miserably for bottom of the table Wycombe Wanderers yesterday when they were clearly second best to fellow Division 2 strugglers Stockport County. They lost 2-0.

Saturday 10th January

School stabbing - A 14 year old girl stabbed in a school driveway during an argument with another pupil my be released from hospital this weekend after making a good recovery. A 15 year old boy was arrested shortly after the stabbing during mid-morning break at Sir William Ramsay School, Hazlemere yesterday. Another girl involved in the incident was shaken and bruised. Staff at the school intervened when other pupils noticed a disturbance. The school said it will be holding a full investigation.

River floods - The River Thame at Thame burst its banks yesterday, flooding low lying fields. The Environment Agency placed a flood watch last night along other stretches of the river up to Long Marston. They also warned of flooding between Aylesbury and Aston Clinton.

Tone junior - Stephen Taylor, the 17 year old Newcastle United whiz-kid defender who ends his loan spell with Wycombe Wanderers today, said yesterday it had been a dream come true to pick up training tips from his hero, Blues manager Tony Adams. He said Adams had been giving him special tips on positioning after Blues training sessions. Today’s crucial bottom of the table clash at Stockport is also a farewell game for Villa loan striker Luke Moore.

Friday 9th January

Student guinea-pigs - Wycombe students were used as guinea-pigs by psychologists testing how people react to e-mails. The scientists at Bucks Chilterns University College in Wycombe found that blood pressure rose to high anger levels when e-mails were written aggressively by someone in authority, but were much more relaxed when the same message was sent but with softer words. The findings, presented at a psychology conference yesterday, will be used to train managers to write e-mails more kindly in future.

Council’s snub - High Wycombe Rugby Club fans are angry after council chairman Dennis Green issued a statement in a council newspaper yesterday describing London Wasps as “our local team”. The Wasps - whom the council wanted to stop renting Wycombe Wanderers ground on planning grounds - have only been lodging in the town for a couple of years and will decide next month whether to stay or move on.

Rogers out - Meanwhile Wanderers manager Tony Adams continued his rout of long established players yesterday when he sent defender Mark Rogers, a Canadian international, off on loan to Conference side Stevenage. In addition, striker Richard “Bomber” Harris’s loan spell at non-league Woking has been extended.

Thursday 8th January

Rare verdict - A verdict of “suicide by police” - only the second verdict of its type ever in Britain - was recorded by an inquest jury at Aylesbury yesterday. Jason Gifford, 27, held his wife hostage in a siege but rushed at police wielding a Samurai sword. Before he died he praised the policeman who shot him with the words “good shot mate” and refused assistance by a paramedic to be revived. The fatal police shooting was the first in the 37 year existence of the Thames Valley Police and after the inquest police said they had taken the decision to shoot him “with the deepest regret”.

Murder denied - An ex-boyfriend charged with killing Wycombe businesswoman Rana Faruqui denied murdering her when he appeared in court yesterday. The trial of Stephen Griffiths, aged 30, will be held later this year. Mrs Faruqui, 35, who worked for Hyundai Cars in the town, was stabbed to death as she tended horses in a field at Farnham Common last August.

Drunk drivers - The number of positive breath tests in Buckinghamshire fell over Christmas from 20 per cent of those stopped last year to 13 per cent this year, according to figures released yesterday. However in neighbouring Berkshire and Oxfordshire the positive breath test numbers more than doubled.

Wednesday 7th January

Good shot mate - A man shot by a police marksman turned to the copper and said “good shot, mate” minutes before he died, his inquest heard yesterday. Jason Gifford, 27, held police at bay during an armed siege in Orwell Avenue, Aylesbury in June last year. The inquest, which continues today, heard that he became suicidal after his wife, who was being held hostage, told him she wanted a divorce.

Bruno success - More than 30,000 people have seen the Frank Bruno pantomime Aladdin, the Wycombe Swan theatre said yesterday. It’s proved one of the most successful productions the show has ever put on, has been seen by one in seven of the town’s population.

Football quackers - Aylesbury United, known as the Ducks, look as though they may now lose their chairman following the departure of their management team, a long standing secretary and the absence, through strike action, of ten first team players. The Ryman League club’s chairman Bill Carroll fined the players for striking over alleged non-payment of wages and then said he was ready to sell his majority shareholding. He said the club had temporarily run out of money and therefore some of the players could not be paid. Instead of striking, he said, they should have agreed to play without money to show their solidarity with the club.

Tuesday 6th January

Christmas rethink - Councillors in Buckinghamshire will spend their 12th day of Christmas today deciding whether to change their globally condemned policy of preventing libraries from promoting Christmas carol concerts. The mean-spirited decision of Wycombe librarians to enforce the policy by refusing the local parish church to advertise its carols for fear of offending other religions has brought masses of criticism and political pressure for common sense. It’s expected the councillors will scrap the policy.

Centre start - Preliminary work on Wycombe’s new town centre - a much criticised scheme called the Phoenix Project - gets underway today to find out how much of the ground in the area is contaminated. It’s thought a petrol station in Bridge Street has been leaking fuel into nearby ground and engineers need to find out just how bad the seepage has been.

Free friendly - Wycombe Wanderers fans are being invited to watch a hastily arranged friendly today free of charge. Boss Tony Adams wants to create some real atmosphere as a group of new triallists and unused squad members take on Queen’s Park Rangers. The match kicks off at Adams Park at 11am.

Monday 5th January

Centre scare - People involved in Wycombe’s multi-million pound proposed new town centre, the Phoenix Project, are keeping an anxious eye on the stock market after it emerged at the weekend that the House of Fraser - the store that’s a cornerstone of the project - may be subject to a takeover.

Heartless schoolkids - Police have issued a warning about a gang of schoolkids who are robbing old people of their savings. A girl aged about 13 keeps elderly, vulnerable people talking while two teenage boys sneak into their homes and rob them of cash and jewellery. There have been four such raids in recent days in east Berkshire and south Buckinghamshire.

High expectations - Wycombe Wanderers manager Tony Adams may be expecting too much from his players his former Arsenal colleague Nigel Winterburn said yesterday. He told the Sunday Telegraph: “When you have played at the top level for as long as Tony did it’s got to be very difficult to coach players who are not as good as you. I can see it becoming frustrating when you put on a relatively simple session and they can’t handle it.”

Sunday 4th January

Church attack - The Church of England has broken its silence over High Wycombe Library’s decision to ban an advertisement for a carol service at the town’s parish church because it feared other religions would be offended. In the nearest it gets to an “attack”, the Church of England newspaper yesterday described the move as indicative of a trend that “saw hostility to the religious nature of the (Christmas) season.”

Top slimmer - Wycombe shop assistant Alison Francis-King is celebrating today after being named slimmer of the year in a competition organised by Rosemary Conley and Fitness Magazine. Alison, 38, dropped from 19st to 10st in 18 months, reducing her clothing size from28 to 10.

Good start - A hat trick from on-loan striker Luke Moore and a sublime goal from Jermaine McSporran gave Wycombe Wanderers a 4-1 win over Grimsby at Adams Park yesterday, and gave under-pressure manager Tony Adams a smile to start the new year.

Saturday 3rd January

Monkhouse funeral - The funeral of comedian Bob Monkhouse was held quietly and quickly at Chilterns Crematorium in Amersham yesterday. The 75 year old star, who died from cancer last weekend, lived near Leighton Buzzard and would normally have been cremated at Bedford. But it’s thought his family wanted to conclude a private service as quickly as possible and looked further afield.

Adams apologises - Wycombe Wanderers manager Tony Adams apologised yesterday for “losing it” while making comments earlier this week which included criticising players for giving up in the fight to save the club from relegation. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said a few things,” he told the club’s official website. “I lost it a little bit and it’s because I care.” The Blues, with new loan signings, take on Grimsby at Adams Park today.

Ducks crisis - Wycombe Wanderers’ problems pale into insignificance compared to Bucks neighbours Aylesbury United, known as the “Ducks”. Over the Christmas period the Ryman League club’s manager, assistant manager and long standing secretary have all quit and the entire first team has gone on strike, claiming five of the players haven’t been paid. Simon Lacey, a season ticket holder who was a fan on the terraces just two weeks ago, has been appointed joint caretaker manager alongside another club official Peter Remnant. The club has played its reserve side for its festive fixtures.

Friday 2nd January

Death charge - Three men will appear in court today in connection with the death of pregnant Wendover schoolteacher Deborah Peaty. English teacher Miss Peaty, 26, was involved in a head on smash travelling home from the John Collet School in October. Her daughter Charlotte was delivered, but died shortly afterwards. Ratnam Yogan, from Leicester, is charged with causing the death by dangerous driving of both mother and daughter. He and two other men are also accused of trying to pervert the course of justice.

Panto success - Local pantomimes are enjoying record audiences, with the Frank Bruno panto Aladdin at Wycombe Swan looking to break records even with another two weeks to run.

Adams backed - Wycombe Wanderers chairman Ivor Beeks was forced to step in to defend his rookie manager Tony Adams yesterday less than two months after appointing him. Adams, whose team has won one of 11 games, was new to management and “was going to make mistakes,” he said. However he was convinced the former England captain would turn things around.

Thursday 1st January 2004

Honour query - Further doubts were being cast yesterday over a decision to bestow the title of Burgess of High Wycombe - the nearest equivalent to freedom of the borough - on members of the London Wasps rugby team who were in the world cup squad - especially as they all received gongs in yesterday’s New Year Honours. None of the Wasps players have any link with the town, other than that their team hires out Adams Park - a move they are reconsidering. Former mayor, and Wycombe Wanderers season-ticket holder, Nigel Vickery said the move would make a mockery of the award.

Hundreds celebrate - Hundreds took to the streets to celebrate the arrival of 2004 in traditional spots such as Wycombe's Frogmoor and Marlow Bridge. Early reports indicated it was a quiet night for police.

More loans - Tony Adams’ major gamble to loan his way out of relegation trouble continues today when he signs 21 year old former England youth international striker Nathan Tyson from Reading. He is also hoping to complete a loan signing of experienced Millwall defender Stuart Nethercott. They will join loanees Luke Moore, from Villa, and Steven Taylor from Newcastle, in the Wycombe Wanderers first team.