Following the crucial meeting with MP Cheryll Gillan and senior officers of the Environment Agency a few weeks ago, Roger has been making good progress with fleshing out the detail of the plans to address “the leaky bits”, as one of our friends calls them.  These are the sections singled out for lining trials upstream of Chalfont Mill and near the old sewage works.  A Steering Group is being set up under the Chairmanship of John Taylor, Chairman of the Chiltern Society.  Roger has met for more detailed discussion with potential contractors and various thoughts are emerging with regard to fund raising and project management.  Currently, we are still eagerly waiting the EA’s specification for the Environmental Study, which we are impatient to get underway.

Meanwhile, we continue to receive a strong message of support for our aims and a trickle of new volunteers.

Quite a number of you have asked to be on the “shared list” of names and contact details.  I will send it separately to those that have, and leave you to contact each other with notices regarding relevant activities.   Please use the “shared list” with consideration as, once issued, I have no way of recalling it and we obviously don’t want MRA to become a nuisance!  For the general mailing list I will continue to use “bcc” and if you wish to be relieved of my ramblings at any time, just drop me a line

Just a few responded enthusiastically with regard to a social event – e.g. barn dance – so, unless someone wants to champion something different, we might just think about a small dinner or lunch later in the year.

We will have a small stall at Chalfont St Giles Show, next Saturday 5th September.  If you are attending, I do look forward to saying “hello” but it would be even better if you could possibly spend a little while with us talking to the punters and hearing their views.  So far, I have very few helpers so if you think you can join us, please let me know.  Hopefully, there will still be some flow in the river, which, compared with the recent past is good for this time of year and, just maybe owes something to our first year’s efforts.  

We have booked The Jolly farmer Room at The Village Hall pub on Goldhill Common for this coming Thursday 3rd September from 8.00 p.m. and look forward to seeing anyone who would like to join us.  As always, this is  a “not a meeting”  but an informal drink and chat about where we are, what’s happening, what we would like to happen, and an opportunity to say hello to new faces and catch up with old ones. No need for prior notice, just turn up if you feel like it.

Our next Working Day is Sunday 13th September.  The plans for the day will as usual evolve to suit the numbers of volunteers stepping forward and the ideas/priorities decided on Thursday.  One spot we will be working is between the Vic Wotton bridge and the Greyhound.  Sandy Warren of the Village Environmental Appraisal Group has, after much effort, succeeded in obtaining all the permissions for us to remove the redundant chain-link fence next to the area where Ray and his team have started.  Thanks to Gary at The Greyhound for his help with this.  No doubt the Chalfont St Giles team will be wishing to press on downstream and I will check out whether we need to go back to Mill Farm again.  Anyway, if you think you will be joining us on the 13th, please let me know.