The West Bucks Community Board met on Wednesday 11 March 2026 to discuss community priorities, project updates, and initiatives like Street Associations. Key discussions included progress on supporting older people and unpaid carers, and the challenges faced by rural economies.

Community Board Priorities Update

Elaine Hassall, the Community Board Manager, provided an update on the board's priorities. Under the Older People Priority, the Friday Club in Haddenham has seen significant success, running six sessions with 14 regular attendees and attracting new interest weekly. The club is being promoted through Haddenham.net and will be featured in the Spring edition of Your Bucks magazine. The Stone with Bishopstone and Hartwell Parish Council's Good Neighbours Scheme is still seeking a coordinator, with the Community Board providing funding for promotional materials. Healthwatch Bucks has been engaged to gather insights from members of the Sixty Plus Club in Haddenham and the Lunch Club in North Marston regarding their experiences with health and social care services. These views will contribute to a survey shared with relevant agencies.

For the Unpaid Carers priority, a drop-in coffee and cake event was held in Long Crendon, attended by nine carers who received support and guidance from Carers Bucks. Attendees expressed a desire for similar events, with another planned for mid-April.

Regarding the Rural Economy, a workshop on 5 March in Quainton brought together representatives from Chilton Grounds Farm, Red Kite Mobility, Blooming Fruity, Vale Brewery, RH Chapman, and Quainton Parish Council. Discussions focused on challenges in attracting customers and staff to rural businesses via public transport, the benefits of business-to-business networking, and the need for a collective rural brand identity. The Community Board plans to support further networking opportunities and explore these topics. Organisations are encouraged to promote their services on the new Bucks events website, The Bucks Guide¹, which is being developed by Buckinghamshire Culture as a replacement for the Visit Buckinghamshire guide.

Photographs were shared showcasing the Friday Club's seated exercise sessions, art pieces, and the recent Unpaid Carers and Rural Economy events. Attendees were also reminded to nominate community volunteers for the ten Proud of Bucks awards, with a deadline at the end of March.

Project Update: The Friday Club, Haddenham

David Gregory, a resident, and Dr. Kathy Hoffman provided an update on The Friday Club in Haddenham, a Community Board project focused on the Older People's Priority. The club offers five hours of social interaction, a cooked meal, seated exercise, and arts and crafts. Both speakers highlighted the importance of quality day clubs for older individuals, particularly those with memory loss or who have carers. David Gregory shared his experience in establishing the club and his aspiration to create more such clubs in the area to combat isolation. He suggested a need for consolidated data on isolated residents to better signpost them to local clubs. The discussion touched upon GDPR regulations, and Elaine Hassall mentioned the Joy App, a database accessible to GPs where clubs can advertise. An action was taken for E Hassall to provide a link to the Joy App once a new link becomes available. The online booking form for The Friday Club is available via Bookwhen, and interested individuals can also email katie.youngman@aitc.org.uk to attend or volunteer.

Street Associations

The Community Board expressed interest in the establishment of more Street Associations, with Long Crendon Parish Council having already shown interest. Elaine Hassall will follow up with interested parties to support their development. A discussion on the use of community and parish WhatsApp groups ensued, with Councillor Ashley Waite noting their effectiveness as a communication channel but cautioning about potential infiltration by scammers and the visibility of mobile numbers. Councillor Phil Gomm, the Chairman, highlighted that Street Associations align with community resilience and the importance of resilience planning. Some parishes have developed resilience plans for critical situations, and these can be submitted to Buckinghamshire Council to aid in local emergency planning. An action was assigned to E Hassall to investigate available resources and support for parishes in developing Resilience Plans.

Networking/Chairman's Round Up

Councillor Phil Gomm advised that organisations can join their local Integrated Neighbourhood Teams, which are multi-agency partnerships run by Public Health. Further information can be found on the Community Pharmacy Thames Valley website². Long Crendon Parish Council requested support with how Speed Indicator Device speed data can be used to support Traffic Calming initiatives, with an action assigned to Councillor Gomm. The Chairman thanked attendees and invited suggestions for future meeting themes.