Induction of the Revd David Knight

Yesterday evening I attended the induction of the Revd David Knight as Vicar of the Claydons,
in the beautiful parish church of St. Michael's Steeple Claydon. The Church was full of villagers, friends and well-wishers and there was a lovely atmosphere. There are three churches in the parish: Steeple Claydon, East Claydon and Middle Claydon, which is in the grounds of the National Trust property Claydon House. Sir Edmund Verney Bt. of Claydon House, the patron of the living, presented Fr. Knight to the Bishop of Buckingham, who appointed him to the 'cure of souls' in the parish. The service was a lovely mixture of the formal and informal, with some fine singing by the church choir.

Getting to know Steeple Claydon

Since being selected as Conservative candidate for the Steeple Claydon ward in next May's Aylesbury Vale District Council elections, I have been taking every opportunity to learn about the villages and their concerns. The ward covers Steeple Claydon, Middle Claydon, East Claydon and Botolph Claydon, as well as Sandhill and Verney Junction. Last week I attended the Steeple Claydon Parish Council meeting in the beautiful new Library which has been created by the efforts of the whole community and shows how much people care about the village and its amenities. Some of the subjects discussed included gritting the roads (this was just before the heavy snowfall), maintenance of the village hall and sports pavilion on the recreation ground, planning applications, the mobile library, and the state of the roads. I drive through the village on my way to work every day and am getting to know it well. Last weekend despite the snow I
joined a group of party members in delivering leaflets to most of the houses in the village together with a questionnaire to ask people what their main local concerns were. I shall be interested to see the replies. I was pleasantly surprised when at one of the first houses I visited
I was welcomed by a man whom said he was a strong supporter and would be happy to help.
This has to be balanced against the kids who threw snowballs at me a bit later on !! But generally it was fun to be out and about in the area I hope to serve as a District Councillor for many years to come. Today I composed a message for my first election leaflet and will copy it onto this blog later. My next task is to assemble a team of local supporters who will be able to help with canvassing, delivering leaflets etc. between now and the election. The election is less
than 4 months away so we need to get organised. On Monday I am hoping to attend the service of installation of the new Vicar at Steeple Claydon parish church at 7.30 pm.