Stony Tracks

Councillor Jennifer Wilson-Marklew is Cabinet Member for Climate Action and Sustainability, and Transport. She is one of two Labour Co-operative Councillors for the Stony Stratford Ward, which covers Calverton, Crownhill, Fairfields, Fullers Slade, Galley Hill, Stony Stratford and Whitehouse. Born and raised in Milton Keynes, Jenny has lived in Stony for the majority of the last six years. Currently living in one of the MKDP town houses on Silver Street, she can often be seen walking around town with her very friendly son, Victor. She was elected as a ward councillor in 2018 to Milton Keynes City Council and has represented the town and it's neighbouring estates since. In 2019 she brought a motion to the council making a commitment to being carbon neutrality by 2030, and has been working hard to make that commitment a realitysince.

N.B. Just 10 tickets at a time are allocated here, and will be added to as required. Tickets can also be bought from Odells in Stony Stratford High Street. -------------- Naomi was born in NY and came to Britain in 1974. Both her parents were European immigrants to the US. Her career has centred on children, poverty and family policy. She was the first Director of Sure Start, ran the Social Exclusion Task Force, and served as Poverty Advisor to Nicola Sturgeon. She has written two books, "Sure Start, How Government Discovered Early Childhood" and "Parents, Poverty and the State", with Carey Oppenheim. Naomi was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Open University in 2002 and became a Companion of the Bath in 2005. She currently works for the NHS, and loves movies and cooking.

Andrew was born in Northampton in 1958. At age 11 he went to Bedford School where he was a boarder. He did quite well at O level but made a mess of his A level exams and ended up at Lanchester Polytechnic in Coventry where he studied Economics. After a year’s work experience in Cardiff he returned to Northampton to join the family business. In 1985 he married Julia Walklett and in 1991 they were blessed with a daughter Chloe. They have lived in Moulton, Stoke Bruerne and since 2010 Stony Stratford where amongst other things he now helps run the Song Loft.

Stony Tracks is finally back, with new presenter Sean Calvert. Sean's first show is a double header with James & Ali Tully, the founders of Stony Radio, the internet station broadcasting 24 hours a day to Stony Stratford and the world from the studio here at York House. The venue is accessible to all, and there will be a bottle & can bar. Tickets available from Odells NOW, and from WeGotTickets from Sept. 29th.

Craig was born in Kent in 1963 and began his musical life as a chorister at St Paul’s Cathedral and was the first treble to be chosen to sing solo at the prestigious annual Messiah. He’s been Musical Director of Young Voices UK for over 19 years, and is the director of the Milton Keynes Community Choir, Milton Keynes Youth Choir and a new classical venture entitled TGI Choir. He’s directed many of the UK’s top artists including Beverley Knight, Tony Hadley, Candy Staton, All Angels, Mavis Staples, Alexandra Burke, Miss Dynamite, Katie Melua, Lemar and many more, worked for West End shows, and played bass guitar for various groups.

Born in Malaysia, Kate travelled all over the world as her father was in the forces, and went to 17 schools as a result of all the travel, eventually coming to England in her teens. Kate studied graphic design, fine art and photography at Salisbury College of Art and launched straight into a job as designer for a London marketing agency. Following several other jobs, Kate started working for herself. Several decades later she still retains some of her original clients who trust her creativity. Over the years, Kate became increasingly aware of the stress suffered by staff in the workplace, so she now runs Art & Soul Day where gentle breathing yoga is mixed with a glass of bubbly, good food, good company and art.

Anne was born in September 1972, and moved to Milton Keynes in 1975 when her dad got a job at Wolverton Works. Amongst other things she’s worked for Marshall's amps and been a Health Care worker. Anne was elected as the Stony Stratford Ward Councillor on May 8th 2019, and is the eldest of four daughters. She has three children and two grandchildren. Two of her children have autism. A keen Ripperologist, she has over 300 books on the subject, and is a member of the Whitechapel Society. She studied criminology at university, and is interested in Victorian crime and social issues.

‘I’m a poet, songwriter, birder and flyer, with a head full of unicorns but feet on the ground. My childhood was bluebell springs and blackberry autumns. Mum created, dug, and scrubbed things, Nan baked, mended and fussed. Dad arm-chaired, and read to us - Wordsworth, Keats, Shakespeare and The Morning Star - and sang opera. We went on a dawn walk, once, to see hares, and planets. With my brothers, and others, I played cricket on the golf course, and made snowballs and ate apple fritters. Then one day we all grew up. I taught, married, enabled, volunteered, performed, knitted. I discovered, and moved to, Stony Stratford. Life is rich, full, with even more words, too much wool, and never enough time for friends, or flies. And unicorns…..’

Peter Waterman moved from Hatfield to the Milton Keynes area in 1968, when he was appointed as a planning officer for the Church of England, and secretary of the Bishop of Oxford’s Ecumenical Committee. He was later appointed as the Social Development Director at Milton Keynes Development Corporation, a post he held for 16 years. He started FoSSl (Freinds of Stony Stratford Library) in 2004 and also the working party which set up the SS Neighbourhood Council as a first step to form a Town Council.

Paul has spent most of his life in Stony Stratford, growing up alongside his twin brothers. He began school at Russell Street, and after passing the 11+ attended the Radcliffe School Wolverton. Leaving school in July 1967 Paul started his working life as a trainee technician / draughtsman at Redpath Dorman Long (Structural Engineers) in Bedford. He remains a Structural Engineer to this day. An accomplished cricketer, he played for many years in the Stony Stratford first Xl primarily as an opening bowler. During 1980 an opportunity came his way to re-join his folk music mates Dave Whetstone and Jean Pierre Rasle in the Hemlock Cock and Bull Band. In December 1981 the band released what became a best selling album on the Topic label topping the Melody Maker charts. Paul still plays in the current Cock and Bull Band.

Vanessa was born in Germany where her Royal Air Force father was stationed. The family moved every few years with the Air Force, including to Germany again and to Turkey. Vanessa’s own job with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office took her from London to the Philippines and then to exotic Milton Keynes. She loved the area so much, especially Stony Stratford, that she settled here and has now lived in the area longer than anywhere else, immersing herself in the local culture, especially the Spoken Word scene. Elected as the 6th Bard of Stony Stratford in 2016, she has also been Poet in Residence for Buckingham Literary Festival, and is often to be seen hogging a mic in local hostelries…

Terrie is better know as storyteller Red Phoenix. She has been storytelling since 2004, but has been performing in theatre since 1992. She founded Red Phoenix Storytelling and Productions in 2007, and is an Arts Award Advisor for Trinity College London, a member of the Society for Storytelling, Equity and a Winston Churchill Fellow. Terrie has performed all over the world, where she’s met and been inspired by many fellow storytellers. She creates her own original tales as well as researching and drawing from original sources. She is currently researching a PhD in applied storytelling and heritage at Loughborough University.

Andy was born in Rugby in 1955 to George and Jessie Fenton. Dad was a turner with a local engineering company, and mum worked at the local factory which employed half of the town. He was Cross Country Town champion for a number of years, and for Warwickshire schools, being a member of the English Schools winning team in 1970. Andy also played football for Coventry City as a schoolboy. He first picked up a guitar aged 17, an old acoustic left at his house by his cousin, plus a beginner’s book, and as part of comedy band ‘The Measles’, went to Gibraltar in 1985 and had trips to India between 2008 and 2015 with ‘The Floydsound’. He also plays with ‘Hellzaboppin’, ‘After the Lights’ and ‘Little Pig’.

Vicki travelled with her parents for the first thirteen years of her life, the family following her father’s postings to Northern Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall and Malta. In this time she changed schools eleven times eventually ‘settling’ to secondary education in Northampton for five years before arriving at Bletchley Park, by chance, in 1970 to train as a teacher. At the time she did not know that her aunt had been recruited to Bletchley Park in WW2 and that her grandmother was a servant at Sir Herbert Leon’s mansion, also in Bletchley Park, before WW1. Since Vicki settled in Stony Stratford in 1978 she has been involved in arts, music and community projects in the town and across Milton Keynes.

The distinctive figure of Pat Nicholson with his long flowing hair, and faithful dog Oz by his side is a regular sight around Stony. Pat was born just four and a half miles from Stony in the village of Whaddon in 1948. Growing up in the 1960’s, he developed a love for both the arts and music and left for London in 1968 to study architecture. Pat eventually set up his own small practice in Bedford in the 1980’s and has since worked for several practices in both London and the north of England. Further to retiring in 2013, he has concentrated on writing and performing music. He currently runs the successful Vaultage Open Mic, the annual YorkieFest fundraiser and became the Fifth Bard of Stony in 2015.

The guest for February is Anna Page. Anna was born in Cape Town, and immigrated to the UK aged 19 to become a pipe organ builder, working for John Page of Page & Howard, who specialised in building and restoring Fairground and Street organs. She later married John Page. She has worked at the OU for over 26 years, currently with a Senior Producer role in Open Media and Open Learning, and is also an OU graduate. Anna plays flute & chime bar in the St Mary & St Giles church band, & sings alto in the Parish Singers & The Open University Choir. Her hobbies include wood carving, knitting, sewing and dolls house making. She was a prime mover in the 10 year campaign to restore the St Mary & St Giles Willis pipe organ.

Paul was born in Beckenham Kent in 1947. His father was in the RAF, and his Mother was a veterinary assistant. When he was 15 he joined the Junior Leaders Regiment Royal Armoured Corps to begin training as a British Soldier, transferring to the Second Royal Tank Regiment when he was 18. When he left the army, he became a drummer, then a roadie, a technician and a pyro-technician for some of the top pop and rock stars of the 70's 80's & 90's, including Bob Geldof, Hot Chocolate, Gary Numan, Toto, Sister Sledge, Pil, and Suzi Quatro to name just a few. Paul is also a damn fine drummer, and played with local bands 'Out of the Wood” and Penda's Fen. Suzi Quatro wrote the foreword to Pauls recently published book of memoirs "Access-all-Areas" which you can buy at the show at the reduced price of £10

Tickets available from York House and Odells. Online booking also available, click the BUY NOW button - 50p booking fee.

I keep being told I should be the interviewee rather than the interviewer at one of the shows , so I thought I'd be the guest for the 1st Anniversary show. Ken Daniels (who was my first S.T. guest) will be asking the questions

This show is sold out with a waiting list, so If you have a ticket you find you can no longer use email stonytracks1@gmail.com

Bob was born in Stony Stratford, and has spent most of his life here. He is probably best known as the chair of Folk on the Green, but there's a lot more to him than that.

Andy was born in 1962 and grew up in Fareham. He studied at the London Electronics College, moving to Milton Keynes in 1981 to work at Hanslope Park. He has travelled the world extensively as head of training for ShoreTel, is a keen photographer, loves planes, plays several instruments in a number of bands, and has recently discovered the joys of acting with two local theatre groups. Andy is the first Stony Tracks guest who isn't a resident of Stony, but was in the past, and spends a lot of his time here, either as a musician / actor, and as the chairman of Stony Live!

Doors at 19.30 - show starts at 20.00. Sarah was born in Stony Stratford, and lived in Syria until she was eight, when she was sent to board at Bedford High School. She describes herself as “the naughtiest girl in the school” and was thrown out at 16, after which she went to Edinburgh Academy for Boys. Amongst other things, she's been head of English at Lea Manor High School in Luton, and has been a full-time writer for nine years, writing over 20 novels. Published last year, “Behind Her Eyes” was The Sunday Times No.1 best seller. Sarah has also written screenplays for the BBC, including episodes of New Tricks. Sarah has recently moved back to Stony after a spell living in London.

Doors at 19.30 - show starts at 20.00. The event is in the Beechey Room. Please use rear entrance to York House. There is a ramp for wheelchair access, and York House has disabled toilet facilities. There will be a small bar with wine, beer and soft drinks. All profits from ticket money and bar go to York House’s community projects.

Born in Llangollen in 1949, a tomboy who also loved reading books about horses and ballet. Judy has been an OU tutor, had two children’s novels published, and is still writing. She taught A level history at Luton Sixth Form College and to Stantonbury Sixth Form students. Nowadays her life is dominated by her work with Stony Stratford in Bloom, of which she was the co-founder and is the Chair. She is also Ambassador for Thames & Chilterns in Bloom, and has been a Stony Stratford Town Councillor.

The first bard of Stony and locally famous wood-sculptor puts music to his past. From the second summer of love, battles with riot police, life on the canal, depression and domestic violence. This 1970’s Surrey school boy could identify every native bird whilst being a whiz at football . Now settled in Stony after marrying his love in a castle, a love-story ending to a rebellious past.