New Year, New Events in Wycombe 🗓️

Good morning, Wycombe!

It’s the Wycombe Pulse. Your local newsletter that’s a day late starting on its resolutions because, let’s face it, New Year’s Day is really just an extension of New Year’s Eve. Don’t fight us on this.

There’s lots of fun stuff in Wycombe coming up, including:

• Vision Board Workshop for the New Year ✅

• Free bacon butties at a Dad’s & Tots group 👶🏻

• Bloody Mary Week is in session 🥫🍸

Plus, we’ve got the lowdown on the best places to work on your fitness this year, lots of activities for kids and families, me-time moments and more.

This Week’s Highlights

• January Reset Soundbath at The Guildhall on Monday 6th January at 7.20pm — a full hour of serenity with the sounds of singing bowls, chimes and gongs. The perfect way to start the New Year 🔔

• Fitness on the Farm at Peterley Manor Farm returns from Tuesday 7th January — there’s a packed schedule of classes and farm bootcamps to enjoy in the barn during 2025. Think circuits, core, legs bums & tums, TRX, tractor tyres, battle ropes and more. Suitable for all fitness abilities 🏋🏼‍♂️

• Vision Board Workshop at JB’s Bar on Sunday 5th January from 12-3pm — join Sissy to set your intentions for 2025 and be creative amidst a group of likeminded women.

• Kids Mini Disco at The Stag Flackwell Heath on Saturday 4th January from 11am-2pm — FREE entry and the perfect way to entertain the kids before school’s back. Expect dancing, party games and prizes! 🪩

Family Time

A fun-packed week of activities for families—including everything from crafts and free bacon butties to movie afternoons and family bingo nights!

• Snowflake Craft Workshop at the Library on today, Thursday 2nd January at 11am — join Wycombe Tutorial Centre for this FREE workshop aimed at ages 6-11. You’ll make beautiful snowflake designs and turn them into sun catchers to hang up at home ❄️

• Dads and Tots at St Andrew’s Church on Saturday 4th January from 9am — FREE coffee and bacon butties for the dads and soft play for the kids. Expect chilled chats and a 5-minute thought for the day. Feel free to just turn up!

• Family Bingo Night at Holmer Green Sports Association on Friday 3rd January from 6.30-9pm — gather the family!

• Mamma Baby Sound Bath at Hughenden Village Hall on Wednesday 8th January at 4pm — a moment of calm for you and your little one in a judgment-free zone 🔔

• HGSRC Open Morning at Holmer Green Squash & Racketball Club on Saturday 4th January from 9am-1.30pm — the whole family is invited to come and try out squash and racketball for FREE in this friendly and supportive club. All abilities are welcome and all you need to bring is a clean pair of non-marking shoes 🏸

• Chloe’s Coffee Morning at The Apple Orchard, West Wycombe on Tuesday 7th January at 10.30am — if you’re a new mum looking to meet other new mums then head to Chloe’s Coffee Morning. She’s a midwife, Health Visitor and mum herself, and you’ll be able to receive expert advice, weigh your baby and make new friends 👶🏻

• Family Painting Event at Spindle and Thread on today, Thursday 2nd January at 11am — Brush Party will help you create a ‘Chilly Chirpers’ painting. Suitable for all age 7+.

• Movie Afternoon at The Stag Flackwell Heath on Sunday 5th January at 3pm — popcorn will also be available 🍿

• Tired Parents Sleep Clinic at Wycombe Judo Centre on Wednesday 8th January from 10.30-11.30am — consult with sleep expert Melanie Hastings for personalised support if you’re struggling with child sleep 😴

Fancy a Short Drive?

• Qigong in the Park in Higginson Park, Marlow on Saturday 4th January at 10am — meet at the cricket pavilion to practice the ancient Chinese art of Qigong. Everyone is welcome.

• Folly & Wisdom: a Talk on the 6 Wives of Henry VIII at St Mary & All Saints’ Church in Beaconsfield on Saturday 4th January at 2.15pm — join Dr Nicholas Henderson in his concluding talk to the Beaconsfield Historical Society on Henry’s final 2 wives: Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr.

Time for You

• RESET Wild Spa Winter Residency at Peterley Manor Farm running through January — it’s such a treat to have a wellness experience like this on Wycombe’s doorstep. Expect cold water therapy combined with a wood fired sauna 🧖

• Bloody Mary Week at the Walled Garden until Sunday 5th January — another wellness experience at the other end of the spectrum! The Walled Garden are serving up expertly crafted Bloody Marys all week for you. Perfect for the end of a bracing walk!

• Intentions & Sound Journey at Hazlemere Memorial Hall on Friday 3rd January at 7.30pm — join Self Stone Healing Therapies in an evening of intention setting and reflection for the new year alongside some sound healing.

• ‘Get Into Reading’ Book Group at the Library on Wednesday 8th January at 2pm — if you’re looking to develop a reading habit in 2025, this could be the book group for you. It will continue to meet on the first Wednesday of every month through the rest of the year 📚

• MenSnap at Patch on Monday 6th January at 7pm — this photography-based mental wellness support group for men is lead by a psychotherapist and photographer team and is open to men from all walks of life. No topic is too big or too small 📸

• Photography Club at Wycombe Arts Centre on Monday 6th January at 7pm — speaking of photography, everyone is welcome to join this club to share in the art, regardless of your skill level. Expect discussions and a practical session.

• 80s and 90s Game Show Night at Cressex Community Centre on Saturday 4th January at 7pm — audience participation required in games like Mr & Mrs, Play Your Cards Right and Bullseye.

• Paint Night at Merletto Lounge on Monday 6th January at 7pm — a relaxed evening of painting, socialising, nibbles and drinks 🎨

Working on your Fitness in 2025?

Whether it’s aiming for fat loss, muscle gain, or simply incorporating more activity into our lives, I bet a fair few of us have some sort of fitness goal in mind for 2025 🙋🏻‍♀️

I’ve learned that I’m personally far more likely to stick to a new habit or resolution if I’m enjoying what I’m doing, loving where I’m doing it and liking the people I’m doing it with.

Willpower is only going to get me so far. And that’s probably to about mid-February if I’m being optimistic.

So with that in mind, I’ve picked out a few of our favourite spots in Wycombe for working on your fitness in 2025 — from a mix of personal experience and recommendations.

It’s by no means an exhaustive list — please do send me the places you love to train at if I’ve missed them and I can include them in future newsletters.

Gyms

• Snap Fitness in Wycombe Retail Park. We absolutely love it here — 24/7 access, amazing value with two floors of equipment and a full schedule of diverse group classes (all included), friendly atmosphere, free parking and a clean gym floor. Plus private showers!

• Buzz Gym in Eden Centre. A great central location with free parking, 24-hour access, huge selection of strength and cardio machines, plus over 200 studio classes including Les Mills. Another great value option.

• David Lloyd on Glory Mill Lane, Wooburn Green. At the other end of the value range is David Lloyd which offers a more premium, health club feel — think gym plus two swimming pools, full spa, racquet sports, a huge range of classes and kids’ activities too. I loved it here when my children were very little as there’s a (paid) crèche on site.

• Titans Gym on Desborough Park Road. We’ve heard nothing but good things about Titans, which is Bucks’ only Hammer Strength gym, and also offers martial arts and other classes alongside its extensive strength training options. There’s also a dedicated ladies-only section.

• Fitness Experts in Playtrain House, Lancaster Road. Slightly different to a traditional gym, Fitness Experts offer over 60 functional fitness classes each week, all lead by a personal trainer and in many different niches — bootcamps, cardio, strength, recovery, strongman and more.

Running

• Parkrun at Wycombe Rye. Free, fun, and 9am every Saturday so it’s not going to get in the way of your weekend. It’s a 5km route, starting near the Lido and absolutely everyone is welcome regardless of ability or pace. There’s also a junior option at 9am on a Sunday that’s just 2km.

• Wellness Warriors Couch to 5k Running Club — if you’re not yet ready to run a full 5km, join Wellness Warriors on the Run for their free beginners course starting on Monday 6th January for an information evening (the first run will be on 13th January).

• Handy Cross Runners Couch to 5k Course — a 10 week course for beginners with the brilliant Handy Cross Runners, lead by 2 coaches, with one group session per week. Starting on Wednesday 8th January at 7pm.

Swim and Dance…

• Wycombe Rye Lido on The Rye — we are so lucky to have this amazing heated outdoor pool in the heart of the town. It’s 33m and has regular lane sessions as well as more family-orientated ones too. Plus underwater lighting for evening swims.

• RockFit with Jennifer — dance and cardio fitness to a rock and metal soundtrack on Tuesday and Thursday evenings in Sands Village Hall.

• Anna’s Dance Fitness — for more ‘traditional’ adult dance classes that are fun, relaxed and supportive, you can’t go wrong with Anna who offers ballet, jazz and tap classes for all abilities on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in Flackwell Heath and the Wrights Meadow Centre.

• Kizomba Moments — originating in Angola, Kizomba is a vibrant and social form of dancing and Kizomba Moments is a well established school right here in Wycombe. There’s classes and social dancing every Tuesday evening at The Front Room as well as a monthly DJ party.

Business News

Wycombe Market on the High Street will be back to its normal trading with all its usual market stalls on Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th January.

Community Notes

The Wycombe Wanderers Foundation (the charitable arm of the football club) are looking for a dedicated Volunteer Driver to help transport members to and from their Warm Hub sessions during the winter period. Please either call the number on the poster or email [email protected] for further details.

The Chiltern Rangers are back doing their amazing work in 2025 with a full schedule of volunteering days ahead, which you can see on their Eventbrite page. A fun one on Tuesday 7th January will be making New Year hazel bundles in Keep Hill Wood that will be used to stabilise river banks in their river restoration projects.

Where in Wycombe am I?

What’s the significance of this stained glass window? 🤔

Answer from 2 weeks ago: I was at the Brunel Shed at Wycombe Railway Station. This was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel himself and built back in 1854, serving first as the original station and engine shed for Wycombe until the new station was built, then a booking office, goods shed and engine workshop until 1967. After being left in disrepair, it was recently purchased by the council and extended and refurbished to the structure it is today. BNU are planning on opening it in early 2025 as a café and community space for the town, paying homage to Wycombe’s history.

Weather in Wycombe

As Shelley said back in 1821… “January grey is here”. Nailed it.

Friday

🌤️ 4°C - 💨 22 mph - ☂️ 10% chance

Saturday

🌤️ 3°C - 💨 22 mph - ☂️ 60% chance — plus a yellow weather warning for snow!

Sunday

🌤️ 7°C - 💨 30 mph - ☂️ 90% chance (and there’s that weather warning again 🌨️)

We hope you've enjoyed this week's edition of the Pulse!

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Until next Thursday...

Steph

Publisher and Editor, Wycombe Pulse