A 14-YEAR-OLD from Beaconsfield has wowed judges to book a place in the regional finals of the Open Mic UK auditions. Graeme Miller writes his own music and will now perform at the Beck Theatre in Hayes on October 7. The prize for success in Hayes is a place at the national final at the O2 Arena in London. For more details see: www.openmicuk.co.uk

SEER Green Gardening Society is holding its autumn show at the Jubilee Hall on Saturday, September 8, from 2.30 - 4pm. It will include a raffle, cream teas, plant stall, and scarecrow competition results.

ALFRISTON School in Beaconsfield took part in the record breaking attempt with charity SignHealth. With over 114,277 pupils and teachers taking part, Guinness World Records confirmed the new world record for the most people signing and singing a song simultaneously last week. SignHealth organises the event, sign2sing every year, having previously broken the world record in 2011.

A BEACONSFIELD businessman has called for lower business rates to avoid more high street closures. Alastair Pike, president of Bucks Chamber of Commerce, says the recent closure of the independent Beacon Bookshop should serve as a warning and the artsmart owner called on South Bucks District Council to lobby the Government on the issue.

JORDANS Quaker Meeting House is hosting a workshop on The Basics of Feng Shui on the afternoon of September 9. You can bring a floor plan of your home and learn how to arrange and balance the energy. The cost is £35 and you must reserve a place. Contact Susan Scott Powell on 01494 813 214 or see www.energeticsolutions.co.uk

A STATUE of the Olympic mascot ‘Wenlock’ has been stationed outside Beaconsfield Town Hall to drum up support for the Paralympic Games. The six-foot figure replaces ‘Mandeville’ - the other Olympic mascot who has now been sited at Dorney Lake.

BEACONSFIELD -based GradNet, which helps young graduates hone their job-seeking skills, is to hold an open day on Saturday, September 8. The day, which will be held at the Fitzwilliam Centre, Windsor End, will include a rolling programme of seminars and workshops on core skills. See: www.thegradnet.com

HOSPICE Aid UK has thanked all those who donated money during a street collection in Station Road, Beaconsfield, on August 18, which raised a total of £331.

RESIDENTS in Gerrards Cross can now text the village police with details of illegally parked cars. The parish council says officers will then send a warning letter to the driver. Include the following in the text message: Offence committed, location, vehicle registration, date and time, vehicle make, model and colour. The number is 07903 754 995 or email: Communityparkingwatchscheme@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

THE wife of an RAF officer has signed up for a triathlon event to help other families whose loved ones are serving abroad. Emily Bailey’s husband Tim works as an interpreter with the Defence School of Languages in Beaconsfield and is currently in Afghanistan. By taking part in the Challenge Henley Half Triathlon on September 16, the 31-year-old hopes to raise money for the SSAFA Forces Help charity, which provides practical, emotional and financial help to forces personnel and their families. To sponsor her visit: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=ChallengeEmily

DOG owners are urged to show off their pets at a charity ‘Mutt Strut’ near Beaconsfield on Sunday, September 9, while helping to find new homes for unwanted or abused animals. The South Bucks RSPCA sponsored dog walk will set off from Forty Green’s Royal Standard of England pub at 12 noon. To pre-register for the Mutt Strut and obtain sponsorship forms call Helen Fothergill on 07990 677 413 or email: hfothergill@hotmail.com

BEACONSFIELD Freemasons became painters for the week as they spruced up a disadvantaged children’s playground. Members of Bowen, Bulwer, and Cliveden Lodges splashed out a new colour scheme at the Desborough Play Den in West Richardson Street, High Wycombe. One of the volunteers, Tim Gerrard, 46, of Copthall Lane, Chalfont St Peter, said: "Freemasonry is about friendship, decency, and charity, so we wanted to support the Play Den because its aims are similar to ours."

BEACONSFIELD Town Council hopes residents will be impressed by its new website - which should make it easier to access information and engage with the authority. It has an improved search facility, with options to subscribe to the council calendar, contact your council members and the council directly via the online form, and subscribe to the council news pages. It also gives the council an easier way to capture information, as well as the potential to carry out consultations and town wide questionnaires online more cost effectively than before. To visit the site go to: http://www.beaconsfieldtowncouncil.gov.uk/