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Hi, my name is Donna Shakesheff - you may have seen me working outside Langley House and wondered what I was up to!

I am a Base Runner for a company that is filming 'Harley Street' here, although they are out on location a lot of the time. My job is to be a gate person, which means stopping vehicles coming up The Drive and only allowing in to Langley House those that are crew or delivery people.

I have been working here as a runner since February 2008 and should be here til May, but I would dearly love to work my way up to be in Production. To this end on my days off I go out on location to learn as much as I can.

I am also interested in arts and crafts, and other than drawing I also do wig-making which I learnt in college.

I have a beautiful 6-month old Labrador called Twinkle (named by my niece!), who lives in Wales. I am from there but for this job I am staying more locally in High Wycombe.

I am pictured here with some friends I have made, one being Josh (February Park User of the Month - see below).

Passers by have been so kind and lovely, often stopping for a chat, and one generous lady even gave me a bag of books to help while away the time.

['Harley Street' is a 6-part contemporary drama series starring Paul Nicholls, Suranne Jones, Shaun Parkes and Oliver Dimsdale. For further information click on this link: http://www.carnivalfilms.co.uk/news/news.asp?id=17]

My name is Sean Barnard and my first visit to Langley Park was with the Scouts during an orienteering competition at the age of 10. I was captured by the natural beauty of the park and have been returning ever since. I’m now seventeen and still in Scouting, as a member of the Pyro Explorer Scout Unit in Hayes & Harlington.

I am in the sixth form at Slough Grammar School and currently studying for the International Baccalaureate Diploma. As part of the requirement for the diploma I have to complete fifty hours of service. Volunteering to carry out conservation work was a natural choice for me as I love the outdoors, so when I saw the Friends of Langley Park website I was keen to become part of the group. Taking part in the volunteering conservation work is also helping me to achieve my Chief Scout’s Platinum Award.

The Friends of Langley are a very friendly group and I have thoroughly enjoyed each Saturday that I have participated (especially the homemade mince pies). I always end the afternoon with the rewarding feeling that I have helped to achieve something important. I would certainly recommend voluntary conservation work to anyone who enjoys the outdoors.

This is Josh, a beautiful German Shepherd. He is 2-3 years old, and a very friendly, quiet dog who loves the park and going into puddles on his daily walks.

Lynne, his owner who has lived in George Green very close to the park for over 25 years, has owned him for about 3 months. He was rescued from certain death in Wales, and came to George Green via Pineridge Rescue centre in Ascot.

He knows many of the other dogs in the park, but also loves trips out in the car. However he is a little nervous of being dumped (as happened to Josh in Wales) so always tries to get back in the car the moment the first door gets opened!

This is Ultra and his owner Marjorie.

Ultra is 6 years old, is 16 hands high, a "Dappled Grey", and has been owned by Marjorie who lives with her husband in Thorn Drive, George Green, and has been a Wexham resident for 14 years, and a daily user of Langley Park.

Ultra comes from Holland, but has lived in Sussex for a few years, but now since June 2007 Ultra's home is at the large stabling along Coronation Avenue.

Dutch horses have a reputation for being humorous and chee

ky - he has thrown Marjorie off twice, she suffered a broken finger and bruising as a result. Also when being walked to the main gate to Langley Park, he pulled up the hood of Marjorie's jacket so high her arms were up in the air, and she was unable to open the gate until he let go. Still got taken out though!!

Ultra has also been know to cause trouble in the stable when he started to chew the tail of the horse next door, whose tail had come through the railings.

(This photo is from the flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jerry_lake/2115422058/in/set-72157602741035082/

Chris with Jake the Weimaraner are our December Park Users of the Month.

Chris got Jake just before he moved to George Green about 7 years ago. They are daily users of Langley Park, and get to walk there at different times of the day due to Chris's work patterns at a local employer in Slough. Jake enjoys chewing stones but already has got a bad tooth from this habit !!

Jake being pursued by cows!

November 2007

This month's park users have a slightly different reason to previous users. Famous for their roles in the Vicar of Dibley and Ab Fab, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders are currently filming their BBC comedy / drama, 'Jam and Jerusalem' in Langley Park. Pictured here with our Chairman - who also happens to be a police officer - the two comediennes were only too pleased to pose for a promotional shot which they are happy for the Friends to use!

Dawn and Jennifer were very impressed with the park and grateful for our assistance with the maintenance of it. The filming took place in the central vista just down from the clearance work carried out in September.

September 2007

My name is Beverley Simmons and I first started using Langley Park as a child, riding with friends with their ponies, and eventually my own.

My horse, Solo, began his training here in Langley Park being led alongside my old mare Katie when he was just a year old. He is now 9 years old. When Lea Barn stables opened, we became liveries, with direct access into the Park and as his training progressed we began to ride him out to the Park.

Both of my dogs came to me as they were unwanted by their owners. Angel firs, a Jack Russell cross, at 14 weeks old, who is now 7 years old, and Cassie, a Border Collie at 18 weeks old, and she is now 3 years old. They both now accompany Solo and myself on our rides to Langley Park which we all enjoy and hope to continue for many more years to come.

August 2007

I am Davina and I have been visiting Langley Park and Black Park since I was a child in the 1950's. We moved to Langley in 1954 after returning from Canada where we lived in Kingston, Ontario. By coincident one of my husband's cousins now lives on the outskirts of the city, having moved there from Newcastle in the '80s.

Currently I use the park to ride my pony Mouse and walk my dog, Fudge, although not at the same time. I've had Mouse since he was two and he is now 16 years old but I am the first to admit that he is a delinquent and if possible would probably have had an ASBO by now! Fudge will be 17 years of age in October and still goes for a very active walk each day. He loves meeting both his human and doggy friends - he has a thing for Red Setter bitches. Originally he belonged to friends of ours and joined us at the age of 8, although we had known him when he was a couple of days old.

Hello my name and is Jodie and this is my Labrador Benson. We are not quite sure how old he is because he is from Battersea dogs home at Old Windsor, but we think he was about a year old when we got him and we have had him for nearly 3 years. He was my 30^th Birthday present and is the best present I have ever had!

He loves Langley Park but unfortunately is allergic to some of the trees and grass which makes him itch a lot so he is on steroids and even takes human anti histamines at this time of year! When we first took him to the vets they said he might even be allergic to air!!!

He has had a lovely time over the years – at first he used to live at the National Trust property, Cliveden in Berkshire where I was a forester. He would come to work with me every day – he was a bit naughty back in those days though and even ended up in Cliveden House one day! Then we went to work at the Langley Park where we would walk most days and now he comes to Chiswick house to work with me too.

We miss Langley Park but whenever we have a Friends of Langley Park meeting or event we can’t wait to get back there to go for a walk!

Jodie Mills was the Access and Audience Development Officer for the Langley Park HLF project and is the Secretary for the Friends of Langley Park.

Hi, our names are Helen and Steve Iles and we have lived in Iver for about twenty five years. We first started to visit Langley country park 15 years ago with our field spaniel Hamish. Now with our 10 month old Springer spaniel Rory (see picture below), we are regular walkers again.

We got Rory at 9 weeks old from a lady living in Cornwall, he was the only boy in a litter of six pups. Being a Springer spaniel Rory never stands still, he's always running nose to the ground, tail wagging. He loves chasing the crows and has developed a keen sense for flushing out the deer and chasing after them, a development we are keen to discourage! Steve and I love to walk through the woods and occasionally venture around the lake and past the farm. The farmer breeds Hampshire sheep and they are a beautiful to see. We always get pleasure from our walks as we have made so many friends over the years and the dogs can be such entertainment. Recently, Rory came back to us with a dead rabbit in his mouth - the sight of Steve chasing him, Leo (the puppy bulldog) chasing them and Geoff chasing Leo had Sue and I in stitches! We look forward to many more adventures during the coming years, hopefully not always involving chasing after Rory.

For the past 9 ½ years this has been on a daily basis with my dog Jodi. She is a rescue dog and was about 5 months old when she came to me from the RSPCA. Jodi loves going to the park where she can chase her ball or her Frisbee or on occasion a squirrel, but never rabbits. Jodi has been a P.A.T. (Pets as Therapy) dog for 7 ½ years now, visiting hospitals and nursing homes, schools and scout groups. She has also worked with phobic children and adults. Recently she had a toe amputated but hopefully she will be able to get back to her favourite past time, agility.

Until 2 months ago we lived in Uxbridge, now we live right on the edge of Langley Park which is wonderful. During the summer months Jodi takes part in many companion dog shows, but she rarely misses her early morning 'park walk'.

Our second 'Park User of the Month', for February 2007, is Wodan who belongs to Miss Janice Day of Langley. Wodan is pronounced 'Woe-dan' and is named after an ancient Germanic Sky God. He is a 4½ month old white German Shepherd.

Our first 'Park User of the Month' is 'Uncle Dave’ who has been visiting Langley Park for over thirty years, and is pictured here with his foster dog Buster.

Buster is a Border Terrier who’s owner cannot exercise him herself so Dave meets up with his two friends at nine o’clock every day and the trio of retired walkers take themselves for a morning stroll around the top field.

Dave used to live to the east of the park in Shredding Green but now lives on the other side of the park in George Green. Although in his eighties Dave is still very fit and enjoys writing stories, playing golf, and writing stories about his golf. He is known to tell a joke or two but none of which can be used on this family friendly website! Dave thinks the Park Rangers and the service they provide is excellent and his favourite part of the park is the gate leading to the George Pub.

Dave would like to wish all our members a Happy New Year, but when asked if he would be joining the ‘Friends’ he said there was more chance of getting bitten by a daffodil. Known to his friends as ‘cheerful’ Dave always has time for a chat and a pocket full of dog treats for his canine friends over whom he has remarkable control. Dave was voted second worst colour co-ordinated dog walker for the last two decades of the twentieth century when he could be seen daily in the park walking his beloved four Jack Russell Terriers - Buddy, Blot, Sam and Stridey.

If you happen to see Dave in the park make sure you give him a big HELLO! and we thank him for being our first ever ‘Park User of the Month’ January 2007.