Hook Norton Newsletter August 2001

THE

HOOK NORTON

NEWSLETTER

August 2001

Series 26 No 4

CONTENTS

FROM THE EDITORS ST PETER'S CHURCH BAPTIST CHURCH WI LOCAL HISTORY GROUP YOU AND YOURS IN THE MILLENNIUM BOOK FRIENDS OF HOOK NORTON COMMUNITY LIBRARY WELCOME CLUB TRANSPORT RAINFALL WILDLIFE NOTEBOOK HOOK NORTON GARDEN CLUB SOLES AND SOULS OPEN GARDENS HOOK NORTON BEAVERS FIREFIGHTERS WORLD CHALLENGE VIETNAM 2001 CALLING ALL KNITTERS AND WOOL HORDERS OH HAPPY DAY A THANK YOU ANNOUNCEMENTS	PAGE 3 PARISH COUNCIL THANKS BARRIE COULDREY 1932 - 2001 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE PLANNING PROCEDURE TRIANGLE OUTSIDE VILLAGE SHOP HOOK NORTON CHARITABLE ASSOCIATION OUR LOVELY VILLAGE DEAR VILLAGERS OUT OF SCHOOL CLUB FOR HOOK NORTON VACANCY FOR A TRUSTEE HNCEC WEA COURSES 2001 - 2 SOUTH NEWINGTON FLOWER AND PRODUCE SHOW CHILD HEALTH CLINIC FARMERS' MARKET
PAGE 2 SONGS FOR A SUMMER EVENING MESSIAH FROM SCRATCH WEEKEND UPDATE HOOKY PLAYERS FOLK IN A FIELD 5 ST PETER'S TOWER PROJECT FESTIVAL OF FINE ALES HOOK NORTON BRASS BAND	PAGE 4 SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB HOOK NORTON HARRIERS HOOK NORTON FOOTBALL CLUB HOOK NORTON TENNIS CLUB JUNIOR SECTION

NEWSLETTER TEAM

Advertising:	Judi Leader
Calendar:	Howard Hicks
Distribution:	Julian Bolton
Postal Services:	Mrs M Padbury
Proof reading:	Nigel Lehmann
IT/Web Support:	Martin Baxter
Treasurer:	John Stratford
Directory:	Diana Barber

FROM THE EDITORS

We hope that the arrival of this Newsletter marks the start of more seasonal weather!
Steve Holliday and his family have now left the village but are not far away. His Wildlife Reports have been a great pleasure to Hook Norton people. However we are very lucky as Geraldine Moore has taken on his slot. Geraldine's first article appears in this issue and she would like you to send your sightings to her.
We have had to miss out Geoff Walton's 'Hooky Remembered' because of pressure of current news but hope that his final episode will appear in the next issue.
Thank you for the money collected from the Post Office Box which amounted to Ł39.47.
Sadly we report the deaths of Barrie Couldrey and Terence Watson and on behalf of the village send our condolences to their families and friends.
Don't forget to put your events on Hazel Hope's Hook Norton Rolling Diary by e-mail, at harkhope@lineone.net.
Just one more thing; continue to send me just as much copy but please make it shorter. It is getting almost impossible to squeeze all the copy into the maximum 44 pages in this format.

The cover for this issue is by courtesy of Venice Barry.

e-mail Barbara@news-hooknorton.freeserve.co.uk or helen@monivea.freeserve.co.uk

The views expressed in the Newsletter are not necessarily the views of the Editors and the Team.
Advertising: Ł20 per page and pro rata - text for village activities free (a small donation is welcome). There is a charge for all inserts- commercial Ł20, village activities on request. Next advertising copy should be in by 16th September and final text copy by 18th September. Please place in the Newsletter Box in the Post Office.

Big print copy available at the library in a stiff cover.
Do you know anyone who would like to see it?

Please note, to avoid problems with nuisance calls, personal telephone numbers are not generally included in the web version of the Hook Norton Newsletter.
If you wish to contact anyone about an article in this newsletter, please send us an email and we will supply you with the contact details.

ST PETER'S CHURCH

On 29th June, our Patronal Festival, we appropriately celebrated St Peter the fisherman with a Fish and Chips supper in the Church. Over fifty of us enjoyed the friendly meal followed by a service of Readings, Hymns and Prayers. A letter from the Archdeacon was read in which he congratulated us on the money raised and work so far done on the tower and wished us well for the last hard slog to bring it to completion. Phase I has now been completed and work on the screen will begin on Monday 17th September .
Other fund raising projects for the tower included the Open Gardens on 17th June which together with the teas and stall raised over £1,000.
On July 1st many people enjoyed delicious strawberry teas provided by Anthea and Keith Fowler in their garden at Ivydene.
The Summer Ball on 6th July was also a great success and for all those events we were blessed with fine weather and the fund has increased to £90,000.
On Thursday 2nd August at 7.45pm in the Church: Mark Damisch in Concert' . Mark is a pianist of great renown, Mayor of Northbrook, Chicago whose mother's family came from Hook Norton. Tickets £7, concessions £5, including a glass of wine and canapés.
Messiah from Scratch weekend is September 29th & 30th . See special notice about this and also about the ' Ride or Stride' in aid of Oxfordshire Historic Churches Trust on September 8th . The Harvest Thanksgiving and Supper is on Friday 21st September and Harvest Eucharist on Sunday 23rd .
Confirmation classes begin on Thursday 13th September in preparation for the confirmation on 18th November by the new Bishop of Dorchester. Anyone interested should contact the Rector on 737223.
The Bible Study Groups will start again the week beginning 10th September .
Cake Stall and Coffee in Church on the fourth Saturday of each month continues, the next dates being 25th August and 22nd September . Offers of cakes for sale would be welcomed by Mary Powell, 737463, and why not come and enjoy a cup of coffee.

R J

BAPTIST CHURCH

During the past month we have enjoyed several barbecues and a church picnic. The joint meal with St Peter's was indeed a real feast and the pleasure of each others company served to remind us that Jesus himself shared many meals and picnics with his friends and family. We had another well attended barbecue at the end of the July Saturday Special and the following week saw the farewell picnic as we bade Hilary, Brian, Peter and George a tearful goodbye. We will miss them of course but wish them great happiness in their new life in New Zealand. Saying goodbye is hard and when you have friends and family you want to keep them close, where you can meet often and encourage each other. Historically our church has been the sort of Fellowship which gives out its members so that they may enrich and enhance other fellowship as well. We have seen young people move on and rejoice that they are now in places of leadership, pastoral oversight and youth work throughout the country. If we tithe out our congregation with joy and release them to do God's calling on their lives wherever that may lead, sad though we may be at the time, then I am sure the Lord will honour the generosity of his people and use each one of us fully in His service
August sees our Holiday Club 6-12 August and as usual there will be a barbecue for the children and parents on the Thursday evening 9 August starting at 6pm.
September 22 is our evening with Bobby Peralta at the Baptist Centre in Banbury at 6pm September 27 we welcome Martin and Katrina Butterworth at 8pm to talk about their work. October 7 is Harvest Thanksgiving with Terry and Liz Puttick from London City Mission 10.30 in the Church. October 31 is LITE NITE party for children.
To be arranged: a Holiday Club reunion.

The talk on June 19 may have inspired members to 'get on their bikes' and keep fit! Mrs Usherwood of Abingdon gave an account of the hilarious, adventurous and sometimes hair raising trips in many countries made by her and her husband over many years 'On A Bicycle Made for Two'.
Mr Holloway of Banbury Auctioneers was the guest speaker at the meeting on July 17. It only needed the television cameras to make it a real ' Antiques Roadshow' with surprising revelations and valuations on items taken to the meeting by members. He also gave an interesting account of the 'ins and outs' of the business. Both talks were greatly enjoyed and appreciated.
There will not be a formal meeting in August, instead a trip to Friars Court has been arranged for August 22 . On September 18 a talk on 'Hilary's Hats' to be given by Mrs H Hammond promises to be an entertaining afternoon.
As usual, new members and guests are welcomed to all the meetings in the Baptist Hall on the third Tuesday of each month at 2pm.

Members of Hook Norton W.I.
Invite you to join them at a special family afternoon
'WINE AND ROSES'
Saturday 9th SEPTEMBER 2001 2.30 - 4.30pm
in the MEMORIAL HALL and GARDEN

ENTRANCE 20p

CHILDREN FREE

Super Refreshments available
Various stalls - Luxury Raffle - Lucky Dip Games etc.

LOCAL HISTORY GROUP - A Day Out in Worcester
Late in June a small group from the Local History Group took its chances on the weather and spent a very interesting day viewing the sites of the Battle of Worcester from both Parliamentarian and Royalist points of view. This was very well set up by the Battlefield Trust.
The Group meets again at its customary venue in the Visitor Centre at Hook Norton Brewery on Tuesday 4th September at 7.30pm where in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere we shall welcome back Martin Baxter talking to us once more about Roman engineering. At the October 2nd meeting Trevor Rowley will speak on The Oxfordshire Landscape 1900, 2000, 2100
Vistors are very welcome for a small fee to cover refreshments and other costs.

YOU AND YOURS IN THE MILLENNIUM BOOK
Make sure that you and yours are named for posterity.
Remember when you turned out for your photo nearly two years ago that went into the Millennium Book? The Local History Group has been trying to name as many of the people in it as is possible. We have got many of your names but as you can imagine it has been quite an effort getting them and allocating them correctly. From a date in September there will be a document in the Library where you can check if we have got it right or put us right if we haven't. So keep a look out for posters which will tell you when its available. Your descendants will thank you for it! Find the millenium book here!

Barbara@news-hooknorton.freeserve.co.uk

Friends of Hook Norton Community Library

welcome you to a
Literary Evening
at the
Brewery Visitor Centre
on
Monday 10th September 2001
when
Local authors will entertain you.

At our AGM we will tell you what books and other resources we have provided for the library and also of our hopes for the future.
Light refreshments will be available.
Hooky beer will be one option.

WELCOME CLUB
The Club has been enjoying some quiet meetings lately and at one such meeting we had a visit from a travel company which has led to what we might call the highlight of the year!!
This was our Holiday in Scotland and which came about as direct result of this meeting. Sixteen members took the coach at The Sun and were whisked off to Crieff where we spent a most enjoyable holiday. Every day we were taken out and every evening entertainment was laid on. I think we may say that everyone enjoyed our stay and the trips. Will there be another? That is in the lap of the Gods.

TRANSPORT

Buses to Moreton-in-Marsh and Stratford
Some of the buses from Chipping Norton to Stratford now go via Moreton. Both are good places to visit.
Mondays - Saturdays
Chipping Norton to Stratford via Moreton at 10.11, 12.11, 3.41. Other buses to Stratford at 9.21, 11.13, 1.13, 2.13.
Buses from Stratford to Chippy at 11.20, 12.10, 1.20, 2.10, 4.15, 5.10 and 6.25.
From Moreton to Chippy at 12.48, 2.48 and 5.52.

*Sundays.*	Chippy to Stratford at 11.04.
	Chippy to Moreton and Stratford at 2.04
	Stratford to Chippy at 12.30, 3.40 and 6.10
	Moreton to Chippy at 6.50

In addition, there is a special bus on Tuesdays to Moreton market which passes through Hook Norton (usual stops) around 10 a.m. and gets back just before 1p.m.
Return fare only £1.
Buses Chipping Norton - Banbury
The request for additional buses on this route was not successful but it will be considered further in a review of public transport links across the county. The service is therefore unchanged, except that the first bus to Banbury (7.23 Mondays to Fridays and 7.48 Saturdays), which is subsidised by the County Council, is now operated by Cheney Coaches. As they have no return service, you can only buy a single ticket on these buses, but they will accept Stagecoach season tickets. The 7.48 on Mondays to Fridays is not affected. STOP PRESS News has just been received of some changes to this service from 13 August.. The 2.05 bus from Chipping Norton to Banbury (2.23 here) will run 10 minutes later. The 4.05, 6.05 and 7.05 from Chipping Norton will not run. Instead there will be only the 4.50 (5.08 here). From Banbury, the 3.05, 5.06 and 6.05 will not run. Buses will run at 3.50 and 5.50. I am willing to collect comments on these changes.
Buses Chipping Norton - Oxford
The timetable on this route has been changed again after only six months. There is little change for services into Oxford except early morning and late afternoon and evening but those from Oxford have changed. Full details are in the Post Office and the Library.
Virgin Trains
Virgin have a half-price offer on their train services until the end of August. You must book in advance and travel off-peak. Phone 08457 222 333 or visit www.virgin.com/trains
Shoppers' bus
Don't forget our shoppers' bus to Banbury on alternate Thursdays (dates in diary).
Leaves the Church at 9.15. Fare £1. Bring the children during the holidays.

Peter Fry

RAINFALL May-June

At last some drier weather - too dry for the gardeners among us and too hot for some!
May: 1.06 ins (26.92mm) and June 1.21 ins (30.73mm), which brings the half-yearly total back to a far more normal 14.91 ins. (378.71mm) for the six months January to June. The first half of July, however, has produced no less than 2.32 ins ( 58.8mm) for its first fifteen days, compounded by 1inch (25.4mm) more on July 17 ^th -18 ^th . How will this tricky summer proceed, I wonder?

WILDLIFE NOTEBOOK

This is my first report and as no-one knew whom to contact I can only tell you about the birds and wildlife that I have seen, but please phone me so that I can include as many people from the village as possible in the next issue.
Practically every day in my garden in the last two months I have seen Blackbirds, either very spotted juvenile Blackbirds or parents, gathering food which was not that easy in the recent dry spell, but it is amazing what they manage to find on the lawn, grubs that they could see with their excellent eyesight that we would never have known were there.
Every day come rain or shine the Song Thrushes have sung loudly in the mornings and at dusk and in the middle of June they were singing all day - how do they manage to sing for all this time?
An interesting sight are the Starlings in the bird bath, up to 12 at once sometimes, both old and young and what a noise and mess they make as they bathe and squabble amongst themselves. Birds can be rather messy, but need to drink water, especially the seed eaters, so it is important to change the bird bath water regularly, particularly when it is hot.
It has been pleasant walking around the village hearing the Skylarks and Yellowhammers singing and watching the Kestrels and Buzzards circling around high in the sky. There have been a few Goldfinches around and I have seen a Heron on two occasions at the end of June and recently seen two or three Mallard ducks.
There do not appear to be as many butterflies around as usual, although in the last few days I have seen a few Gatekeepers. There have also been Red Admirals, Small Tortoiseshells, and a Comma, but for identification purposes it would be good if they would keep still for a few seconds! With those delicate wings it is amazing how quickly and how far they can fly. It will be interesting to see how many butterflies are attracted to the buddleias when they are in bloom.
I am not an expert like Steve Holliday but will do my best and when I phoned him he volunteered to still lead any walks and maybe one of these could be organised for the autumn.

Geraldine Moore e-mail: geraldine.moore1@btinternet.com

HOOK NORTON GARDEN CLUB

We have had a successful summer so far with our visits and trips. Shennington & Alkerton Horticultural Society had a very enjoyable evening visiting three lovely, if different gardens and at the fourth a very welcome cup of hot coffee as the weather had been decidedly chilly.
Not so for our trip to Wisley. We had ordered 'good weather' and it seemed to take us at our word and as a result went over the top and we had the warmest day of the summer so far! All in all we had a most delightful day. Wisley certainly did us proud - everything was perfect. We trust all our members enjoyed it as much as we did! Our garden visit to Mrs Ainley's garden at South Newington was the most perfect summer evening and together with home-made elderflower cordial another enjoyable wander around a beautiful garden was had by all. Our next and final garden visit for this year will be to The Folly Lodge, Halford on Wednesday 15 August , meeting outside the Sun Inn at 6.30pm , car sharing as usual. ALL WELCOME.
The Autumn Flower Show will be held on Saturday 15 September. Do peruse the schedule carefully, there is a class for everyone. Help us to make this Show the best ever! Everyone can join and an interest in gardens is all that is needed; failing that come to the Memorial Hall at 2.30pm on Saturday 15th September to see a spectacular Show. Don't forget the 'Fungi Foray' with Dr S Grover on Sunday 30th September . Time and place will be advertised around the village nearer the date. Good gardening to all and happy holidays.

Ann Faulkner

SOLES AND SOULS
A missionary who spent his life among New Zealand warriors is being commemorated with an Open Gardens afternoon in the tranquil Oxfordshire village where he was born.
The pretty gardens of Swerford will be open on Sunday 9 September to mark the publication of a book about John King who lived in Swerford in the late eighteenth century. When he was just 22 after working at Nether Worton as a shoemaker, he sailed to New Zealand as a missionary. His 40-year career among the native Maoris - who, though mainly friendly, once threatened to kill and eat his wife - was in stark contrast to the rural life in Oxfordshire which he left behind for ever.
At least three gardens, including The Yews and The Old Post Office, will be open between 2.30 and 5.30pm and there will be teas, books, tombola, a cake stall, a plant stall and children's play area. Admission is £2 and proceeds will be shared between the Church Mission Society, St. Mary's Church and Swerford Village Hall. There will also be a small local history exhibition.
The official launch of Soles and Souls, a biography of John King of Swerford, 1787-1854 will be held in Swerford Village Hall at 7.30pm on Friday 7 September with a talk by the author, Hook Norton resident Tony Higgins. Entrance is £3, to include a glass of wine. John King's great-great-grand daughter and family historian Pamela Berry will be travelling from New Zealand for the launch. The book, published by Stonesfield Press, will be on sale.
The event coincides with the Historic Churches sponsored Bike Ride on Saturday 8th September which is also the Patronal Festival of St Mary's Swerford. A special Festival service will be held in the church on Saturday at 7.30pm when the preacher will be the Canon Tim Dakin, General Secretary of the Church Mission Society.
Further information from Margaret Crick, email: Mcrick8783@aol.com ; Tony Higgins, email: Tony@hooky.u-net.com and Geoffrey Castle, email: Get.castle@btinternet.com .

OPEN GARDENS
A big Thank You to all those kind people who opened their gardens on Sunday June 17th and to those who literally flocked to see them. After the dreadful rain on the Saturday we were so fortunate to have a dry day and it was lovely to see so many folk walking our village. So many have expressed their enjoyment of the afternoon and I want to say a very big thank you on behalf of Mary Powell, Marion Roberts and myself for all you did to help raise a very large sum towards the Church Tower Fund.

Mary Williams

HOOK NORTON BEAVERS
The village Beaver Scout Group is looking for volunteers to be warranted leaders.
The group is very successful and well attended by eighteen boys aged 6 - 8.
After three years of great work Dave Watts is hanging up his neckerchief as one of the Beaver Scout Group leaders. Nicky Sale starts her studies at Warwick University in September and my own changed work commitments mean that I cannot be certain of being here each week to organise or run the sessions.
Both Nicky and I are keen to continue being involved in running the group but to do the group justice we need at least one more regular or two part time helpers. Without this extra help I fear that the coming September term could be the last one either of us can commit to and the group would fold at the end of the year. I sincerely hope it doesn't come to this as the sessions are really enjoyed by the boys and the leaders. The workload is not high and the job is not too difficult, sessions are 6.15 - 7.30 Friday evenings and the experience required is basic common sense with a bit of imagination. Dave and I started, only helping at first, after having our arms lightly twisted around three years ago. Since then we have had a very good time but there is always room for some new ideas and some new personalities. If you think you would like to give it a go or if you have a son who will soon be old enough to join, like mine was when I started, please give me a call and come along to the start of next term to lend a hand.

Mike Everitt Tel:01608 730886

FIREFIGHTERS
Firefighters responded to a comparatively small number of 'shouts' for the two months to 20th July, nineteen calls compared with thirty two for the previous period. Nevertheless there were some harrowing incidents. Firefighters found a lorry on top of a car on the M40, a car on fire at Oatley Hill and elsewhere a caravan and cars on fire which were totally burnt out. There were ten standby calls from both Chipping Norton and Banbury and the Coffee Tower at Kraft Jacobs Suchard suffered a fire. On farms, a hedge was set alight from a nearby bonfire and at another location a small amount of hay was found to be on fire. There were also three alarm calls, one of which was with good intent.

WORLD CHALLENGE VIETNAM 2001
By the time you are reading this I will be in Vietnam. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those people in the village who have helped me to raise over £3,000 for this expedition.
For those who do not know what World Challenge is: I am taking part in a team challenge to Vietnam. World Challenge Expeditions sends groups of young people to third world countries. The aim of Team Challenge is to allow and encourage team members (challengers) to learn and develop skills linked closely to Leadership, Teamwork, Organisation and Responsibility within the framework of an exciting and challenging expedition to the developing world. We will also undertake a community service challenge in an orphanage. A team challenge is not a holiday but an exciting, rewarding, demanding and enjoyable programme.
There are too many people to mention individually, but I would particularly like to thank: Russell Collins -The Pottery, Tom Williams - Village shop, Andrew Bowen - The School, Brendan Dubock of S.H.Jones wine merchant, Mike Battley and the Sports and Social Club, all the models who helped at the fashion show, Jan Hughes, St Peter's Church and everyone else who bought tickets, donated money or their time to help me.

Gemma Orchard.

CALLING ALL KNITTERS AND WOOL HORDERS
Are you one of the elite or do you know someone who can still knit socks?
Are you willing to help those who due to bandaged or swollen feet find it next to impossible to obtain socks big enough to fit? If so, please contact Sister Helen Burchell on 01295 720889 or leave a message at the surgery on 01608 737302. I have patients at present who would benefit greatly from easily fitting socks (bed sock style) and I would dearly like to build-up a small stockpile for future use.
I would also be very grateful for donations of wool, preferable dark colours and washable for this purpose. A big thank you in anticipation from the team and the patients.

OH HAPPY DAY
Roger & Becky Cooke enjoyed the perfect village wedding on Saturday June 9th. This was made possible by the help and support of many family and friends in the village. Our sincere thanks go out to you all for sharing our day and making it a day to remember.

A THANK YOU
I and my family would like to thank everyone who attended Colin's funeral. We would also like to thank everyone who kindly gave donations in aid of Katharine House Hospice. The total amount collected was £283. This has been sent to the Hospice by J M Humphris.

Marge White and family

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Emily Cook and Sean Daley were married at St Nicholas Church, Piddington on 16th June 2001, the Rector John Acreman officiating.
Rebecca Hughes and Roger Cooke were married at St Peter's Church on Saturday 9th June 2001.
Bunny Bartlett was born on 7th June at 4am in Chipping Norton Hospital. A great big thank you to all our family and friends for their kind wishes, cards, flowers and presents for big brother Tom!
CONGRATULATIONS to Ian and Michelle on the birth of Luke Charles.
Liam Gordon Durno, son of Paul and Julia of Salt Lake City, Utah was baptised at St Peter's Church on Sunday 1st July 2001. Julia is formerly of Hook Norton.
NEW TO THE VILLAGE - The Wood family: Sue (Mum), Paul (Dad), Jessica (seven), David (five) and Ashley (three) are moving into Austins Way shortly and want to become involved in village life.