THE
HOOK NORTON
NEWSLETTER
CONTENTS
NEWSLETTER TEAM
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Advertising:
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Judi Leader
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Calendar:
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Howard Hicks
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Distribution:
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Julian Bolton
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Postal Services:
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Mrs M Padbury
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Proof reading:
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Nigel Lehmann
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IT/Web Support:
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Martin Baxter
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Treasurer:
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John Stratford
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Directory:
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Diana Barber
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FROM THE EDITORS
What a lovely time of year for the village with the wonderful scents from
flowers and plants everywhere. Major village projects are suddenly under way
and the new Surgery should be in action by the time you read this. The Rural
Fayre is cancelled for this year because of foot and mouth precautions although
other planned activities such as Folk in a Field, The Ball in aid of the Church
Tower Fund and the Beer Festival and many other annual events will go ahead.
Thank you for the £54.73 donated via the P.O. Box.
E-mailed copy is proving to be very useful to Barbara but with it comes a lot
more copy from beyond the village. Space is now at a premium. We had 23
½ pages available for text this time and over sixty items to get into it.
Certain items do need larger amounts of space to convey information but please
try to keep your contributions down in size if at all possible.
It's a sad goodbye to Steve Holliday who is moving from the village and the
hunt is on to find a successor to take over his popular Wildlife Notebook.
Would you be willing?
Sadly we report the deaths of Hans Lutter, Peter Miles, Mike Chadwick and Colin
White.
Next advertising copy should be in by 16th July. Final text copy by 18th July.
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.
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
Easter was celebrated joyfully in a beautifully decorated Church. It was
Barbara Rusbridge's last time of being organiser of the Flower Arrangers and
she thanks all the Flower Ladies who have helped and supported her over the
years.
We do apologise for any inconvenience caused during the Main Drainage
connection work to the Church which begins on Monday 4th June. The alterations
to the tower are progressing as are the various fundraising activities. These
include 'Pasta & Puccini' which was on May 19th. This was a well organised,
well-attended occasion and much enjoyed.
More about the
Open Gardens
on
17th June
will be found elsewhere in this newsletter.
On
Sunday 1st July
there will be
Strawberry Teas
at
Ivy Dene
, East End from 2.30 - 5pm. The
Summer Ball
on
6th July
will be held in the grounds of Hook Norton School, due to the cancellation of
the Rural Fayre.
We celebrate our
Patronal Festival
on
St Peter's Day, June 29th
with a Fish & Chip Supper in Church at 7pm followed by a Service of hymns,
prayers and readings - see posters nearer the time.
The Bible Studies held at Tony & Yvonne's home on Tuesdays at lunch time and
at Beryl White's home on Wednesday evenings continue to thrive.
On July 8th
there will be the
Family Service
in Church at 10am. Don't forget the
Coffee Morning and Cake Stall
in the Church on the
Fourth Saturday
every month from 10am to noon - dates are
23rd June
and
28th July
. Mary Powell (737463) would be glad of offers of cakes for this and for the
Market Stall
on the
second Saturday
of each month.
REJ
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BAPTIST CHURCH
When you think of 'church' what image springs to mind? Is it purely the
building, is it the Clergy or is it the congregation? Certainly in our village
the Parish Church holds centre place, it has a high and beautiful profile, it's
a very old and very special building. The Baptist Church is much younger but
nevertheless it's old within the history of Baptist congregations. Both have
graveyards; is that a prerequisite for a 'proper' church? Sadly other churches
have closed locally. What of the clergy, both 'Johns' are high profile too,
easily recognised and known by residents, hopefully respected and loved as well
and thankfully they work well together. As for the congregations, well we're a
mixed bunch as you'd expect!
Recently I spent a weekend with friends at an inner-city church. No fine
building there, just a brick hall on the end of a back-to-back terrace. Up
until now they can't afford a full-time paid Pastor and the congregation -
well! Dreadlocks, skinheads, body-piercing all over - and that's only the men!
Hair comes in every shade imaginable and there are kids everywhere. Not your
scene! Let me tell you about the welcome. Everyone spoke, everyone cared, out
of their poverty they offered hospitality, nothing was a closed shop to me. I
joined them for a disco party Saturday evening, was asked to be part of the
Ministry team on the Sunday and played Bar Skittles with them Monday.
How do we treat visitors, enquirers, newcomers? Is our welcome all it should
be? Do we have 'reserved' seats, 'jobs' we regard as ours, are we set in our
ways?
If all they see of JESUS is us, is it a true reflection or a distorted image?
Dates to remember:
Saturday Special 2nd June 10am - 11.30am
. Joint Service for
Pentecost 3rd June 10.30am
at the
School
with barbeque to follow - a warm welcome to join us. Don't forget
Holiday Club 6th - 10th August
.
HOOK NORTON PRE-SCHOOL PLAYGROUP
The aim of this letter is to thank the many people who have supported our fund
raising recently and to explain the financial position we face.
Our Objective
At the Playgroup, our aim is to provide a safe and friendly environment for 2.5
year olds to 5 year olds to enjoy play and learn through various activities.
The staff, trustees and committee are dedicated to this goal and based on the
inspection results we receive and the feedback from parents, we are meeting
this aim.
Financial Position
Over the last three years we have had to pay a lease fee to Oxfordshire County
Council for the hire of the old school building, increasing our costs. We
obviously need to ensure that our income covers our expenditure but we
recognise that the sources of our income can be many. Our main form of income
are the fees. These are currently at a level that allows most children to
attend more than one session a week (with the benefits that brings to the
child) and also ensures that we are accessible to all families in the village
(government grants are available if financially needed). We consider that it
is vital that we are able to offer our services to all children and also that
those children are able to attend regularly as a stepping stone to nursery and
ultimately school. However the current fee income does not meet our
expenditure commitments. We have taken action to increase the number of
children attending, have slightly increased the fees and have reduced our
expenditure without compromising the children's activities. We are therefore
more dependent on fund raising and donations than ever before. Consequently we
are more and more grateful for the support we receive from the people of Hook
Norton. We could not exist as we do currently without this support and we are
extremely appreciative.
It is the commitment of the committee to ensure that this learning and fun
opportunity is open to all and that we maintain the high standards. Thank you
for your support in helping us keep this commitment.
Cathryn Aitken – Chairperson
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WI
Hook Norton WI is under new management! A new committee and new officers were
elected in March and Pat Fletcher was welcomed as the new president at the
April meeting. Gwen Whitehouse is vice-president, Suzie Boland secretary and
Betty Bates treasurer. Retiring officers were thanked and presented with
flowers. The speaker at the April meeting was Mrs F H Watkins who gave a
colourful talk on the 'Wildlife Trust'. Thanks are given to Tadmarton WI who
hosted the Group Meeting on April 26th at which several of our members were
guests.
On to one of the most important items of the WI year - 'The Resolutions' -
which were given almost unanimous support at the meeting on May 15th. Mrs
'Mac' Grundy was invited to explain them and invite discussion on - (1) That
all children of school age should have access to a dedicated nursing service
funded by the government and (2) That elderly people in care and in nursing
homes must be free of the frequently reported mental and physical abuse and
that all care workers should undergo specialist training for a recognised
qualification. Our delegate to vote for these resolutions on our behalf will
this year be a member of Over Norton WI. Hooky members have been invited by
Sibford WI to join them on a coach trip to Gloucester Docks on August 14th. A
suggestion box has now been provided for ideas for further outings and fund
raising activities. We shall miss having our usual stall at the Rural Fayre
which as everyone knows has been cancelled, as has the Music and Fireworks
Spectacular at Broughton Castle on July 14th, although this event has been
publicised as a 'postponement'. The next meeting on
June 19th
will welcome
Mrs Usherwood
who will give a talk entitled '
On a Bicycle made for Two'
and on
July 17th
we look forward to an
'Antiques Road Show'
to be conducted by Mr Holloway of Banbury. A mini revolution will take place
at future meetings - 'proper' WI cakes will accompany the afternoon 'cuppa'
instead of biscuits - an idea greeted with much approval. Several new members
have been welcomed to recent meetings and there is still room for more and
guests are also welcome at all meetings. A programme is already being compiled
for next year. As always, meetings are on the third Tuesday of each month at
2pm in the Baptist Hall. Watch out for posters in the village and news in the
Banbury Guardian District News.
1ST HOOK NORTON GUIDES
A very busy term so far. In March we had a very interesting visit to the Body
Shop in Banbury. They gave us a talk and a make up demonstration and then the
Guides were able to try the make-up on, which they thought was great fun!
We had a very busy Mothers Day weekend, making posies for church, we then
started our Switzerland 2002 fund raising with a chocolate tombola in the
afternoon, which raised £151. On Sunday it was our turn to serve coffee in
Church at the Mothers Day service.
Our bit of excitement this term was being mentioned on Radio Fox FM, just
before Easter. I wrote in, telling them about our Guide unit and that there
were three guides making their Promise. We were sent two lovely boxes of
muffins, which went down extremely well as you can imagine.
At Easter, Julie Butler, one of our guide parents came to do a craft with us.
We made paper pulp bowls and then decorated them for Easter.
Click the picture to get a higher resolution version, (large file).
On Monday 23rd April, we helped the village with the Annual Litter Pick (all 25
guides, three guiders and one young leader). Although at first the girls did
not want to wear the tabards or gloves, once they had started they really
enjoyed themselves. We picked the nicest evening of Spring to do it! We
collected three bin liners of rubbish.
Just a little reminder; if your daughter would like to join Guides, you need to
get her name on the waiting list when she is 9 years old. Please contact me to
get an application form. At the moment we have 30 Guides.
Julie Wood
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HOOK NORTON KESTRELS
A new wildlife group for children has started in the village. On a beautiful
sunny afternoon on the 12th May eighteen children enjoyed playing games and
pond dipping in the school pond. We found masses of tadpoles, a few frogs,
dragonfly nymph, water snail, water hoglouse, newts, water scorpion and a leech.
Many thanks to the school for kindly letting us use the pond. I would also
like to thank the group's leaders Jo Davies, Tony Pick and Colin Wilkinson as
well as a number of parents who all helped make such a successful launch.
Hook Norton Kestrels is a joint RSPB Wildlife Explorers/Wildlife Watch Group
Tabby Lucas - Group leader
DAY CENTRE
The Care Group will be holding its
Annual General Meeting
at
2pm
on
Monday 4 June
at the Baptist Hall while the Day Care Centre is in session. There is a
proposal to amend the constitution by the deletion of the clause relating to
the length of time officers may serve and it is hoped that as many volunteers
as possible will attend to provide a quorum as the amendment has to be approved
by the meeting.
DAY CARE CENTRE
Calling all creative people!
Have you got an hour to spare to come and talk or demonstrate your craft or
talent to the elderly guests at Hook Norton Day Care Centre on a Monday
afternoon? Please contact Sheena on 730140 or Anne on 730915.
Back To The Top
HNCEC
Still has spaces on the following taster sessions:
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Aromatherapy
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Angie Woodward
£2.00
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Thursday 7th June
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7.15pm - 9.15pm
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Reflexology
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Angie Woodward
£2.00
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Thursday 14th June
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7.15pm - 9.15pm
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Both of these evenings have been sponsored by Hook Norton Parish Council.
Places are still available on
Basic Web Design
with Hazel Hope - three weeks starting Thursday 28th June 7.00 - 9.00pm
£18.75 (concessions available). Learn how to create your own web site.
Sound knowledge of Word and the Internet are essential.
For more information please contact: HNCEC, The Primary School, Sibford Road,
Hook Norton - (01608) 730052
HOOK NORTON GARDEN CLUB
The Garden Club has been very active during the first half of the year with
various meetings and a colourful and successful Spring Show all in the Memorial
Hall. Our next few meetings are all outdoors: on
June 6th
we are hosting a visit from
Shenington and Alkerton GC
so see some of our village gardens with a return visit next year. On
24th June
our long awaited visit to
Wisley
.
Wednesday 4th July
is an evening visit to
Mrs Ainsley's garden
at
South Newington
with a similar visit to
Folly Lodge, Halford
on
Wednesday 15th August
, both meeting at the Sun at 6.30pm to share cars. Hope to see you all at
these events, you are always welcome. Don't forget the
Autumn Show Saturday 15th September
in the
Memorial Hall
. Have a very successful summer in your garden!
COACH TRIP TO WISLEY
The Garden Club has arranged a trip to the Royal Horticultural Gardens at
Wisley on
Sunday 24th June
leaving the
Sun Inn
at
9.15am
and returning about 6pm. Plenty to see and the roses should be at their best.
There are restaurants or take a picnic! Still a few seats available. To book
Tel: Ann 730283 - cost £7.00 members, £9.50 others.
Back To The Top
A DAY OUT IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF CHARLES I
The Local History Group looks forward to its annual 'outing' on
Saturday, June 9th
this year and is
a conducted tour under the auspices of the
Battlefields Trust.
Civil war enthusiasts, Roundhead or Cavalier, or anyone else can join the Group
as, during the day, they visit six locations in and around the
Worcester area
including Cromwell's Battle of the Bridges. Travel by shared cars from The
Sun Inn. Half a day's attendance is a possibility. More details including
maps and joining instructions will become available. We have a few spaces
left. Please ring Sheila Terry or Barbara Hicks as soon as
possible if you would like to be included in the party.
OPEN GARDENS AFTERNOON
- Sunday June 17th 2 - 6pm
As part of St Peter's Tower Fund Raising Project, twelve people in the village
have kindly agreed to open their gardens. These will be:
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1.
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Hook Norton Manor
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Mr and Mrs N Holmes
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2.
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Homefield, Queens Street
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Mrs Val Bourne
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3.
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The Old Surgery
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Geoff Hillman
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4.
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The Gables, Sibford Road
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B. Rusbridge and R. Johnstone
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5.
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Glebe View, Sibford Road
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Mr and Mrs T Powell
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6.
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14 Rectory Road
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Mrs Caroline Vaughan
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7.
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12 Rectory Road
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Mrs Beryl White
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8.
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Doveclose House, Scotland End
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Mr and Mrs Barber
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9.
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The Cottage, Bell Hill
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Mr and Mrs Newman
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(not suitable for wheelchairs)
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10.
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3 Park Road
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Mr and Mrs J Morris
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11.
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Magdalen Lodge (opp the library)
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Mr and Mrs E Liddell
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12.
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Scotland House, Round Close Rd
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Mr and Mrs James Clarke
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Refreshments will be available at
:
Glebe View, Sibford Road (including a cake stall) Mrs M Powell
5 Whittons Close - Mrs Mary Williams,
The Wing, Scotland House - Mrs P Clarke
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Admission to the gardens will be obtained by purchasing a map for £3 per
adult from one of the gardens. This map will need to be shown to gain access
to all the others. The event is being widely advertised and all we need is the
promise of fine weather and plenty of visitors!
Notices and signs will be displayed throughout the village and car parking has
been arranged at the Primary School with the kind permission of Headmaster, Mr
Andrew Bowen.
The event is being organised by Mrs Mary Williams with a team of helpers.
Any queries - please phone Mary Enjoy the afternoon.
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CLIC
Phillipa Collins and Ricky Neal are now three-quarters of the way with their
fundraising. We would like to thank everybody who has helped them on their way
so far.
The Smartie tubes that were given out over the Easter holiday at the Primary
School and nursery raised just over £546. They raised £150 at the
band night. Please look out for further events including: a grand raffle with
signed football memorabilia and toys, also another race night later on in the
summer. For any more information or sponsorship please contact Phillipa or
Ricky
BLOOD DONING
- What an amazing turn out!!!
A big thank you to all who came to give blood at the school on 29th March. The
day was a fantastic success and the Blood Services will be returning later in
the year, so watch this space. An amazing 139 people turned up and signed up to
become donors and 87 blood donations were taken during the two session times.
Thank you to everyone who waited so patiently in line. Some people had very
long waits and this was because so many new donors had to register with the
medical staff on duty. Now that we have gone through the initial process of
registering people and first donations being taken, the next session will be
much quicker. The team from the Blood Services had a brilliant day in Hook
Norton and were really made at home with home made cakes and cups of tea. A big
thank you to Mr Bowen and Hazel Hope at the school who were so helpful in
making the day possible and such a success.
Please come and give blood again later in the year, it is so easy once you've
done it and it helps save lives. For further information on becoming a donor
contact Rob & Jo Bartlett
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FIREFIGHTING
Of the thirty two calls answered during the last two months sixteen were as
standby mainly for Banbury but once for Chipping Norton. Unusually for this
time of year there were four chimney fires. Firefighters responded to three
alarm calls. There were two road traffic accidents. One car caught fire and
the brakes of a lorry on the M40 overheated to cause a fire. A derelict farm
in a nearby village caught fire. There was one factory fire, one fire caused
by an electrical appliance, one serious barn fire (in Hook Norton) and one
serious house fire also in Hook Norton.
You will find enclosed with this issue information concerning safety in the
home. Any member of the Firefighting Service will be happy to answer any of
your questions. Do not hesitate to approach them.
JAPANESE HOMESTAY
For the second year running, we decided to have a Japanese student to stay with
us for just under three weeks in March. Last year's student was really lovely
and easy to look after, so we were a little sceptical about agreeing to have
another one this year!
About 80 students (all girls) come over from Japan to stay in the Banbury area.
It is run by a company called Cultural Homestay in Europe Ltd. Once you agree
to have a student to stay, you are interviewed - the Japanese require a room of
their own and need access to a shower or bath everyday. The girls are aged
between 14 and 17. During the week they go to School 9.15am - 4.15pm. Mine have
both attended The Warriner School. The students go on trips during School time;
they go to London twice, Oxford, Stratford, the Cotswolds and Warwick. Their
time spent with you is to improve their English and also to experience life
with a family in Britain, so you are to treat them as a member of your family.
This year our student was called Misaki. For those of you who met her, I am
sure that you will agree she was extremely nice and friendly. The Japanese
students love children. Katie and Megan got very attached to Misaki during the
three weeks that she stayed with us. Three weeks might seem a long time, but
both years the time absolutely whizzed by. We have not found it an
inconvenience at all. Luckily, Misaki's best friend Azumi, was staying with Sue
and Tony Sabin just outside the village and we were able to share lifts to and
from School, so only one journey a day was required.
Here are two days out of Misaki's diary on her homestay with us:
Saturday 17th March - Today, I went to "GANG SHOW" with the Girl
Scouts and Azumi. The curtain rose at 2 pm. Many people watched it. It was very
funny. Boys and girls sang and danced. Everyone sang and danced very well.
There was a large audience in the theatre. English audience is different from
Japanese audience. I think English audience is swell. I had a fun time, I hope
I can go to the show again.
Monday 26th March - Today I went to "Brownies" and Guides".
First, I went to "Brownies". I taught girls origami. We made flower.
Everyone did very well. After, I spoke about Japan and my School. After
"Brownies" I stayed to "Guides". I made juice there. We
made a lot of juice. I like peach juice best of our juice. After, I and Azumi
spoke about Japan and our School and we did origami. I enjoyed the time at the
"Guides".
As you can see, her written English is excellent. Their spoken English is not
so good and at first, it is very difficult to communicate, but with a little
work and with Katie and Megan getting very involved, we soon managed very well.
By the end of the three weeks, Misaki was speaking excellent English and asking
us lots of questions.
The highlight of the three weeks was the "Farewell Party" for the
host families. This was held on the last Tuesday before Misaki left. It was
held at The Warriner School - the students organised food, games and sang for
us. The Japanese are beautiful singers. They then gave us thank-you cards. It
was very moving and as you can imagine, a lot of tears were shed! We still had
two days to go! Overall, we had a wonderful and memorable three weeks. We
have continued to keep contact - in fact, we still write to Naomi, who stayed
with us last year. I would recommend having a foreign student to anyone.
If anyone would be interested in having a Japanese student, please give me or
Sue Powell a ring and we will try to answer any questions. Although we do not
do it for the money, you do get paid for the time you have your student. This
does help cover the extra costs entailed by feeding and transporting them
around. They require homestay at different times of the year, although they
still attend School every weekday and the set-up is still the same.
Julie, Graham, Katie and Megan Wood.
Sue Powell (Group Co-ordinator) (01608) 737998 (01295) 721523.
Back To The Top
HOOK NORTON REMEMBERED
It was in 1948 that all the teachers in North Oxfordshire were called to a
meeting in Banbury to be told by a Government Spokesman that they must pay
National Insurance Contributions in addition to the obligatory 5% of their
salaries which was required for the Teachers' Retirement Pension. But, we were
told, in return we would get free medical care (hospitals, doctors, medicines,
eye tests, glasses, dental treatment and false teeth) and on retirement we
would get the state pension in addition to our scheme pension and finally a
grant to make sure we were decently buried. I am not complaining. The NHS has
served my family well even if some of its promises did not materialise.
I was invited to attend a Parish Council Meeting at which I was co-opted to
serve on the Council to fill a vacancy. In this role I met new village people
and made more new friends, (Frank Coppage chairman of the Council, Alderman
John Harris, clerk to the Council, Colonel Colchester and Fred Painter, fellow
Councillors among them).
As a member of the Parish Council I quickly learned names of roads and areas of
the village and found the working of the Council very interesting. When
Alderman John Harris, who lived at Bury Croft and had been Clerk to the Parish
Council for many years, decided that the time had come for him to retire, I was
surprised that the fingers were pointed at me as a replacement. After long
consideration and many talks with the retiring Clerk I found myself, in
possession of a very large steel safe, weighing about 5cwt and responsibility
for the administration of many aspects of the village organisation;- Cemetery,
Churchyard, Allotments, Footpaths, Street lights etc., etc. I also found myself
in the world of book-keeping, accounts, precepts, receipts, audits,
letter-writing, promulgation of meetings and the taking and reading of minutes.
All this to be accomplished without the aid of typewriter, calculator,
telephone, photocopier or computer, but the £75 a year salary was a very
useful addition to the family budget. The regular meetings of the Council were
interspersed as necessary with meetings of the various committees, at all of
which the Chairman and the Clerk had to be present. The Chairman, Frank
Coppage, had held the office for many years and knew everything about everyone
in the village. He knew his job and had a good sense of humour. He once told
me, "When I first became Chairman I tried to please everyone, but it
didn't work, so now I please myself and I know that at least one person is
happy". His "party-piece" was at Cemetery Committee site
meetings when he would take up a position in the bottom corner of the Cemetery
and address the assembly, " Now, if any Councillor in the future wants to
discuss anything with me or ask my advice I shall be here, because I have
bought this plot and I shall be here for ever." Frank was a cornerstone of
village life, a stalwart, as were all the Parish Councillors. Mostly men at
that time and drawn from all walks of life and from all political leanings, but
in those Council meetings there was never a breath of class, status, or
politics. Whatever topic was being discussed, the questions were never,
"How will this effect me?" or "Does this follow Government
policy?" but was always, "Will this benefit Hook Norton and the
parishioners we represent?" It was an honour and a pleasure to work with
and to serve the village through those Councillors. I raise my hat in memory of
those Parish Council members, and I salute Frank Coppage in his corner of the
Cemetery.
GP Walton
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WILDLIFE NOTEBOOK
Mid-March to mid-May 2001
The most unlikely call of the spring came from Mary Quirk and Chris Williams
who found a quail sheltering in their garden at The Triangle on 21 April. This
is early for quails which are summer visitors from Africa usually arriving from
May onwards. I called round to look at it and after consulting Chris's field
guide concluded that it was a male but that it's pale bill (not grey) and some
milky patches on the wings suggested it was a hybrid and likely to have escaped
from captivity. The first part of the identification was quickly called into
question when Chris phoned to say it had laid an egg!
Fortunately after local enquiries Chris and Mary found the owner of the lost
quail which hadn't travelled far from an aviary in the village.
Another highlight came with a 6-way tie for the first cuckoo of the year on 23
April. The Curtis family had to settle for a share of the record this year
although Clare heard it around 6.00am! They were joined by Geraldine Moore, Pam
Morris, Jeff Longmore, Ann Faulkner and Bill Young. Special mention must go to
Bill who was determined to edge out Adam Curtis this year!
Star birds have been two red kites seen over the village. Geraldine Moore saw
one from Orchard Road on 31 March and Jeff Longmore saw one from the same road
on 20 May. We can expect to see more of this brilliant bird of prey as breeding
numbers increase in the Chilterns and the East Midlands.
Other bird records include a sparrow hawk seen
by Emma Woolley on Bourne Lane, a pair of yellowhammers in Ann Faulkner's
garden on Beanacre and two goldfinches seen on peanut feeders in Brick Hill by
Adrian Beckford.
By mid-May swifts, swallows and house martins were back in good numbers,
brimstone, holly blue and orange tip butterflies were on the wing and muntjacs
ventured into several village gardens.
Sadly this will be my last page in the village wildlife notebook as we are
moving shortly (not too far away). I've really enjoyed sharing and reporting on
the wonderful range of wildlife to be found in the parish. Thank you to
everyone who has phoned with records or joined me on wildlife walks around the
village.
Steve Holliday
BANBURY GUARDIAN VILLAGE CORRESPONDENT
I'm still plodding on as the village correspondent although I'm sometimes on
the brink of retiring when some of the items are misinterpreted, as for
instance the appeal for 'small garden trowels' instead of 'small garden
flowers' from the Brownies for Mothering Sunday. Luckily there were plenty of
flowers donated to be made into posies although beribboned trowels might have
been a novel idea! The paper has to edit contributions because of limited space
but sometimes the best and most relevant bits get left out - apologies for this.
Please keep the news coming in as there is so much happening in the village at
the moment. I can request photographs. Deadline for news is 10am on Tuesdays
but it would be helpful to receive the news by Monday morning. Thank you.
Marion Roberts 'Brambles' Bourne Lane
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Back To The Top
FARMERS' MARKET
These will take place at:
Chipping Norton on Friday 22nd June and Friday 27th July
and at
Witney on Thursday 21st June and Thursday 19th July
Any enquiries to Louise Taylor on 01993 770282
RAINFALL
|
March
|
3.03” (76.96mm)
|
10 year average
|
1.72” (43.69mm)
|
|
April
|
3.53” (89.66mm)
|
“
“ “
|
3.04” (77.22mm)
|
So far the first four months of this year have produced 12.62” (321.06mm).
If it keeps up (which it won't, so don't start building your ark yet!) this
would mean a total of nearly 38” (963.17mm) for 2001.
BARRIE COULDREY
Both Betty and Barrie would like to thank all those many kind and sincere
friends in Hook Norton who gave so much support during Barrie's traumatic
illness. We were overwhelmed by all the cards, letters, flowers, good wishes,
deep thoughts and prayers, together with enquiries and visits to the Oxford
John Radcliffe. Betty would like to say thank you too for all those numerous
offers of help and lifts to the hospital which were greatly appreciated.
GENERAL POINTS OF INTEREST
-
Emily Olivia Rose Wilkes daughter of Graham and Elizabeth was baptised at St
Peter's Church on 13th May 2001
-
Charles Thomas McCourt son of Rodney and Julie was baptised at St Peter's
Church on 8th April 2001
-
Charlotte Turner and Ian McClymont were married at St Peter's Church on 5th May
2001
-
VIDEO SERVICES -
Jo Chadwick will video your family wedding and other occasions in return for
the production costs and a donation to the Church Tower Fund
-
RAILWAY HOUSE -
Julie and Nigel Evans have moved into Railway House (formerly The Railway
Hotel). They would very much like to hear from anyone who has any photographs
taken inside the building.
