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COMING SOON TO A SCREEN NEAR YOU: THE BRIGHTWALL BAFTAS!
Posted Sunday 11 July 2010
Whether you are 8 or 80, the Community Association is offering you a chance to see your film on the big screen at the Brightwell Film Festival in the Village Hall on October 9.
You can enter any kind of film : drama, documentary, comedy, suspense, animation… anything that will grab an audience. The films need to have been made this year and should run for no longer than five minutes.
“We’re looking for imagination rather than technical perfection – no previous experience is necessary”, says organiser Helen Baines. “Help with shooting and editing is available and some easy-to-use cameras are on hand.”
The deadline for entries is September 30th, and there will be an awards ceremony for everyone taking part. Click below for entry forms and guidelines – which will also be available at the Red Lion – or ring Helen for more details on 01491 837047.
WALLINGFORD MEDIEVAL FAIR – SATURDAY 21ST AUGUST
Posted Sunday 11 July 2010
A Medieval Fair, complete with knights in armour, ladies-in-waiting, a cook, a barber-surgeon, a smith, an archer and a ‘dodgy’ relic seller will be coming to the Kinecroft next month.
The day will be a major fundraiser for the 'Framing the Future' project, an ambitious scheme to build a medieval-style timber-framed extension at the rear of Wallingford Museum.
Spinners, potters, jewellers, basket and lace-makers will be demonstrating their skills and letting people of all ages ‘have-a-go’ for themselves. There will also be scrivening, apparently – and if you don’t know what that is, you’re encouraged to go and find out.
The event lasts from 10-5, and admission onto the Kinecroft will be free. If have any ideas for medieval-type sideshows, or if you can help on the day, please contact one of the following: Peggy Holland (01491 834652), Katharine Keats-Rohan (01491 835663) or Judy Dewey (01491 651127).
EXTREME SHORT CUTS!
Posted Tuesday 6 July 2010
We know the Red Lion is popular, but driving down the footpath from Greenmere to The Street seems to be taking things a bit too far....
Picture © Sue Robson
CALL FOR PICTURES
Posted Tuesday 6 July 2010
Does anyone have any photos of the church concert and open gardens event in June? If so, we'd love to have them for our picture gallery – and Tony Lascelles would like some for a fete display on the fundraising events. You can email him directly at i_tlascelles@hotmail.com.
PRODUCE SHOW
Posted Tuesday 6 July 2010
Wednesday at 6 pm is the deadline for entries to the Flower and Produce Show at the village fete on Saturday July 10th... You can put in late entries for most classes up until 10.30 am on the day of the show, but you will be charged double!
You can use the entry form in the latest Villager, or print it out from this website. Click here for the full schedule and form. Any queries, contact sally.dugan@gmail.com
THE VILLAGER ONLINE
Posted Tuesday 22 June 2010
Highlights from the latest Villager are now online, along with the delayed highlights from the April/May Villager. Follow the "Village Life" link, or click here.
ST AGATHA’S FUND-RAISING EVENTS
Posted Tuesday 22 June 2010
A packed audience joined in a chorus of ‘Mud, mud, glorious mud’ at a concert held as part of a weekend of summer events which raised £5,894 for St Agatha’s Church.
Luckily for the fund-raising team, the dark brown messy stuff was just a gleam in the song-writers eye. For the sun shone right on cue as the crowds invaded 17 village gardens on the following day. From the bee-friendly garden of the Molls and the rose-covered pergolas at the Brookers, little-visited oases of greenery were on show. Plus, of course, better-known landmarks such as Sotwell House, where visitors were entertained with teas and a brass band.
(For answers to the Open Gardens Day Children's Discovery Trail - click here)
Plans for the St Agatha’s Church Extension are now with SODC, and villagers are being urged to write letters of support. You can write to: SODC, Western Area Planning, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford Oxon OX10 8ED (Planning Reference No P10/W0796LB), or e-mail directly using the following link: - http://www.southoxon.gov.uk/ccm/planning/ApplicationDetails.jsp?REF=P10/W0796/LB
Click here for background information by David Greasby on the project, will provide much needed toilets, kitchen area and a meeting room.
Over 100 people took part in the Safari Supper in May, raising some £1,300 for the fund. Alec McGivan, who masterminded (or mindermasted) Saturday’s concert has also been selling his Brightwell-based children’s stories – and plans are afoot for an updated version of the Millennium Son et Lumiere in the autumn.
SUNDAY SCHOOL
Posted Tuesday 22 June 2010
St Agatha’s now has a monthly Sunday School for younger children: it will meet next for the start of the 9.30 am service on 18th July.
WHIRRED PLAY
Posted Tuesday 22 June 2010
Brightwell man Phil Annets is urging people to ‘spread the whirred’ (pun completely intentional) about his new invention: a board game based on homophones – words that sound the same, but are spelt differently.
The game has been trialled among family and friends, and was launched in the Village Hall last month. Pettits and KP in Wallingford have agreed to stock it, as have Boswells in Oxford, and Phil has been featured in the news and business sections of the Oxford Times. Click on http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/news/8222774.Game_for_a_fling/ or http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/business/profiles/8227786.Brave_new_whirrled/ to read the full text.
“Whirred PLAY is educational as it expands vocabulary, improves spelling and increases understanding of the meaning of words,” says Phil. “It brings families together as it is simple to play, there is no limit to the number of players and any member of the family can win, even though it is a skill based game.”
The game retails for £29.99. If you would like to find out more, contact Phil on 07805 748933, or visit www.whirredplay.co.uk
FAMILY ARCHAEOLOGY DAY
Posted Tuesday 22 June 2010
The regular Family Archaeology Day will be held this year on Sunday 4 July, based in the courtyard behind Wallingford Museum. Both adults and children will be able to try their hands at wielding a trowel, drawing their finds, making a clay pot or rubbing an historic coin. The event is free, but there will also be a special TWO-FOR-ONE entry offer to this year’s Museum exhibitions, where you can learn about The Wallingford Story from before the town was formed to the present day.
Drop into the Museum (opposite the Kinecroft, where Wallingford Charity Funday will also be taking place) between 10.00am and 4.00pm.
WALLINGFORD’S BIG DIG 2010
Posted Tuesday 22 June 2010
The third season of archaeological excavations will be taking place in Wallingford between 10 and 23 July. Last year’s phase of the Burh to Borough Project revealed more history of the origins of the town. The diary and results of previous year’s work can be viewed at:- www2.le.ac.uk/projects/wallingford_dig_2008 and http://wallingforddig.pbworks.com/
This year the main excavation site will be in Queen's Arbour, (part of Castle Meadows), where an interesting feature revealed by geophysical surveys will be investigated. Could it be a quay to the river, or a dam for fish ponds? Access can be gained via Castle Meadows or along the towpath.In addition, a series of test pits will be dug in the Bullcroft to seek the location of the Priory.
Visitors are welcome during digging hours to see the work in progress and hear what is being unearthed. However, it is always best to visit the Museum first, to get the latest news, to see earlier results of the Burh to Borough Project, and to plan your visit.
THE TROPICS OF WALLINGFORD?
Posted Tuesday 22 June 2010
A look at how Wallingford's climate has changed from the tropical balmy seas of the Jurassic to the icy plains of the last Ice Age will be the subject of the next talk for Science Exchange Wallingford.
Mike Clare, Chartered Geologist at Fugro Geoconsulting, Wallingford, and Chairman of the Oxfordshire Geology Trust will be speaking on Monday 5 July at 7:30pm at the Corn Exchange. He will be giving an interactive talk with hands-on examples of dinosaur bones buried on beaches 150 million years ago and ammonites and nautiloids that swam the deep seas. You will also get the chance to examine giant Ice Age mammal remains. Mike will show, with examples, how simple clues from the rocks beneath our feet can tell us what previous environments were like and also how prehistoric life changed to adapt to changing climates.
Science Exchange is grateful that the support of local company Triaster, the Corn Exchange and the generosity of speakers means that each event is free to attend. Talks are aimed at adults and it is advisable to arrive early to be sure of a seat. It also gives you the chance to enjoy a drink and a chat.
“HAVE YOU GOT A MINUTE?” TRIBUTES TO MIKE MAUGHAN
Posted Tuesday 13 June 2010
Picture © Eric Dore
St Agatha’s Church was packed for the funeral of Mike Maughan – a service that rose above the shock and sadness of his unexpected death to become a lively celebration of his life.
A humorous address by Tony Debney, neighbour and friend for 35 years, struck the keynote. Tony took as his catchphrase Mike’s well-known capacity for buttonholing people with the seemingly innocuous question: ‘Have you got a minute?’. Mike’s enthusiasm for getting involved ranged from the wacky (starring in the pram race for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee), through war games with the TA and the civil defence of Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, to large-scale celebrations such as that for the Millennium. As Tony pointed out, he was part of virtually everything except the History Group: “He liked changing things, bringing us up to date, getting prepared for tomorrow; history was yesterday, boring! Where we were going mattered to Mike, not where we had come from.”
Perhaps his most lasting contribution has been to the development of the Village Hall, where – as Tony put it – he ‘wanted to be Chairman, night watchman and caretaker all in one’. The slideshow that entertained the funeral congregation there after the service, projected with the multimedia equipment of which he was so proud, provided a doubly fitting tribute.
Mike was a staunch supporter and advocate for this website. Like many of the other village organisations to which he gave his time so generously, we miss him. Our sympathies go to his wife, Pat, his sons Adrian and Simon and their families.
Click here to read the full text of funeral service tributes by Tony Debney and Rev.Janice Chilton. Eric Dore, Chairman of the Web Group, and a close friend writes: ‘Mike loved sharing an adventure. With Pat and Lesley he would take us on what he called Mike’s Mystery Tours, his MMTs! Partly planned, partly just turning an unexpected corner – a bit like some of the walking group routes he selected! I remember MMT’s through old Portsmouth, on the Isle of White and the Battlefields of Normandy. “Just look at that!” he’d say as we roared by at breakneck speed.
‘And I’ll miss those cycle rides too. Often on rutted tracks with me questioning our ‘right of way’ and Mike urging: “Come one – let’s just go and find out”. He was a great person to have known, a sort of Mr Toad, with such a generous heart.’
MUSIC AND READINGS FOR A SUMMER’S EVENING
Posted Tuesday 11 May 2010
Alec McGivan writes:
“A rollicking success” is how Isabel Colquhoun described Brightwell cum Sotwell concerts a hundred years ago in her village history “Pit Pat the Pan’s Hot”. There was no radio or television and little transport, so for entertainment the village supplied its own. Come and relive a bit of that tradition at St Agatha’s Church at 7 pm on Saturday 19th June.
The Village choir is performing songs including Scarborough Fair, Over the Rainbow and the spiritual “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”. Solos from some of the village’s finest voices as well as contributions from a new Brightwell cum Sotwell barbershop quartet will also feature. Leading the way will be the children from the village school. As for the readings they are all designed to make you laugh! So come and enjoy the humour of Roald Dahl, Victoria Wood, John Betjeman, Alan Bennett, Pete and Dud and Flanders and Swann.
This is a fundraiser for the Church Extension Appeal. Tickets are £10 and include complimentary Pimms and canapés. Tickets are available at the door or from Tony Lascelles (837910), Wendy Murton (835111), Olive Sutcliffe (836063) or me (837351).
OPEN GARDENS – SUNDAY 20TH JUNE
Posted Tuesday 13 June 2010
Seventeen gardens, plus The Bach Centre, both churchyards, the allotments, Wellsprings pond and the bees in the Moll’s garden will be open on Sunday 20 June from 2 pm to 5pm. Proceeds to the St Agatha’s Extension Appeal.
Buy your ticket for all the open gardens at the first one you visit. Cost £5 per adult (under 18s free) Further attractions include a jazz band, teas and plant sale at Sotwell House. Teas will also be available at the Village Hall, and there will be a Treasure Hunt for children. Answers will be available on this website after the day.
If villagers wish to donate plants for sale please contact Jenny Dobbin on 835890. There will be tennis at The Manse and Moreton House by kind permission of Amanda Potter and Madeline Sanger. If you would like to play, please contact Bob Howarth on 836746.
VILLAGE SHOP PROGRESS
Posted Tuesday 13 June 2010
All being well, the new community stores looks set to open its doors in July, with an ‘official’ opening in September. Pictures of the building, with its distinctive lantern, and work on the interior can be seen on the shop blog http://brightwellvillagestores.blogspot.com. David Dobbin’s team have now completed their fundraising task and held their last meeting in April. They raised (with Gift Aid) over £75,000 from the village.
Celia Collett, Corinne Jones and their team, together with the newly-appointed Stores Manager, are selecting stock and suppliers. Volunteers are being organised – two and a half hour slots seem to be the popular length of time – and training sessions arranged. All who have volunteered will be contacted; anyone who would like to help but has not yet come forward should contact Madeline Sanger on 833655.
RETHINK ON HOMES PLAN
Posted Wednesday 2 June 2010
South Oxfordshire District Council’s controversial Core Strategy – which included the building of thousands of new houses on the edge of Wallingford – has been put on hold.
This follows moves from the newly-elected coalition government to return decision-making on housing and planning to local councils.
Ann Ducker, Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “I am delighted that the new Government is fulfilling its promise to review the planning system so quickly. I have long argued that decisions about housing numbers are best made at a local level and at long last it looks as if we will get the opportunity to do this.”
However, she stressed that the council remained committed to providing new housing in South Oxfordshire to support jobs growth, town centre regeneration and to deliver affordable housing for those who cannot enter the housing market unaided. Major developments are already planned at Great Western Park and Ladygrove East, Didcot, Fairmile Hospital, Cholsey and Chinnor Cement Works.
Cabinet and scrutiny meetings to consider the core strategy – originally set for June – have been cancelled.
More details on www.southoxfordshire.gov.uk
LEARN TO SWIM – THANKS TO THE LOTTERY!
Posted Wednesday 2 June 2010
Over 50 and never learnt to swim? Now you can have join a series of free swimming lessons to build up your water confidence.
Nexus Community Leisure, in partnership with the ASA (Amateur Swimming Association) and Age Concern have won Big Lottery funding for a series of 8, 45-minute lessons at Didcot, Thame and Berinsfield.
The course will start with a gentle introduction to the leisure centre, the teacher and some goal setting to ensure everyone achieves their own personal aim for the course. This project has been set up in order to increase the number of people enjoying swimming regularly as part of a healthy lifestyle.
The profile of swimming has risen significantly over the last year with more and more people learning about the benefits of swimming. Swimming is a great activity, particularly for older people, as it is non-weight bearing and puts little pressure on joints. It can also be enjoyed at any level.
For more details contact Didcot Wave on 01235 819888 or Abbey Sports Centre, Berinsfield, 01865 341035
HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT FOSTERING
Posted Wednesday 2 June 2010
Fostering awareness events this month have focused attention on the drastic shortage of people willing to take vulnerable children into their homes. Nationally, there is a shortage of some ,000 Foster Carers.
Parents and Children Together (PACT), also known as the Oxford Diocesan Council for Social Work,isa local charity working to improve life chances for children. They are an approved Adoption and Fostering Agency with ahistory of finding safe, loving families for children in care.
They offer a few little known facts:
- Did you know you don’t have to be married to become a Foster Carer?
- You don’t have to have children already although you do need to have experience of caring for children.
- Did you know you get paid a Fostering Allowance of £335.70 a week to be a Foster Carer which is tax free and won’t affect any other benefits?
- Most of the children who need fostering are known as ‘hard to place’ children; they will usually be 8+ years of age.
ECO RENOVATION
Posted Wednesday 2 June 2010
If you like the idea of living in a 'green' house, but don't want to move, you may be interested in the Eco Renovation Club. This will help you swop ideas and gain information on how to save and generate energy. David Evans-Roberts is the co-ordinator for Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, and he can be contacted on 01491 836839 or email daveer@daveer.plus.com. Click here for more information.
Meanwhile, friends of Jane and Brian Fishwick, who left the village for an eco-renovation project in Norfolk may be interested to see pictures of their barn in our 'Where Are They Now?' section.
CANCER FUND RAISING EVENTS
Posted Tuesday 18 May 2010
Race for Life/Cancer Research UK will benefit from two fund-raising events in the village. The first is a Coffee Morning at the Red Lion this Friday (May 21st) from 10 a.m. There will be cakes and plants for sale, not to mention delicious coffee.
A Quiz Night is also being held at the pub on Monday 31 May at 8 p.m for the same cause. Entry fee is £2 and food is £5.00. Teams of any size can enter. Contact Sue Robson at the Red Lion to book a table on 01491 837373.
The annual Race for Life will take place over the weekend of Saturday June 5th and Sunday June 6th. Nationally, an estimated 2,500 women will walk, jog or run five kilometers to raise money for Cancer Research UK. The nearest event will be held in the University Parks, Oxford. Visit www.raceforlife.org for more details.
Meanwhile, Voices of Oxford is offering singers of all abilities and backgrounds the chance to join 700 people in a ‘bring and sing’ performance of Mozart’s Requiem at Oxford Town Hall on Saturday 5th June. Tickets are £20 each, and all proceeds will go to Macmillan Cancer Support. Visit www.voicesofoxford.com or click here for flyer (opens in pdf format).
NEWS FROM SODC
Posted Tuesday 18 May 2010
The latest edition of Outpost, news and information from SODC, is available online at http://outpost.southoxon.gov.uk/Default . This includes detailed results from the recent national election, and a timetable for a decision on where new homes will be built. The draft strategy, which the cabinet will be asked to approve, should be available online at www.southoxon.gov.uk/committees at the beginning of June.
GETTING DRESSED FOR BRIGHTFEST
Posted Wednesday 12 May 2010
Sue Robson is ordering Brightfest T-shirts now! (See picture below). If you would like one (any colour as long as its black – but you need to specify size) – contact Sue by the weekend.
FIND YOUR INNER HIPPY AT THE PRODUCE SHOW
Posted Tuesday 11 May 2010
Bring out your inner hippy: have a go at making a wind chime for this year’s show at the village fete. We are sure that the inventive brains who produced last year’s Worzel Gummidges will have fun with this new class – and we hope they are joined by many others. The chimes will be hung outside the show tent, and judging – as with last year’s scarecrows – will be by popular vote.
Wind chimes are conventionally made from wood, porcelain or metal, but recycled materials – from old cookie cutters to CDs – could work equally well. Provided they make an interesting sound, rather than a dull thud, the only limit is your imagination.
Other new classes include half a dozen hen’s eggs, and the best home-planted tub, to be judged in your own home. For photographers, there is ‘A Village Landmark’; a set of four photos on the theme of Time – and ‘Guess What This Is?’: an unusual angle on a familiar object.
Junior entrants can make posters for the village shop, decorated cup cakes, tie-dye T-shirts and pressed flower cards. Also, any under-16 entry in an adult class stands a chance of winning the Joan Sheard trophy, together with a cash prize.
Normally honour and glory – with maybe the odd trophy – are the only reward for entering the show. However, this year, we are grateful for prize sponsorship from Busy Baskets and Winterbrook Garden Services. Click here for details of this, and how to enter, in the downloadable schedule.
CHILD LABOUR IN VICTORIAN TIMES
Posted Tuesday 11 May 2010
Liz Wooley will be talking on Child Labour in Oxfordshire 1870-1900 at Wallingford Town Hall on the evening of Friday 11th June. She will highlight the differences between boys’ and girls’ experiences of work and the fates of the pauper apprentices.
The talk, organised by TWHAS (The Wallingford Historical and Archaeological Society), starts at 7.45 for 8 pm. Visitors welcome: £2.
SPLASHING OUT WITH SLUG SANDWICHES
Posted Tuesday 11 May 2010
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The new adventure, illustrated with line drawings by Olive Sutcliffe, costs £5. All money goes to the St Agatha’s Church Extension Appeal. Copies are available at the bar of the Red Lion, or direct from Alec. Email mcgivan@btinternet.com
FRAMING THE FUTURE – PROJECT DELAY
Posted Tuesday 11 May 2010
Wallingford Museum’s plans to launch their Framing the Future project with a big public building event on the Kinecroft have been delayed until next year. However, the project organisers are keen to reassure those who have already given generously that the scheme is still going ahead. For more, visit http://www.wallingfordmuseum.org.uk/.
NEW AT THE CORNERSTONE
Posted Thursday 29th April 2010
Jekyll and Hyde on stage, plus talks by Women's Hour's Jenni Murray and the Liverpudlian poet Roger McGough... These are just some of the highlights of the new season at Didcot's Cornerstone Arts Centre.
Click here for a pdf of the latest calendar.
WARNING OVER BOGUS BIN BAGS
Posted Thursday 29th April 2010
SODC are warning people to check their bin bags after a market trader was caught selling normal supermarket plastic bags as ‘biodegradable’.
Look out for this logo (below right) and the reference number EN 13432 when you are buying liners for your food bin: or – more cheaply – just use a couple of sheets of newspaper. If you do use bags, make sure they are compostable cornstarch bags – marketed as eco-sacks – which are non-shiny, and break down quickly. Supermarket ‘bio-degradable’ plastic bags are not suitable.
“We caught the trader selling the bogus bags after collection crews noticed several food bins in Thame were contaminated with the plastic looking sacks,” says SODC information officer, Victoria Buckett. “Any contaminated food bins using these bags would unfortunately have to go to landfill, which is bad news for the environment and costs the council and ultimately taxpayers more money in government fines.”
Visit the SODC website for a list of places stocking caddy liners at www.southoxon.gov.uk/foodwaste or call 03000 610610 for advice.
UNDERSTANDING THE AGEING BRAIN: CHALLENGES FOR MODERN MEDICINE
Posted Thursday 29th April 2010
A top medical researcher from the Oxford Parkinson’s Disease Centre will be tackling the big questions of ageing at Science Exchange, Wallingford on Tuesday 18th May. What goes wrong in disease and as we get older? How are regions of the brain put together? How do nerve cells interact?
Parkinson’s disease affects over 120,000 people in the UK, and the MRC Anatomical Neuropharmacology Unit at the University of Oxford is internationally known for its work on this debilitating condition. Dr Paul Bolam will be using his research to investigate key questions of ageing and their implications for treatment.
Science Exchange Wallingford is open to all. The support of local company Triaster and the Corn Exchange, along with speakers’ generosity, means that each event is free to attend. This particular event is also supported by the Medical Research Council. The session starts at 7.30, but it is best to arrive early to be sure of a seat. It also gives you the chance to enjoy a drink and a chat.
Paul Bolam, Tuesday 18 May 2010 at 7:30pm, Corn Exchange, Wallingford.