April/May 2008

Our Village Shop

Progress …………… or Bremer’s first law?

Jerry Bremer’s first law, having been President Bush’s Ambassador to Iraq for some fourteen months, was “If you think that you are making progress, you don’t know all the facts”! Bremer’s law has hit us. Having taken professional advice, it is clear that it is not viable for Matt and Sarah Allen to offer their garage as a site to build the Village Stores. Since they moved in, we have worked together to try and house the shop in its original position. We thank them for all their co-operation and help over the last eighteen months. The shop premises, as we reported, turned out to be too expensive to bring up to 21st century standards; next we looked at the garage plot and this was the option that was put to the village in September 2007. Sadly, this solution has now also been deemed uneconomic. The Allens and the steering group are disappointed by this news, but it is fortunate, and we are grateful that the decision has been made before we committed any money to the project.

On a positive note
The village has shown an amazing amount of enthusiasm and a great deal of momentum has built up to restore a shop to Brightwell-cum-Sotwell and we are determined to proceed. We have already received our first donation from the WI for which we are really grateful and which is an enormous boost – and challenge. Planning regulations have developed since we last looked at other sites in the village and we are examining them and others to see what is now a practical way forward. The fundraisers have met and will be on full stream when we have found an alternative site. We are visiting other village shops to find out their experiences – good and bad!

One step back but we still intend to restore a shop to the village. Hopefully, by the next edition of The Villager, we will have further news. Brightwell-cum-Sotwell is not Iraq and here we aim to prove Bremer wrong!

Much is happening. Watch this space.

Jim Sanger

Allsorts Pre-School

What has 28 legs and goes; “Swooosshhh!”? Allsorts mini-fire service! Our little ones became honorary “Firemen Sams” for the morning when, as promised, Didcot firefighters came to the Pre-School in a fire engine to tell us all about the important work they do. Our little people got to learn hands-on about this emergency service and had a really fun time doing so, too. A very, big “thank you” goes to the real life heroes for sharing their valuable time with us and for bringing their work to life.

In Term 4, we continue to broaden our toddlers’ horizons as we introduce them to people who help us. Each week, the “Homecorner” will transform itself “Mr. Benn” style into a workplace important to the community, such as a shop, a hairdresser’s or a medical centre. Some of the people who carry out the associated roles in real life will also appear “as if by magic” in the Homecorner to guide the children through their world of work. Be on the look out for budding little Nicky Clarkes, Mr. Arkwrights and Nurse Gladys Emmanuels!

From the world of work to the natural world around us. We are delighted to say that at the beginning of April, the WI ladies will be coming to Allsorts to create a sensory garden to stimulate our little people’s senses. Aromatic herbs, such as rosemary, will be interspersed with brightly coloured flowers like tulips. We’re planning on having a BYOB (bring your own barrow) party to prepare the ground beforehand and the toddlers will also get the chance to plant a few seeds themselves. We will let you know where those plants sprout up!

As ever, no Allsorts article in The Villager would be complete without us taking time out to say thank you to our terrific staff and parents and the many other generous people in the village for all their hard work, enthusiasm and contributions. It makes such a difference to the Pre-School.

Victoria Clyde-Matthews

Parish Church

At the time of writing, I am thinking of tomorrow when I’ll be heading down to Crowmarsh Post Office with a placard or two to meet assorted parishioners, school children, teachers and hopefully Boris Johnson MP to protest about the potential closure of not merely another Post Office but our Village Post Office together with its well-used village shop. These are threats you are not unused to in Brightwell though I believe Brightwell Post Office has been reprieved for the time being.

When things are so ‘close to home’ the news comes particularly hard. We all appreciate the Post Office being there but it’s harder to articulate why; and that’s what the powers that be want us to define. One has the suspicion that decisions like these are largely based on economic ‘imperatives’ which tend to ignore the less tangible, but no less real, benefits gained from having a facility like ours on our doorstep. If the Post Office closes how will

Mrs.Ham be able to greet Mrs.Blackburn with her usual friendly smile and how will they be able to pass the time of day in quite the same way again, in the middle of our village, whilst literally ‘going about their business’?

We’re all implicated of course; when I ‘just nip up the road’ to Tesco’s in Didcot and decide on the spur of the moment to get my stamps there with my milk and a hundred and one other things, that’s a few more nails in the coffin of the local outlets which I do, nevertheless, still use (honest). Whatever happens to Crowmarsh Post Office, it’s important that we do fight for the things we value, and a ‘sense of community’, however mysterious an idea that is. I’m sure Philip Larkin would have had a nice poem to pen on ‘They’re closing down the Post Offices…’ and I hope Boris comes out with one of his jokes tomorrow since it’s important to keep a sense of perspective, to see the silver lining in the cloud, to see the hawthorn flowering ‘afresh, afresh’, to glimpse new horizons for those around us and our communities.

Jeremy Goulston

St Agatha’s Proposed Extension

Some considerable time ago I remember writing something about wheels and the slow-grinding thereof. Well – they do! But then I’m sure anyone who has been involved in this kind of thing knows that only too well. You start out with what seems like a fairly simple concept – in our case, let’s add on a loo extension to the church’s south door – and then other possibilities creep in and get added to the plan. Thoughts and ideas come flooding in and in fairness, - we have had to look into these options. It all takes time. After another meeting with English Heritage and our architect, we are back with our basic plan but slightly amended to include a small vestry as part of the toilet extension. Still lots of hoops to jump through, just to get beyond architect’s sketches and on to serious drawn-up plans. As with all ancient church buildings, there are various bodies that have to have their say in any changes and be kept in the loop – and on your side if possible!

But the real need for a toilet at the church becomes ever more apparent as time goes on. Aside from visitors from afar to weddings, funerals and baptisms, there are other times that present us with problems. Junior choir practice is one of them: if a child needs to go to the toilet then current regulations require two adults to accompany one child to the village hall. Crackers I know, but that’s the law.

We are moving on, but there’s definitely a problem with the wheels!!

Olive Sutcliffe

Kings Meadow Tennis Club

Following Frank Faquharson’s impassioned article in The Villager, a number of people have come forward to form a new committee with a desire to take the Club forward. For the time being the gate on the tennis courts will be removed, opening the facility to anyone who wishes to use it. Hopefully this will prevent the regular damage to the court surrounds. The Tennis Club will continue to hold Club Nights, when members will have priority use of the courts and it is hoped too inaugurate a Village Mixed Doubles competition incorporating those villagers who have their own tennis courts. Seniors, Ladies, juniors and Family memberships will continue. Current members will receive details shortly and prospective members should contact the new Membership Secretary, Eastlyn Horsfield, email wthorsfield@yahoo.com or tel. 01491 832041. Everyone is welcome regardless of experience.

A working party is required to get the courts ready for the new season on Sunday 13 April from 10.00 am. If you are able to help for a couple of hours, please let me know (tel. 01491 836746 or email bobanddeehowarth@aol.com.). Alan Jenkins has kindly agreed to maintain the courts for the coming season. We anticipate holding a BBQ and tennis event in July and other social events dependent on the continuing support of the village tennis players and their friends. Please give us your support!

I would like to thank Frank Farquharson, Paul Gibbon and Sue Booth for their previous commitment to the Club and look forward to welcoming members old and new from 13 April.

Bob Howarth Chairman

Brightwell cum Sotwell Cricket Club

2007 Season
The 2007 Season produced mixed results for your village cricket team. A Total of 12 Games played with 3 Wins 7 Loses and 2 Draws. 7 games lost due to the weather. The Annual Cricket Dinner was held at the Red Lion Pub in November - thanks to Sue Robson for serving up a sumptuous meal. Awards were presented by Club Chairman, Phil Jones to the following: for the season’s best averages in Batting – Jerry Walters and Bowling – Simon Glendinning; Young Player of the year - Will Emmett. The 2008 Season starts at the Recreation Ground. on Sunday 20 April with a total of 20 home and away games arranged up to 21 September including the 150th Anniversary Match against Moreton Village CC on 1 June at the Recreation Ground and the Annual Charity Match against the Red Lion on the 6 July.

Junior Cricket Section
In the December addition of The Villager Jerry Walters, the new Junior Section Manager, announced the formation of the BCSCC Junior Section. Jerry is the driving force behind this initiative and has qualified as a level 2 cricket coach, with his wife Caroline undertaking the role of Welfare Officer. Jerry has been ably assisted by Simon Glendinning at the training sessions on a Friday evening held at the Castle Leisure Centre in Wallingford with up to 14 juniors (9-11Yrs) participating each week. It’s never too late to start so if you are interested – contact Jerry on 07765091359 or by Email via the Junior Section’s New Web site www.bcsccjuniors.co.uk.

150th Anniversary Year in 2008
To celebrate the clubs 150th Year an Anniversary Match will be held at the Recreation Ground, Mackney Lane on Sunday 1 June 2008 starting at 2.00pm against Moreton Village CC. (A return match also in 1858 Style will be played at Moreton on Sunday 7 September starting at 1.30pm) The first written record of a Brightwell Village Cricket Team playing a match is in the Parson of North Moreton Albert Barff's Scrapbook of North Moreton (1858 to 1872). 1858 is the date that has been adopted as the year Brightwell Cricket Club was founded. The Match will be played by Gentlemen and Players of each club Dressed in the Style, using Equipment and Playing by the rules of 1858. Spectators are invited to add to the Mood and Fun of the Day to also Dress in 1858 style. Refreshments available during the match include “A Beer Tent” and “1858 Style Food”

BCSCC is always keen to hear from members of the village or surrounding district, who would like to play - if only a few games during the season. Please contact me on 07909 848098.

Tony Windsor

Environment Group

Thermal Imaging
The thermal imaging camera, on loan to the Group from SODC, has produced a series of pictures of the School, the Village Hall the Red Lion and nearly 50 homes over the last two months. However the arrival of spring and the hoped-for rise in temperature will mean that the scanning of properties will have to stop until next winter. This is because at least a 10 degree temperature difference is required between inside and outside a house for the camera to indicate where heat is being lost. Initial results show up the difference between double and single glazing, the effect of cavity wall insulation and where doors and windows which don’t quite fit are letting in cold air. Getting high enough with the camera to look at the effectiveness of loft insulation is rather more difficult for some houses. Reports on the images are being provided to each householder whose property has been imaged together with a “Guide to Energy Saving at Home”. This sets out how insulation can be improved, information on preferred low energy use appliances and where to get grants.

The thermal imaging study was entered in the Oxfordshire Climate Change Communities Competition at the end of January. The aim of the competition was to raise awareness of climate change, engage communities in inspiring ways and to support new projects. Some 200 people assembled at Wolvercote Village Hall on 26 February to air and discuss the projects they were organising in their communities and to learn the results of the competition. Our study was first among four that were awarded prizes.

Wellsprings
Management and monitoring of Wellsprings Pond and its surroundings continue to follow the Plan developed by Rod d’Ayala. With such a wet winter, the flow from the springs has been considerable, but this has also meant much sediment has been carried into the pond despite the sediment traps. Monitoring of the wild flowers and the birds is ongoing and there may be surveys of amphibians and bats later this year.

Millenium Wood
Don’t forget to come to the Open Day on 18 May from 2.00pm -4.30pm to see how the Wood is progressing. We hope to have the path through the Wood open then, so you may be able to see how the tree you planted in 2000 is developing, if you can find it!

John Rodda

Brightwell School - Eco Storytelling

The last few weeks have been very thought-provoking for me, as a person, as a parent and as a school leader.

The first thing was prompted by our whole-school Eco Day. How does one, as an individual make a difference when it comes to environmental issues? How do we convince our children that what they do today will have some, if not a big impact on the world they will inherit tomorrow?

It’s not easy, particularly for those of us living in the consumer-driven, industrial parts of the world. But we can try and, as we discovered, there are a lot of people out there willing to help. As a lead in to our Eco Day, Annie Cousins (Northmoor Trust) came in to present lots of ideas on recycling through a highly engaging interactive assembly. On the day of our event we had three very special guests, each supporting different phases of the school with different information and activities - Mr John Rodda (Brightwell Environmental Group) spoke with Class 4 about energy conservation, relating it to thermal images taken of the school with a special camera; Janet Payne (NMT) worked with Class 3 on climate change around the world; and Gemma Smith (NMT) ran a workshop on litter, making ‘finger bugs’ with Classes 1 and 2. It was a busy but wonderful day. Now, it won’t be tomorrow, possibly not even by the time that our youngest children leave our school that we will see a difference, but, given their commitment and all this adult support, see a difference we will.

The second thing was a twilight training event on Storytelling led by Pie Corbett, a national figure on the educational literary scene. This was a very stimulating event, designed to promote children’s writing through storytelling. Much of what Pie said I could relate to very well. Dredging the recesses of my academic learning I recalled, as he reminded us, that story telling is a primary act of mind- it is how we relate to and make sense of the world in which we live. We tell stories- we narrate those things that happen to us to others and we listen to their stories in turn. The trick in writing is to move away from the structures of oral story telling to create a written narrative. Acquiring these “written patterns” is not easy for young children. It is a very different thing to say, “There was a hole in the road” and to be able to write, “Suddenly a hole, a wide gaping hole, appeared in front of me!” However, as Gordon Wells found out, some time ago, in an in-depth study of children’s learning, that parents reading to their children before entering school was a clear marker for future success - time to get reading!

Roger Grant

Who were the first Brightwellians?

The spot on the globe which is now our green and pleasant village has witnessed extraordinary times since the first hunter-gatherers passed this way. Their presence in this area was interrupted by at least three ice ages when the ice cap, at times a mile in depth, extended to just north of here, this area becoming frozen tundra. In the inter-glacial periods the earth warmed up thus melting the ice which caused flooding and the formation of numerous gravel beds, and it is beneath these gravel beds that we find hand axes, the everyday tools of the hunter-gatherers. Each time the land was released from the grip of the ice the animals returned, including woolly mammoth, wolves, bears and deer, all of which have left their bones in the Thames valley. A hand axe and a mammoth tusk have been recovered from a sand pit near Slade End.

And who were these people who left behind their hand axes as they hunted hereabouts? If we assume that Brightwell was no different from other areas where remains have been found we learn that the first to arrive, some 500,000 years ago, was Homo heidelbergensis; easily spotted in a check-out queue at Waitrose by a strongly sloping forehead, heavy brow ridges above his eyes and a massive jaw. He was followed some 200,000 years later by Homo neanderthalis. (Neanderthal man) looking somewhat similar but with a bigger cranium, bigger also than ours - although he was disinclined to use the brain therein, and he gave way in the late Palaeolithic period (~50,000 years ago) to Homo sapiens.

And what are we to learn from this? Perhaps it is that we should be thankful that mutations have given us an improved brain capacity over our hunter-gatherer ancestors, but this must not be squandered by our finding new ways to pollute the land for we, like the hunter-gatherers, are simply passing through.

Leon Cobb

Sinodun Players – The Early Days.

Due to the vision and enthusiasm of Frances Curtis who lived at Slade End Farm, on January 8th 1948 the drama society which was to become known as The Sinodun Players came into being. Twenty-seven people from the area attended that first meeting and plans were made for a series of one act plays to be performed in the village hall. Frances Curtis had come to the village ten years earlier, following the requisitioning of her husbands farm to make way for Heathrow Airport. An ex ´Gaiety Girl` her love of theatre had not abated during the war years and although she had embraced village life, becoming a member of the Womens Institute, the Mothers Union and the Red Cross, she was also a Governor of Brightwell´s Church School and a regular worshipper at the two churches, her love of theatre was still paramount. The success of her village production of the Nativity Play at St.Agathas where May Taylor who then lived at Moat Cottage, played the part of Mary and Mrs. Warner Allen (herself an ex-professional opera singer) played the Archangel Gabriel, with George King, Frank Castell and Willie Batten as magnificent Kings, suggested that there was more to come. This was a precursor to the subsequent Players ´tours` at Christmas time, by courtesy of Tom Tappin, when loaded down with costumes and props we headed off in one of his coaches to various churches within a twenty-mile radius to perform our version of the Nativity – these were far more than merely a theatrical production, as one dear old nun at Wantage, with tears in her eyes, said, it was a beautiful and mystical experience. With Pat Napper, standing on a rostrum poised above the congregation with huge glittering gold wings towering above him, it certainly contrasted the simplicity of the story itself and made a powerful impact.

With the support of her husband William (Gov) Curtis, Frances opened her lovely house for the use of the Players as a rehearsal venue. ´The Attics` became the wardrobe and fitting rooms, commonly known as ´Gossips Glory Hole` where teams of enthusiastic ladies gathered to make costumes. During the preparations for a show the place was a ´hive of industry,` piles of half made and completed costumes littered the crowded space, and where the prevailing humour of the helpers made a visit for ´fitting` a welcome break from the intensive rehearsals which were going on below. Just in case we should forget our main purpose, there was a large notice pinned to the wall . ¨Read, Mark, Learn and Inwardly Digest! There are No small parts - only small actors`!!!! The whole of the top of the house was in use for costume and props storage and had an indefinable smell of musty military uniforms and new fabrics bought from the theatrical suppliers in Soho She had an unerring eye for what was ´right` and effective and always returned home laden with bales of fabrics, braids and ornaments which were to be used, and which she herself funded. In addition to the Attics, there were many occasions, when the rest of the house, the farm office and other buildings having been pressed into use of the Society, the long suffering ´Gov` retired to the comparative safety of the fireside in the stone flagged kitchen.

Following the privations of the war years, Frances Curtis - or ´Mrs. C.` as she became affectionately known - decided to host a village Garden Party in her extensive and beautiful gardens at Slade End. The June afternoon in 1949 was one of those perfect English Summer days. Beatrix Lehman, a famous actress of her day and near neighbour from Little Wittenham was guest of honour, to open the Fete and judge the children´s Fancy Dress parade. There was ´Bowling for the Pig` (a generous contribution of the Gov.) Treasure Hunt, Punch and Judy, and a whole selection of traditional competitions. After tea in the Rose Garden, a series of ´Entertainments` was enacted with costumed actors, one of which was the famous episode of ´Sir Walter Raleigh` in which Mrs C. played the first Queen Elizabeth. On another occasion, the weather was not so kind and the continuous downpour of rain throughout the entire day turned the would be ´garden party` into a ´barn party.` When the flooded lawn proved the impossibility of using the garden, a contingent of helpers set too, converting the magnificent 18th century farm barns into a venue for the Fete. Despite the appalling weather, a good time was had by all, even provoking the witticism that it was ´Fate` rather than a ´Fete.` This bonhomie showed that the wartime spirit of solidarity in the face of adversity was still strong in the village community. That ´the Gov.` had previously had the farm equipment moved in anticipation of a Sinodun Players takeover, demonstrated just how much the Society and the village owed to his support and hospitality. A further Garden Party proved English summers can be hot and dry, as when Agatha Christie was guest, arriving in a huge broad brimmed hat and swathed in floating organza. She made quite an impression as she progressed round the baked lawn in the shimmering heat.

The Village Hall provided the venue for the Players first dramatic ventures with six One Act Plays. These were followed by a morality play “The Lillies of the Field”, but it was with “Cinderell”, for which John Curtis built a proscenium in front of the platform, transforming the stage and hall into a miniature theatre, that the reputation of the Society for ´excellence` was established. In 1949 the hall was used to stage three further plays, the casts mainly comprising aspiring villagers, which consolidated the establishment of the drama society. However, following upon the success of the first Pantomime in which Frances Curtis played the Principal Boy, using her natural talents from her Gaiety days, when she directed Aladdin the following year, this immediately became a ´sell out.` With the restrictions of such a limited space it became inevitable that a future move to the larger premises of the Masonic Hall in Wallingford would be necessary.

Slade End still remained the hub of the Players activities, with regular play readings and rehearsals taking place in the club room. For the 1951 Festival of Britain, the house and garden saw all the preparation for the proposed Medieval Masque in the Castle grounds. This was to depict Matilda, played by Audry Gayfer, escaping from Oxford and being received by the Constable of Wallingford, Brien Fitzcount, played by Bob Fisher. Although the heat of the midsummer days of the performance was rather at variance with Matilda´s historic ´escape across the ice,` the sombre shadow of the trees was extremely atmospheric as the procession wound round the castle mound into the natural amphitheatre where the drama was to take place. The Coronation Year was celebrated with Mrs. C. again playing Good Queen Bess, arriving in a barge at the then boat house with the audience on the opposite bank of the river. Slade End was also the centre for all the work which went into the production of the Pageant in 1955 celebrating the 800th anniversary of Wallingford´s Royal Charter. It continued to provide a work place for the wardrobe ladies and a venue for the visiting drama teachers engaged by Mrs. C., although with the main drama productions having been moved into Wallingford, the village hall was now only occasionally used for when Drama Adjudications were arranged. However, in order that the Society should not forget their ´roots`, for several years, at Christmas time, Carollers would set out on frosty nights, singing in the village streets and in various houses – and always calling in at the Swan and the Red Lion on the way!

For some of the older Players, the village, and especially the house and garden at Slade End, will hold abiding happy memories of an age which seems to have vanished. The hospitality afforded by the Curtis family was often augmented, by Mrs.C´s mother Fanny Hind, known by all as ´Gran,` who after any ´gathering` always invited the Players into her room for a little ´tipple` to round off the evening! Perhaps it is nostalgia, not only did the summers appear to be hotter and the winters colder, but also the people then seemed more colourful and larger than life. The village had its fair share of ´characters` - may they long be remembered. They certainly contributed to the ´drama` and became part of the very fabric which now, sixty years later, is the Sinodun Players.

Trevor Twentyman

The Bach Centre

Dr Edward Bach, the discoverer of the world-famous Bach flower remedies, came to live in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell in 1934. He completed his research here, using plants growing in the garden at Mount Vernon and in the surrounding fields and lanes. Even today, when Rescue Remedy is sold in nearly seventy countries around the world, every bottle starts life in the Bach Centre. Most of its active ingredients grow wild in the garden. Bach became something of a local character in the village – and a popular one. He turned a soapbox into a cart and trundled it round the village giving away home-grown vegetables. He enjoyed a pint and a sing-song in the local pubs. He liked his football as well, and supported the village team by lending them a field to play in.

After Dr Bach died in 1936 his assistants Nora Weeks and Victor Bullen lived on in the house, and continued to make the remedies and send them all over the world. By the end of the 1980s the Bach Centre was shipping out 80,000 bottles a week from its workrooms. It’s much quieter here since the bottling of remedies moved to bigger premises in London. But we remain an international centre for education and information on Dr Bach’s work, and people often make us their first port of call when they visit England.

If you have ever wondered what goes on at the Bach Centre, why not drop in and find out? We are open to visitors every weekday from 10am until 3pm. Ring the bell and you will be invited in to see Dr Bach’s handmade furniture and the rest of the house and garden. There’s no charge (although donations are welcome!) and you might learn a bit more about a hidden side of village history.

Stefan Ball