April/May 2014

Editorial

Spring is in the air! How lovely to see the sunshine and daffodils out now after the wet weeks of winter that seemed never ending. It made our village look more like Brightwell-by-the-sea! Water rose to levels we have not seen for many years (if ever) but fortunately few homes here I think were affected internally by flooding. Manoeuvring round and through some rather large pools of surface water was daunting however. Our thanks go to all the parishioners who helped clear the surface water and drainage ditches and especially Adrian Morrison whose rods got the lake at the bottom of Church Lane cleared. Our roads have taken a bashing with even more potholes to avoid so please watch out – and slow down!

Although it may seem a quieter time now after the activity surrounding Site B housing plans in the last few years, there are new important issues emerging around the current Parish Boundary Review and the Neighbourhood Plan. The Annual Parish meeting on 15 April at 8pm in the Village Hall will be an opportunity for you to hear more about them and also other issues affecting our parish, so do try to come along.

In many rural communities like ours, portable defibrillators (AEDs) have played an important role in saving lives. The Parish Council are seeking support to install one here. More information is given on page 9, and I’m sure there will be an opportunity to raise questions on this at the Parish meeting on the 15th.

We are sorry to say goodbye to Mrs Hunt, Head teacher at Brightwell School, but wish her good luck in her new school. She has been in charge for the last five years, and from the achievements in that time, see page 5, she leaves a strong legacy. It will be a hard act to follow. Welcome to the new Head, Mrs Rachael Bentovim-Gill, who starts in the Summer Term.

And talking about summer, this issue has lots of news of outdoor activities in the parish and nearby over the coming months – from the tennis and cricket clubs who are gearing up for another season to the Spring Church Fair on 17 May, BrightFest 2014 on 14 June, Earth Trust events for families and more. Not forgetting, of course, the Village Fete on 5 July. So plenty to look forward to, and hopefully also warm weather.

Helen Connor

Letters

Dear Villagers

My brother and I like to walk home from school together but my Mum gets worried because of cars speeding. If cars did not speed then it would be better for all of us and the parents would not have to worry.

20 is plenty where people live!!!

Sophie Jocelyn, age 9

Thanks to the retiring and welcome to the new

Two of our local Villager distributors have retired following many years of help in the local delivery of our magazine; they are Mrs Mary Copley of Greenmere and Mrs Janet Brewerton of Datchet Green.

Mrs Copley is succeeded by Mrs Hilda Behan and Mrs Joan Pollard succeeds Mrs Brewerton.

On behalf of members of the Committee and everyone who received their copies of The Villager from our two retiring members, we thank you for your support and we also welcome our two new local distributors to the team.

Did you know that it takes around 40 people to get The Villager out to you each time – compiling, editing, proofreading, printing, assembly and distribution is all done by volunteers. It’s a great team effort - and it’s fun! We are always happy to have more helpers so if you would like to join our team of volunteers, either as an occasional distributor or assembly helper, please do get in touch.

The Villager Committee

Dog Walkers

Volunteer dog walkers are required in the Brightwell area to help exercise a small, friendly, well behaved dog for a housebound owner. If you can help, please contact Hilary Rogerson on 839960 or email hrrogerson@aol.co.uk. Many thanks.

Hilary Rogerson

Parish Church

It’s always a challenge to communicate the message of Easter, and its preceding days, in ways that make sense to 21st century people. Yesterday was the beginning of Lent and to illustrate it I used a simple Delia Smith pancake recipe in Church. It had three easy steps and it was all on one page – my kinda recipe!

First we mixed up the ingredients: flour, milk and egg. I suggested that for a group of people to work well together everyone had to bring along their special ingredient (gift) and use it for the benefit of the whole. I also said that you’ve got to be prepared for a few eggs to be broken along the way. We whisked it all up and applied heat. In the style of Blue Peter, I had ‘prepared some earlier’. But I did suggest that any community, be it a church, village, firm, or country, has to be prepared to go through some ‘heat’, some hard times, together, if it is to forge stronger bonds. The heat in our case might be a struggle simply to find the funds to keep the show on the road. For a new IT firm it might be keeping up with the competition in China or wherever.

And then there’s flipping the pancake – the courage to take the risk of dropping it. If we don’t experiment in life we can miss out on so much. There’s been a good radio programme recently featuring ‘The Value of Failure’ from business, school and sporting points of view. Ed Smith, who ‘only’ played cricket for England three times, when he’d expected to be a team regular, said some wise words:

‘As an experienced player I try to think about losing and then regaining form as like putting the wheels back on a bike…The first time is the hardest, you’re not sure you’ll ever get moving again, but once you’ve experienced a few cycles of boom and bust, the dark days are less daunting. Having watched the wheels fall off before, we are better equipped to put them back on again.’

Easter is a bit like that. It tries, at a much deeper level, to make sense of human failure and the way through the dark and out the other side.

Happy Easter, whenever it comes.

Jeremy Goulston

Community Association

Village Quiz Evening – Saturday 8 March

As we held the Quiz a little earlier this year I am pleased to say that the event was very well attended. After a hard fought competition, many congratulations to the winners – Clueless Association. A big thank you to the Highballs Team who set the questions this year and for everybody who supported this event. We look forward to seeing you all next year.

Village Fete – Saturday 5 July at 2pm at Sotwell House

Once again we are grateful to David and Jennie Dobbin for allowing us to use their lovely garden. Please book 5 July in your diaries, and ensure all holiday plans are changed. Look out for more details about the event and the schedule and entry forms for the Flower and Produce Show in the next edition of The Villager.

James Davys, Chairman

Claire Booth’s Song Recital in St.Agatha’s

The vicar promised a treat to a packed St. Agatha’s as he introduced the operatic soprano Claire Booth and her accompanist Christopher Glynn on Saturday 15 February, and we were not disappointed. Claire had prepared an appropriate selection of love songs for the St. Valentine’s week-end, her programme including:

• Robert Schumann Frauenliebe und Leben
• Hugo Wolf Moricke Lieder
• Richard Strauss Two Lieder
• W.A. Mozart Concert Aria ‘Ch’io mi scordi te’
• Donizetti - from Don Pasquale Quel guardo il cavelliere
• Percy Grainger Five Folksongs
• Encore - Francis Poulenc Le chemin de l’amour

Claire introduced each section with explanatory comments regarding the womenfolk for whom the songs were written. She sang in the original languages and, for the German songs, the programme notes included helpful translations. Claire’s powerful voice projection and dramatic expression displayed the music’s remarkable ability to reveal the emotions contained in the words. Christopher Glynn expertly accompanied her brilliant singing. Never before can the church have hosted such exciting music-making and the evening’s impact will be long remembered.

Without the recent gift of the grand piano from Leon Cobb, in memory of his wife Evelyn, the concert would not have been possible. Leon was thanked as were Claire and Christopher for their generosity - church funds will have benefited to the tune of over £2,700.

Derek Nightingale

Village Lunches

The dates for the rest of this year are Tuesdays: 8 July, 30 September and Christmas Lunch on 9 December 2014.

Numbers have grown steadily over the past year so do get in touch with Jacqui Brown on 836018 or Belinda on 836223 if you wish to attend.

All the best for the coming year.

Belinda Lee-Jones

Allsorts Pre-School

The wet winter combined with some warm spring sunshine provided perfect conditions for our sponsored welly walk on Saturday 2 March. The children had great fun splashing in puddles and paddling down a stream as they tramped round the village with their families. After removing soggy socks back at the preschool building, the children and adults were rewarded with tea/squash and cakes, and entered into a welly throwing competition, which involved some pretty impressive boot chucking.

The sponsorship money raised is going towards revamping the outdoor play area at Allsorts. We have been very fortunate also to receive a grant from Oxfordshire County Council for £4,000 to put towards this area. The plan is to create a safe, exciting and stimulating outdoor learning environment. We would be very pleased to hear from any landscape architects in the parish who would be keen to volunteer and help design this space, so that it can be used for formal and informal learning. Likewise, we still need to raise further funds, so any donations are welcome. If you can help, please contact us on 826387 or at chair@allsortspreschool.org.

The children have recently been out digging the garden ready for spring planting, which fits in with Term 4’s theme of growth. They have planted some vegetable seeds indoors also. As part of the growth theme, the children have been thinking about baby animals, and bringing in photos of themselves as babies to make a collage.

The theme for Term 3 was books. Each week, a book inspired a range of weird and wonderful activities including: making owl ice cream and log pile house dens (The Gruffalo); baking space rock cakes (Aliens Love Underpants); pretending to be African animals (Handa’s Surprise); drawing cloud and rainbow pictures (The Weather Monster); and making witches stew (Winnie the Witch).

Our seven new starters after Christmas have settled in well, and we welcomed three more in February. To cover the increased number of children per session as the academic year progresses, three new members of staff (Nic Frost, Natasha Fuller and Rachael Hill) have joined the team on a temporary basis until the end of this summer term. If you are interested in your child coming to Allsorts next (academic) year, please contact Julie Carr, Manager (email: allsortsadmin@btinternet.com, tel 826387) to look round or book a place.

Team Allsorts

Parish Council

Speed Limit A4130

The Parish Council is involved in ongoing discussions with Oxfordshire County Council regarding reducing the speed limit on the A4130.

War Memorial

The Parish Council has engaged a stone mason to clean and repair the War Memorial. The work should be complete by the end of March.

Parish Boundary Review

The Parish Council has responded to the Community Governance Review suggesting the edge of settlement of Site B as the new Parish Boundary. South Oxfordshire District Council is recommending that the bypass be the new Boundary. You have until 31st May to make any comments. http://www.southoxon.gov.uk/services-and-advice/local-democracy/town-and-parish-councils/local-government-and-public-involvement.

Neighbourhood Plan

SODC is resisting the Parish Council’s proposal to use the parish boundary as the Neighbourhood Plan boundary, in spite of having advised us to submit for registration on that basis. The difficulty is that they do not want Site B to fall within two Neighbourhood Plans, Wallingford’s and ours. Round table discussions are in progress to resolve the issue.

Defibrillator

The Parish Council is seeking support to install a defibrillator in one of the telephone boxes.  The cost would be approximately £2000 for purchase and installation.

What is a defibrillator or AED? A defibrillator is a computerised medical device that delivers an electrical current through the chest that aims to shock the heart back into a normal rhythm allowing it to pump again. Rapid response using automated technology can significantly improve the quality of life of a survivor, as the longer the brain is starved of oxygen, the more damage that can occur. An AED is a portable defibrillator especially designed for people with little or no medical background. AED technology opens a window for the public to take on a key role to support emergency services that would otherwise be hindered by the time it takes to reach the victim.

Is there a need?  Sudden Cardiac Arrest happens around 140,000 times a year in the UK, making it one of the UK’s largest killers – equivalent to a jumbo jet crashing every day! The potential for saving a life is dependent upon time, the faster medical help can be attained, the better the chance of survival. Clinical studies suggest you have less than five minutes from the event to save the life, this decreasing by up to 23% per minute. In rural areas it takes time to get medical help, so Community Public Access Defibrillators (cPAD) have a very important part to play in helping save lives in rural communities.

Annual Parish Meeting: 15 April, Village Hall, 8pm

Lucy Dalby, Parish Clerk

BCS Kings Meadow Tennis Club (BCSKMTC)

Over 100 members have registered, senior and junior, and we are hoping now that the better weather has arrived at last, it will encourage more of you.

Good news – Wimbledon Tickets

As a result of the BCSKMTC Members registering with Britain LTA the club has been allocated 2 pairs of Wimbledon Tickets - one pair for Centre Court and the other pair for Court 1 on Tuesday 24 June 2014.

BCSKMTC will undertake a ballot for the two pairs of tickets among all 2014/15 Paid up Members who also have Registered with the LTA. This process is required under the LTA Ballot Rules. The ballot will be held during an Open Day, at Kings Meadow Tennis Courts, in early May. The Open Day will be a fun day to include Tennis Competitions for all age groups, an exhibition tennis match, as well as drinks and a barbeque.

Action Required

Please can members who have already registered pay their subscriptions for the year 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015. Any new members should register and pay their subscriptions via the BCSKMTC website at www.bcskingsmeadowtennisclub.org.uk as well as registering with the LTA at http://www.lta.org.uk/.

Please remember that if it was not for the reformation of the tennis club, the following would not have happened:

• Refurbishment of the tennis courts
• Junior coaching at the Village Hall during the winter, transferring to the Kings Meadow Courts on 4 April, every Friday until October
• Availability of CTA run tennis camps during the school holidays, as soon as we have a club house with a toilet
• Maintenance and repair of vandalism by club members, so that tennis can be played all year round on well-maintained courts
• Availability of club equipment for all ages to have a go at Club Sessions and to meet and play tennis
• Social events during the year and access to the Wimbledon Ballot for tickets.

Simon Hunt from http://www.tennisspecialists.co.uk/ lives in the village and can deliver any tennis equipment ordered either from the shop in Henley-on-Thames or online and also provides a “collect and deliver” re-stringing service within the parish.

Should you require any further information about BCSKMTC please contact Tony Windsor, Chairman. Tel 07909 848098 or at tony@bcskingsmeadowtennisclub.org.uk.

Tony Windsor

Brightwell cum Sotwell Cricket Club Est.1858

At last it has stopped raining and Steve our Groundsman has been able to cut the square and roll the outfield. Our first game at Home is on Sunday 20 April v Risinghurst CC starting at 2pm.

We have 20 games arranged for the coming season, 16 at Home and four Away.

This season the annual charity game will be reintroduced and played on Sunday 22 June - BCSCC playing a BCS Red Lion Team captained by Mark Brock the Landlord. So if you would like a game, please contact him on (01491) 837373. There will be a beer tent and a barbeque during the day and friends and family are very welcome.

For a second year your team will be travelling to Kent on tour playing three games between Friday and Sunday 28 July staying in Canterbury.

Our cricket nets have taken quite a hammering from the wet winter and were under water for many weeks. With this and the damage to the netting by the rabbits over the past three years, they are looking a bit sad. New netting is on order and it is planned to commence net practice on Wednesday 2 April starting at 6pm until dusk every week subject to the weather.

The cricket club is always looking for new players and welcomes anyone who would like to play, even the odd game during the season. Have a look at our website for further details and results – www.pitchero.com/clubs/brightwell-cum-sotwell. Contact Tony Windsor BCSCC Secretary tonywindsor1@btinternet.com or tel 07909 848098.

Tony Windsor

BrightFest 2014

Plans are going well for this year’s BrightFest on Saturday 14 June 2014. Our funding is progressing - we have received sponsorship from Root One and Loddon Brewery and would also like to thank the Village Shop, Community Association and Parish Council who have generously agreed to help. We have several fund-raising events planned for April, listed below. It would be great if you could come along!

Thursday 3 April: Live music night at Wallingford School (thanks to Dan Baines for organising this).

Saturday 26 April: Busking in Wallingford Town Centre – Come for a BrightFest preview.

Saturday 26 April: BrightFest Launch party at the Red Lion 8.00 till late. Tickets available from The Red Lion - £10.00 to include finger buffet and disco. Also look out for our fantastic raffle – prizes of an Ipad or a case of wine to be won. Thank you Dianne of the Russel Partnership and Louise Wymer of The Catering Academy for donating the prizes.

Monday 28 April: BrightFest Quiz at the Red Lion – 8pm start. £2.00 to play, £5.00 for chilli supper.

If anyone would like a stall on the day please let me know by email: sue@hopecottagetours.co.uk .

So far we have two stages of live music, a wheelbarrow race, a dog show, community games, tea tent, bar, hog roast, yo2go, storytelling tent - and who knows what else by then!

Make sure the date is in your diary – Saturday 14 June from 12 noon

Sue Robson and Helen Baines

WI

Our April Meeting will see BcS WI joining ‘The Great Food Debate’. The National Federation of WIs (NFWI) launched this project on food security in 2013, a pressing issue as the world grapples with multiple threats to agriculture and food supply. Globally, the issues range from climate change, causing floods and drought, and a worldwide population heading towards 9 billion by 2050 to war and civil unrest. Domestically, the number of people turning to food banks for assistance has doubled in the last year, while a survey by Which magazine showed that British consumers are finding it increasingly difficult to sustain a healthy diet as the price of fresh produce continues to rise. What can we do individually and as a local WI? Can we make a difference locally, nationally and internationally? Come and join us in discussing these vital questions on 8 April at 7.30pm This will be an Open Meeting so do bring friends, neighbours and colleagues.

In May, Di Chambers from ‘No Two Things’ in Didcot will come along to tell us about how she and her daughter started this craft enterprise and will lead us in a craft workshop.

There is still time to tell us what you think of Brightwell-cum-Sotwell WI. Evaluation forms (and collection boxes) are available at the Red Lion, the Village Shop and Brightwell School. We have already taken views from our membership and are putting their recommendations into action.

Anne Honeyball

Brightwell Scout Group

A Scout Troop, a Cub Pack and a Beaver Colony run very successfully in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell. Children from the village and the surrounding area enjoy activities as diverse as sub-aqua, night hikes, cardboard box sleep outs, backward cooking, camping, raft building, shooting.... to name but a few. We operate an equal opportunity policy taking both boys and girls, any religion or ability/disability. However to do this we need support. Could you volunteer to be a leader or adult helper? Have you got any time or skills you could contribute? Have you got what it takes? If so please contact Hilary Rogerson 839960 or email hrrogerson@aol.co.uk. Thank you.

Hilary Rogerson

Brightwell-cum-Sotwell Dementia Awareness Group

The generic term dementia is associated with symptoms relating to the decline of the brain and its abilities, often presented not only as memory loss but also changes in behaviour or mood, confusion, disorientation, and difficulty in communication. The most common forms are Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia and, with an ageing population, it is estimated that one in fourteen people aged over 65 will be affected.

An informal volunteer group has recently been formed as part of an ORCC-run programme to help develop dementia friendly communities, to examine how we can support dementia sufferers and their carers in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell. The group has completed three sessions run by an independent dementia care trainer covering common symptoms and misconceptions about dementia, the loss of (in particular, short term) memory but retention of emotion, how best to communicate with dementia sufferers and how their symptoms impact on carers. We would now like to generally raise villagers’ awareness of the condition and take the first steps towards making this a dementia-friendly community.

Do you, or a friend or relative, find your memory isn’t what it was or are you interested in finding out more about dementia? Why not drop in for a cup of tea with us between 3 and 4.30pm on Thursday 8 May in the Church Room to learn more about the condition and discuss what sort of practical support could be offered to those who need it.

If you can’t attend, or would like to discuss the issue in confidence, you can contact Celia Collett (01491 835988) or Janice Chilton (01491 836661). Leaflets giving useful information can be found in the Village Stores and the book entitled ‘Contented Dementia’ by Oliver James may also be of interest.

Gris Davies

Welcome Pack

If you know of a newcomer to the Parish, please give their address, and name if known, to Bill Horsfield (8320141) or Andy Lewis (825680) for a Welcome Pack.

The Bach Centre

We said goodbye to an old friend this spring when June King decided after 14 years that the time was right to retire.

June joined the Bach Centre team in 1999, initially as a receptionist. As well as welcoming visitors and dealing with queries on the phone from practitioners and members of the public, June quickly took on responsibility for running the Centre's shop, enrolling people on courses and being the go-to person for online sales and the post room. She also helped us keep the practitioner register up to date.

But what we - and visitors to the Centre - will miss most is her smile!

June has two grown up children and two grandchildren. She lives not too far from the Centre, in Harwell, so we hope she'll be popping in from time to time to keep us up to date with her activities.

With June retiring and the retirement a couple of years ago of Kathy Nicholson, we have been a bit short of people at the Centre. So it's a relief as well as a pleasure to welcome a new team member, Sukhleen Dhillon, who joined us in March and is already settling in nicely. Welcome Sukhleen!

Stefan Ball

Hathor

Middle Eastern dancing (aka belly dancing) group HATHOR regularly use the Village Hall in Brightwell for rehearsals in preparation for their hafla (dance party) which takes place each June at Exeter Hall, Kidlington.

HATHOR will be holding their dress rehearsal on Sunday 25 May and would like to invite villagers to come along and watch their progress. Each year HATHOR showcase new dances and this year’s dances are a mix of styles ranging from modern Egyptian through to Bollywood!! Dress rehearsals are essential for honing the dances, costumes and stagecraft, having a live audience is also an enormous benefit.

Doors open at 4pm, entry is free but there will be a door collection with all monies going to the upkeep of the Stewart Village Hall.

HATHOR look forward to seeing you there!!!

Karen Sibun

Village Tree Survey 2013

The Brightwell-cum-Sotwell Environment Group has carried out surveys of much of the village flora, such as hedgerows and orchards. In the 1970s Dutch elm disease decimated much of the woodland in the southern half of the country. In recent times a new wave of pests and diseases affecting our woodland have been found and could become established in the village. The following have already been recorded in the UK: Chalara die-back of Ash; Oak Processionary Moth; and Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner. Thus it was felt that we needed to survey the trees in the village in order to discover if there was a problem here and if so what to do about it.

We expected to find plenty of examples of village tree surveys on the internet. However we initially found none and had to devise our own procedures in order to carry out a survey. Walking around the village, it became clear that there are a very large number of trees. To limit the trees recorded to a manageable number, only those greater than 25 metres high were counted. For most trees this was fine, but some species that do not grow very tall were under represented. The height of the trees was estimated using various techniques. The circumference at 1.5m was recorded. Only trees easily visible from roads or footpaths were included. All trees included in the survey were photographed for future reference.

Teams were created to cover as much of the village as possible. Due to access issues it was impossible to do a complete tree count. Deciduous trees comprised the bulk of those surveyed. There was a wide range of British tree types, with several examples of Ash, Beech, Lime, Oak and Sycamore being recorded. Most were well distributed, but Limes were concentrated in two areas, St Agatha’s churchyard and Sotwell House. Silver Birch and Horse Chestnut were also observed, but most of these were less than 25m tall.

Most trees looked healthy. Some Horse Chestnuts showed signs of disease causing the leaves to prematurely die. This is due to Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner. In the short term, this is not a bad problem, as it is not fatal to a tree, but possibly could weaken the tree in the long term. The mix of tree types in the village mean that the village woodland overall is very resistant to any new pests and diseases.

The results of the survey showed that we have a fairly healthy and resilient village woodland. Informal viewing of smaller trees showed they appeared to be in similar health to the larger trees. However new pests and diseases may wipe out individual species. Oak is most at danger should Oak Processionary Moth be found in the village.

Whilst there is not a case for repeating this survey on a regular basis, there is a need to check for pests and diseases annually. If these checks reveal pests and diseases new to the village, then these need to be reported to the local council, so that appropriate action may be taken. Residents who are concerned about their trees should seek professional guidance.

David Evans-Roberts

Wallingford Parish Church Choir

Wallingford Parish Church Choir will be singing a selection of Chorales, Aries and Choruses from Bach’s St John Passion at St Mary’s Church in Wallingford on Good Friday (18 April) at 7pm. These items will combine to form a very moving Act of Worship for Good Friday. No tickets are required but there will be a retiring collection. Do come if you can.

The 64 strong Choir will be singing services at Wells Cathedral for a week in August but is currently working out how to fit in to the 50 capacity choir stalls there. They will be running a day trip to Wells during their visit, for congregation and supporters, so look out for details.

Sue Ledger

Oxfordshire Art Weeks

From 2-26 May, Oxfordshire artists and crafts people will be exhibiting their work throughout the county. There are nearly 500 stunning exhibitions planned, ranging from group exhibitions in large public spaces to individuals showing in their own homes or studios. Entry to all exhibitions is free. For more information visit http://www.artweeks.org/.

Local exhibitors include:

Brightwell: Bruce Bignold, John Stephen, Caroline Harben, Juliet Chadwick, Judith Payne, Claire Louise Nutt, Dawn Wright, Stewart Village Hall , Paintings , Open 3-5 May, (10-5pm, Sat 10-7).

Marian Hobbs, Pottery, 1 Wellsprings, Open 3-4, 7, 9-11 May (2-6pm,Wed/Fri 1-7)

South Moreton: Christian Sinkinson and Grant Waters, Unit 8, Hall Farm. Drawings, oils, photographs. Open 3-6, 8-13, 15-20, 22-26 May (12-9pm)

North Moreton: Victoria Squires, Willowburn, Bear Lane, Mixed media. 3-11 May (12-6, Thurs to 8pm)

Aston Tirrold: Anna Dillon and Steve Giles, Heathersage, Aston Street. Oil paintings, mixed media and handcrafted woodwork, Open 3-5, 10-11 May (12-6pm).

Ken Messar, Lin Kerr and Susanna Brunskill, Twitten, Aston Street, Water colours. Open 3-5, 10-11 May, (12-6pm)

Wallingford: ‘Everyone’s an artiist’ 51 Wantage Road, digitial art, drawing, mixed media, etc, 3-11 May (12-6pm, Thurs 12-8).

John Hailstone and Jay Taylor. 9 Saxon Close, photography, painting, drawing, jewellery 3-5,7-9 May (12-6, Fri 12-9, Sun 11-4).

Art Exhibition

The 2-day Spring Art and Photographic Exhibition starts in Wallingford on Friday 2 May. In the past, artists from Brightwell-cum-Sotwell have been among the many whose work has been displayed at the Wallingford Methodist Church Centre, St Leonard’s Square. Visitors to the event have a chance not only to buy a favourite picture or photo but to vote for the best exhibit.

Wallingford Mayor Bernard Stone will open the exhibition at 7pm after he has presented prizes to young artists from Wallingford School and local primary schools. Last year the entries in the schools' competition and the quality of artwork on display in the main exhibition earned great praise.

The exhibits will also be on view from 10.30am until 4pm on Saturday 3 May. Entry for either Friday evening or Saturday costs £2, which includes a catalogue, drink and light refreshments or cake depending on when you visit the Church Centre.

Artists or photographers wishing to enter their work need to do so by 5 April. Contact: artatwmc@gmail.com.

Nicky Lidstone

Sheep Aversion Courses for Dogs

Some of you may remember in January the shocking news of a dog attacking and killing a sheep on Wittenham Clumps and also other serious incidents where sheep have been mauled by dogs.

“When a sheep dies it is always very upsetting," said sheep farmer Dan Marriott. "However, when that death could have been avoided and it is so brutal, it is all the more distressing..”

Walking amongst livestock with a dog can sometimes be a stressful experience for the owner. Earth Trust Farm recognise this and are offering sheep aversion courses. The one hour course will introduce you and your dog to sheep in a safe environment and teach you how to retain control of your dog whilst in the presence of livestock. To book and for more information, contact laurenanddan@outlook.com. Cost £30.

Save the Children

Our recent quiz night at the Red Lion raised £250, thanks to everyone who supported us.

This year’s Save the Children week will run from Sunday 27 April to Saturday 3 May, and during the week we will be carrying out a house to house collection.

On 24 May we will be holding our annual plant sale in the Square; once again Anne Hedley has very kindly offered to open her garden for coffee and cakes. Many of our green-fingered supporters are already planting seeds to ensure we have a good variety of plants to offer on the day.

Celia Collett