August/September 2006

Nonie Hobson - 1925-2006

Many of you will have read, in the last Villager, Nonie’s poignant note of thanks for her 20 happy years in the Village which was, sadly, to prove so true. I should like to write about the things I particularly remember about her.

She was born in Kuala Lumpur as her parents were working in Malaya. Her Father was British and her Mother Swedish and although Nonie had a great affection for Sweden, she was proud of her British nationality. When her older brothers were sent home to school in England in the early 1930’s her parents thought it best that she should stay with her Aunt in Sweden When someone as busy in the Village as Nonie was, leaves us, we are all affected in some way. Firstly, remembering her work on The Villager itself, for she typed and set out the proofs for the magazine, coping with everyone’s difficult handwriting. She also mastered the computer, after only having used a typewriter. Even to the last she was concerned as to how The Villager was going to be typed

Secondly, Nonie was deeply involved with Wallingford U3A. She had a great interest in their music group, but, perhaps, with even more dedication, looked after their outings and holidays. Basil and I were extremely fortunate in joining her on a trip to Sweden. We called briefly at the house where she spent her formative years which she was thrilled to show us. She also organised a most lovely holiday last September in Tuscany and Umbria taking in Ravenna and Urbino, two places we particularly wanted to visit. This was her strength, she was so good at arranging the things people wanted to do, rather than just picking out a standard holiday.

Nonie was keenly interested in Politics. She often urged me to look at Parliament on TV. She served as Secretary to Brightwell-cum-Sotwell Conservatives for many years and was a stalwart helper at all their functions.

We worked together on the Lunch Club committee for sometime. The meetings were great fun, sorting out menus for the coming months and working out who could help when. There always seemed to be a lot of crossings out and alterations at the end of the meeting but the outcome was a beautifully typed sheet from Nonie telling us all what had been arranged. I did suggest to her a little while ago that now some of us had reached a certain age we should retire. Nonie was reluctant to agree, while we were still able and people were enjoying the meal, we shouldn’t give up was her attitude. But Nonie’s life was not all work. She loved her bridge and played regularly in the Wallingford Club whilst still keeping her interest in the little group in Brightwell, where again she helped with the organisation. I was quite surprised when she told me she had joined a square dancing group in Sutton Courtenay which she really enjoyed. She was a regular Church goer and again a worker. Always ready to help was the message I was given when asking whether she had any specific duties. She was, incidentally, both a sidesperson and a member of the Community Committee.

Her attitude to her illness was unusual. I remember her saying to me “ I’m a perfectly healthy woman, and now I’ve got this cancer”. But going into the Sue Ryder Hospice changed this angry mood into one of peace and tranquillity. She really loved it there and could not speak too highly of the marvellous care she received from all the staff. She loved her room looking over the garden and looked so pretty surrounded by flowers from her many visitors and that’s how I and many others will remember her. A much loved friend and wonderful neighbour.

Viola Crowe

Community Association

Village Fete – 8 July 2006 Due to superb planning, the Fete found a weather window this year – and that helped establish another record breaking financial performance. The village made a profit of £3667, easily exceeding the £3210 performance in 2005, and £2936 in 2004. As ever, the money will be distributed by the Community Association as contributions to village activities and organisations. All groups that want to apply for funds this year and haven’t received an application form should contact our Treasurer, James Davys on 834195.

The Fete was very kindly hosted again by David and Jenny Dobbin at Sotwell House, and we thank them heartily for their generosity and efforts in preparing their beautiful garden to be taken over by the village for the Fete and its preparation.

There were a number of new stalls this year, with some ‘first timers’ providing great new ideas. We always aim to make the Fete appeal to all ages. This year, the History Group made its debut with a collection of village photographs. Appealing to the other end of the age range, Anne Linton’s and Angela Lewis’s face painting stall did a roaring trade. Any comments and suggestions for the future will be gratefully received. Why not use The Villager to express your ideas.

Annual General Meeting Tuesday 17th October, 8pm – Stewart Room, Village Hall The AGM gives villagers the chance to put their views on the Community Association and its activities. It is also a chance to stand for the Committee, and we would love to have some new applicants. Please come if you can.

Sound of Music Spectacular! Saturday 21st October – Village Hall Yes it sounds corny, but some of our best events have had corn as the central ingredient so please note the date for our annual Autumn evening event. Watch out for more details in posters around the village and in the next issue of The Villager.

Hugh Roderick

Brightwell School

For some time now we have been involved in the Oxfordshire’s Healthy Schools initiative and actively promote healthy eating and the need to take lots of exercise. We do this through poster promotions, information leaflets, competitions and our Garden Club. The latter have a small vegetable plot in the school grounds which they tend on a weekly basis. In this they are greatly helped by one of our Teaching Assistants, Mrs Judith Harris. Also, we have just acquired an allotment in the village and our children have been working on it, guided by a few ‘expert’ parents, led by parent governor, Mrs Caroline Annets. However, it is a project that may need some support from villagers with regards to watering, etc during holiday breaks (or term time if you’re keen enough). If you would like to help with the allotment please contact the school office on 837024 and our Garden Club will get back to you.

We held our School Fete in the evening again and were granted fine weather. The Friends of Brightwell School had all their hard work rewarded, raising a great deal of money for the school. My grateful thanks are extended to all those who helped make it a very successful event. If you attended the Village Fete you may have seen a performance of a dance excerpt from the hit musical Cats, choreographed by Miss Shinner and performed by the children from our Dance Club. It was fantastic! Last week we managed to squeeze in our cooperative sports event in the morning before bad weather prevented us finishing with some competitive races. Hopefully we will fit the latter in before the end of term. Our annual sponsored walk to Wittenham Clumps raised a massive £898 for Macmillan Cancer Support. This is a remarkable achievement for a small school and we praise and congratulate our children.

Our Year 5 and 6 children have visited Dudley Museum to learn about life in Victorian Britain. Year 3 and 4 visited the Bhaktivedanta (Hindu Temple) near Bushey as part of our studies on A Village in India. Our older children recently played Benson School at football, and Year 2 children performed in the Wallingford Partnership Schools singing festival at St Nicholas School. Thank you to parent Mrs Caroline Walters who, for the final time, guided our Year 6 children successfully through their cycling proficiency test this term.

Finally, as our new entrants complete their phased introductory visits, our Year 6 children prepare to leave us and move on to their respective secondary schools. I want take this opportunity to thank them for being such wonderful ambassadors for our school during their time with us and wish them all the very best for the future.

Roger Grant

Brightwell Free Church

I last wrote an item for the magazine in September 2005 I thought this time I would update you about some of the news and activities going on at Brightwell Free Church.

On 8 February we held a funeral service for Elsie Edwards who died in care aged 93, a well known personality in the village and in Wallingford. Elsie was taught in the Sunday School at Brightwell Free Church (then known as Sotwell Mission) by a lady who was a founder member of the church way back in 1885. Elsie’s sister Edna is still a regular attender. It is truly amazing these days to see such continuity when so much of that sense of community is being eroded as people have become more and more mobile.

It may interest some of you older ones that I recently bumped into the man who performed the induction service for Adrian Brookes as pastor of the Free Church in the 1970’s.

We have a service every Sunday morning at 10.30. Have you wondered what it would be like if you came along? The service lasts about an hour. We sing a few hymns and some more modern songs interspersed with prayers and maybe readings from the Bible and someone gives a talk. We are quite relaxed and informal.. You can sit wherever you like, and stand up or sit down as you please during the service. Few people wear formal dress these days. We do not take a collection. I appreciate that if you have not done anything like attend a church for a long time, or perhaps ever, you might find it an embarrassing situation. All I can promise is that we will do our best not to embarrass you and we would certainly be delighted to see you. In the New Year we started “Brightwell Praise”. This takes place every third Sunday of the month at 7pm. It is a bit like Songs of Praise on the TV.

Finally let me tell you that we are thinking about running an “Alpha for Brightwell” course in the village. Thousands of people who wanted to explore what Christianity is really about have been through the course. It involves having a meal together followed by a talk, with an opportunity to sit around in a group and discuss what you thought about the issues raised. There is no pressure to join or even attend “church”. It is an opportunity for you find out what others believe and to express your own thoughts If you would like to know more about any of these then do please contact me, tel: 651815, email: the burts@supanet.com

Neville Burt

Environment Group

Wellsprings. In April native grass seed was sown in the area around the Pond and this was followed by the planting of the wild flowers that came in the form of plugs from the Flower Farm near Hungerford. A dozen different species were planted including devils bit scabious, ladies smock and wild marjoram. May’s rain helped growth, but despite near record totals for the month, the previous very dry sequence of 18 months and the very low rainfall in June meant that by early July flow from the Wellsprings virtually ceased. How fortunate we are as a village that we don’t have to rely for our water supplies on the Wellsprings and the Brightwell! The different plantings follow from the plan prepared by Rod D’Ayala of Pond Conservation, which sets out the various steps that should be taken in the management of the Wellsprings over the next 5 years

Millennium Wood Open Days On 11 and 12 May the Wood received between 50 and 60 visitors. Fortunately both days were dry and villagers were able to walk around the wood along the paths cleared by Paul Chilton. They were able to see that the trees are growing rapidly and that a canopy will be established across much of the area in a few years time.

St James Churchyard One of the four bird boxes made by the Cubs and presented to the Group in February became the home for a family of blue tits. Perhaps next year all the boxes will be taken. The meadow area which had been purposely left long over the early summer was cut in July as part of the management plan.

Croft Path Did you see the bumble bee nest on the side of the path in June and how it had been attacked by badgers in search of the honey? When the Group conducted a survey of verges in the parish several years ago, the wall side of the Croft Path was found to be one of the richest sites in the village with over 20 different species of plants. To maintain this diversity the County Council was asked by the Parish Council to mow 30 cm on the wall side of the path and 60 cm on the field side. This is the practice that has been followed for several years. Unfortunately turf grows over the edges of the path narrows it, but the County Council does not have the labour to cut back this turf.

John Rodda

Parish Council

Allsorts Pre-School: The Parish Council has made a donation of £2,000 towards the Allsorts Pre-School rebuild and it was reported that they now have sufficient funds in place to start the project before the end of July.

Vital Villages – Affordable Housing: A planning application by SOHA has been submitted to SODC to provide affordable housing for local people.

King’s Meadow: Projects are being considered to improve the recreation facilities on King’s Meadow and the access pathway between King’s Orchard and King’s Meadow.

Garden Waste Recycling: SODC reported that over 6300 households across the District have taken up the garden waste wheelie bin service. Some parishioners have experienced delays on the supply of the compost bins and problems over collection dates.

Post Office: We would like to thank Sally Hawkins for her hard work and support in the village Post Office and offer our best wishes to her and her family on their move to the West Country.

Bridge Road Closure: Essential maintenance and repair work is to be carried out on Shillingford Bridge later this year. This will involve closure of the road for 8 weeks (date has yet to be confirmed). The Parish Council will be in discussion with Warborough Parish Council and the County Council over issues involving the closure dates and positioning of traffic lights.

Parish Council Meeting Dates: From September 2006 Parish Council Meetings will be held at 7:30 pm on the 3rd Tuesday of each month (no meeting in August). Members of the public are always welcome to attend. The next Parish Council Meeting will be on Tuesday 19 September 2006.

Nick Spencer

Allsorts Pre-School

We have now raised the money required for the new building for Allsorts Pre-School, just over £109,000.00 in total!!

Thank you again to everyone who over the past few years has donated money. We have met our target by receiving donations from various sources; many coming from the village itself and most recently, as well as a grant from the People’s Millions (£50,000), the SODC (£22,500), the Community Association (£3,500) and the Parish Council (£2,000), we have received a grant from ‘Awards For All’ (a subsidiary of the National Lottery) for £5,000. Without the support from the village we would not have been able to meet our target, which at times seemed impossible.

Demolition of the old portacabin starts on Monday 17 July, so when you are reading this the new building should be on its way up!

But even though we have raised the money for the building we are still fundraising for the interior of the building, the outside play area and a fire alarm. We are also in need of any assistance in helping to get the interior ready for the Pre-School to re-open on Monday 18 September, if you can assist please contact the Pre-School on 826387. We will be having a grand opening of the new building on Saturday 30 September. Everyone is welcome to come and view the building to see where the money that has been raised has been spent. We hope that as many people as possible will be able to come, we will be putting up posters advertising the event nearer the time.

Thank you to everyone who bought raffle tickets or came along to our ‘Grand Raffle and BBQ Party’ on 1 July. Despite the heat from both the sun and the BBQ we had a fantastic afternoon and found some very appreciative homes for the raffle prizes. However, it does not stop there, we are already planning the next set of fund raising events, so please do continue to support us.

The academic school year is coming to an end and we will be saying goodbye to a number of our older children, most of them will be going on to attend Brightwell School in September. We wish all of those children and their parents good luck for the future. We would also like to welcome all our new starters and parents to the Pre-School in September. It is a really exciting time to be joining us.

Zoe Davis

Brightwell-cum-Sotwell Community Association – What’s it all about?

The Community Association has a unique role in the village – but what does it do and what is it for? To help newcomers, and anyone else puzzled by its purpose, here are a few answers to the questions you might have always wanted to ask…

OK. Start at the beginning. When and why was the Community Association set up?
28 and a bit years ago, actually. It was a direct spin off from the Queen's Jubilee celebrations of 1977. Money left from the village’s Jubilee Fund was spent on the hard surface tennis courts on Kings Meadow. The Community Association was formed to administer the project.

That seems clear enough. Do I need to know any more?
Well I’m afraid you do, because the founding fathers – many of whom are still very active villagers – didn’t stop there. They recognised that a Community Association could do much more to "promote the welfare" of villagers through recreation and a strong community, as the constitution says. It also stresses the Association's role in co-ordinating common efforts by local bodies and individuals.

Hmm. That all sounds a bit like Big Brother to me. Why would I want my welfare promoted by a bunch of villagers?
That’s a fair point, except that you, like all villagers, are a de facto member of the Community Association simply by living in the village – unless you can find some clever way of excluding yourself. So we are all in this welfare promotion business together. Well that’s all very well, but who is listening to me? Believe it or not, everyone on the Committee – and indeed in the village - would like to listen to your views and ideas. We have an AGM every year that’s open to all (dates publicised in The Villager). If you can’t wait for that, just phone any of the Committee members listed below to get it off your chest at any time ( within reason - preferably no phone calls after 11:00pm ).

Ah, Committee members eh? I knew it. Old boys’ and girls’ club is it?
Well we hope not. As the Association is a coordinating body, the Committee does draw some members from village societies and clubs, but most of us are independent of any organisation. And by the way, if you, your partner, or anyone else you know would like to be on the Committee, that AGM is the place to get elected democratically. We really do want new blood.

Point taken, no offence. I’ll think about it. But tell me what you people do?
We try to do what you and everyone else in the village would like us to do. Over the years that has meant running the kind of events that seem to be popular with villagers – Carol Evening, Quiz Evening, the Fete, and an Autumn event that rings the changes – we’ve had wine tastings, race evenings, film shows …

So you’re a kind of entertainments committee for the village?
Yes, in a way, but there is no reason why your Community Association couldn’t be doing other things as well as, or instead of these events. And we do have another very important role, by the way. We always aim to make money from our activities so that it can all be ploughed back into the village – through grants to clubs and societies, for example. The Carol Evening profits contribute to Christmas hampers for the elderly. And last year’s Fete profits helped village organisations with grants totalling over £3,000.

You’re sounding like a group of do gooders now
Sorry, didn’t mean to. And I should stress that while Committee members work hard on these events, our role is also about coordinating the contributions of many other people. For example, although we ‘manage’ the Fete, the people who run the stalls come from many other groups in the village – the Church, the school, the WI, the Cricket Club and so on. And when we distribute the profits, we do take account of who has worked hard to raise them. OK, so who do I contact if I want to change what the Community Association does? Talk to any of us. I promise we will give serious thought and discussion to any of your ideas or concerns. It’s very important to the health of the Community Association that we canvas and listen to the views of everyone who wants to express them. We just want to make sure we are doing the things the village wants, in the way it wants them done.

Hugh Roderick

Flower and Produce Show 2006

If the produce show is anything to go by, Brightwell seems to get greener by the year. There were strong entries in all the flower and vegetable classes, and it was great to see such a good showing from allotment holders. The Swan Allotment Cup, which is judged in the week before the show, went to Paul Copley for his immaculate and very productive plot. The men seemed to carry it all away in the cookery section. Roy Thorpe won first prize for his handmade loaf, and Oscar Devey-Robson and Nathan Butterfield swept the board for their machine made bread. Nathan also won the Joan Sheard trophy, awarded for the first time this year to an under-16 year old entering in adult classes. In fact the Butterfield family altogether made a pretty impressive showing, with Amelia and Camilla winning both junior trophies.

If the produce show is anything to go by, Brightwell seems to get greener by the year. This year’s experiment with lowering the upper age limit in junior classes, and encouraging junior entries in adult classes seems to have worked. We had good entries in all sections, with some very colourful 80th birthday cards and crowns for the Queen and some particularly lovely collages made by Allsorts Preschool children from leaves and twigs. We really appreciate their support, and all the hard work put in by parents of all junior entrants who have to clear up the mess resulting from these creative efforts. Shena Luck won the Talbot Cup, with Rose Sutton runner up. This cup is awarded on a points system, with a point for every entry and extra points for prizes. It may not be won by the same person for two years running, and it is to Shena’s credit that she still puts in an impressive spread of entries even in years when she is not allowed to win the trophy!

Flower and Produce Show – Results 2006

Flower Arranging. Judge: Mrs Iris Novell

1.A hand-held bunch.

1. Mrs V. Whichello 2. Monica Sheard. 3. Olive Sutcliffe.

2. A miniature arrangement.

1. Eileen Blay 2. Iris Penwarden 3. Faye Knudson.

3. An arrangement for the Queen’s 80th birthday

1. Win Glendenning and Shena Luck 2. Rosemary Greasby.

4. MEN ONLY Arrangement in a jug.

1. Paul Chilton 2. Tony Debney 3. James Davys. Highly Commended: David Greasby.

Flowers and Vegetables. Judges: Les Novell and Albert Reed

5. A Vase of Cottage Garden Favourites

1. Paul Chilton 2. Rosemary Greasby 3. Mrs Whichello

6. A rose, HT

1. Josephine Butterfield 2. Shena Luck 3. Janita Clamp

7. A rose, multi-headed

1. Paul Chilton 2. James Davys 3. Col. Talbot

8. Three stems flowering shrub

1. Mrs Whichello 2. Shena Luck

9. Potted plant, flowering or foliage

1. Helena Varley 2. Shena Luck 3. Helena Varley

10. A bowl of floating flowers

1. Shena Luck 2. Sarah Jackson

11. Dish of soft fruit of one kind

1. Tony Debney 2. Paul Chlton 3. John Sheard.

12. Box of vegetables

1. John Sheard 2. Shena Luck

13. Box of salad vegetables

1. Rose Sutton 2. Mrs Whichello 3. Tony Debney

14. 3 courgettes

1. Shena Luck 2. John Sheard 3. Rosemary Greasby

15. 6 potatoes

1. David Dobbin 2. Shena Luck 3. Rosemary Greasby

16. 6 pods broad beans

1. Annabel Rodda 2. Tony Debney 3. Shena Luck

17. 4 named herbs

1. Rosemary Greasby 2. Eileen Blay 3. Shena Luck

18. Pick of the crop: one vegetable and one flower

1. Tony Debney 2. Shena Luck 3. Nathan Butterfield.

Cookery. Judge: Mrs Jean Calvin-Thomas

19. A jar of jam

1. Monica Sheard 2. Monica Sheard 3. Janice Chilton

20. A jar of chutney

1. Annabel Rodda 2. Win Glendenning

21. A loaf of bread (handmade)

1. Roy Thorpe 2. Monica Sheard 3. Olive Sutcliffe.

22. A loaf of bread (machine made)

1. Oscar Devey-Robson 2. Nathan Butterfield

23. MEN ONLY A round of shortbread

1. Roy Thorpe 2. Malcolm Sutcliffe.

24. LADIES ONLY Fruit cake

1. Shena Luck 2. Sue Hunt 3. Josephine Butterfield. Highly Commended : Sue Robson

Photography. Judged by Tamsin Heatley

25. Photograph, unmounted - a dog

1. Nathan Butterfield 2. Paul Chilton 3. Rose Sutton.

26. The Four Seasons.

1. Lawrence Gray 2. Karin Beasley 3. Rose Sutton.

27. Photograph, unmounted - “Tranquillity”.

1. Nathan Butterfield 2. Paul Chilton 3. John

Rodda.

28. Photograph, unmounted - “Make us smile”.

1. Rose Sutton 2. Rose Sutton 3. Paul Chilton.

Junior Section. Judged by Pat Owen 9-12 year olds

29. Create a cartoon character

1.Charles Neads 2. Charles Neads 3. Lucy Govan

30. An 80th birthday card for the Queen

1. Freddie Clamp-Gray 2. Camilla Butterfield 3. Joe Wells.

31. 6 cheese straws

1. Camilla Butterfield 2. Camilla Butterfield 3. Oscar Devey-Robson. Highly Commended: Lucy Govan.

32. An animal made from vegetables

1. Camilla Buttterfield 2. Joe Wells.

5-8 year olds

33. A face on a hard-boiled egg (in an eggcup)

1, Alexandra Peach 2. Amelia Butterfield 3. Sophia Walley.

34. An 80th birthday card for the Queen

1. Amelia Butterfield 2. Sophia Walley 3. Alexandra Peach.

35. A miniature seaside scene on a plate.

1. Amelia Butterfield 2. William Clamp-Gray 3. Sophia Walley.

36. 4 decorated rich tea biscuits

1. Alexandra Peach 2.Amelia Butterfield 3. Amelia Butterfield.

Under fives

37. A junk model

1. Isabelle Peach 2. Ben Davis 3. Lara Collyer.

38. A collage made from natural materials

1. Isobel Mason 2.Isabelle Peach 3. Emma Munday.

39. A crown for the Queen

1. Natasha Zalinski 2. Isabelle Peach 3 = Georgia Wornham and Jamie Zalinski.

Sally Dugan

Parish Church

Worship Through Music
Music plays a very important part in the lives of many people, whether it is singing at a football match, attending a rock or classical orchestral concert, playing baby Mozart to young children, or relaxing to something gentle and soothing. Rapidly changing technology that introduced us to walkmans and I-pods shows that we want not just to dance to music but to live with music.

Music has been integral to the worship life of the Church, ever since its foundation on the day of Pentecost. Of course the styles of music have changed through the course of history - from the intoning of the Scriptures in the Jewish tradition, to the plainsong of the monastery, the fiddlers in the music gallery, the choral tradition, the rich tones of the organ and the 21st century music group. Christian music also varies from culture to culture and is enriched by the use of local rhythms, harmonies and instruments. Its use in worship draws out the heart to respond to God through the words and through the music to which they are set. Different kinds of music will appeal to different people In St Agatha’s we are greatly indebted to our small choir and Junior choir who practise hard and lead us in our services. We are always looking for new people to come and join us. We would also like to develop, alongside our choir, a musical tradition of a different kind for younger people in the village or for those whose spirits would respond to a different musical approach. So we are looking to form a music group that could play for our All Age service on the second Sunday of the month, and perhaps become part of a different form of worship once a month in the evening, possibly but not necessarily, on Sunday. Sound interesting?

Here at St Agatha’s we would like to be able to respond to the different worship needs of the local community. If you share that desire, then please consider whether you could contribute to turning desire into reality. If you play a musical instrument, enjoy modern worship songs and music and are interested in helping us to broaden and develop our worship life, please feel free to get in touch with Jill Chatfield, the vicar, to discuss how you might be able to contribute.

Jill Chatfield

WI

It's difficult to adequately describe the past two meetings. Both were sensational and everyone has asked for a repeat of each. In June Timothy Walker the Hortus Prefectus of Oxford Botanic Garden talked about the garden his wife had created. He described how the garden had been re designed and planted up. Funny, inspirational, informative- he was brilliant.

The July meeting turned into something of an Arabian rave. The BcS WI Middle Eastern dancers assumed the name of Nijoumn al layou (Stars of the Night) and performed the dance that we've been practising to tumultuus applause and a lot of ululating - the high pitched sound that women from Africa and the Middle East use at times of great excitement. This mostly came from members of Hathor, the group that entertained us last year and got us doing this. They again danced for us and that was followed by the most amazing spread of delicious food brought by members. Then it was a free for all! Shimmy belts were exchanged so that everyone could get the feel of it: what an evening!! We hope to carry on with our Middle Eastern dancing, so if you would like to join us, let me know.

In the last Villager I said that the August meeting, when our MP Ed Vaisey would be coming to talk would be an open one. Unfortunately it will be for WI members only. He won't be wearing his political hat and will be talking about parliamentary life

On Sunday 24 September we are having a fund raising lunch to sponsor Liz Eaton, who lives locally. She is doing a cycle ride in Cuba to raise money for Denman College at Marcham which is where we can go to study.

Mais Appleton

In Praise of Long Grass and the Wild Garden

A few years ago we decided to give much of the back-garden back to nature - and we have been amply rewarded. Ivy is everywhere and so are those harbingers of spring the Brimstone butterflies which depend at the end of the summer on the nectar from the ivy flowers to build up strength for the coming winter and upon the ivy for camouflage in their winter hibernation.

In this wild un-pruned area a colony of the Speckled Wood has moved in providing endless entertainment in watching the males disputing territory and the tumbling flight of couples in courtship. Part of the attraction for the Speckled Wood is the exuberant growth of couch grass for them to lay their eggs and for the caterpillars feed off (think of this the next time you spend an afternoon rooting out the very last piece of couch). The Meadow Browns are less choosy and lay their eggs in a random fashion on almost any meadow grasses and bents - sometimes while in flight.

We have a prize nettle patch providing a haven for the Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral butterflies to lay their eggs and fleshy thistles provide food for the caterpillars of the Painted Lady in June - August: and in the autumn occasionally a charm of goldfinch passes through the garden feeding on the seeds of the thistles. The thorn hedge does, I admit, have an autumn trim but in the spring the young growing tips are left for the Brimstone to lay their eggs. All of us tend to forget that butterflies and many other insects are strictly limited in the plants upon which they lay their eggs and the young can feed. Sadly, the Large Tortoiseshell is virtually extinct in Oxfordshire and much of the rest of England following the ravages of Dutch Elm disease. Why not then occasionally opt out from the noisy weekly battle of the Honda versus the Harrier Hayter vying to shave lawns within a smidgeon of their lives in a seemingly desperate effort to get them to look like the green sward on the side of the original seed box. What about a short back and sides say every three weeks? Then those of you who, heaven forbid, have let native plants and grasses invade their carefully sown Italian (!) ryegrass will leave time for the eggs on these ‘weeds’ to hatch and the caterpillars and larvae to find refuge from the mower blade and aptly named Flymo.

Doesn't it seem odd that a nature-loving community in the heart of the Oxfordshire countryside should spend their spare time hunting and destroying the plants on which the insects and butterflies prosper?

Happily, some new plots of wild flowers are being prepared in the village and there are the Environment Group projects at Wellsprings and St James’ churchyard. So why not next year instead of a prize for the best manicured and bugless allotment have a prize for the most environmentally friendly garden - in which marks are given for the best nettles, a scatological survey made for muntjak and hedgehog, and a search for shrew runs. In his survey of Oxfordshire in 1813 Arthur Young recorded 23 common species of plants and grass in two Oxfordshire meadows. How long before we get that down to one – ryegrass?

Leon Cobb