October/November 2008

Brightwell School

I am very pleased to be taking up the position of Acting Headteacher of Brightwell Primary School for the next two terms. Brightwell-cum-Sotwell is an idyllic English village with a strong sense of community and I look forward to meeting and working with you.

My teaching career has been long and varied and I have been seconded from Holy Trinity CE Aided Primary School in Sunningdale, Berkshire, where I am Deputy Headteacher. There are many similarities between the villages of Brightwell and Sunningdale. I have particularly enjoyed working in a church school, where I have fostered links with the church and I am sure this will continue to happen here in Brightwell. Our Harvest Festival will take place in St Agatha’s Church on 24 September at 9:30am. This year we will be supporting the charity, Feed the Children.

I enjoy teaching most subjects in the primary curriculum but my areas of specialism are maths and music. I really enjoy music and play the piano and guitar and in my previous schools have taught recorder, run the school choir and produced many musical plays. Everyone at Brightwell School has made me feel very welcome and I am sure that I am going to enjoy leading a team of talented staff to ensure that the children continue to achieve high standards in all areas of school life.

Angela Harbut

Community Association

Distribution of Funds from the Village Fete
This year’s Fete takings were £3,748.28, and after expenses of £430.10, the profit was £3,318.18. As ever, these funds are distributed to village organisations in response to requests to the Committee, together with other funds raised through Community Association activities during the year. Needless to say, all profits are ploughed back into the village

Funds have been allocated as follows:

Discussions are in place with the PCC over requested funds for maintenance at St Agatha’s.

Hugh Roderick

Allsorts Pre-School

As the long “summer” holidays finally drew to a close, we welcomed back our little, and not-so-little, old timers. We were also delighted to say a big hello to some new faces not only amongst the tiny tots but also amongst the staff. Caren and Hailey have both started their new roles as play assistants in September and we hope they go on to enjoy many years with us.

Surprisingly, the summer has been far from quiet. We received some fantastic news from the Pre-School Learning Alliance regarding our application for the final part of its quality assurance scheme. We are absolutely thrilled to announce that Allsorts has been awarded Stage 3 accreditation. A big thank you goes to staff, parents and committee for all their hard work in achieving this. In particular, we would like to thank our Supervisor, Karen Stevens, and our Chair, Tania Bevis, whose drive and determination were crucial to this very exciting result.

Meanwhile, our fabulous fundraisers have been beavering away again. At the Village Fete, they did a wonderful job of face painting and biscuit decorating which proved to be very popular not just with little ones but with bigger people, too! Any funds raised from the Fete will go towards putting a cover over our new outside area (a new, all-weather, undercover play area) for our little ones. We have had a variety of quotes for this development and still need to raise more money towards it. Our fundraisers are coming up with some more, exciting ideas to achieve this and we hope to commission this project soon. So watch this space!

Also coming up this academic year, will be the re-launch of the afternoon sessions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Allsorts. We are currently monitoring the requirement and would be delighted to hear from parents/guardians interested in their child attending this extremely popular Pre-School in the afternoons.

And finally, congratulations to Chair, Tania, and Matt Bevis on the latest addition to their junior management team with the birth of their gorgeous baby girl, Erika.

Victoria Clyde-Matthews

Environment Group

Save Money, Save Energy
The opening words of the Prime minister’s recent speech emphasized the timeliness of the Group’s recent thermal imaging study. Each householder who took part was given a report setting out what was found from the imaging and a leaflet entitled “Guide to energy efficiency in the home” Some householders have already arranged for extra free loft insulation and double glazing to be installed, others have added better seals on doors and windows and curtains across doors. In the coming winter other villages will borrow the thermal imaging camera from SODC to carry out surveys.

Summer Weather?
Summer seems to have forgotten us this year. Rainfall records have been broken again and serious floods have again affected certain parts of the country with many homes and lives ruined. The harvest has been a difficult one and there are warnings that yields of grain may be low. Like last year, the jet stream has followed a more southerly track across the western approaches and the weather has been dominated by a series of vigorous depressions, some perhaps the aftermaths of hurricanes from the Gulf of Mexico. Little or nothing has been reported on La Nina, the opposite condition in the Pacific Ocean to El Nino, but La Nina which has cooled the Ocean by 1.5 degrees centigrade is reputedly stronger than any time since 1988-89. It has had an increased effect on the jet stream developing stronger depressions. Let’s hope that El Nino returns soon.

Millennium Wood
The Open Day in May was a success with about 50 villagers visiting to see how the trees are growing. The Parish Council is considering the construction of a permanent path through the Wood to make access easier.

John Rodda

Parish Church

At the time of writing this we’ve just had the village’s ‘Big Paint’, masterminded again by Janice Chilton. The theme for this one was Harvest time. Anyone and everyone was invited to the Village Hall to create a small piece of art, either a drawing, painting or collage to be displayed on ‘banners’ adorning the pillars in St Agatha’s for the Harvest Festival Weekend. Thank you to all who turned up to join in the fun – but it would have been lovely to have more people participating. How do we get it over to folks that lots of events are intended for the whole village to be involved? I know some people think that the moment they attend any church event, or step over the church threshold, they will be viewed as possible churchgoers, targeted, and arm-twisted into getting involved. Not so. We all have very differing views on church/religions – and that must be respected. But – here in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell we do have two treasures, St James’ and St Agatha’s. And it seems to me that as a village we should be much more aware of their great importance historically and the need to maintain them for future generations, in the same way that villagers of the past 900 years have done for us.

Roy Strong, in his book A Little History of the English Country Church, puts it well when he writes about the church building as “the historic microcosm of a community over the centuries, with the very fabric telling of prosperity and depression, of war and peace, extensions reflecting the rise in population, and the churchyard headstones revealing the families who for generations moulded the life pattern of the land around.” I like that, - and you have only to read through the guide leaflets in both our churches to realise what an amazing wealth of history they contain. So please feel free to explore some of our village’s ancient past – St Agatha’s is open every day and I would be more than happy to open St James’ as required. Just phone me on 836063.

Olive Sutcliffe

The Village Stores: Progress - in Planning at least!

“And not by eastern windows only….”

As regular readers of The Villager will know, our plans have moved westward towards the Village Hall. An option which we are currently pursuing is to locate the Village Stores at the back of the Village Hall in an adapted ground floor with a newly built first floor containing meeting rooms and offices above it. We also continue to explore other options.

We have talked with the SODC Planning Department and have been encouraged to proceed to a detailed planning application. This is, at this stage – the beginning of September, as I write this – as positive a reaction as we can reasonably expect. We have therefore briefed an architect to draw up a sketch plan so that all concerned can see what is being considered.

Consultations
Throughout this process we have worked with the Chairman of the Trustees of the Stewart Village Hall. This is an independent Trust whose antecedents date back to 1 December 1879 when it was called the Stewart Village Club and it owns and administers the Village Hall. A meeting is planned with the Trustees in the first half of September to discuss the architect’s sketch plan. After we have received the Trustees’ suggestions and reactions, we will be talking with those living nearby who feel that they may be affected by the building of the Village Stores. We need to ensure that we take into account any concerns of theirs. Only then do we press the button, and incur the costs, to produce the drawings needed to obtain detailed planning permission from the SODC. And this is, of course, just the start…

The beginning of a long march…
Detailed drawings will enable us to estimate the cost of building and the total funds required. We then need to start actively fundraising, both from institutions and individuals. David Dobbin’s group will be working on this from October as we cannot commit any funds to building until we know for certain that they are available. We reckon that, if everything goes smoothly (any bets?), we could receive planning permission by January or February 2009. If that happens we will hold a Village Meeting to update everyone, to show the detailed plans and to receive feedback. Tender documents for the building could be produced by the end of March 2009 and contracts placed by June. Building is likely to take some 20 weeks and we need to fit out and stock the Stores before opening in November/December 2009, just in time for your Christmas rush!

But it is not only building
While all this is going on, we will be looking for someone to be the full time manager of the Stores – any volunteers for this (paid) job? We will also be gathering together those who have already volunteered to work in the Stores. Would anyone who did not volunteer at the time of the questionnaire and who would now like to help – and any volunteers for the (paid) manager’s job – please contact Corinne Jones on 836686?

“If hopes were dupes…”
So there is lots to do if we get planning permission, support from the Trustees and a good response from our fundraising. The Village Questionnaire last year indicated overwhelming support from the village in general. That should give us faith that we can turn hopes into reality and not into the dupes of Arthur Hugh Clough’s poem.
Watch this space…………and volunteer!

Jim Sanger

Junior Cricket

After a hectic six months, the first season of the newly formed Junior Section of Brightwell-cum-Sotwell Cricket Club finally came to an end with the Barbecue and Awards evening on the 18 July. The Junior Section was established in 2008, catering for children in the Under 9 and Under 11 age group. The Under 11’s started indoor winter coaching back in January, with 16 boys registered in the squad from all over the Wallingford area. The training moved outdoors to the Recreation Field in April, and the beginning of May saw the Brightwell side play their first ever competitive fixture against Aston Rowant. The match saw Brightwell run out winners by 26 runs, and during the course of the rest of the season the side played five more friendly fixtures, recording a victory against Abingdon Vale and narrow defeats to the likes of Oxford, Warborough, The Hendreds and Tiddington. These are clubs with long established Junior Sections, and therefore for Brightwell it was a very credible first season. The vast majority of these lads will play in the Under 13 age group next season with a handful still eligible to play in the Under 11 group.

Saturday mornings at the rec. saw another 16 youngsters get their first introduction to cricket with training sessions for the Under 9 age group. The emphasis for these youngsters was very much on having fun, whilst developing some of the core skills such as co-ordination, agility and balance, skills that are required for any sport. The Under 9s played Kwik Cricket and there are no competitive fixtures at this age group. Again some of these lads will move to the Under 11 age group next year while others will continue to form the core of the Under 9 age group. Therefore Brightwell Junior Section hopes to expand even further by providing cricket next season for Under 9’s (Years 3 & 4), Under 11 (Years 5 & 6) and Under 13 (Years 7 & 8). Coaching for the Under 11’s and Under 13’s will begin in January, so if your child is interested in playing cricket next year please go to the Junior section website http://www.bcsccjuniors.co.uk for more information.

The junior section is also inviting residents of Brightwell to support youth cricket by becoming a “Patron” of the Junior Section for the sum of just £10.00 a year. It is the intention that all “Patrons” will be invited to a complimentary cream tea before a Junior fixture next season, and for more information how you can make an important contribution to junior cricket in the village please e-mail the club secretary Chris Davies at chrisandemma.davies@btinternet.com

Jerry Walters

Bach Centre: The Story of Mount Vernon

In 1986 Judy Ramsell Howard, now Director of the Bach Centre, wrote a short book about the Centre and its history. The Story of Mount Vernon has been in print ever since, and is now in its eighth edition. Anybody interested in village life will find it a fascinating read.

The Story of Mount Vernon starts in 1934, when Dr Bach found himself in Wallingford, visiting a patient. He liked the look of the area and asked his assistant Nora Weeks to find a cottage where he could settle down. Nora arrived the next day and set out on her search. Walking out of Wallingford she came to Brightwell-cum-Sotwell and asked at the village shop if there were any cottages that might be available to rent. The girl in the shop told her there was an empty house in Bakers Lane. Nora went to see the landlord, and soon – after the cleaners had gone over the house, which had been empty for some time – Dr Bach and Nora Weeks moved in.

Mount Vernon was Dr Bach’s first proper home in four years, as he had been travelling since leaving London in 1930. The Story of Mount Vernon tells how he threw himself into digging and weeding, and building garden paths from the broken slates and stones he salvaged. Life early on at Mount Vernon was rather primitive. As in many of Brightwell-cum-Sotwell’s cottages at the time, there was no running water. They only had a couple of deckchairs and iron bedsteads for furniture. Later Dr Bach turned his hand to building his own armchairs, tables and desks, and he enjoyed boiling the copper for his tin bath.

After Dr Bach’s death Nora Weeks lived on at Mount Vernon until her death in 1978. In those years the Bach remedies became much better known, and along the way supporters of Dr Bach’s work raised the money to allow Nora to purchase the house. That was in 1958, and the trust set up for the purpose – The Dr Edward Bach Healing Trust, now a registered charity – still owns the house today.

The normal retail price of The Story of Mount Vernon is £3.95, but from now until the end of the year readers of The Villager can get a copy for only £2. Just bring your copy of The Villager to the Centre with you and ask for the discount.

Stefan Ball

Farming Update: Sherwood Farm

Comments on the vagaries of our climate in farming circles would certainly keep you a deal warmer than the disappearing sun has managed for most of our summer. This harvest is likely to go down in agricultural history as one of the longest and protracted of recent decades, it may yet get a record for the most un-harvested crop! As summer begins her slow slide towards autumn the days develop a different feel; dewy mornings and slowly shortening daylight hours together contrive to defeat man and machine at the harvesting game. A huge area of crops remain nationally and indeed locally, that have yet to see a combine. Here as everywhere, harvest has been more stop than go, there have been very few windows of opportunity when crops were ready to be harvested and this could be done at a moisture content in the grain that meant that no drying of the crop was necessary. In a more normal year grains harvested at the beginning of the day will often require some drying to ensure that they will store without problem, typically this may involve taking grain from 16-17% down to 14.5%. Usually as the day warms this rapidly reduces to the point where no drying is required and the majority of the days harvesting is placed in store at or below 14.5%. We enjoyed these conditions for a fifteen day run between 13 and 27 July that enabled us to gather in all of our winter barley and winter oilseed rape crops, as well as being able to bale and cart the resulting barley straw.

Rainfall wise the July total indicates a wet month with a total of 76.8mm of rain, luckily however 71.8mm of this fell in only four days and the majority of that before we had begun our harvest. By contrast August recorded 68.5mm but this was spread throughout the month and on the days that were dry there was no warm sun and crops remained stubbornly at around 16 -18% moisture all day. At this level a modern combine will soon outpace the grain drying facilities, so that a growing backlog of many tonnes of wet grain soon develops. This can quickly become a major frustration as it ultimately reduces the effective capacity of the combine. Nationally many all crop farms have moved to growing a greater proportion of wheat, so the wet August has greatly magnified this problem. On the livestock side we have been pulling our hair out! We are never great fans of turning cattle out to grass in early spring. This year though has been our latest ever; due to wet weather but particularly because of the threat of Blue Tongue Disease which kept all confined to the sheds until the weather brightened and we had secured our doses of the vaccine needed to combat this new threat to our animals. “Experts” love to trot out the phrase ‘modern farming practices’ when mentioning seemingly anything that has shown even a hint of decline. With Blue Tongue the disease depends on an infected midge as a vector to bite an animal. The midge normally lives in Sub- Saharan Africa, but because of ‘modern consumer habits’ are able to hitch a lift in a jet load of flowers or vegetables all the way to Holland. From there it is a quick trip in a lorry with hardly a wing beat of effort needed.

The double dose of blue tongue vaccine has added to our normal spring vaccination programme, barely recovered from this the cattle then faced a T.B. test. This involves a vet effectively injecting all of our animals on the holding with a low dose of TB virus at two sites on the neck of each animal. A few days later they return to “read” the result. If it is found that an animal has two equal sized swellings as a result of the injections they are classified as inconclusive. DEFRA then suspend all animal movements on or off the holding for six weeks. The inconclusives are then retested; in our case two young milking cows were again inconclusive. Although both animals appeared completely healthy they were taken and slaughtered to check for internal neck lesions. Very predictably both were found not to have a trace of TB. We then had to wait a further six weeks, still under restriction, when all animals were again tested. Thankfully all passed and the restrictions were lifted a week later. We could then relieve the pressure on our calf accommodation and move a large number of male calves to other local farms for their beef enterprises.

We do not buy animals in and are in a low risk parish, however the expense of this farcical exercise, some compensation for two healthy cows and the time of local and DEFRA vets are covered by a government unable to accept that it is continuing to fail badgers, cows and farming families, particularly in the seriously affected areas.

Lastly the wet weather has meant that the milking cows are already back indoors, as cows sheltering under a hedge don’t eat, as well as looking very unhappy.

Angus Dart

Red Lion: CAMRA Good Beer Guide

Our big news is that we recently found out that we have an entry in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2009 published this month. Out of 6,000 pubs in Britain only 4,500 make it into the guide so we are delighted. If you haven't been to the pub since we took it over why not pop in to see why the mystery visitors from CAMRA thought we deserved an entry.

Despite the weather we have had a busy summer at the Red Lion. Our special event evenings have been really well supported, thank you to everyone who came. The Pudding Night and Starters Night seemed especially popular so we are repeating them in the autumn. (See diary dates below) We expect to be fully booked for these evening so ring to book your table.

We are also still having regular charity quiz nights on the last Monday of the month. These are generally quite busy and raise a significant amount of money for the charity so if you would like to host one for your favourite charity, do give me a ring. Jazz Jam (live Jazz music) is on the 1st Sunday of the month and is a lovely, relaxing way to end the week.

We have now introduced our winter menu - you can see it on the web site www.redlion.biz . We are still trying to use local produce as much as possible (thanks for all the courgettes, salad leaves etc over the summer) and have included some traditional, old favourite comfort foods like casseroles, stews and dumplings and steamed puddings!

Christmas Bookings - we already have several large bookings for our Christmas menu so if you are organising a Christmas party and want a particular date please ring as soon as possible.

By the time you read this we should have installed our wood burning stove in the inglenook fireplace. Come in and enjoy it while sampling our delicious real ales, wines coffees and meals.

Sue Robson