The Grapevine MagazineApril 2005 Issue No 199 |
Lewknor School |
ANNUAL ART SHOW
Spring certainly came in time for FOLS annual Art Show held on the 19th and 20th March.There were over 120 pictures and pieces of ceramics both practical and decorative displayed. The children’s art work was also on show - following their trip to the National Portrait Gallery. Many complimentary comments were made on their work.
The show had new artists’ work as well as our regulars, working in a variety of styles and with different mediums.
As usual a big thank you to all those who supported the show. The school mothers and fathers were stalwart again in their baking, physical support and giving of time to man the show.
Also thank you to our sponsors, businesses who placed advertisements and those who attended, purchased pictures, ceramics or prints and cards.
With a modest attendance at the weekend FOL’s raised just over £1200. These monies all go to supplementing the school and its splendid range of topic work and extra curriculum activities for the children. Hence community support for FOL’s activities is very much appreciated.
Coming soon - there will be a PLANT SALE a date for your diary - 23rd APRIL
We have a fully qualified coach and newcomers will receive 6 weeks free coaching without obligation. If you are happy to take up the game at the end of 6 weeks you will have the option to join the club. All you need to join in on Open Day is a pair of flat shoes for walking on the green - you will be provided with bowls.
Watlington is a small and friendly club for both men and women of all ages. The current membership is split around 50/50 between men and women and the ages range from 14 to over 80. As well as a full programme of bowls activities a number of social events also take place throughout the year. Watlington is a progressive club and this year we expect to get the go-ahead to build a new clubhouse which will greatly improve our facilities.
We look forward to seeing all potential new members on the 24th April but if you want any more information please ring David Beechey on 01844 351451.
A good starting point is water. Decide if you would like a pond to entice wildlife. Create small wildlife ‘pockets’ around the pond such as upturned logs and pebbles - these form safe havens for amphibians and insects to hide under. Also strategically place small ledges (paddlestones, for example) on the water’s edge so that birds and mammals can use these to perch on. If you can’t fit a pond into your garden, opt for a small wooden barrel or even a bird bath.
There is also a great selection of trees and shrubs that birds and insects love. Spring-flowering Chaenomeles (Quince) and Crataegus (Hawthorn) will provide flowers in spring and fruits in the autumn. Or try Sorbus (Rowan) and Euonymus (Spindle) for fabulous autumn colour and the bonus of showy berries. If you want something evergreen, go for Ilex (Holly) or Viburnum davidii. Evergreens provide shelter and nesting spots for mammals and birds.
Birds and insects love flowers too. Achillea (Yarrow) and Cynara (Cardoon) are magnets for bees. Plant some Asters (Michaelmas Daisies), digitalis (Foxgloves) or Echinops (Globe Thistle) and watch the insects hover above those colourful plants. Herbs, particularly Lavender and Thyme, are also a food source. The birds love the Lavender seed heads and the bees adore the nectar in the flowers of thyme. Butterflies love Buddlieas (Butterfly Bush) and it is a joy to see them resting on these spectacular flowers.
And remember, your garden doesn’t have to be neatly clipped from edge to edge. Do leave a corner for a clump of nettles. Aphids love nettles and ladybirds and hoverflies in turn thrive on aphids. Ground beetles enjoy both adult and young slugs so in order to attract beetles, leave logs and stones undisturbed. Hedgehogs like to hide in hedgerows and long grass so leave these areas intact. And fit a bat box or two in the trees in a quiet, sheltered area of the garden. Nesting boxes for birds can also be strategically placed.
Creating small wildlife ‘niches’ in and around the garden and thoughtful planting of shrubs and flowers will provide a food chain for our natural wildlife. The bonus is that this avoids the use of insecticides and pesticides so saving you money and allowing you to spend more time to enjoy the garden instead of being a slave to it.
Walking away by C Day Lewis
It is eighteen years ago almost to the day-Bed in Summer by Robert Louis Stevenson
In winter I get up at nightThere is plenty of time to send in more suggestions. We are hoping to invite a celebrity to take part in the concert either to read their favourite poem or one we have chosen, so send your favourite poem to me, Elan Preston-Whyte, ‘Knysna’, Hill Road, Lewknor. Telephone number 350382. Children’s suggestions particularly welcome and I will see if they can be listed in future editions of Grapevine.
Further details of individual Planning Applications are available on line, as follows. open SODC's Home Page at www.southoxon.gov.uk. Under 'Hot Topics', click on 'Planning Register'. On that Page, click on the highlighted 'planning register' and, when the next window opens, click on 'Search by Reference Number' (on the left) and then find the specific application that you seek.
Ref No Remarks LPC Comment SODC Status PO4/E0014/RET Dirt Bike Track Object Current PO5/E0157/CA 4 Watlington Rd- changes to garage/annex NSV Current P05/E0158 4 Watlington Rd- changes to garage/annex NSV Current P05/E0194 2 Church Lane, Lewknor - extension NSV Current P05/E0226/T Hill Rd, Lewknor - T-Mobile Site Object Current P05/E0250/LB 2 Church Lane, Lewknor - extension. NSV Current
Please contact Ali Griffiths for waiting list enquires on 01844 352330.
If you wish to stand for election your nomination papers must be delivered to the Election Office at SODC (Cromarsh) by noon on 7 April. Assistance with the preparation of nomination papers can be obtained from the Deputy Returning Officer (call 01491 823651).
To be effective for this election any changes to arrangements relating to absent, postal or proxy voting must reach the Electoral Registration Officer at SODC by 5pm on 19 April, but applications for new postal or proxy votes can be made until as late as 26 April.
We read and discussed a really good book in February. It was Joseph O’Connor’s novel ‘Star of the Sea’. It is a brilliant description of the effects of the potato famine in Ireland, in the nineteenth century, on the poor and wealthy alike with a murder mystery to keep the reader turning the page. O’Connor’s wonderful prose style draws you into the tragic story and manages to give a balanced account of the causes and consequences of the famine.
We are reading ‘The Time Traveller’s Wife’ by Audrey Niffenegger for March. This book has reached number three in the Best Seller fiction list almost entirely by word of mouth recommendation although Richard and Judy have contributed to this!
If you are interested in joining the group, please contact me on 350382 Elan Preston-Whyte Hill Road, Lewknor
Since WW2, with changes in farming practice, there has been a huge increase in the destruction of hedgerows with many thousands of miles of hedge lost. The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has campaigned for many years to persuade the Government to protect this part of our heritage and the Government finally agreed and set up a protection by law. However, this only protects a limited number of hedges and therefore wildlife destruction does still take place and we as residents of Oxfordshire have to be vigilant.
CPRE has an Oxfordshire Hedgerow Database, a hedgerow survey of the different parishes. If a parish has had its hedges surveyed it offers some protection, as the hedge will have been catalogued and this information can be used if a hedge is threatened with destruction. However, there are still hedges where little or no survey has been carried out.
CPRE has produced a Hedgerow Survey Pack and if you would like to help in this important conservation work or would like more information about CPRE, please contact Amanda Garrett on 01844 278326 or Mary Isaac on 01844 279606 or the CPRE Branch Office on 01865 874780 - and help us protect the future.
So, what do you need to become a panel member? You will need to attend a 7-day training course; refreshments and lunch provided. You will need to be able to offer 4 or 5 hours a month to attend panels. You need to have good ’people’ skills. You must be over 18 ; there is no upper age limit and, ideally, volunteers will represent all sections of the community. If this sounds interesting to you, then please call Gilly Workman (01865 202218) for an informal chat or an application pack.