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The Grapevine Magazine September 2001 Issue No 162
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The Fete, held in the Hospital grounds, on Saturday 25 August was a great success. It was a lovely day (if rather too warm?) and lots of people came along to find bargains at the many stalls, endeavour to win prizes, enjoy tea and lovely home made cakes whilst listening to the very pleasing sound of Chalgrove Band. The Fete was organised by The League of Friends of Watlington and District Hospital but the proceeds will go to the Watlington Hospital Charitable Trust. We shall be handing over about £2,000, so together with the £450 taken on the day towards the car Raffle, it was a good result. As you all know the Raffle drawn at the Fete was the effort of Lewknor residents - and what a splendid effort that turned out to be. A big thank you to Alison Ellerton and her band of helpers for all their hard work. The Raffle raised £301.80 and that is certainly a lot of tickets to deal with! Thank you too to all the people who donated the prizes - it was a very good Raffle. The Fete came at an opportune time - a few days after another planning stage of the proposed Nursing Home/Hospital and the new Doctor's Surgery had been passed unanimously.
This year Lynne Parker and Andrew White again very kindly judged the gardens. However, due to illness, (first Lynne, then Andrew with a bad back) they were not judged in July but a week or two later. Once again they thoroughly enjoyed their two days - finding so many interesting, lovely gardens. The names of cup winners will be announced at the Horticultural show but a full report, with judges comments will appear in the October issue of Grapevine.
While Australia may be murdering England in the Test series, readers of Grapevine will be happy to learn that the Lewknor Cricket Club continues to have its moments of triumph. One such occurred recently in a limited overs home match versus Swyncombe. The visitors batted first for a total of 184 after 32 overs. Lewknor then went in and after 32 overs reached 185 for 4 wickets. Cricket is of course a team game but there is room in it for individual excellence. There is no doubt that on this occasion Andy Moore was the hero of the day. Not only did he make 104 Not Out but he opened Lewknor's innings and thus "carried his bat". His innings included 19 boundaries and was a model of patience combined with determination. Grapevine congratulates him.
Volunteer to help and encourage disabled adult in Lewknor with short walks Ryder-Cheshire Volunteers is a charity set up to enable disabled people to particiipate in a leisure activity or hobby, with the help of a volunteer. No formal qualification is necessary - more importantly we are looking for enthusiasm, commitment and a sympathetic approach to the needs of others. If you think you can help , or want to know more about the work of RCV - please contact:- Caroline Hines (Co-ordinator) Tel: 01296 670736
Ragwort is a commonplace weed. It is highly toxic and if eaten by animals, particularly horses, donkeys and cows, death can often result. It can be lethal to sheep, dogs - and humans. When in flower (it looks rather like a yellow daisy - see posters on the parish notice board) it is very obvious on roadside verges. Infestations should be reported to either: OCC (Highways) on 01869 241144 (Fax 01869 245096) or SODC (Environmental Health) on 01491 823222 (Fax 01491 823201)
Meadowcroft Residential Home for the Elderly Along with the administration of other Old Peoples Homes in Oxfordshire, responsibility for Meadowcroft is currently being transferred to the Order of St John. A meeting to discuss these arrangements is to be held at Meadowcroft at 2pm on 17 September. Anyone interested in attending should write to Meadowcroft at Towersey Road, Thame, OX9 3NN or ring 01844 212934.
The Tree Council has designated 14 October 2001 as Seed Gathering Sunday, with the aim of encouraging the collection of seed to grow the trees of the future. Groups wishing to organise seed gathering events can get more information from the website, www.treecouncil.org.uk or from Ann Edwards on 0207828 9928 or e-mail: AnnEdwards@treecouncil.org.uk
Sir Michael Sobell House Hospice was first opened in 1976 to provide care for patients with life limiting illnesses and also to offer support to their families. Although about 60% of the running costs come from the NHS, around £800,000 per year needs to be raised from charitable donations. Sobell House Hospice Charity exists to raise these funds, which is done by a variety of means and with tremendous support from the local community. One important form of fundraising for us is events organised by our supporters. Many coffee mornings, bring and buy sales and Christmas fayres have been organised on our behalf and some supporters have been very inventive - we have sponsored head-shavers, concerts, and even a papier-mache boat sailing down the Thames. We would like to expand this type of fund raising by encouraging 'Community Support Groups' to provide on-going support for the work of Sobell House. These groups could be formed by colleagues, groups of friends or members to organise fund raising events on our behalf. The charity would be able to offer support and advice where needed. Some Support Groups could develop their relationship with the Charity and act as link between the Charity and the community at a local level. If you would be interested in organising an event for the benefit of Sobell House, please contact the Charity on: 01865 883339 and we would be delighted to discuss it further.
As you may remember before the school holidays we held a live music evening which included an 'auction of promises'. As well as being a really fun evening of dancing to 'Deja-vu' and eating all the food brought on the evening, we raised a fantastic £1030. We should like to thank once again all the people who put 'themselves up for lots', and also bid for the very same promises and articles at the auction! This was such a great evening that we shall be thinking ahead to host another one next year. We are tentatively looking at March 2002 to hold another Art Show at the school, so all you budding artists please think about entering original paintings or drawings as it is really nice to display local talent.
DOMESTIC HELP FULL or PART TIME (9-1pm Mon-Fri) If you are cheerful, reliable, enthusiastic and have high standards I would like to hear from you. Good salary plus 4 week paid holiday. Lovely house near Tetsworth. Own transport essential and non smoker. Please call 01844 281590 weekday mornings.
HOME-START SOUTHERN OXFORDSHIRE Do you have a couple of hours a week to spare? Home-Start Southern Oxfordshire is a voluntary organisation offering support, friendship and practical help to families with pre-school children. Being a parent is not easy whatever your situation; many parents feel exhausted and overwhelmed by the stresses of family life with the under fives. Home-Start volunteers are all either parents themselves or have parenting experience. We can offer a free course of preparation which will include topics such as child development, relationships, confidentiality and community resources. Could you offer 2-3 hours a week on a regular basis to visit one or two families in their own homes? We have been based in Didcot for twelve years and our service now covers the Vale and South Oxfordshire. If you would like more information about the scheme or becoming a volunteer, please contact: Hilary, Lynn or Pat on (01235) 511152 HOME START SOUTHERN OXFORDSHIRE 197 The Broadway, Didcot, OX11 8RU (first floor, Didcot Library)
JUMBLE SALE 2pm - 4pm at TETSWORTH HALL SATURDAY 6th OCTOBER Any Jumble to the hall on the day, 10am - 12noon IN AID OF TETSWORTH O.A.P.s CHRISTMAS PARTY
LEWKNOR OPEN GARDENS - JULY 2001 We had a lovely sunny day for the Lewknor Open Gardens on Saturday 14th July. A total of 9 gardens were open and Divine Cream Teas and refreshments were available at the school throughout the afternoon. The gardens looked beautiful and the different designs and planting much admired by our visitors. Some of the gardens had been open before but there were several newcomers which everyone enjoyed seeing for the first time. Visitors started their tour at the school and followed a route that took them to Vernon Cottage, just behind the pub, up Watlington road, back along one side of the High Street to Beacon view, returning along the other side of the High Street to finish at the school. It was a wonderful sight to see groups of people wandering around the village and enjoying the gardens so much. There were lots of surprises and many ideas and tips to be passed on. The Divine Cream Teas, Ice Creams and refreshments were enjoyed by old and young alike. Thanks to Paula Dormer who organised the teas, all those who people who made scones and the many helpers on the day. Once again thanks to all those people who kindly opened their gardens and for all the hard work that went into making them look so attractive. We are lucky to have so many wonderful and interesting gardens in our village. Including money from the teas, we made £163 for St Margaret's Church funds. We hope to make the Open Gardens a regular event, every other year, alternating it with the Church Flower Festival. Caroline Notley
The second Parish Festival took place from the 13th - 15th July. The three very successful events made it a particularly busy weekend for the parish. Following Deja Vu and the Open Gardens the final event was Adwell Fete which concluded the weekend on the 15th. The fete was in aid of Watlington Hospital and the Parish Recreation Ground. A wonderfully sunny afternoon saw a great many people enjoy the delights of the grounds at Adwell, as well as joining in all the fun and games of the stalls and the games. Boat trips on the lake, penalty kick out, a bouncy castle and china smashing were just some of the games and attractions enjoyed by the visitors. The event raised over £4,000 and a great many thanks to Tom and Imogen Birch Reynardson for hosting the event, as well as the very many helpers and supporters who made the event a success. A special mention should be made for all the people who worked so tirelessly in the kitchen washing up for many hours...the cream teas wouldn't have been a success without you!
LEWKNOR SCHOOL TEACHER GETS MARRIED August 4th was Miss Stoker's wedding day and the school children and their parents made it a day to remember. Miss Stoker, the teacher of the reception class and year one at the school chose to be married at St Margaret's, despite living in Bicester and her parents in North Wales. As a present to her and her fiancé, Andrew, the parents and friends of the school decorated the church for the wedding. Under the expert guidance of Charlotte Miles, who coordinated the decoration, many of the parents and friends made gorgeous arrangements that filled the church with scent and colour. The children each made a posy for the pew ends and signed their name on the creation in gold pen. The deep blues and purples of the flowers filled the church with their grace and beauty and the parents of both the bride and groom have asked that all the people who helped to make the church look so wonderful be thanked for their hard work. As Jenny and Andrew left the church, the schoolchildren formed a guard of honour, each holding a sunflower, Jenny's favourite flower. Rose petals, dried especially for the occasion by one of the parents at the school, were scattered over the couple by the children. They were then delighted to see a guard of honour with real swords, this time held by grown-ups, members of the group with whom Jenny and Andrew fence.
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