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LEWKNOR VILLAGE SHOP
The latest news is that we have had 3
interesting applications from people who are keen to take on the lease and
open the village shop. Interviews are
currently being held by SOHA (who manage the lease) and a
successful candidate will be announced
in a few days time. It is expected
that providing all goes to plan the lease for the shop will be handed over by
the end of September and the shop should be open again shortly afterwards.
Many thanks to all who completed and
returned the questionnaire that was issued to all households in the Parish at
the end of July. The results will
provide valuable information to the new shop manager and all information will
be passed on once the final decision has been made. If you still have your questionnaire and
wish for the information to be included please drop it into 13 High Street,
Lewknor
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VILLAGE HALL FLOOR UPDATE!
As many of you will be aware, during
August we had a major leak from the cold water tank that has caused
considerable damage to the main hall floor.
We have been working with the insurance company loss adjusters to
obtain estimates to get the floor repaired as quickly as possible and are
hoping that work will start in early September.
The whole floor will have to be lifted and
approximately half of the wood replaced, along with all the fittings. Once the floor has been lifted the area under the floor will need
to dry out before the floor is re-laid.
Hopefully, the work will be completed by the end of September so that
bookings can resume in October.
Obviously we need to get the hall back
into full operation as soon as possible so that the weekly clubs and Lewknor
Pre-School can use the hall again, but once the floor is lifted the main hall
will unfortunately be out of use for a short while. However, the recreation Ground can still be
used and we are hoping that the changing rooms will also be accessible.
If any one has any queries regarding any
activities please contact the activity organiser. For bookings contact Gill Bindoff on 011491-612663 or for a progress report contact
Caroline Notley on 01844--354237.
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LEWKNOR WEB PAGE
Those of you who have visited Lewknor Web
page will have noted that it is run by our son, Ian
Hazlewood. He originally set up the
page and kept it updated with Grapevine
news each month, history of Lewknor,
Genealogy section etc., the latter of which has had a very large number of enquiries
from this country and overseas.
Ian has now moved to work in Holland for the foreseeable future - while
he says it could be done from afar, it would be much better if someone local
could take it on.
‘Grapevine’ funds could offset any expenses incurred. I do hope someone will be willing to take
it on - give me a ring please, KB 353783.
Kay H
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LETTER
To:
Grapevine
From:
Joy Elkins, Barley Close,
Lewknor
“A word of Thanks
I would like to express my gratitude to
all my friends and neighbours of Lewknor.
I moved to Lewknor 16 years ago with great trepidation but over the
years have come to know and love the wonderful community spirit which exists and
I feel I have come a part of.
For those of you who are unaware, I
left with 3 of my village friends on Saturday
26th June for a short break in Prague where I fell and broke my
arm knocking myself out in the process. I had honestly only had drink!
Without Eileen, Len and Barbara I would still be lying on a road in Prague. They were all wonderful in ensuring I had
hospital treatment, my grand-daughter was contacted and they looked after all
my needs for 2 days until we could return to Blighty. I cannot thank them enough for all they did
for me in a foreign country!
But the kindness of Lewknor has not
stopped there; in fact a lot of residents have ensured that I have no need to
worry about my property and belongings whilst I was forced to stay in
Hertfordshire. I would like to add my
thanks to Marjorie for being the information point and to Val and Geoff for
keeping an eye on my property. When I
came to visit one Wednesday it was wonderful to be able to meet up with so
many coffee morning ladies; thank you all for being there.
One other thanks is
to you all for all your cards, phone calls and correspondence - it really
does keep me going knowing that I am part of such a wonderful
community!”
Editor’s Note: Sorry this letter had to be delayed due to
the fact we don’t publish in August - I hear via the
‘grapevine’ that Joy is pleased to be back home again now.
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SODC - REVENUES
AND BENEFIT SCHEMES
The contact number for queries on council
tax, housing benefit and council tax benefit has changed to 0845 612 2422.
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The Book Club of Lewknor
July’s book was “Samuel Pepys - the unequalled self” by Claire Tomalin. This was
a weighty biography of the seventeenth century diarist with enough tasty
extracts from Pepy’s diary to persuade us to
read the original anew. Pepys worked for most of his life as a civil servant
firstly for Charles II and then his brother James at Westminster Palace,
a vast building of which only the Banqueting Hall remains. A recent television programme on the Lost
Buildings of Britain
recreated the Palace and brought to life the description of the book.
Some of the club struggled to finish
reading the book but this does illustrate the pleasures and pains of the
reading group. Some choices are not
enjoyed but others unexpectedly prove to be a delight; all however provide an
excellent stimulus for discussion. So
if you are interested in coming along, our book for September is “The
Kite Runner” a book by an Afghanistan writer Khaled Hosseini.
Elan Preston-Whyte, Knysna, Hill Road, Lewknor Tel
no. 350382
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CHURCHYARD
TIDY-UP
SATURDAY 18th SEPTEMBER 2004
Can you spare some time on Saturday 18th
September from 10.00am, to tidy the Churchyard for the autumn and for Paul and Heather’s
wedding the following Saturday?
Bring your strimmers
and mowers, secateurs, pruning shears, wheelbarrows
and rakes etc. Some machines will be
provided but the more the merrier!
It would be great to see as many people as
possible, even if only for a short while.
Refreshments will be provided - Paul and Heather will fire up a BBQ
from 12.30pm .
Many thanks to all those people who have
helped with mowing and general maintenance throughout the year. See you there!
Contact
Robin or Caroline on 3544237
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SOMETHING UNUSUAL FROM NEWINGTON NURSERIES
Grasses and bamboos have become
increasingly popular in recent years - and deservedly so1 These easy care (and in the case of
grasses, drought tolerant) plants come in a huge range of varieties to create
simply stunning effects in designs from cutting edge contemporary to cottage garden
traditional. If you are looking for
some different ways to use them, consider the following:
Plant a prairie. Ornamental grasses are perfect for prairie
gardens, natural grassland areas mixed with flowers. Choose the dramatic fountain shaped Miscanthus sinensis ‘Ferner Osten’, Stipa gigantea (like an explosion of oats) and Calamagrostis acutifolia ‘Karl Foerster’.
Mix them with perennials including Echinacea, Lupinus
and Verbena bonariensis and create a path so that you can wander through your own little
bit of wilderness.
Create a sensory garden. Grasses and bamboos are not only lovely to
look at, they feel and sound good too, particularly on a warm day with the
light wind rustling through the swaying stems. Especially soft to touch is the Himalayacalamus falconeri, the Fargesia murieliae ‘Willow’ (Umbrella
bamboo), and Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’.
Plant Phyllostachyss
irridescens.
This has canes so thick they can be used for timber. Make a wigwam for runner beans, a kennel or
a child’s playhouse, cat scratching posts, fence posts or even a ladder
to hang towels on in your bathroom. Or
hollow out the cnes and use them in a diagonal
Japanese stylle water feature. Thinner ones can be sawn up and made into a
wind chime - ideal for your sensory garden. Use them indoors. Grass make a striking alternative to cut
flowers.
Phyllostachys heteroclada ‘Oliver’
has lovely green and wine-coloured stripy canes. Place a few in clear glass vase for an
elegant display, or try the feathery plumes of the pampas grass, Cortaderia selloana. Spray them with hairspray straight after
cutting to help them last longer.
Finally for an everlasting display, cut the summer flower heads of Miscanthus in late autumn. Peel away the outer grass layer to reveal
pink and yellow canes. Place them in a
vase and tie with raffia for a modern year-round display
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A BIG THANK-YOU
A big thank-you from Heather Blake on
behalf of her mother (Cynthia Blake). A request had been made in the June
issue of Grapevine for donations of wool.
This was to be used to knit blankets for children/the sick and elderly
people of Gambia.
The contributions will be well used and have been gratefully received.
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ELECTRIC BLANKET CHECKS
Free safety checks on electric blankets
are available by appointment at Didcot (on
Wednesday 8 September) and at Thame (on Wednesday 13
October). For further details and to
book an appointment call - 01865 515400.
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THE FUTURE OF WASTE DISPOSAL
Public Meeting - Benson
Parish Hall at 7pm, 16
September
New legislation, to be implemented in
2005, will restrict the ability of local authorities to use landfill sites
and significantly increase the cost of using those that are still
available. There is, therefore, a need
to identify innovative and/or more cost effective alternative approaches to
the problem of waste disposal.
Oxfordshire County Council, who are
ultimately responsible for the disposal (not collection) of waste does not
yet have a preferred solution and wishes to ensure that the public is fully
aware of the factors involved and properly consulted in devising a
policy. OCC are, therefore, sponsoring
a meeting, to be held at Benson Parish Hall at 7pm on 16 September, at which
a number of possible options will be outlined and the topic will be openly
debated. Everyone is welcome to attend
and participate.
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IMPORTANT changes to
your LOCAL HEALTH SERVICES FROM
1st SEPTEMBER 2004
From September 1st 2004, your local
Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) are responsible for
providing urgent health care services outside GP surgery opening times. The change to ‘Out of Hours’
forms part of the new arrangements for GPs that were introduced nationally on
1 April 2004.
The new service will offer care for urgent
health problems when GP surgeries are closed: this is between 6.30pm - 8.30am
Monday to Friday and 24 hours over weekends and bank holidays.
The out of hours
service can be contacted on: 0845 345 8995.
This number will also be available on your regular GP surgery’s
answer phone.
As per current practice, your personal
details will be taken and passed on to a GP, who will return your call and
assess your medical requirements. This
may involve advice about self-care, a visit to a Primary Care Centre, or a
home visit by a GP or specialist Paramedic.
Please remember that the on call doctors can see far more patients at
a central location than by visiting them at home.
You can also get general health advice 24
hours a day by calling NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.
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LEWKNOR PARISH RECREATION GROUND AND JUBILEE HALL
The deferred Annual Meeting of Trustees
will be held on Monday 20th September at 7.30pm. The meeting will be held at Lewknor School as the Jubilee Hall will be
undergoing repairs.
Everyone is warmly welcome to attend and
to contribute their views about the activities at the hall and field which
are currently available and those they would like to see in the future.
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LEWKNOR PARISH COUNCIL
The parish council is receiving an
increasing level of complaints about the use of a field adjacent to the Icknield Way
as a dirt bike track. People are
worried about the high level of noise, the high frequency of use and the
considerable impact on the Icknield Way itself and the
people who use it for quiet recreational activities such as walking. A planning application was made
retrospectively to change the use of the land from agriculture to a bike
track and this was objected to strongly by the parish council and by several
environmental organisations as well.
The application was subsequently withdrawn and it is expected that the
applicants will submit a new application in due course which may include
alternative access to the land through the field between Hill Road and the M40. Vehicles using the track will still have to
use the section of the Icknield Way through the
underpass so damage to the long distance path will not be avoided. Some vehicles also approach the track via
the Icknield
Way from the A40. The main concerns about environmental
impact and noise nuisance will be unchanged.
It is very important that people with
strong views about the bike track make sure that SODC know how they
feel. The person to write to is Ms Helen
Moore, Planning Department, Council
Offices, Benson Lane,
Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, OX10 8NJ. Letters from individual people carry a lot
of weight and help to confirm the objection expressed by the parish council
on behalf of the community. It
doesn’t matter whether the letters are long and very detailed or brief
and to the point. What really matters
is that SODC receives lots of letters giving evidence of the strength of
local concern so pick up a pen and send a letter straight away. If possible, include in the envelope a
second copy of your letter marked for the attention of the Environmental
Health Department. This copy will then
go to the department which has responsibility for monitoring noise nuisance.
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WENDY MARCHANT
Alan and Ben Marchant
want to let friends know that sadly, Wendy lost her battle against cancer
last week.
The funeral is on Tuesday 14th September at
12.45, in St John’s
Chapel at Oxford Crematorium.
No flowers please, but donations to the
‘Jane Ashley Ward’ at the Churchill
Hospital, Oxford.
Please send these c/o the Swan Hotel, Tetsworth
- where there is also a collecting box.
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FOR SALE
Pine
Wardrobe - good condition
1 metre
by 2 metres
£60
- O.N.O.
Ring Emma - 01844 353185
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OBITUARY - Gladys
Harper 1922-2004
Tribute for Gladys by Robert Clarke - at
her service of Thanksgiving on 31
August 2004
It is my honour and privilege today to say
a few words in tribute to Gladys. I
first met her and Stephen 53 years ago when I became engaged to
Stephen’s youngest sister Evelyn (or Lynne as many of us know her). A year later we were married and Anna who
has been such a great support to her parents in these difficult times was, as
a very young girl, one of Lynne’s bridesmaids. Gladys was then a young mother with five
children. I was conscious that she and
her husband Stephen were exceptional parents.
They were immensely attractive as were their children.
Gladys was born in 1922 in Leamington to William and Charlotte Lines, the youngest
of eleven children. Her sister Beryl
looked after her and virtually brought her up. You can imagine how much a bright young
girl at 19 relished this and was in fact known to refer to Gladys on occasions
as the ‘bally nuisance’.
As time went on they became devoted to each other and life long
friends as well as sisters.
One of Gladys’ earliest
disappointments was the refusal of her mother to let her take up a
scholarship at the Girls
College because it was
above her station! How times have
changed for the better. But Gladys was
a bright girl. She went to the Central School where she excelled and became
head girl. She was also an excellent
musician - the piano was her instrument and she had a fine voice as well.
This is where Stephen appears on the
scene. It is clear that he at once
decided that this was the girl for him and set about winning her. He used to arrange to bump into her when
she was taking her little dog, Pete, for a walk and they sang in the same
choir at Spencer Street.
They made a very attractive couple. Gladys was a beautiful girl, always
immaculately dressed as she was all her life.
With Stephen on his motor bike with his Clark Gable looks they were a
very glamorous couple and seen as such.
After leaving school Gladys had several
clerical jobs mainly at Lockhead and it was there
that her growing deafness began to cause her difficulty.
The childhood sweathearts
were married at Spencer Street
in 1943. Money was short and Stephen
had several jobs before going to Lockhead in Coventry where he made
a real success of his job. But farming was in his blood and that is
Gladys’ background too. When his
father needed him back at Snowford they dutifully
went. Sadly he could not inherit the
farm as his father had had to sell it in the depression years to survive and
provide for his family.
Stephen
too had to provide for his family and with Gladys’ full support
and help they built up a career firstly managing farms for others before
coming to Lewknor in their own right in 1960 - 44 years ago. During all this
time it was a true partnership with Gladys’ wise and intelligent mind
contributing so much to their success.
She always wanted to know what was going on, she was particularly shrewd
I her judgement of people.
Sadly the great tragedy for Gladys and her
family was her increasing deafness. In
her 20’s she had a major fenestration operation which failed -- she
became increasingly deaf and for 40 years completely so. One of her greatest sadnesses
was that she never heard her grandchildren speak.
In spite of all this and living in a
completely silent world Gladys never lost interest in what was going on. She was interested in reading, politics,
sport and friends.
But her greatest interest was her dear
husband Stephen and her five children (Robert, Anna, Simon, Carol, Martin), 14 grandchildren and three great
grandchildren. She and Stephen were
devoted to each other for nearly 70 years.
The older I become the more I realise that
St Paul was
right. Love is everything- the
presence of love renders other gifts superfluous, the absence of love renders
gifts unproductive. Has there ever
been a more loving, caring wife and mother?
She was always there for her family, from whom in her turn she
received marvellous tender loving care.
Everyone loved her. She was
sensitive, gentle, serene and extremely kind.
In spite of enormous health problems and pain, her faith and love for
her family, carried her through.
What an inspiration to us all.
However much the meaning of our lives is
fixed with the living, there is still a vibrant part reserved for those we
have loved and for those who love us.
GLADYS HAS GONE - BUT GLADYS HAS ARRIVED.
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