Copy for the next edition should be given to Mr. George Adams at "Karibu", Main Street, tel: 680286 by midnight on Friday,27thMarchplease.
If you normally prepare your material using a computer, it would make my life easier ifyou could submit your offering in electronic form, though paper is, of course, fine. My ‘official’ e-mail address is: news-editor @ oxhill.org.uk if you wish to send me stuff that way.
This edition (412) was edited by George Adams.
Oxhill News Subscriptions
We have reached the end of another News financial year. It is therefore time for me to request payment from those of you who take the News and are not Oxhill residents
We will maintain the subscription at last year’s level, though I fear that it will have to rise for the 2010-2011 year.
If you don’t live in Oxhill and wish to continue taking the News please would you let me have £2, preferably in an envelope with your name on it so that I know who has paid. Thank you.
Editor
Refuse Collection
Grey and Blue topped bins:- Tuesday 3rd, 17th and 31st
Grey only:- Tuesday 10th & 24th
Green bin:- No collection in March
Editor
Mobile Library
The library van will continue to visit Oxhill on Tuesdays, stopping at the Village Hall at 10 a.m. and staying there for 30 minutes.
In March the van will visit us on Tuesday 10th and Tuesday 31st.
You can renew books between van visits by calling 01926 851031, or online at www.Warwickshire.gov.uk/wild.
Editor
March Issue
Please could I have all copy for the next issue by midnight on Tuesday, 24th February?
If you normally prepare your material using a computer, it would make my life easier if you could submit your offering in electronic form, though paper is, of course, fine.
If you do use electronic form, the best format is a Word file with the page size set to A5 and Margins of 1.5cm all round. The News is currently set in Garamond 10pt, with headings in Lucida Sans Unicode 14pt bold.
My ‘official’ e-mail address isnews-editor @ oxhill.org.ukif you wish to send me stuff that way.
George Adams - 680286
Cover Picture
This photo of the Oxhill Cricket Team comes from Ann Hale’s collection. She was given it by Mrs Joyce Findon, née Gilks. It dates, we think, from the early 1930s though the exact date is unknown. Further on in the News you will find a name list of the players as far as Ann knows them. If you can put any more names to faces Ann would be delighted to hear from you.
Editor
Eve Whaley
We deeply regret having to announce that Eve died late in the evening of Saturday 21st February.
A full appreciation will appear in the April issue of the News.
Age Concern Warwickshire - Care and Repair
Care and Repair is a Home Improvement Agency offering practical help and support to people over the age of 60 and those with physical disabilities of any age. The prime object is to ensure that clients are able to continue living in their own homes in greater comfort and security. The service is for homeowners and people in privately rented accommodation.
Care and Repair has compiled a list of local contractors who have been vetted and approved, many of whom have worked with the organisation for many years.
Clients who wish to deal independently with their works or adaptation can be given the names of two contractors from the approved list. Many clients however opt to engage the support of a caseworker who for a specified fee will project manage the works of improvement drawing from the services of the Technical Officer as required. Both major and minor work and adaptations are undertaken and overseen from start to completion by the Care & Repair Team.
Care and Repair staff can also refer clients to Benefit Agencies to ensure that they are in receipt of appropriate benefits. This can have a marked effect on their income and hence on their quality of life.
Care & Repair Contact Details are: -
Tel: 01926 458125
Email: css @ ageconcernwarks.co.uk
Website: www.ageconcernwarwickshire.org.uk
This service is funded & supported by Warwick District & Stratford upon Avon District Councils
Douglas Nethercleft, VLO
Church Service Times
St. Lawrence Oxhill
All are warmly invited to our services
Sunday 1st - Lent I
9.30 a.m. - Holy Communion (ML)
Sunday 8th - Lent II
8.30 a.m. - Holy Communion (Rev Bill Rolfe)
Sunday 15th - Lent III
9.30 a.m. - Holy Communion (Rev Bill Rolfe)
Sunday 22nd - Mothering Sunday
9.30 a.m. - Special Family Service (NM)
Sunday 29th - Lent V
11.00 a.m. - United Benefice Holy Communion at Whatcote (NM)
Vicarage Notes
Lent 2009
Lent has begun and the usual series of Lent Services around the churches of the Deanery on Tuesday evenings will be taking place. A flyer will be available at church and there is a warm welcome to one or all of these occasions. I am pleased that our Lent Boxes will be for the “Water Well” project in Kaduna, Nigeria, and our thanks to George for including labels with the Oxhill News for anyone who wishes to use them. Jamjars and tubs should be sent into church at Easter. The 4th Sunday in Lent is always Mothering Sunday and there is a very warm welcome to everyone who would like to come.
Funerals
Remembering with thanksgiving
February 11th Evelyn Gage, aged 90
Thought for the month
I’ve seen some beautiful snowdrop displays in gardens and churchyards – such a pleasure after the exceptionally cold weather. They are thriving as the days become longer and provide more light. Jesus described himself as the light of the world, and in these days of economic uncertainties and global political turmoil we need a few more of the certainties of his teaching. “Lead kindly light” is one of the old hymns our forefathers surely enjoyed – good for today as well!
God bless,
Nicholas Morgan, 01608 685230
Rural Police Monthly Blog
Welcome to our Rural Police monthly blog. After numerous conversations between local village/parish magazine editors and the Rural Police, Shipston Safer Neighbourhood team. All parties have agreed that it would be both informative and useful to readers if the Shipston SNT produces a monthly article to go into all of the local magazines.
We believe that it would be of interest to readers to receive an update on some of the work that we have been involved in and to find out what our aims are and to also find out what we are trying to achieve. The article will also cover any other important information that we feel may be of interest.
Our rural SNT are based at Shipston Police Station, West Street, Shipston on Stour. The SNT cover an extremely vast patch which includes many different areas such as Shipston on Stour, Armscote, Blackwell, Crimscote, Darlingscott, Ilmington, Newbold on Stour, Tredington, Whitchurch, Ascott, Barton on The Heath, Cherington, Great Wolford, Little Compton, Little Wolford, Long Compton, Stourton, Whichford, Butlers Marston, Oxhill, Pillerton Hersey, Pillerton Priors, Sunrising, Tysoe, Whatcote, Alderminster, Ettington, Goldicote, Halford, Loxley, Aylesmore, Barcheston, Willington, Brailes, Burmington, Compton Wynyates, Honnington, Idlicote, Stretton on Fosse, Sutton under Brailes, Tidmington, Winderton, Polsworth, Admington, Whinstone, Atherstone on Stour, Long Marston, Quinton and Preston on Stour.
To those of you who are still reading and are not too exhausted from that list you can see we cover a huge patch which comprises many different villages. However, although we only have a small team working out of Shipston Police Station, we have a very good team who enjoy working throughout this area and who are very dedicated to preventing crime and to protecting the local community from harm.
The team consists of one Sergeant, two Police Officers, three Police Community Support Officers and a front office clerk.
The team employ a multi-agency approach to help us carry out our roles and to serve our local community. Other people/agencies that we work alongside include the Stratford District Anti-Social behaviour officer (Kully Takhar), local housing associations, Drug Awareness Shipston (D.A.S.H), local councils, the P.C.S.O school liaison officer (Guy Blacklock), other Police forces and many more.
The SNT also attend, share local information and listen to any community issues or concerns at Stratford District Councils Community Forum meetings. Members of the public are encouraged to attend to voice their opinions. The next meeting is to be held at Quinton Village Hall on the 26th of February 2009. The SNT will hold a community surgery between 1800 hrs and 1900 hrs and the forum will commence from 1900 hrs, onwards.
Shipston Police Station is open for enquiries from Monday-Friday, between 0800 hrs and 1600hrs with the office closing for one hour between 1300 and 1400 hrs.
Alternatively you can reach us by telephone on 01789 444670 between the above times or you can write to us at Shipston on Stour Police Station, Shipston on Stour, Warwickshire, CV36 4HD. We are also contactable by email at sr.snt@warwickshire.police.uk or you can also checkout our website at www.safer-neighbourhoods.co.uk.
Please keep reading our ‘Monthly Blog’ to find out more about our Rural Police SNT and to find out about what we are doing to prevent crime and to protect your local community from harm.
Nigerian Water Wells
This Lent, Oxhill and other churches in our benefice are raising monies for this worthwhile cause, since £500 will sponsor a deep well to supply a village with clean water. We have just returned from Kaduna, Nigeria where amongst other things we reviewed water wells, and discovered that the infant mortality rate is 25%. A clean water supply would greatly reduce this.
Enclosed with this Oxhill News is a label, which if you would like to help, please put on a jam jar into which we ask you to put your coppers and small silver. These can then either be brought to the Easter service or contact us for collection.
Many thanks in anticipation of your generosity.
Ann & Jim Saxton Tel: 01295 680613
Films in the Hall
Oxhill Village Hall - Tuesday 3rd March
Doors open 7.30 p.m.
THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS
Based on the novel by John Boyne, THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS is a wrenching Holocaust story about a young German boy and his forbidden friendship with a Jewish child, a prisoner in the local concentration camp. It is a deeply moving and disturbing film, but it is a remarkable story, told with masterly intelligence and grace.
Tickets can be pre-booked through Judy Badger on 01295 688010 at £3.50 for adults and £3.00 for children under 16 or will be available on the door. To avoid turning people away when seats are available we must ask you please to pay for pre-booked tickets when you book them.
Judy Badger
Village Hall - Cleaning Rota
Week beginning Monday March 2nd
Angela & Gaynor
Week beginning Monday March 9th
Julie & Keith
Week beginning Monday March 16th
Una & Jane
Week beginning Monday March 23rd
Dot & Judy
Week beginning Monday March 30th
Gwyn & George
Week beginning Monday April 4th
Angela & Gaynor
Una Hill
Parish Meeting Minute Books - Part III
The mid 1930s saw two major national celebrations – George V’s Jubilee in 1935, and, (following the brief reign of Edward VIII), the Coronation of George VI in 1937. The village celebrated both in style, each with meals for everyone, sports and games in the afternoon, and a social evening. Commemorative trees were planted, for the Jubilee a copper beech, for the Coronation a red chestnut. The story goes that at the Jubilee planting ceremony, the Vicar, Mr Brayne, who was known to be a little inept at public speaking, became rather lost for words, and kept repeating “I hope this tree will grow and grow……..and grow……..and grow……, until a voice from the crowd called out “I think it’s grown enough, Vicar!” and everyone burst out in laughter and applause.
The village’s Jubilee celebrations cost £20.6s.6½d; those for the Coronation cost £21.15s.7½d. (It does perhaps help to remember that the average agricultural weekly wage was then £1.12s.0d.). The Jubilee costs were largely met from village subscription. The Coronation ones were met from an amalgamation of obsolete village funds. The Cricket Club, which had existed in the 1920s and well into the1930s, no longer operated by 1936; nor did the Wake, the small fair which had traditionally been held on August 10th, the feast day of St Lawrence. The village Reading Room was also redundant. It had earlier been housed in the semi-derelict cottages that pre-dated Peacock Cottages by the pub, but by this time it was in part of what is now Meadow Cottage, Gilks Lane. No longer used, the books and effects were to be sold off. The three funds were amalgamated into The Village Trust Fund, which covered the cost of the celebrations. However it was then, disconcertingly, discovered that the cost of the new church flag and flagpole which had been purchased for the occasion had been overlooked, and that the Fund held not quite enough to meet this. A Whist Drive was quickly arranged to take care of the sum outstanding, and all ended happily
Ann Hale
Kineton Oil Consortium
Kineton Oil Consortium will be ordering oil again in March. Please get your requirements to me no later than 6 p.m. on Wednesday March 25th.
It has been brought to my notice that oil companies are sometimes late delivering their invoices and that quoted prices are not always honoured, resulting in a surcharge. To avoid aggravation please check your delivery note, as the cost of your oil is often printed on it. The delivery driver will sometimes accept your cheque or, failing this, contact the oil company for the total price.
D. Harper
Weekday Walkers
There will be only one walk during March as follows:
Friday 27th March
This circular walk is 5½ miles long from The North Arms, Wroxton via Drayton with 240 feet of ascent. Lunch will be at “The North Arms” in Wroxton. We will leave Oxhill at 9:45 a.m.
Please contact Jim Saxton 01295 680613 or saxton@tiscali.co.uk before Thursday prior to walk.
Oxhill Garden Club
As we rambled through the alphabet of shrubs and climbing plants with Margaret Morris I became overwhelmed with admiration that anyone could remember not only names (and Latin ones, at that), but also habitats, growing conditions, colours and alternatives.
Of course, this is down to an absolute passion for the subject and many years of experienced growing and tending plants. Mrs Morris brought books for reference, but she needs none of these, being an absolute mine of real information. We look forward to trying to propagate some of the seeds she introduced us to and hope we can nurture them in our very difficult growing conditions.
Everyone is welcome at next month’s AGM in the Village Hall on March 19th at 7.30 p.m. The meeting will include cheese and wine and a tabletop sale.
Please note that items for the sale need to be labelled with member letter and price, and that the club will take 20% of the proceeds this time.
Ann Saxton
¡Viva Espana!
On March 27th the Village Hall are putting on another of their very popular themed dinners and on the menu this time will be tapas and paella which you can watch being cooked in a huge four foot paella dish by the “soon to be famous” local paella chefs Don Crowther and Don Harbour.
Tickets are now on sale at £12.50 each and can be obtained from Angela Emmerson on 01295 680565. These evenings are usually very popular so in order to avoid disappointment please book early.
Doors open at 7.30 with food service prompt at 8.00.
Judy Badger
Stour Valley Probus Club
?? Are you a retired or semi retired businessman or professional ??
Then this may be of interest to you!!!
Many in your situation are not aware of the active Probus Club serving your area or understand what membership has to offer. The following provides a brief explanation of what you could experience.
The club serves the Stour Valley area and is part of Probus, the national organisation for retired and semi retired professional and businessmen. We hold regular fortnightly meetings at the Cherington Arms, Cherington, a lovely old pub just off the A3400 road south of Shipston-on-Stour. We meet at 10.00 a.m. for 10.30, during which time coffee and biscuits are served providing an opportunity for chatting. This is followed by any club business for 10 minutes and then a guest speaker for approximately an hour. At the end, if you have the time and inclination, you can enjoy a drink with new found friends. We also hold many outings and social events through out the year including a Ladies Lunch and a Christmas Lunch.
I trust that gives a flavour of what you could enjoy, so why not come along and give it a try; you will be most welcome.
Give the Membership Secretary, Geoff Cully, as call on
01789 748 285 And arrange to come along.
Editorship up for Grabs!
There were no takers last February when I asked if anyone would like to take over the News, so I have muddled on for another year.
However, following the debacle of last month’s tardy production there may well be several who think, quite rightly, that they could easily make a better fist of things.
If you are one such please do not be backward about coming forward. I grow stale, and I feel the News would benefit greatly from fresh blood at the helm. Let me know if you are interested.
George
Plant Trailer
Gerald and Joan Butcher wish to thank everyone who has bought garden plants from our trailer in past years and for being so honest.
However, owing to the money box being broken and emptied and a considerable amount of plants disappearing, we have decided not to grow them for selling any more.
Sorry to all our honest customers but we hope you will understand.
Gerald Butler
The Winter of 1947
A Hard Earned Crust
Bert Bloxham recalls a valiant day’s work in 1947, when in the dreadful snow of that winter, he was asked to take bread from the village bakery round the surrounding villages on a tractor and trailer. He was employed at the time at Mr Findon’s farm in Pillerton, and had been using a “crawler” tractor, (a TD9 for those in the know), in a field near Butlers Marston. He had been unable to get to work for two days because of bad weather, but was now asked to try and retrieve the tractor, as Mr Valender needed to get his bread delivered, and no other vehicle could cope with the conditions. Setting out from Oxhill at 8 a.m. Bert managed to walk cross-country, and along the bridle road to the distant field - itself two fields off the road – quite a challenge! Then he had to refill the radiator from the field pond, (no anti-freeze then, so it had been drained) leaving him with a Wellington boot full of icy water! After some difficulty, the tractor was started, and a detour made to Mr Blackford’s farm at Pillerton to collect a converted horse-drawn trailer which had the large wheels necessary for the snowy conditions. Duly equipped, Bert arrived back in Oxhill at mid-day, and helped by two of the Valender family and by Nancy Gilks, the blacksmith’s daughter, the bread was loaded up, and they set out on their rounds.
Their first stop was Nolands, then Pillerton, Butlers Marston and Kineton, coming back up Herd Hill, where Bert was the first driver to have attempted it. The snow, he tells me, was level across the road from the height of the hedges and gateposts either side.
The tractor had no lights, and yet it was not until 10 p.m. they made it back to Oxhill. Mr Valender was pleased to have had the bread taken round, he was apparently much more pleased with the 10oz of St Bruno tobacco Bert had been able to fetch him from the shop at Kineton! Sad to say, nowhere on their rounds nor on their return were they offered so much as a cup of tea, and so Nancy Gilks, taking the law into her own hands, finally knelt on a loaf of bread to make it unsaleable, and she and Bert, in a modest rebellion, ate half each. Good for them!
Ann Hale
Shipston Home Nursing
Invite you to a
Fabulous Nearly New Clothes Sale
Tuesday March 31st 10.30 a.m. - 6.00 p.m.
At the Townsend Hall Shipston- on- Stour.
Entrance £2.50 (to include coffee, tea and biscuits)
Fantastic clothes and great bargains
For further information
please call Rebecca Mawle on 01608 674 929
You May be Entitled to Benefit
Worried that your bills are going up? Struggling to pay the cost of your Council Tax or your rent? You may be entitled to extra money to help you meet these costs.
We at your local Council are running a campaign to let you know what you can claim. Many local people are missing out! We are working together with an independent voluntary organisation called Warwickshire Welfare Rights Advice Service to offer you FREE advice on whether you can get this extra cash. It is called Council Tax Benefit and Housing Benefit.
What is Council Tax Benefit?
Council Tax Benefit helps to reduce the amount of Council Tax that you have to pay. You can get it if you are liable to pay Council Tax and your income is low enough. It does not matter whether you own your property or rent it and you can get it even if you are working.
If you qualify the payment is made directly to your Council Tax account to reduce your bill.
What is Housing Benefit?
Housing Benefit is paid to help you meet the cost of your rent. It can be paid in addition to other social security benefits or Tax Credits, or just by itself. It is paid if your income is low enough, even if you are in full-time work. You could get all of your rent paid by Housing Benefit or part of the cost, depending on your circumstances.
How do you apply?
If you think that you could be entitled to either benefit then send your contact details to:
Warwickshire Welfare Rights Advice Service,
Freepost CV2104, Nuneaton CV11 5BR
Douglas Nethercleft, VLO
Oxhill Cricket Team
(probably 1925 – 1935)
Back Row L to R
Bill Rouse, Ernest Simmonds, Unknown, Charlie Simmons, Norman Heath, Fred Simmonds
Front Row L to R
Ted Blackford, Harold Blackford, Unknown (possibly Fred Harper Jr.), Unknown, Charlie Gilks
If you can replace any of the Unknowns by actual names please contact Ann Hale.
Editor
Accident and Medical Emergencies
First Call - 999
Then Call
Ambulance Responders
Mick & Barbara Shepard
07977149317 Mobile / 01295680644 Home
3, The Leys, Oxhill, Warwick, CV350QX