Zak Corderoy is delighted to announce that he will be joining Gearlink Kawasaki Racing Team for his debut season in the British Supersport Championship, part of the Bennetts British Superbikes.

He will be aboard the Kawasaki 600 alongside teammate, Northern Irish rider Eunan McGlinchey who remains in the team for a second year.

Corderoy had an impressive season last year, finishing in a strong 3^rd position in the Junior Superstock 600 Championship. “Mega excited to join Gearlink Kawasaki for 2022,” says the 22-year-old from Blewbury. “Thank you to Michael and the team for the opportunity. Really looking forward to getting back out on the bike and showing every-one what we can do. We are going to train hard over the winter and come into next season in the best shape possible. Can’t wait to get back out on a Kawasaki again. It wouldn’t be possible without my loyal sponsors – Oxon Ltd, Fire System Services, Parker and Warne, Pro53, the Tony Loy Trust, R&G Protection, Shark, RST, Essence of Nature, HMY Customs, Performance Impact, Family and friends!”

Team Manager Ben Wilson adds: “We are really pleased to have signed Corderoy and retain McGlinchey for another year. We feel we have a strong line up this year and I believe both riders can run at the front. It has always been the ethos of the Gearlink team to develop and bring on new riders and I feel there is definite potential in both Corderoy and McGlinchey. McGlinchey finished in a strong 6^th place in last year’s championship and has shown that he has the pace to be on the podium. Corderoy really caught my eye with his mature approach to racing and his dominating form towards the end of last season in the Junior Superstock 600 Championship”.

SUNDAY 5^TH JUNE – NOON – 5PM

This event will be run by Blewbury School PTA in conjunction with a small team from the village and will be held in the School grounds and the Village Hall. This report is written prior to our big open meeting (on 17^th March) at which a lot more ideas will be discussed.  The main framework is much the same as the report on the front page of the March Bulletin – the emphasis of the event is for the whole village to get together and have an afternoon of fun and enjoyment. We start with a Pig Roast prepared by Sheila Austin and a vegetarian/vegan option. You are welcome to bring your own picnics and there will be a Bar and soft drinks at attractive prices so don’t bother to carry heavy bottles. The Brass Band will play while we have our lunch and then the activities will begin.

There will be something for everybody. Games, stories, face painting. Cream Teas, a variety of stalls selling plants, cakes, bread, honey and local produce. Bingo for young and old, children’s races, have a go at short tennis, a boules competition, make a Crown craft stall. A demonstration of wood turning. A display of the Queen’s previous Jubilees by the History Society. A scarecrow competition. A flower festival. A display and demonstration about the Chalk Streams and a host of other things to do OR just find nice seat in the shade and chat to your friends and family.

The afternoon will end with the traditional Tug of War which always gets everybody on their feet cheering on their teams.  There will be full details and a timetable in the May Bulletin and we look forward to seeing you there. This is an event not to be missed!

At 6pm in St Michael’s Church. Our Jubilee Celebrations will come to a conclusion with a Special Choral Evensong  Service of Thanksgiving for the Queen’s long and devoted reign to which everybody is warmly welcome.

Any comments, ideas or queries, please contact Pat Mattimore on 01235 851088 or at bernardmat@btinternet.com

The last in our series on the green spaces that help shape the special character of our village covers privately-owned land at Parsonage Farm and Orchard Dene.

In the heart of the village, Parsonage Farm is bounded by South Street and two small streams that run down to Watt’s Lane. The western stream provides a natural boundary between Orchard Dene and the garden of Parsonage Farm. Both properties were once part of the ancient prebendal (church) manor of Blewbury. Parsonage Farm was probably the main holding of this manor, and would have had a fine house (long gone) to serve the canons of Salisbury Cathedral when in residence. (Bishop Osmund, a nephew of William the Conqueror, was given church lands in Blewbury, and these were among many properties mined to endow the new cathedral in 1091.) Parsonage Farm was a thriving dairy farm, including a small retail unit called Robinson’s Dairy, until the post-war compulsory purchase of its fields to the east (for ‘Eastfields’) rendered it uneconomical, although rural links remained – there was a blacksmith’s forge here until the 1970s.

The 1805 Enclosure Award refers to Orchard Dene – the field that shelters the Blewbury Wagon – rather obviously as ‘part of an orchard’. At the end of the 18^th century, land in this area was farmed by Thomas Watt, whose name lives on in the public footpath leading from South Street to the north side of the churchyard. It is from Watt’s Lane that walkers can gain the best view of both green spaces – these views provide us with a 21^st century sense of Blewbury’s very rural origins. Both Orchard Dene and Parsonage Farm are home to a number of mature trees including chestnut, ash and blackthorn. At Parsonage, much of the ground is deliberately left to itself, providing an abundant home for insects and birds including green woodpeckers, little owls, tawny owls and red kites. There are also plenty of squirrels, muntjac and foxes. Orchard Dene and the land at Parsonage Farm help to form ‘the core of paddocks, orchards and streams’ referenced in the 1985 village plan – special places ‘for us, and for those who come after us’. Blewbury is lucky that the owners of both places are custodians who wish to keep nature right at the heart of our village.  Sustainable Blewbury

Community Speedwatch (CSW) is a national initiative where active members of local communities join with the support of the Police to monitor speeds of vehicles using speed detection devices.

Vehicles exceeding the speed limit are referred to the Police with the aim of educating drivers to reduce their speeds. The fastest speed recorded is 65mph on Bessels Way.

Several Blewbury volunteers have been actively taking part in the initiative since the end of July 2021, but it would be great if more people could volunteer so that we can try to keep our roads safe, and with longer daylight hours and improving (we hope) weather, the more people we have the more we can do. The Parish Council is fully supportive of this group. For more details and to register please visit https://www.communityspeedwatch.org/ select ‘Join Existing Group’ from the left hand side of the webpage and look for Oxfordshire, then Didcot – Blewbury Speedwatch group or contact Jill Ingoldby on 07824 552562 / jingoldby(at)btinternet.com

The Governors of Blewbury School are delighted to announce the appointment of a new Headteacher for the School. Ms Jo Reeder will from January 1^st be promoted to this position from her current Head of School position.

Since she joined the School in September 2021 she has been working closely with Ms Lisa Austin, who during 2021 has been the School’s Executive Headteacher. After the Christmas holidays Lisa will no longer be at the school as Executive Headteacher but will continue as part of an Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust  (ODST) support team working alongside Jo in her new role.

Jo and Lisa have achieved a great deal working together during the last few months, and the school is now in a much stronger position than it was when they arrived. The progress that has been made by these two leaders working with the rest of the staff has made this move to a more standard leadership structure possible. The Governors wish to thank Lisa very warmly for all she has done for the School, and pledge their support to Jo as she takes on the task of leading the School forward in 2022.

Blewbury School Governors

On Thursday 4th November, the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, Imam Monawar Hussain, made a special award to Karen Foreman and Blewbury Good Neighbours for all the good work they’ve done during the pandemic.

In a ceremony at County Hall, the award was one of 21 presented to individuals and groups throughout the county, chosen from over 60 nominations. Says Karen: “I was delighted to accept the award on behalf of the Blewbury Good Neighbours and the whole village. We’ve all ‘done our bit’, helping with shopping, prescriptions, dog walking, getting newspapers, telephone calls and tech support, along with a million other little things, that kept us all going. Lots of the volunteers have said that helping others was really good for them too: they’ve made new friends and it really helped with their mental health. So thank you to you all, well done, and we’ll keep going, as we’ll all need a helping hand one day!”

Attendees at this year’s Remembrance Sunday gathering at the London Road War Shrine were rewarded with the gift of a beautifully refurbished commemorative stone.

In September, the Church Choir bade farewell to Caitlin Smith as she leaves to study at Exeter University.

We are so grateful to Caitlin for her time with the choir of nearly 10 years!  In the photo, Caitlin received flowers and a gift with some of the choir.

If you love singing and want to join a Choir, we are very fortunate to have two in the Village!  For Blewsing, please contact Sheila Loy for further details: 850537 or www.blewsing.org or for the Church Choir, Sharon Phillips on 850817 or office@churnchurches.co.uk