It is Blewbury Pre-School’s 50th anniversary on 27th April and we’d love to hear from anyone who has memories of the pre-school.
You may have attended as a child, or perhaps you used to help out as a parent, or maybe helped on the committee, or were a member of staff? We would love to hear from you! Please email chair@blewburypreschool.co.uk with any stories or photos you’d be happy to share.
At last – we are soon going to be allowed outside to play again!
To celebrate this great transition the Blewbury Table Tennis Club will be offering free opportunities for everyone to come along to play outdoor table tennis in the Blewbury Village Hall Car Park on Tuesdays (13:00 – 14:00) and Saturdays (11:00-12:00) in the five week period from April 13th – May 15th. Do come along and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air and join in with some friendly games. All standards and ages welcome, equipment provided, coaching available if you need it. This is a great opportunity for anyone to come along to try out this fun activity. In the past our age range has been from 5-95, but we are flexible outside those limits as well!
Then on Tuesday 18th May, all being well we should be allowed to play table tennis indoors again. The Club plans to resume weekly Tuesday sessions in the Blewbury Village Hall at a slightly earlier time than before of 17:00 – 19:00 each week. We have four superb tables and are greatly looking forward to enjoying the refurbished BVH indoor facilities. We would love to see you at these sessions. They are open to all ages and all standards of play.
Per session fees are: Adults £5, Under 19s £1. Roger Murphy, Club Chair
Read our most recent newsletter at sustainable-blewbury.org.uk/newsletter_latest.pdf
Depending on how lockdown is lifted, we will try to resume activities such as the Garden Market and repair cafes.
Sustainable Blewbury Annual General Meeting
We postponed last year’s AGM in the hope that we could hold a normal meeting this year, but that now looks premature. We are planning to hold our AGM via Zoom on Tuesday, 20th April at 8.00pm. We will review what we have been doing in the past two years and discuss ideas for new activities. If you’d like to participate, please email our secretary, Jane Kinniburgh at secretary@sustainable-blewbury.org.uk for details of the link to the meeting.
Blewbury Garden Market
We are considering starting earlier this year, perhaps some time in April, but that will depend on the rules related to COVID-19. You might like to start planting soon with a view to selling surplus fruit and vegetable seedlings. If you would like to volunteer to help on the stall (in a COVID-safe way); please contact either Eric (850558 or 07935 232 296) or John (850372).
Trees planted near the Chalk Pit
In March 2017 we planted quite a few very young trees from the Woodland Trust near the Chalk Pit as a first step in making a wildlife corridor along the track to the top of Cow Lane. Sean Morris has been doing maintenance work, by clearing out dead elder, planting a few more trees (wild cherry, oak, beech) and putting taller deer-guards around some of the trees planted previously. If you are walking near the Chalk Pit have a look at the young trees.
| BLEWBURY FREECYCLE FREE ITEMS TO A GOOD HOME | TEL NO. | |
| · About 100 blank CD-Rs· Personal Alarm and GPS Tracker· Geemarc TV-10 universal remote control Donation to Oxfam please | Peter Saunders pahsaunders@gmail.com | 850245 |
| · Two Bisley 2-drawer lateral filing cabinets in grey metal with wood-effect top, excellent condition and complete with rails and pockets for hanging files 80(W)x47(D)x72(H)· Small Bisley 10-drawer under-desk cabinet for storage of paper, stationery etc, brown and cream, in excellent condition. 28(W)x40(D)x68(H) Contribution to St Mary’s, Upton, vestry project would be welcomed! | Paul Batho pjsbatho@btinternet.com | 851251 |
| · Boxed Complete Chess set with marble effect board and solid pieces. Set in a wooden carry box with drawers for the pieces· Complete Mah Jong set in leather like case plus instruction books and wooden tile holders | Julie Hetherington j.hetherington320@btinternet.com | 850564 |
| Two Zimmer-type walking frames, one with wheels, both brand new. | Chris Whatmore editor@blewbury.co.uk | 851055 |
| To freecycle your item please send a short description, email & phone number to Lydia Inglis (lydandmuz@gmail.com) | ||
Getting involved in Sustainable Blewbury can contribute to the village and its environment. To participate, or to receive our free bi-monthly Newsletter, email info@sustainable-blewbury.org.uk or phone 850372.
You might have expected it to be hard for people from Blewbury to visit Blewbury School during the lockdown period. There have of course been many challenges for all of us as normal life has had to be suspended, but in fact a whole new ‘Blewbury People’ initiative has been launched by the School in the period since Christmas.
Aided and abetted by Picasso Class teacher Miss Su Calvert, and School Governor Roger Murphy, the children have been on a mission finding out more about interesting individuals in the village. Using Zoom video-conferencing the children invited several Blewbury People to tell them about themselves in the form of short video clips and then set up sessions where they were able to ask them searching questions.
The ‘Blewbury People’ series has been such a success it is going to carry on after the Easter holidays, so do please contact us or the children if you know of anyone else out there in Blewbury that they could find out about.
Members of the Blewbury community have been sharing information about their jobs, passions and lives with the children through these short pre-recorded videos. The children have then had a chance to reflect and discuss them before taking part in a live question and answer session on Zoom. So far, they have interrogated Prof Paul Whitehead, who is a water scientist, Shakespeare enthusiast and Blewbury Bulletin Editor Chris Whatmore, Dave Wall, one of our village postal workers, and then on their Book Day they interviewed Loraine Fergusson, who is a well-known Blewbury author. The children were really excited to meet these individuals live, and have asked them all some really interesting questions. This has certainly allowed some great school-village interactions to continue during a period of strict lockdown. It just shows yet another way in which videoconferencing has transformed both home and school learning and other forms of remote communication.
Su Calvert (Picasso Class Teacher) and Roger Murphy (Community Governor)
THERE’S STILL TIME TO ENTER THE VPA SPRING COMPETITION
SATURDAY 10th APRIL 2021
FOR COMPETITION DETAILS – Contact Blewbury Post Office or Maggie Maytham in Upton (850126) or email vpa.in.bl.up@gmail.com or call Eileen on 0777 518 5322
I’m writing this in the middle of March and looking forward to an improvement in the weather – a bit dryer, warmer and not so windy! I’m sure everyone has been getting to grips with the weeds, cutting the grass and planning what is going into the veggie plot this year. Here’s a bit of food for thought:
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I’ve actually tried a semi-no-dig method this year. I’ve hoed the plots and have gone down about four inches. This has loosened the soil and weeded it at the same time. I can then go a bit deeper when I start planting, I hope this works – watch this space!
We are hoping that the VPA will be able to hold the Summer Show this year on the 10th JULY – it will depend on what Covid restrictions are still in place. We will keep you informed through the Bulletin.
DID YOU KNOW – 1. There are more greenhouse per capita in Britain than in any other country in the world. 2. Peppers contain up to five times as much vitamin C as oranges. The highest levels are found when the peppers are in the early green stage of ripening.
We are still open as usual. The next lot of special stamps are “King Arthur”, and I think we may need him soon!
We have lots of second-hand books and jigsaw puzzles for you to borrow or buy for a small donation to charity.
Kitty’s hens are laying prolifically, lots of lovely fresh free range eggs from rare breed hens, I’m happy to pop some round to you if you can’t make it to us! (01235 851777)
We will be closed on Good Friday, and Easter Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Ring me if you need a gas or electric key top up etc (07825 154842) hopefully I’ll be out in the garden, as there is no Bellringers’ Duck Race.
Happy Easter everyone! Love from Karen, Maggie, Michael & Katrina
Have you thought about joining your local Croquet Club? We plan to re-open from Monday 29th March (unless the Government postpones that target date), and always offer a friendly welcome to new players.
We can provide all the equipment you need, and there’s no dress code for casual play – apart from the need for flat shoes to protect our lawns. Croquet is a very Covid-safe sport anyway, but our Club has been careful to put in further measures to reduce any risks further; with appropriate social distancing and a cleaning regime as recommended by the national Croquet Association.
Our annual membership rates are unchanged this year, at only: £150 per person, £35 for under-25s, or £270 per family (any number of people living at one address). And you’re welcome to come along to try out the game a couple of times before you have to enrol, for just £5 per person per session; either by arrangement as a member’s guest, or at specific beginner sessions we’ll run if there’s enough demand. Check out our website, or contact me for more details. David Long (07484360169 / secretary@blewburycroquetclub.org.uk) www.blewburycroquetclub.org.uk
Hello everyone. Hopefully this will be the last “News” in lockdown. We are keeping our fingers crossed that we might be able to have some kind of a main meeting in April, otherwise it will be back to Zoom for the last time.
We had a very successful coffee morning in March with 14 ladies present. The Committee Members are busy putting together “Easter in a bag” gifts to be delivered to all of our members. They deserve a big “thank you”. Lyn has a walk arranged for April, and this is her report:
Lyn’s Walk. “I mean to have a walk in April, but to follow the guidelines it won’t happen till Wednesday, April 14th. We had a walk arranged for December but it was cancelled so I propose doing it in April.
Meet at the Village Hall at 9.30am to be at Asda car park at Great Western Park at 10am. There will be two walk leaders if needed so that should accommodate any wanting to come. There are instructions this time which need to be followed. Have a mask and some refreshments with you. MORE IMPORTANTLY this time I would like to know if you are coming. If you would be in need of a lift and if you would be prepared to offer a lift to anyone without transport. Contact me on 07733 334484 any time up until April 13th but please don’t just turn up at Asda.”
We can look forward to the Spring and Easter and happier days.
For more details please contact our Secretary, Joy Boness on 01235 850543 or visit our web page, http://blewburywi.wordpress.com where you will find more information. Love from Cilla.
I am pleased to confirm that our Wessex League team will be promoted to Division 2 next season. Well done to Captain Dermot Paddon and all who took part.
We continue to run club sessions on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 7pm on BridgeBaseOnline. Also club sessions for individuals to play against the computer on Funbridge on Mondays and Wednesdays, any time between 10.30am and 10.30pm and on Fridays over a similar time span for Novices. It is flexible – within those hours members may play at any time which suits them.
We hope members are playing more regularly during lockdown and therefore finding that their bridge is improving!
Michael Allen 851870