Thank you to the village for your support for our spring and summer events!

It seems like such a long time ago now, but the BVS would like to say a huge thank you to our generous hosts the Barrett family; the fantastic band, McFunky; and all the helpers at the Summer Dance. A great time was had by all!

Fireworks Night, Saturday 2nd November – Following our summer break, we are now preparing for our autumn events, the first of which is the BVS Fireworks Night, to be held on Saturday 2nd November in Tickers Folly Field: put the date in your diary! The bar will be selling beer and mulled wine again, and we hope lots of you can attend.

We will have the usual wood collection beforehand and will be charging a small fee for this. More details on how to get your address on the list for pickup will follow in the October Bulletin.

We need lots of helpers for this event – in particular with wood collection and potato baking beforehand, and with setup and refreshment serving on the night. If you would be able to help out at all or have any queries, please get in touch at blewburybvs@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you!

Blewbury Garden Market, Saturdays, 9:15–11:00 (until September) – The BGM’s 15th year is continuing to be a success, and we have been delighted to see several new faces this year, as well as a great range of crops and home-baked goodies. This community venture on Saturday mornings on the garage forecourt gives local people an opportunity to sell excess home-grown or home-made produce and plants, to promote local food and reduce waste. We welcome all types of produce for sale, including fresh fruit and vegetables, cut flowers, seedlings and plants, free-range eggs and home cooking – such as jams and chutneys, bread and cakes. Producers set their own prices for their sale items; the BGM takes a 10% levy to cover costs. See blewburygm.co.uk for more information.

BVS marquee for hire – The BVS marquee is available for hire by other groups, societies and individuals in the village for a small charge. It measures 12m × 6m and has sides if needed. If you were at the Beer Festival, or have supported the Fireworks or Summer Dance you may have seen it in action. To book it, contact lydia.wanstall@gmail.com.

Sustainable Blewbury upcoming events!

Apple-juicing – Do you have a glut of apples? How about juicing and preserving them? Bring washed apples (bad bits removed but not cores) and your own clean bottles or containers to the Manor, Berry Lane on: September 1, 29 and October 13, 27 between 2 and 4pm. Arrive by 3pm if you want to pasteurise your juice (which will need glass screw top bottles). There is also a session on Sept 15 from 10am to noon. Costs: £1.50 to press a large bucket or basket of apples plus 30p per bottle to pasteurize. You can also freeze unpasteurised juice (in plastic containers). We do not supply bottles or containers.

If you have a larger quantity of apples, you can hire our equipment for a charge of £15 per day if you live in the village or Upton, £20 if you live elsewhere. For further information email Andy:  andy3210123@gmail.com

Nature Reserve – I hope you have had an opportunity to visit the site since it reopened in August even though the paths are still a bit overgrown; several young yellowhammers have been spotted recently. We will be maintaining the site on the second Saturday morning of every month:  next dates 14 Sept, 12 Oct, 9 Nov. If you would like to help and are not already on our list of volunteers, please email the secretary below.

Repair Café, Sun 15 Sept, 2 to 4pm, Village Hall – Bring your household items including clothing, electrical, and gardening articles for mending, tools for sharpening and bikes for fixing for free. Refreshments available. Donations welcome to cover costs.

Quaker Wood – Great news at last! We can announce that the parcel of land called Quaker’s Croft is now owned by Sustainable Blewbury. It is an act of extraordinary generosity to the village by the previous owner. Contractors will plant a woodland for us on the site over the course of the next six months or so. The Millbrook which runs along the eastern boundary will be enhanced and there will be glades and walkways for us all to enjoy.

A woodland is a long-term project, not much more than a sea of canes and protective spirals in the short term. We will be looking for volunteers to join us in the initial work and the ongoing maintenance. To that end we are planning an exhibition to show how the woodland will look when complete and to ask all of those who have volunteered in the past to confirm their commitment to helping with this exciting new project. More details in the next Bulletin.

If you want to know more about Sustainable Blewbury and become a supporter who receive occasional newsletters, email secretary@sustainable-blewbury.org.uk

The Motley Crew has organised a coach trip to Stratford to see Pericles on September 11th.

The trip itself is sadly sold out, but there’s also an introductory talk on the play a couple of days earlier, given by Chris Whatmore, to which everyone is welcome. This will take place in the Vale Room at 7.30 pm on Monday September 9th. Tickets for this event are £2.50, also available at the Post Office or via email at the above address.

Blewbury WI generally meet on the 4^th Wednesday of the month in the Vale room.

Lots of interesting speakers and a chance to catch up with friends over a glass of wine or two.  Loads of other things to do over the month – see diary below – Just join in as much or as little as suits you.

September main meeting  Wednesday 25 September.  Jane Fletcher will be inspiring us with “Making the most of your possessions in the home for you and others”.  Inspiration to preserve our memories and perhaps re-purpose those treasured family possessions that we all have tucked away out of sight.

She will suggest how we might make the most of our ‘stuff’, all those personal belongings.  Maybe family items? Maybe something precious of your own?  Following the talks with other groups, she has received some lovely examples of what people have gone on to find, dust down, display and share.

If you’d like to come along to Blewbury WI with someone else or find out more, ring our Secretary, Joy, on 850543 or email blewburywi@gmail.com.  New members can join at any time and pay a ‘pro-rata’ rate for the rest of the year.

Calendar of events