Keeping up the Cob Walls

20/09/2025

Blewbury’s cob walls are one of our village’s most characteristic features.

The Parish Council arranges and pays for their maintenance of this one in the lane by the Play Close, so it belongs to all of us (others belong to the adjacent properties). Here we see Skimp the Thatcher demonstrating his expertise in repairing the “roof” of the wall.

Thatching is a skilled craft, but everyone can help keep the walls in good condition. A build-up of leaves hastens their deterioration, so please, if you have a moment, take a brush and clear the accumulated leaves off a bit of wall this autumn. Curtoys Lane is particularly leafy so it needs a lot of clearing.

Measure for Measure – Introductory Talk

Monday 6th October, 7:45pm, Blewbury Village Hall – Vale Room

If you’re interested in this particular dark comedy, Chris Whatmore will be giving a talk on it which hopefully will appeal both to first-timers and to anyone who might like to brush up or learn a bit more. While it’s aimed mainly at those Crew members who are coming to see the play at Stratford on October 8th, absolutely everyone is welcome. As well as showing how Measure fits in with Shakespeare’s work as a whole, Chris will be looking at its plot, characters and some of the questions it raises, and asking how it might still speak to 21st century audiences.

Tickets are £4 each, to include an interval refreshment – available from Blewbury Post Office or can be reserved by emailing admin@themotleycrew.org.uk.

North Moreton Book Sale

Saturday 1st November, 10am – 3pm, North Moreton Church

As usual, thousands of books will be on sale, with all proceeds going to support the village hall and church.
Tea, coffee and home-made cakes will be available. Free entry and car parking. Donations of spare books are always
welcome. Email northmoretonbooksale@gmail.com or call 01235 818900 or 07908314771 if you have any books to
give, and the organisers will happily collect them.

Arts and Crafts Fair – East Hagbourne

Saturday 1st November, 10:30 – 4:30, St Andrew’s Church

Come and meet local crafts people, artists and writers. Admission
is free, there is ample parking at Hagbourne Village Hall and refreshments served all day. Do come prepared with cash or cheques, due to limited internet signal in the church. Proceeds are in support of The Friends of St. Andrew’s. Further information from: linda.benton@live.co.uk 01235 817891.

Brush Party with Rachael

Friday 26th September, 7pm, Village Hall

Come and paint the stunning “Sorrento Lemons”

Bar, snacks and a raffle in aid of the village hall, no experience needed, all you need is provided for your painting to take home!

Tickets £35 from the Post Office or http://buytickets.at/blewburyvillagehall/1765105

Halloween Fundraiser Disco

Saturday 18th October, 7:30 pm

Following our usual summer break, we are now preparing for our autumn events, the first of which is a fundraiser for St. Miracle Works Educational Foundation in Ghana to provide food, books and clothing for the orphanage/school in Senya Beraku (see September’s Bulletin for more details). If anyone would like to donate directly to the cause, the link is: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/smwef

Come and dance the evening away, in a scary costume if you’re so inclined. Tickets are £10 (available via the QR code). Over 18s only. Please support the bar and the charity raffle, but feel free to bring your own snacks.

… and Keeping down the Hedges

A gentle reminder to people who have properties adjoining footpaths and lanes: please cut back overhanging trees and shrubs now the nesting season is over.

This is an important responsibility for householders, particularly as it enables disabled access, but is also a courtesy to all Blewbury
inhabitants.

Miles to Malts walk raises £23,000 for Motor Neurone Disease Association

My friend Paul Booer and I have now completed our 666-mile walk from Blewbury to the Isle of Islay.

Here we are at the end of the walk, overlooking the Atlantic. Huge thanks to everyone who supported us – we’ve raised an amazing £23,000 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association, thanks to the generosity of friends, colleagues, neighbours and complete strangers. More than 40 people helped us along the way; some walked long distances and battled the nettles with us, while others fed us, hosted us and generally kept us on the path. It was a tremendous team effort, and a worthy addition to the legacy of our late friend and Blewbury resident Susan Fletcher Watts, who inspired us.

I promise this is the last Bulletin article on the walk! But if anyone is interested in hearing what it was like, I’ll be giving a talk on Monday 3rd November at 8 pm (see “Upcoming Events”). Or you can read my blogs and see pictures on miles2malts.com. There’s also a link there for anyone who would still like to donate to support this very worthwhile cause.

Neville Hargreaves

Monthly Archives: September 2025