Help our School grow a Sensory Garden

23/03/2026

We are a small village primary school with a big dream: to transform an unused outdoor space into a beautiful sensory garden for our children.

This special area would provide a calm, engaging environment to support learning, wellbeing, and play for all pupils, including those with additional needs. Our PTA has begun exploring plans and gathering quotes, but the cost of professional work – particularly for preparing the ground – has proven to be much higher than we can manage. As a first step, we are hoping to make the area safe and usable by flattening and resurfacing the ground. We are reaching out to our wonderful local community to ask: could anyone lend a hand?

Whether you have experience in landscaping, access to equipment, or simply time and willingness to help, your support would make a huge difference. Even advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Together, we can create something truly special for our children. If you’re able to help in any way, please get in touch with the school office: office.3248@blewbury.oxon.sch.uk or the PTA: pta@blewbury.oxon.sch.uk

Artweeks in Blewbury

2nd-10th May | Weekends & bank holiday: 10am-5pm | Weekdays: 10am-3pm | Blewbury Clubhouse

Featuring the works of four local artists: Julian March, Yvette Phillips, Karina Tarin, and Eleanor Wong; each artist bringing their own unique medium to life. Part of Oxfordshire Artweeks festival running throughout May with over 400 venues to visit. www.artweeks.org

JULIAN MARCH – Ceramics
Jules is all about soul food crockery. His collection spans the functional and the decorative: from bowls and plates to vases and jugs, food to flowers. What sets Jules’ work apart are the interesting and vibrant colour combinations, paired with quirky, playful shapes that add character and charm to every piece. Much like humans, every piece carries its own small idiosyncrasies, making each creation special in its own right, just like us – perfectly imperfect,
and full of personality.

YVETTE PHILLIPS – Textiles & Embroidery
Yvette combines vintage fabrics with intricate hand embroidery to create boldly coloured and visually striking works of art. Her pieces range from small, finely detailed embroidered works to large-scale collages, each showcasing a rich and diverse palette of colours, patterns, and textures. Her work is deeply inspired by her love of nature and the natural world.

KARINA TARIN – Oil Painting
Karina’s richly coloured narrative oil paintings are inspired by ancient stories, symbolism, Renaissance and medieval art. Her work is a celebration of resilience, beauty and the magic that is an intangible part of our everyday lives. She is drawn to the age-old stories that are told to make sense of life and the powerful natural world around us – the myths, fables, folklore and symbolism that are woven into our collective understanding of the world and our place in it.

ELEANOR WONG – Semi-abstract Painting
Ellie’s practice explores connections – to oneself, others, and the world we inhabit – through animals as powerful gateways revealing human essence. Inspired by childhood play and her children’s unfiltered creativity, she builds dioramas to capture scenes, energy and imagined dialogues, drawing from them to create layered paintings, blending, oil, acrylic and ink.

Jazz – Jo Harrop Trio

Sunday 5th July, St Michael’s Church

Jo Harrop Trio – Amazing singer, a Ronnie Scott’s favourite, with ace guitarist Jamie Mcredie and bass tbc

Doors 5pm, Concert 5.30-7.30pm with break, £20 includes glass of wine / soft drink

Tickets from izabela@dircon.co.uk

Jazz – Bossa Gringos

Sunday 7th June, St Michael’s Church

Bossa Gringos – a truly fabulous Latin flavoured quintet

The Bossa Gringos take two melodic handfuls of classic Bossa Nova style pieces and make them their own to create a truly joyful jazz performance – Bossa Nova style! What’s unusual about the band is that they have two bassists – Paul Jefferies (double bass) and Raph Mizuraki (bass guitar), plus the brilliant Ukrainian saxophonist Anatoliy Vyechaslavov, critically acclaimed guitarist Hugh Turner and one of the UK’s finest percussionists – Keith Fairburn.
Paul, Raph and Toliy also play percussion. Uplifting, virtuosic music augmented by a host of musical / instrumental surprises! Doors 5pm, Concert 5.30-7.30pm with break, £20 includes glass of wine / soft drink

Tickets from izabela@dircon.co.uk

Blewbury Garden Market

Saturdays from 25th April

The Blewbury Garden Market will be running as usual this year at 09:15–11:00 on Saturdays from 25th April to September at Blewbury Service Station

Inter-pub Football Match: Blue v Red

Saturday 18th April, 3 pm, Blewbury Clubhouse

Following the success of the last two years’ charity pub football matches, organised by Ben Silverthorne, the BVS is delighted to be able to support the latest Cleve Derby this year. Blewbury is incredibly lucky to have two amazing pubs, so come along and cheer on the Blueberry and Red Lion teams while raising money for Blewbury Pre-School and the Village Cob Wall Fund. Kick-off is at 3 pm, and the bar will be well stocked in time to welcome the crowds.

Egg Rolling

Sunday 5th April, 3 pm

The annual Easter Egg Rolling is back on Easter Sunday, 5th April. It’s open to everyone – bring your decorated eggs to the chalk pits (head up the footpath on the village side of Tickers Folly Field and you’ll find us!). Prizes for the best decorated eggs and longest rolls.

Duck Race

Easter Sunday, 5th April

Don’t forget the Duck Race, organised by the Bellringers: in the Playclose, starting at 12 noon. If you haven’t yet got your ducks (in a row – sorry! Ed.) please contact Richard Loyd on 07767 463285.

Blewbury’s Rubbish – Litterally!

Congratulations and thank you to all who joined in the Great Litter Pick on 7th March.

Twenty-three people came, including one child, and collected 26 sacks of litter. Most of it was food and drink containers although there were also two golf balls, two vapes, a wood saw and a steel bar! Bessels Way ditches didn’t seem as bad as last year but we tackled Boham’s Road, where six sacksful were collected. Quite amazing given the few houses on this no-through road. One volunteer wondered how we can tackle the problem of litter being thrown? It seems unsurmountable but I do know that we can all become ‘litter-wombles’ and pick it up when we see it. Thanks again, and to Mary for providing the tea and biscuits.

Fireside Chat : Father Jason

Wednesday 4th March marked the fifth anniversary of Annabel and John taking over the Red Lion, and saw Elphin Lloyd-Jones guide Revd Canon Jason St. John Nicolle through their pub’s second “Fireside Chat”.

The son of a teacher (though his father moved into the clergy later in life), Father Jason grew up in Leicestershire, before moving to Dorset and then doing his History degree “in this area”. That led to an initial career in law, working in London, including at a Law Centre helping people with debt or gambling problems. Enjoying the pastoral side of that work, he felt a calling to become a parish priest.

Ordained in 2004, his first such role was as a curate in Kidlington, before he moved here in 2008 with his wife Maranda. Father Jason revealed the pleasure he now gets from writing organ music and performing recitals, as well as spending time with his family; and also from the opportunities he gets to teach, or just to “be there” for others. At Elphin’s prompting, we learned his views on a wide range of topics; from the decline of church attendances, to reflections on human nature, the subjectivity of knowledge, and the violence we see in the world today.

The whole conversation can now be watched at https://vimeo.com/1171387641?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci (with thanks to Alastair Laidlaw for his video-recording). Father Jason’s next Organ Recital is at St. Andrew’s Hagbourne, at 5pm on Easter Sunday (5th April).

Monthly Archives: March 2026