Village News

Thanks for helping me to help refugees

21/04/2022

With all my heart I would like to thank my clients who supported me to go to Ukrainian border as a volunteer to help people in need.

Just like on the artist’s palette, there is a colour in our lives that gives it beauty and raises a smile on the face of another person. It is the colour of goodness. Selfless help is a very valuable gift, which people offer to another person without expecting anything in return, therefore man’s greatness can be judged by not what he possesses but by what he shares with others.

Therefore, I would like to thank Luisa Baldini, Jules March, Audrey Long, Caroline and Matt Pettigrew, Vivi and Paul Tuvey, Monique Wilkinson, Tessa Mayhew and Sasha and Peter Way for financial support to cover some expenses associated with my journey. I also would like to thank all my clients for sincere interest throughout four weeks of my stay on the Ukrainian border.

Marek Kosinski

Battling Motor Neurone Disease

On April 24th Blewbury resident and Bulletin distributor Susan Fletcher set off to walk the Pennine Way in one go to increase awareness of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and raise funds to help beat it. Susan was diagnosed with MND – which is always fatal and for which there is no effective treatment – just before her 60^th birthday in July last year.

The Pennine Way is Britain’s oldest, longest and, most would agree, toughest National Trail. It starts at Edale in the Peak District and ends 260 miles, or a blistering 17 million inches (!), later at Kirk Yetholm just inside the Scottish border. Susan is planning to complete the walk in just four weeks, on or about May 22nd, but admits that it is a race against time. MND gradually paralyses you and the rate of progress differs from case to case. Susan’s MND has started with her voice and swallowing (the ‘bulbar’ region) but will spread to her limbs, causing immobility. She expects to have lost the ability to speak by the time the walk starts, so her son Aidan (29) and daughter Jessica (27) will accompany her and be her voice.

“MND is considered a rare disease but actually affects more people than you would expect – for every 300 people born in the UK, one will be at risk of developing MND,” says Susan. “Life expectancy averages around three years from onset of symptoms. There are about 1,500 new cases diagnosed in England each year. The total number of sufferers at any one time is only around 5,000, but that’s because we don’t survive for very long.”

Would you like to join Susan on her walk?

Susan’s husband, Brian, has recently undergone a hip replacement and so is unlikely to be able to walk the entire path with her. She does not want to walk it alone and so she is calling on all her friends, family and colleagues to join her for as little or as much as they choose. At the time of writing 157 people have signed up. A few hardy souls are attempting the entire journey but most are choosing a portion of it, and there is still time to sign up. “It’s going to be quite a party,” she says. Susan will also be supported by. “We are looking to average about 12 miles a day, with one day off each week.” She would love to hear from anyone who would like to support the cause, either by joining her on the walk or simply by donating. Anyone looking to get involved should visit https://millsb.net/pwp or to make a donation go to: https://justgiving.com/susan-fletcher-watts

Blewbury’s Diamond Couple

Congratulations to Cyril and Margaret Godwin who celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary with their close family on March 31st (they even had a card from the Queen!) They met at a Nettlebed dance and married at Remenham church, Henley-on-Thames in 1962.

They moved to Blewbury in 1964 after visiting a friend in the village and falling in love with it and went on to have four girls here, who have all loved it just as much. The key to success in their long and happy marriage? Their support for each other through the good, the bad and the sad.

Jeanette Godwin-White

Footpath closure for filming on Churn estate

18/02/2022

The footpath that continues across the Churn estate from the top of Cow Lane will be closed for several weeks for the filming of a battle scene for the new Ridley Scott film about Napoleon Bonaparte.

Shortly before, and during, the filming itself, which takes place between April 1st and April 12th, local residents will also hear gun and cannon fire.

While the footpath closure is in force, walkers will be diverted back down toward Rubble Pit Lane and Bohams Road. A map showing the changes, together with a more detailed explanatory letter from the production company, can be viewed and/or downloaded here.

Zak gears up for British Supersport Championship

09/12/2021

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”.

THE BIG JUBILEE AFTERNOON IN BLEWBURY

27/02/2022

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

Blewbury’s Green Lungs

31/01/2022

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

BLEWBURY AND UPTON VILLAGE PRODUCE ASSOCIATION

The Extraordinary General Meeting of the Village Produce Association was held on Tuesday 18^th January 2022. It was proposed at this meeting that the current Committee would resign en bloc and a new committee be formed by attendees at the meeting.

It is with regret that we have to announce that a new committee could not be formed (no residents attended the meeting) and therefore the VPA has officially closed. A few formalities require completion upon which a full report will be available at the end of February. To receive a copy email: vpa.in.bl.up@gmail.com

May I take this opportunity to thank all the Committee Members, past and present, and in particular, Karen Foreman (Chair) and Chris Jarvis (Secretary) both from Blewbury and Maggie Maytham (Treasurer) and Malcolm Wright (Vice Chairman) both from Upton, for their hard work for so very many years. I myself, although not a resident of either village, really enjoyed the challenge of being Show Secretary and seeing the smiles on the faces of winners at the summer show. Unfortunately, over the years, support for the VPA diminished and we, the Committee, reached the decision that the VPA had reached the end of its viable life.

As the saying goes, all good things come to an end. On behalf of the ex-Committee – Thank You to everyone in Blewbury and Upton (and surrounding villages) for your support and as always HAPPY GARDENING. Eileen Bracken

Community Speedwatch

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

Blewbury School appoints a new Headteacher

09/12/2021

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