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.

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

…but only for a few weeks! Closing a church is a serious matter; the only time we have previously had to take this drastic action was during the height of the Covid pandemic. This year during the month of October the church will be closed for a rather more exciting reason.

During October there will be some major work inside the church to replace the gypsum plaster and cement render with more suitable lime mortar, which will allow the building to breathe. As the works will involve using lime, which is not good to inhale, the work team will be wearing personal protective equipment, and the church will have to be closed for everyone’s safety.

I’ve compiled the September Bulletin from Gretna, just over the Scottish border, during my long walk from Blewbury to Islay. To date we’ve walked 489 miles, climbed 1.8 times the height of Everest and raised £8,742 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association, in memory of Blewbury resident Susan Fletcher Watts. Many thanks to all those who’ve already donated. We’re due to finish on 1^st September, but do have a look at www.miles2malts.com for our daily blogs, Track of the Day and the story of our journey – and of course, all further donations would be hugely welcome. The picture shows me on Striding Edge in the Lake District, the steepest part of the walk so far. Neville Hargreaves

This took place on 22 June with about 60 people attending including Ann Brodie, sister of Richard Brodie, whose estate generously donated a large sum towards it, Councillor Hayleigh Gascoigne, and Simon Barrett, who kindly gave his time as a solicitor.

Thanks to BVS we hired their marquee which acted as a good focal point. It was also a shelter when a shower came at 2pm just as John Ogden, chair of Sustainable Blewbury, made a speech.