Prof. Emma Smith in Blewbury for talk on Shakespeare’s ‘Romance Plays’

In a great coup for Blewbury’s newly-formed Shakespeare group (now officially known as The Motley Crew!) Emma Smith, of Hertford College, Oxford, has agreed to give a talk on Shakespeare’s late works Pericles, The Winter’s Tale, Cymbeline and The Tempest, often collectively known as the ‘Romance Plays’. Professor Smith is among the best-known names in contemporary Shakespeare scholarship: a world-leading authority on the First Folio, a regular guest on Melvyn Bragg’s In Our Time on Radio 4, and the author or co-author of multiple studies of the Poet and his work. She’s well known because she’s not only a great scholar but also a great speaker, so her appearance at 8pm on Monday September 30th in Blewbury Village Hall is a not-to-be-missed opportunity for all local residents who are remotely interested in Shakespeare. Our thanks go to Motley Crew member Sarah Salter for making it happen!

Tickets are a bargain at £7.50, including a glass of refreshment, and are on sale at the Post Office or can be reserved by email at admin@themotleycrew.org.uk. You can also use this address to join the Motley Crew mailing list.

This year’s Beer Festival was a huge success!

Thank you to everyone who made it: the sun was shining, and you were clearly in need of hydration as the kegs were almost emptied and the gin bar was drained! Thank you to all our fantastic performers, and to the PTA and Pre-School for running the food and soft drinks/cakes stalls. Most of all, a massive thank you to everyone who helped and supported and made the event happen. Profits will go to the UNICEF Ukraine appeal, Blewbury Pre-School and the BVS, which will help us to continue to put on the many other village events that run on a break-even basis throughout the year.

Summer Dance – Saturday 22nd June – The annual Summer Dance will be held on the evening of Saturday 22nd June in the wonderful gardens of Ashbrook House on Westbrook Street. Local band McFunky are back by popular demand after their fantastic performances in previous years. This is a great evening to get together with your village friends and beyond, to enjoy “bring your own” food and drink in beautiful surroundings, listen and dance to great live music. Gates open at 7:30pm; dancing until midnight. Bring your own picnic and drinks (no bar). Gazebo set-up at 4–5pm; collect by 11am on Sunday. Tickets are £15.00. They can be bought in advance from Blewbury Post Office, via email to blewburybvs@gmail.com or at the gate on the night. See also the separate advert on page 4 of the printed Bulletin.

Blewbury Garden Market, Saturdays, 9:15–11:00 – The BGM is back for its 15th year on Saturday mornings at the garage forecourt. It is a community venture, giving 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, bedding plants and perennials, free-range eggs and home cooking – such as jams and chutneys, bread, cakes and biscuits. 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 has purchased a marquee that we would like to make available for other groups, societies and individuals in the village. 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. We would ask for a small donation to cover ongoing maintenance, and you’ll need to put it up and take it down yourself. If you are interested, please email blewburybvs@gmail.com and let us know what the event is and dates.

Thank you to the outgoing BVS Chair – The BVS committee would like to thank Caroline Pettigrew for her hard work, great leadership, tact and patience during her seven years on the committee (four as Chair).

Blewbury WI generally meet on the 4^th Wednesday of the month in the Vale room. An interesting speaker plus a little light refreshment, what’s not to like?

Most of all we are a group of friends and support each other at all times. Just look at our packed calendar below – join in as much or as little as suits you.

Our next meeting will be Wednesday 26 June “Dragons and Rescue Dogs – my inspiration to write books” – intriguing!  Debi Evans will give us an Illustrated talk.  Her books are full of history and loved by children and adults.  Rolo, her real life rescue Jack Russell, makes things happen in history, magical!

There is a fantastic new element to the benefits of being a WI member. At no extra cost to members, National WI offer a range of online courses at the “Learning Hub” which will give you the freedom and control to learn anywhere, empowering women to further their ‘learning journey’. Courses are generally 1 hour long and held on Zoom. At the time of writing there were 50 courses coming up and over 60 on ‘catch up’ – they are available for a week after the live course. Topics range from history, travel, craft and well-being to exercise classes, art and business skills.

If you’d like to come 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

Do you love tasting new and interesting wines, presented by enthusiastic and entertaining experts? The Blewbury Wine Tasting group usually meets on the 3^rd Friday each month, in the Village Hall and always welcomes new people.

At each event, you can discover new wines, learn more about familiar ones and enjoy sharing the experience with other enthusiasts – no prior knowledge is of wine is necessary.

There is no membership, you can just come to the tastings that are of interest to you. We normally charge £22 per person, and typically taste 7-9 wines over a couple of hours, in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. You are welcome to bring small plates of food to accompany the wines.

Our tastings are run by either someone from Grape Minds, the Wallingford wine shop, or Tim Syrad who runs his own wine tours, tastings and sales business. Why not book a place and come along to give it a try? We would be delighted to see you! To make a booking or to find out more email blewburywine@gmail.com

As we launch ourselves into Spring (at last!) we find ourselves busy with exciting plans. We already have two events in the calendar for 2024 and exciting news for 2025. Here are a few dates for your diaries…

Friends Evening – A night of Blewbury films – 26 April, 2024

This will be held in the Village Hall on Friday 26 April. We will show all the short films from the recent Song for Europe, which were hilarious and people said they’d like to see again, as well as films from previous revues and live and on-line shows.  It’s sure to be an evening of fun and nostalgia.  The evening, which is free to our Friends of Blewbury Players, will include wine and gossip.  Roger Colebrook, our Friends Secretary, will be contacting our Friends about tickets. To become a Friend and get priority booking for Blewbury Players’ productions and an annual entertainment and newsletter, please contact of Roger at bpfriends123@gmail.com. Subscription is £15 and is renewable on 1st May 2024. If you subscribe for 2024/25 before 26 April you will have a complimentary month and invitation the Friends’ Evening.

The Caucasian Chalk Circle at Orchard Dene Garden Theatre – 17-20 July, 2024. Directed by Erica Harley.

This modern translation provides an alternative and more accessible version than the more traditional text. “A gem of a play. This is full of action, humour, music, and emotion… a wonderful story performed by a gang of actors – in a new translation”.

Box office – Tickets will be available online at www.blewburyplayers.co.uk. Priority booking for Friends opens 5 June (using a code that will be sent to them). General Box Office opens 7 June.

Puss In Boots – January 2025

We are excited to confirm that we will be performing another pantomime in 2025! This has been written and will be directed by Blewbury’s very own Andy Jarvis.

Puss In Boots Auditions – September 2024, more details soon.

For updates on all our events please refer to www.blewburyplayers.co.uk, or visit us on Facebook or Instagram. Anyone who would like to get involved in our plans please email us at blewburyplayers@gmail.com

The BVS Christmas events were well attended as ever: this year Santa delivered over 100 presents to young Blewbarians (and some not so young)!

Many people play a part in Santa’s Sleigh – an event that makes Blewbury so special. Thank you to Santa, Mother Christmas, Blewbury’s very own Rudolf, this year’s extra-large herd of reindeer, Santa’s numerous elves (responsible for his post office and other technical, safety and refreshment-based support), and the Blewbury Brass Band and Annie’s singers for carols on the Playclose. And thanks to all those who came to receive a present, join in with the singing or just be part of the event.

The Boxing Day Walk also had a great turnout, with lots of groups of all sizes. See page 1 of the printed Bulletin for the full story.

New Year’s Day started with the Roger Cambray Memorial Walk to The Bell at Aldworth, attended by a hardy troop of beer-seekers (and dogs). The live folk music in the snug was thoroughly enjoyed by those who managed to squeeze in!

BVS Comedy Night – Saturday 16th March

Next up, the legendary Blewbury Comedy Night returns to the Village Hall on Saturday 16th March. Paddy Lenox is back to compere, bringing three top comedians to entertain us. Whether you’ve been before or are a newcomer, please support this acclaimed event (over 18s only). Tickets are £18 – the box office will open on Friday 2nd February at https://bit.ly/3O7eBIG or scan the QR code. All drinks to be purchased from the bar, but please bring your own snacks. All profits will go to the Parish Council for maintenance of the village playgrounds.

Blewbury Beer Festival – Saturday 18th May

Looking further ahead, the ever-popular Blewbury Beer Festival will take place on Saturday 18th May: pop the date in your diaries now!

Someone once said, “I don’t want to go to Church, but I do want there to be a Church not to go to.” This sounds rather contradictory, but it is something many people can relate to.

We want the church to be there for us all, which indeed it is, but modern life means Sunday mornings can be important time for family activities, visiting friends or just having a long lie-in! Special events in the church such as the Carol Concert, Jubilee Evensong or Crib Service at Christmas are always well-attended by villagers, which indicates the value we place on the church. In difficult times, it is a place to pop in for a quiet moment, to sit and think and reflect. The ancient stones seem to understand and bring relief. At those great events in life such as the christening of a new baby, a marriage or a funeral, the church plays such an important part. We want the church to continue to flourish but also want to create another central space in the village for concerts, talks, coffee mornings, prayer meetings, rehearsals and plays.

Many people who may not attend the Services, already work to keep the church in good order by being on the Cleaning rota, the Maintenance Team, or the Flower Arrangers’ Group and we have an active Bell-Ringers group. Their voluntary work is appreciated and vital. Please let us know if you would like to get involved. We would also like to invite everyone to become a member of the Friends of St Michael’s Church so that we can widen this group of supporters and develop the church even further. Since Covid our Sunday services have become more diverse and we now have Communion, All Age Services, Taize Worship and services run by congregation, including talks about faith in a Café Church setting, and outdoor services where we celebrate the countryside and wildlife around us. We also offer a Sunday morning online service which you can join on “gotomeeting” or access by phone.

If you would like to join the Friends of St Michael’s, please complete the form on the leaflet found in this Bulletin or come along to a free Drinks and Nibbles event in the church on Saturday November 18^th at 6.00pm-7.15pm to hear a little more about our aspirations to develop the Friends of St Michael’s. Everyone is welcome.