I am standing in the next-door West Reading & Mid Berkshire constituency under a centrist no-nonsense banner for a new political party I have founded, Enterprise. The constituency spans the Ilsleys, Aldworth, Streatley and Calcot.
Jayne Newman, our wonderful cleaner, has been recognised recently for her 35 years of service. The trustees presented her with flowers and a bottle of bubbly to celebrate (see picture, left to right: Andrew Forman, Jill Allen, Jayne Newman, Dermot Mathias, Kate Mitchell).
There was a great turnout from the village to spectate the charity match between the Blueberry and the Red Lion. It was a very close affair with both sides looking like they could take the win but big congratulations to the Blueberry for the win and taking the trophy.
Guided bird-watching walks to the Nature Reserve on 11 May, 18 May and 8 June.
These will be kindly led by Martin Latham leaving the village hall car park at 9.30am and last for about 1.5 to 2 hours. He will show us how to identify birds by song, sight and flight. To book your free place, email secretary@sustainable-blewbury.org.uk. Bring some binoculars if possible and wear suitable footwear.
The Nature Reserve will close (except for the guided walks) after our next volunteering session on Sat 27 April until end July while the migratory birds are nesting.
Reminder: Repair café, Sun 28 April, 2 to 4pm, Village Hall – Bring your household items including clothing, electrical, clocks and gardening articles for mending and bikes for fixing for free. Refreshments available. Donations welcome to cover costs.
| BLEWBURY FREECYCLE FREE ITEMS TO A GOOD HOME | TEL NO. | |
| Electric mower (plug in). Fully serviced. Cuts two lengths: very short and quite long (no medium). | Alison Clark kafenken@btinternet.com | 850541 |
| · Selection of terracotta pots (not pretty planters)· 6 individual plastic jelly moulds· wooden beaded door curtain (180×90) still in its packet· 1 white ceramic toilet, cistern and fittings. Never installed and now surplus to requirements. | Lyn Blackie blackies10@btinternet.com | 850795 |
| · Two-part aluminium ladder; extended length approx. 7 metres.· 24 concrete paving slabs; 18x18x1.5 inches. | Peter Cockrell peter.cockrell9@gmail.com | 07824 631184 |
| · Ikea Antilop white high chair for babies with detachable legs.· Booster seat with a back for a dining chair with a detachable tray, suitable 6 months – 3 years old. | Lesley Ogdenlogden@blewbury.net | 850372 |
| Rubble that was once a concrete base for a garden shed 3 metres long and 1.8 metres wide. Suitable as a sub base for paths etc. | Sally Wills | 07936 752972 |
| To freecycle your item please send a short description, email & phone number to Lydia Inglis (lydandmuz@gmail.com) | ||
If you want to know more about Sustainable Blewbury and become a supporter who receive occasional newsletters, email secretary@sustainable-blewbury.org.uk
THE BARD’S BIRTHDAY AND OTHER STORIES
Blewbury’s new Shakespeare group is going from strength to strength! There are now over 50 members on the mailing list, and we already have two ‘Shakespeare for Beginners’ sessions under our belt. By the time you read this, we will have celebrated the great man’s birthday at a sack-fuelled party, and at our next event (date tbc) our very own professional actor/director Catie Flye, will be conduct a mini-masterclass focusing on Act 2 Scene 2 of Twelfth Night, and in particular the ‘ring’ speech spoken by Viola at the end of that scene. Catie will show how a couple of dozen lines can advance the plot, build the character and develop some of the themes of the play. She will also share some ‘tricks of the trade’ that can be deployed to engage the audience and maximise the impact of Shakespeare’s words. I have no doubt that this will be a great introduction to the art of staging these 400-year-old plays, as well as an ideal ‘teaser’ to Twelfth Night itself, which we can then develop by watching the Trevor Nunn film and perhaps conducting our own group reading of the play in the near future.
Looking further forward, we are in talks with a world-renowned Shakespeare scholar to give a talk to the group sometime in the autumn, and just under 30 of us are booked in for a group outing in September to see the RSC’s Pericles at Stratford. If any of this is of interest and you’re not already on the mailing list, please email me at shakescene(at)mac.com and I will add you to the group – no obligation and no subscription fees! Chris Whatmore
We had an eggstraordinarily large turnout for Blewbury’s Easter Egg Rolling 2024, with veteran rollers returning to offer wisdom and guidance to the next generation. It was also wonderful to see so many new members of the village for this vital rite of passage. Thank you to Tony Mather for judging this year’s best dressed eggs and Jonathan Fraser, Thomas, Henri and Ruth Elderfield for keeping us on track with the rolling. Of the 85 participants, our champion rollers, garnering the admiration of the entire village are: Roan and India (0–5), Lucia and George (6–9), Thomas F and Ella (10–13), Joseph and Matilda (14–17), Lucy P and Alister (18+), Skipper and Astrid (pet).
Note: we have a few prizes still to distribute, so email blewburybvs(at)gmail.com and we’ll unite you with your egg.
Blewbury Garden Market returns from Saturday 11th May – The Blewbury Garden Market will be back for its 15th year on Saturdays at 9:15–11:00 on the garage forecourt from 11th May. The BGM gives Blewbury 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 home 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 our costs. See blewburygm.co.uk/ for more details.
BVS and Parish Council AGM, Wednesday 15th May – The combined BVS and Parish Council AGM will be held on Wednesday 15th May at 7 pm in the Village Hall. All are welcome to attend.
Blewbury Beer Festival, 2pm-midnight Saturday 18th May – The final pieces are now in place for the Blewbury Beer Festival. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible in the Village Hall to enjoy the locally sourced beers and cider, as well as wines and a gin bar for those who prefer something else. Food provided by Blewbury Primary School PTA will be available from 4:00 pm, and there will be live entertainment throughout the day. Please visit our website: www.blewbury-beer-festival.co.uk/ to see the line-up, information about the available drinks, the good causes we are supporting and our kind sponsors. All profits will support Blewbury Pre-School, the UNICEF Ukraine appeal and the BVS. We are still looking for volunteers to help with pouring pints and making the day go smoothly: if you are able to join the rota, please contact us via www.blewbury-beer-festival.co.uk/#contact.
Blewbury Summer Dance, Saturday 22nd June – The annual Summer Dance will take place on Saturday 22nd June from 7.30 pm to midnight at Ashbrook House, with music from the brilliant McFunky – returning after 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. Gazebo set up 4 –5pm Saturday; collect by 11am Sunday. Tickets are £15 each and can be bought in advance by emailing blewburybvs(at)gmail.com or at the gate on the evening.
DIY for beginners: Our enthusiastic DIY Beginners now know where to turn off the water when household appliances spring a leak or water starts appearing where it shouldn’t. They can also fix a dripping tap and unblock a sink, toilet or drain, so if you have any of these problems ask someone who’s been to a BlewShed DIY for Beginners evening recently. Our next course module will be announced soon so keep an eye on BlewShed News. For DIY-ers who missed drilling and fixing, or saws and cutting last year, we will repeat these later this year. In our next DIY workshops we will focus on helping beginners with their individual projects using the techniques they have learned.
Community Projects: Dick Street is putting the finishing touches to Blewbury Cricket Club’s mower and filling the gear boxes with oil after his thorough restoration of this venerable machine over the past six months. Dick has earned the admiration of all BlewShed members and visitors to the Shed with his dedication and skill in this challenging task – a real work of engineering art. Blewbury Cricket Club will be able to keep their pitch mown again for this and future seasons. Work will now begin on restoring the old and rickety Tickers Folly Field park bench.
BlewShed products: Garden trugs, garden trays, boot removers and a smaller version of our popular full-sized trug as well as a wood-turned cake stand went on sale at Savages for Easter and will also be available at the village garden produce stall.
Meetings: Members who turned up for April’s club night sharpened their woodturning skills with the skew chisel. This versatile tool can do virtually any spindle turning shape or detail and its correct use can save a lot of sandpaper! For anyone who missed this session one of the BlewShed woodturners can show you how.
Next BlewShed club night will be Tuesday 14th May, 7.30pm in the bar of the Blueberry where we will have a social evening to discuss future projects. All welcome.
BlewShed opening times and membership: Tuesday, Friday and Saturday afternoons 1.30-4.00 pm and Thursday afternoons 2.00-4pm for electronics, non-dusty work and a chat.
BlewShed annual membership subs are £25 for individuals, or £37.50 for a family. This includes expert advice from members and use of a very well-equipped metal-working, woodworking and electronics workshop.
Aims: BlewShed is here to help members and DIY course attendees learn various woodwork, metal-work and other practical techniques, so come along and acquire some new skills, or just have cuppa and chat.
Everyone is welcome to club night meetings on the second Tuesday of the month. We look forward to seeing you.
Mike Wrottesley, BlewShed secretary https://blewshed.home.blog/news/
ARTWEEKS EXHIBITIONS IN BLEWBURY – OPENING 18TH – 27TH MAY
The Clubhouse, Bohams Road, Blewbury, OX11 9HF | 10am-3pm (weekends & Bank Holiday 10am-5pm)
Just a reminder that we will be holding our annual Artweeks exhibition in the Blewbury Clubhouse, opening on Sat 18th May at 10am. Come and see new work by:
Also in Blewbury we have Artweeks newcomer Anna De La Mare (animal, landscape painting and portraits) at 59 Bridus Mead, Blewbury, OX11 9PJ, on 18-19 & 24-27 May, 11am-6pm
Oxfordshire Artweeks is the UK’s biggest artist open studios and pop-up exhibition festival. For full details pick up your festival guide and local trail map from the Post Office, or visit www.artweeks.org
We are holding a celebratory concert on Saturday June 1st at 7.30 pm at St Michael’s Church Blewbury. The aim of the concert is to celebrate the work of the Trust, celebrate the achievements of the beneficiaries and further promote the work of the Trust and we are inviting beneficiaries, sponsors and supporters to help with celebrations. Several beneficiaries are appearing in the Concert, starring Simeon Lord – Jazz Saxophonist and featuring Angels Performing Arts, Megan Hughes – Singer, Blewbury Brass Band and more. Tickets are £15 and include a complimentary glass of wine or soft drink. Box Office is open from Friday April 19th. Please visit www.thetonyloytrust.org for further information and to buy tickets.
The object of The Tony Loy Trust is to support children and young people from Blewbury and the surrounding area in sports and the arts. We have provided £57,000 in 112 grants to individuals, organisations and projects. 44% of these have been in the arts: we have purchased keyboards, cornets and stage lighting in local schools; helped young companies stage productions at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; sponsored people on music and drama courses; and helped a performing arts group send children to international festivals. 56% of our grants have been in sports: to elite sportspeople in athletics, triathlon and motorsport; to a girls’ football and boys’ rugby club; and to an all-weather goal area at a local recreation area and play equipment in a pre-school. Overall, our support has improved facilities, provided opportunities, strengthened communities and developed skills and confidence.
In association with Mockbeggars Jazz, Friends of St. Michael’s presents The Fleur Stevenson & Hugh Turner Quartet
Featuring two fabulous multi-instrumentalists Raph Mizraki and Stu Henderson, at St Michael’s Church at 5.00pm on Sunday 19th May. This is the Friends’ first fundraising event to help with the costs of preservation and development of the church building.
Tickets £20, including a glass of wine or soft drink, available at Blewbury Post Office or from Richard & Gill Loyd (07767 463285/gillianloyd(at)gmail.com).
