BLEWBURY AND UPTON VILLAGE PRODUCE ASSOCIATION

January 31, 2022

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

December 9, 2021

The Governors of Blewbury School are delighted to announce that from January 1st Ms Jo Reeder will be promoted to this new position from her current role as Head of School.

Blewbury Good Neighbours win county award

November 18, 2021

In a ceremony at County Hall on Thursday 4th November, the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, Imam Monawar Hussain, made a special award to Karen Foreman and Blewbury Good Neighbours for all the good work they’ve done for the community during the pandemic.

New lease of life for War Shrine

Attendees at this year’s Remembrance Sunday gathering at the Blewbury’s London Road War Shrine were rewarded with the gift of a beautifully refurbished commemorative stone, thanks to the sterling voluntary work put in by local stonemason Ryan Morris.

The Tony Loy Trust

December 11, 2021

The aim of the Tony Loy Trust (The TLT) www.thetonyloytrust.org is to advance the education and support the development of, and provide opportunities for, children and young people under the age of 25 in Blewbury and the neighbouring area in the arts and sport.

This will include: providing grants, allowances or scholarships; supporting training; and assisting travel, events or projects. We are more than happy to receive and consider applications. If you would like to be considered, please write to the Trustees with a brief outline of what you are intending to do and how you might use any financial support.

The Trustees, 24 Grahame Close, Blewbury, OX11 9QE email: sloy24@gmail.com

Goodbye to Chorister Caitlin

October 22, 2021

The Church Choir has said farewell to Caitlin Smith as she leaves to study at Exeter University. We are so grateful to Caitlin for her time with the choir of nearly 10 years! If you love singing, click the link for information on how to join either of Blewbury’s two choirs.

Blewbury’s New Historical Novel

September 17, 2021

The Courage Game is a fictionalised account of the life of Gladys Hazel, the infamous ‘Militant Suffragette’, who lived in a bungalow in Westbrook Street from 1939 to 1959 and is buried in Blewbury Cemetery.

Blewbury girls’ football team

November 1, 2021

Blewbury Amazons Girls FC is a brand new girls football club based at Blewbury Recreation Ground.

We have teams from U8 to U12 playing in the Oxfordshire Girls Football League of whom train on Monday evenings. We also have our Mini Amazons on a Sunday morning in term time 10-11am for our 4-7 year old beginners. The club was formed this year to give more opportunities for girls to play sport and develop as young independent women. The emphasis is very much on development and FUN.

For more details please contact Jermaine via email at Blewburygirlsfootballclub@yahoo.com

Can Blewbury help a refugee family?

Are you interested in doing something practical to help a refugee family who would like to start a new life in the UK?

We are forming a group to work towards sponsoring a refugee family to come and live in or near Blewbury. Following a meeting with Reset Communities and Refugees, a charity which offers training and support for groups interested in sponsoring refugees, we are running an introductory event about the process, including all the ways (big or small!) that you can help. We’re not asking for any commitment at this stage – please just come along to the Melland Room at Blewbury Clubhouse on Tuesday 23^rd November at 7pm, and find out more from a group who has already supported a refugee family to resettle in their community. We look forward to seeing you.

Kristy Siegfried and Lydia Inglis

Blewbury News