The Hook Norton Village Newsletter
August 2002 Series 27 No 4

Village Affairs


NEWSLETTER TEAM


Advertising: Judi Leader
Distribution: Julian Bolton
Postal Services: Mrs M Padbury
Proof reading: Nigel Lehmann
IT/Web Support: Martin Baxter
Treasurer: John Stratford
Directory: Diana Barber


FROM THE EDITORS
August already and only 147 days till Christmas!J.
Barbara's opening line this time last year was “We hope that the arrival of this Newsletter marks the start of more seasonal weather!” Coincidentally, after a fairly indifferent start, it seems that summer has finally arrived this year.
If the script had been acted out properly, by now England would have won the World Cup, 'our Tim' would have won Wimbledon and, by the time you read this, the medal tally at the Commonwealth Games will be approaching a record. Sadly the first two did not happen but the third is still possible.
Thanks again for all the copy you have sent in and for the increasing numbers of you using email to do so.
£30.77 was donated in the Newsletter box at the Post office this month. Thank you.
Sadly, we report the deaths of Ruth Waring aged 74 years, Elizabeth Rosemary (Mary) Gale aged 66 and Violet Annie Townley aged 90 years. On behalf of the village, we send our condolences to their families and friends.


Finally, a reminder that the final text and advertising copy date for the next issue is 15th September 2002.

Andy Horne Helen Foster
hooknorton.news@btopenworld.com helen@monivea.freeserve.co.uk
The views expressed in the Newsletter are not necessarily those of the Editorial Team.
Advertising is charged at £20 per page and pro rata.
Text for village activities – Free (a small donation is very welcome).
There is a charge of £20 for all commercial inserts – village activities on request from Judi




KAREN THE POORLY POSTIE
Karen has now been out of action for months. She had a fall from her bike before Christmas while delivering our post but kept working despite extreme pain. Finally, she was told to rest, which she did for 7 weeks. At the end of May her right leg became very swollen and numb. She was given an emergency scan and was operated on the next day to stop more and possible permanent damage being done.
She is now doing OK but when we last heard, her leg was still numb below the knee and she was in a wheelchair. It seems like it will be some time before she will return. Karen has sent a card thanking everyone for their best wishes, cards and flowers.
Isita Pickering



ST. PETER'S CHURCH
We were sorry for John, the Rector, having such a painful and wretched time with cellulitis and are glad to have him back in action again. Sadly, he missed our Patronal Festival celebrations, as did Janet, our Licensed Lay Minister.
We had a splendid Strawberry Tea in the Church on St. Peter's Day – 29th June. As there were a number of people away or ill, those of us who were there went home laden with scones and strawberries which were left over after we had eaten our fill! The Patronal Festival Service which followed included an inspiring sermon by the Rev'd Bob Nind, who lived in Hook Norton in the past when his father was Rector here. A number of the older members of the congregation were delighted to see him again and we all enjoyed his visit.
August is a quiet month for the Church, with no special activities but the services as usual.
The Prayer Fellowships and Bible Study Groups will start again in September. Anyone wishing to join one of them can find details in the 'Benefice News' or apply to the Rector.
On 7th September we will have the School Day Out and Family Day to Hill End.
The Harvest Thanks-giving and Supper will be at 7.30pm on Friday 20th September and on Sunday 22nd September, the Harvest Eucharist will be at 10am.
Rachel Johnston



RIDE OR STRIDE
This is an event all can take part in. The aim is to make as much money as possible from sponsorship; not to tire yourself out, but to enjoy the countryside in the company of others. For sponsorship forms and further information, contact Breac MacLeod.




BAPTIST CHURCH
We hope that you are enjoying the summer holidays, whether in this country or abroad. It's a special time of refreshment. We all need those times to draw aside and recharge our batteries, a time to gain a true perspective on life. The news and press seem to report only the bad things that happen but we know that's not the whole picture. Sadly it seems that sensationalism is the order of the day. Can we learn to speak with grace, to converse without gossiping, to consider without judgement, to meet each other with joy and optimism? There will always be occasions when we disagree with someone but reconciliation is the way forward. If we can't do that in a small community then there is no chance in the wider world.
Hopefully the children will be enjoying Holiday Club by the time you are reading this. Please pray for fine weather, fun and safety and don't forget the barbecue for parents and families on the Thursday of that week.
Looking further ahead we will have our Harvest Festival service on Sunday 6th October - do join us when you can, we'd love to welcome you.
Julie Warren



1ST HOOK NORTON GUIDES
We have had an extremely active and fun term, with only one of the meetings taking place indoors. We hired Fundays at Bourton-on-Water and visited The Warriner School Farm where we had a tractor and trailer ride round the farm. Our oldest four guides drove the tractor at different times and all the guides were able to handle the animals. We also had a cookout where the guides built their own fires and then cooked their tea on it. This was followed by a tracking trail game. We had a computer evening at Hook Norton School and, a couple of weeks ago we went to Sugarswell Farm for another cookout where we picked strawberries to have with cream for our pudding. A speaker has also visited us from Cherwell District Council to talk about Hygiene, which was very interesting. All the guides were given a certificate for attending, along with booklets and goodies. Towards the end of term we had a sports evening and then finished the term with a campfire evening.
In June, 56 of us went to see 'Grease' at The Apollo Theatre in Oxford, which was great fun and we had an evening organised with the district at the open-air swimming pool at Banbury. We ran a stall at the Golden Jubilee weekend at the Sports and Social Club and 'Bowling for the Pig' at Folk in a Field.
We are really excited about our trip to Switzerland on 2nd August. By the time you read this newsletter, we shall be on our way. You will no doubt hear all about it, when we return.
Julie Wood



2ND HOOK NORTON BROWNIES
We would like to thank everyone who has supported us this year. We have now finished our foreign coin collection and our spectacle appeal. We have not been told how much our coins were worth yet, but thank you to all who contributed. We will be very sorry to say goodbye to Snowy Owl, Antoinette Hobbs, at the end of term. She ends her time with the pack and we would all like to thank her for everything she has done for us. Katrina Hambidge joins us as Wizzy Owl and we hope she enjoys her time with us.
The girls have had another busy year. They have worked towards badges such as Knotters, Seasons, Communication, and Computer Skills, with much help from outside experts. They have partied with a theme of 'Pink and White', had fun in the pool at Kidlington with other Brownie Packs nearby and mastered the art of Line Dancing.
We have planted bulbs around the Memorial Hall and put up nest boxes, which have been in use this year. We also managed to chose one of the only dry Tuesdays last term to do our litter pick and couldn't believe our luck when we managed another dry evening for a village trail this term.
We all enjoyed the Robin Hood Pantomime (thanks to the donation from the Charitable Association) and will put ideas from that to good use during our Robin Hood Pack Holiday in Nottingham this Summer.
Almost the whole pack attended a huge Guiding event in February near Coventry. The highlight of the year for the Sprites Six has to be their chauffeur driven outing to the Disney Studios in Hammersmith. During the visit, they had lunch and a private viewing thanks to their Sixer, Kim Appleton who won First Prize in a national story writing competition run by the Brownie Magazine. Another exciting outing for just a few girls was a Boating Taster-Day near Donnington Bridge. Our youngsters today are very lucky to have all these opportunities, which help to build their confidence, making them delightful individuals who are a credit to our community. Here are a couple of reports from the girls themselves.
Diana Barber

Amy Barnett-Hunt writes “At 9.00 in the morning Brownies from far and wide met for Brownie Dipper Day. Dipper Day is where lots of children have a go at water sports. We were all very excited! When we arrived at Donnington Bridge, the trainers introduced themselves and told us what activities we would be doing. First of all, we were shown how to kayak. For some it was hard but others found it fairly easy. After that, we were taken punting and then we had a go at canoeing. When we had finished the water sports, because we hadn't fallen in, we all decided to jump in! While we were playing in the water, another groups' boat capsized! It gave us all a great laugh.
There were also land activities. They came as a surprise to us. There were lots of fun things to do. Each group was given a teddy and with the sticks provided, we had to build a design to get teddy across the river. There was also an area where you had to build a raft with empty oil cans and planks of wood. We could build a boat with card and corks too. At the two other areas there was a chance to build a boat and play fun games. It was a fantastic day and full of fun!”

Sophie Hartshorne writes “Some of the Hook Norton Brownies went to Donnington on the 8th June. We did Kayaking, Canoeing, Punting, Rowing and land based water activities. We were there for 6 hours. We left Hooky School at 9 am and got back at 5pm. It was a great day out, and it didn't rain. There were about 50 Brownies there. They were all in groups. We were the Heron group.”



HOOK NORTON PRE-SCHOOL PLAYGROUP
Hook Norton Pre-School Playgroup has just received their first inspection since OFSTED took over the responsibilities from Social Services. Although the report has not been received, feedback from the Inspector was very pleasing in all aspects apart from concerns over the building. As a result, the playgroup committee and staff are completing some minor works in the school holidays to satisfy the immediate concerns.
In order to raise more funds, the Teeny Tot sessions (children aged between 2 & 2 1/2) will be moving to Tuesday & Thursday afternoons, with spaces available from October. If you are interested please contact Julie or Max at the Playgroup. The existing Mums and Tots sessions will continue as normal.
As ever the fundraising goes on in order to meet the increasing costs of running the Playgroup. Please support us in any way you can.
Charlotte Green: Chairman



WELCOME CLUB
We had a most entertaining afternoon at the Anchor Trust in Banbury where we were shown their proposed history of Banbury and District on their computer. We then had a visit from members of the R.S.P.B. who gave a talk on their work (a little disappointing as we were expecting a talk on Garden Birds!) Then we had the great event of the year, the Clubs' Holiday. We met the coach at The Sun and were whisked off to Newquay where we spent eight very enjoyable days with a tour every day including a visit to the Eden Project. Next, we had the Clubs Summer Lunch which was held at The Gate Hangs High.
Our next event is a talk by the Blue Cross. Then on October 9th we are going to visit Cadbury World: this is open to everyone and we hope to have some good support from the village. So if you want a most enjoyable day, come with us! The cost will be £6.50.
If you are interested please call 737464 or 737975.



W.I.
In May, the serious business of the WI year - the discussion of the Resolutions for this year was followed by the arrival of Tom Williams from the village shop in time for tea and cakes, bearing a huge tub of gorgeous and exotic flowers fresh from Holland. Despite dire warnings from his staff, he bravely went where few men dare to tread and entertained the WI ladies with an enthralling demonstration of skilful wrapping and presenting flowers for sale, accompanied by a lively, knowledgeable and very funny commentary. It was lovely to have a corner of the shop transported to the WI meeting for one afternoon. At the June meeting, Mrs Elizabeth Page entertained with amusing monologues, using a hat for each character she portrayed. Vice President Gwen Whitehead chaired the meeting and read a message from President Pat Fletcher thanking members for supplying cakes and helping on the stall at the Golden Jubilee Funday. Alas, the desire for home made cakes was overshadowed by temptations from other stalls selling more savoury items; burgers, fish and chips and candy floss. However, the Hook Norton Golden Jubilee tea towels depicting village scenes sold well and will also be appropriate next year during the Hooky WI Golden Jubilee.
The lovely embroidered WI wallhanging has now been moved from the library to its new home at the surgery in The Bourne where it is displayed in the waiting room. The day after the Newsletter deadline, Geoff Hillman will have given a talk on Zimbabwe. Hopefully, August 20th will produce some summer weather for the annual Garden Party and on 17th September, Mr Tom Smith will talk about the River Windrush. The trip to the Flower Festival at Coventry Cathedral, for which Pat Fletcher will be making a floral display is on 26th September. On 15th October Mrs May Parker will speak about Monet's House and Garden and The Camargue. Guests are always welcome at all the meetings held in the Baptist Hall on the third Tuesday of each month.
Marion Roberts




WEA – HOOK NORTON BRANCH
Sixteen members recently visited Upton House, a National Trust property since 1948 and formerly the home of Lord Bearsted. They were met by the House Manager, Oliver Lane, who explained the renovations and alterations that had taken place over the years. He also showed the priceless collection of Chelsea and Sevres porcelain, considered one of the finest owned by the National Trust and described the meticulous care and cleaning of these wonderful pieces. Within the Picture Gallery we were shown the superior collection of mainly 14th & 19th century Dutch paintings and portraits. Members thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to view these treasures in private.
The afternoon was free time. Some members enjoyed walking through the gardens including the Bog Garden, the herbaceous terraces and fruit and vegetable plots. Others took a stroll round the well-stocked lake to admire the gorgeous display of water lilies. Some returned to the house to look again at their particular items of interest.
Looking ahead, a day trip to the Dudley Canal is being arranged for Wednesday 18th September. The trip will be by coach, leaving the village at approximately 8.30am and returning by 6pm The visit will include a presentation about the canal system and a two and a half hour canal boat ride through tunnels. The cost will be £20 and early booking is recommended. For all enquiries and enrolment please ring Paul Warwick.
Betty Couldrey



HOOK NORTON GARDEN CLUB
The visit to Kew Gardens in June was a great success. The weather was perfect, the coach full and a good time was had by all. This was followed by two evening visits to gardens; one to Edge Hill and the other here in the Village. Again the weather was kind. There will be one more visit to gardens in Shenington before this goes to press. During the summer break members will have plenty of time to prepare their entries for the Autumn Show which will take place on Saturday 7th September at 2.30pm in the Memorial Hall. Entry night will be the previous Thursday, 5th September at 7.30pm. On Sunday 29th September there will be a repeat of last year's very successful Fungi Foray led by Shirley Grover. Watch the Village notice boards for the time and place. All welcome.
Verity Calderan



HOOK NORTON ON THE INTERNET
I'm still interested to find out whether Hook Norton wishes to have a village website as a central point of contact for anything and everything happening in Hook Norton. If you have a view on this, please let me know and we will set up a meeting to discuss the way forward
Jem Heyward email:jem@briksdal.co.uk



FIRE FIGHTING
During June & July Hooky's Fire fighters answered 22 calls for assistance; 11 as Standby, 8 at Banbury & 3 at Chipping Norton.
They were called to a chimney fire at Sibford Ferris, 3 False Alarms; (1 in Hook Norton and 2 in Chipping Norton) and to rescue a dog which had become stuck on a roof in Hook Norton.
Fire fighters assisted Banbury crews at ATS Tyres in Banbury where a skip of tyres had been maliciously set alight and this in turn had set fire to a small part of the garage. They also assisted Chipping Norton's Crew at Cotteswood Kitchens, where a fault in a sawdust extractor had caused a fire.
The remaining calls were to vehicle fires. One was to assist Chipping Norton's Crew with an abandoned car on fire. This car contained various LPG cylinders, which had to be cooled to prevent an explosion.
Three calls to vehicle fires in Banbury included a 4x4 vehicle on the M40, which turned out to be a false alarm - but with good intent. The second call was to a mechanical dumper, which had been maliciously set on fire in woodland at Drayton.
The third call was to car on fire on Hennef Way where the road had to be closed because the car's petrol line had burst causing fuel to leak onto the road. However, quick action using equipment provided by the Environmental Protection Agency prevented the fuel from entering the watercourse.



WILDLIFE NOTEBOOK - MID MAY TO MID JULY
In the middle of May Christopher Barry saw a young fox in Heydon House garden, having a scratch in the sunshine. Three fox cubs were seen late on 1st July in the garden of a bungalow in East End and an adult fox with a rabbit in its mouth was spotted in the field in East End. Julie Evans of Railway House, East End also saw an adult fox with a rabbit in its mouth between her home and the Wigginton crossroads.
In the middle of June Julie also saw a pair of Bullfinches and a female Great Spotted Woodpecker with three young. A pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers have also been seen in a garden in East End.
On 31st May, Les Hayward saw Goldfinches in Chapel Street and, in the middle of the month, he also saw a pair of Bullfinches. A Bullfinch has also been spotted in Austins Way.
Three young Song Thrushes were seen on Pat Brayshay's roof in East End and she has also seen Goldfinch with two young. Yellowhammers are around many parts of the village and there have also been sightings of Green Woodpeckers.
Jeff Longmore has seen a Goldcrest in his garden in East End and during a walk between the village and Great Rollright on 24th June, Steve Holliday saw a family of Whitethroats, Yellow Wagtails feeding, 2 Corn Buntings, 3 pairs of Skylarks and Red Legged Partridge. There are many Swifts, Swallows and House Martins around now. The first Swallow was actually spotted by Cedric Brain on 14th April, who has also seen a Jay in his garden. The White Phased Buzzard was seen again in East End on 14th June and four Lapwing were also seen that day.
A couple of Hedgehogs, a Toad and Bats have been seen.
In South Hill in the middle of May Julie Evans saw a snake - probably a grass snake, slithering across the road and a grass snake was also seen in a compost heap in East End. This snake is non-poisonous, grows to 120cm in length, the colour varies, but is usually greyish-green, often with black spots and with a yellowish, cream or orange collar.
At 6.30pm on 1st June I heard from Christine Taylor telling me that bees had swarmed in a sapling in the Churchyard by the path. The size of the swarm was about 3 ft long by 2 ft wide and they made a very loud buzzing noise. She contacted people about removing the swarm humanely but they could do nothing at the time so her husband put up signs to warn anyone walking down the path. The bees were still there the next morning, but after the roar in the village when England scored against Sweden, the bees had disappeared! I have not had any reports of anyone else seeing a swarm of bees.
Thank you for getting in touch with me.
Geraldine Moore email:geraldine.moore1@btinternet.com



HOOK NORTON REMEMBERED
It was inevitable that the facilities of the new Secondary Modern School should be available to the community at large and it was soon suggested that classes should be arranged for adults after school hours. Permission was obtained from the Education Office and the Governors, but the Head was reluctant because of the extra workload it would cause. I agreed to take on the position of Organising Secretary with the assistance of Mrs Robinson, the School Secretary and so the Evening Institute was born. My first task was to approach staff to find out what each was prepared to teach. They proved to be very willing and a wide range of classes was arranged.
Mrs Collins was the first to offer her skills and in spite of the jokes that had circulated about her Magyar pattern based dressmaking, her classes, including knitting, embroidery, dressmaking and general household needlework were extremely popular. Keep-fit was very much in demand and the gym teachers led sessions for men and women. During the football season the local sportsmen received special training to help them to play better. The cookery classes were always over-subscribed and catered for all day-to-day food preparation and presentation, as well as seasonal needs including Christmas, Easter, birthdays and weddings. We asked John Woodnutt, an actor from Oxford to lead an enthusiastic drama group in sessions of play reading, film watching and criticism, and acting techniques. One winter the black and white films of Mervyn John were watched and discussed, it being necessary to hire 16mm films for this purpose to be shown on the school projector.
I taught woodwork two evenings each week, a course that was well attended. The students made furniture, chicken houses, wheelbarrows, and gates. They also restored antiques, carved plaques and transformed old wardrobes into coffee tables. The ladies asked for craft classes and so on two evenings each week I also held classes in crafts such as glove making, sea-grass seating for stools and chairs, lino block & screen printing, upholstery, picture framing, macramé and tatting.
After the tennis courts had been added to the school facilities, a thriving tennis club was formed. The huge success of this venture was probably due to the all-pervading spirit of "make-do and mend" in those post-war, pre-television, pre-central-heating days.
Geoff Walton



WELCOME, BEST WISHES & GOOD LUCK
Peter Slade of 'Pogles Wood' Bourne Lane has taken over the job of village correspondent for the Banbury Guardian from me
Marion Roberts



ANNOUNCEMENTS

Finlay Robert Bamlett, born 25 January 2002 and son of Charles and June Bamlett was baptised at St Peter's Church on 6th July 2002

Constance Sarah Harris born 16th April 2002, daughter of Richard and Kim Harris was baptised at St Peter's Church on 7th July 2002

Benedict James Nottingham, born 26th March 2002, son of Peter and Lisa Nottingham was baptised at St Peter's Church on 7th July 2002


CONGRATULATIONS AND BEST WISHES for the future to MICHELLE DIX AND IAN STREET who were married on 29th June 2002

Sarah Naomi Blackham and Brandon Joseph Sabin were married at St Peter's Church on 15th June 2002