FROM THE EDITORS
This month, the Newsletter Box contained £24.73 – thank you. Sadly we record the deaths of Violet Baxter, Betty Margeurite Bishop, Lancelot Stirling, Pauline Goldsmith, Nelly May Hall (nee Woodward) and Richard Jones. On behalf of the village we send our condolences to their families and friends.
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NEWSLETTER THANK YOU'S
Another year gone and we hope you enjoy the Newsletter. As we've said many times before, there are a lot of people involved in getting the Newsletter to your door and we very much appreciate everyone involved.
There are too many to name individually, so, to all those who contribute articles, collate and produce, proof read, print and distribute the newsletter; or indeed oversee the finances– A VERY BIG THANK YOU. DIRECTORY OF SERVICES
You will have received a copy of the 2008 Directory with this newsletter.
We would like to thank Diana Barber for organising and producing it and we hope you find it a very useful document. Thanks Diana.
1ST HOOK NORTON GUIDES
We have had a busy few months at guides, getting the 10 new guides settled in and also making their promise before Christmas.
On November 16th, we went to Marks & Spencers to bagpack for 4 hours and raised a huge amount of £375, which will go nicely towards our camp. About 18 of the guides came to help with this bit of community service - quite tiring, but fun at the same time.
We would like to take this opportunity in thanking the Festival of Fine Ales for the very kind donation that they gave us - we put the money towards paying for very necessary art and craft equipment. This equipment has already been put to very good use. We would like to thank the Music@Crossroads committee as well for their kind donation which we put towards our Christmas panto trip. Sarah organised for 35 of us to attend "The Mirror Tent" at BMW, Cowley, Oxford at the beginning of December. We went to see the Creative Theatre Company act out "The Brothers Grimm" - we had a fantastic time , the girls thoroughly enjoyed the show and even more enjoyed the pancakes that were purchased in the interval!!!
Some of the guides came to Beechaven in Chipping Norton, with the leaders for carol singing with the old people. They thoroughly enjoyed hearing the young guides sing and play their instruments. Megan made her promise to become a young leader in front of them, which was good. This is a very important part of guiding - the community service that we do and the girls enjoy doing it.
We have 4 of the guides taking part in the village panto, so as with tradition, we are taking the guides to the opening night on next Wednesday, which we are all looking forward to.
We are now trying to plan for our spring camp, together with other activities organised in the division.
With 26 guides, they continue to keep us leaders active! Tonight, to celebrate "Burns Night", we did a number of activities, including - design a Loch Ness Monster, cooking shortbread, scottish dancing and even tossing the caber - all lots of fun. It really is very rewarding to see them enjoying themselves. Many thanks to the parents for their support.
Julie Wood, Sarah Gardner and Kate Rudd
HOOK NORTON BEAVERS
For the last 2 years I have been a Hook Norton Beaver – which is the youngest stage of the Scout movement and is for boys aged 6 to 8 years. I am now 8 years old and have left Beavers at Christmas to move up to Cubs. I wanted to let other boys in Hook Norton know what being a Beaver is like: Q: What have been the best activities you did as a Beaver? A: Probably crayfishing, camping, cycling, paper aeroplane night, forest walk and looking after your bike night, chocolate art and pancake Friday! Q: Do you go camping as a Beaver? A: Yes – we went with Mums, Dads and siblings and it was very fun Q: What have you enjoyed about being a Beaver? A: Nice leaders and good games and good fun nights Q: What have you learnt from being a Beaver? A: Lots! How to march, how to make a crayfish net, a starsign telescope, a paper aeroplanes and what to use a lobster pot for! Q: What are the Beaver leaders like? A: Very, very nice and strict in a good way! Q: What badges can you get? A: Sports badge, religion badge. arts & crafts badge, discovery badge, Centenary badge outdoor badge and others. Q: What trips have you been on with Beavers? A: Centenary camp in Sibford, Horley Scout centre, and Xscape in Milton Keynes. Q: Which activity was the wettest or muddiest? A: That's easy – it was crayfishing as it had been raining. Q: Do you have a uniform? A: Yes – it is a turquoise polo shirt and jumper, navy blue trousers and a neckerchief held together with a woggle! Q: Anything else you would like to say A: Yes it was great! Q: What do I do if I want to find out more about being a Beaver? A: Visit http://www.scouts.org.uk/beavers for more information about Scouts and Beavers and contact Chris Green.
Steve Rooney of Old School End, along with Irene & Chris Hills of Great Rollright successfully completed the 40th anniversary, Tour De Trigs Walking Competition, held over the first weekend of December 2007.
They walked the very hilly, muddy and arduous 53 mile course, in a time of 23 hours and 6 minutes. In finishing, Steve raised £111.00 for the Hook Norton School Minibus Appeal, and would like to thank all of those who sponsored him so generously.
The shorter, 31 mile junior course was completed by Steve's daughter, Sophie, who along with team mates Alice Eaton and Ellen Sleight finished in the second best time for a junior team, of 13 hours and 11 minutes. A fantastic achievement for the three 15 year olds! http://www.tourdetrigs.org.uk/walk/walk1/Walk.php MUSEUM REPORT Queen's Diamond Wedding Celebratory Display
The long weekend of 15th, 16th & 17th November saw your Museum hosting a display of 'Wedding dresses over the Ages' to celebrate the Diamond Wedding of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.
It was a truly co-operative effort. Eighteen dresses were loaned by people associated with Hook Norton. Although the initial plan was to restrict the time span to cover the years of the wedding, this idea was abandoned as the offers of dresses came flooding in. The Brewery Museum willingly provided the space needed for display.
Museum volunteers arranged the dresses on the mannequins. Other volunteers put together some floral displays to accompany the wedding dresses. Flowers chosen reflected (wherever possible) those carried on The Day. Other people contributed towards expenses. Local dress shops and private persons lent dress forms and mannequins.
One of the Curators was responsible for producing the narrative displays which accompanied the wedding dresses. These were composed of wedding photographs, memorabilia and amusing and poignant stories.
BBC Oxford arrived on the Friday and provided some welcome publicity (unfortunately it clashed with Children In Need for TV space).
It was heart-warming during those three days in November, as brides and grooms spontaneously turned up with their children and, sometimes, grandchildren to be photographed against their 'displays'. We hope to produce a small booklet as a record.
The overwhelming support from the village was truly appreciated and the Curators thank everyone who helped at this occasion.
Clock Restoration We are extremely pleased to tell you that the restoration of the village clock is now complete and that there will be more news in the next issue of the Newsletter.
Again, the Curators would like to thank everyone who made this venture possible.
Paula Clarke, Pat & Barbara Summerell and Barbara Hicks
HOOK NORTON PRE-SCHOOL PLAYGROUP NEEDS A NEW TREASURER!
Our current treasurer is resigning and we need another volunteer to take charge of the playgroup accounts. The Playgroup is a not-for-profit charitable organisation providing preschool and afterschool care for the children of the village.
Someone with accountancy / book keeping experience would be very much appreciated in this role - but full training will be provided if required.
If you are interested in supporting this valuable local resource, please contact Julie at the playgroup : email emma@iknowthe.net
HOOKY SCHOOL GETS ECO AWARD
Hook Norton School has, for a few years now, been trying its hardest to help save our world from the effects of climate change. Recycling, composting, putting up eco posters, re-using paper, doing litter picks, as well as saving water and electricity are just a handful of the many things we do for our planet. We also have an Eco Committee made up of pupils and some of the staff. The Eco Committee are in charge of the battle against global warming that is going on in our school, they have meetings every fortnight.
However, on Wednesday 12th December the school was tested to its limits by an inspector who had come to see if we deserved the highest rank of Eco Schools' award, the Green Flag award.
The Green Flag is not a trophy or plaque but literally the school that receives the award is given a large green flag, with the Eco Schools' symbol on it, to fly outside the school.
On Friday 14th we heard from the Eco Schools' association. We had won the Green Flag! That day my class (year six) decided to make some miniature Green Flags. So when our teacher (Mrs Crouch) told everyone the news in assembly she gave us the signal and we stood up waving our mini flags and yelling “WE PASSED!”
We all hope you are proud to live in a village like Hook Norton that is doing its best to help the environment.
Reporter: Hepsie Lucas
HOOKY SCHOOL GET GREEN FLAG
On the 14th December Hook Norton School were awarded the Green Flag Award. After achieving Bronze and Silver awards the school were determined to get the Green Flag. As we have been awarded our Silver and Bronze certificates we really wanted to achieve our goal and the best Eco Award: the Green Flag.
After three years of hard work and already two awards, the school thought it was ready to apply. On the 12th December 2007 an inspector came to our school.
After a long look through our files and all of the eco friendly work the inspector left Hook Norton School, there was an agonising wait to receive the news and find out if we had reached our goal of the Green Flag award.
On the 14th December 2007 in assembly the news came. We had the Green Flag. Look out for our the flag flying proudly on our flag pole.
We hope you are extremely proud to have such a great school with great pupils. Why don't you try being eco friendly at home?
Reporter: Lewis Reeves-Smith
FRIENDS OF HOOK NORTON SCHOOL A Big Success
Thanks for everyone who donated to, supported, inspired and attended the Christmas Fayre, which was a stunning success. It raised more than £3,000 for a new school mini-bus, which is phenomenal. Special thanks to Nerys Wright for all her hard work and coordination.
This New Year, we are hoping for similar successes so we can really knock a hole in the bus bill. So please don't miss our Car Boot and Bike Sale (Sunday 27 April) and the Wine Tasting Evening (Saturday 10 May). More details to follow on both events.
Sadly, the evening with Dave Newman's band will not be taking place for a few weeks – but it is postponed, not cancelled so we look forward to you coming along later in the year and shaking a leg to Hooky's musical talents.
And a date for your diary. We are planning a Family BBQ (Friday 20 June), including activities such as a football penalty shoot-out and, hopefully, the Chipping Norton School Jazz Band. 'Summertime' is something to look forward to on these cold days.
So watch this space and remember that a simple way to help the school is to join the School Lottery. Details from the school office. Roll on the spring.
Hello everyone.
As you can see we've made a slight change to our opening hours. As you may be aware, we have for some time been wanting to bring Hook Norton library's opening hours in line with the other libraries of this size in the county, so that we are not open after 7pm in the evenings.
After public consultation most people had no preference as to where that hour should go but some people did want longer opening hours on a Saturday. Therefore after doing a count of when people used the library on a Saturday it has been decided that our new opening hours for Saturday will be 9.30am to 12.30pm.
On to other news. We held a Rhymetime for 0 to 3yr olds on Jan 21st but I can't tell you how it went as I'm writing this in advance but hopefully we may have more in the future if all goes well.
Don't forget we do have photocopying facilities as well as internet access, one hour sessions can be booked in advance on the computers.
Also we do recycle household batteries (not the 6v and 9v large square ones though) and have done really well as our tube is nearly full to the top at the moment!
Looking forward to seeing you all soon.
Janet May, Library Manager
KATHARINE HOUSE HOSPICE
Old Post Office Christmas Craft Fayre
We would like to thank the Heath family, of Hook Norton for their Christmas Craft Fayre held on 1st December, in aid of the hospice. A fantastic £390.00 was raised and we are very grateful to them for their efforts. 2008 Hospice May Ball Following the huge success of the Ball held last May, which was a sell-out and raised £11,300 for hospice funds, Katharine House Hospice is going to undertake another Ball on 4th May. 500 people attended last year's event at Bloxham School and were delighted with the meal and wonderful entertainment, so much so, some have already reserved tickets for this year's event! The Blue Meanies will once again be providing the entertainment, with a three course meal included.
Bookings are now being taken, so to guarantee a place at this year's wonderful evening, please call Lucinda at Katharine House, on (01295) 811866. Tickets £40 each. 2008 Spring Fair- Tuesday 13th May Katharine House will be holding its established Spring Fair at the Great Barn, Aynho, near Banbury. There will be a wide selection of stalls on show, and of course, a great variety of high quality plants and garden sundries. Last year, almost 500 people attended this prestigious event, so make it a date for your diary! The Midnight Walk 28th June 2008 Owing to the success of our 2007 Midnight Walk, which raised £68,000 for hospice funds (£10,100 of this was obtained through Gift Aid), we have decided to hold another walk this year! We were delighted by the feedback we received from walkers, who really enjoyed the whole event and weren't deterred by the weather! “I am writing to congratulate you and your team for the wonderful organisation for the Walk on Saturday night. Despite the rain I enjoyed every minute, the aerobics at the start, the welcome break at Woodgreen, the lovely welcome with the medal at the finish, also the bacon roll – nothing has ever tasted so good at 4 o'clock in the morning. The sponsorship pledged on the night was fantastic – you must feel really proud. Congratulations once again.” E R
This year's walk will be begin at Banbury Rugby Club and will follow much the same 12 mile route as last year. Application forms will be available from the end of February, obtained by calling Sarah in Fundraising on (01295) 812161 or delivered with our Spring Newsletter. Further details to follow.
HOOK NORTON WOMENS' INSTITUTE A letter from Teresa Forrest to the Women of Hook Norton
At the AGM of the W.I. in March, we will be voting in a new Committee and I have agreed to become the next President of the Womens' Institute in Hook Norton.
We also have members who will become Deputy President, the Secretary and the Treasurer, so the good news is that the W.I. will continue in the village.
Having lived in cities all my adult life, I had never been a member of the W.I. but I joined as soon as I moved to Hooky. I have been very impressed with the organisation of the W.I. and hope to have a happy and vibrant group that everyone will enjoy and take part in.
I am writing this letter to invite you to come and join us. We meet every month and have an event; usually a speaker, but occasionally, a garden party, an outing, or even lunch at a pub.
On 19th February, I will be giving the talk entitled 'My Embroidery Collection'. If you would like to come, you would meet me and the other members and, hopefully, decide to join us in April, after the AGM.
Our meetings are held in the Baptist Church Hall on the third Tuesday of each month at 2pm and guests are very welcome.
Hello! I am Marathon Pint and on 13th April 2008 I intend to be the first pint of Hook Norton beer ever to complete the London Marathon.
Over the next few weeks I shall be following a gruelling training programme and I have decided to keep a diary so that you can live through the ups and downs with me. I am a bit like Bridget Jones, only my pants are smaller. I have taken on this challenge to raise money for Leukaemia Research. Please support them by sponsoring me – any amount, however small, will help to save lives. To do this, please log on to: www.justgiving.com/marathonpint For Christmas I was given a book on marathon training for non-runners, full of inspirational stories about people who have overcome all sort of handicaps to complete marathons. This was very encouraging for me, as I have no legs. It made me realise that there is nothing you can't achieve if you put your mind to it. So I have found myself a running partner (Gill Begnor) to help out in the legs department. She has 2, which is a good start – but that's about as far as it goes and we have a way to go to get them round a marathon!
Here is an extract from my diary after the first week. You can follow my progress for the next 14 weeks on my website – www.marathonpint.co.uk Week 1
Me Very pleased with my first week's training. Have been reading my book and learning all about what will happen to my body as my training progresses and how I can ensure that I stay healthy and avoid injury. For example, exercise increases the level of free radicals in your body and it is therefore important to ensure that there are plenty of antioxidants in your diet.
Total distance:
17.9 miles
Units of alcohol consumed:
None (I am one). Well, I am 2.1 to be precise
Weight:
895g
Vital statistics
8.5, 8.5, 8.5
Gill Training got off to a bit of a shaky start when she discovered that the malt and hops in beer are excellent sources of antioxidants so she decided to drink a few pints of Hook Norton beer just to be safe. After a lively debate she has agreed to eat more tomatoes and drink less of my friends from now on.
Total distance:
17.9 miles
Units of alcohol consumed:
Definitely no more than 14
Weight:
14 pounds (OK, that's not all of it but it's what she wants to lose so we can report on that for now).
Vital statistics
*!%?**$!! (I don't think I was supposed to ask that.)
HOOK NORTON SLIMMING SUCCESS
Slimming World came to Hook Norton on 28th November and so far the new group has already lost an incredible 9.5 stones in the remaining four weeks of 2007!
The group is run by Consultant Lucy Brown on Wednesday evenings at 6.30pm. Currently at the Sports & Social Club, however with more than 30 members in January the group has had to find a new venue and will therefore be moving to the School, from Weds 6 Feb - still at 6.30pm. Lucy explains “During December the Hook Norton Group achieved the highest weight loss in its district; we had an amazing 1.8lb weight loss per person each week! Considering this was the lead up to Christmas, this really was an incredible achievement, especially for a brand new group!”
All are welcome for very social evening, we have several child members aged 11-15 years old. If you would like more information please visit
www.slimming-world.com
MRS MARGUERITE WYATT
The family of the late Mrs M Wyatt would like to thank everyone for their kind messages of sympathy in our sad bereavement.
The donations totalled £456 of which £228 will be given to Hook Norton Surgery and £228 to Marie Curie Cancer Care.
Alice Irvine and Tom Clark were married at
St Peter's Church, Hook Norton on 19th January 2008
Sophia Holliday and Corin Lugg were married at
St Peter's Church Hook Norton on 31st December 2007.
WILDLIFE NOTEBOOK - MID NOVEMBER 2007 - MID JANUARY 2008
On the very cold morning of 24th November at about 10.30 Betty White of Scotland Bungalow, saw for the first time in her garden, a Redwing, together with other birds including Tits and Thrushes. On 2nd December at about 09.35, Linda and Romus Wong, who live in Hollybush Road, had a Sparrowhawk in their garden sitting in their lilac waiting for some unwary bird to alight on their bird feeders. Needless to say it flew off just as she had her binoculars to hand! They contacted me on Christmas Day to say they were replenishing their fat balls and keeping their eyes peeled for the Woodpeckers. Any of you that feed the birds will know how much food they are eating at the moment - it is difficult to keep up with them! A flock of about 30 Lapwings were seen flying over the fields on South Hill.
Tim Burchell has had two female Blackcaps together in his garden and has also seen a male. We had a female in our garden on 26th November and 6th January. We have often seen two Robins, but on 30th December there were three in our garden. In the East End there have been lots of Fieldfare, Redwing, Starling and Chaffinch flocks, also Pied Wagtails, Goldfinches and quite a few Song Thrush and Long-tailed Tit sightings and a Cormorant flying over on 2nd January. There are so many Blackbirds around at the moment and the question could be asked how can we tell which are residents and which are visitors from abroad, as it is thought that at least 12 per cent are immigrants travelling here from countries such as Norway, Germany, Finland and Russia. At the moment you cannot tell them apart but in the first days of spring, in March or early April, our resident males will be in their full breeding plumage, complete with orange-yellow bills and eye-rings, whereas males with duller bills and no eye-rings will almost certainly be visitors about to make their way back across the North Sea.
There have been several sightings of single Kestrels. This bird has the ability to spot their favourite prey, mice and voles, as they hover, as they have visual perception that extends into the ultra-violet end of the spectrum, making small mammal urine visible and revealing the locations of their runs, so they can detect the movements of a grasshopper-sized creature from 30 metres.
At about 07.00 on 5th November two Roe Deer ran across the road just in front of David Shirt's car at the top of South Hill, near to where they saw the herd a week earlier.
A Fox was seen in an East End field on 4th December. Tim Burchell was telling us the story about the chickens in his garden. In the middle of December at about 16.00 the chickens were let out. Their backs turned for a few minutes, they realised that one was missing; followed the trail of feathers and found it dead nearby. Behind a bush was the culprit, a Fox - what an opportunist! Interestingly enough you might think that a Fox eats only mice, voles and rabbits, but about a third of its diet is fruit, worms and insects. An ability to eat whatever is available is one reason why Foxes are found throughout Europe, North America and Asia. At the moment they are in the middle of their mating season and dog Foxes are looking for vixens by day and night. Their eyes shine green in the dark when your headlights shine into their eyes as they have a light-sensitive layer which enables them to see better in poor light.
It will soon be time to look for the spring migrants, together with Butterflies such as the Brimstone, which can appear on warm February days. They hatched from pupae last August. Males have brilliant sulphur-yellow uppersides, while the females are paler and greener. They search for buckthorn bushes.
Thank you to those of you who have been in touch with me. Please contact me with your sightings and I would really like to hear of your first sightings of the spring.
