The Hook Norton Village Newsletter
April 2006 Series 31 No 2

Village Affairs



NEWSLETTER TEAM


Directory: Diana Barber
Advertising: Judi Leader
Distribution: Bunty Reid
Postal Services: Mrs M Padbury
Proof reading: Nigel Lehmann
IT/Web Support: Martin Baxter


FROM THE EDITORS
The Newsletter Box contained £36.80 this month.
Thank you.
Sadly, we record the deaths of David Healey aged 33, Iris Hollis, Muriel (Mishie) Stafford aged 94 formerly of Primrose Cottage, Michael Whitaker aged 54 and Vera Emily Wilks, nee Woodward, of Wigginton and on behalf of the village send our condolences to their families and friends.


Andy Horne Helen Foster
hookynews@totalise.co.uk helen@broadedged.co.uk

The views expressed in the Newsletter are not necessarily those of the Editorial Team.

RATES – CHEQUES PAYABLE TO 'HOOK NORTON NEWSLETTER'
Text & advertising copy deadline MONDAY, 15th MAY 2006
Text for Village activities Free (a small donation is welcome)
Inserts for Village Activities On request from Judi Leader
Commercial Advertising £22 per page & pro rata per issue
Commercial Inserts £20 per issue
Donations can be put in the Newsletter Box in the Post Office or posted to; Newsletter, c/o Hook Norton Post Office, Chapel Street, Hook Norton, Oxon.


ANYTHING YOU WANT TO TELL THE VILLAGE ABOUT?
Events? Successes? Updates? Funny stories? Thank you to someone special?
A new baby, a wedding, a house move? A tribute or a plea?
The Hook Norton Newsletter is what you make it. We print the stories and articles you send in. So 'keep us in the loop' and the village in the know.
Playgroup logo
Hook Norton
Pre-School
Playgroup
Sessions:
Morning 9am- 12am
Lunch 12pm-12-30pm
Afternoon 12-30pm-3-30pm
After School 3-30pm- 6-00pm

We cater for children from 2 years to 11 years old and offer a walking to and from School service. We open during term time and school holidays.

Prices:
£5-75 per session
£1-25 lunch
£1-25 walk to/from school

For more information, to book sessions or to arrange a visit, please phone 01608 730560 and ask to speak to Julie Riley (Playgroup Manager)


FRIENDS OF HOOK NORTON SCHOOL (FOHNS)
Darling Buds of May
With summer on the way, the retro style gurus at FOHNS have something very special lined up for the salad days. Put a date in your diary for a traditional Summer Fete, 24 June, 11.30am till 2.30pm at the school. Think H.E.Bates, Darling Buds of May - maybe even a touch of Thomas Hardy for the more literary - and you get the drift of a fun afternoon including a bouncy castle, tug of war, grand draw, beer tent, obstacle course, plant stalls, BBQ, face painting, fancy dress competition - not to mention Hook A Duck. There will be Pimms, cream teas and hopefully a lovely summer's day for the not-to-be-missed event of the season. We need lots of helpers. So if you fancy a bit of heavy lifting or you're just good at face painting or you simply fancy yourself as Tess of the D'Urbervilles, then call into the school office and put your name forward.
Meanwhile, thanks to everyone who took part in 'Instant Wit' in February. Hook Norton's answer to Mock of the Week was a great success and raised more than £100. Meanwhile, The Princess and the Pea (and The Bean and The Enormous Turnip) in March raised nearly £100 and everyone had a great time. All moneys raised go towards helping the school pay for interactive white boards.
As ever, remember the School Lottery. There are 10 monthly draws, two of which are “mega” draws, attracting a first prize of up to £100. Annual membership costs just £10. Joining details from the school office – but, if you already signed up last year to pay by direct debit, then you need do nothing. Your number is secure. Remember the lottery is open to all friends and relatives linked to the school. Best of luck!
Sally Scullion, FOHNS chair, Sally.scullion1@btinternet.com


1ST HOOK NORTON GUIDES
Back in September, some of the guides entered a competition run by the Lions Club of Chipping Norton, to design a poster on the theme "Peace Without Borders". Megan and Hattie's posters were chosen to go forward to the regional competition and the Lions Club kindly gave them each a £5 WH Smith Token and also the club £50 for entering the competition. Thank you very much to the Lions Club for the kind donation.
Click for large image Before Christmas, the guides decided that they wanted to perform their own pantomime. The idea was that they perform the Girlguiding Panto "Red, White and Gold" at the end of the winter term - the last meeting before Christmas. Unfortunately, due to a huge snowfall on the dress rehearsal night, Christmas, Year 6 going to Yenworthy and the village panto, we eventually got to perform our pantomime on 6th February! We had already taken the guides to the first night of the village pantomime, to give them some ideas and tips for their own performance. Click for large image It was a really good evening and they all really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, due to illness on 6th February, Hattie was unable to perform, so Marieanne stepped in at the last minute to be Red Riding Hood and did a splendid job too! The girls all did really well, we were even able to include the three new brownies, Lois, Jessica and Molly as brownies in the panto, which immediately made them feel welcome. After the performance, Kim and Megan had made cakes to sell with the coffee and had organised a tombola stall for one of their clauses of the BP Challenge - they raised just under £60, which was really good. Thank you to all the family and friends who came to support us on the evening.
On 20th February, we celebrated Thinking Day by going on a night hike around the village fields - we ended up back at the hall for international food and a quiz, run by Kim. We lit candles for the girls to cook "Smores" on and then Jasmine, Jade and Rosie all made their promise.
Julie Wood, Guide Guider


HOOK NORTON VILLAGE MUSEUM
The Museum has been successful in obtaining a grant from the Lottery Awards For All and is now committed to carrying out the following procedures. We are now able to secure the services of a professional who will photograph our artefacts and archive material. We will then have the basis for a visual catalogue and also the means to provide a series of DVD presentations with commentary for those visitors to the Museums who are unable to climb the stairs. The award will also enable us to purchase cabinets for our more fragile exhibits and to improve our descriptive labels.
Pat Summerell and
Barbara Hicks, Joint Curators


ST PETER'S CHURCH
We all know the saying, “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas”. Well, it occurred to me the other day that with a little modification, we could apply the same sort of adage to St. Peter's; i.e.” Our church is for life, not just for Sundays”. We may consider church a place to gather for worship once a week or so, but in past generations, a village church would have been an important venue for all manner of other functions, from markets (including livestock), to important meetings, theatre and concerts – indeed it would have been an integral part of the daily lives of all the villagers.
Whilst St. Peter's is witnessing growing congregations at all its Sunday services (and we thank God for the work His Spirit is doing in Hooky), the building is also proving the ideal venue for a wide variety of functions, both regular and ad hoc. Just a thought to keep in mind as you scroll down the diary dates below!
The growing church family here in Hook Norton means that this year, 61 people from the benefice will be attending Spring Harvest down in Minehead during the first two weeks of April. Every year the Spring Harvest contingent is growing, and it's a wonderful Christian event to take part in. If you find an opportunity to talk to anyone who has previously been to Spring Harvest, please do so. Anyone interested in going next year can also talk to Sheila Acreman or Jan Hughes.
The new Font Café initiative, every Saturday and Tuesday mornings at St. Peters, is also proving very popular. Please come along for a cup of fresh coffee or tea, biscuits (there is no charge) and a chat. All ages welcome, and dog-walkers, too. There are four-legged attendees at the Font Café nearly every week!
Easter Services: (all at St. Peter's unless otherwise stated)
Regular dates for the diary:
Special Services:
  Rogation Sunday, May 21st 3pm: this year the ecumenical service will again be held at Tom's Barn (Cow Lane), just outside the village, and will be an 'afternoon tea' service.
Forthcoming Concerts at St. Peter's:
  Chipping Norton Choral Society (April 1st)
Hook Norton Brass Band (April 30th)
North Cotswold Chamber Choir (May 20th)
Helen Rogers and Philippa Hyde (June 11th)
Please see posters around the village and in Church porch for more details about these concerts.
Other Events …
St. Peter's is supporting Tearfund's KillerTB campaign as this year's Lent Project. We hope to raise as much money as possible for this campaign, which is tackling tuberculosis, a devastating disease that kills 1.7 million people every year, but is completely treatable. Please look on the Tearfund website (www.tearfund.org) to find out more. To help fundraise for this cause we are hoping to hold a series of suppers (hosted by families around the village) during the weekend of the 21st/22nd April. Please contact Sophia if you would like to come along!
With food still on the agenda, plans are also afoot to hold a St. Peter's crayfish BBQ at some point during June/July, to commemorate St. Peter's day (June 29th). Please keep an eye out for posters around the village over the next few weeks: - St. Peter was, after all, a fisherman!
And don't forget, plans are also continuing to hold a weekend of open gardens and flower festival in 2007.
Easter is about remembering how Jesus gave His life as a saviour for us all. If you can spare just a little time to help out at St. Peter's, in however small a fashion, there are some cards at the back of church (with a few ideas) which can be filled out and handed in either to Keith Fowler or Sophia Fox. Please have a look and see if there is any practical way you may like to contribute to our thriving Church family.
Wishing all a Happy Easter, Sophia Fox sophiafox1@aol.com


DEDDINGTON PARISH CHURCH - SEVEN WORDS
Saturday, April 8, at 7.30pm. This Lent meditation is based on the book "Seven Words for the 21st. Century" by Canon Edmund Newell of St. Paul's Cathedral. It combines thought-provoking addresses with music by Adrian Snell and dance by members of the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance.
The production, which has received high praise and been seen in Washington, Boston and New York as well as in the UK, explores contemporary issues such as inter-faith relationships, global poverty, the ethics of movie watching and human suffering. A unique evening. Canon Newell was curate at Deddngton Parish Church before his St. Paul's appointment.
Tickets: £5 from The Flower Shop, Market Place, Deddington. Tel: 01869 338832.

CONGRATULATIONS

Ivor Matthews

Congratulations on becoming the new

Watch Manager for the

Hook Norton Fire Station.


NEWS FROM THE BAPTIST CHURCH
The Da Vinci Code. There can't be many people who haven't heard of The Da Vinci Code. It is a best-selling book, the film version of which is soon to be released. Is it just a novel or is there something more to it than that? Daniel Pulham has done a lot of research into this and will be giving a talk on The Da Vinci Code and its Origins, at Hook Norton Primary School on Saturday May 13th, at 7.30pm. It is an open meeting to which all are invited, not just churchgoers and there will be time for discussion and refreshments at the end. Don't miss it!
Easter Events
April 13th, Maundy Thursday meal at 6.30pm in the hall.
April 14th Good Friday Service 10am, followed by coffee/tea and hot cross buns.
April 16th Easter Sunday. 8am Communion, 9 am Breakfast, 10.30am Family Service. Everyone is welcome at all these.
Jam Club All-Age Services are to be held alternately at the Baptist Church and St. Peter's for a trial period, on the third Sunday of each month (excluding Easter Sunday). The next one at the Baptist Church will be on May 21st. Please note; HNBC service starts 10.30 am. St. Peter's; 10am. United Ecumenical Service. This will also be on May 21st at 3pm, at "Tom's Barn," Cow Lane. Further details available from Sophia Fox. Cornerstone Weekend this year will be 16th-18th June at the Pioneer Centre, Cleobury Mortimer. Bookings to Rosemary Searle by the end of April. Open to any friends of HNBC past or present, and always a great experience. Holiday Club dates. July 31st to August 4th
Easter musings.
Imagine being on death row and someone coming along and offering to take your place on execution day when you knew you were guilty and the other person was innocent. That's what Jesus did. 'Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.'(Romans 5 v.7-8.) And imagine not accepting the offer.
Dorothy Smith


HOOK NORTON GARDEN CLUB
By the time you read this the Garden Club year will be well under way with two Open Meetings already passed and the Spring show about to happen. Despite the cold weather spring seems to be coming and there are lots of events planned for the coming months. On Wednesday 19 April the renowned nurseryman Bob Brown will give a talk entitled 'A Bucketful of Stuff' which promises to be informative and entertaining. On 3 May an evening tour of Barton House at 7pm has been arranged. A charge of £5 per person will include a wine tasting. Names will need to be given in advance to Ann Faulkner.
Ernie Bingham returns on 17 May to talk on 'Control of Pests and Diseases' - a subject which he is bound to make amusing.
If you haven't yet reserved your place for the day visit to Wisley on 18 June you need to get in touch with Ann Faulkner without delay.
There should be time for some gardening in between all these attractions so let's hope for sun and rain in perfect amounts.
Verity Calderan


LIBRARY NEWS - May will be an exciting month in the Library!
PLANT AND BOOK SALE
On Saturday 6th the 'Friends' of the Library will be holding their annual Plant and Book sale from 10:00 to 12:00. Book donations can be brought to the Library during opening hours and plants from 09:00 hours on the morning of 6th. I hope there will be a good attendance and that the sun shines, like last year.

CHARITY CHALLENGE - in aid of the Katharine House Hospice.
A little more information about my proposed Charity Challenge adventure in Thailand 8-18th June 2006. The challenge will take us through the rugged jungles in the remote north-west of Thailand, close to the Burmese border and we will experience six days of trekking, rafting and kayaking through the forests and mountains of the Thung Yai Nareusan Wildlife Sanctuary and the River Kwai valley. Our overnight stays will be a mixture of camping in tents, staying in community buildings and living with the local Karen people. This small hill-tribe of people will be our guides and hosts for the Challenge, and everyone on the trip will contribute towards the building of a school in the region.
All monies raised will go direct to the Katharine House Hospice as I have paid for this “holiday” myself. I have now set up a dedicated bank account so should you feel able to sponsor me for this Challenge please make cheques
payable to “KHH Thailand”.
If you would like any more details do please email me at diana.walker@zen.co.uk. And thank you so much to those who have already responded – you are wonderful!
Di Walker


FROM HOOKY TO CALCUTTA
For a person of over 60 years of age who only 3 years ago obtained my first ever passport, you may imagine that my recent trip to Calcutta (now known as Kolkata) presented somewhat of a challenge which, I must admit, I faced not without a good deal of apprehension. Having landed safely back on the tarmac at Heathrow, just 4 days ago, I'm delighted to announce that I not only survived the experience but also I thoroughly enjoyed it and was totally fascinated by it.
Click for large imageThe trip was prompted by my wish to attend the Hindu wedding of my younger son, Ross to a delightful Bengali lady called Sheena. Sheena has spent most of her life in England and, as such, is now very westernised but, none the less, she remains immensely proud of her origins; hence the Hindu wedding. The ceremony itself, held at 10 o'clock at night in a beautifully decorated house of Raj type proportions, was a solemn yet joyfully informal occasion, with all the ladies, including my daughter Joanna, dressed in gaily coloured and elegant saris and with all the men folk, including Ross and Pete (my elder son), dressed in equally gaily coloured and elegant Punjabis.
In my cream suit, I was the odd one out, not because I wasn't 'up for it', but because, as the western father- in- law, it was considered more appropriate that I should dress in conventional style. Ross, Pete, Joanna and I were, of course, the only westerners present in a gathering of about 80 people for the ceremony conducted by a Hindu priest and for the post ceremony celebrations when much Indian food and wine were consumed. It was an unforgettable occasion that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
As for Calcutta itself; well, it's very much Old India, and therefore not touristy at all.
It is a city of immense contrasts, with extreme poverty at one end of the spectrum and relative opulence at the other end of it. It's strange how these vast contrasts manage to co-exist but somehow they do. The traffic is utterly chaotic but, remarkably again, the system works, despite there being a crazy mixture on the congested streets of buses, trams, taxis, private cars (most of them severely battered!), hand drawn and horse drawn rickshaws, pedal cycles, pedestrians and dogs! Temperatures at this time of the year, ahead of the monsoon season, range between the lower and mid 30's degrees centigrade and the humidity, especially between 11.00 am and 3.00 pm, at times, is extremely uncomfortable. The cost of living, compared with that in the UK, is exceptionally cheap and everyday sounds and smells are so different from those at home. There are so many things that I will remember about this once-in-a-lifetime trip but, most of all, I will remember the people of India. Suffice it to say that I never once, in the 10 days that I was there, witnessed any incident of hostility, despite all the apparent hardship and conflicts that so obviously exist; everyone, but everyone, is so pleasant and courteous, almost without exception, and especially to the occasional British tourist who is, justifiably or otherwise, still held in high esteem by the locals because of our ancestors' involvement in this part of India. In our country, we often hear that inner city deprivation and the like are the supposed causes for falling standards of behaviour but my experience from all that I saw in Calcutta suggests that such an explanation is without foundation or, at the very least, a poor excuse.
I will bore you no further but, as I'm sure you can imagine, I have plenty more stories to tell! If you are interested, just ask me about them the next time we meet.
Geoff.


LEE STRATFORD
We would like to thank everyone who has shown us immense kindness and support following the sudden death of our wonderful son, brother, grandson and friend to many. So many of you donated money for Lee's charities and we were able to forward £346.50 to Children in Touch and with an extra donations from Nigel & Jackie at Banbury Plant Hire and others we sent £1330.00 to Banbury College Foundation Studies for the refurbishment of a memorial kitchen for Lee.
If you knew Lee you will know the emptiness that we are all now feeling, but the strength of his character, determination to overcome all the obstacles in his life and general love of life will be remembered by a lot of people for a long time and will continue to lift our spirits. We will miss his smile and the way he made us laugh every day.
Lee was diagnosed with Autism just before he started school and so was lucky enough to be placed at the Chinnor Resource Unit - Oxford Base. Here he was helped to progress from a shy introvert five year old, with very little speech and social skills to the fun loving have a go at anything Lee we all knew. During his teens he had another battle to fight and that was the onset of epilepsy, but even this he took in his stride.
At seventeen he went to Banbury College to pursue his dream career of becoming a Chef. Here again in the supported learning unit he went through another transformation from gangly teenager to a wonderful, kind and thoughtful young man. In his short life he achieved so much, inspired so many and asked for so little in return.
To commemorate Lee's life and many achievements we have set up a non-profit making organisation called Lee Stratford Community Trust.

LEE STRATFORD COMMUNITY TRUST
Two of Lee's many loves in life were Hook Norton and children. With this in mind the Trust will concentrate on this theme. We will raise money to support events and projects within Hook Norton that involve children and young people. One event we would like to reintroduce would be the Children's Christmas Parties.
We have already donated £300.00 to the Baptist Chapel Summer Club and are on the look out for other children's groups to support. So if your group has a specific need of equipment or event funding please let us know.
We have had one mini fund raising event so far; this was a Body Shop Party at the Sports & Social Club on 13th January. Thanks to all who supported this. With just a raffle and sale of chocolate cake we raised £97.00. This was also good for the Club as the bar takings were very good as well!
Future Events to look out for:
A Summer Dance & Pig Roast has been arranged for 24th June at The Sports & Social Club. This will be ticket and adults only - please watch for the posters.
Lee was a keen recycler; so we are collecting old mobile phones, which will not only stop these being put into landfill sites, but also will in turn, raise money for the Trust.
Please look out all your old and unused mobiles and put them to good use.
If you still have the charger and any accessories please put them with the phone, but don't worry if you haven't. Any phone in any condition is still worth some money!
There will be a collection bin outside our house or I can collect them from you.
Please ask all your family, friends and work colleagues to collect them for us.
I am currently making cards and handmade crafts for sale at Craft Fairs, if you have any unwanted new or used greeting cards; wrapping paper or any craft product you no longer require I would be very grateful. These can also go in the collecting bin or I can collect.
Valerie Stratford Valerie@stratford4496.fsnet.co.uk


WILDLIFE NOTEBOOK - MID JANUARY TO MID MARCH
What a beautiful sunny morning, a little cold still maybe, but spring is just around the corner and the next two months are a great time of the year for all of us who love wildlife. An exciting bird seen on 3rd February, by Val Page in Southside, is the Firecrest. A Red Kite, being mobbed by a Crow, was seen by Linda Wong at 8.50am on 6 February as it flew over her bungalow in Hollybush Road. She has many different kinds of birds in her garden, which is not surprising as she feeds them very well as do many of you I am sure, which is of great importance to the birds, but please can I remind you how important it is to clean your feeders regularly. I have heard from other people in East End who have many birds in their gardens including Nuthatches. Warren Morris contacted me to say that on 14th January, for the first time ever, he had seen a magnificent Green Woodpecker which burrowed around on his lawn for quite a while.
While Doug Marshall was in the park area on Christmas Day he watched a solitary Raven, kronking continuously, do three low level circuits over the Baptist cemetery and play area before heading off north east towards the school. Then on Boxing Day he and Tim Burchell saw two flying low level circuits around the play area, Shearings and Fire Station and heading off north east. Christopher Barry has also seen a raven cawing from a tree near the Wildlife Pond. Doug Marshall e-mailed me to say that he had spoken to someone else in the village who told him she had seen four Ravens during January south of the village. The Raven is definitely moving into this area - they are large birds about 65 cm long, against the Carrion Crow and Rook which are 47 cm long and when silhouetted in flight they are characterised by a wedge-shaped tail and heavy head and bill. Caroline Vaughan in Rectory Road phoned on 6th February to say that a Song Thrush sits in the same tree in her garden for hours singing. We have seen a Song Thrush in our garden a couple of times since the last newsletter, eating small snails. I hope that there are many of these birds around.
Returning to the Little Egret, apparently it was seen in early February on fish ponds by Manor Farm. Has anyone else seen this bird? Just as a matter of interest two Little Egrets were seen in Enstone on 8th February. In the afternoon of 7th March Janet Randall was walking in her garden at Wyncotts Farm and climbing up an oak tree was a Treecreeper. Irene Baird saw a Sparrowhawk catch a Blackbird in her garden recently, which it proceeded to eat. A Buzzard was seen in East End by Linda Wong on 8th February and also in East End on 3rd, 4th and 5th March. Flying over the fields in East End on 10th February in the morning were five Lapwings, in the afternoon about 90 and on 7th March about 200. A Cormorant flew over on 15th February. On 1st March Tim Burchell saw two Herons flying over Hollybush Road and single Herons were seen in East End on 17th and 24th February and 3rd and 6th March. On 3rd and 6th March we had a Brambling on and around our bird table and this morning we saw a male Bullfinch. In the morning of 12th March in the trees on the other side of the field I saw hundreds of Starlings, together with Redwings and Fieldfares. The Redwings and Fieldfares will be returning to Scandinavia in March/April.
In the middle of February Mrs Martell in Chapel Street phoned to say that she had seen a Peacock Butterfly sunning itself on ivy. The first frogspawn was reported by Ann Swainbank in Chapel Street on 8th March, which is two days earlier than last year. In the morning of 14th March she had a Great Spotted Woodpecker in her garden. Please let me know when you first see or hear the Cuckoo, Swallow, House Martin, Chiffchaff or Warblers and any Butterflies, together with Hedgehogs, etc. Thank you all for contacting me these last two months.
Geraldine Moore email: geraldine.moore1@btinternet.com


Swop your stuff for FREE
Where does the rubbish go? Answer: it goes somewhere else!
The Oxfordshire Freecycle Networks are open to all in the local area who would prefer to "freecycle" to others, rather than throw away unwanted items such as unloved bicycles, pianos, fax machines etc.
Freecycle is an email based free swop-shop. Just "post" a message on your local Freecycle page, listing your free items or for something you want yourself.
Charity organisations will be informed of this site so they too may be in touch to pick up your things. Rules: All items MUST be 100% free and no commercials.
You can find a Freecycle network in all these Oxfordshire areas:
Banbury, Cherwell Valley, Chipping Norton, Henley-on-Thames, Oxford, Vale of the White Horse, Wallingford, Witney.
For more information visit www.freecycle.org and
find a Freecycle network near you!