The Hook Norton Village Newsletter
June 2006 Series 31 No 3

Arts & Entertainment


Great Tew Estate Horse Trials
10th & 11th June
Two days of exciting equestrian competition

  • Food/Craft Fayre, Wide variety of trade stands

  • Take a ride in a rally car ………

  • Children's entertainment
     
    • Pony rides Sun 12.00 - 3.00pm
    • Owl Display
    • Dog agility
  • Hook Norton Brewery Bar with Live World cup football(England)

  • Food & Ice cream for everyone!!

Signed from A361 and A44. Admission: £3 pp
Enquiries: 07776 266622





CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory talking science

RAINFOREST ROADSHOW
FRIDAY 16 JUNE 2006 – at 7pm
AT CCLRC RUTHERFORD APPLETON LABORATORY
Come along and find out about the fascinating ecosystem of the tropical rainforest and the interesting lives of the tribal people who make their home there.

This entertaining lecture will help you to understand more about this globally important and fast disappearing environment.

The presenter, Dave Shaw will share experiences of his travels to Central and South America, Malaysia, Borneo and New Guinea, where he has encountered a very different way of life.

To book places please contact Lisa Faircloth on 01235445789 or by email l.h.m.faircloth@cclrc.ac.uk


SIBFORD VILLAGE HALL
SATURDAY JUNE 17TH
IN AID OF KATHARINE HOUSE HOSPICE
TICKETS £ 10 - £ 5 (accompanied children)
BAR AND REFRESHMENTS AVAILABLE
Tickets from:
Katharine House Hospice
Sibford Stores
01608737401
01295780543


FRANCIS BACON AND FRANZ XAVER MESSERSCHMIDT
Compton Verney, Warwickshire Exhibition continues to 18 June 2006
To complement the exhibition Van Gogh and Britain: Pioneer Collectors at Compton Verney, Francis Bacon's Study of a Portrait of Van Gogh is displayed alongside a series of sculpted heads by the Viennese court sculptor Messerschmitt. Both Bacon and Van Gogh were accomplished painters of physical sensation, and Messerschmidt's Character Heads record the artist's own expressions as a register of the human condition in its rawest form. Francis Bacon (1909-1992) is regarded as one of the most significant post-war artists. In the 1950s he created a series of works inspired by Van Gogh's painting The Painter on the road to Tarascon (1858). In this series, which he titled Study of a Portrait of Van Gogh, Bacon transforms Van Gogh's interpretation of an artist walking on a summer day into a more troubled, solitary figure, consumed by his own shadow. Bacon's sources are diverse and derive from painters of the past, photographs and film stills. The resulting paintings epitomise the human condition in a disturbingly visceral way, where traces of a human presence are seemingly trailed over the surface of the canvas and left as a haunting imprint. These heightened sensations are also present in Messerschmidt's Character Heads, which depict inner turmoil and states of mind through their dramatic facial expressions. Messerschmitt (1736-1783) was one of the greatest artists of imperial Austrian baroque and the Age of Enlightenment, whose extraordinary depictions of human physiognomy prompted him to abandon his position as court artist in order to actively pursue the Character Heads in the 1770s. These rarely seen sculptures, with titles such as The Yawner; A Grievously Wounded Man; The Incapable Bassoonist, and An Arch-Rascal, are brought together at Compton Verney in a display that celebrates a particularly individual view of the human condition.
Contact: Ina Cole, Communications Manager, Compton Verney, Warwickshire, CV35 9HZ Email: ina.cole@comptonverney.org.uk


HOOKY PLAYERS

The Hooky Players are proud to announce a one night only Revue on Saturday 24 June 2006 in the Memorial Hall, Hook Norton to which you are all cordially invited. It will be an evening of songs, sketches and monologues by both our adult members and youngsters so the entertainment is suitable for all ages and will begin at 7.30 p.m. We will have refreshments on offer during the interval. Tickets will be available from Monday 5 June - Box Office as usual 730355 - although at the time of going to press prices have not yet been fixed. For more details please contact Brian or Adrianne and watch the village notice boards for the posters in June.

DOGATHON 2006
The Rotary Club of Oxford North will be presenting “DOGATHON 2006” on Sunday 25th June. This event is taking place at Stratfield Break, Kidlington, starting at 10am.
The Rotary Club every year selects a Charity to support and in 2006 its chosen charity is “Hearing Dogs for Deaf People”.
Dogs are trained to assist deaf people to respond to various sounds which we all hear in and around the home, but which are unheard to the deaf and hard of hearing. With our support more dogs will be able to be trained in this important task.
Dogathon 2006 is the day when dog owners can bring their pets to Stratfield Break and walk a preset course in aid of this charity. The event is to be opened by Hannah Pollard, star of BBC's “Vets in Practice”, and will include various displays and competitions for participating dogs. There will be Refreshments, Stalls & Displays, Dog Show, Bernese Carter Dogs and much more for the public to get involved in.
For further information please call Ernie or Karen on 01865 370013 or log on to our Web Page at www.dogathon2006.co.uk


See www.hookymusic.co.uk for full details!


FRIENDS OF HOOK NORTON SCHOOL (FOHNS)

Welly Wanging School Fete – date to be announced shortly
Yes, it's almost here, the event of the season, the best, the most summery, the most-child-friendly event of them all – the Hook Norton School Summer Fete.
If the Pony Rides are not enough to bring you along, then what about the menagerie of local farm animals that are coming to join in the fun? Then there's the BBQ, the coconut shy, nail painting, a bouncy castle, cream teas, Pimms, Tug o' war, Hook A Duck, ice creams, children's Tombola, face painting, stalls, a beer tent, plus a Grand Draw with ludicrously, indeed extravagantly generous prizes.
And if this is not enough to tempt you to come, then think of the Welly Wanging. Yes, if you have never welly wanged, this is your chance. Once you've tried it, you'll never bother with Aunt Sally again.
We need helpers please to help set up stalls and clear up afterwards. We need your jam jars please. And if you have any spare plants for our stall, we need them. So if you have donations of goods, please bring contact the school office – likewise, if you can offer your time to help, then let me know or call the school office. There is just one uncertainty. We've had to switch at short notice from the planned June date because of a clash with other events in the village that day. So watch out for advertising around the village with the new date in June or early July.
Finally we need a local celebrity to open the fete. So Gwyneth Paltrow, if you're reading this, it could be better than the Oscars. Chris Martin – we know you can Fix It. As for Madonna and Jeremy Clarkson, surely you fancy Welly wanging at Hooky? So who knows who will be opening, but make sure YOU don't miss the event of the summer.
And remember, one more date for your Autumn Diary – Safari Supper on 23 September. A number of volunteer hosts will prepare and cook a two-course meal. Guests will have their starters at their first host house (approximately 7.30pm) then ALL the guests move to different hosts where they will have their main course with a different set of guests (approximately 9pm). All wine is free. Following the main course, all guests and hosts then make their way to the school where pudding is served. Great fun. Watch out for more details. Time to dust off those pith helmets……
Sally Scullion, FOHNS chair
Sally.scullion1@btinternet.com


HOOK NORTON
FESTIVAL OF
FINE ALES

22ND JULY
AT THE PEAR TREE

12 NOON
UNTIL THE BEER
RUNS OUT

80 PLUS BEERS

MUSIC ALL DAY
MORRIS MEN

TWO PIG ROASTS
FISH 'N' CHIPS


ASCOTT MUSIC FESTIVAL
in aid of Oxfordshire Mind
FRIDAY, 21ST AND SATURDAY, 22ND JULY 2006
Crown Farm,
Ascott-Under-Wychwood,
Nr Witney, Oxon
This new charity festival where all profits go to Oxfordshire Mind will be a family friendly event providing an eclectic mix of music including Rock, Blues, Folk and Jazz.  Local professional and semi professional bands and artists will feature, along with international bands.
Other activities will include a jive workshop, children's activities, craft demonstrations and a music workshop.  The organisers are also looking for volunteers to help over the weekend.
For more details of how you can help to make this event a success or buy a ticket visit their website at www.amf.uk.net or phone Martin Smith on 01993 852 758.

ART EXHIBITION
The Rotary Club of Chipping Norton and North Cotswolds would like to see you at the Cotswold Art Exhibition on Friday 28th to Sunday 30th July from 10am to 6pm at the Cotswold School, Bourton on the Water.
Enjoy a day out, admiring hundreds of paintings, sculptures and ceramics, created by highly skilled amateurs and professionals from a wide area.
Admission is free but the more works of art you buy, the more our charities will benefit. Come and support CLC – Sargent (Cancer Care for Children), TOAD (Trips, Outings, Activities for the Learning Disabled) and Moreton New Ambulance Fund.


PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY, ANYONE ?
May l first of all introduce myself …. my name is Philip Rigby and in August of last year l moved to Adderbury from Tetbury in Gloucestershire. I am a keen, but by no means the most proficient, amateur photographer.
I am hopeful that there is a demand for a new kind of photographic society in this area. l have had some experience of conventional camera clubs, and whilst they undoubtedly fulfil a need, they are simply not to my taste. I want to join with like-minded photographers in a group for whom competition is not the main focus; which welcomes all comers irrespective of experience or equipment; and which does not regard the technicalities of photography as the be-all and end-all of the subject. It would be a group in which those with experience and knowledge gladly and enthusiastically pass it on to others
The main focus (excuse the pun) would be on getting out into the field as a group on a regular basis to take advantage of the photographic opportunities that abound. We would aim also to provide photographic opportunities that are not readily available to individuals. To take one example, we would organise visits to locations like the British Wildlife Centre where we would be taken into compounds and find ourselves in privileged proximity to the animals.
Some with whom I have already been in contact have strong local historical interests and would like to assist local history societies to make a photographic record of our area. Others are interested in the architectural opportunities that abound here; others in flora and fauna; yet others in street photography
A photographic society that is all about the actual joy of taking photographs
The club will cater for technical aspects, if that is what members want, but primarily this will be a photography club whose main aim is to be out and about taking photographs. Whilst photography can be a solitary experience, it will be the further aim to provide a genial social context in which to indulge our hobby.
If you are interested in becoming part of such a group, please contact: P A Rigby, e-mail : pariby@rigbhy.co.uk
Once the level of interest has been established, a meeting can be called to ensure that the newly formed Society meets the needs of it's proposed members. I look forward to hearing from you.
P A Rigby


Over 60? Single or a couple?
 Would you like to:
 For more information about immediate vacancies at East House, Adderbury in
North Oxfordshire, contact Judith Weeks on 01295 788393.
Founded by Friends, East House is owned and managed by the charitable Bray D'Oyly Housing Association Limited.
Registered Charity No 18861R.



Further information and tickets from :
Rita Wheatley Polly Rose Clare Curtiss



Menmarsh Road
 Worminghall, Bucks
HP18 9JZ
Tel/Fax 01844 338380
www.thomleyhall.org
Thomley Activity Centre is a unique recreational and educational facility for children (aged 0-16) with disabilities, their families, friends and schools. The centre is open from 10am-3.30pm including Saturdays. Once monthly, Thomley holds “Toddler days” and “Community days” for children with and without disabilities. Bookings must be made in advance.
Facilities and Play rooms include:

THE NORMAN MATTHEWS HALL

Spacious, Well Equipped Hall,

FOR HIRE

In the centre of the village,
with parking.
Available for single events
or regular use.
Come and see!
For further information
or to book the hall
contact Sue Sinclair
On behalf of the Norman Matthews Hall Committee.