a hidden gem right on our doorstep! 2020.pdf · historic tidmore pool in tidmore lane. as i...
TRANSCRIPT
A HIDDEN GEM – RIGHT ON OUR DOORSTEP!
Vol 31 No 3
March 2020
Have you ever visited Withymead Nature Reserve? It
is truly a hidden gem located between Goring and
South Stoke. If you’ve never been before, then
perhaps now is the time! You can organise an individual or group trip - to bird watch, to take
photos of wildlife or to simply take a quiet couple of
hours out of your day to recharge and refresh! Find
out more about this beautiful 13 acre habitat by
visiting our website www.withymead.org, or get in
touch at [email protected]. We would love to hear
from you!
Excitingly, the Reserve wardens, Pete and Jade, have
just started work on the Orchard Enhancement
Project funded by TOE2 and continue to manage and
maintain the main Reserve at Withymead and also at
Little Meadow on the Thames path. They are being
helped by Wallingford Green Gym and by our
growing band of volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering at Withymead, we would love to
welcome you. There is always plenty to do and
interesting flora and fauna to spot! Please contact
Pete and Jade at [email protected] or phone
01491 872265.
Royalty at Withymead!
One of the many species of animal which calls
Withymead its home is the goldcrest (Regulus
regulus), Europe’s smallest bird (pictured). They travel south to the UK from Scandinavia to over
winter. Pliny and Aristotle both wrote of a tale where
the birds decided who would be their king by flying
the highest. The eagle was sure to win, but as the
eagle tired, the cunning goldcrest emerged, having
hidden in the eagle's tail feathers and flew higher
than any other bird had before, earning it its royal title!
And this beautiful photo of a kingfisher was taken at Withymead by David Brown during a recent visit of
the Wallingford Photographic Club.
We look forward to welcoming you soon!
2
COMMENT FROM THE VICARAGE
As you read this we will already be into the season of
Lent. I have confessed to you before that I don’t
make New Year’s resolutions, as I know I will never
keep them; so maybe you won’t be surprised to know
that I’m not very keen on giving something up for Lent either. I have done it in the past; chocolate,
biscuits, all the usual things, often with the
underlying hope that by Easter I will have become
sylph like – of course it never worked!
Several years ago I really challenged myself by giving
up wine; which proved to be the hardest one of
all. Not because, I hasten to add, I drink excessive amounts of wine, but rather because I soon realised
that it had become something I really looked forward
to on weekends and days off when the work was
done; you know how it is – a glass of red, put your
feet up and watch a bit of telly. Going without that
part of the ‘switch off’ routine really left me unsettled
and it took considerable willpower on my part to keep to the bargain I had made with myself. That’s when I
came to realise that my ‘sacrifice’ of going without my
occasional glass of wine for forty days hadn’t made
any difference to anyone else; apart perhaps from my
family, who had to endure my occasional tantrums
about it!
Giving something up for Lent is supposed to be a form of self-discipline that clears some inner space so
that we can make more room for God to do his work
in and through us. It is not just another self-
improvement tool to make us better people. It is,
when taken seriously, a commitment to holy living, to
creating sacred space in our lives. So now I try to
have a different approach to Lent, and it centres on
what can I take on for Lent? What spiritual discipline will enhance my understanding of what
purpose God has for me in the world? It may be a
commitment to more prayer and bible study, or it
might be challenging myself to engage with someone
or something that I find difficult and have avoided up
until now. It’s the latter one that I’m planning to
focus on this year. I’ve got a suspicion that I have been avoiding the whole climate emergency debate; I
know about it and recognise its importance, but on
some level I have to confess to finding it so scary and
overwhelming that I haven’t really engaged with it at
any depth. I wonder too if it’s easier to let our
attention be diverted by whatever the latest political
or health crisis is rather than stay with the one crucial issue that really is impacting on us all. I
suspect that even world politicians are scared by the
implications of the policy changes that need to be
enacted if we are to address some of the issues that
we face.
So, my Lenten discipline is to engage and learn more
and to return to what I know to be true, that is that when a problem seems too big to deal with, it’s best
to start with the small achievable things, and
gradually those small steps will have an impact and
one will feel abler to deal with the problem which
once seemed overwhelming. So, increasing the
recycling I do, gardening with helping wildlife in
mind, trying to use the car less – things like that. There’s something too about being informed enough
that you feel more confident about using your voice
to make a difference. That said, I don’t think you’ll
find me on the next Extinction Rebellion protest but I
guess you never know! I do know that we are
blessed beyond measure with God’s gift to us of this planet which is our home. Taking it for granted never
should have been an option; but perhaps Lent is a
good time to repent, say sorry and begin afresh the
job of caring for Creation.
Blessings
Linda
PS Thank you to everyone who came along to our first SLOW Church last month – it was a great
morning! We hope to see you again on the 8th.
Revd. Linda Smith, Tel. 01491 680979
Email: [email protected]
Services at St Leonard’s in March
1st March (Lent 1)
8.00 a.m. Holy Communion
9.45 a.m Parish Communion
8th March (Lent 2)
8.00 a.m. Holy Communion
9.30 a.m SLOW Church in the Village Hall
15th March (Lent 3)
8.00 a.m. Holy Communion
9.45 a.m The Open Door
22nd March Mothering Sunday
8.00 a.m. Holy Communion
9.45 a.m Parish Communion
29th March (Lent 5)
4.00 p.m. Team Service at Whitchurch Hill
FRIENDS OF ST LEONARD’S
Annual General Meeting
Our Annual General Meeting will be held at the
Woodcote Community Centre on Wednesday 11th
March at 7.30pm. Refreshments will be provided and everyone is welcome to attend.
Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information printed in this paper, the Editor and Committee cannot accept responsibility for the contents of advertisements or any errors that may occur. Opinions expressed are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or Committee.
3
A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Well now that the winter months
are officially behind us, it is time
to focus our minds on the new
season (with less rain please).
We’ve had Valentine’s day. We’ve
had Shrove Tuesday (is flipping pancakes still a thing?
Apparently so, according to Woodcote pre-
schoolers…) And now we have Mother’s day coming
up so we have more excuses to eat chocolate!
On a more serious note, we’ve had lots of people
contact us about those frogs and toads in last
month’s issue so we are delighted that the Woodcote Conservation Group have put together another
interesting piece on how to tell the difference between
them!
We also have another David Sutton treat for you this
month. I wonder if you’ll agree or disagree with him -
let us know!
Until next month!
Yvette
PUBLISHER INFORMATION
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5
YOUR LETTERS
To all the lovely villagers of Woodcote, the family of
June Higley would like to thank everyone for their
kindness and support after mum’s passing.
The cards, flowers, and donations for Westgate care
home, where mum spent her last three months, were truly overwhelming. Mum and dad moved to
Woodcote in 1998 and lived at the Close, where
neighbours
became friends over many years. Mum also made
good friends at all the various clubs and the church
she attended. Thank you to all who made mum
welcome and gave lifts and support when needed, it is very much appreciated. We would also like to
thank all at Woodcote Health Centre for their care
and support.
June’s family
Dear residents of Woodcote
I’d like to say thank you to everyone who has donated spectacles into the Lions container at the
GPs surgery.
The Lions have a container in the GP’s reception area
for unwanted spectacles. These spectacles get
checked over and sent to third world countries. So if
you have any unwanted spectacles at home and need
to get rid of them, please put them in the container. Thank you for your donations.
Val Cantrell
Dear Editor
I would just like to pass on my congratulations to the
Woodcote Conservation Group on the excellent
restoration which has been carried out on the historic Tidmore Pool in Tidmore Lane. As I
understand it, the ownership of the Pool, mentioned
in the Domesday Book, was uncertain; but once
established, the Parish Council took out a lease and
then asked the Conservation Group to manage the
pool on their behalf. The pool has now received a
thorough up grade and looks wonderful. I recommend a visit to anyone who has not yet seen
this village landmark.
(Name & address supplied)
VILLAGE GREEN COMMITTEE
Winter is not a good time for carrying out tasks on
the Green so inevitably it becomes a time for
planning work to be carried out ‘once the weather
gets better’. Some work does need to be done,
however, such as keeping the entrances as mud-free as possible. We do this by applying wood chippings
and this has been carried out by Robert McDowell
quite recently. At present there are still some piles of
chippings near both entrances, but these will
probably get used up before the end of the winter.
Soon, we will be able to begin a rolling programme of
tree planting - starting with an area on the Green near to the primary school’s natural garden. We will
also be replacing trees which have had to be removed
and, in the future, we hope to plant a small coppice
on the Folly Field. I have previously mentioned the
project to tidy up the Youth Shelter surround and I
hope to be able to report the completion of this
project in the April Correspondent. Finally, thanks to the generosity of Keith Smallbone and his family, we
have been given a donation for the Village Green
through the collection at Keith’s funeral. We are very
touched and grateful for this donation, part of which
we hope to use for a fitting memorial on the Green for
someone who gave great service by tending the War
Memorial for many years. SP
6
OWL – JOIN OUR TEAM!
OWL has completed five years of
volunteering in the library and
most of the original members are
still hard at work helping the
librarians.
However, we do have a need to top up our pool of
people and would welcome anyone who would like to
help. We work around people’s other commitments,
but usually a volunteer would expect a two-hour
session once or twice a month. We particularly need
more people who can come in on Tuesday afternoons
and Friday mornings. It’s a nice place to be, the staff are very appreciative of what we do and tea and
biscuits are supplied. Ask at the library for details
(01491 682323).
Our Annual General Meeting will be held at 6.30pm
on Monday 2nd March in the library and all welcome!
HOPPING WITH DESIRE!
A big thank you to everyone who got in touch after
reading our article about Woodcote’s amphibian migration in last month’s Correspondent, and our
thanks to JP Brouard for giving such a fascinating
talk on 25 February.
Common Frog
The annual migration made by frogs, toads and
newts to ponds in order to breed has now started. If
you’re lucky, you might even see them on their
journey. But how do you tell the difference between frogs and toads? Frogs have smooth, moist skin and
long, stripy legs and you might find them in damp
places in your garden. Frogs hop and can cover a
surprisingly long distance in a single leap. We tend
to think of frogs as being a shade of green or brown
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7
but different individuals vary enormously in colour
and can be yellow, orange, red, cream or even black.
In contrast, toads are always an olive green to brown
colour. They have a warty skin, golden eyes and prefer to crawl rather than hop. If it feels threatened,
a toad remains still and might puff itself up to appear
bigger. Toads can tolerate drier habitats than frogs
and spend less time in water.
Common Toad
At the Greenmoor Ponds in Woodcote, we also have
two species of newts – smooth newts and palmate
newts. Both species are up to 10cm long and look
similar with a brown upper body and a pale orange
belly with some black spots. Male palmate newts develop webbed back feet during the mating season.
Many people confuse newts (on land) with lizards as
they can be a similar size and colour. Newts have
smooth skin, whereas lizards have scaly skin. If you
can catch it, it’s a newt – lizards are very quick!
Female smooth newt
All amphibians like mild, damp conditions for their
migration and move between dusk and dawn,
primarily to avoid natural predation. During daylight or if it’s cold, frosty or windy, they don’t move at all,
but stay under logs and piles of leaves. They start to
move again just as it gets dark in the evening so that
many try to cross the road at the peak evening rush
hour.
Male palmate newt
Despite being known as common frogs, common
toads and common newts, these animals are no
longer common making it all the more important to
preserve them. Between now and when the clocks go forward at the end of March, if you would like to help
us take these amphibians across the road to the
safety of the ponds, then we would love to hear from
you. Just come to Greenmoor Ponds with a torch
and a bucket on a damp evening, or ring Alex on
07527 035056 for more information.
Woodcote Conservation Group
DID YOU KNOW…?
Mother’s Day in the UK is held exactly three weeks
before Easter Sunday. In other countries however,
such as Australia and the United States, it is held on
the second Sunday of May.
But how did it all start? As with many traditions, it
began in the United States, when a lady called Anna
Jarvis, a former peace activist, decided to hold a memorial for her mother in celebration of the
valuable work she had achieved as a mother. By
1911, Mother’s Day became an official holiday in the
States.
Much to Anna’s dismay, however, the day became
commercialized as early as the 1920’s. The hand-
written letter was replaced by pre-made cards and Mother’s Day was quickly spotted as the perfect
opportunity for companies to make money by selling
Mother’s Day gifts!
This trend continues to this day, of course, but are
people gradually feeling less compelled to simply buy
stuff year on year, and mark the occasion, instead, in
the way it was originally intended?
8
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9
WOODCOTE FOOTBALL CLUB
The First team has had an upturn in form and
fortunes with three successive wins in
January/February. A 5-2 home win over Maidenhead Town saw goals scored by Jake Dillon, Tommy
Brownlow, Tommy Chapman, Justin Trow and an
own goal.
The following week saw a 10-1 win over bottom side, Woodley Royals. Jake Dillon score a double-hat-trick
(six goals) and James Worsfold a single hat-trick,
with the other goal coming from Josh Beisley.
Perhaps the best win was by 3-2 away to title
favourites, Newbury, with goals by Josh Beisly, Jake
Dillon and Frank Dillon.
Meanwhile, the Reserve team continues to struggle,
losing their bottom-of-the-table clash with Westwood
by 8-3 with goals coming from Zach Eastman, Darrel
Potter and an own goal. Currently, the first team is in
fifth place in the Premier Division and the Reserves
are at the foot of the Division 1 table.
FOOTBALL & CRICKET CLUB RACE NIGHT
This event is on Saturday 7th March at the Village
Hall with the first race at around 7.30. Tickets are
£10.00 per head to include a hot meal and there will
be a licensed bar. Tickets can be obtained from Sam
Peates 07710 858366 or from the Red Lion. We are
hoping for a capacity crowd, so why not buy a ticket
and join us for an enjoyable evening! SP
WOODCOTE WI NEWS
Latest update:
Patricia welcomed everyone and wished them a
Happy New Year.
Earlier in the month we met for our Homes and
Gardens AGM to plan the trips for the year over a
coffee. Starting the year will be skittles followed by
trips to Leonardslee Lake and Gardens and Weymouth. This was followed by lunch at the Red
Lion in Woodcote.
Celebrating Birthdays this month were Joan Soanes,
Carole Shelley- Allen and Jenny Gough.
Chance to Chat takes place at the Community coffee
shop on the 1st Thursday of the month.
Our speaker this month was Nick Brazil who took us
on a Balkan Railway Adventure, transporting us from Pangbourne to Split. Nick showed us wonderful
scenery and sights as well as some of the quirky
fountains and museums he had found on his
journey.
We had a lovely tea thanks to Hazel Tagg and her
merry band of helpers.
The competition for Railway Memorabilia was won by
Carole Shelley-Allen and the Bloom of the Month was
won by Judy Williams.
The March Meeting will be our Annual Meeting and
this will be followed by a Beetle Drive. We meet on
the 3rd Wednesday of the Month at 2.30pm in the
Village Hall so please come and join us. Judy Williams
Match against Maidenhead Town
Versus Newbury
10
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11
CABIN PRE-SCHOOL NEWS
We are now half-way through the academic year so
we are well on our way to preparing our Little Acorns
for their move into school across the playground at
the end of the year. They have been playing with
flour, shaving foam and sand on trays to form letters and numbers, then following up by writing with
chalk and pens. Adding in the phonic sounds and
learning fun songs really complements this practice.
The nursery stories we have been reading have been
a great learning focus. Reading them is only the start
for us. The children have been balancing on stilts
singing ‘Fee Fi Fo Fum’ as they walked across the playground and we planted beans to grow a bean
stalk, though they are still in need of some
sun to get them going. They have played
Little Red Riding Hood, finding things from
her basket, recalling items in a sequence
and missing items.
We made treats shaped like apples when we were reading Snow White, and had
overnight oats with fruit one morning like
The Three Bears. We talked about how silly
Goldilocks was going into someone’s house
and Stranger Danger, and we talked about
all the names of the Seven Dwarves and the
emotions they represented.
We went on a winter walk around the school
grounds and the nature area looking for any
signs of spring. They collected sticks and
leaves and listened to sounds and identified
them. We found a centipede and tried to
count the legs and even had a bit of a ‘Bear
Hunt’ in the squelchy mud!
This term we had a special visit from a local singer
(who may have also been Jayne’s daughter) with her
guitar, and we all had lots of fun singing along to
some made up songs dreamt up by the children.
Chinese New Year is always a highlight at Cabin. The
children have been able to play with foods such as
noodles and herbs, and used chop sticks to eat a snack of noodles and peppers. They took turns to
dress up as customers wearing traditional Chinese
outfits, whilst listening to Chinese music. They soon
discovered chop sticks makes great drum sticks on
upturned bowls!
Outside, we continue to love to play in the mud
kitchen and our next outdoor project is to grow lots of creepers over the area to make a canopy for a
lovely natural shade.
We are delighted to announce that our now
legendary Cabin Bingo night will be back for 2020!
Get the 24th April in your diary now and watch out
for more details coming soon
We have spaces available on certain days this term and the Summer term but they are going fast so if
you think your little one could benefit from our
superb nurturing care, do give us a call on 01491
680854 or email [email protected]
12
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- Large indoor and outdoor play area
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- Easter & Summer Holiday Club
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13
WOODCOTE PRE-SCHOOL NEWS
We would like to welcome Eme, Ivy and their families
to Pre-School. We will soon be approaching spring
and are looking forward to the better weather, trips
to our allotment and walks around the village.
Our topic this term is all based on a range of books that correspond with occasions and celebrations.
Week 1- will be about ‘The Runaway Pancake’ which
links with Shrove Tuesday when the children will
make pancakes and have a flipping competition!
Another taster treat this week will be Welsh rarebit
that we all tried as part of St David’s day.
Week 2 - we will be celebrating the amazing World Book Week. The children can bring in their favourite
book and come in dressed as their favourite book
character. Elsa and Ana from Frozen seem to be keen favourites!
Week 3 – will bring us to ‘What the Ladybird Heard’.
The children will be listening to the story and copying
the animal sounds in the story.
Week 4 - we will all look forward to reading ‘Monkey
Puzzle’, a story about a baby monkey searching for
his mummy. During this week, mummies, Aunties and Grandmas will be invited for tea and cake. Even
the children will probably have a little bit of cake too!
Our final book will be ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’.
This is an all-time favourite with staff and children.
The children will practise their literacy skills by
reading the story accompanied with a CD, filling in
the missing words, learn to respect books by handling them carefully and putting them back on
the book shelf. The children will have the opportunity
to act out their own Bear Hunt by using different
movements and sounds to express themselves
around the recreation ground. We all look forward to
a fantastic and enjoyable topic!
Week 6 - will be about Easter. The children will be busy making greeting cards, creating arts and crafts
using a range of mixed media and making chocolate
nests. The most exciting activity this week will be an
Easter egg hunt - inside and out! All of the children
will have an Easter treat and we will be holding our
annual Easter Bonnet Parade.
We still have spaces available & take children from 18 months, so if you are interested in your child
joining us, please do not hesitate to give Wendy a call
on 01491682300 or email woodcote.pre-
WHITCHURCH & GORING HEATH HISTORY SOCIETY
We meet on the third Thursday of most months for a
speaker or other historical activity and go on two
outings in the summer. Why not join us? The
subscription is just £12 a year.
14
CHECKENDON PRE-SCHOOL NEWS
Our Theme for January is “Cold Outside” The
children will be learning about the weather and what
we need to keep warm and we will be experimenting
with different materials such as snow, hopefully! We
will be doing lots of melting experiments, and creating some cold themed delicacies in Little Chefs,
so lets hope the weather is on the chilly side!
BRRRRRR!
The Owl group children have been very busy over the
past term creating their very own story. They have
been looking at the beginning, middle and end of
stories and how they are structured, describing events that happen in the story and creating their
own characters to be in the story.
The children have all had an input of their ideas and
thoughts into how the story might start and finish.
The Owls came up with a lovely story with a very
important moral: about a baby unicorn who got lost
and her mummy couldn’t find her. The moral of the story is that you must always stay with a grown up.
The children even helped to type up their story using
the computer as well as creating all the pictures,
drawing and colouring all the characters within the
book. The children have really enjoyed this activity
and are very proud of what they have achieved. They
were really excited to take home their very own copy of the story to share with everyone at home.
Look out for lots of budding authors in the future!
Little Chefs continues to be very popular with the
children and they are developing their culinary skills
such as measuring and following recipes. This term
they have been focusing on creating some chilly
recipes such as chilly fruit jelly and iceburg meringues in keeping with our ‘Cold Outside’ theme.
Our theme for next term is ‘Space’. This was taken
from one of the children’s interests. The children are
looking forward to investigating space, looking at
different planets, astronauts and making rockets to
fly us to the moon.
I am delighted to inform you that Checkendon Pre-School C.I.O raised almost £1000 last year with a
wide variety of fundraising events such as the
Christmas raffle and our sponsored fishing event.
This is very welcome support which will enable us to
provide some wonderful new resources for the
children to support their learning and development
so a very big thank you to all who supported this
scheme. Our next fundraising event is the Checkendon Run on Sunday June 14th 2020.
Please come along and show your support or if you
feel you might be able to help at the event please let
us know.
On behalf of Checkendon Pre-School we would like to
say thank you so much for your continued support.
To find out more about Checkendon Pre-School C.I.O, do visit our website
www.checkendonpreschool.co.uk, call us on 01491
682589, e-mail [email protected] or
just pop in – we always look forward to welcoming
you to Checkendon Pre-School.
Kelly Mullins
D J SCOTT ELECTRICAL SERVICES
Your Local Electrician
• All aspects of Electrical work undertaken
• Free no obligation quotes
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Call Daniel on – 07834365331 www.djscottelectrical.com
Email- [email protected]
15
ON GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE MAKING OF PHONE CALLS
Have you ever noticed how differently men and
women use the phone? I mean, a typical male phone
call takes about ten seconds and goes something like
this. ‘Hi, you on for next Tuesday?’. ‘Yep’. OK, see
you then. Cheers mate’. ‘Cheers’.
Women, I have noticed, tend to take a little longer, without necessarily conveying much more in the way
of information. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not so
miserly as to ‘begrudge’ my wife a little downtime
with the phone, and anyway we are on one of those
contracts where you get the first hour of any call for
free. I just happen to be fascinated by human
communication, and it has struck me that if you listen carefully to women’s calls, they tend to include
a number of ritual phrases that give you a pretty
good idea of how long it is now likely to be until they
come off the phone. In the interests of science, I have
tabulated these below:
Phrase Minutes to end of call
Hi, I just thought I’d give you a quick ring.
60
Anyway, what’s your news? 30
Well, it’s been lovely talking to you. 20
Goodness, is that the time? 15
I really must dash. 10
Bye then. Bye. Bye. Bye. 1, unless…
Oh, I know what I meant to tell you. 15
Oops, I seem to have gone over the hour. I’ll just put the phone down and ring you back….
60
David Sutton
WITHYMEAD NEEDS YOU!
We are looking to add to our valuable team...
Firstly, we are looking for an Independent Financial
Examiner. The Anne Carpmael Charitable Trust, which owns and manages Withymead, is a small
charity with gross income which is only just over the
minimum level at which an independent examination
is mandatory. The IFE does not have to be a qualified
accountant. If you are interested in the role, please
get in touch with our Treasurer, Peter Brass at
[email protected] or by phone on 01491 652427.
We also need two new Trustees…
We currently have five Trustees, four of whom are
local. We would like to appoint two new members to
the Board of Trustees. We are particularly looking for
someone who has a background in conservation and
also someone who is experienced in marketing or
fund raising. If you would like to know more, we'd
love to meet you. Please contact Rebecca Russell at [email protected].
WALLINGFORD & DISTRICT ART CLUB (WADAC)
Our demonstration on Tuesday 17
March is “Landscapes in oil” by Paul
Oakley.
Paul is a Wiltshire artist and has
developed his skills as an oil painter
through attending Norfolk Painting School. He exhibits and enjoys sharing what he has
learnt and continues to learn through running
courses and giving demonstrations
(www.pewseyvalestudio.co.uk)
The demonstration will be held at 7.30pm in Centre
70, Kinecroft, off Goldsmith Lane, Wallingford, OX10
0DT.
There is a workshop on Saturday 14 March, which
follows on from Cat Croxford’s demonstration on
18th February, “The best techniques of Painting
Buildings with Acrylics”. Cat will give short
demonstrations during the day, as you progress with
your painting, and will be giving you constant
attention and help. Every artist is encouraged to 'Develop their Own Style'.
Booking via [email protected] , or
Tel 01491 681400.
Tuesday Tutored Art Classes. If you are interested in
joining us, please give us a call or come along to
Centre 70 and have a chat with our tutors and have
a “taster” session. Current term started 25 February and runs for 6 weeks.
Tuesday morning classes, 10am to 1pm, tutored by
Lisa Turner and Claire Cross.
Tuesday afternoon classes, 2pm to 4.30pm, tutored
by Grant Waters.
Both classes are designed to help you improve your
painting techniques, drawing, colour mixing, composition, hue, tone, glazing, proportions etc;
explain the benefits of the various mediums available
and above all enjoy painting.
WADAC members of all abilities meet every Tuesday
in “Centre 70” at 7.30pm for Untutored Painting
Evenings. Why not join us as a potential member or
just as a visitor?
The Art Club and Art Classes meet at the Centre 70,
Kinecroft, off Goldsmith Lane, Wallingford, OX10
0DT. Email [email protected] or Tel:
01491 681400.
Web site : www.wallingfordartclub.org.uk
16
BRITISH MODERN MILITARY HISTORY
SOCIETY
Last Wednesday, Robert Dicketts gave the BMMHS a
fascinating true spy story of WW2 - 'Our Man in
Hamburg' at the Woodcote Village Hall. Double
agents, MI5, the Abwehr and Gestapo with intrigue
and huge, somewhat questionable personalities in
the heart of wartime Hamburg which Ian Fleming, as a story would have been proud of. All with a
magnificent twist at the end. A full house at BMMHS
enjoyed a fun evening with food and refreshments
and raised £160 for Robert's nominated Special
Forces charity.
A change of tack on 11th March with a talk on the
Cold War and Britain’s Nuclear Deterrent by historian Bill Pyke. A few seats are available for this
talk, while the presentation by Professor Gary
Sheffield on ‘Amateur Soldiers in the first half of the
20th Century’ on 8th April is already sold
out. Submarine Capt Chris Munns will give his talk
on Cold War Nuclear Submarine Operations on
10th June.
For all talks through to September 2021,
visit www.bmmhs.org To avoid disappointment,
you can reserve your places by email
WALLINGFORD PHOTOGRAPHIC CLUB
Wallingford Photographic Club allows people of all
ages and levels of experience to meet like-minded
individuals and learn how to improve their photography through conversations with other
members, presentations by visiting speakers,
practical evenings and regular competitions. The
club meets every Thursday at 7.30pm for an 8pm
start (7.45 start on competition evenings) at
Crowmarsh Pavilion.
In March we will have a two-part talk by Brian Worley on the topics of “Live Shoot with A Single
Light” and “Compacts” on the 5th. Then on the 12th
there will be a competition on the subject of
“Reflections”. The 19th will be a practical evening
and on the 26th we will have our annual “battle”
competition against Whitchurch Hill Camera Club.
See www.wallingfordphoto.club for more information and come along to a meeting – visitors are always
welcome!
Emily Dunn
WHAT’S ON AT THE CORN EXCHANGE, WALLINGFORD IN MARCH 2020
CINEMA
All regular performances normally start at 7:30pm
unless stated otherwise.
Tickets £8 for Adults and £5 for under 15 unless
otherwise stated. Please look on
www.cornexchange.org.uk for further programme
updates.
J & L LANDSCAPING
FENCING, PATIOS and DRIVES, ROOF REPAIRS
GENERAL BUILDING, TURFING. REPLACEMENT
OF FACIA BOARDS, SOFITS and GUTTERING
PHONE: 01491-681367 or 07961-882281
Email: [email protected]
Free Quotations
FAST and FRIENDLY SERVICE
ADVANCED PEST CONTROL
of Ewelme Established 1970
HOUSEHOLD, GARDEN & FARM PESTS
wasps, rats, mice, rabbits, cluster flies and all other insects
dealt with promptly Lee Carrington Field View, 97 The Street Crowmarsh Gifford Tel: 01491 835610 Wallingford Mobile: 07970 010214
17
Sunday 1st March 7:30pm
A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood (PG)
Monday 2nd March 7:30pm
A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood (PG)
Wednesday 4th March 7:30pm
Little Women (PG)
Thursday 19th March 7:30pm
Parasite (15)
LIVE SCREENINGS
Tuesday 3rd March 7:30pm
Riverdance 25th Anniversary
(Recorded live from Dublin, 25 years after it all
began)
Tickets £12.50 (adults), £10 (seniors and under 18s)
LIVE SHOWS
Tuesday 10th March to Saturday 14th March
7:30pm with a matinee on Saturday 2:30pm:
Guys and Dolls, a joint production by the Corn
Exchange and Crescendo Music
Tickets £19 and £17 (adults), £17 and £15 (under
16s)
COMING SOON
Wednesday 1st April to Saturday 4th April
7:45pm
A Sinodun Players production of Agatha Christie’s
play "A Daughters a Daughter"
Tickets £12 (adults) £8 (under 15s)
Wednesday 29th April 7:15pm
Royal Ballet: Swan Lake, Recorded live from the
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Tickets £15 (adults), £12.50 (seniors), £10 (under
18s)
READING RSPB GROUP
Lee Morgan made a return visit to the Reading RSPB
to give an illustrated talk on the Okanagan Valley. Lying between the coastal mountain ranges and the
Rockies, it is in a rain shadow which is the nearest
thing to a ‘desert’ in Canada. A river flows through
the valley and together with steep mountain slopes,
this provides a variety of habitats and spectacular
biodiversity. The river supports sockeye salmon and
at a land-locked lake, a unique variety: the Kokanee. In the reed beds, red-winged and yellow-headed
blackbirds sing, with the occasional glimpse of the
elusive sora. The region supports some 330 bird
species including tanagers, owls, 7 types of
woodpecker and 4 different hummingbirds. Other
wildlife present include rattlesnake, an aquatic
turtle, a marmot, otter, muskrat, beaver, ground squirrel, chipmunk, on the mountainsides, bighorn
sheep, mountain goat and snowshoe hare. Predators
include lynx, coyote, black bear, and even wolf and
cougar.
Some Canadian wildlife in Lee Morgan’s talk
It was a very misty morning when the group visited
Hosehill Lake, a BBOWT reserve close to Theale.
Winter is late arriving this year and the usual large
gathering of wildfowl was not in great evidence although there were twenty or more widgeon and a
handful of gadwall and pochard. As the weather
grows colder, one would expect these numbers to
increase and maybe they will be joined by the odd
goldeneye, pintail, or even that elusive sawbill, the
smew. The persistent rains of late had severely raised
the water level, completely engulfing the shingle beach on the island, normally favoured by
cormorant, geese, moorhen and various waders.
Everybody struggled in the poor visibility as
binoculars steamed up and the group moved away
from the lake where they were treated to a fine view
of a majestic male bullfinch. Further on, a goldcrest
similarly obliged but by now the morning was turning to afternoon and the warmth of the pub fire
beckoned.
The next meeting of the RSPB group takes place at
Pangbourne Village Hall at 8.00 p.m. on Tuesday
10th March 2020 when Ailsa Claybourn will present
an illustrated talk entitled “Harridans, Hedwig and
Hawks; Birds in Literature”.
Visitors are always very welcome!
For more information, visit www.reading-rspb.org
18
'NEW LIGHT ON WALLINGFORD'S SOUTHERN SUBURB'
Tim Allen's (Oxford Archaeology)
topic will be `New light on
Wallingford's southern suburb:
excavations at the former Police
Station, Reading Road'.
Excavations in advance of redevelopment have revealed settlement of the late
Saxon and Norman periods outside the south gate of
the defended burh. Pit clusters and ditches suggest a
series of plots alongside the road leading out of the
burh, and several half-cellared buildings were found,
two of which were particularly well-preserved. Finds
indicate domestic settlement, and that the inhabitants were involved in several cottage
industries, the most important being textile
processing. The evidence will be discussed to see
what it adds to the recently published `Burh to
Borough' project, and in the context of excavations of
similar sites at Oxford and Winchester.
Oxford Archaeology's Tim Allen is well known to TWHAS and we were delighted that he was the
archaeologist for this site.
This talk to The Wallingford Historical and
Archaeological Society (TWHAS) will be held on
Wednesday 11th March, 7.45 for 8pm, at St Mary’s
Church, Wallingford.
Visitors (£4) are most welcome.
Katharine Keats-Rohan
www.twhas.org.uk
WALLINGFORD MUSEUM IN 2020
Wallingford Museum re-opens on
3rd March with two new special
exhibitions, and many family-
friendly events during the year.
‘Plague, Pus and Pills’ is the deservedly graphic title of our main exhibition. It
traces the fascinating history of Wallingford’s
hospitals, caring for the sick in the town from
medieval times to the present day. Its portrayal of the
challenges of dealing with plague, leprosy, smallpox,
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The Jurassic Coast National Heritage Site
Beautiful beaches, walks, fossil hunting,
The Cobb and harbour. Loved by children and adults
Good restaurants, arty shops, cream teas
One bedroom flat for holidays and weekend breaks
In the old town 1 minute from the sea
Tel: 01491 681892 or [email protected]
19
scarlet fever and other such outbreaks, as well as
more common illness and disabilities, brings the past
vividly to light.
Outbreaks of infectious diseases were always much feared, and in the 18th century smallpox was a killer.
So don’t be squeamish – be brave enough to come
and explore our fascinating exhibition and find out
just why we are so lucky to live in the 21st century!
‘The Plague Doctor’ – (by a local artist)
Our second exhibition of 'Willis family of
Wallingford - artists and artisans' brings to life the
work of a local family. The Willis family came to
Wallingford from Hagbourne in the early 19th
century living and working in High Street and what is now The Dolphin public house. An industrious
Quaker family, all of their six sons had artisan or
professional careers. This exhibition spotlights the
careers of George (1822-1907), an artist who
depicted local scenes, and flora and fauna for
engraved book illustrations, and William (1814-
1883), also an artist but whose main business was engraving and inventing ways to fix early
photographs. He patented the aniline process of
copying and his son, also William (1841-1923),
patented what became the universally acclaimed and
commercially successful platinotype process.
And for families…
Our first family-friendly event will be 'Can You Face
It' during the school Easter holidays. Create your
own facial reconstruction at one of our workshops
being held on 7, 9, 14, 16 April. We have the 'skulls', play dough and know how! Children FREE with
adults (£5 season ticket). Early online booking
advised at:-www.wallingfordmuseum.org.uk
Stu Darby
www.wallingfordmuseum.org.uk
THE HEALING POWER OF PLANTS – COME AND FIND OUT!
The lecture is on Thursday 12th March at 7:00pm for
refreshments and a 7:30pm start, at Ridgeway
Community Centre, Old Buildings off Wood Street
OX10 0EW.
We welcome back Timothy Walker who will be
speaking on The Healing Power of Plants.
Mankind has exploited the medicinal properties of
plants for thousands of years, yet the role of plants
in modern medicine is still considered to be
peripheral by many people. This talk attempts to put
the record straight and to show that plant products are used every day by all of us to relieve pain and
suffering, to heal wounds and cure diseases.
Timothy has held positions at Oxford Botanical
Gardens, Saville Gardens, and Kew Garden and is a
lecturer in Biological Sciences at the Department of
Plant Sciences, University of Oxford. He has won
four gold medals at the Chelsea Flower
Show. Timothy was the Horti Praefectus of the Oxford Botanical Garden and Harcourt Arboretum from
1988-2014
www.wallingford-gardening-club.com
HAVE YOU CHECKED THE WOODCOTE HEALTH CENTRE WEBSITE YET?
You can now book appointments, arrange
medication, book blood test, input your blood
pressure readings and even email your GP, with an
expected response within 48 hours!
Find out more information on how to register at: www.goringwoodcotemedicalpractice.nhs.uk/
November Financial Services Ltd
Independent Financial Advisers
We offer a comprehensive range of financial services.
To arrange a FREE initial consultation please call
01491 683777 or email [email protected].
November Financial Services Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
20
Aldridge’s est 1879
www.aldridges.co.uk
Samsonite Spares & Repairs – Quality Leather Goods
We now stock a selection of:
Gents Leather Wallets
Ladies Leather Purses
Leather Accessories
Handmade Leather Belts
Available to purchase online and from our new
Woodcote showroom.
Please contact us before visiting
Jonny Aldridge – [email protected]/07980253841
Unit 7 Church Farm Woodcote RG8 0QX
A DAUGHTER'S A DAUGHTER
Sinodun Players present Agatha Christie’s intense
family drama, written in 1956 under the pen name
Mary Westmacott, a ploy that gave her freedom to
experiment without the attention and expectation
from her mystery writer fame. It allowed Christie to explore relationships and families in a personal way,
often using characters and plot points from her own
life.
The play explores what happens when Anne Prentice,
a widow, and Sarah her grown-up daughter, face the
prospect of Anne wanting to remarry.
The ensuing conflict and its resolution highlight the limited choices an ordinary middle-class woman felt
she had for the pursuit of happiness, and how one
poor decision could affect one's life forever.
When: 1st - 4th April
Where: Corn Exchange, Wallingford
Tickets: £12 from Corn Exchange box office 01491
825000
http://www.cornexchange.org.uk
Useful information to cut out and keep!
Oxfordshire County Council will be closing your local
household waste recycling centres for two days
during March and April in order to carry out a deep
clean and essential maintenance.
Closing dates:
Alkerton (Banbury) - Tues 3rd & Wed
4th March 2020
Ardley (Bicester) - Tues 17th & Wed
18th March 2020
Dix Pit (Stanton Harcourt) - Tues 24th & Wed
25th March 2020
Drayton (Abingdon) - Tues 28th & Wed
29th April 2020
REGISTERED OSTEOPATH
KAREN L.PHILLIPS D.O.
WOODCOTE PRACTICE 01491 684060
Flexible appointment times
Private Health Insurance Provider
21
Oakley Wood (Wallingford) - Tues 31st March &
Wed 1st April 2020
Redbridge (Oxford) - Tues 10th & Wed 11th March 2020
Stanford (Faringdon) - Tues 21st & Wed
22nd April 2020
Full details, including details of nearest open sites,
can be found at
www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/wasteclosure
SHARE YOUR WARMTH!
For many older people, the winter fuel payment is vital to help them meet increasing fuel costs and stay
warm this winter. But not everyone needs their
winter fuel payment to keep warm this winter. That’s
why Age UK Oxfordshire, together with Active
Oxfordshire, have teamed up to offer you an
alternative way you could put your winter fuel
payment to good use. You could choose to donate it and help people in Oxfordshire to become more
physically active and combat loneliness. Share your
warmth this winter! Sir Muir Gray, leading
Consultant, professor at the University of Oxford,
Public Health advisor, and author of the “Sod Sitting,
Get Moving” series of books, came up with the idea.
Sir Muir Gray realised that the fuel payment, £200 per person, is not always needed. Collectively, it
could help other older people in Oxfordshire become
more physically active and combat loneliness and
isolation. Being physically active quite literally makes
us feel warm - and we all know the many health
benefits of being physically active; and exercising as
part of a group is also a great way to be socially connected to others – to feel emotionally warm, which
we know is so important for our mental health and
wellbeing. This is what some people in later life have
said about attending an exercise class: “It helps to
know you are not alone with your problems.” “I’ve
made new friends, and become much fitter and
learned more about looking after myself as I get older.” For some people who are housebound, and
are not able to attend an exercise class or activity,
loneliness and depression could easily take hold. Sir
Muir Gray said: “We now know that isolation,
loneliness and depression not only cause suffering
but they increase the risk of dementia. We now have
strong scientific evidence that activity, physical and mental, helps people live longer better and reduces
their risk of hospital admission and needing social
care. Being physically active reduces the risk of
problems that many people fear most: dementia,
frailty and needing social care. “Many thousands of
people in Oxfordshire will have received a winter fuel
payment. For some of them this will have been of great importance but many of us wonder what we
should do with this £200. With this note we are
launching the Share Your Warmth Appeal with the
aim of encouraging people to give their winter fuel
allowance to Age UK Oxfordshire to make winter
better for housebound and inactive people.” Sir Muir
Gray has pledged to donate his £200 fuel payment. Why don’t you pledge yours?
Your £200 would: support 20 housebound people to
do specialist seated exercises at home with a home
exercise pack - support 40 older people to attend a tailored group exercise class, keeping them active,
mobile and socially connected. - enable 100
housebound older people in Oxfordshire to receive a
friendly phone call.
Send your cheque to: Fundraising, Age UK
Oxfordshire, 9 Napier Court, Barton Lane, Abingdon,
OX14 3YT. Any questions? Contact: Anna McKay at: [email protected] or Tel: 0345
450 1276
Join us on the 6th March…
The World Day of Prayer will be held on Friday, 6th
March, 2020, at 6.30pm. at Springwater Church,
Blounts Court Road, Sonning Common. The service will last about an hour and will be followed by a light
supper, courtesy of Springwater.
This year, the service has been prepared by the
Christian women of Zimbabwe, a country that has
experienced difficulties and unrest over many years.
We are hoping that there will be a link up with Zimbabwe at some point during the evening.
All local denominations are involved in this service
and everyone is welcome! We look forward to seeing
you there.
For further information, ring 0118 972 2611
COMMUNITY CENTRE BOOKINGS
The Community Centre in the Old
School House, Reading Road, is administered as a village facility by a
team of volunteers. There are three
rooms available for hire.
The Rally Room, which can seat up to twelve around
a conference-style table, for meetings, training
sessions, workshops, etc. Also upstairs is The Wasps’
Nest – for small meetings or counselling sessions; seats up to 6.
Downstairs for meeting and larger gatherings is the
Lions’ Den with an adjoining kitchen. The Lions’ Den
can accommodate up to 45 people (36 seated) is
ideal for parties, talks, AGMs and similar events.
All rooms can be booked for a nominal fee.
On Saturday mornings, the Lions’ Den is used as a coffee shop by local charitable groups and fund
raisers for fifty weeks of the year.
For more information on the Coffee Shop or
bookings, email [email protected]
Bookings can also be made by text or phone on
07581 337032, collecting a form from Woodcote
Garden Centre or by visiting www.woodcote-online.co.uk/Community-Centre where you can also
view availability of the rooms.
22
TEL. 01491 680 389 / 07956 966 089
KINGS
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FOR A FREE QUOTE AND SAMPLES DIRECT
TO YOUR DOOR CALL
01491 681489 07799471648
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…taking the hassle out of…
Accounts, VAT, Payroll, Taxation… …business and personal
Serving South Oxfordshire
For a free no-obligation hour’s chat, call Simon Porter FCA on
(o) 0118 947 8158 (m) 07873 343669
1 Prospect Street, Caversham, Reading RG4 8JB
COMMERCIAL WORKSHOPS /
BUSINESS UNITS TO LET
VARIOUS SIZED BUILDINGS ON A SECURE GATED YARD AT CHURCH FARM, OPPOSITE
THE VILLAGE HALL
PLEASE CALL 07833 916 846
R.W.Butler Fencing Contractor
We can supply and install all types of
domestic and agricultural fencing
and gates.
Please call for a free quotation.
01491 680030 or 07974794222
Also Mini digger and driver hire
23
MARCH CROSSWORD
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9
10 11
12 13 14
15
16 17
18
19 20 21
22 23
Across
1 Elevenses quickly become another meal (9)
6 Cause of man losing head? (3)
8 Drunker when big cat absorbs high tension (7)
9 Hang onto first class heather (5)
10 Juggling ant giving all when playing around (12)
12 Repeated call sign for Red Arrow leader (6)
13 Sharper – even had court gear (6)
16 Train companion in the same class? (12)
19 Noble to exclude one out east (5)
20 Record one book as exemplar (7)
22 Noble drops a thousand owing (3)
23 Spoils this astronomical feature (3,6)
Down
1 A little eastern snack (4)
2 Antelope consumes no good country (7)
3 Young animal’s gear (3)
4 Turn up in the Tamar River (6)
5 Scientific Hit? Cancel reorganisation (9)
6 Primarily a lie, it belongs in my excuse (5)
7 Recruiter gets motley gang ‘ere (7)
11 Give endlessly bland sedative to gentleman
farmer
12 For a blooming start rode bus all over (7)
14 A dead pair in crossword (3,4)
15 Kill last insult (6)
17 Animal sounds like husky (5)
18 Remaining break (4)
21 Sick! Bill loses essential vitamin (3)
FEBRUARY CROSSWORD SOLUTION
S N O W B A L L L E A P
I A M A I T
Y E A R I R R I T A T E
C G G H R
B E A N P O L E E B A Y
I S N C
T W E N T Y T W E N T Y
H E A S
F E A T R E S I S T E R
E E D W R
A L I E N A T E C H I N
E N R A A C
O D E S M O T O R W A Y
ARE YOU A CARER LIVING IN WOODCOTE?
If you are looking after a loved one or
friend who could not cope without
your help, then the team at Action
for Carers Oxfordshire are here to
support you. We are an independent
charity whose sole purpose is to support and advise unpaid carers of Oxfordshire. We work within
communities like Woodcote to help unpaid carers to
stay independent and live life to the full. We
currently have a number of carers’ support groups
operating in the county including groups in Didcot
and Wallingford. As well as a team of dedicated staff
who can offer one-to-one support, including help with carers’ assessments.
If you would like more information on the free advice
and support we can offer or would like to know more
about our local carers’ support groups, please feel
free to call us on 01235 424715 between 9.00am -
5.00pm, Monday to Friday.
Wallingford Photographic Club allows people of all
ages and levels of experience to meet like-minded
individuals and learn how to improve their
photography through conversations with other
members, presentations by visiting speakers,
practical evenings and regular competitions. The
club meets every Thursday at 7.30pm for an 8pm start (7.45 start on competition evenings) at
Crowmarsh Pavilion.
In March we will have a two-part talk by Brian
Worley on the topics of “Live Shoot with A Single
Light” and “Compacts” on the 5th. Then on the 12th
there will be a competition on the subject of
“Reflections”. The 19th will be a practical evening and on the 26th we will have our annual “battle”
competition against Whitchurch Hill Camera Club.
See www.wallingfordphoto.club for more information
and come along to a meeting – visitors are always
welcome!
Emily Dunn
24
DATES FOR THE DIARY – MARCH
Mon
2nd
* OWL (OUR Woodcote Library) AGM.
Woodcote Library. 6.30pm
Tues
3rd
* Goring Gap Photo Club Members
Evening. Goring Free Church Hall. 8pm
Thur
5th
* Wallingford Photographic Club talks: 'Live
Shoot With a Single Light' & 'Compacts'.
Crowmarsh Pavillion. 8pm
Fri
6th
* World Day of Prayer. Springwater
Church, Blounts Court Road, Sonning
Common. 6.30pm
Sat
7th
* Coffee Shop in aid of Woodcote Pre-
school. Woodcote Community Centre.
10am-12.30pm
* Woodcote Football & Cricket Clubs' Race Night. Woodcote Village Hall. 7pm
Sun
8th
* St. Leonard's SLOW Church. Woodcote
Village Hall. 10am
Tues
10th
* Reading RSPB Group talk: 'Harridans,
Hedwig and Hawks - Birds in Literature'.
Pangbourne Village Hall. 8pm
Wed 11th
* Friends of St. Leonard's AGM. Woodcote Community Centre. 7.30pm
* Henley Philatelic Society - Auction. Bix
Village Hall. 7.45pm
* BMMHS Talk: Sir John Slessor - An
unsung Cold War Strategist - his role as
the architect of British Airborne Nuclear
Deterrence. Woodcote Village Hall. 7.30pm
* Wallingford Historical & Archaeological
Society talk: 'New light on Wallingford's
southern suburb'. St. Mary's Church,
Wallingford. 8pm
Thur
12th
* Wallingford Gardening Club lecture: 'The
Healing Power of Plants'. Ridgeway Community Centre, Wood Street,
Wallingford. 7.30pm
* Wallingford Photographic Club
competition: 'Reflections'. Crowmarsh
Pavillion. 8pm
Sat
14th
* Coffee Shop in aid of 1st Goring Heath
Scouts. Woodcote Community Centre. 10am-12.30pm
* Wallingford & District Art Club workshop:
'The best techniques of Painting Buildings
with Acrylics'. Centre 70, Kinecroft,
Wallingford. 10.00am-4pm
Tues
17th
* Wallingford & District Art Club
demonstration: 'Landscapes in Oil'. Centre 70, Kinecroft, Wallingford. 7.30pm
* Goring Gap Photo Club Double Bill.
Goring Free Church Hall. 8pm
Sat
14th
* Coffee Shop in aid of 1st Goring Heath
Scouts. Woodcote Community Centre.
10am-12.30pm
Wed 18th
* Woodcote WI Meeting - AGM. Woodcote Village Hall. 2.30pm
Thur
19th
* Woodcote Youth Club AGM. Woodcote
Youth Centre. 7.30pm
MARCH DATES (Continued)
Thur 19th
* Wallingford Photographic Club practical evening. Crowmarsh Pavillion. 8pm
Sat
21st
* Coffee Shop in aid of Woodcote Youth
Club. Woodcote Community Centre.
10am-12.30pm
Thur
26th
* Wallingford Photographic Club
competition v Whitchurch Hill Camera
Club. Crowmarsh Pavillion. 8pm
Sat
28th
* Coffee Shop in aid of Cabin Pre-School.
Woodcote Community Centre. 10am-
12.30pm
Tues
31st
* Goring Gap Photo Club Competition.
Goring Free Church Hall. 8pm
FORTHCOMING DATES IN APRIL
Wed
8th
* BMMHS Talk: 'Amateur Soldiers in the
first half of the 20th Century'. Woodcote
Village Hall. 7.30pm
Tues 14th
* Goring Gap Photo Club Traveller's Tales. Goring Free Church Hall. 8pm
Wed
15th
* Woodcote WI Meeting. Woodcote Village
Hall. 2.30pm
Please send all diary dates for April by the 12th March
WHITCHURCH & GORING HEATH TWINNING ASSOCIATION
It is our turn to visit La Bouille this year, which we
expect to do from Friday 8th May to Monday 11th May.
All residents of the two villages are qualified to join
us and more details will appear later, but it is always
a most enjoyable long weekend. There are photos of previous visits on the Whitchurch on Thames
website. Our Annual General Meeting will be held at
the Old Rectory Stables at 7pm on Tuesday 11th
February, all welcome.
CLOSING THOUGHT
In March, winter is holding back and spring is pulling forward. Something holds and something
pulls inside of us too.
Jean Hersey
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