July 2005
PARISH
PUMP
50p
THE MAGAZINE FOR OUR
ELEVEN PARISHES UNITING
THE THIRTEEN VILLAGES OF:
Alvescot
Black Bourton
Bradwell Village
Broadwell
Broughton Poggs
Filkins
Holwell
Kelmscott
Kencot
Langford
Little Faringdon
Shilton
Westwell
Published for the Shill Valley and Broadshire Benefice
JULY 2005 ISSUE 22
PARISH PUMP is published every month except January, and should be
distributed to every household in the Shill Valley and Broadshire benefice. If you do
not receive a copy, please contact Jane Brylewski.
Advertising does not cover all our costs, and we welcome donations
(suggesting at least £5/year) which you can send through your Parish Pump
Correspondent (see inside back cover), the person who delivers your Parish
Pump, or directly to Ellie Maughan. If you have not already done so, please
send your £5 to cover 2005’s issues.
We welcome articles, letters, diary items, or just good ideas for future articles
(and criticism, whether good or bad! Ed). Please submit through your local
Parish Pump Correspondent, or directly to Richard Martin. Photographs are
also welcome. We prefer all copy to be sent electronically by email to
pump@naturalbest.co.uk, although good old paper is fine too!
All copy for inclusion should reach the editorial office by the 10th of the
month preceding publication.
Advertising enquiries are welcomed, and should be directed to Lin Edgar.
We are indebted to all the Parish Correspondents, and all those in all the
parishes who make possible the publication and distribution of Parish Pump
every month.
EDITOR
Richard Martin
Cotswold Woollen Weavers, Filkins, Nr Lechlade, Glos GL7 3JJ
Tel: 01367 860491 Email: pump@naturalbest.co.uk
TREASURER
Ellie Maughan
Home Farm, Kelmscott, Lechlade, Glos GL7 3HD
Tel: 01367 252220 Email: cmaughan@supanet.com
ADVERTISING
Lin Edgar
The Cotswold Wildlife Park, Bradwell Grove, Burford, Oxon OX18 4JW
Work Tel (Tuesdays - Fridays, 10.00am - 5.00pm): 01993 823006
Home Tel: 01993 845544 Email: parishpump@cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk
DISTRIBUTION
Jane Brylewski
The Willows, Signet, Burford, Oxon OX18 4JQ
Tel: 01993 822479 Email: jane.b@btinternet.com
Any views expressed in Parish Pump are not necessarily those of the benefice clergy,
nor
of the editorial team.
EDITORIAL
Last month we launched an idea (by the by, suggested by an illustrious
Broadwellite, not Kencotian as published. Sorry!) inviting readers to write
about their own village, and another in the Benefice. This is what we said:
‘We all like to think we know how others see us, or in this case see our villages. But
do we? What do others really think about our village? Parish Pump invites all Shill &
Broadshire villagers to write two separate pieces: one about your own village, and the
second piece about one other village in the benefice. The two pieces should be a
maximum of c. 200 words each, dwelling fairly on the good and the bad aspects,
what
you like and what you do not like about your own and the other village.
Obviously you know which village you live in, so you know what the first piece will
be about. You can choose for the second piece any of the other twelve villages in the
benefice. You can find a complete list on the front cover of this issue of Parish
Pump.
Please post, drop in, or email your pieces to me at Parish Pump, the contact details
are on page two of this issue. We will publish (anonymously, if you like) a selection
of the pieces. and a very entertaining (and instructive?) time should be had by all.’
Well, some of you have submitted some very entertaining pieces about your
own and other villages (thank you), and next month we will publish some of
them. But there is still plenty of time for you all to pick up your pens (or flex
your key-board fingers), and keep your contributions rolling in…
The pithiest contribution has come from an Alvescot poet, who simply said:
According to the cover of the magazine, ‘The Pump’
Alvescot is the head, and Westwell is the rump.
Full marks for brevity! Poetry, of course, is entirely optional, but it reminds
me of Edward Thomas’ Adlestrop:
Yes. I remember Adlestrop—
The name, because one afternoon
Of heat the express-train drew up there
Unwontedly. It was late June.
The steam hissed. Someone cleared his
throat,
No one left and no one came
On the bare platform. What I saw
Was Adlestrop—only the name
And willows, willowherb, and grass,
And meadowsweet, and haycocks dry,
No whit less still and lonely fair
Than the high cloudlets in the sky.
And for that minute a blackbird sang
Close by, and round him, mistier,
Farther and farther, all the birds
Of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.
This is evocative and beautiful, but it is the archetypical fleeting, outsider’s
view of a village, and the exact opposite of the informed pieces Parish Pump
readers will write about the villages we know so well.
Richard Martin
SELECTED CONTENTS
3 Parish & Benefice Services 4 The Rector’s Letter
9 What’s Miss Cuba to us? 11 Round the villages
25 Westminster View: Education, Education! 35 What (or who) is in a name
PARISH & BENEFICE SERVICES
3rd July – Trinity VI
10.30am Holwell Benefice Eucharist Service HM & RM
Followed by a party in honour of Roland Meredith
6.00pm Alvescot Evensong EJ
6.00pm Shilton Youth Service HM
10th July – Trinity VII
9.00am Alvescot Holy Communion HM
9.00am Westwell/Holwell Combined Holy Communion NUW
10.30am Filkins British Legion Remembrance Service HM
The new Standard will be dedicated during this service
10.30am Shilton Family Communion NUW
6.00pm B Bourton Evensong NUW
6.00pm Kencot Evensong HM
17th July – Trinity VIII
9.00am B Bourton/Alvescot Combined Holy Communion EJ
9.00am Holwell Holy Communion HM
10.30am Kencot/Broadwell Combined Parish Communion HM
10.30am Kelmscott Family Communion EJ
10.30am Langford Family Service FSG.
6.00pm B Poggs Evensong EJ
6.00pm Westwell Evensong HM
24th July – Trinity IX
9.00am Broadwell/Kencot Combined Holy Communion NUW
9.00am Shilton Holy Communion HM
10.30am Alvescot/B Bourton Combined Morning Prayer EJ
10.30am Filkins Family Communion HM
11.00am L.Faringdon Parish Communion NUW
6.00pm Holwell/Westwell Combined Evensong EJ
6.00pm Langford Evensong TF
31st July – Trinity X
9.00am Langford Holy Communion HM
10.30am Kencot Parish Communion EJ
10.30am Shilton Parish Communion NUW
6.00pm Alvescot Evensong HM
7th August – Trinity XI
10.30am Kelmscott Benefice Eucharist Service HM & EJ
6.00pm Shilton Evensong HM
There is also a Communion Service at Black Bourton every Wednesday at 10.00am
SERVICE CELEBRANTS
EJ Liz Johnson FSG Family Service Group
HM Harry MacInnes NUW Neville Usher-Wilson
RM Roland Meredith TF Tom Farrell
BENEFICE SERVICES
The dates of Benefice Services for the rest of 2005 are:
3rd July Holwell at 10.30am
7th August Kelmscott at 10.30am
4th September Black Bourton at 10.30am
6th November Little Faringdon at 10.30am
4th December Langford at 10.30am.
THE LECTIONARY
3rd July – Trinity VI ®
Habakkuk 2. 1-4 Psalm 31. 1-6
Ephesians 2. 19-22 John 20. 24-29
10th July – Trinity VII (G)
Genesis 25. 19-34 Psalm 119. 105-112
Romans 8. 1-11 Matthew 13. 1-9, 18-23
17th July – Trinity VIII (G)
Genesis 28. 10-19a Psalm 139 1-12
Romans 8. 12-25 Matthew 13. 24-30, 36-43
22nd July – Mary Magdalene (W)
Song of Solomon 3. 1-4 Psalm 42 1-7
2 Corinthians 5. 14-17 John20.1-2, 11-18
24th July – Trinity IX (G)
Genesis 29. 15-28 Psalm 105. 1-11
Romans 8. 26-39 Matthew 13. 31-33, 44-52
31st July – Trinity X (G)
Genesis 32. 22-31 Psalm 17. 1-7
Romans 9. 1-5 Matthew 14. 13-21
7th August – Trinity XI (G)
Genesis 37. 1-4, 12-28 Psalm 105. 1-6, 16-22
Romans 10. 5-1‘5 Matthew 14. 22-33
THE RECTOR’S LETTER
Dear Friends
The Westminster Catechism states that ‘man’s chief end is to glorify God
and to enjoy him forever.’ For the Christian this means that all that we
do with our lives, our work, our leisure and so on, all find their
fulfilment as human acts that open us up to the presence of God. This is all
brought together when we gather with the specific aim to worship God.
Since joining you as your new Rector last October, I began a review of the
pattern of services that take place within each of the twelve churches that
make up this Benefice. After working with Neville and Liz, and seeking to
listen and understand the needs and preferences of each of the churches in
the Benefice we are beginning a new pattern of services this month.
There are various principles behind changing the pattern of services through
the Benefice which are as follows:
1 To enable an hour and half between services to avoid rushing between one
church and another and giving time to meet with people after the service as
well as allowing the person taking a service to prepare themselves properly for
the next one.
2 To create a simple pattern, that will make it easier for people to know the
service times across the benefice.
3 To look at the spread of services across the Benefice so that each Sunday
there will be services that are accessible to families, services using Common
Worship, as well as 1662 Prayer Book services. This will give us all a variety of
provision.
4 To create a system where we know when a church is having their service
and can plan baptisms and other events within this structure.
5 To review the number of services being offered each Sunday. Neville
remembers that since he has been serving in this Benefice the number of
clergy and laity serving in the Benefice has halved.
The plan is for this new pattern of services (at 9.00am and 10.30 or 11.00am)
to be put in place for twelve months, with a review at the end of that period.
Having listened to the views expressed by the different parishes, it seems that
this pattern would accommodate the majority.
There are many important elements in the life of a Christian congregation,
but the greatest priority is for worship. It is the key to everything else in our
lives, and it requires time. It is a great shame when it gets rushed or hurried,
or when the pressures are such that there simply is not enough space to open
ourselves to the presence of the living God. Liz, Neville and I all very much
hope that these small changes will contribute towards a richer experience of
His love and grace.
Harry MacInnes
CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
ur monthly meeting is on Wednesday 6th July in the Methodist Chapel
Schoolroom, Filkins. Our speaker will be Mrs Jean Smith, who will tell
us about her recent visit to the Holy Land.
Everyone in the Benefice is most welcome to join us.
MAB
THE BISHOP OF DORCHESTER’S VISIT
unday 5th June was an occasion for celebration in the benefice, as
Bishop Colin came to lead a Service of Confirmation in St. Matthew’s
Church, Langford. The Confirmation Service gives an opportunity for
those who were baptised as babies or young children to affirm their faith for
themselves and to become full members of the church.
It was a joy to see three adults and seven young
people from the benefice ready and willing to take
this step forward in faith and commitment, with the
support of a large congregation. Bishop Colin put
everyone at ease with his warm welcome, and spoke of
the way Jesus reached out to people of all sorts
because of his great love for them, even when his
actions provoked disapproval. His challenge to the
candidates, and to us all, is to reach out with love and
compassion to those around us.
But the focus was not just on our commitment to God; it was also on God’s
commitment to us. The central point of the Confirmation came as Bishop
Colin laid his hand on each of the candidates in turn, addressing them by
name with the words, ‘God has called you by name and made you his own.
Confirm, O Lord, your servant with your Holy Spirit’. The service continued
with a celebration of Holy Communion, with the newly-confirmed being the
first to receive the bread and the wine as a token of God’s love.
Those confirmed were: Christine and Mark Reynolds; Louise Finlay-Wilson;
Jackie, Isla, Rory and Lizzie Maundell-Perkins; Catherine and Annabelle
Rowntree and Dominic Hagues from this benefice, and Chloe Musson from
Witney.
Liz Johnson
The Bishop adds:
It was lovely to be out at Langford on Sunday night and to see so much that
was good going on in the Benefice.
Yours Ever
 Colin
A PARTY FOR ROLAND MEREDITH
As many of you now know Canon Roland Meredith is leaving us to
move to Eynsham. On Sunday 3rd July we will be formally saying
thank you to Roland for his service to the Benefice since he retired in
presiding at services across our churches, and of course also in his previous
role as Area Dean. I have invited Roland to preach at the service at St Mary’s,
Holwell which he has very kindly accepted. We are planning to provide
refreshments after the service and I do hope that as many of you as possible will be
able to come to this service to show our appreciation and thanks for all that Roland
has given to us over the years.
Harry MacInnes
ROLAND MEREDITH: AN APPRECIATION
oland has been a familiar figure in this benefice since 1995, when he
retired as Team Rector of Witney, where he had overseen the
development and expansion of that ministry after his appointment
there in 1979. He had developed connections too with this benefice especially
after 1989, when he became Rural Dean and he was an important mover in
the initial unification of the Shill and Broadshire Benefices.
After retiring from Witney and moving to Bampton, he started coming to our
staff meetings and has been enormously helpful, especially in the last five
years or so, when there have been a number of interregnums and, at the same
time, various people, who were involved in taking services, progressively
retired or moved away. When I first joined the team as a deacon in 1996, we
used to number some nine people at our meetings, who could and did take
services, compared this month (June) with three!
With his wealth of experience Roland was always a valuable member of the
team with an encyclopedic knowledge of canon law, especially in the running
of churches and church meetings, parishes, church fabric and graveyard
regulations, enabling us to avoid all kinds of possible pitfalls, and, despite his
numerous other commitments to Freelands Convent, other churches in the
deanery and elsewhere, including abroad, where his son worked in British
embassies, and also his duties at the Cathedral and in mental hospitals in
Oxford, he was usually able to fill the gaps in our service rotas. He is also an
‘ideas’ man and developed a number of initiatives.
Always good humoured, though able to make unpopular remonstrance where
needed, such as on an occasion, when confetti was being scattered in the
churchyard, he was ready with a cheery greeting and a smile.
In his services and sermons, though inevitably I was rarely able to be present,
it was said he was scholarly and the master of brevity; no long, turgid and
boring expositions!
He and Susan have now moved to Eynsham, where he can have easy access to
Oxford and the Cathedral. We shall miss him and, I’m sure, all of you, with
me, wish him well, though, I’m sure too, on visits to Christchurch, we may see
him from time to time, and, perhaps also back here. Thank you Roland, for
everything!
Neville Usher-Wilson
CHILDREN’S CHURCH
n September we are planning to pioneer a children’s church, which would
run concurrently with the main service. Do contact Debs Price on 01993
847039 if you think that you might like to contribute to this ministry.
BENEFICE CHOIR
With Harry’s great support and encouragement, I am trying to keep up the
good work started by Wanda Adams.
The Benefice Choir offers a stress-free opportunity to all the singers in the
area, and we do need more of you!
The first public performance is not until a service in November, so we have
time to get together and prepare ourselves and our music. Do contact me if
you are interested in joining the choir.
Amanda Butler (Email: mandy@abrushmansholiday.co.uk)
60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE END OF WWII
Members of the British Legion and friends are reminded that a special Benefice
service has been arranged to mark the 60th Anniversary of the end of the Second
World War. It will take place at 10.30am on Sunday 10th July at St Peter’s,
Filkins. The service will also include the dedication of the new Filkins District
Branch standard and the laying-up of the old one. Please encourage as many as
possible, whether Legion members or not, to attend this unique service which will
coincide with the National Commemoration Day.
Medals should be worn.
Jeremy Taylor
THE BIBLE SURVIVES
Last month a Leicestershire Hospitals Trust decided to ban bed-side bibles
on the grounds their presence could offend non-Christians, and aid the
spread of the MRSA superbug. No one could be found to defend the latter
argument, and so great was the outcry (including from many non-Christians)
about the former, that the Trust backed down. ‘I can confirm that Gideons
Bibles will remain in patient bedside lockers’ said Philip Hammersley, the
trust chairman.
How good it is to know that sometimes sense and principle will prevail, even
amongst the po-faced PC brigade which sees ‘ishoos’ everywhere.
WHAT’S MISS CUBA TO US?
In the first of a series, we are invited to take a look around the world with a local
Catholic contributor. This month Cuba.
Maybe she wasn’t Miss Cuba, but if her home country had allowed
such a dubious accolade in her lifetime, she could have been. It’s
what we called her, after she’d left our hire-car to complete her
journey from the outskirts of Havana to the distant town of Santa Clara,
where her mother lived. Like most Cubans, she relied on hitch-hiking to get
around: yes, there were buses and trains, but they were expensive.
How had she stayed so immaculate, and so composed, after three hours
waiting in vain by the roadside on a typically hot and humid day? Didn’t she
worry at all, stepping into and out of trucks, cars and vans, trusting to
strangers in a way that now seems inconceivable in our own, so much more
‘developed’ nation? Most mysterious of all, how had her belief in God, stated
so emphatically as we drove east, survived thirty or so years of intense, state
promoted
atheism?
Time and again, on our travels, we were struck by the survival of religious sentiment
in the face of decades-long persecution on the island. Another passing acquaintance
explained that regular church-going in anything but the most recent times had put
jobs, and children’s university places, at risk. Yet on Sunday morning, Saint
Christopher’s Cathedral, the centre-piece of Old Havana, was almost full. The Corpus
Christi procession, however, had to confine itself to the building, rather than spill out
into the colourful, ancient streets snaking away from it in all directions. As a young
seminarian explained to us afterwards, religious tolerance had grown since the visit of
Pope John Paul in the mid 90s, but the Church was still not expected to put itself
about.
Worship was not confined to Sundays. In the tranquil church of Merced on
the Calle Cuba in the capital, and the fine cathedral in the colonial town of
Cienfuegos, the daily congregation could easily number 40 or 50 by no means
all elderly communicants. It was refreshing, and unexpected, to see such a
healthy mix of ages, and such warm communal exchanges after services.
On our way back to Havana, after a fascinating week in this, one of the world’s last
remaining Communist dictatorships, we gave a final lift to a family of three. Neither
mother nor father was Catholic, but they had had their shy son Junior baptised as
such. They estimated that, in spite of everything, about half of all Cubans were still
Christian in some form or other – mainly Catholics, but including some Baptists and
Methodists too, and adherents of Santeria, the African-Christian hybrid brought to
these shores from West Africa with the slave trade.
Cuba is famous for a number of things: rum, cigars, salsa music; the warmth
and vitality of its people and the beauty of its women; bustling new holiday
resorts, and, of course El Commandante himself (now quietly opposed,
according to another of our contacts, by up to 2/3 of his own people, in spite
of the undeniable benefits he has secured for them). But perhaps it should be
celebrated, too, for the survival of faith, or even simple belief, in the face of
huge and highly organised opposition. Perhaps the freshness, beauty and
poise of ‘Miss Cuba’ after hours of seemingly fruitless waiting by the side of
the dusty, rutted autopista has something more than the obvious to say to us
after all.
Leftfooter
Next month, Leftfooter visits Bratislava
WELL I NEVER!
‘Irrefutable’ evidence that the Shill and Broadshire Benefice is spreading.
This building (an Dr Barnado’s Home until 1981) has
the address:
Boughton Hall, Filkins Lane, Chester, Cheshire.
FROM THE REGISTERS
HOLY MARRIAGE
14th May Langford Alison Louise Joy and Hedley Frank
Albert Haynes
HOLY BURIAL
20th May Kingsdown Crematorium Michael John Pitts of Filkins aged 51
years. Burial of Ashes took place at
Filkins on 1st June
HOLY BAPTISM
5th June Kelmscott Lucy Anabel Cox
ROUND THE VILLAGES
The 13 villages that make up the 11 parishes in the
Shill & Broadshire Benefice are lively places! Every
month there are generally dozens of events organized
by the many local organizations that flourish here.
Parish Pump is pleased to report on every event that
has happened, and to publicise all those that are to
come. We try to incorporate all the many
contributions we receive, but please accept that we can
not always advertise your particular event in the
way you would like. But do keep sending us all all
your Village News.
ALVESCOT
St Peter’s
DAIRY DATES
8th October Village Hall Quiz
18th November OTT with ‘Beauty and the Beast’
ST PETER’S INFANT SCHOOL
We are delighted to inform you that we have
successfully appointed two new members of
staff to start at St Peter’s in September. Miss
Becky Grantham will be joining us from a
large infant school in Bristol and Mrs Shelley
Godfrey will be joining us from West Witney
Primary School. Both teachers are experienced
in the teaching of children in the early years
and we are looking forward to welcoming them to our team.
This month we were all very excited at the arrival of our new activity top
picnic benches and sandpit. These are made from a recycled material called
plastiwood and are extremely durable! The children are already enjoying
eating their lunch and playing on the benches and next week we will be filling
the sandpit. It is thanks to all the support that the school receives from
parents and the local community in raising funds that we are able to buy such
wonderful resources.
Thank you to Ralph Mawle who has transported top-soil from the playing field to the
school field for us to create our new ‘amphitheatre’! We hope to have this turfed in
the near future so that it can be used in whatever creative ways the children can come
up with; theatre, circus, classroom, concert hall…the sky’s the limit!
All the children in classes 1 and 2 have been receiving tennis coaching from
Alan Elbourne on the Multi-Use Games Area at the playing field. They have
made excellent progress over the past five weeks and many are keen to
continue to play. We are still trying to arrange a coach for an after-school
club for September. If there are any children in the village who would be
interested in joining a tennis club, please let us know.
Last month the school’s rugby club entered a tournament at Brize Norton
Primary School. All the children played extremely well, using all the skills
they have learned over the past year and finished the tournament in second
place.
Congratulations to Alex Reid in Class 1 for taking second place in the
County’s ICT competition to design a book cover. Alex and his very proud
parents attended an awards ceremony at the annual ICT conference to receive
a framed print of his competition entry. This is now hanging on display in
the school library.
We are now looking forward to our end of year celebrations; the Village Fete,
Partnership Music Festival, Sport’s Day, whole school trip to Slimbridge,
Barbecue and Leaver’s Service. If you would like tickets for the family
barbecue on 15th July at 6.30, they are now available from the school office.
The staff and governors of St Peter’s would like to wish the children and
families who will be leaving our school at the end of this academic year every
happiness for the future. You will all be missed but we look forward to
hearing about your achievements!
Sam King
Stop press! There is a display of work by the children from St Peter’s School at
Carterton Library from 28th June. Do visit it. Ed
WI NEWS
Shill Valley WI meet in the village hall on the first Wednesday of each month
at 7.30pm.
We have a very varied programme, and visitors are always welcome to come
and see if they would like to join. The cost for visitors is £1.50 including
refreshments for a maximum of three guest visits a year.
In July we have the Air Ambulance Trust visiting to tell us about their role in
our area. Future meetings this year include Glass painting and Wine-tasting
and details can be found on the Village Hall noticeboard.
Our Autumn show will be held as usual on 3rd September, and the schedule
will be available in July.
For further information please contact me on 01993 214107.
Melanie Bryant (Ssecretary)
BLACK BOURTON
St Mary’s
PLANT SALE
Advance notice of the 3rd Annual Charity Plant Sale. If you enjoyed the sales
in 2002 and 2003 (or if you wondered what you were missing!), I do hope you
can come to the 2005 sale on 17th September.
Liz Welch
BROADWELL
St Peter & St Paul’s
COME AND MAKE HAY WHILE THE SUN SHINES
There will be a great need for some help in the churchyard in mid to late July
when we have to make the hay that has been growing wildly all summer, in
order that the seeds of the wildflower meadow should reach the ground. The
hay must be removed for this to happen. And it will have to be done in the
medieval manner because of the headstones all over the place.
So, let’s hope there are some people who fancy themselves with a pitchfork,
and would lend a hand. Please contact the Churchwardens, and we can have a
good go at it, and get it done.
June Goodenough
Ps. Does anyone want some very good organic hay, for the taking?
BROADSHIRE PRE-SCHOOL NEWS
We will be holding an Open Day on Wednesday 6th July from 1.30 to 3.00pm.
If you have children who will be old enough to start pre-school in the next
academic year please feel free to come along and join in an afternoon session.
Following on from our successful Ladies Afternoon last Autumn we will be
holding a Mid-Summer Ladies Afternoon on Tuesday 28th June from 2.30 to
4.30pm. There will be a variety of stalls eg. crafts, jewellery, cards etc. plus teas
and home-made cakes. For children there will be a flower basket activity. Why
not come and join us for a spot of mid-summer shopping and a lovely cup of
tea?
The activity topic this term is ‘Food and Water’. We will be looking at
different types of foods; why we need food and water; and ways in which we
use and enjoy water. The children will have opportunities to taste a whole
range of foods, and we will be making hedgehog breadrolls and pizzas.
We have lots of fun activities planned for this last term before the summer
holidays, including a Sports Day and a picnic.
If you would like further information about our pre-school or any of the
above events then please call Mrs Jackie Overton on 01367 860729.
Alison Rodger
FILKINS & BROUGHTON POGGS
St Peter’s
FAREWELL TO PAM ASSITER
Pam, a stalwart organiser and supporter of so many village activities will be
leaving Filkins for pastures new early in July.
We are sure there are many people in the village who would like to have an
opportunity to say goodbye to Pam and to thank her for all she has done for
the community.
So there will be a farewell party at 6.00pm on Sunday 3rd July in the Village
Hall. Do come along for all or part of this informal get-together. Drinks and
nibbles will be provided but we would be grateful for a donation towards
costs and a collection for Pam.
Call Mary Cover (01367 860302) or me (01367 860195) for further
information.
Barbara Bristow
SUMMER THEATRE IN THE COURTYARD
See the advertisement on page 54 for Appletree Theatre’s next stupendous
show at Cotswold Woollen Weavers in August, and book your tickets NOW…
ROSTER FOR VOLUNTARY CAR SERVICE TO SURGERIES
Covering Filkins, Broughton Poggs, Broadwell, Kencot, Langford and Little
Faringdon
26th May Mrs M Cover 01367 860302
5th July Mr A Woodford 01367 860319
7th July Dr H Squire 01367 860337
12th July Mrs J Higham 01367 860197
14th July Mrs V Godfrey 01367 860498
19th July Mrs K Neville-Rolfe 01367 860329
21st July Lt Col J Barstow 01367 860312
26th July Mrs L White 01367 860461
28th July Lady Cripps 01367 860209
2nd August Mrs J Higham 01367 860197
4th August Mrs M Cover 01367 860302
In the event of any problems, or for hospital runs, please contact Tony
Woodford on 01367-860319.
The charge for local surgery runs is £2.00 and for hospital runs:
Cirencester & Swindon £8.00
Cheltenham & Oxford £10.00
Tony Woodford
A TALK ON LIFE IN THE RAF FROM 1934 TO 1956
Following Sir John Allison’s recent most interesting talk on a service life mostly in
the jet age, I am giving a talk about my service life in a quite different era: 1934 to
1956. It will not be too technical, more an illustrated chat on the vicissitudes of
service life based on my Pilot’s Log-book. I’ll be travelling from a/c Plonk (the
lowest form of life in the RAF) to pilot in a Pathfinder Squadron, and from Vickers
Vincents, Tiger Moths and Wellesleys to the great DH Mosquito.
The talk is at 7.30pm on Friday 8th July in Filkins Villahe Hall, and tickets (£8
including wine and light refreshments) are available from Filkins Post Office,
Cotswold Woollen Weavers, or from me (01367 860204). All proceeds will go
the village church restoration fund. To set the scene, here is a taste of my life in the
RAF…
I was stationed at an RAF Station in Rigby in Lincolnshire in about 1937, minding
my own business. One day I was told Saunders, you and 199 other irks are to go to
a place called Brize Norton to open up a new R.A.F. Station.’ Brize Norton…
Wherever is that? And what a funny name!
Now folks, not many people know this, but villages were quite insular and isolated in
that era. Not a lot of intermingling or fraternising took place, simply because there
was no transport or buses. The only thing that brought any sort if intermingling was
through the village dances in the various Village Halls. Transport was always a
problem, one either walked or went on horseback or if you were a king - by bicycle.
Cars were only for the gentry, and there were not too many of them. Cars that is!
Now the concept of 200 virile young men descending on the village of Brize Norton,
wherever that was, certainly put a sparkle in all the village maidens’ eyes, in the area.
One day my future wife’s mother said to Edna, wagging astern finger at her ‘Don’t
you have anything to do with those servicemen, they do naughty things to young girls,
get themselves posted and you don’t see them again.’ Of course I did not know what
she was talking about. But like a dutiful daughter Edna ignored her Mother and
married me and we stayed married 64½ years.
Come on the 8th July at 7.30pm to Filkins Village Hall, and find out more
about my life in the RAF in those distant days.
Sandy Saunders
WI NEWS
Our meeting in May was the annual Resolutions discussion when we debate
the topics to be voted on for the year. We had lots of lively arguments and
voted to agree the resolutions.
The next meeting on 20th July is titled ‘Filkins on the Net?’ given by Mr Dave
Oakey. Please join us to learn more. On 23rd May, ten members set off from
Diane’s house for a lovely walk from the Wildlife Park area back to Filkins.
It
was a beautiful sunny evening and we were accompanied by four canine
friends who enjoyed it as much as we did. We thank Diane for organising the
evening and for the lovely supper she had made for us when we arrived back.
We hope to have other walks during the summer so if you are interested
please contact any member of the committee for details. In August our
summer meeting will be a picnic in ‘Beautiful Buscot’; let’s hope the summer
weather continues.
Hilary Ward
BOWLS CLUB FLOWER SHOW
& FETE
Don’t forget that this is on Saturday 27th August at the Village Hall and Paddock
opposite. The Show opens at 2.00pm and schedules are available now from Cotswold
Woollen Weavers, and Filkins Post Office, or telephone me on 01367 860500.
Last year, and in spite of a summer of indifferent weather, all sections of the
Show - produce, arts, crafts and cookery - were splendid, so a big ‘thank you’
to all the competitors and helpers who made that possible. This year, there are
85 different classes, including nine special classes for children.
Entry fees are 20p per class for adults, and 10p per class for children, so do
pick up a schedule, have a go, and make this the best Show yet!
Pat Clark
A VILLAGE SHOP?
See the article about this exciting project on page 28
PARISH INFORMATION
Please remember all leaflets of interest, minutes and agendas are on display on
the notice boards in the bus shelter, Post Office and Broughton Poggs. There
is a more comprehensive file in the coffee shop at the Cotswold Woollen
Weavers. What better opportunity to read the minutes, bring yourself up to
date and have a coffee at the same time!
VILLAGE REUNION 2005
Were you lucky enough to live and grow up in the village during the 1900’s?
Would you like to visit a lovely venue overlooking the Windrush River, enjoy
a leisurely lunch, and see and chat with old school friends that perhaps you
haven’t seen for fifty years or more? You would? Then please come and join
those of us who have been meeting every year since 2001.
It has sometimes been difficult to trace people who have left the village, but
each year we still manage to meet yet another person or two who remember
their childhood days in the village. Some bring old photographs, and
everyone seems to have a story to tell about their time here.
We meet for lunch on Saturday 2nd July at Midday at the Windmill Carvery
(on the A40 Burford-Witney). Do join the party!
Trevor Bumford (01793 632048) and Frances Clack (01793 828454)
PLEASE COME TO TEA
There is to be a Tea Party on Sunday 14th August at Filkins Village Hall
(outside if fine). So come on ladies, get out your best hats and dresses and
enjoy an excellent traditional English tea in convivial company. Gentlemen
welcome too! Proceeds to church restoration. More details to follow…
ST. FILICA SOCIETY
Another busy year is already being planned by St. Filica, and here are some
dates for your diary:
Car Treasure Hunt on 3rd July
A crazy afternoon of cryptic clues; Give your brains a workout while admiring
our glorious countryside. Starts at 4.00pm from The Five Alls. £4.00 per car.
Street Party on 23rd July
Back by popular demand dance the night away with ‘The Same Old Faces’,
music from over the decades. Good beer, good wine, delicious BBQ and
there’s no entrance fee. Starts 8.00pm
HOLWELL
St Mary’s
NON-HIPPY SLEEPING BEAUTY WAKES UP TO PARTY
You may have wondered what on earth actually happens in Holwell. Month
after month we report ‘No news’. Perhaps the village is deserted? Perhaps
we’re secretly whooping it up night after night and have consequently lost our
faculty to communicate? Or perhaps we are a tiny hamlet of just seventeen
households who get together to raise a glass or two several times a year but
fight shy of such things as jumble sales or fetes for the obvious reason that
we’d all end up wearing each other’s cast-off woollies and eating each other’s
flapjack. And that would make us a hippy commune
But, like everyone, sometimes we need to let our hair down, so on Saturday
3rd September we’ll be flinging open the doors of our hired marquee, firing-up
the barbecue, plugging in the amplifiers and having a bit of a party. So put
the date in your diaries, dust off your dancing shoes and prepare to be
amazed as Holwell awakens from its thousand-year slumber.
Julie-Anne Edwards
RIDE & STRIDE
Every year in September, like many of the parishes in the benefice, Holwell
supports the sponsored Ride & Stride in aid of the Oxford Historic Churches
Preservation Trust.
The original county trust to help historic churches was set up in Norfolk in 1976 by
the redoubtable Billa Harrod who died this May, wife of the distinguished Oxford
economist Sir Roy Harrod. She believed passionately that not only were the
churches important for their architectural value but even more so as symbols of
Christianity and, as she said ‘If people see the symbols being allowed to crumble
away they think the whole thing is over.’
The sponsored bicycle ride was initiated as part of the Norfolk Trust’s fund raising
and has been taken up all over the country by other Trusts, producing many thousands
of pounds down the years. This year’s Ride and Stride is on Saturday 10th September.
Those taking part whether on bicycle, horse or foot aim to visit as many churches (of
all denominations) as they can, having first dunned all their friends, relations and
colleagues at work to sponsor them. 50% of the money they raise is earmarked for
their own church and the rest is shared with other Oxford curches through the Trust.
Reggie Heyworth is Holwell’s organiser and we have much to live up to as last year,
largely through John Sprawson’s great efforts it was again the top fundraiser. This
year we want to do even better, so if you would like to take part (especially those who
have to spend their working week in London) and also use the opportunity to get to
know some of the fascinating and historic churches near by, get in touch with Reggie
at the Wildlife Park 01993 823006 for more information and sponsorship forms.
If you would prefer a sedentary job, volunteers are also needed to check in
participants and revive them with cooling drinks; you might even persuade someone
to sponsor you to do that!
Corinna Rock
The results published in June’s Parish Pump were as submitted to me. However it
transpires that they were correct only for returns to 19th February, and also did not
include non-C of E church members’ collections. Apologies to all concerned. The
latest
(and hopefully definitive) results from within the benefice area were as follows.
Where
a church is not specified, it is the C of E parish church. Ed
Alvescot £59
Broadwell £60
Filkins (Methodist chapel) £452
Filkins £433
Holwell £2990
Kencot £300
Langford £389
Little Faringdon £137
Shilton (Baptist chapel) £130
Shilton £529
KELMSCOTT
St George’s
CHURCH BRASS AND FLOWERS
Celia James
ANNUAL FETE
Our traditional annual village fête will be held this year in the grounds of Kelmscott
Manor on the afternoon of Sunday 14th August. Come and join in the fun: Punch &
Judy, Morris Dancers, Plants for Sale, Teas, Welly Throwing, Tombola and various
other stalls, plus Raffle and Competitions.
KENCOT
St George’s
CHURCH FLOWERS
2nd July Stella Chapman
9th & 16th July Joy Coxeter
23rd & 30th July Helen Squire
6th August Maureen Seale
ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES
There seem to be a lot of ‘comings and goings’ at the present time.
We are sorry that Richard Matthews has left us, but glad that he is keeping in
contact.
We welcome Norman and Sally Bayliss to Gable Ends and Tim and Louisa
Ringrose with their three small sons to Quenton House and hope that they
will all have a long and happy stay with us.
LANGFORD
St Matthew’s
CHURCH FLOWERS
3rd & 10th July Mrs C Tinson
17th & 24th July Mrs R Range
31st July Mrs D Lowden
ST. MATTHEW’S CHURCH
On 5th June, Bishop Colin Fletcher carried out the Confirmation of twelve
candidates including one from Langford and also one presented by the Rev
David Childs from the Witney Deanery for Baptism and Confirmation.
The ceremony was well attended, including parishioners from throughout the
Benefice. The service was followed by refreshments – thanks to all those who
assisted.
See review of the occasion on page 6
COMMUNITY FETE
Come and join us for a great family day organised by the Church, Village Hall and St.
Christopher’s School, on Saturday 25th June at St
Christopher’s School.
The official opening by our surprise guest is at 2.00pm, and the fete is open
until 5.00pm. Entry is free.
Come and watch the Dancing and Martial Arts, listen to the Band and enjoy
all the traditional stalls: Wellie Wanging, Face Painting, Plants, Cakes, Lucky
Dip, Treasure Hunt, Duck Game, Bottle stall, Tug of War and Raffle.
Competitions include a decorated garden plate and vegetable animals.
Further information from school on 01367 860318.
LANGFORD LADIES
In May we welcomed Peter Seldon who came to talk to us about ‘The Family
Tree’, Peter regularly gives courses at Denman college (The WI college), which
takes three days, for us he had to condense his talk into an hour and a half!
Peter has been researching his family tree for over 25 years and was able to
give us lots of information with regard to the pitfalls and the best places to
research.
The one thing we learnt is that it is very time consuming and you never know
what you might find! The best place to start looking may be your local
graveyard or the national archives. We also learnt about the coat of arms
which used to be passed to the eldest son, you can now purchase your own for
around £3,300, and that did you know until 1860 headstones used to face
west, now they face east.
One of the pitfalls may be the spelling, it was not that long ago that not all
our ancestors could spell, and the names were spelt as people heard the, hence
they would change the spellings. Did you know that Langford is mentioned
in the Doomsday Book, but spelt as Langfort in 1086?
Our June meeting took us to Baghdad and Jordan with Patrick Coleman.
Patrick visited his friend in Baghdad 18 months ago and brought us his slides
so we could also visit. Patrick told us that the people were very friendly, even
when he ran into one in a taxi!
We first visited the ruins of the Roman provincial city of Jerash, the entrance
of which is a Triumphal Arch and inside the city is a temple dedicated to
Zeus, there are also two theatres and a magnificent colonnaded street. We
then went to the unique city of Petra, which is carved from sandstone; you
may have seen the treasury with its beautiful carved façade in the film
‘Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade’. We saw slides of Saddam’s palace and
Patrick even sat in one of the chairs! our journey ended at Baghdad with the
slide of a beautiful blue mosque and barbed wire with a tank in the
foreground.
Our next meeting is our river trip at Lechlade; members please meet at The
Riverside for 7.00pm.
If anyone is interested in seeing Disney’s Beauty and the Beast on 6th October
at Oxford the tickets will be £30 including coach fare. Enquires to me on
01367) 860514
Chrissy Tinson
LITTLE FARINGDON
St Margaret’s
CHURCH FLOWERS
July Sylvia Griffiths
SHILTON
Holy Rood
RIDE OR STRIDE 2004
In June’s Parish Pump the amount raised in Shilton was shown as £50, which
came as something of a surprise for one or two residents who had raised well
over £100 each! The amount raised was a much more respectable £472.
Actually Shilton did even better than this! See article under Holwell on page 19. Ed
DIARY DATES
16th July BBQ by the pond
27th August V illage bike ride
10th September Church bike ride
2nd October Harvest Supper
5th November Halloween, Jazz &
Bonfire night party
More details of all the above, and booking forms to come later
24
KEEP FIT
Unfortunately we’ve lost Phil, who goes to pastures new; well actually to train
Cirencester rugby club, amongst other things. His ‘girls’ gave him a good send
off party before he departed for a well deserved two week break in Antigua.
The good news is that we have a new instructor starting from 16th June –
welcome Sandie – so our classes will continue every Thursday at 7.00pm in the
Old School. £3.50 per session. All ages and abilities welcome.
HISTORY GROUP
The group will not meet in July or August, but a new programme will begin
on 9th September, when our speaker will be Mark Priddey from the
Oxfordshire Records Office. Please watch this space !
Apologies for omitting History Group details from June’s Parish Pump. My fault. Ed
PARISH COUNCIL MEETING DATES
31st August Shilton 7.30pm
12th October Bradwell Village 7.30pm
14th December Shilton 7.30pm
WESTWELL
St Mary’s
GARDEN OPEN REPORT
22nd May had been chosen long ago to open Anthea Gibson’s lovely garden.
Sadly the weatherman was not wholly on our side, drizzle at the beginning
mainly relented for the greater part of the afternoon but soon after 5.00pm
constant rain put an end to the enjoyment. However 307 people arrived to
enjoy this interesting and beautiful garden, and the conversation at the teas
told how much this had been enjoyed.
The Parish provide teas and have produce stalls at Barnstorm for the visitors,
and we raised £475 for the Church: teas £205, produce £150, tabletop £100
and donations in Church £20. Our thanks go to Janet for her garden and
shelter and to those who helped serve and tidy up afterwards, a good
community effort; thanks too to all who baked cakes or made sandwiches,
and also those who found produce and goods for the stalls. Since then Anthea
Gibson has given £100 from the gate receipts, and we have also had three kind
donations totalling £200. Thank you all. See you next year.
Chris Fox
ALL CHANGE!
Changes are afoot at Westwell with the recent or imminent sale of four of the
houses in the village. The first to arrive will probably be Charles and Denzil
Verey who have bought Mitford Cottage. They hope to be here by Christmas,
and we look forward to welcoming them.
JJH
WESTMINSTER VIEW
I am delighted that David Cameron, having been re-elected as MP for Witney, has
agreed once again to write a monthly piece for Parish Pump. David is now Tory
education spokesman, and this month explores some underlying themes.
All politicians talk about the ‘opportunity society’
in which everyone can fulfill his or her potential.
Without a good education system, that is
moonshine. Take any social problem - drugs, crime,
teenage pregnancy - and pretty soon you find that education is at least part of
the answer. In a shrinking world, a country’s success will depend upon the
ability and skills of its people. Getting education right is at the heart of
personal development, social progress and economic prosperity.
So what am I going to bring to all this? I cannot claim experience as a teacher
and my own children are only just entering the school system. One thing
that made me want the job of shadowing Ruth Kelly, the Education Secretary,

was my experience of visiting schools.
First, Coombe Primary, near Woodstock, a small village school in west
Oxfordshire, which I visited after the chair of governors asked for my help.
There are 130 children, but only four working toilets. You have to cross the
road to use them. Two of the classrooms are temporary and have to be closed
when it is windy or snowing. There is no school hall and meals are eaten in
the classroom.
But there is a head teacher with an enthusiasm for inspiring young minds
that is tangible. Her team is dedicated to the school. And Coombe has the
best results in the south of England.
Second, the Tabernacle School in west London, set up by a young enterprising
teacher frustrated by the poor standards of discipline in some local state
schools. It was originally established in a church, and the skeleton staff had to
pack everything away each night and start over again the next morning.
When I visited, there were 60 children, almost all from ethnic minority
communities. The school charges parents £3,000 a year and most struggle to
pay by instalments. Yet the Tabernacle has already achieved excellent
standards and parents are queuing to get in.
Third is Kingham Hill, a rather extraordinary independent school near Stowon-
the-Wold. Set up by a Victorian industrialist, it’s a private school with a
difference. None of the pupils takes three A-levels. Instead, they combine one
or two with rigorous, well-funded and superbly equipped vocational courses.
About 50 per cent are dyslexic, yet almost all go on to college or university.
Next is Springfield, a new school in Witney, Oxfordshire, that takes disabled
children. It shares a site with
Madely Brook primary school – the two are horseshoe-shaped, one inside the other.
The children eat and play together, share concerts, plays and visits. But for most
classes they are taught separately. Both sets of parents are delighted with results.
Finally, not so much a school as a conclave of experienced teachers - the West
Oxfordshire Secondary Heads meeting. They get together to talk about local
issues and, every so often, the local MP comes to hear about life at the sharp
end.
At the last meeting, one head told me: ‘We used to be regulated by the local
education authority and the Department for Education. Now we are also
overseen by, or have to participate in, the Specialist Schools Trust, Ofsted, the
National College for School Leadership, the Teacher Training Agency, the
Oxfordshire Learning Partnership, the Learning and Skills Council and the
South East England Regional Assembly.’ One of his colleagues thought he
had missed a few out.
What lessons have I drawn from all this? Good education is not just about
‘resources’, but the leadership provided by head teachers, the teaching
methods used and the commitment of parents and staff.
The Berlin Wall between state and private education is higher than ever and
needs to be torn down. If social entrepreneurs can provide new schools in
inner-city areas that provide routes out of poverty and despair, they should be
encouraged.
The failure of governments to provide proper vocational education in state
schools has meant that generations of children who could have continued
learning have been failed by the system. The Government’s pursuit of
inclusion for all children with very special needs is not only mistaken but
unnecessary. As at Springfield, we can design special schools that combine the
benefits of inclusion with the advantages of separate education and therapy.
Finally, all the schools I visited tell me that a major issue is massive regulatory
overload. The barrage of instructions from Whitehall, town hall and quangos
has become impossible to manage.
So how do we help schools ensure proper discipline, drive up standards and
provide vocational alternatives while getting the Government off their backs?
Part of the answer is giving parents more choice and schools more freedom.
But, on its own, that is not enough.
Politicians must get the basics right. It will mean big battles over inclusion
policies and snobbish attitudes to vocational education, and need a clear
stand on discipline, traditional teaching methods and rigorous exam
standards.
But, having seen what can be achieved when schools get it right, I am
convinced these are challenges that must not be ducked.
David Cameron
POLICE NOTICE
Over the last few months our area was of more than a passing interest to the criminal
community, with several suspicious incidents and number of break-ins. Although
arrests were made and others identified and spoken to, we should not drop our guard.
Unfortunately it is a fact of life that because we live in a low crime area,
Police manpower levels will always reflect that, hence we rely on your eyes and
ears to help prevent and detect crime. I am often asked who one should ring,
and when, in the event of a crime or suspicious incident.
The Thames Valley Police 24 hour non emergency
telephone number is:0845 8 505 505
which should be used for general enquiries and to report
incidents, such as crimes, that have already occurred, ie.
persons or vehicles involved have either not been seen, or
have left the immediate vicinity.
However, should you witness persons, or vehicles, in the commission of an
offence, or suspect them to be, or you find yourself confronted by such a
person, and especially if you or your property are in immediate danger, then
is the time to ring 999. But, remember, do not put yourself in any
unnecessary danger.
This area is patrolled 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and officers will always
attend, but may have a little distance to travel. The Thames Valley Police have
crime prevention officers who if requested will be more than willing to attend
your homes or businesses and offer advice on security. The Officer for this
area is Bill Butcher, and he can be contacted on 01993 893878.
Steve Patrick
Carterton Police Station. Tel: 01993 893951 (not 24 hours)
WHO WILL BUY?
Filkins & Broughton Poggs Parish Council, in conjunction with the Parish Plan
Committee, are investigating the exciting possibility of launching a village shop in the
Village Centre Building near the swimming pool.
There has been a resurgence of community shops in recent times. The
results of the recent Parish Plan questionnaire highlighted our desire
for a community or local shop. One of the greatest challenges when
embarking on such a venture is the acquisition of suitable premises.
We are in the enviable position that we already have a centrally located,
eminently suitable building. Our village shop could utilise the two rooms
opposite the Post Office, which is located in the village centre, close to the
swimming pool.
Other local communities already have thriving village shops that have to cover huge
overheads. If thes eorganisations are able to breakeven, or in some cases make a
small profit, which is either ploughed back into the shop or passed onto village
charities, we must be able to create a viable village shop without the same burden of
huge building costs. It may also be possible for us to gain funding from various
different organisations to help with set-up costs.
Our shop could be a real focal point for village life. We will need to start with
a small range of goods and gradually expand so that one day a village shop
could not only supply you with the washing-up liquid or loaf of bread you
forgot to buy, but maybe some local produce, or local craft, or a dry cleaning
service, or tickets for the village cinema, or information on the next St Filica
event, or...
If you have collected your pension or child benefit from the Post Office, or
paid a bill, or bought some stamps, maybe you could then visit the shop and
buy a unique, locally made celebration card, or some fresh fruit and
vegetables. Maybe you would just like to buy an ice cream or a cold drink to
enjoy while you sit by the swimming pool on a hot day. All of these things
could be possible, but it all starts with your views and your support.
If you live in Filkins or Broughton Poggs you should now have received,
completed and returned a questionnaire about the shop project. If you haven’t seen a
questionnaire and you have views you would like to share
please contact us. (Details below) While this project will be based in Filkins, it
will obviously provide a service for people who live in the surrounding
parishes.
We can’t wait to hear your views, and thank you for your time and support,
Trish Poole (01367 860334) & Helen Holden (01367 860159)
NATURE NOTES
This month David further describes his yellowhammers, and tells us about a ‘yaffle
bird’. Read on…
Many thanks to David Bristow in Filkins for his letter about the
rarity of yellowhammers in last month’s Parish Pump. I have just
been watching a male yellowhammer feeding on mixed seed from
my ground level bird table. There is no mistaking a male yellowhammer when
you see one. Its head is mainly a brilliant lemon yellow, with slight darker
streaking, going down to the neck and underparts with reddish brown
streaked upperparts and two prominent white outer tail feathers. Although on
the RSPB red danger list of birds there are good numbers of them around this
area and the Cotswolds, indeed I have seen small flocks of them in the winter
months and also in the winter I have had as many as thirteen in the garden. Unlike
the greenfinch they will not feed from hanging feeders but only on the ground. When
walking in the country it can often be heard with its rather wheezy call: ‘a little bit of
bread and no cheese’, with the last note being drawn out. As with many birds the
female has little of the brilliant colour the male possesses, being rather a drab bird in
comparison to its beautifully marked counterpart. Oddly enough this brings me on to
another bird (left) we have just been watching in the churchyard with bright yellow on
it - the green woodpecker. Surely this must be one of our most colourful birds, having
bright green upperparts, rich crimson crown to middle of the nape and grayish-green
underparts with a bright yellow toned rump, seen clearly when it flies.
In contradiction of my previous words about the yellow hammer when I said
with many birds the male is more colourful than the female, this is not so
with the green woodpecker, perhaps the only main distinguishing feature
between male and female is the red moustachial stripe on the male only.
Unlike our other two woodpeckers, the green favours ground feeding to tree
feeding and specializes in ants and ant nests. It has an extremely versatile
tongue which can extend up to 10 cm and is coated with a sticky saliva when
used to probe ant chambers and to capture ants on the surface of nests. This
is precisely what this one was doing when we watched it in the churchyard, so
as it was preoccupied with feeding we were able to watch it for a nice long
time. Anyone with a large area of lawn is likely to have a visit from one of
these handsome birds. Its call can be related to a hearty laugh and has given
rise to its country name of ‘yaffle bird. Some country people have given it the
name of “rain bird” as hearing its call portends the coming of rain. With all
the frequent showers we have been having recently the green woodpecker must
have been doing a lot of calling!
My wife’s cousin who runs a guest house at Westcote in the Cotswolds had a
spotted flycatcher turn up on 20th May. This is probably our last migrant to
arrive from Africa, remarkably this is the third year it has appeared and for
the last two it has successfully brought off youngsters from a nest in a wall
plant basket in the porch of the front door where there is a lot of coming and
going of guests. This year it has appeared two weeks earlier and so lets hope it
has another successful breeding season. The flycatcher is so confiding it has
even allowed its photograph to be taken!
Six cygnets left a swan’s nest in mid May that I had been watching for some
weeks at the bottom of a garden at Shipton-under-Wychwood. As luck would
have it I was away on the exodus but was told that they were escorted across
the field by their parents for the quarter of a mile before reaching the River
Evenlode.
I was privileged on 7th May with a visit to a wild flower meadow on a hillside
near Fossebridge when I saw an extremely rare chalk grassland flower growing
in profusion. The pasque flower, a beautiful violet-purple anemone-like flower
with a yellow centre. Close by were growing the largest group of early purple
orchids I have ever seen.
The swifts are active around the church roof at the moment - lets hope they
have a good nesting season.
David Roberts
THE FAIRIES ARE COMING!
Cotswold Arcadians present A Midsummer Night’s Dream, an ‘authentic’
production with proper fairies and magic, at Hatherop Castle School on the
18th to 23rd July. Tickets are £8 to £16, and the Box Office is on 01285 711714.
OPERA AT BUSCOT
Buscot Park Theatre will be hosting Curtain Call’s ‘sparkling new production’ of
Franz Lehar’s The Merry Widow on Friday 8th, Saturday 9th, and Sunday 10th July as
part of this year’s Faringdon Arts Festival. Set in a small pavilion near the elegant
late 18th c Palladian house, Buscot Park Theatre is one of Oxfordshire’s best kept
secrets. This intimate theatre was built by the 2nd Lord Faringdon in the 1930’s when
he was remodelling Buscot. It has recently been lavishly restored and seats 62
people. Equipped with the latest state-of-the-art facilities the theatre distills all the
charms of Buscot Park - history, elegance, and a will to embrace the modern.
Curtain Call is a recently founded professional opera company who have
decided to celebrate the centenary of the death of Lehar by staging a new
production of his most famous work. The racy new translation by Robin
Martin-Oliver, Curtain Call’s director, gives the work modern relevance whilst
the traditional setting of 1920’s Paris captures the hedonistic society that Lehar so
skilfully parodied. Performances begin at 7.15pm but are preceded by a wine
reception overlooking Buscot’s stunning water garden. There will be an interval of
approximately one hour for you to enjoy a picnic in the magnificent pleasure grounds.
Wine will be available, but please bring your own picnic!
If the weather is bad (unlikely!), you can picnic under cover.
Tickets (£25) include entry to the grounds from 6.30pm, wine reception and
programme. Dress is casual, but Black Tie is optional.
To book your tickets please write to : The Estate Office, Buscot Park,
Faringdon, Oxfordshire SN7 8BU, or telephone 01367 240786.
Please make cheques payable to Curtain Call. We regret that we are unable to
take credit card bookings. Don’t delay, tickets are very limited. So book now!
‘a well polished performance that bubbles with energy, humour and merriment… the
professional production team and exceptionally talented young cast are a winning
combination… do go if you can; you will be in for a treat’ The Oxford Times
SIGN SEEN OUTSIDE A CHURCH
This is a CH _ _ CH. What’s missing?
UR!
POTTERING IN THE POTTING SHED
This month Anne introduces children to the green-fingered arts…
If the weathermen are right we are in for a hot July and August, which
means the opportunity to entertain in the garden. If you think your
garden could use a bit of a makeover in time for the bbq season or
summer drinks party here are some useful ideas to brighten up the borders
and perk up the patios.
Some plants, in particular delphiniums and lupins, may flower again this
season if given a little help. Removing seed heads and tatty leaves will make
them look better and increase the probability of a second show, as will
watering liberally and feeding with a good all purpose soluble fertiliser.
Keeping roses deadheaded on a regular basis (unless you are growing them for
their hips) and picking over any hanging baskets will also encourage new
flowers.
Provide instant colour for patios by planting containers with busy lizzies,
petunias, osteospermums or pelargoniums. Check the containers for drainage
holes and make them if necessary. Good compost is essential to ensure an
abundance of flowers. Aim for a 90% peat or peat substitute with a 10:1 ratio
of wood fibre and perlite. Cover the bottom of the container with gravel and
add a slow release fertiliser to the mix. If moisture-retaining granules are
added this will help to cut down on watering. Garden centres may have some
reduced price annuals at this time of year, which, with a little tender loving
care, will provide a rich reward throughout the remainder of the summer. If
you are short of time buy foliage plants such as cannas, castor oil plants or
dramatic grasses and leave them in their pots. At the end of the season keep
them dry and frost free and plant them at your leisure next spring.
Keep herbaceous borders tidy so as to display perennials to their best
advantage and for quick but effective splashes of colour plant Geum ‘Prinses
Juliana’ and Geum ‘Mrs J Bradshaw’. They are vibrant and easy to grow and
within a couple of years it is possible to divide them in winter or spring to produce
several new plants. Climbing nasturtium seeds can be poked into even the ropiest soil
where they will take happily and produce a lovely splash of colour right through until
the first frost. Any of the larger annuals that are on sale at the garden centre will
revivewith water and a potash-rich fertiliser applied fortnightly.
One of the most important considerations in the garden when it comes to hot weather
is water. Watering in the early morning or late evening is best, as this will minimise
evaporation and avoid scorching. Water the roots not the leaves and make sure the
soil is properly soaked around the plant. Young plants, pot plants, new plants,
shallow-root
plants and plants near walls are most in need of your time with the watering
can as are plants bearing fruit. Vegetables are very thirsty and their produce
will be poor if they are under watered.
If we should be lucky enough to enjoy some really warm summer sunshine
remember to keep birdbaths topped up with fresh water and make a dish of
water available for any visiting hedgehogs.
Anne Greenwood
LETTERS
Letters are welcome on any subject. Just email them, post them or drop them in to me:
all my contact details are on the inside front cover of Parish Pump. Ed
THE YELLOWHAMMER QUESTION
Last Month David Bristow suggested that yellowhammers are so rare as to be
virtually extinct. Well, David Roberts (page ) and Philip Blacker seem to have more
than their share in their gardens…
Sir: Since I am temporarily living outside the area covered by Parish Pump, I
read you publication with enthusiasm. I was doing just that the other day,
and had just finished reading Mr David Bristow’s letter describing the virtual
extinction of the yellowhammer, when I glanced out of the window and saw
at least eight of these birds feeding from the table outside.
If Mr Bristow is correct, I can only assume that the entire yellowhammer
population of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire had congregated on one table
at the same time. Admittedly my late mother’s garden is a haven for rare
and unusual species of birds, since she was an avid watcher and feeder. And
no, they were definitely not male Greenfinches!
Yours
Philip Blacker
Sir: Mr Roberts is lucky to have so many yellowhammers, but Mr Bristow is
not alone in thinking the bird is now rare. According to the Royal Society for
the Protection of Birds, although the yellowhammer can be seen at most times
of year over most of Britain, (except for the Highlands of Scotland, the
Pennines, and other upland areas), it is scheduled on the RSPB danger-list as
‘red’. This means the species is considered at risk, with the breeding
population having declined by more than 50% in the last 25 years.
Best regards
Jeremy Mason
… WHAT (OR WHO) IS IN A NAME?
Why are our villages called what they are? First a bit of nonsense saluting the
founders
of our thirteen villages in the Shill & Broadshire Benefice. Can you identify each
village?
‘Tis well-known that Broughton Poggs
Is named for Pogeys (as in Stoke),
But what of ‘Phil’ who lived next door?
He sounds a family-minded bloke.
Further down the road there’s Ken
Who looks to to be a lie-a-bed
And nearby throve a comely wench,
All hale and hearty? Enough said!
Two more chaps seem in the pink
Although it’s tricky, I’ll allow...
For one looks to be a goner
and t’other’s en vacances for now.
Three Jocks next: tall Mr Ford,
A blind Scot oddly named (to tease?)
for Turkish carpets, and a third...
A semi-’illsman, if you please!
Here’s a curious eponym...
Reservoir dog or coal-mine pig?
Either way he’s a deepish man
But wet or dry we can’t now twig.
A fit American-looking guy,
(but maybe tacky, none the less)
Insists we know he’s not a town
and wears his label proudly, bless!
A pocket gypsy Spanish gent
Planted his village down the lane.
And lastly a casino stooge,
a hundred pounds did sharply gain.
What a harum-scarum crew!
But sans these village founders we
Would have no place to call Our Home,
So to them all we bend our knee.
Louis Renault
And now for something sensible(ish!) about the origins of place-names…
THE ANGLO-SAXON POST OFFICE
The old saying ‘what goes round comes round’, or in other words ‘history repeats
itself’, seems to be never more true than in the mundane context of postal addresses.
Hundreds of place names up and down the country illustrate the centuries-old
practice of identifying and locating addresses simply by the name of the
person living there.
In a typical village, the delivery man who, unfamiliar with the territory, asks
for ‘Rose Cottage’ is met with blank looks, pursed lips and much shaking of
heads. When, exasperated, he consults his bunch of consignment notes, and
says ‘Name of Williams’, the fog lifts and the locals are immediately abuzz
with information and precise directions.
Exactly the same thing used to happen in the Dark Ages.
Insular and parochial though our ancestors may have been, it seems absurd to
imagine that no-one ever had to deliver anything to anybody, although it is
unlikely that there would have been sufficient volume of traffic to justify a
fully developed system like Parcelforce or TNT.
Nevertheless people still had to find their way around in however limited a
way, and one of the most important reasons for this was trade. Transport and
delivery logistics began on the very day the first man agreed to swap a week’s
supply of eggs for a jug or two of fresh milk.
The Anglo-Saxon White Van Man would have navigated by asking for ‘Clark’s
Cottage’, not ‘Dunroamin’. Hardly anyone he asked would actually have
realised that Dickie Smith’s house was called Rose Cottage, and ‘the Jones’
place’ would have meant much more to local people than ‘Elm Tree House’.
Of course, some residential addresses were rather obvious: castles and other
strongholds for instance, and it would have been inconceivable that whole
villages and, later on, towns would not have grown up around them. The
Roman fort, which evolved into the mediaeval motte-and-bailey, is recalled in
several localised variations of its original description, such as Gloucester,
Dorchester or Exeter.
Later on, in post-Norman invasion times, other places were assumed to be
well-known and regularly delivered to, being named after the feudal owner
(Pugis, Beauchamp, Fitzwarren, and Mandeville) irrespective of what sort of
accommodation he or she boasted.
The very common ending ‘-ton’, as in Shilton, Cassington, Yarnton, Shipton,
Rissington, Barrington, and Taynton originally referred to an enclosure of
sorts, possibly defensive but more usually a means of corralling animals and
making statements of ownership, hence the ‘tun of Cydela’s people’ became
Kidlington.
Variations on ‘-burg’ or ‘borough’, like Maugersbury, Tetbury and Tewkesbury
initially meant a fortified place, but clearly not one grand enough to be called
a castle.
Like castles and forts, minsters were fairly self-explanatory (Minster Lovell,
Whitminster, Minsterworth), whilst certain other locations, not being
residences, did not need special, easily corruptible possessive names because
they already had perfectly good descriptive ones: Leafield, Fyfield, Fulbrook,
Swinbrook, Fairford, Burford, Whitchurch, Stokenchurch, Slimbridge and
Woodbridge are excellent examples.
Anyway, given the English propensity for enriching, diluting, abbreviating
and corrupting their language over time, it seems that not only would
Corinium turn into Cornovii Ceastre after the Romans left, eventually
becoming Cirencester, but the Clarks’ cherished ‘Dunroamin’ would in time
probably be rendered something like ‘Clarcot’.
Cot or cote meant a cottage or a hut, but in any case it referred to a single
dwelling, i.e. a unique delivery address. Amongst the notable cots dotted
around the countryside we find:
Alvescot (Alphege’s Cot)
Kencot (Keyne’s Cot)
Kelmscot (Cenelm’s Cot)
Buscot (Burgweard’s Cot)
Arncot (Aearn’s Cot)
Ascot (Eadstan’s Cot)
Wolvercote (Wulfgar’s Cot)
Woodmancote (the Woodman’s Cot –
I forget his name), and
Radcot (the reed-thatched Cot – I
don’t know who lives there)
Unsurprisingly, a spring would be found near a ‘-well’ (Westwell, Holwell,
Broadwell); it would have been a ‘-bourne’ if it was big enough to make a
stream (Sherborne, Duntisbourne, Rodbourne). A ‘-dean’ was a valley
(Withdean, Mitcheldean, Ruardean); a ‘-combe’ was a slightly narrower valley
(Winchcombe, Icomb, Stancombe), and a ‘-ham’ (Kingham, Cheltenham,
Lyneham) was a meadow, often enclosed and near a stream. The use or
proximity of heavy timbers or tree trunks sometimes gives us ‘-stock’
(Finstock, Radstock, Woodstock); a ‘-wick’ was a early derivation from the
Latin vicus meaning a dwelling-place (Painswick, Owlswick, Randwick), and ‘-
worth’, again, meant a homestead (Littleworth, Nailsworth, Brockworth).
Whether Stonehouse was a posher area, experienced more than averagely
enthusiastic property development, or simply became home to a group of
nostalgic Northcountry folk from Brighouse, Lofthouse, Waterhouses and
Blubberhouses is a matter of speculation.
Mike Clark
TAIL PIECE
War doesn’t determine who is right. War determines who is left.
Jenny Symes