Local magazine for Wantage, Grove and Fringdon in south Oxfordshire, offering unique editorial and local advertising
48
Delivered FREE to homes in Faringdon, Wantage, Grove & Longcot Delivered FREE to homes in Faringdon, Wantage, Grove & Longcot Delivered FREE to homes in Faringdon, Wantage, Grove & Longcot Delivered FREE to homes in Faringdon, Wantage, Grove & Longcot Community Times In The Vale Issue 22 Issue 22 Issue 22 Issue 22 May 2009 May 2009 May 2009 May 2009 www.ctinthevale.co.uk THIS MONTH IN COMMUNITY TIMES: Start Your Own Business - special feature Visiting … Seven Acre Nursery Longcot & Fernham School’s handy maths tips Fab asparagus risotto recipe Local news and events And much more May ‘09 May ‘09 May ‘09 May ‘09 FREE COPY FREE COPY FREE COPY FREE COPY FREE MA GAZINE Pic k me up! Visit the magazine ONLINE ONLINE ONLINE ONLINE at www.ctinthevale.co.uk
Transcript
Delivered FREE to homes in Faringdon, Wantage, Grove & LongcotDelivered FREE to homes in Faringdon, Wantage, Grove & LongcotDelivered FREE to homes in Faringdon, Wantage, Grove & LongcotDelivered FREE to homes in Faringdon, Wantage, Grove & Longcot
Community Times
In The Vale
Issue 22Issue 22Issue 22Issue 22 May 2009May 2009May 2009May 2009
www.ctinthevale.co.uk
THIS MONTH IN COMMUNITY TIMES: Start Your Own Business - special feature
Visiting … Seven Acre Nursery
Longcot & Fernham School’s handy maths tips
Fab asparagus risotto recipe
Local news and events
And much more
May ‘09May ‘09May ‘09May ‘09
FREE COPYFREE COPYFREE COPYFREE COPY
FREE MAGAZINE
Pick me up!
Visit the magazine ONLINE ONLINE ONLINE ONLINE at
www.ctinthevale.co.uk
2 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call
It’s a beautiful spring day as I write this - I do hope this is the start of a warm and sunny summer!
This month we have a special feature on starting your own business - because, believe it or not, this could be just the right time to do that! Thanks to everyone who has contributed - I hope you find it useful.
Other highlights in May are Martin Spackman’s article on Visiting … Seven Acre Nursery and a day in the life of farmer producer Jane Bowler. We also have a fab competition to win a shopping spree in Debenhams … just the thing to get you kitted out for summer!
No space for our ancestry series this month, I’m afraid, but I promise it will be back next month.
Finally our lovely cover picture of a carpet of bluebells at Badbury Clump was taken by Faringdon photographer Stephen Martin. If you have taken a photo of a local feature that you’d like to see on the cover, please send it to me at [email protected] !
See you next month,
The Small Ads 44
Useful Numbers 46
Next Month’s Deadline 46
Index of Advertisers 47
Deadline for June issue:
13th May
Community Pages
Alison Neale - Editor
Editorial:
Advertising:
Email:
Website:
www.ctinthevale.co.uk
01367 888229
Publisher: Community Times Ltd Alison Neale - Editor 9 Cromwell Close Faringdon SN7 7BQ Editorial and Advertising: 01367 888229 Mobile: 07927 330293 Fax: 01367 700207 Email: [email protected] Website: www.ctinthevale.co.uk
Whilst every care has been
taken to ensure that the data in
this publication is accurate,
neither the publisher nor its
editorial contributors can accept,
and hereby disclaim, any liability
to any party to loss or damage
caused by errors or omissions
resulting from negligence, acci-
dent or any other cause.
Community Times Ltd does not
officially endorse any advertising
material included within this
publication.
Is the registered
trademark of
Community Times Ltd.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be repro-duced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form - electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise - without prior permis-sion of the publisher.
Community Times In The Vale Alison Neale - Editor
Alison
4
7
12
14
16
18
20
21
31
33
34
36
37
38
40
41
42
Local News and Events..……………...
Competition - win a shopping spree ...
Ed Vaizey ……………………………...
Vale & Downland Museum column ….
Food and Drink ……………………….
Longcot School news ………………...
Sport and fitness……………………..
Start Your Own Business …………...
Arts news ……………………………..
Your Pets with Robert Elliott …………
Visiting … Seven Acres Nursery …….
Grumpy Old Man ……………………...
Day in a Life of Jane Bowler ..……….
Helen House column………………….
Puzzles ……………..……. …………..
Gardening ……………………………...
Contents
4 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call
Local news
For many people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), life is a struggle. Following ten years of conflict, malnourishment and preventable dis-eases still claim thousands of lives each week. Christian Aid partner organisations are helping to rebuild lives and livelihoods in some of the DRC’s most vulnerable communities.
Christian Aid Week gives us a chance to help peo-ple in the DRC and around the world. Collectors will deliver the big red envelopes to as many house-holds as possible in Wantage, Grove, the Ridgeway parishes, and Challow. Please give as generously as you can and please fill in the Gift Aid declaration on the envelope. Tax payers can make their dona-tion 28% bigger by taking this simple step. The rip-ple effect of collecting at Christian Aid Week is im-mense – by taking part you are helping to change the world. In the DRC £5 could buy six yards of material, from which a three-piece woman’s outfit can be made; £10 could provides a girl with enough material to complete a 12-month tailoring course; and £40 could pay the monthly salary of a tailoring instructor.
There will also be the annual Christian Aid Week service at Wantage Methodist Church at 6.00 pm on Sunday 10 May. Everyone is welcome.
Christian Aid Week 11Christian Aid Week 11Christian Aid Week 11Christian Aid Week 11----17 May 17 May 17 May 17 May
Pupils at Fitzwaryn School held a Cream Tea Party in April to thank local employers for offering them work experience.
Year 11 students spent two weeks working at local com-panies earlier this year. They kept diaries and employers were able to view the diaries and chat with students at the party. Employers were also given special certificates in recognition of their commitment to the school.
Credit for organising the work placements goes to Val Higton and her team, and thanks also goes to the busi-nesses involved: Stockham School, Wantage Civic Hall, Headlines Hair Salon, Cornerstone Café, WH Smith, Wyevale Garden Centre, Millbrook Nursery, Charlton Day Centre, The Shaw Trust and the Cooperative Store (Grove).
The school would love to hear from any other local com-panies that could offer work experience early in 2010!
Fitzwaryn’s Cream Tea Party for Local EmployersFitzwaryn’s Cream Tea Party for Local EmployersFitzwaryn’s Cream Tea Party for Local EmployersFitzwaryn’s Cream Tea Party for Local Employers
Fitzwaryn pupils with some of the employers who gave them work experience earlier this year
Millbrook School in Grove is celebrating 40 years of life as a school with a series of events throughout 2009. A recent Open Day was a big success, with a warm welcome given to past pupils and teachers, parents, grandparents, governors and many others with links to or an interest in the school. There were displays on memory boards with photo-graphs and input from past pupils and decade boards to display memorable events that have occurred over the intervening years. There was even an opportunity to sample hot school lunches which proved to be very popular with the visitors. After their visit guests were asked to record their impressions, all of which were extremely warm and positive. Other events will follow during the year, including a reunion celebration evening on June 5th. Interested ex-pupils and teachers are invited to contact the school for tickets. On 11th July the school will hold its annual Summer Fete, organised by Friends of Millbrook, and every-one is invited to join in this celebration to make Millbrook’s 40th Anniversary a special event.
Community Times In The ValeIn The ValeIn The ValeIn The Vale
Congratulations to Mrs C Cooper, Aimee Hancock, Caroline Emanuel, Rosemary Thompson and Mrs K Greenaway who won copies of the Let’s Go With The Kids books in our March competition.
5 Please tell advertisers you saw them in Community Times
6 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call
Community Times In The ValeIn The ValeIn The ValeIn The Vale
Spring Sunshine for “Spring” Week!Spring Sunshine for “Spring” Week!Spring Sunshine for “Spring” Week!Spring Sunshine for “Spring” Week!
Win £20 in Win £20 in Win £20 in Win £20 in
Spot the Horse!Spot the Horse!Spot the Horse!Spot the Horse!
If you fancy winning a crisp £20 note just look out for the small horse hidden in
one of our adverts (not V&D Museum).
Send your name, address and the name of the advert where the horse is hidden to: Spot the Horse May, CT In the Vale, 9 Cromwell Close, Faringdon SN7 7BQ or email your details including your
One week in March, all the Primary Schools in the Wantage Partnership took part in a week of activities in-vestigating “Spring: Food, Farming and Festivals”.
Some children were able to visit local farms to see the baby animals and talk about the annual cycle for growing crops. Others went for walks around their school to see what signs of new growth they could see. Lots of the children planted seeds either at Charlton Park Garden Centre or back at school, using seeds provided by the Garden Centre which will grow into the sorts of plants you need to make delicious pizzas (peppers, tomatoes, on-ions). Some were lucky enough to make pizzas to taste what their plants will grow into.
Sainsbury’s store hosted a number of visits during the week, enabling chil-dren to see how food is unloaded, stored (apparently the freezers are REALLY cold!), displayed and sold. Children sampled seasonal fruits and vegetables; took boxes of fruit and veg and recipe cards back into school to cook with; and found out about Fair Trade and how it can make a real differ-ence to the suppliers.
The Vale and Downland Museum also hosted visits, including activities such as weaving, storytelling, meeting a Victorian Shepherd, and investigating farming and related industries past and present through the displays in the museum. One day the visiting children had the opportunity to mingle with stall holders and shoppers at the weekly Country Market to find out what they do and why.
Children were also busy in their own schools, finding out from local religious leaders about the many festivals that take place in Spring, while still others found out how to make felt; or to weave; or drew, painted or col-laged pictures based on their experiences of the week.
During the week, most schools made scarecrows. Some schools made one per class and had a kind of tal-ent show to decide their school’s winner. Those scarecrows then spent a happy day in the sunshine of the Museum courtyard. Some of them looked rather too friendly to scare many crows!
About 1200 children also made peg dolls and many of these, together with some of their other lovely art work from the week, were on display in the Vale and Downland Museum and Wantage Library over the Easter holidays – perhaps you saw them.
WCS say Thanks!WCS say Thanks!WCS say Thanks!WCS say Thanks!
Wantage Counselling Service (WCS) would like to thank everyone who chose to put a green token in their slot when shopping in the Wantage branch of Waitrose in February. WCS have been given the wonderful sum of £500 as a result of that support. This will go a long way to helping them raise the £10,000 they need to find each year so that they can offer a subsidised rate to those who need counselling, but cannot afford to pay the full cost of their weekly sessions.
WCS are holding a fund raising event on Saturday 9th May, when ‘The man behind the Vicar of Dibley’, Paul Mayhew Archer, will be entertaining the audience at Wantage Civic Hall. He will be sup-ported by an exciting local group of belly dancers, Negoum El Leyl (“Stars of the Night”) and also a popular a cappella singing group, 7 in a Bar. All this, plus some light refreshments, is just £8 – and there will be a great raffle too!. Tickets are available by phoning WCS on 01235 769744, or from the Vale and Downland Museum and Bretts Pharmacy in Grove .
Local news
7 Please tell advertisers you saw them in Community Times
www.ctinthevale.co.uk
Or send you name, address and phone number to:
VIP Gold competition, CT In The Vale, 9 Cromwell Close,
Faringdon SN7 7BQ
8 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call
Community Times In The ValeIn The ValeIn The ValeIn The Vale
SeeSeeSeeSee----Saw Summer FairSaw Summer FairSaw Summer FairSaw Summer Fair Tuesday 12th May 2009 sees the ‘Last of the Summer Fairs’ taking place at Steventon Village Hall from 10.00 – 3.30 pm. After six years, the Organising Committee is passing over the fundraising to a new team, and this will be the last event in this format.
“All profits from the fair go to SeeSaw, the Oxfordshire based charity which provides grief support for the young in Oxfordshire; since the first Fair, over £25,000 has been raised for SeeSaw’s work,” says Mary Thompson, Chair of the Organising Committee. “On behalf of the committee I would like to extend our thanks to everyone who has sup-ported us over the years, which has made such a vital difference to the lives of many young children in Ox-fordshire, and we do hope you will join us to celebrate our successes and help to contribute to the work of the dedicated team at SeeSaw.”
Over 33 stalls selling food, wonderful unique items for the home and garden, clothing, as well as children’s toys, games, puzzles, books and gifts will be attending. Light refreshments will be available. Contact Suz-anne Crafer on 01865 391193, mob. 0780 11 66 234 or visit www.seesawsummerfair.org.uk for more info.
SeeSaw is a registered charity, based at Bush House, 2 Merewood Avenue, Headington, Oxford OX3 8EF. Children suffer when someone they love dies. Most experience a period of emotional turmoil after bereavement and for about one third of children these difficulties are severe. Supporting a bereaved child can seem like a daunting challenge and adults are often overwhelmed by their own feelings of grief. Through practical support and understanding, SeeSaw strives to reduce the distress of bereaved children and enable families to work together through the difficult times that follow the death of a loved one.
Brightwalton Village Fete Brightwalton Village Fete Brightwalton Village Fete Brightwalton Village Fete
Sunday May 3Sunday May 3Sunday May 3Sunday May 3rdrdrdrd
6-aside football all day, fun Dog Show, car boot sale, vintage cars, Morris dancing, maypole danc-ing, Blewbury Brass Band, fairground with swings and trampoline, homemade produce, BBQ, pig
roast and more. Fun for all the family, FREE entry and FREE parking. Brightwalton Village Hall - just
off the B4494 Wantage - Newbury Road.
Stanford in the Vale Primary Stanford in the Vale Primary Stanford in the Vale Primary Stanford in the Vale Primary
School May Fair School May Fair School May Fair School May Fair ---- Fri 15th MayFri 15th MayFri 15th MayFri 15th May
Friday 15 May, 3pm-5pm Great fun for all the family!
Back by Popular Demand Back by Popular Demand Back by Popular Demand Back by Popular Demand ----
The Stanford Festival Fun Run!The Stanford Festival Fun Run!The Stanford Festival Fun Run!The Stanford Festival Fun Run!
Time to dust off your trainers and prepare yourself for the Stanford Festival Fun Run on Sunday 14th
June. Great event for all the family. More details next month or contact Stanford in the
Vale School Association on 01367 718677.
May Day & Craft FairMay Day & Craft FairMay Day & Craft FairMay Day & Craft Fair
Didcot Guiding’s annual May Day and Craft Fair event is on Monday 4th May in the Civic Hall, Didcot at 10.30am. Over 25 handmade crafts ranging from jewellery and cards to preserves and wood will be on sale alongside the Guides’ chocolate and wine tom-bolas, secondhand books and cake stall. On the lawn there will be bouncy castles, chocolate fountain, candy floss and plate smashing. The May Queen will be judged at 3pm by the Mayor and Mayoress of Didcot. An event for all the family to support the fu-ture of Guiding in Didcot. Admission £1 adults, chil-dren free.
Abingdon Air & Country Show Abingdon Air & Country Show Abingdon Air & Country Show Abingdon Air & Country Show Three hour flying display including C-47 Dakota
transport aircraft, a Pembroke, Vampire jet, Yak-52 aerobatics and the Army’s Tigers Parachute Team.
Other features include arena displays, trade stalls, classic cars, a craft marquee, tank rides, static air-craft, an aircraft fly-in, children’s amusements, Dr Who Daleks and Tardis and a BMW Williams Formula 1 show car. Dalton Barracks itself will be providing a ground display of army equipment.
Abingdon Airfield, Dalton Barracks. Sunday May 3rd, 10am-3pm. ww.abingdonfayre.com
9 Please tell advertisers you saw them in Community Times
10 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call
11 Please tell advertisers you saw them in Community Times
12 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call
Ed Vaizey on … Ed Vaizey on … Ed Vaizey on … Ed Vaizey on …
At the beginning of April, the Daily Mail wrote a two-page spread on Wantage. The Daily Mail is now printed just a few miles away from Wantage, in Didcot, so you might have thought this would be a homage to a local, nearby town. Not a bit
of it. Headed Credit Crunch Central, the article depicted Wantage as almost a ghost town - boarded up shops, listless kids, even the famous statue of King Alfred de-nuded of his axe.
The premise of this article was that the Wantage constitu-ency, which I represent, and which includes Faringdon, Grove, Didcot and Wallingford as well as Wantage itself, has seen the largest annual rise in unemployment in the country, in percentage terms - a whopping 204.9%.
Now, that is a very worrying statistic. And I do not want in any way to underestimate the difficulties we face in this area, nor the personal crisis faced by many individuals and their families who together make up that terrible statistic, some of whom were quoted in the article.
But it is also important to present the other side of the story. Wantage - the town and the constituency - is very far from being a ghost town. Yes, Wantage itself has lost its Woolies, and several estate agents and a bar have gone out of business. But there are also new employers coming to the area all the time, to Wantage and elsewhere in the constituency. In fact, Wantage's rise in unemployment looks awful only because we start from such a low base. Even today, unemployment remains relatively low, at 2.5%, and Wantage ranks 601st out of 659 constituencies in terms of unemployment (with number one obviously being the constituency with the highest number of unem-ployed).
As I never tire of telling people, this is one of the most economically dynamic areas of the country, with Europe's largest business park, and some of the biggest scientific investment in the UK, as well as good transport links to the rest of this country. We are well-placed to weather this recession.
But we cannot just sit back. I am planning job clinics in Wantage and Didcot. As I have said before, I am ready to help any individual or business in difficulty, either with banks or Government bureaucracy. And we must also plan for recovery. We'll continue to need the skills to sustain our economy, which means investment in our local schools and colleges. We'll continue to need good transport links, which means planning infrastructure properly. And yes, we will need more housing, in the right places, so that people can be confident that if they invest here there will be the people to employ.
But we are not Credit Crunch Central, not now, and I don't think ever.
Next surgeries are 8th May in Grove Old Mill Hall, and 29th May in Didcot, King Alfred Drive Community Centre, both at 5.30pm
Contact me at House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA; Tel: 020 7219 6350; email [email protected]
13 Please tell advertisers you saw them in Community Times
WANTAGE CABSWANTAGE CABSWANTAGE CABSWANTAGE CABS We will beat any genuine quotation for journeys to
meet “trains, boats and planes”.
A reliable service to take the stress out of travelling.
Best prices guaranteed for railway stations, seaports and airports.
We also look after the day to day local trips.
Contract work undertaken
A New Taxi Company built on years of local experienceA New Taxi Company built on years of local experienceA New Taxi Company built on years of local experienceA New Taxi Company built on years of local experience
14 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call
As the new Museum Manager for the Vale & Downland Museum - and having been in that posi-tion for almost a whole month - I am amazed at the activities that go on in the museum. It is the prover-bial duck gliding gracefully on the surface while huge activity is taking place below the surface.
As you are probably aware the Vale & Downland Museum is a community museum & visitor centre based in Church Street, Wantage. Its primary aim is to re-cord, interpret and tell the story of Wantage, the Vale of White Horse and the adjoining Downland, from the earliest times to the present day – ‘from fossils to Formula 1’ as depicted by our exhibits.
The building comprises a 400-year-old cottage (The Old Surgery), a 200-year-old barn (Hunt’s Barn), another cottage of i nde te rm i na te age (Legge’s Cottage) and a public area and galleries added in the 1970s. Apart from the main museum galleries, there is a foyer and reception area, a café with its own kitchen and servery, a re-created Victorian kitchen, two small galleries for temporary exhibitions, a small local history library, curatorial stores, a small workshop and store, a meeting room and administrative offices.
In 2008 it attracted a total of 49,000 visits. There were approximately 19,000 visits to the main galler-ies and about 34,000 visits to the 29 temporary exhi-bitions. The majority of visitors also sampled the offerings of our excellent cafeteria, ranging from a coffee to a full lunch.
Scarecrow Week, a recent temporary exhibition, attracted 10 schools and approximately 300 school-children who took part in special farming activities culminating in an exhibition.
To be able to support and cater for all of those activi-ties takes numerous people and time. The museum staff work part-time and are as-sisted by a large number of dedicated volunteers. Being new to the job of Museum Manager I am extremely impressed with the loyal and enthusiastic volunteers who tackle a huge number of activities including: Book-shop helpers, Gallery keep-ers, Specialist researchers, Librarian & photo archivists, Collections management, Gardener, to name a few of their activities. In addition, the ‘Friends of the Vale & Downland Museum’ also play an important function in the support of the museum through fundraising in vari-ous events which allows the museum to purchase equip-ment that otherwise we would not be able to afford. The Friends also run a 100 Club, £12 per year per indi-vidual starting 1st April to
end of March which is drawn monthly. There are still a few places spare should anyone be interested (contact the museum for details).
Space does not allow me to elaborate on all of the activities carried out by the volunteers but suffice to say their efforts have produced a museum that the people of Wantage and surrounding areas should be very proud of.
The Heart of the Vale & Downland MuseumThe Heart of the Vale & Downland MuseumThe Heart of the Vale & Downland MuseumThe Heart of the Vale & Downland Museum
Craig Hart Museum Manager
Vale & Downland Museum Community Times In The ValeIn The ValeIn The ValeIn The Vale
Vale & Downland Museum
Church Street
Wantage
Tel: (01235) 771447
Website: www.wantage.com/museum
Opening hours:
Monday - Saturday
10.00am to 4.00pm
Closed Bank Holidays
15 Please tell advertisers you saw them in Community Times
What’s On at the Vale & Downland Museum
May 2009 Open: 10am-4pm Mondays - Saturdays
Closed Sundays & Bank Holiday Mondays
EXHIBITIONS
Squires Room
Until 2nd May Exhibition about Wantage Day Centre Discover 10 things you should know about it
5th-23rd May Artweeks Vale Taster Exhibition Diverse examples of work in various media by artists from across the Vale of White Horse
9th May Meet the Artists Your chance to chat to local artists about their Vale Taster Exhibition
FAMILY FRIENDLY EVENT
Saturday 16th May, 6pm-9pm Mission to the Moon with Captain Cosmos Captain Cosmos will be visiting the museum for an exciting evening of space-related activities for all the
family! Celebrate International Year of Astronomy 2009 with STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Space Science Department. Suitable for everyone over the age of 6. Call the Museum for details on 01235 771447.
FOYER EVENTS
Saturday 2nd May, 10am-3.30pm Second hand Bookstall Monthly event organised by the Friends of the Vale & Downland Museum
Thursdays 7th, 14th, 21st & 28th May Wantage Health Walks For effective but gentle exercise in good company, join the Wantage Health Walks Group that leaves the Museum at 10am every Thursday to explore the lanes of Wantage, returning for coffee at about 11am.
No need to book. Just turn up.
Saturday 9th May, 10.30am-12.30pm Meet Wantage & Grove District Arts Guild (WAG) Everyone with an interest in drama, dance, music, art and literature is invited
to drop in and chat about arts facilities in the area. All ideas welcome.
Tuesday 12th May, 12.30pm-3.30pm Finds Session If you have found any archaeological objects that you believe are older than 1700
bring them along to the drop-in finds afternoon and have them looked at by Oxfordshire & West Berkshire Finds Liaison Officer, Anni Byard
Fridays 1st, 8th, 15th, 22rd & 29th May, 9.30am-10.45am Country Market Drop into this friendly Friday morning market to shop for home-produced
bread and cakes, chutneys, jams, plants, cards and more.
VALE & DOWNLAND MUSEUM, Church Street, Wantage
Tel: 01235 771447 Website: www.wantage.com/museum
16 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call
Community Times In The ValeIn The ValeIn The ValeIn The Vale
It really doesn’t seem a year ago that I was looking to select an asparagus recipe for you to enjoy! As I write, the weather is beautiful – hopefully heralding a wonderful spring and summer for us to enjoy. This recipe for asparagus risotto has been a favourite for a number of years - the green of the asparagus looks delightful in with all that lovely creamy Arborio rice! Q Gardens and Millets Farm are our two local growers, although some readers may well grow some in the garden as well. Whilst this recipe calls for our green asparagus, if you get the chance do try the white as-paragus, which is favoured on the continent. Most recipes (though not, for me, this risotto) can be adapted for either variety.
750ml/1½lb hot chicken or vegetable stock 55g/2oz freshly grated parmesan cheese freshly ground black pepper
Thanks to Suzanne Crafer of Tasty Morsels (www.tastymorsels.co.uk) for this month’s food
DONNA’S WINE RECOMMENDATION FOR MAY
Terra Andina Sauvignon Blanc 2008 Chile
I have made a wonderful discovery of my wine for 'summer'! It is a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc packed with varietal flavours - with a great price point of only £6.29!
Pale straw in colour, with intense aromas of grapefruit, lime, and nectarines. There are also pronounced floral notes of elderflower, peach and Acacia flowers. A fresh wine, with a crisp, clean finish. The aromas practically leap out of the glass!
£6.29/bottle
Free delivery within a 10 mile radius of Faringdon. Call 01367 241169 or visit www.denboerwines.com
Method 1. Gently fry the onion in the butter until it becomes translucent. 2. Add the rice and cook for a couple of minutes on a medium heat,
stirring so that it gets a good coating of butter. 3. Add the stock, one ladle at a time, and continue stirring until all the
stock has been absorbed. 4. Meanwhile, steam the asparagus for 3-6 mins or until tender to the
point of a knife. Chop roughly once it is cooked. 5. Add a knob of butter, the asparagus, half the parmesan and a good
grinding of black pepper to the risotto and give it a good stir. 6. Serve your risotto in warm bowls with a sprinkling of Parmesan on
top of each serving.
Visit your local farmers’ markets
Food and drink
Faringdon: 1st Tuesday of month, 8.30am-1pm Wantage: last Saturday of month, 8.30am-1pm Shrivenham: 1st Friday of month, 3pm-6pm Didcot: 2nd Saturday of month, 8.30am-1pm
Abingdon: 3rd Friday of month, 8.30am-1pm Longcot (Farmer Gows): 3rd Sunday of month, 10am-1pm
17 Please tell advertisers you saw them in Community Times
Open Wed pm and all day Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Tel: 01793 861070
www.coleshillorganics.co.uk
Looking for Oriental Foods? NONOY’S
ORIENTAL STORE Open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm
Church Street, Wantage Tel: 01235 771570
Nonoy’s Oriental Store is the first oriental food store in Wantage offering a wide variety of rices,
noodles, sauces, seafoods, spices and easy to prepare meals at very reasonable prices.
Whole boneless Peking Duck Vegetable spring rolls
Japanese tempura prawns and much more.
Range of oriental cooking equipment including chopsticks, bamboo steamers, hotpots
Wholesale prices for restaurants & caterers
Other services for Filipino, remittance MLR LIC NO 12268395 - maasahan sa mataas na rate, may 24 hrs picks up po tayo. Phone cards worldwide.
Mabuhay po tayong lahat!
5% off
on production
of this
advert
18 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call
Supporting Maths Today, for the SATs of May Across the Vale and nationally, now is the run-up to this year’s SATs for Year 6 children (aged 11). Teachers are often asked by parents what they can do to support their child at home; and much shared revision work can be done in families for many weeks. Here we focus on today’s Maths Methods. While the subject hasn’t changed much over the years per se, the methods that children are taught have changed in some cases. This article hopes to help avoid meth-ods being used at home that conflict with those learnt at school. Writing here as a forty-something teacher, I can tell you about two methods that I have found very differ-ent from those that I was taught ca.1970 . First, the method of ‘decomposition’ for SUBTRAC-TION. We used to talk about ‘borrowing’ and ‘paying back’ one here and there, but now we ‘exchange’ ten ones for a ten; and we decompose numbers (rather than vegetables!)
Secondly MULTIPLICATION by the ‘grid’ method, which involves partitioning numbers into their tens and units. Calculations in the two boxes show these two methods, for tonight’s homework!
Thankfully, many of us are online where there exist many excellent websites that both children and par-ents can access, including these useful sites:
Parents can learn about methods and revision re-sources, thereby ensuring that as much continuity as possible goes into preparing youngsters confidently, for SATS and for their next year’s Secondary School Maths.
‘ M a t h s talk’ is essent i a l to the l e a r n i n g process. If n o t h i n g else, you as a par-ent or grandpar-ent can try
to get your child to talk through their work at home. Articulating problems quite often leads to finding the solution – avoiding a homework strop! Not everyone has access to the internet. We are offering maths support at school for every parent’s needs. Another session in May will aim to share ‘Maths Today’ and show how parents can support their child, with methods for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
For this useful page, we thank Mrs Karen Barron, who is an experienced teacher of Years 5 & 6 and ICT & French coordinator at Longcot, where Y6 Maths SATs pupils 2008 scored in the top 10% of schools, nationally. Also she has a wider role as an AST (Advanced Skills Teacher of Mathematics), working with many schools: coordinating, leading, advising & sharing her expertise. She also tutors privately, helping individual children. [email protected]
SATs are Standard Assessment Tasks that are by law set nationally, for children at age 7 &11 in Maths, English, Sci-ence. SATs are being debated currently, with teachers’ unions asking for change. Research shows that many par-ents, governors and politicians want testing & measurement at 11 for many reasons.
What are your views?
How have your children gained (or not), from their SATs experiences at 7 & 11?
Old photo is from “Longcot – Village in the Vale” 1999 book.
Sitting SATs 2009 with Today’s MathsSitting SATs 2009 with Today’s MathsSitting SATs 2009 with Today’s MathsSitting SATs 2009 with Today’s Maths
Longcot & Fernham SchoolLongcot & Fernham SchoolLongcot & Fernham SchoolLongcot & Fernham School Community Times In The ValeIn The ValeIn The ValeIn The Vale
SATs Revision: www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize or www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/revision Parent Support: www.parentscentre.gov.uk
19 Please tell advertisers you saw them in Community Times
THE OLD STATION NURSERY FARINGDON
‘Home from home childcare’ Come and visit our award-winning nursery
in the heart of Faringdon Full and part-time sessions
and Nursery Education Funded sessions for 3 and 4 year olds
After-school care for 5-8 year olds
For more information contact Liz on 01367 243800
or visit our website: www.theoldstationnursery.co.uk
20 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call
21 Please tell advertisers you saw them in Community Times
22 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call
23 Please tell advertisers you saw them in Community Times
24 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call
25 Please tell advertisers you saw them in Community Times
26 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call
27 Please tell advertisers you saw them in Community Times
28 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call
29 Please tell advertisers you saw them in Community Times
30 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call
31 Please tell advertisers you saw them in Community Times
Arts Focus
Oxfordshire ArtweeksOxfordshire ArtweeksOxfordshire ArtweeksOxfordshire Artweeks This year sees another great opportunity to visit the studios of professional and amateur artists throughout Oxfordshire.
Town and villages around South Oxfordshire are opening their talented artists’ studios during May, between 9th and 25th May (see the Artweeks brochure for precise dates). You can see work including bronze sculptures and paint-ings in all media, through to fabric ‘paintings’ and all sorts of other interesting artwork and can find out how different works are created and chat to the artists themselves. Pick up your Artweeks brochure from libraries, Vale and Downland Museum, Faringdon TIC and other venues throughout the county.
Wantage Vale and Downland Museum is hosting a taster exhibition where you can see the work of artists from Wantage, Stanford in the Vale, Cumnor, Appleton, Marcham and other villages. There will be informa-tion about the open studios and you can take a brochure and visit the studios that appeal to you. There will also be informal ‘Meet the Artist’ sessions in the museum. These will be held on the Wednesdays and Fri-days of 6th, 8th, 13th and 15th May from 10.30am – 1pm. Also on Saturday 9th May there will be live music playing as well as artists to chat to. No booking necessary. Interviews with the artists are also available online: http://tinyurl.com/cjnk7c
Pictured are Wantage artists Sylwia Presley (photographer), Lendon Scantlebury (painter and sculptor), Therese Penny
(portrait painter), Amanda Hislop (textiles), Dave Morton (painter), Trisha Drury (painter and printmaker), and in front Patsy Jones
(painter) and Dawn Benson (sculptor and painter). Also exhibiting in Wantage is Jill Cooper.
Great CoxwellGreat CoxwellGreat CoxwellGreat Coxwell
May 16th - 17th and May 23rd – 25th including Bank Holiday Monday. 11am – 5.30pm.
14 artists exhibiting in 6 different venues in
Great Coxwell Follow the Art Trail map to see: sculpture, ceramics, jewellery, photography, paintings, children’s artwork and more …
Delicious refreshments all day in the Reading Room. Floral arrangements and plant sale in St.Giles Church. Proceeds to the village park
and St. Giles Church. Further details from John Rounce,
01367 241934
Stanford in the ValeStanford in the ValeStanford in the ValeStanford in the Vale
Sat 16th May – Mon 25th May, noon till 6pm at The Stables, Stanford House, Chapel Road,
Stanford in the Vale.
Peter Wheeler, the well known Faringdon artist will be exhibiting an exciting new collection of original paintings
for sale, inspired by his travels both worldwide and just-around-the-corner.
Directions: From the A417, enter Stanford via Cottage Road (the third road in from Wantage or the first road in from Faringdon). Continue to the end of the road and directly opposite are the open gates to Stanford House Stables – look for the balloons. For more information
please phone 01367 241453 or 07762 081938
Community Times In The ValeIn The ValeIn The ValeIn The Vale
32 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call
Community Times In The ValeIn The ValeIn The ValeIn The Vale
Traditional music and dance will again be the focus for music lovers of all ages on the 5th & 6th June at the Old Mill Hall in Grove, at the same time supporting people with Multiple Sclerosis. Now in its 20th year, Folk for M.S. have raised over £35,000 by providing top quality entertainment from around the country right in the heart of Oxfordshire.
Saturday 6th June sees a celebration of 20 years of Folk for M.S. con-certs with the artists who started it all 20 years ago invited back to the party. Harvey Andrews is one of England’s best-loved singer/songwriters and raconteurs, the voices of Bob & Gill Berry blend in glorious harmony, whilst Johnny Collins has a voice instantly recognised and loved the whole world over. The line-up is completed by concertina virtuoso and singer Tim Laycock, and Roger Watson who was key in making the origi-nal idea a reality.
In celebration of 20 years the charity are excited to be releasing a CD, featuring a collection of 20 tracks from a selection of artists who have appeared at FfMS. The album will be a unique souvenir of 20 years of suc-cessful fundraising and fantastic entertainment. As a mark of thanks to everyone who has volunteered to take part, help out and support these events in any way, this celebration CD has been entitled “Generosity”. The CD will be available at this year’s concert and ceilidh and thereafter from the Folk for M.S. website.
For the lively, energetic, young and young at heart Friday 5th June is the time to dance the night away in traditional style with one of England’s premier ceilidh bands. The Committee Band boasts ten musicians and includes a rock rhythm section with drum-mer, bass player and two guitars. Their unique sound is completed with a wide variety of instruments, including saxophone, melodeon, violin, mandolin, concertina, recorder and Jew’s harp. The caller, Nick Walden, will be there to guide all-comers through each dance so everyone, experienced dancer or complete beginner, can dance their socks off! Renowned for their sociability, ceilidhs make a great evening out for a group of friends
Both events run from 8pm until midnight and will have a licensed bar with real ales supplied by local breweries. Tickets for the ceilidh are £8 and the concert £10 with under 16’s half price. Both events are part of the Wantage Summer Festival and tick-
ets can be purchased from the Vale and Downland museum in Wantage, by calling Dave Guest on 01235 765445 or by post from 1 Membury Way, Grove OX12 0BP. For more information visit www.FolkforMS.org.
Special Celebration for 20 years of FundraisingSpecial Celebration for 20 years of FundraisingSpecial Celebration for 20 years of FundraisingSpecial Celebration for 20 years of Fundraising
Bronze Casting Workshops at Bronze Casting Workshops at Bronze Casting Workshops at Bronze Casting Workshops at
The Bullpen: 15The Bullpen: 15The Bullpen: 15The Bullpen: 15thththth----19191919thththth MayMayMayMay Design and make a bronze coin or medal at a workshop at a Bronze Casting Sculpture Workshop at The Bullpen in Stanford in the Vale. Watch art-ists at work on their sculpture and attend a short mould-making session. Visitors may return and watch their bronze medal/coin being poured along-side artists' sculpture. Enjoy the exhibition in The Bullpen Gallery - use the learning resources available and find out about our local bronze history....
Costs: Bronze coin: £5 Bronze medal: £10 Contact Helen Jacobs on 01367 718722 or [email protected] to book or for more details.
I Thought I Heard A Rustling: I Thought I Heard A Rustling: I Thought I Heard A Rustling: I Thought I Heard A Rustling: A comedy by Alan PlaterA comedy by Alan PlaterA comedy by Alan PlaterA comedy by Alan Plater
Thurs 21st, Fri 22nd and Sat 23rd May Faringdon Junior School.
An ex-miner turned poet is appointed writer-in-residence at Eastwood branch library. However, the senior librarian soon realises the feckless but charming Geordie is no poet. Despite this she finds him highly entertaining, much to the disgust of an earnest young man who covets the writer-in-residence role. These three find themselves in an unlikely alliance when the Libraries’ sub-committee proposes demolishing the library. Directed by Gary Field.
Tickets £7 Adults, £5 Concessions available from The Nut Tree, 2 Cornmarket, Faringdon.
33 Please tell advertisers you saw them in Community Times
34 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call
Your pets with Robert ElliottYour pets with Robert ElliottYour pets with Robert ElliottYour pets with Robert Elliott
Welcome to the May issue of Community Times and thank you for reading this. I carefully considered the subjects discussed below, because to dogs, and their owners who may witness such behaviour, it is just part of their daily lives and causes no intended offence.
Now that Spring is well-established, I’m branching off into a couple of delicate things that dogs do – eating grass, and “humping”. These are some of the com-mon questions put to me, so I’d like to help make some sense of them in as brief a manner as possible.
Grass-eating. As we all know, dogs have the wolf “inside” them, and wolves will eat from the entire carcass of a kill, which will include plant material already eaten by a grazing animal, such as a deer. Indeed it is often re-ported that carnivores com-monly tend to go for the stomach and its contents first, and so in domestic dogs this might be one reason for grass-eating. The other way of looking at this is that dogs can boost the fibre content of a diet low in this bulking ma-terial by eating grass.
I am asked very often about dogs eating grass to be sick. Here opinion is divided between: no it’s a pleasur-able habit that dogs like to do, and vomiting is a secondary effect, and, yes, they have learnt that eating grass will induce a more rapid expulsion of indigestible material than the normal daily stomach cleaning cycle permits. I know of one case where there was so much grass knotted inside a dog who was in pain with a diseased pancreas (which causes vomiting by itself) that he couldn’t actually pass the great ball of grass for sometime afterwards.
But – no matter what the reason, grass-eating is perfectly normal behaviour – even if it does make the pampas grass look very sick too! Just make sure that the grass your dog eats hasn’t been sprayed with any chemicals.
Humping! Humping is also considered a normal (sexual) action and it can also be used to signal power and rank, thereby asserting authority. Entire male dogs more frequently engage in this activity, but neutered dogs and bitches can do the same. Such mounting behaviour (“humping”) is genetically encoded in both sexes and activated by hormones and other motivating factors. Dominance, or the need to become dominant, is a powerful factor
boosted by the actions of the brain bio-chemical, Serotonin. The achievement of “top dog” in a pack is a contest of mental and physical strength and allows prime breeding position. The sexual behaviour and dominant aggressive behaviour control centres are linked in the brain, leading to association between sex drive and group social and “political” success. Since no behaviour is purely male or female, humping is also a fea-ture of dominant females’ be-havioural repertoires.
Management and retraining of a (neutered or entire) dominant dog (male or female) can be achieved with a “leadership programme”, where the mes-sage transmitted to the dog is one where the dog has to start to work for what he or she wants and needs, thereby catapulting owners into the more-dominant
and respected role of pack leader, making them clearly NOT an appropri-ate target for humping within the family pack. So while humping is a nui-sance for dog owners, it remains an interesting and biologically appropri-ate behaviour, designed in nature in the interests of procreation but also to signify achievement of status of power and con-trol.
I’ll be back next month!
Dogs and Their HabitsDogs and Their HabitsDogs and Their HabitsDogs and Their Habits
Robert Elliott
Community Times In The ValeIn The ValeIn The ValeIn The Vale
MY DOG AND ME
My dog must be blind not to see my wrinkles graying hair
expanding belly Or, maybe, she just doesn't care
and loves me anyway. She's not very smart but
she's mine and loves me anyway
And maybe, just maybe,
Next time I feel weird about me I can borrow her eyes.
Charlie Smith
35 Please tell advertisers you saw them in Community Times
21 - 23 HIGH STREET STANFORD IN THE VALE, OXON SN7 8LH
Socialisation “parties” and free health checks for puppies and kittens, free senior pet clinics,
Pet Passport Scheme.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY THE FELINE ADVISORY BUREAU AS A “CAT FRIENDLY PRACTICE”
36 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call
If, like me, you were sorry to see the closure of Seven Acre Nursery (on the A417 at Stanford in the Vale) you will be pleased to learn that the nursery has recently re-opened under the management of Tony and Maria Ledbury.
It is said that every enterprise should have its own ‘unique selling point’ – well, Seven Acre Nursery has its - chickens!
Tony and Maria have created a ‘pets corner’ with fifteen different breeds of chickens and ducks, each one named, and free to roam in large (fox-proof!) pens. The chickens are reared for sale (not for the table as one customer thought!) and yield a plentiful supply of fresh eggs that are offered for sale on the nursery’s well-stocked stall. Blue-shelled eggs from the ‘Cream Leg-bar’ breed are a novelty, but appar-ently taste as good as conventionally coloured eggs!
Chicks are reared and available for purchase at eight to twenty weeks old. Sales have been a great success, with many forward orders waiting for the next batch of birds to mature. There are also hen houses for sale, and Maria has even provided a chicken-sitting service to care for birds whilst a cus-tomer was on holiday!
All of the chickens are like pets, having grown up amongst people, and youngsters are welcome to come and have a look and a cuddle (if you can catch one!) King of the roost is Rodney, a Polish Frizzle Cross with resplendent plumage. Daffy and Donald Ducks are also a star attraction, patiently waiting for girlfriends to arrive!
The re-opening of the nursery after a 3-4 year gap is a real boost to local gardeners who would otherwise have to travel to Wantage, Lechlade or Swindon to find plants and produce of an equivalent quality. Tony Ledbury has taken a 10-year lease on the site, and has been in the fruit and vegetable business for some eight years. Now in its second month of op-eration, Tony has re-stocked the nursery from scratch with an impressive selection of bedding and
perennial plants, herbs, fruit trees and conifers. Much of this has been sourced from Jersey to cre-ate an initial stock, with small plants grown-on in poly-tunnels to a size ready for planting out.
Self-sufficiency in the growing of plants, flowers, fruit and vegetables is Tony’s aim - if it can be grown in the UK then it will be grown on-site. There is a well-stocked market stall at the nursery, offering an attractive and colour-ful selection of pot plants, cut flowers, fruit, vegetables and, of course, eggs at very competitive prices.
Maria and Zoe also offer refreshments to enjoy whilst you browse!
Faringdon residents will be aware of the fruit and veg stall in Faringdon Market Place – this is run by Tony and Maria’s son Danny and girlfriend Zoe, and offers the same high quality produce, currently on Mondays and Fridays (Danny and Zoe are required at the nursery on other days!)
Tony and Maria have great plans for their nursery, which will include an orchard and mature trees for sale. A selection of seeds and pots will be added as the business expands.
With plenty of parking on-site, and free access to the chicken and ducks’ Pets Corner, why not bring the family to visit? You will be assured of a warm welcome and plenty of good quality plants and pro-duce to make the short trip from Faringdon, Stan-ford or Wantage worthwhile.
Visiting ... Community Times In The ValeIn The ValeIn The ValeIn The Vale
Seven Acre Nursery at Stanford in the ValeSeven Acre Nursery at Stanford in the ValeSeven Acre Nursery at Stanford in the ValeSeven Acre Nursery at Stanford in the Vale - with Martin Spackman -
37 Please tell advertisers you saw them in Community Times
Grumpy Grumpy Grumpy Grumpy Old MenOld MenOld MenOld Men
What’s the difference between “unlawful” and “illegal”?
I was brought up to believe that one tried to do the right thing - for its own sake - not
because of any advantage that might be gained from it. Of course, I didn’t always succeed; I am (despite rumours to the contrary), only human.
But generally, when I fell short of what we used to call “decent” behaviour, one thing was certain – I knew it ... and just in case it ever needed reinforc-ing my dear old Mum or Dad would soon point it out to me!
Our politicians are referred to as Honourable or Right Honourable and anyone inside our Parlia-ment who accuses another of lying has to immedi-ately apologise or risk being suspended from the house. The assumption is that our politicians are honest and are entitled to the courtesy of being considered such until it is proven otherwise.
Back during the Profumo scandal in the 60s a prominent Lord denied, through his lawyer, even knowing Mandy Rice-Davis. When this was put to her in Court by the lawyer – obviously on the as-sumption that this man was so “honourable” how could his statement possibly be doubted? – Mandy uttered the immortal line, “Well, he would say that, wouldn’t he!”
Our politicians should earn our respect, not de-mand it. They need to understand - as the rest of us do - that just because something is not actually illegal, that doesn’t somehow make it right.
Jacqui Smith’s husband is paid (by us as it hap-pens) to look after her affairs. I have no problem if he chooses to watch slightly dubious videos – but I see no reason why I should pay for them. And if Tony McNulty needs to claim a second home allow-ance because the poor dear cannot face a 10 mile commute, then he is clearly not up to the job.
Should they resign? Absolutely not. They should be very openly and publicly sacked! Not being against the law is not the same as being right! They should go now. As for the rest of them, they should ac-count for every penny of our money they spend – just like the rest of us poor working stiffs do!
Oh, and by the way, the difference between “unlawful” and “illegal”? The former means “against the Law” the latter is a sick bird of prey! I haven’t told that one since I left primary school.... By CT’s own Grumpy Old Man, David P Elliot:
www.davidpelliot.com
Be the best you you can possibly be!
Basil Mienie can help you live your dreams
To find out how, call now: 01235 770394 or 07739 410370
www.basil-mienie.com
38 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call
Community Times In The ValeIn The ValeIn The ValeIn The Vale
Who or what inspires you? Richard Branson – a successful business-man who is still himself.
What interests or hobbies do you have? The companionship of horses are my real pas-sion, however, I don’t have the time at the mo-ment to pursue this as much as I would like!
What’s your favourite local shop? Apart from Dews Meadow Farm? The Nut Tree in Faringdon.
Jane Bowler lives at Dews Meadow Farm, East
Hanney, with her husband Andy. The couple rear
pigs and sell home produced sausages, pork prod-
ucts and pies from their farm shop. Jane is also a
regular stallholder at farmers’ markets across the
Vale.
What are your plans for the future? To continue to run a successful business and make more time for things to do that I enjoy! I’m very passionate about the local business commu-nity, so you may yet see me with my next project – raising the profile of local shops and busi-nesses!
What was your first job, and where has your career gone from there? My very first job was on our family farm milking cows. Sadly the farm had to be sold, and my next job was in direct sales. I started working in the accounts department of a local garage, did night school for secretarial qualifications, then worked as a freelance business accountant, which I com-bined with breeding horses. Settling down with my husband meant working full time! Then in 1979, we started our own pig farm, moving to Dews Meadow Farm in 1983, which we had built. Then it was still a house until we had the bright idea of selling direct to the public in 1986 and our garage became the shop!
What are you reading at the moment? I’m currently reading Candida Lycett Green’s “Over the Hills and Far Away” Favourite film? Notting Hill
D e s e r t i s l a n d c h o i c e s : one book one song, one luxury: My song would be S m i l e (music by C h a r l i e C h a p l i n ) , the book Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird” and my luxury … Apart from hair dye? A case of tea!
What's the best thing about living in this area? It’s such a pretty part of the world, combined with the fact that we are perfectly placed to reach so many other places quickly.
What’s your philosophy for life?
“Good, better, best, Never let it rest,
Until your good is better, And your better is best!”
39 Please tell advertisers you saw them in Community Times
MORTGAGES MADE EASY
9 Mill Street Wantage OX12 9AB
01235 224802 0845 2 300 415
Mortgages Made Easy is an independent mortgage brokerage
and we will be pleased to offer advice and help
on any mortgage query you may have.
Mortgages Made Easy (Oxon) Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority
OPEN DAYS Come and celebrate Spring
Taste the Dews Meadow range
and enjoy a glass of wine.
Bouncy castle for the children
Friday 22nd May
8.30 am – 8.00 pm
Saturday 23rd May 2009
8.30 am – 5.00 pm
We look forward to seeing you
Andy, Jane and the Dews Meadow Team
01235 868634 www.dewsmeadowfarm.co.uk
Affordable Hair & Beauty Treatments
40 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call
Helen & Douglas House Community Times In The ValeIn The ValeIn The ValeIn The Vale
News from News from News from News from
Helen & Douglas HouseHelen & Douglas HouseHelen & Douglas HouseHelen & Douglas House
Will you join the party?
Hold a tea party for friends, family or colleagues and raise money for the children and young adults of Helen & Douglas House. You can be as creative as you like with your event - last year’s events included people doing ‘Coffee at 4’, BBQs, cream teas in the garden, tombolas and many other fun ways to hold a tea party. Letcombe WI raised a wonderful £350 from their Tea at 3 event last year; this is enough to pay for a care team member at Helen & Douglas House for 3 days. Events are taking place on Friday 19th, Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st June, but you can hold your party whenever you like – in June or any month! Contact Ruth or Mary today for your Tea at 3 fundraising pack full of delicious recipes, tips and suggestions. Telephone: 01865 799150, or email [email protected]
Helen & Douglas House 2008 - Providing hospice care for children and young adults. (Registered Charity Number : 1085951)
Volunteering Update We want to say a big thank you to everyone that contacted us regarding the volunteer vacancies in the retail department of Helen & Douglas House. The response generated from last month’s issue of Community Times in the Vale was brilliant and we really hope that you all enjoy working with us! “We had lots of enquiries last time and the first of them will be starting here with me in the office next week, so it’s been fantastic!” - Sarah
Latimer, Administration and E-Commerce Manager We’re still after a few people to help in our retail office and help to run our online shop, so if you are interested please do get in touch with our Volunteer Co-ordinator Wendy Bridge. You can give her a call on 01865 799151 or email [email protected]
41 Please tell advertisers you saw them in Community Times
Sudoku
Crossword Across: 1. In addition (11)
9. Glided (7)
10. Granted (5)
11. Cancel (5)
12. The Merchant of
Venice (7)
13. Generous (6)
15. Slumbering (6)
18. Excess (7)
20. Characteristic (5)
22. Oust (5)
23. Exhilaration (7)
24. Enterprise (11)
Down: 2. Marriage (5)
3. Burial mound (7)
4. Charm (6)
5. Power (5)
6. Income (7)
7. Permanent (11)
8. Incapable (11)
14. Interpretation (7)
16. Relapse (3-4)
17. Climb (6)
19. Supple (5)
21. Foreign (5)
Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.
That's all there is to it.
It's fun. It's challenging. It's addictive!
Solving time is typically from 20 to 45 minutes, depending on your skill and experience.
42 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call
Gardening Community Times In The ValeIn The ValeIn The ValeIn The Vale
Get your Garden Into Shape Get your Garden Into Shape Get your Garden Into Shape Get your Garden Into Shape with Jo Walshwith Jo Walshwith Jo Walshwith Jo Walsh
Things to do in the garden this month
Every day in May should bring new pleasures to your garden. New flushes of colour, fragrance and lush green leaves will be appearing daily. Here are some ways to keep this colour all summer through, and boost your plants’ vitality. If flowers aren’t your thing why not grow some veg or salad crops.
The Chelsea CropThe Chelsea CropThe Chelsea CropThe Chelsea Crop
This is a way of ensuring that your tall herbaceous perennials are standing like soldiers and max their flower power. It provides a second flush of colour where normally the plant appears to have done its best. Simply cut the individual stems on the plant back to one third of its height near a leaf, by using secateurs or scissors. Do this at the end of May .The plant will then burst into life again and give you more flowers long into the summer. The best plants for this are Achilleas, Asters, border Phlox, Campanula lactiflora (Milky bellflower), Shasta dai-sies and Delphiniums.
The Gardeners EnemyThe Gardeners EnemyThe Gardeners EnemyThe Gardeners Enemy
There is nothing more annoying that having waited patiently for yo u r p r i ze Hostas to ap-pear only for them to be turned to slug food. It is esti-mated that in a n y g i v e n square metre of garden soi l there are up to 50 of these slimy creatures. Slugs love to hide in dark damp places in your garden, so make sure you keep it tidy. Remove those
unwanted plant pots and old paving stones. Set beer traps: place small containers of left over beer around the garden. Slugs love to get drunk! Alterna-tively why not try Nematodes, applied in 6 week intervals; more expensive in the short term but longer lasting.
Grow your own for lessGrow your own for lessGrow your own for lessGrow your own for less
Sow outside in early May - broad beans, brussels, cabbages, swede and lettuce. Don’t forget you can plant out main crop potatoes now too. Potatoes can be such fun to grow and so easy. Grow them in a pot or tough plastic bag (add holes to the bottom), but remember to cover them with more earth when the green bits start to show. These bits will then root and provide more spuds! Lettuce can be grown anywhere, mix them in your borders; try lollo rossa red for added colour. Finally don’t forget it’s Chelsea Flower Show and the Malvern Spring Show this month: both full of inspiration and ideas. There’s also the BBC Garden-ers World Live show at the NEC Birmingham from the 10th – 14th June.
Jo Walsh is based in Faringdon and runs her
own Garden design business. www.jowalsh.com
43 Please tell advertisers you saw them in Community Times
FootnotesFootnotesFootnotesFootnotes
ReflexologyReflexologyReflexologyReflexology Indian Head MassageIndian Head MassageIndian Head MassageIndian Head Massage Aromatherapy MassageAromatherapy MassageAromatherapy MassageAromatherapy Massage
44 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call Please tell advertisers you saw them in Community Times
MAN WITH VAN
Available for Light Haulage, Collections, Deliveries and Small Removals
Daytime, Evening & Weekend Work
Tel: 01367 710526
Mobile: 07860 656351
Community Times In The ValeIn The ValeIn The ValeIn The Vale
Cars Bought, Sold and Exchanged. Call 07976 919475 (day) or 01367 243454 (eves). www.paulfrancis.hpi.co.uk
First Babies Group, 0 to 15 months old, Grove Parish Church, Mondays, 10.30-12, just come along or call 01235 511152 for more details
Professional Proofreading and Copy-editing at reasonable rates. Call 01367 888229 and ask for The Proof Fairy or visit www.theprooffairy.com
Your Advert Here from just £5 per month lineage, £10 for a small box or £20 for a large business card zied ad. Call Alison on 01367 888229 to book.
THE SMALL ADS BOOKING FORMTHE SMALL ADS BOOKING FORMTHE SMALL ADS BOOKING FORMTHE SMALL ADS BOOKING FORM
Selling your car? Starting a business? Do party plan? Renting out your holiday home? Organising an event? Advertise in in the CT In The Vale Small Ads from just £5 a month.
To book send this form, with payment and your advert, to: The Small Ads, CT In The Vale, 9 Cromwell Close, Faringdon SN7 7BQ.
Please make cheques payable to Community Times In The Vale.
Cut off date: 15th of month preceding publication. Your advert will appear from the next available issue. A copy of our standard Terms & Conditions is available on request.
I, Charry Anthonette D Traje, Give notice that an application has been made to Vale of White Horse District Council,
for a new Premises Licence in respect of Nonoys Oriental Store, No.7, 10 Church Street, Wantage OX12 8BL.
The details of the new application are as follows: Premises License for Nonoys Oriental Store
Any objection to this application must be made in writing to: The Licensing Officer, Vale of White Horse District Council, Licensing Unit, Abbey House, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 3JE.
Tel: 01235 520202 email: [email protected] by 13/05/09. A record of the application may be inspected between 09.00am and 4.00pm Monday to Friday at the Council Offices, or may be found on the Council website at www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk.
Date of notice: 15/04/09 It is an offence knowingly or recklessly to make a false statement in connection with an application, and a person convicted of such an offence will be liable to a
fine up to £5000 based on a summary conviction.
Lovely large French holiday home for rent. Situated in a tranquil part of France within easy reach of ports and airports. Bar, shop and bou-langerie within 3 mins walk; 5 mins from town of Evron with supermarkets, bars and restaurants; 10 mins from lake with beach, pony club. Sleeps 8 in 2 doubles & 2 twins. Lounge/diner, spa shower room, bathroom and 3 WCs. Large den downstairs with utility room & washing machine, Large garden with BBQ. Home from home! Rea-sonable rates from £200pw. Ring 01484 309030 for availability and more details.
45 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call Please tell advertisers you saw them in Community Times
The Small Ads
Comfortable Car or 6 Seater Available Contracts Welcome - Please Book In Advance
Ring Laraine or Roger
Accompanied visits • Shopping Trips
Start Your Holiday In Style • Day At The Races
Football Matches • That Special Day Out
Airport Transfers • Pub Teams • Lady Driver Available
Private Hire Fully insured & licensed vehicles
Airport Transfers
Fully insured and licensed vehicles Wedding and executive cars Business accounts welcome
Member of the Mobile Caravan Engineers Association
Your advert here for just £5 lineage - £10 small box - £20 large box. Call Alison on 01367 888229 for more details or to book, or complete the form on page 44.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure Find new homes for your old stuff, and get stuff for free, at Freecycle. uk.freecycle.org
D & S Builders Garden Walls, Patios, Fencing, Roofing,
General Building Work, Guttering. Aggregates Supplied & Delivered.
PA4U Need an experienced Office/Events Manager or PA to run your office or organise a large event?
Contact Jo Simmonds: 01235 764313, 07876 071435 or email [email protected]
Carpentry and Property Maintenance
Experienced local Carpenter and Handyman. Large and small jobs undertaken including:
Carpentry: Decking and other garden woodwork. Window repairs, door hanging adjustment and refitting.
Locks fitted, flooring, shelving and more. Fittings and fixtures: Mirrors, pictures, blinds, curtain poles, flat pack furniture assembly, etc.
Wall and floor tiling. Interior and some exterior painting.
Full liability insurance. Friendly and reliable service.
Contact: Graham Fletcher 01367 242775 Mobile 07721507433
Community Pages In The ValeIn The ValeIn The ValeIn The Vale Community Times
46 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call
Useful Numbers Local services:
Vale of White Horse Council 01235 520202 Wantage Library 01235 762291 Faringdon Library 01367 240311 Grove Library 01235 763841 Faringdon Tourist Info Centre 01367 242191 Wantage Visitor Info Point 01235 760176
Independent Advice Centre 01235 765348 Citizens Advice 0845 050 5155
Transport:
National Rail Enquiry Line 08457 48 49 50 National Public Transport 0870 608 2 608
Business services:
Wantage Business Breakfast Club Tel: 01235 861779 Wantage Chamber of Commerce www.wantagechamberofcommerce.co.uk Faringdon Business Breakfast Club www.faringdongateway.co.uk Faringdon Chamber of Commerce www.faringdonchamber.com
Faringdon: www.faringdon.org Wantage: www.wantage.com The Hanneys: www.thehanneys.org.uk East Hendred: www.hendred.org Grove: www.grove-oxon.org.uk Stanford in the Vale: www.stanford-in-the-vale.co.uk Uffington: unet.members.beeb.net
Emergencies:
Police, fire or ambulance 999 Local Police 08458 505505 Thames Valley Police 0845 8 505505 Crime Stoppers 0800 555 111 Local Fire Station 01865 842999 Gas Emergency Number 0800 111 999 Floodline 0845 988 1188 Housing 01235 520202 Social & Community Services 0800 833408
Community Times is available at: Wantage: Sainsbury’s, Library, Mably Way Health Cen-tre, Geoffrey Bailey Shoes, Vale & Downland Museum, Helen & Douglas House shop, Sainsbury’s garage Grove: Tesco, Cornerstone Coffee Shop, Library, Health Centre, Supa Fruits, Co op (Savile Way) Faringdon: Budgens, Mustard Seed, Library, White Horse & Fernhill Health Centres, Tourist Info Centre Other places: Stanford in the Vale Co op; Hanney village shop, Uffington village shop; Ardington stores, Hendred Stores, The Woodman Fernham, The Eagle Great Coxwell. (all the above while stocks last)
If you’ve enjoyed this edition of the magazine or have any comments to make please let us know! Our address and contact details are on page 3.
47 01367 888229 www.ctinthevale.co.uk To advertise call
Index of advertisers
24lettersaweek.com …………………………………..
4Networking …………………………………………….
Air Jelly Bouncy Castles ……………………………..
Avon …………………………………………………….
The Barbers ……………………………...…………….
Basepoint ……………………………………………...
Basil Mienie ………………………………………..…...
Brian’s Hire ……………………………………………...
Brett’s Pharmacy …………………………...………….
Call The Office ………………………………………...
CFJ Caravan Care ………………………..……………
Coleshill Organics……………………….….……...…...
Concise Training ……………………………………….
Cornerstone Café & Christian Bookshop ……...…….
D & S Builders …………………………..……………..
Dews Meadow Farm ………………………………….
Dolphin Gallery ………………………………………..
First Babies Group …………………………………...
Gibson & Winch ……………………………………...
Going for Growth ……………………………………...
Graham Fletcher, Carpenter ………………………...
Graham Smith Business Services …………………..
The Happy Computer Company ……………………..
Herbalife ……………………………………………….
Hexagon Web Works ………………………………...
James Mitchell @ One Voice …………..…………….
Jenny @ Footnotes ……………………………………
L1rning K1rve …………………………………………..
Live Connections ……………………………….……...
Page Advertisers
23
27
13
21
39
25
37
45
2
30
45
17
25
19
45
39
7
44
30
23
45
25
21
23
23
45
43
25
12
Community Times In The ValeIn The ValeIn The ValeIn The Vale
LJ & CA Cannings ……………………….……………..
Man with Van (Rapid Services) ……………….………
Monika Becker, Alternative Health Practitioner …….
