Issue 22
May 2009
FREE COPY
Community Times May ‘09
In The Vale Delivered FREE to homes in Faringdon, Wantage, Grove & Longcot
Visit the magazine ONLINE at www.ctinthevale.co.uk
THIS MONTH IN COMMUNITY TIMES: Start Your Own Business - special feature
FR Visiting … Seven Acre Nursery E Longcot & Fernham School’s handy maths tips Pic E M Fab asparagus risotto recipe k m AG e AZIN Local news and events up E And much more !
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Good news for Stanford in the Vale! COMMUNITY PHARMACY Full range of pharmacy services available including: ♦ ♦ ♦
♦ ♦ ♦
Easy access to advice from a pharmacist NHS & Private prescription dispensing Repeat prescription collection from local GP surgeries Medicines Use Reviews Residential & Nursing Homes Service Full range of over the counter medicines and products
Vale Pharmacy 25 High Street, Stanford in the Vale
01367 718721 Registered no. 1490025 Registered office: 6 Newbury Street, Wantage, Oxon OX12 8BS CT
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Introduction
Community Times In The Vale
Publisher: Publisher: Community Times Limited Community Times Ltd
From the editor
Alison Neale - Editor Alison Neale - Editor
Hello,
9 Cromwell Close Whilst every care has been taken Faringdon SN7 7BQin this to ensure that the data 01367 888229 Editorial: publication is accurate, neither 01367 888229 Advertising: Editorial and the publisher norAdvertising: its editorial Email: 01367 888229 contributors can accept, and info@ctinthevale.co.uk Mobile: 07927 330293 herby disclaim, any liability to any Fax: 01367 700207 party to loss or damage caused by errors or omissions resulting Email: Website: from negligence, accident or any info@ctinthevale.co.uk www.ctinthevale.co.uk other cause.
It’s a beautiful spring day as I write this - I do hope this is the start of a warm and sunny summer!
Website: www.ctinthevale.co.uk Community Times Ltd does not officially endorse any advertising Whilst every material includedcare withinhas this been taken to ensure that the data in publication. this publication is accurate, neither the publisher nor its is the registered editorial contributors can accept, trademark of and hereby disclaim, Community Times Ltd.any liability to any party to loss or damage caused errors or All rights by reserved. No omissions part of resulting from may negligence, accithis publication be dent or any other cause. reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in Community Times Ltd does not any form - electronic, officially endorse any advertising mechanical, photocopying, material or included this recording otherwisewithin - without publication. prior permission of the publisher.
Is the registered trademark of Community Times Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form - electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise - without prior permission of the publisher.
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 Alison@ctinthevale.co.uk ! See you next month,
Alison
Alison Neale - Editor Community Times In The Vale
Contents Local News and Events..……………... 4 Competition - win a shopping spree ... 7 Ed Vaizey ……………………………... 12 Vale & Downland Museum column …. 14 Food and Drink ………………………. 16 Longcot School news ………………... 18 Sport and fitness…………………….. 20 Start Your Own Business …………... 21 Arts news …………………………….. 31 Your Pets with Robert Elliott ………… 33 Visiting … Seven Acres Nursery ……. 34 Grumpy Old Man ……………………... 36 Day in a Life of Jane Bowler ..………. 37 Helen House column…………………. 38 Puzzles ……………..……. ………….. 40 Gardening ……………………………... 41 42
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Community Pages The Small Ads
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Useful Numbers
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Next Month’s Deadline 46 Index of Advertisers
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Deadline for June issue: 13th May
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Local news
Community Times In The Vale
Fitzwaryn’s Cream Tea Party for Local Employers 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 companies 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 businesses 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 companies that could offer work experience early in 2010!
Fitzwaryn pupils with some of the employers who gave them work experience earlier this year
Millbrook School’s 40th Anniversary Celebrations
Christian Aid Week 1111-17 May For many people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), life is a struggle. Following ten years of conflict, malnourishment and preventable diseases 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.
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.
Christian Aid Week gives us a chance to help people in the DRC and around the world. Collectors will deliver the big red envelopes to as many households 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 donation 28% bigger by taking this simple step. The ripple effect of collecting at Christian Aid Week is immense – 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 were displays on memory boards with photographs 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 everyone is invited to join in this celebration to make Millbrook’s 40th Anniversary a special event.
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.
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. To advertise call 01367 888229
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Local news
Community Times In The Vale
Spring Sunshine for “Spring” Week! One week in March, all the Primary Schools in the Wantage Partnership took part in a week of activities investigating “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, onions). 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 children 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 difference 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 collaged 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 talent 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! 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 supported 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 . To advertise call 01367 888229
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CT Win £20 in 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 address to spotthehorse@ctinthevale.co.uk . Closing date is 31st May
Congratulations to Kate Francis-Byers from Faringdon who won April’s competition!
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
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Community Times In The Vale
SeeSee-Saw 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 supported us over the years, which has made such a vital difference to the lives of many young children in Oxfordshire, 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 Suzanne 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 Sunday May 3rd 6-aside football all day, fun Dog Show, car boot sale, vintage cars, Morris dancing, maypole dancing, 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 School May Fair - Fri 15th May Friday 15 May, 3pm-5pm Great fun for all the family!
Back by Popular Demand -
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. To advertise call 01367 888229
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May 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 tombolas, 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 future of Guiding in Didcot. Admission £1 adults, children free.
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 aircraft, 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
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Open Tues 9.30 - 5.00 • Wed 9.30 - 5.00 • Thurs 10.00 - 8.00 • Fri 9.30 - 5.00 • Sat 9.00 - 2.00
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Martin Spackman Accounting
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 denuded of his axe.
a friendly, local service at affordable rates for the individual and small business
Specialising in: • Business plans for new start-ups • VAT registration and returns • Book-keeping • Management accounts • Self-assessment tax returns
The premise of this article was that the Wantage constituency, 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.
you do what you’re good at, let me do the numbers!
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 unemployed).
Chartered Management Accountant
t: 01367 241246 e: faringdonmart@hotmail.com
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.
Ed Vaizey, MP
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 vaizeye@parliament.uk To advertise call 01367 888229
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Clothes Alteration Specialist Specialising in both his and hers…
Wedding Garments Evening Wear Everyday Clothing Helen Pearce Tel: 01235 200771 Mble: 07851 296094 Email: Helen@magic-wardrobe.co.uk Alternative Health Practitioner
Monika Becker H.P. German-trained complementary therapist Unique holistic treatment method More than 11 years experience Acupuncture, Psychological Kinesiology, Gentle Spinal (DORN method), Reiki Hypnotherapy/Past Life Regression Boston House, Grove Technology Park OX12 9FF
Tel: 07742 982757 Web: www.monikabecker.co.uk
WANTAGE 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 experience
01235 770950
Mob: 07940 472168
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Community Times In The Vale
Vale & Downland Museum
The Heart of the Vale & Downland Museum As the new Museum Manager for the Vale & Downland Museum - and having been in that position for almost a whole month - I am amazed at the activities that go on in the museum. It is the proverbial 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 record, 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 200year-old barn (Hunt’s Barn), another cottage of indeterminate 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 galleries and about 34,000 visits to the 29 temporary exhibitions. 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 schoolchildren who took part in special farming activities culminating in an exhibition. To be able to support and cater for all of those activities takes numerous people and time. The museum staff work part-time and are assisted 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: Bookshop helpers, Gallery keepers, 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 various events which allows the museum to purchase equipment that otherwise we would not be able to afford. The Friends also run a 100 Club, £12 per year per individual 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.
Craig Hart Museum Manager
Vale & Downland Museum Church Street Wantage Tel: (01235) 771447 Website: www.wantage.com/museum To advertise call 01367 888229
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Opening hours: Monday - Saturday 10.00am to 4.00pm Closed Bank Holidays
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 15
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Food and drink
Community Times In The Vale
Asparagus Risotto 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 asparagus, which is favoured on the continent. Most recipes (though not, for me, this risotto) can be adapted for either variety. 500g/1lb 2oz British asparagus 1 finely onion, chopped 85g/3oz butter 300g/10½oz arborio rice
750ml/1½lb hot chicken or vegetable stock 55g/2oz freshly grated parmesan cheese freshly ground black pepper
Method 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Gently fry the onion in the butter until it becomes translucent. Add the rice and cook for a couple of minutes on a medium heat, stirring so that it gets a good coating of butter. Add the stock, one ladle at a time, and continue stirring until all the stock has been absorbed. Meanwhile, steam the asparagus for 3-6 mins or until tender to the point of a knife. Chop roughly once it is cooked. 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. Serve your risotto in warm bowls with a sprinkling of Parmesan on top of each serving.
Visit your local farmers’ markets 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
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
To advertise call 01367 888229
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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.
(Formerly Ardington Post Office & Stores)
Whole boneless Peking Duck Vegetable spring rolls Japanese tempura prawns and much more. Range of oriental cooking equipment including chopsticks, bamboo steamers, hotpots on
Wholesale prices for restaurants & caterers 5 pr % o Other services for Filipino, remittance MLR LIC NO o od ff 12268395 - maasahan sa mataas na rate, may 24 ad f th uct i hrs picks up po tayo. Phone cards worldwide. ve is on rt Mabuhay po tayong lahat!
Open Monday to Saturday
Breakfast Morning Coffee Lunches Afternoon Tea Lunch served from 11.45am
Coleshill Organics Veg box delivery and shop Vegetables fresh from our organic garden, delivered in the Vale.
Lunch parties catered for
Prices from £8.25 or visit our shop in the walled garden.
Smiths High Street Ardington Oxon OX12 8PS T: 01235 833 237
Open Wed pm and all day Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Tel: 01793 861070
www.coleshillorganics.co.uk
E: karen@smithsatardington.co.uk 17
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Community Times In The Vale
Longcot & Fernham School
Sitting SATs 2009 with Today’s Maths 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 methods 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 different from those that I was taught ca.1970 . First, the method of ‘decomposition’ for SUBTRACTION. 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!)
Thankfully, many of us are online where there exist many excellent websites that both children and parents can access, including these useful sites: SATs Revision: www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize or www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/revision Parent Support: www.parentscentre.gov.uk Parents can learn about methods and revision resources, thereby ensuring that as much continuity as possible goes into preparing youngsters confidently, for SATS and for their next year’s Secondary School Maths. ‘Maths talk’ is essential to the learning process. If nothing else, you as a pare nt or grandparent 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), Secondly MULTIPLICATION by the ‘grid’ method, working with many schools: coordinating, leading, which involves partitioning numbers into their tens advising & sharing her expertise. She also tutors and units. Calculations in the two boxes show these privately, helping individual children. two methods, for tonight’s homework! karen_e_barron@hotmail.co.uk SATs are Standard Assessment Tasks that are by law set nationally, for children at age 7 &11 in Maths, English, Science. SATs are being debated currently, with teachers’ unions asking for change. Research shows that many parents, 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. To advertise call 01367 888229
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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
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Arts Focus
Community Times In The Vale
Oxfordshire 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 paintings 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 information 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 Fridays 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 Coxwell
Stanford in the Vale
May 16th - 17th and May 23rd – 25th including Bank Holiday Monday. 11am – 5.30pm.
Sat 16th May – Mon 25th May, noon till 6pm at The Stables, Stanford House, Chapel Road, Stanford in the Vale.
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 …
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.
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
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
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Community Times In The Vale
Special Celebration for 20 years of Fundraising 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. concerts 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 original idea a reality.
Singer/songwriter Harvey Andrews. ©Howard Hill
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 successful 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 drummer, 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 tickets 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.
Bronze Casting Workshops at The Bullpen: 15th-19th May
I Thought I Heard A Rustling: A comedy by Alan Plater
Thurs 21st, Fri 22nd and Sat 23rd May Faringdon Junior School.
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 artists at work on their sculpture and attend a short mould-making session. Visitors may return and watch their bronze medal/coin being poured alongside artists' sculpture. Enjoy the exhibition in The Bullpen Gallery - use the learning resources available and find out about our local bronze history....
An ex-miner turned poet is appointed writer-inresidence 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-inresidence role. These three find themselves in an unlikely alliance when the Libraries’ sub-committee proposes demolishing the library. Directed by Gary Field.
Costs: Bronze coin: £5 Bronze medal: £10 Contact Helen Jacobs on 01367 718722 or helen@wezjacobs.com to book or for more details. To advertise call 01367 888229
www.ctinthevale.co.uk
Tickets £7 Adults, £5 Concessions available from The Nut Tree, 2 Cornmarket, Faringdon.
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Community Times In The Vale
Your pets with Robert Elliott
Dogs and Their Habits 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 Now that Spring is well-established, I’m branching and other motivating factors. Dominance, or the off into a couple of delicate things that dogs do – need to become dominant, is a powerful factor eating grass, and “humping”. boosted by the actions of the These are some of the combrain bio-chemical, Serotonin. MY DOG AND ME mon questions put to me, so The achievement of “top dog” in I’d like to help make some a pack is a contest of mental sense of them in as brief a and physical strength and allows My dog must be blind manner as possible. prime breeding position. The not to see sexual behaviour and dominant Grass-eating. As we all my wrinkles aggressive behaviour control know, dogs have the wolf graying hair centres are linked in the brain, “inside” them, and wolves will leading to association between expanding belly eat from the entire carcass of a kill, which will include plant Or, maybe, she just doesn't care sex drive and group social and “political” success. Since no material already eaten by a and loves me anyway. behaviour is purely male or grazing animal, such as a She's not very smart but female, humping is also a feadeer. Indeed it is often reture of dominant females’ beshe's mine ported that carnivores comhavioural repertoires. monly tend to go for the and loves me anyway stomach and its contents first, Management and retraining of a And maybe, and so in domestic dogs this (neutered or entire) dominant just maybe, might be one reason for dog (male or female) can be Next time I feel weird about me achieved with a “leadership grass-eating. The other way of looking at this is that dogs I can borrow programme”, where the mescan boost the fibre content of sage transmitted to the dog is her eyes. a diet low in this bulking maone where the dog has to start terial by eating grass. to work for what he or she wants Charlie Smith and needs, thereby catapulting I am asked very often about owners into the more-dominant dogs eating grass to be sick. and respected role of pack leader, making them Here opinion is divided between: no it’s a pleasurclearly NOT an appropriable habit that dogs like to do, and vomiting is a ate target for humping secondary effect, and, yes, they have learnt that within the family pack. So eating grass will induce a more rapid expulsion of while humping is a nuiindigestible material than the normal daily stomach sance for dog owners, it cleaning cycle permits. I know of one case where remains an interesting there was so much grass knotted inside a dog who and biologically appropriwas in pain with a diseased pancreas (which causes ate behaviour, designed vomiting by itself) that he couldn’t actually pass the in nature in the interests great ball of grass for sometime afterwards. of procreation but also to But – no matter what the reason, grass-eating is signify achievement of perfectly normal behaviour – even if it does make status of power and conthe pampas grass look very sick too! Just make trol. sure that the grass your dog eats hasn’t been I’ll be back next month! sprayed with any chemicals.
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.
Robert Elliott
To advertise call 01367 888229
www.ctinthevale.co.uk
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21 - 23 HIGH STREET STANFORD IN THE VALE, OXON SN7 8LH 01367 710595 Website: www.vets-surgery.com Email: enquiries@vets-surgery.com
21 - 23 HIGH STREET STANFORD IN THE VALE, OXON SN7 8LH ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ APPOINTMENTS ONLY 24 HOUR TELEPHONE
01367 710595 Website: www.vets-surgery.com Email: enquiries@vets-surgery.com
Owned and Staffed by The Veterinary Surgery of Robert Elliott
Socialisation “parties” and free health checks for puppies and kittens, free senior pet clinics, Pet Passport Scheme.
FELINE ADVISORY BUREAU APPROVED AND LISTED
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY THE FELINE ADVISORY BUREAU AS A “CAT FRIENDLY PRACTICE”
VALE LICENSED AND INSURED UNDER PET PLAN Ltd.
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Visiting ... Seven Acre Nursery at Stanford in the Vale
Community Times In The Vale
- with Martin Spackman 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 apparently 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 customer 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!
perennial plants, herbs, fruit trees and conifers. Much of this has been sourced from Jersey to create 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 colourful 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!)
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 operation, Tony has re-stocked the nursery from scratch with an impressive selection of bedding and To advertise call 01367 888229
www.ctinthevale.co.uk
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 produce to make the short trip from Faringdon, Stanford or Wantage worthwhile.
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Grumpy Old 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 reinforcing 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 Parliament who accuses another of lying has to immediately 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 assumption 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!”
Be the best you you can possibly be!
Our politicians should earn our respect, not demand 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.
Basil Mienie can help you live your dreams
Jacqui Smith’s husband is paid (by us as it happens) 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 allowance because the poor dear cannot face a 10 mile commute, then he is clearly not up to the job.
To find out how, call now: 01235 770394 or 07739 410370
www.basil-mienie.com
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 account 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
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A Day in the Life of …
Community Times In The Vale
Jane Bowler, Farmer Producer Jane Bowler lives at Dews Meadow Farm, East Hanney, with her husband Andy. The couple rear pigs and sell home produced sausages, pork products and pies from their farm shop. Jane is also a regular stallholder at farmers’ markets across the Vale. 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 combined 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 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 community, so you may yet see me with my next project – raising the profile of local shops and businesses!
Who or what inspires you? Richard Branson – a successful businessman who is still himself.
What’s your philosophy for life? “Good, better, best, Never let it rest, Until your good is better, And your better is best!”
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 favourite local shop? Apart from Dews Meadow Farm? The Nut Tree in Faringdon. What interests or hobbies do you have? The companionship of horses are my real passion, however, I don’t have the time at the moment to pursue this as much as I would like! 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 To advertise call 01367 888229
www.ctinthevale.co.uk
D e s e r t i s l a n d choices: one book one song, one luxury: My song would be S m i l e (music by Charlie Chaplin), the book Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird” and my luxury … Apart from hair dye? A case of tea!
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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 Affordable Hair & Beauty Treatments
We look forward to seeing you Andy, Jane and the Dews Meadow Team
01235 868634 www.dewsmeadowfarm.co.uk
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
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Community Times In The Vale
Helen & Douglas House
News from Helen & 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 fundraising@helenanddouglas.org.uk
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 wbridge@helenanddouglas.org.uk Helen & Douglas House 2008 - Providing hospice care for children and young adults. (Registered Charity Number : 1085951)
To advertise call 01367 888229
www.ctinthevale.co.uk
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Sudoku 6 2 8 9 4 4 6
4 9 7 2 1 5 6 8 7 4 8 1 4 7 6 1 3 5 3 2 8 2 5 1 8 9 7 3 6 8 1 4 7
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.
Crossword
Across:
Down:
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)
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)
Across: 1 Furthermore; 9 Skimmed; 10 Given; 11 Annul; 12 Antonio; 13 Lavish; 15 Asleep; 18 Surplus; 20 Trait; 22 Evict; 23 Elation; 24 Undertaking. Down: 2 Union; 3 Tumulus; 4 Endear; 5 Might; 6 Revenue; 7 Established; 8 Incompetent; 14 Version; 16 Set-back; 17 Ascent; 19 Lithe; 21 Alien.
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Gardening
Community Times In The Vale
Get your Garden Into Shape with 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.
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! Alternatively why not try Nematodes, applied in 6 week intervals; more expensive in the short term but longer lasting.
The 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 daisies and Delphiniums.
The Gardeners Enemy There is nothing more annoying that having waited patiently for your prize Hostas to appear only for them to be turned to slug food. It is estimated that in any given square metre of garden soil 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 To advertise call 01367 888229
www.ctinthevale.co.uk
Grow 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 Gardeners 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
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TREE CARE SPECIALIST
Footnotes
RUSS GOODING Free Quotation Practical Friendly Advice • Fruit Tree Pruning • Problem Hedges • Site Clearance • Felling • Green Waste Removal
Reflexology Indian Head Massage Aromatherapy Massage
• Preservation Order Advice • Stump Grinding • Planting of Larger Trees • Crown Reductions • Tree Health Assessment
FULLY INSURED £5 MILLION N.P.T.C. Qualified 20 Years Experience Environmentally Conscious Practice Competitive Rates
Tel: 01367 870571 Email: foot.notes@hotmail.co.uk
TEL: 07554 241151 EAST COTTAGE, STANFORD ROAD, BUCKLAND, OXON SN7 8QL
www.jennyatfootnotes.co.uk
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Community Times In The Vale Cars Bought, Sold and Exchanged. Call 07976 919475 (day) or 01367 243454 (eves). www.paulfrancis.hpi.co.uk
Lovely large French holiday home for rent. Situated in a tranquil part of France within easy reach of ports and airports. Bar, shop and boulangerie 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! Reasonable rates from £200pw. Ring 01484 309030 for availability and more details.
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. LICENSING ACT 2003 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: licensing.unit@whitehorsedc.gov.uk 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
MAN WITH VAN Available for Light Haulage, Collections, Deliveries and Small Removals Daytime, Evening & Weekend Work Tel: 01367 710526 Mobile: 07860 656351
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.
THE 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 would like to book a:
20 word lineage ad @ £5 40 word lineage ad @ £7.50 Small portrait box @ £10 Small landscape box @ £10 Large business card box @ £20 For a period of 1 month 3 months 6 months 12 months 10% discount for bookings of 6 months or more - please deduct before sending payment I enclose payment of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Name: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Address: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Tel: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Email: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ______ To advertise call 01367 888229
www.ctinthevale.co.uk
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MAY09
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The Small Ads 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
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 josephinesimmonds@ntlworld.com
Carpentry and Property Maintenance Experienced local Carpenter and Handyman. Large and small jobs undertaken including:
Private Hire Fully insured & licensed vehicles
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.
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
Contact: Graham Fletcher 01367 242775 Mobile 07721507433
D & S Builders
Singing, Piano and Keyboard Lessons
Garden Walls, Patios, Fencing, Roofing, General Building Work, Guttering. Aggregates Supplied & Delivered. Extensions, Drainage.
James Mitchell A.R.C.M.
No Job Too Small. Call for a Quote. home/office: (01367) 242755 fax: (01367) 242728 mobile: 07765 010751
Gift tokens Available Tel. 01235 767975 or email: jamesmitchell@onevoice.freeserve.co.uk
dsbuilders@fsmail.net
CFJ CARAVAN CARE
Airport Transfers
Servicing, Repairs, Maintenance, Pre Purchase Inspections
Fully insured and licensed vehicles Wedding and executive cars Business accounts welcome
CHRIS JAMES - Mobile Service Engineer ACOPS approved
0845 260 3230 or 07812 162567
Tel: 01235 224517 Mob: 07887 724525 Email: chrisjames50@ntlworld.com
Email: brihire@aol.com Website: www.brianhire.co.uk To advertise call 01367 888229
www.ctinthevale.co.uk
Member of the Mobile Caravan Engineers Association
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Community Pages
Community Times In The Vale
Useful Numbers Local services:
Emergencies:
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
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
Helplines: Samaritans 0845 790 9090 Childline 0800 11 11 Alcoholics Anonymous 0845 769 7555 Victim Support 0845 3030 900 Parentline 0808 800 2222 Wantage Counselling Service 01235 769744
Community Times is available at: Wantage: Sainsbury’s, Library, Mably Way Health Centre, 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)
Advice: 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
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.
Business services:
Advertise your business in
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 4Networking (Business networking) www.4networking.biz
Community Times Deadline for June issue of Community Times In The Vale is Wednesday 13th May
Local Websites:
Tel: 01367 888229
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 To advertise call 01367 888229
www.ctinthevale.co.uk
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Community Times In The Vale Advertisers
Index of advertisers Page
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 ……………………………….……...
Advertisers
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LJ & CA Cannings ……………………….…………….. Man with Van (Rapid Services) ……………….……… Monika Becker, Alternative Health Practitioner ……. Mortgages Made Easy ……………….……………….. The National Pages ………………………………….. Nonoy’s Oriental Store ……………...………………… Old Station Nursery ……………………………...……... Oxford Live Jazz …………………………..…………….. PA 4U (Jo Simmonds) ……………………………….. Paul Francis, Renault Specialist ……………………. The Proof Fairy ……………………...………………….. Puppy School ……………………..…………………….. Robert Elliott Vets…………………………..………….... Russ Gooding Tree Care ……………………………. Safeclean …………………………………....………….... Sanctuary Care ……………………………………….. Smiths Restaurant …………………………………….. Stylers ………………………………...………………….. tfd health & fitness……………………......……….…….. Vale & Downland Museum ……………..…………..…... Virtual PA Services …………………………………... WA Broda Painting & Decorating ………..……………. Wantage Cabs ………………………………….………. Wantage Chiropractic Clinic……...…………….…...…. White Cottage Beauty ………………………..……..…... White Horse Hire …………………………...…….…….. Woods Hair Salon @ Carswell Golf Club …………. zuuMedia ……………………………………………...
CHIROPRACTIC, PHYSIOTHERAPY AND MASSAGE Registered with the GCC, SCA, CSP and PhysioFirst Covered by health insurers Back and neck pain
All sports injuries
Headaches and migraines
Muscle problems
Joint problems
Tendinitis
Post surgical rehabilitation Dr Brett Rowlands (M.Tec Chiro) Dr Luther Moss (DC. MChiro. MCC) Mrs Lindsay Rowlands (BSc PT Hons) Mrs Liz McDonald (Dip.ITEC) Convenient parking 10 Barnards Way, Charlton, Wantage OX12 7EA Phone: 01235 770008 or 07884 256366 To advertise call 01367 888229
www.ctinthevale.co.uk
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