BRAMLEY265J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 0 9

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BRAMLEY WI’S MILLENNIUM GARDEN

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Welcome to issue 18 of Bramley265! Eighteen months in and I’m sorry to say the credit crunch is finally hitting Bramley265 with the loss of a few key advertisers. I desperately need paying ads in order to bring you the mag each month and to to be able to give free space to worthy community groups such as the 0-5 Club seen here on this page. As I’ve mentioned before, Bramley265 doesn’t make much profit, just about breaking even every month. I do it because I love it, but it costs an awful lot to print a magazine of this quality! So I appeal to you, if you enjoy reading this mag, show it to everyone you know who owns a business. And remember, “when times are good you should advertise, when times are bad, you must advertise!” All studies show that businesses which continue to advertise during a recession are stronger during and after such tough economic times. Put it simply, if your customers don’t know where you are, how will they find you? If you want to get your ad in here, please call me on 07885 896053.‘Til next month, then,

x

Hello Bramley!

Emma

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Have you been to the Village Hall lately? There have been a few changes, some I hope you would immediately notice, and others more subtle. To start with we have a new Chair of The Village Hall Trust, that’s me, Rachel Vigar. Many of you will know me from Little Apples, as I have served on the Little Apples committee for the past seven years. You’ve probably also seen me around Bramley School, as my two eldest children Tom and Sophie are in years 5 and 2, and my youngest, Jake starts in Reception in September. You’ll probably also know my husband Chris Edwards who is on the BSA and often seen running around with a camera at school events. I’ve been involved with the Village Hall for a long time now, and have really enjoyed working with the other trustees. So when the Chairman’s job came up I was more than happy to put myself forward. Together with Sarah Naylor as Secretary and Anna Keir as Treasurer, we have great plans to make sure our Village Hall remains a vital part of our community. One of the most recent changes is the brand new kitchen. The old one had served its time and we had the money in the bank to update it. There are now beautiful new cupboard doors, new work surfaces, shiny new tiles, and a new floor. We are also now able to offer permanent locked cupboard space to many of the hall’s existing users, and a much better, cleaner, more user-friendly facility for parties and other occasional users. A little while ago we had the main floor revarnished, and have undertaken many of the little housekeeping jobs that needed doing, like tidying up the loose cables in the Bramley Room, and repainting virtually everywhere. We also now have a set of white china and wine glasses which means we can accommodate more formal events, and I’m pleased to say we already have bookings for wedding parties. On the outside, we are creating three new flower beds and we want you to help us maintain them, much the same way the Bramley WI maintains the Millennium Garden at Clift Meadow. We already have a commitment

from the Bramley Brownies to look after one bed, would your community group like to join in and do your bit for the Village Hall? On the page opposite you can read about the beautiful Millennium Garden maintained by Bramley WI. It’s wonderful to see what dedicated villagers can achieve, and, with your help, we hope to make the Village Hall gardens just as beautiful. Regular bookings for the hall remain consistent, but we still have a whole lot of space to fill. I would really love to see a new group or activity for the village’s under fives. The hall is available every day between 1 and 3pm. Following on from the success of the new Bramley Community Choir, (more than 40 people at their first meeting!) I am starting a gardening group. Our first meeting will be on 6 July and we’ll meet on the first Monday of every month at 8pm in the Bramley Room thereafter. I hope many of you keen gardeners will come along, swap hints and tips, seeds and plants. I want to sign us up for a trip to Highgrove, so whether you are a garden expert or a garden novice, I do hope you’ll come along and share your experiences. I've also been wondering about setting up a casual discussion group for people affected by the care of, or loss of, a loved one. I'm not quite sure how this one would work yet, but a friend and I who have both had similar experiences supporting parents through cancer have been talking about it, and feel that it could be beneficial. Not just for people affected by cancer, but for all terminal illness. Maybe we could have a very informal meeting one afternoon and share our experiences and pass on tips to help each other cope. What do you think? If it's something you would be interested in, please get in touch. If there’s something you’ve always wanted to get started up, there’s never been a better time. Just get in touch and we’ll see what we can do to help you out. And if you have any comments or suggestions about your Village Hall, we’d love to hear them.

New direction at theNew Chair of the Village Hall Trust Rachel Vigar writes...

For bookings please call Eileen on 881125For Jarir the caretaker call 07554 018783. For gardening group email garden.surgery@gmail.comFor everything else email bramley.villagehall@gmail.com

At the beginning of 2005 the Hampshire Federation of WIs encouraged its member groups to involve themselves in community projects. Bramley WI chose to undertake a make-over of the Millennium Garden, originally designed and planted by villager Maureen Cole. That project has rolled on and is now into year four. The maintenance team was originally seven but now, with the big jobs done, numbers four plus occasional help from our menfolk for heavier tasks. Work goes on throughout the year except in winter. There is no rota but attendance is usually on Wednesday mornings for three hours, weather permitting (although work has proceeded through the odd down-pour), and any number of the team from one upwards might attend. Small running costs are met from the team’s pockets while a good many plants have come from other members of the group, their families and friends as well as the odd passer-by. Essential donations of money to buy more plants and materials have been received from the Parish Council, our own WI and Clift Meadow Trust, who also pays for the permanent sign, while the Borough Council has donated two free truck loads of mulch at different times. The maintenance team runs a scrapbook and quarterly reports on progress appear in the Parish Council Newsletter. Plenty of admiring, constructive and supportive comments from many quarters means that the work is not likely to stop anytime soon!

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Bramley WI’s Millennium Gardenby Linda Dove

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A year after me and over 155,000 others applied, after at least 500 miles of training runs, after 2 half marathons, two adventure challenges and the Great South Run, finally the weekend I'd been preparing for was here. It was London Marathon weekend! I could, of course, now write about how I elegantly and serenely pranced gazelle-like around the course, breezing past all and sundry like they were standing still with my last stride being as easy as my first but frankly that would be lying. Unfortunately it didn't happen quite like that! You see, it wasn't a totally smooth final stretch. Up until the end of March everything was going brilliantly, I'd run the Reading Half Marathon in 1hr and 50 mins; a whole 33 mins faster than I'd completed Windsor six months earlier! This put me in line for a 4hrs 30min marathon time. I felt ready... I was ready! Then it happened, a major catastrophe! Before you start to speculate, it wasn't something as simple as a broken bone; a sprained ankle or a torn muscle. No, it was far more serious than any of those! Yes, you've guessed it, I was bitten by an insect on my left foot. Before you say it, yes I know it sounds trivial, but that one little bite made my foot turn into something that would have made Coco the Clown jealous! I simply could not put on my trainers. It's at this point that I'd like to extend my thanks to the Docs at the Clift Meadow surgery, they were brilliant. A seriously strong dose of antibiotics and three weeks of rest saw everything calm back down. Three weeks with no running! That's one heck of a taper! (Tapering is the reduction of training during the final week or two before a marathon, doing it properly allows you to feel fresh on race day.) I didn't exactly taper, I stopped! Back to the weekend at hand, quite frankly I was now scared, no, I was petrified! I had not run in 3 weeks and the marathon was here Then a friend of mine said “you can't do any more training now so stop worrying and just get on with it!” And with those words of wisdom ringing around my head I packed up my bag, loaded the family in the car and we all headed off to Croydon to stay at my parent’s house (it’s nearer to Blackheath).

The morning of the race dawned with clear blue skies and warm sunshine, perfect weather for going to the park or even to the beach, the sort of weather that demands you take it easy, i.e. it was rubbish marathon weather, far too hot, but at least it wasn't raining/snowing/hailing etc. A busy train ride to Blackheath (blue start) and I was there, the marathon music was blaring out over the heath and the hairs on the back of my neck stood proud! Over 35,900 people lined up to run the race, some newbies like me but also some very seasoned runners, like the octogenarian I met who was running his twelfth London Marathon! I went over the start line at around 10:06, and I settled down into my target pace (1 mile every 10 mins) fairly quickly... I went past Peter Andre and Katie Price quite early on and I felt, well, I felt very, very hot... but certainly not as hot as the runner dressed as Spongebob Squarepants, or the two runners dressed as horses, or as hot as Elvis, Batman or Bananaman, all of whom over took me! The heat started to take its toll on me but the crowd was brilliant, the cheering and encouragement got me around the last 2 miles. The warm weather brought thousands of people out to watch, my family were there, and the Edwards family also came along to provide support (thanks guys!). I didn't see them on the course,

Steve Robinson’s marathon story...He did it!

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and in hindsight I'm glad I didn't. Emotions get the better of you during this sort of event. The memory of running (sort of) along The Embankment towards the Houses of Parliament and along The Mall after passing Buckingham Palace will remain with me forever. You see I did finish it (and I wasn't overtaken by a Rhino or a Womble!) out of the 35,300 people who finished (600+ didn't make it!) I was 16,060th, I ran it in 4hrs and 41mins and I was faster than 19,240 other people, not that I'm counting of course. Overall I've raised over £1200 for Cancer Research UK and my heartfelt thanks go out to all who donated towards this worthy cause. As for me, for the rest of my life I can without hesitation call myself a marathon runner. Now what shall I do next…?

Remember the other marathon runner featured in Bramley265?Graham Thomas writes, “My wife Amanda completed the marathon in 4 hours 57 minutes and 32 seconds, and finished looking as fresh as a daisy. Her training certainly paid off, as she never hit ‘the wall’, and ran every mile at a constant 11 minutes, except the first and, amazingly, the last which were covered in nearer 10 minutes. She felt good enough to attend two post-race receptions, as well as walking the two miles back to our hotel. Altogether, she raised £3,156 for the Parkinson's Disease Society, £670 of which was

from the Stone Gecko concert at Bramley Village Hall.”

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Bramley ClassifiedsTradesBin Blasters Your local wheelie bin cleaning service. Bin cleaned and de-odorised inside and out every four weeks only £2.50 per clean. Payment collected after cleaning. Call 07931 930687.Shine Cleaning Services. Your local cleaning company. Services include window cleaning from £8, fascias and gutter cleans £40, conservatories including roofs £30. Call today on 01256 882460 or 07771 742776.

For SaleAdult bikes Gents Sunn road bike, 56cm frame to suit man under 6ft tall. Ladies Raleigh Pioneer road bike, small frame to suit small-medium woman. Both bikes are about 9 years old. £40 each. Call 01256 881704.Cot in rubberwood finish, basic model from John Lewis with single drop side. Needs standard cot mattress, not cotbed size, £30. Call 01256 881704.Engagement Ring 18 Carat gold, diamond and sapphire stones, size S, Call 07776 183602.Chick Lit Ideal for holidays, 9 books various authors inc: Keyes, Fforde, Holden & Jewell. Read once v.g.c £10, please call after 6pm on 881037.

Outdoor swing ELC play kitchen, Barbie scooter, Barbie dressing up table, Little Tikes red and yellow push along car for sale. No reasonable offer refused. Please call Hana on 01256 880447.Fantasy Fiction R Scott Bakker, The Prince of Nothing Trilogy £5 & Stephen King, The Dark Tower series, books V, VI & VII £5. Read once, please call after 6pm on 881037.Appollo Ladies Golf Clubs half set comprising 6, 7, 8, 9 iron, pitch & sand wedge, 2 x woods. Brand new £65 01256 881358

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Put your item in the For Sale column for free! Email your item details to bramleyclassifieds@gmail.com. For all other Bramley265 Classifieds, the cost is £1 per line (five words) or part line. Simply write down your ad, please include your name, address and telephone number, which will not be published. Pop the ad and the fee due in an envelope and put through the door of 2 Taylor Drive, Bramley, Tadley, Hants, RG26 5XP. You can list in any category. For inclusion in the July/August issue your listing must be received by 26 June 2009.

Situations VacantSherborne Windows, Doors & Conservatories is currently recruiting local weekend staff to work in its impressive conservatory based at the Wyevale Garden Centre in Sherfield on Loddon. Would ideally suit a semi-retired person or anyone looking for a few days part-time work each month. Please visit our showroom or alternatively call 0808 145 4000 and ask for John for further information.

Bramley WI Lite9 May 2009

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I feel I need to respond to Sarah Dewey’s letter (April/May) and Chris Horton’s letter (May/June). Both sets of comments are quite damning of residents and their concerns about Bramley MoD camp noise. We need to confirm facts here. Bramley MoD camp is not an Army camp or an RAF station. It is a MoD camp that was downgraded in 1985. The camp is a training centre for the Army, Air Force, Navy, Police, private security companies, TV companies and can be booked for private pheasant shooting trips. These previous letters attempt to tug at people’s consciences with comments of “Queen and country, war games, our army boys etc”. This is not in doubt and is quite offending and demeaning to Bramley villagers. Of course the RAF needs to train and the Army needs to train but there are designated RAF stations for helicopters, open land for army training and sites all over the country designed for these purposes. While I believe we all agree the armed services do a great job, I think the bulk of the problem lies with the fact that helicopters continually fly to the camp, hover over houses, land and take off at all hours of the day and night. This is bordering on being a public nuisance. The facts are nobody is really bothered by rifle shots or explosions during the day and traffic in and out of the site, the problem lies with the Chinooks (with a very poor crash record) and explosions that shake your house without warning. It is ok to say “wear ear plugs” but this is not the answer for young children and babies who are woken in the middle of the night. It is also ok to say “do your research before moving to the village.” The fact is a low level MoD site has, without warning, been upgraded to one of the main sites for Chinook helicopters to fly to and from RAF Odiham, hover and return to base, as stated by the MOD, the

Chinooks have changed flight paths from Salisbury Plain to Bramley village for the foreseeable future and there are no plans to change this unless concerns are raised. RAF Odiham is a registered RAF base, Bramley MOD camp is not. So if the helicopters are causing you distress or if you are being a bit Nimby (not in your backyard but a military designated training area) write to: Directorate of Air Staff Complaints, Ministry of Defence, Zone H, 5th Floor, Main Building, Whitehall, London SW1A 2HB or phone 020 7218 6020. They will be helpful and sympathetic and will respond by letter but will also take the stance of “we need to train” but with enough complaints we may be able to reduce air traffic over the area and get this helicopter training spread more evenly over surrounding villages or back to disturbing the sheep on Salisbury plain.Barry AndersonMoat Close

Editor’s note: A right of reply to this letter was given to the Army and RAF Odiham...

You’ve got mail email bramley265@gmail.com or write to The Editor, Bramley265, 2 Taylor Drive, Bramley, Hants, RG26 5XP

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“Bramley Camp has been through many incarnations but it is now a part of the Defence Training Estate along with Aldershot, Salisbury Plain, Thetford, Sennybridge, Otterburn and many others all over the country. They are all owned by the MOD for the sole purpose of facilitating service training in support of defence. The government directs us to utilise irreducible spare capacity by licensing it to third parties; e.g. Scrapheap Challenge. There is a Game Shoot in Bramley but it cannot be booked for private pheasant shooting trips”.Lieutenant Colonel Andy Westcott, Commander Defence Training Estates (Home Counties).

From one extreme… These two photos were taken by Flight Lieutenant Leigh Shaughnessy within a week of each other. Left, in the February snows at RAF Odiham, and then, right, in the dry heat of Afghanistan.

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We are humbled by the extremely strong support that the local community continues to have for us here at RAF Odiham, but we do recognise that much of our work is intrusive, unsociable and sometimes frustrating. However, it is important that the public is aware that we try everything possible to attenuate the impact that our training has on the local community. Local low and night flying is only done when the imperative is high and it is only because of our operational commitments at home and overseas. Nevertheless, we want to remain accessible for clarification, detail and reassurance so that the what, why and where our flying is conducted is more widely understood. Setting aside the quantity of our flying that is completed in Afghanistan, the most important factor in our drive to soothe the impact of Chinook noise has been the effort we have put into the reduction, spread and global distribution of the effects of noise as much as possible. The Station Commander has directed that more than 25% of all flying will now be done in the Chinook simulators in Oxfordshire, which has removed a lot of the repetitive training that simply landing into fields and narrow, small confined areas demands. He has also ensured that a further 20% of all training flying is now conducted overseas, principally in Norway, Oman, Morocco, Kenya and Guyana, where the impact on the more sparsely populated countryside is much less. Whilst this directly impacts on our personnel as servicemen and women spend even more time away from their families, it is a sacrifice that we feel is important if we are to remain in step with and tightly connected to the local community.

But we cannot go overseas permanently and so for that training which must be achieved in the UK we exploit every single training area that is accessible here. Salisbury Plain is used the most, but Catterick, Otterburn, Stamford and the Wash, Sennybridge, Longmoor and Bramley are all used for different objectives and purposes. All of our training remains under close and detailed scrutiny and we remain as agile as we can be to stop anything we think we can get away without, move more overseas if this is remotely possible and/or rotate the residual impact around the sites in the UK. Finally, it is worth noting that the number of Chinooks flying continuously from Odiham has reduced from around eleven a day five years ago to four today, a considerable reduction. The Station Commander has also sought to reach out and engage vigorously with the local community to ensure that the public understands why we fly the way we do, what the imperative is for it and why we do it where we do. The annual Parish Council Day at Odiham has always been a success, the briefing in Sherfield in September 2008 was well attended, the meeting with local groups in February 2009 was deemed very helpful and there is an open offer for an update briefing for the area in September if it is deemed worthwhile. Local support is vital for us to achieve the essential training we need before deploying to Afghanistan, but we want to remain in step with the local communities, ensuring that all voices are heard and we adjust what we are doing where and when we can.Flight Lieutenant L M Shaughnessy,Media Communications Officer, RAF Odiham

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Concert Classical Guitarist and Lutenist

John CadmanThe Church of St James will echo with the beautiful sound of classical guitar when professional guitarist John Cadman comes to the village on 27 June. John, from Cheddington in Buckinghamshire, has a daughter, Adele, who lives in Bramley and is herself a teacher of classical guitar. John started playing guitar at age nine. “I was given a guitar for my birthday,” he says. “My teacher put me into music festival classes and I won every class, then I thought if I did a bit of practice I might be quite good!” At 16, and while at The Watford School of Music, John won a scholarship to go on to music college, ending up at the Guildhall School of Music. He had already decided that he wanted to be a classical guitarist, even though his father, who ran a boxing club, may have wanted him to be a boxer! “It was a bit like telling him I wanted to be a ballet dancer, but he supported me,” says John. John’s daughter has been pressing John to do a concert in Bramley for some time. He adds, “I hope we can get quite a lot of people there to see it”. The concert will include pieces by Frescobaldi, Bach, and Villa-Lobos. In the second half of the concert John will play some Lute music by Dowland, and then some of his own compositions which will include tastes of blues, rock and flamenco music.“My main musical hero is Julian Bream,” says John. “I’ve been trying to do what he’s been doing. But in the beginning my hero was Elvis Presley. Then it became quite clear that I couldn’t sing. But playing the guitar has a freedom and is exciting.” The concert takes place at St James’ Church, Bramley at 7.30pm on Saturday 27 June. Tickets are available from Adele on 884034 costing £10 and £5 for concessions.

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Bramley’s had a level crossing for about 150 years. Isn’t it time people sort of got used to it and worked out how to deal with it? From my highly unscientific, statistically insignificant survey, I find that one driver in ten is clever enough to twig that if the barriers are down, and there’s no train in sight, there’s no point keeping the engine running. Without a queue of cars idly burning fuel it’d be a lot quieter and the air that much cleaner. It used to be the case, of course, that you kept the motor going in case it wouldn’t start up again when you needed it. Happily, cars nowadays no longer have contact breaker points, carburetters, chokes or six-volt batteries – hence by and large, they start when asked. Another point that used to be made was that if you switch off the engine, the exhaust catalyst cools down, so that emissions peak on start-up. Again, that was the case going back a few years – but since the last set of EU regs, cats have been designed to light up much more quickly, and fuel injection means that you don’t have to give the engine a massive squirt of fuel to get it going. So, all in all, if you’re going to be there for more than a minute – cut the engine. Petrol or diesel, car or truck. For various reasons, legislation is vague on the subject – though the Road Vehicle Regs do make it an

offence to run the engine ‘unnecessarily’. The Highway Code (remember that?) para. 123 refers to ‘a couple of minutes’, but I reckon that’s out of date. Local authorities can apply fixed penalties for leaving an engine running, but many don’t see it as a vote winner, surprise! And yet, the adverse health effects from vehicle exhausts as a whole in the UK are reckoned to account for more deaths than road accidents – and in some areas traffic noise is also a factor. I should think that Bramley is better than most urban areas, but any improvements must be welcome. The photo, from the original that William Clift kindly let me copy, shows our crossing before the station was built, so it’s pre 1895. I guess the vehicles held up then would also have given some emissions, but the local gardens might have benefited from them, if the owners were quick with the shovel.

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BRAMLEY VILLAGE BAKERY

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The waiting game by John Stubbs

This photo was taken from the west side of the tracks looking east. The house on the right was demolished when the station was built. On the signal box the sign reads “Bramley Crossing Signal Cabin”. Note the tricycle on the left, the signalman leaning out of the window, and the dog on the lap of the man sitting on the fence.

Please keep sending your wildlife pics to bramley265@gmail.com Thanks!

Village Diary

15 Bramley Parish Council BR 7.30pm Cubs, Clift Pavilion 6.15 to 7.45pm

16 Beavers, BVH 5.30-6.45pm Bramley 0-5 Club 10.15-11.45am Clift PavilionChoir 7.45pm BR

17 Scouts, BVH from 7.30 to 9.00pmIron Mum training sessions 8pm Clift Pavilion

18 Bramley Music FestivalNational Women’s Register meet

19 Bramley Music Festival

20 Bramley Music Festival

21 Bramley United Car Boot Sale BCC away at Farleigh Wallop

22 Cubs, Clift Pavilion 6.15 to 7.45pm

23 Beavers, BVH 5.30-6.45pm Bramley 0-5 Club (as above)Choir 7.45pm BR

24 Scouts, BVH from 7.30 to 9.00pmIron Mum training sessions 8pm Clift Pavilion

25 Bramley WI Lite 8pm BR

26 Library BusClift Meadow 9.45-10.45am Campbell Road 11am-12 noonDeadline for July/Aug issue of Bramley265

27 WPC Jewell Beat Surgery Shop Sherfield 9-11amJohn Cadman in concert at St James Church 7.30 884034

28 WPC Jewell Silchester VH car park 10am-12noon

29 Cubs, Clift Pavilion 6.15 to 7.45pm

30 Beavers, BVH 5.30-6.45pm Bramley 0-5 Club (as above)Choir 7.45pm BR

1 July Scouts, BVH from 7.30 to 9.00pmIron Mum training sessions 8pm Clift Pavilion

2 3 Bramley and Romans Floral Society 7.30pm BVH

4 5 Bramley United Car Boot sale BCC away at Speen

6 Cubs, Clift Pavilion 6.15 to 7.45pmNEW Bramley Garden Surgery 8pm BR

7 Beavers, BVH 5.30-6.45pm WPC Jewell Shop Sherfield 9-11am Bramley 0-5 Club (as above)Choir as above

8 WPC Jewell Beat Surgery Bramley Bakery 9-11am Scouts, BVH from 7.30 to 9.00pmIron Mum as above

9 10 Library BusClift Meadow 9.45-10.45am Campbell Road 11am-12 noon.

11 Bramley School Fete 12noon on the School FieldNew 265 out!

12 0-5 Club Funday 11am-3pm Clift Pavilion

13 Cubs, Clift Pavilion 6.15 to 7.45pm

14 Bramley 0-5 Club (as above) 30 Beavers, BVH 5.30-6.45pm Choir 7.45pm BR

15 Scouts, BVH from 7.30 to 9.00pmIron Mum training sessions 8pm Clift Pavilion

16 NWR BBQ 17 18 19 Bramley United Car Boot sale BCC home v Stratfield Turgis

20 Cubs, Clift Pavilion 6.15 to 7.45pm Bramley Parish Council BR 7.30pm

21 Bramley 0-5 Club (as above) 30 Beavers, BVH 5.30-6.45pm Choir 7.45pm BR

22 Scouts, BVH from 7.30 to 9.00pmIron Mum as above

23 Bramley WI Lite 8pm BR

24 Library Busas above

25 26

supported by Sansome and George Estate AgentCommunity groups and charities can put their listings here for free. Businesses can list too, for £5 per issue. Email Bramley265@gmail.com

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

BVH Bramley Village Hall BR Bramley Room, Bramley Village Hall BCC Bramley Cricket Club

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Bramley NWRBramley NWR met in Odiham on May 21st to enjoy a trip along the Basingstoke canal. The evening was warm, the night clear and the journey through sun drenched trees couldn’t have been bettered. Fish (or chicken) and chips at the halfway point served hot in paper had us tossing chips from hand to hand as we glided back to our moorings, watched by cautious swans protecting their young. On the 18th June NWR will be exploring Basingstoke through a town ramble. For more details please contact Judy on 01256 881693.

BSA Summer Fete 2009This year we are delighted to be celebrating our school’s 50th anniversary. Join us for the Golden Jubilee fun day at the school on Saturday 11th July. Gates open at mid-day, there will be lots to do and see, including a chance to look around a Chinook helicopter, a falconry display and steel pan band. All the usual fun and games, refreshments, BBQ, plus a chance to win our Pot of Gold prize, along with our Grand prize draw with a 1st prize of a Wii console and accessories (kindly donated by A1 Bathrooms). For more details see our

website at www.BramleySchoolAssociation.org.uk

LET US ENTERTAIN YOU AT OURGOLDEN SUMMER SUPPER EVENING

Relax with us, have a glass of wine (or soft drink) or two and be inspired and delighted by the floral demonstration given

by Jane Haas. Chat with newfound companions over a buffet supper, take a gamble with our raffle ~ will you be a prize winner or be lucky and take home one of Jane’s beautiful

flower arrangements?

Date: 3 July 2009Time 7.30pm

Visitor tickets: £8BRAMLEY & ROMANS FLORAL SOCIETY

BRAMLEY VILLAGE HALLFor tickets or further information contact:

Dusty 01256 881420Sybil 01256 881182Ilene 01256 880559

When I thought about creating a new choir for the village I had an idea that it would be a slow start, then build gradually. You can imagine my surprise and delight when I saw so many of you coming along to the first Bramley Community Choir open evening on 19 May. A fantastic full house (my apologies to those who had to stand). Not only did a great number of you attend, but you also sang fantastically well ~ Delilah will never be the same for me again. It made an old (well oldish) man very happy! Rehearsals proper started on 2 June and we areputting six songs into our initial repertoire. I have absolutely no doubt that this choir will be one of which the whole village will become justly proud and I am grateful for the many positive emails and encouraging sounds being heard (I even think my son was to be found practising a particularly interesting variation on the tenor part to Fields of Gold!). We do need another pianist, though, so if there is anyone in the village, Grade 7 and above, who would like to help the choir by playing the piano, that would be terrific. This may be something a piano student would be interested in, or perhaps someone who has not played for a while and would like to get back into playing more. It is not an onerous task, as I will spend time with them explaining what they will need to do etc. The position does come with expenses paid and I am sure if someone wants to contact me, we can reach a satisfactory arrangement. So to all of you who managed to come on 19 May a big ‘thank you’. Additionally, a thank you to those who emailed me to say they could not attend that evening but would be at subsequent rehearsals. I will keep you informed of progress and all I will say right now is look out for a concert date in December (how's that for confidence?). Let's prove that we really can 'sing ourselves happy'.Dorian Edwards, Musical Director,Bramley Community ChoirCall 0118 977 1248 or email singbramley@gmail.com

Here’s what you had to say after our first sing-along…“Thanks for starting up the choir - all very exciting. We were crying out for it.”“Thank you for giving us such a fun evening and a taste of what we are going to be doing in the Bramley Community Choir.”“Just wanted to say really, really enjoyed singing - thank you!”“I have to say I was mightily impressed with the turnout, but not as impressed as I was with the quality of the singing.”“I've already been told off for singing too loud in the shower…”“Congratulations for getting this off the ground, I haven't enjoyed myself so much in a long time.”“Just to say thanks very much for the session last night. It was great to get together with like-minded people and sing our hearts out (for me, its been a long long time since I did that). The idea of the choir is brilliant and I'm sure it will be successful.”

THE BRAMLEY

Community ChoirCommunity Chest

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‘Funstrokes’paint your own ceramics

Viables Craft Centre Basingstokeopen Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat 10am - 4pm

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We are prepared to go ‘that extra mile’ to ensure that allneeds are met.

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Local architectural practice specialising in planning & building regulation drawings for new builds, extensions and alterations.

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paperwork solutions@hotmail.co.uk01256 883389

Classical Guitar tuition in Bramley

call Adele on 884034to book a free lesson

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Individual or group tuition.Call Susanna on01256 883862 or

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ATTRACTIVE SELF CONTAINED OFFICE BUILDING

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FOR SALE or TO LET995 sq ft to 2,110 sq ft

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Basingstoke, minimum 7 parking spaces, 1 minute walk from Bramley Station. Alternative uses considered.

Am Dram is like Marmite. You either love it or hate it!I love it, and BC (before children) I was an active and enthusiastic member of the Geneva Amateur Operatic Society, the Guernsey Amateur Dramatic and Operatic Society, (GADOC) and latterly, BATS, (Basingstoke Amateur Theatrical Society). It all started, as it usually does in these circumstances, with school plays. At age eleven I was playing ‘second fellow’ in ‘She Stoops To Conquer’. My one unforgettable line was (in country bumpkin accent) “My, the Squire has got spunk in him!”. My second role was as David Copperfield, (Dickens, not magician) in the play of the book of the same name. Quite why an all girls’ school would choose such astoundingly inappropriate plays I am not sure. I can still remember the poor girl who played Ham having her boobs taped down! My final school role was Clytemnestra in ‘The Golden Mask of Agamemnon’. A tragedy about love and betrayal which included incest, matricide and fratricide. Why we couldn’t just do Grease or My Fair Lady like any other normal secondary school I do not know! Anyway, I loved the fame, applause, and adulation, (and after-play parties) and so I was hooked. I imagine it was very much the same for the various members of The Loddon Players, an Am Dram group based in Sherfield, which recently put on an evening of one act plays at Sherfield School. An evening of one act plays sounds like hard going for the audience, but in this case it wasn’t too bad,

with the shortest of the plays only lasting about ten minutes. In addition, all were fairly fast paced comedies, and one even included some semi-nude scenes, so plenty to stay awake for! All in all the plays were well acted, with my only criticism being a slight tendency to ham it up a little too much in places. Even with farce, the actor must play it naturally. Too much hand-wringing and screeching can spoil

what is an otherwise good standard of amateur theatrics. Less is more, as they say! Points of note from the evening include Peter Francis stripping to his undies (now that’s what I call dedication to his art!) and some memorable performances from some of the show’s ladies. I felt that Denise Hobbs’ understated performance in ‘What’s For Pudding’ was one of the best of the night, as was Jo Long in ‘Joining The Club’. In that play Jo had a great chemistry with her on-stage husband Matt Stanley, and it’s possible this was my favourite play of the evening. The fact that it was the shortest may just be a coincidence! The plays were staged at the Courtyard Studio, Sherfield Shool, and certainly the night I was there it looked like a full house. The audience were getting into the spirit of the occasion and the laughter flowed from beginning to end. As far as nights out watching Am Dram go, it was pretty good. So why not give it a go next time the Loddon Players take to the stage? The next production will be in November, and if watching Am Dram is not your thing, why not try being in it! I’m told new thesps are always welcome!

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Bramley265 is a monthly magazine compiled and edited by Emma Cunningham. All material is subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without the editor’s permission. © Emma Cunningham. To contact Emma to discuss your advertising needs please email bramley265@gmail.com or call 07885 896053. Next issue, July/August due out on 11 July 2009. Copy deadline for ads and submitted articles is 26 June 2009. Copy deadline for Bramley Classifieds and Village Diary is 26 June 2009.

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LODDON PLAYERS NOVEMBER 2009 PRODUCTIONThere will be two play readings:

Mon 22 and Wed 24 June, 7.30pm in Breach Lane Chapel (next to Sherfield Post Office). ALL WELCOME!!

Plays to be read: Hayfever by Noel Coward (director Jo Long)

Joking Apart by Alan Ayckbourn (director Nick Robinson) Performance dates: 26/27/28 November.

If you want to know more about the plays, can't make the readings etc etc please contact

Nick on 01256 882722 / nick@nickrobinsons.co.uk or Jo on 01252 845106 / joellen.long1@virgin.net

by Emma Cunningham

In the absence of any good quality photos from Loddon Players I had to raid my own Am Dram scrapbook. Left, in panto as Robinson Crusoe, and right, in ‘My Cousin Rachel’, both for GADOC in the late nineties.