Series 35 Issue 6December 2010

HOOK NORTON NEWSLETTER

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HANCOCKSS O L I C I T O R S

Michael Barlow LLBPartnerEmail:michael.barlow@hancocks-legal.co.uk

Web: www.hancocks-legal.co.uk

Hancocks 24 Horsefair, BanburyOxfordshire OX16 0YA

Telephone: +44 (0)1295 253211Facsimile: +44 (0)1295 273069DX 24201 Banbury

Estate Agents and Surveyors

32A High Street, Banbury, OX16 5ERTel: 01295 263505

12 New Street, Chipping Norton, OX7 5LJTel: 01608 642111

SELLING, BUYING OR LETTING A PROPERTY IN HOOKY?WE HAVE THE EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE TO HELP!

Experienced local staff with a partner living in the village. Offices in both Banbury and Chipping Norton. Advertising in both the Oxford Times and Banbury Guardian. Colour listing on major internet sites including rightmove.co.uk and

propertyfinder.com Specialist Letting and Management service. Professional valuations and surveys by our own Chartered Surveyor.

Particularly attractive terms for Hooky residents.

Whatever your property needs in the village or surrounding area,call Keith Woolley 01295 263505 or David Hawley 01608 642111

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FROM THE EDITORSSadly we report the deaths of Derek Street, aged 68, and Hannah Wain. On behalf of the village we send our condolences to their families and friends.

Andy 730604 Helen 737391

news@hook-norton-newsletter.co.uk helen@hook-norton-newsletter.co.uk

NEWSLETTER TEAMAdvertising Distribution Malcolm Black 730668Proofreading Emma CalleryIT/Web Support Martin Baxter 737391Treasurer Directory Diana Barber 737428

TEXT AND ADVERTISING COPY DEADLINESFEBRUARY issue 15th JANUARY

RATES - CHEQUES PAYABLE TO HOOK NORTON NEWSLETTERADVERT SIZE MONO COLOURThird Page (128mm wide x 60mm high) £10.00 £20.00Half Page (128mm wide x 90mm high) £15.00 £30.00

Please contact advertise@hook-norton-newsletter.co.ukText for Village activities Free (a small donation is welcome)Inserts for Village activities On request from Malcolm Black

Donations can be put in the Newsletter Box in the Post Office or posted to: Hook Norton Newsletter, c/o Hook Norton Post Office, Queen Street, Hook Norton

The views expressed in the Newsletter are not necessarily those of the Editorial Teamwww.hook-norton-newsletter.co.uk or www.hook-norton.org.uk

BADMINTONJoin us for Badminton, Coffee and a Chat in the Memorial Hall

Tuesday evenings: 8.00 – 9.30pm £1.00Thursday mornings: 10.00 – 12.00 £1.50

No Leagues – All games doublesFor more information, call Vicky on 737985

Merry Christmas and aHappy New Year from all at the Newsletter

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Taking you where you want to go...

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A modern first class reliable service for all your coaching needs14 – 70 seat coaches available

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The M ll Arts Centre, BanburyBox Office 01295 279002

Martyn Joseph

Wed 12 - Sun 23 Jan 2011, Mon-Fri: 1.15pm &7.30pm, Sat: 2.30pm & 7.30, Sun: 2.30pm

£10/£8 concessions

Performed by Cherwell Theatre CompanyA splendidly funny rendition of the story aboutthe definitive cheeky boy, Pinocchio. This is

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Specialist in wallpapering, decorative effects, spraying, tiling, coving, glazing, all interior/exterior painting

References and portfolio available, competitive prices

Tel: 01295 721206 mobile: 07790 394625davegreen.007@btinternet.com www.davegreendecorating.co.uk

WORLD’S BIGGEST COFFEE MORNING – MACMILLAN CANCERMany thanks to all those who came to the study centre on Friday 8 October to support the annual Macmillan Coffee Morning. As usual, we had a huge turn out of local people, together with some who came from farther afield, to support the coffee morning as the date was different to the official day for most of the coffee mornings in the area.We had the usual great spread of cakes to go with the coffee, a raffle and Christmas cards for sale.The total taken on Friday came to £630.65, which we are very pleased about. In addition to this, a further £100 of Christmas cards have been sold. This takes the total over the last 14 years in Hook Norton to £10,901.95. A great effort from the village.Many thanks again to those who supported this worthy cause as well as my regular helpers. Julie Wood: julie@hookiewood.freeserve.co.uk

CALLING ALL DOG & CAT LOVERSOne of the local veterinary surgeries is collecting items for homeless dogs and cats. If you have any of the following to spare, they would be very gratefully received. Every few weeks

the donations are distributed to the most needy animal shelters around the country. Old Dog Leads – Collars – Blankets – Towels – Beds – Dog Coats – Scratching Posts – Spare Food – Chews – Brushes – Combs – Shampoo – Toothpaste – In date Wormer / Flea Treatments – toys, etc.Anything you think would make an unwanted dog's / cat's life a little happier. Anything not suitable will be divided between the RSPCA and PDSA charity shops in Banbury. Please spare a few

minutes to search for any unwanted items mentioned above and recycle them for a very good cause. If you care to give me a call, I will be happy to deliver them. Many thanks.Hilary Wiseman 01608 730090

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Saturdays in October, November andDecember from 9.00am to 4.00pm

Winter Open Days and Christmas Market10th & 11th December

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FRIDAY TODDLER GROUPHeld at the Baptist Hall between 9.15am and 11.15amHello Everybody,It’s that time of year again, Christmas spirit among us.This year, we have decided to join up with the other toddler groups in the area for our children’s Christmas party on 10 December. We have invited Father Christmas to join us and on behalf of all the groups, I would like to thank him for making the time to visit us on this day, as we know he is very busy this time of year.I’d like to thank everybody for supporting the group and for all of their efforts in the fundraising that has been achieved this year.Operation Christmas Child was a great success. Thank you to everybody that brought along a filled shoe box and supported this great cause.On 15 October, Tempest Photos visited us and photos were taken. We do hope that you were pleased with the final results.Our last group will be on the 17 December from 9.15 to 11.15am. Then we will be closed over the Christmas period, and we open again on 7 January, 9.15–11.15am.I’d like to wish everybody a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.Sue Monelle

DEREK STREETJoyce, Janice and Ian would like to thank everyone for their overwhelming support and generosity following Derek’s sudden death. The collection in Derek’s memory will fund a defibrillator for Hook Norton. We have already raised a substantial amount, but if you would like to make a donation, then please send it to A L Sole and Son, Bidstone Close, Choice Hill Road, Over Norton, Chipping Norton OX7 5PP.More details of this will be announced in the next Newsletter, but if you would like to contact then please email mole53@yahoo.co.uk.

HOOK NORTON PLAYGROUNDFollowing a tremendous saga of government cuts, and cuts reversed, Hook Norton Playground is scheduled to start construction in January 2011! Thanks to the Supporters of Hook Norton Playground, The Parish Council, M@C, The Beer Festival, The Bellringers, The Safari Supper team, Hook Norton Vets, Nigel Matthews Plant Hire, donations from numerous villagers, Cherwell District Council and Oxfordshire County Council, we have raised over £98,000 for a new playground. We expect work to start in January. The old equipment will be removed shortly and we appreciate your support and patience while the work in the park goes on – we will, of course, make every effort to minimise disruption. Thanks to everyone for their help and support! Emma Kane

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KATHARINE HOUSE HOSPICETOWN CENTRE COLLECTION DAY AND SAINSBURY’S BAG PACK DAYOnce again, we will be holding our Christmas Collection Day around Banbury town centre on Thursday 9 December and would love to hear from anyone who would like to hold a tin for us (1½ hour slots). Please call Wendy in fundraising if you would like to help. £2,372 was raised last year; wouldn’t it be fantastic if we could match that again this year?!Sainsbury’s has also kindly allowed us to hold our annual fundraising Bag Pack Day on Monday 13 December at their Banbury store. If you have a couple of hours to spare (1½ hour slots starting from 9.30am) we would be delighted to hear from you! Why not come with a friend? Please call Sarah or Valerie in Fundraising on (01295) 812161. £1,207 was raised at last year’s event.CHRISTMAS QUIZWe’re certain that this year’s Christmas Quiz will be excellent entertainment over the festive period. We’ve chosen ‘Chocolate’ as our theme this year, with cryptic clues to help identify chocolate bars and sweets, both past and present! Sheets are £2 and are available from hospice reception, our charity shops and from our stall at Adderbury Christmas Market. Closing Date – 15 January 2011. Prize – wine and chocolates.CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS AND PUDDINGSOur festive knitted miniatures are proving extremely popular and are in high demand! Each pudding is filled with a Ferrero Rocher, while stockings contain a fun-size chocolate bar. These novelty woollies are on sale at hospice reception and in our shops (Banbury (including furniture shop), Brackley, Bicester, Shipston and Chipping Norton), priced at £1 each. Get yours while stocks last!CHRISTMAS QUILT RAFFLEWe have been donated two beautiful handmade quilts for this year’s quilt raffle, which are now on display in hospice reception. Tickets are £1 each and are available from our six charity shops and hospice reception. We would be delighted to hear from anyone who would like to sell tickets on our behalf. Please call Fundraising on (01295) 812161.CHRISTMAS CARDS AND 2011 CALENDAROur Christmas cards (15 eye-catching designs) and our 2011 calendar depicting photographs of Banbury in bygone days are flying off the shelves here at Katharine House. These are available from all our shops, hospice reception and via mail order (call Fundraising on (01295) 812161). Images of the cards can be viewed at www.khh.org.uk.CHRISTMAS GIFT CARDDue to its popularity in 2008 and 2009, we will be producing another Hospice Gift Card this Christmas. Here’s how it works… Instead of buying a gift, you send a donation to Katharine House Hospice. We produce a personalised printed greetings card for you to send to your relative/friend with details of your donation. On the back of the card is a list showing examples of how your gift benefits our patients. For example, it costs £20 for a patient and friend to attend our Christmas party and staff panto. Please call Fundraising on (01295) 812161 for further information or to order.Sarah Brennan, Community Fundraiser

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PANTO SEASON IS HERE AGAINHooky Players are once again deep into rehearsals for their pantomime. This time it's 'DICK TURPIN RIDES AGAIN' by Richard Hills. Set in the 18th century, the audience can expect to see some gorgeous costumes, provided by our wardrobe mistress Jeanette Gee. Directed by Brian Rider and Richard Wheelton with Cate Whitehead as musical director, the show will be a traditional style pantomime. All the expected facets are there: dame, principal boy and girl, villains and comedy characters – even a horse called Dobbin makes his debut. There are several new faces this time, as well as some of the old favourites.We have kept the seat prices the same as for the last three years, i.e. £6.50 for adults, with concessions at £4.50. Dates for the pantomime are 26, 27, 28 and 29 January. There will also be a matinee on Saturday 29 January starting at 2.30pm. All other performances will commence at 7.30pm. The venue is the Memorial Hall, Hook Norton, as usual.We expect the usual clamour for tickets when the box office opens on 2 January, so don't forget to get in early to reserve your seat for what promises to be a great show – telephone Sheila on 01608 730355.There will be the usual refreshments in the interval with drinks, choc ices, Dick's 'swag-bags' and a raffle.Brian Rider

AYNHO ARCHIVEA new display about a unique archive capturing seven centuries of local heritage is going on show for the first time at Banbury Museum. The Cartwright of Aynho Archive is an outstanding, irreplaceable collection of family and estate papers extending from the Medieval period through to modern times. It's an insight into the heritage of south Northamptonshire and north Oxfordshire, revealed in the lives, activities and interests of one family. Members of the family had illustrious careers as diplomats and soldiers and the archive contains fascinating information about the Civil War, political issues in Europe and the First World War.The Cartwright Archive display can be seen at Banbury Museum during normal opening times until 15 January

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BLOXHAM DENTAL PRACTICE

&

BLOXHAM DENTAL @ BANBURY

We offer a full range of NHS & Private Services to maintain oral health and to enhance your smile

Now accepting new NHS Patients at both practicesBloxham 01295 721030 Banbury 01295 257860

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PEPSI MAX AND COKE CANSSome thoughtless person is throwing, on a daily basis, their empty cans onto the left-hand grass verge when leaving the village on the Sibford Road, before reaching Redlands Farm. Apart from the fact that this person seems to have no regard for their surroundings, the real issue is that the cans are being shredded when grass cutting takes place and to my knowledge has now led to three dogs requiring treatment at the vets for cut paws.What’s the problem with using a bin??!!! Name and address supplied

1ST HOOK NORTON BROWNIESWe started off the autumn term with the 2nd Hook Norton Brownies joining us to make one big unit. We now have 30 Brownies! The first week we did Brownie Scrap Books, showing the different activities that we did during the summer term and using photos that we had taken. (We did a cook out at Horley Scout Site, went crayfishing, went strawberry picking, went swimming at Chippy Lido and had a barbecue and rounders match at Vicky's farm.)So far this term we have been to Rye Hill Golf Club, we saw a herbalist and made herbal cough syrup, we went back to Horley Scout Site and went on the zip wire and adventure playground and had a cook out. We had a fascinating trip to the library, with a talk from the librarians and a taster of all the different children's books. We worked towards our Stargazer Badge by having a Planetarium visiting us. It was unusual but very interesting. I was Flag Bearer for the Parade on Remembrance Sunday. I was very nervous because I had to hold the flag still, but I felt very proud too. We are very grateful for the £500 donation from the Beer Festival, because we are spending it on a camping trip in the summer. We have never been on a proper camping trip before so it will be a great experience! Alice Nottingham, Sixer – Hedgehogs, 1st Hook Norton Brownies

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FRIENDS OF HOOK NORTON SCHOOL Wondering when to start Christmas? No better place than Hooky’s answer to Hamleys, the school Christmas Fayre, Thursday 2 December from 5pm to 7pm. There will be more to buy than Santa can ever shove down an Inglenook – jewellery, cards, crafts and local produce, plus refreshment and children’s games – as well as a special visit all the way from 34th Street from the bearded one himself. Don’t miss it!As if that is not enough dressing up, we’ve also lined up a New Year hoolie on Burn’s Night, Saturday 29 January from 7.30pm. We’ll be celebrating Scotland’s Bard, with dancing to The Quiet Men, a local Ceilidh band. Tickets are £15 and include a Haggis, Tatties & Nips supper (vegetarian option available) and a Welcome Whisky Cocktail. Dust down the kilt, shine up the sporran and join us for dancing intae the wee hours.In these days of online poker, please don’t forget the School Lottery, that game of chance that is good for the children. Just £10 enters you in 10 draws with monthly prizes of £50 + a bumper pre-Christmas prize pot of £120 (assuming current membership) and raises valuable funds for the school – better than Premium Bonds! Contact the school office for an entry form or call Kim Harris 01608 738170. Happy Christmas all and thanks for your support, The FOHNS Committee

CHRISTMAS CANTERJust a quick reminder to anyone in the village who would like to take part in our Christmas Canter on 19 December. It will start at 10.30am from outside the Pear Tree Inn (race venue is the Sports and Social Club). It is a fund raiser for the Sports and Social Club, so it would be good to see participants from the village. It is optional fancy dress (most original use of tinsel?) and is a multi-terrain trot of about 6 ‘country miles’. All finishers will be entitled to a hot mince pie and a hot drink – tea, coffee or mulled wine. Believe it or not, it was great fun last year and is intended to be fairly low key. Come on, you know you want to!!!You can enter via our website – www.hooknortonharriers.org – or you can turn up and enter on the day, but leave plenty of time, as there may be a queue. Hope to see you there.

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Are you holding an event that you need tohire cutlery and crockery for?

I have enough for 120 people includingcruets, milk jugs, sugar bowls

and serving spoons.

15p an item, and return it dirty!Pick up and return required from Swalcliffe.

From private dinner parties for 10 to the one offparty for 120 guests all you need to do is call:

Vicky Tayloron

01295 780206 / 07841 910037

www.swacliffegrange.com

Cutlery and Crockery for Hire

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BAPTIST CHURCH Disasters happen fairly frequently around the world and human tragedies occur all the time. We are shocked and saddened at the sight of people suffering as a result of storms, earthquakes, floods, famine, fire and war, and we hear many stories of heroism and miraculous escapes. But none, perhaps, have kept us as spellbound as the story of the 33 Chilean miners trapped underground for 69 days. Through radio and TV, we were caught up in a drama taking place on the other side of the world, willing the miners to survive and the rescuers to find a way of reaching them. One could almost hear the collective sigh of relief that went round the world when they were finally saved. Since then, other news items have taken over the headlines and the miners' ordeal has passed into history.Yet this was no ordinary story. Yes, there was a lot of courage and self-discipline among the miners and a great deal of persistence and ingenuity on the part of the rescuers, just as there might be in any disaster situation, but this story had another element to it, and that was faith. As one of the miners put it, ‘I was with God and the Devil. They fought. God won.’ How easy it would have been for them to have given in to despair, fear, anger or hopelessness, but as far as we know they did not. Was it a coincidence that one of the miners was also an evangelist who was able to lead them in prayer and encourage their faith in God? As they eventually emerged from the mine, one by one, many of them were wearing yellow T-shirts bearing the opening words of Psalm 130, ‘Out of the depths I cry to you, O God’, which had been sent down to them at their request. One man immediately knelt down and gave thanks for their rescue. Family and friends waiting at the top had also been praying fervently for their men, as had Christians all round the world. The Bible says that faith can move mountains; perhaps this is one case where it did!But now the world has moved on and this story may soon be forgotten. The miners won't forget their ordeal, of course, and I hope they won't forget the God who heard their prayers. Neither should we. Praying in times of crisis is good, but developing a relationship with God through regular chats with him and by reading his word (the Bible) is even better and can do wonders for our everyday lives, too. As Christmas approaches and reminds us again of God's love for mankind in the gift of his son, Jesus, what better opportunity do we have to show our love for him? Perhaps you would like to join us in one of the services listed below.Christmas services

Sunday 12 December, 10.30am Family Carol Service.•Sunday 19 December, 10am at St Peter’s Church. United Carol Service.•Friday 24 December, 11.15pm. Christmas Eve Communion.•Saturday 25 December, 10am. Christmas Family Service.•Sunday 26 December, 10.30am. United Family Service.•

Regular services are at 10.30am each Sunday. House group (Bible study) every Wednesday at 8pm, at different locations. Coffee morning and table games every Wednesday at 10am in the hall, and prayer meeting at 8am every Saturday. Youth clubs, shared with St Peter’s, as advertised in St Peter’s insert.Just DessertsIf you have missed the first two Just Desserts events of the season, there are still two more to come. ‘Dessert Island Discs’ in February and A Musical Evening in March. Look out for further details nearer the time. These are fun evenings followed by desserts, tea and coffee. There is no charge, but donations are invited for whichever charity is being promoted at the time.Dorothy Smith 737266 and Rev John Taylor 737315 (church office) Enquiries about hall lettings to church office

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HNSSC is a Members Club. All senior members of affiliated clubs gain SINGLE social membership to the club after paying their sub. If you wish your families to become social members, please ask for details. Junior sections are NOT social members unless via a separate FAMILY social membership, but their families

are welcome to use the clubhouse during advertised opening times, whilst their child is playing their chosen sport. Social Membership forms can be obtained from the bar or via our website.

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Select & Save @ The Village ShopHigh Street, Hook Norton, Oxon, OX15 5NQ

Tel: 01608 737245Email: joe@villageshophooky.co.uk

www.villageshophooky.co.uk

Christmas Opening Hours

We are taking orders for Christmas. Remember to get your order in early. Call us or drop us an email.Everyone at The Village Shop would like to wish all our customers a Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year

Christmas Eve Friday 24th Dec 7am - 5pmChristmas Day Saturday 25th Dec ClosedBoxing Day Sunday 26th Dec 10am – 4pmBank Holiday Monday 27th Dec 10am – 4pmBank Holiday Tuesday 28th Dec 10am – 4pmWednesday 29th Dec 7am – 6pmThursday 30th Dec 7 am – 6pmNew Years Eve Friday 31st Dec 7am – 6pmNew Years Day Saturday 1st Jan 10am – 4pmSunday 2nd Jan 8am – 6pmBank Holiday Monday 3rd Jan 10am – 4pm

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1ST HOOK NORTON GUIDES We had a very exciting evening to close our centenary year of Girlguiding last month. Thirty-one of us from Hook Norton Guides joined the other Girlguiding groups from Cherwell Division for our VISION event at Broughton Castle, by kind permission of Lord and Lady Saye and Sele, for an evening of activities. There was a total of 700 of us from Rainbows, right through to adult Guiders who met in the marquee set in the grounds of the castle. We had singing, crafts in the church and then a hot dog and drink, before gath-ering on the grass altogeth-er. At 20:10 on 20/10/2010, we all remade our promise, with all the other Girlguiding members around the coun-try, who were also celebrat-ing with their own VISION event. Following this was a spectacular fireworks dis-play, which appeared from beyond the castle wall!We were extremely lucky with the weather, which was dry but incredibly cold. We finished the evening with campfire songs before the girls were collected by their parents.On Monday, we reminisced about what we had done over the last year – these were some of their memories of activities and events away from the weekly Monday meeting: Opening ceremony at Cotswold Wildlife Park, Thinking Day Service, Cherwell Spectacular show, 100 miles canoe relay, Sparkle Division Camp, Blenheim Palace Sleepover, Walk the Oxfordshire Boundary, Adventure 100 Badge, QUEST County Camp, Warwick Castle Guide Getaway and, of course, the VISION at Broughton Castle. Wow! What a year we have had.Julie Wood, 1st Hook Norton Guides

Rainbows, Brownies, Guides,All been here for 100 years,As Baden-Powell has signified,They’ve all been here for 100 years.Centenary Year, It’s the Centenary Year,Let’s shout it out loud and clear,Centenary Year,It’s the Centenary Year,We’ll all shout it out so everyone can hear. Dancing, Singing, Camping,The lot,This year will definitely never be forgot,Sparkle, Quest and Vision,Treetops, wet and wild,

Sleeping under the stars (our own decision),We most certainly celebrated in style.Meeting new friends,Learning new names,It’s been fun don’t pretend,Doing activities and games.Rainbows, Brownies, Guides,All been here for 100 years,As Baden-Powell has signified,They’ve all been here for 100 years.

Abby Sammons (age 12)1st Hook Norton Guides

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This Christmas give the brown bin a good stuffing

Contact: 01295 221940 www.cherwell.gov.uk/recycling twitter.com/CherwellRecycle

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Chipping Norton Physiotherapy ClinicWhite Hart Mews, 16a High St, OX7 5AD

01608 645608

www.ChippingNortonPhysio.com

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ST PETER’S CHURCHWell, we wondered whether it would ever really, finally happen, but the Norman Matthews Hall (as was) has now been refurbished and reopened, primarily as a Youth Hall for the weekly Drop sessions and monthly Energize and Outlook youth groups. And it’s all thanks to the youth, who earlier this year won the £47,000 Oxfordshire County Council Grant that funded the work on the Hall so they could have a bright, comfortable and safe ‘space’ to meet. With the recent departure of youth leaders Laura and Chris Cooke for Byker in Newcastle, where Laura is setting up a new Eden cell, our local youth are now being led by Charlie Smith and Lee Woodward. We thank them both for all their hard work and commitment, and for coping so well when they truly had to hit the ground running!So what has the refurbishment involved?? Well, for those not familiar with where I’m talking about, the Hall is the right-hand part of the same building that houses the village library. It is owned by Oxfordshire County Council, and earlier this year was leased by St Peter’s. The refurbished Hall building has had a new upstairs room added, and the downstairs has been stripped and remodelled to include the main hall, a second downstairs room with kitchenette and sofas, and a separate office. Thankfully the loo block has also been renovated and new toilet facilities installed. There has been a complete repaint everywhere, too. Outside at the back, the courtyard has been resurfaced, which will allow games and other activities in the more clement weather. At present the Hall is used for the weekly Drop session, and the Outlook and Energize Youth groups (see below). These groups do not just include youth involved with St Peter’s or Hook Norton Baptist Church. They are for ANY and all of our local youth, and those involved are already gathering lots of ideas for future events. There are also plans afoot to open the Hall for a late-night Friday session of The Drop, as somewhere our older teenagers can get together. Watch this space for more details. Ideally the Hall will also be available for other community activities, such as interest groups and ad hoc meetings. Please be patient while the organisation and running of the building for such activities are finalised. In the meantime, interested parties can call the Hall Manager (that’s me! 01608 737084/sophiafox1@aol.com), for more information. Details on contacts for the Drop, Energize and Outlook can be found on the St Peter’s website: www.stpeters-hooknorton.org.uk.On to other things now, and firstly a BIG, BIG thank you to everyone who helped make St Peter’s Craft Fair and Grand Draw such a success yet again. The event raised over £5,200 this year! Special thanks to Jan Hughes for organising the Craft Fair once again (it’s actually a year-long process) – and to Becky and Roger Cooke for organising the Grand Draw. There are too many other names to mention individually, but if you lifted, shifted, made/served food, cleared up, transported, directed, donated or helped out in other ways on the day: Thank You!Plans are also in progress to organise the previously mentioned jewellery workshop with Christian silversmith Norma Murrain. If you would like to have a go at making a piece of silver jewellery and hear about Norma’s journey of faith, please contact Jan Hughes on 01608 737900, as soon as possible! And with the Christmas season now upon us, hopefully, all you will need to know about regular, ad hoc and special events and services is listed below.

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Special Dates and Services at St Peter’sEvening of Sunday 5 December Hook Norton Brass Band Concert. Please see posters nearer •the time for details. Sunday 19 December 10am CONNECT Christmas Praise with Juggling John. This one really is •for ALL the family!Friday 24 December (Christmas Eve) 6pm Words and Music for Christmas 11pm Holy •Communion Saturday 25 December (Christmas Day) 10am Birthday Celebration – Get the children to •bring along a present to show the congregation!

Regular Diary DatesFont Café: 10am ‘til 12 noon, every Tuesday and Saturday morning. Fresh coffee, tea and •biscuits, served free of charge. An opportunity to meet with friends, relax and chat. Children and well-behaved dogs welcome! Jesus and Me (JAM) club: Hook Norton Primary School study centre, every Wednesday, •3.15–4.15pm during term time. For children in Keystage 2. Wheelers and Squealers: Our regular get-togethers for the village tots, tinies and their •parents/carers. 11am at St Peter’s, every second Thursday of the month (see posters for confirmation). Youth Groups and The Drop: Please See above .... The Youth Groups generally meet once a •month. There are two groups. Energize is the group for all secondary school children It meets at the Youth Hall from 7.30pm to 9 pm. Next date is Friday 10 December. Outlook is for young people in school Year 10 and upwards, and meets at the Hall from 8pm. Next date is Friday 17 December. The Drop is held every Tuesday afternoon during term time. 5pm till 7pm, and is open to everyone in school Year 4 and upwards. No subs, lots of free activities and a tuck shop. All welcome!!.

STOP PRESS..... MANY THANKS TO THE HOOK NORTON CHARITABLE ASSOCIATION FOR THEIR £150 DONATION TO THE YOUTH HALL/YOUTH GROUPS.

Sophia Fox 737084; sophiafox1@aol.com; www.stpeters-hooknorton.org.uk

HOOK NORTON WI The first meeting in September after the summer break was a very enjoyable one to start the season. Margaret and Peter Whittle gave a lively and amusing account of how they started Cottage Crafts in 1993 from their home in Tadmarton. They made many handmade items that included various types of tea and cafetière covers, patchwork items, soft and wooden toys, soaps and many novelty items. We were all able to purchase things from the huge selection that they had brought with them. All the proceeds they have made over the years have gone to the Katharine House Hospice. We were pleased to welcome several visitors to this meeting. We had a slightly different meeting in October. Our speaker Frances Widdicombe, a Beauty Specialist and Therapist, spoke about products to both care for and enhance the skin on our face, which she demonstrated on her model. The talk was both informative and interesting and very well presented. We were given a complimentary gift. Three new members joined our WI, which was very pleasing. Maureen Watkins

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THAMES VALLEY POLICEPC Richard Miller and Laura Morris from Thames Valley Police Licensing Department have been working hard to develop Banbury Rural South’s Pubwatch initiative. Many licensed premises within the southern villages have agreed to take part in this initiative which aims to improve communication between licensees concerning any problem individuals. The team are intending to extend this to the northern villages in the New Year and will be contacting licensees in due course. A test purchase operation has been carried out in Hook Norton and we are pleased report that no breaches were detected in regards to underage drinking. There has been a lot of discussion recently in the village regarding reduced street lighting and the effect this has on crime. Although there is no recognised link between the reduction in street lighting and the rise in crime, to ensure crime prevention ‘best practice’ measures, outside lighting with a movement sensor around your home could be considered. The rural area has seen a number of ‘Nottingham Knocker’s’ going door to door attempting to sell their products at expensive prices. To sell items door to door you are required, by law to have a ‘Pedlar’s Licence’ which is a formal licence that must be endorsed by the Chief Constable of the area from which these persons live. One male was arrested in Bodicote for not having a Pedlar’s licence and was later charged with the offence. The team welcomes a new member, Special Constable Pauline O’Connor. S/PC O’Connor has been assisting the team with their duties and attended Bloxham Brownies on the 11th October with PC Miller to provide a “Stranger danger” education talk. We are really grateful to S/PC O’Connor for her time and the contribution that she makes.Landrover Defenders currently appear to be the target of thieves in the area. One was stolen from Milcombe and one from Bloxham during the month of October. We would advise people to be aware and ensure that vehicles are kept locked and secure. There have also been burglaries of sheds and outbuildings in Bloxham, Shutford, South Newington, Swalcliffe and Drayton. If you see anyone acting suspiciously, please do not hesitate to contact the police on 0845 8 505 505 or 999. If the persons are driving a vehicle, make a not of the registration number and pass this to police. Checks can be made discretely and easily. You can now send non-emergency messages to us using the online form that is available on the Thames Valley Police website. A number of people have already sent their concerns using this method. For you to do this, please follow the link https://reportonline.thamesvalley.police.uk. Thames Valley Police non-emergency number is 0845 8 505 505 or email banburyruralneighbourhood@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk. In an emergency please dial 999.

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OUR LIBRARY – THE PRESENT POSITIONIt is now some weeks since we all heard the news of the cutbacks that are planned in local services, including of course, libraries like ours. To date we have heard nothing definite, so we have had nothing to react to in a truly constructive way. When we do, we will be in communication with all of the Friends of the Library.However, the Committee has been very positive. We had a very full debate at the AGM in September at which members and non-members and representatives of Oxfordshire County Council all took part. Subsequently we sent a very detailed letter to the County Council setting out all the reasons for which our library should carry on. Copies went to our Parish Council, Tony Baldry our MP, the Leader of the County Council, Keith Mitchell, Cllr Judith Heathcoat (who has responsibility for libraries within Oxfordshire) and to the Minister responsible for Libraries, Ed Vaizey MP. We reacted fully and promptly to any points raised. We monitor all developments both in the press and online. We will continue to do this and be alert to all possibilities. However, we must feel that our fellow villagers are with us. Many of the present Committee are retired people. The library is used by all villagers, including a huge amount by young people both for enjoyment and for use of facilities (books and computers) for help with homework and school projects. Their needs must be safeguarded. Therefore, we need more people, particularly young families, to get directly involved with the Friends and some onto the Committee. If you feel you could do this, or have any bright ideas, please get in touch with our secretary Bob Calderan – calderan@totalise.co.uk. Pauline Walters

HOOK NORTON SCHOOL NEWSWe’ve had a very exciting time this term, with visits from our Swedish partner school and our new French partner school. Teachers and children from Vastra Skolan and Ecole Ste Marthe stayed with Year 5 and Year 6 host families. The whirl of activities enjoyed by the children included a visit to Blenheim Palace, swimming, a disco, bowling, English tea and a treasure hunt around the village.We are also very excited to announce that the school is now producing its own electricity! Through Hook Norton Low Carbon, we are the proud recipients of solar and PV panels, with the energy production shown on a monitor for the children to log. Together with a new ‘green’ hot water system, this means we are really doing our bit to reduce our carbon footprint. Many thanks to HNLC for deciding that the school should receive a large part of their hard won grant.Our Harvest Supper was a great success – each class made soup, bread or cakes with ingredients donated by parents and members of the local community. Around 400 people attended and we raised nearly £300 for Banbury Homeless. Thank you to everyone, including the Allotment Society, for your kind donations of vegetables.Already, we are thinking ahead to Christmas, with rehearsals underway for our productions. The KS1 Nativity for senior members of the village, followed by tea served by our Year 6 children will take place on 6 December at 1pm. If you would like to join us, please let the office know.Our Christmas Fair takes place on Thursday 2 December, 5–7pm. Come and join in the festive fun! Santa’s Grotto, stalls, mulled wine and local crafts for unique Christmas presents.Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from everyone at Hook Norton School.Stella Belgrove

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HOOKY ALTERNATIVE RACE FOR LIFE

Well, the rain stopped, the sun even put in an appearance – and nothing was going to dampen the spirits of the 40 entrants (human and canine) who turned up to complete the 3 mile route and raise money for Cancer Research UK. The age range of competitors was 4 (2, if you count the dogs) to 62 – and the total amount raised was £769.12! Prizes (1st, 2nd and 3rd in each of 7 age/gender categories/species categories) were generously donated by Jo and Peter (Gate Hangs High), James Clarke (Hook Norton Brewery), Diana Barber (Gemini Beauty Spot) and Joe Williams (Village Shop).Winners were:

Huge thanks to everyone involved in this event – and especially to Jo Champion, the inspiration behind the race and provider of a great spread afterwards, the Hooky firefighters for marshalling and first aid (although where were you with the plasters when Luisa fell over her dog?!), to everyone for taking part and a special mention to Ian from the Village Shop who has raised over £500 in sponsorship!!!!! Join us next year for the HARFL 2011 which will be even bigger and better! Gill Begnor

ADULT FEMALE1st June Bamlett2nd Luisa Capella3rd Fiona Presly/Lisa Nottingham

ADULT MALE1st Neil Dorman2nd Ray Wyatt3rd James Clarke

FEMALE 13 – 16:1st Vanessa Bohm (visiting from Germany)2nd Emma Begnor3rd Jess Wood

FEMALE UNDER 131st Leah Dorman2nd Lucy Begnor3rd Abigail Hollis4th Luisa Bothner (visiting from Germany)

MALE 13 – 161st Lewis Dorman

MALE UNDER 131st Nathan Pendery2nd Lewis Pendery3rd George Ford4th Marcus Pendery

DOGS1st Lily Fennimore2nd Dodger Capella3rd Joe Bamlett

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HOOK NORTON SCHOOL’S COMENIUS PROJECTReport written by students in Year SixHook Norton C of E School is in partnership with schools from Spain, France and Sweden. We have a project that is all about Healthy Living and will last for two years.During October the school had a visit from our friends in Sweden and France. (Unfortunately the Spanish friends could not make it.) Fifteen Swedish children and three of their teachers came and eight French students and three of their teachers came too. They came for five days. The French were a day late due to the French air strikes. The visitors spent most of the time learning about English life with pupils in Year Five and Year Six. Everyone had fun together. We did many activities, including a visit to Blenheim Palace, shopping in Oxford, five-a-side football, a disco, swimming, mini sports day, games day, trying a traditional English tea and a very long walk around the village. (All of the children from Sweden and France stayed with the children from Years Six and Five.)Everyone was very sad when it was time for the visitors to leave. All the pupils in school will stay in contact by writing and video conferencing. Year six are looking forward to next June when it is our turn to travel and have the opportunity to visit friends in Vara in Sweden.We think it is great to have a school partnership and thank everyone for their help in organising all the events.

FOOTSTEPSHook Norton C of E Primary School is looking for volunteers to help with road safety training.‘Footsteps’ is Oxfordshire County Council’s child pedestrian training scheme. The scheme has been running at the school for a number of years but they are in need of extra volunteers from the area for it to continue. It has proved a worthwhile and enjoyable experience for both children and volunteers.The scheme involves taking the children, aged between 5 and 7, out in very small groups, to the roadside, and following the Footsteps programme. All volunteers are CRB (Criminal Record) checked and receive full training and support. It involves only a small amount of time and is very flexible. If anyone is interested in helping or would like to know more, please contact the school office, tel 01608 737379.

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WILDLIFE NOTEBOOKThere have been very few Hook Norton wildlife reports since October, but rest assured that this Notebook is alive and well in spite of Geraldine standing down after so many years. I’m sure you will all join me in thanking her for her contribution to the Newsletter and wishing her well for her move.One interesting sighting around Hooky over the autumn was a polecat, reported to Tim Burchell. It is very hard to tell the rare wild polecat from polecat–ferret hybrids that have escaped or been released to the wild, but the true polecat is known to be on the increase, so keep your eyes peeled. I caught one in my headlights last year, but assumed from its slightly lighter markings that it was a ferret cross.Victoria Harvey has reported sightings of a very pale-coloured fox in the gardens of Austins Way. Look out for this character, and let’s try to get a photograph for the next issue.My memorable encounter this autumn was on a pre-dawn walk in Whichford Woods during the fallow deer rut. At one point I was hiding just yards from a bellowing buck. In the dark, with my other senses heightened, such a primeval sound really made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. The noise has been likened to someone revving an old motorbike, but to me it was pure testosterone-charged animal and had I been a rival male I think I would have stayed just where I was, cowering in the undergrowth! Then, later, as I walked along a ride in the half-light, I saw a ghostly white figure creeping towards me. It was only when it turned sideways-on that I realised what it was (and declenched) – a white fallow doe. She walked calmly into the woods, closely followed by half a dozen dark companions, barely visible in the gloom. Magical.In late October and November, the usual migrants began to arrive in big numbers. Large groups of fieldfares and redwings are now thriving on this year’s bumper harvest of hedgerow berries and other fruit, while on the plateau towards Rollright, flocks of finches, including linnets and siskins,

Wild polecat

Male blackcap (females have a chestnut cap)

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are taking advantage of conservation field corners intentionally sown with bird-friendly flowers, now laden with seeds for the winter. The arable fields on the plateau are a haven for skylarks, which on sunny days throughout the winter rehearse their mesmeric song in readiness for a wonderful uplifting performance in the spring. You are also very likely to see yellowhammers and the less colourful, but rarer, corn bunting.If you feed the birds this winter, look out for overwintering blackcaps. This warbler has historically migrated to the Mediterranean area and north Africa, but a combination of climate change and the craze in the UK for feeding birds through the colder months has meant that some birds from continental Europe are instead making the shorter trip to Britain, where the winters are milder, and a separate population is evolving in the true sense of the word. Because they are able to return home and claim mates and territories earlier than their longer-travelling cousins, they are forming a separate breeding population, which is one step towards becoming a new species and, in turn, speeds up the evolution process. For example, they have already developed longer bills than the south-migrating blackcaps, which enable them to make the most of the fat and seed feeders we put out. This has all happened in my lifetime! So before the next issue I’d like to set another photographic challenge. Anyone who manages to photograph an overwintering blackcap for the next issue (preferably on a garden feeder or bird table in Hook Norton) wins a tub of fat balls. If you cannot take a photo, send me your reports as usual.The only birds you are likely to mistake for a blackcap are some members of the tit family (coal, marsh, willow), but as well as a black cap, these have a black bib and white cheeks and a much smaller bill.On the subject of tits, if you haven’t yet cleaned out your nestboxes, or put up new ones, now is the time to act. They make great Christmas presents and if you are feeling really generous, the nestbox camera kits are cheaper than they used to be and easy to set up. Here are some useful sites:www.bioquip.netwww.bto.org/nnbwwww.wildlife-cameras.comA cosy Christmas to you all.Patrick Fox01608 730818, 07702 853680, PFeditorial@gmail.com

Coal tit

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A WIND AND TRANSPORT SPECIALAnother excellent turnout at the start of November for a lively discussion on a whole range of topics and on options for Wind Turbines and Cars for the community in particular! You’ll see how our thoughts for the Car Club are developing from the box opposite and in more detail at www.hn-lc.org.ukWhen we first mentioned the possibility of wind turbines a year ago in the Newsletter in considering options for the bid to win the £400,000 for Hook Norton, we did so with some trepidation as this has been a divisive issue in some parts of the country. The comments we have received so far from both LCHN discussions and comments from more widely in the community seem to have been broadly positive if the installation of a turbine is linked to bringing benefits directly for Hook Norton. So we have progressed ideas to a couple of specific proposals. We are clear though as LCHN that this is something we would like to progress as a supported community project where the majority of people view this as a benefit for the community, otherwise we will focus on other projects. We look forward to hearing your thoughts, see our contact details below.One plan is to install a small 15m (height of a tall tree) wind turbine at one of the farms to the SW of Hook Norton. You can get an idea of what this would like from the photomontage that Alan Harris has kindly put together with a medium sized tree in the foreground. From the studies that Cherwell and West Oxford District Council have carried out we already know that they are suggesting that this area is possible for a wind turbine – so “if there is likely to be a wind turbine let’s make it a community one” was the sentiment of the LCHN meeting. By investing £25,000 in this small turbine we would expect to bring over £50,000 back into Hook Norton & Great Rollright over the next 20 years and save 180 tonnes of CO2.The second plan, which is independent of the small turbine installation, is to put up a meteorological mast (tall pole to measure wind speed!) on the top of Council Hill to the NE of Hook Norton to measure wind speeds for a potential medium sized community turbine. To be absolutely clear, by putting in the planning permission for a met mast we are not committing Hook Norton to anything larger than the 15m turbine you see in the picture above. However, if the wind speeds are measured to be as high as we think they will be, then putting up a medium sized community wind turbine could generate returns of up to £130,000 per year. That’s more than £2M over 20 years, pretty serious money, which would then allow us to make sure that everyone in the community can receive some of the benefits. At the same time the 300 tonnes of CO2 saved per year means reducing emissions by 6,000 tonnes over 20 years and will start to

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make us a seriously low carbon community!Once we have the information in 6-12 months time we will have a full and proper consultation process. These are just initial thoughts on a possible medium sized turbine 30-50m high (compared to the 15m one we are hoping to have up by the end of March next year) – but we are keen to hear your initial thoughts now as we start gathering the wind data. We also had an update on the low interest (mostly 0% interest) loan fund. This has been a roaring success, so much so that in just 3 months people have already taken out loans for a combined total of £200,000 to improve the energy performance and comfort of their homes. People are carrying out a the complete range of measures from loft & cavity wall insulation, double and secondary glazing, to more involved insulation of solid walls and floors, and renewable energy measures: solar panels, wood pellet boilers and air source heat pumps.Finally, the school’s new solar panels are already helping to heat their hot water and just in September & October the PV panels generated some 1,300kWh of electricity, making nearly £500 from the Feed-in-Tariff, and saving 500kg of CO2 being released into the atmosphere – tangible results already! The next meeting will be held at the Brewery Visitors Centre at 7.30pm on Wednesday 12th January. The first of 2011! For further information contact Tim Lunel on 730446 or info@hn-lc.org.uk

Are you running two cars but could manage with one most of the time?•

Do you have a small car and could use an estate car now and again?•

Do you occasionally need a car for private and business trips but don't want to •own one?

If so then Hooky Car Club could be for you.

Have a car when you need it.•

A choice of 3 locally based cars for as little as an hour or as long as a week!•

Book over the phone or Internet, walk up swipe a card on the windscreen and •drive away.

Hook Norton Low Carbon is setting up a car club with 3 efficient diesel cars that you could use. With a returnable deposit and simple time/mileage charges you could significantly reduce your motoring costs and CO2 emissions.

If you’re interested and want to know more go to www.hn-lc.org.uk

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STAGE, GALLERY & CONCERT HALL – DECEMBER 2010I will state the obvious – it is pantomime time! An alternative has to be the adaptation of E. Nesbit’s ‘Railway Children’ at the former Eurostar Terminal Waterloo. It closes on 2 January but with a 66 tonne Stirling Silver steam locomotive and the original Old Gentleman’s Saloon from the film, I suggest full steam ahead with the children or grandchildren.London theatres are the main source of plays – it is surprising how many classics are running. Wilde’s ‘Ideal Husband’ at the Vaudeville, Sheridan’s ‘The Rivals’ at the Haymarket and Alan Ayckbourn’s ‘Season’s Greetings’ at the National (written more than 20 years ago it is as witty and acerbic as then and remains my favourite Ayckbourn). However my choice, other than a further plug for ‘War Horse’ (seen at last, it lived up to all the plaudits), is ‘The Country Girl’ at the Apollo. It gives a juicy portrait of backstage life with Martin Shaw as a washed-up star.However, to prove a panto-heart does beat in me, I must recommend our very own ‘Dick Turpin Rides Again’ in the Memorial Hall 24–29 January. There are some lively newcomers to blend with our favourites of previous years in what promises to be load of laughs – oh yes it will!As I write, I am preparing to visit the Gauguin Exhibition at Tate Modern – on until 16 January. Friends who have seen it already have been impressed at its scope – paintings, prints, ceramics and carvings.I had a preview of ‘The Glasgow Boys’ at a small exhibition at the Fleming Gallery some weeks ago – now the Royal Academy has a major showing of their varied work until 23 January. These social realists were pioneers of their day. James Guthrie brilliantly portrays the rural peasantry in the last decade of the 19th century. His paintings of the ‘Hind’s Daughter’, ‘Schoolmates’ and ‘To Pastures New’ portray the sturdy independence of young girls helping in the arduous work on the land. John Lavery was much more interested in the social elite of the day, but painted some fine portraits, too. However, these Realists did extend their horizons and the exhibition shows how they took inspiration from the French naturalist painters such as Bastien-Lepage. Well worth seeing.The National Gallery is showing an interesting exhibition (to 16 January) of Canaletto and some of his competitors – I love to see the juxtapositioning of the work of artists portraying similar views – no prize in this case – Venice!Finally in the London galleries, almost akin to the pantomime season, no end-of-the-year would be complete without a look in at the Turner Prize (Tate Britain until 3 January). One newspaper referred to another ‘trip down banality row’. I don’t see that; it is always an experience and this year Dexter Delwood has four interesting paintings that show a broad canvas of events and literature – ‘Herman Melville’, ‘The Death of David Kelly’ and ‘Greenham Common’.Needless to say there are a lot of Festive Season Concerts to enjoy. I am drawn to Oxford Town Hall on 2 January at 3.30pm. This is a traditional Viennese New Year Concert including Rossini, Strauss and Proto by Oxford Philomusica. The opulent décor of the Victorian Town Hall is apparently reminiscent of Vienna’s illustrious Musikvereia, so a wonderful atmospheric welcome to 2011. At the Sheldonian on 11 December there is a celebration of Chopin’s 200th Anniversary. Marios Papadopoulos will give a recital of the master’s work including his epic Sonata in B Minor. A reminder: Chipping Norton Choral Society performs Mendelssohn’s ‘Elijah’ at St Mary’s Church, Banbury on 4 December. With many of our local singers involved, the Blackbird Leys Choir is giving a performance of Vivaldi’s ‘Gloria’ in the Jacqueline du Pres Building Oxford on 22 January at 7.30pm.Visiting some of these delights will help to banish any winter blues. John Wheatley

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PARISH COUNCIL DOG WASTEWe are sorry to revisit this issue yet again, but it does continue to generate a large number of complaints to the Parish Council. The vast majority of dog owners act responsibly, but there remains a small group who do not. There are plenty of bins placed throughout the village for the disposal of waste and the dog wardens have been asked to increase their visits and fines will be imposed on anybody caught failing to use them. However, we keep being made aware of bags of waste being left on walls or in the open litter bins, or even carrier bags full of waste being forced into the dog bins. This last action creates a vacuum, making it almost impossible to empty the bin. The bins are provided for occasional users and not for homeowners to dispose of waste collected from their own gardens. Please dispose of dog waste responsibly in the designated bins provided, but do not overload them and never place in an ordinary litter bin.We have also received complaints about barking dogs and owners are reminded that they are responsible for their animals, which should not be left alone in gardens where they can be a nuisance to neighbours. Complaints should be submitted to the dog wardens at Cherwell District Council. OVERHANGING HEDGESMay we remind parishioners again that overgrown trees and hedges, which hang over roadways, can produce a dangerous reduction in visibility. Please check your trees/hedges and, if necessary, cut them back. Hedges adjoining pavements and footpaths can also be a nuisance and a possible danger after dark to pedestrians and should be kept trimmed back at all times. Work to trees and hedges should be carried out in the near future before the birds start nesting again. SPEEDINGYet again, on Armistice Day rather appropriately, Peter Smart and David Shepley-Cuthbert risked life and limb to clear the culverts on Station Road to prevent the road flooding at the bottom of the hill. A few considerate drivers observed what they were doing and slowed down. The majority did not. They would much appreciate it if everyone would not assume the road is a race track once they leave the village, especially when they are trying to make the road safer for all users.CONCESSIONARY FARESOCC is taking over responsibility for scheme from CDC – one plus is that OCC is proposing a common 9am weekday start, which should benefit users in Hook Norton taking the early bus to Banbury. However, it is also proposing that alternatives, such as Senior Railcards and National Travel tokens, will no longer be offered. If you wish to comment on these proposals, please visit the OCC website http://myconsultations.oxfordshire.gov.uk. Views to be submitted by 14 December.PARKINGThis issue has been raised on several occasions but the situation is getting worse and the Parish Council is concerned that if villagers do not start to park their vehicles in a responsible manner, there will be a serious accident. Nobody wishes this to happen, but the parking on Sibford Road during the morning and afternoon school run is often inconsiderate and illegal. None of us wish to see an accident to our children, but we all have a responsibility to park sensibly and this means not close to road junctions or anywhere that may restrict the vision of other drivers. Please act responsibly for the sake of everyone. Other areas where parking is particularly bad are Mobbs Lane and the junction between Queen Street and Osney Close. Parking too close to road junctions is common in the village and residents should remember that drivers making a left turn are not expected to be confronted by another car overtaking a stationary vehicle.

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LIBRARY NEWSOpening hours: Monday 2–5pm 6–7pm Wednesday 2–5pm Friday 2–5pm 6–7pm Saturday 9.30am–12.30 noonHello everyone,We had a busy time here in October with visits from the Brownies and Guides. Two of the children’s librarians from Banbury came and entertained with stories and quizzes. It was a pleasure to have such well-behaved groups visiting and they all seemed to enjoy themselves.Our next Rhymetimes for 0–3-year-olds will take place on Mondays 6 December, 17 January, 14 February, 14 March and 11 April 2011 from 2pm to 2.30pm. All are welcome, just come along, no tickets needed and the children (and adults) really enjoy them.Don’t forget we still have photocopying and computers with broadband here and an hour session on the computer can be booked in advance. Telephone me on 01608 737793 and if I’m not here, just leave a message on the answer phone. As a quick reminder, Ancestry online can be accessed from the computers free here and from the OPAC, the library catalogue computer. In addition, we also hold other local studies records.Hope to see you all soon,Janet, Library Manager

DONATIONS EVENINGThe Hook Norton Festival of Fine Ales Donations Evening was held on Thursday 14 October. The committee are delighted to announce that a record amount was donated this year – £17,100! The proceeds were distributed as follows:

Leukaemia Research £10,000Village Newsletter £100Fire Service Benevolent Fund £1,250Special Effects £500Lee Stratford Community Trust £500Hook Norton Brownies £500Hook Norton Playground fund £500

Katharine House £1,500Hook Norton Welcome Club £500Hook Norton Playgroup £500Chipping Norton Midwives £250Great Rollright School £250Helen & Douglas House £250Hook Norton School £500Total £17,100

A huge thank you again to everyone who helped with the festival – you know who you are. Next year’s festival will be on Saturday 16 July 2011 – please get in touch (info@hookybeerfest.co.uk) if you would like to be involved in any way. Gill Begnor

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GARDEN CLUBThe Open Meeting we had been waiting for all year finally arrived in October and we were not disappointed. Timothy Walker, Director of Oxford Botanic Gardens, an accomplished and entertaining speaker, gave an illustrated talk on how to be a 21st-century gardener. Basically we should concentrate on growing native plants, of which there are countless varieties, and which experience tells us will survive the changes of our climate – quite simple really.The Club's year ended on 17 November with the AGM followed by wine and mince pies and a chance for members to sit around and chat. The Chairman, Peter Arnold, thanked all those involved in making the year successful, particularly in organising the visits and shows. A varied and interesting programme for 2011 has already been put together and details will appear in the February Newsletter. The finances are in good heart and there is no need to increase subscriptions. All the officers and committee members agreed to continue in post, but interest from others is always welcomed and encouraged.After such a magnificent late autumn, there is still plenty of work to be done to put the garden to bed. Happy gardening and season’s greetings to all and we look forward to even more members joining us next year.

OAK PROCESSIONARY MOTHS FOUND IN PANGBOURNE BERKSHIRE This is the first case of them being identified outside of London. Please be very vigilant when out and about in the south of the county because if they move in to Oxfordshire, it will have huge environmental implications for the area.If you are asked to identify the moths, please do not touch them or get too close as they have minute hairs that they release that can cause respiratory problems in both humans and animals. Please see the link below for identification features and advice from Forest Research and a contact number to call.www.forestry.gov.uk/fr/INFD-6URJCF I would also ask that you notify me and the relevant district council tree officers as soon as they are found. Tim Shickle, Arboricultural Manager, Oxfordshire County Council0845 310 1111 timothy.shickle@oxfordshire.gov.uk

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Does your party need the Hook Norton Hand Bell Ringers?The ideal entertainment for your parties and dinner parties this ChristmasOver the Christmas period the Hook Norton Hand Bell team is available for

drinks parties, functions and playing around the pubs and clubsLast year we raised £206 for the Playground fund, £50 for Wardington church

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GREAT ROLLRIGHT PRIMARY SCHOOL Thanks to Hook Norton Brewery, the school received a donation as part of one parent’s fundraising efforts for the 2010 Beer Festival. Head Teacher, Anne Hewett, gratefully received the donation, which goes towards new goalposts for the playing field.

Over the last four years, Great Rollright has earned a reputation as the small school with a VERY BIG VOICE. For the 4th year running, the choir – though comparatively few in number – astonished the audience with their booming clarity and stage presence, when they took part in Children Singing for Children at St Mary’s Church in Banbury. Organised by The Banbury Rotary Club as a pre-Christmas fundraiser, the children from 18 schools raise over £4,000 each year for children’s charities at home and abroad.

Years 5 & 6 were transported back in time on the day spent as if in a Victorian school. In period dress and with all the traditional punishments on offer from strict teachers (who also inspected their fingernails and demanded the most florid of handwriting), the children concluded that, despite the delicious homemade soup they had for lunch, life in 2010 is so much better!

Following the success of the Girls’ Football Team in October, we are pleased to have a new Football Club running as just one of our seven after-school clubs this term.

Class 3 and 4 were thrilled to meet one of their favourite authors at The Oxford Playhouse, as part of the Oxford Literary Festival (see photo). Andy Stanton is most famous for his Mr Gum stories and last year, Class 3 received personal responses to the inquisitive letters they wrote to the author – this made their visit to see him particularly special. They were treated to an extract recitation from his unpublished next novel. The children returned to school to build an exciting secret hideout, inspired by Mr Gum and subsequently used the whole experience to enhance their development in literacy.

Christmas will be very busy at Great Rollright, with: performances from all the children; carol singing around the village; a traditional Christmas dinner with all the trimmings; the traditional school trip to the panto at Chipping Norton Theatre and finally – the evening Carol Service on St Andrew’s Church.

Other fundraisers during the pre-Christmas term have included a Bingo evening and a 1970s Night, brought to life by The Rollright Stones, playing live. For one night, the Village Hall became a tardis that transported us to the pre-Lycra era of disco, with a buffet that included prawn cocktail, stuffed vol au vents, avocado pears, gateaux… For the youngsters, it was an opportunity of fancy dress, while for many it was a chance to rejuvenate outfits, long-retired in the loft.

At Great Rollright, we are looking forward to an exciting 2011 and continuing our ties with Comenius Project partnerships schools in Finland, France, Spain and Poland.

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NEWS FROM HOOK NORTON TENNIS CLUBResults of the Banbury League matchesAt the time of writing, our first team are 5th in Division 1 of the Floodlit League, our second team are top of Division 3, and our third team are 6th in Division 3. In the Weekend League, our A team is 2nd in Division2, and our B team is 4th in Division 3.If you would like to play in a team, please contact Sue Glasson on 01608 730880.TournamentsThere was another Ladies Tournament on the evening of Thursday 7 October. The winners were Rebecca Watts and Michelle Stevenson.

£10 entry fee included supper in the pavilion. The next one will be held on Thursday 9 December – Ladies Tinsel Tennis. Contact Sue Glass to book your place. News from Junior Coaching The autumn coaching programme and the ladies and rusty rackets sessions are under way. Mini tennis sessions have moved indoors to the Hook Norton Primary School until the end of March. The days/times of the sessions will remain the same. To sign up or for more details, please contact Marc on 01295 265085 or 07930 406 015 or email marcgilkes@fsmail.netAnd finallyMulled wine and mince pies will be provided in the pavilion on Tuesday 21 December – the last Tuesday club night before Christmas.

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SAFARI SUPPER 2011 – SATURDAY 14TH MAY 2011Following the huge success of a Safari Supper that took place in April this year, we have decided to do it again next year! We really hope that those of you who had fun last time will return and also that we see some new faces.The evening will start with everyone meeting at 7pm for fizz and canapés in The Sun. This is where you will be given the details of the destination to head to for your main course. After your main course, your hosts will announce details of your pudding venue and everyone will move on to their next destination. All locations will be within walking distance. You will need to take a bottle of wine (or whatever your poison!) to both your main course venue and your pudding venue. Finally, we will all gather for a dance party back at The Sun, where there will be a pay bar.HostsThis event can only take place if we have enough hosts, so priority will be given to those willing to host. We need about 30 host houses – 15 for mains and 15 for pudding! This is in no way a cookery competition and it is not about fine dining; the idea is that you have lots of fun, meet some new people and don’t get stressed out by cooking. We suggest that hosts prepare something simple that they know well and that requires no last minute attention, such as a casserole type dish for main. You will need to be able to seat at least 6 guests if you choose to do a main course, although stand-up puddings are fine! TicketsThis is a charitable event and all profits will go to a local charity. Tickets are £20 per head which includes canapés and fizz to start, a main course and pudding and a disco/party. However, if you choose to be Main Course host(s) you will pay £10 per head; Pudding host(s) will pay £15 per head.The number of tickets is restricted by the capacity at The Sun and will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Tickets will not be reserved and will only be allocated upon receipt of full payment. Please use the tear off strip below, make your cheque payable to Rebecca Kingsley-Bates and deliver it to Southrop Farmhouse, Brick Hill, Hook Norton, no later than 8th January 2011. No cash please. Rebecca Kingsley-Bates, Lucy Sealey, David Cooper, Kevin Hope=================================================================================

Name(s) Postal address

Telephone number Mobile numberEmail address

Please choose from the following options, by deleting/completing as appropriate:I/we would like one/two tickets & enclose payment of £20 / £40•I/we would like to be Main Course Hosts & enclose payment of £10 / £20. •The maximum number of guests I/we can accommodate is .....•I/we would like to be Pudding Hosts & enclose payment of £15 / £30 •The maximum number of guests I/we can accommodate is .....•

Number of vegetarians ......... Other dietary requirements

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2011 DIRECTORY OF SERVICESWOULD YOU LIKE TO BE INCLUDED IN THE

2011 HOOK NORTON DIRECTORY OF SERVICES?This brochure of names and numbers for local businesses and places of interest is distributed along with the February Village Newsletter and included on the village website, reaching everybody living in and around the village. As well as the obvious advantage of advertising our ever increasing number of local businesses, this brochure is intended to inform villagers of contact names and numbers for the many local organisations that we have, under headed categories. Entries need to be in by 31 December.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORTIf you would like to be included in the next directory, you can either fill in the application form below and deposit it in the box in The Post Office, or send it to:

Diana Barber, Dove Close House, Scotland End, Hook Norton. OX15 5NR or information for your entry can be emailed to Diana at : diana.barber.gemini@gmail.com To help with the printing costs, a donation of £5 for the Hook Norton Newsletter should be

attached to all forms or sent electronically to:

ACCOUNT: HOOK NORTON NEWSLETTER, SORT CODE: 08-92-99 ACCOUNT NUMBER: 65249518

YOUR DETAILS

Name ..........................................................................

Phone Number ..........................................................................

Donation sent in the form of .......................................................................... Cash/Cheque/Direct payment

DIRECTORY DETAILS

Category ..........................................................................

Business / Organisation Name ..........................................................................

Contact Name ..........................................................................

Contact Number ..........................................................................

Mobile Number (if available) ..........................................................................

E-Mail Address ..........................................................................

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COME DINE WITH THE HOOKY CHARITY MASTER CHEFS“ And the winner is …………” It was an all girl’s final on Sunday night at the club – with our two teams, Jo Bartlett and Sarah Brown battling it out with The Warner Sisters Sacha and Bronte in a head-to-head ‘cook off’ of Bolognaise sauce. This had been an extremely close result, only 11 points separated the top three contestants. The standard of food from our five teams had been fantastic, far better than we had hoped for and all deserve a huge round of applause for their efforts. Without these wonderful people who gave up their time, days off work and all their energy on their night, we wouldn’t have been able to raise such an incredible amount of money in such little time. We are extremely lucky to have such a group of people in Hook Norton and even more so that we can call them friends. Thank you to each and everyone of you. Also to each and everyone of you who supported the event, sponsored the event, donated raffle prizes, gave ingredients – including the chefs who spent a lot of their own money on this too!!! To our waitresses – Sacha and Bronte (when not cooking), Chelsea and Serena. To Kerrie, as ever, who always supports me, for all her wonderful printing of menus, tickets, score cards and posters as well as photos and adverts through Facebook and the net. To the Club, for letting us do this and use all your kitchen and rooms, for supplying the coffee, the mints, tableware, etc., etc. If I listed everyone I would have needed Helen to save me half the Newsletter – you all know who you are – THANK YOU, THANK YOU. Also thanks to Saturday Kitchen for the signed James Martin book, which we auctioned off and raised an extra £37, and the hairy bikers apron for £12 – thank you Jules for getting this.The battle commenced on Wednesday night when a rather jazzy pink pair of chefs, Sarah and Jo, kicked off the competition for CLIC with a selection of cheesy recipes,

including cheese terrine starter, chicken stuffed with mozzarella and wrapped in bacon and homemade brandysnaps served with ice cream and raspberries – oh yeh, and lots of pink glitter! These were followed on Thursday by Jules and Mike for Leukemia and Lymphoma Research where the diners were treated to homemade mushroom pâté, Italian meatballs followed by lime and mascarpone cheesecake for dessert. Friday night was Curry Night and Kippy and Jason didn’t fail in their attempts to wow the diners in aid of Katharine House Hospice – sweet potato and butternut squash soup preceded a spicy Thai curry followed by a white chocolate Baileys cheesecake, which can only be described as ‘paradise in a dish’ (and they are single girls). After the weekend, it was team CHOX’s (Children’s Hospital Oxon) turn with Sacha assisted by Bronte, who served a dish of leek and potato soup, chicken in white wine sauce and a dessert of homemade bread and butter pudding with crème anglaise. The final night was The Wise Brothers – Glyn and Keith – who treated the diners to duck and vintage port pate, piri piri chicken and homemade pancakes with raspberries and ice cream – all in the good cause of the British Heart Foundation. On each of the nights, the diners (or first 40 of them to have booked) voted on their meals with points from 5 down to 1. These slips were then collected and the score added up. The two teams with the most marks were then to go through to the final. After adding up the scores, the two finalists were announced to a packed club room following Glyn and Keith’s evening. Finals night was one of excitement and nerves – who would win, who would be Hooky’s Charity Master Chef 2010 and, even more so, who would collect the winning cheque for over £800 for their charity (which, on the serious side, is what this competition had been all about)? The Bolognaise sauces were ready to serve and the chefs had been made comfortable down in the changing rooms so as not to sway the

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votes. The diners were all in and we were off. Each diner was given two bowls, A and B – one contained CLIC’s sauce, the other CHOX. Only Kerrie and Chelsea in the kitchen knew whose was whose (I sat out of this bit, the Warners being mine !!). After finishing their meals, the votes were cast on who had produced the favourite sauce. The tension mounted as we read the results – would it be CLIC, would it be CHOX?? The trophies were ready, the diners were ready, the envelope with results were ready (X Factor beware!!). As on the night, at this point we would love to say that over £2,200 has been raised for our five charities during this event. We think this is tremendous, especially when you think that each meal was at the bargain price of £5 per head for three courses. It shows that the support we had for not only the meals, but for the raffle and the donations / sponsorship to the individual teams / charities has made this event well worth doing. We will definitely do it again, it has been FANTASTIC!!!!!!

Now for the all important RESULTS: Winners of HOOKY CHARITY MASTER CHEF 2010 WERE

TEAM CHOX RAISING £855

Runners up

TEAM CLIC RAISING £810

Best overall starter went to JO AND SARAH

Best overall main went to KIPPY AND JASON

Best overall dessert went to JULES AND MIKE

The winners and runners up each received Hooky masterchef trophies and signed recipe books from Sophie Wright. Final amounts raised will be posted in the club, on the club website and around the village, once all the sponsor monies are in and counted. Thank you again to everyone – see you again next year.Many thanks, Colette and Sacha Warner xxxxx

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HOOK NORTON FOOTBALL CLUBIt seems quite a while since the Editors last chased me to get my act together and get some copy to them. One day this will go in on time!Senior football has had a pretty tough time of it so far, but we are hopeful that the signs are there to show that we will be turning the corner. The first team has yet to win a match, though it has managed three draws (the last one against the unbeaten league leaders – no mean achievement): despite this, they are not bottom of the table and, as the saying goes, the only way is up (well nearly). The second team has stolen a march on the firsts by having one win under their belts.The stars of the senior section are the newly formed under 18s, managed by Dasher Knight, who have put on a tremendous performance so far. Up to mid October they were unbeaten. This is where we shall be looking for first team players for the future, and strongly bears out our now achieved aim of bringing young players up through all the age groups of the club with a view to playing at a standard as adults in which they are eligible to play in the FA Cup and the FA vase.The fortunes of the junior teams seem to be a bit mixed this season, though the stars seem to be the Under 13s, who are top of their league. You may wonder why I`m not more clued up on junior football progress, but a glance at the various websites (Hellenic League, Oxfordshire Invitation, Witney and District) will show you what an enormous amount of information is out there, and I need a new memory chip to absorb it all.On a sad note, Derek Street died unexpectedly since the last Newsletter. Derek had long been a player with the Club as indeed was his son, Ian, who was part of the team that propelled us to higher things in the nineties. Our condolences to all Derek’s family, he is sorely missed.The senior season has a long way to go yet, and I hope next time I get out my electronic pen, I shall have some uplifting news to tell youMike Barlow, Chairman Senior Football

OXFORDSHIRE ADVOCACYDear Editor,"Advocacy at its heart is really very simple. It is making sure people get their wishes and choices heard and taken into account on matters of importance to them."I have written to you before about Oxfordshire Advocacy, a charity that works all around Oxfordshire providing a free advocacy service. We provide advocates for people who are having difficulty getting their voices heard about matters concerning them. Our schemes help those with short-term issues, those with learning disabilities, those with dementia or those who lack capacity. We are always looking for new volunteers, each receiving training and expenses, and we ask for one year commitment. The time constraint is not large and there is continual support throughout.If any of your readers think that they could help, we would be very grateful if they could get in touch by telephone on 01865 741200, email: oadg@oadg.org.uk, or take a look at our website www.oadg.org.uk.Kind regards, Rebecca Norris, Volunteer Coordinator and Administrator

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1 9.00 Community Morning - Mums and Tots Hook Norton Primary School1 10.00 Coffee morning and table games Baptist Church1 12.00 WI Christmas Lunch Red Lion, Long Compton1 20.00 Baptist Fellowship Group Baptist Hall1 20.00 HN Low Carbon Consultation Meeting The Sun2 9.15 Ladies Keep Fit Baptist Hall2 17.00 School Christmas Fayre Hook Norton Primary School2 19.00 Zumba Dance Keep Fit Hook Norton Primary School3 9.15 Friday Toddler Group Baptist Hall4 10.00 Font Café St Peter’s Church4 19.00 Film Society - The Concert Memorial Hall5 19.00 Hook Norton Brass Band Christmas Concert St Peter’s Church6 10.00 Monday Club - Care Group for older people Baptist Hall6 14.00 Rhymetimes for 0 to 3 year olds Library7 10.00 Font Café St Peter’s Church7 17.00 The Drop Youth Group Youth Hall7 19.30 Local History Group Brewery Visitor Centre8 9.00 Community Morning - Mums and Tots Primary School8 10.00 Coffee morning and table games Baptist Church8 14.30 Reading Matters Book Club Hook Norton Library8 20.00 Baptist Fellowship Group Baptist Hall9 9.15 Ladies Keep Fit Baptist Hall9 9.45 Ryhthm Time Music - family fun sessions Sports & Social Club9 11.00 Wheelers and Squealers St Peter’s Church9 19.00 Zumba Dance Keep Fit Hook Norton Primary School9 19.30 Parish Council Meeting Memorial Hall10 9.15 Friday Toddler Group Baptist Hall10 19.30 ‘Energize’ Youth Group Youth Hall10 20.30 Music: Paul Acreman Pear Tree Inn11 9.00 Village Market Memorial Hall11 10.00 Font Café St Peter’s Church11 19.30 Just Dessert Film Night Baptist Hall12 10.30 Family Carol Service Baptist Church12 13.00 Children’s Christmas Parties Memorial Hall13 10.00 Monday Club - Care Group for older people Baptist Hall14 10.00 Font Café St Peter’s Church14 17.00 The Drop Youth Group Youth Hall14 20.30 Music: Amanda Seal Pear Tree Inn15 9.00 Community Morning - Mums and Tots Hook Norton Primary School15 10.00 Coffee morning and table games Baptist Church15 20.00 Baptist Fellowship Group Baptist Hall16 9.15 Ladies Keep Fit Baptist Hall16 19.00 Zumba Dance Keep Fit Hook Norton Primary School17 9.15 Friday Toddler Group Baptist Hall

DECEMBER VILLAGE DIARY

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17 20.00 ‘Outlook’ Youth group Youth Hall17 20.30 Music: Delaney’s Angel Pear Tree Inn18 10.00 Font Café St Peter’s Church19 10.00 Christmas Canter Sports and Social Club19 10.00 United Carol Service (Connect) St. Peters Church 20 10.00 Monday Club - Care Group for older people Baptist Hall21 10.00 Font Café St Peter’s Church21 14.00 WI Meeting Baptist Hall21 17.00 The Drop Youth Group Youth Hall22 9.00 Community Morning - Mums and Tots Hook Norton Primary School22 10.00 Coffee morning and table games Baptist Church22 20.00 Music: Pete Watkins Pear Tree Inn23 9.00 Ladies Keep Fit Baptist Hall23 10.00 Carry On Learning Normal Matthews Hall23 19.00 Busy Bees Craft Club Baptist Hall23 19.00 Zumba Dance Keep Fit Hook Norton Primary School24 18.00 Words and Music for Christmas St Peters’ Church24 23.00 Holy Communion St Peters’ Church24 23.15 Christmas Eve communion Baptist Church28 10.00 Font Café St Peter’s Church28 17.00 The Drop Youth Group Youth Hall29 9.00 Community Morning - Mums and Tots Hook Norton Primary School29 10.00 Coffee morning and table games Baptist Church29 13.30 Blood Donor Session Hook Norton Primary School29 20.00 Baptist Fellowship Group Baptist Hall30 9.15 Ladies Keep Fit Baptist Hall30 19.00 Zumba Dance Keep Fit Hook Norton Primary School31 20.30 Music: Paul Acreman Pear Tree Inn

1 10.00 Font Café St Peter’s Church3 10.00 Monday Club - Care Group for older people Baptist Hall4 10.00 Font Café St Peter’s Church4 17.00 The Drop Youth Group Youth Hall4 19.30 Local History Group Brewery Visitor Centre5 9.00 Community Morning - Mums and Tots Hook Norton Primary School5 10.00 Coffee morning and table games Baptist Church6 9.15 Ladies Keep Fit Baptist Hall6 19.00 Zumba Dance Keep Fit Hook Norton Primary School7 9.15 Friday Toddler Group Baptist Hall8 9.00 Village Market Memorial Hall8 10.00 Font Café St Peter’s Church8 19.00 Film Society - No Man’s Land Memorial Hall10 10.00 Monday Club - Care Group for older people Baptist Hall

JANUARY VILLAGE DIARY

We apologise for the omissions and the abbreviations on these pages but in order to fit everything in, some abbreviation is necessary.

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