Lawrence Clarke

Gardening Club News February/March

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The next coffee morning is on Saturday 8th March 10am – 12pm at St Mary’s Church. At our last event we had a steady stream of visitors coming along to enjoy a home made cake and a tea or coffee.  Please do try and drop in if you haven’t already. If you would like to help on the day or by baking cake or even providing a musical performance please do let us know. 

March Evening Meeting  

Tuesday 18th March at 7pm, St Mary’s Church, Black Bourton 

We are delighted to be joined by Anton Blackie, the Head Gardener at Estelle Manor a hotel and country club near Eynsham. He will talk about Horticulture in Hospitality and provide some springtime garden ideas.  

Please do come along and invite any friends and family, we are keen to grow our numbers and welcome members from outside the village as well as within.  Free to members or £5 on the night.

Parish Council News January/February

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We are saddened to say goodbye to our Parish Clerk who has agreed to remain with us until the new financial year to give a smooth cross over for the next clerk, the vacancy is currently still open so if you wish to apply check out the details of the job here and  please contact bbpc.ala@gmail.com

We are also looking for more councillors to apply to the Parish Council, please look at this new page what a councillor does and if you are interested or wish for more information, please contact one of our current councillors.

If you are interested in the community speed watch please got to Community Speedwatch UK for further information and voice your views in our poll, which is at the foot of this page.

Our next meeting is on the 5th February at Alvescot Village Hall at 7:00pm. For a copy of the minutes and agenda please see the Parish Council page.

We are updating our pages throughout the month so please do look at the Parish Council tab and the pages attached.

The new Gardening Club news

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The newly formed Black Bourton Gardening Club will be joining the BBVA at the Village Fete on Sunday 1st September. Do come along to our stall to say hello and find out more about us. We will be selling a selection of  plants, seeds and plant pots and you will be able to take part in a competition as well as pick up some useful gardening information. There’s also the chance to buy some of the early apple crop freshly juiced, courtesy of the BBVA.

If you have any good-to-eat, surplus home-grown fruit or vegetables or would like to donate any house or garden plants, seeds, pots or other gardening related items for us to sell on the stall please bring them along to the Village Playground on the day, Sunday 1st Sept, between 11-12 or email blackbourtongardeningclub@gmail.com to arrange collection.

The Gardening Club will formally be launched at an Inaugural meeting in St Mary’s on Wednesday 18th September at 7.00-8.30pm. If you have an interest in gardening please do come along and see if we can tempt you to join us!  We consider ourselves to be gardening enthusiasts rather than gardening experts!

Black Bourton Gardening Club inaugural meeting

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At the end of 2021 a village survey was conducted to assess what use might be made of St Mary’s if a loo and kitchen were installed. The response was so positive that we were able to secure significant grants that enabled us to complete the project. Now we are in a position to follow through on the interest shown and at the top of the list of activities 36 respondents said they would be interested in joining or running a gardening club.

With the help of the team at the Bampton Gardening Club on Tuesday 18th June at 7pm in St Mary’s, we’re hoping that many of the respondents and those new to the idea will meet to discuss the opportunity. Questions for discussion will include:

  • What is a Gardening Club?
  • How is it run?
  • How can it be supported?
  • What are the benefits?

Do take this as an opportunity to share your passion with like-minded folk on your doorstep!

Please express your interest in joining the meeting by using the website’s contact form.

Community Hub Village Survey

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HOW YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE COMMUNITY HUB AT ST MARY’S USED

This survey is for all Black Bourton residents and interested parties. It is being run as a collaboration between your Parish Council (PC), Village Association (BBVA) and Parochial Church Council (PCC). This is a similar survey to that which was run in 2021 that was used to demonstrate the need for a community hub. Now we have completed the hub we are re-issuing this survey to new and previous recipients to gauge the current interest.

Please download the form most suited to you. This form – BB Village Survey Word Version – is for those who use ‘Word’ on their device. It will enable you to fill the form in and email it back, following the instructions in the form. This form – BB Village Survey Printable Version – is for those who wish to fill in a hard copy. When you have done so, please return your form to a PC, BBVA or PCC representative.

Please take time to consider and submit your answers. It will only take a couple of minutes!

If we are to make the best of our new facility we really do need your input!

Many thanks from your PC, BBVA and PCC.

Celebrating the Coronation

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The Coronation weekend got off to a splendid start with some beautiful bell ringing by our village campanologists.

The merry band of ringers rang for half-an-hour before the service and if you’re wondering what ‘work’ they were ringing it was Call Changes, including Kings, Queens, Orb, Sceptre and Firing. If you want to know more go to the Bell Ringers page – especially if you’d like to have a go!

This was followed by a feast of military precision, pomp and ceremony as many  watched the Coronation from the comfort of their homes.

The extra days holiday on the Monday ensured that the celebrations could continue with many putting up bunting and holding tea parties, where cake and scones were consumed amongst a display of red, white and blue!

Long Live the King!

Library books to your door!

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Would you like to borrow library books but are unable to visit the library for any reason? lf you’re finding it difficult to get to a library, the Home Library Service may be able to help.

The Home Library Service is run by Oxfordshire County Council and serves 770 customers across the county. With the help of volunteers, it looks after and delivers books and audio-visual items to those who struggle to physically visit a library due to their personal circumstances.

The service is completely free of charge to customers, many of whom are elderly or housebound, and it can also be used on a short-term basis following illness or hospitalisation.

Those with carer responsibilities are also welcome to apply.

How it works

Contact the service to discuss the kind of books, large print/regular print, DVDs, Audio Books on CD, Music CDs or DVDs, that you like to read or enjoy. A library volunteer will then be arranged to deliver these to you in your home. The volunteers are DBS checked, wear identification badges and provide a helpful and friendly service.

Whenever possible, the same volunteer will visit you each time and your volunteer will usually be able to stay for a cuppa and a chat if you would like them to.

Your library materials will be delivered and collected every 3 weeks.

The Home Library Service is FREE OF GHARGE, and there is no charge for requests or late returns.

How to register

To register for this service or for further information call your local library or telephone the Home Library service on 01865 810259 or email homelibraryservice@oxfordshire.gov.uk.

… and finally …

If you’d like to volunteer as a distributor then use the same contact details above and if you’re aware of someone who would benefit from this service then do inform them.

If you’d like some ideas check out ‘A good read’ on this site!

Bampton Community Shop awards second grant

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As part of our fund-raising activities to raise money for the new loo and kitchen in the church, the Bampton Charity Shop has awarded us £2,000!

For those not aware of the shop, here’s some background. The shop is where Folly Fabrics used to be, at the Old Bakery just down from Bojangles salon. It has had an eventful year, working hard to keep the Charity Shop open, profitable and safe. People have been very generous – with their time, donations and purchases and we are pleased to report that the shop is going very well indeed.

With these latest grants over £200,000 has been awarded to local clubs, charities and societies since November 2016.

There are now more than 70 volunteers who work in the shop as well as an out-of-hours team who ensure that everything is tidy and that all donations are sorted as soon as possible. If you are interested in helping in any way, please contact Nick Thorpe at npthorpe@btinternet.com or Jenny Chaundy at jenny.chaundy@btinternet.com or on 01993 850918.

Our new play park

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I’m ever so excited, full of anticipation…

We’ve got a fatness –  no,  a Fitness Adult Workout  Station…

There’s bars and rings and lots of thing for us to push and pull.

And after several sessions  I’ll  be Body Beautiful.

 

I’ve got a leotard, my tutu and some pumps

I’ll go along and try a few gentle practice jumps.

Being short it’s sometimes hard to stretch up very high.

Oh dear – could even pull a muscle reaching for the sky…

What if I trip, or stumble – or worse still, have a fall?

I might be on the ground and find I can’t get up at all.

 

Maybe I will take a chair and just sit in the sun,

Watch the others working out: that’s safer and more fun.

Anon