News

As you know the Village Fete is the BBVA’s biggest event!  It’s on Sunday 7^th September from 1pm to 5pm. We look forward to seeing you all there!

What a day we have planned for you all, including:

• Fancy Dress Competition – Fairytales & Superheroes
• Birds of Prey demonstration
• Our popular Dog Show
• Local Cotswold Arts and Crafts stalls
• BBQ with the finest local produce
• Fully stocked bar, and our very own Woods Bros Gin bar
• Witney Town Brass Band
• Pony Rides
• Bouncy Castle and children’s games
• Popcorn, candy floss and sweet stall
• Vintage tractors and Supercars
• Vintage Gramophones and model aircraft
• Tug of War and Car Pull
• Raffle with some great prizes, including a Winter Devon Hotel Break for 2

We want to make sure we have the best day ever, so we are looking for the following from any of you able to help:

• Bottles for the bottle stall
• Plants for the gardening club
• Posh clothes for our vintage stall
• Cakes for the cake stall
• Children (or adults) to dress up as their favourite fairytale character or superhero
• Any helpers that can do an hour or two on the day itself

If you can help in anyway, please contact bbvacommittee@gmail.com & we will come & get your offerings or let you know how you can help on the day.

Thank you all in advance for coming to such an important fund raising event for the village, see you on the 7^th September at 1pm.

 

 

Now that the schools have broken up for the summer, August is the time for a well earned break perhaps enjoying the late summer having family holidays or making the most of the warm weather at home.  At St Mary’s we settle into another quiet period much like July with just our usual services twice a month.  As it is a month with five Sundays in it the benefice service will take place on 31st August at 10.30 round at St Britius. Let me know if you would like a lift. Before that Rev Barry is holding a benefice BBQ in the garden of the rectory in Carterton on 17th Aug at 12.30 p.m. Everyone is welcome so do join in the fun if you are free that day.

As I mentioned last month we have the marriage of Tony and Julie on 25th July, this Friday in fact, and then we will see scaffolding erected around the porch so that the roof can be replaced and some pointing carried out to the walls. Please be careful when accessing the church during this time. Once that has all been completed the parking area and path through the churchyard to the cemetery will be refurbished with new pea grit so we will be very smart indeed!

Our last service this month is Evensong on Sunday and we will have Lyndsay Baker taking that for us. Join me if you can – it’s a lovely way to finish off the weekend.

 

The Gardening Club enjoyed a fascinating and wide ranging presentation on bee keeping this month given by local bee keeper Adam Walker who, as well as giving us all an insight into life in a bee colony and the joys and sometimes challenges of bee keeping, shared details of the types of flowers and plants likely to attract pollinators and brought along some examples of the equipment used by bee keepers as well as some pots of his delicious golden honey.

We are taking a break during August so there are no Gardening Club Meetings or Coffee Mornings.

We are looking forward to the Village Fete on 7th September, when the BBVA have kindly invited us to have a plant stall.  We URGENTLY need offers of help on the stall on the day even an hour of your time would be appreciated.  We also need donations of plants, garden produce and any good condition gardening related pots, containers or equipment. Please email us at blackbortongardeningclub@gmail.com if you can help, we are happy to collect from your house.  You do not need to be a member of the gardening club to volunteer or donate products for the stall.

Looking forward to September, our next Coffee Morning is on Saturday 13th September and on Tuesday 16th September we will be holding our AGM and new members evening meeting, which will include a fork supper.

 

Our summer drinks

Saturday 21st saw over 60 people attend our summer solstice ceilidh with fish & chips and a help yourself bar to wash it all down with!

Follow the link and check out some great photographs (that don’t embarrass the dancers)!

Music was provided by The Lechlade Ceilidh Band who performed on our tennis court so that our villagers could get involved in the synchronised dancing to official calls from the front. A thoroughly enjoyable evening was had in the hot summer sunshine and as part of the BBVA’s commitment to the community, the event was heavily subsidised as a thank you to all that support the events throughout the year. With 2025 being the BBVA’s 50th year, it is so important we continue to serve the community for another 50 years as the feedback we get from you all is very pleasant indeed!

Our orchard

If you’d like to relax for a moment and harvest some of the fruits of our volunteers’ labours then do take a stroll through the village orchard and the end of the play park. As the photos show there are some glorious wild flowers as well.

A reminder that the next event is our largest one in the calendar, the Summer Fete on Sunday 7th September in the Play Park. As ever we need helpers for the day, bottles for our bottle stall, cakes, vintage clothes, books & raffle prizes to make the day a huge success. If you can help, please email bbvacommittee@gmail.com

Apple pressing

The whole village is also looking forward to the annual Apple Juicing Day on Sunday 19^th October. The event will include collecting “early” apples for juicing, pasteurising and bottling in late AUGUST and again “later” varieties after in SEPTEMBER or OCTOBER. These bottled and pasteurised juices will last for 2 or 3 years.

For the 19th October, the macerator and juicer will be set up under a marquee on the play park and everyone will be welcome to come along with wheel barrows, cars, buckets and shopping bags full of apples and pears from 1.00pm. In addition, we will set up some tables for picnickers. Further, information will be available in the newsletter,  nearer the date.

The BBVA bottled apple/pear juice has proved very popular and we hope the finished price this year might be between £2.75 and £3.00 per 75cl bottle, delivered to your door. In the mean-time, if you would like to order apple juice or have apples or pears to contribute to the BBVA effort, then please contact the BBVA on   bbvacommittee@gmail.com  or contact Alec Jones on 01993 842184. We will confirm the price per bottle nearer the time. Your apples or pears can be collected from your address and dates will be specified in due course.

DON’T  FORGET the UK imports 160,000 tons of apples per annum which is 60% of our needs. 90% of UK homegrown apples are wasted We don’t want to waste Black Bourton apples.

Alec Jones

As some of you are aware, Alec Jones is stepping down from the BBVA after 40 years of service. Alec has been leading the BBVA for many a year and it goes without saying that he will be heavily missed by all that are in the village. From raising money for good causes, to organising entertaining events, from assisting people in need to supporting the communities’ best interests; Alec has selflessly given thousands of hours of volunteering time to the community and we cannot thank him enough for this unprecedented service to our residents.

As a thank you, the BBVA has planted an American Oak on the village green with a celebration plaque supporting the spot so that all can be reminded of Alec’s contribution to the community and Alec himself can see another legacy continue to grow in the village. We also gifted Alec and Jane, some crystal wine glasses to enjoy more of that reasonably priced French wine in suitable engraved containers for many years to come. It is important Jane gets a special mention for her unwavering support to Alec as behind every great man there is a great woman, well done Jane!

Alec was finally gifted with a lifetime honorary membership of the BBVA, so is welcome at any point into the leadership of the community, for which we will welcome with open arms.

Thank you Alec on behalf of this wonderful village, we will miss you.

Our final evening meeting before we break for the summer will be on Tuesday 15th July at 7pm in St Mary’s. We are delighted to be joined by local beekeeper, Adam Walker who will speak on The Benefits of Honeybees and other Pollinators.  Adam will provide some information about honeybees and the benefits of their activities and those of other pollinators to gardeners, farmers and society generally, as well as sharing some beekeeping basics for those who may be interested.  This should attract not just garden-lovers!

 

The Gardening Club will be taking a break over August to allow everyone to enjoy their gardens and any holidays they have planned. We will be back with a bang in September starting off with a stall at the Village Fete on Sunday 7th September, a coffee morning on Saturday 13th September and we will celebrate our 1st birthday at our AGM on Tuesday 16th September – more details to follow!

… and don’t forget our final coffee morning before the break this Saturday 28th June 10am – 12pm!

If you managed to call in at the church a couple of weekends ago you will have seen the gorgeous flower arrangements that our flower team produced for our annual flower festival. Each one was carefully thought out depicting so many crafts that we are familiar with and beautifully presented with all sorts of props including what looked like family heirlooms. Thank you one and all for your efforts and for the huge amount of pleasure you gave to all those who came to visit.  We had so many compliments from those in the village who came and from visitors who came from a bit further afield and with our refreshments and donations in the demi-john and card reader, we raised an amazing £423 for our church funds. Well done everyone including all those who made cakes and gave their time manning the tea table. A lovely weekend was had by all!

As we move into July we are looking at family holidays and a quieter time in the village. We will have our two normal services on the second and fourth Sunday but at the end of the month we are pleased to welcome Julie and Tony to St Mary’s for their marriage. This lovely couple had first decided to get married here back in 2021 but the ongoing problems with Covid scuppered their plans. A new date was planned for 2023 but was again beset by unavoidable problems and once again their wedding day was put on hold. Imagine how delighted I was to get a message from Tony last year finally fixing a firm date so I am thrilled that they can finally take their vows in St Mary’s and make their dreams come true. As always, we wish them a fantastic wedding day and hope that they have a very happy future together.

I will sign off much as I did last month, reminding you of our benefice service this coming Sunday at 10.30 a.m., which is our new time for communion in the future. Light refreshments will be served after the service so we may all exchange fellowship with our friends in St John’s and St Britius. I hope to see you all there.

The Out of the Blue concert was a brilliant sell-out success! Over £750 was raised for the Helen & Douglas House and a similar amount for the church fabric fund. The choir enjoyed it so much they asked to be re-booked the same time next year!

Our next big event is the Village Drinks with a twist!

Book the date – Saturday 21st June starting at 5pm.

As well as a help-yourself bar, for the price of just £15 per person you will also get fish and chips and the chance to join in on a round or two of group dancing led by a lively Ceilidh band. It’s easy for anyone, any age to have ago and enjoy the fun of letting off steam. Let’s celebrate the joy of community and the arrival of summer in style.

We need you to pre-order your fish and chips by 14th June using this email address: bbvacommittee@gmail.com.

 

The community orchard is coming along well.

All are welcome to open the gate at the end of the playing field and have a look. The BBVA plan to provide a picnic table in the orchard.

In spite of the driest spring in years the flowers are starting to show and the fruit trees, now in their second year are starting to fruit.  Please note the number of apples on the Cox’s tree. Also thriving are pear trees along with plum and walnuts, accompanied by gooseberry, blackberry, bushes and raspberry canes.

A water tank and watering cans are available in case the plants are looking dry.

Celebrating The 80th anniversary of VE Day

How lucky we were last month with all the sunshine taking us through the bank holidays and as we move into June we will be looking forward to the long light evenings and the borders full of our favourite summer flowers. Speaking of which, it is time for St Mary’s to hold the popular Flower Festival to show off some of those lovely blooms. The theme this year is ‘Home Crafts’ and I am sure we will be interested to see the flower arrangers interpretation of this. The church will be open on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th June between 10a.m. and 4p.m. on both days with refreshments available on both days. Our flower ladies work hard to produce some beautiful displays in the church all year round but for the flower festival they pull out all the stops. So what better than to come along and appreciate their work with a slice of cake and a cup of tea and enjoy the magnificence of their creations.

 

This week saw Ascension Day which is the 40th day after the Resurrection and then 10 days later we have Pentecost. At our service on 8th June I am sure Rev Barry will have some special liturgy related to this important day which is regarded as the start of the church’s mission to the world. Back in the day we called it Whitsun and and there was a bank holiday especially for it but I expect the powers that be thought that two bank holidays in the previous month was quite enough! Rev Barry will be holding a prayer initiative from 29th May to 8th June and if you pop into the church you will find some booklets on the font. Please click on this link to Barry’s videos.

From July our communion service on the second Sunday of the month will be held at 10.30 a.m. by popular demand. This will be permanent unless we can make it even earlier when we eventually appoint a new Team Vicar to help Barry with his workload. Let me have your thoughts on this either way! St Mary’s will also resume hosting the benefice services in rotation with St John’s and St Britius on the fifth Sundays of the month starting on 29th June at 10.30. We held a couple last year and it is always good to see our friends from the other two parishes join us for worship so do try and come along if you can.

Many thanks to all those of you who continue to support our village coffee mornings. They are not just for gardeners, everyone is welcome! Come and join us at the next one on Saturday 28th June 10-12, regulars will notice that this is later in the month than usual – there is just so much on in Black Bourton this month! We hope to have a selection of plants and seeds for sale and welcome any donations of plants or homemade cakes or tray-bakes which are always much appreciated by those who come along. Just bring them to St Mary’s Church on the morning.  

There is no evening meeting for the Gardening Club in June but instead we are having an outing to visit the gardens at Friars Court, Clanfield Sunday 8th June 2 – 5pm. We have a good sized group planning to go, but tickets are still available so if any one else would like to join us please contact us on blackbourtongardeningclub@gmail.com

 

Our final evening meeting before we break for the summer will be on Tuesday 15th July at 7pm in St Mary’s. We are delighted to be joined by local beekeeper, Adam Walker who will speak on The Benefits of Honeybees and other Pollinators.  Adam will provide some information about honeybees and the benefits of their activities and those of other pollinators to gardeners, farmers and society generally, as well as sharing some beekeeping basics for those who may be interested.  

 

I don’t need to tell you what a busy month it has been in church during April, with Lent and Holy Week dominating the proceedings. On Maundy Thursday we said goodbye to Mandy Nixon in a truly uplifting service led by Jeremy Lane and I think the majority of the village were there to take part in this important ritual. She was a good friend to many with her bubbly personality and boundless energy and was always up for helping at the fete or making us all laugh in the pub. We send Dave our love and support and hope that he can take some comfort in knowing how much Mandy was loved in this community.

Our Easter Day communion service was led very thoughtfully and powerfully by Mark Thomas in a church full of sunlight and spring flowers, which after the austerity of Good Friday was such a joy to see. We hope we will see more of him in future and Keri too of course.

It will hardly be five minutes since the Easter break when the May Bank Holiday will be upon us –  do any of you remember dancing round the maypole at school or am I showing may age? Like a lot of the holidays we celebrate, it’s origins are connected to the church and the turning of the religious calendar denoting a celebration of spring, rebirth and fertility. In Roman times May Day  marked the start of the summer season so I am sure that we are all hoping for warm sunny days to come.

Check out the dates and times for some of the things that are happening in the church during May – the Parish Council have their AGM, the gardening club have a guest speaker and the film club gets under way too.  There is the local election on the 1st May and a coffee morning on the 10th and let’s not forget our usual two services of Holy Communion and Evensong. All the dates and times are in this edition of the newsletter so I hope to see lots of you at some of these events. And to top it all off, we get another bank holiday at the end of the month!