Our Quarterly Newsletter

The Fulbrook News Our Quarterly Newsletter

December 2017 Number 71

In this issue: • The latest news on our clubs and activities • Report from the FaB WI • Fulbrook News and Views with your views, comments & articles from within Fulbrook • What’s going on at the FMP & the Diary • News and forthcoming events from Fulbrook Church • News from Burford School • A new recipe from our Semi-naked Chef • Do read on . . . . .

The bonfire at Bob Warner’s fireworks party

WANTED for publication! Please send us your articles, comments, ideas, letters, poems, whatever. This is your Newsletter – please send contributions to our new email address: [email protected] Next Issue: March 2018, Copy Date - Monday 12 th February 2018 The Fulbrook Newsletter is distributed free to every household in the village. Subscription copies are available by post at £5.00 per annum from the distribution office at Dolphin House, Westhall Hill, OX18 4BJ

Dear Readers, Since the last newsletter we have been enjoying some glorious autumn days with lovely golden hues from the characteristic beech trees shedding their leaves to make a golden carpet beneath, and cloudless blue skies. All the more to be relished, as these days have been punctuated by some less romantic wet and dreary days, where all we have wanted to do is stay safely inside. However, Fulbrook people are not to be put off so easily from venturing out to come together to enjoy themselves and we have had a number of celebrations in all parts of the village. November 4th was a wet and windy day, but this did not stop the sterling work of all the people buckling down to the village clean up, and gathering together many many bags of leaves and debris – some to be collected by the council but others to contribute to the bonfire which was lit in the evening as part of the celebrations for fireworks night. The clean up was followed by wonderful refreshments in the church and our thanks go to the Amenities Committee for organising everything, and to everyone who gave their time and energy and braved the weather to help. The fireworks celebrations were generously hosted by Bob and Pauline Warner in their field and barn and many thanks go to them. Fortunately, by the evening the wind and rain had stopped, and although it was cold, a large number of children and adults came together to enjoy a magnificent and very lengthy display of fireworks that could be seen throughout the village. Those who came also brought food and drink to share which made for a jolly and sociable evening and an excellent end to the day. The photo on the front cover is of the guy on top of the bonfire. Other occasions brought various people together in the village to celebrate too – Jean and Bill Nelson are to be congratulated on their Golden Wedding on 8th October which they marked with a family party at the Upton Smokery; Oliver and Robyn Sharpley are celebrating the safe arrival of their little granddaughter Nancy Bluebell, and Jane and Keith George celebrated their 50th birthdays at the Warwick Hall – with an ‘Oompah Band’! The article on the Church news celebrates the coming together of many people in some excellent services in October and November. Don’t forget to put the Christmas Eve carol service at 4pm in your diaries – but get to the church a little early as this is always a wonderful occasion when the church will be full. We have some new people to welcome in the village – Mark Harrison and his family have bought Minstrel Cottage and have moved into Beech Grove, and there are two Australians, Jeff and Murray, who have rented Footstool Cottage in Meadow Lane for the winter for the second or third time. A hearty welcome to them – please do join in with the village activities and events, which make living here quite special. We need to say a big ‘Get Well’ to two members of the Weir family – Anne who is having surgery (and especially good wishes from the Thursday fitness group who have missed her) and David who has been injured in two recent accidents. We hope that you will both be completely recovered by Christmas and able to fully enjoy the season. We also have to say a very fond farewell to Maurice and Jo Robinson but hope very much we shall be continuing to welcome them back to the lunch club and the coffee mornings held regularly in the Fulbrook Meeting Place (see the FMP news for dates). Another farewell too, to Marta, Santi and Kenya Morena who have moved from Westhall Hill to Ascott-under-Wychwood. In December we have more to look forward to – the Fitness Group and other groups will be having their Christmas lunches, there will be carol singing around the village on December 19th – always fun to join in - everyone is welcome, just come and join in at the start at The Carpenters Arms at 6.30pm, and the carol service on 24th December at 4pm and service on Christmas morning at 9.30am. There is a full Christmas lunch being offered at the Warwick Hall for anyone who would like to go – please call in at the Warwick Hall if you would like to book for this. The weather forecasters have been making rather gloomy predictions about cold and snowy weather – let’s hope they are wrong (although just a sprinkling of snow can be very beautiful and get us in the Christmas spirit). But if they are right please remember your neighbours and anyone who may need help or shopping and call the Churchwardens if you know of anyone who especially needs friendship at this time of year. We wish you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas and hopeful New Year. Lyn Bibbings Burns

Editorial Team: Hon. Secretary & Distributor: Jenny Jones, Meadow House, Meadow Lane, 823492 Hon. Treasurer & Compiler: Laurence Balbes, Meadow Way Cottage, Meadow Lane, 823990 Advertising: Lesley Beveridge, Meadow View, Arkel Close, 824352 Local Correspondent & Distributor: Diana Brown, Dolphin House, Westhall Hill, 822147 Lyn Bibbings Burns, Garden House, Dolphin Lane, 823640 (Editorial this issue) 2

2 FULBROOK, OXFORDSHIRE numbers and the Parish council will then PARISH COUNCIL pass them to Police. They will follow up Chairman: with a warning letter; any constant offenders Wally Ingleby 822192 will be pursued for prosecution. These are Councillors: outline details but volunteers will be required Peter Burns 823640 (VC) for the work. If anyone is interested could Tricia Picking 822287 you please contact Jo Glyde, on the usual Bob Warner 822761 Lyn Newland 07810 088374 number.

Parish Clerk: • Please let the Parish Council know what you Jo Glyde think about any of the above or other issues. ([email protected]) Meetings of FPC are held at the Meeting Pipkin, Beech Grove, Fulbrook, OX18 Place at the back of the church and the 4DF Telephone 823023 following date has been set for the next www.fulbrookvillage.net meeting:- th 15 January 2018, 7.30pm All are welcome at these meetings. FULBROOK PARISH COUNCIL Don’t forget the website www.fulbrookvillage.net There has been one Parish Council meeting held since the last Newsletter, the date of which was 25th Wally Ingleby September 2017. Chairman Points to Note are:-

• Amenities Committee Chairperson, I’m From the Parish Clerk: pleased to report that Malcolm Taylor has Our MP Robert Courts has recently written to the accepted the role of chairperson and we look Parish Clerk advising of a scheme run by Witney forward to his leadership of the committee. Lions Club. It is called the Message in a Bottle Malcolm and Catherine Taylor came to the scheme. The club provides small plastic bottles, free village recently to run the Cotlands Guest of charge, inside which the user places their House. Malcolm held previous roles in emergency information, including medical details finance and accounting. and contact information. This is then kept in the • Robert Courts, the local Conservative MP for fridge and can be readily accessed by Emergency Witney, visited the Parish and met with 4 Services if they are called to the home in an members from the Parish council. General emergency. discussions were held on roads, The user places the green stickers provided on the developments, weight restrictions, access to outside of the fridge and on the inside of their front Burford, speeding, and not least of all traffic door. All the Emergency Staff are aware of the congestion. We were pleased to note he scheme and are trained to look for these stickers. shared many of the same views; we hope to be working more closely with him in the near More information can be found on the Witney Lions future. Club website: witneylions.org.uk/messageinabottle.html. • The War Memorial Trust has now made The Witney Lions are keen to point out that this payment of the grant and the War memorial scheme is free. looked splendid for Remembrance Sunday. I hope everyone will thank the Wyatt’s and The Parish Clerk e-mails fortnightly details of Bob Tivey who have offered to provide a planning applications, events and other new cherry tree to replace the old one. communications from West Oxfordshire District • Speeding through the village is a constant Council. If you would like to be added to the list source of concern for all, so we are please let me know, [email protected]. investigating the Community Speedwatch Jo Glyde, Parish Clerk scheme. Basically volunteers are required to 01993 823023 use a speed gun, log offenders’ registration

BURFORD AND DISTRICT For more information contact HORTICULTURAL ASSOCIATION [email protected]. In August we had a car outing to Sezincote House. It was a beautiful afternoon and we were sorry that In addition to these dates, we are holding a Special rather few members came. It is a fascinating garden Interest Day on 28 February 2018 on “Bankrolling and very relevant to our October talk. the Renaissance: a History of the Medici Family” by Douglas Skeggs. This takes place from 10.45- In September Gail Plant gave a well-attended and 3.00pm with a light lunch served, venue to be enjoyable talk on Scent in the Garden. She brought confirmed. Booking is essential (non-members samples of scented flowers and leaves and excited £33). Contact: plenty of interest. [email protected]. Then in October Nathalie Mignotte gave a Robin McCulloch fascinating talk on Chinese and Japanese gardens. She has a keen interest in the relationship between THE FULBROOK FORUM faiths and gardens and how the sociological and 7 Sep 2017 - Past and Present of the Tolsey religious symbolism has been represented in, as well Museum by Chris Walker as influencing, the evolution of gardens. She told us Every Community needs someone like Chris Walker that most gardens are designed to be viewed from in it. A farmer’s son from Asthall, born and bred in one perspective and walked round in one direction the Burford area, he has devoted his life to studying only. Raked gravel symbolises water and cloud and supporting the history and antiquity of the pruned trees are from the clouds on the mountains locality. Many of you will have read his regular where the spirits live. She also explained the columns in the Bridge Magazine. symbolism of particular plants and how bonsai originated. Chris joined the Tolsey Museum Committee in 1971, becoming Chairman and Curator more than a Our 2018 season kicks off on Thursday 25 th January decade ago. The Museum, opened in 1960, was at 2-15 in the Bowls Club with a talk on David formed to house the Maces and Muniments (old Austin Roses by Mervyn Reed. records of the Burford Corporation, dissolved in David Day 1861) which had been kept at Riverside House by Dr C T Cheatle, whose father was the last Burgess. Alongside these, many articles of social and THE ARTS SOCIETY COTSWOLDS (formerly historical interest, were discovered in Burford attics CDFAS) by the late antique dealer Roger Warner. (One item of particular pathos is an old manacle which was The Arts Society Cotswolds' Christmas lecture will used to tether Fanny Bussen, a local lady with be on Wednesday, 13 December 2017. It is “Angels severe mental problems, whilst her family were out from the Realms of Glory: the Wilton Diptych and at work). the Roof of Westminster Hall” by Mark Cottle. The Wilton Diptych is one of the most beautiful yet Thanks to his interest in local history, in recent years enigmatic paintings ever made and the hammer- Chris has managed to procure many interesting beam angel has been described by the architectural artefacts for the museum including: the giant bronze historian John Harvey, as ‘the most outstanding Mortar of 1659 made by Burford bell-founder individual work in the whole history of English art’. Edward Neale; the Day Book of Burford stonemason and architect, Christopher Kempster On 10 January 2018 the lecture is “Modern Painting (b.1627-d.1715); examples of Helen Bryce’s comes to Scotland: Glasgow Boys and Scottish paintings, complementing artwork and printing from Colourists” by Dr Anne Anderson. 14 February Cocklands Press; copies of the Countryman 2018 is “Fakes and Forgeries: the Art of Deception” magazine which were edited in Sheep Street and by Malcolm Kenwood. most recently a tin model of Burford Church, created by the 19th century Tinsmith Benjamin Lectures begin at 11.30am at The Warwick Hall, Richards. Church Green, Burford OX18 4RZ. Non-members The Museum has been supported by several are very welcome (suggested donation £10). generous legacies and public appeals to the community. Chris is now looking forward to an 4 exciting project, under the auspices of the Falkland High Street were closed for the occasion. We then Hall Trust, which is to set up an Archive Facility in showed a Burford Primary School fete, with some the Town. This will give room for better storage and spectacular Maypole dancing. access to the many documents presently stored in the museum, with space for researchers to work. He 2 November 2017 hopes this may be a catalyst for a Local History Group to be formed. Sincere apologies for the late cancellation of this Chris is grateful to the many volunteer stewards who talk on “Inheritance Tax and the Recent Changes”. keep the Museum open every day except Mondays, Our speaker had to cancel at short notice and April to October, from 2 to 5pm. Entry is free, with unfortunately the only way to contact you is via my a jar for visitor contributions. email list, which I realise does not reach everybody.

th 5 October 2017 - 900 Anniversary of the Future Fulbrook Forum meetings: Burford Charter Celebrations - a 1990 video of the Celebrations by Oliver Sharpley We have a very exciting topic coming up on 7 December: After retirement, many of us begin reflecting back to the past and try to sort out the baggage that we have 7 December 2017 The Millennium Star by Tim accumulated. We found a large pile of VHS tapes, Thorn - Tim was formerly which had recorded the various events of the Director of Security for De Sharpley Family in Fulbrook. One of these tapes Beers. The “Millennium Star” recorded a Sharpley-centric view of the above was a flawless 203 carat Celebrations, which we hoped might be of wider diamond with an estimated interest. value of £200 million. It was the main target of an After much technological anguish, I managed to attempted £350 million digitise the VHS tape which was mildly edited in robbery from an exhibition in Windows Moviemaker. The next challenge was to the Millennium Dome in get the sound to play through the projector. By this November 2000. If time, my hair was trying to go whiter than it already successful, it would have been is. A fortuitous encounter with Alan Read offered a the biggest robbery up to that solution, which was to plug a cable into the time and Tim’s talk will be earphone socket of the laptop and play it through about how the raid was foiled some speakers. Ahah! More baggage upstairs by the Flying Squad. revealed my son’s old Sony CD Radio player with 2 speakers, but how to connect it. Further rifling 4 January 2018 No meeting through 50 years of cables, which were kept “just in case,” and, after more white hair moments, I found a 1 February 2018 My Times in Burford by Peter cable for the job. By this time I had to confess to Harris Robyn that a large glass of something was required…Well, I am delighted to say that the All meetings are held at the Carpenters Arms, technology worked on the day, apart from one Fulbrook, by kind permission of the Landlords Dan moment, when some nasty feedback noise caused & Frankie Fowkes at 3pm. £2 donation to include many in the audience to reach for their hearing aids! tea coffee and refreshments. We started with a few slides in explanation of the Charter, followed by the video which was centred on Please put our future meetings in your diary. If you the efforts of the Burford Primary School, as two of would like a diary reminder about 1 week before our children were attendees. We saw the formation each meeting, email me [email protected] with of various floats and vintage cars in Sheep Street. your email address. The pageant then wended its way up the High Street, Oliver Sharpley around the roundabout, and into the Recreation ground. Amazingly, both the A40 and the entire 5

HISTORY GROUP community minded neighbours and so it a Big

Thank you to Sue Newport and Paul Miller. At our recent meeting on 2 nd October, Maurice

Eldridge told us about the Facebook group Should anyone who is not on the Neighbourhood Memories of Burford, Oxfordshire. Type Memories Watch circulation list and wishes to be included then of Burford into the search box at the top of your please let me know by sending an email to my Facebook page and it will take you to it. There’s lots address below. of interesting information and photos for those interested in local history. Stay Safe over the Festive Season

We all know the financial pressures put on families Maurice has also bought a copy of the Fulbrook as we approach the festive season. Regrettably, at section of the 1939 Register from the ‘find my past’ this time of year, as homes are filled with Christmas website (www.findmypast.co.uk) which he gifts and additional treats to be enjoyed, it is a time subscribes to. The Register was compiled at the when burglars, pickpockets and opportunists are also outbreak of World War II and contains the personal at their most active. Here are a few things you can details of 41 million people living in England and do to help stay safe over the festive season: Wales at the time. The Fulbrook section of the

Register shows the details of the people living in the - Whilst out shopping, please be aware of the village at that time who have since passed away threat of pickpockets; ladies, keep your (those still alive and below the age of 100 are purses and wallets out of sight and keep your locked). As the 1931 census was destroyed during handbags closed as your smart-phones are an air raid on London and the 1941 census was also at risk never taken due to the war, the 1939 Register is the only surviving overview of the civil population of - Gents, keep wallets in an inside pocket along England and Wales during the period from 1921 to with smartphones 1951 and is therefore a very important historical - When shopping, remember to put any document. purchases in the boot of the car and not just on the seats to avoid tempting the car thief Tricia Picking also told us that she is writing a history of the Fulbrook War Memorial. Watch this - And ladies, try not to leave your handbag on space for further information. the passenger seat when you’re driving, because, there is the threat that should you Our next meeting will be on Monday 8th January stop at traffic lights, crossings or at corners, a 2018 at 7.30 pm at Triggers Cottage, Meadow Lane. thief could open the door and make off with We welcome guests to our meetings, so if you are the handbag along with purse, smartphone, interested in the history of the village or if you have house keys etc. Place your handbag, either in any information to contribute to our research you are your boot, or under the seat and lock the welcome to join us. doors Laurence Balbes - Whilst out at Christmas, avoid leaving a credit / debit card behind the bar as this NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH - November 2017 substantially increases the risk of identity Safer Communities, Safer Fulbrook theft

- With the shorter days, now is a good time to Local Activity Update check all outside and PIR lights are working During the early part of November, we had an alert from two of our neighbours who observed a couple - Lock windows if you are unlikely to be of strangers acting suspiciously in the village (the opening them in the winter months impression they gave was that they were sizing up - Leave lights on if you go out. The flameless properties for possibly committing burglaries later). battery operated candles on timers (for all the Our neighbours immediately took action by calling ladies in the village who love a candle, and I the police and telling other neighbours. I got to hear know there are quite a lot of you!) are also a of it and sent the information around the village via good distraction at this time of year the Neighbourhood Watch circulation list. I feel that it is highly appropriate to publicly thank these very 6

- Keep garage doors closed and locked (the storage of Christmas booze in outbuildings is a temptation) Here is the latest contribution from our resident poet, Joanna Lynham: - Always ensure that the doors to your house

are locked, even when the house is occupied, The Turkey Song as the opportunist burglar could try to enter.

Also keep all keys well away from the doors The turkey said ‘before I’m dead - Christmas presents under the tree may look I’ll go instead to Burford beautiful but are tempting to thieves – keep them out of sight until Santa’s been! I’ll hide among the ducks and geese - And finally, after Christmas, be sure to tear like any other free bird, up the packaging of your gifts and place in your blue recycling bin so you don’t I’ll preen and feed on bread and scraps advertise to thieves what’s new in your home thrown by smiling children, because, they will be watching. I’ll be the one to preen and strut Planning a holiday in the new year…? the eater not the eaten’. The Royal Mail will hold your mail while you are away. Don’t let mail pile up on your doorstep while So turkeys all, pray heed my call – you’re not there. Royal Mail ‘Keepsafe’ will help come with me to Burford, keep your home and identity safe by holding onto your mail while you’re away and safely returning it We’ll celebrate our special day once you’re back. It’s easy to apply for a Keepsafe and put online – they just need five days’ notice to get it set our best foot forward. JL up. It costs £14 for 17 days; incremental cost for additional weeks. www.royalmail.com

If you see something, report it! In an emergency dial 999. Otherwise contact Thames Valley Police on 101.

With all good wishes for the festive season

Jim MacAllan Email: [email protected]

Note from the Compiler:

A printing glitch has meant that, in this issue, there is no page 12 and the pages after page 11 are numbered 13 – 25 instead of 12 – 24. We apologise for any inconvenience.

Laurence Balbes

______

Our November meeting started with an interactive session with Nara Kronfli, who runs the Cotswold Retreat in Alvescot. Nara is a Reiki Master Teacher and a Practitioner Meditation Teacher. She taught us wonderfully calming meditation techniques starting with a four minute breathing exercise which had amazing, relaxing effects, so much so, some of us fell asleep! The methods she teaches are easy to adopt especially when stressed or anxious and they can be practised at any time, in any situation. The benefits of meditation and mindfulness are vast and supported by scientific evidence; even some schools have adopted this practise. More information about Nara and the courses she runs can be found on her website: www.cotswoldretreat.co.uk

The Oxfordshire Federation of WI (OFWI) is a very proud supporter of the Oxfordshire Women’s Refuges, and for the Christmas campaign they asked all Oxfordshire WI’s to fill a shoebox of full of toiletries. Well, the response from our wonderfully generous FaB WI members was overwhelming – we have enough products to fill about 20! Grateful thanks for all the donations.

The National Federation of WI (NFWI) recently launched the Link Together Campaign to Alleviate Loneliness. Our group’s first attempt to address the issue of loneliness is in part met by our planned Lunch Club which will have its inaugural outing on the 21 st November.

In December we are delighted to welcome Rosie of Rosie Red Corsetry & Couture. She creates luxury bespoke bridal and couture-wear. Her clients come from all over the world and include a celebrity following; Helena Bonham Carter to name but one.

The programme for 2019 includes a fantastic mix of speakers, interactive sessions, a demonstration and a garden visit. In January we start with our New Year Celebration Dinner.

Anyone wishing to “try us out” is most welcome. Even if you’re not into baking or making things, that’s absolutely fine, no one expects you to. It’s just a good excuse to hear interesting talks and meet people from your local community. There is a suggested donation of £4.50 for guests to attend our monthly meetings which are held on the 2 nd Tuesday of each month at 7.30pm in the Old Hall in the Warwick Hall. Contact Angela Weller on 01993 822012 or at [email protected]. More information about us can also be found on www.thefabwi.org.uk.

The FaB WI Walking Group is open to members, non-members, friends and families, and dogs. The walks are on the first Friday of the month starting from the Carpenters Arms at 10am. Contact Sue Newport for more information 07966 153797. Sue also runs the Theatre Group. The Book Club which meets once a month at 7.30pm in the Highway Hotel is also open to non-members. Contact Sara Hall at the Mad Hatters Bookshop for further details.

Gillie Westwood

The purpose of Fulbrook News and Fulbrook News and Views Views is to highlight any issues or From the Editorial Team...... interests within the village. For In this issue we include obituaries for Mwndeg this to work successfully we need Alexander and Rosemary Druce, news of the contributions from as many Fulbrook Christmas Carols, an appeal from The readers as possible. As you can see Wychwood Project and much more ...... here, these can be of a serious,

flippant or humorous nature.

A conversation with ...... Hilary Tadman-Robins

Apart from riding horses, Hilary Tadman-Robins cites playing the piano as being one of her earliest interests. Her aunt played on the radio with Violet Carsons, (before her days as Ena Sharples) and, in addition, the two were part of a palm court orchestra at one of the Llandudno hotels. So, with music in the family she learnt from a very young age the joy of sight-reading at the piano, which she described as great fun on a rainy Saturday afternoon! She graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music where she studied piano, organ, timpani and percussion. She found these talents to be particularly lucrative whilst studying as she could earn really good money playing alongside percussion teacher Harry Massey, for the BBC Northern Orchestra on the radio. As an organist she played the Hammond organ in working men’s clubs where she was expected to turn up and accompany various acts with no rehearsal or forewarning. One such act was an escapologist who required piece after piece to represent the tricks he performed. This was rather difficult as she had her back to him whilst playing!

After college she had no clear career direction in mind and so took a post graduate teaching course at the Institute of Education in London, studying under the tutelage of the acclaimed Keith Swanwick. Her teaching practice was a baptism of fire at the very challenging Tufnell Park Comprehensive School, but it didn’t put her off and she achieved a distinction for her efforts. Back in the north she took up a position at Woodville Secondary School for Girls, a new school with a forward-thinking head teacher where she formed a choir, orchestra and, unusually at the time, a folk group. Wilmslow Girls’ Grammar School followed and she progressed to head of department. This was a different challenge as the music department was a prominent part of the school with twenty girls in each sixth form year studying the subject to A level. 9

It wasn’t until 1982 that she moved to Fulbrook to take up her post as head of music at the Henry Box School in Witney. By then Hilary had two children, Anna and Christian, so juggling a very demanding job and what had become a difficult home life took huge resilience. One of her fond memories of Henry Box was setting up a steel band, which became very popular with the students and their many performances were well-received. It was a large department and other notable productions included the musical, Guys and Dolls, and Fauré’s Requiem. The weight of this responsibility led Hilary to take a less demanding part-time role at Hatherop Castle School and she retains very happy memories of working with the talented musicians there.

In 1996 Hilary took early retirement from teaching due to a very serious illness after a surgical procedure left her with femoral nerve damage and for a period of time she needed a wheelchair. What was she to do? Easy (not for the majority of us), she learnt how to repair string instruments, notably violins, violas and cellos before setting up her own business ‘Strings and Things’. Well, she loved it and on one occasion bought a violin in a very poor state at auction for £50. On inspection, she was delighted to find a beautiful lining inside and after renovation it fetched £800. This experience and finding a ‘story’ inside an old cello were ‘very special moments’.

Hilary enjoyed a happy childhood growing up in Marple in Cheshire and she speaks of her father with great affection. He was very badly wounded at the battle of El Alamein in 1942, which terminated his career as a major in the army. Some of her happiest memories are of playing old fashioned party games at do’s thrown by her sociable parents. Her father was an entrepreneur and amongst his many businesses he owned a bingo hall. Being a sympathetic and gentle man he, on one occasion, gave a lady tickets for the bingo because he couldn’t bring himself to take the two old crowns she offered as payment.

Family holidays featured largely during childhood and she and her sister were driven across Europe in a Zephyr Zodiac to, naming but a few, Yugoslavia, Poland and Spain. Regular trips to Newquay in Cornwall and the Lake District were full of family fun. But when she was 8 or 9 her parents bought a small-holding and she was given a pony. This opened up a whole new world of competition to Hilary. Her mounted games team won the Prince Philip Cup at The Horse of the Year Show Wembley twice and she remembers Prince Philip himself presenting the prize - ‘we had the best ever time’.

Now grown up, Anna has inherited her mother’s talent and is a very successful teacher of music at Bournside School in Cheltenham. She was a music scholar at Wells Cathedral School, was a member of the National Youth Choir and subsequently studied music at Royal Holloway. Christian now lives in Melbourne, Australia and is very happy working as an audiologist - after completing his masters degree. He too was a music scholar though and played the flute in the National Youth Orchestra. She must be very proud of them both.

Now, at the age of 70 (who would believe it?), she is still very much the musician being heavily involved in the church benefice and with the very famous Burford Singers. It was in 1997 that she started the Cotswold Children’s Choir with 30 children attending a summer school. Around 20 kids then formed the choir rehearsing every Saturday in the Barrington Village Hall. Their numbers rapidly increased and they had to move on to the Methodist Church in Burford to get the space they needed to rehearse the termly concert performances. She was asked to form the Benefice Choir in 1999 and following that the Reverend Richard Coombs gave her the opportunity to lead as Musical Director. This was to become a huge influence and she wrote numerous musical arrangements as well as staging the very successful community production of Benjamin Britten’s Noye’s Fludde as a millennium project in June 2000. Many of us remember this as an outstanding performance but as a project Hilary believes that it changed the way in which Burford Church was to be used and enjoyed. In fact, so as to keep alive the community spirit engendered by the event,

10 in the following year Lady Sylvia McLintock and Hilary began plans for a Burford Festival - the very first. Apart from the music Hilary, along with Molly Woolley and Joyce Curtis, ran the Sunday School in Fulbrook for many years. Pulling together and conducting choirs for weddings and funerals is something she does on a regular basis. One of the greatest privileges that Hilary cherishes is the discovery of ‘the person’ whilst playing the organ at a funeral - you think you know someone but there is always much, much more.

As a workaholic, thankfully for many, Hilary maintains a teaching portfolio which she very much enjoys. So, I asked “what makes a good student?” - “someone who is prepared to practise daily”. One such student is Flora and she will make a ‘fabulous pianist’ because she is diligent, and does as she is told by working on the bits she needs to, to get it right.

It is quite apparent that music is hugely important to Hilary and there have been very special people who have influenced her over the years. She took the greatest pleasure in working with Sir Philip Ledger, ‘a wonderful pianist and musician’, who enlisted her to assist him with the music- writing computer programme ‘Sibelius’. Another special experience and a real highlight was the recording of ‘The Cotswold Children’s Choir singing “Spells - The Music of Bob Chilcott” with Philip playing the piano. Of course, this conversation would not be complete without mentioning “The Oxford Book of Flexible Anthems” (published by OUP) which contains one of Hilary’s compositions, and “Just for Starters – Dances for Piano”, (Encore Publications), which she co- wrote with Philip. Her ‘Square Dance’ from this book is currently one of the pieces set for Grade 3 Trinity Piano Exams.

Enthusiasm and a deep love of music ooze from Hilary T-R and the idea that life is too short just seems to provide her with the incentive to pack more in.

Hilary’s perfect Christmas: Fulbrook or Australia? Fulbrook - it’s not the same in Australia and one year we sang In the Bleak Midwinter in Adelaide Cathedral and it was 39 degrees! Shopping Centre or the Internet? Internet Christmas tree - real or artificial? Real for years then I thought about chopping down all the trees so artificial now Crackers - bought or home-made? Bought - no time to do anything else Breakfast - full English or smoked salmon and eggs? Always church services so just a piece of toast Bucks Fizz or builders’ tea? Bucks fizz for fun Roast turkey or nut roast? Roast turkey every time TV or parlour games? Parlour games or round the piano Christmas pud or pavlova? Pavlova - pud too heavy Blackberry vodka or sloe gin? I have a thornless blackberry in the garden that is very prolific so it’s the vodka What couldn’t you do without? Friends and family - I give thanks for the support and friendship from people in this wonderful village and I don’t know what I’d do without them all!

CHRISTMAS CAROLS FULBROOK - 19TH DECEMBER 2017

Once again, Fulbrook Amenities Group are delighted to invite you to wrap up warm and join them to sing your favourite Carols and spread some Christmas cheer.

We will meet at 6.30 pm at the Carpenters Arms. The singers will then make their way to Meadow End to arrive there by 6.45 pm when everyone will be encouraged to join in and sing.a

Moving on around 7.15pm, the group will make their way up Westhalls Hill and any hearty singers who wish to join in will be most welcome. m Finally, the singers will return to The Carpenters Arms pub for some well deserved refreshments. a (For further information contact Malcolm Taylorn on 824179)

Malcolm Taylor

A VISITOR FROM THE PAST

One day in July a couple came to the door. The lady explained that her husband, Anthony Horton, had been a pupil at “Cotter’s Bow School” in Fulbrook during the e second world war. Mr and Mrs Horton came in and I was able to give them a copy of the article I had writtenr about “Cotters Bow” in “Harvey’s Tales”. Mr Horton and his sister had been evacuated from Londons during the war. He had a photograph of the two of them and said how he had loved his life in Fulbrook. The food was always good and I told him that the cook was Harvey Crook’s mother. He kindly gavea us a copy of his school report for the summer term of 1947 when he was about 8 or 9. We were very interesteds to notice that for “Games” was written “Good. A GOOD TEAM SPIRIT. Should be a good cricketer” Victoria, his wife, explained that Anthony had played rugby for England between 1965 and 1967 and later for the British Lions. There is an entry all about him in Google under Tony Horton Rugby Union.

If you have a copy of the Fulbrook Village Appraisal, “Cotters Bow School” would have been about numbers 140 to 143 (Windrush End to Cotters Bow House).

Anne Weir

Mwyneg Alexander

Mwyndeg was quite clear that she didn’t want to live to be 100, so it was perhaps fitting that she should have passed away within days of what would have been that remarkable milestone. And how good it was that we had been able to see her back in Fulbrook in the summer when she got together once again with fellow nonagenarian Joan Smith at our church party.

Mwyndeg symbolized all that is so special about living in Fulbrook: warm-hearted, ever-smiling and essentially neighbour-friendly. The door of Fulbrook House was always open to all comers and the welcome we all constantly received was as warm as it was entirely genuine.

It was Mwyndeg who made me feel at home the moment I moved to the village in 1977 and I’m sure we all have our own special memories of the wonderful friendliness which radiated from her ever-present smile.

It’s one of the oldest clichés in the book, but we really will not see her like again and will remain forever grateful for the pleasure we had in knowing her so well and for so long. Even when she moved eventually to Burford, I have no doubt her heart remained very firmly in Fulbrook and it was so good to see so many villagers at her thanksgiving service. She will be much missed but most fondly remembered.

Brian Kay

Rosemary Druce

Miss Druce, known to many affectionately as Drucie, died on 30th October at the Ramping Cat Nursing Home where she had been for a year with a lovely view over to her house at Fulbrook. She was ninety seven and had lived at Pool House, Westhall Hill for more than sixty years. To those who remember her she was a familiar figure either driving about the village in her old green Triumph Herald, or walking her greyhound whatever the weather, and sometimes helping out a neighbour with her ponies. She would also be seen selling poppies for Armistice Day. She was loved and will be missed. Rosemary Druce was born in the Welsh Borders in 1920. She was profoundly deaf and there was little help for that available in those days. This was to shape much of her life. Her mother had been a nurse and was a key figure in Rosemary’s childhood but, sadly, died when Rosemary was ten. So life then changed abruptly for her. Her father and she moved to Stroud where he became a teacher at Stroud School. He was a literary and musical man who was happy in his books and listening to music. Later he acquired a job teaching at Tonbridge School and, at this point, Rosemary was sent to boarding school where she was unhappy as people mistook her faulty hearing for stupidity. Her abiding memories at this time were of holidays at her aunt and uncle’s hop farm in Herefordshire. Rosemary loved helping on the farm and working with assorted animals. She talked of fun playing with her cousins in a loving household. She often spoke of the pump in the cellar which pumped up water from a spring, of the huge meals with the farmworkers at a long wooden table, of helping with the lambing and mucking out the stable. She always called herself a”True Hereford Lady” and was proud of it. Then they moved to Garsington, near Oxford, where her paternal grandparents lived. Her grandfather was a blacksmith. During the War she was a Land Girl working with Shire Horses, and subsequently she worked at stables that trained eventers, many of which she rode. She had become an expert horsewoman and continued to love horses all her life. In the early fifties Rosemary and her father moved to Pool House where they lived quietly, her father reading and Rosemary baking, jam making, gardening, always with her greyhound. She played the organ at Fulbrook Church for some years. Her father died and she retained the way of life she had established. She became a member of the Burford committee for Refugee Aid and contributed enormously to that cause by giving all the rental she had earned through letting out her upper floors, and by making numerous cakes and jams for their bazaars. She was almost entirely self sufficient: a lifetime vegetarian, living on her garden produce, baking her bread in an ancient Rayburn, boiling a kettle for the dishwashing, but washing herself in cold water. She used to say “Well Africans always do that”. When friends called she was usually to be found digging her garden, but was known to paint her window frames and change her car tyres, even into her eighties. She would always offer a cup of tea and a piece of cake. She would be surrounded by charity leaflets to which she would be subscribing, particularly SPANA which was her favourite. She loved listening to radio three, and watching television programmes on the natural world. People were attracted by to her total honesty, her directness, her generosity of spirit and her contentment in her frugal life. Her values were an inspiration. Miss Druce’s funeral service took place at the church here in Fulbrook. Our condolences go to her cousins Mervyn and Hilary.

Wychwood Project appeal

We have at least 50 species of native trees and shrubs in Britain, including three native conifers (juniper, scots pine and yew). These ‘native’ trees colonised the land when the glaciers melted after the last ice age and before the land mass was disconnected from mainland Europe. Our most iconic tree, the oak, can grow to well over 30 meters high – and can live for over 1000 years.

As the festive season approaches, most of us will enjoy bringing a tree into our home to decorate in the traditional way. As tree champions it’s a good time for the Wychwood project to reflect the many benefits these wonderful plants bring us. We hope you enjoy our ‘tree for life’!

We have over 11,000 ’trees for life’ at Foxburrow Community Wood, Witney. If you would like to help us care for them this Christmas and into the future, please make a donation today.

You can donate via Just Giving www.justgiving.com/wychwoodproject/trees, by texting 'OAKS17 10' to 70070 to donate £10 (you can substitute the '10' for 1,2,3,4,5 to alter your donation amount), on-line at www.wychwoodproject.org and visit our ‘Shop’, by cheque, (payable to Wychwood Project) to Wychwood Project, WODC Offices, Elmfield, New Yatt Road, Witney, Oxon, OX28 1PB (please mark your envelope TFL) or by bank transfer to Sort code 20-97-48 Account number 70446939 with ‘TFL’ and your name as a reference

Children’s Society Coin Boxes

I will be counting and banking the proceeds of the coin boxes during January. It would be very helpful if they could be given to me during the next few weeks. If you need me to collect the box please ring me on the number below. My thanks go to all of you who help with this very worthwhile cause. Last year £1.6 Million loose change was collected and Fulbrook contributed over £600!

Gillian Kay 823193

21st December Coffee Morning

The monthly coffee morning for December will be on the third Thursday, not the usual fourth Thursday. Why not take a break from all that cooking and present wrapping and come along to the Meeting Place from 10.30am on December 21st for a cup of coffee and some Christmas cheer? There may even be some delicious home-made mince pies and other goodies. See you there.

Gilly Kay 823193

From Oxfordshire County Council:

Entry to primary or infant school – September 2018 Children born between 1st September 2013 and 31st August 2014

OCC are trying to reach as many parents as possible to ensure that applications for admission to school in September 2018 are made on time. The most important dates in the admissions process are: 15th January 2018 – closing date for on time applications Parents/carers must apply by this date, online at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/admissions or on paper (forms available from the County Council website or a local school) 16th April 2018 – letters offering places will be posted second class. Those who applied on-line will receive an email and will be able to view the result of their application online.

Ben Newport – an apology

In his Tech Tip #4 in the September issue of the Newsletter we mistakenly showed Ben Newport’s name as Ben Needham, who was the little toddler who disappeared on the Greek island of Kos in July 1991. We apologise to Ben for this unfortunate error.

This is a thank you letter to all the friends and neighbours who cleaned our home when Jeanne went to hospital - sent cards, plants, flowers, meals plus crutches, cushions, sheepskins and not forgetting the now famous “HIPPY CHAIR”, and a special mention to the couple who walked from one end of Fulbrook to our home at the other end carrying what was obviously W.C. equipment. Greater Love………. How lucky we are to live in this village for so long (43 years - sorry Brian we just beat you!!)

We thank you all so much for speeding up my recovery,

From

Bill and Jeanne

THE FOLKS WHO LIVE ON THE HILL!

Fulbrook War Memorial

Our War Memorial has now been refurbished. Harri-stone have carefully repaired the weathered and disintegrated stones and it is looking good. The Parish Council received a generous grant of £3,190 from the War Memorials Trust towards the total cost of £5,100, they also acknowledge Gavin Beveridge’s work in the supervision of the project. The surround helps to protect the memorial. It has been tidied for the Village Clean up.

63 parishioners attended the short service conducted by Dr.The Rev. Rob Wainwright on Sunday 12th November at 9.30 when Ian Brown sounded the last post followed by a minute silence. The names on the memorial of the men from Fulbrook were read out by John Radcliffe. Two wreathes were placed on the memorial representing parishioners and members of FaB WI. Family crosses are placed in the gravel.

Tricia Picking

News from . . .

I would like to start by thanking Bob and Pauline Warner for their kind hospitality for the fireworks evening. It was the first time we have managed to go and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's always great fun when the village gets together.

Myself and Dan would also like to thank you all for your continued support, we look forward to seeing the local groups for their Christmas get togethers. On the subject of Christmas please see the changes in hours below and any extra info you may need:

Christmas Eve - Food served until 4pm (not a roast) Open 12-10pm - Buffet 6-8pm - Theme for the evening is Board Games

Christmas Day - Open 11.30-3pm - No Food Service

Boxing Day - Open 12-10pm - Food served until 4pm

New Year’s Eve - Open 12 - 1am - Food served until 4pm Buffet served 6-9pm (Free) Family disco and karaoke 6-1am All welcome.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Frankie x

THE FULBROOK MEETING PLACE

The Fulbrook Meeting Place continues to host the regular weekly Fitness Group and monthly lunch club and coffee mornings plus occasional Special events.

REGULAR EVENTS Fulbrook Fitness Group – Fulbrook Fitness is held every Thursday morning at 9am until 10am. Run by Pat Ferrett, we do 30 mins of aerobics and 30 mins stretching. No age limit – just put in as much, or as little, effort as you are comfortable with. Contact Pat on 822892 or just turn up at the FMP with your exercise mat. Lunch Club - Come and enjoy homemade soups and a roll, followed by cakes and tea or coffee. Lifts can be arranged if needed. This is held every second Thursday of the month starting at midday. Do come to our next lunch on 14 December, followed by 11 January and 8 February. Just ring Jacky or John Harrington on 822451 if you would like to join us. Coffee Morning - Every fourth Thursday in the month from 10.30am to 12 noon. However, the Christmas gathering (always a week early) will be on 21 December, followed by 25 January and 22 February. Come in for a friendly chat and fresh coffee and biscuits. For more details, call Gilly Kay on 823193. SPECIAL EVENTS 2018 is the year for Open Gardens so gardeners please note! We have ear-marked Saturday, 9 June for this event so some of you can expect that telephone call. Alternatively, if you wish to open your garden please contact John Harrington on 822451.

The Fulbrook Meeting Place is our village hall and as such is available for hire, subject to conditions, at a very reasonable rate. If you are interested in hiring the FMP for a meeting, afternoon get-together or a family party, please contact our Booking Clerk, Chris Wright, on 822192.

Jacky Harrington

FULBROOK MEETING PLACE

DIARY OF EVENTS December 2017 – February 2018

Fri 8 Dec 7.30pm Bell Ringing Practice Thurs 14 Dec 12.00pm Lunch Club Thurs 21 Dec 10.30am Coffee Morning

Tues 9 Jan 8.00pm PCC Meeting Thurs 11 Jan 12.00pm Lunch Club Mon 15 Jan 7.30pm Parish Council Meeting Thurs 25 Jan 10.30am Coffee Morning

Fri 2 Feb 7.30pm Bell Ringing Practice Sat 3 Feb 11.00am Bell Ringers Thurs 8 Feb 12.00pm Lunch Club Thurs 22 Feb 10.30am Coffee Morning

Every Thursday there will be Fitness Group at 9.00 am. Contact Pat Ferrett for details 01993 822892 For bookings and further information call: Chris Wright 01993 822803 E mail: [email protected]

NEWS FROM FULBROOK CHURCH

Since the last newsletter we have had a number of memorable services at the church, • Our Harvest festival service on 8th October was a very enjoyable occasion with over 60 people attending

the service - and we were delighted to welcome newcomers and visitors to the village who joined us. Many stayed for a lovely sausage and cheese,onion, and potato pie lunch, followed by crumbles made with plums, apples and blackberries from garde ns and hedgerows, prepared by members of the congregation. Very many thanks to all those who made donations, contributed to making the lunch and

doing the washing up afterwards. A large selection of fresh produce and dry goods were brought to the service and were then taken to St. Mungo's in Witne y for distribution to homeless people who are being helped to get back on their feet. • The benefice service held on 29th October also brought together more than 60 people from the benefice churches of Fulbrook, Burford, Taynton, Asthall, Swinbrook and Widford to worship together. th • The Taizé service on the afternoon of 5 November, was a lovely peaceful service of prayer, contemplation and song, and wonderfully brought together not only people from other churches in the benefice but also from the other denominations – Methodist, Catholic and Quaker. Thanks go to the Taizé planning group for all the work they put in to making this happen. • The Service of Remembrance on 12th November brought more than 60 people together for the act of rememberance at the War Memorial, to pay homage to all those that have given their lives in war, followed by a service of hymns and prayer in the Church. The collection from this service of more than £200 was donated to the British Legion. Rob Wainwright Our wonderful curate Rob has been appointed as Chaplain and Fellow of Oriel College - both a pastoral and teaching role, and one in which Rob will excel. Unfortunately, this means he will be leaving us at the end of December (rather sooner than we had hoped) but will completing his curacy here part-time, and will be in the benefice most Sundays until at least the end of June. This is a wonderful opportunity for Rob and we give him our hearty congratulations and prayers for his new ministry. However, we shall miss his wonderful sermons, his dry wit and brilliant diplomacy skills. There will always be a warm welcome for him here in Fulbrook. Come back to visit, Rob! Dates for your diary: Every Sunday our regular worship - 9.30 am service Every Thursday 5pm – people gather for quiet prayer. If you know of anyone for whom we should be praying, please leave a note in the book on the table on the left behind the font. 24th December, Christmas Eve, 4pm, Carol service in the church. Everybody is very welcome – please bring your families too – in particular children usually enjoy this service and the church will be looking festive and inviting for them too. 25th December – Christmas Day- 9.30 am Holy Communion service - A free Christmas lunch at the Warwick Hall for anyone who would like to celebrate Christmas with others. If you would like to find out more or to book, please contact the Warwick Hall reception. 01993 823788. 31st December – Benefice Service at Burford Church For information and support: Please contact either of the churchwardens if you need information, help or support or know of others in the village who need support , friendship or help of any kind. Please contact John Radcliffe on 01993 82 or Lyn Bibbings Burns on 01993 823640.

News from Burford

School November 2017

Our students had much to celebrate in August with some outstanding GCSE, ‘A’ level and BTEC results. Results were, once again, excellent. Achieving and exceeding the Government’s targets for our headline results put Burford School in the top 20% of all schools nationally.

Students return for our First School Reunion Over 200 alumni attended our first school reunion in September and enjoyed a delicious homemade afternoon tea and an evening barbecue whilst catching up with friends. We welcomed back former pupils from as far away as Australia and Romania. Visitors pored over archive photographs. They looked back at old Burfordian magazines with stories recounting antics and escapades and placed pins and messages on our local, country and world maps, creating a fantastic record of where they now live.

The largest orchard in the UK Our Boarding continues to thrive and this year we welcomed forty-one new students to Lenthall House. Coming from a diverse range of places - Romania, Nigeria, The Caribbean and Northleach, the boarding house is an interesting and exciting environment in which students flourish. An increasing range of evening and weekend activities ensures that they are always busy, whether walking the boarding dogs along the Windrush or enjoying outdoor pursuits along the Wye. Recently Robin Fletcher, Chief Executive of the Boarding Schools Association, visited us. We made the most of his visit by asking him to plant a Blenheim Orange apple tree in our orchard along Church Lane – part of a countrywide initiative to plant an orchard right across the country.

Prestigious Platinum Artsmark Award We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded a prestigious Platinum Artsmark Award by Arts Council, England. Within the Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire area, Burford is one of only two secondary schools to have achieved an award to date and one of only twelve secondary schools across the UK to have received the Platinum Award.

Artsmark is Arts Council England’s award for schools that champion the arts and strive for excellence. As an Artsmark school, we will now gain access to exceptional networks and resources from some of the most treasured cultural organisations in the country which help to strengthen and deliver arts provision.

Come and sing with The Burford Institute of Music There is still availability to join us to sing the Fauré Requiem (Op.48) in the New Year. Rehearsals start at school on Tuesday 9 January (7.00pm-8.30pm in our Music Department – no audition necessary) and the performance will take place in Burford Church on Tuesday 15 March 2018. For further details, please contact Mrs Helen Jenkins, Music Administrator on [email protected]. Tickets for the performance will be on sale in February through ticketsource.

Sarah Duckworth Marketing Manager Burford School www.burford.oxon.sch.uk

MENU MUSINGS ..... from the Semi-naked Chef!

Special Leftover Lamb Curry

5. Season with salt & pepper; add more curry It wasn’t long ago that I included the recipe for powder if desired butterflied leg of lamb. We recently had this 6. Add the lamb to the frying pan; cover and again and with the leftover meat I made this simmer until the lamb is heated through, about mild curry which was easy to make and a great ten minutes, adding a little more stock if the way to use the lamb. sauce is too thick

To serve 4 I served this with rice but it would be equally as good 2 tbsp Butter with naan bread. Mango chutney is a must! 500g (or whatever is leftover) cubed cooked lamb I made my own curry powder mix by combining: 1 Onion sliced 2.5 tbsp ground coriander seeds, 1 Apple peeled & cored 1 tbsp ground cumin seeds, 150g Celeriac (or 1 celery stalk) 5 tbsp ground turmeric, 2 Cloves garlic 1 tsp ground ginger, 2 tbsp Curry powder (see below for mix) 1 tsp dried mustard, 1/4 tsp Oregano 1 tsp ground fenugreek seeds 225ml Lamb stock made from trimmings 1 tsp ground black pepper 300g Tin chopped tomato .5 tsp ground cinnamon Salt & pepper .25 tsp ground cloves .25 tsp ground cardamon 1. Using a food processor, finely chop the onion, .25 tsp ground chilli (to taste) apple, celeriac & garlic 2. Melt the butter in a large frying pan & cook the A chilled beer or lager goes well with this, but if you vegetable mixture until softened but not prefer wine then a light red such as a pinot noir is browned recommended. 3. Stir in the curry powder and oregano; cook, stirring for one minute. 4. Stir in the lamb stock and tomatoes; simmer for two minutes

Serving food Monday - Saturday 12-9pm Sunday 12-4pm Take away also available

Regular quiz nights, Happy Hour everyday 5.30-6.30pm, Friday Fish Nights, Saturday Steak Night, Traditional Sunday Roasts

Tel: 01993 823267 Email: [email protected] Web: www.thecarpentersarmsfulbrook.com