Issue 54 • July 2008 An independent paper delivered to homes & businesses in Stow-on-the-Wold, Broadwell, Evenlode, Adlestrop, Oddington, Bledington, Icomb, Church Westcote, Nether Westcote, Wyck & Little Rissington, Maugersbury, Nether Swell, Lower & Upper Swell, Donnington, Condicote, Longborough and Temple Guiting Extra copies of Stow Times are generally available in Stow Visitor Information Centre and Stow Library. ENJOY BEING LOCAL with summer fairs, fetes and fun activities for all the family NEWS, COMMENT & OPINIONS on LOCAL ISSUES Sport and Club News, Book Reviews and more FOR ALL YOUR COMPUTER NEEDS, FROM START TO FINISH Telephone: 0844 88 427 77 “a genuine and wholesome celebration of all things local” Katie Jarvis, Cotswold Life We pride ourselves on our friendly and attentive service and we look forward to welcoming you We've worked with local suppliers to create quality dishes and we can assure you that whatever the occasion or appetite our menu award-winning will provide the answer. You are welcome to dine in food either the bar or more formally overlooking the gardens and countryside, so why not pop in local supplies/fresh ingredients for a drink and sample our a successful recipe! delicious dishes? We look forward to giving you our Fosse Manor Hotel Fosseway traditional warm welcome soon. Stow-on-the-Wold FOSSE Gloucestershire, GL54 1JX Telephone: 01451 830354 Fax: 01451 832486 finalists Cotswold Life MANOR Email: [email protected] “Restaurant of the Year 2008” Next month our Prof moves on from reviewing from the art and aesthetic galleries to look at some of to the architectural gems adorning our towns. galleries So, what do you know about Stow? gargoyles Where are the items shown in these pictures ? If you have seen an interesting architectural curio around your town or village, and would like to know more about it, its history and why it is located where you have seen it, then why not email the Prof at [email protected] 2 STOW TIMES From the Editor Firstly a thank you to Nicola Menage who forwarded Inside the JULY edition a set of photographs under the heading 'Thrush FEATURES epidemic in Oddington'. Nicola wrote "We have been the proud custodians of a thrush nest in our garden 8 Obituary – Colin Brand for the last few weeks. To our delight and relief they Notes from Gerald Dumford & Mike Beckett have now flown the nest. The photographer is my 9 A Review of our new Holistic Health & Beauty Clinic husband Chris Elmer...we wondered if you would like By Jenni Turner them for the front cover." As you can see we were delighted. 15 An Appraisal of May’s Gypsy Gathering from Stow & Maugersbury Action Group It seems as if the summer weather needs a bit of 27 Grow a Community around the Compost Heap encouragement but with so many wonderful fetes, fairs and exhibitions on in the area, it's clear that local people are having a wonderful time anyway. REGULARS This edition has a lot of upbeat and positive things 5 North Cotswold Community Radio – going on in our area. So forget the long journeys in Unsigned Talent, a report from Josh Kubale queues of traffic and stay local. 7 School News from Stow, Lower Swell and Moreton It is easy to forget that we live (and maybe work too) 8 Local walks with Cotswold Wardens in a stunning area of outstanding natural beauty. If you get a few minutes, take a stroll – perhaps up to 10 North Cotswold Rotary – Shelterbox your local cricket field. Take a long moment to look 14 Book Reviews from Chipping Campden Bookshop around you... our countryside, the villages and our & Cotswold Bookstore market towns, are very lovely. (If you time it right you may catch an iconic and idyllic village cricket 15 North Cotswold Safer Communities Team – match, the sound of leather on willow and all that. a report from PS Martin Jones Anyone for tea?) Editor 16 LOCAL INFORMATION & EVENTS R.S.V.P 17 Rural Cinemas & Village Halls Stow Times accepts articles and letters on local issues for 18 Church Services publication, including news and reports from PPCs, clubs 19 LOCAL EVENTS & Open Gardens and associations, etc. Residents, businesses and visitors 20 CONTACT DETAILS are welcome to submit copy. Advertising space is for Local Authorities, Agencies & Police available for all local businesses, clubs and associations – Local Road Closures Costs from £5/column inch in black & white/colour; 21 Local Clubs, Societies & Associations discount of up to 100% is available for local volunteer 22 Notes from Stow Town Council Meetings groups and charities. Contact us for details. Articles & In the Editor’s Opinion advertising copy MUST be received by the 19th of the month for the next edition, by hand or post to P.O. Box 6 at the Post Office, Stow-on-the-Wold GL54 1WD or email 23, 24 Letters, emails & phone messages [email protected]. 27 CDC – funding opportunities for Youth Projects 37 Ben Eddolls – Our Motoring Correspondent is in love again Telephone Stow Times on 39, 40 LOCAL SPORT Cricket results and reports Bowls & Bikers Night 07789 175 002 Announcing Stow Motor Show (The phone will take your messages too – leave your name & contact number and we will return your call.) THANK YOU to all our contributors, writers, sources of information and deliverers email STOW TIMES on Extra copies of Stow Times are generally available in [email protected] Stow Library and the Visitor information Centre. www.stowtimes.co.uk 3 4 IMPRESSIVE, RHYTHMIC, BLAZING & DYNAMIC – NCCR HOST A SUCCESSFUL SHOWCASE FOR LOCAL UNSIGNED TALENT From Josh Kubale North Cotswolds Community Radio musicians and producers. Before the main Jimi Hendrix, Joe Satriani and Megadeath (NCCR) hosted an evening of live music to event got underway there was a chance left the crowd amazed, breathless and mark their re-launch after last year’s floods for the audience to question the celebrity wanting more. To have such awesome forced them out of their basement studio. panel , consisting of Alex James, local talent at such a young age can only mean The event was a showcase for local farmer and former bass player with Blur; very bright futures indeed. unsigned talent and a chance for aspiring Steve Lipton, music producer; Andrew Robb Eden, DJ on NCCR’s unsigned musicians to meet and quiz local successful Bishop, Managing Director of Carlsboro show, was very clear about the evening’s Electronics and NCCR’s very own Steve aims: “we want to show that unsigned Sutherland, former Editor of NME. The bands are as good as signed ones”. Robb panel covered a wide range of music believes that NCCR’s role is simple, “we related topics from their personal desert aim to be the link between unsigned island discs, to their opinion of X-Factor. bands and their public and support them The evening session’s musical by regularly playing their songs. It’s so hard entertainment began in style with an for bands to get noticed these days”. impressive set by Inlight. Hailing from Charlie Cooke, the lead singer of Oxford, Inlight are a rhythmic blend of Inlight, echoed Robb’s sentiment; “With driving bass lines and soaring vocals with every band putting their tracks on all the class of Coldplay but without any of MySpace, it’s very difficult to stand out the pretention. Their track ‘Bridges’ has from the crowd. The support of Panel (L-R): Steve Sutherland, Alex James, recently been chosen for the new Phillip organisations like NCCR is really helpful Steve Lipton and Andrew Bishop Pullman film ‘The Butterfly Tattoo’, which and encouraging”. is due for release later this year. NCCR’s support for local talent echoes Following Inlight came the North the government’s own moves to promote Cotswolds band Souljacker. Souljacker have music in schools. Andrew Bishop said that been described as ‘five young rock gods “the government has already invested £1 from the Cotswolds’ and were doing million in school music projects with more everything in their power to deserve the money on the way. Young people can now accolade. Their mature heavy sound belied learn to play the instruments they want to, their years and what they lacked in including electric guitars and proper drum haircuts, they made up for in sheer style kits”. and energy. Where Inlight built the crowd Saturday night’s event was just the up for the evening, Souljacker tore the beginning of many. NCCR plans to Inlight (L-R): Pete Lawless, Charlie Cooke, Mike Riddle place apart with some blazing guitar organise further unsigned events and is playing and dynamic drum riffs. teaming up with Carlsboro Electronics to It was time to turn the heat down a produce an Unsigned Top 40. The focus of notch and No Fixed Abode provided the NCCR’s Unsigned section is to create soft chill-out folk that was needed. Una opportunities for local bands and open Walsh’s silky Irish vocals blended perfectly doors to the music industry. with Tony Dean’s acoustic guitar to provide The future of the music industry was a soulful calm before the coming storm. discussed at length during the event, with The storm, when it broke in the form many interesting and conflicting ideas of Chipping Camden’s own Kamikaze arising. So where is the music industry Union, was small in stature but massive in headed? Alex James thinks he knows: sound. Aged 13-14, Kamikaze Union could “Ukuleles. Ukuleles are the future”. For the Souljacker (L-R): Rowan Mayo, Josh Catling, happily teach many successful bands a sake of George Fornby, I hope he is right..