Hornton’s Sunday School is starting up again this weekend, just in time for Easter. Julie Stanley and Jean Burden stopped operating for a couple of years because there weren’t enough young children in the village. But recently many more tiny feet have pattered along and the school will be back in action from this Sunday at 9.45am in the Methodist Church for all children between the ages of three and 11.
“We follow the Scripture Union ‘Salt’ programme, which teaches children about Christianity by play, activities, craft and story telling,” said Julie, who explained that the Sunday School will be run under the wing of both the Methodist Chapel and the Parish Church.
Each session will last an hour and you can get more information from Julie on 01295 670507 or just bring your children along this Sunday!
30th March '04 - Fish Sitting Strikes Gold
An astonishing £1,900 was raised at Peachtree Pre-School’s silent auction last Friday after everything from goldfish sitting to garden
design went under the hammer.
“What a fantastic evening it was,” said Peachtree’s Fiona Donaldson. “We'd like to thank all the people who volunteered their various
services and those who donated wonderful gifts and cakes for the auction, as well as all the people who attended the event and supported
it with their generous bids.”
On the night £1,150 was pledged through the auction, a raffle and commission on wine bought during a tasting by S and H Jones of Banbury.
But Barclays Bank had promised to match any auction bids pound for pound, so that boosted the total to the £1900 figure.
“The money raised will be spent on replacing old toys and improving Peachtree's outdoor play equipment as well as helping to secure
Peachtree's future,” added Fiona. “ We'd also like to thank Mr John Dudridge of S and H Jones, who provided an informative and
entertaining wine tasting - the wine was delicious.”
And the punters were equally impressed. "A wonderfully well organised event", said one. "A fun and friendly evening", said another.
“After the success of the Silent Auction and Wine Tasting we will be making it a yearly event in Peachtree's fund raising calendar!”
said Fiona.
26th March '04 - I'm Jeffrey Archer - Honestly!
A long-lost son of a colourful Hornton villager who really is called Jeffrey Archer would like to get in touch with anyone who knew his
father.
Jeffrey has lived in New Zealand all his life but has just logged on to the official Hornton website for the first time.
“I am the youngest son of Thomas Archer, who was a resident of Hornton until his death at age 94 in November 2002,” says Jeffrey. “He
lived at Priscilla House on Bell Street for some 35 years. It was the village shop when I visited there in 1976.
“I can be contacted at my email address and would love to hear from anyone who knew him or his late wife Mary Wheeler. Our family goes
back many generations in Oxfordshire.“
If you would like to contact Jeffrey send an email to james dot prentice at hornton dot org dot uk and it will be passed on to him.
“I have only just stumbled across your web site which looks very interesting!” adds Jeffrey.
26th March '04 - Church Services
A service will be held at 11am this Sunday, March 28, in Hornton Methodist Church. At the same time, Holy Eucharist will be celebrated in
the Parish Church of St John the Baptist.
25th March '04 - Don't be Bashful
Hornton School is only small and needs all the Tesco Computers for Schools vouchers it can
get. So when you're at the checkout and the shopper in front doesn't want their vouchers, go on - be cheeky. Ask for their vouchers for
Hornton School!
The vouchers can be posted through the letterbox at the school's Church Lane entrance.
25th March '04 - School's out for Easter
Hornton School's Easter term ends on Friday, April 2. The summer term begins on Monday,
April 19.
25th March '04 - Look In
Two Fat Ladies, one little duck and everyone else is welcome at JUMPA bingo on Tuesday, April 6. Don Wain will
be calling the numbers in his own inimitable style and every penny raised goes to JUMPA, Hornton and Horley’s
Jubilee fund for a multi-purpose play area. Eyes down at 7.30pm in the Church Room, Bell Street.
25th March '04 - Parish Switched on for Festive Power
There may be nearly 300 shopping days left till Christmas but Hornton Parish Council are already gearing up for Yuletide
celebrations.
At their latest meeting, they decided to install a permanent arrangement to supply electricity to the Christmas tree on the village
green. Options were discussed and it was felt that the best answer would be to connect to the supply in a nearby garage via underground
ducting if this was agreeable to the building’s owner. A box would be fitted to house a transformer and equipment to record the
electricity consumption. Alternatively, cable and ducting could be laid under the road but this would entail digging the road up and
having to consult with Oxfordshire County Council Highways Department and various utility suppliers.
And the council decided to put pressure on the Highways Department to speed up road repairs to Wroxton Lane, which Coun John Offord
said were badly needed. The department has sent an e-mail to the parish council which indicated that it might be possible to “recycle”
the road, which would be cheaper than completely reconstructing it and would enable more of the road to be done that was originally
planned. Parish chairman Coun David Miles suggested that the department’s Steve Bowden should be invited to next month’s Annual Parish
Meeting, which is on April 19 at 7.30pm in the Church Room, Bell Street, to explain what was planned.
Members also agreed to put a plea in the next edition of the The Gossip village newspaper for drivers to slow down in Millers Lane.
Two residents had reported their concerns and councillors came up with various possible solutions - including 20mph signs, speed bumps
or coloured rough strips - but everyone agreed there was no easy solution. Coun Eric Turner recommended that people should make their
concerns known to the Annual Parish Meeting, .
Resolutions or letters to the council to consider at the APM are invited and must be submitted to the new parish clerk, Alan Cater, or
Coun Miles by next Wednesday, March 31. Alan lives at the Cottage in Pages Lane and his email
address is "a dot cater at btinternet dot com" (replace the appropriate words with symbols - this is to stop spam). David can be
contacted at Jubilee House in Bell Street.
The next regular meeting of the Parish Council will take place on the same day as the APM but start half an hour earlier at 7pm.
24th March '04 - Pavillion Fundraiser Skittled
This Saturday’s beer and skittles evening at the pavilion in aid of the building’s extension fund has had to be postponed but will be
held at a later date.
24th March '04 - Caterpillars Boogie on Down
Hornton School's Year 2 pupils sung their little hearts out at a special singing day held
at North Newington.
"It was lovely," said headteacher Wendy Clifford. "Everybody enjoyed it and lots of parents turned up."
Hornton’s children teamed up with those from four other local primary schools for the event, which is run by Oxfordshire County Council's
music advisor.
"They got together in the morning and practised a little collection of songs called Caterpillar Boogie," explained Wendy. "They'd been
learning the songs in their individual schools. Then after lunch they performed for the parents."
23rd March '04 - Allsorts of Tributes for Mike
Hornton Allsorts’ made a whopping £500 last Saturday when they presented their “Night for Mike” - a fond tribute evening
in memory of Mike Webber.
The money will be shared between Mike’s two favourite charities, the Midway Centre in Banbury and the children’s playground in Hornton.
Mike, who died tragically at the end of last year, was a founding member of the Allsorts and a notable jazz musician in Banburyshire and
beyond. The Allsorts played a number of his compositions and ended with Abba’s Thank You For The Music. .
“£500 was a fantastic achievement - it was worth all the work,” said the Allsorts’ Sarah Walther..
“We would like to thank Audrey Turner for doing the box office - not an easy task - and for running the raffle, which helped boost the
funds. And we’d also thank all those who generously donated raffle prizes which helped make the whole evening such a grand affair..
“Watch this space for the next Allsorts venture!”
23rd March '04 - Sign Up for Sunday School
With so many young children in Hornton, the Sunday School is starting up again after
a break of two years..
“We will begin on Sunday, April 4 at the Methodist Church from 9.45am to 10.45am,” said organiser Julie Stanley. “All children will be
very welcome..
“We follow the Scripture Union Salt programme, which teaches children about Christianity by play, activities, craft and story telling.”
If you would like more information, please ring Julie on 01295 670507 or Jean Burden on 01295 670664.
19th March '04 - Any More Bids?
There’s a host of tempting treats up for auction and as it coincides with a wine tasting organised by S and H Jones from Banbury, don’t
be surprised if the bidders get more generous, the longer the evening goes on!
Two of the lots donated for the evening will be raffled - a bottle of Champagne and a hair cut from Denis Michael hairdressing - so the
organisers are hoping that the coffers of Peachtree Pre-School will much fuller by the end of the evening than at the beginning.
Tickets are just £6 a head and the auction takes place at 7.30pm on Friday, March 26, in Horley’s Old School Rooms.
Although there’s plenty on offer, the organisers would still like lots more items to auction, so if you’ve got something you could donate
or you would like to buy tickets, please contact Fiona Donaldson on 01295 670505, Peachtree Pre-school on 01295 678550 or
Amanda Wray-Mitchell on 01295 730402.
19th March '04 - School News
Hornton School Governor Martin Griffiths is moving to take up a job in Barbados, so there’s
a vacancy for a parent governor. Please contact school secretary and governors’ clerk Sally Phelan if you would like to put yourself, or
another parent, up for election.
And Years Three and Four are taking part in a hockey tournament next Wednesday, March 24. It's all happening at Drayton School, following
four afternoons' coaching which Banbury Hockey Club has given to pupils at Hornton.
"They're all going down armed with their sticks and shin pads and we'll let you know after the event how many bodies we bring back!" said
headteacher Wendy Clifford.
Parents hope she's joking.
And the school is still collecting tokens furiously! The Tesco Computers for Schools scheme runs until May 2 and the school is also
collecting Persil Stars and box tops.
20th March '04 - Annual Meeting
Hornton Parish Council will be holding its Annual Parish Meeting at the Church Room Bell Street, on Monday, April 19 at 7.30pm.
Resolutions or letters to the council for its consideration are invited and must be submitted to the new parish clerk, Alan Cater, or chairman Coun David Miles by Wednesday, March 31. It may not be possible to include late submissions in the agenda.
Alan lives at the Cottage in Pages Lane and his email address is a.cater@btinternet.com.
David can be contacted at Jubilee House in Bell Street.
20th March '04 - Worms on the Green
Bookworms should wriggle along to the mobile library from Oxfordshire County Council next Wednesday from 10.55 to 11.30am, when it will
be on the village green.
th March '04 - Bumper Crop
The latest meeting of the 3Hs Gardening Club was a great success, with member5s hearing a talk on the
subject Plants that should be better known by Janet Cropley. She has invited members to visit her garden in Evenley in July. The next
meeting is on April 13, when there is a talk about making a lawn.
20th March '04 - Church Services
A special service will be held this Sunday, March 21, in the Methodist Church at 11am to
celebrate Mothering Sunday.
18th March '04 - Get Your Skates on for Skittles
Don’t hang about if you want to take part in the beer and skittles evening in the pavilion on Saturday week, March 27th! As well as beer,
beetle and skittles, there’s a bread and cheese supper for the grand sum of just £2-50 a ticket but the organisers must have numbers by
this weekend. Isabel Harris is the person to ring on 01295 670541 and the evening is open to adults and all children over 12. All
proceeds to the pavilion extension fund.
And the fund will grow even fatter on the proceeds of a delicious spud lunch, to be held at the pavilion on Saturday, April 17. There
will be a choice of three fillings, dessert and tea/coffee and all for just £4 for adults and £2 for children under 12. As ever all
welcome. Just turn up and enjoy the nosh!
18th March '04 - Make Sure Mike's Night Hits a High Note
Hornton Allsorts are all set to go this Saturday, when they perform their celebration in words and music in memory of much loved
Horntonian and musician Mike Webber, who tragically dies at the end of last year. Tickets have been sold out for weeks but to make
sure the evening really goes with a swing, the Allsorts can still do with more prizes for a traditional Hornton raffle.
“It just wouldn’t be a Hornton event without a raffle,” said the Allsorts’ Sarah Walther.
If you would like to contribute a raffle prize, please contact Sarah on 01295 670627.
18th March '04 - Goodwill Hunting
Hornton is starting a Goodwill Fund to send a card, a small gift and our good wishes to village people who are sick, just to let them
know we are thinking of them.
The idea came from villager Jean Burden, whose mother ran a similar scheme in Cropredy, where it was a great success.
“It’s just really a practical way of us showing that we’re concerned about people who are ill,” said Jean.
“We decided to start if here because there’s one little girl in the village who is very poorly. I thought it would be nice if we could
send her a box of things that she could do and then we thought it would be a nice idea a for anyone else who is ill.”
What the Goodwill Fund really needs is donations, so that a gift most suitable for the recipient can be bought. If you’d like to give
some money, please contact Jean at barry Cottage, Miler’s Lane, or call her on 01295 670664.
17th March '04 - We've Dun It!
Hornton’s Dun Cow Crib team have won the Harbury and District Crib League with a dramatic 4-3 home win over the Greaves Club from
Bishop’s Itchington.
The Hornton team - captain Paul Burden, Harold Burden, Les England, Ollie Fickling, Josie Gardener, Richard Hart, Graham Perrin and Steve
Woodcock - were locked together 3-3 going into the final round of the final round of matches.
“It was an absolute nail biter,” said Paul. “We lost the first doubles, won the next and then we lost a couple of games before pulling
back to 3-3.
“The last to go on was Steve Woodcock, who hasn’t had the best of luck recently, but he came good and we won 4-3.”
Paul paid tribute to all his fellow team members and said that his job as captain had been much easier having had a settled team to pick
each week.
Everything had been on a knife edge coming into the league’s final set of matches after the Shoulder of Mutton from Granborough came up
on the rails in the penultimate round and beat the Dun Cow last week by the 4-3 to draw level with them on points and only just behind
on points difference.
But the Mutton team were like lambs to the slaughter in the final round, when they went down 4-3 away to the British Legion from Bishop’s
Itchington, leaving Hornton with a two point lead and the best points difference as well.
After the Dun Cow won their match, Paul rang to find out the score from the rival match.
“We’d won by two clear points!” said a delighted Paul.
It’s been nearly ten years since the Dun Cow last won the league and landlord Martin Gelling celebrated in style, with the champagne
corks soon being popped.
Now Paul hopes the team’s success can be built on and that next year the Dun Cow can field two teams in the league.
“Above all it’s a very friendly league,” he said. “At the end of the day we’ve got a lot of friends and acquaintances around north
Oxfordshire and Warwickshire from the Harbury and District Crib League.
“I certainly had a good thick head in the morning!”
17th March '04 - Lotus Flowers Bloom Again
Yoga resumes in Hornton again on Thursday, March 18, when Sigi Castle returns after a brief absence to complete the classes for this term. The class thanks Ruth Morgan who kindly and capably stepped into to fill Sigi's teaching role why she was away.
The class returns to its usual format and time - 7 to 8.30pm at the Methodist Chapel in Miller's Lane, costing just £4 per session, plus a 50p donation to the chapel to help cover running costs and heating.
If you've been meaning to give it a try for ages, why not come along? You need to bring a non-slip mat and wear comfortable exercise clothing. A warm top is also a good idea for the relaxation session at the end.
13th March -04 - Crumbs it's Close
The Dun Cow crib team are hanging on by their fingertips at the top of the Harbury and District
Crib League after the latest round of matches. In a gripping top-of-the-table clash, they were beaten at home by The Shoulder of Mutton
from Granborough by 4-3. That puts both teams on 24 points and, with just one match to go before the end of the season, no other team can
catch them. Hornton are heading the table by a precious one point in points difference. And we thought the Rugby World Cup final was
close…
13th March -04 - Mother's Little Helper
Hornton now has its own registered childminder in the shape of Fiona Donaldson, who lives
at the end of Pages Lane next to the village green. Fiona has children at Peachtree Pre-School as well as Hornton Primary and she can
take local children on a part-time or full time basis. Please ring Fiona on 01295 670505 for more details.
13th March -04 - Pennies from Heaven
Activities of our many clubs and societies have generated more than 1700 lines of copy over
the last three months for the Hornton village column in The Banbury Guardian. At the princely sum of six pence a line, that comes to
£102-18. Half will be donated to The Gossip newspaper and half to the village website.
13th March -04 - Church Services
The churches of Hornton will be worshipping together this Sunday, March 14, at a family service
in the Parish Church of St John the Baptist at 11am. Little Bethan Bottoms will be christened.
The Meeting Point fellowship and discussion group will meet this Tuesday, March 16, at 2.30pm in the Methodist Chapel Schoolroom.
13th March -04 - Check Out and Log On
Hornton school has started collecting Tesco’s
Computers for Schools tokens again so please save them up. In the past the tokens have been cashed in for a video camera, a keyboards,
software and floppy discs and the school is keen to get more equipment this year.
If you have any Tesco tokens, please post them through the school’s letter box at the Church lane door.
10th March '04 - Top Tables
Hornton villagers have come up trumps in a bid to buy new tables for the pavilion.
“They’re selling out like hot cakes!” said Sarah Walther. “We originally hoped we might be able to get 12 tables but people in the
village were so generous that they have bought 15 at £75 a time, which is what we really wanted. I am overwhelmed by the response and
grateful to all concerned.
“The table purchasers will be put up on a roll of honour in the pavilion. They deserve it!”
10th March '04 - Jason and the Golden Quiz
Hornton sixth-former Jason Hemmings’ bid to take a gap year in Mongolia has been given a boost worth £112.
That’s how much he raised at a special quiz night in the Dun Cow public house on February 27 and Jason is delighted.
“I would like to thank both Isabelle Harris and my Mum, Ann Hemmings, for their help and support,” said Jason. “Also, I would like to
thank Martin and Gwyneth Gelling for letting me use the pub free of charge.
“Thanks must finally go to everyone who attended and those who kindly donated raffle prizes or money.”
9th March '04 - School Sickness can't Bug Book Week
Hornton School’s Book Week Activities turned out to be a rip-roaring success - even though a fifth of the pupils were off with a tummy
bug.
"A total of 13 children out of 23 in Class 2 were away," said teacher Judy Pettit, “but that didn't stop us having a marvellous time.
The support from parents was fantastic.
"Class 1 did a wonderful all-singing, all-dancing performance acting out the Noah's Ark story. We only have 22 children in Class 1 but
we had 40 people coming to see them - parents and grandparents. The children loved dressing up as lions, lizards and crocodiles going
into Noah's Ark."
Class 3 also acted out stories from the English Civil War, to follow on from other work they had already done about the period, but
Judy said the real climax to last week's activities was story-teller Margy Barber from Thame.
"She was absolutely excellent," said Judy. "She told the younger children stories like Burglar Bill and The Emperor's New Clothes and
the older children stories from Africa.
"Then she did a workshop on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It was the highlight of the week!"
And despite the illness, the Book Fair was also successful. It managed to raise £300 from the sale of books.
“A fantastic achievement all round!” said Judy.
8th March '04 - Great Vibes for Mike's Night
Every ticket for Hornton Allsorts’ tribute night to Mike Webber has been snapped up – two weeks early!
“We’ve closed the box office now because we’ve got nearly 90 people and we cannot squeeze any more in,” said the Allsorts’ Sarah Walther.
“This has been a magnificent response and just shows how much the village thought of him.”
Mike, who tragically died at the end of last year, was a prominent jazz musician in the Banbury area and beyond. No Hornton event was
complete without him coming along to play his vibraphone and he also helped start the musical careers of many children in the village
with music lessons.
“Although it’s a sell-out, if you would like to donate a raffle prize, it would be more than welcome,” added Sarah.
Proceeds for the event – at Hornton Pavilion on Saturday, March 20, will be divided between the village’s children’s playground, which
Mike helped to run, and the Midway Centre in Banbury, where he was a volunteer for many years. Sarah can be contacted at 01295 670627.
8th March '04 - Interested in Broadband?
If you want a faster internet connection then Broadband is the way forward. Edge Hill exchange currently needs 150 people
to sign up for BT to upgrade the local exchange. Currently there are 96 registrations, so we need 54 more people to
register.... please spread the word.
Blushing wallflowers should come along to the next meeting of the 3H’s Gardening Club - because the topic is Plants that should be better known. The meeting will take place on March 9 at 7.30pm in Hornton Pavilion. The talk will be given by Janet Cropley.
5th March '04 - Green Leaves
The mobile library from Oxfordshire County Council will be on the village green next Wednesday from 10.55 to 11.30am.
5th March '04 - Church Services
Holy Eucharist will be celebrated at the Parish Church of St John the Baptist this Sunday, March 7, at 8.30am. At 11am a United Service will be held at the Methodist Church.
3rd March '04 - Classes in a Cold Climate
When the snow came down a couple of weeks ago, Hornton School had to close for the day. But Hornton’s Class 1 teacher, Judy Pettit,
has discovered that a few flakes don’t put off the hardy pupils of Edmonton in Canada.
That’s where she and 12 other teachers from Oxfordshire went over half term to see how Canadian schools taught numeracy and she
discovered that, whilst they dealt with maths in a very similar way to schools here, they coped with the freezing temperatures very
differently.
“A couple of weeks ago it was minus 36 degrees Centigrade and they still kept the schools open,“ said Judy. “Still, they don’t let the
children play outside - if it’s minus 23, that is!”
Judy and here colleagues received a fantastic welcome and were able to go into four different schools on each of the four days that they
were in the central Canadian city.
“They showed us everything and we discovered that it was not that different from the way we teach things at Hornton. There was great
emphasis on practical activities - children learning by counting things and applying what they know, rather than just doing pages of
sums.”
Judy was surprised that the schools were nothing like as well-equipped with computer equipment as Hornton. Only one school had a
computer-controlled interactive whiteboard. Hornton already has two and is hoping soon to have a third. But she said the Canadians
could not have given them a warmer welcome.
“It was a super trip and everyone was really hospitable,” said Judy. “Both the adults and the children couldn’t have been friendlier.”
2nd March '04 - Plenty to Shout about at Silent Auction
There’s everything from goldfish-sitting - yes, you read it here first - to garden design up for grabs at Peachtree Pre-school’s silent
auction later this month. There’s also gliding lessons, Gordon Ramsey cookbooks signed by the man himself and gardening!
“We have some really good items to auction,” said Peachtree’s Fiona Donaldson.
Don’t worry if you haven’t got a goldfish. The pet-sitting offer applies to dogs and cats as well. Then there’s palm reading, half a
day’s “brainstorming” with an architect for anyone planning an extension and three hours’ dry stone walling.
Add on an eclectic list of hampers, cakes, cosmetics, wines and whiskies and you’ll see why it’s an event not to be missed.
Punters won’t go thirsty because the evening also features a tasting organised by Banbury’s oldest wine merchants.
“S&H Jones of Banbury are organising the wine tasting, so it should be a fun night out,” said Fiona.
Tickets are just £6 a head and the auction takes place at 7.30pm on Friday, March 26, in Horley’s Old School Rooms.
Although there’s plenty on offer, the organisers would still like lots more items to auction, so if you’ve got something you could
donate or you would like to buy tickets, please contact Fiona on 01295 670505, Peachtree Pre-school on 01295 678550 or Amanda
Wray-Mitchell on 01295 730402.
