Hornton and District WI will hear a talk about Monet’s house
and garden by May Parker next Thursday, June 4, in the pavilion at 7.30pm. The
competition is for a home-made paper or fabric flower.
28th May '09 - Sign up for Strictly
Are you interested in learning ballroom dancing? Hornton’s
Isabel Harris has found an experienced local teacher who is willing to come to
the pavilion on alternate weeks in the autumn but people who are interested need
to ring her as soon as possible on 01295 670541.
28th May '09 - Sweet Shop
It’s 30 years since Hornton last had its own local shop but now we’ve
got one again!
Meadowsweet Farm shop began on May 1 and less than a mile from the village. It’s
open from 9.30am to 12.30pm, Monday to Saturday, and sells as much local produce
as possible, including Hornton eggs, potatoes and cream and butter, the farm’s
own Meadowsweet beef and home-made cakes. There are also fruit, vegetables and
jams for sale and you don’t have to Banbury any longer to pick up a newspaper -
the shop sells them too.
28th May '09 - Magical Trip
The next meeting of the 3Hs Gardening Club is the annual Mystery
Tour on Tuesday week, June 9. Members are asked to meet Hornton village green at
6.15pm. The club’s outing is on June 27 to Churchill’s home in Kent, Chartwell.
Tickets £20 but if you’re a member of the National Trust, you’ll only have to pay
for the bus fare. Please book up by ringing Malcolm Cross on 01295 670562 as soon
as possible.
28th May '09 - Sing for your Supper
Where can you get top-flight entertainment and supper for
just £10? Hornton of course! Reg Meuross – the other half of the Hank Wangford
duo – is returning to the village by popular demand a fortnight on Friday, June 12.
Hank can’t make it but you can – by booking your ticket with Julie Stanley on
01295 670507 or Sarah Walther on 01295 670627.
“We would appreciate you letting us know if you would like to come before the
night for catering purposes,” says Julie.
28th May '09 - Miles Ahead
Coun David Miles was elected unanimously as chairman of Hornton
Parish Council at the latest meeting - with Coun John Offord as his deputy - and
the members heard some good news about the drainage work on the stream running
through the village.
Parish clerk Alan Cater has been advised that Cherwell and the Environment Agency
have applied to the agricultural ministry, DEFRA, for a grant. If they are
successful, it should cover the whole cost of the scheme and mean that residents will not have
to pay anything towards it.
Meanwhile, Hornton resident Anne Joyner has asked the Parish Council to consider
removing the “kissing gates” at each end of Tink-a-Tank from Millers Lane down
towards West End so that pushchairs wheelchairs can use it rather than have to go
down the busy road. It would also make access easier for maintenance of the path
and hedges.
The general consensus of the Council was that the “kissing gates” are attractive
in a rural village environment and was generally reluctant for them to be removed
for the sake of fairly minimum usage by people with pushchairs and wheelchairs.
However, any decision would have to rest with Oxfordshire CC Countryside Service
which is responsible for all public rights of way.
There was disappointing news on the fund-raising for the pavilion extension.
Pavilion committee members met a representative from Oxfordshire County Council,
who said there were not many grants available at the moment and that it would
have been better to apply for grants for the kitchen extension and then apply for
grants for the changing rooms rather than the whole project. Another option
would be for the Parish Council to apply for a loan but the OCC rep will
recommend the project for a grant and mentioned £5,000 as a possibility.
28th May '09 - Smashing Time
It’s Greek night down at the Dun Cow on Saturday week, June 6.
Come on down for authentic Greek food – andDon forget to bring a few cups and
plates to smash too! You can book your table by ringing Gwyneth on 01295 670524.
28th May '09 - Church Services
Ian Hearle will lead the service in Hornton Methodist Church at
11am this Sunday, May 31. There is no service in the parish church because there
is a confirmation service at 5pm in Horley.
Don’t forget that you can pop in for coffee, cake and a chat in the Methodist
Church every Friday morning from 10.30am to 12.30pm. There is a book, DVD and
video swap - and, of course, lots of good gossip! And Thursday Club meets every
week after school until 4.30pm in the Methodist Church School Room. All children
are welcome.
21st May '09 - Say Cheese
Hornton’s Katie Walther has teamed up with Ellie Fox from Horley to stage a cheese and wine evening tomorrow night, Friday,
for two incredibly worthwhile charities.
All the money raised will go to Helen and Douglas House, the Oxford hospice which provides care for children and young
adults, and to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.
And the girls’ efforts don’t stop there - on June 6 they competing in a triathlon at Blenheim Palace for the same charities!
Tomorrow night’s event will be held at Bramshill Park Farm, Clump Lane in Horley from 7.30pm onwards. There will be a
raffle, a bring’n’buy and games, so it will be a great night. And if you’ve got any prizes for the raffle or donations,
please ring Katie on 01295 670627 or Ellie on 01295 738366. They will collect!
21st May '09 - From Mighty Acorns
The 3Hs Gardening Club raised a fantastic £260 from their plant sale last Saturday. The tables were piled high with all
sorts of exciting foliage - and you’d have been potty to miss it! That’s precisely what this column did, so please accept
your correspondent’s apologies for not including it in last week’s column.
The 3Hs’ next event is the Mystery Tour on June 9. Please meet on Hornton village green at 6.15pm.
21st May '09 - Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting
The Dun Cow dominoes team have won the Top of the Hill League by five points from their nearest rivals. After a slow start,
they went top at Christmas and held on will the last match. Captain Malcolm Parker believes it might be the first time for
50 years that Hornton has won the league, so well done!
21st May '09 - Smashing Time
It’s Greek night at the Dun Cow a fortnight on Saturday, June 6, so book up, pop down and bring all those chipped plates and
cups! Places are limited to ring Gwyneth as soon as possible on 01295 670524. And Gwyeth still has a couple of tickets left
for the tip to Ascot on May 31. Please call her if you would like to go.
21st May '09 - Pop Down to the Pavvy
There’s a whole year of exciting entertainments which have been lined up by Hornton’s pavilion committee, so put these
dates in your diaries now.
First up on June 12, Reg Meuross, who has wowed Hornton audiences twice before with musical partner Hank Wangford, is coming
back to the pavilion by popular demand with a new partner.
On July 25, there will be a Spanish Evening - hopefully with Hornton Allsorts help. On August 23 there will be a BBQ and
Family Fun day starting at 12.30pm and there are even more events in the Autumn.
21st May '09 - Turnip Trail
This Monday, May 25, you can find out what the family who owned Upton House
in the 1930s would have grown and eaten by walking a special garden trail and taking part in garden-themed activities in a Half
Term Family Fun Day. It runs between 1 and 4pm and normal admission prices apply, with children costing £1.50. For more
details, please ring the Upton House box office on 01295671122 or email uptonhouse (at) nationaltrust dot org dot uk
21st May '09 - Worms a Wiggle
Bookworms will be making their way slowly down to the village green next Wednesday, May 27, when the mobile library from
Oxfordshire County Council will be there from 10.40 to 11.20am.
21st May '09 - Godhead to Godhead
There will be an 11am service in Hornton Methodist Church this Sunday, May 24, led by Hazel Stagg. At the same time, Holy
Eucharist will be celebrated in the Parish Church of St John the Baptist.
Don’t forget that you can pop in for coffee, cake and a chat in the Methodist Church every Friday morning from 10.30am to
12.30pm. There is a book, DVD and video swap - and, of course, lots of good gossip! And Thursday Club meets every week
after school until 4.30pm in the Methodist Church School Room. All children are welcome.
14th May '09 - Cold But Gold
The weather for Hornton’s May Day celebrations could have been a lot warmer but the village still managed a tremendous fund
raising result in spite of the cold and it should end up around the £2000 mark.
Organiser Lorraine Joyner says that all the results from the various stalls are not in year, but the White Elephant raised
£507.50, the Raffle £131, Teas £303.50, Lucky Squares £67, the bottle stall £200, rents £142, Table Football £15 and Skittle
£130.
“I haven't heard BBQ results they must be good as they had a queue all afternoon!” said a delighted Lorraine. “I've never
known it so cold but it didn't seem to stop people from coming along and we had a good turn-out as usual.
“I would like to thank everyone who helped - without them the day wouldn't happen and it was as always a great day, until
next year.”
14th May '09 - Meet on Monday
The next meeting of Hornton Parish Council is this Monday, May at 7.30pm in the Church Room. All Hornton villagers are
invited.
14th May '09 - Reg Returns
Reg Meuross, who has wowed Hornton audiences twice before with musical partner Hank Wangford, is coming back to the pavilion
by popular demand!
This time he will be with a new partner but it’s still destined to be a great night, so put June 12 in your diary now.
Ticketing information will be available nearer the time.
14th May '09 - Church Services
Mattins will be celebrated this Sunday, May 17, at 10.30am in the Parish Church of St John the Baptist. Half an hour later
there will be a service in the Methodist Church.
And don’t forget that you can pop in for coffee, cake and a chat in the Methodist Church every Friday morning from 10.30am
to 12.30pm. There is a book, DVD and video swap - and, of course, lots of good gossip! And Thursday Club meets every week
after school until 4.30pm in the Methodist Church School Room. All children are welcome.
7th May '09 - Head or Heart?
It’s a head versus heart issue – that’s the way Lindy Bridgeman
summed up the dilemma of what to do with the Church Room.
She was chairing a discussion at the annual parish meeting over the future of the
building and said that, although the ultimate decision rests with the Parochial
Church Council, the Church Room was something special to the village and it was
only right for people to have the opportunity to express their views.
But she explained that it’s badly in need of refurbishment and just to get the
basics done would cost upwards of £10,000. The building will have to close if
essential work was not carried out but it was clear from the meeting that some
people would be very sad if the building closed.
One option is to sell it but the money would then be held in trust for the parish
by the Diocese and only the income returned to the village. It might be possible
for some of the proceeds to be used for “ecclesiastical purposes” - like
rehanging the church bells or repairing the windows – but that would be the
Diocese’s decision.
Mrs Bridgeman explained that the PCC would need to make some decisions of its own
at its next meeting and she encouraged people to come forward with any other
ideas in the meantime.
But the future of other community buildings is more certain, the meeting was
told. Hornton School is in line to get a new hall, which can be used by the
village after school hours. The school also thanked the pavilion committee and
the Methodist Church for the use of their building whilst its recent extension
was built. Meanwhile, plans for the new extension to the pavilion have been
passed by Cherwell District Council, with grants already applied for. When the
work is completed, a new pay phone will be installed in the building.
The bonus ball lottery has been running since last September and is bringing in
enough income to keep the Pavilion running and there are a string of exciting
events coming up to help boost income further.
Local district councillor Douglas Webb sent a report in which he agreed to take
up the issue of residents not being able to use bus passes on the Dial-a-Ride
Service. Bus tokens only cover 10 round trips a year at present.
The meeting was also told that a letter had been received from Roy Tew of
Eastgate Farm regarding the rights of way across his fields to the east of the
village. He asked walkers to stick to the designated right of way and avoid dogs
running loose near the cows, especially during the calving season.
Coun Paul Burden presented the allotments reports and said they were in very good
shape.
“There were reports last year of the increasing rabbit population eating some of
the crops,” he said. “One gardener described how, at dusk, you could watch them
advancing from the bottom spinney ‘like tribes of Indians’ but the two tenants in
question have erected small fencing around part of their plots.”
The future of the allotments’ ownership should also be settled soon. At present
there are problems with getting the land insured but it might be possible to sell
the field with a covenant in place to protect the strip of allotments in perpetuity.
The playground has been facing a different furry foe – moles - but the playground
committee has had had the mole catcher back again and he seems to have caught all
the moles ... at the moment.
Jenny Bowes reported that it has been a very quiet year – thankfully – on the
Neighbourhood Watch front. The annual summer BBQ will hopefully take place again
this year and is planned for Sunday, July 12.
Two relatively new groups – the History Club and the WI – both reported
successful years. The History Group packed out the Methodist Chapel in March with
a talk on Hornton Stone. Meanwhile, the WI are looking forward to a hectic
summer of activities with – what else? – a trip to the London stage show of
Calendar Girls!
Finally, Coun Julie Stanley talked about The Gossip – now in its 18th year.
“Our village newspaper still seems to be as popular as ever,” she said. “The
contents come from people in the village taking the time to write entertaining
and informative articles. Ann Hemmings and I thank you all for helping us make
The Gossip such a good read - long may it continue.”
7th May '09 - Walk for Pork
If you stroll round to the Dun Cow this Sunday, you can get a
traditional Roast Pork Sunday lunch with all the trimmings! You can take pot luck
but why not book with Gwyneth in advance on 01295 670524.
7th May '09 - Blue Movie
You can go for a guided bluebell walk round Blackwell’s Wood at Upton
House this Sunday, May 10, for the first time in several years. There are timed
tickets between 12 noon and 4pm.
And on Monday, May 25, there’s a Family Fun Day for half term. Between 1 and 4pm
you can discover what the family would have grown and eaten in the 1930s, with
garden-themed activities and a trail.
7th May '09 - Don't be Overdue
The mobile library from Oxfordshire County Council will visit
Hornton next Wednesday, May 13. It will be parked on the village green from
10.40am to 11.20am.
7th May '09 - Church Services
There will be a service in the Parish Church of St John the
Baptist this Sunday, May 10, at 11 am. United at Parish Church. As this in a
United Service, there will be no service at the Methodist Church.
Don’t forget that you can pop in for coffee, cake and a chat in the Methodist
Church every Friday morning from 10.30am to 12.30pm. There is a book, DVD and
video swap - and, of course, lots of good gossip! And Thursday Club meets every
week after school until 4.30pm in the Methodist Church School Room. All children
are welcome.
