The mobile library from Oxfordshire County Council will visit Hornton next Wednesday, November 5. It will be parked on the village green from 10.55am to 11.30am.
31st October '03 - Church Services
Holy Eucharist will be celebrated at 8.30am in the Parish Church of St john the Baptist this Sunday, November 2. Holy Communion will be celebrated in the Methodist Church at 11am in a special service, during which Rebecca and Tania Miles will become members of the church and Matthew Lee will be christened.
30th October '03 - Upton House
The gardens, shop and restaurant of Upton House are will open at weekends throughout November and on the first two weekends of December. On November 13 from 10am to 4pm in the restaurant, there will be a Christmas Workshop with the theme Holly and Spice, where festive decorations will be created using natural ingredients. The cost is £24-50, including coffee and a light lunch. Pre-booking is essential by telephoning 01985 843601. The Putting the House to Bed tour on the following day, where the conservation team show how the house is closed down for the winter, is already sold out.
29th October '03 - Bingo
The Ladies’ Working Party of Hornton Parish Church are holding a bingo session next Tuesday, November 4, in the Church Room, Bell Street, at 7.30pm.
Any contributions for The Gossip newspaper must be in by October 31st. Please contact Ann Hemmings on 01295 670511 or Julie Stanley on 01295 670507.
28th October '03 - School News
Ten children from Hornton School will be joining 500 other pupils from Oxfordshire on November 3 for a music festival in the Royal Albert Hall. The seven year 6 pupils and three year 5s will be performing the work Along Came Man in the festival, which headteacher Wendy Clifford says will be a brilliant opportunity for them.
“It’s an experience for the children really not to be missed,” she said. “And they end the evening with indoor fireworks inside the Albert Hall – a bit like the Last Night of the Proms.”
Meanwhile, the school’s Design and Technology week was a big success.
“The theme of the week was Space,” said Mrs Clifford. “We had a big turnout of parents for the open afternoon and the children showed them what they had done and how things worked.”
Class 1 made pop up puppets, Class 2 made rocket launchers and Class 3 designed posters for the school musical to be performed later in the term.
“Then we had a Great Egg Race,” said Mrs Clifford. “The children were in teams and their brief was to design a rocket launcher that would hold the weight of something that went into space. We tested the weight with a cup full of marbles.
“Each group could earn points for co-operation, planning, skill in making, the height of the structure and the weight it held. It was excellent - they learned a lot, not only about structures but about co-operation too.”
27th October '03 - What can you say about the death of a man who gave so much to our village?
He was treasurer of the church and the children’s playground, he gave dozens of youngsters a musical start in life with piano lessons, he narrated the Hornton Millennium film in his unforgettable Banburyshire brogue. Whenever anything needed doing, Mike was always there to help and we’ll miss him for all that he did. But perhaps, most of all, we’ll miss hearing him play those vibes. We are all very sad.
Mr Dennis Webber and family wish to thank all friends and neighbours for the messages of sympathy following their loss. They also thank everyone who so kindly assisted in the searches.
“These last days of memories will be too sad to recall,” they say.
Mike’s funeral will be held in the Parish Church of St John the Baptist next Wednesday, November 5, at 2pm
24th October '03 - Seeds Sprout in School Fundraiser
Hornton School's Harvest Festival appeal were big for the Seeds of Africa Appeal has been a big success.
"The church was full for the service with pupils, parents and friends," said headteacher Wendy Clifford. "All pupils took part in presentations to celebrate Harvest - singing, explanations of our favourite foods, and of why we were supporting the Seeds for Africa Appeal."
The appeal is designed to give people in Africa the chance to grow their own food but it also teaches children in this country about the way people in other countries live. This year, Hornton's pupils brought in home produce to sell after the Harvest service in St John the Baptist Parish Church.
"The home produce stall was overflowing with cakes, biscuits, jams, chutneys, breads and vegetables - all home produced by the parents," said Mrs Clifford. "And Hurrans Garden Centre in Banbury generously donated compost and bulbs, which the children potted up and then sold to raise more money for the appeal.
"We raised the £200 that will give an African school the opportunity to start their own vegetable garden. We were delighted with the outcome and feel that the children have learnt a lot from involving themselves in this project."
The school is also delighted that the Year 6 netball team came fourth out of ten teams in the recent Warriner Partnership Tournament.
"We were pleased with the result," said Mrs Clifford. "It was an excellent tournament - very well run by a new PE teacher from Warriner School."
24th October '03 - Be Frightened Next Friday
Prepare to be spooked on a chilling tour of Upton House's hidden places. Who knows who you'll meet and what will happen? Frightful food is included! Tickets cost only and there are two performances, at 7:00 pm & 8:00 pm. Spaces limited and pre-booking on 01295 750878 is essential.
And Upton is holding a Christmas Market on December 6 and 7 for which there are still spaces for stall holders. The first day is reserved for community and charity groups for fundraising purposes and the second is for profit-making ventures. Please call 01925 670266 for further information.
24th October '03 - That's Jazz
Book your tickets now for Bluesy Susie, who will be performing music from the 1920's to present day in Hornton Methodist Church on Friday, November 14. The jazz duo will be covering classics from the jazz, blues, folk, rock 'n roll, salsa and pop periods on vocals and guitar. Tickets for the event, sponsored by Cherwell District Council's Arts at Large programme, are available from Julie Stanley on 01295 670507.
24th October '03 - Church Services
There will be a service in Hornton Methodist Church this Sunday, October 26, at 11am. Holy Communion will be celebrated in the Parish Church of St John the Baptist at the slightly later time of 11.15am instead of the usual 11am start.
23rd October '03 - Body found in search for missing Michael
Police searching the countryside for a man who has been missing for 10 days have found a body.
The body had not been identified as the Banbury Guardian went to press yesterday (Wednesday) but officers fear it
could be that of Michael Webber, 63, from Pages Lane, Hornton.
The Ladies' Working party of Hornton Parish Church are looking for a full house when they run a bingo session on
Tuesday, November 4. The fun kicks off in the Church Room, Bell Street, at 7.30pm, so look in!
23rd October '03 - Chat Up
Contributions for The Gossip, Hornton's quarterly village newspaper, are needed soon. Anything from
favourite recipes and reminiscences of old times past to the latest news and views are welcome but you must be quick.
The deadline is next week, on October 31. Please contact Ann Hemmings on 01295 670511 or Julie Stanley on 01295
670507 as soon as possible.
23rd October '03 - Bumper Harvest
Horntonians were treated to excellent food and great music at the village's Harvest Supper in the village pavilion last
Friday. They first tucked into soup, ham salad with new potatoes and a delicious selection of sweets, followed by
cheese and biscuits. Then they were entertained with a selection of numbers from the 60s and 70s by the three
generations of one family who made up the four-piece Page D Band.
22nd October '03 - Yoga Class a Hit
The new yoga course in Hornton has been such a success that another is to start straight away. Teacher Sigi Castle
will begin the new classes on Thursday October 30 from 7 to 8.30pm at the Methodist Chapel in Millers Lane, Hornton.
You will need to wear loose clothing and bring a non-slip exercise mat and a head block, if you have one - you can buy
them from Sigi if you don't. It's £4 per night - payable to Sigi in advance - and the next term will be a series of six
lessons, running till Thursday 4 December. We also donate 50p each per night to the chapel to help with their running
costs. If you'd like to join in, please contact Sigi direct on Banbury 254601 and she'll send you a membership form.
We're limited to 20 members because of the space, so it's on a first-come-first-served basis.
21st October '03 - Soup Group
Come and join Peachtree Pre-School for a chat, a bowl of soup, warm crusty bread, coffee and cake. Soup Saturday
will take place at Hornton Pavilion between midday and 2pm on Saturday, November 8, and at just £2.50 a ticket, you
just can't say no! Peachtree would like to know numbers in advance if possible and Kate Fletcher is the person to
contact on 01295 670508 to reserve your Soup Saturday spot.
21st October '03 - Reserve your Table
The 3Hs Gardening Club are holding their annual Christmas dinner on December 9 at North
Oxfordshire College and members are asked to return their forms to Eileen Lewis as soon as possible. Eileen also has
further details about the event and can be contacted on 01295 670449.
17th October '03 - Fine Dining
JUMPA's latest progressive dinner party was a hit with diners and hosts - and made more than £500 for Hornton and Horley's Jubilee multi-purpose play area.
"Everybody enjoyed themselves," said organiser Anne Joyner. "I was particularly grateful to the five couples who hosted the dinners, especially those who hadn't done it before, because it is hard work."
Another progressive dinner party in the future is a certainty. Watch this space!
17th October '03 - Hop along to Horley
Are you a Horntonian with an eye for a bargain? Then pop down the road this Sunday, October 19, for a car boot sale at Horley Cricket Club. The sale will be on from 10am to 12 noon, weather permitting. If you'd like a stall, it will only cost £5 and you can set up from 9am onwards. Prospective booters can book their pitch by ringing 01295 258421, or just turn up on Sunday morning.
17th October '03 - Keeping Fit
Hornton's Keep Fit class is held in the village pavilion every Wednesday between 7 and 8pm. The class is suitable for all ages and abilities - all you have to do is bring along a mat to lie on and wear suitable clothing, so come on down and join in!
17th October '03 - Just the Ticket
The mobile library from Oxfordshire County Council will visit Hornton next Wednesday, October 22. It will be parked on the village green from 10.55am to 11.30am.
17th October '03 - Church Services
Matins will be celebrated in the Parish Church of St John the Baptist at 10.30 this Sunday, October 19. It will be followed by a service in the Methodist Church in Millers Lane at 11am.
16th October '03 - Better by Design
Do you feel inadequate when the kids can programme the video and work the computer? Then don't go along to
Hornton School next Thursday! The school is running a Design and Technology week and on Thursday, October 23rd,
it's holding an open afternoon from 2pm onwards to show parents and friends just how switched on the children are.
On second thoughts, if you're no good at working the video, do go along. You might pick up a few tips!
16th October '03 - Boxing Clever
The school is still keen to get hold of cereal packets and detergent cartons to "buy" art materials. The box tops on
Nestle cereal packets like Shreddies, Cheerio's or Shredded Wheat and the stars on Persil boxes are what the school
is after. Please pop them through the school letter box for as long as the offers last.
15th October '03 - Bill bids Farewell
One of Hornton's oldest villagers, Bill Freeman, has died in the very same house on the village green where he was
born in 1914, during the First World War. Bill was a familiar sight, sitting on the bench outside his cottage and will be
sadly missed by many people in the village. Bill's funeral will be held at St John the Baptist Parish Church at 2.30pm
next Monday, October 20th.
15th October '03 - The Good Feed on the Land
There's mystery entertainment laid on for tomorrow night's Hornton Harvest Supper - as well as great food - and
there are still a few tickets left but you must be quick! Audrey Turner is the person to contact on 01295 670304. The
Supper starts at 7.30pm tomorrow night, Friday October 17, in Hornton Pavilion and at only £6-50 a ticket, you can't
say no!
10th October '03 - Raffle Sell-out Scoops Big Prize for Charity
A village cheese and wine party to raise money for cancer research went so well that the
organisers ran out of raffle tickets!
“We sold them all,” said Hornton organiser Sarah Walther. “We had a whole new book and some more
and they all went.”
But Horntonians are never more than a week away from a raffle, so Pauleen Hart was able to rush
back home and come to the rescue with another book of tickets.
Last Friday’s party, organised by Sarah and Horley’s Joe Gamage, raised around £400 for the
MacMillan Cancer Relief Oxfordshire Appeal.
“People were very generous,” said Sarah. “At the moment the grand total stands at £395.20 but
we’re still collecting donations.”
Anyone who would like to give a donation and help the event break through the £400 barrier
should contact Sarah on 01295 670627 or Joe on 01295 730717.
10th October '03 - Church Services
Holy Eucharist will be celebrated in a United Service at St John the Baptist Parish Church this Sunday, October 12, at
11 am
The webmasters on Hornton’s official village website are appealing for your help - to compile a
computer encyclopaedia for the village.
“I have been reviewing the web site statistics,” said www.hornton.org’s Paul Barrett.
“The home page with all the news entries is a always a clear winner on page hits but what has
surprised me is the regular high ranking of the ‘Encyclopaedia page.”
This page is an A-Z section in which there are all sorts of fascinating facts about Hornton for
letters of the alphabet. But Paul needs the help of long-standing Hornton residents and local
experts to complete an entry for each letter.
“I seeded the encyclopaedia with a few items, non-original, and someone has added an item since,
but it is largely unchanged since I seeded it,” explained Paul. “Yet it still draws regular
visits. I wonder therefore whether there is any way that we could stimulate interest from other
contributors? It would be great to get lots of other people to contribute.”
So come on, don’t hide that local knowledge under a bushel! You can
email your entries to james dot prentice at hornton dot org dot uk (replace the appropriate words with symbols).
9th October '03 - Everyone Must Go
Horntonians after a bargain must pop along to a garage sale at Jubilee House in Bell Street this Saturday, October 11.
David Miles is selling off his car boot sale stock from 10am to 12 noon at knockdown prices and everything must go!
And if you’ve still got money burning a hole in your pocket, pop along to Horley Cricket Club the following weekend on
Sunday, October 19. Weather permitting, they are holding a car boot sale from 10am to 12 noon. If you’d like a pitch,
please ring 01295 258421. It’s only £5 per car.
9th October '03 - Country Roades
This month’s talk at the 3H’s Gardening Club is entitled Country Customs. It will be given by
Dusty Roades at Hornton Pavilion at 7.30pm on Tuesday October 14 and the club’s organisers are hoping for an
excellent turnout.
9th October '03 - Only 76 Shopping Days lef until Christmas
With Hornton being such a Christmassy place, you can’t get ready for the festive season too early, so it’s time to
put a very important date in your diary. On Saturday, December 13 at 7pm the Ladies’ Working Party will be holding
their annual Christmas Fayre in St John the Baptist Parish Church. It will be packed with Yuletide goodies and no
Christmas in Hornton would be complete without popping in. There will be a gift stall, a home produce stall and a
VERY large raffle! Glasses of wine and cups of coffee will make sure everything goes with a swing.
And if you haven’t bought your Christmas cards yet, then look no further than Hornton’s own special selection.
JUMPA have four fantastic Christmas card designs for sale and the money from every
card will go towards Hornton and Horley’s fund for a Jubilee multi-purpose play area. Steve Woodcock is the man to
talk to on 01295 670795.
In the meantime, Hornton’s gourmands - and gourmets - are eagerly awaiting this Saturday’s progressive dinner party
in aid of JUMPA funds. Organiser Anne Joyner said that more people than ever will be
taking part - a total of 32 - and only prior commitments stopped that number being larger still.
9th October '03 - In for Lunch
And talking of food, Hornton School is delighted to welcome a new lunchtime
supervisor - Frank Jarrett, who will work with Mrs Hannah to look after the children over lunchtime. Frank is already
well-known to many of the children, as he has been a regular visitor to the school over the past year or so, helping
pupils with their reading.
8th October '03 - Tip for the Tops
If you crunch your way through Shreddies, Cheerio’s and Shredded Wheat or you wash with Persil, please don’t throw the boxes away!
Hornton School is collecting box tops from Nestle cereal packets and the stars from Persil cartons for new art materials. Just pop them through the school letter box for as long as the offer lasts.
Please don’t forget the school’s special Harvest Festival sale next Wednesday, October 15. The school is running a stall stocked with delicious homemade cakes, biscuits, breads, jams and preserves - all brought in by the children as their donations to their Harvest Festival service, which will be held earlier that day at St John the Baptist Parish Church.
The proceeds of the sale, which will be held at 2.45pm in the school, will go to the Seeds of Africa Appeal, which raises money to allow people there to grow their own food.
If you’re still feeling generous, you might like to know that there are still some outstanding numbers available for the school tote. It’s only £5 per number so go on - have a flutter! Jane Wain is the person to contact on 01295 670716.
7th October '03 - We Plough the Fields and Natter
Great food and good conversation will be in abundance at Hornton’s Harvest Supper in the village pavilion at 7.30pm on Friday, October 17. Everyone is welcome and at £6.50 a ticket, it’s a snip! Tickets are available from Mrs Audrey Turner on 01295 670304. But be quick - they go early!
6th October '03 - Hawk-Eyes Spot Rare Visitor
Sharp-eyed residents of Hornton have spotted the rare hummingbird Hawk Moth in Hornton for the first time in decades. The insect is the size of a very small humming bird, golden brown in colour and hovers to gather nectar from flowers with a long prehensile tongue. Harold Burden spotted a Hawk Moth in Millers Lane and Bill Jeffs saw one in the garden of his Bell Street cottage.
“This summer was the first time I have seen the creature in 50 years in Hornton,” said Bill. “It is usually seen only on the south coast but the hot summer has seen it travel farther inland.”
Just in case the insect is a Guardian reader, everyone in Hornton would like to extend an invitation for the moth and its friends to return next summer.
4th October '03 - Big Thank You for School Support
Hornton School has bought a new computer-controlled whiteboard,
thanks to the hard fund-raising work of its parents’ association. The association’s annual general meeting was held
last Wednesday, September 24, where parents were told that the various events of the last year - including an
Autumn Fayre, a Christmas family social, a casino night, and a BBQ and Barn Dance to round off the academic year in
June - raised about £2500. The association’s committee went on to thank all the parents and villagers who had
supported the events and helped raise this amount.
Headteacher Wendy Clifford then thanked the committee and gave a brief outline of where the money had been
spent - most of it a donation towards an Interactive Smart Board for Class 2.
The committee was then dissolved and nominations for a new committee were put forward. The new committee is as
follows: joint chair - Sally Shaw & Jane Wain; joint treasurer - Chrissy Rogers & Sandra Knapton; Secretary - Sandy
George; committee members - Harriet Caviezeh-Cox, Liz Hirst, Jill Offord, Amanda Venables, Sarah Bates, Ruth Griffiths,
Suzanne Walther, Louise Rasulo, Carolyn Barker and Zoe Whitehead. The teacher representative is Janet Porter. The
new committee then had a brief meeting and various events have already been planned, the first of which will be a
Christmas Fayre and Art Exhibition on Saturday November 29. Watch this space for more details!
4th October '03 - Church Services
Holy Eucharist will be celebrated at 8.30am this Sunday at the Parish Church of St John the Baptist. Holy Communion
will be celebrated at 11am in a United Service at the Methodist Church.
3rd October '03 - Breathe in at Yoga
It’s standing room only at Hornton’s new yoga class. The maximum class size was supposed to be 15 but teacher
Sigi Castle’s five-week Viniyoga, which involves special yoga breathing techniques, proved so popular that 16 people
have already signed up and there’s no room for anyone else during this term.
But if you didn’t manage to squeeze into your leotard fast enough to join this class, don’t worry. Class organiser Chris
Woodcock says that, if it proves a success, another course will begin soon and it may even be necessary to hold two
classes. You can keep in touch with what’s happening by ringing Chris on 01295 670795.
But Chris isn’t to blame for putting the wrong start time for the class in the last two editions of the Guardian. That’s
all down to a certain village correspondent who can’t tell the time! Apologies to the two ladies who turned up half an
hour late after believing what they read in the paper!
3rd October '03 - Open Book
The mobile library from Oxfordshire County Council will visit Hornton next Wednesday, October 8. It will be parked on
the village green from 10.55am to 11.30am.
2nd October '03 - Post early for Christmas
When you do, make sure you’re posting the coolest Christmas cards in Hornton! JUMPA
have four fantastic Christmas card designs for sale and the money from every one will go towards Hornton and
Horley’s fund for a Jubilee multi-purpose play area. Steve Woodcock is the man to talk to on 01295 670795.
JUMPA held a committee meeting last week, which was told that two more estimates for
the work to build the play area are being sought - a vital step before bidding for grants. In the meantime, the
fundraising work won’t stop. There’s a quiz night planned for December 6 at Hornton’s Dun Cow pub, hosted by the
most cryptic quizmasters in the business, Ollie Fickling and Steve Woodcock. Further ahead, a couples’ pavilion
pentathlon is in the pipeling for late January or early February, with skittles, table tennis, dominoes and darts - plus
the delayed wine-tasting, now pencilled in for early March.
1st October '03 - From Little Acorns
Come along to Hornton Primary School at 2.45pm on October 15 and you’ll help raise seeds for Africa. The
school is running a stall stocked with delicious homemade cakes, biscuits, breads, jams and preserves - all brought in by
the children as a donation to their Harvest Festival service, which will be held earlier that day at St John the Baptist
Parish Church.
“Please tell your friends and family to come to the stall because we can help these people help themselves,” said
headteacher Wendy Clifford.
“£200 could help set up a school vegetable garden in an African school.”
In the meantime, the youngest children at Hornton School have been swapping their Playstations and Bay Blades for the
toys of yesteryear when some very special visitors showed them the sort of toys their parents and grandparents played with.
The husband-and-wife team called the History People were making a welcome return visit to Hornton on September 24th - this
time to talk to the tinies of Class 1 - and they had an amazing array of old toys with which to tempt them. Very soon the
children were out playing with hoops and tops in the school playground, just as previous generations of school pupils would
have done.
“We were all reminiscing in the staff room,” said Mrs Clifford. “They brought all sorts of toys from across the ages and
the children were able to play with them. They had one toy made in the sixteenth century and others like jacks, which I
used to play when I was a little girl.”
