Category: More News

Dear All, We would like to say a much over due ‘thank you’ to the community of Thame and surrounding villages for the overwhelming support we received back in January when we held a fundraiser for our son Alfie. We have been blown away by the kindness and generosity of people and the amount of help and interest Alfie received.

He has now managed to get through the last tw0 months without any more unscheduled hospitalisations and we hope that this will continue through the summer months. Our aim was to raise

CELEBRITY chef and owner of Lotte?s Kitchen, Chinnor, Lotte Duncan, is once again lending her support to the Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity?s (FNHC) forthcoming Sunny Sunflower Appeal – Do Something ?Sunny for Money? taking place throughout June, by creating a special cake recipe in aid of the month.

Lotte has produced a scrumptious recipe for Banoffee Iced Fancies, which is available to anyone who loves baking and who would like to put their culinary skills to the test and help raise funds for the Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity in June.

The Charity has also launched a special ?Sunny for Money? schools fundraising pack with fun ways for children to get involved in Sunny Sunflower Month from a sponsored bounce, wear yellow mufti day to a sponsored silence.

?We?re hoping to encourage as many people as possible to have-a-go at making and baking Lotte?s lovely Banoffee Iced Fancies ? perhaps to be sold in school at snack time or in offices at lunch, at a bake sale or at a Sunny Sunflower Jubilee or Olympic-themed tea@3 or wine@9 party,? said Karen Shardlow, Development & Events Manager at FNHC. ?All money raised will go towards supporting the Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity which helps support local families affected by life-limiting illness across Aylesbury Vale and surrounding areas.?

She added: ?If you are organising a Sunny for Money event in June, make sure to give us a call as we can provide helpful promotional materials including balloons and banners and can help publicise your event on our website and Facebook page. We would of course love to hear about it too!?

The Charity, which needs to raise

WHEN, in 2007, fire destroyed the old timber Scout Hut in Long Crendon, local firm Porter Consulting & Management Services Ltd (PCMS) was asked by the leaders of 1st Bernwood Forest Scout Group to both design and project manage the construction of a replacement. Now, exactly five years after the blaze that destroyed the hut, the Group has a brand new purpose-designed building for their Scouting activities.

The new Scout Building occupies a roadside position on Chearsley Road close to the Recreation Ground, and was officially opened by John Bercow MP on Saturday, April 21. It has been sensitively designed to fit in with the general street scene in that part of the village, and includes a range of modern facilities in addition to a meeting hall and outside recreational area.

Group Scout Leader Brenda Cole said: ?We are very pleased to have this great purpose-built facility. It provides our local Scout Group with a permanent ?home? for present members, and will enable future development of the Group. PCMS came up with a careful design making optimum use of the relatively small piece of land available.?

SOURCE: Contributed by Debbie Mellor

UKULELE GROUP Adrian Broadway, who runs the Haddenham Shamrocks (playing Irish music – see https://sites.google.com/site/haddenhamirish/ ) on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month and also plays for Haddenham Hoofers and Towersey Folk, launching Haddenham Ukulele Musos (HUM) on May 16. It will meet on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month (7-9pm) at the Rose and Thistle, Station Road to play popular songs from the last 100 years on the ukulele.

As it says on the new group?s website: http://sites.google.com/site/haddenhamukulelemusos/: ?The songs in the repertoire can be downloaded from the tunes section of this site or are available at the session.

The musicians vary from beginners to experienced ukulele players and the tunes vary in level of difficulty. Beginners can just join in the chords they know and leave the rest to the more experienced uke players. The emphasis is on fun and enjoying yourself!
Lessons will not be given but advice about playing the songs will be given and any questions answered. There will be a break in the middle of the session for people to be able to discuss things and at this time beginners can seek individual advice from the experienced players.

You are asked for a donation of

CHILDREN from the local Community of Chinnor, gathered at Mill Lane Schoolin the village, to celebrate their
hard work in making their very own Wildlife Totem Pole. Now they just have to wait for local wildlife to take up residence!

Late last year, pupils from the school’s Time Out Holiday Club worked together to create the Totem using clay. Now standing in the school?s wildlife area called Gruff Land, the clay Totem Pole is decorated with animals and plants that can be found in the area.

Not just a piece of art!

The children worked hard to add nest holes, and nooks and crannies for local wildlife to inhabit. James Ort, manager at The Phoenix Studio, Towersey, worked with the students to make the Totem. ?We have some clay totems at the Studio,” he said. “One of which had a family of blue tits nesting at the top. It got me thinking that it would be great for the children to copy this. The project not only taught them how to work with clay but also about ecosystems and the niches that animals inhabit. It was also great fun!?

Mill Lane?s Totem has a rather magnificent Red Kite at the top of it, made by Finley March, who explained what he got out of being involved: ?I enjoyed making the clay models. The reason I chose a red kite was because you can see them everywhere in Chinnor. One day I’d like to visit the Phoenix studio and make another model with clay.”

A new website has been launched to help boost tourism in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse, highlighting what the area has to offer for both visitors and residents, and raising its profile as a key visitor destination both within the UK and internationally.

www.southernoxfordshire.com offers visitors information about the various towns and villages across the two districts, highlighting the rich history, things to do and see; where to stay, eat and drink; and some fascinating facts which help to bring the area to life.

The site also contains information about food and drink festivals and a ?What?s On? events database, which will not only help to attract people to the area but also keep residents up to date about what is happening and when. Anyone wishing to submit details of events to be included on the site should contact: tourism@southandvale.gov.uk.

Completing the joint site is a regular blog which highlights in more detail the events and days out throughout the area that people may want to try.

www.southernoxfordshire.com which can also be accessed via existing individual district tourism addresses /www.visitvale.com and www.visitsouthoxfordshire.com, is funded jointly by South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils. The new site, which cost just

RUBBISH Next week?s rubbish collection will be a day late (Wednesday, May 9) after the May Day Holiday.
Fri 4th Haddenham Parish Council The Annual Parish Meeting is on Friday, May 4, in the Village Hall, starting at 7.30pm and villagers are welcome to come for refreshments from 7pm. The meeting offers a chance to hear what the council has been doing in the past year and to ask questions or make comments. The council?s monthly meeting (and AGM, when the council chairman and chairmen of committees are elected) will be in the Walter Rose Room on Tuesday (May 8) at 7.30pm and not on the usual first Monday of the month (as that day is a Bank Holiday).

Sat 5th Zumba There?s a chance to learn the basic steps of Zumba rhythms Merengue, Salsa etc) at a workshop being held at Haddenham Village Hall on Saturday (9.30-11am). Entry is

A THAME family successfully completed a challenge to raise funds for local charities last weekend, when they swam beyond their target lengths in the Sport Relief ‘Big Splash Mile.’

The Cundy family, Yvette, Matthew, and young sons Jonjo and Rory, completed 68 lengths between them, four more than they intended – just to make sure!

Jonjo, who is 6

THIS is the message from the International Charity, hoping to raise extra funds for local services across the county.

“Join us and help collect for Red Cross Week ? you can make a real difference to the lives of vulnerable people. We are looking for help with our collections in towns and villages in Oxfordshire. During Red Cross Week we raise vital funds for our local services across the county.

“In Oxfordshire we run a wide range of services everyday that benefit the local community. Our services include; First Aid Training, Fire and emergency support, Care in the home, Mobility Equipment loan, Transport and First aid at events.

“There are a million ways you can help raise money this Red Cross Week. For ideas and suggestions visit www.redcross.org.uk/redcrossweek If you would like to help please do contact us on the details below.

“As well as our collections schools are being encouraged to Dress in Red for a day during Red Cross Week ? If you know a school that might like to take part in this, please get in touch.

“Across the world and around the corner your help really does make a difference.

“I hope you will be able to help us and ?Be One in a Million.?
Please contact: Chris Wheatcroft
Community Fundraiser ? Oxfordshire
01235 552680
cwheatcroft@redcross.org.uk

BLOOD PRESSURE CHECK Haddenham and District Rotary Club is joining Thame Rotary Club to host a ?Know your blood pressure? event at the Co-operative Supermarket in Thame on Saturday, April 28 (10am-2pm). They will be offering the public a free blood pressure monitoring service and, along with Rotary Clubs nationwide and in partnership with the Stroke Association and the ambulance service, will be helping to raise awareness of the link between blood pressure and strokes by providing information and advice on stroke related health issues.

RUBBISH & RECYCLING Glass will be collected on Tuesday, May 1, as well as paper, cans and plastics. The following week’s rubbish collection (after the May Day holiday) will be on Wednesday, 9th May, instead of on the Tuesday.

DIARY DATES.
Thurs 26th April Parent Workshops The Haddenham Children?s Centre sessions, for parents of children aged 2-5, continue at the Scout and Guide Centre, Banks Park, (8-9.30pm). This time there?s a talk entitled ?Transition to School? – about school readiness and what your child is expected to do/know when entering school, with an opportunity to discuss any questions or concerns with staff from local schools. The third talk in the series is on Thursday, May 3rd, at the Scout and Guide Centre, and is on the subject of ?Paediatric First Aid? . As part of this talk you will also receive a Home Safety Starter Kit.
For more details of these and the other two talks in the series, or to book a place contact the Family Support Workers at Haddenham Children’s Centre – Kim (07867 553378) or Sam (07825 431062).

Sat 28th Haddenham Horticultural Society – Spring Show If you plan to enter spring flowers, floral arrangements or indoor plants for Haddenham Horticultural Society?s Mini Spring Show on Saturday, don?t forget to send your entry forms to the Show Committee, c/o 13 Gibson Lane, by Thursday, 26th April. Copies of the schedule (along with the application form) are available by calling Gay Jordan on 291490. You can view the exhibits from 10am until 11.20am, when the trophies will be presented and the raffle draw will take place.

Sat 28th Plant Sale etc At the Horticultural Society?s main fund-raiser of the year, which runs alongside the mini show at Haddenham Village Hall on Saturday from 9am, you can buy plants, books and jigsaws, home-made comestibles and produce, and white elephants. If you have labelled plants, raffle prizes or other items to donate, please take them to the hall from 8am onwards or deliver them in advance to 98 Churchway or 13 Gibson Lane.

Sun 29th Haddenham Puddleducks The pre-school, which began life as Haddenham Playgroup in 1966, is having a party – a (slightly belated) celebration of its 45th birthday – instead of its annual Spring Fair. The event is on Sunday (11.30am-1.30pm), at the Village Hall and you are invited to come and join the party. It starts with a chance for the children to meet Bob the Builder and continues with a children’s entertainer, balloon modelling, a bouncy castle, face painting, kids? crafts, party bag tombola and more. The grand finale is a show with Mr Tumbler. Entry is free and everyone is welcome. Refreshments and party lunch boxes will be available.

Sun 29th Choral Evensong As is usual when there is a fifth Sunday in the month, the Haddenham Benefice will be holding a Choral Evensong at 6.30pm on Sunday. It will be held, this time, at St Nicholas Church, Kingsey.

MAY
Tues 1st Tea Dance. Newcomers are welcome at the next tea dance on Tuesday (2-4pm) at Haddenham Village Hall. Dancing to live keyboard music includes ballroom, Latin and sequence. Entry is