Brightwell-cum-Sotwell Web Group

NEXT WEEK: QUIZ AND ACUPUNCTURE!

2012-02-23T23:40:00.003Z

Come and support your website with the charity quiz at the Red Lion on Monday 27th February, 7.30 for 8 pm. Ring Sue Robson on 01491 837373 to book a table and order chilli. Then go back to the pub on Friday morning, if you're free, to talk to Maria Wells about acupuncture for health and well-being.

Maria, the village's resident acupuncturist, features in a new series on the site called 'In the Frame'. Just follow the links under Village Life. Acupuncture Awareness Week starts on 27th February, so this seemed the perfect moment to put her in the spotlight.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE VILLAGER NOW ONLINE

2012-02-12T11:10:00.000Z

Frozen puzzles in a Mackney puddle

Catch up with the latest village news in the online highlights from The Villager. This includes obituaries of Patrick Oakley, Evelyn Cobb, Charles Wallis and Sid Moody – and an Alleluia! from Tony Lascelles as the church extension fund reaches its target (and more) after two and a half years of fundraising.

Donations will still be gratefully received, as the church needs a cushion to guard against inflation – but it means work should now start on building next month. Tony has some sharp words to say in his article about SODC – a 'notable omission' from the list of supporters.

There is also news from Sue Robson at the Red Lion. As regular readers of her newsletters will know, she is looking for a buyer for the pub (although she will still be there for a little while yet)...

http://www.brightwellcumsotwell.co.uk/catalogue_main.php?catID=4633

SNOW!

2012-02-05T10:41:00.003Z

Many thanks to Derek Brooker for providing a new wintry picture for the website... Please keep 'em coming!

SITE B NEWS

2012-02-03T13:20:00.000Z

See news page for SODC's new draft core strategy. Looks as if they're going with the inspector's ruling..
southoxon.gov.uk/services-and-advice/planning-and-building/planning-policy/core-strategy/mid-examination-publication

BRIGHTWELL MAN IN EVEREST CHALLENGE

2012-02-01T10:29:00.002Z

Feeling cold? Spare a thought for Robert Briggs, who plans a climb to the inhospitable surroundings of Everest Base Camp in aid of charity. (He's pictured at the top of Kilimanjaro, on his previous mad adventure in 2009). To find out more, visit the website news page http://www.brightwellcumsotwell.co.uk/index.php. And if you'd like to sponsor him, visit www.justgiving.com/Robert-Briggs18200

PHOTOS FOR THE HOME PAGE, PLEASE!

2012-01-06T16:45:00.000Z

For the time being, we've replaced our Christmas photo with this picture of Didcot Power Station set against a wintry sky: but in the interests of not depicting Brightwell as a suburb of Didcot (!), we'd rather have your winter photos of Brightwell people and places. Last year's snow brought out a rash of cameras, but surely there's something worth taking a picture of?

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2012-01-02T15:22:00.004Z

Greetings for 2012 to all our readers. You may have noticed that our home page has a suitably seasonal greeting, replacing the usual line-up of four or five photos down the side. However, to please all those superstitious people who take their decorations down on Twelfth Night, we will need to refresh the page on January 6th. So all contributions of photos for this – or for our photo gallery – gratefully received.

SITE B – PRELIMINARY FINDINGS

2011-11-30T20:04:00.001Z

Government inspector seems to have come out in favour of development on the Winterbrook side of Wallingford, not the Brightwell (western) side.... but the debate still hasn't finished. Check out the links on the website news page.

WE HAVE A WINNER!

2011-11-12T18:14:00.001Z

Thanks to all who came to share ideas about the website this morning. It's given us lots of food for thought.....and a chance to hand over the prize for our website quiz to Brian Copley and his mum, Mrs Mary Copley (pictured with Eric Dore).

Brian even managed to scout out the answer to the trick question: A murder was committed in St Agatha's Church in 1507 by a 'foreigner'. Where did the foreigner come from? Answer: East Hendred!

Alec McGivan's Rabbit and Mole go up the Clumps

2011-11-06T13:16:00.000Z

A Christmas story, featuring further adventures of Alec McGivan's Rabbit and Mole, is now available. Ideal for reading to young children, it has many illustrations by OliveSutcliffe.

Set in a snowy Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, Rabbit and Moletogether with their friends Freddie and Francesca Frog get up to all sortsof exciting things including a very eventful visit to the Clumps. The scary MrFox who featured in the first of these stories is also back.

Copies will be on sale in the Village Stores and TheRed Lion, price £5, in aid of the St Agatha'sextension appeal.

JUICE FLOWS AT THE RED LION

2011-10-21T10:16:00.000+01:00

Alison Bloomfield sent us these pictures and a report from Apple Pressing Day at the Red Lion:

She writes:

Another great day at the Red Lion with the garden overflowing with apples. This year the now annual (?) event had a twist. It was the first time the Village Apple Press was in action. Robert Field and Doug Miles, with their trusty team, spent the whole day pressing hundreds and hundreds of apples of all varieties and flavours. The kids joined in, lobbing apples into the huge crusher and everyone enjoyed dipping a cup into the juice as it flowed from the press.

People brought their own apples, in carrier bags and even wheelbarrows, to see them made into wonderful juice. Visitors without either apples or bottles, were amazed that they could taste apples and juice and take some home and everything was free! Nonetheless, everyone was very generous with donations for the upkeep of the press and an amazing £215 was collected for the church extension fund.

The aim of this fun, but low key day, was to continue to enthuse people about the fantastic range of apples in the village. Now that people have seen how easy the press is to use and how much fun it is making juice, we are sure that there will be a rush of bookings to hire the press. Contact Robert Field - 01491 836275 - robertfield@aol.com- to make a booking. It is just £25 which includes all the equipment you will need except bottles and caps which you will need to supply yourself - www.vigopresses.co.uk.

ENTER OUR QUIZ TO WIN A £10 VILLAGE STORES TOKEN

2011-10-04T11:42:00.000+01:00

Test your knowledge of the website by answering a dozen simple questions – and you could win a token to be spent at the Village Stores. Details on the news page of the website, or on page 18 of the latest Villager.

GETTING SEASONAL....

2011-10-02T14:50:00.001+01:00

It seems odd to be writing this on one of the hottest days in the year, but in case you hadn't noticed, we've been trying to get a bit seasonal on the home page. We have two lovely pictures of harvest on Highlands Farm (starring David Greasby looking relaxed with a cup of tea....), and we also have autumn colours at Brightwell Vineyard.

If you have any pictures of the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, please let us have 'em!

Meanwhile, there are details of lots of seasonal and not so seasonal events on the news page. There's a unique chance to see the original Enclosure map, usually held in the Berkshire Records Office, at the Village Hall on the evening of Thursday, October 6th (7.30 p.m. & 9.30 p.m).. and there's an Apple Pressing Day at the Red Lion on October 16. Save the Children's 'Born to Shine' planned for Saturday 8 October, has unfortunately had to be cancelled due to lack of entries (but not, we're sure, lack of talent!).

Let us know what else is coming up, if we don't already have details......

Nothing Very Special?

2011-09-14T09:27:00.000+01:00

Check out Simon Barnes, 'Nothing very special?' in the latest National Trust Magazine. www.nationaltrustmagazine.co.uk. It's on page 13. He lives in Suffolk, so I don't think he's writing about Wallingcot, but he could be.....

Chewing the Cud

2011-08-20T13:43:00.000+01:00

Saturday morning, August, threatening rain. A long overdue meeting of the Web Group round Myron and Veronica's dining table ..... The question: how to make the wonderful new B cum S website more visible?

Lots of wonderful ideas floated around ... a competition, a coffee morning (with laptops), a quiz at the Red Lion, the usual posters on telegraph poles ... all of which will be coming your way soon. But things always came back to where they had started: people. We need people!! Lots of them. People to read our website and tell us what they think. People to tell us their news and send us their pictures. People to join us and help make this a true community website...

So, I know it's August and silly season, but let's make a start. What are the hot topics......?