PHOTOS FOR THE HOME PAGE, PLEASE!

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

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

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!

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

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 Olive Sutcliffe.

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

Copies will be on sale in the Village Stores and The Red Lion, price £5, in aid of the St Agatha's extension appeal.

JUICE FLOWS AT THE RED LION

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

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.