In The Vale magazine

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In The ValeIn The ValeIn The ValeIn The Vale magazinemagazinemagazinemagazine Volume 3 Issue 3 October 2009

In The Vale this month: Mike Buss … Beyond Impossible?!

Preview of King Alfred exhibition

Good Food extended feature

Halloween Spooky Gadgets

Local news & events

And lots more ...

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Hello,

We’re back again, with another packed issue of articles, news and events. This month we have an extended Good Food feature with a fab recipe, the chance to claim a free cookbook and news on local suppliers and some great food events happening this month.

We also have a preview of the exciting Alfred the Great: Warrior, Leader, Visionary exhibition which launches at the Vale & Downland Museum in Wantage in October. I will certainly be going along to find out about Alfred’s links with the town.

Another exciting feature this month is an article about Mike Buss, a man who really is Beyond Impossible. Turn to page 16 to find all about this action man and how you can help him raise thousands of pounds for charity.

We also have all the regular columns on pets, grumpiness, health and local politics, as well as your contributions to our Voice of the Vale feature. And to celebrate Halloween, take a look at our pick of the best spooky gadgets!

Thanks to reader Marilyn Eagan of Wantage for this month’s cover photo, which shows Letcombe Brook, near the Betjeman Millennium Park.

Don’t forget that we would love to hear from you if you would like one of your photos on the cover, or would like to contribute anything to the magazine. Our details are below.

See you next month.

Deadline for November issue:

Friday 16th October

To be distributed over

the first weekend of November

Email ads and editorial to:

[email protected]

We can’t guarantee to publish

everything received.

Alison Neale Editor, In The Vale magazine

Alison

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Local News ……………...……………...

Local Events ………………………….

Article - Halloween Gadgets ……...

Vale & Downland Museum

Arts Focus……………………………..

Article - Beyond Impossible………….

Good Food …………………………...

Health and Fitness …………………….

Your Pets with Robert Elliott …………

Grumpy Old Men ……………………...

Voice of the Vale ……………………

Ed Vaizey……………………………..

Puzzles ………………………………..

The Small Ads ……………………….

Local Information …………………...

Index of Advertisers …………………...

Contents

In The Vale magazine, 9 Cromwell Close, Faringdon SN7 7BQ Tel: 01367 888229

Mobile: 07927 330293 Fax: 0872 115 0951

Email: [email protected] Website: www.inthevalemagazine.co.uk

Edited by Alison Neale

Contributors: Monika Becker, David P Eliot, Robert Elliott, Ed Vaizey MP, Craig Hart, Robert T Morrison, Suzanne Crafer, Donna Rogers. Cover photo © Marilyn Eagan.

Published by The Proof Fairy (www.theprooffairy.com)

Whilst every care has been taken to ensure that the data in this publication is accurate, neither the publisher nor its editorial contributors can accept, and hereby disclaim,

any liability to any party to loss or damage caused by errors or omissions resulting from negligence, accident or any other cause. In The Vale magazine does not officially

endorse any advertising material included within this publication. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or

transmitted in any form - electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise - without prior permission of the publisher.

… In The Vale Introduction


Local News

Air Ambulance Benefits from Airshow

Following the successful 10th Anni-versary Abingdon Air & Country Show in May, the events organiser Neil Porter and deputy organiser Andy Porter visited the Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance at its home base of RAF Benson to present a cheque for £7000. This figure repre-sented an approximate 40% increase over the donation made to the same charity in 2008 ... no mean feat in these difficult times. Indeed during its 10 year history Abingdon Air & Coun-try Show has donated £28000 to charities (before the Air Ambulance the beneficiary was Helen & Douglas House). Abingdon Air & Country Show is much more than just an airshow. With something for all the family this event features historic vehicles, arena events, music, entertainment, craft and trade stalls and more. Planning is now underway for next year’s Show which will take place on May 2nd 2010 at Abingdon Airifield, Dalton Barracks and already enquiries are being made from interested parties wishing to exhibit/display or trade at the show. Opportunities will also exist for local (and maybe not so local) businesses to put their name in front of thousands of people through a range of sponsorship and advertising opportunities. For more information contact Andy Porter on 01235 529142.

Are We Going Back to Basics?

Nearly 300 entries in the Grove Horticul-tural Society’s summer show suggest that we are. A high standard was apparent in the vegetable classes and the judge of the baking classes was particularly im-pressed with the quality, which was higher than she had seen for many years. Only the flower classes showed a drop in entries, perhaps due to the wind and rain of preceding days. The craft, photography and children’s classes were also well supported.

First time visitors to the show were im-pressed by the friendly atmosphere and the Society warmly welcomed new exhibi-tors. The schedules for 2010 will be avail-able early in the New Year at Charlton Garden Centre and Grove Library. Do have a go and join the growing band of people going back to basics. For fur-ther information on the society email [email protected]

Twinning Association Hamper Won

On a windy and sometimes showery Sunday in summer this year, the French market came to Wantage. The Twinning As-sociation took the opportunity to display photographs and post-ers about the Wantage and Grove twinning exchanges, and to raise funds by raffling a hamper brimful of French produce. The Association raised over £70 towards their funds and the raffle was drawn by the French Market organiser Monsieur René le François. The hamper was won by Mrs Green of Warmans Close who is pictured with her husband receiving her prize.


All Change at Faringdon Tourist Info Centre

Win £20 in Spot the Horse!

Spot the small horse hidden in an advert in this month’s magazine and you could be the lucky winner of a crisp £20 note! Simply send your name, address and the name of the advert where the horse is hidden to: Spot the Horse October, In The Vale magazine, 9 Cromwell Close, Faringdon SN7 7BQ or email your de-tails including your address to:[email protected] Closing date is 31st October.

Congratulations to Mr B Smith of Wantage who spotted August’s horse in James Mitchell’s ad!

… In The Vale

Faringdon Tourist and Information Centre (TIC) is on the move this month. After operating out of the Pump Rooms for several years, it will be relocating to new larger premises at the Corn Exchange back office from Monday 5th October.

If you haven’t been to the TIC before it’s well worth a visit. As well as holding a wealth of information on things to do and see in the local area, you can buy gifts, postcards and books and also see displays by local artists (Art Focus returns in November after the move!)

Coinciding with the move - and another great reason for you to visit Sally and her hardworking team in their new home - is the opening of this year’s Charity Christmas Card Shop. Last year the shop raised £5600 through the sale of cards, with at least 75% of that going towards charities including the RNLI, Macmillan Cancer Support and the British Heart Foundation. There will be many more cards available this year, so lets see if we can help them raise even more!

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… In The Vale

Local Farmers Celebrating Success at Awards

Local farmers Lin and Lucy Blackwell are celebrating their success in the 2009 Oxfordshire Livestock Farmer of the Year awards. The mother and daughter team were runners up in this year’s competition. “It’s the first year we entered and we are delighted at our achievement,” says Lin, who is the 4th generation of the family farming at Challow Hill, near Wantage. “The judging is very demanding; a two and a half hour visit to the farm not only involves visiting the animals and farmland, but all our paperwork is thoroughly checked as well.”

“Mum is well known as the face of Challow Hill Meats at the local farmers’ markets we attend in Wantage, Didcot and Abingdon,” says daughter Lucy. “We sell beef from our herd of pedigree Dexter cattle as well as fresh farm eggs. I’ve always got a job to do back at the farm in East Challow!” As well as the Dexter herd, Lin and Lucy also have chickens and pigs to look after. “This year has been extremely busy,” continues Lucy. “We held our first Open Farm Sunday in June which was tremendously successful, and this award really is the icing on the cake.”

Magnus’ Fundraising Ridgeway Drive

Magnus the pony would like to help his friend Katie Alder raise £3000 for The Blue Cross Animal Welfare Charity. Katie will be trekking 60 miles across the Rift

Valley in Africa in June 2010 in aid of The Blue Cross – so to help her along, Magnus plans to ‘trek’ 43 miles along the western half of the Ridgeway National Trail with his passengers Katie and Ros on October 17th and 18th. The trip will start in Wiltshire at Overton Hill, trekking for approximately 5 to 6 hours before stopping overnight in Childrey, and then continue on to Streatley the next day.

Magnus would be really grateful if you would sponsor him via Katie’s webpage: www.justgiving.com/Katie-Alder . In the message section please mention you are supporting Magnus’ drive along the Ridgeway. Thanks!

Great Start for Grove RFC

The rugby season for Grove started with a great home win over last season’s fliers Milton Keynes. Grove opened the scoring just minutes into the game with George Rautenback crossing the line, with further tries following from Richard Keen, Jamie Fredericks and Roger Sevier. Grove were 27-5 to the good at half time, and though they were reduced to 13 men during the second half, the try of the match from Ben Law saw the game sealed up 37-29. This great victory follows some of the best pre-season training and preparation seen at Grove RFC for some years, which included the team managing to get to the semi-finals of the New-bury 10`s competition, beaten only by the even-tual winners. For more information on Grove RFC visit their website: www.groverfc.co.uk

Funding for Flood Prevention Work

The Vale of White Horse District Council has awarded more than £50,000 worth of grants to flood groups across the area to support their work to prevent and reduce flooding - and there is still around £50,000 left in the grant kitty for flood groups to claim before the end of October.

New flood groups - formed by residents who work with the county, town and district councils and the Environ-ment Agency to identify solutions to reduce flood risks - have been set up across the Vale in response to the 2007 floods. Grants have already been awarded to groups in Grove, Hanney, Wantage and Buscot, with further funding assisting efforts in Abingdon, Steventon, Carswell Marsh, Lyford and Marcham.

Work has already started on some of the projects, including work on the Letcombe Brook in Wantage, co-ordinated by the Letcombe Brook Project and the Wantage Flood Group. Last month bundled hazel groynes were installed behind the mill next to Betjeman Park to narrow the channel. This should help wash out silt build up and increase the flow of water. Further work will take place to remove sediment and increase the capacity of the brook.

Any flood group interested in applying for a grant must have the support of their town or parish council. De-tails and an application form are available online at www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk. Applications must be received by 30 October.

Local News



Local Events

Children's Grand Prix comes to Wantage

The children at Wantage Baptist Church Sunday School are getting in training for a week long activity club, run-ning from 5th- 9th October. The theme is “Grand Prix Win-ners” and features Christian teaching on winning for God. The main club will run every evening from 6pm-7.30pm with craft activities, songs, games, refreshments and fun - all connected to a Grand Prix. Bringing the week to a close will be a Family Fun afternoon on the Saturday, followed by a special Family Service at Wantage Baptist Church on the Sunday.

Marj Lunn, event organiser, says: "Our own children are getting very excited already, but all Wantage school chil-dren aged 5-11 are invited." One of the group leaders, Hannah Woods aged 19, has recently arrived back from Vancouver where she has been living for three years. "I am excited to be part of the Grand Prix at Wantage Children's Club. Earlier this year I was involved with a visit for youth work in China and previously I have been working in Bolivia for three months in chil-dren's work. It's great to be back in my home town for this event."

Wantage Baptist Church has a long history of running fun-packed children’s clubs alongside its regular groups and activities for young people. For further information about “Grand Prix Winners”, along with details on how to register, call Pastor Phil Lambert on 01235 762 895 or email [email protected]. For details on their regular services and activities, visit www.wantagebaptist.org.uk

Grove Horticultural Society

Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday 21st October in Grove Vil-lage Hall starting at 7.45pm. It is the AGM and social evening with cheese and wine. For further informa-tion email [email protected]

Talk on "Pandemic Flu”

LINK - the patient group of Newbury Street Practice Surgery - are holding a talk on Pandemic Flu - all you want to know about flu symptoms and Asthma etc. followed by their AGM. It takes place on Thursday 12th November at 7pm in the Newbury Street Practice waiting room at the Wantage Health Centre, Mably Way. All welcome. For further information contact Sandra Helm on 07798 555513.

Didcot Craft Fair

Didcot Chamber of Commerce will be holding its annual Craft Fair on Sunday 1st November in the Civic Hall, Britwell Road, Didcot.

Craft producers will be selling high quality, handmade gifts in-cluding wood, ceramics, glass, art preserves, cakes, bread, olives and sweets. Many will also be demonstrating their craft for visitors see. Didcot Scouts will provide delicious light lunches and afternoon tea and Didcot Guides are helping with setting up and admissions.

This is a real community event to raise funds for Didcot’s highly successful Christmas Street Fair. There will also be grand tom-bola with some stunning gifts from Williams F1, a local flavours food hamper and tickets for days out to local attractions.

Didcot Chamber of Commerce Publicity Officer Jeanette Howse said: “There will be something for the whole family as well as the chance to purchase unique quality gifts directly from the pro-ducer, and at the same time support Didcot’s Christmas Street Fair.”

Didcot Craft Fair is open from 10.30 – 4pm. Admission £1 adults, children free. More Information from Jeanette Howse on 01235 867302 or 07771 967633; email [email protected].

… In The Vale


GROVE MEDICAL CENTRE

FLU CLINICS

Wed 14th October: 12.30 – 2.00pm

Sat 24th October: 10.00 – 1.00pm

We are intending to commence our Flu Clinics on the above-mentioned dates and would ask that you please put a note of these dates in your diary. No appointment is necessary

We are NOT intending to send out individual appointment letters this year as we will be holding

“Open Drop-in” clinics and would ask that you please read the following list of categories to check whether you are entitled to have a Flu vaccination,

as follows:

1. All patients aged 65 and over, as at 31 March 2010.

2. All patients aged 6 months and over, in a Clinical Risk Group, which includes:

3. Patients in receipt of a Carer’s Allowance, or those who are the Main Carer for an elderly or disabled per-son who may be at risk if the Carer falls ill.

• Chronic Respiratory Disease and Asthma, which requires continuous, or repeated, use of inhaled or

systemic steroids

• Chronic Heart Disease

• Chronic Renal Failure

• Chronic Liver Disease

• Chronic Neurological Disease

• Diabetes

• Immunosuppression

DIDCOT CRAFT FAIR

Sunday 1st November

at Didcot Civic Hall (Britwell Road Didcot)

10.30am-4pm

Over 60 high class quality hand made crafts Christmas gifts

Great refreshments

£1 Adults, children free

For more information:

07771 967633 [email protected]

Halloween at

Faringdon Folly

Climb the Folly Tower at Night. It will be SPOOKY with lights, decoration

and music.

Saturday 31st October 6.00pm till 8.00pm

Adults £1, Children 11-16 20p, Children under 11 free

Bring a torch to explore the woodland

For more information call 01367 241142

or [email protected]

www.faringdonfolly.org.uk Faringdon Folly Tower Trust

Charity No: 284795


U3A Faringdon & District

Tuesday 6th October 4th Annual FRESHERS FAIR

Open House Stands and Displays by every U3A Interest Group.

All existing members and potential new members are invited to come and see what we can offer

YOU. Free Entry, Free Refreshments.

9.30am – 11.30am in Faringdon Corn Exchange.

Thursday 8th October "Restoring china"

(the porcelain sort, not the country!) by Air Commodore William Northmore.

2.15pm for 2.30pm in Faringdon Corn Exchange.

Further information from Ian Clarkson (Chairman) 01793 782836

www.FaringdonU3A.org.uk

U3A Wantage & Grove

Our programme for September in Grove Village Hall (Main Street)

starting at 2pm is:

Tuesday 6th October: “The Role of the Queen’s Representative

in Oxfordshire” a talk by Sir Hugo Brunner

Tuesday 20th October: “Madame Pompadour” a talk by Norman Frances

Visitors are welcome to attend main meetings for a fee of £1.50.

Contact Chairman Thia Brereton (01235 764779) or Secretary Linda Thompson (01235 768701)

for more information on the talks or other group activities.

www.U3asites.org.uk/wantage

Local Events … In The Vale

Northmoor Trust This Month

Unless stated, events take place at the Nortmoor Trust, Hill Farm, Little Wittenham OX14 4QZ and booking is essential. Call 01865 407792 to book, more info at www.northmoortrust.co.uk .

Sun 4th & 11th Oct: 10.30am-1pm: Fungus Foray: Find the fabulous fungi that are fruiting in the forest. Adults £5,

Friends & under 16s free.

Sun 4th & 11th Oct, 10am-12noon: Big Draw Wild Illustra-tion workshop: Collect inspiration from the nature reserve and learn drawing and illustration techniques. Free. Just

turn up!

Sun from 11th Oct: 2pm-4pm: Art of Story Telling Course (8 week course): Learn the art of spinning a good

yarn with master storyteller, Peter Hearn. Adults £85, Friends £68.

Sun 18th Oct, 10am-5pm: Celebrate Apple Day with

scrumping and bobbing. Activities from £1. Just turn up!

Sun 18th Oct, 10.30am-4.30pm: Basket Weaving Work-shop: Come and weave your own truly unique basket as part of our Apple Day celebrations. Adults £50, Friends

£40.

Sat 31th Oct, 5pm-7:30pm: Halloween Hootenanny: Fiendish party games, spooky tunes and ghastly good-

ies. £7 per child.

Have you ever wanted to know what happens in a Crown Court case?

See a trial take place in ten minutes on Thursday October 15th!

Plus a delicious breakfast,

open business networking, and three guaranteed appointments

for just £10. Everyone welcome.

4Networking Faringdon meet at Carswell Golf Club every Thursday

morning between 8am-10am.

For more details call 01367 888229

or visit www.4networking.biz/events/faringdon


Halloween … In The Vale

Six of the Best Halloween Gadgets by Peter Jenkinson The spooking season is upon us once again and no one will be able to avoid the ghostly goings-on across the land. You might well look a little strange if you go trick or treating without any kids in tow but there's no reason you can't get into the spirit of things and not look like a total party poltergeist. Our selection of Hallow-een gizmos will only strike fear into the faintest of heart but will appeal to everyone's sense of fun.

Box of Tricks - Freaky Body Illusions - £24.99 from www.amazon.co.uk Inside this box are 10 tricks ranging from very easy to easy in terms of achieving almost perfection. Highly entertaining for your open mouthed audience, displays include a 360-degree head turn, re-animating a severed limb and brain flossing!

Totally Legless - Crawling Zombie - £19.99 from www.iwantoneofthose.com Sensors will spring your pet zombie into life and he'll groan, moan and shine his evil red eyes as he drags himself across the floor avoiding obstacles as his plastic form wanders around your home. Thankfully this zombie has an off switch for when the afterlife holds no more appeal.

Work Mates - Flesh eating zombie playset - £14.99 from www.iwantoneofthose.com It appears there is no end to the genre of pint sized plastic play-things you can now own. Long gone are the days of simple Wild West figures or army sets, now you can have your very own Zom-bie playset. These glow-in-the-dark figures are ideal for anyone wanting to build a scale size replica graveyard.

Walking Hand - £14.99 from www.iwantoneofthose.com Daft as a brush but without the bristles and cleaning capabilities, the hand is a very silly and very funny toy that, at the flick of a switch and the clap of your hands, scuttles across the floor in an alarming way, scaring the Bejeesus out of all those in its path.

Seasonal Vegetable - Halloween Jack-o-Lantern - £8.95 from www.firebox.com This pumpkin-based pack contains a recipe book for ideas on what to do with all the innards from your lantern and a DVD with screensaver pumpkins to play on your TV accompanied by sinister soundtracks. Seven pumpkin stencils inside will assist in your creation of the perfect lantern so it won't look like the efforts of a blindfolded four-year-old.

Chilling CD - Raw Fear - £7.95 from www.firebox.com (not pictured)

Grown-up Halloween gatherings should seek out this CD for some truly terrifying reac-tion. An FX CD with various nightmarish noises with all the sounds designed to go off at random intervals. There is also a booklet with ghost stories, urban legends, ghost hunting tips with creepy photographs and to top it off there's a Raw Fear Soundtrack CD, a compilation of goose bump-inducing music. Who will cry for mummy first?

You can buy all these items online or follow the links on our website: www.inthevalemagazine.co.uk


One of the challenges facing a museum is to attract visitors and the best way of doing that is to have new, interesting and excit-ing exhibits. With that in mind Ruth Howard, Curator of the Vale & Downland Museum, has spent the last 12 months plan-ning and organising an new exhibit that should prove to be an added attraction to the already popular exhibits housed in this award-winning museum.

Alfred the Great: Warrior, Vi-sionary, Leader is an exhibition which celebrates the life and times of the famous King of Wes-sex and his association with the town of his birth. The exhibition was originally displayed in the Winchester Discovery Centre and has now been reassembled with new displays and new objects. It tells the story of Alfred’s epic struggle with Viking invaders, the transformation of his army into an effective fighting force and his legacy of culture, learning and crafts-manship. With a grant from Renaissance South East, a display has been created especially for the Wantage area. It brings together archaeological finds such as Anglo-Saxon jewellery, weapons, ce-ramics and objects from everyday life from the Vale of the White Horse and beyond. The exhibition gives valuable insight into the lives of the local population in the ninth century.

Ruth Howard says, “Many of us walk or drive past King Alfred’s statue every day, but do we ever stop

to look at him and wonder why his monument is in the square? This exhibition gives everyone an opportunity to discover more about this remarkable monarch and celebrate the fact that he

was born here. After the publicity the town received earlier this year, it is great to see the ‘Wantage Reju-venated’ campaign gaining such momentum. This exhibition is the museum’s contribution to this move-ment. By telling the story of how Wessex was rejuve-nated over a thousand years ago by an extraordi-nary leader, we hope to attract more tourists into the town.”

Ruth and her volunteer assistants, Sheila Powell and Genevieve Ruse have been researching and plan-ning the exhibition for over a year. The opening is possible through the generous sponsorship of David Wilson Homes.

A programme of talks and family activities is now being developed, and details will be unveiled later in the year.

For further details of the exhibition contact Ruth Howard, Curator, Vale & Downland Museum.

All About Alfred the Great: Warrior, Leader, Visionary

Vale & Downland Museum

Church Street

Wantage

Tel: (01235) 771447

Website: www.wantage.com/museum

Opening hours:

Monday - Saturday

10.00am to 4.00pm

Closed Bank Holidays

Local History … In The Vale

The unveiling of King Alfred’s Statue in Wantage market place in 1877

An Anglo-Saxon brooch, one of the artefacts to be displayed at the exhibition


What’s On at the Vale & Downland Museum

October 2009 Open: 10am-4pm Mondays - Saturdays Closed Sundays & Bank Holiday Mondays

EXHIBITIONS

Main Gallery

Saturday 10th October onwards Alfred the Great: Warrior, Visionary, Leader An exhibition which celebrates the life and times of this famous King of Wessex and his association with the town of his birth, Wantage. It tells the story of Alfred’s epic struggle with Viking invaders, the transformation of his army into an effective fighting force and his legacy of culture, learning

and craftsmanship. With the aid of a grant from Renaissance South East, a display has been created especially for the Wantage area. A great opportunity for all local residents to come and learn about Wantage’s most famous son.

Upper Gallery

Tues 29th September - Sat 3rd October Memorial Exhibition celebrating the works of local artist Fiona Hawley Fiona, a former pupil at Icknield School, had a studio in Mill Street and was looking to break into the world of children’s books,

designing posters and working as a freelance artist to promote businesses and products. One of her posters, which is on display, is of Marcel Marceau, who bought the original painting.

Tuesday 6th - Saturday 17th October Coast to Country An exhibition of figurative oil and watercolour paintings inspired by extensive travels abroad and to the coasts of Britain

by local artist Pamela Grayburn.

Tuesday 20th - Saturday 31st October, 10am-4pm Artistically Based Textile exhibition by members of Oxford Embroiderers’ Guild

Squires Room

Until Saturday 17th October, 10am-4pm Mindscape A community arts project led by artists Mary Smith and Jane Hope.

Tuesday 20th - Saturday 31st October, 10am-4pm Artistically Based (see above for details)

REGULAR FOYER EVENTS

Saturday 3rd October, 10am-3.30pm Friends of the Museum: Second-hand Book Stall Books at bargain prices!

New Event: Friday 9th October, 1.45pm-3.15pm Museum Coffee Shop Book Group This month’s book for discussion: Affinity by Sarah Waters

Why not try out our new monthly Friday afternoon book group? For more information or to reserve your place, ask at the reception desk.

New Event: Friday 16th October, 1.45pm-3.15pm Knit, Knot & Natter For those who enjoy knitting and crocheting or who wish to learn

Saturday 10th October World Mental Health Day: Gallery Talk 11am-12noon “Into Uncharted Land” A talk by artist Mary Smith about the project which resulted in the Mindscape exhibition. Free but space is limited.

Reserve your place by contacting the museum reception desk or phoning 01235 771447. There will also be an information table in the foyer about the work of Oxfordshire Mind.

Saturday 10th October, 10.30am-12.30pm Wantage and Grove District Arts Guild: Drop-in session

Thursday 29th October, 10.30am-12noon Drop-in School Holiday Weaving Session Have a go at the traditional art of peg loom weaving with weaver Angela Pawlyn. There will be an opportunity to make a braid (50p).

Suitable for everyone aged 5 to adult. Children must be accompanied by an adult. For more details contact the museum reception desk.

Fridays 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd & 30th October, 9.30am-10.45am Country Market

Thursdays 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd & 29th October, 10am Wantage Health Walks

VALE & DOWNLAND MUSEUM, Church Street, Wantage

Tel: 01235 771447 Website: www.wantage.com/museum


Arts Focus … In The Vale

Wantage Betjeman Festival of Literature and Poetry An exciting new festival is being planned for Wantage. It will celebrate the work of Sir John Betjeman and other famous authors and poets with local connections. The first ever Wantage Betjeman Festival of Litera-ture and Poetry will take place over a 2 week period in 2011, but many pre-festival events are being planned between now and then. The festival is designed to attract many thousands of Betjeman fans and other visi-tors both during the festival and at other times. It will also raise the profile of Wantage culturally and result in Wantage being more nationally recognised.

Sir John Betjeman, Poet Laureate and his family lived for many years in and around Wantage. Other poets and authors with local connections include Thomas Hardy, Jonathan Swift and John Masefield – and Pam Ayres, ‘Poet of the People’ has agreed to be Patron. It is hoped that the festival will feature performances and talks from many national and local celebrities including authors, musicians and artists. Local arts groups are also being invited to participate. One of the principal aims of the festival is to encourage greater interest in reading and writing both poetry and other forms of literature, and competitions are envisaged for both chil-dren and adults.

“Our objective is to create a festival similar to the extremely successful and famous Hay-on-Wye, Dylan Tho-mas and Daphne du Maurier Festivals in other parts of the country,” says James Mitchell, Festival Artistic Director. Various entertainment venues will be used around the town, including a few unusual and unex-pected ones. “We want to create a ‘fringe’ atmosphere,” says James.

The festival has already received its first commercial backing (from Philip Keyte, Branch Manager of Co-operative Motors Ford) and would welcome backing from other commercial organisations locally as well as donations large and small from private individuals.

If you would like to know more or be added to the mailing list, please contact James on 01235 767975 or by email at [email protected] .

The Domino Players present

A Tale of Two Cities This autumn’s production by The Domino Players is Matthew Francis’ inspired adaptation of “A Tale of Two Cities” by that master of story-telling, Charles Dickens. The Domino Players are joined for this production by Whippersnapper, the Wan-tage-based Youth Theatre.

“A Tale of Two Cities” was Dickens’ only historical novel, dealing as it does with The Terror, the hor-rific aftermath of the fall of the Bastille which turned the French Revolution from Republican dream to bloodbath. At the heart of the story is a tale of love and redemption which is perhaps, in these cynical days, even more startlingly heart-wrenching than it was in 1859 when Dickens wrote it.

Wednesday 4th, Thursday 5th and Friday 6th No-vember are the dates and Lains Barn near Wan-tage is the place. Tickets £8 (£7 con) are available from The Vale and Downland Museum (01235 760176), The Domino Players (01235 868396) or www.dominoplayers.co.uk from 17th October. This play is a classic not to be missed!

Morris Dancing

Wednesdays 7th, 14th, 21st & 28th October Icknield Way Morris Men practise in Grove Scout Hut from 8pm. New members very welcome.

Tel 07855 548512. www.icknieldwaymorrismen.org.uk

Barn Dancing

Saturday 17th October White Horse Ceilidhs present

Mini Stocai and caller Nick Walden for a stomping barn dance.

Great fun for people of all ages, licensed bar. £6 adults, £3 u16s. Grove Village Hall, 8pm.

Tel 07855 548512. www.whitehorseceilidhs.org.uk

Folk Music

Friday 16th October (from 9pm) FOLK IN THE ABINGDON ARMS, Wantage

Folk music session. All welcome, anything goes.

Tel 07855 548512


www.oxfordlivejazz.com Carswell Golf & Country Club on A420 Nr Faringdon SN7 8PU

Come enjoy a lovely venue & great Jazz

Car park, B&B, bar, good inexpensive food

Tickets & meal bookings via the website (address above) or from:

[email protected]

Tel: 01367 710593

vocalist Zena JAMES

Friday 30th October, 8.30pm

A welcome return visit by

with Rob TAGGART (p) Paul MORGAN (b)

Mike BRADLEY (d) Simon ALLEN (s)

“In a Crowded field this singer is compellingly

different and her vocal storytelling is

convincingly honest” Trudy Kerr

For more information or a viewing

Contact Karen on: 01235 832 240 or email [email protected]

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Article … In The Vale

Maggie

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Mike Buss … Beyond Impossible! Mike Buss is a man on a mission – to become the “World’s Fittest Man” and break more world records than anyone else, ever – all in aid of military chari-ties, including Help For Heroes. Already the holder of 32 world records, Mike, who lives in Highworth with partner Kirsty and their young son Ethan, is set to break another one this month, and has set himself a target of 20 new records and £100,000 of fundraising in 2010. Impossible? It certainly sounds it … but Mike says he is “Beyond Impossible”!

Mike, a former Army Physical Training Instructor, spent 10 years with the British Army, but during operations in Northern Ireland he was caught just 20 feet away from an IRA bomb blast at Lisburn Barracks. The blast seriously dam-aged his hearing but Mike counted himself lucky – that day two were killed and 31 injured, including children and civilians – but the event marked the beginning of the end of Mike’s exemplary military career. After several hearing checks Mike was medically discharged and by 2000 he found himself alone on Civvy Street.

Left with no idea what to do with his life Mike bounced from one dead end job to another, losing all motivation and eventually finding himself homeless on the streets of London. This wasn’t because Mike had no money - he did; he just could not adjust to civilian life. (Shocking statistic time: 1 in 4 homeless on the streets of London are ex-soldiers.)

In 2001, after a couple of months living rough in London, Mike read an article about Paddy Doyle, another former soldier who had broken many world fitness records. It inspired Mike so much he decided he’d found his purpose in life, and since then he has been working towards his goal to become the record breaker of record breakers.

His first World Record came in April 2002 when he ran the fastest marathon carrying a 55lb pack and since then he’s broken 33 more incredible records, including the longest time spent continuously cycling in one session (96hrs) and the fastest mile run on a treadmill carrying a 120lb pack (14mins 37secs). At the start of this month he will be making another world record attempt at the Brunel Shopping Centre in Swindon - this time by running on a treadmill for 48hrs whilst carrying a 40lb pack. He hopes to raise around £3000 from the attempt, to kick-start him on a master plan to raise £100,000 by Christmas 2010, £500,000 by 2012 and £1,000,000 by 2014, all for military chari-ties.

With support from a number of local companies such as QLINK, ISO2Nutrition and Run Swindon, Mike is well on the way to achieving all his goals and more and is proving to the world that he truly is ‘Beyond Impossible’

If you can help Mike towards his goal please make a donation online at:

www.justgiving.com/mikes-worldrecords

Find out more about Mike at www.mike-buss.com


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Good Food … In The Vale

J. Hart Catering … for every occasion If you’re looking for a caterer who provides the best quality food using local produce, look no further than J. Hart Catering. Director of this Wantage-based company, James Hart, grew up within the farming community of Ginge and he brings this background into his business, where he has developed a strong understanding of the importance of using local produce. Not only can James guarantee that his food delivers amazing fresh-ness and great seasonal flavours, but through supporting local food suppliers he also helps the wider com-munity and our environment; local farmers can help maintain our beautiful countryside, employ local people and care for animals to the highest standards and James also helps to reduce CO2 emissions through clock-ing up fewer road miles.

James Hart Catering is a dedicated team of people each with their own area of expertise. James is a pas-sionate chef with unique styling who is driven by a challenge. Business associate Di delivers a front of house service that is second to none; she is always warm and welcoming with a professional air. Jennie backs up the team by always being there to assist in planning and pulling out all of the stops to ensure clients’ events are unique and special. Together, the team strive for excellence, offering a bespoke service for any event.

J Hart Catering delivers a variety of manned and unmanned catering options for events including a wide range of buffets, sit down meals, alfresco dining, private dinner parties and BBQs for all budgets. Weddings are something of a speciality with many 2010 bookings already in the diary. J Hart’s pig roasts - served with beautifully fresh rolls, crisp salads and apple sauce - have had people literally queuing around the block, as they are renowned for their quality. J Hart Catering also offers a succulent lamb roast which can be served with rosemary potatoes and seasonal vegetables making an unusual yet delicious way of catering for your event. The highly experienced and motivated team work with clients to meet any dietary requirements including diabetic, coeliac, allergy, vegetarian, vegan and religious requirements.

A recent innovation from J.Hart Catering is a mobile demo kitchen which can be hired for all sorts of food-related events, everything from school fetes and busi-ness workshops to markets and shopping centres. James is working alongside the Oxfordshire Town Chambers Network to use the mobile kitchen to help pro-mote both healthy eating and the use of local produce in our diet. For more de-tails visit www.otcn.co.uk/projects/kitchen.htm

When it comes to food, there’s no limit to what J Hart Catering can do! To find out what they can do for your event, call 01235 833378 or visit the website: www.jhartcatering.co.uk .

Oxfordshire Food Lovers Hate Waste

Since the spring, council officers through Oxfordshire Waste Partnership (OWP), have been promoting the national Love Food Hate Waste campaign to raise awareness of the £10 billion worth of food wasted in the UK every year. As summer draws to an end the campaign has built momentum with over 2,200 Oxfordshire residents having shown commitment to reducing their food waste by pledging to Love Food Hate Waste. Pledgers have committed to undertake simple activities such as making the most of their freezer, using their leftovers for another meal and planning their weekly menus. In return for making a pledge each person has been given a free recipe book featuring over 150 recipes to use up leftovers.

The first recipe in the book is the winner of a competition run by OWP to find Oxford-shire's best leftovers recipe: Tim Gannaway's Chicken Curry. Tim from Abingdon won a meal for two at the Michelin starred Nut Tree Inn, Murcott. He says: “Using up our left-overs comes naturally to us; they’re just another ingredient for our meals. My curry recipe is a family favorite so I was really pleased to win the competition and be able to share it with others.”

If you would like to try Tim’s recipe for yourself and see the other ways you can Love Food Hate Waste, make a pledge at www.oxfordshirewaste.gov.uk or by calling 08450 50 45 50. and claim your free recipe book!


Catering for every occasion

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Carrot Soup This month I’ve chosen a stunning recipe from Cyndi O’Meara. Cyndi is a very inspiring individual from Aus-tralia, where she is a well respected nutritionist, author, international speaker and a great advocate of using local produce. She’s visiting the UK this month and giving a talk at the WI Cookery School at Denman Col-lege in Marcham on Tuesday 13th October - put the date in your diary and join us! In the meantime, enjoy the taste of this delicious carrot soup from Cyndi’s Cookbook “Changing Habits, Changing Lives”.

Carrot Soup (Serves 4)

Method: 1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; add garlic, ginger, leek and onion and sauté gently until translucent. 2. Add carrots, cover, and sweat for 5 minutes. 3. Add salt, turmeric, oregano, water and orange peel; slowly bring to the boil and simmer gently for 20 min-utes. 4. Purée using a blender or hand-held processor, slowly adding juice. 5. Warm slightly over medium heat before serving immediately with a dollop of yoghurt in each bowl.

Good Food

Donna’s Wine

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Head Over Heels Merlot 2004 Victoria, Australia £7.99/bottle

From the cool (in Aussie terms) climate of Victoria, this merlot is deep ruby and vibrant in colour. It has expressive aromas of plum pudding amidst coffee and rose petals with violets. On the palate, there are generous ripe fruit flavours that are balanced in struc-ture, with a velvety texture and a long linger-ing finish. Match with marinated beef, rack of

lamb or grilled steak.

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… In The Vale

1 tablespoon cold-pressed oil (preferably macada-mia nut) 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1 cm piece of ginger, grated 1 leek, sliced 1 onion, chopped 1 kg carrots, cut into medium slices

2 tsp sea salt 1 tsp turmeric powder 1 tsp dried oregano 4 cups boiling filtered water Peel of 1 orange, roughly chopped 1 cup orange juice ¾ cup organic natural yoghurt (or sour cream)

Indian Cooking Demonstration Tuesday 20

th October

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Indian Cooking Class Monday 16

th November

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Join us for fun, fast and easy cooking!

Booking essential - call 0800 980 4896

Classes take place at the WI Cookery School in Marcham



… In The Vale Good Food

This is an article that originally ran in our very first issue, back in August 2007. Since then we’ve picked up many more readers so I thought, as we have an extended food section this month, it was worth reprinting it! There’s a lot more to cheese than meets the eye – at least, that’s what I learned when I visited Rob Blackburn, the owner of Manna Delicatessen in Faringdon. Did you know that Stilton is a protected origin cheese that can only be produced by a few licensed dairies in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire or Leicestershire – but ironically, it can’t actually be made in the village of Stilton, which is in Cam-bridgeshire? Or that Oxford Blue is actually made in Derbyshire? Or that there are over 100 varieties of Cheddar cheese, of which Manna stocks seven - including cheddar from the Isle of Mull which is possibly about as far away from the home town of Cheddar as you can go without leaving the country. Oxfordshire generally isn’t renowned for its cheeses and Rob put forward two suggestions why that is – the area’s historical wool industry that saw sheep rather than cows on the hills, and the chalky con-sistency of those hills that would have affected the nutrients of the milk. Who knows, maybe that’s something to do with the origins of the phrase “like chalk and cheese”? So it’s a pleasant surprise, in this cheesy void, to find Manna, a little slice of cheese heaven. Manna stocks around 80 varieties of cheese, from Cheddar and Double Gloucester to the more uncommon Delice de Bourgogne and Miss Muffet, a creamy Cornish cheese – in fact, Manna tend to specialise in West Country cheeses. They also stock a wide range of ewes' and goats' milk cheeses, which are great for the health-conscious as they have a much lower cholesterol level. If you’re not sure what to try, Rob is incredibly knowledgeable about his range so pop in and ask – he recommended Waterloo brie for me and it was wonderful, rich and creamy with a slightly salty aftertaste, really delicious! If you’re after more than cheese have a look at the rest of the selection in Manna which includes sev-eral varieties of olives, cold meats, pâtés, home-made pies and authentic Cornish pasties, farm eggs, biscuits, Wantage flour, jams, preserves, tea bags, fresh bread, and even more. I really was spoilt for choice and will definitely be going again!

So how about taking a break from your usual super-market Cheddar or Double Gloucester and trying something new. Anyone for White Nancy and bis-cuits?

Manna, 18a Market Place, Faringdon Tel: 01367 241702

The Big Cheese: a Visit to Manna

Coming Soon! Still on the subject of cheese, what links Corona-tion Street, Shanks Pony and a catering company based in Wantage? The answer is Sean Wilson, the actor who played Martin Platt in Corrie for twenty years. Since leav-ing the soap Sean has set up The Saddleworth Cheese Company and is committed to making a range of artisan cheeses using Saddleworth milk. So where do Shanks Pony and Wantage come into the equation? Well, Lockinge-based J Hart Cater-ing is very proud to be the first catering company in Oxfordshire to offer Sean Wilson’s cheeses. From October they will be using Smelly Apath (a spe-cially-formulated medium soft blue), Muldoon’s Picnic (Lancashire Crumbly) and Shanks Pony (Lancashire Creamy) cheeses in their catering. For more details about J Hart Catering and the ser-vices they offer contact James on 01235 833378 or see the articles about them on page 18.


… In The Vale Health & Fitness

Stop Smoking … and Feel Better! Did you know that tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 constituents which are more or less likely to cause cancer? In the list of ingredients you will find - apart from nicotine, which is a potent neurotoxin and often used in pesticides - benzene (which is added to petrol), formaldehyde (which is an embalming fluid), ammonia (you also can clean your windows with that!) and acetone (used to remove nail enamel)! We all know the effects smoking can have on our health and wellbeing. Another negative side effect nowadays is having to stand outside to smoke - standing outside, whatever the weather, very often exposed to the elements!

If you wish to “kick the habit“ and not “the bucket“, try alternative options such as hyp-notherapy or acupuncture, or a combination of both. Very often, only one session of acupuncture can keep you away from the fags. During the session, small patches with tiny pins will be ap-plied in one ear, which stay there for several days (3 to 14 days) and trigger an impulse on certain acupunc-ture points to suppress the cravings.

For successful treatment it is also important that you boost your immune system. Vitamin C, lots of leafy greens in your daily diet and magnesium supplements can give you the needed support. The herbal remedy Avena Sativa (e.g. by Dr. Vogel) which is made from oats can also be of great help. Oats have a positive effect on a wide range of nervous conditions. They are mildly antidepressant, gently raising energy levels and supporting an over-stressed nervous system – very often a problem when trying to give up the habit of smoking!

For further information, please contact me at the Natural Therapy Centre in Wantage, call me on 07742 982757 or visit my website: www.monikabecker.co.uk

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… In The Vale

The Fifth of November, and all that!

Robert Elliott

Your Pets with Robert Elliott

Welcome to another ramble – this time to explore ways of damage limitation for all domestic and wild animals caught up in the ever-extending firework “season” that has its origins celebrated on the 5th November, weather permitting!

Animals - whether farm, stable, house or backyard - are generally more sensitive to sudden and loud noises. We can all help within our commu-nities by letting neighbours know when an event is planned, including birthdays and anniversaries - and look out for adverts in the local press about large public dis-plays.

Please keep all pets indoors at and after any event where there is a bonfire, to prevent burns or worse. Use lower-noise fireworks, (kite mark BS7114) to help reduce the likely stress caused and, once it is safe to do so, clear all fire-work litter up and dispose of safely, as this could also be harmful to pets. Site bonfires well away from feedstores, barns, sheds, aviaries, stables and rabbit/guinea pig cages. Allow for the worst wind direc-tion. Try to build bonfires as late as possible, so that the risk of being a fatal attraction to pets and wild mammals such as hedgehogs can be reduced. Do a big war dance around and around the base, make lots of noise and whack the founda-tions with a stick or branch before lighting the fire, to rouse and give such animals the chance to escape.

Remember the Firework Safety Code (keep pets indoors) and the Law, which states that, other than on Nov 5th, New Year’s Eve, Chinese New Year and Diwali, there can be NO fireworks between 11pm and 7am. The law also underlines that it is illegal to cause any unnecessary suffering to any domestic or captive animal.

Signs of distress in your pets will be readily apparent, since you know them so well. These can range from being very “clingy”, lack of appetite or hiding through to shaking, barking and urinating or defaecating inside the house. Cats will hide right on top of ward-robes, as well as in them. “Escape” outdoors can happen with both dogs and cats at any time when

they’re so distressed, so it’s essential to make sure that they are microchipped, in order to help reunite you with your pet, who, hopefully, may not actually be far away.

As well as trying to “get away from it all” with your dog, there is expert advice from members of the Association of Pet Behav-i o u r a l C o u n s e l l o r s (www.apbc.org.uk), medications such as Zylkene® from your veterinary practice as well as pheromones manufactured by Ceva (www.ceva.uk.com - DAP®, the Dog Appeasing Pheromone, and the feline FELI-WAY®). So go along to your practice in good time to get advice - they can also give you details of the scientifically-proven, sound desensitizing therapy available as a double CD called the “Sounds Scary” t h e r a p y p a c k (www.soundtherapy4pets.com). Other sources of information are the PDSA (www.pdsa.org.uk), the RSPCA (www.rspca.org.uk) and the Feline Advisory Bureau (www.fabcats.org).

See the Articles page on the magazine’s website for a de-tailed outline of ways to prepare your pets for bonfire night - www.inthevalemagazine.co.uk/

articles .

Above all, have fun or try to enjoy the firework sea-son as best you can; be safe, be considerate and aware of others; stick to the Code and the spirit of the law; and be allowed to exercise your legal wel-fare duty of care to your pet.

“Fireworks” a poem by James Reeves

They rise like sudden fiery flowers

That burst upon the night, Then fall to earth in burning showers

Of crimson, blue and white.

Like buds too wonderful to name, Each miracle unfolds

And Catherine wheels begin to flame Like whirling marigolds.

Rockets and Roman candles make

An orchard of the sky, Where magic trees their petals shake

Upon each gazing eye.


21 - 23 HIGH STREET STANFORD IN THE VALE, OXON SN7 8LH

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Let’s Be Calm About This ...

It seems to me that Government is constantly complaining they don’t have enough money to fund every-thing, you know, hospitals, schools etc. Our pensioners, who have paid the government endlessly over the years (and in the case of my parents’ generation often with their lives), now face the prospect of working well into their 70s whether they like it or not. Yet, it seems to me that wherever I turn there are instances of a total and utter waste of money.

One such irritation is so-called “Traffic Calming” systems. What complete lunatic designed these little death traps? First of all, why are they called “Traffic Calming” systems when the key objective seems to be to make as many people as possible angry, frustrated and irritated on their way to work in the morning by cre-ating jams where otherwise there would not be one?

You can visit and admire an example of this yourself in Preston Road in Abing-don. It is a classic example of what happens if you fund idiots and give them paper and a box of crayons! In fact, there are actually two of these little beau-ties, with alternating priorities which often lead to “road rage” as drivers mis-judge the distance of oncoming vehicles - leading to much fist waving and often less tasteful gestures!

Apart from their ugliness (even uglier after someone has crashed into them requiring further lavish donations of our hard earned cash!), they are downright lethal! The two gaps either side are cycle lanes. This means that as a vehicle (think flipping great lorry here) swings out to negotiate it, it is then aiming, head-on, for any bicycle travelling in the opposite direction, before it swings back in the other direction, hopefully avoiding mounting the kerb on the artificial chicane

or, with luck (and ideally), flattening the whole stu-pid structure! Of course, said lorry is now heading directly for bicycles travelling in the same direction on the vehicle’s blind nearside, before it straightens out again.

The useful little island created half way across the road means that children can get right into the middle of the road and step out straight under any passing lorry, giving the driver no chance, instead of running from the side of the road which might give him some small opportunity to take avoiding action. Of course, there is also the wonderful op-portunity for motorbikes - to avoid being stuck in the artificial jam caused - to whip through the cycle lane and also come up on the blindside of the vehi-cle effectively overtaking on the inside!

Pull them all down! Or put a sign up naming them all after the designer. At least then we would know which particular idiot was responsi-ble. Perhaps they could be buried under them when they die. On the other hand, why wait?!

David P Elliot www.davidpelliot.com

What people say about In The Vale magazine:

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… In The Vale Grumpy Old Men


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… The Vale Voice of ...

I was a 1960s teenager who can treasure the recollec-tions of the emancipation of our era, freed from the sup-pressions that our prede-cessors had to endure. We were given opportunity and the money to accompany it. What adventurous, “salad days” they were.

Later in that decade, youth developed awareness and the conscience that went with it, born out of what has been stereotyped as the “hippy move-ment”, heralding “peace to all and let free love pre-vail”, for we are all a brethren sharing the limited resources born of mother Earth. From that con-science the “anti lobbies” and protest movements started to manifest themselves in various politically motivated guises. By the late 1970s they became well organised in their plight for supremacy to effect the destiny of us all.

Global warming and recognising that our home mother Earth is not an infinite resource is not a new concept but it is becoming an increasingly fashion-able phenomenon that should have always con-cerned us all, for we are just as much part of the nature of mother Earth, as everything else that she supports. Those of us amongst the scientific pater-nity have been well aware of the challenges that faced mankind and in particular the U.K., as we approached the “crisis” years leading us into the middle of the new century. It was clear to us in the 1970s, that profound decisions needed to be con-templated during the 1980s to sustain our energy needs and to off-set the ever increasing releases of gases related to the burning of fossil fuels. Govern-ments encouraged our debate and nurtured our input into their own “think-tank” policies but to no avail, our sound advice and prophesies were ig-nored, and sacrificed in preference to satisfy the selfish political egos and agendas of the “anti lob-bies” and those labelled as peace presiders, who claimed that their just cause was to save our planet.

Our Vision. We scientists perceived in those early years, that the U.K. should build more nuclear power stations in the 1980s and 1990s, because we already predicted the “energy shortfall” leading us up to the years of the 2020s. These could have been built at a fraction of the cost that it will be to-day and it is you the consumer who may have to pay this heavy price, or continue, as we already

have started to do, to pay the price to import our energy needs at a levy beyond of our control. Nu-clear power does not produce “green house gases” and it was postulated that it was technically possible to build a number of different types of reactors, whereby the waste from one power plant could become the fuel of another, ultimately resulting in only one set of final waste from the very last reactor in the chain. By the mid 1980s the general populous had been soured against the nuclear industry by the “anti lobbies and their associates” which effectively led to the closure of the U.K.s nuclear industry in its prime and at a most critical time in our energy desti-nies.

Do not blame the scientists, for we would have re-deemed you all from what lays before you. It now seems, that “the best way forward is the best way backwards”, whilst the politicians now debate the building of more coal fired powered stations to sup-ply our energy needs, using new and very expen-sive unproven technologies in the hope that they will not release the harm polluting atmospheric waste products that they produced in the past. We have committed ourselves to reduce the U.K.s carbon “foot-print” and time is running out because of our failings decades ago. Robert. T. Morrison.

This page is for you, the reader, to contribute to the magazine.

If you have an article, poem, joke, letter or photo you would like to share with us,

please write to the editor at In The Vale maga-zine, 9 Cromwell Close, Faringdon SN7 7BQ or email [email protected] .

All submissions will be considered but we can’t guarantee to print everything we receive.

Who is Saving Our Planet?

Wanted: readers!

We are hoping to start a regular book review page in the magazine. If you would like to join our panel of review-ers please send you details and a short (100 word) review of your

favourite book to: In The Vale magazine, 9 Cromwell Close, Faringdon SN7 7BQ or email [email protected]


CHIROPRACTIC, PHYSIOTHERAPY AND MASSAGE

Registered with the GCC, SCA, CSP and PhysioFirst

Covered by health insurers

Dr Brett Rowlands (M.Tec Chiro)

Dr Luther Moss (DC. MChiro. MCC)

Mrs Lindsay Rowlands (BSc PT Hons)

Mrs Liz McDonald (Dip.ITEC)

Convenient parking

10 Barnards Way, Charlton, Wantage OX12 7EA

Phone: 01235 770008 or 07884 256366

Back and neck pain All sports injuries

Headaches and migraines Muscle problems

Joint problems Tendinitis

Post surgical rehabilitation

MORTGAGES MADE EASY

9 Mill Street Wantage OX12 9AB

01235 224802 0845 2 300 415

Mortgages Made Easy is an independent mortgage brokerage

and we will be pleased to offer advice and help

on any mortgage query you may have.

Mortgages Made Easy (Oxon) Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority


As Parliament is still in recess as I write this, I thought I would update you on some campaigns I have been running.

Nationally, I have been campaigning on behalf of thousands of investors who invested in savings products. Although the products were advertised as 100 per cent guaranteed, because they were backed by Lehman Brothers, when the bank went bust investors lost all their money. One of those investors lives in our constituency, which is how I got involved. Having held a debate on the subject, and also writ-ten an article for the Financial Times, I finally got the Financial Services Authority to take the issue seriously, and investors should start to get their cases heard with a view to getting compensation. This is a real result, though it is early days. The whole campaign has thrown up some anomalies in our financial system as far as investors are con-cerned, which I hope to raise in Parliament with a view to changing the law. I opposed the incinerator in Sutton Courtenay, and argued that the County should consider a different technology. I have secured a small victory, in that the County has chosen a different site, although it is still pursuing incineration. So as a Nimby I am pleased, but still concerned about the use of incin-eration. Appleford recently lost a number of trains which were cut from its timetable, and I have succeeded in reinstating these. Finally, as I may have mentioned before, the Gov-ernment has agreed to hold a public enquiry into the reservoir planned for Steventon, something which I called for in November. Through the summer recess, I have continued to pursue individual cases as best I can, and hope the service has been as prompt and efficient as possi-ble. My next surgeries are 9th October, Grove Old Mill Hall and 6th November at Faringdon Corn Ex-change - both at 5.30pm. I can also be contacted as always at House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA, 020 7219 6350 [email protected]

Ed Vaizey on … Ed Vaizey on … Ed Vaizey on … Ed Vaizey on …

Ed Vaizey, MP

In The Vale magazine

is available at :

Wantage: Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s garage Library

Mably Way Health Centre Geoffrey Bailey Shoes

Vale & Downland Museum Helen & Douglas House shop

And delivered to nearly 2000 homes

Grove: Tesco Express

Library Health Centre Supa Fruits

Coop (Savile Way) Cornerstone Coffee Shop

And delivered to 1500 homes

Faringdon: Budgens

Mustard Seed Library

White Horse Medical Centre Fernhill Health Centre Tourist Info Centre

And delivered to nearly 2000 homes

Longcot: The King and Queen Pub

Sent home via Primary School And delivered to 200 homes

Other places: Stanford in the Vale Coop

Hanney village shop Ardington stores Hendred Stores

Uffington village shop

(all the above while stocks last)





Cars Bought, Sold and Exchanged. Call 07976 919475 (day) or 01367 243454 (eves). www.paulfrancis.hpi.co.uk

"Children's Centre Drop In" for parents, grandpar-ents, carers and children under 5 years. Mondays 1pm-2.30pm at the Village Hall, Huntersfield, Stan-ford in the Vale. Starting 7th September, for more info contact Home-Start Southern Oxfordshire, on (01235) 511152.

First Babies Group, 0 to 15 months old, Grove Parish Church, Mondays, 10.30-12, just come along or call 01235 511152 for more details

Professional racquet restringing service Tennis, Squash, Badminton, wide choice of strings Tel Richard Holmes MRT (Master Racquet Techni-cian) 01235 762368 or Mob 07866 967837

Comfortable Car or 6 Seater Available Contracts Welcome - Please Book In Advance

Ring Laraine or Roger

Accompanied visits • Shopping Trips

Start Your Holiday In Style • Day At The Races

Football Matches • That Special Day Out

Airport Transfers • Pub Teams • Lady Driver Available

Private Hire Fully insured & licensed vehicles

The Small Ads

Jewellery making partiesJewellery making partiesJewellery making partiesJewellery making parties

Materials, tuition and final product included in price. Prices start from £10 per person.

Ideal for birthday parties or girls' nights in. Enjoyed by all age groups.

Or commission me to make something to your design.

For more information call Mirabelle on

01367 243 92201367 243 92201367 243 92201367 243 922

Diverse Accounting ServicesDiverse Accounting ServicesDiverse Accounting ServicesDiverse Accounting Services Complete Personal & Small Business Solutions

Bookkeeping; Year End Accounts; Payroll; VAT and Tax Returns; Financial and Cash Management

More than 40 years combined experience in top Multi-National Companies

For the personal touch and guaranteed very competitive rates contact:-

Sarah Cox ACMA Richard Cox BSc (hons)

Tel: Faringdon 01367 243062 e-mail: [email protected]

KATRINA WILL KNOW

A New Crime Thriller

By a local author

Available from:

WH Smith

Amazon

Borders

Waterstones etc.

MAN WITH VAN

Available for Light Haulage, Collections, Deliveries and Small Removals

Daytime, Evening & Weekend Work

Tel: 01367 710526

Mobile: 07860 656351

Your advert here for just £5 lineage - £10 small box - £20 large box. Call Alison on 01367 888229 for more details or to book, or complete the form.

35 For advertising call 01367 888229 Please mention In The Vale magazine to advertisers!

Singing, Piano and

Keyboard Lessons

James Mitchell A.R.C.M.

Gift tokens Available

Tel. 01235 767975 or email: [email protected]

Your advert here for just £5 lineage - £10 small box - £20 large box. Call Alison on 01367 888229 for more details or to book, or complete the form.

Amaliz - Spacious 4 bedroom, 4 bathroom villa in Calis Beach, Fethiye, Turkey is available both as a holiday and long-term rental. Ideal for multi-generation parties with different areas to relax, sunbathe and rest. The ground floor is ideal for persons who find stairs difficult or wheelchair bound, and has sofa beds and a WC/Shower. Swimming pool 1 min away and others close by. A luxurious home from home for all the family. More details at www.amaliz.co.uk or call Freda on 07834 161858.

Airport Transfers

Fully insured and licensed vehicles Wedding and executive cars Business accounts welcome

0845 260 3230 or 07812 162567

Email: [email protected] Website: www.brianhire.co.uk

THE SMALL ADS BOOKING FORMTHE SMALL ADS BOOKING FORMTHE SMALL ADS BOOKING FORMTHE SMALL ADS BOOKING FORM

Selling your car? Starting a business? Do party plan? Renting out your holiday home? Organising an event? Advertise in The Small Ads from just £5 a month.

To book send this form, with payment and your advert, to: The Small Ads, In The Vale magazine, 9 Cromwell Close, Faringdon SN7 7BQ.

Please make cheques payable to CT In The Vale.

Cut off date: 15th of month preceding publication. Your advert will appear from the next available issue. A copy of our standard Terms & Conditions is available on request.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I would like to book a:

20 word lineage ad @ £5 40 word lineage ad @ £7.50

Small portrait box @ £10 Small landscape box @ £10

Large business card box @ £20

For a period of 1 month 3 months 6 months 12 months

10% discount for bookings of 6 months or more - please deduct before sending payment I enclose payment of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Name: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Address: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Tel: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Email: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ OCT 09

… In The Vale

… In The Vale Local Information


Healthcare Doctors

Faringdon area: The Fernhill Practice Volunteer Way, Faringdon Tel: 01367 242407 White Horse Medical Practice Volunteer Way, Faringdon Tel: 01367 242388

Wantage area: Church Street Practice Mably Way, Wantage Tel: 01235 770245 The Grove Medical Centre 3 Vale Avenue, Grove Tel: 0844 477 3952 Newbury Street Practice Mably Way, Wantage Tel: 01235 763451 NHS Direct Tel: 0845 4647 24 hours service

Chemists

Faringdon area: Boots Pharmacy 17 Market Place, Faringdon Tel: 01367 240505 Bretts Pharmacy High Street, Stanford in the Vale Tel: 01367 718721

Wantage area: Boots the Chemist 50/51 Market Place, Wantage Tel: 01235 765227 Bretts Ltd 11/12 Millbrook Square Grove Tel: 01235 763941 Cleggs Pharmacy Kings Park, Wantage Tel: 01235 763046 Lloyds Pharmacy Health Centre, Mably Way Wantage Tel: 01235 763028

Opticians Wantage area: Russell Caulton 4 Post Office Vaults Market Place, Wantage Tel: 01235 769888 Millbrook Opticians Millbrook Square, Grove Tel: 01235 771009 Campbells Opticians 3a Newbury Street, Wantage Tel: 01235 763312 Robert Stanley Opticians Mably Way, Grove Tel: 01235 769596

Faringdon area: Haine and Smith 7 Cornmarket, Faringdon Tel: 01367 242262

Dentists Wantage area: Cherrytree Dental Care 1 Vale Avenue, Grove Tel: 01235 763322 Grove Green Dental Practice 2 West Brook, Grove Tel: 01235 770880 Oasis Dental Care 1a Post Office Lane Wantage Tel: 01235 768877 Portway Dental Practice Portway, Wantage Tel: 01235 762187

Faringdon area: Gloucester House Dental Practice 8 Gloucester Street Faringdon Tel: 01367 241514

Nursing Homes The Grange Nursing Home 23 Church Green Stanford in the Vale Tel: 01367 718836



Church Community Wantage Churches: Parish Church of SS. Peter and Paul, Wantage Sunday Mass 8am, Family Mass and Sunday School at 10.30am Church of Holy Trinity, Charlton. Sunday Family Mass at 9.15am Methodist Church, Newbury Street, Wantage. Sunday worship and junior church at 10.30am Wantage Community Church, Wantage Civic Hall Sunday service 10:30am Wantage Baptist Church, Mill Street, Wantage Sunday services at 10.30am (includes crèche, children’s service and Sunday School) and 6.30pm. Wantage Christian Fellowship Charlton Centre, Charlton Village Road, Wantage Meet Sundays 10.30am St. John Vianney Catholic Church Charlton Road, Wantage. Mass Saturday 6pm, Sunday 11am

Faringdon Churches: All Saints Faringdon Church Street, Faringdon Sunday services at 8.00am, 10.30am (with Sunday School) and 6.30pm Faringdon Baptist Church Bromsgrove,Faringdon Sunday Service 10.30am at Faringdon Junior School(with Creche and Junior Church) Blessed Hugh Faringdon (RC) 9 Marlborough Street, Faringdon Sunday Holy Mass 9.00am Friends Meeting House (Quakers) 4 Lechlade Road, Faringdon Sunday worship 10.30am Faringdon United Church Coxwell Street, Faringdon Sunday Family Worship and Junior Church 10.20am

Grove Churches: Grove Free Evangelical Church, Grove CofE School, North Drive, Grove Meet Sundays 10.30am and 6.30pm St John the Baptist Church, Main Street, Grove Sunday services at 8.00am, 10.00am (with Sunday Club, apart from the second Sunday of the month when there is an All Age Worship service) and 6.00pm. Grove Methodist Church, Main Street, Grove. Sunday services at 10.45am and 6.30pm Grove Christian Centre, Old Mill Hall, School Lane, Grove. Meet Sundays at 10am

Other resources: Mustard Seed Christian books and Fair trade products 19a Marketplace, Faringdon The Cornerstone Coffee shop and Christian bookshop Grovelands Shopping Centre, Savile Way, Grove

Southern Oxfordshire Muslim Association:

Meets every Friday for the Friday Jumu’ah at 1.15pm in the Abbey Hall in the Guildhall, Ab-ingdon Contact Reiss Amaan (07795 273595 or [email protected]) or Shahid Sikder (075336 94635 or [email protected])



Useful Numbers Emergencies

Police, fire or ambulance 999 Local Police 08458 505505 Thames Valley Police 0845 8 505505 Crime Stoppers 0800 555 111 Local Fire Station 01865 842999 Gas Emergency Number 0800 111 999 Floodline 0845 988 1188 Housing 01235 520202 Social & Community Services 0800 833408

Local services

Vale of White Horse Council 01235 520202 Wantage Library 01235 762291 Faringdon Library 01367 240311 Grove Library 01235 763841 Faringdon Tourist Info Centre 01367 242191 Wantage Visitor Info Point 01235 760176

Helplines

Samaritans 0845 790 9090 Childline 0800 11 11 Alcoholics Anonymous 0845 769 7555 Victim Support 0845 3030 900 Parentline 0808 800 2222 Wantage Counselling Service 01235 769744

Advice

Independent Advice Centre 01235 765348 Citizens Advice 0845 050 5155

Transport

National Rail Enquiry Line 08457 48 49 50 National Public Transport 0870 608 2 608

Local Websites

Faringdon: www.faringdon.org Wantage: www.wantage.com The Hanneys: www.thehanneys.org.uk East Hendred: www.hendred.org Grove: www.grove-oxon.org.uk Stanford in the Vale: www.stanford-in-the-vale.co.uk Uffington: unet.members.beeb.net

Business services

Wantage Business Breakfast Club Tel: 01235 861779 Wantage Chamber of Commerce www.wantagechamberofcommerce.co.uk Faringdon Business Breakfast Club www.faringdongateway.co.uk Faringdon Chamber of Commerce www.faringdonchamber.com 4Networking (Business networking) www.4networking.biz

Taxis

Wantage area: Chapel Cars Tel: 07789 551931 Grove Cabs Tel: 01235 772200 Regis Cars Tel: 07748 183381 Webb's Tel: 07881 647777 Stuarts Taxis 01235 770608

Faringdon area: White Horse Hire Tel: 01367 241132 Brian’s Hire Tel: 0845 260 3230 Faringdon Cars Tel: 01367 241100 Buscot Cars Tel: 01367 243378 Stanford Cars Tel: 01367 718287 Coxwell Cars Tel: 07772 971780 Fernham Cars 01367 820841


Index of advertisers

4Networking …………………………………….

Amaliz (Turkey Holiday Villa) ………………….

Basil Mienie ………………………………..…...

Brian’s Hire ……………………………………...

Brett’s Pharmacy …………………...………….

Children’s Centre Drop-In ……………………..

Didcot Craft Fair ………………………………..

Dolphin Gallery ………………………………..

Dream Doors (Oxford) ………………………...

Faringdon Upholstery …………………………..

Fiona Jones (Business Opportunity) ………...

First Babies Group …………………………...

Grove Medical Centre Flu Clinics …………….

James Mitchell @ One Voice ……….……….

Jewellery Making Parties ………….…………..

Jenny @ Footnotes ……………………………

J Hart Catering ………………………………….

Live Connections ……………………….……...

LJ & CA Cannings …………….………..……..

Loyd Lindsay Rooms …………………………..

Man with Van (Rapid Services) ………………

MCH Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning ……...

Page Advertisers

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9

15

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19

27

34

9

35

34

23

19

25

31

15

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… In The Vale

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Page Advertisers Monika Becker, Alternative Health …………..

Mortgages Made Easy ………………………..

The National Pages …………………………..

Nonoy’s Oriental Store …………………………

Oasis Dental Care ……………………………...

Old Station Nursery ……………………………...

On The Go ………………………………………..

Oxford Live Jazz …………………………………

The Proof Fairy ………………………………..

Raquet Restringing Service …………………..

Robert Elliott Vets………………..…………....

Safeclean ………………………....…………....

Smiths Restaurant ……………………………..

Thermomix/Tasty Morsels ………………………

tfd health & fitness………………...……….……..

Totally Cliff ……………………………………..

Used Car Sales - Paul Francis…. …………….

Utility Warehouse ………………………………..

Vale & Downland Museum ……………..…...

Virtual PA Services ……………………………...

Wantage Chiropractic Clinic……...………...….

White Cottage Beauty ……………………..…...




is delivered to thousands of homes around is delivered to thousands of homes around is delivered to thousands of homes around is delivered to thousands of homes around

Wantage, Grove, Faringdon and LongcotWantage, Grove, Faringdon and LongcotWantage, Grove, Faringdon and LongcotWantage, Grove, Faringdon and Longcot

and is available in and is available in and is available in and is available in

shops, health centres, libraries and tourist info points.shops, health centres, libraries and tourist info points.shops, health centres, libraries and tourist info points.shops, health centres, libraries and tourist info points.

Advertise your business Advertise your business Advertise your business Advertise your business

from just £40 a monthfrom just £40 a monthfrom just £40 a monthfrom just £40 a month

For more details call 01367 888229 or For more details call 01367 888229 or For more details call 01367 888229 or For more details call 01367 888229 or

email email email email [email protected]@[email protected]@inthevalemagazine.co.uk

In The Vale In The Vale In The Vale In The Vale magazine




The Small Ads

Comfortable Car or 6 Seater Available Contracts Welcome - Please Book In Advance

Ring Laraine or Roger

Accompanied visits • Shopping Trips

Start Your Holiday In Style • Day At The Races

Football Matches • That Special Day Out

Airport Transfers • Pub Teams • Lady Driver Available

Private Hire Fully insured & licensed vehicles

Airport Transfers

Fully insured and licensed vehicles Wedding and executive cars Business accounts welcome

0845 260 3230 or 07812 162567

Email: [email protected] Website: www.brianhire.co.uk

CFJ CARAVAN CARE Servicing, Repairs, Maintenance, Pre Purchase Inspections

CHRIS JAMES - Mobile Service Engineer ACOPS approved

Tel: 01235 224517 Mob: 07887 724525


Member of the Mobile Caravan Engineers Association

Your advert here for just £5 lineage - £10 small box - £20 large box. Call Alison on 01367 888229 for more details or to book, or complete the form on page 44.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure Find new homes for your old stuff, and get stuff for free, at Freecycle. uk.freecycle.org

D & S Builders Garden Walls, Patios, Fencing, Roofing,

General Building Work, Guttering. Aggregates Supplied & Delivered.

Extensions, Drainage.

No Job Too Small. Call for a Quote.

home/office: (01367) 242755home/office: (01367) 242755home/office: (01367) 242755home/office: (01367) 242755

fax: (01367) 242728fax: (01367) 242728fax: (01367) 242728fax: (01367) 242728

mobile: 07765 010751mobile: 07765 010751mobile: 07765 010751mobile: 07765 010751 [email protected]

Singing, Piano and

Keyboard Lessons

James Mitchell A.R.C.M.

Gift tokens Available

Tel. 01235 767975 or email: [email protected]

PA4U Need an experienced Office/Events Manager or PA to run your office or organise a large event?

Contact Jo Simmonds: 01235 764313, 07876 071435 or email [email protected]

Carpentry and Property Maintenance

Experienced local Carpenter and Handyman. Large and small jobs undertaken including:

Carpentry: Decking and other garden woodwork. Window repairs, door hanging adjustment and refitting.

Locks fitted, flooring, shelving and more. Fittings and fixtures: Mirrors, pictures, blinds, curtain poles, flat pack furniture assembly, etc.

Wall and floor tiling. Interior and some exterior painting.

Full liability insurance. Friendly and reliable service.

Contact: Graham Fletcher 01367 242775 Mobile 07721507433




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In The Vale magazine