Upton Village

South Oxfordshire

More Improvements Planned for the Village Hall

At a meeting of the Upton Village Hall Amenities Trust (UVHAT) on Tuesday, February 26th 2019, the trustees unanimously agreed to proceed with the refurbishment and upgrading of the main village hall. This has been on our agenda for quite sometime, and after consultation with the various user groups we now have a modest plan of upgrades and refurbishments.

The ceiling lighting will be replaced with energy efficient LED lighting as will the wall lights.  More  electrical sockets will be added at strategic places round the room. All the fire safety/exit lights will be upgraded and also the wall heaters replaced with more modern, energy efficient ones.  Acoustic panels will be placed on the ceiling to help reduce reverberation time making it less harsh when there are a lot of people in the hall. The walls will be covered with thermal insulation plasterboard and plastered and wainscoting will be added on the lower half of the walls to protect the wall from scuffs and smudge, this will also help to insulate the hall even more. The hall will then be painted. The floor will be repaired where necessary and various boards replaced. It will then be stripped and the various different wood areas will be re- matched together, sanded and sealed. Finally all the old pelmets and curtains will be removed and replaced by wood painted blinds on all windows. We believe  that these improvements will make the main a hall a more pleasant lighter and brighter environment to be in. Work will hopefully start in early July and maybe stretch a little into August. It still may be possible to use the hall while some of the works are going on but there will be two periods when it will have to be closed completely. The little meeting room may be still available in extremis. We hope to have the hall ready again for the church/village fete at the beginning of September.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Lesley Shaw, who is leaving UVHAT, for all her hard work as a trustee over many years, and most recently looking after our Upton 50 Club which raises vital funds to keep our hall maintained.  Jacqui Reid will now be looking after the Upton 50 Club.

Upton Village Hall Trustees

Village Hall AGM

The AGM of the Upton Village Hall Amenities Trust (UVHAT) took place in the Village Hall Meeting Room at 7.30pm on Tuesday the 20th November. There were apologies from three of the trustees who were unable to attend. The minutes of the 2017 AGM were approved. The Chairman Brian Rippon, reported that the hall was working well, fulfilling its purpose and providing a valuable and effective service to the village. The kitchen refurbishment is continuing to operate very well, and with the addition of various types of tables, a stage, a PA system, and a projector and screen we have managed to continue offering an excellent service to the village and its various users. John Haworth, the treasurer, presented the financial statement. The hall is in good financial strength and has good solid reserves. Rental was 3% up (broadly the same as the previous year) regular hirers down 5%, but there was a substantial increase in party and other hires. The 50’s Club generated £915 for hall funds and a huge thank you to Lesley Shaw for organising it, modernising it, and providing a valuable and continuing source of income. This year’s fete also helped further with more funds raised. The chairman concluded, that the hall was in good shape, and he felt that it was time to step down as chairman as he no longer had the time to spend which he felt was going to be necessary in the forthcoming year. He has however agreed to remain as a trustee and continue to handle hall bookings. John Haworth then thanked Brian Rippon for his excellent contribution on behalf of the trustees. Graham de Wilde agreed to take over as Chairman, Rob Traynor as vice chairman. John Haworth agreed to remain as Treasurer and Kieron Humphrey agreed to continue as Secretary, all the other trustees also agreed to serve again. There being no further business the meeting was closed at 8.00pm. The next AGM will be on the 14th May 2019 at 7.30pm.

Graham de Wilde

Welcome News for Our Bus Service

Following the withdrawal of bus subsidies by Oxfordshire County Council, representatives of the local villages have joined together to form the Downland Villages Transport Group to work with the bus companies to retain as much service as possible. We are pleased to announce that Thames Travel will continue a Monday to Friday service on the 94 route and that there will be a twice daily service also serving the Astons and the Mortons, made possible by the transfer of the school run to the scheduled bus. There will be some increase in fares and the bus service will operate on a trial basis for one year starting on 24th July.

Thames travel has released the new 94/94A timetable, please click on this link Bus Timetable

The 94 will serve the Hagbournes, Blewbury and Upton and will run roughly hourly from early morning until the evening from Monday to Friday. During term time a 94A service will run once in the morning and once in the afternoon; in addition to serving the 94 villages. It will also serve the Astons and the Mortons. The longer term future depends on the economic viability of the service, so more users are needed!

The Downland Villages Transport Group is grateful to everyone who has provided input on bus services over the past few months and for the support of our County Councillors. You’ve said clearly that keeping bus services is important for the life of our villages. Your input has helped us to argue for our transport needs and to begin to work out some new options where services have been cut, while the new timetable will not be perfect for everyone. Thames Travel have listened to our suggestions and responded where they can. It is a trial- we need to ensure adequate use, as it’s fairly close –cut thing for them on a commercial basis.

*A key factor that made Thames Travel feel it was “worth giving it a go” on the 94/94A was that “you (our villages) were really passionate about keeping the service”

* The key financial replacements for the lost subsidies were, as we knew, school funding and some development funding.

A real effort has been made to try and serve our commuters. If it fits in with your schedule please give it a try.

As and when more information becomes available, we’ll keep you informed.

Jesse West

 

 

 

 

The Incredible Doctor Guttmann

The Incredible Doctor Guttmann will be performed in the Village Hall on Monday 19 November at 7.30 p.m.

The amazing story is based on how ordinary men and women became the vanguard of the modern paralympics as Guttmann built a sports team to take on the world.

Tickets £10 (£8 concessions) from Jessie West 01235 851206

Profits to village hall improvements.

UVHAT Financial Statement

Upton Village Hall Amenities Trust

Registered Charity Number 1000813

Financial Statement 2010/11

Download the UVHAT Accounts (2010-11)

Administrative Information

The address of the Trust is Rigiblick, Orchard Close, Upton, Didcot OX11 9JQ

The trustees during the year 2010/11 were

Mrs J M West (Chairman)
Mrs C E Lightfoot (Secretary)
Mr B R Simpson (Treasurer)
Mrs C Cattley-Hall
Mrs Y Collins
Mrs C Davies
Mrs M M Maytham
Mrs L Shaw
Mr C M Smith
Mrs P J Smith

Structure, governance and management

The objects of the Trust are the management and maintenance of Upton Village Hall and associated facilities.

Part of the extension which was completed in 2009/10 stands on land belonging to the Parish Council, whilst part of the playground and car park is on land belonging to the Trust. It has been agreed that the Trust should own the land on which the hall stands, plus the patio and a border of 0.5metres. All other land under the playground and car park currently owned by the Trust should revert to the Council.

The deeds transferring the land to and from the Trust and the Council have been signed and are at present with the Land Registry. After they have been returned the land belonging to the Trust will be vested in the Official Custodian for Charities.

As a necessary part of this exercise a new trust deed, which concerns the management of the Trust, has been approved by the trustees and, informally, by the Charity Commission. This deed will be submitted to the Commission for formal approval when the Land Registry has registered the transfers.

Other activities

During the year the ladies lavatory and car park were extended and equipment was purchased to facilitate the formation of a short mat bowls club.

Financial Review

At the end of the year the Trust had £3,264 in hand but had outstanding liabilities of at least £500. In the judgment of the trustees the balance provided sufficient capital to meet day to day running expenses. It will be necessary to raise more money before further improvements are made to the premises.

Approved by the Trust and signed on its behalf by the Chairman:

Jessie M West

The Bonfire Code

Whether you are marking an occasion, getting rid of evidence, or just letting Blewbury know Upton is still here, bonfires are pretty cool!

As its coming round to that time of year, when the plumes of smoke billow into the air, and your neighbours might still feel brave enough to sit out doors to enjoy what’s left of the good weather. We thought it might be timely to remind people of the bonfire code.

Please do consider your neighbours before you start your fire.

Ben Shaw on behalf of Upton Parish Council

Theo Gordon’s bequests

Theo, a longstanding Upton resident, was a loved and respected member of the community. She was always ready to support local events and even when she was too ill to attend displayed a keen interest in what was happening.

Over the years she was a generous supporter of the Village Hall and St Mary’s Church, a place close to her heart.

Under the terms of her will £5,000 has been given to the Village Hall and £5,000 to St. Mary’s.

The PCC and the Village Hall trustees are very grateful for these donations and plan to use them to help improve facilities at both buildings.

The Annual General Meeting of the Upton Village Hall Amenities Trust

The Annual General Meeting of the Upton Village Hall Amenities Trust will be held on Monday 16th May at 7.00 p.m. in the Village Hall.   Please come along to discuss future plans for the use of the hall and work that still has to done on the hall. The Agenda for the meeting is given below.

UPTON VILLAGE HALL AMENITIES TRUST (UVHAT) ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING MONDAY 16TH MAY 2011 AT 7.00 P.M. IN THE VILLAGE HALL

A G E N D A

1. Minutes of meeting held on 17TH May 2010

2. Matters Arising

3. Chairman’s Report

4. Treasurer’s Report

5. Drop In Report

6. Election of UVHAT Members

7. Any other business

Clare Lightfoot

Hon Secretary

5th May 2011