South Oxfordshire
The Annual Parish Meeting (APM) is on 26th April at 7:00 pm in the Village Hall.
Its facilitated by the Parish Council and we have had some reports from the various organisations listed in the agenda, see below,.Continue Reading Annual Parish Meeting (APM)
As expected, Royal Mail have announced the price of postage from 3rd April,
1st class will go up by 15p to £1.15, while 2nd class goes up by 7p to 75p,
large letters stamps go up too. It’s worthwhile buying a few extra before
then, as they revalue themselves automatically. New King Charles stamps go
on sale that day too.
Speaking of stamps, please use up any non-barcoded stamps before the end
of July, (the pictorial ones are okay to use after that) and please do not
tear off the barcode on the newer ones, they need that bit! You can
download a swap-out form from the Royal Mail website, and send off any
you are not going to use before the cut-off date.
International parcels are now able to be processed with us, but you must
have the appropriate customs labels applied & filled out before you get to
the counter, we now have to input the data onto our system, which takes a
few minutes per parcel.
We have Duck Race tickets available, along with tickets for various other
events, please note that you can only pay with cash, but you can take cash
out at the counter as usual.
I’ve handed in my resignation letter, and the new postmaster is about to go
on his training, so you may see him in the branch by the end of April, but
I’m afraid you’ve still got me until June!
We’ll be closed for Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Sunday and Monday, (7th
to 10th) and reopen on Tuesday 11th, allowances & pensions will be paid
the previous working day. For emergency gas, electric and phone top-ups ,
please call my mobile 07825 154842
Happy Easter everyone
Karen, Maggie and Andrew
Royal Mail have decided that the non-barcoded stamps will still be valid
until the end of July, so extra time to use them up, however, the ‘special’
ones, ( the ones with pretty pictures on e.g., Christmas, Cats, Royal Marines
etc.) will always be valid. We have ‘swap out’ forms, but you have to send
them off, we cannot swap them for you.
We’ve heard a rumour that 1st & 2nd class stamps are getting a price
increase at the beginning of April, so buy extra before then.
Karen will be retiring soon, so the role of Postmaster will be available. A level Maths & English, no criminal convictions and a squeaky clean financial
history will be required. Full training will be arranged. As a community
branch, we can have flexibility on opening hours and we have a pretty
unique set up. Ring the Post Office 851777 to make an appointment for an
informal chat, or email karencbrooks@gmail.com. Please note that there is
no accommodation alongside the position.
Karen, Maggie & Andrew
If predictions hold true, we may be in for a rare meteor outburst from a meteor shower on May 31st topping a thousand meteors per hour.Continue Reading Sky Watchers
Following a recent Committee Meeting of the Village Produce Association
this Notice is issued to all the residents of the Blewbury and Upton Villages.
An Extraordinary General Meeting of the Blewbury and Upton
Village Produce Association will be held on TUESDAY 18th
JANUARY 2022 at
7pm in the VALE ROOM, BLEWBURY VILLAGE HALL
Notice is hereby given that the current Committee Members propose
to resign en-block at this meeting, therefore the purpose of the EGM
will be to confirm whether any persons attending the meeting would
be prepared to form a new Committee and continue the VPA.
Please be advised that if a Committee cannot be formed, then the
Village Produce Association will be formally closed at the
Extraordinary General Meeting.
Churn Churches Action Group
With the approach of COP26, climate change is attracting
large amounts of media and public attention. As one part
of our local response we are organising a free showing of a
very powerful documentary film which has already won
many awards throughout the world.
The showing will take place in the Vale Room – Blewbury Village Hall
on Wednesday 13th October at 7.15pm
It tells the story of Kisilu, a Kenyan farmer who starts to
use his camera to capture the impact of climate change on
his family and village. A violent storm brings him into
contact with a Norwegian filmmaker, and soon he becomes
a community leader and activist on the global stage.
To reserve your free seat please email valerie.ahs@gmail.com
Blewbury Tennis Club has installed court lighting at the club. By using the latest high tech, low spill, LED components, extended play and coaching can now take place for people of all ages and abilities all year round.
To celebrate this special occasion, British renowned tennis player, Tim Henman OBE will be the guest of honour for the big Switch On.
Everyone is invited to join in the fun on Tuesday 5th October 6-8pm so do join us if you can although booking is essential via https://buytickets.at/styleacre/555273 We’re delighted to be hosting this event in partnership with Style Acre, a local charity supporting 250 people with learning disabilities and autism across Oxfordshire. The occasion will be celebrated with musical accompaniment from Blewbury Brass Band, drinks, refreshments and a raffle. And if you fancy a spot of tennis, bring your racket along and stay for our club social from 8-10pm.This project has been made possible through support from the LTA, which provided both a grant and a loan for the project, National Tennis Association, the club’s coaching partners, Vale of the White Horse District Council, whose funding contributed towards the project and of course Luminance Pro who supplied and installed the lighting.
Rosemary de Wilde
There is still time to Create a Flowered Bonnet, Hat, Crown or Tiara and enter the VPA Spring Competition on Saturday 10th April. For details Contact Blewbury Post Office or Maggie Maytham in Upton (850126) or email vpa.in.bl.up@gmail.com or call Eileen on 0777 518 5322
I’m sure everyone has been getting to grips with the weeds, cutting the grass and planning what is going into the veggie plot this year. Here’s some food for thought on how to go about preparing your vegetable plot.
Five reasons not to dig – 1 Digging encourages soil-living creatures like worms to do the spadework for you. 2 It reduces the loss of moisture. 3 It protects the soil structure. 4 It prevents weed seeds being brought to the surface. 5 It’s easier on the back.
Five Reasons to dig – 1 Digging breaks up heavily compacted soil, allowing it to breathe. 2 It kills surface weeds. 3 It exposes pests to predators and the cold. 4 If you don’t, you’ll need a lot more mulch to grow potatoes as you will not be ‘earthing up’. 5 It’s good exercise for those who want it.
I’ve actually tried a semi-no-dig method this year. I’ve hoed the plots and have gone down about four inches. This has loosened the soil and weeded it at the same time I can then go a bit deeper when I start planting, I hope this works –watch this space!
We are hoping that the VPA will be able to hold the Summer Show this year on the 10th JULY – it will depend on what Covid restrictions are still in place. We will keep you informed through the Bulletin.
DID YOU KNOW –Peppers contain up to five times as much vitamin C as oranges. The highest levels are found when the peppers are in the early green stage of ripening.
Eileen