Upton Village

South Oxfordshire

Upton Village Photographic Competition

A reminder that the closing date is April 15th so still time to get out there and click away.
The theme is WINTER either in Upton or anywhere else.
Two age categories – 16 and below and anyone else.
You can enter as may pictures as you like, just give your name and a description of
the picture and send it, in JPEG format, to
upton.photo@outlook.com
Rob Traynor

Nature Garden News

After the long, dry winter, the rain has certainly perked up the plants in
the nature garden. Daffs, hellebores and cowslips are all in abundance. As
inevitably are the weeds and grass, so it’s time for the spring spruce-up.
Working party on Saturday 1 April, 10am
If you could spare an hour or so from 10am this Saturday we’d love your
help to:
 weed around the trees and perennials
 get the wildflower meadow raked and ready for sowing
 reapply mulch to the hedge plants to suppress the grass
Please bring a few tools if you can. There’ll be fruit and veg (in cake form)
and hot drinks to keep everyone’s energy up.
Over the winter
Most plants have a period of dormancy in the dark months, to conserve
energy and escape the weather. This gives the garden elves time to look at
other jobs, so here are a few of the changes since November:
 another 2,000 bulbs were planted – hearty thanks to Malcolm Wright,
Julia Nehring, Ian and Judy Robertson
 a fact-filled sign now welcomes visitors near the bus shelter-end
gate, with lovely illustrations by Rob Traynor
 the original metal bench has been stripped (HT Ian Wright) and
repaired, repainted and reinstalled (huge props to Brian Rippon)
 fruit tree and hedging pruning (tvm Jo Fidgen)
We’ve also taken delivery of a large water butt (made from recycled
plastic). The aim is to start harvesting water off the village hall roof soon,
so we’re ready for any dry spells. This time last year we had some very
warm weather, so best to be prepared.
Hedging at the overflow cemetery
A hardy half-dozen volunteers turned out in February to restock the native
hedge around the as yet unused cemetery. Thanks very much Ian
Robertson, Kim Gould, Paul Batho, Kathryn Fletcher, and Duncan Reid. We
were surprised to find that relatively few plants had perished in spite of
the long hot spell last year.
Chips with everything
Mulching with wood chips is vital to conserve moisture in the soil after
planting hedging, and to suppress weeds. But it’s quite hard to source the
mulch. If you’re having tree or hedge work done, please mention to the
tree surgeon that they can drop off the shredded material at the overflow
cemetery or by the nature garden so we can take advantage. They’re
usually happy not to have to make a special journey to dispose of it.
Thanks very much for reading – and for weeding on Saturday 1 April if you
can make it!
Kieron, on behalf of the Nature Garden Volunteer

Blewbury Post Office news

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

Beginner Karate Classes

Beginner Karate Classes are starting in Upton Village Hall on January
2022 from 11.30am Sundays.
Free Trial Class.
Age 4 to Adult;. Families can Train together
Contact: johnhogan67@icloud.com 07548784929
www.tiskakarate-abingdon.co.uk

Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.

Thank you everyone for your generous donations to this year’s Poppy Appeal.
The Upton village collection total to date is £651.83, an excellent result.
I have been the Poppy Appeal Organiser here in Upton for 32 years and
would now like someone else to take on the role…….Could that be you?
If you are interested or would like more information, please phone me on
01235 850031.
Many thanks,
Helen Weston.

Christmas Carols and Readings at St Mary’s

The annual Christmas event for the Friends of St Mary’s will take place in the
church on Saturday, 17th December at 4:00pm.
To set the atmosphere as dusk falls, the church path will be lined with
lanterns and once inside, we’ll enjoy traditional carols interspersed with
readings on a Christmassy theme. At the end, there’ll be mulled wine and an
almost limitless supply of mince pies!
There’s no charge and all are welcome. Do invite your friends and
neighbours to join us!
We look forward very much to seeing you on 17th
.
Paul Batho

Upton Christmas Play Reading

Upton Christmas Play Reading will take place in the Village Hall on Saturday 26th November, 18:00-20:00
The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding: a Hercule Poirot Mystery
In the week before Christmas, world-famous Belgian detective Hercule
Poirot is summoned to Whitehall for an urgent request to assist with a
challenging mystery. A priceless ruby has been stolen from an Egyptian
Prince in scandalous circumstances and a reluctant Poirot is enlisted to help.
Join the Upton Christmas Readers for murder, mayhem and Christmas
pudding as Hercule Poirot’s little grey cells are pitted against a dastardly
criminal mastermind over a traditional English country Christmas holiday.
After a two-year hiatus, the Upton Christmas Readers are back with a lively
adaptation of a festive story by the Queen of Crime and Wallingford local,
Agatha Christie.
Tickets £6 (£5 concessions) available on the door or in advance from Karibu,
High Street, or Finches, Stream Road. Refreshments are included. Raffle
tickets will be available on the night.
All profits will go to the St Mary’s Church Building Fund.

Help with the Rising Cost of Living

With the current rise in the cost of living and energy, you may find yourself
struggling financially. We are a local charity which supports people of all
ages living in Blewbury, Aston Upthorpe and Upton, and have the funding
to give a helping hand during these difficult times.
From the weekly food shop, clothing and equipment for the new school year,
to energy bills and other living costs,we can provide one off payments to
help you, or someone you know in need.
There is a short application form to complete which can be picked up from
the Post Office or requested by email to unitedcharities@outlook.com.
We can help you fill in the form. Please don’t be reluctant to ask for help,
all applications are dealt with confidentially.
United Charities of the Ancient Parish of Blewbury
Registered Charity No: 203538

Upton Village Fête

Many thanks to everyone who helped make this years fete both a success and fun
for everyone who attended. Whether you ran a stall, served teas, baked
cakes, put everything up and packed it away again or contributed in any
other way, your help was invaluable and it just wouldn’t have been the
same without you!
The money has now all been counted, expenses totted up and a summary of
the takings from each source of income is attached. After deduction of
expenses (the band, Morris dancers, publicity etc) the net profit, to be
distributed equally between the village hall fund and the church, is
£1,883.81. That’s a drop from the past couple of years because a lot of
people were away so we had to adjust what we could offer accordingly, but
a very healthy sum to each organisation nevertheless. Many thanks to Brian
and Giulia for dealing with the finances (plus the cakes, set-up etc., etc,!).
When we look towards next year, we’ll think about the date in relation to
the school holidays, which undoubtedly had an impact on the attendance
and takings this year, and we welcome any thoughts and suggestions for
future activities and events. In the meantime, thanks again for all everyone
did to create a great day!
Paul Batho