Over the winter we’ve carried out small maintenance jobs – for example
coppicing a mature hazel – but otherwise the plants have been left to
enjoy their dormant period. Since January, however, bulbs, butterflies
and blossom have been heralding spring, so we’re due
a working party.
Please come if you can – it’d be great to get the patch
up to scratch with a big collective effort.
When: Sunday 17 March, 10.00 am onwards
Where: the Nature Garden at the Village Hall
What to bring: gloves, hand tools, garden fork
Perks: a drink and a piece of cake
Thanks,
The Nature Garden Volunteers
Wines from North America
Mention wines from North America and you could be forgiven for going
straight to California. After all, over 80% of wines from this continent
come from this area. To be fair, there are some exceptional wines from
California. Ever since the Paris wine tasting (also known as The Judgement
of Paris) happened in 1976, where the “great” wines from some of France’s
finest chateau’s were sampled against those lesser known, “lesser quality”
grape juices from across the pond. The blind tasting by some of the best
wine critics around found Californian wines to be better and the reputation
has stood the test of time!
This evening, we did sample some fine wines from California but also tried
to widen our palates by searching further afield, where we found some
exceptional wines. If you are seeking North American wines, you will most
likely come across American Viticultural Area (AVA’s). This is a little bit
like the Appellation areas we hear about in European wines. They are
areas awarded by the state that define, the area, soil type and some
restrictions on where grapes are grown, so a level of quality control can be
given over the wine produced. Look out for this as it will give you some
level of consistency on the wine you are buying. That said there are 100’s
of AVA’s across America.
We had around 40 members from the village join us this month, which was
great to see. To be fair there were favourite wines from across the
continent but a few worth noting included a great opening wine from North
Washington State, a Chenin Blanc from Kiona winery. With long hot days
ripening the grape, this wine had a lovely sweetness but due to excessive
heat the grapes created an acidy that is unusual in these wines. Seriously
worth trying if you like your hors d’oeuvres or sea food! Equally
favourable was a Pinot Noir from the Skolo Blosser estate in Dundee Hills,
Oregon. Oregon has a reputation for high quality wines, with around 60%
of the region’s wines coming from the Pinot grape. If you like this grape
and want to move away from France or New Zealand, then this is definitely
worth a try.
Last but by no means least, we finished with an ice wine from Pelee island,
Canada. Vidal grapes are left on the vine whilst the temperature drops to
just below -8 degrees C. They are then picked, and gently crushed to
extract a very sweet juice, which is then made into an incredibly rich,
sweet tasting wine. This is an expensive wine but worth every penny. Try
it with some strong blue cheese or any sweet dessert!
For more information on the wines we tried or if you would like to come
along to our next evening (8-10pm on the 20th March), where we will be
trying wines from across the ages, please visit our website:
www.uptonwines.com
Hope to see you there!
Ian (Chairman)
Upton Village Survey
Over the past few months, Upton Parish Council has reviewed how it has
previously undertaken building its 5-year plan for the village – also known as
its aims and objectives; it is usually based on a village survey. Whilst
undertaking this review it has reflected on previous surveys and feels the
best way forward is to have the survey in two parts.
Initially we are posing the following four open questions to generate
qualitative feedback. This will then be used to formulate a final,
quantitative, questionnaire thereby ensuring that it is based on the village’s
responses rather than upon the Parish Council’s questions. The ultimate plan
will hopefully therefore be a representative view of the villagers’ wishes and
needs over the next 5 years.
The more responses we receive, the more the plan will reflect the
community’s views, so we look forward to hearing from you all. The survey
contains the four questions below and should ideally be completed on line
via this link https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/M29X7FK
Please answer these four open questions by the end of February 2024 for
your input to be included in the next stage.
ALL ANSWERS ARE ANONYMOUS.
1. WHAT ARE THE THREE THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT UPTON VILLAGE?
2. WHAT THREE THINGS DO YOU NOT LIKE ABOUT UPTON VILLAGE?
3. WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE CHANGE IN UPTON VILLAGE OVER
THE NEXT FIVE YEARS?
4. PLEASE ADD ANYTHING NOT MENTIONED ABOVE WHICH IS
IMPORTANT TO YOU?
If you do not want to use the on-line survey, email responses can be
returned parish.depclerk@uptonpc.co.uk
Paper copies will also be distributed and, when completed, may be sent to
the Parish Clerk at
Norton House, Chilton Road, Upton, OX11 9JL
Village Hall Drop-in
The drop-in will be last Friday of the month viz Friday 23rd February
The regular timing will remain at 10.00-11.30, with the occasional extension
for special events.
If you have any questions or would like to help out with any of the meets,
please feel free to email Nicola Hall – events@uptonvillagehall.co.u
The Next Village Fete
The Parochial Church Council and Upton Parish Council are looking for
volunteers to help plan, organise and help run this year’s Upton Village
Fete.
We are looking for new ideas as well as all the classics and as much
support as anyone is willing to give.
Please contact us at bens@uptonpc.co.uk to register your interest in
being involved.
Benjamin Shaw
Post Office News
Firstly, I would like to say a big thank you for all your love and support
whilst I get settled in to running the Blewbury post office. I really do appreciate all
your patience with me whilst I learn the ropes. Luckily, I still have Karen
on speed dial if I need her!
We hope you are all getting settled into our new opening hours. As a reminder, our opening hours are
Monday 9am – 3pm
Tuesday 8.30am – 12pm and 2.30pm – 5pm
Wednesday 9am – 3pm
Thursday 9am – 3pm
Friday 8.30am – 12pm and 2.30pm – 5pm
We have Harry Potter and Spice Girl Special Stamps for sale as well all our
usual 1st, 2nd and other stamps.
We have had a little refresh in the shop and have a new selection of winter
scarves to keep you nice and cosy during this cold weather.
We look forward to seeing you in the post office soon!
Sarah, Karen and Andrew
New Facilities at St. Mary’s
It’s good to be able to announce that the new catering and WC
facilities in the church are now operational and will be fully
complete by the end of the first week of February. Many thanks to
all the generous donors who have made this possible and to the
patience of near neighbours who have had to put up with a few
months of disruption while the works have been in progress.
We are planning a grand opening event on Saturday, 24th February,
with songs performed by the BlewSing choir, interspersed with some
entertaining readings and following by a plentiful supply of tea and
cake! This will all start at 3:00pm, the performance will last about
40 minutes and tea will be from about 3:45.
It’s all absolutely free and all are very welcome. We look forward to
seeing you at Upton’s latest venue!
Help with Repairs at Home
Do you know any people who might need some help with small repairs in their home?
The Home Improvement Agency (HIA) is dedicated to helping older and vulnerable people live safely and independently in their own homes by providing advice, assistance and grants for home adaptations, repairs,
heating, dementia and safety within the home.
It currently provides a Small Repairs Handypersons Service that will carry out small works within the home at a subsidised rate of £20 per hour if eligible. The service is offered to vulnerable home owners who live within
South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse districts. Vulnerable tenants may also use the service for jobs that are not the responsibility of the landlords.
The handyperson scheme is available to persons:
Age 55 or over; or
Have a disability or severe health problem that prevents them from carrying out the repair themselves
What we can do?
Home safety and falls prevention
Home security
Keysafe Installations
General household repairs
Minor plumbing
Dementia Assistance
Working closely with Dementia Oxfordshire we have created a referral pathway that improves home support and quality of life within the home. Memory aids like calendars, clocks, whiteboards and safety measures such as locks, keysafes, gas checks and signage can be requested immediately then delivered and installed FREE to theclient.Please contact us at hia-sv@oxford.gov.uk or call us on 0300 373 5663 if you would like further information / leaflets
Volunteer help needed for Brownie unit in Upton
We have a Brownie unit that meets in the Upton village hall every week in term time. It provides many girls aged 7-10 years with fun, activities, friendship and adventure.
We are in need of volunteer/volunteers to help our current leaders run the unit. If you think you’d like to know more
information about what is involved -please visit www.Girlguiding.org.uk or email millbrookdistrictcommissioner@gmail.com
Christmas Reading
The reading took place in the Village Hall on 9th December and raised £251 for
the Friends of St Mary’s. Many thanks to all who attended and contributed.
Malcolm Wright