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Show time

Round & About

July 1, 2018October 7, 2019

Community & Charity

This month, admire a wealth of creativity thanks to Eynsham artists’ work on show.

Eynsham Arts Group is an all-inclusive, friendly and proactive group for local artists and all those with an appreciation of art. Their summer exhibition opens on Eynsham Carnival Day, this year on Saturday, 7th July.

Artists who make up the group range from beginners to professionals and use a variety of media; oils, acrylics, pen, pencils, photographic prints and watercolours. Julie Sailing-Free and Jenny Bowden of the group say: “We aim to promote painting and drawing locally, while providing a forum for the exhibition of, discussion and promotion of local artists.”

Exhibitions are held four or five times a year in The Bartholomew Rooms in Eynsham Square and the summer exhibition will begin on Saturday, 7th July, from 9am until 5pm. It continues on Sunday, 8th July, from 10am to 4pm; and then from Thursday, 12th July until Sunday, 15th July from 10am to 4pm. Entry is free.

The start of this exhibition coincides with Eynsham Carnival Day when the square will be busy with stalls and Morris Dancers, a shirt race through the village stopping at local pubs along the way, followed by a procession at midday, before the carnival proceeds to the playing field where there will be dog shows, motorcycle displays, a multitude of stalls, Tug-O-War, pig races, a fun fair, live music and much more!

Artwork is varied and of a high quality, reflecting the enormous and diverse talent in Eynsham and surrounding villages and towns. The group also runs an ongoing exhibition at The Swan Hotel in Acre End Street, Eynsham, where members mainly display work representing the village, the Cotswolds and surrounding areas as well as Oxford architecture. No appointment is necessary – open hours are noon until late every day.

“Although many of our artists sell work locally, nationally and internationally,” adds Julie, “many of our members belong to our group for the appreciation of art itself.”

As well as the group’s frequent exhibitions, there are meetings on the last Wednesday of each month at 7.30pm. The speakers are varied and provide talks and/or demonstrations and all visitors are welcome. Guests can turn up and pay a small fee at the door. New members can join any time – visit www.eynshamartsgroup.org.uk

Nit wit

Round & About

July 1, 2018October 7, 2019

Community & Charity

Abingdon mums Julia King and Julia Thomas will be out and about this month promoting their great new book Super Nit Rescue Mission

A super hero is not the classic character trait that instantly springs to mind when pondering the subject of headlice. But instead of reaching for another lotion of bug-killer, Julia Thomas picked up a pen and began musing about these uninvited beasts.

This singing teacher, who works at St Helen’s School in Abingdon, says: “I’ve got really thick, curly hair, and so do my children. Getting rid of headlice hurts, and I guess writing this story was a coping mechanism for us all. Creating a book on this irritating subject was my motivation to help other families talk about it, and help their kids not to feel ashamed.”

Why a superhero? “Well our hero is not from this planet – he’s lost on Harry’s head,” continues Julia. “He’s a good guy; and fights the pirate nits, headed by Captain Louse. He wins, and in return for ridding Harry’s hair of bad nits, gets a lift back to his space ship.”

Julia joined “heads” with her writer friend Julia King to create this heart-warming tale, about nasty headlice. The pair are mum-and-stepmum to the same daughter as well as mums to their half siblings.

Visit www.juplicatebooks.co.uk

Material world

Round & About

July 1, 2018October 7, 2019

Community & Charity

Graeme Rowe of Kingston Bagpuize explains more about Little Weave which aims to educate children through storytelling with a pinch of old-school ethics!

I’m old enough to remember when there were no computer games, food was healthy and simple, and children were shielded from bad habits.

These memories inspired my wife Asua and me to launch our interactive website. It includes stories parents can read to their children featuring new characters. Parents can create stories and pictures with their children to be published on the website. The aim is to build a community educating young children through creating and sharing fun stories.

Each Little Weave story is written with a subtle undertone promoting ethics and a healthy lifestyle. For example how to be polite and helpful to people, especially the elderly; eat fruit and vegetables and enjoy stimulating hobbies.

All of the new Little Weave characters also have characteristics that everyone can relate to including worrying, forgetfulness and clumsiness.

The Little Weave website clearly sets out the personalities of the 10 characters and offers a guide on how parents can create stories with their children. Once uploaded online and reviewed internally, the stories will be featured on the website. People do not need to be professional authors to have their work featured online. We are new to writing and enjoy the challenge of creating something new each time.

To make the stories fun, the theme for Little Weave is sewing. The online village has buildings made of material, with buttons for windows and zips for doors. Every aspect of the landscape is sewn together from brightly coloured fabric. The 10 characters are all soft and cuddly with a colourful check-patterned material and include Button the Rabbit, Cotton the Cat and disco dancing Lord Tweed the Goat.

The inspiration for Little Weave came from Piyanooch, a Thailand-based businesswoman who sells hand-sewn clothes and accessories. We worked with Piyanooch’s team to develop bright colourful T-shirts, bags, blankets and cushion covers with hand-sewn characters and detailing, all made from 100% cotton. Manufacturing takes place in Northern Thailand. Each seamstress sews around tending to their farms and looking after family members.

We hope you enjoy reading the tales and creating stories with your children!

Find out more at www.littleweave.com

Petworth House pleasures

Round & About

July 1, 2018October 7, 2019

Community & Charity

Why not sample the delights afforded to the lords and ladies of Georgian times with a summer stroll around the grounds of Petworth House?

Originally laid out in the 16th century, the gardens were later re-landscaped in the 18th century under the watchful eye of Capability Brown.

In Georgian times the lord and lady of the house could stroll with guests, taking tea and playing croquet amid the fragrant gardens while showing off the latest plants from the Americas. Not only a patron of the arts, the 3rd Earl of Egremont was a patron of plant collectors and he used the pleasure grounds here to display his collection of trees and shrubs, all immaculately presented, with intriguing specimens given prominent positions.

He introduced two buildings as focal points and to provide cooling moments of shade. These gardens also show off two more of Brown’s techniques – the sinuous path winding its way through scented meadows up to the ha-ha. This affords an apparently unbroken view from the pleasure grounds to the parkland beyond, hiding the sudden change in level that ensures the deer or other animals do not nibble vital plant specimens!

As you venture forth on the walk, the first of Brown’s buildings comes into view. A rotunda based on the Temple of Vesta at Tivoli, this overlooks the first of the meadows, formerly a paddock which you cross into a wildflower meadow, at its best in summer. Also at its best is a Southern European Flowering Ash with its showy panicles of fragrant cream flowers introduced from southern Europe and Asia Minor in 1700.

Following the serpentine paths, the wall frames beautiful rolling countryside and a lake fed by natural springs in the hills. In the distance is Black Down, the highest point in Sussex at 280m. Retrace your steps to the top of the meadow to the Rotunda, perhaps for a little breather.

From there, head south to join Salvin Drive and as you head back to the main house you approach the Doric Temple. To the north it is surrounded by holm oak trees brought by Brown from southern Europe. These magnificent mature trees today augment the landscape and add green to the winter garden. Brown sited the Doric Temple to showcase the view across the Shimmings valley.

En route to the house, you can both see and smell the North Gallery roses, in this case White Rose of York, as it would have been in Brown’s day. Between the main house and servants’ quarters is a display of Magnolia Grandiflora, an exotic import introduced to Britain in the 1730s.

Over the next few years, the National Trust will work to restore the gardens to Brown’s vision. For this and other walks and attractions, visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Meuross marvel

Round & About

July 1, 2018October 7, 2019

Community & Charity

On Friday, 13th July, avoid the bad luck and tune into the dulcet tones of Reg Meuross at Holywell Music Rooms in Oxford.

Reg Meuross’ booking on the Holywell Music & Folk stage has had Round & About magazine’s Twitter feed aflutter thanks to fans near and far.

Geoff Smith, the inspirational promoter behind Holywell Music & Folk in Oxford, has bagged this exclusive for his live music series which has already included Teddy Thompson and exciting local band Xogara.

Somerset singer-songwriter Reg is known as a troubadour with a social conscience. He has chosen Holywell Music Rooms for the launch of his eponymous new album which he was invited to record in Germany by cutting-edge studios Stockfisch Records last year.

This album is a retrospective of 12 Meuross favourites, with fresh arrangements and production by Gunter Pauler. Reg will sing these 12 songs of love, death, politics and social commentary.

Reg, who is a patron artist of Holywell Music & Folk says: “Holywell is a very special venue. My own connection goes back to 2010 when I was invited to play here by the late Stephen Jordan, then head librarian of the Bodleian Music Library after he’d commissioned a collection of unreleased songs from me. This live series is a fantastic initiative by Holywell Music & Folk and I’m proud to be a patron artist and to support it every way I can – that’s why I chose the venue for my album launch.”

Doors open at 7pm, with support from Edd Donovan. Tickets £12.50 from WeGotTickets + £1.25 booking or £15 on the door or from Truck Store. Some CDs for sale at the gig. Visit www.holywellmusicandfolk.co.uk and www.regmeuross.com

Golden example

Round & About

July 1, 2018October 7, 2019

Community & Charity

The Arts Society Abingdon celebrates the golden jubilee of the founding of national organisation The Arts Society, formerly known as NADFAS, with an illustrated lecture

Can we trust the experts on good and bad art..? That’s the question David Phillips will pose on Wednesday, 18th July, at the Amey Theatre at Abingdon School.

David will explore several art controversies and tackle the trickiness of attribution by critics and experts alike. But he claims the minefields facing experts need not deter the rest of us from making artistic judgements based on our own experiences. The talk will start with a reception at 6.30pm in the Jekyll Garden next to the theatre, when celebrated harpist Pervin Shahin will play a programme of music from Baroque to Jazz.

The aim of The Arts Society, which has 90,000 members worldwide, is to ensure the arts are accessible to as wide an audience as possible. Expert lecturers have been assembled whose subjects range from English medieval gardens, to Chinese textiles, Renaissance artists, Staffordshire potters, Middle Eastern carpet-makers, Venetian glass or street art.

Alongside the programme of lectures (on the third Wednesday of every month in Trinity Church, Conduit Road, Abingdon, at 10.30am and again at 2pm), there are regular visits to exhibitions and other places of interest including this year a visit to the Bombay Sapphire Gin Distillery near Winchester.

There is ample free parking for the talk at Amey Theatre at Abingdon School, OX14 1DE, and tickets are £12.50 – to buy yours email [email protected]. For more on the society, visit www.theartssocietyabingdon.org.uk

Maymessy magic

Round & About

July 1, 2018October 7, 2019

Community & Charity

Maymessy is the empowering West Challow cookery school which recently marked its first anniversary with a celebratory food festival, writes its founder Anna Richards.

We celebrated our first year in style, offering young carers and their families an afternoon of respite in our beautiful grounds.

It was super fun with circus skills, a rock choir, helter-skelter, bouncy castle, face painting and stalls. We ran our own Bake Off style competition, and were delighted to have it judged by BBC and Round & About magazine star Christine Wallace.

Maymessy opened its doors just over a year ago after transforming a disused cowshed into a state-of-the-art training kitchen. Adult cookery courses are run on demand and Maymessy works with schools, charities and youth groups to provide classes for young, vulnerable people. Children learn about teamwork, they strengthen their confidence and self-esteem while learning about healthy eating and wellbeing.

With more than 2,700 young carers in the county and the number rising, Maymessy saw the festival as a great opportunity to raise vital funds. Ten per cent of the proceeds were donated to Oxfordshire charity, Be Free Young Carers.

We were very grateful to receive grants from the Vale of White Horse District Council, Tesco in Faringdon and the Big Lottery, as well as refreshments from Waitrose in Faringdon. We’re now looking forward to the year ahead and continuing our work with empowering young people. We’d love to hear from local businesses who would be interested in supporting our enterprise and helping to bring our vision to fruition.

Visit www.maymessy.com or email [email protected]

Wild things

Round & About

July 1, 2018October 7, 2019

Community & Charity

On Saturday, 14th July, enjoy an afternoon of wildlife discovery, writes Peter Anderson

Big cats? Perhaps not. But experts and enthusiasts will be on hand with a variety of bats, bugs, bees, butterflies, moths, reptiles and small mammals; animals you’d only normally see on television.

Head to a free Wildlife Discovery Day, 2-4.30pm, organised by the conservation group and Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT), at Letcombe Valley Nature Reserve OX12 9JU.

The event is suitable for all ages, (under-18s must be accompanied by a responsible adult). There will also be den building, nature craft and mud kitchens along with a chance to make a bird box or even your own fossil.

Letcombe Valley is a rare habitat; the brook is one of Oxfordshire two chalk streams (there are about 150 across the country). The clear waters are home to unusual, interesting wildlife including water vole and fish such as brown trout and brook lamprey.

The nature reserve has a café and gift shop, from which you can take self-guided tours of the reserve and discover what to find where. This is your chance to watch kingfishers hunt across the valley, flashing blue as their piercing call echoes all around. Then, silent and still like statues at the streamside, herons and egrets wait for their own tasty treats. Return at dusk and the kingfishers are replaced by Daubenton’s bat skimming the water, gorging on the insects found in the surrounding lakes.

Any donations enable BBOWT to not only put on magnificent events like this, but also to aid their work as custodians of cherished parts of our countryside so generations to come will still be able to enjoy it. For further information on this event and others, visit www.bbowt.org.uk

Flute force

Round & About

July 1, 2018October 7, 2019

Community & Charity

On Saturday, 7th July, head to Old Mill Hall in Grove to enjoy a performance by star musician Jeremy Salter

Jeremy Salter has had a long association with Wantage Orchestra. Although now primarily a flautist, Wantage-born Jeremy started on the piano at the age of seven. He later took up violin, oboe and flute before settling on flute as a student at the University of Manchester.

After graduating in 2015, Jeremy stayed in the city to complete a Masters in flute performance at the prestigious Royal Northern College of Music. Jeremy was delighted to be offered the opportunity to work for leading music for health organisation LIME, bringing music to the paediatric wards of Manchester Children’s Hospital for patients and carers. Last year he participated in Adages, an Arts Council-funded oratorio composed by Holly Marland and inspired by the musical creations and experiences of those living with dementia. Jeremy was recently appointed a house assistant at Chetham’s School of Music and enjoys teaching all ages.

Wantage Orchestra was founded in February 1977 to provide an opportunity for local musicians, including children, to play together. They rehearse on Tuesday evenings, 7.30-9.30pm during term time, at King Alfred’s Sports and Community College West site, OX12 9DU. New players are welcome and the group normally gives three concerts a year.

On Saturday, 7th July, 7.30-9.30pm, at Old Mill Hall in Grove, Jeremy will perform a programme including Suppe’s Overture Poet & Peasant, Ibert’s Flute concerto (solo) and Brahms’ Symphony no. 2. Please visit www.wantageorchestra.org.uk

Curiouser and curiouser

Round & About

July 1, 2018October 7, 2019

Community & Charity

Susannah Steel explores the veritable Wonderland of adventures awaiting Oxford on Saturday, 7th July for the 2018 celebrations of Alice’s Day.

With the warm weather, sea-blue skies and stretching evenings, Oxfordshire has given us a wonderful precursor to summer. Indeed, many of us may have been inspired to take to the outdoors; perhaps a stroll in Abingdon’s Abbey Gardens or a picnic on the riverbank in Christ Church Meadow.

While we may think nothing more of these activities than of the soft touch of the sun on our skin or the taste of homemade sandwiches, it was just one such sunny Oxford day that led to a seismic shift in children’s literature, a tale which would pave the way for Secret Gardens, Narnia, Middle Earth and many more adventures.

In July 1862, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) took to the waters of the Thames with three of Henry Liddell’s children. After tea on the riverbank, the girls demanded a story and the adventures of Alice (named after Alice Liddell), the white rabbit and the Mad Hatter emerged. More than 150 years later, we are still celebrating the publication of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, now a classic of children’s literature, its characters instantly recognisable thanks to the numerous illustrations and films associated with the tale.

Alice’s Day, this year on Saturday, 7th July, promises another fine celebration of all things Wonderland, with Alice-themed fun planned around the city. Dress up as your favourite character, enjoy scavenger trails, street shows, the mysterious Voyage of La Sibylle, and the acrobats of the Circus Raj, to name but a few of the exciting entertainments that await.

As always, The Story Museum, our southern sanctuary for children’s literature, will take the lead, with activities linked to a ‘journeys & adventures’ theme. The day will also mark the final public opening of the Story Museum’s exhibition spaces before an exciting redevelopment begins. Head along there on 7th July to enjoy the museum, the Alice-inspired illustrations exhibition and the rest of the madness. Children will be given free entry to the museum on the day.

Other venues joining the fun this year include Alice’s Shop, the Ashmolean Museum, Bodleian Libraries, Blackwell’s Book Shop, Christ Church, Museum of History of Science, Oxford Castle and University of Oxford Botanic Garden. All in a city which still boasts some of the most-loved children’s writers publishing today.

In these uncertain times of politics, polluting plastics and the never-ending pressures of technology advancement, where even children’s fiction is beginning to reflect a negatively realist mirror, it’s comforting to know you can still step through a looking glass or fall down a rabbit hole and enjoy the adventures that await in Wonderland.

Visit www.storymuseum.org.uk

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Graeme Rowe of Kingston Bagpuize explains more about Little Weave which aims to educate children through storytelling with a pinch of old-school ethics!

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