Hullavington News October 2012
Serendipity Coffee Mornings
In July and August the coffee drinkers of Hullavington have raised £100each for Air Ambulance and the Doorway homeless charity, and £200 for Talking Newspapers.A one-off coffee morning in July also raised £126 to support the building of a hostel in Kenya to enable young girls to leave home safely and continue their education. The coffee mornings continue to be a popular destination each Friday from 10 to mid-day and funds raised will be for the Happy Caterpillars’ floor.
Hullavington WI
Anna Durrant was the guest speaker at the July WI meeting. She passed on some technical tips for making photos clearer and also had some hints for making photos more interesting and imaginative. Her talk was illustrated with her own photos. The competition for an old photograph was won by Margaret Greening and Stephanie Noon. The Annual WI barbecue was much enjoyed despite the torrential rain, which made it an indoor event. The logo quiz was won by Elisabeth Cheshire. The unusual garden implements for the month’s competition were a little incongruous indoors, but the winner was Janet Mitchell with a device for managing the string to obtain straight rows of carrots, dating from the 1920s. Runner up was Maggie Dyson with a flat tined garden fork for digging potatoes. The September meeting will bring John Callum to talk about being the High Sheriff, and in October the men of the village are invited to join in for a talk about ‘Wiltshire Soldiers of the Great War’ by Richard Broadhead.
Best Kept Village
Hullavington was awarded third place in the 54th Best Kept Village Competition. The impact of entering has had a good effect on the appearance of the village over the summer and the judges commented;-
“The residential gardens and outbuildings were in good order with no sign of any litter or dog fouling. The numerous litterbins/dog-fouling bins strategically placed throughout the village would doubtless help this situation.
The verges, the WI garden and the community garden were well maintained. The Church and Cemetery grounds were in good order with well attended flower beds and the grasses of Little Topsoil conservation area looked most attractive.
Both the school and the village hall grounds were clean and tidy and the flower tubs outside the village hall were most eye-catching.
The car park of the Star Inn public house was clear of litter and the beer garden looked inviting. The associated farm shop and café were very well presented. The garage forecourt and the Village Shop and Off-licence surrounds were free of litter.
Although the bus shelter was clean, it was a pity that the light was broken.
The recently painted listed telephone box with its gold-painted crown was an outstanding feature of interest.
It was surprising that there was little mention on any of the noticeboards of the 19 organisations that had been declared on the entry form.
Generally, most categories were highly marked by the judges which was indicative of a well-maintained village.”
Credit is due to all those who have worked hard to keep the public areas of the village spick and span, to all the careful dog-owners, to the businesses who have kept their premises looking good, and to the residents who have done their bit.
Hullavington Book Group
The members of the book group have a variety of opinions about the books chosen “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” was appreciated by the romantics who enjoyed seeing the details of the plot emerge gradually as the book progressed. The style of the book, a series of letters, meant that the minor characters were not as fully drawn as some readers would have liked, but others found the book totally beguiling with a clearly-drawn main character. The challenging wartime theme received a sympathetic handling.
September’s book is: 'Daughter of the Desert, the remarkable life of Gertrude Bell' by Georgina Howell, with ‘Three Cups of Tea,One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time’ by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin for discussion at the October meeting. If you would like to read this book, Elizabeth Parry-Williams (01666) 837713 has some copies from the library van.
Hullavington Village Show
Hullavington Village Hall looked as splendid as ever when all the produce, baking, crafts and flowers were laid out for the 36th annual Village Show. The vegetable entries were fewer this year than in the past, but this could have been due to the wet summer, or the wedding taking place in the village on the same day. The winner of the Hullavington Village Hall Cup for the most point in show was Daphne Howlett, who also won the Hawker Challenge Trophy for the best selection of vegetables and the Vic Rawlins Trophy for the most points in the horticultural classes. Jebbie Hewitt was awarded the Backhurst Cup for the best exhibit in the show, a flower arrangement in a coconut shell. She also gained the Margaret Shewring Trophy for the most points for floral arrangements. Eileen Gough is renowned for her home produce and handicrafts, and she was the winner of the Hamilton Cup for these, and indeed was the runner-up for the most points in Show.
Janet Mitchell earned the Harmer Shield for her blooms, and Ann Sneyd was awarded the Parry-Williams Trophy for the most points in the Art Section. John Greenwood’s gladiolus made him the winner of the Cliff Heath Trophy for the best floral exhibit, and David Hunt gained the Star Inn Trophy for photography.
The Reynolds Cup, for the most points in the 9-14 years section, was won by Daniel Neal, and Louis Shepherd and Rachel Neal tied for the most points for the Ryan Shield for under nines. Four-year-old Eve Hewitt won the Hullavington Garage and Village Store Cup for the best exhibit for the 14 years and under section with her picture of her Grandma’s garden.
The man who made the best sponge was Matthew Rose.
Mobile Library
The mobile library visits Hullavington every two weeks with books and DVDs for adults and children. Talking books and large print are also available. The library stops at the School from 9.45 to 10.35 and at the old bus shelter from 10.40 to 11am, on Thursday 11th and 25th October, and on 8th and 22nd November.
Coach Trip to London
Melvyn Pickering has organised a regular coach trip from the village to London on the last Saturday in November. This is very good value as it is run for the benefit of the village and not as a profit-making event and usually leaves the village at 8am, returning in the late evening. Over the years it has been a highlight for Christmas shopping, theatre trips and taking the children to the museums. Tickets are on a first come first served basis so contact Melvyn on 837910 if you would like to join in.
Rock and Blues Night
The Star Inn, Hullavington will be hosting another Rock and Blues night on Saturday 20th October, with an amazing line-up to include local singer Roy Poulton, The Malmesbury Tribal Belly Dancers, and Hullavington’s rock band, Audio Vandals. Bill Adlard and the Blue Dukes from London head the bill. This is the same line-up that featured at the Village Hall last year, and promises a great nights entertainment. Entrance is free, from 8.30 till late.