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Ramsbury & Axford Community
Village Diary - April 2010 |
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| Welcome Community Organisations News & Events Contact Us Village Map |
| Please may we have items
for the May Diary by 15 April. They can be left at the Post Office; or sent by email to diary@ramsbury.org |
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Mid March and spring has sprung, but how long will this fine spell last? Will it allow us to spend time in our gardens and encourage the insects to come out of hibernation? Today, a bumble bee was on the wing while I was giving the grass its first cut. It pleased me that it was dry enough to pass easily into the collecting box. I saw a ladybird while working. I hope it is a sign they will be more numerous this year. Last summer seemed to be a poor season for them. They are a gardener’s friend, which cannot be said for all beetles. It is good to see not just the snowdrops and aconites in flower, but also some heathers and a few snowflakes in a sheltered place. This area seems to suit all of these. I have recently returned from the Isle of Man where snowdrops were only seen in small clumps in a few gardens. On a road-side verge the winter heliotrope was beginning to flower and give a pleasant perfume. It belongs to the same family as the butterburr which we see each year near the Kennet bridge by the Knap, but, unlike it, the leaves and flowers occur at the same time. The winter honeysuckle may not have large showy flowers, but, like the pink early flowering viburnum, it gives forth a good perfume. In this area we should be able to forget about snow, but on the Isle of Man a few pockets of snow were still to be seen on higher ground after their very bad winter. The Lake District had plenty on the higher peaks, while all we have is just some water-logging on the meadows. At least the daffodils will soon be in full bloom - for Easter perhaps? Hopefully, we will be blessed with fine weather so the great outdoors can be enjoyed devoid of biting winds. Rosie Pauline As the days grow longer and it becomes warmer (slightly), the bird song increases dramatically. Today I heard a green woodpecker for the first time this year and recently, a nuthatch was calling from a tree top at the Kennet triangle. We have also seen yellowhammer, siskin, treecreeper and woodcock in Hens Wood and noted that the little egrets are still in Froxfield, having clearly survived the very cold weather. However, winter has not yet lost its grip and there are large flocks of redwing and fieldfare still to be seen just outside the village, while over 100 golden plover are still resident on Springs Hill. On one sunny day they were wheeling above seven hares that were charging around the field and even getting in some early boxing practice. The bright, clear days are great for raptors. Having recently seen more red kites than buzzards, it was a treat to see eleven buzzards in the air at the same time doing some quite dramatic aerobatics. April should see the return of most of the migrants, including chiffchaff and swallow, leading the way before the house martin and swift. Paul Swan Rainfall for the month to 18 March was 2.30 inches, average 2.57 inches. |
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Black wheelie-bins and orange sacks collection will be on Tuesdays 6 & 20 April. Green wheelie-bins and black boxes collection will be on Tuesdays 13 & 27 April. Skips will be at the Square in Aldbourne on Tuesday 13 April and Ramsbury Surgery on Tuesday 27 April from 8 to 10.30 am. Clubs and Organisation Contacts List The Ramsbury & Axford Contacts List for Clubs and Organisations is issued in May by the Ramsbury Amenity Group. If you wish your club or organisation to be included then please send club or organisation name, contact person(s) and contact details to diary@ramsbury.org before 17 April. Some groups may have AGMs when names will change but 17 April is the annual cut off date for the printed list. The website list is continually updated throughout the year. Newcomers’ Welcome Pack The Ramsbury Amenity Group, the publishers of the VillageDiary, also produce a Newcomers’ Welcome Pack. Please contact Rolf Mitson on 521366 if you are new to the village and have not received a copy. Memorial Hall Caretaker Owing to the increase in use, Ramsbury Memorial Hall is seeking to appoint a Caretaker/Cleaner. For details of responsibilities, work involved and pay, please contact Robert Osmond on 520568. Recreation Centre 200 Club The Recreation Centre 200 Club draw result for February was: £100 prize to Viv Jones, £50 each to Vicki Smith, Joy Wilson and Eric Jennings, and £25 each to Cheever Hardwicke and Carolyn Roche. The club costs £60 a year to join. Funds are split 50/50 between prizes and the Recreation Centre. To join, contact Ian Smith on 07977 473975 or email oldtiff@hotmail.co.uk Charity Shop After our first six months £350 was donated to each of the organisations involved. Think of the shop when you are spring cleaning. Donations can be left at the shop when open or call 520409 for collection. Ramsbury Short Mat Bowls Club Club bowling sessions are on Thursday mornings from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm. For more details contact Phil Allin 520306, George Hawes 520693 or Robert Osmond 520568. |
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Ramsbury WI meets on Thursday 1 April in the Methodist Schoolroom, Oxford Street. The speaker will be Derek Lyford from the RSPB, who will talk about bird identification. There will be a competition for the best bloom of the month. Doors open 7.15 pm and meeting starts at 7.45 pm. New members and visitors are welcome. Please call 520908 or email wi@ramsbury.org for further information. Busy Bees needlework group meets on Thursday 15 April at 7.30 pm in the Lychgate Room. Ramsbury Roxy Friday 2 April - “An Education” cert PG. The coming-of-age for a 1960s teenage girl in suburban London. Friday 30 April - “Went the Day Well?” cert PG. 1942 B & W film. An English village is infiltrated by Germans. Tickets from Ramsbury Post Office £3.50 or £4 on the door. Bar opens 7.30 pm. Film at 8 pm. Methodist Church Methodist Church services – Coffee, Bring and Buy after Sunday Services. Easter Sunday Sunrise Service Ronny and Priscilla (tel 520652) invite you to join them at 6 am at the Prices’ Wood on the Froxfield road. Ramsbury Painting Group The Painting Group will meet at 10 am on Tuesdays 6 and 20 April, in the Church Rooms, Back Lane. Ramsbury Flyer The Flyer now runs to Hungerford
and then on to Cobb’s Farm shop on Fridays. The Community Bus also has its own page - just follow the link. Ramsbury Horticultural Society Saturday 10 April from 2 to 4 pm Spring Show and Bowls Club Fête in the Memorial Hall. Entrance is free. Entries to classes must be made to our desk in The Crown & Anchor on Friday 9 April between 6 and 9 pm. Show Schedule available from the Post Office or contact Di Barnett 520322 or Allan Davison 520591. Monday 12 April Memorial Hall 7.45 pm talk by Mike Burgess, “How to get the Best from your Allotment”. Saturday 24 April visit to Home Covert Gardens & Arboretum, Devizes. £10 includes lunch. Further details given at the talk on 12 April, from the Post Office or from the Charity Shop. Contact Sheila 520409 or Di 521363 re transport. Ramsbury Amenity Group Guided Walks Sunday 11 April Hens Wood (shared cars) and Sunday 25 April Pentico (no. 11) or Lambourn Woodlands, bluebells (shared cars). Charity donation and cream tea at Lambourn. Meet at the tree at 2 pm. Four mile walks, with dogs on leads. Everyone is welcome. Further details from Sheila Morgan 520501. Axford Bingo There will be Bingo in Axford Village Hall on Wednesdays 14 & 28 April at 7.30 pm. Treloar coffee morning The annual coffee morning in aid of Treloar will be held on Saturday 17 April from 10 am to noon in the Memorial Hall. The Treloar Trust provides help for young people with physical disabilities. Donations for the various stalls can be delivered to the Memorial Hall on Friday 16 April between 2 - 4 pm. Alternatively, please contact Ellin Osmond 520568 or Ethel Hutchings 520278 for collection. Holy Cross Saturday 17 April at 7.30 pm Sir Peter Beale’s Avebury Vocal Ensemble Spring Concert at Holy Cross. Tickets £8 at the door, under-16 free. Monday 19 April at 7.30 pm the service to license Revd Simon Weeden to the Whitton Benefice will be held at Holy Cross, Ramsbury. The Bishop of Salisbury, the Right Revd Dr David Stancliffe, will preside. Parish Council Before lighting bonfires, please consider your neighbours and the effects of the smoke. Please compost as much as you can. Green wheelie bins can be used for any green garden waste that will not compost readily. There have been several requests to ask dog owners to take their dog’s mess home for disposal. Ramsbury and Axford Parish Council meeting in the Lychgate room on Monday 19 April at 7.45 pm. All Parish Council meetings are open to the public, who are welcome to attend. The Ravensbury Players "All Will Be Revealed", an evening of triple comedy and supper in Memorial Hall 21 to 24 April. Doors and bar open from 7 pm. Curtain up 7.45 pm. Tickets from Chris Perkins on 520515 or email chrissy@astrocruise.com, also from the Post Office and Midway Stores from 15 April. No reserved seats. Bedwyn Music Society Summer Concert Friday 30 April at 7.30 pm in St. Mary’s Church, Great Bedwyn with John Barker (saxophone) and Tim Sidford (piano). Enquiries to Andrew Hutchison 870970. Tickets – members £8 or £10 on the door. Children free. |
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Route to Victory weekend Friday 30 April to Monday 3 May. See www.routetovictory.co.uk and www.ramsburylegion.org.uk/RTV.php for details. Introduction to Bowling Day at the new bowling green from 2 pm onwards on Saturday 1 May. All welcome to come along and have a go. On Sunday 2 May at 11 am the Rector, Revd Simon Weeden, will take his first Service in St Michael's Church. After the service meet at Whiteway House for drinks to welcome him and his wife Judith. Beating the Bounds Boundary Walk Sunday 2 May. The Boundary Walk booklet with full details will be delivered to households and will also be available in the Post Office and Midway Stores. Horticultural Society Spring Plant Sale at “Millstream” on Saturday 8 May. Please save any plants that you can for this event. The Annual Parish Assembly will be held at 7.45 pm on Monday 10 May in the Memorial Hall. This is the meeting where village organisations report on their year's activities and grant cheques are distributed. Ramsbury Community Bus AGM Thursday 29 May 7.30 pm in the Lychgate room. The Diary is published in paper form, and is incorporated here by
kind permission of the Ramsbury Amenity Group. |
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