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Ramsbury & Axford Community
Village Diary - May 2010 |
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| Please may we have items
for the June Diary before 17 May. They can be left at the Post Office; or sent by email to diary@ramsbury.org |
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A third of the way through April and we are enjoying fine sunny weather. How long will it last? Many of us are now pressing ahead with gardening now the soil is not too soggy to work and the grass is dry enough to cut. Wildlife, such as the yellow brimstone and small tortoiseshell butterflies, is also making the most of the sunshine. Bumble bees, both orange and buff-tailed ones in addition to the hive bees, are active around the spring flowers. At this time of year they are keen to build up their colonies. It is only the queens of wild bees and wasps that survive the winter so at the start of the season queens are eager to lay eggs to produce workers who will help her build up the summer brood. The other day I was told of masonry bees being active. These are not very common, nor are too many desirable as they live within brickwork. Wasps seen at this time of year are queens looking for nesting sites as they do not return to last year’s nests. In spite of a colder winter than had occurred for some years, nature does not seem to have suffered. When digging the vegetable patch I noticed there were plenty of worms, both good for the soil and the birds. As usual, lawns have plenty of moss, so the birds will have plenty for nest building. Another type of moss grows on roofs. The birds peck at this to get the insects living within it. The hard winter may have killed off some of our more delicate plants, but others appear to be thriving, such as the blackthorn and other related early-flowering garden varieties. It is good to see colour returning to shrubs, in addition to the bulb flowers which are a feature of the spring. With the surface soil getting drier, slugs hide in damper places away from the sun. I saw what I think was a netted or field slug which is about twice the size of the garden slug and can cause serious damage to crops. Fortunately, I did not find it in a garden. When going along country lanes keep an eye open for baby rabbits. I have seen one so far. Rosie Pauline As it really warms up, the flow of returning migrants is gathering pace. We saw our first swallow on April 1st, and the numbers have grown very quickly. Chiffchaff, blackcap, siskin and willow warblers have all been seen, and heard, in the last few days. Nest building also proceeds apace, and I spent a happy half hour watching a pair of jackdaws delivering nesting material to a hole in an old beech tree near the Manor. There is certainly a pair of nuthatches nesting in the Kennet Triangle, and the mallard pair in the nature reserve already has three tiny chicks scudding about on the pond. May will be the peak of the egg-laying season for most birds, with blackbirds and robins producing four or five eggs per brood, while the record for a great tit brood is twenty four! In the garden all the usual culprits are hard at work, and we have a blackcap that must be nesting nearby. A reed bunting turned up for a couple of days, but has moved off. A garden off Mill Lane was blessed by a pair of barnacle geese visiting the pond. As I can find no record of these being sited locally, I guess that they must have come from a private collection. Paul Swan Rainfall for the month to 18 April was 2.15 inches, average 3.43 inches. |
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Clubs and Organisation Contacts List The Ramsbury Amenity Group Axford and Ramsbury Contacts List for Clubs and Organisations will be issued in June. If you wish your club or organisation to be included then please send club or organisation name, contact person(s) and their contact details to diary@ramsbury.org before Monday 17 May. Waste Black wheelie-bins and orange sacks collection will be on Tuesdays 4 & 18 May. Green wheelie-bins and black boxes collection will be on Tuesdays 11 & 25 May. Skips will be at Aldbourne Square on Tuesday 11 May from 8.30 am (NB not 8 am) to 10.30 am and Ramsbury Surgery on Tuesday 25 May from 8 am to 10.30 am. 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 Recreation Centre 200 Club Draw result for March was - £100 prize to Steve & Helen Frost, £50 each to Viv Jones (kindly donated to the fund), Roy Storm & John Lewis & £25 each to Ashby Kraussler, Wendy Sprules, Rosalie Winter & Lionel Barnes. The draw result for April was - £100 to Neil Keen, £50 each to Sir Geoffrey Owen, Alistair Ewing & Graham Southall. £25 to each of George Hawes, Clare Allman, Alison McFee and Iain Cowan. 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 |
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Friday 30 April British Legion Forties sing-a-long at 8pm. Ramsbury Roxy Saturday 1 May “The Longest Day” cert PG. Memorial
Hall. Doors/bar open at 7 pm for the film at 7.30 pm. Doors / bar open at 7.30 pm for the film at 8 pm. Tickets from Ramsbury Post Office £3.50 or £4 on the door. Introduction to Bowling Day 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. Open Studios Susan Kirkman and Arran Miles will be showing their work at Witcha Cottage on Saturdays and Sundays in May except 8 & 9 May, and on Mondays 3 & 31 May from 11 am to 6 pm. Visitors are welcome at other times by appointment - phone 520429. Beating the Bounds Boundary Walk Sunday 2 May. The Flyer will be in the Square at 7 am, but it would be preferred if walkers could make their own way to the start on the B4192. You will find further information and other Flyer times in the Boundary Walk booklet. Holy Cross and St. Michael’s 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. For many years there has been a heavy old carved armchair in the Holy Cross. We are trying to find out how the church came by it. If you know anything about its history please call Carol 520783 or Jane 520545. Methodist Church Services – 2 May 10.30 am. Joint service at Aldbourne (no Ramsbury service). Then services in Ramsbury at 10.30 am on 9, 16, 23 & 30 May followed by Bring & Buy Sale. Coffee Centre open every Thursday at 9.30 am. Church and Church Hall available to hire, call 520558. Ramsbury & Axford Golf Society The Ramsbury Trophy will be held on May Bank holiday, Monday 3 May, at Marlborough Golf Club. Contact Bob Osmond on 520568. Ramsbury WI Ramsbury WI meets on Thursday 6 May in the Methodist Schoolroom, Oxford Street. Members will discuss the resolution “Aims to make it a legal requirement for any item labelled 'British' to be so from field to fork”. This will be debated at NFWI AGM in Cardiff in June. There will also be a “Make and Taste” supper with recipes. Doors open 7.15 pm and the meeting starts at 7.45 pm. New members and visitors are welcome. Please ring Mary Holdsworth 520908 or email wi@ramsbury.org for further information. Busy Bees needlework group meets on Thursday 20 May at 7.30 pm in the Lychgate Room. Ramsbury Horticultural Society Horticultural Society Spring Plant Sale with coffee and cake stall at “Millstream”, High Street on Saturday 8 May from 10 - 11.30 am. Please deliver plants for sale with labels by 9.30 am. Cakes for sale also welcome. Ramsbury Amenity Group Guided Walks Sunday 9 May Pentico (walk no.11) or Lambourn Woodland (s/c) with bluebells. Charity donation and cream tea at Lambourn. Sunday 23 May Standon Manor (s/c). Meet at the tree at 2 pm. 4 mile walks, shared cars (s/c) and dogs on leads. Everyone is welcome. Further details from Sheila Morgan 520501. Parish Council The Annual Parish Assembly will be on Monday 10 May when village organisations report on their year's activities and grant cheques are distributed. The AGM will be on Monday 24 May. Both meetings are at 7.45 pm in the Memorial Hall. All Parish Council meetings are open to the public. Pilates Classes start in the Memorial Hall on Mondays from 10 May at 9.15 - 10.15 am and Thursdays from 13 May at 1.30 - 2.30 pm. All levels welcome. £35 for 5 week course. Please contact Caroline McCord on 511360, 07817 503546 or email caroline@backinbalancepilates.com for more information and to book a course. Axford Bingo There will be Bingo in Axford Village Hall on Wednesdays 12 & 26 May at 7.30 pm. Ramsbury Flyer The next visit to Newbury will be on Thursday 13 May, leaving the tree at 11.30 am and returning from Newbury at 2.30 pm. Fare £3. Book with Muriel Lye on 520555. The Flyer AGM will be on Thursday 27 May at 7.30 pm in the Lychgate Room, Memorial Hall. Please send comments and ideas to bus@ramsbury.org or to the Hon.Secretary, Sylvia Judge, 55 High Street. The Community Bus also has its own page - just follow the link. The Ramsbury School PTA 5 mile Circuit Run The Run will start at 10 am for children and 11 am for main run on Sunday 16 May at the Recreation Ground. For an entry form, click here. Please Contact Jacqy McQue on 07775 648307 for further details, or email ramsburyrun@hotmail.com Ramsbury Amenity Group AGM The RAG AGM will be held at 6 pm on Monday 17 May in the Church Room, Back Lane. The meeting is open to everyone. Annual subscription is £2 which will be collected at the meeting. Bedwyn Music Society Summer Concert Friday 21 May at 7.30 pm in St. Mary’s Church, Great Bedwyn with Alexander Karpeyev (piano). Enquiries to Andrew Hutchison 870970. Tickets – members £8 or £10 on the door and children free. |
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The Horticultural Society trip to Mottisfont Abbey and rose garden has changed to Friday 11 June. Departing at 1 pm and returning at 8 pm. National Trust members £11 non-members £18.50. Contact Sheila Glass 520409. The Methodist Church Summer Fête with the Ramsbury Silver Band will be held at 36 Oxford Street at 2 pm on Saturday 26 June. The Diary is published in paper form, and is incorporated here by
kind permission of the Ramsbury Amenity Group. |
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