April 2005PARISH PUMP is published every month except January, and should be distributed to every household in the Shill Valley and Broadshire benefice. If you do not receive a copy, please contact Jane Brylewski.Advertising does not cover all our costs, and we welcome donations (suggesting at least £5/year) which you can send through your Parish Pump Correspondent (see inside back cover), the person who delivers your Parish Pump, or directly to Ellie Maughan. If you have not already done so, please send your £5 to cover 2005’s issues.We welcome articles, letters, diary items, or just good ideas for future articles (and criticism, whether good or bad! Ed). Please submit through your local Parish Pump Correspondent, or directly to Richard Martin. Photographs are also welcome. We prefer all copy to be sent electronically by email to pump@naturalbest.co.uk, although good old paper is fine too!All copy for inclusion should reach the editorial office by the 10th of the month preceding publication.Advertising enquiries are welcomed, and should be directed to Lin Edgar.We are indebted to all the Parish Correspondents, and all those in all the parishes who make possible the publication and distribution of Parish Pump every month.

EDITORIALG oily, doesn’t a bit of early Spring sunshine make a difference? We know that it happens just the same every year, but every year as the dark days of Winter lengthen into evenings light enough to be useful, it seems like magic. For all our sophistication, the round of the seasons is still an extraordinarily potent force in all our lives. It really does make us feel happier and more optimistic. For me the year really begins in early April.

500 years ago, Geoffrey Chaucer opened his Canterbury Tales with a description of the season, for he knew that it was the brightening weather which quickened the eye, and gladdened the heart:

When in April the sweet showers fallThat pierce March’s drought to the root and all And bathed every vein in liquor that has power To generate therein and sire the flower; When Zephyr also has with his sweet breath, Filled again, in every holt and heath,The tender shoots and leaves, and the young sun His half-course in the sign of the Ram has run, And many little birds make melody That sleep through all the night with open eye (So Nature pricks them on to ramp and rage) Then folk do long to go on pilgrimage...... or to put it another way, Spring has sprung, let’s get on with life!Turning to April’s Parish Pump, having just spent an hour or two formatting the News from Around the Villages, it strikes me what a lot we can do within a mile or so of our front doors now that Spring is here. Go to the opera, get confirmed, find out about hearing dogs, keep fit, learn about an illustrious life in the RAF, sail the seven seas, whip up a snuffle, go on an armchair-tour of British gardens... it’s all either here in the pages of your very own Parish Pump, or Parish Pump tells you how to find out more!Then we have part two of the story of the Filkins Tornado, and a splendid piece about Saints and their Symbols. Good stuff all!Lastly (again!), if you enjoy PP, do send your donation for 2005 via your village representative/ correspondent or directly to Ellie Maughan (our Treasurer).Richard Martin

BENEFICE SERVICES3’d April - Easter I10.30am Westwell

Benefice Eucharist Service EJ & NUW

6.00pm Kencot Evensong EJ10‘h April - Easter II Holy Communion HM

8.00am Kencot9.00am Holwell Holy Communion NUW9.00am Shilton Holy Communion RM10.00am Alvescot Parish Communion HM10.00am Filkins Family Communion NUW11.00am Broadwell Morning Prayer NUW11.00am L Faringdon Morning Prayer AP6.00pm Langford Evensong HM6.00pm Westwell Evensong NUW17th April - Easter III9.00am Langford Holy

Communion RM

9.00am Westwell Holy Communion HM10.00am Alvescot Family Communion NUW10.00am Broadwell/Kencot Combined Parish

CommunionHM

11.00am Kelmscott Family Communion EJ6.00pm B Bourton Evensong EJ6.00pm B Poggs Evensong AP6.00pm Holwell Evensong NUW24” April - Easter N9.00am Shilton

Holy Communion EJ

10.00am B Bourton Parish Communion RM10.00am Filkins Parish Communion HM10.00am Langford Family Service DP11.00am L Faringdon Parish Communion NUW6.00pm Alvescot Evensong LB6.00pm Kencot Sing for Joy EJ6.00pm Westwell Evensong HM

There is also a Communion Service every Wednesday morning at 10.00am at St Mary’s, Black Bourton

SERVICE CELEBRANTSAP Arthur Pont DP Debs PriceEJ Liz Johnson HM Harry MacInnesLBRM

Lynda BlairRoland Meredith

NUW Neville Usher-Wilson

THE LECTIONARY3’d April - Easter I (W)Acts 2. 14a, 22-32

Psalm 16. 1

Peter 1. 3-9 John 20. 19-3110” April ; Easter II (W) Psalm 116. 1-4. 12-19

Acts 2. 14a, 36-411Peter 1. 17-23 Luke 24. 13-2517‘h April - Easter III (W)Acts 2. 42-47

Psalm 23

1 Peter 2. 19-25 John 10. 1-1023‘d April - Saint George’s Day ®Proverbs 23. 1-1824‘h April - Easter N (W)Acts 7. 55-60

Philippians 4. 2-endPsalm 31. 1-5

1 Peter.2. 2-10 John 14. 1-141” May - Rogation Sunday (W)Acts 17. 22-31 Psalm 66. 8-201 Peter 3. 13-22 John 14. 15-21

THE RECTOR’S LETTERDear FriendsA little phrase which is enormously encouraging and comes a number of times in the Bible is ‘God is Able’. For example, take the account of that remarkable man Abraham. Not only did he leave the comfort of the sophisticated City of Ur, in which he had grown up, because he was convinced that God had called him to do so. Not only did he camp out for the rest of his life in obedience to God. He was even prepared to sacrifice his only son Isaac, because, as it puts it in Hebrews 11:19, he was convinced that ‘God is able’ to raise the dead.Centuries before the resurrection of Jesus, here was a man who had confidence in God’s ability to defeat the last enemy of mankind - that is, Death itself. And if God can do that, we can have confidence in God bringing new spiritual life to us here in our village, confidence in him bringing a new understanding of the love of Jesus.The same little phrase comes again and again in the writings of the Apostle Paul. In writing to the Christians in Rome, he says ‘God is Able’ to help us stand against the pressure of the prevailing culture. In our case it is materialism - a belief that happiness depends on wealth and health, rather than a relationship with God.

The Good life is thought of in terms of money, clothes, drink, cars, status, houses and so on, and very seductive these are. Not that any of them are bad in themselves, but so easily they come between usand God. They become idols which take the first place in our affections. However, ‘God is able’ to make us stand in the face of that pressure.St Paul tells of how ‘God is Able’ to guard what he has entrusted to him. He had put his life into God’s hands, and was convinced that whatever trials he might face and whatever problems he might come up against, God was well able to see him through.His experience again and again confirmed his faith. And there are many in this Benefice who, I am sure, could bear witness to the same thing in their own lives. God’s sustaining power in everyday living as an enriching experience. Once more, He speaks of how ‘God is Able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all you need, you will abound in every good work.’ It is encouraging to know that God will continue to pour good things into our lives, as we in turn pour ourselves and our resources out upon others.Harry MacInnesConfirmationOn Sunday June 5th at 6.30pm in St Matthew’s Langford, there is to be a confirmation service for the Benefice. If anybody who is interested in being confirmed, do please contact me. Prior to this there will be two preparation groups for confirmation.For young people: Sunday evenings at 6.00 to 7.30pm

1 17th April

The Vicarage, ShiltonWho is Jesus?

2 24th April

The Tallot, Westwell Prayer

3 151 May The Vicarage Shilton The Bible4 8‘h May The Vicarage, ShiltonHoly Communion5 22°d May St Matthews,

LangfordWhat is confirmation?

For adults: Wednesday evenings at 8.00 to 9.30pm (Except 5)

1 20th April

The Vicarage, Shilton

2 27th April

The Vicarage, Filkins

3 4th May The Vicarage, Shilton4 11th May The Vicarage, Filkins5 22nd MaySt Matthews,

LangfordRehearsal at 6.30pm

Children’s ChurchI n September we are planning to pioneer a children’s church in Shilton, for the Benefice, which would run concurrently with the main service. This would provide, worship, teaching and prayer for the children during the first part of the service the children would then join the main congregation for a blessing during communion. Do contact Debs Price on 01993 847039 if you think that you might like to contribute to this ministry.Harry MacInnesJOE HOMAN’S VISITJoe Homan will be visiting Broughton Poggs on Thursday 21” April. Everyone is invited to a light lunch at Stable Cottage, Broughton Poggs to meet Joe, and listen to his talk-with-slides afterwards. Joe is of Dutch origin and came to this country at the age of two. Joe and another brother became monks, and one of his sisters is still a nun.In 1961 Joe was sent to India with the De La Salle order, first to the north and then to South India. He was recalled to the UK in 1964 and he waited to be sent back to India. It never happened, so Joe resigned from the order and set off on his own.As well as seven Boys’ Towns, two Girls’ Towns and three Children’s Villages, Joe went into village development and started a scheme of improving kindergarten education which he calls joyful Learning.You will enjoy the talk - it is an education to us all, and donations are not obligatory!

Please let me know if you can come either to the lunch, or just the talk. (Tel: 01367 860226). Proceedings will start at 11.30am.Mary PearceCHRISTIAN AIDH Help make poverty history! Join a sponsored walk/run for Christian Aid on Saturday 7‘h May. The fun starts at 2.OOpm at Cotswold Wildlife Park. For more details, contact Tom Farrell on 01993 823951.CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIPWe meet again on Wednesday 6‘h April at 2.45pm in the Filkins Methodist Chapel Schoolroom. Our speaker will be Major Thornton of the Salvation Army in Oxford. This is, by request, a return visit, and we look forward to seeing her again. We are, as usual happy to welcome anyone who would like to join us for our meeting!MABFROM THE REGISTERS

HOLY BURIAL2151 February Black

BourtonAndrew Peggie aged 92 years

28’h February Alvescot Joan Eustace aged 78 years28‘h February Shilton Laura Annie Maycock aged 99 years

ROUND THE VILLAGESALVESCOT St Peter’sCAROL SINGINGYes, I know this is late, entirely my fault. Sorry Rosie! Think of it as a taste of things to come later this year! EdOn a cold frosty December evening just before Christmas, a few brave souls gathered together to entertain the villagers with their

glorious renditions of carols old and new. Accompanied by a golden retriever, a CD player, and some mulled wine, they set off with gusto. As always the villagers were very generous with their donations, and sausage rolls. Whether the donations were designed to encourage us to sing louder, or not at all, does not matter for we raised £150 and 86 Singapore cents. A huge thank you to everyone, both those who sang and those who gave. Just one word to a certain villager whose doorbell we broke. The proceeds were split between the school’s African Project, the Children’s Hospital appeal, and the Maya Childcare Trust.Rosie JohnstonBRIDGE DRIVEThe Annual Bridge Drive was held at The Old Rectory and raised £764 towards church funds. Very many thanks to all those who helped to make it such a success, whether by playing, cooking, furniture shifting or washing up!Diana BagnallVILLAGE HALL AGMThe Annual General Meeting of the Hall Management Committee will be held in the Hall on Monday 25‘h April at 7.30pm. Come and have your say about your Hall, we are always looking for new blood with new ideas. Please telephone me (01993) 841459 if you want to know more about what is involved.Wendy PhippsALVESCOT SUMMER FETEThis year we are holding our Village Fete on Saturday June 18‘h at the Playing Field. The day is an important one for our local community, as it raises much-needed funds for all our village organisations. We particularly welcome new residents to Alvescot and our neighbouring villages - you will bepleasantly surprised by the vibrancy and warmth of this small village!

The Fete will be open for visitors at 2.OOpm and will start with the traditional entertainment by the children of St Peter’s School. As well as all the usual musical events and sideshows there will be a raffle with cash prizes, lots of games and stalls, and many other attractions. This year we will be having some new and exciting ones, some of them on our new hard - surface games area. So, come and have a cream tea, buy plants and cakes, or just listen to the music.However, none of the fun would happen without a lot of hard work by the organising committee and other Alvescot residents. Every year we have to tour the village, asking for bottles, cakes, plants & produce, tombola prizes and good quality bric-a-brac. It would be an enormous help if you could bring this to us before the day! We also need volunteers to help with stalls, and to set up on the day itself and the evening before.We would love to have a bit more help this year, so if you can offer your labour or donations of any kind please contact Jayne Lewin on 01993 842435 or Malcolm Farley on 01993 841357ST PETER’S INFANT SCHOOLAt the end of February, PC Patrick visited the school and spoke to each class about his role within the community as well as addressing some issues regarding road safety. He drove his car onto the playground and the children enjoyed looking at his car and setting off the sirens!A meeting was held for Year 2 parents to explain the new arrangements for assessment at the end Key Stage 1. This was well attended and all parents left, reassured that their children would not suffer the anxieties that are described by the media.Many of us enjoyed the Mothering Sunday Service at St Peter’s Church, particularly the prayers read by some of the children and mothers of the village. Thanks go to Jayne Lewin for kindly preparing the flowers.

Our annual bookweek was held in March. Unfortunately the children’s poet, James Carter, was unable to visit through illness, but his visit has been rearranged for 6th May. All the staff and children enjoyed the activities that took place throughout the week, including bedtime stories, dressing up as book characters and bookmaking.Class 2 are looking forward to taking part in the Oxford Literary Festival on 21st March, attending a talk by the author Martin Waddell.Class 2 visited Wroughton Science Museum and had a very interesting day looking at aeroplanes and bicycles from the past to the present day. Thanks to Keith Brown at the museum for organising the day and all the parents whoprovided transport and helped us.The Foundation Stage Class and Class 1 are looking forward to their visits to Farmer Gow’s Farm and The Gloucester Folk Museum at the end of March.Peter Killick, from the Cultural Loans Service, returned, this time with his ‘Fun and Games’ resources and provided a workshop for Class one on the history of toys. We are looking forward to Peter visiting Class 2 in April with a‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ workshop!The school took part in Red Nose Day on Friday l l th March, dressing up in red and coming to school with ‘big hair’. Thanks to everyone who gave so generously. The final amount raised will be announced in the next issue.Please remember Sandie Morris’s jumble sale at the village hall on 21” April. Please bring any jumble to the village on the morning of the sale or, if this is not possible, to the school on Friday 151 April. Tickets are now available from the school office for the Sixties Night on 30‘h April. Please buy these early to avoid disappointment.

Sam KingBLACK BOURTON St Mary’sANDREW PEGGIEHaving moved into the village with his wife Pat and family, Andrew took time to do up Moat Cottage and turn it into a warm friendly dwelling.The Church had been the only focal point of village life since 1110, with Christmas services, Easter celebrations and Harvest Festivals. A fete was held at Burton Abbotts every year in aid of the church and the village.In the early seventies Andrew and a few other villagers thought we should have some say in the way Carterton Council looked after the village. So they formed a sub-committee of the Council to see how the system worked and to see if we got the full benefit in the village.As time moved on the BBVA or Black Bourton Village Association was formed. Apart from working with the Carterton Council, it ran villages events. It jointly ran the village fete with the Church. Quiz nights, general get togethers and an annual Sunday drinks gathering in the garden of Moat Cottage were organised. This tradition has continued until this year. Harvest suppers and fund raising events for the Church and Village were held in thebarn at Moat Cottage. Andrew always made everyone involved most welcome in his house and barn. We were allowed to alter the furniture arrangement in the barn as long as it all went back precisely as we had found it. Andrew would always be there to check up on us!Andrew then thought that we should form our own Parish Council and gradually split away from Carterton so that we could control our own destiny. This was done over a period of time so we now

have a Church Committee, a Parish Council and the BBVA. They all try to work together for the benefit of the village.Andrew was always there to give sound advice in a straightforward way. He ran meetings with a rod of iron and things got done properly and on time. Nothing was ever too much trouble and he supported every event and fund raising activity. He had the ability to think laterally. He was always in and around the village observing and taking note. Andrew was an inspiration to other villagers for his never-ending energy and the effort he put into everything he did. He has played a major part in shaping the history and events in our village of Black Bourton, which we certainly took to his heart. We miss him and his counsel.QUIZSaturday 7‘h May 7.30pm Alvescot Village Hall. Tickets only £5 per person including light supper For more information telephone Jackie (01993 843746)PARTY IN THE PLAY PARKSaturday 18‘h June 5.00 pm to midnight. Live Bands, Dancing, Fairground, Craft Stalls, Bar and Refreshments. For more information telephone Jackie (01993 843746)PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENTS LICENSELocal Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1982 (As Amended)Notice of application for the grant, variation* of a public entertainment license. Notice is hereby given that the Black Bourton Village Association applied to West Oxfordshire District Council on 10‘h February 2005 for a License/Variation of License* to use premises at Black Bourton Play Park for the following days and times:Saturday 18” June 2005 from 5.00pm until midnight.

Any person wishing to object to this application must give notice in writing stating his objection in general terms within 14 days of the date of this newspaper’s publication to: Head of Community Safety and LicensingWest Oxfordshire District Council, Woodgreen, Witney, OX28 1NBPLANT SALEAdvance notice of the 3rd Annual Charity Plant Sale. If you enjoyed the salesin 2002 and 2003 (or if you wondered what you were missing!), I do hope you can come to the 2005 sale on 17“’ September.Liz WelchBROADWELLSt Peter &- St Paul’sCHRISTOPHER & SARA RAWSONChristopher and Sara Rawson will be leaving the village in a few weeks’ time. Throughout their years here, they have both been involved in the community, and given freely of their support and concern for those less fortunate, in these villages and further afield. We must thank Christopher particularly for his work in the church, ably supported by Sara.Among other things, Christopher has recently completed his walk along the Thames for WaterAid, raising a considerable sum of money for that worthy charity. We wish them all happiness in the future, and we will miss their comfort and sustenance, so generously given.SC & RLANNUAL MEETINGS

Don’t miss your chance to influence what goes on in the village. Come to two important meetings, they are Annual Meetings, so anyone who lives here can have their say.April 18‘h is the PCC (Parochial Church Council) at 6.30 in the Old School, when we will be trying to keep our beautiful church alive. Any ideas?April 19‘h (Sorry for the close dates!) is the Parish Meeting, when anything to do with the village is there for discussion, and probably argument! 7.OOpm, also in the Old School. Democracy starts here, so do come!FILKINS & BROUGHTON POGGS St Peter’sFILKINS FLOWERS3‘d & 10‘h April Mary Cover17 “’ & 26 ‘” April Elizabeth GidmanROSTER FOR VOLUNTARY CAR SERVICE TO SURGERIES Covering Filkins, Broughton Poggs, Broadwell, Kencot, Langford and Little Faringdon5‘h April Mrs K Morley 0136

7860420

7‘h April Mr A Woodford 01367

860319

12‘h April Mr A Woodford 01367

860319

14‘h April Lt Col J Barstow 01367

860312

19‘h April Mrs L White 01367

860461

21s‘ April Mrs M Cover 01367

860302

26‘h April Mrs J Higham 01367

860197

28‘” April Mrs B Bristow 01367

860195

Please contact either Mr A Woodford (01367 860319) or Mrs P Assiter (0136/ 860545) if any problems arise.Tony Woodford

PARISH COUNCIL VILLAGE LITTER PICK

The 2005 Litter Pick took place on 26‘h February, when a merry gang scoured the village. A big thank you to all who helped, and especially to Chris Bristow for organizing this splendid event.PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCILThe Annual General Meeting of the PCC will be held on Thursday 21” April at 7.30pm in the Village Hall. For more information, telephone 01367 860195.BCFIVE ALLS DAY CENTRESince the last item on the Five Alls Day Centre our newly appointed deputy has had to resign for personal reasons. As a result we are again advertising for a deputy co-ordinator for the day centre. If you are looking for a part-time job (six hours on a Tuesday), are cheerful and friendly and would be interested in helping older people maintain their independence, then perhaps you might consider applying. Further details can be obtained from Jen Thoburn (01285 712397) or Chris Woodford (01367 860319).

WI NEWSOur meeting in February saw the members transported back to 1939, organised by the members themselves. This is the time when the official committee can sit back, have a rest an enjoy others preparing the evening.

Mrs Blackett spoke about recruiting for the Land Army and how the Ministry of Food sent recipes to help in a time of rationing.Lady Cripps, the Billeting Officer, offered soap and combs for the evacuees and told us about some of the children sent to the area. Also we were informed of the 6181b of jam, chutney and jellies being made.Mrs Wise then spoke about the telephone and telegram service and then Mrs Farmer finished with a fascinating view of life in the Land Army. She lived in a hostel at ‘Goodfellows’ (now the Morley’s home) and worked as a gang labourer. Great fun was had at parties and dances, with transport provided, and she met her husband during this time.All members were reminded not to forget to bring their ‘twist’ of tea to meetings, otherwise no cup of tea! All had a very enjoyable evening finishing with a quiz -1939 style, and refreshments.Back in 2005 members were invited to attend a Group meeting on 21s‘ April in Clanfield entitled ‘How to be a Toastmaster’.Looking forward to our meeting on 20th April, we have our very own Pat Clark, with her talk entitled ‘Dog sledding - with 170 dogs, 2 reindeer and 16 moose’. Please bring along friends and family, it sounds a wonderful experience.HWOPERA IN THE CHURCHCome to a sparkling evening of popular arias and ensembles from operas and musicals from Champagne Opera. This musical feast is at 7.15pm for 7.30pm on Friday 22”d April in St Peter’s Church, Filkins. Afterwards there will be wine and cheese in the village hall. Tickets (£20, and £10 concessions) are available from Jim and Mary Cover (01367 860302). Proceeds in aid of church restoration.SWINFORD MUSEUM

It is that time of year again when the Trustees of the Swinford Museum consider the forthcoming exhibitions. The topic to be covered next season will be Filkins during World War II. If you have any stories or items of interest relating to this please contact me on 01367 860504, or Ann Cripps on 01367 860209, and let us know.We are already learning about the exploits of the ‘pathfinder’ resident of Filkins. Where were you during the war? Please let us know. Thank you.SHHH! IT’S A SECRETA lecture will be given by Mr W King on ‘Dad’s Underground Army’, Britain’s best-kept secret of World War II, about the work of the Resistance Organisation based at Coleshill. The lecture is at 7.30pm on Thursday 28‘h April in Filkins Village Hall. Tickets £2.00 from Diane Blackett (01367 860504) or Ann Cripps (01367 860209)Diane BlackettHOLWELL St Mary s

CELEBRATING MOTHERSThe Rector came to Holwell to celebrate our joint Mothering Sunday service with Westwell. Originally this was the day when parishioners would make their way to their Mother Church, but another custom was also remembered with the delightful presentation of a little bunch of daffodil buds to all the women and children in the congregation.Traditionally this was also the one day in the year when apprentices and young girls in service were allowed to visit their families, traditionally picking flowers for their mothers as they walked home through the fields. A far cry from the modern ‘Mothers’ Day’ bonanza for the florists ANNUAL PCC MEETING

The Annual Parochial Church Council Meeting will take place on April 11‘h at 6.30pm, at The Willows, Signet, by kind invitation of the Brylewskis.KELMSCOTT St George’sCHURCH BRASS AND FLOWERS Liz NelsonWELCOME!Two welcomes this month: the first to Charlie and Brona Lockhart and their son Dan who have moved into Coles Barn, and the second to Tristan Molloy and Jane Milne who have moved into Kelmscott Manor. We welcome you all and hope your time here will be a happy one. EMKENCOT St George’s

CHURCH FLOWERS2°a & 9‘h April Marjorie Barstow16‘h & 23‘d April Jane Fyson30‘h April & 7‘h May Louise Eustace

ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETINGThe APCCM will be held on Tuesday 5‘h April at 7.30pm in Kencot Village Hall. It will be preceded by The Annual Vestry Meeting and followed by a PCC Meeting.ANNUAL PARISH MEETINGThe Annual Parish Meeting will be held in the Village Hall on Tuesday 12‘h April at 7.30pm. It will be followed by the Annual Village Hall Meeting.

LANGFORDSt Matthew’sTSUNAMI APPEALThank you to everyone who helped, the total raised was just over £300 and is going towards the rebuilding projects.

CHURCH FLOWERSApril 3rd & 10th Mrs R RangeApril 17th & 24th Mrs S KirbyApril 30th Mrs M Webb

ST. MATTHEWS CHURCHThe Annual Parish meeting will take place in the church on Thursday 21” April at 7.00pm.JUMBLE SALELangford Ladies are holding a jumble sale at Langford Village Hall on Saturday April 2°d at 2.OOpm. There will be a cake stall and raffle, profits 50/50 in aid of Longford Ladies and the Cirencester Scanner Appeal. Theappeal is for an ultrasound scanner as Cirencester do not have one, this is expected to cost approx. £80,000.The hall will be open the night before for collections; details will be on posters or please call Cherry on 01367 860304.LANGFORD LADIESOn Thursday April 14‘” we invite Heather and her dog for an evening about ‘Hearing dogs for deaf people’. We meet at Langford Village Hall at 7.30pm, visitors most welcome £1. Raffle and refreshments available. Enquiries to Chrissy 01367 860514 or Beryl 01367 860294.HAPPY CIRCLEThis is a Social club for those aged 55 years and over. Our members come from Filkins, Langford, Burford, Kelmscott, Little Faringdon and Carterton. We currently have 36 regularly attending members, with four aged over 90!Meetings take place on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. We enjoy outings, speakers on various subjects, bingo, cards, beetle-drives, quizzes, raffles, tea and biscuits and lots of chat! The annual subscription is £3.

At the moment we have a problem with transport of members to meetings. Some members can no longer drive. Is there anyone who would volunteer to fetch and carry members? We start at 2.30pm and finish at 4.30pm.If you are interested in becoming a member or could spare the time to provide transport, please contact Jenny Pitkin 01367 860091 or Cherry MacDonald 01367 860304.PARISH COUNCILOur Annual Parish meeting will take place on Tuesday 12‘h April at 7.OOpm in the Village Hall. Do come along if you have any questions you wish to put to the Parish Council, or any concerns you wish to raise.AFFORDABLE HOUSINGArriving at the homes of residents of Langford and some adjacent villages has been a questionnaire about more affordable housing in Langford, similar to that at Hooks Close. It is very important to get as many completed questionnaires as possible returned to ORCC (the Oxfordshire Rural Community Council) so that the housing needs of the villages can be fully recognised.Any information that you give on the forms is strictly confidential and will not be available to anyone except to the ORCC official. Should you require any more forms or any other information do not hesitate to contact ORCC or me.Rachel RangeNEWS FROM ST CHRISTOPHER’SThis month at St Christopher’s we celebrated world book day. Each child in school came dressed up as their favourite storybook character, which included a number of hobbits and Harry Potters. Each class did a variety of work on fairy tales- Class 5 put the Big Bad Wolf on trial!

Mrs Brown John organized a sponsored hockey day this month. We had a cake sale and a raffle-with a signed Phillip Pullman book as a star prize. Children from all year groups were sponsored to practice their hockey skills. They tried to complete as many of the skills as possible in a set period of time. We have also started to sell red noses as a part of Comic relief. In school we have written a joke book, where each child in the school has had the opportunity to contribute a joke.We have also taken part in a football competition at Cokethorpe School. The team of Year 5 and 6 children that entered played very well and enjoyed themselves. We managed to achieve 8th position, after narrowly missing 7th place on penalties.Next month some year 5 and 6 children will be spending a week at the Pioneer Centre. They will take part in such activities as archery and bridge building. We will also be taking part in a key stage 2 music festival at Burford School.Paul CameronLITTLE FARINGDON St Margaret’sCHURCH FLOWERS April Helen Lady de Mauley May Barbara BrowneANNUAL PCMThe Annual Parochial Church Meeting will take place on Wednesday 13th April, at 6.30pm at Langford House.CHURCH LUNCH 2O05This summer’s Church Lunch will take place on Sunday 26‘h June, at 12.30 for 1.00pm at Great Lemhill, near Southrop. This lovely annual event is being kindly hosted by Mr George Ponsonby. Invitations will be sent out in early May, but please put this date in your diaries now!SHILTON Holy RoodQUIZ NIGHT

Our Quiz Night on 5th March was another successful and enjoyable evening,even if it was a rather chilly one - inside and outside the hall! A total of 7 teams fought gallantly for the Mervyn Whitfield trophy but the Odds & Sods romped home to take the prize. We also made £180 for Old School funds, so ; thank you to everyone who participated.PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCILThe Annual General Meeting of the PCC will be held on 20th April at 6.30pm s in the Old School. Everyone is welcome to attend this meeting.

OPEN GARDENS ‘ It will soon be time to start planning for Open Gardens on 19‘” June, and ! Old School committee members will shortly be contacting individuals in the ; hope of persuading them to open their gardens or help out in other ways on the day. This event is the main revenue earner for Old School funds. ;

COME ON, BABY, TOUCH YOUR TOES!And a reminder about Keep Fit. Phil Farrow now leads an energetic and enjoyable aerobic/circuits workout every Thursday at 7.OOpm in the Old School. £3.50 per session. Everyone welcome.PARISH COUNCIL MEETING DATES30’h March Bradwell Village 7.30pm11‘h May Shilton6.OOpm Ordinary meeting7.30pm Annual meeting 29th June Bradwell Village 7.30pm31” August Shilton7.30pm12”’ October Bradwell Village 7.30pm14’h December Shilton 7.30pm

MAINTENANCE DAYSome time between Easter and Open Gardens we would like to organize a morning’s spring cleaning in and around the Old School and doing a bit of ; maintenance - generally sprucing it up a bit. We’ll be looking for volunteers to help out, perhaps one Sunday morning, and providing a simple lunch for anyone who does turn up to help. More details later.WESTWELL St Mary’s

No news this monthVILLAGE VIGNETTESI f you like the ‘village vignettes’ drawn for Parish Pump by Patricia Broughton of Broadwell, why not commission her to do a pen and ink sketch of your house? Contact Patricia on 0785 552 8023.WESTMINSTER VIEWThis feature is now suspended until after the election, at which time our new MP will be asked if he or she cares to write about parochial affairs from a Westminster perspective. I would like to thank David Cameron for taking the time and trouble to write his pieces over the last few months. EdDOWN ON THE FARMThis Easter, Cogges Manor Farm Museum re-opens its doors for its 2005 season. Following a period of uncertainty the Museum will re-open under the new management mantle of Oxfordshire County Council, who stepped in during an anxious time last autumn when the Museum faced closure. Happily those worries are now a thing of the past and 2005 looks all set to be a bumper year for the Museum.As usual we welcome a host of new faces to the Museum for spring. There will be lambs, chicks, ducklings, a new calf and even baby rabbits for visitors to meet. Queenie, our much loved Gloucester Old Spot sow is also expecting so there will be piglets galore as well. New faces will be welcomed equally by more familiar faces from the farmyard such as proud Dad Rodney, the Museum’s Gloucester Old Spot boar, and Mattie our much loved donkey.One things for certain, it will be a busy time down on the farm this Easer, and there will be plenty for visitors to see. For Cogges Manor Farm Museum it is business as usual in 2005 here at this very special place to visit.

EVERY CHILD MATTERSWe are very lucky to live in a beautiful part of the country where most of our children grow up surrounded by love, care and kindness. Life is very different for many children, some of whom live where I work less than half an hour away. These children have lives which are frequently characterised by fear, illhealth and neglect. Over the past few years we have been increasingly unableto ignore this sad fact as the media have made us aware of young children who have suffered, and even died, because no-one has taken responsibility for them.As well as seeking to avoid tragic outcomes for children, other drivers for change in the way we support vulnerable children are:Widening gaps in outcomes between different socio-economic groupsThe effects of disadvantage which are felt early and often have lasting consequences for childrenDisadvantaged and “at risk” young people lag behind their peers academically Services do not always work well together There needs to be a focus on prevention rather than cureAfter a consultation period the Government passed an Act of Parliament - the Children Act - in November 2004. This Act provides a legislative basis to ensure that all the statutory services for children will put the child at their centre. On lst December 2004, the Government’s strategy document ‘Change for Children’ was launched. It outlines the national programme of change introduced by the Act. Change for Children has five aims for all children:Be healthy.Stay safe.Enjoy and achieveMake a positive contribution .Achieve economic well-being

These seem such basic expectations that it is surprising to think that in the 21st century an Act of Parliament is needed to achieve them. However, 150 local authorities are now developing their own programmes and plans to ensure that Education, Health and Social Services work together to bring about these outcomes for children. With the implementation of the Government’s policies of putting more money directly into schools; of supporting local communities through the development of extended schools and the ‘Building Schools for the Future’ programme, the biggest changes in Education for many years are imminent.I have been involved in Education one way or another ever since I started school as an enthusiastic 5-year old and it is my sincere hope that, perhaps within the next 10 years when plans have become actions, all children and young people - regardless of where they live - will be safe, healthy and have the opportunity to enjoy learning.Information is available on the Government website: www.everychildmatters.gov.ukLucille JonesPrincipal Educational Psychologist for a Local Education AuthorityPOTTERING IN THE POTTING SHEDThis month, and next, Ann leaves her potting shed, and sets off on a gardens tour of Britain...Are you one of those people for whom the gardening year is not complete without a trip to one or more of the stunning gardens situated around the British Isles? If so, read on.This month and next offers an opportunity to consider ten locations from Ross-shire in Scotland to Tresco in the Isles of Scilly. This month we begin in the Scottish gardens at Inverewe and travel through the north west and the north east of England, East Anglia and the south east of England.

Inverewe Garden, which was created by Osgood Mackenzie in 1862, has a wonderful array of foreign plants, which are well suited to the Gulf Stream. There are giant yuccas, phormiums and plenty of other exotic species, from all over the world. Rhododendrons from the Himalayas, eucalypts from Tasmania, Oleria from New Zealand and other plants from Chile and South Africa add to the spectacle. Children delight in searching for the hairy-armpit tree, or the bamboo in the ‘Bambooselem’. The gardens are open throughout the year.Travelling to Cheshire will give us the chance to visit Tatton Park Gardens considered to be among the most important in England. One of Tatton’s most famous features is the Japanese garden. Constructed between 1910 and 1913 it is rated as one of the finest examples of Japanese gardens in Europe. The Italian and walled kitchen gardens are also well worth a look. The park is open from March to October.Moving east into North Yorkshire is where we will find the Ripley Castle Gardens home to the National Hyacinth collection. Here the kitchen garden grows rare cultivars of fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices. One of the walks will take you into the deer park where the oak trees are a thousand years old. The gardens are open all year.Onto East Anglia, and the chosen location of the Beth Chatto Gardens. These have only been in existence for forty years and have been transformed from an overgrown wasteland with poor gravel soil and boggy hollows. They demonstrate the possibilities available to create water gardens, shade gardens and a gravel garden with the plants having been selected to suit the various adverse conditions. The gardens are closed during December & January.The last part of this journey is a trip to the University of Oxford Botanic Garden. It is the oldest botanic garden in Britain and was built before the English Civil War. It stands on the bank of the River Cherwell in the centre of Oxford and has evolved from a

seventeenth century collection of medicinal herbs to become the most compact yet diverse collection of plants in the world. In addition to the botanical family beds there is a range of glasshouses including a Tropical Lily House, the Palm House and the Arid House. The garden is open all year.Next month: We will look at gardens in south west and central England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isles of Scilly.Anne GreenwoodNATURE NOTESThis month David sees the effect of the weather on wildlife, and helps us tell the difference between rooks and crows...Since last month’s Nature Notes the mild winter has taken a chilly turn with the wind swinging round predominately to the north for the last half of February and the start of March. I recorded a low of -6 on 28‘’ February and there was snow in the air on several days. Despite this I see the cherry-plum in the hedgerows is starting to flower and May bushes are sprouting fresh green leaves in some hedgerows.Yesterday, Sunday 6‘h March, on my first visit to Barnes Wild Life and Wetland Centre in London I saw several large groups of colt’s foot blooming. It was a beautiful bright sunny day with a brisk cold north east wind. The sulphur yellow flowers defy the coldest weather to open in sun light and close again as dusk approaches. It is unusual in that it flowers before any leaves appear and will grow in the barest of places. When the flowers have died the leaves develop and it is from these that the plant takes its name as they are hoof-shaped.The last few days of the cold snap have brought a female blackcap to my window feeder, a small stocky warbler, dirty grey above and light olive grey below with a red-brown cap. The male which appeared a couple of days later is a darker grey with a black cap giving the bird its name. Most blackcaps spend the winter in Africa

but a few have taken to braving the English winter in recent years. From March through to mid-summer the blackcap has a beautiful melodious voice which can often be heard in its woodland nesting area.Rooks have been busy for some time now re-arranging the sticks in their tree top nests and adding new material ready for egg laying very shortly. Rookeries are very noisy areas, particularly at dusk when the birds all return to their nests after a day in the fields probing the soil for leather jackets and wireworms. They can be seen in quite large groups, often accompanied by jackdaws.There is a story that used to tell the difference between rooks and crows -‘a rook on its own is a crow, a crow in a bunch is a rook’. But where carrion crows used to be solitary birds they can more and more be seen feeding together in groups now. They struggled to find sufficient nesting places yearsago when most of our large elm trees succumbed to Dutch Elm Disease and they used to be seen in odd places like electricity pylons.The winter waxwings mentioned in the February issue of Nature Notes are still being reported but not in the immediate area. They are rather partial to rowan tree berries and there are precious few of these left now but recent days have seen them at Abingdon in a couple of groups of sixty or more and as recently as today 23 were seen in the Iffley Road, Oxford but I have still not seen one.David RobertsCOOKING WITH KATEThe egg has been the symbol of renewed life after death and resurrection in many cultures. Ancient Greeks were often buried with eggs, real or dummy, and Athenian vases show how baskets of eggs were left on graves. Maoris used to put an egg in the hand of a dead person before burial

Today Jews still present mourners on their return from the funeral of a relative with a dish of eggs as their first meal. Christianity took this ancient sign of rejoicing at rebirth and applied it to the Resurrection of jesus.And it is suggested that the tradition of painting the Easter egg in bright colours may have its origin in a legend that Simon of Cyrene, who carried Christ’s cross, was an egg merchant. When he returned from Calvary he found that all his eggs were miraculously colored and adorned.This month Kate celebrates with a good eggy recipe, just in time for the Greek Orthodox Easter at the end of April!Smoked Haddock SouffleServes 2-3 as a main course, or 4 as a starter250g undyed smoked haddock fillet with the skin removed 300m1

milk40g butter2 rounded tbsp plain flour25gms freshly grated parmesan or gruyere cheese 4 medium sized

eggs, separatedground black pepper to tastePre heat oven to 180C, or gas mark 4, and prepare a well-buttered souffle dish, or 4 buttered ramekins.Poach the haddock in the milk very gently for 10 or 12 minutes until it is just cooked. Remove the fish and flake, keeping 200m1 of the poaching liquid. Melt the butter, stir in the flour and cook for approximately half a minute, stirring continuously.Pour in the reserve liquid and stir well until you have a smooth sauce. Then Stir in the cheese and the egg yolks and leave to cool whilst you whisk the egg whites until they are stiff.Fold the egg whites into the fish mixture, and pour this into the buttered souffle. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until set and the top is golden brown. Serve with a green salad.

Kate MorleyWEST OX ARTSWest Ox Arts Gallery is on the first floor of Bampton Town Hall. The Gallery opening hours are: Tuesday - Saturday: 10.30am - 12.30pm and 2.00pm - 4.00pm & Sunday: 2.00pm - 4.00pm. Tel: 01993 850137 or email: westoxarts@yahoo.co.uk.Six Local Artists3rd to 24th April. Ken Organ drawings, sculpture from Richard Morbey, paintings from Felicity Cormack , David Morton with mixed media, ceramics by Hannelore Meinhold-Morgan, and paintings by Hilary Taylor.Sheena Davis: From Swing to Now7.30pm on 1st April in Bampton Village Hall‘A superb artist singing superb songs’ is how Radio 2 described Sheena. Formerly the lead singer with the prestigious National Youth Jazz Orchestra, Sheena has gone on to become one of this country’s most respected vocalists, winning several awards and appearing regularly at London’s Ronnie Scott’s.Sheena has a terrific vocal range going from high-octane swing to the sweetest and most gentle of sounds, which alongside her choice of material has brought her many supporters among people new to jazz. With a show including songs such as ‘Sentimental Journey’, ‘Cheek to Cheek and ‘Sway’ you can expect an evening of recognisable and well-loved songs.Tickets: £8 or £6 concessions from the Cotton Club, Bridge Street, Bampton, or call West Ox Arts on 01993 850137SIGN OF THE TIMESJesus said to them, ‘Who do you say that I am?’They replied, ‘You are the eschatological manifestation of the ground of our being, the kerygma of which we find the ultimate

meaning in our interpersonal relationships.’ And Jesus said, ‘What ?’MC (Graffito observed at St john’s University, New York MC)SAINTS AND SYMBOLSFollowing Mike Clarke’s article in March’s Parish Pump on Church names, here’s a piece linking saints and their symbols...Reflecting on the use of the symbol of the cockerel on a weather vane to indicate an establishment’s dedication in the name of St Peter, it is illuminating to think about some of the other images which we use to remind ourselves about the early Christian martyrs.St Peter’s cockerel, of course, recalled the incident of Peter’s greatest disgrace, and it has an interesting parallel in the badge that the Church traditionally ascribes to Judas Iscariot, which features the thirty pieces of silver bordering a piece of rope.Man’s inhumanity to man (let alone to the Son of man) continues to fascinate as well as repel, though, and, sadly, recent graphic reports from prison camps in Iraq and Cuba serve to feed this fascination much as similar goings-on riveted the horrified attention of ordinary people nearly two thousand years ago.As they say, what goes round comes round.The cockerel may adorn hundreds of church steeples, but St Peter’s badge, cross keys over an inverted cross, actually recalls the manner of his martyrdom, in which he requested that he be crucified upside-down in order that he might look heavenward as he died.Perhaps, then, given this precedent, it is not so surprising that many of the other sainted martyrs who followed Peter have badges which depict the savagery of their passing.Of the other Apostles, St Andrew was crucified on an x-shaped cross, which the saltire of his flag now represents. St Thomas was

killed by a spear, St Matthias by an axe, St James the Less by a saw, and St Bartholomew was flayed by knives, all of which implements are depicted on the Church’s emblems of their piety.Lesser saints also met some awful deaths. Sebastian was shot full of arrows, Stephen was stoned and Timothy was clubbed to death.Instruments of torture as well as execution are illustrated. St Agatha’s badge features some pincers, and St Blaise a wool comb; St Catherine is represented by a spiked wheel and St Lawrence by a gridiron. Poor St Clement was bound to an anchor and thrown into the sea whilst St Alphege was dispatched by a battleaxe wielded by a soldier who took pity on him as he underwent unspeakable torture at the hands of his enemies.Is this iconography not carrying the “lest we forget” principle a bit far ? Perhaps, but on the other hand we may from time to time need reminding of the depths into which man is capable of sinking, even in the twenty-firstcentury. Was it Gandhi who, on being asked what he thought of Western civilization, said he thought it would be an excellent idea ?Towering above everything, though, and in all Christian minds at Easter time, is the image of the Cross, the instrument by which Ancient Rome would punish common criminals.It’s a funny old world. Mike ClarkMike kindly supplied pictures of the badges displaying the symbols associated with various saints. How many saints can you identify from their symbols? Mike’s article contains many of the clues!

LETTERSWe welcome letters on any subject, so do pickup your pens, and let the world (well this benefice anyway) hear your views about Parish Pump, or anything else. Letters may be edited for reasons of space.Musical LangfordIn article in February’s Parish Pump about the wonderful musical exploits of Mr Avieries, prompts Chrissie Tinson to fill in some detail about the Langford & Filkim Band...Sir: In 1939 the band was due to travel to Manchester, to take part in a brass band competition but was prevented from doing so by the outbreak of war. Mr Lennon the band master came from Swindon. Band Practice was everyTuesday evening in the Congregational Hall, (Known as the Band room). It has Freddie Jones, Bob Lafford, Horace Blackwell (From Carterton), Tony Moreing and others.Christine TinsonChrissie has several photographs of the band, and we will try to print one in a fure issue of Parish Pump.Music in Church

Following the piece in March’s Parish Pump, we are warned of the dangers of too free a translation!Sir: I wonder whose translation you are quoting (or misquoting!) when you state that Erasmus inveighed against music in churches declaring ‘We have brought into our churches certain operatic and theatrical music...’Given that the earliest recorded opera was Peri’s long-lost ‘Daphne’ of 1597 and the earliest extant opera is Peri’s (aided by Caccini) Eurydice of 1600 it seems clear that the operatic art form could not have been known to Erasmus who died some sixty odd years earlier.He may well have had a case to make against music in church, which in his day was largely plainsong - although what a blessing for him that he didn’t suffer all those turgid four-square Victorian hymns!But I imagine it was more likely that it was his criticisms of the doctrines of the contemporary Catholic church and later of the excesses of the Lutheran reformers which were more relevant in his time than his (or your, misquoted) comments on the use of music.Colin Newlands‘Operatic’ (ie pertaining to opera) is 17h century, and certainly post-Erasmus. However I am not at all sure that one can limit translators to English words which were contemporary with the works they are translating. Otherwise one would be hard pushed to translate anything very much written before the 17th century in a way which would make much sense to a modern audience! Therefore, is it not acceptable for a translator of Erasmus to use operatic to mean simply “(over) dramatic singing”?I do agree that Erasmus thundered mightily against practices which would not be acceptable in the Shill & Broadshire benefice today! Ed

Who was Charlotte, who was she?In a recent Parish Pump, Kate Morley pondered on the origin of Apple Charlotte. Here’s an answer from our friends the far Frozen North...Sir: I’ve always understood it was named after the frugal Queen Charlotte, wife of ‘Farmer’ George III. Unlike another queen, she was all for using breadrather than cake! Hence the name ‘Queen of Puddings’ which uses breadcrumbs.Diana GlazebookREACH FOR THE SKIES...Avid for Aviation? A Fan of Flying?As his contribution to the Talents Scheme in aid of the Churches of Broughton Poggs and Filkins, John Allison will give an illustrated talk about his life of flying

From Tiger Moth to Tornado - and Wings in Between Saturday 7‘h May at 7:30 pm in Filkins Village Hall. Don’t miss it!Entrance £10, including glass of wine and light refreshments. Get your ticket from Cotswold Woollen Weavers or telephone 01367860787... OR TAKE TO THE HIGH SEAS!Calling all sailors! Here’s a fantastic chance to see the coasts of Spain, Portugal, and France on a 38ft yacht sailing back from Lisbon to England. One or two week legs available during July and

August. Share food and Marina costs. Telephone Chris Fox on 01993 823131.PUMP PRIZE CROSSWORD

Camel rung and his driver (Patrick Coleman) have swanned off to Australiaso there will be no crossword for a month or two. Apologies to all cruciverbalists: but at least you can not take the hump, since the camel has, of course, taken it with him. In the meanwhile, here is the solution to February’s puzzle:FROM OUR ADVERTISING MANAGERHaving got the first six months’ issues of the new look Parish Pump under our belts I would like to say a couple of ‘Thank yous’ of my own in my role as advertising co-ordinator for the magazine.Firstly, of course, thank you to the advertisers who have supported us with their bookings even though many committed themselves blindly to several issues before even seeing what the new format was going to look like. We hope they have not been disappointed.My second thank you must go to my boss, Reggie Heyworth, who agreed for me to carry out all the advertising administration during my working time here at Cotswold Wildlife Park. This generosity is greatly appreciated by the Parish Pump team. Thank you Reggie!Lin EdgarTailpiece: Please God, if you can’t make me slim, could you please at least make all my friends a bit fatter!’ Jenny SymesTHE BIG BLOW - PART TWOLast month, you read Part One of Brendan Jones’ and Laura Gilchrist’s extraordinary story of their chase, last March, across Southern England after a Giant Storm. And of course, readers in the Broadshires, and in particular Filkins and Broughton Poggs,

will how that storm ended its life flattening trees and tearing the roofs off buildings. As we found last month, what became known locally as ‘The Filkins Tornado; excited meteorologists everywhere as a possible ‘Supercell; the Holy Grail of UK storm-chasers.To remind you: a simple definition (I tbink!) of a Supercell is a thunderstorm with a deep persistent rotating updraft (mesocyclone). This rotation of the storm is the major difference between supercells and multicell storms. The important point is that supercells are rare, and to identify one is a prime goal of that esoteric breed- the storm-chaser.This month Brendan and Laura turn their attention to an in-depth description of the tornado’s whirl through the Broadshires, and an analysis of exactly what was happening in meteorological terms. As we said last month ‘the cocktail of sober Science (you will need a dictionary.) and Hammond Innes-style battling the elements is an intoxicating one! Their story is also interesting because it sets our ‘local disturbance’ in a national setting, and also provides some entertaining outsiders’ comments about us.’We arrived in Filkins at around midday on Thursday 25‘h March, and were greeted by a row of enormous trees, stripped as if put through a shredder, a flattened wall and downed power lines. Before we arrived, we weren’t quite sure what to expect; perhaps some broken twigs, maybe some fallen slates. But we immediately saw that we had something

much bigger on our hands!

Our trip to Filkins had several purposes. We wanted to know exactly what had happened here. Was it straight-line winds, a microburst, or a tornado? The quest to find the answer would require careful examination of the type of damage, the extent of the area comprising damage, and eye-witness reports.The first port-of-call was the local pub, situated in the centre of the village, for decided that the pub would probably be one of the gossip points of the village, and could thus provide a wealth of eye-witnesses. We enjoyed a bite to eat, and although we didn’t actually meet anyone aside from the landlady, we left bur details and contact number with her in case anyone would wish to contact us.North of the village road, in the centre of an open meadow, a large oak tree lay in an easterly direction with its trunk was snapped like a matchstick.

Running parallel to the village road, were several Poplar trees up to 150ft tall. One of these trees was completely flattened, fallen across the road and demolishing the walls on both sides. The other trees were stripped to the trunk, with their debris reported to have blocked the road up to 100m from where they once stood. One eye-witness described seeing the trees bending suddenly, their tops being twisted in a cork-screw motion. Then with one loud crack, they piled onto the road. All of these trees fell in a NE direction.In the grounds of Broughton Poggs

Manor, the tornado’s passing was very evident. In one place, the path of the vortex may be clear to see, as daffodils lay flat for some distance, before suddenly remaining untouched. The flattened flowers were in a southerly direction, although any manner of secondary wind or small vortex may have caused this. In the same area, another tree lies in a sorry state, with the lumber machines already waiting to take away the damaged tree. Again, this tree fell in a NE direction.So the start to our investigation had revealed widespread damage to trees, walls and powerlines in Broughton Poggs, immediately to the west of Filkins. From our initial conclusions, all the damage saw the debris spread in an east to north-easterly direction, and this would indicate very strong westerly winds. If this was a tornado, then the southern edge of the vortex would have passed through this region, as this is where the strongest winds are found.In the centre of the village, an ancient Cotswold cottage is owned by an elderly lady, and the garden is awash with fruit trees. It was only a modestsized garden, but one can imagine it would be quite easy to get lost in it, such was the density of the orchard. We spoke to the lady, still visibly shaken by the tornado, who explained to us what she saw and heard. Firstly she was taken aback by the size of the hailstones, and the sky to the north which was pitch black. She recalled how everything went extremely still and quiet for a short time, before an almighty rumbling sound came out of nowhere. She saw branches and debris flying past her window, then her back-door suddenly blew in. No sooner had the noise arrived, it had gone, leaving deathly silence. This silence was

broken however, as she recalls hearing the deafening screams of hundreds of distressed birds. She described the sound as ‘horrendously haunting’. As the sun came out, she told us how she went out into the small garden to see what had happened. Over a dozen of the old-English trees had been ripped in two, hauled out of the ground or had been simply stripped to the trunk. Her once enchanting garden orchard now comprised of a grass lawn, numerous damaged trees, and debris.At the bottom of the garden, she had a small summer house. It had two side walls, a rear wall, a wooden floor and a roof. The front of the large summer house was open, without a door. The entire structure was picked up intact, lifted over lm into the air so that it passed over a garden fence, before being dropped back down into pieces on the other side of the fence. The flimsy wood and wire fence was left totally untouched.Next door to this cottage and its garden was the village green. Although mostly open, this small walled enclosure contained a very old Yew tree. Despite its age, we were informed by a local ground worker that the tree was solid, and that the snapping in two of this tree simply demonstrated the wind’s strength. Just beyond the green was a small yard with a couple of large trees, both of which where uprooted, falling in a north-easterly direction.Standing towards the eastern side of the village is the old schoolhouse. Now used as a nursery and playground, it is situated next door to the village green. Thankfully, it was Sunday afternoon when the tornado passed close to the school, and thus possible tragedy was avoided. As the funnel swung in from the west, it dislodged a heavy iron gate beforerumbling into the playground. Here, it tossed play equipment, destroyed awooden panel fence and left the yard strewn with debris.The tornadic winds were powerful enough to pick up objects and launch them as dangerous projectiles. A fence panel, was torn from

a wooden fence, and was hurled over 50m with such force that it lodged itself between the underside of a roof overhang and a stone wall. The impact split the panel up the middle, and we could not dislodged it from its resting position!Moving progressively eastwards through the village, the damage started becoming more and more severe. Attached to the old school, was a house which took the full impact of the tornado. The damage path then continues across the main road, through another wooded area and garden, before entering open countryside.The lady who lived in the old school house explained how she was downstairs in the kitchen, as very large hailstones began to fall from a very black sky. Her children were upstairs in the loft room, playing with their computer games. She went on to describe how, all of a sudden, there was a noise that sounded like the numerous low flying jets that go over the village daily, but this was altogether louder. The next second, the whole house shook and there was the sound of smashing, cracking and exploding. As she looked out of the window, she saw tiles and huge stone blocks falling from the roof, smashing onto the driveway, and also onto her car. The next second, the garden shed began rolling across the yard, with all the bikes and tools inside, before it suddenly fell into pieces. On hearing cries from upstairs, she ran to the aid of her children. As she went to open the small roof door into the loft conversion, she suddenly realised there was no roof at all! Above where the children were playing, a huge area of roof had simply disappeared, and she could see the dark clouds above.After the winds passed, the family went outside to investigate damage. To their horror, the majority of the roof was stripped of tiles. Most of the tiles had fallen in the yard, badly damaging her car and smashing windows. The largest hole in the roof, above where her children were playing, was caused by the toppling of a chimney. Miraculously, this

chimney managed to skirt across the roof before plunging off the edge of the house - her children were unspeakably lucky! As well as the damage to the house, her car had scratches and dents on almost every panel, and had lost its side and rear windows. Several trees in the garden were also destroyed.The lawn at the front of the house is littered with huge chunks of Cotswold stone: too heavy to lift by hand, and yet ripped effortlessly from the front gable end of the house. Next door to the school house, another home was badly damaged to the point where the residents had to move out. Mr Baxendale later emailed us to describe how he and his family were indeed very lucky, as they entered their house minutes before the tornado struck:‘Our house was directly hit by the tornado. We had just walked in with our 10-weekold daughter literally five minutes before. I watched the tornado out of my living room window (stupidly) as the whole place exploded around me! It brought down

everything gates were torn backwards through their hinges & both big trees in our garden were felled. The tornado wrote off my car, and damaged the roof on the house which would have been much worse if not concreted between tiles. As an example of bow localized it was, it tore up a tree and yet only three yards away it

left a plastic free-standing clothes line in exactly the same position... If we had been outside five mins later none of us would have had a chance!’Once the tornado had finished with the school house and neighbouring property, it travelled eastwards across the main road, and into a small copse of young trees. Some of the trees received cosmetic damage, although a few were toppled completely. However, the vortex did destroy a number of slightly older trees, both within and bordering another property on the eastern side of the road. Looking eastwards, many of the trees in this garden were uprooted or badly damaged, most falling in a north-easterly direction.Residents of the damaged school building told us that many of the slates blown off their roof were found in fields opposite, many digging as much as 15cm into the ground. We found one slate over 300m away from the roof.Beyond the eastern boundaries of the village, the suspected tornado now entered open countryside. This mainly comprised of grazing land, with some bare fields ready for sowing. Between each field however, were tall hedgerows comprised of trees. There was damage to these trees, and uprooted trees could be seen from the road, and these had fallen eastwards into the field.The tornado now encountered the small village of Broadwell, which runs along the small north-south orientated lane, and the tornado merely grazed the southern tip of the village. One resident witnessed the remarkable events involving his dog-kennel, which was lifted into the air, past the house, over the wall onto the road in front of an oncoming car. The roof was lifted off the dog kennel, over the house opposite, and dropped into a field 180m away.Just south of this another house was badly affected by the tornado’s passing, and lost tiles and masonry from the entire south and east sides of the roof, with many of the tiles carried over 200

yards eastwards into a field. These were once again found drilled deep into the ground.

Tornadic damage often seems to defy logic! This play-house would require three men to move, but was lifted into the air, beyond the stone wall pictured to the right here, and dropped onto the neighbouring lawn. It had to clear the tree to the right of it, thus being lifted some 40ft into the air! This seems almost impossible - and how was it left in one piece?Moving eastwards from Broadwell, the tornado encountered more open agricultural land. However, hedgerows trees had been affected. Many of the trees had been snapped through the main trunk, just above ground level. Next we headed for the village of Alvescot, from where we could reach a bridleway. The theory was that if we went southwards, then we would intercept the track of the tornado once again. The theory ran like clockwork!We could see back westwards to the copse of trees we had previously seen. A clear “chunk” had been taken out of the trees. As well as this, a barn in the tornado’s patch had much of the southern side of the roof missing. The bridleway we followed southwards eventually ran through a corridor of small trees, and sure enough, there was a distinct 135-180m swipe taken out of the trees, with little or no damage outside of this zone, but by this point the intensity of the damage had reduced, possibly indicating a decaying vortex. It was clear that, at this point at least, the tornado had weakened and had perhaps lifted off the ground.

With fading light, we therefore decided to end our tornado investigation on the ground, and returned home to analyse a possible damage path, as evidence that this was a tornado, and not just straightline downdraft winds. The results were conclusive.With all of the damage locations plotted on the overall map, it is possible to see a clear track running from WNW ESE

Based on these overview plots alone, the evidence is fairly conclusive that this path of damage could not have been caused by any other wind phenomena other than a tornado. The damage is almost non-existent outside of the main affected track, giving a path which is far too coherent to have been caused by the likes of straight-line winds and violent downdrafts.At the widest point, the damage track as estimated on the above plots is around 170m wide. However, most of the damage we witnessed showed toppling to the east, implying that all damage we saw was most likely caused by westerly winds. In a cyclonic vortex, the westerly component is found on the southern edge of the tornado. In this instance, there was enough evidence to suggest that the tornado was indeed cyclonic.The following table is used to classify tornadoes in the UK. The scale classifies tornadoes up to T10, but in the interest of this particular vortex, we’ve only included from TO to T4.T0 Light Tornado Loose light litter raised from ground-level in spirals. Tents, marquees seriously disturbed; most exposed tiles, slates on roofs dislodged. Twigs

snapped; trail visible through crops.

TI Mild Tornado Deckchairs, small plants, heavy litter becomes airborne; minor damage to sheds. More serious dislodging of tiles, slates, chimney pots. Wooden fences flattened. Slight damage to hedges and trees.

T2 Moderate Tornado Heavy mobile homes displaced, light caravans blown over, garden sheds destroyed, garage roofs torn away, much damage to tiled roofs and chimney stacks. General damage to trees, some big branches twisted or snapped off, small trees uprooted.T3 Strong Tornado Mobile homes overturned / badly damaged; light caravans destroyed; garages and weak outbuildings destroyed; house roof timbers considerably exposed. Some of the bigger trees snapped or uprooted.T4 Severe Tornado Motor cars levitated. Mobile homes airborne / destroyed; sheds airborne for considerable distances; entire roofs removed from some houses; roof timbers of stronger brick or stone houses completely exposed; gable ends torn away. Numerous trees uprooted or snapped.We certainly observed dislodged slates and snapped twigs, thus we can be sure that this tornado exhibited at least a TO rating. Most of the characteristics for the Tl category were also more than satisfied.However, we saw a good deal of damage in the category rated T2. There were no mobile homes or caravans in the region, but numerous garden sheds were indeed destroyed. Tiled roofs that were in the path of the tornado were badly damaged, and there was at least one instance of a toppled chimney stack.T3 is the next most powerful tornado rating, and surprisingly we observed many of the suggested characteristics indicative of this intensity. Again, no caravans were observed, but a large garage structure was certainly destroyed in Broadwell. In many of the badly damaged properties, the roof timbers were exposed as all tiles, leading and roof felt were totally removed. Also, large trees

were uprooted or significantly damaged. We can therefore suggest that this tornado is a solid T3 classification.Although one or two of the characteristics in T4 were satisfied in this instance, these may have been circumstantial. One point is worth bearing in mind however. The T3 rating would apply in general to “average” properties, and average tree-state. In this Cotswold region however, many of the properties are very strong indeed, with very thick stone walls, and even use the stone as roof coverings rather than using conventional slates. If some of the properties were less-firmly built, one could hypothesise that the damage may have been more substantial. Due to the time of year, the trees in the region were not in leaf. Trees which have a full canopy can have upwards of 20 times more wind resistance than trees in a winter state. We would suggest strongly that the damage to trees would have been substantially higher if this tornado had occurred in the spring, and this may have increased the apparent intensity rating of the tornado.However, based on the facts gathered from this tornado, in this location and at this time of year, we can conclude that from our findings that the Filkins tornado should be rated T3. Now, T3 corresponds roughly with a strong F1 on the Fujita scale, which has windspeeds up to 113mph. From isolated damage we observed, and due to the winter state of the trees, it is possible that the tornado may have intensified briefly to weak F2, with windspeeds exceeding 113mph for brief moments. The map above displays the region where occasional damage was observed, which could be attributed to weak F2 damage, and this is shown by the green track colour. However, once again this is based on only scattered damage, and using the assumption that trees were in winter-state, and buildings were very strongly constructed.In the interest of clarity, we will therefore conclude that this tornado was indeed a strong T3 (Fl) with windspeeds peaking at 115mph. Now, the speed of the actual storm cell was in the region of 35-45mph. From residents’ reports, and based on the strong

flow at the time, it can be assumed that this vortex was moving eastwards with considerable speed. Based on how quickly it caught people out, one could believe that the tornado was in fact moving at up to 40mph. If we assumed this to be the case, and also that the strongest windspeeds on the south side of the tornado were 115mph (T3max), then we can roughly conclude that the actual rotating velocity of the tornado was about 75mph.This therefore leaves the windspeeds on the northern edge of the vortex, at only 35mph (i.e. rotational velocity minus system speed). Clearly, 35mph would be extremely unlikely to cause damage. In tornado research, the largest degree of damage has always been observed where the south side of the vortex encountered obstacles, with damage on the north side more limited. In the case of the Filkins tornado, 115mph on the south side would easily cause considerable damage. Windspeeds of 75mph on both the eastward and westward flanks of the tornado would also cause some damage, although not as extreme. With windspeeds of 35mph, obstacles on the north side of the tornado would remain largely undamaged.But this leaves a dilemma. The damage path is up to 180m wide, with the most severe damage randomly scattered across this width. As we assumed that the strongest damage would occur on the south side of the vortex, this resulting array of scattered damage could point to one of two things. Firstly,every element of damage we encountered was encompassed by the south side of the tornado, and thus the actual vortex diameter was twice the width of the damage path. However, a tornado of over 350m wide in the UK would be quite spectacular, and is most unlikely. Another theory may be that the tornado took an oscillatory track from start to finish. In other words, rather than running directly along our hypothesised track, it oscillated about the centre of the track, moving northwards and southwards during its lifetime.

This is all speculation however, and cannot be proved without further data.However, for the purposes of this report, it can be overwhelmingly proved that this was indeed a tornado with the following attributes (converted to imperial units):Wind speeds of 115mph theoretical maximum Estimated minimum track length of 3 miles Estimated minimum track width of 150-200 yards Estimated duration of grounded tornado of 4.5 minutesWe are inclined to believe that this was indeed a small, shallow supercell storm. One of the main hypotheses for this notion is that we encountered all manner of severe weather produced from this storm, in conditions which were not favourable to sustain them. In other words, there had to be some form of self-perpetuating system to allow the large hail, torrential rain, mass electrification and tornado to occur.So in summary, the cloud structure, radar, precipitation type and location, and T3 tornado formation all points in favour of a shallow supercell. The characteristics of the storm in terms of duration and surrounding atmopshere also indicate this may well have been supercellular.Brendan Jones & Laura GilchristParish Pump is indebted to Laura and Brendan for allowing us to reproduce this edited version of their paper to a TORRO (Tornado and Storm Research Organisation) conference. A different, and longer, version is available on the internet.ACTION ON THE A361Most of us who live in the Broadshires are frequent users of the A361 (the road which links Burford, through Filkins and Little Faringdon, to Lechlade), and will know how dangerous driving on the road, and even turning on to it, can be. The problems arise from the narrow portion of the road past the Wildlife Park, which has

sharp bends, then southwards on to a relatively straight, wide portion as far as the turn off to Little Faringdon, which then deteriorates into a narrow road with gradual bends.Drivers who have slowed down for the Wildlife stretch, then seem to think that they can go very much faster, often well over the 60mph limit, and often overtake dangerously. Going northwards, a similar driving pattern takes place.There have been a number of accidents on the road in the recent past, some of which have resulted in death or serious injury.I have drawn the attention of the road safety officers at OCC to the problem, and a site visit with participation of local councilors from Filkins and Little Faringdon has generated a road survey with an investigation into what would be useful ways to slow down drivers and stop reckless driving. Everyone in the Broadshires will, I am sure, be relieved that it has now been accepted that the A361 in our area is an unusually dangerous road, and action will be taken in the near future to introduce appropriate saftely measures.Don SealeReaders might also like to know that separately OCC has agreed to remark the road marking at the junction of the A361 and the B4477 in Filkins, which can be a difficult junction, reinforcing Don’s suggestion that bypasses can often cause problems as well as solve them.But let us not forget that the A361 is also a glorious road.• 150 miles long and snaking through some of the most beautiful countryside across seven counties from Devon up to Warwickshire, and it is possibly the only road in the UK (the world?) to have its own website! EdBUILDINGS AROUND THE BENEFICEContinuing the series of old photographs of buildings around the benefice, here is the Five Alls, Filkins in 1931.

If any reader has an old photograph of the benefice which we could prin4 do let me know. Ed

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