Talkabout autumn 2004

SUMMER BALL
We welcome a new classifieds section.
Only £5 for 35 words. Please support us.
More volunteers required for the Helmdon
Parish Plan. See www.helmdon.com for details.
New Reading Room Working Committee
Secretary required.
Over £5000 raised
(see HYHO article)
Use it or lose it! – Helmdon Post Office and drop in Centre. Also some volunteers are required to keep the drop in centre running.
New Daily (Mon – Sat) Bus service to Banbury started in September
(SMS 508) Finally makes going to work in Banbury by bus realistic and massively improves our shopping access to Banbury. As ever prove to the council that it is useful by using it or never moan about bus services or Banbury parking spaces ever again !!
The Helmdon carnival is one of the pillars of the village calendar and is a large part of our communities reputation throughout the county. To continue, it needs the support of many fun loving committee members.
Please step forward now to participate in the organisation of next years carnival and contribute to the continued success of this wonderful event. New people and new ideas are always welcome. Contact any committee member for dates of the next meeting.
Talkabout magazine is now taking commercial advertising to support printing costs. Please contact Wilf
Forgham ([phone number removed]) if you would like to advertise in the next issue.
Talkabout “Opt Out” – Please let us know if you no longer want to receive copies of the magazine. An email or a quick call to the contacts below will remove you from the delivery list and save the village £1 a copy and a lot of work.
We have advertiser and contributor guides available now. Please contact the editors if you would like a copy or see www.helmdon.com
Distribution : 530 copies
Non-Resident Price £2
– 1 – 2004 – Issue 38 Published Sept www.helmdon.com your community website
◊ Richard Wray ◊ Editor
[phone number removed] [email address removed]

Private Hire – To All British & European Destinations
Tailor Made Group Tours And Excursions
Extensive Tour Program For Holidays And
Excursions For Individuals
Educational Trips
Theatre Trips & Concerts
Corporate Hire
Special Interest Excursions or Events
Whether you require coach only or the total package Jeffs
Coaches have experienced personnel to handle your enquiry.
From itinerary planning to venue suggestions, just call or email your one stop transport and travel company .
[phone number removed]
email:
sales@jeffscoaches.com website:
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Commercial Advertisement

Table of Contents
Editors Letter
Classified Adverts
4
6
PARISH NEWS
Parish Council News
Helmdon Primary School
Helmdon Parish Plan
Helmdon Reading Room
Helmdon’s Broadband Campaign
Health Provision
9
10
12
14
15
16
CHURCH NEWS
Baptist Church – Tove Valley Baptist
Fellowship
Tiny Tots
Holiday Club
Astwell Group Mothers Union
The Friends of Helmdon Churchyard
Rector’s Ramblings
CKers Youth Club
Our Twelfth Supper Meeting
The Friends of St Mary Magdalene
17
17
17
19
19
20
22
22
22
READERS ARTICLES
PLEASE…..
The Mite Scheme (UNICEF UK)
24
24
GROUP NEWS
Helmdon Fellowship
Helmdon Sports Club
Helmdon Bridge Players
Helmdon W.I.
Neighbourhood Watch
Lunches
South Northants Volunteer Bureau
Helmdon Womens club
Helmdon Young Husbands
Organisation
Post Office & Drop-In-Centre
The Helmdon Carnival Committee
25
26
27
27
28
29
29
30
1st Helmdon Rainbows
Community Notice
Helmdon Acorns Pre-School
The WEA
The Helmdon Village Web Site
Reaching you soon
35
35
36
37
38
39
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Obituaries, Marriages & Births
Obituaries
Marriages
Births
41
41
41
41
REFERENCE LIBRARY
Our Local Elected Representatives
Fire Brigade
Voluntary Work
Hospitals & Doctors
Police
Support Groups / Advice Lines
Local Authorities & Services
Sports
Transport
Village Contacts
Services
Misc
Direct Phone Numbers for Council
Services
Village Information
Bus Timetables
31
34
34
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The views, comments and facts portrayed in this magazine are NOT necessarily those held by the
Parish Council. This magazine is produced for the benefit of the residents of Helmdon Parish and is sponsored by the Parish Council. Its articles and comments however are from the credited individuals and organisations that choose to write to the editor for inclusion in the magazine.
EDITORS LETTER
D
ear readers,
Welcome again to YOUR village magazine. I do hope you enjoy the content of the magazine and chose to act upon the many and various calls for help and support contained within it.
The village is embarking on many new campaigns led by the “Helmdon Parish Plan” which is proving to be a great rallying call for the village to get up and chose its own future. But please don’t forget our more simple pleas for help at the churchyard or with the teas at the drop in centre which have potentially less appeal but are still a vital part of the workings of our community. The post office is in fact another good example of a service that the village used to have as a permanent facility and now relies on the good will of our neighbouring village post office, Wappenham. If it doesn’t get enough use then we will lose even this facility. This is a vital service, particularly to the elderly in the community, but if we don’t use it we will lose it. It would be great if everyone could make just one effort to visit it in the next 6 months to see what a difference it can make (Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons in the reading room). I look forward to reporting back to you in this in the next issue.
I have been stricter this issue with deadlines and reminders to contributors simply through lack of time on my part. Hopefully the fact that I have fixed deadlines for each issue will gain momentum in the community to a point where reminders are no longer necessary (yeah right and the winning loto numbers next week are my telephone number!). Until then I give a big thanks to those who were able to meet this issue deadline and hope to catch up with everyone in the next issue.
Deadline for contributions to the next issue is : Feb 22nd , however anything provided before that date helps us enormously with pacing out the workload of preparing the copy.
The Helmdon web site has now kindly created a section for the magazine, giving you the editorial guidelines of the magazines and allowing you to download “contributor” and “advertiser” mini-
guides. Please have a browse and get involved with your village magazine.
http://www.helmdon.com/talkabout/index.htm or simply go to www.helmdon.com and click on the link under “village life”.
The site also allows those of you with patience or broadband Internet connections (files are in the multi-megabytes size) to download the magazine in electronic copy.
This brings me neatly on to “opt out”. The magazine is a costly publication to print and it would be a real shame to think that all the effort of getting the advertising support to print the magazine was being thrown in the bin. So if this is what happens in your household, could you make a one off contribution to the village community by letting me know that you would rather “opt out”. I can then remove your from the delivery list and print fewer copies. (This assumes that these households get as far as reading this ☺ ). Please call or email me using the contacts on the front of the magazine.
The second reason you might want to opt out is because you are happy to download the magazine from the web site and read it on screen or print out your own copy. This has only just become
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www.helmdon.com your community website

realistic since the village can now have broadband Internet connections thanks to our broadband campaign.
A thank you again to the team of deliverers who give up their own time to deliver the 400+ copies of the magazine to all the houses in the Parish. If you do find that you are reading someone else’s copy because you did not get a delivery, please call us and we will gladly drop a copy round and update our delivery list.
Also on this note I did not get any volunteers to deliver the magazine to those properties along the
Astwell track (I called for help in the last issue due to the condition of the road to these properties).
So with the kind agreement of Bungalow Stores I will be leaving your copies there for collection in the future and will provide one last postal or hand delivery for those properties for this issue.
These are the properties involved:
Astwell Castle Farm House, Astwell Castle Farm Flat, No.1 Astwell Castle Cottages, No.2 Astwell
Castle Cottages, No.3 Astwell Castle Cottages, Astwell Park Farm, Astwell Park Bungalow, Astwell
Park Barn, New House Near Astwell Park Bungalow, New Astwell Park Bungalow, Astwell New
Park Farm, Old Park Farm, Astwell Mill. If your copies are not collected then I will assume that you want to be on the “opt out” list.
My final thanks goes to Bungalow Stores who have been selling the magazine for us at £2 per copy and so far have sold over 10 copies. If you need additional copies of this issue or the last issue please pop down and see them, they will have 10 or so copies for sale.
◊ Richard ◊ Editor: Talkabout Magazine
[phone number removed]
[email address removed]
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www.helmdon.com your community website

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New Advertising Option
Only £5 per issue
Maximum of 35 words
No images
Contact :
◊Wilf Forgham ◊ Publisher
[phone number removed]
talkabout-
[email address removed]
**********************
How about using the classified adds to send a congratulations message to someone special
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Why not use a classified add to sell an item to another villager that would otherwise require large transport costs e.g. sofa, cupboards, etc.
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www.helmdon.com your community website

Burns, Peter Brookhouse, David
Chairman Vice Chairman
[phone number removed] [phone number removed]
[email address removed]
Bearman, Richard
[email address removed]
Earl, Phil (Curly)
Councillor
Councillor
[phone number removed]
[phone number removed]
[email address removed] [email address removed]
England, Bill Gittens, Ren
Councillor Councillor
[phone number removed] [phone number removed]
[email address removed] [email address removed]
Moody, Danny Smith, Val
Councillor Councillor
[phone number removed] [phone number removed]
[email address removed] [email address removed]
Spendlove, Jean Smith, Sarah
Councillor Parish Clerk
[phone number removed] [phone number removed]
No email address available parishcouncil@helmdon.com
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www.helmdon.com your community website

PARISH COUNCIL NEWS
W
e have now appointed a new Parish Clerk and Responsible Finance
Officer who is Sarah Smith. Sarah lives in Cross Lane and we welcome her.
In May the Parish Council re-appointed David Brookhouse and myself as Vice-
Chairman and Chairman of the Parish Council respectively.
The Parish Council agreed in May to the proposed budget produced by the Finance sub committee and the precept was set at £9450 for this year.
We were asked to support the Parish Plan by the organisers to enable them to obtain funding from the Countryside Agency which we did and the application was successful. Although this was not a
Parish Council project we also provided a small amount of funding and indeed two of the Parish
Council are on the Steering Committee. We will await with interest the progress of this project and I
am sure that the detail will be dealt with elsewhere in this magazine.
As can be seen on the notice boards we have entered for the Village of the Year award and everyone's help in portraying the village well by keeping it neat and tidy will be appreciated.
The state of the roads continues to be of concern and this is regularly raised with the appropriate authorities.
This has been a relatively quiet time for the Parish Council although the sub committees continue to meet to deal with matters for the village. The next meeting of the Parish Council is on 22nd
September to which all parishioners are welcome. There is an open forum where any matters of concern or interest can be raised.
◊ Peter Burns ◊ Chairman: Helmdon Parish Council
[phone number removed]
[email address removed]
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www.helmdon.com your community website

HELMDON PRIMARY SCHOOL
W
e have had a very turbulent year at Helmdon with many staff and premises changes making life somewhat challenging. In spite of all the changes we have had a successful year culminating in a whole school production of an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Nights Dream at the end of term. Celia Edmondson once again led us through a wonderfully choreographed and produced play, having painstakingly edited and précised the script. All teachers, support staff and many parents helped to produce excellent costumes and to help children learn complex lines.
Another fantastic production to add to the list, however the comment by a few people which celebrated the children’s’ sheer enjoyment and personal development have served to remind us all as to why we aim high.
We have worked hard to ensure children gain a broad and balanced curriculum at our school, which is reflected in events such as the basketball coaching and many sports initiatives we have been involved in led and supported by
Mrs Riley. In September both the football and basketball coaching are set to continue and we have organised a terms ball skills coaching to give children the opportunity of professional coaching tuition.
The Bridge Players continue to transform our school each December and it is refreshing to see so many of our pupils, both present and former, involved in the production. The local WEA also make good use of our facilities on a regular basis involving members of the Helmdon community.
Our conservation area has undergone a facelift and many of our children have worked in the area and have benefited from the more user-friendly facilities. The pond dipping platform and seating area have been well used and Niki Phillips has worked very successfully with Year 6 throughout the year in the conservation club.
Standards of achievement have continued to rise, reflected in our excellent results in 2004. We celebrated 100% success in our Key Stage 2 science results again this year and 100% in our reading test scores in Key Stage 2. We celebrated 89% in our reading and mathematics results in Key Stage
At the start of a new year we welcomed Katie Stephens who worked with us for the year as a
Graduate Teacher. Katie has successfully completed her training and has gained a position as class teacher at Greens Norton Primary School. Well done Katie!
Judith Wait is now firmly established at Helmdon and she is looking forward to working in our new office. We also welcome Nickie Waghorne as a clerical assistant and Sandra Wroe as a reprographics and general support assistant to the school. We believe that these new roles will be vital in providing much needed support to all staff and pupils at the school.
In September Mrs Hale and Mrs Juden will be joining us as Teaching Assistants as we move towards increased support in every class particularly in the morning session which will run from
9am to 12.30pm each day. Mrs Juden will also be organising and taking the school choir who are always willing to sing for local groups.
We welcome Miss Susan Nilsson will also be joining us in September as the teacher of years 4 and
5. Miss Nilsson has worked in the school as a former student and has already met many of the staff and pupils.
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www.helmdon.com your community website

We said a sad farewell and congratulations to Fiona Toman in May as she has taken on the headship of Greatworth School and to Angela Ramm who took on a teaching position at Stoke Bruerne.
Pauline Watson moved onto new horizons during the year as did Christine Bridger.
We sadly said goodbye to a few families last term and wish them well in their new homes and schools. 23 new reception children will join us in September and we welcome them and their families to the school. Miss Munslow will be teaching the Reception children in September along with some of our Year 1 children. Miss Munslow was appointed as Deputy Head Teacher.
Premises
Our extension has given us a huge opportunity to support all of our staff in the school and will provide much needed office facilities as well as a new reception area. We are hoping to organise an open evening in September to enable both parents and villagers alike to come to look around our new facilities.
On the ICT front we are connected to broadband and we have been given additional funding to have an interactive whiteboard and projector in reception. In addition to this we hope to install digital projectors in more classrooms and more interactive whiteboards.
Our ICT suite will once again be available to members of the local community following two successful courses run by Danny Moody last year.
Leadership network
The East Midlands leadership Network
The NCSL has given the school £20 000 to pay for my services for the leadership network which was undertaken on the basis that the majority of work can be based at Helmdon. Last term I visited all of the schools in the network as a one off visit and this has been tremendously beneficial to our school in terms of spreading good practice. My aim now is to use the contacts and information to support us in moving our school forwards.
Cluster partnership
I am the chair of our local cluster partnership whose aim is to raise standards particularly through teaching and learning strategies in writing.
Magdalen College School has organised for a teacher to teach French every other week to year 6
and I have also organised French, Spanish and German teaching on a fortnightly basis with
Chenderit School.
Helmdon Summer Ball
Last but not least our inaugural ball was well received and it was wonderful to be a part of such a successful joint venture. The event raised a significant amount of money, which will be spent on improving facilities. I would like to thank all those involved in making the evening a tremendous success. It was certainly a good team effort. I would also like to thank all those people who attended the event and hope you had a thoroughly enjoyable evening.
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www.helmdon.com your community website

We welcome any support that people are able to give to the school be it in school time or in helping with after- school clubs. Thank you for continuing to work with us and please do not hesitate in contacting the school should you wish to become more involved.
Thank you to everyone for continuing to support us.
◊ Sue Blackburn ◊ Head Teacher : Helmdon Primary School
: [phone number removed]
bursar@helmdon.northants-ecl.gov.uk
HELMDON PARISH PLAN
T
hink about planning for a moment. It sounds boring but the reality is that each and every one of us makes dozens of plans each and every day; in fact life couldn’t go on without a plan. It might be something as mundane as planning to put your shoes on after your socks, or as complex as planning a holiday for the whole family, whatever activity you contemplate doing the first thing you’ll do is make a plan.
266 out of 350 households took part in the survey
500 people returned their questionnaires
In addition, 70 children under 11 years old returned their questionnaires
The data from over 35,000 questions was analysed to produce the 36 action points
190 hours were spent by people filling in their questionnaires
So, imagine something as complex as a village community! 950 people living in 350 houses, all with different needs and different outlooks on life. Meeting the needs of everyone certainly requires quite a bit of planning, and that’s what the Helmdon Parish Plan group has been busy with over the last eighteen months.
In June a Report & Action Plan was produced which contains 36 action items for the village to carry forward – a copy was delivered to every household in the parish. Some of the actions are simple and quick and can be achieved with very little resources, whilst other actions will require a great deal of time and money (and planning!)
to achieve.
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The important thing is that because the parish plan is based on what you, the residents of the parish, told us at the Future Needs Day in August 2003 and in the survey at the beginning of this year, it gives us a shared vision of where we would like Helmdon to be in 5 to 10 years time.
The next step is to move from the planning stage to the implementation stage and to turn the plan in to reality. Many volunteers have already come forward and put their names down beside one or more action points and several projects will get underway in the coming months. However, the more people get involved the better, so if you would like to put your hand up please contact me
(details below) or talk to any member of the parish plan team. You can also volunteer on-line by visiting the parish plan section on the village web site and clicking on “participate”. Of course, it won’t be possible to initiate all the actions straight away, remember this is a plan for the next 5 to 10
years!
A parish plan should not be an end in itself. It represents an opportunity for a community to make realistic recommendations, take them forward and follow their progress. The parish plan is a footpath to the future of Helmdon.
I am excited by the possibilities arising from having the parish plan and look forward to being able to report back on all the good things that have happened in Spring 2005!
You can make a comment anytime about the parish plan by visiting the village web site at www.helmdon.com/parishplan or by telephoning [phone number removed].
◊ Danny Moody ◊ Chairman: Helmdon Parish Plan
: [phone number removed]
[email address removed]
Housing and Development Topic
Group
I
n the parish plan questionnaire many of you listed crime as of concern to you.
I can assure you from the figures issued by the
Police, Helmdon is fortunate in having one of the lowest crime rates in South Northants area.
The other area of concern to you was
Neighbourhood Watch. Please if you have a problem contact me direct or if you require a public meeting within which to raise your points, then I can arrange this to.
If any householder requires more information on the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme, please contact either your local contact person or myself. Contact persons are listed in the reference section.
◊ David Brookhouse ◊ Co-ordinator
[phone number removed]
[email address removed]
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www.helmdon.com your community website

HELMDON READING ROOM
It’s a Miracle we have found a builder!
(See, told you there is nothing wrong with being optimistic).
T
he working committee following consultation with the charity committee and a successful quotation have decided to enlist the help of Mr Tony Wilson Builder and General odd job man of 4 Hintons Close
Helmdon, with building works and general maintenance. Mr Tony Wilson will undertake to carryout most of the Reading Rooms Maintenance work. However if any project could have the possibility of grant aid then suitable quotations will be acquired and grant aid applied for if the committee feel this is appropriate.
Anyway the work has started and by the time you read this we should have a new roof on the front porch and a waterproof roof on the Reading Room and
Cottage, complete I might add with new guttering. I will admit! This may not seem much to some, but it’s a start.
So the plan is to keep fundraising and keep going with as much as we can, if you can help with any fundraising please feel free to contact a committee member. Thank you for your continued support.
Finally, can I take this opportunity to ask if anyone would like to take on the role of Reading Room
Secretary as I can no longer give the time that is required to the position. If you would like further information then please feel free to contact the Reading Room Chairman Mr Bill England or myself.
Chairman: Mr Bill England [phone number removed]
Vice Chairman: Mr Michael Ayres
Treasurer / Steward: Mr Harold Seckington
Secretary: ————-?————— (volunteers please)
◊ Richard Bearman ◊ Resigning Secretary: Reading Room Management Committee
[phone number removed]
[email address removed]
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www.helmdon.com your community website

HELMDON’S BROADBAND CAMPAIGN
Broadband in Helmdon – more and more good news!
F
ollowing our successful campaign, Broadband capability came to Helmdon on August 4 2004. th
Broadband is fast Internet access – up to 10 times faster than the speed from your dial-up modem.
Broadband also allows you to talk on the telephone and surf the Internet at the same time using one telephone line.
Several of us, who were involved in the campaign, have tried to find out who in Helmdon was the first to get broadband. We think it was Wilf Forgham – well done Wilf – we hope you are enjoying whizzing around the great World Wide Web.
I have received emails from several people asking how to get broadband. If you want to get broadband for your household, you need to place an order with one of the many broadband suppliers. For example, BT broadband, AOL or Pipex. Each supplier offers a different package.
Some offer free connection and free modem, all offer a different number of hours and/or gigabytes
(total file size) per day or some other time period. The package that is right for you will depend on what you will be using broadband for and how often you will be using it. Danny Moody has very kindly updated the website with some hints and tips on selecting a broadband supplier
( www.helmdon.com/broadband ).
If the broadband supplier tells you that you are too far from the exchange
Firstly, BT has just announced (20th August 2004) that they will effectively be further upgrading telephone exchanges. So if you have been told that you are unable to receive broadband, you should re-submit your request to your chosen ISP AFTER September 9th 2004. BT has advised me that most people who were initially refused should at this point be told that they can get broadband.
Secondly, I am pleased to tell you that we have been successful in being included in
Northamptonshire Partnership’s £1.5 million Broadband Business Fund. So, if when you re-submit your order with a broadband supplier after September 9th you are told that your house is too far from the exchange, please email me ( [email address removed] ) and I will let you know about the other alternatives available to you through Northamptonshire Partnership’s fund. Please do NOT
contact Northamptonshire Partnership direct as they will find it difficult to find the resources to deal with lots of enquiries.
The most likely alternative is something called “extended reach”. The alternatives should be available at approximately equivalent costs to the standard suppliers. Despite the name of the fund, you do not have to be a business to benefit from this fund.
All of the above applies to people living in Falcutt, Sulgrave, Weston, Moreton Pinkney and
Culworth – as well as those of us living in Helmdon.
Finally, I would like to thank the other broadband campaigners in all the villages for all their hard work. In Helmdon many people helped in many ways, but special thanks goes to the hours of time given by Richard Wray, Danny Moody, Richard Finch and Alex Burnham.
◊ Jane Keys ◊ Helmdon's Broadband Campaign Co-ordinator
[email address removed]
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www.helmdon.com your community website

HEALTH PROVISION
T
he provision of health facilities in Helmdon was one of the questions in the Helmdon Parish
Plan. Concerns were raised about the A&E unit, Maternity, OT, Physiotherapy and many more issues. As Chairman of Brackley Cottage Hospital Trust I have been a member of a project team and we have been holding regular meetings with the three doctors practices in Brackley – that is
Springfield, Washington House and the Health Centre surgeries for the last nine years. These discussions have been to try and maintain the Cottage Hospital for Brackley and the surrounding area and to relocate on a new site with improved facilities for the community.
Twelve months ago I joined a steering group, which the Cherwell Vale Primary Care Trust formed to prepare a paper called the Northern Locality Plan. This plan is the base on which we have worked on to prepare a consultation document which is called.
Improving Healthcare Provision in
Brackley and the Surrounding Area
This consultation document will be released in early September with a public meeting to be held on
Wednesday 6th October at 7-00pm
At Waynflete Hall, Magdalen College
Waynflete Avenue, Brackley
Those of you with concerns regarding health within the area please come along to the meeting to hear and take part in the discussions and to hear the answers to your questions from the Cherwell
Vale Primary Care Trust who are the funding agency for health in the Helmdon area.
◊ David Brookhouse ◊ Chairman of the Brackley Cottage Hospital Trust
[phone number removed]
[email address removed]
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www.helmdon.com your community website

BAPTIST CHURCH – TOVE VALLEY BAPTIST
FELLOWSHIP
A
s you are already aware our premises in Helmdon on the Wappenham Road closed at the end of January this year. The sale of the site of the Baptist Chapel in
Helmdon is slowly but surely progressing as are our plans to refurbish the Weston Chapel premises to make them a better resource for us as a church and for the local communities around to use. Even though we no longer have a building in the village the activities that we ran still continue and are thriving.
•
•
•
•
•
Monday morning House group in Helmdon which meets for bible study and prayer.
Tuesday Afternoon Fellowship Group which meets at Weston Chapel fortnightly. A group for the more mature – open to both males and females. An opportunity to sing some of the old hymns, pray for local concerns and issues, and chat over a cup of tea.
Wednesday Tiny Tots
Sunday Services at Weston Baptist Church – 10.30a.m. Junior Chruch and Creche are held each week. A warm and friendly welcome awaits anyone who cares to come and join us.
Annual holiday club (Read all about this years event below – hot off the press)
Tiny Tots
T
iny Tots meets during term time at the Weston Baptist Chapel 10-11.30 a.m approx. An opportunity for parents/nannies etc to get together and have a chat, at the same time as allowing the children to play with toys, have a sing song and listen to a story. All this is followed by a cup of tea/coffee, squash and biscuits. As a group we are a very friendly bunch and like to get outside of the tiny toys sessions. Only recently we helped organise a family fun day at Lois Weedon in conjunction with the Chapel – This was a great day, pig roast very popular even though the weather was a little wet and stormy at times.
Holiday Club
H
oliday Club – our theme this year "Expedition" – a journey based around the final days of the life of Jesus, Palm Sunday, Good Friday and the events of Easter Day. The Reading Room was decorated to give the impression of going on a journey with the following props; a tent, pictures of mountains, walking boots and other equipment associated with walking and mountaineering.
Throughout the 4 days we had 35 children aged between 4 and 10, with an average of 30 children attending each morning. During the week the children painted ceramic coasters, used glass paints to colour transparencies, made flags, wrote postcards, and made and cooked bread. All the children
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www.helmdon.com your community website

ASTWELL GROUP MOTHERS UNION
M
embership of this Christian organization has peaked at 3 million world wide this year.
Our own branch – Astwell Group Branch is thus named because it serves the five
Parishes in our benefice (Syresham, Wappenham, Lois Weedon, Whitfield and
Helmdon).
Membership is open to all those who are baptised into the Christian faith, male or female. Prayer is at the root of all we do and hope to achieve.
There is a list of events to be found on the Helmdon website and on the Church notice board.
Please call me for more details.
◊ Bee Aczel
[phone number removed]
THE FRIENDS OF HELMDON CHURCHYARD
T
he Millennium Yew cutting has been planted in the new part of the Churchyard and seems to be thriving. The site had to be carefully chosen so that it will not block the view when it grows to maturity.
As a result of the questionnaire sent out by the
Parochial Church Council’s Pass It on Scheme, over twenty people have shown an interest in helping to maintain the churchyard and some have already come along to give a hand at two “Clean-
Up” mornings. We have now decided to hold such occasions regularly on the last Saturday of each month during the Spring to Autumn period. We do not expect everyone to come along on every occasion and even an hour now and again is a great help. The grass and ivy grow so fast that it is impossible to keep the churchyard looking tidy without a regular intensive effort. Thank you very much to all our helpers. .
I think that everyone will agree that the churchyard is a serene and beautiful place and of great comfort to those who have loved ones buried there, or who simply need a quiet spot to think and admire the view.
◊ Judy Cairns ◊ Secretary: The Friends of Helmdon Churchyard
[phone number removed]
[email address removed]
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RECTOR’S RAMBLINGS
BELLS AND BELLRINGING
HISTORY
B
ells throughout history have been used to call people together or to warn of dangers such as floods, fire and enemies. As Christianity spread bells were used to call people to church and to mark births, deaths, marriages and many religious festivals, In England bell founding can be traced back for over 1200 years. Most of the early founding was carried out by the monks. Over the last 800
years the art of bell founding has been developed to such a state that modern founders can cast and tune a bell to exactly the note and tone they require. During this time many churches have acquired bells so that in England alone there are over 5200 churches that have 5 or more bells and very many more with less than five.
THE ENGLISH STYLE OF RINGING
Throughout Europe and Asia bells are hung mouth downwards and are sounded by either pulling the clapper back and forth or by swinging the bell by means of a rope attached to a wheel at the side of the bell, the bell is in effect hung on the axle. These are the methods still used by the rest of the world but the English were more adventurous than the rest.
We gradually swing our bells higher and higher until they can be balanced with their mouths upwards. This enables us to pull the bell off balance so that it swings around full circle ( sounding once ) and then balances upright again ready for the next pull. This way the bell not only sounds louder at the exact instant that the ringer requires but it produces the Œpealing¹ effect unique to
English bells caused by the bell swinging through a circle as it is reverberating.
English ringers can therefore each sound their bells in turn and wait as long as is required before they need sound their bell again. When this is done in order from the bell with the highest note running down the scale to the one with the lowest note the bells are said to be ringing in rounds.
This was the first type of ringing ever done in England and rounds are still the starting and finishing point for all ringing. In Devon and Cornwall many ringers still only ring rounds and so carry on the early traditions of over eight hundred years.
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Rings of Church Bells
Churches that have more than 5 bells that can be rung in the English manner are said to have a
Œring¹ of bells. Most village rings have 5 or 6 bells whilst town and city churches more often have
8,10 or 12 bells, Twelve is the highest number of bells used in English ringing.
In England there are 60 rings of 12 bells, 170 of 10, 1551 of 8, 2547 of 6 and 890 of 6 and 890 of 5.
Wales has 168 rings, Scotland 14 and Ireland 34. Overseas there are a total of 61. Australia and New
Zealand have 34 and Canada and U.S.A. 19 of these.
Some Noteable Rings of Bells
Rings of bells are governed by the size and weight of the biggest or Tenor bell. The bigger the bell the deeper the note is the usual rule.
The heaviest
12 bells are at Liverpool Cathedral Tenor 82cwts
10 bells are at Wells Cathedral Tenor 56cwts
8 bells are at Sherbourne Abbey Dorset Tenor 46cwts.
6 bells are at Queen Camel Somerset Tenor 56cwts.
5 bells are at Peterborough Cathedral Tenor 30cwts.
CHANGE RINGING
Many hundreds of years ago ringers sought to vary the monotony of rounds by ringing the bells in different orders. At first this was done when the captain called out the new order and gave the word to change. This is known as call-changes. In call changes any pair of adjacent bells can be told to change over. For example if the bells are in rounds 12345678 and the captain calls Œfive to the three¹, five and four change places to give the order 12543678 . This is why the term Œchange¹ is used to describe the process. Only one Œchange¹ may be made at any call. Therefore the object of call-changes is to call the bells from rounds into one of several well known orders and then back into rounds again. One such well known order is ŒQueens¹ (13572468). This is so named because it is said that Queen Elizabeth 1st once remarked how pretty it sounded. Call changes are still rung in many parts of the country and they are still a stage that all recruits to ringing must pass through.
FINALLY
You see that ringing is an ancient art and that change ringing is a uniquely English art that has developed over the last 800 years. Bad ringing is a pain to the ears but well struck change ringing is one of the most beautiful English sounds. It takes quite a few years to become a competent change ringer so much practise is essential to learners. Peals are one of the best ways to get this practise.
Therefore next time you hear the bells you will be able to understand just what it is the ringers are doing.
◊ John Roberts ◊ Rector
[phone number removed]
[email address removed]
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CKERS YOUTH CLUB
C
kers youth group for youngsters from school year 5 upwards will meet again on Sunday evenings from September. For further information about where, when and times please contact either
Kathy Quiney ([phone number removed]) or Jane Barnes ([phone number removed]).children and helpers very welcome!
◊ Kathy Quiney ◊ CKers Youth Club
[phone number removed]
OUR TWELFTH SUPPER-MEETING
…..since we began in millennium year. This time we shall meet in Wappenham Village Hall, on
Monday October 11th. The speaker will be
SISTER FRANCES DOMINICA
founder of the first children's hospice, Helen House, Oxford and of the first young people's hospice,
Douglas House, close by. Some of you may have heard her interviewed on Desert Island Discs in
February, repeated in August. She will discuss with us the age-old problem of evil: 'If God is love and all-powerful, why does he let evil exist?'
Let me have your name early to reserve you a place -at £3.50 for the evening, with a good knife-
and-fork supper. Come by 7.15pm so that we can get our meal started by 7.30pm and have plenty of time for the talk and discussion.
◊ Jean Spendlove ◊ Reader
[phone number removed]
THE FRIENDS OF ST MARY MAGDALENE
T
he performance of "Burglar Bill" by the Pandora Box
Theatre in June was a great success and was enjoyed by children and adults alike. We would like to organise a similar event next year but unfortunately the cost has increased significantly following a decision by
Northamptonshire Touring Arts. It looks like this would make a repeat unworkable, but we will keep it in mind.
The Choral concert by Vivamus (see picture) on 14th
August was again a wonderful evening, organised and hosted by David and Fiona Mason in their garden. The weather was perfect, the singing was exceptional and the location was ideal for a picnic. The event raised more than
£450 towards the continuing maintenance of the church building. This is a welcome boost to the fund, but this is likely to be severely diminished once the surveyors
"Quinquennial" report is issued later this year.
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By the time this is published the Friends will again have spent Carnival day preparing and serving teas – thanks to everyone contributing cakes, sandwiches etc and for help in serving on the day.
The "Last Night of the Proms" event on September 11th this year includes a Pig Roast at a bargain price of £8.
The next events are the Wine Tasting which will be held on Saturday 20th November at Fountain
House, thanks to the generosity of Philippa and Richard Lloyd. Among the wines will be some which may not be so familiar, but which we are sure you will enjoy.
Finally, don't forget the ever popular "Words and Music for Christmas". We are always pleased to see new faces taking part in the performance – if you would like to contribute we would like to hear from you.
Tickets for all events are available from members of the Friends committee:
Vanessa Vicars [phone number removed], Wiggy Smith [phone number removed], Liz Woolley [phone number removed], Jane Heaton [phone number removed], Viv
Watson [phone number removed] and Lynn and Chris Gartside [phone number removed].
◊ Chris Gartside ◊ Chairman: Friends of St MM Church
[phone number removed]
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PLEASE…..
Do you have something to say ?
S
omeone has told me that plants she has put on family
We would welcome interesting community orientated articles from any member of our community.
graves have been stolen. Some years ago I myself suffered from theft of plants. I mean 'suffered'. It is a nasty hurt to have something stolen from someone you are grieving for.
Please realize this and help others to realize it, including children wanting a present to give to Mummy and gardeners expanding their. stock. The churchyard is kept lovely by much devoted labour. There are flowers both wild and planted, including on graves. But the churchyard is not a place to pick flowers or find yourself garden plants. If you want cowslips, I can give you plants from home.
◊ Jean Spendlove ◊ Reader
[phone number removed]
THE MITE SCHEME (UNICEF UK)
O
ver 5 million children die each year from dehydration caused by diarrhoea, mainly in the third world.
We collect mites (5p pieces) in 35mm film containers. When full they hold about £2. That is enough to buy re-hydration salts for up to 6
children.
If you would like to help you can use your own containers or they are available at the back of the church or from Audrey Beattie, [address removed]
.
When full please return to any member of the
Parochical Church Council or Audrey.
◊ Audrey Beattie ◊ Reader
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HELMDON FELLOWSHIP
F
ellowship members have enjoyed a very busy summer.
We have held two coffee mornings- In June we were delighted to be able to have the use of Romiley Lodge thanks to Trudie &
Barbara Buxton & in July we were invited to hold a Coffee morning at 22 Bell Close- our thanks to Cec & Jan Harold, everyone enjoyed the beautiful gardens at both venues.
Thanks to Alan & Eileen Watson for selling garden produce for our funds – what a good idea.
In May we went to Evesham & enjoyed a tour, boat trip & cream tea. On 1st July we went on a trip to Suffolk visiting Gifford's Hall a vineyard & sweet pea farm, I
think most will remember the wine tasting, we then went on to Lavenham a beautiful small market town.
Once again our thanks go to Ann Harman for organising our trips.
During August we held our Annual garden Party at Greystones when we raised £260-00 for the
Katherine House Hospice – thanks to all who supported this event.
On September 21st we are holding a Coffee Morning with a bring & buy stall & raffle in the
Reading Room during post office hours, do come along & support us if you can.
You do not have to be a member of Fellowship to attend any of our Coffee Mornings etc; in fact our members will make you feel most welcome.
Instead of a mystery trip during September we are having another Fish & Chip lunch. This will be held in the Reading Room on Tuesday September 28th at 12-30pm, please let your committee member know if you would like to have lunch on that day.
As I write this the committee are busy organising our winter programme, this will start on Friday 8th
October at 2-30pm when we have an excellent speaker. This will be followed by the A.G.M. We meet during the winter months on the second Friday of the month in the Reading Room at 2-30pm when we have a speaker or entertainment followed by afternoon tea.
So if you are over sixty or retired why not come along & join us? You will not be the oldest as Alice
Hearne has celebrated her 101 st birthday in July. Congratulations Alice!!
For further details of Fellowship either ring [phone number removed] or e-mail [email address removed]
◊ Carol Brookhouse ◊ Chairman : Helmdon Fellowship
[phone number removed]
[email address removed]
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HELMDON SPORTS CLUB
T
he last few months have shown visible signs of how the club is progressing.
The football team having finished a creditable fourth place in their first season and also got to the cup final and have been promoted to division three of the Banbury Sunday morning league. The team is one of, if not the youngest in the league. This season the team will be managed by Matt Sleath who has moved back to the village and Nick
Phillips will assist Matt. James Turnham will captain the team. The team play on Sunday morning kicking off at 10.30am at the sports ground. Fixtures are only advised one month in advance and these will appear on the village web site along with the results.
The Billiard team will continue to field two teams in the league and they play at the sports club pavilion on Monday evenings. Their season starts in October and anyone interested in playing should contact Tony Wilson on [phone number removed].
At the time of writing the cricket team are top of their division with three games to play. The team also got to the Divisional Cup Final only to lose by just three runs to Croughton. We have also played a couple of friendly matches the latest one against Brackley, which we lost on the penultimate ball of the game. The most pleasing aspect of this game was the ages of the Helmdon team. Apart from one old duffer the rest of the team were 17 or under. The fact we were able to put out such a young side is largely due to the addition of cricket nets at the ground. The youngsters regularly practice there and their improvement is very noticeable. The nets were purchased with the money from the Carnival for which we are very grateful.
The latest stage regarding the ground is that we are waiting for a meeting with the council. We are in a position to apply for grants but there are certain issues the council has to adhere to and we do not want to duplicate these issues.
The clubs progression is due to the commitment of the members and the committee. After losing two cup finals in the space of a few weeks, things were put in perspective when someone said
“Never mind lads, two years ago we did not have a team”
Thanks must therefore go to the current committee of Michael Ayres, Geoff Gulliver, Geoff Crook,
Richard Bearman, Peter Burns, Tony Wilson, and James Turnham together with the invaluable help from Nobby Somerton, Phil King, Matt Sleath, John Lawrence and Paul Stothard. It is because of these people the sports club has survived and is now thriving.
Dave Bridger Sports Club Secretary [phone number removed]. Tony Wilson (Billiards) [phone number removed]
Paul Stothard (Cricket) [phone number removed] James Turnham (Football) [phone number removed]
◊ Dave Bridger ◊ Secretary: Helmdon Sports Club
[phone number removed]
[email address removed]
STOP PRESS !!
Helmdon win Division four title by just one point!!!
Well done everyone.
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HELMDON BRIDGE PLAYERS
T
his year’s summer play was a farce……….The Amorous
Ambassador. It was a directing debut for Nicola Dent and she proved very able indeed, providing calm leadership throughout the rehearsal period and never doubting that the Bridge Players would pull it off in customary last-minute fashion. The pictures and a review of the play can be found on the village website.
Rehearsals were a hoot! In fine directorial style Nicola advised us to learn our lines quickly so that we could concentrate on the action. As usual there were some noble line-learning efforts but, top of the class was Dave Bridger who eagerly became word perfect in a matter of days so he could get down to the serious business of burying his face in Bryony’s chest!
Bryony found his head a useful book rest. Richard Pamment used rehearsals to practice – very energetically – for the London marathon while Michelle anguished over which skirt would best suit
Dave’s hand. Jo produced a French maid’s outfit which was…… “borrowed”. Paul was never quite happy with his performance under the covers. John Plunkett turned up with a variety of enormous dresses and fed us all chocolates to distract us whilst Morag claimed her wig upstaged her.
Being a ‘luvvie’ for an evening or two each week is enormous fun – and having fun is our aim. I
meet many people who say they couldn’t do it (acting that is) – but, “Oh yes you could!” Just let your hair down…….it’s panto soon. We look forward to seeing you all in the school hall in
December. Anyone who wants to join us can contact Morag on [phone number removed].
◊ Morag Underwood ◊ Chairperson: Bridge Players
[phone number removed]
[email address removed]
HELMDON W.I.
“D
roops as the evening shadows slowly fall and twilight comes”.
The W.I. are looking forward to the rest of their program for the year.
Our speakers for the last five months were excellent:
March
The Autistic Society gave a talk entitled “Autistic Awareness” our speaker had personal experience having a son with Autism, the difficulties of this illness and the lack of support for parents.
April
Mrs Colbold gave a talk on her years as a farmers wife on a royal estate.
June
Members enjoyed an excellent evening at Plentiful Pots. Liz gave us a demonstration of planting a container. Afterwards we enjoyed tea / coffee and lovely cakes. Thanks to Liz and family.
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July
Another excellent evening in the garden of Lilac Farmhouse, home of our president, followed by supper. Thank you Louise, a wonderful evening.
A date to remember is the 14th Sept at the Post Office. A small display will be on show to celebrate
“National W.I. Day”.
W.I is not all Jam and Jerusalem. We enjoyed a recent trip to Birmingham where we served lunches and teas to visitors and filling the freezer for Cynthia Spencer Hospice with lovely cakes.
We are a very busy WI.
If you are interested in joining, why not come along to our meetings on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 7:30pm in the Reading Room, or contact Jenny Saunders. You will be very welcome.
◊ Jennifer Saunders ◊ Secretary: Helmdon WI
[phone number removed]
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
I
t was in November 1994 that we held our first and very successful public meeting of Neighbourhood Watch in the Reading
Room, which was attended by 70 residents of Helmdon; we now have over 90% of the village belonging to the scheme.
Over this time the scheme has run, with your help, very successfully. You have continued to report any unusual activity, or people in your area, to your contact persons, or myself and in some cases to the Police directly. This is a sign of a Neighbourhood
Watch scheme working well.
The Parish Council continues to give its strong support and receives regular reports from myself at its meetings. The Council would welcome any observations on the scheme at the public part of the council meetings.
The Police have brought to our attention the problem of house alarms. When an alarm goes off please ring the Police immediately and they will attend the scene and ascertain whether it has been caused by a break-in or whether there is a fault in the system. Please do not ignore the alarm and assume that someone else has contacted the Police.
Living in a rural area as we do, the police look to the local community for its support to control vandalism and crime in the village. This is where Neighbourhood Watch is of great assistance in monitoring and controlling crime
DRUGS. Which I mentioned in my last report to you, is a problem in which we should continue to be very aware of, it is not just in the towns but also in our villages, where we can have dealers operating. Should you notice any unusual habits among our younger residents, help can be obtained on a confidential basis. We should all try to assist if we come across any of these problems.
Terrorism is in the news and can cause large-scale disruptions to our cities and communities. These people live somewhere and the police ask the question
Have you sold a vehicle in suspicious circumstances?
Do you rent residential or commercial property?
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Do you have information about people or activities that could be linked to terrorist crime?
If so call the free confidential hot line 0800 789 321
I am pleased to inform you that we have three new PCSO (police community support officers) for the area, Michelle Bagnall, Susan Boyce, Vyonne Barns, these three officers will be seen patrolling the village.
Contact persons are listed in the reference section.
◊ David Brookhouse ◊ Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator for Helmdon
[phone number removed]
[email address removed]
LUNCHES
T
hose Tuesday lunches in the Reading Room, which Lyndsey Glassett established and ran so well for several years, are to be revived, by a committee. We shall do most things as she did them, but of course we have to earn the right to say we shall do them as well. So far we are a group of eight, besides four who will help on the Tuesdays to set, serve and clear up. Among the eight, the one person with a special responsibility is Audrey Beattie, who will take the South Northants. basic hygiene course in September to provide us with the necessary certificate under Health and Safety laws. For the present, I'll be the person to receive complaints (and other comments). We are operating under the auspices of the PCC, and protected by its insurance policy. Our first lunch will be on October 19th, at one o'clock; and we'll keep to third Tuesdays even near Christmas. The other dates for our first six months will therefore be November 16th, December 21st, January 18th,
February 15th, March 15th. The list to sign to book your seat on October 19th and your choices is in the Reading Room and will stay up until October 7th. Working as a group, we need a bit more planning time than Lyndsey took, to share the work and fun fairly between us. The first lunch menu is: Stuffed Marrow (Mock Duck?), or Chicken Casserole, with Vegetables; Rice Pudding with Jam, or Apple Crumble. We want to plan our menus well ahead and do it soon after the first lunch, so please let me have any suggestions very soon after that day.
We are starting at the price of £3.50 and expect that to cover all expenses including room hire and electricity. Lyndsey worked for a fund for equipment but her aims were achieved long since, and we haven't in mind any need to raise capital. However, it was suggested to me that people enjoyed having a raffle at the lunch. We shan't undertake one for our first occasion, but do you want a raffle?
If, so please make that plain at the October lunch. We are relying on the people who used to enjoy these lunches to tell their friends who used to come from other places, and we confidently invite older newcomers to the village to make these lunches a way of getting to know their community.
◊ Jean Spendlove ◊ Reader
[phone number removed]
SOUTH NORTHANTS VOLUNTEER BUREAU
R
ecently held its eleventh Annual General Meeting in the Saracens Head, Towcester. At the meeting, guest speaker, Ian Buchanan, from the Open University, presented the final monitoring report on the Volunteers in Villages project.
In his speech, Ian highlighted research which put aside the monetary value of volunteering that is so often emphasized by politicians and economists and emphasized the contribution volunteering makes towards individual personal happiness, satisfaction and fulfilment. It is undoubtedly the
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massive contribution made by the many local people in Helmdon who give of their time so freely and generously, who volunteer, that make the village such a thriving village community and a good place to live!
Funding streams at the bureau, which is a registered charity, are uncertain at the moment, but the expectations are that new money will come along soon, so that work can continue in the villages and in Helmdon, in particular. At present, we are testing the feasibility of a "Safe 'n Sound" project in two villages in the district. We are working in partnership with Northamptonshire Fire Service, the
Police and South Northants Council to provide smoke alarms, door security equipment and energy saving equipment to local homes using the "good neighbourly" approach of our village volunteers. I
hope that Helmdon may be included in the second phase -or even earlier. We also have projects in the pipeline to continue and further the village benefits agency surgeries, the like of which we did in
Helmdon, and another project trying to draw out the volunteer potential within our older community members! We hope this will provide us with busy times in the near future.
If you are interested in any of the projects mentioned above, or are interested in any aspect of voluntary or community help, please get in touch by telephoning [phone number removed] or by visiting us at the Volunteer Centre in Market House Courtyard, Brackley.
◊ Barron Walton ◊ South Northants Volunteer Bureau
[phone number removed]
HELMDON WOMENS CLUB
W
e have had a varied and enjoyable programme this Spring and Summer:
March We were given a very informative talk on recycling, including free pencils and rulers recycled from plastic cups.
April A cookery demonstration of starters and puddings by Jan Harrold and Margaret
Reardon – delicious free samples again.
May Decorating ceramics at Irene Inness’ studio in the village.
June An impromptu bingo evening with wine, when our speaker let us down at the last minute.
July One of our most successful Silly Sports Evenings. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed making a fool of themselves in ridiculous races (Young Wives never grow old)
with a barbecue in Jan and Cec Harrold’s garden afterwards. Thanks to Cec for his scrummy burgers and sausages.
September A talk by a magistrate
We shall have our usual cheese and wine supper after our AGM in October. Next year’s programme is not yet finalised but will include a presentation by Danny Moody, our village Web Master, on using the Internet and Broadband, a demonstration on looking after our skin, planting up hanging baskets in the spring, line dancing, and our regulars – sports, quiz and supper and our Christmas party.
We meet every third Wednesday of the month at 8 p.m. in the Reading Room. New members and anyone who wants to come along to see what we have to offer will be very welcome.
◊ Judy Cairns ◊ Secretary: Helmdon Womens Club
[phone number removed]
[email address removed]
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HELMDON YOUNG HUSBANDS
ORGANISATION
£5000 raised by the Helmdon Summer Ball
W
ith the magnificent help of Sue Blackburn, Helmdon Primary School and everyone who attended and assisted (sponsors and villagers alike), Helmdon Young Husbands held the first
Helmdon Summer Ball on the 17th July.
We had two main aims for the Summer Ball. The first was to just do it and put on a first class excellent event for the residents & friends of Helmdon to enjoy. The second was to hopefully raise some money for village activities and local facilities.
Over one hundred and ninety guests joined us in a beautifully decorated marquee on the school field. This proved to be the perfect location for the ball and was a result of our vision that
Helmdon’s Ball had to be in the heart of the village.
The evening contained so many highlights that it is difficult to include them all, but they include a wonderful three course meal, fantastic live music by the Blue Meanies and a very well supported charity auction. All the items in the auction where generously donated by HyHo members and
Friends of the School. Included amongst these where many unique items such as a signed Rubens
Barricello Ferrari race vest, helicopter flights, a day as guest of the Audi Le Mans racing team at
Silverstone, a signed picture of Jenson Button, a Jaguar F1 Oxley watch, a signed Eddie Jordan shirt and remote control F1 car, own a race horse for a day, a box at the Albert Hall for a night of the
Proms, a Sony in-car DVD player and many many more – apologies to those to whom I have not had enough room to mention! The auction alone raised £2500! In addition to this, money was raised by a raffle, donations from local business, ‘Hello’ magazine style pictures from guest photographer who generously donated his services free-of-charge and profit from the bar. More pictures can seen at www.helmdon.com
I would like to thank everybody who came, enjoyed, supported, gave time, their tremendous energy and money to make this happen. We intend to repeat this success again in 2006!
Life as a Helmdon Young (or, indeed, youth challenged) Husband has returned to meetings held at the bar of the Bell every second Friday of the month with future plans of a day at the cricket, an evening at Towcester races and a night at the Comedy Store.
Helmdon Young Husbands is a collective of men with no other purpose then prevent the Bar of the
Bell from falling over and complaining about the state of the pot-hole repairs. If the first purpose is something that interests you, please come and join us, if the second sounds familiar, contact Chris
Gartside (often found supporting the first).
◊Peter Fisher ◊ Helmdon Young Husbands
[phone number removed]
Some pictures of the event are on the next page and available at www.helmdon.com
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Countryside Garden Centre
For your Autumn Garden:
Chimeneas for those cooler evenings
Huge selection of Spring bulbs
Now is the best time to plant Trees & Shrubs
Winter Flowering Pansies and Violas
A magical Christmas at Purely Plants:
Visit our new Gift showroom for great ideas
Potted and cut Christmas Trees
Christmas door wreaths, table decorations and cut foliage
Masses of decorations for your home or office
Poinsettias, Cyclamen and other seasonal plants
Delivery service available.
"easy parking – easy shopping"
At Middleton Cheney
Open 9.00 – 5.00 Monday to Saturday * 10.00 – 4.00 Sundays
We close at 4.30 in November, January & February
Tel: [phone number removed]
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POST OFFICE & DROP-IN-CENTRE
"USE IT, OR LOSE IT."
Opening Times are:
TUESDAYS – 10am to 12 Noon
THURSDAYS – 2pm to 4 pm
During the past few months, new faces have appeared and we are delighted to have been discovered by those, who have not visited our post office previously. We hope that more of you will drop by in the future.
Did you know that “Telephone Top Ups” are available and cash may be withdrawn or deposited by those, who belong to any of the following banks;
Lloyds TSB, Barclays, Alliance and Leicester or the Co-op
We are still hoping to attract a few volunteers, willing to help to make with tea making, NOT an arduous occupation, on a Tuesday morning or a Thursday afternoon. Please contact any of the following if you are interested.
Rosemary Gulliver – [phone number removed], Janet Heady – [phone number removed], Mary Nash – [phone number removed]
◊ Janet Heady
[phone number removed]
THE HELMDON CARNIVAL COMMITTEE
T
he carnival weekend this year was beset by poor weather mainly due to low temperatures and gusting winds. Indeed on the day of the carnival one of the marquees was uprooted and will need to be replaced.
However due to the efforts of many people the end result should mean that approximately £4000
will be raised. This is once again a magnificent result for the village and it gave all of the village an opportunity to be involved.
We were pleased that Helmdon School once again ran a competition to design the front cover of the programme and this year's winner was Rosie Strudwick-Faragher. The standard once again was very good and the judging difficult but we felt that her entry was of the highest merit.
On the Saturday night more than 200 people were entertained initially by a disc jockey and followed by a live performance by Rokface. This was well received and proved a lively opener to the weekend.
On Sunday the mood changed and we were entertained by Colin Nash and his Jazz Band and we thank Colin and Mary for their continued support of the Carnival.
On Monday the start of the day the weather was not very promising but with the usual commitment everyone put in their best efforts. Due to the high winds we were unable to have the parachutists land and were also disappointed by the model helicopters unavailability to fly. However we were
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indebted to Jan Hughes who acted as judge in the dog show and the many people who entered their dogs for the many categories that were available. It was a new concept and proved very popular.
In addition Andy and Emma Deverall gave an expert display of sheep shearing and there were all the sideshows and fun of the fair that is normally associated with the Carnival.
In the Horticultural Society section there were the usual high number of entrants and our thanks go out to all of the organisers and entrants. This year saw a new trophy on offer, the Jack Ayres trophy presented by his family. Many will remember Jack collecting the major prizes over many years and this will remain as a memorial to his gardening skills.
We would like to invite anyone who is interested in joining the Carnival Committee or helping in any way to contact any member of the current or call P.Burns on [phone number removed].
Finally a thank you to anyone who helped in any way to making the Carnival the success it was this year and in previous years.
◊ Peter Burns ◊ Chairman: Helmdon Carnival Committee
[phone number removed]
[email address removed]
1 ST HELMDON RAINBOWS
R
ainbow Guides are the youngest section of Girl Guiding UK for girls aged 5-7 years. We meet every Friday during term time from 3.30 to 4.30
pm and now have a new venue kindly provided by Helmdon Primary
School.
Rainbows take part in all sorts of activities, in and out of doors – exploring, sharing and discovering. Rainbows play games, paint, draw and make things. They enjoy listening to stories and singing songs. At each meeting there is also time for the girls to share their news with others.
If you would like to find out more about Rainbows or put your daughter’s name down, even if she is only 3 or 4 (we have a waiting list) then please contact Eleanor Shepherd on [phone number removed]
◊ Eleanor Shepherd, Cassie Cross, Marie Wray ◊ 1st Helmdon Rainbows
[phone number removed]
COMMUNITY NOTICE
WEEKLY ORGANIC VEGETABLE/FRUIT DELIVERY TO HELMDON
If anyone is interested in the above scheme please phone Rachael Berck on [phone number removed].
We need 10 people to make it cost effective for the supplier.
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HELMDON ACORNS PRE-SCHOOL
A
nother eventful and fun packed term has passed by at our village pre- school. Actually it all began during the holidays with an Easter craft morning and ended with a Teddy Bears Picnic on the very last day of term. No time to waste you know, when you are 2 ½ to 4 years old and just want to have fun, fun, fun.
Our wonderful new leader, Lisa Canning, was an instant hit with children, staff and parents alike. We received a plan which covered the entire half term, a daily report in our little books, a whole array of new crafts and even a new collection of songs rang out on our way home along Church Street.
Lisa and the team also ran some very informative open mornings for prospective new parents and
HELMDON ACORNS PRE SCHOOL
children, only problem was many children did not want to go home!!! Reading Room, Church St. Helmdon.
WE TAKE CHILDREN FROM 2 YRS 6
MONTHS AND OPEN FOUR
SESSIONS A WEEK AS FOLLOWS:-
MONDAY
9.30am – 12.00am
WEDNESDAY
9.30am – 12.00am
THURSDAY
9.30am – 1.00pm
(INCLUDES LUNCH CLUB)
FRIDAY
9.30am – 1.00pm
(INCLUDES LUNCH CLUB)
We were able to enjoy some of the earlier summer weather with visits to our allotment, a coach trip to Hatton Country World and a wonderful Sports Day at the school. The most amazing event however was our visit to school to see their production of “A Midsummer Nights
Dream”. Our children always love going in to school and were totally enthralled by this spectacular performance; the songs, the dancing, the costumes, seeing their brothers, sisters and friends, the acting, the drink of orange, the biscuits and the praise they received from the school teacher for sitting still through the whole performance. They enjoyed just everything.
Amazing production, amazing behaviour!!! Can you tell I am still amazed?????
CONTACT
RACHAEL BERCK
[phone number removed]
Talking of school, every year as the end of term approaches they invite all children who are joining them in September in for a trial morning.
Our visit went without a hitch as the children PLACES AVAILABLE FROM
merrily trotted along from the Acorns setting SEPTEMBER 2004.
holding hands, under the watchful guidance of
PLEASE REGISTER YOUR Kerry and Judy. We wanted it to feel like a
INTEREST NOW TO SECURE YOUR natural progression and honestly you couldn’t see
CHILDS PLACE! the joins. Judy and Kerry were prepared to stay should they be needed but as soon as one little chap announced himself to the teachers they knew, with a ting of sadness, but a huge amount of pride, that they had done their job, they weren’t needed anymore. They had acclimatised the children to school with all the previous visits and activities and they had prepared them for the transition in a secure environment. The Acorns had each other and they knew that there was safety in these numbers. No tears or trepidation from the
Acorns children, but maybe from the Acorns staff?
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On the last day of term at the annual Teddy Bears Picnic they left with their souvenir, a “Children’s
Atlas of the World”. Good luck in that world little Acorns it has been a privilege to help you with your first steps. It is true, change is magic- we remember you when you first came, so tiny and look at you now – Shakespeare fans.
So we look forward to the continuing adventure and say welcome to our new children and new magic…………..
◊ Marie Wray ◊ Committee Member : Helmdon Acorns
[phone number removed]
[email address removed]
Thank you to all our outgoing committee members who have all done a sterling job. I’m sure everyone will agree however, that a special mention must go to our Chairperson, Eleanor Shepherd who has tirelessly devoted countless hours, days and weeks to Acorns over the past three years.
Truly her efforts have been above and beyond the call of duty.
Eleanor, you have been an absolute rock –thank you from us all, young and old!!!
THE WEA
T
he Workers' Educational Association (WEA) is an adult educational charity with no religious or party political ties. It is supported by funds from the Learning and Skills Council so that course fees can be kept as low as possible. Courses are free to some students.
Founded in 1903, the WEA aims to provide friendly, informal and enjoyable courses using expert tutors. Courses are open to all adults and no qualifications are required. If you wish to enjoy one evening per week learning about a wide range of subjects then give the WEA a try. See below
(and village notice boards) for details of our autumn course.
Whilst the WEA operates throughout the UK, individual courses are locally organised. Many thanks go to David Powell, WEA Helmdon Branch Chairman for the past two years. David has recently resigned due to other commitments and Judy Cairns has now taken over this role. Audrey Forgham has decided to step down after being the Branch Secretary for 11 years.
Audreys extensive work as branch coordinator has been much appreciated by the WEA members.
Financial control is of vital importance and we are therefore very pleased to retain Kate Moody as
Treasurer and Dave Bridger as Auditor. The Course Secretary is now Richard Farquharson and
Committee Members are: Cec Harrold, Jan Harrold, Peter Mackness and Ann Mackness.
Our Spring 2004 course was "The Story of Jazz" with local Jazz performer Owen Bryce. With
Owen's extensive knowledge and boundless enthusiasm we were treated to a most enjoyable 10-
week course. We listened to jazz recordings to learn about the different styles of Jazz. We were told about the lives of many of the performers that were involved with the development of Jazz. Many recollections were told from Owen's first-hand experiences and this made the course both informative and fascinating.
A coach trip to Winchester in May was a great success. A most informative guided tour of the
Cathedral was followed by ample free time to take in many historical sights of this delightful city.
More recently, Will Watson kindly allowed us to use the Old Glebe again for our pot-luck supper and talk by Dr Peter Hill about the international mythology surrounding the rural "Green Man". This event proved to be very enjoyable and enlightening.
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The fifth edition of "Aspects of Helmdon" is available this autumn. This series of Helmdon Branch
WEA publications provides an interesting insight into many historical aspects of Helmdon's village life. Articles in this edition include: Bygone shops of Helmdon (with an interesting map), the story of a Helmdon craftsmans notebook from the early 1900s, the history of the Parish Council and more reminiscences. Please obtain your copy (at only £3 each) from: Audrey Forgham ([phone number removed]), Cec &
Jan Harrold, Peter & Ann Mackness, Judy Cairns, Bungalow Stores, Reading Room Post Office or
The Old Hall Bookshop.
This autumn sees a welcome return of tutor Judith Hodgkinson. The 10-week course "Looking at
Pictures" aims to provide an introduction to Western art from the Renaissance to the 20th Century.
The work of major artists will be complemented by a brief look at the different techniques used, from fresco and oil painting to water-colour and etching. The course starts on Tuesday 21st
September 2004 at Helmdon School from 7:30pm to 9:00pm – All adults are welcome. The fee is
£29.50 (concessions £21.00). As payment is due on the second week you can try the first week before deciding!
◊ Richard Farquharson ◊ Secretary : Helmdon Branch WEA
[phone number removed]
[email address removed] : WEA is a registered charity, no. 314001
THE HELMDON VILLAGE WEB SITE
W
ith broadband now in the village it is an exciting time to be the Webmaster. Broadband is high-speed Internet access that delivers e-mail and web pages 10 times faster than conventional dial-
up services. Broadband works over standard telephone lines but the telephone exchange have to be upgraded to cope with the data. The Sulgrave exchange, which serves Helmdon, received the upgrade on 4th August so villagers are now able to order broadband for their homes. Well done Jane
Keys et al for getting us broadband earlier than otherwise might have happened (Syresham don’t get theirs until March 2005!).
Now that broadband is available in Helmdon we can look at providing media-rich web features such as high-resolution images and video on the village web site. Of course the main site will still be quick to load, even for those that don’t upgrade to broadband.
History and genealogy continue to be a core feature of the web site. In March we added a poignant press cutting from 1976 entitled “A friendship that flowered in hospital”. It describes the friendship between Bert Summers and Jack Holloway who met in a field hospital during World War One having both been wounded in the trenches. They soon discovered that Bert was from Radstone, whilst Jack was from Helmdon. After the war the two men continued their friendship and met up once a fortnight for the rest of their lives, becoming like brothers. Having gems like this on the web site, where it is accessible to all, is what makes all the effort worthwhile. Otherwise this story would be lost as just another dusty old press cutting in a dusty old archive somewhere in
Northampton. There are literally hundreds of press cuttings and articles on the web site, all accessible by clicking on “history resources” on the index page.
June was a busy month for theatregoers in Helmdon. It started with a crime spree on June 5th when
Burglar Bill stole in to town. A travelling theatre company staged a production of the popular children’s book in the Reading Room to the delight of the many children present (of all ages!).
More fun followed soon afterwards with the Bridge Players’ summer production “The Amorous
Ambassador” on 18th and 19th June. Reports and photo galleries from both productions are available on the web site for your viewing pleasure!
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In July we followed the progress of the Helmdon Parish Plan, from its presentation to the village at a public meeting on 14th July, to the final adoption by the parish council on 28th July. The Action
Plan & Report is available to download from the web site, as are all the results from the parish survey conducted earlier in the year. Web site visitors can even click on “participate” in the parish plan section (www.helmdon.com/parishplan) and fill in an on-line form to express interest in getting involved in one of the parish plan projects.
The other big event to cover in July was the summer ball organised by HYHOs and the school that took place on the school field on 17th July. The evening was a huge success with the marquee and everyone in it looking a real picture. There are lots of photos on the web site and more details of the money raised and the projects funded will be added in the coming months.
We hope you continue to enjoy the web site, and as always we welcome your feedback, comments and suggestions.
The web site is designed and maintained by members of Helmdon WEA, and sponsored by
Helmdon Parish Council. Please contact Danny Moody on [phone number removed] or e-mail webmaster@helmdon.com.
◊ Danny Moody ◊ Webmaster: Helmdon.com
[phone number removed]
webmaster@helmdon.com
REACHING YOU SOON
Aspects of Helmdon no. 5, published by
Helmdon branch WEA.
This issue contains articles entitled The Shops of Helmdon (with map), A Craftsman’s
Notebook, the History of the Parish Council,
Helmdon and the World Beyond (1653-1718)
and more of the popular reminiscences.
It is still very reasonably priced at £3 (the price of the first issue in 1997) and is obtainable from
Audrey Forgham [phone number removed] or
[email address removed]) Richard
Farquharson ([phone number removed]), Judy Cairns, Cec
Harrold, Jan Harrold, Kate Moody, The
Bungalow Stores, the Reading Room Post
Office, or The Old Hall Bookshop.
If you are new to the village… we still have a few copies of Aspects of Helmdon nos. 3 and 4, so if you would like to read about, for instance, Jeffs Coaches, Helmdon Stone, Focus on Cross
Lane, the Manorial History of Helmdon, Helmdon School (from old log books), or Recollections of
Childhood at Grange Farm and other reminiscences about the village in times gone by ……. please contact any of the above.
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www.helmdon.com
| news | events | message board | history |
| picture galleries | groups and organisations |
| parish council | carnival | parish plan |
Just one of over 1,000 images on the web site
Contact Danny Moody: [phone number removed]
webmaster@helmdon.com helmdon.com is designed and maintained by members of Helmdon
Branch WEA and sponsored by Helmdon Parish Council
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OBITUARIES, MARRIAGES & BIRTHS
Obituaries
None received.
Marriages
Kevin Brock and Donna England
The wedding took place at Mary Magdalene Church Helmdon on 22nd May 2004.
Kevin and Donna grew up together in Helmdon and went to the village school and have always been friends, now they are husband and wife. It was a lovely sunny day and we all had a wonderful time.
The bride and groom travelled by limo to a reception at Hellidon Lakes hotel. Best man was Ady
Swain and bridesmaids were Amy Loft, Allyce Pennell and Erin Rigby. Jake Loft, John Wilson and
Mark Alfandary were ushers. The happy couple then went onto honeymoon in Shri-Lanka and The
Maldives.
Births
None received
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REFERENCE LIBRARY
I
n this section we have listed lots of contacts and facts that may be useful to the new Helmdon villager. If you can think of any we have missed then please contact us and we would be happy to include them in the next issue. Items in bold are usually your nearest or first number you should try.
Our Local Elected Representatives
Our representative on the South Northants Council is;
Councillor R E Digby: Hill House, Mill Road, Whitfield, Brackley, Northants NN13 5TQ.
Tel: [phone number removed] (home and business)
Email : [email address removed]
Our representative on Northants County Council is;
Councillor J M Shepherd-Cross: Bengal Manor, Greens Norton, Towcester, Northants. NN12 8BG.
Tel: [phone number removed] (Home)
Email : [email address removed]
M.E.Ps
Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg
Liberal Democrats Bill Newton Dunn
Conservative Chris Heaton-Harris
Conservative Roger Helmer
Labour Mel Read
Labour Philip Whitehead
Addresses and email details are available from the Parish Clerk
Fire Brigade
Northampton [phone number removed]
Always call 999 in the event of an emergency!
Voluntary Work
South Northants Volunteer Bureau, Towcester [phone number removed]
Volunteer Connection, Milton Keynes [phone number removed]
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Hospitals & Doctors
For Accident & Emergencies (A&E) it is often useful to call ahead and find out what the waiting time is. This may affect your choice of hospital. Please note the Brackley Cottage Hospital does
NOT operate an A&E service however they do have a 24hr First Aid room for minor injuries to which local doctors attend.
Always call 999 in the event of an emergency!
Horton General, Banbury [phone number removed]
The John Radcliffe (Oxford) [phone number removed]
Northampton General, Cliftonville [phone number removed]
Milton Keynes General, Standing Way [phone number removed]
Stoke Mandeville, Mandeville Rd, Aylesbury [phone number removed]
Brackley Cottage Hospital, Pebble Lane [phone number removed]
NHS Direct 0845 46 47
Springfield Surgery, Brackley (Appointments) [phone number removed]
Springfield Surgery, Brackley (Enquiries) [phone number removed]
Washington House Surgery [phone number removed]
SNODOC (out of hours GP Service) [phone number removed]
Brackley Health Centre – Doctors [phone number removed]
Brackley Health Centre – Dental Clinic [phone number removed]
Paulerspury Surgery [phone number removed]
Towcester Medical Centre [phone number removed]
Silverstone Surgery [phone number removed]
Police
Daventry [phone number removed]
Banbury [phone number removed]
Oxford [phone number removed]
Northampton [phone number removed]
Police Community Support Officers (PC Harland) [phone number removed]
(Formerly Local Beat Officer)
Community Watch Co-ordinator [phone number removed]
Neighbourhood Watch (David Brookhouse) [phone number removed]
Crime stoppers 0800 555111
Victim Support [phone number removed]
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Always call 999 in the event of an emergency!
Neighbourhood Watch Contacts
David Brookhouse – Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator for Helmdon : [phone number removed]
Ian Drew
[address removed]
[phone number removed]
Angela Feasey
[address removed]
[phone number removed]
Val Smith
[address removed]
[phone number removed]
Ann Harman
[address removed]
[phone number removed]
Janet Lipson
[address removed]
[phone number removed]
Chris Bridger
[address removed]
[phone number removed]
Wilf [address removed]

[phone number removed]
Support Groups / Advice Lines
Samaritans [phone number removed]
(Local Rate Service) 08457 909090
Citizens Advice Bureau (Brackley) [phone number removed]
Citizens Advice Bureau (Northampton) [phone number removed]
Citizens Advice Bureau (National) 08450 505162
Help the Aged’s Senior Line 0800 269626
Childline 0800 1111
National Blood Service 0845 7711711
Alcoholics Anonymous 0845 7697555
Cruse Bereavement Care [phone number removed]
DIAL [phone number removed]
The Compassionate Friends (Bereavement) [phone number removed]
RELATE (Support for relationships) 0845 1304010
Missing Persons Helpline [phone number removed]
Time to Talk (Youth Counselling) [phone number removed]
NSPCC [phone number removed]
Home Start [phone number removed]
Elder Abuse Response 0808 808141
Domestic Violence (Womens Aid) [phone number removed]
Rape & Incest Crisis Centre [phone number removed]
Off the Hook (Drug & alcohol abuse) [phone number removed]
Solve It (Solvent abuse) [phone number removed]
Re-Solv (Solvent abuse) 0808 8002345
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CAN (Drug & Alcohol abuse) [phone number removed]
National Drugs Helpline 0800 776600
AL-Anon (support for families of alcoholics) [phone number removed]
Aquarius (Drug & Alcohol abuse) [phone number removed]
Drinkline 0800 9178282
Quitline (smoking) 0800 002200
Local Authorities & Services www.southnorthants.gov.uk
South Northants County Council (SNC) [phone number removed]
Northants County Council [phone number removed]
SNC Recycling [phone number removed]
Health Information Line 0800 665544
Northamptonshire Health Authority [phone number removed]
Northamptonshire South
Community Health Council 01604 27722
Disability Benefit Enquiry Line 0800 882200
Brackley Library [phone number removed]
Helmdon Primary School [phone number removed]
Bulky Household Waste removal [phone number removed]
Magdalen College School [phone number removed]
Northamptonshire ACRE [phone number removed]
Social Services (Child & Mental Health) [phone number removed]
Social Services (Adults) [phone number removed]
Housing Advice [phone number removed]
Road Safety [phone number removed]
Road Maintenance Peter Cheney of WS Atkins Email: [email address removed]
CLARENCE Hotline 0800 232323
(Please do not contact Wilf anymore. He has nothing to do with this now. )
Abandoned Vehicles [phone number removed]
Trading Standards Advice [phone number removed]
CLARENCE (Flood Advice Line) 0800 882200
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Sports
Brackley Leisure Centre [phone number removed]
Brackley Swimming Pool [phone number removed]
Towcester Leisure Centre [phone number removed]
Transport
Trains (National Line) 08457 484950
Jeffs Coach Hire [phone number removed]
SMS Executive Travel [phone number removed]
Chiltern Railways 08705 165165
PJ Cars (Brackley) [phone number removed]
Castle Cars (Banbury) [phone number removed]
JASON [phone number removed]
Jeff Amos [phone number removed]
Carters Travel [phone number removed]
CD Cars (Taxi Bus) [phone number removed]
Journeys Around South Northants a minibus service for Brackley, Towcester and all the villages in
South Northants. Operated by the British Red Cross in association with South Northants County
Council it provides a service for anyone who finds it difficult to use the existing bus services.
Registration with the service is required before use : An application form can be obtained from the number above, or by writing to:
JASON Dial a Ride, PO Box 6159, Towcester, Northants. NN12 8YB
Village Contacts
The Bell Inn (Richard & Sally) [phone number removed]
Bungalow Stores [phone number removed]
Wappenham Post Office [phone number removed]
Services
Powergen Customer Service 0800 0564256
East Midlands Electricity Emergency Service 0800 0568090
Environment Agency General Enquires 0845 9333111
Environmental Agency, Emergency 0800 807060
Misc
Environment Agency Floodline
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0845 9881188

[phone number removed] Window Cleaners (Tony)
Direct Phone Numbers for Council Services
Village Information
We are hoping that this section will be particularly helpful to those just moving into the village and trying to find their way about.
Recycling Centre
The village has its own recycling centre located just off Station Rd. Turn left on the corner just before the School as you come into Helmdon. 20M and turn left again. The recycle bins are now in front of you and to the side of the Station Rd garage block. It accepts paper & glass (clear & coloured). Please keep the area tidy and try and take your empty boxes away with you!
Seckington (Bungalow) Stores
This is the one remaining village shop (there have been numerous shops in the village in the past all closed through lack of business, so lets try and keep this one).
Bungalow Stores Station Road Helmdon
Stockists of :
General Groceries, Fruit and Veg, Confectionary, Soft Drinks, Frozen Foods, Ice Cream, Pet Food,
Household Goods, Tobacco and Cigarettes, Helmdon Talkabout Magazines and Agents for Dry
Cleaning
Opening Hours :-
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Mon, Tues, Thur & Fri – 8am to 6pm
Wed & Sat – 8 am to 2pm
Sunday Closed
FREE DELIVERY
This is also the place to book, pick up / drop off the keys and purchase tokens for the electric meter in Reading Room.
The Reading Room
Located half way along Church St. these rooms provide the meeting place for many of the village groups (Some of which we have listed below). You are welcome to contact Harold Seckington
[phone number removed]) for details of how to book use of the hall. Prices range from £2.50 to £50 depending on the use. Very useful for Children’s parties!
Some groups will use the small meeting room only, some like the Acorns group will use the whole building. The hall is split into two by a wooded curtain divide so you can adjust the room size to fit your requirements. The kitchen is fully fitted out with all the utilities you would expect.
Parish Council, Baptist Chapel, Conservatives Club, Scouts, Women's Club, Acorn's Pre-School,
Fellowship of Retired People, Sports and Social Club, WEA, WI, Friends of Helmdon Churchyard,
Helmdon Church PCC, Luncheon Club, Bridge Players, Drop-in and Post Office.
Allotments
The Parish council maintain a smallholding behind “The Green” where villagers are welcome to maintain allotment plots for the princely sum of £5 per year. Contact the Parish Clerk if you have an interest.
It should be noted that these are not connected with the privately let allotments behind the 3 cottages on Wappenham Road owned by Tony Wilson of Shortlands Avenue.
Sports field
The sports club has the use of a large playing field located on the left hand side as you leave the village on Wappenham Road. It is kept in great condition throughout the year by members of the sports club. The field is also used for the Helmdon Carnival held on the August Bank Holiday and on some occasions for wedding receptions. I believe that recently the carnival committee have purchased new marques that can be rented for such occasions.
Playground
The village playground is maintained by the Parish Council and is located at the top of the school playing field. You can access it from the school car park or from two entrances located on what is known as “gravel path”. This is a path that joins Station Road to Church St. It is kept clean and safe by the kind efforts of those who use it and some dedicated Parish Councillors. Please keep it clean and safe by reporting any equipment failures or concerns to the Parish Clerk immediately. As this play area is part of the school facilities as well, we should only use it outside of school opening hours.
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Bus Timetables
Please check with the respective operators before travelling as these times can change. The
Northants County Council re-tender for these routes every Easter. Depending on the response the times and operators may or may not change completely.
The following four firms have had a history of winning these tenders between them and are therefore the most likely operators of our village bus services.
Jeffs Coach Hire [phone number removed]
SMS Executive Travel [phone number removed]
Jeff Amos [phone number removed]
Carters Travel [phone number removed]
CD Cars [phone number removed]
TheTaxi-Bus no longer operates in Helmdon and a new service from SMS will provide a replacement bus service. The best news for many of the bus users is that this is going to be a low floor easy access bus.
Our Parish Clerk will also post any new bus timetables in the village notice boards, so always have a quick check there if you haven’t used the bus for a while.
BRACKLEY – Greatworth – Helmdon – BANBURY – Service SMS 508
Monday to Saturday (Not Sundays or Public Holidays)
Brackley, Tesco Store —
Brackley, Market Place (Garage) [phone number removed] 1410 1610 1720
Brackley, Halse Road Health Centre [phone number removed] 1412 1612 1722
Halse, Mission Church [phone number removed] 1418 1618 1728
Greatworth, Crossroads Helmdon Road [phone number removed] 1422 1622 1732
Helmdon, Station Road/The Green [phone number removed] 1428 1628 1738
Sulgrave, Magpie Road Church [phone number removed] 1434 1634 1744
Culworth, Lindsays Cnr The Coach House [phone number removed] 1438 – 1748
Culworth, Queens Street opp Church [phone number removed] 1439 – 1749
Thorpe Mandeville, Three Conies [phone number removed] 1443 – 1753
[phone number removed] – |
[phone number removed] 1500 – 1807
Middleton Cheney, High St opp Red Lion
Banbury, Bus Station
|
[phone number removed] 1605 1715
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Banbury, Bus Station [phone number removed] 1510 – 1815
1021 1321 1521 – |
Thorpe Mandeville, opp Bus Shelter 0809 1027 1327 1527 – 1829
Culworth, Queens Street Church 0812 1030 1330 1530 – 1831
Culworth, Lindsays Corner Myrtle Cottage 0814 1032 1332 1532 – 1834
Sulgrave, Magpie Road opp Church 0818 1036 1336 1536 1636 1838
Helmdon, Station Road opp The Green 0824 1042 1342 1542 1642 1844
Middleton Cheney, High St Red Lion
Radstone Turn
|
| | | | 1647 |
Greatworth, Crossroads Chapel Road 0830 1048 1348 1548 | 1850
Halse, opp Mission Church 0834 1052 1352 1552 | 1854
Brackley, Halse Road opp Health Centre 0840 1058 1358 1558 | 1900
Brackley, Market Place (Toilets) 0842 1100 1400 1600 1652 1902
Brackley, Tesco Store 0847 1105 1405 1605 1657
Jeffs Coaches – Friday Only Service to Brackley
Leaves Helmdon, Station Rd (bottom of Church St) 09.52
Arrives Brackley, Market Place 10.06
Arrives Brackley, Tesco 10.10
(30 mins to do some food shopping)
Leaves from Brackley, Tesco 10.40
Arrives Brackley, Market Place 10.50
(1hour to do shopping around the town)
Leaves Brackley, Market Place 11.50
Arrives Helmdon, The Green 11.58
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Jeffs Coaches – Wednesdays Only Service to Northampton
Leaves Helmdon, The Green 09:15
Arrives Northampton, The Drapery 10:30
Passes through villages, Weston, Weedon Lois, Wappenham, Slapton Turn, Abthorpe, Bradden.
Blakesley, Woodend, Maidford, Farthingstone & Litchborough
Leaves Northampton, The Drapery 13:00
Passes back through the villages dropping off on request.
Carters Travel – Saturdays Only Service to Northampton
Leaves Helmdon, The Green 09:50
Arrives Northampton, The Drapery 11:05
Passes through villages, Weston, Weedon Lois, Wappenham, Slapton Turn, Abthorpe, Bradden.
Blakesley, Woodend, Maidford, Farthingstone & Litchborough
Leaves Northampton, The Drapery
Passes back through the villages dropping off on request.
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www.helmdon.com your community website
13:55

EXPERIENCE GETS
YOU MOVING
When moving house you should ask more than one estate agent to provide a market valuation of your property.
We would be delighted to be one of the agents you call, to discuss not only the value but also how we would approach marketing your home which can be assisted by floor plans
& virtual tours on the internet.
To arrange a personal visit by an experienced valuer to carry out a free market appraisal without obligation, please call Roger Tyers or Ben MacIntyre on
[phone number removed]
Or visit us on your pc at www.macintyers.co.uk
29 Market Place, Brackley, Northamptonshire NN13 7AB