Mothering Sunday Sun 3rd 11.15am St Giles Toddler Group Thurs 7th 10am Village Hall Coffee/Plant Sale Sat 9th 11am Village Hall Village Hall AGM Mon 18th 8pm Village Hall Friendship Club Tues 19nd 2.30pm Almeley Chase Easter Day Sun 24th 11.30pm St Giles Royal Street Party Fri 29th 2pm Church Road Pilates Tuesdays 6.30pm Village Hall Mobile Library Thurs 7th/28th
3rd 8.00 Eucharist Burton Dassett
10.00 Eucharist Fenny Compton
11.15 Mothering Sunday Service at Gaydon
11.30 Eucharist Farnborough
10th 9.00 Prayer Book Eucharist Fenny Compton
10.00 Morning Service Farnborough
10.00 Eucharist Northend
11.15 Growing Together Gaydon
6.00pm Evening Service Burton Dassett
Holy Week
Palm Sunday 17th
8.00 Eucharist Farnborough
9.00 Prayer Book Communion Gaydon
10.30 Morning Service Fenny Compton
10.30 Eucharist Northend
Monday 18th
7.00pm Eucharist Northend
Tuesday 19th
7.00pm Eucharist Farnborough
Wednesday 20th
11.00 Eucharist Gaydon
Maundy Thursday
7.30pm Vigil Gaydon
Good Friday
10.00 Children's Easter Time at Gaydon
10.30 Children at the Cross Fenny Compton
6.00pm Liturgy of the Passion Fenny Compton
Easter Eve Saturday 23rd
6.00pm Walk from Northend Church to
Burton Dassett for 7pm Vigil
Easter Day 24th
8.00 Eucharist Burton Dassett
10.00 Eucharist Fenny Compton
11.00 Eucharist Northend
11.30 Eucharist Farnborough
11.30 Eucharist Gaydon
The lack of leaf cover is still evident but a few buds are breaking out at last. The most obvious are the White Blackthorn bushes and Wild Plums. These hedgerow species provide nectar for early bees. I saw last week a nest 30 feet high in an old ash tree that was again active with bees flying from the hole of some old woodpecker excavations. Early flowers like Primroses and the White Wood Anemone take advantage of the lack of cover to flower now, as do Bluebells which will enjoy the more dappled canopy in a few weeks' time.
Queen wasps and Hornets stir too with the early sun's rays and leave hibernation. Rooks are now gathering in many places around the village to repair the previous season's nests. Once, the young were a source of meat in Rook Pies and were shot before they could fly but now all that remain are the safer Rookeries of the 21st century! Rook guns and Pies are now relegated mostly to rural history.
It's best to cease hedging or pruning now as the sap is rising and birds' nesting will be disturbed. This is the traditional month for Lambing and high-pitched bleating is added to the dawn chorus now that the equinox is reached.
It has been a hard winter once again and we wait to see what plants have survived the prolonged cold snaps. Many Formiums, Tree Ferns, Palms and Cordilinias, all rather exotic, may well not make it but the next few weeks will tell!
The most spectacular sightings this month are the activities of Hares and Deer. A large white stag is frequently to be seen off Watery Lane with a group of Does; and around the Army Camp I have seen groups of Hares "Boxing". Twenty years ago Hares were a common sight around Gaydon Coppice and other local fields but numbers are much diminished now and it is sad to see the decline of this large and mysterious mammal.
Not wishing to wallow too much in nostalgia, it is good to note that Buzzards are much commoner now, often sunning themselves atop what appears to be every fencing post along the M40! "Swings and roundabouts" as the saying goes.
Bernard Price
The hourly rate for hiring the Hall is £5.50 for residents of Gaydon and Chadshunt. It is £11 per hour for outsiders. Contact Sue Middleditch on 640695 if you would like to book the Hall.
The Village Hall AGM and Committee Meeting will be held on Monday 18 April at 8pm in the Hall.
The mobile library will be in Gaydon on Thursdays 7th and 28th April.
The meeting will take place on Tuesday 19 April at the home of Mrs Olive Richards, Almeley Chase, in Kineton Road.
Coffee Morning and Plant Sale Village Hall Saturday 9 April at 11am Please bring your surplus plants to sell! Cakes and raffle as usual.
*STREETPARTYSTREETPARTYSTREETPARTYSTREETPARTY*
Gaydon will be holding a street party on April 29th to celebrate the Royal Wedding. Church Road will be closed and tables will be laid out in the road outside the village hall.
The party will start at 12.30pm after the wedding ceremony in London. There will be a barbecue serving sausages and burgers, a bouncy castle for children and a children's Royal Fancy Dress Competition. Dave Faulkner's band will play into the evening and we are hoping villagers will bring along a plate of food to share and enjoy themselves. Both the Gaydon Inn and the Malt Shovel will be open and we will serve teas and drinks for children in the Village Hall.
In the couple of weeks before April 29th we will be looking for volunteers to help put up bunting and to help on the day. The next meeting will be on Thursday 7th April at 8pm in the Malt Shovel.
Madeleine Hill
Saturday 9 April 10am-2pm Free Entry Vintage 2nd-hand Clothes Sale Sheldon Bosley Hub, Shipston on Stour For more details call Rebecca on 01608 674929
ROLL UP, ROLL UP, ROLL UP Car Boot Sale Gaydon Inn Field Sunday 3 April 11am Car Boot Starts at 10am for sellers 11am for buyers Cars £5, Small Vans £10, Traders £15 To book a pitch or for more information call 01926 640388. Car Boot sale every other weekend running up to 4 September: first one is Sunday 3 April (Mothering Sunday) and the following Car Boot sale will be on Sunday 17 April. Bag a Bargain!
A Season of Folk Art
Exhibition of the work of Alfred Wallis and Ben Nicholson until 5 June. The exhibition explores Wallis' unique vision and his influence on Nicholson's work, focusing on paintings and drawings by the two artists dating from the late 1920s to the 1940s.
Wool Work: a Sailor's Art
This exhibition shows the links between sailors, art and craft through the history of the embroidered wool pictures made by sailors in the 19th century. Telephone 01926 645500 for information.
February was 'scams awareness' month when the Trading Standards Service highlighted the problems of scam mail e.g. prize draws, fake lotteries, clairvoyant predictions, get rich quick schemes and miracle health cures. The one thing they have in common is that they ask you to send money up front in order to claim your fabulous prize.
However, you are unlikely to ever hear from them again and any 'prize' you do receive will be worthless.
To reduce unwanted mail register, free, with the Mailing Preference Service on 0845 703 4599 or www.mpsonline.org.uk. Registering will make it easier to spot a scam in your mail.
Come and enjoy spring at Upton House and Gardens where you'll find plenty of seasonal delights!
We've tulips galore in the gardens: 4000 tulip bulbs of different varieties and colours have been planted as part of Upton's project to restore parts of the gardens to their original 1930s planting scheme. See these stunning displays in their prime at Amazing Tulips Weekend on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 April.
Look out for our tips in the gardens on how to create your own dazzling spring bulb displays and add a touch of 1930s glamour to your garden.
There are fun family activities at Easter.
Take part in our Easter Egg Trails from Friday 22 April to Monday 25 April which are sponsored by Cadbury. Follow the clues around the gardens to find those elusive chocolate eggs!
Bluebells
In May there's a unique opportunity to see a spectacular bluebell display in Blackwell's Wood. The wood is not normally open to the public because of its fragile nature but you can join a guided Bluebell Tour of Blackwell's Wood on Sunday 8 May and discover the woodland's beautiful carpet of bluebells.
You can find more info about Upton's spring events on our new website 'Local voices' which is available at:
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/uptonhouse.
Anyone who remembers the Lewis family who lived at Chalford, Kineton Road, and relocated to New Zealand a few years ago, will be pleased to know that they are safe and well; although 'sad and unnerved' after the recent earthquake in Christchurch.
Heather writes:
'It is totally devastating. I don't know how our city will recover from this...so many people killed or missing...so many jobs that have been lost...many people had only just begun to repair structural damage from the last 'quake in September...some even killed while doing so. We all feel very grateful to be alive.'
Coventry Cathedral on Saturday 11 June
The Bible Society and Coventry Diocese in partnership celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible.
Sci-fi at the Movies - New Exhibition to 4 September
A unique opportunity to see original artefacts, replica models and costumes from your favourite Sci-Fi movies! Including Star Wars, E.T., Harry Potter, Predator and many more.
This exciting exhibition will not only showcase some of the most popular and iconic superheroes and villains complete with weaponry and costumes but will also take you on a journey of discovery providing an amazing insight into film history, character profiles and little-known film trivia.
There is no extra charge to see the new Sci-Fi Exhibition as it is all included in our standard Museum entry fees.
Easter Holiday Activities - All Terrain Easter 14 April - 1 May
All Terrain Easter is a mix of the Museum's Easter activities and a fortnight long celebration of Land Rover and Range Rover vehicles, including both heritage and new 4X4, 2X2 models.
There will be special vehicle displays and Land Rover Experience will be running daily 20 min demonstrations on our new off-road track.
Throughout the holiday period there will be daily 'All Terrain' and
Royal Wedding themed family activities, whilst on Thursdays 14, 21 and 28 April there will be special craft activity days, where you can create and take home your own masterpiece.
On 22 April, Good Friday, Shaun the Sheep's Land Rover will be visiting the Heritage Motor Centre; on 24 April the Convoy for Heroes takes place www.convoy4heroes.org.uk and on 29 April there will be a large screen for the Royal Wedding with specially-themed children's activities; and the Land Rover Legacy Exhibition will be on display from 16 April for two weeks.
For more information visit www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk or call 01926 641188.
Sunday 3 April will be Mothering Sunday and we invite children (of all ages!) to bring mothers, fostermothers, grandmothers, aunts, to our morning service at 11.15am to celebrate family life and the love, joy and fun which is shared in it.
The Toddler Group meets in Gaydon Village Hall on Thursdays from 10 o'clock to 11.30am in term time. The next meeting will be on 7 April. For more information email StGilesToddler@aol.com
GVS has seen record takings in recent weeks. This is entirely due to the hard-working team of regular volunteers that we have and the support of the management committee.
However, more volunteers are still needed to ensure that the shop can stay open for as long as we would like. You do not need to commit to a regular session each week - just the odd hour here and there would make all the difference.
If everyone in the village offered just one hour a month of their time, the shop could stay open for longer and profits would increase even further. Since everyone in the village stands to benefit from the profits of the shop, everyone's a winner.
Please drop into the shop and leave your details behind the counter. We will contact you and arrange your first session. Don't worry - you won't be left on your own and it really isn't complicated. It's a good chance to have a cup of coffee and a chat with the customers.
Finally, a reminder that our AGM will be held on 20 May in the village hall. Everyone is welcome and refreshments will be provided.
Only shareholders can vote at the AGM. If you would like to buy a share for £10 so that you can vote please contact me via the shop. Thanks as ever to all our supporters and customers.
Claire Hamm
At last: we are looking forward to having the Rev Mike Cadwallader in our parishes. The Licensing service takes place on Tuesday 12th April in Burton Dassett Church, at 7.30pm. Do come if you can and be "in at the start".
Parking will obviously be in demand, so the area outside the church will be for dropping off those who cannot walk very far and we are requested to park on the hill-side of the cattle grid.
Please pray for Mike as he prepares for his work here and that all the villagers in the parishes will get to know him and welcome him into our communities.
Mike's first services in Gaydon will be on 17, 20, 21 and 24 April.
Flooding Issues
The Parish Council is trying to liaise between WCC and landowners to try and address some concerns that have been raised. It is hoped that once we have received answers to the concerns progress can be made.
Banbury Road Lay-by
At our last meeting County Councillor Chris Williams told the meeting that due to the security restrictions that the Army Camp have placed on the lay-by it is not possible for a bin to be positioned there. He explained that the Army regularly litter pick the area.
Parish Plan
A Committee has been formed and this is moving forward.
Elections
5th May 2011. See notice board for more information.
Referendum
This will take place on 5th May, same day as elections.
Library Service
If you wish to have a say on the future of the library service then there is a questionnaire which can be completed on-line via Warwickshire County Council's website.
Warwickshire Community Awards 2011
This replaces the Best Kept Village Competition. There are 6 categories which communities can enter - Community Projects, Community Buildings, Communication, Community Heroes (or businesses which benefit the community), Environment and History and Heritage. Any residents requiring more information should visit www.ruralwarwickshire.org.uk or call Ariadne on 02476 217390.
Windfarm at Knightcote
We have just received confirmation that the temporary mast at Knightcote has been granted planning permission.