Just a few of the stories in October's Chipping Norton News. The full stories and many others PLUS all the regular features are in the current edition.  Price 50p

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Royal reception

Four local charity workers have been to London to visit …. Well not quite the Queen but rather HRH The Countess of Wessex the Patron of the Meningitis Trust. The four pictured here attended a reception at the Institute of Directors in Pall Mall to launch the Charity’s new Support for Life appeal. This will aim to raise £4 million over the next two years to fund critical support services for those whose lives have been devastated by meningitis and to campaign to raise awareness of the support the Trust can provide. The Countess thanked the Chipping Norton Support Group for all their hard work in raising funds for the Trust over the past 14 years.

Stags and Hens

Set in the seedy toilets of a northern Club, the Norts (the cast of twelve pictured here squeezed into the Ladies!) put on a performance of Willie Russell’s Stags and Hens at the Theatre while the Mop was in full swing outside! The plot revolves round the coincidence that bride and groom choose the same club for their respective stag and hen nights. Set in the 70s this ‘boozy comedy of wedding-eve nerves’ attracted enthusiastic audiences including several school students who were studying the play as a set text. Director Fred Clifford reassured the News that some of the stronger language had been toned down for such a family audience – a courtesy which may well have been more appreciated by accompanying parents than their teenage offspring!

Rhea guard

Dire predictions of classroom chaos proved unfounded when a South American rhea (a smaller version of an ostrich to the uninitiated) escaped from its home and was finally corralled at Chipping Norton School. PC Simon Towers who is School & Youth Officer and also (fortunately!) Wildlife Liaison Officer told the News, ‘These are potentially very dangerous animals as they have ferocious feet and claws – designed for disembowelling their prey.’ The disorientated bird was spotted in the school grounds one Friday morning soon after the start of term but according to Headteacher, Richard Graydon some ‘very sensible’ sixth formers ensured that the excitement engendered by the visitor amongst younger pupils did not develop into panic and ‘very brave’ staff cornered the bird on a pleasant piece of grass (behind bars). Assistant Headteacher, Tudor Nicholas commented on how attractive the school must be if the new intake even included South American visitors! The bird which had been spotted previously exploring the William Fowler Millennium Wood was reclaimed by its owner and returned to the security of its home along the Enstone road.

 

Off the steps and into the Hall

At a time when Witney Town Councillors are reported as introducing a ‘happy hour’ of cheaper drinks to attract more people to discos at the council-owned Langdale Hall, Chipping Norton has just dipped a gingerly toe into the ‘youth music’ scene. Event organiser Ian Nolan sent the News the following report: ‘Last month saw the first music event of its kind at the Town Hall since the early 1990s. Broke@thetownhall was run under strict Council terms by a local group of young people using the recently upgraded Town Hall. Two young bands played to a crowd of around a hundred to raise money for a skate park. The night was headlined by Worcester-based LUKASH and supported by local band Mother’s Milk – four talented musicians from Chipping Norton School who have now gone on to further performing arts/music related courses. Their zany music will be missed but maybe not their floral outfits! Security was tight and the crowd (pictured above) was dancing until midnight and left without trouble. Local people donated their time to help and costs were kept down by the kind loan of lighting equipment from The Theatre. It is hoped this will become a regular night in Chipping Norton using the town’s facilities to provide entertainment for young people.’

Ooh là là – ouch

A quiet Sunday morning down New Street almost turned into a French farce as a removal van got stuck under the entrance to Kings Head Mews. The van had come all the way from Nice in the south of France without incident. With journey’s end in sight the front of the van went in and then the back got stuck. With tyres let down it managed to squeeze through, but then got stuck again coming out. More tyres down, some broken archway roofwork, and some anxious moments saw the van out. The unlucky Chippy newcomer was Paul von Schock who has come to work as manager with Marcelo de Oliveira in the Old Mill Coffee House.

Bumper harvest at the Fox

The biggest were definitely the best at the Fox in September! You could be forgiven for thinking that Chippy was being overrun by gigantic plants as proud growers displayed their entries for the Annual Giant Vegetable Show at the Fox on 13 September. Ernie Bartlett and his committee invited John Hannis to present the prizes and together with a raffle, £123 was raised for the Lawrence Home Nursing Team. Jeff Murrel won the cup for the most 1st prizes which included a huge cabbage weighing in at 12.49 kilos (that’s 27+lb for those who still reckon in ‘real’ money!) and a marrow at 5.945 kilos. The emphasis in the judging was on weight or length (eg runner beans), not quality. We have had no word from Jeff as to whether he found enough potatoes to match his cabbage in a giant’s portion of bubble & squeak!

Rugby Club

The Mini and Junior section of Chipping Norton Rugby Club held their annual open day for new and old players on Sunday 21 September. On a glorious late summer’s day there were lots of families and budding rugby stars – turning up to find out more about the teams which run from under 6s to under 17s. Both boys and girls are welcome to join. There was a free BBQ, a bouncy castle, and a couple of dozen rugby balls to try out junior skills. The News found 3 of the Under 9s looking for lemonade at the bar. Tom Allen, Tom Bray and Alex Rycroft (right to left) have been playing for around four years already since they were 5. They reported that the club was great for mini-enthusiasts – it was ‘not just rough and tough but some really good games’. The club was after bigger teams and most importantly if you played in mini-matches you got ‘free hot dogs and burgers’. If you want to join contact Tony Cripps on 01608 641182.

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