Talkabout Spring 1990
Parish Council News
Poll Axed? At last, the Community Charge has been revealed as it affects us all in Helmdon. The charge is £355.97 per head and there are 559 of us due to put it in the Parish. The Parish Council Precept is £4,500 and this is stated on the community charge bill as £8.29 per head. ….
The greatest disturbance in the village this winter has been gales. Helmdon suffered some damage to buildings and lost a few trees. They were chiefly old ones, but the fine cedar that fell with such marvelous neatness at the Church door was in its prime. Fortunately the County Council has supplied all the young trees we asked for. Very many thanks to Richard Watson and others who planted them…. Our four prize trees for success in the Tidy Village competition are on Jenners Piece, Station Road, Church Street and near our boundary with Sulgrave. Geoffrey Gulliver has planted some parish limes and Jean Spendlove’s five-inch chestnuts by the bridle way to Weedon Lois.
Sports Club
One of the aims, this year, is to try and widen the Club’s appeal beyond just the perception of cricket. For instance the tennis club plays a very large part in the Sports Club and goes from strength to strength.
Terry Upstone has a lot to do with the overall running of the tennis section, putting in a lot of time and effort. It is hoped in the near future to acquire some more nets for the courts which sadly were damaged during the high winds and rain of recent times.
Bev Wood (secretary)
Play Equipment
The good news is that after what seems like years of planning and fundraising, we now feel like we’re actually getting somewhere! Thanks to the generosity and hard work of people of all ages in the village we have over £2,000 ready to spend on new play equipment……… Let’s make Helmdon a safe, FUN lace for Helmdon Children.
Joy Webb (chairman, PC Playground committee)
Canon Dunn Rose bowl Award
This is one of the awards in the Best kept Village or Churchyard competition and goes to the village scoring the highest combined village and churchyard marks from amongst those who were top in their district but failed to qualify for the semi-finals.
Helmdon won it last year, largely because of the noble efforts of Reg Batchelor, Eddie and Frank Branson in the churchyard. It is hoped that the bowl will be kept in the school showcase where other awards are on show.
Talkabout Autumn 1990
Parish Council News
We have asked South Northants District Council for enlargement of our parking in Station Road with parking spaces marked out and hope this can be carried out in the near future. We have had many discussions on road safety and have had many reports of bad parking of cars in the village and also of exceeding the speed limit. We hope that everyone takes not of this to save calling in the Police to sort the problem out.
We have a group of trees within the village which were considered by SNDC to be worthy of a Tree Preservation Order ad this order was confirmed on 10th August. This belt of trees – lime, oak, sycamore, beech and scots pine – stand in a field to the south of the village alongside Station Road and between No 51 and Upper Court.
Bus services. As we go to press, we are advised by Northants County Council that a new official service to Brackley is to be introduced, operating every Friday on a schedule similar to the existing one. It will call at Weston, Lois Weedon and Wappenham so we seem to have helped our neighbouring villages too.
Helmdon Tiny Tots
Meetings are held every Wednesday in the Chapel 10.00 -11.30
Over the year we have seen an increase in the number of mums and children joining the group. This had led to some lively and enthusiastic session enjoyed by mums and toddlers alike.
We have just held a very successful jumble sale where we raised £150 – many thanks to all those who donated and also to those who attended the event. The money raised will be used to buy more toys for the group.
We are always keen to see new faces, so if you are a parent with a new baby or toddler, or if you are a pregnant and would like to meet more Mums, why not pop in and see us for a coffee and chat.
Jane Barnes
TALKABOUT SPRING 1991
Sports & Social Club
The Sports & Social Club has been far from inactive during the winter months. In March a sports quiz was held and very well attended by teams from all over the county. We were able to take part in a similar quiz held by Brackley Ladies Hockey Club which we were fortunate enough to win.
Arrangements are in hand for the purchase of the Sports Field, the papers are in the hands of the solicitors, and it is hoped that the sale will be completed as soon as possible. We are hoping to increase the size of the field by purchasing an additional half acre. This will enable us to increase the facilities offered and maybe develop a hall for other facilities which along with the ground will be available for use to the whole village.
The tennis court behind Jeff’s coaches should be ready for use in May and notices regarding the use of the court will be appearing on the village notice boards.
Finally it is apparent that there is a need to run a Junior section to the Sports Club. If anyone has any ideas relating to this ie type of sport etc would you please contact Dave Bridger (Sulgrave 321)
Bev Wood (secretary)
Helmdon Against Tipping
The fight against the proposed tip on the edge of Helmdon towards its climax.
Each household in the village should have received a newsletter number 2 about the proposed tip and we were all asked to write to the Planning Inspectorate in Bristol by April 24th stating our objections.
A further meeting was to take place in the Reading Room on April 17th for villagers to confirm their opposition to the tip.
Of course you attended the meeting and wrote to the Inspectorate and now the final stage is approaching. A Public Local Enquiry to be held in Brackley Town Hall from Wednesday 29th May. It is expected to take from four to six days and your attendance during the hearing can also do nothing but good.
It has been a long haul but the successful outcome is in sight if we all make our views known.
Further entry to Newsletter …
Helmdon Against Tipping
The public meeting called for the 17 April proved to be unnecessary as we received the last minute notification that Regal Reclamation Ltd had withdrawn their appeal against the refusal of planning permission. This will of course mean that there will now be no public enquiry at Brackley. We understand from the nature conservancy council that the landowners will be entering into a management agreement with them to preserve its designation of a Site of Special Scientific Interest. We further understand that the whole of the line from Welsh Lane to Brackley has now been designated as a SSSI.
Talkabout Autumn 1991
Parish Council news
The thanks of the council go to John Snow for the work that he carries out to the War Memorial area and also to the front of the Reading room.
Also to Jack and Ann Harman who offered to take over the care of the pump area after the sudden death of Leonard Wills who had worked so well at this piece for many years. Last, but not least, is the hard work that Reg Batchelor and Frank Branson do in the Church Yard. Several years ago they both undertook this task when it was mostly a wilderness and now it is a real credit to their hundreds of hours work, which is completely voluntary.
Dog Fouling – a sub committee has been set up and in the near future we are carrying out ways of enforcing the county’s suggestions on this subject. It seems a pity that we will have to enforce by-laws, but it appears that some dog owners will not co-operate and therefore we have no alternative. It will be this council’s intention to prosecute if necessary.
Helmdon Sports Field
At the end of August, the purchase of the Sports Field was completed. For those who do not know, the field was owned by Geoff Gulliver and his family. They kindly agreed to let the Sports club have first refusal on the land when it came up for sale.
The generosity of Geoff and his family over the years regarding the use of the field and the work carried out there cannot really be expressed. Suffice to say the village owes them a great deal of gratitude.
The field has been purchased by the Sports club, although the South Northants District Council has, in fact, provided 60% of the purchase price. Both parties undoubtedly want to ensure that it is a real village amenity from now on.
The Reading Room
Hopefully, you will have noticed that the Reading Room has recently been redecorated externally, quite an item of expenditure, as you can imagine.
For some years now, the caretaker‘s house next to the Reading Room has been let on an industrial basis, providing regular income towards the upkeep of the Reading Room. The most recent tenants left in September and the possibility is now being considered of returning the house to residential use. Some internal repairs and renovations will be necessary, but the investment may well allow for a bigger return to be made.
Village Appraisal
The Village Appraisal is designed to obtain information about the problems and needs concerning vehicles in the village and traffic passing though.
Parking on pavements is a continuing problem and so is the parking on roads when households have perfectly adequate drives and/or garages which are not used for their proper purpose. If you can help by parking your vehicle off the road, please do so.
Talkabout Spring 1992
Parish council news
Village Improvements
The fabric of the Parish Church has been safeguarded for the time being and an enhanced sports field, now held in trust, will continue to be of great benefit to the village.
So will the Reading Room, recently improved and redecorated, partly with the help of volunteers.
There is an old proverb, “As fast as one door closes, another one opens.” Well, the door of The Chequers has closed, possibly for all times, but The Bell Inn remains open.
Helmdon Fellowship of Retired People
The Fellowship continues to thrive and now has 68 members.
We meet every second Friday of the month from October to April with a varied programme of speakers and entertainment.
… The monthly whist Drives continue and are advertised in the Post Office and at The Ferns, Church Street, and thanks to Mrs Davis and Anne Humphrey.
Helmdon Carnival 31st August
This year Helmdon is celebrating its 10th Carnival and to mark the occasion a Carnival Queen and her attendants will be selected at a Barn Dance to held at College Farm, Weston Road on Saturday, 6th June commencing at 8.pm. …….
…. The carnival will be opened on the sports fields by Scottish International and Patrick Thistle footballer, John Hanson, and will contain a full programme of attractions, stalls, games, exhibitions. The day will conclude with a Carnival Barn Dance, again to be held at College Farm.
Talkabout Autumn 1992
The Bridge
Several meetings have taken place with county council representatives and the following are the ideas, which it is hoped, will be implemented during the current financial year.
It may not be generally appreciated that the bridge belongs to British Rail and it is they who have decided that it should come down. They are also making funds available towards the operation and the county council is the body which will carry it out.
As a result of the traffic calming survey held throughout the village some time ago, we were clear that the vast majority of villagers wanted the bridge made safe for pedestrians and this involved crating a footpath on Jeff’s side of the bridge, joining the existing footpath on the Wappenham side to the footpath that starts outside Miss Nichols gate, with of course, a break across the entrance to Jeff’s yard.
This, and a number of other traffic calming arrangements, has been strongly pressed for in our discussions and county council representatives and it is hoped that final plans will emerge shortly.
Crime in Helmdon
At a Police Consultative meeting held in Brackley Town Hall in mid-0ctober and chaired by David Brookhouse, we were informed that there were twelve crimes reported in Helmdon during the previous twelve months.
There was one house burglary, six thefts from vehicles, one theft of a vehicle, one case of criminal damage to a vehicle and two unspecified crimes.
Talkabout Spring 1993
Parish Council News
A packed special meeting in the hall voted strongly in favour of seeking a continuous footpath over the old bridge on Jeffs side of the road and indeed this is, in fact, the wish of all members of the Parish Council.
Footpath Committee
The work of the footpath committee continues steadily. As a result of a survey of all paths within the Parish carried out by our Parish Paths warden Terry Glassett, we are implementing a policy of gradual improvements, concentrating initially on paths close to the village centre.
Following our request the County Council have provided a new footbridge over the book in Water Leys, replacing the somewhat precarious arrangement with the rotting oil can. The adjacent stile on to the bottom railway has also been replaced.
There have been two recent Sunday work parties. The first of these erected a new stile above Priory Farm on the Sulgrave Road, at the start of the path leading to the top railway at the north end of the viaduct embankment. The previous stile had been overgrown for several years. The location is marked by a new wooden finger post, again provided by the County Council. On the second occasion a new footbridge and two stiles were installed between Wicket Mead and little Rushy Ground on the path to Astwell, again replacing the decaying originals.
Mike Barnes, Footpaths Committee Chairman.
The Reading Room
The kitchen and committee room have been redecorated and are looking good. Part of the transformation is due to a group of Reading Room representatives who willingly gave up a Saturday morning to clear and clean cupboards and drawers of what seemed the dust and debris of ages. Than you to Eileen Collett, Dorothy Cernik, Sue Lidgley, Margaret Reardon, Harold Seckington, Jenny Saunders and Tony Holden. The Reading room would not exist as a going concern without this sort of voluntary help which has made, in this case the premises a more pleasant place to meet in.
Helmdon Parish Church
I should think there is unlikely to be anyone in the village who does not know that at last we have our own full time rector, shared with Syresham and Whitfield.
It gives us great pleasure to say that, in John Roberts, we have the rector we have been waiting for during the past two years. He has settled in to his work in the Parish with ease and enthusiasm and is making his presence felt at the church and in the village.
Gay Wallis, P.C. secretary
STOP PRESS – CARNIVAL
It has been decided that the local charity to benefit from the carnival this year will be the Horton General Hospital, Banbury.
And Kung Fu Master, Paul Drummond of Banbury, will attempt a suspended slab breaking world record at the Carnival. (In case you are wondering, yes he did break the record, and thanked the people of Helmdon for supporting him in the attempt.)
Talkabout Autumn 1993
The Parish Council
As could be witnessed ty the recent poster campaign, the Parish Council remains concerned with the road safety in the village. There have been bollards placed near the school to improve safety there. However it is still causing concern that people are still parking on pavements and junctions and corners. Perhaps a little more thought would improve the situation.…..
We have been given an environmental grant to improve the site at Jenner’s Piece and work will be undertaken in the not too distant future….
Congratulations to the cricket club on a very successful season in which they won three cups.
Helmdon Church
Many people have wondered about the former Rectory for some time. This is now sold and has no connection with the church any longer. However we are pleased to see it occupied again and welcome the Small family to Helmdon.
Helmdon Young Husbands Organisation
Over 400 people came to the 3rd annual HYHO Pig Roast and Barn Dance at Manor Farm on 26th June. Mr and Mrs Humphrey kindly lent their barn for a really successful evening. £1870 was raised. …..£1,150 for the School (computer equipment and musical instruments), £150 for the scouts, £150 for the youth club, £50 for the Beavers, £100 for the Playgroup, £200 for the football team, and £70 misc. charitable donations.
Previous barn dances raised £1,548 for the play equipment, £1,500 for the Church Restoration Fund and £400 for the school.
Paul Underwood
Magdalen Matters
Congratulations to Thomas Sykes who has been elected Head Boy at Magdalen College School for this academic year.
Tom is the third Helmdon boy to achieve this honour in the last four years, the fourth in the last six years. He follows Duncan Cairns, Daniel Webb and Thomas Webb.
Talkabout Spring 1994
The editor, Alan Ryalls, writes….
I think we are all agreed that a Post Office is of fundamental importance to the life of a village, as well as being the village gossip centre.
We are fortunate in Helmdon to have had a Post Office maintained for so long by Betty Davis and her husband but the time has come when they are considering retirement.
With this in mind, they have obtained planning permission to convert the present premises into four dwellings and to convert the old Bakehouse next door as a Post Office and shop. They will endeavor to ensure that the Post Office continues in the village, and whoever buys the property in due course, will be encouraged to accept the continuation of the Post Office in its new premises. But the crunch question will be whether anyone is prepared to take on the responsibility of actually running the Post Office. It behoves all of us with the village at heart to consider the problem and see if we can contribute in any way to its solution.
In the meantime, our thanks to Betty and her helpers for serving us so well for so long.
Neighbourhood Watch Scheme
I am pleased to report that a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme has been formed for Helmdon. With the ever increasing crime rate both nationally and locally, I felt it was important to have a scheme for the village, not only to detect crime but to further the community spirit. I have started the scheme with myself as co-ordinator and a team of nine contact persons. The contact persons each have an area of the village allocated to them, and any suspicious activities seen by residents should be reported to the contact or directly to the police at Daventry. To get an idea of the value of a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in a village, two drug dealers were arrested recently in villages close to Helmdon, thanks to the vigilance of people in the scheme.
David Brookhouse (District Councillor)
Talkabout Autumn 1994
The Parish Council
The Parish Council has achieved the distinction of being in existence for 100 years this year but along with many other Parish Councils, your Parish Council has decided not to mark it with any special event, as there appeared to be nothing practical to embrace the whole of the village and saw little point in wasting money in a frivolous gesture.
… We still continue to be concerned about the speed of traffic along Welsh Lane and have made our view known to the Highway’s Authority. There is also concern at the speed of the traffic though the village and we ask villagers to enable us to maintain the village as a safe home for all of us.
Helmdon youth Club
We are sorry to report that the Junior section has had to be disbanded because of lack of additional helpers and outside commitments of existing committee members. Having said that, the Senior Section for children at Secondary School is still up and running and as popular as ever. The summer months have seen many sporting activities, including football, rounders, archery, fencing and swimming – even a talk and film sow on Suba diving. This term has got off to a good start with a Quaser Laser event at the Reading Room for children of all ages…..
…. We hope you enjoy the club and keep on coming.
Mike Bradford, Janet French, Mo Underwood, Dave Watson, Rosemary Gulliver and Viv Curl.
Helmdon Young Husbands Organisation
The HYHO Barn Dance in June again was well attended and extremely good value. Thanks are due to John Everett for the overall organisation. Also to everyone who came, those who helped and the suppliers of the low cost food. Special thanks to the Watson family for the use of the barn.
Again, local organisations will benefit from the profits. The full list is, Helmdon School (£200), Youth Club (£200), Church Fabric Fund (£150), Scouts, Cubs and Beavers (£100 each), Playgroup (£50), footballs for the Saturday and Sunday afternoon teams (£50) and equipment for the Saturday morning team (£50).
Following the event, any unused food was polished off at the Family Barbecue, with the chefs paying scant regard to the sell-by dates. We now have a stock of high quality barbecue implements and stainless steel bowls, for any groups of individuals that would like to use them.
The annual Cycling Pub Crawl was even more strenuous than usual, and may well have accounted for the loss of the Tug of War Trophy at the Carnival. Another disappointment was the second place for the HYHO float, which was in remarkably good taste for a change. The centrepiece of the float was expected to bring victory, especially after the Young Wives committee had spent their valuable time modelling for it. Chris Gartside
Talkabout Spring 1995
The Helmdon Fellowship
At the Autumn General Meeting it was decided to open the membership of the FFellowship to all residents in the village over sixty years of age, whether retired or not. Therefore the Helmdon Fellowship of Retired People is no more, but the Helmdon Fellowship continues as a flourishing village organisation which has a had a particularly successful year, with more members now attending meetings than for a year or so.
Anyone for Tea?
When the Post Office opened in the Reading Room, it was felt that some social amenity, which had been present in the original office, would be lost – an opportunity to chat with friends and acquaintances that now would not be present. To her great credit, Jean Urban thought of an idea, and followed it through, to give a community service to those visiting the Reading Room. She organized a rota of helpers for every hour the Reading Room Post Office is open, to provide tea, coffee and biscuits and without doubt, it is extremely successful. Many welcome the opportunity to combine their Post Office business with a relaxing “cuppa”. Thank you Jean and to the many volunteers, it is much appreciated.
What is Going On At The Railway Cutting?
Many people have been asking “What is going on at the old railway cutting?”
As most of the village is aware, the cutting from the bridge in Station Road to the Welsh Lane was the centre of controversy a few years back when it was proposed to fill the cutting with waste. Following the refusal of the planning application the cutting was designated an SSSI (Site of Special Specific Interest). This was to protect the rare and rather special nature of the grasses and associated wildlife. The site is now managed u der the guidance of English Nature with the full co-operation of the landowner, Ben Humphrey.
So why are all the trees being cut down and sheep allowed to graze? Is this not going to destroy the habitat? Well, the answer is just the opposite. As English Nature explained, “If the trees are allowed to grow they will take over and the grassland and its associated wildlife will disappear”. Now that some of the bushes and trees have been removed the grass will remain but it still needs to be managed by animal grazing.
So the answer to the question is “It’s all part of a carefully balanced management scheme to protect Helmdon’s SSSI”.
For those unfamiliar with the site why not take a walk along the footpath which starts at the bridge and runs part way above the cutting? The walk is waymarked and can be continued from the cutting by turning left across the fields, coming out to the Falcutt road by way f Donkey Lane and then back to the village past the Church. T.R.G.
The Church Yard
Some of you have seen the fine teak seat which has been set in the churchyard, south of the church and with its back to Falcutt lane. This part of the churchyard is now set aside for burial of the cremated remains of anyone who has a right of burial in Helmdon……
The Friends of St Mary Magdalene
In late 1994 St Mary Magdalene Church in Helmdon received an inspection report from the architects. It made for very grim reading.
The first paragraph began…”Since the last report a significant programme of repairs has been carried out” but ended in the statement …”Now an urgent need for repairs here”.
…. The report listed thirty one items requiring immediate attention because of Erosion… Cracking … Rusting …Breaking Away … and Crumbling. Some of these will obviously involve minor expenditure, for example re-covering of the name roof, treating timers, repair of monuments, repointing and repair glazing…. We need help fast!
Talkabout Autumn 1995
Helmdon Women’s Club
Another interesting and informative year has been enjoyed by the Helmdon Women’s Club. We are pleased to let you know that some of our funds from the sale of our book have been used for the restoration of the church gate and to celebrate our Silver Jubilee, a tapestry kneeler has been stitched by Margaret Reardon on behalf of the club.
At the Helmdon Carnival this year we were pleased to win the best float competition Our themese was “Vera Lynn and the White Cliffs of Dover”..….
War Memorial
Congratulations to the Parish Council on the repair and renovation of Helmdon’s war memorial. It is a prominent feature in the village and it is now, once again easy to read the names of those who lost their lives in both world wars.
The replacement of the broken posts was long overdue but they and the chains are once more in place so the site is complete. We are lucky to have the ar memorial grounds so well maintained, thanks to John Snow and, of course, to Sue Lidgley who looks after the roses and spring flowers as well.
Alan Ryalls
Helmdon Flower & Vegetable Show 1995
We had another very busy and rewarding show again this year,. The display of garden kitchen and all manner of creative projects was again delightful to browse through.
The overall show winner both the vegetable and fruit cup and the flower cup was again Jack Ayres. The overall winner for the home produce cup was, also, for another year in succession, Doreen England – both worthy and deserving winners……
The Friends of St Mary Magdalene
At the end of its first year in existence, the Friends of St Mary Magdalene were much heartened by the grant of £14,500 from English Heritage which represents 50% of the estimated costs of repairing the roof.
There followed a successful summer of events at which the following sums were raised:
The Safari Supper £320, The Open Gardens £692, The Cream teas and Croquet afternoon £176, The Concert by the Banbury Strings £345.
In addition to this a donation of £86 was made after a garden party held for the Fellowship of Retired People at the home of Mr and Mrs David Brookhouse and the Helmdon Young Husbands donated £300 from the proceeds of the Farm Dance held in June.
This brings the total raised to date from donations, fund raising and grants ti just over £20,000.
Starting work on the roof of the nave is now a matter of some urgency ad should start in the spring. There is clearly some way to go in reaching our initial target of £40,000 to carry out the urgent repairs we are much encouraged by the support that has been given by the village and supporters from further afield..…..
Moira Myers (Chairman), David Derbyshire Vice Chairman and Vanessa Vickers
Helmdon Parish Church
The varied life of the Parish Church continues to flourish. The Sunday School is now firmly established and taken for granted. The nave is filling with beautifully embroidered kneelers. The exquisite new wedding kneeler has been broken in. Money for the roof is being raised gradually. Time honoured traditional events as well as newer, less familiar ones, fill our calendars.
One new venture (an old one revived) is the hand bell ringing group which meets at Edith Shellard’s home on Saturday mornings, The band of church bell ringers, trained by Whitfield’s Ian Chappell, goes from strength to strength……
Helmdon Children’s Activity Area Appeal
During the summer, a group of interested parents who wanted to see the play area improved joined forces in an attempt to improve and extend the facilities of the existing activity equipment on the school playing field.
Unfortunately, almost immediately after we had got together, more damage was done to the existing equipment. The Parish Council has recently paid out £200 to replace the rope ladder and scramble net – which is, of course, money that could be put to more valuable use. The Parish Council’s policy is now to immediately involve the police and if a child or children are found to be responsible, their parents will be presented with the replacement or repair bill. The police were contacted about the recent burning and cutting of the rope and if further damage is done, they will carry our interviews with a number of children.
1st Helmdon Scout Group
Helmdon is one of the few villages that is fortunate enough to maintain a scout group where boys from Helmdon and the surrounding villages can participate in activities by joining Cubs or Scouts. Not only do the boys enjoy these weekly meetings which are held at the Reading Room but also we, as a community, reap some of the benefits……….. Christmas Card Delivery for senior citizens, Carol singing for charity, helped clear a footpath to Astwell with footpath committee, Tea party for kidney research at the PO in the Reading Room, installed toilet tens at church fete, marquee erected at school fete (at very short notice!), plant stall, barbeque open to everyone on school field….
…… Unfortunately the Beaver section which has been thriving has now closed, due to the lack of additional trained leaders.
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