Land Girls Drama Filmed at Whitley Farm

The BBC will be showing a new five-part period drama, the 'Land Girls', starring Bleak House actor Nathaniel Parker, which follows the lives of four girls who work for the Women's Land Army (WLA).

Land Girls was shot at Whitley Farm, Edge Lane and the cast and crew used the White Swan for their refreshments.

Against the backdrop of war-weary Forties Britain, Land Girls is set on the Hoxley estate as the girls balance their working lives at the run-down Pasture Farm and the opulent Hoxley Manor.
 
The drama will be shown on 5 consecutive days at 5.15pm, commencing on Monday 7 September, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the start of the Second World War .

Liam Keelan, BBC daytime controller, said: “I’m delighted to be able to place Land Girls at this time of the day as part of a unique week of programming. We hope to pay tribute, not only to the many lives that were lost in the Second World War, but also to the land girls who played such an important role on the home front. We hope it’ll be seen by as wide an audience as possible.”

A week-long series of programmes will focus on everyday heroes, from families who took in evacuees to ordinary people who ran into bombed buildings to save their neighbours. Tony Benn, Lionel Blair and Leslie Phillips will also share their memories of growing up in London during the war.

Annie, played by Christine Bottomley, is the oldest in her family and has always been the responsible one. The other girls naturally turn to her as they try to survive the day to day trials and tribulations of the WLA. Annie feels as though she herself has no one to turn to and quietly tries to deal with her own personal problems from which she feels she has no escape.

Summer Strallen plays Nancy, a cosseted rich girl conscripted into the WLA against her will, who desperately misses her family home comforts and would much rather be out having fun. Jo Woodcock plays Bea, Annie's little sister. Bea has lied about her age to sign up for the land girls and join her big sister on her adventure. Unfortunately her innocence will land her in hot water.

Becci Gemmell is Joyce, a happily married woman who is fiercely patriotic and eternally optimistic, but Joyce knows the true cost of war as she has already lost her family in a bombing and she's terrified of losing her husband as he's just about to finish his RAF training and be posted on his first mission.

Sophie Ward plays Lady Ellen Hoxley, the Lady of the Manor. She busies herself organising the girls and trying to rally funds for the war as she maintains the façade of a happy marriage. The arrival of one particular land girl will change her life forever.

Lord Lawrence Hoxley, played by Nathaniel Parker, is a celebrated hero from the First World War with a dark secret of his own. Totally trapped in his role as Lord of the Manor he finds that life can be unpredictable in wartime.

Katherine Jenkins, the Welsh singer, will also present a new BBC One series to accompany the drama in the tea time slot. Michael Aspel will join the singer in the 'Week We Went to War' to talk about his wartime experience as a child. Both programmes will be shown on BBC One during the same week.

Photo BBC

Support Grows for New Allotment & Gardening Club

The newly formed Henley-in-Arden Allotments and Gardening Club (HAAGC) has held its inaugural meeting and discussed a range of topics including its Constitution, election of Officers, communications, donations and plans for the future.

The Objectives of the Club were agreed to be:

• To maintain and develop facilities for gardening and allotment sites.
• To enable members to enjoy the activity of gardening and allotments.
• To enable a healthy and rewarding pastime enriching people's lives.
• To preserve local green spaces for the community of Henley-in-Arden.
• To foster an allotment and gardening spirit.
• To create synergies and alliances with other like minded organisations.
• To create a network where members can communicate with each other in order to exchange ideas, exchange produce and flowers, share equipment, seek advice and help.

A number of donations including a shed, a large quantity of gardening books, compost bins and gardening equipment have been received. We would like to thank Sue Osborne, Mr and Mrs Alan Titchener, Ann Nicholds, and Mr and Mrs Chris Milsom for their kind generosity.

Discussions are ongoing with the Town Improvement Committee regarding the possible provision of new allotment/gardening sites located on the Memorial Playing Fields shown right. Members are particularly keen to ensure future sites have easy access for the disabled.

Officers of the HAAGC have approached Henley in Bloom to explore how the HAAGC could help Henley in Bloom and vice versa.

A good example of how two members (unknown to each other) have benefited from membership occurred recently. One member was moving house and wanted to re-home some surplus koi carp fish. This member was put in contact with another member who was keen to get some fish for their garden pond. A mutually beneficial exchange took place!!!

The HAAGC would like to thank Henley NEWS On-line for their enthusiastic support in making their readers aware of the new club.

The HAAGC is open to everyone with an interest in gardening and membership is FREE. Click Here for Application Form

Stephen Dorow, Secretary, HAAGC

Men’s Group Closure Threatened

Henmen, a group of retired men who meet at The Hub on Thursday mornings, expressed their thanks today to Stratford College for their steadfast support for nearly 10 years. In particular they wish to thank Jean Bunn who had been their tutor over that time. Unfortunately Stratford College has had to embark on a cost cutting exercise which has meant that they can no longer provide the financial support for the group. The group promotes social interaction between retired men who live in Henley and the surrounding district. It promotes activities which provide support and provide practical advice for its members.

The meetings on a Thursday have cookery lessons, support for using IT, advice sessions for financial, health and personal matters directly arising from the situations in which our members find themselves. The club also arranges a summer trip and a Christmas lunch.

We are looking to recruit new members who live in the Beaudesert and Henley Joint Parish Council Area and Wootton Wawen. There is often the possibility of arranging lifts to the centre by contacting Danny (details below).

There is an important meeting on Thursday 17th September 2009 at 11.00 am at The Hub, Henley-in-Arden Youth and Community Centre. The meeting will consider whether Henmen can continue without the support of the college. This year they also failed to gain a grant from the Joint Parish Council. The group is looking for a volunteer who would come to their sessions and teach them to cook new meals.

The Chair of the Management Committee of the Centre, Peter Crathorne, said, “The committee was disappointed that financial support had been withdrawn and were urgently looking into alternative sources of income to make sure the group would survive. The group will continue in any case up until Christmas. What will happen after that depends on finding a new benefactor.”

For further Information contact: Danny Jones 794883.

To offer help contact Peter Crathorne 795470

'Is Your Community Future Proof?' asks Linda

Do you have a mix of housing, local jobs, shops, a pub, a village hall, recreational facilities, allotments and public transport?

Is your village subject to flooding and what are you doing about it? Are your homes energy efficient? Are you enhancing the natural environment, growing your own food, generating power from sustainable sources, reducing car mileage, recycling, reusing and reducing waste?

If you are not but want to learn more then Warwickshire RCC invites you to attend our autumn Conference and talk to Warwickshire’s pioneering activists.

Senior Field Officer Linda Ridgley, photo right, says “Whilst the world warms and governments generate more hot air talking about what needs to be done to combat global warming, peak oil and to mitigate the effects of climate change, out in the Warwickshire countryside there are many active groups already addressing the problems.”

Saturday 31st October 2009
10am to 4pm
at Ettington Village Hall.

The event is FREE.

Please tell us if you are attending and if you want lunch. Contacts: 02476 303232 or Email: stevep@wrccrural.org.uk

At the crossroads – re-visited

During the recent Sunday Special events held at the Heritage Centre over the Summer Holiday period, participants were reminded of the most successful event held in 2008 for Court Leet Day. ‘At The Crossroads’ was a community arts event that helped to launch the Henley Community Arts. The community worked with a local professional community theatre writer and historian Fergus Durrant, pictured right, of Sez U Theatre Co. He helped us create a series of performances to take place in various historic/cultural/social places throughout Henley. The audience was invited in small groups to move between the venues and witness certain events and moments that are ‘a thousand moments of Henley’. The experience was recorded and has become a new and rich source for the local heritage centre, local drama societies, youth club and schools.

The Henley Community Arts devised the idea and researched interest through their broad network of the community. The arts group membership is a broad-based group of people from the local community. The groups who supported the project are inter-generational and cross cultural. They include: The Hub – Henley Youth Club, Methodist Church, Court Leet,  Rotary Club, Henley Drama Society, Henley Community Arts, Henley Heritage Centre, Primary Schools and Henley-in-Arden High School along with other key people who have volunteered their services.

About 50 adults and young people worked together, the oldest was 70+ the youngest about 6 years old. Working with a professional writer allowed them to draw on his skills and visions and it was a vital part of the event. The work was professionally filmed and this is kept at the Henley Heritage Centre. The work was both historical and contemporary and it encouraged the different generations to have a better mutual understanding.

The performance of the plays took place in four venues. At St Nicholas Church “the Battle of Evesham”, an inside look at the wives and children of Henley who were left behind when the men of Henley went to fight at Evesham, was portrayed. At the Parish Hall we were treated to a glimpse of the experiences of members of the Royal Observer Corps in the Second World War on the night Coventry was bombed. In the Guild Hall we peered into the visit of American Tourists to our historical treasure. The project commenced with a brave outdoor performance of  “The Crayfish Army” – a fanciful exploration of the relationship between the River Alne and the townsfolk over the years. This was presented by the River Alne near to the Medical Centre. The whole project was acclaimed by all as a great success. The last few copies of the brilliant DVD are on sale at the Heritage Centre.

Henley Community Arts has not enjoyed so much success. It has been unable to recruit new officers and the interest in the committee has dwindled. A new plan has been formulated, a new set of rules slimming down the administrative organisation have been produced. These will be launched at a meeting to which everyone is invited on 24th September 2009. The meeting will be at 6.00pm at Henley High School. Henley needs this group to drive the cultural life of our thriving town to a new level. If you would like to be part of this please contact Sonia Lewis slewis@henleyhigh.com (792364). Read the new rules

HADS triumph with Peter Pan

The other week saw a summer production in the Memorial hall of Peter Pan by the Henley-in-Arden Drama Society (HADS). This was the first summer event by HADS for a number of years, and the original concept was to stage it in the Guildhall Garden. However, this was decided against on a number of counts, mainly the unpredictable weather we have been experiencing this summer (although in the event it would have been OK). There would also have been some staging issues now parts of the garden have matured somewhat.

Although transferred to the Memorial Hall, the aim was to keep the outdoor atmosphere as much as possible, and everyone was encouraged to bring a picnic to have during the show. This proved very popular, and may be repeated in future productions. The hall also lent itself to more technology than would have been possible in the Garden, not least of which is the fact that it would stay dry!

The production was very well received, and deservedly so, as the large cast turned in strong performances across the board. Belief had to be suspended from time to time, although this proved no bar to the children who were lapping up every moment, many dressed for the part as well!

The production was adapted for HADS by Ray Evans, who also Directed, ably assisted by Sue who designed the production and costumes (no mean feat given the numbers). Ray and Sue are moving to Cornwall in the near future, so this will be their last production with HADS and we wish them well for the future. HADS’ loss will be Cornwall’s gain. They will be sorely missed.

It was a splendid event, sorry if you missed it.

Tony Capps - Drama Correspondent

Fun Day to Celebrate College’s New £2m Sports Hall

Warwickshire College is pleased to announce that the brand new £2m Sports Hall is now open to the public and to celebrate this fantastic new facility and to promote healthy living and lifestyle in the local community, they are hosting a free fun day of activities on Saturday 5th September 2009, from10am-5pm.

Helen Pennells, Sports Facilities Manager, said: “Activities will range from basketball, aerobics and netball to ‘school sports day’ style races for adults and juniors including egg and spoon and sack races. There will be discounted Spa treats in store as well as face painting, bouncy castle, refreshments and much more. So grab your sports kit or simply some friends or family members and come and enjoy the fun. It is hoped that this much needed sports facility will not only benefit our students but will prove to be a valuable addition to the local community”.

The new building which is open to the public comprises a sports hall the size of four badminton courts, aerobics studio, Olympic weights room and state of the art sports equipment.

It is expected the sports hall will become a popular venue for teams of cricket, netball, basketball, volleyball and 5 a side football. Exercise and fitness classes, trampolining, martial arts and badminton court hire will also be available.

To find out more information please contact the college on 01564 797811 or visit www.warkscol.ac.uk/sportshall for a full schedule of activities.

End of an era at Henley Medical Centre

It is with regret that we have to report Dr Richard Seymour Mead has hung up his stethoscope after 33 years serving the community of Henley-in-Arden and its neighbouring villages.

He arrived fresh faced in 1976 and started work at 84 High Street (Cromwell House) after the moving on of Dr Bob Ackroyd to Canada. The residing Partner was Dr Tom Gunn, a real character from Northern Ireland, ably assisted by the pristine Sister Daykin (ex matron from Stratford Hospital). Things were very different then, no computers, no printers for prescriptions, no mobile telephones and a very different set of working conditions from today. He worked a one in two rota with Tom and when Tom was on holiday found himself working 24/7 for a couple of weeks at a time. Without the use of mobile telephones the doctor’s wife (Alison) had to man the phones and hang around every other weekend, a real tie for the whole family.

Well, things moved on slowly with the introduction of the first computers and the slow sorting out of the 6,000 paper held records. The Practice size has not varied over this time, still standing at 6,200. Richard has always been keen to embrace new technology and kept up to date with changing medical practice and patient expectation. He has been the leader in the Practice over the thirty odd years pushing it forward to cope with the 21st Century.

Probably the biggest feather in his long medical career was the design and building of our fine Medical Centre. Working from an old Hotel (The Bear) on the High Street with steps, low ceilings and sloping floors (particularly the one in his consulting room) and no space, it was time for a change. Unfortunately it took many years and changes of plans and sites before work could finally start on its present site. Richard was instrumental in the planning and building and it was a very proud moment when it was opened in 1990 by Councillor Les Harris.

Richard has also contributed much to the medical policy making in Warwickshire, sitting on the local medical committee representing the interests of Henley to secure local services such as physio, chiropody and psychology. He sat on various sub-committees and was lead for cancer services in South Warwickshire for a number of years.

As a colleague and partner he has been an example to work with. He has always practised medicine to a high standard and expected his colleagues to do the same. He has kept the Practice team “on its toes” and demanded a high professional standard of our receptionists, secretaries, nurses and administrative staff which has obviously benefited the people of Henley. One of his strengths has been Dermatology, Minor Surgery and Cryotherapy which many people of Henley have benefited from with treatment of warts, minor lumps and bumps and skin cancers.

On a lighter note an enduring memory of the team was the production of a cloud of steam from his room as he had quietly poured the remaining liquid nitrogen down the sink adding boiling water.

I am sure many of you have memories of RSM and would like to wish him a long and happy retirement on the golf course and real tennis court in the company of his wife Alison. He will be missed by the team at Henley Medical Centre.

Linda Clemson reporting

Mrs Teresa Gunn died peacefully, on Sunday 30th August at the age of 97. Her funeral will take place at St Nicholas' Church on Wednesday 9th September. She will be remembered at the Guild Hall Gardens between 12 and 1 on the same day. Everyone is welcome to drop in.

Quality Hair & Beauty Treatments at a Discount

Many local residents may not be aware that the college has excellent salons offering a full programme of quality hair and beauty treatments carried out by students under the full supervision of highly qualified staff members. The students constantly need to develop their skills and therefore new clients are always very welcome.

All the prices are very competitive and in line with the following examples : Hair cut and blow dry from £7.50 : Hair colouring from £12.00 : Facials from £12.50 : Pedicures from £8.00 : Manicures from £6.00. Aromatherapy, massage, waxing and waving are amongst the many additional services available.

Hair treatments are for ladies only but facials, manicures and pedicures are also available for men.

Car parking is free and bookings can be made from 14th September onwards. For more details, prices or to make an appointment telephone 01564 797830.

David Hadley reporting

Henley Churches' Events in September

THE LEPROSY MISSION (TLM) works to address all the problems related to Leprosy, clinics for treatment, physiotherapy, job training and education about prevention. Despite huge efforts Leprosy continues to destroy the lives of thousands every year in India, Africa and other countries. The congregation at St. John’s supports TLM throughout the year through their monthly charity envelope scheme and by collecting foreign and unusual stamps (box at the back of St. John’s Church).

A COFFEE MORNING AND BRING AND BUY to help raise funds for TLM will be held on Saturday 5th September from 10.30am to 12 noon at 114 High Street. The following Sunday 13th September a speaker from TLM will be telling us more about the work to combat this disease and how our money can help – at St. Nicholas Church at 8.00am and at St. John’s Church at 10.00am.  Everyone welcome to any of these events.

HARVEST SUPPER in the church Hall at 7.00pm on Friday 2nd October.

ST. JOHN’S SOCIALS & FELLOWSHIP GROUP: Saturday 5th December – Quiz Night in the Church Hall (note change of date). Teams of 4 are invited from organisations in the town, groups of friends and/or families to join us. £6 per person to include Ploughman’s Supper. Tickets from Diane Bayley (01789 488209).

HENLEY METHODIST CHURCH
September is when we like to celebrate Harvest Festival, in our case with morning and evening worship on Sunday 27th, followed on Tuesday 29th at 7.30pm by the Harvest Supper.

Sunday Services all at 11.00am are: 6th – Mrs Sheila Brown; 13th – Revd. Robert J. Powell (Sacrament); 20th – United Harvest Service at Baptist Church; 27th – Harvest Festival, 11.00am Revd. Ian Mead; 6.30pm Mrs. Elizabeth Harrison. The Baby Group meets every Monday 10.30am.

Click here to read the latest Parish Church Newsletter

John Pudney - Religious Affairs Correspondent

Johnsons 20/20 Charity Cricket Match

During a beautiful sunny evening recently a Johnsons XI took on a Henley Cricket Club XI as part of their cricket week & Johnsons Centenary charity fund raising.

Unfortunately Henley CC capitalised on their advantage (of actually having people in their team who had played cricket) and scored 161 for 7 after their 20 overs. Johnsons then batted, trying their best to scare the opposition, but despite their best efforts were all out for paltry 49; the directors, Pete & John, added to this crisis by both being out for naught.

Shown in the photograph are members of both teams plus supporters. Special thanks to all those who came to support, play, help, watch and laugh. Over £120 was raised for the Warwickshire Air Ambulance. Johnsons running total for the Air Ambulance in its centenary is just about £7,000 but still work to do. See you at our fun day.

Pete Johnson reporting

Mat Storms Silverstone with Two Wins and a Podium

30 August 2009: Henley-In-Arden’s Mat Jackson was the star of the British Touring Car Championship round at Silverstone today, taking two wins and a podium at the famous Northamptonshire circuit.

“What a day!” said Mat, 28 years-old. “To get a win and a podium in the first two races was fantastic but the final victory from seventh on the grid was awesome. That’s two meetings in a row that I’ve finished on the podium in every race.... not something that many drivers can boast.”

The Racing Silverline driver claimed pole position in Saturday’s qualifying session – setting a new lap record along the way – and drove to a fantastic victory in race one. Despite succumbing to the faster-starting rear-wheel drive BMW at the start, Mat got his RML-run Chevrolet Lacetti past with a spectacular manoeuvre on his way to a second consecutive win.

“We had the pace to control the race but it was a challenge,” said Mat. “The move on Rob Collard’s BMW was one of those ‘I’m coming through and there’s nothing you can do about it’ moves. After my win last time out at Knockhill it was great to maintain that performance. The Lacetti has not let us down, it hasn’t missed a beat today.”

Mat started the second race from the front row of the grid, but with the heaviest car thanks to maximum success ballast, he was passed by team-mate Jason Plato. As rain started to fall during the second half of the race Mat’s Lacetti was usurped by title protagonist Fabrizio Giovanardi and he crossed the line in third place for his second podium finish of the day.

“Obviously the weight made things a bit more difficult,” said Mat, “and the long wheelbase of Giovanardi’s Vauxhall really came into its own in those conditions so it wasn’t possible to hold him off.”

Starting race three from seventh on the grid Mat was targeting a podium finish but he went even better and took a thrilling win, setting fastest lap along the way. A superb start saw him in fourth by the end of the first lap having passed Formula 1 star Johnny Herbert at the first corner and he soon picked off the competition to put himself in second by lap four. Once again behind race one rival Collard Mat got past with another brilliant move at Brooklands and withstood the pressure of the BMW to take the flag.

Added to his 1-2-3 haul from Knockhill, today's results mean that Mat has moved himself into fifth overall in the points standings with a tally of 137 – just 16 points away from early title contender Matt Neal of Vauxhall.

“Two races ago I was eleventh in the standings, now I’m fifth and hunting Matt Neal,” said Mat. “It’s fantastic given the fact that I missed the first round and have had some awful bad luck and mechanical dramas this year. And there are still six races to go!”

Mat, who is also backed by Paul Castle Consultancy, Matchthedeal.com, Auto Windscreens and Pinnacle Transportation, now prepares for the penultimate round of the 2009 season at Rockingham on 20 September.

Make Henley Greener
Save Money - Help Save the Planet

1 - US & China Agree to Cooperate on Climate Change and Energy.

Reported in the September edition of Energy World the US Department of Energy says that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been signed committing the US and China to reaching successful international agreements to address the climate change problem. The countries will cooperate to accelerate the transition to a sustainable low carbon global economy.

The MOU specifically mentions promotion of energy efficiency, renewable energy, electric vehicles and other energy technologies. The two countries will establish an ongoing dialogue about what each is doing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Between them the US and China account for about one third of world greenhouse gas emissions so this announcement of cooperation to reduce emissions is really good news.

2 - UK Government publishes consultation document on Feed in Tariffs

The full title of the document is ‘Consultation on Renewable Electricity Financial Incentives 2009’ and It can be found on a special web page about this consultation on the Department of Energy and Climate Change website.

The Feed In Tariffs (FITs) will come into effect in April 2010. Their aim is to provide better financial support for small scale renewable electricity such as wind turbines, micro hydro and solar electricity. The support mechanism will be simpler than the existing renewable obligation certificates (ROCs) and provide a guaranteed income per kWh generated over the 20 years between 2010 and 2030. The FITs are intended to produce rates of return on capital of around 5 to 7% and in some cases apparently considerably more (see later). They are available to householders and community energy groups. The actual tariff level depends on the renewable source and installed capacity. For solar electricity the proposed figure for small systems is 36.5p per kWh generated plus 5p per kWh exported. For medium sized wind turbines between 1.5 and 15 kW, the FIT is 23p per kWh plus 5p for exports. The lower FIT for wind turbines does not mean lower returns; in fact the contrary is true. This is because the electricity generated by a given capital investment in wind is usually considerably greater than that for solar.

Example calculations can be seen by clicking here. The full Tariff table can be found on page 83 of the consultation document.

Since Henley is low lying the yield from small domestic wind turbines will be poor so they will not be a good investment. However, the possibility of community owned larger turbines now seems worth investigating. I would be interested to hear from anyone with a potential site which is highish and windy. Similarly, anyone with a weir in a brook or river might have a good micro hydro possibility. If you are interested in developing or investing in renewable energy sources call me on 01564 792251.

John Stott - Make Henley Greener

John Garner's Business Column

A Modern Parable

A Japanese car company and an American auto maker decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River. Both teams practised long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race. On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.

The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action. Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American team had 7 people steering and 2 people rowing.

Feeling a deeper study was in order the American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion.

They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the boat while not enough people were rowing.

Not sure of how to utilise that information but wanting to prevent another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team's management structure was totally reorganised to 4 steering supervisors, 2 area steering superintendents and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager.

They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 2 people rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the 'Rowing Team Quality First Program,' with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rowers. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses. The pension programme was trimmed to 'equal the competition' and some of the resultant savings were channelled into morale boosting programmes and teamwork posters.

The next year the Japanese won by two miles.

Humiliated, the Americans laid-off one of the rowers, halted development of a new canoe, sold all the paddles and cancelled all capital investment for new equipment. The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses.

The next year, try as he might, the lone designated rower was unable to even finish the race (having no paddles) so he was laid off for unacceptable performance, all canoe equipment was sold and the next year's racing team was outsourced to India.

The rest is history: the Japanese company grew to be the largest car manufacturer in the world and the American company had to be bailed out by the government.

John Garner - Business Correspondent

Stratford District Council

Planning Applications - Search on-line Stratford on Avon District Council Website

Laurence Marshall

Stephen Thirlwell