KBS café
The café was founded in 2005 by Anne Curtis and Jenny Weaving, and they were later joined by Jenny Bone. It was felt that it should be run under the auspices of St John the Baptist Church, particularly as the church room was going to be used for the café. Having visited other church-based cafes and got some ideas of how to run the café, the ladies decided to make the atmosphere as welcoming as possible.
The original team decided to serve tea, coffee, and hot chocolate and we still do. Cakes were, and still are, mainly home-made - we have a regular supply of cakes from villagers.
In September 2006, the team decided to move the café to the Methodist Church, in the middle of the village. It was felt that if it was in a more central location, more people might be encouraged to pop in for a cuppa and a slice or two of cake!
After a few months, Jenny W and Anne felt that it was time to move on, and so Carole Watts and Mel Gulliford, who had been long-standing customers at the original café, volunteered to step on board and become full-time members of the team. Due to personal circumstances, Carole Watts, Mel Gulliford and Jenny Bone have now stepped down from volunteering at the Café.
We celebrate our birthday in May each year, usually with a home-made birthday cake complete with candles.
The café has always made a small profit which now goes back to the Church. We are always grateful to receive offers of home-made cakes, and we are delighted if people volunteer to either help set up or pack away at the end of the morning. We are open every Thursday (come rain, shine, sleet, or snow) from 9am till 12 noon ay Southmoor Village Hall, Draycott Road.
Thanks must go to all the villagers who have supported us over the last 18 years - we really couldn't do it without you! And long may the KBS Café continue!
"We are friends you haven't yet met"
Caroline Ashby (820936)
Ruth Hastings (821386)
Citizens Advice: fighting negative budgets with positive help
The rising cost of living and debt hardship in recent years is a familiar story, but very recently the issue has become alarming enough to reach the condition of a national emergency. This is why Citizens Advice has brought some entirely new vocabulary into play, declaring in recent publicity that five million people in this country (one in 15 households) are living on “negative budgets” – in other words, they have nothing in the bank and are in permanent debt. Another 2.3 million people only manage to stay out of debt by cutting back even on living essentials. They know that once their bank accounts dip below zero it takes an extraordinary effort to climb out of the pit.
Citizens Advice says that the biggest cause of negative budgets is rising housing costs, but there are other factors such as higher energy bills, and salaries and benefits that cannot keep pace with inflation.
If you are in debt yourself and locked in battle against creditors and the cost of necessities, remember that Citizens Advice Oxfordshire South and Vale is there to help you. Our experienced advisers can work through your income and spending and set a personal budget that meets your basic needs while also setting a plan for paying off your debts in the long term. We can find out whether you are entitled to benefits, or enhanced benefits, and discuss whether you could do something to increase your earnings. We can point you in the direction of money helper websites or “breathing space” schemes. So don’t despair, but get in touch with us right away.
Call our local Adviceline on 0808 278 7907 or our national Debt Helpline on 0800 240 4420. And have a look at https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk Free, confidential and impartial advice is always available.
Family days out for adultsWith so many well-known attractions in Oxford we have mainly concentrated on places outside the usual tourist circuit. Let us know of other ideas. It is advisable to check details beforehand. As opening times, weblinks etc., change, if you discover any errors in our information, please advise us of these changes.
Within a SIX mile radius:STATELY HOMES and other buildings. Kingston Bagpuize House and garden Kingston Bagpuize, OX13 5AY. Tel: 01865 820 259 Website: www.bothy-vineyard.co.uk/
LOCAL WALKS 1. Local village walks - using booklet (£2.95 from Thematic Trails ) a) Kingston Bagpuize with Southmoor: a sense of place. b) Longworth: a sense of place. c) The Parish of Hinton Waldrist: a sense of place. 2. Local footpath walks. The full colour maps from KBS Post Office 10p. Accompanying booklets 50p each or £4 complete pack in case or via www.thematic-trails.org FIVE CIRCULAR COUNTRY WALKS a. GREEN WALK Start: Longworth Square - Longworth - Harrowdown Hill - Hall Ham - Newbridge - Common Lane - return to Longworth. Full circuit 4 miles (6.5 km). b. YELLOW WALK Start: Kingston Bagpuize green - old airfield - Swannybrook Farm - Sheephouse farm - Bullockspit Lane - Little London - Longworth - Draycott Moor - Southmoor - return to Kingston. Full circuit 7 miles (11 km) or shorter loops. c. RED WALK Start: Hinton Waldrist Church Duxford - Ten Foot Bridge - Thames path to Tadpole Bridge - Buckland - Pusey - Charney Bassett - Cherbury Camp - return to Hinton Waldrist 13 miles (21 km) or shorter loops indicated. d. PURPLE WALK Start: Longworth Square - Hinton Waldrist - Duxford - Thames path to Hall Ham - Harrowdown Hill - return to Longworth. 5.5 miles (8 km). e. ORANGE WALK Southmoor crossroads - Kingston Bagpuize - Millennium Green - Fyfield - Rainbow Bridge (Hart's Weir Bridge) - Thames path to Newbridge - Draycott Moor - return to Southmoor. 5.5 miles (8km). 3. Thames Path (184 miles) Follows the River Thames from its source in the Cotswolds to the Thames Barrier near Greenwich. Riverside pubs. See sections of walks 1, 3, 4 and 5 above. Contact for all information and advice: National Trails Office, Environment and Economy, Holton, Oxford, OX33 1QQ. Telephone: 01865 810224. Website: www.nationaltrail.co.uk NATURE RESERVES BBOWT reserves for details of these and other sites contact the Local Wildlife Trust BBOWT 01865 775476Â Read more about BBOWT on their website, Lashford Lane Fen, Wootton SU 468 011 - fenland and reed-beds. Dry Sandford Pit, Cothill SU 467 997 - fossil-rich cliffs, fenland with pond and streams, woodland. Hitchcopse Pit, near Cothill SU 452 996 - long-disused sandpit now full of wildlife. Chimney Farm (SP 360010) From Tadpole Bridge drive a short distance north on the Bampton Road, then turn right and right again to Chimney or from Tadpole Bridge pass the meadows on the RED WALK above. - waders and wildflower meadows. Standlake Common - two bird hides with access from the Windrush Path at Newbridge or Standlake village. Keys available from This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (parking restricted) Very good for birds on lakes. Also: Iffley Meadows, Oxey Meads and others see the Local Wildlife Trust BBOWT 01865 775476 website: www.bbowt.org.uk HISTORIC SITES Aefrith's Dyke Anglo-Saxon boundary, a remnant borders east side of Millennium Green. Cherbury Camp - see RED WALK above - an Iron Age fort. WITHIN A 12 MILE RADIUS: WALKS and HISTORIC SITES - FREE Badbury Clump Faringdon to Highworth road. A circular walk. An iron age fort, it is strategically placed on the highest ground in the area. Early in the 19th Century the banks were levelled leaving little but vestiges of the fosse on the south side and a faint escarpment on the other sides. Beautiful bluebell wood in May. The Ridgeway (85 miles) Highest point: Uffington Castle 261m (857ft) Iron Age hill fort with a long barrow. Â Highlights:Â B4507 - White Horse Hill with 374 ft horse carved in the chalk of the downs overlooking the valley, possibly 3000 years old, Dragon Hill where St George killed the dragon(?) Wayland Smithy and, further on, Avebury stone circle World Heritage Site and Silbury Hill. Contact for all information and advice: National Trails Office, Environment and Economy, Holton, Oxford, OX33 1QQ. Telephone: 01865 810224.
National Trails website Also:Blowing Stone to south of Kingston Lisle a perforated Sarsen stone described in Tom Brown's Schooldays. Coleshill Park National Trust Wittenham Clumps near Dorchester. A group of trees visible for many miles above Castle Hill (an Iron Age fort). Below, on the Thames, lies Thames and Day's lock - scene of the annual Pooh Sticks world championship. Why not use public transport for an outing? ABINGDON TO OXFORD BY BOAT 7 days a week in summer Salter's Steamers Ltd, Folly Bridge, OXFORD, OX1 4LA. Tel: (01865) 243421 Fax: (01865)48185 Salter's Steamers website.
See bus timetables to go to Abingdon by bus and return from Oxford or vice versa River trips: Salters 7 days a week in season May to September contact for new schedule (01865) 243421 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Hire of punts, day-boats and other small craft (from Oxford only) Some MUSEUMS Come FREE Abingdon Museum, County Hall, Market Place Tel: 01235 523 703. In 17th century building, local history displays, exhibitions, houses a collection of contemporary craftwork which is seen by appointment. Open daily 10.30am-4.pm check for bank holiday and roof visits.
Ashmolean Museum 01865 278000 Mon closed, Tues-Sat 10am - 5pm, Sun 12-5pm.Closes for St Giles Fair. Egyptian, Greek and Roman treasures. Modern Art Oxford 30 Pembroke Street, Oxford, OX1 1BP, Tel: 01865 722733Â Â Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sunday 12pm to 5pm, closed Mondays. Please phone 01865 813830 for recorded information. Museum of the History of Science Tel: 01865 277280 Tuesday to Friday12 to 5 p.m., Saturday 10am to 5 pm and Sunday 2 to 5 pm. Admission free. Museum of Oxford, St Aldates, Oxford. Tel: 01865 252 761,local history exhibits and the story of Oxford, reconstructed Oxford interiors, shop, etc. Now entrance Free to galleries Mon closed, Tues-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat-Sun 12-5pm. Oxfordshire Museum, Park St, Woodstock. Tel: 01993 811456 Tues-Sat 10am-5 pm Sun 2-5pm. Free. Interactive exhibits. The Oxfordshire Museum, Park St, Woodstock, 01993 811 456, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Pitt Rivers Museum Tel: 01865 270 927, Parks Road, Oxford. Temporary closure until Spring 2009. Tuesday to Sunday (and Bank Holiday Mondays) 10am - 4.30pm, Mondays 12 - 4.30pm Shrunken heads and other curiosities. Tom Brown's School Museum Broad Street, Uffington, SN7 7RA Tel: 01367 820259 2pm to 5pm each Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday from Easter until the end of October. University Museum of Natural History, Parks Road, Oxford. Tel: 01865 272 950Â 10-5 p.m. daily.Dinosaurs, living insects, activities. Admission free. No 1 Family Friendly Museum Awards 2005 ADMISSION CHARGED Pendon Museum, Long Wittenham. Tel: 01865 407 365Â Normal opening times; Saturdays and Sundays from 2pm to 5.30pm. Please check on events page for additional openings and extended openings. Model railways and villages. Vale and Downland Museum, Church Street, Wantage Tel: 01235 771 447 Mon-Sat 10am-4pm (closed on bank holidays). All tickets valid for 1 year. Also see: Roman Villa at North Leigh Cogges Manor Farm Museum (in Children's section) STATELY HOMES and other places of interest. Abbey Buildings, Thames Street, Abingdon. Tel: 01235 525339. Parts of the original abbey, granary, exchequer and long gallery. Bodleian Library Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BG. Tel: 01865 277 216 email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Contact for opening times Copyright deposit library and its collections are used by scholars from around the world. The central buildings include Duke Humfrey's Library above the Divinity School, the Old Schools Quadrangle with its Great Gate and Tower, the Radcliffe Camera, Britain's first circular library, and the Clarendon Building. Blenheim Palace, Woodstock. Tel: 08700 60 20 80 Admission tickets to the Palace include the house, the Winston Churchill Exhibition, Gardens, Park, Butterfly House, Marlborough Maze, Adventure Play Area and rides on the train. Blenheim Palace Opening times vary see website. The Park is open all year round from 9am (last admission 4.45pm or dusk) except Christmas Day. Buscot Park Faringdon SN7 8BU Tel: Mon-Fri 01367 240 786Â Tel: 0845 3453387 National Trust late 18th Century house and contains the Faringdon Collection of paintings, (including works by Rembrandt, Reynolds, Murillo, Rossetti and the famous 'Briar Rose' series by Burne-Jones) and fine furniture. April - September House & Grounds but check which days they are open first. National Trust members: Free. Closed in winter Also: Buscot Old Parsonage Tel: 01793 762209 Great Coxwell Tithe Barn (1 mile southwest of Faringdon) Monastic stone tithe barn. 152 feet long by 44 feet wide and 48 feet high with four feet thick walls in Cotswold stone and with original timber. Open: Until dusk each day. Admission: 50p. Tel: 01793 762209 Kelmscott Manor, Kelmscott, Lechlade, Glos. GL7 3HJ Tel: 01367 252486Â Â Elizabethan Manor once home to designer, craftsman and artist William Morris. Open April - September Every Wednesday, 11.00am - 5.00pm. In summer open on some Saturdays. Milton Manor House, at Milton, A34, 17th-century, Inigo Jones building, chapel, displays of porcelain and teapots, gardens, etc. See website for opening times and admission prices. Tel: 01235 862321 University of Oxford Botanic Garden Rose Lane, Oxford, OX1 4AZ, Tel: 01865 286690 The oldest botanic garden in the UK displaying over 7,000 different species in a walled, family-ordered garden, exotic glasshouses, water and rock gardens and beautiful borders. Opening times vary with season: Winter 9am-4.30pm, Spring and Autumn 9am-5pm, Summer 9am-6pm. Oxford Colleges see individual colleges in phone book or websites www.visitoxford.org SPORTS (see also Children's activity section) www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/
Holiday Sport Schemes Ring and reserve, Sports Development Team. Tel: 01235 547646 email on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Abingdon: Tilsley Park Dunmore Road, Abingdon Tel: (01235) 524 524 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Swimming, badminton etc Abingdon: White Horse Leisure and Tennis Centre Audlett Drive. Tel: (01235) 540705 Wantage Leisure Centre Portway, Wantage Tel: (01235) 766201/2/3 Faringdon Leisure Centre Fernham Road, Faringdon Tel: (01367) 241755 Oxford Ice Rink: Oxpens Road, Oxford Tel: 01865 467000 For more information on things to do locally, see http://www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/leisure_and_arts/default.asp |