Year 2010

Eleven editions of the village magazine published in 2010

Monthly editorials followed by links to PDF download files

Editorial by David Wright (December 2010 and January 2011)

Welcome to this festive edition of the Magazine – as usual a bumper crop of news, reviews, what‟s on and more. This December/January edition marks a particular milestone for me for, after four years, I have decided to retire from the Magazine. No more fitting of articles onto the requisite number of pages or pawing over apposite clip art images late into the night for me! Whether by chance or as a gift from the Magazine Committee, I have had the pleasure of bowing out by putting together this Christmas edition. I must admit to having never lost my boyish enthusiasm for Christmas. All the constituents of a perfect Christmas are here: the midnight service, the carols (page 7), fine food (page 23), fine wine (page 14), the odd bit of disco dancing (page 20), and a visit from Santa Claus himself (page 12). This is also a time to reflect on those less fortunate that ourselves, and in these pages, you can see what people have been up to raising money for others, whether it is knitting for Tanzania or Zimbabwe (page 11), or Nina Carey-Hodges‟s mammoth cycle trip across China for the Wolfson and Weston Research Centre for Family Health (page 28). And so, for the last time on these pages, it is my pleasure to wish you all on behalf of the Magazine Committee a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Editorial by Euan Ramsay (November 2010)

The mornings are getting colder and crisper and we are all hunkering down for the winter season, a rather wet summer now a distant memory. But there is plenty of cheer to be found in Chilbolton and Wherwell as autumn turns to winter – Christmas is nearly here now and we have a feast of activities for young and old! You can get out and about for some fresh air by helping clear up West Down (9th Nov) and the Chilbolton Churchyard (13th Nov), then test your brain power at the Wherwell Annual Quiz (13th Nov), or laugh and tremble at the Chilbolton Players light hearted take on the Grimm Brothers (26th and 27th Nov). Finally, get all your Christmas presents at the Wherwell Christmas Fayre and the Chilbolton Christmas Fair (28th Nov). Keep wrapped up warm when out and about!

Editorial by Carole Marits (October 2010)

Welcome to the October edition of our magazine. Autumn is now upon us and the nights are longer than the days, the colours in the trees change daily and the flora and fauna around the village go to sleep until the spring. Autumn is a time for warm soup and long walks, reaping the last of our summer vegetables and thinking about winter vegetables. Thanks should go to our parish councillors for running such a well attended meeting about the common. It was so well attended there was only standing room. Our common is such a valuable asset to both villages it was good to see so many of both communities united in attendance. We look future to seeing the report in future editions. Also to remind you we are always seeking contributions and ideas for contributions.    Our team of volunteers works to tight deadlines to bring this magazine to you, so all contributions should be sent to us by 15th Month for inclusion. Finally a note to let you know that the magazine team on the September magazine was incorrect, it should have read Victoria Ramsey, Stephen MacDonald, Carole Marits, Chris Mason and Mike Keyes.

Editorial by Stephen MacDonald (September 2010)

Maybe it’s because there’s so much in this month’s contributions about the countryside and nature, but there’s a comforting ‘life as it used to be feel’ to this issue of the magazine. With advice about natural honey remedies, encouraging news about the health of the local butterfly population and enthusiastic work going at West Down, one could easily imagine nipping into the pub and finding Laurie Lee (or his Hampshire equivalent) sipping a pint of cider in the corner. A Wherwell History Group talk by Gerald Ponting entitled ‘Scenes from a Hampshire Childhood’ should further enhance this mood if you’re so inclined. Notwithstanding such warm feelings, however, there’s is a stark reminder in an update on the work of a locally inspired charity, that life is not so easy on the other side of the globe at the moment. It makes for an interesting reflection on the idea of the Indian Summer that  we are all looking forward to. Best wishes.

Editorial by David Wright (August 2010)

Last month, Hilary Jennison asked us to contribute our superstitions. Do please keep them rolling in. Hilary‟s editorial got me thinking about how unsuperstitious I am. I go through life quite happily walking under ladders or saying „Macbeth‟ in theatres. A black cat walking in front me on the road does not presage disaster or good fortune – it causes my dog to start whining in the car. The history of superstitions is actually quite interesting. For instance, there are three possible reasons why walking under a ladder is thought to be unlucky. First, a leaning ladder was thought to resemble the gallows in medieval times, so walking under it was thought to be tempting death. Second, the shape formed by a leaning ladder is a triangle, a symbol of the Holy Trinity. Walking through the triangle was therefore seen to be a desecration of God. The third reason comes from ancient Egypt. Egyptians believed a special power was held by the triangle as it was the shape of the pyramid. Walking under the ladder broke the power of the shape. Local lore and its history – now there‟s an interesting article for the Magazine

Editorial by Hilary Jennison (July 2010)

As some of you may know, I come from the north of England, but have lived in Hampshire now for 25 years and I haven‟t lived in Lancashire since 1977.For those of you who know me well, you will realise that „you can take the girl out of Lancashire, but you can‟t take Lancashire out of the girl‟ – for one thing, my accent is still going strong!I have a number of things I am superstitious about – eg: no shoes on the table; no umbrellas up in the house; don‟t pass another person coming towards you on the stairs; if you spill salt throw some over your left shoulder. My husband thinks it‟s my „northern-ness‟ – which is an interesting thought. Is it? Or do any of you have similar things you feel uncomfortable about? It would be interesting to hear your thoughts……..

Editorial by Carole Marits (June 2010)

Enjoying the sunshine? Summer is on its way and the fete season is upon us. The Wherwell spring fete was a very successful day. Planning is well underway for both village fates in June, do take a look and see how you can help. We are keen to include more articles , so don‟t be shy, send us your articles on village life or your hobby and see your name in print. Your magazine is still looking or some volunteers to help us out on the editing and production of the magazine. If you could spare any time once every 2-3 months please do let us know.

Editorial by Stephen MacDonald (May 2010)

Driving through Wherwell recently, and to a lesser extent Chilbolton, you could be forgiven for thinking that the future is orange, and in some communities the visit to the polling station on May 6th would be the only happening of note this month. Not in our villages! Leading the way in May are the Wherwell Auction of Promises on the 8th, two school fetes on the 9th (Chilbolton Pre-school) and 15th (Wherwell Primary) and two excellent concerts by visiting groups in Wherwell Church on the 23rd (Choraline) and 28th (Birmingham Conservatoire Guitar Concert). Not to mention a fun run and a wildlife walk. An important fundraising project for Wherwell Church roof is also being launched on the 16th. The future is Chilbolton and Wherwell!

Editorial by David Wright (April 2010)

I recently returned home from some time away from Wherwell and, as I parked outside my house to unpack the boot, a dear neighbour walked up Church Street with a bucket full of snowdrops in her hand for our back garden. This signalled clearly to me the arrival of spring. No surprise then the vernal flavour of this month‟s magazine with three pages dedicated to gardens and gardening. Easter is, of course, a key focus in this magazine – a time of reflection. Revd Juliet Montague observes how we can become locked into a lifestyle that prevents us from seeing the world around us. Dennis Potter once said: „if you see the present tense, boy do you see it! And boy can you celebrate it.‟ With so much happening around us now that Spring is here, it is the perfect time to get out there and enjoy the beauty around us. Why not Beat the Bounds (page 9) or explore the Test Valley Woods (Page 29)? Whatever you are doing over the holiday period, I wish you a relaxing and peaceful time.

Editorial by Terry Gilmour (March 2010)

This month sees a large and varied selection of articles to keep you occupied, together with some requests for help. As always there are a great number of things to do in your spare time from a film in Chilbolton hall to an illustrated talk on the River Anton Conservation project in Wherwell hall. Do you have a bit of spare space in your garden? Then why not join the Chilbolton Horticultural Society for some ideas on what trees to plant. Special mention must be made of Amy Bennett and her fantastic adventure on Kilimanjaro. Reading her update really does bring to life the struggles she encountered and what an amazing    achievement it was for her to reach the top. Well done Amy. With the new season just a few weeks away, I’m sure we’re all looking forward to the spring. With the snowdrops fading the daffodils will soon be their usual carpet of yellow.

Editorial by Euan Ramsay (February 2010)

Another bumper issue of the magazine goes to press and finds it way into the letterboxes of some 700 households in Chilbolton, Wherwell and beyond. If you have the January blues, this is just the tonic to get the blood coursing through your veins, with a huge range of events, activities and people to meet across the community – take in a movie (Julie and Julia at Chilbolton  Village Hall), go to one of various talks by the Wherwell History Group, exercise your brain at the Wherwell PTA quiz night, pick up some bargains at the Chilbolton Village Hall jumble sale, see the Chilbolton Players perform the Wizard of Oz, explore the woodlands of Test Valley with Susan Simmonds or take a walk on the Downs, find some peace and tranquility at your local church service, explore Chinese history at the Willis Museum or
get your greenhouse in shape with the Chilbolton Horticultural Society. And there’s more – all the details are here in the magazine. We are lucky to have such a healthy and vibrant community, and we hope the magazine is your ticket to a lively 2010. A happy new year to you all.

The magazine for January is published with the preceding December, as a double issue.

Year 2009