Following last year’s successful event – Friends of Ogbourne School (FOS) will be holding another Christmas Gift Fair in Marlborough Town Hall on Saturday 22nd November 9.00am to 12.30pm.

Any support from the village community would be greatly appreciated. Donations for the homemade baking/produce stall and the ‘Unwanted Gift’ stall are always appreciated or pop in for a spot of Christmas shopping or a coffee! Any questions or donations please contact Debbie Sandison on 841468

I am a volunteer with Age Concern Wiltshire.

The charity has an initiative to set up Lunch Clubs in rural areas for the 50+ age group.

The aim is to foster relationships amongst the retired community through social gatherings and to set up informal local networks to provide support for those members in times of need.

Providing there is sufficient interest (10 people) it is planned to meet once a quarter in a local hostelry for lunch. The cost for a two-course lunch is estimated at £10 per person. (Drinks excluded)

The first outing is planned for March 2009.

If anybody is interested please contact me by the end of December.

Keith Wallace Tel 841405 or email kg_wallace@btinternet.com

A few years ago a sale of surplus and end of line leisurewear sourced by Colin Stribling was held to raise funds for the Village.  The purpose of the fundraising was to provide the means to hold community events within the village and three villagers, Colin, Megan Shaw, and Andy Wall formed a group – The Ogbourne Fundraisers - to determine how the money should be spent.  The sale raised about £2500 and the money has been used to either purchase equipment or underwrite events including

1. The ‘static triathlon’ in the pub garden that raised £1000 for the church.
2. A computer projector for the computing for beginners classes previously run for 3 consecutive years in the school
3. A barbecue in Savernake Forest
4. Underwriting the cost of a barn dance

The Fund now stands at £1,000 and the Nationwide will no longer hold the money in a community account following the acquisition of the Portman Building Society and the money needs to be spent or deposited elsewhere.  This is proving more difficult than had been anticipated without registered charity status.

The organisers are looking for ways of spending the money within the village and will welcome any ideas you have.   The School, the Church and The Little Dragons already hold their own fundraising events so the Ogbourne Fundraisers are looking to spend the money for the benefit of the village as a whole.

There must be plenty of things that could be done where £1000 could be extremely useful whether it’s making use of the whole amount for one project, funding a number of smaller schemes or used to kickstart a large fund raising effort.
Do try and think up some ideas which would be good for the village and promote a sense of community.  There is £1000 to be spent so this is  money that can be used for something really worthwhile.

Please contact  Megan Shaw (841445), Colin Stribling (841155 ) or Andy Wall (841315) with your suggestions.

Debbie Sandison has been elected as the Chair of Governors of Ogbourne St George  & Andrew Church of England Primary School and takes over from Timothy George who held the post for 2 years (September 2006 to September 2008).  The Dragon asked her for a comment on her recent election.
“I’ve been a Parent Governor for 5 years now and had narrowly escaped being nominated as Chair back in 2006! Two years on I’m ready for the challenge and whilst it does seem daunting (what worthwhile task doesn’t?), I know it’s going to be very rewarding. During Timothy’s time as Chair he invested a lot of time and effort into clarifying the structure of the Governing Body and its procedures.  A legacy for which I am indebted.
I am so proud of our little school and the children in it. When we moved here over seven years ago I had little idea how big a part of my life the school would play. It is so much more to me than ‘the place where my children go to be educated’. It is a mini-community that provides a safe and stimulating environment for every individual child’s learning needs. It also, importantly, provides a welcoming atmosphere for all our parents and is a warm and friendly workplace for our much valued staff.
I feel very privileged to have been given this key role and need to thank my fellow Governors for their confidence in me and Timothy who has been an admirable role model and mentor. “

After some delays it seems that the planning application for the new school hall will be before the Parish Council during October.

If you have any specific views that you would like the Parish Council to take into account when considering this application please call the Clerk, Cliff Freeman, on 840011 (daytime) 841388 (evenings) or post your comments here on the village website

At the last Parish Council meeting the issue of speeding through the village was discussed.

Cllr Smith produced a draft discussion document outlining possible proposals that had been used in other villages. The alternatives ranged from a simple idea where residents have put 30 mph stickers on their wheelie bins so that they could be seen when the bins were out for collection to the more radical solution of width restrictions. Cllr Humphries offered to arrange to put any viable schemes for speed reduction on WCC’s list for action although the areas concerned do not have accident records so will be low priority.

It was agreed that simple solutions may be effective so costings for gateways to the village which would be situated at entrances would be sought for the next meeting. The Council will seek advice from Wiltshire County Council on solutions they may fund or contribute to after their assessment. This may include width restrictions as an eventual viable solution

The Parish Council wants to hear your views…

There is a proposal for a new School Hall to be built adjacent to the existing school buildings. Under Government legislation the new School Hall, as well as other school facilities, can be made available for community use outside of normal school hours where there is a demand from the local community. The Parish Council will be considering a Planning Application for the Hall and needs to establish whether residents will wish to use the Hall facilities and whether restrictions as to the type of use and opening/closing hours should be recommended to Wiltshire County Council.

The Parish Council would also like to establish whether there is sufficient support for a Village Meeting in early September to discuss this issue. This can be done by contacting Keith Wallace on 841405 or by making your thoughts known to a member of the Parish Council or by registering your comments through August on this page. Contact details for Parish Council members can be found on the website here.

Kevin Burch who lives in Jubbs Lane has had the honour of being presented to the Queen at Buckingham Palace as a winner of the Queen’s Award for Innovation.

Read more Here

On a rather overcast but, thankfully, dry day well over 70 villagers and almost as many children made their way to Sheppards Farm, and thoroughly enjoyed the Village Summer Lunch and Garden Party.

It was hugely successful with everyone making the most of the excellent food and wine on offer rather than cooking Sunday lunch.  Homemade cakes and jams sold particularly quickly and children were the big spenders as they competed on a selection of fun games.  Adults weren’t far behind in the spending stakes as they tried time and again on the tombola  to win a bottle of wine rather than the tin of baked beans!  To enhance the event and to get everyone in the mood  there was also a superb musical accompaniment as Ian Beer from Pentico Cottage played a medley of jazz tunes on his saxophone.

The outcome of the day was a boost to the church funds of around £1300 which was a wonderful effort from a small village.  Special thanks go to the Ormonds for hosting the lunch, and to the organisers, Charlotte Frost, Nicky Irwin, Sarah Smith, Tina West and also their families who joined in.  There were others too numerous to mention who were much appreciated for running  the stalls, cooking  and helping on the day and also a big thank you  to all who contributed and supported the day.

Marlborough Open Studio Artists: 72 participating artists in a twelve mile radius of Marlborough. Wiltshire.

A varied insight into the lives of artists and makers exhibiting work in their studios and other venues, a unique opportunity to meet and talk with each artist. A chance to commission, purchase or simply enjoy.

Brochure detailing all artists and venues, opening times etc available throughout Marlborough, Pewsey, Devizes and Calne. Information also available on the website: www.marlboroughopenstudios.co.uk

July 5/6,12/13,19/20,26,27