On this page you can place advertisements for people required in a voluntary or paid capacity, and for items lost, wanted or for sale. This service is provided free of charge to individuals living in Steeple and Middle Aston. It is not available to businesses, which can be included in the Local Directory if they are based in the village or provide goods and services to the villages.
To place an advert, please email steepleastonwebeditor@gmail.com. Remember to include a phone number or an email address. Adverts will normally stay on the site for one month. If you’d like to recycle your goods or give them away free, look on the Oxfordshire County Council website for ideas of who to contact.
Help with new Community Garden for mental health
From Martin Dale:
For some time, we have enjoyed our Community Orchard thanks to the many volunteers who nurture it. We are very lucky.
We are proposing a new garden venture specifically to help those with mental health; loneliness ; low self-esteem and associated suffering. It will be a community garden but with a specialist agenda.
Where did this idea arise?
Two years ago, Rev Harriet Orridge and I met to discuss how the church and community might help sufferers working together. Research shows that meeting to garden is a very healing experience. Thus we decided to find a garden and work with a paid specialist leader.
We needed to identify a location within the village/benefice. The churchyard though excellent is not suitable being too public for people who feel insecure. It is a route way.
Through the generosity of the allotmenteers and their committee we have been offered an ideal plot on the allotments, namely the grass area by the club house which will be a secluded and quiet area. We are hugely grateful to the allotmenteers for this offer.
What is the Church’s role in this — why is this a church initiative?
Our church is not just Sunday. It is a living caring community which believes in being of service to the village. For example — the fete; the harvest supper; the church quiz; plus the major civic services such as Remembrance; The Funeral of the Queen; The Coronation , etc. The community garden is yet another offering.
The church also has administrative systems in place suitable for this kind of activity —insurance; accounting , etc., and is automatically an exempt charity. It is an ideal body to run such a venture.
We have already researched what is necessary with a small expert working committee to whom I am very grateful indeed, and advice from Bridewell Gardens
We will need to fund a professional lead gardener. To run the garden with a paid leader will cost some £10,000 per year. We already have a generous donation towards this and I am applying to various trust funds and local companies to see if this can be raised. This task was my offering in raising the money for the church re-roofing so I am used to it!
And so – I am putting out a call for voluntary help to all — church and community.
Can you help us set this up and support it further as the needs develop? We need not only funds but also practical energy and willingness to support both now and as a commitment.
The rector, the church and I would love to hear from you to help us set this new venture on the road!
Thank you sincerely for reading this far.
Martin Dale (email: martindale865@gmail.com)
Village Hall calendar goes on sale
Sponsorship needed for Annual Bonfire and Fireworks Evening.
Village Hall Chair Vicky Clifton writes:
It may surprise you to know that the spectacular annual village fireworks display only happens because a few generous businesses sponsor the event. Ticket sales don’t cover it all.
So, if your business would like to get involved and keep this wonderful village event going, please get in touch with myself or a member of the Village Hall committee. Every little helps.
Your hall… it’s there to be used! Do you have a family party coming up? Running a workshop? Need space to practice your drums without upsetting the neighbours…. Well hiring the hall for a few hours may be the answer and may be cheaper than you think. Check out rates on our website. https://savh.org.uk/
Book on the Steeple Aston Bradshaws
The Impassioned Collectorhas just been published by Olympia Publishers. It’s about Arthur Bradshaw and is written by Jane Allen, a relative of the Bradshaw family who occupied The Grange in Steeple Aston during the 19th and 20th centuries.
The publishers describe it as follows:
The Impassioned Collector follows Arthur Bradshaw, over a span of fifty years. It perfectly balances its historical moments with moments of the familial and personal. It journeys across the globe, from South Africa to America to Wales, and from youth to adulthood to death.
Jane Allen portrays a unique family, the Bradshaws, through world-wide upheaval and individual death. It centres on the sprawling grounds of The Grange. Despite any travelling this is its centre: heart-warming, pastoral, magnificent.
Richard Preston has a very personal connection to the story. He writes:
For anyone who might be interested in life at The Grange between the late 1800s and the Second World War, this book might give an insight into how things were then. But to add to that the story of a man who was possibly the most prolific collector of Fabergé, and held his
collection at Steeple Aston.
This book tells the story of the Bradshaw family who resided at The Grange for many decades. For me personally, it also gives an insight into the life of my grandfather who was head gardener at The Grange for 49 years.
It’s a great read!
The book is available from the publisher’s website Cover price £10.99
SAVA books for sale
Martin Lipson writes:
Steeple Aston Village Archive relies on the generosity of our supporters to keep our charitable work going, researching and archiving the history of our two villages. Our latest book is based on the 2022 exhibition “Village Personalities of Steeple and Middle Aston” – featuring more than 30 people who made a real contribution to the villages, and in some cases to the wider world. So please consider buying one or more copies (and any previous books that you do not already have) by looking at our shop HERE.
SAVA books make great presents! All orders will be delivered to your door, or posted.
If you would like to make a donation to SAVA, you could make payment by BACS to Steeple Aston Village Archive Fund a/c no.00683831, sort code 30-04-13.
Other books available from SAVA include:
- Steeple Aston at Work
- Farming in Steeple and Middle Aston
- The History of Steeple Aston Church
- Our Village School – the history of Dr Radcliffe’s School
- Steeple Aston and the USAF at Upper Heyford
- The Steeple Aston Enclosure Map
- The Gardens of Steeple Aston – 150 years of village gardening
- Steeple Aston Through the Lens -150 years of photography of village life
- The development of Steeple and Middle Aston – understanding our houses through the centuries
- Business and Trade in Steeple Aston
- Steeple Aston at War
SAVA also has available CDs and DVDs:
- Steeple Aston Book Collection: Three rare histories about the village by the Reverend C C Brookes and William Wing have been scanned to a CD.
- DVD of 460 editions of Steeple Aston Life 1973 – 2011
- Gazetteer of Houses: A full listing of every house and other buildings of significance in the two villages, Steeple and Middle Aston
- 101 Photographs of Steeple Aston: photographs from the SAVA archive on a CD.
For details of all these and more go to the SAVA website: www.steepleastonarchive.org.uk
Home Caregivers required
The North Oxfordshire branch of Home Instead is looking to recruit more caregivers. The homecare provider, based in Deddington, offers a range of non-medical services to help seniors and their families feel secure, confident and happy in their own homes.
They say: “Do you like cake? 76 year old Mary does. We have a lot of clients like Mary that would like someone to have a slice of cake and a cup of tea with. If you have a kind, caring nature this is the job for you. Great rates of pay and flexible hours.”
For contact details and to find out more about Home Instead, please click here.