Getting ready for the Olympic Games 2012

Ashwell Village Olympic Group (AVOG)
AVOG has been started with the aim of celebrating in Ashwell the 2012 Olympic Games. The Group is not just focusing on sport, but also the Olympic values of respect, friendship and excellence and the Paralympic values of equality, inspiration, determination and courage.

All village organisations are invited to participate in the group and think of some ways of incorporating their own activities in 2012. The group have already decided that a special celebration will be organised on Sunday 8 July, the day the Olympic torch will travel from Cambridge to Luton.

Ideas or advice on events and ways of celebrating should be sent to Margaret Budgen on 01462 742166 or sent to Margaret@Ashwell.uk.com

KILL BILL CHRISTMAS PARTY PHOTO BLOG BY COLIN JEFFS

Artist Alasdair Rennie exhibition at Ashwell Gallery

Is there a form Artist Alasdair Rennie can’t paint? http://www.rennieart.co.uk Originally from Steeple Morden, Rennie paints oil seascapes, portraits and still life, usually around the theme of reflection. I like the way his self portraits are contorted from his reflection in the mirror, they remind me of some of Francis Bacon’s work.

Rennie studied Fine Art at City and Guilds of London Art School. His mother, Angela Rennie suffers from Parkinson’s Disease and so Rennie and Mike Berry; owner of Ashwell gallery since 2003 http://www.ashwellgallery.com/index.html, decided to donate a percentage of the sale of paintings from the exhibition to Parkinson UK.

Artist Alasdair Rennie and Mike Berry present a cheque for £660.

Parkinson UK help 4,000 sufferers across the east of England by providing them with someone to talk to about how they can adapt their home and lifestyle to manage their new challenges. This can include providing friendship to completing forms to claim benefits. Parkinson UK also conduct research into cures and new ways to deal with symptoms. If you wish to donate or need help please use their website http://www.parkinsons.org.uk/ or call their free helpline on 0808 800 0303.

Gilly and David McKee from Steeple Morden bought one of Alasdair Rennies paintings: Reflections At Constantine Bay, and have fond memories of when Alasdair went to Kingshott School in Hitchin with their son.

Ashwell Show needs your help! By Tony Dean

Ashwell Show – Village meeting and Debrief

I am sure that you are all aware that the ultimate purpose of the Ashwell Show is to provide funds for local organisation, in recent years we have supported ~ 25 groups in the village each year.

What you may not be aware of is that the organisation of the Show from one year to the next is undertaken by a relatively small number of people from both within and outside the village. Some of our committee members have moved away from Ashwell but still retain their committment through the year, every year.

We would like to offer all of the local organisations and individuals the opportunity to come to a Village Meeting on the evening of the 24th November from 8pm. This invitation is extended to all of those groups that we help to support and also to those that we do not yet support. We would encourage all of you to send perhaps two representatives, maybe your chair and treasurer.

The purpose of the meeting is to try to obtain some feedback from you so that we can continue to improve the Show and also for us to demonstrate what is required to keep the Show running. Our committee has shrunk over the recent years due to a number of people retiring, some after more than 30 years of dedication.

We would welcome new committee members to join what is a group of like minded individuals, the committee work is not onerous and we have a lot of fun during the course of the year and especially over the Show weekend.

There is an ever increasing list of organisations that are looking for some financial support each year and in return we would really appreciate some support in the organisation and running of this event.

The continued success of the Ashwell Show will be entirely dependent upon being able to stage an event that will attract many thousands of people on August Bank Holiday Monday each year, in order to do this, WE NEED YOU.

Tony Dean

Race Nite on Saturday 12th November raising money for Accies Village Football Club by Bill Pennell

We have a fantastic “Race Nite” taking place from 8pm on Saturday 12th November 2011 at the Three Tuns in Ashwell, with the whole evening being hosted by a professional compere.

There will be 8 separate horse races taking place during the evening, with the minimum bet required being just £1.

Customers on the evening can bet as many times as they like on as many horses as they like, with the races being run on our big projection screen in the Public Bar.

Besides having lots of fun the objective is to raise money for the Accies village football club plus make a donation to the Wish House charity who will be supplying Mr. Compere!

Prior to the evening there’s an opportunity to start raising money by getting sponsorship for the naming rights of each race.

The cost to hold your own “Classic” horse race on the evening is just £10 per race.

In addition, the horses are also being sold off to find an owner, jockey & trainer with the respective cost being just £2 for each position.

If your horse wins the race on the night the ‘owner’ gets a certificate to commemorate the occasion and the owner & jockey receive a prize. The trainer receives much critical acclaim !

If we manage to sell the sponsorship of all the 8 races and sell the owners, jockeys & trainers names before the evening there will also be an i-pod made available as a raffle prize at the end of the evening.

Finally, on the evening there will be a ‘Tote’ betting desk set up near the bar for customers to place bets on each race and also to pay out on all the winning bets immediately after each race has finished.

Please tell everybody about the evening, please come along on the Saturday night for some fun and drinks and lastly please feel free to email me back and pledge to either sponsor a race or buy the owner, jockey or trainer status of each of the 64 horses prior to the evening.

The details of the 8 races are shown below:-

RACE 1 – Name ?

In the House
2. Pizza’s
3 Times a Winner
Gizmo
Fort Knox
Ice Boy
High Seas
First Steps

RACE 2 – Name ?

Puzzled
X factor
Overdrawn
Footloose
Bacon Butty
Top Chocs
All Alone
Sunshine

RACE 3 – Name ?

Who’s my Daddy
Sound as a Pound
Phone Home
Openwide
Red Sky at Night
Polar Mist
Slippers
Belly

RACE 4 – Name ?

Phoenix Nights
Rover
Lolly Pop
Sad, Mad, Bad
Razor
Flower Pot
Freedom
Good Vibrations

RACE 5 – Name ?

Yankee Doodle dandy
Superman
Any Hole a goal
Lost Spirit
Naughty Girl
Big Spender
Bad Wind
3 Strikes

RACE 6 – Name ?

Sparked Out
Turned On
Slaphead
Who R U
Highlander
Have a Fling
Tiger
Stub it Out

RACE 7 – Name ?

In the Water
Knight-Ridder
Oliver
Rainbow
Stiff Joint
Out of It
Big Pay Out
Maverick

RACE 8 – Name ?

Lost Again
God’s Gift
Sumo Lad
Little Sis
First light
Get Me Out of Here
Twin Peaks
Nightmare

Many thanks and I hope to see you at The Three Tuns for what promises to be a great night!

Bill Pennell, Landlord
The Three Tuns Hotel
T: 01462 742 107 F: 01462 743 662
A: 6 High Street, Ashwell, Herts, SG7 5NL
W: www.threetunshotel.co.uk

What’s on in October…?

1st and 2nd October 2011 Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 12-5

 12th Book Weekend

Bring books to sell in aid of St Marys Church Restoration Appeal

£1 contact Caroline Feast 01462 743233

Saturday 1st October at 8pm

Ashwell School PTA presents

Return to the 80s Disco

£5 per ticket from the school or Michelle 01462 742269

Saturday 7th October 8pm

Hinxworth Village Hall

  70s Disco with Uche Eke

Bring your own drinks..£10 per ticket for Breast Cancer

Saturday 15th October 9am to 4pm

Fifty/Fifty Dress Agency Autumn Sale at URC Hall

Jo Rhodes 07790 032833

Wednesday 19th October at 8pm

Archaeology of Ashwell and its surroundings Museum Talk by Keith Fitzpatrick-Matthews Part 3 

URC Hall £3 tickets from PO

October 21st and 22nd , 2011

Ladies’ Day By Amanda Whittington

Directed by Robin Lipscombe

 Ashwell Village Hall, West End

If you have an event you would like to advertise here please ashwellevents@hotmail.com

Be A Brick! By Christine Schwick

Ashwell Village Hall

The foyer of the Village Hall has a very special feature: a wall of engraved bricks celebrating the life of Ashwell. Personalised with the names of individuals, families, pets, businesses, clubs and societies the wall forms a lasting tribute and also provides vital funds for our Village Hall, a venue that is used by so many children and adults of the village.

Each brick can be engraved with two lines, up to 15 characters including spaces per line.  The cost is £50 for each brick.  All funds generated by the sale of the bricks after engraving costs goes directly to Ashwell Village Hall to aid upkeep and refurbishment.

Another 18 bricks will be added to the wall within the next 3 weeks, if you wish to add one for yourself or your business complete the form below, print it off and then take it to Rhubarb & Mustard today!

 

To order your personalised brick please fill in the form below.  Cheques should be made payable to ASHWELL VILLAGE HALL TRUSTEES.

Name:             ______________________________________________________________________

Address          ______________________________________________________________________

Contact telephone number  ______________________________________________________

Email address                        ______________________________________________________

Please engrave my brick with the following:  (15 characters per line including spaces)

Line 1             _______________________________________________________________________

Line 2             _______________________________________________________________________

Return this application form to: Christine Schwick (Village Hall Trustee) at

West Point, 2 Newnham Way, Ashwell, SG7 5PN, or hand in at the shop Rhubarb & Mustard, 31 High Street, Ashwell, SG7 5NP.

IF YOU WISH TO USE THIS FORM ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS RIGHT CLICK ON THE MOUSE, THEN ‘SELECT ALL’ AND ‘COPY’ AND THEN ‘PASTE’ INTO A WORD DOCUMENT WHERE YOU CAN COMPLETE IT AND PRINT IT OFF.