Last year there were 44 excess winter deaths in Oxford resulting from Fuel Poverty. With a legal responsibility placed on Government to eradicate fuel poverty by 2016, it is getting worse.
Brenda Boardman trustee of LCON and author of Fixing Fuel Poverty will address the AGM of Low Carbon Oxford North on May 22nd at 7.30pm at Beechcroft Road Baptist Church hall. All are welcome.
Doors open at 7; AGM starts 7.30; speaker at 8ish; refreshments 9.
With Oxford City Artweeks nearly upon us – from Saturday 12th to Sunday 20th May – thought that you might like to know about works on display by artists involved in the DEC group and Drawing Dance workshops that happen at URC, in case you wanted to plan your own trail themed round images of dance. Not forgetting Saturday class attender Tess Blenkinsop who is once again exhibiting her lovely jewelry…Here are some of the artists listed in the ArtWeeks Guide with their site numbers:
Sponsorship of Art Weeks
272 Kassandra Isaacson: Drawing Dance and other related images
325 Banbury Road, OX2 7JH
k.isaacson@btinternet.com
16-20 May 2-6pm (Thursday 2-8pm)
279 Caroline Meynell: Painting in oil and acrylic, alongside drawing, sculpture and wood engraving
St. Michael and All Angels Church, Lonsdale Road, OX2 7ES
www.carolinemeynell.co.uk
12-19 May 12-6pm
291 Susan Moxley: Recent work including painting, print, mixed media and jewelry
43 Oakthorpe Road, OX2 7BD
www.susanmoxley.com
12-20 May 12-6pm
293 Tess Blenkinsop: Silver and seaglass jewelry, photography and sculptural birdbaths
The Garden Studio, Oakthorpe Place (off Oakthorpe Raod), OX2 7BB
www.tessblenkinsop.co.uk
12-20 May 12-6pm
304 Clare Bassett: Lithographic prints and new brush and ink drawings of dancing figures
84 Kingston Road, OX2 6RJ
www.clarebasset.com
12-13, 18-20 May 12-6pm
And why not start off by visiting the Summertown United Reformed Church Summer Fair on Saturday 12th May 10.00am-4.00pm. This welcoming event will include arts and craft stalls as well as books, cakes and provisions, children’s activities, competitions, gifts, plants and refreshments; and an organ recital in the Church 2.30-3.30pm. Proceeds will go to repairing the front of the church and adapting the building for greater community use, so please do come, your support for this much-loved Summertown facility will be greatly appreciated.
For another musical interlude in your artistic explorations, watch out for the wonderful Exuberant Quartet (players from last year’s Ballet in Small Spaces tour) playing in St Michael and All Angels on Saturday 12th May at 1.00pm… As well as their concert in the evening at the Jacqueline du Pre at 8.00pm.
Enjoy!
Susie
Also see the Exhuberant Trust
Victoria Road residents pitched in to repaint one of the road sings before the Queen’s Jubilee and the neighborhood’s Seven Roads Party. Many thanks to Jonathan for the paint job, and to Sally for supervising. We are sure that this is only one of many indirect benefits of the celebrations.
Jonathan at Work
Missed a Spot
The Exuberant Trust, Oxfordshire’s's very own charity supporting local young people to realise their creative potential in the arts, is embarking on a summer season of fundraising concerts – see attached for full details of events at The Limes in Standlake, and the Jacqueline du Pre Music Building at St Hilda’s College. Last year’s Ballet in Small Spaces programme and tour were supported by the Trust through grants to talented musicians and designer Ellen Stewart, and some of the excellent musicians reconvene this year as the Exuberant Quartet for two concerts. In these difficult times your support for young people in the arts is especially welcome – and what nicer way to spend a late Sunday afternoon? So please join one of these events.
For further information about the Trust and what it does see:
www.exuberant-trust.org.uk
Parkinson’s Awareness Week
April 16-22 2012
Cream Tea Event
To close the week, you are invited for Cream Teas in Summertown, on Saturday April 21st 2.30-4.30. There will be a Silent Auction, Raffle and Bring-and Buy stall. Donations would be gratefully received for this to really ‘take off’. Donations could include plants, unwanted gifts, wine, books in good condition and anything else you think will increase much-needed funds. Call 01865 311302 if you’d like to discuss anything or would be able to help on the day, and help us track numbers attending.
Do join me for this final push to raise funds for Parkinson’s UK, and help our Oxford Branch do well.
On the day, please pay with cash or cheque –cash machines are available at the Summertown shops
Location: 59 Victoria Road, Summertown, Oxford OX2 7QF
PARKINSON’S – CHANGE ATTITUDES. FIND A CURE. JOIN US.
Sky Diving
Sally shall be starting this week off to a “Flying Start” with a Skydive on Saturday April 14th
There is still time to donate to Sally’s web-page at www.justgiving.com/sally-bromley0
Dancing the Invisible – Late Work
6.30-8.30pm Saturday 14th April 2012
United Reformed Church Hall, Banbury Road,
Oxford OX2 7HN
Does the dancing stop when the body ages?
How does the older dancer draw on sensory memory and the imagination to make dances?
Old People Dancing
What does mature ballet look like?
What IS a mature dance?’
Research lead by Jennifer Jackson explores these questions with a team of mature dancers (ages 45-65) whose career experience includes teaching and choreographing as well as dancing as independent artists and with prestigious companies. The project culminates in a live dance and music event interweaving set and improvised dances with discussion at the University of Surrey’s Ivy Arts Centre in May.
Here at URC Jennifer is joined by Oxford artists Susie Crow of Ballet in Small Spaces and musician composer Malcolm Atkins of Oxford Improvisers in extracts of the work in progress. Please join us for this informal showing – old or young, your thoughts and feedback will be very welcome!
Entry charge of £5
Refreshments available for a donation
Doors open from 6.00pm
For more information about this project please join us online:
http://www.surrey.ac.uk/dft/research/currentprojects/dancingtheinvisible/
Oxford University’s Dramatic Society is organizing a Shakespeare Festival that will be performed in the gardens and theatres of Oxford. Their Web site reads: ‘It is being organised by Oxford University Dramatic Society and will encompass Shakespeare plays, poetry and retellings being performed across the city in College Gardens and theaters as well as more unusual venues, and leading academic speakers, musical events and film screenings. It is set to be an exciting project and will see involvement from both the student and professional dramatic sector, as well as, of course, the general public.’ They are clearly looking for sponsorship, but also the involvement of local talent, youth, and others with an interest. This could be a great project for the University but also a nice way for members of Victoria Road to get involved with the University’s outreach. Take a look at their site if you’d like to volunteer or enjoy the festival in the audience at: http://www.sponsorcraft.com/p/oxford-shakespeare-festival/
Shakespeare Festival 2012
Victoria Road residents were out again in support of OxClean, an effort to pick up litter in selected areas of Oxford, England. This year it was 3 March, but we hope everyone pitches in to pick up litter everyday. If you think there is not a problem, there are some snaps below: maybe you can’t see the litter. But the good news is that the area we have cleaned over the last three years has gotten progressively better, making each year somewhat easier. So make a real difference and do one thing that is blindingly obvious in support of a better environment.
What's wrong with this picture?
And this is litter.
This is Litter.
OxClean is an Oxford Civic Society initiative in partnership with Oxford City Council and The Oxford Times and is dedicated to keeping Oxford clean and tidy all year round – ensuring that our beautiful city is a welcoming and pleasant place for people to live, work and visit. Each year, Victoria Road has been able to field a strong group of litter pickers to help clean up. Plan to help this year.
OxClean Victoria Road Group 2011
VRG Meeting
Minutes of a meeting held on Thursday 1 December 2011
At No. 46
Appointment of Minute-taker: Philippa
In attendance: Mary (in the chair), Paul, Suzi, Bill, Celia, Jelly, Sue, Nick, Betty, Sally, John, Ali, Da, Diana, Mick and Philippa
Birthday congratulations to Betty!
1. Apologies for Absence
Anna, Chris, Sam, Manda, Peter, Mike and Mireille
2. Minutes of last meeting and Matters arising from them
Agreed.
3. Photographic competition
Winner will be announced at the Christmas party.
4. Events:
Performance Evening 22 October
Report on the Evening: It was agreed that it went very well. Thanks were expressed to the core team – Manda, John, Paul and Mary – and all those who helped on the day. The upstairs hall was better in some ways than downstairs, although some felt it would have been better staged lengthways. Unfortunately staged that way, the performers might have been right on top of the audience as it is slightly narrower than downstairs. There was some time to chat at the end: however, some kind volunteers had started clearing up straight away. It was agreed that we would try hard to prevent this next year. Some people had to leave at half time but that was thought preferable to them not coming at all. The proportion of audience participation numbers was higher this year than previously: the majority agreed that this was a positive thing but the balance needs to be monitored and also the choice of sing-along-songs needs some care. Some new things were tried and they generally worked well. Suzi suggested checking out the United Reformed Church hall as it has a real piano, and the shape is perhaps better.
There was a complaint following the event from the Church Hall that the floor was left rather dirty, and they were not able to charge the two classes the next day. Mary had given a donation of £40 on behalf of VRG as compensation to the Hall. It had been swept on the night but clearly it was not entirely clean. It was suggested that we bring vacuum cleaners next time or buy a big broom to use. We will also urge the Church Hall to provide more adequate equipment themselves.
Green Book Day/Media Madness 19 November
Report on the Day: a very pleasant event. A bit disappointing that we did not have many new people. A lot of books were exchanged. Thanks to Mike and Mireille for hosting the event and Jonathan and Bill for depositing all the remaining books with Oxfam. Mike and Mireille were complimentary about the organisation and help they had received.
5. Future Events:
Christmas Drinks/Carol singing Sunday 11 December, at No.56:
Meet 5.15pm for carol singing outside No. 105. Drinks would be from 6-8pm at No. 56. Sufficient wine was available from the Performance Evening. Ali would sort out glasses. Nick would get mulled wine spices, juice etc. Guests to bring festive finger food. Celia has a preserving pan if needed for the wine. Ali would clear her pinboard for displaying the photographic entries. Mary would arrange to have prize money available.
Green Balloon day was the next scheduled event: a date in May would be fixed at a future meeting.
Seven Roads Party: There is an extra bank holiday at the beginning of June for the Queen’s Jubilee. For the Millennium there was an event for the Seven Roads that connect in the area, and everyone in those streets was involved. Most of King’s Cross Road was shut off with a number of attractions going on. It was a wonderful event. There is a proposal for a similar event for the Queen’s Jubilee. The VRG is not committed in any way and people can participate individually. There are three street representatives on the committee: Mary, Ali and Sally. There were alternative dates still being debated: either the actual day, or the previous weekend. There was not a strong view from the group present about which was best. It was agreed that we would provide a donation of £100.
Additional event: Mike and Mireille had suggested a wine tasting. This was along the lines of Call My Bluff with the ‘experts’ presenting the vintage of the wine etc, and people guessing which description was true. Nick and Sue would find out what was needed to run this. Mick, Philippa, Sally, and Ali volunteered to assist with organising. Proposed dates: 4th 11th 18th or 25th February. Mick would check with the venue asap.
5. Communications Received
From Scope thanking us for the goods we gave them after Green Balloon Day which, along with a gift aid declaration, have raised £23.
A communication had been received re. Hernes House Residential Home concerning an application to develop 9 family size houses with 18 car parking spaces. This communication would go on the noticeboard.
A reminder that Oxclean would take place on Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd March: people were encouraged to join in with the litterpicking.
Newsletter: It was reported that Manda had done some work on this. Ali and Da will distribute if it is ready in the next week or so. News about the winetasting event would be incorporated. Paul and Mary would print it.
Finances: £535.35 in the bank before the donation to the Seven Roads event.
Suzi raised concerns about the spate of business closures in Summertown and proposed contacting newspapers or local councillors. Everyone supported the idea of writing to the Councillors. The Chair of the Group agreed to write.
Date and venue of Next Meeting-
Monday 9th January 2012 at Sally and Jonathan’s.
Finally, thanks were expressed to our hosts, Mary and Paul.
