This week's community news from across Basingstoke

Chineham

• Get your costumes ready for World Book Day!

Chineham Library will be offering a costume swap starting from Tuesday 14th February until 1st March, just in time for World Book Day, which is on the 2nd March.

You are welcome to donate any well looked after and clean costumes for children throughout the two weeks. You are also welcome to take a costume away with you (even if you don't donate one)!

More information about World Book Day can be found at facebook.com/hashtag/worldbookday.

There’s still time to complete the Winter Mini Challenge! Simply read three books by 20th February. Join the Gadgeteers and get ready to take part in some cool experiments and reading activities at home.

And incidentally, it is not too late to grab a book by popular author Val McDermid, who is this month’s featured author.

• Have you recently moved house or are you newly retired? Or simply want to meet people and make new friends? Perhaps the National Women’s Register (NWR) could be for you. The mission of NWR is to connect women who are interested in everything and talk about anything.

Chineham and Old Basing NWR meet on the first Monday of the month at 2pm, hosted in different houses. In January, they discussed topics beginning with H which they refer to as alphabet soup. In February, they planned their programme for the new year. They also meet for monthly lunches in a local pub and some of them discuss a chosen book on the fourth Thursday evening. For more information go to nwr.org.uk or contact Dusty Brough via dmbc8061@gmail.com or even call 01256 357276. You are invited to try a couple of meetings without any obligation to check the group out.

Fiona Biermann

Cliddesden

• You may be aware that this week is half term. Therefore, some activities, such as Farleigh Playgroup and St. Leonard’s Children’s Singing, have temporarily paused. However, both these will resume at the normal times next week. If you would like to hear the Children’s Singing Group in action, please come along to the Family Service Mothering Sunday (19th March), at 11.15am; this is their next ‘performance’ so-to-speak.
• Secondly, a reminder about the STaHND Cliddesden Quiz Night, due to be held tomorrow (17th February) at 7.30pm, at the Millennium Hall. I included full details of the event last week, but here is a reminder of the main contacts, should you need them for information or ticketing: Alex Conboy (07767 890962) and Sarina Smith (07977298038).

Helen Walker

Hatch Warren and Beggarwood

• The Patient Participation Group reports that the Camrose, Gilles, Hackwood and Beggarwood surgeries believe that the crisis caused by Strep A and flu has now eased, allowing them to address the backlog of routine appointments that built up. Patients who have delayed making appointments should now get in touch. DrIQ referrals should now be picked up and patients contacted. The surgeries are experiencing staff shortages caused by sickness and difficulty in recruitment. Operose are trying to fill the vacancies as quickly as possible. There is now a lead receptionist in each of the four surgeries, Operose report that call wait times are reducing although they are still averaging 20 minutes.
• The After School Club has posted a massive 'thank you' to everyone who donated pre-loved electric scooters. They were a big hit! The ASC would welcome more. Even in the cold weather the children love to dress up warm and go outside to play on them.
• The Warren is raising £1,200 to keep its operations going at the Community Centre. They report having raised £920 which is great progress and are looking for donations to jump the last hurdle and reach their target. The Warren provides a free Youth Facility for young people aged 10-17 years old in Hatch Warren, Beggarwood and Kempshott. They want to be able to continue offering a warm safe space to our young people and a variety of sport and art based activities.
• Old Down and Beggarwood Wildlife Group: With the weather turning more compatible with outdoor working, the wildlife group is hoping to rejuvenate its working parties. For Old Down they meet outside Old Down Hall every Thursday 10-12noon (but not in the rain!) and for Beggarwood at the Café in the Park on the first Tuesday of the month 9-12noon.  They will welcome new faces for the important work that they do. Check the website for further information and their Facebook page.   
• Coronation Big Lunch: Are you thinking of organising a Coronation Big Lunch street party on Sunday 7 May? You can now sign up for a free event pack full of ideas to make your local celebration one to remember. If you’d like to close off your road to traffic during your celebrations, make sure you apply to your local district or borough council for a temporary road closure licence as soon as you can. The free Coronation Big Lunch event pack can be found at edenprojectcommunities.com/the-big-lunch.

Stephen Reid

Kempshott

• Kempshott Conservation Group has a work party in Down Grange meadow (meet at Homesteads Road entrance near St Mark’s Church) on Sunday 19th February from 10am-12pm - tools provided but bring your own gloves. On Monday 20th, not only is there a WI social afternoon (games, craft, chat, whatever floats your boat) at 2pm, but the Horticultural Society at 7.30pm in the Village Hall is very excited to have Ottershaw Cacti’s Daniel and Jo Jackson. They’re speaking on “Our road to Chelsea” - visitors welcome for a small fee.

Diana Manville

Lychpit and Old Basing

• There will be a meeting of the Lychpit Community Residents Association in Lychpit Community Hall on Sunday 26th February at 10am. One of the items to be discussed is traffic flow along Great Binfields Road. Any other business submissions should be sent to the secretary at lychpitcra.secretary@gmail.com by Sunday 19th February.
• Fingers crossed for good weather at the weekend so that the planned bird ringing demonstration can take place in the Conservation Area at St Mary’s Church on Saturday 18th February at 9am. Stephen who is licenced and specially trained will demonstrate how birds are weighed, measured and ringed to help us learn more about birds’ movements and longevity. If the weather is wet or windy the wellbeing of the birds will be a concern  and the event could then take place the following day. Please check stmarysoldbasing.org.uk for updates. Although the event is free donations to St Mary’s Church would be most welcome. 
• Don’t forget the Repair Café will be here on Friday 25th February at Lychpit Community Hall from 10am until midday. Contact them on nhrc.uk if you have an item that you would like repaired or to see the range of expertise they are offering or to volunteer with them.

Elspeth Lee

Oakley

• Oakley Scouts Jumble Sale

Jumble Sale Saturday 18th March at East Oakley Village Hall, The Green Hut, Hill Road Oakley RG23 7JJ. Sale starts at 1.45pm. Donations welcome at the hall from 10.30 am. There will be bric-a-brac, books clothes toys etc. Cash only, entrance 50p.

• Friends of St Lawrence - Recipe ideas please for FoSL Cookery Book: When it comes to eating what do you and yours enjoy? Do you have a signature dish that can be relied on every time to bring sighs of delight from your family and friends? Does your flapjack fly, do you have a marvellous method with mushrooms, a sensational style with steak or a Hampshire hotpot to rival Lancashire’s?

The world needs to hear more of this culinary good news so the Friends of Saint Lawrence are looking for lots of lovely recipes to add to a new cookery book which will be sold in aid of St Lawrence for Our Time Project.

Could you contribute a favourite recipe to our book?

Please email your recipes to: friends@oww.church. 

We will happily sell you a copy of the finished item for posterity!  Entries as soon as possible to help with planning, we hope to have the books on sale by the summer.

Thank you so much for your support, we can’t wait to get the rolling pin out, apron and start trying out your recipes!

• Friends of Oakley Infant School are holding an Easter Fayre on Saturday 25th March. We are looking for any small or big businesses who may be willing to kindly donate us a raffle prize or offer the event some sponsorship. We are a registered charity and can provide headed letter with our charity number if required.

All proceeds from the raffle go back into the school providing extra resources, experiences and enrichment activities.

Tiffany Wise

Sherfield

• NWR National Women’s Register - Gill says: “Our recent meeting was about careers – had we pursued one, if so, were we happy with our choice or would we have liked to follow a different path? we represented the general trend of the era that we grew up in where only about five per cent of school leavers went to university.

“Two of us who took part in our little survey attended ‘old’ universities – Imperial in London and Bristol, and both pursued careers in teaching at senior level. Two of us went into nursing – in the 60s and 70s nurses joined a teaching hospital and learnt their skills on the wards and the nursing school classroom. Some of us expressed an interest in chiropody or reflexology as an alternative career and indeed one of us changed careers from one in estate and catering management to training as a reflexologist later in life.  Years ago it was very common for people to marry young, often in their 20s and start a family. This dictated to a large extent their choice of occupation and several of us either went on to a college of further education or straight into a job to become secretaries and/or take on administrative roles. One of us who became a production manager in a publishing company. Others worked in various offices until giving up work to look after a family and then returning to work later when the children were at school. Two of us married into the armed forces and therefore had to give up her career or postpone a return to the workforce.  Teaching was a very popular choice of career for those with a family, with school holidays.

“One member expressed a desire to be an archaeologist, another a horticulturalist, and another a bookshop owner. But the most popular choice as an alternative career was in acting. One is following her dream of acting school and getting small parts in short films, but she is waiting for Judi Dench, Alison Steadman, Zoe Wanamaker and Emma Thompson to retire so that she can gain a chance for the larger parts! Things have moved on with childcare facilities for women who have demanding careers are able to continue and therefore keep up with the fast pace of modern life. It is also usual for grandparents to help with childcare. This was an interesting topic which we all enjoyed. Our next meeting will be a discussion about drugs.”

• Village Market is back at the Village Hall on Sunday from 11 till 2pm. Do go along to have a look at the crafts, local produce and enjoy the village café.    

Chris Horton