Monthly Archives: January 2022

Whitchurch is Truly Amazing! Whitchurch Association trustees are delighted to inform residents that the town’s Walkers are Welcome annual accreditation assessment has been completed by the tourism scheme’s national committee. All of the 6 key criteria for accreditation were assessed in some detail, evidence considered and progress measured and once again we are delighted to announce that the town has been awarded the highest grade in all areas. “Well done, Whitchurch, you are truly amazing, we can all learn from you. The Community benefits are outstanding and it was good to read the appreciative comments from local councillors and residents”. Whitchurch Association trustees would like to thank Jackie Browne and Barry Carter for all their hard work throughout the year co-ordinating the work of our local WaW countryside volunteers and for continuing to promote Whitchurch at each and every opportunity. We would also like to thank once again all those residents that have assisted with vegetation clearance, footpath maintenance, path surveys and litter picking, we couldn’t achieve these results without you and also the various countryside bodies, management groups and local authority tourism staff who recognise the value of our efforts and support our ambitions for Whitchurch.

North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Team Hampshire Countryside Access Team – North Tourism Southeast Visit Hampshire Test Valley Tourism Basingstoke & Deane Stagecoach South 

For further information:  https://whitchurch.org.uk/whitchurch-association-hampshire/

Whitchurch Library – Calling all Crafters & Stitchers Whitchurch Library are delighted to announce a new weekly group, Sociable Stitchers for anyone who enjoys crafting. Starting on Wednesday 16th February, the two hour sessions will run from 1.30pm – 3.30pm. There’s no need to book, the informal drop-in sessions will be led by Shelagh and will appeal to anyone who enjoys needlework, knitting, crochet etc. just come along with your current craft project; all levels and projects welcome (materials not supplied).  We also have a varied selection of craft books that you may use to plan your next creation.

Recruiting at the Gill Nethercott Centre The Whitchurch Association is seeking to recruit a Community Centre Manager to be based at the Gill Nethercott Centre (the “GNC”), Winchester Rd, Whitchurch.

Whitchurch Association Trustees would like to thank Julia Trinder for all her work as Centre Manager at the Gill Nethercott Centre as she plans her retirement in February. Julia has been with us for four years and, despite recent lockdowns, has helped us to maintain a warm welcome with a range of interesting activities at the GNC for all who visit.

We now seek to recruit a responsible, friendly and organised individual to take over from Julia and manage the GNC and the work of the assistant manager and cleaner. You will manage all bookings, look after the needs of hirers, be responsible for providing relevant financial documentation to the Treasurer for payment of suppliers’ invoices and recording receipts, maintain the GNC and liaise with any third party suppliers, oversee health and safety, manage regular kitchen and admin supplies and be the community contact for the GNC.

As the community returns to normal post-Covid we would also expect the manager to plan and organise our programme of events. This aspect of the work could be carried out at home.

The job is part-time and pay is dependent on experience.

If you are interested in applying for this position, please contact Denyse on 07962 116639, by 1st February.

Application forms to be received by the Whitchurch Association by 7th February and interviews to be held in mid February.

Furlock Holmes Animal Care *** NEW YEAR, NEW YOU, NEW CHALLENGE? ***

We are delighted to announce we have some weekend volunteer vacancies!

We are seeking animal-loving individuals (aged 18 plus) to join our Furlock family. If you’re passionate about helping animals, not afraid of a bit (or a lot!) of mud, and have a good sense of humour, we’d love to meet you!

We offer training and experience with various small animals, specialising in rabbits and guinea pigs, with opportunities to grow and develop amongst the team with more senior management and public-facing volunteer positions also available.

You will be welcomed into a lovely (albeit slightly crazy) family of two-legged and four-legged friends.

All we ask is a little bit of commitment from you, as it really does help if we can rota you into our daily life!

Please send us a message or email enquiries@furlockholmes.uk and tell us a bit more about yourself.

The Whitchurch Wassail Whitchurch will host a traditional wassail on January 29th, 2022, at the QEII Daniel Park Community Orchard (next to the Primary School). Organised by Whitchurch Folk Club, this is the first in a series of rural traditions we hope to re-introduce to the town over the coming months and years. What is a wassail? A wassail is a community gathering, usually in an orchard, intended to awaken the trees from their winter slumber and frighten the orchard demons away. In order to do this, we gather beneath the trees and make as much noise as we can. Other wassails include shotgun fire, but we’re starting out small! No shotguns will be present, but we encourage you to dress up as tree spirits, paint your faces, and bring pots, pans, and instruments – whatever you’ve got to make a ruckus. Here’s a link for more information on wassailing.

These days, a wassail is seen as a great chance to come together as a community in the cold months of winter, enjoy a bit of outdoor, socially-distanced camaraderie, and pay your respects to the green spaces around us. It’s a good opportunity to leave your computer screens, forget about work, and engage with a pastime that our ancestors regularly enjoyed, and that our descendants may continue to enjoy in the future.

The ceremony starts with an old incantation, the dousing of the tree roots in apple juice and cider, and an offering of juice-soaked toast to the trees. Children are encouraged to step forward as our Wassail Kings & Queens, to help us give the trees their breakfast. How do we wassail? There will be a performance from the Eagle Hook Morris Men to kick things off around 1pm.

The ceremony will then start with an old incantation, the dousing of the tree roots in apple juice and cider, and an offering of juice-soaked toast to the trees. Children are encouraged to step forward as our Wassail Kings & Queens, to help us give the trees their breakfast.

And because this is a traditional wassail, we will have traditional music from the Andover Museum Loft Singers, and traditional singer, Jackie Oates, will come and help us lead the wassail and learn an old wassailing song. Will there be food and drink? While many traditional wassails will include food and drink, we are just finding our feet. Depending on how things go, we’ll try to introduce these elements next year. However, we encourage you to bring your own mugs and your own flasks of warm apple juice. (Please remember to take home your litter with you following the wassail.) What happens after the wassail? After the wassail, we will hold a tradfolk session at Whitchurch Parish Hall. We expect this to start around 2:30pm, and the music will be led by John Spiers, Jackie Oates and Paul Sartin, three of England’s most revered traditional musicians.

Anyone is welcome to come and join in, or to simply sit and watch. However, we are going to put a limit on attendees to around 40 people, for safety reasons, so get there as soon as you can. First come, first served. Please bring your own drinks, as we will not be able to run a bar.

Please do not attend the wassail or the session if you’re suffering from symptoms of COVID. Is this wassail family-friendly? Absolutely! As we mentioned above, we encourage everyone (kids and adults alike) to dress up and take part. If you’d like to see how other people dress up for wassails, take a look at this page of wassailing pictures. Kids are also encouraged to be our Wassailing Kings and Queens, helping us to feed the hungry trees with toast and juice. If your kids would like to do that, turn up at 1pm, look for the Green Man and let him know. Any useful links? Here’s a link to a Google Map showing you where the community orchard is.

And here’s a map to the Parish Hall for the session.

For further details on either event, contact Whitchurch Folk Club via our Facebook Page, our Twitter Page, our Instagram Page, or via jonwilksmusic@gmail.com.