St Michael’s Ladies group, Highclere meet every second Thursday of the month, usually in the Dunlop Room at Highclere Church ( or Highclere Village Hall - check the diary for details) for a wide range of interesting talks, activities and social meetings. To find our more information please contact Cathy Sharpe on 01635 253007.
Although the group support St Michaels' Church you do not have to be a church member to come along and join our group. We look forward to welcoming you to our group.
The club meets for social chess weekly on Thursdays from 7.30 pm
to 10 pm through the season (September - May) and has two teams in the
Berkshire Chess League. New players are always welcome. Please visit www.newburychess.org.uk or contact David Skyrme (tel. 01635 254151, email david@skyrme.com) for more information.
Click here for all EWS information
Highclere Film Club is a friendly group who meet every two weeks between September and Easter to watch newly released films on a terrific screen, with Dolby surround sound, in comfy chairs, with an open bar.
All film nights are held in Highclere Village Hall, RG20 9QS
Membership costs £10 for the whole year.
For more details contact Chris Martin on chrismartin527@btinternet.com
For the latest WI program click here
The East Woodhay Womens Institute started in December, 1919 four years after the first meeting started in Britain. In their centenary year East Woodhay are holding events in East Woodhay Hall and in the community.
The normal programme year runs from June to the AGM in May and in June this year they started the centenary with a talk by Norman Powers and photos showing local events from 1919 with many places being familiar with our members. Later in the month a visit was made to the National Needlework Archive at Greenham Common where the Country Wife Mural made in stumpwork embroidery is being renovated with the hope that one day it will be put on public display.
In July we had Afternoon Tea at Esseborne Manor where members received prizes for a WI Centenary Quiz and a missing vowel competition. We also heard extracts from past minutes detailing Christmas parties, sending parcels to the armed forces during the second world war, making brawn, a magic lantern show and holding a stall in Newbury Market. At the end of July we had a Coffee Morning in a member’s lovely garden raising funds and socialising.
In August members visited Old Camps Gardens at Headley. Approximately ten years ago the owners excavated roman tiles and their possible connection with other Roman settlements in the area. The stunning garden has its own micro climate and a tour with the owner, Adam, became a memorable afternoon. In September we will be in the East Woodhay Hall for our annual harvest competition and Auction.
Later in the month we will be planting 100 daffodil bulbs round the East End War Memorial. East Woodhay belongs to the North Downs Group of Womens Institutes and we get together during the year for meetings with speakers/demonstrations, quizzes and craft.
To find out more contact the Secretary, Jean Ransom (telephone 254070)
A flower arranging group thats meets on the third Tuesday of each month, 2pm – 4.30pm Highclere Village Hall. RG20 9QS
Please contact the Secretary Diana Durkin 01635 635813 for more details
Honorary President: Norman Powers
This society has been in existence since 1997 and has had many interesting talks about our area and its surroundings over the years as well as being involved with local research, such as the background to all the names on our war memorials. We also try to help with family history enquiries.
The society meets in East Woodhay Village Hall at Heath End once a month between September and March (excluding December) as well as having a visit to a local place of interest in the Spring. The talks programme for the season is published in July on this website & in the parish magazine, Spectrum.
The membership fee for the year is £10.00 and visitors are welcome for an entrance fee to their chosen talk of £4.
The January meeting is our AGM but business is kept to a minimum as we follow it with ten minute talks by the members who come up with very wide ranging topics.
We hope to include items of local history on this website in the future. To start with we would like to explain the East Woodhay parish in which Woolton Hill sits and is covered by this website.
The parish of East Woodhay is made up of many small hamlets, estates, farms and houses. They hamlets include Ball Hill, Heath End, North End, East End, Gore End, Hollington, Hatt Common, Broad Layings and Woolton Hill.
East Woodhay itself is effectively St Martin’s Church, Church farm and a few other houses. However there once was a manor house though the exact site is yet to be confirmed. Archeological surveys have identified several features dating back to the 12th Century when the original church was built
The northern boundary follows the River Enborne, set in Saxon times, and also the County boundary with West Berkshire – as is the western boundary.
The southern boundary follows the hill ridge including Pilot Hill.
The southern boundary is, again, Saxon and originally followed the Andover Road through Highclere. This used to be called Honey Way. In the 1980s the Boundary Commission moved it westwards.
Our parish has been our political ward but this changed in 2020 when we joined with Highclere and Ashmansworth to become Evingar Ward. That name was used for our area in the Domesday Book and originally stretched down to Whitchurch.
The society also produced a very informative book on the History of East Woodhay as a Millenium Project and copies are still available, as are copies of the book on the Parish’s footpaths. Memorial books about those on our war memorials can be found in St Martin’s & St Thomas’.
We are always grateful to receive any information about East Woodhay – memories, photographs, documents etc. Again please get in touch, as we don’t want to lose valuable resources. We can always scan or copy items if you want to keep them.
If you are interested in joining us or have information about anything to do with the Parish’s history then please contact:
Secretary: Christine Dalton chrissie.dalton@yahoo.co.uk 07880 628 114
Research & Talks Programme: Val Pollitt valeriepollitt@googlemail.com 01635 253550
Would anyone like to learn to play short mat bowls? Now the nights are getting darker why not give it a go. Do come along to East Woodhay Village Hall ,Heath End on a Wednesday night at 7.30 pm.
Bowls are available to borrow but do come with flat soled shoes to save damaging the mats which are played on. The first three sessions are free.(£3.00 per night after that).
There is a friendly match on the 11th Sept if any one wishes to watch and see what the game is all about. Contact Cathy Neller if you are interested in going along. Tel 01635 255589
Please see details of East Woodhay Silver Band on the flyer below. Underneath is some history of the band.
History of the EWSB:
The band was founded in 1884, under the name of East Woodhay Mechanics Band but by 1904 the name was changed to St. Martin's Brass Band. It was under the direction of a Mr. Rowden, and the band had been considerably assisted by a Major Ridley, who had presented tunics and instruments. There was an early connection with the Newbury Weekly News, when in 1890 they reported that the Band was making its "usual rounds", which it still does today.
In the early years of this century, the leadership of H. B. Cummings and Major Bowley led the band to join up with the Highclere Band. World War 1 effectively closed the band for the duration when members joined army units and, with the outbreak of the World War 2, the band became a Home Guard band. Shortly afterwards the band became known as it is today.
In 1950, the band joined the Oxford Association and, during this time, the band were successful in the Oxford area contests. Under the enthusiastic leadership of Desmond Webb MBE, the numbers increased, and a "Youth Section" was formed. In fact, his father had joined the band in 1908, which gives the Webb family a 90 year association.
Many other families in the area have a close association with the band, and the people and organisations in the local area still seek the musical entertainment which the band can provide. The range of work includes entertaining at high profile dinners in the City of London, army messes and the many fêtes and shows which need musical entertainment to attract the crowds. During the Christmas period, small sections go out into the local villages in the evenings playing carols in addition to playing at concerts for the disabled and in local village halls.
Most of the players are using instruments which were bought as a result of a National Lottery Award. This was achieved through much hard work from various members of the Band.
With over 100 years behind it, there seems no reason not to envisage another 100 years in the future.
The aim of the Association is to establish friendly links between ourselves and our “twinned” villages in Normandy, France, and to encourage contacts between the regions in order to promote a better understanding of each other’s customs. It’s a great opportunity to get a genuine flavour of France, not forgetting the good wines!
Once every two years members travel to Normandy to stay with families in four villages near to Caen for a Bank holiday weekend. On the intervening years our French friends come to stay in East Woodhay. Accommodation and travel is arranged by the Association together with a full itinerary of outings and social events for both hosts and visitors so no one feels isolated or worried about the language, (although most families speak English), and a great time is had by all for very little cost.
Members need not feel they have to travel to Normandy, or to host a French family. They may prefer to do just ONE option, or the TWO WAY exchange. However, the experience of staying with a family and sharing their lifestyle is hugely enjoyable, completely different from a conventional holiday in France and even the most nervous of participants have said what a great time they have had. From the other angle, we really enjoy giving our visitors a taste of British life which is fascinating for everyone involved.
• We don’t speak French:
Within both associations there are members who are fluent in the “other” language as well as those who are not. The committees consider carefully so as to match up families because the aim is to have an enjoyable and memorable time. Many of the French members like to speak English and you are not made to feel inadequate if you don’t speak French.
• It’s not for us, we’d be too nervous.
When we stay in France, around half of the time is spent as a whole group. So if your brain is overloaded you can let someone else do the talking, in whichever language suits! When the French families visit us we also arrange group outings or you can team up with other hosts and visiting families for small get-togethers.
• Our children don’t speak French and would feel isolated.
Both associations are eager to encourage young families to take part. In 2010 there were 3 English children and 2 French children in the group from years 2,3 5 and 6. Language didn’t get in the way of playing football and “It” in a large field or playing cards at the communal meal! Food never seemed to be a problem either.
“We are so pleased we overcame our apprehensions and joined the East Woodhay Twinning Association and can thoroughly recommend it.” (Val and Jim)
“We have some lovely memories of events and places visited, especially watching my 5 year old, Louise, and a little French girl, Adeline, playing together without speaking a word of each other’s language.” (Judy)
“By the second day I was becoming quite fluent and with the help of pen and paper was writing and drawing everything I needed to convey – no problem!” (Patricia).
“How would our two young boys aged 4 and 7 react to a new language and how would my husband cope with his limited French? Well our hosts were wonderful and our 4 year old joined in conversations with his own “brand” of French – we all felt immediately at home My husband spoke in English and listened in French!”(Helen).
“I was lucky because we stayed with a family who had 3 teenage children and Marie, aged 16, spoke some English. It was nice to see some interesting and scenic places in Normandy. I enjoyed shopping with the family in Caen but the designer shops in Deauville were too expensive.” (Rachel aged 14).
“I felt quite queasy because I was not sure I could speak enough French but once I got to know the family I got a lot better with my French. Dad and I joined in playing bowls and had quite some success for beginners.” (Richard aged 10 )
quoted text © the respectively named people
To find out more contact the Secretary, Helen Allen 01635 250776
Currently, we play a wide variety of music and are constantly seeking to extend our
repertoire.
We regularly perform for schools and rest homes in the local community, as well as
for senior citizens’ groups and other social gatherings further afield. Sometimes we provide background music for other organisations’ fund-raising events and from time to time we hold concerts to raise money for our own chosen charities. Occasionally we also contribute
to the worship in St Thomas’ Church
Rehearsals are held in the church on Thursday afternoons at 4.30 for approximately 1
hour. If you would like to join us, whether as a beginner or an
experienced ringer, please contact us, or just come along.
If you are interested in booking the ringers for your organisation or event please
call 01635 255582 or email nicole.bentham@yahoo.co.uk
For the latest program click here
We always welcome new members from around Woolton Hill and District.
We have about 100 members and you will be made very welcome.
We are an informal club that meets monthly with illustrated talks, garden visits, and other social activities.
The club meets on the 4th Thursday of each month, between September and April, in Woolton Hill Church Hall, Woolton Hill, RG20 9XF
Doors are open at 7.30pm, for the meeting to start at 8.00pm.
Membership fee is £10 per annum.
Visitors are welcome at meetings £3-00
The Club has a broad ranging series of talks each month, and arranges a Summer Party, Christmas Party, seasonal competitions and a Summer Outing to a garden of interest.
The AGM is held on the first Thursday of September.
We support a National Charity -Thrive - with a donation. They assist in employment, therapy and health through gardening and horticulture.
For further information about our Club, please contact the Chairman, Nick Harcourt, 01635 253546
Thanks to our sponsors (click on the icons to link to their website):
