Beckley & Area Community Benefit society Limited (BACBS)

The Abingdon Arms

This week's special offer: Saturday 9th May is paella day at The Abingdon Arms. For one day only, instead of his usual menu, Alex will be offering 3 paellas - vegetarian, seafood, and meat. Bottles of wine are for sale at 15% discount. For dessert, there is an orange and chocolate mousse, with homemade shortbread. Check it all out! Order well in advance.

Then, as samples, here are The Abingdon Arms takeaway meals menu and shop list for this week. We've added the wine list (note the regular Sunday wine discount) and, especially for those not drinking alcohol, the price list for other bottled drinks too. Remember, as spring weather emerges, Alex is also selling barbecue packs. All tastes and needs are catered for!

Please check the pub's website for weekly menu updates: https://www.theabingdonarms.co.uk/coronavirus-updates

Draught beers

This week, The Abingdon Arms draught ales to take away are Shotover's Prospect bitter and Little Ox's WipeOut American Pale Ale. These are the ale-drinker's perfect accompaniments to take-away meals, or for your home barbecue with Alex's BBQ pack. Please bring your own beer container if possible, or Suzy can supply one.

Wines on Sunday

When you order a Sunday lunch, Suzy is pleased to offer a bottle of wine at a 15% discount. Alex's Sunday lunches are excellent value, so why not enjoy a bottle of wine too? Please order your Sunday takeaway and bottle of wine at least a day or two in advance if you can.

Opening hours

Suzy will take card payments only, over the phone please, when you place your order.

Please do give as much notice as possible, and pre-order your food a few hours (or preferably even a day or two, especially for Sunday lunches) before you want it.

If you - or a friend or neighbour - are really unable to collect your takeaway, it may be possible to arrange delivery to Beckley or nearby villages. Please ask Suzy at the time of ordering whether this will be possible.

Orders to 01865 655667

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Even more than a Pub

‘Even More than a Pub’ Talks and Poetry Readings

It has taken us a little while to arrange, but we can now confirm that our popular Sunday evening talks programme has resumed – in ‘virtual’ form, courtesy of Zoom. This means that our talks are available to all, with no geographical limit!

The first ‘Even More than a Pub’ talk, presented by Zoom on 26th April, was an excellent and informative ‘virtual’ talk by Beckley resident Sir Andrew McMichael, Professor of Molecular Medicine at the University of Oxford, topically entitled “Immunity in the time of coronavirus”. For those who were not able to attend (and getting on for 100 people did), Andrew has kindly agreed to provide a recording of his talk. You can request a copy of the recording by emailing info@bacbs.org.

The confirmed forthcoming programme of talks and poetry is as follows:

Sunday 17th May, 6.30-7.30pm: ‘Shiva as the Dancing Lord (Nataraja): the travels of a Hindu icon from temple to museum’ – Crispin Branfoot, Reader in the History of South Asian Art and Archaeology, SOAS, University of London

In this illustrated pub talk, Crispin will explore the production, function and reception of one of the most famous images of Hindu art: the four-armed Shiva dancing in a ring of fire. First cast in bronze in the 8-9th centuries CE, images of Hindu gods were carried in procession in and around the many monumental stone temples built during the Chola empire in medieval south India. Hindu images of Nataraja took on new lives from the early 20th century, as works of art in museum collections and as signifiers of the 'Mystic East'.

Dr Crispin Branfoot is Reader in the History of South Asian art and archaeology at SOAS, University of London, the UK's specialist centre for the study of Asia and Africa.

Crispin’s talk will be presented by Zoom, log-in details for which will be posted on the BACBS website in the week beforehand.

Sunday 31st May, 6.30-7.30pm: ‘An hour of poetry ’ – Next Step Poetry Group. Participants will be encouraged to read poems, their own or by other poets. Details to follow.

Sunday 14th June, 6.30-7.30pm: Thriller author Lucy Atkins in conversation with thriller writer Tony Strong. Lucy Atkins lives in Oxford and, just after lockdown, published ‘Magpie Lane’ - an excellent psychological thriller set in an Oxford college, described as “enthralling…creepy and compelling” by The Times. Her previous books include The Night Visitor, which is being developed for TV, and The Other Child. You might want to purchase and read ‘Magpie Lane’ now!

Sunday 5th July, 6.30-7.30pm: 'Searching for exoplanets and alien extra-terrestrial life' - Suzanne Aigrain, Professor of Astrophysics, University of Oxford. Details to follow.

Sunday 19 July, 6.30-7.30pm: ’Preservation of the Monarch Butterfly: Saving a Symbol of Mexico’ – Mantina Lopez-Portillo. Details to follow.

The Abingdon Arms Pub Quiz

In addition, The Abingdon Arms Pub Quiz is back, now in ‘virtual’ format via Zoom with quiz-master Gabriel Brodetsky. The first Zoom quiz on 6th May proved very popular with approximately 30 households and teams taking part. Team 3.5 (Victoria Moore and family) were winners of the £25 prize generously donated by The Abingdon Arms.

Further quizzes may be held – look out for details on the BACBS website and Facebook page.

‘Even More than a Pub’ Walks

In addition to offering mental and intellectual stimulation, BACBS wants to promote physical activity. We have put together a few suggested walk routes, each up to or around one hour, so consistent with the Government’s current advice in relation to our permitted ‘daily single exercise’. But please note therefore, these walks are promoted for individual walkers or family groups – please do not arrange to meet people with whom you do not live. Please tell us if you have a favourite local route that you’d like to share with others: please contact info@bacbs.org

Our suggested routes can be best followed in conjunction with the small, folding Around & About map we commissioned from Yellow Maps, which are on sale at The Abingdon Arms pub shop, and are available to order from the Stanton St John and Islip Village Shops, price £4.50. In due course the suggested walk routes will be shown on a map display board outside The Abingdon Arms. Meanwhile, we will install a temporary display board in The Abingdon Arms, which will be available to view when collecting shop items and takeaways – but please do respect essential ‘social distancing’ rules – and we will post the routes, in due course, on the BACBS website at: https://bacbs.org/local-information

‘Even more than a Pub’ lunchtime chats, Beckley

The monthly Women of Beckley and Men of Beckley pub lunches have been re-created by Sarah and Steve Smith as weekly lunchtime chats by Zoom, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays respectively. Steve and Sarah are also hosting daily coffee-time and early evening neighbourly meetings in their Beckley street.

These are all great ways of maintaining, indeed developing, contact and relationships with neighbours to offset the lockdown's social isolation and loneliness. Would neighbours like to arrange similar ‘virtual’ social meetings – coffee mornings, lunchtime chats, afternoon teas, evening ‘Sundowners’ - in other neighbourhoods and villages? We may be able to help you join established groups or set these up: please contact info@bacbs.org

‘Even More than a Pub’ jazz

It’s more difficult to recreate the thrill of The Abingdon Arms Sunday evening jazz sessions, which are greatly missed by many. To keep local jazz alive we will, when we can, post clips of past jazz gigs and links to jazz programmes. Here are some numbers from an early Abingdon Arms gig in January 2018, starring Pete Oxley on guitar, Mark Hodgson on bass, and Mark Doffman on drums. Enjoy!

In addition, the BBC’s recent documentary about Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (BBC Two 14 March 2020) will be of interest to jazz fans and to anyone with an interest in social history and music more widely: see BBC iPlayer.

Please do let us have your suggestions and links: contact info@bacbs.org

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Using the public access defibrillator during the COVID-19 emergency

Most residents of Beckley will be aware of the heart defibrillator that is housed in the bright yellow box mounted on the right side of the entrance porch to The Abingdon Arms. We hope that residents of other villages and elsewhere will be familiar with their nearest defibrillator, the sites of which are displayed on the map of the local area which was commissioned by BACBS (see the article in this newsletter about walk routes). It can save a life!

During the current COVID-19 emergency, some residents may be concerned that, if they have to use the defibrillator, they will expose themselves to the risk of catching COVID-19. To address these concerns, the Resuscitation Council UK has issued the following guidance and video:

30,000 out of hospital cardiac arrests happen each year in the UK - and 80% of these happen in the home. If no immediate action is taken, these people will be dead within minutes. With more people than ever being in a home-based location during the coronavirus crisis, the number of at home cardiac arrests could increase - and it’s never been more important to be prepared with the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills needed to give someone their best chance of survival.

Resuscitation Council UK, the UK’s resuscitation experts, have issued updated COVID-19 guidance for those who need to perform CPR in an out of hospital situation. They are urging people to familiarise themselves with these key skills in case they need to help someone in need.

This updated guidance advises against performing rescue breaths (commonly called ‘mouth to mouth’) and encourages rescuers to put a piece of material over the mouth and nose to reduce the risk of infection.

If someone is unconscious and not breathing normally, do not put your face close to theirs. Call for an ambulance, and use a towel or piece of clothing and lay it over the mouth and nose. Do not do mouth to mouth. Start chest compressions to the tempo of “Stayin’ Alive” and use a Public Access Defibrillator if available.

A short video demonstrates these concepts:

Finally, whether or not you have attended BACBS’s introductory training for using the defibrillator (and we will reinstate these training sessions as soon as is possible) remember that the defibrillator is fully automatic. The machine will tell you exactly what to do and will only shock the victim if that is the correct treatment in the circumstances. You can do no harm using the defibrillator…but you may save a life!

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BVH 150 Club

This article is of primary interest to Beckley residents, but it’s included because it involves The Abingdon Arms and others may wish to join the club.

Beckley Village Hall (BVH) is now closed of course, with activities limited to keeping the hall in good order and the garden under control. The Village Hall Committee nevertheless continues to incur costs which are eating into reserves.

Dave Drew, who is also a member of the BACBS management committee, is taking over the 150 Club administration. It is hoped all current club members will support Dave and new members will come forward.

In the past the purpose of the 150 club has been to provide funding for the maintenance of the Hall, but the Committee hopes also to be able to provide ‘seedcorn’ funding to encourage new activities, particularly those for younger residents. This is also consistent with BACBS’s aims.

In agreement with the BVH Committee, Dave has negotiated an arrangement with Suzy at The Abingdon Arms so that major prize winners will have the option of a cash prize or a higher value voucher to be used at the pub.

As soon as it’s allowed, the monthly draw will be made at The Abingdon Arms on the last Friday evening of each month, and members will be encouraged to be present. Until then the draw will be made online by the Women of Beckley lunch group, and monthly winners will be notified directly and via the BACBS Newsletter.

Last year there were 109 members from 70 households, and this year the target is to sell 150 shares to support Beckley Village Hall. This will raise £900 a year and the monthly prizes will be presented as follows: -

Prizes for the December Draw will be doubled.

Please support the BVH 150 Club in its efforts this year (June 2020-May 2021). You can join using the enrolment form below or by emailing Dave Drew (davidrogerdrew@gmail.com), and pay by means of a BACS transfer using the details shown on the Application Form.

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