THANK YOU TO ALL WHO CAME ALONG! The Cake Sale for Ukraine,Bloxham Christmas Fair & Workshops, especially Anne Tweddle’s rag wreath table, were a wild success. Christmas jumper decorating and stocking printing brought out great talents. A tremendous sum – £900 – was raised from the cake sale for Red Cross Ukraine; and BB balances are healthy and in the black. Jackie ‘Antoinette’ Davies is very pleased to report that in 2023, cake sales made a huuuge £2,260! She thanks everyone who baked cakes and ate cakes throughout the year. A note from BB: The Cake Sales are the personal initiative of Jackie, a BB member, and Katherine Aplin; we occasionally join forces to add fun and variety, and to help contribute to positive action.

24 Jan – CDC’s First Community Climate Network Event, Bodicote House. A very successful, well attended launch with many local environment-focused groups invited. There were short presentations by representatives of Cherwell Distt Council, Wild Oxfordshire, The Cherwell Kitchen and the Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment. Successes and difficulties were shared. It was a good opportunity for fruitful networking and to enjoy a generous complimentary buffet unch. Similar events will be held every 3-6 months.

POPPING UP in MARCH

Spring-flowering bulbs – Look out for early blooms coming through along Courtington Lane, Winters Way and by the Warriner. Fully hardy members of BB and volunteers, of all ages, took part in a planting session last October for the future pleasure of everyone passing by.

FIRST FRIDAY (MARCH 1st) POP UP STALL at the WI coffee morning. We’re starting up again! Ex Servicemen’s Village Hall, 9.30-11am. Seasonal produce, Preserves, chutneys & pickles; baby plants, seeds & pots, Mothers’ Day gift ideas.

Sunday 10th. Mothers’ Day and the Jungle Drums are thrumming, so… I should ORINOCO! Drop in on Orinoco, High St, Banbury and become affordably crafty for Mothers’ Day, with beautiful and unusual materials and ideas for gifts to share. Orinoco is an Aladdin’s cave of donated and surplus treasures; from stationery to games to fabrics and everything in between – all at a snip. OR give your mum ‘an experience’ – Orinoco have a craft table where you can take yourself and mum to sit down, relax and use wild imagination to begin a new idea or pick up on a

Long-standing project.

Thurs 21st. BLOXHAM HOSTS ‘PEOPLE, PLANET, PINT’. Elephant & Castle, 7pm. Our local

group comprises Bloxham, Duns Tew, Deddington and the Barfords. Just a meet-up, whistle wetting (inc A FREE PINT!) and easygoing chitty-chat on topics around the climate and ecological emergency and what positive action we can take locally. Why not hare along?!

Thurs 28th. Easter Cake Sale for Ukraine. Ex-Servicemen’s Village Hall. 10-1pm.

SUMMERY THOUGHTS… PLEASE SHARE…THE GREAT BIG GREEN WEEK

8-16 June. BB will be organising events in Bloxham. To suggest a speaker, workshop, film or other event, please contact us fresh ideas always welcome.

Stay in touch or get involved by joining our mailing list, email biodiversitybloxham@gmail.com or by consulting our posts on Facebook and Bloxham Online for the latest events