David Leake: chef extraordinaire

Students at Bartholomew School are now eating in style, thanks to David Leake. The re- vamped dining room and tall hat encourage them to consider the school dinner as a meal experience; and in collaboration with local butcher Richard Golsby he is helping their carbon footprint too. The weekly menu looks as good as - if not better than - many you find in restaurants. More than 600 main meals disappear every day, at an affordable £2.

Next project is an allotment, which could provide really local fruit and vegetables and be tended by the students.
David is also collecting recipes in honour of the school's 50th anniversary. If you have any to share, please get in touch. But please don't phone at lunchtime, when he's carving the roast.

Local recipes to start you off here
Latest school menus HERE

ROBERT HOPPING and HELEN KEEN

Our new Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) from September 2007, covering 7 parishes in the Eynsham neighbourhood but concentrating on Eynsham in the evenings.
Both long-term West Oxfordshire residents, they look forward to getting out and about in this close- knit community.
They can deal with a range of issues such as anti-social behaviour, litter and underage drinking. More here : The Facts, The Opinions and The Vision.

DON and SUE CHAPMAN

Don and Sue settled in Eynsham in 1970 – midway between Oxford, where Don reported for the Oxford Mail, and Witney, where Sue was local photographer for the newspaper group (and valued source for the Eynsham Record).
They devoted the early years to renovating Millstone Cottage and producing a family. Sue then took to village affairs with the Eynsham Society, the Primary School and the Parish Council. Her campaign for a circular footpath exploiting the old railway line took her into the fastness of County Hall; here she leads Eynsham Morris at the official opening.
She still works in Eynsham Library from time to time, after earlier experience with the libraries at the two village schools. She has also appeared as an 'extra' in over 50 films.

Web: A garden in Mill St

Meanwhile, Don founded Eynsham and District Liberal Democrats and launched their newsletter, As It Happens. His campaign on the toll-bridge led to quotes in the Wall Street Journal and coast to coast appearances on American television. He later chaired the committee which organised Eynsham's celebrations to mark the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977 and purchased the Bartholomew Room for the village; here (R) he watches the plaque going up.
After a long battle with ME he took early retirement in 1994; and a couple of years later at the request of the directors embarked on a history of the Oxford Playhouse. What he thought would be a two-year doddle turned into a 12- year marathon because all the archives from 1923 to 1956 had vanished: the past could be reclaimed only from old newspapers and magazines. The labour of love was finally completed in July 2006, with a doctorate from the University of Leicester.

Web: Now read on ...

ROBIN SAUNDERS

Robin Saunders opened Evenlode DIY 33 years ago, in a listed building on the High Street. Today, as any resident will tell you, it is an Aladdin's cave and a village institution. Step in past the bedding plants for tickets to every local event – jostling the bird-seed, barbecue supplies, key cutting, loose nails, paint pots and shear sharpening. Best of all is the ready supply of cheerful advice, for Robin takes an obscure delight in saving us any expense at all. He still finds 'it's nice to come in and enjoy work'.

Outside the day job, Robin moonlights with Eynsham Morris. He regularly accompanies the May celebrations of the Primary School – where he serves as a governor – and has inspired several pupils to join the team. The Morris has also taken him on more unlikely jaunts, notably to Albania. Over a number of trips the team carried medical supplies, warm clothing and quantities of musical instruments – and were welcomed with open arms (Eynsham Roundabout 231, Feb. 2002).
Robin's other contributions to village life include tree planting. More than 1000 trees in Eynsham Wood and along the path by Oxford Instruments owe their existence to his experience as a nurseryman and partnership with David Russell.
He was awarded an MBE for his services in the 2002 New Year's Honours List.

WIN GOODY: 90 not out

Win grew up in Liverpool and trained as a nursery nurse in Manchester. When the War came, she found a job as a driver; learned what went on under the bonnet with the Mechanical Transport Corps; and got busy taking food to the dockers and dinners round the schools, ferrying refugees from Singapore then up and down the dock road with the Yanks.
After D- Day she shipped out with ENSA, driving several big bands on their tours of France and Holland ... among them Phil her future husband. She was then stationed with the ENSA cinema and theatre in Paris and “could go on forever name- dropping on the performers”.
After the War she returned to England, married her musician and settled down for 20 years' happy family life. Win represented the Congregational Church on Eltham Council of Churches; got involved in their newsletter; and after Phil's death spent 13 years with the office of the New Guinea Mission.
Moving to Eynsham to be with the family, Win soon picked up 4 secretarial jobs and edited the Roundabout for 25 years. She says “I do much less now ... reading, knitting, sewing, painting, crosswords and jigsaw puzzles. The days are not long enough! ”

Eynsham Online

is an Eynsham Parish Council initiative

Email: eynsham-online@hotmail.co.uk
Web: www.eynsham.org.uk