Don’t forget to check our Events Diary for more information on events in all our villages and surrounding area.

HOLLOWELL VILLAGE HALL SURVEY – WE NEED YOUR HELP.

Hollowell Village Hall Committee is seeking the views of residents regarding the use of our village hall and the events we organise throughout the year. Please take 5 minutes to fill out the survey using the QR code below. Your responses and comments will make a real contribution to the running of the Village Hall. You have the option to remain anonymous, and please be aware that the information gathered is solely for the use of Village Hall Committee and will not be employed for any other reason.  If you include your contact details, your survey will be entered into a draw to win one of three free hot breakfast rolls, at our next Big Breakfast morning.

Simply point your phone camera at the QR code  and click on the link to take you straight to the survey.  If you prefer a paper copy or require any assistance with completing the form, please contact Theresa on 07775 991143.

We look forward to hearing from you.  The deadline for completion is 31st January 2024.

HOPEWELL "COFFEE AND A CHAT” -

Usually the third Friday in the month.

Next dates:

Friday 15th December, Friday 19th January

Why not come and join us for a cuppa, a piece of delicious cake and a catch up with friends. We meet in Hollowell Village Hall, 10.30am to 12.30pm   

For more information, or for help with transport, please call Paul on 07780 265614 or email:

wearehopewell@gmail.com.

EVERYONE WELCOME!

A SIGN FOR THE TIMES

Many thanks to Allen Eaton and his team of Steam Rally enthusiasts, who have restored one of the finger pointers on the old signpost at the bottom of Church Hill. They carefully removed the lettering from the rotten wood, and were able to salvage some letters, but many were so damaged, they had to be replaced. Unfortunately, the letters were of an old imperial size and could not easily be sourced. The team painstakingly cut replacement letters from sheet aluminium, painted them, and fixed them to a new piece of wood. A superb job!  

Hollowell Church

Christmas Carol Service

and Christingle

24th December

6.30pm

All are welcome

HOLLOWELL WRITER WINS AWARD

Congratulations to Theresa Kelleher who recently won a national award for her poetry. Theresa received a Highly Commended award for her poem "Scented Promise" from the King Lear Prizes - a National Creative Arts Competition for the over 60s. Theresa's poem, was written for her son Rob, and was shortlisted from 1,500 entries.

She says, "I’m so excited.....It’s the first time I’ve entered a competition. I wouldn’t have done that without the encouragement of my brother Michael."

Theresa's poem was published on the back page of the Autumn/September edition of the Village Link and references plants found in her garden.  

HOLLOWELL STEAM RALLY GIVE-AWAY 2023

The Steam Rally Give Away ceremony, at which all the money raised during the July Rally is handed over to local organisations and charities, is often a rough night.  

Positioned in the calendar as it was, in early November, the 2023 event was no exception.  The participants came together in the middle of storm Ciaran, with heavy rains, 40 mph winds and a rally field so thick with mud that no-one without tow-line hitches and 4-wheel drive dared enter the field.  

There we all were, on top of a big hill in a large tent, exactly where the Met Office had suggested we shouldn’t be, nevertheless that tent was packed with expectant people. I was fortunate to find myself sitting next to Peter Godwin, Rally commentator for 10 plus years and a farmer from Oxfordshire.

Peter explained that he provides amateur commentary at 20 steam shows around the country each year, but Hollowell, he says, is unique.   “It is the only show that is not only doing good things for the community but makes a point of being seen to do so,” he said. And so it was: over the next 45 minutes £73,000 was handed out by the rally committee to more than 54 organisations, ranging from local schools, churches and playing fields to the Air Ambulance, Fire Service, Riding for the Disabled, air cadets and scout groups.

This evening was unique in another sense because it was the first time that Neil Byrd had taken over the leadership of the Rally from its creator, Allen Eaton MBE.  

Hollowell Steam is clearly in good hands – and Peter Godwin publicly thanked Neil for being a very capable and “user-friendly” chairman. Almost two million pounds has been raised for good causes by Hollowell Steam in the 34 years it has been running.  

At the end of the event, the participants cheered the many volunteers who do so much for our community, and who inspired so many people to brace the rain, the wind and the mud.

A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE AT HOLLOWELL CINEMA

We were treated to a very special and unique experience when the film ‘Rudy’ was shown at Hollowell Village Hall in October.

The VH committee was approached by Rugby based film director Shona Auerbach who, along with her husband, cinematographer, Graeme Dunn, had created the film. They described the project as a “labour of love” which had taken them 10 years to fulfil.

Shona had collaborated with a colleague to write the film,

moved to do so by the experience of losing a loved one, particularly the effect on a young teenager of losing a mother.

Rudy is the fictional teenager in the film, devastated by the death of her mother and left, alone with her grieving father, to care for two much younger siblings.

This may all sound totally miserable, but the film had moments of humour and wonderful portrayals of everyday life.showed both Rudy and her father coming to terms with their appalling loss.

It was a treat for the eyes and ears with beautiful photography, ranging from details of domestic activity, to urban skateboarders, to our beautiful countryside. The urban setting used was Coventry and the rural landscape was around Birdingbury and Leamington Hastings.

The music for “Rudy” was written by Japanese composer, Akira Kosemura and was atmospheric and evocative. The film is being shown in some small cinemas around the country and is currently available on Curzon Home Cinema for £10. The creators of the film are also taking it to local villages in the area. We in Hollowell count ourselves very fortunate to have benefited from this.It was a real privilege and rare insight to get the opportunity to talk to the makers of this rather special film.

Viv Benjamin

HOLLOWELL HARVEST SUPPER 2023

A homemade Tea-for-two in a spring garden, a full car valet, six bags of well rotted horse manure and poem about your garden; just some of the welcome and unusual lots offered by villagers for the Harvest Supper Promises Auction. Forty-five people packed the Village Hall to celebrate the end of the harvest with a scrumptious meal of delicate hors d'oeuvres, chicken cobbler and a glorious array of homemade puds. Silly quiz games were played, and a good time was had by all.

Thank you to everyone who came along, to the catering team and all the other helpers and to those who generously offered promises for the auction, raising vital funds for the Village Hall in its 51st year.

HOLLOWELL & TEETON PARISH COUNCIL - CARDIAC ARREST SEMINAR (DEFIBRILLATOR TRAINING)

Twenty-one residents attended the training session held in Hollowell Village Hall in early October to learn about the use of the new defibrillator.  The training was organised by the Parish Council and provided by two volunteers from The Community Heart Beat Trust.

The session included a demonstration of the use of different defibrillators, the importance of CPR in the resuscitation process, and how the equipment works in the treatment of sudden cardiac arrest. Anyone who was not able to attend, or those seeking ‘refresher’ training can access this information online from the British Heart Foundation:

https://www.bhf.org.uk/.../how-to.../learn-cpr-in-15-minutes