AMRA SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
Social Events
March Book Club
"English Pastoral" by James Rebanks.
Tuesday 28th March 2023 at 7:30
Ffor details contact Kate Law (katelaw16@yahoo.com).
As a boy, James Rebanks's grandfather taught him to work the land the
old way. Their family farm in the Lake District hills was part of an ancient
agricultural landscape: a patchwork of crops and meadows, of pastures
grazed with livestock, and hedgerows teeming with wildlife. And yet, by
the time James inherited the farm, it was barely recognisable. The men
and women had vanished from the fields; the old stone barns had crumbled;
the skies had emptied of birds and their wind-blown song.
English Pastoral is the story of an inheritance: one that affects us all. It tells of
how rural landscapes around the world were brought close to collapse, and
the age-old rhythms of work, weather, community and wild things were lost.
And yet this elegy from the northern fells is also a song of hope: of how,
guided by the past, one farmer began to salvage a tiny corner of England that
was now his, doing his best to restore the life that had vanished and to leave a legacy for the future.
This is a book about what it means to have love and pride in a place, and how, against all the odds, it may still be possible to build a new pastoral: not a utopia, but somewhere decent for us all.
Garden Guerrillas
We are looking to recruit some volunteers for a community gardening group to continue the good work previously organised by Clare Bass and Brenda Standon. The main aim is to rejuvenate the land at the entrance of South and West Quays with a boat planter, as voted for at the AGM, as well as tidying the existing areas.
AMRA Social Sub-Committee
The social side of AMRA is run mainly by a Social Committee consisting of six volunteers led by the Social Secretary, who also sits on the Management Committee, ensuring that everything is cohesive. We are pleased to announce that Laura Johnson has taken over as social secretary. She is a great ideas person so you will enjoy her energy.
We organise three, free, get togethers annually paid for from members’ subs ...... a wine & cheese party in March to herald in the new season, an afternoon party for children as well as adults and a Christmas party when we also hold our annual general meeting before the fun begins!
In the past, we have also organised various outings or “get togethers” called, ‘AMRA extras’ ..... events where those members who choose to join in, just pay for the actual cost. These have included: wine tastings, fish and chip suppers on the Wallingford to Cholsey steam train and visits to various places of interest. There has also been the annual, ‘Boatnic’ often held in June where the boat owners amongst us, along with their friends, moor up at Days Lock for a picnic.
Can you help care for and ‘green-up’ our local area by volunteering a few hours? There is also a need for plants, soil, weed killer and hiring of tools for those who would like to help, but less physically.
Please email Laura with any questions or offers of plants, or donations for soil etc. Laura’s e-mail is amra.social@yahoo.com.