Flower Show team gears up for new home Flower Show Schedule

Flower Show entry link

In less than four weeks, on Saturday August 23, the 2025 Binfield Heath Flower and Dog Show will be taking place in its new home next to the allotments on Sonning Common Road.

Calling all competitive local gardeners, artists, cooks, photographers and creative people, the show schedule is out and can be found at Flower Show Schedule and the accompanying entry form on the Flower Show entry link, as well as on Instagram@binfield.heath.flower.show and Facebook, Binfield Heath Flower and Dog Show. A reminder that all entries are online only, although paper copies will be available in both Binfield Heath and Shiplake village shops. Anyone who needs help completing the form online can contact Caroline on 077761 88623 for support. Dog show entries are taken on the day.

Forms must be submitted by 19:00 Thursday 21st August and entries need to be in the tent, ready for judging, by 10.00 on the show day. The team is looking for tombola prizes (suitable for all ages) and bottles or cans for the hoopla. Unwanted gifts, toys, bottles of wine or soft drinks can all be dropped off in the big red box outside the village shop. These will be collected daily.

“The show is a wonderful joint effort and we still need volunteers on the day to help with all jobs, manning stalls, parking, gate entries and much more,” says show chair, Caroline Dowling. “Setting up last year was relatively easy. The many hands we had made light work.”

Set-up for this year’s show begins at 18:00 on Wednesday, 20 August. Volunteers are asked to come along and lend a hand and there will be beer, wine, soft drinks and sausage rolls to spur on the helpers. Please contact her on carodowling@yahoo.com to offer your help and a volunteer schedule will be prepared for the day of the show.

Taking down the tent and clearing up will follow on Sunday, 24 August at 09:00, with coffee and bacon rolls for helpers, and other breakfast options.

The famous Binfield Heath tea tent will be busy again and, once more, the team will need as many cakes as possible. It’s one of the highlights of the show, so the tea team would love everyone to bring one along if they’d like to. Cakes should be labelled to indicate ingredients and whether or not they are gluten-free. Queries can be sent to eliza-5@live.co.uk.

There’s also a need for raffle prizes, Caroline says. “Anything from an experience voucher to a meal at a restaurant or a desirable gift would be wonderful.”

Thank you, and looking forward to seeing you there,

The Binfield Heath Flower and Dog Show Committee

B&G meeting overflowing with people, questions and information

They gave up counting once the Barn at the B&G was full, but best estimates put the number of local residents there at between 150 and 200!

People came to hear plans for the redevelopment of the Village Store and Post Office and were ready with questions, ideas and suggestions for the shop at the heart of our village. They were welcomed by Tristan Phillimore, heard the plans from Alex and David and were introduced to Carl and Anna Edlind, who will be running the shop when Gavin and Sharon leave.

Timeframes remain fixed by the Post Office for a changeover at the end of September. The first priority, Alex said, would be to make sure the Post Office remained open, the ‘driving force’ from day one. Phase One would be the renovation of the shop space and Post Office.

Asked if the shop would have basic essentials at affordable prices, Alex confirmed that everyday items like bread, milk, tinned goods, baking basics, and household supplies would always be there for everyone. In addition, the shop would offer confectionery, stationery, greetings cards and seasonal items as well as ‘local produce from small, nearby outlets’.

Phase 2 would concentrate on the domestic areas and rear courtyard spaces and could include a ‘micro café’ for coffee and cake. There would be plans for frozen ready meals, a chilled section with fresh dairy products, local meats, and prepared deli items. A handpicked selection of local beers, ciders, and wines, alongside some popular European choices as well as newspapers and magazines would be based on local demand, so people should ask for their favourites.

Carl and Anna have been at The Bottle & Glass for seven years. They have their own ideas for making the shop flourish, including offering seasonal vegetable and meat boxes and a focus on locally sourced produce. Furtherdown the line could be wine subscriptions, cheese and wine tastings. However, these plans are part of Phase 3, and will only be introduced once earlier stages are fully up and running.

First, renovations must be completed, the Post Office transition needs to be fully settled in, domestic areas refurbished and regular trade and local footfall established.

There will be plenty of opportunity for the community to shape what happens next, Alex said. Meanwhile, Carl and Anna are fully committed, as are the Phillimore Estate, David and Alex and The Bottle & Glass team, all with long-term financial and operational support.

However, it will be local support that makes the shop once again a thriving part of village life. Alex is looking forward to feedback and ideas for the future. Share your thoughts on shop@sika-inns.com

Parish council vacancy

Following the retirement of Sue Summerland after nearly 30 years as a Parish councillor, first with Shiplake and then with the newly formed Binfield Heath council, our PC now has a vacancy for someone to join us in her place. For details of how to apply please contact Mandy Sermon on clerk@binfieldheath.org.uk . A copy of the full advertisement from SODC can be found on the Parish Council page of this website.

FORGE UPDATE – calling all hall users!

Four local contractors have submitted tenders for the building work. The proposals are being examined by trustees and their consultants to determine the most cost-effective solution for a building fit for use in the 21st century, while retaining the look and feel of a period forge.

Once a contractor has been selected, trustees will update the village with details of plans and likely schedules.

Meanwhile, please let the trustees know what you would like to organise and how frequently, with estimates of attendance and how long each session might last. It will be some months before the building is ready, but the team hopes it will be used from day one.

Request for historical artefacts

In recognition of the building’s history, trustees hope to furnish the site with appropriate period artefacts. They have already been offered old cartwheels, an anvil and assorted blacksmith’s tools, as well as maps and photos of the village. Any items relevant to an old forge or the village history would be welcome, so please tell us if you have anything to donate or loan to the trust:  binfieldheathforge@gmail.com.

The Forge Team

Full story on the Forge page or to see the full application online double-click this link. https://data.southoxon.gov.uk/ccm/support/Main.jsp?MODULE=ApplicationDetails&REF=P24/S2597/FUL#exactline

Binfield Heath Parish Council will meet on Monday September 22 at 7pm, in the Scout Hut

All local people are invited to meet the council and bring up any matters of interest or concern. If you have anything you would like to raise with the council you can do that in the public question time. You can contact the clerk on clerk@binfieldheath.org.uk

Download the agenda here:

BHPC July 2025 agenda