Art Class
For more information contact Nigel Fletcher nvfletcher@btinternet.com, 07792 657 248 or visit www.nigelfletcher.co.uk
For more information contact Nigel Fletcher nvfletcher
Summary for SE England: Fog developing overnight. Brightening through Friday, cloudier and windier later.
For more information contact Nigel Fletcher nvfletcher
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2024 is an auspicious year for the people of Sibford, as it marks the return to our village after 10 years of the Tibetan Tashi Lhunpo Monks who live in exile in their monastery in India. Once again they will be sharing their unique culture, including the creation and ritual destruction of a sand mandala, and interactive workshops.
At the Saturday evening performance, the eight monks will evoke the atmosphere of sacred Tibet from the mesmerising chant of Buddhist texts to swirling costumed masked dances accompanied by ancient musical instruments - horns made from human leg bones, skull-drums, cymbals, bells and the great dungchen (long horns). Don’t miss this opportunity to experience an ancient, endangered culture.
There will be another anniversary celebration this weekend. Thirty years after the filming of the renowned documentary Escape from Tibet, the producers and film crew will be reunited in Sibford with the two brothers, now British citizens, whose dangerous journey from the Roof of the World is told in the film. Using film clips and photographs, they will tell the story of how the film was made.
To reserve your seats and meals:
Some tickets will be available at the door but since numbers are limited please book in advance to avoid disappointment. Where no price is shown for an event below, just turn up!
The net proceeds of the weekend will help support the monks, young and old, who study and live in Tashi Lhunpo, benefitting the whole community.
For further information about the weekend please call Diana on 01295 788 214.
4.30pm Dedication Ceremony of the sand mandala - construction begins!
10am Morning Prayers
11am Hands-on Workshop: making a sand mandala, printing prayer flags.
£5 per person
2.30pm Performance Workshop: an introduction to the musical instruments, dance moves and hand gestures used in the evening performance.
£5 per person
4pm Tea
4.30pm ‘Escape from Tibet’ 30 Years On: the film crew and the escaping brothers reunite and recall how they made the film.
5.30pm Curry Supper
£10 per person
Performance of masked dancers and sacred chants.
Adult £16, Child £5. Doors open from 7pm.
10.45am Ceremony of Destruction of the sand mandala and procession to the Sib
Read on for more information about
Tashi Lhunpo Monastery is the seat of the lineage of the Panchen Lamas – second only in importance as spiritual leaders of Tibet to the Dalai Lama. The monastery was founded by the First Dalai Lama in 1447 in Shigatse, Tibet’s second largest city. In 1959, with the Chinese Occupation of Tibet, only 250 of the 5000 monks were able to follow the Dalai Lama into exile. Tashi Lhunpo monastery was re-established in in S.India.
Tashi Lhunpo Monastery UK Trust was founded in 2003. It aims to develop awareness and facilitate access to the unique culture of Tibet, with its tours of educational workshops and performances of masked dance and sacred chants.
Ten years ago the monks visited Sibford at the invitation of Sibford resident Diana Hughes, whose connection with Tibet stems from her father’s time as medical officer in Bhutan and Tibet in the 1940s. The monks were welcomed into the homes of Sibfordians, as they will be this year. As well as the events listed above, they will visit Sibford Endowed Primary School.
Review highlights of their UK tour this year on Facebook.
A sand mandala is an intricate picture, made entirely of grains of coloured sand, used in the Tantric tradition of Tibetan Buddhism as an aid to meditation as part of an initiation.
On Friday 18th October, after their visit to the Primary School, the monks will begin the construction of a Sand Mandala in the small Village Hall, in a Dedication Ceremony at 4.30pm.
The monks will be working on the mandala throughout the weekend. Once it is complete, and the final grain of sand has been put into position, at 10.45am on Sunday morning the mandala is blessed, and then destroyed in a moving ceremony. After a short procession to the Sib, the grains of sand are poured away into running water.
You are welcome to attend either mandala ceremony and to come and watch the monks making the mandala on Saturday morning or afternoon – there is no charge.
On Saturday 19th October the monks will lead two workshops in the Village Hall:
The Hands-on Workshop, 11am - 12.30pm, includes:
The Performance Workshop, 2.30pm - 4pm, introduces Tibetan Monastic Culture:
There is a charge of £5 per person for each workshop.
The Hands-on Workshop is limited to 30 participants.
Reserve your place by calling Diana on 01295 788 214 or Ginny on 01295 780 373 or email tlm
It was 30 years ago in October 1994 that a group of Tibetans escaping from Chinese repression reached the highest point of their route to freedom - at a pass at 19,000 feet near Mount Everest.
Among the group was Pasang, a 19-year-old novice monk, and Tenzin, his 11-year-old brother. They looked over to the fluttering prayer flags which marked the border between their country, and Nepal.
At the same time they saw with horror what looked like Chinese border guards crouched over a machine gun. But they weren’t Chinese, they weren’t guards. They were a British film crew, and it was not a machine gun, but a camera on a tripod.
These were the first (camera) shots in the making of ESCAPE FROM TIBET, a film that was seen all over the world, publicising the plight of the Tibetan people.
Thirty years later, Pasang and Tenzin (now British citizens) will be reunited in Sibford with the film-makers. Together they will tell the story of how the film was made, illustrated with clips from the film. There won't be enough time to show the whole film.
“Although the conditions for filming this documentary were extremely difficult, Escape From Tibet accurately conveys the experiences of the refugees. We are grateful to all who made this film possible.”
Tempa Tsering, Secretary, Department of Information and International Relations, Government of Tibet
Saturday 19th October, 4.30pm in the Village Hall, no entrance charge.
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Sibford Gower Parish Council
Location: Home working with 4 ordinary meetings per year plus any additional meetings required in Sibford Gower
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Clerk to the Council: Kirsty Buttle
Clerks address: 74 Beaulieu Close
Banbury
Oxon
OX16 4FQ
Email: sfpc
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Please note that the CPR Training session scheduled for 22nd October has been cancelled. The next session will be at 6.30pm on Tuesday 12 November.
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Commemorative plaque
To commenorate the Sibford Millennium Pageant we will be planting a tree, placing a commemorative plaque and burying a time capsule at the site of the pageant. Anyone wishing to attend the above event will be very welcome, I will announce the date early next year.
If you would like to preserve your memories of Sibford 2000 by placing something in the time capsule please contact me by 31.12.00 to let me know what you would like to contribute.
Paul Hobson
Fine. Married Eliza Webb, daughter of William Webb of “Pig & Whistle” to James Claridge. Churched Mrs Lovell.
Mary Robinson, age 19, came to Vestry and asked me to assist her to get a situation. She was for 3 years 4 months with Mrs Flint of Market Harboro as housemaid. The Flints left for Cork and she not liking to go so far away took a situation with a Mrs Walker of South Yardley, Acock’s Green, Birmingham. She was there only 3 weeks, left because she was unwell, the place being too hard for her. She had to do a lot of scrubbing, and the stooping hurt her head. She had brain fever in Sibford and the doctor said much stooping might bring it on again. Then she went to Mr Bliss, Solicitor, Banbury, fell down and sprained her ankle. I had heard that either she or Emma had been dismissed from her situation because of dishonesty. She said there was not the slightest truth in the charge. Mrs Bodfish had first told her of it, and she had heard that Betty Wilks had told Mrs Lively and that the letter had told some one else. She has been home 3 weeks. Her last two mistresses decline to give her a character for so short a period, and Mrs Walker of South Yardley who had a character of her from Mrs Flint has destroyed it. I said she might mention my name.
I called at widow Reason’s this evening to give her the value of her clothing club ticket, but found she had gone to bed. Called on Mr Oddie to enquire after his wife, who is ill at Scarborough. She is better. I asked him who was his informant as to the alleged dishonesty of Mary Robinson. He said it was Leake and he gave him to understand that it was the girl’s mother who told him.