Sibford Scene Archive

The Primary School is rightly proud of its new extension to the Infant building, providing a general meeting room, cloakroom and storage space. It was designed, built, decorated and paid for entirely by the efforts of the parents; and the work was completed in just three months. The only help from the Education Authority was a small grant towards the staff cloakroom facility.

On Saturday 17th October, Mrs Joan Broady, Chairman of the P.T.A. handed over the keys to Peter Mansfield, and the red ribbon was cut by Mrs Mary Poulton, declaring the extension open. Lucie White presented her with a bouquet, but the most intriguing presentation of all was the cream cake with the cherry on top given to Richard White in recognition of his work as site manager / slave driver / general organiser without which the project would never have succeeded.

Such a totally self-help project is thought to be quite unique and even got an article in the Times Educational Supplement!

Mr R. Craig has come across an intriguing reference to Sibford in the book, “Death’s Men — Soldiers of the Great War“ by Denis Winter. Writing of the drastic news starvation of the countryside, he says, “The village of Sibford received news twice weekly in the carrier’s cart from Banbury, and this was not exceptional for a rural settlement.

I wonder if anyone can throw light on the gradual decline of this isolation. When did the bus service start? Who had the first car in Sibford? the first telephone – the first radio?

We shall be delighted to receive any memories on the subject.

In last month’s Scene I read one small sentence at the end of an article about clearing the churchyard which referred to the placing of plastic flowers on graves, which the Church Council ‘felt to be inappropriate’, and since then one small word has repeated itself over and over in my mind. The word is WHY?

Who is offended by the presence of plastic flowers on graves? I cannot believe Our Lord would frown upon what is an obvious act of love when the majority of his people are engaged in acts of outrage the world over. So is it the appearance of artificial flowers that is not in keeping with the Church Council’s plans for the ‘best kept churchyard’?

Somewhere is someone very unhappy as a result of that one small sentence, and it is for them that I feel compelled to put pen to paper. Perhaps they are elderly or too infirm to climb the hills regularly; can they afford a constant supply of fresh flowers? Maybe they have moved away, or may it quite simply be that the loved one, now deceased, preferred plastic flowers?

Patsy Edwards
Sibford Ferris

Mrs Edwards‘ letter will be passed on to the Church Council. ed.