Special Guest
At this year’s Rally we were honoured to welcome the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight with their display on Saturday and their unannounced fly-past on the Sunday – we don’t recall ever hearing a Rally field so quiet as they flew over us!
Joe Williams, our 92 year old Star Guest, and a former rear gunner in a Lancaster Bomber, who was shot down over Czechoslovakia on his 22nd bombing mission during World War II, received a standing ovation as he accepted our donation to the Bomber Command Tribute Memorial at Beachy Head. This is to recognise all of the efforts of those 55,573 young aircrew of Bomber Command who lost their lives as they “sought and found the way to the stars”. “Per Ardva Ad Astra” as their RAF Crest proudly states.
Awards
Below is a photo of this year’s awards winners.
Donations
Following a short interlude for refreshments, kindly provided by the Woodcote Village Hall Committee, members of the Woodcote Charitable Association Trustees went on to conduct the all-important part of the evening by presenting cheques to local charities and organisation.
- Riding for the Disabled (Wyfold) will use their donation towards the cost of buying a new horse.
- Wallingford Army Cadet Force will use their donation to provide new kit to the cadets, in particular boots.
- The Village Hall Committee will use their donation to improve the insulation in the hall to help reduce their energy costs.
- The Woodcote Library will be buying a new rug for the children to sit on during “story time” sessions.
- The Griffiths Higgs Educational Charity will provide extra books for children as they move between their stages of education.
- Christ the King Church will use their donation towards the upkeep of the building.
- Woodcote Rally is now the proud sponsor of “Pepe” thanks to our donation to the Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.
The complete list can be seen below.
Sports/Activities
| £550* | Woodcote Cricket Club |
| £450* | Woodcote Badminton Club |
| £400 | Riding for the Disabled (Wyfold) |
| £450 | Woodcote/Stoke Row Football Club |
| £450* | RG8 Badminton Club, Woodcote |
| £450* | Almshouses Bowls Club (Goring Heath) |
| £1500* | Thames Valley Tractor Club |
| £450* | Reading Abbey Rugby Football Club |
Youth
| £750* | 1st Stoke Row Scout Group |
| £1500* | Goring Heath Scout and Guide Group |
| £750* | 1st Goring Scout Group |
| £2000* | Oxfordshire ‘Wallingford’ Army Cadet Force |
Local Community
| £3000 | Woodcote Village Hall |
| £500 | Woodcote/Goring Medical Centre |
| £500 | Woodcote Community Centre |
| £1000 | Woodcote Volunteers |
| £400 | Checkendon and District Aid in Sickness |
| £250 | Woodcote Conservation Group |
| £1500 | Thames Valley Air Ambulance |
| £400* | Thames Valley Police (Specials Welfare Fund) |
| £200* | Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service (Firefighters Charity) |
| £1000* | Woodcote Youth Club |
| £600 | Woodcote Village Green Committee |
| £600* | Henley & District Young Farmers |
| £250 | OWL (Our Woodcote Library) |
Seniors
| £300 | Mowforth House, Woodcote |
| £300 | Goring Heath Almshouses |
Juniors
| £550* | Cabin Pre-School Group |
| £550* | Woodcote Pre-School Group |
| £550* | Friends of Woodcote Primary School |
| £450* | Checkendon Brownies |
| £400* | Woodcote Breakfast Club |
Education
| £1000 | Langtree School, Woodcote |
| £800 | Griffiths Higgs Educational Charity |
Churches
| £300 | Christ The King, Woodcote |
| £500* | St Leonard’s, Woodcote |
| £300* | St Peter’s (Caversham) Church Organ Fund |
Charities
| £500 | Sue Ryder Care, Nettlebed |
| £500 | Macmillan Cancer Support (Oxfordshire) |
| £500 | Multiple Sclerosis (Henley on Thames District) |
| £500✱ | Marie Curie Cancer Care |
| £400 | Thames Valley LUPUS Group |
| £400 | Headway Thames Valley |
| £400 | Hearing Dogs for Deaf People |
| £400 | Dogs for the Disabled |
| £400 | Enrych Oxfordshire (Ryder-Cheshire Volunteers) |
| £400 | Macular Society (Goring Group) |
| £750✱ | Battle of Britain Memorial Trust |
| £750✱ | Bomber Command Tribute Beachy Head |
Thank You
Finally, presentations were made to Mr Roger Temple and Mr Roger Dorling who are both finally standing down from their positions on the Woodcote Rally Committee after 40 years of service.
We sincerely thank them for all their efforts over the years and wish them all the best in their “retirements” although we know they will continue to serve as members of the Woodcote Charitable Association. (Also a big thank you to Mr Bob Lawmon who is standing down this year as the Motorbikes entry secretary.)
Over The Years
This is how some of the donations have totalled up over the years out of the £400,000 donated since 1964:
- £36,520 Woodcote Village Hall
- £17,487 Goring Heath Scouts
- £17,180 Woodcote/Goring Medical Centre
- £14,465 Woodcote Village Green
- £12,550 Wallingford Army Cadets
- £11,690 Langtree School
- £10,675 Woodcote Youth Club
- £10,055 St Leonard’s Church
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