2014 Donations Evening

On behalf of the Woodcote Charitable Association, the Woodcote Rally Committee is pleased to announce that, following another successful year, we can donate the impressive sum of £25,000 to local charities and worthy good causes that we support within the village of Woodcote or close by. This brings the total donations since the first rally in 1964 to £425,000.

The Donations Evening was held in Woodcote Village Hall on Friday 1st December 2014. This event makes it all worthwhile for the Rally Committee and Association members as they see how all their voluntary efforts and hard work have paid off.

Awards

Following the introduction by Mr Peter Solomons (Woodcote Charitable Association Chairman), he and Mr Nic Bartholomew (Woodcote Rally Director) presented the awards to the best in class for the exhibits at Woodcote Rally 2014. The class winners came along to receive their trophies (some coming from far away, but a large number of them being local people from around the Woodcote area) showing their huge interest in the preservation of vehicles such as cars, motor bikes and not to mention, of course, steam engines.

Here are just a few of the highlights:

• The Ran Hawthorne Memorial Shield for large steam was awarded to the Marcham family from Woodcote for their 1930 Fowler DNB 12 ton “Arfur”.
• The George Ballard Award for Veteran and Vintage Cars was awarded to Tim Corbishley from Checkendon for his 1924 Morris Oxford.
• The NatWest Trophy for Classic Tractors was awarded to Brad Murduck from Thatcham for his 1968 Ford Preforce 5000 and Ransones Norstean Mounted Cord Drill.
• The Bud Finch Tractor Driving Award was won by Granger Challis for his efforts with his 1953 Ferguson TEF 53.

 

Donations

Following a short interlude for refreshments, kindly provided by the Woodcote Village Hall Committee, Mr Nic Bartholomew, and a selection of the trustees of the Woodcote Charitable Association, went on to conduct the all important part of the evening by presenting all the cheques to the local charities and organisations who so appreciate the support that they receive, thanks to the good folk of Woodcote and local villages supporting the Rally each year.

Here are just a few of the highlights:

• Riding for the Disabled (Wyfold) will use their donation to support the running of the club.
• The Village Hall Committee will use their donation to help refurbish the hall.
• Langtree School will put their donation towards buying a concert standard piano.
• Woodcote Amateur Dramatic Society for motorising the curtains on the stage in the village hall.
• Mowforth House will provide Christmas Lunch for their residents.
• Friends of Woodcote Primary School will help extend the Wi-Fi network in the school.
• The Griffiths Higgs Educational Charity will provide extra books for children as they move between their stages of education.
• Checkendon Brownies to help to fund summer adventures and a pack holiday.

The complete list can be seen below.

Sports/Activities

£500*	Woodcote Cricket Club
£400*	Woodcote Badminton Club
£400	Riding for the Disabled (Wyfold)
£200*	Thames Valley Traction Engine Club
£500*	RG8 Badminton Club, Woodcote
£400*	Almshouses Bowls Club (Goring Heath)
£500*	Thames Valley Tractor Club
£400*	Reading Abbey Rugby Football Club

Youth

£400*	1st Stoke Row Scout Group
£1000*	Goring Heath Scout and Guide Group
£400*	Explorer Scouts (Goring on Thames Scout Group)
£1000*	Oxfordshire ‘Wallingford’ Army Cadet Force

Local Community

£2500	Woodcote Village Hall
£1000	Woodcote/Goring Medical Centre
£1000	Woodcote Community Centre
£750	Woodcote Volunteers
£300	Checkendon and District Aid in Sickness
£1000	Thames Valley Air Ambulance
£200*	Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service (Firefighters Charity)
£400*	Woodcote Youth Club
£500	Woodcote Village Green Committee
£500*	Henley & District Young Farmers
£500	OWL (Our Woodcote Library)
£400*	RAF Benson (RAF Benevolent Fund)
£500	Woodcote Amateur Dramatic Society

Seniors

£300	Mowforth House, Woodcote
£300	Goring Heath Almshouses

Juniors

£750*	Cabin Pre-School Group
£850*	Woodcote Pre-School Group
£750*	Friends of Woodcote Primary School
£500*	Checkendon Brownies

Education

£1250	Langtree School, Woodcote
£1000	Griffiths Higgs Educational Charity
£200*	Stoke Row C of E Primary School

Churches

£300	Christ The King, Woodcote
£300	St Leonard’s, Woodcote
£200*	St Peter’s (Caversham) Church Organ Fund

Charities

£250	Sue Ryder Care, Nettlebed
£250	Macmillan Cancer Support (Oxfordshire)
£250	Multiple Sclerosis (Henley on Thames District)
£400*	Marie Curie Cancer Care
£250	Thames Valley LUPUS Group
£250	Headway Thames Valley
£250	Hearing Dogs for Deaf People
£250	Dogs for the Disabled
£250	Enrych Oxfordshire (Ryder-Cheshire Volunteers)
£250	Macular Society (Goring Group)

(*) Those donations indicated with an asterisk reflect the assistance given by that organisation in the running of the 2014 Rally. The Rally Committee and the Woodcote Charitable Association wish to thank them for their support.

Over The Years

This is how some of the donations have totalled up over the years out of the £425,000 donated since 1964:

• £39,020 Woodcote Village Hall
• £18,487 Goring Heath Scouts
• £18,180 Woodcote/Goring Medical Centre
• £14,965 Woodcote Village Green
• £12.940 Langtree School
• £11,075 Woodcote Youth Club
• £10,355 St Leonard’s Church