2018 Donations Evening
On behalf of the WOODCOTE CHARITABLE ASSOCIATION, the Woodcote Rally Committee is pleased to announce that, following an extremely successful year, we can donate the amazing sum of £11,000 to local charities and good causes within Woodcote and neighbouring villages. This brings the total donations since the first Rally in 1964 to £492,000.
The Donations Evening was held in Woodcote Village Hall on Friday 30th November 2018. 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
The evening began with the presentation of trophies to the best in class exhibits at the Rally. Trophies were awarded to a range of vintage vehicles including cars, motor bikes, commercial vehicles, and, of course, steam engines.
Here are just a few of the highlights:
- The Ran Hawthorne Memorial Shield for large steam was awarded Richard Poole for his 1910 Allchin General Purpose.
- The Castrol Research Cup was awarded James Hall for his 1959 MGA Mk1 Roadster.
- The Dick Vernon Memorial Award for tractors went to Jo Moodie for his 1939 International ten/twenty.
Other awards presented included the George Ballard Memorial Award for Veteran and Vintage Cars which went to Alan Briant and the Albert Goldsmith Award for motorbikes which went to Geoff Botting. George and Albert, both sadly departed, were long standing members of the Woodcote Charitable Association and the trophies were presented by their widows, Margaret and Sylvia.
The complete list of Awards can be seen below.
| Class | Award | Winner | Vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Large Steam | Ran Hawthorne Memorial Shield | Richard Poole | 1910 Allchin General Purpose |
| B. Vintage Tractors | Dick Vernon Memorial Award | Jo Moodie | 1939 International ten/twenty |
| C. Stationary Engines | Allum Award | Steve Bennett | 1949 Widdop SW 5hp |
| D. Commercial Vehicles | Dave Sarney Memorial Cup | H Douglas | 1967 Austin A35 Van |
| E. Veteran and Vintage Cars | George Ballard Award | Alan Briant | 1937 Morris Eight |
| F. Vintage Motor Cycles | The Albert Goldsmith Award | Geoff Botting | 1939 Francis Barnett Power Bike 50 |
| K. Motor Cars 1940 – 1972 | Castrol Research Cup | James Hall | 1959 MGA Mk1 Roadster |
| L. Motor Cycles 1940 – 1972 | White Lion Cup | John Coran | 1965 Royal Enfield 750 Intercepter |
| M. Military | Main’s Motors Military Cup | Ken Willey | 1941 Jeep and trailer MB |
| N. Classic Tractors | NatWest Trophy | Jeremy Callan | 1967 Zetor 3013 |
| S. Steam Models | Autovolks Trophy | Jill Cohen & Ian Russell | Fowler Agricultural 4″ scale |
| Exceptional Exhibit, Victorian period onwards | Paul Harrison Award | Colin & Vicky Hazelhurst | 1905 Marshall Portable |
| Judges Choice of Special Exhibit | S B Engineering Special Award | Abigale Bollon | 1955 Trackgrip M4 |
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 organisations.
Here are just a few of the highlights:
- Woodcote Village Hall will use their donation to improve the lighting in the main hall.
- The Village Green Committee along with the Football Club and the Cricket Club will use their grants for the spiking of the Village Green to improve drainage following the hot summer.
- The Woodcote Conservation Group will use their donation to install a new information board at the Greenmore ponds.
The complete list can be seen below.
Sports/Activities
| £100* | Woodcote Cricket Club |
| £250* | Woodcote Badminton Club |
| £200 | Riding for the Disabled (Wyfold) |
| £100 | Woodcote/Stoke Row Football Club |
| £250* | RG8 Badminton Club, Woodcote |
| £250* | Almshouses Bowls Club (Goring Heath) |
| £350* | Thames Valley Tractor Club |
| £250* | Reading Abbey Rugby Football Club |
Youth
| £350* | 1st Stoke Row Scout Group |
| £500* | Goring Heath Scout and Guide Group |
| £600* | Oxfordshire ‘Wallingford’ Army Cadet Force |
Local Community
| £1,000 | Woodcote Village Hall |
| £500* | Woodcote Community Centre |
| £400 | Woodcote Volunteers |
| £150 | Checkendon and District Aid in Sickness |
| £200* | Woodcote Conservation Group |
| £300 | Thames Valley Air Ambulance |
| £200 | Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service (Firefighters Charity) |
| £300* | Woodcote Youth Club |
| £500 | Woodcote Village Green Committee |
| £300 | OWL (Our Woodcote Library) |
| £100* | Woodcote Amateur Dramatic Society |
| £100 | Eva’s Friends (Research into rare neurological conditions in children) |
Seniors
| £100 | Olga Mowforth House, Woodcote |
| £100 | Goring Heath Almshouses |
Juniors
| £500* | Cabin Pre-School Group |
| £250* | Woodcote Pre-School Group |
| £300* | Friends of Woodcote Primary School |
| £200* | Checkendon Brownies |
Education
| £300* | Langtree School, Woodcote |
| £500 | Griffiths Higgs Educational Charity |
| £100* | Stoke Row C of E Primary School |
| £300 | Henley College (Geology Department)/td> |
Churches
| £200 | Christ The King, Woodcote |
| £200* | St Leonard’s, Woodcote |
Charities
| £300 | Sue Ryder Care, Nettlebed |
| £100 | Marie Curie Cancer Care |
| £100 | Hearing Dogs for Deaf People |
| £200 | Macular Society (Goring Group) |
(*) Those donations indicated with an asterisk reflect the assistance given by that organisation in the running of the 2018 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 £492,000 donated since 1964:
- £43,770 Woodcote Village Hall
- £16,465 Woodcote Village Green
- £14,840 Langtree School
- £12,175 Woodcote Youth Club
- £11,665 St Leonard’s Church