The Great Shirt Race takes place on the Saturday before the late May Bank Holiday. The winners in this year were Anthony Collett and partner Richard Buckingham. Neither of them can be sure of the year, they won more than once but it will be 1978, 1979 or 1980.

The wedding of Valerie Denise Adams and Christopher Collett at Saint Mary's church in Black Bourton in 1981.

This is the December 1998 issue of The Beam. A publication by the Parish Council that is produced 3 times a year and given free to all households in Bampton. Topics and advertisers are :-

The Bampton Beam
Volume 13 No.3
August 1998 Pg. No. Summary of Content

1 One article on page one.
BAMPTON’S GOT ONE AT LONG LAST – A BUS SERVICE INTO OXFORD. Bus Route 18 – By Jonathan Phillips –District Councillor. Including timetable.
2 Three articles and one advert on page two.
BAMPTON VILLAGE HALL – advert.
Bampton Village Hall. Don Quixote de la Mancha.
FRIENDS OF ST MARY’S BAMPTON.
BAMPTON FIRE STATION Still Under Threat!
3 Nine articles on page three all under title ‘BAMPTON PARISH COUNCIL NEWS’.
Traffic Calming.
Police.
Allotments.
Pavilion.
Land between Aston Road and Buckland Road.
Millennium.
STOP PRESS! Traffic Calming Update.
Help required to set up an Indoor Bowls Club.
THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION POPPY APPEAL Bampton and Lew
4 Nine adverts on page four.
Toby Vines.
E. TAYLOR & SON FUNERAL DIRECTORS.
Market Square Garage, Bampton.
THE CROP SHOP – TOO
N. WOODLEY BUILDING MAINTENANCE.
BAMPTON FAX BUREAU.
THE APPLIANCE DOCTOR.
Curtain Choice.
BEAMTECH
5 One article on page five.
NEWS FROM THE BAMPTON MILLENNIUM COMMITTEE – including form entitled ‘BAMPTON MILLENIUM COMMITTEE’.
6 Five articles on page six.
THE WITNEY AND BURFORD HOSPITAL CAMPAIGN.
AGE CONCERN
LIGHTS OF LOVE
West Oxfordshire Citizen Advocacy.
VOLUNTEER LINK-UP
7 on page seven.
MISSING
8 on page eight.
MISSING
9 One article on page nine.
BAMPTON PRE-SCHOOL PLAYGROUP Taking care of their early years
10 One article on page ten.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
11 One article, one advert and one cartoon on page eleven.
W.R.S.V. by Jean Howell, Bampton / Aston Organiser
Sharing the Caring with community care – advert.
Bampton Bill – cartoon.
12 Four adverts on page twelve.
STE-MARK WINDOW CLEANERS & PRESSURE WASHERS
PHILIPPA RAYNE – Registered Osteopath. FIONA GEARY – Physiotherapist. LESLEY MELLIN – Reflexologist. Aromatherapist.
THE PUMPKIN CLUB CHRISTMAS BINGO
ARGOSY BLINDS
13 Three articles on page thirteen.
LAVENDER FLATS Written by Mrs Joan Smith
THE MUMMERS ARE BACK!! By Don Rouse.
This is a story about the life of a Labrador pup called Mandy-Jane.
14 Two articles on page fourteen under the title THE GARDENING PAGE.
BAMPTON GARDENING CLUB NEWS.
WEED’S AND WHAT TO DO WITH THEM By Edie Bindweed
15 Two articles on page fifteen.
ARCHITECTURE ROUND BAMPTON Written and drawn by Gilbert Marsh. Garden Gates in Bampton.
What’s happening in Market Square.
16 One article on page sixteen.
ROYAL AIR FORCE, BRIZE NORTON Do we Care! By Flight Lieutenant Adrian Dant M Inst. Pet. RAF Station Environmental Protection Officer.
17 Two articles and one advert on page seventeen.
New Boss for Signals Units Released by Flight Lieutenant Dave Rowe, Community Relations Officer.
REMEMBRANCE DAY by Mrs E. Quick, an Ex-service Great Grandmother.
OLD PILOTS, BOLD PILOTS by Archie Jackson – advert for book.
18 Eight articles on page eighteen under the title ‘NOTICE BOARD’.
BUSH CENTRE.
BAMPTON EXHIBITION FOUNDATION.
THE PUMPKIN CLUB CHRISTMAS BINGO.
BAMPTON BRIDGE CLUB.
BAMPTON WELFARE TRUST
THE CHILDREN’S SOCIETY
SOMEWHERE IN BAMPTON SOMETHING LURK’S
BAMPTON CLASSICAL OPERA
19 Four articles on page nineteen under the title ‘NOTICE BOARD’.
FOXBURY FARM Books Wanted
BAMPTON YOUTH CLUB
HAWTHORN FARM RIDING FOR THE DISABLED GROUP.
THE BURFORD SINGERS
20 Three adverts on page twenty.
PITSTOP
GREY GABLES GARAGE
Electric Vehicles Ltd.
21 Two articles on page twenty one.
THE COOKERY PAGE By Gilly French. Party Food. General Ideas. Recipes.
THE TAPPERS HIT TOWN by Rachel Piggott
22 One article on page twenty two.
OUT OF WORK FARMER –TURNED AGRICULTURE CORRESPONDENT By Dan Rouse
23 One article and one advert on page twenty three.
Contd ... OUT OF WORK FARMER –TURNED AGRICULTURE CORRESPONDENT By Dan Rouse
24 Five adverts on page twenty four.
New carpets fully fitted.
ANDREW BOWMAN MASTER THATCHER.
CHENNELLS
R. COOPER
A. SIMMONDS The Old Fashioned Village Store.
25 One article on page twenty five.
LETTERS TO : AUNTIE BEAM
26 Three ads on page twenty six.
BAMPTON ENVIRONMENTAL WATCH GROUP by Margaret Bruce-Mitford
CARPENTER home improver
D&K Building Services
27 Two adverts on page twenty seven.
Select Blinds
Farmington STONE Company
28 Three adverts on page twenty eight.
CARPENTER / HOME IMPROVER
SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BAMPTON
D & K BUILDING SERVICES
29 One article on page twenty nine.
WEST OXFORDSHIRE ARTS ASSOCIATION NEWS AND EVENTS
30 One article on page thirty.
Macmillans Cycling Challenge by Jo Lewington
31 Three articles on page thirty one.
THE ROBERT VESEY ROOM BAMPTON LIBRARY
W.O.A.A. Highlights July, August and October by Margaret Bruce-Mitford
32 One advert on page thirty two.
Bampton Youth Club
33 Three articles on page thirty three.
Competition Corner August winner 1998
THE BAMPTON BEAM NEEDS VOLUNTEERS
THE BAMPTON BEAM’S CROSSWORD
34 One advert on page thirty four.
Piggott’s School of Dance
35 Three articles on page thirty five.
Diary of Forthcoming Events
BAMPTON DIRECTORY 1999
THE BAMPTON BEAM – publishing information
36 One advert on page thirty six.
BAMPTON SMALL BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

Kite sculpture at Bampton Arts Centre Aug 8-22 1976 by Professor Kyle Hanton.
The Bampton Arts Centre in later years was re-named West ox Arts and it is housed in the upper floor of Bampton's Town Hall.

Jason Seacole of Henry Box School in Witney was integral in England School Boys winning all their matches in the season. England beat West Germany in the final of the eight nations schoolboys' international in Dortmund in May winning 4-2. Earlier in the tournament they beat France 6-1 and Jason scored a hat trick in the match.

In 1974 Son Townsend clocked up 50 years as a Morris Dancer and later Fool in Bampton. He first danced out with the side in 1925. To mark the occasion a clock and silver salver were given to Son.
The young dancers left to right behind Son are (I think?) Clive Tanner, Fred Cook, Mat Green and Malcolm Willis.
The young children with their flower garlands are L-R Tim Waller, Emma Carruthers, Louise Walker and Martin Landray

In 1973 the New Inn on Bampton's High Street was re-named The Morris Clown.
It was a very contentious issue because the jester in the Bampton Morris has never been called a Clown, always a Fool. That piece of history cut no mustard with the Brewery, Courage (Central) which is a pity. Now 48 years on, this perceived poorly renaming is hardly ever mentioned but there are still those who feel the name should be corrected.

Clare Dryden was invested as May Queen. Bob Harris, probably best known for presenting The Old Grey Whistle Test but at this point he was a presenter on Radio Oxford, put the sash on Clare. The ceremony took place in the WI Hall, Market Square. It is now the Village Hall.

The Bampton Horticultural Society has two shows a year and this is their autumn one. In the picture, Betty Collett the club secretary is seen holding a huge marrow with club chairman, John Snook. The John Taylor cup for the most overall points went to Mr Keith Bishop.

A Caversham firm want to make a 49 acre marina at Tadpole Bridge on the Thames. WODC lowlands area planning committee are objecting tot he plan because gravel extraction will have to take place first a marina could be built. The decision has been put into the hands of the County Council.

Now 2021 and no marina has been built or gravel extracted.