n November 2015 eight products, including Patrick Strainge's Bampton Royal sausages were nominated for the Q Guild Smithfield Awards. Only 200 butchers in England can hold a Q guild aware at any one time so it really is a feather in the cap of our local butchers shop. The Bampton Royal sausages were also a firm favourite with many members of the cast of Downton Abbey which was partly filmed in Bampton.
On May 21st 2014 the Bampton WI banner was hung in the south wing of St Mary The Virgin.The banner was made by Pat Barratt, second from the right, and shows several aspect of Bampton life, notably the Morris dancing,
The 46th Donkey Derby took place in 2015. The afternoon's fun is organised by the SPAJERS (Society for The Preservation of Ancient Junketing) to raise funds to treat Bampton's senior citizens and at the same time provide fun for everyone
Vera Elward aged 92 took a flight in a microlight to help raise money for the restoration of the beautiful pipe organ in St Mary The Virgin Church in Bampton. Vera ran the Sunday School for over 20 years and has always worked for the church
The makers of Downton Abbey invited local people to take part as extras. Doreen and Douglas Clare were delighted to be chosen each each from 2011 through 2015.
On a bitterly cold day on March 29th 2015 scenes were recorded for Downton Abbey. These are delightful casual shots of the actors both well known and supporting cast.
The Bampton Traditional Morris Men dancing in the morning of May 25th 2015 as far as Ham Court. I didn't follow them beyond this venue so was not able to record the remainder of the day.
The Eulogy by Tony Page's son Martin, gives a full account of his life. For us in Bampton Tony was in at the beginning of the Bampton Community Archive and did all the printing for the charity up to his death.
Witney Gazette, autumn 2015. Call to fund a national memorial for our Ox & Bucks D-Day heroes. Fitting tribute: The design for the memorial to the 2nd Battalion D Company of the Ox and Bucks Light Infantry’s heroic Pegasus Bridge operation