2025
20 January 2025 – Herefordshire Wildlife Trust
The first part of this evening’s talk, from Holly Williams of the Herefordshire Wildlife Trust was frankly appalling. Not Holly’s presentation, which was excellent – but the dreadful facts she had to spell out about the rapid increase in global temperatures due to climate change caused by industrialisation, and the disastrous impact this is having on the natural world and, increasingly, on us. The catastrophe ranges from rising sea levels, which will see the loss of many of our coastal regions, to the plight of the chiffchaff: we all enjoy hearing them singing in the spring, but did you know that rising temperatures mean that the caterpillars who are their chief food source whilst nesting are now hatching much earlier, so they are no longer around when the chicks most need food?
If pollution goes on unchecked, both the chiffchaffs and us are ultimately doomed, but the second half of Holly’s talk was about what we can do, reducing pollution and emissions of CO2, for instance, with the encouraging message that if we all – governments, companies and individuals – do our bit, then the effects of global warming will be considerably less awful than otherwise. Holly focused on the wildlife trust’s work in Herefordshire, buying green spaces and managing them to preserve the natural life already there and so that they can recover and become home to even more species, all with the positive effects of capturing carbon to decrease global warming, reducing risk of flooding, and allowing overworked soil to recover. She also told us about her own work at the moment, on secondment to ‘Wye Adapt to Climate Change’ to combat the terrible pollution of the River Wye and all the watercourses that feed into it. In Twyford, she has been working with local land and garden owners – some of whom were in the audience – to try to protect the Twyford and Red Brooks from pollution and increase the amount of good they can do for wild plants and animals. With Holly’s help, Twyford is setting an incredible example and hopefully soon we will be able to see similar projects all over Callow, Dewsall, Haywood, Grafton and Bullinghope.
Thank you very much indeed to Holly Williams, who proved to be a superb ambassador for the Herefordshire Wildlife Trust [hyperlink to https://www.herefordshirewt.org/ ], for giving an excellent talk. She can be contacted at h.williams@herefordshirewt.co.uk. A £50 donation (out of the ticket receipts) is being sent to the Trust and we warmly encourage everyone to join the Herefordshire Wildlife Trust and support its essential work looking after rural Herefordshire.
16 January 2025 – first revamped Coffee Morning
Thanks to our new committee member Amanda Charles and the generosity of our local wedding and events venue, Dewsall Court , we are now holding coffee mornings on every third Thursday of the month, with cakes and biscuits fresh from the kitchens of Dewsall, and served by their experienced staff.
2024
14 December 2024 – Christmas Lunch
Christmas lunch. The Parish Hall celebrated Christmas this year with a Christmas lunch, preceded by decorating the hall and tree (many thanks in particular to Annesley for her help, and holly) and followed by a raffle, and a Christmas quiz, which was won by Martin, Glyn and Charlie (and well done to them for knowing that, at Christmas, the alphabet contains only 25 letters, because ‘the angel said “No-el”). Thank you to our wonderful caterers, to everyone who so generously donated raffle prizes, to all who helped with setting up and clearing up, and above all to everyone who attended and made it such a memorable day.
28 September 2024 – Michaelmas tea Party
Many thanks to Tegwen Warren for organising a very enjoyable tea party for the Parish to celebrate Michaelmas, and to everyone who came, and our caterers, for making the event so enjoyable.
20 September 2024, 7.30 pm – Play – The Empty Plinth
Callow Parish Hall was delighted to host the first ever performance of Paul Murray’s new play The Empty Plinth. The play was written for Bartonsham History Group based on an idea by Huw Rees, to celebrate prominent women in Hereford’s history. Paul Murray, who used to live at Dewsall Lodge and now lives in Hereford, chose Callow Parish Hall as the perfect place for his rehearsals, as it is so quiet and spacious, and kindly agreed to give the first performance here, before a weekend of stagings down in Hereford itself. Whilst rain poured and thunder rolled outside, Paul’s cast of young local actors put on a spirited performance and we all appreciated their energy and enthusiasm very much.
In a storage room in darkest Hereford, caretaker Bryan, played by an impish Josh Hoar, deposits a group of waxworks of prominent women from Herefordshire’s history. But as soon as he knocks off for the night, they begin talking amongst themselves, reliving the key scenes in their lives, and arguing which one of them deserves best to occupy the empty plinth outside the Town Hall. Nell Gwyn, played consummately by Iona Wilkins, describes her rise from orange girl to the mistress of a besotted Charles II, played by George Pilkington – who has considerable praise, diplomatically, for her ‘beautiful feet’. Murray contrasts her loucheness with his other seventeenth century heroine, Lady Brilliana Harley, the indefatigable defender of Brampton Bryan Castle against Charles I’s forces, played with brilliant frumpishness by Amma Brewer-Harrell, and her Puritan disapproval of Nell bristles throughout the play. It was ironic, perhaps, that the whole performance was overseen by the Parish Hall’s portrait of King Charles III, which was sent to us from Whitehall earlier this year.
Into the eighteenth century, and Tilda Mason’s truly statuesque Sarah Siddons describes the glittering stage career that made her an icon of her age. Elsie Abel, played with great empathy by April Sainz-Royo, describes her work as one of the ‘Canary Girls’, making munitions down in Rotherwas during the First World War, enduring appalling conditions and in fear of their own lives from asphyxiation or explosions until she led the girls in successful industrial action to gain better working conditions. Finally, Violette Szabó, played with great empathy by Elsa Bennett, recounted her recruitment to the British secret service, the immense risks she took in the fight against Naziism, and how, even when captured and tortured (by the black-shirted duo of Hoar and Pilkington) she refused to betray her comrades. We were delighted, incidentally, that Rosemary Rigby of the Violette Szabó Museum was able to be present, despite the terrible rain, to watch this moving re-enactment of her brave heroine’s life and death.
In the end, the women cannot decide which of them most deserves to stand on the empty plinth, but discover to their surprise that its original occupant, George Cornewall-Lewis, a Victorian politician, has returned. This is Pilkington’s main role, and he plays it with superb solemnity, recounting his distinguished, and now almost entirely forgotten career, sandwiched between far greater names in 19th century politics, and now reduced to being a mere ‘perch for pigeons’. Being a statue isn’t as much fun as you might imagine, he tells the ladies, and leads them off stage whilst a bemused caretaker comments ‘they weren’t supposed to speak’.
Educational and entertaining, the play yielded numerous, memorable scenes that will linger long in the memory: the canon booming during the siege of Brampton Bryan; Violette plaintively reciting the poem that was also her cypher; the Canary Girls visibly suffering from their gruelling work. Thank you to the whole cast, and Paul Murray, ably supported by his wife Vicki, for a truly enjoyable evening.
2 September 2024, 7 pm – Fish & Chips and Quiz Night
Our new arrangement with the fish and chip van worked superbly, with a happy gathering of 32 being served their freshly fried meals in shifts between 7:15 and 7:30. Not an unhappy face in the whole hall. The quiz was a success too. Scott produced a set of fiendishly difficult anagrams of Herefordshire place names for each table to decipher (who knew that Upper Breinton is an anagram of ‘burnt peperoni’?), and the rest of the committee, Di, Elwyn, Anthony and Jules, all contributed 10 questions (Jules’s excellent ‘who said that’ round being read out in proxy, as she couldn’t be there). So we now all know that the longest river in Ireland is the Shannon, the most popular breed of dog in Britain is the golden retriever and that the closest defibrillator to the parish hall is – on the back wall of the parish hall! Congratulations to the winning team, Steve and Vikki Langman, Amanda Plant and Jonathan Powell. Many thanks to everyone to came, contributed and helped out, especially Merrill and Jan (Malins). We’ll be doing this again.
16 July 2024, 7 pm – Lost in Herefordshire
We all enjoyed a presentation by Dave Hill, who has spent many decades exploring all the nooks and crannies of Herefordshire. Instead of a conventional talk, Dave showed slides of interesting churches, castles, houses, cottages, dovecotes, bridges, monuments, plaques, milestones and so on, and asked us where we thought they were. I think we all thought we knew more about the county than we really do, because a lot of them had most of us scratching our heads, though between us all I think we got about three quarters, and well done to Ruth Matthews, who I’m pretty confident got more right than anyone else. It was a very entertaining hour, and if people want, we could book Dave again next year for one of his other presentations, such as ‘Still Lost in Herefordshire’! Drinks and nibbles were enjoyed afterwards, and a very good, sociable evening was had by all. Many thanks for Di and Elwyn Roberts for recommending Dave and to Scott and Di for organising the refreshments.
June 1st, 7 pm – Barn Dance
It turns out that I was no worse than anyone else at Barn Dancing, and that being very bad at Barn Dancing is in fact great fun. Bandemonium, a folk band based in Twyford, with members from all over the area, set a merry pace for us. Guided by their able caller, Mary, we all capered about until we were happily exhausted, and then tucked into delicious hotdogs prepared by the evening’s organiser Di Roberts, containing Pengethley Porker sausages very generously donated by our wonderful local Pengethley Farm Shop. Then came more dancing, which was better than it may sound on top of sausages because the band set a more sedate pace. The last dance was a slow, Persian affair, with lots of ‘hoying’ and clapping building up to quite a crescendo – I doubt the Parish Hall has ever seen the like – and you could not spot a face that was not absolutely beaming with enjoyment. Thank you to everyone for helping clear up, to Gavin who so magnificently called the numbers for the raffle, and to the splendid Charlie Mace for donating two of her delicious homemade cakes (that can be purchased at very reasonable prices at the Eaton Bishop village hall on the first Saturday of every month) as raffle prizes (and, thank you to Angie Gibbs, who recently left the parish, for giving us her books of raffle tickets). We aim to repeat this incredibly enjoyable event, so be sure not to miss it – it was great fun!
May 14th, 7pm – Portrait Presentation
The Parish Council held its Annual Meeting of Callow, Haywood, Grafton & Dewsall Parishes in the Parish Hall on Tuesday 14 May 2024, 7pm, with our Ward Councilor Richard Thomas in attendance. Item 4 on the agenda was the presentation of a portrait of His Majesty King Charles III to the Parish Hall.
The portraits were offered to all Parish Councils by the Cabinet Office, marking the start of the new reign; our Parish Council accepted the offer and presented it to the Parish Hall as its meeting place. The arrival of the portrait seems particularly appropriate just now because it is just over a year since our tea party in the Parish Hall celebrating the King’s coronation, and because His Majesty was for so many years, as Duke of Cornwall, a ‘next door neighbour’, employer or landlord to so many of us in the parish.
We were informed by the Cabinet Office that ‘The photograph of His Majesty was taken in autumn 2023 in Windsor Castle by photographer Hugo Burnand, who also took The King and Queen’s Coronation photographs.
His Majesty is shown in the uniform of an Admiral of the Fleet (No. 1 Tailcoat), and is wearing the Garter Collar and Sovereign’s Badge, Garter Star, Thistle Star, the Bath Sovereign’s Badge, the Order of Merit, the Royal Victorian Order’s Royal Victorian Chain and G.C.V.O. Sash, as well as a set of medals on his medal bar.
Care has been taken to ensure sustainability of materials and minimisation of the environmental impact in the material used in the production of the portraits and packaging and also the processes used. The packaging is made from 70% recycled material and is 100% recyclable’.
Ours is no. 012636.
There is a long tradition of displaying portraits of our monarchs in public buildings, signifying their importance at the heart of national life. We hope that the portrait of His Majesty will long remain in the Parish Hall as a reminder of the King’s faith in the importance of communities, and of the fact that the Parish Hall stands at the heart of ours.
The Portrait of King Charles III being presented to the Parish Hall. Left to right: Sandy Sharp, Chairman of the Parish Council; Jan Nash, one of the Parish Hall’s Trustees and Anthony Adolph, Chairman of the Parish Hall Committee.
February 21st, 10:30am – Hands On with Annesley Blackwell
On a blustery morning, Annesley Blackwell very kindly hosted a very peaceful session in the Parish Hall on personal healing. It was a very serene event, with a small but attentive group sitting in a circle and following her quiet instructions to breathe in – hold your breath – breathe out – and all with particular reference to the hands and the positive effects she said could come from where they were positioned. Everyone enjoyed the ‘exercises’ they were given so much that Annesley was asked to prolong the session with more. All left feeling revived and healthier after a community event with a difference. If anyone who wanted to come missed it, or came and would like a further session, please let us know and hopefully Annesley can be persuaded to hold more. Thanks to Anthony Adolph for organising, Jan and Bern Nash for opening up the Hall and of course Annesley Blackwell herself for facilitating the session.
January 18th, 7pm – Heavens Above, the Wye Must Not Die!
This event was a talk on the future of the River Wye and what we can do to save it. In summer 2022, a specially made statue of the Virgin Mary made an extraordinary journey down the River Wye and up into the Black Mountains in order to draw attention to the terrible pollution blighting our county’s greatest river. The statue remains a focal point for the campaign to help the river. We were due to hear Fr Richard Williams of Hay and Professor Rachel Jenkins telling the story of the statue and its adventures, and learn what we can all do, now, to stop the Wye from dying. Prof Jenkins was unfortunately unavailable on the day and so Anthony Adolph stood in and delivered her talk. There was drinks and nibbles afterwards and a lively discussion including members of the farming community. Thanks to Anthony Adolph for organising, as well as standing in for Prof Jenkins; to Fr Richard Williams for his fascinating insights; to Scott Crowley for organising the catering; to Merrill Crabtree-Livesey for taking money at the door.
2023
December 8th, 7pm – Christmas Dinner
Christmas dinner was held with great gusto in the Parish Hall, with some hearty carol singing after the deliciously succulent turkey dinner and a little bit of pantomime beforehand leading up the appearance of Santa Claus, bearing a festive sack full of crackers. Thank you too all who came, and particularly to the caterers, Cakes & Catering; Angie Gibbs for her beautiful table decorations; Martin Gibbs for helping to ‘deck the halls’; Martin Exell for his invaluable contribution (we can’t say what without giving away a secret!); Scott Crowley for taking the bookings and Anthony Adolph for organising the whole thing. We’ve had some lovely, appreciative messages including ‘Thank you so much for a lovely evening, great meal and lovely company, met two new/couples… Well done and the hall was beautifully warm’. Roll on next year, when we hope a lot more people can make it to
this immensely enjoyable community event that makes a wonderful start to the Christmas seasons.
November 25th, 2.30pm – Christmas Flower Demonstration
Eleven people attended the Hall to watch Anne Culley’s demonstration of flower arranging, with a festive theme. A raffle was carried out with the finished arrangements being the prizes and Almost thirty people attended this Harvest Supper, with two courses, refreshments and a raffle, raising £90 for Hall funds. Thanks to Liz Langford for organising and Anne Culley for demonstrating her skills.
October 21st, 7pm – Autumn Supper
Almost thirty people attended this Harvest Supper, with two courses, refreshments and a raffle, raising over £280 for Hall funds. Thanks to Liz Langford for organising.
August 12th, 3pm – Summer Barbeque
On a rather blustery (but mostly dry) Saturday, we held a Summer Barbeque, sponsored by the Pengethley Farm Shop and VinceQS, who kindly donated all the food. Over thirty people attended and over £220 was raised for Hall funds. Thanks again to Brian Vince for cooking and to Angie and Martin Gibbs for helping setup and decorate the Hall.
June 8th, 7pm – Duchy talk on the environment
The Duchy of Cornwall, that provides an income for the heir to the throne, currently HRH Prince William, is a major landholder in this area, whose holdings near the Parish Hall include Monkhall, King’s Pitts and Aconbury. In recent years, the Duchy has begun to encourage and help its tenants to adopt the visionary ideas of the King, whilst he was Duke of Cornwall, regarding cutting carbon emissions and conserving and encouraging nature, in many ways, including creating natural corridors to help wildlife spread, tree planting, low-tillage farming and placing a value not just the saleable output of the land, but also on the long-term health of the land itself – what they term ‘natural capital’. Three local representatives of the Duchy, Hollie Brookes, Sarah Gambold and Ray Harris, who is the Duchy’s Forest Craftsman Foreman in this area, each gave knowledgeable and enthusiastic presentations on these topics to a fascinated audience, who included several local farmers and also householders who are already working hard to make their land and gardens more nature-friendly. The very fact that the questions went on for half an hour, and could probably have lasted longer still, speaks volumes for the amount of interest the speakers created. A cheese and wine reception followed and a very inspiring and enjoyable evening was had by all. For more information on the Duchy’s work, see their website page on Future Farming. Thanks to the Duchy speakers, Anthony Adolph for organising, to Neil and Merrill Crabtree-Livesey for taking money on the door, and to Angie Gibbs for providing flowers.
May 7th, 3:30pm – Coronation Tea
The late afternoon tea to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III was a great success with 36 attendees, with food provided free of charge as a special treat for the event. The Hall was decked out in bunting, decorated with a giant crown and even a miniature royal carriage used for presenting the cupcakes. Sandwiches, savouries, salad and cakes were enjoyed by all. Many thanks to Liz Langford for organising the event, including the food, to Anthony Adolph for making the teas and coffees, to Angie Gibbs for helping to decorate and Scott Crowley for some of the washing up. Thanks also to all who attended and those who helped clear up at the end of the day.
April 13th, 7pm – Quiz Night, with Fish and Chips
This was a Quiz Night, with Fish and Chips supplied by the Madley Takeaway Van, which was a great success – around 25 attendees, with £175 raised for Hall funds. Many thanks to Anthony Adolph and Scott Crowley for acting as quizmasters, and to Merrill Crabtree-Livesey for taking money to the door. Thanks also to all who attended and those who helped clear up at the end of the night.
The next Quiz Night will be in the Summer or Autumn and will likely be accompanied by Curry Night.
February 23rd, 7pm – ‘The Histories of Callow’
This was the first in a series of talks on parish history, and was very well attended by almost forty guests, raising almost £300 for Hall Funds.
This is the promotional material for the talk:
From an 18th century scholar to a 20th century schoolboy, Women’s Institute members to shopkeepers, the story of our parish has been told, re-told and recorded in a surprising number of different ways. Spend an evening immersed in our local histories that chronicled our land’s evolution from royal hunting forest to rolling farmland, and meet the innkeepers and farmers, rat catchers and dukes, and even an 18th century black musician, who made this fascinating corner of Herefordshire their home.
Many thanks to Anthony Adolph for the talk; to the supporting cast who gave their readings with aplomb – Vicky Murray, Paul Murray, Martin Exell and Scott Crowley; to Jan Nash and Liz Langford for catering; to Merrill and Neil Crabtree-Livesey for taking money at the door; and to Karl Taylor for helping with parking. And thanks also to everyone who turned up and helped to support the continuing use and the survival of your Parish Hall.