North Leigh Community Cafe

03/09/2026

19/08/2026

🤳📸 Photographic and Humanitarian Cafe 🤳🏾📸

This week (thankfully on a cooler day) we had another good turnout. Upwards of 55 people joined us for a slightly different form of cafe experience. Yes, there was still what we hope you found an intriguing quiz but there was also a photographic reel on the TV which at times was both glorious and shocking.

These images both iconic and personal ‘celebrate’ our ability to capture unforgettable memories on film or digitally. It seems appropriate that this should be combined with Humanitarian Day as so many images have brought the ‘real’ world to our attention.

For example, the image of Phan Thị Kim Phúc during the Vietnam war became one of the most iconic and powerful symbols of the conflict, influencing global public opinion and anti-war movements.

We are fortunate that our area has so many people who have dedicated themselves to Humanitarian efforts.
First, one of our very own; Julie Surplice is Chair of The Witney Lions Club; its registered charitable objects include the relief of poverty and people in need through “humanitarian aid and disaster relief”, as well as saving lives and supporting people with disabilities.

I know it’s only August but Julie is looking for people to dress as Father Christmas in December. Please let us know if you can help The Lions with their Fund Raising.

Look a little further and we find other leading humanitarians, for example:

Alice Maud Batt (1889–1969) born in Witney at Batt House in Market Square. Her story is quite remarkable but too long to relate here.

Baroness Caroline Cox lived in Witney and worked internationally, she founded the Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART) and served as its CEO from 2007 to 2021; she remains its founder and president.

Brian Conroy (you may remember him from the Guitar Group) — he has worked on programmes designed specifically to train humanitarian aid workers going into challenging, remote or hostile regions worldwide.

Mary McMaster - she was living in Witney in 1939, and during the Second World War she and her sister served as Voluntary Aid Detachment nurses.

Other humanitarian related organisations include:

Humanitarian Data Solutions is headquartered in Witney.

Open Doors — an international humanitarian/human-rights organisation.

Witney & West Oxfordshire Foodbank.

There are bound to be others.

Sadly one of our Volunteers (Annette Duffel) will be leaving us in the not too distant future. She has been on the injury list for a number of months but is now moving to be closer to family. Her departure leaves not one but two vacancies; obviously for another volunteer to join our cafe crew (not that we have a limit on numbers) but also for the Hall Committee Treasurer. Again please let us know if you are interested.

We were pleased that last week’s quiz seemed to receive an appropriate amount of groans, with tea that was too hot for an elephant to drink and frozen rivers but we also had some creative answers which were suitably rewarded. This week was an even greater challenge for the quiz master, who despite having to leave for a hospital appointment after set up, was back in time to face the customary amount of banter during quiz ‘answers’.

Special thanks this week go to all our Volunteers but especially Pete (who stepped in at short notice), Tony (for helping with set up even though he wasn’t feeling 100%), Amber (she is a credit to the family), Thinh and Herb (your empathy and energy is a great example of the cafe’s ethos). As you know we and all our customers are so grateful that you give your time so generously to the cafe.

Finally, a very special thank you to Storm Autos (New Yatt Industrial Estate) who came to the rescue of one of our customers when his car wouldn’t start after the cafe. You really were the Good Samaritans.

📔📔 Diary Dates:

🌷💐North Leigh Gardening Society Annual Summer Show - Saturday August 22nd at the Memorial Hall from 14:00.

👀🎱 Bingo Night @ The Hall, 23rd August, 18:30. Prizes and Bar.

👩‍⚕️👼Nursery Rhyme Cafe, 26th Aug, sorry no milk in a bottle or Rusks, but there is a themed quiz presented by Mr D’Wit who makes a welcome return.

🎻🎶Proms Cafe, 9th Sept. Celebrating the World’s greatest Classical event, with a playlist featuring the best of this year's proms and a themed quiz.

👀🎱 Bingo Night @ The Hall, 13th Sept, 18:30. Prizes and Bar.

📽️🍿 Film night, Film TDB, Saturday 19th Sept, 19:00 for 19:30, North Leigh Memorial Hall.

🏥🏥 MacMillan Coffee Cafe, Wednesday 23rd September. All proceeds to the cancer research fund. Please let us know if you can help with cakes and raffles prizes - thank you.

🎤🎶 Nor Lye Notes, Saturday 26th of September, 7.00pm in the Memorial Hall. Everyone is welcome. Free entry, refreshments available - retiring collection to boost the choirs funds!

🏡💐Garage / Garden Sale, 27th September, 10:00 - 13:00, maps from the Memorial Hall, refreshments by Terry’s Chums, Memorial Hall (09:00 - 12:00), (Scarecrow competition weekend).

👀🎱 Bingo Night @ The Hall, 27th Sept, 18:30. Prizes and Bar.

📽️🍿 Film night, Film TDB, Saturday 16th Oct, 19:00 for 19:30, North Leigh Memorial Hall.

12/08/2026

🐘🐘 The Elephant in the Room 🐘🐘

A day so hot we would not have been surprised to see a real African Elephant when we arrived at the hall! Undaunted, the Organisers and Volunteers set about transforming the space into something more akin to a Mediterranean bar (minus the sea and sand!).

Whilst we are talking about large grey mammals; the saying ‘the elephant in the room' is usually used as a prelude to a sensitive issue being discussed that everyone knows about but nobody dares raise. Is this the case here? Read on to find out🤣😂.

Today’s cafe celebrated International Youth and Elephant Days. It also happens to be The Glorious Twelfth. At the risk of being controversial, the joy of blasting birds out of the air escapes me but it is a well known tradition. Personally, I’d rather sample the contents of the bottles that have the same birds on the label😁.

Over the 18 months the cafe has been open we have taken inspiration on numerous occasions from the village's young people. Much is made of vandalism (often attributed to those in their teens) less on the brilliant contributions (planned and spontaneous) they make to the village. Therefore we are pleased to recognise International Youth Day - a celebration of young people in society and community. Let’s hope we see a few more of our younger community joining us during the holidays - after all how many of them have flown in a homemade aeroplane or done ‘a ton’ (100mph) on the back of a motorbike (I’m not joking) - we weren’t always ‘old’🤣😂.

During the week we received a request from one of our younger volunteers (Herb) to once again do the cafe (themed) playlist and promote the cafe on his personal page. Our reaction was obvious - a categorical NO WAY!🤣😂.

To be serious, of course we said YES PLEASE. After last week’s partnership between another superb quiz from Lord Broughton and Herb’s Alphabetical Playlist (starting with the Jackson’s ABC, followed by Boxer by Simon and Garfunkel, etc) how could we refuse.

Creating a quiz which reflected this week’s themes (without it being overly simple) was more difficult than expected. Nevertheless, we hope attendees enjoyed the debates on which elephants have the biggest ears (excluding Dumbo), the young inventors of the lawnmower and braille plus the appearance of birds on whisky bottles.

Despite holidays and the heat, around 65 people of all ages joined us for the usual fare plus loads of ice creams, lollies and a choice of soft drinks.

Also, so nice to see Amber again, without her’s and Herb’s enthusiasm / energy we would have struggled.

So was there an ‘elephant or two in the room?’ Certainly; but perhaps we’ll leave that for another week. In the meantime stay cool (if possible), keep hydrated and we hope to see you next week.

📔📔 Diary Dates:

🤝🫱🏿‍🫲🏾Humanity and Photography Cafe, 19th Aug. Send us a few of your best photographs and we’ll show them on the TV throughout the cafe. Please email [email protected]

🌷💐North Leigh Gardening Society Annual Summer Show - Saturday August 22nd at the Memorial Hall from 14:00.

👀🎱 Bingo Night @ The Hall, 23rd August, 18:30. Prizes and Bar.

👩‍⚕️👼Nursery Rhyme Cafe, 26th Aug, sorry no milk in a bottle or Rusks, but there is a themed quiz presented by Mr D’Wit who makes a welcome return.

👀🎱 Bingo Night @ The Hall, 13th Sept, 18:30. Prizes and Bar.

🎻🎶Proms Cafe, 9th Sept. Celebrating the World’s greatest Classical event, with a playlist featuring the best of this year's proms and a themed quiz.

👀🎱 Bingo Night @ The Hall, 13th Sept, 18:30. Prizes and Bar.

📽️🍿 Film night, Film TDB, Saturday 19th Sept, 19:00 for 19:30, North Leigh Memorial Hall.

🏥🏥 MacMillan Coffee Cafe, Wednesday 23rd. All proceeds to the cancer research fund. Please let us know if you can help with cakes and raffles prizes - thank you.

🎤🎶 Nor Lye Notes, Saturday 26th of September, 7.00pm in the Memorial Hall. Everyone welcome. Free entry, refreshments available - retiring collection to boost our funds!

🏘️ Garage / Garden Sale, 27th Sept, refreshments by Terry’s Chums, Memorial Hall, 10:00 - 13:00 (Scarecrow competition weekend).

👀🎱 Bingo Night @ The Hall, 27th Sept, 18:30. Prizes and Bar.

📽️🍿 Film night, Film TDB, Saturday 16th Oct, 19:00 for 19:30, North Leigh Memorial Hall.