Tackley Parish Council is pleased to announce a partnership with Community
First Oxfordshire to conduct a Housing Needs Survey. This important
initiative will play a crucial role in shaping the future of our village by
helping us create a Neighbourhood Plan, which will serve as a blueprint for
managing development in our area.
The Housing Needs Survey will gather valuable insights into the current and
future housing requirements of Tackley residents. By understanding these
needs, we can ensure that any future developments meet the expectations of
our community, focusing on what is genuinely required while protecting the
character and rural nature of the village.
The Neighbourhood Plan is a powerful tool that allows us, as a community,
to have a say in what is built here, preventing unwanted or inappropriate
large-scale developments. It ensures that future housing aligns with the
village’s needs, preserving Tackley’s unique charm and green spaces for
generations to come. It is a big project and we will be seeking insight from
residents and community groups.
We encourage all residents to participate in the survey, as your feedback
is vital in shaping the plan and safeguarding our village from speculative
developments. Look out for further details on how to take part in the coming
weeks. Together, we can help steer the future of Tackley.
The Gardiner Arms is back! A small group of us banded together to approach
the current owners of the pub to discuss whether there was a business model
we could use to operate the premises while it remains on the market.
Our plan was twofold: a win for the village, as we get an open pub; and a
win for the owners, as an open pub is an easier pub to sell.
We worked with the sales agent and West Oxfordshire District Council to
arrange the necessary letting and licensing paperwork.
We also wanted to stamp our own identity on the pub – to create the kind of
ambience and welcome we’d like to see in our own local pub – so you may have
seen a hive of activity over the last few weeks as we made our changes.
Now it’s over to you, the village. Please come along and visit, enjoy a
drink with us, and tell us what you think. Let’s create a buzz about the
village.
We have had new cellar equipment fitted, and new lines run from the cellar
to the bar. Our opening selection of drinks was based on our own tastes:
what we would like to see on a bar. But come along and tell us yours — we’d
love to talk about what we could do.
We have committed to the opening hours shown below to start with. Our hopes
for the future are that we will be able to chat with the various groups in
the village and use the building for what it should be: a community space
where people can meet, chat, and enjoy a bit of warmth.
Our published hours from the outset are:
Thursdays 6 pm to 11 pm
Fridays 4 pm to 11 pm
Saturdays 12 noon to 11 pm
Sundays 12 noon to 5 pm
Initially, all of the shifts will be covered by volunteers. If you think
you could spare us some of your time to help out and make the pub a success,
then please email us. Over time, and as funds allow, we also seek to have a
small team of paid staff, to help spread the workload. We would also like to
be able to open during the daytime for village groups, and in the evening
for the bellringers and Wheelers for example. But we need the people to be
able to make that happen.
And the pub quiz is back! Resident quizmaster Chris has already written the
first quiz, so come along on Thursday nights and join in. The start time
will be around 8 pm.
One of the questions asked of the team is, “Will you do food?” The answer
is yes, but with a caveat that we do not have a regular chef, so we plan to
ring the changes to start with — to see what works.
We have an excellent offer of help for a Sunday roast, courtesy of
Tackley’s own award-winning chef, Marcus. So, that is on the menu from the
outset. We won’t be taking bookings; rather we want to create a more
pub-like atmosphere where people can walk in, choose a table, and order from
the bar. Do arrive early, though, to avoid disappointment!
On other nights we may well book food vans, in a similar way to the Pop-Up
Pub, and we’d also like to showcase the talented people of Tackley. Come and
cook in our kitchen! If you are interested, please come and chat to us about
what might be possible.
On the subject of the Pop-Up Pub, we’d like to extend our sincere thanks to
the team there who have worked tirelessly to provide Tackley with a venue to
meet, chat and drink. Now that Tackley would have a choice, we were keen to
discuss our plans from the outset. We all agreed that each venue can offer
something different, and we’d love to work together in the future to
continue to offer a choice of venues and events for the village.
Finally, who are we? We are a group of three Tackley residents, Andrew,
Tony and Maca, and we’d love to see the pub thrive. Thank you so much to
everyone who has helped us so far. You know who you are!
If you’d like to be involved, or just want to tell us something, please
email manwalksintoapubltd@gmail.com or – better than that – why not walk into
the pub yourself?
We are pleased to report that the plans for the village hall extension are
progressing well. The initial design has been completed, providing a solid
foundation to move forward, though there may still be some adjustments.
We are aiming to hold an open evening soon, hosted by the parish council,
where Tackley residents will have the opportunity to view the plans and
discuss them with the village hall committee and the architect.
After this open evening, we hope to secure some of the Section 106 funds
available to the village, which will mark the beginning of fundraising for
the extension itself. Following this, we will apply for planning permission
and seek grants and funding from external organisations. We also intend to
apply for match funding, with most of the consistent funds coming from the
Pop-Up Pub — so it is vital for us to ensure its continued success!
In our efforts to be more eco-friendly, particularly regarding lighting, we
have installed motion sensors in the toilets to prevent lights from being
left on unnecessarily. This small change will help reduce our energy
consumption.
General maintenance of the hall continues, including the replacement of
sealant and some roof tiles; thank you to Carl Hicks for carrying out this
work. However, it has become clear that many more tiles need replacing, so
we will be engaging a roofing contractor to carry out the necessary
repairs.
The Pop-Up Pub has been a tremendous success over the summer, offering
different community groups the chance to raise funds for various projects
and causes while also serving as a vital source of income for the village
hall.
A special mention to Nandita from ‘Curry Nights with Nandita’ as she came
and served (and sold out!) her wonderful curry dishes, and donated a
percentage of her profits to the Pop-Up Pub/village hall. For this we are
very grateful!
The next fundraising event, at the time of writing, will support the
new church organ. Members of the church will be
serving jacket potatoes with a variety of fillings at Pop-Up Pub on Friday,
4 October.
The committee are looking to host events leading up to the New Year, the
first one being a Halloween event on Friday, 1 November including a
costume competition for the children and a spooky treasure hunt!
We intend to continue running Pop-Up Pub every Friday until Christmas,
after which we will assess whether to remain open throughout the winter (we
will definitely be running over the spring and summer). This decision will
be based on attendance over the coming months.
A huge thank-you to everyone who has contributed to the Pop-Up Pub’s
success — whether by preparing food, volunteering at the bar, or helping
with the organisation. Of course, we also extend our gratitude to everyone
who supports us with their regular attendance. Thank you for making this
summer a fantastic one!
There’s the chance both to help the wildlife ‘on your patch’ and to get
exercise in nature at volunteer work parties on Tackley’s Local Wildlife
Sites.
Tackley Heath
If you enjoy visiting the heath, please come and help on Sunday,
3 November from 10 am to noon. We will be working to keep more of
the paths accessible, and sustain the heath’s woodland by protecting young
trees with tree guards. Bracken on trial control areas will also be cut
back, to encourage rarer heathland plants.
If possible bring gloves and secateurs, loppers, or a hand fork — although
we will have some spare tools and gloves. Follow the signs from the road at
Fox Hill to where we are working.
Crecy Hill Nature Reserve
Oxford Conservation Volunteers are leading this work party on Saturday,
30 November from 10 am to 3 pm at Crecy Hill Nature Reserve.
They will be carrying out scrub control, to enable the rare wildflowers to
thrive and cattle to graze there over winter.
Anyone is welcome to join them for all or part of the day (under-16s need
an accompanying adult and parental permission). Instruction, tools, gloves,
and tea/coffee are provided. Meet at 10 am at the Colliers’ barn or, if
arriving later, walk through the reserve to find the work party leader.
The nature reserve is on a steep slope by the railway, and reached via the
track north-east of the entrance to Ashwell Bank Lane. At the top of the
hill, where the track bends left, go through the metal gate into the
Colliers’ field with the riding ring, then walk by the hedge to reach the
gate into the reserve (what3words: eliminate.narrowest.overpaid; grid
reference: SP 4838 2113).
For either work party, please wear long sleeves and trousers, plus sturdy
footwear; and take a drink and protection against the weather. Whether you
can stay for all or just part of the time, your help will be greatly
appreciated.
It has been a busy start to the school year. We welcome our new Nursery and
Reception families, along with our new Early Years teacher Miss Nicole
Clark.
Before the summer holidays, the fundraising campaign to build a
new outdoor classroom – led by Mrs Barnett,
Catherine Chaytor and the PTA – reached its target. The school is so
grateful for the support from you all to help us achieve this. The cabin is
built, and we are now awaiting the final fixtures and fittings before we can
officially open it for use. We hope you will be able to join us for our
grand opening; details to follow.
It seems incredible that I am saying this, but we are already planning
tours for parents of children who will be in Reception in September 2025.
Please contact the school office if you would like to discuss your child
joining the school.
New Classroom
Sonya Barnett
We did it! We raised £30,000 in under five months, and the cabin pictured
was constructed over the summer holidays and will be furnished and ready to
use soon.
We are overwhelmed with gratitude as we reflect on the incredible support
we received from so many individuals and groups, including the horse show,
parochial church council, village shop and parish council.
Huge thanks to Tackley Village Hall and
Pop-Up Pub: your unwavering support and numerous donations have been a
cornerstone of our success, and we quite literally could not have done it
without you!
And a special thank-you to those who dedicated their time and expertise to
the design, specification, planning requirements, bursary applications and
paperwork. Your meticulous work behind the scenes has been invaluable.
To the members of the PTA, your tireless efforts in organising amazing
events – on top of everything you already do for the school – have not gone
unnoticed. Your commitment is truly inspiring, and your contributions
reflect the strong sense of community we are fortunate to be a part of.
We will have a grand opening this autumn, to which the whole community will
be invited. More details to follow.
October within the church calendar is dominated by Harvest, when we thank
God for his wonderful provision. This year our apple trees are full of
fruit, and the hedgerows are bursting with berries. I do love a good apple
and blackberry crumble.
In September, Saint Peter’s & St Paul’s Church in Steeple Aston hosted its
penultimate in a series of talks, with Mary and Steve Bacon, sister and
brother-in-law of church warden Eileen Baglin-Jones. Entitled 30 Years
of Heartbreaks and Joy, it discussed their extensive work with local
schools in the South African township of Mamelodi, just outside Pretoria,
helping raise standards and aspirations. They told us stories of what the
schools were like 30 years ago, when Steve was invited to visit the township
while at a conference nearby. Back then the classes were held in broken and
discarded cargo shipping containers, with around 100 students per class, and
the only resources were pencils and paper. Over the years, Mary and Steve
have helped several schools build their own libraries.
Throughout the years of apartheid the government had suppressed education,
so that the black population could not get quality jobs — the legacy of
which is still being felt today, with 80% unemployment within the townships.
While the current government is building concrete houses, each roughly the
size of a single garage here, people are moving into the townships at a
faster rate than they can build them. So most people are still living in
shacks made of cardboard and sheets of metal, with no running water and a
hole in the ground for a toilet.
The same evening our daughter made a surprise trip home from Nottingham.
Rachel is a character, and as usual she had numerous stories. One was about
how she had looked after a friend who ended up spending the night on her
sofa; she had lent them her spare duvet and tucked them in to sleep. She
ended her story by saying that the clean duvet now smelt of her friend, and
needed to be washed before she could use it, before adding “such a first
world problem!” As she remarked, there’s nothing more comforting than the
smell of your own bed.
A marked contrast to Mamelodi.
Gratitude cannot make problems disappear. Being grateful that we live in a
country that provides free education for all does not suddenly provide the
same for South Africa; nor can it heat all British homes over the winter, or
solve climate change.
However, an attitude of gratitude helps us find ways forward. Gratitude for
their own education gave Mary and Steve a passion for education generally,
and a will to help provide the same for the people of Mamelodi. Gratitude
for our world empowers Greta Thunberg to make a stand about climate change.
An attitude of gratitude helps us strive to be better, and do better.
This Harvest season, let us reflect together on what we are grateful for,
and see where that gratitude takes us.
P.S. Don’t miss the last in this year’s Steeple Aston Talks series when
Jackie Watson will talk about Murder in the Tower on Thursday,
10 October.
As many will have noticed, work began in August to prepare the church for
the installation of the new organ. This has unfortunately meant closing
access to the church, except for services and official events, while
building work is going on. At the time of writing we are hoping the new
organ will be installed during late September and October.
The first task has been to dismantle and remove the old organ to make space
for the new. Sadly it was not possible to reuse much of the old instrument
since it was too old and in too poor a condition. Many of the wood and metal
parts are being recycled, though some items – such as some of the metal and
wooden pipes and other features – are being retained and may be offered for
sale in return for donations to the new organ fund. Watch this space for
further information if you are interested.
Since writing the article for the last newsletter, I have been doing some
research at the Oxfordshire History Centre in Cowley in an attempt to find
out more about the old organ. Old parochial church council (PCC) records
show that the old organ was originally installed at Tackley, as long ago as
1936, as a “fresh instrument” supplied by the Oxford firm of George Jackson
— also previously based in Cowley until its closure in the 1940s. This
almost certainly means it wasn’t brand new at that time, but was a
refurbished instrument from somewhere else. But where it previously came
from is still a mystery.
Even more interesting is that it replaced an older organ that had been
tuned and maintained by George Jackson’s firm going back at least to 1920,
when PCC minutes were first recorded. This even older organ needed replacing
because by the early 1930s it had been badly damaged by an infestation of
death watch beetle, which also affected other parts of the church building.
But I have not yet found any other records of this older organ to indicate
where it came from, when it was installed or by whom, or even where it stood
in the church building.
I hope to continue the search for records of this earlier instrument and
how it came to Tackley, as well as of other musical activities in the church
over the years. There was a regular choir during the early and mid-20th
century, for example, according to the PCC records, though this had lapsed
by the time I moved to the village in the late 1980s. Perhaps others in
Tackley can remember times when the choir was more active. If so, I would be
interested to hear from you.
Churchyard Gate
Julian Whitehead
The churchyard gate had been bent and battered for some time, but has now
been repaired and rehung. A big thank-you to all those involved, who have
made it look as good as new.
PAL stands for People Against Litter. Did you know…
500,000 items of litter make their way into the sea from UK rivers every
year, impacting on marine life?
Around 122 tons of cigarette butts and cigarette-related litter is
dropped every day across the UK?
7 out of 10 items of discarded litter are food packaging?
The amount of litter dropped each year in the UK has increased by 500%
since the 1960s?
These figures are sourced from the National Trust’s Be a Litter
Hero campaign.
Why not come and join Tackley PALs and help clear up the litter dropped by
senseless people in our public places? It is a shame it needs to be done,
but litter-picking can feel quite rewarding. We have a good team of
volunteers, but are always keen for more to join us — even if you only have
half an hour to spare.
Our next litter pick is likely to be in October. Once the date is
confirmed, it will be advertised via the Tackley Notices email list and on
Facebook. We meet outside the village hall; and provide hi-vis vests,
gloves, litter pickers and bags. We were recently lucky enough to receive
some free bags that are really sturdy.
Autumn is well on its way, and hopefully we can all enjoy the colours in
our visit to Batsford Arboretum, Moreton-in-Marsh on Tuesday,
15 October. Those who are going, please be in the car park by
10 am. Please let me know if you can drive.
September’s meeting was very interesting, with a huge variety of house
plants for sale, too. The turnout was not large, but the speaker was very
informative.
Tuesday, 19 November is our last meeting for this year. We will learn
how to make Christmas decorations, and have Christmas refreshments.
Tackley WI enjoyed an interesting and varied programme of events in early
Autumn.
At our September meeting, Ruth Madder from Bridewell Gardens explained how
Bridewell provides prescriptive social and therapeutic horticulture,
supporting the mental health recovery of adults. The average time each
person referred attends is two years. Those attending – the gardeners –
benefit from individual mentoring and support, the opportunity to discover
and learn new skills and interests, and develop their personal confidence to
start rebuilding their lives. Bridewell had a public open afternoon on
15 September, and some of our members visited to see and learn
more.
On Tuesday, 1 October we will welcome a speaker from Dogs for Good, a
charity that provides specially-trained assistance dogs to help disabled
people live happier and more independent lives. Ladies, do come and visit
and learn more.
On Tuesday, 5 November we have a presentation about children in the
Second World War. The talk covers many aspects of the lives of children at
that time, with photographs and music — an opportunity to learn more, or a
walk down memory lane. This meeting will be a special open meeting: all
members of the public aged 18 and over are welcome. Entry is £5 per person,
which includes refreshments.
On Tuesday, 3 December we will have a Christmas evening with Mariella
Bliss.
Tackley WI has a friendly and welcoming membership. Most months we also
hold a coffee morning for our members, which provides an additional social
opportunity to meet and chat. Our members have wide and varied interests,
and our ages range from 30s to 90s. Our diary of events and speakers for the
remainder of this year, and for 2025, is diverse — covering a wide range of
topics and practical crafts. Additionally, two of our members have started a
quilting group, and would welcome others to join them.
We look forward to welcoming new members and visitors to our meetings at
7:45 for 8 pm in the village hall on the first Tuesday of each month
except January. Visitors pay £5, which includes refreshments.
Any enquiries, please contact us via the email above.
Tackley Walking Group is a friendly way to get to know your local
countryside better. We hold two leisurely walks each month, led by members.
Walks on second Saturdays meet at 9:30 am and are 5–8 miles; those
on fourth Wednesdays meet at 2 pm and are 3–5 miles. Some of the
walks can be shortened if required.
Everybody is very welcome to join us. Meet by the village hall before each
walk to arrange car sharing, bus or train to the starting point. Most walks
are in North Oxfordshire. Some walks conclude with an optional lunch or
refreshment at a local pub or cafe. Routes are often suitable for dogs kept
under close control.
Our current programme, below, can also be found on the village website.
Further details of each walk are sent out by the walk leader via the Tackley
Notices email list prior to the walk taking place.
Please note that walks may be subject to change, and that walkers take
responsibility for their own safety.
Saturday, 12 October at 9:30 am: A circular walk from Tackley
out to Jubilee Meadows in Wootton on local footpaths. About
6 miles.
Wednesday, 30 October at 2 pm: A circular walk starting at
South Leigh, walking towards Eynsham. About 4¼ miles.
Saturday, 9 November at 9:30 am: A walk in the Wychwood area.
Details and mileage will be published via Tackley Notices.
Wednesday, 27 November at 2 pm: Starting in Woodstock, the
walk will take us through Blenheim grounds. About 3¾ miles; this walk
can be shortened or lengthened as needed.
Saturday, 14 December at 9:30 am: We will start by taking the
bus into Oxford. The walk may include Christchurch Meadow and Iffley lock,
but the exact route will depend on towpath closures. About
4½ miles.
Saturday, 11 January at 9:30 am: A circular route starting in
Adderbury and walking out towards Bodicote and Bloxham Grove. About
4½ miles.
Wednesday, 29 January at 2 pm: A local walk starting in
Tackley and walking out around the Dornford Lane area. Details and mileage
will be published via Tackley Notices.
Saturday, 8 February at 9:30 am: This walk will start at Stoke
Lyne and follow footpaths and quiet lanes to Bainton, Bucknell and back to
Stoke Lyne. About 5¾ miles.
Wednesday, 26 February at 2 pm: Starting at Tackley, this walk
will follow the towpath to Enslow before returning to Tackley via White
Hill. About 4½ miles.
Tackley Local History Group is 50 years old this year. Many of you joined
us to celebrate at our meeting on 23 September.
I asked Barry McKay, one of our original members, to write a few words
about those early days. He lived in Nethercote Road with his wife and two
daughters for many years.
Barry writes: It all began in 1974 with a weekly study course with
the late, great Don Benson as tutor and under the auspices of the University
of Oxford Department for External Studies (now the Department for Continuing
Education). Initially there were about a dozen of us, but more were added
over the year and thereafter.
At the end of the year, and again with Don as the leader of the group, we
decided to continue researching the history of the village. Documents were
transcribed, including the parish registers from the mid-16th century;
buildings were examined; wells were recorded; gravestones were cleared and
transcribed; and fields were walked after ploughing looking for pottery and
flints — usually on cold Sunday mornings, and invariably concluding by noon
when the pub opened.
Field names were recorded, and Viv mapped them. She also mapped the
ownership of various fields and, where possible, strips before the enclosure
award.
We also did a survey of species in the hedgerows, with Radio Cumbria
recording part of the outing. However, when we all got back to the King’s
Arms we found the recording had failed. So we went out in the yard at the
back and rattled various bushes while calling out spurious identifications
of species already found elsewhere.
In 1980 there was a county-wide exhibition and competition for history
groups and semi-professional museum groups. Tackley Local History Group
entered the story of the emigrants from the village and their deaths in the
shipwreck of the
Cataraqui off King Island in the Bass Strait between the Australian
mainland and Tasmania. We came second, winning a certificate and a handsome
cheque that funded the group for a good while. Furthermore, the winners – a
Wallingford museum group, if I recall correctly – had more people manning
their stall than we had members! As the celebrations came to a close in the
King’s Arms on the evening of the final judging, the licensee remarked that
he didn’t know how much we had won but that there couldn’t be much of it
left.
Between 1981 and 1984 a major examination of St Nicholas’ Church was
undertaken, culminating in an excavation on the north side of the chancel
which revealed the Anglo-Saxon origins of the building and included among
the finds an 11th century ivory comb — a truly beautiful object. The results
of the excavations were
published by
John Blair of Oxford University and me in volume 50 (1985) of
Oxoniensia, the annual journal of Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical
Society.
I would like to add my congratulations to the group on its notable
anniversary.
The ivory comb is currently on loan from the Oxfordshire Museum Service
and on display in St Nicholas’ Church in Tackley.
Sue continues: After the amazing contribution that the early
members of the group made, it went on to research many aspects of Tackley’s
local history. This was before the days of the Internet; and original
documents had to be sourced, interpreted, and in some cases translated. The
members at that time produced a wonderful
series of
booklets that are still available today from Tackley Village Shop, at
our monthly meetings, or by contacting the secretary.
Our monthly speakers are often people who live in Tackley and have pursued
their interest in certain aspects of our local history, but we try to cover
a wide range of topics with different speakers.
There is not room here to mention everybody who has served on the committee
and contributed to the wealth of knowledge that we now have about our
village, much of it in our archive.
When John Perkins took over as chair in 2013, the group entered another
dimension. John was formerly Head of History and a Pro Vice-Chancellor at
Oxford Brookes University; and his enthusiasm, knowledge and expertise led
us into field walking.
Tackley has a long, long history; and the fields yield finds from
mesolithic flint tools to Victorian buttons and everything in between. In
2017 he organised our very own
archaeological dig at Gibraltar Point. With funding from a lottery
grant, he engaged Anni Byard as our lead archaeologist, and we were off.
There followed two years of weekends, when at times we had to restrict the
number of people wanting to help and be involved. Covid forced us to close
down the site, but we are very lucky that Anni is giving us a talk in April
2025 on the findings and some of the conclusions of the dig. Finds date from
neolithic times to late Roman and Anglo Saxon.
We then had the excitement of the
Street Farm archaeological survey. John once again made sure that the
history group was involved, and we had joint afternoons when the site was
opened up for the villagers to come and see the mosaic and finds before it
was all filled in and the houses of Roman Place were built.
We also forged links with King Island, the site of the Cataraqui shipwreck,
following a visit there by Rachel Strachan and Neil Wilson. We had joint
plans to commemorate 175 years since the disaster with a church service.
This too had to be curtailed due to Covid, but Rachel and Neil went up to
the church; and Neil rang the bell for each of the 42 people from Tackley
who lost their lives, while Rachel read our their names. A group of members
led by Rachel also produced an education pack that Tackley Primary School
has included into its Year 6 curriculum, to ensure that the story of the
Cataraqui is not forgotten.
So, we reach 50 years with so much to celebrate — and so much we know about
Tackley that we did not know before. We have a healthy membership and a
willing committee, but what we need is a new chair to lead us. Malcolm
Ridout has been vice chair since John’s sad untimely death last year, and we
thank him, but he has other commitments and is not able to continue.
We know we will not be able to replace John, but we are looking for someone
with the enthusiasm to lead us. An interest in local history and some
experience or history background would be great. Please come and talk to us
if you think you may be able to help, or email
tackleyhistory@gmail.com.
If you have never been to one of our meetings, do come and join us. We meet
in Tackley Village Memorial Hall on the fourth Monday of each month at
7:30 pm, with refreshments available from 7:15. Visitors are always
welcome for £5; annual membership is £12. Our programme for this season
continues as follows:
Programme
Monday, 28 October: Sue Ashton on A Tackley House Through
Time: 5 Nethercote Road, part 2
Monday, 25 November: Neil Wilson on Transport and Tackley –
Travellers’ Tales – Journeying to Tackley Through the Ages, from Medieval
Times to the Early Days of the Motor Car
Monday, 27 January: Charmian Knight on Frideswide of White
Hill: A Search for Tackley’s Medieval Neighbours
Find details of our February, March and April talks on our website.
Deirdre Quiery
Rose van der Werff
In October, a small group of friends from Tackley will travel to Mallorca
in Spain to say goodbye and celebrate the life of Deirdre Quiery.
Tackley is, and always will be, a great place for meeting interesting
people and making friends.
Deirdre and her husband Martin lived in Tackley in the 1990s for about 13
years. Living and loving life to the full, Deirdre was always fun and
wonderful to be with.
She was born in Belfast in 1957, during what are known as the The Troubles,
and maybe this was the trigger for her to see love and beauty in all
things.
Travelling and working hard as a district manager in financial services,
she chose to drop her life as it was; and live in her special place,
Mallorca, and search for her nemesis ‘the meaning of life’.
There, with Martin, she set up a consulting business and two meditation
groups. She discovered painting and writing, and had three books published:
Eden Burning, The Secret Wound and The
Painter.
Sadly, after three years battling cancer, Deirdre died on 8 May this
year. She will be greatly missed.
