Rally organisers hand out £18,000 to good causes at special ceremony

THIRTY-ONE charities, community groups and other local causes have received a total of £18,000 raised by the annual Woodcote Rally in July.

More than 100 people attended the ceremony to present the cheques at the village hall on November 22.

The rally has now raised a total of £550,000 for organisations in and around the village since it was launched by the Woodcote Charitable Association in 1964.

John Green, who chairs the rally, said that this year’s amount was not as high as expected but is still beneficial.

He said: “It was busy but some of the takings were down. Last year was an exceptionally good year. In 2023 it was in the village but we had some difficulties with the card services this year.

“It was a lot of work because we do need more help and are always looking for more helpers on the day or on the committee.

“The event is 100 per cent for local charity so to us it means a lot and we want to make a good profit to help local organisations because it makes a massive difference.”

The village hall received the highest donation of £1,650, bringing their total donations since 1964 to £47,420.

The donation will be used for general improvements in the hall for an improved experience for its users.

Geoff Botting, chairman of the hall committee, said: “We will use it to improve the facilities because it’s an essential thing for people who use the village hall. It’s about adding to what the hall can give to the community. We never used to be able to run concerts, but now we can for example, so it’s really valued.”

Woodcote Primary School received £600, which will be used for play blocks for its early-year children and coding robots for its stage two pupils.

Sinead Archer, a member of the school’s parent-teacher association, said: “It will help their dexterity and will give the children an opportunity to learn and benefit through coding and robotics.

“We also have 3D printers, so the coding will go alongside the resources we already have. It’s really beneficial and it’s something that the teachers have wanted for some time.”

Woodcote Pre-School received £500 for a new role-play kitchen.

Manager Wendy Powell said: “It will be good for the pre-school because it will help improve their social and life skills because it teaches them all about the world around them and helps them with their communication and language. It covers all areas of their development inside and out of school.”

Other beneficiaries include 1st Goring Heath Scout and Guide group, which received £500 for a permanent accessible ramp, the Woodcote Cabin Pre-School, which received £800 for fun experiences for its children and St Leonard’s Church, which received £500 towards the funds to repair one of its church bells.

Trophies were also awarded to best-in-class exhibits including cars, motorbikes, commercial vehicles and steam engines.

The Ran Hawthorne Memorial Shield, for large steam, was awarded to Michael Crump for his 1920 Marshall general purpose traction engine.

The Castrol Research Cup for classic cars from 1940 to 1972 was awarded to Keith Rance for his 1952 MG TD. It was presented by Will Pickford who represented Castrol.

The Dick Vernon Memorial Award for vintage tractors was presented to Dave Deakin for his 1936 Farmall F12. Other awards presented included the George Ballard Memorial Award for historic cars aged more than 40 years old, which was presented to John Breakspear for his 1972 Ford Mustang.

The Albert Goldsmith Award for historic motorbikes more than 40 years old was awarded to Jim Martin for his New Imperial 23. It was presented by Mr Goldsmith’s widow, Sylvia.

Refreshments and snacks, including sandwiches, were provided by the Woodcote village hall committee. There was also a raffle.

• Next year’s rally will be held on July 12 and 13 in a field off Church Lane in Ipsden.