All residents are automatically members of OMCA and welcome at meetings which normally comprise a committee of representatives of the various village groups and organisations.
People must ask themselves whatever OMCA can be when they are new to the village, but in fact it really is what it says on the tin – Owslebury and Morestead Community Association – an appropriate acronym, but a more exciting name would perhaps be more popular!
Secretary:
Bee and James Harford
email: harfordbee@gmail.com stro29@hotmail.com
Treasurer:
Eryl Smith
email: eryl@smithwinchester.net
Aims & Objectives: The aims of the Association are to offer funding and support to village organisations and to arrange social occasions for the whole community.
In November 2023 at the AGM, OMCA made some changes to its constitution which we hope has brought it up to date and more importantly, we have welcomed some younger members on to the general committee. In the past, there was a general understanding that any organisers of village associations were automatically added to the committee and therefore meant to attend the meetings which were normally held three times a year. We felt that this was unreasonable and unwieldy, so we have reduced the numbers on the committee and the number of general meetings to twice a year, but will continue to welcome absolutely everybody who would like to attend these meetings.
So, what do we do? Really we are there to provide help or back up to any of the village events and organisations, and as such we have a grants and donations committee which regularly receives requests for help in funding. In 2023 we donated funds towards the repair of the church clock, Moviola and the Seniors Club and so far this year to GrOws for their very first Repair Café. We also provided help last year with refreshments at the village jumble sale and at the brand new arts and crafts fair, which was so successful that it is already pencilled into the diary in November this year. In aid of the King’s coronation we organised a toast to the King in the village hall, and on the Bank Holiday Monday we invited people to join in with a village litter pick as part of the Big Help Out scheme. At the end of the year we financed the traditional mulled wine and mince pies at The Ship after the carol service in Owslebury Church.
We are always looking for new ideas and for ways of working with the organisations within the village who may need help in any way. Through the fantastic fundraising efforts of the Scarecrow Trail and the village fete, we are able to save up funds and re-direct them where community activities within the parish are struggling.
Would you like to have your say about an idea for the village? Should we try to re-introduce the safari supper or would you prefer a barn dance?
If you have any comments at all, do come along to a meeting or contact me on the email address below.
If you would like to be involved, do contact the Chair, Secretaries or Treasurer who would be delighted to welcome you aboard.
OMCA GENERAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Carol Chaplin-Rogers – Chair
Eryl Smith – Treasurer
Bee and James Harford – Joint Secretaries
Tracy Archibald, Carole Drew, Alison Hodges and Janet Jones
After our AGM meeting held in late November, OMCA rounded up the year by offering the traditional mince pies and mulled wine to all villagers after the carol service at St Andrew’s Church. We discussed some new events at our meeting which we hope to add to our diary – perhaps a new quiz night at The Ship and something to help celebrate our wonderful Christmas lights which are put up by a valiant team from the village in cold and damp conditions. Do we have a quiz master in the village? If anybody thinks they would like to have a go, do let anybody on the committee know and we will organise the rest!
For now we have the regular fixtures in the diary and hope to add a couple more litter picks this year with the help of Avril and Darren from Baybridge, who have kindly agreed to organise these. We are also hoping to gradually increase the number of defibrillators in the outlying areas of the village which could be a vital resource for the community.
As always, we welcome any input from people in the village who would like to see community funds being spent on items or events which villagers would like to support