HYHO - Helmdon Young Husbands Organisation

Amazing Total Raised At The HYHO's Summer Ball - posted 23 November 2012

I am delighted to let you know that it was a record year with a total of £10,752 pounds raised. We have to thank all who contributed to making the ball a success. The HYHO ball committee went above and beyond to deliver a ball that everyone enjoyed and raised a lot of money for local good causes. I would also like to thank all the generous ball goers who partied the evening away and generously bought raffle tickets and bid for auction lots. Thanks also to the sponsors (VW Towcester, Macintyers Estate Agents, Stella Artois and the Butler's pantry) and all the kind auction lot contributors.

Who HYHO gave the money to

This was both humbling and difficult as the requests far exceeded the amount raised. The special auction lot in memory of Judy Butler raised £480 for the Hospice at Home. The remaining amount was divided so that 50% of the money went to Helmdon Primary School and the rest was split between CKERs, the Reading Room, Helmdon Acorns Pre-school, Rainbows, Guides, Whistley Scouts, Helmdon Fellowship, Helmdon Sports & Social club, Helmdon Bridge Players, Friends of St Mary Magdalene Church and Helmdon Clangers (handbell ringers).

Toby Ballantine

Chair

HYHO

(Helmdon Young Husbands’ Organisation)

Buy Your Photos Of The Summer Ball By 18 July - posted 16 July 2012

You can access the event by clicking on the following link: http://photocall.instaproofs.com.

Once you are in the Event feel free to browse around, add photos to your shopping cart, or email your favourite pictures to your friends!

Viewing and purchasing the photographs is easy; simply select the photographs you want, add your choice of sizes and colours, and checkout. Visit http://photocall.instaproofs.com today!

Hurry before the sale is over! Once again, the sale ends Wed Jul 18, 2012.

Does Your Group Or Organisation Need Funds? - posted 11 July 2012

Becky Leitelmayer

Summer Ball - posted 31 January 2012

We are pleased to announce that the Summer Ball is to be held on Saturday 30 June> It will take place in a marquee at Helmdon School, beginning at 7.30 p.m.

Dress up for a fabulous evening out! Champagne reception. Three-course dinner. Dancing to a band. Numbers limited.

Tickets £55 a head if paid by 31 March, otherwise £59. Please book with friends, ideally 10 to a table.

The main aim of the Ball is to a) have a great night out and b) and perhaps equally important, to raise as much money as possible for the village primary school and other village groups.

Please contact Paul Underwood (01295) 768922 e-mail,

Toby Ballantine (01295) 768853 e-mail,

or Becky Leitelmayer via the school on (07969) 444236

Summer Ball 2012 - posted 01 January 2012

Yes, we have a date already.  Saturday, 30 June, at 7.30 p.m.  to be  organised in co-operation with Helmdon School.   The venue is a marquee in the grounds of the school.  Dress up for a fabulous evening out! Champagne reception, 3-course dinner, dancing to live band. Numbers limited. Black tie.

More info later or from Paul Underwood  (01295) 768922 e-mail or Toby Ballantine

                                    click to summer ball 2012

It's A HYHO Movember - posted 19 Movember 2011

	1 in 9 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime
	This year 37,000 new cases of the disease will be diagnosed
	1 in 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime
	26% of men are less likely to go the doctor compared to women

The HYHO Team Captain is Toby 'Burt Reynolds' Ballantine, Vice Captain Jonathan "Facial Frankie" Oldershaw and Able Assistants Andrew Hart and Christian Wakefield.

The team need your help and support to raise lots of money. Go to the HYHO Team page on the Movember web site to donate now. You can give as much or as little as you like.

And just to be fair, the HYHO Team is not the only game in town. Fellow Mo Bros in the "Tashhouse Esquire" Team include Karl Leitelmayer, Jamie Stothard, Robert Stothard and Geoff Bridger. Please give generously on the Tashhouse Esquire Team page.

Mo Sistas can show their support by donating money, giving moral support to Mo Bros, or just by gently telling the Mo Bros that these tashes have to come off again on December 1st!

Please donate now.

BBQ Fun For Helmdon - posted 10 July 2011

                                            click for poster

HYHO AGM Appoints New Chairman - posted 20 November 2010

The 2010 HYHO AGM attracted an unusually high turnout.

What is HyHo?  Some of you may be asking yourselves – For those of you unaware of our organisation, we are a group of guys who live  (or have lived in Helmdon) who meet up at the Bell every second Friday of the month for a beer!!  It’s that simple really.

If you live in the village, and you're interested in joining us, you don’t have to be all that young, and you don’t really need to be a husband. As long as you like a beer or two/three with the boys, and you’d like the opportunity to be a part of a group that gets involved and helps out with village activities and events, you’re more than welcome.

HyHo has been in existence for 25 years and has around 40 – 50 members (no fee!) and many of the founder members continue to play an active role in the group.  We are responsible for the organisation and staging of the two main bi-annual events of the village – the Helmdon Summer Ball (in association with Helmdon School) and the Barn Dance.  Both of these highly popular events raise significant amounts of money for other village groups and organisations.  Last year’s Summer Ball raised approximately £6000, which means that the last three Balls have raised just under £20,000 in total for the School and the village generally.

As well as our regular monthly meetings, we have other events which are nothing more than further opportunities for nights out ‘with the lads’.  Last year we went to Towcester Races, and had a pub cycle-crawl.  Other activities that have proved popular are curry nights, visits to The Comedy Store, Hook Norton brewery tour, karting.

If you would like to have a genuine opportunity for ‘getting down the pub’ on a regular basis, wed love to see you.

We meet at 9.00 pm at the Bell every second Friday of the month and we’d love to meet more new members.

Mark Lovett

Chairman

Helmdon Young Husbands’ Organisation

(01295 768500)

Summer Ball 2010 - posted 5 January, 25 April 2010

This has been arranged for Saturday July 10th. It will be in a marquee on the school field.  Dress up for a fab evening out!  Champagne reception, 3-course dinner.  Dancing, 10-piece live band. Raffle & Charity Auction. Tickets, £55 - number limited (book a table or buy tickets individually).  Black tie.  Contact Mark Lovett on 768500, Paul Underwood on 768922 or Becky Leitelmayer at Helmdon School.

Barn Dance 2009 - posted 18 April 2009

Barn Dance

A Great Evening For All Ages

Saturday 27th June

7.30 pm until midnight

Barnstones, 87 Wappenham Road

The Woodpecker Band leads this year's Barn Dance.

 Adults £10, Children  £5, Family £25.  Pig roast included.

In aid of village organisations

 By kind permission of Rose Gulliver.

Contact:  Paul Underwood (01295) 768922 e-mail

Simon Cherry (01295) 768670 e-mail

Appeal For Barn Dance Tombola/Raffle Prizes - 22nd May 2009

The HYHO Barn Dance is on

Saturday 27th June

and we need prizes for our Tombola and Raffle

All money raised goes to Helmdon Village Groups – so please give generously.

If you can give a bottle or any other prize please leave it out after 6pm Tuesday 26th May (after the Bank Holiday).

  We’ll be round to collect it … 

… or take it to:

44a Wappenham Road (Paul Underwood 768922)

 or 6 Lukes Close (Simon Cherry 768670)

Thank you for your support!

Report from Autumn Talkbout - 11th November 2008

What is HyHo? some of you may be asking yourselves  –  for those of you unaware of our organisation, we are a group of guys who live (or have lived in Helmdon) who meet up at The Bell every second Friday of the month for a beer!! It’s that simple really.

If you live in the village, and you’re interested in joining us, you don’t have to be all that young, and you don’t really need to be a husband. As long as you like a beer or two/three with the boys, and you’d like the opportunity to be a part of a group that gets involved and helps out with village activities and events, you’re more than welcome.

HyHo has been in existence for 25 years and has around 40 – 50 members (no fee!) and many of the founder members continue to play an active role in the group.

We are responsible for the organisation and staging of the two main bi-annual events of the village – the Helmdon Summer Ball (in association with Helmdon School) and the Barn Dance. Both of these highly popular events raise significant amounts of money for other village groups and organisations. This year’s Summer Ball raised approximately £6,000, which means that the last three Balls have raised just under £20,000 in total for the School and the village generally.

As well as our regular monthly meetings, we have other events which are nothing more than further opportunities for nights out ‘with the lads’. This year, we have been to Towcester Races, and had a pub cycle-crawl. Other activities that have proved popular are curry nights, visits to The Comedy Store, Hook Norton brewery tour, karting.

If you would like to have a genuine opportunity for ‘getting down the pub’ on a regular basis, we’d love to see you.

We meet at 9.00pm at The Bell every second Friday of the month, and we’d love to meet more new members.

Mark Lovett – Chairman

01295 768500 

HYHO Barndance 2007 - 7th July 2007

Hundreds packed in to Manor Farm.

The HYHOs, legendary for staging the very best entertainment in the village, pulled it off once again with a superb summer barndance on Saturday 7th July 2007 at Manor Farm, Helmdon.

The event was sold out well in advance with over two hundred lucky party goers securing tickets.

The event runs in alternate years with the equally prestigious HYHO Summer Ball, but the barndance is aimed more at family entertainment, with kids very much welcomed.

Incredibly the weather for the evening was superb; dry, sunny, and warm. This was on the back of the wettest June since records began. Although the event could continue in the rain it certainly made for a more convivial evening to be able to mill around outside.

A free flowing bar, tasty pig roast and barbecue, and silly dancing made up a memorable night of fun for the whole village.

Event organiser Mr Paul Underwood, and HYHO chair Mr Simon Cherry are to be credited for putting on such a great night. A large team of HYHOs do all the work themselves from manning the bar, cooking the food, running the Tombola and raffle and, of course, clearing up the site after the event.

The money raised from the evening, expected to be several thousand pounds, will be distributed to worthy causes in the village.

More photos in the gallery >>>

HYHO Ladies' Night 2006 - July 2006

             click for photos

HYHO Ladies' Night 2006 - 3rd March 2006

The 7th HYHO Ladies' Night took place on Friday 3rd March with a party of forty seven boarding a coach to a mystery venue.

The destination turned out to be the Old Dairy Farm Restaurant in Stowe, which had been booked exclusively for the HYHOs.

The venue was superb, just right for the occasion, and everyone was "dressed to the nines". Chief organiser, Ross Vicars, ensured that the whole evening went without a hitch and that everyone had an evening to remember.

As befits the occasion the audience were treated to a speech from HYHO chairman, Simon Cherry, whose monologue will surely be ranked with "I Have A Dream" and "The Gettysberg Address" as famous speeches of the last two hundred years - because that's how long it seemed to go on for!

A gift of a silver bookmark was given to all The Ladies, whilst the gents received a HYHO embroidered woolly hat for those cold walks down to the Bell.

The evening was a great success and a credit to all those involved in making it happen. It must have earned us each a monthly pass for the Bell mustn't it?

More photos in the gallery >>>

The 2006 HYHO Summer Ball - 3rd February 2006

The 2004 Summer Ball was a wild night!

Preparations are already underway for the staging of the 2006 HYHO Summer Ball, which will take place on Saturday 22nd July on the school field.

The event hopes to build on the phenomenal success of the 2004 Summer Ball, which was able to donate thousands to worthy village organisations.

For those hoping to participate tickets are expected to sell out extremely quickly, so make sure you get in quick when they go on sale!

If you absolutely can't wait for more details then why not download the menu, or the publicity poster, shortly to be appearing round the village.

Remember - the 22nd July - it's going to be a ball!

Snooker Loopy - 15th December 2005

The crowd roared as the final black went in.

By way of a special Christmas outing, seven HYHOs descended on the Q-Bar in Brackley for an evening of snooker, beer and curry on Thursday 15th December.

Taking over two tables, the group showed off their prowess with the cue, sometimes scoring as many as five or six fouls in a row!

Andrew "Six-Away" Rimmer tried his best to throw away the third frame, although the absence of a qualified referee or television replays meant that a drawn frame was finally agreed. John "The Baize" Plunkett narrowly missed a stunning 1-4-7 break by only 145 points, much to the large crowd's disappointment.

After deciding that no further improvement was possible on the snooker tables the group moved on to have a pleasant curry in the Jaypur before returning on the night bus back to Helmdon.

All in all a different, and very enjoyable night out.

HYHO On Tour - The Hook Norton Brewery Visit - 13th May 2005

The wee man had no chance as the HYHOs closed in on him.

Friday 13th might be unlucky for some, but for 16 intrepid HYHOs it was just the cue they needed to head off 16-up in a mini bus across Oxfordshire.

The destination was the Hook Norton Brewery in, yes you guessed it, Hook Norton. The trip was organised by Simon "Where's My Bike" Cherry and was unanimously voted the Trip of The Year to A Brewery on A Friday in North Oxfordshire.

The fun and frivolity commenced with a trip around the famous brewery, which started brewing in the 1850s, and there was an air of showing the poachers around the pheasant pen. If you need to know anything at all about Hook Norton ask any member of HYHO that was on the trip as all of them listened intently to the guide's presentation, pushing to the back of their minds the free beer tasting session to follow.

The attempt to "drink the place dry" only narrowly failed.

After a brief stroll through the brewery's museum the group collected together to sample the likes of "Hooky Dark - a dark chestnut – coloured ale, crammed full of roast malt flavours, and complimented with superb dry-hop aromas from East Kent Goldings" and "Haymaker - a strong pale ale of distinctive taste. Plenty of Goldings hops during the brewing give it a certain something extra – like sunshine dancing on the tongue". HYHOs + Free Beer = A Good Time Had By All!

The tour culminated with hot food, and more beer, at the Sun in Hook Norton. Everyone was remarkably staid throughout the evening and returned to Helmdon at midnight, well before closing time at our own hostelry!

It was a splendid evening, enjoyed by all, and congratulations go to our illustrious chairman for putting on such a fine event!

For more about the brewery and their beers, why not visit www.hooky.co.uk.

HYHO AGM 2005 - 14th January 2005

The Annual General Meeting took place at HQ (The Bell) on Friday 14th January. Richard Phillips kindly laid on an all-you-could-eat curry for a small donation and a good time was had by all. It was so noisy that no one could actually hear the business being conducted but here are the highlights:

- Peter Fisher "retired" after an illustrious 3 year stretch as (pseudo) chairman. Talking over the reigns is Simon Cherry, who was Cherry-picked from a bunch of hopefuls (or, as rumour would have it, came in to the meeting late and didn't realise what he was saying "yes" to).
- The HYHO Summer Ball (see below) raised in excess of £5,000 to be spent on school/village projects.
- This year's event will be a barndance at Manor Farm on 9th July. There will also be a trip to the Hook Norton brewery as well as the regular second-Friday-of-the-month meetings at the Bell.

Peter said "A large pint shaped thank you to everybody who has made my many years as Chairman challenging, interesting and memorable. You could go so far as to say I enjoyed it all and thanks to you all for the help and support. My best wishes to Simon who I'm sure will take much pleasure in making a huge contribution to Young Husbands".

The full minutes of the meeting are available here (pdf 110KB).

Summer Ball 2004 - 17th July 2004

Dancing until 1:00 a.m. on the school field

The inaugural HYHO Summer Ball took place on Saturday 17th July 2004 in a marquee on the school field in the centre of the village.

200 partygoers got dressed up to the nines (and even tens in some cases) and partied the night away to the sounds of the Blue Meanies whilst raising money for village groups and organisations.

The event was a joint effort between HYHOs and the school and many thanks are due to the indefatigable Sue Blackburn whose energy and enthusiasm ensured the event was a success. If Sue was the ringmaster then the circus clowns were Peter Fisher, Alistair Ezzy, Gareth Dean and John Plunkett. They had the whole event organised well in advance (7:29 p.m. on the 17th) to ensure that 200 people were given an evening to remember.

Chris Gartside was the man-on-the-microphone who introduced the evening and acted as the auctioneer, raising a whopping £3,000 in the process. The glittering prizes included a box at the Proms, VIP days out at Silverstone, owning a race horse for the day, and a helicopter ride. One prize though was a pile of s**t - literally - 1 tonne of prime manure delivered direct to your door step for fifty quid. Or someone else's for a hundred!

The evening was a massive success and was a credit to everyone involved. Several thousand pounds were raised on the night and, after deducting the organising committee's "meeting expenses", it is hoped there will be £30 to £40 pounds left over as profit. (Seriously though, the final figure is yet to be announced but a healthy profit is expected). Many thanks to all those who attended.

picture gallery >>>

HYHO Ladies Night - November 15th 2002

HyHo's Ladies Night At The Roade House

Tradition has it that Ladies Night is a reward to the long suffering ladies in our lives that put up with us every other night of the year. Really, it's just another excuse for the men to get drunk and not have to worry about how late they get home!

60 Helmdon Young Husbands and partners enjoyed a wonderful evening of entertainment at the Roade House Hotel in Roade on Friday 15th November 2002.

The evening started with a champagne reception, followed by a 3-course banquet with coffee and liqueurs. For the first half of the evening each member sat with their respective partner, but after the main course had been served the men were asked to rotate to the next table along to sit with a different lady. This worked very well although it is unclear whether all the men made it back to their own partners before the end of the evening!

David Derbyshire delivered an hilarious after-dinner speech about the role of a HYHO"Country Member" - a member no longer living in the village - and he had the audience in absolute tears! The speech was followed by the Ladies Night Quiz, hosted by Paul Underwood and friends.

After returning to Helmdon, the party continued in to the wee small hours at the home of Chris and Lynn Gartside to round off a very enjoyable evening, an evening that showed that the HyHo's will be around for many, many more years to come!

Picture Gallery >>>

HYHO Charity Dance in a Barn 2002 - June 29th 2002

Robert Hokum & the Guvnors headlined a fun packed evening in a barn in Helmdon on June 29th 2002.

Tickets included a slap up barbecue (no Spam guarantee) and as much dancing as party goers could manage.

The money raised so far has topped £1,500 which will be shared out amongst the various groups and causes in the village.

Lets look forward to a repeat performance next year!

ADVANCE NOTICE - RESERVE THIS DATE NOW!!

Ladies Night has been arranged for Friday 15th November. This year it will not involve an overnight stay so those who missed out last time have no excuses this year!

The format will be similar to previous years - for new members Ladies Night is basically an opportunity for ourselves and our wives / partners to have a good time and hopefully to score brownie points in the process. As usual, one price will cover everything. Watch this space for more details.

Places are limited - you can reserve your places now by emailing myself or Robert Alfandary, or calling 01296 760523 or 01295 760599.

Chris Gartside

HYHOs AGM - 8th March 2002

Thanks you to everybody who attended the HyHo AGM on 8th March 2002 and thank you John for arranging it.

In summary the following points where agreed:

- we want the young husbands to continue
- nobody wants to act as the chairman, so its going to a drinkers co-operative. Power to the people brothers
- we would meet again on the 12th April at the Bell and we would meet regularly on the second Friday of each month
- Chris and Robert offered organise a Ladies Night
- no subs, only about 50% ever pay up, but thank you Nick for Dave Bridger's fine work as the treasurer
- the curry was very good
- I would let everybody know what's happening

Peter Fisher