REMINDING YOU
TO LOVE LOCAL
About Us
Set up in 2012, inOdiham is a not-for-profit organisation run by a friendly group of local residents, who believe in the benefits of a close-knit community and work together to enrich the village experience for everyone.
As a registered Community Interest Company, our team consists entirely of unpaid volunteers – meaning no shareholders and no members of the Committee receive payment for their services.
inOdiham is closely supported by various local authorities and companies – all of whom share the joint aim of delighting visitors and helping bring the admirable Odiham community closer together.
What we do
As well as the 3 annual events below (and the occasional one-off event) we also arrange the Friday Grocery Market in the High Street, the hanging baskets on lampposts throughout the village, the Christmas Lights along the length of the High Street, the street-level planters in the High Street and the mass bulb-planting in the grass verges approaching Odiham … we’re a very busy bunch!
A family-friendly day with food, drink, live music and dancing.
Enjoy over 50 artisan food and drink stalls, talks and live music.
A festive evening with the switch on of the Christmas Tree Lights!
A fantastic family-friendly day with food, drink, stalls … and of course plenty of live music and dancing.
Enjoy over 50 artisan food and drink stalls, talks from the expert local producers and exciting live music.
A festive, fun-filled evening which?includes the switch on of the Village Christmas Tree Lights – and Santa!
A fantastic family-friendly day with food, drink, stalls … and of course plenty of live music and dancing.
Enjoy over 50 artisan food and drink stalls, talks from the expert local producers and exciting live music.
A festive, fun-filled evening which?includes the switch on of the Village Christmas Tree Lights – and Santa!
Reasons to Visit
Other than the fabulous events, there are plenty of reasons to visit the Saxon village of Odiham, including the wide Georgian High Street with it’s eclectic mix of independent shops and eateries, as well as one of the last surviving Pest Houses in Britain … and the Village Stocks!
Odiham and the surrounding area also boasts some of the best rural and canal walks in Hampshire and the local stretch of the Basingstoke Canal is home to the start of the Magna Carta Trail at King John’s Castle and runs along the site of a royal Deer Park.
So come and take a stroll through the village, across open countryside, along either the Basingstoke Canal or the River Whitewater or over expanses of common – all of which give the opportunity for great views and to see nature at its best.
For more information on the heritage that Odiham has to offer check out either visitodiham.org.uk or odiham-society.org, but in the meantime, here is a gallery to give you an idea of what to expect when you visit our lovely village, including various events throughout the year, plus the bi-annual Armed Forces Day celebrations organised by RAF Odiham and the Parish Council.
Latest News
Coronavirus Statement – Unfortunately, like everywhere else, the village has been affected by the global Coronavirus pandemic. As our priority is always the safety of the community, we have already altered the Friday Grocery Market in accordance with the current social distancing rules.
Planned events for 2020 have also had to change and we have sadly made the decision to cancel both this year’s Bands in the Bury and the 5th annual FlavourFest … and unfortunately, the Odiham Christmas Extravaganza has now also been cancelled.
The team are already working hard to plan events for next year – so please keep your fingers crossed!
Coronavirus Statement – Unfortunately, like everywhere else, the village has been affected by the global Coronavirus pandemic. As our priority is always the safety of the community, we have already altered the Friday Grocery Market in accordance with the current social distancing rules.
Planned events for 2020 have also had to change and we have sadly made the decision to cancel both this year’s Bands in the Bury and the 5th annual FlavourFest … and unfortunately, the Odiham Christmas Extravaganza has now also been cancelled.
The team are already working hard to plan events for next year – so please keep your fingers crossed!
And they are on!!! Odiham looking lovely - enjoy!
Sadly we couldn’t easily extend them into the Bury this year. But we have managed to extend them further down the High Street.
If you are handy with a camera we would love some more photos to help promote the village.
Posted on Nov 23rd, 2020
Well done to Jim and the team! Christmas trees coming from tomorrow!
If you have any more and want to extend them further me and my neighbour would happily have them!
Looking great again,😊😊
HURRAH - we already have our first ChristmasCrow entry......and here’s how to join in
In these strange times we wanted to run something fun to brighten Christmas in Odiham and came up with our ChristmasCrow idea. We hope that everyone can get involved, whether you want to design, make and display a SantaCrow or help judge the best Santa from a socially distance friendly walk around the village.
If this year is successful we would like to add it to future years celebrations. We are making the competition free to enter this year but in future years we hope to be able to raise money for local charities.
HOW TO ENTER
We would like entrants within Odiham, RAF Odiham and North Warnbourgh to make and design a Scarecrow which is Christmas themed. To add to the enjoyment of the walk we would like you to decide which Christmas character you would like to make into a scarecrow!
To help us get organised, we would LOVE it if you could let us know if you plan to take part, by submitting an application form (link below) no later than the 5th of December so that we can prepare the walking map. And we would like the ChristmasCrow to be in place by the 12th December and stay in place until Christmas Day so that people can admire your handy work!
Once we have received all the applications we will provide your number which must be displayed on the ChristmasCrow. We will also ask you to upload a picture of your crow with its number to the InOdiham Facebook Page.
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfbG7pPyPsVu7yqyMi9dSbDs1rmYAk1TZvZWvd9Rhrom-Zigg/viewform
HOW TO WIN
We plan to have 5 categories
Best in Show
Best Street
Most imaginative
Funniest
Social Media Winner
We will announce the winner before Christmas and deliver your prize and certificate in a social distance friendly way.
JUDGING
Once we have our entrants, we will create a map with can be downloaded from our facebook page.
Then we will be asking people to walk around the trail and then vote in the categories listed above.
Posted on Nov 19th, 2020
Done ✅ 🎅🏼 Thank you 🙏🏻
Melinda Hughes
Paul Hughes
Sally Tunstell/ Helen Bradley need one at the gate
There is a reason why Odiham sparkles so brightly at Christmas.......local legends like these.
InOdiham take huge pride in our Odiham festive lights, but without amazing InOdiham volunteer Jim - and his band of helpers.......not to mention our local businesses and residents who kindly supply the power, we wouldn’t get it done!
Posted on Nov 18th, 2020
Join Us
We have a wonderful group of volunteers, but could always do with an extra pair of hands and we’d love to have you on the team, even if it is only to occasionally help distribute leaflets and/or marshal events!
Our current chair-person is Jon Hale and the other active committee members are Becci Friend, Sue Williams, Rachel Watt, Callum Campbell, Jim Coomber, Ralph Cook, John Lodder, Shane Avery, Anna Macready, Julia Freeman, Mandy White and Sue Hockey.
A big thank you also goes to all previous committee members including Delly & Francis Howard, Jan Baker, Jo Kelsey, Min Broughton, Amanda Coomber, Emma Jones, Melanie Harper, Netty Warnakulasuriya, Sarah Golley, Richard Harris, Mark Kellie, Jenny Atherton & Therese Lawlor.
We realise that time is precious and we would only ask you to offer a few hours every now and then, as the need arises, entirely at your convenience. If you’d like to be involved, just drop us an email and we’ll add you to our team of volunteers and let you know what help is needed and when.
Get in Touch
We’d love to hear from you, so just drop us a line – to ask about volunteering and general enquiries please use the form below or for details and applications regarding a stall, please see the relevant event above – or if you’d prefer, our postal address is inOdiham, c/o The Cross Barn, Palace Gate Farm, Odiham, Hampshire RG29 1JX.
And they are on!!! Odiham looking lovely - enjoy!
Sadly we couldn’t easily extend them into the Bury this year. But we have managed to extend them further down the High Street.
If you are handy with a camera we would love some more photos to help promote the village. ... See MoreSee Less
Posted on Nov 23rd, 2020
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Comment on Facebook
Well done to Jim and the team! Christmas trees coming from tomorrow!
If you have any more and want to extend them further me and my neighbour would happily have them!
Looking great again,😊😊
HURRAH - we already have our first ChristmasCrow entry......and here’s how to join in
In these strange times we wanted to run something fun to brighten Christmas in Odiham and came up with our ChristmasCrow idea. We hope that everyone can get involved, whether you want to design, make and display a SantaCrow or help judge the best Santa from a socially distance friendly walk around the village.
If this year is successful we would like to add it to future years celebrations. We are making the competition free to enter this year but in future years we hope to be able to raise money for local charities.
HOW TO ENTER
We would like entrants within Odiham, RAF Odiham and North Warnbourgh to make and design a Scarecrow which is Christmas themed. To add to the enjoyment of the walk we would like you to decide which Christmas character you would like to make into a scarecrow!
To help us get organised, we would LOVE it if you could let us know if you plan to take part, by submitting an application form (link below) no later than the 5th of December so that we can prepare the walking map. And we would like the ChristmasCrow to be in place by the 12th December and stay in place until Christmas Day so that people can admire your handy work!
Once we have received all the applications we will provide your number which must be displayed on the ChristmasCrow. We will also ask you to upload a picture of your crow with its number to the InOdiham Facebook Page.
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfbG7pPyPsVu7yqyMi9dSbDs1rmYAk1TZvZWvd9Rhrom-Zigg/viewform
HOW TO WIN
We plan to have 5 categories
Best in Show
Best Street
Most imaginative
Funniest
Social Media Winner
We will announce the winner before Christmas and deliver your prize and certificate in a social distance friendly way.
JUDGING
Once we have our entrants, we will create a map with can be downloaded from our facebook page.
Then we will be asking people to walk around the trail and then vote in the categories listed above. ... See MoreSee Less
Posted on Nov 19th, 2020
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email
Comment on Facebook
Done ✅ 🎅🏼 Thank you 🙏🏻
Melinda Hughes
Paul Hughes
Sally Tunstell/ Helen Bradley need one at the gate
There is a reason why Odiham sparkles so brightly at Christmas.......local legends like these.
InOdiham take huge pride in our Odiham festive lights, but without amazing InOdiham volunteer Jim - and his band of helpers.......not to mention our local businesses and residents who kindly supply the power, we wouldn’t get it done! ... See MoreSee Less
Posted on Nov 18th, 2020
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Comment on Facebook
Odiham Christmas ideas. What do you think?
So still being thoroughly fed up that we have had to cancel the Extravaganza this year, the InOdiham commitee got together this evening and have come up with the following plan / ideas that we would like your thoughts on.
We plan to extend our High Street Christmas lights this year.
We will also explore getting some of our lights up in the Bury.
And we will get the lights up and on as soon as possible.
We are exploring with All Saints how we can get everyone out on their door steps on a set night for a community wide carols sing along. Hopefully with the All Saints choir streaming somehow, to keep us all in tune.
We want to continue with the usual brilliant efforts by our shops to decorate their windows, but turn it into a High Street Advent calendar.
And lastly we want to establish a Village wide Christmascrow (we’ve just invented that word) competition. With as many of you as possible creating Christmas crows and we will then create a safe, social distancing friendly walking trail around the village for you to vote on the best ones.
What do you all think..........who would sing in their door steps.......and will you make a Christmas themed scarecrow? ... See MoreSee Less
Posted on Nov 12th, 2020
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Christmascrow trail sounds fab! Would definitely do that with the kids x
Sounds fantastic! If the shop windows are going ahead, it would be good to know ASAP, I’ve normally bought/made/planned by now and getting ready to put up, so sooner we know the better the window x
Will it include north Warnborough? Not sure about the singing on the doorstep here though!! A sing a long in a central place like the football field here and similar in Odiham?
Sounds great! Love idea of carols and Christmas scare crow. 🎄
Great ideas , happy to put a message out on Nhw if someone wants to send me one. X
We are definitely up for a Christmas crow!!! And carols!!
I love the Christmas carols idea! And the advent calendar decorations would be a brilliant touch.
Christmas won’t be Christmas without the ‘Vicar of Dibley’ style nativity in the Bury...The shop window advent calendar is a beautiful idea, carols are always a winner and as for the Christmascrow competition it sounds awesome! 👏🏻 Please can we be considered for it up here on the base? Xx
I believe Christmas crow trail has been done very successfully elsewhere.
These all sound brilliant. Thank you x
This really looks like fun!
Sounds great! If you fancy pushing it down Dunleys Hill, I would happily motivate the troups to join in with both! 😁 Also I took part in the Bury nativity last year (I was Balthazar 😂) and would love to take part in whatever will replace it this year! X
Great ideas, so happy the lights are coming early
Sounds great. Love the carols idea
Carol singalong sounds great
All sounds good. Definitely up for making a Christmascrow
Could we also have an online shopping Extravaganza, for maybe one specific weekend? Maybe with discounts? Helping us all to ‘shop local’ and promote the high street in the run up to Xmas? I’m sure there would be some benefit...
Another event to - literally - brighten the High Street Hello folks. Please don't forget that one of the few Christmas events left happening is the ODIHAM TREE OF LIGHT This is for the commemoration of your loved ones who have passed away. To see how to arrange this and for more details, go to our website www.hookandodihamlions.co.uk/index.html Best wishes to you all during these difficult times from Hook and Odiham Lions Club
Sue Luker have you seen this?
Sophie Woodcock Luke Alexander Hadley Sam Simmons
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Odiham - Home of the Chinook and also the Tommy
Odiham always does a magnificent job of showing its support to our military community and marking its respects to our service personnel, past and present. However in these unique times, when our usual poignant Remembrance service at the memorial is cancelled - if you do decide to stretch your legs today, we would heartily reccomend a walk to the Community Peace Garden on Dunleys Hill. A place for some quiet reflection and also where you can find out why Odiham is the home of the ‘Tommy’ ... See MoreSee Less
Posted on Nov 8th, 2020
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... See MoreSee Less
Posted on Nov 8th, 2020
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Posted on Oct 27th, 2020
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Our team are devastated to have to cancel the Christmas Extravaganza. Like all our other planned events this year, there was just no way that we could guarantee our volunteers and attending community would be safe, given the current COVID restrictions and guidance.
Despite this, we still very much plan to ensure that the High Street has its usual display of lights, put up by our brilliant volunteers, who will be extending the display even further this year. And to try and help some of our other local businesses, we will also be inviting several of the stalls who usually visit us at the Extravaganza to join our Friday market.
Our team are also exploring a couple of other Christmas ideas to help us all feel a little more festive, even if we can’t put on the Extravaganza for you all as normal. We will let you know once we have firmed these ideas up! ... See MoreSee Less
Posted on Oct 27th, 2020
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Fully understandable and sensible decision in the circumstances, I’m confident in the team that help organise this that it will come back even stronger next year, it’s what makes odiham the community it is... Thank you for your efforts over the years so far...
Is the shop window display challenge happening?
Thank you for the update and for coming up with ideas!
Such a shame as the highlight to living in Odiham. However expected thanks for letting us know.
Oh we will miss it so much but completely understand why. Let's make it bigger and better when we can next year 😛
It's sad but understandable
Absolutely understandable. So sad.
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Good luck to all the children heading in for their first year at their new school - as well as those heading back to class for the first time in a long time.
And to our brilliant teachers at our fabulous village schools.
A good step towards normality
Stay safe on the school run. ... See MoreSee Less
Posted on Sep 7th, 2020
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Have fun everyone. X