From
the editor
A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our readers
There will be a variety
of celebrations during December, including the annual Carol Evening (see page
5), two Christmas parties on one day!
(see page 10) and the favourite Village Hall Christmas
Bingo session (see page 8). The Cricket Club will have the annual Christmas
Draw on 18 December. Support these fund raising events and have a good time as
well during the festive season!
Zena Knight
THANKS
Joan Wood would like to
thank everyone for the get well cards and messages received during her recent
illness. She would especially like to express her thanks for all the support
given to her family during the difficult time.
(Good to see you home from hospital, Joan - Ed)
Joan Wood
World’s Biggest Coffee Morning for Macmillan Cancer Relief
Held on 26 September at “Byways” Milton Common, the event
was organised by Sylvia Mott, Elaine Horne and Lisa Bosley.
The coffee morning between 10.30am and 12.30pm raised £68.00 from donated raffle prizes and have a go at
winning a Renault car. Sylvia and Lisa had provided some very delicious
biscuits and cakes, which also contributed to the donation. The event was
enjoyed by all present. We were among 33,000 people in the UK
that joined in the coffee morning, helping towards a target of 3.5 million for
Macmillan Cancer Relief. Next year the event will be held on Friday, 24 September 2004 – venue to
be advised.
Elaine Horne
Milton Common
Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen
The coffee morning held for the above fund on 13
September raised £220.00. Dot Wood and family would like to thank all who
supported this worthwhile cause.
Dot Wood
Affordable housing
survey – 60 forms were returned, a 24% response and seven households
completed the second part of the questionnaire. As a result of the analysis of
the responses, Suzanne Willers of ORCC recommended
that four new homes might be built if a suitable site of about half an acre
could be found. Councillors Field and Tremayne and
the Clerk have met with Suzanne to discuss the sites suggested by residents and
enquiries are proceeding.
Planning enforcement – SODC has now produced
a form for use when contacting the District Council about development, which
may be taking place without the necessary planning permission. Residents are
being encouraged to put their concerns in writing to help avoid any
misunderstanding. Any comments are, of course, confidential. The form is
available from the Clerk or on SODC’s website.
Community waste service – refuse and recycling
collections during the Christmas and New Year period will be as normal on
Mondays, although they may occur at a different time of day compared to the
usual. Therefore refuse should be ready by 7.00am.
Tiddington
with Albury Parish Council Members
Chairman John Nowell-Smith 339650
Econ.development,
businesses
Vice Chairman William Tremayne 279797
Public transport, planning, highways,
footpaths, street
furniture
Councillor Roy Boughton 339497
Health and safety
Councillor Ken Field 339671
Housing, planning, building & controls
Councillor Alan Stratton 339430
Sport, recreation, arts, tourism, grants,
awards, lottery
Councillor Janet Willis 339415
Environment, conservation, recycling,
waste
Clerk Zena Knight 339340
24 Albury View, Tiddington
All residents will
receive a clear plastic sack to collect all their extra recyclables over
Christmas (see notice on page 3 with startling statistics). The sack can be
used for tins, cans, card, paper and plastic, and be placed alongside green
boxes or on its own. Do not include non-recyclable waste in the sack. There
will also be the opportunity to recycle Christmas trees (see page 3 for sites
and dates).
Highway problems –
the Council hopes that recent works completed by Oxfordshire County Council
Highways Department will go some way towards alleviating the flooding problems
experienced during recent years. Residents are asked to report serious flooding
to the Clerk or a Councillor and provide photographic evidence if possible.
Blood donor clinic
– the Council has investigated the possibility of holding blood donor
sessions in the Village Hall. A minimum of 100 donors would need to be
guaranteed, and the clinic would visit three times a year for two sessions each
time between 2.00-4.00pm and 5.00-8.00pm. Contact Councillor Janet Willis,
Tel: 339415 if you would be interested in using the facility in the Village
Hall or complete the questionnaire on page 5.
Milton Common
notice board – it is proposed that a notice board for the Parish Council is
erected at Milton Common near the telegraph pole adjacent to the Sandy Lane/1-9
Old London Road junction. This is subject to the approval of the County Council
Highways Department – and residents of course! Let the Clerk or Councillor Tremayne know if you have any objections or require further
information on siting.
Payments – donations have been made to the Thame and District Citizens Advice Bureau and the South and
Vale Carers Centre. Membership of the Oxfordshire Playing Fields Association has been renewed.
Thame Area Forum 20 November – the Clerk
represented the Council at the Forum and heard about the good work which Age
Concern Oxfordshire performs for the community over the age of 50. They are
keen to recruit volunteers for a footcare service
which is being developed in the Thame area. Contact
Age Concern Oxfordshire on Tel: 01235 849400 if you are interested. The Forum
also heard from the Aylesbury Vale Primary Care Trust about the problems of
securing a National Health dentist and the efforts being made to solve them.
The next Thame Area Forum will be at 7.00pm on Monday, 26 January 2004
at a venue to be confirmed.
Soxon’s Guide to Christmas Recycling
During the festive season
we fill 12.5 million dustbins with:-
§
1 billion Christmas cards
§
125,000 tonnes of plastic packaging
§
80,000 tonnes of old clothes & other
waste textiles
§
An extra 750 million glass bottles
§
An extra 500 million drink cans
§
83 square kilometres of wrapping paper
§
Plus 6 million Christmas trees
Please use the clear plastic sack supplied
to all households for the extra recyclables over Christmas
Recycle your Christmas Tree
The District Council will
provide a tree recycling service after Christmas.
Trees can be
taken to any one of the following sites:-
Tuesday 6 January
8.00-11.00am Chinnor
(Mill Lane
Car Park)
Friday 9 January
8.00-11.00am Chalgrove
(Village Car Park)
Saturday 10 January
8.00-12.00 Thame (Cattle Market Car Park)
From your District Councillor
You may have noticed a
heap of customer surveys coming your way from SODC. This is because by
Government command the District Council is subjected to a Comprehensive
Performance Assessment to compare it with other Councils. One of the matters
being assessed is keeping in touch with our electorate and this has resulted,
in the opinion of many Councillors including me, in a degree of overkill, for
which I apologise!
The other main
preoccupation of the Council has been the Second Deposit Draft of the South
Oxfordshire Local Plan 2011 and how it differs from the County Structure Plan.
In particular the County’s proposals for building in the Green Belt
and extracting gravel near Stadhampton are both
opposed by the District Council.
Waste collection is also
up for review. Hopefully we will get our skip back next year – that would be a
nice Christmas present!
John Nowell-Smith
Tel: 339650
Refuse skips
Skips are available every Saturday at:
Wheatley Primary School, Littleworth Rd
8.00 – 12.00
1st
& 3rd Saturday for garden waste
2nd
& 4th Saturday for non-recyclables
Thame Cattlemarket
8.00 – 12.00
or until full
Changes to Mobile Library Times
Please
note that from 15 January 2004
the Tiddington stop at the Cricket Club entrance will
be on alternate Fridays from
3.35-4.00pm
See
Diary Dates for actual weeks
From your County Councillor
What a waste
Ten years or so ago we
were used to throwing away our rubbish in a bin. Something bigger went to
"the tip" as most of us referred to our local Waste Recycling Centre.
Then things began to change. We had our green boxes from SODC and began to
learn about recycling. At the County Council Waste Recycling Centres we now
find we can recycle everything from fridges to batteries; from sheet glass to
unused paint and unwanted wood. But there is still a long way to go and we have
all got to try even harder to make sure we recycle everything we can. Even
those who do not recycle at the moment will have to learn to stop filling bin
bag after bin bag with things that could be recycled, but will end up in
landfill, because people are taking the easy old route of “chucking it away”.
Although Oxfordshire has
one of the better records in the UK
with around 20% of household rubbish getting recycled compared with 13%
nationally, this still leaves us with 78% going to landfill. The Government is
consulting Oxfordshire County Council on proposals to introduce tradeable permits for the amount of rubbish we put in
landfill sites. That means that from next year, we will have to reduce the
amount going to landfill, or else buy expensive permits off another authority.
Landfill tax itself is increasing. By 2010 it will cost over £50 per tonne to
put waste in landfill. However, buying permits could cost as much as £150 per
tonne. In the end, that can only be paid for out of the Council Tax we pay.
The County Council is
already making changes. At Redbridge Waste Recycling Centre, people are being
expected to sort recyclable materials from their other rubbish and put them in
the clearly marked receptacles. New initiatives to reduce the amount of waste
produced are already in place. Did you know that new mums leaving the John Radcliffe are offered vouchers for either laundry service
for re-usable nappies (nothing at all like the old terry towelling squares and
safety pins!) or to cut the cost of the products themselves? Also, anyone can
get a pack from the County to help deal with unwanted junk mail – a nuisance to
you and an unnecessary cost if it ends up in landfill. Give me a ring for
further details.
I know that most people
in this area are some of the best when it comes to things like recycling, but
can I ask anyone who has not really got going with recycling or composting to
give it a try? If you want help, ask me or your District Councillor. We no
longer really have a choice; we just have to stop such a lot of waste going to
landfill.
If you would like to
contact me about this or anything else, please use these details
anne.purse@oxfordshire.gov.uk
Tel: 01865 351404
Anne Purse, The Cottage, Otmoor Lane,
Beckley,
Oxford,
OX3 9UX
Anne Purse
County
Councillor
Church
News
The Revd James Watson
has now been installed as Vicar of Wheatley and Team Rector. He took the Matins
service on 16 November and we hope to see him at regular intervals in the
future. An applicant for the post of House for Duty Priest in our Cluster has
been interviewed and I am very happy to be able to tell you that we have
appointed Caroline King, whom many of you know. She is currently a Curate at
Wheatley and has taken services here on several occasions. She will take up her
appointment at the end of February and I will give further details in the next
Newsletter.
December is, of course,
a busy month in the life of the Church, culminating in Christmas. We will be
having our normal service of Lessons and Carols at 6.00pm on Christmas Eve.
Everyone is welcome and we hope to see as many children as possible. If anyone
would like to read a lesson please let me know. The Christmas Bazaar was held
in the Village Hall on 15 November and raised £548.00. Thank you to all our
helpers for their hard work. One other date to remember – carols in aid of
Cancer Research UK
on 15 December in the Village Hall.
Happy
Christmas to you all.
John Nowell-Smith
339650
Weather statistics
21 – 30 September
During the whole of September there were four wet days
with .45 inches of rain.
Highest temperature on 8th,
15th and 22nd was
78degF 26degC
Coldest night on 24th
with 32degF 0degC
October
5 wet days with total of .9in rainfall.
Highest temperature 66degF 18degC
Coldest night on 28th
with 28degF -2degC
There were four nights
of frost.
November to 21st
So far we have only had .3 inches of rain. This is why
the water companies are worried. The Farmoor
reservoir is only half full and will create problems, unless it rains heavily
for the next few days.
The temperatures in the
country have been well above average for the time of year. Tiddington
made 61degF 16degC.
Kensington was 65.1degF 18.4degC
The sunshine record for
one year has been broken in London
and most of the country. It works out at an average of six hours a day. The
previous record was in 1959. This year could finish with 2,000 hours for the
year. This would compare with Bordeaux,
Biarritz,
Boston
and Melbourne.
Glen Evans
United
Neighbours In Tiddington
At our October meeting,
Ken Wells returned for the third time to give us an insight into how murder
investigations are progressed from start to finish. Ken is a retired
long-serving police officer, who actually was part of the Great Train Robbery
investigation, although a very young constable then. He is now the curator of
the Thames
Valley
Museum
and obviously enjoys sharing his knowledge and experiences. The talk this time
was based on a murder where the body was found with no identification and many
miles away from his home. It proved to be very interesting and, backed up with
slides, kept us on the edge of our seats.
A visit to the dogs was
enjoyed by around twenty of us in October, despite a misunderstanding of the
seating arrangements. Our Race Night on 15 November raised
over £6oo.oo and will enable us to be generous to our charities this year - Sobell House and Douglas House. Our annual Dinner Dance is
on 6 December and we have sixty members, partners and friends who will enjoy
our pre-Christmas party.
We will be running the
usual Christmas card service for delivery
in the village only. Please look out for notices as to when they can be
posted (usually Post Office and Bingo days). On 9 December we are holding our
Christmas meeting and this will be an ideal night for anyone to come along and
see what we are all about.
Our first meeting in
2004 will be on 27 January at 7.45pm
in the Village Hall.
If you need more
information about our club please contact Josie Adams, Julie Smith or any
committee member.
May I take this
opportunity to wish all a very happy time over Christmas and the New Year.
Pat Wise
Waterstock & Tiddington
W.I.
In October David Lovegrove of
the RSPB greatly enriched our knowledge of the Red Kites that we see regularly
circling the village. His slides of the birds’ plumage and their natural
habitat were beautiful.
The museum treasures from Waterperry,
which Gordon Dempster brought to show us in November,
kept us all guessing as to their uses, and we were able to handle the pieces
and admire the quality of manufacture. The highlight was a demonstration of
apple peelers that cored and made apple rings too.
The Produce and Handicraft Show back in October was a
great success with about 150 entries on display. Our Institute members won
several prizes – congratulations to them all.
On 11 December we hold our Christmas meeting and will be
entertained by the “Bakehouse Buskers”. The committee
will provide seasonal refreshments and we will celebrate with a glass of sherry
and an exchange of Christmas presents. The competition is for an item of woodware or treen.
A change of mood on 8 January as we
shall be “Rafting down the Zambezi” with Betty Collins. The subject for the competition is
xylographs – wood engravings to the uninitiated! Difficult finding a suitable
subject beginning with X!
The County Federation
is having a programme of Christmas songs and entertainment at Oxford
Town Hall on 1 December. Our
President, Sue Cox, as a member of the organising committee will be performing
on stage and we wish her well.
Our monthly meetings are held in Tiddington
Village Hall on the second Thursday in the month at 7.30pm. Visitors and new members will be made very
welcome.
Zena Knight
THAME AREA
FORUM
Monday, 26 January, 7.00pm
Venue and subjects for discussion to be announced
Representatives from SODC, OCC & Aylesbury Vale PCT will
attend
Photographs wanted!
Has anyone any
photographs of Tiddington taken before the 1950’s
that would be suitable for making into postcards to be sold in aid of Church
funds?
If you would be
willing to lend them please contact Moo Nowell-Smith
on Tel: 339650
News from Newington Nurseries
For
our mid-winter column, we return to the subject of why indoor plants are good
for us and – more importantly for this time of year – how they can help us
combat winter ills.
All
plant lovers know that indoor plants help us psychologically by brightening up
our homes and offices. Many, however, don’t realise that they can also help
beat the harmful effects of dry, centrally heated air and they can fight
infections.
How
do they do this? Plants are natural humidifiers. German environmental
biologist, Manfred R Radtke, is an expert on the
subject. He points out that up to 97% of the water given to a plant is returned
to the air. Not only does this improve humidity, it also makes us feel warmer
by making our environment more comfortable – saving us the trouble of turning
up the central heating!
To
benefit most from this surprising statistic, we should choose those plants for
our homes and offices that drink the most water. Radtke
lists Sparmannia (African Hemp), Cyperus
(Umbrella Plant) and other grass plants. These thirsty plants all have tiny
openings on the undersides of their leaves which allow water back into the air
around them. They also have a “high metabolism” in the winter months, so that
even when the light is relatively low they achieve a proportionally high
respiration level.
And
the humidity these plants give us is far better than that which can be created
by artificial humidifiers or natural ventilation. According to Radtke, this is because artificial humidifiers and even
natural ventilation simply recirculate the air which
still contains bacteria. This means that airborne ailments like colds, flu, eye
and skin infections, as well as other minor illnesses can still be passed on.
Houseplants, on the other hand, actually absorb toxins from the air, so they
can be effective in significantly reducing minor ailments such as headaches,
coughs, blocked noses and skin complaints. In fact, dedicated research
undertaken in Norway has shown the incidence of headaches
reduce by as much as 47% and dry hoarse coughs by 37% just by the
effective use of plants.
So,
the proof is there. Keep your houseplants happy and healthy and they will do
the same for you!
§
Newington
Nurseries is on the A329 just outside Stadhampton
§
Tel: 01865
400533
Ickford
Pre-school
offers education and care for children below school age. We offer children the opportunity to learn
through play in a stimulating and nurturing environment. We are members of the Pre-School Learning
Alliance and registered with OFSTED and the Charity Commission (No. 1036452).
Our Pre-school has
8 allocated places for 2½ year olds and we currently have spaces
available. We also have Government funded
places for 3-year olds and 4-year-olds.
Pre-school
sessions are held during term time in Ickford Village
Hall, 9.15-11.45 am,
and from September will be held on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday; and on
Fridays at Ickford
School
hall.
New Baby/Toddler Session
Our
new additional Tuesday toddler session has been very well attended. The children and babies enjoy our new music
session – singing songs and playing musical instruments. Our toddler sessions are held every Tuesday
(including new music session) and Wednesday, 9.15-10.30 am, with specific craft
area for Babies and Toddlers to enjoy.
Christmas Nativity &
Coffee Morning
Our annual
Nativity Play and fundraising
coffee
morning will be held on Wednesday 10th
December,
10.30-11.45
am.
There will be a
Christmas Raffle (win Pantomime Tickets to see Jack & The Beanstalk –kindly
donated by The Oxford Playhouse), Luxury Christmas Hamper, Wines, Toiletries etc. Hunt
the Christmas Pudding and lots more.
Everyone is
welcome to come along to see the children perform their Nativity Play, have a
cup of coffee and a mince pie and join in the festive fun. We look forward to seeing you.
We would like to
take this opportunity to wish all the Playgroup children and After School Club
children, Parents/Carers, Staff and Committee "A very Merry Christmas and
a Happy New Year.
If you wish to find out more about our Pre-School, Baby &
Toddler Group, funded place availability, or to put your child's name dawn on
our waiting list, please contact
Meryl Munson, Supervisor, on
01844 339608.
The Willows
(a poem inspired by the cutting down
of willow trees behind Fernhill Close)
Of delicate branches beyond our garden to be seen,
Black-clad rooks like bonfire scraps scatter
To seek further boughs for their parliament
meetings.
With the harsh rasp of saws and thrashing of
branches
I knew the willows that had shaded our gardens
Were shining and sheltering them no more.
Alas for the roseate banners of sunrise
Which once hailed the mornings as I looked
out the door,
Alas for the sunset which
crimsoned no more.
Stars and full moon of harvest will peep through
no more,
To silver the bushes as they hung before,
No mid-morning sunshine to warm up the lawns.
There is a wider sky now where red kites wheel
And swoop over Fernhill,
while white trails of vapour
Show where planes journey to countries
afar.
I think the angels are drawing lines
For the cherubs to play on their floor.
Dot Wood
Under new management!
You may have heard that there are changes afoot at your
CAB in Thame. Our new manager, Sarah Westcott, who
started in early July, also manages Henley CAB. Henley and Thame
CAB trustees are working closely together to merge the two legal entities. But
fear not, the service to residents in Thame and the
surrounding district, will continue and, we hope improve. We aim to build up
the service to provide better access to our high quality advice and information
service. We want to offer longer opening hours on more days. But we can’t do
that without more volunteer advisers. Only Sarah and an Advice Session
Supervisor are paid staff. Everyone else in the bureau is a volunteer. We
urgently need more. Free and comprehensive training is given
Ring Sarah to find out
more on 01844 261376
Carers, need a hand?
Not sure what a carer is? It is confusing when so many
organisations use the term to describe different people and paid work. At your
local Carers Centre you are a Carer if you look after a friend or member of
your family who, because of old age, disability or long term illness relies on
you for either practical or emotional support. The person you care for can be
any age and have any type of disabilities including problems with mental
health. We have Carers Outreach workers in every area who will visit you at
home and offer information and advice on benefits and help with the long forms,
holidays, housing, aids and specialist equipment to help you, services, support
groups, residential care and a great deal more. The Centre through their “Time
for Carers” project also offers short-term respite care, small items of
equipment to help you in your daily task, a shopping service and outings and
trips for Carers. Most of this is free.
If you are under
eighteen years old and look after, or help look after a member of your family,
then there are Young Carers workers for you, who offer the chance to talk or
join in trips and clubs.
Interested in this free and confidential service?
Then call us on 01235
510212, fax on 01235 512198 or email on carers@SVCC.fsnet.co.uk.
Or you can write to us
at South and Vale Carers Centre, 5
Lydalls Road,
Didcot
OX11 7HX.
Which ever way you contact us we can promise you a response within a week.
Christmas Concert
by local singers
and musicians
Saturday, 13 December, 7.30pm
Methodist Church, High Street,
Witney
in aid of Bridewell Organic Gardens
Tickets £5.00 (children
free) including refreshments from:-
The Music Stand, High St. 01993 774890
Annabel Molyneaux
01367 860056
Mary Elford
01993 882717 or on the door
Tiddington Cricket Club
The closed season – not really the weather for outdoor
cricket!
However, there is one annual event which comes at this
time of the year – the Christmas Draw at the Cricket Club on Thursday, 18
December at 8.30pm.
Ray Manning
Tiddington Village Hall
The Heart of England
Jazz Band made a welcome return to the Village Hall on 1 November for an
evening of live jazz.
Other events arranged through the District Council AllSorts initiative will be coming to the Village Hall in
February and March. Look out for further details in the next Newsletter and on
posters.
Meanwhile come and enjoy
a festive Christmas with Bingo on Tuesday, 16 December and Christmas parties on
Saturday, 20 December for kids from 2.00-4.00pm
and adults from 8.00pm.
Alan Stratton
Chairman
CCLRC
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Free public lectures
12 December 7pm Galileo Galilei
9 January 7pm Space weather
13 February 7pm What is
nanotechnology
To reserve a place contact Lisa Faircloth Tel: 01235 445789
Open Day
28 January 1.30-4.30pm
To reserve a place contact Emma Gilgunn-Jones
on 01235 445553
