# From the editor
We spare a thought for
all the flood victims in various parts of the country as villagers take their
holidays.
We look forward to quite
a few activities as the school holidays come to an end. There is the annual Fete
and Social Evening on 26 August (see page 10) preceded by the Horticultural
Show at Little Haseley on the Saturday (see page 15). The Bucks County Show on
the 30th is not far away near Aylesbury (page 13). Come September a
coffee morning on the 1st (page 9), the annual Ride and Stride on 8th
(page 8) and Harvest Festival and Supper on 23rd (see page 6).
Meanwhile happy
holidays!
Zena Knight
Milton
Common
NHW (West
Side)
I am sad to say, the last two months
have been the busiest since taking over the NHW.
We had a particularly frightening
burglary on Wednesday, 27 June at approx. 22:00hrs, a property in Old London Road, was burgled. Three Eastern European Males entered the
property via an insecure window and held the occupants in a bedroom, whilst
they burgled the house.
One offender is described as being
aged 25-30 yrs old, tall and dark with black hair, wearing denim. URN 1398 of 27/06/07. The police were on the scene very quickly and stayed in
to the early hours. We did a relay of calls to neighbours; Oxford Belfry & Lassco’s
and by 23.00 everyone knew of the burglary.
On Thursday, 28 June,
again in Old
London Road,
Three Indonesian males were seen looking down driveways, one carrying a tape
measure, and wearing a black leather jacket. All three males were wearing denim
jeans. Two were thought to be in their mid- 20’s – the third was about 50. Thought
to be immigrants that have been dropped off at the lay-by near the services URN
1185.
On Friday, 29 June at
approx 12
midnight our Basset Hound heard a noise. Standing
under the trees on the verge outside our front gates was a male of dark
appearance. On seeing our dog rush to the gates he ran off in the direction of Sandy Lane.
I was informed of an incident in
Tiddington - corner of North Close in the early hours of 11 July; a family were
woken by knocking on the front door. A white male of Eastern European
appearance was standing at the door – he was told to go away - believed to be
driving a White Peugeot 206. Foreign Plate 212XP25, LH drive.
Body
find sparks murder inquiry at Milton Common – this was a horrific crime
which most of you will have read in the local and national newspapers so
nothing more to report. The best factual report was in the Oxford Mail.
A big thank you to all who have
donated towards NHW costs and returned Data sheets.
I was heartened by all the phone
calls received in concern for our neighbours who were burgled on the 27 June –
just shows community spirit is still alive.
Elaine
Horne
NHW
Co-ordinator M/C
01844
279520
Parish Council News
Affordable
Housing
Representatives from OCHA and SODC attended the
Parish Council meeting in July with illustrations of the proposed affordable
housing development at Station Yard, and to explain the revisions of number and
mix of properties arising out of the surveys and consultations that had been
carried out in the last few years. Mr Adrian Holloway from SODC advised that
past experience had shown that turnover in one bed properties was very high and
that there was greater need for and sustainability in providing 2 bed
properties to support growing families. Mr Holloway explained that there would
be restrictive covenants attached to the allocations policy to ensure that the
scheme was advantageous to local people, with those in need in this parish, or
neighbouring parishes, or those who had some connection to the parishes taking
priority in allocations. The issue of land contamination at the site was
discussed and a list of the contaminants highlighted. The cost of dealing with
the contamination has had to be dealt with by OCHA and this has also resulted
in the revised proposal. Shared ownership would involve the purchase of a 40%
share, and the properties available to rent would incur lower
Tiddington with Albury Parish Council Members
Chair John Nowell-Smith 339650
Econ.development,
businesses
Vice Chair Zena Knight 339340
Planning; recreation,
arts, grants
Councillor Roy Boughton 339497
Health and safety,
transport
Councillor Ken Field 339671
Housing, planning,
building & controls
Councillor Elaine Horne 279520
Planning, highways and
Milton Common
Councillor Janet Willis 339415
Environment,
conservation, recycling,
waste
Clerk Jenny Stoker 339709
Thelma Cottage,
Tiddington
monthly expense for residents to maintain
affordability. Members of the public were then given the opportunity to look at
the artist’s impression and broad layout of the development. The Parish Council
is considering the proposals
Proposed changes to how
Housing Benefit is calculated
The Rent
Service, an executive agency of the Department for Work and Pensions is
proposing to change the way it will calculate housing benefit in future. The
first areas it is looking at in South
Oxfordshire are Thame and Chinnor. It proposes to
determine a local housing allowance and link these areas with Aylesbury where
rent levels are much lower. The Rent Service will shortly look at the rest of South Oxfordshire and will
implement the changes from 1 April 2008.
A
consequence of the changes proposed for Thame and Chinnor, and possibly
elsewhere in the district, is that housing benefit levels will go down. This
has serious implications for the individuals concerned as housing benefit
recipients will not be able to rent in the private sector in the areas
affected, as their benefit will no longer cover the full market rent. It also
has serious implications for all council taxpayers as it will lead to a
reintroduction of temporary accommodation at a much higher cost to the Council.
South Oxfordshire, in line
with all local authorities, is following Government policy in directing
priority applicants in housing need towards the private rented sector using its
very successful Rent Deposit Scheme in order to prevent and reduce
homelessness. The proposed changes will not help the Council to meet government
targets on homelessness. The Council is making representations to try to get
this proposed action reversed.
For further information please contact
Bruce Cameron, Private Sector Housing Manager, telephone 01491 823227, email bruce.cameron@southoxon.gov.uk
A new Housing
Allocations Policy and Choice Based Lettings (CBL)
SODC will be introducing CBL in 2008. This means
that instead of housing officers allocating housing association tenancies
through a points scheme, available tenancies will be advertised and housing
applicants can “bid” or choose where they would like to live.
The Housing Allocations Policy will be reviewed in
order to introduce CBL and all town and parish councils will be consulted on
the new policy.
Household
Waste Survey
At the beginning of the year, SODC carried out a
household waste survey about recycling and waste disposal in the district. A
questionnaire was sent to a random selection of ten thousand households
throughout the district and there was a good response, with over four thousand
replies. The results from this survey will help plan a waste strategy for the
next 25 years. To view a full report of the findings visit the recycling,
rubbish and waste web page at www.southoxon.gov.uk.
For further information contact Matthew Beesley,
Waste Reduction Officer matthew.beesley@southoxon.gov.uk
The
Oxfordshire Data Observatory
Do you need information about South Oxfordshire, but are not sure where
to find it? The Oxfordshire Data Observatory hosts a wide variety of
information on the people, politics, economy and environment of Oxfordshire.
You can search for information by theme or get information for specific areas
via the ward and settlement profiles. The profiles contain information on
population, employment, education, skills and housing. Visit www.oxfordshireobservatory.info
for more information. It is hoped to organise a presentation from the
Oxfordshire Data Observatory team later this year. It is also able to feed in
requests for new information and data so please contact them to let them know
if you think something important is missing.
If
you have any queries please contact Sally Truman on 01491 823046 or sally.truman@southoxon.gov.uk
or Caroline Emery on 01491 823790 or caroline.emery@southoxon.gov.uk
Free websites for
voluntary groups
Members of voluntary groups in South Oxfordshire have the chance to create
a website completely free of charge on www.oxnet.org.uk.
You do not need any technical or web-design experience to set up and maintain
the website. All you need are some basic computer skills and you can have your
website live on the world wide web in just a few minutes. A website is an easy
way of communicating with your local residents including providing information
about your services, advertising events or recruiting volunteers.
Visit www.oxnet.org.uk to find out what else Oxnet
has to offer and to see some of the websites already created by other groups.
Oxnet is packed with news and other resources including volunteering
opportunities, a directory of 1,000 local voluntary and community groups and a What’s On calendar.
To find out more about setting up a website on
Oxnet or to check the date of the next training session, contact Christine
Lightfoot, Community Web Manager at South Oxfordshire District Council.
Telephone 01491 823423 or 07921 881205 or email christine.lightfoot@southoxon.gov.uk
Free electric
blanket testing
Free electric blanket testing is being offered
again this year as part of the countywide initiative supported by the five
Oxfordshire councils, Trading Standards and The Fire Service. If you have an
electric blanket, you can get it tested free at Thame on 13 September. Just
ring 01865 815600 to book your place.
From your
Council Chairman
The most important news relates to the proposed
Affordable Housing Development. A meeting open to all villagers was held in
conjunction with the Parish Council meeting on 2 July, at which representatives
from OCHA and SODC were present. Various doubts over the proposed mix of
housing were expressed and a further meeting between Parish Councillors and the
other relevant parties is being arranged.
We have received a copy of a letter from SEERA
asking our views on the siting of any new traveller sites in South Oxfordshire and a response is being
prepared, which will obviously take into account the existing site adjacent to
the Motorway Service Area.
It has been brought to our attention that it is
proposed to close the bridge on the A329 over the M40 at Junction 7 from
September this year to July 2008. We have not had an official notification of
this and it has not been confirmed. Parishioners will be informed of any
developments. (See article from County Councillor for further provisional news – Ed.)
John Nowell-Smith
Tel: 339650
Green Bins
for recycling
Remember these may be collected free from Tiddington
Garage
Refuse skips
Skips for non-recyclable waste are available
on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays at:
Wheatley Primary School, Littleworth
Road
8.00 – 12.00 or until full
Skips for non-recyclable waste are
available every Saturday at:
Thame Cattlemarket
8.00 – 12.00 or until full
There are no longer skips for garden waste
Car Parking
Once again there has been inconsiderate parking of vehicles,
particularly in the Closes.
PLEASE THINK BEFORE YOU PARK
Refuse and Recycling
Bank Holiday Collection
Bank Holiday Monday 27 August to be collected
on Tuesday 28 August
From your County Councillor
Highways
Issues-Future Temporary Closure of A329 at Milton Common.
I have recently received queries from residents
about a future temporary closure of the bridge over the M40 at the Milton
Common junction 7 on the A329. The
following is a response I have received from the County Council's Southern Area Highway
Network Co-ordinator:
Following the meeting with the scheme
designers for the proposed works on the M40 Junction 7 overbridge (A329) I can
confirm the following:
There will be a closure of between 7
and 9 months of the A329 at the overbridge of M40 at junction
7. The works are estimated to begin in the autumn, around late October, but the
dates are to be confirmed. Diversions
have been agreed between the designers, Oxfordshire County Council and Thames
Valley Police. These are the two main routes:
Southbound A329 motorway allowable
vehicles directed M40 eastbound to Junction 6 then return via M40 westbound.
Southbound A329 non-motorway vehicles
directed on A40, then A418 to A40 Junction 8, then London Rd Wheatley, then
follow Sworford Lane and
unclassified road to Little Milton.
Northbound A329 motorway allowable
vehicles directed to emergency westbound M40 Junction 7 on-slip road then come
off at A40 Junction 8 then follow signs for Thame (A418), then turn right on
A40 to Milton Common.
Northbound non-motorway vehicles to
follow the Little Milton, Sworford
Lane, A418, and A40 route to Milton
Common.
Please be aware this is the result of
the preliminary traffic management meeting, and these proposals and indeed the
whole schedule could be subject to revision in the next few weeks. Oxfordshire
CC is awaiting revised plans and signing from the designers and confirmation of
the required Road Closure Order and Amendment Orders. The plan is to inform the
Local District Authorities, Parish Councils, residents and businesses etc once
the scheme has been confirmed and the full implications to the County Network have been
evaluated by our traffic team.
Appeal for
New Magistrates.
If
you are interested in this important role and perhaps becoming a magistrate
please contact the magistrates appointments office on 01865 815327 or email magistrates.appointments@oxfordshire.gov.uk
May I wish everyone a good summer, but as I write
this (20 July) the weather is awful. Let
us hope it picks up in August!
Please feel free to contact me about County
Council issues that concern you.
My contact details are as follows:
Address:
50 Hardings, Chalgrove, Oxford, OX44 7TJ.
Home
Telephone: 01865 891169
Email: david.turner@oxfordshire.gov.uk
David Turner
20
July 2007
Freedom of Information Act
Publication Scheme
Residents of the Parish
can see the records of the Council held by the Parish Clerk or learn where they
may be accessed. Records include minutes, financial information and responses
to planning consultations.
Application can be made to
the Clerk (Tel: 339709) and documents viewed by appointment. Any copies
required will be charged at 10p per page.
Recycling
News
Could
you make use of a hand sewing machine?
I
have updated to an electric model. My hand machine is in excellent working
order and can give many more years of use. If you would like to be the new
owner please give me a call on 339415. I do not want any payment, I would just
like to know it is still being used.
Do
you have any balls or part balls of wool that you no longer require?
My
mother-in-law knits tiny cardigans for orphans out in Africa. So far she has sent 45!
She makes them up in all different colours – the brighter the better! If you
have left overs you do not want please call me. I can collect from you or
alternatively please drop round to Spring Cottage.
Janet
Willis
Church News
As most of you will
know, our Vicar, Caroline, is away convalescing after an operation.
Unfortunately she suffered complications, so we do not know when she will be
back, but it may not be before October. At the same time the Team Rector, James
Watson, is going on sabbatical for three months. During that time Richard
Cowles will be standing in as Team
Rector. However, he
himself will be on holiday during August and Stevie Cross will be in charge. If
there are any changes to the published service rotas for August and September
they will be posted on the church notice board and at Tiddington Garage. The
Harvest Festival service will be at 6.00pm
on 23 September followed by Harvest Supper in the Village Hall.
In the meantime we all
wish Caroline a complete and speedy recovery.
Please get in touch
with me on 01844 339650 if you need further information.
John
Nowell-Smith
Churchwarden
Our annual sports day was once again blessed by
good weather and was thoroughly enjoyed by participants and spectators alike.
The track events took place in the morning with the winning athletes going on
to represent our school at Area Sports in Wheatley. The afternoon’s team races
were won by the green team and the captains will accept the trophy on behalf
for the team at the Assembly of Achievements at the end of term.
Pupils from classes 4, 5 & 6 took part in
various activities at the Area Sports including obstacle races, sprints, long
distance running and relays, and came second in our group.
Year 6 has all successfully completed their
cycling proficiency this term. A special thanks to Emma Charnock for organising
this very worthwhile experience and also to Sarah Jones, Hil Pennick and
Annette Caldwell for their contribution to the training and testing of skills.
Following last year’s success, there will be a
holiday club running at the school for the first two weeks of the summer
holidays. An exciting schedule of events has been organised, including Pirate
Day, Mini Olympics, Beach Day, and a Circus Workshop. There are a few places
left - for more information please contact the school.
Great Milton School, 01844 279388
www.great-milton.oxon.sch.uk
Waterstock & Tiddington W.I.
At our June meeting Kate Bradford gave us an entertaining
nostalgia trip through the “Fab 40’s to the Swinging 60’s”. A lighthearted quiz
gave members a chance to recall their memories of those years.
In July, in a change to the published speaker, we were
given an insight by Wendy Hilary into the early years of Sir Edward Elgar up to
his composition of the Enigma Variations. In the 150th anniversary
year of Elgar’s birth, we heard excerpts from some of his lesser known works,
as well as the famous Nimrod.
We take a break from a meeting in August but some members
will be joining Chalgrove WI
in a visit to Highgrove, and there is the Chinnor WI Craft and Produce Show,
both of these on 9 August.
WI members will be helping to serve teas at the Fete on
Bank Holiday Sunday as well as managing the produce stall. We would welcome
gifts of produce from the garden, cakes and savouries, and plants.
On the following Saturday there will be a Coffee Morning
at 24 Albury View from 10.00-12.00, with proceeds going to the Oxford
Children’s Hospital (CHOX). There will be a chance to sample some new coffee
flavours from Kenco and money-off vouchers for the first 15 visitors!
At our meeting on 13 September, Peter Sheasby will give a
talk on Mountain Flowers. From past experience his slides should be beautiful.
On 11 October, we will have a talk on Decorative Living,
given by Carole Richardson.
The County Federation is arranging an “Evening
with Ben Fogle” on 25 September at the King’s
Centre, to which members and friends are invited.
We look forward to seeing you on the second Thursday of
the month at 7.30pm in Tiddington
Village Hall. Visitors and new members will be made very welcome.
Zena Knight
Tel: 339340
COFFEE
MORNING
SATURDAY
1 SEPTEMBER
10.00-12.00
24 ALBURY VIEW
Coffee tasting of three
new flavours
from Kenco
Money-off voucher to
first 15 visitors
Bring and buy stall
Cakes & Plants
Proceeds to Oxford Children’s Hospital
Wheatley Library
Opening Hours
Monday Closed
Tuesday 2.00pm
– 7.00pm
Wednesday 9.30am
– 1.00pm 2.00pm
– 5.00pm
Thursday 2.00pm
– 5.00pm
Friday 9.30am
– 1.00pm
2.00pm
– 6.00pm
Saturday 9.30am
– 1.00pm
The Merry Bells, High
Street, Wheatley
Tel: 01865 875267
Tiddington Village Hall
Village Hall Fete and Social Evening 2007
2006 was a record
breaking year for attendance and money raised, so I hope once again you can
come and enjoy the day and help us raise much needed funds to keep our hall
going.
The date for your diary
is Sunday, 26 August. We’ll have
many of the usual attractions during the day. For the evening we’ve decided to
try something different and plan to have a “Picnic in the Park”. The idea is,
instead of the Pig Roast, we are asking you to simply bring your own food! If
the weather’s good, then we encourage you to bring a blanket and have a picnic!
We also hope to have some live music entertainment and of course the prize
giving.
The fete starts at 2.00pm and we plan to
start the evening event from about 7.30pm.
During the day we’ve
got various games to try your hand at, including the now classic egg throwing
contest, Aunt Sally, target golf, etc. Refreshments will also be available
throughout the afternoon, so bring along your family and friends. There will be
Books, CDs, Puzzles and Games stall as well as the Tombola and produce stalls.
As usual we welcome any donations of “stock” for these stalls. The produce
stall (run by the WI) is looking for plants, cakes, gifts, home grown
vegetables, etc.
If you have anything
you would like to donate then please contact a Village Hall Committee member or
call me on 339430. We will also try and do a door-to-door visit during the week
beginning 20 August. One request – NO WHITE ELEPHANT STUFF PLEASE.
This year we will also
be having another handicraft competition for the kids. It’s their opportunity
to get creative and make something special, using the raw materials we will
provide – plus the winner will receive the new trophy presented in memory of
Audrey Taylor.
As I mentioned in the
last Newsletter, we really do need your help to make this event a success. If
you can help in any way, either on the day or perhaps making cakes, etc., then
please let us know. Even if it’s just to give one of the stall runners 15
minutes off to look around the rest of the fete!
Looking forward to
seeing you on the 26th.
Alan Stratton
Chairman
Tiddington Village
Hall Committee
01844 339430/278534
RED
CROSS
The annual Red Cross house-to-house
collection raised a record total of £317.47.
Thank you to all who helped to collect and
to everyone who donated to this excellent total.
Anne Edwards
0845
8 505 505
The single number for non-emergency calls
Tiddington Cricket
Club
With more matches
cancelled than ever before we, like everybody else, would like to see some
summer weather!
Currently the first
team are in the top half of their division and could challenge for promotion
with a consistent run to the end of the season. The arrival of Ben Thornton
from Perth,
Western Australia
will strengthen all three league sides. A big welcome to Ben!
Having recently
recorded their first win of the year the second team will be eager to climb up
the league table.
Although currently
winless the third team are playing well with the usual blend of youthful
promise and useful experience!
This year’s junior
coaching has now finished and the only disappointment has been the number of
sessions cancelled by rain.
Although all junior
teams recorded mixed results we have every reason to be confident for the
future of the club’s playing strength on the evidence of this year’s
performances. Congratulations to all of the players who played for the under
11, 13 and 15 year teams and sincere thanks to all who have contributed to the
organising and coaching of young players on Wednesday evenings.
All three Aunt Sally
teams are performing well and are challenging for promotion and no doubt will
enjoy the rest of the season!
We plan to show feature
Sky premiership matches (starting with the first Chelsea – Liverpool
fixture) on our new big screen wall projector. See the “What’s on board” in the
clubhouse for details.
New members are always
welcome. Details are available in the clubhouse.
Ray Manning
Tel: 338911
Newington Nurseries
Summer Chic
Outdoor living is definitely the way to go.
Barbecues, drinks parties, children’s parties, paddling pools, sunbathing,
snoozing under the trees – the lot. Plus why not enjoy some summer chic from
stylish plants while you’re out there. Here are some plants which offer the
perfect backdrop to fun in the sun for you, your family and friends.
Flowering grasses (the “flowers” are the highly
decorative seedheads) are adaptable and can grow successfully even in poorer
soils. They are extremely versatile and perfect for centrepiece positions. As
they move in the breeze they bring sound and motion to the garden giving it a
wide open space feel. Grasses are a soft and sympathetic element in the garden
and don’t need a lot of water or care.
Look out for members of the Pennisetum family.
Pennisetum alopecuroides “Hameln” is compact, with bottle-brush
flowerheads and dark green leaves that turn golden-yellow in autumn. The leaves
of Pennisetum villosum can reach up to 60cm in length and take on a purple hue
when fully grown. Pennisetum orientale is a mound forming grass with dark green
leaves and bears beautiful flowerheads un to 14cm long. These are hardy to
between -5degC and -10degC and would benefit from a covering of dry mulch in
winter in frost prone areas. Other suggestions of great grasses are: Zebra
Grass (Miscanthus) or Reed Grass (Calamagrostis), both of which have loads to
offer.
The perfect partner for flowering grasses is
Echinacea or Coneflower. As the name suggests, the flowers resemble
upward-pointing cones. These add glorious colour through the summer months and
are great in borders or even in open woodland settings. Echinacea purpurea is
an absolute winner, flowering from August through to October (depending on
location). Colour options include purple-red in the case of “Bright Star”, the
deep purple of “Magnus” and the pure white of “White Lustre” and “White Swan”.
Echinacea purpurea reaches 1.5m in height and a spread of 50cm. They are fully
hardy and thrive on well-drained chalk, loam or sand.
Once established, grasses will look after themselves
to a large extent.
Perennials like Echinacea are also easy to care for.
Cut back stems after flowering which will encourage more flower production. In
autumn, it’s good to cut stems down to the base and in spring the new shoots
will come back strongly. All of which means that to have summer chic doesn’t
have to be hard work leaving plenty of time for the serious business of outdoor
enjoyment.
For more inspiration and advice, visit Newington
Nurseries on the A329 just outside Stadhampton.
Tel: 01865 400533 ~ www.newington-nurseries.co.uk
Great
Haseley and District Horticultural Society
This year the show will be held on the village green in Little Haseley
on
Saturday 25th August at 2pm
and we need lots of entries.
Learn
more about flower and vegetable growing, join your local gardening society,
membership only £3 a year.
Contact
Membership Secretary Sally Orriss at:
The
Old Stores, Great Milton OX44 7NL or on 01844 279231
Great Milton Neighbours’
Club
Outings
Programme
15 August Woburn
Abbey & Safari Park
Tour of Abbey & drive through game reserve, followed by visit to Wild World Leisure Park for tea.
Cost: £13.50+coach+meals
19 September Hidden London
& Regents Canal
Boat Trip
Museum of London for lunch, guided walk to Smithfields, tea
at Barbican Centre, narrow boat cruise on Regents Canal, fish & chip supper
Cost: £13.00+coach+meals
24 October The Birds and the Bees – A City Safari
Lunch at Natural History Museum, coach tour of City of London with animal connections, guided tour of
London Wetlands Centre followed by supper.
Cost: £13+coach+supper
Contact: Mrs C Cope, Woodbine Cottage, Great Milton OX44 7NF. Tel: 01844 279459
GREAT HASELEY AND DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
GARDEN VISIT
PETTIFERS,
LOWER WARDINGTON, BANBURY, TUESDAY 11 SEPTEMBER AT 2.30pm
A lovely and very imaginatively designed
garden with fine views. It is terraced, with wonderful long borders, a fine
display of late summer flowers and grasses and a brilliant use of colour in
both the planting and other more permanent structures. This garden is featured
on the cover of Good Gardens Guide 2007 – a recommendation in itself! The
owner, Mrs Price, has kindly offered tea and cakes after the tour.
Members £5 Non members £7 to include tea
and cakes.
Please contact Mary Isaac on 01844 279606
or email maryisaac606@hotmail.com for more information or
to make a booking. If you have problems with transport then please let me know
and I will try to help.
