The NEWSLETTER BRlZE NORTON PARISH COUNCIL

BRIZE NORTON

June 2013  

Issue no. 137

Chairman's Report

The village has been dominated for a considerable time by the threat of circa 700 houses and the increase in noise and light pollution from RAF Brize Norton. It is perhaps time to stop and think about some of the very positive happenings in the village which make the continuing battle against further development, noise, flooding and broken sewer pipes being continually uppermost in the minds of so many residents.

2012 Jubilee As part of the celebrations Brize Norton Primary School pupils and under-fives living in the village were presented with a traditional "Jubilee Mug", a fine commemorative oak bench was placed outside the Elderbank Hall, a joint venture of the "Stop the Drips" and Sports and Social club held a real fun day on the recreation ground and "The Chequers" organised a very well attended Street Party enjoyed by children and adults alike.

Church roof refurbishment A remarkable feat has been the completion of repairs to the Church roof. This project was driven by a small and dedicated team who in a short time has achieved the transformation we now see. All of this before the bats multiply in their new five star accommodation!

War memorial The refurbishment of the War memorial is almost complete. At a time when there is an ever increasing empathy with the armed forces it is most fitting that the memorial stands proud to record the names of those who gave their lives so many years ago. We are most grateful to the Charities Committee at RAF Brize Norton who generously covered the cost of all renovation to the memorial. The minutes of a public meeting are re-produced to show the feelings of the Parish almost 100 years ago:

A public meeting was held on Friday January 24th 1919 to consider the question of the War Memorial for the men of the parish. Rev. T W Sturges (Vicar) was voted in chair, Mr E M Williams as Secretary.
The 1st proposal was a memorial in their fine old church which in common with other churches was the treasure house of the records of the dead.
2nd proposal that they should do something for the living i.e. a playground for school children, recreation ground for men e.g. bowling green for the elders, cricket and football for the youths. In addition to secure one of the noted YMCA huts as a club house ? a gathering place for the labourers who for the most part had only one room in their homes for the entire family.
3rd proposal was for a public monument which was believed by most to have in view, with the names of the fallen. They would be erecting it not for themselves but for generations to come. The chairman hoped that the scheme now in hand would be contributed by every household in the parish whether in pence or pounds.
It was proposed by Mr Edward Castle and carried unanimously that a public memorial be erected on the village green. The following was elected on the committee - Rev T W Sturges Vicar, Mr E Castle Farmer Manor Farm, Mr J Sturch Farmer The Grange, Mr D Powell Road Surveyor and Overseer, Mr T Pratt Landlord The Chequers, Mr S Field Assistant Overseer Church Farm House, Mr W Barnes Grocer Chichester House, Mr E Morley Farmer Marsh Haddon Farm, Mrs Hall-Smith Daughter of Mr Morley, Miss Knight Acacia Lodge Burford Rd, Miss Castle Daughter of Edward Castle and Mr E M Williams School Master Brize Norton School.

Maundy Money Joy Douglas was this year selected to receive the gift of Maundy Money from Her Majesty the Queen at a ceremony held in Oxford. Congratulations Joy on your selection for this Honour it is a very well deserved reward for your outstanding work, for the benefit of the village, over many years.

Brize Norton Primary School Congratulations to the teachers and pupils of the Primary School on being awarded the very fine accolade of an Ofsted report that was outstanding in all areas.

16th June This will be an eventful day with something for everyone. In addition to "Father's Day"we have the Royal British Legion "Ride of Respect", Gardens Open Day and a "Songs of Praise" service in the Parish Church. The "Ride of Respect" is an annual charity event organised by the British Legion Bikers and in addition to raising considerable funds for the British Legion the bikers attend all repatriations offering their respect for the fallen and support for the families of the bereaved. This will be the first time the British Legion Bikers have been through the village and if you are a motorcycle fan you are in for a real treat as you will see many different types of motorcycle on parade.

Garry Griffin After serving on the Parish Council for 7 years Garry has recently stood down. Garry has been heavily involved in all aspects of Parish Council work; in particular he has worked most diligently on all planning issues affecting the village. Many of you will remember his presentations at the Annual assemblies and the meetings where the proposed Carterton East Development was the major topic. I am sure you will wish to join with me in expressing our heartfelt thanks to Garry for all of his work for the benefit of the village.

Keith

www.brizenortonparishcouncil.co.uk

The Parish Council have established a website to record the activities and reports of the Parish Council (minutes, calendar of meetings, standing orders, contacts etc) together with useful links to related websites. The website is "work in progress" and will be added to over the next few months. We are indebted to the work that has been undertaken by Kyle Snook in setting up the website and his continued ongoing work.

DOG FOULING

There have been further incidents reported of dog fouling on the pavements and verges of the village that is not only unsightly and unpleasant but can occasionally lead to serious illness in humans. We would like to remind all dog owners, or the person in charge of the dog, that it is their responsibility to clear up any dog foul left by the dog. The regulations state specifically that being unaware that the dog has fouled, or not having a suitable means of removing the faeces is not a reasonable excuse for failing to clear up after a dog. WODC are happy to follow up on any information with regards to the identity of persons who allow their dogs to foul in public places. Where incidents are supported by evidence, they can issue a fixed penalty notice to the offender which is set at œ50. Failure to pay the fixed penalty notice may result in prosecution for which the maximum penalty is œ1,000. Reports of incidents of fouling witnessed can either be made directly to the District Council either by phone on 01993 861000 or via the website

SAVE BRIZE NORTON

The Save Brize Norton Action Group made a highly effective audio visual presentation at the village meeting on Tuesday 14th May. It was a pity the meeting was not better attended as it provided an ideal opportunity to see and discuss the full implications of the proposed Carterton East development and its impact upon our village.

Fortunately Councillor Verena Hunt (WODC) and Councillor Neil Owen (OCC) were present and pledged their support by representing our views and opposing 700 plus houses being built on our doorstep.

It is anticipated that the Draft Local Plan (which includes the Carterton East development) will be voted on at a full council meeting to be held in Witney on Wednesday 26 June. The Action Group have therefore hired a 50 seat bus, departing from the Elderbank Hall at 1.00pm to take us to the meeting and it is essential that as many villagers as possible join us as a mark of solidarity. NB This is a provisional date and subject to change by WODC. When booking please ensure we have your contact details. Tickets already purchased will be valid on the day of the meeting. Meantime please don't delay - book your bus tickets NOW!! Tickets are only œ2.00 and can be booked by 'phoning Diana Homer on 842224. Diana's email address is diana@homer-art.eclpse.co.uk.

We also need to see more signs displayed in the village, especially in view of potential press interest when the British Legion Ride of Respect takes place on the morning of Sunday 16th June. We also expect many visitors throughout the afternoon to our Open Gardens event. To order a sign please contact me on 843608.

To join the Action Group or for more information e-mail me at wwwbeckingham@talktalk.net or telephone me on 843608

Keith Beckingham - On behalf of the Save Brize Norton Action Group.

BRIZE NORTON VILLAGE PRESCHOOL

We have had a lovely start to the summer term, albeit not quite as sunny as we would like! Despite this, the children have been spending lots of time outside and enjoying the sunshine we have had! We would like to invite you on Sunday 14th July to our barbecue and family fun event from 3pm - 6pm. Attractions include bouncy castle, face painting, craft table, raffle and, of course, a BBQ. All funds will go to support the preschool. Please could we ask users of the recreation field NOT to kick balls against our fence as a number of the slats have been damaged. These are costing us money to replace that would be better used to buy resources for the children. Alex Skym

CARTERTON NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING TEAM

The Thames Valley Police Non Emergency number is 101 but always call 999 in an Emergency. The neighbourhood team e-mail is cartertonbamptonburford@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

BRIZE NORTON WOMEN'S INSTITUTE

In April we had a very good talk from Ian Brown who is involved in helping families in the developing world build their own houses working with the charity "Habitat for Humanity".

On one of the lovely spring days a group of us took a tour round Witney gleaning historic information that some of us did not know about. This was followed by tea and cake in a cafe.  In May we had a talk about the "History of the Quakers" and in June Carol Bunyan will entertain us with her life as a writer in theatre and television.

We meet in the Elderbank Hall on the second Tuesday of every month (except August) at 7.30pm and visitors are always welcome.

Sue Calcutt

BRIZE NORTON DANCE CLUB

We meet every Thursday evening 7.30 'til 9.30 pm in the Elderbank Hall, only £2 per person. We dance ballroom, Latin American and sequence dances to CD's. Thank you to Mabel and Jean who serve tea and biscuits in the interval. We end on 27 June for our summer break and re-start in September. For more information contact Joy on 01993 842373

BRIZE NORTON OVER 60's CLUB

We are a small club (25 members) for village residents. We meet on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month. The first Tuesday is an outing or a meal out while the third Tuesday is normally a meeting at Joy's, 4 Squires Close at 2.30pm with entertainment and a tea of sandwiches, tea and home made cakes thanks to Benita, Connie and June. Recently we had a very enjoyable trip to Bath and the sun shone. Cliff and Roy also entertained us at meetings we held.

Our future programme is as follows:

4 June Meal at The Masons Arms
18 June Coffee morning - everyone welcome (see below for details)
2 July Trip to Weston-Super-Mare
16 July Cream tea at Joy's
30 July Picnic at Thrupp
6 August Meal at The Four Pillars, Witney

If you are interested in joining us on the trips please contact Joy on 842373

COFFEE MORNING Tuesday 18 June 10.30am at Joy's, 4 Squires Close Bring and buy and raffle Everyone welcome

BRIZE NORTON OPEN GARDENS

SUNDAY 16TH JUNE, 2013 from 1.00 to 6.00pm

Once again Brize Norton Gardens are open on behalf of the National Gardens Scheme. We have 14 gardens open this year, along with the Church which is hosting a flower festival. The WI will be serving teas and refreshments in the Elder Bank Hall and there will also be tea and cakes available at Grange Farm, Burford Road.
		The people who open their gardens on this day put a lot of hard work into getting their gardens ready, and they really are worth having a look around, so please do come out and join us during the afternoon. This is a very enjoyable afternoon, to be able to wander around the village, have a chat to people you haven?t seen for a while, catch up on news and have a cup of tea and see some amazing gardens at the same time. All profits from the day go to the National Gardens Scheme and also local village charities.

If you are interested in opening your garden in 2014 as part of the village scheme please let Judy Gush know, 01993 846730. We have to let the NGS know by late September of our 2014 entrants.

We look forward to seeing you on 16 June.

Judy Gush
 

Now in its  fourth year, the Ride of Respect 2013 is on Sunday 16 June from 9am to midday (approximately) and will raise vital funds for The Royal British Legion in support of our Armed Forces and their families as well as to thank the parishes and towns for their care of our heroes and their families.

Originally conceived in 2010 by two biker enthusiasts, and previously going through Royal Wootton Bassett, this year the ride is to come through Brize Norton and Carterton for the first time. The main riders (they anticipate up to 3,000) will gather at Dalton Barracks near Abingdon and will set off in groups of 500 every 15 minutes on an AA marked route. The route passes the Britannia Gate, along Station Road, Carterton Road, and up Norton Way passing the Oxfordshire Memorial Garden and Bell in Norton Way, Brize Norton. The motorcycles will be exiting via Monahan way to the A40. Please come out and show your support to the riders and cause.

On Saturday 18th May, Brize Norton Football Club celebrated its 50th anniversary. Very few village football clubs get to this significant milestone. Fred Bellenger, Bob Watts, Frank Merriman etc. could not have imagined that when they formed the club, 50 years later that it would still be going let alone in the strong position that it is today. The club has had many successes over the years, several Premier Division titles, Oxfordshire Junior Shield triumphs, Fred Ford cups, Senior Challenge cups etc etc.

Well done and thank you to all those who have made the club what it is over the years, there isn't room or time to mention everyone but here are a few - Fred Bellenger, Bob Watts, Frank Merriman, Steve Carpenter, Richard Clarke, Simon Cook,
Nigel Bellenger, Mark Hedges, Olly Puddle, Nicholas Merriman, Michael Sollis, Chris Cope and many, many more. The club now looks forward to a successful future.

At the end of February, Brize Norton Primary School was inspected by Ofsted: the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills. Our school was rated OUTSTANDING in all areas and was the first Oxfordshire primary school to be judged as such since the introduction of a new, more rigorous inspection framework in September 2012.

The inspection confirmed that since our last inspection in October 2007, we have secured outstanding practice in all key stages and areas of the school's work. Sharona Semlali, lead inspector, reported, "The impact of teaching over time is outstanding. All teachers provide excellent opportunities to help pupils learn well together."

One of the key judgements made during the inspection relates to behaviour and safety of pupils. The report commends our ethos of belonging and the high levels of respect and consideration shown by our children. It was reported that, "Pupils' exemplary attitudes to learning and behaviour contribute significantly to pupils making outstanding achievements."

The school was commended for its strong leadership and management, "the determined and inspirational leadership of the head teacher, together with a highly ambitious governing body, has successfully secured the school to be outstanding in all areas."

Obviously we are delighted with this report. The inspection team spent two days analysing the achievement data of all children, observing lessons across all age groups, scrutinising children's books and teacher's planning, talking with groups of children and individuals, as well as meeting with staff, governors and some parents. The report confirms that we have a highly dedicated staff team, wonderful children and a very supportive parent body.

Shotokan Karate is a traditional form of Karate; it instils confidence, discipline and helps to improve co-ordination and concentration. Students work towards gaining their different coloured belts and ultimately their Black Belts and even going on to be 2nd, 3rd and 4th level Black Belts.

Tracy Haley 4th Dan Black Belt Southern Shotokan Karate Association

RAF Brize Norton: Noise complaints 01993 895714
Thames Water: Water/Sewerage leaks 0800 9200 805
Environment Agency: 0800 80 70 60 Emergency Hotline Number to report overflowing sewers causing contamination to property/streams/rivers. Can be more effective than trying to contact Thames Water!
Environmental Health West Oxfordshire District Council: 01993 861020 Noise complaints, pollution, dog fouling and many other aspects of environment health.
Oxfordshire County Council: potholes 0845 3101111 (www.oxfordshire.go.uk/report)