Chairman's Report
Chairman’s Report
Welcome to the summer edition of the newsletter. I just hope the
warm weather earlier in May doesn’t mean that summer has been
and gone.
By the time you receive this newsletter the Annual Parish
Meeting will be history and, if you attended the meeting, you
will know that after 14 years on the Parish Council (Chairman
for the last 12) Keith has decided to really retire. I don’t
think any of us on the Parish Council realised a year ago that
Keith was serious when he said he was staying for ONE more year.
It was therefore a bit of a shock to get an e-mail from him less
than 24 hours before the Annual Parish Council Meeting at the
beginning of May saying that not only was he standing down as
Chairman, he was retiring from the Parish Council altogether. I
am honoured, if not a little daunted, to have been elected in
his place and if I can serve the community half as well as he
has done, I feel I will have achieved much.
Keith, on behalf of the Parish Council (past and present) and
the village as a whole, thank you for all you have done for this
village over the last 14 years.
To celebrate Her Majesty, the Queen’s 90th birthday we have two
extra village activities this year. The first, the
Beacon/Bonfire night held on the recreation ground on 21st April
was a great success. I am sure that the Queen’s Birthday Bash on
12th June, as advertised on the cover, will be equally
successful. Thank you to all the organisations and villagers who
have pulled together to bring these extra activities to the
fore. I look forward to seeing you there on the day.
You will see later in the newsletter that Keith’s retirement
from the Parish Council is not the only change we will see this
year. Tim and Judy Gush have decided to step back from
organising the Annual Village Day that traditionally takes place
over the August Bank Holiday week-end. On behalf of the village
I would like to thank Tim and Judy for their long and sustained
commitment to the village’s social life, I hope they will
continue to play a role in this, even if it is from a “back
seat”.
Despite the above changes there are plans for the Horticultural
Show to continue on the Village Day over the August Bank Holiday
week-end as usual. So, if you have any ideas, or would be
willing to help pull together an activity on the day, please
speak to/e-mail a member of the Parish Council, or contact us
via the Clerk, so that we can direct you towards the right group
of villagers. (Contact details are at the end of this
newsletter).
The Parish Council is an elected body responsible for
administering the village’s assets and physical infrastructure
-drains, flooding, potholes, planning etc. However, the social
“heart and spirit” of Brize Norton Village lies with the you,
the villagers and this is reflected by the large number of
organisations who regularly report in this newsletter. Thank you
to everyone who works so hard to make this village a vibrant
community.
You may be wondering what is happening about the 700 houses
which are to be built on village land between the village and
Carterton. Although the start of the building work has been
delayed, the houses will be coming. The Parish Council is
working hard to ensure that the village benefits as much as
possible from this development.
Finally, a request to the users of the Elderbank Hall car park.
We recognise that parking in the village can be a challenge at
times and that the parking in the Elderbank Hall is a convenient
overflow when the local streets are full. However, it is
primarily parking for the patrons of the hall, so if you do find
yourself parking in this car park, please park responsibly. We
have had a recent complaint along the lines of “four vehicles
that regularly park in the hall car park were taking up seven
spaces, also other vehicles parked had not taken care when
parking, so patrons had to park in the pub car park.” This is
not something that we can sustain so please remember other
villagers when you use our amenities.
I look forward to seeing you at the Queen’s Birthday Bash or
around the village in the coming weeks and months.
Pip
BRIZE NORTON’S planned celebrations for Her Majesty the
Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations 2016
The date is Sunday 12th June 2016, the venue Brize Norton
recreation ground, the start time 2.00pm. BE THERE!
The village organisations, especially the primary school, have
got together to organise a magnificent day of celebration and
fun for the whole village to enjoy.
The day has become THE QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY BASH AND VILLAGE FUN DAY
– which explains exactly what it says on the tin! We are going
to have fun and games, music and dance, stalls and jousting, tea
and cakes, barbecue and the bar will be open! There will be
bowling for a ‘pig’ and aunt sally, old fashion sports and a
grand raffle (supporting the primary school). We have even got a
birthday cake – not sure if there will be 90 candles to blow
out!
We would also like to invite any villager who may have some
‘old’ royal memorabilia, this could be china mugs and plates
with various royal events, photographs from the village or
persons living in the village 90 years ago!
Anything that invokes the past ninety years of Queen Elizabeth’s
life. If you are kind enough to bring anything along, we can
exhibit the items in the Elderbank Hall. It would be nice to get
some feedback on this, so if you would like to bring anything
along then please contact us. Names at the bottom of the
article.
We started the birthday celebrations with a bonfire and soup
back in April. Thank you to all who turned up and especially
those who joined in with the sing-along, making it a very
pleasant evening!
Looking forward to a sunny and fun filled day. It could be one
of those village days that live long in the memory…
Tim Gush, Carolyn Peach, Tony Shillingford and Jo Rushton
(School)
Brize Norton – NGS Open Gardens Day 19th June 2016
This year we have 8 Gardens, including one new
garden, registered with the National Garden Scheme (NGS)
to open along with the St Britius Church Flower
Festival.
The NGS Charity provides support for the Macmillan
Nurses, Parkinson UK, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Help the
Hospices, to name but a few. Also, an allocated
proportion of the funds that we collected in 2015 were
also shared between our Village Church, Brownies, Over
60’s and the Horticultural Club.
The Open Day this year will be on Sunday, 19th June
2016. The Gardens will be open from 2 pm until 6 pm.
Refreshments will be provided by the WI in the Elderbank
Hall. Lucy’s at Grange Farm will also provide tea’s and
cakes.
The cost for entry to all 8 Gardens and the Church
Flower Festival will be just £4 per adult.
So please do come along, it will be a very pleasant way
of spending a Sunday afternoon, with family and friends,
strolling through our Village Gardens. Knowing that you
will be supporting the NGS Cancer Charities and at the
same time providing some well needed funds for our
Village voluntary groups.
Also, if anyone is considering joining our very
worthwhile cause and has a nice pleasant Garden that
they would like to display to the public, they will be
most welcome. So please don’t hesitate in coming
forward. Just contact Jean on 01993 841347 and she will
explain all that you need to do to take part.
Details and photo’s of all of the Gardens that will be
Open on Sunday 19th June, are displayed on the Village
Web Site at:
www.bncommunity.org/ngs/index.htm. |
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Referendum on THURSDAY 23 JUNE 2016
‘Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the
European Union or leave the European Union?
Have you moved recently? Will you be 18 by Thursday 23
June 2016? Are you registered to vote? Applications must
reach electoral registration office by 12 midnight on
Tuesday 7 June 2016 – you can register on line:
www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. For further information
please visit
www.westoxon.gov.uk/elections or telephone
the elections office on 01993 861410.
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We started our WI year off in April with a talk by
Catherine Hitchins called History observed through the
Landscape. She told us of many clues to look out for
including milestone posts which told us that there would
have been a stage coach and post coach route passing
there and our old red pillow boxes gave us the name of
the sovereign who was on the throne at that time. At
our May meeting we were entertained by a very
enthusiastic speaker, Michael Hodges who had collected a
great array of articles and artefacts from over the
centuries including axe heads and arrowheads, roman
pottery and lots of old coins, rings and buckles etc.
which he had found over many years of collecting.
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Unfortunately we lost Gill Godfrey this month, another of
our committed and well loved members.
A few of our members made and served soup to celebrate the
Queen's Birthday Bonfire event in the Recreation Ground
which was well attended.
We have trips to Buscott Park and Aston Pottery organised
including as well as a much enjoyed evening at The Chequers
for a meal followed by a game of Darts. As usual we will be
providing cakes and teas at the Gardens Open Day on June
19th so why not come along and enjoy a delicious piece of
cake and a cuppa.
The programme for the next few months is as follows:-
June 14th Gill White on The Story of Teddy
Bears.
July 12th Angela Panrucker on The Story of
Sudely Castle
August 9th Outing to Sudely Castle.
We meet on the second Tuesday of the month at 7.20pm in the
Elderbank Hall and visitors are always welcome.
Sue Calcutt
Since my last report for the newsletter, Brize
Norton Primary School has become an academy. We have a
new shiny plaque in the centre of the school, but apart
from that, I think the children and parents have noticed
little difference. However, it has made a huge
difference already to the organisation of the school: we
are receiving really good-quality support in everything
from premises management and finance to making sure the
children’s learning is of the highest standard. I am
confident that being a member of the Oxford Diocesan
Schools Trust (ODST) will help us to ensure our little
school remains the very best it can be.
As always, we have been very busy here at school. As I
write, the Year 6 children have just completed their
SATs tests, and I am extremely proud of how hard they
have worked and the mature attitude which they have
brought to their work.
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Obviously, school is about very much more than school work –
I always say that my aim is to get the highest standards while
also having fun. Come rain or shine, Forest School continues to
be one of the most popular things we do, and I am proud that
it’s not just our little ones who have the chance to climb
trees, light fires and make things out of mud and sticks – the
Year 5 children are enjoying their turn at the moment and are
enjoying every minute of it. Forest School is a great way for
children to learn teamwork, creativity, problem-solving skills
and how to take risks.
We are also doing very well with our Kids Marathon Challenge.
Back in September, the children were challenged to run a
marathon in a year, by running both at home and at school.
Twenty children have already completed it and one girl has now
run a marathon three times. We also continue to have plenty of
clubs and activities: our woodwind players have now formed a
school band, and of all the clubs the most dramatic is street
hockey – hockey on roller skates! Our Year 3 children have taken
part in a local-area multi-skills competition, our Year 5s and
6s have taken part in a cricket programme and we have had teams
participate in both tennis and rugby tournaments: in fact, our
tag rugby team came first in the Burford partnership and are
through to the top tier of the upcoming Chairman’s Cup
tournament in Oxford. Not bad for a little school. We have also
had a range of events including a sculpture day (it’s amazing
what children can make out of sticks and string) and a visit to
the RAF Falcons launch day (free ice cream – yum!).
At the end of May, I will be starting maternity leave for six
months. The governors and ODST staff have worked very hard to
ensure the school will be well looked-after in my absence and we
have come up with a really good solution: we will have an Acting
Head, Paul Atkins, who is currently Deputy Head at Bampton
Primary School, supported by Mrs Helen Barker, who has been
promoted to Assistant Headteacher.
Leaving for a short while seems to me the perfect opportunity to
thank our parents, Brize Norton Parish Council and all our
neighbours for your support. We are very lucky to have so many
people who do so much for us: in this time of shrinking budgets,
that is more important than ever. The School Association raises
several thousand pounds a year for the school and we have a
large number of parents and others who are willing to help us
either in school or outside school time. In particular, I would
like to thank the parish council for allowing us to use their
car park and playing field.
All our neighbours and friends are very welcome to come along to
the summer fete, which this year will be combined with the
village celebrations for the Queen’s 90th birthday on June 12th
(between 2.00 and 5.00), or to support the children at Sports
Day in the afternoon of Monday 4th July.
I would like to wish everyone in Brize Norton a very good
summer.
Anna Fairhurst (Headteacher, Brize Norton Primary School)
At our recent Annual Parish Church Meeting we re-elected Dr
Phil Holmes as churchwarden. We are indebted to Phil and to Mary
for all the work they do for the church.
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On Sunday 19 June from 2pm to 6pm the Church will be
host to a flower festival. Please do come and visit to
view the lovely arrangements as you wander around the
village gardens open that day. In readiness for this
event we are having a churchyard tidy on Saturday 11
June at 10.00 am and would welcome any volunteers.
Please contact Carolyn 01993 844102.
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| We are looking forward to taking part in the village
celebration to celebrate HM The Queen’s 90th birthday on
Sunday 12 June. Come and enjoy tea and cakes in the
Elderbank Hall during an afternoon of fun being
organised on the Recreation Ground. Proceeds from the
teas will go towards our general funds. |
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In September we will again be participating in the Oxfordshire
Historic Churches Trust ‘Ride and Stride,’ the sponsored walk or
ride to be held on Saturday 10 September. The Church will be
open for walkers and cyclists to visit and have their
sponsorship forms signed. If you would like to take part in this
fundraising initiative please contact Reverend Maddern 844175.
The weekly ‘Pilgrim Lunch’ group continues at 12.30pm to 1.30pm
on Mondays (however there will be break over the summer from 20
July to 4 September). Come and enjoy a light lunch and join in
the weekly discussions. All are welcome.
Now that summer is (almost) here why not join us at Forest
Church, an outdoor worship held on Sunday 5 June and Sunday 3
July at the Kilkenny Country Park; meet at the iron horses
for 2.30pm to 3.30pm – come suitably dressed in the event of bad
weather. The themes for June and July respectively are ‘Forest
Art’ and ‘Mini rafts’.
Tuesday mornings during term time we continue to run a buggy
club/coffee morning time from 9.30am to 11am. Come for a coffee
and a chat whilst the pre-schoolers are kept busy with a range
of toys and activities.
As a reminder, the first Sunday in the month is our All Age
Family communion service which starts at 10am. There are
activities organised for the children attending and refreshments
served. On the remaining Sundays in the month the 9.15am Holy
Communion service takes place.
For further details of the church services refer to the notices
on the church door or log onto the website -
www.bncommunity.org.
Brize Norton School Archive
A number of items have been added to the Brize Norton School
Archive which can be found at www.bncommunity.org/bnschool These
include a description of Life in Brize Norton written in 1953 by
Joy Pinnigar (now Joy Douglas) which makes interesting reading.
It includes a section about the school. We also have a pictorial
scrap book prepared to mark the centenary of the school in 1976.
For those who have not visited the website you will find old
pictures, a school magazine dating from 1922 and Dick Prints
History Exercise Book from 1930. There is also a wealth of more
recent material from 2003 to date.
Thanks to Joy for searching out the newly added material. If any
readers can add to the collection please contact Dr Phil Holmes
(843856). In the meantime please enjoy these memories of our
village school and life.
BRIZE NORTON HORTICULTURAL SHOW
This is to let you know that myself and Bev will not be
running the Horticultural Show this year. However, we will be
supporting the new team who are taking on the running of this
event.
Thank you for all your support over the last 40 odd years.
Judy Gush and Bev Tyrell.
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Witney - We meet at Witney’s Windrush Leisure Centre
at 10 am on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. There is
no charge. We do two walks; one is 1-2 miles long, the
other 2-3 miles both ending up with a cup of coffee. For
more information ring Joy on 01993 842373.
Carterton - On Monday, Thursday and Saturday we meet at
the Town Hall, Carterton at 10am. The walks are 1–2
miles long. For more information contact Barbara Goudal
on 01993 845923. |
The allotment tenants meeting in April was well
attended and three new allotment tenants have been
welcomed this season. All tenants were reminded that the
water troughs are only to source water and not to wash
off vegetables or implements in. The troughs had been
cleaned out for the new season.
Currently there is no one on the waiting list but there
is one ½ size plot that is available. If you would be
interested in taking on a tenancy of an allotment please
contact the clerk, or speak with Wendy Way or Fred
Bellenger.
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We meet every Monday at The Elderbank Hall and play
from 8.00 pm until 10.00 pm; all ages from teenage to
active retired are most welcome. It cost just £2.50 per
session. For more details ring Tina on 842268 or
Laurence on 07771 998821, or just come along to the
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It was a very tough season for both teams and now it is time
to look forward to the next one.
The 1sts finished bottom of Division 1 with 6 points. It took a
long time to come but they eventually got a win. Their final
league record read Pld 20 W1 D3 L16 F27 A93 PTS 6 GD -66. Pawel
Bronk top scored with 7 goals.
The Reserve team finished 10th out of 13 with 7 wins and 3
draws. The league record was P24 W7 D3 L14 F51 A84 PTS 24 GD
-33. Chris Mayhew was top scorer with 9 goals.
Both teams went out of the various cups at the first hurdle.
A BIG Thank You to Rob Hook (1sts) and Mark Carpenter (Res) for
all their efforts in difficult circumstances.
The Clubs AGM will be on Tuesday 7th June at 20:00 at the
Pavilion and all are welcome. We are always on the look-out for
new players...please check the Club Website for details of
training and other Club news.
www.pitchero.com/clubs/brizenortonfc
CARTERTON NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING TEAM
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We meet in Elderbank Hall every Thursday evening from
7.30-9.30pm. We dance ballroom, Latin American, and
sequence dances to CDs. We have tea and biscuits in the
interval. Our club has increased in numbers so we have
had to close membership for now. Any further information
please ring Joy on 842373
We are sad to announce the death of Gill Godfrey, one
of our founder members. We are a village group of 26
members; we meet twice a month on the first and third
Tuesdays of each month with either a speaker or an
outing. Meeting take place at 2pm at 4 Squires Close.
After the meeting we enjoy a chat over homemade cakes,
sandwiches and tea, thanks to June, Connie and Benita.
Our future programme is as follows:
7 June: Cream tea and bowls
21 June Outing to Coventry
5 July Meal at the Rose Revived
19 July Cream tea by the river at
The Trout, Lechlade
2 August: Outing to Windsor
We have already enjoyed talks by Jane from Witney
Museum, Jess from Age UK, a coffee morning and tea by
the canal at Thrupp.
A programme is on the village notice board. For more
information ring Joy on 842373 |
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If you would like to donate see Joy
Douglas
or the SPAR Shop in Minster Lovell |
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FIXMYSTREET
You can now report potholes or other damage to be
repaired using ‘Fix My Street’. Go to
fixmystreet.oxfordshire.gov.uk, enter an Oxfordshire
postcode or street name, locate problem on a map of the
area, enter details of the problem, confirm report and
OCC will investigate. You can attach photos of the
damage and follow up on progress. You can continue to
report damage online at Oxfordshire.gov.uk or phone 0845
3101111 or write to Highway Enquiries Team, Oxfordshire
County Council, PO Box 842, OXFORD OX1 9LL |
YOUR VILLAGE POST OFFICE (AT YOUR SERVICE)
Did you know that your village Post Office provides
all of the services listed below and lots more?
* Traditional letter and parcel posting including next
day deliveries and eBay services.
* Taxing of vehicles.
* Banking – (Cash/Cheque/Bank card deposits and
withdrawal) if you bank with the following banks: Bank
of Ireland, Barclays, Cahoot, Clydesdale, Co-op, Lloyds,
TSB, Nationwide Building Society, NatWest, Santander,
Halifax, RBS and Smile.
* National Savings & Investment including Premium bonds.
* Bill Payment – Most household bills including BT phone
bills can be paid free of fees.
* Foreign currency – generally commission free with 3
days’ notice, MoneyGram.
* Travel Insurance – Inland and overseas (provided on
the spot).
* Home Phone – Incentive to transfer your current home
telephone service.
* Household Home Insurance – Competitive.
* Car Insurance – There is £50 cash back on take up.
* Mobile phone Top-up.
* Health Lottery
* Groceries – limited quantity of snacks and groceries
too.
PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL POST OFFICE
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We have an ageing cliental at present and
would very much welcome young parents to use our facilities; at
a time when the post office network is under threat we need your
support. Michael your postmaster attends the Sports Pavilion on
Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9.30am and 12.30pm.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
– please refer to newsletter for further information
Calendar of events
6 June Parish Council meeting,
7.30pm Sports Pavilion
7 June Football club AGM, 8pm Sports Pavilion
12 June HM The Queen’s birthday bash and village fun
day 2.00-5.00pm Recreation Ground
19 June NGS Village Open Gardens and St Britius
Flower Festival 2.00-6.00pm
4 July Brize Norton Primary School Sports Day,
Recreation Ground
4 July Parish Council meeting, 7.30pm Sports
Pavilion
1 August Parish Council meeting, 7.30pm Sports
Pavilion
All entries for inclusion in
the September 2016 issue should be received by Garry Griffin
at
garry.griffin@tesco.net by 8 Aug 2016.
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