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Although the snowdrops are almost over and the daffodils are
just coming out the sub-zero temperatures at night suggest that
spring may still be a little way off! When I look over the
newsletters for the last year and back to this newsletter 12
months ago I note the following:
* The roundabout by the church is still a “disaster”. We
have written to Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) expressing
our concern. We are planning to send a “Monthly Statement on
the state of Brize Norton Roads” to OCC after each Parish
Council Meeting. If you have any particular points you would
like to raise, please let the Parish Clerk know.
* The Neighbourhood Plan is progressing well, see later in
this newsletter.
* The Parish Council Agreements that underpin the S106
Agreement associated with the West Brize Norton Development
are now complete and we understand that the Agreements are
all due to be signed in the next few weeks. Master planning
for the Development will start in earnest in the coming
months. The Parish Council will be using the results of the
Neighbourhood Plan surveys to influence the masterplan to
meet our aspirations as far as is possible.
* Village events continue to go from strength to strength,
please see later in this newsletter. Thank you to everyone
who is taking part in these important activities.
* We have updated our policies and procedures, these can be
find on the Parish Council website:
http://brizenortonparishcouncil.co.uk/transparency-code.
* On a new note, Parish Council elections are due on
Thursday 3rd May, if you are interested in being nominated
as a Parish Councillor, please contact The Parish Clerk
during the first two weeks of March for a nomination form.
Nominations must be submitted to the WODC Returning Officer
by 16:00hrs on Friday 6th April 2018.
* Don’t forget to come to the Annual Village Meeting on 22nd
May to meet your newly elected Parish Council and for
updates on all of the above and on the WODC Local Plan.
Finally, during my walks around the village over the last few
months I am concerned by an apparent increase in the amount of
dog excrement left on pavements and footpaths around the Parish.
There is a significant fine for “dog fouling” and we have plenty
of bins for dog waste strategically placed around the village. I
would remind dog owners that it is your responsibility to tidy
up after your dog. Please take this responsibility seriously.
I look forward to seeing a significant turnout at the Annual
Village Meeting on 22nd May. Enjoy the rest of the newsletter
and thank you to all the contributors, editors and distributors.
Pip
The Parish council Meetings will be held at 7:30 pm in the BNS&SC
on the first Monday of the month, but not on Bank Holidays.
The public are welcome to attend. The agenda is published on the
notice board opposite BN Primary School 3 days before the
meeting and also on the parish council website
www.brizenortonparishcouncil.co.uk
We also now have a Facebook account @brizenortonvillage
(https://www.facebook.com/brizenortonvillage/) and a Twitter
account @BrizeNorton (https://twitter.com/BrizeNorton) which
residents may be interested in joining. We aim to publish
relevant information and links or alerts from OCC or WODC,
particularly concerning weather warnings, planning developments
or road closures.
Elections to select or re-elect new parish councilors will be
held in May. Anyone interesting in standing as a councilor
should inform the
clerk@brizenortonparishcouncil.co.uk as soon
as possible and then application forms will be sent out in due
course.
The Steering Group would like to take this opportunity to thank
all those members of our Community who attended the ‘Community
Survey’ feedback event on 9th December 2017 in the Elder Bank
Hall.
We exhibited the survey feedback in various formats which
included pictures, charts and maps which we hope you found
interesting and informative. It was also interesting to see the
presentation from the children at our Primary School which, even
at their young ages, reflected many of the views of their
elders!
We also presented our ‘Vision Statement’ and ‘Objectives
Statement’. As there were no objections or comments, we have a
clear mandate to continue with developing our Neighbourhood Plan
using these statements as our reference.
For those of you who were unable to come along to the December
event, we will be exhibiting the survey feedback at the Brize
Norton Annual Village Meeting being held at the Elder Bank Hall
on Tuesday, 22 May and members of the Steering Group will be
there to answer any questions you may have.
The Steering Group is now working towards producing our Village
Characteristic Statement and having meetings with WODC regarding
our Vision and Objectives Statements, both of which will form
part of our pre-submission document.
From the feedback received from both the Household and Young
Persons Community Surveys, there is a strong concern about the
safety of our primary and pre-school children crossing Station
Road due to a lack of a lollipop person. The Steering Group took
this concern to the Parish Council along with a solution which
is to install ‘automated flashing warning lights and recommended
20mph speed limit’ signs. The Parish Council agreed to fund
this, and timing of their installation is to be confirmed.
If you have any questions or concerns about our Neighbourhood
Plan, then please do not hesitate to contact us via our web site
contact page.
Kind Regards Les Goble (Chairman, Neighbourhood Plan Steering
Group)
Thank you to everyone who took part in our Christmas services
especially the Candlelit Carol Service either as readers or the
children who took part in the nativity tableau. We were
delighted to be joined by the Brownies who swelled our numbers
at carol singing. Thank you to residents of Chestnut Close and
Chichester Place and the warm welcome at The Chequers as we
raised £110.
With the new church financial year our attention turns again to
the ongoing problem of paying our way. For the year end 31
December 2017 basic running expenses of the church, excluding
one off bills such as the tree maintenance required due to the
snow damage in December were £340 per week. Planned donations
and regular weekly collections were just over a 1/3rd of this
cost. The church is not there only for weekly services and
special occasions but to serve the wider village community for
baptisms, weddings, blessings, funerals and memorial
thanksgiving services. It is also used by the school for
Christmas, Harvest and Remembrance. We continue to maintain a
presence through the community website at www.bncommunity.org
which has a good deal of church and village history and
genealogical information. St Britius Church receives no
subsidies from the Government or monetary grants from local
Councils although we are indebted to the Parish Council for
their continuing assistance for the grass cutting of the
churchyards. We are trying to raise monies through various
initiatives and would welcome your support to keep St Britius a
visible and permanent sign of the Christian community in the
village.
Becoming a ‘Friend’ of St Britius is a way you can help. Thank
you to everyone who has renewed their membership of the Friends
and supported us over the last year. If you are not already a
member please consider joining – we ask for a minimum donation
of £10 and you will receive a newsletter to keep you up to date
with our future projects. Also look out for posters advertising
future events or contact Phil - 843856 or Carolyn - 844102 for
information on fundraisers.
We welcome you to join us for the following events and
special services:
St Britius is hosting the annual Women’s World
Day of Prayer service on Friday 2nd March at 7pm for
the benefice of Carterton and Brize Norton. The
service is written by the women of Suriname and
entitled ‘All God’s Creation is Very Good!’ All are
invited to come and join us and share refreshments
after the service.
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Our Mothering Sunday Service is on Sunday 11h
March and again everyone is welcome. Children are
invited to come to 52a Station Road on Saturday 10th
March at 10am to make posies that will be presented
at the 9.15am service.
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Our Celebration of Easter starts on Palm Sunday,
25th March with the 9.15am Communion Service and
then continues as follows:
Maundy Thursday – 29th March – Holy Communion at 7pm
Good Friday – 30th March – service of reflection and
prayer at 4pm
Easter Day – 1st April – Holy Communion at 9.15 am.
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The Pilgrim lunch group continue to meet each Monday lunchtime
12.30pm to 1.30pm (soup lunch provided). For more details
contact Ben Campion 358690. All are welcome.
Please note a change in the timing of the first Sunday in the
month service; from March our Family Communion service will
start at 9.15am when activities are arranged for children
attending and refreshments are served. On the remaining Sundays
the 9.15am Holy Communion service is held and during the week a
Holy Communion service at 7pm on Wednesdays.
Rev’d James Maddern has now retired from ministry and continues
on sick leave. Please contact the Team Rector Rev’d Bill Blakey
who can be reached on 01993 846996 or on the clergy mobile
number 07504 824822 or via e-mail
rector@stjohnschurchcarterton.org.uk (day off on Friday).
Alternatively contact the assistant curate Rev Ian Howard on
07867 784693 or via e-mail
curate@stjohnschurchcarterton.org.uk (day off on Wednesday).
We thank Bill, Ian and Stephen for their continued ministry with
us at St Britius.
For further details of the church services or our other regular
activities refer to the notices on the church door or log onto
the website
www.bncommunity.org.
We are doing something a bit different at Brize Norton School
this term: a whole-school project inspired by the parish council
and the Neighbourhood Plan project. Wendy Way and Les Goble, the
driving forces behind the Neighbourhood Plan, have challenged
the children to think hard about what makes Brize Norton a great
place to be and what can be improved, then to design a creative
way to share their ideas. So we have a wide range of different
projects taking shape, from improving pedestrian and cycle
facilities in the village to a redesigned park. The children are
loving knowing that their learning is part of something wider
than themselves and we are looking forward to sharing what we
have done with the community before long.
As I write, we are busy preparing for our annual Book Week.
Parents and staff are challenged to come up with creative
costumes for World Book Day and we will have a whole week of
celebrating books and reading, with children of different ages
reading together, a visit from author Jay Burridge (with a huge
model dinosaur to inspire the children’s writing) and a
whole-school performance poetry slam on the Friday.
Special events like this are important in the life of a busy
primary school because they keep learning exciting and bring
different areas of the curriculum to the fore. We have already
had a Science week this year and are planning a Computing week
for later in the year. We also do our regular Forest School
sessions and a range of trips, from sports tournaments (every
child participates in something at least once a year) to Music
events (we were part of a choir of over 6000 at the Genting
Arena in Birmingham in January), from large trips (taking a
group up Snowdon in June) to small (the youngest children loved
getting the bus to Carterton to visit the shops).
These are all designed to enhance the regular, day-in, day-out
dedicated work the children and staff put in to ensure the
children make as much progress as they can in their learning. We
are all very proud of the children’s attitude to their behaviour
and learning, and I simply love showing visitors around because
they are always impressed by the children’s maturity and
independence.
As always, we are very grateful to all the volunteers
(governors, School Association members, those who help in school
and other friends, including the Parish Council) who help us
achieve what we do, especially in these times of budget cuts.
Please keep it up and help us keep Brize Norton Primary School
the special place it is.
Best wishes
Anna Fairhurst (Headteacher)
It is hard to believe that we are already half way through
the spring term. After a very busy time at the end of last year,
the School Association has had a relaxing few weeks, focussing
on spending some of the money that we raised.
We paid for coaches so that all the children in Years 4, 5 and 6
could travel to the Genting Arena in Birmingham to perform in
Young Voices. And what an amazing experience it was. Six
thousand children in one huge choir, all singing their hearts
out. I am sure every one of them will remember the occasion for
many years to come.
Six new IPads have been purchased. ICT provision is a huge
investment for us, but it is so important that the children have
access to up-to-date equipment.
And finally, we have pledged £5000 to pay for new play equipment
in our glorious story garden.
So with all this spending going on, we need to replenish the
coffers! For the children, we have a disco on March 1st and our
ever-popular Easter Egg Raffle at the end of term. For the
grownups we have Quiz Night! Friday 23rd March, put it in your
diary now! Tickets are £7 per person and include a buffet
supper. And if you fancy yourself as a star baker, bring a
pudding with you and enter the Pudding Competition! For further
details, or to reserve your places, please contact us on
Facebook, via the school office on 01993 842488 or call Jo on
07554443678.
Thank you so much for your support.
Preschool has had a very busy first term of 2018. Most
sessions are now full and we are delighted to say our preschool
is thriving. In late 2017 we held numerous fund raising events
including a Boot Sale, Toddle Waddle and Christmas Fayre. These
events raised a significant sum to allow us to spend on new
resources for the children. Thank you to all who helped and
supported these fundraising efforts.
Looking forward, we already have a waiting list for September
2018. Preschool accepts children aged 2-4years. Funding is
available, subject to terms and conditions. We will be holding 2
open afternoons on Thursday 14th and 28th June 1pm-2.30pm. To
register your interest please call 07769617696 or email us at
brizenortonpreschool@hotmail.co.uk. A copy of our
registration form and more information can be found on our new
look website
www.brizenortonpreschool.co.uk
Our preschool is run by an amazing, dedicated group of parents
whom are elected onto the committee along with a team of
qualified professionals. It's a fantastic way to get involved
with your child's education and a brilliant way of meeting and
connecting with other local mums.
For those new to the village, preschool is held in the Elderbank
Hall Monday-Wednesday 9am-3pm and Thursday and Friday 9am-12pm
We have two up coming fundraising events:-
New & lightly used Handbag Auction at The Chequers on Friday 2nd
March at 7.30pm. Auction starts at 8pm. Tickets are £5 per
person and include a glass of Prosecco.
On Sunday 18th March we are holding a Kids Bingo event in the
Elderbank Hall from 2pm-4pm. £4 per player, prizes and
refreshments available. Just turn up on the day.
All proceeds go to the preschool. We hope you can come along.
HELP REQUIRED, preschool has its own allotment next to the
Elderbank Hall. The children love going over to the allotment,
digging, weeding, watering and growing fruit and vegetables.
However the time we can spend there is restricted. Are you able
to offer some time and assistance in helping tend to our
allotment? If you can spare some time please speak to Jackie or
Barbie on 07769617696.
Thank you from all the Staff and Committee
Presents Fauré: Requiem
Thursday 15 March 2018 Tickets £6.00
7.00pm, St John the Baptist Church, Burford
Easy online booking via Ticketsource
Or email
tickets@burford.oxon.sch.uk
To commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War
Brize Norton will be lighting a Beacon on the recreation ground
on 11th November; more details will be published nearer the
time.
As well as the beacon, it is envisaged that other village events
might also carry the “Battle’s over” theme. Dates for your diary
include:-
The Village Bash proposed for Sunday 8th July, incorporating the
Brize Norton School fete to be held on the recreation ground.
Brize Norton Horticultural show proposed Sunday 26th August.
We are looking for ideas to incorporate the theme into these
events and any new events that residents or organisations would
like to suggest.
If you have any ideas and would like to organise an event for
the village please contact Keith Glazier (01993 843640), Carolyn
Peach (01993 844102), or Tony Shillingford (01993 847009). We
may be able to help in some small way with publicity or put you
in touch with other residents that may be interested in getting
involved on the day.
The NGS Garden Open Day will be one week later than normal this
year, to be held on the Sunday, 24th June 2018, starting at 1pm,
so that it does not coincide with Father’s Day.
This year, we shall have 2 completely new Open Gardens to
delight you. Also 3 more gardens that were previously open,
making a total of 11 beautiful gardens that will open this year,
along with the Flower Festival held in St Britius Church.
The entrance fee to all 11 Gardens and the Church Flower
Festival will be £5 for each adult; the children’s entrance is
free.
So please do come along and visit these beautiful gardens and
the Church with your friends and family. In doing so you will
not only be supporting the NGS Cancer & Macmillan Nurses
Charity, but also some of our own local village charities that
benefit from the Funds that we raise on the day.
Also, don’t forget that if there are any gardeners in the
Village who would like to join us and take part in next year’s
annual NGS Garden Event, then please let Jean know, by telephone
on; 841347 or by e-mail on;
prbutcher1@btinternet.com.
So we look forward to seeing you all, on Sunday, 24th June 2018,
starting at around 1pm
From,
The NGS Open Gardens Group
At Christmas 2017 we paid out small monetary gifts to 42
Pensioners/Widows of the parish.
If you are a village resident pensioner or widow/widower & would
like to go on our list please let me know.
Fred Bellenger 841189
f.bellenger@sky.com
The Thames Valley Police Non-Emergency number is 101 but
always call 999 in an Emergency.
E-mail the team at
cartertonbamptonburford@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk
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It seems a long time ago since our November meeting with
Lottie Baxter who showed us how to make 3 Christmas crafts. All
the members who could enjoyed joining in which made it a good
interactive meeting. All finished at least one of the crafts and
ended up taking something home for Christmas.
Christmas lunch at The Plough in Alvescot was excellent despite
it being a very snowy journey with everyone turning up. Thank
you to the car drivers who made it possible. John Hunt The Organ
Grinder, our speaker for January, was also excellent. He had
brought along two of the organs he had made himself and
proceeded to tell us how it worked. He was very funny and, as
well as the lovely music he played, entertained us with various
jokes and anecdotes.
Februarys' meeting gave us a hope of warmer days to come with a
talk entitled "Eastern Australia. The Land of the Parrot". This
was a talk by the husband of one of our members recounting one
of his many trips which made us all very envious. His photos
were superb. The Shilton lady members had produced a lovely
valentines tea with home made biscuits and chocolates.
Our next meeting is the AGM with a talk from one of our new
members, Janet Albury-Simpson who will talk about "The Bahamas
as a British Colony".
April 10th. - The Foundling Hospital by John Caldicott
May 8th We will celebrate our 90th Birthday and are inviting
other WI's and guests. We are having Mr Peter Wentworth who is a
member of the MMC and who will entertain us with his talk "The
Art of the Magician". This will be followed by light
refreshments and games.
We meet in The Elderbank Hall at 7.30pm on the second Tuesday of
the month and all are welcome.
Sue Calcutt
During the past few months we have enjoyed an excellent
Christmas dinner at The Trout, Lechlade and a very good meal at
the Chequers, Brize Norton in January. We all sang-a-long with
Cliff and Pat and enjoyed the talk by Martin Way on ‘Home
fronts’ - we could all remember the events he told us about
during and after the war.
Our future programme is as follows:
February 20th: Yarnton Garden Centre
March 6th: Gordon on photography
March 20th: Coach trip to Bath
April 3rd: Coffee Morning 10.30am at Joys, 4 Squires
Close. Everyone welcome
The future programme is being planned but will include a day
trip to Winchester, a coffee morning, a cream tea and a meal
out.
We are a village group of 27 members. We meet on the 1st and 3rd
Tuesdays of each month. We meet at 2.00pm at 4 Squires Close on
the 1st Tuesday and have an outing on the third Tuesday. At our
meeting we enjoy sandwiches, homemade cakes and a cup of tea,
thanks to June, Benita and Connie.
For any more information, look on the notice board or ring Joy
on 842373
The next Allotment Meeting will be at @ 6:45pm in the BNS&SC
on: Monday 9th April
Allotment holders should inform me asap if they wish to renew
their contract with the parish council for their plot. Anyone
who is interested in applying for a plot should also contact me.
However, they should be aware that here is a short waiting list
at present.
Fred Bellenger 01993841189
f.bellenger@sky.com
The 1sts have had a tough season and after 15 league games
sit just above relegation in 9th place. It has seen some closely
fought games with 27 goals both scored and conceded.
A good win in the preliminary round of the Watts Junior Cup
(named after Bob and Margaret Watts) has earned an away tie in
Round 1 at Bourton Res.
Pld15 W5 D2 L8 F27 A27 Pts14 (3pts deducted)
The Reserves currently sit in fourth place in Division 4, just 5
points off the top with a game in hand. A couple of weeks with
depleted squads has possibly cost them top spot.
Pld 15 W10 D1 L4 F51 A34 Pts31
The Christmas raffle raised over £250 for the Club. Thank you to
everyone who bought a ticket or donated a prize.
We meet in the Elderbank Hall every Thursday evening
7.30pm-9.30pm. We dance ballroom, Latin and sequence dances to
CDs. We have tea and biscuits in the interval. Any information -
please ring Joy on 01993 842373.
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.
Michael your postmaster attends the Sports Pavilion on Tuesdays
and Thursdays between 9.30am and 12.30pm. Your village Post
Office provides all of the traditional post office services and
more.
PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL POST OFFICE
Oxfordshire urgently needs more compassionate care workers to
support vulnerable members of our community.
If you want a flexible and rewarding job helping other people,
then care work could be for you.
You will receive all the training you need. The most important
thing for employers is that you are caring, friendly and
reliable.
There are opportunities across the county so you can find a job
that’s close to home.
You can work the hours that suit you - there are options
to choose a fixed hours contract or a flexible contract.
There are lots of different roles in social care depending on
what you want to do, who you want to work with and where you’d
like to work. You could be supporting an older person, someone
with a physical disability, autism, dementia or a mental health
condition. You could be working in a care home, out in your
local community, in a hospital or from someone’s home.
Interested? Visit oacp.org.uk/jobs
for job opportunities and to find out more about working in
care.
Anita, 46 - care worker
‘I would definitely recommend this job – it’s different every
day, you’re learning all the time and you’re making a
difference. You can make people smile when other people can’t.’
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Gym ball classes at Elderbank Hall on Wednesdays 7.15pm –
8.00pm. All abilities and ages welcome. Contact us on 01993
851753 bamptonphysio@btconnect.com
www.bampton-physiotherapy.co.uk
20 minutes of three different types of exercise, £5
per session, Wednesday nights, Elderbank Hall, 8-9pm, Call Steph
07970 831061
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– please refer to newsletter for further
information |
5 March 2018 Parish Council meeting, 7.30pm in the BNS&SC
15 March 2018 Requiem 7.00pm, St John the Baptist Church,
Burford
23 March 2018 BN School Association Quiz Night!
9 April 2018 Parish Council meeting, 7.30pm in the BNS&SC
3 May 2018 Parish Council Elections, Elderbank Hall
14 May 2018 Parish Council AGM, 7.30pm in the BNS&SC
14 May 2018 Parish Council meeting, 8.00pm in the BNS&SC
22 May 2018 Annual Village Meeting, 7.30pm Elderbank hall
9 June 2018 Parish Council meeting, 7.30pm in the BNS&SC
24 June 2018 Village gardens open day for the National Garden
Scheme
8 July 2018 Proposed Village Bash
26 August 2018 Proposed Brize Norton Horticultural show
All entries for inclusion in the June 2018 issue should be
received by Alison Riseley at
clerk@brizenortonparishcouncil.co.uk
by 15th May 2018.. As I, Garry, step down from the post of
Editor I would like to thank all the people who have helped me
during my tenure, and I wish Alison well as she takes over the
role.
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