Привіт і Ласкаво просимо
A very warm welcome to our new village residents from
Ukraine.
As mentioned previously in the Chairman’s note and also
more recently on social media, the war
in Ukraine has been devastating at displacing the
population of this beautiful, cultural country.
The effect the war has had on millions of people is
catastrophic and around the world, people
have been doing the most unprecedented acts of kindness
to help those effected. We
have never been more proud of everything that many of
our Brize Norton villagers and village hubs
have done and are still doing to help the plight of the
people and families fleeing Ukraine.
We have decided to start our ‘Around the village’
section with articles, letters and news that
we have received. The first letter comes from Pip
Squire, on behalf of Mariana and her family, who have
recently moved in with Pip and Mandy.
• Letter dated: 19th April 2022
Homes for Ukraine Scheme
Several residents of Brize Norton have signed up
to offer accommodation to families fleeing from
the war
in Ukraine.
The first Ukrainian family arrived in the
village on 3rd April. Mariana and her two young
children left
Ukraine on 26 February just two days after
Russia invaded. They crossed into Romania on
foot, not
knowing where they would end up. They were able
to spend time with a family friend’s mother in
Italy
before being granted visas to come to the UK. As
soon as the visas came through flights were
organised
and they arrived the following day.
“On 24.02.2022 my life turned upside down.
Because of war in my country I left my house,
family and job to keep my children safe. Kind
family in UK Brize Norton helped me with free
accommodation. They take care of me and my
children. These warm-hearted people have done
so many good deeds for my family. I will be
grateful to them all my life.”
In the coming months we hope the village will be
able to welcome other families in need and give
them
some peace and comfort while their country is in
such turmoil.
If anyone would like any help with visa
applications
etc please feel free to email us:
pip.squire@outlook.com.
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With many people still on their journey to a new home or
desperately trying to keep theirs, activities have been
going on
throughout Brize Norton and Carterton to help those,
where possible.
Freedom Boxes
For those who may not have been following the story on
social media, Debbie and her
family in Czechoslovakia and France have been helping
out many, many people.
“Within a week of the Russian invasion beginning, my
cousin Stuart Watkins had
set up www.freedom-boxes.com and was beginning the first
of many journeys
from his office in the Czech Republic to the Ukrainian
border. Freedom Boxes has been
set up specifically for the Ukrainian people most in
need, in the volatile regions that
the large aid agencies can’t reach.
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The boxes are designated family, defender,
sleep, kids, children’s hospital and are
funded through individual donations on the
website. The idea came from his daughter who
wanted to send a box of nice things to the
children in the Ukraine, similar to she had done
with her friends during the corona virus lock
downs. |
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As part of a goodwill initiative, Brize Norton Village
Pre-School got involved as my son
Alfie has been going there for the past 2 years. As
Stuart, his Dad and a network
of friends packed up SUVs and vans with boxes, Alfie and
his friends and teachers
began making rainbow pictures to send in the boxes the
following week. These
pictures and messages give some comfort to the Ukrainian
children that there is hope
and caring from outside of Ukraine. A special website
has since been created www.messagesofhope.
uk where contributions are collected for all to see. In
Prague the pictures are being
grouped and printed ready to be included in the freedom
boxes.
|
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At the border crossing, Stuart and the team were faced
with scenes of hundreds of
displaced Ukrainian people. Many had been walking for
days fleeing the destruction of
their homes and cities. Within 5 minutes of speaking to
a border official, the vehicles
were filled with Ukrainian children, mothers and
grandparents who wished to travel to
the Czech Republic. On arrival in Prague from the 20
hour round trip, the team
arranged accommodation and assisted with onward travel
arrangements.
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This journey has been repeated every week since,
and thanks to an increase in
donations is now twice weekly. We use a 49
seater bus with two drivers for
the round trip, with approximately 100 boxes
dropped at the border and 45 people collected.
We
recently helped a community of Ukrainians
relocate to a town near Toulouse, France
where another of my cousins Caroline has set up
a support network to help with
accommodation, schooling, language and many
other things. |
In order to help further, Stuart’s software company
Zenoo launched Freedom
ID. A free service aimed at finding accommodation for
displaced Ukrainians.
The solution has verified 96 hosts so far. On average
each host will support
4 people, meaning we have made it more secure for over
350 refugees to
find shelter. If you are, or you know any online service
that connects refugees with
accommodation hosts please send them to
www.freedom-id.com.“
If you would like to read more of Debbie’s story, it
will be posted online
on our Brize Norton facebook page (@brizenortonvillage)
in the coming
weeks.
Ukraine Clothes & Cake Sale Fundraiser
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As with many of us following the tragic events
in Ukraine and impact on so many
families, at the Humble Bumble we were keen to
organise a local fundraising eventwith the
premise
being any monies raised be directly for locally
housed families. |
We all have far too many clothes so felt a pre-loved
clothes sale would enable us to
clear our wardrobes and raise some well needed money.
Huge thank you to all those who donated clothes and
baked cakes. Especially to
Lorraine and Amanda for organising me and co-ordinating
the day and to all of
those who shopped, grabbed a bargain and helped us to
raise £320 we are
incredibly grateful.
 |
The Humble Bumble also have a box for a welcome
bag initiative by Ani Catt,
should you wish tocontribute. |
A BIGThank You!
Brize Norton Parish Council would also like to say a big
“Thank you”to all volunteers who
went up to the Carterton Leisure Centre to help with
packing boxes of donations to
send to Ukraine.
Brize Norton wear new colours!
 |
The children had a ‘Day for Ukraine’, where the
whole school came dressed in blue
and yellow and brought in a donation to send to
the refugees. Useful information for
Ukrainian people
coming to the UK and ways in which you can help |
Disasters Emergency Committee
has launched a Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal to support
DEC charities and their local partners in Ukraine
and in neighbouring countries to help provide food,
water, shelter and medical assistance. The UK Government
will match
pound-for-pound up to £20 million donated by the public
to this appeal. The Disasters Emergency Committee has
urged people
to donate money rather than goods if they can to help
those affected by the conflict.
The following are considered reputable charities:
International Rescue Committee is raising funds to help
provide medical care, emergency food and other critical
aid to
families affected by conflict.
British Red Cross is calling for donations to the
Disaster Emergency Committee appeal
in support of humanitarian aid charities. Currently, the
Ukrainian Red Cross Society and the International
Committee of the
Red Cross, together with fellow Red Cross National
Societies in border countries, are working to get vital
help to those impacted
by this crisis.
Homes for Ukrainians
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On 29th March, the government published a
welcome guide for Ukrainians www.gov.uk/
government/publications/welcome-a-guidefor-ukrainians-arriving-in-the-uk
guidance
on what they need to do before they travel to
the UK and what to do after they arrive.
A fact sheet has also been published that
explains how Ukrainians can apply to
the Homes for Ukraine sponsorship scheme. The
welcome guide includes information
on what Ukrainians need to know in the first few
days, getting used to life in the UK including
how to find
a home, access essential public services,
healthcare, find work and childcare and
education services. It also includes specific
information for those arriving on the
Homes for Ukraine scheme. Translations of both
documents will be available shortly.
Councils, sponsors and Ukrainians should
continue to check the Homes for Ukraine
campaign page and frequently asked questions
document for further updates.
Homes for Ukraine campaign:
https://homesforukraine.campaign.gov.uk/ |
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Brize Norton Parish Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) is a new
scheme aimed at creating safer neighbourhoods within
the Brize Norton Parish and further build community
spirit and cohesion, improving upon the existing quality
of life and the
local environment. By sharing and acting upon crime
prevention advice, you can play an important role in
helping us to reduce
crime or fear of crime in your area. Being part of the
Neighbourhood Watch Scheme can:
• Reduce / prevent local crime and disorder
• Reduce fear of crime
• Address issues relating to antisocial behaviour
• Assist in the detection and apprehension of criminals
through members providing information to the police
My name is Jim and I have lived in the local area since
2003 and Brize Norton since 2019. I’m keen to improve
upon the
already positive community spirit and bring unity to the
‘whole’ of the newly expanded Brize Norton Village,
fostering a caring,
neighbourly attitude to improve the wider resilience and
friendliness of the area.
The vision for the Brize Norton NHW scheme is to have
numerous Area/Street coordinators working in
collaboration with
myself as Area Coordinator, ultimately working as a team
to develop and manage this project long-term.
To join the Brize Norton Parish NHW visit
www.ourwatch.org.uk/join and complete the online form.
You will receive an email
with a confirmation code, enter this code when prompted
and continue completing the form.
Once registered as a member, you can join the scheme,
simply type in your post code on the ourwatch.org.uk
homepage, select
Brize Norton Parish NHW and click “join this scheme”.
There is also the opportunity to send me a message by
selecting “email scheme coordinator” if you have any
questions,
queries, and feedback. The Parish Council and I
look forward to residents joining the scheme and Street
Co-ordinators stepping forward, a role which requires no
effort, other than being able to speak to your
neighbours!
Thank you.
Jim James Stewart
(Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator)
The Parish Council has received
confirmation from OCC that they have
spoken to Bloor Homes regarding the
‘advanced warning sign’ on Station Road
which is too large and inappropriate for
that location. The sign will therefore be
changed but at this stage, OCC do not have
a timeframe for these works.
The PC will continue to pursue this matter
with Bloor Homes along with all the other
outstanding works associated with all three
buildouts and the footway improvements
on Minster Road and Burford Road.
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It has been bought to the Parish C o u n c i l ’
s attention that during the
times of the ‘school runs’, drivers are turning
into side roads to park their cars
but are ignoring pedestrians about to cross the
road. |
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In order to keep all our residents safe, the Parish
Council
would like to respectfully remind drivers that from
2022, there has
been a change in the Highway Code, which is as follows:
• Rule H2
Rule for drivers, motorcyclists, horse-drawn vehicles,
horse riders and cyclists.
At a junction, you should give way to pedestrians
crossing or waiting to cross
a road into which or from which you are turning.
To clarify, a motorist must wait for the
pedestrian to cross the junction before
turning. This applies if the motorist is tuning
right or left into the junction.
With the latest rules on ‘Hierarchy of road
users’ now being enforced by law, along
with other updates to the Highway Code,
maybe, like myself, you may consider now
is a good time to invest £4.99 to purchase
the latest version of the Highway Code?
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A joint initiative between the Parish Council and Thames
Water, aided by Robert Courts MP, has seen a
development in the way we manage the flow of both
surface, foul and
flood water in the village.
Many of you will have seen workmen in the fields
on the west and east side of the
village. They are Thames Water operatives and to date,
they have carried out a full
camera survey of the surface and waste water pipes on
the west side of the village.
This survey has led to them clearing a blockage in the
surface water pipe and
replacing all the manhole covers on the waste water
pipe.
They are now in the process of carrying out a camera
survey on the waste water pipe,
which runs down the east side of the village. This
survey will be carried out between the
A40, and the pumping station situated at the south of
the village.
Surface Water
The Surface water system has been studied by cctv and a
b l o c k a g e caused by tree roots
has been removed.
This is an ongoing problem, unfortunately, occurring
every 4 or 5 years. Regular
maintenance will help to alleviate the problems and
reduce flood risk to the village.
Foul Water
The disposal of foul water is a more complicated
process. The foul line to
the west of the village carries foul water from, circa,
1800 houses in Shilton Park.
Currently the line also carries foul water from the
growing Brize Meadow estate.
This is a temporary measure and the new pumping station
on Carterton Road will,
in the near future, be completed. The Brize Meadow
development foul water will then
be pumped to the Carterton Sewerage Treatment works.
Brize Norton has been recognised for many years as an
area of “high concern”
by Thames Water, as is part of the catchment area for
the Witney Sewerage Treatment Works.
Thames Water are currently carrying out a detailed
examination of all remaining foul
lines serving the village, in an attempt to prevent rain
or surface water ingress, which
can cause the system to be overloaded. There have been
many “studies” by Thames
Water over the last 20+ years into the disposal of foul
water. We hope that
these latest measures will help resolve the situation.
The Parish Council will remain vigilant and continue to
pursue this matter.
Les Les Goble (Councillor)
Keith Keith Glazier (Councillor)
West Oxfordshire District Council has recently
undertaken habitat restoration
works at Kilkenny Lane Country Park, enhancing an area
of grassland with a mix
of native wildflower seeds.
Flowers such as oxeye daisy and yellow rattle will start
to bloom in the largest
section of the site’s grassland areas, with more to be
sown in a second phase later
this year. The eastern most grassland area will also be
managed differently to
establish a tussocky structure, and create new
microclimates for a wider variety of
invertebrate species to inhabit.
Monitoring the progress of this new habitat structure at
Kilkenny Lane Country
Park, means Mary Ellis Country Park may also receive the
same landscaping and
encouragement of wildlife.
The Council also soon hope to set up a conservation
volunteer group at the country
park, to improve the site’s habitats and make local
people feel more connected to
this natural space.
NEW CARE HOME DEVELOPMENT ON BRIZE MEADOW
An open letter to the Brize Norton community from Maria
Taylor, Commissioning Director
at Ideal Carehomes, due to operate the new care home on
Monahan Way.
Dear all,
On behalf of everyone at Ideal Carehomes, I would like
to thank you for your help
in naming our new care home. We were very excited to see
all your suggestions on
social media and thank you to local businesses such as
the Humble Bumble Café,
The Chequers Inn and The Mason Arms who made way for our
suggestion boxes.
The name, suggested by Sallie Barratt, that won the vote
is:
Brize Meadow Lodge
We are very happy with the winning name and we hope you
are too!
We look forward to meeting you all soon but first you
might like to know a little bit
about us. We are an established care provider and Brize
Meadow Lodge will be
our 36th purpose-built luxury care home. Everything we
do at Ideal Carehomes is
focused on creating a great place to live and work. We
pride ourselves on making a
real difference to the lives of our residents, getting
to know the people we care for,
promoting independence and tailoring daily activities to
fit each individual.
As you will know, our care home is currently under
construction and we are due to
open our doors in April 2023. Brize Meadow Lodge care
home will provide round
the clock care for up to 66 residents, and employ over
50 highly trained team
members once fully staffed.
Our state-of-the-art care home will benefit from the
latest in care technology,
allowing our team to deliver person-centered care in a
dignified manner to each
of our residents. Our residents will have access to a
number of luxury facilities,
including a salon, landscaped gardens, a café and even
an on-site cinema to watch
their favourite blockbusters!
During construction,
our home has had a ground source heat pump
installed and we will also have solar panels to ensure
that we are as environmentally friendly as possible.
Whether our residents want to spend the day
relaxing, reminiscing with their friends or taking
part in one of our fun activities, there will always
be something to do and our activities are tailored
to our resident’s interests. We are proud to offer an
ambient dining experience in
each of our homes by highly trained chefs, who prepare
all meals freshly on site.
Once our new home is open, we will be able to help
people in the village and
surrounding areas with both short term and long-term
residential and dementia
placements. I am confident that Brize Meadow Lodge will
create wonderful
opportunities and community links in the historic
village of Brize Norton.
We will keep you informed on our progress, and will plan
an open day for the
people of Brize Norton to take a look around our home,
meet our team, and
discuss with you what the care at Ideal Carehomes truly
is
– person-centred and high quality.
We would also be thrilled to invite you to our regular
events such as garden parties,
craft afternoons and film showings, so we can get to
know our local community
and so our residents, who may have lived locally all
their lives, can remain part
of their community. This is a hugely important part of
care home life for us, and
I strongly believe that with the help of the community
and our Ideal Carehomes
team, Brize Meadow Lodge will thrive.
If you have any questions about Brize Meadow Lodge, or
our work at Ideal
Carehomes, please get in touch on
0113 465 4000. I’d be happy to answer any queries that
you may have about this
exciting new development.
Thank you,
Maria Taylor
Commissioning Director • Ideal Carehomes
www.idealcarehomes.co.uk
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
ELDERBANK HALL ACTIVITIES
The following table lists only the
regular events. There will be other bookings and readers
should not assume that the hall is available without reference to
Diane Davies (see below)
| Pre-school (3-5 years) |
Mon - Fri | 9 am - 12 noon |
Jackie Hampson
brizenortonpreschool@hotmail.co.uk | 07769617696 |
| Mon, Tues & Wed | 12.00 -
3 pm** |
| Brownies | Mondays |
6.00 - 7.30 pm | Barbara Thorne |
01993
842013 |
| Yoga in Pregnancy |
Mondays |
8.00-9.00 pm | Jenny Philpott |
07877 725598 |
| West Oxfordshire Woodturning Assoc |
1st Tuesday in the month | 8.00-10.00pm |
David Spittles | 01993 776036 |
| 20:20:20
Zumba |
Wednesdayy |
7.30 - 8.30pm |
Steph Hill
steph.fitness@hotmail.co.uk |
0797083106161 |
| Dancing Club | Thursdays |
7.30 - 9.30 pm | Joy Douglas |
842373 |
| Karate | Fridays |
6.00 - 7.00 pm | Pete Cowling |
07794 363837 |
| Judo Club | Saturdays |
9.30 - 11.30 am | Jonathan Gerrans |
01865 884339 |
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** Pre school opening hours
The Hall is available for Private Hire Contact:- Diane Davies on 843430
