Brize Norton Parish Council Newsletter

You are here: Community > Brize Norton > Parish Council Newsletter 

Please note that this might not be the latest issue of the Parish Newsletter. 
For a full listing and to find the latest issue click here.

Here is the text from the September 2012 Newsletter Published here with permission of the Parish Council.

CHAIRMAN'S REPORT

With the onset of autumn it is possibly time to reflect on what has been a momentous year. The Olympics proved to be an outstanding success on a national scale. While locally celebrations to mark the Queens Jubilee were well attended and proved to be most popular. The Open Gardens day brought people to the village from far and wide to visit some of the outstanding gardens in the village. The very wet weather we experienced this year has not dampened the enthusiasm of the many village organisations. To round of the seasonal activities the village fete, cricket and horticulture show will take place on the August Bank Holiday. In what has been a difficult and challenging year for gardeners I feel sure there will be the usual outstanding plants and flowers at the horticulture show plus some entertaining cricket.

The Brize Norton football teams have started training with up to 30 players now striving to reach peak fitness for the season ahead.

Work is scheduled to start on the Church roof in the very near future, when the bats have completed whatever bats do to delay building projects! This will be another outstanding achievement by a small band of dedicated fundraisers.

I raise my hat to all those willing volunteers who work so hard to ensure the success of so many activities in the village.

1,000 New Houses

At the risk of sounding liked "the little boy who called wolf" I must re-iterate that there is still a very real threat that up to 1,000 houses will be built in the village.

What are not clear are the Local Development Framework and the Core Strategy of West Oxfordshire District Council in the provision and location of the large numbers of houses required (?) in West Oxfordshire. The Parish Council will do their utmost to keep you informed of any action required in the light of new information becoming available. What is known is that there will be a further period for public consultation with announcements being made as to the timescale later in the year.

Parish Councillor Vacancy

Brize Norton Parish Council currently is one councillor short of our stated requirement of seven councillors. The next election for parish councillors is in 2014, however it is permissible to co-opt new members to maintain our full entitlement. This is an interesting and challenging role. If you have a keen interest in the village and some time to spare please contact the Parish Clerk to further express your interest in becoming a Parish Councillor

Keith

CALENDAR OF EVENTS - read on more for further information

REPATRIATIONS

Details of repatriations are usually received on a Monday.  Notices will be displayed on the village notice boards at the earliest opportunity. Further details may be found on the Oxfordshire County Council web site. Please note timings are always subject to change.

WEST OXON WOODTURNING ASSOCIATION

West Oxon Woodturning Association (WOWA) meets on the first Tuesday of every month at the Elderbank Village Hall, Brize Norton. We start at 7.30 pm and finish about 10.00 pm. Non members are very welcome but members and visitors must be over 16. Our meetings comprise of demonstrations either by one of our members or by a professional turner or its just 'Hands On'. All demonstrations are enhanced by the use of a video projection system that allows everyone to view the intricacies of the finer points of wood turning. Please come along and enjoy an evening - your first visit is free!

For further information please contact Dave Spittles on 01993 776036 or visit our web site at WOWA.org.uk

ALLOTMENT NEWS

The half yearly meeting for allotment holders will be held on Monday 1st October at the Pavilion at 6.30 pm. Presentation of the best kept allotment trophy will be made at the meeting. If you would like to be put on the waiting list for when allotments become available for rent then please contact the clerk.

BRIZE NORTON HORTICULTURAL SHOW

Please don't forget your entries for the Horticultural Show for this Bank Holiday Monday - IT IS NOT TOO LATE - contact either Judy Gush on 01993 846730 or Bev Tyrell on 01993 843450 for an entry form with all the information. Due to the exceptional weather conditions this year entries will be accepted up to the end of the day on Sunday 26th August.   Not only are there vegetables to show, but cakes, preserves, flowers, flower arranging and handicraft. You don't have to enter everything (although you can if you want to!), just have a go. The more entries we have the more interesting it is for people to look at. We have a children's competition section which is free to enter and entries are accepted on the day. The competitions are judged in the two age ranges up to 7 years and 8-13 years and the classes are: Jubilee Street Party - painting/drawing/collage Olympic Stadium - on a plate/tray It would be lovely to see more children's entries this year.

BRIZE NORTON SPORTS & SOCIAL CLUB

The recent wet weather has curtailed the cricket so far this season. However our ground dries quickly, and with thanks to Fred Bellenger for cutting the outfield and the groundsman for preparing the wicket, when the sun did finally make an appearance in late July cricket was played again. In fact four games were played in a matter of five days! It was good to see large numbers of supporters too! And with the footballers starting pre-season training there is a lot going on at this moment in time.

Plus we cannot forget to mention the very successful first season of the BNS&SC

Aunt Sally team. At the time of writing the team is top of their league, with more 'dollies' than the rest of the league!! A big thank you to all involved with the Aunt Sally - but especially to Bob Watts, whose energy and enthusiasm got the team up and running and seems sure to be heading for silverware, come the end of the summer. Anyone interested in joining or supporting the team please speak to Bob for full details of games. They play on a Thursday evening with home games at the Pavilion.

Finally, the annual Cricket, Fete and Horticultural Show is happening on the 27th August. Nice weather is almost guaranteed - it has only rained once in the 35 years the event has been held! Yet never cancelled!!!

Please come along and support this annual village event. There is plenty to do and watch, plenty to drink and eat. Look forward to seeing you all then.

Through fund raising and bar profits it is hoped that the BNS&SC can soon improve the showers and changing rooms for all the players. It is also hoped that we can upgrade the furniture in the bar area. If anyone has contacts with hotels/pubs who may be upgrading their table and chairs and want rid of the old stuff please do let me know.

Many thanks - Tim Gush BNS&SC

NHS 111 The new number for the future of non - emergency health services
is coming to Oxfordshire Summer 2012

What is this about?

A new three- digit number 111 that will make it easier for patients to access local NHS healthcare services. NHS 111 will be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls from landlines and mobiles will be free. The new service is part of a national programme to make it easier for the public to access urgent health services.

NHS 111 will get you through to a team of fully trained call advisers, who are supported by experienced clinicians. They will ask you questions to assess your symptoms, and give you the healthcare advice you need or direct you to the right local service. The NHS 111 team will, where possible, book you an appointment or transfer you directly to the people you need to speak to. If they think you need an ambulance, they will send one immediately - just as if you had originally dialled 999.

What do members of the public need to know?

You should call NHS 111 if:

• You need medical help fast, but it is not a 999 emergency
• You think you need to go to accident and emergency or another NHS urgent care service
• You do not know who to call for medical help or you do not have a GP to call
• You require health information or reassurance about what to do next

For less urgent health needs, you should still contact your GP in the usual way.
For more information please visit the NHS Choices website at www.nhs.uk/111

BRIZE NORTON BADMINTON CLUB

Are you thinking of taking up a new sport after watching the Olympics? Then why not come along and join the badminton club. We meet every Monday at The Elderbank Hall and play from 8 pm until 10 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 Liz on 843196 or just come along to the hall.

ST BRITIUS CHURCH

Work on the north face and chancel roof is currently scheduled to start on Monday 10th September. The church will remain open for all the normal Sunday and Wednesday services, for baptisms, weddings and funerals. The north aisle will be screened off to allow work on the roof to take place and the organ will be protected but be in use for special occasions such as Remembrance Sunday and Christmas Services.

To make the church attractive during this period, the children of the Sunday Club, their families and friends will be making harvest collages to hang on the protective sheeting. Everyone is welcome to come and help make these displays on Friday 14th September from 3.30 pm 'til 5 pm.

There will be a special and different Harvest Festival Family Service in church on Sunday 7th October at 9.15 am. All harvest gifts brought to church will be combined with the children's gifts at school and taken to The Porch Steppin' Stone Centre which helps the homeless in Oxford.

If you haven't been to church recently, why not join us on Sunday 4th November for "Back to Church" Sunday. It is a family service at 9.15 am to celebrate our Patronal Festival for Saint Britius day. This was a very popular service last year and again we will be inviting all couples who have recently married, and families whose children have been baptised at St Britius to join us, and everyone else who would like to come. There will be refreshments afterwards including mulled wine.

The Service of Remembrance will take place on Sunday 11th November at 10 am with the wreath laying at the War Memorial at 11 am..

On repatriation days the church will be open for quiet prayer and the office bell rung as the cortege(s) pass by.

FRIENDS OF ST BRITIUS

The "Stop the drips at St Brits" roof appeal continues apace. Thanks to everyone who has organised and supported the many very successful events including the Beer Festival which raised £3,240, Opera in the Garden £1,556, Cream Teas at Painswick House £257, and our Vicar's sponsored Welsh 3000's climb raising £339.

The fund-raising team plan to have a "Hard Hat and Champagne Party" to celebrate the start of the work. Everyone who has supported us in any way at any of our events is very welcome to come along and celebrate with us on Friday 14th September from 7.30 pm at the church.

All fund raising efforts are now being allocated to phase 2 (south face of the nave and the porch) so please look out for details of and support the following events:

• Ride and Stride on Saturday 8th September
• St Brits Ball on Friday 21st September at Witney Lakes (see below)
• Bingo Night on Tuesday 23rd October in the Elderbank Hall
• Accessories Swap party on Tuesday 13th November at the Chequers (see below)

Our website for the roof fund is www.brizenorton.org.uk/stbritiusroof

St Brits Ball on Saturday 21st September at Witney Lakes.

This will be a repeat of our successful Ball last year. It will be black tie, dancing to a live band "Breeze" and includes a two course hot meal. Tickets are available from Tammy Howard (846123).

Accessories Swap Party on Tuesday 13th November at The Chequers.

Following the success of the last Accessories Swap Party, the fund raising committee for Stop the Drips at St. Brits are planning another one for Tuesday 13th November. Therefore, if any of you are going through your things and doing a bit of a clear-out, please hang on to any jewellery, scarves, bags and belts that you no longer want and would like to donate. You can take anything to Charlotte Taylor at The Chequers and she will store them until November. Shoes, boots and some clothes are also welcome but only those in the very best condition as most people do not want to be bothered to try things on.
	Then on the night, all the lovely items will be displayed in the side room in The Chequers and anyone can come and browse. If there is something you like, you just put a donation in the pot. With Christmas just around the corner, this is an excellent opportunity to stock up on Christmas presents for friends, mothers, daughters, granddaughters, nieces etc.

Help please

The Fund Raising Team is always thinking up new activities and working very hard to make them work. They would love for some more people to come and join them. If you are interested please ring Jackie Bellenger at AK Timms (842172

BRIZE NORTON OPEN GARDENS

Despite the really wet weather we had leading up to the Open Gardens we managed to put on another year of exceptional gardens for people to view in Brize Norton. We raised a total of over £1,000 of which £811 went to the National Gardens Scheme and £67.63 to each of four groups within the village, the Brownies, the Over 60's Club, the Horticultural Show and the Church. We were very lucky with the weather as it managed to stay nice until about 5 pm that afternoon.

We are now looking forward to our opening in 2013. If you would like to join us and open your garden please let me know by the 16th September at the latest as we have to advise the NGS of our gardens for the following year. We would love to welcome some new gardens to our group, the more the merrier and it gives visitors more selection to visit. We do hope you feel able to join - and you do have until early next June to get your garden ready. Give me a call on 846446 or 846730 or email me on judy@tcg-ad.com Judy Gush

BRIZE NORTON WOMEN'S INSTITUTE

Despite the dreadful weather we have had our various activities and meetings that have kept us going. In June we were taken on a pictorial walk along The Ridgeway with our speaker for the night Russell Cherry. He provided us with an insight into various features which are just slightly off the beaten track but are well worth taking a detour for.

Our July meeting had us reminiscing about the time Witney Blankets were in full flow with interesting memorabilia brought along by our speaker Valerie Burton.

At the end of July we were very lucky to be able to enjoy one of our very hot days with a garden party at Andrea Moss's garden in Filkins. We had a Treasure Hunt, raffle and delicious food. This gave members a chance to chat to each other in lovely surroundings.

August is the time for our annual outing and this year we are being looked after by Filkins WI who will take us to the Swinford Museum, provide us with a ploughman's lunch and take us round some of their lovely gardens.

We have a stall at the Bank Holiday Cricket fete on Monday 27th August where we will be having a stall of bric-a-brac, produce and craft items which we hope you will support. The money raised is hopefully and with the permission of the Parish Council, going to purchase daffodil bulbs to fill in the gaps on the Manor Road verge which have been left by various engineering works.

Future meetings are:

• September 11th Demonstration of Face and Body art - speaker Gita Konschak
• October 9th Stained Glass - speaker Philip Dove

We meet in the Elderbank Hall on the second Tuesday of each month at 7.30 pm and we would love to see a few more of you.

Sue Calcutt

TEA BOOKS - BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP

We meet every 4 - 5 weeks to discuss a book we have all read. It is a very informal gathering, nothing too structured. We ask each member to contribute 50p which covers admin costs; this is collected by Jan the group leader. We meet at 11 am in Carterton Library and would be pleased to see anyone who may be interested. Our sessions are about an hour's duration and we have a cup of tea too. Please contact the Library in the first instance on 01993 841492. Our next meeting is 25th September when we will be discussing 'These Foolish Things' by Deborah Moggach. Our October meeting will discuss 'The Kashmir Shawl' by Rosie Thomas.

BRIZE NORTON DANCE CLUB

We meet Thursday evenings 7.30 'til 9.30 pm in the Elderbank Hall. Only £2 each. We dance ballroom, Latin American and sequence dances to CD's. Thank you to Mabel and Jean who serve tea and biscuits in the break. We start again after our summer break on Thursday 6th September. For more information contact Joy on 01993 842373.

WITNEY AND CARTERTON HEALTH WALKS

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.

For more information contact Joy on 01993 842373.

Carterton

On Monday and Saturday we meet at the Town Hall, Carterton at 10am, and on Thursday at 10 am at the Leisure Centre, Broadshires Way. The walks are 1 - 2 miles long. For more information contact Barbara Goudal on 01993 845923.

GETTING READY FOR WINTER!

There are still some appointments available to book a free electric blanket test. The tests offered to residents of West Oxfordshire are run by West Oxfordshire District Council in partnership with the Oxfordshire County Council and our neighbouring authorities. The venues are at Witney (Elmfield offices, Woodgreen) and Chipping Norton on 12th October and 26th October respectively. Testing is by appointment only and it was very popular last year with both venues being completely booked. The telephone number for appointments is 01993 861060. Community Services www.westoxon.gov.uk

BRIZE NORTON FOOTBALL CLUB

Brize Norton FC starts the new season in early September and would like to invite anyone and everyone from the village to come along to the recreational ground to support your local Football club. You will find a very friendly group of people who would very much appreciate your support on the touchline. Then enjoy the friendly and jovial atmosphere of the Pavilion bar after the match to see the results come in while sharing a chat over a drink or two! Please don't feel that you have to have an interest in football to be welcomed in, please come on down and get involved in the social aspect of the club. And it's not too late to sign up and play for the club this season!

The First team are currently in WDFA Division 1 and the Reserve team are in WDFA Division 3. League matches kick off at 2 pm on Saturday afternoons and Cup games kick off at 1.30 pm.

Forthcoming social events (in conjunction with Brize Norton Sports and Social Club):

All events in the Pavilion Bar. Competition money going to the Pavilion improvement fund and the Bar takings go to the Sports and Social Club to help with the running costs of the pavilion. All welcome. Please check the Pavilion notice board for further information, or come into the Pavilion on Saturday afternoon and ask for further details while you enjoy a drink.

Friday 28th September, Quiz Night (General Knowledge, on a rounds format, Music, History, Sport, Etc.), Bar open at 7.30 pm, Quiz starts at 8 pm. Teams of 2, £2 per person.

Saturday 27th October, Darts competition, Bar open after the football in the afternoon, competition starts at 7 pm. Knock-out format, best of 3 Legs per match. £2 per person to enter.

Saturday 24th November, Race Night. DVD Based Game. Bar open after the football in the afternoon, Racing starts at 7.45 pm

Friday 14th December, Christmas Quiz Night (General Knowledge, on a rounds format, Music, History, Sport, Etc. But based more on the festive period), Bar open at 7.30 pm, Quiz starts at 8 pm. Teams of 2, £2 per person.

For more details on forth coming events, match reports, results and more please check out the Football Club's website: http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/brizenortonfc

BRIZE NORTON VILLAGE PRESCHOOL

The preschool has finished off a fantastic year with a family BBQ and fun day, which raised a total of £393 for preschool funds. We will be purchasing new toys and resources over the summer holiday to start the new year in style! We have also received a grant from Oxfordshire County Council, thanks to the hard work of our Preschool Manager, Claire Davies which will go towards more resources including a new computer which has been desperately needed.

We currently have places available in most sessions for September, with term starting on Thursday 6th September. Our current sessions are 9 am to 3 pm Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and 9 am to 12 pm Thursday and Friday. Half day sessions, and lunch club sessions extending the morning session to 1 pm Monday-Wednesday are also available. Please contact brizenortonpreschool@hotmail.com for information about vacancies

We were very sad to say goodbye to 22 children this year, and would like to wish them all the best with their onward transfer to primary school. All children received a commemorative teddy bear at our leavers Teddy Bears' Picnic, and we hope they leave with lasting good memories of their time with us. Alex Skym - Pre-school committee chairman

The last academic year seemed to race by and it seems impossible to think we are preparing for a new group of children to join our reception class in September. We are looking forward to making the children and families feel part of our school community.

The end of the school year saw so many achieve for us to celebrate. Our Year 6 achieved the best results we have seen to date. All of our children achieved the national expectation (Level 4) in maths and English this year and in maths and reading 71% achieved Level 5. As always children leave our school significantly above the national average and well prepared for the start of secondary school. It is always sad to say farewell to the Year 6 in July. Over the course of their last year, the children really mature and this year was no exception. We wish all of the Year 6 children the best of luck at secondary school from September.

Over the last year we have continued to develop our curriculum to keep it relevant and interesting for children. During 2011- 2012 we established whole school topics each term to ensure that children of all ages were working around a common theme. The children certainly enjoyed our final two topics of the year, centred on the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics. Next year we start with a 'fire' based topic which looks to be very exciting.

For the last two weeks of term we had the pleasure of hosting David Tusuubira, the headteacher from our partner school in Uganda, Kibanga Primary School. We learnt so much from having David with us, as he told us all about school and home life in his village. We even tried our hand at weaving, which was not as easy as we thought it would be! Our partnership with Kibanga has been established for four years now and goes from strength to strength. This year we focused on a joint art project called 'My Room'. Next year we are planning to learn about traditional children's games from each other.

I would like to thank everyone who supported the summer fete this year. We prayed for good weather and the rain held off until it was time to pack away. This event raised £1345 which will be used to help develop our new outside learning space off Moat Close.

Please add our website to your favourites and follow what we have been doing at www.bnschool.org

MACMILLAN COFFEE MORNING

I am holding a coffee morning/afternoon in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support; this is as part of Macmillan's "Worlds biggest coffee morning" initiative. This will be held on Friday 28th September from 9 am to 4 pm, at 'Montrose', Manor Road, Brize Norton. If dry the event will be held in the garden and if wet we shall be indoors! Please do come and have a cuppa and a cake and help raise money for this important cancer charity. If you would like more information, would like to help by baking cakes or on the day please call Christine Naus on 844010.

BRIZE NORTON OVER 60's CLUB

During the past few months we have had a variety of meetings; we've been to Leamington by coach, to White Horse Hill and onto Wantage, had a meal at The Chequers, held a coffee morning, had a cream tea, had a sing-a-long with Cliff, held a quiz at one meeting and visited Bill Faulkner's.

Our future programme is:

We are a small club for village residents. We meet at 2.30 pm at 4 Squires Close on 1st and 3rd Tuesdays in the month. We enjoy a nice tea of sandwiches, tea and home made cakes provided by June, Connie and Benita to whom we give our thanks.
 

COFFEE MORNING 16th October 2012 10.30pm at 4 Squires Close Bring & buy and raffle EVERYONE WELCOME

For more information contact Joy on 01993 842373

All entries for inclusion in the December 2012 issue should be received by the clerk by
15 November 2012.