As we slowly work our way out of Lockdown; some of us are returning to work, some of us are getting used to going out to the shops once again and many of us are so glad that our bubbles have been expanded so that we can now meet up with our loved ones and our lives begin to resemble something more of what we were used to. However, it is important that we continue to respect those around us who may not be ready yet to embrace all of this and need a little more time to adjust.

We all need to remain vigilant, pay heed to the Government Advice and continue with our social distancing and our hand sanitising to ensure that our Community remains Covid-free. By us doing this helps the wider Community and hopefully will prevent any local Lockdown.

I have been amazed at some of the fabulous gardens I am seeing over the walls and fences as I’ve been walking my dog Maude around the village and I’m also very pleased to report that the allotments are also flourishing. All plots have now been rented out but if you think that you may like a plot in the future then please contact the Clerk and she will add your name to the list

The other great thing I have noticed is how much more our beautiful recreation ground is being used for get togethers with family and friends, for the children to run around and expend some energy whilst the playground has been closed and for general exercise. This is thanks to Fred Bellinger and Gary Jarvis, the Parish Council Maintenance Man, and to the Minster Lovell Cricket Team who have been working on the cricket square. Three areas of the drystone wall that surround it have also been repaired. We would like this green space to remain a safe and clean environment for these activities to continue, therefore, I would like to remind people that dogs are not allowed on the grass and additional signs have been put up to this effect. The tennis court is also being put to good use.

Another piece of incredibly good news is that our Primary School is getting its new classroom. Work has already started clearing the space for the new unit to go in and it should be completed only three weeks behind its pre-Covid schedule. More news on this later in the Newsletter

Even though the pace of life has been slower over the past three months, the Parish Council has still continued to meet virtually each month and has been able to recruit a new Councillor, Claire Stewart who lives in Brize Meadow. Welcome Claire! We would like to take this opportunity to extend our thanks to the other candidates who applied who were also strong contenders, and the Parish Council is hoping to involve them on some exciting projects in the future.
 

Wendy Way

Once again, I would like to thank all those responsible dog owners who are clearing up after their dogs (some of whom are clearing up other owner’s dog mess!) making the pavements and field footpaths a more enjoyable and safer place to walk. Unfortunately, there is still a minority of people who do not act responsibly and fail to clear up after their dogs with the Public Right of Way through Brize Meadow being particularly bad at the moment. Dog mess not only looks awful, it is unpleasant for everyone to see and is a serious health risk as it can cause toxocariasis which is a terrible disease for children and young adults to catch. Could I please ask that all dog owners act responsibly and respect our Community and Village?

Thank you to those residents who have cleared their overgrown trees and shrubs back from the footpath. This is particularly important in our village as we have such narrow footpaths in many places. Just a gentle reminder that pedestrians should have full access to a footpath to safely walk along and not be hindered by hedging or trees growing from residents’ properties too far over the path. Also weeds that grow around boundary walls or fences adjoining a footpath are the homeowners’ responsibility to remove. There are no authorities who undertake this work, so it is up to all of us to keep the footpaths tidy

Our local farmer will be repairing the stile on PROW 143/6 between the first and second fields from Chestnut Close as you walk to Curbridge. He will also be replacing the bridge timbers where footpath 143/5 crosses the stream as you walk towards Lew Hill.

I am writing this at the end of such a strange summer, at a time when some of our children have not been to school since March. We are preparing to reopen fully at the beginning of September, with various changes to how we work to keep children in their class “bubbles” and make sure our hygiene is as good as it possibly can be. I am glad that we have two days with the staff before the children come back: although our plans have been through many revisions already, we need to plan carefully how to make sure children feel happy and safe back in school and how to make sure children catch up on any learning they have missed during the lockdown period.

However, I cannot thank the staff enough for all the work they have put in over this period. With no previous experience, they had to prepare materials for remote learning which would keep the children’s learning going, keep them engaged and be clear to both the children and their parents. We never fully closed, with the children of some key workers coming every day, but from the beginning of June all the staff were teaching groups of children full-time in school as well as continuing the home-learning for those at home and carrying out cleaning duties before and after the school day. It was incredibly hard work, but I can say that I feel the extra efforts brought us more closely together as a team. Parents have been very understanding, especially when things have not gone to plan or plans have had to be changed at short notice, and the children, those in school and those at home, have been amazingly mature and resilient.

So now we move into the next phase of reopening, finally allowing everybody back to school. I can’t wait to see everyone again, back in school, learning and playing together as they should be.

As we come out of this period, the future of the school is looking great. We finally have planning permission for our new mobile classroom, which should be in by the end of September. This gives us 21 more places, more than half of which have already filled, and will by September 2021 bring us a little more income after several years of tightening belts. We have a great team of teachers, teaching assistants and office staff, looking forward to Mrs Conner coming back in October and welcoming Mrs Johnson as a fully-qualified teacher and Mrs Hunter as an official member of staff. Innovations for this year include Italian lessons for all children and everyone in the Year 4/5 class learning a brass instrument.

So, come on September 2020, Brize Norton School is ready for you!
Anna Fairhurst (Headteacher)

Hopefully, this coming year will find us back to normality. However, I am sure that during this lockdown our members have been busy, tirelessly working on projects that time would not allow previously due to the opening schedule.

The NGS had requested that if members could make a short video of their garden for possible viewing on their Web Site. For those who were able to respond, you can view their videos by clicking on the following YouTube Links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqtrwFDB8gI&feature=youtu.be https://youtu.be/BLtvGjX1CpE For those that are interested in gardens, these short videos are well worth watching.

We hope that life will return to normality in the following years and if opening of the gardens is possible we look forward to your support.

In the future if any one is interested in joining us in this worthwhile cause, then please contact me on 01993 841347.

Jean Butcher
for and on behalf of the
NGS Open Gardens Group

As you can imagine these last four months or so has been unprecedented, leaving the sports and social side of things completely devoid of any action. No Village Bash… The football season finished early and the cricket at Brize cancelled all together!! Although there is some good news, the football season will start again in September. See the Football Club’s article in this newsletter if you are keen on playing or just supporting.

Hopefully we will see a full season of village football and that cricket returns next season.

T4U (www.teams4u.com) was founded in 2006 by Dave Cooke and aims to fulfil the dreams of children whose greatest wish is to receive a Christmas gift.  For many this wish will be granted by the generosity of a total stranger who will probably be completely unaware of the impact it will have and the glimmer of hope it will bring, to a child who has nothing. Shoebox gifts are made to vulnerable children or families in Eastern Europe bringing joy and excitement into an often bleak existence. Donations of complete shoeboxes or of items that could then be made up into boxes are welcome. Please contact Carolyn 01993 844102 or look for information that will be posted on notice boards or online regarding collection points.
 

      Give love in a box this Christmas.

We have set up a new facility to those who don’t have access to social media but would like to join in with our services. Ring 01993 684547 where you will hear highlights of the service including the sermon. The recording lasts about 20-25 minutes but you can listen for as long as you like and the cost is simply that of a local telephone call. Alternatively, a national FREE 24 hour phoneline ‘Daily Hope’ offers music, prayers and reflections 0800 804 8044. Regular church services will also continue to take place on line. We welcome you to join with other people by going to the St Johns Carterton  Facebook watch party on Sunday and Thursday mornings at 10.30am or visit our Facebook page Friends of St Britius or the websites www.bncommunity.org/bnchurch.htm or www.stjohnschurchcarterton.org.uk.

As we look forward, Sunday 4 October will be our harvest celebration when we will make a collection of harvest gifts (non-perishable please) to donate to The Besom project, a local charity that helps local people with food parcels in the event of personal crisis. We will also be planning for a Remembrance service and wreath laying on Sunday 8 November.

The annual Oxford Historic Churches Trust ‘Ride and Stride’ event is taking place on Saturday 12 September. This sponsored event invites people to walk or cycle visiting churches in the area on the way with funds raised to OHCT and their local church. If you would like to support this initiative please contact Jacquie Griffin – 01993 841616 or go online to : https://ohct.org.uk/ride-and-stride/.

Like many charities the poppy appeal has not been able to fund raise as normal and this years November fundraising will be very different from previous years. There will be no door to door collecting and the information that I have at the moment is that the poppy appeal will be making paper poppies available via the super markets.

So please be generous in your support and if you are looking for nice poppy related items the poppy appeal have an online shop, The Royal British Legion Shop- The official Poppy Shop. All proceeds go to the RBL.

We would love to hear from other students or members of the community.
To submit a written piece involving your interests or recent experiences for the next copy of the newsletter.

Contact the clerk@brizenortonparishcouncil.co.uk.

Both toning, conditioning and circuits sessions are for any ability with a no pressure atmosphere, £5 per session.
Contact Tom Wattleworth on 07892945060 or
TW-FITNESS on Facebook

Due to the continued pandemic we feel we must remain closed until it is safe to get back dancing. If you require more information please ring Joy on 842373.
 

We are currently unable to organise the walks but hope to start again when it is safe to do so.
For more information ring Joy on 01993 842373
 

We have decided to remain closed until it is safe to mix as a group.

Best wishes to all our members.

For more information, ring Joy on 842373.

Hopefully we will be returning to meetings in September. All present members will be contacted with accurate information but we are hoping to have a zoom meeting on 7th September followed by an outdoor meeting on the 14th and we may be allowed indoor meetings after that, if not we will continue with zoom and outdoor meetings until the government and guiding give us permission to meet indoors.

Guiding have given us lots of advise and in depth risk assessments to ensure that all of our members will be safe at meetings but we understand if people want to wait a little longer before coming back but we look forward to having new members and invite any one who wishes to join us to register on the guiding website or contact me on 01993 842013. 
Barbie Thorne

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