The Grapevine MagazineMarch 2006 Issue No 209 |
Pre-School Chairman |
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Freya Fraser, Chairman of Lewknor Pre-School will be resigning at the end of this term after two years of hard work but will remain on the committee.
As well as approaching pre-school parents to find a successor to Freya the committee thought the Chairmanship might be an enjoyable opportunity for someone in the village who may not necessarily have children currently attending but who could spare the time to take the pre-school forward and enjoy being involved with the younger children in the village.
The pre-school has excellent facilities in the village hall and you would be supported by a team of fundraisers, a treasurer and a very experienced and dedicated team of staff. You would need to spare 2-3 hours per week to head up the running of the pre-school and be available to monitor sessions and meet with the staff and county representatives every couple of weeks during term times.
To find out more about what being chair entails please contact Freya on 01844 354053.
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A big thank you to Robbie and David in the Village shop who sold Christmas cards on behalf of St Margaret’s Church to help with its restoration. Two hundred and ten cards were sold and the Parochial Church council received a cheque for £110 which included a contribution from the shop.
Thanks also to everyone who bought cards to support the Restoration Fund. (Apologies that this item was omitted from the February issue)
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It’s time to put those trainers on and get your entries for the third Benson 10k which takes place on Sunday 9 April at 10.30am from Benson Parish Hall.
All finishers will receive a medal, a hot cross bun and a jar of honey!
Entry forms are available from Benson shops and www.bensonbulletin.com For more details please contact Les Bond tel 01491 8383585, e-mail benson10k@binternet.com
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“As a fairly regular Oxford Tube user who walks to and from the bus stops at Junction 6, I was interested in the article in February’s Grapevine. In my view, this excellent service is a direct benefit, not only to the people who use it, but also to the residents of Lewknor (at the very least on the positive impact on the value of properties in the village). Each full bus can carry 81 people, so imagine how many cars this takes off the road, and there's one every 10 to 12 minutes at peak periods in each direction.
When the stops were remodelled, we were told that there would only be a loss of a few car parking slots. As to the actual bus stops, an additional one was painted on the Watlington bound carriageway, virtually opposite the Oxford bound Tube stop, near the well lit pedestrian crossing, complete with paved waiting area and bus stop sign.
Then some jobsworth painted the words Bus Stop in the 2 existing lay-bys regularly filled with cars. To now make it illegal to park in those lay-bys will cause mayhem.
I think it is right to suggest that the Chinnor bound buses use the Tube stops. As for the Watlington bound buses, a no cost option would be for them to use the new bus stop I have referred to. Possible alternatives to this are to stop in the de facto lay-by formed by the entrance to the northern part of Hill Road or even get the buses to stop just inside the entrance to Watlington Road, Lewknor.
Options costing money would be to provide a bus lay-by between the current lay-by and Watlington Road, or to build a new lay-by adjacent to the new stop. No doubt local government will say it has no money to do this, having spent it on the pretty cobbled parking slots placed at Lewknor cross roads.
As for the risks of trying to make car parking in the original car lay-bys illegal. I am pleased that the article identified the knock on problem of 'displaced cars', which of course will end up parked in the centre of Lewknor.
About 50 cars are parked on a work day, many from before 6.30am to 5pm onwards. The drivers who get the Tube come from a wide ranging area, so let's forget about trying to force them onto the link buses, an idea doomed to failure from the outset.
Of the 50, about 15 use the Watlington bound lay-by. Denied its use, they would first park on the B4009 verges, but further pressure on them will put them right in the centre of Lewknor, there being no sensible alternatives. They'd probably work out that this would be more convenient than parking on the verges anyway - it's a shorter walk from Lewknor centre up the Hill Road steps than along the B4009 verges.
Further restrictions on them, like yellow lines throughout Lewknor, go down like a lead balloon round here, but if that happened, and the passengers stopped using Lewknor, the whole viability of this 24 hour regular and frequent bus service stopping at Lewknor begins to look shaky. Its withdrawal would be bad news for Lewknor”.
From: Derek Hazlewood
2A Hill Road, Lewknor
“In response to Tim Bowie’s comments in February’s Grapevine I would like to offer some thoughts. I trust that a member of the Parish Council will be kind enough to get from the District Council the answers to my questions.
The young lady who first ventured to phone the Oxford bus company that was running the ‘Oxford Tube’ to see if they would leave the motorway at Junction 6 to pick her up if she phoned them in advance little knew, I am sure, what she was setting in motion!
The present situation has some very good plus points for some people - but also some not so good for others, but it is less easy to promote these adverse points because the emotive environmental points make it uncomfortable to do so.
With all this money that has been spent on this area already without so far any satisfactory outcome I would like to offer some thoughts: (I don’t know what to call the current area. I can’t call it a ‘Park and Ride’ because there is no official car park)
Has the present ‘parking area’ got any legal validity? Lay-bys are intended for temporary stopping not for longterm parking - Is not the law being broken by denying drivers the temporary stopping places which were intended?
How much has been spent so far on this whole project? (Please give full details under the Freedom of Information Act).
Was any research undertaken at all as to where the drivers who park in it, came from, and is any being undertaken on an ongoing basis to check it?
This research (properly done) should certainly have been done before the white elephant community buses were even considered. Can I ask how much have been the capital and revenue costs of these ‘facilities’? It must be one of the costliest uses of Council Tax (our) money ever. To charge users a £1 per journey must be the height of ‘generosity’! Its ridiculousness is infinitely worse than the so-called road improvement at Lewknor cross-roads (whoever ‘designed’ and approved that expense - even if it was not directly charged to the council - should have been fired)
Has any check been made on cars using Watlington car park - I am sure a lot of users for local purposes have found difficulty in parking there due to commuter drivers taking up spaces all day - and research is needed to find where those drivers come from.
I seem to remember that the Bus company was given an ‘allowance’ for coming off the motorway in Oxfordshire which would not have been offered by Buckinghamshire council if they had opted for Stokenchurch - is this so, and if so, how much is this allowance?
The upshot of all the costs referred to above is that the Bus Company has made a lot of profit at the Council’s expense!
I grant that some Lewknor residents have gained by virtue of the Oxford Tube but we cannot ignore at what cost, plus the unsightly car parking, the increase in the risk of accidents and the fact that it is going to get worse in volume and cost.
P.S. What happened about the alternative proposal at Stokenchurch which is a much more viable site?
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In January we read“ My Sister’s Keeper” by Justine Picoult, an author no-one in the group was familiar with. The book proved to be a really interesting read, well-written with sharp dialogue, excellent characterisation and an unusual plot the basis of which was an ethical dilemma. The central character, Anna, had been conceived in order to provide stem-cells for her older sister, Kate, who was suffering from a rare form of leukaemia. The book opens when Anna aged 13 consults an attorney (the book is set in the States) because she does not want to donate a kidney to Kate who is in renal failure. The problem has arisen because the stem cells collected when Anna was born could not change the relentless progress creasingly invasive procedures as part of her sister’s treatment.
The effect of Kate’s illness has had on her parents’ relationship and her brother and Anna are brilliantly explored and while Anna’s lawyer, his dog and his ex-girlfriend, provide some episodes of light relief the underlying ethical issues are dealt with in depth. We felt the ending, unexpected as it was, provided a less than believable resolution of the story but did not spoil the reader’s overall enjoyment.
This month we are reading “Cloud Atlas” by David Mitchell which was shortlisted for the Mann Booker Prize in 2004 but missed out to Alan Hollinghurst’s “Line of Beauty”. We are then having a break in March but meeting again in April to read “Eve Green” by Susan Fletcher, a Whitbread First Novel prizewinner, and after that, another Jodi Picoult novel, “The Pact”, in May.
If you are interested in joining the Book Club but would like to find out more first then I can be contacted on 01844 350392. Elan Preston-Whyte
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Achieving the Vision: The Chiltern Gateway project As a first step in re-vitalising the church and enhancing it’s role in the community, the building has been markedly improved in the past six months by complete re-roofing and installation of a new heating system. Having completed the important work of making the building watertight, warm, and welcoming, we are now beginning to implement the first phase of “The Chiltern Gateway Project” which will make the most not only of our beautiful building but also of the natural beauty of the Chilterns.
The First Phase The Parochial Church Council has been approached at various times in the past by the Chiltern Conservation Board and the Aston Rowant Nature Reserve (English Nature) for space to be provided in the church for exhibitions relating to the activities of these organisations, which would be educational. Such an exhibition in the church building would make the most of its situation in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Village Conservation Area. More recently, discussions with these organisations have led to detailed proposals for the content of the exhibition, and a proposal from The Chilterns Conservation Board that they would provide grant funding for the capital costs of a freestanding exhibition. To this end Chiltern Conservation Board has made a costed proposal that has been discussed with Lewknor Parish Council to secure support from the local community. The Parish Council have submitted the grant application which we are given to understand will be approved provided we have a faculty in place to allow the exhibition to be placed in the church building. At this stage no physical alterations to the building are proposed. The staging of the exhibition will provide a low cost, low risk first step in developing links with local organisations, and demonstrating the community benefits of expanding the range of uses for the church building.
Future Phases The next phase aims to make a significant step towards building stronger links between the church, the local community, and visitors. Initially effort will be directed towards achieving a greater degree of involvement with the church school, and working alongside local environmental groups and others to increase use of the church building by the local community and visitors.
The school is a successful primary school of 80 children, and has the advantage of being next-door to the church building. They already uses the church for their assemblies and we would like them to become more involved in the church, which may result in their continuing to be more involved as adults. In the recent past the school has used the church for other activities on an ad hoc basis, and has expressed a wish to continue to do so. We shall explore with the new headteacher, ways in which the school could enhance its interaction with the church as well as using the church building for other activities. In this phase it is likely that a reasonable degree of additional involvement can be achieved without the need for physical alterations to the building.
As the project progresses we will continue to develop links with local communities, schools, and other organisations within our group of parishes and surrounding area. In support of this there is considerable potential for creating a space within the church building that could be used as a school hall, visitor centre, exhibition space, community / parish room(s), etc. Such facilities would greatly enhance our capability and capacity to achieve our vision, and discussions over the past six months or so have shown that there is good support for this idea from a range of potential partners and users.
A Rocha, an international conservation organisation working to show God’s love for all creation, have been invited to work with us in developing The Chiltern Gateway Project. Their activities and expertise would mesh well with the proposal of extending the use of the church within the local community and with visitors, and as an educational location with a strong environmental theme. They have relevant experience in project management, networking, and fund raising, as well as access to volunteer workers with a range of practical skills. They have proposed actively helping the development by providing advice and assistance across a broad range of activities.
If you would like to hear more of these plans do come to our special Open Meeting at the Jubilee Hall on Friday March 17th. at 7.30pm. You are invited to a ‘Fork Supper’ and glass of wine, there will be no charge but donations are welcome.
St. Margaret’s Parochial Church Council.
FREE! A small electric organ (in light wood case) but no longer in working order.
Available free to anyone able to collect.
The first real feeling of spring usually happens around February – emerging flowers are especially appreciated at this time, whether in the form of bulbs, early perennials or shrubs. They give us a wonderful lift and every garden should have them! And whether you have time to enjoy the garden during the day, or just get to see it on your way out in the morning, your day will be transformed with the addition of spring colour.
Winter jasmine, or Jasminum nudiflorum, is rightly regarded as one of the stars at this time of year. An easily managed shrub, this jasmine will bring February flowers to your garden and is particularly attractive when encouraged to tumble over walls and fences, or trained up a wall. Not a climber, but it will grow strongly if given some support. Because it lacks tendrils, shoots do need to be tied in to a trellis, at least to start with. It has the wonderful capability of being able to grow and flower even away from direct sunlight, making it particularly versatile in terms of where it can be positioned.
The bright yellow flowers appear before the leaves, developing along the green shoots. These are long and arching and at full growth with some support, the shrub can reach 3m in height and spread. The leaves, which follow the flowers in later spring, are pointed, dark green and 3cm long.
To get maximum impact from your winter jasmine, grow with hellebores, winter iris or bulbs like snowdrops. By allowing some shoots to trail close to the ground, the colours of these plants will combine beautifully with the yellow of the jasmine. Most garden soils are suitable for Jasminum nudiflorum, but it will do particularly well with good drainage and a fertile soil. Maintenance is easy – all you need to do is trim the shoots after flowering to keep the plant tidy. Cold winters pose no threats as this shrub is fully hardy.
This is a great time of the year to get things ready for the coming months. Tidying up after the winter gives you the opportunity to see exactly what you’ve got. Take the time now to plan out new planting for the year ahead and make sure you include some of these wonderful flowering shrubs in your designs.
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The topic for this term is ‘Books – what do they tell us?’ Each week the children will be looking at a different theme ie – fairy tales, cookery and hobbies, nursery rhymes, topics and facts and songs and poems to celebrate World Book Day.
The children have the opportunity to dress up as their favourite book character and share their favourite book with their friends. They will also have the opportunity to a basic introduction to our Saints, their fables and customs on St Patrick and St David’s Day.
On Shrove Tuesday the children will be busy making pancakes – they also have several surprises for mums on Mother’s Day!!
EASTER EGG HUNT
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In an emergency (that is to say, to report a crime in progress or about to be committed, or a risk of serious injury) one should call 999.
For all other, non-emergency, calls to the police the only number to call is now 0845 8 505 505.
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There have been two recent incidents involving the dumping of, untraceable and presumably stolen, dead sheep within the parish (on the Beacon View side of the M40 embankment adjacent to the Vodaphone telecoms compound).
Should anyone observe any further incidents of this nature, any information should immediately be passed to the police, making a 999 call if the incident is actually underway or the new non-emergency number (0845 8 505 505) if not.
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As noted in the previous edition of Grapevine, the garden waste collection service (which involves bulk composting and thus a reduction in the amount of waste going to landfill) is considered to have been a success but SODC are seeking to introduce a better solution than the paper sacks which have been employed since last summer. The latest proposal would involve the provision of a large brown wheely-bin which would be routinely emptied on a fortnightly basis; that is to say that there would no longer be any need to make a booking. The cost of this scheme is expected to be £29 per year. SODC are currently seeking feedback to gauge the extent to which the public might sign up to such a scheme. If you would be prepared to take advantage of it, or have any comments or questions, call SODC Public Amenities on 01491 823416 or email public.amenities@southoxon.gov.uk
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Further to last month’s notice, it is confirmed that the residual bus service is confined to a peak hours shuttle which involves six departures from Watlington between 05.26am and 08.06am and five from Stokenchurch between 05.43am and 07.48am. There is no timetable for the evening period, the aim being to meet the Oxford Tube services departing London between 4.05pm and 6.35pm and leaving Oxford between 4.35pm and 6.50pm (NB Anyone planning to use these services is advised to check because published timings vary – some say the last service to be met departs from Oxford at 06.29pm and another has it as 06.30pm and some say that Oxford Tubes will be met ‘on request’, implying that one may need to book.) Further details are (were?) posted in the bus shelters, may be accessed via the OCC website (www.oxfordshire.gov.uk, then search ‘bus timetables’ followed by ‘Lewknor Taxibus’), obtained from leaflets deposited at Watlington Library and/or Stokenchurch Post Office or directly from the operator (Walters) on 01869 327048 or 01865 875222.
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Following the recent withdrawal of financial support for the local dial-a-ride taxibus service, Watlington Parish Council has been offered the use of a minibus with which to run a Community Transport Scheme which it is eager to extend to embrace adjacent villages – like Lewknor and Postcombe. A project of this kind can be viable only if it receives the necessary degree of active support from the community. In short; there have to be enough local folk who are prepared to commit their time and energy to working as either co-ordinators or drivers. Co-ordinators would liase between users and drivers, possibly via a mobile phone or using their home telephone. Drivers would not need any special licence or test; a standard private car licence will be sufficient. Working hours are indeterminate as yet but it is clear that, in general, the larger the pool of labour, the less any individual would need to do.
Anyone who thinks that might be prepared to get involved and/or would like more information should contact Angie Paterson on 01491 614033.
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The Civil Parish of Lewknor (which embraces South Weston and Postcombe) is within the Electoral Ward of Watlington which has two District Councillors. One of these seats is currently unoccupied and (assuming that it will be contested) an election will be held on 23 March 2006 to fill the vacancy. If you wish to stand, your nomination papers must be deposited with the Returning Officer at SODC by noon on 24 February. Anyone needing to change an existing arrangement for postal or proxy voting needs to have done so by 8 March; applications for new postal or proxy facilities may be made until 15 March.
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Entries in the LPC (Lewknor Parish Council) Comment column will be confined to one of three options: ‘Approve’, ‘Object’ or ‘NSV’ (No Strong Views), the latter being the most usual. Entries in the SODC Status column will be ‘Current’, ‘Appeal’, ‘Withdrawn’, ‘Granted’ or ‘Refused’; all of which are self-explanatory. Further details of individual Planning Applications are available on-line, as follows. Open SODC’s Home Page at www.southoxon.gov.uk. At the top – click on ‘On-Line Services’. On the window that opens, scroll down to and click on ‘Use online planning services’. Then click on ‘View planning applications via the Planning Register’ and follow the instructions to find the specific application that you seek..
| Ref No | Remarks | LPC Comment | SODC Status |
| PO5/E1334/RET | Beech Farm, Postcombe - storage containers | NSV | Current |
| PO6/E0076 | 9 High St., Lewknor - garage & porch | Object | Current |