The Grapevine MagazineJune 2006 Issue No 212 |
Garden Competition |
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The gardens in the parish will be judged at the end of June/beginning of July. As usual, all the front gardens will be judged as seen from the road. Residents are very welcome to ask for their whole garden to be included in the judging and there are a small number of ‘regulars’ who do this. As there are several new families in the parish it would be good to update the list for the judges so please make sure that you contact Christine Smith (01844 353283) by Friday 21st June to get your garden on the list.
Even if you are a ‘regular’ please confirm with Christine that you still want your garden to be included. There are four trophies awarded for the competition and these are announced at the annual parish Horticultural Show held in September. The trophies include one for the best containers so, even of you don’t have much time or space for gardening, everyone can have a go. Good Luckl!
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We would like to get together a group of interested people to take on the organisation of the regular events held for residents in the parish. We know that lots of local people are actively involved in raising funds for all sorts of different causes including the school, pre-school and Jubilee Hall and that these are vital in supporting these local organisations. Often the same people are involved whatever the fund raising event is for! It seems a good idea to try to organise some ‘whole parish’ events where any proceeds can be allocated to whichever cause is most in need or where the idea is just to give people the opportunity to enjoy an event for our whole community without the pressure of having to raise money as well. The annual Horticultural Show would be one of the events handed on to the new group. It has been going for a long time now and could really do with some new ideas to put a sparkle back into it.
A meeting has been arranged at Lewknor School on Monday 26th June starting at 7.30p.m. to discuss these ideas. Please come along if you can.
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The Queen opens Oxford Castle
On 5th May The Queen officially opened the restored Oxford Castle and Prison site. It is a chance to see the historic castle (dating back to the 11th century) for the first time and visitors will witness real stories as the history of these important buildings, and the people connected to them are brought dramatically to life. As well as experiencing the history visitors can also enjoy the café life-style and restaurants which have been made possible by the development of the prison area. The County Council, which owns the site, has put together a far-sighted partnership between the private and public sectors to achieve this development which will become a major attraction for the county as a whole. Next year will be the 1000th anniversary of Oxfordshire and it is good that we have been able to open our castle in time for the anniversary celebrations.CCTV goes live in Thame
Visitors to Thame should feel safer walking the streets in the town centre now that South Oxfordshire District Council’s CCTV scheme is live. The CCTV scheme consists of sixteen cameras operating in the town centre 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The cameras will complement the work of the police and Community Support Officers to reduce crime, and the fear of crime and anti-social behaviour. The cameras will enable operators at a monitoring suite in Abingdon to monitor crime and anti-social behaviour and deploy police officers to incidents. The footage taken from the cameras can provide evidence for use in prosecuting offenders.Focus on Youth
Following the creation of two new County Council funds of £100,000 each against which parish councils can bid for matched funding for youth services, SODC is developing a strategy to provide young people in the area with a wider range of exciting, active and challenging opportunities. The Council has asked young people in the district to have their say on the draft strategy and help shape local services that matter to them. Angie Paterson has particularly encouraged students at the Icknield Community College to take part in this consultation to ensure that we have a voice in the process. The strategy, which the Council will deliver with its partners, focuses on four main themes previously identified by young people in the district as being important to them. The themes include: giving young people the chance to influence decisions that affect their lives, help in young people to improve and protect their environment, helping young people to lead active and social lives, and ensuring the South Oxfordshire is a place where young people feel safe. At the time of writing the Consultation was still open and the District Council was delighted with the response to date.Wheelie Bins for those who like them
The district council’s new garden waste scheme is off to a good start. So far, nearly 3,000 residents have paid for the service, which means they can have garden waste collected from their property in a wheeled bin every fortnight – on the same day as the normal refuse and recycling collections. The service costs just £29 per year, but most residents have been taking advantage of the 5% reduction by paying on-line at www.southoxon.gov.uk/gardenwaste. The council initially ordered 4,000 wheeled bins, but given the unexpectedly high demand, is now ordering a second batch of 4,000 so that people who want the service are not disappointed. Wheelie bins will start appearing across the district from 22 May, with the first collection date set for 5 June. The scheme will be monitored throughout the summer and reviewed in the autumn. All garden waste collected will be composted locally and used to improve local farmland. The council is also encouraging home composting by offering composters for only £6 including delivery. You can place an order for a composter by calling Blackwalls Ltd on 0845 130 6090 or visiting www.getcomposting.com/oxon.
Our choice for May was Jodie Picoult’s novel, “The Pact”. Like her previous book it was set in New England and focussed on two families who are neighbours. It dissects the events which occur before and after the first chapter in which the only daughter of one of the families is found shot dead with the adolescent son of the other family at her side deeply shocked and bleeding from a head wound.
From this dramatic opening, the author cleverly keeps the reader guessing about what has actually happened, despite the boy claiming it was the result of a suicide pact between himself and the girl, until the very last few pages. Picoult writes well and the book despite being over 600 pages long keeps one hooked. Selecting as she does issues which have an ethical dimension and being able to describe the emotional roller-coaster that adolescents go through in becoming adults, she provides plenty of material for discussion.
We shall probably read another of her books sometime in the future but our reading plans include for June “Behind the Scenes at the Museum, a first novel by Kate Atkinson and for July “ The Lovely Bones “ by Alice Sebold. After that, for something completely different we are taking on Field Marshall Allenbrook’s Memoirs of the Second World War and in September we have pencilled in Ian McEwan’s book “Saturday” which was nominated for the Mann Booker prize in 2004.
If you are interested in joining us for a good read but would like to find out more first, then I can be contacted on 01844 350392.
Elan Preston-Whyte.
The children have enjoyed a busy start to the summer term. They have been exploring the continents of the world. Europe – Making and tasting Italian pizza, Spanish dress-up dolls and looking at French landmarks. Asia – Indian sweets, Buddha’s birthday and exotic animal masks. Africa – Tasting exotic fruits and making beautiful African inspired jewellery. The America’s – cowboy’s and Indians, Disney and the Statue of Liberty. Australia – Native art, cookery, Barrier reef, animals and not forgetting boomerangs!
Cake Sale – thank you to all those who supported the sale. £68.65 was raised in total.
FUNDRAISING – Need a challenge or an excuse to do something you’ve only dreamed about? How about organising a sponsored event to raise much needed funds for the Pre-School. It could be a sponsored bike ride, run, walk, swim or three-legged event or even giving up a luxury for the day. Please get your thinking caps on – as any funds, support and ideas are always very much appreciated.
SAFARI SUPPER – Please do support our Safari Supper on July 8th. This event provides an ideal opportunity to meet lots of different people in the village, whilst having each course of your meal at a different location. Last year’s event was highly sociable and great fun for all involved! See the advert in Grapevine for more details.
For all enquiries regarding the Pre-School please contact Chris Selby on 07919 081088. Stephanie London
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The Parish Council has received a document to apply for funding to “improve & extend provision for youth activities in Oxfordshire” It is available to adults who would like to start, or are already running projects which extend opportunities to young people. They also need to have “matched funding” from Parish Council, Charities or from the Private Sector. If there is anyone with the necessary qualifications, experience & the enthusiasm to start up youth activities in the village, please contact me & I can point them in the right direction. The Jubilee Hall is currently available on a couple of evenings during the week for properly organised youth activities. Caroline Hjorth
News about Watlington “Lorry Watch”
As you may have read in the Watlington Times the Council in Watlington has been conducting a lorry watch with Thames Valley Police. They have asked that local people who are concerned about the size of lorries using the B4009 & driving through the town when they are over 7.5 tonnes; please note down the registration, time & date, place of sighting & a brief description.These can then be reported to Parish Council on 01491 613867 or by e-mail on watlingtonpc@tiscali.co.uk These lorries really are making peoples lives dangerous in & around Watlington, & the Parish Council really want to make the scheme a success.
FLY-TIPPING is on the rise – but you can help catch the culprits Fly-tipping in Oxfordshire has risen by an alarming 60% from 2004/5 to 2005/6 according to figures collected by a national database. The figures have been taken from the national Flycapture database that analyses incidents throughout the country and helps experts look at trends. The new figures have prompted concerns at Oxfordshire County Council. Cllr Roger Belson, the council’s Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development said: "This reported increase in fly-tipping is very worrying.
“While we are supporting enforcement work carried out by Oxfordshire councils and the Environment Agency, there is a great deal that the public can do to protect themselves and the environment. "If we all make proper checks on anyone we employ to work on our homes or businesses this will stop the small number of criminals that pass themselves off as tradesmen dumping our waste illegally."
Mark Leonard, Oxfordshire County Council’s Waste Enforcement Officer, added: “Everyone now has a legal duty to check what happens to their waste and if it turns up illegally dumped they could end up being prosecuted. “Even if you employ someone to clear waste for your own home you must ask them for their Waste Carrier Registration Number and check it with the Environment Agency. If they are not registered, don’t employ them.”
Richard Staveley from Oxfordshire County Council Trading Standards Rogue Trader Unit added: “It is not a good idea to employ tradesmen who knock your door offering to do things like tarmacing, paving, roofing or landscape gardening work. “All too often the work offered by such traders, if carried out at all, is unnecessary, expensive and of poor quality. It may even cost you more money to have the work put right.
“We need the public to help us and themselves. If people make proper checks on anyone they employ to work on their homes or businesses, this will help to prevent them from being ripped off and reduce incidents of fly tipping by irresponsible traders.” For more information contact Mark Leonard on 01865 815863.
RED ROSE 275 BUS SERVICE THROUGH POSTCOMBE
Changes to some of the 275 services will be introduced from Monday 5 June.
Click the link to see the timetable
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On Friday, 29 June 2007 the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway Company will be marking the 50th anniversary of the closure of the Watlington Branch Line. The aim will be to recreate the last day of passenger operation with a steam locomotive and autotrailer working between Chinnor Station and Thame Junction; at some stage during the day a special train will make the run carrying invited guests. The line was opened on 15 August 1872 and to mark the 135th anniversary of that event the weekend of 18/19 August 2007 will be open days with steam trains running out of Chinnor Station.
Anyone who worked for the railway locally or who used to travel on the Watlington Branch is encouraged to get in touch with the organisers and to contribute recollections, photographs and any other memorabilia – you may even find yourself among those invited to ride on the train. Your point of contact is Brian Dickson: Tel 01296 622569 or email brian@dicksons.screaming.net
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The new all-purpose non-emergency police telephone number, 0845 8 505 505, is proving to be very successful in permitting the police to build up a picture of criminal activity and/or anti-social behaviour throughout the locality, thus enabling them to act in a timely fashion. To be effective, of course, the system relies on the public providing the raw information. You are encouraged, therefore, to report any instances of people creating a nuisance or, and especially if strangers are involved, behaving in a suspicious manner.
That said, the old 999 service is still available but should now be used only to report a crime that is actually in progress or about to be committed, or a risk of serious injury.
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Architectural Acers Everywhere you look at the moment a dozen different greens are unfolding -think of deciduous trees, shrubs, hedges and the new growth of perennials. Not all leaves are green however and mixing in some trees and shrubs with red, purple or yellow leaves can make this time of year even more of a visual feast in the garden.
Japanese maples (Acer palmatum) score particularly highly in terms of providing wonderful leaf colours and shapes and the choice ranges from red, red-purple, grey-green, mid-green, blue green, yellow, and even pink. Many also assume fabulous autumn hues.
This beautiful family of trees and shrubs also comes in a great range of shapes and sizes. Many are suitable for growing in large ornamental containers making them a flexible way of bringing living plants to hard areas and achieving immediate impact. They are so charismatic that even one specimen in a suitable container can transform the look and feel of an area of garden.
In standard tree form, Acer palmatum can reach 8 metres in height but it is the low growing, more shrubby varieties that tend to be more useful in most garden situations. Leaves may have between five and nine lobes and in many cases they are deeply and finely cut. Some pointers to sure-fire varieties of Acer palmatum to get you started include:
Sometimes all it takes is the right plant in the right place to transform a garden. Only a few plants have the star quality to achieve this and Acer palmatum is one of those plants at the top of the list.
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| Ref No | Remarks | LPC Comment | SODC Status |
| P05/E0976 | 8 High St, Lewknor – change style of (previously approved) new conservatory | Object | Current |
| P06/E0428A | Leatherne Bottle – illuminated display board. | - |