The Grapevine MagazineDecember 2007 Issue No 227 |
It certainly seems that there are a tremendous amount of activities and events going on in Lewknor as we approach the festive season. There are some wonderful opportunities to listen to, or join in carols, the children are busy preparing for their Christmas productions, and there are many services for all to join in at St Margaret's Church. In addition, there is the school bazaar and the ever popular excitement of Christmas Bingo at Jubilee Hall. Details of all these events and more are included in this month's Grapevine, so do take the opportunity to support the events and enjoy some festive cheer in the village.
May we wish all our readers a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Grapevine will return in February 2008.
Louise & Beatrice
This is a heartfelt plea to the residents of Box Tree Lane and Lower Road, if you are going to have a firework party would you please let us be prepared for it on behalf of all the horses (nearly 50 horses live in this area alone) and the cattle next door. Also there are many cats and dogs and other pets in this area who also get very frightened during a firework display.
If we are aware that a party is taking place we can be with the animals concerned and try to calm them down.
The big concern we have is that one night there might be an incident where an animal gets so frightened it breaks through the fence and gets onto the road causing a serious accident. How would anyone feel if this happened?
We are not expecting a total ban on your enjoyment - just some consideration and planning for the countryside occupants and everything that we are trying to preserve.
Our phone number is 01844 281248. If people would be kind enough to ring, we can then pass the message on to other animal owners. There will probably be more fireworks on New Years Eve; please just give us a ring.
Jill B Evans.
Rob and Tracey Avery - Harris would like to give a special 'thank-you' to Neil Allen for arranging their daughter's (Mirrin's) christening on Sunday 21st October at St Lawrence's Church.
They would also like to thank Simon Brignall and the parishioners of South Weston Church for changing their regular service time. (It was felt that after Andy and Karen's wedding reception the night before nobody would have made it to a morning service!) Andy and Karen would also like to thank you all for making it such a special day.
The whole family would also like to thank Sarah and her team at The Lambert Arms for a fabulous weekend. The service and food for the wedding reception on Saturday night and the christening on Sunday was outstanding.
Again, thank you to all concerned!
We read "Crow Lake" by Mary Lawson, set in Canada, this month. (This was a book recommended by the editor of "Grapevine" so I am conscious in writing this review it may be subject to keen editorial scrutiny before publication!)
However, it proved to be a very enjoyable read, describing life in a remote farming community in Northern Ontario with skilfully drawn characters. The catastrophe which affects the family at the centre of the story and its consequences gave us plenty of scope for discussion. One of our group was able to give us an account of visiting a farming community in Saskatchewan which enabled us to understand how the harshness of the climate and the vast distances involved totally affect people who live there.
Terry Pratchett's 'Good Omens" is our book for December. His co-author is Neil Gaiman of "Stardust" fame which should prove interesting to see whether the collaboration with Pratchett provides a very different kind of book. We 'bottled out' of the challenge to read "Darkmans" by Nicola Barker, which didn't win the recent Man Booker Prize. (Also, there are 800 pages to be read over Christmas as well as negative initial reactions from those who have started to read it) Instead we substituted it for "The Spell of Winter" by Helen Dunmore followed by Anne Enright's " The Gathering" which did win the Booker.
Elan Preston-Whyte
Has Christmas become too commercialised? This is a question that is often asked at this time of the year. This is for individuals to decide, but the Thame and District CAB report that every year in January and February they see an increase in the number of people seeking debt advice.
Christmas credit card bills are usually the last straw for people who are already struggling to cope on a tight budget.
We live in an affluent part of the country but hundreds of local people seek advice each year with debt problems. In some cases, things have got so out of hand that bankruptcy may be the only way out. Perhaps it's because we are surrounded by such obvious wealth that the pressures on ordinary people to spend are much greater. It is especially difficult for parents when their children clamour for the latest expensive gadget.
| Routine Collection | Adjusted Date |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 25th December | Saturday 29th December |
| Tuesday 1st January | Tuesday 8th January |
Please put your rubbish and recycling at the kerbside by 7am on your collection day but not before 6pm on the evening before.
The Oakley Wood, Redbridge and Drayton Waste Recycling Centres (tips) will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year's Day (and will be closing at 3pm on 24 and 31 December), but will be open 8am to 5pm on all other days over the Christmas period. For more information call 01491 823416 or email: Environmental.services@southoxon:gov:uk
There will be no garden waste service over the Christmas period, so the last local (brown dates) collection will be on Tuesday 17 December and on Tuesday 14 January.
What to do with your old Christmas tree?
If you have a brown wheelie bin, chop your tree up, put it inside and it will be collected for composting. But, trees left beside the bin will not be collected.
You can return your tree to a number of local garden centres. For details of participating centres see SODC's website at www.southoxon.gov.uk or call 01491 823416.
You can also take your tree for composting to one of the County Council Waste Recycling Centres; see www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/waste or call 08450 50 45 50.
Tracy Adams, the Chilterns Conservation Board's Farming & Land Use Officer (Tel 01844 355523) announces the availability of The Chilterns Landowners' Guide - a free information pack for landowners with leaflets on many subjects including planning, horse pasture management and hedge/tree planting. The aim of the pack is to conserve and enhance the local landscape through good practice.
Specifically for horse owners, more detailed leaflets are available from the website at http://www.chilternsaonb.org/caring/farming guidance.html and there is the possibility of a free on-site visit
We will report on our 'Lightbulb Library Launch' in the next edition of the Grapevine: we hope that this may be the start of mare events with an environmental focus, which may help us to take more practical action as a community. More news to follow...
Please look out for our special seasonal services at St. Margaret's for the New Year: Snowdrop Sunday in February, Daffodil Sunday in March, and Bluebell Sunday in April!
Bluebell Sunday will include an Eco-trail at Aston Rowant Nature Reserve. More details to follow
As mentioned in the last Grapevine, we are able to send out a more detailed update of Project news to anyone who would like to receive this: please do get in touch by phone or email: 01844 281827 jane.pendlenton(at)arocha.org. We also welcome involvement from those who would like to help: please get in touch.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS FROM THE GATEWAY PROJECT!Hello, I am Katie Hedges, and I am writing to introduce you to our organisation; Oxfordshire Children's Information Service. (OCIS).
OCIS is an independent charity providing free information services for children, young people and families in Oxfordshire.
Oxfordshire 'County Council Early Learning and Childcare Service' funds this service and is also a partner. We work together with our OCC partners to aim to achieve excellent services for children, young people and families.
Examples of the information and advice we offer to families include childcare options and help with paying for childcare, pre school provision, play and leisure services, family support and much more.
Copies of our leaflets or any of our publications for information in your parish, can be obtained from. Oxfordshire Children's Information Service (registered charity no. 1092491) 6, Thorney Leys Park, Witney OX28 4GE. Telephone: 08452 26 26 36 Fax: 01993 708482.
Oxfordshire Children's Information Service provides a wealth of FREE information and advice on childcare' and services for children, young people and families.
Your child may soon be starting school, so you might like to consider returning to work. OCIS offers advice both on choosing suitable childcare options and financial help that may be available to you, such a child tax credits.
If you have just moved to the area, or have just had a child, you may be looking for a local nursery or toddler group. We have a comprehensive list of all pre school provision in your area. We can help you find your local children's centre; an excellent place to get to know people and to take advantage of all the services they offer, such as creche facilities, a drop in or childcare services.
We also offer information on careers and jobs in the childcare sector and one to one support if you are new to this type of work. Or, if you want to get straight into a job, we also produce a newsletter giving information on live vacancies in your area.
For all the information your family needs, call us on 08452 26 26 36, Text 'information' to 07895070818 or visit our website www.oxoncis.org.uk
The National Trail Office is working in partnership with Thames Valley Police (and the Wiltshire Constabulary) to ensure that all vulnerable sections of the Trail are regularly patrolled by Neighbourhood Policing Teams and Community Support Officers. The sections restricted for vehicle use are Restricted Byway sections (no vehicles allowed at any time of year this applies to the section that passes through Lewknor) and Byway sections with Seasonal Traffic Regulation Orders upon them.
There are only four sections of the Trail that can be driven for recreation see below. Anyone found driving on Restricted Byway sections, like the section that passes through Lewknor, will be committing an offence and if caught, will be fined. The Ridgeway is a public highway, and therefore users must abide by highway law. Anyone found driving an unlicensed vehicle (including a scrambling or quad bike), uninsured vehicle or driving dangerously or racing will also be committing an offence.
In addition to. the regular police patrols, National Trail and Highway Authority Staff, User Groups and Volunteers will all be regularly monitoring the Trail, and reporting driver details onto the Police for further investigation.
If you are a regular user of The Ridgeway National Trail, then please help us protect the surface from damage caused by vehicle use and report vehicles seen on the Trail onto the National Trails Team. If you would like to help us manage vehicle use, please contact us on 01865 810211 and/or email Nationaltrails(at)oxfordshire.gov.uk for further information on reporting vehicles driving along The Ridgeway.
All information will be fed to the relevant police contact to log the incident, contact the owner and issue a warning. If the vehicle is found driving upon the Trail again, further action can be taken. For further information see www.nationaltrail.co.uk/Ridgeway
6 miles - from the start of the Trail at Overton Hill (SU 118681) to just west of Barbury Castle (SU 145764). Available for driving from 1st May to 30th September only.
4.5 miles - from just west of Ogboume St George (SU 193746) to south of Liddington Castle (SU 215780). Available for driving from 1st May to 30th September only. Less than 2 miles - from Fox Hill (SU 232815) south of Hinton Parva to Bishopstone (SU 259832). Available for driving at any time of the year
4 miles - from north of Compton (SU 509819) to Streatley (SU 567813). Available for driving from 1st May to 30th September only.
Everyone at Krakatoa was busy in November with lots of fun and learning at the preschool as well as two successful fundraising events! A cake sale at the school and ceramic painting at the village hall raised much needed funds, thanks to all who participated!
We hope everyone can join us for our Christmas fancy dress disco on Thursday December 20 from 4:30 to 7pm at the village hall. We will be celebrating the holiday season with refreshments and mince pies for the adults and endless fun for the children with dancing, fancy dress competition and many other exciting games and activities! Tickets include a hot dog and drinks for the children are being sold for £5 per child in advance or £5.50 at the door.
Tickets can be purchased by contacting:
Looking a bit further to the future, please mark Friday 14 March on your calendar for a fun night out with ferret racing and fish and chips! More details to come in the New Year.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy Christmas and to thank you once again for your ongoing support!
Shannon Heiberg
We at the school are grateful to the organisers and attendees of the village horticultural show for their very generous contribution of over £400 for school funds. The money has been used to purchase membership of a web-based learning program that all our pupils can log into through the school website. GridClub is now widely used across British primary schools for homework activities and to consolidate on learning that has recently taken place in school and has been a real success with our pupils so far. Additionally the money was used to buy two new school pets and all the necessary equipment required to accommodate them. Below three pupils from years 4, 5 and 6 introduce them.
We have recently had two new arrivals in school. Ruby and Simba are tri-coloured (three coloured) guinea pigs. Ruby has a rosette shape on the top of her head and her hair is much softer than Simba's.
Ruby and Simba live in Mrs Morgan's class (the Infant Class) where they either spend time in their run in the outside area or in their large cage inside the classroom. At weekends the children will take turns to take the guinea pigs home."
Just like any pets, the guinea pigs need looking after and loving, so the children will have to feed them and (when they are less nervous) hold them and stroke them. The children in the infant class take it in turns to change their food and water every day. Their bedding (paper) is put in the compost bin.
They eat hay, fruit, vegetables, carrots, apples, pears, celery, tomatoes and grass and they have a water bottle in their cage to drink from. Guinea pigs have hair, not fur. This means they need to be kept really warm, because they feel the cold just like we do!
Guinea pigs can live up to 7 years old, but most live up to about 5 years old. Our guinea pigs are three months old. Simba has already been a mum but Ruby has not. They sleep on shredded paper in a hut in their cage at night and sometimes hide in it during the day!
Ben Marsh, Meike and Emma Junior Class
For those of you who missed Lewknor School's moment of fame, the children were featured during the BBC Children in Need programme last month. The school raised over £130 by going completely "dotty". Well done to all involved!
As mentioned in last month's Grapevine, we are working towards the Silver Eco Schools award.
A vital part of the Award is the raising of environmental awareness amongst the school (and wider) community. `Environmental awareness' can be considered as both:
To help raise our awareness further, we have developed a wonderful School Calendar, which will shortly be on sale for the whole of Lewknor Village. Jen Russell,. local parent, was behind the idea and all the hard work to see it come to fruition-many thanks Jen!
To put together the Calendar, we held a photo competition, with the children taking photos of themselves or their family engaged in all sorts of:'green activities', from saving water to stirring the compost bin! We also asked every child to come up with an `Eco Tip'- their own suggestion for how we could make our contribution to a sustainable future. Selected photos and Eco-tips are used throughout the Calendar, with every child having a contribution. Also interspersed throughout are beautiful photographs from some top local Photographers. The Calendar also contains important School Dates to make it even more useful.
We will be launching the Calendar at our Lightbulb Library Launch on Tuesday 27th November (report to appear in the next Grapevine) and it will also be on sale at the School Christmas Bazaar on 7th December. We will also be taking orders and if you would like a Calendar, please do get in touch with the number that you require, by ringing Jane on 01844 281 827 or emailing iane.nendlenton(tharocha.orq The Calendar will be £7.50, with a reduction for orders of multiple copies.
It would be wonderful to have your support for this and to share our achievements and growing awareness with the wider village community. This is not a fundraising initiative, but any funds we do raise will be given to the school.
We are also having teaching sessions for Mrs. Morgan's Foundation class on a fortnightly basis to share our activities and learning with the younger children.
We have nearly drawn up our finalised Action Plan for the Silver Award. We are committed to:
On 7th December, we will be making Christingles at the School. Everyone is welcome to bring these to a Christingle service at St. Margaret's, at 4pm on Sunday 9th December.
This is a special service of light celebrating the approaching Christmas season and all the meaning that this contains. The Church will look beautiful, lit by the candles of each Christingle. Please do come along.
At 4.30pm, Jenny Crook of Natural England will then be leading a very exciting Eco-trail, from St. Margaret's, by lantern light! There will be many attractions along the way! The trail will finish at St. Margaret's, where there will be hot soup and refreshments available.
To come along to the Eco-trail, please do book a space with Jenny (01844 351 833, see other adverts within Grapevine) so that we know how many to cater for. There is no need to book for the Christingle service.
You are welcome to come to both or either event- we hope to see you there.
| County Councillor | Roger Belson 01491 612091 | ||
| District Councillors | Rodney Mann 01844 281426 | ||
| Rev'd Angie Paterson 01491 614033 |
| Ref No | Remarks | LPC Comment | SODC Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| P06/E1231/RET Appeal | Beech Farm, Salt Lane siting of ISO Containers. | N/A | appeal |
| P07/E1166 | Church Farm convert barn to office and erect four new dwellings | Approval | Current |
| P07/E1167/LB | Church Farm demolish existing farm buildings, convert barn to office and erect four new dwellings | Approval | Current |
| P07/E1168 | Field Farm, Lewknor barn conversion and erect new barn | NSV | Granted |
| P07/E1263/CA | Church Farm demolition of existing farm buildings | Approval | Current |
| P07/E1313 | Old Inn, Postcombe three new dwellings | NSV | Current |
| P07/E1123/LB | Old Rectory, Lewknor internal structural alterations. | NSV | Current |
| P07/E1458 | Mellon Place Std, Tetsworth improve facilities | Current | Current |
It's the holly and the ivy, door wreaths, table decorations, doorstep planters and patio pots that bring the real sense of the season, along with our all-time favourite, the Christmas tree. You could add to the enjoyment by getting into living decorations and gifts.
Spruce (Picea) and Christmas rose (Helleborus) make the perfect partners for creating decorative Christmas magic in the garden or on the patio.
Let's look at real, living trees for Christmas first. These come in all shapes and sizes from the towering Colorado spruce (Picea pungens) 15m to its baby brother Montgomery'. This slow-growing shrub variety is more suited to the kind of garden most of us have with its neat dimension§ (1.5 m height and lm spread as likely mature sizes). Smaller species and varieties are ideal for container growing whilst if you have the space, the big ones make fabulous specimen trees. A clump or line of them provides year-round shelter, as well as giving the winter garden an honest breath of nature.
Snow bearing down on spruce boughs in winter is always a delightful sight that makes you feel especially cosy when you're wrapped up warm.
The true Christmas tree, the Norway spruce (Picea abies) can reach up to 40m in height, given ideal growing conditions, but Picea abies 'Ohlendorffii' is the complete opposite. Slow-growing, rounded and bushy, this neat shrub reaches up to 3m in height. 'Nidiformum' is another cute little one reaching 1.5m in height, spreading to between 3 and 4m with a hollow 'nest' at its centre.
Complement your evergreen planting with the wonderful winter-flowering Christmas rose (Helleborus niger. Flowers now are just so welcome. Growing in small clumps, these delightful perennials produce charming white or pink-flushed blooms. The five-petalled saucer shaped flowers are beautiful and contrast well with the green or yellow centres. 'Potter's Wheel' with its bowl-shaped flowers is particularly glorious. Helleborus niger grows to a height of around 30cm and a spread of about 45cm. 'Alabaster' bears lovely flowers too, creamy white and confident. They are on the big side for Christmas rose, reaching up to 7cm across. These plants are often found in a woodland setting so positioning them in a planting combination with Picea is ideal.
Foliage and flowers at Christmas and beyond will gladden the heart and bring decorative value to the garden and home. For those of you searching for solutions to 'what shall we buy him/her this year' questions, trees and perennials make interesting, fun gifts for friends and family with a passion for plants. Beyond this, establishing trees like this will improve your local air quality - evergreen spruces having beneficial filtering and cleaning effects all year round.