The Grapevine MagazineMarch 2009 Issue No 239 |
SCHOOL NEWS
Earth, Water, Fire (and snow)!
As well as bringing the debilitating snow and Ice to school, February also saw the arrival of Earth, Water and Fire! This was the title of a special whole school science week, in which the whole school went ‘off timetable’ to concentrate on science for the whole week. This involved organising the children into groups of about 6, each group including children from the whole primary school age range. The oldest children were responsible for leading the group and for ensuring that everyone was included. Zac and Annie help recount the main events of the week.
On the week before half term the whole school participated in science week. The usual lessons were given up for the week and all the children worked in mixed groups to concentrate on three topics - Heat, Water and Air.
Each room covered one of the three themes and the groups spent a whole day in each. In the Junior room, the children spent time looking at floating and sinking, testing absorbent materials and much, much more. The middle room was all about air, how it can be used to create energy and looking at lung capacity. The infant room focused on heat. This included melting things in hot water and exploring what happens when metals are heated by a candle flame.
The children were also lucky enough to have Zoolab come in and show them some fascinating animals from the rainforest which I’m sure was a once in a life time experience.
Some of them were poisonous and had to be handled with great care. Most the children loved it! These included a scorpion, a rare hedgehog, a tarantula and a tiger snail.
It was a great week that really made science fun!
LEWKNOR C of E PRIMARY SCHOOL 01844 351542
We would like to extend a big thanks to everyone who attended and helped with the Winter Wonderland Disco in January. The children seemed to really enjoy themselves and we raised £500 for the preschool! A big success all around!
Our next fundraising event is the Horseracing evening on Friday the 13th of March from 7:30 to 11pm at Jubilee. Please come along and help us disprove the myth that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day! Tickets are £12.50 each which includes a fish and chip supper, pudding and a fun evening of horseracing.
We would once again like to thank everyone for their continued support for Krakatoa as strong support from the local community is key to the ongoing success of the preschool.
Krakatoa Pre-school
News from your District and County Councillors
Talking rubbish….!
A special feature from your Councillors: Issues about waste and rubbish seem to be on many people’s minds of late and several recurring questions are being asked. We are therefore taking the opportunity to focus on the topic this month.
Recycling revolution is on its way – changes in waste collections this year:
Rubbish and recycling will be revolutionised when a new waste service starts in South Oxfordshire in June this year. Verdant, the company that currently operates the garden waste scheme, will start running a new conrtact for roadside collections for the District. This will lead to a massive increase in recycling through a completely new approach to rubbish collection.
What the rubbish collection service will include:
- Weekly separate food waste collection. This will ensure that food waste that currently goes to landfill can be composted instead.
- Fortnightly collections of dry recyclables in wheeled bins. As well as the usual materials like paper, cardboard, tins, glass and tetra packs will also be collected. This will help us to recycle more than 50 per cent of our rubbish for the first time ever.
- Fortnightly waste collection in wheeled bins of anything that cannot be recycled.
- Garden waste will remain fortnightly in wheeled bins, which those who wish to, can buy into as of now.
There will be special arrangements made for people in flats or households where it is difficult to store wheeled bins; the intention is to ensure the same level of service for all residents. Assisted collections for people with mobility problems will continue. The contract has been awarded after months of negotiations with bidding companies. The deal not only offers an improved service to residents and contributes to a better environment but will also deliver increased recycling credits to the council.
Current recyclable waste not going to landfill:
Recent media coverage on the fall in the value of goods for recycling has understandably worried many people. Despite media rumours to the contrary waste currently put out for recycling is NOT being sent to landfill. It is important that residents continue to separate out recyclable goods.
Despite the worldwide financial slowdown, Oxfordshire’s recyclables continue to be reprocessed and turned into new products. Much of the county’s recyclables are fed into Materials Recycling Facilities (MRFs) in Enstone, Milton Keynes and Beenham which sort a high quality ‘product’ for manufacturers to turn into new goods. 94-95% of the material that goes to these MRFs gets recycled. The remaining 5-6% not being recycled is simply down to the fact that those items were not asked for in the first place. Most commonly the ‘rejected’ items will be plastic items that can’t be recycled. These usually include things like children’s toys and video cassettes.
Big brother and micro-chips:
There is no intention to fine people for the amount of rubbish they throw out as some rumours encouraged in the media are suggesting. Crews will be using on-board technology so that progress on their rounds can be monitored for customer service purposes. And yes, the bins will be micro-chipped which will both assist in the monitoring and will also help to return bins to the correct household. In addition to the practicalities a key factor in the decision to put the micro-chips in from the start is that it is quite possible that the Government will require them before long. Putting them in at this stage is considerably cheaper than putting them in once bins have been distributed throughout the District.
Preparations for the new service:
The council will be running a full communications campaign to inform residents of the changes and the roll out of the scheme. Full details and guidance will be sent to residents and made available on the councils’ websites in advance of the new service start dates. In addition, during the next few months officers will be working closely with Town and Parish councils and housing associations to identify those properties that may have difficulties storing and using wheeled bins and to help provide suitable solutions.
Residents' views help shape this new system:
Knowing that a new waste contract would be needed this year the District Council began consultations with residents well over a year ago. Nearly 2000 residents responded to the waste survey and told us what they thought of the options for collecting rubbish and recycling in the future.
As part of the consultation we explained why maintaining the status quo is not an option. Apart from the environmental reasons for reducing the amount of waste we send to landfill, we face huge fines from government if we don’t. We can avoid these and protect our planet if we change the way we deal with our rubbish - for example, collecting food waste separately for composting could save 5,000 tonnes from going to landfill every year.
Following the Consultation the views of residents were considered and pattern of collection was agreed by Council in November 2007. Since then work has gone on to research the most suitable size of container for the materials to be collected.
“As I have said there will be much about the new waste collection scheme in the coming months. When things change it can take a bit of getting used to but hopefully we will all soon adjust and find that the new system really does help us recycle more to save us money and help the environment.”
Angie Paterson
Your Councillors keep in touch with the Parish Councils on issues relating to the different Councils and try to attend meetings on a regular basis. We are also happy for residents to contact us directly on specific personal issues whenever necessary.
| County Councillor | Roger Belson | 01491 612091 |
| District Councillors | Rodney Mann | 01844 281426 |
| Rev'd Angie Paterson | 01491 614033 |
COUNCIL CONTACT DETAILS
| Council | Council Website | Main Switchboard | |
| Oxfordshire County Council | www.oxfordshire.gov.uk | 01865 792422 | online@oxfordshire.gov.uk |
| South Oxfordshire District Council | www.southoxon.gov.uk | 01491 823000 | info@southoxon.gov.uk |
County four-year-olds start school full-time: Many four-year-olds across Oxfordshire started school full-time in January following a major alteration to school admissions policies in the county. The change and increased funding by the County Council means that all children are entitled to a full-time school place for the whole academic year in which they turn five. The changed was introduced after consultation with parents’ in which eight out of ten parents (81 per cent) of children aged between two and six years old said they would support this policy change to increase access to a quality early education for children in Oxfordshire and give them firmer foundations for their life of learning ahead.
Councils launch residential care home safety campaign: Councils throughout Oxfordshire are joining forces with the Health and Safety Executive, to help make health and safety a priority in care homes. A campaign was launched in January to help prevent accidents in residential care homes by raising awareness of safety issues. As part of the campaign, South Oxfordshire District Council is carrying out a programme of targeted health and safety inspections on several care homes in the district. Over the past two years there have been over 11,000 work related accidents in care homes in the UK. The majority of these accidents involved employees but 34 cases resulted in the deaths of people using the care services. The partnership will host a seminar later in the year to provide feedback to care home providers on the findings of the campaign.
Watlington air quality to be managed:
The District Council has been monitoring the air quality in Watlington for some time now and, in a bid to reduce levels of pollution, is considering declaring it an ‘air quality management area’. The plan comes after the council identified higher than recommended levels of nitrogen dioxide, an air pollutant associated with car fumes. The levels recorded are within the limits for short-term exposure, and even the most vulnerable are not likely to notice any short term health effects. However, in some places it is currently exceeding the levels for longer-term protection of people living in an area. Whilst the levels of nitrogen dioxide experienced in Watlington present no immediate danger to the health of local residents this issue needs to be addressed now for the longer term.
Grant awarded for new fire stations:
Oxfordshire County Council's Fire and Rescue Service has welcomed a Government grant of more than £1.4m to help replace two outdated fire stations in Wallingford and Thame. The funding will add to around £3m already allocated by the county council for the building projects, due to take place during 2012 to 2013
Night time switch off for some county street lights: Oxfordshire County Council is set to switch off a small number of street lights in non-residential areas for part of the night to cut down on the county's carbon emissions. Parish and town councils have been asked whether they would be in favour of such moves and so several parish and town councils have already indicated that they would be in favour of such a plan. The plan would see street lights switched off on short sections of suitable road between 12.30am and 5.30am when traffic flows are at their minimum.
Roads were carefully selected in conjunction with the county’s council’s Travel Planning and Road Safety Teams with night-time accident levels and general safety considerations in mind There are more than 57,000 street lamps in Oxfordshire. The council's current part night light switch off relates only to around 300 street lamps - less than 0.1 per cent of the overall total. Thames Valley Police have also been consulted on all of the proposals. In all cases where roundabouts and T-junctions are involved, the roundabouts and junctions themselves will remain lit,
Only the lights on the approach road are being considered for part night-lighting. If all schemes went ahead as proposed, savings would be around £7,800 per year with carbon emissions savings of 45,500kg. Oxfordshire County Council’s overall aim is to reduce its carbon emissions by 18 per cent by March 2012 from 2005-06 levels.
Buy with Confidence scheme closes door on conmen: In a bid to help residents concerned about doorstep conmen the County Council has launched a trader approval scheme won't cost consumers a penny. The ‘Buy With Confidence’ scheme will give residents free and easy access to reputable businesses which have been individually checked for compliance with consumer laws, helping to promote honest traders and protect the public from cowboys. At www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk residents can check the list for businesses in their area, and traders gaining accreditation can promote themselves as among the best around for customer care. To be approved each business must pass a tough assessment by Oxfordshire County Council's Trading Standards Service. Once approved, a business is added to a directory available to consumers and can also use the “Buy with Confidence” logo to promote its services.
CHURCH FARM BARN
In the light of planning permission having been granted for the proposed redevelopment of the Church Farm site, some interest has been expressed locally over the future of the Grade 1 Listed barn. There is no cause for concern. English Heritage were involved from the outset and their advice has been taken into account. In short, the barn is to be restored, using appropriate materials and techniques, with its particularly important features preserved. Its ultimate use has yet to be decided but it will provide ‘a workshop space’ of some description. More comprehensive details of the application and the constraints imposed on its approval may be found on-line here.
TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF OAKLEY WOOD RECYCLING CENTRE
Partly in connection with the new waste collection service that is to be introduced in June, the County Council has embarked on a programme which will improve the facilities at its Waste Recycling Centres. Unfortunately, this means that, in order to upgrade its facilities, the site at Oakley Wood (ie the one near Wallingford) will be closed for approximately three months beginning on 23 March. During that period, the sites at Redbridge (Old Abingdon Rd, Oxford, OX1 4XG) and Drayton (Steventon Rd, Drayton, OX24 4LA) will still be operating. Further details may be obtained from 0845 504550 or here.
ANNUAL PARISH MEETING – 6 APRIL 2009
This year’s Annual Parish Meeting will be held at 7.30pm in the Jubilee Hall on 6 Apriland will, as usual, provide an opportunity to update everyone on the activities of the Parish Council over the previous twelve months. In the past we have usually been fortunate enough to persuade our local County and District Councillors to say a few words of local interest as well and it is anticipated that they will be able to attend this year too.
RECENT LOCAL PLANNING APPLICATIONS
Entries in the LPC (Lewknor Parish Council) Comment column will normally be confined to one of four options: ‘Current’ (ie recommendation still pending), ‘Approve’, ‘Object’ or ‘NSV’ (No Strong Views); the latter is the most usual and is often amplified by specific observations and/or reservations. 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 here
In the box on the right, click on ‘Planning’. Then click on ‘view applications via the Planning Application Register’ and follow the instructions to find the specific application that you seek.
| Ref No | Remarks | LPC Comment | SODC Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| P08/E0300 | 6 High St, Lewknor – complex extension – appeal. | Awaiting decision | |
| P08/E0957 | ‘Highfield’, Lower Rd, Postcombe – newbuild 3-bed dwelling. | Object | Current |
| P08/E1045 | Land to rear of 1-3 Salt Lane, Postcombe – erect semi-detached house | NSV | Granted |
Improvements at Oakley Wood waste recycling centre
Oxfordshire County Council is to make wholesale improvements to Oakley Wood Recycling Centre in Henley Road, Crowmarsh near Wallingford - meaning the site will have to close for around three months from March 23. The improvement work will cost approximately £700,000 and is being timed so that the new site is ready in time to complement South Oxfordshire District Council's new waste collection service, which starts from June 2009.
Why is work happening?
Oxfordshire County Council has been conscious that the Oakley Wood Waste Recycling Centre (WRC) has become out-dated, and the planned improvements to the site will provide a more efficient service for the residents of Oxfordshire to deposit waste from their own households. Feedback from a recent council recent survey has shown that service users have particular concerns about traffic and parking management on site. By re-developing the site, the county council will address these issues and offer an improved facility to residents. The county council apologises for any inconvenience the temporary closure of Oakley Wood may cause.
Where to take your recycling during the re-development
There are seven other county council run waste recycling centres in Oxfordshire.
The closest alternative sites in the county can be found at:
- Redbridge - Old Abingdon Road, Oxford, Drayton
- Steventon Road, Drayton, Near Abingdon,
What improvements will be made?
The improved site will have:
- better access
- improved traffic flow
- reduced waiting times
- double the number of parking spaces
- double the number of bins
- clearer signage
- improved containment of waste
- improved layout, making it easier for residents to recycle their waste All of this should make trips to the 'tip' quicker and easier.
What the new site will look like?
Over the last few years the county council has re-developed Dix and Drayton waste recycling centres. The improvements and feedback received from these re-developments, along with feedback received directly from users of Oakley Wood waste recycling centre, have heavily influenced the new design of Oakley Wood. Councillor Roger Belson, Oxfordshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development, said: "I look forward to the new improved site being re-opened once more later this year and urge regular users to carry on recycling at one of our other sites in the meantime."
The Bookclub at Lewknor
“The Suspicions of Mr.Whicher” by Kate Summerscales, which we read in February, is a recreation of a crime which was a cause célèbre in Victorian England investigated by Jack Whicher one of the first detectives of the Metropolitan Police Force. The crime is a particularly horrible one of a small child murdered in a well-to-do household where the murderer is suspected to be one of the several people living in the house which includes members of the family and their servants.
We felt while reading the book it was difficult initially not to believe it was fiction for it resembles many famous novels written at the time where a policeman is a key character in the plot. However, the author quickly points out that it is Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens who took aspects of the case, and particularly the part that Mr Whicher played in it, for their respective novels “The Moonstone” and “Bleak House”.
The book is well-written and even though the solution to the mystery is revealed towards its end in true detective story style, we were left in reasonable doubt as to whether all the loose ends had been tied up. Kate Summerscales, previously a journalist on The Telegraph, had done her research thoroughly which we felt both added to and subtracted from the book. She provided a vivid picture of the limited tools available for solving a difficult crime 150 years ago but at times overwhelmed us with superfluous information. She went on to win, however, the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize in 2008 so perhaps our criticism is too severe.
Our book for March is “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” by John Boyne. If you are interested in joining the Book Club, then you can contact me on: 01844 350 382 Elan Preston-Whyte.
News from Newington Nurseries
Shrubs for Screening
Do you need to screen an unsightly building or other structure such as a wall or fence? Would you like more privacy in your garden? Or do you just want a natural and living fence? Broad leaf evergreens can provide the answer. They can be used to great effect in concealing an eyesore from view or creating private areas in a garden that is overlooked.
Some evergreen shrubs can offer the perfect solution particularly if you don’t want to end up with a screen that will shade either your or your neighbour’s, garden or grow to immense proportions. They’ll also provide year-round interest - colour, flowers and berries - as well as give sanctuary to wildlife. Natural screens are fairly maintenance-free so will save you time and money.
Photinia x fraseri ‘Red Robin’ is one such example. This easy and highly attractive shrub is good as either an informal or formal hedge, growing quite quickly and reaching the desired height within three to five years. Its maximum height is around 4 to 5 meters but regular clipping (only a couple of times a year) will keep the height in check if you want a screen of just 3 meters or so. In fact, light pruning just two or three times annually will encourage production of the beautiful red shoots which provide much needed colour during dreary winter months. Clusters of tiny white flowers will appear during the spring and these are followed by small red, maturing to black, berries. Photinia x fraseri ‘Red Robin’ suits most soils and tolerates sun or light shade. It enjoys a little shelter from the wind so planting against an unattractive building or other structure that you would like to hide is ideal. Another excellent screening plant is Elaeagnus x ebbingei. This lovely evergreen plant is tolerant of exposed and windy areas. It’s a tough shrub, will quickly grow to its maximum height of around 3 to 4 meters and can be planted to create either a boundary hedge or a screen against an unsightly object. The foliage is a glossy, deep green colour but if you want a plant that provides an overall lighter effect, then try E. x ebbingei ‘Limelight’. It’s as fast growing as the species but the green foliage is splashed with bright yellow and green. Both shrubs produce gorgeous white, highly fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers in autumn and these are followed by edible berries. You can enjoy the wonderful aroma of the flowers if the shrub is planted against a wall or fence that you have to walk past on a regular basis. Or why not think of using Viburnum tinus? This plant is fairly fast growing, reaching its maximum height of around 3 meters within three to five years. Viburnum tinus is highly valued for its many clusters of white flowers produced in late autumn and lasting throughout the winter months. Come the spring, the flowers will have turned into metallic-blue berries. Viburnum tinus makes a good informal hedge or screen and tolerates most soils as well as deep shade although light shade or sun are the ideal growing conditions. Viburnum tinus ‘Eve Price’ is similar to the species but has a slightly smaller habit, smaller glossy green leaves and produces very pale pink flower buds which open to small white blooms.
So, you can very easily hide unattractive ‘blots on the landscape’ by planting some broad leaf evergreens. If you like, you can plant the above shrubs in groups of three or five to ensure that you have flowers and berries for the best part of the year. Plant care is easy; light clipping to maintain shape is all that is required during spring and summer. Water well during the first year of planting, apply some organic feed and the plants will romp away, giving you both privacy and a beautiful outlook in no time at all.
Newington Nurseries, Newington, Nr Stadhampton, Oxon, OX10 7AW TeI 01865 400533
www.newington-nurseries.co.uk