The Grapevine Magazine September 2009 Issue No 244 Other Issues Home

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The School has a new thatch!

Those returning to school this week will surely be delighted with the new roof of their school! The thatching of the school roof took approximately five weeks and was carried out during the summer holidays. It is thought that the school was last thatched 20-25 years ago.

The thatching on the school roof was undertaken by E.E. Sharp and Son whose family have been thatchers for five generations starting their business over 130 years ago. Their motto is ‘Taking tradition forward’. Until recently, thatching was not a trade in its own right; one farm worker would specialise in the task, together with other farm activities.

A visit to their informative web-site shows a picture of the first generation of the Sharp family taken in 1913. Mr Sharp explained that becoming a competent thatcher took a very long apprenticeship. He started working with his father at the age of three! He now has his own apprentice scheme, and has several apprentices working with him. His aim will be to be to teach these people to be competent enough to join the ‘National Society of Master Thatcher’s Ltd’

This Society was first established in 1967 and Membership of the Society is through proposal and sponsorship by an existing member, followed by peer review. This entry procedure ensures that the very highest quality standards of craftsmanship are maintained, so that clients can have confidence in thatchers who demonstrate Society membership as part of their in-house business promotion. Visit the website (incidentally, the CEO of the Society lives in Tetsworth!)

Some of us were close enough to follow the process of thatching the school roof during the summer holidays and the following pictures illustrate the progress:

Traditionally, a new layer of straw was simply applied over the weathered surface. This has generated accumulations of thatch some of which were 2.0 m thick! And in some ancient buildings, preserved lower layers of medieval thatch over 600 years old!

Today, and during the process of thatching the school roof, the top layer of the thatch is stripped off and new straw is applied. There are three main types of thatch in common use: Long Straw (threshed wheat straw). Combed Wheat Reed (Devon reed) and Water Reed (Norfolk Reed). The traditional material most used in England, is Wheat Straw, which is now produced by specialist growers. This was the material used on the school thatch.

The thatch is fastened together in bundles with a diameter of about two feet. These are then laid on the roof with the butt end facing out and secured to the roof beams, after which they are pegged in place with wooden rods. The thatcher adds the layers on top of each other, finishing with a layer to secure the ridgeline of the roof. This method means thatch roofs are easy to repair, can endure heavy winds and rain and only need a stable supporting structure.

Thatch has been used for roofing since Saxon times and has a number of important benefits today. It was originally only used on peasant cottages, but is now found on the most desirable country properties. There are more thatched roofs in the United Kingdom and Ireland than in any other European country. Thatched roofs are attractive; they keep buildings cool in summer and warm in winter.  Noise from traffic and aeroplanes is reduced, providing serene surroundings for inhabitants. In certain locations (especially rural areas) well laid thatch can add distinction and value to a property. Because of these features, there has been a noticeable renaissance in the use of thatch on new buildings. A thatched roof would normally last approximately between 40-50 years before needing replacement. Today however, climate changes are taking their toll on the straw and this duration is shortened.

Early settlers to the New World used thatch as far back as 1565. Native Americans had already been using thatch for generations. When settlers arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, they found Powhatan Indians living in houses with thatched roofs. Thatching declined in the early 19th century, mainly due to the commercial production and mobility of Welsh slate in the early 1820’s. To compound this, the Napoleonic Wars raised the price of wheat and straw to a prohibitive level in Europe. The number of thatchers declined, as the tradition became regarded as unfashionable.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

You may recall that, many months ago, there was a flurry of activity over the possible provision of affordable housing in Lewknor. While it may appear to have been very quiet since then, work has actually been going on and it is intended to display drawings of the projected development to the public prior to the Parish Council meeting to be held on 12 October. In the unlikely event that this facility has to be cancelled at short notice, this will be announced by messages on the village notice boards.

Lewknor Residents Beware!

There have been several reported break-ins and burglaries in Lewknor over the past month.

Please take extra notice of anything suspicious and report it to:
Thame Police Station: 08458 505 505

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SCHOOL NEWS

For more information
about Lewknor School
please click here

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News from Krakatoa

Welcome back! We hope everyone enjoyed the summer and is excited about starting the new school year. We were sad to say goodbye to our school leavers (Olivia, Zara, Ben and Lucy) in July but are now excited to welcome a few new starters!

The Horticultural Show is on Sunday, 13 September and as usual the pre-school will be organising the ever popular Tombola! Boxes for donations will be at the pre-school and school and can be dropped off at 12 High Street. Thank you in advance for all of your generous donations.

Krakatoa Pre-school 07919081088

Playground Planting

The plans for the playground are well under way and we look forward to sharing information and ideas with you at this years horticultural show.

In order to keep the playscape in keeping with the area of outstanding natural beauty, we want to include lots of additional planting which will naturally help create shade, encourage additional wildlife and generally make the play space much more enjoyable.

In order to maximize the effect for the community, we want to personalise this by giving you the opportunity to sponsor a tree (maybe to remember someone special or in celebration of a special event)

We are asking for interest only at this stage and will contact you in the next few months with more details. We expect to be able to supply trees at cost price and there will be an opportunity of having a personalised label attached if you so wish.

We will buy all the trees together so as to get a better deal, but we intend on giving the option of the 4 trees that the landscape architect feels would fit in best.

If you are interested, please contact Heather on 01844 350040 or Victoria on 01844 354277

Churchyard Grass cutting

Until now, the grass in the churchyard has been cut on a voluntary basis, with a few people doing what they can, when they can. However, some of the volunteers are now getting to a point where they can no longer cope with the hard work of keeping the churchyard under control.

It would be nice if something could be organised to get the grass in the churchyard cut on a regular basis next season and to that end, I have enclosed a questionnaire for each household to fill in. The information gathered would be kept strictly confidential, but the overall results would be published in the Grapevine so that everyone could see what is happening.

I would be very grateful if you could send your completed questionnaires back to me so that I can then get something in place for next year. Thanks for your time

Jean Senior

1	Would you prefer to see the churchyard natural like a wildlife cemetery, or cut & tidy?	Natural ( ) Tidy ( )
2	Do you think the local council should be responsible for cutting the grass?	Yes ( ) No( )
3	If not, who do you think should be responsible?	Local volunteers( ) Parochial church council ( ) Lewknor Parish Council ( ) Others ( )
4	Would you prefer to see some grazing animals in the churchyard to keep the grass down?	Yes ( ) No ( )
5	Would you prefer to see a churchyard clear-up 3 or 4 times a year where everyone gives some time on specific day to help cut the grass and generally tidy up?	Yes ( ) No ( )
6	Would you have time to cut say a 10ft x 10ft patch of grass on a weekly or fortnightly basis?	Yes ( ) No ( )
7	If yes, do you have you own equipment or would you prefer to use the churchyard equipment? (You would need to provide the petrol for this)	Church Equpment( ) Own equipment ( )
8	If not, would you be prepared to pay around £30 per household per year to allow someone to come and cut the grass?	Yes ( ) No ( )
9	If yes, would you prefer this to be a company or someone who is unemployed?	Company ( ) Unemployed ( )

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News from your District and County Councillors

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	E-mail
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

Councillors keep in touch with the Parish Council on issues relating to the different Councils and try to attend meetings on a regular basis. We are happy for residents to contact us directly on specific personal issues whenever necessary.

Recycling rates up with new waste service.
Since the new waste service was launched South Oxfordshire’s recycling and composting rate has been running at around 71 per cent, nearly double the council’s 2007/08 recycling rate of 38 per cent. This is good news for the environment and also for our pockets. Under European legislation landfill taxes will be imposed and the more we can keep out of landfill the better for all of us. The majority of the initial problems with bin supply and missed waste collections under the new service have been resolved now. If any resident continues to have a problem please do let one of your District Councillors know so that we can help resolve it.

Police Community Support Officers get power to deal with litterbugs
From 1st September Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) in South Oxfordshire will have the power to hand out on the spot fines for anyone caught dropping rubbish. They will be able to issue Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) of up to £80 (reduced to £50 if paid within 10 days) to anyone over the age of 18. This covers a range of environmental crimes such as throwing cigarette butts and chewing gum in the street, allowing a dog to foul on a pavement, fly-posting leaflets, and spraying graffiti on a wall. In the first instance the PCSOs will seek to advise and educate against littering. However, if people persist in their behaviour, an FPN will be issued. If people refuse to pay, they can be prosecuted with a maximum fine of £2,500. This is a direct response to a residents survey in which people told the Council that they were concerned about the problems of litter, fly-posting, graffiti and dog fouling. The initiative supports one of the Councils key priorities - protecting the environment by keeping our district clean and tidy, and tackling the persistent offenders of environmental crimes.

Are you registered to vote in elections?
In order to have your say in elections you must be registered to vote. It is the responsibility of the District Council to keep the register of people eligible to vote up to date. Forms are sent to all households and even if your details have not changed you need to reply to confirm that your details are correct and to ensure that you stay on the register. Please don’t ignore the Register of Electors form when it comes through your letter box.

Warning over bogus adverts
Oxfordshire County Council's Trading Standards Service is warning people not to reply to bogus newspaper adverts claiming to offer high value electrical goods at reduced prices. Customers attempting to buy the goods are duped into transferring cash into a bank account.

Victims are told the items will be sent to them, but their purchases never arrive. The adverts have been placed in local newspapers and magazines across the country, under a variety of names including Arash Ltd, The Gadget Company, Gadget Limited, Office Bits Warehouse, Office Supplies Cabin and Office Brands Megastore. The only contact details provided are telephone and fax numbers and occasionally an email address based on the URL @easymailorders.com. Oxfordshire County Council's Trading Standards Service has received around 10 complaints in relation to the adverts. Group Manager Ian Marriott said: "It can be very easy to take these adverts at face value, especially when they appear in trusted local and national publications. But our advice to people is only ever send payment or part with your financial details if you can be sure you are dealing with a known, legitimate company." It should be noted that there are companies in the UK trading legitimately under names similar to ‘The Gadget Company’.

Postal scam:
Another scam believed to be linked to the bogus adverts involves postcards from a company calling itself ‘Parcel Express UK’, which are posted through random front doors telling householders they have missed delivery of a parcel. Recipients are asked to phone a number and pay a customs charge on the product by credit or debit card, but once this is done the parcel fails to arrive. The money is not debited from the victim's account but the details are later used fraudulently. Parcel Express UK is not a legitimate company. Anyone who has replied to one of the postcards or placed an order in response to one of the newspaper adverts should inform their bank immediately and cancel their card. Ian Marriott said: "We would urge residents to ask themselves whether they are expecting a parcel and question why they have received such a request. As a general rule, do not provide your card or bank details to organisations or people you don't know, unless you can be absolutely confident of the legitimacy of the company."

For advice on avoiding scams or any other consumer issue, please contact Oxfordshire County Council's Trading Standards Service on 0845 051 0845. For further information please contact Ian Marriott on 01865 815985 or 07770 832786, or Davina Walkin on 01865 815233.

Warning over pressure sales tactics
Oxfordshire County Council's Trading Standards Service is warning the public about mobility product salesmen who use high pressure tactics on vulnerable, elderly and disabled people. Officers have learned of a number of cases in the South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse districts, in which the salesmen make initial contact by telephone.

They often give the impression they are calling from 'social services' to arrange an 'assessment of needs' visit. But when this is agreed to, a high pressure sales visit takes place at the vulnerable person's home. The visit will often last a number of hours, significant price 'discounts' may be offered and friends or relatives who may advise caution in signing an agreement can even be accused of acting against the person's best interests.

The end result is that residents often sign agreements for expensive mobility equipment. As far as the county council's Trading Standards officers are aware, the salesmen do provide paperwork explaining the customer's right to cancel. Residents should be aware that even if an agreement has been signed and money has changed hands, it can be cancelled, in writing, within seven days. Trading Standards can advise on this process.

Don't accept a visit: The county council's Cabinet Member for Safer and Stronger Communities, Judith Heathcoat said: "If anyone receives such a telephone call the advice of Trading Standards is not to accept a visit. If a visit is accepted, a resident is at liberty at any time to insist that the salesman leaves. Failure to do so, upon request, could cause the salesman to commit a criminal offence." If a salesman will not leave upon request, residents can call the county council's Trading Standards Team between 8.30am and 5pm, Monday to Friday on 0845 0510845 (option 1) or the police. For further information please contact Richard Webb on 01865 815791 or 07831 161996

The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Practices Regulations prohibit a trader from behaviour which is likely to deceive an average consumer about the motives for the commercial activity being undertaken or about the status or nature of the trader, where the intention is to affect the consumer’s decision about a potential or actual transaction. The Cancellation of Contracts Made in a Consumer’s Home or Place of business etc Regulations 2008 require that consumers have a cooling off period of 7 days when agreeing to buy goods and services in their own homes. Traders are required to give a notice of this right to the consumer when the agreement is made. The consumer is then entitled to a full refund.

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
P09/E0405/RET	Weston Grange, Adwell Rd – newbuild outhouse for ground source heat pump.	NSV	Granted
P09/E0462	Copcourt House, Thame Rd, Tetsworth – renovation of barns & change of use	NSV	Withdrawn
P09/E0463/LB	Copcourt House, Thame Rd, Tetsworth – renovation of barns & change of use	NSV	Withdrawn
P09/E0557	Moorcroft (sic) Barn, Weston Rd – new extension and change of use to B8 (ie storage and distribution).	Object	Refused
P09/E0677	Church Farm, Lewknor – renovation and remodelling of buildings and grounds.	NSV	Current
P09/E0678/LB	Church Farm, Lewknor – renovation and remodelling of buildings and grounds.	NSV	Current
P09/E0679/CA	Church Farm, Lewknor – removal of swimming pool.	NSV	Current
P09/E0734	Old Vicarage, Lewknor – restore garage to accommodation.	NSV	Withdrawn
P09/E0735/LB	Old Vicarage, Lewknor – restore garage to accommodation.	NSV	Withdrawn
P09/E0742	Oxford Lodge, London Rd – extensions and alterations.	NSV	Current

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News from Newington Nurseries

Ornamental Grasses

If you’re looking for a plant with architectural qualities, a hint of the exotic and very low requirements for care, then ornamental grasses could be your answer. Flowering grasses provide a spectacle in the garden that far outweighs their demands for care, or their initial investment. Many, including Imperata, Pennisetum and Miscanthus are said to be ‘trouble free’ and they can bring pleasure year after year. They’re also fantastic for softening up hard landscaping, perhaps on a new-build site.

The range of ornamental grasses available these days means that you can find something for every situation. In even the smallest garden you should be able to plant specimens of several different species/varieties. The taller species and varieties offer the promise of sensory reward from the movement and sound as breezes sough through the leaves. Shorter grasses are suitable for container planting. Here is a flavour of the wide variety of shapes and sizes on offer:

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Silberfeder’ (silver feather) can develop stems as long as 2.5m that remain as an attractive garden feature through winter. The leaves of Miscanthus sinensis ‘Zebrinus’ are shorter (reaching about 1.2m), but the creamy horizontal banding they exhibit can make them appear stippled in sunshine on cloudy days.

Imperata cylindrica ‘Rubra’, also known as the ‘Red Baron’, is another spectacular grass. It’s a clump-forming plant and the leaves are shorter, at about 40cm, but they turn red from the tips of the stems downwards, almost as far as the base. Pennisetum villosum (also known as feathertop) is an example of a wonderful perennial grass that produces soft, feathery heads in late summer and early autumn.

Ornamental grasses combine well with other plants. Autumn flowering plants, for example, asters, helianthus or chrysanthemums make good partners, but foliage plants can also be effective alongside more subtle grasses. For example a side-by-side blend of the foliage of Miscanthus sinensis ‘Variegatus’ and Elaeagnus ‘Quicksilver’ can be a delightful and understated combination.

Most grasses are easy to grow and will thrive in even poorer soils, though they do tend to need a full sun position. Once established they will perform year after year with the minimum of intervention and have low water requirements, making them perfect for drought-prone areas. However, if you want to do your best by them, feed in spring with a general purpose fertiliser. They’re sufficiently sturdy to survive the odd ball being kicked through them, which makes them the ideal choice for a family garden.

More than at any other time, the garden is a refuge now. As a place to escape from sweaty cars and offices it can’t be bettered and in these recessionary times, leisure destinations that are as economical or rewarding are very hard to find. This is the time when an old garden, one that you’ve grown with over the years, can be at its most delightful. As the sun moves slowly round on hot days, you relish the shade of an old tree or wall that you’ve known for many summers. It can also be fun to enjoy the novelty of something new if you’ve recently moved.

Now is not the time for working too hard (in the garden or at the office!). Carry on with your routine tasks and maybe take on a little project if you’re feeling especially energetic, but mostly, sit back and relax!

STOP PRESS! Autumn plant sale – 3 plants for the price of 2 during September & October! Also visit The Escape Café at Newington Nurseries!

Newington Nurseries, Newington, Nr Stadhampton, Oxon, OX10 7AW TeI 01865 400533
www.newington-nurseries.co.uk

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