The Grapevine Magazine Feb 2010 Issue No 248 Other Issues Home

Council News Schools Nursery Tips

Snow Play!

This beautiful snow sculptures were created by Emma Souter of Hill Road during the time we were all marooned by the snow.

JUBILEE HALL

Great news……..the trustees will soon be able to improve facilities at the hall.
After two years of fund raising and applying for grants the trustees have almost raised enough money to provide more storage and to install acoustic panels on the ceiling of the main hall. Everyone has been very patient, but the lack of a suitable storage area and the problem with noise reverberation and echo in the hall have been difficult to put up with. At last, however, the end is in sight. What the trustees hope to be able to provide is a good sized extension for storage opening directly off the main hall so that tables, chairs, staging and sports equipment will be much easier to use and put away. The increase in space for storage will also make it possible to offer a better range of sports and other activities which need equipment. Once the acoustic panels are in place the hall will be much nicer to use for all sorts of activities including children’s parties.

The cost of the improvements is nearly £54,000 and the trustees need to raise the last £4,000 before commissioning the works. Donations are, therefore, needed urgently to enable the scheme to progress. All donations are very welcome from £5 to £500! If you are able to help please give cash or a cheque to Penny McCulloch, Chair of Trustees. Her ‘phone number is 01844 353727. Please help if you can. If the trustees are unable to raise this final amount soon, some grant offers may be withdrawn and that would be a terrible disappointment having got so close to the target.

NEW CLASSES AT JUBILEE HALL.

Have you tried Pilates? It is a gentle exercise aimed at improving flexibility and strengthening some core muscles. Most exercises are carried out sitting or lying on the floor and people who do it regularly are very enthusiastic about it and find that it helps them to feel fit and well.

There will be 4 introductory classes at the hall on Wednesday afternoons on 10th, 17th, and 24th February and 3rd March from 2.00p.m. to 3.00p.m. The classes are open to everyone so do come along if you would like to give it a try or if you already have some experience of Pilates. There is a special introductory charge of £3.00 per session. It is possible to just turn up to any or all of these classes but it would be helpful to have some idea of numbers in advance.

Please contact Lil Roe who will be teaching the classes - her mobile number is 07825 089618

If there is enough interest in Pilates classes the trustees hope that it will be possible to continue them on a regular basis. If you would like to come to Pilates but cannot manage Wednesday afternoons please let the trustees know - it may be possible to arrange classes at other times as well.

Please also contact the trustees if there are other types of classes, sports or fitness activities which you would like to go to at the hall. Please get in touch with Penny 01844 353727 or Gill 01491 612663.

AS FROM MARCH 2010 ENQUIRIES ABOUT BOOKING THE HALL SHOULD BE MADE TO JEAN SENIOR ON 01844 354875

THE MEETING ROOM IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR USE (FROM AFTER 1PM TERM-TIME WEEKDAYS, WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS ANY TIME) FOR A NOMINAL RATE OF £5;00 FOR THE FIRST 2 HOURS AND THEREAFTER £5;00 FOR EACH SUBSEQUENT HOUR OR PART THEREOF

THE COMMITTEE ARE HOPING TO ORGANISE A FUND RAISING WALK IN THE SPRING TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE WONDERFUL AREA WE LIVE IN - DETAILS IN NEXT MONTHS GRAPEVINE.

Village Play Space

Timing for starting work on the play area has been delayed again but is due to begin on 4 February (assuming the weather co-operates…) So, keep watch for diggers, dump trucks and lots of activity in February. And, if you are using the hall or field during that time please pay extra attention.

If you have expressed interest in sponsoring a tree, we will be getting in touch in February to organise the details and collect money. If you are interested and have not gotten in touch, please do so. Trees range in price from £30 through to £250 and will display the name(s) of the person or family who sponsored them.

We hope to hold the grand opening on Sunday 28 March. Watch this space for more details!!

Thank you,

Shannon Heiberg           Heather Weston      Victoria Balls
01844 355 904          01844 350 040     01844 352 277

The Bookclub at Lewknor:

Since the last edition of Grapevine we have read two books, a memoir by a nonagenarian (I think that’s how you spell it!) and ‘Engleby’ by Sebastian Faulks. ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’ by Thomas Hardy we have had to postpone discussing until February as the weather decided to put paid to our January meeting.

Fortunately, ‘Somewhere towards the End’ by Diane Athill was not as long as one might have feared from the story of such a long life; the reason for this was that the author had already written of her younger years as well as a memento of a close friend so there was less of her life left to describe. As a result, those in the group who had not read the earlier books felt that the thoughts of this elderly lady seemed rather thin and disjointed. However, she recalls (in not quite vivid details) her sex life which resumed in her sixties which gives some piquancy to her story but the overall impression is of a well-read (she was an editor for André Deutsch) woman who enjoyed a comfortable upbringing in the upper echelons of society and went to Oxford but who never ever really put herself out to make the most of the good fortune she had as far as brains and good looks were concerned. The best joke about getting older, which is not in this book, but appeared in a review, concerns a character in a Stanley Middleton novel who said he was too old to risk buying unripe bananas.

‘Engleby’, our next book, couldn’t have been more different. The eponymous hero, Engleby, turned out to be a less than heroic character; in fact, it quickly became evident that he was an eminently dislikeable one. This proved to be something of a problem for those of us who found the novel disturbing without having someone in it with whom to identify. The story is that of a young, working- class boy who is clever enough to get a scholarship first to a public school for boys, where he is physically and mentally abused before turning abuser, and then to Cambridge. Socially he is inept and a loner and after leaving Cambridge he becomes a successful journalist but unable to sustain relationships with others. The thread which runs through the book is the mystery surrounding the disappearance of a female undergraduate whom Engleby knew at Cambridge. This is solved (or not as the reader can decide) by the end of the book.

Tess of the D’Urbervilles is a classic which most of us had read initially sometime in the past. It is often interesting to reread a book years later with the accumulation of those years’ experience behind one which often help to provide a different interpretation to one’s earlier impressions. The sadness of the book is balanced by Hardy’s wonderful descriptions of the Dorset countryside and of rural life in the mid- eighteenth century. For the New Year apart from ‘Tess’ we are reading ‘The Secret Scriptures’ by Sebastian Barry and after that ‘The Black Monk’ by Boris Akunin.

We are always happy to welcome new recruits to the group.

Elan Preston-Whyte.

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SCHOOL NEWS

Hello everyone,
I would like to introduce myself as the newly appointed Acting Head of Lewknor C of E Primary School. I have had the privilege of teaching at this wonderful school for 6 years and am keen to continue to develop the school still further.

We would like to invite Lewknor residents to join us for Friday Assemblies in the church, where we celebrate the achievements (both academic and in development of citizenship skills) of our children. Also, are there any musical residents who would welcome an opportunity to regularly play for us in our assemblies? This might be piano, guitar, or a more unusual instrument. It would also be great to welcome visitors to talk about places they’ve been to, or hobbies and interests they have - and even to compare tales of how times have changed!

Snow Days: I understand that small schools have been under threat of closure for many years and it has jokingly been said that I have managed to successfully close the school twice in my first two weeks of Acting Headship!! I hasten to add that this was as a result of very extreme and unusual weather conditions and we are now very much up-and-running again. Thank you to everyone who helped parents to move snow-bound cars and also to local residents (you know who you are!) who did their best to shovel snow and grit sections of the road.

School Topic: We are currently exploring the topic of Life in Prehistoric Times, which will culminate in our Annual Transformation Evening on Wednesday 24th March. We have an exciting trip to the Oxford Natural History Museum planned for later in February, with hands-on activities on dinosaurs and fossils.

Dog Poo!! Can we please appeal to all dog-walkers not to allow your dog to foul the pavements on the path between school and the Jubilee Hall, or the grass in the school grounds? Dog-poo is not just offensive and unpleasant to clean up, but is also extremely dangerous to the health of children. I am aware that the majority of dog-owners and walkers are extremely responsible but there are times when some dogs escape their gardens and “walk themselves”! Please be vigilant.

Farewell to our vicar: Simon Brignall was a well-known figure here, as a vicar, as a parent and as a regular contributor to our weekly assemblies in school. He will be missed by all at the school - and, I’m sure, by his former parishioners!

Finally, if there is any news to share, or a chance to pass on community activities through our school newsletters, please DO feel free to pop in and say hello!

Bernie Morgan

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News from Krakatoa

Happy New Year! We’ve had an exciting and snowy beginning of term! Well done to all the parents and carers who managed to bring their children to pre-school in the bad weather and welcome to Elizabeth Balls who joined the pre-school this term.

Thank you to everyone who supported the Krakatoa Christmas Post delivery. As usual, your support is greatly appreciated!

The Winter Wonderland Disco will take place on Saturday 6 February from 5 to 7pm for school and pre-school aged children. Tickets are £5 in advance (being sold by Krakatoa mums at school pick-up or from Shannon Heiberg on 355 904) and £5.50 on the door. We hope all the children will come along and enjoy a fun-filled evening!

Support please! Krakatoa is one of the charities chosen by Waitrose in Thame for their community projects in February. If you shop at Waitrose, please take a minute to fill up the Krakatoa slot with your tokens!! Any money donated by Waitrose will be used to purchase new indoor equipment.

Thank you!

Krakatoa Pre-school
www.krakatoa-preschool.org.ik
07919081088

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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

Exhibition displays snapshots of Oxfordshire's recent past:

A selection of images from a sometimes quirky collection of Oxfordshire photographs taken over a 40-year period by the former head of Oxfordshire Studies, the county council's local studies and family history centre, is now on display. The 120 pictures captured by Malcolm Graham include a September 1975 image of elephants being paraded down Oxford's Park End Street to publicise the visit of a circus and a March 1999 photograph of a bus in Botley Road apparently taking its passengers to Heaven.

The exhibition - Changing Oxfordshire: A Personal View - also features an August 1971 photograph of a narrow boat moored on the Oxford Canal in Jericho opposite Lucy's Eagle Ironworks and a July 2009 equivalent view showing modern flats on the factory site. Other pictures from Dr Graham's four decades of local photography include:

• A June 1983 photograph of the steam locomotive King George V at Oxford station on its way to Stratford-upon-Avon
• An image taken in September 1997 during St Giles' Fair in Oxford of floral tributes laid at the Martyrs' Memorial to mark the death of Princess Diana
• A picture of students protesting in February 2003 in Cornmarket Street, Oxford against government plans to invade Iraq.

What is Oxfordshire Studies? Dr Graham was Head of Oxfordshire Studies from 1991 to 2008. The service is located in Oxford's Central Library, which is the venue for the exhibition. It houses:

• A large local studies library
• A major family history centre with free computer access to family history resources
• Collections of maps and oral history tapes
• A 60-seat public reading room
• A display area

Heritage Search: Dr Graham's pictures form part of the county's photographic archive of around 450,000 images, many of which can be viewed along with catalogue records for printed books, pamphlets, CD-ROMs and microfilms at Heritage Search <http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/heritagesearch>, the council's online database of local historical material. Dr Graham said: "I grew up with a fascination for the history that is all around us. By my late teens, I was photographing not just the grand buildings but also those interesting, even quirky, features that give every place its own special character. "I came to Oxford as local history librarian in 1970 and soon developed a passion, an obsession some would say, for exploring and photographing the city and the county."

Fascinating collection: Councilor Judith Heathcoat, Oxfordshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Safer and Stronger Communities, said: "This fascinating collection is a wonderful snapshot of years gone by in Oxfordshire and shows Malcolm's dedication to recording the ever changing face of the county. These pictures are part of nearly half a million images in the wonderful resource that is the county council's photographic archive."

The free exhibition is on until Saturday, February 27 from 9am to 5pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

FLY-TIPPING

There were 4,383 instances of fly-tipping in Oxfordshire during 2009. This cost local councils more than £250,000 to clear up. Since you are obliged to contribute, via your Council Tax, this means that YOU are bearing the cost of this crime. The adverse financial implications aside, fly-tipping is clearly unsightly but, and far more significantly, it may also contribute to pollution and represent a hazard to children and/or wildlife.

There is another serious problem of which many folk may not be aware. A householder has a ‘duty of care’ regarding rubbish removed from their premises - whoever does it. So, if you employ someone to clear out your garden or garage or a contractor who removes the waste arising from, for instance, a refitted kitchen or bathroom - it is still YOUR waste. Before hiring anyone to remove rubbish one should check that they are ‘licensed waste carriers’ which you can do by calling the Environment Agency on 08708 506 506 or via its website at www.environment-agency.gov.uk Once you are on-line, enter ‘public registers’ in the search window, then click on ‘View our public registers’ followed by ‘Waste carriers’. Then enter the appropriate parameters to find a local licensed operator or to check whether your contractor really is registered. You would then be well-advised to keep a written description and/or a photograph of the waste that is being taken away. That way, if it is dumped, you will be able to show that you had taken all reasonable precautions to ensure that disposal would be handled properly. If you cannot do this you will be liable for a fine of up to £5,000.

DISPOSAL OF DOG FAECES

On a related topic, it has been reported that local dog owners have been seen collecting their pet’s faeces but then disposing of it by depositing in the nearest private waste bin. This not an acceptable practice. Dog faeces may be deposited in one of the five bins provided within the parish for that specific purpose or via private arrangements. The use of other people’s rubbish bins is simply NOT an option.

Marie Curie Nurses provide free nursing care to cancer patients, and those with other terminal illnesses, in their own homes. Most folk will be familiar with the daffodil tokens worn on the lapel in recognition of a donation made to the annual fund raising campaign in support of this charity. For the 2010 campaign, which will be mounted in March, the Oxfordshire Fundraising Office plans to establish 42 public collection sites and it needs 150 new volunteers to assist in manning them.

You may well already know someone who is being cared for by a Marie Curie Nurse - and you may need them yourself one day. Find out more at www.mariecurie.gov.uk If you can spare a couple of hours (that’s all they are asking for) to help out at a local collection point call ‘Shir’ (short for Shiralyn) Hunt on 01869 246655 or email: Shiralyn.hunt@mariecurie.org.uk <mailto:Shiralyn.hunt@mariecurie.org.uk>

LOVE FOOD - HATE WASTE

The average UK resident sends 2,000 kg of waste to landfill every year (that’s about 2 tons in real money). Some of it is food and between us, we manage to throw away 8,300,000 tons of it, most of it perfectly edible. The annual cost to a typical family with kids is about £680. Equally unsettling is the environmental cost - the water and energy wasted in growing and transporting food that is not eaten and the methane that it then produces in landfill. So - what to do?

1. Send less food to landfill - plan meals, manage portions, keep an eye on ‘use by’ dates, and freeze surpluses.
2. Compost food waste - over 30% of the average household’s waste could be composted.
3. Recycle food containers - reclaiming aluminium uses only 5% of the energy needed to make one from scratch and 80% of all glass recycled reappears as new bottles and jars.

For more green, money-saving tips, call the Energy Saving Trust on 0800 512 012.

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/E1059	Mill House, S Weston – replace stables.	NSV	Granted
P09/E1280	Copcourt House – refurbish, convert & demolish barns	NSV	Current
P09/E1281/LB	Copcourt House – refurbish, convert & demolish barns.	NSV	Current
P09/E1296	Oxford Lodge, London Rd (in AR) – extension and demolition.	NSV	Current
P09/E1311/RET	The Barn, Weston Rd – change of use, car storage to car rebuilding.	NSV	Current

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News from Newington Nurseries

Winter Blooms using Hellebores

Our gardens are probably looking a little sleepy at this time of year so how about injecting a little brightness and beauty with some eye-catching Hellebores? Appearing to strike through the surface of the ground when all else is dormant, Hellebores make an arresting sight. Their beautiful flowers, white, cream, pink, purple or green and sometimes with lovely detailing, are a great sight during the winter. To create greater impact plant in groups, ideally in threes or fives. Even though their winter beauty provides a welcome contrast to murky skies, being evergreen, they provide structure and interest throughout the year.

Plants of the woodland margin, Hellebores are happiest where they can enjoy both sun and shade, so they can be planted near trees in a woodland setting, or in a mixed shrub border. They’re tolerant of a range of soils, but prefer moist, fertile, humus-rich soils and will get off to a flying start if you improve the soil at the time of planting with leaf mould or compost. Some classic choices for hellebores are Helleborus niger ‘Potter’s Wheel’ with its large white flowers and green-eyes or Helleborus x ballardiae ‘December Dawn’ which has big white flowers (6-8cm across), flushed pink-purple. Helleborus foetidus (Stinking Hellebore) is called so because the leaves give off an unpleasant smell if crushed but the flowers are a fabulous green and often have the exquisite detail of being purple-margined. Helleborus foetidus ‘Miss Jekyll’ contradicts the name of ‘stinking’ by having lovely fragrant flowers. As a final suggestion, look out for the much loved Helleborus hybridus ‘Peggy Ballard’ with its gorgeous deep pink flowers. These stars of the winter garden are easy to establish and require little maintenance in return for a wonderful show.
Plus, did you know?
Helleborus has a rich if shady history as a ‘medicinal’ plant. The ancient Greeks apparently used it as an early chemical weapon. Scholars discovered that they used

parts of the plant to poison the wells of their enemies. It often appears naturalised around the ruins of mediaeval European monasteries also. One interpretation of this is that the monks used it as a herbal treatment for ailments. According to English folklore, crushed hellebore leaves were used as a treatment for intestinal worms in country districts. The dosage had to be correctly administered as the leaves are known to contain alkaloids and other chemicals that could lead to poisoning (think of the Greeks). Helleborus was also used in the Middle Ages to ward off evil influences thought to be lurking in the house. In contrast, Helleborus was said to be used in witchcraft to summon undesirable spirits.

Finally, don’t forget about the birds.
You may have recently read the RSPB’s report indicating that this recent cold, snowy snap will have a detrimental impact on our bird population. Frosty nights and/or long spells of rain cause birds to lose their condition. If you’ve been feeding them, make sure that you keep feeders clean and full. If you haven’t, why not invest in some modern, hygienic bird feeders? You’ll be helping populations of both local and over-wintering birds with the bonus of getting to enjoy the fun of bird table politics - so much more entertaining than the human kind.

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

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