Month: May 2020

Once again there is little to report this week specifically on Covid 19 that most of us do not already know, but there are a few announcements and other items worthy of mention.

Parish Council Meetings

During the current lockdown the Parish Council has not been meeting but has continued to carry on all necessary work on behalf of the Parish using delegated powers. The Parish Council is planning to hold a virtual meeting via video and the first such meeting is likely to be Wednesday 1^st July. Anyone wishing to join the meeting will need to download the Zoom application and apply to the Clerk for meeting and password details. A notice about this and the Agenda will be published in the normal way on the notice board in Church Street and on the Parish website.

In view of the pandemic, the Government has put back the requirement to have an Annual Open Meeting of the Parish and an annual Parish Council meeting until 2021.

Clapping for Carers short videos

We have posted two short videos on the website www.strattonaudley.org taken last week of those in Cherry Street, Mill Road and the Manor showing their appreciation for our essential workers.  If you have a similar video clip that you would like to post on the Parish website please get in touch. There is a suggestion that the Thursday night doorstep engagement may be coming to an end so now is the time to act.

Household Waste Recycling Centres Ardley

Last week we mentioned about the opening of the household waste centres and so I made a visit to Ardley after they had been open for four days. They are well organised and say that the longest queues are just after 2pm. So here’s the tip. Go as early as you can in the morning. I went at 10am and there were two cars ahead of me waiting to enter. According to one member of staff, other centres have much longer waiting times.

Stratton Audley Barn to re-open

Another piece of good news is that Stratton Audley Barn will be opening again. They plan to open the Barn for takeaway coffee, cake and ice cream from next weekend – that’s this coming Friday 29th, Saturday 30^th and Sunday 31^st.  They will be open each weekend from 10-4pm and I am sure will be a very welcome respite when out for some exercise.

Work by Volunteers resumes at back of church

Some of you may have noticed the new short gravel path that has been put down on the footpath leading off Launton Road, by the Pound to the back of the Church. We have now also cleared all the brambles and ivy off the church wall and once again started work on the entrance steps to the back of the graveyard. Thanks go to the land owner for allowing us to put down the gravel and also the church warden for approval to proceed. All the work has been carried out by a small team of residents, namely Stuart Hopkins, Paul Roberts, Adam Willmore and myself on a voluntary basis, with support from Anthony Flack. When finished it will give good, safe access in all weathers, to a short cut into the church and graveyard area.

Top Nepalese Chef joins Momotime tomorrow, Monday 23^rd in Church Street

In order to reinvigorate the senses for more Nepalese food and provide something new for residents to try, George has teamed up with top Nepalese chef Bikash, formally with Raymond Blanc’s Michelin Star restaurant and now with Marco Pierre White, to provide a truly traditional tasting vegan Gurkha curry.

As in previous weeks, the wagon will be parked outside the Red Lion taking orders and payment from 3.30pm until 5pm. Pre-orders can be collected between 5pm until 6.30pm.  Normal street servings will take place from 6.30pm until 8.30pm. Those collecting pre-orders after 6.30pm will be asked to join the queue if there is one. All cards and cash can now be accepted. Pre-orders can also be made by phone from 3.30pm on 07976 455654.

Come and be served by the man himself!

Message of Thanks for plants outside the Pub

Just to say thank you to whoever has been putting seedlings and plants on the table outside the pub.  A number of people have gone out of their way to say what a nice gesture this is.

Shelswell News

The Shelswell News is once again not in print but is available on line via the Shelswell News website and also on the Parish Council website in the Church section of the Village sub section. If you don’t normally subscribe, this is probably your last chance to see what this useful local monthly magazine has to offer before it goes back into print.

There is little to report specifically on Covid 19 this week that most of us do not already know, but as we go further into this unlock phase, the Government advice to STAY ALERT starts to become more relevant as it is all too easy to forget the social distancing guidelines that we all should follow.

The need for all of us to continue to be sensible and trust our own judgment has never been more important.

Re-opening of the Household Waste Recycling Centres

Household Waste Recycling Centres including Ardley will reopen tomorrow, Monday 18^th May. They will open at 8am and close at 4pm seven days a week, as long as they are not overwhelmed and can operate safely. The number of vehicles allowed onto the site will be reduced by approximately 50% to allow for social distancing. This means that queues are highly likely, especially at peak times such as weekends.

Therefore residents are being asked to exercise restraint and only to visit sites if their trip is essential and they cannot safely store their waste at home for the time being.

Key things to remember when visiting the re-opened centres:

• You should only visit the site if you cannot safely store your waste at home.
• There will continue to be a charge for non-household waste brought to sites and this will be by contactless card payment only. If you are unable to pay by this method you will not be able to deposit non-household waste at the site
• For an initial period, no hire vans or trailers will be permitted onto sites.
• Site teams will be there for guidance only and will not be able to assist residents in unloading their waste.
• Only one resident will be permitted out of the vehicle, unless it is to unload a heavy load which would otherwise be unsafe to remove. Visits are best made by just one person per vehicle.
• Residents are requested to ensure all waste is pre-sorted before arriving at site to ensure minimum time on site.

Path by Pond

As a result of the decision to remove the restrictive signs on the path by the pond, the question of making the path one-way was raised due its the narrowness and difficulty to pass others without breaking the social distancing guidelines. The Parish Council considered the matter and on balance felt that for the time being no such measure should be imposed. Many of the other paths leading in and out of the village also have narrow passing points and it was felt that it was best to leave it to the good sense of everyone to either turn away as they pass or indeed offer to back-up where necessary.

Message from Thames Valley Police

All communities have been asked by Thames Valley Police to make everyone aware that in March, reports of online child sexual abuse in the Thames Valley area were 146% higher than the number of reports received in March 2019.

With the government restrictions in place, many children are spending more time online to stay in touch with friends and loved ones as well as a way to stay entertained. Sadly, some criminals are using these extraordinary circumstances as a way to exploit and target young people when they are online. Thames Valley are looking to encourage parents and carers to take action in protecting their children from falling victim to online sexual abuse. They are urging parents to take this opportunity to have honest conversations about online safety with their children and to review privacy settings on the apps and social networks that they are using.

To support parents during COVID-19, the National Crime Agency’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Division are producing fortnightly activity packs to help discuss staying safe online with your children. These age-appropriate resources, containing two 15-minute activities for each age group, can be found at www.thinkuknow.co.uk

Nepalese Food Wagon

Last Monday proved to be another welcome visit from George with his Nepalese food wagon. He will once again be parked outside the Red Lion tomorrow (Monday) for his fourth visit.

As per last week a separate desk will be set up next to the van to take orders and payment from 3.30pm until 5pm. Pre-orders can be collected between 5pm until 6.30pm.  Normal street servings will take place from 6.30pm until 8pm. Those collection pre-orders after 6.30pm will be asked to join the queue if there is one. All cards and cash can now be accepted. Pre-orders can also be made by phone from 3.30pm on 07976 455654. Menu as per last time (see Facebook).

Free Puzzles

Long-time resident, Janet James, who lives at the entrance to the village on the Stoke Lyne Road, has 10 substantial puzzles that have been completed once and she is happy to let them go to anyone who likes puzzles.

The jigsaws are mainly 1000 pieces, although there are some 500s and one 1500 piece jigsaw. There are a variety of pictures, with about five showing WWII aircraft in the British sky.

Anyone interested should call Janet and pop along to her house where she can show them what is on offer at her front door. Please call 07971 269293.

Covid 19 Government update

The New Government slogan is: Stay Alert. Control the Virus. Save Lives.

I would add: Be sensible. Trust your own judgmentally. Don’t put yourself unnecessarily at risk.

It is clear from the Prime Minister’s statement tonight that the path forward is fraught with difficulties and very much a ‘conditional plan’ which will be influenced by our ability to reduce the ‘R’ rate of infection.

The central message was the recognition that the country needs to get back to work and that there is to be some relaxing of the recreational rules- providing social distancing measures are maintained.

From Wednesday we are all allowed to take unlimited outdoor exercise, to sit in a local park and even drive to places to do this. We will also be allowed to play sport but only with members of our own family and provided we maintain the social distancing rules from other people.

From a village point of view, we will remove the signs requesting people from outside the village not to use the pond path walk. We will also be seeking guidance from Cherwell Council as to when they will allow the re-opening of the village playground and what rules will need to be applied. When we know, we will let you know immediately.

It is still going to be very much incumbent on all of us to exercise great caution in order to ensure that the self-sacrifice we have all made in our day-to-day life is not undone over night.

International Nursing Day

The public is being asked to “shine a light” in their window this coming Tuesday 12^th May at 8.30pm, in a similar way that we show our gratitude to the wider NHS with Clap for Carers, every Thursday evening at 8pm.

The World Health Organisation designated 2020 as International Year of the Nurse to mark the bicentenary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. So this year it is specifically to recognise the efforts of nursing professionals around the world as they help to tackle coronavirus.

A Big Shout-out for all the Volunteers in Stratton Audley

It is now seven weeks since the official announcement of the Lockdown when we circulated details of our local response to Covid 19.

Part of our response was to organise a parish-wide volunteer list and to commit to keeping everyone informed. This is just to acknowledge that many people on this list have been regularly helping others in the community in particular with shopping and it is to their credit that this is done willingly and silently. In a sense the volunteers on this list have supplemented the generous spirit of what already existed between many neighbours and we are indeed fortunate to live in this community.