A brilliant uplifting photo to begin the fortnightly newsletter, courtesy of Susan Wilson in The Manor.
Annual Community Open Meeting Wednesday 4th August
The Annual Open Meeting of the Parish is this coming week on 4th August at 7.30pm in the Church. Please come if you are in the village as it is your meeting. It has not been held for two years and whilst hosted by the Parish Council, is an open meeting of the community which means subjects that are not on the agenda can be raised for discussion in an open forum.
Please see the attached Agenda.
News from The Red Lion
Saturdays 31st July and 7th August – The Lions rugby matches will be screened in the garden during the afternoon and they’re serving Sapphy’s Oriental Snacks which were a big hit last weekend.
Sunday – there’s a private event in the garden, but Sunday Lunch will be served inside the pub as usual. The menu is on the website but will feature for the first time in living memory, vegetables grown IN THE VILLAGE!!! Dillie’s courgettes and Maggie’s beans!!! HOW ABOUT THAT FOR NO AIR MILES!
Wednesday is coffee morning and also what they’re now calling Posh Ploughman’s! – it was apparently a great success last week and comes with delicious bread and butter. There is a vegetarian option. The Wednesday lunch is a special for the coffee morning gang at £7.50, otherwise the even more generous version is £9.90.
From Wednesday onwards, they are delighted to welcome Christine Martin to the team, who was a vital part of Pat’s much missed establishment at the Butcher’s Arms in Fringford. She will be cooking lunch Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Simple, straightforward food cooked for £9.90.
On Friday August 6th, they are starting up the Steak Nights again! Just rump and sirloin steak to start with, and they are more than happy to cater for vegetarians, vegans and those with food intolerances. Please book in advance to avoid food waste – 01869 277225.
Quiz Night
Little Richie has kindly offered to organise a Quiz Night in the pub – please check the Facebook page or The Red Lion website. £5 entry fee and the winning table gets the lot. There will be no rollovers because when the pot gets big, the word gets out and you get Semi-Pro Quiz Raiders coming in and creaming off all the villager’s moolah (Dillie’s words!) At the moment, it is uncertain if it’s Thursday 5th or 12th August, but it will be advertised on social media and on the website.
Stratton Audley Barn
The coffee shop is a great place to meet friends with both indoor and outdoor seating, so whether it is Brunch or Lunch, Coffee or Cake, Milkshake or Ice Cream, there is something to tempt the whole family. Opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm.
For more information on www.strattonaudleybarn.co.uk or Facebook Stratton Audley Barn.
Important notice from Richard & Sara:
“Although the rules on Covid-19 have been relaxed, our commitment to our team and customer’s safe keeping remains our number one priority. We have therefore decided to continue with many of the measures we have already adopted in our shop and cafe, including the use of screens, hand sanitiser and one way system. Our teams will continue to wear face coverings and we would ask and encourage our customers to use these when moving around the shop & Cafe too. Track & Trace posters will continue to be made available for scanning but we will no longer need details from your party when you arrive. We will continue to review & follow government guidelines and practices as they change”.
Book now for the Kit & McConnel show at The Red Lion
Tickets for the Kit & McConnel concert (sharp satire and song) on 19th August are going extremely well. Please contact redlionstrattonaudley@gmail.com for tickets. It’s a snip at £25 per head. No social distancing, hence the cheaper price.
No Mitra this Monday 2nd August
Mitra is taking a break this Monday but will be back in the village on Monday 9th August serving her Persian food from her stall at the junction with Church Street & Bicester Road. Just turn up on the night or order by texting her in advance on the day – 07444 364789.
Volunteer help needed at Sobell Warehouse
Sobell Warehouse in Bicester are desperate for volunteers. The manager Judy said they are very flexible and people can obviously work any hours that suit them. If anyone is interested they should contact Judy on 01869 245235 to have a chat and find out more. It will be most appreciated.
Canine Issues
There have been one or two issues recently for dog owners in the village, with anti-social behaviour including dog fouling on the verges, particularly noticed in Mill Road. With free collection bags available at four locations throughout the village (courtesy of the Parish Council) there should be no reason to avoid picking up your ‘best friends’ poop.
For all canine related matters whether of a serious nature or merely for advice, the best person to contact in the first instance, is our own dedicated District Council Dog Warden, Chris Cundy. He is very helpful and his direct telephone number is 01295 221621 (Switchboard: 01295 227990) or you can email him christopher.cundy@cherwell-DC.gov.uk
Stratton Audley Church
The next church service in Stratton Audley is this Sunday (1st August) 6pm.
No Little Lambs now until the start of the new term in September.
New FREE Village Bus Service
The new ABILITY bus service is now operational and provides residents with a connection to and from Bicester town centre, every Friday.
This service is completely free of charge for anyone with a concessionary bus pass once they are registered. ABILITY is a commercial company offering a number of services in addition to the basic free service. To register and find out more about the times call 01327 604123. Please note that this is a flexible bus service and not a fixed route, per se, meaning that the bus will only stop at these locations if a passenger has pre-booked a seat on the bus. This way they can guarantee everyone gets a seat and it saves the bus running to places where there is no one to pick up.
Order a bottle of Nocino – all funds go to the Church building
David has started taking pre-orders for people who want their very own bottle of Nocino walnut liqueur in time for a relaxing autumn and Christmas.
To order a bottle, please rsvp to david@betteroutliers.com . All donations go directly to maintaining the church building and anyone pre-ordering is invited to go into the church and see their liqueur develop – the process to make Nocino takes 40 – 60 days and needs someone to gently shake the Nocino kilners/vat jars every 2-3 days.
Footpaths
The weather this year has caused a greater amount of vegetation growth than we normally experience. This has caused many paths that are normally ok in the summer and self-managed via footfall to become overgrown. Keeping them passable is the responsibility of the County Council, but unfortunately it is simply impossible for them to maintain all 2600 miles of Public Rights of Way and priority is given to the most popular routes.
The Parish Council have cleared a few of the paths that are worst affected and residents are encouraged to try and clear the way with a sturdy stick or carry some secateurs. Anyone wishing to volunteer as a path warden or set up a voluntary group should contact the Chairman of the Parish Council. For more serious problems the best way to report an issue is via the online link: Reporting an issue on a public right of way | Oxfordshire County Council
Help for Fringford Primary School
Great news! Fringford Primary School has been selected for the Tesco Community Grant (Blue token) scheme at Tesco, Bicester from July 12th until September 30th!
Their grant application is for developing the Sensory Garden and Forest School – projects which will enable stimulating and nurturing environments in which each child is encouraged to enjoy learning and develop a lively and enquiring mind. The more blue tokens they get in the voting boxes, the higher their chance of securing a larger grant. They are only a small school and they have asked for our help.
Next time you are shopping in any of the Bicester Tesco stores, at the till ask for a blue charity token and pop it in the voting box as you leave the store. Spread the word by asking local friends, family, colleagues, and neighbours to support them too.
Covid-19
Further details on Covid data and other Government’s advice on Coronavirus can be found via these link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-coronavirus-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/
Collection Point for Disposal of Ink Jet Cartridges
Please continue to pop your ink jet cartridges into the basket in the Glen Close bus shelter. Please don’t drop larger toner cartridges off as these are not recycled by the RSPB. If you are not sure if your cartridges are suitable for recycling, you can contact Rachel Dewhurst by email at treehouse0@sky.com
All the best
John