Your fortnightly news update begins with an important announcement regarding an exciting decision to hold a village celebration day in just six weeks’ time.
Village Funday – Sunday 26th September – Save the date.
This is an event to mark the ‘return to near normal’ and for residents to get together and have some fun with food, music and organised group games including the ever popular Tug o’War to round things off.
It is a free event for residents of the Stratton Audley Parish. Those planning to attend will need to register so that tickets can be issued in advance in order to help with catering. Plans are at an early stage but the food (likely to be a barbeque) will be funded by the Parish Council. Additionally everyone will be invited to pitch-in and to participate ‘picnic style’ by bringing additional food and drink for themselves or to group share. As an outdoor event it should be pretty safe and the more people that attend the better.
The Howson’s have kindly offered the use of their field and marquee at Stratton Audley Barn.
Volunteers will be needed to help both prior to and on the day.
Annual Village Meeting
The village meeting of the Parish took place last Wednesday and was attended by some 35 people, who heard news of what was happening at District and County Council level and Cllr. Wood agreed to respond to some unanswered questions about the bus service to the village. The Clerk summarised activities over the last two years and the Chairman gave an update on current Parish Council matters.
A number of topics were presented for discussion in open forum such as the latest planning news on Bicester Motion, Thames Water remedial works and the Stoke Lyne Road Waste land Re-wilding project. Other ideas previously put forward by members of the community were discussed such as tree planting schemes, creating an allotment, introducing more wild flower areas, leaving some of the grass verges to go wild and purchasing a red telephone box to convert into a library. None were universally backed with the exception of speeding vehicles in the village.
There was general agreement that traffic in and around the village is a cause for concern on all four entry/exit roads. Vehicle Activate Speed Signs (VAS) are generally liked and thought to be effective, so more are needed. Additionally the idea of turning the village into 20MPH zone was once again raised and will be investigated further by the Parish Council.
The need for a footpath on the Bicester Road was raised as a safety issue and a resident agreed to come up with a plan which could be taken forward to the County Council with help from the Parish Council.
Finally there was unanimous agreement that a village community event in September would be a good idea and that the village should participate in a day of celebration next year, in support of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations, 2-5 June 2022.
News from the Red Lion
Wednesday is coffee morning and also what they’re now calling Posh Ploughman’s! The Wednesday lunch is a special for the coffee morning gang at £7.50, otherwise the even more generous version is £9.90.
Lunches on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday consist of simple straightforward food cooked for £9.90. Additionally 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.
Sunday lunch is on as usual – this week’s offering is Beef or Honey Roast Ham, followed by Crème Brûlée.
Another Table Tennis Tournament is planned for 29th August, weather permitting. Singles and Doubles this time!
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”.
Mitra this Monday August 16th
Mitra will be back in the village on Monday 16th 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.
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 nearly sold out. Please contact redlionstrattonaudley@gmail.com for tickets. It’s a snip at £25 per head. No social distancing, hence the cheaper price.
Stratton Audley Church
The next church service in Stratton Audley with Holly Communion is on Sunday, 22th August at 9.30am.
Footpaths
Keeping pubic rights of way 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.
As a result The Parish Council have cleared most of the paths that are worst affected leading into and away from the village and has now resolved to check these more regularly and as and when necessary, to arrange for the vegetation to be cut back.
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 with Computer Issues
Is there a knowledgeable computer person in the village who can offer their services on an hourly basis? Several people have asked if there is such a person who could help when simple things go wrong, such as files that go missing, lap tops that are sluggish and the like. Please email Jhonsinger@btconnect.com and I will pass your details on.
And some reminders from the previous newsletters…..
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 three 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
Planning Policy Consultation
CDC planning department are currently consulting on their new Statement of Community Involvement. It is a comprehensive document, but buried in the middle of it they are proposing to no longer notify householders by mail of nearby planning applications, relying instead on a single site notice. Our District Councillor Ian Corkin thinks this is a really retrograde step and will be speaking against it. If these changes go through, it will be entirely possible for an unscrupulous applicant to simply take down the notice and neighbours would be none the wiser. The documents can be found here and the relevant section is 5.3 on page 20, which ends with the question:
“ Question 4: Do you agree with our proposal to use site notices, rather than neighbour notification letters, when publicising planning applications?”
If like me you think the answer to that should be a definite “No, both letters and site notices should continue to be used” then you have until the midday on Monday 23rd of August to have your say by:: emailing
Planning policy consultation | Planning policy consultation | Cherwell District Council
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.
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.
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
Covid-19
For the latest 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/