Dear All
Road Sweep Wednesday 1st September
This coming Wednesday the road sweeper will be in the village from about 8am and as usual everyone is asked to park their cars off the street if possible or move them when you hear the hum of the sweeper vehicle, which will come past your home several times during the morning from about 8am.
There probably won’t be a road team this time so if you are able to help, you should sweep or blow any debris off the pavements outside your home, into the road/gutter.
This is a service provided to the village three times a year by Cherwell District Council and as residents we are fortunate to have such a dedicated refuse team of people serving our community, so please show your appreciation to the driver.
News from the Red Lion
This bank holiday weekend is packed with things to do at The Red Lion.
Friday Night is Steak Night. 8 oz Sirloin £15.00 or 10 oz Ribeye £17.50. Get there early to be sure of meaty happiness.
Sunday roast as usual from 12 until 4. Beef and something else meaty, veggie options available if you book.
Sunday evening – Table Tennis in the garden. No cash prize this time to discourage ringers – just a bottle of Prosecco to the winner and a bottle of wine to the runner up. Get there for 6pm – £1 entry fee to cover the cost of the balls which kept disappearing into the gutter! Anything extra goes to the church upkeep.
Monday morning – 11am – 1pm – Bank Holiday Hangover Breakfast! Full English with tea and toast, £12.50. Bloody Marys and Prosecco on hand for the suffering if needed.
Monday at 6 pm – lovely Dominique from the Manor is going to be singing in the garden. She’s young, she’s full of enthusiasm, and she has a fabulous voice. A great choice of songs from classic pop through soul and the Great American Songbook. Come along and support our local talent.
For all enquiries or to book in advance in order to avoid disappointment call 01869 277225.
Stratton Audley Barn
The coffee shop is a great place to meet friends with both indoor and outdoor seating. However the Barn are having to press pause on their full Breakfast & Lunch menus for a few weeks from Saturday 21st August until Thursday 30th September, whilst they are disappointed that they won’t be able to provide a full menu again until 1st October (they will we have some exciting news on that front soon!). In the meantime they will be serving up their popular selection of panini’s and sandwiches daily as well as our delicious Cakes, Bakes & Ice Cream.
Opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm.
For more information on www.strattonaudleybarn.co.uk or Facebook Stratton Audley Barn.
Mitra Persian Food Stall
Mitra will not be in the village for the next few weeks. She is taking a break.
Bicester Heritage Scramble- local offer code- Sunday 10th October 2021
The Events team have asked me to notify you of the local code for the Scramble on the 10th October.
Local Promo code is: FlyingBrevets
Please see below the link to the ticket page:
https://bicesterheritage.co.uk/whaton/octoberscramble-2/
https://bicesterheritage.co.uk/?ticket=october-scramble-tickets
All tickets are now £14.00 (+£1.10 Fee & Tax) and the discount code will give 25% discount.
Stratton Audley Church
The next service at our church is the Harvest Festival on Sunday 26th September at 9.30am. However, there is a service of Compline in Godington Church at 6pm on Sunday 29th August.
Also on Sunday 29th August at 9.30am there is a service at Hethe which will now be a service of Holy Communion rather than Morning Prayer and the 11am service in Finmere will take the form of an informal service on the playing field ahead of the Finmere Fayre (rather than Holy Communion in church).
For the complete picture go to http://www.shelswellparishes.info/services.php
Ride & Stride for the Church on 11th September
This is a fun, easy to participate in, event for the whole family. See details below.
If you just want to donate but not ride or stride, you can give however big or small by emptying all your loose change (or notes if feeling flush) into the collecting box at the Church on Saturday. The Church will be open from 10am-5pm on the day with various volunteers manning the welcoming desk, however they could do with a few more volunteers for an hour or so in the afternoon. Call/text Sarah 07941 273145 if you are able to help.
Stratton Audley Park Road to Poundon
The section of this road that runs from the crossroad with Mill Road up to the turning with Godington will be closed for a day for inspection works on 25 September 2021.
East West Rail have been asked to confirm on multiple occasions when they are going to repair the numerous pot holes on the section of the same road that runs in the other direction past Stratton Audley Park to the A4421 and no date has yet been given. To be clear, the road is the responsibility of EWR for the duration of the build and OCC can do little to influence when works are carried out as they are governed by their own Acts of Parliament which is separate to the Highways Act and they don’t always correlate exactly when it comes to the affected Highway network.
However a survey was carried out and a report prepared last week, so it is my understanding that plans for necessary remedial work are now in the pipeline and EWR have assured me they will now get it done as quickly as they can. They want to support the local community and recognise that their slowness in this matter is damaging the relationship.
Nearest Covid-19 test centre
Just found out where the nearest private Covid test lab is based in case it is useful for anyone going on holiday or coming back. It is AccendoLAB, Heyford Park Innovation Centre, OX25 5HD (a 20 minute drive) Tel: 0330 133 3612.
If anyone has any other useful information concerning Covid-19 services, please let me know.
Join the Covid Study
There is a very useful scientific study that is helping to slow the spread of COVID19 called Zoe and already over 4.5million people are signed up.
You can download the app to your phone https://covid.joinzoe.com/and report any symptoms daily or as often as you like. It is a national study and all helps to identify cases sooner, by people self-reporting symptoms daily, even if they are feeling well. They also have some really informative videos which you can see on www.youtube.com .
And some reminders from the previous newsletters…..
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/
Help for Fringford Primary School – TESCO SCHEME ENDS SOON!
As previously mentioned, Fringford Primary School was selected for the Tesco Community Grant (Blue token) scheme at Tesco, but the donation scheme is coming to an end on September 30th!
The school 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.
Dog Warden
The dog Warden has asked me to let everyone know that they should always report any issues with regard to dogs whether of a significant or more minor nature. Part of his job is to help and offer advice and not just received reports of anti-social behaviour. His name is Chris Cundy and his direct telephone number is 01295 221621 (Switchboard: 01295 227990) or you can email him christopher.cundy@cherwell-DC.gov.uk
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.
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
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.
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