Dear All
Another fortnight and lots of new things to report……
The Bicester Round Table Charity Firework Spectacular
Known locally as the Pingle Field Fireworks, it tomorrow night, 6th November at Pingle Field in Bicester. Gates open at 6.00pm. Bonfire 7.00pm and display at 7.30pm.Tickets cost £6.00 per person on the gate. Children under five go free.
Advance fast track tickets are now available for £5.00 at the following local vendors – Nando’s, WAH HONG in Market Square, SUN WAH in Langford Village, Savoir Fare and the Bicester Village Visitor Centre.
Parking is available at Bicester Village.
EWR Road Closure of Stratton Audley Park Road to Poundon this SATURDAY
Please note the temporary closure of the road that runs from the crossroads up to the Godington turn-off which is effective for one day from Saturday morning on 6th November at 07:00 until 18.00.
EWR News Update in the Bicester Area
I have taken the unusual step of attaching to this newsletter, a pdf news update from EWR, as there is a substantial amount of information on their construction progress in our area, which some will undoubtedly find interest. At the moment they appear to be slightly ahead of schedule!
News from The Red Lion
The following information is from Dillie:
“Lunches weekdays and Sundays as usual, coffee morning on Wednesdays as usual. Please check the board outside the pub because the wonderful Christine is offering some takeaways, particularly on Friday nights.
The pub is now also open on Tuesdays. There are no plans to open Mondays though.
This Saturday, 6th November is “Frank Night”. Celebrating Frank’s birthday. Music, bunting, Irish stew (£9.50) and black velvet. Please come along and cheer us up.
The Christmas Wine Tasting evening on 9th November is getting popular, starting at 6pm. Mike from North Oxfordshire Wines is bringing along 20 wines to taste, including reds, whites, sparkling and a port or two, plus plenty of nibbles, mainly of the superior cheese variety. Please contact anyone on the bar to buy tickets.
The function room is undergoing a gradual transformation and is much nicer. Wifi should shortly be available in there and it is certainly respectable enough for functions! Please contact anyone on the bar if you would like to hire it”.
Stratton Audley Barn
The following is from Richard, Sara and the Barn team:
“There’s a chill in the air and almost a frost on the ground this week and it couldn’t be better timed as it’s all about Christmas here at the Barn! If you’re looking to get organised and starting to plan ahead, real Christmas trees are now available to order online for delivery or collection and will be on sale here at the barn from Friday 26th November. Check out our trees and place your order on www.strattonaudleybarn.co.uk. Whether its 4ft or 24ft we can find your tree. (Stock Trees available in 4-10ft.) For special order trees email info@strattonaudleybarn.co.uk letting us know your requirements and we can send you a quote.
Our Christmas shop is now filled with festive goodies for you, your home and your tree! From nutcrackers to novelty games, Gonks to Garlands, beautiful baubles and beads for your fireside or tree, there really is lots to see!
In our Cafe, hearty soups, toasted paninis, baked potatoes and our chunky deep filled doorstop sandwiches are back & served daily between 12 -2:30. Our homemade cakes and slices, warming hot choccy & spicy cinnamon Latte’s are perfect for these chilly autumn days too. With a marquee providing extra seating attached to our cafe, bring your family & friends, grab a cosy blanket or 2, get comfy under a heater and tuck into a tasty treat and enjoy your festive visit.
Open Tuesday to Sunday 10am-4pm, booking advised for our busy lunchtime period, call ahead to reserve your table. We hope to see you soon”.
Don’t Forget – Fresh Fish every Thursday – Outside the Red Lion
If you want to buy some fresh first without leaving the village, come to Church Street on any Thursday evening. Jack Evans from Grimsby already supplies fish to a number of local residents and now parks his van outside the Red Lion between 6.30-7pm.
He has a wide selection of fresh fish and shellfish, including cod, haddock, salmon, plaice, lemon sole, tuna, hake, dressed crab, smoked fish and more. He is happy to provide a door-to-door service around the village if that is more convenient. You can just turn up or place orders in advance by text and his mobile number is 07535 935119.
News from Stratton Audley Church
The follow information is from Becky Adams on behalf of the Shelswell Benefice:
“The next service in Stratton Audley is the Remembrance Service on Sunday 14th November, starting at 10.45am and including an Act of Remembrance at the War Memorial as close to 11am as possible. Full details of all our services can be found on the usual link http://www.shelswellparishes.info/services.php
‘Little Lambs’ baby and toddler group continues on Wednesday mornings (10 – 11.30am). There is no need to book – just turn up with your under-5s. We have play, music and stories and can now serve refreshments for both adults and children.
Shelswell Youth Group has started meeting on alternate Friday evenings (7-9pm) in Fringford. The next meetings are on Fridays 5th and 19th November – For more details, including the venue, contact Yvonne curate@shelswellparishes.info “
Children’s Speed Awareness Poster Campaign
The Parish Council is reviewing traffic calming measures in the village which will require consultation and take time to implement. A short term measure is to put posters up to remind everyone to check their speed like the “20’s plenty” posters that you can buy off the shelf. However, a better idea has come up and is being launched today which involves the children in the community. It is an idea that has worked well in other villages and involves children being asked to do some drawings on a large A2 sheet of paper that will be provide by the Parish Council. Parents/grandparents are encouraged to help with some wording for example “we play here please keep us safe” “I walk here so please don’t drive too fast”, something along these lines around which children can create a nice piece of artwork. The posters will then be laminated and put up around the village at key strategic points.
To participate and get your A2 sheet of paper, please contact Kathryn Walker at strattonaudley.kw@gmail.com
Christmas Carol Service
The village Christmas carol service in the church will be held on Sunday 12th December at 6pm, so save the date now.
Order a bottle of Nocino – all funds go to the Church building
David Young is taking orders for people who want their very own bottle of Nocino walnut liqueur in time for some relaxing autumn and Christmas cheer.
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.
Queens Platinum Jubilee – Join the Committee
A community wide street party will be held to celebrate the Queens Platinum Jubilee. National celebrations will take place from 2-5th June 2022 and we have pencilled in Sunday 5th June as our day of celebration, as this is the official day suggested for the Big Lunch across the country. It is likely to be a similar format to previous events held in the village with Church Street closed off but all this is still to be decided. Members of the Parish Council have all agreed to join the committee and members of the community are also welcome. Please contact John Honsinger if you would like to join the planning committee which will hold its first meeting prior to Christmas.
And some reminders from the previous newsletters…..
A change to parking controls in Oxfordshire
From 1st November, on-street parking enforcement will be changing in South Oxfordshire, the Vale of White Horse and Cherwell to bring them in line with the rest of the county. Currently in these districts, Thames Valley Police enforce the parking restrictions but Oxfordshire County Council teams will now be responsible for the whole county, giving continuity and clarity for all road users. More information is here on the County Council website New civil parking enforcement (CPE) for Cherwell, South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse | Oxfordshire County Council
Cherwell Local Plan Review – Have your Say
This is a reminder that the consultation on the Cherwell Local Plan Review Community Involvement Paper 2: Developing our Options closes on the 10th November.
This is an opportunity to provide comments on the vision and objectives for the new Cherwell Local Plan as well as the other key issues that the plan will need to address such as:
How we may develop a sustainable local economy, meet the challenge of climate change, and encourage healthy and active lifestyles.
There are also detailed discussions about Cherwell’s towns and rural areas. You are encouraged to respond online using the consultation portal: https://letstalk.cherwell.gov.uk/cherwell-local-plan-review
Fish & Chips Van in the village on Saturdays
For those new in the village, a Howe’s Fish and Chip van comes to the village every Saturday lunchtime at 1pm – 1:15pm. It plays a traditional tune (like an ice cream van) when entering the village and stops first in Cherry Street. I believe he then drives down Cavendish Road and stops again in Mill Road.
Howe & Co was established in 1930 and now has over 100 vans serving villages. You can track each van by going to their website
https://howeandcofishandchips.co.uk/#findvan
They also have a general number you can call 07809 901761.
The return of the very popular 100 Club
The following is from Maggie Woodward who organises this draw.
“It has been decided to start the 100 club again having had to take a break because of Covid. The subscriptions will be due in November/December, a collector from the team will be knocking on your door for your subscription which is £10, but more than one subscription per household can be taken if desired. There will be four prizes, £30, £20 and two at £10, the prize money will be doubled in December. The money will be delivered to the winners. The first draw will take place on Wednesday 5th January 2022 in The Red Lion at coffee morning and thereafter on the first Wednesday of the month. The list of winners will be displayed on the Parish Council, The Red Lion and Church noticeboards and will be published in the Shelswell News. Any profit from the club will go towards a village project.
The collectors are as follows:
Willows Lodge Jeff
Glen Close and Stoke Lyne Road Angie
Cherry Street and The Limes Paddy
Cavendish Place Stewart
Mill Road Jeremy
Launton Road Viv
Bicester Road Maggie
The Manor Emma
Please give generously and support your village. Many thanks and good luck!”
Shelswell History Festival advance notice Save-the-date
The Shelswell Benefice has decided to once again run the Shelswell History Festival and this is due to take place on Saturday 16th July 2022. They are looking for volunteers to help organise it and especially anyone with marketing expertise. Contact Alice Goodall by email alicegoodall313@gmail.com
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