News Update no 80, January 14th

Bin Collection – new charge for Garden Waste
As you know Cherwell District Council are introducing a charge for the brown bin (green waste) collection. I am told there has been a good take-up already but please note that the start date has been put back from 1st February to the 1st of March, so there is still plenty of time to sign-up.
The CDC website has this information on it:
“The collection frequency will remain the same but the service will be subject to a £40 per annum charge, discounted to £36 for those that join the scheme early. Residents who pay for the service will be given a licence sticker to place on their bins to show the bin men it can be emptied by them. Households will be expected to use their existing brown bin for the revised service. Residents who do not want to use the new service, can ask for their brown bin to be removed but only after June 2022. Households can retain their brown bin even if they do not wish to use the new service, however the bin will not be emptied unless a garden waste licence is attached”.
To clarify a further point, food waste that has been put in the brown bin up until now, will henceforth be collected weekly by using the small green caddies that most people have, and there is no charge for this.

News from The Red Lion
The following information is from Dillie:
“January opening times – closed Monday and Tuesday, open Wednesday to Sunday from 12am to 11pm. From Burns night onwards, the pub will also be back open on Tuesdays from 5pm-11pm.

The big event this month is Burns Night on 25th January.  Starts at 7pm.  For a mere £21.50, you can celebrate the great poet in company with fellow denizens of this charming village.  Villagers guarding what remains of their hearing will be relieved to know we’re not booking a piper, as much to keep costs down as anything.  Instead, you get a tot of whisky to drink or pour over your haggis.  Please book by 21st latest as we need to order the haggis specially.  Please also let us know if you would like to come but would prefer something else – I’m sure we can drum up a wee beef stew.  Note also that we can serve a vegetarian haggis (it’s pretty good).  Oh, and £2 from each dinner goes to support our local church.  01869-277225
Here’s the menu.  
Cullen Skink (a Scottish chowder style soup) or Vegetarian Cock-a-Leekie
~~~~~
Haggis, Needs & Tattoos or Vegetarian Haggis
~~~~~
Cranachan (toasted oats, cream and raspberries) or sorbet with shortbread or Glasgow Special Deep Fried Mars Bar
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and a dram of Whisky for all!

It’s all yummy.  

Meanwhile Fish on Friday evenings is getting very popular, 6pm-8pm – takeaways are available. 

And don’t forget our fabulous Sunday lunches 12pm-4pm – Roast Sirloin of Beef or roast Pork from Bicester’s very own Lewis’s family butcher, family style service of local heritage vegetables and cauliflower and broccoli cheese.  If you book before Saturday we will even buy your first drink.  Enjoy the log fire over a winter berry crumble with custard before making tracks.  You’ll be happy to know we can prepare a plant based Roast lunch (suitable for Vegans) when booked by Friday in advance.  

To book, please call – 01869 277225. In our pledge to reduce food waste in support of COP26 Net Zero pledge and limited availability, bookings are encouraged before Fridays”.  

News from Stratton Audley Church
The follow information is from Becky Adams on behalf of the Shelswell Benefice:

“Some families who enjoyed the ‘Fun at Four’ Christingle on the Sunday before Christmas might like to join the next ‘Fun at Four’ event this coming Sunday (16th January) at Stoke Lyne Church(see attached). 

And ‘Little Lambs’ baby and toddler group continues in Stratton Audley Church every Wednesday in term time (10am – 11.30am)

The next regular service in Stratton Audley Church is the 9.15am Holy Communion on Sunday 23rd January.

On Sunday 30th January (10.45am) we have our popular ‘Plough Sunday celebration of Rural Life’ to which we extend a particular invitation to all those involved in the rural economy in our parishes. This year the service takes place at Finmere Grounds Farm MK18 4AT by kind invitation of the Brooks family. 

Please check our website for details of services elsewhere in the benefice http://www.shelswellparishes.info/services.php ”

News from Stratton Audley Barn
The following is from Richard, Sara and the Barn team:

“We are now open each day except Monday from 10.00 to 16.00 hours and are also now recruiting for new staff. Check out our Facebook page or message us for more information.
Wishing you and all your families a happy New Year from us all at Stratton Audley Barn. Our number 01869 278184 info@strattonaudleybarn.co.uk ”.

Don’t Forget – Fresh Fish every Thursday 
Jack from Grimsby is now back in the village every Thursday.  He comes between 6.30-7pm and parks his van outside the Red Lion. He has a wide selection of fresh fish and shellfish. You can just turn up or place orders in advance by text and his mobile number is 07535 935119.

Stratton Audley 100 Club
The following information is from Maggie Woodward:

The club is now up and running for the next 12 months, 158 subscriptions having been taken.  Thank you villagers for your generosity and support.  Special thanks to the amazing team who collected the subscriptions in the rain, wind and freezing cold. Viv, Jeremy, Sally, Angie, Margaret, Emma and Stewart.  The profit this year amounted to £670 which will go towards buying a new noticeboard outside the Church.  The draw takes place at coffee morning in the Red Lion on the first Wednesday in the month, results are posted on the village, pub and Church noticeboards and are published in the Shelswell News and the village newsletter.  If you missed your collector and wish to join the “club” please get in touch with Maggie and, if you wish to know your allocated number please ask your collector. Good luck to you all.

The winners in the 100 Club draw for the month of January 2022 are:
£30                             Michael McCabe (156)                                         
£20                             Dewhurst Family (118)                                         
£10                             Claire McCabe (155)                                                          
£10                             Jeremy Parkin (24)

East West Rail Road Closure
There is going to be a temporary road closure on the Stratton Park Road that leads to Poundon on 2 February 2022 between 09:30 and 16:00 hours.

Bicester Motion ‘Experience Quarter’ Planning Application Approval
Outline planning permission was given for the Bicester Motion Experience Quarter at last night’s CDC Planning Committee meeting. The Parish Council was represented by our councillor Martin Arroyo and he did an excellent job in presenting the views of the community. All committee members were personally made aware in advance of our concerns particularly with regard to road safety and congestion, noise pollution and a safe route for pedestrians and cyclists through the site, 24 hours a day. A significant number of them including our own local representative Ian Corkin, spoke up for Stratton Audley and supported our concerns.
It is now a question of further discussions over the plans as they are developed and to what extent the Parish Council can persuade Bicester Motion to come up with satisfactory remedies that meet our concerns. It was agreed that the Chairman of the CDC Planning Committee is to be consulted on the conditions that are applied as they progress and this is good news because normally it would be left at the sole discretion of the Planning Officer to make such decisions.
The CDC Planning Committee meeting has now been archived and you can watch the full discussion by putting the following link into your web browser:
https://cherwell.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/633845?from=meeting_update&update_type=archived&email=jhonsinger%40btconnect.com&h=60ae389f86e8b4b2580d0153367e0094&mail_target_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcherwell.public-i.tv%2Fcore%2Fportal%2Fwebcast_interactive%2F633845
The subject is number two on the agenda and lasts for less than an hour.
Finally, and just for clarification purposes, no planning application has yet been submitted for the development of the old quarry site which some of us visited before Christmas. A planning application for this development known as the Wilderness Quarter is likely to be submitted later this year.

Litter Picking
The Parish Council organise litter picking days from time to time but this is just to thank those that go out and litter pick by themselves or with their partners at other times. Amongst them John Woodward frequently does this on Mill Road leading up to the crossroads and Janet James has been doing this recently on Stoke Lyne Road leading to the junction with the A4421 (the Buckingham Road). I am told there is quite a lot of litter on both the Bicester Road and Launton Road and if anyone is inclined to do something similar, we do have spare black litter bags, so just ask (jhonsinger@btconnect.com).

Fish & Chips Van in the village on Saturdays
For those new in the community, a Howe’s Fish and Chip van comes to the village every Saturday lunchtime from 1.30pm to 2pm. You will hear a bell (like a school bell) and his first stop is in Cherry Street. He then drives along Cavendish Place and stops again at the junction with 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 and you need to look for van no 4:
https://howeandcofishandchips.co.uk/#findvan
They also have a general number you can call 07809 901761.

Children’s Speed Awareness Poster Campaign
Delighted to report that we now have some 20 children’s speed awareness posters that have been submitted.
All designs will be laminated and displayed around the village once printed. If in the meantime you have any questions please email Kathryn at strattonaudley.kw@gmail.com  who brought this programme together.

And some reminders from the previous newsletters…..

Helping homeworkers with their wellbeing this winter
Homeworkers in north Oxfordshire are being invited to take part in free online workshops this winter, aimed at supporting mental health. Cherwell District Council is working with Oxfordshire Mind to deliver the group sessions, offering tips on wellbeing as well as how to spot the warning signs if a colleague needs help.
To find out more visit the Cherwell District Council site:
https://www.cherwell.gov.uk/news/article/924/helping-homeworkers-with-their-wellbeing-this-winter?fbclid=IwAR0EF6xfiMhTUY8UJySIOAo3gTKzKOIe8_50-Kra9Aah7koMB3H0L1MCbuw

Local Police Bicester and Kidlington Rural Team News
We asked Sergeant Gavin Staniland to provide a local update:
“Hello to all residents of Stratton Audley Parish, I would like to take this opportunity to provide some updates regarding your police team which has undergone a recent restructure. Previously your community has been served by PCSO’s Thomas BAILEY and Louise BEAUMONT and I would like to reassure everyone that this will continue to be the case. However I have now created a larger Rural Neighbourhood team, which will provide a more consistent and resilient means of visible policing.
Cherwell and West Oxfordshire police area recognise the significant impact that rural crime has on the community. In response to this we have just launched rural crime All Crime Attendance. This means that all crime that is reported to us as a rural crime will have follow up and contact from either a Police officer or Police Community Support Officer. Whilst there may not always be investigative opportunities for us to explore it does provide a valuable opportunity to provide Crime prevention and safeguarding advice.
I understand having conducted an extensive ‘Have Your Say’ across the rural community that Speeding is a common concern.  In response to these concerns PCSO Thomas BAILEY has been conducting speed enforcement operations around the rural communities with the assistance of our colleagues from the Roads policing department. 
As a Team we are driven to continue these operations and PCSO BAILEY will be delivering training to the other members of the Team. PC David SCOTT and PCSO BAILEY are your Community Speed watch Contacts for our rural team and will be happy to advise or assist where possible.
PCSO Louise BEAUMONT is reigniting community Have Your Say meetings around all of the villages so please keep an eye on social media and advertisements through the Parish Council for when they will be coming to you”.
To report a crime or contact the police there are now three options:
·       Call 999 if you see a crime being committed or in an emergency
·       Call 101 to report anything else to the police – or go online to do so
·       And now police are partnering with CrimeStoppers to remind everyone of ‘The 3rd Number – 0800 555 111’ that enables you to report your information totally anonymously if you prefer.
Finally for the latest crime statistics there is a useful national site into which you can put your post code. Click on this link  Bicester Rural | Police.uk (www.police.uk)

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. If you want to help or join the committee please let me know.

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
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/