The 100th Newsletter. A real howler!

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Welcome to the 100th issue of the newsletter, started when Covid first hit as an alternative to the bi-monthly door drops. The database currently holds 239 email addresses and each newsletter is opened by 75% to 80% of recipients.
Some people have mentioned that they have registered their email but do not always receive a newsletter and the most likely reason is that it has been identified as junk on your server and needs to be marked as ‘not junk’.
If you know anyone in the Parish who currently does not receive it please ask them to supply their email and they can be added.
Halloween Village Trail – Help Needed
On Saturday 29th October, there will be  a Halloween Trail in the village culminating in an activity session from 6-7 at the pub. But to make it really successful we need  village volunteers to participate and be part of the trail. You could either have a display out front or have your garden open to tiny ghouls! This will encourage some community activity on route and discourage any unwanted guests.
If you would like to take part, please contact Sophie on sophiejnelson@hotmail.com . There will be a prize for the best display!
Information for the children wanting to take the trail will be sent out soon.P.S. The Stratton Audley Facebook page is in operation and designed for the community to use for news and village updates, Sadly it seems that it is seldom used at present.

Church Street Closure this coming Monday
The advance warning signs have been in place for the past week, but if you haven’t seen them please remember that Church Street will be closed this coming Monday evening 17th October from 19:00-06:00hrs, when Highways will carry out some wholesale resurfacing.
There are subsequent overnight closures of Church Street & Launton Road on Tuesday 18 & Wednesday 19 October from 19:00-06:00hrs, for additional patching up to the turning with the Bradburys.
Residents are asked not to park on the carriageway for the duration of the works as this will impede the resurfacing and delay the works. The contractors will endeavour to maintain vehicular access to those properties affected by the works, however there may be occasions when this is not possible due to cool down times of the new surface.

What’s on at The Red Lion

The Following is from Dillie:

“Do you work from home?  If so, why not bring your laptop in and avail yourselves of our warmth instead of paying to heat your house.  Obviously, it would help our finances if you were to order something.  Sapphire is very resourceful and can rustle up lunch for people most days.  Tea and biscuits is just £2, we have wifi, come in and try it.

The quiz night was well attended and a great success.  The next quiz night is 27th October – so for a fun night out, put it in your diary now.
Friday night is fish night!  Our takeaway service is proving popular.
Saturday lunches are now being served.
Sunday roasts from 12 noon to 3 pm.

Sapphire, our indefatigable bar manager, would like as many people to come along to celebrate her birthday this Friday (TOMORROW).  Please make it a good one for her, she works like a Trojan to keep that pub going.  

Come to our Halloween party on Saturday 29th October, there will be a PRIZE FOR THE BEST FANCY DRESS.  There will be food, we plan to serve mini monster burgers.
Best of all – PUMPKIN CARVING COMPETITION!  The best pumpkin wins a box of chocolates!

New feature – MONTHLY RAFFLE in aid of the work that needs to be done on the tiled roof (the brewery won’t pay).  This will be drawn during the Halloween party.  October’s prize – A bottle of fine Canadian Crown Royal Rye Whisky.  £1 per ticket.  Apply to any of the bar staff – you must be in it to win it!”

Stratton Audley Church

The following is from Becky Adams:

“Thanks again to everyone who contributed towards our Harvest collection for the Bicester Food Bank – We delivered over 50kgs of much-needed supplies. The store manager told me that they are really struggling to keep up with demand for their services at present, so if you can drop a few items into the supermarket collection points when you’re getting your shopping then this will really help them to help others.

The next service in Stratton Audley Church will be a service of Holy Communion at 9.15am on Sunday 23rd October – all are welcome, as ever.
Please check the Shelswell website for details of services on other Sundays and in other parishes in the benefice http://www.shelswellparishes.info/services.php
‘Little Lambs’ baby and toddler group continues on Wednesdays in term time in Stratton Audley Church, starting at 9.30am and finishing at 11am. Just turn up or for more information contact Alice  at rector@shelswellparishes.info“.

Stratton Audley Barn

The following is from Richard, Sara and the team:

“With the first frost landed and the days getting chillier, our fabulous cook is working hard to return some winter warmers to our menu in the Cafe; alongside our paninis, we now have a selection of Jacket Potatoes, Quiche Lorraine and new to the menu next week will be a hearty soup of the day! With all the home baked cakes to indulge in too, there’s a little something sweet for afters!

Our Christmas Shop has new stock arriving steadily, is looking very festive & proving very popular already! Pop down for some ideas to brighten your home this Christmas and grab a selfie with our resident nutcracker, he’s sure to make you smile!

Richard has been out on location with our supplier this week to view & inspect our Christmas tree crop! They are looking like our best yet! Don’t delay, get your pre-order in today, especially if you’re looking for a special Christmas Tree. We are currently putting together our supplier pre orders for larger trees, get in touch at info@strattonaudleybarn.co.uk with the size and type of tree you require and we can add your order to the list! We can supply trees from 4-25ft, whether it’s for school, business or your beautiful home, we can source and deliver direct to your door.
Hope to see you soon!”

The Red Lion – Formation of a Community Bid Team?
Is anyone interested in leading a community bid for the Red Lion if the owners decide to sell? Ideally it will be a few people who are prepared to form a team which will be supported by The Paris Council and other outside organisations.
As previously reported The Parish Council has been successful in registering The Red Lion as  a community asset which means that the owners need to give notice of a sale to the village and allow up to six months for a bid to be put together.
The PC has been in touch with The Plunkett Foundation which provides professional services and advice free of charge for community projects such as this and Government grants are also available to potentially match funds raised.
Those agreeing to help will need to be prepared to invest time in the project and work in a team with others.
At this stage the owners, Stonegate, have just confirmed that there are currently no plans to market either the lease or sale of the freehold. However, having a plan in place is a sensible approach and those interested should contact either myself or Dillie (who is in agreement with this approach).

Padbury Brook Solar Farm Proposal

Following the public meeting with the developer JBM on 20th September, the Parish Council wrote to them with a couple of supplementary questions and it was felt that it would be useful to share these with everyone. JBM has agreed to this. The questions and the responses are available to view in the ‘News’ sub section of the village website: www.strattonaudley.org
There is no further information on when a formal application will be made but we understand that pre-ap conversations are continuing with  a CDC planning officer.
100 Club Winners
The Winners in the 100 club draw for the month of October 2022 are:
£30                      Julia Manley (89)
£20                      Glyn McKenna (132)
£10                      Shirtcliff Family (101)
£10                     Stallden Family (42)
EWR Reparation works to Park Road
A meeting was held with OCC Highways and a representative from Godington, to confirm and agree reparations to the road that runs form the A4421 to Pound. These had more or less been previously agreed and supported by the community wide survey carried out earlier in the year. The new junction layout with the A4421 will remain although a grass triangular piece of ground will be considered, and the improvement to visibility at the Mill Road intersection will remain. The majority  of passing bays will be removed as well as all unnecessary signage that was put in place. The verges, along the entire road up to Godington and beyond are to be repaired, and this is a matter for OCC to agree with  EWR, but one that will require careful monitoring. It is thought that likely works will begin next Spring.
Stoke Lyne Road Waste Land- Improvement Put on Hold
The plan to improve the land where the Stoke Lyne Road meets the T junction with the A4421has received a set-back. The development of a new parking area in Fringford from which we were to receive top soil has been put on hold for the time being. 

And a few previous items that are still relevant:

Don’t Forget – Fresh Fish every Thursday 
Jack from Grimsby continues to come to the village on Thursday’s 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.

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.

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

Parking on Grass Verges
A number of comments have been relayed to the Parish Council about cars being parked on more than one occasion, on the grass verges in the village in particular in the Bicester Road. This is sometimes unavoidable, however it can be a danger for pedestrians especially where the verges are used by pedestrians in the absence of footpaths. It is also a problem when the grass is to be cut which is done on a frequent basis.
The verges are an attractive part of the village and we are lucky to have such greenery, especially in the absence of a proper village green and not only is it unsightly, some verges are slowly being eroded. 
It has long been the convention to keep the verges free of vehicles and the Parish Council respectfully wishes to take this opportunity to bring this matter to the attention of everyone especially those new in the community.

Keeping Dogs under control in open fields
There is currently a foal in the field immediately adjacent to The Pound at the start of the Cross Bucks Way and this week a dog was seen off the lead, harassing the animal and its mother. Signs have been placed in the field by the owner, to ask those with dogs to keep them on their lead when walking through on the footpath for the time being. Whilst most people know it is not illegal to have a dog off the lead providing you have it under control, it can present a danger so to be on the safe side your co-operation is appreciated.Defibrillator Training – View this short video
As you know we have been planning to run some defibrillator training in the church for some time and this has not happened for a variety of reasons. Over a dozen people put their names down for it and it is not being abandoned.
However a new Parish councillor, John Edwards came across an excellent short St John’s Ambulance video on YouTube which is  authoritative, short, and clear and really worth viewing for everyone. This is the link:
https://youtu.be/

Access to The Manor Grounds in Church Street
From time-to-time residents of the Manor have legitimate cause to remind everyone, especially visitors to the village and those who are new in the village, that the grounds of the Manor are private. This is not necessarily obvious as the gates are kept permanently open for ease of access by residents. Situated next to the pub, it means vehicles of people visiting the pub are frequently identified as parking in the Manor grounds. Likewise a few Manor residents have recently seen an increase in dog walking, pushing prams and generally using the grounds as either a recreational area or as a cut through to Mill Road.
The Management Committee of the Manor are looking at new signage to install at the entrance, but have asked for it to be pointed out that the grounds are private for the use of the residents and invited visitors.
Village Questionnaire Top Line Results
A PowerPoint presentation of the findings has been created and placed on the website. 106 questionnaires were received which is a very good response taking everything into account. It represents a 55% return rate, which coincidentally, is similar to the last survey carried out in 2015.
A significant majority of residents are concerned about speeding and large vehicle numbers in the village and there is overwhelming support for progressing the idea of introducing a 20mph zone within the village. A majority are in favour of electronic speed signs at the entrances to both the Launton and Mill Road. Most people are against any other forms of physical traffic calming solutions although chicanes are approved of by some 40% of respondents. Finally, a massive 84% indicated they would be in favour of reducing the speed limit on the roads in and out of the village to 50mph.Local Police Bicester and Kidlington Rural Team News
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)