News update no 101, October 28th, 2022

by
Halloween Village Trail – This Saturday 29th October 
The big day is approaching for the Halloween Pumpkin Trail in the village.  
The trail will start from the Stoke Lyne Road/Glen Close Bus Stop from 5pm where you will be able to pick up your MAP and follow the trail visiting participating homes along the way and ending up at the Red Lion for a children’s party in the Red Room, between  6-7pm (There are prizes for best decorated house and best costume!)
Additionally for all those making pumpkins please bring them to the Red Lion when the trail is over and enter them into the competition being judged circa 7pm. Following this please join the evening party in the pub dressing up is optional.
If you need any more information on the plan just email Sophie  sophiejnelson@hotmail.com
This is going to be a frighteningly scary evening for all  of us, but there is strength in numbers, so the more the better!
What’s on at The Red Lion
The Following is from Dillie:
“Opening hours, no change.  Fish as usual on Friday evenings, Saturday and Sunday lunches as usual.  If you’re hungry on a weekday lunch and Sapphire is around, she’ll make sure you get something nice to assuage your hunger!
Come to our Halloween party on Saturday night! (29th).  Do please get your kids to bring in their pumpkins – there will be a substantial little hamper of yummy chocolates for the best pumpkin, judging will be done at 7pm. Plus some delicious little sweeties for all the others.  Entries will be given cards to write their names on, these need to be placed upside down underneath each pumpkin to make quite certain that the judge doesn’t know who carved which.
All sorts of games are planned.
We are thinking of changing the way the Quiz Night operates.  At the moment, it’s £5 a team, but the teams are all of variable sizes, so we thought £2 per head is slightly fairer.  The winning team gets a round of drinks, and the pot will be played for in Play Your Cards Right.  That way it’s random – and if no team wins that week, it rolls over till the next week.  We’ll be taking soundings to see if this appeals to people so do let us know”. 
Stratton Audley Church
The following is from Becky Adams:
“All Souls Day – A Time to Remember.
This Sunday (30th October) we will be holding our annual service to commemorate the departed. This will be in Fringford Church at 4pm. All are welcome to come and join the service to remember those who have passed on, either recently or longer ago. If you would like us to add the name of a loved one to the list of those remembered in the service, then please contact Becky on 01869 277471 or admin@shelswellparishes.info
Remembrance Day Service.
The remembrance day service will be held in St Mary and St Edburga, Stratton Audley on Sunday 13th November at 10.50pm. All are welcome.

‘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“.

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

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!”

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)

Bad Parking in Church Street

We have previously reported on parking issues concerning the entrance to The Manor and their grounds which are private, but recently a number of vehicles have partially blocked the entrance gates for the cottages to the left hand side of the pub. There are clear signs indicating that this entrance is in constant use and it would be much appreciated if more care is taken when parking on the road.
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

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.
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. 

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.

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)