News Update no 110, February 17th

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In this newsletter are a number of new newsworthy items which I hope will be read. I say this because I frequently get asked questions by people who are on the database about things that have been included one or more times in the newsletters. I appreciate that everyone leads busy lives and cannot always spare the time, but it takes hours to compile each newsletter and only a few minutes to read. It causes me to reflect whether it is of any value or whether it should be an occasional newsletter rather every two weeks.
There are of course many residents who do read it thoroughly and tests appreciated, but for those who don’t, if you wish to come off the database you only have to ask or unsubscribe at the bottom of this email. 

Village Road Sweep Next Thursday 23rd February
The delayed winter road sweep to clear the roads in the village of leaves and other debris has now been organised for next week on Thursday 23rd. It starts first thing in the morning so as usual, anyone with cars on the road that could prevent the lorry from doing its job are kindly asked to move them for a short period of time.                  

Padbury Brook Solar Farm Planning Application 22/03873/F
This is your last chance to let the planning department at Cherwell District Council know your view on this development. This is particularly important if you are apposed to it.
To view the application please use this link:
https://planningregister.cherwell.gov.uk/Planning/Display/22/03873/F
Once there, click on ‘Supporting Documents’ to see all the documents and comments. To leave a comment there is a blue box on the first page at the top which says ‘Comment on this Application’.
Currently the majority of comments are in favour of the proposal but this is because most of them are from friends of the owner of the land, none of whom live in the Parish and all of whom use the identical words!
The full response of the Parish Council, which is against the development, will be available to view shortly on the planning portal.

Kings Coronation Street Party Sunday 7th May
Although it is early days, so far very few people have responded to the previous email about whether or not to organise a street party for the Kings Coronation Celebration.

Winslow 10K Charity Run, Sunday 26th February
Sarah Morley who lives in the village asked for this to be included as it is being organised for charity by the Lions Club of Winslow and there are a number of runners in the community who are likely to be interested in joining in the fun. Its a popular 10k run and registrations are now open:
https://www.winslowlions.org.uk/10k-run.html

News From the Red Lion
The Following is from Dillie:
“Huge thanks to all who attended the Valentine’s Night dinner, it was lovely to have such an appreciative crowd.
Sunday lunch as usual.  It always helps us to minimise food waste if people book ahead… 01869-277225
Pancake day on Tuesday.  We’ll be serving pancakes with lemon and sugar between 7pm and 9.
Apologies for the recent erratic nature of the Wednesday lunches.  We will make sure that these are more regular”.  

Stratton Audley Barn
The following is from Richard, Sara and the team:
“Spring has sprung early at the Barn! We have a beautiful selection of artificial spring blooms to brighten your home, from ready made pots to stems for a vase; for your Valentine, for Mother’s Day or just because………pop to the shop and treat the one you love.
Cafe open 10am-4pm Tuesday to Saturday with lunches served daily 12-2pm, come and try our new Biscoff traybake, it’s truly divine!!
See you soon, from all the team at the barn”.

Stratton Audley Church
The Following is from Beckie Adams:
“This coming Sunday (19th February) families might like to try something different. ‘Fun @ Four’ is for families of all ages and takes place in Stoke Lyne Church 4-5.30pm. There will be activities, prayer and praise, sandwiches, cake and pancakes. No charge – just turn up and join in.
The next service in Stratton Audley Church will be a service of Holy Communion at 9.15am on Sunday 26th February – 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“

Foodbank Donations Still Required
The food donation point in the church is still active.
“Thank you very much to all those who have dropped donations into the box in the church porch to support ‘Help For the Hunry’ – Please keep them coming! Urgently needed are tinned tomatoes, tinned fish, rice pudding, tinned meat, tinned fruit, and juice/squash. Additionally dried goods & plus toiletries (They have plenty of cereal and pasta). Likewise if you are in need please help yourself to any of the goods and note that the Rector, Alice Goodall is now a ‘Local Referrer’ and can refer refer anyone who in need to the Bicester Foodbank. Contact: Alice Goodall, The Rectory, Finmere   01280 848192  alicegoodall313@gmail.com “

Bicester Heritage April 23rd Scramble
Sale of tickets for the April 23rd Scramble are still available and once again, local residents can buy discounted tickets at 50% off. The promo code is: BristolBoxkite
Just click on this link
https://bicesterheritage.co.uk/events/april-scramble-2023
Also worth noting is that they have a dedicated local community email inbox: community@bicestermotion.com which should be used to respond and address any questions or concerns.

Fun for the whole family during the Easter Break!
The Tuff Nutterz Obstacle course will be making its debut at Bicester Heritage in the Hangar during the Easter Break, from 9am until 5pm daily from the 1st to the 10th of April.
Measuring 300 metres long, this supersize inflatable maze is packed with 30 fun and challenging obstacles to complete, including huge slides, climbing walls, hanging rails, balance balls and more!
Local residents are entitled to a 30% discount price, the code is: BICESTER30 – which can be booked via the below link.
https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/tuffnutterzuk/?full-items=

Flywheel Returns to Celebrate Bicester Heritages’ 10th Anniversary
To celebrate the 10th Anniversary since the arrival of Bicester Heritage, the highly popular Flywheel is returning. Tickets will be going live next Friday the 24th of February. The event will be on the weekend of the 17thand 18th of June from 9am until 6pm.
Once again local residents can take advantage of a 30% discount. All you have to do is enter the code: BristolBlenheim when you visit the website.
It’s a celebration of wings wheels and motion featuring demonstrations on the Experience Track,  Fly-ins from vintage aircraft, and themed displays curated around the site.
Also worth noting is that they have a dedicated local community email inbox: community@bicestermotion.com which should be used to respond and address any questions or concerns.

Daffodils in the village
The Daffodil plants on the verges in the village are starting to appear but sadly a few in Mill Road have already been damaged. I have been asked to request that those walking dogs keep the lead as short as possible when passing the verges with daffodils, so our four legged friends don’t inadvertently break the buds as they are starting to show.

Stratton Audley Local History Society
A meeting of the above society has been arranged for Sunday March 19th at 3pm in Stratton Audley Church.   This will be an “Open Meeting” to which any villagers who would like to know more about the history of the village are invited to attend.
The society started in 2005 and has undertaken research into many aspects of the history of this location and has also undertaken many visits to local areas of historic interest.   However it is possible that newer members of the community would like to know more about this area, particularly as activities were unable to continue as a result of the lockdown 3 years ago.   For all people attending there will be an opportunity to learn more about (or refresh your memory about):
the time-line of the village from the time of Wigod of Wallingford (prior to the Norman Conquest),
the many Lords of the Manor on that time-line, some more notorious than others,
the effects of the Civil War on the village, with a Civil War cannonball available for inspection,
George Washington’s antecedents having come from the Audley’s of Stratton Audley,
photographs of the village from 1900/30,
information on the second World War, SOE, listening stations in this area.
There will also be an opportunity to review the display boards which were used at the Shelswell History Festival, the “ pop-up” model of the Church and a model of the castle of the 12th/13th century, the foundations and moat of which can still be seen in the field beyond the Pound.
Although the date chosen is Mothering Sunday it is possible that younger villagers would relish seeing this before enjoying a slap-up meal with their parents/grandparents.”

And a few previous items that are still relevant:

Finemere School Governor

Do you have a passion for education and want to see our children thrive and become the very best that they can be? Finmere School are looking for a new non-parent Governor. Check out the school website: https://www.finmere.oxon.sch.uk/ and contact me or Clare Law, Head of School, if you might be interested.

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.

Village Improvement Ideas 
An enquiry was made recently as to whether there was anything left in the village improvement fund that was created out of the Street Festivals in 2016 and 2018. When the last analysis was made available in 2019 there was some £1600 remaining, although this figure was depleted further and as a result the Parish Council agreed to allocate a further £5000 to this fund. Please see the latest PC Minutes for further information.

At every Annual Meeting of the Parish, people are reminded to come forward with ideas, hopefully ones that they can help implement, whether it is for something physical to improve the look of the village, organising an event  or the setting up of a service for residents. All you have to do is attend a Parish Council meeting and put forward your idea.