Chairman's Report
Welcome to the spring edition of the newsletter.
I am not quite sure whether Spring is with us or still
“Just around the corner,” Snowdrops, Crocus and
daffodils are in full flower and there is just a tinge
of green on the hedgerows. All the harbingers of spring
are in place, let us hope it is not a false spring.
Politics are grabbing the headlines at the moment.
Locally County and District councils are setting their
budgets and a tremendous withdrawal of a wide variety of
services are on the table, some of these will be front
line services. The full implications of the effects of
the changes are not yet known. There will be some local
elections taking place in May (not in our ward). With
the IN OUT referendum taking place in June and the
American presidential election race in full flow, it
will be a treat to concentrate on some of the
forthcoming events to be held in the village.
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Foremost of these events must be the celebration of Her Majesty
the Queens 90th birthday. Two dates for the calendar are
Thursday 21st April for the lighting of
Beacon/bonfire and Sunday 12th June with a Picnic in the Park
party on the recreation ground. Further details are included
below.
West Oxford District Council are again reviewing the local
plan for the district and re-examining the numbers of houses
that will be required in West Oxfordshire. We can now expect
further speculative planning applications from landowners and
developers to develop large scale housing estates in the
district. With circa 1,700 houses in Shilton Park and a further
700 planned between Carterton Road and Burford road I really
believe we have enough. There has been no notable improvement in
infrastructure from these developments. Improvements to the A40
appear to be as far down the road as ever!
RAF Brize Norton. A decision has been made to keep some of
the C130 hercules in service until 2035.
The current and planned aircraft fleet numbers are;
C17 Globemaster 8
C130 Hercules 24 with ten due out of service in 2022 and
14 extended to 2035.
A330 Voyager 9 currently in use with the option to surge
to 14.
A400M Atlas 5 currently rising to a total of 22 by 2019
Information source: Local Council Working Group minutes of
meeting 14th Jan 2016.
The Annual Parish meeting will be held on Tuesday 24 May in the
Edlderbank Hall at 7.30PM. This is your opportunity to question
Councillors representing Oxfordshire County Council and West
Oxfordshire District Council and also representatives of RAF
Brize Norton, Thames Valley Police, Brize Norton Primary School
and of course Brize Norton Parish Councillors. We would be
delighted to see you at this annual meeting.
And finally I extend a warm welcome to Garry Griffin our new
editor and Compilor- in- Chief of the newsletter. Please assist
Garry by submitting your articles on time.
Keith
BRIZE NORTON’S planned celebrations for Her Majesty the
Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations 2016
To help celebrate the Queen’ 90th birthday the village are
organizing a couple of events. The main event will be on Sunday
12th June, Her Majesty’s official birthday. Full details later
but the initial plan is to have a ‘Picnic in the Park’.
The first event is on Thursday April 21st. There will be a
bonfire celebration on the Thursday evening, when we will be
part of a nationwide event of lighting beacons or bonfires. The
invitation is to all and hope you can join us on the Recreation
Ground, Brize Norton from 7.00pm for the lighting of the bonfire
around 7.30pm. There will be soup and refreshments available,
including the bar, from the pavilion.
Thursday the 21st is the actual birthday of Queen Elizabeth and
the bonfire is a small celebration of that fact. But it is also
a chance to advertise the main event in June. So please do come
along and join the fun and to see what is planned for June.
We would also like to hear from anyone who would like to
volunteer in assisting the small group of organisers for both
events. Can you help with making soup, handing out leaflets,
organising children’s games etc. You would be most welcome!
Please either contact:
Tim Gush or Tony Shillingford or Carolyn Peach Clerk to BNPC
Brize Norton – NGS Open Gardens Event 2016
This year we have 8 Gardens registered with the
National Garden Scheme (NGS) as well as the St Britius
Church Flower Festival.
We would like to welcome back to the Event this year,
Mark and Lucy Artus, from Grange Farm, Mike and Helen
Harper, from Mijeshe and our new member Denise Merriman
from 3 Daubigny Mead.
We will be opening on Sunday, 19th June, from 2 pm until
6 pm, admission will be £4 per adult.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the WI
for all of their hard work during the Event for
providing refreshments at the Elderbank Hall, year in,
year out.
So if you are green fingered and have not had the
opportunity to visit these glorious gardens, please
remember that the gardens are only open for just one day
a year. So you never know what gems lie in wait behind
these garden gates. Also remember that all of the
proceeds go to really worthwhile local and national
charities.
We do therefore hope that you will all come along and
visit these gardens, in aid of the charities, come rain
or shine.
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BRIZE NORTON WOMEN’S INSTITUTE
Just before Christmas we had our Christmas lunch
which was at the Bay Tree Hotel in Burford. We were
well looked after and had a delicious lunch which was
enjoyed by all. The speaker in January was John Clark
who has been metal detecting for about 30 years. We were
pleasantly surprised when he told us what he had found
over the last 30 years and it was more like a history
lesson going back thousands of years. He had brought
along a selection of very old items and it was a very
interesting evening. So much so that we didn't have
time to have a quiz as there were so many questions that
needed to be answered. The next meeting in March will
be our AGM when we will be having the President of the
Oxfordshire Federation join us. |
Next Year's programme has not been issued to our members
yet but as soon as I have printed the programme I will be
able to inform you of our up and coming speakers.
Unfortunately this month we have lost two of our former
stalwarts of the WI. The first being Barbara Stanton who
was such a hard worker and did a lot for the WI. Secondly
another stalwart and committed former member of our WI,
Daphne Hounslow passed away and we send our sincere
condolences to both families.
We meet on the second Tuesday of the month in The Elderbank
Hall at 7.30pm and new members are always welcome.
Sue Calcutt
WOW! Discounted entry to local attractions
The Welcome Open Weekend (WOW) offers local residents’
special ‘2-for-1’ entry to a wide range of attractions from
Friday 15 to Sunday 17 April. Venues include Birdland Park &
Gardens, Blenheim Palace, Cotswold Farm Park, Crocodiles of the
World, Fairytale Farm and Head4Heights.
To enjoy the discounts collect a voucher sheet, available
from 1 April, from Burford and Witney Visitor Information
Centres, Carterton, Charlbury and Woodstock libraries, and The
Guildhall in Chipping Norton.
For more details about WOW, including a full list of the
offers available and on what dates, see:
www.westoxon.gov.uk/wow
or call 01993 861080.
BRIZE NORTON PRIMARY SCHOOL
As always, we have been extremely busy in our little
school. Since the last time I wrote to you, we have had
Christmas! All the children took part either in our
nativity play or in our performance of Aladdin, and we
were so proud of them all. We also had a visit from
Father Christmas, Christmas dinner with all the staff,
governors and other volunteers, and a carol service in
St Britius’ Church involving small group or solo
performances from 29 children.
The biggest change this new year has been welcoming two
new teachers: Mr Robinson and Miss Adams now share our
Year 1/2 class. I am pleased to say that they have
settled in very well and are already fully part of the
team. The children have enjoyed a range of new
experiences with their new teachers, including hunting
for dragon eggs and pirate treasure. Arr!
On 14th January, we took 56 children to Birmingham to
take part in the Young Voices concert, with a choir of
over 6000 children. It was incredible to be there in
that crowd singing away, and we were so proud of our
children’s effort and talent – and grateful for the
large number of parents and other relatives who came
along to support them. |
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Our Foundation Stage children have been learning about dinosaurs
this term. They have visited the Oxford Natural History Museum
for a dinosaur hunt, dug for dinosaur bones and eggs in our sand
and water trays, read and written books about dinosaurs and
generally learned a huge amount. It is quite humbling to have
conversations with four-year-olds about “paleontologists” and
whether or not the plesiosaurus was a true dinosaur.
With all this going on, we haven’t neglected sport either. Our
children have taken part in a range of events with other schools
including indoor athletics, haka dancing and the Burford
Partnership netball tournament, after which we are through to
the West Oxfordshire finals. We have run clubs in multi-skills,
netball, football and cricket, and we have fun have-a-go days
coming up in both street hockey and Muay Thai martial arts. Our
children continue to do well in their attempts to run a marathon
in a year: in fact, seven of them have done it already.
Our conversion to an academy with the Oxford Diocesan Schools
Trust on 1st March is coming on soon. We are very grateful to
Brize Norton Parish Council for being so understanding and
continuing to allow us to use their car park and field. We are
not expecting that children and parents will notice much
difference, except that those of us in the office will be better
supported so hopefully the school will be run more efficiently.
If you want more up-to-date information about what’s
happening at Brize Norton School, please have a look at our
website,
www.brizeprimary.org. Prospective parents are always welcome
to come and have a look around: just contact the school office.
In the meantime, thank you to all our neighbours for your
friendship and support, and I hope to see you at a School
Association event before long.
Anna Fairhurst (Headteacher, Brize Norton Primary School)
ST BRITIUS CHURCH
Thank you to everyone who took part in our Christmas services
especially the Candlelit Carol Service either as readers or the
children who took part in the nativity tableau. Also to everyone
who supported our Christmas quiz and colouring competitions.
Congratulations to Arthur Dolton and Rosie Huckin for their
winning entries. We raised just over £90 towards our general
funds.
Now that the church is warm and dry our attention turns to the
ongoing problem of paying our way. Each year we are expected to
contribute a very large sum of money (around £15,000) as our
Parish Share paying towards our vicar’s salary and many other
costs of the Deanery and Diocese. This means finding more than
£1,000 per month over and above our own running and maintenance
expenses (ie electricity, water, insurance etc). In spite of a
national survey where 45% of people believed that our taxes pay
for the Church of England, St Britius Church receives no
subsidies from the Government or monetary grants from the local
Council although we are indebted to the Parish Council for their
assistance for the grass cutting of the churchyards. We are
trying to raise monies through various initiatives and would
welcome your support to keep St Britius a visible and permanent
sign of the Christian community in the village.
During Lent we are asking supporters to take part in our
‘Smartie Tube’ fundraiser. Please take a tube of Smarties (on
the table inside the church), eat the contents (or store them in
another container until Easter Day) and then fill the tube with
coins - 20p and £1 coins fit well - donating money saved from
your Lenten abstinence. Return the tube to us at Easter. For
more details speak to Rev Maddern – 844175 or contact
vicbrizecarterton@btinternet.com .
Thank you to everyone who has renewed their membership of the
Friends and supported us over the last year. If you are not
already a member please consider joining – we ask for a minimum
donation of £10 and you will receive a newsletter to keep you up
to date with our future projects. Please contact
Dr Phil Holmes - 843856.
We would welcome you to join us for the following events and
special services:
Our Mothering Sunday Service is Sunday 6th March and everyone is
welcome. Children are invited to come to 52a Station Road on
Friday 4th March at 4.30pm to make posies that will then be
presented at the 10.00 am Family Communion Service.
Our Celebration of Easter starts on Palm Sunday, 20th March with
the 9.15am Communion Service and then continues as follows:
Maundy Thursday – 24th March – Holy Communion at 7pm
Good Friday – 25th March – service of reflection and prayer at
4pm
Easter Day – 27th March – Family Communion at 10am.
Alongside the Pilgrim discussion group each Monday lunchtime
12.30pm to 1.30pm (soup lunch provided) we are running a Lent
Course ‘Singing in the Rain’ – Life journeys with Jeff Lucas, at
Church Farm House, Wednesday evenings, 3rd, 9th and 16th March
at 7.30pm. All are welcome.
The Forest Church, an opportunity to encounter God in the wild
places, meets at the metal horses, Kilkenny Country Park from
2.30pm to 3.30pm. The next meeting is Sunday 28th February. For
further information contact Rev Maddern – 844175.
Buggy club will resume on 12 April 9.30am to 11.00am in the
Church each Tuesday morning – an opportunity for toddlers to
play with refreshments served.
The first Sunday in the month is our Family Communion service
starting at 10am when activities are arranged for children
attending and refreshments are served. On the remaining Sundays
the 9.15am Holy Communion service is held and during the week a
Holy Communion service at 7pm.
For further details of the church services refer to the notices
on the church door or log onto the website
www.bncommunity.org.
The church is open each Sunday after the morning services until
dusk or 6pm. You are welcome to visit to learn more of the
church’s fascinating history or just for quiet reflection.
BRIZE NORTON SPORTS & SOCIAL CLUB
With all the wet weather about there has not been much action
at the club this winter. The football club are endeavouring to
beat the weather and keep the facilities well used. But spring
is just around the corner and the football season will soon flow
into the cricket one. A full season of cricket is on the cards
so let’s hope for some summer weather to go with it.
There are a few events I would like to draw your attention to:
Firstly, it is the start of the nationwide celebrations of Her
Majesty’s 90th birthday. We will be lighting a bonfire on
Thursday 21st April at 7.00pm and you are all welcome to join us
at the Recreation Ground for the bonfire, soup refreshments and
the bar in the pavilion.
The cricket season start on 30th April with the first home game
being the 7th May.
Next is the Annual Ladies Charity Football match on Saturday
14th May – kick off 11.00am with cricket following in the
afternoon.
And finally the main event of the Queen’s birthday celebrations.
Save the date - Sunday 12 June 2016. The plans are still
to be finalised but it is hoped that the village can help
celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday by organising a ‘Picnic in
the Park’ with entertainment and old fashion games and just
having fun with family and friends.
The planned pavilion improvements have not been forgotten, we
are waiting for news on funds to help us with our exciting new
plans. As usual these decisions are never as forthcoming as one
hopes, but every optimistic of the outcome.
Best wishes for 2016
Tim Gush BNS&SC
BRIZE NORTON SCHOOL ASSOCIATION
Thank you to everyone in the village who came and supported
our traditional Christmas Bazaar. We raised just under £800,
which, whilst not as much as in previous years, is still a very
useful amount of money.
We are currently fundraising for some sizeable projects. The
largest, which will cost several thousand pounds, is a canopy
for the area outside class 2, so that they can enjoy outside
space whatever the weather. We are also hoping to pay for a
whole school Design Technology experience which is being planned
for next term.
Last week the children enjoyed a school disco, and we are
planning another favourite, the Easter Egg Raffle, which will
happen on the last day of term.
Our biggest event this term is the Quiz Night and Pudding
Competition which will take place on Friday March 11th. This is
always a fun night out and we really value the support of
residents in the village who come along and join in. Places are
available now; £6 per person which includes a buffet at half
time. Bring your own drinks and nibbles to keep you going. Teams
of 6, but if you don't have a full team we can always fill the
spaces on the night. The Pudding Competition adds a bit of
friendly rivalry to the event.
If you would like to reserve spaces at the quiz night, or if
you would like more information on any of our events, please
contact Jo Rushton, Chairperson, on 01993 823330 or 07554443678.
BRIZE NORTON OVER 60’s CLUB
| We are a village group of 30 members. We meet on the
1st and 3rd Tuesdays in the month with either a meeting
or an outing. Meetings take place at 4 Squires Close at
2pm. After the meeting we enjoy a tea of sandwiches and
homemade cakes. Thanks to June, Connie and Benita.
In recent months we have enjoyed a talk by Bob about his
childhood which brought back many memories. Also a
sing-a-long with Cliff, a meal at The Bell, and a coffee
morning. |
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Our future programme is as follows:-
1 March ‘Life on the stage’ by Olive
15 March Coach trip to Banbury
5 April Quiz and chat
15 April Coffee morning – EVERYONE WELCOME
3 May Talk by Age UK
17 May Tea by the canal at Thrupp
7 June Cream tea at Joy’s, and bowls
21 June Outing to Coventry
5 July Meal at The Rose Revived
19 July Cream tea by the river at Lechlade
2 August Outing to Windsor
The programme is also posted on the village noticeboard. For
further information please contact Joy on 01993 842373.
WITNEY AND CARTERTON HEALTH WALKS
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Witney - We meet at Witney’s Windrush
Leisure Centre at 10 am on Tuesdays, Thursdays and
Saturdays. There is no charge. We do two walks; one is
1-2 miles long, the other 2-3 miles both ending up with
a cup of coffee. For more information ring Joy on 01993
842373.
Carterton - On Monday, Thursday and Saturday we meet at
the Town Hall, Carterton at 10am. The walks are 1–2
miles long. For more information contact Barbara Goudal
on 01993 845923. |
BRIZE NORTON FOOTBALL CLUB
It’s been a very tough season so far
for both teams following the departure and retirement of
many players at the end of last season.
The 1sts recorded their first point of the season on
Saturday (6th Feb) against a very good Aston side. This
ended a run of 12 straight league defeats and departures
in the 3 cup competitions. However the point on Saturday
moved Brize off the foot of the table....onwards and
upwards.
The Reserves sit in 12th place out of 13 in Division 4
but have 8 points and a couple of wins can see them push
up the league. They also bowed out of both cup
competitions.
Rob Hook (1sts) and Mark Carpenter (Res) have done a
great job organising the teams and keeping things going
through a transition period but things are looking
better for a recovery.
The Club train at the Carterton ATP/4G pitch on Tuesday
evenings between 8 and 9pm until the end of March. Any
new players or indeed ex players are very welcome. |
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BRIZE NORTON DANCE CLUB
| We meet in the Elderbank Hall every
Thursday evening from 7.30pm to 9.30pm. We dance
ballroom, Latin American and sequence dances to CD’s. We
have tea and biscuits in the interval - only £2 per
person. Everyone is welcome to join us.
For more information contact Joy on 01993 842373
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BROWNIES AND RAINBOWS
We meet in the Elderbank Hall:-
Brownies - Monday 6pm - 7.30pm (during term time)
Rainbows - Wednesday 3.30pm – 4.30pm (during term time)
At these meetings the girls are encouraged to make new friends,
learn new skills, improve old skills, and develop personal
skills such as decision making and leadership. These are all
learnt in a fun environment of crafts, cooking, badges, games,
outings and camps.
Our most recent outing was to Witney Cineworld where we met up
with other girls from the Bampton District and we took over the
big screen to watch ‘Inside Out’ in our celebration of Thinking
Day.
The Brownies have also been to London to visit the Peter Pan
Park and Princess Diana Memorial fountain where everyone got
very wet. The young leaders remembered to wear swim suits this
time!
We are always looking for new members, so if you are interested
in joining us then you can register on the Girl Guiding website
or contact me.
Barbie Thorne – 01993 842013
BAMPTON PHYSIOTHERAPY
BRIZE NORTON BADMINTON CLUB
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We meet every Monday at The Elderbank Hall and play from 8.00 pm
until 10.00 pm; all ages from teenage to active retired are most
welcome.
It cost just £2.50 per session. For more details ring
Tina on 842268 or Laurence on 07771 998821, or just come along
to the hall. |
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All fitness levels welcome
20 minutes of three different types of exercise
£5 per session, Wednesday nights,
Elderbank Hall, 8-9pm
Call Steph 07970 831061 |
DOG FOULING
| There have been further incidents reported of dog fouling on the
pavements and verges of the village, in particular the pavement
on Manor Road.
It is offensive to smell and to look at, and
extremely unpleasant to step in. It is also a hazard to health –
dog faeces carry many germs that can cause illness and in
extreme cases could result in blindness.
Children walking to
school are particularly vulnerable. To all dog owners, or the
person in charge of the dog - it is YOUR responsibility to clear
up any dog foul left by the dog.
If you do not clear up your
dog’s mess you can be issued with a fixed penalty notice,
currently £50, or you could be taken to court and face a fine of
up to £1,000.
Reports of incidents of fouling witnessed can be
made directly to WODC either by phone 01993 861000 or website
http://www.westoxon.gov.uk/environment/Streetcleansing.cfm |
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YOUR VILLAGE POST OFFICE (AT YOUR SERVICE)
Did you know that your village Post Office provides
all of the services listed below and lots more?
* Traditional letter and parcel posting including
next day deliveries and eBay services.
* Taxing of vehicles.
* Banking – (Cash/Cheque/Bank card deposits and
withdrawal) if you bank with the following banks:
Bank of Ireland, Barclays, Cahoot, Clydesdale,
Co-op, Lloyds, TSB, Nationwide Building Society,
NatWest, Santander, Halifax, RBS and Smile.
* National Savings & Investment including Premium
bonds.
* Bill Payment – Most household bills including BT
phone bills can be paid free of fees.
* Foreign currency – generally commission free with
3 days’ notice, MoneyGram.
* Travel Insurance – Inland and overseas (provided
on the spot).
* Home Phone – Incentive to transfer your current
home telephone service.
* Household Home Insurance – Competitive.
* Car Insurance – There is £50 cash back on take up.
* Mobile phone Top-up.
* Health Lottery
* Groceries – limited quantity of snacks and
groceries too.
PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL POST OFFICE
We have an ageing cliental at present and would very
much welcome young parents to use our facilities; at a
time when the post office network is under threat we
need your support. Michael your postmaster attends the
Sports Pavilion on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9.30am
and 12.30pm.
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POT HOLE COMPLAINT
If you identify a pot hole please report it to Oxfordshire
County Council Highways either online at Oxfordshire.gov.uk or
phone 0845 3101111 or write to Highway Enquiries Team,
Oxfordshire County Council, PO Box 842, OXFORD OX1 9LL
CARTERTON NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING TEAM
WEST OXON WOODTURNING ASSOCIATION
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West Oxon Woodturning Association (WOWA) meets on
the first Tuesday of every month at the Elderbank
Village Hall, Brize Norton. We start at 7.30 pm and
finish about 10.00 pm. Non-members are very welcome but
members and visitors must be over 16.
Our meetings comprise of demonstrations either by one of
our members or by a professional turner or its just
‘Hands On’. All demonstrations are enhanced by the use
of a video projection system that allows everyone to
view the intricacies of the finer points of wood
turning. Please come along and enjoy an evening - your
first visit is free!
For further information please contact Dave Spittles
on 01993 776036 or visit our web site at
WOWA.org.uk |
CALENDAR OF EVENTS – please refer to newsletter for further
information
6 March Mothering Sunday Service 10AM
7 March Parish Council meeting, 7.30pm, Sports pavilion
11 March Primary school quiz, 7.30pm, school hall
27 March Easter Service 10AM
4 April Parish Council meeting, 7.30pm, Sports Pavilion
12 April Buggy club will resumes
15-17 April WOW ‘2-for-1’ entry to a wide range of attractions
21st April Lighting of Beacon/bonfire 7pm for 7.30pm
9 May Annual & Ordinary Parish Council meeting, 7.30pm, Sports
pavilion
14 May Annual Ladies Charity Football match 11.00am with cricket
in PM
24 May Annual village meeting, 7.30pm, Elderbank Hall
6 June Parish Council meeting, 7.30pm Sports Pavilion
12th June Picnic in the Park party on the recreation ground
19 June NGS Open Gardens 2 till 6PM
All entries for inclusion in the
June 2016 issue should be
received by Garry Griffin at
garry.griffin@tesco.net
by 8 May
2016.
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