North Moreton News. Useful Information. You are cordially invited to a Bring & Share Village Tea

Transcription

1 Useful Information PCSO: call the Wallingford Team on 101 or Non-Urgent Police calls: 101 Crime Stoppers: NHS Non-Emergency Number: 111 Parish Clerk: Parish Council Chairman: Ros Templeman SODC Councillor: Jane Murphy OCC Councillor: Patrick Greene Parish Transport Representative: Veronica Gibbs Village Hall Bookings Marion Shipton Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator: Nora Haycock Concessionary Travel: or Mobile Library: Wk 2 Wednesdays: Toddlercare, Haddon Hill Bus Shelter Postal Services: The Village Hall, Brightwell: Monday - Friday Astons Village Hall Tuesday Citizens Advice Line: Consumer Helpline: Refuse & Recycling Collections: alternate Thursdays Garden Waste Collection: alternate Thursdays with recycling Black Bin dates: 10/24 March, 7/21 April, 6/19 May Green & Garden Bins: 3/17/31 March, 14/28 April, 12/26 May Note: Bank holiday changes in bold, Double brown bins on 26 May Editor: Nora Haycock, Peckwater, North Moreton. Phone nora.haycock@btinternet.com Printed by the Churn Benefice Copy for the June issue should reach the Editor by 22nd May North Moreton News is published four times a year & can also be read on line at North Moreton News Issue 112 March 2016 You are cordially invited to a Bring & Share Village Tea to celebrate the 90th birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to be held on The Recreation Ground, on Sunday 12th June pm The last time North Moreton held a Bring & Share tea was in 2002 as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations, when, to quote North Moreton News,...nearly 200 people sat down to a magnificent village tea. The sun shone, musicians played and red, white and blue was the colour and the custom of the day. Details of the 2016 event, which we hope will be equally enjoyable, will follow but please put the date in your diary now! Volunteers to help organise some fun events for the children are needed. If you are able to help, please call or nora.haycock@btinternet.com. 12

2 North Moreton Parish Council Buses Below is an extract from the latest update on bus services received from the Downlands Transport Action Group, which includes representatives from the seven parishes on the 94/95 route : We have just heard from Thames Travel that, while the County Council voted to cut bus subsidies, our buses will continue until at least 20th July, as the timing for deciding on contracts has been moved back. This gives us more time to work with Thames Travel to save our buses. The best way we can do this is to use the buses and to encourage others to use them. If you have a bus concession card please also consider occasionally paying the fare instead of using your card, as that will increase revenue and the key to showing that our services can be maintained at a high level is showing that they can be commercially viable. We are starting to survey the parishes to find out not only who is using the buses, but also to find out what people want from our buses and what would encourage further use. For example, are there timetable improvements that would increase your use of the service? If you are asked to complete a survey form, please do so we need up-to-date, solid evidence to support our case. For North Moreton, we feel that the best option would be a diversion of the X2 Didcot-Wallingford bus through the village, and we are hoping to discuss this possibility with Thames Travel. It would be helpful to know how often a more direct service like this would be used, and how much you use the present service. Do you use the 131, which visits Wallingford on Fridays? If the 95 the bus which currently serves the village is the only option for the foreseeable future, we would like to know how the service could be improved enough for you to use it. Please your comments on your, or your family s, current and possible future bus usage to vagibbs@btinternet.com, or phone me on If there is sufficient interest, we will circulate a more formal survey in due course. Veronica Gibbs, Parish Transport Representative Annual Parish Meeting Our APM this year will be held on Tuesday 8th March at 8 p.m. in the Village Hall, and all villagers are invited to attend. This is the meeting where village clubs, the local school and pre-school, and our local councillor present reports on the year s activities, and it s a good opportunity to find out what s going on in the village. We hope to see you there! Ros Templeman, Chairman MARCH Dates for your Diary including Forthcoming Events 5 Village Verge Clean 10am at The Triangle Long Wittenham Rd 6 Mothering Sunday Service, All Saints, 10.30am 8 Annual Parish Meeting, Village Hall, 8pm Everyone Welcome! 9 W I AGM., Village Hall, 7.30pm 19 At Home with Mrs Moneypenny Smiths Cottage 5.30pm 20 Palm Sunday Family Breakfast Service, All Saints, 9am APRIL 2 Spring Book Sale, Village Hall 10am - 5pm 3 Annual Footpaths Walk, Meet at Bus Shelter 10.30am 13 WI Meeting, Village Hall, 7.30pm MAY 8 Village Fete, Recreation Ground, 2-4pm 10 Parish Council Meeting,Village Hall, 8pm Oxfordshire Art Weeks Exhibition in All Saints Church LOOKING AHEAD.. The following events for 2016 have already been arranged - details will follow in due course but please put the dates in your diaries now, particularly if you are planning an event of your own: Sunday 12th June The Queen s 90th Birthday Tea Monday 13th June La Bohême at Melhuish Farm (sold out) Tuesday 14th June Charity Bridge Drive at Melhuish Farm Sunday 10th July NGS Open Gardens Sunday 24th July Summer Lunchtime Garden Party 28th - 31st July Beer & Cricket Festival 2 11

3 Police Front Desk Closures Thames Valley Police is proposing to reduce the number of front counters in Oxfordshire The following changes are scheduled to come in on 1st April 2016: CLOSURES: Front counters at Didcot, Wantage, Wallingford are scheduled to close. RESCHEDULED: Abingdon front counters will now be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. Deputy Chief Constable John Campbell said: The way people interact with the police is changing; the public want to contact us at a time and place that s convenient to them. We have found that more people are engaging with us on the phone, online or through our social media channels rather than visiting their local police station. A total of 86% people told us they prefer to contact police on the phone in a nonemergency, based on a survey of 9,187 people. Earlier this year we undertook a review of the varying services provided at front counters, the public usage and the associated costs. Analysis of demand has shown us that fewer people are visiting our front counters, especially overnight; therefore we are revising this provision. Bricks and mortar has little to do with policing, so officers and staff are being empowered to be more mobile in their work with the use of smart phones, tablets, laptops and wifi connection in vehicles. The public can still contact the police 24-hours a day by calling 101 in a non-emergency call or 999 in an emergency. For the deaf, hard-of-hearing or speech-impaired you can contact the Force by texting More and more of our services are moving online. The public can access information, crime prevention advice, report a crime or find contact details for local neighbourhood teams by visiting our website To contact PSCOs call the Wallingford Team on 101 or WallingfordAreaNHPT@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk Moreton Cricket Club Believe it or not, the start of the 2016 cricket season is almost upon us with our first matches being played at the end of April let us hope the weather improves! This is our 158th season and is looking extremely promising with record membership in sight and, very importantly, a bumper crop of junior players coming through. For a club of our size, Moreton have an amazing eight juniors involved with County representative cricket; namely Jackson Andrae, Teddy Burton, Archie Nokes, George Alderson, Peter Clayton-Chance, Zara Baker, Lucy Grain and Georgia Haworth. Many congratulations to them all and also to our coaching staff at the club who have given a lot of their time to help improve playing standards. Thanks to our fixture secretary, Nigel Hessey, we have another busy season ahead of us with matches on Sundays, Wednesday and Thursday evenings as well as a full complement of Ladies and Junior fixtures. Training for the ladies starts on Tuesday 12th April and the juniors on Friday 15th April at The Croft. New members are always very welcome with the opportunity to play at a variety of levels. If you want further details of membership or any information about the club contact Tim Haworth at tim@in2cricket.org. Thank you to all who turned out for our annual Quiz Night organised by Ross Murray; it was a great success; and finally, a date for your diary, the Beer and Cricket Festival which is 28th - 31st July. Trevor Denning, President Annual Village Verge Clean - Saturday 5th March Meet at the grass triangle in Long Wittenham Road from a.m. to help clear all the accumulated rubbish from the hedgerows and verges before the nettles take over. Bin bags, pick-sticks and fluorescent jackets and rubbish bags will be provided but garden gloves and wellies recommended. Once again, excellent exercise for all ages! Just half an hour of your help would be very much appreciated. Maggie and Muir Parker 10 3

4 North Moreton Village Hall The 2016 Spring Book Sale will be held on Saturday 2nd April - see advert on page 7 for details - and if you can spare an hour or two to help sort stock, just pop into the hall between and 3 p.m on the preceding Tuesday to Thursday! A reminder that the hall is an ideal venue for parties of all kinds and that in addition to chairs, tables and china for hire, we also have the village tent which can seat between 50 and 60 people at tables or up to 100 standing. Contact Marion Shipton on NMVH@hotmail.co.uk / for charges and availability. Please note that we are now able to accept online payments - details will be found on the booking form. North Moreton Fête The annual Fête will this year take place on Sunday 8th May from 2-4 p.m on The Croft. This is always a great day out for the whole family so put the date in your diary now and invite your friends and family to come along. We are very grateful to our fantastic and hardworking team of regulars but we are always in need of able helpers to assist with setting up marquees, car parking, manning gates and a host of other jobs during the afternoon, as well as clearing up afterwards. If you are able to help, even for a short time, or have ideas for new attractions, please contact Mary Greene: maryclaregreene@btinternet.com. Patrick is running the all important raffle again this year and will be grateful for offers of prizes: pwdgreene@btinternet.com. Book Sale - Help Needed! Our twice-yearly book sales still need volunteers to take over the leadership from If you enjoy books and would like to contribute to keeping the Village Hall going, please get in touch with Jane and Trevor Denning (812968) or Alison and Nick Sanders (810880) to find out more North Moreton Open Gardens for NGS On Sunday 10th July 2016 the gardens at Little Orchard, Queen's Yard, The Filberts and Mount Pleasant will be open under the National Garden Scheme between 2 and 5 p.m., entry 5, children free. There will be a plant sale, and teas will be in the Barn at North Moreton House. Parking will be on The Croft and will be signposted and guided, which we hope will minimise inconvenience to residents. Money from the NGS entrance fees will support its usual excellent charities, including Macmillan Cancer Support and Marie Curie, but it is hoped to raise money for village causes from the plant sale. If anyone has suggestions for other local fundraising events on the day, in the Church or Village Hall, please contact Nora Haycock. Earth Trust Lambing Weekends: 12th & 13th and 19th & 20th March 11am - 4pm. Visit the new Spring arrivals including lambs, piglets and goats! Enjoy bale climbing and craft activities. Refreshments available. Entrance: 6 adult, 3 child 15 family (2 +2) Free entry for Earth Trust Friends. Mother s Day Bouquets: Sunday 6th March, 10am - 2pm Drop in and plant an edible bouquet for your mum! Suggested donation 4 per child, adults free. No need to book. Easter Fun on the Farm: Sunday 27th March, 11am - 3pm Explore the Earth Trust Farm and meet some of the animals, plus bring an egg to decorate and roll down the Clumps! 5 adult, 2 child, 12 family. Woodland Adventure: Wednesday 30th March, 10am - 12pm An expedition for 5-8yr olds, 4 suggested donation per child. Accompanying adult(s) free. No need to book. Sling Walk: Thursday 31st March 10am am Bring your baby for a ramble around our nature reserve and meet other local parents. 4 suggested donation. No need to book. For more information and further events visit our website: 4 9

5 Didcot and Wallingford Orchestra Did you play an instrument when you were younger? Do you wish you still had a chance to play it now? Would you like to get out of the house for 2 hours on a Monday evening? If so then the Didcot and Wallingford orchestra is for you! The Didcot and Wallingford Orchestra meets every Monday evening at 7.30 at the Northbourne Centre, Didcot. We are a small, friendly rehearsal orchestra and in the last year have played a range of music, from Bach to modern pieces. Being a rehearsal orchestra means that if making a regular commitment is difficult for you then it is not a problem to just attend when you can; it s quite informal. We would like more players of all instruments to come and join us. Please contact didcotandwallingfordorchestra@gmail.com or visit for more information. Overnight Road Closures The A329 Reading Road between Papist Way and Halfpenny Road, Cholsey, will be closed to through traffic between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. every Saturday night from 27th February to 15th May. This is to allow for parapet raising work on the railway bridge. Oxfordshire Art Weeks Between 14th and 22nd May, six talented local artists - Victoria Squires, Alice Auckland, Sharon Castle, Susan Cornwall, Peter Lancaster and Gregory Ryder will be exhibiting their work in All Saints Church between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Between them they work in mixed media, textiles, ceramics, oils, acrylics and watercolour as well as in silver and semi-precious stone - there should be something to interest everyone so put the dates in your diary now! Cream teas and other refreshments will be available. North & South Moreton WI The year started with a very enjoyable meal at the Bear. It gave members the chance to catch up after the Christmas period. In February we welcomed Jane Stubbs who gave a most entertaining talk about The Lives of Victorian Women. It was interesting to learn how the clothes they wore evolved to fit the changing role of women during this period. In March we will be holding our AGM when a new committee will be elected for the forthcoming year. The speaker at the April meeting is Dudley Iles who will be talking about The Private Lives of Garden Birds. The programme for the next year will start in May, when a varied range of talks and activities have been planned. The November Coffee Morning at Sue Harrison s home was well attended as usual. The new committee will no doubt be organising a similar event in the spring. The WI is also helping with teas at the Village Open Gardens to be held in the summer. In June two of our members will be attending the NFWI AGM in Brighton. Our meetings are usually held in North Moreton Village Hall on the second Wednesday of each month at 7.30pm. We are always pleased to welcome new members and visitors. Please contact Liz Elliot on if you would like more information. Penny Busby Village Walk Our Annual Village Walk, when we take a circular ramble to include most of the Public Rights of Way inside and just outside the Parish, will be held on Sunday 3rd April, meeting at the bus shelter and leaving at sharp. Just turn up! The walk should take about 1½ to 2 hours and you are recommended to wear stout shoes or walking boots. It may be muddy and there are several stiles! This is a great opportunity for newcomers to the village to investigate our footpaths and (I hope) to make some new friends. For more information, contact Roger Haycock (812202). 8 5

6 News from All Saints Church Spring is nearing and we are excited to invite you to a Mothering Sunday Service with coffee and pastries served afterwards to officially open the kitchen and toilet facilities in All Saints Church. With the exception a couple of electrical jobs, our refurbishments have come to an end! The service on 6th March will be a full Eucharist with Reverend Jason presiding and will begin at a.m. The children s area will be back in place and there will be posies for mothers to take home. All are welcome as we will be celebrating mothers, fathers, grandparents and anyone who mothers. Coming up after Mothering Sunday is our famous Palm Sunday Family Breakfast Service on 20th March. The Donkeys will be making their third appearance and we shall follow them down the aisle with song. After that we will delight in eating Brioche and bacon! The service starts at 9 a.m. this year. During Easter Week Reverend Jason will deliver his Hour at the Cross service at 2 p.m. on Good Friday, and the Easter Sunday Service will be a full Eucharist at a.m. We very much look forward to welcoming you all to All Saints. The a.m. service on 3rd April will be followed by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting; this should commence at a.m. and last no more than 30 minutes. Vickie Squires At Home with Mrs Moneypenny This comedy show with cooking, which was a sell out at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2010 and 2013, is being recreated in North Moreton for one night only on Saturday 19th March, p.m. in aid of the Church Restoration Fund. Mrs Moneypenny and her trusty assistant Dawn will make you smile and tempt you with treats from Mrs Moneypenny s very own Aga. Seats are necessarily limited by the size of the Smith s Cottage kitchen, so book early by ing Vickie Squires, victoriacreates@btinternet.com. Tickets are each, cheques payable to North Moreton PCC. A pay bar will be operating during the evening. Calling all Jig Saw Puzzlers This is a message to anybody in the village who enjoys doing jig-saw puzzles. Barbara and I have quite a selection of large 500 and 1000 piece puzzles which we have done once or sometimes twice and would be happy to lend to other villagers. They usually go back to the charity shop from whence they came but they could be enjoyed by villagers first. If this possibility is attractive and people would like to contribute puzzles we would be happy to keep the bank, as it were, at our house, Alfriston in High Street, North Moreton, so that people could come and select a new puzzle on a nominated day each week. We have about 25 puzzles to start the library and we would be happy to hear from anyone who would like to talk about contributing puzzles or just joining to borrow puzzles without contributing any. Contact us at barbara.bentley@gmail.com or peter.cockman@gmail.com or give us a call on Barbara Bentley and Peter Cockman Proceeds in aid of church and hall funds BOOK SALE Saturday 2nd April North Moreton Village Hall 10am-3pm Fiction & Non Fiction from 50p Children s books from 20p Individually priced books of interest to collectors To donate books please contact Northmoretonbooks@gmail.com or call Collection can be arranged Light refreshments available 6 7