North Moreton News Issue 99 December 2012 Christmas will soon be upon us; a time of excited anticipation for children and increasing stress levels for parents! Here are some reminders of how you can reduce that stress - and save money - by buying locally:- Save food miles with South Moreton reared Norfolk Bronze Turkeys. All weights available at very competitive prices from Christina (our postlady). Catch her on her round or call her on 07738 006 413. She also has Gloucester Old Spot pork packages available - spend 45 and get a free pack of sausages. R & J Apiaries have hives in North Moreton and many of the surrounding villages. Rob & Jo Nickless have a present for every budget with a range of honeys and handmade honey and beeswax products. For the full range and price list contact them on rob.nickless@btinternet.com or 01235 510479. Moreton Cricket Club have Membership Vouchers and Cricket clothing on sale. Order with Tim Howarth, Tim@bear-athome.co.uk by 9th December for Christmas deliver. For the beer enthusiasts in you life The Bear at Home has Bear Beer gift packs from 9.95. They also have Bear meal gift vouchers from 20, local prints from 15 and French oak wine racks from 53. A very Happy Christmas and a Peaceful and Prosperous New Year to you all.
2 North Moreton Parish Council Dog fouling Unfortunately, we are still receiving complaints about dog fouling, particularly from houses with unfenced gardens in Long Wittenham Road and Wallingford Road. The most likely culprits are the few dogs who regularly roam around the village unattended, and who are unable to avail themselves of the new red bins. If this includes your dog, please take pity on your neighbours and make an effort to keep your pet under closer control. Although the red dog poo bins located at the bus shelter and in the rec. behind The Bear have been well used, many bags of dog waste are still being left in the regular litter bins by the cricket pavilion and playground. Since we are paying SODC to empty the red bins, whilst the litter bins are emptied by kind volunteer(s), it would be very much appreciated if the latter were NOT used for dog excrement. Village defibrillator The Parish Council is investigating the purchase of a defibrillator, which Tim has kindly offered to keep at The Bear. Whilst Tim is planning to attend a training course on the use of the equipment, we know that there are already people in the village with the necessary expertise, and would be very glad if they would contact us and enable us to compile a list of villagers who may be called on in an emergency. We would also like to hear from you if you would be interested in receiving the appropriate training. Volunteer wanted We are looking for someone (preferably with access to a petrol strimmer) who would spend a few hours through the summer trimming back the grass and nettles along some of the village footpaths, particularly beneath the railings on Long Wittenham Road, and on the path from the Church to Elm Road. Standard rates of pay would apply. Anyone interested should contact any member of the Parish Council. Ros Templeman, Chairman NMPC
3 Moreton Cricket Club Following a very successful AGM and club dinner at The Bear, we can now look forward to next year. There are a couple of events early in the new year which we hope will be of interest to many of you, whether club members or not. On Wednesday, 30th January at The Bear there will be an entertaining evening given by a member of the Oxfordshire Cricket Board about the laws of cricket and umpiring. It is intended to be a 'fun and social' event including a quiz and is open to all. Following that, early in February, will be the annual village quiz. Details of these events will be available in the next few weeks. Another event prior to the new season will be the 'Cricket Force' weekend, preparing the ground for next season. This will take place on Sunday 7th April - yet again, all are welcome with the incentive of a B B Q for all volunteers! Finally, for those looking for Christmas present ideas, Tim at The Bear has membership vouchers available for next season and also a selection of MCC shirts. Trevor Denning, President MCC North Moreton Christmas Fayre Saturday 8th December Village Hall 1.30-4.00pm Santa s Grotto Children s Games Gifts & Jewellery Bottle and Chocolate Tombolas Teas, Cakes & Local Produce Raffle and lots more. Adults 2 OAPs 1 Children Free
4 North & South Moreton W.I. It was good to welcome visitors to our September meeting when Val Woods from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in Crowmarsh introduced Richard Comont, an expert on ladybirds. He has a special interest in Harlequin ladybirds, who are spreading rapidly and are threatening the survival of our native species. His extensive knowledge, together with great enthusiasm for his subject, kept us all enthralled. It has been decided that we will look into the possibility of visiting the centre sometime in the new year to increase our knowledge of this fascinating subject. The October meeting was the Harvest Supper when members enjoyed an excellent bring and share supper. In November, Penny Nobel, WI Advisor, came to help with organising our WI archives. There is a wealth of documents including photographs dating from the start of our Institute in 1928, so it is vital that they are cared for appropriately. There will be plenty of work to do, but now there is a clear idea of how to proceed. The Autumn Group meeting was held at Aston Tirrold Village Hall and was attended by several of our members. We welcome the return of Russell Cherry to our December meeting. He will be presenting the second part of his illustrated talk about the Ridgeway. The New Year Dinner is being organised and the programme next year has a diverse and interesting range of topics. During the past year we have been pleased to welcome new members and visitors to our meetings, which are held on the second Wednesday of the month at North Moreton Village Hall. Please contact Sue Harrison on 817042 for further information. Penny Busby Videotapes - Free to good home! Gladys Kirkman has several boxed sets of videos that she no longer requires including Hornblower, Poirot, Wimsey, Irish RM & lots of Ealing comedies. If you can make use of these, please call 01235 815353 or email Janetmprestcott@aol.com.
News from All Saints Church 5 North Moreton is certainly the happening place to be this month! There is so much going on to celebrate the wonderful season of Christmas and we wish everyone warm greetings as well as a fantastic time with their family and friends. The Posada will be travelling around the villages again and this is a wonderful treat for young children to enjoy the Christmas Story with the dolls of Mary, Joseph and the donkey. Please contact Liz Elliot at liz.a.elliot@btinternet.com if you would like to have the dolls for a night this month. The Posada is a Mexican Custom and the dolls will be brought back to the crib service in North Moreton on Christmas Eve, their final journey. Get ready for an exciting shopping event on the 8th of December when our first Christmas Fayre will be held in the Village Hall. The committee has worked hard to make the day special and there will be a super range of activities for young and old to participate in. There will be a raffle, tombolas, teas, and even a Jolly Father Christmas to put a smile on your face as well as special gifts to buy, including our Taste of North Moreton cookbook and wonderful village cards. The Fayre kicks off at 1:30 and ends at 4:00 and we look forward to seeing you there. Other services this month include the Christingle Service on Sunday the 16th at 9 a.m. with breakfast treats served afterwards, Nine Lessons and Carols at 6 p.m. on the 23rd and the two Christmas Eve Services; the Crib Service at 4 p.m. and Christmas Mass at 9:30 p.m.. Please come celebrate with us and view the renovation work which has taken place at All Saints. We will be collecting jams, chutneys, chocolates, bottles and raffle tickets at the beginning of December; we appreciate your generosity here and thank you for your efforts. If you would like any additional raffle books please contact Vickie Squires on victoriacreates@btinternet.com. Have a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year! Vickie Squires, Joint Churchwarden
Update on the Chantry Chapel 6 The work on the Chantry Chapel will be completed by Christmas. The contractor is the foremost lead roofing company in the country, Norman and Underwood. The valuable metals, used at English Heritage s insistence, will be protected by a security system. The noisy plastic tent over the church remains for some weeks but underneath it all there is great progress. The extent of the decay in the roof timbers (death watch beetle loves damp wood) was only revealed when the roof was stripped, layer by layer. And it is clear we were lucky not to have had a collapse. The Chantry Chapel roof is reconstructed, using recovered old timbers where available, in layers of rafters, boarding, more rafters, more boarding, and now lead (work in progress as I write). Similar covering is on the South Aisle, though copper remains in parts. All the rainwater off all roofs will be dispersed via vastly improved valleys, gutters, spouts, hoppers and downpipes. We should have no more damp patches in the walls. Even more importantly, we should have no more damp wood in the roof, and our 700 year old beautiful chapel, home of the renowned medieval window, will be preserved for future generations. Sue White North Moreton Village Hall Please note that Heather Skevington is taking a break from her role as booking clerk and, until further notice, bookings should be made with Alison Sanders: Alsonick@aol.com - 01235 810880. The last book sale to be organised by Kate & Gar Evans was a tremendous success with takings of 1035 and we would like to reiterate our thanks for all their hard work. They will be a very hard act to follow but the team will be holding a sale on 23rd March and look forward to seeing you there - so put the date in your diary now! The Charity card sale & soup lunch was also well attended with the soup and the tombola making a record 253.
7 You may ask why the hall needs this money. Sadly, expenses greatly exceed rental income, not least because, as a wooden structure which was badly damaged by fire in 1998, our insurance premium is currently over 800! Add to that heating, lighting & other running costs and you will see why we need additional income. Despite its name, the hall belongs to the Church and prior to 2002 any shortfall was met from church funds. At that point the management committee took over responsibility for all running costs and our aim is to keep sufficient money in hand to cover contingencies and expenses, including items such as the recent refurbishment. We hope that you feel that our efforts are worthwhile and look forward to your continued support. Nora Haycock, Chairman VHMC December at The Bear at Home Christmas variations: Friday 14th : Open all day Thursday 20th : Christmas Carols from 7:30 p.m. Friday 21st : Open all day Christmas Eve Food: Lunch as usual Evening: curry only until 8 p.m. - please book. Christmas Day: Drinks only 11a.m.- 1 p.m. Boxing Day : Open as usual with Poker from 8 p.m. New Year s Eve : Lunch as usual Evening ticket only from 8pm (see details below) New Year s Day: Closed New Year s Eve: Party here 8 p.m. - 2 a.m. with a Bond theme. Dress up as anything to do with 007 films and get a FREE Martini on arrival. Light food, vodka jelly, Big Ben chimes, Auld Lang Syne, disco, etc. all for 10 / ticket. On sale now from the bar (numbers limited). Pub Quiz: Continues on Monday nights in early December, but will not happen on Monday 24th or 31st.
8 Cobbs Clay Club Cobbs Clay Club is a local clay pigeon shooting club which currently enjoys a membership of about 40 people, most of whom live in either the Parish or within a 10 mile radius. In November 1979 the club was first given its name. By 1980 the membership had grown to about 14 and in 1982 Cobb s became tenants to the Parish Council, renting the Old Rec as it is known, continuing to do so to the present day. Although run on a semi-formal basis, it manages to retain the informality of a village asset, whilst meeting certain regulations, insurance provisions and safety constraints applied to this sport. Our meetings take place regularly on Sunday mornings, with the exception of one Saturday per year, and no shooting on Remembrance Sunday. We are considering reviving a limited shoot on a Wednesday evening during the school summer holidays, perhaps spanning a six week period. We are in regular consultation with the Parish Council and are delighted to keep the Parish updated on our endeavours and we hope to be able to offer local people the opportunity to come along and have a go. Our home in the Old Rec is kept neat and tidy and in a reasonable state of repair through regular maintenance by members of the club. We are very conscious of local wild life and the environment, and will be sowing some bee and butterfly friendly vegetation for the New Year 2013. Cobb s Clay Club highly respects the life and atmosphere of North Morton and indeed plays its part, working with NMPC where we can, to put something back into the community. If you have any questions or would like to know more about the club and its history, please contact Joe Hoskins, Liaison Officer on: joeindicot@talktalk.net or Elaine Sharp, Club Secretary on: elnshrp@aol.com.
9 Blewbury Brass Band Do something new for January - join a Brass Band and make some new friends. Over the last 18 months Blewbury Brass Band has been successfully growing its membership. We have established a learner band of around 10 adults and juniors that plays on a Wednesday evening at 6.30pm. The group attracts all ages from 7 1/2 to 78! Most of those who started last January are now playing at public performances with the main band. On Saturday mornings one to one private tuition is also available and we are launching a group for complete newcomers to music. So if you fancy having a go or finding out more, then please get in touch and make that New Year's resolution! secretary@blewburybrassband.org.uk RHS Level 2 Practical Certificate 30 weeks of teaching and assessments (rolling programme - join at any time) Thursdays 9.30-12.30pm RHS Level 2 Theory Certificate in Plant Growth Thursdays 13-30-15.30pm classes starting 2013 in North Moreton Village Hall For more information phone 07544 512501 or go to www.bestinhorticulture.co.uk
10 North Moreton Boot Camp Louise Wright, a level 3 Personal Trainer, is planning to run a Boot Camp on the Rec. every Wednesday from 9.30-10.30 a.m. A Boot Camp is an outdoor, whole body workout that is new, friendly and open to all ages and abilities. It s an hour long class designed to push you to your own limits, within your comfort zone. It is a whole body work out, meaning there will be a mixture of cardiovascular routines, resistance training, and core work outs; allowing you to develop a well-balanced workout routine. The endless variety of exercises ensures that no two classes are the same, and that every class feels new and exciting. The cost is 5pp/per class. For more information, or to book your place, contact Louise Wright on 07914 201 064 or thewrightdirectionpt@gmail.com. Neighbourhood Watch From 3rd December 2012, all reports of fraud in the Thames Valley will be recorded by Action Fraud and individual police forces in the south east will no longer take any fraud reports. They will now be recorded centrally by Action Fraud. If you want to report a fraud, please call 0300 123 2040, or visit the Action Fraud website at www.actionfraud.police.uk Thames Valley Police will continue to respond to reports of frauds in progress, but any other calls to report a fraud, including financially motivated e-crime, will be referred to Action Fraud. The new process will have a number of benefits for victims of crime, including having a central point of contact to report all fraud; an effective and efficient way to bulk report fraud; and an increased chance of identifying repeat and vulnerable victims. The scheme has already been piloted successfully in five forces, and will be rolled-out nationwide by March 2013.
11 Scout Christmas Post Service 2012 A Scout postal Christmas service will again be available in the local area for all to use. For those new to the service this is how it works. Scout post boxes will be situated in local shops and businesses around the area from Saturday 1st December to Thursday 20th December. Each card or letter costs 25p to post but no stamps are required. Simply count the number of cards/letters and multiply by 25p. Then place the cash with your cards in the post box. The cards will be regularly collected by Scouts and sorted for subsequent delivery by your local Scout group. All money raised will be divided between participating Scout groups. Cards may be mailed to the following areas: Aston Tirrold, Aston Upthorpe, Benson & RAF Benson, Berrick Salome, Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, Burcot, Cholsey, Clifton Hampden, Crowmarsh, Dorchester, Ewelme, Little Wittenham, Long Wittenham, Moulsford, North Moreton, North Stoke, Preston Crowmarsh, Roke, Shillingford, South Moreton, Wallingford and Warborough. In Wallingford the post boxes will be situated in Pettits, KP Stationers, House of Cards, Feet First Shoe Repairs, Wallingford Hospital Reception, Londis (Sinodun Road) and St Mary s Church. On Sunday 2nd December, Wallingford and District Scout Group will have a stall in the Regal Centre at Wallingford Christmas Festival from 12.30 to 5.00 p.m. There will be a competition to guess how many Christmas cards Scouts in this area will deliver this year, with a hamper of goodies going to the closest guess. Thank you for supporting Scouts. Hilary Rogerson (GSL Brightwell-cum-Sotwell)
12 Have your say on Boundary Changes The independent Local Government Boundary Commission for England is asking people across South Oxfordshire to comment on its draft proposals for new electoral arrangements for South Oxfordshire District Council. An eight-week public consultation on the recommendations is underway and will end on 7th January 2013. The consultation is open to anyone in South Oxfordshire who wants to have their say on new council wards, ward boundaries and ward names across the district. The Commission s draft recommendations propose that South Oxfordshire District Council should have 36 councillors in the future twelve fewer than under the current arrangements. The recommendations also outline how those councillors should represent eight singlemember, eight two-member and four three-member wards across the district. The current proposal is that North Moreton should move from the Hagbourne area but stay with other close parishes including South Moreton, the Astons and Blewbury The full recommendations and interactive maps are available at consultation.lgbce.org.uk and on the Commission s website at www.lgbce.org.uk. Hard copies of the Commission s report and maps will also be available to view at council buildings and libraries. Air Ambulance Bag Collection Please note that although the current Air Ambulance bag collection scheme IS genuine, it will not benefit the local Air Ambulance organisation (Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust). It WILL however benefit the new national Children's Air Ambulance, as well as the other county organisations mentioned on the front of the plastic wrapper. For future collections, you can always check the wrapper to see which particular Air Ambulance organisations will directly benefit. See the Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance statement on their Facebook page.
Oxfordshire Community Woodfuel Programme 13 The Oxfordshire Community Woodfuel Programme is a new initiative run by the Trust for Oxfordshire's Environment and several partner organisations. It aims to help local communities to: Connect with their local environment and local energy supply, and understand the productive nature of woodlands Increase their supply and demand for woodfuel In doing so, reduce their carbon footprints, improve their biodiversity, and reduce their 'fuel miles' This note is about buying woodfuel, for anyone with a wood burning stove or fireplace. Please help your wallet, your flue, and your local woodfuel merchants by being an informed buyer. The environmental advantages of using woodfuel decrease the further the wood has to travel. So aim to get your wood locally: from your community woodland or local woodland owners: look in shop windows or notice boards, or try www.sylva.org.uk/myforest/, www.woodfueldirectory.org and www.coppice-products.co.uk. Unless stated otherwise, wood from garage forecourts or supermarkets is unlikely to be local. Kiln dried wood has been as the name implies heated up to drive off water. This heating process uses energy, and also reduces the environmental advantage of burning wood. Logs are generally sold by the load, but there is no specification of what a 'load' is. Rules of thumb for purchasing logs include: Buy logs that have been dried for at least one year under cover, otherwise you may well get logs with a high moisture content, and spend much of the wood energy just turning this into steam. The ends of dry wood often look greying and old, with radial lines of splitting. Alternatively buy freshly cut logs, which will be cheaper, and dry them yourselves for a year under cover. When completely dry, all wood produces roughly the same amount of energy per weight. However hardwood (e.g. ash, hazel,
14 logs weigh more than softwood (pine) logs, and so produce more energy per log. This means that a tonne of hardwood logs will take up less space than a tonne of softwood logs, and fewer 'top ups' of hardwood logs will be needed to keep a log stove running for a given time. So be clear about whether you are getting hardwood or softwood. Make sure that the logs are cut short enough to fit into your stove. Any logs that have a diameter of more than 10cm (8 inches) should be split. Look for certificates like HETAS and Woodsure, which guarantee wood quality. The Oxfordshire Community Woodfuel Programme is working on developing a specification for firewood, including what a 'load' means, and what moisture content the wood should have. Watch this space! You could consider buying woodfuel as a group. It is easier and cheaper for a supplier to serve one large customer than many small customers, so community woodfuel buying scheme may get a better price because of these economies of scale. The Oxfordshire Rural Community Council runs a community oil buying scheme, and may be able to provide advice on setting up a similar scheme for logs: contact them at oil@oxonrcc.org.uk. Finally, we encourage woodfuel suppliers to register with websites so that people can more easily find their local suppliers. The main free sites are www.sylva.org.uk/myforest/, www.woodfueldirectory.org and www.coppice-products.co.uk. If you have any ideas or questions about woodfuel please contact Riki Therivel, Woodfuel Programme Manager on 01865 243488, riki@phonecoop.coop.
15 Dates for your Diary including Forthcoming Events DECEMBER 1-20 Scout Postal Service available 8 Christmas Fair, Village Hall 1.30-4pm 12 South Moreton School Infant Nativity 2pm 12 WI Meeting, Village Hall 7.30pm 13 South Moreton School Infant Nativity 6pm 16 Christingle Family Service, All Saints Church 9am 20 South Moreton School Carol Concert 6pm 20 Carols in The Bear from 7.30pm 23 Carol Service, All Saints Church 6pm 24 Crib Service, All Saints Church 4pm 24 Christmas Mass, All Saints Church 9.30pm JANUARY 9 WI New Year Dinner 14 Parish Council Meeting, Village Hall 8pm All welcome 30 MCC Quiz & Social evening at The Bear FEBRUARY 9 MCC Village Quiz, Village Hall 7.30pm TBC 13 WI Meeting, Village Hall 7.30pm MARCH 13 WI Meeting, Village Hall 7.30pm 23 Book Sale, Village Hall 10am - 3pm APRIL 7 Cricket Force weekend
16 Useful Information Beat Officer: - PC Steph Bromwich 101 or 0845 8505 505 PCSOs: Jennie Cox, Claire Beale & Taqwa Gilpin Call 101 or email: WallingfordAreaNHPT@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk Non-Urgent Police calls (within Thames Valley): 101 Crime Stoppers: 0800 555 111 NHS Non-Emergency Number: 111 Parish Clerk: Andrew Wise 01235 511427 Parish Council Chairman: Ros Templeman 07969 349 831 SODC Councillor: Leo Docherty 07908 686 706 OCC Councillor: Patrick Greene 07899 878 344 Parish Transport Representative: Ros Templeman 07969349831 Village Hall Bookings Alison Sanders Alisonic@aol.com 810880 Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator: Nora Haycock 812202 Concessionary Travel: 0345 302 2313 Mobile Library: Wk 2 Wednesdays: Bus Shelter 10-10.15 Postal Services: The Village Hall, Brightwell: Monday - Friday 9.30-12.30. 01491 834728 Astons Village Hall Tuesday 9.30-12.30 Citizens Advice Line: 08444 111 444 Refuse & Recycling Collections: alternate Thursdays Garden Waste Collection: alternate Thursdays with recycling Black Bin dates: 6/20 Dec., 5/17/31 Jan., 14/28 Feb. Green & Garden Bins: 13/29 Dec., 11/24 Jan., 78/21 Feb. Bank Holiday changes marked in Bold. There will be no garden waste collection on 29th December. The Saturday collections will start an hour earlier than normal. Editor: Nora Haycock, Peckwater, North Moreton. Phone 812202 Email: nora.haycock@btinternet.com Printed by the Churn Benefice Copy for the March issue should reach the Editor by 22nd February North Moreton News is published four times a year & can also be read on line at