Gaydon Parish Magazine December 2013

index of magazines

A Merry Christmas to all our Readers!

This Month's Diary

     Christmas Lunch                   Sun 8th 12.45pm         Village Hall
     Carols                            Weds 18th 7pm           Village Hall
     Crib Service                      Tues 24th 6pm           St Giles' Church
     Christmas Day Service             Weds 25th 9am           St Giles' Church
     Pilates                           Tuesdays 6.30pm         Village Hall
     Mobile Library                    Thursday 12th

Parish Council News

Stratford District Council Cabinet Meeting

Cllr. Mrs. Annette Conway spoke on behalf of the Parish Council at this meeting against the inclusion of the Gaydon/Lighthorne Heath settlement in the Core Strategy. The Cabinet then agreed to investigate 2 further sites in the Southam area for possible development and also requested additional reports on the Gaydon/Lighthorne Heath settlement. The Parish Council have agreed that they will write to the District Council requesting that if the Gaydon/Lighthorne Heath site is to be included in the Core Strategy we would like a further consultation based on the extended area and to consider the reports which were not available during the last consultation.

Jaguar Land Rover Liaison

Gaydon, Lighthorne and Chesterton parishes have requested a meeting, in addition to the regular Gaydon Liaison Meeting, with JLR to discuss their future plans for the area. We will keep you updated.

New Dual Carriageway: Junction 12 M40 to JLR

Residents are permitted to make observations on this County Council application until 5th December. The plans are on Warwickshire County Council's website and the response should be sent to Mr Mohammed Nasser, Planning Department, Warwickshire County Council, Shire Hall, Warwick CV34 4RH. Councillors have discussed this application and will be bringing a number of observations to the attention of the County Council. Please note that this planning application only covers the area from approximately Castle Farm's driveway to JLR. The junction plans have been drawn by the Highways Agency in Bedford and are not available on the County website. The Parish Clerk has a copy and they will be discussed at the meeting in January. These plans will not be subject to a planning application but if the Parish Council has concerns, it could write to the Highways Agency informing them of the concerns. The plans for the entrance to The Heritage Centre have not yet been released and we are actively chasing Stratford District Council for a copy of them. Councillors will also be discussing this with The Heritage Centre and JLR.

Grit Bin on Church Lane

A grit bin has been purchased and a location (between the Church and Church Road) agreed with Highways. It will be installed shortly.

Starbold Wind Farm

Land between Knightcote, Bishops Itchington and Gaydon: this application has been 'called in' by Mr Eric Pickles, MP who will now make the decision. We are hoping for a response before Christmas.

Flooding

The Parish Council discussed flooding: see report on page 1.

New Homes Bonus Allocation

Stratford District Council, we understand, has decided to allocate 20% of the total amount it receives from the Government in respect of the New Homes Bonus Scheme to parishes. Gaydon is eligible for this funding (the barn conversions will qualify) but would have to apply to the District for funding with details of a project. The maximum amount funded is £10,000. If any residents have any ideas could they please contact the Clerk or councillors.

20mph along the Kineton Road

This suggested speed limit was raised by a resident and discussed at our Parish Council meeting. County Councillor Chris Williams agreed to take this forward to a County Council Transport Meeting early

next year.

Boundary Commission Consultation

The ward boundaries are currently being discussed (details on the noticeboard and page 2 of this magazine) and we have been moved from Kineton Ward to Bishops Itchington's ward. This is a consultation and residents are able to respond if they wish.

Website

The website www.gaydon.org is privately owned. It hosts the Parish Council pages at the request of the Parish Council. The webmaster is working on an alterative design for the front page.

Date of next meeting: Thursday, 2nd January, at 8pm in the Village Hall.

The Parish Council wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy

New Year.

Church Services in December

1st  Advent Sunday
     9.00    Holy Communion BCP    Burton Dassett
    10.30    Morning Prayer        Fenny Compton
    10.30    Holy Communion        Gaydon
     6.00pm  Evensong              Farnborough
8th
     9.00    Holy Communion        Farnborough
     9.00    Holy Communion        Gaydon
    10.30    Holy Communion        Fenny Compton
    10.30    Communion by ext.     Northend
     6.00pm  Evening Prayer        Burton Dassett
15th
     9.00    Holy Communion BCP    Gaydon
    10.30    Holy Communion        Farnborough
    10.30    Crib Service          Fenny Compton
    10.30    Holy Communion        Northend
22nd
     9.00    Holy Communion BCP    Fenny Compton
    10.30    Holy Communion        Farnborough
    10.30    Prayer and Praise     Gaydon
     3.30pm  Carols by Candlelight Burton Dassett
24th Christmas Eve
     6.00pm  Crib Service          Gaydon
    11.30pm  Midnight Mass         Burton Dassett
25th Christmas Day
     9.00    Communion with Carols at Gaydon
29th
    10.30    Group Communion at Northend

Carols in Gaydon Village Hall

Come and sing your favourite carols on Wednesday 18 December at 7pm. Mince pies and mulled wine. All welcome!

Local Boundary Commission

The Local Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) has now considered submissions for changes in District Council Wards and has published these for consultation.

The Commission's draft recommendations propose that Stratford-on-Avon should have 36 councillors in the future, 17 fewer than under the current arrangements. The recommendations also outline how those councillors should represent 36 single-member wards across the district.

The full recommendations and detailed interactive maps are available on the Commission's website at www.consultation.lgbce.org.uk and www.lgbce.org.uk. Hard copies of the Commission's report and maps are also available to view at Elizabeth House in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Public consultation will end on 6 January 2014. The consultation is open to any of those who want to have their say on new council wards, ward boundaries and ward names across the district, including Parish and Town Councils and also Parish Meetings. Any comments you or your Council/Meeting may wish to make should not be sent to the District Council but to the LGBCE:

The Review Officer (Stratford-on-Avon)

Local Government Boundary Commission for England,

Layden House, 76-86 Turnmill Street,

LONDON, EC1M 5LG

Email: reviews@lgbce.org.uk

Thinking about keeping Honeybees?

Although it seems a million miles from spring, it is about now that we try to engage people in considering beekeeping as a hobby. We are running a starter course early in the New Year. Are there are any budding beekeepers in Gaydon who might like to get started?

Warwick and Leamington Beekeepers are running a six week course to help you get going. This course suits those who are planning to keep their own bees, giving you all the information you need to keep them safely and enjoy them with confidence. Places are limited, so please book your place as early as possible.

Starts Tuesday January 7th 2014 at 7pm-9.30pm. Cost of course £55.

Venue: National Beekeeping Centre Stoneleigh Park, near Kenilworth. For further details and a booking form: www.warleambees.com or contact Val Dillon on 02476 417374; email: val.dillon@outlook.com

We are a Branch of Warwickshire Beekeepers Association, a registered charity established to enhance understanding of the honey-bee, as well as supporting beekeepers that care for them.

Wedding

The marriage between Daniel Orr and Aimée Evans took place at the Church of St Giles, Gaydon, on Friday 25 October. We wish them every happiness.


Wellesbourne and Kineton Community Forum

will be held on Thursday 5 December at Kineton High School Banbury Road.

Messy Church

Pilgrim Puppets Present
The Innkeeper & Family at 3.30pm on Sunday 8 December
at Fenny Compton Village Hall;
The Lost Sheep at 2.30pm on Saturday 14 December
at Temple Herdewyke Community Centre

Nature Notes for November

The Faisan bird

The seasons are often associated with certain birds and none is more high profile in the autumn than the Pheasant. It quite suddenly appears in great numbers by the roadsides and in the fields. The loud stentorian calls are a feature of the early evenings as it flies up to its roosting places.

This is no wild bird like the others we find so familiar. True, there are really wild pheasants in Asia and our species originated in Iran where it is still found. The English 'Ringneck' is said to have been brought into Britain by the Romans. There are probably none left now. When Richard Jeffries wrote of "The Faisan bird" in the thirties, they were already rare and found only in wilder places breeding freely.

Today, pheasants are usually bought in by shooting syndicates as young poults. They arrive in the release pens tame and trusting, often sickly and concentrated in large numbers. Slowly they learn the habits of wild birds when they venture forth from "Pop Holes". The arrival of so many birds often means the total extermination of reptiles and overwintering caterpillars. Where there are pheasant pens there will be no Slowworms, Lizards or Fritillary butterflies around for long.

Each bird costs around £35 to rear so the meat is a real bargain and roadkill worth picking up! There are many varieties: Bohemian Blacks, Blue-feathered and other variants, the aim being that they fly high enough for a "sporting" shot. This experience too comes at considerable cost.

The tradition of hunting takes a lot of effort these days as there are not enough wild partridges or wildfowl as in the 19th century. Old Game books record the pheasant as being in quite low numbers; for example, those of Ettington Hall record far more Grey partridge shot. It's now possible to rear chicks in huge numbers: gone are the old "Broody hens" and Paraffin incubators of the old Gamekeepers. So we are probably seeing more Pheasants now than at any previous time.

The few that survive the shooting season and avoid Cars, Foxes and Hawks are different birds, having an air of self confidence! Several lived in the village centre last year and fed at my bird table; one was a regular on the village green - so we could all enjoy these exotic dandies. Whilst digging up the last of my potatoes last week, I looked up on hearing the alarm call of a pheasant, the screech of a Jay and the call of a low-flying buzzard. This pheasant was almost certainly one of these who had learned the ways of the English countryside. Amazing that this late in the season you can still collect blackberries and we have had very little frost. Bernard Price

Mobile Library

The Library will be here on Thursday 12 December.

The van will be at the Telephone Box at 1.50-2.10pm and at St Marks Close from 2.15-2.35pm.

Gaydon Village Store

Christmas hampers make marvellous presents. Choose from our range of local foods and drinks and we will make your hamper up for you. Alternatively, choose a couple of jars of honey, jam or chutney to pop into a hessian gift bag. Don't forget to order your festive meat, vegetables and bread.

Compliments of the Season to everyone! From The Gaydon Village Store team.

Shipston Home Nursing

Christmas Messiah at Tredington Church on Saturday 21 December at 7.30pm.

Join the Orchestra of the Swan and their chamber choir for a performance of Handel's Messiah. Tickets £15 to include a drink and canapés. Box Office 01608 674 929.

Christmas Lunch 2013

The Over-60s Christmas Lunch will be held in the Village Hall on Sunday 8 December at 12.45 for 1pm. Julie Rickman 640349

Flood Report

A new ditch has been dug in Little Bussonside, the field behind the Kineton Road houses. It has been joined to the old ditch which has been cleared and it will help to prevent the flooding we had last November when Niton and Trevose were flooded, causing the sewage system to overflow. Further work needs to be done to improve access to the drainage pipe that takes the water from the ditch into the main drainage system. JR

Gaydon Village Store

are pleased to announce that Jan Ewers won the £10 voucher for completing the vegetable box questionnaire

in November.

P.S.

Dear Customers,

Could we ask you to return your egg-boxes so that we can use them again? And would you also be kind enough to bring back any carrier bags that you use? Thus, we can save money and save the planet too!

Christening

Molly Natalie Jayne Petty was baptised at St Giles' Church on Sunday 3rd November at a service conducted by the Rev. Mike Cadwallader.

Booking Gaydon Village Hall

Until further notice, please contact Eirwen Hughes with your Hall bookings. She lives at the Old House Cottage, Church Road, next to the Malt Shovel and on the corner of Kineton Road. Her phone number is 641889. The hourly charge for residents is still only £5.50 and for non-residents £11.

Seasonal Recipe

Christmas Champagne Cup

Take a large jug and pour in a sherry glassful each of sherry, brandy and orange curaçao. Add the zest of an orange and a sprig of rosemary, stir and cool in the fridge for a couple of hours.

To serve, pour a chilled bottle of champagne or sparkling wine into the jug and stir; strain into champagne coupes, half-filling them and topping up with chilled soda water and ice.

Would you like to save £74.90 per 1000 litres of heating oil?

Butler Fuels won the November order negotiated with local suppliers by Warwickshire Community Oil Syndicate and members saved a huge 7.49pence per litre against the average market price (and a massive 23pence saving against the market high). What a result!

Our members paid only 53.8pence per litre - what did your supplier charge?

In addition, our LPG cylinder prices haven't risen for seven con-secutive months whilst our LPG bulk is still being offered at 43p per litre despite rises across the industry.

As a charity that works exclusively in Warwickshire's rural communities we are delighted with these results and hope you might be tempted to join us. Email oil@wrccrural.org.uk or call Sarah on 01789 472611.

Neighbourhood Watch

Gaydon Report: The village has had a quiet month.

Charity Collectors

Following our discussions with the British Heart Foundation we have ascertained that door-to-door after-hours calling is on the increase in England. Charities are employing companies to call on households to try to get them to sign up for Direct Debit monthly payments. It is worth noting the following in relation to this practice:

- Charities justifiably need funds and are finding it more difficult to get donations.

- Collectors are not volunteers. They are paid. The usual 'collection fee' is the first year's donation.

In June 2012, the Fraud Advisory Panel produced guidance on giving safely on the doorstep, reiterating that people should give only their account number and sort code.

As with all Direct Debit transactions, charitable donations are covered by the Direct Debit Guarantee, under which anyone signing a Direct Debit mandate has a 14-day cooling off period during which he or she can cancel the mandate with no contractual comebacks.

Collectors cannot make contact after 9.00pm. We will nevertheless continue to press for an 'after dark' curfew.

Children and the Internet

The National Neighbourhood Watch Association is working closely with Get Safe Online to promote online safety regarding children's use of the internet. You'll find some excellent new advice pages for parents by visiting www.getsafeonline.org and selecting 'Safeguarding Children'. Ian Miller