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.
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
Come and sing your favourite carols on Wednesday 18 December at 7pm. Mince pies and mulled wine. All welcome!
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
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.
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.
will be held on Thursday 5 December at Kineton High School Banbury Road.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
The Over-60s Christmas Lunch will be held in the Village Hall on Sunday 8 December at 12.45 for 1pm. Julie Rickman 640349
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
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!
Molly Natalie Jayne Petty was baptised at St Giles' Church on Sunday 3rd November at a service conducted by the Rev. Mike Cadwallader.
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.
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.
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.
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