Gaydon Parish Magazine July 2020

Gaydon Events

Everything cancelled. Events below are subject to notice of cancellation:

Scarecrow Festival                September                 Village Field
Apple Day                         October                   Village Hall
Christmas Lunch                   Sun 6th December          Village Hall
Carols & Refreshments             Mon 21st December         Village Hall

Gaydon Village Store

A big shout out to all the volunteers, new and old, who have kept the shop running over the past three months. Their concerted effort means that the shop will continue to open six days a week: from 9am-1pm and 4-6pm on weekdays; and from 9am-1pm on a Saturday, for the foreseeable future.
We have seen a slight decrease in customers this month as people gain more social freedoms and supermarket deliveries become more readily available; but don’t forget about your local shop.
We have continued to source scarce produce such as flour, caster sugar and even big jars of marmite! Thanks to Jo and Paul, we are still doing veg boxes; and we can collect Carpenters meat orders at no extra cost.
Finally, a big thank you to all those who donated material for face masks and to Liz, Jean and Tracey for making them. We continue to stock hand wash, hand sanitizer and viral cleaner in a bid to keep our community safe.
Orders can still be telephoned to the shop on 641805 including Meat from Carpenters and Veg Boxes. Both are delivered on Tuesdays and Fridays and should be ordered on the morning of the day before.

Gaydon Parish Council Covid-19 Update

Lockdown measures are being gradually relaxed and while we will welcome the re-opening of our much-missed local amenities, we must remember that for some residents life will remain more restricted. People may still need to self-isolate in future and the volunteer network and Parish Helpline will continue to be available for anyone who needs it. Thank you to all those who have helped to make our community more connected and allowed everyone to access the essentials of daily life. PARISH HELPLINE: 07398 093023

Welcome Back!

How good it feels to be able to glance up at the church clock again and be reassured by the correct time! It was mended 26 June.

Parish Council News

Housing Needs Survey
Within this magazine you will find the housing needs survey for you to complete. This is an integral part of planning for future housing requirements so it’s vital you complete it to help us to understand how Gaydon could meet your housing needs in future.
New Play Area
GPC have now placed an order for the new play area, which will installed in August and completed early September. Playgrounds are reopening this month, so whilst our own will take a little longer to open, it should be worth the wait.
Pocket Parks
The opposite end of the village field, near the allotments is also being developed in line with the application granted last year. The gates will be refurbished and upgraded so that the gate furthest from the driveways becomes the new pedestrian entrance, with a self-closing mechanism for additional safety. A new gravel path from the entrance into the field will run parallel to the public footpath and lead up to the play area to improve accessibility for everyone. The orchard will be planted at the end of Summer and wildlife enhancements including a bug hotel, bird boxes, areas left as habitat with long standing grass, log piles, planting of more wildflowers and mown pathways through the orchard. The perimeter of the field will be managed in the Autumn after the nesting season as previously planned, but delayed because of the exceptionally wet start to the year.
The Old Play Area
The roundabout was rescued by Cllr Claxton before Orbit removed and disposed of the equipment. The intention was to find a way of reusing it as a piece of street furniture as it cannot continue to be used as a roundabout because it does not conform to safety standards.
Obviously, there would be a cost to doing this work dependlng on what we decide to do with it and where to site it. It will not be a simple task to install it elsewhere given its weight and we thank the volunteers who helped to move it.
One of the ideas being discussed is to make it into some kind of public seating: could it be completely repurposed/upcycled into a new piece of furniture or could it remain in its current form with added seats?
Could it be positioned near the phonebox as another repurposed village asset and nod to Gaydon’s past considering its size and the telegraph poles?
Could it be positioned on another community space such as the field, green, cemetery or St Marks? Or is it time to bid goodbye to a much loved piece of equipment and cherish the memories?
GPC invite you to submit any ideas you may have for the old roundabout's new purpose; or perhaps you feel that it’s had its day and memories can be preserved on photographs instead. Please let us know by emailing the Clerk at gaydonpc@gmail.com
Next meeting is 7 July at 7.30pm via Zoom.

July Church Services

New Digital Church Daily 10.30am and 6pm
via the All Saints’ Burton Dassett Church website www.burtondassettchurch.org These services can also be accessed by phone. For more information or help please contact Rev. Nicki Chatterton.

The Vicar Writes:

First thing - how are you all? I hope the current times are not proving too difficult. I know from personal experience that the change in routine, whilst novel at first, has at times taken quite a strain. Some have cleaned the house to within an inch of its life, watched everything recorded for rainy days, read more books than usually possible in a year and taken daily walks that are outside the usual routine! There are still moments when the never ending nature of the crisis can almost overwhelm. These moments pass and we try to remain positive. When frustration gets too much, my tip is to change a duvet cover! The physical exertion and hilarity caused when, more often than not, it is I rather than the duvet that ends up in the cover inevitably lifts the mood.
Despite having our digital church services and school assemblies to prepare and present, finding things to do when so much of what we do is off limits has been a real test. It would be too easy to slip into a pool of melancholy and 'poor me' when actually we have lots to be grateful for. Psychologists talk of warm and cold memories. Our lives are filled with both, but warm memories are the ones where just the scent of a flower or hearing a piece of music takes you back to a significant moment. Memories connect us to special events and people of the past, but memory also serves to help us learn from the past and be transformed. It’s only as we reflect on situations that we can seek to change the way we will react to the same stimulus if it were to happen again. Otherwise life merely becomes a re-enactment of the same situations over and over again, cleverly depicted in the classic film Groundhog Day. Strangely, the last few months has felt as if we were re-enacting our own version of Groundhog Day.
Many have taken advantage of the weather and time to enjoy our gardens - some discovering their green fingers as they fill time by planting and landscaping their previously rarely-touched gardens; discovering the tenacious beauty of nature. Whether a well-planted border or even the sumptuous burst of yellow provided by a clutch of rogue dandelions, the joy that we live in a world providing such wonder is a great comfort. The enforced time together as families will have forged warm memories as well as has cold ones when we’ve got on each other’s neves! Many children will have warm memories of quality time spent with their parents - often not possible in ‘normal times’ due to work and outside commitments. Many orchestras, theatres and artists have made their output available online to keep us entertained. It’s remarkable how adept we are as a race to know what others lack and to provide solace, humour or a virtual shoulder to cry on.
We may feel, at the moment when churches are closed for worship, that work is difficult, separation from loved ones is painful, childcare and schooling is frustrating, and, when we have so many other cares to think about, that our life is floundering. But like sheep, we should be eating and listening. Eating, for Christians, is all about nourishment with God’s word, the Bible, and spending time with God in prayer. These are both ways in which we can be fed spiritually while the church is shut (and when it is open too) and made more able to recognise God’s voice when he calls us. If these disciplines are new to you, or perhaps ones you’ve lost the habit of, then now is the time
to restart.
Like the sheep, we eat and listen for God, training ourselves to hear Jesus’s call upon our lives, and nourishing ourselves in prayer and in God’s word while we wait. If you emerge from lockdown different in any way, let it be that you have developed the discipline of spending time with God each day. Compared to other habits you could pick up in lockdown, this one will serve you for your whole life, and beyond. Rev.Nicki

St Francis of Assisi, Catholic Church, Kineton

We regret we have had to cancel all services until further notice. Parish Priest: Fr David Tams Phone 01608 685259 email: father.david@stfrancis-kineton.co.uk www.stfrancis-kineton.co.uk

Nature Notes for June

A rather exceptional time for most of us in the village. Lockdown has certainly revealed the green, placid tranquility of the village. Birdsong has dominated the the scant traffic noise, the air is fresher, the skies clearer. I’ve watched circling Buzzards, Red Kites and Ravens with increased clarity as they circle the thermals of clear blue cloudless skies. Swifts have again fledged a brood in Church Road and nearby, a nest of Swallows has a row of yellow beaks peering down from the beams. The long grass of the meadow behind the church is alive with chirping grasshoppers and early Meadow Browns, dusky Ringlets and Marbled White butterflies. The yellow birdsfoot trefoil growing amongst the Tussocks has a few skippers and common Blues, too. Early purple Orchids are in fact late due to the weather but a welcome sight on the graveyard. A few Cuckoos have been heard but I had to wait until I was driving to see one glide across the road a few weeks ago, never this year having heard the distinctive call.
Reflecting on the scenario of recent months must surely raise a few questions: have we sacrificed our countryside for cheaper poor quality food? Does anyone know How it will end? Poor planning and preparation evident. Shopping local is better with great quality and close by - long may it continue! Our own community has been supportive but can you trust the public Outside, who throw away litter and masks in our area,to stick to the rules? Time will tell. Less cheap food and fewer imports will benefit wildlife; and working from home with fewer cars, cycling must be the way!
Jackdaws seem to like Gaydon. I’ve had the dubious pleasure of a nest in my garden recently - they are not the most melodious songsters; Magpies and Carrion crows can’t compete. Ravens ignore them but the cackling of the newly fledged broods is evident most evenings, so now they have adopted us. Cover your chimneys!
So glad to hear song thrushes establishing territories with loud stentorian calls from a high tree, awakening me each morning and even drowning out the building work nearby.
My garden is full of blue tit fleglings, often still in family groups of six so I'm keeping my feeders topped up. Goldfinches likewise still attracted by Niger seed are bringing their young. A tip to stop our very attractive but predatory Great spotted woodpeckers from breaking into our nest boxes is to front then with tin, in preparation for the spring as this stops them enlarging the holes and stealing eggs or young.
In spite of ‘an end to hibernation’ I’m still enjoying a French Riviera experience and tan on my Patio - it’s 34 degrees today! Bernard Price

Gaydon Village Hall News

The next committee meeting will take place on Monday 13 July at 8pm.

Cemetery

Damage to one of the trees in the Cemetery has been reported. The supporting tie had been removed and some branches pulled down. We do not know whether it was human or animal interference but we do ask people visiting the cemetery to treat trees and monuments with respect.

Fenny Compton Surgery

A Message from Dr Marshall and Dr Sharples to All Patients: When attending Fenny Compton and Shenington surgeries for an appointment please ensure you are wearing a face covering. Once you have notified staff that you have arrived for your appointment, a GP or someone from the nursing team will come to you outside and lead you into the surgery where you will have your temperature checked and be given hand sanitizer. Thank you.

Flag

Something to celebrate? Have the Flag on the Green raised for an Anniversary, Birthday or any other Celebration in exchange for a £5 donation to Church Funds. Contact Siobhan Hannan on 07780678582.
The flag was raised in June for several Royal anniversaries including HM the Queen's coronation on the 2nd in 1953; the 99th Birthday of Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on the 10th; Her Majesty's Official Birthday on the 13th;
and the Duke of Cambridge's Birthday on the 21st. The flag also flew on the 18th in commemoration of Waterloo Day. On that same day we heard the sad news that Dame Vera Lynn had died at the age of 103.
'There'll be Bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover, Tomorrow, just you wait and see...'

Happy Birthday

The flag was flown to celebrate the 17th Birthday of Gemma Hotchkiss on 24 June. Congratulations!

Golden Wedding

Congratualtions and best wishes to Joan and Bill Morgan who celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary on 20 June 2020.

Hedgehogs

Hedgehogs are finding this hot spell difficult, so in the evening please put out a dish of fresh water for them to drink. Those of you with young people may wish to let them take charge of this very important task; remember to top it up and keep it clean. If you see a hedgehog out in the daytime call Tiggywinkles for advice: 01844 292229.

Allotment News in July

'A garden requires patient labour and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfil good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them.' (Liberty Hyde Bailey)
Focus on the words 'expended effort': the last few weeks in May and early June saw the allotmenteers carry out exhausting daily treks, hauling containers laden with the golden liquid 'H²0' to keep our valuable vegetables alive. Despite analysing weather forecasts daily, we could only find disappointing spells of continued dry weather. Like many farmers across the UK, we prayed for rain to minimise impacts to crop yields and to put a halt to all that water-carrying.
Finally, after many rain dances, the rain came with a cold southernly wind. Any shorts and t-shirts down the allotment were soon replaced with warm coats and trousers in early June. Those rainy days not only satisfied the plants' thirst but also brought opportunities for those stuck at home. I'm sure many people (including me) focused on those indoor house jobs that had been pushed to the bottom of our to-do lists!
As Tony stated last month, the sustained preparation and planting is mostly behind us as the allotments now contain an abundance of striving plants (even the frost-bitten potatoes have returned to full greenery). Whilst all the allotment plots are looking in their prime after the recent warm wet weather, we would be fools to sit smug until harvest. The focus now is to nurture and keep on top of those weeds!
A special thank you is given to Tony, for providing such insightful and enjoyable reports in the monthly newsletter for the last year or so. Andrew Smith

Thank You

Many thanks to Lois of Little Garden for celebrating Flower Day with her charming display on Telephone Box Green. Delicious thanks to Lisa and Amy for complementing the scene with their cake stall.

Thanks

Joan and Bill Morgan would like to thank family and friends who sent cards, presents and bouquets of flowers for their Golden Wedding Anniversary on 20 June.

Another Magical Moment

I am glad to record that new drift of swifts has arrived, thank goodness. I have watched them in the evening, soaring and swooping, catching insects before they settle down to rest. I like to go into the fields beyond the allotments. Stepping back from the path, I wait quietly until silently they fly by, almost touching me.
A magical moment. Do go yourselves and embrace the wonder of nature in all its glory! SN

Neighbourhood Watch

Some advice on Coronavirus criminal activity.
1. Watch out for scam messages. Your bank, or other official organisations, will not ask you for personal information by email or text.
2. Shopping online. If you're making a purchase from a company or person you don't know and trust, use a credit card as other payment providers may not provide the same protection.
3. Unsolicited calls and browser pop-ups offering tech support. Never install any software, or grant remote access to your computer, as a result of a cold call. Legitimate organisations never ask for financial details such as your PIN or full banking password.
4. NHS Test and Trace. Contact tracers will only call you from the number 0300 013 5000. If you do not wish to talk on the phone you can request the NHS Test and Trace service to send an email or text instead, inviting them to log into the web-based service. All text or emails sent by NHS Test and Trace will ask people to sign into the contact tracing website and will provide you with a unique reference number.
If you think you have been a victim of fraud, please report it to Action Fraud at https://www.actionfraud.police.uk
or by calling 0300 123 2040.