Gaydon Parish Magazine September 2021
index of magazines
Gaydon Gazette
Tuesday 7th 7.30pm Parish Council Meeting in the Hall
Friday 10th 2.40pm Mobile Library
Saturday 11th 11am Coffee Morning in the Hall
Saturday 11th 3pm Party in the Park
Monday 13th 8pm Village Hall Committee in the Hall
Thursday 16th 4pm Housing Presentation in the Hall
Party in the Park Saturday 11 September
We will be holding a party in the playing field at 3pm on 11 September. There will be food and drink, music, activities for young and old and a celebration of all of us being free enough to meet in public places again.
Competition For Best Vegetable and Best Vegetable Animal - bring your entries with you at 3 o'clock.
Big Ask for contributions of cakes on the day to Lisa Anderson, please, but do bring all your friends and a big smile. Fingers crossed for weather of course but Pop Up: we would love to see you! DF
Coffee Morning 11am Saturday 11 September
Our next coffee morning is the same day as the Party in the Park - do try to come to both events! Coffee and Biscuits. Donations to Church Funds Please!
Parish Council News
Planning: We have a policy to try and refute further development in the village because a) we have already accommodated new builds and b) the substantial development in Lighthorne Heath - 3000 properties or 7000 people - will have an impact on Gaydon's services and infrastructure like other substantial local developments.
It is, however, only a matter of time before higher authorities insist that we extend our village; and it is better that we absorb and guide any new ideas, rather than have projects imposed on us that may not suit us.
We are now therefore embarking on the Neighbourhood Development Plan which will interrogate our future requirements. We have had and approved a Housing Needs Survey which provided the opportunity for development businesses to promote their ideas/projects. To this end, representatives of Lonestar (Land Promotion Specialists) joined our August meeting to present their project to build houses on the Banbury Road. Questions were asked so that we can understand that flooding, safety and highways changes are all dealt with. The size of the site was also discussed. Lonestar will make changes and then return to Council for approval prior to a public consultation. It is important to Lonestar to get our approval.
Travellers: As part of the measures to prevent future illegal encamp-ments, concrete blocks will be placed to prevent entry. This is agreed and planned but we do not have a date yet. Clearly the sensitivity of the last event and news of other local events means that we need to act as promptly as possible. Councillor Chris Kettle has this in hand.
Anti-social Behaviour: There are conflicting reports and Councillor Kettle emphasised that parishioners should call 999 if anti-social behaviour is being committed. If an event has occurred people should call 101. He said that if parents/guardians are nervous about allowing children into an environment because of potential anti-social behaviour this also should be registered via 101. The Parish Council channels reports through to our District and County Councillors who will take appropriate action.
Cemetery Steps: Councillor Mills will chase up the repair work.
Traffic: Speeding on Kineton Road continues to be a serious problem as do the hazardous exits of St Giles Road and Edge Hill View. Councillor Mills will take action and report.
Overgrown Hedges: Most homes have cleared hedges from pathways but there were still hazards (especially for wheelchair users). Parishioners can report any sustained issues via *https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/reportit Administration: We are in the process of re-aligning the administration of the Council and have made substantial progress with the help of Lydia, our Clerk.
Blue Bins: Now returning to normal after disruption at the contractor's service site. This has been resolved but we still may need to be patient while they get fully up to speed.
Community Spaces: Action is being taken to ensure that the playing field is kept in good order and that the risk assessments are maintained and repairs undertaken.
Roads, Highways, drains etc.: A new drain has been discovered. Councillor Claxton will be collecting unserviceable street lights to see if they are recoverable.
Community Forum: Councillors Davies and Faulkner attended the recent Gaydon liaison meeting via zoom about planning and timing at BMM/ JLR/Lighthorne Heath. Councillor Faulkner said that the larger corporations should contribute to protecting the Gaydon environment. This was not considered the framework in which to do it - alternative methods will be sought.
Neighbourhood Development Plan: Meetings with our consultant have outlined the guidelines in putting together this plan which is a good opportunity for villagers to contribute to future planning. It is a
substantial report but activity will commence with a social meeting in the village hall and will be followed up with the formation of a Steering
Group. For those interested in joining (you don't need to attend lots of
committee meetings) please contact Debbie Price on 01926 640757.
Community Engagement: We will take the opportunity of the meeting above to register how we, the Parish Council, communicate with villagers and what we can and can't drive or influence. This is likely to be in September.
Cemetery: Gravestone repairs are being assessed and addressed.
Digital Communications: Website development is underway including profile information from our Clerk, Lydia Cox.
Next Meeting: Tuesday, 7 September, at 7.30pm.
September Church Services
Covid restrictions remain - wear a mask and keep social distance
Sunday 5th
9.30am Morning Prayer Gaydon
11am Communion (BCP) Burton Dassett
11am Morning Prayer Fenny Compton
10am Holy Communion Farnborough
Sunday 12th
9.30am Communion (BCP) Gaydon
11am Holy Communion Fenny Compton
11am Morning Prayer Northend
6pm Evensong Farnborough
Sunday 19th
9.30am Morning Prayer Gaydon
10am Communion (BCP) Farnborough
11am Morning Prayer Fenny Compton
11am Holy Communion Northend
6pm Songs of Praise on ZOOM
Sunday 26th
9.30am Holy Communion Gaydon
10am Morning Prayer Farnborough
11am Communion (BCP) Fenny Compton
11am Morning Prayer Northend
Zoom Services every Week
Monday to Friday: Morning Prayer 9.30am; Evening Prayer 6pm; 11am Sunday Service; 6pm Songs of Praise 19th September. Go to www.dassettmagnagroup.com and click the link halfway down the page
Roman Catholic Church of St Francis, Kineton
Sunday Mass 11am. We welcome everyone who is able to attend and will ensure that safety protocols keep everyone safe. www.stfrancis-kineton.co.uk
Funeral
We record with great sadness the death of Mick Olds on 8th August. His funeral will take place in the North Chapel at Oakley Wood Crematorium on Tuesday, 7 September, at 1pm. The cortège will take a farewell drive round the village so that we can say our adieux to Mick before he goes on to the Crematorium.
Proposed Development in Gaydon to fulfil the Local Housing Need
Having developed at Edgehill View in Gaydon it has long been my intention to provide a second phase tailored to address the local housing needs of the village.
I presented a mixed development scheme in February 2019 to the Parish Council and residents. Feedback was generally positive, with suggestions on how the scheme might be improved both for local needs and immediate neighbours.
Gaydon Parish Council commissioned WRCC Housing to carry out a Housing Needs Survey in 2020 which has given further guidance for a future scheme.
I have now prepared a revised second phase scheme for Edgehill View, incorporating all the units outlined in the Housing Needs Survey Report together with some additional units (in line with what villagers have told me they would like to see) to make the scheme financially viable.
A presentation to the Parish Council at their September meeting has been arranged and I would like the opportunity to present my proposal to the village. To that end, you are invited to the Village Hall on Thursday 16 September from 4 to 7pm, to view my proposal, ask any questions and, I hope, give some positive feedback. Martin Hayward, 16 Edgehill View, Gaydon
Neighbourhood Watch
The day-to-day running of Gaydon Neighbourhood Watch will be taken over by Chris Pickering with effect from the 1st of September 2021. His phone number is 01926 642086. Chris works in and around the village and has been actively assisting for the past few months. IM
Over 65s Christmas Lunch
The Christmas Lunch this year is to be held on Sunday 5 December in the Village Hall. You will receive an invitation next month if your name is already on the list. If you are new to the village or have 'come of age' in the last year or so, please let me know and you will be very welcome to join us.
Phone Julie Rickman on 640349 or call in at the Old Bakehouse. You can email me on jr@riscos.org
A New Year Party in the Village Hall
'Mr and Mrs Bolton King's annual Parochial Party was given in the Reading Room on Friday evening, January 7th. The night being fine and the parish lantern, as the moon has been irreverently termed, being well to the fore, some 220 guests of all ages assembled in response to the cards of invitation. Tea had to be provided in relays, but at length all were refreshed and the room was cleared for games.
'Musical chairs and turning the trencher, ever popular among the juveniles, followed, varied by an occasional dance, and, later on a novelty was introduced in the shape of a little dramatic entertainment, by a Juvenile company, 'who have never before performed out of London', or in it. The piece set forth how, by the exercise of kindness and hospitality, we may sometimes entertain angels unawares, and all perfomed their parts very prettily without a mistake. After a time Mrs Bolton King gave a recitation of an amusing prose piece, by Jerome, entitled 'The Hanging of a Picture', which elicited much laughter and applause. It was midnight before many of the guests reached their homes, and some of these were very young babies of a few weeks, who had calmly slumbered through all the proceedings with a fine indifference to life's cares and pleasures, secure in the shelter of maternal arms.'
Gaydon with Chadshunt Parish Magazine March 1898, an extract from The Church Monthly, an Illustrated Magazine for Home Reading, published annually.
Gaydon Village Hall News
The next meeting of the Village Hall Committee is at 8pm on Monday 13 September. The Hall is now open for bookings. Contact Eirwen Hughes at The Old House Cottage on 641889.
SCAREcrow Festival 30th-31st October
YES, to coincide with Halloween, KOG (Kids of Gaydon) will be organising and hosting a scarecrow festival with a little more emphasis on ‘scare’ this year. We wanted to give you plenty of time to think about your entry as there will be a winner for the most ghoulish creation. There will be a mapped out trail, some activities and games over the weekend and more to be revealed next month.
If you want to enter a scarecrow, please email kidsofgaydon@gmail.com
Nature Notes for August
The weather, so influential on everything, has been dominated by cloudy weather and the odd torrential storm. Occasional very hot sunny days brought out an array of butterflies including that great traveller and continental migrant, the Painted Lady; joined by many Red Admirals and Brimstones on my Lantana bushes. It was a welcome warm spell for Dragonflies and hover flies too.
I noted that all our Swifts gathered over the Village Hall in late July. They had about 12 young and had been teaching them to fly in preparation for the long migration back to Africa. The new houses in Victor Close, which have overhanging eaves that suit their nesting habits, have had several nests of House Martins, birds that have had a good year like the Swifts. This year's Martin families gathered in a long line perched precariously on the wires over Church Road; others flocking above, possibly from Edgehill View. This was in late August and one hopes that all these migrants, remembering Gaydon and their nest sites, will be back next year.
I will sadly miss my good friend and fellow bird-watching enthusiast Mick Olds who died recently. He was a true villager, born and bred, who knew every path and field around the village. He had a great knowledge of the wildlife that he observed on his long walks, exchanging information with me for many years. He was known to many in the village and was such a pleasant guy.
The Red kites have been much in evidence gliding over the stubble for prey now that the corn has been cut; and over the building and roadworks around the Army Camp. The dry conditions have brought out many toads, grass snakes and frogs, too, seeking damp shady places - much in evidence on the allotments.
The roadsides have been colourful as well: quite early for purple Knapweed and Blue Field scabious to appear now the ox-eye daisies are starting to wane. I have encouraged leaf cutter bees in my garden fearing that the loss of their ‘hotel’, filled in with mortar behind the shop last year, might influence the numbers. However, my bushes have suffered from many elliptical cuts in their leaves, evidence of new sites and a small sacrifice to encourage vital pollen-collecting insects to survive.
Aphids are not so welcome and seem to have thrived; but I was delighted when a family of Long-tailed tits arrived and began stripping the colonies of aphids from the stems of my Rose trees. They are one of my favourite birds, always in family groups and communicating with shrill calls - natural predator-control in action. Bernard Price
Chelsea Gardener
We offer our congratulations to Lois Golding of Little Garden on being invited to exhibit a floral display at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in September. For the first time in its history the world's greatest flower show will take place between 21-26 September, postponed from May because of the Covid pandemic. We wish Lois a successful show!
Mobile Library
Friday 10 September at the Telephone Box 2.40pm-3.10pm
Flag
The flag was raised on 11 August for the 65th Wedding Anniversary of Sylvia and John Hall: congratulations! It flew on the 15th for Donald Ingleby of Barnfield who celebrated his 60th birthday; and on the 21st for Paul Fowles's 50th birthday. The flag was raised on the 22nd for the flag-raiser herself: Many Happy Returns of the Day Siobhan!
If you have something to celebrate, contact Siobhan Hannan on 07780 678582 and she will raise the Flag for you.
The cost is a donation of £5 to Church funds.
The Queen's Green Canopy in Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Council and the Warwickshire Lieutenancy are inviting organisations to take part in a unique tree-planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee in 2022. People across the United Kindom are invited to 'Plant a Tree for the Jubilee'.
Everyone - individuals, schools, faith groups, businesses and more - will be encouraged to enhance our environment by planting trees this October, when the tree planting season begins, through to the end of the Jubilee year in 2022.
With a focus on planting sustainably, the QGC will encourage the planting of trees to create a legacy in honour of The Queen’s leadership of the nation, which will benefit future generations.
We want to plant as many trees as possible across Warwickshire: firstly, to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee for the remarkable 70 years of service she has given us; and secondly, as an initiative to tackle climate change.
To find out more visit www.queensgreencanopy.org
Why Trees are Good for Us:
British oak trees support an estimated 2,300 species of wildlife.
A mature tree can absorb up to 150kg of CO2 a year.
UK Green spaces remove up to 1.3 billion kg of air pollutants each year.
Only 13% of the UK is covered in trees, compared with 37% in wider Europe.
Trees can improve our physical and mental health. They release chemicals called phytoncides, which reduce blood pressure, lower anxiety levels and increase pain threshold when we breath them in.
Housing developments surrounded by trees and greenery have 52% fewer crimes than those in nearby identical housing surrounded by barren land.
Urban trees capture around 55-110kgs of particulate pollution each year.
Street trees block noise: their leaves, twigs, and branches absorb and deflect sound waves.
A mature evergreen tree can intercept more than 15,000 litres of water per year, helping to reduce the risk of flooding.
Gaydon Meadow Field Team Volunteers
As the pocket parks project continues to develop, we have formed a group of volunteers to help enhance and build on what has been started. The fruit trees have benefited from watering during the recent heatwave and the majority have bounced back after the first heatwave when they suffered from a lack of rain. The few that have not recovered will be replaced. Several more half-standard apple trees will also be added this Autumn. Eventually they will all grow and provide a variety of fruits, a haven for wildlife and a canopy for an abundance of wildflowers. The orchard will be cut short in early September and the grass will be raked and piled before new wild flower seed is sown. Yellow Rattle will be the primary focus as it is ideal for established meadows where the grasses are dominant; it will reduce the grass to allow the wild flowers to flourish. The trees will be mulched and a new mown path will be mapped out. The Bug Hotel will finally be furnished and the edible hedge will be trimmed. There will be plenty to do in our community orchard - would you or your children like to help? If so, please email Mirrinl.gpc@gmail.com Mirrin Lewis, Gaydon Parish Council 07932 669499
September Allotment News
Recent weeks have been a frantic time for vegetable-growers up and down the country as the crops have ripened. To feed the nation, the sound of combine harvesters has filled our precious countryside as farmers race to collect valuable produce, in its peek condition, before any thunderstorm and rain arrives.
The mild temperatures and frequent showers have resulted in impressive produce. We have Mirrin's Mahoosive Marrow and Daniela's Pumpkin Paradise which are still growing strong in readiness for our upcoming vegetable competition. It is very rewarding to stroll down to the allotments and pick delights for an evening meal!
A highlight of harvest 2021 is time spent shelling peas whilst watching the summer sun descend out of the landscape. It is a fond throw-back to 'when I were a lad' as my Grandad would teach me how to uncover those sweet and tasty peas. I must confess though, not many peas made it to the evening meal. Delicious!!
Next time I put pen to paper, we will be preparing for the approaching Autumn months. It's not doom and gloom, though, as we start a new chapter in the allotment year and have a chance to clear our plots and fill up the
compost heaps.
Please join us on Saturday 11 September for a small vegetable competition and to enter your fabulously decorated 'Vegetable Animal'.
September Jobs:
Harvest remaining crops like onions, potatoes, runner beans, courgettes, raspberries, tomatoes and apples.
Sow Winter veg. such as spring cabbages, spinach, winter salads, onions, garlic, broad beans and peas.
Sow green manure like grazing rye as it will help suppress weeds and add nutrients when dug in during spring months.
Stay on the look out for Wasps on ripening fruits - pick as soon as produce is ripe and try to keep birds off fruit crops like apples and pears. Andrew Smith
Welcome
We would like to welcome Gill and Dean to the village. They moved into the last cottage on Banbury Road a few months ago and we hope they will enjoy life in Gaydon, particularly the autumn events.