Gaydon Parish Magazine January 2022

Parish Council News

Acting Chair’s report of Parish Council meeting on 7th December.
The Parish Council would like to thank Lydia Cox for serving as their Clerk. Her contribution to setting the council admin. straight has been much appreciated. We welcomed our Locum Clerk, Robert Nash, who will stand in until we find a permanent one. We still have vacancies for a Clerk and a Councillor. If you are interested in either of these positions, please contact the Council by email (gaydonpc@gmail.com) or speak to one of the current councillors.
Pot-hole A pot-hole on Church Road was brought to the attention of the County Councillor for him to pass on to the Highways Department.
Streetlights Street lights along the alley at the bottom of St Marks and
St Giles need replacing. Cllr Claxton has taken this on board but the lights are obsolete and replacing them may take some time.
30mph Signs The Vehicle-activated sign on Banbury Road is permanently lit. A petition from the residents of Banbury Road was passed to our County Councillor who will pass on their concerns to the Highways Department.
Warwick Road Concerns over HGVs stopping on the Warwick Road:
Cllr Mills told us that it may be possible to put enforceable parking restrictions on the road. Council asked how this would be enforced. We await a
WCC response.
Neighbourhood Plan A committee meeting will be held in the new year.
Cemetery: Dogs The Dog Warden has been alerted to the issues of fouling and dogs off the lead, and will attend if necessary. If fouling continues, the Parish Council will consider closing off the gate from the footpath.
County Council Matters
Bird (Avian) Flu Anyone who keeps birds is urged to read the government information on Bird flu. For others; If you see a sick bird DO NOT PICK IT UP!
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bird-flu-latest-situation-avian-influenza-prevention-zone-declared-across-great-britain
Scam Alerts Beware of all traders offering you unsolicited goods, specifically Mattresses and Meal delivery kits. Also beware of fraudsters using false NHS COVID passes to make you hand over money, bank or personal details. Call the police on 101 and give as much detail as you can.
District Council Matters
Ward Boundary Consultation Closed on 6th December. Awaiting response.
District Council Merger The consultation has concluded. The views from Stratford District residents are mainly in favour. Warwick District’s Council tax is higher than Stratford’s, but there is a 7-year window in which the rates can be equalised. The Councils will have voted on 13 December.
Bins, Gaydon Lay-by SDC will replace one of the bins. A resident raised concerns about ‘fouling’ and asked if an appropriate bin could be provided.
Planning Full details of planning applications can be viewed at:
https://apps.stratford.gov.uk/eplanning/
Minutes This is a brief summary. A full version of the minutes is available at: https://www.gaydonvillage.co.uk/agenda-and-minutes
NB
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 11 January at 7.30pm.

January Church Services in Gaydon

                      Sunday 2nd       9.30am   Morning Prayer                     
                      Sunday 9th      9.30am   Holy Communion BCP       
                      Sunday 16th      9.30am     Morning Prayer                
                      Sunday 23rd      9.30am   Holy Communion           
                      Sunday 30th       0.30am   Group Communion

Roman Catholic Church of St Francis, Kineton

Sunday Mass 11am. www.stfrancis-kineton.co.uk

Burns Night Supper

Saturday 22 January at 7pm Village Hall
Tickets for the Traditional Burns Night Supper are now on sale at £17.50 each.
Welcome Drink followed by 3 Course Meal with Wee Dram
Order your tickets at alastair.hotchkiss@gmail.com or by ringing 642248.  
A refundable deposit of £10 is requested subject to any Covid restrictions
and the balance of £7.50 will be payable on the night of the dinner.

Mobile Library

Friday 21st January at the Telephone Box from 2.40-3.10pm.

New Parish Clerk

Our new Parish Clerk is Robert Nash, phone number 07930 517811. The email address remains the same: Gaydonpc@gmail.com

Gaydon Cemetery - Exercising of Dogs

Please note: By Order of Gaydon Parish Council.
Dogs are NOT to be exercised off the lead in the Cemetery.
If you have reason to visit the cemetery with your dog, please keep it on the lead, and if it fouls, clean up after it.

Village Hall News

The Village Hall Committee meets on Monday 10 January at 8pm.

Gaydon Village Store

Season’s greetings from all at Gaydon Village Store. Don’t forget that you can join our membership scheme for £12 a year. During the year there will be the opportunity to win a prize at least three times, such as a visit to the British Motor Museum, a beauty treatment or a voucher for dining out.
We need your support so that we can keep offering you a service, so please be sure to use us in the New Year. We look forward to seeing you!

Thanks

The Parish Magazine wishes to thank all the people who have made its publication possible for another year. We rely on our advertisers and the Parish Council for our income, and our trusty deliverers for distribution; but where would we be without our contributors and readers? Please keep your articles, information and comments coming in. We wish everyone a Healthy and Happy 2022!

Flag

The flag was raised on 2nd December to wish Charlotte a Happy Birthday; and on the 4th it was flown to celebrate Jab's 15th birthday. It was raised on Christmas Day.
If you have something to commemorate or 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.

January Allotment News

2021 on the allotments is now done and dusted. Whether you have had a good or bad growing year it's now time to start the next chapter. The cold and wet weather is a perfect excuse to be inside pondering about next year's season, whilst cuddling up to a warm fire with a glass of homemade beverage. My most-loved is Sloe gin at this festive time of year, what is your favourite?
During the festive period we spent precious moments eating and drinking with friends and family. Food is amazingly powerful! It's not just essential to life but brings: Love, Joy, Memory and Connection also. It has been a great pleasure to spend time on the Gaydon plots this year, with our growing community of like-minded souls. Whilst it's quicker and easier to nip to a supermarket to stock up on veg, it offers great reward when you put seed in the ground and watch it flourish with care and nurture.
With distant memories of eating scrumptious peas from the pod, fresh strawberries, and buttery corn on the cob! we are motivated for the season ahead. From the Allotment family we wish you a pleasant Festive period and a Happy New Year.
Jobs for January:
Plan your crop rotation and select vegetables to grow.
Order your seed now to avoid the mad rush in spring.
Place orders for seed potatoes to avoid missing out on best varieties.
Spray fruit trees and bushes with a garlic winter wash on a fine day; do not spray in frosty conditions. Andrew Smith

December Nature Notes

I notice that today’s (30 December) temperature of 16°C is the same as parts of India, though sunshine has been infrequent over the Christmas holidays. Mostly leaden grey skies and frequent drizzle developing into heavy showers, so inevitably the Warwickshire mud clings to the cleated soles of boots
and wellingtons.
The local birds have not strayed far from my garden and a large and very territorial male Blackbird has seen off all rivals and eaten nearly every berry in the vicinity. He began by stripping our Rowan tree, went on to my Holly tree, then progressed to the windfall cooking apples. The attractive Spindle fruits were next. I often encountered him in his plundering and he defiantly carried on! I do, however, enjoy our meetings and he’s always around with the other resident birds... you can almost set your watch by them!
At dawn I sleepily look down on my bird feeders covered often by small groups of acrobatic Goldfinches. Beneath them is a large Woodpigeon and a pair of Hedge pipits (often named sparrows in error). These do not have hard seed-eaters' beaks like House Sparrows, so peck small morsels that fall to the ground. An hour later flocks of Blue tits and Great tits arrive, concentrating on peanuts which are carried away to my nearby Walnut tree where they consume their finds in private. Sometimes, a delightful family of Long-tailed tits arrive: the size of bumble-bees and in constant communication - but this is a rare treat, as is a solitary Nuthatch. Large flocks of Sparrows come later, keen on ‘fat balls’ and arguing with passing starlings. The rather well-assimilated birds all depart when assertive Jackdaws or Magpies turn up! We even get the odd Grey squirrel, though I‘m quite glad they are not that frequent; they dislike my cat and my dogs.
Around mid-day I tend to feed my flock of hens, always accompanied by an opportunistic Robin. My large Cockerel tolerates this brave bird which steals from the hens' feeders. My Speckled Sussex hens are very easy going, putting up with Doves and Pigeons, too. They have begun to lay this last week and the only intruding bird to spook them is a large Sparrow Hawk settling above them to get a vantage point. Large flocks of Redwings and fieldfares have arrived in the fields around Gaydon. I watched them stripping the berries from the Hawthorn Hedges in Watery Lane last week.
Evenings are slowly getting longer and yesterday there was a lovely sunset over the village outlining the few birds still singing at this bleak time: a Robin and Blackbird accompanied by a very strident, albeit diminutive Wren, all perching in a nearby Elder tree. Gaydon’s own ‘Tweets if the Day’.
I’m looking forward to a better year. Bernard Price

Bus Reminder

To anyone who uses the bus services: with Johnson's bus services, the Number 77a to Leamington continues on to Banbury on its return. There is also a No. 77 route that goes all the way to Stratford upon Avon.
Telephone: 01564 797070 or go online: www.johnsonscoaches.co.uk SN

Thanks

The Paper Boy thanks all his customers. Happy New Year from Andrew!

Coffee Morning

NB There will be no coffee morning in January but we hope to start again on Saturday 12 February.

Over-65s Christmas Lunch

The Over-65s enjoyed a wonderful, traditional Gaydon Lunch on Sunday 5 December under the aegis of the Millennium Committee for the first time. The well-established team of cooks and helpers stepped up to the plates (literally) and served 35 delicious meals with admirable speed and efficiency. Naming names would be invidious but, naturally, King Turkey's tasty tenderness is of prime importance; as is the planning skill of the organisers; the expert-spooning of the servers; the nippiness of the waitresses; and last but not least the diligence of the washer- and clearer-uppers. Thank you all!