Gaydon Parish Magazine September 2023
index of magazines
Gaydon Gazette for September
Parish Council Tues 5th at 7.30pm Village Hall
Coffee Morning Sat 9th at 11am Village Hall
Village Hall C'ttee Mon 11th at 8pm Village Hall
Mobile Library Fri 8th & 29th at 2.40pm Phone Box
Friendship Club Tues at 2.30pm TBA
Tai Chi Wednesdays at 7pm Village Hall
Craft Circle 2nd & 4th Sundays 5pm Church
Something to look forward to!
Hallowe'en Event coming to St Giles Road on 31st October in aid of the British Heart Foundation.
Parish Council News
Next meeting: Tuesday 5 September at 7.30pm.
Cost of Living Support
If you are struggling with money and need help now, we can help with: Food, energy and water bills. Money advice. Aspects of family life. Accessing emergency food. Mental health support.
Find help here: www.costoflivingwarwickshire.co.uk/home/i-need-urgent-help
September Church Services
3rd 9.30am *Holy Communion Gaydon
10am Holy Communion Burton Dassett
10th 9.30am Prayer & Praise Gaydon
10am Morning Prayer Northend
17th 9.30amAgape Service Gaydon
10am Morning Prayer Northend
24th 9.30am Songs of Praise Gaydon
10am Agape Meal Northend
*N.B. Communion will be on the 1st Sunday from now on at St Giles'.
Roman Catholic Church of St Francis, Kineton
Sunday Mass 11am
September Memorial Book
1999 1st Phil Goodwin
1999 2nd Dawn Comben
2013 3rd William Arnold
1982 9th John Neal
2018 17th Rosemary Davies
1980 29th William Holder
2002 30th Rene Mann
If there is a special entry that you would like to see, let me know and I will try to make sure that the Book is open on that day. Julie Rickman
Obituary
It is with sorrow that we record the death on 14 August of Wendy Betts, formerly of Gaydon. The funeral will take place at Oakley Wood Crematorium on Monday 4 September at 12.30pm. There will be refreshments afterwards at the Moon and Sixpence in Hanwell.
Combined Church Meeting
On Thursday 21 September there will be a combined Church Meeting with all churches across Dassett Magna invited to join the Archdeacon and Rural Dean to discuss future clergy provision for our parishes. It will probably be held in the Chapel at Northend at 7.30pm but this is to be confirmed.
Coffee Morning
Saturday 9 September at 11am in the Village Hall. Fund-raiser for Over-65s Christmas Lunch, Sunday 3 December. Raffle, Cakes, Bring & Buy, Books, Puzzles, Tea & Coffee and Biscuits. Please donate Raffle Prizes via the Shop or Old Bakehouse.
Mobile Library
The Mobile Library will call at the Telephone Box at 2.40pm for half an hour on Fridays 8th and 29th.
Village Hall Meeting
The next meeting of the Village Hall Committee Meeting will be held on Monday 11 September at 8pm.
Village Hall Charges
Hire of the Hall is £6 per hour for Gaydon and Chadshunt villagers. Hire is £12 per hour for Outsiders.
Trestle tables and plastic chairs can be borrowed for a small fee.
Tai Chi
The Tai Chi group meets every Wednesday evening at 7 o'clock in the Village Hall. Please text 07514 011406 so that we can look out for you. After a month, please donate a coin for the hire of the Hall.
Gaydon Cake and Crafting Circle
Every second and fourth Sunday we gather over cake and tea and get creating. If you don't know how to knit or crochet, we can teach you; and You Tube is also a useful tutor! Pop into Church on the 10th or 24th of September after 5pm or get in touch with Jo Hotchkiss.
Golf Day at Feldon Valley in aid of SHN
Friday 15 September Feldon Valley Golf Club, Brailles OX15 5BB 8am-3pm. Please contact SHN Fundraising on 01608 664850 or email fundraising@shipstonhomenursing.co.uk to register your team.
British Motor Museum Events
2nd September Jaguars at Gaydon
9&10 September Retro Truck Show
16 September Italian Wheels
Book tickets online at britishmotormuseum.co.uk
Update on the Campaign to Stop Proposed Development in Gaydon
An astonishing number of villagers have taken the time, trouble and patience to grapple with the six volumes (weighing 13.7 kilos!) of CEG Land Promotions (Malta) Limited proposed development (23/01054/OUT). At the last count, 212 people had submitted their objections and that does not include important organisations/institutions e.g. Warwick-shire Fire Service: CPRE; Warwickshire Wildlife etc. who all have a necessary interest in scrutinising the development plans. It is still not too late for further comments/objections to be submitted by individuals (even if they are not villagers) as the Stratford District Planning Department are amenable to this, but the sooner the better.
It may be argued that we do not own the fields where the development is proposed and so therefore we may have an opinion but should have no decisive say in its acceptance/completion. However, we do not own the sewage-polluted rivers and seas of Britain, but we who live on this island would think it absurd that we should have no say or influence on the use, appearance and effect on our well-being by potentially damaging - or already damaged - environments. Like it or not, we are associate guardians and custodians of the world around us and we should have some sense of ownership of the environment that we live in and will pass on to future generations.
It's tiresome to keep reiterating this, but, if we are accused of being NIMBYs, we should gently remind any accusers that over the past 30+ years our corner of the countryside has been one of the most affected rural areas in terms of motorway, industrial-commercial and housing developments in the whole of the UK. All we seek is fairness and balance in any grand scheme of planning and development across the South Midlands.
Encouraging news from the controlling group of Lib Dem councillors on Stratford District Council: On the 24th July, we messaged all 23 of their councillors to outline the strong objections Gaydon residents have to this proposed development. In the message, we stressed that what happened (or not) to our village could act as a precedent for other schemes affecting villages across the whole of South Warwickshire; and the new, green, environmentally-aware policy of the controlling Lib Dems would stand or fall by what happens to Gaydon.
We received this reply on 2nd August:
'My apologies for the delay in responding. We are opposed to this development for two key reasons:
1. The site is not allocated in the core strategy;
2. We do not want to see Warwickshire covered in crinkly tin sheds like some other neighbouring counties.
I will forward on to you Cllr Nigel Rock's more considered response on behalf of his residents in the neighbouring BIFCAM ward as it encapsulates our position perfectly.
Best,
George Cowcher, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economic Development, Councillor for Wellesbourne South'
Of equal significance is the CPRE (Campaign for the Protection of Rural England) Warwickshire contribution under the Consultations section of the Planning Application (23/01054/OUT). It is a devastating, point-by-point rebuttal of the application. If you haven't already, I would urge you to read it. It runs to 5 closely-argued pages and demolishes any and every argument that is put forward to support this development.
Every proposed point is compared and contrasted to the Stratford District Core Strategy policy in a closely forensic way. Many Gaydon residents have, heroically, done a very similar close scrutiny of the development plans, but there is no doubting that the CPRE objection carries a great deal of heft and weight as one of the most respected and intensely-focused bodies for both protecting
and overseeing the use of the countryside of England. The CPRE's submission is so powerful it featured as a prominent headline article in the 17 August, Stratford Herald: 'CPRE backs fight to stop industrial park' (It is in the top five of most-read online articles.)
If you haven't already, it is useful to email/send a letter to Jeremy Wright (Jeremy.wright.mp@parliament.uk) to amplify our objections. He is a member of a party which has the root 'conserve' in its name and should therefore oppose further concreting over the countryside (ref. Rishi Sunak). As our representative in parliament, it is important that he hears and represents the majority view of the people of Gaydon. It is essential that we reinforce our position by contacting him in as great a number as possible.
The planning decision for this proposed development will be taken in October so it is vital that if we have further practical ideas/proposals to present our opposition to it, they will have to be discussed and implemented this month. (e.g. The Stratford Herald have hinted that they might publish a photo op featuring villagers with a background of the fields?)
Village Meeting
Therefore, please be on the look-out for the possibility of a village hall meeting this month. If there is sufficient interest, posters and other media will inform villagers of any proposed gatherings. Tony Hughes
Friendship Club
Members will be contacted about the next meeting date and venue.
Tales from the village shop
As we near to the end of the summer holidays and we start to think about going back to school and work; new starts for our young ones and for us older folk; back into our old routines or starting new ones: Packed lunches for all the family are a great way to ensure we all have home made, healthy, fun and nutritious midday meals. Here at the village shop we really do try to stock as many products as we can to support your household needs. From multi packs of crisps, cakes and treats, to fresh fruits and veggies, pasta, rice and breads, and delicious sandwich fillings. If you have any special dietary needs, or items you would like to see stocked, please don't hesitate to contact us in store to add them to our shopping lists!
Here is a Lunchbox Pasta Salad idea to get you started.
Preparation time less than 30 mins, Cooking time 10 to 30 mins.
Serves 4
This simple pasta salad is perfect for lunchboxes, picnics, or a make-ahead light meal. You can swap the protein and veggies for whatever you have in the fridge.
Ingredients
300g/10½oz farfalle pasta
8 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped, plus 3 tbsp of their oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
½ tsp garlic granules
200g/7oz cooked turkey or chicken, cut into bite-sized cubes
1 large red pepper, diced
1 large yellow pepper, diced
200g/7oz baby plum tomatoes, halved lengthways
210g pack mozzarella pearls, drained and halved
handful basil leaves, torn if large
Method
Cook the pasta in a saucepan of boiling water according to the packet
instructions. Drain and leave to cool.
Once the pasta is cool, stir in the oil and the sun-dried tomatoes, then
add the vinegar and garlic granules.
Divide between four lunchboxes.
Put the sun-dried tomatoes, turkey or chicken, peppers, fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil leaves on top of the pasta.
When you are ready to eat, stir all the ingredients together.
Full details can be found online at www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/lunchbox_pasta_salad_02618
Nature Notes for August
In spite of rather unseasonal weather this month, there have still been invasions of Red Admiral butterflies in considerable numbers; athough sadly, other species like the Small Tortoiseshell and Painted Lady have not appeared. The Yellow male Brimstone butterflies are appearing very early in spite of being long-lived hibernators. The greenish females appear later.
I am lucky to have a resident population of Speckled Wood butterflies in my garden, a species which enjoys the dappled shade of my Mulberry and Fig trees. They are very territorial and defend their patches with great vigour and courage. I saw some much larger Red Admirals being chased off today and even young Robins (quite a few around at present) are evicted!
This is a favourable time to discover the roving caterpillars of Hawk moths with a distinctive horn on their end segment. The very large Red underwing moth flies at dusk whilst you may flush a Large Yellow underwing from clumps of vegetation.
I was delighted to discover a large number of Mole hills on the allotments: our soil must be 'in good heart'. The swifts have departed on their long journey back to Africa, House Martins will soon follow. There is now a well-established colony in Victor Close, having moved from the village centre.
A slow worm has been seen locally; they are much scarcer now, so this is positive news. I notice that a pair of Great tits are still using one of my feeders so it's duly topped up and they come every day. The leaf-cutting bees continue to entertain: I have one inside a bronze wall bracket, bravely struggling to force pieces of leaf inside whist still hovering like a mini helicopter!
I feel we will have a longer autumn this year, with plants delayed by the unusually cold temperatures only just starting to catch up. Could they be they predicting some extra time before frosts?
Bernard Price
Flag
The Flag was flown on 11 August for Maria with Happy Birthday wishes from Ray. Famous twins Sue and Jane had the flag flying for their birthdays on the 23rd. Many Happy Returns of the Day to them all!
If you have something to celebrate or commemorate, contact Siobhan Hannan on 07780 689582, and she will raise the Flag for you in return for a £5 contribution to Church funds.
Allotment News September
For the first time in years the allotments haven't run out of water. The colder summer has had an effect on our courgette and squash plants and they have not thrived as normal. Perhaps if September warms up they may surprise us.
I heard a programme on soil recently which stated that over 50% of the world's living species are found under the ground. It has been interesting to adopt the no dig method of cultivation which means the soil is left as undisturbed as much as possible but the surface is built up by adding nutrients through compost etc.
Our plot has had many years of chicken manure, wheeled down to the allotment after we clean out our garden hens. During the first year of Covid, a fox killed most of our hens and we used the opportunity to dig out the whole run: many, many bags of soil were transported over to the plots.
Today we discovered that several large molehills have appeared on the pathways, so that soil will be utilised and added to the nearest beds. Our work is never done! DP
Mobile Library
The Mobile Library will call at the Telephone Box at 2.40pm for half an hour on Fridays 8th and 29th.
New Vehicles Coming Soon!
Two brand new mobile library vehicles - fuelled entirely by electricity - will be arriving in early 2024. They will be of a similar size to the current vehicles and offer the same reliable service, whilst being fitted with a lift each to provide improved accessibility for customers.
In preparation for the new electric vehicles, we will be making some changes to the existing mobile library timetables.
Look on the website https://apps.warwickshire.gov.uk/MobileLibraries/locations/109 or any queries email mobilelibraryservice@warwickshire.gov.uk
BinAid
Weds 6th Food Weds 13th Food+Blue+Green
Weds 20th Food+Grey Weds 27th Food+Blue+Green