Parish Council Tues 2nd at 7.30pm Village Hall
Village Hall C'tee Mon 8th at 8pm Village Hall
Friendship Club Tues 9th at 2.30pm 2 Anson Close
Mobile Library Fri 19th at 2.40pm Phone Box
Book Club Tues 23rd at 7pm Village Hall
Tai Chi Wednesdays at 7pm Village Hall
The weather is dull and mild in these days leading up to Christmas, with the occasional sunny interval. The main 'action' seems to be at my bird feeders this week, all topped up with a variety of Niger Seed, Sunflower hearts, Peanuts and Fatballs. The Grt. spotted Woodpecker is always an exciting visitor, well able to hang off a nut feeder. All the while, a regular family of delightful Long-Tailed Tits tweet constantly to each other - a single bird always goes ahead as a scout for the main family group, then as many as eight others arrive.
The house-sparrows stay around, as do families of blue tits, while the shy Great tits always grab a nut and take it away to a secluded spot. A couple of Starlings, and even Jackdaws, greedily consume fatballs at an alarming rate.
The goldfinches and Coal tits are less frequent at present and a colder snap is needed to bring in Reed buntings and Chaffinches. I nearly forgot the ultimate skulkers, the Dunnocks or Hedge sparrows, as they are so discreet, always pecking up fallen crumbs at ground level. They are handsome birds with grey underparts and pinkish feet and they have an attractive habit of fanning their wings.
I think I may have the positioning of feeders correct because only one clumsy visit from a Sparrow Hawk has occurred so far: a large female bird veered off as she lacked the cover for a surprise attack. The regular Buzzard still perches on his favourite tree on the Kineton Road and Red kites still circle over the village.
I must mention the substantial spread of Ivy, notably that huge amount growing up the Laburnum tree next to the Village Hall, which is a magnet for birds and often more entertaining than watching TV! I can see the action from my front room window, amorous pigeons gulping the berries. Jackdaws and the odd Sparrow Hawk perch amidst the dense growth; hardy winter moths visit the flowers; Blackbirds and Thrushes roost there, too. I'm hoping that the same birds will also be visiting your feeders.
The most exciting birds are of course the winter migrants, which are rather scarce at present. I did see a huge flock of Redwings on the Fosse yesterday and a great surprise has been small groups of Waxwings on the telegraph wires towards Stratford. These birds depend on berries and so prefer hedges that have not been trimmed by a 'Slasher', which unlike traditional 'laid' hedges will have had these vital fruits torn off in the process.
Look out for the larger Fieldfares if it gets colder. Balscote reserve towards Banbury has large flocks of greenfinches and Linnets and even a few Yellow-hammers. There was quite a lot of excitement about Otters being seen in the centre of Stratford last week when the RiverAvon was badly flooded.
I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy New Year. Bernard Price
Attention, Gaydon Book lovers, you are all invited to join Gaydon's first ever book club! We plan to meet every 6 weeks on a Tuesday from 7pm in the Village Hall. All I ask is that everyone bring a pound toward the Hire of the Hall - and whatever drink and nibbles you fancy.
Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 23 January.
Anyone wishing to join us, please message me on 07917 873856 and I will add you to our WhatsApp group or you can find us on Facebook by searching Gaydon Village Book Club. Looking forward to seeing you all there and sharing some great books together! Holly
Ann Diston would like to say a very big thank you to everyone who supported us for Hallowe'en Night. We raised £306.07 for the British Heart Foundation which is brilliant. Thank you.
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.
Telephone Box at 2.40pm for half an hour on Friday 19th.
We meet this month on Tuesday the 9th at 2.30pm at 2 Anson Close, Wellesbourne by kind invitation of Josie Liddington.
7th 9.30am Prayer and Praise Gaydon
14th 9.30am Holy Communion Gaydon
21st 9.30am Agapë Service Gaydon
28th 9.30am Songs of Praise Gaydon
1980 3rd Carl Heath
2008 3rd Tony Irving
1978 7th Gerald Lush
1989 7th Lewis Watts
2022 12th Joan Morgan
1999 13th John Herrington
1985 20th Alfred Welch
2000 28th Agnes Bailey
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
The Over-65s enjoyed a wonderful, traditional Gaydon Christmas Lunch run by our expert team of cooks, helpers and bottle-washers. We are very grateful to everyone involved and look forward to yet another on Sunday 8 December 2024! Debbie, Julie, Sue etc...
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 2024!
Our next meeting will be held on Monday 8 January at 8pm.
At the last meeting on Tuesday 5th December there were three members of the public present and apologies were received from the District Councillor and two Parish Councillors.
Kineton Road Gates: Cllr Mills reported that moving the gates would require an H&S audit, legal notice to change the speed of the road, road marking change and the village border would change. The PC challenged him to follow this up and get them re-installed in a more appropriate position.
Tree preservation orders have been filed on certain trees in the area of the proposed industrial development. Details are available from Stratford district council ref. TPO/037/002-SDC732
Playground: The Clerk is to look into the original warranty provided by the company who installed the playground and the zip wire. The repairs should be covered by warranty, as it may not have been installed correctly.
Roads, Community Safety: The damaged access cover on Banbury Road has been reported and Cllr Mills has been asked to progress this.
Street lights: A resident contacted the council about a street lamp that was shining into a bedroom and causing a nuisance. The Council decided that this situation would have to be tolerated until the light became due for replacement.
Drains: Councillor Mills was asked to move the routine clearing of gullies in Gaydon further up the WCC schedule.
Neighbourhood Plan: The Clerk is to contact a consultant for advice on how to progress.
Gross expenditure for this month: £1510.37 (Details are included in the full minutes on the website.)
Grass cutting contract 2024 -2027: The council agreed to continue with current provider, following tender process.
Planning applications: See Stratford DC e-Planning for details (https://apps.stratford.gov.uk/eplanning)
23/03143/AMD: 6 Manor Farm Court. No representation made.
SCOPE/00039: Land At Banbury Road Gaydon (Swallowfields). The Council has objected.
23/02780/VARY: Land Adjacent The Gables Banbury Road Gaydon. No representation made.
23/02634/FUL British Motor Museum. The council has objected.
Next Meeting is onTuesday 2nd January 2024 at 7.30pm.
If you have any problems that you think the Parish Council can help you with, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Parish Village website: https://gaydonparishcouncil.org.uk
Parish Clerk Telephone: 07841 010791