Gaydon Parish Magazine February 2024
index of magazines
Gaydon Gazette for February
Friendship Club Tues 6th at 2.30pm Poplar House
Parish Council Tues 6th at 7.30pm Village Hall
Coffee Morning Sat 10th at 11am Village Hall
Mobile Library Fri 16th at 2.40pm Phone Box
Tai Chi Wednesdays at 7pm Village Hall
Something to Look Forward to - Book Club on Monday 4th March
February Church Services
4th 9.30am Prayer and Praise Gaydon
10.am Holy Communion Northend
11th 11am Christening Gaydon
10am Morning Prayer Northend
Ash Wednesday
14th 7pm Communion Gaydon
18th 9.30am Agape Service Gaydon
10am Morning Prayer Northend
25th 9.30am Songs of Praise Gaydon
10am Morning Prayer Northend
Roman Catholic Church of St Francis, Kineton: Sunday Mass 11am
Parish Council News
The Next Meeting will be on Tuesday 6th February 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
Nature Notes for January
This month has been mostly mild, with rain and a few storms which were threatened to be extreme; but I think we missed them here in Warwickshire...
The large flocks of migrating thrushes have been sadly absent so far. We have a solitary Fieldfare feeding on the surviving fallen apples. The families of Long-Tailed Tits remain a delight and often visit my feeders.
The Waxwings I saw last month have moved on. They tend to strip every berry from the hedgerows and are probably still around. The cemetery, which has a number of Rowan trees - their big favourite - is probably worth checking! I have been suffering from a bout of virus so not made it down there as yet. Bulbs are peeping through and the snowdrops in Chadshunt church-yard will soon be in bloom, unless we have any unexpected cold spell.
I have one very exotic group of Japanese Rhubarb flowers and a few early Primroses in the garden. My hens look well with bright combs but no eggs as yet: a bit more extended daylight needed for that.
It is hard for our most conspicuous birds of prey, though; Buzzards are very adaptable, often seen digging for worms on the fields. Red Kites use their incredible eyesight to spot roadkill. One male Buzzard always perches in the large trees along the Kineton road to catch any warmth from the weak Morning sunshine; whilst a local Red kite uses the conifers along the old Warwick Road as a roost.
Rabbits are no longer a common sight here but would have been a reliable food source for birds of prey. I am expecting to hear the screams of local foxes behind the village soon, as the mating season occurs during this rather cruel month.
Buzzards pair up at this time too, and it is the National 'Big Bird Watch' in a few days' time. Results are always interesting, giving an indication of the increase or decline of many species. You can get the information pack free online. My grandchildren are checking their bird-feeders daily. Bernard Price
PS If you are walking down Watery Lane in Chadshunt you might spot a Yellowhammer.
Coffee Morning
Our first Coffee Morning this year is on Saturday 10 February at 11am in the Village Hall. All the usual attractions: Raffle, Book Stall, Bric-a-brac, Bring & Buy, Coffee and Biscuits 50p. All money raised goes to Church funds.
Mobile Library
The Mobile Library will call at the Telephone Box at 2.40pm for half an hour on Friday 16 February.
Friendship Club
Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 6 February at 2.30pm at the home of Sharon Pettit, Poplar House, Church Road. New members welcome!
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.
Flag
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.
Gaydon Book Club
Our next meeting will be on Monday 4th March. We are currently reading The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. 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. I look forward to seeing you all there and sharing some great books together! Holly
Don't Forget St Valentine!
Poor St Valentine was martyred in Rome in 270 AD for defying the Emperor by performing marriages when they had been forbidden by law. Just before he was killed, Valentine wrote a love letter to the daughter of his gaoler and thus the first Valentine Card was sent. In the fifth century he was made a Saint and February 14th became St Valentine's Day.
Switch on to the Future of Energy at the British Motor Museum this Half-Term!
This Half-Term, from 10 - 25 February, the British Motor Museum is inviting families to switch on to the future of energy. All over the world, car manufacturers are realising the need to consider alternative forms of energy when designing their new cars.
“Transitions: The Impact of Innovation”, the Museum’s current exhibition, discusses different forms of energy, from standard batteries to hydrogen fuel cells, and it is this debate that inspires its February Half-Term activities.
The Project Energise Science Show takes place on 13-16 and 20-21 February. Children can discover a range of experiments that put alternative energies to the test with Professor Pickle and Dr Pumpkin: they even get the chance to join in on the action.
Make Your Own Car of the Future takes place each day during the Half-Term. Children can step into the garage and find everything they need to create a dream car of the future. They will need to think about what energy they want it to use: will it be gravitational, mechanical, potential or electromagnetic?
The Energy Family Tour runs from 10-11, 17-18 and 24-25 February, when children can join the energetic tour guides for an interactive journey through the Museum collections. Along the way, they will learn how different cars are powered and get an insight into how cars could be powered in the future.
The Fix It! Family Trail takes place daily, enabling families to explore the Museum on a hunt for parts to build a car. At each station, they can choose parts from past, present and future cars, which can be mixed to create a vehicle of dreams!
Emma Rawlinson, Lifelong Learning Officer at the British Motor Museum, says that we look forward to showing our younger visitors a fun and fascinating glimpse into the future of energy. The world of cars is moving away from the internal combustion engine and we want children to start considering alternative forms of energy.
Museum entry is £43 for a family in advance or £49 on the day; £16 for adults in advance or £19 on the day; £14 for concessions in advance or £17 on the day; £9 for children (5-16 years) in advance or £10 on the day and under 5s are FREE. You can Gift Aid or donate your entry fee and get an Annual Pass in return, at no extra cost.
For more information about Half-Term activities, visit the website at https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/whats-on/enthralling-energy.
Gaydon Development - February Update
Although there has been no notified movement (determination dates etc.) in the Gaydon development application(23/01054/OUT), there has been a significant development regarding a similar warehouse-building proposal (Cherwell District Council 23/00349/OUT) 12 miles, i.e. a fifteen minute drive, south of Gaydon. Just before Christmas (!) on
15/12/23, the developers, Greystoke CB, re-submitted a request to build their development (comparable to the Gaydon proposal). Their original proposal, according to banburyfm.com (see link: https://banburyfm.com/news/developer-retries-rejected-application-for-warehouses-at-huscote-farm/) would have been rejected by the Cherwell District councillors, but it never went before the full planning committee for consideration: it was withdrawn following a massive campaign by people in the Banbury area.
So, Greystoke CB’s amended re-submission meant that everyone who objected had to re-submit new comments, even though - according to some campaigners - the changed proposed development is little different from the original. There’s more than a hint that the developers are trying to exhaust those people who do object to the development by trailing them through another round of exasperating, stress-inducing ‘cat-and-mouse’ procedures. It’s encouraging that, as reported on the 18/01/24 by banburyfm.com (see link https://banburyfm.com/news/over-200-comments-on-warehouse-proposals-for-huscote-farm/) local people in the Banbury area have not lost their spirited opposition to this proposed development. This brief extract from this news report indicates the feelings that this re-submission has produced:
“The Council notes it would “put yet more pressure on the already congested and air polluted Junction 11 area” and feels “the employment created will be mainly low skilled and low paid.”
Middleton Cheney Parish Council has also objected to the proposal noting there are currently existing vacant warehouses in the vicinity and so there is no immediate need for new development. Natural England said the application could have potential significant effects on the best and most versatile agricultural land.” Sound familiar…?
In a previous update I referred to the lack of ‘joined-up thinking’ when it comes to these proposed developments: there doesn’t appear to be any regional oversight and planning when it comes to imposing these behemoths on the English countryside within minutes of each other, travel-wise. So, we have these mega-developments proposed without the regional need for them to be established. We can only conclude that the main motivation appears to be speculative developments purely for financial gain rather than for the needs of the local or broader population of the UK.
There is one other element in the mix which, unfortunately, can persuade councils to approve such developments – despite their misgivings about the real need for them. It will not have escaped our attention that across the UK, council after council have run into serious financial difficulties and are in fear of the dreaded section 114 notice i.e. ‘expenditure exceeding income for the year’. Many councils (whether run by any of the three major political parties) have struggled with year-on-year reductions in funding from the government over the past 14 years. Cuts and drastically reduced services have been used to maintain financial accountability - even if it compromises the well-being of citizens.
It can be tempting in these circumstances for councils to increase their income by any means necessary. Councils can keep 50% of business rates raised in their area and the potential is there for some councils to see commercial/industrial development as ‘cash-cows’ to boost their income. This creates the potential to skew decision-making away from the real need for such developments.
It shouldn’t be like this. Perhaps cash-strapped councils should re-name themselves as a water company, or something like HS2, PPE contractor, Avanti or Fujitsu to ensure a regular, guaranteed, stream of Government (taxpayer) money? Tony Hughes
February Memorial Book
1986 4th Norman Phillips
1991 7th Ruby Holder
1992 " Irene Watts
2002 9th Prudence Averns
2017 12th John Wood Roberts
1994 13th Philip Davidson
2020 20th Mary Fox
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
Ash Wednesday
Our Ash Wednesday Service, which marks the start of Lent, will be held at 7pm on the 14th of this month at the church of St Giles, Gaydon. It will be a joint service for all the Dassett Magna churches.
Christening
Please note that our Christening Service on Sunday 11 February is at the later time of 11am instead of the usual 9.30am.
Forget about the cream
and the saucer of milk,
call me an existentialist if you like,
but I get my fill from a bucket
of muddy rainwater in the open air.
We all need a bit more roughage
in the diet and a mud pack on the face.
They call me a tuxedo cat:
black evening suit, pure white shirt,
white gloves and spats - think top hat and tails.
I do all my own laundry except for the spot
on the back of my neck where my people
help me out occasionally.
I adopted them
after moving out of the previous place,
not mentioning any names,
coercive control you might say.
I packed my bag, moved on,
three doors down the road.
My family are very kind,
feed me on demand. Sometimes
I do have to shout to remind them
when I want my tuna snack,
or give them a damn good stare
to get them to open a door.
I enjoy how they play with me,
rumple my fur, massage me, pull my tail.
My name is Felix, I try to live up to that,
it’s the least I can do. I know
that when the time comes
their love will show them what to do.
Sandy Spencer