Gaydon Gazette for October
Parish Council Tues 1st at 7.30pm Village Hall Coffee Morning Sat 12th at 11am Village Hall Mobile Library Fri 25th at 2.40pm Phone Box Tai Chi Wednesdays at 7pm Village Hall Clubbercise Thursdays at 7pm Village Hall
Parish Council News
The last meeting of the Parish Council was held on 3rd September. Present were Councillors Claxton, Davies, Ashton and Richardson; the Parish Clerk and Warwick District Councillor Scorer. Four members of the public also attended.
A resident on Warwick Road asked that the 'Road Closed' sign be replaced because there had been a lot more traffic in the road - it's a dead end - since its removal.
The playground zip-wire is to be repaired.
A new Tree Survey is to be organised.
The next meeting of the Council will be on Tuesday 1st October at 7.30pm in the Village Hall.
Church Christmas Gift Day and Coffee Morning on Saturday 16 November
Over-65s Christmas Lunch - Sunday 8 December
Village Hall onThursdays 7pm-7.45pm £6 per session, PAYG - pay-as-you-go.
The next Coffee Morning is on Saturday 12 October at 11am in the Village Hall. There will be Books, Bric-a-brac, Raffle; Coffee and Biscuits 50p. All money raised is for Church funds.
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.
The Mobile Library will call at the Telephone Box at 2.25pm for half an hour on Friday 25 October.
Brick Club Saturday 5th Gaydon Gathering Tuesday 8th DR1VR Show Sunday 15th Great British Model Railways Saturday & Sunday 26/7th October Half-Term 26 October - 3rd November Information and tickets at www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk
Nature Notes for September
After a brief warm spell the chills and mists of Autumn have arrived. A day of Torrential rains today causing some flooding around the village, unrelenting 'Stair rod' went on for most if the day.
The recent warm spell at last encouraged a few Green-veined White butterflies and even a late Humming-Bird Hawk moth feeding on the last few clumps of Flowering Valerian.
A grey squirrel and Magpies are stealing some of my walnuts, though both are very scared of my Bengal cat and avoid the fallen nuts. I'm told a few Red Admiral butterflies have also been seen feeding on windfalls. The Scarlet Larvae are in plague proportions in my garden and leaves are peppered with small holes: they don't seem to have a preference for any particular species.
Large flocks of Gold finches are seen around the village and on some Sunflower crops in nearby fields, which surprisingly have done quite well. This year has been a poor one for Butterflies as the National survey reveals but I'm sure we have all have noticed our empty Buddleia bushes. We are accustomed to seeing them covered in Small Tortoishells and Peacocks, both of which emerged very early this year in small numbers.
As usual Buzzards and Red Kites are quite visible around roadkills but very few Rabbits around on the verges. I am rather concerned at the depletion of all species this year. One can only hope they will revive/return next year.
We need to look out for winter migrants soon as there are abundant crops of berries in the hedgerows and maybe we will have very late frosts and more warmer temperatures. Bernard Price
6th 9.30am Holy Communion Gaydon
10.00am Holy Communion Burton Dassett
13th 9.30am Prayer and Praise Gaydon
10.00am Morning Prayer Northend
20th 9.30am Agapë Service Gaydon
10.00am Holy Communion Northend
27th 9.30am Songs of Praise Gaydon
10.00am Morning Prayer Northend
Sunday Mass 11am
1992 1st Rhoda Lovesey
2012 14th Christopher Wrighton
2022 15th Frederick William Morgan
2020 18th Alan Povey
2010 20th Joan Hare
2014 22nd Margaret Diston
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 Flag was raised on 31 August to celebrate the 1st Birthday of Ted Mortimer; we wish him many happy returns of the day. The Anniversary of the Accession of His Majesty The King was marked by the flag on 8th September.
If you have something to celebrate or commemorate, ring Siobhan on 07780 689582, and she will raise the flag for you - in return for a £5 contribution to Church funds.
Kineton Village Hall Friday 25 October
Join us for the Carers4Carers monthly meeting at Kineton Village Hall on Friday, 25 October, from 10:30am to 12:00 noon. Chat with fellow local carers over coffee, tea, and biscuits.
We're excited to welcome Sharon Smith, a social care worker from Warwickshire County Council, who will share her insights on Hearing Assist services. Feel free to bring your loved ones along - they can join our Companionship Group while we meet. We look forward to seeing you there!
For further details about our carer support group or help with transport arrangements, please contact Gillian on 07947 893504; send an email to kcarers4carers@gmail.com;
or explore our website www.carers4carersonthefosse.org.uk.
Who would like to have a Village Fête next summer? It will need lots of volunteers to make it a success! Gaydon's last one was before Covid in 2019. Here is a Magazine article from October 2017.
'Gaydon Parish Council are extremely proud to announce that "The Field" has been secured for our community. We are now the proud owners of a new area designated for use by the residents of Gaydon.
'However, for the time being, we would ask users of this land to keep to the footpath. This is simply for the Health and Safety of our residents as the boundaries of the field have not yet been inspected.
'A Facilities Survey was conducted to research residents' visions for this piece of land, the deadline for responses being 20 August 2017.
'The results have been analysed. The three most popular uses are a play area for primary and nursery aged children, a wildlife conservation area and an open space for events.'
IDB…? Me neither!
IDB… are they the initials of an (already forgotten) politician? Or the abbreviation of a paramilitary group? No, neither of these. It seems it stands for ‘Internal Drainage Board’ which, admittedly, doesn’t have the upbeat anticipation of MOTD or GBBO or the one word ‘Strictly…’! However, if the Gaydon development goes ahead we may have good reason to be aware of its powers - or lack of them.
There are 112 IDBs in England and Wales and their purpose is to ensure the effective drainage of agricultural land and to control flooding, in their localities. Following on from my reference last month to the blocked drains and overgrown ditches and culverts in and around Gaydon, reading a very timely article -
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/sep/18/more-floods-britain-system-protect-us-scandal - about the lack of oversight and flood-prevention inefficiency of the IDBs was a sobering experience. Especially during the recent deluges which prompted the thought, ‘What will happen to the thousands of gallons of rainfall which would have been absorbed by the acres of green fields, but, if the development goes ahead, would run-off the mostly concrete site down into the village?’
I cannot imagine that any additional pipework could be trusted to cope with the massively increased run-off - especially when it seems that the water companies have been accused of misleading Ofwat and the Environment Agency through under-reporting discharges from their plants into the rivers and countryside since 2014.
This very day (24 September) Severn-Trent is one of six water companies against whom a legal, class action has been raised to challenge their under-reporting of discharges and their overcharging of us to the tune of between £800 million to £1.5 billion.
You may say, “Surely, it’s the job of the Gaydon development company CEG (Malta) Ltd. to pay for the infrastructure required for drainage etc.?”
The reality is that such engineering has to be done in tandem with the water companies and, as I pointed out in the last update, the privatised water companies do not seem to have our interests and well-being at heart: these private equity corporates’ (many of them non-UK) first duty is to their shareholders.
Finally, it’s worth commenting on WCC Highways response (to be found on the SDC e-planning 23/01054/OUT under ‘Associated Documents’ - ‘Consultations’) in relation to traffic/roads in the vicinity of the development. Their comments, in my opinion, lack the kind of forensic evaluation and scrutiny of the traffic generated.
For example, CEG (Malta) Ltd’s own forecast of 55 lorry movements per hour both on the site and feeding into adjacent roads does not seem to be examined for its significance in anything like the detail that we would expect to read. The WCC conclusion: ‘…the development proposals are unlikely to have a detrimental impact on the safety, operation or capacity of the local highway network…’ is generalised and bland and shows all the signs of being ‘modelled’ or AI generated to match ideal conditions.
If there is one thing that we are learning about the scale and the effect on our village and locality of this proposed development it is that its complexity and impact are potentially uneven, messy and can’t be resolved with bland, idealised responses…! Tony Hughes
This year's Christmas Lunch for the Over-65s of Gaydon and Chadshunt is being held on Sunday 8 December at 12.45 for 1pm in the Village Hall.
Invitations to the Lunch will be sent out in November. If you are new to the village or have had that magic birthday during the past year, please let Julie know if you would like to come. Call at the Old Bakehouse or phone 640349.
Our Helpers will be contacted over the next few weeks: we need cooks and servers of course; but also very important are decorators and furniture movers to join in with preparing the Hall for a Lunch Party.
Again, if you are a newcomer or have never helped before, just tell us you want to help and you will be added to the team! We will contact you in November with all the information you need. Phone Debbie on 640757 and Julie on 640349.
The new Exhibition features recent drawings, prints, sculptures, neons and installations which have not previously been on show. 'Spectacular Diversions' by Chila Kumari Singh Burman starts on Saturday 6 October and ends 26 January 2025.
'The Magic Power of the Needle: A Louise Bourgeois-inspired Textile Workshop' on Thursday and Friday 3rd and 4th October.
'Walk in the Park': Autumn Colours Tour of the park with Fiona Tansey.
The Permanent Exhibitions are on view as usual. All information available at info@comptonverney.org.uk
Gaydon village was voted 15th out of the '20 Best Secret Villages to Live in' as reported in The Times newspaper recently. Headlining the various reasons why our village is so wonderful is our incredible Community Shop!
The Times is right: a local shop is much more than a place to pick up a pint of milk - it is the beating heart of our community. It is a place to gather for a morning chat or the destination of an afternoon stroll; a place to safely leave a parcel or where local craftsfolk can display and sell their creations; there is a warm reception for everyone.
Our shop is run by a collective of selfless community heroes, giving their time freely for the benefit of the village. The volunteers and committee members are devoted to ensuring the future of the Jewel in the Crown of our village for the years to come - but they cannot do it on their own.
Today, we are asking you two things:
1. Please join our team of volunteers.
One or two hours a week of your time will make a massive difference to the running of the shop whether you are serving, helping with management, maintenance or product-sourcing. No experience necessary! You don't have to have to be Salesperson of the Year or a Computer Wizkid!!
2. Please use your village shop for your own shopping.
We understand that in today's fast-paced society, Online shopping and household delivery have become the new normal. However, we can only survive to support you and the community if you shop with us too. Our team works tirelessly to listen to your needs, ensuring that your store-cupboard basics, treats, last-minute garlic or Brie are there for you. If each household spent £5 to £10 pounds in the shop each week, we could look forward to many more secure years of service.
Welcome
If you are new to the village, we welcome you! Please come in and visit us and introduce yourself to our volunteers.
The shop has been in its present premises at the Malt Shovel for over 14 years and we are very proud of the unwavering service it has given to Gaydon. We welcome any feedback from the community via Facebook or in-store. Finally, my thanks to all who make our shop such a special place in our beautiful village.
Siobhan Dodd, Chair of Gaydon Village Store Committee
Stratford-on-Avon District Council has funding available to support vulnerable households with financial support for those who are struggling to pay their energy bills; and for homeowners to repair, replace, and improve heating systems.
The Stratford Heating and Energy Bills Support (SHEBS) scheme replaces the previous Energy Support Fund and Physical Intervention Fund and is administered on behalf of the Council by Act on Energy.
Energy bills support is for up to £500 for families or £300 for single occupants/couples direct to their supplier for either gas/electricity.
Heating system support goes towards the cost of replacement, repair, installation for a range of heating sources (gas boiler, storage heaters, oil/ LPG).
Further details are on SDC's website
https://www.stratford.gov.uk/people-communities/heating-and-energy-bills-support.cfm and from Ciara Kelleher, Democratic Services Officer, at ciara.kelleher@stratford-dc.gov.uk