Parish Council Tues 4th at 7.30pm Village Hall Coffee Morning Sat 8th at 11am Village Hall Village Hall C'tee Mon 10th at 8pm Village Hall Mobile Library Fri 21st at 2.40pm Phone Box Annual Parish Meet'g Tues 25th at 7.30pm Village Hall Tai Chi Wednesdays at 7pm Village Hall
There follows a report of the GPC meeting held on 4 February in the village hall. Present were Parish Councillors, Claxton, Ashton and Combrink; WCC Cllr Mills and the Parish Clerk; apologies were received from SDC Cllr Scorer. Five members of the public attended.
Change of address: All email addresses and the website have changed to '.gov'.
Solar Farm: Work is starting now and is due for completion in July.
Housing Needs Survey:
Sarah Brooke Taylor from Warwickshire Rural Community Council presented some of the areas they cover e.g. Meals on Wheels which are paid for by the recipient and are available to anyone in the county; or getting the best price for heating oil. They also deliver the Housing Needs Survey.
The survey was last completed in 2020 and lasts for about 5 years.
Its work has not changed and it is completed via questionnaire and is based on need. Any responses received are viable because they represent a need in the village.
WRCC have the capacity available from April onwards to carry out a survey in Gaydon. There would be about a 3-week window for people to complete the survey and depending on school and bank holidays this might be extended. It would form part of the evidence in devising a neighbourhood plan.
The Parish Council decided to have the Housing needs survey as a March agenda item to decide if this should be re-done in 2025.
Maintenance of Gaydon Churchyard:
The Parish Council have been formally asked by Gaydon and Chadshunt PCC to take over the maintenance of Gaydon churchyard in three months' time, letter dated 13 January 2025. This item is to be carried forward to the 4th March 2025 meeting.
Maintenance of the Church Clock:
It was agreed to get quotes for the cost of repairs. Cllr Combrink to share details of a company with the Clerk for her to action.
Parish Assembly
Gaydon parishioners are encouraged to attend this important meeting on Tuesday 25 March. Local businesses and other interested parties will be invited to speak.
Planning Applications
The British Motor Museum is applying to build a three-storey hotel which will entail the demolition of some existing buildings. When the public consultation is held, screening and lighting must be considered.
Extract from County Councillor’s Report
Unitary Authority
A Government White Paper has proposed Unitary Authorities through-out the UK. Warwickshire has written to the Minister of State for Local Government to signal willingness to be considered for delivering local government re-organisation and devolution in keeping with the Government’s proposed time-frame. As a consequence, the May 2025 County Council elections may have to be postponed. Regardless of whether Warwickshire is in the priority programme for re-organisation, it is clear that the next few years will bring significant change.
Adult Community Learning courses
If you are an adult who wants to make a fresh start with learning, to return to learning, or to continue learning we may have a course in Warwickshire for you.
Look at https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/adult-community-learning-5
Highway Code video
WCC is pleased to announce the launch of a new video designed to refresh the knowledge of experienced drivers on the updated Highway Code. Read more: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/news/article/5896/new-video-launched-to-refresh-warwickshire-drivers-knowledge-of-the-highway-code C. Mills
Next Meeting of the Parish Council: Tuesday 4th March at 7.30pm.
2nd 9.00am Morning Prayer Gaydon
10am Holy Communion Northend
Ash Wednesday
5th 7pm Joint Service Gaydon
9th 9.30am Holy Communion Gaydon
10am Morning Prayer Northend
16th 9.30am Agapë Service Gaydon
10am Morning Prayer Northend
23rd 9.30am Prayer and Praise Gaydon
10am Morning Prayer Northend
Mothering Sunday
30th 9.30am Morning Service Gaydon
Our 1st March cover celebrates the ancient craft of the thatcher as the fresh straw catches the early spring sunshine. As well as being the Welsh saint's day, the first of March is the meteorological first day of spring.
We pray for good weather for our farms and gardens.
A prolonged period of very cold cloudy weather has at last ended with a rise in temperatures and bright sunshine. A remarkable spurt of plant life has followed. Chadshunt churchyard is, of course, a mass of Snowdrops and there are some burgeoning clumps around Gaydon church, too. Crocus and Hellibores have come into flower and even a few wild Primroses in sheltered spots. The Hazel trees have masses of pollen-laden catkins. The expectation is that a few pollinators will arrive soon - March is not too far away after all!
It was a delight this morning to spot a Yellowhammer on the Kineton Road. These small birds with their familiar song 'a little bit of bread and no cheese' were once a far more common species than they are today. The birds are very handsome and easy to distinguish by their bright yellow plumage.
Red kites are now a daily sighting and the blue skies have encouraged them to glide low over the village gardens on the look-out for any scraps or carrion, even earthworms. I have seen one at roof level recently, pecking a small bird which had drowned in the guttering. It is rare to find a dead bird now (casualties that do not make it through the winter) owing to their vigilance and sharp eyesight.
You often wonder how large raptors find enough food, as Rabbits seem less common these days although still to be seen around. The lambing season, with mortalities and afterbirths, brings some additional nutrition to these birds. My friends in Corfu already report butterflies like Yellow Brimstones and you can be sure that we will see them on the wing if the warm spell persists. We had two very noisy evening visits by huge flocks of Starlings in our garden recently; perhaps other villages experience this too? Bernard Price
This service marks the beginning of Lent and will be held at St Giles' Church on 5th March at 7pm.
Sunday 30 March at 9.30am. There will be a special Mothering Sunday Service at St Giles' on the last Sunday of March. We decorate the church and like to give some flowers to all the congregation, to show our love for mothers and carers. Please come, and feel welcome to bring flowers to share!
Compton Verney
What to see in March: River of Black Stone is an exhibition of work by the artist Emii Alrai in a sequence of immersive rooms, referencing the romanticism of great voyages and discoveries of the past. Showing until 15 June. You can find out about more exhibits at www.comptonverney.org
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.
Enjoy refreshments and connect with your community! Meet your councillors and listen to updates on our village.
If you would like to present, please contact the Clerk by email: clerk@gaydonparishcouncil.gov.uk
www.gaydonparishcouncil.gov.uk
Saturday 8 March at 11am. There will be a book stall, bring-and-buy and raffle, as well as coffee or tea and biscuits (50p) and an exchange of news and views. Money raised goes to 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.
Jaguar Breakfast Club Saturday 1st Museum Lates: Backstage Tours Tuesday 11th Mini Motorists Mondays Monday 17th Large Model Aircraft Show Sunday 30th
Information and tickets at www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk
Kineton Village Hall 10:30am to 12 noon on Friday 28th March
We'd love to welcome you to our carer support meeting. Along with refreshments and the chance to meet with other carers, our talk this month will be on the sensitive topic of advance planning for end of life. Please bring along your loved ones - they can join our Companionship Group while we meet.
For further details about our carer support group or help with transport arrangements to/from our meetings, contact Gillian on 07947 893504 or send an email to kcarers4carers@gmail.com
or explore our website www.carers4carersonthefosse.org.uk.
On Saturday 12 April there will be a firework display at the British Motor Museum to celebrate a Wedding. It will take place at 9pm and will last for about 8 minutes.
The Mobile Library will call at the Telephone Box at 2.25pm for half an hour on Friday 21st.
The next meeting of the Village Hall Committee will take place on Monday 10 March at 8pm in the Village Hall.
Deregulation: They make the money - we take the risk?
As I mentioned last month, the Government is looking at ‘revising’ local planning laws to allow for easier permissions for housing and commer-cial developments in the UK. As yet, we do not have any specifics about what any new guidelines would be, but we have to be alert in advance to any deregulation of planning policy as to how it might affect speculative development proposed by CEG(Malta) Ltd(23/01054/OUT).
The Government claims that a scaling down of regulation is required to overcome bureaucracy and delays to facilitate necessary growth in the UK economy. The Prime Minister has proclaimed that ‘builders not blockers’ will be prioritised in the planning reforms. Whether it’s intentional or not, this phrase has the effect of demonising communities and individuals who are trying to protect specific localities in the UK from being overwhelmed by excessive development - over and above what those communities have already accepted what is necessary for housing, work and infrastructure improvements.
Yes, there is a need to be focused on reviving the UK economy: for example, recent reports on the first 5 years after leaving the EU show that more than £300bn is set to be wiped off the value of the UK economy by 2035, in addition to the loss of 2 million fewer jobs overall (Cambridge Econometrics for City Hall, London). Outside of the EU single market, custom regulations and paperwork hinder trade for UK small and medium-sized businesses as well as increasing prices for the consumer. In the interests of balance about this contentious issue, post-EU negotiated current global trade deals will contribute a total of +0.19% improvement in GDP over 10 years. However, that is set against. a loss of -4.5% GDP from leaving the EU (OBR figures). Looking at those figures, might there be a more straightforward way to improve the economy and encourage reluctant investors in the UK than by threatening our quality of life?
So, how does this general situation relate to us in Gaydon? The effect of the Government’s deregulation, whatever reassurances have been given, will potentially put enormous pressure on the local environment and our quality of life that such developments bring. For this reason, local elected and non-elected councillors and officials must be increasingly vigilant to prevent wanton damage to our environment and the catastrophic effect of air, noise, flood and sewage pollution that stand as real threats (see previous months’ ‘Updates’…) to our community.
We should remind ourselves that the Gaydon development is a speculative proposal, in case we might feel pessimistic about the possibility of this development succeeding. It has never been assessed as a necessary requirement for South Warwickshire.
This is a scheme to make money and - if a company is registered in a tax haven (e.g.Malta: effective tax rate 5%) - there is a loss of tax revenue to the UK, but the subsequent follow-up (environmental and future infrastructure) issues will be paid for not by offshore-registered companies but by - guess who? - UK taxpayers. That is why I headed this piece: ’Deregulation: They make the money - we take the risk.’
We are aware, only too graphically, that many people around the UK have suffered at the hands of over-zealous deregulation…
If you haven’t done so already, do contribute to the South Warwickshire Local Plan at:
https://southwarwickshire.oc2.uk/document/148/4580#d4580 y FRIDAY 7th MARCH.
You will see an optimistic view of what future life could be like in our area, but we have to make it happen with our opinions and guidance. Thank you. Tony Hughes
2001 8th John Checkley
2015 15th Bernard David Bennett
1974 16th Monica Boultbee
1988 19th Edward Lovesey
1990 25th Betty Kirby
2003 25th Betty Hill
1983 31st Leonard Thomas
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
Sophie writes:
We put the flowers in the Church last week after my Auntie Rachel's funeral. She was born Rachel Checkley in Gaydon on 5th May 1940 at Castle Farmhouse. She was my Dad John's younger sister.
She married my Uncle Gibb on 30 June 1962 in Gaydon Church. They had met at a dance when he was a cadet at the airforce base at Lighthorne Heath. He was originally from Glasgow. They lived in The Nest opposite the Church until the late 1960s when they moved to Kineton, Castle Road.
Rachel lost her husband two years ago and her health declined, suffering from dementia. She passed away over Christmas in Warwick Hospital after a fall which broke her hip.
She was feisty, fiery, creative and fun! She loved Cliff Richard and a sherry on a Sunday whilst prepping the dinner. We will all miss her x
We offer Sophie and family our sympathy on their loss and note that this month the death of John Checkley is recorded in the Memorial Book of St Giles' Church.
Villagers must have noticed how smart the porch light of the church is looking now: the black paint has been removed, the cracked glass replaced and a fresh light-bulb installed. All the result of a serendipitous encounter on a dark winter's day when Alastair was trying to put the Christmas lights up. A good Samaritan did not pass
by on the other side but came over and helped with the lights and later took the delapidated porch lantern away and mended it. It has be re-instated and can now be seen in its former glory of polished copper, clean glass panes and working light bulb.
The Church would like to thank Adrian for his kindness in doing this fine restoration work.