Gaydon Parish Magazine June 2026
index of magazines
Gaydon Gazette for June
Book Club Tues 2nd at 7pm Malt Shovel
Parish Council Tues 2nd at 7.30pm Village Hall
Church Meeting Sat 6th at 10am St Giles
Coffee Morning Sat 13th at 11am Village Hall
Mobile Library Friday 19th Phone Box
Tai Chi Mons & Weds at 7pm Village Hall
An Inspector Calls: Public Meeting
Gaydon Village Hall on Thursday 28 May at 7.30pm. A preparatory meeting will be held to co-ordinate strategies prior to the Public Inquiry at Stratford Town Hall from 9 - 12 June.
Also: Parish Council on 2nd June; follow-up meeting, Thursday 4th.
Gaydon Development Update
"An Inspector Calls..."
An inspector will call at Stratford Town Hall from Tuesday 9th to Friday 12th June. However, it will not be a performance of the famous (Stratfordian)
J.B. Priestley's play beloved (or not!) by many English Literature students over the years. As you may know, that play is about a family with excessive power, wealth and privilege and how their attitudes and actions affect the lives of others in negative ways. But that's fiction. Our Inspector will be dealing with the reality of CEG's appeal against the refusal of SDC to allow the development to proceed.
Although it will be a public inquiry with anyone entitled to speak, tactically, it will help if we have prepared contributions. So on Thursday 28th May there will be a meet-up at 7.30pm in the Village Hall with a recommendation that we nominate spokespeople to make best use of the Inquiry time and not keep repeating points already made. Hopefully, this will produce focused contributions which will have maximum impact on the Inspection team.
There are a few of us happy to organise the focusing stage and nominate residents or be nominated themselves, if that is the wish of the meeting attendees. There will also be time at the Parish Council meeting (2nd June, 7.30 Village Hall) for Gaydon residents to focus points (180 letters were submitted to the Inspectorate!); and there will be a follow up meeting on Thursday 4th June (location tbc, contact Heather 07968 125674) of those people who will speak on the major reasons for stopping the development.
Between us residents and the Parish Council you can be confident we will be including in our responses the following points:
Detrimental effect on landscape
Enhanced flooding risk
Unacceptable addition to overloaded road network, M40 & local roads
24/7 Air, noise and light pollution in already established polluted locality
Impact on wildlife
Insufficient evidence of employment need and appropriate job creation
Overriding of the local plan.
If any of the above topics do not cover an aspect which you think should be covered and might be missed, please make sure you get in touch or come to one of the meetings mentioned above. Remember, it doesn't mean you need to speak at the Inquiry: we just want to make sure all bases are covered.
NIMBYs? We are villagers who have patiently and stoically endured, in our locality, some of the most excessive commercial, industrial, highways and housing development in rural UK, over the past 40 years. If permitted, the CEG development will see the village subside, in a manner of speaking, into a sink-hole of catastrophic over-development. Surely, that cannot be allowed to happen? TonyHughes
(Particular thanks to Heather and Wendy in the preparation of this 'Update'.)
Consultation on Future of St Giles
Saturday 6th June from 10am until 12noon at St Giles Church: Consultation Meeting with the Community and Representatives from the Diocese of Coventry to discuss the possible future of our Church Building.
June Church Services
7th 9.30am Morning Service Gaydon
14th 9.30am Morning Service Gaydon
21st 3.00pm Holy Communion Gaydon
28th 10.30am Ordination of Rea Verdon at Coventry Cathedral
No local church services on 28th.
Roman Catholic Mass
St Peter & St Paul 5.00pm Saturday Brailes
Our Lady & the Apostles 9.15am Sunday Shipston-on-Stour
St Francis of Assisi 11.00am Sunday Kineton
June Memorial Book
2012 2nd Jane Goldsmith
2012 11th Peggy Shiner
1979 17th Richard Welsh
2012 21st Jean Phillips
2024 24th WF Liddington
1995 27th Scott Lightowler
2012 30th Jean Checkley
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
Nature Notes for May
Another cloudy day well into the month and temperatures rather cold for this time of year; but this was the day, that I heard the unmistakeable sounds of Swifts above my garden. Looking up, I saw about twenty birds circling, surely just arrived here after a long migration from Africa. Amongst them are probably the parents and last year's broods reared in Gaydon. This is good news as in many places they are in decline.
The House Martins are already nest-building in 'Spitfire' behind the old Gaydon Inn's slow restoration project. I have seen a few Swallows and with luck, there may be the odd place for them to nest, too. They need to have a source of mud near at hand to build or repair their nests. Please let me know if you see any evidence of a returning pair. The very cold temperatures might account for the intense green in the hedgerows and the abundance of Blackthorn blossom; and now, Hawthorn, or May blossom.
Those checking the dawn chorus - maybe on the Merlin App. - will be noting the large amount of young fledglings around and the ripple of Goldfinch song. I even spotted a solitary Little Owl on a dead tree near the M40 last week; once these were common on the Burton Dasset Hills but are rarely seen or heard now. They used to hunt a lot in the day, chasing a seasonally-appropriate Cockchafer or Maybug, a very large beetle that looks rather formidable owing to its large size and loud droning flight.
A number of reports of Queen Hornets that often accidentally get into houses whilst they are exploring sites for a new nest. These are not the much-publicised Asian Hornets in 99% of cases. They look large and frightening but unlike wasps (which they resemble large versions of) they are very placid and rarely sting. The Asian Hornets are much darker, there are details on line.
Look out for our local Grass snakes and toads and newts in the Garden. The end of the month is predicted to be warmer and I think more Butterflies will emerge then. One species not deterred this year has been the tiny Holly Blue, abundant everywhere around our area. I expect Orange Tips and Painted Ladies soon. This latter migrant has been reported in large numbers on the south Coast and may reach the Midlands in a few weeks.
The local grey Squirrels and Hedgehogs are also much in evidence. Do make sure that you have a Passage hole cut for Hedgehogs if you have a fenced garden. Then they can clear up your garden pests and you could maybe leave them a bowl of catfood... but never milk. Bernard Price
Flag Days in May
8 May - Victory in Europe Day 1945 and 100th Birthday of Sir David Attenborough
If you have something to celebrate or commemorate, give Siobhan a ring on 07780 689582 and she will raise the flag for you, in return for a £5 contribution to Church funds.
Coffee Morning
Saturday 13th at 11am in the Village Hall. Coffee and Biscuits 50p; Books and Jigsaws; White Elephant, Raffle and Chat. Proceeds go to Church funds.
Gaydon Book Club
Tuesday 2nd June at 7pm at the Malt Shovel. New members welcome!
What's On in June at the British Motor Museum?
Monday 1st Mellow Mondays
Sunday 7th Banbury Run
Tuesday 9th Gaydon Gathering
W/e 13th/14th Classic & Vintage Commercial Show
Sunday 21st Aston Martin Owners Club Festival
Sunday 28th Ford Nationals
Information and tickets at www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk
Midland Youth Jazz Orchestra Concert
All Saints' Church, Burton Dassett, on Friday 12 June at 7.30pm. Tickets £15. Ring Norma King on 07747 783814; or normakinghollies@btinternet.com
Carers4Carers
Kineton Village Hall: Friday 26 June from 10.30am-12 noon.
Come along and try Laughter Therapy, a practice which is said to boost mood, reduce stress and increase energy.
For further details please contact Gillian on 07947 893504; or send an email to kcarers4carers@gmail.com; website www.carers4carersonthefosse.org.uk
Tai Chi
Gaydon Village Hall at 7pm Mondays and Wednesdays. 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.
Mobile Library
This month the Mobile Library will call at the Telephone Box at 2.25pm for half an hour on Friday 19th.
Parish Council News
At the meeting held on 5th May, Cllr Claxton was re-elected as Chair and Cllr Davies as Vice-chair. The next meeting will be on Tuesday 2nd June at 7.30pm