Local news
Uffington Wed Walk 3rd Nov (and advance notice of December walk and lunch).
HI Everyone, It was so good to see so many of you for the christening of our new village kissing gates last month and the circular walk via Moor Mill Farm. A wonderful celebration of a project many years in the hatching. Photos attached here: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/844c5134-717a-5d89-b2de-a3a958ed2985/Wednesday_walk_photos.pdf
Wed Nov 3rd
For our November walk we thought it would be refreshing to venture further out of Uffington with a walk starting at Letcombe Regis. Meeting as usual at 9:30 in Uffington Village Hall car park if you can car share. We understand some of you may not be able to car share yet so either meet us in Uffington or at Letcombe Village Hall car park if you prefer at 9:50.
The walk will take us on a bit of a climb out of Letcombe village up onto the Ridgeway, heading east and walking round Segsbury Castle returning via Wanborough Rd. There is a very pleasant cafe in the village which provides coffees and lunches. The weather gods look like they are smiling on us again. Cool but bright with only a light breeze.
December Walk & Christmas Lunch (Wed 1st Dec)
A note for your diary for the December walk which will, of course!, include a Christmas lunch. We will be walking the beautiful countryside around Bishopstone with a Christmas lunch at the Royal Oak pub. As this is a popular venue we would like to book well in advance. Could you please e-mail Verity if you would like to come along to the Christmas lunch after the walk. We will be parking in the Royal Oak car park.
Many thanks. Verity, Joe, Hilary and Pamela
Verity Cavanagh veritycavanagh@gmail.com 07975861790
White Horse Gardening Club
Remember, Remember the 4th of November - The Gardening Club talk. We are pleased to welcome back Timothy Walker, Lecturer in Plant Sciences, Former Director of the University of Oxford Botanic Garden and Harcourt Arboretum.
DATE: THURSDAY 4th NOVEMBER. TIME: 7.30pm. VENUE: Thomas Hughes Memorial Hall, Uffington, SN7 7RA. TALK: 'In the not so Bleak Midwinter. ' BY: Timothy Walker www.timothywalker.org.uk
PLANTS FOR SALE. RAFFLE - £1 (In order not to form a queue please deposit £1 in box and collect numbered ticket)
NB: This meeting will proceed within the WHGC hire of Thomas Hughes Memorial Hall COVID rules and regulations.
We are required to keep a list of all those attending for 21 days, therefore please apply to me by email for a place. Pamela Preene - parrottspreene@aol.com
Visitors are welcome but also need to apply for a place and pay £2.50 on arrival. Seats will not be allocated. The THMH will be well ventilated with windows and doors open so warm clothing may be appropriate! Please be aware that there could be a large number of people attending and it would be advisable to wear a mask when not seated.
Jubilee Field Autumn Tidy
The autumn Jubilee Field Tidy will take place on Saturday 6 November with 7th November held in reserve in case of inclement weather. Please meet at the village hall at 10.00 am as usual on Saturday 6 November and bring any tools you feel will be useful for tackling the undergrowth etc or wheelbarrows for transporting material to the bonfire.
Citizens Advice
Citizens Advice Oxfordshire South and Vale has issued a helpful press release intended to help those whose energy suppliers have gone out of business; please see attached: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/20f65562-751b-3b89-0973-1f5361557208/Citizens_advice_energy_suppliers.pdf
Vale District Council news
Councils urge global leaders to agree urgent climate action at COP26.
With the effects of climate change already having a catastrophic impact across the world, South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils are urging the leaders attending COP26 to urgently agree on significant global climate action before it's too late. For more information and some FAQs, see attached: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/f26670b2-cd65-a335-2445-7872292076f2/COP26.pdf
For more information about COP26 visit the official UK COP 26 website
County news
Your Oxfordshire: temporary waste site closures and marvellous mechanicals. See: Your Oxfordshire: temporary waste site closures and marvellous mechanicals (mailchi.mp)
OCC News and Views
The way Oxfordshire County Council gets people's views, ideas, and opinions on proposals and strategies for all the services they provide has changed – and they'd love you to come and join them. If you wish to sign up for this information, please Register here
Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum. Brave the 'Road to Colditz' in SOFO Museum's upcoming online event. Two men captured during the Fall of France in 1940 who, after several escape attempts from other POW camps, found themselves at Colditz - the infamous castle reserved for those prisoners identified as serial escapers, the most troublesome to the Nazis.
Their stories will be told by their two sons, Stuart Rolt and Thomas Hamilton-Baillie, as they recount their fathers' hair-raising wartime experiences as prisoners of war in Germany throughout World War 2.Tony Rolt MC was a racing driver both before and after his service in the Rifle Brigade during the Second World War, decorated for bravery during the Battle of Calais just before the Dunkirk evacuation, he would be decorated again for his numerous escape attempts - perhaps most famously coming up with a plan to escape Colditz via a scratch-built glider.
John 'Jock' Hamilton-Baillie was an officer with the Royal Engineers in France from the first week of the war, part of a division that was ultimately surrounded and forced to surrender to the German general, Erwin Rommel. Like Rolt, Jock was awarded for numerous escape attempts, including schemes to both tunnel under and climb over the defences of various camps. See photo attached: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/images/2a1ee5af-07f7-f912-4455-ef463da77f4b.jpg
(Editor's note: Jock lived in Stanford-in-the Vale, as does his son Tom.)
The two men's sons will provide an in-depth look at the planning and execution of a number of real escape attempts their fathers were involved in, the risks they ran, the penalties for failure, the privations suffered, and what imprisonment at Colditz itself was really like. The live event can be watched freely on the museum website, no ticket or pre-registration required, but donations to support the museum's work conserving the county's military heritage, as well as running events like this one, are encouraged.
Watch online at: www.sofo.org.uk/whats-on/roadtocolditz/ Past talks available at: www.sofo.org.uk/whats-on/
From the Police
Rural Crime Update Now Available. Thames Valley Police's rural crime update is now available, bringing you prevention advice, news updates on our latest successful outcomes and details on all things rural crime within the Thames Valley. Here we talk about the upcoming launch of the Rural Crime Taskforce and the new rural crime specialists that are being introduced to our Contact Management teams, as well as bringing updates from our local policing commanders.![Email tracking gif]() (Editor's note: this is interesting; worth reading).
Firearms Licensing. Message from Zoey Evans - Firearms Licensing Manager 28/10/2021. See attached: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/11431bc8-1de7-e0df-cb3b-84e309e405f0/New_Firearms_Licensing_Statutory_Guidance.pdf
From the Churches of Uffington Benefice
Please find attached the Weekly Sheet for Sunday 31 October: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/1868bfe3-3cbd-a6b2-75f4-96829df8f365/wsh_2021_10_31.pdf
See the website for all information and links for the Zoom services: https://www.uffingtonbenefice.com/home
British Summer Time ends at 0200 hrs on Sunday morning, when the clocks go back 1 hour.
Village news 22 October 2021 Local news
Litter pick this weekend 23/24 October
Thank you to those who have already volunteered to help with this year's autumn litter pick. There are still 3 areas for which we don't have yet have volunteers: - Round the village 'loop' excluding the Jubilee Field but including Waylands
- Hillview and Chapel Lane
- Patrick's Orchard
If you, as an individual, family or group and possibly from one of these areas, would like to volunteer to do one of these routes please let Mike Oldnall (820369 or mike.oldnall@uffington.net) know in advance so we can avoid duplication. Alternatively, just collect a set of litter pickers and bags and get picking!
A limited number of litter picking kits (hi-vis jackets, litter-pickers and bags) will be at the Village Hall from 10.00 am on Saturday 23 October until 5:00 pm on Sunday, for use on a 1st come, 1st served basis at a time to suit yourself. Please return them when done. Bags of litter should be left at the village hall or, if too heavy, may be left at convenient places on the above routes and will be collected – please just let us know where they are!
Half Term Halloween Trail. The 1st Stanford in the Vale Scouts are running a family Halloween trail around Uffington this half term, open to all. Follow the map to find Halloween symbols, search for the letters and then crack the code to open the treasure box! The trail will be running from Friday 22nd - Sunday 31st October. Maps are available from the village shop, and cost £5 per family. There is a small gift for each child taking part. Please note: The trail is around 1.5 miles in length, and there are some stiles on the route, so it is not suitable for pushchairs.
Jubilee Field Autumn Tidy
The annual autumn Jubilee Field Tidy will take place on Saturday 6 November with 7th November held in reserve in case of inclement weather. Please meet at the village hall at 10.00 am as usual on Saturday 6 November and bring any tools you feel will be useful for tackling the undergrowth etc or wheelbarrows for transporting material to the bonfire.
Elm Tree Surgery. Please see attached practice update for November: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/78a08f0f-a31d-1095-2c08-6b0689c9f67a/Elm_Tree_update_nov_2021_2_.pdf
FoR Autumn Newsletter. See attached: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/880a89a5-286c-75d7-cbab-479643e9d12f/FoR_newsletter_autumn_2021.pdf
The autumn issue of the Friends of the Ridgeway contains grave news about a threat to White Horse Hill, Uffington, though there are more joyous articles as well. Author Robert Twigger waxes lyrical about the joys of ridge walking. Anthony Burdall encourages the artists and writers amongst you to submit items to the 2022 Swire Ridgeway Arts Prize. The Ridgeway and Thames Path volunteers at last received their Queens Award for Voluntary Service whilst enjoying their annual BBQ. We take a look inside the workshops. The Uffington White Horse got a major sprucing up by members of the public and the National Trust volunteers in August; a great time was had by all. This and more, including jokes. If you can find worse jokes – which might take some doing – please send them to davecavanagh1000@gmail.com
Wilts and Berks Canal Trust. Further to last weeks' notice about the cessation of work on the canal, this has been rescinded.
Vale District Council news
Vale news October 2021. See attached: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/59b20483-0362-9f1b-1a64-39774e72ce4e/Vale_news_October_2021.pdf
Garden waste collections to return to fortnightly collections. The garden waste service will return to its normal fortnightly collections from next week. The normal garden waste collection schedule in Vale will resume on 25 October and so from that day onwards, customers can put their brown garden waste bins out on their normal collection day in their recycling week every fortnight.
As mentioned last month, to make up for the disruption to the service we are extending customers' current subscription to the service by three months. The councils are emailing and writing to their garden waste customers this week letting them know the good news.
Vale garden waste customers will also benefit from the scheduled Extra Garden Waste Week next month (week commencing 8 November) when customers are entitled to put out one extra bin's worth of garden waste that week. There is more information at: whitehorsedc.gov.uk/gardenwaste
County news
Household waste recycling centres set for refresh in November. For safety reasons, Oxfordshire County Council will be shutting each of its centres for two days – although never at the same time – to allow for deep cleaning and essential maintenance to take place. This includes jet washing the sites and structures, repainting lines and safety areas, as well as other general work to improve the customer experience.
The closing dates at Stanford tip are Thursday 11 and Friday 12 November.
Are you waiting for NHS hospital treatment or care? Healthwatch Oxfordshire would like to hear about your experiences of waiting for the hospital appointment or care you need. They'd also like to know what advice, information, or support the NHS has given you while you wait. Please share your experiences with Healthwatch by completing a short online survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/NHSWaitingListExperiences
This survey is for people who are waiting now. It is also for people who have had a hospital appointment or care in the last 18 months. When you answer the questions, please tell Healthwatch about your most recent experience. Or, if you have been waiting for multiple treatments, or have received one and are waiting for another, you can complete the survey more than once. Everything you tell them is confidential and will help the NHS understand how it can better support people like you waiting for treatment.
Healthwatch Oxfordshire is carrying out this survey in partnership with Healthwatch organisations in Bucks, Reading, West Berks and Wokingham Borough. They will share the results of this survey with local NHS managers in a report. They will also publish the report online so that members of the public can read it and also read how local NHS organisations respond to our recommendations.
If you would like help filling in the survey or would like to talk to a member of the Healthwatch Oxfordshire team in more detail about your experiences, you can contact them by:
calling 01865 520520 or
emailing hello@healthwatchoxfordshire.co.uk
From the Churches of Uffington Benefice
Please find attached the Weekly Sheet for Sunday 24 October: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/88ef9e94-8a1e-65c7-eda2-5bacca9982b2/wsh_2021_10_24.pdf
Village news 15 October 2021 Local news
Uffington Farmers Market. This Sunday, from 10.00 am to 12.30, at the Thomas Hughes Memorial Hall and the Jubilee Field.
Will you stand by and see the Thomas Hughes Memorial Hall close?
Just a quick reminder. The Village Hall Council meeting is this Monday 18th at 8.00pm in the Small Hall. The Memorial Hall is up and running and bookings have almost returned to pre-covid levels. This is very encouraging but the small elderly group that is the Management Committee will not be able to continue running the hall and we must find "new blood" if the building is to continue to be available. If you have used or plan to use one or both halls, please make an effort to attend on Monday and find out how the Memorial Hall runs and is maintained and to see how you could help. If we cannot find volunteers to help, the future of the Memorial Hall is becoming very unclear.
Geoff Rumble
Half Term Halloween Trail. The 1st Stanford in the Vale Scouts are running a family Halloween trail around Uffington this half term, open to all. Follow the map to find Halloween symbols, search for the letters and then crack the code to open the treasure box! The trail will be running from Friday 22nd - Sunday 31st October. Maps are available from the village shop, and cost £5 per family. There is a small gift for each child taking part. Please note: The trail is around 1.5 miles in length, and there are some stiles on the route, so it is not suitable for pushchairs.
Litter pick 23/24 October
Uffington, Woolstone and Longcot parishes are joining forces for a 6 monthly blitz on the litter left on our verges, on the weekend of 23 / 24 October. The routes which have been designated are: - Woolstone Road corner to 2nd Woolstone turnoff – Marsh Lane
- Shotover up to B4507
- Fernham Road from the (closed) Uffington Mill bridge up to 'Un-named Road junction'
- Station/Baulking Road from White Horse up to 'Un-named Road junction' and Jacksmeadow
- 'Unnamed road' from Baulking Road to Fernham Road
- Fawler Road from Craven Common to the double bend beyond the Sports Club
- Round the village 'loop' excluding the Jubilee Field but including Waylands
- Hillview/Chapel Lane and Patrick's Orchard
If you, as an individual, family or group, would like to volunteer to do one of these routes please let Mike Oldnall (820369 or mike.oldnall@uffington.net) know in advance so we can allocate and avoid duplication!
A limited number of litter picking kits (hi-vis jackets, litter-pickers and bags) will be at the Village Hall from 10.00 am on Saturday 23 October until 5:00 pm on Sunday, for use on a 1st come, 1st served basis at a time to suit yourself. Please return them when done. Bags of litter should be left at the village hall, or may be left at convenient places on the above routes and will be collected – please let us know where they are!
'Quiz 'n Chips'
The Friends of St Mary's are holding a 'Quiz 'n Chips' night in St Mary's on Tuesday 26th October to help raise money for the Church. Key points are:- email: info@uffingtonbenefice.com or phone 01367 820108 to enter.
TV FILMING IN UFFINGTON
A production company (AIBU Productions Limited) have chosen Uffington as an attractive rural location and is planning to film on the High Street in the vicinity of the Coach House / Packers Lane sometime in November and/or December. They are making a new comedy drama for BBC1 called "Am I Being Unreasonable?". They plan to contact local residents over the coming weeks with a view to agreeing revised parking arrangement during their stay(s) and plan to use the Hall, Fox & Hounds and adjacent Patrick's Orchard car parking subject to the agreement of the owners. They have requested villagers cooperation for this venture which will unavoidably impinge on traffic in the High Street. We will keep you informed if we hear anything more but dates are currently uncertain due to Covid.
Wilts and Berks Canal Trust. Please note that the WBCT are holding an Open Day on Saturday 6 November, in East Challow village hall, starting at 10.30 am. The link to the magazine copy on the website is https://www.uffington.net/parish-council/general-information-and-maps/
We have also recently received the following from the WBCT: 'Precautionary temporary halt to work and work parties on the Wilts & Berks canal. Late yesterday (12/10/2021) our solicitors received a letter from the Wiltshire & Swindon Coroner which presents a major setback in our ongoing efforts to reach a final resolution of matters following the tragic August 2016 death of Peter Konitzer at Pewsham Top Lock.
I have therefore decided to call a precautionary temporary halt, with immediate effect, to all WBCT work party activity on the Wilts & Berks Canal until the Trust has taken advice on the implications of the coroner's intervention and determined how to proceed in terms of a measured response and continued safe working. I will inform you as soon as possible about the timing of, and any conditions applicable to, a resumption of work party activity.'
Berkshire Archaeological Society
Please find attached a poster advertising 150 years of archaeology in Berkshire, which may be of interest: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/410f4678-318a-12ea-fea2-ca6c49d2a285/BRO_poster2.pdf
Vale District Council news
Councils launch Halloween reuse competition. South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils have launched a reuse competition for children and adults to help make Halloween more environmentally-friendly. Ten winners will receive books on zero waste recipes and ideas. With the right imagination, toilet roll cardboard inner tubes can become flying bats, empty plastic milk containers become ghosts or monsters and pine cones can be transformed into scary spiders. See: Halloween competition - Vale of White Horse District Council (whitehorsedc.gov.uk)
County news
Young People Paid Feedback. I am contacting you regarding two paid opportunities that might be of interest to any young people that you work with. Both are being offered by Oxfordshire County Council and we are looking for ideas and thoughts from young people aged 14, 15, 16 and 17 years old in Oxfordshire.
The first is "Your Voice Your Views" and we are looking for feedback from young people and for new ideas about the nine new priorities for Oxfordshire introduced by the new cabinet. As a thank you, we'll give you £20 and a certificate to add to your portfolio. The link is https://letstalk.oxfordshire.gov.uk/your-voice-your-views
The second is "Let's talk digital" and we are looking for feedback from young people interested in helping shape the digital offering of Oxfordshire County Council, such as through websites social media and other online services. The conversation will last 30 minutes and any young people partaking can claim £10. The link is https://letstalk.oxfordshire.gov.uk/lets-talk-digital-2021
Your Oxfordshire: 20mph limits, scams and honours for our firefighters: Your Oxfordshire: 20mph limits, scams and honours for our firefighters (mailchi.mp)
Civil Parking Enforcement is coming to Cherwell, South and Vale. In advance of Civil Parking Enforcement coming into effect later this year, we will soon be embarking on a publicity campaign to educate and warn motorists of the changes to parking enforcement. This is unlikely to affect Uffington village, but for more information please visit: https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/residents/roads-and-transport/parking/new-parking-enforcement-areas
Road closure. The Woolstone Road from Shotover to the corner at Lilac Cottage will be closed all day on 28 October. (This is an update on the signs which currently say 22 October.) The diversion route is around the village, via High St and Broad St, and vice versa.
From the Police. Do You Want Your Work to Make a Difference Every Day? Do you want to support community safety? Join Thames Valley Police as a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO). Our PCSOs are the face of the police within local communities. As a PCSO, you will police our neighbourhoods, work to reduce crime and disorder, and build strong relationships with our communities and partner agencies.
Join us in keeping Thames Valley safe. Apply today and become a PCSO: PCSO apprenticeship in Oxfordshire - apply here
More information about the PCSO role is available on our TVP Careers website, on the PCSO page: https://tvpcareers.co.uk/roles/pcsos/
From the Churches of Uffington Benefice
Please find attached the Weekly Sheet for Sunday 17 October: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/c3bcaf0b-403c-f292-0c3c-c0c451566aca/wsh_2021_10_17_Updated.pdf
See the website for all information and links for the Zoom services: https://www.uffingtonbenefice.com/home
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