This newsletter is c36 hours earlier than usual, due to absence from Uffington later in the week.
Local news
Uffington White Horse Show - 28th & 29th August
Urgent - Car Parking. Today, Wednesday, we have lost two people from our car parking team on both Sunday and Monday, which represents a loss of 50% and at one of the busiest parking times. Can you help please? We need volunteers to help with parking cars from 10.00am to 12.00 noon on Sunday or Monday. All I can offer is free entry to the Show and our grateful thanks for getting us out of a hole.
If you can do a two hour shift from 10.00am to 12.00 noon on either day, please contact Geoff Rumble on 07747 846 197 or 01367 820036. Full guidance will be available on the day. We just need bodies to ensure cars go the right way and are parked correctly. Age is not a barrier.
Cake Stall. Contributions to this would be warmly welcomed; all proceeds will be going to St Mary's Church. Could you drop cakes, biscuits or scones to Fay Forster (820363), Valerie Foster (820668) or Linda Lord (820134) from Thursday 25th onwards. THANK YOU, this would be much appreciated!
There will not be any Teas in St Mary's Church on Sunday 28 August, but they will be served on every Sunday in September.
From Thames Water. Our hosepipe ban has started.
Just a reminder that our hosepipe ban (also known as a Temporary Use Ban) started on 24 August, for everyone we supply water to.
We've had lots of useful customer feedback over the past week and have updated our website with extra information, along with a few new exceptions to the rules. Everything's explained in full on our website, including answers to common questions and details of support for those with mobility issues. Find out more: Water restrictions | Help | Thames Water
White Horse Gardening Club – 1 September
On Thursday 1st September Uffington's White Horse Gardening Club are proud to announce a Talk by well-known broadcaster and plantsman Stephen Lacey. The talk is entitled 'Scent in the Garden'. Stephen Lacey is a garden writer, lecturer, broadcaster and plantsman with particular interest in planting and design. He is a long-standing columnist and feature writer for The Daily Telegraph, and contributes to many other publications including House and Garden, the RHS Journal and Horticulture Magazine.
More information attached: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/74a79fcd-5350-5f29-7e30-59dacff73a9f/Stephen_Lacey_Talk_1st_Sept_poster.pdf
At Thomas Hughes Memorial Hall, Uffington SN7 7RA. Thurs 1st Sept. Talk begins at 7:30pm hall opens 7:00pm. Visitors £5
The Fair. The traditional end of summer Fair will be in Uffington again this year. They have had some mechanical problems and the current plan is to start to set up on the Jubilee Field on Tuesday 30 August, and to open for business from Wednesday to Saturday, 7 to 10 September.
Vale District Council news
Vale News - August 2022. See: Vale News - August 2022 (emailblaster.cloud)
(This includes information on Bank Holiday waste collections – a day later than usual).
New freshwater habitats and wetlands will be created in East Hanney, Garford and Grove to help provide an ideal environment for wildlife to thrive, including protected species such as Great Crested newts. Cabinet members at Vale of White Horse District Council agreed to allocate £91,232 of developer contributions; money collected as part of developers' agreements ... You can see details on our website by clicking this link
From the Police
South and Vale's Neighbourhood Teams Working together to tackle Catalytic Converter Theft. Together the Neighbourhood Teams within the South and Vale have been working hard to make their communities aware of the increase in Catalytic Converter Thefts. Hundreds of people have been passed crime prevention advice and handed Catalytic Converter Marking Kits that will make vulnerable Catalytic Converters less desirable to steal and easier to trace. We would like to thank all the members of the public that have engaged with us across these events. Together we will make crime harder to commit in our area.
The poster circulated last week is attached: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/6c351595-ff96-79a1-a2a8-4a440ebd42d2/Catalytic_converter_thefts.01.pdf
New Joint Patrolling Partnership Between Thames Valley Police and The Civil Nuclear Constabulary. The new partnership with police officers from the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) will increase the policing presence within the South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse local area.
The CNC is currently responsible for the protection of civil nuclear sites and has jurisdiction over the surrounding area of the Harwell Magnox site. Officers from each force will regularly patrol together to respond to calls received by Thames Valley Police, as well as undertake pro-active duties and local neighbourhood patrols, whilst ensuring that the CNC's primary and critical role of protecting the national infrastructure safe from any threat is maintained.
The initiative will give Thames Valley Police a greater range of resources to help keep the local policing area safe and enhance the already close and effective working relationship. The CNC officers bring a wealth of experience with them and are trained as medics who can provide initial emergency medical care at a scene, should the situation arise.
More details here - https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/news/thames-valley/news/2022/august/22-08-2022/new-joint-patrolling-partnership-between-thames-valley-police-and-the-civil-nuclear-constabulary/
Message from Zoe Powderly - Firearms Licensing Manager
Postal Strikes. I would like to advise you that Royal Mail are intending to strike on the following dates: - Friday 26th August
- Wednesday 31st August
- Thursday 8th September
- Friday 9th September
Please note that it will be unlikely that we will receive any external post or be able to send any post externally on these dates, so please be aware there will be delays to you receiving any documentation from the firearms licensing department during the time periods above.
From the Churches of Uffington Benefice
For all information, please see: https://www.uffingtonbenefice.com/
Village news 19 August 2022 Local news
From Thames Water (their text without the graphics). From Wednesday 24 August, we need to bring in a hosepipe ban (also known as a Temporary Use Ban) for everyone we supply water to.
After the driest July on record, and below average rainfall in 10 of the last 12 months, water levels in our rivers and reservoirs are much lower than usual. We have more teams reducing leakage than ever before, working 24/7 to find and fix over 1,100 leaks a week. The recent heatwaves mean that demand for water has also hit record highs.
We've been working around the clock to supply everyone, and customers have been brilliant at saving water where they can. This week's rain isn't enough to get levels back to where they need to be, and with low rainfall forecast for the coming months, we now need to take the next step in our drought plan. Everything we do now will help protect the environment and supplies next summer.
The restrictions and exceptions are explained in full on our website
The ban also applies to sprinklers and jet washers. You can use a watering can or bucket instead of a hose – but please help to protect precious supplies by only using water where you really need to. You'll find lots more information, and answers to common questions, on our website, here: Water restrictions | Help | Thames Water
David Johnston MP Article – September's article attached here: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/3770ab61-d554-a711-3c1d-b5fc8c397692/David_Johnston_MP_September_.pdf
Car boot sale. This Sunday 21 August from 10.00 am; more information attached: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/86ae0909-d867-e740-397a-e44e5ee85e95/Car_boot_sale_21st_Aug.01.pdf
Uffington White Horse Show - 28th and 29th August - Working Party needed - 20th & 21st August 2022. It's not long now till we see the return of the White Horse Show after a 3 year absence. As a result, we have a quite a lot of work to get to the field ready, including gates and hedges that have become over-grown and need preparing. We therefore plan a number of working parties and ask if you can spare a few hours to help get the show-ground ready? More information attached:
- Cake Stall. Contributions to this would be warmly welcomed! Could you drop cakes, biscuits or scones to Fay Forster (820363), Valerie Foster (820668) or Linda Lord (820134) from Thursday 25th onwards. THANK YOU, this would be much appreciated!
Chalking the Horse – Between 28 August and 1 September. See: Chalking the Horse | National Trust
Friends Of Tom Brown's School Museum // Talk - Monday 5 September 2022, doors open 7.00pm for 7.30pm, at Thomas Hughes Memorial Hall, Uffington.
Join Emeritus Professor Gary Lock, University of Oxford, for a talk on three local hillforts and what they reveal about the prehistoric communities of the White Horse.
Living with the White Horse: Excavations at Ridgeway Hillforts. The Uffington White Horse is an iconic landscape feature that we are all familiar with, but what do we know about the people who may have constructed and used it? This talk will address this through the detailed excavations of three nearby hillforts, Uffington Castle, Segsbury Camp and Alfred's Castle. By comparing the evidence from these three sites we can build up a picture of the life of later prehistoric people and assess the importance of these enigmatic and spectacular monuments.
Gary has been teaching and researching Iron Age archaeology at Oxford for more than 30 years. He specialises in hillforts and as well as excavating on the Ridgeway has worked in Wales and Shropshire. He was co-director of the Atlas of hillforts project which collected and published details on over 4,000 sites in Britain and Ireland.
Tickets on the door. Entrance £5; Friends of the Museum and Concessions £3
Friends of the Ridgway Newsletter Summer 2022. See attached: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/265fa29c-6dac-afa1-db02-36b855866308/FoR_newsletter_summer_2022.pdf
Elm Tree Surgery – September 2022 update: see attached: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/2d536fe7-27d9-c026-f869-e39afac8da56/Elm_Tree_Surgery_September_2022.pdf
Vale District Council news
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils will soon be moving on from the office building that has been our home for the past seven years. At the end of September, to significantly reduce unnecessary costs, we will be moving to some temporary office space in the Vale's Abbey House building in the ... You can see details on our website by clicking this link
County news
Oxfordshire's transport and travel bulletin. See: Modular Template Patterns (mailchi.mp)
Your Oxfordshire. Investment in rail and buses, and community grants. See: Investment in rail and buses, and community grants (mailchi.mp)
From the Police. Catalytic Convertor Thefts. Stop Catalytic Convertor Thieves! There has been an increase in catalytic convertor thefts from vehicles across the South & Vale area. We ask the public to remain vigilant & take appropriate crime prevention measures, which have been suggested in the leaflet attached: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/87b7c4af-f748-0bc6-3894-06e1f1861150/Catalytic_converter_thefts.pdf
Call us on 999 if a crime is in progress or 101 for non-emergencies.
From the Churches of Uffington Benefice
Please find attached the Weekly Sheet for Sunday 21 August 2022: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/bf84f1e6-4edc-b684-b0c1-84a6aadf898e/wsh_2022_08_21.pdf
https://www.uffingtonbenefice.com/
Village news 12 August 2022 Local news
Car boot sale. Next Sunday 21 August from 10.00 am; more information attached: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/d85822c9-4c9d-2463-63e9-00221c33b174/Car_boot_sale_21st_Aug.pdf
Uffington White Horse Show – 28 and 29 August
Cake Stall. Contributions to this would be warmly welcomed! Could you drop cakes, biscuits or scones to Fay Forster (820363), Valerie Foster (820668) or Linda Lord (820134) from Thursday 25th onwards. THANK YOU, this would be much appreciated!
Vale District Council news
We come in all shapes and sizes, we look and sound different, and we all see things differently. South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse District Councils value and embrace these differences, as these are the things that make each of us unique. It doesn't matter who they are, everyone will eventually need ... You can see details on our website by clicking this link
Energy bills. Households on low income in the Vale of White Horse will soon receive a one-off payment to help with the rising cost of energy bills. Those living in properties which are in council tax bands E to H and who are in receipt of council tax support will receive a single one-off payment of up ... You can see details on our website by clicking this link
Hot weather and waste collections. The hot weather this week might slow our waste collection crews down and on particularly hot days they might be unable to complete their rounds. If the bins in your street or area are not emptied on your normal day this week, please leave them out for two days after your scheduled collection (including the weekend) and the crews will aim to catch up. You can always find more information on 'Your Bins' page on our website.
County news
New guides on energy-saving homes from Low Carbon Oxford North
This is from the chair of Low Carbon Oxford North (LCON), writing to let local communities know about our new Housewarming Guides
(Editor's note: The website includes six comprehensive 'Housewarming Guides' to support people who want to improve their homes, as we move towards the 'net zero' target. These guides consider key questions for each stage of any plans to ensure they will work for you and your home).
Housewarming Guides are written by an expert in home energy and are designed for people considering upgrading their homes to use less energy, to be warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, and to be ready to install heat pumps as older boilers are phased out. Many people want to do this work on their homes but are wondering where to start, how to talk to contractors, and what the priorities should be. We know that there is a lot of information about energy-saving measures on the Internet, but our Guides are different because they really help people to identify what kinds of measures they can take in their own home. This is because they are: - Independent of any commercial interests
- Full of useful decision-making tools and explanations of technical language which homeowners can use to ask the right questions of the relevant professionals
- Designed for homeowners, not contractors
- Clear about options and risks
All the guides are available in electronic form on our website https://lcon.org.uk/housewarming and can be downloaded free of charge.
We are planning to print hard copies of the Guides later this year. Please let LCON know by the end of August if you would like to purchase one or more sets and we will be in touch in September to confirm the price. Meanwhile we would welcome any comments you have. Email: info@lcon.org.uk
We'd also be delighted if you would share this information in your own communities and networks.
Housewarming is made possible by generous donations from LCON trustees, members and supporters. If you would like to help us create more guides, fund an organiser for Housewarming and make our existing guides even more user-friendly, follow this link to our Crowdfunding page
From the Police
New legislation to crack down on illegal hare coursing came into effect 1st August:
Hare coursing – new powers and tougher penalties – NFUonline
This may deter some but not all & now that crops are harvested, please be aware of illegal hare coursing/poaching & suspicious vehicles. Don't approach these people, report immediately on 999, or 101 if after the event. When reporting through 101 / 999 please focus on the following when talking to the police:
C - Caller: Give your name & contact details
L - Location: Where is the offence happening/happened (what3words reference if possible)
O - Offences: Type of crime in progress/occurred
V - Vehicles: Describe transport type, & persons inc. ethnicity
E - Exit: What route have they taken/direction
From the Churches of Uffington Benefice
Please find attached the Weekly Sheet for Sunday 14 August 2022: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/7588cc44-a6ef-c34d-848e-0c88ceec2ae2/wsh_2022_08_14.pdf
https://www.uffingtonbenefice.com/
Power cut 11 August Areas around Uffington and Faringdon appear to be suffering from intermittent power cuts this morning.
SSE are aware and have told me that the problems (2 of them) should be sorted by 16.00 today, but at present the power is on, anyway.
Should any vulnerable person require urgent assistance please call the SSE emergency number of 105.
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