UFFINGTON PARISH COUNCIL
Parish Council Grants. The window is currently open for applications to the Council for grants; Documentation is available at: https://www.uffingtonparish.gov.uk/community/uffington-parish-council-20878/grant/
ADVANCE NOTICE: The Autumn Tidy of the Jubilee Field will be held on Saturday 25th October, 10 am to midday. The Parish Council hopes that as many as are able will turn out to help with various tasks such as laying wood chippings on the path round the pond, clearing around the small beech hedge, strimming where required, helping sow grass and perennial wild flower seed near the pond, and of course, weather permitting, we will have a bonfire. Please come armed with appropriate tools - shears, rakes, barrows etc. Your help will be much appreciated!
Planning applications.
The district council has approved a planning application, reference P25/V1544/HH, for development work at the following location: 15 Patricks Orchard Uffington Faringdon. The application is for: Two storey side extension. Garden room. You can see details of the application on our website by clicking this link
MESSAGE FROM YOUR MP
The past month has been a particularly busy and productive period, marked by the Liberal Democrat Conference, ongoing parliamentary work, and a range of constituency engagements. Most notably, I'm honoured to have been appointed as the Liberal Democrats' Transport Spokesperson, and my team and I are currently coordinating the transition to this new role.
At the Liberal Democrat Conference in Bournemouth, it was a pleasure to meet so many people and discuss the needs of residents and communities in Didcot and Wantage with national charities and organisations. I was especially pleased to contribute to policy discussions and outline key local issues. Particular highlights included interviews with ITV and LBC, taking part in a Q&A on men and boys' mental health and wellbeing, and proposing a new policy to protect the UK's space sector - citing the vital role of Culham and Harwell in supporting our national economy.
In Parliament, I attended an event focused on the future of the UK Space Strategy, spoke at the High Speed Rail Group's Political Engagement Network meeting, and met with Wave Optics, a manufacturing site based in the constituency. I also attended the launch of the new PlaceShapers report exploring the potential of housing associations, and continued my ongoing work as a member of the Transport Committee.
Back in the constituency, I met with the new parking regulators and the Orchard Centre in Didcot along with the Centre's manager, where I pressed them on the new parking payment method, antisocial behaviour, Christmas lights this year, and traffic issues – I will be meeting with them again and reporting back on progress. Additionally, I enjoyed meeting young people from Youth Challenge, and attended a climate event in Oxford with constituents. I have also recently released a health survey, which hundreds have already responded to. The link can be found here: https://oxonlibdems.typeform.com/25healthsurvey.
Outside of work, I managed to take a short cycling trip across Europe - a great reminder of the potential for improving cycling infrastructure here at home. There is so much we can learn from our European partners about safe, accessible, and sustainable travel.
As always, if there is anything you feel I can help you with, please do not hesitate to contact me and my team at olly.glover.mp@parliament.uk, or by leaving a voice message on 0207 219 7657.
Olly
Olly Glover, MP for Didcot and Wantage
Photo attached: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/36ab3e65-ac25-7029-d777-04f0e50d2577/Olly_Glover_MP_Oct_25.pdf
WHAT'S ON - IN & AROUND UFFINGTON
Saturday 11 October, 2 – 5 pm. Jane Austen Tea Party tomorrow, in the Thomas Hughes Memorial Hall. More information attached: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/images/d20b4b37-3de6-c2e1-48e9-9b8eec955810.jpg
The Health of Our Rivers: Evidence from the Ock, Thames, and Tributaries – Wednesday 29 October, from 7 to 9.00 pm. Are you concerned about pollution in our local rivers and streams? Join us for a community gathering to share and discuss the results of citizen science water quality testing across the Vale of White Horse and the Thames from Oxford to Dorchester.
Local volunteers have been sampling rivers and streams every month, building a detailed picture of where our waters are healthy and where they are under threat.
At this event, we'll present the findings, celebrate the work of our community scientists, and bring together local people, the water company, government representatives and the Environment Agency to talk about what needs to happen next. Together, we'll explore how we can take action for cleaner, healthier rivers for wildlife and for our communities. Tea, coffee and refreshments will be available. See attached for booking information: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/4a5b80e4-ba92-a585-0a29-65b4ebb57a2d/Thames_21_Event_poster_Oct_29th.pdf
Friday 14 November – Pudding Party, in aid of Uffington Picnic Fest 2026. More information attached: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/50b1e807-0b93-3f2a-3ce3-65661c1402e4/Pudding_party_.pdf
GENERAL
Church Teas. The Vicar, Ministry Team and the Parochial Church Council (PCC) would like to thank everyone who helped in this summer's programme of Sunday Church Teas - those who were leaders, those who ran up and down the aisle with loaded trays, those chained to the sink, whose who took the money and especially the fantastic bakers whose cakes and scones made it possible.
Amazingly, we made £5,000 for church funds. That is £1,500 more than last year. We were lucky with the weather, having only one wet Sunday but even that day was not a wash out.
Please, to continue at this pace next year we need more helpers. Please tell friends and neighbours what satisfaction there is serving the visitors who come to our area and how pleased they are to see our tempting array of cakes etc and be served with a good pot of tea. Having WiFi and a card reader has been significant as nearly half of our takings have been by this method. Thank you also to everyone who persevered to get this connected.
FAY and HELEN
FROM THE VALE
The October edition of Vale News for 2025. See: The October edition of Vale News for 2025
Local groups to get £100,000 for climate and nature projects. Floodplain restoration, improved insulation for a local museum and a giveaway of at least 1600 new trees are just a few of the projects to be given financial help by the Vale of White Horse District Council's Climate Action Fund this autumn. You can see details on our website by clicking this link
(Note the award to Uffington - Sustainably managing the recovery of woodland using 'horse logging' to protect the woodland and save carbon emissions (Wilts and Berks Canal Trust))
Councils to take positive steps to represent communities despite concerns with Inspectors' Local Plan decision. South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils have written an open letter in which they have stated the Planning Inspectors' conclusions on their Joint Local Plan were unwarranted and lacking coherent explanation. You can see details on our website by clicking this link
Progress to net zero to be discussed. Multi-million-pound construction projects to replace end-of-life gas boilers with solar panels and air source heat pumps at leisure centres in Wantage and Abingdon are helping Vale of White Horse District Council to reduce its overall carbon emissions. You can see details on our website by clicking this link
Brown bin permit holders can have extra garden waste collected this Autumn. Description: Brown bin permit holders can have extra garden waste collected for free, on their normal scheduled collection day only, between 27 October and 7 November. You can see details on our website by clicking this link
COUNTY NEWS
Road closures.
Broad Street Uffington – Highway drainage repairs. Work to repair the damaged drainage adjacent to the telephone box will commence at 0800 on Wednesday 15 October and is expected to take 3 days, to be completed prior to the scheduled re-surfacing. Parking of vehicles in this area will not be possible during this work. Traffic lights will be used. Waiting will be not permitted outside the School, in order to allow sufficient space for traffic coming through the lights.
Monthly Oxfordshire County Councillor update – extract:
Faringdon Area Traffic Advisory Committee - A420 speed limits due to change in Sept/Oct, to make the length of the road 50pmh except for the dual carriageway section. -waiting for confirmation on this.
- New traffic lights at the Great Coxwell junction, this is delayed and waiting on the other development work.
- Wiltshire cement spills. please contact the general manager Will Hanson on 07985675251 or will.hanson@wiltshirehbm.com and he will have the issue immediately addressed and cleaned up.
- Community Speedwatch is effective, repeat offenders are rare. If there is evidence of a specific date and time which experiences the most speeding then a Police speed trap can be arranged.
Infrastructure Update - Stanford in the Vale waste recycling centre is looking to expand and open a reuse shop
Oxford City - Temporary congestion charge permits. Please be advised that you are now able to apply for a temporary congestion charge permit for Oxford City. See: Oxford's temporary congestion charge for cars | Oxfordshire County Council
THAMES VALLEY POLICE
Man sentenced for livestock worrying. Following an investigation by our Rural Crime Taskforce, a man has been sentenced for livestock worrying. Chris Smith let his dogs loose in a field with sheep near Blewbury at around midday on 23 February. One of the sheep later sadly died. The 52-year-old man from Didcot was charged on 21 August. He pleaded guilty to one count of being the owner of a dog worrying livestock at Oxford Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, and was ordered to pay compensation of £560 and court fees of £85. Always keep your dog under control around other animals and if you see a dog on the loose worrying animals, report it online. Livestock worrying isn't just a threat to a farmer or land owner's livelihood, it's also a dangerous situation for the animals involved, and could lead to more risk if the animals get onto the road.
New scam detection tool. Today, Get Safe Online has launched a new scam detection tool on their website. If you are suspicious of a text, email or message and you want to check if it is legit or not before responding, you can upload it to Ask Silver on the Get Safe Online website and whereupon it will return an indication of whether the communication is safe or a 'red flag' for fraud.
This can be accessed here:
Ask Silver - Get Safe Online
Also attached is our latest Back-to-Basics campaign - providing lots of tips and advice from our experts about staying safe online this October. You can read more about this here: Your back-to-basics guide to keeping safe online - Get Safe Online
Attachments
Oct25_Back_to_Basics_Leaflet.pdf
New Scam Alert: Protect yourself from payment diversion fraud when buying a new property. City of London Police and Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime, are urging the public to remain vigilant following a rise in payment diversion fraud - commonly known as conveyancing fraud. This type of fraud often involves criminals impersonating solicitors or estate agents to intercept large financial transfers during property transactions. For more information see attached: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/7621d754-7666-88a1-1816-a41ca752d299/New_Scam_Alert.pdf
Our News - October 2025. Attachments:
Our News October 2025.pdf
Thames Valley Police Launches 24/7 British Sign Language (BSL) Access for Non-Emergency Calls. Thames Valley Police is committed to making our services accessible to everyone in our community.
👋Did you know about our partnership with Sign Video, a British Sign Language (BSL) online interpreting service? This free service allows deaf and hearing-impaired residents to contact us using their mobile phone, tablet, or computer for non-emergency matters.
📲 Use the Sign Video app or visit Video Relay Service App for BSL Users And Interpreters | SignVideo : SignVideo. You can then contact Sign Video for free, through the Sign Directory by tapping on Thames Valley. For more information, please visit www.signvideo.co.uk.
✅This service is simple, secure, and designed to ensure that everyone can reach us in the way that suits them best. Officers will communicate through the interpreter, with no change to how the call is managed.
FROM THE CHURCHES OF UFFINGTON BENEFICE
Please find attached the Weekly Sheet for Sunday 12 October: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/891aa414-4460-fef3-6a72-7b2c3481541a/wsh_2025_10_12.pdf
For all information, please see: https://www.uffingtonbenefice.com/
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