Village Bonfire Party – 5 November 2011 Weather arrangements

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Admin

The Bonfire Party will go ahead on Saturday as planned unless we have high winds blowing in the wrong direction, if that is the case we will postpone to the following Saturday (12th). Any announcement will be posted on the village email messaging service and we would aim to have made the decision by 3pm.

Gates open at 6pm. The fireworks will be going off at approx 7pm, we may bring that time forward if the weather is particularly awful.

Please do come and support this event, set the TV to record ‘Strictly’, wrap up warm and be prepared for the rain, bring your umbrellas.

There will be the BBQ selling our trademark tasty burgers and sausages. We have increased the quantity of mulled wine which is always so popular and of course there will be tasty treats on sale for those with a sweet tooth plus the bar selling wine and beer.

The bonfire looks as though it will be as impressive as in previous years, where does all the stuff come from??

We would be very grateful for any help on Saturday morning from 9.30am to help collect more bonfire wood and also to help with the construction. So if you fancy a few hours of flexing your muscles do come along and join us, many hands make light work etc etc! Oh and if anyone has a trailer or flatbed van for collecting wood etc that would be wonderful, we already have two but another couple would speed up the job.

Tickets for the event can be bought from the school office or contact Sally on 01865 407788 or email me on richsal2000@yahoo.co.uk

Tickets bought in advance Family of 4 – 2 adults, 2 children £12 Adult £5 Child £2.50 under 5’s FREE

This year’s profits will go to St Mary’s Church and The Alheizemer Society

Parking will be available in the school playground for any visitors.

Don’t forget the Guy competition, the judging takes place at 3pm in the Bonfire Paddock, fabulous prize donated by The Vine & Spice for the winning Guy.

Posted in What's On | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Forest School

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Admin

The village Pre-school wants to brighten up a corner of Acklings playing field and eventually turn it into a nature reserve. The group plans to clear brambles, plant saplings, erect a four-foot high fence and gate, create a pathway, build wooden benches and establish a range of bird boxes to encourage wildlife. The group has applied for a grant of £3,500 to the Gannet company (owners of the Oxford Mail and associated newspapers) that supports community projects. The council supports the proposals in principle but wants more information about the type of fencing.

Posted in Parish Council | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Phone box life saver

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Admin

Long Wittenham’s redundant red telephone box is to be transformed into a home for life saving medical equipment. It’s believed to be the first village in Oxfordshire to go ahead with plans to install a Public Access Defibrillator or PAD in a phone box to help save the lives of heart attack victims.

It will cost more than £2,000 to buy and install. The Parish Council is in talks with the Community Heart Beat Trust, the British Heart Foundation, St John Ambulance and South Oxfordshire District Council to explore grant aid.

Parish Council chairman Tom Bowtell said: “There has been unanimous support for the idea of a PAD in the old phone box in the High Street. Our first thoughts were to site a PAD outside the village hall but we have taken advice from the Heart Beat Trust who told us that using old phone boxes has been successful in villages in other parts of the country.”

The idea for a defibrillator followed a public consultation about what use should be made of the redundant phone box which the council bought from BT for £1. A book exchange and information point was a popular idea and village resident Crispin Evans suggested using the phone box to house a PAD.

He proposed the idea in memory of his son Guy, 17, who died three years ago when he fell from his motorcycle. Three friends went to help but lacked First Aid skills and by the time an ambulance arrived 15 minutes later Guy was dead. The inquest established that Guy was not injured but died of asphyxiation due to a sudden heart arrhythmia.

Mr Evans from Fieldside said: “I very much welcome the council’s decision. Minutes are vital for anyone who suffers a heart attack and a defibrillator can save a life. My family will make a contribution towards the cost and I am also prepared to arrange a village fund raising event.”

The phone box will double up as a home for the PAD and book exchange. It has an electricity supply to charge the defibrillator. The PAD will be available 24 hours-a-day. Anyone who needs to use the machine would dial 999 and the operator would issue a security code to unlock the box containing the PAD. The machine is programmed to give step-by-step instructions to the user and special knowledge would not be necessary.

Posted in Parish Council | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Village Hall roof

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Admin

Repairs costing £1,500 have been carried out to the roof of the village hall. The roof is in a poor condition and may well have to be replaced in the long term but much depends on progress towards a new hall in another part of the village. A site at Challis farm is the favoured option but there are several sticking points: how much will it cost to buy a plot of land? Will the council be able to sell the site of the present hall for development and would planning permission be granted in the High Street conservation area?

Posted in Parish Council | Tagged | Leave a comment

A new village map

Posted on October 30, 2011 by Admin

Work is underway on a new village map to be displayed outside the village hall as an aid to visitors and delivery companies. It will include an index and grid references to roads, properties and pictures of local landmarks. The council is prepared to spend up to £150 for the services of a cartographer to help with the production of the map.

Posted in Parish Council | Tagged | Leave a comment

A more colourful village

Posted on October 30, 2011 by Admin

Next spring and summer new splashes of colour will brighten up the village. Members of Wittenham Vision have planted 6,000 daffodil, snow drop and fritillary bulbs in grass verges along Didcot Road, High Street, the Cross, bus stop, war memorial, outside the village hall, church and triangle at the entrance to the village. The bulbs are locally resourced and disease resistant. Summer flowing meadow plants have also been planted. The parish council has donated £500 towards the scheme and Wittenham Vision is seeking financial help from other sources.

Posted in Parish Council, Wittenham Vision | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

New finance man

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Admin

Long Wittenham Parish Council has a new finance officer. He’s Clifford Bosley, a retired accountant who has succeeded Samantha Humphreys. Mrs Humphreys, who had been associated with the council for nearly ten years, resigned at the end of September because of increasing full-time work commitments.

Mr Bosley worked in the retail car sector and for six years was involved in the government’s Serious Organised Crime Agency SOCA. He moved to Long Wittenham from Culham 18 months ago. He lives with his wife Christine in Sinoden Cottage in High Street. His interests are his family, two dogs and playing golf.

Mr Bosley said: “I am looking forward to my role with the parish council. I want to play an active part in village life and I hope my experience will be of value to the council and the community.”

Mrs Humphreys joined the council in 2002 first as clerk and later as the Registered Financial Officer. Paying tribute to Mrs Humphreys the council’s chairman Tom Bowtell said: “I would like to thank Mrs Humphreys for her commitment and dedication. She was a great asset to the council. We are fortunate to have secured the services and experience of Mr Bosley so quickly after Mrs Humphrey’s resignation.”

Posted in Parish Council | Leave a comment

Parish Council vacancy

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Admin

Councillor Derek Shelton who joined the council only six months ago has decided to step down. Mr Shelton, an architect who runs his own building design company, said: “It’s with great regret that I have resigned from the council after such a short stay but an increasing workload in my business means that I cannot devote sufficient time to council matters.

“I have enjoyed my brief stay working on transport issues and plans to convert the old red phone box into a book exchange and hopefully for use as a home for a defibrillator. It’s interesting work and I hope someone steps forward to take my place to play a part in the local community.”

Mr Bowtell thanked Mr Shelton for his work on the old telephone box and transport issues. He added: “There are many important issues facing the village and we hope someone will step forward and play their part on the council.”

Anyone interested in joining the council should apply to the clerk Julie Braley on 01235 848749 or email: longwittpc@hotmail.co.uk

Posted in Parish Council | Leave a comment

Bus service consultation

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Admin

Long Wittenham’s only bus service linking the village with Didcot, Abingdon, Appleford and Berinsfield will come under scrutiny next year as Oxfordshire County Council seeks savings to its public transport bus subsidy budget. Service 97 will be one of many rural bus services in the county that will be examined.

There will be two open meetings to discuss issues at Wallingford town hall on November 9. At 2.30pm and 6.30pm.Comments and ideas must be with the county council by December 24 at the latest. In March decisions will be taken on new bus contracts starting June next year and running for six years.

Long Wittenham’s Monday to Saturday 97 service is run by Whites Coaches and attracts an annual subsidy of more than £45,500. Peak journeys from Dorchester to Didcot Girls School and return are provided commercially by Whites. Only off-peak and Saturday journeys receive a subsidy that works out at £3.95 per passenger.

Figures show that the route has generated passengers between Berinsfield and Didcot and has the potential for even more business with planned housing growth at Didcot during the six-year contract.

Assistant Passenger Transport Officer John Wood said: “There will be a meeting at the end of March to consider the bids for the re-tendered contracts. Some very difficult decisions will have to be made.

“Reductions in frequency, longer routes to combine two services into one or even complete withdrawal of services particularly of little used market day routes are very possible in the current situation.”

Options open for debate on Long Wittenham’s 97 service include continuing the present service but axing the Abingdon-Didcot arm; an hourly Berinsfield-Didcot service might be possible within existing resources and investigate a possible later afternoon service after the current 15.00 Didcot-Berinsfield service.

Should the route still go round parts of Ladygrove estate which is also served by route 93? At present it provides a morning service into the shopping area of Didcot and serves schools in Ladygrove.

A final option is to withdraw the service completely leaving Long Wittenham without a bus service. A fall-back option is to investigate a Dial-a-Ride service. The parish council wants to retain the service and would like to see an extra late afternoon bus.

Posted in Parish Council | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Chicanes

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Admin

Long Wittenham’s notorious chicanes could be coming to the end of the road. The parish council is in talks with Oxfordshire County Council to replace the chicanes with humps or speed cushions next year is a move to cut congestion and pollution.

Parish councillor Derek Shelton met John King from the county’s Highways department to discuss the state of roads in the village. Also on the agenda were the two chicanes with humps and the full width road hump in the High Street .

Mr Shelton said: “I raised the issue of pot holes and since then repairs have been carried out. We also discussed the topic of the chicanes and to my surprise Mr King shared the council’s view that the chicanes should be removed.”

Mr King said: “Delays and pollution are issues that need to be addressed and there’s also concern about wear and tear to the road surface on either side of the humps. We are looking at what can be done to improve traffic flows through the village at the same time retaining speed deterrents.”

The cost of removing the chicanes and humps and replacing them with new humps or speed cushions would be paid for by the county council. Work would involve the closure of the High Street but for how long and cost factors are uncertain as talks are in their early stages.

The traffic calming measures were introduced in 1995 at the request of the parish council, worried about speeding vehicles. The measures deter speeding but traffic volumes have increased since the expansion of nearby Didcot. At peak times in the morning and late afternoon there are frequent tail backs of vehicles held up at the chicanes and jams are often exacerbated by parked cars.

The parish council is keen to press ahead with new measures for the High Street but wants to retain the more recent chicane in Didcot Road that slows down traffic entering the village without causing congestion.

The council canvassed local opinion. Most villagers (80 per -cent) wanted the chicanes removed and 20 per-cent opposed the idea. Parish council chairman Tom Bowtell said there was a need to improve traffic flows through the village at the same time retaining measures that would deter speeding drivers.

The county council is looking at several options: retaining existing measures, removing the humps and leaving the chicanes, removing the chicanes and humps and installing cushions and removing all the traffic calming measures. Keith Stenning from county Highways said removing the humps and leaving the chicanes would be easiest to achieve but any changes would be subject to a Traffic Regulation Order at a cost of £3,000 and public consultation.

He said: “There is no guarantee that the consultation would support any of the changes or changes that could be afforded from the Didcot Locality Fund .We will be pricing all the options are will be reporting back.”

Posted in Parish Council | Tagged , , | 1 Comment