|
South Hinksey Parish Council
Change of Parish Council members
At the recent Annual Parish Council
meeting Maggie Rawcliffe was elected as Chair and Sarah Balaam as Vice
Chair; Tom Barron was co-opted onto the Council.
Clive Briffett
Clive Briffett stood down from the Council in April. He has served the
Parish for seven years - as Chairman of the Friends of South Hinksey,
as a Parish Councillor, and for the last few years as Chair of the
Council.
Clive instigated the South Hinksey Parish Plan, published in 2005. On
his watch 14 of the 21 proposals in the plan have been partially or
fully implemented. He was the driving force behind the creation of the
Parish woodland off Chilswell Path, and was deeply involved in the
negotiations to secure the use of the field behind the Village Hall
for community events. He planted several trees in the Village.
He has very generously agreed to continue to supervise the woodland on
behalf of the Parish Council, and to represent South Hinksey on the
Oxford Green Belt Network. Once again the parish will have the benefit
of his energy and immense knowledge about the environment.
He has been a regular contributor to the Echo - "Nature's
Niche" is a seasonal and fresh look at nature and wildlife around
the parish.
Our wholehearted thanks to Clive for his service to the parish; for
his vision, enthusiasm, perseverance and achievements.
Maggie Rawcliffe
New Waste Collection Service in the Vale of the White Horse from 4th
October this year. The aim of the new service, which is simpler,
is to increase recycling and reduce landfill costs. Each household
will be receiving new bins between the 6th and 20th
September. Information on the new services will be sent out by
Royal Mail from the 24th of May.
If any Parishioners have opted out of junk mail then they will need to
contact the VOWH waste services team directly in order to receive this
information, this can be done by email admin.vale@verdant-group.co.uk
or by phoning 03000 610610.
An information pack describing what can be put in each bin will be
inside the kitchen caddies when they are delivered. More
information about the new services can be found on the Vale's
website:
A34
Two councillors attended the recent Botley Traffic Advisory
Committee meeting and will report at the next PC meeting.
Proposed car park on Oxford City Council owned land
Three councillors recently attended a site meeting on the field at
the back of Church Close with Jane Wingfield from Oxford City Council.
She will write a detailed report for the PC, which will be considered
at the next PC meeting.
The
General Elliot
| Most
people know of the planning application by the Vale Brewery
for a change of use from the General Elliot pub to one large
residential dwelling. This has provoked a flurry of
indignation, as the Elliot was the only meeting place apart
from the Village Hall left in the Parish. One cold Saturday
morning our then prospective MP, Nicola Blackwood, joined us
at the pub and stood with a large group of residents shivering
in a hailstorm as a photographer from the Oxford Mail came to
take a picture. |

Later on in the week a meeting in the Village Hall
attracted more than forty residents – quite a feat for such
a small community. At the meeting the feeling was unanimously
against the change of use. The Parish Council have therefore
written a detailed letter opposing it. A decision is expected
by Friday 28th May. |
Photo competition: Summer in South Hinksey,
closing date 27th August
Get out and about! We are running a photo competition with the title:
Summer in South Hinksey. Take a picture of anything within the Parish.
Print it, size 4"x 6", and deliver it to any of the editors
(addresses at the end of this edition).
Prize: a big
box of chocs.
Two categories: Children up to 10, and the rest.
Exhibition of all entries at the Summer Fete, then on the website.
Do join in!
The
Spring Party
The
get-together on May 14th was a great success. The
Donkey House Band, children’s songs, adults’ songs, beer,
wine or Pimms, and a chance to get to know your neighbours-
What more could anyone want to celebrate spring?
See p.6 for information about our next Parish celebration!
|
 |
Garden
Club
In March the Garden Club came out of hibernation. We started
off with a talk about new varieties of shrubs and roses from Sam Mallet of
Notcutts Garden Centre. She gave a good practical demonstration of rose pruning
and many helpful hints to increase the vigour of our ornamental shrubs.
In April the Oxford Garden
Centre (formerly Wyvale Garden Centre) in South Hinksey very generously
hosted an evening in which they demonstrated aspects of kitchen
gardening and growingfood plants in containers. The plants |
ranged from
salad crops, pumpkins and courgettes to dwarf apples and pears. And the
evening finished with a walk around the garden centre where staff had
planted up a number of raised beds.
In May Harry Robinson returned with decorative plants for hanging
baskets. He gave a demonstration of how to establish attractive hanging
baskets and outdoor summer pots, bringing a wonderful assortment of
plants and offered help and advice for successful planting.
We plan to continue monthly meetings and future events include a trip to
open gardens in Iffley village, a talk on community gardening projects,
and build your own Christmas wreaths and garlands.
New members are always welcome. Contact Anne Markham: 730577 |
Book Group Visits
Our group has branched out into literary themed visits following
our successful trip to the Bodleian Library. We read Lies and
Loyalty by Rachel Billington and then attended her talk at the
Oxford Literary Festival. She is one of the Pakenham family and
regaled us with some revealing tales of life in a literary clan. We
were able to pose a question about how she managed make what seems
to be an unlikely tale believable to the reader.
The second visit was to the Kennington Literary Day where there was
a presentation by some of the Oxford Women’s Group about using
Oxford as a backdrop to their short stories. Their forthcoming
Bodleian Murders is on our short list for forthcoming meetings.
Barbara Jeffrey
Saint Laurence Church
Blessing of new extension
On Sunday 16th May the Bishop of Ebbsfleet came to St
Laurence Church to bless the new extension, comprising a kitchen and
toilet facilities. He gave an
amusing sermon, touching lightly on the delicate nature of relief.
The church was well filled to hear him and the extension was duly
blessed. Fr James thanked all those who had contributed in so many
different ways to the successful completion of the project.
Afterwards refreshments were served.
The congregation of St. Laurence Church, South Hinksey, would like
to thank the Oxford Garden Centre for the kind donation of daffodils
and primroses. This spring the churchyard has been enhanced by the
plants given last year.
Parish office – Tel 01865 245879,
frwilkinson@ukonline.co.uk
www.acny.org.uk/468
(Fr James Wilkinson)
Nature’s Niche
After the coldest winter since 1978/79 with temperatures dipping to
-17.7degrees in Oxon we experienced a balmy spring cut short by the
return of low temperatures in May. Spring flowers have been slower to
emerge, tree leaves and hedge blossom delayed their flowering, migrant
birds were later to arrive and our amphibian friends much less
reluctant to reach their breeding ponds.
Last year it was recorded on the website for amphibians and
reptiles http://arc-trust.blogspot.com/
that 40,000 toads were saved from being killed on the roads with the
help of 35,000 human volunteers manning 750 road crossing points.
These intrepid helpers spend two to three weeks of their evenings
every year in collecting up toads and transporting them across a road
towards their intended pond destination. I was fortunate to join a
local group at Kennington on the 25th March and we
collected over fifty toads plus a few frogs in one evening in about
two hours after dusk. The toads live in Bagley Wood during the winter
and head for the ponds in Chandlings Manor School in spring. Their
ponds are considered to be the most diverse in the area.
Bird arrivals are now at their peak with the first swallows at the
end of March, swifts at the end of April, and two cuckoos recorded at
Chilswell from the 26th April. Blackcaps, whitethroats,
garden warblers and willow warblers can be heard all round the parish.
If you wish to learn how to recognise some of these birdsongs do join
a dawn chorus bird group arranged throughout May or tune into the RSPB
web site to hear all the calls. If you are less adventurous why not
try listening out of your bedroom window at about 4.30 a.m. onwards.
Many birds are not always easy to see but much easier to hear
especially at this time of year. It is a most rewarding experience to
get out and just listen to nature.
I paid my first ever visit to Raleigh Park in North Hinksey last
week and was pleased to experience such a wild, heterogeneous range of
habitats within such a urban area. True, the sound of the A34 is
nearby but ones ears can automatically filter out this background to
enjoy a cacophony of bird calls that defy the imagination. How a song
thrush can sing for six hours virtually non-stop or a grasshopper
warbler purr like its namesake, or how the wren, one of our smallest
birds can create the noisiest rumpus certainly does reinforce the
wonder of nature.
Although our bird counts may be down they are certainly not out.
Enjoying the nuthatch and woodpeckers at the bird table you could
possibly recognise great, blue, coal, long- tailed and marsh tits. Due
to a recent injury my sporting activities were curtailed in April and
I found myself sitting in the garden just waiting and watching. Do you
really know what wildlife uses your own garden? After this experience
I can categorically say no. Within half an hour I had a rabbit chasing
a muntjac; next door’s cat and a bank vole visiting the leftovers on
the bird table; a jay chased off by a one-legged heron and a goldcrest
coming to bathe in the parrots feather of the pond. I suddenly
realised I was in a very busy garden indeed. A male orange tip
butterfly flitted by, followed by the early yellow brimstone
resembling butter that gave rise to the name "butterfly".
The clue to success was to stay absolutely still and train one’s
eyes and ears to the beauty and diversity of wildlife. The sights and
sounds of nature are indeed a most amazing experience. Try it in your
own garden when the rain stops!
Clive
Briffett
Things
to do
Bridewell Organic
Gardens will
be open on 6th June 2010 from 2 – 5 p.m.
Teas, plants and
Bridewell organic wine for sale.
Bridewell is situated in Wilcote, between North Leigh and
Finstock.
For more information, please telephone 01993
864530 or 868313
South Hinksey
Garden Club June trip Sun 13th June (2 - 6 p.m.)
We are
planning a visit to Iffley Village where seven different gardens
will be open to the public. These range in variety and style
from an English cottage garden with Californian plants to a
small professionally designed Japanese style garden, with maples
and miniature pines. Varied planting throughout the gardens
includes herbaceous borders and shade loving plants, roses, fine
specimen trees and plants in terracing. Features include water
features, formal gardens, small lake and riverbank.
Admission: £4 for all
seven gardens, children free.
SHGC Plan:
Provisionally we plan to meet at 2.00 p.m. on Abberbury Road.
Following a tour of the gardens we will meet for tea at
3.30-4.00 p.m.
All welcome.
|
Forthcoming
Events
Adrian Walsh from SOL will give a presentation about solar
energy in the Village Hall on 18th June at 7.00 p.m.
NOTHING UP MY SLEEVE: at the Village Hall 7.30 p.m. on
Saturday 23rd October. An Evening with Magical Comedian
Ian Keable. Amongst the laughs, he is promising some answers,
explaining some of the techniques he uses to mystify his audience.
Ian Keable was named the British Magical Champion of Comedy and has
been given a Variety Award for Best Magician. He is also a Member of
the Inner Magic Circle with Gold Star; and in 2008 was given the
prestigious Magic Circle Comedy Award.
Tickets available from beginning of September from MaggieRawcliffe
(735288) or email mstopard@btinternet.com

Parish Event
Following the success of the Christmas party and the Spring
Celebration, our next Parish Event will be the second annual South
Hinksey Fete, to be held in the Village Hall and the field
behind on Saturday 4th September. It promises to be even
bigger and better than last year’s, so put the date in your
diaries now! 
Burial
Ground and Wildflowers
Spring brought the cowslips and they are now setting seed, so
hopefully numbers will be up again next year. There have been losses
from the plug plants put out last year - the grass is growing
strongly in some places, providing unwanted competition, and the
harsh winter did not help. Nevertheless many have settled in well;
seen already in the spring end (nearest the church) are the
beautiful Meadow Saxifrage; and Bird’s Foot Trefoil and Dropwort
will probably have flowered by the time this appears in the Echo. So
too will Goatsbeard or Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon, raised from wild
seed, and so called because it only opens fully on sunny mornings;
it later forms a large dandelion-like ‘clock’ seed head.
Under the trees at the far end Red Campion, Dog’s Mercury and
Sweet Woodruff are now well established and Foxgloves are on the
way.
We planted Snowdrops in the green near the entrance gate off Parker
Road in the early spring.
Seedlings are being raised in pots: these include Bird’s Foot
Trefoil, Meadow Vetchling, Musk Mallow, Lady’s Bedstraw, Bladder
Campion and Harebell. Seeds of Great Burnet have germinated but it
remains to be seen whether they will do well here - they tend to
like a wettish habitat.
Grass is removed with each mowing so fertility should fall with
time, making things better for wildflowers. The annual Yellow (Hay)
Rattle has germinated well in situ from seed sown last winter; it
will help reduce the vigour of the grass, being semi-parasitic on
grass roots.
Mowing of the (far) summer end will stop soon and we will then see
what emerges there - there are already hopeful signs. All in all the
meadow, now in its second year, is doing well.
| A new Burial Ground sign
has been erected by the Parish Council. The old concrete
tubs have been removed. The untidy tap area will be sorted
out soon and the path to the church improved in due course.
Peter Rawcliffe
|
 |
Spring Flowers
We had the
best ever display of snowdrops and violets in the churchyard.
However, it is not only the Village that has enjoyed a wonderful
spring - the bluebells on the Hill have been superb.
Ditches and Willows
Thanks to Nick Frearson , who has cleared all the ditches
around the Village, as well as the culverts under the Devil’s
Backbone. He has also pollarded the willows overhanging the pathway,
leaving it looking a bit bare to our shocked eyes. Be reassured: new
strong growth will follow soon!
Save the Children Week 25th
April to 1st May 2010
£78.18 was collected in South
Hinksey. The total amount for Oxford was £5,639.33.
New Opportunity
The Oxford
Spires Practice has opened a tranquil treatment room in the Hinksey
Hill area. For more information about how hypnotherapy and other
holistic methods of healing such as reiki and meditation can
contribute to your wellbeing please contact Lubna Yaqub on01865
321861, or visit the website www.oxfordspirespractice.com.
Alternatively please email the practice to come along to our
meditation evenings every Monday at 7.30.
Communications
Communications within the Parish can be difficult because of the
"dividing line" of the A34 and the scattered nature of
houses in some parts of the Parish. There are various methods of
sharing information (apart from the Echo!):
- Notices on boards
- Delivering flyers to every house (difficult on the Hill where
houses are very spread out)
- The website
www.southhinksey.org
a legacy from the Friends of South Hinksey. To place material on the
website, contact Linda Slater (739183) or info@southhinksey.org
The Parish Council Web pages at
www:sites.google.com/site/southhinkseypc/
South Hinksey Information Network (Shinfo), an email service which
is available to organisations and individuals within the Parish, is
being used more and more. The list now runs to more than a hundred
names and the aim is to reach every household in the Parish. Those
who do not have a computer, or do not wish to receive email
messages, can then be reached by printed messages through doors.
Please remember that if you change your email address you need to
let us know! We will send round a test message on 1 January and 1
July every year. If you think you should be on the list, but do not
receive this communication, please email jolinda.slater@tiscali.co.uk
and we will investigate.
To send a message round on shinfo, contact Linda Slater at jolinda.slater@tiscali.co.uk
- Some Parishioners are starting to use Facebook.
We are making every effort to co-ordinate the different methods
of contacting people.
|