Tackley Newsletter
February & March 2018

Contents

Parish Council

tackleyvillage.co.uk

Members

The clerk is Julie Farren.

Meetings

The parish council meets on the second Monday of each month, followed two weeks later by an informal surgery for 30 minutes. The next formal meeting will be on Monday, 12 February, followed by a surgery on Monday, 26 February. All meetings commence at 7 pm. Should there be matters of concern between these dates please contact the clerk or councillors.

Minutes of all meetings appear on the Tackley website two weeks after the date of the meeting.

Copies of this report are also circulated via Tackley Notices emails.

Parish Clerk

Your council is about to appoint a new clerk.

Precept

Residents will be pleased to know that the council has resolved not to increase its portion of the Council Tax for this year. Ours is only a small proportion of the full annual payment, of course, but ‘every little helps’.

Balliol Farm

The Reserved Matters application was approved by West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) Uplands Committee on 8 January, subject to the omission of the link footpath on the Balliol Close boundary and amended position/orientation of plots 60–62.

Street Farm

The Reserved Matters application was submitted on 21 December, exhibited in the village hall coffee shop immediately after Christmas, and the parish council response was posted on the WODC planning website on 10 January. A date for consideration by WODC is not yet known.

44b St John’s Road (Land North of 44a)

Your council has submitted a strong objection to this planning appeal. At the time of going to press there is no news of any decision by the inspector.

Airport at Kidlington

The airport authority is applying to the Civil Aviation Authority for variations in its runway approach arrangements. We are seeking clarification about this application from the airport authority.

Front Garden Hedges

There are still a number of front garden hedges encroaching onto the walkways. Have a look at yours; does it make it difficult for people walking two abreast to do so without stepping out into the road? If it does, then it is particularly dangerous for children walking that way. Please, cut it back to a reasonable depth.

Crecy Hill Nature Reserve

There is always a need for volunteers to clear the scrub and brambles. If you have some spare time please contact June Collier.

Railway

Following representation by the council, the cabinet that had been blocking the sightline for people crossing the level crossing has now been moved and no longer poses a problem. Options for providing a safer way to cross at the station are being considered by Network Rail in consultation with our representatives.

Tackley Village Shop: A History

Tackley Village Shop Committee

On 3 February, Tackley Village Shop celebrates its fourteenth birthday. This is quite an achievement and turnaround from life in the village just over eighteen years ago. Back in 1999, Tackley had recently lost its post office, shop, and a pub, meaning residents were unable to access essential services easily on their doorstep. It also felt like Tackley was on the way to becoming just another dormitory village.

A group of concerned villagers got together to see what could be done to reverse this and look into the possibility of opening a community-run shop. The first step was to send out a questionnaire, asking what people wanted. There was a very high response, with the vast majority supporting the project and identifying what services they would like. On the wish-list were a post office, milk, newspapers, fresh bread, fresh vegetables, alcohol and dry cleaning.

And so started the four-year-long project. This initial aim to provide essentials soon became a much larger ‘all in one’ project: upgrading the village hall to hold the shop, post office and cafe area; and new kitchen, bar and changing rooms. With guidance from the Plunkett Foundation, Oxfordshire Rural Community Council and others, fundraising started immediately. £420,000 was needed, and a dedicated team raised 80% of that from grants. The village itself raised the remainder from donations and fundraising events including sales, coffee mornings and raffles as well as a black tie ball.

Not only did people in the village provide fundraising support, but also an incredible array of specialist skills: legal advice, architecture, marketing, business planning, shop layout and much more. Without the help of so many villagers the project would not have developed as it did. It really was a community-run project.

On 3 February 2004 the shop opened. We are delighted to report that in the fourteen years since, it has gone from strength to strength, with an annual turnover well in excess of £220,000, and a product range that makes other village shops green with envy!

Such is the shop’s success that we are occasionally asked to host visitors from around the UK and abroad to outline the way in which we run it and work with volunteers. This has even included a group of journalists from South Korea interested in the community-run business model.

So much of the shop’s success has been achieved by the incredible generosity and support of the village, both by continuing to use the shop and by giving their time to volunteer in many different ways.

In 2018 we continue to offer all those original wish-list essentials – a post office, freshly-baked bread, newspapers, milk, groceries, fresh vegetables, and beers, wines and spirits – as well as a tempting array of freshly-baked pastries, sandwiches, deli goods, fresh and frozen meat, and fresh coffee.

Happy fourteenth birthday, Tackley Village Shop. We look forward to continuing our incredible project for many more years to come.

Gardiner Arms

Martin Perrin

Christmas and New Year is a wonderful time for us at the pub, with lots going on. Our busy time was as good as hoped for, and it was great to see so many friends over the Christmas season.

Just in time for Christmas we launched our own Tackley Bitter, brewed for us by Little Ox Brewery, a microbrewery, to our own specification. It has proved incredibly popular and much-complemented. Please come and taste it.

We had a big raffle on Christmas Eve with lots of prizes. Christmas Day saw plenty of people joining us prior to their Christmas dinner. And on Boxing Day, the fun run took place — this was well attended, and turned out to be probably our busiest day of the year.

On New Year’s Eve we had a very nice number of celebrants and we took to the street to sing Auld Lang Syne to the ringing of the church bells — according to Tackley tradition. A lovely moment.

New Year’s Day saw us host a big folk event, welcoming musicians from all over Oxfordshire and beyond. This was a tremendous day. A huge thank-you to those who took part.

The Gardiner Arms is looking forward with excitement and optimism to the year ahead. Most importantly, this year we are to hold our very own Tackley Music & Beer Festival on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 June.

Upcoming Events

Primary School

Mrs L. J. Murrey, Headteacher

As always, the build-up to Christmas was very busy. Medcroft Class did a fantastic job of retelling the story of the nativity through their production Born in a Barn. It was a delight to see so many of our children, who had only started in September, sing and read their lines so confidently. Nethercote Class sang and danced their way through Straw and Order, and amazed us with their talents!

Our Key Stage Two classes’ Christmas celebration was really well received by parents and members of the community alike. The children sang and read with confidence and verve.

The PTA showed great support to the school at all of our Christmas events, and raised £500. This will be well used by the school to invest in enriching our broader curriculum.

The PTA is currently working on applying for grants so that we can develop and extend our library. Our ‘dream’ is to have a well-stocked library where parents can come after school and borrow books with their children. We see this as a vital part of developing a wider reading culture within the school, particularly after the loss of the library bus.

Last year, the children started a rather ambitious art project, generously funded by Siemens. After many months I am pleased to say it is ready to be installed at the railway station at the time of writing. Please do visit the station to see our work.

PTA

Roz Hicks

Tackley PTA had a very busy run-up to Christmas, with several events taking place, including our ‘Night at the Movies’, Christmas performances and a Christmas raffle. Combined with commission from local gardening company Oxford Edens’ Christmas tree sales, and the sale of personalised gifts using the children’s artwork, we raised a sufficient amount to provide our contribution needed for a grant for a Junior Librarian system to be introduced at school. The application will be sent off later this term and, if successful, would make possible this wonderful addition to the school. It could enable the children to become familiar with the process of borrowing and returning books, and encourage them to read independently and responsibly.

Our main event for the spring term is our collaboration with Tackley Preschool in presenting ‘A Right Royal Spring Fling’, a dinner and dance to be held on Saturday, 19 May at the village hall. Tickets will be on sale from the beginning of February. It promises to be a wonderful event, with dinner, dancing to The Hound Dogs (a London-based covers band who have been tempted to the Shire all the way from Claridge’s hotel), a fully-stocked bar and a balloon raffle. Don’t miss out; get your tickets early!

The funds from this evening will be shared between the two organisations, and the PTA is working towards the regeneration of the school’s outside space. The removal of the portable classroom has left us with an opportunity to incorporate a mindfulness area for children wishing to spend some quieter time away from the main playground, along with a nature reserve and provision for the option for outside learning. The school vegetable beds could also do with a spruce-up, and we are seeking grant assistance for this substantial project to complement the ongoing fundraising.

Our next Bag2School collection is on Tuesday, 6 March, should you have any unwanted clothes.

We now have over 30 members on our Easyfundraising page, which is a wonderful number of supporters, but we would love to have more! Why not register with our Easyfundraising account? They have agreements with thousands of popular high street retailers, and donate a percentage of the purchases you make to your chosen cause. Signing up is very easy and costs you nothing. Please register, and help us raise much-needed funds! Their website is easyfundraising.org.uk.

St Nicholas’ Church

Rev Marcus Green

February and March are always months of great variety: we begin with Ash Wednesday, and travel through Valentine’s Day and Mothering Sunday to Palm Sunday, Holy Week and the heady heights of Easter. Talk about a journey! All our lives are affected by this kind of journey — with ups and downs, peaks and troughs, moments we want to avoid, and destinations we long for; ashes and glory.

Worship is the same. It’s a temptation sometimes to button up our true selves in our Sunday best, and hope that the Almighty is as unnoticing as the Rector. The truth is, of course, both scarier and more wonderful than we dare hope. Wherever we are on life’s journey, we bring who we are to God, and God loves us.

Ash Wednesday sees the start of Lent, and this year it falls on Valentine’s Day. What a combination. They work together well because Lent is a time to prepare for Easter; for the wonder of God’s love revealed as Jesus gives himself completely on a cross and rises gloriously on the third day. God’s love is seen at Easter to be stronger than all things; Lent is time to spring-clean our souls so we can see this love wonderfully clearly when it comes. Starting the Lent journey on a day when we think about love is a terrific beginning, and Easter the perfect end.

So why not use Lent to think of the people you love, and choose to do something wonderful for them? Don’t give up chocolate; instead, give up time to show how much you love those around you.

Our Ash Wednesday service this year is at Steeple Aston Church on Wednesday, 14 February at 7:30 pm. It might not be what many of us thought we’d do that evening… but maybe it’s just what we need!

During Lent we always hold a course in the benefice, normally on Thursday evenings at Tackley Methodist Church. This year we haven’t quite finalised what we’ll be doing as I send this in to be printed — so come and find out! All are welcome, starting 8 pm on Thursday, 22 February.

One thing to look out for is a new book by Megan Daffern, chaplain at Jesus College in Oxford and wife of the Rector of Woodstock. Songs of the Spirit takes a Psalm a day through Lent and helps us think through all sorts of emotions we go through in life. I’m reading this.

Mothering Sunday is Sunday, 11 March, with our celebration at 5:30 pm. Such a lovely time to come together and thank God for so many gifts and memories, kindnesses and love.

On Sunday, 25 March, we’re joining Tackley Methodists for Palm Sunday morning and a service that will be filled with the promise of Lent coming to its end and Easter just days away.

And I particularly look forward to being with everyone here in Tackley again this year for the Easter service on Sunday, 1 April, 10:30 am at St Nicholas’. Do come and join us as we celebrate the most wonderful and joyful day of the year — at the end of the journey of ashes and glory, we bring all our lives and all our love, and find God’s message of his eternal love ringing out for us!

For we bring who we are to God, and God loves us. Through February and March, wherever you may be on life’s journey – through these weeks and those that follow, and through ordinary times and special – God’s love remains with us all, always.

Methodist Church

Vi Banbury

We are pleased to say that we will be having a new minister for the Methodist churches in Tackley, Woodstock, Bladon and Kidlington, subject to the confirmation of the Methodist Conference. He is Paul Carter, who will come to the circuit in September. Paul is from York, and is currently studying at Queen’s Foundation Ecumenical College in Birmingham. He is married with a teenage son. We look forward to welcoming Paul and his family.

Christmas seems a long time ago now, and preparations for Lent and Easter are well underway. As usual, the churches in the village will meet together during Lent on Thursday evenings in the Methodist Church, when themes from a book by Megan Daffern, Songs of the Spirit, will be explored. Meetings begin at 8 pm and the first will be on Thursday, 22 February.

There will be a service for all ages on Mothering Sunday, 11 March at 10:30 am in the Methodist Church.

On Palm Sunday, 25 March worship begins on the village green, at 10:30 am, and we then walk to the Methodist Church for the remainder.

We join the congregation at St Nicholas’ for a communion service on Maundy Thursday, 29 March.

On the afternoon of Easter Saturday, 7 April the ‘Cross on The Green’ will be decorated. We welcome anyone who would like to come along to help.

Coffee mornings continue on Thursdays from 10 am to 12 noon. If you’re at a loose end, why not come along? You will be very welcome.

January’s Messy Church was lively and at times hilarious. The theme ‘what’s new?’ involved some very creative recycling. On Saturday, 10 February the theme will be ‘friendship’, and on Saturday, 3 March there will be lots to do as we prepare for Mothering Sunday.

Why Worry?

John Newton

At the start of every year, I worry. I worry about finding enough films. I worry about the number of Mailchimp opens and website clicks. I worry about the numbers of attendees. I worry about finding the time to continue running Features. I worry about the timing of the updating of the website and the mailouts. I worry that my cryptic clues are not understandable. I worry about the choice of film, and ten minutes before the showing, I worry if anyone will come.

Why worry? Over 30 had turned up when Paul from Yellow Submarine started his very interesting talk about their work helping teenagers with learning disabilities in Oxfordshire. Our film My Life as a Courgette was a lovely moving animation, which married well with the charity. Phew!

That said, next month I’ll be worrying again. However, over the last few weeks I’ve been gathering a stock of films. Look out for Dunkirk, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool, Darkest Hour, and I, Daniel Blake in the near future. That said, first up is Breathe, the inspiring true love story of an adventurous couple who refuse to give up in the face of a devastating disease. It is as funny as it is moving. Contributions for this showing will go to the British Polio Fellowship.

2017 was a wonderful time for animation, so I am seriously considering a Features first around Easter: an animation triple bill. Stay for one, two or all. Currently the films in the frame are:

Should I include The Red Turtle? Should I add a fourth? Should I forget the idea? Should I check my diary? Which charity would we support? Do readers know our website is features.org.uk? Should I ask readers to click the link to sign up for the Features emails?

When should I start worrying?

Too late — I already am!

Walking Group

Linda Birch

We meet on the second Saturday of the month at Tackley Village Hall at the time shown to arrange car sharing. Please contact the walk leader if you would rather meet at the start of the walk. Most walks are circular. Walking is at your own risk.

U3A

Pam Rook

Woodstock and District U3A’s monthly meetings are at a new venue this year: Woodstock Community Centre, New Road, Woodstock OX20 1PB. Our speaker meetings start at 2 pm, and visitors are welcome (£2).

Each New Day

Jan Grimwood

‘Youthquake’, defined as ‘a significant cultural, political or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people’, is Oxford Dictionaries’ 2017 word of the year. To quote The Guardian:

‘While the word of the year is usually added to Oxford dictionaries, youthquake is already listed; it was originally coined in the 1960s by Vogue editor Diana Vreeland to describe how British youth were changing fashion and music around the world.
‘Lexicographer Susie Dent said the 2017 shortlist showed that “there’s not a lot of sunshine in the standout words this year […] In youthquake we finally found some hope in the power to change things, and had a little bit of linguistic fun along the way. It feels like the right note on which to end a difficult and divisive year.”’

2017 proved a very difficult and divisive year for so many people, nationally, internationally, politically or personally. However it shaped up for you, we’re now on our way though 2018 with all its uncertainties, opportunities, joys and challenges. Looking back is a natural thing to do, as is looking ahead trying to fathom how to get the most out of this year.

There’s an old Chinese proverb that tells us ‘Tomorrow is a mystery; yesterday is a memory; today is a gift.’ How true that is.

It’s easy to live in the past, and it’s something most of us do at some point. But, as we leave that past behind, we hold on to the good memories – taking those with us each day – while at the same time trying to shake off those we’d rather not cling on to. Our memories – our yesterdays – help shape us. Some of them will disappear with time, and others we’ll carry with us regardless of where life takes us, although we may discover we can’t recall them so vividly.

We have our tomorrows too. We can do all the planning we like, only to find that those plans can be thrown into turmoil by events beyond our control.

And today? Well, that is a gift. It’s where we are now, with all the hopes and fears it may carry for us. A friend once said to me when I was having a really bad day, ‘it will come and it will go.’ How right he was.

The opening up of each new day is a gift from God, full of promise and hope, and filled with his unending love for each one of us. A love that, through Jesus Christ, will never let us go; a love that will hold us, enfold us, strengthen us and guide us. A love that was with us yesterday, will still be waiting for us tomorrow, and is with us today and each new day. Amen.

Security Lights

Mary & Mark McIntyre

Tackley has a growing number of motion-detecting security lights. Poorly designed lighting impacts the environment and your neighbours, and is an issue that councils take seriously: in 2006 the Environmental Protection Act 1990 was updated to include ‘light nuisance’.

Good lights can provide security. However, they must be installed with consideration of their suitability and effect on others. Many are too bright, badly angled, or unshielded (which is an offence, and causes problems for wildlife). Also, many motion-triggered lights are too sensitive.

Because of their price and ease of installation, many people install tungsten halogen floodlights, often 300 W or brighter. It is rarely necessary to use more than 50 W. The Smalls Lighthouse has a 35 W bulb and can be seen 21 miles away!

Bright lighting can actually aid crime by blinding onlookers. Criminals know this and will use it to their advantage. And think about this: if you drove past a dark house late at night and saw someone looking in the windows, wouldn’t you be much more suspicious than if you saw someone standing by a brightly-lit house?

In Oxfordshire a few years ago, a man was killed after a floodlight temporarily blinded a driver. This is an issue that we are personally noticing more in Tackley, particularly when the main street lights are off.

If a motion sensor is poorly installed or aimed, it can detect wind, boiler condensation, small animals, and even pedestrians and cars. The light then switches on and off all night. This is not only a ‘crying wolf’ situation, but a waste of energy: it is estimated that each year in the UK alone, such lighting costs £3.5m and produces 70,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

As astronomers, badly designed security lighting is an issue we suffer in our garden in Tackley. It takes 20 minutes for eyes to become fully adapted to the dark; one flash of a security light and that adaptation is gone. And I’ve lost count of how many long-exposure photos we have had ruined. During a recent meteor shower, when we were outside observing all night, there was rarely a minute where there wasn’t at least one security light illuminated nearby.

Nobody is saying you shouldn’t illuminate your property if it brings you peace of mind. But please consider the impact that your choices are having on your neighbours and on wildlife. The Commission for Dark Skies has information on correctly setting up your security lights at britastro.org/dark-skies.

Pearl’s 95th

Pearl Eld

I would like to say a big thank-you to everyone who attended my 95th birthday party, and also for the very generous donations. £300 was raised, part of which has been sent to Dementia UK and part to the dementia unit at Witney Community Hospital. Thank you also to the village hall committee.