Tackley Newsletter
June & July 2019

Contents

Parish Council

tackleyvillage.co.uk

Members

The clerk is Janette Read.

Meetings

The next formal meeting of the council is on 10 June followed by a surgery on 24 June. All meetings commence at 7 pm. Should there be matters of concern between these dates please contact the parish clerk or councillors.

Draft minutes of all parish council meetings appear on the website two weeks after the date of the meeting. See there, also, some personal details of your councillors.

Copies of this report are also circulated via Tackley Notices.

Councillors’ Responsibilities

New Noticeboards

Two new noticeboards have been purchased and will, in due course, be erected — one by the school on St John’s Road, the other at the junction of Nethercote and Medcroft roads. The developer of the Deanfield Grove estate has kindly made a donation to the St John’s Road noticeboard.

Developers’ Lorries

The situation in regard to developers’ lorries on village roads appears to have improved, but residents concerned that infractions of the agreed procedures are continuing should contact the County Highways Department directly, at the same time copying any written communication sent or received to the parish council clerk.

Roman Mosaic House

The parish council has agreed to take possession of the Roman mosaic discovered under the Street Farm site and also, with the local history group, the responsibility for the supervision and upkeep of the proposed mosaic house, in which it will be exhibited along with other discoveries from the site. There is ongoing discussion about the design and siting of this new building.

Community Emergency Arrangements

The council has agreed an arrangement with the village hall committee by which the hall is recorded on a national database as a shelter for victims of emergences, for example, if there was a serious accident on the railway or on local roads that involved multiple injuries.

Railways

We have a grant from GWR for improved signposting, noticeboards, dedicated website and other items; however, we have agreed to defer this expenditure until the crossing plans are clear and the heavy building construction in the village is largely complete.

Our representatives have taken part in several large-scale discussions about future timetabling and proposed works on the various lines in and out of Oxford. Because of problematic national issues on timetabling, companies were prevented, this year, from making changes. However, in response to our continued submission, GWR has indicated they want to improve frequency and timing of services. We have a good relationship with the station managers at Oxford and this enables any issues to be communicated fairly directly!

Some repairs to sections of the station platforms have been made, and Network Rail is currently carrying out alterations to make the crossing telephones more accessible to horse riders.

Problems with people crossing the line still occur, much too often. In December a ‘very near miss’ was reported, when two teenagers crossed the line, trying to catch the Oxford train standing in the platform, apparently unaware of a fast train approaching from the other direction. This type of incident reinforces the urgent case for improving the safety at the crossing. Network Rail is still committed to a bridge at the station, for which funding is available. Our rail representatives have been in regular communication with the planners on site and at the Network Rail offices in Reading. Network Rail planners will talk to the parish council in the next few months, and after that engage in wider village consultation. Planning permission will be required for certain parts of their proposals which, if approved, will probably take about 18 months to complete.

Tackley United Football Club

Dan Woodley & Ben Fouracre

Tackley United FC are set to make an exciting return to Sunday League football next season. We will be playing in the Upper Thames Valley Sunday League (UTVSL) against other Oxfordshire teams, kicking off at 10:30 every Sunday.

The season starts in September 2019, and there will be training sessions and friendly matches in the weeks leading up to the new season.

We are a welcoming team who are always looking for new local players of any age, who would enjoy a game of football on a Sunday morning.

If you, or anyone you know, would like to join Tackley United FC next season then please contact us.

Primary School

Mrs L. J. Murrey, Headteacher

It has been a long time since I have updated the Tackley Newsletter on school life. Lots has happened since the beginning of this year for the school. We opened our nursery provision for three-year-olds in January, and it has gone from strength to strength. We have places in our nursery from September 2019, so if you are looking for good early years provision that supports each individual child and their strengths then please ring the school office to make an appointment to visit.

In March we had a one-day visit from Ofsted, and I am delighted that we remain a ‘good’ school. We were particularly pleased with some of the comments from the report: ‘pupils enjoy coming to school’, ‘pupils told me they feel safe’ and that parents appreciate the ‘happy, warm and safe learning environment created for their children’. We are very fortunate to have such a supportive local community for our school — thank you.

The classes have a busy term ahead. Nethercote class are learning all about The Great Fire of London, and are looking forward to a visit from Red Watch at Kidlington. Harborne class are learning all about ancient Greece, and Rousham class are excited about the Tudor topic this term.

PTA

Roz Hicks

We are delighted that our recent fundraising efforts have been rewarded with the installation of a wonderful new library. We have lots of new books being delivered and are currently logging every one into our Junior Librarian computer system — the children are very excited about it, especially the prospect of using the barcode reader! We would like to extend a huge thank-you for all the support we received from our generous community, our event sponsors, parents who donated, Tackley Parish Council and Councillor Ian Hudspeth. We will be hosting an official opening of the new library and open evening on Monday, 17 June from 5–7 pm. Please do come and share our achievement with us!

We are also looking forward to co-hosting the annual village fete with St Nicholas’ Church on Saturday, 6 July. Look out for posters.

We will round off the academic year with a family disco and barbecue at the village hall on Friday, 19 July.

We are proud to have been able to provide our children with day trips, a pantomime, seasonal treats/gifts and many other ‘extras’ that school budgets do not cover. We are committed to continuing our fundraising efforts, and thank you for your continued support.

A Trilogy of Powerful and Poignant Films for Free at Features

John Newton

As many will know, Features tries, where possible, to screen films just after the DVD release date. Sometimes these dates are moved back by the distributors and this means delaying a film we had planned to show. In these cases, it allows us an opportunity to take a breath and take a look at those movies that got missed first time round.

My investigation unearthed two gems, which I plan to squeeze in before Green Book. Both received critical acclaim and regularly appeared in the ‘top ten films of 2018’.

Our June screening is Leave No Trace, which tells a powerful and poignant story — one that’s simultaneously unique and universal, tragic and hopeful. It proves that movies don’t need to scare us or scar us or make us blush to tell an effecting, perhaps unforgettable, story.

July’s offering is different again: a beautifully-animated but unflinching tale of a young girl’s courage under Taliban rule, and an important reminder about the violence that girls and women face in some societies. The story of a girl disguising herself as a boy is a familiar one, but The Breadwinner puts a unique spin on it, because Parvana doesn’t do it to fight, like in Mulan, or to learn, as in Yentl, but simply to survive.

I realise those wishing to see Green Book, the tale of two men who are forced to become friends during their journey on a concert tour in the racist South, will have to wait another couple of months. In the meantime, I strongly recommend coming to all our forthcoming attractions.

See you soon — second Sundays at seven.

Methodist Church

Jan Grimwood

Messy Church continues to draw good numbers. We’re delighted that some of our more experienced young people are willing to share in planning, preparing, and leading an activity and helping the younger children. We follow a familiar pattern of games, craft activities and informal worship which are all based on a chosen theme, after which we have a ‘bring and share’ tea. Look out for posters or Tackley Notices emails and come and join us. This is an ‘all age’ afternoon, where adults are welcome without children, but all children need to bring a responsible adult.

Walking Group

Linda Birch

Meet at Tackley Village Hall at 10 am on the second Saturday of the month to arrange car sharing. Please contact the walk leader if you would rather meet at the start of the walk.

Some walks conclude with lunch at a local pub or cafe. Please contact the walk leader if you will be joining the group for lunch.

Most walks are circular. All walking is at your own risk.

British Red Cross

Diana Whitehead

A very big thank-you to the collectors and all those who so kindly contributed to the house-to-house collection, which totalled £555.92. This supports vulnerable people in Oxfordshire through our independent living services, emergency response and first aid training.

Oxford School of Drama

June Collier

I am looking for host families to offer homes to students at the Oxford School of Drama, near Wootton, for a six month period from the end of September to the end of March (although they do go home for all of December).

The students are normally 18–19 years of age and will be attending a Foundation Acting course.

Some of you will be aware that classes for these students are held in our village hall during the winter months, and they are an integral part of village life while they are here.

These talented youngsters require full board or can self cater, but must have a comfortable home seven days a week and be made to feel part of the family while they attend what is a particularly demanding course Monday to Friday.