Everyone who has lived in the village for a while will know me. If you
don’t: I work in the shop 7:30 to 9 am on Tuesdays! I’m the person who
rides a horse or, with George, drives the horse and carriage through the
village. I’m also the old dragon who shouts at you if you let your dog poo
in our grass fields!
I’ve been on Tackley Parish Council for 26 years, and was the chair
for 14 years. It’s time I stepped aside for someone new: someone who
has a love for this village, and would like to see it move forward in the
modern world whilst respecting its history and heritage. We are a rural
village with a very diverse population.
The person we need must be prepared to take an interest in all aspects of
village life. They will listen and offer help and advice, but also be a
‘doer’! They will give information as to where, what, and how; and be able
to get things done. Talk with residents and listen to their ideas and
concerns. Take an interest in our shop, school, village hall, community
groups, and open spaces like the nature reserve, heath, playing field, play
area and village green. Take part in unexciting projects: general
maintenance, sewerage, flooding, street lights, holes in the road, poo bins
and rubbish. And exciting future projects: a skate or cycle park, trim
trail, and the Roman mosaic exhibition building.
Each councillor has their areas of expertise. The new councillor won’t be
expected to do it all, but will be part of the team in making decisions —
from the mundane (where to put the sand bags) to the serious (how to spend
the precept).
There is the opportunity for training, and courses on the various aspects
of the role are available. Our clerk Cherie is very knowledgeable and can
always help; as can Liz, our chair.
The time commitment is to attend a meeting once a month on a Monday
evening.
It is very frustrating at times – especially as you are more likely to be
moaned at than praised – but very rewarding too. Overall, it can’t be that
bad — I wouldn’t have been there for so long if it was!
So, whether you’ve been here a lifetime or just a few months, if you love
Tackley and could make a difference, in the first instance give myself or
Liz a call and we can have a chat. We are looking forward to hearing from
you.
Tackley PTA is hosting an 80s disco on Saturday, 4 March, and invites
you to come along and join the fun! The disco will take place at Tackley
Village Hall from 7:30 pm until midnight, and is for over-18s only.
Tickets are just £10 each – with all profits going to the school – and there
will be a bar and food available, a balloon raffle with some great prizes, a
selfie booth and, of course, 80s music. Fancy dress is encouraged, with a
prize for the best outfit! To reserve your tickets, please email us.
Christmas Tree
Dawn Chambers
The Tree on the Green Committee would like to thank all who attended the
lighting of the tree and carols. We were lucky to have a dry evening, and it
was lovely to see so many old and new faces.
We would especially like to thank Mr and Mrs Greenstock for the use of
their electricity, Joan and Tony Wilson for warming the mince pies, Dane
Walker for playing the keyboard, ampm for printing the posters, Sarah and
Neil Blackledge for the loan of the gazebo, and the Scouts for the use of
the burners. We would also like to thank those villagers who could not
attend but still made a donation, and last but not least a very generous
local business who donated the beautiful tree.
We are delighted to announce that several ‘youngsters’ have stepped forward
to take over this lovely village event so us ‘oldies’ can step down.
Wishing you all a healthy and happy 2023 from us all.
Tackley’s traditional horse, pony and dog show will take place this year on
Sunday, 23 April. The committee would like to thank all who support
this annual event, which raises money for charities, local groups and our
school. It is a fun day out for all the family — you don’t have to be horsey
or have a dog!
We are always looking for people to help on the day. Jobs are varied and
include stewarding the rings, putting up jumps, helping with catering, and
parking cars.
To make the show more interesting we often have trade stands selling things
like horse tack, equine and dog requirements, arts and crafts, jewellery and
clothing.
We also give local businesses the opportunity to sponsor the show or
particular classes. Options are available to suit your budget. Or you might
be an individual who’d like to become a ‘Friend of Tackley Horse Show’ with
a monetary contribution.
To volunteer to help on the day, or if you have something to sell at a
trade stand – or know someone who might be interested in this – please call
June on 07790 338225. For sponsorship
opportunities or to make a donation, call Jin on
07774 652866. You can also email us.
Conservation of Tackley Heath
Katherine Woodrow
Male pheasant by John Reynolds
We hope you can join us at our last work party before our efforts are put
on hold for the ground-nesting bird season. The work parties have made a
huge difference to the accessibility of the heath, and we are really
grateful for your help.
Chiffchaff by John Reynolds
When most of us think of birds’ nests, we think of nests in trees. But in
open areas, like Tackley Heath, birds will lay their eggs and raise their
chicks on the ground, making them more vulnerable to disturbance. It is
estimated that about 70% of heathland in the UK has been lost over the last
100 years, and as a result, the birds that depend on this habitat have
become increasingly rare.
Whitethroat by John Reynolds
The true ground-nesting birds you can find on the heath are the pheasant
and red-legged partridge, but many others nest either on the ground or in
undergrowth a few inches off the ground. There are lots of chiffchaffs,
whitethroats, wrens, and willow warblers on the heath; and in the past,
grasshopper warblers and woodcock have also been seen.
Wren by John Reynolds
If you are walking through the heath with dogs during the bird nesting
season, from March to July, please keep them on short leads.
Grasshopper warbler by John Reynolds
We would like to thank Jon Chaplin for his time on Tackley Heath Committee,
not only for being a work party stalwart but also for his guidance with
social media. If you are interested in joining our friendly committee,
please contact liz.marshall@tackleyvillage.co.uk.
Join us on Sunday, 26 February between 10 am and noon, even for
just an hour. We can promise a workout: clearing brambles and paths, and
siting bat boxes and camera stands. Wear gloves, and bring shears or loppers
if you can. Follow markers to find where we are working, from either the
heath entrance off Fox Hill or the footpath from Ball Lane.
I am delighted to have been appointed as headteacher of Tackley CE Primary
School in January, and have enjoyed meeting many members of the local
community.
The children have settled back in well after the Christmas break, and the
school environment feels warm and purposeful.
The children of Wootton-by-Woodstock School have joined us on a full time
basis, and have all formed new friendships.
The new year has begun in a creative way. Forest School has restarted for
our Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 children, who enjoy getting
outside in nature whatever the weather. All our children are participating
in dance workshops over the next few weeks; and our choir is attending Young
Voices, performing at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham.
Messy Church has started again, taking place in Tackley Methodist Church on
the first Saturday of the month, commencing 4 February, between 2:30
and 4:30 pm. Why not come along and join us for games, activities,
stories, and also to share food?
Coffee Mornings
Coffee mornings continue in the church each Thursday between 10:30 am
and noon, when a warm welcome awaits you.
Tackley WI looks forward to welcoming visitors and new members to our
friendly monthly meetings, which are held in the village hall. We have
interesting speakers, craft evenings and social events planned for the year.
Visitors pay £5 which includes refreshments.
On Tuesday, 7 February at 7:45 for 8 pm our speaker will be Emily
Connally from Cherwell Collective, which runs the Cherwell larder and cafe
from Exeter Hall in Kidlington, distributing and cooking with food that
would otherwise go to waste.
On Tuesday, 7 March we have our AGM at 7:30 pm, followed at
8 pm by a talk by Andrew Hall on the history of hairdressing.
And on Tuesday, 4 April at 7:45 for 8 pm we will have a Korean
cookery demonstration.
Our leisurely walks offer everyone a friendly way to get to know the
Oxfordshire countryside better. We meet at Tackley Village Hall at the times
given to arrange transport to the start of each walk. There’s no obligation
to car share, but there isn’t always enough parking for every person to
drive individually. Face masks are advised for car sharing while Covid
infection rates are high. Distances are approximate, and all walking is at
participants’ own risk.
Saturday, 11 February at 9:30 am: Charlbury, Fawler,
Stonesfield. This route starts outside the Bell Inn, Charlbury and passes
along the edge of Cornbury Park to Fawler and Stonesfield. The return to
Charlbury is via the Salt Way and Woodstock Way. 7 miles, or a
shorter route of 2½ miles which returns along the Oxfordshire Way
from Fawler directly to Charlbury.
Wednesday, 22 February at 2 pm: Great Tew. Rolling parkland
and farmland on the edge of the Cotswolds. Through one of Oxfordshire’s
lovely villages, with a chance to view the snowdrops before heading off to
explore undulating countryside to the south. 4 miles, with
stiles.
Saturday, 11 March at 9:30 am: Ascott-under-Wychwood and
Chadlington. The usual mix of lanes, tracks and field paths — and even
stepping stones to cross a small brook. 7 miles, or the possibility
of a shorter route (around 4 miles?) by taking the Wychwood Way and
Oxfordshire Way at Pudlicote to join the longer route at the road over the
bridges that cross the river Evenlode and the railway.
Wednesday, 22 March at 2 pm: Spelsbury and Dean Common. A walk
to Dean Common and Dean Grove, an area of wet ancient woodland recorded in
the Domesday Book. This circular walk starts at Spelsbury by the church
and takes in ancient woodland and fields. 3½ miles, no stiles.
Saturday, 8 April at 9:30 am: Cottisford, Stoke Lyne, Hethe.
An easy walk in Flora Thompson country, through Tusmore Park, woodland,
alongside streams, through the villages of Stoke Lyne and Hethe – with its
thatched cottages – to Shelswell Park and Cottisford Pond.
8 miles.
We’re a friendly bunch made up of long-term and newer residents. We meet
every month, typically on a Monday or Tuesday evening although to
accommodate everyone’s schedules we sometimes meet later in the week. We
take it in turns to choose a book and to host the meeting in our homes.
Our most recent reads include The Paper Palace by Miranda
Cowley Heller, The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante and
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak. We always have an
interesting discussion and enjoy discovering new books which we would not
necessarily have chosen to read ourselves. We have a mixture of traditional
book readers and audiobook listeners.
The Woodstock Bookshop offers a 10% discount on titles selected for book
club reads.
We would love to welcome some new members in 2023. If you’d like to join
us, please email for details.
On Monday, 27 February at 7:30 pm we will be holding our AGM,
and all are welcome. Then at 8 pm Helen Webb will present
Skeletons at the Radcliffe Infirmary Graveyard. This should be
a very interesting talk, and offers an insight into causes of deaths in the
hospital, especially at the time of the Industrial Revolution.
On Monday, 27 March at 8 pm there is a change to our plan. Liz
Woolley will be giving a talk about Children in Oxfordshire During
World War II. Visitors are welcome for £5. Join us for tea and coffee
at 7:45 pm before the meeting and/or stay for a glass of wine and chat
afterwards.
The first Tackley Gardening Club meeting of the year went well, despite the
very cold and frosty weather.
Our meeting on Tuesday, 21 February will be an open evening. Please
come and see what we do and what will be happening in the rest of 2023.
There is no charge, and there will be cheese and wine! See you there.
I wonder if you are aware of the proposed Botley West solar farm. A yellow
booklet was delivered to each house before Christmas.
Do you know where in relation to Tackley it actually is? It is a plan to
cover 3,500 acres of local agricultural land, mostly owned by Blenheim
Estate, with approximately 500,000 solar panels. From the Tackley
perspective, it is roughly from the junction where the A4260 meets the
Rousham and Wootton roads, known as Rousham Gap, to Woodstock, either side
of Green Lane. Then from Sturdy’s Castle via Angelino’s Corner to Woodstock,
and onwards to Bladon, Begbroke, Hanborough, Yarnton, Cassington, Eynsham,
Cumnor and Botley.
Of course using solar power is a sensible objective for this country. I
have panels on my roof, as do many more residents in the village, and there
are lots on the roof of the village hall. We should take every alternative:
all new houses built should have them, and especially the vast acres of
roofs over the new commercial and warehouse buildings being built locally,
e.g. at Bicester, Kidlington Airport etc. But as solar panels are least
effective in winter when we use more electricity, we maybe in addition
should consider wind or water turbines that are more efficient in the
winter, especially out at sea.
If built, this could be the biggest site in Europe and one of the largest
in the world. All of the other sites of comparable size are in arid desert
regions with high sunlight, low population density, and not good
agricultural land. Agricultural land should be growing our food instead of
us importing it from overseas with all the air miles that implies. And there
are other implications: wildlife, biodiversity — the list goes on! There are
so many questions to be asked.
As you can probably gather, I’m against the project. But everyone should
find out more about it and make up their own minds. See
botleywest.co.uk and the opposition
group stopbotleywest.com. Should
you wish to register your opposition visit
chng.it/ZV6jkZyDtp or search for
“Botley West petition”.
There will be a village meeting, giving more information and the
opportunity to ask questions, on Monday, 20 February after the parish
council meeting. The council meeting is at 6 pm, followed by a short
break for refreshments, then the solar farm meeting starting at
7:30 pm. Please come along, listen, ask questions, give your views, and
make up your minds.
In the meantime for more information you can call Tom Lewis on
07732 002552 or Anne Gwinnett on
07976 225109. See you there!
In Support of Solar
Martin Edwards, Editor
We put a small solar panel outside our house last year, and have learned
two things from it. First, it generates very little electricity indeed.
Even if we were to scale up the experiment to cover our roof and even our
garden in solar panels, we would probably be disappointed.
Second, the fact that it does generate some electricity – for most
of the day, and whatever the weather – is immensely satisfying. Almost all
the energy humanity has used since the dawn of time originally came from the
sun, whether absorbed by plants millions of years ago before decomposing to
form oil and gas reserves, or in the form of the winds that blow as the
sun’s rays heat the land and oceans today. So there is something beautiful
about converting solar energy into electricity in such a direct way.
What might we conclude from these contrasting points? Perhaps that ‘roofs
not fields’, a slogan being pushed by some who oppose the Botley West solar
farm, probably won’t cut it. We could install a dozen panels on every
household; maybe a hundred on every warehouse – at comparatively great
logistical and economic cost, of course, with each installation needing its
own control and safety equipment and connection to the National Grid – and
we would probably be disappointed. Or we can build dedicated solar farms
that benefit from the economies of scale, rapid deployment and ease of
management required to make a worthwhile dent in our carbon footprint — and
in the timely manner so desperately needed to halt climate change.
Robert Courts, our member of parliament, warns that Botley West could
destroy a large amount of our “iconic open countryside, enjoyed by residents
and visitors to the area”. I expect he would prefer it be built in a Labour
constituency, probably in The North. But seriously: is Oxfordshire’s
farmland really that beautiful? One could more reasonably make this argument
to object to a solar farm in, say, the Lake District; but what we have here
is neither unique nor particularly diverse as Britain’s countryside goes.
When it comes to protecting rural land from development, our national parks
and other truly wild areas will unsurprisingly take precedence (consider
that the Cotswolds’ designated Area of Outstanding National Beauty begins
further west).
Moreover, years of intensive farming has left the soil quality depleted
with limited agricultural use; and almost all of it is privately owned —
strictly out of bounds to the residents and visitors Courts talks of. Study
the Botley West proposal, and you’ll see opportunities to actually
improve biodiversity and increase access for recreation.
And to return the area, having recovered, to agricultural use in the future
(something that won’t be possible if it gets developed as housing, as is the
trend and a possible alternative for such land).
Don’t get me wrong: as currently proposed, Botley West is vast. It will
change our outdoor environment, and that always takes some getting used to.
And it will by no means be a panacea — to sustain our society and keep us in
good health we need a mix of energy sources. But done properly, it will be
something to be proud of; an example of the kind of actions rather than
words we need to protect our future from our past mistakes.
And on that note, a final thought. I met an elderly gentleman in Bladon
whose garden will effectively back onto the solar farm — an obvious
opponent, you might think. “I’m not going to oppose it, because it’s not my
future to decide”, he told me. “I’ve had many good years, and I’m thankful
for that.” An insightful truth, especially in light of Brexit, the most
prominent recent example of young people’s future being hurt by the decision
of a generation that will be least affected by it.
Remember, long term projects are less about those of us who are here today,
and more about those who’ll inherit tomorrow. We’re already going to be
remembered as the people who broke the climate, so let’s think carefully
about how the history books will judge us around our opportunities to fix
it.
Mick
A unique gentleman and a good friend to us all,
Mick was always busy and so on the ball.
Here lies a character who’d help anyone out,
And we’ll miss him dearly without a doubt.
A pig farmer, a dustman — he had so many talents,
Like keeping his family on an equal balance.
Everyone loved him coz he was the best,
So let’s celebrate his life and lay him to rest.
