Tackley Newsletter
April & May 2023

Parish Council

Litter

A huge thank-you to Sue and Alan Lygo and the Tackley PALs for their spring litter pick the other week. I was sad to see, only three days later, new litter already accumulating along Rousham Road. This is such a shame. Not only is it unsightly, but it is detrimental to wildlife.

If anyone has any ideas on a campaign to reduce the amount of litter, which is mostly thrown from cars on the roads into the village, please get in touch.

Dog Poo Bins

The wait continues for the dog poo bins at the Jubilee Garden and the top of Dibdare Furlong at the entrance to the path up to Crecy Hill. We keep being assured it will happen…

Botley West Solar Farm

The meeting held in the village hall was very interesting, with various points of view communicated from residents. Thank you to all who attended. The next consultation is in ‘spring 2023’, according to the Botley West website, and the parish council will consider the response and questions to be submitted for when the consultation opens.

Gardiner Arms

Thank you to Martin and Jackie for attending the village meeting about the pub. A group is forming for anyone who wishes to be involved in formulating a plan for the future. Please contact Simon Gough at gacommunityinterest@gmail.com.

Flooding

June Collier, Andy Graham of Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) and I met with OCC officer Richard Bennett to show him around the village and various flooding points. He informed us that Tackley has been put under a Section 19 investigation. Under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, the aim of a Section 19 investigation is to explain a flood event and define the responsibility of the various authorities during the event. The recommendations help the authorities learn from the event and address the infrastructure needs associated with it. This means that the catchment study will definitely go ahead, though we have not yet been given any dates.

Wildlife

Bulbs are out, buds are bursting, and birds are out singing — which is a reminder to all that hedges should not be cut between 1 March and 1 September, in order to avoid disturbing nesting birds.

Also, when out and about with dogs, please consider ground-nesting birds. These are considerably stressed by dog disturbance, and it is known to cause them to abandon eggs and chicks. Wildlife groups say that keeping dogs on short, two-metre leads in these areas between March and September is hugely beneficial.

Thanks to the Heath Committee and volunteers for all the work done to open up the paths for easier access. Please enjoy this wonderful area, but be mindful of the wild inhabitants.

20’s Plenty

Vehicle activated signs, informing drivers of their speed, will be put up on the three roads into the village shortly. Hopefully this visual aid will encourage those who speed to slow down a little and get used to going slower before the 20 mph speed limit comes into force.

New Councillor Required

After many years of hard work, June Collier is leaving Tackley Parish Council in May. We will be very sad to see her go, but look forward to welcoming a new councillor to the team.

June wrote a great piece in the last newsletter about the ‘job’ and what is required for the role. You can also read this on the newsletter’s website.

If you are interested in putting yourself forward, please get in touch. Any councillor will be happy to have an informal chat, and of course you are welcome to come along to parish council meetings to see what goes on and hear the matters we discuss. Once June has officially resigned at the May meeting, notices will go up on how to apply.

Conservation of Tackley Heath

Native bluebells are a protected species, and colonies take five to seven years to establish. You can tell them apart from the invasive Spanish bluebell because they are deep blue in colour and their petal tips curl back on themselves, like a bell, and are only found on one side of the stem, causing the flower wand to droop. They also have a strong, sweet scent that in traditional folklore could lead you to become ‘pixy-led’ and unable to find your way out of the wood.

Bluebells had some surprising uses in the past. In the Bronze Age they were used to make a glue to attach flights of feathers to arrows, while the Tudors used a starch extracted from the roots to stiffen their ruffled collars. Today, scientists are using bluebells in their research to find a cure for cancer.

Thank you very much to all those who came to the last two work parties. It was wonderful to have so much support, and we have made great progress widening the paths and removing brambles. We will now be having a break during the ground-nesting bird season.

If you are walking dogs through the heath, please remember to keep them on short leads for the next few months. As a dog walker, I know this isn’t fun, but the heath’s fragile ecosystem is worth a bit of care — and besides, it is said that if your dog disturbs the faery spells hanging on a bluebell, they will unleash the wrath of the faeries.

Primary School

One of the most important features of life at Tackley CE Primary School is the enrichment activities that take place to ensure the pupils are well rounded and have experiences outside of the classroom. This term there have been many taking place.

Our youngest children had the opportunity to visit Model Farm on the Ditchley Park Estate. Key Stage One pupils visited Blenheim Palace to support their history topic. The pupils in Harborne Class will have the exciting opportunity to visit Woodlands Outdoor Education Centre in the last week of this term. Finally, our oldest pupils have visited Junior Citizen, which enables them to learn how to keep themselves safe in a variety of scenarios.

A special thank-you is due to the PTA for organising such a successful 80’s disco night, which was well attended by the community.

St Nicholas’ Church

This Easter we look forward to welcoming you to our Holy Week and Easter services.

The following month, on the weekend of the coronation of King Charles III, we will be having a village coronation celebration service jointly with Tackley Methodist Church. This will be on Sunday, 7 May at 11 am at St Nicholas’ Church, led by Fr Robin Gibbons, with coffee, tea and cake to follow. We hope that many villagers will join us on this special occasion.

In the summer we very much look forward to welcoming our new rector to the Benefice of Steeple Aston with North Aston and Tackley. A former science teacher, and mother of three children now in their early 20s, Rev Harriet Orridge was rector of a benefice of four rural churches in Lincolnshire for eight years. She and her husband John are currently living near Aylesbury, where she is working for the Wychert Vale group of churches.

Harriet wrote to our congregations: “As a scientist I have always loved finding God in the minute details of our universe, which are too extraordinary to be an accident. Recognising that God loves everyone, I have a passion for rural ministry and the importance and depth of relationships which can be built within smaller communities. I am looking forward to coming and getting to know you all, and I’m excited to see what God has planned as we move forward together.”

Features: The Return

Features was a film night held at Tackley Methodist Church pre-Covid. It was set up a number of years ago by John and Anne Newton, members of the church, with the mission to show films for a charitable donation. John has since left the village, and Features had been relegated to the film vault — and there it lay, collecting dust. Until now.

We have decided to restore, resurrect and renew Features with the intention of showing films you may have missed, forgotten, can’t find on streaming services, or just couldn’t get out to the cinema to see. We will try and find films that are entertaining and have a great story. Some may challenge, but hopefully not offend. The charity donation will still be there: just pay what you think the film was worth, and we’ll pass it on to good causes.

We hope to kick off with Hugo, a brilliant family film by Martin Scorsese, one of our greatest living directors. With a great cast and a lovely heartwarming story, I promise you the film is a hidden gem.

Our first Features film night will be on Friday, 28 April. Doors open 6:30 pm for a 7 pm start.

Wheelers Social Cycling

Tackley Wheelers is more to do with socialising than cycling. We aren’t ‘heads down, bums up’ cyclists; but take our time when riding, with lots of stops for regrouping so no one is left behind.

We meet every Wednesday evening from April to mid September, cycling to nearby villages and chatting in the pubs we visit. Early and late season rides are short (e.g. Woodstock, Kirtlington) with longer routes when we have more daylight. Rides leave at 6:45 pm from the car park by the village hall.

We look forward to seeing both new and familiar faces, young or not so young. If you’d like to join us, simply turn up on a Wednesday evening with your bicycle.

For more information, just get in touch with Rachel and Neil via the email above.

Walking Group

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, 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 – thatched cottages line the street in the latter – to Shelswell Park and past Cottisford Pond. 8 miles.
• Wednesday, 26 April at 2 pm: Hook Norton. Pass through undulating countryside on field paths, tracks and quiet roads. 4½ miles.
• Saturday, 13 May at 9:30 am: Tackley, Dornford Lane, Tittenford Bridge. Local walk starting from the village hall. Head up Ball Lane to the triangulation point, across the A4260 to Dornford Lane, past Upper Dornford cottages, Woottondown Farm, Tittenford Bridge and back via the heath. About 6 miles, steep decent and ascent.
• Wednesday, 24 May at 2 pm: Brailes Hill. Starting near the Methodist church at Upper Brailes village, this walk provides a picturesque circuit of Brailes Hill, passing through fields and wildflower meadows. 5 miles.

Gardening Club

I think we can safely say that spring is just round the corner and the evenings will be lighter soon.

On Tuesday, 18 April Sharon Keen is coming to show us how to plant up hanging baskets. Some of you will have seen her selling her baskets at our annual plant sale, which this year will be on Sunday, 22 May.

Our meeting on Tuesday, 16 May is to Broughton Grange, just this side of Banbury. Please let me know if you can help with a car share.

It’s too early to plant out yet, and we should refrain from weeding too soon to protect bees and insect larvae.

Easter is on the way! And I hope to see you all soon.

WI

Our year started with two interesting talks: hearing about the wonderful work of Cherwell Collective who run the Cherwell Larder and cafe with food that would otherwise go to waste; and then, in March, a speaker on the rail disaster near Hampton Gay and Shipton-on-Cherwell on Christmas Eve 1874. We have also restarted a monthly coffee morning for our members.

We look forward to welcoming visitors and new members to our friendly meetings, which are held in the village hall at 7:45 for 8 pm. Visitors pay £5 which includes refreshments.

On Tuesday, 4 April we will be having a craft evening, making cards; on Tuesday, 2 May we will learn about linocut printing with Emma Pagnamenta; and on Tuesday, 6 June Jane Dickinson will be speaking to us about Women of Oxford.

Local History Group

We held our AGM in February. Malcolm Ridout has joined us as vice chair, and Mary-Lou Kelsey is now our archivist. Otherwise, the committee remains unchanged.

We have one more talk in April before we take a break for the summer. On Monday, 24 April at 7:45 for 8 pm Carol Anderson will present Over the Hills to Glory: The Story of the Ascott Martyrs (1873).

We hope to organise some activities during the summer, and to hold an open afternoon in September before our talks commence again.

If you would like to join our email list, please let me know by email (see above). More information about Tackley Local History Group can be found on our website, or keep up with our Facebook page.

Age UK Oxfordshire

We enable older people in Oxfordshire to live life to the full. Whether you’re on a quest to live well into old age or you’re going through tough times, we’re here to help. We support more than 30,000 people across the county each year with free local information, advice and support services.

Why not book a spot in our strength and balance classes every Tuesday at 2 pm in Tackley Village hall? It only costs £5 per session. Email active@ageukoxfordshire.org.uk.

Here is a complete list of our services that could help you:

• Information and advice
• Dementia support
• Carer support
• Physical activity classes
• Telephone befriending
• Digital support
• Home support
• Homeshare
• Bereavement support groups
• Foot care
• Scam prevention advice
• Hospital discharge support
• Social activities and clubs
• LGBTQ+ groups
• Book groups

Woodstock Natural History Society

Woodstock Natural History Society offers a range of environment-related activities which should be of interest to many. We welcome new members, and you are warmly invited to attend a couple of events before resolving to join. We host monthly meetings, to which all are welcome, at St Hugh’s Hall, Hensington Road, Woodstock from 7:15 until 9 pm on the second Tuesday of each month.

Our March meeting saw a wonderful talk by David Endacott and Stephen Heath on Bat Ecology, Conservation and Rescue. By showing us close-up photographs of individual bats, and showing how and why they differ from one another, they were able to raise our understanding of these amazing creatures.

Stephen and David were a fascinating double act. They unveiled unsuspected variety: there are eighteen bat species in Britain, thirteen of which are present in Oxfordshire. And they revealed a range of ecological niches: far from all species taking midges or moths on the wing, long-eared bats – by contrast – listen for prey in foliage and seize insects off plants. And a surprising number of species enjoy eating dung beetles!

Our speakers also showed us the remarkable complexity of a bat’s wing. Far from being a uniform membrane, like a piece of polythene, a wing is a complex network of muscles so versatile that a bat can furl its wings into very small spaces, to the point where some species at rest can appear wingless.

But the slide presentation, however informative and enjoyable, paled in comparison to our guests introducing us to their pet bats: a pipistrelle, a noctule and a long-eared, all of whom had been injured by cats. Our members and guests gathered round with oohs, aahs and cameras.

So enchanted were we by these wonderful animals that we will be having no fewer than three bat walks with David and Stephen in the wild. Watch this space for details.

At our next talk, on Tuesday, 11 April, Rosemary Wise will initiate us in the mysteries of botanical illustration.

We also offer a programme of monthly guided walks, none too strenuous, which usually take place on Fridays or Saturdays. Our current and expert walk leader Jenny Atkinson steps down in April, and we are looking for someone else to fulfil this vital role. In the meantime, if anyone has a suggestion for a walk or visit, please email us.

We would love to see you at one of our events, and also hope that you will want to become a member. Please email us for a copy of the current programme.

Solar Farm: Have Your Say

When I received the consultation document through the letterbox in November, I wondered why I was receiving a consultation document on something happening in Botley but, out of curiosity, I opened it and found that the proposed development actually comes very close to Tackley. And it is huge, at almost 3,500 acres: bigger than Heathrow Airport and close to the size of 2,000 football pitches.

I had no particular views on solar farms, but was a little concerned at the scale of it, and so I thought I should find out more. I went to the consultation events in Woodstock and in Tackley, and took part in the online consultation attended by the chief executive of PVDP, the company making the proposal.

I was rather disappointed by the responses to my questions, which on the whole were very vague and/or worrying — the responses, that is, not the questions! For example, whilst claiming that Botley West will remove 14.4 million tonnes of carbon over its operational lifetime of 35 to 40 years, PVDP was unable to provide figures on how much carbon will be pushed into the atmosphere – through the highly energy-intensive processes of mining, transporting and processing raw materials, as well as the manufacture and transportation of the solar panels themselves – in the two to three years of construction. They did confirm that the panels will be made in China, which relies heavily on coal-fired power stations and is some distance away from here.

They could not, apparently, provide information on how they plan to “add to Oxfordshire’s biodiversity” and seemed totally unconcerned about existing habitats that might be damaged by this change of land use.

They had no answers regarding what will happen to the panels at the end of their useful life (recycling?) and no clarity about the ease, or otherwise, with which the land could be returned to agricultural use.

In the absence of clear answers from PVDP, I decided to do some of my own research, and found some troubling facts and figures. The process of creating solar panels is still heavily dependent on fossil fuels, at all stages in the process. So, surely, we need to know how much carbon is released into the atmosphere in this process and offset this against the carbon reduction?

There are also concerns about the very low levels of recycling of solar panels, and questions about safe disposal given that they contain some toxic substances. We need to have clear answers to these before decisions are made on whether Botley West should go ahead on such a large scale.

It seems that solar energy may not be quite as green as we think.

But my greatest concern, and the one that started me on this journey, is the loss of agricultural land. If this solar farm goes ahead it will be not only the biggest, by far, in this country, but also the biggest in Europe! It seems to me that, in these uncertain times globally, we need to ensure we maintain our ability to grow our own food. Whether we like it or not, food security is an issue, as reported in February in The Spectator. Surely this is not the time to repurpose such a large area of agricultural land. On the contrary, we should be looking to improve our agricultural capacity.

Furthermore, the positive role of modern regenerative farming practices in the long-term sequestration of carbon into the soil cannot be underestimated.

Solar is not an efficient or reliable source of energy in the UK because it depends, obviously, on sunlight, which is intrinsically unpredictable, and never occurs at night. Is it right, in this context, to give up agricultural land on such a large scale? Other green, clean options could be considered.

Not a Clear Cut Decision

There are pros and cons, and many different aspects to consider. Where has my investigation led me?

I had no problem with the idea of solar power prior to investigating this proposal. However, I now strongly believe that it should not be on this scale and in this rural, agricultural environment. And it seems many others think similarly, as the overwhelming majority at February’s public meeting in the village hall voted that they do not want it to go ahead.

But please make up your own mind: take a look at both PVDP’s website botleywest.co.uk and at the Stop Botley West campaign site stopbotleywest.com. The latter proposes that solar should be on brownfield sites – rooftops in business/science parks, and so on – rather than valuable agricultural land.

What Next?

I am now Tackley’s representative on the Stop Botley West campaign, and will be sharing information as it becomes available.

I will be delivering leaflets over the coming weeks. If you would like to join my team of volunteers to help with leafleting, or to display a poster, please email me at lizzieannegwin@gmail.com and put ‘SOLAR’ in the subject line. If you do not have email, you can call me on 07976 225109.

And please do get involved in the formal consultation process later in the spring: speak with the developers at their events, and respond to their consultation to let them know your views. I will be circulating information on how you can engage in the consultation when details become available. We all have a chance to have our say.

Mick Kelly

On behalf of the family, I wish to thank everyone who attended Mick’s funeral in January. It was moving and lovely to see so many people paying their final respects to Mick and supporting the family. I also want to thank the Silver Threads and every one of you for your kind and generous donations at the service. Boswell’s funeral directors have confirmed a total of £345 was raised, which we are donating to Cancer Research UK in memory of the late Michael Kelly.

Geoff Laurence

I would like to thank everyone who gave me such kind help and support while Geoffrey was in hospital and since he died. I cannot thank you all enough. I would also like to particularly thank Father Robin for his lovely service and support.

DIY Dave

He was part of our family for many years and we did the best we could;
Dave was talented in so many ways and worked really good with wood.

There wasn’t much he couldn’t do then he started laying flooring,
And called himself ‘Freddie Floors’ and none of his tasks were boring.

He could put his hand to many jobs like tiling any shower,
But loved his alcohol so much more so didn’t stay many hours.

He’d make an excuse to leave your place to go and feed Jimmy and Ruby,
Coz they played such a big part of his family and he loved them truly.

I know you lovely people here will have different thoughts of Dave,
And just like me we’ll all feel sad coz his soul we couldn’t save.

I feel he’s now in a better place and away from any trouble —
Or is he smoking a cigarette and drinking a whiskey double?

N. J. H.