May06Newsletter

I am sure when your newsletter arrived through your door you were immediately struck by the new format. The old format has been with us since 1977 when the newsletter was first produced by the Parish Council. It was produced from a Gestetner duplicator (for those that can remember that era) and collated by hand. It then moved to a similar format in 1990 but was produced from a computer and then photocopied and stapled. The new format allows a more compact presentation as well as a more colourful presentation. I hope to have a different front page each month and if you can send me a digital photograph of a village scene I will try to use it in a future edition. I hope that you enjoy your village newsletter in its new format and if you have any comments please let me have them.

The Council meeting held on Wednesday 12th April was attended by five Councillors, the Clerk, the District Councillor, and five members of the public.

The Clerk informed the meeting that the vacancy had been advertised in the Newsletter and that the Council would review any applications at the May meeting with a view to co-opting a new councillor.

The Clerk reported that he had received a full report from OCC on the Council’s application to register the land as a village green. OCC had taken independent legal advice and it would appear that our application as submitted would be refused. The Council expressed their concern that OCC had incurred material costs and asked the clerk to communicate their concern to OCC. The Council decided to consider their position before withdrawing the application.

The Chairman read out a letter from SODC in respect of the New Garden Waste Scheme. He informed the meeting that no eco sacks would be collected after Friday 2 June and that the last green community waste vehicle collection would be Saturday 3 June.

Mr Mark Willis gave a brief report on the expenditure on the recreation ground during 2005-06. He then outlined the proposed programme of work for 2006-07 and that showed a significant investment by the Council to improve the facilities. There was also a concern that the recreation ground was on occasions being used by motor cycles. It was agreed that a suitable notice should be erected to discourage any use. The Clerk was asked to investigate if any such notices were used by other local councils.

P06/W0226 – Land adjacent to Plough House; to create an agricultural vehicular access

The Council agreed by a majority of three votes to two to recommend approval of the application. There was a concern that there would still be a significant impact on the conservation area as well as concerns for safety and vehicle speeds if the bend was opened up.

P06/W0297 – Little Milton Village Hall; extension to Village hall re Post Office and other ancillary purposes

The Council noted that this application was now subject to an appeal to the Secretary of State.

The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act of 2005 allow Parish Councils to issue fixed penalty notices for littering, graffiti and flyposting offences from 6^th April 2006. The Act has also brought into play a new system for controlling dogs. The Council asked the Clerk to obtain a copy of the published guide ‘Getting to grips with the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act of 2006’ to allow it to more fully understand the implications of the Act.

The Chairman informed the meeting that as a result of a comprehensive review of the Mobile Library Service and the reduction of the fleet by one vehicle, OCC have taken the opportunity to plan and implement more efficient routes for their mobile libraries. As a result the Mobile Library will visit Old Field only on a Thursday every fortnight. The new service will begin from week beginning 12^th June. The Council were concerned about the loss of the Mobile Library Service at Milton Manor Drive and asked the Clerk to make further enquiries as to use of the service within the Village.

The Chairman reported that SODC is preparing its Housing Site Allocations Development Plan Document. The plan will allocate land for additional housing in the district to meet the requirements of the Oxfordshire Structure Plan 2016 and broad locations for a further period to 2026. The Council have been invited to a meeting where SODC will explain how they propose to undertake the work. The Chairman and Mr Barry Coward agreed to represent the Council.

The Chairman reported that he had a meeting with Jane Barker of ORCC in respect of the Post Office project covering various topics including full time shop manager, the number of volunteers required, overhead structure and product mix. The Chairman indicated that he expected to have a business plan available for consideration in October 2006.

Mrs Mabel Wood drew the Council’s attention to the poor state of the footpath in front of Cremar Cottages. It was agreed that the Clerk would speak to OCC Highways as well as the residents of Cremar Cottages in an attempt to resolve the problem.

The Clerk reminded the Council that the Annual Parish Meeting would be held on Wednesday 10^th May 2006. Although organised by the Parish Council it is not a Parish Council meeting. It was agreed that the Clerk would contact local organisations to make a brief presentation on the night. It was also agreed that refreshments should be available.

The Parish Council will meet on Wednesday 10th May 2006 at 8.00 p.m. in The Pine Lodge Little Milton unless there is a need to convene any planning or other meetings.

Please note that the complete minutes of the Council are now included on the Council website www.littlemilton.org.uk after they have been approved by the Council.

Residents can see the records of the policies and practices of the Parish Council including minutes, financial information and responses to planning consultations, on request from the Parish Clerk (Raymond Fergusson –279150). Current Council member are:

All residents should be aware that the District Council are introducing a wheeled bin to collect garden waste and the current eco-sacks will be cease to be collected after Friday 2 June and the last green community waste will be Saturday 3 June. There is a notice about the changes in the newsletter

Oxfordshire’s first ever Local Area Agreement commits public bodies such as Oxfordshire County Council and District Councils, the NHS, the police, and the voluntary and community sector to making real improvements to the lives of thousands of people in the county. The agreement includes 12 ambitious “stretch “targets that organisations will jointly aspire to reach over a three-year period. (Source: News for Towns and Parishes from OCC)

OCC announced the results of a comprehensive review of the Mobile Library Service and as result the service will only stop at Old Field from week beginning 12 June. It is important that if we want to keep this service in the future we need to make use of it. Ed

The South East Plan was submitted to the Deputy Prime Minister by the Assembly on Friday 31 March 2006. The next stage in the process will be handled by an independent Panel, appointed by the Government, who will oversee the Examination-in –Public scheduled for the autumn 2006. The Plan is the long term vision for South East England and sets out proposals for the scale of change, pattern of development and policies for the region over the next 20 years to 2026. all the documents, together with all supporting documentation are available on www.southeast-ra-gov.uk/southeastplan.

For a charge of £35 residents can arrange for their unwanted vehicle to be collected from within the District and a charge of £7.50 per bulky item e.g. fridge furniture etc. To arrange this service residents can call the Public Amenities Team on 01491 823416 or print a copy of the form from the Council’s website www.southoxon.gov.uk .

The revised collections may occur at a different time of the day compared to the normal collection of refuse so refuse and recycling should be placed on the kerbside by 7.00 a.m. in the morning. Please do not leave refuse or recycling out for collection on days other than your collection day, or any earlier than 6.00 p.m. the evening before.

The Oakley Wood, Redbridge and Drayton waste recycling centres will be open as normal over the bank holidays (8am to 5pm)

Please note that the following items have now been classified as hazardous household wastes and will no longer be accepted in the community waste vehicles.

TV’s, Monitors, Fluorescent tubes, Air conditioning units, Fridges/Freezers, Asbestos, Tins of paint (even if empty), Oil or Oil tins (even if empty), Car batteries, Gas cylinders.

The Oxfordshire County Council Waste Recycling Centres at Redbridge and Oakley Wood are open Monday to Saturday

We are looking for new volunteers to help with flowers in the church. If you can spare a short time on a Friday or Saturday and would like to help, please contact me. No skills needed just enthusiasm!

Just to let Villagers know that the Bell Ringers will be ringing in St. James’ Church, Little Milton on

I write these words on the Thursday before Easter which is called Maundy Thursday when we shall gather together in Church and focus and ponder in our minds the meaning of the words and actions of Jesus the night when he was betrayed. In my own thoughts I am reminded of that Club in London called The Beefsteak. There the diners arrive and take their place at a long table in the order in which they arrive, sitting next to whoever happens to be already seated and you talk with them. Come the end of the evening, strangers could become friends, and their conversations somehow could become a bridge between different and perhaps differing people. For it’s when we sit next to people, talk with them, eat with them, that we discover who they are and who we are.

On Maundy Thursday we commemorate the evening when Jesus was with his disciples gathered around a table, sharing in simple common meal. The menace of the next day must have been very much in Jesus’ mind. The disciples already knew Jesus to be a man of profound prayer and goodness. Hadn’t they watched him at prayer early in the mornings? It was the terrible and glorious events of the next few days which filled out, and spelt out for them what Jesus had meant by his words and actions at that table that evening. It should also help us to have in mind, how in Jesus’ time and culture, a shared meal meant so much more than the so often casual way we share meals in our day. When Jesus shared the bread and wine around the table, it was saying that they were all friends together, companions together, companions literally being people who share bread together, a company who belong to one another in a new way.

At the last Supper, as Jesus passed the broken bread and the common cup around the table, he said to his disciples in deed, if not in word, ‘you belong to me and one another in a new way, and I’m sharing myself and my life with you’. ‘My body, my blood’.

In these days, when the MacDonald sign is probably better known than the cross -let alone its significance- and when people no longer sit down together at the meal table as they did in former times, we would do well to keep before us Jesus’ example. That it is the Lord himself who bids us come to his table, as his company, his companions-his friends. That it is he who passes to each one of us the bread and the cup, and says, ‘This is my body. This is my blood. This is my life I’m sharing with you. I have gathered you here to have my life.’ But he will not leave it there, nor will he leave us there. For he will go on to say, ‘Yes, I’ve gathered you here to fill you with my life. But, now you must go out and share that life in the highways and byways of this world, and gather people together with me so that they too become my companions.

We are to be and to do what our Lord wills of us. And to begin all of this, he bids us gather together round his table, so that he can give us of himself. And that will come to us through the conversations which flow in the stillness of prayer round his table.

During Lent on four Mondays we held Lent Lunches around our benefice, and each one was different but each was so very delightful and enjoyable. We do thank all of our hostesses for all the time and trouble they went to, to make these occasions so memorable. Joining in hospitality in such a way as this, is one of the marks of Christian living and community, and this shone through every one of the Lunches. The donations, totalling over £400, which were left, will be sent to Christian Aid. Thank you indeed, everyone.

The mid week Compline Services and the Friday morning Communion Services were well supported, and this is encouraging in many ways.

After the starkness of Lent, how lovely our Churches looked on Easter Day? The outstanding flower arrangements, and the clean and sparkling feel of our Churches, all spoke eloquently of the joy and beauty of the first Easter day. How can we thank enough all of those who gave of their time and went to so much trouble to make all of this possible.

2005 was a historic year for every one who longs to see a world free of poverty, and the Make Poverty History campaign brought development issues to the forefront of countless people’s minds in a quite new way. But much remains to be done, as the grim total of global need and suffering continues to rise. As we look at our televisions, we are brought face to face with images from various parts of the world of desperate people seeking to survive. In such places Christian Aid is there making its vital effort to reconstruct ‘ordinary’ life.

Christian Aid can and does make a difference to the world’s most vulnerable people. But is does need our help and support to continue to bring life, hope and justice a bit nearer for God’s suffering and struggling children. Christian Aid Week is from the 14th to 20th May, and there will be a house-to-house collection throughout our benefice co-ordinated by Mrs. Sally Ann Dennis of Little Milton (01844 278029). During the Family Service at Little Milton on the 14th May, we shall have a slot remembering especially the work of Christian Aid.

This will take place in Fullers Field Common at 6.00 p.m. on Monday the 15th May. Whenever there is this Service, the congregation grows, and it would be good to see you. You would be most welcome.

This falls on the 25^th May, and there will be a celebration of Holy Communion in St. Mary’s at 7.30 p.m..

Recently I received notification from The Registrar of the Diocese informing me of the New Churchyard Regulations. In particular he writes: No memorial is to be introduced into any churchyard in this diocese unless a contract has been completed and signed on behalf of the family and on behalf of the church authorities in the form set out in the regulations. The form is a simple straight forward one which all undertakers and memorial Masons working in the Diocese of Oxford should have, or is available through me.

All our concern is to maintain the beauty, peace and tranquillity of our churchyards, so that they remain places of comfort for the bereaved and inspiration for all who visit them, and the new regulations seek to help and strengthen these concerns and desires.

During Lent the 2 sessions involved creativity + + +!! All the PCC received hand made Easter cards and the children are currently making a Liturgical Cloth Clock working on fabric pictures representing Sundays of the Church Year. A report on our work during 2005/6 will have been given at the Annual Church PCC meeting on April 23^rd and so now we move on and into another year – lots of plans!!

(and on May 14th there is a special family service with Baptism and a Christian Aid theme led by Victor…do come along!).

The theme for this years Christian Aid week is “You add, we multiply” with lots of further information on their website www.christianaid.org.uk. The wonderful Lenten lunches held around the Benefice have already got Christian Aid Week off to a great start this year! There will be a Christian Aid element to the family service on May 14^th (see elsewhere) and also a house to house collection during the week. Each collector has a “collectors pocket Guide” with stories about the individuals and groups who have been helped by Christian Aid - do ask to see it if you are interested to learn more about where your money goes! Anything you feel you can give will be welcomed and if you Gift Aid your contribution to Christian Aid it is increased by 28%. Last year the total we raised was increased by £152.93 through Gift Aid. There is also a sponsored walk, which is Henley based, on May 20^th and if you’re interested do phone me for further information. Thank you for ALL you support.

The organisation for the fete is well in hand and stall holders now need your support. I detail below a list of stall holders with contact numbers. Please give them a call to pledge your support. Many thanks

Sarah Jones 278120

LITTLE MILTON – OUTDOOR GAMES CLUB

I propose a club for interested children in the village to participate in outdoor games at the weekends and holidays by providing a list of all interested parties and their telephone numbers to be distributed to all members to keep and refer to when available, and interested in having a game; by someone initiating or suggesting a game at a particular time on a particular day and ringing round the list to see who else is available. If enough people can make it then GAME ON! Initially call me to leave name and number and I will draw up the list before giving everyone a copy. Call before mid May to start of first list.

THE PINE LODGE - 2006

· Barn Dance – We tapped our toe and ‘hoed down’ to the delightful tunes of Mouse and Trousers. Good fun and energetic dancing left people ‘reeling’ at the barn dance. A night of high energy and fun. We will aim to hold the next barn dance in early Autumn of 2007.

· Computer Club - The club runs on Tuesday evenings to offer help and guidance on all matters to do with using a computer. Letter and document writing, spreadsheets, databases, internet surfing & research, email etc. If you would like more details, please contact Stuart on 279092. All are welcome and the sessions are divided into two groups; Over 18’s 6pm – 7pm and Under 18’s 5pm – 6pm.

· Quiz Night – The final Quiz night of this season will be on Saturday the 6^th May 2006. Please book or reserve your tickets in advance to help us get the catering numbers right. Tickets for May from the Post Office or phone Stuart on 279092 and give him your number of reserved places. If you would like a vegetarian meal or have any special dietary requirements, please let us know in advance. Tickets will be £6 per head bought, or booked in advance and £7 if bought on the night including a meal.

· Wine appreciation evening – If you would like to participate in a Wine Appreciation course in the Autumn, please contact Chris Coward on 278970. The course will look at grape varieties from different regions (example: Merlot from France and Merlot from Chile) and explore the differences that result. By the end of each evening you should be able to identify wines ‘blind’. Dependent upon numbers, the cost will be in the region of £60 for a course of four sessions with each session being about 2½ hours.

a) Saturday 24^th June 2006 - Almost the longest night of the year and hopefully sunny. We concluded that this was the wrong time of year and will reschedule the Horse Race night for October.

b) Saturday 8^th July 2006 - Following the great success of the September Picnic concert we are holding a Midsummer Picnic concert. Further details to follow

e) Saturday 25^th November – The Oxford Touring Theatre Company production- “The Firebird”

Annual General Meeting

· The Annual General Meeting of ‘Little Milton Village Hall’ Registered charity no: 1092878 will be on Tuesday 13th June 2006 at 7.30pm in The Pine Lodge. Complimentary wine & soft drinks will be served and the Trustees will present their annual report and the financial accounts for the year ended 31st March 2006. Please come and ask any questions, tell us what we have done well and what we could do better. We also need volunteers to stand for election as Trustees to manage the affairs of the charity and other volunteers to assist with the growing number of community events that are being staged in The Pine Lodge.

“Little Milton Village Hall” is a registered charity and has adopted a trading style “The Pine Lodge”. Its purpose is clearly defined and limited by its Trust Deed. The actions of the Trustees are governed by the Charities Commission and the Trustees are duty bound to act with caution so as to protect the assets of the charity, while fulfilling the purpose of the charity. In practice this simply means, don’t do things that aren’t within the remit of the Trust deed and don’t take unnecessary risks, either operational or financial. If you would like to know more about the Trust, attend a Management Committee meeting as an observer, or, hopefully, enquire about being a Trustee or an event organiser, please contact Richard on 278045 or Stuart on 279092.

Booking and Hiring

The Pine Lodge continues to enjoy great popularity and is frequently booked for use by different people or groups both during the day and evening on Saturday and Sunday. If you are planning on making a weekend booking in particular, you should assume that there will be another hiring either after yours. Therefore if you are thinking of hiring, please

If you would like to book or see a copy of the new hire terms and conditions, please contact Dee Waldron on 278819 or log on to the Website WWW.littlemilton.org.uk and go to the Pine Lodge page.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Notice is hereby given of the Annual General Meeting of Little Milton Village Hall, Registered Charity number 1092878 to be held on Tuesday 13^th June, 2006 at 7.30pm in The Pine Lodge, Thame Road, Little Milton. All are welcome.

It is proposed to put on a wine appreciation course at the Pine Lodge, starting in September this year. The course will consist of a series of 4 evening wine tasting, to take place 1 per month until December. Each evening will concentrate on one grape variety and several examples from around the world will be tasted and analysed each month. Those of you who would like to think that you know your Merlot from your Syrah and your Chardonnay from your Pinot Gris (to name but a few), are invited to come along and test and improve your knowledge of wine. Full notes about the grape varieties that are tasted, will be available. On the fourth evening, there will be a light hearted blind tasting called Vinopoly, open to all course members. Both red and white wines will be sampled in order to test the newly acquired skill and knowledge of course members. Special tasting sheets will be provided which will offer suggestions and ideas to assist. Dare we say that Vinopoly is slightly competitive and there will be prizes for the best tasters and a booby prize for the person who has not learnt as much as everyone else!

The course will be run by a qualified wine merchant and the wines will all be of top quality. The provisional cost of the course will be £60 for the course for the maximum number of participants, and the cost will be adjusted slightly for fewer people. Numbers will be limited to a maximum of 40, so those who are interested in learning about wine or improving their knowledge, should call Chris Coward on 01844 278970 before 30th June so that course numbers can be ascertained and the course dates arranged.

Sir David Attenborough gave a lecture in Oxford last month on -Birds from Paradise', in New Guinea. These birds have no predators and plentiful food so environmental pressures do not operate, and instead sexual selection operates -with females only mating with males with the best displays of plumage and the

best dancing. This has led to spectacular plumage displays and an extraordinary variety of behaviours.

Keep up to date with all the news, Trust walks, latest press releases, Trust Wildlife Fact sheets by visiting our website at www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/berksbucksoxon

WALK FOR WILDLIFE

Calling all walkers! It’s time to sign up for a great day out with friends and family.

The Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust sponsored walk is taking place in Oxfordshire in 2006 and for the first time this year it will be held in partnership with the Friends of Wychwood Forest. Funds raised will go towards the important local conservation work carried out by both charities. The date for your diary is Sunday 14 May.

The start and finish point for the walk will be the stately Blenheim Palace near Woodstock. A variety of routes have been planned to suit all abilities, starting with a short three-mile amble suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs and going up to a major 37-mile hike along the entire Wychwood Way. In between there are routes of around five, eight and 17 miles. So whatever your level there is a walk for you.

All of the routes take in at least some of the grounds of the palace and there is plenty to see along the way. Pretty villages, meadows and woodland are dotted along the route and walkers should be able to enjoy all the sights, smells and signs of spring. To help children and the young at heart get more from their walk there will be special quizzes and activities.

It’s a great way to get out and about and enjoy the countryside, and you will be raising money for local charities at the same time.

Contact the Wildlife Trust on 01865 775476 for a registration pack. As an additional bonus, everyone who raises £50 or more in sponsorship monies will receive a free copy of the national 'Wildlife Walks' book, worth £12.99.

FRIENDS OF WELLS FARM

We plan to meet on Sunday 7th May, when we intend to continue the work that we have started in recent months. We welcome anyone who would like to come along and get some fresh air. We meet in the Farmyard at 10.30am.

All winter, toads will have hibernated in deep, dry holes far from water. They will have been wandering at night in search of food, returning to their hiding place before dawn.

But about now, Britain's common toad (bufo bufo) will make its annual migration to breed back at the same pond where it was itself a tadpole, often travelling up to half a mile across fields to reach its destination.

Toads are rough, warty and fairly dry. The males are smaller and, frankly, clingy. Very much Oliver Cromwell's "warts and all". The males are the more numerous, and struggle with each other. A successful male grasps a female firmly behind, his fists under her armpits. He will have developed elongated thumbs at this time.

They stay so embraced for days at a time and then they separate and remain solitary until next year.

So its "Parp Parp" time for Lord Toad of Toad Hall - King of the Road in Skinny Horner.

I have to apologise for mentioning the weather yet again, but as everyone knows it is an English disease. I just think it is important that we are all aware that the lack of rain is really serious for us all, not just to farmers. Since I last wrote, I have only recorded 22mm of rain. This has meant that all the spring work on the land has been completed without much of a break, something that is extremely rare for this time of year. Although every thing looks fine at the moment, and I guess most crops will get enough rain to survive it is plants like trees that will suffer, being deeper rooting it will take more rain to penetrate deeper into the ground.

At last things are beginning to grow and we are seeing the spring flowers in all their glory and the trees are beginning to show their first flush of green leaves, and blossoms. This is some 2 to 3 weeks late at the moment but no doubt they will soon make up for lost time as the days get longer and warmer, the problem is now that we will be getting busier cutting the grass on all our new footpaths. I saw my first Swallow on Easter Sunday, if I remember correctly last year I saw the first one over the Easter weekend, meaning even the birds are late this year as Easter is later.

We recently attended a seminar on the Higher Level Stewardship for the “River Thame”. This is being funded and supported by S O D C, Aylesbury Vale District Council, (AVDC), Bucks County Council, The Environment Agency, (EA), Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group, (FWAG), DEFRA, and the RSPB, and of course local Farmers. This is to help pay for the management of riverside meadows to encourage wading birds, such as Redshank, Lapwings, Snipe, and Curlews, it was a morning seminar informing us that money was available to encourage farmers to manage their land in a sensitive way for this purpose. Then an afternoon session on an area of about 140 acres between the Thame bypass & Shabbington. This is some land that the above agencies have encouraged 3 landowners to create this area of conservation, we actually heard a Curlew calling whilst we were there, a bird I had not realised that we had in this area.

It is refreshing that money is being made available for projects like this, which will hopefully mean that more natural wildlife will be returning to our area. This is all good of course as long as adequate funding is kept in place, so that it can remain in perpetuity. We have to be careful that we do not get a change in policy that will make it impossible to continue to take a lesser income from this land, or that there is a need to turn this land back into full production due to a shortage of food supplies from around the world. We are now so reliant on these imports to feed ourselves, and all the implications of food miles and security, etc.

On a completely different subject, I have often wondered why it is the fruit growers who have orchards in a valley or side of a hill plant hedges higher up a slope to stop frost, whilst understanding that cold air falls. I could not see a hedge having any effect in stopping frost slipping down a hill, but it obviously does. This was confirmed to me one morning, when there was a drifting mist, I was looking out or our bedroom window, and could not help noticing, the way that the mist was going up over not through hedges and trees, it really was almost unbelievable to watch, great plumes of mist hanging over these obstructions. I guess that frost is the same. It must drift around under certain circumstances, again from our house on frosty mornings you can easily see the frost pockets.

It was my intention not to mention politics this month but I have to make a comment on the “Single Farm Payment” that I have written about in previous months. This has got horribly out of hand because our government had to make it unnecessarily complicated, as I guess most people will have picked up in the media. It refers to a substantial part of our income and, being due last December/January, now looks like it will not be available until the autumn, in some cases. I personally take great exception to a government minister in February asking farmers to be patient, and that the banks will look after us, (of course they will but at a price), and that 90% or so would be paid by the end of March. To me this indicates a total lack of understanding of ordinary finance by someone who is supposed to have the intelligence to make important decisions on our behalf. I am not going to say anything about the justification for these payments to farmers, except the fact they are there to make up for market discrepancies etc and are part of our normal income that we have to budget for.

Due to the Easter Holiday the April winning numbers will be published in the June newsletter.

Sarah Sadler 278563

All records were broken this month at Anne’s with 9 of us meeting to sew, chat, quilt, stitch, mend, eat and talk together – lovely! Thank you, Anne, for having the group and making us so welcome. This month we are meeting at Spring and Well Cottage, the home of Mary Davies (in the Haseley Road) on Wednesday 24^th May from 11.00 onwards. Do please telephone Mary on 279471 by Tuesday evening 23^rd if you plan on having lunch. Come along and join us for a cosy, chatty time! Why not?

Mr Mark Davies spoke about the Waterways of Oxford at our April meeting. As a canal boat resident, he enjoys living on the waterways, especially the wildlife attracted to this green corridor. The history of the canal in Oxford was fascinating, especially its design, construction and commercial role dating back to the early 1800’s, before being overtaken by the railways. However, as one photo revealed, as recently as the 1950’s women shovelled coal off the boats for a living. A major current change to canal life and the wildlife environment is the selling-off of land adjacent to the canal for housing, including a much-publicized dispute with the people of Jericho refusing to see a boat repair and building yard sold off for housing by British Waterways.

Outings / Activities: Members have the choice of a wide range of events, including Legal London, a Culham Science Open Evening, an OFWI Inter-WI Quiz Night, a Midsummer Fayre at the WI’s own college, Denman College near Abingdon, an art skills workshop and a Bring and Share Supper at Sutton Courtenay in aid of ACWW, the WI’s international work.

Next Meeting: This will be held at 7:45 pm at The Pine Lodge on Thursday, 11th May. We will discuss this year’s Resolutions for the National AGM. Also, there will be a talk by Rev. Victor Story.

President: Anne Hawkins, Little Milton 279526 Secretary: Shirley Thomas, Little Milton 278976

Most burglaries are carried out by opportunist thieves. In two out of ten burglaries, they don’t even have to use force - they get in through an open door or window.

Look at you home from the point of view of a burglar. Do you have an alarm fitted? Is there easy access to the rear? Are there window locks fitted? Is there external lighting available during darkness?

Reduce the risk of your home being burgled by making sure you take some simple and inexpensive precautions.

· Fit mortise locks to all front and back doors and locks to all downstairs windows and windows which are easy to reach.

· If you have a burglar alarm make sure it is installed properly and works. (Use it)

· When you are away from home, use timer switches to turn some lights on when it is dark.

· Keep your garage and garden shed locked with proper security locks, and keep any tools secure and out of sight.

Don’t forget if you are a victim of crime or see something that seems suspicious then telephone the police and report it. It’s easy to report incidents to the police with the introduction of one contact number for Thames valley Police, for non-urgent police enquiries telephone 08458 505505. In an emergency you should still call 999

These classes have been running successfully now for over 6 months. They are for anyone who would like to improve their fitness including a cardio-vascular low impact warm-up session, flexibility and mobility to improve your

suppleness and relaxation to reduce your stress levels. If you are interested come along and join us on Monday mornings 10.30am at the Pine Lodge.

Please note there will be no classes on the May Bank Holidays and on Monday 22nd will now be held on Tuesday 23rd May for that week only. For more info. please phone 01844 279205

You need only blink and you will miss it. And besides, you will probably be asleep. But for precisely one second on Thursday 4 May in the wee small hours the time and date will be 01:02:03 04/05/06. This profoundly insignificant if aesthetically pleasing instant could be a once in a lifetime event. It next occurs a century later.

The late spring this year held everything back so you will be very busy this month in the garden and allotment, but do take time to enjoy the new leaves and blossoms that are all around us now.

Vegetables - Sow French and runner beans. They have attractive flowers and their climbing habit makes them good for growing in containers on the patio, they will need wigwam frame for support. Why not try squashes, gourds and courgettes, they are very easy to grow, fun for children and adults alike. Many are edible, including the flowers of courgette. Maybe you have room for a prize marrow!

Containers - Now that all danger of frost is gone is the time to plant containers. Plan colour schemes and varieties. Choose plants that are not too thirsty as water will be in short supply this summer... When planting up use peat free compost, add water retaining granules and a slow release fertiliser. These steps now will make maintenance much easier.

Dahlias are back in fashion! They look good in a mixed border and come in all sizes and colours and are easy to grow. Plant out now and you will have prize winners in time for the show.

Watch out for blackfly and greenfly, rhubarb leaves soaked for some weeks in water makes a good spray for getting rid of blackfly on broad beans.

This year the show will be held in the beautiful setting of Rycote Park on Saturday 26^th August at 2pm and we need lots of entries so get growing!

Learn more about flower and vegetable growing, join your local gardening society, membership only £3 a year.

Plant Sale and Teas, Sunday June 4^th 2.30pm – 5pm at the Harcourt Arboretum, Nuneham Courtenay. Wide range of plants for sale, lovely teas, bookstall, plant advice - and the beautiful Arboretum to explore! Free parking .Organised by the Friends of Oxford Botanic Garden.

Only eleven members attended our meeting on the 30th March. However, in spite of our small numbers we had a very different and special afternoon. Mrs. Viv Godfrey had come from Filkins to limber us all up with her exercise routine. Viv told us that an earlier car accident caused doctors to warn her that if she did not exercise she would be in a bad way by the time she was sixty. She took this to heart and is now qualified to teach exercise and none of us have ever seen such a supple, energetic 70 years young lady! After going through her routines she had us doing various exercises ourselves. We all tried hard and had a really good laugh - a very enjoyable afternoon.

On the 13th April eighteen members attended. On entering the room we were somewhat surprised to find a large table completely covered with all kinds of cards - birthday cards, postcards, Easter and Christmas cards - we were intrigued. Also several people were busy pricing the encouraging number of articles brought along for our Bring and Buy. This event raised £13.31 and our special raffle resulted in £9 for Club funds. After these two events we found out what all the cards were for. We were to try our hand at decoupage. This proved to be good fun with some interesting results. Amongst all the snippets of card, glue and scissors we had tea and those who wanted played a short game of bingo. We left at 4.30 p.m.

The CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory carries out world leading research ranging from the vastness of space to the invisibly small world of nanotechnology. All the lectures are free and many are suitable for families – age guidelines are shown for each lecture.

‘Move over Einstein’, a fascinating exhibition produced by the Institute of Physics, uses hands-on-exhibits to take you inside some of the latest projects Einstein’s successors are working on. This free exhibition can be visited Monday to Friday from 10.00am to 4.00pm. There are another list of events that can be viewed on www.oxtrust.org.uk or you can ring 01865 728953.

Home Start

Antique Roadshow!

After a very successful day last year, you can once again dig out your treasures and bring them along for valuation by the experts on Saturday 10 June 2006 at Wallingford Town Hall, Wallingford between 10.00a.m. and 1.00 p.m. Bonhams, who have been auctioneers and valuers since 1793 will be using their expert skills to value your household wonders, all in aid of Home-Start Southern Oxfordshire, a local charity helping local families with small children. The cost of valuing 2 items is £5.00 and £1.00 per subsequent item. Refreshments are also available.

So come along and bring your treasures, ceramics, books, toys, silver, pictures etc. You never know what might be in your attic!

For more information, please contact Home-Start Southern Oxfordshire on 01235 511152

In aid of Home-Start Southern Oxfordshire, supporting local families

Registered Charity Number 1006230

I have taken out a new mobile phone contract but have just seen a deal in a newspaper that gives cheaper calls. Can I cancel the contract and return my new phone?

You cannot return your phone or cancel the contract, just because you have changed your mind or found a cheaper deal, unless your contract allows you to do this. Check to see if your contract gives you a right to cancel. If it does, the mobile phone company may charge you to do this – details should be in your contract.

However, there may be other circumstances in which you can cancel your contract free of charge: for example, if you have paid by credit, signed the contract in your own home, or ordered the service by post, phone or over the internet.

If any of these circumstances apply, you should talk to an experienced adviser, for example, at a Citizens Advice Bureau.

If you do decide to cancel your mobile phone contract, contact the mobile phone company and let them know. Confirm the cancellation in writing.

For more information and advice on consumer rights go to www.adviceguide.org.uk or contact your local CAB.

STORYTIME

The next story time will be held on Tuesday 30^th May from 11.00 to 12 noon and is open to all 4 – 8 year olds. Please collect a FREE ticket from the library

Do you need a paperback to take? - We are having a paperback book sale starting Tuesday 23^rd May when you will be able to pick up a bargain. Perhaps you may need more information on your chosen resort or would like to learn the language? We can help out, as we have a very wide range of travel books.

The car service to the doctor or hospital is for anyone in the villages of Great Milton, Great Haseley or Little Milton. Passengers are required to pay:

Visit to Hospital £4.00 (passenger pays for any car park) and Visit to Doctor £2.00

This service is made possible by a grant from the Parish Councils to help cover the driver’s petrol cost.

We are very short of drivers and if there is anyone willing to give a small amount of time, possibly twice a month, to drive either to the doctor or hospital we would be very grateful.

If you want advice or general information call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47. This is a 24 hour service staffed by nurses who can give confidential advice and information on what to do if you are unwell,

have any health concerns and give contact details or self help or support organisations. You can also visit their website at www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk

If you need to visit a GP or health professional outside of normal working hours you can call our service on 0845 345 8995. We will then arrange for you to see the right health professional in the right

place. This service runs from 6.30 p.m. to 8.30 a.m. weekdays and 24 hours over weekends and bank holidays.

The surgeries are very popular and it advisable that if you wish to make an appointment that you do so sometime before the surgery you would like to attend. Please contact 01491 612852

I would like to thank on your behalf Vaughan Sadler, Mark & Jennifer Willis, Sally Ann & George Dennis and Mark Platts for picking up a large amount of litter over the weekend. I am sure we can all help to keep our village a clean and tidy place to live if we all kept our own patch free from litter. We will do another Blitz in late summer. Ed

SOS- The Post office is in desperate need of staff….can you do one or two shifts? Training given….contact Annie at Post Office

DEADLINE REMINDER – Please note that unless articles are in the hands of the Editor by the 20^th of the month (unless otherwise stated), such articles will miss the scheduled Newsletter. The views expressed in this Newsletter are not necessarily those of the Editor or the Parish Council. All material

for inclusion in the June 2006 Newsletter should be with the Editor at 27 Chiltern View, Little Milton, by 8.00 p.m. on 20th May 2006. The Editor reserves the right not to print items submitted for publication and to edit those items, which are published.

Date	Location	Time	Garden Waste	Non Recyclable Waste
Friday 5th May	Chalgrove Village Car Park	8.00 -11.00 am	Yes	Yes
Saturday 6th May	Wheatley Primary School	8.00 -12.00pm		Yes
Friday 12th May	Chalgrove Village Car Park	8.00 -11.00 am	Yes	Yes
Saturday 13th May	Wheatley Primary School	8.00 -12.00pm		Yes
Friday 19th May	Chalgrove Village Car Park	8.00 -11.00 am	Yes	Yes
Saturday 20th May	Wheatley Primary School	8.00 -12.00pm		Yes
Friday 26th May	Chalgrove Village Car Park	8.00 -11.00 am	Yes	Yes
Saturday 27th May	Wheatley Primary School /Chalgrove Village Car park	8.00 -12.00pm		Yes

7th	10.30 a.m.	A service in Fullers Field Community Room which includes a presentation on the work of SNEHA in India by Mrs Jenny Bullimore
14th	11.00 a.m.	Sacrament of Holy Communion and baptism led by Rev Derick Chambers
21st	11.00 a.m.	Morning service led by the Circuit Worship Group
28th	11.00 a.m. 5.30 p.m.	Morning service led by Mr Tony King from Wokingham Circuit Service at Cuddington led by Mr Derick Chambers

Monday Morning Monday Afternoon	10.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. 1.30 p.m. – 4.00 p.m.	Open Door No appointment needed Appointments and phone advice
Tuesday Morning	10.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m.	Appointments and phone advice
Wednesday & Thursday	Closed
Friday	10.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m.	Appointments and phone advice

Mon	1st	9.45 a.m	Babies and Toddlers Music Group
Tues	2nd	7.30 pm	Bell Ringing Practice
Thurs	3rd	10.15 a.m.	Great Haseley Baby and Toddler Group in Gt. Haseley Village Hall
Sat	6th	7 for 7.30 pm	Quiz Night in the Pine Lodge
Sun	7th	9.30 a.m. 10.45 am	Holy Communion (Common Worship) – St James’ Little Milton Sunday School
Mon	8th	10.30 a.m.	Fitness/Yoga in the Pine Lodge
Tues	9th	7.30 p.m.	Bell Ringing Practice – St James’
Wed	10th	8.00 p.m.	Parish Council Meeting, The Pine Lodge
Thurs	11th	10.15 a.m. 7.45 p.m.	Great Haseley Baby and Toddler Group in Gt. Haseley Village Hall W I The Pine Lodge Little Milton
Sun	14th	11.00 a.m.	Family Service - St James’ Little Milton
Mon	15th	10.30 a.m 1.25–1.45 p.m. 1.50-2.10 p.m.	Fitness/Yoga in the Pine Lodge Mobile Library – Old Field Mobile Library – Milton Manor Drive
Tues	16th	7.30 p.m.	Bell Ringing Practice – St James’
Wed	17th	9.45 a.m	Babies and Toddlers Music Group
Thurs	18th	10.15 a.m.	Great Haseley Baby and Toddler Group in Gt. Haseley Village Hall
Sun	21st	8.00 a.m. 10.45 a.m.	Holy Communion (BCP) Sunday School
Mon	22nd	10.30 a.m.	Fitness/Yoga in the Pine Lodge
Tues	23rd	7.30 p.m.	Bell Ringing Practice – St James’
Wed	24th	9.45 a.m.	Babies and Toddlers Music Group
Thurs	25th	10.15 a.m.	Great Haseley Baby and Toddler Group in Gt. Haseley Village Hall
Sun	28th	10.00 a.m	Benefice Service St James’
Mon	29th	10.30 a.m 1.25–1.45 p.m. 1.50-2.10 p.m	Fitness/Yoga in the Pine Lodge Mobile Library – Old Field Mobile Library – Milton Manor Drive
Tues	30th	7.30 p.m.	Bell Ringing Practice – St James’
Wed	31st	9.45 a.m.	Babies and Toddlers Music Group

LITTLE MILTON

GREAT HASELEY

Sarah Jones 278120