Newsletter

September 2011

PARISH COUNCIL   See Parish Council Pag

EXTRACTS FROM PARISH COUNCIL MEETING

The Parish Council did not meet in August. The next meeting of the Parish Council is on Tuesday 13th September 2011 at 8.00 p.m. in the Pine Lodge.

Freedom of Information Act – Parish Council Publication Scheme

The Freedom on Information Act 2000 (FOIA) provides rights of public access to information held by Public Authorities. The Parish Council adopted a new publication scheme on 1st January 2009. A version of the Publication Scheme will be available on the Council Website www.littlemilton.org.uk

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.

Current Council members

SODC: WASTE MANAGEMENT CONTRACT

For a charge of £68 residents can arrange for their unwanted vehicle to be collected from within the District and a charge of £20 for up to three bulky item e.g. fridge furniture etc. and a further £6.35 for each additional item. 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 .

BIFFA: WASTE COLLECTION DATES –SEPTEMBER 2011

WASTE RECYCLING CENTRES

The Oxfordshire County Council Waste Recycling Centres at Redbridge, Drayton (near Abingdon) and Oakley Wood are open seven days a week including Bank Holidays from 8.00 a.m. – 5.00 p.m.

CHURCH CLEANING ROTA   -   See Church Page

CHURCH FLOWER ROTA     -   See Church Page      

BELL RINGING PRACTICE    -   See Church Page

ST. JAMES’ CHURCH SUNDAY SCHOOL   -   See Church Page

BENEFICE SERVICES   -   See Church Page

FROM THE REGISTERS   -  See Church Page

NEWS FROM LITTLE MILTON SCHOOL   -  See School Page

FRIENDS OF LITTLE MILTON SCHOOL 200 CLUB  -  See School Page

SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS  -  See Church Page

GREAT MILTON METHODIST CHURCH  -  See Church Page

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY  -  See Events page

LITTLE MILTON WI

Not many members attended the August meeting, probably due to holidays among other things but our speaker Dr Maisey didn’t mind, he said that he was just as happy to talk to a small group as a large one as long as everyone enjoyed it, and we did enjoy it.  His humorous talk on “Spare Parts” was amusing and also very informative, giving us a different slant on transplants and replacement joints.  We were even able to handle some “spare parts” which, surprisingly, looked and felt quite different to what you might expect.

Our next meeting will be at The Pine Lodge on Thursday 8^th September when we will be joined by members of Tiddington W.I.   The speaker will be Carol Hunt who will give a talk on “Reviving Your Wardrobe,”   Please do join us if you can.  The cost for non-members for the evening is £3 including tea and biscuits.

Our meetings begin at 7.45pm and end around 9pm on the second Thursday of the month at The Pine Lodge, unless otherwise stated.  Visitors and new members always welcome.  If you would like further information on any W.I. aspect please do not hesitate to telephone any of the following, Eleanor Summers 278169, Anne Hawkins 279526 or Shirley Thomas 278976

NEWS FROM THE PINE LODGE

It has been quiet during to Summer although several families have enjoyed the holiday cinema club each Wednesday.

In September we are planning the return of our popular Quiz nights and look forward to seeing you there. See the advert for more details.

Since the Pine Lodge opened we have tried to establish regular events that would be of interest to the village and following enquiries during the summer we are pleased to be able to say that there will be evening classes in Zumba Dance and Pilates as well as the Music Therapy sessions already organised by Laurelle.

Don't forget that the Pine Lodge is a super venue for children's parties and family occasions.

Forthcoming events:

Harvest Supper

Fireworks

Xmas

Teresa Quested

WHEATLEY LIBRARY

A reminder of the opening times:

Tuesday 2.00 – 7.00 p.m: Wednesday 9.30 am. - 1.00 pm.: 2.00 5.00 p.m.

Thursday 2.00 – 5.00 p.m.: Friday 9.30 a.m. - 1.00 p.m.: 2.00p.m. - 6.00 p.m.

Saturday 9.30 a.m. – 1.00 p.m.

Contacts: 01865 875267; wheatley.library@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Want a fun night out in Little Milton?

Come and try our village

QUIZZNIGHT!

SATURDAY 24^th SEPTEMBER

7pm @ The Pine Lodge

Ticket includes 2-course dinner

 Excellent local ale

Wine supplied by Little Milton shop

  Everyone welcome!

- on your own or in a team

Tickets on sale at the Post Office:

£7 in advance

£8 on the door

 PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR VILLAGE

FRIENDS OF WELLS FARM

There was no work party in August, but we plan to have one on September 4^th at 10.30am. The two main objectives will be to mark the plants in the new hedge that did not survive the dry spring so they can be replaced, and also identify the trees in the plantation at the far end of the reserve that have died (killed by hungry rabbits!). We also plan to have a work party on 2^nd October at 10.30am.

At this time of year, animals will have an abundance of seeds and fruit to eat which will contribute to an explosion in the rodent population and good news for the owls too. On the reserve we have barn owls, tawny owls and a pair of little owls, which are all very active at this time of year. Look out for the swallows lining up on the phone wires and preparing to fly south too.

Paul Jeffery 278424

SEWING GROUP NEWS and DATES

In September the Group will meet on 21st September from 11.00 at Willow Brook Cottage the home of Anne Hawkins (telephone 279526).

 Sally Ann Dennis 278029

VIEW FROM VIEWS

I reckon by now or at least by the time these Views are read it will be all over bar the shouting, that is as far as the cereal harvest is concerned. As far as I can see it has been a mixed harvest from the point of view of cereal yields, some being good and some indifferent, which is about what was expected. Oil seed rape though was exceptionally good, I can only explain this by the fact that it was planted in very good seed beds with enough moisture to set it on it’s way, and by the time things started to dry up it had got a good enough root system to insulate it from the drought. The Wheat, the only other crop we grow here at Views, in the places where there was some moisture it has done exceptionally well, but has only suffered severely where the land is dry. The one crop that I think has really suffered has been grass, particularly in this area, fields that were put aside for winter feed, will have produced less than hoped for.

The worrying thing for livestock farmers is that there will be a shortage of feed this winter meaning feed costs will inevitably rise this winter. This coupled with the very high prices that cereals are attaining at the moment will add substantially to costs this winter, affecting all livestock farmers, as most classes of livestock rely on a proportion of cereals in their diet through to winter. The high cereal prices are not actually due to shortages so much as prices being pushed up by speculators making a fast buck out of everyone else. I always think this is hard, those who take all the risk and investment without knowing what the return will be, have their profitability controlled by those who just handle numbers. It goes without saying that this increase in feed prices affects the Pig & Poultry industry more than most, as these animals/birds (never know whether to call birds animals or not,) feed is cereal based, price of eggs will have to go up I think.

It’s been a very odd season as it seems to have been a good year for everything, loads of young birds about, the fruit trees and bushes are, and have been, laden with fruit, I cannot remember such a good year for strawberries. All this in spite of being very short of water, I suppose we have had periods of rain at what must have turned out to be critical times, just in time to save this or that crop, The one crop that has really suffered is grass, as I mentioned earlier grass has really struggled this time but strangely enough it has by no means been as brown as in other years. As always at times like this we all think that once it starts to rain it will not know when to stop, and  when it rained on St Swithin’s day, (it is said that if it rains on St Swithin’s it will do so for 40 days), all we need at the start of harvest, well it did, but it didn’t, by my calculations we have had 6.6 inches or 33 mm in new money, of rain in 7 months to end of July, less than half of what we would expect, and yet things seem to have flourished.

In early June we entertained our adjacent NFU members at the “Jack Peers Centre” amongst things of interest that we were talking about was conservation, a very hot topic nowadays in our circles, and right on cue whilst I was welcoming people outside the window was a Barn Owl hunting, then a few days later we saw 3 at the same time hunting again in the same field, so we must be doing something right.

I find the comments made by some of these rather prim and young female forecasters some what annoying. Living in the area that we do, and being desperate for rain it is a bit galling to them saying, like one did the other day, we had 46mm since yesterday, and this should satisfy the farmers, when here we only had 9mm, that we have had enough to help, or the good weather will last another week, without really knowing the effect it does have on us and Gardeners. It just annoys me, as they do not have a clue how frustrating the weather can be at times. And now to add insult to injury Kate Humble is setting up a school or at least a course for youngsters to learn about the country, will this be how to giggle or hug a lamb or bunny. Talking of weather not only have we missed the rain this year I reckon we have had some 6.6 inches of rain in the last 7 months, but we have had very little thunder. Usually after a few hot days it all ends in a good thunder storm. The new BBC programme “The Great British Weather”, not only is it made dramatic and really rather silly it does, not really tell you anything useful or what we did not know. The other day I thought we would learn how Thunder actually occurs, but we didn’t, I still don’t know, it is something I have never understood.

Thoughts and expectations of future developments in our industry.

Climate Change another issue we all have to get grips with, and what ever we do it is bound to cost money nothing surer than that. The sort of problems that we farmers face is we will probably have to feed our ruminant animals a different diet than they are used to which may mean that milk yields will drop, or with meat animals take longer to mature, all adding to the cost. The animals them selves may not like their new diet either, it will most likely affect the taste of their produce, and we the consumer may not like that either. That’s just livestock farming with the growing of crops, Tractors burn fuel, huge amounts of fuel are used in the manufacture of the manufacture of fertilisers and chemicals. I believe that this account for over 40% of all carbon emissions, the only way of cutting this is by less cultivation, leading possibly to poor soil management and therefore lower yields. The less use of chemicals and fertilisers will have the same effect. There is only one sure way of solving the problem and that is to go back to the horse, I believe the horse does not emit so much methane as a cow, and hand work. More animals (to do the work) therefore more manure less artificial manure would be needed for fertiliser, and hand weeding would require less chemicals. Who is going to walk behind the horse all day, and then the rest of the week hand pull weeds? Technology will help us save money on some operations, a development that is just becoming available is satellite guidance of machines, this will cut out the possibility of too much overlapping or missing areas when doing certain operations, a definite advantage in fuel saving and soil management.  This is fine on the larger farms but for those of us smaller ones it would be impossible to justify the extra cost which drives us back to mass production or very expensive food.

Charles Peers

NEIGHBOURS CLUB

On the 11th August we celebrated Jean and Len Hill's Diamond Wedding Anniversary with a superb lunch which they had prepared for us all.  It really was a joyous occasion and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon.  We wish Jean and Len many more happy years together.  The 18th August was our outing day.  This time it was to Henley for lunch then on to Stonor Park followed by a W.I. tea at The Pine Lodge, Little Milton.  Unfortunately Henley suffered an absolute deluge - in fact it was the wettest day we could remember for years!! However no-one moaned (well not too much) and we had a good laugh at our plight.  In the afternoon we went on to Stonor Park, a country house nestling in the Chiltern Hills, which has been in the Stonor family for more than eight centuries.  It is now the home of Lord and Lady Camoys.  We were given a guided tour of the house which includes displays of family portraits, tapestries, bronzes and ceramics.  The house also had a 12th century private chapel built of flint and stone with an early brick tower.  After this we arrived at Pine Lodge, Little Milton, somewhat damp but still cheerful, where we enjoyed a wonderful tea well up to the usual W.I. standards! Thank you ladies.  We are looking forward to our next meeting on the 25th August when our subject is 30 Years in a Victorian Pottery Family - a talk and slides by Peter Crumpton.

Forthcoming Events - September

 Thurs 8th - Harvest Festival and Miniature Garden Competition - 2.15 p.m.

Wed 14th - Swindon Steam Museum and Lydiard Park

Thurs 22nd - Egypt and The Nile - Talk and Slides by Mrs B. Hulbert + BBONT Stall - 2.15 p.m.

ON YER BIKE! YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO SIGN UP

The 2011 Ride & Stride is to be held on Saturday 10^th September. All cyclists in Little Milton should be getting fit for this worthwhile event. The ride is in aid of the Historic Churches Trust, a worthy cause. No one would like to see our church or local churches go into disrepair and this is a chance to help restore and protect them by raising a little income by way of sponsorship. Little Milton’s target is just £200 to beat last year’s effort. Ride or Stride (walk) from several churches in a very short space and gather up a few sponsors beforehand and the event will be very successful. 

Call me on  279526 for information.

Anne Hawkins 279526

VILLAGE SHOP NEWS

Congratulations – it’s your village shop’s 2^nd Birthday!  Do remember to visit and wish the shop a happy second anniversary on September the 9^th.  Thank you to ALL our volunteers and customers for supporting the village shop over the last 2 years since opening.  We wish YOU many happy returns!

So many people do make the commitment to become regular customers and regular volunteers to ensure our village shop, Post Office and coffee shop continue to thrive.  Small changes of our shopping habits can help to keep our village enterprises in operation.  For example, simply remembering buy your book of stamps from Annie at the local Post Office helps keep her business viable and cost you exactly the same as any other outlet!

The importance of a thriving volunteer team was brought into sharp focus during August when holiday season and family commitments resulted in a staff shortage.  Whilst we debated the possibility of being forced to close for a couple of days due to no volunteers and staff holidays, we were saved at the eleventh hour by our village teenagers and a juggling of work commitments to free up available time for the shop.  Thank you to those who stepped into the breach.  To avoid such a panic in future, we are asking all villagers to give volunteering some serious consideration.  Could you:

• spare a couple of hours a week / fortnight /month /shot-term or during school holiday only?
• would you be happy doing “backroom” jobs e.g. stacking storeroom and price labelling – Tuesdays see a regular stock delivery that all needs pricing and putting away?
• if you have some time, but not at a regular time slot – could you leaflet drop for us on an occasional basis (Little Milton / Milton Common / Haseleys etc)?
• One off jobs are usually available – window cleaning, litter picking or gardening.  An extra pair of hands is always welcome!

We’d love to have more people involved in our community shop.  If you are new to the village, please come and find out more – it’s a great way of meeting local people and finding out about your community.

September is often a time of food gluts especially from fruit trees or veggie gardens, so you might be lucky to find donated apples or plums in the shop that have travelled food a matter of food metres not food miles.  If you have any donations to add to shop collection, please speak to Alison to see if they could be included in the shop’s offering – we usually offer these as “help yourself” or make a donation to charity. 

Later in the month (17^th September-2^nd October) the Village Shop is pleased to be part of British Food Fortnight – a celebration of local produce.  There will be many opportunities to sample the local products offered in the shop – call in throughout the period to see what is on offer each day.  You are sure to be surprised to see so many British products highlighted on our shelves – come and count our union jacks!

We greatly enjoy selling our wines in the shop, but a constant issue for any retailer in the UK is trying to compete with the Supermarket’s habit of selling 3 bottles for £10.  To be fair, Tesco offered to stop doing this if the Government were to legislate (selling alcohol below cost) but the Government backed down, so the practise continues. Did you know that every bottle of wine sold in the UK carries duty and VAT of £2.17 per bottle? This is before you even pick a grape! Add on the costs of the grape growers, the vinification, bottling, labelling, and transport, and you can soon see that £3.33 is not an economic price for a bottle of wine.

Why does this matter?-after all, shoppers are able to buy alcohol more cheaply in the supermarkets. It matters because we used to have a thriving Wine merchant sector in this country-think of Threshers, Wine Rack, Unwins, Bottoms Up, and my personal favourite-Oddbins. All of these companies have gone bust, because in the consumer’s eye the supermarkets have set the price they are prepared to pay for a bottle of wine, and these chains cannot compete. It is yet another example of the dangers of having Supermarkets totally dominating the High Street. So buy from us!

Next Wine Club will be Wednesday, 21st September, at 8.00PM-come and join us!

THAME & WHEATLEY RAMBLERS – SEPTEMBER 2011

Saturday 3^rd            Meet at Stadhampton (by the church) at 09:30am for a 12 mile walk to Garsington, the Baldons and Chislehampton.  Pub stop.  01865 874300.

Tuesday 13^th           Meet at Thame Cattle Market (by Racquets Fitness Centre) at 10:00am for an easy 3½ mile walk to the Bucks boundary, passing Ham Wood and the Thame Showground.  01844 215624.

Thursday 22^nd         Meet at Stadhampton (the south east corner of the green by the play area) at 10:00am for a 6 mile walk to the Chippinghurst Stones and Little Milton. Sorry, no dogs allowed.  01844 215624.

LITTLE MILTON ALLOTMENTS

It has been fairly quiet up on the allotments with a lot of people taking their holidays.  The crops however have been busily growing and providing some tasty pickings.  My freezer is full of peas, broad beans, runner beans, raspberries and strawberries.  This year my sweetcorn has provided some particularly sweet, succulent cobs which are so popular with my visitors I don’t think many are going to make the freezer this year.

My potato crops have been very good this year and will finish digging up the main crop this month.  When you harvest your potatoes take care to remove all the tubers. Any left will not only sprout next year and become weeds but will also be a reservoir for disease and potato blight spores. It's often worth forking over a few days after harvesting potatoes because more seem to miraculously appear.  This year I have ended up with potatoes growing in the most unlikely places (middle of my strawberry bed) and have no idea how they got there.  It's best to harvest potatoes fairly early in the day, rinse them off as they come from the ground and then leave in the sunlight for a day to thoroughly dry off and harden the skins before storing.

You may well have reasonably sized parsnips now but they will stay perfectly happy in the ground and do taste better after they have had a frost on them.  Your spring cabbage plants can be planted out now and over wintering (Japanese) onion sets can go in for an early onion harvest.  Tidy up the summer fruiting raspberries, cutting off the canes that have fruited and tying in the new shoots that will bear next year.

The summer fruiting strawberries can be attended to now as well. Cut off the foliage about 1" from the ground, clearing and weeding as you go. Any runners can be planted up to replace 3 year old plants that are best replaced now.

You could plant your garlic now, but I prefer to wait a while.  That reminds me.  Have you heard of the garlic diet?  You don't lose much weight, but from a distance your friends think you look thinner.

Have a scrumptious September.

Kay Ward

Sumptuous Sunday Afternoon Tea

At the Thatched House

Little Milton

Enjoy a wonderful afternoon tea party in lovely surroundings

 On Sunday 4^th September 3- 6 pm

Live Music

Auction of promises

Raffle prizes

In aid of Bowel Cancer UK

£12 adults / £6 child

includes a welcome glass of Champagne

Tickets available from The Post Office Little Milton

MAPLE TREE CHILDREN’S CENTRE AUTUMN UPDATE

We have lots going on this autumn, but the first piece of exciting news is that we will be working with two other groups in our community to take on the site management of the Young People’s Centre in Wheatley.  This means that we will have a more permanent home and venue from which to provide workshops and events.  There is still a lot of work to be done on the building, but we are delighted that the this has been agreed in principle, and we are looking forward to working the Barnado’s, Wheatley Parish Council and youth workers to continue providing services for children and young people in Wheatley and surrounding villages.   We will keep you updated on how this project is going.

In response to feedback from families, we are launching a new Stay and Play session at the Young People Centre on Wednesday mornings from 9.30am which will run until 1pm so please feel free to bring your lunch.  Other dates for your diary include:

·         14^th September- 5^th October            Baby massage 4 week course, Great Milton

·         30^th September                                  Expectant parents tea party, Morland House

·         10^th, 17^th, 24^th October                  New baby workshops: weaning, sleep & home    

                                                            safety, Wheatley

Please contact Stephanie for further details on 07545 440970

Special themes for our Stay Play sessions to highlight:

·         w/c 12^th September                                              Celebrating grandparents

·         w/c 19^th September                                              Music and singing

·         w/c 26^th September                                              Stay and Play in the Park

·         w/c 3^rd October                                                     Numbers

·         w/c 6^th October                                                     Wellbeing

·         w/c 24^th October                                                   Festival of lights, Fireworks

§         Friday 28^th October                                          Day out to Thomley Hall  

                                                                 Activity Centre (no Stay and   Play that day)

Please contact Nicole or Anna for further details on 07545 209819 or 07545 440969

Finally, a plea for help - if you have any skills in advertising and publicity and could spare a couple of hours a month to help us with our communications we would be very grateful for some support.  If you can help, please contact Jenny 07533 573746 jenny.stoker@oxfordshire.gov.uk.

All sessions are FREE and are suitable for children under 5 years old (accompanied older siblings are welcome).  Please contact Debbie on 07988 159041 or deborah.jackson@oxfordshire.gov.uk for further details on times and venues or visit our webpage www.oxon.childrenscentres.org.uk/themapletree

IN TOUCH WITH YOUR MP

John Howell MP holds regular sur­geries around the Henley Con­stituency. You do not have to wait for a surgery to come to your area to book an appointment. When you ring we will spend a few minutes with you to try to un­derstand your concern or prob­lem and to make sure that John is the best person to help you. When he is not, we will direct you

to your local parish, dis­trict or county councillor or the appropriate organisation to help. We may also be able to help you without you having to wait for a surgery appointment. We will always try to find the quickest and most effective way to help.

10^th September     Terrace Room, Islip Village Hall, Church Lane Islip OX5 2TA

24^th September     Rally Room, Woodcote Community Centre, Woodcote, RG9 2AQ

JOHN HOWELL MP writes...

A look back at key issues from Westminster and those raised in the Constituency in July and August.

Since Parliament began the Summer Recess it has been recalled twice. The first time was the day immediately after Recess began when Parliament was recalled to debate public confidence in the media. It was then recalled on 11th August to hear a statement and to debate public order following the riots. A statement was also made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, on the recent turbulence in the financial markets, economic growth and debt. Both Houses of Parliament were last recalled on 24 September 2002 to debate Iraq and weapons of mass destruction.

The Media

A small number of constituents wrote to me about phone-hacking and a few more about News Corporation itself. News Corporation bid to acquire BSkyB has been withdrawn. This and the continuing police investigation and the recently announced independent inquiry were welcomed. The inquiry will get to the bottom of what happened and also look at the wider issue of cross-media ownership. The public inquiry will be led by Lord Justice Leveson and it will be able to summon witnesses under oath. There are two parts to this work: first, a full investigation into wrongdoing in the press and the police, including the failure of the first police investigation; second, a review of regulation of the media. The Government will progress both these elements as quickly as possible, whilst being mindful of the ongoing criminal investigations.

The Riots

The scenes of riot and looting that we have seen on our television screens and in our communities were a shock to most people. It was criminality, pure and simple which needs, as the Prime Minister made clear, to be firmly put down.

Responsibility for crime always lies with the criminal. But crime has a context and we must not shy away from confronting this. There has been no better example of our broken society than the riots of the last week. Of course it is true that we also saw some outstanding examples of bravery and community spirit in the aftermath of the riots. But these do not prove that society is not broken. They prove that there is enough decency left in society to give us hope that the problem can be fixed. There is much ongoing debate on the issues and the Home Affairs Select Committee will be reporting on it in due course. I am confident that their report will make a serious and significant contribution.

The Economy

During the recall of Parliament the Chancellor made a statement on the turbulence in the financial markets and economic growth. The chancellor declared that it was the "most dangerous time for the global economy" since the 2008 crash. But he insisted that the UK remained a "safe haven" in the global crisis and stressed that he would continue with the government's deficit-reduction programme.

Boost to Local Pubs

On 2nd August the Government launched a review of restrictive covenants in the pub trade. This is a legal clause that can be used to prevent community pubs reopening as public houses following a sale. In just 5 years between 2004 and 2009 some 572 pubs are believed to have been permanently lost following a sale with a restrictive covenant, potentially depriving thousands of regulars of an important community asset. Covenants can have a double whammy effect, not only taking away a vital community hub but also preventing local people from being able to step in and revive their 'local' as a community-run asset. By changing the use of certain restrictive covenants, communities would be given greater opportunities to use the new 'Community Right to Buy' power in the Localism Bill, which gives local communities the chance to take over and run much-loved local assets, such as the 'local', when they come up for sale

Pubs are hubs of community life, as important to the local social scene as they are to the local economy.

Village Tour

Looking forward rather than back; in September I will be doing a tour of smaller villages. Taking advantage of the Conference recess I will be visiting 80 villages to try to meet more constituents and learn about issues of concern. The Henley Constituency covers about 270 square miles and includes well over 100 villages large and small. Although I hold regular surgeries in a number of locations and attend community events there are still there are some places it is difficult to find an opportunity to visit and meet people – hence my tour. I hope that constituents will find it provides a useful opportunity for us to meet. A full schedule of the tour is on my website.

Visit to Little Milton

Mr John Howell MP will visit Little Milton on  Monday 26^th September at 15.40 and he will be around the Village Shop area. This is your opportunity to raise those issues that concern you

GREAT HASELEY AND DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY

As I write the skies are delivering some much needed rain and I am enjoying the idea of not having to do any watering for a day or two; however it is important to remember that most rain showers are inadequate to water plants in pots as the leaves tend to shed the water outside the pot.

We have now reached the season of plenty in the vegetable garden and have moved on from ‘What would you like with your mange tout to what would you like with your beans and courgettes?’   It should be remembered that beans (other than broad beans) are essentially a tropical crop and are exquisitely sensitive to cold.  Each year I vow that I will wait to plant/sow my French beans until after 1^st June and each year I get carried away with spring and sow too early; this year was no exception and with a series of particularly cold nights we had to make three sowings before they established.

In the fruit garden the blackcurrants were particularly successful which is probably as a result of the very cold winter, but the flowers on the summer fruiting raspberries were largely killed by a heavy frost in May; this, along with their apparent susceptibility to disease and disorders, has sealed their fate and they will be removed and replaced with redcurrants in the autumn.  The strawberries also suffered, for the second year running, from late frost and next year will be fleeced if frost is forecast once flowering is underway.  It is important that the fleece is removed during the day as fertilisation and cropping require input from insects (thank you to Andrew for bringing his bees to the village).

I am still taking cuttings from tender flowering plants such as Salvias and Pelargoniums and must remind myself that they are best kept on the dry side as they have a tendency to rot if kept too moist.  It is also possible to remove Pelargoniums from their pots, cut back the top growth and the roots before packing batches into trays in just damp compost and storing over the winter in a light, cool, frost-free place; don’t forget to label as you will not remember what variety they are next year.  In the spring they can then be potted up individually and grown on in a frost-free place (e.g. conservatory or greenhouse) to produce large, early flowering plants.  I always leave some Salvias and Dahlias in the garden overwinter covered in mulch.  Survival of these is variable and last winter I lost all of the latter, but, amazingly, a beautiful, supposedly tender, purple flowered salvia survived in various locations around the garden including a bed that receives no winter sun and which was frozen for long periods.  However I aim to always have back up plants stored frost free from which I can raise cuttings next year to replace the losses.  Sowing seed and taking cuttings are excellent and satisfying ways to save money in the garden.  Never be afraid to experiment and try things out even if the perceived wisdom is that a particular plant is unsuitable in your conditions.  Over the years I have been surprised at just what will grow, but, equally, I tend not to replant things which don’t survive unless I know I made an error in their care.

Now is a good time to either take notes about, or make a photographic record of, your garden paying attention to what you really like, what worked well and what you want to change.  I find that in the spring and, especially, when I see a seed catalogue I completely forget what I planned to do.  I must go and take my own advice as soon as it stops raining!

Liz Moyses

ORCC Trading Ltd Community oil buying scheme - encouraging new members.

Since we started our community bulk-buying scheme last November we’ve been able to achieve some great prices for our members. Last month’s order (a whopping 74,000 litres) came in at 4.95p below the average price on the day, meaning that people buying 1,000 litres saved £49.50. Even members buying only 500 litres saved more than their £20 annual scheme membership fee! We hope you have been pleased at the savings you’ve made – and that the system has worked well.

 If so, we have a small favour to ask: tell your neighbours and friends. If each of the current members can get two more people to join, we will rapidly reach 1,000 members! This means even better buying power and far more streamlined deliveries – which in turn mean lower carbon emissions.

We don’t have a sales force (or even a sales person!), so are very dependent on word of mouth within communities. So if you can help spread the word, you’ll be helping us to help you even more.

 With good wishes from ORCC Trading Ltd and ORCC,

Linda Watson Chief Executive

THAME AND DISTRICT  CITIZENS ADVICE

Paid Holiday Entitlement

If you are working full time, you are entitled to at least 28 days' paid holiday a year (5.6 weeks) including public holidays. This is a legal right.

Your contract of employment may give you the right to take more than the statutory amount of paid holiday, but it cannot give you less. To help you work out your exact entitlement, you can use the calculator on the Business Link website at www.businesslink.gov.uk

You don’t have an automatic right to take bank or public holidays off work, with or without pay, but your employment contract may give you bank or public holidays off on top of your statutory holiday. If this is the case, your contract should specify this and also say whether you will be paid for these days.

If your employer refuses to let you take holiday, or refuses to let you take holiday at a particular time, try to sort it out informally with them first. If this doesn't work, get advice as soon as possible from your trade union if you belong to one, or from an experienced CAB adviser.  You may be able to take your case to an employment tribunal, but there are pros and cons to think about if you are considering this course of action.

CAB advice line 08 444 111 444 or 0300 3300 650(mobile)

For general advice visit www.adviceguide.org.uk

Your local CAB is in Market Square, Thame 

 

DOES THE THOUGHT OF YOUR NEXT HEATING BILL LEAVE YOU COLD?

With the recent announcements from the main energy providers of large increases in the price of energy, the cost of keep warm is rising.  It is becoming harder for residents to keep their homes heated to the recommended temperatures of 21˚C (70˚F) in the living room and 18˚C (65˚F) in other occupied rooms. To help combat this, a free phone helpline has been set up to advise residents in Oxfordshire how to cut their energy bills.

The service is offered by the United Sustainable Energy Agency in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council, the five Oxfordshire District Councils and Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust.

If you are finding your energy bills unmanageable, you are not alone.  Currently over 5 million people in the UK cannot afford to pay for the heat they need. Any resident in Oxfordshire who is struggling with their energy bills can call 0800 107 00 44 for free, impartial advice on:

·         Cavity wall and loft insulation including the grants available

·         Grants and loans to help with heating system replacements

·         Government and energy company payments

·         How to switch energy suppliers to get the best deal

·         Advice on fuel debt

·         How to be more energy efficient in the home

Some of these improvements can take a few months to install; don’t wait until it gets cold to phone. The helpline is available Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

Get off to an active autumn with GO ACTIVE

GO Active continues to offer residents in South Oxfordshire high quality, fun and affordable exercise for people looking to get active. See list attached with activities listed for each area:  Henley, Goring, Wallingford, Didcot, Watlington, Wheatley and Thame. Anyone looking to get active should go to www.getoxfordshireactive.org, where they will find more information about events, including dates, times and venues for all activities.  For further information contact South Oxfordshire’s Go Active co-ordinator Hendriette Thorn on 01491 823175 or email hendriette.thorn@southoxon.gov.uk

THAMES PATH NOW STILE FREE

Oxfordshire County Council has made the popular long distance walking route along the River Thames more accessible to the public. The final used stiles along the 67-mile Oxfordshire stretch of the Thames Path have been removed by the National Trails team at the council's Countryside Service. Previously it was necessary to climb over the stiles, which presented a significant obstacle to less mobile walkers’ .Kissing gates, chosen carefully to blend in with their natural surroundings, have replaced the old stiles in many locations in order to make the route and surrounding countryside more accessible to all users. A wooden bridge - grid reference SU56419563 - has also been installed on the trail between Clifton Hampden and Dorchester. The bridge, which replaces a former structure that was located directly on the river bank, is situated around six metres from the river's edge in order to protect it from the natural eroding power of the water's flow. The potentially considerable cost of of shoring up the river bank has been avoided by moving the location of the bridge.

The National Trails team runs a popular volunteer scheme through which people undertake a variety of tasks in the countryside, including scrub clearance, grass cutting and signage work. Currently more than 230 volunteers are involved with the team.  Anybody interested in becoming a volunteer can find out more information by calling 01865 810224 or by sending an email to NTvolunteers@oxfordshire.gov.uk.

Source: OCC

Morland House Surgery

Dr A Harnden and Partners

Morland House Surgery, London Road, Wheatley, OX33 1YJ

Telephone: 01865 872448

Flu Immunisation Clinics

Flu (Influenza) is not just a bad cold. If you’ve ever had flu you’ll remember being shivery, achy and too weak to get out of bed or go to work.  Flu can make you ill for many weeks and can be more serious for those people who cannot fight off the infection. Immunisation against flu is      recommended for all of the following ‘at-risk’ groups:

Over 65s

People with respiratory disease             People with heart disease

People with kidney disease                    People with liver disease

People with diabetes                              People with a history of stroke

People with a weak immune system 

Health and social care staff directly involved in patient care

Pregnant women                                    Carers

We will be taking bookings for free Flu immunisations for all of the above groups from late August. Clinics will start in    September and run through to November 2011.

Stop smoking

Are you trying to give up?

If yes, please make an appointment with one of our Practice nurses to receive advice on smoking cessation and enquire about nicotine replacement therapy which is free on prescription for a maximum of 12 weeks for those who access the service.

Advice is also available on the telephone advice line 01865 226663 and on the website www.smokefreeoxfordshire.nhs.uk

Help us to help you!

Please wait until after 10.00am before you phone us to book non urgent appointments or blood tests.

Our phones are very busy when the surgery first opens so please postpone your call if you can.!

Thank you

Surgery hours are as follows:

Monday to Friday: 8am to 6:30pm

Wednesday evening clinic from 6.30 – 7.20pm

Please note these appointments are for commuters and working patients who find it difficult to attend the surgery during the day and don’t want to keep taking time off work for this. The surgery will only be open at this time for patients who have booked in advance.

Saturday-  8am to 11:20am

During Saturday opening you will be unable to contact the surgery by phone.  Please contact the surgery for more information.

Should you urgently require a doctor during these times or when we are closed
please call: 0845 345 8995

CAR SERVICE TO THE DOCTOR OR HOSPITAL

The level of demand for the service is relatively low in Little Milton but to those who need support it is vital and very much appreciated. Please give it some thought and ring me to find out more information if you are interested in helping or require transport to the surgery or hospital.

Raymond Fergusson Parish Clerk (279150

FARMER’S MARKET

Great Haseley: Sunday 11th September 10.00 – noon (second Sunday of each month)

Tetsworth: Sunday 18th September 10.00 – noon (Third Sunday of each month)

DEADLINE REMINDER – Please note that unless articles are in the hands of the Editor by the 20th 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 October 2011 Newsletter should be with the Editor at 27 Chiltern View, Little Milton, by 8.00 p.m. on 20th September 2011. The Editor reserves the right not to print items submitted for publication and to edit those items, which are published.