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Nuneham Courtenay News June 2020

Nuneham Courtenay Village Hall News

 

As things begin to open up there will of course be a lot of changes and updates.  The WhatsApp groups are still operating in the Village, both the community spirit one and a food exchange.  Although some people will not be around as much as they were during the lockdown, do reach out if you need help and support.  It has been lovely the way the village has come together and supported each other.  Let’s take this forward and build on it.

 

Nuneham Food Exchange

In recent weeks the demand for the essential items we have stored has decreased while there has been a relatively high demand for specific shopping items.  Tom would like to sell down the stored stock with a view to keeping back a few of the more emergency essentials.  Money that this generates will be used as the seed money for a Village BBQ once this is all over.  Anything not sold or raffled at that point will be donated to a local food bank.    In the meantime, there will still be support with shopping for those that are vulnerable, self-isolating, or elderly.  Do get in touch with Tom at 07919 224 488 if you need support with this.

 

Saturday bread, flour, and eggs

Jenny will continue placing an order with the Natural Bread company each week.  The order now has to be placed by noon on Wednesday.  Then she or John collects it from the bakery around lunchtime on Sunday.  If you wish to order you can contact her on 01865 343459 or through the WhatsApp group. 

 

Yoga

The Yoga group has continued pretty much throughout lockdown.  We have experimented with various platforms but have found using Skype the most successful.  If you would like to join in, you are more than welcome.  Do get in touch with Jenny and she will add you to the Skype call.  As we are doing this from the comfort of our own homes, yoga is free just now! 

 

There have been a lot of people quietly doing things in the community to help each other out- collecting groceries, mending fences, making masks, running the parish council, putting up artwork, mowing lawns, growing plants, sending jokes on WhatsApp, sharing books, loaning items for home schooling, etc.  This has meant a lot to the community and all of your efforts to help each other through this difficult time has been much appreciated   

Nuneham Courtenay Parish Council News

The Parish Council would like to reassure parishioners that we are all still here and we are going to hold a meeting on Tuesday 7th July from 7-8.30pm using Zoom software: the Government has made a temporary change in the law to allow local councils to meet remotely, instead of face-to-face, due to coronavirus. To observe the meeting you follow this link:

https://zoom.us/j/96614156361?pwd=aHowNkoxUHFyelc5cWFnWk5OZS8xdz09

which you will find on the agenda on the Council’s website, but you may need to email or text the Parish Clerk to obtain a password.

This will be our first Parish Council meeting since the end of February. It was a particularly difficult few weeks with the start of lockdown, our clerk Geoffrey having been unwell and our inability to meet in person – the Government did not immediately change the rules to permit remote meetings. Since we have not held any meetings for a while there is little to report.

We are waiting for feedback on the proposed sand/gravel extraction site in the parish (called SG42 in the plans) following the latest public consultation undertaken by the County Council earlier this year.  By the time you read this article we may have had some news, although these matters do seem to take some time.

We’re sure the lockdown has affected other organisations too, so the Parish Council is still waiting for a reply from the Sports and Playing Field Association to our last message sent in December. We do hope the Playing Field can be mown soon so children can play there.  The installation of our new defibrillator and cabinet is also on hold until they can be fitted safely.

For all those of you who have not been out and through Nuneham recently the Parish Council is pleased to show you our new gateways at the North end of the village. They replace the old slanting design which was deemed too high for maintenance and so consequently became more and more overgrown with ivy and bedraggled-looking.

The new gates are made of a modern material which will need less maintenance than wood, so should stay looking good for longer.

We have taken the opportunity to change the village name plate as well to something more in keeping and reflective of the origins of the village. Those at the South end have also been changed to match.

We are very grateful to Oxfordshire County Council’s Highways Dept., who part funded and carried out the work, particularly to Jon Beale for the design of the new name plates. Thank you Jon.

We hope to co-opt a new member onto the Parish Council at our next meeting as we have recently had a volunteer! This will give us a full complement of councillors.

The Parish Council Meeting may also discuss how to progress a Neighbourhood Plan to completion to help shape the future of the village.

The Nuneham Courtenay Community Spirit WhatsApp group has enabled villagers to communicate and support each other at this difficult time, for which we are very grateful.

The Parish Council will be putting forward a few proposals to the County Council for inclusion in a concerted plan of action to clear and prepare Oxfordshire’s network of cycleways and footpaths, paid for by the county’s share of the Government’s £250m Emergency Active Travel Fund.

The County Council is considering measures such as improving signage and sweeping the busiest paths and cycle lanes, keeping vegetation under control and fixing surfaces.

May we take this opportunity to ask all those with access to email please to sign up to receiving Parish Council news electronically via the website, as this will enable us to let you know important developments quickly and also enable us to receive your ideas and feedback. Thank you.

Finally, may we send you our best wishes at this strange tine and assure you we are working behind the scenes for the good of the community. As ever we welcome ideas and suggestions from any of you, so please get in touch via the website/our e-mail addresses if you have an issue you would like to raise.

Mandy Rigault