News

Electric Car Charging at Charlbury Station!

First Great Western has been awarded a bid to install electric vehicle charging points at 44 of its stations including Charlbury and Oxford

bbc.in/1dSOM3D

Stephen Andrews · Fri 31 Jan 2014, 18:48 · Link

Planning ahead for snow

Despite the current heavy rain,as part of its annual preparation for cold & snowy weather, the Town Council took delivery, free of charge from the County Council, almost 100 x 25 Kg bags of salt. This is in addition to the usual top up we have had for the grit bins. Today, a team of Councillors with the Town Clerk distributed these to sites around the Town from where we can top up bins once depleted or spread on pavements if it does snow. If you want to access any salt when it does snow, please contact the Town Clerk for details.

Jim Holah · Fri 31 Jan 2014, 15:37 · Link

Charlbury fire-fighter to row the Pacific

One of Charlbury's fire-fighters is planning to row the Pacific Ocean for charity.

Darren Taylor hopes to take part in the inaugrual New Ocean Wave Great Pacific Race, this June. He will be raising money for the Cure Parkinson's Trust and the Fire Fighters Charity. As he explains:

"We are due to leave from Monterey Bay, California in June 2014; covering well over 2,100 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean to the finish line in Honolulu, Hawaii. Using rugged purpose-built ocean rowing boats, governed by a set of event rules and a mandatory equipment list to ensure a safe and level playing field, teams will compete for the highest accolade - to be the first to reach the finish line in the quickest possible time. Whatever mother nature decides to test us with, we will have to endure, as although we will receive daily weather forecasts,we will not have the capability to avoid weather systems, we will have to deal with whatever lay ahead."

You can find out more about the challenge at pacificrow2014.co.uk.

Wed 29 Jan 2014, 09:27 · Link

Update on The Market Street Slasher

At the risk of sounding Marple-esque the few smoke signals sent out regarding vehicle vandalism has produced an overwhelming response.

Not only was our campervan targeted last week by The Market Street Slasher but also a car had its tyres slashed on Tuesday evening.

Other reports stretch back across ten years but all share similar motivations and occur within a 100 yard radius of Dyers Hill.

We have had several visits from different police officers, one whose visit was cut short as he was called away to a report that Mr Cameron's alarm was going off, presumably his house alarm and not his car alarm.

Anyway, as the list of incidents grows I wonder if we should stage a murder mystery style dinner to discuss and compare each persons account in the hope we can locate the culprit. We could invite Sir Ben Kingsley to play the detective while I could ape Rebecca Brooks (although the common traits begin and end with our name). I imagine the forensic team are hard at work uncovering fingerprints from the glass breaking tool while a team if detectives pour over each case to create a forensic profile of the culprit.

In the meantime, I have listed some details below that have filtered through to me:

One lady said a year and a half ago she had to, on two or three occasions, park her car on Market Street. On all three occasions during the night or early hours of the morning the car was vandalised. The windscreen wipers where ripped off twice and one of the wing mirrors was ripped of the third time.

Two people had the same issue were not from the area and only parked their cars on the street for a couple of days or so.

A couple who live on Market Street - the husband had his car tyres slashed 3 times in 12 months costing him £200 in new tyres.

Another couple have been victims to this pest at least twice in the last 10 years and have reported the damage each time.

A lady had her tyres slashed on tuesday night, the car was park on Nineacres lane

One other couple had a similar catalogue of damage: a couple of snatched windscreen wipers, slashed tyres, and on one occasion an entirely broken (soft) roof.

A friend who lives outside of Charlbury parked outside Quaker House and was reversed into TWICE by a local resident. He denied the act to police but there was an eye witness (her) all the same.

Our campervan had the front bumper damaged and then the following day our driver's window smashed and the windscreen damaged twice by an attempted smash with a glass breaking hammer.

I have reports that a man had his car scratched several times during the day at the top of Dyers Hill, wing mirrors broken off and messages left on cars referring to distaste at the driver using the road for parking rather than the station car park.

All incidents involved legally parked vehicles.

A rough estimate of the damage detailed above collectively exceeds £1800.

All other reports are very welcome in building a clear picture of how persistent this pest is

rebecca valentine · Mon 27 Jan 2014, 21:25 · Link

Calling Time On The Market Street Pest

As newcomers to Charlbury the past few days have been - eyebrow raising. As many now know, our camper was smashed with a glass hammer and the windscreen hit twice with the same tool in an attempt to break that too. We also suspect that the front bumper was tampered with the previous day.

Happily, the tool was left behind and has now been taken away by the forensic team for analysis, along with other possible identifiers.
This persons methods seem rather extreme and unsettling over legally parked vehicles, however cumbersome...

But, stranger than fiction is what has followed.

Over the last 24 hours we have learnt that similar damages have been carried out on vehicles parked on Market Street for nearly eleven years and that the culprit has not yet been brought to account.

Having received a number of messages today from others who have experienced attacks on their vehicles; from bent and broken wing mirrors, slashed tyres (on three separate occasions), bent aerials, scratched paintwork in several areas on a car in broad daylight etc. we thought it would be helpful for any and all victims to report their incidents to Wesley Smith or Mike Welsh at Chipping Norton police station.

While we hope the forensic team will uncover an identity a collective effort is always better than many individual attempts to stamp out a persistent and dedicated pest. It is very likely he lives very locally to Market Street and has for some time now.

I can't deny it has been an odd kind of introduction but perhaps this cloud will reveal a silver lining bringing a community together to weed out those who spoil an otherwise special place to live.

Thank you for your help and support.

rebecca valentine · Sun 26 Jan 2014, 01:05 · Link

Re-using sandbags

Now that the recent flood risk is over and clean-up has started, we are looking at re-using unwanted sandbags.

If you do not wish to retain your sandbags, you can return them to the community sandbank bunker any time before Monday 10 February 2014. Simply stack them up and they will be emptied by council staff and volunteers so that both the sand and sacks can be reused.

Your community sandbag bunker is at the Charlbury Bowls Club, Ticknell Piece Road.

We will assist residents that are elderly or disabled and are unable to dispose of their own sandbags. Please contact us on 01993 86100.

(from West Oxfordshire District Council)

Mon 20 Jan 2014, 18:07 · Link

Thank you from Wilderness Festival

Thank you so much to all those who attended the Wilderness Open Evening on Monday evening. It was a really helpful and all feedback has been listened to and taken on board. It was a packed room which was brilliant.

For anyone who would like to get in touch with the festival, please email info@wildernessfestival.com

Here's to making Wilderness 2014 the best yet. A gentle reminder that Wilderness Local Tickets will be available to Charlbury residents only until March 1st from the Post Office - any remaining tickets will then be opened up to the rest of OX7.

Best wishes, thanks again and happy new year!
The Wilderness Team

Wed 15 Jan 2014, 09:20 · Link

Only one candidate nominated for Town Council vacancy

There will be no election for the vacancy on Charlbury Town Council after all.

When nominations closed on Friday 10th, only one candidate had been nominated: Ron Prew, of Woodstock Road.

As a result, unless the candidate withdraws by Wednesday 15th January, he will be declared elected and will become a town councillor.

The next full meeting of the Town Council, which like all such meetings is open to the public, will take place on Wednesday 29th January in the Corner House.

Richard Fairhurst · Sat 11 Jan 2014, 11:17 · Link

Charlbury Debating Society

Friends, nobles, countrymen may be interested to know that the illustrious Charlbury Debating Society convened in the Corner House on Thursday night.

After a strident but good-humoured session before a capacity audience, the motion, "Religion is a force for good in the world", proposed by Duncan Forbes and opposed by Peter Wright, was adopted by 24 votes to 19 with four abstentions.

Lidia · Fri 10 Jan 2014, 00:01 · Link

The last days of Evenlode Books

The last day of the Evenlode Books sale -- and the last day on which the shop will be predictably open -- is this coming Saturday, January 11.

Needless to say, the sale has been extremely popular, but there are still lots of gems here for the finding.

All books are half price, all DVDs and CDs are £3, all greetings cards are £1.

I have been astonished at the lack of interest in children's books, and there are plenty left here. I'd be very happy to do a bulk deal for a school or a nursery.

I can take orders on Wednesday and Thursday for delivery on Friday, and that will be my last delivery. Do let me know asap if you there is anything you need. If you have problems collecting your order on Friday pm or Saturday am, we can make arrangements.

From next week the shop will be open rather erratically while I pack books, move furniture and generally sort out and remove the computer(s) and the like. Anything left unsold at that stage will be browsable: if the A-board is out, the shop is open, or phone 819117 first to check.

Thank you all once again for your support and enthusiasm over the years. It has all been very enjoyable. You are very welcome to follow me on my blog (see below), and we'll all meet in the comings and goings of Charlbury over the coming years.

Jon

www.evenloder.blogspot.co.uk/
jon@phonecoop.coop

Jon Carpenter · Wed 8 Jan 2014, 16:48 · Link

Reminder and RSVP request for Monday's Wilderness Open Evening

A reminder that the Wilderness Festival team are inviting Charlbury residents to an Open Evening in the Cornbury Room of The Bell on Church Street on Monday 13th January from 6pm. Please could those wishing to attend email prue.whitton@mamaco.com

Wilderness Festival need to apply for a revised licence for the event in 2014. Before they put in an application, they'd like to consult Charlbury residents on their plans and get input.

All welcome! Drinks and snacks will be provided.

For anyone who would like to attend earlier in the day,the Wilderness team will be available at The Bell from 3pm.

Wed 8 Jan 2014, 15:10 · Link

Moses in the Evenlode?

I spotted this child's car seat on a picnic table in the flooded fielddown Mill Lane. Unusual I thought.

joan hawker · Tue 7 Jan 2014, 18:44 · Link

Charlbury Town Council by-election

There is a vacancy on Charlbury Town Council due to Russell Robson standing down as a councillor.

Nominations are invited for the seat. If more than one nomination is received, an election will be held on 6th February.

The following details are taken from West Oxfordshire District Council's notice of the election:

Standing as a candidate

Nomination Papers may be obtained from the offices of the Returning Officer, Council Offices, Woodgreen, Witney, Oxon, OX28 1NB on Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm (excluding any bank holidays). They may alternatively be obtained from the Clerk of the Charlbury Town Council (Roger Clarke, 01608 810608).

Nomination Papers must be delivered to the Returning Officer, at the Electoral Services Office, Council Offices, Woodgreen, Witney, Oxon, OX28 1NB, on any date after the date of this notice, on Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm (excluding any bank holidays), but not later than 12 noon on Friday 10 January 2014.

Election details

If the election is contested, the poll will take place on Thursday 6 February 2014.

Applications to vote by post, or to vary or cancel existing postal or proxy voting arrangements, must reach the Electoral Registration Officer by 5 pm on Wednesday 22 January 2014 if they are to be effective for this election.
Applications to vote by proxy at this election must reach the Electoral Registration Officer by 5 pm on Wednesday 29 January 2014, except in cases where unforeseen illness or incapacity occurs after that time, in which case applications may be received by no later than 5 pm on Thursday 6 February 2014.

All applications and notices regarding absent voting must be sent to the Electoral Registration Officer, Electoral Services Office, Council Offices, Woodgreen, Witney, Oxon, OX28 1NB. Application forms for postal and proxy voting are available from that address.

Applications to register to vote must be received by the Electoral Registration Officer no later than Wednesday 22 January 2014 if they are to be effective for this election.

Richard Fairhurst · Sun 5 Jan 2014, 22:20 · Link