TheS tonesfield Slate Issue No 492 June 2019 Dates for your diary – June Publishers Simon & Jenny Haviland 2 Treasure Box Family Walk St James’ Centre 2.30pm Peakes House, Peaks Lane, 3,10,17,24 Monday Coffee S. James’ Centre 8.45–10am Stonesfield, Witney, Oxon OX29 8PY 3,10,17,24 SJC Cuppa St James’ Centre 10–11.30am (tel 891614, email 5, 12, 19, 26 Gatehouse Pilates Village Hall 9.30am [email protected]) 6,13,20,27 Book Break Stonesfield Library 12.30–2pm Editor for this issue Vivienne Kendall 6,13,20,27 Pilates Village Hall 7.30 to 8.30pm (891803) 7, 8, 9 Folk Dance Weekend Village Hall Editor for July 8 Cricket World Cup Event Playing Field 10am Vivienne Kendall 12 Parish Council meeting Village Hall 7.30pm Printer Windrush Press, Witney 13 Over 60’s Club Village Hall 2pm The deadline for copy 13 Bingo SSSC Eyes down 7.30pm and advertisements 15 Shadow of the Desert Charlbury Memorial Hall 7 for 8pm for the next issue is 15 June 18 Gardening Club trip car share 10.30am Please email copy to 22 Band Night – BITEBACK SSSC 9pm slate@stonesfield.com 28 Pop-up Café SSSC 9.30–12noon or hand it in at the village shop (Suriya Express). 29 Parish Church Gift Day St James’ Church 10–4pm Advertisements to 30 Stonesfield Open Gardens Various locations 2– 5.30pm [email protected] ContentsS Notices 2 Politics & local affairs 7 Education & culture 10 Clubs & societies 13 Sport 14 Church news 16 The Stonesfield Gardening Club plant Photo: Paul Bates Paul Photo: sale on 27 April 1 general use, and is also the entry way for the church is special, in whatever way, Notices the Preschool. Please be mindful not to with an opportunity to show their block the access, be extremely careful support in a tangible way. when manoeuvring around the area, and You are warmly invited to bring your gift, park in the allocated spaces on The Cross. CALA development A big thank you is due to everyone in the large or small, to the church on 29 June, The 16th of May was the day of closing village who has written letters objecting Back in February, we announced that for between 10am and 4pm. When you statements on the CALA appeal to build to this proposal, to the Parish Council for Christmas 2019 we would really like to come, do stay for a cup of coffee or tea. 68 houses north of the Woodstock Road. joining us in this fight and paying for host a Community Lunch for people who Gift Aid forms will be available to enable SUSTO, the Parish Council and the expert witnesses, to the whole of the would otherwise be alone over the festive you to enhance your gift by 25% if you AONB Conservation Board (the joint SUSTO committee who have worked hard period. If you would like to be involved, are a taxpayer. Donations can be made in Rule 6 Party) have done their best to put in various ways over the past three years or know of someone who would benefit cash, by cheque (made payable to the case to the Inspector that this and especially to Jim Astle for leading us and would like to come, please do let us ‘Stonesfield PCC’) or bank transfer (bank development should not be permitted. at the appeal – we couldn't have done it know. details available at the church on 29 June or directly from Keith Bellew – telephone: The decision of the Local Plan Inspector without you. We now have to sit and wait If you have any questions please contact 01993 891302). six months ago to have the site removed with fingers crossed (and anything else Property Manager Jacqueline Carthew by from the Plan, and the District Council's you care to cross) for six to eight weeks to email: [email protected]. If you are unable to come on 29 June, subsequent planning committee decision find out the Inspector's ruling. but would like to contribute, please drop to refuse permission, should be upheld. Richard Morris, Chair of Sustainable your gift into the Rectory in Brook Lane CALA brought in a crack team of lawyers Stonesfield Parish Church Gift Day 2019 or in the wall safe inside the church. The annual Gift Day for the Parish and expert witnesses, at no doubt vast On behalf of the Parochial Church Council Church will be held on Saturday 29 June. expense, to argue the opposite. Stonesfield Community Trust This is the conclusion delivered by Jim Sadly, over the Easter Weekend, Thank you to everyone for your generous Jamie’s Party – Advance notice donations last year, enabling the church Astle on behalf of the Rule 6 parties: Stonesfield Preschool was a victim of 20 July is the date for Jamie’s Party to meet its financial commitments, trespass and criminal damage caused by (3–5pm), as usual at the Manor gardens. It is submitted that on the evidence including worship, activities such as unauthorised older kids being on the It’s for the village with love from St before the Public Inquiry: Monday coffee, children’s activities, property. The incident has been reported James’s Church and all friends. A warm running costs, repairs to the building and • There are no exceptional circumstances to the police, but if anyone can shed any welcome awaits all comers. Tea, contribution to the Diocese for our Parish in the public interest to justify this major light on the matter, please let us know. relaxation and fun – whatever the development in the AONB; Share. At the same time the defibrillator was weather. See you then! Judging by the support and interest • The appeal proposal would not amount found on the floor outside the building, Charlotte Oakeshott (891222) to sustainable development; which is believed to have been the result shown, the church is a special place for of a faulty cabinet. Since then, for safety so many in the village. For some it is a • The harm caused by the proposed reasons, the unit has had to be moved place to meet with others to worship Village Fête – revised date development would overwhelmingly into the building. A new cabinet has God, a place for prayer and quiet, or a FoSS (Friends of Stonesfield School) has exceed any benefits, of which there are been organised, and will be installed place to ask for God’s blessing on special decided to run the fête later in the year. few if any; soon so the unit will be back and life and family events such as baptisms, The date has now been set for Saturday • The appeal proposal would not be in available for use by the community. weddings and funerals. For others, it is 28 September – an ideal time to get your accordance with the local development the upkeep of the magnificent 13th- produce ready for the show tent! There There was also an incident where damage plan or any other material consideration; century building itself, which is of are a great many clubs, groups and was done to a vehicle parked on The paramount importance. talented individuals in Stonesfield and • The appeal should therefore be Cross, outside Glovers Yard. Glovers Yard we would love to hear from you if you dismissed. is a Residents Only car park, so not for A Gift Day provides everyone for whom June 2019 Stonesfield Slate 2 3 Stonesfield Slate June 2019 would like to run a stall, perform, give a Sherlaw-Johnson, at the Charlbury towards a powerful play about personal demonstration, etc. Please contact Rachel Festival on 15 June at the Memorial Hall freedom. Bird Aid – the bit we couldn’t fit Aldred on behalf of FoSS. in Charlbury. Doors open at 7pm for a in last month! Booking in advance is recommended. ([email protected], 898851). performance at 8pm and there will be a Thanks to the support of our local Tickets £10 available from the box office: repeat showing of the exhibition in the farmers and volunteers, Bird Aid is 01993 891217, 07795 441986 or andrew. bar. growing in impact, helping to reverse the [email protected]; also from Charlbury Treasure Box walk decline in farmland bird numbers. In T. E. Lawrence achieved international Deli and Café, Market St. Charlbury. There will be a Treasure Box family walk addition to Highfield, you may have celebrity almost as soon as he returned on Sunday 2 June starting at the St noticed the increase in birdlife around from the desert. Thanks to his tireless James’ Centre at 2.30pm, and finishing at Stonesfield Players Tudor Stone’s field on Combe Road, work attempting to create an the St James’ Centre for refreshments. Pantomime auditions especially yellowhammers and flocks of independent Arab state he also created Anyone is welcome to come along. Auditions will be held in the St James’ linnets – timid birds who benefit from enemies in the establishment. But Children must be accompanied by an Centre on Sunday 14 July, starting at the good view points in his thick tall haunted by his experiences in the desert adult. 2pm, for parts in a pantomime to be hedge, before flying down to ground and considering Lawrence of Arabia to be staged early in the New Year, hopefully at level to feed. Muriel Barrett (891479) a failure, Lawrence sought to escape the the beginning of February. icon he had become. Grateful thanks to Michael Green at Which pantomime we produce will Akeman Street Farm for providing Shadow of the Desert With the threat of another war growing, depend entirely upon the amount of rapeseed tailings for feed, and a further The Stonesfield Players are reprising their media harassment, politics, government support we get at the auditions.