HNNL June 2007 page 3

June 2007

Series 32 No 3

Parish Council and Cherwell news

CHAIRMANS REPORT TO ANNUAL PARISH MEETING 2007
Yet another year has flown by and my 2-year period as Chairman is drawing to a close with the District and Parish elections due on May 3^rd. After many years dedication to both Parish and District affairs, Ray Gasson has taken this opportunity to retire and I would like to thank Ray on behalf of the village, for the tireless efforts and time he has devoted on our behalf. After many years of village involvement including being a Parish Councillor and Vice Chairman, Peter Fry and his wife Janet decided they needed to move to an area better served by public transport. A farewell luncheon was held for Peter and Janet at the Sun and everyone there wished them good luck for the future and hoped that they would keep in touch. Peter was going to be a hard act to follow but Jonathan Leader was co-opted and has within a few months proved to be a worthy replacement. We, also, lost Bill Young who had joined the Parish Council at the last election and had proved to be a determined and forceful Councillor, always ensuring that we were kept on our toes. Bill had chaired the Recreation Group and following his departure Jonathan Leader has taken over this role and is already making a mark. Bill's replacement is Pauline Walters who only joined the Parish Council in March. However, Pauline also chairs the Heath Allotment Trust and will be giving her report later in this meeting.
Melvyn Riley and his group members have been extremely busy during the past year with two major projects. In addition to the ongoing environment requirements:

The complete re-building of the dry stone wall, which borders the cemetery and Tite Lane. After many years of spending thousands of pounds on patching, the decision was taken by the Parish Council to demolish and rebuild in its entirety. Although this was a very costly operation and necessitated the Parish Council, for the first time ever taking out a loan as there were no grants available, the end result is well worth it. A big thank you to Dennis Mill, Nigel Matthews and their respective teams for heir effort in ensuring a job well done.
We, also, saw the completion of the major works required under the tree survey, again expensive but very necessary. Further work, in this area, will be required on an ongoing basis, but on a much reduced scale.

Ray Jelf is chairman the Memorial Hall group and will be giving his report later, but suffice to say we have obtained grants and the work on the extension and refurbishment of the kitchen is scheduled to start shortly. It would be remiss of me not to thank Brian Clay. Brian who has been a Parish Councillor for many years, also, assists in the village in many ways, but it is his expert guidance on financial matters in maintaining the Parish accounts in an accurate and concise manner that I extend my thanks and gratitude to him this evening – Thank you Brian.
Unfortunately, we have been unsuccessful in finding other users to replace the Out of School and Youth club for the Norman Matthews Hall and the Parish Council has been left funding our 80% of the running costs for over 12 months. In the absence of other users or any further assistance with these costs the decision has been taken by the Parish Council to close the hall. However in the last few days there has been some progress and Albert Walsham will be updating us in the Parish Council meeting this evening.
I am pleased to announce that progress is being made, although slowly, with regard to affordable housing and preliminary discussions are now taking place with the owners of an identified exception site within the village. One of the issues which the Parish Council has had to address during the course of the year is the Local Development Framework, which identified several sites within the village for possible future development, and an Open Meeting was held in the Memorial Hall in August in which the public expressed their views upon the issue and, following which, the PC made its submission on behalf of the village to CDC. This matter is ongoing and will doubtless exercise the PC for some time to come.
I would like to thank Ken Porter, our Parish Clerk for his continued invaluable assistance in ensuring that we all operate within the framework, of ever increasing and complicated bureaucracy and legal requirements. He is, also, an excellent and accurate recorder of our meetings and is very much appreciated by everyone on the Parish Council.
I would, also, like to thank Doug Marshall for his ongoing support in maintaining the standard in the recreation area and his other environmental tasks within the village. I have, already, thanked Ray Gasson our outgoing District Councillor, but I cannot let this moment go by without thanking the other half of the two Rays' – Jelf. Ray Jelf, besides being a Parish Councillor is also our County Councillor and like Ray Gasson has worked tirelessly on our behalf on matters involving the County. Thank you Ray.
A big thanks to all my fellow Parish Councillors, particularly those who chair the various groups and not forgetting my Vice Chairman, Albert Walsham, who is also the Planning Co-ordinator, for their continued support and devotion of considerable time, all of which is performed under a voluntary basis to ensure the village services are maintained and whenever possible enhanced. Finally, may I thank everyone for attending this evening and hope that during the coming year a few more residents will find the time to attend the Parish Council meetings.

PARISH COUNCIL

Hook Norton Parish Council website

As residents probably know there was no election in the village this year and the following councillors were re-elected unopposed:

Clive Timms [Chairman]	Pendula House Old School End, OX15 5QU	730202
Albert Walsham [Vice Chairman]	The New House Queen Street, OX15 5PJ	730381
Derek Brotherston	Millstone Cottage, Bells Lane OX15 5LJ	730713
Brian Clay	Carillon Bells Lane OX15 5LJ	737622
Jem Hayward	Hare Cottage Netting Street OX15 5NP	737717
Ray Jelf [County Councillor]	The Cottage Down End OX15 5LW	737129
Jonathan Leader	Cuckmere 25 Ironstone Hollow OX15 5NA	730609
Peter Millar	Staddle Cottage Bells Lane OX15 5LJ	737128
Melvyn Riley	16 Rectory Road OX15 5QQ	737629

Pauline Walters was also re-elected but has subsequently had to resign owing to personal circumstances. As such the parish council now has two vacancies and if you are interested in serving the community in this capacity please contact the clerk, Ken Porter, for details. His address is Conifers, Main Street, Great Bourton, [01295 758352] email address kenneth_i.porter@virgin.net.

A RAT RUN
Villagers will have noticed an increase in the number of lorries and other heavy vehicles whose drivers are apparently relying too much upon their satellite navigation systems and are using Hook Norton as a rat run. Oxfordshire County Council is trying to crack down upon vehicles using villages as rat runs and members of the public are invited to report problems on a dedicated help line, 01865 810839.

OXFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL WEBSITE
This now features local pages from which residents can find news and information specific to the area in which they live. These are accessible from the Home page of the Council's site via a clickable map, or by selecting the village name. There are also over 50,000 historical photographs from the county on the site and if parishioners have any further suggestions or photos they want included please contact ron.potter@oxfordshire.gov.uk.

HEATH ALLOTMENT TRUST
The trust dates back to the 1770s, and was set up to benefit the “poor and needy” in the parish of Hook Norton. Its revenue comes from renting farm land. The trustees meet two or three times a year to discuss rent reviews and the distribution of funds. Currently the Trust does not have a full complement of trustees and would welcome anyone who is interested. This is not an onerous task and if you would like to fill a vacancy please contact the clerk, Brian Clay, at 01608 737622.

JOHN GIBBINS
The following is a copy the letter of Feb 2 1912 from Hooky's own John Gibbins back to his Mother-in-law "Grannie Cox" and Edith's sister Ivy Cox at Leicester, U.K.
This is one of his three letters we have back to England outlining his experiences then, in his first two years in Canada. This first letter is after 10 months in Ontario working through the winter of 1911-12 on a farm at Norval Station, south of Georgetown and about 50 miles west of Toronto.
A copy of his handwritten letters should be available at the Village Museum, if anyone wants to study his fine penmanship.

4 Gibbins children playing at
school, Hook Norton, ~1909
Click for a full size image
in a new window.

This letter is sent after emigrating April 1911 from Hook Norton, having worked 16 years at the Brewery full-time, from 1895 - April 1911 and was in the staff after being named Assistant Brewer in May 1899. His wife, the former Edith Cox of Leicester, had taught school at Hook Norton from July 1899-Dec 1900. Their 4 children, Winifred, John (Jackie), Ruby, Kenneth (my father), all pictured here circa 1909, were all born at Hook Norton.

R M (Ron) Gibbins, Nepean, Ottawa

Dear Mother and Ivy,

JohnGibbins,
Steamwagon, 1910
Click for a full size
image in a new window.

At last I will try & send you a few lines to let you know how I like this new country. It hardly seems possible that we have settled here over ten months; the time seems to simply fly & the different seasons bring their different duties. I like the new life very much indeed & have got on very well indeed at my work. Some people in England thought that I should find farm work very hard, but so far I have not had a single job to complain of, & although everyone here seems to work very hard—it is a very nice healthy kind of work & when one is finished at night, there is no worry as to whether things are going to turn out alright. I think farming a very free & happy life & am looking forward to the time when we have a place of our own.
Can you imagine me going off with a team of horses for the various forms of work, harrowing & cultivating, rolling & drawing in the hay, grain, etc? I went out to lots of places thrashing & corn cutting & liked this, as I saw the ways different farmers do their work & handle their stock. This winter I have been in the bush, cutting down trees & sawing logs. We were at this early in this year & the temperature was often down to 20 degrees below zero (F) & a strong wind blowing. This would be 54 degrees of frost, so can imagine it was rather chilly if one did not keep at work. Lately I have been with a team hauling gravel from a pit about 3 miles away, also hauling blocks of ice for storing 'till the summer.

Edith & John Gibbins (1902)
Click for a full size image in a new window.

I don't know if Edith told you that Mr. Leslie gave me a bear skin coat. This is very handy & keeps one as warm as toast. These fur coats are splendid things & almost everyone wears them. We also wear fur caps to cover our head & ears, & heavy mitts at all our work. If one has to take off a mitt for anything, the cold soon catches hold of ones fingers. It would be impossible to work without plenty of suitable clothes. I have rubber boots and these are large enough to hold a thick felt insole & I wear 3 thickness of stockings, so you will not be surprised when I say I hardly ever get cold feet; in fact with suitable clothes, one keeps all aglow & I often come home sweating.

Netting Cottage, Edith Gibbins
& Baby Ken, b.1907
Click for a full size image in a new window.

We are very pleased to get your letters and the papers you send. We hardly realise the distance that parts us when we get your nice letters. Were not surprised to hear some of the Harrison seeds were grown in Canada. It will be nice when we are planting our own things again. Perhaps I shall be able to grow something for Harrison & Sons !!!
I took Winnie, Ruby & Kenneth for a sleigh ride to the River (about 3 miles away) & they were delighted at seeing the men sawing the blocks of ice. There were lots of teams & sleighs on the ice but as the ice is about 24 or 26 inches thick, there was not much danger of its breaking.
We are having lovely sunny days—the sun shines from about 8 a.m. 'till 5.15 p.m. I must not forget to thank you both very much for the things you sent for Christmas. I like my tie very much. Edith & the children were also very pleased with their share.
I send to my old boss in England, & his sister was so much struck with my letters, that she thinks I should send my experiences to a paper the “ Standard of Empire.” This lady belongs to” The Victoria League” & sent me a very nice letter & has promised to send me copies of the paper mentioned. I have just received two copies.
I will close now with our very best love to you both.
Yours affectionately, John Gibbins

VILLAGE OIL BULK BUYING CAN BENEFIT VILLAGE HALLS
Village halls and rural communities can now benefit from a new scheme to buy cheaper heating oil and raise funds set up by two rural entrepreneurs.
When Simon Bland of www.ruralclick.com saw Paul Ward of www.BoilerJuice.com on the BBC 'working lunch' programme, they discovered they lived less than 10 miles apart and they shared a passion for rural community life.
RuralClick.com has been developed to give support to village halls, with special deals negotiated for tables and chairs, insurance etc. Over the last year the increases in heating oil prices had severely hit rural halls, who had in turn had to raise rental charges to playgroups, mums and tots and lunch clubs etc. In fact all the key community uses of village halls were being affected.
BoilerJuice.com is the leading internet heating Oil broker in the UK, and helps co-ordinate orders to achieve a lower price for households and businesses.
“I approached Paul and immediately he saw the potential for halls to become the hub for village bulk buying of oil” said Simon.
“We put together a deal that sees halls, both able to raise funds directly to support their activities, and help achieve a lower price for everyone who takes part, it's a real win/win” said Paul.
The scheme also has the benefit of making a positive contribution to reducing a community's carbon footprint by minimising the number of tanker trips to a village.
The scheme was officially launched on the 4th May, and can be found at www.boilerjuice.com, under a new community section or by visiting www.villagehalloffers.co.uk.
Once a hall has registered, it is given a reference number that can be used by everyone in the village over a 'buying weekend slot', each hall will generate £1 per 1000 litres purchased and all orders will help drive down the price for everyone.