Do you recognise this couple ...

scroll down to find out who they are ...

yes, it's Doreen and Jim Titcombe!  Doreen and Jim also celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this summer!  A belated congratulations to you both from all in Bourton!

Merry Christmas ....

And Happy Birthday to Len Francis!  Thank you Len for all that you do for the Village!  Have a great birthday!

Burglary ...

There was a burglary in Bourton overnight Wednesday 11th/Thursday 12th December.  The Police are keen to speak to anyone that has information or sightings of any suspicious activity in the area.

If you have any information please phone the new police non emergency number 101 and ask that the information be given to DC4482 Chris Leech.

Chris Leech
Local CID, Abingdon

A jolly time ...

was had by all at the Village Carol Concert on Saturday evening!

The mulled wine flowed, plenty of mince pies were eaten and the singing was great!  Sue's Forte band played superbly!!!  Chris made sure we were all singing the correct verses and Karen worked her magic with another wonderful raffle!  

The December 50/50 winners were called and they are:

5  Dennis Offer (£14)
17  Gemma Hayes (£!0)
3  Sue Hayes (£7.50)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Amendment ...

Swindon Borough Council have just extended the deadline for comments on the planning application for South Marston and Rowborough to 23 December.

News from Maggie Brown, Parish Clerk .....

John Bean and I attended the meeting at Shrivenham last Thursday evening to update residents on the electrification of the main line.

 

It has been agreed that Bourton can keep both Grade II listed bridges and the track will be lowered instead (ie the one at Lower Bourton and the one leading up to the canal from John Bean's house).  The Fat Dog bridge is going to be replaced with a bridge slightly to the West of the current location which will straighten out the road a bit and provide a footway.  (Oxfordshire County Council have agreed to fund the extra expense of providing the footway.)  The replacement bridge can be built alongside the existing bridge which means that the road will not be closed for as long as originally expected.  The work will start in the summer of 2014 and be complete by the end of October 2014 and we will be told in the Spring exactly when it will be closed and have confirmation of the diversion route.  However, this is likely to be via Bourton of course and therefore we are now trying to get Oxfordshire County Council to repair the road edges at Lower Bourton so that the road is in a fit state to receive this extra traffice (which is currently not the case).

 

Regarding the planning application for 2380 houses at South Marston and Rowborough, Swindon Borough Council have granted a deadline until 13 December for comments.  The Western Vale Villages Steering Committee are meeting on Friday evening to decide on a response.  The Vale of White Horse District Council will be responding as will Oxfordshire County Council.  I will circulate the Parish Council's response as soon as it is drafted in case you wish to respond.

 

Kind regards.

 

Maggie Brown

Clerk to Bourton Parish Council

Pinewood Christmas Fair

Christmas Concert .....

You are invited to Bourton’s

 Christmas Concert

at

Bourton Village Hall

 on

 Saturday 7th December

 5.00pm

            

   Forte Band               Woodwind ensemble

  Carol singing

   Mulled wine      Mince pies  Festive Raffle

Christmas in Bourton ....

Saturday, 30 November
10 am - 2 pm Pinewood Christmas Fair (details to follow)

Saturday, 7th December
10 am Family Service followed by coffee and mince pies!
5 pm Carol Concert in the Village Hall (details to follow)

Tuesday, 24th December
6.30 pm Crib Service (children are welcome to come dressed-up in costume!)

50/50 Club

Christmas is just around the corner and if you need an idea for an extra stocking filler, how about membership of the Bourton 50/50 Club? For £12 for the year, not only will you be supporting your Village Hall but you will also be giving the chance of winning one of three cash prizes every month!In 2013, we had 62 members and gave out £372 in prize money. The more members we have the greater the cash prizes.Look out for forms being delivered to your home in the next few weeks.For further details, please contact Sue (782066)

November 50/50 winners are ...

51 Poppy Swann £14
26 Martin Bazen £10
78 Philip Hoyland £7.50

Congratulations!

Lock up your sheds .......

Between Friday 1st and Monday 4th November a shed in The Grove, Bourton was burgled. At this time it is not known how offender(s) gained entry, a red rotivator was stolen.

 
Please be extra vigilant. If you have seen any suspicious looking people or vehicles in the area or have any information relating to this message please call the police on 101.

Sarah Jones (Police, PCSO, South Oxon & Vale Local Police Area)

Remembrance Service ....

Our Remembrance Service will be held at 12 noon on Sunday, 10th November at the Village Memorial.

Next Church service at St James's ...

will be held at 10 am on Saturday, 2 November 2013.  This service will be a shared service with Pinewood School.

October 50/50 winners are ...

34  Colin Randles
23 Russell Hayes
21 Martha Mintern

Congratulations!

Harvest Festival ...

Bourton's Harvest Festival 

will take place on Saturday, 5 October 2013 

starting at 10 a.m.  

Coffee and biscuits after the service!  

More Stride than ride .....

a group of Villagers took part in the annual Historic Churches Trust sponsored Ride and Stride again this year ....

(and no, we are not Moonrakers!!!)

Rather than ride around the county on our bikes as usual, we decided to walk the streets of Oxford!  We caught the Number 66 bus - even sitting on the top deck in the back seats on the way there - and managed to visit 14 churches.  We also walked up the tower at Mary Mags ...

and popped in to some of the Colleges, including the Great Hall at Christ Church ...

Although we felt a little damp at times, at least it didn't rain.  So a lovely day was had by all.  If you wish to add to our sponsorship please give your contribution to Dennis Offer.

What a lovely day for a BBQ ...

A fantastic time was had by all!  Big thank you to Pinewood School for letting the event take place in the school grounds, to the Village Hall Committee for organising everything and to Len Francis for the photographs!

September 50/50 ...

Congratulations to the following September 50/50 winners ...

Number 36   Alan Thomas     £14
Number 11   Dawn Rutley     £10
Number 16   Sam Baker        £7.50

Cheques are on the way!

Another new baby girl ...

Many congratulations to Rebecca and Luke on the birth of baby Nyree Taya who arrived on 17th June!  No doubt Sylas and Esme are very excited having a new baby sister!  And congratulations also to the grandparents - Janet and Stan Jones!

Electrification of Great Western Main Line

Dear Villagers

 

The proposal to electrify the Great Western Main Line is likely to have quite an effect on Bourton.  There is no necessity to seek planning permission but an Environmental Statement has had to be prepared and lodged with the Vale of White Horse District Council.  This can be viewed on the Vale's website under planning reference P13/V1380/ES.  If you would like me to send you the document, I am very happy to do so.

 

The railway bridge by the Fat Dog is being demolished and reconstructed from January 2014 for 4 months.  During this time the traffic will be re-routed via Bourton.

 

The Grade II listed railway bridge on the bridleway past John Bean's house towards the canal is being retained and the track lowered under the bridge and 150m on either side.  The proposal is to carry out this work on 25 and 26 December 2013.

 

Unfortunately the Grade II listed railway bridge by Grange Farm is recommended to be demolished and reconstructed (although the Vale's Conservation Officer and English Heritage are being consulted).  This work is due to take place in August 2014 and will last for 4 months.  Traffic will be diverted via the railway bridge at the Fat Dog.

 

The Parish Council has written to the Vale's Conservation Officer to see if a case can be made for lowering the track at this location rather than demolishing the bridge.  We will keep the village updated as we hear any further news.

 

Maggie Brown

Clerk to Bourton Parish Council

BBQ & FAMILY FUN DAY !

Bottle donation ....

St Andrews bottle stall at the Shrivenham Village Fete  – Saturday 24^th August.   This is a vital annual fundraiser for the parish of Shrivenham with Watchfield & Bourton

Please start looking out for bottles to contribute –

Shampoo to Champagne …all bottles are MOST welcome!

Dennis Offer, The Manse, Bourton. Items can be left on our doorstep. Many thanks.

JULY AND AUGUST 50/50 WINNERS ....

JULY

1st - Number 25 - Chris Field
2nd - Number 81 - Francesca Hoyland
3rd - Number 37 - Alan Thomas

AUGUST

1st - Number 27 - Paul Beech
2nd - Number 56 - Tess Hamlin
3rd - Number 67 - Penny Wallace

CONGRATULATIONS - your cheques are on the way!

Cricket Match Report ...

The annual village cricket match against Pinewood Extras took place under cool cloudy skies on Tuesday 2 July.

Pinewood set a stiff target of 149, with the highlight of the innings being a spectacular catch by Bob Buckley. The village team started strongly and were up with the required rate at half-way but fell just 19 runs short of their target. 

Many thanks to all the village team for playing and for Pinewood for their hospitality, including the beer and hot dogs after the game.

Russell

Diamond Wedding Anniversary ...

Many congratulations to Muriel and John Bean on their 60th Wedding Anniversary!

John and Muriel were married on 27th June 1953 at St Augustine's Church, Rodbourne.

Church service on Saturday ....

there is a Church service this Saturday (6 July) at 10 am ....

BUT please remember there is no service in August!

Congratulations to ....

Alan and Julia from Home Farm, Silver Street on their wedding in Antigua recently ...

best wishes to you both !

June's 50/50 winners are ...

1st - Number 36 - Alan Thomas
2nd - Number 2 - Rob Harman
3rd - Number 32 - Chris Mintern

CONGRATULATIONS!

Village Cricket on Tuesday, 2 July ...

Russell has a full team at the moment for the village cricket match against Pinewood Extras next Tuesday BUT the village team will need plenty of support.  So please go along with your deck-chairs and suncream and enjoy a lovely summer evening in the beautiful grounds of Pinewood School.  The game starts at 6 pm!

Wow what a concert ...

a great time was had by all at Sue's 12th Summer Concert .....

Well done to Sue and all her students - it was a great show!  All proceeds are going to the Nordoff Robbins Music Transforming Lives Charity.

Advance warning ...

Due to my Summer Concert being held at the Village Hall on Friday 21st June, there may be a number of cars parked in the middle of the village between 6.45pm and 8.30pm.

Sue Hayes

Vicarage Garden Party - Saturday, 20th July .....

The Vicarage Garden Party is being held on Saturday, 20th July with a 50/60's theme (dress optional!) in the Vicarage garden, Shrivenham starting at 2 pm.  There will be lots of stalls and fun to be had.  Everyone is welcome!

Talking of cricket ...

Village v Pinewood Extras - Tuesday, 2 July

The annual village cricket match against the Pinewood Extras is at 6 pm on Tuesday 2 July. Please let Russell Hayes know if you would like to play or if you know anyone else who would like to.  (russphayes@aol.com)

England cricket tickets .... SOLD!!!

Dennis Offer has two tickets available for England v New Zealand next Sunday (16th June) in Cardiff if anyone is interested in going?  Please contact Dennis as soon as possible!!!  (choc4@msn.com)

Grand opening ....

of Sue Hayes' new Music Studio!

take a look at Sue's website for more information ..... www.shmt.co.uk!

Pinewood ...

CLEANER REQUIRED To work 23.5 hours per week, term-time plus. SATURDAY DISHWASHER & DINING ROOM ASSISTANT To work 8 hours on approx. 17 Saturdays per year during term-time. For more information and an application form please visit the School website www.pinewoodschool.co.uk Closing date for applications 30th June 2013. Pinewood School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. All applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure & Barring Service.