Affordable housing plans to go for council approval

Revised plans for 12 "affordable" homes in the village should be submitted for planning permission in February and, if they are approved, building could start in the summer.

Plans for the new housing on a site in Fenway, Steeple Aston were shown to the public last November. Representatives from the developers Sovereign Housing, Cherwell District Council, and Oxfordshire Rural Community Council joined parish councillors at an exhibition in the Village Hall. They explained the plans to villagers and took note of their comments.

This was followed by a new Housing Needs Survey to be completed by villagers and others with a connection to the village who might be interested in moving to the new homes when they are built.

Parish Council Chairman, Margaret Mason said, "The results of the Housing Needs Survey, done in December, show the need for a probable 12 units, 10 for rental and 2 for shared ownership. Twenty-five individuals returned the survey and 21 had the necessary local connections.

"By the end of the month those who said they were interested in shared ownership should have been contacted again by Sovereign, and also those who were interested in a two- bedroom property but may only qualify for a one-bedroomed home.

"By early February the size and tenure mix should be finalised and Sovereign's architect can begin drawing up the new scheme layout based on the revised mix with a view to be ready to apply for planning permission by the end of February.

"The Parish Council will have the opportunity to discuss the final draft with Sovereign before the plans are sent in for approval. The planning process will give everyone the chance to comment on the plans to CDC.

"So, things are moving on. CDC's Strategic Housing Officer has emphasised the need for those interested to keep their applications up to date with CDC.

"I hope I'm not being too optimistic in looking forward to building beginning this Summer."

A double Jubilee Celebration planned for June

This year marks 50 years of the traditional Whit Races in Steeple Aston, as well as 60 years of the Queen's rule. So an extra special celebration is being planned for Monday, 4th June.

Parish Councillor John Coley is Chairman of the committee that is organising the celebrations. He says, "It is good luck that 2012, as well as being the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, also marks 50 years of the Whit Races in the village. So there is a double celebration.

"We are still putting the details together but the broad intention is to have a number of events which will appeal to most in the village to share in one or more of the events during the day.

"The celebrations will begin with the Whit Races, held this year on the Recreation Field at Robinsons Close, rather in Heyford Road. We are hoping to have light refreshments on sale during the races, but nothing is yet definite.

"The Races will be followed by a Jubilee Refreshment for those who have taken part in the Races and guests from the Valentine Club. The food will have a 1950s theme and the Refreshment will be held in the Village Hall from around 1.00pm.

"In the evening there will be a Ceilidh with a live professional group and a pig roast. A bar will be on hand to allay the thirsty work of dancing (or to give courage to those who, like me, need it before getting up to dance).

"This will be a ticket only event - tickets will be on sale nearer to the time. We are limited to around 100 for Village Hall safety aspects, so it will be first come, first served.

"If anyone wishes to come to the Recreation Field and enjoy just watching the Races, they will be more than welcome to do so and bring their own picnic for later."

None of this is designed to prevent other groups holding their own celebrations over the Jubilee Weekend."

Celebrations will take place across the country over the long weekend at the beginning of June to mark the Queen's 60 years on the throne. The traditional end of May Bank Holiday has been moved to Monday, 4th June, and there will be an additional Jubilee Bank Holiday on Tuesday, 5th June.

Steeple Aston's Whit Races are traditionally held on the Whit Bank Holiday Monday. Children and adults compete in a variety of races, relays and competitions. There is usually a tug of war and a popular gurning competition as well.

Steeple Aston chooses its own Jubilee Pudding

Seven leading cooks from the village were asked to create a pudding fit to celebrate this year's Diamond Jubilee. And lots of hungry tasters turned up to a special Pudding Evening to help choose a winner.

John Coley, who clearly enjoyed the experience, writes: "On the evening of 11th February a total of seven desserts, fair chieftains of the pudding race, were progressed around the Village Hall to test the resolve of around 60 passionate pudding enthusiasts.

"Firstly we were lured by the looks, then we were elucidated by the explanations of the enticing elements which the cooks had combined to enhance the encounter and the enjoyment to come. So, in no particular order as they say on TV shows, here are the chefs and their competing confections:

. Mary Williams Queen Victoria's Jubilee Pudding
. Sally Cooper Chocolate Truffle Torte
. Judith Lane Union Flag Fruit Flan
. Joan Hensher Queen's Brandy Cake
. Anne Bonwick Jewel in the Crown
. Diana Gardner Royal Jubilee Cherry Tart
. Dorothy Clifton New England Crown

I hoped we were all feeling peckish.

"Then, thank goodness, at last we were allowed to taste these delights. Lots of Greg Wallace faces of yummy appreciation and some John Torode careful constructive criticism before marking our score sheets with comments and occasional smears of chocolate or cherry compote.

"Then to rub it all in we had to decide which of the delectations we would want to make as our own Jubilee Pudding. There lay the problem - could we make any of them to the same standard or would they be pale imitations like the "wedding cakes" made during the last war which had a small sponge underneath a fancy inedible exterior?

"So, we scrutinized, we savoured, we balanced, and we balloted, and then sitting comfortably we watched Kim Brock demonstrate, without repetition, hesitation or deviation how to cover a round cake with one piece of icing

"Time for the results of our vote. We were all winners as we had sampled all of the puddings, but in this context there has to be a Champion. To great acclamation the award went to Anne Bonwick for her "Jewel in the Crown". Then we sat awhile before beginning to wobble homewards, many wanting this to be an annual event.

"As the Jubilee Bell Fund has reached its target, the profit of nearly £350 was very generously donated to the Jubilee Celebrations Committee, for the events planned on 5th June."

Jubilee Bell to be installed in March

Steeple Aston's new Jubilee Bell will be delivered to the village early in March. Schoolchildren and villagers will have a chance to see it close up before it's installed in the church tower.

Members of the Jubilee Bell Appeal Committee, pictured here with the new bell, recently went to see the casting at Whitechapel Foundry in London.

Graham Clifton, the Bell Captain and Chairman of the Jubilee Bell appeal committee, writes: "The new bell has now been tuned and is awaiting collection. It is planned to remove the old bell from the tower on Wednesday 7th March and deliver it to the foundry and collect the new bell on the morning of Thursday 8th March. We hope to be able to park it in the school grounds during the afternoon of that day for the children to see.

"On Friday 9th it will go to Whites of Appleton Bellhangers to be fitted out with its headstock etc. We then intend to show it off to the village on Saturday morning 10th March. It will be in the area for the Shop/White Lion between 9.45 to 10.30am. Then near the Red Lion until about 11.15am. We will then install it in the tower during Saturday and Sunday to be ready to ring it for the first time for Evensong on 11th March.

"Please come and see the new bell and take photos next to it. This will be the last time the bell will be out of the tower for at least two hundred years.

"A dedication service will be arranged sometime in May when the Bishop will come along and bless the bell for us. We then intend to attempt a full peal for the Jubilee Celebrations in June.

"Many thanks from the Steeple Aston Jubilee Bell Committee: Graham and Dorothy Clifton, Sally Cooper, Diana Gardner, Cathy Fleet, Marian Trinder and Lawrence White."

BT worked to reconnect phones after cable theft

BT engineers worked round the clock to reconnect phones in Steeple Aston and nearby villages following the theft of underground cables that cut services to some customers for over a week.

The trouble started on Thursday, 19th January when thieves got away with over a kilometre of copper cable connected to the exchange in Steeple Aston by underground ducts.

BT said they'd received reports of more than 350 homes left without landline and internet services in Steeple Aston, Middle Aston, Middle Barton and Tackley.

BT engineers had to spend several days repairing damage to the ducting and replacing the cables before they could start the time-consuming process of reconnecting individual customers one by owere finally reconnected on Tuesday, 31st January.

The last few households in Steeple Aston are now reported to have been reconnected but as of Friday, 27th January some in Northside, Fenway and the other villages were still cut off. BT is hoping all will be restored by early next week.

Copper is a valuable commodity and this is by no means the first time that underground cables have been stolen in Oxfordshire. Cables linked to the exchange in Adderbury were stolen earlier this month. BT says it is working with the police and with government to counteract the problem.

Detective Inspector Steve Duffy of Thames Valley Police said: "We are aware that the theft at Steeple Aston has caused a lot of disruption to the local community. I am keen to hear from anyone who has any information or anyone who saw vehicles or people acting suspiciously."

Local MP Tony Baldry said magistrates should take a stronger stance against people convicted of stealing metal in this way. He told the Oxford Mail: "Without being melodramatic, it's going to be a matter of time before this leads to someone's death when they are not able to dial 999."

Among those affected by the disruption was Steeple Aston's Parish Clerk, Cathy Fleet. She apologised to any villagers who may have tried to contact her while her telephone and email connections were down. Her mobile number is 07989 398838.

February 2012

Pre-School gets thumbs up from Ofsted

Steeple Aston Pre-School has made "significant progress" and been given a "good" rating, with one outstanding feature following a recent Ofsted inspection.

The Chair of the Pre-School Nicky Elliot said, "It's a huge achievement considering what the staff were left to deal with at the start of this term. I'm hugely proud of the team and hope that they continue to go from strength to strength with Ann at the helm."

There were severe problems in early September when the newly appointed manager, Karina Faulkner, unexpectedly resigned the weekend before term started citing personal reasons.

The Deputy Manager Ann Buswell stepped in to the breach. She was appointed temporarily as Supervisor and she along with other members of the team worked extremely hard to get the Pre-School up and running in time for the start of term.

The Ofsted inspector reported that children make generally good progress towards the early learning goals in a safe, friendly and stimulating environment. She complimented the Pre-School staff on their skills and positive attitude, and said they have made significant progress since the last inspection and in particular during the last term.

The report states that "Staff use good quality observations, interactions and generally good planning to enhance learning experiences for children based upon their interests. Children are valued as individuals, and some resources reflect diversity. Staff demonstrate clear knowledge of children's individual needs and this is enhanced though strong partnerships with parents and carers."

The inspector singles out the area of partnerships as "outstanding". The report says "The pre-school has built excellent partnerships with local schools and childminders. As a result, they very effectively share good information regarding the individual needs of each child. Procedures for managing times of transition, such as settling children into the pre-school or moving on to primary school, are outstanding. There are well-established channels of communication between all partners involved with individual children, which successfully enhances their learning, development and welfare."

Only two areas are singled out for future improvement. The inspector reccommends they should:
. improve the planning system further to build more effectively on child-initiated activities
. extend the resources which reflect the ethnic, cultural and social diversity in society to further promote children's awareness of people's differences.

The inspection was carried out on 23rd November 2011.

Bellringers witness the Jubilee Bell's casting

Steeple Aston's Jubilee Bell was cast at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London on Thursday, 26th January - and a group of bellringers went along to witness this notable event.

Bellringer Diana Gardner was there and she writes: "We arrived by 11.00am for the casting at 11.15. It had taken three weeks to build up the mould, a core of curved bricks and a metal cope between which the metal would be poured. The bell would be cushioned by layers of loam between it and the mould, the loam being made up of sand, manure, straw and goats' hair.

"Into the surface of this was set our chosen inscription and the Royal Coat of Arms which the Queen had given her permission for us to use. The loam was then left to harden, as was the similar building material of yore. By the time we arrived, the bell mould was clamped to a base plate and the furnace was roaring.

"As the molten bell metal (77% copper, 23% tin) was poured into a vat, one man was scraping off any impurities and charcoal, towards himself, an unenviable job I thought! It then took several men to move the gantry and suspended vat into position. A second smaller bell was being cast at the same time for another tower and this was done first as it would cool more quickly.

"The hole to pour the metal into it was in the centre of the bell and it was difficult to reach. Some metal missed its mark and flew off in showers providing a dramatic display causing nearby boots to smoulder, much to the irritation of our guide. These sparks turned into ball bearings on the floor and a substantial layer of dust is left on the floor for health and safety reasons! Then the mould was full and the gantry was on the move again to lie over the Steeple Aston mould. The hole being to one side of ours, the molten metal poured in beautifully. Then the gantry was gliding back to the other bell for a top up, and back to ours. Sand was put over the flaming apertures and then a metal lid.

"All this was achieved in virtual silence, each member knowing his task. But as the word "ingots" was shouted we visitors beat a hasty retreat while the remaining metal was poured into ingots ready to be used for a future casting. On our return we were able to go right up to our bell in its mould as the heat from it wasn't yet excessive. It will remain there for four days, then take a week to cool.

"The content of the loam was explained. The goats' hair and straw would burn out, leaving channels for the gases to escape through to the vents in the outer mould. The bell will then be inverted for tuning which takes a couple of days. The walls of the bell are cast thicker than needed, so when the tuning takes place slithers of metal are trimmed from the inside. Apart from the basic note, four higher harmonics are tuned in. This is achieved electronically using a strobe tuner which can detect notes to a fifth of a semitone. Only tiny fragments are shaved off at a time as they cannot be replaced! But not only this, it will be tuned to match in with our existing bells so they will not sound too dull in comparison! After this the surface of the bell will be touched up and we will receive it at the end of March. It all suddenly seems quite a bargain!

"We were then taken to other parts of the foundry where they were making handbells etc. We saw the St Dunstan, Fleet Street, bells which have been cast for the Jubilee and will be rung as the Queen passes by. We also saw a bell which had been bought in as scrap with a calculated date of 1320. The birth of our Steeple Aston Jubilee bell is likely to be the start of a very long life."

Roadworks to disrupt traffic around Heyford Station

Traffic will be disrupted in the area around Heyford Station for five days in February because of roadworks.

Repair work will take place between the traffic lights at the bottom of Heyford Road and the junction of Station Road and The Lane, Lower Heyford, to the east of the railway bridge.

The work will start on Monday 6th February and should be finished by Friday 10th.

For the first day or two, the junction at the Heyford Road traffic lights will be completely closed to traffic while the junction itself is repaired. After that, the repair work will move gradually east over the river and railway bridges. At that point, the junction at the traffic lights will be partially re-opened. Vehicles approaching from Steeple Aston, Hopcrofts Holt and Rousham and will be able to pass through the traffic lights, but the road from the traffic lights eastwards towards the station will remain closed for the whole week.

An exception will be made for buses. A spokesman for Oxfordshire County Council emphasised that the Banbury to Oxford service would be unaffected.

Heyford Station will remain open. Pedestrians walking to and from the station will still be able to cross the river bridge, but rail travellers arriving by car will need to approach the station from the east: that is, from the direction of Upper Heyford.

Residents living in the immediate area of the roadworks will continue to have access to their homes from the east while the river bridge is closed from Monday to Friday.

For the early part of the week, 'road closed' signs will be placed in the centre of Steeple Aston, at Hopcrofts Holt and near Tackley Wood on the southerly approach to Rousham

to warn motorists of the closure at the Rousham junction.

Brownies make their promises

Members of the new Steeple Aston Brownie troop have been making their promises over the last few weeks - and so have their leaders.

Seventeen girls have joined the Steeple Aston Brownies which was set up this September. Over three weeks ceremonies were held for them to make the Brownie promise.

And the adult leaders who are also new recruits to Guiding had to make their promises too. Fiona McLoone is Brown Owl, Kelly Clinkard is Tawny Owl and Kim Phipps is Snowy Owl. Jasmine Trinder is the young leader.

Proud parents and the Rector, Father Mark Clavier were invited along to watch the ceremony and enjoy some delicious home-made cakes served by the Brownies.

The Brownies meet in the Sport and Recreation Building on Wednesday nights during term time. Their activities at the moment are all focused on Christmas. They have already made some salt dough Christmas decorations. They intend to carol sing around the village to raise funds, weather permitting and will end the year with a Christmas party.

Brownies are the junior division of the Girl Guides for girls aged from seven to ten. They provide an opportunity to get together with other girls of a similar age, try new activities and make some friends while developing confidence and life-skills -- all while having fun!

Jubilee Bell to have Royal Crest

The Royal Coat of Arms, pictured here, will be cast on to the new Jubilee Bell to be installed in Steeple Aston Church later this year.

The tenor bell has been commissioned to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. It will replace the current unsatisfactory bell, and will allow villagers to enjoy a much richer tone and more resonance when the clock chimes.

The Chairman of the Jubilee Bell Appeal Committee, Graham Clifton reports, "We have requested and received permission from Buckingham Palace to have the Royal Coat of Arms cast onto the bell. This stamp has been commissioned for a new ring of bells to be cast for St.Dunstan's in the West in Fleet Street to commemorate the Jubilee, and the trustees of that project have allowed us to use it."

Fundraising for the new bell is now almost complete. Graham says, "Our latest event, a Barn Dance in the Village Hall, was a great success despite not selling quite as many tickets as we would have liked. The band, Apricot Pie, were excellent and all those attending had a good evening particularly the children who quickly picked up the dances. At the end of the evening the event raised £400."

"Three more grants have come in from D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, Dr Radcliffe's Trust and Viridor Credits (Ardley Quarry landfill tax)."

There are still more fundraising events planned. There will be a Pudding Evening in the Village Hall on Saturday, February 11th at 7.30pm, and on Easter Monday, April 9th there will be an Open Gardens Day in Middle Aston. For more information on both events, contact Dorothy Clifton on 01869 347273.

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee will be celebrated on the first weekend of June 2012. There will be a nationwide celebration to mark her 60 years on the throne with an extra bank holiday on Tuesday, June 5th. A small committee has been formed to coordinate celebrations in Steeple Aston, and more details will soon be available on this website.

Contacts supplied for complaints about mobile reception

The campaign for better mobile reception in Steeple Aston has got under way with several people recounting interesting conversations with their mobile phone provider as a result.

One of the frustrations of course is that without a signal you can't use your mobile to complain. And even when you complain by email, providers don't understand that offering to text or phone you on your mobile is not very helpful if you don't have a signal.

More complainers are needed. If you haven't yet complained to your Network Operator yet, all you have to do is contact them on your mobile or as follows:
. O2 Email: complaintreviewservice@02.com Landline: 0844 8090222
. Vodafone - Email: http://campaigns.vodafone.co.uk/complaints Landline: 08700 700191
. T-Mobile - Email: www.t-mobile.co.uk/contactus Landline: 0845 4125000
. 3/HutchinsonG - Email: www.three.co.uk/Support/Contact_us/Complaints_code_formLandline: 0800 3584916
. Orange - Email: customer.services@orange.co.uk Landline: 07973 100450

Parish Councillor Clare McKinley who is organising the campaign says "The Operators will only improve their services if they receive enough complaints! Please also report your complaint on the website Forum so the Parish Council has evidence for the regulators."

The campaign to try and improve mobile phone coverage in Steeple Aston was launched by the Parish Council at the beginning of November. Leaflets have been distributed to all households saying:

"Mobile phone users in Steeple Aston have been increasingly frustrated by the generally poor and unreliable reception in the village and surroundings. People are forced to 'stand at the end of the garden' or 'hang out of the bedroom window' to make and receive calls.

"For many reasons, mobile phone reception is now an essential part of 21st century life:
. Crucial for businesses as customers and deliveries expect to make contact through mobile rather than landlines.
. Vital in emergencies and for First Responders.
. Essential for home workers ( at least 59 of residents work from home according to the Parish Plan of 2010)
. Integral to everyday life for individual users - the majority of homes in future will have a mobile rather than landline.
. Necessary for parents needing to stay in touch with children and for carers to monitor the infirm
. Reassuring for locals and visitors who enjoy exploring this beautiful area but are out of touch if they need help.

"The Parish Council has been researching the Mobile Phone Network Operators who all admitted that reception here is variable or poor. None currently has plans to improve the signal because they don't have evidence of need.

"So what must we do?
. Find your provider's Customer Services from your phone, their website or their local shop
(You may get through quicker via their Sales line).
. Phone them from your mobile or landline.
. Complain about the poor reception quoting any and all of the points above.
. Point out that your provider is in breach of contract i.e. you have made an agreement and they have failed to make reasonable efforts to provide the service.
. Continue to phone Customer Services weekly over a sustained period e.g. for 9 - 12 weeks.

"It is important that YOU complain to YOUR mobile phone provider, and keep complaining.

"What happens next?

"Your complaint will be logged by your provider. After enough complaints over a continuous period, the provider will take steps to improve the signal. If the signal does not improve after 12 weeks of complaints, then the Parish Council can go to the regulators.

"So that we can gather evidence of the number of weekly complaints, please log each complaint on the Forum at www. steepleaston.org. This is not essential, but the more evidence we have, the stronger our case.

"Start complaining today, through November, December and January - and we'll provide an update after that."

Local Nordic Walkers on TV

A group of Steeple Aston residents have appeared on the local BBC news demonstrating a new approach to keeping fit - Nordic Walking.

Nordic Walking is used by cross country skiers to keep fit in the summer and exercises the top half of the body as well as the legs.

The Walking session was organised by Go Active for Cherwell District Council, with the idea of encouraging the middle aged take more exercise. Led by instructor Kate Bennett, the group of villagers were shown getting their instructions in the Village Hall and then walking around the Recreation Field using long poles.

The people filmed for the BBC were recruited specifically for the television programme, but a Nordic Walking group, open to all, will be starting in the village in February. The initial four sessions will be free, paid for by Go Active, and all are welcome to turn up and give it a try. The dates and times of these sessions will be on this website and in Steeple Aston Life as soon as they are definite.

The other two classes which started with Go Active sponsorship a year ago, Pilates and a general exercise class, are still going strong and take place in the Village Hall every week. Pilates is on Mondays at 2.30-3.30pm and the exercise class is at 10.30-11.30am on Wednesdays. Both cost about £6 a session and newcomers wishing to see what the classes are like are welcome to just turn up and join in.

Local boys to refurbish BMX track

Local school boys have volunteered to refurbish the village's disused BMX track as part of their Duke of Edinburgh awards.

The boys, Alex Hatz, Oli Ong and Jack Taylor, all aged 15, received approval from the Parish Council at its November meeting to refurbish the track beside the play area on Robinsons Close. They are being helped by 17-year-old Ryan O'Sullivan.

The old BMX track has fallen into disuse and the grass has been allowed to grow long. The boys wish to develop bike tracks which are both sufficiently exciting to attract users but also designed to be safe if the riders fall off.

The tracks will be bare earth with grassy areas in between. The corners and jumps will be engineered and assessed for safety. The riders themselves should ensure the maintenance of the tracks, keeping down the grass as they ride around.

The boys did their own survey and found 20 people who said they would use the track, though they think the real number will be higher as the track's existence becomes known. The boys showed their design of the tracks to the Parish Council and they have agreed to discuss the design with play area specialists.

The project is expected to take about six months to complete with work starting soon. When it is complete the tracks will be assessed for safety by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

Alex Hatz and Jack Taylor are building the track as part of their silver level Duke of Edinburgh Award and for Oli Ong it is part of his bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award. Ryan O'Sullivan is interested and helping with the project.

Play area survey shows village children are in a minority

A recent survey of users of Steeple Aston's play area in Fir Lane showed that less than a quarter of children playing there come from the village. The play area is very popular with families from a wide area of North Oxfordshire, and was described by them as "fantastic" and "the best around".

The majority of play area users come from outside the village, and many of them return several times. Deddington families were the biggest individual group of non-Steeple Aston users. But several groups from Bicester, Banbury and even Chipping Norton had visited more than four times in the preceding six months.

At last month's Parish Council meeting, Rachel Smith, who organised the survey, was congratulated and thanked by the Councillors. Her survey was described by one councillor as "brilliant" and by another as "fantastically interesting".

The survey, which was conducted at weekends and during half term in late September and October, showed that about 22 per cent of the users came from Steeple Aston, and a similar number from within a five mile radius. Roughly a third of all users came from five to 10 miles away, and over a quarter of all the users came from between 10 and 25 miles away.

The survey showed that most visitors from outside Steeple Aston had heard about the playground through word of mouth or after visiting Steeple Aston. But a significant number had found out about it through Cherwell District Council advertising, for example in Banbury library.

The survey report said comments from users of the play area were overwhelmingly positive and several groups of visitors were very clear that the toilet helped make the play area an attractive destination. However this has a downside for the Parish Council which is meeting the running costs.

The Councillors are hoping that Cherwell District Council might contribute to the running costs of the play area and the toilet, particularly as it is advertised on the CDC website.

Councillors might also consider installing a donation box in the toilet. A lot of those interviewed said they would happily contribute and one user stated that she often used a playground in Epwell which does have a toilet and a donation box (she described a sealed canister/ tube bolted to the ground) and that she personally put money in each visit.

Carol ceremony raises funds for Jubilee Bell

Steeple Aston Church played host to the well-known Blackbird Leys Choir in a Christmas concert to raise money for the Jubilee Bell Appeal on Sunday, 4th December.

The choir was conducted by Trevor Davies, who teaches music at Dr Radcliffe's School. And the school's Chamber Choir also took part in the concert. Accompaniments were provided by Trevor on the organ and by Karina Bell on the harp.

The first half of the concert included several well-known carols, giving the audience a chance to join in from Time to time.

The second half featured Benjamin Britten's Ceremony of Carols. The retiring collection was for Jubilee Bell Appeal.

This was one of series of events to raise enough money to buy a new tenor bell for the church to commemorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee next year. More than half of the £12,000 required has already been raised.

Fund raising will continue with Steeple Aston Handbell Ringers starting their annual tour of the village on Sunday, December 11th. All of their collection this year will go to the appeal. Then there will be a Pudding Evening in the Village Hall on Saturday, February 11th and an Open Gardens Day in Middle Aston on Easter Monday, April 9th.