A mystery cat?

Mel and Irene Smith have a black and white cat – and they wonder if it has a twin in the village.

Mel asks, “Does anyone in the Bradshaw Close/Manor Farm area own a black and white 14-month-old female cat? Her upper body and head are all black. Her lower chin and underside are white. Her front legs all black with white boots, and her back legs have the upper half black and lower half white, including the feet.

He explains the reason for his question: “My wife usually walks to Bradshaw Close to catch the 07.15 bus to Oxford and when she was almost to Bradshaw Close turned around and noticed a cat answering the description already given. We didn`t think it was ours so wondered if there was an identical or very similar cat in the Bradshaw Close area.”

Bicester Rural neighbourhood update - August

This month’s update comes from Neighbourhood Specialist Officer PC Caroline Brown:

With our number one priority identified as speeding we have been out and about with the speed gun in several villages this month, including Cottisford, Middleton Stoney, Upper Heyford and Caversfield along with others.

We spent 40 minutes in Caversfield at around 8am and found everybody to be law abiding and within the speed limit. However, it was a different story at Middleton Stoney, where checks were carried out at three locations - Ardley Road , Bicester Road and Heyford road. During two visits, we issued 11 tickets. A further four tickets were issued at Station Road Lower Heyford.

We have looked into the parking problems at Steeple Aston, which were identified by the parish council and the PCSOs have been placing warning notes on vehicle windscreens.

We have attended several village functions including fetes and visited all village schools to obtain contact details for caretakers in case of need over the school holidays.

Due to the rising cost of fuel, there are concerns nationally that we may be seeing an increase in the theft of heating oil and diesel in rural areas. We have had literally a couple of these thefts in recent months, but I would still recommend that if you have an oil tank located near to your property please make sure that it is adequately protected.

If you need any crime prevention advice in relation to this and improving the security to your home please contact our crime reduction adviser Jayne Taylor on 0845 8 505 505.

We have seen a decrease in the number of lead thefts in the last month, however there are still a few being reported. We understand that the price of lead has dropped and is the reason for this, but please continue to be extra vigilant around churches and properties where lead is used as a building material.

Update from PCSOs Louise Penfold and Susan Cooper

We helped out with a cycling proficiency course at Chesterton school where 12 children passed and received their certificates. We were also in training, learning how to do the courses ourselves. We are now qualified to run them independently, so if you are interested in having cycling proficiency in your youth group or school, then please contact either of us on the email address below.

We also attended the fun day at Fringford village where the children had the opportunity to look inside and sit in a police car, which they really enjoyed.

We have focused a lot of our patrols on churches following the recent lead thefts; we even took our lunches out and picnicked in the church grounds.

We have been dealing with expired tax discs on cars and submitting vehicle details to the DVLA who investigate and prosecute. Otherwise, it was a quiet month in July, but no doubt with the summer holidays upon us we will be a lot busier this month.

Update on recent crime trends in villages over the last month.

There have been several incidents recently where fuel tanks have been emptied and large quantities of fuel stolen, it is advisable to secure any tanks with a good padlock. On one occasion the offenders gained access to a tank by walking across several fields and they would appear to go to great lengths to get fuel. Also the theft of lead from roofs is still an ongoing problem, especially from church roofs. Offenders have been disturbed at locations during the day and several churches in particular have been subject to several thefts, the offenders returning a week or so later to remove more lead.

Finally the rural areas have also seen an increase in theft of quad bikes and horse riding equipment including trailers.

BICESTER RURAL NEIGHBOURHOOD UPDATE FOR JUNE 2008

This month’s update is brought to you by Sgt Dave Hibbert:

In the last few months the Bicester Rural neighbourhood team have been busy working on the three priorities for the area:

1. Excess Speed
2. Road Safety
3. Groups of youths gathering

PCs Carolyn Brown and Shaun Sullivan have been carrying out speed enforcement checks throughout the area and a number of drivers have received warnings about their speed and a few received fixed penalty fines.

I’m delighted to announce Mr Mike Kerford-Byrnes has been elected the chair of the Bicester Rural Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG) and he chaired his first meeting on the 19th May. Mike is also the chair for Finmere Parish Council and brings a wealth of experience to the role.

Work on the three priorities is progressing and some quick wins have been made in respect of road safety; for example two special mirrors have been purchased for a dangerous section of road at Arncott. These were financed by the MoD at Arncott as a result of an approach by one of the NAG members, Mark Waite, who is an MoD police officer.

The PCSOs have been busy carrying out high visibility patrols across the area and ran a community event at Arncott, giving out crime reduction advice and talking to people about their role.

We are still experiencing thefts of metal of all sorts, but particularly lead from church roofs. Please do keep an eye out for any suspicious activity around your local church, school or neighbours houses and let us know on the 08458 505 505 number, or the 999 emergency number if you think you see people actually in the process of removing lead.

The good news is that 11 people have been arrested in connection with metal thefts and 60 offences have been detected, with a number of these as a result of information from the public, so keep up the good work.

We are also still having thefts of quad bikes and caravans from barns and garages, so if you have one of these items please ensure that you do all you can to protect it. The crime prevention officer at Bicester, David Campbell, is only too happy to give advice on the latest anti-theft devices, and will come to your home to discuss these with you.

This will be my last update as the Sergeant for the rural area, as I am moving to a new post at Headquarters on 16 June. I would like to thank all of you that have supported my officers and I in our efforts to police your area and I hope that with the introduction of the PCSOs you will begin to see more of a policing presence and reduction in crime.

The Steeple Aston Whit Races took place on a very cold, wet and windy Monday 26 May 2008. Several events were cancelled due to the weather, but those who braved the conditions had an enjoyable time.

There were 2 entrants for the Kings and Queens procession, with “Prince Ossian of Sharrow” winning over “The Dog Parade”. The two relay races were combined and run over the Lady’s Relay route. The winning time was 6 mins 45.8 secs, only 4 seconds different from last year and virtually the same for the past 7 years.

The following people are thanked: Scouts for their tremendous support and encouragement; Nick Powell for putting out and collecting the road signs; Karen Adriaanse for managing all of the admin on the day; Dr Radcliffe’s C of E School for the loan of their equipment; Bicester and Ploughly Sports Centre for the loan of their Tug-of-War rope (which was not used); 1460 (Banbury) Squadron of the Air Training Corps for the use of their cadets and equipment; those who kindly moved their cars off the road on the day; and finally to everyone who supported the event on the day in awful conditions.

Village teashop to open on Wednesdays

It will be operating on a trial basis on Wednesday afternoons starting on 4th June until the end of the school term.  If it works well, it will keep going and the days will be increased.  

The Parish Plan meeting revealed a demand for a teashop, and this was one of the suggestions supported by everyone present.  When this idea was mooted on the website Forum it also got a favourable response.  So a teashop is being given a try.  It is starting on Wednesday afternoons because this is the day when there are the most after-school clubs. 

But the teashop is not just for those with connections to the school, it is for everyone.  So come and support it if you would like to see it become a permanent feature of the village.  

Steeple Aston Angling Club 

The club recently held its AGM and Annual Dinner at the Three Pigeons Banbury. Trophies and Shields were awarded to the winners and runners up and a good time was had by all.

The officers of the club decided that the fees remain the same for the season 2008/2009:      

Adult members £20.00      

Senior members £3.00       

Junior members £3.00  

Permits will be available from the Secretary at the first competition or call Mel Smith on 01869 347440 or 01869 359742         

Please remember junior members aged 12 to 16 will require a Rod Licence priced £5.00. Adult members will also require a Rod Licence priced £25.00. Licences are available from your local Post Office. It is an offence not to have a Rod Licence and a fine of up to £2,500 could be imposed.

If fishing with 3 or 4 rods then 2 Rod Licenses are required. (I couldn`t catch any no matter how many rods!!!!)

New opening hours for shop

The village shop is to extend its opening hours. From Monday, 12th May the opening hours will be as follows:

Monday to Friday 7.30am – 9.00pm

Saturday 8.00am – 9.00pm

Sunday 8.00am – 7.30pm

Anjali Dance Company

A very big thank you to all the generous people who gave money to Anjali Dance Company in the bucket collection after the pantomime performances. We are very grateful to the Steeple Aston Players for suggesting that we collect money this way. Robin collected a total of £178.40 in his bucket from the three performances.

An extra special thank you to all the people from the village that came to watch the Anjali Gala performance at The Mill in Banbury. It meant a great deal to Robin and I to have so much local support. In total the gala events have raised about £2,000, which will be used to continue providing dance classes in Oxfordshire for young people with learning disabilities.

If you would like more information about Anjali please contact me on 01869 347439.

Tina and Robin Ferguson

Changes to the 59 bus timetable from 30 March

The following changes will be made to take account of traffic congestion in the morning:

Monday to Friday:

• first bus to Oxford 6.32am (arrive 7.10am) instead of 6.42am (arrive 7.15am)
• first bus to Banbury 7.43am (arrive 8.40am) instead of 7.44am (arrive 8.35am)

On Saturday evening, the following changes speed up the journeys from Oxford taking account of lower congestion.

• to Banbury: 16.59 instead of 17.04 and 17.59 instead of 18.09.

Neighbourhood Action Group - from Richard Preston, our local contact

What is a Neighbourhood Action Group or NAG?

It is a group comprising of the Police, Partnership Agencies such as your local district council and importantly, members of the community representing you.

They will meet approximately every six weeks and discuss ways to tackle issues identified as priorities by the local community over the short and long term.

I have volunteered as a member of the Neighbourhood Action Group with the hope that a closer liaison between the police, local authorities and the community can make our village and that of the surrounding neighbourhood a safer and better place to live.

Steeple and Middle Aston is not recognised as the centre of crime in The Thames Valley but there are problems or concerns that can be tackled. From a recent survey of our district, three main issues were identified. Speeding within the villages, road safety such as inconsiderate parking and groups of youths loitering in public places. I don’t think the latter is applicable to Steeple Aston but is a major concern in other parts of Cherwell.

What can you or I do?

As a member of the action group, I can act as a point of contact for any of your concerns. Being a member of the parish council, I will be aware of issues brought to the attention of the council. Please remember I am only a volunteer so do not contact me every time someone drops some litter on the street. You can also contact the action group direct via email. A phone number will be available in the future.

What will happen once concerns have been expressed?

They will first be prioritised and then the police, with assistance from any relevant agency, will make a concentrated effort to remove or reduce those concerns. Complete eradication of some problems may not always be possible but every attempt will be made and all actions will be monitored.

Contacts

Weather Forecast

This website now includes a weather forecast for Steeple Aston. The symbols in the bottom right corner of the Homepage show the current weather conditions in the village, along with the current temperature. Both are regularly updated

Click on the name of the village (in blue type) and you'll get a full 15-day weather forecast for Steeple Aston, courtesy of AccuWeather.com.

When you've finished with the forecast, click the Back button on your browser to return to the Homepage.

Search

This website now includes a special search facility, courtesy of Google.

In the top left corner of the Homepage, you'll see a box with the words "Google Custom Search". Type any word of special interest to you in the box, then click the Search button below, and you'll be guided to all the pages in the village website that include your chosen word.

For example: If you type in "doctor", you'll be taken to the local health centre page on the website. If you type in "golf", you'll see a list of all the pages on the site with references to that sport.

Give it a try!