Festival fun comes to ‘Middle Aston-bury’
The first ever local Tribute Music Festival took place in the grounds of Middle Aston House on Saturday, 19th July. Villagers and visitors of all ages came to join in the fun – and a good time was certainly had by all.
Comments on social media afterwards included ‘fantastic’, ‘well-organised’ and lots of ‘brilliants’. One villager summed it up saying ‘This was a village punching well above its weight. Fabulous afternoon and superb organisation. Bravo!’
Organiser Helen Wright reports from ’MiddleAston-bury’:
When Dan and I came up with the idea of putting on a Tribute Music Festival, it was borne of the frustrations at the huge cost of tickets to most festivals, and also of the love of bringing our wonderful community together in person.
What felt like the first rain we’d had all year decided to fall on the morning of the festival, but thankfully it had passed by the time gates opened at 1.00pm.
And we welcomed hundreds into the grounds of Middle Aston House to enjoy an afternoon and evening of music.
A young and talented “Death Warmed Up” got the crowd going with their 80s rock covers, followed by the popular local band “Whiff of Horse” (who brought many Whiffers along with them!). “The Ariana Grande Experience” dazzled the crowd, “Utmost Elton” was the rocket man, “Oasus” took us back to BritPop and “Rule the World” made us all shine (and remember how much we love Take That!).
We had wood fired pizzas, gourmet burgers, candy floss and bubble tea; Liam & Noel masks, bars, glitter and face painting. Not to mention, deckchairs, haybales and eventually even a little bit of sunshine!
Thank you so much to everyone who supported this idea – its success was down to those who came along and gave it a try!
Same time next year?
Meanwhile, we’d love to hear your thoughts, please do follow us on Facebook and Instagram
See lots more photos from Nigel Francis in the Photogallery. Click on the first one to enlarge and then use the arrows to navigate.
Aid vehicles will drive from Middle Aston to Ukraine
You may have wondered why there are so many commercial vehicles, including ambulances, parked on the land behind The Hatchery off Fir Lane between Steeple and Middle Aston.
It turns out they’re parked there for a very good reason.
Charles Sandy, one of the owners of The Hatchery, explains: “The vehicles are awaiting to be driven out to Ukraine as a charitable donation, which we are supporting.
“Driving Ukraine https://drivingukraine.org/ will be temporarily parking suitable vehicles on our site until they number 12, at which point a convoy of volunteers drives them over to Ukraine, where they’re camouflaged etc. before heading to the front. The process then restarts.”
Charles and co-owner Patrick Bradshaw will be joining one of the convoys in the coming months. They will be posting information on the charity and putting up flags next to the vehicles.
Fynn Watt from Deddington is one of the founders of the organisation, which began its work in 2022. Since then, more than 1,400 dedicated volunteers from 30+ countries have got involved. They now have convoys at least five vehicles (min 10 people) that depart at the end of every month from Oxfordshire.
The end-users of the donated vehicles and aid include: foreign volunteer medics and paramedics working on Ukraine’s frontline; Ukrainian volunteer medics and paramedics; bomb disposal teams; combat medics and Ukrainian hospitals.
They are always looking for more volunteers, and, of course, donations. Details on their website https://drivingukraine.org/
Sad death of Bob Bickley announced
We are very sorry to report the death of Bob Bickley of Steeple Aston. Bob was very well known in the village especially because he was the caretaker at Dr Radcliffe’s Primary School in Fir Lane for 13 years. He was also a schoolgovernor. Many local children and their parents will remember his kindness and good humour.
Bob died on Tuesday, 8th July following several weeks in hospital. His funeral will be held on Friday, 8th August at 12.00 at the North Oxfordshire Crematorium (between Tackley and Woodstock). All are welcome to the crematorium and afterwards at Steeple Aston Village Hall.
If you would like to make a donation to charity in Bob’s memory, you can do so at https://www.memorygiving.com/bobbickley.
There is a tribute to Bob written by Julia Whybrew in the Family News Section. If you have memories of Bob that you’d like to add, please email the Editor at steepleastonwebeditor@gmail.com
Visitors to sunny fete raise 4K for Church funds
Georgina Orridge writes:
Sunday morning dawned cloudy and overcast. To be honest, considering the heatwave, it was a lovely surprise! The team, who had begun setting up the night before, really appreciated being able to work in cooler weather, and finished building the stalls for another amazing fete! By the time Mat Watson opened the fete at one o’clock the sun had reappeared, but a nice breeze meant that no one overheated, though that might also have been thanks to the ice cream bicycle, which had to be restocked mid-afternoon, as well as the teas and cakes in the hall and on the field!
With wonderful performances from the Jubilee Brass Band, and the Joanne Mills School of Dance, as well as a steam train, a new shopping village, and a delicious burger and beer tent from the Red Lion, there was so much to see and do, excitement cresting over the field like a wave.
Towards the end of the afternoon, the children’s races were a real highlight, with sprints, sack races and bean-bag-on-heads races. The kids had great fun, and the grown-ups also enjoyed cheering them on.
As the afternoon drew to a close Mat Watson drew the highly anticipated raffle, with prizes ranging from a hamper put together by the church, to a family annual pass to Blenheim Palace. Prizes were also given for the various games across the field, such as the WI’s mystery cake ingredient (pesto!) and the various throwing games.
The Steeple Aston Church Fete committee would like to take this moment to say thank you to everyone who helped out, and to those who came. We couldn’t have done this without each and every one of you, and we hope you had as great a time as we did. Together we raised over £4,000 to help maintain St. Peter’s & St. Paul’s Church! Thank you again, and we hope to see you all next year!
Top Ten Raffle Winners
- Luxury Hamper – Steven Gumbs
- Gin Hamper. – Mr. Brett, Hunters End, Steeple Aston
- Atrium Voucher. – Mary Rushworth, Steeple Aston
- BEAT sweatshirt & voucher. – David Fry, Middle Aston
- Sole Pilates voucher. – Kate S
- Sole Pilates voucher – Mary White, Steeple Aston
- Polka Dot, Gift & voucher. – Liz Hite
- N/Aston Pet Supplies,Gift Bag. – Polly Taylor, Westcott Barton
- Oxford Playhouse Tickets. – Becky Alcroft
- Red Lion Voucher -Dinner for 2. – Gareth Johns, Steeple Aston.
You can see lots of photos by Nigel Francis in the Photogallery. Just click on the first one to enlarge and navigate using the arrows.
Survey on plan to reduce streetlighting at night
Oxfordshire County Council is holding a consultation on plans to allow streetlights to be dimmed or turned off during the night.
The council operates over 60,000 streetlights in the county. Some of these, such as the lights at major road junctions or towpaths, will have to stay on all night for safety reasons.
The proposals are aimed at improving the night-time environment for residents and wildlife, as well as energy and carbon reduction. They could also reduce costs by more than £400.000 a year.
The introduction of such a scheme wouldn’t be compulsory. In a village like Steeple Aston the parsh council would have to propose a change. Then if this is approved by the county council there will have to be a consultation with residents and other interested parties such as the police and community groups.
The standard time frame for the reduction of lighting in rural areas will be 11.30pm until 5.30am but there will be flexibility to deal with particular requirements of the area such as a late running bus or train.
The parish council will be considering its response to these plans. But if you want to respond individually go to https://letstalk.oxfordshire.gov.uk/pnl and complete the survey. It’s open until 6th July and a decision will be taken in September.
Middle Aston garden visitors defy the weather
It was very unlucky that the weather forecast should be so bad on a Saturday in early June. The gardens that opened in Middle Aston to raise funds for the church roof were looking spectacular, but the sky was threatening.
In the event a cheerful crowd managed to stay dry for a couple of hours. When the rain came, they put up their hoods and umbrellas and carried on. And many of them found shelter in Graham Clifton’s large shed where they enjoyed tea and homemade cake. Most importantly, they raised over £1,000 for the Steeple Aston Church roof appeal.
The gardens that opened were: Middle Aston House, Home Farm House, Barley Port, The Granary, Oakridge, Lidney Croft and Stedman /Bluebell Cottage.
Organiser Vicky Clifton reports:
Saturday, 7th June saw the first open gardens in Middle Aston for quite some time. Six different garden owners worked their green fingers to the bone in preparation for the event, three of which had never been opened to the public so added to the appeal in visiting.
Like any event organiser, plus one of the gardeners I was glued to my weather app for the week before, hoping the wet afternoon forecast would change. As time moved on, the picture looked worse with the addition of a Met office yellow weather warning. However, the gods looked down on us, and it wasn’t as bad a planned. We were blessed with some very hardy plant enthusiasts and locals who grabbed their brollies and visited.
Steeple Aston WI provided tea and cakes for us. A welcome sight when wet visitors needed a warming break. Such a spread of delicious cakes was hard to resist.
My thanks to WI members and other villagers for baking.
There were many villagers who helped put on the event, and I thank them whole heartily for their time. Thanks also go to Middle Aston House for allowing us to use their car park and opening the grounds.
Most importantly thanks to the garden owners: Dorothy & Graham Clifton, Nuur & Hannah Norbury-Meeajane, John & Caroline Williamson, Caroline Parsons and Kate Symondson & Will Spray.
Everyone’s hard work paid off and I’m delighted to report we raised £1,250 towards the Church roof appeal.
Nigel Francis visited the gardens ahead of the event, when the sun was shining so you can enjoy his photos along with a few taken on the day by Vicky Clifton and Jenny Bell.
Go to the Photogallery, click on the first photo to enlarge it and then use the arrows to navigate.
Have your say on A4260 lower speed limits
Oxfordshire County Council is asking residents to comment on plans for lower speed limits along the A4260 between Kidlington and Banbury and nearby roads, including the area around Hopcrofts Holt. The consultation is open until Friday, 4th July. You can see details and comment on the OCC website.
The council says:
We’re asking for your views on the proposal to introduce new lower speed limits on and along the A4260 corridor (including selected adjacent roads) between Kidlington at the south & Banbury to the north. Specifically, the proposals comprise of the following reduced speed limits:
- 30mph speed limits on the A4260 Oxford Road at Bodicote & Banbury.
- 40mph speed limits on the:
- A4260 Oxford/Banbury Road at Hopcrofts Holt,
- B4030 at Hopcrofts Holt,
- A420 Banbury Road at Shipton-on-Cherwell, and
- A4095 Bunkers Hill & Upper Campsfield Road at Shipton-on-Cherwell.
- 50mph speed limits on the:
- A4260 Banbury Road at Shipton-on-Cherwell,
- A4260 Banbury Road at Rousham,
- A4260 Oxford Road at Steeple Aston,
- A4260 Oxford Road at North Aston,
- A4260 Banbury Road at Deddington, and
- B4027 at Tackley.
- 60mph speed limit on the A4260 Oxford Road (Northbound carriageway only) at Middle Aston.
The proposals are being put forward – following investigations by Officers – as part of the Councils ‘Vision Zero’ strategy, which seeks to work on a safe system approach to reducing fatal and severe injuries to road casualties, the Council proposes to reduce vehicle speeds to safer levels for road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, equestrians, motorcyclists, and all motorists.
Details are available to view on the Councils consultation portal at the address below:
https://letstalk.oxfordshire.gov.uk/kidlingtonbanbury_a4260_speeds2025
Any objections or other representations on the proposals should be submitted by Friday 4th July 2025.
The County Council will review the responses and if necessary (i.e. if objections are received) prepare a report to be presented to the Cabinet Member for Highway Management at a meeting scheduled for later in 2025. This will be public meeting at which members of the public may apply to speak.