We are pleased to be able to reopen the Reading Room after a very difficult time. While it has been closed, we have carried out extensive repairs to the building following a major water leak, the effects of the subsidence to the south wall have been repaired and we have installed a replacement boiler. There have also been substantial improvements to the kitchen, new storage cabinets built in the main hall and repairs completed to the toilet facilities and to the fire escape. The Council wishes to acknowledge and thank Richard May for his hard work and carpentry skills in achieving a lot of this repair and renovation work.

As part of reopening, the Trustees have renewed the risk assessments and carried out a review of our insurance policy. To comply with the requirements of our insurance and the terms of our risk assessment, all users must now please book their use using a booking form available online or from readingroom@greatcoxwell.com. This will enable us to demonstrate that we have provided users with appropriate information for their safe and proper use of the Room and that they have agreed to those conditions.

Insurance is not automatically in place for regular users of the Room, so please discuss this with us before arranging such events.

We have also reviewed and updated the hiring fees. In the interests of simplicity, fairness and transparency, all events will now be charged by the hour with a refundable cleaning deposit required for some events.

The charges will apply to all users to enable the Reading Room to cover some of its costs, however, it is not our intention for the Reading Room to be fully funded through the hire fees and it will continue to receive financial support from the Council. 

Our intention in setting the fees was to try to make the Reading Room as accessible to all village users as possible and the prices have been maintained very close to the those set in 2005. Events run for community fundraising or community benefit, can apply to the Council to fund the hire of the room for such purposes, for example the weekly Drop-in.

Higher hourly charges will be applied for non-parishioner use.

The charges are shown on the Reading Room page.

We understand that it has been inconvenient not having the Reading Room available and hope that it can now be used as much as possible.

Great Coxwell Parish Council
26th October 2021
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Saturday 13th November 2021

Christmas Bazaar

at Foxley, Great Coxwell

10 am – 12.30 
& 2.00 pm – 4.00 pm
Refreshments, coffee, tea, cakes
Christmas Gifts and Decorations
Chutney, Jams, 
Jewellery, Puzzles, Books, Raffle
Free entry - ALL WELCOME 
(Including children)


Jane Holmes 241367 (pink cottage at bottom of village)
+ in aid of St Giles Church building maintenance +
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On Saturday 6th November there will be a special All Soul’s service in St Giles’ Church at 3pm to commemorate lost loved ones. We will remember and give thanks to God for those whom we love but see no longer. There will be opportunity (for those who wish) to light a candle and write a Remembrance Card in memory of departed family members and friends. These will then be placed on our Remembrance tree in church.
 
For those who are unable to come, we are happy to include other names of people you would like to remember. Please give these names to Pat Cook (Warden) ahead of the service. Her contact details are: 01367 241632 or email phemes43@gmail.com
 
Regards,
Revd Maureen Turner
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Don’t forget Village teas will restart on Sunday 31st October.
Come along for a cup of tea and a delicious slice of cake.
Reading Room
2.00 till 5.00
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​The following documents have been added to the website:

Parish Council Meeting Minutes October 18th 2021
Reading Room Meeting Minutes October 18th 2021

Dear all, 
 
As promised, here is the flyer for our next concert.  Ben Schoeman has been to Stonevale several times, this time he is joined by another renowned South African pianist, Tessa Uys.  In 2010, Tessa and Ben established a duo partnership after being invited to give a two-piano recital at the Royal Over-Seas League in London. Ever since, they have performed regularly at music societies, festivals and at the BBC. In 2015, they embarked on their journey with the 9 Beethoven Symphonies transcribed for piano four hands by Franz Xaver Scharwenka. They are currently recording the complete Beethoven/Scharwenka Symphonies for SOMM Recordings.  Their CDs will also be available to purchase at the concert. 
 
Seats are limited so make sure you reserve quickly.
 
Best wishes,
Lynette

Would anyone like these two largish pieces of wood?  They’re 4.8m x 15 cm x 9.5 cm (or 15 foot x 6 inches x 4 inches) approximately.  
 
Contact Ian Mason 07973 793089 or ians.mason@btinternet.com
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 Garden Waste

The garden waste service will return to its normal fortnightly collections from next week. 
The normal garden waste collection schedule in Vale will resume on 25 October and so from that day onwards, customers can put their brown garden waste bins out on their normal collection day in their recycling week every fortnight.  
As mentioned last month, to make up for the disruption to the service we are extending customers' current subscription to the service by three months. 
The councils are emailing and writing to their garden waste customers this week letting them know the good news. 
Vale garden waste customers will also benefit from the scheduled Extra Garden Waste Week next month (week commencing 8 November) when customers are entitled to put out one extra bin's worth of garden waste that week. 
There is more information at: whitehorsedc.gov.uk/gardenwaste

White Horse Community Lottery 
The White Horse Community Lottery had its first draw on Saturday 18 September, with many supporters winning a variety of prizes including £25 to 3 extra tickets. In the first draw, one good cause had multiple winners.  In addition to this, players of the first five tickets drawn have won £100 to donate to a good cause of their choice.

Since the launch, many good causes have joined the White Horse Community Lottery and can now benefit from vital unrestricted funds and players can support the causes they care about the most.  It’s predicted that over the next year, the lottery will raise just over £30,000 for good causes in the district.

Please spread the word to good causes in your area and encourage local voluntary groups and charities to register.

For more information please visit whitehorsedc.gov.uk/communitylottery.

Organisations that want to register for the lottery please visit whitehorselottery.co.uk/good-causes/apply

VACANCY FOR A PARISH COUNCILLOR
The Parish Council needs a new member to help it to maintain and improve the services available in Great Coxwell.
This is an opportunity for you to make a contribution to the village by having a say on local issues, to represent the views of parishioners and to become involved for the benefit of our community.
 
If you would like to be considered or would like further information, please contact the Clerk or Chair Jacqui Russell.
clerk@greatcoxwell.com
cllr-russell@greatcoxwell.com
https://www.greatcoxwell.com/parish-council.html
 

To be eligible to become a parish councillor you must be:

• At least 18 years old on the day of your nomination, and
• A British citizen, an eligible Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of any other member state of the European Union

You must also meet ONE of the following four criteria:

• You are, and will continue to be, registered as a local government elector for the parish in which you wish to stand from the day of your nomination onwards;
• You have occupied as owner or tenant any land or other premises in the parish area during the whole of the 12 months before the day of your nomination and the day of election;
• Your main or only place of work during the 12 months prior to the day of your nomination and the day of election has been in the parish area;
• You have lived in the parish area or within three miles of it during the whole of the 12 months before the day of your nomination and the day of election

Disqualifications from standing

There are certain people who are disqualified from being elected to a parish or community council in England and Wales.
You cannot be a candidate if at the time of your nomination and on the day of the election, any of the following are true:

• You are employed by the parish council or hold a paid office under the parish/community council (including joint boards or committees),
• You are the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order or interim order,
• You have been sentenced to a term of imprisonment of three months or more (including a suspended sentence), without the option of a fine, during the five years before polling day
• You have been disqualified under the Representation of the People Act 1983 (which covers corrupt or illegal electoral practices and offences relating to donations) or under the Audit Commission Act 1998

A person may also be disqualified from election if they have been disqualified from standing for election to a local authority following a decision of the First-tier Tribunal (formerly the Adjudication Panel for England or Wales).
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This Sunday will see the inaugural Great Coxwell Scarecrow Trail - join the fun.

You can pick up a ticket and a map from Scarecrow HQ which will be set up on the grass in front of Manor Cottage (right next to the Phone Box Library), there's a raffle too so get your raffle tickets at the same time.

Use your map and follow the arrows in the village to find and identify all the scarecrows, then drop your completed map back at Scarecrow HQ Room for a chance to win one of the fantastic prizes listed below.

The Scarecrow Café will running in the Reading Room from 11am to 5pm serving food and drinks, so reward yourself after all your hard work hunting down the scarecrows.