We are planning to continue the now well established tradition in the Great Barn of the Christmas crib tableau, Christmas Eve procession and carol service. All this requires the help of volunteers to team up to put it all together. However, this year, after nearly twenty years, three of the team have retired from the project and are looking to hand over and pass the baton to new faces to succeed them for Christmas 2018 and thereafter.

The three roles are for a coordinator who will look after the relationships with the National Trust, The District Council, Police, St Giles Church as well as Health and Safety and overall project integration. The second is for the maintenance of the figures, stable and crib and the installation of the tableau in the Barn. The third vacancy is for a wardrobe specialist to prepare the existing costumes and dressing of all the figures in the tableau. We are looking for volunteers to fill these positions ready to prepare and assemble the tableau on the weekend of 15th/16th December ready for public access until twelfth night when the tableau will be disassembled and packed away for Christmas 2019. Extra helping hands in addition to the above will always be very welcome.

Would anyone who is interested in participating in this team to keep this traditional event alive please contact:

John Rounce. Tel:01367 241934. Email  john.pjvrounce@btinternet.com
and/ or
Richard May. Email r.may1939@gmail.com

We can then set up a meeting to discuss the way forward and arrange handovers and briefings.

We look forward to hearing from you.

John Rounce
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​I thought you might be interested in a drone photo of the new developments The Steeds and Fernham Fields -  October 2018

The war memorial site has been completely repaired and is looking fabulous and fit for our memory and gratitude to those who are remembered on the memorial.

The site had become overwhelmed by the Laylandii hedge, the fence was dilapidated and the ground weed filled. It had become a damp and dark crescent in which nothing but the beautiful memorial was suitable to retain.

The Parish council would like to thank the Oxfordshire County Council’s Councillor’s Priority Fund for it’s generous grant towards this project. Also Jez Webb and the neighbours for their cooperation and good will, and Richard Smith for his immaculate and timely work.

8th November 2018
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The speaker will be Dr David Jones, who is an entomologist specialising in rain forests and soil ecology.  He works at the Natural History Museum in London.  He will talk about “How Tropical Rainforests Work”.

The talk in the Faringdon Corn Exchange starting at 2.30pm will include the main ecological processes which keep rainforests functioning and the threats to their long term survival.

Refreshments will be available after the talk.

All members are welcome, but visitors will be required to pay £1.50.

For further information use the website on  or contact Margaret Brown on 01367 615385.

Saturday 3rd November 2018 

At Foxley (pink cottage at the bottom of the village)

Free entry, coffee & cake, raffle etc
Puzzles, Gifts, Chutney, Jewellery 
In aid of St Giles church
Please contact Jane Holmes 241367
 
(Raffle prizes would be welcome!)
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Citizens Advice offers haven for "hate crime” victims

Victims and witnesses of hate crime in south Oxfordshire who are unwilling to talk directly to the police now have a place to go to report incidents.

Since July 2018, Citizens Advice Oxfordshire South and Vale has become a "hate crime reporting centre", providing a safe environment where you can tell specially trained staff what happened to you. Citizens Advice staff and volunteers can then act on your behalf, contacting the police if you want this, and referring you to "Victims First", a service which will provide the support you need to recover from your experience.

Hate incidents or crimes are acts of violence or hostility directed at people because of their personal characteristics or because of what other people think those characteristics are. For example, you might be verbally abused in the street because you are disabled or gay, or because somebody thinks you are. 

Hate incidents are commonly sparked off by people's prejudices over disability, race, religion or sexual orientation. These incidents take many forms, including threats and harassment, verbal abuse, intimidation, physical attacks, hate mail or online abuse, or damage to your home or car.

You can report a hate incident or hate crime even if it wasn't directed at you personally.
Contact Citizens Advice in person during opening hours or on the telephone (Adviceline 03 444 111444). For locations of offices and opening hours see www.citizensadvice.org.uk/local/oxfordshire-south-vale
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October
On the Tuesday 9th October please come and join the WI for a talk by Jane Faulkes who is a McTimoney Chiropractor operating in our area.  

Great Coxwell WI meet on the second Tuesday of each month at 7.30pm in the Reading Room – all ladies welcome.

November
All ladies are welcome to join our WI talk on Tuesday 13th November at 7.30pm where we have invited Eleanor Bunn to come and talk to us about Waste and Recycling.  Eleanor is the Waste and Recycling officer for South and Vale District Council.

December
The Great Coxwell WI Christmas meeting will be a fun evening of tasting and comparing Christmas savoury and sweet treats.  Please come and join us on the 11th December at 7.30pm in the Reading Room and make sure you leave a little room!
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Are you away over the Christmas period and looking for house sitters or do you have a spare room or two that you’re willing to rent out?

My brother’s family are visiting us from New Zealand this Christmas for a few days and I am looking for a couple of beds or a house in the village that they could rent/borrow.

For more information please contact Lindsay Lewis (Oldwalls) on 07768 347974.
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