A few reminders to start and some NEW NEWS towards the end!
REMINDERS
Monday Night is Persian Night
Mitra will be serving up again between 5 & 8pm on Monday until further notice. No pre-orders, just turn up. If you need to contact Mitra you can text her on 07444 364789.
The Red Lion
For details of what’s happening check the pub or village Facebook page or their website www.redlionstrattonaudley.com or phone 01869 277225.
Opening hours are:
Monday: closed
Tuesday – Friday: 3-11pm
Saturday: 12-11pm
Sunday: 12-9pm
Stratton Audley Barn
The café is open Tuesday to Sunday 10-4pm serving coffee, paninis, cakes and gelato ice cream. There’s a designated seating area provided in the paddock with tables, parasols and a few Bell tents. The shop is also open.
Collection Point for disposal of Ink Jet cartridges
A collection box for used ink-jet cartridges has placed in the bus shelter on the Stoke Lyne Road and any money raised from their bulk return will go to the RSPB.
International British Cabaret Star to Perform at the Red Lion
Over half the tickets for this event have already been sold. It is being organised by Dillie Keane for Thursday 3rd of September in the Red Lion at 8pm.
Barb Jungr is a phenomenal international cabaret artist who is known for her amazing renditions of modern pop songs. Instead of the usual Cole Porter/Noel Coward fare, she has concentrated on more recent performers and her programme will contain songs by Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and other more contemporary songwriters.
Tickets are booked on a first-come first-served basis and are of course limited because of social distancing. Although not essential, people are encouraged to book in bubbles or groups of 2,3,4 or more. Single people will be given the option to either sit with someone else or separately prior to the gig. To apply please email Dillie on dillie@dilliekeane.co.uk or call 07968 393 428 stating the number of tickets required and she will then send you her bank details for payments. In return, personalised tickets will be sent out in advance.
And in other news
Parish Council Meeting 2nd September
Due to Covid-19 the rules over holding Council meetings were changed to allow for remote video meetings. Stratton Audley Parish Council usually meets every month in the Red Lion but for the time being has opted to meet every two months via Zoom video conferencing. The next one is set for September 2nd at 7pm and if you have an item for the Agenda or wish to join-in please email the Clerk at strattonaudley.parishclerk@gmail.com
Bicester Heritage Sunday Scramble – local offer code – Sunday 4th October
The good news is that the Sunday Scramble postponed from April will take place on Sunday 4th October. The Events Team have notified us that the local promotional code is: Balbo. All tickets are now £11 and the discount code will give a 25% reduction.
Please see below the link to the ticket page:
https://bicesterheritage.co.uk/?ticket=super-scramble-tickets-3
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/scramble-tickets-94358443645
Bicester Motion gives birth to The Bicester Aerodrome Company Ltd
The new company was launched in July 2020. Many historic airfields have failed to adapt themselves to ensure they remain viable as centres for flight for the longer term and have been forced to close. So Bicester Motion have established The Bicester Aerodrome Company to help safeguard the future of the airfield operations. The plan is to widen the doors to additional flight activity so the sight of gliders in the skies above Bicester will continue, alongside more historic aircraft, such as the Tiger Moths and other powered flying machines.
The airfield remains unlicensed meaning no commercial passenger aviation on site but with the possibility of some pilot training. Two specified grass runways only, with specific measures and instructions, will help limit noise and nuisance. This new structure provides the opportunity to attract new wave electric, low carbon, lower noise aviation alongside the historic aircraft.
For further details see www.bicesteraero.com
Elm Farm Quarry
Meanwhile there is little to report with regard to progress on other developments at Bicester Motion such as the new hotel, and plans for Elm Farm quarry are likely to be delayed further.
Following the County Enforcement Notice that was served in December 2018 on the holding company Hungerford Leisure, to carry out restoration works in the Quarry, there have been on-going discussions with the County Council, complicated by the conflicting imperative to protect & preserve the newly establish flora and fauna on the site. All have been working towards establishing the framework for an agreement which would allow a new planning application to be submitted by 31st March 2021. However a request has been received to extend the time period for the submission of the detailed planning application into Autumn 2021, in order to take into account the full impact of Covid-19 which is still unknown. This will push back the deadline further and so any public consultation on this matter is unlikely to begin until well into 2021.
The Parish Council is keen to see the site restored in an environmentally sustainable way to allow for public access whilst recognising that this is likely to be part of a wider sympathetic scheme with some commercial elements.
Latest Coronavirus Data for Oxfordshire
In the 7 days up to 14 August, there has been a total of 65 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Oxfordshire, this is an increase from 44 cases in the previous week. So cases have slightly increased but as with the figures generally across the whole country, the figures are stable. This is equivalent to a weekly rate of new cases of 9.4 per 100,000 residents.
| Cases of coronavirus by district | |||||
| Area name | Total cases | Cases in 7 days up to 14/8/2020 | Weekly rate per 100,000 population | Weekly rate alert status | |
| Cherwell | 730 | 10 | 6.67 | light green | |
| Oxford | 956 | 28 | 18.4 | yellow | |
| South Oxfordshire | 627 | 7 | 4.95 | dark green | |
| Vale of White Horse | 503 | 10 | 7.4 | light green | |
| West Oxfordshire | 552 | 10 | 9.0 | light green | |
| Oxfordshire | 3,368 | 65 | 9.4 | light green | |
Data correct as at 4pm on 19 August.
Key: Weekly rate per 100,000 population alert status
red: more than 50
amber: more than 25, up to 50
yellow: more than 15, up to 25
light green: more than 5, up to 15
dark green: 0 to 5
Abbreviated Message from Ansaf Azhar, Director of Public Health at Oxfordshire County Council:
“In Oxfordshire, we’ve managed to bring COVID-19 cases down and that is thanks to all the hard work put in by everyone. But the threat from the virus is far from over.
I urge everyone to keep their distance, to avoid busy gatherings and wash their hands as frequently as possible which is known to be the most effective way to stop the spread of the virus. We are acutely aware of the risk of a second peak and with our partners have drawn together a comprehensive local plan to manage outbreaks as and when they happen.
We will keep a close eye on local spikes and flare ups and we’ll manage them promptly. If you’ve got symptoms of coronavirus, we ask you to self-isolate and call 119 who will then arrange a test for you and will also trace your contacts, and I also ask them to self-isolate.
We are settling into a new normal. I recognise the huge amount of effort that communities have put into this and have come together, looking out for their neighbours, volunteering throughout this pandemic and they’ve done a fantastic job.
We owe it to our neighbours, our families, our loved ones. And our safety is literally in our hands. So, I urge you to stay safe and to be sensible, and to follow the guidelines. Thankyou”.
Best regards
John