News

As you may know the Parish Council has secured a grant from a landfill company called WREN to renovate the playground. This fund, when added to additional monies built up by the Parish Council over the last few years, mean that we have a fund of £30k to renew the surfaces and replace existing equipment (with the exception of the vintage horse which will be retained and restored).

We believe most parents of children in Stratton Audley are aware and will have seen the plans but for those who have not, please click on the links below. We received some very positive feedback at the Children’s Christmas party in the Red Lion on Sunday and all comments received will be given due consideration.

The selected contractor, Trevor Stewart, uses natural woods and builds the climbing frames himself. As a local man he has built many other playgrounds in the area, most recently at Hethe, but also Blackthorne, Ardley, Somerton, Steeple Aston and Middle Barton.

The grant has been secured as a result of submitting a detailed proposal in July of this year, so any changes will be of a limited nature. We have been looking carefully at the best surface to use and the general consensus is to use wood chip under the play equipment, retain the grass at the forefront of the playground and put down a limited amount of rubber mulch around a few items.

The intention is to carry out groundworks in the spring and complete the works in time for the summer.

If you have any comments please don’t hesitate to reply to contact us.

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proposed equipment

Great news. After much hard work put in by the Parish Council we have secured new funding for two projects.

Resilient Community Grant Bid Success

A few months ago the Parish Council put in a bid to the Resilient Community Fund created by Scottish & Southern Energy. The fund was set up to address concerns about severe winter weather with specific reference to increased numbers of power outages for longer periods and also possible flooding and other eventualities.

We are pleased to report that we have been successful in acquiring a grant of £9,500 and have started work on updating the community resilience plan for the village. The money will be spent on items to help in the event of an emergency.

A key purchase is a Defibrillator which will be housed in a cabinet centrally located in the village for easy access. We will also be building a storage facility and external store, acquiring a generator and items like emergency lighting, torches, snow shovels, another grit bin, a pavement grit spreader, first aid equipment, blankets, hot water bottles etc. So the village will be well equipped if not for this winter then 2016.

We are looking for volunteers to come forward for training in the use of the Defibrillator, also emergency awareness training and generally for people who would be interested in helping coordinate emergency plans possibly as street representatives. Please contact Stewart Hopkins on 277 937 or email strattonaudley.parishclerk@gmail.com

Playground Grant Success

The Parish Council is also delighted to announce that it has been successful in its application to WREN for funding to renovate the playground surface and build new play equipment. Together with funding that has been built up over a number of years by the Parish Council, we have some £30,000 to carry out the work. Although there has been talk about a new playground for some years the detailed submission was only prepared and submitted in July of this year, so a success first time around. 

The plan is to undertake the work as quickly as possible depending on contractor availability and to ideally complete the work in time for summer.

Consultations with parents and other interested parties are continuing to take place and if you have comments to make please contact in the first instance the Chairman of the Parish Council, John Honsinger on 278 000 or email strattonaudley.parishclerk@gmail.com

The winners in the 100 Club draw for the month of December 2015 are:

£60                             Adam Burgess         (118)

£40                             Kerrison Family       (110)

£20                             Julia Manley             (92)

£20                             Fitzgerald Family     (119)

Those of you who attended Gill Harper’s wonderful sale at the end of October will know that we now have some STRATTON AUDLEY 3D CHRISTMAS CARDS.  These make a very impressive and unique item which can be viewed in the light of a small gift.   They come flat packed and  are sold with an envelope and will go through the post on a normal postage stamp.

They cost £4 each and all profits will go to the Church Restoration Fund. We also have a wonderful 3D ”Thank Ewe” card, some general 3D Christmas cards and another two which are more suited to birthdays.   The non-Stratton cards cost £3.50 each.

All can be obtained from Dorothy Howarth, 12 Cavendish Place or by phoning 01869 277694.

This year the Remembrance Service in Stratton Audley took place on the 8th November. On a mild Sunday morning the service was attended by some 60 local people who witnessed the laying of a wreathe at the church Memorial in memory of those who gave their lives in wars. The wreath,  donated by the Parish Council and supplied by the Royal British Legion, was laid by a new resident who lives in the village with his wife Rachel and two small children – Captain Rick Fowles AGC (ETS), who is a current serving member in the army.

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