chippingnorton.net and CETA Ltd

In December 2007, www.chippingnorton.net published an article in Parish Pump which referred to the negotiations for the sale of a piece of land on the old Council Depot site between the Oxfordshire County Council and CETA Ltd.  In the article, the reader was advised

1 “The same lack of progress goes for the development of the old Council Depot land next to Cromwell Park which OCC sold off cheap to Dave Quick of CETA”.
2 “After all he [David Quick] did screw a very good deal out of the county council on his new office site“
CETA say these statements could be interpreted to mean that the land was sold at an undervalue and that the price was agreed by unlawfully influencing the bidding process. 
We can confirm that the statements that the land had been sold off cheap and that Mr Quick had screwed a good deal out of the council for the land were in no way intended to suggest any impropriety on the part of CETA in its conduct of negotiations with OCC.  On the contrary they were intended to convey our admiration for CETA and Mr Quick’s business and negotiation skills. 
As far as www.chippingnorton.net is concerned the tender which OCC accepted for the land was, whilst less than the highest bid, a sum which the council accepted after careful consideration. 
We sincerely regret the possibility that our words may have been interpreted by some people to imply any impropriety. We unreservedly apologise for any harm that such an interpretation may have caused CETA and/ or Mr Quick and retract the words used accordingly.

Darts Marathon raises £1416

Chipping Norton firefighters Shane Newman and James Keyworth organised a sponsored 18-hour darts marathon at The Blue Boar and raised a fantastic £1416.60 for the Firefighters Charity by playing darts through out 18 hours.

The 12 players took it in turns to complete 15 minute stints throughout the marathon. The pub was very busy. There were lots of people there supporting us which made for a great atmosphere. The pub closed around 2 am so we still had lots of public support until then but after that we all started to get a little tired and drained but we stuck it out till 12. The success has led to a plan for another darts marathon early next year.  All the money raised for the Firefighters Charity provides a range of services which enhance quality of life for fire service personnel and families
 
Shane Newman writes: "I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who made the night successful and Mike Wilkes for allowing us to use his pub through out the 18 hours also a thank you to everyone who donated raffle prizes.  Many thanks.”

Dave notices that the price
of petrol has gone up.

Dave was asked about low-income families. Gordon said that he feels their pain, didn't he? “I have been talking about this longer than the PM,” he snapped. “He has been very slow to understand what has happened in the shopping basket and at the pumps.”  Most politicians would stop there, but not Dave. “Yes, I am wealthy,” he announced. “I have a very well-paid job and so does my wife. But I drive my own car, I fill it up at the pumps and when diesel hits 121.9p, which I paid outside Chipping Norton a couple of weeks ago, it really struck me that this whole tank is costing me £10 to £15 more than previously.”  Dave looked outraged at this. He really is brilliant at dropping in the slightly personal detail. The “I'm wealthy” line takes chutzpah. And the use of “Chipping Norton” was a stroke of genius. It made the entire story-ette (title: I May Be Rich but I'm on Your Side) seem utterly credible.

Read the full, very good article : http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3883248.ece

PCSO takes step up

LIDO IS NOMINATED FOR TOP AWARD

The consensus is that the standard of entries this year has been higher than ever. Paul Lowe, chairman of the judging committee, said: "Our aim this year was to ensure the 2008 awards are a true celebration of Oxfordshire's diverse and thriving business community." The finalists will now go forward to the gala awards ceremony being held at the Four Pillars Hotel, Sandford on Thames, right, on June 20, when the winners will be announced along with the overall Oxfordshire Business of the Year. The occasion is expected to attract up to 500 people, making it the biggest event of its kind in the county.

The results of the May Lido Lottery draw were as follows:
Tickets sold: 147
Prize fund: £220.50
First prize:         £110.25            Christine Carpenter
Second prize:     £66.15              Christine Chittenden
Third prize:        £44.10              Elaine Wood

Congratulations to all winners.  The Lido Lottery is raising vital funds to help keep The Lido open.  Application forms are available at The Lido, Jaffe & Neale, and www.chippylido.co.uk

Another star-studded fun night at the Town Hall for the fifth annual Dave Haigh awards for young people who have made an outstanding contribution to the community in the last year. The awards are in honour of Dave Haigh - an immensely popular youth worker in the town who died in 2002 at a tragically young age. The evening was stylishly kicked off by the School Jazz band and a Dance Demonstration by the Over Norton Youth Club.  Noisy audience participation was led by Chippy Sparx a group of Chippy's own Cheerleaders who had us all performing and shouting like American drum majorettes.

The awards ceremony was expertly compered by Don Davidson. There were short speeches from one of last years winners - Claire Brown - and Chair Mandy Withers.

Six young people received a certificate from the Mayor. The runner-up Paul Biggs received a cheque for £75 and the winner Hayden Essery a cheque for £125. Hayden is the young guy who stayed with a teenager who had tried to commit suicide in Back Alley a few months ago. He found immediate help, provided support and arranged for the emergency services to be called. As Don put it "Without Hayden the young man would certainly have died". Someone we can all be proud of and a great example to all the other young people in town.

Committee members in their glad rags - Mandy Withers, Kristel Withers and Ruth Hulme - are relieved its all over. But hey you guys you did a terrific job and the whole evening was a huge success. Congratulations. Guests of honour were Dave Haigh's wife Ros Haigh (on the right) and his sister Mari Rose (on the left in pink) They were thrilled to be present.

(Thanks to Glyn Watkins for additional photographs)
 

Neighbourhood Management Update - May

Sgt Rosemary Dilsaver brings this month’s update:

“Criminal damage continues to be a source of concern to us; numerous offences were reported across the Chipping Norton area including nine incidents of damage to cars. Lead flashing and roofing materials are being stolen from buildings across the district. Please be on the look out for suspicious vehicles and/or people. If in doubt, ring us!

PCSO Lucy McDonagh is leaving Chipping Norton and beginning a new career as a police officer. She starts her training in early May. During her time at Chipping Norton Lucy has been a dedicated and professional PCSO for the community and her local knowledge of youth issues is enormous. We all wish her well but she will be sadly missed. We are pleased to welcome back PC Sam Hunter following her maternity leave. PC Hunter is one of our Neighbourhood Specialist Officers so keep an eye out for her on her return.

The mobile police station will be touring the Chipping Norton Neighbourhood area on the weekend of Saturday 31 May and Sunday 1 June. Posters will be displayed in the relevant towns/villages so watch out for them. We could be calling in your area!

Damage has been caused to the new play area in Cornish Road by youths gaining access to the site before it has been officially opened. Broken glass had to be removed from the site for safety reasons.

Operation Juice was carried out on Friday 4 April in Chipping Norton. This is an operation run with the licensing team at West Oxfordshire Direct Council and Thames Valley Police. Underage people from outside the town enter licensed premises to attempt to purchase alcohol. If they are asked to confirm their age then they must tell the truth and they leave. Several premises were entered on this particular evening and three pubs served alcohol to the underage customers. The premise and offending member of staff is issued with an £80 fixed penalty ticket, while in this instance The Chequers failed for a second time and so has been named in the media.

I attended the town council annual meeting on Thursday 24 April, with PC Colin James.  I was very surprised that among the assembled persons, not one question was asked of us. I hope this is a positive sign, but I am also very aware that there are many issues of concern to the local community, so please get in touch if there something you are worried about.

National Walk to School Week

Among the many events planned by schools in Oxfordshire pupils from St Mary's School, Chipping Norton will walk to school in procession in fancy dress so that they give the appearance of a bus. “Walking bus” is the term quite often given to groups of pupils walking to school in an organised way. Children will have whistles and musical instruments. They will set off from New Street car park at 8.15am on May 21.

Councillor Ian Hudspeth, Oxfordshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Transport, said: "It is with real pleasure that I have seen the number of schools with travel plans grow as each month and year goes by in Oxfordshire. Every school that has produced a travel plan is contributing in its own small way to reducing the amount of traffic on our roads during the rush hour. National Walk to School week events are a way of celebrating the commitment of Oxfordshire schools and their work with the county council. I am sure they are looking forward to the events as much as we are."

NEW GATES ON GLYME WALK INAUGURATED
TODAY  BY THE HEALTHY WALKING GROUP

OBEY the Country Code
Keep to the line of the path.
Keeps dogs under CLOSE control (emphasis on CLOSE) so that they don't disturb wildlife.
Don't leave sticks around. They can damage farm machinery.

Lindon is fanatical about birds. He has taken advantage of the various government incentives to plant trees and leave field borders unploughed. This has all been hugely successful. The skylarks are back in force. He is worried though that birds which are continually disturbed by noise and marauding dogs will simply leave. This is surely something which demands the co-operation of everyone. We are so lucky to have access to this  beautiful farmland - right next to the town. Farmers, walkers, birdlovers, and dog owners can surely find a way of respecting each others concerns so that we can all happily share the pleasures of the Glyme Valley Walk. Its really worth exploring. For newcomers - Just head along the track between the school and the allotments and keep walking! God's Little Acre awaits!

NEW CHEF AT THE MILL HOUSE

Giles Lee has just been appointed as the new Head Chef at The Mill House in Kingham. Giles has extensive experience at the highest level and has worked under John Burton Race at L’Ortolan in Shinfield and with Gilles Companie at the French House in Sonning, both of which hold three AA Rosettes. Giles will be supported by Simon Pavli who has also worked at top quality hotel restaurants- including the Cotswold House Hotel in Chipping Campden, the Castle Hotel in Windsor and the Swan at Lavenham. They have developed a completely new a la carte dinner menu and also a wide choice of lunch light bite and bar meal menus at very attractive prices. We are offering introductory two course lunches for £10.00 throughout  May.  We all hope that we will see you soon. 01608 658188.

Sarah's parents, Maria and Paul Drinkwater, of Kingham, have been group members ever since she died of meningitis in 1987, aged only five-and-a-half months. Maria said: "She was born a very healthy baby. She weighed eight pounds, 13 ounces. Meningitis just took over and she died in hours." The group hopes to raise as much money as possible from the seventh ball it has held in aid of the trust. Proceeds will go towards the trust's 24-hour helpline, on 0800 0281828, which offers meningitis sufferers professional counselling, financial grants, home visits, one-to-one contacts and community support.

Maria also wants to raise awareness of meningitis and the trust, which produces cards listing the disease's symptoms. She said: "If your child becomes poorly, you've got more chance of recognising the symptoms of meningitis if you have one of the cards." The ball will feature a champagne reception, jazz band, three-course evening meal, dancing to the Fab Beatles, a disco and a licensed bar until 2am.Maria said: "I'm sure Sarah will be with us in spirit." Sarah would have been the second oldest of four children, her siblings being Rachel, now aged 22, James, 19, and Amelia, five.

Up to 500,000 people living in the UK have had either viral or bacterial meningitis, a life-threatening condition affecting the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal chord. Symptoms include fever, cold hands and feet, vomiting, headache, a stiff neck, dislike of bright lights, joint or muscle pain, drowsiness and confusion. Babies' symptoms include a dislike of being handled, pale and blotchy skin, an unusual cry and a blank, staring expression.

To book tickets, costing £60, telephone Maria on 01608 651272.

Summer is well on the way now! The Harleys are back.

(Thanks to Jim Crease for the pic)

From May 3^rd there is a taster exhibit of photographs of the artists at work
in the upstairs gallery at Jaffe and Neale’s bookshop in the Market Square.