HNNL February 2005 page 3

February 2005

Series 30 No 1

Parish Council and Cherwell news


NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH The Parish Council is conscious that only one or two areas in the village are covered by the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme. The scheme is beneficial in both discouraging casual burglaries and also reducing home insurance rates. If there are parishioners who are not currently in a scheme and who would like to be, and particularly if there are people who would be willing to act as co-ordinators for a local scheme, please contact the clerk, Ken Porter. If we have sufficient interest in extending the scheme, a parish meeting will be held to take matters further.
		PARISH PRECEPT The Parish Council is pleased to be able to report that it will be seeking a Precept of Ł34,500 for the next financial year, a reduction of 5% as against the present year.
	CEMETERY The large trees above the bank in Tite Lane have now been replaced with rowans, which we hope will provide welcome Spring blossom to this area of the cemetery and a plentiful supply of berries for the birds in Autumn.
DRYSTONE WALLS Many people in the village may have been upset by the new mortared wall constructed at the development in Mobbs Lane in place of the original ancient drystone wall demolished during construction. The Parish Council had assumed that the reference in the plans to "replacement of the wall" meant the original would have been rebuilt, or at least replicated. We have learnt from Cherwell District Council planners that, because we made this assumption, and did not specifically insist upon replacement with drystone, the developers were able to use a non-traditional, less attractive but cheaper, alternative. We have learnt from this and will be more vigilant in future. We also urge everyone who cares about drystone walling to complain to CDC when a wall is in danger or has been wrongly replaced will take place in the near future.		LOCAL AUTHORITY ALLOWANCES The Council has received a report from Cherwell District Council on the recommended rate of members' annual allowances for parish councils. These are Ł505 for the chairman and Ł336 for other members. The Council has repeated its previous decision not to pay annual allowances to its members. Car mileage and other expenses incurred on Council business may be claimed.

YOUR PARISH COUNCIL
We are pleased to welcome a new Member, Anne Swainbank, who replaces Sara Withey. The names and contact details of your councillors are:

Joe Williams [Chairman]	Flat 1, The Village Shop High Street OX15 5NL	737245 Fax: 737481 joe@villageshophooky.co.uk
Peter Fry [Vice-Chairman]	23 Ironstone Hollow OX15 5NA	730509 prfry@waitrose.com
Brian Clay	Carillon Bells Lane OX15 5LJ	737622 sheila&brian@clayhooky.fsnet.co.uk
Jem Hayward	2 Bridge Hill OX15 5PN	737717 jem@briksdal.co.uk
Ray Jelf [County Councillor]	The Cottage Down End OX15 5LW	737129 ray.jelf@oxfordshire.gov.uk
Peter Millar	Staddle Cottage Bells Lane OX15 5LU	737128 petermillar@onetel.com
Anne Swainbank	Juniper Cottage Chapel Street OX15 5JT	730366 anne.swainbank@btinternet.com
Mike Terry	Rectory View Down End OX15 5LL	737842
Clive Timms	Pendula House Old School End OX15 5QU	730202 Mobile: 07946 600397 recruit@jobsearch-direct.co.uk Bus: 645649
Albert Walsham	The New House Queen Street OX15 5PJ	730381 a.walsham@btinternet.com
Bill Young	Cornwallis Burycroft Lane OX15 5PR	730835 Fax: 0709 2844561 bill.young@cmicertification.com
Ken Porter [Parish Clerk]	Conifers, Main Street Great Bourton, Banbury OX17 1QU	01295 758352 kenneth_i.porter@virgin.net

JOHN STRATFORD
John was a lively, pragmatic man, with strong values and beliefs. He could see the wood for the trees and it was that skill which made him a good businessman. John was associated with the Brewery for 44 years and was working at Alcan in Banbury when my Grandfather approached him. John started as a junior clerk working under Harold Wyton who was another Brewery stalwart. Harold's service had been interrupted by the First World War and during the conflict, Harold lost his left arm but when he returned to the Brewery he continued to do a full job, using a lump of metal to hold papers in place. I am sure Harold's forbearance played a part in John's approach to business. When Harold retired in 1969, John was promoted to Company Secretary.
The 1960s were a difficult time for the Brewery, with cask beer sales in decline. The fact that the Company survived is due in no small part to John's prudent management of the finances. If you thought prudence was a New Labour word, think again, John was way ahead. The difficulty of these times is illustrated by the fact that John used to help load the lorries in the morning before going to his desk.
Working at the Brewery was not the only Hook Norton job John had. When the Parish Council was in need of a clerk, John was persuaded to take on the position for the short term; he stayed for 25 years. The whole village should be grateful for his unstinting work.
In the 1970s, with the emergence of The Campaign for Real Ale, the Brewery's fortunes improved. There was a resurgence of interest in cask ale but John made sure no-one became carried away with this. He knew how tough leaner times could be.
My personal memories of John stretch back nearly 30 years. He was held in high regard, as a child I remember him being someone we looked up to, but who always made time to speak. He was regarded by those who worked for him as firm but fair, with traditional values regarding time-keeping and personal appearance. One of John's important roles was that of Company First Aider. He had been a member of St Johns Ambulance for some years, so it was natural that he would look after this part of the business. When we used to bottle beer at the Brewery, it involved using large amounts of caustic soda to clean the dirty bottles before refilling them. The caustic soda seemed to cause a number of nasty injuries and John treated many of them and if ever anyone needed hospital treatment, he would personally take them to Banbury. In 1985, John was made a Director of the Brewery, in recognition of his long and loyal service. It was in 1985 that John suffered a heart attack. He overcame this, and to aid his recovery he was instructed by the doctors to take daily walks. He was often to be seen walking the circuit around the Gate Hangs High, swinging his umbrella. In 1987 the family was dealt another dreadful blow when Pat was diagnosed with Leukaemia. It seems ironic that only a couple of years earlier, John had provided so much support to my family when Victoria had suffered the same illness. Now it was the other way around, and our turn to support John. We are all delighted that Pat successfully recovered from this illness. John served the Brewery well and his retirement party reflected this with a huge turnout; not just from the Brewery, but from the wider Brewing Industry. He continued to serve as a Director, and in 2000, following the sad loss of Fred Paintin, John once again took up the mantle of Company Secretary, a position he held right up to his death.
It is difficult to comprehend that John and David should have joined the Brewery within two months of each other, work together for all those years and then pass away within three months. On Christmas Eve, as I drove towards Chipping Norton, I saw this lovely village in my rear-view mirror. I rang the Brewery and asked for the flag to be raised to celebrate Christmas; after all, the flag had spent too much time at half mast. But it was not to stay there long before it was back at half mast. John was a man of great integrity and we say farewell and Thank You for all he did. He gave so much in his life and he deserves the everlasting peace he has now found.

James Clarke

Thank you to James Clarke for allowing us to use part of the text of his address at John Stratford's funeral.

JOHN STRATFORD
The family of John Stratford would like to thank everyone who supported us in any way over the past few weeks. John had lived in the village for the last 64 years and enjoyed every minute of it.

HOOK NORTON COMMUNITY NETWORK
http://hook-norton.net
Do have a look at what's available on the website. On your first visit you will have to “register” – which is free – this is merely a security device to control access.
Once you've registered, do look at the “Forums” area – this is where all the action is! Also the “Web Links” area as this gives access to individual village websites,
You are also invited to do things for yourself. You can submit news to the main page, post forum messages, post comments to news and surveys and submit weblinks to other sites. It also provides a means of getting in touch with anyone who is a registered user. You may also request your own discussion forum for your group or organisation.
The long term aim is to establish a community website which will provide information for villagers, village clubs and special interest groups. Eventually it is hoped to include all clubs and societies in the village as well as commercial activities such as eating out and accommodation.
Do try. Let us know what you think and what developments you would like to see. This is just the beginning but with your involvement and help the community website will develop into a most valuable asset for the village.
Any queries – feed them back through the website.

steve@hook-norton.net

OUT OF THE BLUE

I hope you all had a very enjoyable Christmas and New Year and we look forward to a happy and healthy 2005.
Over the Christmas period Hook Norton has had seven crimes reported:
2 assaults; 1 attempt burglary dwelling; 1 burglary, non-dwelling;
1 theft from motor vehicle; 1 theft of motor vehicle; 1 criminal damage.
I am still seeking information concerning a white male with long black hair dressed in black. If you know of such a person or have seen a person matching this description in the village, particularly just before Christmas, please let me know.
As I am sure many of you are aware an incident occurred in Netting Street, Hook Norton, in the early hours of New Year's Day. A BMW motor vehicle collided with several parked vehicles, causing substantial damage. The driver of the BMW and his passenger left the scene prior to Police arrival. If you were a witness to this event or have any information that may lead to establishing the identity of the driver, we urgently ask you to come forward.
A cause of some concern in the village is the continuing uncertainty concerning the future of Hook Norton. Thames Valley Police are currently undergoing a programme of challenge and change which means aligning police sectors with local councils. Hook Norton falls under Cherwell District Council and the police sector responsible for your policing is Chipping Norton which falls under West Oxon District Council. There has been a great deal of discussion as to whether you will remain with Chipping Norton or come under the Banbury Police Sector; as I write this article no decision has been made, but as soon as I know, you will know.
My contact numbers are 01608 648715 or 0845 8 505 505
rosemary.dilsaver@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk
Your calls will be treated confidentially, and if I am not on duty when you ring, please leave a message and I will contact you as soon as possible upon my return. Emergencies as always are 999. May The Force be with you!

Rosemary Dilsaver PC 818