Local News
Older Drivers Forum webinars
10th March 2023
he Older Drivers Forum is an advisory group of Road Safety practitioners to support Older Drivers to carry on driving safely for longer and also give advice to interested family and friends. There is no cost, no advertising, just purely there as a support organisation.
The Older Drivers Forum is holding three, free-to-attend webinars this month – and registration is now open.
The webinars will look at what can be done to address concerns about older drivers, impairment and driver eyesight.
The latter forms part of an ongoing nationwide campaign to highlight the importance of good vision when it comes to road safety – and is hosted by Valerie Singleton OBE. It is suitable for all ages.
All three webinars take place on Zoom.
Full details of the webinars:
11 March (2pm)
Concerned about an Older Driver? We can help
This webinar is to provide support for families, friends, and carers who are concerned about an older driver. The webinar includes advice on how to: start empathetic conversations with their loved one, friend or client; keep them driving safely, for longer and plan for when it is time for them to retire from driving.
Click here to register
13 March (2pm)
Are you driving whilst impaired?
Impairment, when related to driving, often refers to drink, drugs or a medical condition. However, everyone drives in an impaired fashion from time to time whether it be through tiredness, stress, distraction or simply complacency. This webinar will look at all the factors which may impair our driving decisions and offers solutions to ensure the risk of a road traffic collision is as low as possible.
Click here to register
14 March (2pm)
Is your vision roadworthy? – FOR ALL AGES
This webinar is hosted by Valerie Singleton OBE and will offer the opportunity to find out more about driver vision and the vital role played by good eyesight in reducing risks on the road. The webinar will discuss what the law says and the legal requirements for driving, as well as advice from an optometrist on good eye health and importance of regular eyesight tests and lots more.
Click here to register
For more information on any of the webinars, please contact Rob Heard, chair and founder of the Older Drivers Forum, via email.
Play your part in the local elections
6th March 2023
Would you like to earn money, meet lots of people and play a key role in our local democracy?
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils are looking for people to work as poll clerks at the local elections on Thursday 4 May.
If you sign up, you’ll receive £168 for the day, working from 6am until the finish around 10.30pm.
If you or someone you know is interested, please get in touch as soon as possible by emailing: electionstaff@southandvale.gov.uk.
For more information, visit: whitehorsedc.gov.uk/electionjobs
Please note, the councils cannot offer these roles to people that work for or are connected with a political party.
Free service supports thousands of residents in Oxfordshire with their home energy
28th February 2023
Residents in Oxfordshire can benefit from the advice and support of Better Housing Better Health , a service that helps those worrying about their home energy to create warmer, healthier and happier homes. Last year, through the service’s free helpline and their free home visit service (BHBH+) – their team of trained advisors helped over 2500 residents with the aim this year to help even more.
The service can help:
Residents who are finding it hard to understand energy bills, pay for fuel or read meters
– Access funding to replace old and broken heating systems
– Access funding for insulation measures
– Reduce damp, condensation and mould by better ways of managing a home
– Understand and programme heating controls
– Making onward referrals to additional support services, such as Benefits advice and debt support
For some residents they may be eligible for additional heating support depending on their situation
Ms. W contacted BHBH as her property was cold and it was having an impact on her disabled sons health. Ms. W thought her windows were draughty so a home visit was booked in to investigate further. Our home advisor, Beata, found that the property was lacking wall insulation which was the main reason why her property felt cold. BHBH helped Ms. W access grants to replace her old, inefficient boiler and install cavity wall insulation and both measures were fully funded. Ms W. was signed up to the Priority Services Register for extra support with her energy supplier and referred for a Fire Safety visit to check if her smoke alarms were in good working order.
To speak to the friendly team, call 0800 107 0044 or visit www.bhbh.org.uk and complete the online referral form or find our e-mail address.
Pop Up Cafe – 9th March
21st February 2023
We are pleased to say that the next Pop-Up Café will be held on Thursday, 9th March in the Village Hall from 10am – 12noon. Please do come along for conversation, refreshments, toys for the children, scrabble if you fancy a game and a craft to join in, if you like. Also, feel free to bring anything you’d like to do such as a game, your own craft, etc. The café is an informal gathering with informal activities. We hope you enjoy that and if you have any suggestions, we are very open to them!
All ages welcome – and we’d love our Ukrainian residents to know you are more than welcome!
We hope to see you there!
Support for Ukraine
24th February 2023
Oxfordshire County Council and the Vale of White Horse District Council both have advice as to ways residents can help to support the people of Ukraine. Please find the links below:
Support for Ukraine | Oxfordshire County Council
Support for Ukraine – Vale of White Horse District Council (whitehorsedc.gov.uk)
Temporary Emergency Road Closure – Cumnor, Appleton Road
21st February 2023
Temporary Traffic Regulation Notice – S14 Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984
Temporary Emergency Road Closure at Cumnor, Appleton Road
Oxfordshire County Council has been informed of a temporary emergency road closure on the Appleton Road whilst service pipe repair >33mm cway works are carried out for public safety reasons.
A temporary Emergency Notice is being made to implement the temporary closure and will operate from 21 February 2023 up to and including 23 February 2023.
Access will be maintained for emergency service vehicles and for those frontages within the closure area, subject to the progress of the works and liaison with the works supervisor.
Further information regarding the works may be obtained by contacting Thames Water Helpdesk on 0800 316 9800.
Fun, free and low-cost activities for families this February half term
2nd February 2023
There’s an array of free or low-cost activities this February half-term to keep the kids entertained across South Oxfordshire and the Vale.
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils arts centres and Active Communities team have planned a week of theatre, workshops and physical activities for children and their families to engage with.
Active Totz
Active Totz is a fun play session that is full of energy and excitement, with interactive games aimed at children from 18 months to 5 years old with siblings up to 7 years welcome to join in. There are 3 Active Totz sessions taking place across the two districts and all the activities will have a Winter Olympics theme.
Each session will be from 10-10.45am on:
- Monday 13 – Steventon Village Hall
- Tuesday 14 – Wootton and Dry Sandford Community Centre
- Wednesday 15 – District Community Centre, Great Western Park, Didcot
Sessions are free for YouMove members or £8 per child and an additional £5 per sibling. To book please call Sophie Butler on 7709168740 or email sbutler@activetotz.co.uk.
The Beacon Wantage
Come along to The Beacon for an unforgettable Jurassic experience for all the family to enjoy.
At Dinosaur Adventure Live, you’ll be able to find out some amazing dino-facts, meet beautiful baby dinosaurs and even feed them as they introduce you to some of the most incredible species ever to have lived on Earth. This awe-inspiring interactive show captivates and immerses audiences in the enthralling and realistic world of dinosaurs.
Tickets are now on sale at The Beacon for performances on Tuesday 14 February, with tickets at £14, shows are at 2pm and 4.30pm. For more information and to book your tickets visit The Beacon website.
Cornerstone Arts Centre Didcot
For those with children interested in getting crafty, Decorate Your Own Bird House on Wednesday 15 February at 11am will have children designing an exciting new home for local wildlife just in time for spring to arrive. This one-off workshop and is aimed at children in key stage 1, it costs £10 with all materials provided to get creative.
Or book tickets to see the crowd pleaser Quentin Blake’s Mister Magnolia on Sunday 19 February at 2pm. This show is full of colourful characters, live music, puppetry and audience interaction inspired by the incredible work of illustrator Quentin Blake. This is family-friendly theatre at its best.
Head to the Cornerstone website to find out more.
Xplorer
Our Active Communities team will be keeping children busy with their free Xplorer events. Xplorer is a family friendly fun navigation challenge that is suitable for all ages.
Using a simple map, the aim is to find several markers that are located around the park. Places are available for:
- Monday 13 – Edmonds Park, Didcot
- Monday 13 – Southern Town Park, Abingdon
- Tuesday 14 – Benson Recreation Ground
- Wednesday 15 – Wantage Memorial Park
Sessions run from 10am-midday and children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Families can book online via this link or turn up anytime from 10am on the day with the last registration for all events at 11.30am.
Family walks and talks at Harcourt Arboretum
On Thursday 16 February, families can go along to Harcourt Arboretum near Oxford for free family walks from 1-2pm and 2.30-3.30pm.
There will be lots to see and do from exploring the ground to attending some special talks from the staff on site.
For more details, please contact active.communities@southandvale.gov.uk
There’s more information about the Active Communities team and YouMove on the council’s website whitehorsedc.gov.uk/activecommunities.
Planning our future water resources – Thames Water community information events
26th January 2023
Thames Water published its draft Water Resources Management Plan 2024 in December 2022 for public consultation. The consultation is open for 14 weeks until 21 March 2023 and the link to the consultation website is https://thames-wrmp.co.uk/.
They are holding a number of community information events to give people the opportunity to talk to the team about the draft Plan. The next community event is in Trinity Church, Abingdon on Friday 20 January from 2pm to 8pm, everyone is welcome, please do come along if you have comments or questions on the draft plan and would like to talk to the team.
They are also holding an event in Steventon Village Hall on 18 February 2023. The full list of dates and timings of the events are here https://thames-wrmp.co.uk/hearing-your-views/our-events/