Radley Parish Plan 2010

Your Parish Plan Needs You!

Quick note to say that Parish Plan Committee will be calling for your help in delivering and collecting our Parish-wide survey in early Autumn 2010. 

Contact Eric Davies for further information:  [email protected] 

The Survey is coming .... REALLY!

Yes, we have said this before,  but now it's really going to happen early in the New Year.

A small dedicated sub-committee spent long evenings in these past months looking at the concerns of Radley villagers to construct the questionnaire.  This questionnaire has gone through many changes!  We've refined it enormously to make the questionnaire as user-friendly as possible yet still address the important issues.  To ensure we have got it just right we' ve tested it out on family and neighbours this past autumn.  Our willing testers helped us to improve the questionnaire even further.  We now have the final version all ready for printing.

We have been extremly lucky to be able to use software provided by South Oxfordshire District Council designed to format and analyse surveys.  This software enabled us design the perfect questionnaire for you.  It needs to be filled in by only one person in each household which makes it makes it a very easy task.  Of course, everyone in your home can contribute their ideas!

To entice you to complete your survey there is a Prize Draw --- the winner will receive a £50 prize!

You will receive your questionnaire through your letterbox in early February.   Keep your eyes open for it!

 

 

 

Romping at Radley College

Our final visit for the Parish Plan was to Radley College on Thursday, 8 July.  Ian Yorstan and his two helpers (son Benedict and daughter Alexandra) gave us an informative, behind-the-scenes look at our local public school.  A little known fact is that Radley College was set up 3 times before it finally got off the ground (each time it went bankrupt!)  We saw the inner sanctum of the Mansion House, the Chapel, the "Doughnut" (officially Queen's Court) and also the Chapel above the Bridge (most people don't know this exists!!)  Our hearty thanks to the Yorstans for a great evening! 

Our group at the outset!

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The Memorial Chapel over The Bridge:

 
 

A New Look at Farming at Lower Farm!

On a slightly over-cast Thursday evening, 1st July, a group of Radleyites joined Nick Frearson and two members of FWAG, Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group, for a most interesting look at what is being done to conserve wildlife on one of Radley's local farms.  Nick has lived in Radley all of his life and has farmed Lower Farm for much of that time.  He explained how farming has changed rapidly in the last 40+ years.  Once a farmer could earn a good living by farming his fields, but now farmers must diversify in order to survive.  Lower Farm is a good example of how British farming has had to move with the times working for sustainable agriculture and the natural environment. Once aboard our trailer, Nick and the young people from FWAG showed us a crop of cricket bat willow,  set-aside for lapwings, nectar and seed margins for various species of birds and how to manage a hedgerow effectively.  All this was followed by a drink or two in the barn!  Our grateful thanks go to Nick, Simon Wilson (our tractor driver) and the two folk from FWAG!

 
 

  
  

A BIG Thank-you to our benefactors!!!!!

The Radley Parish Plan Steering Committee would like to thank our very generous benefactors for their support of our work. In addition to the start-up funding we received from the Parish Council, we can announce that we have obtained funding from several more local organisations.

 RWE-npower has agreed to meet the costs of our printing and photo-copying of our Parish Survey  We have  received two grants: one from GrassRoots and one from the Oxfordshire Rural Community Council (ORCC). Last, but certainly not least, we have had a generous donation from one of our own local businesses.  These donations will allow us to continue our work.  We can now fund a parish-wide survey and publish the results in the official Radley Parish Plan.

Gobbling down at Peachcroft Farm

Bill Homewood gave a select group of "Radleyites" a fantastic tour of Peachcroft Farm.  We saw baby turkeys and geese and took a trailer ride to the outer reaches of the Farm.  The day was beautifully warm and sunny, the company was convivial, and we finished up with a "pick-your-own" basket of strawberries each.  Sheer bliss!! 

Parish Plan guns for suggestions at the Village Fete

We spoke to Indians and cowboys alike at the Radley Village Fete and roped villagers into signing up for our special events:  We were offering a visit to Peachcroft Farm, a Trailer Ride at Lower Farm, and a Guided Tour of Radley College.  Below are Martha Young and Kayla Tomlinson with Chris Gasson and Dominique Henderson. 

  

 

Visit to Peachcroft Farm

Join us on a visit to Peachcroft Farm on Wednesday 23rd  June at 4 pm. Learn all about one our local farms and its important to our Parish. Bill Homewood will give us a behind-the-scenes tour. Here's a link to their website for taster of things to come!  Peachcroft Farm

Parish Plan Questionnaire is coming ... !

You Parish Plan Committee is hard a work on a major questionnaire which be delivered to your doorstep in the early autumn.  - Bob Earl, Sally Hemsworth and Eric Davies are pictured here.
 

New Events Coming Our Way!!

RADLEY PARISH PLAN STEERING COMMITTEE

NEWS OF COMING LOCAL EVENTS:

·       FARM VISIT TO PEACHCROFT FARM,

       23 JUNE 2010, 4pm 

This visit is planned for older age groups. 

   ·       FARM TRAILER RIDE, LOWER RADLEY,  

1 July 2010 LATE AFTERNOON

Aged 16 and over (maximum of 30 people)

·       NATURE WALKS AROUND THRUPP LAKE

Spring/early Summer – all ages welcome

 ·       ESCORTED TOURS OF RADLEY COLLEGE

Date to be arranged

 IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ANY OF THESE ACTIVITIES (RESTRICTED NUMBERS ON SOME)

PLEASE CONTACT KAYLA OR SALLY

Kayla (email: [email protected]) or Sally (email: [email protected])

We look forward to hearing from you!

Good Friday Walk

Good Friday started with fine weather as members of the Parish Plan Committee set up shop in the Bowyer Arms to once again gather your thoughts and opinions of our Village.  We talked to the families, friends and competitors as they signed up for the events.  We chatted about the needs of the Village while waiting for the walkers to finish the races and we congratulated the bedraggled winners and commiserated with the ones who weren't first over the finish line.  Well done to everyone who participated!!!  And thank you to everyone who took part in our survey!   Radley Good Friday Walk