LVCA Annual General Meeting
Author Archives: Bob
Langford Community Orchard
Apple Day is being held at Langford Community Orchard on Sunday 7th October 2018 from 2.00 – 4.00pm.
Activities for all the family include apple bobbing and pressing, willow weaving and making bird feeders. There will be fresh apple juice and traditional cakes, as well as a produce exchange stall.
The orchard is located opposite Dunlin Court along the footpath running between Mallards Way and London Road (see map).
Bicester Round Table supporting 1st Langford Scouts
Earlier this year, Bicester Round Table received a request from 1st Langford Village Scout Group to help support them in raising funds to replace their old tents. We put it to the vote of our members, and our Community Services Officer, Dan Cooper, was pleased to offer the scouts our full support. Dan said, “It was fantastic to be able to support the scout group who do so much great work with young people.” Members of the Round Table met with the cubs to hand over six tents and, of course, have our photograph taken.
Scout Leader Simon Thompson said, “Our existing tents are nearing the end of their natural lives, and these six new tents, generously donated by Bicester Round Table, will allow us to continue offering our Beavers, Cubs and Scouts the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. Camping teaches our youngsters independence, self-reliance and skills they never knew they had – skills they can utilise well into their adult life and within the wider community.”
Bicester Round Table is a voluntary organisation for men aged 18–45 who get involved in community support and charity work, and we always welcome new members. The organisation was set up in Bicester in 1959 and is still going strong, with 14 members from a variety of backgrounds, all of whom live in Bicester – though we currently only have three members from Langford Village itself. We meet on Monday evenings, twice a month for social meetings which include a variety of activities, from brewery tours to riot training with Northants Police!
We have raised money this year by running the Party in the Park, and are now looking forward to our bonfire and fireworks night on Saturday 4th November. We also take Santa around the streets of Bicester every Christmas (although it’s actually Bicester Lions who help Santa when he visits Langford Village, rather than us). Proceeds from all donations to Bicester Round Table are used to support local people. None of the work we do would be possible without the generosity of the local community.
If you are interested in becoming a member of Bicester Round Table or simply want to know more, please look for us on Facebook, visit bicester.roundtable.co.uk or contact us direct by email on bicester@roundtable.org.uk.
Steve Johns
Bicester Round Table
Langford Community Orchard
Apple Day is being held at Langford Community Orchard from 2.00 – 4.00pm on Sunday 24th September.
Activities for all the family include apple bobbing and apple pressing, woodwork fun and a nature hunt. Refreshments, including free apple juice, will be available.
The orchard is located opposite Dunlin Court along the footpath running between Mallards Way and London Road (see map).
Revised LVCA Constitution
The present LVCA Constitution is now outdated and it is proposed to amend this to conform to current requirements.
The original constitution can be viewed here, and the proposed amendments are detailed here. It is planned to discuss these proposals at the LVCA Annual General Meeting held at the Langford Village Community Hall on Thursday 14th September at 7.30pm.
Addition topics on the agenda include updates on the Graven Hill, Wretchwick Green, Symmetry Park and Gavray Meadows developments, plus Community policing, FLTR Coffee, Community centre improvements and the Community defibrillator.
The thick blue line
The 5 kilometre “health route” for walkers, joggers and runners, marked by a prominent blue line through Langford, is an NHS England initiative and part of the Bicester Healthy New Town program. The Langford Village Community Association supports the aim of encouraging a healthier lifestyle and had initially discussed the 5k route through Langford with CDC officials involved in the planning, but was not informed of the route marking plan.
Like many Langford residents, the LVCA is very disappointed with the implementation of this scheme. The “NHS blue” choice of colour relates to NHS involvement in this scheme, but the blue line looks completely out of place running through open grassland, tree-lined paths and close to houses.
LVCA has since had further discussion with CDC officials, who were sympathetic to these concerns. LVCA committee members Richard Kingshott and Richard Ponsford have produced separate, informative reports covering the problems caused by poorly conceived implementation of the Langford 5k route, with suggestions for improvements. These can be downloaded below:
Report 1: Langford Village footways and shared-use links
Report 2: The thin/thick/thin blue line
The lessons learned from the Langford response will hopefully prevent any recurrence of these problems in other areas. Additional 5k health routes are planned for east Bicester, including Skimmingdish Lane and west Bicester, including Bure Park.
London Road level crossing
Langford residents suffering ongoing delays and problems at the London Road level crossing may wonder what is being planned to address this, especially in view of the increased number of passenger and freight trains that will eventually run when the East West Rail link to Bedford and beyond becomes operational.
A road bridge is planned to replace the level crossing on the ring road at Charbridge Lane, but the London Road crossing is more challenging. A report published in January 2017 by Network Rail for Oxfordshire County Council, titled “Development of Identified Options for London Road Level Crossing, Bicester – Key Findings”, outlines the problems involved and the options available. Two potential underpass options are being considered, with cost estimates varying between £61 million and £65million, and a bridge option is also under consideration at a cost of up to £44 million. A copy of this 3-page report can be downloaded from the OCC website.
Spring 2017 Langford Life Newsletter
The spring 2017 Langford Life newsletter #71 is now available for download.
Bicester Heritage Sunday Scramble
Bicester Heritage is holding its first event of 2017 on 8th January from 9.00am to 2.00pm. This “Sunday Scramble” at Bicester Airfield is aimed at classic car enthusiasts and offers the opportunity to view the classic cars and motorcycles visiting the event and also to see inside the specialist workshops, showrooms and buildings used at Bicester Heritage for restoration and storage of vintage and classic vehicles. Depending on the weather, Bicester Gliding Club can be seen in operation. Further details can be found on the Bicester Heritage website.
Car parking is free, and there will be a variety of catering outlets on site serving food and drink. Tickets for the event are normally £8.00, but Bicester Heritage is offering discounted tickets to local residents of OX26 and OX27 for only £4.00 (plus a booking service charge); children under 16 are free when accompanied by an adult ticket holder. The link for discounted tickets can be found here; note that you will be asked to enter your address to confirm eligibility as part of the purchase process.
Local Wildlife Sites petition
Further to the previous post on 19th October concerning Gavray Meadows, Pat Clissold has sent the following message:
“Dear friends,
I just signed the petition “Protect Local Wildlife Sites in law” and wanted to ask if you could add your name too.
This campaign means a lot to me and the more support we can get behind it, the better chance we have of succeeding. You can read more and sign the petition here:
http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/protect-local-wildlife-sites-in-law
Thank you!
Pat
P.S. Can you also take a moment to share the petition with others? It’s really easy – all you need to do is forward this message or share the above link on Facebook or Twitter.”
Further information about local wildlife sites can be found in the Wildlife Trusts’ “A short guide to Local Wildlife Sites” and also “Secret Spaces“. A list of Cherwell Local Wildlife Sites can be seen here. Problems facing Langford’s own Local Wildlife Space, Gavray Meadows, were also featured in the Guardian newspaper earlier this year.