King’s Sutton Times · strange and never have I understood more the expression “Life is wasted...

King’s Sutton TimesNo 203, December 2016

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King’s Sutton Times, December 2016

View from the Village

Is it just me, or is it true that the older you get the years pass more quickly.

It doesn’t seem like five minutes since I was saying, “I wish I was 18 then I could go to the pub” now I can’t even summon up the energy to go anywhere. Life is very strange and never have I understood more the expression “Life is wasted on the young” It’s so true, by the time we are old enough to appreciate and understand everything, we are too tired to embrace it. It is not fair!

I can’t believe that it’s only a few weeks to Christmas, which has to be my favourite time. As for so many families it’s the only occasion when we all get together and that to me is precious. It’s the one time when the world and its problems seem to disappear into the background and we sit and eat and drink and forget all of the bad things and look forward to what the New Year brings buoyed up by a feeling of family and togetherness. It is such a shame that the world isn’t like that all of the time.

The coming weeks have much to look forward to; we have carol concerts, Christmas parties, Pantomimes, Dickensian evenings, Group Christmas dinners. There really is something for everyone to get involved with.

I was speaking to a lovely new friend recently who came to the village almost two years ago. She loves it here and feels like she is part of the community already. But she made such an effort, she joined everything, got involved with so many things, she is now a part of village life and is appreciated and welcomed by everyone.

It sends a clear message, the more that you put into your community the more that you will get out of it, and it’s that attitude that brings about contentedness, which to me is the most wonderful frame of mind to be in.

Which leads me onto a subject close to my heart. Can you even begin to image the utter shock for the residents of Wales St to be told that they may not now get their promised flood defences? 18 years of hard work, worry and promises all gone, because one person refused to sign the agreement for the works to go ahead.

In drawing up the legal agreements of the landowners it was found that a small stretch of Black Brook was unregistered, even though it had been for many years in the ownership of Brookfield House. (No one seems to know when this happened). As such the Land Registry could not allow it to be registered to the apparent owners.

None of this would have come about if the one person had not objected; it was his unwillingness to sign the agreement to go ahead that led to the need to go to the Land Registry. Hence the total stalemate and predicament we now find ourselves in.

His reasons for not signing were that he would lose his riparian rights over the water. (Riparian rights give the properties on both sides of a water course the right to take water from half of the stream, the part that crosses their property)

But by law a riparian owner must keep his area clean and flowing which the person in question never did. It has now come to light that there is a chance that the said

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View from the Village cont:

Flood alleviation scheme

person never had riparian rights, but that is an ongoing investigation.

The point is that all involved residents of Wales Street, signed the agreement except for this one person. South Northants are not doing very much to overcome the objection. Because of his objection they would have to come up with a new plan to by- pass his property causing an increase in costs. Instead of looking at other ways to solve the issue they have taken the easy way out and are proposing to abandon the whole scheme.

It seems that the lack of community spirit of the objector comes before the needs and wishes of the majority. If this is the case then the Law is an Ass and some people do not deserve to be part of such a wonderful community. Meanwhile the fight must go on.

Footnote: Myself and Tom Forde recently went to see our MP Andrea Leadsom to request that she put pressure on South Northants Council to forego their deadline of 14 November in which they would recommend to cabinet the revoking of the scheme. She agreed to help and said that she would try and obtain a one month stay, enabling further investigations into the legalities of the situation. We thank her for this and wait with baited breath for a fortuitous outcome.

I have tried to give a clear explanation of these very serious events, and hope that as a village community you will give your full support for all of the families that suffer the effects of flooding and the devastation that it causes. There are bad things that happen in communities and it is up to the

community to fix it. We all have to share the good and the bad and make this an even better place to live in.

Myself and all the members of the King’s Sutton Times team, Jen Kelly, Jen Wood, Marie Nice, Tina Armstrong and Linda wish you all a very very Happy Christmas and a great New Year.

Liz

Wales Street flood alleviation scheme dead in the waterStunned members of King’s Sutton parish council were given the shock news last night that South Northamptonshire Council’s cabinet will almost certainly decide later this month to cancel the proposed flood alleviation scheme for Wales Street. The scheme’s cancellation means years of hard work by local residents, parish and district councillors, planners, engineering consultants and Environment Agency officials, not to mention tens of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money, will go right down the drain.

Extensive flooding of the Wales Street area of the village in the late 1990s and noughties gave rise to a long, hard-fought-for campaign by local councillors and residents to implement the scheme, and everything seemed set fair for the future when all the financial requirements were met by the

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local authorities concerned and the Environment Agency earlier this year. Unfortunately, just one Wales Street householder has been able to stymie the entire scheme by refusing to give up his riparian rights to Black Brook, a stream to the rear of his property that would have required diversion to allow construction of the scheme to take place.

SNC’s director of operational delivery, Ian Davies, told councillors at last night’s monthly parish council meeting that his report on the matter (made available today here) would put four options to the council’s cabinet:

1. Resolve the landowner issuesSNC’s officers consider it highly unlikely that agreement can be reached with the one outstanding landowner given the consistent stance of rejection he has adopted to date. Even if agreement were achieved, SNC would face an estimated increase in costs of some £50,000 due to the delay in its construction. As a consequence of this increase, it is likely that the Environment Agency funding would be reduced as a result of a revised cost/benefit analysis. If no further funding could be secured from the EA or the Parish Council, the increase in scheme costs would fall to South Northamptonshire Council.

2. Revise the scheme to avoid the need for householders’ consentThe EA has advised that it is possible to

provide an alternative flood alleviation design, which might overcome the remaining householder’s objection. This would involve retention of the existing ditch and watercourse with the addition of control valves at either end to restrict flow at times of flooding. The proposed earth bund would then be constructed along the northern edge of the existing ditch with a new channel, required to drain the flood waters away, constructed across the paddock as originally planned. This course of action would result, however, in further delay and resultant increased costs estimated at £56,000.

Again, a potential review by the EA of a revised scheme’s cost/benefit analysis


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Flood scheme (cont:)

and new agreements with land owners for the maintenance and repair of the valves would also be needed, along with revision of the planning permission.

3. Take legal action to enable the planned scheme to be implementedWhile there is a possibility legal action could be taken against the landowner who has so far refused to agree to the works being undertaken, it is likely that this would require SNC to seek external legal advice, would incur further expense on top of the costs arising from the delay to the scheme. The extent of the further cost is uncertain as legal action could be challenged by the landowner and therefore, given the whole range of

additional costs and risks, this option is not recommended.

4. Withdraw the scheme This option would offer the least financial risk to SNC, despite the £66,000 the council has already spent on the scheme.

Of these four options, Mr Davies told King’s Sutton parish councillors that he would recommend the last, withdrawal of the scheme. Today Cllr Dermot Bambridge, SNC’s portfolio holder for environmental services, confirmed that the council was likely to adopt that recommendation. Cllr Dermot Bambridge said:

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“It is with great disappointment that we have so far been unable to reach a resolution for this project, which SNC has worked tirelessly to bring to fruition.

“A number of options to decide the future of the scheme will be considered by SNC’s Cabinet on Monday, November 14. However the recommendation, regrettably, is to withdraw.”

A total figure of £672,000 in funding – made up of contributions from the Environment Agency (EA), SNC and King’s Sutton Parish Council – was secured for the project, To date, SNC had committed £124,000 of that funding and of that, £66,000 was spent.

A spokesman for King’s Sutton parish council said councillors are currently considering what, if anything, can be done within the village to revive prospects for the Wales Street flood alleviation scheme and an announcement would be made in due course.

Article taken from Kingssutton.org

Village diary

The Garden ClubOn the good news front, the Garden Club has enjoyed a variety of speakers and visits this year. The Annual Show was very well attended with some beautiful exhibits.

Unfortunately we find that membership is declining. We need more keen gardeners to come and join us, so please sign up and get inspired. Our next meeting will be the AGM on February 22nd 2017.

We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a green fingered New Year.

Womens InstituteDec 14th Christmas PartyJan 18th Travels with Auntie (a talk about the BBC) by Alistair LackFeb 15th Craft Evening

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Baptist Church Christmas ServicesSunday 11 December at 4pm “Messy Church” Christmas Sunday 18 December at 10.30am Pastor Rodda leaves service

Sunday 18 December at 4pm CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT FOLLOWED by Mince Pies, etc

Saturday 24th December at 11.30pmMidnight Communion

CHRISTMAS DAY Service at 9.30am By the time you read these words it will be almost time for the Rodda family to say their farewells to King’s Sutton and return to their homeland in Australia. Time has flown!

We are very thankful to God for the three years which Steve and Anne, Isaac and Hayley have spent with us. We have benefitted from their love and their prayers. We have appreciated all that they have contributed into the life of the village in general and the Baptist Church in particular. We wish them Godspeed and every blessing as they settle into their new life in Sydney. They will be sorely missed!

The New Year 2017 will bring us fresh challenges and opportunities. We have already begun the process of finding and appointing our next Pastor.

Meanwhile the Baptist Church remains ‘open for business’ and open to all as usual.

Village Diary (cont:)

Over 50sWe have a very interesting programme lined up for 2017. We have speakers and outings to places of interest and usually one coastal visit in August. Why not come and join us.

Our Christmas lunch is on December 14th, members only. 12.30 onwards.There are no meetings in January and our AGM is on February 8th 2017.

Film Club ProgrammeDec 7th Jungle Book, (new version)No film night in January

Feb 1st 2017 Youth

March 1st 2017 Tulip Fever

St.Peter & St.Paul’s church services over ChristmasSunday 18th December at 3.00pmTree & Crib Service

Thursday 22nd December at 7.30pmChristmas Carols with refreshments to follow

Saturday 24th December 11.30pm Midnight Mass of Christmas

Sunday 25th December 11.00amSung Mass for Christmas Day


King’s Sutton Youth Club needs YOU!

We need some more volunteers to join a rota, helping out at this fun and successful youth club at the Memorial Hall on Sunday evenings.

You can come in as frequently or infrequently as you like; e.g. once per month or term. We have 2 regular staff but need at least 2 additional adults each week to keep the club open.

No experience needed and you don’t need to do anything, just be there to keep an eye on the young people.

Rote flexible as and when you need to change your plans, ANY-ONE OVER 18 PLEASE.

More information on the Face-book page, (Kings Sutton Youth Club) or contact:

[email protected] Mobile 07753 709579.

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Why not plan to join us for midnight com-munion at 11.30pm on Christmas Eve or our family service at 9.30am on Christ-mas morning.

All our regular services and the coffee morning will continue. Other activities, Boys Brigade, Messy Church, Youth Group, Time Together will resume after the Christmas break. Please look at the church website for up-to-date details.

The Hall Coffee Shop Christmas PartyFriday Morning December 23rdLive music with Bill TustainMulled Wine and mince piesRaffle, Enjoyment.Come and Join Us

Village Diary (cont:)

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As Police and Crime Commissioner for Northamptonshire, my primary aim is a simple one: to make Northamptonshire safer.

In order to ensure that everyone is working towards the same shared goal, I’ve already undertaken a great deal of work to ensure that Northamptonshire Police will play a central role in both the development and delivery of the new Police and Crime Plan for the county, rather than this simply being a strategy set by my team and I.

This is why - for the first time - a joint workshop for members of staff from the Force and my Office was held to develop ideas for a joint strategy. I want the force and my team to deliver the Police and Crime Plan, but I also want everyone to want to deliver it.

Northamptonshire is a large place. It’s home to nearly a quarter of a million people, there’s over 300,000 domestic properties and 268 par-ishes, which are joined together by a network of over 2500 miles of high-ways.

Our current budget for policing Northamptonshire is around £122million. Although this might sound a lot, given the size our county and ever increasing challenges we face, it means we’ll have to make some difficult decisions on how our limited resources are allocated.

This is why the opinions and experi-ences of every single person in the county matters. Please do head to www.YourPCC.co.uk and let us know what you think.

Finally can I wish you all a Happy Christmas and should you need any help or assistance, please contact me at: [email protected]

Stephen

Police and Crime

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King’s Sutton Pre-school ReportDuring our sessions we always offer a balance between child led play and adult led activities which we tailor to suit each child’s needs.

Over the past year we have introduced various new activities such as “Read Write Inc”, the phonics teaching strategy used in Kings Sutton’s Primary Academy, to introduce Preschoolers to the alphabet and the initial sounds which has proved very popular and will ease their transition into formal education.

We also invite the children to “Chattertime” and “Maths-tastic”-

focused activity sessions where small groups of children come together with their key person to build on their literacy and numeracy skills in a fun and playful way, the children love receiving their invitations and it makes these short bursts of focussed learning a really special time.

We also run our “Mini Mile” everyday, our staff have found that whilst the exercise is good for physical health (including their own!) the activity also helps settle the children emotionally and it is a great invigorating way to start the day.

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King’s Sutton Pre-school Report

Scarecrow Festival SuccessThank you to everyone who came along to our Scarecrow Festival, this year’s theme of The Olympics was a tricky one to build for, but our congratulations go to the Bellamy Family, the Primary Academy’s Year 4 Pupils and to Sophie Greatbatch for their winning Scarecrows.

We raised £2317 for Preschool’s new premises campaign and had a lot of fun doing so!

New Premises Plans Secure First Funding BidThe plans for the new building are developing further and our

first funding application to South Northants Council’s New Homes

Bonus scheme was successful, £9365 has been ring-fenced for the new building, however the project will cost in the region of £400,000 to complete so there is a lot more work to be done.

If anyone from the community would like to help out with the task of fundraising we would be delighted to hear from you, 01295 816 006 or email [email protected]. uk


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Pre-school (cont:)

AGM NewsThis year’s AGM was well attended - thank you to all the people who came your support is appreciated. A new committee was formed with current Chair, Kath Ward and Treasurer Gareth Eyton remaining in post and we welcomed Sally Shepley as the new secretary.

The staff were congratulated for achieving their second consecutive Ofsted Outstanding award, a fantastic achievement.

The numbers of pupils on the register are healthy and ever-increasing, which means we will likely be recruiting additional staff and emphasises the need for a larger building.

Preschool’s finances are strong and we have met our targets for 2016, including the development of a new website (www.kingssuttonpreschool.co. uk) and implementing our new financial reserves policy.

Our staff will be continuing to explore the possibility of using an online Learning Journey platform, most likely Tapestry which is now being used in the primary academy, to record pupil progress.

Our committee’s main focus for the foreseeable future will be the campaign for the new premises.

If you would like to visit Preschool our manager Lisa Hawtin will be happy to show you around and answer any questions, please call 01295 816 006 to make an appointment.


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Parish Council News

THURSDAY BUS SERVICE to continue in the New Year.

Readers may remember reading that the weekly Thursday Shopper bus service from King’s Sutton to Banbury was under threat.

Having reviewed the position and considered the views of the regular users, the Parish Council has decided, for the time being, to continue to run the current service every week until the end of December 2016. But next year (2017) the Thursday bus will run less frequently on a fortnightly basis

The return fare will also rise to £3.

You will be able to hop on the Thursday Bus every other week commencing 12th January 2017.

The bus will run on these dates during the first half of the year:

• 12th and 26th January 2017• 9th and 23rd February 2017• 9th and 23rd March 2017• 6th and 20th April 2017• 4th and 18th May 2017• 1st, 15th and 29th June 2017.

The Parish Council is grateful to the Bus Company Cheney Coaches Ltd for accommodating this change and to all the regular users from King’s Sutton.

Why not join them!

The coach has capacity to accommodate various shopping trolleys and luggage which are stowed in the hold by the driver and then unloaded for you at your destination.

Board the bus at 9,30am on a Thursday (see dates opposite) at the bus shelter on Astrop Road or at the junction of Bulls Lane and Banbury Lane.

The bus will also stop on request en-route into Banbury at the bus stop on Bloxham Road, (for the Horsefair Surgery or Dentist), Sainsbury’s and Horton General Hospital.

The bus returns from Banbury at 12.20pm and the driver will set down his passengers at various locations in King’s Sutton, again, on request. These include Banbury Lane, Richmond Street, Newlands, the Co-Op, Astrop Grange, Astrop Road bus shelter and Glebe Rise junction.

This is much appreciated when shopping bags are heavier than on the outgoing journey.

Thursday Bus Service


Ian Morris’ report

It is with great pleasure that I am reporting to you again for the Christmas issue of the King’s Sutton Times.

As some of you will be aware I am standing down as your District Councillor in May 2016 after six years. It is with a heavy heart that I have made this decision but I hope to be long associated with the village in my ongoing role as a County Councillor and member of the cabinet for Environment, Development and Transport. I hope that I have made a contribution to the village and helped make a difference.

The Wales street flood alleviation scheme has recently been under threat again due to the lack of

agreement from all the landowners affected to agree to the proposal. This meant that the scheme could not be delivered this summer as hoped and has led to consideration of a redesign to avoid the properties that have not executed their agreements.

This in turn has led to the matter being considered further at a cabinet meeting of South Northants Council on Monday 14th November. The recommendation was for the scheme to be abandoned due to uncertainty, increased costs and availability of resources.

After some lobbying from myself, the Parish Council, our MP Andrea Leadsom and involvement of the County Council it was agreed that the proposed report be postponed until January or February.

In the meantime it is hoped that a solution can be found to deliver this next year. The Environment Agency are also keen to see the scheme completed. To be clear this is a stay of execution at the moment and the District are not willing to commit

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further funds to the project but will protect the current funding until Jan/Feb.

This scheme has always been a collaboration between the District, the Parish Council and the Environment Agency and without support and funding from each of these we almost certainly would have not got this far. I am hopeful that a solution will be found and that the project will be delivered next year. I will keep you posted.

I have also been contacted by a number of people regarding the provision of a community facility at Astrop Grange for the remaining residents of the bungalows in the grounds.

I am assured by South Northants Homes that they will be providing the facility within the grounds but not within the main redeveloped building. I will keep you updated.

I have attended a number of Parish Council meetings and am aware of the road safety issues and parking problems within the village but mainly around the recreation ground and The Knob and Astrop

Road. Myself and Ron Sawbridge have lobbied hard for the measures to be put in place. The Parish Council have worked hard on your behalf and discussions are on going with the County Council to deliver these.

The improvement of the Station at King’s Sutton remains a medium to long term ambition for me and I hope to get this moving before I step down in May.

May I wish you all a very happy Christmas and a merry new year.

Most weeks I am at the Friday Coffee Morning at the millennium Hall but if I am not there I can be contacted on my mobile 07710198272 or on my e-mail [email protected]. I am also on Twitter.

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Christmas treats and trivia

EASY CHRISTMAS CANAPÉS

Some ideas for last minute treats should you have unexpected visitors over the Christmas period.

ITALIAN SKEWERSMakes 24. No cooking required

225g block mozzarella12 sundries tomatoes on oil, drained24 pitted black olives24 small fresh basil leaves

1. Cut the mozzarella cheese into 24 cubes and halve the sun dried tomatoes. Drain them well on kitchen paper.

2. Thread the cheese and tomato half onto cocktail sticks followed by an olive and a small basil leaf. Can be made up to 24 hour in advance, cover with cling film and chill until required.

QUICK CROSTINI

One small French stick is all you need to make the base of these easy nibbles. Look out for the thin French sticks as they slice into the perfect rounds for canapés,1. Preheat the oven to 190C or Gas

5. 2. Cut the French stick into 16

slices about 5mm thick.3. Lay on a baking sheet and drizzle

over 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake for 10 mins until a light golden brown.

4. Leave to cool, then top with coarse pate and caramelized onion chutney or turkey and cran-berry sauce or prawn and tomato salsa.

SAUSAGES WITH SESAME SEEDS AND RUNNY HONEY

1. Preheat the oven to 180C gas mark 4.Put 450g of cocktail sausages into a baking tin and cook for 20 minutes. Roll them over and bake for a further 10 minutes until nicely browned and cooked through.

2. Meanwhile lightly toast the sesa-me seeds in a dry frying pan.

3. Roll the cooked sausages in the honey and then in the sesame seeds, scattering over any that remained.

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THAI MANGO, CHILLI AND LIME CUPS

1. Finely chop1 mango, 1 red chilli, ½ a red onion and a handful of coriander leaves,then mix with juice of one lime and 2 table-spoons of sweet chilli sauce, season.

2. Divide between 32 mini crousta-de cups (found in the supermar-ket bakery area) and serve within 1 hour so they’ll stay firm.

Here’s a Christmas Quiz for you to try!

1. What’s the name of the period leading up to Christmas?

2. How many Wise Men brought gifts to Jesus?

3. How does Good King Wenceslas like his pizzas?

4. What was the name of John the Baptist’s Mother?

5. Who brings presents to children in Holland on the 5th/6th De-cember?

6. How many letters are in the an-gelic alphabet?

7. In what town was Jesus born?8. How many presents were given

in total in the 12 Days of Christ-mas?

9. In what decade was the first Christmas Card sent in the UK?

10. How many of Rudolph’s eight companions names start with ‘D’?

11. What country did Christmas Trees originate from?

12. Who was the ‘King of the Jews’ who ordered the babies to be killed?

13. What’s the second line of “I’m dreaming of a white christmas”?

14. What was Joseph’s job?15. Who started the custom of Was-

sailing?16. Who were first people to visit the

baby Jesus?17. What’s lucky to find in your

Christmas Pudding?18. What Angel visited Mary?19. Where did the baby Jesus sleep?

Few jokes...

How does Jack Frost get to work? By icicle!

Mum, can I please have a cat for Christmas?No. You’ll have to have turkey like the rest of us.

What’s the most popular Christmas wine? “I don’t like Brussels Sprouts”

How do chickens dance at the Christmas Party? Chick to Chick

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Christmas Trivia

1957 = The year of the first ever televised Queen’s Christmas speech

£51,000,000 - The amount saved each year through the use of discount voucher codes.

8 = The number of Santa’s reindeer who’s names are taken from Clem-ent C. Moore’s “A Visit From St. Nicholas”.

£700 Million = The amount of money spent on unwanted Christmas gifts.

45% = The percentage of all greetings card sent every year that are Christmas related. 4.25 Million = The number of British people who will travel abroad for Christmas.

1 = The number of mince pies you should eat on each of the 12 days of Christmas to bring good luck.

8 Million = The number of natural Christmas trees consumed by the UK each year.

1647 = The year in which Oliver Cromwell banned celebrating Christ-mas because he believed it was immoral to feast and drink on such a holy day.

364 = The total number of gifts listed in “The 12 days of Christmas”.

£18,000,000,000 will be withdrawn from UK cash machines over Christmas.

20 Metres = The height of the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square.

25 Million = The number of Christmas puddings we eat in the UK every year.

57 =The number of Olympic sized swimming pools that could be filled with the beer consumed in the UK over Christmas.

221 Feet = The height of the tallest ever Christmas tree which was displayed in Northgate Shopping Centre, Seattle, Washington.

15 = The average age of a Christmas tree when it is sold.

£1,600,000,000 = The total spent by the UK at Christmas.

230,000 Tonnes = The amount of wasted Christmas food that is thrown away each year.

1 = The number of Santa’s reindeer who’s names are taken from the song “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Rein-deer”.

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300 Million = The number of mince pies eaten over Xmas

83 Square km = The amount of wrapping paper sold in the UK every Christmas.

60 Million =The number of Christ-mas trees grown each year in Eu-rope.

113 Feet = The height of the tallest ever snowman, which was built in Maine, America.

45.72 Metres = The length of the biggest Christmas cracker ever made. It was also 3.04 meters wide.

3 = The number Beatles Christmas number 1’s. The band achieved top spot in 1963, 1965 and 1967.

30,000 = The number of participants in the largest ever Secret Santa, organised by Reddit in 2012.

10 Million = The number of Turkeys cooked in the UK every Xmas.

32.56 Metres = The length of the longest ever Christmas Stocking. It was also 14.97 meters wide.

600,000 = The number of letters sent to Santa every year.

3 = The number of Christmas trees planted to replace each one harvested.

16 = The average number of Christmas presents a UK child receives.

6 Million = The number of rolls of sellotape that will be sold in the UK in the run up to Christmas.

£330 = The average amount a UK adult spends buying Christmas presents.

957 = The typical number of calories in your average Christmas dinner.

3:1 = The ratio by which natural Christmas trees outsell artificial Christmas trees.

120,000 Tonnes = The weight of potatoes that will be eaten over Christmas.

£48,000 = The total amount spent on Christmas puddings by the UK.

62,824 = The record number of Christmas cards sent by a single person in a year.

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After the performance, the shelter will transform into the GI’s annual Christmas party with music from the Andrew’s Sisters, dancing and plenty of mistletoe.

Profits from the evening will go to Katherine House Hospice and The SeeSaw Charity.

The evening will take place in Adderbury’s Institute, Saturday 17th December 2016.

The doors will open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start, bar available.

Tickets are £10 and are available for reservation at the box office on 07532 446665 or email [email protected].

Voices Across Time is a non-profit organisation who put on audience participation musical performances based on British history, raising money for various charities.

The Voices Across Time team are Joseph Cummings, Florence Taylor and Harriet Wells, and they look forward to seeing you on the 17th December.

It’s 1942, 17th December to be precise and the evening of the school nativity in Adderbury. But the evening’s performance is threatened by the sounding of the village air raid siren. The locals pile into the local community air raid shelter to escape the threat of bombing, among them are evacuees Jimmy Williams and Beth Lawson, home guard Stanley Jameson and heart-throb GI Frank George.

Through well-known songs of the era, the community spend their time sharing their challenges, excitements and heart-aches of wartime Christmas, whilst keeping morale high. So distraught by the cancellation of the nativity, they help come up with an idea to cheer Jimmy up….

Following the success of Singing for The Somme, Voices Across Time presents an original audience participatory musical “I’ll be Home for Christmas”.

Join an original cast of local young actors in an evening of festive entertainment, led by Royal Academy of Music’s Joseph Cummings. There will be sing along festive classics and World War II favourites, a licensed bar and, although rationing is in place, complimentary festive treats too.

Voices across time

25


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26


Marie’s handy hints

Never quite cracked the perfect turkey! Many chefs have a secret weapon; “Butter Muslin” The muslin is available cheaply from kitchen shops. Soak the material in a bowl of melted butter, and then drape it over the turkey before popping it into the oven.

Don’t want your snowman to melt! When you have made him spray the snowman with a light mist of water so the outside freezes over.

It might seem early to think about Christmas dinner, but surprisingly a number of dishes can be made ahead of time. Potatoes, parsnips and stuffing can all be cooked and frozen, then defrosted and re-heated in the oven on the day. As for red cabbage, it actually tastes much better it you make it a few days before and leave it in the fridge for the flavours to deepen.

Here is a handy tip when you’re taking down your Christmas lights. Instead of just dumping them in a box, wrap them around a coat hanger, or even a piece of card board, then they won’t tangle up when you unearth them next Christmas.

Happy Christmas to you allMarie

When your oven is more stuffed than your turkey, it’s unlikely you will be able to squeeze in the dinner plates to heat up. Instead, put your dinnerware in the dishwasher for a quick rinse beforehand, and they will be the perfect temperature.

Does your tree shed needles quicker than your father-in-law downs his first glass of port? Then move it somewhere cooler, many of us unthinkingly put our tree by the radiator or fireplace, but all that heat will dry the tree out more quickly, keep it cool and you won’t spend all Christmas hoovering.

Homemade mincemeat is much tastier than shop bought, but not everyone has time. Buy the best supermarket jar, and then add extra brandy and a handful of luxurious fruits, such as dried cherries or figs.

Here is an excellent festive party trick. Place two walnuts, side by side, in the palm of your hand. Make sure that the hardest part of the nuts (the ridges) are over lapping, and then close your hand and squeeze. They should crack open easily.

Christmas wrapping paper can be expensive, especially if you have a large family. Instead, buy a large roll of brown paper and some string. Your presents will look both charmingly old fashioned and on trend minimalist chic.

27

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28


Notes from the Potting Shed

It has been very dry the last couple of months and up until the first week of November I was still watering pots of shrubs and flowers. My dahlias are still flowering and I even have flowers on some of my strawberry plants!

Winter is a good time to plan what to grow next year. It’s a good idea to keep a garden diary to jog your memory regarding certain garden jobs that you keep putting off until you have more time.

Start looking at the seed catalogues as you always get a better choice of flowers and vegetables than you would normally see in a garden centre and also you may find some-thing a bit more unusual.

Winter flowers are few and far be-tween but if you have a framework of a couple of winter shrubs you may have a lovely surprise when they flower. Shrubs like viburnum, winter jasmine, wintersweet and Christmas box will give you a lift when the weather is cold and dreary.

Alpines and other seeds that need a cold period to germinate should be sown now. Cover with coarse grit to protect them from too much rain and prevent moss and weeds. Stand in a sheltered spot outside.

Make sure roses have been pruned by half to prevent wind rocking in the winter storms.

Dig heavy ground during dry weather and leave it rough for frost to break down and plant new trees and shrubs if the weather is good.

Keep feeding the birds as it can make the difference between life and death in cold weather and in return they will eat many garden pests and if you start feeding do not stop as they will come to depend on the food and could starve without it.

Keep on gardening and to the couple who stole four of my terracotta pots from my drive at 1am in September – you clearly know nothing about the garden as it was the end of the season. STOLEN PLANTS DO NOT THRIVE!!!

Happy Christmas to you all.Linda

IBC


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Contact Mary on 07779 262 765 for more information www.kingssuttonltc.org

Find us on KingsSuttonTennisClub

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WE NEED YOU!

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The King’s Sutton Times is sponsored and published quarterly by King’s Sutton Parish Council. However, the magazine maintains editorial independence and its content does not necessarily reflect the council’s views.

Editor Liz Al-Anazi 07801 541962 [email protected]

AdvertisingJennifer Wood 01295 81082418 Glebe Rise King’s Sutton, Banbury OX17 3PH

FeaturesTina Armstrong 01295 8124796 Waverley Close King’s Sutton, Banbury OX17 3SE

Design & Layout Jennifer Kelly 01295 812168 3 Astrop Road King’s Sutton, Banbury OX17 3PG

DistributionAnn-Marie Nice 01295 8113766 Whittall Street King’s Sutton, Banbury OX17 3RD

Editorial ContributionsThe King’s Sutton Times very much welcomes articles, photographs and artworks relating to the village and its residents. Please submit editorial contributions by email if possible to [email protected]

Otherwise, drop in a paper copy of your contribution to any of our team with a note stating which section of the magazine you would like it to appear in. Please note that we reserve the right to edit or refuse any item submitted for publication.

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