Required: Dorchester Village Hall Bookings Officer

Dorchester Village Hall is urgently looking for someone to take over the bookings role.

What does this involve? Basically, organising and confirming our customer usage of the hall and co-ordinating payments.

Is this a massive undertaking? No, we already have an excellent booking system that can be run from your own personal PC.

Our outgoing Booking Officer, Tracey Francis, told us that in quiet times she spent around one hour a week doing this job, in busy times this went up to four hours a week. There are special times, but these are not regarded as being onerous.

What would I be letting myself in for? The vast majority of our customers are regulars who know exactly what they have to do without much involvement from our team. The exceptions tend to be wedding receptions and events that people will treasure for the rest of their lives. We do try to be involved and support these special occasions whenever possible.

What’s in it for me? Dorchester is a very special place and it has so many things going on, many of these rely on our village hall to provide a base able to support them. Our village hall is unique. It is of immense historical architectural significance, designed by Sir George Gilbert-Scott, one of the country’s most distinguished architects.

If you have spare time and an interest in seeing our village retain and use this exceptional asset, then please come forward. It brings you into contact with so many of our interesting and vibrant village events.

We really do need this role to be filled.

For more details and a general discussion, without obligation, give us a call.

Mark Williams Keith Russell

Hempcroft Allotments

July/August

Hopefully you’ll be having lots of sunshine, but enough rain to keep things growing. Don’t forget to keep sowing over the summer, there are lots of things to put in now that will keep your garden productive over the winter and into next year.

A seed to try

which may be new to some members, Squash Tromboncino a climbing squash, also aptly called Crookneck Squash. Perfect for growing where space is limited, grown up a trellis the fruits will push through the gaps creating an interesting ornamental display. Italian cultivar from Liguria is actually a variety of butternut squash, picked while still tender and green. As well as looking incredibly ornamental in the garden, it has the flavour of artichokes.

Outside

  • Dwarf french beans (up to early July) in warmer areas only
  • Last sowings of root crops including carrots, beetroot, turnips (July)
  • Winter radishes and swedes
  • Swiss chard & leaf beet
  • Oriental greens ( mustard greens and turnip greens
  • Lettuce, moving over to winter varieties by late August, rocket, cress and salad radishes
  • Fennel
  • Spring cabbage (from late July)
  • Bunching and spring onions

Allotment Party

There will be an ‘allotment summer party’ this first event will take place on September 2nd from 12.30pm on the allotment all members and villagers will be invited to come along bring own drinks and picnic food to share with others.  Free of charge and all welcome. See separate advert in Dorchester News, notices on allotment.

Old and new members welcome!

July / August Pests and Diseases:

  • Slugs
  • snails
  • Aphids
  • caterpillars
  • powdery mildew

An important note: Please do not put eggshells/household waste on your compost heap it attracts vermin.

We have professional grade weed mat which is available 4m wide and sold by the linear meter at £2.50 per linear meter. (Example 4m x 10m = £25.00)

Plots available full and half size.

Please call: 01865 340119 or email: stu@horted.co.uk

South News update: another look at housing sites

This article was received this week by South and Vale, and so we wanted to re-post for those that had not yet seen it.

Another look at housing sites

We have decided to take another look at the sites available in South Oxfordshire for major housing development as part of the process to finalise our Local Plan.

We will do this as long as the extra time it will take does not significantly impact on a countywide deal we and other councils have made with the government to bring extra money to support housing growth and infrastructure, such as roads, in Oxfordshire.

We are looking at 15 sites and will be filtering these as part of the review process:

  • current proposed sites: Culham, Wheatley, Berinsfield and Chalgrove Airfield
  • previously considered (but not progressed) sites: Thornhill, Wick Farm, Lower Elsfield, Grenoble Road, Northfields, Harrington and land at Great Western Park
  • additional sites submitted by developers: land at Emmer Green, Reading, Reading Golf Club, Playhatch at Reading, land off Thame Road, North Weston.

We are in discussion with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government about the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal. If it becomes apparent that there will be a significant impact on the Deal, we will retain Chalgrove Airfield in the Local Plan and add a reserve site or sites.

Find out more about the review and see our website for further details about the Local Plan. See the Oxfordshire Growth Board website for information about the Housing and Growth Deal.

Councillors update

Cllr Jane Murphy is the new Leader of our council and Cllr Felix Bloomfield is her Deputy. The Council’s new Chairman is Cllr Lorraine Hillier and Deputy Chairman is Alan Thompson. The Council’s Cabinet consists of:

  • Development and Regeneration – Cllr Paul Harrison
  • Housing and Environment – Cllr Caroline Newton
  • Community Services – Cllr Lynn Lloyd
  • Deputy Leader and Planning – Cllr Felix Bloomfield
  • Corporate Services – Cllr Kevin Bulmer
  • Leader and Communications – Cllr Jane Murphy
  • Finance – Cllr David Dodds
  • Legal and Democratic Services – Cllr Anna Badcock
  • Partnership and Insight – Cllr Bill Service

Further information about councillors is available on our website.

Developer funding on its way to parishes

We are giving developer funding to parishes to help pay for projects such as new parks and leisure facilities that support local housing growth.

We have collected the funding through the Community Infrastructure Levy and details of the latest parishes to receive payments are here.

For more information see our website.