The Parish Council seeks your views on the timing of the verge cutting next season.

Please submit a response to the following survey:  https://forms.gle/JYTkzCcm2jv8uK8y7     
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Following my considerations as to what might be done to prevent used postage stamps going to waste and then an  announcement prior to Christmas, of the intention to set up a collection arrangement of used postage stamps towards fundraising for 'Canine Partners', myself and Emma Roodenberg have now had the opportunity of setting up a village collecting point at the Old Red Telephone Box.
 
Canine Partners at www.caninepartners.org.uk are a UK registered charity that provides training for highly skilled assistance dogs carefully matched to support adults with disabilities with daily living tasks (civilians and former service personnel), that include opening and closing doors, unloading washing machines, moving and picking up items, pressing buttons and switches, using cards at an ATM and fetching help in an emergency.
 
The collection of used stamps (cut from their envelopes please) has raised almost £30,000 over ten years for the charity as part of their overall fundraising campaign. Stamps are sorted and graded towards raising up to £6 per kilo at auction and the funds returned to the charity.
 
Donations also of first day covers, stamp collections or albums can be sent to the national training centre in Leicestershire by emailing: [email protected] or if you have further questions or enquiries regarding their work, or to donate money directly.
 
Your cut stamps can be collected by you, friends and relatives and deposited in an envelope and placed in the marked bin situated in the telephone box on the Holloway, and accessible to all in the village.

These will then be collected by us at the end of each month to be sent on to the charity. Please Do Not donate cash or cheques in the box as this is not secure.
 
Our thanks to our Parish Council and Red Telephone Box Trustees, along with our phone box Chief Librarian, Ian Mason, for the granting of permissions for the use of the box as a collecting point and for what will hopefully, be a village wide and worthy cause.
 
Thank you all for your support in 'training dogs to transform lives'. Any enquiries to us may be made on the village WhatsApp Group.
 
Malcolm Gee and Emma Roodenberg

Pat is looking to raise monies for the MND Charity, you can find details in the attached sponsorship form.

​Today the garden was shining with frost and deceptively still. It may look as if no animals are here apart from the birds but most of the creatures are hidden.

The grass, cut short at the end of the summer, offers protection for some to overwinter out of sight.  Bumblebees are deep in the soil in the wax lined cells they make in autumn. Butterfly and moth chrysalises wait attached to stalks, adult grasshoppers die but their unhatched eggs survive underground.

The scrub areas and stone piles provide shelter for other invertebrates, beetles, slugs, snails. and spiders. On warmer days worms will come to the surface and pull dead leaves down.

In 2022 we sowed patches of yellow rattle. It parasitises the grass, reducing its vigour to make more room for the wildflowers. It flowered in profusion last summer.  As it is an annual we are hoping it will be setting its seed now. Last summer also produced a record number of pyramidal orchids. The committee is always interested to hear of unusual wildlife sightings or photos to add to our records.

You will see that we have planted two new trees. One is a hybrid Rowan, Sorbus hupehensis, bearing pale pink berries and the other a hybrid Hawthorn Crataegus punctata ‘Ohio’, with showy berries and larger than average leaves. Inevitably, we have been visited by deer so have created some wire shelters for all the new trees. A few more spring bulbs have also gone in.

We welcomed a new professional gardener, Allan O’Connor, this year. He installed the sundial in June and mowed and strimmed the paths and meadows all year. In January and February, he will cut the hedges and clear some ivy. The nest boxes must be cleaned out before St Valentines Day. Come Art Weeks we hope the garden will be in good heart and draw its usual complement of appreciative visitors.

If you would like to support the Contemplation Garden please do be in touch with, churchwarden Pat Cook, email - [email protected]

The Christmas tree is up in the church, thanks to the generosity of Sue and Barry.  Please go and enjoy it.
 
As the Christmas Day services this year will be in Coleshill (9 am) and Eaton Hastings (10.30) we have an additional Holy Communion service here next Sunday, 22nd, at 10.30 - with carols.  Do take a break from wrapping presents, etc and come and join us at this special time of the year.
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Documents have been added to the following pages:

Parish Council Meetings and Minutes
​Governance and Policies
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Please also take some time to complete this survey about the park.

https://forms.gle/HXZMyNGtXqubcPPz5
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I have just had to "put pen to paper" metaphorically, so say a big "thank you" to Jo, Pauline and all those who had helped put on the village Christmas Fayre!  Yesterday, Mike and I came back from a peaceful and friendly Holy Communion Benefice Service at Eaton Hastings and walked down to the Reading Room and our feeling of well being continued as we walked into the Reading Room where we were absolutely bowled over by the transformation that had taken place there.  
The atmosphere was so warm and friendly - the displays, the colours and the goodies for sale were perfect and so enticing!  It was lovely to hear folk's laughter and chatter! We walked round two or three times absorbing the sights, stopping at each display - we did managed a glass - Mike bubbly Elderflower and I "just" managed a glass of Prosecco! The raffle was essential to try our "luck" on and we looked at the furniture which was so tempting that we came home with a small table - thank you!
The occasion was perfect and I'm sorry for anyone who missed it! I'll end by saying once more - THANK YOU!!
Judy Heathcoat, Jemima, Puddleduck Lane

Thanks for this Judy - I have also added some of the photos taken at the event kindly shared by people on the village WhatsApp, if anyone else has photos they'd be happy to share please let me know  by email to [email protected]
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Everyone is working hard behind the scenes to bring you The Great Coxwell Grand Christmas Event.
We'll be throwing open the Reading Room doors at 11am this Sunday and we're really looking forward to welcoming you to this new village event.

This Saturday 19th Nov 10am - 3pm.

Free Entry and refreshments available.

24 independent authors and poets will be ready and waiting to say hello and show you what they do.

There will be something for all the family to look at and enjoy.
 
We shall also be announcing the winners of the Faringdon Writers short story competition at 2pm. So please come along and applaud everyone's achievements.

Some of the entries will be on display for you to read.