Posts in Oxford - Headington & Marston Neighbourhood Forum

Headington Christmas Experience From: Frank Cummings Date: 17:29 UTC Short link

Hi All

THE HEADINGTON CHRISTMAS EXPERIENCE.
A fabulous three day event for all the family. 27th Nov to 29th November 2008

Our children's Odd One Out Competition runs from Thursday morning until 3pm
Saturday. Win a trip in a stretched limo. Entry forms available from some of
the local shops.

THURSDAY
Music and Carols from 6.30pm and every chance snow will fall!
Luke Foster (Oxford United Footballer) and the winner of the children's
competition will switch on the Christmas Light at 7pm
Luke will also present a signed football and signed shirt to the holder of a
winning raffle ticket. Raffle tickets are free from some of the local shops.

FRIDAY
Farmers Market Christmas Fayre  8 am - 1pm with Carol singers and musicians
entertaining shoppers  8.30am - 10am.

Advent Pageant 1pm - 3pm. Local school children to will gather in Bury Knowle
Park for Christmas songs and games. In a retelling of the Christmas story they
will make their way through central Headington, ending with activities in All
Saints Church, Lime Walk


SATURDAY
Corunna Bugles & Drums. Co-op 10 -11am & 2 - 3pm

The Decibel Jazz Band. Special guests from Leiden, Holland will march and play
around central Headington 11 - 12 noon.

Headington Singers will perform 2 - 2.30pm @ the Co-op. and 2.40 - 3.10pm @
Peacocks Times approx.

David Bartrup will perform Christmas songs with a message on his guitar outside
Barclays Bank 12.30 - 1pm and again @ 3 - 3.30pm

Ben Judson and Juri will be making music during the afternoon.

Abi Rose will keep the children entertained with Christmas stories in Charles
Lawson Estate Agent's at 11am and then at 3pm.

Keep a look out for Rosy and her Barrel Organ!


Here is a list of promotions taking place during the 3 day event.

CARTRIDGE WORLD.
Promotion: Christmas Moments Raffle. Your chance to win our fantastic Christmas
bundle! A BROTHER DCP135C All-in-one printer + FUGIFILM FinePix A920 9Meg.
Camera. 27th - 29th Nov.
(This bundle is available NOW for purchase at a give away price of £119.98.)

CLOVERS
Promotion: Raffle. Every customer has a chance to WIN £25.00 to spend in
store. 27th - 29th Nov.

ANGELS.
Promotion: Late Opening.  Thursday 27th Nov. 'til 7pm

BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION
Promotion: Christmas Raffle. 27th - 29th Nov. Inc. (Also open every Sunday in
December.)

HEADINGTON HOMEWARES
Promotion: Late Opening. Thursday 27th Nov. Open all day 28th & 29th Nov.

QUEENS BAKERY
Promotion: Late Opening. Thursday 27th Nov. 'til 8pm. Normal hours 28th - 29th
Nov.

AUDIO T.
Promotion: Late Opening. Thursday 27th Nov. 'til 7.30pm.

THE OXFORD FRAMING GALLERY
Promotion: All visitors welcomed with FREE GLASS OF WINE  on Saturday 29th Nov.

DAISY CHAIN
Promotion: CHILDREN'S COLOURING COMPETITION. FREE entry. WIN A PRIZE.
Saturday 29th Nov.

CLIC SARGENT
Promotion: Prize Raffle. Saturday 29th Nov.

JEMINI
Promotion: Festive flower arranging demo's. Saturday 29th Nov.

ANNIE SLOAN
Promotion: Open all day with 10% off fabric and paint. Saturday 29th Nov.

UP & RUNNING
Promotion: FREE expert advise on sport & fitness. Saturday 29th Nov.

BRAMBLES
Promotion: CROCHET demo. @ 11am. KNITTING demo.@ 3pm. on Saturday 29th Nov.

CHANCELLORS
Promotion: FATHER CHRISTMAS. Santa will be waiting in his Grotto to wow the
children from 10am.
FREE entry. Give him a visit on Saturday 29th Nov.

BUCKLE & BALLARD
Promotion: Book signing. BILL HIENE will be promoting his newly published
masterpiece
on Saturday 29th Nov. 11am 'til 1pm.

CHARLES LAWSON
Promotion: Story telling. FREE reading of  Christmas Stories for children.

SQUASH FOODS
Promotion: Great COFFEE & CAKE deal. £2 a head. (Including Christmas cake if
required) 27th -29th Nov.

THE PET & GARDEN STORE
Promotion: Special offer on 'COWS EARS' while stocks last. 27th - 29th Nov.

MONACO
Promotion: Open late Thursday 27th Nov. 'Til 8.30pm. With 10% donated to
charity on all purchases & a FREE glass of wine.  Saturday 29th Nov. Lucky Dip
@ £1.00 a go. (Suitable for boys and girls.)

OXFAM
Promotion: Silent Auction for PLAYHOUSE PANTO. TICKETS. + other prizes.
FREE mulled wine & food tasting on Thursday 27th Nov. On Saturday 29th Nov.
Plenty of CHILDREN'S FUN ACTIVITIES.

THE GARDEN
Promotion: Great 10% off EVERYTHING (except tele florist).  27th - 29th Nov.

SOBELL HOUSE
Promotion: A number of surprise promotions over the 3 day event. 27th - 29th
Nov.

OXFORD EYE CARE CENTRE
Promotion: FREE EYE TEST!! 10% Off  FRAMES & LENSES. Book during the 3 day
event
27th - 29th Nov.

CAFE ON LINE
Promotion: Late Opening during the 3 day event 27th Nov.- 29th Nov.
NICOLAS
Promotion: FREE WINE TASTING EVENT on Saturday 29th Nov.

PEN TO PAPER
Promotion: Late Opening on Thursday 27th Nov.

CONNELLS
Promotion: FREE Christmas Punch on Saturday 29th Nov.

ANDREWS (Christmas Tree Sponsor)
Promotion: FREE Mulled wine. 27th Nov.
Special discount on tenant and landlord fees during the 3 day event 27th - 29th
Nov.

ABSOLUTE EVENTS SOLUTIONS/OXFORD LIMOS
Promotion: Limousine discount day for bookings in January. 27th - 29th Nov.


BE THERE!
    

Does Quarry need a Residents' Association? From: Lindsey Doyle Date: 17:15 UTC Short link

Julia: some of your calculations seem dubious; Roz can cycle from Quarry to
Sandhills in 10 minutes, whilst you suggest 45. Being a cyclist myself and
having done this journey many times, I'm more of the "10 minutes" school myself
- and I'm well into my 50s.

This can only leave me wondering how many of your other facts and figures about
attendance at such meetings might also have been inflated for effect.
    

Does Quarry need a Residents' Association? From: Roz Smith Date: 16:47 UTC Short link

I agree that it would be worth discussing with the City Council to see
if the area committee meetings could sometimes start a bit later.  I
work at the Oxford Brookes Wheatley campus and it can take me up to 45
minutes to cycle home to Headington if the wind is against me, so a
later start would be appreciated!

I would also like to suggest that the minutes of the previous meeting
are taken earlier on in the agenda, thereby giving a later start to the
public speaking time.

BTW it took me less than 10 minutes to cycle from Headington Quarry to
the area meeting in Sandhills on Tuesday evening and that included
dismounting and pushing the bike through the subway.  The discussion
about cycling in the north east area was interesting.



Cllr Roz Smith

Barton & Churchill Division

Tel. 01865 750 731

Mob. 07722 840 117



Liberal Democrats - Putting People First
    

-----Original Message-----
From: Julia Gasper [mailto:<email obscured>]
Sent: 22 November 2008 15:25
To: Oxford - Headington & Marston Neighbourhood Forum
Subject: Re: [HMNF] Does Quarry need a Residents' Association?



I do not dispute what Kate says about Council employees wishing to see
their families or do voluntary work at a weekend. But please consider
that many of us who would like to attend these meetings also have
families, or do voluntary work, and none of us as far as I know are in
the highly-paid bracket.

Senior and middle-rung local government officials get very generous pay
compared to the living standard of most of my friends, who belong to the
bicycle and woolly hat class.

In order to attend an Area Committee meeting on a Tuesday evening at six
o'clock over at Sandhills, I would have to finish work early, thus
losing pay without the option of making it up through flexi-time. It
would take me about one and half hours cycling in the dark to get there
and back, unless I used taxis, which would be much safer in the rush
hour, especially when it is dark and cold (though not faster with a 20
mph speed limit). The total costs would be, I estimate, about forty
pounds for a single meeting at which the public have (I am told) only
half an hour for discussion. Is that cost we face, any better than the
unpaid work you complain about?

 That is what you are expecting the public to do to get their little
crumb of so-called democracy. So all I am doing is trying to suggest
some possible alternatives and encourage others to suggest some too.

 The very least that should be done is to VARY the times and places of
these meetings so that they are more likely in the long run to include a
majority of participants.





Julia Gasper

Headington Quarry, Oxford England

Info about Julia Gasper: http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/juliagasper



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Building democracy and community online in Oxford - Volunteer query From: Jock Coats Date: 14:16 UTC Short link

On 22 Nov 2008, at 11:36, nicholas fell wrote:

> Public life and Politics is a calling and a vocation not a career,
> and if you are in it for the money then in my eyes you are in it for
> the wrong reasons, and Brian Coleman of the New Statesman magazine
> agrees with me on this point.

Apart from the fact that your assertion is nonsense when it comes to
the paid staff at least (remind me to congratulate my bin-man on his
finding his vocation next time I see him) Brian Coleman, for those who
don't read the Staggers but think he might just be somehow
authoritative in some way because you quoted him Nick, wrote about
politicians and not the paid service.

In particular he has some special ire for those who stop being
councillors and take sinecures or well paid QUANGO positions.  This of
course never forgetting that Mr Coleman himself draws £50,000+ from
the public purse for being a GLA assembly member, is entitled to at
least fifty per cent of that as a golden farewell if he ever steps
down and has a bunch of other allowances paid for from the public
purse arising from both his chairmanship of the Fire and Emergency
Panning Authority and as a member of Barnet borough council (as a
cabinet member no less - so at least another £27,000), and whose big
buddy Boris managed to dispense millions of pounds worth of largesse
to his mates to become deputy mayors even without the inconvenience of
getting themselves elected.

So, when next an officer earning more than £75,000 complains about
turning up on a Saturday, then you, and Coleman, might have a point!

> Earlier this year I did Jury Service at Oxford Crown Court and I
> made a deliberate point afterwards of not claiming expenses back on
> principle.  I willingly gave of my time as a public duty for free, I
> performed my service willingly and gladly.

One of my great regrets is that we do not do "jury selection" like
they do in the US...:)

> Politics and public life is about sacrifice and being selfless, its
> about giving of your time, and putting others before yourself.

...and Kate, and people like her, are not in "public service" as you
are defining it.  They are in jobs.  With contracts.  And salaries.
And stated hours of work.

> I have given the last two years of my life free to challenge and
> campaign against these Controlled Parking Zones, and Residents
> Permit Charges, I help residents get off Penalty Charge Notices, and
> I don't ask to get paid for doing any of it.
> I give up my week ends and evenings for the cause, when someone
> calls wanting my help I drop everything and go, that is how
> dedicated I am.

...such sacrifice is somehow so much better when not done "to be seen
of men" Nick!
    

Jock
--
Jock Coats - OX3 Online, the community portal for OX3
Warden's Flat 1e, J Block Morrell Hall, OXFORD, OX3 0FF
m: 07769 695767 skype:jock.coats?call http://ox3online.net

Headington Christmas Experience From: Frank Cummings Date: 09:31 UTC Short link

Thanks Jock & Pippa for your input.

Abi Rose has agreed to do two sessions at 11am & 3pm so, let the children know!

Jill is giving out programs for the 3 day event today (Sat) by Barclays Bank
and if anyone has a hour to spare to help it would be well appreciated as we
are short of volunteers.
    

Building democracy and community online in Oxford - Volunteer query From: Stephanie Jenkins Date: 07:25 UTC Short link

I couldn't give answers yesterday to your specific questions about the forums
of Oxford, Nicholas, as I had already sent the maximum of two messages.  You
certainly have the knack of stirring us up....  Here is my reply.

So far only three of the six projected Oxford forums (each covering one area
committee zone) have opened.  It takes a lot of effort by volunteers to get a
forum started, and a hundred members are supposed to sign up prior to the
opening (although I think there has been some flexibility about this).  Unless
a forum manager backed by a local group is willing to do all the work (free of
charge -- including nights, weekends, and bank holidays, you will be pleased to
hear), the forum cannot open.

Northway is part of Headington.  If the forum's name incorporated every
individual area covered by the H&M forum, it would be ridiculously long: as
well as Headington and Marston, we would have to include in the title Barton,
Sandhills, Quarry, Risinghurst, Northway, Wood Farm etc. forum.  Then other
smaller areas like Titup, Peat Moors, and Toothill Butts might complain that
they were not mentioned, and Churchill ward might think its name should be
included, and so on.

One possible name for the forum would have been the North East Oxford Forum,
but I don't think the people of Headington or Marston (or Northway) would ever
reply "in north-east Oxford" if asked where they lived.  Headington & Marston
seemed to sum it up neatly.
    

Does Quarry need a Residents' Association? From: Kate Stratford Date: Nov 21 18:54 UTC Short link

Quoting from the previous post:  "Would it be strictly necessary to have
Council Officers and other agency personnel in attendance if it was Open Forum
only on a Saturday? Surely the odd occasional Saturday of Public Service could
be done without any Overtime payments being made couldn't it? what's a bit of
giving up of one's time for Public Service"
I hope this doesn't count as going 'off topic', but I have an opinion with
regards to the person making that post telling me that because I work for the
council, I ought to attend meetings on weekends without any payment and that
this should be done, presumably gladly, (I assume you want us there - in our
own time - perky and willing to engage and helpful, rather than we sit there
scowling and hungover with our arms folded being monosyllabic?   Because, don't
forget, you get what you pay for, and you don't want to pay us) and all in the
name of public service.

Why do you consider I shouldn't be paid?   In my experience, when I attend
public meetings (which in my role I don't have to do particularly often) it's
usually so members of the public can shout at me and tell me what a rotten job
I'm doing and/or how much they dislike the council.  You want me to do this on
a Saturday?  Without pay?

I live locally.  Most of my colleagues do not.  Thinking about most of the
colleagues I know about, and this is (a) unscientific and (b) a generalisation,
most of my colleagues who live within the city are the lower paid workers.
Most times, people who you'd need at meetings - those people from supervisor
and junior management level upwards live outside the city, until you get up to
the most senior levels.  The Chief Executive and at least one of the 2
Directors both live in Oxford.  Will you be paying the travelling expenses of
these people to attend work on a Saturday without pay, or will you be expecting
them to fund their journey to your meeting themselves, thus making themselves
further out of pocket than if they had stayed at home enjoying their weekend?

Also, please don't forget there are 6 area committees across the city.  For
things like Planning, the officers divide the city up so that one person
doesn't have to attend every meeting.  However, for things that are City Wide
you'll often get one officer attending all 6 Area Committees - I have done this
myself.  So suddenly, this isn't the "odd occasional Saturday".  Are you still
not wanting to pay me?

And, what constitutes occasional?  Once a year?   Twice?  Monthly?   Weekly?
Who decides how much of our downtime we should give up for free in the name of
public service?   How will we know when we've given enough?

And I should point out many people in the council DO work weekends and
evenings, regularly.  Those who work in leisure, for example.  Or who work
places which provide a 24 hour service.  Litter pickers, toilet cleaners.  If
you have a council related emergency on a Saturday, an officer will be there.
I hope you won't resent that they will be paid when they help you out.

The way payments work at the council are:  You get paid for your 37 hours, or
whatever (most full time people are on 37 hours per week).  Over and above that
there are one-off payments for evening meetings, as long as they meet certain
conditions.  You can get TOIL (time off in lieu) and some people get overtime.
On the grade I'm on, I can get TOIL but I won't - and have never - been paid
for overtime.  However, under the flex system the council operates, officers
who get flex (and not all do), we can only carry over 10 hours additional a
month.   If we've worked more than 10 hours over and above our contracted time,
we automatically lose those extra hours.   So, effectively, we do work without
pay.  It is a regular occurance for me and many of my colleagues to lose hours
this way on a monthly basis.

With regard to Saturdays, do you want me to give up time with my husband and
young daughter?  Does the fact I'm also a foster carer mean you'll allow me to
be excused?  Or should I still give up my precious down time for free?

There are lots of things I do with my own time which others may consider worthy
and of benefit to a community.  And lots of my colleagues do too.  Does someone
who does voluntary work on a Saturday have to attend your meeting for free,
even if his/her attendance puts out others who would otherwise benefit from
their time?  Do you still think we should give up our Saturdays?

And this ignores the fact that I often chose to take work home because I
haven't had time to do it during the day and anything I do at home is never,
never paid, claimed, TOIL'd, etc.   I have also taken telephone calls outside
work, in the evenings and at weekends.   I don't get paid for that either,
although I do have the option to switch my phone off.  I also run work-related
errands on the weekends if I haven't had time to do them during the week.  I'll
pop somewhere to check something out if necessary, often dragging my family
with me.  Mostly, my manager will never know I've taken work home or dealt with
phone calls or run errands.  But my family do.

I'll let them know you don't consider it's enough.
    

Headington Christmas Experience From: Pippa Gwilliam Date: Nov 21 16:09 UTC Short link

What about the person who usually does the storytelling anually on Shotover?
It's a council-run thing, and he's very good.  Don't know the name though -
someone in the Council must.
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Frank Cummings
  To: Oxford - Headington & Marston Neighbourhood Forum
  Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2008 9:00 PM
  Subject: [HMNF] Headington Christmas Experience


  SOS.

  We have been let down by our children's story teller and would ask if anyone
could take this on.

  The venue would be Charles Lawson Estate Agent's on Saturday 29th Nov. at a
time to suit.
  (We would suggest an hour in the morning say 11am and if poss an hour in the
afternoon say 2pm.)

  Is there a person or persons on the forum - or know of someone - who could
help?

  Please contact:  Jill Cummings. Telephone  07765505444


  Frank Cummings
  Headington, Oxford
  Info about Frank Cummings: http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/frankcummings

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6:55 PM

Refuse and recycling containers From: David Clover Date: Nov 21 13:12 UTC Short link

I don't want another wheelie bin, in fact I can manage fine without one
altogether just using the existing plastic boxes... They are unsightly and
can easily block side passage fire escape routes. The whole town is now a
chaotic and undisciplined 'wheelie bin city'.

And green was quite the maddest colour to choose for the big landfill
wheelie bin - it makes it look to the uninstructed (especially the ephemeral
and rapidly changing student community) as though everything put in a green
wheelie bin is Recyclable - it even has the word 'Recycle' written on it
when that's exactly what it isn't for! Quite Daft. They should have been
supplied at least as grey or something neutral and with the word 'Landfill'
written on them.

But the streetscape is now irretrievably poisoned by these things - and this
proposal is potentially going to treble the problem. Perhaps on some
'Heritage' streets they will actually be banned by the County Council, along
with buses and bicycles - the High Street outside the Old Bank Hotel and All
Souls spring to mind.

I feel strongly that my Headington locality is 'My' heritage site too, and I
deeply resent the visual disamenity they cause when not properly put away
out of sight on 6 days of the week and it's about to get much worse... I
also believe that responsible householders who have very little landfill to
offer and know exactly which day each fortnight on which to put their waste
tidily on the pavement, can manage perfectly well by using the purple
landfill bags, thus reducing the non-collection-day street clutter
substantially.

David Clover
    

-----Original Message-----
From: nicholas fell [mailto:<email obscured>]
Sent: 21 November 2008 12:24
To: Oxford - Headington & Marston Neighbourhood Forum
Subject: Re: [HMNF] Refuse and recycling containers

What are people's feelings about being given yet another Wheelie bin?, this
time a brown one, for food waste, which is also to be emptied once a
fortnight according to the Council.  Does anyone think that this might be a
problem for them?  I also understand that Garden waste is to be put in the
brown bin along with food waste, and that the green bags are going to be
phased out of use.
Any complaints please phone John Tanner at the City Council.


nicholas fell
Royal Borough of Headington, City of Oxford Info about nicholas fell:
http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/nicholasfell

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Refuse and recycling containers From: nicholas fell Date: Nov 21 12:22 UTC Short link

What are people's feelings about being given yet another Wheelie bin?, this
time a brown one, for food waste, which is also to be emptied once a fortnight
according to the Council.  Does anyone think that this might be a problem for
them?  I also understand that Garden waste is to be put in the brown bin along
with food waste, and that the green bags are going to be phased out of use.
Any complaints please phone John Tanner at the City Council.