Didcot Diary

Issue 5 December 2012

Didcot Town Council Awards Evening

Christmas Street Fair

Hello and welcome to the last Didcot Diary of 2012, we hope you find it

interesting and informative. If you have any comments on the content or

suggestions for future issues please let us know, our contact details are on the

back cover.

It’s hard to believe that 2012 is almost over, and what a year it has been with

the fantastic Olympics and Paralympics; and of course the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

In this issue you will find a review of the awards evening, on pages 4 and 5, where we have the

opportunity to say thank you to some of the people who help make Didcot such a great place to

live. It was lovely to see so many of you there.

On page 6 there is a review of the Christmas Street Fair, once again it was a brilliant evening

of fun and entertainment. The Christmas lights were turned on for the street fair and they really

help set the festive mood.

With Christmas just a few weeks away now many of us are looking forward to spending some

time with our families and friends but not every one is so fortunate and for some people this

is a lonely time of year. One Didcot resident has taken action to prevent anyone spending

Christmas Day on their own by organising a Christmas Day lunch for people who would

otherwise be on their own, see page 8 for more details.

Please note that the Town Council Office and the Information Centre will be closed from 12

noon on Christmas Eve until 9am on Wednesday 2nd January 2013. We hope don’t need to

use these numbers but in the event of an emergency please contact the South Oxfordshire

District Council out of hours service on 01491 824033 or the non-emergency police number is

101.

Contents

Christmas opening times for Citizens Advice Centre

and Waste and Recycling Centres 3

Didcot Town Council Awards Evening 4 & 5

Didcot Christmas Street Fair 6

Advice from CAB 7

The Civic Ball 7

Free Christmas Lunch 8

Frequently asked Questions 9

University of the 3rd Age 10

What’s on at the Civic Hall 11

Finally, all the staff and members of Didcot

Town Council, wish you a very happy

Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous

New Year.

2

Waste recycling centres Christmas

& New year opening hours:

Christmas eve Christmas day

08:00 - 15:00 closed

Boxing day

closed

Thursday 27/12/12

to 08:00 - 17:00

Sunday 30/12/12

New years eve New years day

08:00 - 15:00 closed

Wednesday 02/01/13 onwards -

Normal opening hours apply, 8:00-17:00

The Citizens Advice Bureau is located in Dale, 9 – 15

High Street. During the Christmas and New break they will

be operating a drop in service (no appointment needed) at the following

times:

Monday 24th December: 10am – 1pm Tues 25th: closed

Wednesday 26th: closed Thursday 27th: 10am – 1pm

Friday 28th: 10am – 1pm Monday 31st December: closed

Tuesday 1st Jan: closed

Wednesday 2nd January: telephone service only 10am – 1pm

Normal opening times resume on Thursday 3rd January.

3

Didcot Town Council

and the Information

Centre

The Town Council office

and the Information

Centre will both be

closed from noon on

Christmas Eve to 9am

on 2nd January 2013.

In the event of an

emergency please call

South Oxfordshire

District Council out of

hours service on 01491

824033 or the non-

emergency police

number is 101.

Christmas and New Year Opening Hours

Every year an awards evening is organised where we say thank you to many of the

people who help make Didcot a great place to live.

The work carried out by the groups and individuals who have received a grant aid during

year is acknowledged, the prizes for the allotment competitions are awarded and the

evening culminates with the presentation of the John Eldridge award for voluntary service.

The recipient of the John Eldridge award is chosen from nominations made by the public

so if you know an unsung hero who you would like to receive recognition for their work why

not make a nomination next year.

This year’s awards evening took place on Wednesday 28th November and was hosted by the

Mayor, Councillor Mr Peter Read. The evening started with the presentation of the allotment

prizes. Pictured below are the winners of best kept plot from each of the allotment sites.

From left to right, are Mr Renmant of Wantage Road site, Mr Hey of Mereland Road site and

Mr Mason of Broadway site.

DIDCOT TOWN COUNCIL

AWARDS EVENING

4

Pictured left is Mr Mortimer

Cockcroft Road site and on

the right is Mr Barham of

the New Road site.

Mr Barham was also awarded

the prize for best overall

plot.

Mr Pocock from Cockcroft Road site was awarded the prize for best crops but he was

unable to attend the prize giving.

The standard of gardening on the allotments is exceptionally high and it was difficult to

pick the best plot on some sites, our congratulations go to all the winners.

The Mayor went on the mention all the groups who

have received grant aid during the year and to thank

them for all they do throughout the year.

Representatives from some of these groups are

pictured right.

The evening culminated in the presentation of the

John Eldridge award for voluntary service. Pictured below are some of this years

nominees with the Mayor. From left to right are Mrs Kathleen Griffiths, the Didcot Good

Neighbours Scheme and Vic Clinch.

The awards evening is held annually in November or

December and all Didcot residents are welcome to attend.

If you would like more information about the awards evening,

grant aid or the John Eldridge award, please look on our web

site, www.didcot.gov.uk or email council @didcot.gov.uk

or calll us on 01235 812637.

5

Pictured left are Marie Gadd and Sue Edmonds from the Alzheimer's

Society. They were jointly nominated with a colleague, Sue Archer, who

was unable to attend.

Other nominees who were unable to attend were David Rouane and

John Bailey and the Didcot Town Football Club committee.

The Mayor said:

“ There are huge number of people in Didcot who do a great job in helping

people in need. This is an opportunity to say thank you and give some recognition to them. In

my eyes they are all winners.”

He went on to announce the recipient of this years John Eldrige award as Doreen McNulty for

over 20 years work with Home-Start and her work with the Citizens Advice Bureau and the

Willow Pre-school. Mrs McNulty is pictured right receiving

the award from Mrs Jean Eldridge.

Didcot Christmas Street Fair

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The 19th annual Christmas Street Fair took place on Thursday 29th November. The Street

Fair is organised by the Didcot Chamber of Commerce and goes from strength to strength.

The theme of this years fair was vintage and the parade included many vintage vehicles as

well as being brought up to date with the inclusion of local residents who had been torch

bearers for the Olympics.

The fair was opened by the Mayor, Councillor Mr Peter Read,

who entered the spirit of the occasion by dressing as Dick

Whittington, without his cat. The Mayor , pictured right with a

Christmas butterfly, said that:

“it was a fabulous and exotic evening of fun and generosity”.

There was the usual mix of traditional entertainments such as the

big wheel and galloping horses, and the less traditional like Insania,

which appeared to be very popular with some braver residents .

There were also stalls and sideshows of all

kinds, many of which were raising funds for

local charities as well as adding to the fun of

the evening. Pictured below is the tombola

stall that was raising funds for the Mayor’s

Charities and was manned by representatives

from Restore, one of this years nominated

charities.

The weather was perfect being cold and crisp

with clear skies and not one drop of rain!

For those who felt cold or just in need of a treat there was

hot food of all kinds for sale; and smells from the food

stalls were all very tempting.

Many of the rides played festive tunes and three members

of the Enchanted Players were strolling carol singers

throughout the evening, adding their own touch to many

old favourites. The Enchanted Players will be performing

A Christmas Carol in the Civic Hall this month, see page 11

for more details.

All in all it was a most enjoyable evening that really got the

Christmas festivities started.

We have lived in our council house for 20 years

and this is where we brought up our family. I

heard something on the news about people living

in places that are too big for them. Now I’m really

worried as our daughter has just left home.

If you rent your home from the council or a housing association, and claim Housing

Benefit to help you pay your rent, your Housing Benefit may be cut from April next year

if you're of working age and your home is considered too large for you. This could be the

case if you have a spare bedroom, for example because your children have grown up and

left home.

Your Housing Benefit department will write to you before April 2013 if you're likely to lose

some of your Housing Benefit because of these new rules. They will ask you to confirm the

details they have about you, including who lives in your home and how many bedrooms

you have. It's important to get back to them.

It's also important to find out now if you'll be affected, so that you can work out how

you'll be able to pay your rent when the changes happen. You may need to think about

trying to make up the shortfall from other benefits or savings, or through trying to increase

your earnings by working extra hours. Check you’re not missing out on any extra help you

may be entitled to, ask any adult family members living with you to contribute more, or think

about taking in a lodger.

Your council may be able to help through its discretionary housing payment scheme,

for example if your home has been adapted or you’re a foster carer. They may also be

able to help if you are thinking about moving to a smaller home.

For more information about the changes and your options, contact the CAB on

08444 111 444 or go to the Citizens Advice website www.adviceguide.org.uk

Didcot Civic Ball

The 2013 Civic Ball will take place in the Civic Hall, on Friday 22nd March

2013, starting at 7pm.

Tickets cost just £35 each. The ticket includes a five course meal

and dancing to The Limitations.

For more information or to purchase a ticket please contact the

Information Centre in the Civic Hall, on council@didoct.gov.uk

or call 01235 812637

7

Free Christmas Day Lunch

For the past 7 years a local resident, Anna Gattrel, has organised a Free Christmas Day

Lunch for people who would otherwise be on their own on that day.

It started as quite a small event with just 12 attendees but word spread and numbers grew to

24 the following year and 42 last year.

The lunch is held in the Didcot Day Centre which is a perfect venue for all attendees,

especially those with some disabilities.

Anna has said that:

“For the fourth year running, I have a wonderful chef who gives up his day to do the cooking

and also a patient transport driver who also gives up her day to bring people to the Day Centre

and back home. The Day Centre Manager also gives up her day.”

The day starts around 12 with a full Christmas dinner with all

the trimmings . After lunch bingo is played, with prizes and tea

or coffee is available throughout the afternoon with biscuits and

chocolates. At the end of the afternoon everyone is given a small

hamper of goodies to take home.

The funds are raised through grant aid from Didcot Town Council and the generosity of local

businesses and the public.

The picture above was taken at last year’s Christmas lunch.

If you are a local person who

will be alone on Christmas

Day and would like to join in,

or if you would like to make a

donation or are available to

give lifts on the day, please

give Anna a call on

07789428795

8

In the Information Centre we have noticed

that some questions tend to get asked

more often than others. In this section we

aim to provide answers to some recurring

issues.

Q. What can I do with my old Christmas tree once all the festivities are over?

A. If you subscribe to the brown waste scheme you can put your tree out BY

THE SIDE of the brown bin, not in it. If you are not a subscriber the District Council will have

recycling facilities at a number of locations-watch this space.

Q. Now that the County Council are responsible for issuing bus passes, are we now entitled

to free rail travel?

A. Unfortunately not! Rail travel is not, and has never been, included. Once upon a time the

travel tokens could have been used in payment for a rail card but this option is no longer

available.

Q. Where is the Registry Office located-I know it is in Didcot but not at the Civic Hall!

A. The Registrars are on the first floor of the library, although the offices are not manned

full time. Appointments for births, deaths and marriages should be arranged via 0845

1295900 in the first instance-an appointment will then be made for the Didcot office.

9

Edmonds Park

Plans to refurbish the tennis courts at Edmonds

Park are progressing well and it is hoped that

work will commence early in 2013.

The University of the

Third Age comes to

Didcot

The first meeting of the Didcot & District University of the Third Age is being held on Tuesday

15 January 2013 at 2pm at Didcot Civic Hall

Didcot & District U3A is a learning cooperative of older people, which enables members to share

many educational, creative and leisure activities. Activities are organised mainly in small groups

that meet regularly. Members, through sharing their knowledge, skills and experience, learn

from each other.

Nobody has to stop learning just because they’ve stopped working. The University of the Third

Age is for people who want to keep active in mind and body and are no longer in full-time

employment.

There’s first age learning – at school, college, university; there’s second age learning – the skills

learnt at work and there’s third age learning, when people learn whatever they want. That’s

what happens in U3A.

Anyone in the Third Age can join Didcot and District U3A and this includes people who are

working part time. No qualifications are required, and none are given. There is no lower or

upper age limit for membership.

The Third Age is a time of creativity and fulfilment for older people. One in four of the UK

population is in the Third Age.

The aims of D&D U3A are

to encourage and enable older people in Didcot and District who are no longer in fulltime paid

employment to help each other to share their knowledge, skills, interests and experience.

to demonstrate the benefits and enjoyment to be gained and the new horizons to be discovered

in learning throughout life.

to celebrate the capabilities and potential of older people and their value to society.

to offer a combination of opportunities to study, create, socialise, and in general, develop a fitter

mind and body.

Didcot & District U3A is funded mainly by the subscriptions of its members. Its national

representative body is the Third Age Trust (Registered Charity No 288007). The U3A in the UK

was founded in 1982.

For further information contact:

Anne Hales, Chairperson D&D U3A on 01235 211291

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What’s on at the Civic Hall

11

Special Events in December

On Wednesday 12th the annual CAROL SERVICE

will take place, starting at 7pm. All are welcome to

attend so come along and join with the Didcot Choral

Society and local school choirs in singing some well

loved carols.

Refreshments will be available after the service and

a collection will be made for the Mayor’s charities,

Restore and the Alzheimer’s Society.

The Enchanted Players will be performing family

version of A Christmas Carol on Sunday 23rd

December at 10.30am and at 1.30pm. Tickets cost

£6 each and are available from the Enchanted Players

by calling 07950298720 or from the Information Centre.

For more information about events in the Civic Hall or

to enquire about booking a room for your event

please contact the Civic Hall Manager on 01235

512436 or email civichall@didcot.gov.uk.

Didcot Town Council

Councillors

Council and Committee meetings in January and February

2013

January

Planning and Development Committee 9th

Council 14th

Environment Committee 21st

Finance and General Purposes Committee 28th

Council (if required) 6pm 28th

February

Personnel and Administration 4th

Planning and Development 20th

Finance and General Purposes 25th

All meetings commence at 7.30pm and are held in the Civic Hall unless otherwise stated. The

Council operates a policy of public participation at meetings. For more information contact us:

Email: council@didcot.gov.uk or phone 01235 812637 or fax 01235 512837 or write to Didcot Town

Council, Civic Hall, Britwell Road, Didcot, Oxon, OX11 7HN or visit our website www.didcot.gov.uk..

Staff

Dominic Stapleton Town Clerk

Karen Dodd Deputy Town Clerk

Brenda Andrews Outdoor Services Manager

Sharon Hickman Finance and Administration

Sue Atkins Information Centre Manger

Paul Copley Grounds Supervisor

Steve Andrews Gardener

Richard Dowling Gardener

Justin Strong Gardener

John Jones Gatekeeper

Neressa Copley Pavilion Cleaner