Launton Lines Issue 267 January 2023

The Community Choir Christmas Concert in St Mary’s The Community Choir Christmas Concert in St Mary’s Church on Saturday 10 December raised £720 which was handed to St Mary’s for their funds. See page 19 for a report on the Advent programme at St Mary’s.

Top: The sopranos of the Choir and some members of the audience, taken from the organ loft Middle: Members of the audience listen to a reading by Nikki Fine Bottom: The bass line of the choir The front cover shows a Launton field during the great snow and freeze of December 2022. The combination of blue sky, streaks of white cloud, a low sun, and frozen snow creates a postcard winter landscape. Cover designed by Matt Hill. Photo by Ella Rayner

The Editor writes …

First of all, I have to apologise that this January issue is rather late in arriving through your doors: I have had a combination of sicknesses, and it is only now that my brain is operating close to normal.

This issue captures much of the Christmas-related activity in Launton. The centre page spread of Christmas Lights around the village has been put together by Matt Hill, my co-editor. Readers can enjoy trying to identify all the places. The front cover features a mid-December day after the snowfall, and shows how quickly the sun came out - but wasn’t it cold! Fortunately the Community Choir Christmas Concert (see page 2 for photos and a brief report) was before the arctic weather hit, and St Mary’s was comfortably warm.

On page 36 there is a delightful photo from Ella Rayner of the penguin topper to the post box on Station Road, and the penguins all look very comfortable in the snow.

On pages 12-13 the new Footpath Wardens outline their plans, and on pages 14-15 a report from the Parish Transport Representative urges us to use the No 17 Bus to Bicester and Aylesbury. There are also regular reports from village organisations, and advice on recycling Christmas trees on page 33.

Please support our advertisers: they need you as much as we need them.

Robert Cornford

Launton Village Support: Contact Details Group email: village.help@launton-pc.gov.uk PHONE Numbers: 9:30am to 5:00pm

07522 231 100 - Janice | 01869 247171 - Jane Olds (Launton Parish Council) 01869 241755 - Lesley | 07921 392 201 - Abi Dowman 01869 242685 - Nick Cherry Pharmacy Runner

Launton Lines

A monthly newsletter for Launton. Published around the first of each month by the Launton Community Communications Group © 2023 Launton Lines email: launtonlines@launton.org website: https://launton.org/launton-lines/ The Launton Lines Committee 2022-23 Chair: Jon Spinage | Editors: Robert Cornford, Matt Hill | Treasurer: Samantha Collin Associate Editor: Kathy Gilbert | Distribution: Shirley Johnson | Advertising: Jenni Walker Contact the Parish Council Council Clerk | Mrs Jane Olds Address | 13 Oak Close, Bicester, OX26 3XD email | clerk@launton-pc.gov.uk Phone | 01869 247171

To book the Parish Hall Contact: Joan Packer Phone: 07922 042 133 Parish Hall Committee: Christine Massey; Audrey Deeley; Lynne Harper; Joan Packer; Simon Turner; Robert Cornford

LIGHT UP A LIFE

Would you like to sponsor an evening’s floodlighting at St Mary’s Church in memory of a loved one, to give thanks for the birth of a child, or to celebrate a baptism, birthday, or wedding?

A minimum donation of £10 is suggested which can be Gift Aided.

Please contact Joan Packer on 01869 241694 by 20 January 2023 for entry in the February 2023 issue of Launton Lines.

January 1 | Remembering our loved ones, Kathleen Ayris, Pat Steeples, John Steeples, Edith Ayris, as we start the new year missing them.

Wishing all a Happy New Year 2023 from Mick, Sharon, Rob, Sam, Richard, Stephen, Danii, Emily, James, Jackson, William, and Ethan.

January 4 | In loving memory of Joan Foster [Mum], who touched so many lives in Launton.

My happy memories live on.

Lots of love always from Wendy Foster [daughter]. XXX January 9 | Sponsored by Maureen and Bob Roberts to celebrate the birthday of Bob’s aunt, Eileen Bennett, a family favourite.

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Launton Parish Council Meeting held on Thursday 1 December 2022 at 7:30pm in Launton Parish Hall Councillors present Mr Andrew Briant, Mr Ed Sanders (Vice Chairman), Mrs Lesley Thompson, Mr Simon Turner (Chairman), Mrs Jaqueline Webber Apologies Mrs Abigail Dowman, In attendance The Clerk, Mrs Jane Olds; Cllrs Angus Patrick and Gemma Coton; 5 members of the public Councillor Co-option There is still time to help the community by joining the Parish Council. If you are interested in putting yourself forward for co-option, please see the Becoming a Councillor page of the Parish Council website www.launtonpc.gov.uk/becoming-a-councillor/ or have a chat with one of the current Councillors, or come along to the next Council meeting.

East West Rail Mr Singh was not able to attend the meeting but sent a written report. The track was currently being laid which included over 3km completed in the last shift; an ongoing programme of snagging works was underway; and the compound reinstatement programme was on target.

The delivery of stone to Island Pond Wood has been completed.

The Grange Farm landowner also reported that some further work has been completed on the Public Right of Way, but it is yet to be opened.

If anyone has any queries, please get in contact directly at the EWR website publicinformation@ewralliance.co.uk or call the 24 hour helpline on 03457 11 41 41.

Reports from District and County Councillors The District Councillors reported that the Local Plan consultation scheduled to start in mid December has been delayed by a month and will now start in mid January; the Parish Council will consider it at a future meeting once all the documents have been received. CDC’s budget was currently being finalised.

Cllr Patrick also indicated that he would ask OCC whether the village could take part in a Low Traffic Neighbourhood scheme.

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No report had been received from Councillor Corkin (OCC).

Finance The Finance Report is available on the Parish Council website.

OCC Consultation OCC sent a consultation about their first proposal for pedal cycle measures over the Bicester Road railway bridge. For those interested, the plan is on the Parish Council website under ‘December’ at https://www.launtonpc.gov.uk/agenda-and-minutes/2022-2023-agenda-and-minutes/ The Council has sent in concerns about this first iteration of the OCC plan.

Boundary Commission for England The Boundary Commission for England has published a final consultation about the new parliamentary constituency boundaries. The Bicester area proposals are similar to the previous consultation which recommended creating a new constituency of Bicester and Woodstock and keeping Launton and the surrounding villages with Bicester; the earlier consultation had proposed separating the villages (and part of Kingsmere) from the town and putting them with the Henley constituency.

Planning All planning applications, which include the links to Cherwell’s Planning Portal, are put on the Parish Council website when they are received (www.launton-pc.gov.uk in the Agenda and Minutes section).

If any villager has concerns or comments about a planning application, they are welcome to come along to Parish Council meetings to bring them to the attention of the meeting. Villagers are also welcome to contact Councillors or the Clerk to make comments.

Guidance on how the Parish Council is able to respond is available on the Parish Council website: https://www.launton-pc.gov.uk/planningapplications Parish Hall The separate grants group has met and is looking at various sources of external funding. The Clerk has received a list of S106 funds which have already been received by CDC from developers. Once the tender process has been completed, the costs are known and the Council has approved a builder, it is hoped that the Council will be able to draw down some of the funds.

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Footpath outside Costcutter OCC has made a rudimentary repair to the footpath outside the shop. We hope it lasts for a while.

Traffic The temporary pedestrian crossing outside school was installed by the A41 developers and the position was agreed with OCC in accordance with the various highways regulations. The access ramps had created a natural ‘pinch point’ which did not allow vehicles to pass side by side; it had been hoped this would act as temporary traffic calming which many people have been asking for. The dropped kerbs for drives could not be used because that could impede the lawful access to private property.

Charbridge Lane The speed limit on Charbridge Lane would be changed from 50mph to 40mph following a consultation.

Medical Practices Relocation Alchester Medical Group (Victoria House Surgery and the Langford Medical Practice) and Montgomery House Surgery have received agreement to move to the new Bicester Health Hub in Graven Hill.

Agenda items and dates of the next meetings The next meeting will be on Thursday 5 January in the Parish Hall, starting at 7.30pm. If you’d like to chat with a Councillor, do come along after 7.15pm.

We are trying to reduce our printing and paper use, so if you would like hard copies of the agenda or any of the meeting papers, please let the Clerk know well before the meeting. The agenda and papers will be available to view via the data projector during the meeting.

Suggestions for agenda items for the 2 February meeting need to be with the Clerk by 19 January and items for the 2 March meeting by 16 February.

If you’re not signed up to our mailing list to receive news from the Parish Council, you can find a signup form at the bottom left hand menu of the Parish Council website at www.launton-pc.gov.uk/ The Parish Council would like to wish all villagers a very happy new year.

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The regular report from our Cherwell District Councillors for December 2022 We hope you all had a great Christmas break and are looking forward to all the possibilities that a new year brings. Welcome to 2023!

It is a short update from us this month, as December was largely a clean-up and prepare for 2023 at the District Council.

The Local Plan The delayed Local Plan is now available, with detail on housing needs, and will be considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in early January.

It is very long and detailed, and once that committee reports back, the CDC Executive will work further on it. The draft has been forwarded to Parish Councils, and more information on the Local Plan for Cherwell is available at https://www.cherwell.gov.uk/homepage/27/local-plans A41 Ploughley Road junction Roadworks and closures at the A41 Ploughley Road junction are apparently still on track to end by March. The two-way operation of the lights has eased some traffic pressures, but as work and schools open for the new year, the pressure will return. Unfortunately, one-way operation is again due until 3 February. Keep an eye on up to date information on closures and more details at https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/residents/roads-andtransport/roadworks/future-transport-projects/ploughley-road-a41-junction Full Council meeting - December 2022 A full council meeting was held on 19 December with a number of motions and questions being raised. The proposed Botley West Solar Farm was raised by me in a question to the Leader of CDC, Cllr Barry Wood. He appreciated this was timely, as several councillors have been receiving emails on the subject. I asked for an official CDC position to be published so we can respond to you better, and for a mechanism to capture public comments before it is available on the planning portal. Both were agreed to by Cllr Wood and we hope to give more detail on this as soon as possible.

You can find more information on the meeting, and see the exchange above 18 minutes into the webcast, on the CDC portal at https://cherwell.publici.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/731072 That’s it! Thank you for reading all the way to the bottom! If you have any comments or feedback, please do get in touch on 01869 717712 or via email at gemma.coton@cherwell-dc.gov.uk or angus.patrick@cherwell-dc.gov.uk.

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The Launton Watercolour Classes

The Watercolour Classes will re-start in the Parish Hall on 9 January after a two-week break.

The picture below is from a recent class. It is based on East Rudham and Rudham Mill near King’s Lynn in north Norfolk Classes meet at 2pm on Monday afternoons in the Parish Hall. The tutor is David Meeks.

The cost is £8 per session.

If you would like to join the classes, please email the following: Paul.Ebberson@gmail.com

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Launton Village Players Happy New Year to everyone!

LVP hopes you have had a lovely Christmas full of festive cheer and wish you a very healthy and happy 2023.

The LVP Pre-Christmas Rush LVP had a busy run up to Christmas. We sang carols at Launton Primary School Christmas Fair and performed an hour’s entertainment at the Hummingbird Centre’s Light the Light event, where Rudolph made a surprise visit! If you missed him then he will also be appearing in Hickory Dickory Dock! We then went and sang carols and fun Christmas songs at Launton Grange Residential Home and the residents all joined in with us and there was much festive cheer.

LVP rounded off Christmas events by carol singing around the village and we have sent £236.10 to the Alzheimer’s Society from that evening.

Thank you to all who gave so generously.

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LVP Pantomime 2023: Hickory Dickory Dock Now January has already begun, and our pantomime is getting closer. So there is still much to look forward to and if you want a couple of hours entertainment then Hickory Dickory Dock is just for you.

Tickets are on sale through TicketSource: www.ticketsource.co.uk/lvp.

You can also call on 07864 715708 for cash or cheque purchases, or for help buying online.

Performances will be in Cooper School Performance Hall in Bicester, and the times and prices are: Date Weds 15 Feb Thurs 16 Feb Fri 17 Feb Sat 18 Feb

Performance Times 7:30pm 10:30am 2:30pm 2:30pm 7:30pm 2:30pm 7:30pm

Adult (18+) £10 £12 £14 £14

Child £5 £6 £7 £7

Babes in arms Free Free Free Free

To help families with the cost of living crisis, this year we are offering a variety of Family Tickets - these will be listed on TicketSource and are available for all shows. See the back cover for the Panto poster.

Hickory Dickory Dock is full of magic and magical characters, including an appearance from Rudolph and Father Christmas, as well as an inept comedy duo who struggle with technology! As usual you can cheer on the heroes and boo the baddie, who really is enjoying himself far too much. Will good win over evil in the end? Do come along to make sure it does.

This is a family pantomime, and is suitable for all ages. Come and enjoy Bicester’s biggest and most magical panto, as well as helping to raise funds for our chosen charity, Nai’s House, which is based in Bicester and aims to give all children and young adults access to appropriate and empowering mental health support.

We look forward to seeing you and if you need any more information contact us on info@launtonvillageplayers.com The LVP team Launton Lines January 2023 | Page 11

Footpaths of Launton Parish

We have taken over the role of Parish Path Warden from John who volunteered for the role for years and did a great job - thanks to John.

We walk the footpaths of Launton regularly, so it seemed a sensible thing to fill the role, especially after all the upheaval and disruption with East West Rail around the village, some of which is yet to be completed. But we’re nearly there.

We have already done a few jobs, replaced way-marker signs, trimmed back vegetation and reported broken gates at the bottom of West End going under the railway bridge on footpath.

A map of public rights of way is on this website (but not entirely up-to-date) https://publicrightsofway.oxfordshire.gov.uk/standardmap.aspx You can report an issue by signing up and logging in to report. Things don’t happen fast, we reported the broken gates on 3.11.22 and it’s still awaiting processing, but it is worth the effort.

Generally, our footpaths are in good condition, most of the wooden bridges have been replaced or repaired and the stiles are gradually being replaced

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with metal gates. We have been in contact with EWR about a few issues and hopefully they will be resolved before the spring. We believe that the diverted footpaths have to be inspected and passed by OCC Footpaths before they can officially open, so that delays things too.

Not all paths habitually used by walkers are in fact public rights of way.

They may be “permissive paths” if the landowner has gone to the trouble of declaring them as such, or may just be where people have “always” walked.

In these cases, the landowner has no legal obligation to keep the path clear.

We have no responsibility for these paths. Creating a new public right of way requires an Act of Parliament, not a simple or speedy task.

If you see an issue, please report it on the website and please let us know too. You can contact us email lesley.thompson@launton-pc.gov.uk Please be patient, we will do our best and when we have walked all of the paths, we will print a map and make it available via the LPC website.

Lesley Thompson and Bob Roberts

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Red Rose 17 bus service TL;DR: Use it or, well… you know the saying Are you aware that our village is lucky enough to have an excellent, regular, reasonably-priced bus service that connects the village to two of our nearby towns (Bicester and Aylesbury), each of which has many facilities, transport connections and entertainment options? If, as a village, we don’t use it then we will, in time, lose it!

Do you know of the following locations along, and near to, the route?

Answers are on page 25:  A choice of 4 mainline railway stations from which London, Birmingham, and Oxford are a few of the destinations.1  A theatre to rival the West End, with a range of restaurants just outside.2  Two cinemas - an Odeon Luxe if you like a little luxury, and a Vue - so between the two you should be able to find the film you want to see.3  Buckinghamshire’s largest business park and innovation centre, home to 80+ companies and 600+ jobs.4  The National Trust 7th most popular property in the UK .5  Too many restaurants and pubs to mention where you can have a drink and not worry about driving over the limit, or the cost of a taxi home.  Other services such as schools, swimming pools, supermarkets, retail parks, industrial parks, a museum, car dealerships ... and much more

One of the village ‘hats’ I wear is as Parish Transport Representative (PTR) for Launton. I’m part of a wider group of PTRs for Oxfordshire who meet quarterly to represent and campaign for improvements on behalf of our parishes. From the conversations I listen to there, I feel lucky (amazed, actually) to have the service, both in regularity and options for connections, that we have in Launton, in comparison to most other parishes in the county. In some of those parishes, they didn’t use their services, so they lost them! Sadly, that is the prevailing picture throughout the UK now.

The number 17 bus route, run by Red Rose (the updated timetable was printed in full in Launton Lines in September but is available on the Red Rose website under Timetables), passes through the village 12 times in each direction (approximately hourly) for over 12 hours per day Mon-Fri and 11 times (hourly) on Saturdays. We should use it, or we will lose it!

Some will remember previous services such as the S5 extension to Launton Launton Lines January 2023 | Page 14

and the much less useful 28. There was even a schooldays route adjustment to the S5 to take schoolchildren to Cooper School. It didn’t get high enough usage to remain viable - we didn’t use them (enough) so we lost them! Langford Village used to have the 27 service into Bicester, it has now lost it too (just after the new shelters were installed…).

Our family have used the 17 daily since September 2021 and in over 230 return journeys it has let us down only four times (twice due to bad traffic, which is not really the bus company’s fault). It has also kept pretty good time throughout - even more so since the updated timetable in September 2022. Amazingly, given the traffic we’ve had through the village recently due to roadworks on the A41, it has been less than 5 minutes late on arrival in the morning for 93% of the time. Before the new service started, I successfully campaigned for the route to run via Launton (a possible alternative would have been via Langford/Graven Hill/Symmetry Park) we need to prove that we are using it, so we don’t lose it to those other areas of significant (and growing) populations.

On the subject of traffic, the old S5 used to take 1h10m to get into Oxford in the morning rush hour - you can now do this in just 41 minutes from Launton by using the 17 plus a traffic-free train from Bicester Village, 14 minutes of that time allows for the walk between bus and train. Or you could swap to the X5 instead of the train, removing the walk too, and still be in Oxford in under an hour, subject to traffic. Either way, we’d thank you for using it so that we don’t lose it!

If you’ve never used the 17 before, or not for a while, and need an excuse, what better reason than a new year’s resolution to try it? The route has around 4 years of funding in which to prove it is viable - it’s not just our village that needs to help make that happen, with fast-growing population areas along the route we should have some help. However, at the end of the funded period, all being well and with good passenger numbers, we will be able to say “We used it, and we kept it!”, and not feel like the many villages nearby who have lost their bus services, possibly for good.

Launton’s number 17 bus service: use it or lose it! (we may never get another one this good).

Jon Spinage Launton Lines January 2023 | Page 15

Launton Over 60s Club: a report for December 2022 I think I tempted fate in my last report by saying what a lovely sunny day it was and as warm as mid-summer! Well, since then, we have had a bit more sun but it has been below freezing. The frost in the mornings is very pretty provided you don’t have to go out. I well remember the days of car scraping before setting off for work. And now we have got snow! Hope it doesn’t last too long and we will soon be feeling warmer again.

We have been enjoying our meetings still and on 9 November the jackpot was won again. This time by Joyce from Arncott. It had only amounted to £5.30 this time - but better than nothing!

Our autumn lunch was lovely and the film that Bob Roberts showed to us was very interesting. A few of us, including Edwina and Shirley, were able to recognise some of the people from so long ago.

We had our Christmas party on 7 December with more good food.

Our thanks go to Ken at the Sports and Social Hall for opening the bar for us. We all had a large bag of Roses chocolates as an early Christmas present.

The following week, on 14 December, we went to The Littlebury Hotel for our Christmas lunch. They were very busy but the food was as good as usual and we all had an enjoyable time. Tickets were drawn for a large festive raffle, the prizes of which had been kindly donated by three Tesco shops, three Co-ops and Nixson at Costcutter. We would also like to thank John at Sidalls for his continued support.

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday 18 January 2023 at 1.45 pm at the Sports and Social Hall. Subs of £5 will be collected and we will be pleased to see any new members - they will be made very welcome.

The Committee send you all our good wishes for Christmas and the New Year ahead.

Pat Court | 01869 244900 Launton Lines January 2023 | Page 16

Poppy Day Collection in Launton We have heard from Chris Dalby, the Bicester Poppy Appeal Organiser, that Launton raised a total of £754.40 from house-to-house collection and through businesses.

If anyone wants to help in 2023 with the collection in the village, contact the village co-ordinator, Rebecca Sowler, by email at rebeccasowler@gmail.com The Bull Inn raised £1,050 for the Hummingbird Centre at the Christmas raffle, drawn by Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Many thanks to all who supported it by buying tickets and winning prizes.

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Advent News from St Mary’s December has seen a great deal of activity in the Church since, in addition to our normal Services, we have enjoyed several extra events in the lead up Christmas.

Early in the month we invited families to come to a Christingle Service which was held for the benefit of the Children’s Society. When the children had assembled their symbolic oranges, everyone joined together in a large circle while the candles were lit and we sang Away in a Manger.

[See photograph on page 21] A week later the public-spirited Community Choir treated us all to a lively Christmas Concert: the Church was suitably decorated and in the interval mulled wine and mince pies were served. [See photographs on the inside front cover, page 2]. Our huge thanks go to all the volunteers who worked so hard to make such a success of the evening and who donated all the proceeds to our Church.

The following week we anticipated Christmas with a Service of Lessons and Carols with a diverse choice of readings and carols which was greatly enjoyed.

Christmas Eve saw our traditional Crib Service which welcomed many families. The Service told the Christmas story through a series of news reports with the children helping to assemble the Nativity scene, leaving the Three Wise Men to arrive at Epiphany in early January. [See photographs on page 21] The Church was beautifully decorated with the first flowers in anticipation of Christmas. [See photograph on page 21] The month was closed with Communion services at Midnight on Christmas Eve and again on Christmas Morning.

As we prepare for the start of the New Year, we would like to wish everyone a wonderful 2023 from all at St Mary’s.

Celia Manderson Launton Lines January 2023 | Page 19

1 January

8 15 22 29

January January January January

News from St Mary’s Church Services in January 2023 Services 8.00am 11.00am 6.00pm 11.00am 11.00am 11.00am

BCP Holy Communion Epiphany Family Service - all welcome BCP Evensong Morning Prayer Holy Communion Holy Communion

Please check on the Facebook page for St Mary’s Church for the latest information or contact one of the Churchwardens at St Mary’s Joan Packer j.packer779@btinternet.com 01869 241694 Celia Manderson celiamanderson@aol.com 01869 571735

Note that The Community Cafe will reopen on Tuesday 10 January : All are welcome!

Simon Nash

Heating & Plumbing Services Installation - Maintenance - Servicing

Domestic Oil Natural Gas Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)

07483 864 571 Launton Lines January 2023 | Page 20

Advent events in St Mary’s Clockwise from top left: Christingle service from the organ loft Flowers on the font for Christmas The Three Wise Men wait to join the Nativity story at Epiphany The Crib Service on Christmas Eve

Tuesday to Friday 8am to 5pm | Saturday 8am to 3pm | Sunday 9am to 1pm | Closed Monday Tel 01869 252619 | 1 Station Road, Launton, OX26 5DS | info@thebluetexel.co.uk | www.thebluetexel.co.uk

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Cross-Country Running and Save the Children Fund at Launton School We have two items that we want to talk about.

The first is Cross-Country Running. We have been using the school track to practise for competitions and a few weeks ago a teacher came from another school to time us and some of us were selected to go to the Bicester School Cross-Country Competition to compete. Two of us were selected from this competition to go to the final individual competition at Sibford School. The year 3/4 boys team finished in 4th place overall and the year 5/6 boys team finished in 2nd place, so they were also selected!

We enjoyed competing and we are going to practise very hard so that we are ready to be selected for next year’s competitions. We need to keep challenging ourselves to improve on our personal record. We are going to encourage all the other children at our school to do ‘Launton Laps’ on the school track, so that even more Launton children can compete next year.

We are lucky that we have the track at school where we can practise all year round.

Last week we had our Christmas Jumper Day at school, and we brought money for the Save the Children Fund. We know that the fund helps children by providing medicine, food and education. This a good cause and we know that it is right to support it. We display how much money we have raised so that everyone can see how they have helped. You can see how much money we raised over the last few years on the board outside the school hall.

Chloe, Elliot, and Henry Year 5 Editor’s Note The Save the Children Fund is an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) established in the U.K. in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic opportunities, as well as providing emergency aid in natural disasters, war, and other conflicts. It was initially founded as a result of the poor conditions experienced by children after the end of WWI. Launton Lines January 2023 | Page 24

Red Rose 17 Bus Service - Quiz answers Here are the answers to the first five bullet points on page 14, in the article about the No 17 Bus route.

1 The stations are Bicester North, Bicester Village, Aylesbury and Aylesbury 2 3 4 5

Parkway, all run by Chiltern Railways The theatre is Aylesbury Waterside Theatre The cinemas are Odeon Luxe in Aylesbury, Vue Cinema in Bicester The business park and innovation centre is at Westcott Venture Park The popular National Trust property is Waddesdon Manor House and Gardens

A Vet’s Voice: Wildlife from afar

We were fortunate enough to spend a little time in Australia in November and were amazed, yet again, by the Australian wildlife which surrounded us.

We have lived in the UK for many years and love the culture, the climate and the nature which surrounds us. However, we can’t help but be drawn back to the wildlife which we grew up with.

Every trip back to my hometown involves an obligatory trip to a little coastal village called Durras. In my teenage years I remember going to this place to visit school friends and to enjoy the beautiful beaches and surf that lined the coast here.

When I revisit Durras, I still see the amazing beaches, but the sight of kangaroos grazing on the coastal grasslands is what really catches my eye.

The Eastern grey kangaroo is the smaller cousin of the Red Kangaroo which inhabits more inland areas of Australia. The Grey Kangaroo is smaller with males growing to 50-60 kg. They are born after a short gestation period of only 36 days and the immature joey makes its way through their mother’s fur into the pouch where it attaches to one of four teats to continue its development.

The pouch provides protection for the joey until it is strong enough to leave at about 9 months though it will continue to suckle until it is about 18 months old. The mother will become pregnant again whilst the joey is suckling but in times of drought, she may arrest the development of the embryo until conditions are better for the birth of the new joey. Female Launton Lines January 2023 | Page 25

kangaroos are also able to produce different types of milk to suit the newborn and more developed joeys who will both be suckling from different teats at the same time.

We travelled to another town called Narooma, a little further south than my hometown of Batemans Bay, where we walked along a board-walk on the river which leads towards the river mouth. There was a fish cleaning station for people to gut and fillet their catch and numerous animals had gathered around to take advantage of the easy meal on offer.

There were gulls, pelicans and stingrays waiting for an easy meal, but the most impressive was an Australian fur seal. He knew he was at the top of the food chain at this gathering and took advantage of his position. As the fisherman threw his leftovers into the water, the seal was the first to get it every time!

Australian fur seals feed on fish, octopus and squid. They tend to live in the Southern waters of Tasmania, Victoria and southern New South Wales.

They are most at home in the water but have the ability to raise themselves on their flippers and move around on land. They are agile swimmers and can dive to 200m to catch food.

They come ashore to breed, forming colonies producing one or occasionally two pups. They often mate again within 10 days of birth but can delay the development of the fertilised egg to ensure pups are born in the summer when survival is better and food is abundant. Sadly, the mortality rate of pups is high in the first two months of life especially when mothers are away at sea feeding.

It’s easy to think that this beautiful animal, who has become accustomed to fishermen and the cast-offs of their catch, are semi-tamed. But these are wild animals who remain dangerous to anyone who encroaches on their territory, especially in breeding season!

As the new year comes upon us, it remains a wonderful feeling to experience nature and wildlife from whatever continent you happen to be in. I wish you all a very happy and healthy new year and hope that you are able to enjoy the best of what nature brings to you, whether that be your pet or the wildlife around you.

Enjoy your pets Jason Williams | Bicester Vets Launton Lines January 2023 | Page 26

A kangaroo with a joey in the pouch

An australian fur seal

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Launton Lines December 2022 | Page 27

Going Coppicing in December

The training group with the trainers (third from the left, and far right) On 6 December a group of tree enthusiasts set off for a day’s training in coppicing, organised by BBOWT (Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust). The three from Launton (Ed Hamill, Mick Jennion, and Robert Cornford) were put forward by the Friends of Island Pond Wood where all have volunteered for working parties.

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Launton Lines January 2023 | Page 28

The training was held at Rushbeds Wood, between Brill and Wootton Underwood, but the initial meet-up was at Meadow Farm Nature Reserve just outside Blackthorn on the Thame Road.

It was a cold morning (but not as cold as a week later) and sunny. The Meadow Farm meeting room was warm with a blazing woodburner stove, but it was only used by the group for about 10 minutes before we set off into the cold morning.

Rushbeds Wood is alongside the main line Chiltern line to Marylebone, but once we were in the depths of the woodland we weren’t aware on the trains.

Led by Veritie Turner, the BBOWT Community Wildlife Officer for Banbury and Bicester, the group of eight trainees and two trainers set off into the woodland. Most of the trees in Rushbeds Wood were felled in the late 1940s, and only a handful of mature oaks remain. Today's 'wildwood' is a mixture of ash, field maple, aspen, hazel and oak along with blackthorn, hawthorn, spindle and a few old hornbeams. Underfoot, the woodland is damp and tussocky with a wide variety of mosses, sedges, grasses and rushes.

We started with an introduction to coppicing - a woodland management system that has been in use for over 3,000 years. It produces an endless supply of wood - from a variety of trees including hazel, ash, elder, oak, wych-elm, lime, and hornbeam. In the past the wood poles  Continued on pages 30-31

Grange Mews News October 2022

Commercial Offices, Industrial Units and Storage for Lease

A Happy and Prosperous New Year to All Having said that, it does look like being quite difficult.

However, we do have a new tenant in The Granary.

And we welcome Mark Foster to Grange Mews. I am sure his skills will improve on the quality of the tenant who has vacated.

We are sorry to lose All People who have been here nine years.

Peter has been a photographer for 22 years and has now taken up a calling (which he has done part time for many years) as an almoner at Stoke Mandeville. Such a worthwhile new career will be for the benefit of so many people. We wish him well.

This takes us onto needing a new tenant for February in about 700 sq. ft of recently refurbished offices in a Victorian setting. email to pacox@grangemews.co.uk We let offices and industrial space and can be found at pacox@grangemews.co.uk and our website www.grangemews.co.uk Phone 01869 252846 or 07711 778 230

were used for making hurdles and fences, for furniture and building, for tools, for making charcoal used in metal smelting and as a domestic fuel, and - of course - for firewood. Today it is more often used for woodland management, to open up woodland areas for light and shade, and to create healthy woods.

Coppicing involves cutting down a tree to close to ground level, and letting the stump send up new shoots and becomes a stool from which successive crops of poles can be cut for ever. This doesn’t work for pine or fir trees which die when cut down, and other trees (aspen, cherry and most elms) sucker so the stump dies but the root system remains alive and throws up successive crops of poles in a patch of genetically identical trees. Pollarding is a similar system of management, but involves cutting at between 2 and 4.5 metres off the ground which leaves a permanent trunk, and a crop of shoots that grow into poles: around here it is most often used on willows.

After the talk we were issued with our tools (a pruning saw and a bow saw if it was needed, and a bill hook). We mainly used the pruning saws - and steered clear of the bill hooks as you needed to use them without gloves, and it was quite cold even in the sunshine. We were all given an area to work on - a few very overgrown hazels - and told not to work under any of the big, old ash trees in the woodland as there is Ash Dieback in the area, and infected trees can suddenly shed branches.

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The specialists reckoned that the area we were working in had seen no human activity for at least 40 years - so there were some fallen trees, some very long and whippy growths, and a lot of rotting wood underfoot. The work meant cutting down all the growth from each stump or stool, cutting from the underside to make an angled cut that would shed water. When finished, a stump should look like a dome.

The group was working in an untouched part of the woodland, to create a clear space of coppiced stumps (a coupe) that would then be fenced off to protect the shoots from predators like deer, rabbits, and grey squirrels. The brash off-cuts from the coppicing was used to create informal hedges, and longer (2.5m) and straighter poles were put aside to make posts for deer fencing later Two hours of work, then a packed lunch and drinks, then two more hours coppicing and it was beginning to get dark, and we cleared up and made our way home. We were told that next morning we would be aware that we’d done some unusual exercise - and this was true: shoulders and arms and thighs all knew that we’d engaged in some serious physical activity.

Now, we can't wait to get to work coppicing in the Island Pond Wood.

Robert Cornford

Launton Lines January 2023 | Page 31

100 YEARS AGO: from The Bicester Advertiser for 19 January 1923 FOOTBALL. Jersey Cup. Launton 3, Fritwell 1. Launton was at home to Fritwell in a Jersey Cup fixture on Saturday, when play was of an uninteresting character.

Launton won the toss and within minutes Simons scored from a centre

by Marriott. Launton continually pressed and forced several corners, all of which proved fruitless. Fritwell equalised after 35 minutes of play, through their inside right, and the scores were level at half time.

After the interval Launton continued to press and Fritwell conceded several more corners with the same result. C Jeacock scored the second goal for Launton from a pass from the right wing, and shortly afterwards added a third. In the latter stages of the game C Jeacock went back and Carter took up the centre forward position, but the change did not affect the scoring.

In the early stages of the game Launton was inclined to treat their opponents too lightly and although Fritwell never looked winners and lacked combination, they were good spoilers.

150 Years Ago, from The Bicester Herald 10 January 1893 A WORKING MEN’S INSTITUTE AT LAUNTON IN FORMATION. Messrs CR Kilby and J Baker are exerting themselves to carry out the desirable object. The reading-room is to be opened on Saturday next. Only a trifling amount per quarter will be required of members. For the purposes of the institute, two rooms are to be used in the house late in the occupation of Mrs Coggins opposite the chapel.

17 January 1893 Launton Institute has from fifty to sixty members. The reading room is open till nine at night. The pro tem committee consists of Messrs W Foster, G Ancil, T Bloxham and J Hazell. The subscription is only 3d per quarter.

Launton Lines January 2023 | Page 32

24 January 1893 A CONCERT AT LAUNTON, in aid of the Launton Working Men’s Institute, is announced to be held in the National Schoolroom on Monday evening next, January 27. Mrs Blomfield, FJ Staples Browne Esq, Mr J Hunt, Mr Foster, Mr Newton, Mr Lawson and the members of the church choir are in the list of performers.

31 January 1893 CONCERT AT LAUNTON. On Monday evening last, January 27, a concert was given by the Church Choir, and other friends, in the National School-room, Launton, on behalf of the funds of the recently opened Working Men’s Institute. The rooms were crowded. FJ StaplesBrown Esq, who was announced to sing, was unable to attend through illness. Mr G Castle of Bicester, and Mr Lawson of Oxford, gave duets on the piano and flute in the place of Mr Browne’s songs .

Editor’s Note: There follows a complete list of the programme. This was the start of providing the (men) of the village with an alternative way to spend their limited leisure, as opposed to the public houses. The cottage used for this purpose no longer exists. More suitable premises were built 25 years later at the corner of West End and Blackthorn Road, but were demolished after WW1.

Recycling Christmas Trees

From 10-20 January you can make the postChristmas clear-up a bit easier by leaving your real trees out for collection by the bin men.

Put them out by 7am alongside your blue bin, on the day you normally have your recycling collected (in most of Launton that’s Tuesday mornings).

If you had an especially big tree, please cut it into pieces four feet tall or smaller. We'll be collecting from 10 to 20 January inclusive and a subscription to the brown bin garden waste service is not required.

Your trees will be taken to an in-vessel composting site at Ardley where they’ll be composted at high temperatures before being redistributed to farmers as compost.

For more information see www.cherwell.gov.uk/ChristmasTrees Launton Lines January 2023 | Page 33

Launton WI Meeting - Thursday 8 December 2022 The final meeting of 2022 was the annual Christmas party.

On a very cold Thursday evening the members and visitors got together to celebrate the end of a successful year for Launton WI, with many interesting speakers and outings.

The tables were beautifully decorated with lights, crackers and sweets for everyone. The members all brought food, creating a terrific spread. The highlight of the evening was a visit from Father Christmas who brought home made mince pies and gifts for everyone, with a tiny bit of help from Secret Santa.

After a tricky period, post Covid, it was really good to be able to reflect back on a more normal year, with a vote of thanks to the committee for all of their hard work and making all the meetings interesting and a lot of fun.

We look forward to many more happy meetings and outings next year.

New members are most welcome: we meet on the second Thursday of each month in the Parish Hall at 7.30 pm. The next meeting will be on 12 January where the speaker will be Pam Newall on Alpine Rambles and a Meeting with Mozart: the competition will be “Something Austrian”.

Theresa Meacock

Join Launton Parish Council - Make a Difference!

Would you like to be involved in the decision-making for the village?

The Parish Council currently has a vacancy for the co-option of a Councillor.

If you are interested and want to find out more, speak to one of the Councillors, contact the Clerk, or come along to the next Parish Council meetings on Thursday, 5 January and Thursday 2 February in the Parish Hall.

No experience is necessary and training is available.

The Parish Council intends to consider applications at all meetings until the post is filled Any person wishing to serve as a Councillor should complete the application form available on the Parish Council website at www.launton-pc.gov.uk/becoming-a-councillor/ and return it to the Clerk at clerk@launton-pc.gov.uk There are various requirements to qualify as a Parish Councillor. Contact the clerk for full details.

Launton Lines January 2023 | Page 34

An EWR ballast train appearing from the early December mist

Launton Lines January 2023 | Page 35

Photo by Ella Rayner

The Post Box topper on Station Road: the penguins feel at home

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Launton Historical Society report for January 2023 In November we welcomed back Alastair Lack, who spoke to us last year about Literary Oxford. This time, we heard about the Oxford of Inspector Morse (including Endeavour and Lewis) and Alastair was clearly a fan of the singular, real ale, whisky and crossword liking Inspector and his chalk and cheese sidekick Lewis.

Colin Dexter, the Morse author, read classics at Cambridge, became a teacher and retired early - hence the thirteen books. Colin came to Oxford to work for an exam syndicate and in the mid 1970s produced the first book - Last Bus to Woodstock. All the books were great page turners and apparently the stories picked up on real life incidents in Oxford’s life.

Of course the books became a TV series. Colin didn’t write the scripts but he always read them to make sure there weren’t any mistakes. John Thaw, who played Morse, was known to be a difficult but gifted man, an accomplished theatre actor. He died of cancer 18 months after the last Morse. Kevin Whately was in Auf Wiedersehen Pet before joining Morse and he was the ideal sidekick (though in the books he was a lot older). We learnt that his daughter Kitty is a very good singer - Alastair knows a lot of people in the literary and theatrical world and we get interesting snippets of information.

Another star of the show was the red Jaguar car - very difficult to start and stop. It was sold to a charity and raised £20k in a raffle, though bits kept falling off. It appears in the motor museum at Beaulieu - but it’s a copy. In the books, Morse’s car is a black Lancia.

Other stars were the Oxford colleges - a half to a third of the colleges were used as locations. Some opted out because they didn’t want the hassle of a film crew. A college middleman was appointed, with links to Brasenose - and that college featured in 10 of the 33 episodes. There were also quite a few locations in Hertfordshire and Middlesex overnight allowances were hefty and producers wanted locations close to London. And, incidentally, there was a very brief visit to the old bus station in Bicester in one episode.

Launton Lines January 2023 | Page 37

Pubs featured, including the Bear, the Trout, the Victoria Arms at Marston and of course the Randolph Hotel where there’s the Morse bar. We heard that John Thaw liked the Oxford pub visits, and that he liked to get away from the public.

Alastair shares John Thaw’s view of the best episode - The Wench is Dead, about an historic murder on the canal in Jericho. In this, Morse is in the John Radcliffe after a heart attack and looks at information about an old murder, a miscarriage of justice. It’s the only episode which wasn’t contemporary, and Lewis isn’t in it because Kevin was making a film in Australia.

The episodes were classy numbers, said Alastair. No-one refused to be in them, so there were many guest stars. And the books’ author appears in almost all episodes in a walk-on part. The first and last episodes had 13 million viewers each. There was good acting, good scriptwriting, beautiful buildings ... and murder.

We look forward to Alastair joining us again, with his nuggets of info about Oxford life. We’ve also just had a splendid evening of Mediaeval Christmas - thank you Carol McGrath. More of that in the next Launton Lines when we will also list next year’s programme.

All are welcome when we meet in the Parish Hall at 7.30pm on the last Thursday of the month, kicking off 2023 on 26 January with Poverty, Pestilence and Public Health in Victorian Britain. That should cheer us up.

Gwen Skinner

Friends of Launton Parish Hall General Meeting

A General Meeting of FoLPH will be held in the Parish Hall on Thursday 19 January at 7.30pm. All are welcome to attend.

It will include a report on progress with the Hall project, a financial report, an update on gift aid registration, establishing FoLPH email accounts, and forward plans for events including a possible Quiz in the Tythe Barn and a MayDay Fair at the Hall.

All people with an interest in the village are invited to come along and contribute ideas to the developing plans.

Launton Lines January 2023 | Page 38

Memories of an ex-Launton Boy

This month the ex-Launton Boy starts with an account of his Christmas 2022, followed by a short rant on the Americanisation of our culture. Then he moves on to remembering how people kept warm and cooked in the old days and is worried that today we are not as active as in the past (generating our own heating through exercise).

He then asks about community activities that offer warm spaces.

Well, a great big Happy New Year to everyone in Launton and the hope is that you all had a jolly Merry Christmas with not too much of a sore head.

Christmas for me and Julie this year (2022) was very quiet as we spent it with just the two of us, not having to worry about or cater for anyone else. Such a peaceful change and we actually sat down together watching very little television but instead having the radio on in the background whilst together we completed a number of jigsaw puzzles we’ve had for years but never attempted to complete.

Despite all that snow we had recently, four inches plus down here, we still did not have a white Christmas. I cannot remember the last time that we did, despite repeatedly hearing Bing Crosby in almost every shop we entered leading up to Christmas.

I cannot believe the number of shootings and killings we’ve heard reported in the UK during the Christmas period. What is the matter with people? What is the matter with this country of ours? This profusion in gun crime is something we always associated with the USA. I know an awful lot of Americanisation’s have crept into the UK since WWII (more’s the pity) including the growing demolition of our own beautiful language, but gun crime and perpetrated against purely innocent victims in the wrong place at the wrong time is quite intolerable. Peace and Good Will and all that!

So, how is Launton coping with the surge in energy costs these days? No natural gas in the village (and I cannot but help wonder why on earth that has not changed by now) leaving you with a choice of either: electricity, (rurally unreliable), oil, coal/anthracite, or wood, and possibly Calor or some other manufactured gas, all of which is expensive on the pocket and/or to the environment.

How different things were when I was a lad growing up in Launton and how tougher and hardier we were as a consequence.

Launton Lines January 2023 | Page 39

Back then there was next to no such thing as cavity wall insulation in the village and relatively little roof/loft insulation. Very few households had carpets on the floor, far too expensive and according to some, rather pretentious, especially to those who had only linoleum on the downstairs floors and a bedside mat on bare floorboards upstairs. And as far as double-glazing was concerned, that for the most part was some off-beat idea used in places like Scandinavia.

Back then (1950’s / 60’s) generally speaking people in the village had open coal fires, or in our case, a black cooking range in the living room, a small open fireplace (never used because we couldn’t afford the fuel) in the kitchen, alongside which was a copper in the corner with an open grate beneath for lighting a fire under to boil the water with which to do the weekly laundry, always on Mondays, and there was another small open fireplace, rarely used due to cost of fuel, in the main bedroom.

I’ve stated this one before, but I’ll state it again, in that during the winters we would wake up in the morning to find heavily crusted frost patterns on the inside of the bedroom windows. For warmth at night we would throw army surplus blankets and coats on the top of the bed.

During daytime, dad would be slogging at work once he sufficiently recovered from his long TB illness and mum would be very active doing housework (the whole village as it was back then, knew my mother to be extremely house-proud). We kids would sometimes be sat in our overcoats at school until the round coke stove had warmed up enough to take the chill off the classroom air and melt the crates of school milk where the milk had frozen and expanded above the tops of the bottles. At playtime we would run around outside in short trousers both in fun and to keep warm. At home, after school, we had a little cylindrical Blue Aladdin paraffin heater on the kitchen floor to both keep the chill off the air until it was time to light up the fire in the living room. But we didn’t waste the heat of the Blue Aladdin, such as it was, as a kettle of water would be plonked on the top to eventually boil and make a pot of tea.

As I said, our main fuel was coal with a few logs (sometimes cut up railway sleepers) thrown in from time to time. My Uncle Bernard, who lived with us at the time, was able to secure some wood from the farm from time to Launton Lines January 2023 | Page 40

time on which he worked. With money being so tight back then, I can remember mum’s instruction to the coalman, “Two bags and one bag of slack please”. The ‘slack’ was very poor quality and more like coal chippings than actual lumps of coal and significantly cheaper and was used mainly to ‘bank-up’ the fire to keep it in overnight.

The question is what to do now with the cost of the fuel crisis, even with what government aid might be available to some, though not all? Today’s generations have grown up with wall-to-wall fitted carpets, double-glazing, cavity wall insulation, loft insulation and central heating from whatever fuel-source. As a consequence they have lost, if they ever had, the hardiness of mine and previous generations.

Children come home from school and if not doing their homework are sat in isolation (from choice) in their respective bedrooms playing videogames or texting or conducting some other activity that requires very little physical input and so they don’t generate body heat, relying instead on the central heating being set at nigh-on boiling point. That’ll cost mum and dad!

Is that the same in Launton, I ask, or do you have local extra-curricular activities for the young to physically put some energy into and do you have a centralised and well-utilised daily social-gathering point that the senior members of the village can attend during the daytime so as to reduce the need to keep their homes heated all day long, thereby keeping them fit and healthy, socially active and not having to choose between heating or eating? And perhaps younger generations of incomers to the village who are not in paid employment could volunteer to help run such facilities and thus become more actively involved in village life.

If this is already in place, then “Hats off to Launton”. Villages do not have to become imported suburbia’s after all. All for one and one for all is what makes the difference between real villages and towns and cities.

And with that, I once again wish you all a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

Keep healthy and Stay SAFE! Tony Jeacock | The ex-Launton Boy | January 2023 Launton Lines January 2023 | Page 41

Diary Dates: January 2023

In the current situation, it is difficult to be specific about village events. Listed are those we know are planned - but check with organisers nearer the date if you plan to attend.

JANUARY 2023 Sunday 1 St Mary's Church, Holy Communion (BCP), 8am; Family Service - Epiphany, 11am | Weekly Quiz at The Bull, 8pm Monday 2 Bank Holiday Tuesday 3 Rubbish Collection: recycling only - no garden bins Thursday 5 School reopens today | Parish Council Meeting, Public Session 7.15pm, Council Meeting 7.30pm, Parish Hall Sunday 8 St Mary's Church, BCP Evensong, 6pm | Weekly Quiz at The Bull, 8pm Monday 9 Watercolour Art Class restarts after the Christmas break, Parish Hall, 2pm4pm Tuesday 10 Rubbish Collection: garbage bin | Community Café, Parish Hall: 9am-11am; 2.30pm-4.30pm | Rock Chorus, Parish Hall, 7.30pm Thursday 12 WI Meeting: Pam Newall on Alpine Rambles and a meeting with Mozart, Parish Hall, 7.30pm Friday 13 SCOTS Meeting, The Bull, from 5.30pm Sunday 15 St Mary's Church, Morning Prayer, 11am | Weekly Quiz at The Bull, 8pm Monday 16 Watercolour Art Class, Parish Hall, 2pm-4pm Tuesday 17 Rubbish Collection: recycling and garden bins, and leave Christmas trees out with recycling (blue) bin | Community Café, Parish Hall: 9am-11am; 2.30pm-4.30pm | Rock Chorus, Parish Hall, 7.30pm Wednesday 18 FINAL DATE FOR COPY FOR THE FEBRUARY 2023 ISSUE OF LAUNTON LINES: SUBMIT TO launtonlines@launton.org | Over 60s Club Meeting, Sports and Social Hall, starts at 1.45pm, ends about 3.30pm Thursday 19 Friends of Launton Parish Hall (FoLPH) Open Meeting, Parish Hall, 7.30pm Sunday 22 St Mary's Church, Holy Communion, 11am | Weekly Quiz at The Bull, 8pm Monday 23 Watercolour Art Class, Parish Hall, 2pm-4pm Tuesday 24 Rubbish Collection: garbage bin | Community Café, Parish Hall: 9am11am; 2.30pm-4.30pm | Rock Chorus, Parish Hall, 7.30pm Thursday 26 Launton Historical Society, Dr Simon Wenham on Poverty, Pestilence and Public Health in Victorian Britain, Parish Hall, 7.30pm Sunday 29 St Mary's Church, Holy Communion, 11am | Weekly Quiz at The Bull, 8pm Tuesday 31 Rubbish Collection: recycling and garden bins | Community Café, Parish Hall: 9am-11am; 2.30pm-4.30pm | Rock Chorus, Parish Hall, 7.30pm

A month in the village

Santa and Max with Pally the pony and Chanel the Elf at the Craft Fair.

The remains of the pile of EWR ballast stones and the path-making machines - in the snow.

A different take on a Christmas Jumper.

The Island Pond after the very cold snap - ice and snow in sunshine Photos clockwise from top left: Jen Walker Ella Rayner Ella Rayner Ella Rayner Ian Jones

The newly-laid path on the south side of the woodland, after the snow Launton Lines January 2023 | Page 43

Launton Lines is the newsletter for Launton It is published monthly by the Launton Community Communications Group which also manages the Launton website www.launton.org and the Launton Village Facebook Page and Group www.facebook.com/launtonvillage Launton Lines is delivered free to every address in the village. It is funded by advertisers and Launton Parish Council.

Further print copies are available at £1.00 per copy from Shirley Johnson (01869 369269) Launton Lines is also available online from January 2020 on www.issuu.com © MMXXIII Launton Lines. We reserve the right to edit articles submitted for inclusion.

Neither the Committee nor the Editor is responsible for views expressed in readers’ contributions.