Your guide for your
Witney, Carterton and villages Thursday, March 15 - Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Military honour for regiment at Blenheim
GROUP
Weekly leisure guide for in and around Oxford
Out& About
around Oxfordsh
ire
Sharing the passion of Mi Flamenco
Ester Tal brings her dance spec tacu lar to Oxfordshire
oxfordshireguardian.co.uk
College among best in country for apprentices
Page 10
leisure time in &
Whole Lott of grea lined up for Corn t acts bury
Free
Win! Golf for 5
and pizzas at Gravitee Page 18
Page 15
Play park campaigners push for funding after ‘great start’ By Owen Hughes CAMPAIGNERS raising money for a community play area in Witney are asking residents to help them cross the final fundraising hurdle. Madley Park Residents’ Association is nearing the halfway mark of its total project-funding target of £132,000 to transform Cedar Drive playground into an area suitable for children and young people. Plans for the revamped inclusive play area would also feature a skate area and a multi-use games area for ball games. Chairman of the residents’ association David Bates said: “The project aims to have all of the funding in place by the end of November and I think we’ve got off to a great start. “We are doing a whole range of things to raise funds, with lots of locals involved and various funding activities. “A lot of people are putting in a lot of hard work and we are keen to get it sorted now that we have agreements in place with the council.” The association recently chose outdoor playground designers Sutcliffe Play as its play area provider following a tendering process organised in conjunction with West Oxfordshire District Council. Mr Bates said there is “an urgent need for the play area” based on data provided by WODC to the residents’
association. The number of children under 15 years old in Madley Park makes up 29 per cent of the area’s population. This figure is significantly above the national average of less than 20 per cent of the UK population fitting in the same age bracket. Additionally, the number of children aged under-14 in West Oxfordshire is forecast to grow by eight per cent in the next 10 years. The council has agreed to provide a grant of around £30,000 to support the project, “conditional on a number of variables”, including that the association raises the remaining funds. Mr Bates added: “We don’t get the grant money until we get the rest of the funds for the project. “We’re in the final straight and approaching fundraisers and businesses to get involved and sponsor an item of equipment in the play area.” One generous donor in the area contributed £100 from their own pocket, which Mr Bates said shows that “people here, they do care about what happens”. Around 20 mums and dads from Madley Park are already in training for the Monster Race fundraiser, a mud and obstacle course around Cornbury Park, which will take place at the end of April. To donate to the project via JusGiving visit http://bit.ly/2FS7XnQ
The Year 8 and 9 students from Wood Green School came runners up at the regional mock trials competition overseen by Jane Cranston, High Sheriff of Oxfordshire
Pupils guilty of good performance in mock trial TALENTED pupils from Wood Green School in Witney celebrated coming runners up in this year’s Mock Trials County Final on Saturday. The annual competition is open to 12-14 year olds from Years 8 and 9 from non-fee paying
schools around the country and involves more than 4,000 students across the country. Students get a hands on experience of courtroom life, taking on various roles in a trial and try a case against another school. Real life magistrates, legal
advisers, court staff and other legal professionals also took part in the mock trial at Oxford Magistrates’ Court. The pupils will now move on to the regional heats in May, with the winner of progressing to the national final in June.
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