Archive for category: News

A note from Oxfordshire County Council:

“On Thursday 13th November we are running a Humanitarian Assistance Centre (HAC) exercise at Kings Centre, Osney Mead, Oxford,OX2 0ES from 10:00-14:30. There is free parking, or it is a short walk from train station or city centre. We will be providing drinks and refreshments.

We need to exercise our plan to ensure that we are prepared should we need to activate it and train those who would respond. A HAC is the centre that is set up 24/48 hours after an incident to support those affected to contact their insurance company, access accommodation (after first emergency night in a hotel), replace items such as walking frames, train passes, bus passes. Those affected may have lost everything or simply their wallet or mobile phone.

We need people to play the evacuees and attend the centre for an hour or for the whole session. You will be given a role card and be asked to come into the centre and be looked after and hopefully have your problems on your role card resolved. We want people of all ages, so you are welcome to bring a parent, a partner, friends, children. Those attending all day will be given lunch.

If you are able to help please respond to with any useful information such as languages spoken, if you use mobility equipment, age range, dietary requirements etc so that we can make the exercise as realistic as possible and include what times you can attend for on the day.

The only way for us to be fully prepared is to train and exercise and we would really appreciate your support to make this exercise a success.”

Residents who have purchased a permit for the district council brown bin garden waste collection service can have extra garden waste collected for free, on their normal scheduled collection day only, between 27 October and 7 November.

Permit holders can put out a maximum of four additional sacks of garden waste, per brown bin subscription, next to their brown bin.

To be eligible for a collection, please follow this guidance:

Only present natural garden waste, such as cut grass, plants or small branches.

Please use standard sized (60L) black refuse-style sacks or boxes / containers which combined total no more than a standard bin full.

Please DO NOT use bags larger than 60L (including one tonne builders’ type waste bags) – crews will not collect any garden waste from these, as they are too heavy to lift and empty into the vehicle.

Bags and containers must be left open so crews can easily empty them into the rear of the vehicle and be able to check there are not contaminants.

More information about garden waste collections, including how to buy a permit, can be found on the South Oxfordshire garden waste page here.

From Wednesday 29 October there will be a temporary congestion charge on six roads in Oxford.

Cars with permits and all other vehicles can pass through the charge locations for free. If you don’t have a permit you will need to pay £5 per day to drive a car through the six congestion charge locations.

Permits are available for local residents, blue badge holders, community health and care workers, mobile traders and many other groups including Oxfordshire residents.

You can apply for and manage your permit online. Register for a free online account, select the permit you are applying for and upload the required documents. If you’re unable to apply online, you can apply by phone – 01865 519800.

More detail is here.

From theatre shows and craft workshops to outdoor adventure challenges and family fun days – there’s something for everyone this October half-term.

Families across South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse can look forward to a week of free and low-cost activities from 25 October to 1 November.

They include:

Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 October – ‘Spot’s Birthday Party‘ at Cornerstone, Didcot – a lively show full of songs, dancing, party hats and a meet-and-greet with Spot after the performance.

Monday 27 October – take part and enjoy a variety of free activities at the Thame Leisure Centre Fun Day, run in partnership with Better Leisure.

Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 October – join the Xplorer navigation challenge. Explore a local park to find the markers, it’s educational and gives children a sense of adventure!

Thursday 30 October – come along to Cornerstone in Didcot to meet the cast of this year’s pantomime ‘Beauty and the Beast‘. At The Beacon in Wantage, young children can enjoy ‘Playtime with The Last Baguette Theatre Company‘, with free sessions as part of the Wantage Literary Festival, and also get hands-on and crafty at the Halloween Hand Puppet Workshop with local artist Eden Fay.

Saturday 1 November – illustrator Nick Sharratt’s Picture Book Drawalong wraps the week up at Cornerstone when children can learn to draw favourite characters from his books and discover new tips, games and techniques.

For more information, including details on how to reserve your place or book tickets, visit southandvale.gov.uk/holidayactivities.