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YOUR FREE DDDDEEEEAAAALLLLEEEERRRR OOOOFFFFFFFFEEEERRRRSSSS Thebestlocalused cardeals.Allinoneplace. Tryoursearchbybudgetfeatureat banburycake.co.uk/cars JANUARY12,2017 REACHING18,603READERSEACHWEEKINPRINTANDONLINE banburycake.co.uk 01865 425282 FAMILIEScanlookforward Pirates set to invade Town Hall toatreasureofashowthis weekasBanburyTown Hallturnsintoagigantic pirateship. Aboldnewadaptationof TreasureIslandby CherwellTheatreCompany willtakeaudiencesona swashbucklingadventure fromnowuntilSunday. Professionalactorswill bejoinedbytalented youngsterswhohave helpedtowriteand developthepantomime. DirectorTristanPatesaid: “Wewantedtocombine themagicofatraditional pantowithsomething new,inventiveand interactive.” Ticketsare£10and£8 concessions.Seecherwell theatrecompany.co.uk PicturedfromleftareElly Henshaw,OrlaDempsey- Clark,ElliottWarner-Drew, JessJackson,Abbie 2Constable0,EllaWilto0nand JOBS AT F1 SimonGrey. TEAM FACE AXE HannahSomerville andwehopethatastablesponsorcan [email protected] befoundagain. “ThefactthatBanburyhaslessthan onepercentof unemploymentmeans MORE than 200 jobs hang in the that if some are lost permanently we balanceaftertheManorFormula1 canhopefullysoftentheblow. teamcollapsedintoadministration “Banburybeingahubforthemotor- afterfailingtosecurefreshinvest- sport industries and hi-tech jobs, we ment. hopethatif asolutioncan’tbefound Theteam,whichisbasedinChalker thestaff canbededeployedinsimilar Wayontheoutskirtsof Banbury,isun- waysinandaroundtheBanburyarea.” likelytofeatureintheupcomingseason Formershowcarsfromthecollapsed afterStephenFitzpatrickcalledinad- F1 team Marussia’s factory in Over- ministratorFRPAdvisory. ManorF1Team’sRioHaryantoduring thorpeRoadweresoldoffatauctionfor Ithassaidthatwhilenoredundancies midseasontestingatSilverstoneCircuit, atotalof£106,000inDecember2014. havebeenmadeyetatthe212-employee Towcester.Picture:PressAssociation Theteam,firstknownasManorGrand firm,theongoingstaff positionis‘de- Prix,hadceasedtradinginNovember. pendent on whether new investment progress under its new ownership canbesecured’. sincethestartof2015. Staff at the Banbury factory were “Butthepositionremainsthatoper- toldonFridaymorningaboutthemove ating a F1 team requires significant which took place as result of parent ongoinginvestment. companyJustRacingServesLtdbeing “Duringrecentmonthsthemanage- putintoadministration. ment team has worked tirelessly to InOctober2014,theteamwassaved bring new investment to secure its from a similar fate after going into long-termfuture,butregrettablyhas administration in October, with Mr beenunabletodoso.” Fitzpatricksteppinginjustdaysbefore Banbury Town Council leader Ki- theseasonstarted. eronMallonsaid:“Thisisobviouslya Lastweek,Geoff Rowley,jointadmin- blowforthetown. istrator and partner at FRP Advisory, “Manorhasbeeninthispositionbe- said: “The team has made significant foreandsponsorshavecomeforward, PrintedandpublishedbyNewsquestOxfordshire,OsneyMead,OxfordOX20EJ, Tel:01865425362.NewspaperSalesDepartment01865425282.DirectDelivery08000284592. 2 BANBURYCAKE Thursday,January12,2017 banburycake.co.uk/news School absence rates soaring Educationchiefcouldbe BanburyAcademyhadthehighestabsence calledinafter202,000 rateinthecounty;right,regionalschools academicdaysaremissed commissionerMartinPost LukeSproule [email protected] ATOPeducationbosswiththe powertointerveneinunderper- formingschoolscouldbeasked tostepintofightabsencerates. BanburyAcademyhadthehigh- est persistent absence rate in Ox- theyweredoingtoaddresstheprob- fordshire as county secondary lem. The matter was also raised school pupils missed a combined withheadteachersandschoolgov- totalof 202,000daysintheautumn erningbodiesoverthesummer. and spring terms of the last aca- “We very much hope to see an demicyear–themostrecentperiod improvementinabsenceratesasa figuresareavailablefor. resultof thisaction,butif thereis Inthistime4,319pupils–13.9per noimprovementthentheremaybe cent–wereclassedasbeingpersis- acasefortheschoolscommissioner tentlyabsent,meaningtheymissed –astheappointedacademiesregu- atleast10percentofclasses. lator–tostepin.” Thiswasabovethenationalaver- The Oxfordshire Safeguarding ageof 12.3percent,withBanbury Boardisalsoexaminingtheissue Academy’s figure standing at 26 of persistentabsencesandwillbe percent,meaningaquarterof all reviewing the problem. The vast studentsattheschoolwerepersis- majority of secondary schools in tentlyabsent. havenotbeenusedtotheneedfor ised absences – such as parents net member for education Steve Oxfordshirearenowacademiesand Principal Sylvia Thomas, who attendancetobeahighpriority. takingchildrenonholidaywithout Harrodsaidtheissuemayrequire are free from local authority con- joinedtheschoolinSeptember,said “It is about having one-on-ones permission. regional schools commissioner trol.AsaresultMrPostisrespon- shehadsincesuccessfullytackled withparents–thathasmadeahuge The remaining 164,000 were au- MartinPosttostepin. sibleformaintainingstandardsand the problem. She said: “We have difference. thorised–suchasillness. Hesaid:“Ifwewantattainmentto steppinginiftheydrop. hadahugefocusonitandwehave “Theotherstrandisprovidingan Last year we reported that in continuetoimproveinOxfordshire Oxford University education ex- gotitdownto17percentandlook- environmentthatchildrenwantto 2014/15, four per cent of primary secondary schools, those schools pertandcountycouncillorProfes- ingtogetitdownto12percentby comeinto. andsecondstudentswereclassedas needtotacklethisasapriority. sorJohnHowsonsaidtheregional theendoftheyear. “If you miss large numbers of being‘persistentlyabsent’although “Thecouncilhasalreadywritten schools commissioner should be “We focus on having conversa- lessonsyouarejustnotgettingthe thiswasthe wholeacademic year to schools offering to work with involvedimmediately,adding:“The tionswithparents. buildingblocksofyourlearning.” andthethresholdwas15percentof them to address the underlying local authority does not have the “Wehavequitealargegroupof The equivalent of 38,000 school theirtotallessonsmissed. causes of persistent absence, and handleontheschoolsthatitused Eastern European parents who daysweremissedduetounauthor- OxfordshireCountyCouncilcabi- many responded to set out what to.” banburycake.co.uk/news Thursday,January12,2017 BANBURYCAKE 3 Ex-cop in Hear fox hunting talk at curry night plea to ANIMALenthusiasts andpeopleinterestedin thepoliticsofthe HuntingwithDogsAct areinvitedtoan informativecurrynight owners withBanburyLabour Party. TheeventonJanuary 18,willfeatureguest speakerJaneRuss, after dog pictured,authorofTheHareBookand TheFoxBookandchairwomanofthe HarePreservationTrust,whowill discussinterestingfactsaboutboth animalsandthepossibleramifications ofanappealofthebanonfoxhunting. attack Allarewelcomeandguestsdonotneed tobeaffiliatedtoapoliticalparty.The eveningrunsfrom7pmatTheJaypurin ParsonsStreet. Priorbookingisessentialanditscosts £11.50.Formoreinformationvisit banburylabour.org Gifts for children ITWASsmilesallroundforthechildren attheHortonGeneralHospitalwhen Morrisonsstaffhandedoutgiftsforthe festiveseason. Workersatthenearbysuperstoreput outthegiftappealforthesecondyear runningtohelpgivethoseyoungstersin hospitalabetterChristmas. Morrisonscommunitychampion EmmaBoissellesaid:“Wehadlotsof PaulPueschelin customerswhodonatedstuffsuchas BanburyHigh newtoys,secondhandandlotsofthings Street,wherehe forbabiesaswell. wasbittenbythe “Wehadsomuchstuffitcompletely dog;left,theinjury filledourvanandwehadtodoaboutfour tohisleg orfivetrips. “Itwasgreattoseeallthechildren’s smilesastheyweregiventhepresents.” Manspendsfourdaysin thereceivingendof thebite.He the dog was small but was un- said:“Itshouldneverhavehap- abletoidentifythebreed. hospitalafterbiteonhis pened.I’llgetoverit,butif that He said he managed to shake legbecomesinfected doghadattackedachilditcould thedogoffandspoketotheown- havehadaseriouspsychological er, who acted surprised by her StuartRust effect. dog’sbehaviourbutdidnotoffer [email protected] “I’madoglover,butsomething anapology.Hecalledthepolice like this would have probably whoarrivedpromptlyandspoke givenachildafearof dogsfor tohimandthedog’sowner. A RETIRED police officer therestoftheirlife.” Mr Pueschel, who lives in hascalledforownerstokeep Mr Pueschel, a Freemason, BroomeWay,Banbury,thenwent controlof theirdogsafterhe waswalkinghomeafteralodge totheHortonGeneralHospital, wasbitten. meeting in Banbury at about where he was referred to the Paul Pueschel, 65, was walk- 11.30pm. As he walked past a JohnRadcliffeHospitalinHead- ing along Banbury High Street groupof people,thedogranup ington. lastmonthwhenadogsuddenly andgrabbedhimaroundthean- Atonepoint,hewasadmitted ranoutandbithimontheankle. kle,woundinghisleg. asaninpatientattheJRforfour Thewoundbecameinfected.He He described the attack as daysandisstillmakingregular spentfourdaysinhospitaland shockingandextremelypainful. trips to the hospital for treat- stillrequirestreatment. MrPueschel,whoworkedfor30 menttotheinfectioninhisan- The father-of-two said he was yearsasapoliceofficer,mostof kle.Hedescribedhospitalstaff gladithadnotbeenachildon thetimewithBanburyCID,said as‘firstclass.’ ‘Suicidal’ knife woman Crossing plan decision due tasered when arrested PLANSforatoucancrossingneara newWaitroseinBanburycouldbe A‘SUICIDAL’womanwhowas thewaythatyouhavebeen approvednextweek. taseredaftermakingthreatswhile showing.” Thenewshoponlandwestof clutchingabladehasbeenhanded DefencebarristerClaireFraser SouthamRoadisexpectedtolead acommunityorder. saidCurtin,ofnofixedabode,did toariseinpedestriansandcyclists BethCurtinadmittedholdinga notthreatenanyonewiththeknife crossingtheroad,Oxfordshire largekitchenknifeandmaking butintendedtoself-harmafter CountyCouncilsaid. threatsafterbecoming‘agitated’ leavingherbedroom. Itsaidatoucancrossing,signal whilestayingatBanburyFoyer Curtin,whohastwoconvictions controlledandfortheuseofboth supportedhousing. forthreeoffences,regrettedwhat pedestriansandcyclists,would Policeofficerscalledtothescene tookplaced,thebarristeradded. provide‘asafeandconvenient feltthreatenedastheytriedto Shehadbeensectionedunder crossingpoint’. approachthe19-year-old,Oxford theMentalHealthActtwiceinthe Aconsultationtookplacefrom CrownCourtwastoldon pastyearandwasdiagnosedwith October28toNovember27last Thursday. aborderlinepersonalitydisorder year.Onlythreeresponseswere DeputyCircuitJudgePatrick lastJanuary,MsFrasertoldthe received,thecouncilsaid. EcclesQCtoldCurtinhebelieved court. Twowereobjectionsdueto shedidnotintendtohurtanyone Thebarristeradded:“Shehas concernsitwouldslowdown butwarnedhershecouldcause hadadifficultupbringing.She traffic.Respondingtothis,the seriousinjurytootherswhen findsheremotionsverydifficultto authoritysaid:“Suchdelaysare holdingablade. control.” consideredproportionate.” Headded:“Youhavealotto Curtin,whoadmittedaffrayon Adecisionwillbemadeata copewithbutyoucan’ttakeout May23,washandedan18-month meetingonThursday,inCounty yourangerandagitationand communityorder,witha40-day Hall,startingat10am. unhappinessonotherpeoplein rehabilitationrequirement. 4 BANBURYCAKE Thursday,January12,2017 banburycake.co.uk/news Business leaders gear up for awards bonanza BUSINESSleadersaregathering Threefinalistsforeach todayforthelaunchofthis categorywerechosenby year’sOxfordshireBusiness judges,andguestspeakerfor Awards. theeveningwasSkySports Planningandpreparation presenterDavidJones. startsearlyfortheprestigious AwardschairmanPaulLowe awardscontest,whichwill saiditwasanightof concludewithaglittering celebrationforsomeof awardsceremonyinthe Oxfordshire’smostprestigious summer. companies,andaddeditwasa Today,theorganisersofthe ‘hugeprivilege’tobeassociated awards,nowinthe23rdyear, withtheawardsastheywent willmeetatOxfordSciencePark fromstrengthtostrength. at6pm,toannouncethe DarrenAston,ofWitney- awardscategoriesand basedAston&Jamesoffice encouragelocalfirmsto suppliers,said:“Wecertainly compete. enjoyedtheexperience,a InJunelastyear,management thoroughlyenjoyableevening. consultantsNewtonEurope “Itwasbrilliantlyplanned–I wasnamedDarke&Taylor couldseealotofeffortgoesin BusinessoftheYearinthe2016 toanawardseveningofthat OxfordshireBusinessAwards. sizeandcalibre.” Thebusinessmanagement TheOxfordTimesbacksthe consultancy,basedinKingston CharityandCommunityAward, Bagpuize,scoredahat-trickof whichwaswonlastyearby awards,asitalsopickedupthe AspireOxford,anaward- EmployeroftheYearAward winningemploymentcharity. andtheLargeBusinessAward. Jointchiefexecutiveofficer NewtonEuropedirector PaulRobertssaidfollowingthe JamesFrostsaid:“Itwasa ceremonyitwasa‘privilege’to fantasticyearfortheteamlast receivetheaward,withallthe year–wewerereallyproudof peoplehelpedbythecharity whatweachieved.” havingonethingincommon, Morethan400business facingabarrierorsocial leadersandtheirstaffgathered exclusion.Headded:“Thisyear attheawardsceremonyinJune weareconsideringenteringa attheOxfordThamesFour differentcategory.” PillarsHotelinSandford-on- Anotherwinnerlastyearwas Thames. SimonBiltcliffe,ofBicester- About300firmscameforward basedprintfirmWebmart. tocompetein15different HewonTheShawGibbs categories. BusinessPersonoftheYear. LastyearanewFoodorDrink AndtheSavillsProperty ProduceroftheYearaward AwardwaswonbyBicester categorywasadded,sponsored Heritage,acentreforhistoric bycaterersOxfordFineDining. motoringandaviation. NewtonEuropestaffcelebratingatlastyear’sOxfordshireBusinessAwards MP urges patients to record journeys Peopleareaskedtokeep reshape the entire NHS in the county, will get under way – trackofdoor-to-doortime specifically looking at services whenvisitingJRHospital deliveredattheHortonandthe site’sfuture. HannahSomerville MrsPrentissaid:“Thesevari- ables need to be considered [email protected] ahead of the consultation on NHSservicesinOxfordshire. PEOPLE travelling from “It would be brilliant if as North Oxfordshire to the manypeopleaspossiblegetin- John Radcliffe Hospital are volvedinthecampaigntogive being encouraged to record us a good indication of true journeytimesfromBanbury.” their overall door-to-door In a statement issued this journey time as part of a week, Oxfordshire CCG said: campaigntoprotectservices “TheCCGacknowledgestheini- attheHortonGeneralHospi- tiativetakenbyVictoriaPrentis tal. MPforBanburyaroundhealth BanburyMPVictoriaPrentis journey times, which will be hasmetwithOxfordshireClini- VictoriaPrentisMPata consideredalongsideotherdata cal Commissioning Group and demonstrationagainstthe andinformationsources.” statedthatjourneytimesfaced downgradeoftheHorton Thecampaignisopentoany- byherconstituents–including GeneralHospitalinlate2016 one travelling from Banbury howlongittakestopark–must andthesurroundingareatothe be included in statistics about 35minutes,astronglydisputed JRforanappointmentortovisit traveltotheJR. figure. arelative. Since October, a downgrade Mrs Prentis said: “Following It involves filling out a short of theHorton’smaternityunit the downgrade of the Horton form about the journey and has meant expectant mothers maternity unit I remain ex- posting or emailing it to Mrs deemed ‘high-risk’ must travel tremelyconcernedabouttravel Prentis’s constituency office to totheJRtogivebirth. timestotheJohnRadcliffe. bepassedontotheCCG. Italsoaffectswomenwhoend “Thejourneycanbesounpre- Anyone travelling is also en- up facing complications dur- dictableandparkingtimesmust couragedtopostphotographsof ingdeliveryattheHorton,who betakenintoaccount.” themselvesleavingandarriving mustthenbetakentoOxfordby In the coming weeks a con- onsocialmedia,withtheirover- ambulance. sultation on one half of the alltraveltime,usingthehashtag In the past, Oxford Univer- ‘Oxfordshire Transformation #Banbury2JR. sityHospitalsNHSFoundation Programme’, part of a wider Foracopyof theformemaila Trusthassaidthejourneytime sustainability and transfor- requesttovictoria.prentis.mp@ byambulanceisapproximately mation plan (STP) that could parliament.uk banburycake.co.uk/news Thursday,January12,2017 BANBURYCAKE 5 Project to link carpenters with local wood IMAGINE if you could walk into makethebestuseof everywood- MrYeomans,acharteredforester, managementplan,nicknamedIna Oxford’s new John Lewis store at land,copseandtreeandkeepthe saysasmuchas46percentof the Nutshell,estimatesthatmanaging theWestgateandbuyatablemade wildlifehappyatthesametime. county’swoodlandiscurrentlyun- ourwoodlandproperlycouldgener- by a city carpenter from trees Sylva’s Alistair Yeomans em- managed, meaning the landowner ate£5.5minwoodfueland£25mfor growninOxfordshire.Thatisthe barkedonthatmissionthismonth hasn’t even surveyed the habitat thejoineryandfurnituresector. visionbehindanewwoodlandman- by inviting letting agents from and decided to leave it to its own A total of 13 Oxfordshire envi- agementplanforthewholecounty. North Oxford Property Services naturalprocesses. ronmental groups, including Wild ForestrycharitytheSylvaFoun- (NOPS) down to plant some trees Butevencuttingdowntreescan Oxfordshire,theTrustforOxford- dation, based in Long Wittenham, andalsocheckouttheworkof the begoodforsomespecies,likethe shire’s Environment and BBOWT AlistairYeomansandDebbieSwailes nearDidcot,hopestolinkcarpen- carpenterswhichthecharityhosts silver-washed fritillary butterfly helped draw up the In a Nutshell fromNOPS,withHannahGeorge, tersandfurnitureshopswithland- atitsbasemakinglocalwoodinto whichenjoysthedappledshade. report at wildoxfordshire.org.uk/ AlexStuddy,CostaIoannouand ownersandconservationgroupsto finefurniture. What’s more, Sylva’s woodland biodiversity/habitats-and-species GeorginaPassmore Mothercare to close Community groups receive funding aid as firm shifts focus THOUSANDSofpoundsworth fundphysicalactivitysessions. ofsupporthasbeendoledout Finally,BodicoteSportsYouth tocommunitygroupsinthe FootballClubwilluseits£1,000 Banburyareacourtesyofthe donationtobuyanewmachine MidcountiesCo-Operative. topaintwhitelinesonits Thegrantformspartofa pitches. communityfundwhichawards StuartNewman,leadership cashtoworthyrecipients teamambassadorforthe throughoutthecompany’s MidcountiesCo-operativein tradingareas,including Banbury,said:“These Banbury. donationshavebeenprovided Atotalof£1,744hasbeen followingsuccessful handedtothoseinchargeof applicationstoourcommunity EllenHindeHall,ahistoric fundandwe’relookingforward buildingnamedaftertheonly toacceptingmoreentrieswhen daughterofthefirst ournextfundingperiodopens. headmasterofBloxhamSchool “EllenHindeHall,theSunrise andgivenovertotheBloxham MulticulturalProjectand communityin1943. BodicoteSportsYouthFootball Itwillpayforthereplacement Clubareallorganisationsthat ofwaterpipesatthefacility, offerbenefitstothecommunity whichhostsarangeoflocal notonlyintermsofpromoting groups. physicalwellbeingbutby Elsewhere,theSunrise providinglocalpeoplewitha MulticulturalProject,which spaceinwhichtosocialise. workswithdisadvantaged “We’repleasedtosupportthe ethnicminoritygroupsin greatworkthesegroupsdoby Banbury,willuseits£1,400to providingthisfunding.” Fears over ‘isolation’ of aged CONCERNSthatclosuresofday services,couldloseits£30,000 centresacrossthecountywill countycouncilgrant. leaveelderlypeopleisolatedand EynshamcouncillorCharles pricedoutofcarewillbeputto Mathewsaid:“Thecouncilis thecountycouncil’scabinet. makingitmoreandmore Thecouncil’sscrutiny difficultforelderlypeopleto committeelastweekraised exist.” issuesoverwhatproposednew Itwasrevealedatthe modelsfordaytimesupport committeemeetingthat serviceswouldmeanforthe withoutsubsidyadailyvisittoa MothercareinBanbury’sHighStreet,whichisclosing county’smostvulnerablyelderly. daycentrecouldsoon VolunteerLink-Up,an cost£40. HighStreetbranchofstruggling aftertheconclusionof itsJanuarysale for Mothercare. Whilst we regret the organisationinWestOxfordshire Adecisionwillbemadeata andisnotsettorelocateanywhereelse closureofthestore,itispartofalarger whichprovidesarangeof laterdate. babyequipmentandtoyschain inthetown. transformationplanforourbusiness.” Itisnotknownhowmanyjobswillbe InNovemberlastyear,theretaileran- willcloseforgoodnextweek affectedbutspokeswomanNoellaDixon nouncedamajorlossinitshomemar- said the move was part of a broader ket, reporting an £800,000 pre-tax loss HannahSomerville shiftinthecompany’sfocus. inthefirsthalf of theyearand£8.8m [email protected] She said: “Mothercare Banbury will debtsoverall. closeonSaturday,January21,2017. Thefirmisalsoreportedlyplanning THE Banbury branch of baby “Wewillbeemailingourcustomersin tobecomeadigitally-ledbusinessandis thelocalareatoadviseof thechanges investinginitsstorelayoutandglobal equipment,clothingandtoychain and provide details of their nearest supplychain. Mothercare has announced it will store. Parents and parents-to-be looking to closenextweek. “Wegreatlyvalueallourcustomersin buysuppliescantrytheArgosatBan- The High Street store will close its theareaandwouldliketothankthem buryRetailParkorMerryGoRoundin doors for the last time next Saturday fortheircontinuedloyaltyandsupport Adderbury. Call for snow wardens as temperatures plummet VOLUNTEER‘snowwardens’ usedinpractice.Theproject beenaproblemandmore traveltoandfromwork, tokeeproadsfreeofsnowand seescommunity-mindedmen wardensareneededtobeon schoolsandshops. icearebeingsoughtby andwomenorganisethe stand-by. “Councilsdotheirbestto BanburyTownCouncilafter grittingofroadsand KieronMallon,leaderofthe keeproadsandpavements temperaturesplungedlast pavementsinareaswhere towncouncil,said:“Snow safebutmostpeoplerealise week. theylive. wardensarevaluedmembers theycannotgeteverywhere Aweatherwarningwas BusinessesinBanburyare ofthecommunity.Theykeep instantly–buton-the-spot issuedbytheMetOfficelast alsoaskedtogetinvolvedby roads,pavementsand volunteerscanactstraight Thursdayaheadofthecoldest grittingtheroadsand footpathssaferforeveryone away.” temperaturesinEngland’s pavementsinfrontoftheir throughoutthewinter– Everythingneededby wintersofar,with-8Crecorded premises. particularlyelderlyand volunteersforthetask,aswell inSouthOxfordshire. ABout80wardensarein vulnerableresidentswho astraining,willbeprovidedby InBanbury,thecouncilis placebuthaverarelybeen cannothelpthemselves. thecouncil. extendingasnowwarden calledintoactionbecauseofa “Wardenshelpkeepthe Formoreinformationcontact schemewhichhasbeen successionofmildwinters. townmovingattimeswhen BanburyTownCouncilon runningsince2013,butrarely Thisyearicehasalready snowandicecouldrestrict 01295250340. 6 BANBURYCAKE Thursday,January12,2017 banburycake.co.uk/news Students to beat the January blues Collegecampaignaimsto helpkeepspiritshighon campuswithactivities HannahSomerville [email protected] A MONTH-LONG campaign to beat the January blues is under way at Banbury and Bicester College aiming to help students realise their goalsandimprovewellbeing. The student support team at the campus in Broughton Road launched the series of events KayodeDamali,centre,posesforaselfiewithstudentsinBanbury TutorLucyDonaghy,PoppyBannerman,17,JoshMiles,19,learningassistantKrone and activities to keep students’ studentsenjoyedtheeventfrom tions with separate people. By Neal,RoryThompson,17,andGemmaPreedy,16,atthefundraisingbreakfastclub spOirnitMshoingdha.y,thegroupof teen- wthiethqhuiemueattothehaevned.s”elfies taken bpereinpgarheepreeotpoldeaysoItwhaatntthteoyhaerlpe Breakfast aid for fire-hit school agerstookpartinasessionwith Mr Dimali, who has been de- ready and excited for the year speaker Kayode Dimali, who is scribed as ‘the smoothest guy ahead.” rankedeighthintheworld’stop onTV’,overcamedifficultiesin Overthenextmonthstudents STUDENTSatBanburyandBicester thecommunityraisedmorethan£4,000to 100 most powerful young entre- hisyouthinLondontograduate will also record their own per- Collegecookedupastormtohelpraise helpreplacetheequipment. preneurs. fromuniversitywithafirstclass sonalgoalsonpostcardsanden- fundsafteraBicesterschool’splayground CollegestudentPoppyBannerman,17, Lianne Davis, student engage- degree. terthemintoa‘boxof dreams’ equipmentwasdestroyed. wasamongthoseservingupbacon mentadvisoratthecollege,said: In2015heappearedaspartof forachancetowinprizes. Lastweek,studentsinthecollege’s sandwiches,teaandcoffeeattheBanbury “Wewantedtohelpre-motivate the BBC’s Generation X panel, Student Szymon Zygmunt, 17, learningdifficultiesdepartmentdonated campusonFriday. students at this traditionally talking about life in the UK said: “Today has really helped £30oftheircookingfundtobuy Shesaid:“WearehelpingBardwell trickytimeof theyearandkick- aheadofthegeneralelection. me.IalwaysknewwhatIwant- ingredientsandputonabreakfastclubin becauseitwasdreadfulwhathappened start their learning after the Hesaid:“Idrawmyinspiration edtodoandnowIknowexactly aidofBardwellSchool. there.” Christmasbreak. andsharemytakesonlife,from howtogetthere.Kayodewasso Bardwell,foryoungsterswithspecial TutorLucyDonaghyadded:“Wewere “Kayode was a fantastic mo- myownexperiencesof beinga good.” needs,sawashedfullofbikes,scooters reallysaddenedtohearwhathad tivational speaker. The energy youngperson. StudentCourtneySolomon,16, andplayequipmentburnttothegroundin happened.Ourstudentswerekeentohelp intheroomjustsoaredoncehe “Mytalksfeaturelotsof inter- said: “Kayode was really good aNewYear’sDayarsonattack. andwehadfundraisersthroughoutthe started. actionsothatitfeelsmorelike andthetalktodaywasnotwhat AsuspectwasidentifiedbyThames week.OnThursdaywesentsports “Youcouldtellhowmuchthe having 150 individual conversa- Iwasexpecting.” ValleyPolicelastweek,andparentsand equipmentovertothem.” banburycake.co.uk/news Thursday,January12,2017 BANBURYCAKE 7 8 BANBURYCAKE Thursday,January12,2017 banburycake.co.uk/news Hospital A&Es hit Crews’ busy festive time as crisis worsens THEfestiveperiodmaybea timeforrelaxation,over- indulgenceandholidaysbut forsomeitistheirbusiesttime ofyear. SouthCentralAmbulance Service(SCAS)wasoutinforce overChristmasandNewYear ‘Deterioration’inwaiting one of the most challenging tion but communications man- tomakesureeveryone shifts I have ever had. It tends agerRoyProbertsaid:“Itisnot remainedsafe. timesaspatientsremain tobequieter,withonlythemost unusualforustobeexperiencing Theambulanceservice inparkedambulances serious cases in, but it was ex- highdemandforourservicesat recordedthatfromChristmas tremelychallenging. this time of year. However, we Evetothebankholiday “Sincethenprettymuchevery are seeing a sustained increase Tuesdayitwas11.5percent HannahSomerville shift has been difficult. It’s not in demand for our emergency busierthanitwasin2015 [email protected] particularlythattherearemore services, therefore, we decided acrossOxfordshire, patients, but the problem has toremindthepeopleinOxford- BanudckHinagmhpasmhsirhei.re,Berkshire HEALTH bosses are urging been a lack of flow around the shiretostopandconsiderallthe Itsbusiestdayintheweek thepublictoonlygotoA&E hospital. optionsavailabletothembefore betweenChristmasandNew inanemergencyasaworsen- “Everything that can be done decidingtogotoanemergency YearwasTuesday,withatotal ingwintercrisishasputOx- hasbeendoneandtheteamwork department.” of1,743incidentsattendedon fordshire’shospitalsonalert. isamazing. AccordingtoNHSEnglandfig- thatdayalone. The second highest level of “When it comes down to the ures, between December 1 and FiguresforOxfordshire warninghasbeeninplaceacross actual job, everybody works ex- January1atotalof11,792people revealedthatintheweek thecounty’shospitalssinceDe- tremelyhard. haveattendedA&EattheJohn leadinguptoNewYear’sDay, cember19. “But unfortunately it’s a case RadcliffeandtheHortonGeneral therewasanincreasein HealthSecretaryJeremyHunt offundingandcutstosocialcare hospitals. incidentsfrom984in2015to said that on the Tuesday after overaperiodoftime.” This compares to 10,914 in 1,058in2016. Christmas, casualty units were Patientshavereportedlengthy September,10,576inAugustand MichelleArcher, thebusiestintheirhistory. waitsatA&EdepartmentsinOx- 10,401inApril. spokeswomanforSCAS,said The alert in place for Oxford- fordandBanbury. No information on beds was the33percentincreasefrom shire signals ‘severe deteriora- Dr Tony Berendt, medical di- available for Monday, Decem- 191incidentsin2015to255in tion’inA&Ewaitingtimesora rectoratOxfordUniversityHos- ber 19, the day the alert came 2016werebecausethe significantlackofbeds. pitals NHS Foundation Trust, into effect, but on the Tuesday celebratorynightfellona It is also put in place when said: “Our emergency depart- atotalof 1,039outof 1,129trust Saturday.Shesaidtheservice handovers from the ambulance mentshavebeenundersustained bedswereoccupied–atotalof hadreceivedmorecallsthis service are ‘significantly com- heavypressuresinceChristmas, 92percent,abovethe85percent holiday. promised’,withpatientswaiting linkedtoasharpincreaseinflu recommendedbyNHSImprove- Sheadded:“Wehadan anhourormoreinparkedambu- cases,particularlyinolderpeo- ment for the winter period. In increaseinthenumberof111 lances. ple. recentweekspatientshavetaken callsandasaresultan A nurse working at Oxford’s “Whilst the situation is still tosocialmediatoexpresstheir additionalnumberofcallswere John Radcliffe Hospital, who manageable it is important we concerns, with Ayshia Heritage passedonto999which askednottobenamed,saidthere alltrytouseemergencydepart- reportinga‘veryfull’JRonDe- requiredambulance hadbeena‘noticeable’build-up mentsonlyforemergencies.” cember16afterclaimingtohave attendance,whichwedonot TheEmergencyDepartmentattheJohnRadcliffe during December. Thetrustdidn’tanswerallof waitedsixhoursforabedfora receiveonaweekday.” Hospital;inset,DrTonyBerendt He said: “Christmas Day was our questions about the situa- relative. banburycake.co.uk/news Thursday,January12,2017 BANBURYCAKE 9 Hundreds PM’splantoreformmentalhealthcareiswelcomed ACHARITYinOxfordshireispleasedwith withLordDennisStevenson,willbeleading approachtomentalhealthintheworkplace take on dry thePrimeMinister’sproposaltotransform areview. andfurtherinvestmentindigitalmental mentalhealthsupport. OxfordshireMindCEODanKnowlessaid: health. TheresaMaylastweekannounced “Althoughstigmainmentalhealthhas Hesaid:“OxfordshireMindhasbeena reformstomentalhealthcareintheUK, reducedsubstantially,weallneedtowork pioneerforoveradecadeinthedeliveryof includingfurthertrainingforteachers,extra togethertoensureitiseradicated. guidedself-helpandassociatedservices challenge supportintheworkplaceandanadditional “Muchgoodworkgoesoneveryday, throughtheTalkingSpacePluspartnership. £15mforcommunitycare. howevertheneedforimprovedmental “Thereforewestronglybelievethatdigital OxfordshireMindsaiditwaspleasedwith healthservicesinOxfordshireremainsa therapyhasarole. thePM’splanstoaddress‘everyday significantchallenge.” “Wealsostronglybelieveitshouldnot injustices’inmentalhealthcare. MrKnowlessaidthecharitywas replaceface-to-facehelpforthosewho PaulFarmer,chiefexecutiveofMind, particularlypleasedwiththefocuson needit.” helpedshapethereformsand,together supportforschools,thepartner-based Formore,visitoxfordshiremind.org.uk OxfordshireCountyCouncilleaderIanHudspethandstaff preparingforagruellingmonthofabstinencefromalcohol Councilissupporting sorship this year. Mr Huds- alcohol-freemonthfor pethsaid:“It’simportantwe alltakeabreakatsomestage healthandwell-being and it seems like a good op- portunity while everybody HannahSomerville elseisdoingit. [email protected] “Ididitafewyearsagoand founditveryuseful,anditdid actuallymeanIcutdownmy HUNDREDS of people in alcoholintakefortherestof Oxfordshire are now tak- theyear,andfeltbetter. ing part in a month-long “Alotof peoplethink‘Can new year battle to ditch you really do it?’ Of course thebooze–andothersare you can. It’s just a question of havingabitof determina- beingurgedtojointhem. tion.” Staff and elected members Following an event hosted of OxfordshireCountyCoun- inOxfordbyAlcoholConcern cilhavejoinedforcestotake lastmonth,47staff members part in Dry January and atthecountycouncilsigned avoidalcoholfor31days. uptoDryJanuary. Now in its sixth year, the JackieWilderspin,thecoun- challengeseesnationalchar- cil’s public health specialist, ity Alcohol Concern throw said:“AfteralltheChristmas downthegauntlettodrinkers celebrationsandfestivitiesit to improve their health and feltliketherighttimetogive well-being. myselfabreak. County council leader Ian “I’monlyfourdaysinsoit’s Hudspeth, a regular partici- notreallybeentoochalleng- pant,saidhehadfoundprevi- ing so far, but knowing the ous years ‘relatively easier’ benefits drinking less alco- than2017,butheexpectedto holcanhave–savingmoney, beabletopullthrough. gettingabetternight’ssleep He said: “Perhaps the big- andgenerallyfeelinghealth- gest challenge is finding dif- ier–willdefinitelykeepme ferent substitute drinks that motivatedif itgetsmoredif- dohaveflavour,withouthav- ficult.” ing too much sugar. Some- Firefightersandstaffacross times people feel obliged to OxfordshireFireandRescue doitforcharitybutit’saper- Service are also gearing up sonalchallengeforme.” foranabstemiousmonth. TheDryJanuarychallenge Rob MacDougall, assistant encouragespeopletoreassess chief fire officer at Oxford- their relationship with alco- shire County Council Fire hol and get healthier, with and Rescue Service, said: “I manysavingmoneyalongthe overindulged at Christmas way. andhaveaservicefitnesstest Some12,000charities–eve- inJanuary,thedreadedbleep ryoneregisteredontheVir- test,soDryJanuaryfeltlike gin Money Giving database a good way to improve my –aresettobenefitfromspon- healthandfitness.” 10 BANBURYCAKE Thursday,January12,2017 banburycake.co.uk/news Only three fined for fly-tipping ‘Selfish’peopleblighting sueafixedpenaltynotice,whichis obviouslyalothardertodowithout countydespitenewpowers having someone stationed around togiveon-the-spotpenalties differentpointsinthecitywaiting forittohappen.” Tony Harbour, member for the GeorginaCampbell environmentatSouthOxfordshire [email protected] DistrictCouncil,saidfixedpenalty notices were used alongside exist- ‘SELFISH and reckless’ people ingpowersasanadditionaldeter- rentagainstflytipping. are blighting the environment He added: “Fly-tipping is really bydumpingtheirwasteacross not worth it, you will get caught, Oxfordshire. and you will end up paying the That’sthemessagefromcouncil- price.Weliveinabeautifulareaof lors who are urging the public to thecountryandwedonotwantit properlydisposeoftheirrubbishin beingblightedbyselfishandreck- thewaragainstfly-tipping. lessindividuals.” Itcomesasnewfiguresrevealjust Concerns have previously been threeon-the-spotfinesweredished raisedaboutanincreaseinfly-tip- out to culprits in the county last pinginOxfordshireduetochanges year. This is despite new powers atthecounty’shouseholdwastere- giventocouncilslastMaytoissue cyclingcentres. fixedpenaltynoticesbetween£150 From October more control will and£400tofly-tippers. be handed to private contractors Oxford City Council leader Bob withnewchargesintroduced. Pricesaidtheproblemwastheper- People are set to be charged be- petratorhadtobecaughtintheact. tween£2and£4forDIYitemssuch He added: “For us the best way asrubble. to tackle fly-tipping is prevention The council currently operates rather than cure. And I think by seven sites: Redbridge in Oxford, providing facilities for people and Dix Pit near Stanton Harcourt, industrialcompaniestogetridof Drayton, Oakley Wood near Wall- theirwaste–thatisthebestwayto ingford, Alkerton near Banbury tackletheproblem.” andFaringdonRoadinStanfordin New figures also revealed West theVale. Oxfordshire handed out just one Oxfordshire County Council has £400noticelastyearandSouthOx- alsoproposedallowinga25percent fordshire District Council dished cut to opening times – excluding outtwo,althoughitcouldnotcon- Apileofbuildingwastefly-tippedonWoodeatonRoadinOxford;inset,rubbishdumpedatRedbridgeHollow weekends. firmhowmuchtheywere. This is despite thousands of re- MrPriceadded:“Beforethepow- “Forthatyoucangatherevidence To ensure waste is disposed of There were however a number portedincidentsacrossthecounty erswereintroducedwewouldfine andspeaktowitnesses. legallyvisitthewebistegov.uk/gov- of prosecutionsagainstfly-tippers including almost 2,000 in Oxford, peoplewhohadbeenfly-tippingby “But you have to actually catch ernment/organisations/environ- leadingtodefendantspayingfines. costingthetaxpayermoney. goingthroughthecourts. thepersonfly-tippingbeforeyouis- ment-agency