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| A VERY WARM WELCOME TO OUR WONDERFUL TOWN
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Why not stay at The Crown & Cushion Hotel, The Fox Hotel, at one of the many B&Bs or in a fantastically luxurious log cabin (with its own spa) at Bluewood Park? We really are the town with a 101 Days Out on our doorstep. The town has a fascinating history and was, during the 70s, 80s and 90s, home to world reknowned recording studios where many groups recorded their albums. Artists such as The Proclaimers, Status Quo, Beverley Craven, Radiohead, Kula Shaker, Duran Duran, The Boo Radleys, Fairground Attraction all visited the town.
It's a practical and attractive place to set up and grow a business. Many local businesses are expanding and offering jobs - see our Job Vacancies section (now incorporating feeds from The Oxford Mail and others). This website is packed with information about; What's On, The Theatre, clubs, jobs, accommodation, travel and much, much more. We have a Local News page showing the latest news from Oxfordshire County Council, West Oxfordshire District Council and the BBC.
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| KATHARINE HOUSE HOSPICE SUMMER FETE
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 Saturday 4 September sees Katharine House Hospice hold their first Summer Fête for four years in the hospice grounds at Adderbury from 2:00 – 5:00 pm. It's just £1 for adults whilst children age 16 and under go free
The fete will be opened by actor James Fleet, most famous as ‘Hugo’ in the BBC’s Vicar of Dibley. Traditional stalls, crafts, inflatable slide, pony and wagon rides and teas.
Entertainment will be provided bt The Chipping Norton School Jazz All Stars, the Acushla Highland Dance School and Adderbury Morris Men.
All proceeds will benefit nursing care at this wonderful local facility.
See www.khh.org.uk for more information.
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  Here're a couple of dates for your diary. First up is 3 September 2010 - Jeremy Clarkson is again hosting The Lido's annual Auction of Promises. With Jezza bring down the gavel on loads of lots, guest appearances from local bands and a "Seventies" theme and dress code, it's bound to be a very entertaining evening! Tickets prices are held at £17.50 and are available form The Lido and Jaffe & Neale. Take a look at the dedicated auction website to keep up-to-date with lots as they come in. The second date is Sunday 12 September when The Theatre is holding a family evening of spectacular Magic, Comedy and Illusion. On stage will be three up-and-coming talented
magicians, Richard Young, Sam Strange and Sam X are all native to
Oxfordshire and all are members of the world famous Magic Circle. This
show recently enjoyed sell-out audiences in Thame and is coming to the
much bigger Chippy Theatre for one-night only. TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE HERE; |
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| Fundraising Event for Katherine House Hospice in Memory of Mike Willis
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 In the early hours of 29 July 2010, hundreds of people lost a great friend when Mike Willis lost his three-year battle with cancer. During his final days Mike was looked after fantastically by the selfless and amazing people at Katherine House Hospice, who, every day, care for terminally ill people in their final weeks and provide immeasurable support and guidance to their relatives.
Thanks to them, Mike spent his last few days in a comfortable, tranquil environment dedicated to his 24 hour care. Mike was for many years the landlord of The Tite Inn at Chadlington where he organised many fund-raising events - including the famous Tite Inn Bike Rides - raising £,000s for local charities.
James Kelly a close friend of Mike's says, "If you knew Mike you’d know that he had a wicked sense of humour (which never, ever left him), and so in his memory and to raise funds for Katherine House, six members of the Chadlington Cricket Club have volunteered to be waxed....
....down “there”!"
So, on Tuesday 22 August, James along with Mark Lambert, Sam Bunney, Tom Cleevely, Richard Ingram and Freddie Magee will enter the Nicetouch Salon in Chipping Norton where they will receive a professional and painless waxing of their private parts. Well, professional anyway. And, by all accounts, for the following three weeks they’ll itch like crazy.
"Mike’s sense of humour never let him down and he would have loved the idea of these guys being plucked in his honour. If he can be, he'll be watching with tears of laughter rolling down his cheeks!"
If you knew Mike (or frankly even if you didn't) click here to donate now and help the team raise as much money as possible for a brilliant charity in his honour. Our condolences go out to Sue and daughters Genevieve and Nicola.
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| RETAILERS' GROUP MEETING AT JAFFE & NEALE
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  Polly and Patrick at Jaffé & Neale were delighted to host the first Retailers' Open House or "I never knew that about Chipping Norton" evening. Wine was served at 6.00pm and each of the twenty or so businesses got up on stage (yes they even had a stage!) and described the key selling points of their businesses. Retailers were joined by graphic designers, solicitors and other local businesses to learn things they didn't now were going on. Many people had never met before the evening so it truly was a great networking event.
Everyone was very positive and it really was great to hear what innovative and exciting businesses Chipping Norton has to offer. It is hoped these "show and tell" type meetings will become a regular event in the calendar of CNUK the newly formed Retailer and Business Group.
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| CHIPPY FESTIVAL - FANTASTIC SUCCESS
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  It was billed by the organisers as, "an opportunity for the town to show off " and Chippys' first ever town Festival was just that.
The line-up included The Retros, Man Make Fire, the Town's Silver Band (see the article below) plus The CNS Jazz Allstars - nice - and ahead of this year's Cropredy Festival Simon Nicol of Fairport Convention played a fantastic acoustic set with his old mucker Dave Swarbrick. The CEROC dancers performed as did Raymond Head's Sing for Pleasure ensemble. The crowd loved newly formed Jady Mirror but it was The Retros that had everyone, literally, dancing in the street!
I reckon over a 1,000 people showed up and worked their way around stalls representing The Lido, The Army Cadet Force, The Lions, Chipping Norton Amateur Astonomy Group, Thames Valley Police, The Fire Brigade, FROTH (Friends of the Town Hall), Emma's Trust whilst Tim Busby and John Kench did an amazing job catering for the huge crowd.
This year's event cleared a profit of £500 which will go to FROTH (Friends of the Town Hall) who are fighting to preserve the town's iconic centre piece. www.cnfestival.org.uk If you enjoyed this festival and the FREE music make a note of Emma's Day in your diary - two events in fact on Friday 10 and Saturday 11 September at The Lido. See here for details.
Many congratulations to the organisers on a spectacular (and hopefully annual) event in the town's diary.
Here then are a few snaps taken throughout the afternoon and early evening - see more here.
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| Swimmers’ Surprise as Prime Minister pops in
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Swimmers at The Lido in Chipping Norton
were taken aback when their patron, David Cameron, popped in for a cup of tea
and a chat. The Prime Minister, a long-time supporter of the open-air pool,
visited to see for himself the recently installed solar-powered heating system
in operation.
The installation marks the completion
of a two-year project to replace all the plant and equipment, some of which was
40 years old.
“The
people here have done a great job in raising the money to put in the investment
and now that there are ground source heat pumps, that’s going to reduce the
cost of heating this pool massively,” he said. “It shows that going green can
actually save you money, as well as helping save the planet.”
He
also met Lido staff and trustees, chatted with swimmers and complimented the
organisation on meeting the needs of local people, saying, “There’s a social
aspect to this enterprise which is about helping the elderly by making sure
they can go on swimming, getting children swimming, training lifeguards and
generally having a good, useful social purpose.”
 
He
praised everyone who had been involved in saving the pool. “I’ve always thought
this is a great local facility and I remember the threat of its closure and how
bad that would have been for Chipping Norton. I think that the people who have
taken it on and run it have done a fantastic job.”
Commenting
on the visit, Trustee Ken Norman added, "The Lido has won several awards in the past few
years but this recognition of our efforts from the Prime Minister tops them
all!"
The photographs here are courtesy of
and
© Haddon Davies Photography. For
details of opening times and other events at The Lido, visit www.chippylido.co.uk
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| When ARTWEEKS came to The Albion Centre
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 The Albion Centre in Chipping Norton was awash with colour as it opened its doors to the public once again to celebrate Art Weeks 2010.
The centre, which is part of Oxfordshire Learning Disability NHS Trust’s (Ridgeway Partnership) services, offers support and recreational opportunities for people with learning disabilities.
More than 20 people supported by Ridgeway took part in the Oxfordshire Visual Arts Festival for the fifth year running with a vibrant collection of paintings and creative designs on show.
They once again brushed down their paint kits, mixed their oils and put their creative thoughts into practice, as they assembled a mass of different works. This year’s set theme was entitled “Out and About” encompassing anything from the countryside, to walks, scenery and hobbies.
 After a stunning display in last year’s All Things Bright and Beautiful, the artists were keener than ever to impress the public, for yet another year. The mix of paintings and ceramics added great warmth to the centre and members of the public poured off the streets of the marketplace to see the high quality offerings on display. Bursting with an effervescent aura, paintings included Sarah Thacker’s “Remembrance”, which was a painting of poppies dedicated to all the soldiers who have passed away in the war, Hugh Clifford’s “Driving In The Countryside” and Deborah Stranack’s “Seaside Stroll” which showed herself and her dogs Dixie and Bob walking on the seaside. One of the highlights for many was the “Rag Man”, in which all 20 of the exhibitors contributed towards. Made out of different fabrics and cloths donated by a local charity, the man made figure strikes an imposing stance peering over the staircase with his fishing rod in tow. In previous years, the centre has produced an array of quality art, some of which have even been sent to the Royal Art Academy in London. Others have been displayed locally in the doctor’s surgery in Chipping Norton and the village shop in Enstone. Assistant team leader at the centre, Stephanie Newbold, said it had been another great year. “We had a lot of new people through our doors this year and some wonderful comments in our visitors’ book. All the artists were very excited to have their work on display and thoroughly enjoyed people coming to look around. A lot of thought, care and concentration goes into each piece of art, and the artists enjoy the attention and praise they receive.  “The people that use the Albion are part of the local community and the building is well known in Chipping Norton as a centre for adults with learning disabilities and now also as the ‘Home of the Albion Artists’. “I’m extremely proud of each and every one of them and feel lucky to work with such wonderful talented people.” Art Weeks sees Oxfordshire artists and crafts people open their homes and studios to the public. Around 400 exhibitions throughout the county showcased their love of painting, photography, textiles, sculptures and mosaics, among other things. Thanks to Iain Garrett for the photographs of Deborah Stranack, Anthony Bishop & Julie Tyack and Sarah Thacker. |
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| Chipping Norton Silver Band launches new website
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Rob Endersby reports that Chipping Norton Silver Band has launched its new site
  The band meets every Thursday at 7:30pm at the Fox Hotel, Chipping Norton.
Players of all are abilities welcomed. The band plays a wide selection of music played, from popular tunes to traditional marches and have a long history. The site is fascinating with some great pictures in the gallery. Well worth a visit.
Just heard from Robert "Chunky" Townley who reports, "The Bandmaster in the photo is my Grandfather William Townley, the picture was taken outside the Salvation Army, now the Theatre."
Any takers for the other folk?
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| Rollright Stones Photographic Competition
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 The Rollright Trust is inviting visitors to the famous Rollright Stones to enter a photographic competition being sponsored by Ricoh Cameras UK and Morris Photographic Centre. Prizes include a Ricoh R10 camera, a half-day photography course with local photographer Sarah Howard and, for the under 16s, a year’s membership of the Young Archaeologists' Club plus a chance to go on a dig.
There are four classes for entry - ‘Rollright through the Seasons,’ ‘Living Stones,’ ‘Myth and Mystery’ and ‘Under 16s.’ Images can be entered either digitally, as prints or slides, accompanied by an official entry form which can be downloaded, along with further information, from the Rollright Trust website.
Entrants to the competition are encouraged to be creative, using their photography to evoke the antiquity, natural beauty and mystery of the site, capturing what makes it special to them and to others.
The picture judged to be the overall winner, together with other outstanding entries, will be published in the form of a calendar for 2011 and may, if suitable, be printed as postcards for sale at the site and other local outlets. There is no charge for entering the competition and all proceeds from publications using any photos entered will support the charitable work of the Rollright Trust which manages the Stones.
The closing date for the competition is 1 October 2010.
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 We have received the following comment from West Oxfordshire District Council in response to the news that Sainsbury's are looking to expand.
"West Oxfordshire District Council's planning team are aware that agents acting on behalf of Sainsbury's are intending to bring forward proposals for the redevelopment of the remainder of the former Parker Knoll site for retail purposes. No planning application for the site has been submitted.
The key issues that will need to be considered in respect of this proposal are the loss of the employment site, whether there are more suitable sites elsewhere in the town centre and the impact this may have upon the viability of the town centre.
The Council has encouraged Sainsbury's to engage with Chipping Norton Town Council, businesses, community groups and local residents as part of their pre-application discussions."
Retailers have dropped plans for revival of Chipping Norton & District Chamber of Commerce which is currently dormant following an acrimonious dispute with a former officer. A new organisation "CNUK" will give retailers and other town centre businesses a voice in any ongoing debate. CNUK will take a "pro-Chippy" stance looking at ways to improve the vitality of the Town Centre.
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| The Phantom Knitter of Olde Chippy Town Strikes Again!
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and rumour has it AGAIN! Look out for someone in a knotted balaclava on the eve of May Day! You may just catch the Yarnbomber red-handed.
 
This Phantom Knitter certainly brought a smile to everyone's lips - here's hoping he or she will never be caught! 
Thanks to Stephen Graham for capturing the Valentine's Day photos here. These images cannot be used in any way without permission from the photographer.Do have a look at his Photography Oxford website where you'll find some more fantastic examples of his work - contact him at http://www.iboogaloo.com. Thanks Steve.
I'm reliably informed the culprit goes by the handle "Incogknitto
Commuknitty Yarnbomber" and has decorated town on St David's Day too.
Keep an eye out and send us your snaps! Valentine's Day photography by Stephen J. Graham Photography Copyright © 2010 All rights reserved
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Over 40 years on and the Lido lottery is back. You can subscribe to the lottery for £3 a month - the prize fund = 50% of the total raised. For further information and an entry form call in at Jaffé & Neale or print off the form here.
August 2010 prize winners:
First prize: Mr & Mrs Dickinson £117.50 Second prize: Joan Thomson £70.65 Third prize: Mr & Mrs Gibbard £47.10
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