Sibford Scene Archive

A Cub Scout Pack will be starting in Sibford this Spring. It will be open to boys between the ages of eight and ten. A meeting for parents and anyone interested in finding out more will be held at 7.30 p.m. on Friday 2nd April in the Village Hall, when there will also be an opportunity to most the Assistant District Commissioner.

A leader for the pack has been found, but assistant leaders, male or female, are still needed. Further details, without committing yourself, from Richard Austing, 6, Barley Close, Sibford Gower.

There are two sorts of parishes, which do not always coincide. These are the Ecclesiastical Parish, centred on the Church, with a Parochial Church Council under the chairmanship of the Vicar, and the Civil Parish which is a unit of administration and democracy where, if the electorate exceeds 200, it has a Parish Council.

A Parish Council is a small local authority whose members are elected for four years at a time. A Parish Council can do more things than is often suspected. They can light their streets, provide allotments, look after playing fields, maintain and guard such things as rights of way, bus shelters, public seats and litter bins. Some maintain cemeteries and appoint charitable trustees and school managers.

They have the power to improve the quality of village life by spending money on things which, in their opinion, are in the interests of the parish and its inhabitants. They can do these things by actually providing them or by helping someone else (such as a volunteer or a charity) financially to do them. Parish.Councils thrive on volunteers.

Parish Councils are the most unbeaurocratic and cheapest kind of local authority in existence. The Parish Councillors know the village and can represent its views to the other authorities, like the District and County Councils, and are consulted on planning applications.

You elect its members every four years and are entitled to go to the Annual Parish Meeting and have your say. The accounts are very strictly audited every year. The Parish Council’s meetings are open to the public and an assembly for all the parish electors has, by law, to be held every year in March, April or May.

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There are elections this year. If you feel you have something to offer the village and would like to be considered as a Councillor, or would like to propose someone, do think about it now. There is not usually much time between the District Council issuing the proposal forms and the deadline for acceptance.

John Gilchrist

Residents of the Gower will know by now that Mr Keyte has opened a Post Office and shop at Ivy Cottage, which ironically is situated immediately between the two former Post Offices. His early closing days will be Tuesday and Saturday afternoons.

I am sure all those who have used the roving Post Office in the Village Hall on Wednesdays will want to thank Mrs Dyer for looking after us so well in recent years. The visit to the Post Office became quite a social occasion where friends could chat in the Hall between transactions.

The Oxfordshire Rural Community Council has put out a circular urging us to make the fullest possible use of our sub Post Offices, otherwise we may lose them.

This year celebrates the 25th anniversary of the opening of Sibford Village Hall. It has been in continuous use since 1957 providing an attractive building in which all kinds of groups have met to enjoy friendship in the company of those sharing their interests. To mark this special Silver Anniversary year, the Village Hall Committee are arranging a series of events which we hope will appeal to as many villagers as possible.

Dr. Agnew set the ball rolling most successfully last month when he gave us an entertaining talk and wine-tasting.

Please book Saturday March 13th for your next evening with us. For an inclusive price of £1.50 you can enjoy the Belvedere Singers in Concert, a glass of wine and a light, tasty supper. The Belvedere Singers are coming from London in order to treat us to an informal programme of light music from English madrigals through to Beatles, Blues and Barbers Shop.

Instead of our Village Fete, normally held in September, we have decided to hold an Open Village Weekend earlier in the summer. A bumper programme of_events is well in hand, including an Open Village Day, and we shall keep everyone informed a little nearer the time.

We hope to be able to select a Miss Sibford from among our beautiful Sibford young ladies, who will be crowned during-the Open Village Day. The Youth Club have kindly agreed to organise a Disco evening on Monday 24th May when Miss Sibford will be chosen by a panel of independant personalities from Banbury. They will be looking for an attractive, pleasant young lady, aged between 14 and 21. In next month’s Scene we shall include an entry form, so please tell your friends and let us have a really good number of entries.