Didcot Diary - Autumn/Winter 2019

Didcot Diary
Autumn/Winter

2019

1 Photographs by Nicola Beasley

Didcot Town Council

Didcot Diary— Autumn/Winter 2019

WELCOME to the Autumn/ Winter edition of Didcot Diary.
Autumn is well and truly here now, the days are getting
shorter, the evenings are getting colder and it won’t be long until
winter is in full swing.
In this edition we are going to take a look back at some of our
amazing summer highlights and fill you in on some of our exciting
upcoming events, provide an update on Didcot Town Council
grant aid reports and much more.

DIDCOT DIARY INDEX:
Past And Upcoming Events Summary — Page 3

Past Events — Page 4 to 11
Upcoming Events — Page 12

Staff Update — Page 13
General Information — Page 14 and 15

Grant Aid Reports — Page 16 to 20

Didcot Town Council and Civic Hall would like to wish
all Didcot residents a Merry Christmas and a Happy
New Year. We will be back with an update in the
Spring.

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Didcot Town Council

Past Events

Open Air Cinema—Saturday 1st June 2019
Didcot Culture & Community Day—Saturday 27th July 2019
Didcot Town Fayre—Saturday 3rd August 2019
Didcot Fun Day—Saturday 24th August 2019
MacMillan Coffee Morning—Friday 27th September 2019
Fun Dog Show—Sunday 13th October
Didcot Town Council Community Awards—Friday 18th October 2019
Litter pick on Great Western Park—Saturday 26th October 2019

Upcoming Events

Remembrance Parade — Sunday 10th November 2019
Christmas Carol Concert —Tuesday 3rd December 2019

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Didcot Town Council

Past Events

THE GREATEST SHOW:

Open Air Cinema —
Saturday 1st June 2019

AN open air cinema event

was held at Didcot Civic Hall
for the first time on
Saturday 1st June 2019 at
which they screened the
popular musical ‘The
Greatest Showman’.

The event was a hit, with over 150 musical lovers attending, armed
with portable chairs and blankets to wrap up in. Everyone enjoyed
singing along to the 2017 box office smash starring Hugh Jackman, Zac
Efron and Zendaya while tucking into the American cinema style food
on offer such as popcorn and hot dogs.

This event also saw the grand opening of the
newly built outdoor bar in Didcot Civic Hall
garden.

The outdoor bar will be available for all kinds
of events from weddings to corporate team-
building days.

The event was such a success, the team have
plans to host a similar event again next year.

Some of the Didcot Civic Hall
team outside the newly built

outside bar

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Didcot Town Council

CULTURE AND COMMUNITY DAY: Saturday 27th July 2019

Didcot Civic Hall hosted a Culture

and Community Day on Saturday 27th
July 2019.

DTC staff member Chelsey and The aim of the day was to bring
friend Casey sampling the face paints together different cultures and
communities for a day of fun, food,
music and learning. The day had a jam
packed timetable of performances
along with stalls, food from across the
world, children's quizzes, soft play
areas and face painting.

The morning saw performances from Indian
dancer Aradhitta, Ukulele band The Dukes
and German style yodelling by Lynne Butler.
After refuelling on Indian Dream authentic
Indian curry and some home made cakes
from Great Western Park Women's Institute
the next batch of performers began.
The afternoon included a choral performance
from Didcot Divas, acoustic music from Maya
and an eclectic playlist from rock and rollers
The Crimps.

Throughout the day there
were a whole host of work-
shops available. Circus skills
for children, yodelling
lessons and Latin dance.
There was also Zimbabwean
Mbira lessons and Brazilian
and African drumming.

Didcot Civic Hall would like to thank everyone that came and
supported the Culture and Community Day. This was the first year
this event had been held and we hope that year after year the day
gets bigger and better.

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Didcot Town Council

DIDCOT TOWN FAYRE — Saturday 3rd August 2019
This year’s annual Town Fayre took place on Saturday 3rd August

2019 from 12pm-11pm. The sunshine was out and the day was a
roaring success with smiling faces all across Edmunds Park.
During the day there
were a variety of food
and crafts stalls, charity
stalls and fitness
demonstrations.
There were also fitness
demonstrations, bouncy
castles, fun fair rides
and a dog show.
This year’s Town Fayre was host to a wide variety of performances
with the morning timetable including dance performances from
Angels Performing Arts and Step in Time, Loreley Rice Belly dancers
and Maguire O'shea Academy of Irish Dance.
The evening schedule was packed full of music with Voodoo
Penguins, Head of Steam and Oxfordshire's premier Rolling Stones
and The Who tribute band, Who Stoned Who.

Didcot Mayor Anthony Dearlove and his partner Selena The day was organised by
local charity Play2Give with
6 support from Didcot Town
Council.

Didcot Town Council

DIDCOT FAMILY DAY — Saturday 24th August 2019
Didcot Family Day returned

for a second year and the
sunshine came out for the
occasion. The day ran from
10am—4pm and it was a great
day of sun, food, music and fun.
The event was free entry and
had a great variety of
performances, stalls, activities,
food and drink.
In the Main Hall there were plenty
of stalls selling all sorts from
handmade jewellery to knitted
toys.
The outdoor bar was open as well
as a prosecco bar for those that
fancied a tipple. There were also
plenty of activities including a
rodeo bull, bouncy castle,
children's archery and lawn games.
As well as fitness demonstrations from Gemma Pearce and Oxford
School of Martial Arts there was music from Maya and The Crimps,
who are both regular performers at Didcot Civic Hall events. As
usual they gave a great show and the audience were up and dancing
in no time.

Performers (L to R) Maya, Limitations and The Crimps

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Didcot Town Council

MACMILLAN COFFEE MORNING Here’s an example of how
— Friday 27th September 2019 far the money raised goes:

Didcot Town Council and Civic Hall Just £52 could help run
our Online Community
would like to say a huge thank you to forum for over an hour.
all those who donated towards our Typically, that would give
Macmillan Coffee Morning. So much nearly 750 people
more than the estimated figure was affected by cancer both
raised and we couldn’t have done it emotional and practical
without all those that donated cakes support.
and goodies, their time or raffle prizes.

Once all the
sweet treats
had turned to a
few crumbs on
plates the total
raised was...

£760.92!

FUN DOG SHOW — Sunday 13th October
On Sunday 13th October, Didcot Civic Hall was filled with as many

breeds of dog as you can imagine. From Great Danes to
Chihuahuas, all dogs were welcome to the 2nd annual Fun Dog Show
which went down a storm with local residents.

There was a great turn out on the day with 25 dogs
taking part and over 50 attendees came down to
watch an array of breeds compete in categories
such as Best 6 Legs, Best Didcot Dog and Best
Junior Handler.

On the day £120 was raised by the Civic
Hall and split between two charities
Guide Dogs UK and Pine Ridge Dog
Sanctuary.
Guide Dogs UK attended on the day to
put on a fantastic performance and local
dog rehabilitation and grooming centre
for dogs Woozelbears came along to
support.

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Didcot Town Council

GREAT WESTERN PARK LITTER PICK
— Saturday 26th October

Didcot Town Council would like to say a HUGE THANK YOU to the
volunteers that came to the Great Western Park (GWP) litter pick
on Saturday 26th October 2019.

Volunteers along with a few
Didcot Town Council staff
members headed out across
GWP early on Saturday
morning in the wind and rain
in search of litter to bag up.
Once the litter pick was over
Boundary Park Pavilion
offered up teas and coffee
and Tesco kindly donated jam
doughnuts for all volunteers.

DTC staff Chelsey and Lucy

DIDCOT LITTER The next Didcot Town
PICK IN MARCH Council litter pick is
2020 scheduled for March
MORE DETAILS 2020 so if you would
OF WHEN AND like to come along and
WHERE TO lend a hand then please
FOLLOW register your interest at
[email protected] or
on 01235812637.
The litter pick is a
great benefit to the
community but can also
be a great way to get
to know other members
of the community, find
your way around the
local area or boost your
step count for the day!

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Didcot Town Council
DIDCOT TOWN COUNCIL AWARDS— Friday 18th October 2019

The Mayor of Didcot, Cllr Anthony Dearlove hosted the Didcot

Town Council Awards Evening.
We started the evening with the Didcot Divas singing songs from
Les Misérables, followed by the Community Awards.
We then had the Allotment winners, and a performance from the
amazing Bernadine Soul School of Dance.
After this we had the Community Awards to say thank you to all
those who help out in the community with little or no recognition.
After this the last two awards of the night were presented. Firstly
we had the John Eldridge Award for Voluntary Service which was
donated by Mrs Jean Eldridge after the death of her husband whilst
he was the Deputy Mayor. The winner of this was the Didcot
Volunteer Centre, and Bill Major accepted the award on their behalf.

Bernadine Soul school of Dance dancers Didcot Divas Choir

Mayor Anthony Dearlove presenting winners and nominees with awards and certificates

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Didcot Town Council
This year we decided to add a new award for a special young lady
Courtney Hughes BEM who does such fantastic charity work we
awarded her a Special Recognition Award which was presented to her
by the High Sherriff of Oxfordshire, Lady Jay.
The Didcot Divas sang again some uplifting songs, including Dancing
Queen to get everybody singing along.

The winners on the night were:

Artistic – Geoff Bushell for his work with Didcot Orchestra
Lifetime Achievement Award – Sarah Settle, for her commitment to
working at Manor School
Young Carer/Fundraiser – Daniel Lloyd for raising money for the JR
Hospital
Service with a Smile – Hilary John for her friendly/helpful service
Unsung Hero – Anna Gatrell for hosting a free Christmas lunch for
lonely people
Sporting Achievement – Eileen Naughton for all the marathons she
runs for charity

Mayor Anthony Dearlove presenting winners and nominees with awards and certificates

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UPCOMING EVENTS
Remembrance Parade

The Town Council Remembrance Pa-
rade will take place on Sunday 10th
November 2019, followed by the ser-
vice which commences at 3pm at Did-
cot Civic Hall.
The parade leaves Edinburgh Drive car
park at approximately 2.30pm to
march up The Broadway.
The road between Vicarage Road to
Ernest Road will be closed for the du-
ration of the parade and service to ensure space for the parade as it
takes up the full width of the road. The road will reopen at approxi-
mately 4pm.
The parade will be led by the Caledonian Pipe Band along with a
contingent from 11EOD Barracks, followed by the Mayor, Councillors,
service cadets and local groups.
All are welcome to attend.

Town Carol Concert

The annual Town Carol Concert
will take place at Didcot Civic
Hall on Tuesday 3rd December
2019 at 7.00pm in the Main Hall.
Didcot Choral Society will sing
along with children from Didcot
Schools.
All are welcome to attend.

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Didcot Town Council

STAFF UPDATES

We said goodbye to our Deputy Town Clerk, Tom Hudson over a few
drinks and a lovely buffet held at the Didcot Bowling Club Hall on
Friday 16th August 2019.
Tom joined us in July 2015 as the Deputy Town Clerk; his duties
included taking minutes of the Planning and Environment
Committees, taking control of some Working Groups, the Cemetery
Administration and much more.
All staff at Didcot Town Council wish him well in his new role at
Oxfordshire County Council, we know he will be a great asset to
them.

Tom (in blue shirt) and some of the Didcot Councillor's and Didcot Town Council Staff

Changes at Didcot Town Council

On Thursday 5th September 2019 James Durman was elected as the
new councillor for the Millbrook Ward, after the resignation of the
previous candidate.

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GENERAL INFORMATION
Demolition of Didcot Power Station

The last three remaining cooling towers of Didcot Powers Station
were demolished on Sunday 18th August 2019 at 7am.
Many residents were out to watch and take photographs and videos.
The spectacular photographs on our cover page were taken by
Nicola Beasley.
Unfortunately a bit of debris from the towers hit a pylon which left
several thousand houses without electric for approximately one and
a half hours.
The remaining stack will be demolished in October 2019.

Word from the Allotments

The Town Council provides over 400 allotments across five sites in
the town.
Allotments are a great way to grow your own produce and get fit.
We currently have available plots on our New Road and Cockcroft
Sites.
If you are interested in an allotment please contact Lucy Blake at
the Town Council Offices.

Permitted Burn Dates on
Allotments:

19th October 2019—Saturday
2nd November 2019

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Didcot Town Council

Didcot Library Opening Hours

MONDAY 1PM-7PM
TUESDAY 9AM-7PM
WEDNESDAY 9AM-530PM
THURSDAY 9AM-530PM
FRIDAY 9AM-7PM
SATURDAY 9AM—430PM
SUNDAY CLOSED

The library is closed on Bank Holidays

For more information Oxfordshire County Council website:
https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/

District Council Christmas Refuse Collections

The dates for the Christmas Refuse collections are below.
Please note that Saturday collections will start from 6am, an hour

earlier than usual, so remember to put your bins out the night
before.

Garden waste is not collected over the Christmas holidays.

Normal Collection Revised Collection Day Which Bin
Day Grey & food

Friday 27th December Monday 30th December

2018 2018

Friday 4th January Monday 6th January Green & food
2019 2019 (no garden waste)

Friday 10th January Saturday 11th January Grey & food
2019 2019

Council Offices, Britwell Road Phone: 01235 812637
Didcot Fax: 01235 512837
Oxon E-mail: [email protected]
OX11 7HN Website: www.didcot.gov.uk

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Didcot Town Council

Grant Aid Reports

Each year Didcot Town Council makes grants available to local organisations who
support people in Didcot. These are recent reports of how they have used that
money. If you would like to apply for grant funding from the Town Council please
visit www.didcot.gov.uk/Grant-Aid for more details.

Council Offices, Britwell Road 16 Phone: 01235 812637
Didcot Fax: 01235 512837
Oxon E-mail: [email protected]
OX11 7HN www.didcot.gov.uk

Didcot Town Council

Council Offices, Britwell Road 17 Phone: 01235 812637
Didcot Fax: 01235 512837
Oxon E-mail: [email protected]
OX11 7HN www.didcot.gov.uk

Didcot Town Council

Council Offices, Britwell Road 18 Phone: 01235 812637
Didcot Fax: 01235 512837
Oxon E-mail: [email protected]
OX11 7HN www.didcot.gov.uk

Didcot Town Council

Council Offices, Britwell Road 19 Phone: 01235 812637
Didcot Fax: 01235 512837
Oxon E-mail: [email protected]
OX11 7HN www.didcot.gov.uk

Didcot Town Council

Council Offices, Britwell Road 20 Phone: 01235 812637
Didcot Fax: 01235 512837
Oxon E-mail: [email protected]
OX11 7HN www.didcot.gov.uk

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