Didcot Diary Winter 2020

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Didcot Diary Winter 2020

Welcome to the Winter edition of the Didcot Diary.
It’s now colder and as we head towards Christmas, we might even get snow.
Here is a snippet of what has happened over the last few months in the Council.
Please stay safe and follow the Government and the NHS advice on their website.

You can find help and advice on our website too:
www.didcot.gov

STAY SAFE & HAPPY CHRISTMAS

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Contents

Message from the Mayor of Didcot Page
Message from Leader of the Council 4
VJ Day 5
NHS Photography Exhibition 8
Visit to War Graves 9
Remembrance Day 10
Commemorative Tree Planting 11
Didcot Town Awards 2020 11
Didcot Garden Town 12
Civic Hall 19
General Information 21
Grant Aid 22
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Message from the Mayor

We have just passed through the annual time of
Remembrance. Like everything else this year it
has been different from the way we usually do
things.

We weren’t able to safely have a large public Didcot Mayor Councillor Eleanor Hards
gathering and parade but the Town Council and
local branch of the Royal British Legion jointly held
a very small wreath-laying ceremony which was
recorded and is available to watch on the website.
In addition to the Town Council wreath I also laid a
wreath on behalf of all the community organisations
in Didcot.

I was pleased to see when I was at the memorial on the 11th that several other
organisations had also laid wreaths at a time of their own choosing and that
individuals had left remembrance crosses and painted stones.

As we move towards Christmas there is a lot of uncertainty about what we will be
able to do after the end of this second lockdown. Many of us would normally expect
to meet up with other family members in different parts of the country and we don’t
know if this will be possible. Our best hope meanwhile is to stick to the rules as best
we can and do whatever we can to help each other through this.

Eleanor Hards
Mayor for Didcot

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Message from Leader of The

Council

9th December 2020

Dear Didcot Resident,

SOLL (Vale) (trading as Park Club) announced on 25th

November they will no longer operate Willowbrook Leisure

Centre due to financial problems. Due to the concerns

from Didcot residents, I decided to hold an Extraordinary

Full Council Meeting. It is important that the Council listens

to the views of residents on this matter, as well as seeking

legal advice, so that all available options can be assessed.

Deputy Mayor / Leader of Didcot I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to
Town Council write to me and other representatives of the Council, as

Councillor Mocky Khan

well as those who spoke passionately at the Council meeting held on 8th December.

Councillors of all political parties are residents too, and we all share the frustration

and disappointment of losing such an important leisure facility in Didcot. We

understand the importance of exercise for fitness and mental health as well as

having this facility available for other kinds of activities, including clubs, sports, and

parties.

In an ideal world where money was not an issue, as Leader of the Council I would
love to reopen Willowbrook in its current form. However, I must look at budgets—

including our current financial obligations and commitments, and the forecast for our
income (which has been severely impacted by COVID-19)—so that we can continue

to protect the public purse, especially in these unprecedented times.

Didcot Town Council owns several buildings within Didcot, some we run ourselves
and others we have tenants. Willowbrook is owned by Didcot Town Council and was
run on our behalf by SOLL (Vale) on a commercial basis providing a gym, exercise
classes and other activities to its members.

Many residents have suggested the Council step in and help SOLL (Vale) or give it
to a community organisation to run. Although this sounds easy and great there are
significant barriers to prevent this. For one, giving financial help is not a viable option
as the position SOLL (Vale) are in, is forcing the closure of other leisure centres they
manage. The Council is unable to bail out one business as that would be unfair to all

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other businesses. We cannot favour one business. It needs to be stated that all the
equipment in Willowbrook did not belong to Didcot Town Council and will be
removed as part of SOLL (Vale) vacating the building. Any alternative provider will
be faced with a significant investment to reinstate the equipment and facilities to
return Willowbrook to be a significant asset for Didcot.

In this current climate, where job security is uncertain, many on furlough and
businesses closed or on the brink, any additional costs for Didcot Town Council will
fall on the residents of Didcot which will mean higher council tax. The Council does
not get any funding from central government and is solely reliant on revenue from
Didcot residents. This makes it crucial for the Council to act appropriately with
regards to Willowbrook.

Following significant legal advice, the Council has therefore decided to support
SOLL (Vale’s) application for a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) which will
allow them to continue to operate as a business using their Milton Park site only.
This arrangement will allow the Council to recoup some of the money lost because
of the financial agreement that is part of the CVA. As of 14th December, the
Willowbrook building will be controlled by Didcot Town Council and I, with fellow
Councillors, will decide the next steps, including who takes over. It will take time to
seek other operators, service providers and review proposals received from
interested parties as well ensure the necessary legal and practical measures are
taken to reopen Willowbrook as soon as possible.

In the meantime, the Council will look to refurbish the building to increase its
attractiveness to potential operators and be ready for the next phase in the life of
this much-loved facility. Most importantly, we will run a Didcot-wide consultation to
see what residents want. This will be your opportunity to tell me and the Council
what you would like Willowbrook to offer our community. Please look out for the
details of the consultation on our website and social media channels in the coming
weeks.

On a positive note, I want to highlight the projects that the Council are working on
that will enhance community life. Below is a list of the exciting projects we have lined
up for next year and beyond:

• Finalising the designs for a brand-new community and sports pavilion in
Edmonds Park

• Installing a splash park for kids, big and small, to enjoy at Edmonds Park.
• New football pitches and sand pit on Ladygrove Park.
• Maintenance and replacement of playgrounds and play equipment.

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• A new permanent path across Stubbing’s Land that will be safer and
accessible by all—and, importantly, much better than the current muddy track.

• The return of the Town Fayre – subject to Government guidelines.
• Improvements to Ladygrove Lakes so we can maintain its fish stock and

support other local wildlife. We have recruited a new Outdoor Services
Manager who has some exciting environmental plans to make the lakes a
destination for all.
I hope that this explains what Didcot Town Council plans to do next with
Willowbrook, as well as highlighting how hard we are working on improvements to
the leisure provisions in the town.
If you have any questions, then please do not hesitate to contact me.
I would like to wish you on behalf of Didcot Town Council a Merry Christmas and a
Happy New Year!
And—please remember, hands, face, space. Stay safe!
Regards,

Cllr Mocky Khan
Leader of Didcot Town Council

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VJ Day
– Saturday 15th August 2020

A service was held at Didcot's War Memorial, Smallbone Recreation Ground, on
Saturday, 15th August 2020 at 11.00 hrs to pay tribute to those who fought in the
Far East which brought an end to World War Two.
The anniversary was marked by a short service conducted by Revd Fran Childs, St
Peter's Church, Didcot.
Wreaths were laid by the President of Didcot Royal British Legion, Duncan Boscott,
Mayor of Didcot, Cllr Eleanor Hards and Capt Robert Kelly, 11 EOD & Search
Regiment, RLC, Vauxhall Barracks.
The Last Post and Reveille were sounded by Steve Chapman, Wantage Silver
Band.
Twelve people observing social distancing were in attendance representing the
foregoing organisations.

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NHS Research Photography Exhibition
– Friday 28th August 2020

On Friday 28th August 2020 the Didcot Civic Hall held a reception (socially distancing
of course) to open the NHS ‘How Research Is Changing Lives - a photography
exhibition showcasing ground-breaking NHS medical research in Thames Valley’.
Guests were invited to attend the opening, where refreshments were provided and
the Mayor, Cllr Eleanor Hards made a speech to officially open the exhibition.
Cllr Eleanor Hards said it was an ‘interesting and excellent exhibition’. It stayed at the
Civic Hall until the end of October 2020. We hope people had a chance to see it
before it moved to a new location.

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Mayor Eleanor Hards has paid respects at
Commonwealth War Graves in Didcot

The week before Remembrance Day, Mayor
Eleanor Hards paid respects at all Commonwealth
War Graves in Didcot that are known to us.

A remembrance cross was put on the war graves
in Didcot All Saints churchyard and in Kynaston
Road Cemetery. Upon arrival, Mayor Eleanor
Hards found that some war graves already had
remembrance crosses on them.

Eight lives are remembered in seven graves in Didcot All Saints churchyard, there
being one double grave with Cadet Sergeant William Albert Hughes, who was
killed when a Wellington bomber crashed near RAF Harwell, and his brother
Vivian Stanley Hughes who died in the Radcliffe Infirmary of cardiac failure.

Five lives are remembered in Kynaston Road Cemetery.

Below are a few of the war graves.

J.J. Taylor F.J. Scarse H. A . Allen

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Remembrance Day
– Sunday 8th November

Unfortunately, we were not able to hold a Remembrance Day parade this year due
to government lockdown rules, however a small socially distanced service took
place on the morning of Sunday 8th November 2020 at Didcot War Memorial on
Small Bone Recreation Ground.
Wreaths were laid by Didcot Town Mayor, Eleanor Hards, Royal British Legion
President Duncan Boscott, 11 EOD and the Deputy Lord Lieutenant.
We have a short film of the service on our website.

Planting of Commemorative Tree
– Sunday 8th November 2020

On Remembrance Sunday, Didcot Mayor Eleanor
Hards planted a commemorative tree in Small Bone
Park along with the President of the local branch of the
RBL Duncan Boscott (on the left) and Legion member
Colin Jones.

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Didcot Town Council Awards 2020

The Annual Didcot Town Council Awards Evening was a virtual event this year.

The winners were announced via a video on our website and Facebook page on
Friday 11th December 2020.

Special Award

This year when we saw the nominations, we decided to present a special award
which we are calling Covid Hero. This person had to be given a category of his own
to give everyone else a chance. He has provided free meals for NHS workers,
homeless people and people who have lost their jobs because of Covid, among
others.
This special award goes to Hasnath Miah

Didcot Artistic Award Nominees

Sophie Purbrick
Sophie is a mad animal fan who did a year placement at Chester Zoo from
university.
Just after her placement they had a fire so Sophie, who is an excellent artist, sold
some of her drawings to raise money for the zoo.

Angels Performing Arts
A dance school in the town who go from strength to strength with around 200
children on their books. A charity arm of the Angels provides scholarships and pays
for costumes for less fortunate children.
They ran a weekly class for residents of Style Acre.
During lockdown they moved classes online and provided free taster sessions on
Instagram. They have also raised thousands of pounds for charities such as
Children in Need and Comic Relief with raffles and cake sales.
They regularly partner with local charity Play2Give to raise funds. In 2019 they
jointly put on Didcot’s Got Talent at Cornerstone.
One of their former pupils has gone on to star as a child actress in The Worst Witch.

Winner - Angels Performing Arts

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Sporting Achievement Award Nominees

Harwell Harriers Running Club
Harwell Harriers has been established for about 3 years and in that time have grown
from 40 to 140 members. They have set up a couch to 5k and re-established the
Harwell half-marathon. They firmly believe they have a duty to pass on their passion
for fitness and running to the local community.

SMAF Oxford
A small family company providing martial arts training based in Didcot in a fun,
friendly environment. They provide classes for disabled people and this year have
provided unlimited Zoom training 6 days a week. When restrictions were lifted they
provided free 1 to 1 personal training sessions and have gone the extra mile to keep
people motivated.

John Houston, South Moreton Boxing Club
Nominated for the motivation to keep everyone exercising by providing so many
varied Zoom sessions catering for all, including children.

Winner - SMAF

Service with a Smile Award Nominees

Steven Light, Shire Pest Solutions
Pest controllers don’t always get appreciated for what they do but they get
satisfaction from solving people’ problems. Shire remove honey bees from buildings
rather than destroy them and bumblebees are rehomed or their nest entrance is re-
routed so it’s less of a problem. They care about wildlife and put customers at ease.

Daniel Merritt
During the first lockdown he opened up a centre offering business services and
support to other veterans, alongside mental health courses and training sessions.

John Hall (John the Postie)
During lockdown and after he raised people’s spirits by delivering the post in a
different fancy dress outfit every day. He has also produced a charity calendar
featuring some of his costumes and has raised funds for the NHS.

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Hasnath Miah
See previous comments.

Amira Popa
Didcot resident who sells pizzas from her van in the local villages. Described by her
nominator as a very friendly lady.

Winner - Daniel Merritt

Young Volunteer or Charity Fundraiser Award Nominees

Daniel Lloyd
Daniel began raising money in April 2019 in memory of a friend to support the
Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit at the JR.
He went on to raise money to enable St Birinus School to train 16 members of staff
in mental first aid, allowing students to access help more freely and raising
awareness.
In January he started a project called “Markers for Mindfulness” collecting new and
used school basics for primary schools affected by budget cuts.

Lincoln Callaghan
Football fanatic Lincoln raised £3500 for Didcot Town Football Club by cycling 100k
in a month. This provided funds to help the club stay in business.

Winner - Daniel Lloyd

Lifetime Achievement Award Nominees

Claire Hughes
Claire has raised thousands of pounds over the last 20 years for different charities.
She helped raise £250k with the Didcot Thong Rangers. She helped to organise and
raise £25k for the Thames Valley Air Ambulance, the RFU Injured Players
Foundation and a cancer charity, while ill herself.
She is a volunteer bereavement councillor and recently developed community
larders to provide food during the pandemic. She also helps run Secret Santa 365
with her daughter.

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Courtney Hughes
The Secret Santa charity founded by Courtney when she was 12 is well known.
Over 80 thousand gifts have been given out across Oxfordshire and she has been
awarded the British Empire Medal by the Queen, a Points of Light award by Theresa
May and a British Citizens Award. She was runner-up at the Pride of Britain and a
Royal College of Nursing finalist. During Covid, Courtney has worked full-time as a
frontline NHS worker and supported over 200 elderly residents with food and
essentials.

Courtney is a previous winner of the John Eldridge award.

Rachel and Steve Hunter
Rachel and Steve have been helping out at the Didcot 23rd Cubs/Scouts for about
18 years. They started when their son was a Beaver and are still running the weekly
session though their son is now grown up. They take the kids on hikes and camping
trips and teach them skills like cooking, sewing and map-reading. They both work
full-time (Steve is a paramedic). During lockdown they ran the group via Zoom.

Winner - Rachel and Steve Hunter

Unsung Hero Award Nominees

St Birinus School staff
For going above and beyond to support their students during lockdown. Taking extra
steps to ensure those at home were well, physically and mentally and being in touch
with everyone by email and phone. They deserve to know how much their support
has helped students during this time.

Staff at The Meadows care home
For everyone at The Meadows for all their efforts during the Covid-19 crisis.

Claire Ward and Kaye Wynn
Aka the Newlands Avenue Community Mask Tree. Claire and Kaye handmade over
800 masks and Claire also made scrubs bags for the local GP surgery. The masks
were available for a donation and all proceeds went to the Didcot Foodbank and
SOFEA.

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Ann Paterson
Mrs Paterson works tirelessly to keep the mini-roundabout and the area by the
doctors’ surgery on Tyne Avenue attractive with flowers and maintains the
communal garden on Avon Way.

SOFEA Fairshare
For providing food hampers for vulnerable people in Didcot and surrounding areas
throughout Covid-19.

Trevor Newman
Trevor runs a Facebook group, dedicating his time to helping those in need with
basic essentials. He has helped many families with food packages. He has the
biggest caring heart, helping those in need around the clock.

Marianne Slipper
In March 2019 Marianne set up her Every Little Thing Helps charity to sell clothes
and good condition books and DVDs to support those in need, raising nearly £2,500
in less than 18 months. She helped raise funds for Play2Give’s fundraising for
Ronald McDonald House and the children’s cancer ward at the JR. She is now
helping Play2Give provide “magical pamper hampers” for people going through
difficult or distressing times.

Courtney Hughes

Angels Performing Arts
See previous comments

Alison Lane
Alison has chaired Didcot Choral Society for at least 15 years. She has presided
over an increase in membership and run lots of social events as well as rehearsals
and concerts and moving pews and making the tea. Concert tours she has
organised include Paris, Bruges, Dublin, Derbyshire and the Edinburgh Festival. All
of this while teaching full time.

Robin McStay
Since 2003 Robin has organised and led Didcot Health Walks twice a week for up to
25 walkers. He is very reliable and turns up whatever the weather despite being in
his 80s and having some health problems himself. He also does the admin and
organises a social event at Christmas. He is always friendly and welcoming and has
a very loyal following.

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Ady Crook
During lockdown Ady was hosting weekly isolation bingo sessions where he lives to
raise money for the ICU at the John Radcliffe. He also hosted weekly quiz nights.
His main achievement was a charity spinathon of over 1000 miles on his drive to
raise over £8000 for a local child with bone cancer and the hospital ward where she
has been treated.

He is still continuing with his charity fundraising and cheering people up.

Hasnath Miah
See previous comments

Winner - Ady Crook

John Eldridge Award Nominees

John was a much-respected councillor who died in 1992 while service as Deputy
Mayor

Andy Baker
For setting up his Play 2 give charity. The charity has helped lots of people over the
years with head injuries and raised loads of money for charity. Recently he helped
people during lockdown.

Emily Heins
Emily has taken up the role of leader at 1st GWP Guides and has turned the
struggling group around. The group nearly had to close but with Emily’s
determination it is now thriving.

Claire Hughes
For raising thousands of pounds over the last 20 years for different charities

Courtney Hughes
Courtney is a previous winner of this award

Hasnath Miah
See previous comments

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Robin McStay
For organising and leading Didcot Health Walks twice a week for up to 25 walkers
for nearly 20 years whatever the weather.
Winner - Robin McStay
The winners will be presented with their awards in the new year by the Mayor of
Didcot.

Allotment Awards
Best plot on each site
Mereland Road - Mrs Hughes
New Road – Eileen Bracken
Wantage Road – Colin Churchman
Broadway – Mr Mason
Cockcroft – Denise Mortimer
Overall Plot winner
Mrs Hughes
Overall Site winner
Broadway

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Our new offices will be built in Didcot Garden Town

Recently, South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils announced that
we are planning to build our new council offices at the Gateway site in Didcot - right in
the heart of the garden town. Since then we've been contacted by our residents to ask
how the offices fit into the proposals on the site.

You can see on the photo map below the layout and proposals at the Gateway site,
which is situated opposite Didcot Parkway railway station. The red areas are set to be
redeveloped and our office space is outlined with the yellow line. The whole
development hopes to accommodate mixed-use buildings that offer new
accommodation for residents and businesses.

There are lots of positive reasons why councillors have chosen the Gateway site. It's in
the middle of the garden town, very close to public transport, near to the Vale of White
Horse district border. But perhaps most importantly, it is the most sustainable option for
the future both economically and environmentally.

South and Vale are in the early stages of designs for our offices. We are working with
Homes England, who are in charge of the housing site's redevelopment proposals. We
hope to provide more information at the next Didcot Garden Town Advisory Board in
January 2021.

You can find out more information on Homes England's housing masterplan proposals
as part of their public engagement, which closed in July earlier this year.

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Visit: www.didcotgateway.co.uk

Public Art

Remembrance poppies were respectfully and beautifully displayed at St Birinus School
as part of the school's commemoration of all those who served and lost their lives in the
First World War.
The field of handmade poppies, pictured were handmade by students and staff at the
school.

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Didcot Civic Hall

Did you seen the wonderful pictures of poppies we had on the windows of the Civic
Hall last month?
These were coloured in by children from local schools. They looked fantastic.
It was such a hit we are going to do a Christmas Theme. If your child/school would
like to draw or paint a Christmas themed picture for us to display on the windows of
the Civic Hall please sent them to [email protected] or put in our post-box –
which is outside the Council offices. If you would like them returned, please put your
name and email details on the back so we can arrange for them to be returned in
the New Year.
We look forward to receiving them and displaying them on our windows.

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General Information

Parks and Gardens News

All our open spaces remained open during this second lockdown.
We do urge people to use antibacterial wipes if their children are using the play
equipment.
Unfortunately, the gym equipment at Edmonds park has been vandalised – we will
get this mended as soon as we can.
If you come across any faults with park equipment please email
[email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Christmas Lights

Sadly, we were not allowed the annual Street Fair due to the pandemic – which is
when we would normally switch on the Christmas lights.
We do still have the lights up along the Broadway and on the trees outside the Civic
Hall which we hope will bring some cheer in these strange times.

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Grant Aid

Didcot is fortunate in having a wide variety of community groups and charities that
contribute to the life of the town. The hard work carried out by an army of volunteers
helps to make our town a better place to live. Grant Aid is used to support
organisations and individuals who work for the benefit of the people of Didcot, and
for the Council's own arts and entertainment projects.
Applying for Grant Aid
If you or your organisation would like to apply for grant aid from Didcot Town Council
an application form is available to download below or may also be obtained from the
Information Centre, by telephoning 01235 812637 or by email to
[email protected]. Please read the grant aid policy, before applying.
https://www.didcot.gov.uk/grant-aid.html

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