Jubilee planning meeting

Public meeting Tuesday, February 8th at 7pm in Brill School hall. Everyone welcome! Only FOUR months to go; we must get moving!!

For inspiration ahead of the meeting, click the red button to visit the official Jubilee website and start thinking about the practicalities of arranging a Jubilee Big Lunch.

There’s also money to be had to fund creative or cultural activities to mark the Jubilee. Arts Council England are offering grants of £750 to £10,000 are available for eligible projects. Applications close midday on February 14th 2022. Find out more.

So near yet so far…

Alright, people; concentrate! This is complicated.

Thanks to a lot of hard work and the amazing generosity of Brill people the Brill Playground Committee has managed to raise nearly all of the money required to build two new and exciting playgrounds for the children of Brill. That’s the good news. The not-so-good news is that the final £81,000 (from the National Lottery) comes with one, very strict condition: Brill Parish Council must prove they own, or hold in Trust, the George V Playing Field, which includes the junior football pitch and the two play areas.

The problem is that, right now, we don’t have sufficient proof.

We have a photocopy of a Deed from 1935, which shows that the Aubrey Fletcher Estates transferred the land to be held in Trust by three Trustees. In 1955, the Deed was updated with new three new Trustees: Lilith Cook, Benjamin Siding and Rev John Henry Browning Elkerton but this information alone is not enough; we need the original Deed to see how it has been updated since 1955. Do we met the conditions therein? Does the Deed prove our case?

There may be a way round this but it’s complicated and very time-consuming and the Lottery money comes with a deadline. This said, we are exploring all options, getting lots of expert advice, talking to lots of local people and generally mobilising the parish to sort this out.

If you think you can help in any way, however small or tangental, please contact Jo Hope of the Playground Committee on 01844 237752 or email the Playground Committee. If you’d like more detail, please click the blue button to be taken to the Playground page on the Parish Council website.

Time for a Spring sort-out -

And do your bit to tackle the climate crisis. The Brill Climate Action Group (BCAG) is holding a Clothes Swap Shop on Sunday, March 20th, 10am to 12 noon in the Memorial Hall. This is how it works:

1. Search cupboards and drawers for good quality clothes, handbags and jewellery you no longer use (no underwear, socks or shoes - but children’s clothes welcome)

2. During the week preceding the Swap Shop, take your donations to the drop-off point (details later) and receive a token for each item

3. Go along to the Swap Shop between 10am and 12 noon, pay 50p admission and use your tokens to buy new exciting clothes

The Swap Shop will be fun - but the BCAG are also making a serious point about the damaging effects of fast fashion on our environment. Look for the poster on the Parish Council noticeboard, see their piece in February’s Bernwode News - or read the full version on the Parish Council website.

Incidentally, the weekend of March 19th/20th is already shaping up to be a good one. Apart from the Swap Shop on the Sunday, we have the Brill Community Market on Saturday morning and Brill Playground’s Race Night on Saturday evening. See our website or look out for posters.

Calling Brill drivers

As you may know, Oakley Parish Council (with financial support from Brill Parish Council) operates a mini-bus service twice a month to and from Bicester, on the first and third Friday of the month. Sadly this useful service is in danger of closing due to a shortage of drivers.

There must be someone out there who can spare a few hours every 1-2 months. All you need is a clean CAR* driving license and a desire to keep a vital rural service running.

Please contact Anne Staff, Oakley Parish Councillor on 01844 237434 or click the green button to send Anne an email.

*The bus in the picture is an artist’s nostalgic impression of a rural bus service; the Oakley/Bicester bus is much smaller! Promise!

And, finally…

Do tell others about this e-newsletter! Many people aren’t on Facebook or comfortable with social media - and we want to reach all parishioners equally. Tell friends, family or neighbours to email hello@brillparishcouncil.co.uk or fill in the form on the Brill Parish Council website. Alternatively, if they’d like a paper copy, suggest they drop us a note or call in to the office.

If you are reading a paper version of this newsletter and want to read more about anything mentioned or complete the Local Plan Survey, please call in and chat to our Clerk, who usually works in the Old Library on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They will be happy to help you access the internet or download and print information or forms for you.

All good wishes
Brill Parish Council