

Witney Town Council is working with the Rotary Club of Witney to rejuvenate the wild bank behind the chapel in Tower Hill Cemetery.
Steep banks that slope, as this one does, pose particular challenges. Routine maintenance such as mowing cannot be carried out with conventional mowers and watering is a problem due to run off. The trees that line the path above the bank shade the area and drop leaves onto the bank.
Carefully selected planting, suitable for the light and soil conditions will improve the appearance of this particular area and once established, create a more attractive and easily managed space. Wildflowers grow best in low quality soil, so it’s likely that the top layer of four inches or so will be removed to reach poorer soil and remove some of the grass roots to prevent new flowers from having to compete.
Thanks to around £600, donated by Rotary Club of Witney, the Town Council has been able to purchase wildflowers in different planting media to trial on three test areas.
One area will have seeds, another some seed matting and the final area will be planted with seed plugs. The intention is to complete the work for early spring planting and flowering in summer 2023. Wildflower plantings usually take a number of years to establish properly, but the hope is that ultimately the bank will be beautifully transformed by this restoration plan.
John Summers of the Rotary Club said,
“The Rotary Club of Witney is pleased to be able to provide funds so that this project to take place, in partnership with Witney Town Council, because of the Club’s focus on the enhancement of the community and the local environment. This project is centrally located in town where the site is in need of some improvement. The steep grassy bank is difficult to maintain and appropriate wildflower meadow planting is intended to provide year-round interest and summer colour.”
Work has already begun with five members of the Rotary Club assisting on site, transplanting existing spring bulbs and perennials from the trial area, so that they will not be lost when the ground is prepared for planting the wildflowers.
The welcome offer of help from The Witney Rotary club comes from a new area of involvement for them – Environment and Community- which focuses on “supporting families and working with local government to improve where we live.”
This is the first stage of the project. The Club says it looks forward to assisting in the next stages, and is pleased to be associated with this community and environment project. The Club President, Ron Spurs, explained, “This project is exactly the type of community action that our Club thrives on”.
Cllr Ruth Smith, Chair of the Climate, Biodiversity and Planning Committee, added,
“Wild flowers cheer everyone up and this project will build more insect food and habitats into the well-loved cemetery, which has had several successful nature enhancements in recent years. Our officers and in-house maintenance team have more expertise and flexibility than ever to respond to residents’ requests for nature-friendly management of our green spaces.”
This exciting joint project fulfils the Town Council’s desire for community engagement and partnership working and also addresses aims stated in its recently adopted Open Spaces strategy to improve biodiversity and habitat management.
The Rotary club has invited the Witney Photo Group to document the project as it unfolds.
Volunteers from Rotary transplanting Primroses from the test areas
On Thursday 16th March Witney Town Council and the Witney Music Festival Festival signed a partnership agreement that will see the Town Council providing core sponsorship and free use of The Leys to facilitate the Musical Festival each year.
Witney Town Council is pleased to be able to support the extension of an agreement to permit Witney parkrun to continue using West Witney sports ground for a further four years.
Witney Parkrun ticks a lot of boxes for our residents. It’s free, friendly, inclusive and provides a fun challenge that is suitable for runners of all ages and abilities. For many it is a chance to socialise and for others it has a positive impact on their physical health and mental wellbeing.
Cllr Vicky Gwatkin, Chair of the Council’s Parks and Recreation Committee said,
“The success of Parkrun in Witney is a credit to the volunteers who organise and manage it week in week out. Beyond the obvious physical benefits, it has proved its value to our community during the Covid lockdowns and continues to support mental wellbeing, social interaction and provide volunteer opportunities for everyone.
We are immensely proud that Witney parkrun is our parkrun, and so pleased we have been able to offer an extended license in the hope it will continue for many years to come.”
THE CORN EXCHANGE WITNEY
WEDNESDAY 15TH MARCH 7:30pm
JOIN THE CONVERSATION -The meeting is an important part of local democracy and is open to all registered electors in the town.
The Annual Town Meeting is facilitated by the Town Council on behalf of the electorate.
It’s not a Council meeting, but an opportunity for residents to raise and discuss matters affecting the town.
Reports are presented by the Mayor and Town Council committee chairs to let you know what the Council has been working on for the last year, and about the Council’s future plans.
The evening also includes a display by charities and organisations that have received financial grants from Witney Town Council.
Tea and coffee will be available before the meeting.
Residents are encouraged to take part in the public question session. If you have any questions you would like to raise it would be helpful, but not essential, if they could be submitted in advance of the meeting.
Questions asked in advance can be researched in order that a more informed discussion can take place and a comprehensive answer may be provided at the meeting. Submit your questions by letter or email to the Town Clerk: townclerk@witney-tc.gov.uk
For those who might be a bit shy about speaking at the formal meeting or who would like a more in depth chat, there follows an opportunity for residents to speak with the Town Councillors in small groups.
We are looking for volunteers to make bunting for Witney’s Coronation celebrations.
We are asking you to make 3m lengths of red, white and blue bunting from fabric that you might otherwise throw away.
Almost half of us in the UK put unwanted clothing in the dustbin, where it currently goes to landfill and it would be lovely to see old clothing, fabric scraps and charity shop bargains upcycled and recycled into beautiful bunting to decorate the town!
We have a template of a flag that is 15.5cm wide and 21 cm deep and some instructions that you can download from our website.
Our recommendation is to use a cotton or cotton mix type fabric rather than anything stretchy which isn’t easy to sew. Oh, and your bunting must be red, white and blue, of course. 😊
Sadly, knitted and crocheted bunting won’t work as it will be very heavy if it gets wet.
We will need your finished bunting back by Friday, 7th April so we have enough time to put up the bunting by the beginning of May.
Please bring it to our Reception on Market Square.
We still remember the fun we had a few years ago creating the poppy mile with our incredibly enthusiastic community army of crafters and hope that you will all enjoy our Bunting Challenge.
Instructions and templates below.
Bunting challenge Instructions.pdf
Interlocking the flags as much as possible maximises the number of flags you can get from your material. Doubling the material over will obviously make cutting out quicker.
Witney Town Council Precept 2023
Witney Town Council has voted to freeze its Council Tax precept for the 2023-24 municipal year, ensuring Witney residents won’t pay any more tax to the town council in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. The decision to freeze the precept payment was agreed at its Full Council meeting on Wednesday 4th January 2023.
The Town Council offers a range of community and recreational services to residents, many of which do not generate any income, and which include Allotments, Cemeteries, Civic and Community Events, Grants to Voluntary Organisations, Sports Pitches, Public Halls, eleven Recreation Grounds, Planning Matters (consultee on planning applications for the planning authority), The Town Hall and Street Scene. In the current inflationary environment, it has also seen its own costs increase significantly.
At the budget-setting meeting this week, it was explained that the Town Council finances are in a strong and healthy position and the current administration has made enormous progress towards achieving its objectives, with additional funds earmarked for future projects.
Leader of the Council, Cllr Vicky Gwatkin stated “With the challenging economic climate hitting everybody hard and Town Council finances able to absorb some cost increases, it makes total sense to freeze the precept at its current rate. It is a small gesture but the welfare of our community is our highest priority and it will at least go some way to easing the burden for the people of Witney.”
Who are Witney’s unsung heroes? Who does amazing things for the people of the town?
Agenda will be published the week before the meeting.
The date of the meeting of Full Council that was scheduled for Monday, 12th December, 2022, 7.00 pm has now been rearranged.
It will now be held on Wednesday, 4th January, 2023, 7.00 pm in the Gallery Room, The Corn Exchange, Witney.
Please contact the Committee Clerk derek.mackenzie@witney-tc.co.uk if you have any questions.
To see the publicly available information, follow the link: Meeting details on public web site
See the pdf link for a full list of available support and organisations that can help.
Read information on support with the cost of living
There’s a warm welcome at the Mayor of Witney, Cllr Liz Duncan’s Christmas Carol service on Friday 9th December at 7pm at St Mary’s Church on Church Green. The service contains familiar and well loved carols and readings. There are also performances from West Oxfordshire Academy of Performing Arts, Witney Town Band and Wood Green School Chamber Choir.
Some Leys Pitches to Be Back In Play Before January
Witney Town Council is delighted to announce good news about the pitches at the Leys. Protective fencing which had been in place around the renovation work being undertaken on The Leys pitches was removed on Tuesday 29th November. The grounds team have commenced mowing the field. They aren’t making a traditional autumn cut but completing a full cut and collect to help keep the thatch level under control and ensure the new sward has the best chance to further enhance its root strength. The Autumn weather has been much milder than usual, so the new grass has germinated better than expected.
The Council is able to open up a portion of the field for football earlier than expected. It is proposed to mark out two 7 x 7 and a 5 x 5 pitch that could be bookable as early as this weekend. The rest of the area will require some additional work but is still on target to be in play in January.
In addition to this, as a result of the Council bringing its grounds maintenance contract in house it has been able to invest in a Shockwave linear decompaction machine that will enable the team to perform more frequent decompaction work on all its football pitches. This will allow for decompaction work to be carried out more frequently during the out of season maintenance periods, which will greatly improve the condition of all of the Town Council’s sports pitches.