Letter of thanks

The following letter arrived a bit too late for inclusion in the October issue of the pump, so I felt it deserved to be printed here: Chas.

Dear Editor,

May I, through the columns of The Chinnor Pump, on behalf of The Friends of St. Andrews Church, thank everyone who attended the Quiz Night on the 25^th September 2026. The amount raised was a magnificent £477 towards the care and maintenance of St Andrew’s Church.

The results are as follows:

Nice but Dim 89.1% (1*); Nearly not all there 83.6% (1); Upper Chinnor Bakers +1 75.5%; Les Quizerables 69.6%; Back to Basics 69.1%; Just Five 65%; Crafty Crafters 63.6%; The Wild Ones 56.8%; Ladies that Lunch 54.5%; Silver Spoons 47.3%. Figures in brackets record the number of perfect rounds; * indicates a perfect round with the Joker in play.

Due to an oversight on my part, the answers to the Warm Up Quiz were not given. To correct this oversight, the Warm Up Quiz and answers follow:

1. In the Christian Calander, what name is given to the Sunday before Easter and the feast that commemorates Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem? Palm Sunday
2. Which 97-mile river enters the North Sea at Berwick, Northumberland? Tweed
3. The National Wallace Monument is located just outside which Scottish city? Stirling
4. Which quiz board game involves the collection of coloured wedges? Trivial Pursuits
5. Founded in 1123, which hospital in Smithfield, London is the oldest hospital in Britain? St Bartholomew’s Hospital
6. What hereditary metabolic disorder, characterised by recurrent acute attacks of severe inflammation in the joints, is caused by the disposition of salts of uric acid? Gout
7. Which winter sport can Nordic or Alpine? Skiing
8. Raindrops keep fallin’ on my head; Walk on by and What the world needs now is love are among the countless hits by which prolific songwriting duo? Bert Bacharach and Hal David
9. In mechanics, what is the name given to the maximum speed that an object can reach while falling? Terminal Velocity
10. Which author of financial biographies has written works including Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon, a profile of convicted cryptocurrency Fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried? Michael Lewis

Once again, thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you at the Quiz Night 2027.

Yours Faithfully,

David Watson

St Andrew’s Church Hall

We’ve recently launched the new St Andrew’s Church Hall, Chinnor Facebook page and website and would be delighted if you could follow us and, if appropriate, share our page with family and friends.

St Andrew’s Church Hall is a welcoming, flexible community venue available to hire for clubs, classes, meetings, celebrations and events. We’re keen to support local organisations and help people discover this fantastic community space.

We’d really appreciate your support in helping us spread the word.

You can find us here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61592579286457 and website here: https://e-voice.org.uk/standrewschurchhall/ 

Thank you very much, and best wishes,
The St Andrew’s Church Hall Team

County Councillor Report - Chinnor division August 2026

17^Th August 2026 - Cllr Georgina Heritage 

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Local Matters – What I’ve been doing

Since most parish councils don’t have meetings in August I didn’t send a report earlier this month as I usually do. This report is intended to cover a longer period but I’ll try not to make it a longer report! I’ll still send out any relevant updates by email to parish councils until my next full report.

The past few weeks have been extremely busy with councillors and officers getting to grips with the upcoming Local Government Reorganisation and the various deadlines associated with responding to this, now that we know which proposal Government has opted for. As I mentioned in an email last month, both OCC and SODC are disappointed by the decision to opt for Oxford City’s 3UA proposal. In South Oxfordshire alone, 25 villages will be lost to Greater Oxford, while Cherwell and West Oxfordshire have been left with some real challenges for the future. This is certainly not the option of choice for most. Oxford City is not familiar with rural parishes and I’m especially disappointed that City’s 3UA offer did not even appear to meet the criteria guidance set by Government.

However, I can offer reassurance that the Ridgeway council that Chinnor will be part of is in a stronger and more favourable position than some of our neighbours. Data gathering is now taking place for each proposed new Ridgeway ward (based on existing County divisions) and other Oxfordshire areas. All councils have input on, for example, councillor distribution/coverage. However we are not permitted to move boundaries.

The full details of the three-unitary proposal can be found on 3councils.org and the three new councils in 2028 will be:

• Greater Oxford Council – covering Oxford and its immediate surroundings.
• Northern Oxfordshire Council – covering most of the existing Cherwell and West Oxfordshire districts.
• Ridgeway Council – covering most of the existing South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse districts, combined with West Berkshire.

While it’s not the decision any of us wanted, councils are all working together to get on with the job and ensure a smooth transition for residents.

... read more of this article County Councillor Report - Chinnor division August 2026

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