News
Vale Partnership sponsors Village of the Year
This year the Vale Partnership has sponsored the Vale section of the Oxfordshire Village of the Year Competition 2006. The Competition is organized by the Oxfordshire Rural Community Council and celebrates the villages that are real communities, villages which are welcoming for everyone and are great places to live. One of the signs of a 'real village' is a place where villagers give up time to provide help with projects like community transport, good neighbour schemes and youth clubs. These are the kind of projects that the Vale Partnership wants to support.
Liz Sale, the Partnership's Vice Chair explained ' We decided to sponsor the Village of the Year competition because we want to encourage everyone to get involved in making their community a better place. We are sure the competition provides some good examples of community involvement'
Twelve villages were each convinced they are the best place to live in the Vale and judging was extremely difficult. The final results of the competition were that Appleford on Thames won the small village category and Blewbury won the large village category. Stanford in the Vale and Kennington were runners up.
The judges were particularly impressed that a small village like Appleford has its own website as well as a newsletter. The website and newsletter keep local people informed and encourages them to get involved in village life.
Blewbury scored well on its commitment to the environment.
The Blewbury Energy Initiative aims to reduce energy consumption in buildings in Blewbury, and encourages the effective use of renewable energy resources. With the help of the District Council every home in Blewbury was offered a free energy survey.
For more information please visit the Village of the Year website http://www.villageoftheyear.org ,the Blewbury website http://www.blewbury.co.uk/ and the Appleford website http://www.applefordwebsite.co.uk/
New Chair for Vale Partnership
The Reverend John Robertson has been elected as the new chair of the Vale Partnership. John is the Vicar of Grove. John represents the Diocese of Oxford on the Partnership Board. John takes over from Zoé Patrick of Age Concern.
John paid tribute to Zoé's commitment to the Partnership 'Zoé has chaired the Partnership through the challenges of its early days. Thanks to her hard work the Partnership is now ready to tackle some of the big quality of life issues that will be faced by the Vale in the coming years.'
Members of the Vale Partnership recently took part in discussions about how partnership working can add value to the services that the District Council provides for children and young people.
Local schools are keen to get students ready for the world of work and many want to organize careers fairs. Unfortunately several schools are struggling to find local employers who are willing to get involved. The Vale Partnership is willing to help but needs the support of local companies.
If you want to help please contact Toby Warren, Head of Innovation & Enterprise at the Vale of White Horse District Council (Telephone: 01235 547695, Email toby.warren@whitehorsedc.gov.uk)
Forum Helps the Voluntary Sector
Representatives from more than thirty local voluntary & community sector groups took part in the Vale Community Forum meeting on 21st September. The Forum included updates about the work of the Vale Partnership, the Big Lottery Fund and the government's support for the sector. A series of workshops covered volunteering, building a presence on the worldwide web and the role of management committees. The Forum was organised by Oxfordshire Community & Voluntary Action on behalf of the Vale Partnership.
Helping People Live Healthier Lifestyles
As a result of the conference, held in Abingdon earlier this year and organised by the Vale Partnership, there is now a Women’s Wellbeing Group running in Abingdon and the Vale Housing Association has proposed to support tenants trying to give up smoking. Also as a result of the conference GP surgery managers are due to meet Abingdon Bridge workers, who provide young people with advice and support, to learn more about health issues faced by young people. The conference gave the Partnership an opportunity to share project ideas with community groups.
Val Messenger, the Director of Public Health at the Primary Care Trust, explained: “We are responsible for providing local healthcare and we understand that most people want to improve their health but they need help. In a rural area like the Vale that help has to be easily accessible and community groups can add value to the work of professional health care workers.”
Other projects that are being planned include information in GP surgeries about the health benefits of walking, wellbeing news items in parish magazines and championing the health needs of older people.
Zoe Patrick, the Chair of the Vale Partnership, said: “We are delighted that the conference has made a difference. The Partnership does not provide direct funding for projects but it does provide guidance on starting a project. The conference has shown that practical guidance and support can be extremely valuable.”index
VP sponsors Village of the Year
New Chair for Vale Partnership
Helping People Live Healthier Lifestyles
picture of the month
Abingdon & Witney College art students show the winning design for an environmentally friendly reusable shopping bag
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