On behalf of the Parish Council this is a gentle reminder that the Elite Womens Cycle Tour will be passing Dorchester this Saturday at about 2 pm along the A4074 from Shillingford and then the A415 towards Abingdon. As this is the first time the race has passed so close to us its an ideal opportunity to see it locally.

Details of the estimated time the race will pass us are on the attached link:
https://www.southandvale.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Stage-6-Chipping-Norton-Oxford-ETA-v2-2.pdf

Also for motorists please note that “Rolling road closures will take place for a short period from around 15 minutes before the race arrives in each location until all the riders have passed safely through.

igns warning people to ‘expect delays’ have started to appear on the route.” For us this will mean that both main roads into the village from the Henley Road and Abingdon Road will be closed at the same time for a short period from as early as 1.45pm!

Please share this information with anyone you know who might be leaving or coming to the village around this time to avoid delays.

More information about the race is on the following link:
https://www.southandvale.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/WT_2022_AdvanceWarningLeaf_STAGE6_WEB.pdf

New trainee curator

We’re very pleased to have appointed Kay Eldridge as trainee curator, starting in early May. More news about Kay in next month’s issue of Dorchester News.

Museum opening times

We’re open until the end of September for four afternoons each week, Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday (also Bank Holidays), 2.00-5.00pm

Please come in and say hello, have a look around the Museum and our popular gift shop.

As usual, we have lots of attractive small gifts for adults and children, a range of local books, and our wide selection of greeting cards.

Among the books is A Yankee in an English Village by Edith Stedman, the founder of the Museum. Edith gives a charming and amusing account of life in Dorchester during the 1950s-1970s. Beautifully illustrated with twelve pages of photos of Edith and the village during her time here. Price £9.99. Also available from the Wallingford Bookshop or Dorchester Co-op

Become a volunteer helper

Have you thought of volunteering for the Museum? You’d be most welcome to join our friendly team. No previous knowledge or experience is needed, and you don’t have to commit to more than one or two afternoons per month over the season. Come in when the Museum’s open to see what’s involved or contact us by e mail: museum@dorchester-abbey.org.uk

Join us for an afternoon of celebrations for:

The Queens Platinum Jubilee

Everyone welcome

The Abbey Cloister Garden from midday on Sunday 5th June 2022

Bring along a picnic and something to sit on!

• Kings and Queens fancy dress competition
• Music and games
• Jubilee cupcake competition
• Bring along a rug, or a chair, and a picnic to share!

Annual Parish Meeting 2022

The Annual Parish Meeting will be held in the Village Hall on Wednesday 11th May. This meeting is open to all residents and will include the Chairman’s Annual Report together with the presentation of the Council’s Draft Accounts for the year ended 31st March 2022.

The Agenda will be posted on Parish notice boards and the village website on Wednesday 4th May. Business will include reports from the County and District Councillor and a representative from Gigaclear will provide the latest information about the availability of the Company’s services in Dorchester. The meeting will include an opportunity for residents to raise any other business.

The May Parish Council meeting will take place after the Annual Parish Meeting has concluded in order to conduct urgent matters like planning and finance.

Monthly Meeting June 2022

The June Council Meeting will take place on Wednesday 8th June also commencing at 7.30 p.m. The Agenda will be posted on Village notice boards and on the Parish Council section of the Village website – www.dorchesteronthames.co.uk – three clear days in advance of the meeting.

All Parish Council meetings are open to the public and any resident who wishes to raise any matter of concern is welcome to do so at the start of the meeting.

Contacting the Parish Council

The Parish Clerk is Geoffrey Russell of The Pigeons (next to The Fleur de Lys), 5 & 7 High Street, Dorchester-on-Thames OX10 7HH

Telephone (during normal office hours, please, unless an emergency) 07745 311439. Texts are always welcome. e –mail: parishclerk@dorchesteronthames.co.uk

Cllr Mark Williams, the Chairman, can be contacted via chairman@dorchesteronthames.co.uk

For information about the Parish Council go to https://www.dorchester-on-thames.co.uk/parish-council/

This includes the minutes of all Parish Council Meetings and financial information such as monthly bank balances and payments as well as a record of all planning matters upon which the Parish Council has been consulted and reports from our County and District Councillor.