Flyer advertising stand-up comedy at Dunsden village hall

Stand-up to comedy at Dunsden village hall

Stand-up to comedy at Dunsden village hall on January 21st

Flyer advertising stand-up comedy at Dunsden village hall

Dunsden Village Hall proudly presents another night of uproarious comedy after the huge success of our 2019 event. That night Chris McCausland was our headliner and then went on to huge national fame. Who will it be this year?

Find out at our comedy night on Saturday January 21st at our warmly welcoming hall. There will be a fully licensed bar with wine and Loddon ales as well as hot refreshments.

Get your tickets now at https://buytickets.at/dunsden/


Jonny Awsum

Jonny shot to national fame on Britain’s Got Talent. His TV performances won standing ovations and unanimous praise from the judges and went viral on the internet, racking up over 50 million views on YouTube.

In 2022, Jonny performed at the Glastonbury Festival, supported Jason Manford in arenas around the country and recorded his 2000th show for a new live album.

Jonny regularly pops up on TV and radio. He has featured on BBC Breakfast, GMTV, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 5 Live and Absolute Radio.

“Guaranteed to lift your spirits”– *** Daily Mirror

“Brilliantly inventive…you went to town…we couldn’t want for anything more!” – David Walliams

“Jonny Awsum positively smashed this musical comedy show, taking the audience all the way with him…That’s entertainment” – ** Chortle

“It was absolutely brilliant…it was the best ending to a show ever!”– Amanda Holden

 

Dan Evans

Dan Evans first appeared on the comedy circuit in 1994, shortly afterwards leaving a promising career as one of East Anglia’s leading office menials to go full time.

Over the past decade his twisted logic has delighted the nation, helping it through the dark days of the death of HRH The Queen Mother and the uncertainties of 21st century property prices.

As well as playing clubs and universities throughout the UK, Dan has gigged in Holland, Germany, Dubai and Ireland as well as being part of the sell-out Screaming Blue Murder Cabaret and Avalon Comedy Zones at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Dan’s TV and radio appearances include Brain Candy (BBC3 & 2), Channel 5 at The Store, Channel 5 Comedy Zone and the Radio 2 Stand Up Show.

He writes too, with many credits including The Very World of Milton Jones (R4 – Sony Award Winner), Rory Bremner Who Else? (CH 4), The Eleven O’Clock Show (CH 4), The Live Floor Show (BBC 1), Revolver (BBC 1) and The Joan Rivers Position (CH 5).

‘Skilful and surreal’ – The Scotsman ‘Original and inventive’ – The Times

Samantha Day

Samantha has been variously a semi-finalist Manford’s Best New Act 2020, Semi finalist Best New Act at the Bath Comedy Festival and Semi-finalist Not so New Comedian of the Year 2019. She’s also supported Patrick Monahan and Lee Nelson.

Lovell Smith

Winner Best Midlands New Act 2019.

“He’s got charisma, charm, confidence & quality jokes. A great formula. He’s the future.”

Nathan Caton – Live at the Apollo star.

Rob Coleman, MC

Rob has made what he laughingly calls a career out of being grumpy. And having amazing hair.

“A naturally funny man.” – Bedfordshire News.

Image of a bus with a sad face sticker on the front

Bus services in the parish

Bus services in parish cut by Arriva

Image of a bus with a sad face sticker on the front

Because of relatively low passenger use (an average of 12 to 16 passengers per day) bus services through the parish are being cut from 8 January, 2023 to just four a day, which are being subsidised by Oxfordshire County Council at a cost of £20,000 per year until August 2024. The service does not operate on Sundays.

The main service will in future run via the A4155 Henley Road in future, where there is less risk of damage to buses and double-deckers will be able to operate.

The proposed new timetable is here. Are you likely to be affected by this change? If so please email Mandy Sermon, our Parish Clerk.

Flyer advertising family fireworks at Dunsden village hall

Fireworks and more at the village hall

Bigger and better than ever before!

Flyer advertising family fireworks at Dunsden village hall

Our ever-popular family fireworks event returns with all the usual favourites, at our lovely refurbished village hall!

Fireworks will again be provided by www.sonningfireworks.co.uk/
There’ll be warming hotdogs, tomato soup, tea, coffee and Loddon ales on sale inside the village hall, plus our popular tuckshop, with glowsticks and more.

Please park in Dunsden Farmyard/Loddon Brewery (RG4 9QD). Walk on road and through community orchard as directed at your own risk. Strictly no parking at the hall except for the disabled. Drop-off facilities at the hall are available for those with small children. 
Bring a torch if you can.

Children under 4 go free. Family tickets are for two adults plus up to three children aged 4 to 16.

We look forward to seeing you on the night!

 

Location
Dunsden Village Hall (parking in Dunsden farmyard RG4 9QD), RG4 9QG

Tickets
Including £20 family tickets for two adults and up to four children from our online box office https://buytickets.at/dunsden

Other events
Look out for news of our Christmas Fayre at the hall on December 3. After the riotous success last time, we are also holding our second ever comedy night in the New Year.

Image of Queen Elizabeth II

The death of Her Majesty the Queen

The death of Her Majesty the Queen

Image of Queen Elizabeth II

The Parish Council of Eye & Dunsden joins with countless others in expressing its profound sadness at the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second. Hers was a life of the most remarkable service to the nation. You may wish to sign the book of condolence which has been opened at All Saints Church, Dunsden and will be available from 8am to 8pm every day during this period of official mourning. A book of condolence is also available at Henley Library.

Following the proclamation of the new monarch, King Charles III at St James Palace, similar proclamations will be made this afternoon throughout Oxfordshire. On official advice, the meeting of the Parish Council on September 20th has been postponed to September 27th. Long live the King!

Image of a stall with graphics containing information about Eye & Dunsden

January news from E&D

Parish News

Welcome to another collection of news about what makes the place you live so special. In this issue don’t miss the chance to go on some free guided walks about the history and character of our villages, and don’t forget the evening of excellent musical entertainment coming up in our wonderful village hall. 

Neighbourhood Plan News

A Happy New Year to you all from the NDP Team!  After a break for Christmas, we’re all looking forward to getting back to work on the next steps of the NDP process.

“Do you want SODC to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Eye & Dunsden to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?”

This is the question that residents will be asked in the Referendum which marks the conclusion of the NDP process (providing we all agree!). People who are on the electoral roll in the neighbourhood plan area (which for us is the Parish of Eye & Dunsden) will be entitled to vote. And if more than 50% of those who vote vote “yes” then the neighbourhood plan becomes part of the statutory development plan for the area. As the question states, SODC will then refer to the recommendations and proposals within the NDP plan when deciding on planning applications in our parish.

The NDP team are working hard to enable the Referendum to take place this summer, although there are still many stages of the process to work through – we will of course tell you when we next need your informal feedback. Our goal is to ensure that when the referendum takes place, residents will be happy to vote YES and support the neighbourhood plan.

Keep up-to-date with all that is happening with the neighbourhood plan by following us on social media (details below) Please note that this newsletter will now be produced bi-monthly so expect the next one in March.

NDP dates for your diary

Saturday 12 March, 2022 at 10.30am – a second chance to find out more about the fascinating story of Dunsden on a free guided walk of the village with David Woodward and John Plumer. Meeting Point: Dunsden Green, followed by coffee at Loddon Brewery. Please join us!

Saturday 23 April, 2022 at 2.00pm – Guided Walk in Sonning Eye with David Woodward – despite the miserable weather, this walk was very well-attended when we ran previously so, if you weren’t able to make it along, you have another opportunity. Don’t miss it again!

Saturday 7 May, 2022 at 2.00pm – Nature Walk – this guided walk will enable you to share some of the information from the environmental reports we have commissioned as part of the NDP process. More details to follow.

Queen's Jubilee emblem

How would you like to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee?

It has been suggested that a beacon, linking to others locally,  might be lit at the top of the village hall field (perhaps it could even be seen in Windsor!). The idea of planting a commemorative grove of trees on the field has also been proposed, perhaps with a celebration. What do you think and have you any other ideas? Please email the Parish Clerk, Mandy Sermon.

You may also like to hold a street party. The main festivities will be over the weekend of 4 June, beginning with a special Bank Holiday on Thursday 2 June. Why not join the big picnic on the playing field at Binfield Heath at which there will be a live relay of the London celebrations? There are loads more ideas on the national Jubilee website.

Things that go bump in the night

A number of local people have expressed concern about noise nuisance, whether from late night car or motorbike racing on the Henley Road or at Thames Valley Park, where Police have taken action. The Parish Council is investigating funding speed monitoring on the Henley Road which would enable Police to take further action there.

Other nuisances

The Parish Council is also represented on the Tarmac Liaison Committee which deals with operating issues at the gravel works. Residents with particular issues can also email the site manager, Kevin Browne.

Fly-tipped rubbish continues to be a problem locally. It has to be collected by District Council contractors at considerable cost. If you see fly-tipping – or the results of it – please report it directly to admin.southoxford@biffa.co.uk Similarly, potholes are increasingly a problem. If you are aware of one locally please contact fixmystreet.com and tell them the area, address and if possible, postcode. It’s the fastest way to get results.

Book now for a top night at the hall, Ninebarrow are back: 4 March, 2022

Ninebarrow by Greg Funnell

The hall committee have booked the hugely popular duo Ninebarrow for a performance on Friday 4th of March. They make superb and award-winning music, and have a big following.

Tickets are selling fast and are available here. A full refund will be issued in the event of cancellation. Don’t miss this top class event.

Snowdrop Sunday: 20 February, Dunsden Church

A free event to enable you to visit the beautiful churchyard with its carpet of snowdrops and aconites, and to enjoy some short entertainments inside.  Homemade tea and cakes will also be available. From 10am to 4pm.

 
Image of Neighbourhood Development Plan timeline

Christmas news from E&D

Neighbourhood Plan News

Thanks to all those who completed questionnaires after the exhibition in August. The NDP team have been working hard to review your comments at this informal consultation with parish residents and businesses. The good news is that the responses received were strongly in support of the progress made so far and the direction in which the plan is taking. The exhibition remains available on this website.

Overall, 76% of the respondents agreed that we needed the policies identified and 74% agreed or strongly agreed with the objectives as drafted. The team’s emphasis on addressing the very real threat of large developments within our Parish will move forward, based on this show of support.

In terms of response, Sonning Eye came out on top, submitting 49% of the parish residents’ questionnaires, followed by Playhatch on 30% then Dunsden with 20%. The NDP team will provide further informal consultation opportunities before the plan is drafted to allow for your input, all of which will be considered by the Steering Group, and our planning consultants.

We’ll be keeping you updated on progress so you know when we need your comments again. The feedback report from this informal consultation will be made available together with other evidence gathered to support the NDP when the Regulation 14 process – the formal consultation – is started. We aim to start this process in early Spring 2022.

Look out for the next NDP newsletter with further news.

Parish News

A controversial plan for flood defences in Caversham and Reading has been cancelled by the Environment Agency. 

South Oxfordshire District Council has announced that it will not pursue further appeals against the construction of a care home in the AONB at Sonning Common. A group of local parishes continue to press for the enlargement of the AONB area locally.

What’s new at the village hall?

Quiz Night, January 15th

The Dunsden Owen Association perpetuates the memory of the war poet Wilfred Owen who lived in the village as a teenager. The committee have raised the funds to enable the creation of a dramatic new stained glass window for All Saints Church as part of a national competition run by a City livery company. But they also hope to re-launch a free interactive phone trail and to make it easier for people to find the Owen graves in the churchyard.  Proceeds will be shared with the hall.

So (subject to restrictions) a quiz night is being held on Saturday 15 January to raise funds. These quizzes, which are run by Beth and John Timms, have long being highly popular. For £12.50 you get the quiz as well as some delicious fish and chips, with various food alternatives and a full bar available.

Get your tickets here. Full refund in the event of cancellation.

Ninebarrow by Greg Funnell

Ninebarrow are back: 4 March, 2022

The hall committee have booked the hugely popular duo Ninebarrow for a performance on Friday 4th of March. They make superb and award-winning music, and have a big following.

Tickets are available here, with a full refund available in the event of cancellation.

 

Image of people in the village hall

NDP news for September

Thank you to you all!

Our first Community Event run by the NDP team on Bank Holiday Monday was a great success, with over 50 residents from the parish’s three villages coming along to meet the team and give their views on the draft policies to be included in the plan, as well as on progress so far. A number of excellent information panels set out details of the draft policies to enable residents to find out what was being proposed so that they could complete
a questionnaire.

All the responses are being collated and analysed so the residents’ views are taken into consideration as the plan moves forward. Responses to each comment made will be included in the Consultation Statement, part of the NDP.

Attendees were also able to enjoy themselves chatting not only to their fellow residents but also to members of the NDP team while enjoying a glass of sparkling wine as the children made full use of the bouncy castle in the village hall grounds. Further events are planned as the process of moving the plan towards completion progresses.

Residents on the NDP distribution list were forwarded copies of the panels together with the Questionnaire so that they can complete it and share their views with us, even if they were unable to attend the event itself. If you received your questionnaire via email, please let us have it back completed by the deadline below so we don’t miss out on getting your input.

If you haven’t yet seem them, the panels and questionnaire are now available on the parish website.

 

Thanks to local businesses too!

Local businesses were also given the opportunity to share their views on the work done by the NDP team as we conducted a Zoom meeting on 14th September. Business owners and representatives of the larger businesses in the Parish joined us and had the chance to ask questions on the draft policies as well as open the way for future conversations about their role in the future plans for the Parish.

Withies to watercress – a fascinating Sonning Eye walk this weekend

Travel back in time and look to the future too on a fascinating guided walk of Sonning Eye this Saturday morning. It will be led by long-standing residents Nick Marks and David Woodward from the Sonning Eye NDP team. Find out why stripping the willow was once so important in the village. And who got to make the watercress sandwiches after chapel!  Meet by the barn near Eyot House, at 10.30am.

Dates for your diary

Saturday 2 October, 10.30am – Guided Walk in Sonning Eye, meet at the barn by Eyot House.

Friday 8 October Extended date for questionnaire return. See the exhibition and download the form at eyedunsden.org/consult/

 

Get in touch

Email: plan@eyedunsden.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DunsdenNDP
Twitter: twitter.com/dunsdenndp
Web: eyedunsden.org/NDP

Red graphic of Neighbourhood Plan Community Event

Check out our exhibition!

It's not too late to view the exhibition panels from our first ever public consultation event on the August Bank Holiday

Over 50 people enjoyed our first ever public consultation, including the bouncy castle and bubbly refreshments. If you would like to see the set of exhibition panels from the event, please download them here.

Once you have seen the exhibition why not complete our Questionnaire? You can print off the PDF and then complete it and post to Long Gardens, Sonning Eye, Reading RG4 6TR. Alternatively your form can be emailed to plan@eyedunsden.org

Flyer with an image of people on the village green

Neighbourhood Plan Community Event

An invitation to an enjoyable afternoon…

Enjoy some free bubbly with your neighbours (and a bouncy castle too) and find out about all the work the team of NDP volunteers has been doing to shape the future of the parish.

With the help of Government funding, we have commissioned experts to report on the settlements, landscape and ecology of the area.

They have helped us draft planning policies which will eventually acquire legal weight every time a new planning application is made.

The completed NDP will also state community expectations for improvements that can be made to parish life. The entire process is entirely dependent on the views of the entire community, so please come along and tell us what you think.

How should we recognise the climate emergency? How can we make our roads safer for all users? What new pedestrian and cycle routes would you like to see in the parish? What kind of new development would you support int he parish and why?

This is the most significant initiative of its kind in the parish for 40 years.

Join us at Dunsden Village hall between 2 and 5pm on Bank Holiday Monday. We look forward to seeing you.

Flyer with an image of people on the village green
Image of bridge over a canal at sunset

NDP news for May 2021

Welcome to a rather rained out May NDP Newsletter. We thought it would be both interesting and useful to tell you a bit more about what Neighbourhood Development Plans (NDP) are, why one is being produced for the Parish and how it will impact – and hopefully benefit – us all.
Herewith some fascinating facts about NDPs
  1. Eye & Dunsden Neighbourhood Plan Area was formally designated by the District Council on 21 February, 2020. It covers the whole parish including Sonning Eye, Playhatch and Dunsden and all the beautiful landscape around us.

  2. The ability for residents to establish general planning policies for their neighbourhood area stems from the 2011 Localism Act.

  3. The Eye & Dunsden NDP team (made up of locals, some of whom are also on the Parish Council) is using these new neighbourhood planning powers to establish general planning policies for any proposed development or use of land in the parish.

  4. The NDP process gives the residents the chance to ensure the Parish develops as they wish, and enables them to protect the Parish and guide its growth.

  5. Local councils produce broader Local Plans which set the main strategic context within which our NDP will sit. The NDP cannot con- tain any provisions which are contrary to the local development plan.

  6. The District Council must must give weight to the NDP when they decide planning applications. A key part will be design codes which describe the preferred appearance of new buildings based on our local building styles. Other aspects relate to where any new development should go, its sustainability, and impact on existing properties, as well as how we optimise the routes which connect us all together.

  7. The NDP also gives us all a chance to contribute to some wider local objectives, for the good of the whole community. An NDP can establish a local wish for things such as traffic calming or the creation of bus routes but it cannot legally make them happen. The parish, district and county councils then have the option to take these forward.

  8. NDPs do not seek to stop new development.

  9. We have been working on NDP Stage 1 (Getting Established) since October 2019. Beginning with an initial survey, we have gathered evidence, working with experts and identifying key issues for residents and businesses

  10. Stage 2 (Preparing the Plan) is now underway. We are working on objectives and policies which support the priorities identified. The team will be publicising these draft objectives and policies and seeking your input on them at a community consultation event in August. Details will follow.

  11. Your role is vital in ensuring the plan comes into force – a referendum must show a major- ity in support of the NDP. This is Stage 3 of the process – Bringing the Plan into Force – and we’ll tell you more about this in future newsletters and via social media.

Tell us more…

If there are other aspects of the Parish that you love – buildings, green spaces, views – or you have any stories about how the villages developed into the places they are today, please share them with us. Post photos and your thoughts using the links below.

Twitter: Eye&DunsdenNDP 

Facebook: Eye & Dunsden Neighbourhood Plan

Parish Website: www.eyedunsden.org – register for updates

Email: plan@eyedunsden.org

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