State-sponsored vandalism

Sadly, today work for Matthew Arnold pupils began at the top of Louie Memorial Field.

The Parish Council say that the work will stop all vandalism but no vandalism could be worse than what is being done to the open space, as I write this!

The cricket / tennis wall was taken down and the skatebowl was filled in just before lunchtime. They even destroyed the seat so many people sit on to admire the view.

The site for the new MUGA was marked on the grass. It was funny to see that there seemed to be some confusion about the actual size of the MUGA but who cares really, it is all just such a spoilage.

By the way, where was our statutary 5 days warning or works? The Parish Council is in breach of its own regs! What's new.

Niki who is very angry and dissappointed!

New pond and fen work

The fen work and the new pond to alleviate flooding lower down the hill is now complete. Well, not really. It looks like a blot on the landscape but plants will grow again soon.
The dipping platform is a real isaw though. Made of plastic so slippery when wet and almost underwater after the heavy rain last week.
Nice to see kids are enjoying the pond (they added stepping stones) but that was not the idea.
At least we have got rid of the large waterlilly someone planted in it!

Old photo of the area of Louie Memorial Field

This is an old photo, well not that old: it says on the edge 1963. The year the Beatles played Carfax Assembly Rooms. Well, well. Sorry the quality's not good. If you want a copy, I can email you the scan I have of it or ask Julia for the original.

Note: Think we should get Proto to do a really good copy for the archives.

Niki.

View looking over Port Meadow from the BMX bowl (ex-skatebowl)

View over Port Meadow from the skatebowl, now used as a BMX bowl.
Niki.

Rough Guide to Plans for the Field

Photo of plans for the top Field, taken with my mobile, very poor quality. Why oh why won't the parish council put the plans on their web as they said they would do a month ago.

Niki.

Friends of Louie M F and Copse have joined OSS and CPRE

The Friends of Louie Memorial Field and Copse have joined the Open Spaces Society branch based in Henley and the Oxfordshire branch of CPRE.
We hope that CPRE will be interested in the old headgerows, where elm is still growing, or trying to grow, and will be able to advise us on maintanance until we have Curt Lamberth's management plan to look at.
Erika has also contacted Forests of Oxford who are visiting the woodland soon to see the interesting bits and pieces growing there.
Niki Carter.

Work in the woodland: be careful

Be careful because during the hydrology work and building a path and ducking platform, a lot of old glass has been disturbed from the dump at the bottom of the woodland and some of it is now sticking up out of the turned earth in great dangerous shards.
Niki Carter.

Helicopter Thursday 8th July

There was a heliccopter circling North Hinksey in the middle of the night for quite some time at great expense to tax payers. Nobody seems quite sure why it was there but it was probably because there was a lot of noise going on somewhere on the top Field.

Niki Carter.