Local information

All you need to know about available services, advice and support in and around the village. In order to keep this page as up to date as possible, we rely on village residents so if there is any information you think should be on this page and is not, or if any information is out of date, please click here to submit your copy.

Click on the links below for information on each area, or scroll down the page.

Community Alarm Telephone Services
CATS (Community Alarm Telephone Services) is now being run from Wendlebury. It covers the whole of Oxfordshire and its borders.
CATS provides lifelines, giving a 24-hour, two-way speech link at the touch of a button to people living in their own homes.
The lifelines consist of a telephone unit and a light-weight alarm trigger worn round the neck or wrist.
We believe CATS is better that other companies offering similar services for 3 main reasons:
**CATS is local. Our control centre is in Oxford with staff who know the area.
**Our prices are extremely competitive. Current 2008 prices equate to £2.89 a week. Our one off installation fee is £15, one national charity charges £99.
**We work in cooperation with Abingdon-based charity SAFE (Sponsored Alarms for Everyone) and through their help CATS can offer substantially reduced rates, to those on proven limited incomes.
In addition, CATS can work outside normal office hours and visit in the evenings or weekends if this is more convenient to you.

To answer any questions you may have, or to arrange a no-obligation demonstration contact Jeannie McGeehin, the CATS manager, on:

Tel: 01869 325 434
Mobile: 07818 020 565
Email: catsinformation1@aol.com
PO Box 313, Abingdon, OX14 3YL.

CATS: promoting independence, security and peace of mind, since 1992.

The Wendlebury Charities
Would anyone (in Wendlebury) starting Further Education in September 2007 contact Frank Shouler on 241642 with regard to assistance with books. The Wendlebury Charities is able to support young people in the village entering further education - please ring for more detail.

Mobile Library Service
The Mobile Library Service visits Wendlebury fortnightly as follows:-
Wednesdays Red Lion 9.45 – 10.05
For further information, please contact the Mobile Library Services Manager, Ken Saberi on 01865 810209 or email him at: ken.saberi@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Opera Bus
Ever fancy going to the theatre but are put off by the drive into Oxford and the hassle of finding a parking place? Oxford Operatic Society run a ‘Coach and Ticket’ package to all their shows – the coach picks you up, drops you of off outside the theatre, and takes you home again. Perfect if you live in rural Oxfordshire.
The package is designed for groups of people – so if you are a member of a club, WI or just have lots of friends it will be perfect. Please call 01865 512485 for more information.

School Buses
Morning pick ups for Bicester schools
8.20 a.m. Bicester Community College bus at Red Lion Pub
8.25 a.m. Chesterton CE Primary School bus at Red Lion Pub
Afternoon drop offs from Bicester schools
3.30 p.m. Chesterton CE Primary School bus at Red Lion Pub
3.35 p.m. Bicester Community College bus at Red Lion Pub
Independent school bus
Run by Jeffs coaches 01295 768292 - Oxford School Route number 5.
Picks up at the village hall at 7.38am and drops off at the village hall at 16.50.
Goes to St. Edwards School, Oxford High School, Oxford High Junior School, New College School, Magdalen College School, Headington School and Rye St. Antony School all of which are in Oxford.

Wendlebury Neighbourhood Watch: click here for the latest alerts
Neighbourhood Watch is a partnership where people come together to make their communities safer. It involves the Police, Community Safety departments of local authorities, other voluntary organisations and, above all, individuals and families who want to make their neighbourhoods better places to live. Wendelbury has an active team of approximately 10 villagers who each take one area of the vilage and distribute messages sent to them by the Banbury NW office.
Wendlebury has some occassional crime but it is usally theft from gardens or sheds.
Village Coordinator: Jane Burrett 01869 325876, janeburrett@googlemail.com.
If you would like to receive e-mail notiofication of any messages these can be blind copied to you immediately a warning item is received from the Banbury Watch Office. Please email Jane on the above address.

Wendlebury MiniBus

The village minibus can be used by anyone in the village. It can be used to set up regular events such as shopping trips to Oxford or for one-off visits. It has just has its insurance renewed and is very reliable so please do use it otherwise we may not have it for next year.
Contact Dave Jones on 242514 for further details.

Good food Guide: Click here for recomendations
Several villagers have requested that we start a guide. If you have any good recommendations for good pub/ restaurant/ take-away establishments, please let the webmaster know by clicking here and filling in a simple online form. Please do NOT send negative reviews: we do not want to be accused of libel in any way.

Buses and Trains to, from and via Wendlebury
The following sites link directly to timetables or journey planners. Please be aware that weblinks such as these may change and whilst we aim to keep them up to date, we also rely on our web users informing us of any changes.
Bus timetable: To and from Wendlebury (Oxford to Bicester route)
Bus and Train Journey Planner from Traveline South East
Trains: Bicester North Station and Journey planner
Trains: Bicester Town Station and Journey planner
Trains: National Rail train times and Journey planner

Interested in buying food from local producers?
Not sure where to find stuff? Haven’t any time to go to a farmers’ market?
Well, try this site for help www.local-food.net/oxfordshire. It also mentions a special booklet with local food ideas for Christmas 2006. This booklet available from Co-op shops and from local tourist information offices. The nearest tourist information for Wendlebury is in Bicester Retail Village facing the car park.

New bus service to the John Radcliffe Hospital from Water Eaton Park & Ride
The 700 bus service started on 15 January 2007. The parking there is free, the waiting room is heated with seating and toilets. This bus runs Monday to Friday except Public Holidays and is every 15 minutes during the day. Copies of the timetable will be in the village notice board.

Tourist Information
There is a large selection of tourist information leaflets inside the Red Lion pub foyer

Recyling
Bottle banks for ALL the village to recycle their bottles and jars are located in the Red Lion carpark....Please however, do not use your cars to bring down the bottles as this is really bad news for the environment. Cherwell DC have provided all householder with carry bags specifically for your bottles. See their website for full details of all recycling in Cherwell including a guide to what goes in our blue, green and brown bins and a full list of the locations of all the recycling centres in the area.

Locally grown seed for wildlife
Oxford Urban Wildlife Group has the following varieties of locally grown seed for sale, all of them useful to wildlife.
Annuals:
Corncockle (Agrostemma githago) 50 cm
Love-in-a-mist (Nigella sp.) 20 cm.
Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum) 50 cm
Biennuals:
Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) 100 cm
Perennials:
Columbine (Aquilega) 50-70cm.
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) 200cm
Golden Groundsel (Ligularia dentata 'Desdemona') 100cm Hollyhock (Alcea rosea) 100 cm Musk mallow (Malva moshata) 70cm Purple Toadflax (Linaria purpurea) 80 cm.
Seeds cost 50p a packet. Please list your choice of seeds, enclose an s.a.e. and send with your payment to Janet Keene, 7 Norwood Ave, Southmoor, Abingdon OX13 5AD.
Please make cheques payable to OUWG but if your order is under £1.00 please send the amount in stamps.