Contact: Jane Wilson (chairman) – 07530 068977 – https://cpfallotments.wordpress.com/  

Chairman: Dr Masha Unkovskaya – 07771702548

Treasurer: Dr Dana Vlad – 07919493580

Secretary: Mrs Christine Mitchell – 07789991051

Hugh Deam – 01865 247574 hugh.deam@btinternet.com

Website: http://www.oldmarstonbells.we.bs/

St Nicholas Church: junior choir, S.A.T.B. choir, music group

Director of Music: Neil Barker musicdirector@stnicholasmarston.org.uk

Vicar: Skye Denno – 01865-202988 (not Tuesdays)

Administrator: 01865-580354 administrator@stnicholasmarston.org.uk

Home – St Nicholas Church (stnicholasmarston.org.uk)

10:30 – 12:00 Mondays once a month – make new friends

Contact: Eileen Palayiwa – 01865-725423

Find out more on their website

01865-242838

“Friends of St Nicholas School” is group dedicated to fund raising for the school and supporting the school in other ways. The group is open to all parents, teachers and supporters of the school and would like to encourage others to join them. They have helped to raise the money for the adventure playground and a range of activities. They also have an active social calendar which is open to families of all backgrounds, cultures and nationalities.

Help/encourage people to grow fruit, herbs and veg in their own gardens, develop ‘Community Gardening Spaces’ for communally-grown fruit and veg, share any surplus fruit, vegetables and herbs locally, collect surplus from gardens to distribute throughout the parish, give practical help to increase compost making.

Contact: katejorobinson@gmail.com

Alistair: 07804847285

clcole03@cmail.com

Address: Boults Lane – Clubhouse Only, Old Marston, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 0PW

Editor: Jan Lawrie – marstontimes@gmail.com

Subscriptions and Distribution: Colin Harris – colingharris31@gmail.com

New Marston sits closer to the centre of Oxford to the south east of Old Marston across the former City Council boundary (marked by the route of Peasmoor / Boundary Brook) but shares many common interests and facilities with the village / parish. 

New Marston (South) Residents’Association (NMRA) was set up in the 1990s to present a collective voice for residents in streets around the former Somerset (nee Somerset House). 

Continued efforts to safeguard New Marston Meadows, officially defined as the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), remains as a major campaign for NMRA.  The Association would like to safeguard all the fields in New Marston that still carry signs of medieval ridge and furrow agriculture. NMRA’s wider definition of New Marston Meadows extends beyond the SSSI. 

The whole of the Meadows represents a rare riverside habitat when many such meads and meadows have been lost to modern agriculture and urban development. The Meadows are unique in having relatively untouched for 1000 years and yet are within walking distance to the historic core of Oxford.  During the Covid-19 lockdowns of 2020/21 the Meadows formed a welcome space for residents’ to walk, take the air and enjoy the wildlife.

Marston as a whole is affected by modern development pressures including housing need, expansion of Oxford Brookes University and the consequent growth in road traffic.  NMRA works in collaboration with other Marston organisations to support and improve the locality for its residents.

NMRA is also working to expand the historic record and listing of features and assets of New Marston..

Alternate Mondays in Church Hall

Contact: Jane Maddon – 01865-209086

The over 50’s Club is open to Old Marston Residents over fifty years of age. There is a regular raffle, talks, tea and a range of other activities. It meets on alternate Mondays at St Nicholas Church Hall, Elsfield Road. Membership costs £5 per year.

Mortimer Hall Pre-School Meets in Mortimer Hall week days during school term times and is open to children from the age of 2 years 6 months (2 ½) until school age. Mortimer Hall Pre-school can offer 3 hour or 6 hour sessions (depending on availability).

Mortimer Hall Pre-school is a registered charity number 1022797 and Ofsted Registration number 134009.

tel: 07818236348

email: admin@mortimerhallpreschool.com

web: https://mortimerhallpreschool.com/

Lucy Hughes – 01865-244570

Land Owned in Marston: https://www.oxfordpreservation.org.uk/content/marston

Tel: 01865 242918

info@oxfordpreservation.org.uk

Website: https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/

43rd Oxford (St Nicholas) Scout Group, Boults Lane

Group Scout Leader: Tim Greaves – tim.greaves@keble.oxon.org

Beaver Scout Leader: Sue Springett – 01865-251515

Cub Scout Leader: Matthew Kennedy (matthew.kennedy500@gmail.com)

Scouts Leader: Linda Phillips – 07804925705

43^RD OXFORD (Old Marston) SCOUT GROUP, Boults Lane, OX3 0PQ

Scarf: Blue with yellow border

Tuesday 18_00 – 19:15 Beavers

Thursday 19:15 – 21:00 Scouts

Friday 18:00 – 19:30 Cubs

Young people (6-14)

Scouting is inclusive – everyone is welcome to join, regardless of background, race or religion. If you are interested in being part of this fantastic journey will try and get you involved as soon as possible. However, please be aware that there are long waiting lists for some sections (particularly Beavers) so we might not be able to get you a place straight away. Please contact the District Commissioner at the following email address – dc@oxfordspires.org.uk. If you are the parent or guardian of a young person who wishes to join, please consider volunteering – this will help reduce waiting lists and enable more young people to benefit from Scouting.

Adults (18+) Volunteer

In Oxford Spires District alone there are around 100 young people on waiting lists. Nationally this figure is over 30,000. We only have waiting lists because we don’t have enough adult volunteers so we will welcome any help that you can offer – for every new adult involved in Scouting, more young people can take part.

Most of our adult volunteers work full time and they fit their Scouting roles around this. The majority of meetings take place outside of normal working hours but even if your work means that you can’t help out with sectional meeting, there are many other ways to get involved. We will always look for ways that a role can be adapted to suit your needs, whether you can help out once a fortnight, month or term or just at special events or camps.

But I don’t know anything about Scouting!I doesn’t matter to us: we don’t expect our volunteers to come to us with any particular knowledge or experience. All that we are looking for is energy and enthusiasm: we can help with everything else that you need to know.

Beavers 6-8yrs

Beaver Scouts are the youngest section in the Scout Association. Members are usually aged between 6 and 8, though young people can join in the three months leading up to their 6^th birthday. They usually move to the next Section, Cub Scouts, when they are about 8 (any time between the age of 7½ and 8½). Groups will have their own arrangements regarding starting and moving on ages, depending on numbers within the different sections and waiting lists.

Beavers usually meet once a week for about an hour. A group of Beaver Scouts is called a Colony. There can be up to 24 young people in a single Colony. The Beavers may also be part of a smaller group within their Colony, known as a Lodge.
Beavers activities are based around making things, outdoor activities, singing, playing games, going out on visits, investigating nature, listening to stories, learning how to be safe and most importantly, making new friends
Some Beaver Scout Colonies also organise one night sleepovers and camps. These are often the first time a young person spends a night away from home alone and they take place in suitable (local) locations, often Scout centres.
Beavers take part in District outings and events, including sleepovers, parties and day trips.

Cubs 8-10.5yrs

Cubs Scouts are the second section in the Scout Association. Members are usually aged between 8 and 10½, though young people can join from the age of 7½. They usually move to the next section, Scouts, when they are about 10½ (any time between the age of 10 and 11). Groups will have their own arrangements regarding starting and moving on ages, depending on numbers within the different sections and waiting lists.

Cubs usually meet once a week for about an hour and a half. A group of Cub Scouts is called a Pack. There can be up to 36 young people in a single Pack. Cubs will also be part of a smaller group within their Pack, known as a Six.

During their time in the Pack, Cub Scouts will get a chance to try lots of different activities like swimming, music, exploring, computing and collecting. There are a range of badges available which Cub Scouts can wear on their uniforms to show everyone how well they’re doing.

Cub Scouts also take part in sleepovers and camps at least once a year (though usually much more often than this). Some Cubs may already have been away with Beavers but for many Cubs this will be the first time they spend a night away from home alone and they usually take place not too far from home and only for a night or two at first.  Cubs also take part in District and County outings and events, including camps, competitions and day trips.

Scouts age 10.5-14yrs

Scouts are the third section in the Scout Association, and the final section within a Scout Group. Members are usually aged between 10½ and 14, though young people can join any time between the age of 10 and 11 . They usually move to the next Section, Explorer Scouts, when they are about 14 (any time between the age of 13½ and 14½). Groups will have their own arrangements regarding starting and moving on ages, depending on numbers within the different sections and waiting lists.

Scouts usually meet once a week for around two hours. A group of Scouts is called a Troop. There can be up to 42 young people in a single Troop. The Scouts may also be part of a smaller group within their Troop, known as a Patrol.

Scouts take part in a programme that helps them to find out about the world in which they live, encourages them to know their own abilities and the importance of keeping fit, and helps develop their creative talents. It also provides opportunities to explore their own values and personal attitudes.

Being outdoors is important, and half the programme is given over to taking part in traditional Scouting skills, such as camping, survival and cooking, as well as a wider spectrum of adventurous activities, from abseiling to zorbing. 

Scouting is about being with friends, as part of a team, and participating fully in the adventure and opportunities of life. Scouts take part in many District and County outings and events, including camps, competitions and hikes. Some Scouts also get the opportunity to travel abroad to international events such as jamborees.

Sea Scout Troops

Some Scout Troops are “Sea Scouts”. Their programme is the same as the usual Scouting programme but with more emphasis on water activities. Most Sea Scout Troops will own their boats and many have a boat base either at their HQ or nearby. Although we are a long way from the sea, we do have the River Thames and several reservoirs nearby: we have three Sea Scout Troops in the District, at 22nd, 33rd and 40th Oxford.

Explorers 14-18yrs

Explorer Scouts are the fourth section in the Scout Association. Members are usually aged between 14 and 18, though young people can join any time between the age of 13½ and 14½. They move to the next Section, Scout Network, as they are approaching their 18^th birthday (any time after they turn 17½) – members cannot remain in Explorer Scouts once they have turned 18. Some Explorer Scouts will also have  Young Leader role, helping at another Section.

Most Explorers meet once a week for about two hours, though there will often be some flexibility with this, particularly during exam periods. A group of Explorer Scouts is called a Unit. Units do not form part of a Scout Group, though many will have close links with a particular Group. 

Explorer Scouts can work towards a range of ambitious badges and awards, including the Duke of Edinburgh award, through which they can demonstrate their proficiencies and expand their interests. Camping and hiking are usually important activities in the Explorer Scout calendar. Lots of Explorer Scouts also get the opportunity to travel abroad to international events such as jamborees.

Explorer Scouts regularly get the chance to work with other Explorer Scouts in their District or County, not just their own Unit, so can take part in an even wider spectrum of activities. 

All the information you need to get walking in beautiful Oxfordshire: Oxfordshire walks to download and print FREE! | Walking in England

Meets second Tuesday in month at 19:30 in the Church Hall

President: Sue Hawes – 01865-247106

Secretary: Mavis Curtis – 01865-351325, mcurtis936@gmail.com

http://thewi.org.uk/become-a-member/structure-of-the-wi/england/oxfordshire/find-a-wi/marston