Brailes Parish.

The parish of Brailes lies at the southern tip of the county of Warwickshire, adjacent to the border with the county of Oxfordshire, and comprises the villages of Upper Brailes and Lower Brailes, together with the hamlet of Winderton.

The parish covers an area of some eight square miles (approximately 5,100 acres, or 2,100 hectares), and has an approximate population of 1200 people.

We enjoy a rural setting - being situated on the edge of the cotswolds, in an area of outstanding natural beauty - but are well positioned for access to the motorway network, and therefore easy access to the major centres of commerce, which means that we are a thriving parish, with a heathly mix of new blood and the long established families and characters of Brailes.

The people of the parish are very well served by a good variety of shops and trades, and of course the two public houses! Pre-school and primary education is provided at the village school, and ecclesiastical needs are catered for by the three churches and chapels - Church of England, Methodist and Roman Catholic. We have an excellent village hall, sports field and pavilion, and thriving allotments. There are many and varied clubs and societies - from the Gardening Club to the Mechanical and Craft Society - see the dedicated page for more details. All in all, there is something for everyone!

The intent of this website is to provide a source of information for visitors, and a useful resource for the people of the Parish. Over time the site will grow and become a more complete reference of all relevant things in the parish. So, any views or comments on the site are welcome, as are any suggestions for content or topics for inclusion. The Parish Council have their own dedicated area within the website, which contains a wealth of information relating to their business. Please click the following link to send us email:-

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The initial funding for this website has been made available by "Awards for All", via a grant to Brailes Parish Council. It is envisaged that over a period of time, as the site becomes more widely known and accessed, it will become self sustaining.

Forthcoming events...

Brailes' 3 Hill's Walk

Bank Holiday Monday 4th. May 2009

The Brailes Three Hills walk is upon us again!

For those of you who do not know, this is an annual event which involves a six/seven mile walk over the three hills around Brailes, Castle Hill, Brailes Hill and Mine Hill, with a BBQ on the side of Brailes Hill.

This is a very social occasion, last year about 1,000 people took part, raising about £3,000 to be shared equally between Brailes School and Brailes Pavilion, a rare opportunity to admire the views from the top of Brailes Hill.

The walk starts at Brailes Village Hall between 9am. and 11.30 am. It finishes at the Hall where refreshments will be on sale.

There is a charge of £3 for adults and £1 for children, the walk is suitable for all ages but stout shoes are required. Dogs are allowed but must be kept on a lead.

Further information from Richard Cheney, Tel:- 01608 685570 or email richard.cheney@btinternet.com

Brailes' Post Office Services.

Following the initial failure of the Post Office Outreach Service at the George Hotel in Lower Brailes, the service has been restarted, and is now being run by Mr. David Ingham, who runs the Post Office Branch at Ettington. The hours of business for the Outreach Service as as follows: Tuesdays 9am - 1pm and Thursdays 9am - 1pm.

If the service is not supported and utilised by people in the village, it will not continue to be offered! It is in the interest of us all to keep this service viable, so that those villagers without transport continue to have access to at least some Post Office Services.

Brailes' Shop.

It's good to see the village shop open for business once more, looking very bright and fresh, thanks to the endeavours of Roger and Mary. It's a central part of village life, long may it prosper!

Since publishing the paragraph above this morning, I've received the "Feldon News", which has a loose leaf within, relating to the Brailes' Shop. Although competetive pricing is to be hoped for, I'm sure that most people would be prepared to pay at least Somerfield prices - and possibly a little more - in the village shop, on the basis that it makes it more profitable and thus more worthwhile for the proprietor. Expending a lot of time and effort for little return is not what most people would be willing to do, and I'm sure no-one would expect Roger and Mary to do so either!

Affordable Housing - Brailes Parish Council.

The Need:-

Brailes needs affordable housing to be built periodically, to ensure that our village maintains stability: to keep the community active we need to provide affordable housing for the next generation.

Update:-

We have finally been informed by the Northampton Estate that it will not sell a plot to enable housing to be built. The answer has been a long time coming, and unfortunately that puts us back to square one!

The Way Forward:-

The Parish Council hereby publicly requests any landowner in Brailes to consider selling land that would meet the requirements for building affordable housing (at approximately £10,000 per plot).

At present we are looking for a site that is sufficient for 8 houses - however, we would not rule out the possibility of smaller sites, or even a site with the potential for additional development in the future.

This could equate to some £60,000 for a quarter of an acre of land. An offer of land may be declined if it does not meet suitability requirements.

Contact:-

Nick Drury - (Chairman) Brailes Parish Council - 01608 685 819

Richard Cheney - Brailes Parish Council - 01608 685 570

Glenda Woods - Brailes Parish Council - 01608 685 017

Charles Barlow - Rural Housing Enabler - 02476 217 343

First Responders.

We are looking for volunteers - all ages welcome - to join our team of three.

Full Training will be provided by the Coventry and Warwickshire Ambulance Service. We have already attended 19 call outs in our community giving vital first aid and support to patients who require ambulance attention.

"It's a great way of helping the community, getting to know people and feeling like I'm really making a contribution to a worthwhile cause. It's also ideal for young people as it's good experience into a career."
Emma Turner

Current members are Kate Hardwick 01608 686817, and Jenny and Emma Turner of the Knoll, Friars Lane, Lower Brailes.

The response is voluntary and members can choose hours to suit. It fits into a working lifestyle

Please call 01608 686608 for further information.

Mobile Library.

The Mobile Library comes to Brailes every three weeks - next visits on November 18th and December 9th.

Lower Brailes - opposite the George Hotel - 12.15pm to 12.30pm.
Lower Brailes - The Park - 12.35pm to 12.50pm.
Upper Brailes at the Village Hall - 12.55pm to 13.10pm.

A new fleet of mobile library vans was launched at the start of the year carrying a wide range of large and small print books, spoken word tapes and CDs. Books can be requested online and delivered where possible at the next visit. A public computer on board gives access to a wide range of book related information as well as general knowledge and community information.