Welcome to the October 2026 edition of the Town Council’s newsletter!
Heritage Open Day
Chipping Norton’s town centre came to life on Saturday 12 September as residents and visitors enjoyed a packed programme of Heritage Open Day activities across the town. Hundreds of people explored the Town Hall, discovered more about the history of Chipping Norton and shared their ideas for the future of this iconic building.
We were delighted to welcome local historians Simon Draper and Simon Townley, whose fascinating talks in the Council Chamber were extremely well attended and received excellent feedback. Chipping Norton Museum hosted a captivating exhibition in the Lower Hall, while museum volunteers kept visitors refreshed with hot drinks and homemade cakes.
The New Nortonians collaborated with the museum to deliver self-guided Living History Trails, with speakers stationed at checkpoints around the town to bring local stories vividly to life. At The Fibreworks, visitors enjoyed meeting Cotswold sheep and watching spinning demonstrations, while St Mary’s Church opened the Trinity Room for a special display of artefacts and local history. The day concluded with Richard Martin’s entertaining talk on the history of wool in the Cotswolds at Art & Talking.
We are incredibly grateful to all the organisations, speakers and volunteers who helped make the day such a success. It was wonderful to see so many people engaging with the town’s heritage and contributing ideas for the future of Chipping Norton Town Hall.
New Councillor co-opted
We are excited to welcome new councillor Victoria Halford to the Town Council.
As a relative newcomer to the town, Victoria is keen to contribute to the community she wants to raise her future family in. During her time as a Town Councillor, Victoria aims to establish an understanding of specific challenges to Chipping Norton and support in developing solutions using learnings from other areas yet maintaining the town’s unique identity.
A degree in Geography and a 12-year career in waste management, Victoria understands the power of the circular economy, utilising waste is a resource (what she lovingly refers to as the “urban mine”) and wider sustainability practices. She hopes to bring the learnings from her degree and career to make tangible changes to Chipping Norton to make her love her adopted home town even more!
Community Piano Repaired!
We’re delighted to share that the Chipping Norton Community Piano has now been repaired and is back in place for everyone to enjoy.
As a shared community asset, we kindly ask everyone using the piano to help us take care of it. Please treat it with respect, keep food and drinks away from it where possible, and report any damage or concerns to the Town Council.
We look forward to hearing the piano being played once again and seeing it continue to bring people together through music.
Happy playing! 🎶
Nexudus
We’re pleased to announce that our new online booking system, Nexudus, will be going live this month.
The new system will make it easier than ever to view availability, make bookings and manage reservations for Town Hall facilities online. Whether you’re booking a meeting room, community space or regular activity, the process will be quicker and more convenient.
Keep an eye on our website and social media channels for further updates and launch information. We look forward to bringing you this improved service in the coming weeks.
October Spruce-Up
🫧 Our next Spruce-Up session is taking place on Tuesday 13 October, and we’d love your help!
As part of our Keep Chippy Beautiful initiative, volunteers will spend the morning refreshing street furniture, noticeboards and road signs around the town centre. It’s a great opportunity to make a visible difference to our local environment while meeting others in the community.
📅 Tuesday 13th October
⏰ 10:00am to 12:00pm
📍 Meet at the Town Hall Steps
All equipment will be provided, and no previous experience is required.
Sign up here: https://forms.gle/E2awyH7Xhckomub66.
Here are some pictures from last time…
Community Awards 2026
Our annual Community Awards Ceremony will be held on 23rd October this year.
Nominations are now closed and a panel will be coming together to decide on our winners.
Anybody is welcome to attend the event and we look forward to a lovely evening of celebrating local people.
The Community Awards will feature the following categories to recognise diverse forms of community contribution:
Mayor’s Civic Award: Recognises an individual’s outstanding service and contributions to the community
Young Person of the Year: Honours a young individual under the age of 21 for exceptional achievements or contributions to society.
The Beacham Award for Sporting Achievement: Celebrates significant accomplishments and excellence in sports.
Organisation/Group of the Year: Acknowledges an organisation or group’s remarkable impact and dedication to community service.
What’s on in the Town Venues
You can see What’s On using the Online Calendars for Glyme Hall and Town Hall below – catch up on what’s happening and the groups you could be joining in and having fun with . Check them out below:
Check out the activities from kid’s dance sessions and exercise for our more mature friends to support groups and more, all happening in Glyme Hall.
Choirs, singing groups, fairs, events, religious groups and so much more – it’s all happening in Town hall – as well as your Banking Hub for Town with Barclays and T.S.B. – take a look to see what you could be joining in with or getting support from.
For more details on any of the above, contact the event organisers directly, and if you need to connect with them, please do email Heidi at events@chippingnorton-tc.gov.uk.
FixMyStreet: Spot It, Report It, Fix It
FixMyStreet.com is a free website that helps you report street problems—like potholes, broken lights, or dog fouling—straight to your local council. No need to know who’s responsible: just drop a pin on the map, describe the issue, and FixMyStreet sends your report to the right place.
Launched in 2007 by UK charity mySociety, it covers the whole country. You can even upload a photo and track what’s been fixed in your area.
Next time you see a problem, report it on 👇
You can contact staff and Councillors here:
Dates for your diary
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