As well as all the normal news this week, look out for our Advent Calendar this December. Each day we’ll be championing local businesses, groups and organisations in the run-up to Christmas. If you’ve got a business in South Rugby that you’d like us to include, please do get in touch at editor@southrugby.org.uk

In South Rugby News this week

Hillmorton residents host 23rd annual award for service to justice

26th November 2021

SRN ventures to East Rugby for news of an award honouring police officers who provide outstanding service in road death investigations

Find out more 🔓

Save our statue!

26th November 2021

The Dunchurch statue becomes a tourist attraction at this time of year - but the current roadworks have raised big issues about his future

Read the full story 🔓

Eliminating violence against women

27th November 2021

RBC and Warwickshire's PCC both support the UN day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Six out of ten people in Rugby have experienced unwanted attention in a public place...

Is there more? Yes. Read the full story. 🔓

Christmas is coming: A poem for Christmas

28th November 2021

Our youth guest writer Adrjia Ganguly starts off the Advent season with a poem specially written for South Rugby News

Find out more 🔓

Have your say on the ‘Homestead Link Road’

29th November 2021

There’s a fundamental moment coming at the end of this week which affects Bilton, Cawston, Dunchurch and all of South Rugby.

Find out more about the road, the consultation and how to take part

(Sponsored content)

Homestead Link Road Public Consultation

A public engagement event will be held on Friday 3rd December at Dunchurch Sportsfield & Village Hall (Club Room) on Homes England's planning application to create a new link road in the Dunchurch area.

The new link will support planned development of the South West Rugby Urban Extension and help to ease traffic through the area, and includes a significant landscaped corridor.

Visit anytime from 2pm to 8pm to help shape the future design of the landscape corridor.

A virtual consultation will also be live from 9am on 3rd December for two weeks for people to share their views online: https://bit.ly/homesteadview  

Friends of St Cross receive record donation

29th November 2021

THE Friends of St Cross received a record breaking donation from Coventry Building Society, thanks to the support and generosity of its members.

Read the full story

Community choir needs your raffle prizes

30th November 2021

Katie Gibson works at Wanda Fashions in Dunchurch and sings with the Long Lawford Community Choir. She’s collecting raffle prizes to raise money at the choir’s Christmas concert on 11th December.

Is there more to this story? Yes! 🔓

Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner supports 'Harper's Law'

30th November 2021

PCC Philip Seccombe supports Government intention to mandate automatic life sentences to anyone convicted of killing emergency services workers while committing a crime.

Read more 🔓

Cawston opera company first to be accredited by Living Wage Foundation

1st December 2021

South Rugby is home to the first opera company in England to be accredited by the Living Wage Foundation.

Find out more about how they did it 🔓

Rugby Borough Council set to support Stratford-Warwick council merger

And council leader Seb Lowe (Conservative) says there would be no direct impact on Rugby at this stage.

Read more about the item on the agenda at next week’s cabinet meeting 🔓

Down Syndrome Bill gets support from Rugby

The Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons last Friday, with support from Rugby MP Mark Pawsey and Kenilworth and Southam MP Jeremy Wright.

Read the full story 🔓

In other news…

Cawston needs a caretaker

Cawston parish council is looking for a new caretaker to manage and maintain Cawston Community Hall. The caretaker needs to have experience of maintaining or cleaning a public building, have basic IT literacy, be willing to undertake training and work some evenings/weekends. The post is 20hrs per week, with a salary between £9.84 and £10.04/hour. The deadline for applications is Thursday 16th December 2021, 5pm. For an application pack and to discuss the post please contact the parish clerk on clerk@cawstonpc.org or 07393 640110.

Rugby Road flood update

After lengthy roadworks following a burst water pipe, Rugby Road near the Bilton Grange drive was opened again by lunchtime on Tuesday 30th November 2021.

Covid-19 figures for Rugby

For the week up to 27th November 2021:

• 469 people had a confirmed positive test result. This shows an increase of 42 people (9.8%) compared with the previous seven days.

• 0 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test. That’s one less than last week

• 83,882 people had received one dose of the vaccination and 77,031 had received a two doses. That’s 79.9% and 73.4% of the total population aged 12+. Data for booster vaccinations was not available at the time of writing.

• The estimated R number for the Midlands as of 19th November is 0.9-1.1.

Source: coronavirus.data.gov.uk

Book a vaccine online or attend a drop-in clinic

What’s on

Please remember to wear a face mask in public places where required, wash your hands regularly with soap and maintain social distancing. Share your events or special offers with us at editor@southrugbynews.co.uk.

• Naughty Elf Christmas Trail: From 1st December then daily, 10am to 3pm, Draycote Water. Activity sheets cost £4 from the visitor hub. Find out more on their Facebook page.

• Coffee morning at the Fighting Cocks: Friday 3rd December, 10am to 12 noon.

• Homestead Link road consultation: Friday 3rd December, 2pm to 8pm, Dunchurch Village Hall.

• The Great Cawston Switch-On: Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th December, Cawston. Find out more from Cawston parish council

• Christmas Fair: Saturday 4th December, 12 noon to 4pm, Dunchurch Village Hall. Organised by the 1st Overslade Guides and Rangers to raise money for their trip to Washington in 2023.

• Rugby Philharmonic Choir and Sinfonia Christmas Concert: Saturday 4th December, Temple Speech Room. Tickets £12.50 (free for children) from events@rugbyphilharmonic.org.uk or 01788 540380.

• Bilton Silver Band Christmas Concert: Saturday 4th December, 7.30pm, Dersingham near King’s Lynn. Call for tickets.

• Dunchurch open air nativity service and Christmas lights switch-on: Sunday 5th December, 4pm, Dunchurch square.

• Victorian Celebration of Christmas: Friday 10th December, 7.30pm, Lawrence Sherriff School. Tickets £10 from 01788 812 839 in aid of Rotary Club charities.

Rugby Rokeby Lions Club - Santa’s travels

The Rugby Rokeby Lions will be helping Father Christmas visit our communities this year, and fundraising for local causes at the same time. Here’s a pick of his stops in South Rugby:

• Sunday 5th December, 5pm: Cawston, starting from the Gerard Row co-op

• Wednesday 8th December, 6pm: Admirals 1 area starting from the Boar

• Friday 10th December, 6pm: Admirals 2 area starting from the Crow Pie

• Thursday 16th December, 6pm: Dunchurch, starting from the village hall

• Sunday 19th December, 5pm: Cawston, Ophelia Cresc, Elborow Way, Potsford Road

• Thursday 23rd December, 5pm: Overslade estate, starting from Fish Plus

• Christmas Eve, 5pm: Rokeby and Hillside estates

Donations can be made in person or online.

Church services

Saturday 4th December:

• Sacred Heart Church, Bilton, 5pm mass: public worship and on YouTube. No booking necessary to attend the service, but please wear a face mask, wash your hands and observe social distancing. 

Sunday 5th December:

• Sacred Heart Church, Bilton, 9.30am mass: public worship and on YouTube. No booking necessary to attend the service, but please wear a face mask, wash your hands and observe social distancing. 

• St Mark’s Church, Bilton, 10am in St Mark’s and via Facebook/YouTube. Also, 6pm, choral evensong.

• Dunchurch Baptist Church, 10.30am service at the Dunchurch Methodist Church, also livestreamed; and 7pm communion service via Zoom.

• St Peter’s Church, Dunchurch, 10.30am.

• Bilton Evangelical Church, 10am, in-person and online service.

• Bilton Methodist Church, 10.30am in person

A note from St Mark’s, Bilton: Due to the large number of people they would normally welcome to their services over Christmas, people must book places in advance for some of the most popular events. Therefore the services of Nine Lessons and Carols on 19th December (6pm); and the Crib Service (3pm) and Carols by Candlelight (6pm) on 24th December will be by booking only (please print off and bring tickets with you).  You can book places online from 1st December until the Sunday before the service: Welcome | St Mark's Church (stmarksbilton.org.uk)  

Democracy: coming up next week

Monday 6th December

• Rugby Borough Council Cabinet meeting 6pm

Tuesday 7th December

• Warwickshire County Council Regulatory Committee 10.30am

• Warwickshire County Council Cabinet 1.45pm

Wednesday 8th December

• Warwickshire County Council Joint Children & Young People and Adult Social Care 10am

• Warwickshire County Council Warwickshire Waste Partnership 2pm

Thursday 9th December

• Rugby Borough Council Planning Committee, 5.30pm. To include discussion on the diversion of footpath R168Y (Northampton Lane).

Friday 10th December

• Warwickshire County Council Portfolio Holder Decisions/Leader Decisions 12 noon

Foodbank

This week the foodbank urgently needs UHT milk, shampoo, Christmas cake, chutney and pickles, and tinned cream. They’re running low on washing powder/tablets, shaving foam and razors.

There are donation locations throughout South Rugby. See the full list of drop-off points.

Rugby Farmers Mart

This week’s prices per head, at a glance:

• Prime steers: £2,218 (Limousin x sold by Page Bros)

• Prime heifers: £3,619 (Limousin x sold by Page Bros) 

• Prime bulls: £2,007 (sold by C H Evans, Wroxall)

• Cast cows: £2,268 (Limousin x sold by Page Bros)

• Prime lamb SQQ: £182 (Beltex sold by M & C Morris)

• Show lambs: £710 (Beltex x sold by P Batchelor)

• Commercial lambs: £200 (sold by Edmund Ringer)

• Ewes: £330 (Texel x sold by D W Gurney & Son)

• Store lambs: £118 (Charollais sold by Pear Tree Partnership)

Rugby Farmers Mart is held on a Monday at the Charolais Pavilion, Avenue M, Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth, Warwickshire CV8 2RG.