Epwell

Welcome to Epwell’s Village website

Our village lies on the ironstone downs of North Oxfordshire, about seven miles to the west of Banbury, close to the county boundary with South Warwickshire and to the northern reach of the Cotswold escarpment.

The website holds lots of useful information about village events, organisations, services and Epwell’s fascinating history.  

News items and events coming soon will be mentioned on this page.  To suggest items contact editor@epwell.com

VILLAGE NEWS

EVENTS

Epwell walking group   Last Monday of month   10.30 to 12.30 am   Meet at VH

Coffee mornings     Second Wednesday of month     10.30 am to noon  Village Hall. 

Whist Evenings  Village Hall  Tuesdays once a month   7- 10 pm £5.  

 

PARISH COUNCIL NEWS

New booking system at the Household Waste Recycling Centres

Please find enclosed the communications toolkit for the new booking system which is being introducing at our Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) to make visits quicker and easier.

From Wednesday 14 January 2026 everyone will need to book a time slot to visit one of our HWRCs. People can book 30 minutes before their visit (subject to availability) or up to two weeks in advance.

To help Oxfordshire recycle even more OCC are also asking people to sort their recyclable items from their waste either before they arrive which will speed up their visit, or they can use the sorting area on site.

More information.

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School Admissions Poster for Reception Applications

As part of the application process for Reception entry to infant and primary school, OCC are advertising the need for parents and carers of children born between 1 September 2021 and 31 August 2022 to apply for a school place.

Parents and carers can apply from 4 November 2025 to 15 January 2026 for a Reception place at primary or infant school for entry to school in the 2026/27 academic year.

Poster

If parents or carers have any questions, they should be directed to the primary application web page which has all the information they need plus a link to the online application form:

www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/primaryadmissions

The School Admissions Team can be contacted direct on 01865 519800 Option 2

or at admissions.schools@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Applications can be submitted from 4 November 2025 and the deadline for receipt of completed school applications for Reception is 15 January 2026.

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Parish Council meetings –  Agenda and Minutes 

Next PC meeting on Monday 12th January 2026  at 8pm.   

Agenda

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Local Government Re-organisation

Following the publication of the Government’s English Devolution White Paper last December, it was proposed that areas in England with the current three tier system (Parish/Town, District and County) would be abolished in favour of a two tier Unitary governance structure.

Parish and Town Councils will remain the first tier of Local Government, but the upper District / County tiers will be amalgamated in some way.

Following this announcement the ‘key players’ of the Districts and County in the area have been asked by Central Government to put together proposals on how they would envisage running the new authority / authorities.

There are three proposals:

• Cherwell, West and City (City and Shires)  and  South and Vale and West Berkshire (Ridgeway) who are working together as Two Councils – https://twocouncils.org/
• Oxford (Greater Oxford) – https://greateroxford.org/
• County Council (Oxfordshire) – https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/council/local-government-reorganisation-and-devolution/interim-proposal

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WALKS 

From Epwell.      To Swalcliffe and back.

Local walks websites   Shutford circular walks

 

DEFIBRILLATOR

At side of Village Hall.   To activate you should call 999 and state location of the Village Hall.  OX15 6LA.     You will be given a code.  Thereafter follow the instructions given by the device.

 

NEWS FROM THE LOCAL AREA

There are Community Choirs and Choral Societies

one based in Shenington, meeting on Wednesdays,

another in Brailes rehearsing on Sundays. See Brailes website

Stour Singers in Shipston rehearse on Thursdays 7.30 pm in Shipston. See their website.

Cherwell Choral Society meet on Tuesdays.  See their website.

Cherwell District Council News

Banbury Vision 2050
See Reference section under Parish Council

EPWELL ECHO        current issue 

Note that it has been compressed and so the quality is slightly reduced from the printed version

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