Witney Gazette article "People now no longer want to go into care homes any more!" dated July 2020
Home manager Jane Roberts runs two care homes in the area Rosebank in Bampton and Churchfield in Cassington

Bampton Aid Network BAN
On 10ᵗʰ March 2020, a fortnight before the first COVID lockdown, Jess Egerton, a Bampton
resident, emailed Trevor Milne-Day, Chair of The Society for the Protection of Bampton, “We
should make up a bunch of volunteers who would do shopping, run errands, or pick up
prescriptions”. Within a week the infrastructure was in place with a cohort of 60+ helpers, a
mobile phone with a dedicated number, and protocols drafted. All those things and more began
to be performed by the willing team.
Piers Foster created a website over a week-end with links to government and medical advice,
details of services BAN offer, and local shops and services that are open for business.
Two other residents, Annie and Robin Jenkin, formed a brigade of home-cookers to provide
free meals to all in need of a lift, no matter what age.
Volunteer dog-walkers and people with the time to chat (a service called TalktoBAN) stood
ready to help and soon Adam Lethbridge and Sue Greenwood gathered together and edited the
first of an intended weekly newsletter “Lockdown Lowdown” to more than 1,500 people.
If you lived in Bampton and needed help then you were invited to call 07946 192638 or go to
www.bampton-network.co.uk (website and number no longer active)
The support group was “put into hibernation” on Friday 18ᵗʰ September 2020, with the home-
cooked meals service continuing. BAN was temporarily resurrected with the second national
lockdown on 5ᵗʰ November 2020. By the end well over 700 jobs had been undertaken.
Thanks to the kind generosity of Ben and Manja Uglow a drinks party for all the volunteers
was held on Friday 23ʳᵈ July 2021 to say thank-you and celebrate the substantial lifting of all
restrictions.
Out of the cohort of volunteers was formed a separate group who assisted the Surgery at the
mass vaccinations which started in January 2021 when the Pfizer/BioNTech and AstraZeneca
vaccines became available. These vaccinations have continued to Spring 2023.
TMD 30/07/23

Lowdown Issue 13 September 2020
The Lowdown started off back in March 2020 as a simple sheet called 'The Bampton Beam Lockdown Lowdown' and consisted of essential information about emergency contacts, Covid- related community activities, and details about the services provided by the wonderful Bampton Aid Network (BAN). – As the first lockdown eased, we dropped 'Lockdown' in the title, increased the pages and greatly expanded the contents.

February 2021 Issue 16 Bampton Lowdown Publication produced in the Covid 19 Pandemic This issue has articles about 99 Squadron in Louisiana, Pictures of Bampton in the Snow, Teresa Curtis retirement, Nature Watch

October issue No 14 of The Lowdown which was published during the Covid Pandemic This issue includes The Society for the Protection of Bampton, and Bampton Parish Council Cemetary hedging, articles on the primary school and local advertisements

March 2021 issue 17 of The Lowdown, sponsored by Rosebank Care Home. with articles about the renovation of The Old Grammar School and Local Historian Julie Ann Godson

Lowdown Issue 9 FINAL
The Lowdown started off back in March 2020 as a simple sheet called 'The Bampton Beam Lockdown Lowdown' and consisted of essential information about emergency contacts, Covid- related community activities, and details about the services provided by the wonderful Bampton Aid Network (BAN). – As the first lockdown eased, we dropped 'Lockdown' in the title, increased the pages and greatly expanded the contents.

Lowdown Issue 11
The Lowdown started off back in March 2020 as a simple sheet called 'The Bampton Beam Lockdown Lowdown' and consisted of essential information about emergency contacts, Covid- related community activities, and details about the services provided by the wonderful Bampton Aid Network (BAN). – As the first lockdown eased, we dropped 'Lockdown' in the title, increased the pages and greatly expanded the contents.

Lowdown magazine published during the Covid 19 Pandemic, with interesting articles about The Fairford Branch Line and The Society for the Protection of Bampton

December issue 15 Bampton Lowdown The last newsletter One rare upside of Covid-19 is that it created this publication, which has grown from a simple newsheet of essential lockdown information into a varied mixture of stories, commentaries, profiles, reporting and much more, all of which are Bampton related. We've all very much enjoyed producing The Lowdown and we really hope that you've found it a valuable source of information and entertainment throughout these difficult months. It is certainly our intention to continue for as long as funding allows.