Just a reminder that as Autumn is now upon us, the Parks will move to Autumn closing times.
From Sunday 26th September 2021…
Black Park Country Park will close at 7pm
Langley Park Country Park will close at 6.30pm
Denham Country Park will close at 6pm.
Opening times remain unchanged throughout the year
We will change to Winter closing times when the clocks go back on Sunday 24th October 2021.
Buckinghamshire Country Parks Team
Derek R @DerekR Iver Heath
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The Community Safety Newsletter aims to keep Buckinghamshire residents, businesses and partner agencies informed about what the Community Safety Team has recently been involved in, crime prevention advice, information on awareness raising campaigns and upcoming events. Newsletter Content: 1. Extension of Street Warden Scheme to Aylesbury 2. Meet the Team (please see the photograph of 4 officers. Derek R) 3. Prevent Projects 4. Relaunch of the Buckinghamshire Safe Place Scheme 5. Thames Valley Police – Tackling Knife Crime across Buckinghamshire 6. Domestic Homicide Review Learning Events 7. Think Before You Dial 8. Victims First Connect Programme 9. Serious Violence 10. Keyless Car Theft 11. National Hate Crime Awareness Week 12. Bucks & Surrey Trading Standards: Business Against Scams online sessions – Farming Industry 13. Anti-Slavery Day 14. Clocks Go Back 15. Halloween 16. Fireworks 17. Police.UK 18. Coronavirus Information 19. Social Media 20. Useful Contact Details Extension of Street Warden Scheme to Aylesbury Following the successful introduction of Street Wardens in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire Council is extending its scheme to include two new wardens for Aylesbury, jointly funded by the Aylesbury Community Board. The concept of Street Wardens has been around since 2001 when the Government introduced the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme. The intention was ‘to harness the contribution others working in the community, such as street wardens and security staff, could make to the fight against crime and disorder.’ The purpose of any Street Warden scheme is usually to reduce crime and disorder and link together all parts of the community, acting as a highly visible reassuring presence. As well as deterring crime and Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) our wardens act as ambassadors to our towns, principally working in our town centres to welcome and reassure visitors, residents and those who work there. The Wardens are extensively trained, and this includes Safeguarding, Emergency First Aid, Conflict Management, CCTV (SIA Licence), Radio Communications and Naloxone training. The recruitment phase has been carried out and we are looking forward to welcoming our new Aylesbury Street Wardens at the end of September. Meet the Team (please see the photograph of 4 officers. Derek R) Prevent Projects With the easing of lockdown measures, the Prevent team have been working on engaging with communities to raise awareness on radicalisation and safeguarding. In response to community needs the following projects will be delivered and funded by the Home Office Prevent Strategy: Nicola Benyahia – Nicola is a qualified counsellor and currently runs an organisation called Families for Life, which supports families affected by violence and radicalisation. As a mother whose son, Rasheed Benyahia, travelled to join ISIS and was sadly killed in 2015, Nicola shares her own story while delivering training on spotting the signs of radicalisation and how to access support. This is particularly important as the first to notice differences in behaviour of those vulnerable to radicalization, tend to be family members. https://familiesforlife.org.uk Parent Zone – This organisation provides specialist training, advice and knowledge to parents on keeping their children safe online. This is particularly important for children in an increasingly digital world, especially as online activity has risen during the pandemic. Parents will be trained on how to respond to digital risks to allow their children to make the most of the online world. Wycombe Youth Action (WYA) – WYA work with vulnerable young people in promoting critical thinking, challenging stereotypes while developing their skills and confidence. This is done through group sessions as well as one-to-one mentoring with young people and often involves creative arts such as graffiti and rap music to reduce social exclusion. These sessions give young people the chance to directly engage with a trained youth worker who understands the impact of radicalisation on young people, their families and wider community. www.wycombeyouthaction.co.uk For further information on the above projects please contact Lily Syed, Prevent Project Officer: lily.syed@buckinghamshire.gov.uk Relaunch of the Buckinghamshire Safe Place Scheme The Safe Place Scheme was first launched in Buckinghamshire in 2012 and has built a network of suitable venues and businesses, such as local shops and libraries, where anyone can go for help and assistance if they find themselves in need while out and about in our local communities. Having access to a ‘Safe Place’ offers vulnerable members of our communities who are feeling confused, scared or upset somewhere they can go to ask for help. They may simply need directions or may wish to make a telephone call to someone they trust, either to collect them or advise them of what they need to do. Following on from this difficult last year, understandably some members of our communities will be nervous about going out and about. We hope that re-launching the scheme this September, with increased membership, will provide reassurance so that vulnerable people can lead independent lives and feel more confident while out in Buckinghamshire. To help identify which premises are a ‘Safe Place’ a sticker with the image below will be displayed in the shop/ business window. Anyone in need can approach a member of staff and ask for help or assistance. For further information on the scheme, please email: safeplace@buckinghamshire.gov.uk Thames Valley Police – Tackling Knife Crime across Buckinghamshire The national campaign ‘Operation Sceptre’ shows the policing commitment to tackling serious violence along with partner agencies. The initiative aims to reduce knife crime by disrupting the supply of knives available and targeting those carrying weapons. Operation Sceptre takes place twice a year and supports the work Thames Valley Police carry out all year round to keep people safe within their communities. Targeted engagement, operations and education activities take place across the Thames Valley in order to inform young people to walk away from harm in dangerous situations and that by carrying knives they would be putting both themselves and those around them at risk. As part of the campaign, Aylesbury have introduced their first year-round knife bank situated at Southcourt Baptist Church, Penn Road. The knife bank is funded by Thames Valley Police and managed by Aylesbury South Neighbourhood Policing Team. Within the first two weeks, 25 knives of all types were deposited, and a steady stream continues, with all weapons being destroyed. Southcourt Baptist Church also oversees Bridge the Gap Foodbank, the Treehouse Pre-School and community mentoring schemes, as well as having a series of outreach and care programmes to help combat weapon-related crime. Domestic Homicide Review Learning Events Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) have been a statutory requirement since 13 April 2011. A DHR is a multi-agency ’lessons learned‘ review and is conducted if someone dies as a result of domestic violence and abuse, whether by suicide or directly killed by another person. To maximise learning the Safer Bucks Board organises two DHR learning events per year, for frontline professionals and those who sit on DHR panels. The second in our series of events was delivered virtually on 23 June 2021 to 170 attendees and centered around domestic abuse and Black, Asian and Ethnically Diverse (BAED) victims. Guest speakers included Payzee Mahmod (Iranian & Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation) whose sister Banaz was murdered on the orders of her family in a so called ’honour‘ killing, Dorett Jones (Genesis Consultancy), Waheeda Islam (Nour) and Elizabeth Jimenez-Yanez (Step Up Migrant Women, Latin American Women’s Rights Service). The event feedback was hugely positive, and our next learning event will take place in December, with the focus on domestic abuse and male victims. Think Before You Dial During the summer months there is often an increase in the number of people getting in touch with the police to report a crime. Between July and September, Thames Valley Police are running the ‘Think Before You Dial’ campaign. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of online reporting. We should all be familiar with using 999 for emergencies when a life is in danger or for when a crime is occurring, and with using 101 for non-emergency incidents. However, you can also report non-emergencies online. The online reporting service is not automated; each report is dealt with by an experienced Thames Valley Police call handler – the same police team who answer your calls. Online reporting allows you the freedom to report at a time that is convenient for you. It means you can spend some time writing in your own words exactly what happened and there is no need to wait for a call handler to become available to take your call. Reporting a crime can be a difficult process, so the online reporting service is designed to make it a little easier and more convenient for you. Victims First Connect Programme Victims First Connect allows organisations and professionals working in communities to help victims of crime by learning more about the services available to victims, how to signpost people to support or process a referral for support on their behalf. They will also be able to support victims or witnesses of hate crimes by making a report to the police. Victims First are working with organisations such as community and family centres, colleges, Citizens Advice Bureaus, universities, GP surgeries and libraries to raise awareness of the support available to victims of crime. The scheme is structured into two different tiers which will provide different levels of information and support. Organisations can decide what level of support they would like to offer, which could be as simple as displaying a Victims First poster. For further details on how to get involved or for training opportunities please visit: Victims First Connect Serious Violence The Government has made tackling serious violence a top priority; in April 2018 it set out a new Serious Violence Strategy and in 2019 created Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) across the UK. Thames Valley Police lead our local VRU, which covers Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire. Using a multi-agency partnership approach, we work with our key partners e.g. NHS, Police, Youth Offending Service and Department of Work and Pensions to prevent and reduce serious violence. In line with our priorities set out in the Safer Buckinghamshire Plan, we aim to reduce serious violence, protect our communities and support victims of serious violence. One of our key objectives is early intervention and adopting a ‘holistic’ approach, particularly with young people, to prevent and safeguard people from becoming (for example) involved in knife crime which is often associated with County Line drug activities. We do this by raising awareness and working with schools, youth clubs and community boards to provide mentoring, youth services, diversionary activities and well-being support. Keeping our communities safe and protecting them from harm is everyone’s responsibility. We want to build good relationships with our local communities by working together to keep our young people safe. You can help do this by getting involved with supporting our young people by volunteering; the Community Impact website is a good place to start. Getting involved in Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) is also a way of helping to keep your streets safer. For further details please visit the national NHW website which also contains useful information on safeguarding – spotting the signs. To report a safeguarding concern or suspicious activity, please contact Thames Valley Police. Keyless Car Theft There has been a recent increase in keyless car thefts, particularly of Range Rovers. If you own a keyless vehicle, please read the following information to find out what security measures you can put in place to protect your vehicle and to avoid becoming a victim of crime. National Hate Crime Awareness Week National Hate Crime Awareness Week is taking place from 9 – 16 October 2021. We will be supporting the campaign by sharing a variety of information, such as what is a hate crime, support services and how to report such incidents. A hate crime is defined as 'Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person's race or perceived race; religion or perceived religion; sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation; disability or perceived disability and any crime motivated by hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender.' A hate incident is any incident which the victim, or anyone else, thinks is based on someone’s prejudice towards them because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or because they are transgender. If you have been a victim of a hate crime you must remember that it is not your fault. You do not have to live with this form of abuse, and it is important to report such incidents as soon as possible. Speaking up can be difficult, but by reporting a hate crime you may be able to prevent it from happening again to you or to someone else. Keeping people safe from harm is everyone's responsibility. To report a hate crime, please see our ‘Useful Contacts’ section at the end of our newsletter. Bucks & Surrey Trading Standards: Business Against Scams online sessions – Farming Industry In the last year there has been a 66% increase in scams, with farmers being particularly vulnerable due to isolation in the workplace due to the pandemic and Brexit uncertainty, causing financial loss and stress. Bucks & Surrey Trading Standards are offering free webinars with the aim of helping farmers learn how they can protect themselves from frauds and scams. The webinars are also an opportunity to discuss any problems and issues arising from these topics in a confidential manner. Sarah Reeve, Bucks and Surrey Trading Standards officer and representatives from the Farming Community Network will be present at the webinars to provide advice with regards to animal health and welfare, pastoral and practical help. To book your FREE place visit: Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards Events | Eventbrite Tuesday 12 October - 6.30pm Tuesday 26 October - 12.30pm Thursday 11 November - 6.30pm For further information on the Farming Community Network visit: The Farming Community Network | Facebook The Farming Community Network | Twitter The Farming Community Network | LinkedIn Anti-Slavery Day Monday 18 October marks Anti-Slavery Day, an opportunity to raise awareness of human trafficking and modern slavery. Unfortunately, slavery is still widely prevalent in our society, and could be happening right under your nose, in your street or neighbourhood. It’s a hidden crime happening in plain sight across the UK. The Global Slavery Index estimates that Britain is home to around 136,000 victims of modern slavery, far surpassing the government’s own statistics. Modern Slavery has many forms, from being forced to carry out manual tasks such as domestic work or labouring for little or no money to criminal and sexual exploitation. Many victims are often trafficked and are forced to live in fear in squalid conditions under the constant threat of violence and intimidation. You could be closer to Modern Slavery than you think! Download the Unseen UK App today to play your part in ending modern slavery. The app provides a simple guide to recognising the signs and you can easily pinpoint the suspected locations and connect to the Modern Slavery Helpline. If you suspect something, please contact one of the teams below: Bucks Safeguarding Adults Team - 0800 137 915 Bucks Emergency Duty Team (out of hours) - 0800 999 7677 First Response Team - 01296 383 962 Modern Slavery Helpline - 08000 121 700 – Online reporting form In an emergency always dial 999 Clocks Go Back With the clocks going back on 31 October our homes will be in darkness in the afternoon – a gift for opportunist burglars. Unfortunately, burglars see the longer winter nights as an opportunity to increase their criminal activities, so to avoid becoming a victim of burglary we are encouraging residents to look at their home security and take some simple, yet effective steps to protect their homes: Use a timer switch to turn on lights and a radio to give the impression someone is home. Keep valuables and other electronic equipment such as laptops out of sight. Security mark valuables with a UV pen and register them with Immobilise. Double-lock UPVC doors or use dead locks on solid doors. Keep all spare keys, including car keys, away from the front door and out of sight to avoid them being ‘fished’ through the letter box. Keep windows locked with the key and keep it out of sight. Don’t leave the packaging boxes from expensive new TVs or game consoles outside by your bin, this will just act as advertising what goodies you have inside your home. Halloween In preparation for Halloween we have created a downloadable poster which you can display in your window to say that you do not welcome trick or treaters. Halloween is a night of innocent fun for many youngsters, but for elderly and vulnerable residents having an unexpected caller can be distressing and frightening. Download your Halloween poster now; alternatively you can collect copies from Buckinghamshire Council’s Reception areas. Fireworks Over the next few months we will see an increase in firework displays. If you are planning to have fireworks in your garden, please follow the advice below and visit Bucks Fire & Rescue for further guidance. Please also be considerate and let your neighbours know. Not everyone enjoys fireworks and unexpected loud bangs can cause great distress to both animals and humans. Police.UK Police.UK is the national website for policing in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The website is full of information, such as crime reduction advice and support services for those affected by crime. The Police website also provides local area information - you can explore the latest crime statistics, see your Neighbourhood Policing Team and find out what's being done to tackle crime. Coronavirus Information For information on the coronavirus, vaccinations, rapid testing, service changes and details on how to access support across Buckinghamshire please visit: Bucks Coronavirus information Social Media Follow us on our social media channels for the latest key messages and crime reduction advice: Community Safety Twitter: @Bucks_Safety Communities Facebook: @bcccomunities Nextdoor: @Buckinghamshire Council Useful Contact Details Below is a list of contact details for local and national services: Community Safety -Aylesbury Area 01296 585 858 communitysafety.av@buckinghamshire.gov.uk Community Safety - Chiltern Area 01494 586 535 communitysafety.csb@buckinghamshire.gov.uk Community Safety - South Bucks Area 01494 586 535 communitysafety.csb@buckinghamshire.gov.uk Community Safety - Wycombe Area 01494 421 117 communitysafety.wyc@buckinghamshire.gov.uk Action Fraud 0300 123 2040 Action Fraud Website Crime Stoppers 0800 555 111 Crime Stoppers Website National Domestic Abuse Helpline 0808 2000 247 National Domestic Abuse Helpline Website Modern Slavery Helpline 08000 121 700 Modern Slavery Helpline Website Thames Valley Police 101/ 999 Thames Valley Police Website Victims First 0300 1234 148 Victims First Website-
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The Community Safety Newsletter aims to keep Buckinghamshire residents, businesses and partner agencies informed about what the Community Safety Team has recently been involved in, crime prevention advice, information on awareness raising campaigns and upcoming events. Newsletter Content: 1. Extension of Street Warden Scheme to Aylesbury 2. Meet the Team (please see the photograph of 4 officers. Derek R) 3. Prevent Projects 4. Relaunch of the Buckinghamshire Safe Place Scheme 5. Thames Valley Police – Tackling Knife Crime across Buckinghamshire 6. Domestic Homicide Review Learning Events 7. Think Before You Dial 8. Victims First Connect Programme 9. Serious Violence 10. Keyless Car Theft 11. National Hate Crime Awareness Week 12. Bucks & Surrey Trading Standards: Business Against Scams online sessions – Farming Industry 13. Anti-Slavery Day 14. Clocks Go Back 15. Halloween 16. Fireworks 17. Police.UK 18. Coronavirus Information 19. Social Media 20. Useful Contact Details Extension of Street Warden Scheme to Aylesbury Following the successful introduction of Street Wardens in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire Council is extending its scheme to include two new wardens for Aylesbury, jointly funded by the Aylesbury Community Board. The concept of Street Wardens has been around since 2001 when the Government introduced the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme. The intention was ‘to harness the contribution others working in the community, such as street wardens and security staff, could make to the fight against crime and disorder.’ The purpose of any Street Warden scheme is usually to reduce crime and disorder and link together all parts of the community, acting as a highly visible reassuring presence. As well as deterring crime and Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) our wardens act as ambassadors to our towns, principally working in our town centres to welcome and reassure visitors, residents and those who work there. The Wardens are extensively trained, and this includes Safeguarding, Emergency First Aid, Conflict Management, CCTV (SIA Licence), Radio Communications and Naloxone training. The recruitment phase has been carried out and we are looking forward to welcoming our new Aylesbury Street Wardens at the end of September. Meet the Team (please see the photograph of 4 officers. Derek R) Prevent Projects With the easing of lockdown measures, the Prevent team have been working on engaging with communities to raise awareness on radicalisation and safeguarding. In response to community needs the following projects will be delivered and funded by the Home Office Prevent Strategy: Nicola Benyahia – Nicola is a qualified counsellor and currently runs an organisation called Families for Life, which supports families affected by violence and radicalisation. As a mother whose son, Rasheed Benyahia, travelled to join ISIS and was sadly killed in 2015, Nicola shares her own story while delivering training on spotting the signs of radicalisation and how to access support. This is particularly important as the first to notice differences in behaviour of those vulnerable to radicalization, tend to be family members. https://familiesforlife.org.uk Parent Zone – This organisation provides specialist training, advice and knowledge to parents on keeping their children safe online. This is particularly important for children in an increasingly digital world, especially as online activity has risen during the pandemic. Parents will be trained on how to respond to digital risks to allow their children to make the most of the online world. Wycombe Youth Action (WYA) – WYA work with vulnerable young people in promoting critical thinking, challenging stereotypes while developing their skills and confidence. This is done through group sessions as well as one-to-one mentoring with young people and often involves creative arts such as graffiti and rap music to reduce social exclusion. These sessions give young people the chance to directly engage with a trained youth worker who understands the impact of radicalisation on young people, their families and wider community. www.wycombeyouthaction.co.uk For further information on the above projects please contact Lily Syed, Prevent Project Officer: lily.syed@buckinghamshire.gov.uk Relaunch of the Buckinghamshire Safe Place Scheme The Safe Place Scheme was first launched in Buckinghamshire in 2012 and has built a network of suitable venues and businesses, such as local shops and libraries, where anyone can go for help and assistance if they find themselves in need while out and about in our local communities. Having access to a ‘Safe Place’ offers vulnerable members of our communities who are feeling confused, scared or upset somewhere they can go to ask for help. They may simply need directions or may wish to make a telephone call to someone they trust, either to collect them or advise them of what they need to do. Following on from this difficult last year, understandably some members of our communities will be nervous about going out and about. We hope that re-launching the scheme this September, with increased membership, will provide reassurance so that vulnerable people can lead independent lives and feel more confident while out in Buckinghamshire. To help identify which premises are a ‘Safe Place’ a sticker with the image below will be displayed in the shop/ business window. Anyone in need can approach a member of staff and ask for help or assistance. For further information on the scheme, please email: safeplace@buckinghamshire.gov.uk Thames Valley Police – Tackling Knife Crime across Buckinghamshire The national campaign ‘Operation Sceptre’ shows the policing commitment to tackling serious violence along with partner agencies. The initiative aims to reduce knife crime by disrupting the supply of knives available and targeting those carrying weapons. Operation Sceptre takes place twice a year and supports the work Thames Valley Police carry out all year round to keep people safe within their communities. Targeted engagement, operations and education activities take place across the Thames Valley in order to inform young people to walk away from harm in dangerous situations and that by carrying knives they would be putting both themselves and those around them at risk. As part of the campaign, Aylesbury have introduced their first year-round knife bank situated at Southcourt Baptist Church, Penn Road. The knife bank is funded by Thames Valley Police and managed by Aylesbury South Neighbourhood Policing Team. Within the first two weeks, 25 knives of all types were deposited, and a steady stream continues, with all weapons being destroyed. Southcourt Baptist Church also oversees Bridge the Gap Foodbank, the Treehouse Pre-School and community mentoring schemes, as well as having a series of outreach and care programmes to help combat weapon-related crime. Domestic Homicide Review Learning Events Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) have been a statutory requirement since 13 April 2011. A DHR is a multi-agency ’lessons learned‘ review and is conducted if someone dies as a result of domestic violence and abuse, whether by suicide or directly killed by another person. To maximise learning the Safer Bucks Board organises two DHR learning events per year, for frontline professionals and those who sit on DHR panels. The second in our series of events was delivered virtually on 23 June 2021 to 170 attendees and centered around domestic abuse and Black, Asian and Ethnically Diverse (BAED) victims. Guest speakers included Payzee Mahmod (Iranian & Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation) whose sister Banaz was murdered on the orders of her family in a so called ’honour‘ killing, Dorett Jones (Genesis Consultancy), Waheeda Islam (Nour) and Elizabeth Jimenez-Yanez (Step Up Migrant Women, Latin American Women’s Rights Service). The event feedback was hugely positive, and our next learning event will take place in December, with the focus on domestic abuse and male victims. Think Before You Dial During the summer months there is often an increase in the number of people getting in touch with the police to report a crime. Between July and September, Thames Valley Police are running the ‘Think Before You Dial’ campaign. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of online reporting. We should all be familiar with using 999 for emergencies when a life is in danger or for when a crime is occurring, and with using 101 for non-emergency incidents. However, you can also report non-emergencies online. The online reporting service is not automated; each report is dealt with by an experienced Thames Valley Police call handler – the same police team who answer your calls. Online reporting allows you the freedom to report at a time that is convenient for you. It means you can spend some time writing in your own words exactly what happened and there is no need to wait for a call handler to become available to take your call. Reporting a crime can be a difficult process, so the online reporting service is designed to make it a little easier and more convenient for you. Victims First Connect Programme Victims First Connect allows organisations and professionals working in communities to help victims of crime by learning more about the services available to victims, how to signpost people to support or process a referral for support on their behalf. They will also be able to support victims or witnesses of hate crimes by making a report to the police. Victims First are working with organisations such as community and family centres, colleges, Citizens Advice Bureaus, universities, GP surgeries and libraries to raise awareness of the support available to victims of crime. The scheme is structured into two different tiers which will provide different levels of information and support. Organisations can decide what level of support they would like to offer, which could be as simple as displaying a Victims First poster. For further details on how to get involved or for training opportunities please visit: Victims First Connect Serious Violence The Government has made tackling serious violence a top priority; in April 2018 it set out a new Serious Violence Strategy and in 2019 created Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) across the UK. Thames Valley Police lead our local VRU, which covers Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire. Using a multi-agency partnership approach, we work with our key partners e.g. NHS, Police, Youth Offending Service and Department of Work and Pensions to prevent and reduce serious violence. In line with our priorities set out in the Safer Buckinghamshire Plan, we aim to reduce serious violence, protect our communities and support victims of serious violence. One of our key objectives is early intervention and adopting a ‘holistic’ approach, particularly with young people, to prevent and safeguard people from becoming (for example) involved in knife crime which is often associated with County Line drug activities. We do this by raising awareness and working with schools, youth clubs and community boards to provide mentoring, youth services, diversionary activities and well-being support. Keeping our communities safe and protecting them from harm is everyone’s responsibility. We want to build good relationships with our local communities by working together to keep our young people safe. You can help do this by getting involved with supporting our young people by volunteering; the Community Impact website is a good place to start. Getting involved in Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) is also a way of helping to keep your streets safer. For further details please visit the national NHW website which also contains useful information on safeguarding – spotting the signs. To report a safeguarding concern or suspicious activity, please contact Thames Valley Police. Keyless Car Theft There has been a recent increase in keyless car thefts, particularly of Range Rovers. If you own a keyless vehicle, please read the following information to find out what security measures you can put in place to protect your vehicle and to avoid becoming a victim of crime. National Hate Crime Awareness Week National Hate Crime Awareness Week is taking place from 9 – 16 October 2021. We will be supporting the campaign by sharing a variety of information, such as what is a hate crime, support services and how to report such incidents. A hate crime is defined as 'Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person's race or perceived race; religion or perceived religion; sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation; disability or perceived disability and any crime motivated by hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender.' A hate incident is any incident which the victim, or anyone else, thinks is based on someone’s prejudice towards them because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or because they are transgender. If you have been a victim of a hate crime you must remember that it is not your fault. You do not have to live with this form of abuse, and it is important to report such incidents as soon as possible. Speaking up can be difficult, but by reporting a hate crime you may be able to prevent it from happening again to you or to someone else. Keeping people safe from harm is everyone's responsibility. To report a hate crime, please see our ‘Useful Contacts’ section at the end of our newsletter. Bucks & Surrey Trading Standards: Business Against Scams online sessions – Farming Industry In the last year there has been a 66% increase in scams, with farmers being particularly vulnerable due to isolation in the workplace due to the pandemic and Brexit uncertainty, causing financial loss and stress. Bucks & Surrey Trading Standards are offering free webinars with the aim of helping farmers learn how they can protect themselves from frauds and scams. The webinars are also an opportunity to discuss any problems and issues arising from these topics in a confidential manner. Sarah Reeve, Bucks and Surrey Trading Standards officer and representatives from the Farming Community Network will be present at the webinars to provide advice with regards to animal health and welfare, pastoral and practical help. To book your FREE place visit: Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards Events | Eventbrite Tuesday 12 October - 6.30pm Tuesday 26 October - 12.30pm Thursday 11 November - 6.30pm For further information on the Farming Community Network visit: The Farming Community Network | Facebook The Farming Community Network | Twitter The Farming Community Network | LinkedIn Anti-Slavery Day Monday 18 October marks Anti-Slavery Day, an opportunity to raise awareness of human trafficking and modern slavery. Unfortunately, slavery is still widely prevalent in our society, and could be happening right under your nose, in your street or neighbourhood. It’s a hidden crime happening in plain sight across the UK. The Global Slavery Index estimates that Britain is home to around 136,000 victims of modern slavery, far surpassing the government’s own statistics. Modern Slavery has many forms, from being forced to carry out manual tasks such as domestic work or labouring for little or no money to criminal and sexual exploitation. Many victims are often trafficked and are forced to live in fear in squalid conditions under the constant threat of violence and intimidation. You could be closer to Modern Slavery than you think! Download the Unseen UK App today to play your part in ending modern slavery. The app provides a simple guide to recognising the signs and you can easily pinpoint the suspected locations and connect to the Modern Slavery Helpline. If you suspect something, please contact one of the teams below: Bucks Safeguarding Adults Team - 0800 137 915 Bucks Emergency Duty Team (out of hours) - 0800 999 7677 First Response Team - 01296 383 962 Modern Slavery Helpline - 08000 121 700 – Online reporting form In an emergency always dial 999 Clocks Go Back With the clocks going back on 31 October our homes will be in darkness in the afternoon – a gift for opportunist burglars. Unfortunately, burglars see the longer winter nights as an opportunity to increase their criminal activities, so to avoid becoming a victim of burglary we are encouraging residents to look at their home security and take some simple, yet effective steps to protect their homes: Use a timer switch to turn on lights and a radio to give the impression someone is home. Keep valuables and other electronic equipment such as laptops out of sight. Security mark valuables with a UV pen and register them with Immobilise. Double-lock UPVC doors or use dead locks on solid doors. Keep all spare keys, including car keys, away from the front door and out of sight to avoid them being ‘fished’ through the letter box. Keep windows locked with the key and keep it out of sight. Don’t leave the packaging boxes from expensive new TVs or game consoles outside by your bin, this will just act as advertising what goodies you have inside your home. Halloween In preparation for Halloween we have created a downloadable poster which you can display in your window to say that you do not welcome trick or treaters. Halloween is a night of innocent fun for many youngsters, but for elderly and vulnerable residents having an unexpected caller can be distressing and frightening. Download your Halloween poster now; alternatively you can collect copies from Buckinghamshire Council’s Reception areas. Fireworks Over the next few months we will see an increase in firework displays. If you are planning to have fireworks in your garden, please follow the advice below and visit Bucks Fire & Rescue for further guidance. Please also be considerate and let your neighbours know. Not everyone enjoys fireworks and unexpected loud bangs can cause great distress to both animals and humans. Police.UK Police.UK is the national website for policing in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The website is full of information, such as crime reduction advice and support services for those affected by crime. The Police website also provides local area information - you can explore the latest crime statistics, see your Neighbourhood Policing Team and find out what's being done to tackle crime. Coronavirus Information For information on the coronavirus, vaccinations, rapid testing, service changes and details on how to access support across Buckinghamshire please visit: Bucks Coronavirus information Social Media Follow us on our social media channels for the latest key messages and crime reduction advice: Community Safety Twitter: @Bucks_Safety Communities Facebook: @bcccomunities Nextdoor: @Buckinghamshire Council Useful Contact Details Below is a list of contact details for local and national services: Community Safety -Aylesbury Area 01296 585 858 communitysafety.av@buckinghamshire.gov.uk Community Safety - Chiltern Area 01494 586 535 communitysafety.csb@buckinghamshire.gov.uk Community Safety - South Bucks Area 01494 586 535 communitysafety.csb@buckinghamshire.gov.uk Community Safety - Wycombe Area 01494 421 117 communitysafety.wyc@buckinghamshire.gov.uk Action Fraud 0300 123 2040 Action Fraud Website Crime Stoppers 0800 555 111 Crime Stoppers Website National Domestic Abuse Helpline 0808 2000 247 National Domestic Abuse Helpline Website Modern Slavery Helpline 08000 121 700 Modern Slavery Helpline Website Thames Valley Police 101/ 999 Thames Valley Police Website Victims First 0300 1234 148 Victims First Website
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Hello Everyone, The traffic light system for travel abroad has now become much more simplified and easier and there is a huge advantage if you have been fully vaccinated. From Monday, October 4th – there will be just two types of destinations– Red listed countries and the rest. So if you arrive back from a non-red listed country all you need to do now is carry out a lateral flow test (LFT) 2 days and 8 days after returning. These LFTs are much quicker and much cheaper than laboratory-based PCR tests. These changes should be in place by half-term in October. If your LFT is positive then you have to isolate and get a PCR test. These PCRs for the vaccinated will be free. If you’re still unvaccinated you will have to take day 2 and day 8 PCR tests on return. So travel will be much easier and cheaper for those who are fully vaccinated and will get more difficult for those that are not. The UK will also recognise certain vaccines done in other countries including Moderna and Janssen. However the Chinese made Sinopharm vaccine – often used in the Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia is still not recognised and travellers into the UK will be assumed to be unvaccinated. So many people and their children will be getting a welcome holiday but as always do take the usual precautions to keep safe. Before travel has a look at the country’s profile to see how they are coping with the pandemic. The website www.worldometer.com is very useful and can give you case figures for every country. These changes to travel may persuade those who are non-vaccinated to get the jabs. Over 80% of the adult population in the UK has been fully vaccinated but that still leaves almost 6 million who are not. The government has shelved the idea of ‘vaccine-passports’ at the moment but the evidence from Europe is that they do work. France and Italy who introduced mandatory vaccine passports for restaurants as well as public venues have much lower infection rates than us. The high number of cases and deaths in the UK is putting added pressure on the NHS. If you go to your local supermarket or most other stores people are wearing masks less and less. One would almost think the pandemic is behind us. That’s far from reality but I think many people have become ‘immune to the numbers as they are bombarded on a daily basis. There’s some truth in the saying by Stalin – ‘ a single death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic.’ As a reminder, the UK recorded 164 deaths in the last 24 hrs and 30,144 new cases. Many of those people who died did not believe that it could happen to them. Many were elderly but there are a number of people dying from this virus who are under 60. More children are also being hospitalised and dying from Covid and suffering the chronic effects of ‘Long Covid.’ So please do take care out there – wear your mask in public places, meet in well ventilated places and get your vaccination. The shorter cooler days over the next 6 months will inevitably mean a surge in infections but we can minimise this if we all take sensible precautions. If we don’t the danger is that we will be getting compulsory mask wearing again and another lockdown. I understand that there are still people out there who are reluctant to get vaccinated. That is up to you but please don’t listen to anti-vaxxers. If you were worried about your blood pressure, or your cholesterol or were anaemic – would you get advice from someone on social media? You would hopefully go to a professional. So please talk to a doctor or nurse if you are still unsure about vaccination. They will give you a balanced view. For the vast majority of people, the only side effects you get after vaccination is a sore arm, some aches and pains and a temp for a few days and then you make a full recovery. Vaccines do not interfere with your fertility or cause impotence. The risk of getting a clot after a vaccine is extremely low but the risks of getting a clot with Covid is much higher. Children from 12 years and upwards will also get definite protection from the jab. Unfortunately, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has been giving a very confused and mixed message to parents. They say these children at not at great risk of Covid. Yet this is totally contrary to the evidence from other countries – vaccinating children will protect them, significantly reduce the chance of Long Covi, stop them passing on the infection to other children and adults and reduce disruption to their education. Booster jabs have now started to be given and the data from other countries shows that if you are over 60 and had your 2nd jab over 5 months ago then having the booster makes you 11 times less likely to get infected with Covid. Also, the booster makes you almost 20 times less likely to get a severe infection. So overall if you are over 60 yrs old, had your 2nd jab over 5 months ago then a booster is highly protective. As well as Covid surge doctors expect a flu epidemic this year and we are already seeing an increase in the numbers of other infections in children including croup, bronchiolitis, middle ear infections, and tonsillitis. With added pressures on the NHS waiting times for operations and outpatient appointments have increased dramatically. Some people have been cancelled several times due to a shortage of doctors, nurses and operation capacity. If you have an issue with the hospital such as persistent cancellations or receiving a ‘did not attend letter (but you had an appointment or actually cancelled it) - please don’t call us – there’s not much we can do as GPs. Instead, call PALS – the Patient Advice and Liaison Service. You can talk to them directly at the local hospital by asking the switchboard to put you through. They will talk to the hospital team on your behalf and are an excellent service for getting things done. But they can only handle problems not long waiting times which every patient has to endure these days. Stay Safe Everyone Bye for now Dr M Tanvir Jamil Senior Partner Burnham Health Centre
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See 26 comments...At various times today I have noticed that I do not have a reply option on my screen. (Browser / Android / Huawei P30) The attached picture will show what I mean.
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See 11 comments...Sir Clive Sinclair has died at the age of 81. He certainly got me and very many others into the world of computers. Thank you Sir Clive. RIP https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58587521.amp
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See 28 comments...You, as a doctor, need to treat a patient. The patient is the Head of a tribe called the Liars. You have a problem though. There are two tribes in the area, the Liars and the Truth-tellers. As you journey towards the patient you come to a fork in the road. One of the roads leads to the village called Liar (where only people who lie live), the other to the village called Truth (where only people who tell the truth live). There is a local at the junction, but you have no idea who he is, nor the tribe to which he belongs. What four word question, consisting of fourteen letter, should you ask to make sure that you get to your patient without delay? (Edited to clarify the honesty status of those living in each village).
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A tourist walks into a pet shop in Silicon Valley, and is browsing round the cages on display. While he's there, another customer walks in and says to the shopkeeper, "I'll have a C monkey, please". The shopkeeper nods, goes over to a cage at the side of the shop and takes out a monkey. He fits a collar and leash and hands it to the customer, saying "That'll be $5000". The customer pays and walks out with his monkey. Startled, the tourist goes over to the shopkeeper. "That was a very expensive monkey - most of them are only a few hundred dollars. Why did it cost so much?" "Ah, that monkey can program in C - very fast, tight code, no bugs, well worth the money". The tourist looks at the monkeys in that cage. "That one's even more expensive - $10,000 dollars! What does it do?". "Oh, that one's a C++ monkey; it can manage object oriented programming, Visual C++, even some Java, all the really useful stuff". The tourist looks round for a little longer and sees a third monkey in a cage on its own. The price tag round its neck says $50,000. He gasps to the shopkeeper, "That one costs more than all the others put together! What on earth does it do?" "Well, I don't know if it does anything, but it says it's a contractor."
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Join Thames Valley Police As A Detective Constable If you have a degree you can now join Thames Valley Police’s direct to Detective Constable entry programme - register your interest here Following the success of our 2020 programme, Thames Valley Police is again opening recruitment for our direct to detective pathway called the Detective Constable – Degree Holder Entry Programme, or Detective-DHEP for short. This entry route allows those with a degree to complete a two-year graduate diploma focused on developing their skills to investigate serious and complex crimes. The force is looking to recruit 38 new Detectives during 2021/22 using the new Detective-DHEP entry route. Head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Thames Valley Police, Detective Superintendent Ailsa Kent, said: “Thames Valley Police is delighted to offer this entry route into policing for a second year. If you are a degree holder with the desire to provide high quality service to the public, the determination to see an investigation through from start to finish and the compassion to work with victims and witnesses to bring offenders to justice, then this is the career for you." “By opening up this route to becoming a detective the intention is that we will attract a range of candidates who bring with them a variety of different life experiences which will further enhance our response to criminal investigations.” Attracting Difference Launched originally in 2020, 2021 has seen 25 people join Thames Valley Police via the Detective-DHEP pathway. Over 60% of these new recruits were women and 21% came from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds. Over 70% were over the age of 26, with our oldest recruit in their early 50’s which highlights that policing is continuing to attract people from diverse backgrounds and experience including those from the military, finance, education, planning, civil engineering, retail, travel and leisure sector and marketing industries. Student Detective Constable Michael Hopcroft, 27, joined the force’s first Detective-DHEP cohort in July 2021. He recently completed week 9 of a 21-week initial training phase. He said: “Previously I spent four years in the travel industry as a flight attendant. During the pandemic I was furloughed and began to consider other opportunities. Times were uncertain, so I took a delivery job. One evening I was out delivering groceries and ended up being first on the scene to a traffic accident; I helped administer first aide until the emergency services arrived. Once they did, I was in awe of the professionalism and teamwork – the police co-ordinated the response and I knew then that I wanted to pursue a policing career, helping others when they are unable to help themselves. “The Detective DHEP itself was a new and exciting entry route that caught my attention. When I saw it was offered by TVP I considered that a massive bonus and applied. The sheer size of the force and opportunities to move around and develop my skills really appealed. “I didn’t realise at the time the variety of skills I have honed and gathered through my differing roles would lead me to where I am today, but every experience shaped and prepared me for policing with TVP.” Who are we looking for? We encourage interest from candidates from a variety of backgrounds who are eager to pursue a career in investigation. Candidates must hold a degree or be in the final year of their study in order to be considered for this programme. We are keen to attract those with transferable skills and work experience from other professional backgrounds to consider a policing career. Applicants who consider themselves as inquisitive, observant, tenacious, methodical, dedicated, resilient, and who aspire to take ownership of their careers should consider the Detective DHEP programme. How to Apply Applications for the Detective-DHEP programme will open on Wednesday 15 September, with all interested candidates required to register their interest on the force’s Detective DHEP talent bank, which will remain open until Wednesday 22 September. A link to the application will be sent to all those who express interest. The first cohort of 19 student detectives are due to join the force in Summer 2022, and a further cohort of 19 planned for Autumn 2022. For those with a degree who would prefer to follow a Police Constable route in, TVP offers the Police Constable Degree Holder Entry Programme (PC-DHEP). For those who do not currently hold a degree qualification, Thames Valley Police offers the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship entry programme (PCDA). More information about our entry routes into policing is available at www.tvpcareers.co.uk/police-officer Message Sent By Cristina Bratu (Police, Comms, HQ)
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Join Thames Valley Police As A Detective Constable If you have a degree you can now join Thames Valley Police’s direct to Detective Constable entry programme - register your interest here Following the success of our 2020 programme, Thames Valley Police is again opening recruitment for our direct to detective pathway called the Detective Constable – Degree Holder Entry Programme, or Detective-DHEP for short. This entry route allows those with a degree to complete a two-year graduate diploma focused on developing their skills to investigate serious and complex crimes. The force is looking to recruit 38 new Detectives during 2021/22 using the new Detective-DHEP entry route. Head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Thames Valley Police, Detective Superintendent Ailsa Kent, said: “Thames Valley Police is delighted to offer this entry route into policing for a second year. If you are a degree holder with the desire to provide high quality service to the public, the determination to see an investigation through from start to finish and the compassion to work with victims and witnesses to bring offenders to justice, then this is the career for you." “By opening up this route to becoming a detective the intention is that we will attract a range of candidates who bring with them a variety of different life experiences which will further enhance our response to criminal investigations.” Attracting Difference Launched originally in 2020, 2021 has seen 25 people join Thames Valley Police via the Detective-DHEP pathway. Over 60% of these new recruits were women and 21% came from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds. Over 70% were over the age of 26, with our oldest recruit in their early 50’s which highlights that policing is continuing to attract people from diverse backgrounds and experience including those from the military, finance, education, planning, civil engineering, retail, travel and leisure sector and marketing industries. Student Detective Constable Michael Hopcroft, 27, joined the force’s first Detective-DHEP cohort in July 2021. He recently completed week 9 of a 21-week initial training phase. He said: “Previously I spent four years in the travel industry as a flight attendant. During the pandemic I was furloughed and began to consider other opportunities. Times were uncertain, so I took a delivery job. One evening I was out delivering groceries and ended up being first on the scene to a traffic accident; I helped administer first aide until the emergency services arrived. Once they did, I was in awe of the professionalism and teamwork – the police co-ordinated the response and I knew then that I wanted to pursue a policing career, helping others when they are unable to help themselves. “The Detective DHEP itself was a new and exciting entry route that caught my attention. When I saw it was offered by TVP I considered that a massive bonus and applied. The sheer size of the force and opportunities to move around and develop my skills really appealed. “I didn’t realise at the time the variety of skills I have honed and gathered through my differing roles would lead me to where I am today, but every experience shaped and prepared me for policing with TVP.” Who are we looking for? We encourage interest from candidates from a variety of backgrounds who are eager to pursue a career in investigation. Candidates must hold a degree or be in the final year of their study in order to be considered for this programme. We are keen to attract those with transferable skills and work experience from other professional backgrounds to consider a policing career. Applicants who consider themselves as inquisitive, observant, tenacious, methodical, dedicated, resilient, and who aspire to take ownership of their careers should consider the Detective DHEP programme. How to Apply Applications for the Detective-DHEP programme will open on Wednesday 15 September, with all interested candidates required to register their interest on the force’s Detective DHEP talent bank, which will remain open until Wednesday 22 September. A link to the application will be sent to all those who express interest. The first cohort of 19 student detectives are due to join the force in Summer 2022, and a further cohort of 19 planned for Autumn 2022. For those with a degree who would prefer to follow a Police Constable route in, TVP offers the Police Constable Degree Holder Entry Programme (PC-DHEP). For those who do not currently hold a degree qualification, Thames Valley Police offers the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship entry programme (PCDA). More information about our entry routes into policing is available at www.tvpcareers.co.uk/police-officer Message Sent By Cristina Bratu (Police, Comms, HQ)
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See 2 comments...https://spacecoastdaily.com/2021/09/spacex-inspiration4-mission-set-to-launch-september-15-from-cape-canaveral/ Https://inspiration4.com Crewed entirely by amateurs, the 3 day mission hopes to raise $200 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
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See 2 comments...They were explaining about puddings. In particular I was watching the lesson about Spotted Dick. The old name for pudding was either "Puddog" or "Puddick". Hence where the dick came from. It therefore follows that a spotted dick as we (probably) all know is a dick (pudding) with spots (the fruit). Slap on a drop of custard and you have an old fashion pud. It, therefore, surprised me when they said that in 2018 the House of Commons changed the name. Gone was the Spotted Dick instead it is called a Spotted Richard! What! The only reason I can think of changing the name is that the place is full of dicks and they didn't want there to be any confusion. Ho Hum! Pass me the strawberry Pavlova and I'll show you an Eton Mess!
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See 15 comments...Did anyone see the coverage on BBC Breakfast this morning, in particular the interview with the Captain Patrick Connolly of the New York Fire Department. Although he is a Captain today, Twenty years ago it was his first day on the job after training. He is such an interesting and gentle man. If you can catch up on the programme to see him and hear his recollection it is worth watching. What do you remember of the day and how did it affect you? Were you involved in any way? Did you know anybody involved?
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See 79 comments...Prince Andrew has been served with court papers. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-58523119.amp
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See 10 comments...Emma has made it through! https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/58511033.amp
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My apologies for it being posted late, I only received my copy today. Derek Hello Everyone, The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised the government that it does not recommend giving the Covid vaccines to 12 to 15 yr olds. The Committee feels that having a jab does not give a particular child increased protection as hospital admissions for this group is quite low. However, did not take into account the wider benefits to the whole of society where having youngsters vaccinated would stop the flow of the virus to other more vulnerable groups. The argument that giving the Covid vaccine to young people would make a marginal difference to their protection is also gaining much criticism from doctors and scientists outside the JCVI. The global evidence seems to indicate that there would be a substantial benefit to this age group as well as reducing the incidence of ‘Long Covid.’ Data from Public health England (PHE) shows that there were over 60,000 cases in the 10-19 yr old age group in the last 2 weeks. About 0.5 – 0.7% of under-18s get hospitalised. Over 2,300 of this age group have been admitted to hospital with Covid since the beginning of July. One in 7 cases of under 18s with Covid infection will go on to have persistent symptoms of fatigue, muscular aches, breathlessness for several months. Some will go on to develop chronic disabilities. Currently, there are 11,000 children in the UK who have had these symptoms for over 12 months. It’s not just young people with underlying problems either – ‘healthy’ children can get a severe infection, become hospitalised and go on to develop Long Covid. Myocarditis – an inflammation of the heart muscle – is a rare side effect of the mRNA vaccines such as Pfizer and Moderna. The incidence is about 13 cases per one million second doses of the vaccine in 12-39 yr olds. However, it is usually very mild and resolves itself within a few weeks without any active treatment. No one knows yet why boys are more affected than girls but it appears to be linked to sex hormone differences affecting the immune response. Even taking this into account research from North American shows substantial benefits to vaccinating the young. That is why many European countries have already started the programme as well as the US, Canada and Israel. In the Southern US states such as Louisana which have low rates of vaccination – Covid cases and hospitalisations are high even in children. So will be the government take the advice from the JCVI or go ahead and authorise vaccination? We await their decision. We are still waiting for ‘official ‘ confirmation of the booster jabs although it is fairly clear that they will go ahead. Hopefully, the programme should start in the next few weeks. GPs were hoping to give the flu and the Covid jabs at the same time but delay in government decision making has meant that we have had to organise the flu jab clinics independently. We may be able to give both together in the future. When your turn comes for the booster jab please do have it – we know they work in older people whose immunity is reducing after the first two doses over 6 months ago. Israel has started its booster programme already and found that 12 days after this third dose there was a tenfold reduction in severe illness in those who had a booster. At present just over 70% of the total UK population has been immunised which is pretty good. That also means though there is a substantial number of people who have still not had both jabs. Over 1 million over the 60s are still not fully vaccinated. This may be due to vaccine refusal or hesitancy. If you are still unsure about getting a vaccine – please speak to a health professional about it. Right now we have a high number of infections in the country and this will probably surge again with schools opening up and people mixing more. About 950 people are admitted to hospital each day with Covid but many, because they have been vaccinated, are only having to spend a few days as in-patients while they get help with their breathing. A few still go on to need an intensive care bed and some die. Most deaths are in people who have not been fully vaccinated. The vaccines may not stop you from catching the virus but they will almost certainly stop you from needing hospital treatment and getting severe complications such as long term disability and death. Vaccines will also reduce the incidence of Long Covid. What about the next few months? If there is a surge in infections then we could possibly be looking at reimposing more restrictions such as mandatory masks, isolation of contacts, no mass events with the rule of six indoors and working from home again. The government will be very reluctant to impose an all-out lockdown unless we get a different more contagious and deadly variant than the Delta. Keep Safe Everyone Bye for now Dr M Tanvir Jamil Senior Partner Burnham Health Centre
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BBC News - Channel crossings: Migrant boats could be turned back in new UK move https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58495948
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See 8 comments...The BBC have just covered a story about a recording that has been rediscovered of a duck called Ripper. It apparently says "You bloody fool!" What do you think?
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See 21 comments...We've been told that there are cancellations happening due to a lack of tubes to collect your blood, however, I was due for a test this morning and was unsure what would happen. Yesterday, I received a text from the surgery reminding me of my appointment with one stipulation - wear a mask. I turned up this morning suitably masked and had two vials worth of blood taken. Perhaps I was lucky! How is it where you are?
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See 37 comments...Last Friday I attended the Eye casualty department of the Prince Charles Eye Unit, part of the King Edward VII Hospital in Windsor. I had been getting peripheral flashing in the upper and right sections of my right eye. I've had cataracts dealt with in both eyes and wondered if perhaps the lens had somehow shifted and light was catching the edge giving the impression of a flash. It wasn't that at all, it was yet another indication of years passing by and the vitreous gel inside my eye taking up less space within the eye and causing movement against the retina. After a thorough check, sight test and scans of both eyes, there were no serious nor long term problems discovered. I was diagnosed as having PVD Posterior Vitreous Detachment. They gave me a fact sheet to read, a slightly different version is shown below. If you have a major problem with floaters, dark patches, or anything else associated with sudden troubled vision, please get your eyes checked without delay. This is the fact sheet I've downloaded : We have written this factsheet to explain what posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) is, what signs and symptoms to look out for, and what the potential risks of the condition are. We hope it will help to answer some of the questions you may have. If you have any further questions or concerns, please speak to a member of your healthcare team. What is PVD? The eye is like a camera with a lens at the front and a light-sensitive film (the retina) at the back. Filling the space between these is a clear jelly-like tissue called the vitreous. As we get older, the jelly-like vitreous becomes more like a liquid gel and collapses in on itself, pulling away from the retina. Small opacities (unclear areas) may form in the gel and as it starts to move around in the eye, these can be seen as ‘floaters’ in your vision (often described as flies, spiders and cobwebs). What causes PVD? PVD is more common in people over the age of 60. This is because the texture of the vitreous naturally changes as you get older. In 90% of people this change is usually harmless and causes no damage to the retina. PVD is a once-in-a-lifetime event and cannot be prevented. How is PVD diagnosed? To diagnose PVD, an ophthalmologist (a specialist eye doctor), an optician or a nurse practitioner will put eye drops into your eye to dilate (enlarge) your pupil. They will then look at the middle and the back of your eye with a microscope to check the vitreous. These eye drops will blur your vision for approximately three to four hours. You must not drive while your vision is affected. What are the signs and symptoms of PVD? Mild floaters in your vision can be normal. However, if you have PVD you will usually notice: • a sudden increase in floaters • flashing lights like little flickers or streaks of light at the edges of your vision (more noticeable in the dark) PVD on its own will not permanently affect your eyesight. Are there any risks associated with PVD? Retinal detachment Occasionally, when the vitreous pulls away from the retina, it pulls so hard that it tears the retina. This happens in less than one in ten people who develop PVD. This can then lead to a retinal detachment (when the retina becomes loose). If your retina becomes loose, you may experience a black shadow and/or loss of vision, and you will require urgent surgical treatment. A retinal tear (without retinal detachment) will require urgent laser treatment or cryotherapy (a freezing treatment). Epiretinal membrane When the vitreous pulls away from the retina, it can cause a thin, clear layer of tissue (a membrane) to form on the surface of the retina. This membrane can cause the retina to become wrinkled, and your vision may become distorted and blurred. If your vision is very distorted, we may recommend you have surgery. Do the flashes and floaters ever stop? Generally the flashes stop after a few months and do not cause any problems. The floaters are very obvious when they first appear. Over time they become much less noticeable and do not cause a visual problem in most people. You can reduce the effect of floaters by wearing dark glasses, especially if you are out in bright sunlight, or if you are looking at a brightly-lit surface or background. Is there anything I should look out for? Contact our eye casualty department as soon as possible if your symptoms become worse or if you notice any of the following: • an increase in floaters and/or flashing lights • a black shadow or ‘curtain’ coming over your vision • your vision suddenly getting worse Contact us Eye casualty Telephone: 023 8120 6592 (24-hour service) Useful links www.rnib.org.uk/eye-health/eye-conditions/posterior-vitreous-detachment www.rcophth.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/2017_Understanding-Posterior-vitreous- detachment.pdf www.specsavers.co.uk/eye-health/posterior-vitreous-detachment Version 3. Published September 2020. Due for review September 2023. 2616 For a translation of this document, or a version in another format such as easy read, large print, Braille or audio, please telephone 0800 484 0135 or email patientsupporthub@uhs.nhs.uk For help preparing for your visit, arranging an interpreter or accessing the hospital, please visit www.uhs.nhs.uk/additionalsupport
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Sept Our News - The Neighbourhood Watch National Newsletter SEPTEMBER ‘OUR NEWS’ OUT NOW We are delighted to bring you the September OUR NEWS edition https://bit.ly/OurNewsSept21 – a monthly newsletter for all Neighbourhood Watch supporters across England and Wales. This edition introduces you to our Neighbour of the Year Awards 2021 - open for nominations from 14th September, the no-excuse approach to gas safety, fraud trends, rural crime reporting, discount offers from ERA and Patlock for our readers, and much more. We hope that you will enjoy reading our newsletter and share it with your community. Why not share this newsletter link https://bit.ly/OurNewsSept21 with your street WhatsApp groups, community Facebook groups or neighbourhood email groups to keep your neighbours safer and more connected. Best wishes NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH NETWORK, Central Support Team Follow us.. ourwatch.org.uk / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / LinkedIn Neighbourhood Watch Network is a charity registered in England & Wales, CIO no: 1173349 Message Sent By Central Support Team (NWN, Neighbourhood Watch Network, England and Wales)
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Sept Our News - The Neighbourhood Watch National Newsletter SEPTEMBER ‘OUR NEWS’ OUT NOW We are delighted to bring you the September OUR NEWS edition https://bit.ly/OurNewsSept21 – a monthly newsletter for all Neighbourhood Watch supporters across England and Wales. This edition introduces you to our Neighbour of the Year Awards 2021 - open for nominations from 14th September, the no-excuse approach to gas safety, fraud trends, rural crime reporting, discount offers from ERA and Patlock for our readers, and much more. We hope that you will enjoy reading our newsletter and share it with your community. Why not share this newsletter link https://bit.ly/OurNewsSept21 with your street WhatsApp groups, community Facebook groups or neighbourhood email groups to keep your neighbours safer and more connected. Best wishes NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH NETWORK, Central Support Team Follow us.. ourwatch.org.uk / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / LinkedIn Neighbourhood Watch Network is a charity registered in England & Wales, CIO no: 1173349 Message Sent By Central Support Team (NWN, Neighbourhood Watch Network, England and Wales)
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We Invite You To Our Facebook Live About Our Family Liaison Officers Date: Thursday 9 September Time: 7pm Location: Tune in and join us via the Thames Valley Police Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thamesvp When a serious crime or murder unfortunately happens, our Family Liaison Officers (FLO’s) quickly make contact with the victim’s family to offer support and help them through the traumatic experience. But how do the FLO’s help? We want to give you a behind the scenes look at how we aid victims. On Thursday 9 September at 7pm, we will be undertaking a Facebook Live broadcast and will have FLO's and Ian and Sue Farquhar joining us. Ian’s brother, Peter Farquhar was murdered by Ben Field in 2015. This was a truly disturbing case… Ian and Sue will be discussing how the FLO’s assisted them throughout the ordeal. Do you have any questions for our FLO’s? Curious about what they do? How they help? The types of incidents FLO’s get involved in? But also how they cope? We encourage you to send us your questions as a reply to this TV Alert. We will try to answer as many of your questions during our Facebook Live event, so make sure to tune in. To view our Facebook Live on Thursday 9 Sept, at 7pm, please go to our Thames Valley Police Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/thamesvp Thank you and we hope you will be able to join us! Please note: We will not be able to discuss individual cases during the Facebook live; We will try our best to answer your questions during the Facebook live, however we will not be able to reply to your questions via TV Alerts. Message Sent By Cristina Bratu (Police, Comms, HQ)
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We Invite You To Our Facebook Live About Our Family Liaison Officers Date: Thursday 9 September Time: 7pm Location: Tune in and join us via the Thames Valley Police Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thamesvp When a serious crime or murder unfortunately happens, our Family Liaison Officers (FLO’s) quickly make contact with the victim’s family to offer support and help them through the traumatic experience. But how do the FLO’s help? We want to give you a behind the scenes look at how we aid victims. On Thursday 9 September at 7pm, we will be undertaking a Facebook Live broadcast and will have FLO's and Ian and Sue Farquhar joining us. Ian’s brother, Peter Farquhar was murdered by Ben Field in 2015. This was a truly disturbing case… Ian and Sue will be discussing how the FLO’s assisted them throughout the ordeal. Do you have any questions for our FLO’s? Curious about what they do? How they help? The types of incidents FLO’s get involved in? But also how they cope? We encourage you to send us your questions as a reply to this TV Alert. We will try to answer as many of your questions during our Facebook Live event, so make sure to tune in. To view our Facebook Live on Thursday 9 Sept, at 7pm, please go to our Thames Valley Police Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/thamesvp Thank you and we hope you will be able to join us! Please note: We will not be able to discuss individual cases during the Facebook live; We will try our best to answer your questions during the Facebook live, however we will not be able to reply to your questions via TV Alerts. Message Sent By Cristina Bratu (Police, Comms, HQ)
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See 2 comments...There have been recent reports of distraction burglaries in the borough and we are reminding residents of some simple tips of how to protect themselves and their property. *If you are not expecting a workman be extremely cautious *Expect ID cards to be presented *Call the organisation stated if an ID is presented. A genuine caller will not mind or hurry a householder *Try and find the number for the organisation independently of any information on the ID card *Close the door when making the call *Organisations like "the water board" or "the gas board" do not exist *Ask for information about specifics like your account number if you are unsure of the caller We are also urging families with vulnerable relatives to talk to them about how to deal with unexpected callers so they are better prepared. Any suspicious callers should be reported to Thames Valley Police on the non-emergency 101 number or via the website https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/
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See 3 comments...... so fiddled around with my laptop
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See 1 comment...I thought it worth passing on to others.
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Burnham Taplow and Farnhams Neighbourhood Policing Update September 2021 Taplow, Burnham and The Farnhams Neighbourhood Team Your neighbourhood team consists of Sergeant 6792 Rachel Dale PC 5099 Trevor Walker PCSO 9715 Caroline Sampson PCSO 9791 Angela O’Connell PCSO 9345 Kam Benawra PCSO 9623 Shoaib Mahmood Neighbourhood Priorities The priorities for your Neighbourhood Policing Team (NHPT) will be decided by the Policing Issues Panel; comprised of representatives from Community Boards from the whole of Chiltern & South Bucks. The Police do not run the panel, although we do attend as representatives. This allows us to speak to a wide cross-section of the community, find out what you most want improved in the area and consider how we and others can accomplish these aims. The top three priorities are chosen by the forum every three months and are then assumed by your Neighbourhood Policing Team. Priority – Speeding The NH Teams have been out and about across the area carrying out speeding operations. In July we carried out checks on Marsh Lane, Dorney after reports from local residents. 70 Vehicles passed the site within one hour between 8-9am and 8 vehicles were identified as driving over the speed limit. The highest speed recorded was 42mph. Our Roads Policing unit have been deploying our mobile speed camera vans over the last couple of months at various locations around the South Bucks area. This quarter the mobile speed camera was deployed on 4 occasions and identified 374 offences. Our fixed camera has identified 363 offences in South Bucks. In addition, we now have two very active Community Speed Watch teams. This is a great opportunity for residents who wish to volunteer their time to monitor speeding in areas highlighted for concern by fellow residents. If you are interested in helping out, then please contact the team or your local Parish Council. Priority – Burglary This quarter we have seen a decrease in Burglary of 73% which has reduced from 15 to 4 compared to last year. Now that the darker nights are approaching and lockdown measures are easing please remember to stay vigilant. • Holiday plans may be a little different this year, but if you are planning a staycation, please take a look at the home security tips below, to prevent you from becoming a victim of crime: Shut and lock all windows and doors • Keep car and house keys out of reach from windows and doors • Set timer switches to turn your lights on for when it gets dark • Avoid leaving valuables in plain view e.g. laptops and tablets • Set any house alarms • Lock side gates to prevent access to the rear of your property • Keep any tools and ladders stored safely away in a locked garage • Don’t advertise that you are away and that your home is empty, by ‘checking in’ or posting your holiday snaps on social media • Resist uploading any holiday pictures to social media until you have returned home Home Security – Keyless Car Theft Keyless Vehicle Theft is where a vehicle is stolen without the thief having physical access to the key. Thieves use a signal boosting device which picks up and boosts the signal detected from your key to the vehicle, making your vehicle think the key is nearby. Driving out of range of the key will not cause the engine to shut down and allows the thief to reach their destination. What can you do! • Keep your keys away from the front of your property • Consider investing in a steering lock as these can act as a real deterrent. • Use a signal-blocking pouch or metal tin to keep your car key in. • Turn off keyless fobs wireless signal • Motion sensor outdoor lighting and CCTV Priority – Anti-Social Behaviour Being surrounded by the lovely countryside across Buckinghamshire does attract more visitors. It is great to meet up with friends and family in open spaces (in-line with current government restrictions) however it is important to be mindful of your surroundings. We must remain considerate of our communities and neighbours at all times. Last summer, we saw an increase in large groups gathering in an open space area in Taplow. Unfortunately, those gathering did not take into consideration the residents living close by and caused many issues, including acting in an intimidating way, playing loud music, swimming in the river and leaving a lot of litter behind. A multi-agency problem solving meeting was held to see how we could try and resolve the issues. The outcome in our partnership approach saw: • An increase in police patrols • Buckinghamshire Council Waste team visited the site to ensure all litter was removed and collections were made more frequent • Buckinghamshire Council Estates team carried out various repairs at the location • We (Community Safety) discussed the issues with the local residents and urged them to report concerns to the police, as and when the incident occurs • We have recently installed water safety and ASB signage at the location to help act as a deterrent, see images below • We are continuing to engage with residents and future site visits are being schedule There are many hidden dangers beneath the surface of the water which we can’t see. There can be strong currents, submerged weeds or rubbish which can cause entanglement or injury. Never jump or ‘tombstone’ from bridges. You won’t be able to estimate how deep the river is. Sudden immersion in cold water can cause your body to go into shock which will affect your ability to breathe and swim. None of the lakes at our country parks are suitable for swimming in, so please stay safe by staying out of the water. For further guidance please visit: Bucks Fire & Rescue and Environment Agency Other News This quarter the team have been working with local landlords to carry out a drug itemiser operation in the pubs around Burnham. Officers carried out random drug swab checks on anyone entering the local establishments in an effort to reduce drug offences in the area. Acting on information provided by local residents and extensive foot patrols by our PCSO’s we have identified two well established cannabis factories. One in Taplow and one in the Burnham area, this has resulted in numerous arrests and a large quantity of cannabis being taken off the streets and destroyed. NHPT have been working alongside local shops and other business to tackle shoplifting by a prolific offender. The person has been identified and has conditions to prevent further offending. Offenders Brought to Justice A male has been charged with criminal damage and arson with intent in Burnham A male has been charged with shoplifting in Taplow A male has been issued a fixed penalty notice for public order in Taplow A male has been issued a fixed penalty notice for public order in Farnham Common A male has been issued a caution after being found in possession of cannabis in Taplow Have Your Say Events During the Pandemic we have had to move away from ‘HAVE YOUR SAY’ Events as normally they encourage people to gather which we are looking to avoid. We understand some people still want to see us face to face, therefore we have been looking at ways we can still give people the opportunity to speak with officers, pass concerns, information or a smile and a wave to your children. To overcome gatherings we have identified areas for us to be present, visible and whilst completing our never-ending paperwork. We want the areas to be key points in each community where people are able to see us safely, varying times throughout the month and locations. Due to various reasons, on demand, operationally commitments and to prevent large gatherings we will not be publishing times and dates. however we wish to make the community aware of these locations and if you see a Police vehicle or officer at these locations, we are there for you to speak to us, please come and say hello and help us identify any concerns you have or any information, you may feel will assist us. Taplow/Hitcham – The Parish Car Park, off Rectory Road. Farnham Royal and Common – Car Park next to Broadway Autocentres. Burnham – The Summers Road Car Park, Summers Road. Dorney – The Dorney Lake Car Park off Court Lane The NH team have also been carrying out impromptu street meetings in locations where areas have identified issues. Contact Us: Call 101 (Non-Emergency Contact Number) Call 999 in an emergency only Thames Valley Police Webform: https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/report-a-crime Follow us Twitter @TVPChiltSBucks Facebook TVP Chiltern and South Bucks Sign up to Thames Valley Alerts to receive crime and policing updates directly from your local Neighbourhood Team as well as more crime and policing issues. Sign up to the service online at: www.thamesvalleyalert.co.uk or speak with one of your Neighbourhood Team. www.thamesvalley.police.uk Message Sent By Ian Stacey (Police, Neighbourhood Policing Administrator, Chiltern & South Bucks)
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Burnham Taplow and Farnhams Neighbourhood Policing Update September 2021 Taplow, Burnham and The Farnhams Neighbourhood Team Your neighbourhood team consists of Sergeant 6792 Rachel Dale PC 5099 Trevor Walker PCSO 9715 Caroline Sampson PCSO 9791 Angela O’Connell PCSO 9345 Kam Benawra PCSO 9623 Shoaib Mahmood Neighbourhood Priorities The priorities for your Neighbourhood Policing Team (NHPT) will be decided by the Policing Issues Panel; comprised of representatives from Community Boards from the whole of Chiltern & South Bucks. The Police do not run the panel, although we do attend as representatives. This allows us to speak to a wide cross-section of the community, find out what you most want improved in the area and consider how we and others can accomplish these aims. The top three priorities are chosen by the forum every three months and are then assumed by your Neighbourhood Policing Team. Priority – Speeding The NH Teams have been out and about across the area carrying out speeding operations. In July we carried out checks on Marsh Lane, Dorney after reports from local residents. 70 Vehicles passed the site within one hour between 8-9am and 8 vehicles were identified as driving over the speed limit. The highest speed recorded was 42mph. Our Roads Policing unit have been deploying our mobile speed camera vans over the last couple of months at various locations around the South Bucks area. This quarter the mobile speed camera was deployed on 4 occasions and identified 374 offences. Our fixed camera has identified 363 offences in South Bucks. In addition, we now have two very active Community Speed Watch teams. This is a great opportunity for residents who wish to volunteer their time to monitor speeding in areas highlighted for concern by fellow residents. If you are interested in helping out, then please contact the team or your local Parish Council. Priority – Burglary This quarter we have seen a decrease in Burglary of 73% which has reduced from 15 to 4 compared to last year. Now that the darker nights are approaching and lockdown measures are easing please remember to stay vigilant. • Holiday plans may be a little different this year, but if you are planning a staycation, please take a look at the home security tips below, to prevent you from becoming a victim of crime: Shut and lock all windows and doors • Keep car and house keys out of reach from windows and doors • Set timer switches to turn your lights on for when it gets dark • Avoid leaving valuables in plain view e.g. laptops and tablets • Set any house alarms • Lock side gates to prevent access to the rear of your property • Keep any tools and ladders stored safely away in a locked garage • Don’t advertise that you are away and that your home is empty, by ‘checking in’ or posting your holiday snaps on social media • Resist uploading any holiday pictures to social media until you have returned home Home Security – Keyless Car Theft Keyless Vehicle Theft is where a vehicle is stolen without the thief having physical access to the key. Thieves use a signal boosting device which picks up and boosts the signal detected from your key to the vehicle, making your vehicle think the key is nearby. Driving out of range of the key will not cause the engine to shut down and allows the thief to reach their destination. What can you do! • Keep your keys away from the front of your property • Consider investing in a steering lock as these can act as a real deterrent. • Use a signal-blocking pouch or metal tin to keep your car key in. • Turn off keyless fobs wireless signal • Motion sensor outdoor lighting and CCTV Priority – Anti-Social Behaviour Being surrounded by the lovely countryside across Buckinghamshire does attract more visitors. It is great to meet up with friends and family in open spaces (in-line with current government restrictions) however it is important to be mindful of your surroundings. We must remain considerate of our communities and neighbours at all times. Last summer, we saw an increase in large groups gathering in an open space area in Taplow. Unfortunately, those gathering did not take into consideration the residents living close by and caused many issues, including acting in an intimidating way, playing loud music, swimming in the river and leaving a lot of litter behind. A multi-agency problem solving meeting was held to see how we could try and resolve the issues. The outcome in our partnership approach saw: • An increase in police patrols • Buckinghamshire Council Waste team visited the site to ensure all litter was removed and collections were made more frequent • Buckinghamshire Council Estates team carried out various repairs at the location • We (Community Safety) discussed the issues with the local residents and urged them to report concerns to the police, as and when the incident occurs • We have recently installed water safety and ASB signage at the location to help act as a deterrent, see images below • We are continuing to engage with residents and future site visits are being schedule There are many hidden dangers beneath the surface of the water which we can’t see. There can be strong currents, submerged weeds or rubbish which can cause entanglement or injury. Never jump or ‘tombstone’ from bridges. You won’t be able to estimate how deep the river is. Sudden immersion in cold water can cause your body to go into shock which will affect your ability to breathe and swim. None of the lakes at our country parks are suitable for swimming in, so please stay safe by staying out of the water. For further guidance please visit: Bucks Fire & Rescue and Environment Agency Other News This quarter the team have been working with local landlords to carry out a drug itemiser operation in the pubs around Burnham. Officers carried out random drug swab checks on anyone entering the local establishments in an effort to reduce drug offences in the area. Acting on information provided by local residents and extensive foot patrols by our PCSO’s we have identified two well established cannabis factories. One in Taplow and one in the Burnham area, this has resulted in numerous arrests and a large quantity of cannabis being taken off the streets and destroyed. NHPT have been working alongside local shops and other business to tackle shoplifting by a prolific offender. The person has been identified and has conditions to prevent further offending. Offenders Brought to Justice A male has been charged with criminal damage and arson with intent in Burnham A male has been charged with shoplifting in Taplow A male has been issued a fixed penalty notice for public order in Taplow A male has been issued a fixed penalty notice for public order in Farnham Common A male has been issued a caution after being found in possession of cannabis in Taplow Have Your Say Events During the Pandemic we have had to move away from ‘HAVE YOUR SAY’ Events as normally they encourage people to gather which we are looking to avoid. We understand some people still want to see us face to face, therefore we have been looking at ways we can still give people the opportunity to speak with officers, pass concerns, information or a smile and a wave to your children. To overcome gatherings we have identified areas for us to be present, visible and whilst completing our never-ending paperwork. We want the areas to be key points in each community where people are able to see us safely, varying times throughout the month and locations. Due to various reasons, on demand, operationally commitments and to prevent large gatherings we will not be publishing times and dates. however we wish to make the community aware of these locations and if you see a Police vehicle or officer at these locations, we are there for you to speak to us, please come and say hello and help us identify any concerns you have or any information, you may feel will assist us. Taplow/Hitcham – The Parish Car Park, off Rectory Road. Farnham Royal and Common – Car Park next to Broadway Autocentres. Burnham – The Summers Road Car Park, Summers Road. Dorney – The Dorney Lake Car Park off Court Lane The NH team have also been carrying out impromptu street meetings in locations where areas have identified issues. Contact Us: Call 101 (Non-Emergency Contact Number) Call 999 in an emergency only Thames Valley Police Webform: https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/report-a-crime Follow us Twitter @TVPChiltSBucks Facebook TVP Chiltern and South Bucks Sign up to Thames Valley Alerts to receive crime and policing updates directly from your local Neighbourhood Team as well as more crime and policing issues. Sign up to the service online at: www.thamesvalleyalert.co.uk or speak with one of your Neighbourhood Team. www.thamesvalley.police.uk Message Sent By Ian Stacey (Police, Neighbourhood Policing Administrator, Chiltern & South Bucks)
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Hello Everyone, The latest survey from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) covering the week ending 20th August estimates that 1 in 70 people in England has the virus. The figures are a lot higher than 12 months ago when ‘only’ 1 in 1900 people was infected. At that time there were no vaccinations. Now just over 60% of the total UK population (ie not just the adults) are double jabbed and we know that the vaccines have a significant protective effect. The last time infection rates were this high was at the beginning of 2021 when there were 2,300 hospital admissions and over 1000 deaths daily. Now even though case numbers are similar we have 700-800 admissions and 100 deaths per day. So the vaccines are working. However, infection rates are rising again with numbers in Scotland have doubled in the last week. That may be due to schools re-opening there earlier than in England. The likelihood is that as children and young adults return to school and university in the rest of the UK there will be a fresh wave of infections being passed on to older parents, grandparents and the vulnerable. In fact, SAGE – the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies - has warned the government that it expects an exponential rise in Covid cases and a high prevalence by the end of September which the government needs to plan for. We know that the immunity acquired from the vaccines can start to wane after about 6-9 months and that in a small percentage of people the vaccines don’t work as well. This is the reason that the government has set up its booster programme – the details of which we are still waiting. Many countries in Europe and North America have already started to vaccinate children from 12 yr and up not only to protect community transmission to the elderly but also to protect the children themselves. We know that a small proportion of children can get serious consequences from Covid-19. If a very large number of children get an infection then that small proportion becomes a big number – some will end up in the hospital and some will develop ‘Long Covid.’ That is why the government is looking at following the lead of other countries and vaccinating all children over 12 and not just those who are vulnerable. In addition, scientists are still recommending that all those attending school and university continue to wear masks, have carbon dioxide monitors installed (these check the quality of ventilation in a classroom), and get regular testing. Even though we have high vaccination rates in the UK many people have missed out on their 2nd dose of the Astra-Zeneca (AZN) vaccine. This has been mainly due to fears of clotting from the vaccine and other possible vaccine side effects. As more people are vaccinated we are able to collect more data worldwide. Both Pfizer and AZN are very safe and millions of people have had them in the UK and worldwide without any significant ill effects. The risk of a clot and dying from the AZN s extremely low. However, Covid itself causes severe clotting disorders and it is believed that is why many deaths occur from respiratory failure and cardiac arrest. Long Covid also seems to occur due in part to the clotting effects of the virus. So the risks of getting the virus and its consequences are very high compared to the extremely small risk from the vaccines. Please do get your vaccine if you have missed it. Worldwide Delta variant cases are spiralling. The US has been particularly affected by a significant increase in deaths of non-vaccinated people and a shortage of intensive care beds. Even children as young as 5 years are being admitted to intensive care particularly in the South where vaccination rates are low due to misinformation and misplaced ideas on ‘freedom to choose'. The infection is much more rampant and some children have inevitably caught the virus and have become very ill. Australia is imposing more restrictions and infections and deaths continue unabated in developing poorer countries that lack any sort of effective immunisation programme. What level of immunisation do we need to aim for? Previously some scientists said that we needed to aim for over 70% for ‘herd immunity’ – some are now saying possibly 90% of the total population – this includes children. Many feel this is an impossible figure to reach. The current vaccines were designed for the original Wuhan Strain of the virus but they do seem to work well for most people with the Delta strain. The vaccines are great at preventing hospitalisations and deaths but they do not stop people who have double jabbed from carrying the virus and passing it on. As I’ve already mentioned above immunity seems to wane after 6-9 months and a booster jab should prolong protection. As well as vaccinating children 12 yrs and above – some countries are also looking at jabbing younger children. Vaccines for 5-11 yrs old may be approved soon. Then later this year vaccines for 2-4 yr olds may be coming online and eventually by early next year vaccines for 6 months to 2 yr old may be approved. However, a high rate of immunisation may not be enough by itself. Delta is twice as contagious as other variants and may well be the most contagious virus we will see in our lifetime. It has surged even in countries with high vaccination rates such as Iceland (over 70% vaccinated) and Israel. Many of the leading Covid experts worldwide think that immunisation together with other preventative measures are essential if we are to get to the ‘new normal’. So some of the additional measures that are being talked about now are very good quality masks for everyone. Cloth masks are ok but only partial protection - they are best for catching your aerosols when you breathe out but are not very good at protecting you from inhaling other peoples' aerosols. So they are only really effective if everyone wore them. Other measures our society may need is to reduce indoor dining, carbon dioxide metres for all indoor venues, HEPA air filters, vaccine passports, upper air UV disinfection and regular testing. However, all these preventative measures cost money and it is up to the government to look at and assess these. So the consensus seems to be that we will have to aim for a ‘New Normal’ where we don’t aim to live with the virus but take preventative measures until the vaccine is available to everyone. Then eventually the virus may die out as it has nowhere to spread. When will that be? No one knows yet. At the Burnham Health Centre, we are still keeping the doors closed and patients have to ring for an appointment – some face-to-face appointments are directly available but most Doctor appointments are telephone first. If the doctor cannot sort out the problems or you need to be seen then you will be made an appointment usually for the same day. I know many of you are frustrated at having to call and can’t just walk in but the last thing we want at the surgery is a waiting room full of people with potential covid infections spreading to other patients or staff. You can book an appointment by telephone or going online and using ‘Patient Access.’ The current situation is reviewed regularly and I will keep you updated. A worldwide surge in demand for blood tests has caused a shortage of collection tubes in the UK. Many GP surgeries have had to cancel routine blood tests at short notice. Burnham Health Centre is OK at the moment but if we start running low we may need to keep the blood tubes for urgent blood tests only. Burnham Vaccination Update We have a Pfizer clinic running this Saturday 4/9 from 0900-1300. This is for first doses for people aged 16 years and second doses from 8 weeks. We are also vaccinating 12-15-year-olds if they are immuno-compromised or living with a family member who is immuno- compromised. We do not at present have any more Astra-Zeneca vaccinations. We are awaiting updates on the booster programme and are ready to proceed when given the go-ahead. Stay Safe Everyone Bye for now Dr M Tanvir Jamil Senior Partner Burnham Health Centre
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Dear Resident, As August comes to an end, I hope everyone has had a reasonable holiday period – despite the weather! In my last newsletter, I said I wasn’t going to send my next one out until early September. However, with so much going on in Buckinghamshire I thought it was important to update you on some important news impacting on local people. Helping Hand for Afghanistan The top international news has, of course, been Afghanistan. The efforts of our fantastic Service personnel is beyond praise. Many people who have supported British troops as interpreters, or in similar roles within the former Afghan Government and society have been, and many still are, at very genuine risk to their lives. Buckinghamshire Council believes these are exceptional circumstances where it is important to support the British Government’s efforts to relocate the most vulnerable to the United Kingdom. The situation is complex and evolving rapidly. We are currently in discussions with Government agencies, such as the South East Migration Partnership, to understand exactly what is required. At present we understand that many new arrivals are in hotels before being relocated to longer term accommodation. The Government has indicated that many of those arriving are in large family groups. We are in discussions with various parties, such as the Ministry of Defence and housing providers, to see where it might be possible to repurpose existing property for this. However, accommodation is not the only requirement and it will be necessary to consider the other support needs such as health, schooling and potentially psychological support. We will also need to consider how best to help any new arrivals integrate into the local community and access employment. We are extending our existing ‘Helping Hand’ programme for vulnerable families to include these new arrivals and working closely with the Voluntary and Community Services in Bucks, a partnership built up following our experience of tackling Covid together. The residents of Buckinghamshire are again showing how generous they are, so it is no surprise that local people are keen to make generous offers of assistance. If you want to make a donation Working closely in partnership with Heart of Bucks, we have established a Helping Hands: Support for Afghanistan crisis fund. This enables any residents or businesses to pledge their support. Money raised from this fund will provide crisis support for individuals and their families, long-term resettlement support and grants to charities supporting Afghan Refugees. Keen to register your interest? https://enews.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/5438-F1P5-30HOJW-AZ4RN-1/c.aspx We will keep our website regularly updated and we will be active on social media so resident and community groups are aware of what support is required. Please note, that at this stage, we have been advised that donations of clothes or toys are not needed. Importantly, if you would like to make us aware of any specific skills, support or experience you or your organisation have, please enter your details here https://enews.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/5438-F1P5-30HOJW-AZ6FI-1/c.aspx and we will get in contact with you once we know what the families need. This could include offers of accommodation, specific language or cultural skills. I have been so impressed with the way in which the people of Buckinghamshire have shown their support in these exceptional circumstances. Temporary changes to bin collections Temporary changes to the former Chiltern and Wycombe areas only Like many organisations up and down the country our waste service provider has suffered from the national shortage of HGV drivers. This, together with some crews having to self-isolate due to being ‘pinged’ by Covid Test and Trace, has meant we have seen a significant impact on waste collections. This has been particularly severe in the former Chiltern and Wycombe areas. As an interim measure, residents in these former areas only have been asked to dispose of their food waste together with their general rubbish (in the black bin). Brown food caddies will still be emptied if presented on general rubbish week only, but this waste will not be recycled during this time. General rubbish is still being collected every two weeks. Collections in the rest of the county are unaffected. This is a temporary measure only. We anticipate that food waste in these areas will be collected separately again from Monday 13 September. I’m really sorry if you live in these areas and are facing disruption. We hope that ultimately, this is a short-term issue. Please be assured we are all working very hard to address it and thank you for your patience and understand during this difficult period. I also want to thank our crews who are working hard in challenging times to maintain the service. Bin collections over the Bank Holidays Bin collections across Buckinghamshire will be operating to a revised timetable next week. With no bin collections on the Bank Holiday (Monday 30 August) all collections that week will take place one day later than usual. Please check the revised timetable and present any bins by 6:30am on the rescheduled collection day. https://enews.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/5438-F1P5-30HOJW-AZ4RL-1/c.aspx Our nine household recycling centres will remain open over the bank holiday weekend – including on Monday 30 August. However, before making a trip to the tip, please check our website for all the latest household recycling centre information. https://enews.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/5438-F1P5-30HOJW-AZ76T-1/c.aspx Supporting the reopening of local theatres Local theatres are a huge part of the cultural life in Buckinghamshire, and their return marks an important milestone in the county’s journey to recovering from the pandemic. Wycombe Swan Theatre reopened its doors this week and the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre is opening its doors on 5 September. (Read more here.) https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/news/buckinghamshire-council-welcomes-the-reopening-of-local-theatres/?dm_i=5438,F1P5,30HOJW,1QBPX,1 Other local theatres are also reopening so please check locally. The theatres, their staff and all of those involved in upcoming productions have worked really hard to prepare for their reopenings, and I wish them well as they start to welcome back visitors. New safe cycling route extension officially opens The Haydon Hill extension to the ever-popular Waddesdon Greenway, which links Aylesbury to Waddesdon to the west, was officially opened this week. https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/news/new-haydon-hill-greenway-extension-officially-opens/?dm_i=5438,F1P5,30HOJW,1QBPX,1 The new extension means that a 5½ mile long, low-traffic route from Aylesbury town centre all the way to Waddesdon village via the Roman Park Leisure area at Berryfields is now available for the very first time. The route is the latest addition to our vision of a network of safe cycling routes in Buckinghamshire running north to south right across the county from the Brackley borders to the Colne Valley. Bierton Crematorium wins prestigious architectural award I am delighted that Bierton Crematorium, https://enews.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/5438-F1P5-30HOJW-AZ4TW-1/c.aspx near Aylesbury, which first opened in April 2019, has been awarded the prestigious RIBA South Award 2021. The Royal Institute of British Architects awards and prizes are regarded internationally as a mark of excellence, recognising the best architecture in the country. Vision for the so called ‘Oxford to Cambridge ARC’ I wanted to make you aware of a Government consultation on what they describe as the Oxford to Cambridge ARC. This sets out their intention to prepare a ‘Spatial Framework’, effectively a Regional Plan, for the area between Oxford and Cambridge. This would potentially have very serious implications for Buckinghamshire as Government could use it to set the direction and scale of new development, in particular new housing. This could mean much higher ‘top down’ housing targets that would need to be met locally. This Framework would be legally binding upon councils when they come to prepare their own Local Plans, effectively overruling local communities and democratically elected councils’ wishes. Our position is that Buckinghamshire is already delivering large numbers of new houses within current Government targets. We do not wish these targets to be significantly increased by this Regional Plan. We believe that democratically elected local councils are best placed to make local decisions on where and when housing is built, rather than having this imposed ‘top down’ by central Government. We understand local residents may be asked to join focus groups to collect views. If you wish to understand our position in more detail, please refer to our website. https://enews.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/5438-F1P5-30HOJW-AZ78U-1/c.aspx Next newsletter My next newsletter will be in a couple of weeks. I would like to thank you again for signing up for this and future newsletters. We can now only send newsletters to residents who sign up for them so please let your neighbours and friends know they can also sign up for updates about Buckinghamshire Council activities here: Sign up for our e-news https://enews.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/5438-F1P5-30HOJW-AZ3QV-1/c.aspx Keep well and stay safe. Martin Tett Leader of Buckinghamshire Council GET IN TOUCH WITH US To contact us online, please use our Contact Us form. If you’re unable to contact us online, please call us on 0300 131 6000. Phone lines are open: Monday to Thursday 9am to 5:30pm Friday 9am to 5pm Please note we’re closed on bank holidays. To keep up to date with the latest news from Buckinghamshire Council, please follow us on social media: Buckinghamshire Council The Gateway, Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury, HP19 8FF buckinghamshire.gov.uk
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Dear Resident, As August comes to an end, I hope everyone has had a reasonable holiday period – despite the weather! In my last newsletter, I said I wasn’t going to send my next one out until early September. However, with so much going on in Buckinghamshire I thought it was important to update you on some important news impacting on local people. Helping Hand for Afghanistan The top international news has, of course, been Afghanistan. The efforts of our fantastic Service personnel is beyond praise. Many people who have supported British troops as interpreters, or in similar roles within the former Afghan Government and society have been, and many still are, at very genuine risk to their lives. Buckinghamshire Council believes these are exceptional circumstances where it is important to support the British Government’s efforts to relocate the most vulnerable to the United Kingdom. The situation is complex and evolving rapidly. We are currently in discussions with Government agencies, such as the South East Migration Partnership, to understand exactly what is required. At present we understand that many new arrivals are in hotels before being relocated to longer term accommodation. The Government has indicated that many of those arriving are in large family groups. We are in discussions with various parties, such as the Ministry of Defence and housing providers, to see where it might be possible to repurpose existing property for this. However, accommodation is not the only requirement and it will be necessary to consider the other support needs such as health, schooling and potentially psychological support. We will also need to consider how best to help any new arrivals integrate into the local community and access employment. We are extending our existing ‘Helping Hand’ programme for vulnerable families to include these new arrivals and working closely with the Voluntary and Community Services in Bucks, a partnership built up following our experience of tackling Covid together. The residents of Buckinghamshire are again showing how generous they are, so it is no surprise that local people are keen to make generous offers of assistance. If you want to make a donation Working closely in partnership with Heart of Bucks, we have established a Helping Hands: Support for Afghanistan crisis fund. This enables any residents or businesses to pledge their support. Money raised from this fund will provide crisis support for individuals and their families, long-term resettlement support and grants to charities supporting Afghan Refugees. Keen to register your interest? https://enews.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/5438-F1P5-30HOJW-AZ4RN-1/c.aspx We will keep our website regularly updated and we will be active on social media so resident and community groups are aware of what support is required. Please note, that at this stage, we have been advised that donations of clothes or toys are not needed. Importantly, if you would like to make us aware of any specific skills, support or experience you or your organisation have, please enter your details here https://enews.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/5438-F1P5-30HOJW-AZ6FI-1/c.aspx and we will get in contact with you once we know what the families need. This could include offers of accommodation, specific language or cultural skills. I have been so impressed with the way in which the people of Buckinghamshire have shown their support in these exceptional circumstances. Temporary changes to bin collections Temporary changes to the former Chiltern and Wycombe areas only Like many organisations up and down the country our waste service provider has suffered from the national shortage of HGV drivers. This, together with some crews having to self-isolate due to being ‘pinged’ by Covid Test and Trace, has meant we have seen a significant impact on waste collections. This has been particularly severe in the former Chiltern and Wycombe areas. As an interim measure, residents in these former areas only have been asked to dispose of their food waste together with their general rubbish (in the black bin). Brown food caddies will still be emptied if presented on general rubbish week only, but this waste will not be recycled during this time. General rubbish is still being collected every two weeks. Collections in the rest of the county are unaffected. This is a temporary measure only. We anticipate that food waste in these areas will be collected separately again from Monday 13 September. I’m really sorry if you live in these areas and are facing disruption. We hope that ultimately, this is a short-term issue. Please be assured we are all working very hard to address it and thank you for your patience and understand during this difficult period. I also want to thank our crews who are working hard in challenging times to maintain the service. Bin collections over the Bank Holidays Bin collections across Buckinghamshire will be operating to a revised timetable next week. With no bin collections on the Bank Holiday (Monday 30 August) all collections that week will take place one day later than usual. Please check the revised timetable and present any bins by 6:30am on the rescheduled collection day. https://enews.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/5438-F1P5-30HOJW-AZ4RL-1/c.aspx Our nine household recycling centres will remain open over the bank holiday weekend – including on Monday 30 August. However, before making a trip to the tip, please check our website for all the latest household recycling centre information. https://enews.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/5438-F1P5-30HOJW-AZ76T-1/c.aspx Supporting the reopening of local theatres Local theatres are a huge part of the cultural life in Buckinghamshire, and their return marks an important milestone in the county’s journey to recovering from the pandemic. Wycombe Swan Theatre reopened its doors this week and the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre is opening its doors on 5 September. (Read more here.) https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/news/buckinghamshire-council-welcomes-the-reopening-of-local-theatres/?dm_i=5438,F1P5,30HOJW,1QBPX,1 Other local theatres are also reopening so please check locally. The theatres, their staff and all of those involved in upcoming productions have worked really hard to prepare for their reopenings, and I wish them well as they start to welcome back visitors. New safe cycling route extension officially opens The Haydon Hill extension to the ever-popular Waddesdon Greenway, which links Aylesbury to Waddesdon to the west, was officially opened this week. https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/news/new-haydon-hill-greenway-extension-officially-opens/?dm_i=5438,F1P5,30HOJW,1QBPX,1 The new extension means that a 5½ mile long, low-traffic route from Aylesbury town centre all the way to Waddesdon village via the Roman Park Leisure area at Berryfields is now available for the very first time. The route is the latest addition to our vision of a network of safe cycling routes in Buckinghamshire running north to south right across the county from the Brackley borders to the Colne Valley. Bierton Crematorium wins prestigious architectural award I am delighted that Bierton Crematorium, https://enews.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/5438-F1P5-30HOJW-AZ4TW-1/c.aspx near Aylesbury, which first opened in April 2019, has been awarded the prestigious RIBA South Award 2021. The Royal Institute of British Architects awards and prizes are regarded internationally as a mark of excellence, recognising the best architecture in the country. Vision for the so called ‘Oxford to Cambridge ARC’ I wanted to make you aware of a Government consultation on what they describe as the Oxford to Cambridge ARC. This sets out their intention to prepare a ‘Spatial Framework’, effectively a Regional Plan, for the area between Oxford and Cambridge. This would potentially have very serious implications for Buckinghamshire as Government could use it to set the direction and scale of new development, in particular new housing. This could mean much higher ‘top down’ housing targets that would need to be met locally. This Framework would be legally binding upon councils when they come to prepare their own Local Plans, effectively overruling local communities and democratically elected councils’ wishes. Our position is that Buckinghamshire is already delivering large numbers of new houses within current Government targets. We do not wish these targets to be significantly increased by this Regional Plan. We believe that democratically elected local councils are best placed to make local decisions on where and when housing is built, rather than having this imposed ‘top down’ by central Government. We understand local residents may be asked to join focus groups to collect views. If you wish to understand our position in more detail, please refer to our website. https://enews.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/5438-F1P5-30HOJW-AZ78U-1/c.aspx Next newsletter My next newsletter will be in a couple of weeks. I would like to thank you again for signing up for this and future newsletters. We can now only send newsletters to residents who sign up for them so please let your neighbours and friends know they can also sign up for updates about Buckinghamshire Council activities here: Sign up for our e-news https://enews.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/5438-F1P5-30HOJW-AZ3QV-1/c.aspx Keep well and stay safe. Martin Tett Leader of Buckinghamshire Council GET IN TOUCH WITH US To contact us online, please use our Contact Us form. If you’re unable to contact us online, please call us on 0300 131 6000. Phone lines are open: Monday to Thursday 9am to 5:30pm Friday 9am to 5pm Please note we’re closed on bank holidays. To keep up to date with the latest news from Buckinghamshire Council, please follow us on social media: Buckinghamshire Council The Gateway, Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury, HP19 8FF buckinghamshire.gov.uk
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Changes To Front Counter Provision In Thames Valley We have made changes which affect our front counter services across Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. Thames Valley Police is working to adapt to the different ways in which people contact the police, to meet the changing needs of the diverse communities we serve and to make necessary savings. There will continue to be good geographic coverage of front counters across the Thames Valley if you need to access one. The force is retaining front counters at Milton Keynes, Oxford, Reading, Slough, Aylesbury, High Wycombe, Abingdon, Banbury, Newbury, Loddon Valley and Maidenhead. There will be some changes to opening hours. Front counters at Amersham, Bicester, Bracknell, HQ South in Kidlington, and Witney have now closed. These counters had been temporarily closed since March 2020 due to the global Covid-19 pandemic (with the exception of HQ South in Kidlington, which temporarily reopened following an initial closure). If you usually attend one of these front counters, you will need to seek alternative ways of contacting us. The changes do not affect police officer numbers nor the number of police bases so you will not experience any difference to officer visibility in your local community. Further details and front counter opening times are available on our information page. https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/police-forces/thames-valley-police/areas/au/proposed-front-counter-provision/ There are a number of convenient alternative ways to contact police. An increasing number of people are contacting us online and by phone. You can access a number of our services on our website. https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/ This includes reporting non-emergency crimes or incidents, anti-social behaviour, applying for firearms licensing, telling us about something of concern or updating us on a crime report, among many other functions. Further information about when and how to make a report to police is available here. https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/ro/report/ Our non-emergency number is 101. In an emergency always dial 999. If you do attend a front counter that has closed, there is a yellow phone available outside which you can use to contact police if required. Message Sent By Hannah Jones (Police, Communications Officer, Thames Valley)
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Changes To Front Counter Provision In Thames Valley We have made changes which affect our front counter services across Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. Thames Valley Police is working to adapt to the different ways in which people contact the police, to meet the changing needs of the diverse communities we serve and to make necessary savings. There will continue to be good geographic coverage of front counters across the Thames Valley if you need to access one. The force is retaining front counters at Milton Keynes, Oxford, Reading, Slough, Aylesbury, High Wycombe, Abingdon, Banbury, Newbury, Loddon Valley and Maidenhead. There will be some changes to opening hours. Front counters at Amersham, Bicester, Bracknell, HQ South in Kidlington, and Witney have now closed. These counters had been temporarily closed since March 2020 due to the global Covid-19 pandemic (with the exception of HQ South in Kidlington, which temporarily reopened following an initial closure). If you usually attend one of these front counters, you will need to seek alternative ways of contacting us. The changes do not affect police officer numbers nor the number of police bases so you will not experience any difference to officer visibility in your local community. Further details and front counter opening times are available on our information page. https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/police-forces/thames-valley-police/areas/au/proposed-front-counter-provision/ There are a number of convenient alternative ways to contact police. An increasing number of people are contacting us online and by phone. You can access a number of our services on our website. https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/ This includes reporting non-emergency crimes or incidents, anti-social behaviour, applying for firearms licensing, telling us about something of concern or updating us on a crime report, among many other functions. Further information about when and how to make a report to police is available here. https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/ro/report/ Our non-emergency number is 101. In an emergency always dial 999. If you do attend a front counter that has closed, there is a yellow phone available outside which you can use to contact police if required. Message Sent By Hannah Jones (Police, Communications Officer, Thames Valley)
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Liverpool conference now to be a virtual conference after sexual harassment claims. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58371251
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See 3 comments...Andrew Michael, who appeared alongside his wife, daughter and son has died aged 61 after a short illness. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-58356211.amp
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See 43 comments...... Unfortunately I had to empty my car's boot before I could fill it with garden waste and an old metal ironing board, On arrival home, I then had to re-fill my boot with what I'd taken out. Don't ask me what is in there, I haven't a clue but it's back where it was, well maybe not exactly where it was because I don't know what was where! I do know it's all in the boot. But I can't be the only one - can I? What have you got in your boot? Do you know what you've got in your boot? Should it really be in your boot?
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See 2 comments...Older Drivers Forum Webinars Message sent on behalf of The Older Driver's Forum: The Older Drivers Forum are supporting Project Edwards week of action, themed ‘Fit for the Road’ between the 13th to 17th September 2021. The Forum will be running a series of six free webinars during the week. Each webinar is on a different subject and designed to help and support the mature motorist to carry on driving safely for longer. Project EDWARD stands for 'Every Day Without A Road Death’ and is an annual UK-wide road safety campaign backed by government, the emergency services, highways agencies, road safety organisations and British businesses. Shockingly, on average 5 people a day are killed and around 150,000 people are injured each year on roads in Great Britain. Unfortunately, 20% of all deaths on our roads are older people. As older licence holders are increasing every year, fatalities for drivers aged 70 and over are forecasted to increase by 22% by 2040. We know that older motorists have a wealth of experience, confidence and tolerance. However, sight, hearing, reaction time and judgement of speed and distance may not be as sharp as it once was. The Older Drivers Forum is about keeping mature motorists on the road safely for longer. Whether that’s helping giving practical and informative help and support to continue driving or pointing people in the right direction for an assessment to identify their driving needs – from wing mirror adapters to an elevated driving seat – the Forum’s here to help and signpost you to the people to help. The Forum is a not-for-profit organisation made up of experts in road safety – from representatives from the emergency services, to charities, local authorities and businesses specialising in keeping older people on the road. The chair and founder of the Older Drivers Forum Rob Heard said “We are excited and proud to support Project Edwards quest to make the roads safer for all. We can all become complacent about our driving and often pick up bad habits, which if not addressed can increase our risk of an incident on the roads. This week of webinars will help give advice on a number of subjects from Confidence building appraisals, Safe driving tips, Electric vehicles and driving with various medical conditions. We have a special webinar on Thursday afternoon hosted by Valerie Singleton OBE on Dash cams, which is one not to miss. We have 1000 free places, so make sure you book early to reserve your place. I am looking forward to welcoming you again to our webinars. We have had great feedback from previous ones we have run, one person who attended said ‘Extremely useful and informative. This is definitely one of the better webinars I’ve attended over the past few months, both in presentation and content.’ The webinars are FREE and have expert speakers as well as participants being able to ask questions. People will need to register their place for each webinar and this can be done by visiting https://olderdriversforum.com/webinars/ . We have increased the number of places available this time to 1000 free places, so should be able to accommodate anyone who wishes to register.
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Older Drivers Forum Webinars Message sent on behalf of The Older Driver's Forum: The Older Drivers Forum are supporting Project Edwards week of action, themed ‘Fit for the Road’ between the 13th to 17th September 2021. The Forum will be running a series of six free webinars during the week. Each webinar is on a different subject and designed to help and support the mature motorist to carry on driving safely for longer. Project EDWARD stands for 'Every Day Without A Road Death’ and is an annual UK-wide road safety campaign backed by government, the emergency services, highways agencies, road safety organisations and British businesses. Shockingly, on average 5 people a day are killed and around 150,000 people are injured each year on roads in Great Britain. Unfortunately, 20% of all deaths on our roads are older people. As older licence holders are increasing every year, fatalities for drivers aged 70 and over are forecasted to increase by 22% by 2040. We know that older motorists have a wealth of experience, confidence and tolerance. However, sight, hearing, reaction time and judgement of speed and distance may not be as sharp as it once was. The Older Drivers Forum is about keeping mature motorists on the road safely for longer. Whether that’s helping giving practical and informative help and support to continue driving or pointing people in the right direction for an assessment to identify their driving needs – from wing mirror adapters to an elevated driving seat – the Forum’s here to help and signpost you to the people to help. The Forum is a not-for-profit organisation made up of experts in road safety – from representatives from the emergency services, to charities, local authorities and businesses specialising in keeping older people on the road. The chair and founder of the Older Drivers Forum Rob Heard said “We are excited and proud to support Project Edwards quest to make the roads safer for all. We can all become complacent about our driving and often pick up bad habits, which if not addressed can increase our risk of an incident on the roads. This week of webinars will help give advice on a number of subjects from Confidence building appraisals, Safe driving tips, Electric vehicles and driving with various medical conditions. We have a special webinar on Thursday afternoon hosted by Valerie Singleton OBE on Dash cams, which is one not to miss. We have 1000 free places, so make sure you book early to reserve your place. I am looking forward to welcoming you again to our webinars. We have had great feedback from previous ones we have run, one person who attended said ‘Extremely useful and informative. This is definitely one of the better webinars I’ve attended over the past few months, both in presentation and content.’ The webinars are FREE and have expert speakers as well as participants being able to ask questions. People will need to register their place for each webinar and this can be done by visiting https://olderdriversforum.com/webinars/ . We have increased the number of places available this time to 1000 free places, so should be able to accommodate anyone who wishes to register.
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See 51 comments...Well, it's happened! The threatened security breach has taken place, although this is probably the first of many and is unserstood to have been caused by Islamic State (IS) . At the moment (15:18) it's unclear what the casualty figures are, but there will be people who, if they have survived (and continue to survive), will have life changing injuries. What a world we live in! There are many people in Afghanistan who have fought for and worked on behalf of our armed forces, people who if they do not get a flight out of that country face death within the next week or so. It must be so cheering for them to hear that there are people in this country (and some on this forum) who are so concerned about "Johnny Foreigner" coming to this country and perhaps lowering their standard of living and complaining about what they will lose in their life, without even caring that if those people cannot come here they may no longer have a life to live - of any standard. I find it disgusting that anybody should deprive those on the death list entry to this country with the safety it affords!
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See 1 comment...Hello Everyone, The good news is that there has not been a huge surge in infections that were predicted for August and that is probably because we have been mainly outdoors and enjoying the weather. However, numbers are generally rising slowly and there have been some areas where spikes in the number of infections have been caused by large gatherings especially if these are indoors. So areas such as Cornwall, the Isle of Wight and parts of Northern England have seen rises. Infections are highest amongst the 18-30 yrs old as they tend to mix more and many are still unvaccinated. We know that only a small proportion of children and young people get serious Covid infections. But if a lot of youngsters become infected then that proportion can be a big number putting greater pressure on hospital and intensive care beds. The R number – the ‘Reproduction rate’ of the virus has increased from 0.8-1.0 last week to 0.9-1.2. This means that 10 people with Covid will on average pass the infection to between 9-12 people. So this means that the pandemic is growing. This is borne out by numbers on Friday (20th August) - 37,300 infections and 114 deaths. Over 6,300 people with Covid are in hospital and this is up by about 1000 in the last month. While the majority of deaths from Covid have occurred in older people, the under the 50s account for more hospital admissions. Three-quarters of this age group in hospital are unvaccinated and are obviously very ill. So the message for those young people is to get vaccinated as soon as you can. Sixteen year olds have been getting their jabs in the latest update to the vaccination programme. New studies indicate that the younger you are the longer the immunity lasts from a vaccine. So for now, 16 yr olds are only being offered a single dose. In the UK Children aged 12-15 who are clinically vulnerable to Covid or live with adults who are at increased risk of serious illness are being invited for a vaccine. Children who are eligible include those with Down’s syndrome, undergoing cancer therapy, who have had organ or bone marrow transplants or who are on the learning disability register. The vaccine is also being offered to children 12 yrs and above who live with someone who is immunosuppressed, such as those receiving chemotherapy or who have had a transplant. All children and young people will only be getting the Pfizer vaccine. A new study from Oxford and the Office of National Statistics (ONS) on PCR tests from more than 300,000 volunteers was published last week. The study looked at how immunity decreases over time after getting both jabs. They found that two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine initially gave more than 90% protection against Covid protection. For the Oxford-Astra Zeneca (AZN) jab this was just over 70%. Over three months the protection given by the Pfizer jab falls significantly whereas that of the AZN reduced also but much less. This is not alarming as it sounds as Pfizer starts off from a high level. The researchers concluded that both vaccines will give similar but very effective protection at around 5 months but it's worth emphasizing that both give excellent protection against severe disease and hospitalisation. Longer term protection of the vaccines still needs further work. The study also showed that double vaccinated people can carry the same number of viruses if they get infected with delta as unvaccinated people. What this means is that they can pass on the infection to other people. So if you get a Covid infection you need to take extra precautions to stop infecting other people even if you are double vaccinated. Third booster doses for the over 50s are being planned from September. However, government advisors from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are yet to confirm the next phase of the vaccination programme. They feel that instead of a catch-all booster programme that these particular jabs should be targeted to only those that need a booster. So the very elderly and vulnerable would have the jab but how do you decide on the rest of the population over 50? Looking for low antibody levels (a blood test) will be time consuming on a large scale. However, the government have just announced that from Tuesday 24th August anyone over the age of 18 will be able to opt in to have an antibody test. Up to 8,000 participants will then be sent two finger prick tests. The first must be taken as soon as possible after a positive PCR test and the second 28 days later to allow the body to generate antibodies. The main purpose of this testing is to see whether antibodies protect against other variants of coronavirus. Such testing may also allow us to see what groups of people do not develop an immune response. A similar system could possibly be used in the future to target people who need a booster. Israel is already giving boosters to the over 50s to try and curb a huge recent spike in infections - nearly 7,500 per day, almost double what it was 2 weeks ago. Most other wealthy countries are planning to offer boosters also. The most likely scenario is that the UK booster programme will start in September. Long Covid is a problem that is affecting thousands of people in this country including many children and millions worldwide. New studies seem to indicate that patients with this syndrome have higher markers for blood clotting which may help explain their persistent symptoms of fatigue and reduced physical fitness. These clotting markers are high in patients who need hospital treatment with severe Covid. However, they are also raised in patients who are able to manage their symptoms at home. As people recover the inflammation markers gradually reduce but in some, the clotting markers remain elevated. This suggests that the clotting system is one of the root causes involved in Long Covid. Understanding this will help scientists and doctors to develop effective therapies. Now something non covid related but very important. Bowel cancer. 1 in 20 people will get this in their lifetime. NHS bowel screening is being offered but at the moment only just over 60% take this up in our area. If you are 55yrs you will be invited for a one-off ‘bowel- scope’ which involves a camera up the back passage. If you are 60-74yrs you will automatically be invited to do a home test every 2 years. Please watch out for this information through the post and please do go for your bowel screening or submit a home stool test. It might save your life. If you are over 75 yrs then you can ask for a home testing kit every 2 years by calling the bowel screening helpline on 0800 707 6060. At any age please don't ignore symptoms such as persistent abdominal pain, chest pain, shortness of breath, abnormal bleeding, weight loss, odd skin blemishes. If in doubt - please give us a call or 111. Stay Safe Everyone Bye for now Dr M Tanvir Jamil Senior Partner Burnham Health Centre
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Just a shot of my email list. It shows 2 entries for Ezee-fix. Eezy-fix is a genuine company based in Belfast. I have never dealt with them and hadn't heard of them until checking this morning. I do not believe they are involved in this scam. However, as I had never heard of them, it would have been impossible for me to have placed an order with them, let alone given them payment. I am not opening the emails as undoubtedly there will be a tracker within advising them they have a "Live" email address and I don't want that. But be aware that this is how scammers start. I would tell them that I haven't ordered anything, then they will start a dialogue to attempt to get my bank details, either to "return money" I have paid or perhaps to make a payment that isn't due. One way or another they are touting for information. Just make sure that you don't give them any!
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See 20 comments...... Maybe! https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/queen-plans-legal-fightback-after-24811016.amp
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See 4 comments...Hello Everyone, In herd immunity a large proportion of the population is immune and this prevents the infection from spreading to other people in the community who do not have immunity. So what level or threshold of herd immunity do we need? This figure is very changeable – it is higher if you have more social mixing or if the virus is more infectious like the Delta variant. The completeness of our immunity is also important to consider. The vaccines are over 90% effective at preventing severe disease, hospitalisations and deaths. However, they are only about 60% effective against you catching an infection even though it might be very mild or you may have no symptoms at all. However, you will be carrying the virus and still be able to pass it on. This 60% figure may be even lower for some of the other variants. Doctors think a herd immunity figure to stop transmission of the Delta virus is over 85%. If you have a vaccine that only prevents infection in about 60% of people then even if you have everybody vaccinated you cannot reach that herd immunity threshold where the disease would be eradicated. We have managed to completely eradicate smallpox by vaccines because they were so effective. Others we have almost eradicated – eg measles and polio. With the nature of this Delta variant and the vaccines, the level of immunity achieved is not high enough. If a new vaccine is developed that is 95% protective against severe disease and 95 % protective against getting the infection then we would have a chance to eradicate it. We know that the virus changes over time into newer variants so the vaccines would also have to change. So the feeling amongst some scientists is that the chances of eradicating this virus is very small and that it will become ‘endemic’ ie a disease that is with us all the time and will probably occur in recurrent outbreaks, especially in communities with low levels of immunity. Listening to the media and the politicians you might be forgiven for thinking that the pandemic is easing and we are coming out of it. At the moment, however, we are still in the throes of the pandemic with almost 30,000 new infections per day and about 100 deaths per day – that’s about 3,000 deaths a month from Covid. Normally there is a lull in NHS activity in August – this year we are already near winter levels of activity. What can we expect in the winter months? Seventy-five percent of the adult population in the UK has now been double vaccinated against Covid. The worry is that another variant may emerge which is even better at evading the effects of the vaccines and even more easily transmitted amongst the vaccinated population. The government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) have suggested that a new more deadlier variant is a real possibility. Ministers are being advised to prepare a contingency plan if this situation arises. However many researchers think that the virus will evolve slowly and gradually reduce vaccine effectiveness so giving us time to develop newer vaccines. Case numbers of coronavirus infections are now starting to creep up again and scientists expect this figure to rise as social mixing increases over the summer. Then when schools go back there will be a large population of unvaccinated children mixing with adults who were vaccinated 10 months ago and who will have waning immunity. As we all know now there is often a 2-3 week lag from when cases rise and the effect on hospitalisations and deaths. Doctors will be hoping that we don’t get a surge in either. Not only that but there is also the real possibility of children being admitted to hospital with severe Covid disease as well as the increased incidence of Long Covid amongst adolescents and the risk of organ damage. It’s a worrying development that more children are now being admitted to hospitals worldwide. Perhaps we should be paying attention to what is happening in the US. Dallas, Texas, one of the states with low vaccination rates has run out of intensive care beds for children and California has made vaccines or testing mandatory in schools. The reproduction number ‘R’ is the average number of people infected by someone with the virus. At the very beginning of the pandemic when everyone was susceptible and none of us had any immunity the first variant of coronavirus had an R-value of 3 ie, one person can go on to infect 3 others. However, the Delta variant is much more infectious and this has an R-value of 7. The R-value in England at the moment is 0.8-1.0. This means that one person will probably only pass the infection onto one other – so the pandemic is stable – not increasing or decreasing. Remember though that this particular R-value number is only based on data 2- 3 weeks old. As numbers are creeping up – the R-value is probably now over 1 but we will only know for sure in a few weeks We need the R number to be well below 1 for a decreasing pandemic. Over the last year, it has varied considerably and the likelihood is that it will increase again. Even though we are still in the third wave some scientists are now talking about a ‘fourth wave’ with the return of schools and people moving indoors after the summer. Sorry if this all sounds like scaremongering but this is the reality of the situation. I’m sure you all know the message by now. This pandemic is going nowhere soon. If we want to carry on meeting people and having some sort of normal life we need to be mindful of any precautions we can take to help protect ourselves, our families and our communities. So masks in public places, good ventilation and good hand hygiene. Perhaps schools & businesses should be thinking about carbon dioxide monitors which can tell you how good the ventilation is in a room. There is some good news - all 16-17-year-olds in England will be offered their first vaccine by 23rd August. Will they be getting 2nd dose as well? The government has not decided yet but we know that the vaccines are much more effective (over 90%) after 2 doses. As far as routine vaccines go for 12-15 years olds we are still behind most other rich countries which have started to vaccinate this age group. It is thought that the government might give the go-ahead soon and the task would be for schools to carry out this part of the vaccination programme. From Monday, August 16th – people in England and Northern Ireland who are double vaccinated or under 18 will no longer have to self-isolate if they are identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for coronavirus. This is already the case in Scotland and Wales. Instead, you will be advised to have a PCR test and you only have to isolate if it comes back positive. Stay Safe Everyone Bye for Now Dr M Tanvir Jamil Senior Partner Burnham Health Centre
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See 7 comments...... Throughout the pandemic, a doctor in Burnham, Bucks., has been sending out emails regarding Covid-19. A friend, who is on his mailing list, forwards it on to us. It is full of interesting information, but is only what he has collated and distributed. Would anybody in this loop be interested if I posted it here? It is not "Official" information from the Government. However, it is the considered view of a practising GP. Please let me know. Thanks Derek
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https://astronomy.com/news/2019/10/how-many-astronauts-have-died-in-space
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See 1 comment...Two brothers enlisting in the Army were getting their physicals. During the inspection, the doctor was surprised to discover that both of them possessed incredibly long, oversized penises. "How do you account for this?" he asked the brothers. "It's hereditary, sir," the older one replied. "I see," said the doctor, writing in his file. "Your father's the reason for your elongated penises?" "No sir, our mother." "Your mother? You idiot, women don't have penises!" "I know sir," replied the recruit, "but she only had one arm, and when it came to getting us out of the bathtub, she had to manage as best she could."
