Archives: Local News

Please click the link below for more information.  Everyone welcome.

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There are times when we all need a little bit of help. Maybe you’re recovering from an illness, feeling lonely and isolated or unable to get out and about, Prevention Matters could give you that bit of help to make your life easier and more fulfilling.

Prevention Matters, delivered by Buckinghamshire County Council through a partnership of organisations, including the NHS, District Councils and a variety of voluntary and community sector organisations, is a free and friendly advice service linking eligible adults (over 18) in Buckinghamshire to social activities, volunteers and community services.

We can support you in regaining your confidence, independence and getting out and about by finding social activities, volunteers and community services for you in your local area.

Here’s how we helped Georgina with the worries of being on her own:

After the death of her last remaining family member Georgina was concerned about her declining health and money worries. A Prevention Matters community practice worker visited her at home to see how we could help.

The community practice worker was able to help arrange a home visit to asses her property for disability allowance, get taxi tokens so she could get to appointments, catalogues on home shopping and meal delivery so she didn’t have to rely on friends.

Georgina now feels better informed about the services that are available to her and through Prevention Matters is now £200 a month better off, safer at home and less worried about her finances.

How do I find out about this service?

• Call our friendly staff on 0300 666 0159 (local number)
• Email at admin@preventionmatters.org.uk
• Or use the online form at buckscc.gov.uk/preventionmatters
• Alternatively you can ask your GP or health professional for more information

What would happen next?

One of our Community Practice Workers will contact you to arrange a time to come and talk to you about what services may be available locally for you. The Community Practice Worker can contact the activities and services you might be interested in attending or receiving in your home and can support you until you feel confident and happy to be independent.

It’s ok to ask for help.

To find out more about Prevention Matters please visit

www.careadvicebuckinghamshire.org/preventionmatters

Just a reminder that the following Active Bucks sessions are still running in Pitstone/Ivinghoe.  All welcome:

An enormous thank you to all of you who have helped out with the Santa Float this year, and to everyone who gave a donation.

This year the Rennie Grove nurses will travel more than 13,500 miles and carry out around 600 home visits over the 12 days of Christmas to give patients and their families the precious memory of one last Christmas together.  Those memories are priceless but there is a real cost we must cover to make this happen and you’ve helped us to cover that cost.

Each and every one of you has helped to raise a fantastic £4,907.83 this year (this covers all the towns and not just Pitstone) which is a record amount for the float. It is getting bigger and better each year thanks to all the wonderful support you give.

Thank you so much.

As Christmas draws near, Aylesbury Vale District Council (AVDC) are encouraging residents to think about their plans in order to stay safe whilst celebrating this year.
Working alongside Thames Vale Police and Aylesbury Pubwatch, AVDC have been promoting the Christmas Party Menu this year, which breaks down all the aspects of a night of Christmas festivities to ensure you have a happy and safe Christmas.
For starters, they suggest you plan your evening before you go out, think about transport by using licensed taxis, make sure you have the fare home and stay with friends. Ensure you mobile phone is fully charged and always eat before you drink.
For mains, they focus on your wellbeing – asking you not to leave drinks unattended or accept them from strangers, look out for each other, never mix drink and drugs and to stay hydrated with water.
For desserts, always use a black cab or private hire cab with yellow plate and door signs to get home safely, ensuring you’re in the right vehicle for the right booking and that the driver is wearing his badge.
The campaign is to get everyone thinking ahead, to ensure they’re not caught out or put into any compromising situations over what should only be a fun and festive time. Pubs and clubs throughout the town are promoting the poster in and out of their premises and using their social media.
Peter Seal, AVDC Licencing Manager, said: “We’ve worked along side Thames Valley Police and Pubwatch to ensure that Aylesbury Vale residents have a happy and safe time this Christmas and wish all residents a very merry time indeed.”

Church Road fundraising and Christmas lights are featured on the Mix 96 website today:

http://www.mix96.co.uk/news/local/2178380/christmas-lights-display-raise-money-for-local-girl/

The link contains details of how to donate, or you can post your donations in the box at Clare House, Church Road.

If you have not yet been along to view the lights this year, do try and visit.

Rural businesses across the Chilterns can now apply for grants of up to £50,000 to help create growth and jobs. 

The grants are administered by Ngage Solutions, on behalf of the Chilterns LEADER Local Action Group.

The Chilterns LEADER programme is designed to promote business growth, particularly the growth of micro and small businesses. It is focused on rural areas supporting;  small rural companies, farm diversification projects, forestry projects, tourism projects, rural services and cultural and heritage projects. The programme is expected to help with the creation of approximately 75 jobs and to provide financial support for 130 rural businesses.

Mike Furness, LEADER Programme Manager, said:

‘The Chilterns has a significant rural economy and the Chilterns LEADER Programme will support activity that helps businesses grow, drawing on the unique characteristics of the area, while promoting the sustainable management of natural resources like woodlands. We are looking forward to working together with local businesses to support their growth and we want to encourage them get in touch to find out how we can help them.’

David Briggs, Chair of the Chilterns LEADER LAG, said:

“We are delighted to have been awarded this new round of funding, especially as we know there is a real need within our local community. Due to the success of the last wave of LEADER funding we have already had expressions of interest from local businesses including farms looking to expand processing capabilities, diversify into farm shops and tea rooms, cycle hubs, tourism projects and forestry activity.’

In the 2008-2013 LEADER programme, projects delivered by Ngage were some of the most successful in the UK. 124 projects were awarded funding which in turn sustained 206 jobs, created 117 new jobs and helped launch 39 new businesses.

For more information about whether your business may be eligible for a LEADER grant and for more information on the North & West Northamptonshire, Chilterns and Clay Vale LEADER programmes, visit www.leader-programme.org.uk or call the team on 01494 568969.

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Ridgeway Winter newsletter

Enjoy a good read of The Ridgeway National Trail newsletter which features:

• Ten year old boy becomes a Hero – walking the entire Ridgeway for charity
• Ridgeway Wildlife corridor – the Trail plays a role in helping wildlife movement
• Events listing – art fairs, guided winter walks, fundraising challenges and more
• Help maintain The Ridgeway – see the task diary and read about an app to help with reporting problems
• Explore The Ridgeway on horseback – take part in TREC events and volunteer to monitor circular rides
• Literary walk – follow in the footsteps of great writers inspired by the Ridgeway  landscape
• Whiteleaf Cross is scoured to a gleaming white and the Grosvenor memorial near East Ilsley is restored

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The collection on Thursday 22 December remains in place.

The collection scheduled for Thursday 29 December, blue lidded recycling bin plus food bin, has moved to Friday 30 December.

The following week services resume their usual Thursday slot ie 5 January 2017 for the green lidded bin plus food bin.

Bin dates can always be checked on the Aylesbury Vale District Council website: http://www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/find-your-bin-day

The Aylesbury Vale Community Safety Partnership (CSP) is a statutory group (including the police and local councils) working to reduce crime and disorder in the district.

The partnership does not replace the work of the police or the day-to-day business of the other partners, but is widely considered the most effective approach to finding joint solutions to local issues.

Every year we consult with residents and local community organisations as the partnership prepares its next annual action plan. The plan will include initiatives and projects to address local priorities.

In this consultation we want to know how safe you feel in the area you live or work, and how well informed you are about particular types of crime. All responses will be used as a basis to help shape the annual action plan for 2017-2018.

Please answer as many questions as possible. It should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete.

All responses will be treated in the strictest confidence and only be used in the review of the community safety partnership action plan. Aylesbury Vale District Council is registered under the Data Protection Act, 1998 and will at all times comply with the terms of the act when processing personal data.

Just clink on the following link: https://www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/cspsurvey2016

D Cotter

Miss D Cotter

Community Safety Officer

Community Fulfilment

Aylesbury Vale District Council

The Gateway

Gatehouse Road

Aylesbury

Bucks  HP19 8FF

Tel:   01296 585061

Email dcotter@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk

Website www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk

Sunday 18 December 6pm – Nine Lessons and Carols

Saturday 24 December 3pm – Nativity Service

Saturday 24 December 11.30pm – Midnight Communion

Sunday 25 December 10am – Family Communion

May the good news of Christmas bring you joy and peace.

facebook.com/stmary.holycross.allsaints

Please follow the link for the latest Thames Valley Police update for our area:

http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/yournh-tvp-pol-area-n416

gritting

Drivers using motorway services stations, particularly those along the M4 in Berkshire, are being warned that thieves could be using technology to prevent people locking their vehicles and then steal from them.
Thames Valley Police officers are warning people to make a manual check that doors are locked before leaving their vehicles.
This advice follows a spate of 14 thefts from vehicles at motorway services in Berkshire. In many of the cases there was no obvious sign of a break in and no damage was caused to the vehicles as items were stolen from them.
Officers are also appealing for anyone who visited the services during the dates outlined below and have any dashcam footage to please get in touch as they may have vital information for the investigations.
At Chieveley Moto Services on M4 at junction 13 between 24 November and 1 December two vans, two lorries and a Mercedes car were entered and items including tools, a suitcase and laptop were taken.
At Reading Moto Services M4 junctions 11-12 between 26 November and 28 November two Range Rovers, a Jaguar, a Mercedes and a Fiat 500 were all accessed by unknown means, ie no obvious sign of a break-in, and various pieces of luggage were stolen from the vehicles.
At Membury Welcome Break M4 at junctions 14 -15 between 24 November and 26 November two Land Rovers, a Mercedes and a Renault were accessed by unknown means. Luggage, wallets and cash were stolen.
Investigating officer, Sgt Alan Hawkett of Newbury Police Station said: “I strongly recommend that any members of the public visiting motorway services stations anywhere in the country keep all valuable items in their possession when away from their vehicle. Offenders may be using technology to prevent your vehicle from locking therefore we would advise a manual check of the doors before leaving your vehicle.
“I am appealing to the public who use in car dash cameras who may have been at any of the above service stations on the above dates and times to contact me. You may have captured an offence or offender on camera. I am extremely keen to review the footage.”
Anyone with any information or dashcam footage relevant to these incidents is asked to call 101 using ref 409 27/11/2016 or email alan.hawkett@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk

A VERY BIG THANK YOU to everybody who has renewed/taken out their subscription to the Library’s 100 Club!

There is just a week to go to the next round of monthly Prize Draws, and there is still time to join the 100 Club, which is a fun way of helping to raise funds for your Library. Draw tickets cost only £1 each (£12 for twelve months), and half of all subscriptions are returned as prize money – three guaranteed prizes every month!

Interested? Then why not pick up a welcome pack from the Library or print off
the attached Application Form? Alternatively, contact me for further details and
an online form. The more tickets sold, the greater the monthly prize pot! If you
have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask (01296 668123 or 07947
582595).

I look forward to welcoming you to the 100 Club.

A second drink before you drive doubles your chances of being in a fatal collision.

Festive drink drive campaign aimed at young males who account of 62% of all drink drivers killed on the roads.

Make sure your loved ones stay safe:

http://www.roadsafetygb.org.uk/news/5448.html

Free sessions and great prizes with Active Vale this winter
Until the end of December, Aylesbury Vale District Council is offering a fantastic prize draw along with free Active Vale fitness sessions to encourage Vale ladies to have fun keeping fit this winter.
Prizes include a Fitbit Charge 2, Asics Nimbus 18 Trainers (worth £145) and £50 Shopping Vouchers. Residents who sign up for a free Active Vale session at www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/active-vale will be entered into the prize draw after completing the class.
There are all kinds of Active Vale activities taking place across the Vale this winter, including Zumba, taster gym sessions, ladies swimming lessons, lunchtime HIIT classes (high intensity interval training) and beginner running with childcare. Residents can go to www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/active-vale to find out what’s taking place near them.
Rachel Robinson, AVDC’s Active Vale Co-ordinator says: “We’ve pulled out all the stops to inspire Vale ladies to have fun getting fit with our free sessions and fantastic prizes. December can be hectic, and taking some ‘me time’ to join an Active Vale session is a great way to de-stress and reenergise. Find the perfect session for you at www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/active-vale.”
Active Vale is operated by AVDC with funding from Sport England, and support from local sports partners. Active Vale is specifically trying to help ladies aged 14-40 to exercise more, as this group often particularly struggle to achieve their recommended 90 minutes of exercise a week, but most Active Vale sessions are open to adults of all ages.

Biscuiteers: Waddesdon Manor in Gingerbread

Click the above link for more information and photographs.

http://www.reed.co.uk/jobs/production-assistant-clothing-decoration-and-distribution-/31068578?utm_medium=social&utm_source=fbook_vcshr&utm_campaign=jobseeker_social_fbook_vcshr

Dear Friends,

As many of you will know, I’ve been reporting the news for Ivinghoe and Pitstone in the Bucks Herald and Leighton Buzzard Observer for over 20 years and have added Slapton to the villages I cover in more recent years. It’s been a lot of fun, and I’d recommend being a local newspaper correspondent to any aspiring writer.

But all good things come to an end, and I must hang up my reporter’s hat at the end of December. Because the papers won’t be printing the usual village pages for much of December (due to the Christmas rush), my last columns will appear in 4 and 5 December issues of the papers.

If anyone is interested in taking over the role for one or more of the three villages you should approach Neil Pickford at Johnston Newspapers direct at neil.pickford@jpress.co.uk. If you’d like an idea of what’s involved, by all means contact me at davesivers@hotmail.co.uk.

In the meantime, after the end of November, local individuals or organisations who have news or are in need of some publicity should contact Neil direct.

Best regards,

Dave Sivers.

Please find attached a useful guide to what should, and what should not, be put down your drains and toilets, and what happens when you do.

This particular leaflet is from Thames Water but the same principles apply to Anglian Water.

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Aylesbury Town Centre`s next festive event, the Christmas Craft and Gift Fair, will be taking place on Sunday 4th December. The event runs from 11am to 3pm, where visitors can browse stalls full of unique and unusual festive treats, from Christmas decorations to traditional Italian delicacies – whilst getting in the festive mood with live jazz music and street entertainment. Street food will also be available and includes German bratwursts, roasted chestnuts and Mexican delights.
Aylesbury Town Centre Partnership are delighted to also welcome Young Enterprise and Buckingham University Technical College to the Christmas Craft and Gift Fair this year. Budding local entrepreneurs from Aylesbury School, who have already set up companies with the support of Young Enterprise, will be selling items they have created; whilst Buckingham University Technical College will be promoting and selling some of their work at the fair.
Diana Fawcett, Town Centre Manager said: “We are very proud to be supporting local schools as a part of this event. It’s a great opportunity for these young people to learn from the more experienced stall holders, whilst helping to develop the potential traders of tomorrow.”
Sunday parking in Aylesbury Town Centre is £1.50 for the day

This December, Buckinghamshire County Council will again invite residents to see if they can make savings on their energy bills through the Government’s Collective Switching Scheme

It is a national scheme, which will join our residents, families and friends with other people from around the country in a large pool and then invite energy suppliers to bid in an auction to provide energy to this pool of people at a preferential lower rate. Once the supplier has been confirmed they will write to everyone with a personalised quote. There is no obligation to switch.

In the last round of Auction:

• 41% of people who registered in Buckinghamshire were able to make a saving
• The average savings in the county have been around £280 per year.

We have a website www.buckscc.gov.uk/switchedon where people can find out more and also register their interest.

The deadline for registration is 13^rd February 2017 and the auction for suppliers will take place on 14^th February. Please note that residents will need their existing energy bill(s) to complete your registration.

Non drop Christmas Trees are available from the old Silver Birch Cafe on the Upper Icknield Way in Pitstone.

Aylesbury Vale District Council’s Vale Lottery turns one on Monday 28 November and will be celebrating by giving away a guaranteed £1000 in its First Birthday Bonanza prize draw! And, of course, there’ll also be the chance of that £25,000 jackpot too. The additional draw will take place during the Vale Lottery First Birthday Bash, where AVDC will be inviting the local good causes to join them to celebrate. The £1000 additional prize draw will be available to anyone who has signed up to the online lottery by 8pm on Saturday 26 November.
Vale Lottery, the first online community lottery to be launched by a council in this country, currently supports 128 good causes, which all benefit the Aylesbury Vale community. These include local disability groups, animal charities, sports clubs, theatre groups and schools. Under the scheme, 60p in every pound goes directly to a good cause and the remaining costs go towards the running costs and prize fund – AVDC do not take a penny. You can chose to either support a favourite local cause or alternatively support the general good cause fund, which is administered by AVDC and provides vital support to a wide range local organisations.
To date, Vale Lottery has celebrated with numerous winners, including one lucky local who won £2000, after getting a five number match! Due to the lottery’s success the jackpot was increased back in June to a whopping £25,000, which has helped towards the causes being on track to receive a total of more than £66,000 by the end of its first year.
Cllr. Janet Blake, Cabinet Member for Transformation said: “It’s with great pleasure that we announce the £1000 prize draw to celebrate the Vale Lottery’s first birthday. We hope that even more of the community will get involved with the scheme, to help support the many worthwhile good causes across the Vale. This has been a fantastic project so far and it’s really encouraging to see other councils are already following our lead. Good luck everyone!”
For more information or for local causes who are wishing to apply, visit www.valelottery.co.uk

Joe Marling, the poppy man outside Masons, would like to thank residents for their generosity.  This year, he filled 16 collection tins with donations which amounted to £2,568.  This brings Joe’s total to over £10,000 since he started.

Our congratulations to Joe.

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On 1st January 2026 – not 10 years away – it will no longer be possible to use documentary evidence to claim ‘lost ways’. Any path, track, alleyway, bridleway, cut-through, etc. not registered on the definitive map could be in danger of being lost forever. Even old and still well-used, but officially unrecorded, paths and tracks may at risk. The ancient maxim on which many past claimants have relied: ‘once a highways always a highway’ will be history.
What does that actually mean to those of us who walk, cycle or horse ride along our local public footpaths and bridleways? Simply…if it isn’t registered, an owner could put a gate or fence across it and prohibit all entry to the public – quite legally – and think how that could hinder our access to the countryside. Here are just a few questions worth considering.
Just in your parish:
 Are there old lanes not currently used, but could potentially be useful in the future;
 Do you remember a route you walked as a child that is not currently accessible;
 Why does that footpath or bridleway suddenly end at the parish or county boundary or why does that bridleway suddenly end and become a footpath;
 Are all public footpaths and bridleways accurately mapped by the Ordnance Survey;
 Do routes you use join the metalled highway or is there a strip of gravel not marked as a footpath or bridleway on the map;
 Is that track or hollow way you use through your local wood actually a definitive path?
After 2026 historic map and documentary evidence will be inadmissible to claim ‘lost’ or existing routes not on the definitive map (though it will be possible to claim paths on the basis of 20 years, unopposed, use).

The basic message is starkly simple – the risk is that we take our access to the countryside for granted; we use routes for recreation and as a means of linking places together; but if we don’t check what we already have, or what has been used in the past, we could lose it. If we don’t research what we use now and have done in the past, we may never get another chance to register it in future.
Do you have any old maps, letters, books or photos which show that paths once existed? They could be very important – verbal memories also often provide worthwhile clues!
Fortunately, the Buckinghamshire Local Access Forum, Open Spaces Society, the Ramblers and British Horse Society, among others, and our parish council are taking an initiative to do what they can for the benefit of local parishes and our neighbours to secure unrecorded paths for future generations to enjoy. Will you help us, please?
We may need people to check maps, walk paths, do research and get new links approved – this is both a countywide and countrywide initiative.
If you are interested and are prepared to help, contact Ross Osborn (rossosborn41@gmail.com) who can either put you in contact you’re your local volunteer, or will send you all the information you need to know to start out on this potentially fascinating detective hunt.

https://bbf.uk.com/events/buckinghamshire-business-awards?utm_source=Buckinghamshire%20Business%20First&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=7752901_bba%20launch%20-%2017-11-16&dm_i=1TDC,4M66D,H659GZ,H662Z,1

The Aylesbury Town Centre Partnership is delighted to announce the return of Santa`s Parade, taking place on Sunday 27 November. A real family favourite, where this year Santa will be accompanied by his elves, three beautiful camels with very Wise Men, larger than life penguins, winter foxes, Snow Princesses, a Happy Snowman, real donkeys, a samba band and a colourful array of music and dance groups.
The parade of characters and local groups will sing and dance their way through the town at 10.45am, starting from the Upper High Street by Hale Leys Shopping Centre and making their way around Market Square. After the parade there is a range of entertainment, including go-karts, a small fun fair and donkey rides for the kids.
From 1pm, the Santa Dash family fun run will leave Kingsbury and make its way through town in aid of Florence Nightingale Hospice. If you want to join in with this worthwhile event, email duevents@outlook.com. Alternatively, booking forms are available from Dead Universe Comics, Bourbon Street, Aylesbury or the Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity, Walton Street, Aylesbury.
Friars Square Manager, Andy Margieson, said: “Friars Square is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Christmas lights and Santa’s Grotto. Santa will be welcomed to his festive residence outside the Pavilion, after the parade on Sunday 27 November, and will meet the town’s children in the run up to Christmas with his little helpers.”
Aylesbury Town Centre Manager, Diana Fawcett, said: “There are a wide range of Christmas activities in Aylesbury town across November and December, both for families and for shoppers, and the Aylesbury Town Centre Partnership is delighted to be hosting this enormously popular festive event.”

Shoppers will be able to park for free after 4.30pm on Thursdays in AVDC town centre car parks in Aylesbury between 17 November and 22 December. For more details about Aylesbury events over the festive period, please visit www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk

150176 – B488 Upper Icknield Way j/w Northfield Road, Pitstone (21/11/16 & 23/11/16)

Night time surfacing work using temporary traffic signals between 19:00 & 06:00hrs – 21/11/16

Night time reinstatement of road markings using Stop & Go traffic management between 19:00 & 06:00hrs – 23/11/16

Aldbury parish council is currently recruiting a village warden.  Job description attached.  £8ph.

If you would be interested in applying for this position, please contact the Aldbury parish clerk, Lucy Bancroft, on aldburyclerk@gmail.com

village-warden-jd1

We are delighted that once again the volunteers from Rennie Grove will be bringing Santa’s float to Pitstone.

Rennie Grove are still in need of extra elves to help each evening, knocking on doors and collecting contributions as Santa passes.   If you are able to support this event, please contact Louise Hewitt, Community Fundraiser at Rennie Grove on 01442 820721 or email Louise.Hewitt@renniegrove.org

On Thursday 15 December, Santa’s float will start from the roundabout and work it’s way up to Ivinghoe church, calling in at the side roads along the way (including Crispin Field, Yardley Ave, The Crescent, Old Farm, Queen Street, Albion Road, Glebe Close and Rushendon Furlong).

On Wednesday 14 December Santa will work his way through Castlemead, starting with the bottom of Windsor Road.

Do you ever wonder what happens to the things you put in your waste bin?

All of the residual (non-recyclable) household waste generated in Buckinghamshire is now processed at the Greatmoor Energy from Waste facility, at Woodham, near Aylesbury.  Greatmoor is operated by FCC Environment, in partnership with Buckinghamshire County Council.

Greatmoor has the capacity to treat up to 300,000 tonnes of waste a year (approximately 900 tonnes a day), waste which would otherwise have gone to landfill.   As a result, it generates a minimum of 22 megawatts of electricity to the national grid – meeting the energy needs of around 36,000 homes.

This alternative treatment of waste will result in a saving to Buckinghamshire County Council of approximately £150 million over the life of the contract.

Greatmoor houses a visitor centre, and guided tours are available by prior agreement, at no charge.  Tours are open to local organisations, clubs, schools (Key Stage 2 and above), colleges and universities. If you aren’t a member of a local group but would like a tour, why not organise a group of your friends for a visit, or come to one of our open days?

A group visit to Greatmoor can be tailored to your requirements and will include a tour around the facility, which includes the control room (where you will be able to see the cranes loading the waste), a visit to the viewing hatch providing an exciting view into the heart of the fire, and perhaps the turbine hall and condenser fans too.

Due to health and safety considerations in an operational building, on non-school visits we are only able to offer places for visitors older than 12 years old.

For more information about Greatmoor please visit www.Greatmoor.co.uk (coming soon)

For more details please contact

To book a place, or to organise your own visit please contact:

Jez Elkin, Education Manager

jez.elkin@fccenvironment.co.uk

01296 323633

A major survey aimed at gathering Aylesbury Vale residents’ views on what they think about living in their local area and their views on how AVDC is changing, started today.

We want to make sure that the needs of our Aylesbury Vale residents remain at the heart of any changes we make, so over the next few weeks we’ll be consulting residents by phone.

We’ve commissioned external consultants to undertake this exercise for us, calling 1,000 residents across the district. The 10-minute calls will be taking place Monday – Saturday, 9am – 8pm. This ensures we don’t exclude working households; selecting the phone for this exercise ensures we also don’t exclude those without internet access. Calls should be completed by Wednesday 7 December.

Residents will be selected to take part randomly and results are completely confidential and anonymous, but to ensure the results are representative of the districts population, they will be asked a few questions about themselves, such as postcode, age and gender.

It has been four years since AVDC undertook any district-wide corporate consultation.

We do hope that residents will respond positively if they are asked to take part. However, should anyone contact you with concerns about this, please do reassure them it is a genuine call on behalf of AVDC. You can always direct enquiries to our website where they’ll find more information and a list of FAQ’s that may answer their queries, www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/consultation   Alternatively, they can email us communications@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk, or call AVDC’s Communications team on 01296 585007/8.

Thank you

Kind regards

Alison Kennedy

Snr Communications & Marketing Officer

Aylesbury Vale District Council

The Gateway  Gatehouse Road  Aylesbury  Bucks  HP19 8FF

Tel: 01296 585007

Visit our website: www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk

Residents urged to be vigilant – Burglary series Aylesbury Vale

Thames Valley Police is reminding residents to be vigilant following a series of burglaries in Aylesbury and the surrounding area.

Between the 26th and the 31st October there were eleven burglary-related incidents.

On the 26th October, an incident occurred in Church Street, Quainton. The following day (27/10) there was a burglary in High Street, Edlesborough.

On the 31st October, there were a further nine incidents. Two of these took place in High Street North, Stewkley. There were three burglaries in Aylesbury including properties in Henry Road, Meadowcroft and Weedon Road.

Other addresses affected on the 31st October include Wellcroft in Ivinghoe, Rosebery Road in Aston Clinton, Chequers Lane in Pitstone and Church Street in Wing.

Investigating officer PS Jim Forrest of Aylesbury Local CID said: “I am encouraging anyone who has any information about these incidents, or has seen anyone acting suspiciously around the Aylesbury area to get in touch by calling the Thames Valley Police non-emergency number 101.

If you do not want to speak directly to the police you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers (opens new window) anonymously on 0800 555 111. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

To reduce the risk of further burglaries, Thames Valley Police encourages the following:

• Leave lights on within the house or have lights on dusk to dawn timers in order to make it look as though the house is occupied.  As the dark winter months approach, burglars are targeting houses in darkness as it is clear nobody is inside
• Ensure all doors and windows are locked
• Lock and bolt any side gates
• Keep garden tools such as shovels and forks locked away in garages and sheds
• Do not leave jewellery, computer accessories and car keys in view of the windows
• Record serial numbers/model numbers of all electrical items
• Store jewellery in a safe place which is well hidden
• Report any suspicious vehicles, callers or door knockers to the Thames Valley Police non-emergency number 101

Link below:

http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/pub-pg-nh-upds-n416?id=344252

Pitstone Church Committee (Friends) are hoping you will brave the cold and visit our memory tree during the weekend of 10^th and 11^th December between 12.00 noon and 4.00 p.m.  The Churches Conservation Trust has provided a tree on which we hope you will hang you memories. They can be of the church or of people or of Christmases past. Anything that stands out for you.  Come and see the church dressed up for Christmas.

There will be refreshments.

Donations will be welcome towards the upkeep of our beautiful church.

pitstone-memory-tree-christmas-poster-2016

This Christmas why not support your local Scouts and save yourself some time posting Christmas cards around the villages by using the Scout Christmas post instead?

You can buy the special Scout stamps at 15p each from St Marys Christmas Market on Saturday 12 November and then at varius local venues from 25 November onwards.  Stick them on your cads and post them in one of our many special post boxes dotted around the villages.

The Scouts will ensure that all cards posted by the ‘last post’ (5pm on Friday 16 December) will be delivered across the weekend of 17 and 18 December.

Look out for the posters, check their facebook page (1st Ivinghoe & Pitstone Scout Group) and village web sites for more information.

1^st Ivinghoe & Pitstone Scout Christmas Post

2016 Delivery and Collection Information

All cards will be delivered 17^th/18^th December

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Information on changes to Bucks County Council’s household waste permits

I would like to inform you about changes to the way household waste permits are provided by Buckinghamshire County Council to residents that need them.

As you will be aware, the County Council has for many years operated a permit system at the county’s Household Recycling Centres. However, permits – which are free to Bucks residents – have always only been needed by a small proportion of people using the centres – namely, those in the following groups:

• anyone visiting the centre in a van or other commercial vehicle
• anyone towing a twin-axle or larger single-axle trailer
• anyone wishing to dispose of asbestos
• anyone arriving at the centre on foot

So anyone visiting the Recycling Centre with general waste or recycling in a car (including 4x4s and MPVs) will not need a waste permit – and these make up the vast majority of visitors. But for those that do need a permit, the process for obtaining it has changed.

Previously, permits were ordered by the resident either online or on the phone, and then the Council would send them the permit(s) in the post. The process has now changed and become fully digital, making it faster, more convenient for residents, and more cost-efficient for the Council.

Under the new system, a resident applies for the permit online at the County Council website, and the permit is available instantly along with  a digital QR code – similar to a barcode. The QR code can then be presented at the Household Recycling Centre, either directly on a smartphone or tablet, or as a print-out from a home computer. The QR code can be read by the devices carried by Recycling Centre staff, giving them the information they need to let the person go ahead with their visit.

Although this new system has many advantages, the Council does accept that there may be some individuals who need a waste permit who do not have access to a smartphone or home computer. In these instances, the person should visit their local library, where a member of staff will be happy to help them through the online permit application and then print out the permit for them on the spot. Alternatively, the person may prefer to ask a friend or family member to help them through the process.

To find out more, or to apply for a permit, please go to the following web page: http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/wastepermit

Warren Whyte

Cabinet Member for Planning & Environment

Buckinghamshire County Council

On and around Halloween Thames Valley Police will be carrying out patrols in the evenings to make sure that people who are trick-or-treating are doing so in a friendly manner and not causing a nuisance.

For some people, this time of the year can be a bother as your evenings are interrupted with people knocking on your doors for treats. Most of these children or teenagers are just getting involved in the Halloween celebrations and will be friendly.

If you feel unsafe:

• Don’t open your door if you’re unsure who is there. Use your spyhole, look out of a window, and use your door chain if you do decide to open your door.
• Have a contact number of a close relative or good neighbour to hand by your telephone, just in case you need to phone them.
• If you are part of a Neighbourhood Watch scheme, let your coordinator know that you will be on your own at Halloween. If you are a coordinator, please identity people in your scheme that may be vulnerable and offer them reassurance.

Thames Valley Police will not tolerate any anti-social behaviour at any time of the year.

To report anti-social behaviour, call 101, the 24-hour Thames Valley Police non-emergency number. If you feel threatened, if it’s an emergency, or if a crime is in progress, call 999.

For more information and to download a ‘no trick or treat’ poster / card please visit the Thames Valley Police website

Beacon Villages Community Library