A small doll, found close to Glebe Close today, has been handed in to the parish council.  If you believe it is yours, please contact the parish council clerk and provide a description.  Hopefully we can reunite it with its owner.   The council still has one other stuffed toy and two other plastic toys that have been handed in over the past 12 months, again please contact us if you think they may be yours.  Thank you.

parishclerk@pitstone.co.uk or 01296 660791

Bucks County Council have a new campaign called Activate Bucks to get all residents of the county exercising more.   Until the end of August they are inviting you to complete a short survey to let BCC know how they can make it easier for you to get active.  The results of the survey will direct where their funding is spent.   Completing the survey will put you in with a chance of winning £200.00 of shopping vouchers.

BCC are keen to hear from everyone, but are particularly interested in responses from young people, people over 65 years, men of all ages and those from black & ethnic minority communities.

Please follow the link below for more information and to access the survey:

http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/healthy-living/active-bucks/

Seasonal rental fraud is an emerging trend with students looking for suitable accommodation around August, before the start of the new term.

Fraudsters use a variety of websites to advertise available properties to rent. often at attractive rates and convenient locations. Adverts will seem genuine, accompanied by a number of photos and contact information to discuss your interest.

Due to demand, students will often agree to pay upfront fees to secure the property quickly, without viewing the property, only to discover that the fraudster posing as the landlord does not have ownership of the property, or often there are already tenants living there.

Protect Yourself

• Only use reputable letting companies.
• Do some online research such as using Google maps to check the property does exist.
• Make an appointment to view the property in person.
• Always view the property prior to paying any advance fees.
• Look out for warning signs, such as landlords requesting a ‘holding deposit’ due to the property being in high demand.
• A landlord will usually conduct some due diligence on any successful applicant. Be wary of handing over cash without the landlord requesting employment or character references.

The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) has received several reports of rental fraud whereby empty premises are being targeted and the locks are being changed for the purpose of adding legitimacy to a rental fraud.

The suspect(s) will find and enter an empty property for the purposes of changing the locks and then advertising it on online platforms, such as Gumtree, as a rental property. The suspect(s) then invite interested victims to visit the property for a viewing. Those victims which are interested in renting the property are then requested to pay a deposit and/or rent upfront in cash.

In some instances the victims have moved into the property only to be evicted by the real property owner, or have found that the locks have been changed, once they have received the keys. There are several instances where this fraud has left victims homeless.

Property Owners:

• If you or someone you know currently has an empty property, encourage them to visit the property regularly to make sure that the locks have not been changed and no damage has occurred.

Prevention Advice:

• Avoid communication with only email or mobile phone, request to see the property owner and ask for valid ID. You can also check ownership of the property using the Land Registry.
• The landlord will carry out their own due diligence and should request all of your details, references and proof that you will be able to afford to rent the property. Make sure that these checks are completed prior to paying a deposit / rent.
• Always view the property and the tenancy agreement before paying any upfront costs.

If you, or anyone you know, have been affected by this fraud or any other scam, report it to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk

Please find below the link to the Thames Valley Police August newsletter for our area:

http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/pub-pg-nh-upds-N416?id=317995

Ivinghoe Conservation Area

I am elated and extremely relieved that the revised Ivinghoe conservation area policy has passed all the hurdles, and been agreed at Aylesbury Vale District Council. This is an excellent piece of work and well worth investing in a copy if you are interested in the history of the village. Ivinghoe was one of the first villages in Aylesbury Vale to be designated a conservation area because of its outstanding merits, but being an early prototype, did not benefit from the scholarship, architectural expertise and planning policies that informed later conservation areas. The revision was long overdue and thanks are due to Karen Groom, chairman of Ivinghoe Parish Council, who left nothing to chance, and attended the final decision making cabinet meeting to leave the Councillors in no doubt of the importance and value of the conservation area to residents.

Roads

On Wednesday July 8th I gave the new cabinet member for transportation at Bucks County Council a personal guided tour of the Ivinghoe Division. Not only had I pleaded with him at Council, only half in jest, for the whole of the £3M released from council reserves for highway maintenance, to be spent in Ivinghoe Division, but also as a new broom his interest had been sparked by his  meeting with Edlesborough Northall and Dagnall campaign group to downgrade the A4146 to a B road, who raised all the HGV routing issues that beset this corner of the County.
The downgrade is being pursued by Hertfordshire county council, but the officers at Bucks, although sympathetic, are adamant that such a step must not divert traffic on to other roads, particularly the B488. There would be an opportunity, with the opening of the A505 link from Leighton Buzzard to the M1 - the Dunstable North bypass - but it would need co-ordinate signage and changing the designation of the Stoke Hammond Bypass from the A4146 to the A505. The three counties involved are working on this to see how this could be implemented.

Preventing Child Sexual Exploitation.

I am participating by special invitation from the chair of the Education, Skills and Children's Services Select Committee review of this hot topic. R U Safe?and RUWise2it? are not services or campaign slogans operating in a vacuum. The police have told us that two children out of three from pre school onwards are vulnerable to this through the use of social media and on line games. The job of the select committee is to see if the Council is taking every action it can to make people aware, and protect children and young people by whatever means appropriate. There are many opportunities on offer to learn about internet safety, so take them if you can. The recent Old Bailey trial of several men from the Aylesbury Area only shows how hard it is to bring perpetrators to justice. I know personally that the County Council and Thames Valley Police have been taking preventative action and working to get robust enough evidence to bring people to court since at least 2005 when I requested a meeting about this because of some information I had been given.

Bucks County Council Annual Debate

The debate, postponed from May when the Parliamentary Select Committee was visiting the route of HS2 in Bucks, hosted on July 16th by Professor Tony Travers speaking on the theme of challenges and opportunities facing local government, followed by a debate on the Bucks Strategic Plan. As leader of the opposition I decided to respond to the leader from a presentation I made on behalf of Bucks CC at the Local Government Association Conference, on the findings of the national scrutiny development project in which Buckinghamshire participated, looking at the challenges for transparency and accountability in a council that commissions services from external providers, and the high risks councils need to manage where local government has been taking and continues to take nearly three quarters of government spending cuts, along with a five year and ongoing freeze in council tax.



Beacon Villages Community Library

Everyone involved in the library was very sorry but quite understanding that Emma Huxley decided to stand down as chair after more years than she had bargained for setting the library on a successful course for the future. Emma has done an amazing job with competence and charm, but with a two year old and a full time job in London there are limits! Thank you for everything Emma, and don't forget us. Meanwhile  I have taken over the reins as chair, and new members have joined the management committee. My next challenge is to remember to put all the news and activity on the Facebook and Twitter accounts - or better still find someone else to.

The library plays a central role in our villages. As well as books don't forget you can use expensive software free of charge such as ancestry.com for family history, the driving test theory practice, and Which? The VE fun day garden party was a lovely addition to our events calendar, the Library Lunches (in Cheddington) are a regular feature, and BeaconLit literary festival day had an amazing third year at Brookmead school, with participants still tweeting and blogging about it.





Avril Davies,
County Councillor,
Ivinghoe Division,
Bucks County Council.

Lindengate can help to improve your mental health by providing gardening activities in a tranquil and rural setting.

If you’re finding it difficult to cope, we offer a welcoming environment where you can regain your mental strength and start to flourish.

You will never be judged.  Many of us have experienced mental health issues and believe that you can start your journey to recovery through gardening.

Based on a 4 acre site on the outskirts of Wendover, next to Worlds End garden centre.

To find out more:

• visit www.lindengate.org.uk
• telephone 02081444291
• email info@lindengate.org.uk
• on twitter: @lindengate
• on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lindengategardening

Befriending in Buckinghamshire

Could you volunteer for our Buckinghamshire Befriending Service to help support people with dementia?

Alzheimer’s Society provides support to people affected by dementia in Buckinghamshire. Sadly however, we know that a number of people in the local community do not receive any support, simply because they do not realise that there is specialist help available to them.

We already have some wonderful volunteers who support people with dementia by helping at our Activity Cafés in Aylesbury and Chesham, our Dementia Cafes in Buckingham and Iver and Singing for the Brain® groups in Aylesbury, Beaconsfield and Buckingham. We are now looking for more people to volunteer their time and get involved in our befriending service.

Our trained befrienders provide companionship and are matched with people depending on their personality and common interests. With the support of befrienders people with dementia are able to continue to do things they love.

Volunteer Befrienders can help a person with dementia in various ways. A Group Befriender may take part in a walking group, gardening, bowling, visiting a garden centre or other activity. A Telephone Befriender may call someone for a chat on a weekly basis or a Befriender may prefer to visit someone in their home for a chat and a cup of tea.

If you would like to know more about the role of befriending volunteer please contact the Befriending Manager Buckinghamshire on 01296 331722 or bucksbefriending@alzheimers.org.uk

You can also visit their Facebook page on: https://www.facebook.com/AlzheimersSocietyCentralWest?fref=ts

‘Let’s get ready for School!’

                Booking Essential

A session for children aged 3-4 years. These sessions will support your child in their transition to school.

Children will have the opportunity to join in with a routine, develop their social and emotional skills and practice circle time activities and group play.

                When?

   Every Tuesday for 4 weeks

   Starting on 4^th August 2015

             10:30-12

              Where?

              Ivinghoe and Pitstone Children’s Centre

Behind Brookmead School

High Street

Ivinghoe

LU7 9EX

Parents are required to stay.

For more information contact:

Ivinghoe and Pitstone Children’s Centre 01296 662363

The Connected Counties program advise that another cabinet in the Pitstone ward has now been enabled for Superfast broadband.   They now cover all the postcodes listed at the foot of this message.

Some other cabinets (eg Cabinet 9 serving many parts of Castlemead) fall under the responsibility of the BT commercial rollout program, and not the Connected Counties program.

You can check availability for the Connected Counties program via this link:

http://www.connectedcounties.org/check-availability?tabId=13281

You can check the BT availability via this link:

https://www.dslchecker.bt.com/

A scam email is currently being sent to victims fraudulently claiming to be from British Gas or The Ministry of Justice. The attached document or link leads to the TorrentLocker ransomware.

This malware encrypts files on the victim’s system and requests a ransom be paid in order for the files to be decrypted; one reported amount has been £330 worth of Bitcoins.

It has been reported that some anti-virus vendors are detecting this and stopping the pages and or documents from being opened.

Protect yourself

• If you receive an email that you are suspicious of do not follow any links or open attachments until you can verify that the email is genuine. To do this contact the organisation that the email has come from by sourcing the number independently from the email received.
• If you believe the email to be fake, report it to your email provider as spam.
• Ensure your anti-virus software is up to date this will help to mitigate the potential for virus to be downloaded. It should be noted that anti-virus software is constantly being updated and may not stop all viruses especially if they are new or been adapted.  It has been reported that some anti-virus vendors are detecting this and stopping the pages and or documents from being opened.
• If you have opened an attachment or followed a link which you believe to be suspicious it is recommended that you run your anti-virus and/or take your machine to a reputable company to have it cleaned.
• In cases where files have been encrypted it can be very difficult to retrieve them, and in most cases they will be lost. It is recommended that you always back up all files on a separate device or cloud storage to ensure they are not lost. Please remember that if a device is attached to the infected machine the files on this could also be encrypted with the virus so ensure they are kept separate.

If you believe that you have been a victim of fraud you can report it online http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud or by telephone 0300 123 2040

Notification received of Anglian Water road works in Queen Street 9-13 July.  No delays expected.

If you would like to receive an email from Bucks County Council when roadworks and closures are scheduled, please follow the link below and select ‘alerts’ where you can enter your email address:

http://www.transportforbucks.net/Roadworks-Centre/Roadworks.aspx

Please find below the link to the Thames Valley Police July newsletter for our area:

http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/pub-pg-nh-upds-N416?id=316164

THE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

(MARSWORTH ROAD, PITSTONE & LOWER ICKNIELD WAY, MARSWORTH)

         (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF THROUGH TRAFFIC) ORDER, 2015

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL has made an Order, which will temporarily prohibit any vehicle from proceeding, except for access, in that length of Marsworth Road, Pitstone & Lower Icknield Way, Marsworth, which commences at its junction with College farm, Marsworth and continues to its junction with Vicarage Road, Pitstone.

The alternative route for vehicles affected by the closure will be via Vicarage Road (Pitstone), Upper Icknield Way, Bulborn Road, Tring Ford Road, Lower Icknield Way and vice versa.

The closure is required whilst carriageway works take place and it is anticipated that the works will commence on 22 July 2015 and will take approximately 6 weeks to complete.

The Order will come into operation on 22 July 2015 when the appropriate signs are lawfully displayed.

Penalties for not observing these restrictions will be as prescribed by the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and the Road Traffic Act 1991.

Dated 22 July 2015.

Pitstone Memorial Hall Charity are seeking a secretary to attend the bi-monthly meetings, take minutes and provide general secretarial services to the charity committee.

The role is not onerous, and probably only requires an hour or so each week.

If you have the skills required, please get in touch and we would be happy to supply a Job Description and further information.

The committee has recently recruited several new members, and is a strong, proactive and friendly team who look forward to meeting you.  The Memorial Hall is ideally situated in the centre of Pitstone and looks forward to growing and evolving to deliver even better services to the local community.

Telephone: 01296 660791
Email: memorialhall@pitstone.co.uk

Please note that Transport for Bucks have advised that there will be a road closure along the length of Vicarage Road 7am-8pm on an undisclosed number of days between 15 July and 31 August.   Diversion will be in existence around the outside of the windmill field.

Watch out for the yellow site notices nearer the time for the exact dates or contact Transport for Bucks at Bucks County Council for more information:

http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/

Why do first novels fail – and what would it have been like had the Nazis won the Second World War?

These and many other fascinating issues are among the themes of the BeaconLit Festival of Books and Writing being held on June 27 at Brookmead School in Ivinghoe.

The all-day event, sponsored by Buckinghamshire County Council, is open to book lovers and anyone who enjoys writing.

Tickets are just £25 for a full day of talks and panels. Authors will be signing books and also available to ask questions and chat during the breaks after each session.

In addition to excellent crime and historical panels featuring authors such as Jane Casey, Elizabeth Fremantle, Vanora Bennett and William Ryan, there are talks on books and writing.

These include Rowan Coleman looking at why first novels fail and Julie Matthews being interviewed by Adina Campbell on her novel that is set in Buckinghamshire and imagines what life would be like if Nazis had won the Second World War.

BeaconLit is raising funds for one of Buckinghamshire County Council’s community libraries, the Beacon Villages Community Library which is based in Ivinghoe and serves residents in local villages including Pitstone, Cheddington, Edlesborough, Marsworth and Dagnall.

If you are interested in attending, please go to www.beaconlit.co.uk for more information.

Dear Member of the Community,

South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust has long subscribed to the fact that the quicker we can have a suitably trained person, with the appropriate equipment; to a member of the public during a life threatening emergency, the better the chance of survival and making a good recovery.

A Few years ago we launched a charity division called “Community Responders”, this initiative depends on members of the community volunteering within their local area to respond to emergencies giving lifesaving treatment prior to the ambulance arriving.

Volunteers are given 2 full days of training at one of our training Centre’s, explaining how to recognize and treat many life threatening medical emergencies, ranging from cardiac arrest to strokes in the elderly down to infants, to name but a few of the situations the volunteers may face.

Once they have successfully completed the course they are supplied with an Automated External Defibrillator, breathing equipment and a mobile phone. The volunteer responders can then respond, to an emergency in their local community and tend to the needs of the most vulnerable, whilst an ambulance is on route. Due to the close proximity of the volunteer responder to the emergency they are very often first on scene and their actions can directly affect the

outcome of the patient, this will have an impact on the lives of the their family and friends within your community.

We are currently looking for volunteers to be a part of this lifesaving scheme to help within your community. Do you have a few hours a week to spare? No prior medical knowledge required as full training is given.

If you would like to find out more then visit our website http://www.southcentralambulance.nhs.uk/get-involved/howdoivolunteer.ashx

Or get in touch by email cfr@scas.nhs.uk or derek.flint@scas.nhs.uk

Tel 07768635501

Be alert to the potential of unlicensed music events – Aylesbury Vale

The Aylesbury Vale local policing teams are reminding all farmers and landowners to be vigilant to the possibility of unlicensed music events (raves) being organised on their land.

You should be alert to any of the following rave related activity:- 

• The removal of locks from secure access points
• Vehicles particularly panel vans or larger, driving off-road
• Groups of vehicles congregating in rural areas
• Convoys of vehicles
• Loud music from remote woodlands

If you spot anyone suspicious who may be conducting early reconnaissance on rural land or even starting to set up an event, please report it to the Thames Valley Police 24-hour non-emergency number 101, as soon as possible.

By receiving early warnings, Thames Valley Police has a much better chance of disrupting the rave and dispersing those responsible for its organisation.

Information about securing land boundaries can be found on the Thames Valley Police website.

Royal Mail Email Scam
A scam email is currently being sent to victims fraudulently claiming to be from the Royal Mail. Attached to the email is the CryptoLocker virus.

The victim receives an email purporting to be from the Royal Mail stating that they are holding a parcel/letter for the victim. The victim is then required to contact the Royal Mail to arrange for the item to be resent/collected.

By following the instructions within the email the CryptoLocker virus is subsequently downloaded to the victim’s computer. This virus encrypts files on the victim’s system and requests a ransom be paid in order for the files to be decrypted.

Additional incentive is added for early repayment as the ransomware states that the cost of decrypting the files will increase the longer the fine is outstanding.

Protect yourself:

• Look at who the email is addressed to. Is it generic or specifically addressed?
• Look at the quality of the images included on the email. Are they of sufficient high quality that they could come from Royal Mail?
• Do not open attachments from unsolicited emails regardless of who they are from.
• Do not click on the link supplied. Instead, go to the relevant website and log in from there.
• Check the address of any email received to see if it appears legitimate.

If you believe that you have been a victim of fraud you can report it online http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud or by telephone 0300 123 2040

Please note that Marsworth Road will be closed between Westfield Road junction and the roundabout by Vicarage Road for highway repairs.   The works will commence tomorrow (Wednesday 24/6/15).

Update: we have been advised that the remainder of these road-works have been postponed until mid-July.

The Thames Valley Police June newsletter for our area is now available:

http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/pub-pg-nh-upds-N416?id=314064

A quick announcement if you haven’t already heard…from this week until the end of this term, toddler group will be on a…

…Thursday morning!!!

It will run from 9.30-11.15am in Pitstone Memorial Hall starting Thursday 11th June (this week).

We know that unfortunately this won’t be good for everyone and that it clashes with a few other things in the village but there were so few options for mornings available and most days clash with something.

We really look forward to as many people coming as possible each week – let’s put Pitstone & Ivinghoe Baby and Toddler Group back on the map!!!

Are you a carer or in a caring role?

Would you like to help shape the way we work with you in the future?  We want to know your thoughts and views.  Please come and join us on ………Tuesday 30^th June in High Wycombe from  10.15am – 1.00pm

Buckinghamshire NHS Trust is developing a strategy for carers and we would like to know your views.

Whether a family member, partner, spouse or a paid carer, who looks after an adult or child, we would value your views on how we can better involve carers for those whom we provide healthcare to.  That may include whilst in hospital, whilst receiving our services in the community or at home.

Hear what carers have told us previously, what we are already doing, which includes the introduction of our new carers hub and how the new Carers Act (2015) will impact.  Most importantly, we want to listen to your ideas, views and thoughts. Your input can help to shape our future priorities for carers working in partnership with our staff, for the benefit of the patient.

To book your place please contact Dee Irvin on (01494) 734149 or email dee.irvin@buckshealthcare.nhs.uk

We will then send you a programme with further information about the venue and location.  If in need of help with carer arrangements to enable you to attend or advice on transport please contact us.

This support is limited so early booking

is advisable.

Thank you.

Thames Valley Police is supporting Volunteers’ Week this week, giving us an opportunity to thank all our dedicated volunteers that make real difference by helping to keep our communities safe in the Thames Valley.

In Thames Valley, we have over 1200 volunteers supporting officers and staff. Their vital contribution helps to make the Thames Valley a safer place to live and work.
This number is made up of over 600 Special Constables, approximately 530 Police Support Volunteers and approximately 110 Police Cadets. This group of willing individuals provided Thames Valley Police with over 400,000 hours of additional support in 2014/15.

Jason Spencer has been volunteering with Thames Valley Police as a Special Constable, he has provided an insight into his role as a volunteer, the inspiration behind choosing to volunteer and how he makes a difference through his volunteer role.

What role does he play as a volunteer?

I am currently a Special Inspector for Bracknell Forest LPA responsible for approximately 20 Special Constables.

How long has he been a volunteer/involved with TVP?

I have been volunteering for just over three years.

Why does he volunteer and what does he get out of it?

I was bought up by my parents who believed, if you’re ever in a position to help you have a moral obligation to do so. These values inspired me to take up my role as a volunteer Special Constable in the area that I live because, I firmly believe it has a positive bearing on the community at large. Very few roles in life have such a vital community impact and front line policing is certainly one of them. Volunteering as a Special Constable has taught me some very valuable life skills such as communication, compassion, patience and confidence to name but a few. Also, it’s given me a great insight into how Police and communities interact and the amazing officers who day after day put their life on the line to make a real difference. It can be on occasions be very humbling.

How does his role make a difference to TVP?

As Special Constables we are able to play a very active and vital role in policing our communities by supporting our regular colleagues.  In Bracknell Forest, we work hard to free up police officers from some of the more mundane policing tasks allowing them to focus on some of the more impactful front line duties. In addition, as part of our role as Special Constables we are able to operate independently from police officers and run operations on our own to reduce crime in our communities and remove repeat offenders from our streets.

If you are interested in volunteering with Thames Valley Police, please visit: http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/joinus/joinus-volunteering.htm Follow @ThamesVP and get involved #VolunteersWeek

Volunteers and communities make sport happen and without dedicated coaches, team managers, scorers and kit washers thousands of people wouldn’t feel the benefits of taking part in sport.

Here at Leap (The Sport and Activity Partnership for Bucks & MK) we think those people deserve a thank you. So we are appealing to you to help us identify the people and organisations who make sport happen in order that we can recognise and celebrate them.

We welcome nominations across 9 categories:

• Active Workplace of the year
• Club of the year
• Volunteer of the year
• Young Leader of the year
• Community Coach of the year
• Performance Coach of the year
• Project of the year
• School of the year
• Unsung Hero of the year (The Terry Cook Award)

If you know of a person, group or organisation within your Parish who deserve to be recognised and celebrated then please nominate them. Nominations open on 1^st June until 14^th September. www.leapwithus.org.uk/sportawards

Shortlisted nominees from each category will be invited to the county Sport Awards presentation evening at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre on 4^th December.

You can find out more about the awards and previous winners by visiting our website. www.leapwithus.org.uk/sportawards

Thames Valley Police issued the following Tweet yesterday:
TVP Aylesbury Vale @TVP_Aylesbury
Thieves are targeting remote car parks in Great Brickhill & Pitstone! Be vigilant & keep your car clear!

Officers from Transport for Buckinghamshire and Thames Valley Police were out during Global Road Safety Week advising motorists on the importance of making sure children are safely strapped into the correct car seats. The team visited Millbrook School and Asda supermarket in High Wycombe during the week (4 – 10 May) to hand out information and offer advice. During one morning they spoke to 60 parents and carers at the two venues giving out key safety messages on the correct fitting of seatbelts and children’s car seats. A large number of seats were found to be incorrectly fitted: straps were not secured tightly enough, were twisted, or the child had slipped them off.  Not wearing a seatbelt or not using it correctly can be a fatal decision, even on short, familiar journeys and at low speed. Mike Freestone, Buckinghamshire County Council Director of Transport Services said: ‘The importance of this campaign cannot be emphasised enough, given that every day more than 500 children are killed on the world’s roads and many thousands more are injured. ‘I’m really grateful for the partnership working we have here to spread this vital safety message.’ Mike said there were many free resources available to schools and clubs, and he urged parents and carers to look at these to help keep young people safe on the roads. Peter Hare, Road Safety Constable for Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes said: ‘I would like to stress that the seat must be appropriate for the age and size of the child. It must be securely fixed with the straps hugging the child, not allowing them to remove their arms from the straps. I would also recommend not wearing thick clothing as this allows them to slip out of the belts and if it is cold, cover them and the seat, rather than wrapping them within the seat. Please take the time to ensure your loved one is securely strapped in their seat, because in a crash that’s the safest place for them to be.’ Global Road Safety Week information: http://www.who.int/roadsafety/week/2015/en/ Free Child Road safety Resources: http://www.roadsafetygb.org.uk/pages/roadsafetyweek/rsw-resources.html Information on the law and fitting car seats: http://www.childcarseats.org.uk/ https://www.gov.uk/child-car-seats-the-rules

The monthly newsletter for our area produced by Thames Valley Police is now available on their web site:

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

Please note that Derek Town and Sandra Jenkins, both representing the Conservative Party, and both residents of Cheddington, have been appointed as District Councillors for the Pitstone area.

The full district council election results can be viewed on the AVDC website:

http://www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/democracy/election/6/wards#ward100

It’s a sobering fact that more than 50 per cent of children in care in Buckinghamshire have to be placed in homes outside this county.

That’s because there simply are not enough people in Buckinghamshire coming forward to volunteer as foster parents.

Some people may find this hard to believe given the fact we live in such an affluent area of the country, but this is something we all need to work together to change.

It is also terribly disappointing that we have, on average, 430 looked-after children at any one time here – and yet only have one foster carer per 1,000 households. Currently we have 125 fostering households

The County Council has embarked upon a lengthy awareness campaign to try to encourage more people to foster. It is working, but not quickly enough, and that’s why I am appealing to you.

Fostering is a career choice, where excellent support, brilliant training and an allowance will be provided.  There are lots of different ways to foster – respite, emergency, short term and long term.

At the moment we need short term carers to look after teenagers, sibling groups and children with disabilities.  We also need long term carers for children aged 8-12 years. Around 20% of children in care come from black or ethnic minority backgrounds, mainly African, Caribbean, Pakistani or dual heritage backgrounds. We know there are many wonderful caring residents who could be perfect foster carers, but they probably don’t realise just how rewarding it is, or perhaps just don’t know how to get started. Meanwhile, a lot of people wrongly think they can’t foster and therefore rule themselves out.

We encourage you to give us a call today and find out how you can make a big difference to a child’s life.  If you are unable to foster, please help us spread the word by sharing this with friends and family.

Find out about fostering today

W www.buckscc.gov.uk/fostering

E firststep@buckscc.gov.uk

Facebook /FosterBucks

Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service are holding a community safety day in the Market Square Aylesbury, this Friday (24^th April) between 10:00hrs – 13:00hrs. 

The purpose of the event is to give residents of the Vale some awareness of Adult Basic Life Support (ABLS), which will be run in conjunction with South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS).

This will be an informative event and will give you some of the basics required to help sustain someone’s life in an emergency situation.

The event is free and we look forward to seeing you on the day.

Windmill Pharmacy in Ivinghoe is now able to offer the free NHS Electronic Prescription Service.

The Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) is live at a number of GP practices, including:

• The Village Health Centre at Yardley Avenue and Edlesborough Surgery
• Little Rothschild House (coming soon)
• The New Surgery, Tring

EPS means a patient using the service can choose for their prescriptions to be securely sent electronically from their GP to any pharmacy offering the service should the patient wish.  This may be particularly convenient if you wish to collect prescriptions from close to your home or work for example.

Patients wishing to use EPS should talk to the pharmacy of their choice or their GP surgery.

To find out more about the NHS Electronic Prescription Service visit www.hscic.gov.uk/epspatients.

Fancy helping us organise an event or getting involved in running our website? Do you know someone who can spare a few hours a month to keep the library going?

When we became a community library our members and supporters kindly stepped forward to volunteer, attend our events and join the committee.

Now we need your help again.

We urgently need committee members. Find out more (even if you are just mildly curious!): http://www.bvcl.org.uk/your-library-needs-you-2/

Pitstone church is issuing a plea for volunteers to bake cakes for the Pitstone Church Festival of Art & Flowers.  The event takes place on 23, 24 and 25 May 2015 at St Mary’s Church, Church Road, Pitstone.

Aylesbury College students have taken part in a public awareness campaign to persuade young people to use their vote.  The students appear in a video encouraging other young people to register to vote in time for the national and local elections on 7 May.

The short film features first time voters holding up large sheets of paper, with messages on the importance of voting.  Only 44 per cent of 18-24’s nationally voted in the last general election in 2010 and this is the age group least likely to register to vote.

The video is part of a wide-ranging, non-political campaign launched by Aylesbury Vale District Council which aims to encourage residents to get involved in the democratic process. Alister Johnson, Aylesbury College Student President, who appears in the film, said: “I was happy to be a part of this short film and hope that it encourages young people across Aylesbury Vale to register to vote.”

Chris Sheard, Electoral Services Manager at AVDC, said: “Traditionally voter turnout amongst people aged 18 to 24 is low and we wanted to play our part in helping to address that. This video is a great way to raise awareness about how you register to vote and why it matters. By working with Aylesbury College I hope we will see a rise in the number of young people using their vote in the district.”

Matt Brown, Director of Marketing and Student Engagement at Aylesbury College, said: “We were delighted to work with Aylesbury Vale District Council on the production of this short film. Our students were keen to get involved and we hope this film will encourage more young voters in Aylesbury Vale.”

The council is reminding young people in the district that the way they register to vote has changed. Previously the ‘head of household’ registered everyone who lived at that address. Now individuals must register themselves.  Sixteen and 17-year-olds can register themselves now so that they will be able to vote as soon as they turn 18. Students who are living away at university can also register at both their term time address and home address.

Young people are encouraged to register to vote, as it gives them the opportunity to have a say on important issues that affect them. Also, if your name is not on the register it may affect your credit rating and you could experience problems getting loans, finance agreements and mobile phone contracts.

The video is available on the AVDC YouTube channel at http://youtu.be/cU4vC1zy3ZQ

The deadline for registering to vote in the 7 May elections is 20 April. Anyone hoping to register to vote can do so online, as long as they have their national insurance number, via www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

Honey Bee Swarms:
Swarms are merely Colonies that are in transition. Normally these Swarms are
found hanging from tree branch, fence post or any place where the swarm can gather close to the Queen while scouts are sent out to look for a more permanent home. A swarm left alone will only be in place from just a few minutes to a few hours and occasionally a few days. Generally these swarms are very docile and the swarming bees usually will not sting. When Honey Bees swarm they gorge
themselves with honey before leaving the hive which makes it very hard for them to double over and sting.

Follow the link for the April newsletter from Thames Valley Police:

http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/pub-pg-nh-upds-N416?id=309487

The Pitstone Memorial Hall Charity would like to express their thanks to County & District Councillor Avril Davies who provided a Community Leader Grant of £1,000 to the charity towards the cost of insulating the main hall loft space.

The newly insulated void should lead to improved energy efficiency for the renovated main hall and help prevent burst pipes etc during adverse weather.

The Hall Charity is also currently in desperate need of volunteers for the management committee, so if you are passionate about keeping this vital village facility open, please do volunteer your time as a trustee.

Please find below the link to the March edition of the Thames Valley Police newsletter for our area, including tips on how to keep your vehicles and contents safe:

http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/pub-pg-nh-upds-N416?id=302729

The Bucks Affordable Warmth Network is pleased to be accessing ECO grants in partnership with British Gas to offer free, A-rated replacement boilers to homeowners and private renting tenants whose boilers are rated D or below and are in receipt of certain benefits. This includes:

Residents in receipt of:

• Child tax credit
• State Pension Credit
• Aged 60 or over and in receipt of Working Tax Credit

Or:

• Income-related employment and support allowance
• Income-based job seeker’s allowance
• Income Support, or

• Working Tax Credit with a relevant income of £15, 860 or less

And who also:

• Receive the work-related activity or support component of the income-related employment and support allowance
• Have parental responsibility for a child under the age of 16 or up to their 20^th birthday if they are in full-time non-advanced education who ordinarily reside with that member
• Or are in receipt of certain disability payments, including: child tax credit which includes a disability or sever disability element; a disabled child premium, a disability premium, enhanced disability premium or sever disability premium; or a pensioner premium, higher pensioner premium or enhanced pensioner premium.

An easy way to check your eligibility and to discover how else we can assist you is via our freephone helpline: 0800 107 0044. We’re encouraging organisations to send this to any organisations or groups that this may be applicable to. Please contact us via the helpline

0800 107 0044

Or email us:

awn@nef.org.uk

Funding is only available for a limited time, so please don’t delay:-

Our friendly staff are available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

This is an urgent appeal for volunteers to come forward and join the management committee of the Pitstone Memorial Hall Charity.

It is an exciting time to be a trustee at the hall.   It has seen extensive modernisation and improvement over the recent years and there are plans for further works to extend the hall.  There will be good opportunities for the hall to become the central hub of the village, especially once the last phase of the Pitstone Development Area and the new leisure facilities are installed on the recreation ground.

The commitment isn’t onerous.  The charity tend to meet once every other month and there can be other work to be undertaken in between meetings to help drive forward current projects.

The charity is currently desperately in need of both general members and officers.   Unless enough people come forward the charity will be unable to continue to operate.

Please, please give some consideration to whether you would be willing to join the charity (as an officer or a general member), and speak to your family, neighbours and friends to see if they would be willing to join and support this vital community facility.

Please get in touch with the Acting Chairman (Steve Mattey on steve.mattey@treelondon.com) or Laurie Eagling (memorialhall@pitstone.co.uk or 01296 660791) for further information or to express an interest.

Entries for the 2015 Mix 96 Tour De Vale Bike Ride have are now open.

Up to 2,000 places are up for grabs for what has long been established as Buckinghamshire’s biggest bike ride.

In aid of WheelPower, the wheelchair sport charity based at Stoke Mandeville Stadium, the Tour de Vale fundraising bike ride has helped transform the lives of thousands of disabled adults and children in the 12 years since it began.

Due to the increasing demand which has seen entry levels soar in recent years WheelPower have confirmed that the 2015 ride will have a maximum of 2,000 cyclists.

Organiser, Jo Hall of WheelPower said “Last year was the greatest ever Tour de Vale bike with riders raising over £46,000 for WheelPower for which we would like to thank everyone involved.

We look forward to welcoming the many cyclists of all ages and abilities who come from all around the Aylesbury Vale and much further beyond at the annual this year’s Mix 96 Tour De Vale.”

The ride takes place on Sunday 7 June with three routes taking cyclists through the delightful Buckinghamshire countryside and villages.

Advanced entries are £15 for adults and free for children under 16 with an accompanying adult

Every rider is given chip timing. Helmets are compulsory. Start and finish is at Stoke Mandeville Stadium.

EVERY FLOWER COUNTS – VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR  ANNUAL STOCK TAKE OF UK’s WILDFLOWERS

 

Making plants a priority

 

The new National Plant Monitoring Scheme (NPMS), launching in spring 2015, will for the first time enable scientists to take an annual stock take of the UK’s wild plants and their habitats, but to do this we need the public’s help. We are looking for volunteers to carry out surveys of wildflowers and their habitats that will provide robust evidence of which widespread plants are increasing or declining, as well as indicating the changing state of our most valued habitats such as grassland, fenland and even road verges. Plants are nature’s building blocks and this new monitoring scheme will sit alongside existing schemes for the UK’s birds and butterflies to help us understand more about how the countryside is changing.

Chris Cheffings, from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee says “Currently, information on plant species’ abundance and change is very limited, and it is difficult to gauge the condition of habitats outside protected sites. JNCC is delighted to be able to support the NPMS, which will fill this significant gap in UK biodiversity surveillance. The annual results collected by volunteers will help to identify trends in hundreds of species, allowing us to assess plant community changes.”

The search is now on to find 2000 volunteers to take part in the NPMS who will play a vital role in gathering information. Together the volunteers will monitor wild plants in 28 important habitats, ranging from hedgerows and meadows to salt marsh and scree slopes.

Hayley New, from Plantlife says “The NPMS is hugely enjoyable and over 400 volunteers have helped us set up the new scheme. It’s easy to do and everyone will receive free training and guidance plus support from the partnership for volunteers who have queries, as well as web support and illustrated guidance notes – so volunteers will have the perfect survey tool kit to get them started!”

Dr Kevin Walker, Head of Science, Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) says:

“It’s really great to finally have a national scheme that everyone can take part in. Whether you simply love wildflowers or are a budding botanist, input from volunteers will provide sound evidence on how our wild plants and habitats are changing. It’s a fantastic achievement and should mean that wild plants are at the forefront of discussions on how our environment is changing and what we should be doing about it.”

How does the NPMS work?

 Volunteers will be able to choose from three options depending on their level of expertise: recording from a short or an extended list of target species in each habitat or recording all species they find in their plots.

 Volunteers will be given a 1 km square with a grid showing up to 25 locations. Surveyors will be asked to visit three of those locations and carry out surveys in square plots and then identify two linear features such as hedgerows, rivers and road verges and survey these locations too.

 The squares have been randomly chosen, but with a focus on squares containing habitats of interest.

Oliver Pescott, from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology says “The results from this new scheme should allow us to quantify the smaller changes that are occurring within our most valuable habitats. In the past, volunteer-collected data have been able to demonstrate the results of large-scale habitat loss over the last century, now we would like to reveal even more detail about the changes within the remaining areas of these habitats in our landscape.”

Changes to service 61 from 20^th April 2015

Arriva have decided to alter service 61 from 20^th April 2015 so that it will terminate in Dunstable and no longer continue beyond to Luton Town Centre. This follows a service review which indicated that most passengers are actually travelling on sections of the route covered by other services and that within the unique section only served by service 61, between Dunstable and Tring, passenger numbers were very low. Passengers will still be able to travel onward to Luton & Dunstable Hospital, Luton Town Centre and Luton Airport via high frequency connecting services from Dunstable.

As well as revising the route Arriva is also making a number of timetable changes designed to improve punctuality and better match journeys to the number of passengers actually travelling.

The revised service will follow the current route to Dunstable town centre, serving the existing stop in Church Street (known as the Winston Churchill) and then divert to terminate at the ASDA store in Court Drive. Return journeys from Dunstable will start from ASDA, serve the existing stop in West Street and then follow the current route back to Aylesbury.

Within Dunstable, passengers will be able to make same-stop connections onto either service A, which provides a fast link via the Busway to Luton Town Centre and Luton Airport, or onto service 31 to the Luton & Dunstable Hospital. Both services run up to every 15 minutes and through tickets will be available. Passengers towards Luton should change at Church Street (Winston Churchill), while those travelling back from the Luton area should change onto service 61 at ASDA.

Although the overall frequency of service 61 is generally unchanged, the timetable has been completely revised and contains some major changes including:

Mondays to Fridays

• A new early morning journey from Aylesbury at 0540, providing connections arriving in Luton at 0656 and at Luton Airport at 0707
• The 1230 and 1330 departures from Aylesbury will be replaced by a new 1305 journey
• The 1455 departure from Aylesbury will run 20 minutes EARLIER
• Journeys from Aylesbury after 1700 will run 20 minutes LATER
• To improve reliability, the 0820 (0815 on school holidays) arrival into Aylesbury is retimed throughout
• The 0900 journey from Eaton Bray to Aylesbury will now start from Dunstable with connections available from Luton
• The 1337 from Dunstable to Aylesbury will no longer run
• The 1822 journey from Dunstable to Aylesbury will be replaced by a 1900 departure, starting from Dunstable ASDA and providing a later connection from Luton
• Evening journeys from Ivinghoe to Aylesbury are retimed to run LATER throughout

Saturdays

• A new journey from Aylesbury to Dunstable at 1335
• The 1400 and 1500 departures from Aylesbury will be replaced by a new 1435 journey
• Evening journeys from Aylesbury to Ivinghoe will run 20 minutes LATER
• The 0820 journey from Dunstable will now start from Ivinghoe at 0840 and has been retimed
• A new journey from Dunstable to Aylesbury at 0855
• The 1836 journey from Dunstable to Aylesbury will be replaced by a 1857 departure, starting from Dunstable ASDA and providing a later connection from Luton
• Evening journeys from Ivinghoe to Aylesbury are retimed to run LATER throughout

From the same date, the frequency of Arriva service 500 to Hemel Hempstead and Watford will increase on Mondays to Fridays to operate every 20 minutes, providing additional buses between Aylesbury, Aston Clinton and Tring.

A copy of the timetable showing suggested connections is attached and will be made available on our website http://www.transportforbucks.net/Buses-and-trains/Bus-timetables.aspx. Arriva will shortly be producing new timetable leaflets and will also be providing information on their buses.

Pitstone Parish Council would like to wish a very happy retirement to Ron, the Postmaster of the Ivinghoe Post Office, who has served our community for over 34 years. Ron retires at the end of next week. The Post Office is due to be refitted the following week. We are sure all our residents will join us in thanking Ron for his service and wishing him well for the future.

The Aylesbury Vale Village Pub Competition aims to showcase

the vast number of high quality rural pubs in Aylesbury Vale.

Whether your favourite is large or small, traditional or trendy it

makes no difference; we are looking for variety, so if your local

doesn’t possess an enormous beer garden or serve food

round the clock, don’t worry. It could still be a winner!

Each pub only needs one nomination to be entered into the

competition. If you are interested in joining the judging panel

please email villagepub@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk by 20 April,

stating why you would be a great addition to the panel.

To make sure your favourite pub is included visit

www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/pubcomp

or call 01296 585301 to complete

a nomination form.

BCC want to make it as quick and easy as possible for our residents and customers to get in touch with us, whether it’s to report a problem, find out some information or make a simple transaction.

So we have been working hard to improve our website and online services, meaning that you can use our secure online services to get in touch with us on your mobile, tablet or computer, either on the go or from the comfort of home.

You can do a whole range of things online with us:

Apply – Join the library, apply for a school place or Blue Badge

Book – Events or Adult Learning courses

Report – Potholes or road problems, fly-tipping

Buy – Copies of certificates, pay an invoice

Renew – Library books

Go to www.buckscc.gov.uk/online to see what you can do.

We’re introducing more and more online services all the time; for example we’ve recently introduced ‘live web chat’ to our Libraries, schools and Blue Badge webpages and will be expanding web chat more widely across more of our website.

Help to get online

We want to help make sure that people who are less able to access online services are not excluded and are helped to gain vital computer and internet skills.

Read more about this at:

http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/about-your-council/our-plans/digital-strategy/help-to-get-online/

If you are not confident at using the internet and would like to find out more about how you can improve your digital skills, Buckinghamshire libraries run a variety of courses and taster sessions.

We also run free volunteer-led sessions using Learn My Way, the free online IT training package for everyone aged 16 and over. From learning to use a keyboard, staying safe online to shopping and social media, Learn My Way is a fantastic way to learn at your own pace and within the familiar and safe environment of our libraries.

Start Something Digital today and find a session near you at: http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/libraries/start-something-digital/