Johnsons' Family Fun Day a Great Success

The sun shone, they turned up in droves and the funds of The Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance were boosted considerably at the Johnson’s Coach & Bus Family Fun Day held on Sunday 20th at their headquarters in Henley-in-Arden.

The event was held as part of the company’s centenary celebrations and was deemed a huge success. Event organiser Victoria Johnson said “We had several objectives for the day. The first was to continue celebrating our centenary in a grand style; we also wanted to involve the local community in those celebrations and as a family firm, put on an event that gave families a fun day out but, at the same time, raise funds for our centenary year charity The Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance.

"I’m delighted to say that we achieved all of this, the sun shone, it was a fun day with a great atmosphere and it was evident that families had turned out in their hundreds. Our fund raising target for the year was £10,000, this event boosted our fund by around £3,700 bringing our total to date to £11,800 which is a tremendous achievement so we are of course delighted, and there are still three months of the fund raising year left."

Victoria added, "We would like to say a big thank you to all the organisations, businesses and individuals that helped us by taking a stall, giving  their time, loaning equipment and of course donating prizes; this all contributed in no small measure to the success of the day and we are very grateful."

Johnson’s continue with their fund raising programme and the next major event will be a grand firework finale again being held at their depot on Saturday 19th December.

Court Leet Town Dinner 2009

Saturday last saw the Court Leet hold the yearly Town Dinner in the Memorial Hall on behalf of the many volunteers that give of their time and energy to the running of Henley’s clubs and societies.

Representatives representing twenty four of the town’s clubs/societies sat down to a splendid three course meal provided by Sue Dalby Catering. The hall was suitably decorated in the Court’s colours, De Montfort blue and yellow. The matching table decorations were the work of Sarah of ‘The Lemon Tree’ flower shop who also provided the flowers for the beautiful arrangements created by Annette Walker of Henley Flower Club.

As people arrived they were greeted by the High Bailiff and his lady, Roger and Molly Sutton, offered a glass of ‘bubbly’ by ale taster Barry Tulloch and his able assistant, Gerald Smith, before the Low Bailiff, John Rutherford checked that people knew at which table they were to be seated.

While waiting to be seated the diners were entertained to a melody of music played on the accordion by Costel Dinu. Costel continued to serenade the diners through the duration of the meal, moving from table to table playing popular romantic ballads. Ann Rutherford and her team of Denise Tristram and Marion Brealey sold raffle tickets in aid of the Guild Hall Trust and the Market Cross Restoration Fund.

To start the proceedings the Low Bailiff called on the High Bailiff to welcome his guests, before asking Town Crier Gordon Trinder to say grace; Gordon’s graces are always a master class in humour and he again succeeded in bringing that wit and wonderment to the table.

Between the different courses diners were entertained by having to play a game of ‘Heads & Tails’, won by Rosemary Sharman, complete a twenty question quiz arranged by Burgess Derek Sharman and check their raffle tickets for winning numbers. Prizes for the raffle were given by the generosity of Court, Club and Society members, also by Rob of Country Butchers, Stevan of Matricardi’s and Phillip of Ardencote Hotel.

Following the main course the assembled guests toasted the Queen followed by a series of presentments. First to make a presentation was the Rotary Club of Henley when Rotary President David Braine presented the Club’s Vocational 'Service before Self Award' to Ginny Matheou – a very popular recipient among the assembled guests. Warwick Rogers of The Beaudesert Probus Club presented a cheque to the High Bailiff as a donation towards the upkeep of the ancient Guild Hall. De Montfort Masonic Lodge made an appeal for members and lastly Henley Dramatic Society played out a piece they had written marking the hundredth year of the opening of the Memorial Hall, plus a plug from Carol Robson for their next production ‘The Three Musketeers’.

The evening was brought to a close when the High Bailiff called for all to toast the ‘Club and Societies of Henley’!

View Slideshow of the Town Dinner

Roger Sutton reporting

Rotary Club Award 2009 - A Popular Choice

The annual Henley-in-Arden Rotary Vocational Award for 2009 was presented at the Town Dinner to Ginny Matheou by Rotary Club President David Brain.

The award is made to those who have given outstanding yet unobtrusive  service to the community.

In his citation address David Brain said that Ginnie, who has been active in Henley since she and her husband George came to the town some 10 years ago, had made a major contribution to the success of "Henley in Bloom". Her efforts are visible on the High Street with her teams planting, watering and tending the flowers and plants on display, greatly enhancing the attractiveness of the town.

Ginny is also very active in the work of the Parish Church - right through from cleaning to being a Diocesan representative.

"The Rotary Club", said President David, "regards Ginny as an exceptionally worthy winner and all the members of the club offer their warmest congratulations."

Our picture shows Rotary Club president David Brain, Ginnie Matheou and a very proud husband, Parish Councillor George Matheou.

Mike Redman reporting

Forest of Arden Annual Ploughing Competition

The Forest of Arden Agricultural Society held its 61st Annual Ploughing and Hedging Competition on 17th September at Lower Barn Farm, Haselor. It was very good to hold the competition after a two year absence - one had to be cancelled due to foot and mouth and the other due to the appalling bad weather of last year.

Over 120 competitors turned up to compete from all over the country. In the Vintage Section, we hosted the National Qualifiers for Warwickshire, Northamptonshire and Leicestershire.

Competitors have to cut and lay approximately ten yards of hedge in five hours.

The skill involved in achieving a beautifully laid hedge using only an axe and a bill hook is awesome. The object being to provide a stock-proof fence without using any artificial materials, Reg barbed wire. It also provides a safe habitat for birds to nest in too.

At the show we have trade stands and this year the Best Trade Stand was won by James Green Farm Machinery of Mappleborough Green. The Ladies section of the Society also put on a Produce Tent where local people are encouraged to enter their home-made wines, cakes, flowers and vegetables etc.

The Forest of Arden does not charge entry to our show; we look upon the event as an opportunity for the public to come and meet farmers and see how their food is produced. The very first step of which is to put the plough into the land. We were very pleased this year to have a visitation from the local junior school at Haselor when the children were able to come and see for themselves what farming is about. Johnsons very kindly transported the children to and from the show as their contribution to helping us stage the event.

If you didn’t come, but would like to come another year, it is always held on the third Thursday in September and next year it will be at Spernal.

Disappointing News for the TIC

The Town Improvement Committee heard that their £1m Sports England bid for the Rural Sports Hub based at the Memorial Playing Fields had been unsuccessful.

Peter Crathorne told Henley NEWS On-line, "This plan would have modernised the pavilion and store and provided financial security for the Sports Grounds.  However, this is only the beginning and we will have a new plan in place before long."

St Mary's Bags 2 School Day

St Mary’s RC Primary School is having a Bags 2 School fundraising collection on Friday 9th October 2009.

Bags 2 School is an organisation which specialises in arranging clothing collections from schools. They send a van to the school and collect, weigh and sort any donations. The clothing is then sold (at very affordable prices) to emerging nations and the school receives a donation based on the weight. If you have any unwanted clothes, shoes, handbags, soft toys or bedding and you would like to donate such items to the school this would be greatly appreciated. St Mary’s is a small school so we welcome any help from the parish and the community to help us raise funds.

Any donations should be clean and should be placed in a bag or bin liner and, due to storage problems, should not be sent to the school until Thursday 8th October. Alternatively if you ring Rachel Saltmarsh on 01564 794470, Michelle Rafferty on 01564 795455 or Tracy Taylor on 01564 792328 we will arrange a convenient time to collect items from you.

Bulky items raise more money so if you have any old bedding, curtains or shoes (pairs only) you wish to dispose of we would be more than happy to take them off your hands also.

Michelle Rafferty reporting

Claverdon Rugby Club

Every Sunday morning, between the hours of 11am and 12pm at Claverdon Rugby Club, Ossetts Hole Lane, Claverdon dedicated coaches are to be seen training minis and juniors between the ages of 5 and 17 in the skills of rugby. All coaches have been CRB checked and are at least level 1 trained. Claverdon is a very social rugby club, everyone can expect a warm welcome.

If you think that your son/daughter could be interested in rugby why don’t you bring them down to Claverdon to check us out one Sunday? Any standard welcome. Everyone gets a game. Training is every Sunday with regular matches interspersed.

If you require any further information ring Brian Westmacott, Mini and Junior Chairman, 01564 793746 and he will be happy to help you.

Claverdon in their new strip before their first league match with Clee Hill. Result: Claverdon 43 - Clee Hill 24

Excellent Year for Purity Brewing

Paul Halsey, MD of our local micro brewery at Spernall - Purity Brewing Co - has told Henley NEWS On-line:

We’re celebrating today because we’ve released our financial results for 2008/09.  The highlights are:

• Our 2008/09 turnover grew to £1.37m, from £751,000 in the previous financial year. This is an increase of 83 per cent and exceeded our target turnover of £1.1m by 24 per cent.
• We sold almost 1.4m pints of our three award-winning beers, Mad Goose, Pure UBU and Pure Gold.
• We’re now selling our beers in approximately 400 pubs compared to around 200 outlets a year ago.
• Our staff numbers have increased by 100% from 6 to 12.

Paul said: “We’ve had a phenomenal year but the company will not be resting on its laurels. In fact we are beginning our 2009/10 financial year on a high as a result of new contracts that are now coming into effect.

“The most recent is our partnership with Adnams, the Suffolk coastal brewer, which will see it sell our brands to its direct trading footprint which covers the south east, including London, and the east of England. We also signed a deal with Mitchells & Butlers to supply Pure UBU to around 50 of its pubs in the Midlands region.

“We are committed to further investment in the business to cater for our future growth and, as such, we are building a new shop, sales office and meeting rooms which will open at the end of October 2009.”

Forthcoming Henley Church Events

DIARY DATE FROM ST. JOHN’S SOCIALS & FELLOWSHIP GROUP:
Saturday 5th December – Quiz Night in the Church Hall. Teams of 4 are invited from organisations in the town, groups of friends and/or families to join us.  £6 per person to include Ploughman’s Supper. Tickets from Diane Bayley (01789 488209).

HENLEY METHODIST CHURCH
Our Church Council will meet on Thursday 8th at 4.00 pm to discuss the affairs of our society.

Sunday Services all at 11.00 am are: 4th  – Rev. Ros Murphy; 11th – Revd. Robert J. Powell (Sacrament); 18th – Prof. Eric Ives; 25th – Mr. John Parkes. The Baby Group meet every Monday 10.30 am.


HENLEY BAPTIST CHURCH
Tuesday 20th October at 7.30 pm, a concert of  Southern Gospel Music by “The Staff Quartet”, a group from Lake Jackson in Texas.  Admission free, all welcome.

Click here to read the latest Parish Church Newsletter

John Pudney - Religious Affairs Correspondent

When Scandal Came to Ullenhall

In an impeccably researched and enthusiastic talk, Audrey Duggan told the Beaudesert & Henley Society the fascinating story of Henrietta, Lady Luxborough.

Henrietta was born in 1699 into the aristocratic St John family. Her father was a prosperous man but also a drunkard and murderer for which he was sentenced to be hanged. However, a bribe of £16,000 to the King meant that he was able to flee the country and escape his sentence. Her father’s finances were as a consequence severely depleted resulting in him being unable to provide a decent marriage settlement for his daughter.

Henrietta was by all accounts a beauty and also highly intelligent. She longed to be happily married like her two close friends, one of whom was the Duchess of Somerset. Lack of funds precluded this and it wasn’t until she was 28 that her half brother Lord Bolingbroke introduced her to one Robert Knight for whom a marriage settlement of £6,000 was deemed adequate. Shortly after her marriage her father-in-law whisked her off to France to act as his hostess as his own wife was an invalid. Henrietta didn’t care for the life there and was bored at the shallowness of it all. Eventually she returned to England and resumed her friendship with Lady Somerset.

Now the tutor to Lady Somerset’s children was John Dalton with whom Henrietta corresponded frequently and increasingly emotionally. Unfortunately some of the letters came to the hands of her husband who took a dim view and banished her to Barrels Hall in Ullenhall. At Barrels she lived quietly but made friends with her neighbours and became the centre of a literary society known as the Coterie which included Shenstone and Somerville, Graves, Jago and a number of Warwickshire clergy. This group wrote and discussed poetry and helped Henrietta to recover her self esteem after the trauma of the estrangement from her husband.

Henrietta became ill and died in 1756 and was buried at Wootton Wawen church. In a final twist to the story, her husband then moved into Barrels Hall and took into his household the attractive daughter of one of his tenant farmers in lieu of non payment of rent. It proved to be a happy relationship with the couple having five children.

Fragile Market Shows Positive Signs

John Earle held the first of their autumn Land and Property Auctions on Tuesday 22nd September 2009 at Henley Golf and Country Club. 8 Lots were heavily advertised and promoted in the local newspapers and websites and included various parcels of land, a cottage for renovation, a building site and a stable yard. The land near Great Alne, some 20.4 acres, was sold prior to auction for a figure substantially in excess of the initial guide price of £5,000 per acre.

In the room, Mr Abbey, Partner/Auctioneer of John Earle, firstly offered 5 Bearley Road, Aston Cantlow. Although the bidding started at a very cautious £160,000, after strong competition from all sides of the room the gavel finally fell at £228,000, a figure that the Auctioneer felt reflected the feeling that this Summer, genuine interest in the residential property market is returning. Mr Abbey then offered the Equestrian Centre and land at Salter Street, near Hockley Heath and this sold for well over the guide price at £220,000.

The remaining Lots, save for one, were parcels of agricultural land, some with buildings. In the room these failed to sell. One was sold immediately after the auction finished and offers are being considered on the remainder.

Mr Cornford, for John Earle, afterwards was very pleased with the positive results and gratified there were over 250 people in the auction room. He concluded the market is far from dead and has come a long way since October 2008. As confidence continues to return he believes success rates in the auction room will return to 100%.

John Earle’s auction scheduled for 20th October includes Glebe Farm, Aston Cantlow, a cottage at 122 Alcester Road, Studley and a small parcel of land at Watery Lane, Knowle.

Forced to sell farm after legal battle with Church

An Aston Cantlow couple have been forced to put their family farm up for sale after losing a 12-year legal battle with the Church, pictured right, to overturn an archaic land law. Gail and Andrew Wallbank were left with a hefty £500,000 legal bill after inheriting Glebe Farm in Aston Cantlow near Stratford-upon-Avon in 1990 which made them liable for repairs to the neighbouring St John the Baptist Church. As lay rectors of St John’s, the couple were landed with a £230,000 repair bill for the church where William Shakespeare’s mother Mary Arden was said to have been baptised and married.

They began a High Court legal battle in 1997 with the Diocese of Coventry to get the law changed, but lost, and are now left with an additional £250,000 in legal fees. The couple now feel they have no option but to put Glebe Farm on the property market but fear potential buyers might be put off by the additional costs. Mr Wallbank, aged 64, said: “We may have to sell Glebe Farm to cover the costs but it is unsellable with the condition attached. We felt as lay rectors our position was simply to keep the weather out. We put the cost at somewhere between £20,000 and £23,000. But the church wrote back and said: ‘We’ll see you in court.’”

The farmhouse is now due to go under the hammer with Midland auctioneers John Earle & Son on October 20 at Henley Golf & Country Club in Henley-in-Arden.

The Wallbanks, who inherited the property from Mrs Wallbank’s father, were astonished to find that they were legally responsible for the repairs to the church. The parochial Church council won its court battle when the Wallbank’s refused to pay. The Court of Appeal overturned the ruling in favour of the Wallbanks but the House of Lords decided the couple did have to contribute to the huge repair bill.

A potential buyer who has viewed the property said: “The farm is beautiful so I’m sure someone with enough money would be more than happy to buy it. It’s a pity it had to come this. To be forced to sell your family home because of an historical land law is a crying shame.”

Aston Cantlow councillor Richard Hobbs (Con) said: “It’s unfortunate. The couple never had a choice because they inherited the property.  I feel sorry for them as the charges were all on one property and not spread amongst others as is the case sometimes. It’s a shame the church and the couple couldn’t have sorted it out more amicably.”

Reprinted from The Birmingham Post with acknowledgement

Henley Tennis Club Has Something For Everyone

September’s Sports programme at Henley-in-Arden Tennis Club has started with a real bang. The club based on the Stratford road in Henley-in-Arden has more and more options available for all players. Adults can take part in evening or day sessions including group or individual coaching, ladies only sessions, cardio tennis and much more. Youngsters have the chance to play tennis and multi-sports from as young as 2½ with a number of different days and coaching times. Whether its coaching or just practice you need Henley has the lot.

The 7 court tennis club now with 2 astro turf tennis courts is recognised by ‘Clubmark’ as achieving excellent standards in delivering an excellent tennis programme and services off the court.

For further information or to find out more information about the club please visit www.coolsportz.co.uk or call Neil Supperstone on 07912 66 44 26 or email neil@coolsportz.co.uk

Another top award for The Bluebell

The Bluebell has retained its title as the best dining venue in a top restaurant award - just a week after it was highly praised in one of the nation’s most influential food guides. The timber-framed ‘boutique’ pub, one of the region’s most renowned restaurants, won ‘Best Dining Pub’ category in the Coventry & Warwickshire Food and Drink awards 2009 for the second year running.

Last week, it was praised for cracking quality food, infectious enthusiasm and swanky modern design in the prestigious Good Food Guide 2010. Mystery judges who visited the stylish venue commended its use of locally sourced and homegrown produce and remarked on the “high standard of technical skill”. They also applauded the front of house staff for their knowledge of the menu, produce provenance and confident ability.

Leigh Taylor, co owner of The Bluebell, said they were thrilled to have scooped the title again.

“The competition was particularly fierce this year so this is even more of a testament to the dedication of our team who ensure our customers get an outstanding dining experience every time,” she said. “We never rest on our laurels as this award has proven. We are absolutely thrilled.”

Henley Landlords need to read their signs

Dear Editor,

Yesterday, Sunday 21st September, my wife and I decided to undertake a beautiful walk around Henley incorporating Beaudesert Castle and the Stratford Upon Avon Canal. Having returned to the town at about 3.40pm, we toured the High street admiring the beautiful buildings and the cleanliness of the place before deciding to have a drink and and a bite to eat at one of the local pubs .

Out first port of call was Matricardis where the large sign outside stated "FINE FOOD SERVED ALL DAY". Wrong! We were told "Sorry we don't do food at this time on Sundays". Never mind off to the Nags head where the sign stated "MENU DAILY 12pm - 5pm". The waitress having just placed large roast dinners in front of the two seated customers said "Sorry, no food available now" (Time 4.05pm). Not giving up we went to where we know we could get a meal - HOME.

It is clear that Henley-in-Arden welcomes its visitors (but not after 4pm on a Sunday).

Yours Sincerely
Mr R PITT - Great Barr, Birmingham

Calling All Landlords & Property Investors.

A new property event is about to hit the calendar this Monday (5th October) and is ideal for all Landlords, Property Investors and anyone interested in thinking of joining these ranks and wants to find out more before they take the plunge.

The Warwickshire Property Meet will open their doors at 6.30pm with their first speaker commencing at 7pm. The meeting will be held at the Golf Clubhouse of the Menzies Welcombe Hotel & Spa in Stratford upon Avon.

There are 2 speakers: Mr John Davis who will look at some of the unique funding and finance options currently available and Mr Dave Nicolls who is recognised as one of the UK best Property tax experts.

Edwina Silver who is organising the event said  "This event is perfect for anyone who has investment property or who is thinking of becoming a property owner and will provide them with a real insight in to what is going on in the property sector currently. There are many strategies that investors can use currently but you need to be guided by those who know what they are doing and our 2 speakers are amongst the best in the UK.”

The cost is only £10 if you pre-pay or £15 on the night.

Any one who is interested in finding out more or attending should go to www.warwickshirepropertymeet.com or telephone the organiser Edwina Silver on 01527 510200 for more information.

UFOs seen over Henley

On the very clear evening of Saturday 12th September, between 2215 and 2230 hrs we witnessed between 30 and 50 (I stopped counting at 30) strange lights in the sky above Henley-in-Arden High Street, Warwickshire, travelling in the direction of Wooton Wawen. The lights were constant, round and slightly orange in appearance. They continued to come into view from behind a tree line above the roof tops and were visible for a good distance before vanishing, possibly into a cloud, although it was previously a very clear warm evening. There was no uniform formation and some even appeared to pass the one in front. There was no sound. We did notice an aircraft with flashing lights a great deal higher in the sky above them. I wonder if anyone else in the area noticed these strange lights. I would appreciate a reply if anyone was aware of this large amount of air traffic at this time.

We also don't know if any more of these strange lights passed by before we actually noticed them.

I have attached a photograph of the objects which were travelling right to left in the pictures. They appeared to be low enough for us to hear any engine noises for such a large group but there was no sound.

Bob Greathead reporting

I hate to be the one to tell you but these lights were in fact Chinese Lanterns which were let off from Henley Golf Course where a wedding was taking place.  

Lynda Maine

Supporting Economic Vitality

Stratford-on-Avon District Council in partnership with Warwickshire County Council would like to invite applicants to apply for small amounts of funding to support local events and festivals held within Stratford-on-Avon District, that support the local economy and specifically involving businesses from the local area.

Funding will be available to support Festivals and Events taking place before 1st October 2010 that:

•Promote the vitality of the local economy
•Promote local products and services
•Engage, promote and involve local businesses
•Increase visitor numbers to the local area
•Develop the profile of local area as a premier visitor destination.

“Promoting economic vitality in the District by funding projects supporting economic growth and recovery is crucial in the current economic climate. Local businesses shape the character of our community and the more support local Councils can provide now, the better the prospects for businesses will be in the future,” says Councillor Mike Brain, Community Services Portfolio Holder.

Closing date for applications is Monday 19th October 2009.

It should be noted that priority will be given to applications for ‘new’ festivals and events; however applications for existing events/festivals will also be considered.

Further information and an application form please call Stratford-on-Avon District Council on 01789 260803.

Support Your Local Tradesmen

Let me introduce myself.  My name is Steve McAteer, my family and I have relocated to Henley in the past couple of months. I am a Painter and Joiner by trade!  I have been almost 30 years working and have worked all over the country from Belfast, Glasgow, North East, Manchester, Liverpool, East Midlands, London and the South Coast.

I started out as a Shop Fitter after leaving school, working for a large firm in Birmingham and now, several years later, I am a self employed Painter and Joiner. You may have seen my advert in ‘One Stop’. I may have put a ‘Quote’ through your door. I have done Garage conversions to Bar/Games Rooms, extra room or bedroom. I have fitted many kitchens/bedrooms. I am fully insured and carry out domestic or commercial work.

Either way, if you need any Painting, Decorating or Joinery work carried out then please do not hesitate to ring me on 01564 795403 or 07999 868172.

John Garner's Business Column

Bonnie Scotland?

I’m referring of course to Baroness Scotland, our Attorney General (at least she is at the time of writing) and the laws relating to employment of immigrants who don’t have permission to work in the UK. This is a minefield, partly thought up by the good lady herself. If ever there was a law of unintended consequences, for her this is it!

You’ll remember she admitted to “forgetting to keep photocopies of documents” which the law requires and saying this was “similar to forgetting to pay the Congestion Charge”. Oh no it isn’t, read on! Getting it wrong with employing migrants may incur a civil penalty where you can be fined up to £10,000 for each illegal migrant worker. Note that the Baroness got away with half that.

More serious offences (where “rogue employers knowingly and deliberately use illegal migrant workers, often for personal financial gain”) carry a maximum custodial sentence of two years. Presumably the Baroness was not deemed to be a rogue.

The UK Border Agency says: “It’s in your interest to make sure that the migrant workers you employ are eligible to work in the UK. Checking the documents of prospective employees before you hire them provides you with what is known as a ‘statutory excuse’, which may prevent you from having to pay a civil penalty. For workers with a time limit on how long they can stay in the UK you must repeat the document checks at least once a year to retain the excuse. Failure to do so could prove very costly for you and your business.”

An “excuse” note, not a justification. They go on to say, “Under race relations legislation it’s illegal to discriminate on grounds of race, colour, ethnic or national origin or nationality. The best way to ensure that you don’t discriminate is to treat all applicants the same way at each stage of the recruitment process.  In other words, you should carry out document checks on all prospective employees and not make presumptions about a person’s right to work in the UK based on their background, appearance or accent.”

Good grief!  For every prospective employee?  Are they living in the real world?

If you can face reading more about this go to www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/

Yet another telephone scam

They’re at it again. A friend received a phone call from a 'representative of BT’, informing her that he was disconnecting her because of an unpaid bill. He demanded payment immediately of £31.00, or it would be £118.00 to re-connect at a later date. He wasn't even fazed when she told him she was with Virgin Media, claiming that VM have to pay BT a percentage for line rental.

She asked his name which he gave as the very 'English' John Peacock with a very 'African' accent - and phone number - 0800 0800 152. Obviously the fellow realised she didn’t believe his story so offered to demonstrate that he was from BT. She asked how and he told her to hang up and try phoning someone - he would disconnect her phone to prevent this. AND HE DID!! Her phone was dead: no engaged tone, nothing until he phoned her again.

Very pleased with himself he asked if that was enough proof that he was with BT. She asked how the payment was to be made and he said credit card, there and then. She didn’t believe him and refused to pay and he eventually hung up. She dialled 1471 and then phoned his fictitious 0800 number - not recognised.

This is actually not that clever. He gave the wrong number, it should have been 0800 800 152 which takes you through to BT Business. Apparently cutting off of the line is very simple: he stays on the line with the mute button pressed and you can't dial out, but he can hear you trying (this is because the person who initiates a call is the one to terminate it). When you stop trying he cuts off and immediately calls back. It's very convincing. The sad thing is that it could easily fool the elderly and vulnerable.

This is a way of getting your credit card details which include the security number so that it can be used for far larger purchases.

If you want to find out more about such scams have a look at www.hoax-slayer.com

John Garner

Make Henley Greener
Save Money - Help Save the Planet

What uses the most electricity in your home?

If you are a fan of screen savers you may be surprised to know that they cost you about £100 per year in electricity for each PC. This is likely to be the biggest single component of your bill. Even if you are not a fan of screen savers, but your PC spends its life dormant so that it can be woken up by shaking the mouse, it is likely to be costing you about £45 per year!

Obviously, the best thing to do with a PC and printer is to turn them off as soon as you have finished using them. Even then the chances are that they are still using about £10 worth of electricity per year, because when your PC and printer say they are shutting down, they lie to you; they are not completely shut down. So like all electrical equipment they should be turned off at the wall after shutdown.

This can be inconvenient because, if you need the PC a little later on, you have to wait while it reboots. Fortunately, manufacturers have provided an quick and easy way around this. Suppose it’s lunchtime and you haven’t quite finished writing an email or a letter or whatever. Here’s what to do:-

Save the document and anything else that you haven’t saved.

Then for Windows XP:-
Click on TURN OFF COMPUTER.
Then click on STANDBY

Your PC will say that it is going into standby and the screen goes blank.

For VISTA:- the standby symbol is similar, a circle with a vertical dash. It is in the right hand column accessed from the start button (bottom left corner of screen).

After lunch, when you need the PC again, press the normal start up button on your PC or HIT ANY OF THE ARROW KEYS.

After a few seconds, the login screen will appear. Login and you will find the screen exactly as you left it.

During standby, the PC uses hardly any more electricity than when it is in shut down mode.

Here’s another tip that is good when the doorbell rings and you think you will be away from the PC for a few minutes. Just hit the on/off button on your monitor as you leave your PC to see who is there. This roughly halves the power consumption. When you come back, just hit the on/off button on the monitor and the PC will be either as you left it or asking you to log on depending on how long you were at the door (or the loo). To make it easy to switch off your PC monitor, printer and modem, etc, get an extension cable with a switched socket and have this on the desk or table where your PC is. Mine has a three way adapter so a single switch isolates everything.

Transition Stratford are holding an energy group meeting this Saturday. See the poster section below for details.

John Stott - Make Henley Greener

Report from Our County Councillor

Members' Allowances
Despite the lurid and inaccurate headlines in the Stratford Herald, and even taken up by the Sun newspaper in the Kelvin McKenzie column, I just wish to clarify that the Cabinet of the Warwickshire County Council rejected a suggested 15% increase on Members' allowances.  This increase was recommended by an Independent Remuneration Panel and was not initiated by the County Council itself.  Interestingly, Warwickshire happens to be one of the lowest for Members' allowances in the whole of the Country.  There are some real anomalies with the current system whereby there is not a set structure for Members allowances and they vary quite considerably.  
Personally, I think there should be a national standard allowance for County Councillors, thus eliminating this disparity.  Also the average County Councillor's allowances are taxable and given the amount of time and commitment involved, plus training, the average daily rate is just in the region of the minimum wage - certainly not the gravy train that the Press seem to promote.  
 
Fire Brigade
As you are probably aware there has been a major appraisal of the Fire Service in the County conducted by the Fire Service themselves.  They have proposed certain recommendations which they feel will benefit the Fire Service, giving more flexibility and providing better equipment and facilities to deal more efficiently with fire, flooding, terrorism, motorway incidents etc.  
 
Several Stations have been earmarked for closure, however, Henley in not amongst them.   To proceed with these changes the Fire Brigade and the County Council are setting up intensive consultations with the public all over the County from the end of September through to November.  Dates will be given to the Parish Council and also the Community Forums.  This will give an ideal opportunity for members of the public to pose questions to the Fire Service as to how these changes will affect the community.
 
Highways
I would like to convey my thanks to John Brown, the newly appointed Engineer for the Henley District, who seems to have organised a major clear out of the drains and gullys in the area - their vehicles have been very prominent around the area during the last couple of weeks!

Mike Perry - County Councillor for Henley-in-Arden
Telephone: 01564 829214  Mobile: 07973 719326

Stratford District Council

Planning Applications - Search on-line Stratford on Avon District Council Website

Laurence Marshall

Stephen Thirlwell