3 Candidates for Henley Parish By-election

This by-election is scheduled to take place in the Memorial Hall, Station Road on Thursday 27th May between 7 am and 10pm.

Henley Forest Reserves in Prestigious Cup Final

Henley Forest Reserves beat off top opposition from teams in leagues above them to win a place in the RM Smith Cup Final. This is a massive achievement. The Cup Final takes place at Stratford Town Football Club's super new Football Stadium on Thursday 6th May at 7.30pm. They are playing Alcester town, a first division side hoping to go into the Midland combination next season. There is quite a gap between the two sides but Hadley, the team coach, says that his team have trained hard and are confident they can spring a surprise. Getting to the final is a once in a life time opportunity to win a much sought after trophy for the club.

This is the chance for the town to support our local club and we all know what a crucial part supporters play in a team's success, particularly in the cauldron of a cup final.

Why not escape from the general Election for a couple of hours and join us on the coach leaving Henley Sports Ground at about 6.00pm? Details of how to find your way there.

Come and join us for what promises to be a great night out for Henley. This is also a chance to see the impressive new stadium that is a credit to local sports supporters. Stratford Town Football Club Ltd, Knights Lane, Tiddington, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire CV37 7BZ

Peter Crathorne - Chairman of the Henley War Memorial Trust

Stratford Herald reports on Town Assembly meeting

A TOWN poll on the issue of confidence in the parish council will be held in Henley, but not in neighbouring Beaudesert, after a chaotic annual town assembly on Monday night.

The raucous meeting got off to a shambolic start after at least eight residents were locked out of the Baptist Church hall in Henley ten minutes before the meeting was set to start.

The decision, by joint-chairmen Cllr David Hadley, for Henley, and Cllr Christopher Milsom, for Beaudesert, proved controversial.
In a statement issued after the meeting they said the decision was made because 100 residents were already inside, filling the hall to its capacity, and to admit any more would have breached health and safety regulations.

"We were faced with an unprecedented situation given that the previous three years' attendances totaled less than the 100 in attendance at Monday's meeting," said the statement. "We had the choice of postponing to another date at another venue or proceeding. We decided in the circumstances to proceed. We regret that some residents were unable to join the meeting."

Barely had the meeting begun when there was a quibble from one resident who said that that as last year's chair, Cllr Bill Leech, had not signed the minutes of the 2008 meeting, the 2010 meeting could not begin. There was also confusion over who should chair next year's meeting.

Those assembled then heard presentations from guest speaker Ioan Morgan, Principal of Warwickshire College, Henley High Bailiff Roger Sutton, Peter Crathorne, Chairman of Henley Town Improvement Committee, Cllr Les Goodman Chairman of the Henley and Beaudesert Joint Parish Council. The meeting descended into disorder during the report by Henley's county council representative, Mike Perry (Cons). He was interrupted by a resident raising points of order, the first complaining that the report sounded like a party political broadcast and the second, challenging Cllr Perry's naming of one of the candidates standing in the by-election to be held on 6th May to replace retiring Stratford district councillor Laurence Marshall. However, Cllr Perry was allowed to continue.

The open forum proved as contentious as expected as members of the Reform Association, which says it aims to restore democracy to Henley, proposed that a town poll be held on the question: "Do you agree that confidence has been lost in the leadership and management of the Beaudesert and Henley Joint Parish Council and that all existing councillors should resign immediately and that there should be an election for a new parish council as soon as possible?"

John Latham, a Beaudesert resident of 40 years, had barely begun to speak in favour of the poll before a vocal portion of the Beaudesert electorate began shouting for him to "get off".

Henley resident Peter Crathorne, making the same proposition, endured similar jeers and shouts of "rubbish".

Ten electors are needed to call a town poll and its results are not binding on the council. Cllr Goodman questioned if people wanted to spend £3,000 on a poll that would have no effect but Mr Latham argued it would cost £2,000 and that was the price of democracy. Thirteen residents stood to show their support for a poll in Henley but just six stood for one in Beaudesert.

After the meeting one resident, who did not wish to be named, told the Herald: "I was scared to speak in the end. It was intimidating. A lot of people left because they were fed up with the shouting. I was quite disgusted with it. Nobody gave anybody a chance to speak. None of the issues were really brought up because of the heckling.

"Voices weren't heard last night, it wasn't a discussion really. To be quite honest I thought they were quite a frightening crowd."

This article first appeared in the Stratford Herald and is reproduced with their kind permission.

Thoughts on the Parish Assemblies
 
The meeting was the worst behaved and most badly managed I have ever attended.  The chairmen proved to be out of their depth in handling a very difficult audience.
 
The person who interrupted County Councillor Mike Perry at the Parish Assemblies was not a resident of either parish.  Individuals wishing to do so should have been obliged to give their name and address before being allowed to speak.
 
Many in the audience seemed to think that the significance attached to an individual’s views should be directly proportional to the length of time they have lived in the community.  This is clearly wrong and undemocratic.
 
Susan Bridgewater - Beaudesert Resident

I am writing in response to your request for comments on the recent Town Meeting, which I attended by invitation.

I was disappointed that, in view of the length of service of the Chairmen, the meeting was not better controlled, and that neither seemed to know how to deal with a Point of Order when the Conservative County Councillor was accused of bringing party politics into what is meant to be a non-party political meeting.

I was also surprised that members of the audience were allowed to shout down speakers when they tried to state their case as they were legally obliged to do. It is not for me to say how the precept should be spent, but I do believe that all Council decisions, at whatever level, should be fair and transparent.

The fact that some of the residents who are dissatisfied with the actions of Council members are prepared to stand themselves at the next elections augurs well for democracy in Henley and Beaudesert.

Karyl Rees - Lib Dem District Council Candidate

LATE BREAKING NEWS

11 residents from the Parish of Beaudesert, who are also local government electors, have written to Cllr Chris Milsom, Chairman of 2010 Beaudesert Parish Assembly, saying;

"I consider that the Assembly on 19th April 2010 was invalid as electors were prevented from entering the hall and voting. Furthermore, there is clear evidence that certain residents felt intimidated and did not vote.

"I therefore request you to declare the 19th April Parish Assembly void and call another meeting within one month. This will be far cheaper than the cost of a judicial review, which will probably have to be paid for by the JPC."

The 2010 Chairman of the Henly-in-Arden Parish Assembly, Cllr David Hadley, wrote to Stratfrod District Council confirming that there was a vote at the Assembly for a Parish Referendum on the question:

"DO YOU AGREE THAT CONFIDENCE HAS BEEN LOST IN THE LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT OF THE JOINT PARISH COUNCIL AND THAT ALL EXISTING COUNCILLORS SHOULD RESIGN IMMEDIATELY AND THAT THERE SHOULD BE AN ELECTION FOR A NEW PARISH COUNCIL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE?"

The Returning Officer has decided to hold the Parish Referendum on Tuesday 25th May.

Johnsons drives fundraising for Air Ambulance

In April Johnsons Coaches drove to the base of local charity, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA), with a very special delivery for the local life saving crew, a cheque for over £15,000.

Johnsons Coaches decided to support WNAA to mark their 100th Anniversary by pledging to raise £10,000. Due to the enthusiastic drive and commitment of the Johnsons team they pushed their target and actually raised a staggering £15,800! John Johnson, Sales & Marketing Director of Johnsons Coach and Bus Travel, and his niece Victoria, Projects Manager at Johnsons, presented the cheque to crew who were just returning from a mission.

“After 100 successful years as a leading independent coach operator we wanted to give something back to the local area” says John Johnson. “Supporting the WNAA gave us an opportunity to do just that. Notably by contributing to a vital, life-saving local service that does not receive any government funding. Our fundraising efforts also made it possible to reach out to the whole local community in a series of celebratory events, including a great big Family Fun Day and a Fireworks Display Finale.

“Our centenary year excelled all of our expectations, particularly the final fundraising figure. We set out to raise £10,000 but, thanks to the support of our staff, customers and friends, managed to add another 50% to that figure. We’d like to thank everyone who helped to make it a spectacular year, for all their support in not only reaching this target, but exceeding it.”

Jo Payne, WNAA Fundraiser for Warwickshire commented, “On behalf of Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance I would like to say ‘thank you’ for this generous amount. The whole team have worked so hard to not only reach this target but to exceed it. Their drive and commitment is simply marvelous. As a registered charity we receive no government or Lottery funding and so rely on kind donations such as this."

WNAA is a registered charity that provides emergency care to people who live, work or travel through the Warwickshire & Northamptonshire regions and beyond when needed. Normally a patient would only benefit from advanced analgesia and anaesthetics in the A&E department whereas WNAA have the skill set and resources to manage the patient on scene. The additional skills of the WNAA crew bring the hospital emergency department to the accident scene and can often make the difference between life and death.

Carole Essex reporting

Don't Forget the Next WNAA Event

It is now just one month to the Air Ambulance Heroes Run at Stoneleigh Park on Sunday 23rd May. 5 Km is not a long way to run, jog or walk. Please bring all the family including your dogs!

I hope you will also ask all your friends and colleagues join you for this fun event which is in support of one of our most important local charities.

Please could you and all your team to register on the Heroes Run website as soon as possible.

Johnsons are providing a coach from the Market Cross. Call 01564 797000 for further details.

Henley's "Little Gem" opens for new season

Henley-in-Arden's Heritage Centre has opened its doors for the new season. The Centre, described by one visitor as a "little gem", on the town's picturesque High Street tells the history of the town in an attractive, informative and visual way.
 
During the winter months much work has been done on improving and adding to the exhibits including the popular second world war display, which features as its centre piece a replica of the famous Anderson shelter that visitors can enter and experience what it must have been like  sheltering during the blitz. Other new displays feature the fire service and the ancient watermills of Henley.

Ray holding who runs the centre said, "We have created a unique Centre which continues to fascinate visitors; I am always surprised how far some of them travel to visit us, it doesn't just appeal to locals. In addition we do have a large number of schools visit for a general history lesson on a typical medieval town or for assistance on specific subjects relating to topic work as well as groups, clubs and associations."
 
The Centre is open Tuesday to Friday 10.30am to 4.30pm and Saturday, Sundays and Bank holidays 2.30pm to 4.30pm. Admission is free although donations are encouraged.

The Staffordshire Anglo-Saxon Hoard

A most successful coffee morning and cake sale was held in the Guild Hall on Saturday, 1st May. Willing helpers served coffee and biscuits, together with slices of cake kindly provided by Sue Dalby.

A large range of superb cakes made by the Women’s Institute and other local ladies was sold quickly. Raffle prizes were also generously donated.

A number of new residents and visitors joined local people at what was a most enjoyable event, which raised £240 to maintain the Staffordshire Hoard in the Midlands. Although the £3,000,000 has been raised to purchase the Hoard, £1,700,000 is still required to research and display it properly.

We were grateful to the Low Bailiff, John Rutherford, and his wife Ann who attended.

Sue Bridgewater and Barbara Warmington reporting

Henley Primary School changes status

Tuesday 20th April was a very special day in the history of Henley Primary School as it officially re-opened as Henley-in-Arden Church of England School.

The day started with a special dedication service at St John’s Church led by the Bishop of Coventry, The Right Reverend Dr Christopher Cocksworth. Years Four and Five represented the school and contributed to the service with hymns and prayers.

The dedication ceremony was then followed by a procession back to school where the remaining children were waiting to greet them. The Bishop then cut the ribbon at the school gate and officially declared the new school open.

After lunch, the children celebrated their ‘new school’ with a performance of drama, songs and prayers. The bishop then unveiled the plaque to commemorate the re-opening of the school.

The day was a wonderful celebration of the new beginning for our school and everyone is looking forward to the journey ahead.

Elaine Field reporting

Parish Church of Beaudesert with Henley in Arden

From the Rectory - May 2010

Dear Friends,

On Sunday 9th May we will be having an open air service (weather permitting) in St. Nicholas’ churchyard to commemorate the 65th anniversary of VE Day. The service is called a drumhead service because on the battlefield the regimental drums used to be put together to make an altar for a service. This will be the last time that we shall see such an anniversary service and therefore it is important and poignant. 9th May is also the start of Christian Aid Week.

During the drumhead service we shall be praying ‘we dedicate ourselves anew to the causes of peace and the welfare of all mankind...’. That is exactly what Christian Aid is about and I hope you will support the door to door Collection with a generous spirit. May has another special day: Watch out for Thursday 13th May – Ascension Day – when we celebrate Jesus ascending into heaven as a dramatic moment of full reconciliation between mankind and God. We will sing hymns on the Mount at 7 am, and have a service in St. Nicholas’ at 8 pm on Ascension Day. Join in!

Oh yes, and then we must mention the General Election. By the time we celebrate VE Day and Ascension Day a new government will be in power. God bless anyone who is prepared to take on the task of running the country! But remember, ‘they’ may be in ‘power’, but you also have a great power to do good; and the power you exercise may well affect the people around you more than any politician.

On 23rd May we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost when God sent down his power, through the Holy Spirit, to energise a bunch of ordinary people to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world. With miracles and wonders they fearlessly proclaimed Jesus Christ as Lord and risen from the dead. They preached a new message of inclusive love where all people are equal and equally loved by God. We are still working out the implications of this Gospel. By all means exercise your vote on 6th May but also exercise your power to serve God. Working together for the common good has God’s stamp of approval on it!

John Ganjavi - Rector

WHAT THE CHURCHES IN HENLEY ARE UP TO THIS MONTH!

At St John’s in May we will be focusing our charitable giving and prayers on the work of the Church Army.
This is an Anglican organisation which focuses on the 7 out of 10 people who have no meaningful connection with church. CA’s mission is to build Christian community through various projects eg outreach buses, youth groups, vocational training centres, new baby groups, after school clubs and town centre pastoral teams. Our local Church Army evangelists are Roger Horsley and Paul Warren based in Warwick Gates. They have established a fresh expressions community centre from which they have run ‘messy church’ and church cafe services. More recently they have opened a mission training centre and have 2 full time students working with them.

Christian Aid Week – May 9th – 15th
Please don’t throw away the Christian Aid envelope that came with this newsletter. Put some coins, or better still paper notes, in it then wait for an authorised collector to call on you week starting May 11th or drop it into St John’s or put through door of 289 High Street. The money you donate will help some of the poorest communities in the world, empowering to them a better future. We always need more volunteers so if you have a few hours to spare during the week May 9th to 15th please call Lucy Lunt on 794873.

Barn Dance – Saturday 22nd May
7.30pm for 8.00pm start in the Church Hall, Beaudesert Lane, in aid of church funds.
Come along and have an enjoyable evening with friends and dance to caller Hugh Rippon. Tickets £7.50 to include a ploughman’s supper, from Barbara Colclough on 793710 and Daphne Jones on 01926 793710.

HENLEY METHODIST CHURCH
Sunday Services all at 10.30 am except May 9th (10.00am) followed by at 11.00am with an outdoor Victory Europe Day service in St Nicholas churchyard. May 2nd Mr Brian Atkins, 9th (10.00am) Revd Robert J Powell (Sacrament), 16th Mr Archie Nicholas, 23rd Revd Ros Murphy, 30th Mr David Loader.

HENLEY ROYAL BRITISH LEGION
There will be a parade led by the Shirley Pipe Band and a Drumhead Service in St Nicholas' Churchyard Sunday 9th May at 11.00am to celebrate the 65th Anniversary of VE Day. The parade will leave the Memorial Hall at 10.25am.

English Bells and Change Ringing

In a fascinating talk Chris Mew told the meeting something about the history, construction and technique of bells and bell ringing.

Church bells are particularly unique to this country. Of the roughly 6,000 churches with bells only about 250 are overseas and those are in countries where there was a strong British influence. And it is a particularly Church of England activity. Continental Europe on the other hand has a preference for carillons rather than bells. In simple terms English bells are attached to a wheel and rope which allows them to swing while bells in a carillon are static with the striking method often controlled by a keyboard.

The history of English church bells goes back to the early Middle Ages and until the Reformation bells were usually rung by monks and nuns. Thereafter it became much more a secular activity and indeed came to be regarded more as a sport until 1643 when an Act was passed banning bell ringing for sport. Eventually various societies were formed mostly in the latter part of the 19th century although the oldest society goes back 370 years.

Bells are cast in a mould using a molten metal being an amalgam of 77% copper and 23% tin. Quite often bells were actually cast on site because of difficulties in transporting such a heavy finished product. Nowadays there remain only two bell making foundries one of which is the famous Whitechapel Bell Foundry, Britain’s oldest manufacturing company having been established in 1570. The heaviest bell is called a tenor and can weigh up to 4 tons while the smallest bell is called a treble.

Bells are attached to a wheel which allows them to swing to almost 360 degrees. Ropes are in turn connected to the wheel and this is how the bell ringer controls the swing of the bell and hence when the clapper strikes the bell. The practice and hobby of bell-ringing, and in particularly change ringing, is where bells are rung in a mathematical sequence. The more bells there are in a tower the greater the number of permutations that can be achieved although unlike in a carillon no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody.

Our speaker went on to point out that bell ringing is well within the capabilities of most people with ringers coming from all walks of life and all age ranges. The initial training takes a few weeks and after that one can ring with the rest of a band; and it also provides a wonderful way to join in with other bands in towers around the world.

The Henley Society’s next meeting will be on Wednesday 26th May when there will be a visit to Evesham. The cost is £18 for the day which will include travel by coach, a tour of the Almonry Museum & Heritage Centre, a scenic river cruise and afternoon tea. To book or for further information please contact Lesley Eastwood on 793646.

Andrew Yarwood reporting

Subject: The Great Gordon

Just a few interesting facts about Gordon Brown

We used to have 6 independent regulators to regulate the different divisions of the financial services industry, including our Banks. (Margaret Thatcher knew what the Banks were like and in the 1988 Finance Act she bound the Banks up in regulation to prevent them from being reckless).

Then Gordon Brown became Chancellor on 6th May 1997. Gordon's banker friends said "We want all these regulators to go. We don't want regulators watching everything we do."

AND GORDON SAID OK

So, Gordon announced on the 20th May 1997 (2 weeks after becoming Chancellor) that the six regulatory bodies would be broken up and a new Financial Services Authority would replace them. The FSA had virtually no powers over the Banks and he also took away the powers from the Bank of England to enforce regulation on them.

The result is the devastation we are all suffering today.

We used to have a Monopolies and Mergers Commission. Then Gordon's banker friends said we don't want the Monopolies and Mergers commission telling us who we can and can't "Take Over".

AND GORDON SAID OK

So, in 1998 Gordon scrapped the Monopolies and Mergers Commission and created a replacement called the Competition Commission, with very much reduced powers and different ideas of what used to be regarded as a "Monopoly".

The result is the massive corporations we have today who are ruling and shaping our lives for their own benefit and profits. Not to mention the massive monopolies held by some of these corporations through the forced purchases of all their competitors

We used to have pension regulations, which for many decades had included something called "The Pensions Cap".

The pensions cap set a limit on how much pension any scheme member (including directors) could get from an occupational pension scheme, irrespective of how high their earnings were. It was there to protect the ordinary members' pensions, to prevent Directors paying themselves obscene salaries and then draining the pension funds by taking huge pensions. Then Gordon Brown's banker friends said that they wanted the pensions cap removing so that they could get pensions related to their obscene earnings. (The whole Pensions industry gave him warnings of the effects it would have. Even the Inland Revenue put forward objections)

BUT GORDON SAID OK

Because Gordon never likes to disappoint his banker friends he took away the Pensions Cap in 2005 and then some of his friends were able to leave their boardroom positions with huge pensions!!!

For example Fred Goodwin was apparently entitled to a pension of over £700,000. If Gordon had left the pensions cap in place that would have been a mere £125,000. Well done Fred and your mates!!!

(The Superannuations Division of the Inland Revenue have kept a record of what it should be, in readiness for when we get a new chancellor who sees fit to re-instate it. George Osborne has pledged to do that). The record of Pensions Cap limits are available to view on the Revenue's website.

The result of this is that along with Gordon's "Tax Raid" on pension funds starting July 1997, over four thousand UK company pension schemes have closed their doors to new members and many of them have had to close down altogether, leaving millions of workers without any pension provision.

This man Gordon Brown professes to be a socialist and "for" the working man.

The working man's main form of long term financial security had for many years been his company pension scheme, something to look forward to at the end of a life of hard work, his reward, light at the end of a long dark tunnel.

Gordon has put an end to that by destroying the most valuable asset of the average British worker.

IT IS ONE OF THE GREATEST TRAVESTIES OF JUSTICE THAT THIS MAN WHO PRETENDS TO BE "FOR THE WORKING MAN" HAS IN FACT BEEN HIS WORST ENEMY FOR THE LAST THIRTEEN YEARS AND WILL LEAVE A LEGACY THAT WE WILL STILL BE CLEARING UP FOR MANY YEARS TO COME.

THE REAL INJUSTICE IS THAT ITS ALL BEEN DONE IN AREAS WHICH ARE TOTALLY OUT OF SIGHT TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND BEYOND THE UNDERSTANDING OF MANY

GORDON RELIES ENTIRELY ON PEOPLE'S IGNORANCE TO GET AWAY WITH HIS INDISCRETIONS

GORDON'S MOTTO OF: "DENY EVERYTHING AND ADMIT NOTHING" SEEMS TO BE WORKING QUITE WELL FOR HIM SO FAR.

LASTLY, WHAT GORDON LIKES TO CALL THE "GLOBAL BANKING CRISIS".

Have you noticed that we were the first to be in it and are the last to be out (and whether we are out is very speculative!!!)?  As he has openly admitted, The Royal Bank of Scotland was the world’s biggest bank. So when RBS and HBOS were about to go BUST in October 2008  they had to be bailed out overnight so they did not take the entire country down with them, (that by the way was almost certainly a decision made by the hierarchy in Whitehall for which Gordon loves to take the credit).

As the worlds leading banks now all lend money to each other on a colossal scale, isn't it obvious that the world’s biggest bank going down would have a devastating effect on all the others it dealt with? This "world's biggest bank" had also sold bad mortgage books to other banks.

Most of the Banks in Europe which ran into crisis were dragged into it because of the crooked dealings of our big Banks. A fact that both Germany and France were quick to remind Gordon Brown of at the G20 emergency meeting shortly after the crisis.

There are many other of Gordon's indiscretions, far too many to list here, but perhaps the few biggies shown above will give some insight into how Gordon operates.

By the way have you noticed how he has suddenly become interested in Social issues now an election is looming and seems to be able to promise the world when, as Alistair Darling put it a few days ago, there is not a penny left in the bank…………?

Think very carefully before casting your vote for this man who is probably the most extreme capitalist of the past century while pretending to be "for the working man".

GORDON WORSHIPS THE SUPER RICH AND POWERFUL AND CANNOT SAY NO TO THEM

Henley-in-arden Property Gazette.co.uk

Habitat Survival's New Workshop

Quite a long time ago we told you about the highs and lows experienced while building our Workshop.  Since then we have been busy installing the latest audio-visual technology and generally making the inside of this new building as interesting and absorbing as mother nature has made the grassland, woodland and tributary River Alne right outside its doors, and which we like to think of as a Living Classroom.

What this Workshop needs now is small groups of children, including Cubs and Brownies, to visit and enjoy nature's bounty in whichever way their accompanying teachers/leaders think best fits their needs, and if that includes a muddy walk for the purpose of identifying seventeen different species of deciduous trees, 2000 of which have been planted since 1991, then please remember to bring rubber boots. Visits are FREE and very welcome.

For anyone interested please contact Molly Corfield Tel:01564 794651

Volunteers transform outdoor learning at St Mary’s

A team of eager volunteers from E.ON’s Retail Informational Technology Team recently spent a day transforming the playground and outdoor area at St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Henley-in-Arden.

The team spruced up the garden area, gave the playground fence and tables a new lease of life with bright coats of paint and enhanced the early year’s outdoor area by painting the shed in vibrant colours.

A large overgrown area was also cleared to help St Mary’s to develop a forest school for the children to learn about nature and play in outdoor surroundings.

Kath Chapman, Head Teacher at the school, said: “On behalf of St Mary’s I would like to say a big thank you for the community day. The team transformed a ‘jungle’ into an inspirational learning area for our children.

“The team were a pleasure to work with. There was a show of great camaraderie and enthusiasm throughout the day and I hope they enjoyed their day too. Staff and children are delighted with the new look– thank you!”

Michelle Rafferty, who is both a parent and an E.ON employee, said: “I was excited to see the E.ON team arrive at the school ready for the challenge that lay ahead, but even more excited when I picked the children up and saw the playground injected with colour and the children’s happy faces.

“The parents think it’s fantastic what the E.ON team have achieved and we’re now planning to develop the area that has been cleared into a forest school.”

E.ON finds volunteering opportunities for employees across the UK, working with schools, older people and other vulnerable groups as part of its wider community relations programme. In 2009, E.ON employees spent over 8,000 hours volunteering in their local communities.

Michelle Rafferty reporting

John Earle’s April auction

The auction went off with a flying start when Richard Abbey offered for sale 4 Lugtrout Lane (right), a semi-detached property ripe for updating and refurbishment. A great deal of interest had been shown in this property in the weeks prior to auction and in the room, after steady bidding, the property was sold for £160,000 a figure well above the initial guide price.

The second property to be offered for sale was 2 Primrose Cottages (left below) in Bradnocks Marsh Lane, Hampton in Arden. An investment property being sold with a protected tenant. Some very competitive bidding ensued with one bidder going up in £500 increments and the hammer finally went down at a figure of £148,000, again substantially above the initial guide.

The final property to be offered, 4 Pigeon Green, unfortunately was not sold on the night and therefore remains available via private treaty sale at offers around £200,000.

Peter Cornford for John Earle stated that the results for the two properties sold had exceeded both the client’s and the firm’s expectations and was delighted that good prices were obtained, indicating that positive money is looking to move back into the property market for the right types of property where growth can be expected irrespective of the political outcome.

The firm’s next auction is scheduled for Tuesday 18th May. For further details please see our auction section of the website or if you require details to be posted to you please telephone the office on 01564 794343.

Angela Day reporting

Bogus Phone Calls

Hi Bill
 
I don’t know if you would like to warn other readers about what could only be a phone scam.
 
I have just received a call from an Asian gentleman telling me that I had paid too much in bank charges and not to worry as I was going to get over £800 paid back into my account.  Wow lucky me!  Except I am in the fortunate position of never having paid a fraction of that out in the first place.
 
At this point I told him I would have to get my husband, please could he hang on a minute, and left him there.  He didn’t wait long!
 
The caller number came up as 0123.
 
I’m sure he would have soon been asking for my bank details or money to cover costs.  I am equally sure it’s a scam.
 
Anyway, it’s a change from council matters and elections.
 
Rita Redfern reporting

Raffle Prize Hard Sell

Consumers are warned to beware of cold calls from someone offering a 'free' raffle ticket to win a car in exchange for your name and phone number. Residents who agreed then reported receiving a phone call to say they had 'won' a prize, consisting of a carpet or sofa clean. When the person arrived to conduct the free clean they then used high pressure sales techniques, including refusing to leave when asked, to try and sell the householder a very expensive vacuum cleaner (over £2,000). In some cases they remained in the property for a period of over one and a half hours.

This is a method sometimes employed by hard sell sales people to get access to an individual's home when the householder might not otherwise agree to allow it.

Warwickshire Trading Standards Service advises householders not to buy from the first person who comes to your door, but rather to ask yourself - do I really need this item? And, could I buy it cheaper elsewhere?

Doorstep sellers are trained to get people to buy. They can be extremely persuasive. Once you have let a doorstep seller into your home, they will be expecting a sale - and they won't give up easily!

Dealing with doorstep sellers and telephone sales calls:

• Fix a security chain to your door and make sure you use it every time someone calls.
• Don't agree to buy goods or services from the first person who comes knocking on your door.
• Check prices elsewhere and don't let the seller or trader push you into making a snap decision or convince you to buying goods or services you don't need or want.
  

For more information visit our website: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/tradingstandards

Simon Cripwell - Trading Standards Service
Warwickshire County Council
email. simoncripwell@warwickshire.gov.uk

New Greener Coaches for Johnsons

For their new coach order for 2010, Johnsons Coaches of Henley-in-Arden have purchased four brand new coaches. They are equipped with greener 'Euro 5' engines which means that they meet the latest and most stringent EU legislation standards for economy and emissions. Two are built to Johnsons 'Club Class' standard, which includes 49 seats and aircraft style tables. These are also fully carpeted, have built in vacuum cleaners and will be used on Johnsons large and popular programme of holidays, day excursions and theatre trips. The other two vehicles have 53 seats and will be kept busy on the company's private hire and private group holidays services.

All four coaches also have on board CCTV plus toilet, drinks and DVD facilities. A new enhancement is that all of Johnsons coaches are now equipped with a GPS tracking system so that operations staff know where any coach is, throughout Britain and Europe, at any time or the day or night.

John Johnson said "Vehicle tracking has been a major step forward for the company and the visual positioning facility helps us to ensure the maximum efficiency of our 40 vehicle coach fleet. The system has a number of other features that helps us to keep fuel use and fuel consumption to an absolute minimum, which is so vitally important in these times of high fuel prices."

These new vehicle arrivals are the first in this years 1.5 million pound investment programme which will ensure that the Johnsons coach and bus fleet continues to be one of the most modern and up to date private vehicle fleets in the UK.

Carole Essex reporting

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Rotary Charity Golf Day for Air Ambulance

The sun shone for Henley Rotary Club's Charity Golf Day held at Stratford Oaks Golf Club when over £1,500 was raised for the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance, the club's chosen charity for this year's event.

“We had great support not only from the players but also from local businesses and individuals who sponsored holes and provided raffle prizes,” said club president David Brain. “We are delighted with the result.”

Alcester North Safer Neighbourhood Team
Community Newsletter

Incident Overview
Below are the incidents recorded for the Alcester North Safer Neighbourhood Team for April 2010:

Crime in Your Area
Burglaries are still occurring mainly in the Tanworth/Earlswood area, although there is an improvement on last year’s figures.

Criminal damage has reduced on last year although their has been a increase recently in the Henley area on Friday/Saturday evenings with two reports of broken windows to premises located on the High Street, a door handle cut off from a premises located on the High Street and a tree planted near to Henley Medical Centre in memory of a local resident has been cut into by an object believed to be a axe; the tree has since been felled for safety reasons and a new one will be planted in its place. Studley has seen an outbreak in vandalism with a number of fences being damaged. Local officers will be increasing patrols in the aforementioned areas, however if anybody has any information in connection with these incidents please contact the Alcester North Safer Neighbourhood Team.

Although anti-social behaviour has reduced significantly the Studley area has still been experiencing problems; this is being combated with increased patrols by officers and use of the ‘dispersal zone’ currently in place.

Information & Advice
The Stratford District Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP), that includes both Stratford District Council and Warwickshire Police is committed to reducing house burglaries and in particular preventing repeat incidents of this type of crime. As part of this objective households can purchase through Warwickshire Police a property marking solution called SMART WATER.

What is SMART WATER?
SMART WATER is a unique solution containing a blend of harmless chemicals providing it with a “forensic fingerprint”. This fingerprint has been likened in concept to “DNA profiling”.

Once applied, SMART WATER makes the possession of stolen property a risky business. When subjected to ultra violet light its presence is immediately obvious by a telltale fluorescent glow. The smallest amount is enough for forensic scientists to verify the registered owner.

Through Warwickshire Police the cost of each SMART WATER bottle is £15.00, which provides enough coverage for approximately 100 – 150 items dependant on how generous you are, however SMART WATER can be detected as small as a pin head, so very little is required for each item.

Accompanying the solution are SMART WATER stickers for your home, also available are plastic signs for sheds and outhouses. Since SMART WATER is invisible to the naked eye these are designed to advertise the fact that you are SMART WATER protected, so should be placed in a prominent position in order to deter would be thieves.

To purchase SMART WATER please write to:

Community Safety Department
Stratford on Avon Police Station
Rother Street
Stratford on Avon
Warwickshire

Please include your name, address, contact telephone number and a cheque made payable to Warwickshire Police for the sum of £15.00.

To find out more about SMART WATER, please contact the Community Safety Team on 01789 414111 Ext: 4540 or E-Mail: tony.lambert@warwickshire.pnn.police.uk or nick.stephens@warwickshire.pnn.police.uk

Please note it is an offence to let off fireworks after 11pm except on Bonfire Night when the deadline is midnight and New Year’s Eve at 1am.

Alcester North Safer Neighbourhood Priorities
Current priorities as chosen by members of the public at the last Community Forum held on the 11th February 2010:

• Anti Social Behaviour, Millennium Park and Surrounding area, Studley – Safer Neighbourhood Officers have pledged to conduct high visibility patrols in the area including 8 x extra duties until 2am.
• Parking issues outside Tesco Express, Studley – Safer Neighbourhood Officers will liaise with Stratford District Council regarding enforcement and have pledged to conduct 20 x high visibility patrols in the area to deliver advice or enforcement where appropriate.
• Inappropriate use of Juggins Lane by HGVs and Speeding Vehicles, Forshaw Heath, Earlswood – Safer Neighbourhood Officers will liaise with the Council and Highways regarding a review of signage and the speed limit. Officers have pledged to carry out 20 x high visibility patrols in the area to monitor HGVs confusing Forshaw Heath Lane with the M42 slip road and to carry out speed checks.
  

Feedback on the above priorities will be given at the next Community Forum (see below for details), feedback will also be given in the next newsletter together with details of the new priorities. For further information please visit www.safer-neighbourhoods.co.uk/

Good News/Events
David Hall of Henley in Arden admitted in Crown Court possession of a Class A drug with intent to supply and has been sentenced to two years in prison.

Following further enquiries officers have arrested and charged a male from Hall Green, Birmingham in connection with a burglary dwelling which took place at Tanworth Lane, Tanworth in Arden. Some of the items that were stolen have also been recovered.

On the 14th March 2010 officers executed a warrant in Studley and a male was cautioned for possession of a controlled drug.

Warwickshire Police (Alcester Area) Schools Netball Tournament took place on the 17th of April at Studley High School. In the junior section fourteen schools competed. The winners were Claverdon A, second place went to Temple Grafton and third Welford on Avon. The senior section was between four schools with an under 13s league and an under 15s league. Alcester Grammar won both leagues with Henley High runners up in the under 13s and Alcester High runners up in the under 15s. The organisers would like to thank everyone who took part and all those who helped on the day.

Local officers from Henley assisted Henley Primary School in escorting pupils safely to and from St John’s Church, Henley, where officers also represented Warwickshire Police in a service attended by the Bishop of Coventry to rename Henley Primary School ‘Henley Church of England Primary School’.

A male was stopped by officers in Henley for driving without insurance. While dealing with the incident officers found evidence of drug abuse; the male was dealt with appropriately.

Following popular demand Police Surgeries have been introduced in the Tanworth/Earlswood area, these will run on similar lines to those established in Henley. The first will be held on May 5th, between 10am – 12am, St Mary Magdalene Church Room, Tanworth.

Meetings/Events
The next Community Forum will be held 1st July 2010, 7pm, Henley Memorial Hall - If you have a specific concern then come along to the local surgery where you will be able to speak to your local Safer Neighbourhood Policing Team, Warwickshire County Council or Stratford District Council Officer.

The next Henley Community Surgery will be held on 26th May 11:30am, Henley Baptist Church Hall.  The surgery gives you the opportunity to speak to members of the Parish Council & Safer Neighbourhood Policing Team about the issues that concern you while giving you feedback regarding what is happening in the community.

The next Henley Police Surgery will be 12th May, between 11am – 1pm, Henley Police Station - a drop in facility to discuss issues/problems within the community with your local policing team.

The next Henley Neighbourhood Watch Meeting will be held 6th May, 7pm, Henley Police Station.

The next Tanworth/Earlswood Police Surgery will be 5th May, between 10am – 12am, St Mary Magdalene Church Room, Tanworth - a drop in facility to discuss issues/problems within the community with your local policing team.

The next Studley Neighbourhood Watch/Community Surgery will be held 19th May, 7:30 pm, Studley Village Hall

BE AWARE
If you have any information or have witnessed the above incidents,
please can you contact Alcester Police on 01789 762207. 
E-Mail: alcesternorth.snt@warwickshire.pnn.police.uk

John Garner's Business Column

Maternity Rules – OK?

Last week I mentioned that the rate of Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) changed in April, as it always does, along with other statutory payment rates. This seems to get ever more complicated as each year passes so let’s see if we can clarify things.

SMP is now paid for 39 weeks and usually covers the first 39 weeks of an employee's maternity leave. A pregnant employee qualifies for SMP provided she has:

• at least 26 weeks continuous employment extending into the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth (the 'qualifying week')
• average weekly earnings (AWE) at or above the lower earnings limit for National Insurance contributions (NICs) - £97 from April 2010
• provided her employer with a form MATB1 or an equivalent document issued by her midwife or GP (this gives her expected dates).

For the first 6 weeks she gets SMP at a weekly rate equal to 90% of her AWE.

For the next 33 weeks she should be paid the lower of the following:

• £124.88 per week
• 90% of her AWE

She can take 52 weeks off work in total but the remaining 13 weeks are unpaid.

Some employers have schemes which are much more generous than this. This is common in in the public sector; now there’s a surprise!

Employers can recover 92% of the total SMP paid but if their total National Insurance payments are less than £45,000 per annum they can recover 104.5%. This is to compensate for some of the Employer's National Insurance paid on SMP.

It’s a good job the employer can recover this because other costs to the business can be substantial.

During the entire maternity leave period an employee has a statutory right to continue to benefit from all the terms and conditions of her employment which would have applied to her had she been at work. This could include:

• gym membership
• participation in share schemes
• reimbursement of professional subscriptions
• the use of a company car or mobile phone (unless provided for business use only)

The entire maternity leave period counts towards an employee's period of continuous employment for the purposes of entitlement to other statutory employment rights, eg holidays, pay increments, the right to a redundancy payment. Similarly, maternity leave doesn't break continuity of employment.

John Garner

Make Henley Greener
Save Money - Help Save the Planet

How many people have you killed ?

The answer is that it depends on how old you are!! The older you are, the more you have killed !!!!!!  Don’t believe me? ---read on.

The effects of Climate change in the UK are currently fairly small but this is not the case in other parts of the world. Sea level rise has already led to the start of evacuation of 2600 people from the Carteret Islands in the Pacific. Rising sea levels are increasing the salinity in soils of coastal fringes leading to reduced food production, malnutrition and famine. Increased frequency of hurricanes is leading to more deaths, as in New Orleans: 1800 killed and approaching 400,000 evacuated. The 2003 heat wave killed 20,000 people in Europe. The World Health Organisation has estimated that infectious diseases directly attributable to Climate Change are already responsible for an additional 150,000 deaths per year.

Craig Simmons of Best Foot Forward (A carbon accounting and sustainability consultancy) collected together all the estimates of the numbers of people killed or chronically affected by Climate Change related disasters and effects. He concluded that one person would die, be made homeless, require urgent medical treatment or face starvation for every 102 tons of CO2 emitted. Average UK emissions are about 10 tons per person so it takes about 10 years to emit enough CO2 to seriously damage someone else’s life. At my age of 60+, my lifetime emissions will be around 600 tons which equates to the lives of 6 people somewhere on the planet being damaged, or ended due to me having an energy dependent high carbon lifestyle. This is why I am working away at reducing my Carbon footprint. 

How many people have you killed?

The answer is less than one because far fewer people are killed by Climate Change than are adversely affected. So I haven’t even killed one person. Does this make me feel any better? Not really, because those who have been killed are no longer suffering, but those who have been driven from their homes (most without insurance), those who can no longer grow enough food and those made ill are still suffering!!!

John Stott - Make Henley Greener

Stratford District Council

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

Stephen Thirlwell

Joint Parish Council Watch

Henley-in-Arden Reform Association continues to grow in popularity and recruit new supporters. It will be providing a regular commentary of the machinations of our parish council.

The parish council meeting on Monday 26th April contained the usual number of unusual events and demonstrated yet again how necessary it is to elect new members to the council who will bring about a fresh approach to the council's affairs.

Items of note from this meeting were:

1. Cllr Hubbocks objected to the minutes saying he never seconded a resolution that the payment of the grant to the TIC should be frozen. Several councillors were unable to recollect any formal vote on the matter. The chairman admitted that no vote had been taken and the minutes were incorrect. Clearly, the accuracy of the minute taking by the highly paid clerk needs to be watched.
2. Cllr George Matheou, commented that the medieval parish structure should be abolished in favour of town status. England welcomes many people of overseas birth but should they be proposing the destruction of our heritage? Such proposals can only act as a recruiting sergeant for extreme right wing parties.
3. The TIC was warned that grants in future years could be dependant on its trustees not supporting the Reform Association. This could be construed as a thinly veiled threat!
4. Cllr George Matheou observed that democracy was a Greek invention. Cllr Bill Leech reminded Cllr Matheou that the form of democracy practiced in Greece in the fifth and fourth centuries BC was known as "The Tyranny of the Majority". Cllr Leech went on to remind Cllr Matheou that “Under the English system, Councillors are obliged to accept the majority decisions of the Council on any resolutions which are correctly and lawfully arrived at but they not obliged to agree with that decision and they can also still express their own personal opinion both in Council and to the press if they so wish.”
5. Cllr Hubbocks objected to the Labour Party's candidate's leaflet for the District Council election by referring to the JPC as a Conservative council. He wanted the leaflet reissued with an apology. He's got to be joking!
6. Cllr George Matheou asked if Henley NEWS Online was approved by the Press Commission. Cllr Leech asked if the JPC Newsletter had been registered with this mythical quango and advised Cllr Matheou that there was no such organisation. Bill Leech added, "In England, we have Freedom of Expression, Access to Information and Empowerment of the People, especially on May 3rd - World Press Freedom Day".

World Press Freedom Day takes place on May 3rd each year and is a United Nations initiative

There is an archive of the recent press reports about the Joint Parish Council at:

http://reformjpc.blogspot.com/

If you believe the JPC's conduct is unacceptable, please support REFORM and register at:

http://www.tfaforms.com/144040