Archived News
September 2012
Eaton Bray Academy - Open Day - 15 October 2012
Eaton Bray Academy Open Day
Monday 15th October 2012, 2.00pm-3.00pm
Everyone Welcome
Parish Council Minutes - September 2012
Minutes of Parish Council Meeting: Monday 3rd September 2012
The next Parish Council meeting will be held on Monday 1st October 2012, from 7.30pm, in the Coffee Tavern.
St Mary's Church Roll of Honour WW1 WW2
A list of names from both wars (WW1/WW2) has been reproduced from the original document hanging in St Mary's Church to an online format.
It is not known who compiled this list but there are some new names and some old ones ommited.
To view this list (with links to some Serving Soldiers' biographies), see St Mary's Church Roll of Honour in the History section of the Eaton Bray website.
Eaton Bray Village Hall Car Park Nearly There
As I write in early September the car park at the Eaton Bray Village Hall is being resurfaced, this will include a larger area for parking, along with dedicated disabled parking spaces. We had hoped to be able to have the job finished by the end of August… but the best laid plans of mice and men! When it is finally finished, this will be the end of a 10 plus year period of planning, fundraising and refurbishment of the Village Hall and we will have carried out the works we promised back in 2004. In that time many people have worked extremely hard to achieve what is now a superb village hall fit for the 21st century. All the trustees, both past and present, have given of their time and energy, far beyond the normal and I truly know that without their enthusiasm and dedication we would not have the hall we have now.
Not that this is the end; we will still be looking to improve the Hall and will keep fundraising to that effect, but perhaps not so fervently as before! We will certainly keep up the Quizzes with our friends from Eaton Bray Tennis Club and the Beer Festival, which will be celebrating its 10th anniversary next May 31st and June 1st!
Just a quick reminder that the next Quiz is on Saturday 17th November and tickets can be obtained by contacting me, Ross.
One last thing on the Car park: We have installed width restricting bollards to keep heavy lorries off the new surface, so please be aware on entering and leaving!
Cheeky Monkeys New Start
Hello Everyone,
I hope you have all had a lovely summer break and have been enjoying the nice weather.
As Rachel informed many of you at the end of the last term, the organisation and running of Cheeky Monkeys will now be taken over by The Beehive Sure Start Children's Centre. My Name is Jess and I am one of the family workers at the Centre and some of you may have met me in my previous role when I used to attended the group on a monthly basis delivering a Rhyme Time on behalf of Action for Children.
The session will now be run by members of staff from the Centre and our volunteers and the group will be re starting next Wednesday 12th September from 1pm-2.30pm with an open day theme. The sessions cost will now be £1 per adult and £1 for children aged 1-5 years and under 1's free. Staying with the theme of an open day we are hoping that as many staff from the Centre as possible will be able to attend the session to introduce themselves along with some other local professionals.
On behalf of all the staff at the Beehive Children's Centre, we look forward to hopefully meeting you all next Wednesday.
If you have any queries or questions please feel free to call the Centre or email me.
Kind Regards
Jessica Rolt
Family Worker
The Beehive Sure Start Children's Centre
Westfield Road
Dunstable
Bedfordshire
LU6 1DW
Source: Cheeky Monkeys
Bedfordshire continues to become a safer place to live new figures reveal
Bedfordshire's outgoing Police Authority has welcomed the optimistic start made to 2012/13 which has seen crime levels continue to fall across many areas.
Chief Constable Alf Hitchcock told members that overall crime has continued to plummet 16% so far this year - on top of a highly successful 12 months which resulted in large reductions and dramatic improvements in the force's national rankings in most major crime categories.
Since April, domestic burglary - a key priority in the force's Policing Plan because of the importance placed on it by the public in Bedfordshire – has dropped 12% which is an exceptional achievement on the back of the 20% reduction achieved last year. Meanwhile, robbery has fallen by 10%, vehicle crime by 17%, violence against the person by 19% and most serious violence by 30%.
The continued success is partly due to changes in the way the force is focusing on and investigating crime. Members have been told the Integrated Offender Management Scheme is providing an increasingly powerful system of monitoring the most prolific offenders and encouraging a co-ordinated approach between local agencies to have the optimum effect on re-offending rates. Meanwhile, changes to the way in which the control room operates including the introduction of a new appointment system for non-emergency appointments is bringing significant benefits to resource management. This initiative enables police officers to meet victims and witnesses at times convenient to them to resolve non-urgent issues.
The Force and Authority has also focused heavily on anti-social behaviour, recognising its impact on the quality of life in our communities and the role it plays in the public's perception of safety. A new pilot is currently taking place in Luton which is aimed at delivering further positive results and improving the experience of members of the public reporting these offences.
Peter Conniff, chairman of Bedfordshire Police Authority, said: "The progress made so far this year is extremely positive and reassures this Authority that the raft of changes introduced to streamline the way the force operates as a result of financial pressures are delivering impressive results. It is only by achieving these improvements to the public's outcomes, through reduced crime and more detections, whilst cutting costs that we can be confident that the policing service in Bedfordshire will be valued by our communities.
"However, we are never complacent when it comes to performance, especially when we are talking about figures that have been recorded very early in the year, and will continue to play our part in monitoring crime levels and detection results to improve standards further to ensure the incoming Police and Crime Commissioner has the best possible platform to build on for future success."
Chief Constable Alf Hitchcock added: "I'm delighted that crime has continued to fall but this isn't really about numbers and statistics, it's about Bedfordshire residents not coming home to find they have been burgled or the windows of their car smashed. All our staff have worked hard, along with the other agencies that we work alongside, to achieve this. I'm particularly pleased considering we've had some big challenges to face in the last 12 months, and will continue to face them as we strive to improve even more in the next six months."
Back to School 'Stay Safe' Advice
Students are being reminded to 'Stay Safe' on their journeys to and from school now the mornings are getting darker as the new term gets underway.
Plenty of tips and advice on personal safety have been handed out by local police teams at events aimed at young people during the summer holidays and this work continues throughout the new academic year as part of Bedfordshire Police's continued work with schools and educational establishments.
Richard Denton, Children and Young People Development Officer and School Coordinator for Bedfordshire Police said: "For the vast majority of pupils the journey to and from school is safe and uneventful, however, some young people tell us they have concerns about personal safety, who we continue to help."
Whether walking, cycling or taking public transport to get to school, youngsters are getting the best start they can by following our simple advice. We actively encourage parents and guardians to discuss personal safety with their children and any other concerns they may have. This will improve their confidence and help ensure a safe, enjoyable start to the school year for everyone."
Personal Safety advice includes:
- If possible walk with a friend or group of friends.
- Stay alert - Keep an eye on everything that is happening around you.
- Avoid wearing earphones or chatting on your mobile phone, as this will distract you from your surroundings and you may not see or hear trouble approaching. The sooner you are aware of potential danger, the easier it is to avoid it.
- Keep both hands free and don't weigh your-self down with lots of heavy bags - you need to be able to move easily.
- Trust your instincts – If you have a 'funny feeling' about someone or something, don't ignore it, act on it straight away.
- Take the route you know best and stick to busy, well-lit streets.
- Walk in the middle of the pavement, facing oncoming traffic. This will avoid any cars driving up alongside you as you walk.
- Think about your route home. Where would be a safe place to go if something went wrong? Safe places might be busy places like shops or garages, friends' houses or a police station.
- Have your keys ready so you can get into your home quickly.
- If using public transport always wait for a bus or train in a well-lit place and near other people if possible.
- Try to sit near the driver or guard and make sure you can see as much of the bus deck or carriage as possible.
- Have your travel pass/correct change ready, so that your purse or wallet stays out of sight.
- Always give away your bag, purse or wallet rather than fighting to keep it. Your things can be replaced – you can't.
- Your voice can be one of your best forms of defence. Don't be embarrassed to make as much noise as possible to attract attention.
- If you are on a bus or train you can press the alarm. Train platforms have telephones situated at the Help Points – these will connect you immediately to the British Transport Police or station staff.
- You could also phone 999. The operator will ask for name, address, emergency you require – give the information as clearly as you can and ask for the police.
Make sure your phone and other valuables are security marked and registered on http://www.immobilise.com/ you may also wish to consider downloading a tracking application for phones and computers. These applications can be traced should your phone be stolen and may help the police track down offenders so your property can be returned.