Category: local services

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Deanna Walker BEM & other news online

Banner of the West Bergholt Village BulletinThe latest Village Bulletin is now on-line and available for download/reading on-line on the Village Bulletin page.  News updates not previously reported here include:

Deanna Walker BEM

A West Bergholt woman has been recognised in the New Year’s Honours awards for her services to Higher Education.  Deanna Walker has been awarded the BEM (British Empire Medal) for her work at the University of Essex where she is administrator in the Registry Department.  She joined the university staff 25 years ago in the Admissions Department working in several administrative roles before reaching her present position as Senior Academic Officer.  Her work has included mentoring junior colleagues which, she believes, also contributed to colleagues recommending her for the award.

Deanna is modest about her achievements. She says:

The award came out of the blue. When the letter came notifying me, I couldn’t understand why I was chosen as I just do an ordinary working job.

[More… in the Bulletin]

Concert Band’s Christmas Concert raises £1,500 for St Helena Hospice

The Concert Band’s 2013 Christmas Concert was a huge success, as one audience member commented:

the most enjoyable Christmas Concert I’ve been to in many, many years.

The report continues to tell how they have raised nearly £30,000 in recent years and about their plans for 2014.

[More… in the Bulletin]

Voluntary Group & Club Updates

Well, there were quite a few including:

  • Friends of St Mary’s Old Church;
  • Hillhouse Wood;
  • Care Network;
  • Friendship Club;
  • Women’s Institute;
  • History Group;
  • Bergholt Heath YFC;
  • Workers’ Educational Association;
  • Gardeners;
  • Indoor Bowls;
  • First responders;
  • Allotments;
  • Badminton;
  • Churches; and
  • Orpen Players.

[More… in the Bulletin]

Last, but not least, the weather

As if we needed reminding, 2013 was pretty much the wettest we can recall – the following chart tells you just how wet West Bergholt was:

2013 rainfall in West Bergholt

 

 

 

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Are you living with slow Internet speeds?

Slow Internet?

Slow internet connection
Got this?
Fast internet connection
But want this?

Between them Essex County Council (ECC), HMG and BT are prepared to invest nearly £25m improving internet access speeds in those areas of Essex most needing it, their objective is to see minimum download speeds of 2Mbps.  To date only a small proportion or our village is connected to high speed broadband and the remaining residents are living life very much in the slow lane.  If you want to see a share of this £25m delivered to your door then you need to register your concerns because based on the current low-level of response (0.5% of West Bergholt households)  Superfast Essex will not reach us until at least 2016!

What you should do…

Take a speed test to see just how slow your ‘fast lane’ is – try this link – www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/diagnostics.

Superfast Broadband LogoNext register your interest in high-speed broadband on a special website set up by the ECC/BT Superfast Essex project at www.superfastessex.org.

You can also call or send an email to BT’s Regional Manager for East of England, Annette Thorpe, (contact 020 7778 5853 or [antibot mailto=”[email protected]”]), explaining why you feel West Bergholt should be a priority – you might want to make comment about how close we are to Colchester homes receiving much faster service and that incremental costs of adding West Bergholt should be relatively manageable for them under their BDUK contract.

Finally, you can also contact County Broadband, after all they came here when BT wouldn’t, and give them an incentive to consider further investment in upgrading the service we receive, by calling 0845 686 5000.

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Speedwatch – Surround a Town

Community Speedwatch targeting speeding in our community
Local Community Speedwatch volunteers were involved in the recent Surround a Town event.
Community Wheels Truck
The Community Wheels truck joined Speedwatch teams and others in raising speeding awareness

Essex Highways, Essex Police, Essex Fire & Rescue and local Speedwatch groups joined forces on  5th February with a crack down on speeding motorists.   The results saw a substantial number of interventions including:

  • Road Safety staff gave advice and showed education videos to 81 offenders at enforcement sites.
  • 400+ people on the “community wheels truck” outside the Town Hall with road safety staff and staff from the fire brigade giving advice.
  • 32 drivers were recorded travelling over 36 mph in Langenhoe, Peldon and West Bergolt by Community Speedwatch.
  • 13 speeding drivers spoken to by school children at a child speed watch event outside a school in Colchester.
Other activities included:
  • year six walks conducted by road safety staff to highlight the dangers on the road to year six students.
  • road safety staff in a college to engage with over 50 students about road safety issues.
  • the north Essex parking partnership were patrolling schools to raise awareness of the dangers arising from poor parking outside schools.
Look out for future similar events.
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Poo problem – dog fouling

Dog fouling is nasty - there is no poo fairy

Poo problem – dog fouling

There are often complaints about the problem of dog fouling in the village. Most dog walkers do take responsibility for clearing up after their dog and it is the few who don’t that create a bad image for all the others.

There was a problem recently at the doctor’s surgery.  A dog had been allowed to foul just outside the surgery and an unwary visitor had trodden in it and then unbeknown walked it through the surgery. This was a very unpleasant task for the staff to clean up afterwards as well as a hygiene issue.

All dog walkers should have, by law, a plastic bag with them and use this to pick up the poo and place in one of the many dog bins strategically placed around the village.

Dog mess on the pavements, in the hedgerows or on the streets is very unpleasant, unhealthy and unnecessary.

Please remember that no dogs are permitted on the Lorkin Daniell Field and this includes all areas around the Orpen Hall. Dog wardens will apply fines for offenders.

PLEASE ALWAYS CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR DOG

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Pop-up tea room comes to the village

Cup of tea and cookiesHaving lived in the village for many years Aaron & Misty have often gone on walks around the village and felt that something was missing.  Add to this that Misty is so keen on baking & catering that she catered her own wedding, it is probably not a total surprise that she is now embarking on her ‘pop-up tea room’ venture.  Opening every Sunday in St Mary’s Church Hall between 12:30 – 4:30 you will be able to enjoy a variety of hot drinks and sweet & savoury treats.  In Misty’s words:

I have made quite a few wedding cakes and birthday cakes, and my gingerbread house and Christmas cakes are very popular at Christmas.  I wanted to start up the little tea cosy in West Bergholt because I feel the village is really missing a nice welcoming place to enjoy a variety of hot drinks and sweet and savoury treats. We have so many lovely places to walk in the village and what way to finish it off with a nice sit down with some refreshments.  I hope that people understand where I am trying to go with this idea and come give it a try.

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Local Bus user – have your say!

Local bus in West BergholtIt’s not too late to have your say on the future of supported local bus services.

As you may be aware, in September the County Council began a major review of its support for local bus services in the County.   The public consultation seeks residents’ and passenger transport customers’ views on local bus services which are supported by the County Council, and their preferences and needs for services in the future.

The consultation has now been ‘live’ for 7 weeks. It’s clear that people care about the future of their individual bus services, however, the Council would like to encourage as many people as possible to take this opportunity to contribute towards the future of local bus services.  It is important the Council has a high level of response from the public so that decisions are made on robust evidence.

The consultation can be accessed online until 9 December 2013.  Paper copies of the consultation are also be available through libraries or by calling 0845 603 7631.

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Fish & Chips Thursdays

Greens Fish BarGreen’s Fish Bar has recently opened for business in West Bergholt.  Serving a range of traditional fish & chips, chef  Carl Green can also cater parties and events with a wide choice of dishes.

All their seafood is sustainable and sourced from reliable suppliers, freshly prepared and cooked in Green’s own batter (gluten free and vegetarian options available).

Carl’s menu options, all available from his distinctive van, include:

Traditional Fish ‘n’ Chips

  • Cod
  • Haddock
  • Plaice
  • Cod goujons
  • Scampi in breadcrumbs
  • Smoked haddock & salmon cakes
  • Proctors ‘The Essex’  jumbo sausage

Alternatives

  • Tiger prawns in filo pastry
  • Calamari
  • Moules mariniere
  • Fish provencal
  • Cornish sprats
  • West Coast king scallops
  • Greek falafels

Sides

  • Chips
  • Homemade mushy peas
  • Pickled onions
  • Pickled gherkins

Sauces

  • Homemade tartare
  • Homemade aioli
  • Mayonnaise
  • Green’s curry sauce

Kids

  • Fish fingers & chips

Desserts

Carl can be found in the Orpen Hall Car Park every Thursday evening serving up great food between 4:30 and 8:30.

For updates on Carl’s menus and services you can also follow him on Facebook.  Telephone orders are also welcome – please call 07545 042920.

Greens Fish & Chips, susatinably sourced

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Essex Health and Social Care Signposting Service

crossroadsA new easy way to find details of local NHS and Social Care services

A new signposting service has been launched in Essex.

If you need to find details of an NHS or social care service and don’t know where to look, you can now call a new telephone helpline.

Essex Signposting is free and can give you details of all local NHS and social care services including dentists, GPs, opticians, pharmacies.

The service can be contacted on freephone 0300 0032125 or email [antibot mailto=”[email protected]”], Monday to Friday between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm.   (Note that calls to the 0300 number are normally free from both landlines and mobile phones although you should check your contract if you are concerned about this).

NHS & Social Care Reforms

The Essex Health and Social Care Signposting Service is run by NHS Central Eastern Commissioning Support Service on behalf of Essex County Council and Healthwatch Essex. It is a new service introduced in April 2013, following Government reforms to the NHS and social care which saw the introduction of a new local and independent consumer champion for users of health and social care, called Healthwatch. In some parts of the country, local authorities have commissioned their local Healthwatch organisation to provide a signposting service for users of health and social care. In Essex, the County Council has commissioned NHS Central Eastern Commissioning Support Service to provide the service in 2013-14.

Healthwatch Essex

Healthwatch Essex is the new local and independent consumer champion for users of health and social care. It will play a role at national and local level and will make sure that the views and experiences of the public and people who use NHS and social care services are heard and are taken into account when decisions about the design and delivery of those services are made.

More information about Healthwatch Essex can be found on their website at: www.healthwatchessex.org.uk

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Every Minute Counts – Defibrillator to arrive at the Co-op

Every Minute Counts - Defibrillator to be located at West Bergholt Co-opThe residents of West Bergholt will soon have 24 hour access to a defibrillator unit, thanks to the East of England Co-op.

Working in partnership with the East of England Ambulance Service, the Co-op is funding 100 defibrillators to be placed in communities across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, as part of the Every Minute Counts Campaign.

A defibrillator is a potentially life-saving machine that gives the heart an electric shock in some instances of Cardiac Arrest.

If you suspect somebody to be in Cardiac Arrest you should dial 999 so that an ambulance can be sent to you. If there is more than one person with the casualty, you will be directed to the defibrillator whilst the other person performs CPR.

The defibrillator will be in a yellow cabinet situated at the Co.op Store, West Bergholt . The operator will provide you with an access code to get into the cabinet. The defibrillator should be taken out and taken back to the casualty and the operator will provide guidance over the phone.

If someone is able to administer CPR or use a defibrillator in the first four minutes, whilst the ambulance is en route, there is a significantly higher survival rate.  Once the ambulance has arrived the paramedics will take over.

The East of England Co-op and East of England Ambulance Service will be holding defibrillator demonstrations across the region, so you can see how it works and ask any questions you may have. Visit the Co-op website, www.eastofengland.coop/everyminutecounts.

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Are you planning an event?

Orpen Memorial Hall
Orpen Memorial Hall – a centre for village life

Then why not keep your money in the Village?  We have some great halls for hire that are suitable for a range of Functions, Birthday Parties, Meetings,  Socials etc.

  • Orpen Hall
  • St Mary’s Church
    • Main body of church – 60 persons;
    • Church Hall – 20-40 persons
    • Vestry – 12 persons.
    • To book: Phone Murray Harlow 07989720256
    • Link to St Marys website.
  • Methodist’s Chapel Hall – 20-60 persons.
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