Community, Parish Council & Village
Bergholt Heath YFC – Fixtures w/e 30th NovemberWaterlogged pitches ensured no games were played last weekend, hopefully this weekend’s will fare better.
With the Poors Field being used for the home games there is a good chance at least 2 of these games will get played.
In light of recent torrential downpours and localised flooding, Essex Police has the following advice/cautions to offer:
Only drive through water if you know that it’s not too deep, i.e. no deeper than 25cm (10 inches).
Drive slowly and steadily to avoid creating a bow wave.
Allow oncoming traffic to pass first and test your brakes as soon as you can after leaving the water.
Don’t driving through fast-moving water, such as at a flooded bridge approach – your car could easily be swept away.
Watch out for standing water, trying to avoid it if you can, and adjust your speed to the conditions.
The MUST knows about caring for your oil tankIf you have a domestic oil storage tank it’s your responsibility to keep it safe. Oil leaks can cause damage to property and the environment. Prolonged exposure to vapours could cause harm to health. It could cost you thousands of pounds and take months or years to clean up an oil spillage and there is a risk of prosecutions and fines. So, why take the risk? To prevent problems from occurring make sure your whole system is regularly checked and serviced by professionally qualified engineers.
Are there any visible leaks or stains? Are there any cracks or damage to the tank, pipes, sight gauges or the support system? Is your tank old or in poor condition? If any of these apply, get advice from a qualified and experienced engineer as soon as possible. If a repair or replacement is required, do not attempt to do this yourself.
Make sure your oil storage tank has space and cut back any plants which are growing near or over the tank, as they could damage it.
Make sure that any deliveries of oil can be made safely and supervise them whenever possible. Do what you can to prevent vandalism or theft, but do not make any changes that would affect how your system works.
Check your insurance cover! Some policies will only cover you for the cost of replacing lost oil, not for any clean up. Most companies will not cover you at all if a leak is caused by lack of maintenance.
Know what to do in an emergency. Don’t wait for a problem to occur! Read advice on our web page as mentioned below.
Keep a copy of emergency telephone numbers handy – or obtain a sticker for your tank from the Environment Agency by calling 03708 506 506.
Contact your insurance company immediately if a spill does occur. If your insurance policy does not cover you, you will need to employ your own accredited spill company.
Get advice and read the Essex Contaminated Land Consortium’s Domestic Heating Oil Care Guide at www.colchester.gov.uk/youroiltank.
We cannot clean up any oil that is spilt, or undertake any repairs for you but we may be able to help you find someone to clean up the oil to the correct standards.
West Bergholt’s own youth football Club, Bergholt Heath YFC has just received official notification that the Football Association has awarded it the prestigious “FA Charter Standard Club” accreditation.
After a long period of assessment starting some 9 months ago that included an audit of its polices & procedures, finances and of course both its youth coaching and child welfare qualifications, the Football Association has recently confirmed that Bergholt Heath now holds this official national standard.
The accreditation recognises that the Club provides structured coaching by FA qualified people for children of all ages and abilities to both train and play football in a safe environment.
Bergholt Heath is affiliated to the Essex Football Association and enters youth teams into the Colchester and District Youth Football League from the ages of 6 to 18. The Club currently has teams playing at under 8, under 10, under 12 and under 16 age groups and will be looking to add at least one more team below the current under 8 age next season (September 2015).
If you have a child interested in playing football please contact Club secretary David Bowden on 01206 241201 for further information.
This year Essex Police will be holding the 3rd annual Rural Crime Awareness Day which will take place at Layer Marney Towers, near Colchester, on 18th November. The idea to hold such an event was born back in 2012 at the request of local farmers at the Chelmsford Farm Watch meeting and the event has grown each year.
This free event will be open to visitors from 10:00 until 15:00 and is open to all Farmers and members of the rural communities across the entire county of Essex.
This event is to provide members of the farming and rural community information on crime prevention and security and also the various products and services on the market to assist in preventing crime. You will have the opportunity to liaise with Police Officers and Exhibitors at the event.
The day will be targeting the following areas:
Visitors will also be able to liaise with officers from Special Branch, General Aviation + Marine, Wildlife Liaison and Heritage Crime Officer, Crime Prevention Tactical Advisors, Stansted Aviation, ECTU Traveller Liaison, ECC Traveller Unit, Essex Watch, Firearms Licensing, Rural Specials and the Essex Police Volunteers stand, Farm Watch Liaison Officers etc…
Refreshments, Hot Food and drinks will be on sale at the event.
Please note – The entire Layer Marney Tower venue has a No Smoking policy in place. Please also note that dogs will not be permitted on site.
Please make a note in your diary, we look forward to welcoming you.
Bergholt Heath YFC – Results w/e 2nd NovemberAfter several weeks scoring hatfuls of goals every match, this week saw less scored, with only 3 counting in the opposition net. Yet again, well done to all boys and girls who played.
Bergholt travelled to Alresford this week and once the boys arrived (blame the Sat Nav not the Manager…) they made the brighter opening of the two teams. In particular, Bergholt were finding success down their right with Thomas L and Nicholas linking up well. The latter in fact had Bergholt’s first effort but his shot hit the side netting.
Then the game changer…. for once the forecasters got it right and the predicted torrential rain arrived with a vengeance. So much so that the referee took the players off the pitch for five minutes until it subsided. Bergholt tried to continue to play the passing game they have been asked to but without getting another real effort on goal. They were made to pay for this when the Alresford striker hit a pile-driver from outside the box into the top corner of Daniel’s net. The hosts then doubled their lead when Daniel made an excellent point-blank save but the rebound fell kindly to the Alresford player who slammed the ball home to give the home side a 2-0 lead at half-time.
At half-time the Bergholt manager asked the team to continue to play the passes and to their credit they did and had the majority of play but once again were unable to get the ball into the net. Freddie was taking the ball from defence to attack on many occasions to set up the Bergholt attacks. They came close – Thomas H with a pile-driver which the keeper made a smart save from and then he got a hand on the shot from Ollie on the rebound. Ollie again came close when he hit the post. But incredibly, despite the dominance of Bergholt, they conceded another two goals and ended on the wrong end of a 4-0 defeat.
The weather was a major factor in the game as Bergholt seemed to be more affected by the conditions and they did not deserve to lose, let alone by such a score line. Credit to Alresford though – they managed to score with the few attacks they had.
Despite two defeats in a row, the Bergholt boys should take a lot of heart with the way they played in these two matches as it has been full of attractive football without necessarily getting the rewards it has deserved.
Bergholt Heath player of the match: Freddie Geiger – skill and strength in launching many of Bergholt’s attacks in the second half.
A brace from Matt Sanderson and one from Ryan Harvey saw the boys through to the third round of the league cup.
MOM also went to Matt. Well done guys.
The Under 16s welcomed back Captain Jamie for his first game since the opening fixture of the season on what turned out to be an extremely wet Sunday on the Poors field. Bergholt started brightly and the returning captain put them ahead within the first 10 minutes from the penalty spot after a hand ball inside a crowded penalty area. Bergholt continued to press with confidence that has been missing in the last few games, and mid way through the half they went 2-0 up when Cairan planted a firm header into the roof of the net following a superb cross from the left by Christian. The first half looked like it was going to finish quietly as the rain started to fall and control became difficult, however the visitors got back into the match a couple of minutes before half time when a free kick on the right was deflected and spun up into the air to drop down into the top corner. Frinton & Walton tried to seize the initiative from this goal and the half time whistle came at just the right time – with torrential rain now falling. HT: 2-1.
There was a quick turnaround at half time to try and get the game finished in ever worsening weather and the start of the second half saw the game become a bit of a lottery with all players finding the ball difficult to control. Frinton & Walton tried to get their game going again and Connor in goal was called upon to make a one handed save one-on-one with the visiting striker. However as the half wore on Bergholt found their feet again (literally!) and some superb interplay involving Leo and Cairan resulted in Tyler putting the ball into the net from close range at the far post for 3-1. Bergholt’s confidence was now back and the game was being played almost exclusively inside the visitors half. The final goal came when Christian picked up the ball centrally and left fly with a shot that bounced up off the slippery surface and appeared to deceive the ‘keeper as it went past him into the net.
Final score: Bergholt Heath 4-1 Frinton & Walton.
Bergholt Heath “man of the match”: Leo Tiffney – superb passing and running in midfield to create space.
With the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation not that far away we have a real local model to add context and flavour to the WEA’s next course. Inland Waterways, starting on January 13th at 8pm in the Methodist Church Hal, is described by the WEA as follows:
Our next subject is Inland Waterways by Steven Worsley who will cover, over 10 weeks, the increasing leisure use of our inland waterways contrasting with their past as a transport medium during the industrial revolution. The legacy of this past will be studied on this course.
Ten interesting evenings cost £48 or for those on income under £15.276 net per annum or income based benefits/JSA free.
In doubt, then sample first evening for free
For further information please contact Gill on 01206 240512
The latest Village News is now on-line along with all archive copies of both the Village Bulletin and News, one update was of particular interest & it seemed worth picking out for the news-feed:
The open areas in the village, Poors Land, the Heath, Orpen Hall Field and the allotments have had their annual hedge cutting and bracken clearing.
The ponds in the village at Queen’s Head, Lexden Road and Hall Road will have their autumn tidy-up in November. The Parish Council employs the services of The Conservation Volunteers from Essex.
We were surprised to see that someone had donated a large Koi carp to the Queen’s Head Pond. This is not ideal as the carp will make short work of a lot of the wild life in the pond.
Anyone who would like to have a Koi carp for an ornamental garden pond would be welcome to get in touch, please call Jenny on 240792.
October (up to 26th) saw just one crime report for West Bergholt after what was also a quiet September.
At some time between 18:00 on 21st October & 12:00 on 22nd, an unknown suspect gained entry to the victims secured vehicle by unknown means, made a tidy searched and removed property, no damage was caused.
Slightly more of these this month with some advice and support on the subject of Halloween, advice on securing heating oil and also tips on beating burglars.
Halloween should be a fun event not an excuse for anti-social behaviour – that’s the message from Essex Police in the run up to the spooky festival. Officers want everyone to enjoy October 31st and Bonfire Night but are urging people not to let the fun get out of hand.
Halloween can be an unsettling time for many people, especially elderly people and those who live alone so Essex Police will be taking a firm approach to those who cause problems for others. In the run up to Halloween police officers and PCSOs will be working with shopkeepers to encourage them not to sell eggs and flour to young people and visiting schools to talk to students about the impact behaviour they may perceive as fun can have on their communities.
Officers are also asking parents to make sure their children do not go trick or treating alone and to remind them only to knock on doors of people they know.
Jasmine Frost, Youth Inspector, said:
The message that I want to give young people is please don’t throw eggs and flour at people or houses. At the very least this kind of behaviour is anti-social. At worst it could reach the threshold of a criminal offence and lead to your arrest. If you decide to go trick or treating please take care and think carefully about which doors you knock on, particularly if you know there are elderly people living in the area. The most important message is that we want all children and young people to enjoy Halloween and Bonfire Night by keeping themselves safe and making sure they do not cause any problems in their communities.
Young people are encouraged to visit the 2Smart website to find out how to keep safe while trick or treating and download advice posters. Adults who would rather not be bothered by trick of treaters can download from the Essex Police webpage a ‘no trick or treaters’ poster. There is also a poster for shop keepers who would like to let customers know they will be restricting the sale of eggs and flour.
Finally Essex Police is reminding residents to call 101 should they feel concerned throughout the evening. While we ask residents to be tolerant of young people enjoying Halloween, they do not have to accept bad behaviour.
As it comes to the time when you are thinking about topping up your heating oil tank for winter, with the value of fuel it is worth considering its security. In the more isolated parts of the countryside it is primarily domestic properties that have been targeted by the heating oil thieves, but we have also seen such thefts at farms and other businesses.
There are a number of security devices available that will protect your fuel supplies – details of which can be found via your fuel supplier or local plumber’s merchant. One such system is “GPRS Fuel-Oil Alarm” from www.compoundsecurity.co.uk and Tank Commander – www.commandersecurities.co.uk which have “Secured by Design” accreditation; these detect a dramatic drop in fuel and call you on the telephone. There are also other systems that will add on to an existing intruder alarm system, whilst others protect the filler cap and there are of course the conventional locks.
Another consideration would be defensive planting around the tank, concealing it and restricting access to it by gates or fencing, and where possible locating the tank under lighting in view of lived in rooms within the house.
Traditionally burglaries increase at this time of year so we are asking people not to give thieves a chance. Sometimes, you can beat the burglars by taking just a few simple steps:-
Remember, burglars have no boundaries, and could be operating in your area at any time. Stay vigilant, stay secure and stay safe!
REMEMBER: You can attempt to beat the burglars by taking just a few simple steps. We do have plenty of crime prevention advice on our website at www.essex.police.uk or by contacting your local Crime Prevention Officer Stephen Armson-Smith, tel: 101 ext: 430126.
POLICE EMERGENCY NO: (Life or Property threatened or crime in progress etc). Don’t delay – dial: 999
As the nights draw in earlier don’t forget to use table lamps on timers, and there is a product called “Fake TV” that produces lighting that resembles a television being switched on within a room. You can also record serial numbers of products using a useful free web service free of charge at www.immobilise.com. Consider installing external “Dusk till dawn” lighting and remember to secure those gates closed and lock up correctly.
If you like any advice regarding security please do not hesitate to contact your local Crime Reduction Advisor by using the 101 non-emergency telephone number.
Naturally we also ask locals to report any unusual activity to police in an emergency on 999 or after the event on 101 or to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
The litter pick held on Saturday morning 18th October was successful. 15 black bags of rubbish were collected!!!
The turnout of volunteers was a bit disappointing, if more residents had come forward to help we could have had an even cleaner and tidier village. Many thanks to the following volunteers:-
Well done to all and many thanks for their support.