Christmas at St John’s 2016
for
Young Singers and Musicians

Sally Crompton and Sue Harris are planning the music for the service on December 18^th at 6pm. They are looking for young singers and musicians for a children’s choir and or a small orchestra or solo performance.

If any adults want to join in on The Coventry Carol they would be happy to make an adult section too.

Rehearsals will take place in The Reading Room early evenings or after school whichever is most convenient

Please contact Sue Harris on 690069 or text her on 07766259497

A temporary Postmaster has been found for a period of 3 months to allow the village Post Office to reopen for business. It will be open on Tuesdays from 9.00 am until 1.00 pm.

It will reopen on 8 November 2016 from 10.30 am on the first day to allow the new Postmaster sufficient time to ensure the equipment is ready and working.

If this service is to be continued in the future residents are encouraged to make full use of the village post office.

Please see below, the planning decision on application 16_01974_FUL:

• 16_01974_FUL

1. National Hate Crime Week

National Hate Crime Awareness Week 2016 ran from 8 – 15 October 2016  and was an opportunity for people to raise awareness of what hate crime is and how we can respond to it when we witness or are victim to it. This can help to ensure people report instances of hate crime, victims get the support they need and those committing it are met with justice.

WREP has supported a range of activities which took place during the week.

For information on what a hate crime is and how to report, please visit the WREP website on  – http://www.wrep.org.uk/reportincident

2. Care Quality Commission (CQC) – State of Care Report

The CQC have produced their annual “State of Care” Report on the quality of health & social care in England.  This document can be found at: http://www.cqc.org.uk/sites/default/files/20161013_stateofcare1516_web.pdf

Specific findings from the report are summarised here:

•  State of Care infographic

They have also highlighted one very important part of the report, the section on their monitoring of the use of the Deprivation of Liberty Standards (DoLS): 

• Deprivation of liberty

3. Warwickshire County Council – New Living Well with Dementia website

Warwickshire County Council have launched their new website for anyone who would like to know more about dementia at: https://dementia.warwickshire.gov.uk/.

They invite comments and feedback on the new website, which can be made via email to: dementiapartnership@warwickshire.gov.uk.  Suggestions submitted by Friday 21^st October 2016 will be considered and actioned where appropriate.

There will be an extraordinary planning meeting on 24th October to discuss planning application 16/03109/FUL (Orchard End):

• Agenda Extraordinary October Meeting 2016

There is a new crime prevention website, aimed at young adults:  https://www.fearless.org/

It is run along side the independent charity Crimestoppers.

The website says: 

Fearless is a site where you can access non-judgemental information and advice about crime and criminality. What makes this site different is we also provide you with a safe place to give information to us about crime – 100% anonymously

Healthwatch Warwickshire is launching a call for evidence report on Mental Health Services in Warwickshire.

They interviewed a small group of users and carers and asked them for their experiences. They wanted to know how they managed their condition, and the importance of having a diagnosis.

The full report can be downloaded from their website:

• Healthwatch Warwickshire Mental Health Report

Key Recommendations

• Diagnosis – for those referred or presenting themselves at the single point of entry there needs to be a clearer explanation of the triage process and what can be expected.
• Talking and holistic therapies – Respondents were clear that they would all benefit with counselling or other therapies yet these had to be sourced independently.
• Treatment plans – There was a lack of understanding about treatment plans.
• Discharge and follow up – Respondents were also confused about ‘what happens now’ when they come to the end of their treatment schedule.
• Better service coordination – there appears to be poor coordination between mental health services and GP’s.
• Carers – Carers feel excluded yet have much to contribute.

Anyone up for a ‘Boogie Session’?   Good for the body and the soul.  Not organised, any movement goes!!

Saturday 12th November 6pm in the Reading Room.  An hour or so.

Bring your favourite ‘Bop’ CD’s if you still have any.

I will bring some wine, so let Anna Prosser know if you are coming.  £4 the session including a glass of wine.   Any proceeds to Dogs for Good.

The Parish Council and the Post Office have been working together over the last couple of years in order to find a more permanent solution to the running of the Post Office facility within Avon Dassett. The difficulties had arisen due to the fact that the current interim postmaster did not want to continue running the facility from his Warwick base.

To date the Post Office have been trying, without success, to find someone to operate both Avon Dassett and Northend as hosted outreach facilities for 2 hours each week but so far they have been unable to find an existing Core Operator to take the facilities on.

The current interim postmaster tendered his resignation as required under the terms of his contract with the Post Office on 21 September with a projected closure date between 28 September and the 5 October. Unfortunately, the current interim postmaster decided on Tuesday 27 September to withdraw his services with immediate effect without any prior notice.

The Post Office have assured the Parish Council that they are doing everything they can to find a new Core Operator who will be willing to take on both Avon Dassett and Northend, however, in the interim both facilities will remain closed until further notice.

The Fenny Compton PO remains open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9-10am and it is hoped that residents who require regular access to a Post office can utilise this facility in the interim.

The Parish Council will continue to work closely with the Post Office in order to have the post office facility reinstated in some form and will keep residents informed of any progress. In the event that the Post office is reopened we would encourage everyone to use the facility as much as possible in order to secure its future.

Superfast broadband is now available in parts of Avon Dassett. Cabinet Farnborough 3 has been upgraded, meaning that properties connected to the upgraded cabinet may now be able to order the improved service.

For residents to check which cabinet they are connected to and what speeds they might achieve, they should visit https://www.dslchecker.bt.com/ For the best results they will need to be able to enter a BT landline number for the property. If they do not have this then they can use their address, but it may be less accurate. It should be noted that customers are not restricted to buying a service from BT and that can go to any Internet Service Provider (ISP).

There are a number of different Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and it is best to check carefully as there are a wide range of packages available, with some including telephone calls and even TV options. Websites like MoneySavingExpert.com and Broadband Genie can give free, impartial advice on cheap broadband deals and provide information on which packages might be best for specific needs.

The ‘About Broadband’ section on the CSW Broadband website has lots of information about Internet Service Providers, a very useful jargon buster to help people to get through the sometimes baffling terms surrounding broadband, and lots of self-help guides so that users can get the most from the new, improved service.

Unfortunately some premises in the village may be too far from the exchange to benefit from the upgrade at this stage, so do use the checking services above.