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We meet on the second Friday of each month except August, at the THMH, from 3.30-5.30 pm.
We are looking for volunteers either to help with crafts or running the kitchen, on a rota if possible. This would mean doing several afternoons in the year, as available.
You don't need to belong to a church or be a Christian to help, as long as you like being part of a team, and having fun with children and families . Our volunteers are aged 20 -80+ , so do contact us if this appeals to you.
At Messy Church we all learn more about the bible and Jesus in a very informal way. After an hour of crafts and games, we have a 15 minute celebration with drama, then sit down for a 2 course meal . We are part of the Uffington C of E Benefice of 4 churches, with Rev Jeremy Goulston as our vicar.
We have been running messy Church here for 3.5 years, it has been very successful, so we really hope to keep it going.
Contact Sue Jennings re crafts - jenningsue@gmail.com 07956 534478
Contact Liz Doyle re catering - simondoyle95@yahoo.co.uk 01367 820436
Police and Crime Commissioner Survey - seeking views on policing and crime locally | We have been asked to support our PCC and complete his survey; its bland and harmless, will take you 5 minutes at most and is open until 30 September, but he needs responses to justify his budgets - and that does affect us. Details are below:
The Police and Crime Commissioner Anthony Stansfeld has launched a survey seeking feedback from residents of the Thames Valley on policing and crime. The results of the survey will help inform the next Police and Crime Plan which is due to be published before March 2017. The survey is hosted on the PCC website www.thamesvalley-pcc.gov.uk/survey. Anyone who is either living or working in the Thames Valley is eligible to complete it. Hard copies of the survey are also available on request by contacting the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner on 01865 846780.
Landscape Maintenance in Uffington | The Parish Council would be the first to admit (writing on 18 June) that some of the verges in and around the village are overgrown. We would however like to thank all those who have done their bit in recent weeks to cut some critical areas.
You may recall that we have discussed under the heading of "Oxfordshire Together" the budget reductions being implemented by Oxford County Council (OCC) this year. This note is about highway maintenance and specifically the cutting of roadside verges. The budget cuts were widely trailed but not confirmed until OCC agreed its budget for 2016/2017 in March, and in recent months we have struggled to get the information we needed from OCC concerning the extent of the urban and rural cuts they have done in the past for the village, and the grant they might pay if we took on this work.
(Note: "Urban" is inside the 30 mph limit signs and "Rural" is outside the 30 mph limits, but within the parish boundaries).
At last, we have the information we need and at the Parish Council meeting on Monday 13 June it was agreed that we should take responsibility for the maintenance of our urban and rural verges. We have signed contracts to this effect with OCC and with a contractor to do the work. We cannot say precisely when all verges will be cut, but pressure is being put on the contractor to do a first cut as soon as possible; he is familiar with Uffington as he has done the work in recent years on behalf of OCC. The urban verges will probably be cut two or three times per year, and the rural ones twice, depending on growth. Some interim tidying of the central areas around the Jubilee Field will be necessary from time to time between cuts and the Parish Council is grateful to those who take on this task.
THIS IS WHERE YOUR VILLAGE NEEDS YOU!
There is more to keeping the village tidy than just having the roadside verges trimmed, and so we also decided to set up a group of volunteers who would be prepared to turn out from time to time to deal with those public areas which require attention. There are of course many residents who take pride in the overall appearance of the village, as can be seen by the way in which most privately-owned frontages are maintained.
This can be done by a group of people meeting on a monthly basis, or tasks can be allocated (by e-mail) so that you can do the work when it suits you. Bring your own tools and equipment. There could also be evening meetings in the pub to plan the work. Providing the Parish Council knows that you are working as a volunteer on its behalf you will be covered by its public liability insurance, if, for example, a stone flies up from a strimmer and damages a car. It will also be necessary to take all the usual precautions of wearing a hi-vis waistcoat when working on or near a public road, and wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment when operating say a strimmer. The Parish Council has warning signs to put on the road and these will be made available as required.
If you would like to help please respond to the Clerk, Julia Evans, at uffingtonpc.clerk@gmail.com or to Simon Jenkins by replying to this e-mail or to sjmjenkins@gmail.com Alternatively, you can reply to Julia via the website.
This is not just a man thing – ladies are very welcome.
We also need information as to what work needs doing and this should be sent to Julia or Simon, as above.
Summer attractions in Uffington ......... | Farmers Market
The Uffington Farmers Market will be open this Sunday 19th June, from 10.00 am to 12.30 at the Thomas Hughes Memorial Hall.
Church Teas
St Mary's Church Uffington. Teas will be served on Sunday afternoons, beginning this Sunday 19th June till the end of September. Homemade cakes, cream teas and sandwiches. Plenty of room and tables outside if weather permitting.
Village Hall - Invoicing Clerk | Uffington village hall management committee have a vacancy on the committee to work with the accounts team. The role involves sending out the monthly invoices to all hirers. If you can spare a few hours per month to attend to this very important task please contact us to discuss. Pamela Preene Hall Secretary Email: Parrottspreene@aol.com
Neighbourhood Policing | The Faringdon Neighbourhood Policing Newsletter for June 2016 is attached here:
https://gallery.mailchimp.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/Faringdon_NH_newsletter_June_2016.pdf
Thames Valley Police Alerts:
Euro 2016 Ticketing Fraud
The 2016 European Football Championships have started and those wanting to purchase last minute tickets are likely to be targeted by fraudsters posing as official sellers. Purchasing from an unauthorised seller or a ticket tout could leave you out of pocket; not only are the tickets advertised at inflated prices, there is a risk that the tickets purchased are counterfeit or do not exist. Any individual with a counterfeit ticket will be refused entry.
Resale Platform
Consumers wanting to sell their tickets can do so through the resale platform, where tickets will be resold at face value. For further information please visit UEFA's website. Those seeking to purchase tickets are advised to check the site regularly as tickets will be sold on a first come first serve basis and are likely to change regularly as different tickets become available to purchase. - Only purchase tickets from an authorised seller by using the exchange portal.
- When using the portal do not be encouraged to contact the seller privately and complete the transaction outside of the portal.
- Be wary of purchasing tickets from a social media account. There is a risk that the ticket does not exist or is counterfeit. Consider conducting research on the information provided by the seller, for example a mobile phone number or email address used by the seller could alert you to any negative information associated to them online.
- Avoid making payments through bank transfer or money transfer services, as the payment may not be recoverable.
Counterfeit Cheques
Businesses are being contacted for the sale of goods or services by fraudsters, who request to pay by cheque. The fraudster sends a cheque with a higher value than the amount expected, and then sends the business a request for the difference with instructions on how it should be paid back. This is usually by bank transfer or through a money transfer service, such as Western Union or PaySafe. Once the 'refund' has been provided, it is realised that the cheque provided was fraudulent and no funds are credited to the business's account.
The NFIB has seen an increase of 84% in the number of counterfeit cheque frauds reported to Action Fraud since November 2015. Criminals are targeting a wide range of services including paintings or other artwork, photography and lessons, with various amounts requested to be refunded. The average amount requested to be refunded is £1,818. The highest amount requested was over £80,000.
The suspects have used pressure tactics to persuade victims to refund the amounts immediately prior to the cheques clearing.
Crime Prevention Advice - Be cautious of payments where the amount provided is higher than expected. Refuse to provide the service unless the correct balance is received or wait until the cheque has cleared before refunding the difference.
- Always contact banks on a trusted number found on their website or correspondence that is known to be authentic to confirm whether the cheque has cleared.
- Do not feel pressured to provide a refund before the cheque has cleared.
Phishing campaign targeting university students
A new phishing campaign which has hit students of UK universities claims that the student has been awarded an educational grant by the Department for Education. The email purports to have come from the finance department of the student's university and tricks the recipient into clicking on a link contained in the message to provide personal and banking details.
One victim reported that after submitting their sensitive information (including name, address, date of birth, contact details, telephone provider, bank account details, student ID, National Insurance Number, driving licence number and mother's maiden name), they were taken to a spoofed website which appeared like a genuine website of their bank, where they were asked to type in their online banking login credentials.
Protect Yourself: - Do not click on any links or open attachments contained within unsolicited emails.
- Do not reply to scam emails or contact the senders in any way.
- If an email appears to have come from a person or organisation you know of but the message is unexpected or unusual, contact them directly via another method to confirm that they sent you the email.
- If you receive an email which asks you to login to an online account via a link provided in the email, instead of clicking on the link, open your browser and go directly to the company's website yourself.
- If you have clicked on a link in the email, do not supply any information on the website that may open.
If you think you may have compromised the safety of your bank details and/or have lost money due to fraudulent misuse of your cards, you should immediately contact your bank, and report it to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040, or visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk.
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