General information
Help for households. Help is available for every household, with energy costs, childcare bills and more. See: Help for Households - Get government cost of living support
From the NHS. Emergency departments (A & E) at all hospitals in the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire (West) area are under significant pressure and patients are facing very long waits. For more information see our news page: NHS Winter Pressures | BOB ICB
For advice on getting the right care, see: Your health | BOB ICB
Low-cost broadband. Citizens Advice Oxfordshire South and Vale has issued a press release on the subject of "social tariffs" or low-cost broadband; see attached: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/3f912344-bb60-d086-811f-036009f0b467/CAB_social_tariffs.pdf
Local news.
Thomas Hughes Memorial Hall AGM. The Annual General Meeting of the THMH will be held on Monday 23rd January 2023, in the small hall, from 7. 00 pm. More information attached: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/15ba34ab-9822-5619-35c6-509e3913c58c/THMH_AGM.pdf
Stamps for The Leprosy Mission. Over many years The Leprosy Mission (TLM), with your kind support, has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds from stamps, enabling it to cure tens of thousands of people affected by leprosy and transforming their lives. Thank you for your donations.
TLM is a small charity with very limited resources that it has to use as efficiently as possible. Unfortunately, the stamps scheme is no longer cost-effective and it has reluctantly decided to discontinue the scheme. Far fewer people collect stamps nowadays, many parcels are sent by courier services, high denomination stamps are now often replaced with labels, and the introduction of barcoded stamps is also having an effect.
I'd like to have one last push before the scheme closes. As well as giving me your Christmas card stamps, please can you let me have any old stamp collections you no longer want, First Day Covers and UK stamps without barcodes (no longer valid after 31 January). TLM will also be pleased to receive any other 'collectables', including foreign money, discontinued UK notes and coins, medals etc. Please let me have your donations by 31 January.
I shall continue as the local representative for TLM and will always be happy to talk to churches, schools and service organisations about leprosy and the work of the charity.
And please keep saving your computer ink cartridges for Suited & Booted; there is a collection box at the village shop. Thanks for your support.
Mike Thomas, Hookside, Upper Common. 07803 035603.
ukmcthomas@gmail.com
Pop up - pop in – 2023. Pop-in Café at Belmont House, Broad Street – 11-ish to 2.30-ish on Saturday January 14th using local produce. Please support us!
Vale District Council news
A graffiti-strewn car park in Wantage has been transformed into a colourful modern mural thanks to a local youth group and Vale of White Horse District Council. You can see details on our website by clicking this link
How to recycle your Christmas tree. Recycling your Christmas tree is easy if you have a brown garden waste bin. Just leave it next to your brown bin on the next garden waste collection day (Monday 16th January) and remember to cut it down if it is over 6 feet tall. If you don't have a brown bin, the nearest Christmas tree collection point is the playing field at Childrey - just drop your tree off by Sunday, 15th January. Further details on the Vale's waste page: Christmas Waste - Vale of White Horse District Council (whitehorsedc.gov.uk)
From the Police.
New Look for Neighbourhood Watch. See: Home | Neighbourhood Watch | National network | Local Watch areas | Community crime prevention groups (ourwatch.org.uk) Views on policing budget 2023/24. There is just one week left to share your views on where you would like the policing budget to be focused in 2023/24. The survey can be completed at https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90503915/OPCC-public-consultation or by visiting the PCC website. The deadline to complete the survey is 12pm on Friday 13th January 2023. More than 700 arrests made as part of Op Holly. Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary's Joint Operations Unit made more than 700 arrests across both force areas as part of Operation Holly. From 1 December to 31 December, officers carried out targeted activity in order to stop drivers under the influence of drink and drugs.
Across both force areas, 737 arrests were made, with 451 of those being made in the Thames Valley alone. This is an increase of 24% compared to last year. Of those arrests made, 283 were for drink driving and 168 for drug driving. There was also a 42% increase in arrests of those aged under 25 on last year with the figure rising to 101.
Detective Chief Inspector Mike Bettington, of the Joint Operations Roads Policing Unit, said: "Operation Holly is carried out throughout the festive period every year and it's disappointing to see that people are still getting behind the wheel when under the influence of drink and/or drugs. We see all too often the devastating consequences that can result from this behaviour and I am pleased that we have managed to make so many arrests and prevent the potential harm that can be caused by drink and drug drivers. Our priority is to make the roads safer for everyone and we'd ask the public to help us do this by challenging anyone you think may be about to drive having drank alcohol or used drugs. Even the smallest amount of alcohol or drugs can impact on your driving. It's not worth the risk."
From the Churches of Uffington Benefice
The Weekly Sheet for Sunday 8 January is attached here: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/a20192cc-5694-93fa-a9ce-813d4a7a85c6/wsh_2023_01_08.pdf
For all information, please see: https://www.uffingtonbenefice.com/
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