12th August 2019

Village News and Events

in Boxted and Langham

Welcome to this week’s newsletter – giving you a reminder of some of the regular events taking place in Boxted and Langham. Can you help out at the local food bank? If you wish to volunteer, please see the notice below. You can also contribute shopping items to help those less fortunate. Or maybe you’d like to take a more active role in the Royal British Legion as a member of the management committee. Posts need to be filled to save the Boxted club from closure.

Please note that Boxted Hub will be closed from 19-27th August so some regular events will not take place during this period.

Next meeting: Monday 12th August

Colchester Foodbank

33 Moorside Business Park, Moorside
Eastgates, Colchester CO1 2ZF
Tel : 01206 621998

info@colchester.foodbank.org.uk
www.Facebook.com/FoodbankColchester
www.Twitter.com/Colchesterfbank

Please help local people in hardship from our community. When you shop, if you can afford to, please buy an item from this list and donate it to the Foodbank, thank you for your support!

Tinned meat
Longlife fruit juice
Washing up liquid
Tinned fruit
Pasta sauce
10p carrier bags or bag for life, knitted or crochet bags
Tomatoes (tinned)
Potatoes (tinned)
Shampoo
Small rice bags
Vegetables (tinned)
Deodorant
Jam
Chocolate spread
Peanut butter
Fish (tinned)
Shaving gel/ foam
Razors
Squash
Rice pudding
Toilet rolls
Longlife milk (uht)
Custard
Washing pods/powder/ liquid/tablets (small)

Annual Report

We have just released our Annual Report which has this afternoon gone live and is available on the Charity Commission website. The report holds lots of interesting information including the trend for increased demand for the foodbank from the 190 frontline partner agencies that make our referrals from local people in crisis.

Video

Our benefactor Cardea Homes have released a new video about our joint working at the foodbank any help you can give to promote this would be gratefully appreciated. This is a lovely video, professionally made by the excellent KG Moore any help letting more people see it would be brilliant, thank you!

View the video here

Drivers wanted

We are currently looking for drivers to collect donations from various Co-Op stores in the Colchester area on a weekly basis starting in September. If you are interested, please contact Anne Barney, annebarney@colchester.foodbank.org or phone the Foodbank from 10am to 2pm Monday to Saturday on 01206 621998, thank you.

If you would like to arrange a guided tour of the foodbank to see what we do first hand we would be delighted to arrange it!

Bowls! Boxted carpet bowls club at Boxted Village Hall. Weekly every Friday at 7pm or fortnightly on Tuesday at 2.30pm.

Next meeting: Tuesday 13th August

Mobile library

Thursday 15th August
10.10am – 10.40am
Boxted Playing Field car park
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Book review

Dark Pines: A Tuva Moodyson Mystery 1 (Paperback)

The debut novel from British author Will Dean, Dark Pines is set to be the first novel in a gripping new Scandi-noir thriller series with a strikingly memorable heroine.

Read the full review here

Notice to members and wider community – 18th July 2019

Some of you may be aware that the Boxted British Legion Club has had some difficulty in finding suitably qualified, experienced and motivated members to form a management committee. Consequently, there has been some speculation regarding the club continuing to trade as a social club affiliated to the Royal British Legion.

This notice is confirmation that unless we are able to form a full management committee within 28 days of the date of this notice (Thursday 15th August 2019), the club will lose its RBL licence to trade and arrangements to wind up the club will commence. It is noted that once the RBL licence is revoked there will be no prospect of it being reinstated.

The posts to be filled are listed below. Job descriptions are available for positions 1 to 3 from the Temporary Chairman by email at boxted.legion@gmail.com or by telephone on 07779 031923:

1. Treasurer
2. Secretary
3. Chairperson
4. Committee members (financial and associates)

Membership is open to everyone. If you have an interest in the objectives of the Legion and want to help and support those who have served and their families, come and join us. We welcome men and women of all ages, whether they have served in the Armed Forces or not.

Church Services

Sunday 18th August

9.30 am Sung Eucharist at St Mary’s Langham

Marketing of bogus products via social media

Grahame Stehle
Chairman
Colchester District Neighbourhood Watch

Fraudsters are contacting social media influencers, based in the UK and abroad, offering them the opportunity to market a bogus product, service or investment opportunity. Fraudsters will present professional and credible pitches to the social media influencers and try to convince them to feature the opportunity for a fee on their social media profiles in order to entice unsuspecting followers of the influencer to sign up or make a purchase.

Additionally, fraudsters are using the names of well-known public figures, implying that their opportunity or product is endorsed by the figure when it is not.

The public should be aware that any apparent endorsement by celebrities, influencers or personalities does not necessarily mean that an investment, product or service is genuine. The public is urged to exercise a cautious approach to any such offer of investment, product or service with the same caution they would at any other time.

If you are purchasing goods from a company you don’t know and trust, carry out some research first, or ask friends or family for advice before completing a purchase.

Professional-looking websites, adverts or social media posts do not guarantee that an investment opportunity or product is genuine. Criminals can exploit the names of well-known brands or individuals to make them appear legitimate.

Avoid paying for goods or services by bank transfer unless you know and trust the person or company. Payments via bank transfer offer you no protection if you become a victim of fraud. Instead, use your credit card or payment services such as PayPal as they offer you greater protection if you become a victim of fraud.

Heating oil

Stephen Armson-Smith
Crime Prevention Tactical Advisor
Essex Police

Before it gets to autumn you may be thinking about topping up your heating oil tank for winter. Considering 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 help protect your fuel supplies – details of which can be found via your fuel supplier or local plumber’s merchant. One such system is Tank Commander which has “Secured by Design” accreditation, others can be found by searching the member companies at www.securedbydesign.com. These products will detect a dramatic drop in fuel and calls 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, gates or fencing around the tank concealing and restricting access it. Where possible, locate the tank under lighting in view of lived in rooms within the house.

If you would like further advice regarding security please look at the Essex Police website, and the crime prevention website.

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

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Hyde Hall Flower Show

As part of partnership working between Essex Police, the RHS, and Secured by Design we were privileged to have had a show garden designed and built for us at the RHS Hyde Hall Summer Flower Show.

We added security measures to the shed and garden whilst the RHS included nature’s own security in the form of defensive planting. Defensive planting being that of a spiky and or dense nature that will deter intruders. The show attracted a record 33,000 visitors and I think most them came through the show garden and spoke to us. A big thank you to all of you that dropped by for a chat, some very interesting conversations and I learnt from one that defensive planting goes back to Anglo Saxon times with farmers defending their crops.

It is proving to be a most rewarding partnership for all with each of us gaining from each other’s expertise enabling us to provide a better standard of advice to yourselves, as can be seen in the new RHS Hyde Hall’s garden security leaflet, which also lists some defensive plants and where to find mature examples of them at Hyde Hall.

Click here to see a short video news article regarding the event.

Dates for the diary …

Notice:

Boxted Hub will be closed from 19 – 27 August.

Boxted Evergreen Club
Boxted Village Hall 2.30pm

The schedule for Boxted Evergreens is listed below. Visitors welcome.

Thursday 22nd August : Social gathering
Thursday 5th September : Bring an item and tell a story
Thursday 19th September : ‘Town Cryer’ with Robert Needham

Boxted Carpet Bowls

Every Friday at 7pm
Fortnightly on Tuesday 2.30pm
Boxted Village Hall – Tuesday meeting on 27th August

Pop-up Cafe

Friday 30th August, 11.15am – 1.30pm
Langham Community Centre

Drop in for cakes, drinks and light lunches

Boxted Methodist Silver Band

Sunday 1st September, 3pm
Boxted Village Hall
The Band is having an outdoor service on at the Village Hall (in the hall if wet) featuring a nautical theme including well known hymns and some ‘sea themed’ pieces of music for all to enjoy. Everyone is welcome to join us.

Boxted WI

Tuesday 10th September, 7.30pm
Boxted Village Hall.

Sergeant Stuart Pearson is an amputee who was awarded the Queen’s Gallantry Medal for his bravery during what has become known as the Kajaki Landmine Incident. Everyone (men and women) welcome. There will be tea, coffee and cakes! Guests £2.00.

Please note, the Art and Craft Club don’t meet again until September