Great Notley Garden Village Residents Association

Newsletter Number 16

Date : April 2001.

Chairman : Ken Game. Telephone - 343030. Secretary : Bert Rix. Telephone - 341066.

E-mail : herbertrix@btinternet.com

======================================= Newsletter No.15 began with a report of the fiasco that our A.G.M. developed into through a misunderstanding over the venue of the meeting that the residents of Shelduck Crescent and Tufted Close had hoped to hold at the new school at Panners Farm. The residents of Shelduck Crescent and Tufted Close ended up at the Community Hall and that was fair because as residents they were also members of the Residents Association.

When it came to a vote on the re-election of the old committee the belief of the Secretary was that the returning vote was unanimous and it was reported accordingly in good faith. It has since been pointed out that some members abstained and this is accepted.

If our conclusion was in error we apologise, but it was an error made in good faith. ONLY PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING SOMETHING POSITIVE MAKE MISTAKES. Anyone can sit and do nothing, like abstaining, and then carp at a later date.

It was suggested that the percentage turnout was low, but the date and time of the AGM had been circulated to every resident. So if it happened that the turnout was low we regard this as a tacit vote of confidence in that the committee were considered to be doing a fairly good job. It is noted that there were no candidates for any of the offices.

GREAT NOTLEY LIAISON FORUM MEETING ON 6TH. MARCH, 2001.

Two items of interest to the local community came out of the above meeting. The first question concerned the start of building for the new pub, when it was stated that work is held up due to a shortage of building skills, which are being largely absorbed by the ongoing house building programme.

The second item concerned flooding in the underpass beneath the A131. This problem was said to have been caused by a fault in the switchgear controlling the pumps and that was then currently under investigation. Hopefully we should have seen the last of this problem

PARISH MAP IN THE TESCO ENTRANCE TO CUCKOO WAY AND AT "MRS. HEDGES".

In our newsletter No.15 we wrote that we were writing to Countryside asking for these boards to be up-dated.

Richard Moore of Countryside has replied to the effect that it is the Company's intention to remove a large number of redundant signs throughout the Village. This activity is now under way as we have seen.

During this exercise the map boards are to be removed and we consider this to be disappointing. He feels that the Village is now a mature community and so these signs are no longer required. Whilst he accepts that a few strangers ask the way, this does not justify the constant updating. Furthermore, it appears that most are directed by helpful locals which presents a very positive view of the people who live in Great Notley Garden Village. Reluctantly we have to accept that Richard Moore has a valid point. We will be writing to Richard Moore to ask if he has an A4 or A3 map that we can photo-copy for inclusion in a future newsletter.

Not everything is wholly bad. During the past week an attractive young lady and her son were studying the board in Cuckoo Way to identify Ragley Close. No chance! But Sir Galahad was happy to take advantage of the situation and be a taxi-driver, because he couldn't have explained the route anyway.

A SCOUT GROUP AT GREAT NOTLEY GARDEN VILLAGE??

With the growing numbers of young families moving to the Garden Village, we believe the time has come for us to open a Scout Group in the Village. A Scout Group is already in place in Black Notley Village, but this is "bursting at the seams"!

Scouting is for young people, (boys and girls), from the age of six through to 25 years, and offers an exciting programme of activities, indoor and out - including the inevitable cooking a sausage on a stick over a fire.

We have been offered two venues, which gives us a tremendous head start, but, and it is a big but, to open a Scout Group we need interested and committed adults. We know we can attract the young people (we have waiting lists), and we are hopefully confident we can attract adults to become Leaders and Helpers. Is there anyone living in Great Notley Garden Village who has been a Beaver, Cub, Scout, Venture Scout, or Leader, who would be willing to give back some time, or any non Scouting person who may be interested, to help us an ANY way? Training and support is given, so you would not be out there on your own.

If you can help us, or would like to know more, please call:-

Dan Collis District Commissioner 01376-320839
or
Barbara Roberts District Secretary 01376-344857

WATCH OUT! THERE IS A CON-MAN ABOUT.

Scam No.1. This is a confidence trick being targeted at females in particular. They receive a phone call at their office from the "Post Office" asking for confirmation of the company postcode. Then they are told that their co-operation has earned them some gift vouchers, and asked for their home address and postcode so that the vouchers can be posted to them. So far 90% of the women who have provided this information have been burgled, as it is assumed that their homes are empty during "working" hours. The police are aware of this scam and the Post Office has confirmed that they are not conducting postcode surveys.

Scam No.2. Telephone calls are being received from "technicians" purporting to be running line tests. Some describe themselves as AT & T Service technicians. They ask the call recipient to press nine, zero and then the hash keys, and then hang up. This process will give full access to your phone line, which allows long distance and international and chat-line calls to be charged to your telephone account.

A police check confirms that the process is going on and their information suggests that many of these calls are being made from prisons. The advice is DO NOT PRESS 90 FOR ANYONE.

GREAT NOTLEY GARDEN VILLAGE W.I.

Having welcomed you to the W.I. in the last newsletter there is not a lot to report, just a correction as to where the Ice Show was held. It was at the London Arena, and not Wembley, but for all that it was spectacular. A fast moving and colourful show with modern settings and music, but with a theme of an old fashioned romance of a prince and princess.

It is the fourth year of our existence at the G.N.G.V. Community Centre. We shall celebrate with a birthday cake, of course, coffee and savoury snacks and the inevitable raffle. Remember that all ladies are welcome on the first Monday of the month at 10am. You will find a friendly group of ladies there.

WEB SITE FOR THE RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION.

We mentioned in newsletter No.15 that the Residents Association now has it's own e-mail address and we have been surprised by the number of e-mails that have arrived. There are obviously many more people on the web than we suspected.

While on the subject of the web we would draw attention to last month's advertisement for Quark Technology. Since last month the price of the CHINOOK is down by Ł50 and there is a new entry level computer with upgrade facilities at only Ł399. There are also other reductions in components, printers etc. which make a trawl through the two adverts very interesting and possibly rewarding.