Great Notley Garden Village Residents Association
Newsletter Number 31
Date : March 2004.
Chairman : Ken Game. Telephone - 343030. Secretary : Bert Rix. Telephone - 341066.
E-mail : herbertrix@btinternet.com
HELP! HELP! HELP!
Now that the building in Great Notley Garden Village should be completed by the middle of the year, and bearing in mind problems with the distribution of these newsletters over such a large area we need some more volunteers to assist us. If you enjoy the news put out and can spare a couple of hours every few months to put our leaflets through letterboxes we would love to hear from you.
TOWNROW'S DEPARTMENT STORE.
Most people locally will know "Townrow's" department store in Braintree High Street and will have bought multiple items there. Not many people know the history of the store and a most interesting booklet has been written by James Townrow entitled "A Brief History of the Family Business".
Not only is the history of Townrow since it was founded in 1871 a fascinating tale of hard work and success, it also throws much light on the life and times of people before the first World War when Essex was almost entirely an agricultural county. Prices quoted in the book will also make the mouth water, and at the same time make the realisation of how much times have changed.
It is available in the Townrow store and also Hannays bookshop at the price of £3 per copy with all profits going to Cancer Research. .
LETTER BOX FLAPS DIMMING WITH AGE.
There are quite a lot of letter box flaps of light construction in the G.N.G.V. area which seem only to have a thin layer of gilt which suffers from the weather and after very few years looks unsightly.
This happened to 23, Highclere Road and due to the most unusual method of fixing to the front door it proved extremely difficult to locate a supplier. Success at last. There is a shop in Colchester who will oblige in selling a replacement at a price of only £23.50p. If interested just phone the Secretary.
GREAT NOTLEY WOMEN'S INSTITUTE.
In our last newsletter No.30 we mentioned that the W.I. are planning to hold a table top sale in the Community Centre on the 27th. March. Due to circumstances beyond their control this event has had to be cancelled.
The Women's Institute meets in the Community Centre at 10am. on the first Monday of each month and welcomes visitors and new members. The talents and interests of members extend way beyond cakes and jam as will be very apparent if you visit Layer Marney on the 14th. & 15th. July. That is the venue for the County Show this year.
NOTLEY GREEN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION VILLAGE FETE 2004.
The Great Notley Fete Committee is hoping to make this year's Fete on the 10th. July, bigger and better than ever before.
To make the Fete the success that we wish for, we greatly need more help. In particular we need people who can help with:-
1. Setting up the stalls and general manpower in the morning.
2. Manning the stalls and sideshows during the day.
The proceeds of the Fete go to help local charities, in particular the Football Club and the Scout Group.
Can you help with the 2004 Fete? If 'yes' then please phone Pam Wood (346397), Ray Eyles (553172) or Malcolm Young (320568).
WATCH OUT, THERE'S A SCAM (1) SCAM (2) SCAM (3) ABOUT.
Far fewer people will be taken in today by scams than once was the case, but here are 3 to watch for.
No.1. CAR BUYER SCAM ALERT.
A Colchester council staff member has been subjected to a well-organised and very professional car scam that even a major high street bank didn't spot immediately.
How? His car is advertised in a reputable car sales magazine and a potential 'buyer' phones, asks all the right questions and negotiates a price with a promise to bring along a banker's draft, which is as good as cash, should the 'buyer' want the car.
This person turns up late in the afternoon and presents as a professional business person wanting a nice car for business. The 'buyer' is well dressed, courteous, polite, and eventually agrees to buy the car and gives a banker's draft for £10,000 from a major bank.
However, the time of the 'purchase' is late afternoon when the bank is closing, but a phone call to the bank confirms a banker's draft is as good as cash.
The bank draft is presented the next morning and is such an excellent forgery, that even the bank staff initially accept it as payment. So, even if the council staff member had taken it to the bank without handing over the car, it would still have been accepted as cash.
It would appear that North Essex and Suffolk are being targeted at the moment for this scam, so it makes sense to get formal confirmation that a cheque or banker's draft has been cleared before handing over any goods.
No.2. CREDIT CARD SCAM.
Basically a household will receive a call from the bogus 'Security and Fraud Department' at VISA or MASTERCARD saying your card has been flagged for an unusual spending pattern and they are calling to verify it's authenticity. The caller will say that an item for just under £500 has been purchased using your card.
When you confirm you haven't purchased anything the caller says they will issue a credit to your account and then they ask you to confirm your address. You will be told that a fraud investigation will commence and if you have any queries phone the number on the back of the card, and ask for the security section, quoting a reference number they give you. You are then asked to verify you are in possession of your card and you are asked to read the security number on the back of your card. The caller sounds very genuine and tells you to call the number on the back of the card if you have any questions. This is a genuine number but by the time you have rung the number the card will have been used to purchase some expensive items.
The Police authorities have checked with VISA and MASTERCARD who say that this is definitely a scam and they would never ask for the security number over the phone. Treat any call or e-mail as suspicious until it has been checked out.
No.3. PHONE SCAM.
This scam happened whilst this letter was being written. The phone rang and a lady caller said we had just won two exotic holidays or £1,000. Then I was asked to press zero on the key-pad to get further information, at which point the call was terminated abruptly by the writer.
Who gives anybody anything for nothing these days?
BRAINTREE TOWN CENTRE STRATEGY GROUP .
The Christmas prize draw was a great success, having raised over £1,000. The Group wish to record their appreciation to all who supported the draw by purchasing tickets. The winners were:-
Mrs. Paton. Great Leighs.
M. & B. Cook Bannister Green.
Walter. Great Notley.
Liz. Braintree.
Mrs. Gooch. Great Leighs.
Mrs. Parker. Great Notley.
J. Cross. Great Notley.
Mrs. Denton. Braintree.
Mrs. York. Braintree.
Mrs. Turner. Braintree.
GOOD NEWS FOR POST OFFICE SERVICES.
The Great Leighs Post Office can now provide facilities for car taxation with effect from the 1st. March. Car parking is not a problem. Delays being experienced by visitors to the Post Office in Braintree can now be overcome quite easily.
CURRENT NEWS ON THE LATEST SECTION OF THE A120.
Most car drivers will have been appreciative of the newly opened section of the A120 west of Dunmow to Stanstead Airport which is a great time saver.
Section 2 (Dunmow, west of the Braintree by-pass) is due for completion this coming summer. The contractors are planning a big celebration on Sunday, the 23rd. May to include a vintage car rally, fun run and cycle ride on the new road.
Should be well worth waiting for.
PARKING ON THE FOOTWAY.
There are frequent complaints about cars being parked with two wheels on the footpath. This causes inconvenience to all pedestrians and in particular those with visual or mobility impairments. Damage can also be caused to the kerb and services under the footway. It can be a particular problem in terraced and residential streets with no off-street parking facilities.
Parking on the footway in Essex is not an offence, unless undertaken by a heavy goods vehicle over 7.5 tonne. (Section 19 of the R.T.A. 1988).
Illegal parking of cars on the footway is mentioned in that Act, but was never enacted and therefore can't be enforced. A Traffic Regulation Order can be introduced to control parking in specific lengths of road.
If a vehicle on a footway causes an obstruction, this can be dealt with under existing law. However, the obstruction must be physical (i.e. you have to walk off the path or verge to get around the car) and in most cases the police require a willing witness to support the case if it should go to court.
Driving on the footway is another area of the law that can be utilised for obstruction (Section 34, R.T.A 1988). Again a willing witness is needed to prove the case.
ART SHOW AT GREAT NOTLEY
At Great Notley Garden Village Hall
11 & 12 SEPTEMBER 2004.
Great Notley Art Group is holding it's sixth exhibition in September on Saturday 11th. and Sunday 12th. in the Garden Village Hall. This show, in six years, has built up a fine reputation for quality and variety of the work exhibited.
Some 250 original paintings by 45 local artists were exhibited in the fifth show and the group members are aiming to equal this in 2004. Paintings on show included two hundred framed works in various media, from oil and acrylic to charcoal and pastel, with watercolour being the most popular medium. Subjects ranged from landscapes, including local scenes, to figures, animals and still life.
Great Notley Art Group was formed in 1996.
Now meeting twice each week, it is a strong and
energetic club.
The exhibition is a showcase for members and is a particularly valuable event for
beginners to show their first paintings and is an opportunity for local people to purchase originals with
local connection for their homes.
The Art Café has become a feature of the show, where members provide home made cakes and pastries.
The show opens on the Saturday at 2pm until 8pm, on the Sunday from 10am until 5pm.
Admission is 25p which includes a catalogue.
FURTHER PRESS INFORMATION -- 01376-347204.
NATIONAL BLOOD SERVICE.
The ever increasing pressure on the National Blood service to provide blood requires more donors to come forward. The procedure is painless and takes only a short time. Sessions are held in the Community Centre. Notices of dates and times are displayed on the notice boards and in the local press. Information is also available by telephoning 08457-711711. and on BBC2 Ceefax page 465.
You can also join the British Bone Marrow Register.
Please seriously condider involvement with one or other of the procedures as it could be you or a member of your family who owe your life to other donors.
GARDEN CLUB.
The Garden Club would welcome offers from residents to make their gardens available for members to visit.
Contact Programme Planners --- Pat on 01376-552358 or June 01376-343030.
New members are welcome at the Community Centre on the second Wednesday in the month.
TAILPIECE.
Before you judge somebody, you should walk a mile in their shoes.
That way, when you judge them, you're a mile away and you've got their shoes!
March, 2004.
The next newsletter is scheduled for the end of June.
