village news

Village News

Neighbourhood watch I have now taken over from Elaine Allder, the post of Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator and would like to take this opportunity to thank her on your behalf for all her hard work in this position and to wish her well. My first task is to make a list of about 20 to 25 members in the village including those of you who already have stickers in your windows and who would be willing to act as co-ordinators. I should be grateful if you would put your names forward so that I have at least two people in most streets, five in High Street and four in Whitwell Way with whom I can liaise. You would then be expected to advise your neighbours and to immediately report any incident to me so that I can inform the police. Rosemary Darling Coton crime Fortunately January was a quiet time crime wise. There was only one small incident when an unsuccessful attempt was made to force open the phone kiosk cash box. The following incidents occurred in February. 8th. A large amount of sports equipment and a motorbike were stolen from Grays in Whitwell Way. 9th. Petrol was syphoned from a car on a driveway in St. Peter's Road. 10th. During the night, tools were stolen from a house that was being refurbished in Cambridge Road and during the same night tools were stolen from a workshop at the side of a house. With the warmer weather (hopefully) fast approaching crime generally increases, so please lock away all tools and other equipment which may be useful to the opportunist burglar. As you can see, burglars are visiting Coton and will continue to do so. One of the best ways to combat these people is to be in the Neighbourhood Watch scheme. At present some 100 households in the village are in the scheme but we only have one co-ordinator. In order for current crime information to be passed to the 100 households we need many more co-ordinators. The role is not too time consuming. The main requirement is to pass on information to the households around you when thefts or burglaries happen so that everyone can look out for the thieves and look after each other. Please contact Mrs. Darling or me if you are in the scheme at the moment and would be willing to be a co-ordinator. Unless more of you are prepared to act in this role we will have to eliminate large parts of the village from the scheme, so please call us. Pc. Stuart Hilton. Community Beat Officer. For any more recent information on crime in the area you can contact Stuart. Carers needed In the February issue we included an item asking for volunteers for the "Good Night" service. The following request has been received from Cambridgeshire County Council which refers to a similar need. Any parent can have a child with disabilities, and although many families find caring for their disabled child rewarding, it can also be very hard work. Finding time to do "ordinary" things with other members of the family can sometimes be impossible. The LINK scheme is one of the County Council's services for children and aims to link children who have a learning and/or physical disability to individuals willing to offer help, support and friendship. The purpose of the scheme is to support families in looking after their disabled child at home. The child would normally visit the carer's home for a short period of time such as a weekend each month. (Cont.) The LINK scheme knows of children in your area who need this type of support, and are seeking many more carers. CAN YOU HELP? No formal qualifications are necessary, you simply need time, patience and an understanding and caring attitude towards other people. A sense of humour helps too! A small tax-free allowance is paid to cover expenses. Please phone the LINK Scheme on 01223 718011 to find out about the assessment process and for further information.

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