Iver April 19 by In and Around Publishing

Dear Readers Welcome to the April issue of In and Around Iver And what a beautiful day it is outside. It’s felt as though the wind and rain have gone on for ever, so I’m celebrating the change with a nice load of laundry out on the line and the central heating finally being given a rest. I’m feeling the urge to retrieve the lawn mower from the shed and make that first cut whilst giving the bbq a quick once over to ensure it’s ready to replace the oven for cooking. Hopefully the slightly later start will mean we get an extended Summer, as I’ve got three new pairs of flip flops at the ready and they’re desperate for a test drive. Just as I thought we’d got all of the celebration piggery out of the way last month, pancakes eaten en mass and Mothers Day lunch packed down nicely, I’d obviously forgotten Easter. The last few years haven’t particularly impacted on the diet, as eggs stop flowing once you’re in a house full of adults. But, now there is little Summer -Hope, who at 18 months old has already picked her first egg off the supermarket shelf and placed it in my basket. I dread to think how this egg will multiply in numbers. Such a tiny person will never eat that lot on her own and as a selfless Nanny it will of course be my duty to give her any help I can and suffer the weight gain consequences later. Wishing you all a Happy Easter Until next month

.Angela & Sammy

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Publisher: Angela Fisher Phone: 0800 038 5001 / 07759 536494 Email: info@inandaroundpublishing.co.uk Information and Details of Rates at

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Inside this month’s Bumper issue Travel: Tikal - Guatemala 6 Tech: Don’t be an April Fool 8 Short Story: The Easter Hedgehog 12 Books: Scribe to Screen 14 Unusual Easter Traditions 16 Puzzles 18 The History of children’s toys 20 Quirky Britain 22 Glasses to suit your face shape 24 Health: National Stop Snoring Week 26 The Great Garage Sale 28 Pets Corner 30 Tree Surgeons 32 Karen Munro: Careers 34 Recipe: Chicken & Rice Burritos 36 Baking: Apricot & Orange Cheesecakes 38 The Ivers Parish Council 42 Look Out! There’s a prankster about 44 Richings Park Residents Association 46 Interiors: Spring into Pattern 50 Home Products: seasonal celebrations 52 Finance: Open Banking 54 Music and dementia - breaking the silence 56 Children’s Puzzle Page 58 Plan a great Easter Egg Hunt 60 Parenting: Treating head lice 62 Smartville comes to Richings Park 64 News from your local policing team 66 National Pet Month 68 Citizens Advice Bureau 69 Pets: Buying a hamster 69 Motoring: Is a hybrid car right for me? 70 Driving: Giving the right signals 72 Your 5 point life coaching kit 74 Gardening: Heavenly Herbs 76 Garden View: Project Pleasure 78 What is Reiki? 80 Puzzle Solutions 81 Nutrition Matters 84 Beauty: Spring is in the air 86 Clubs, Groups & Classes 88, 90 & 92 Wordsearch 94

MAY COPY DEADLINE 15TH APRIL We are grateful for the support of local businesses whose adverts appear in this publication and whilst every care is taken to ensure accuracy, the publishers cannot accept responsibility for any errors, omissions, claims made by advertisers or endorse companies, products or services. This publication, its contents and advert designs are © of In and Around Publishing. Any copying or reproduction in part or fully, is strictly forbidden without our prior consent.

Two exciting events coming to intu Uxbridge this Easter children’s favourite will be doing four hours of meets and greets from 11am-3pm. There are plenty of slots available but will be limited, so book your child’s slot now at www.intu.co.uk/uxbridge/ whatson so you don’t miss out – nobody wants an un-hoppy child! There’s no need to book for accompanying adults. Natasha House, marketing manager for intu Uxbridge, said: “This is where the fun’s at this Easter holiday! Come along with your family and join in with our fab events – all put on to keep families smiling during the holidays. Make sure you’ve joined our free family club for an extra special something too. We hope to see you there!” And don’t forget, every Monday is a fun day at intu Uxbridge, thanks to the popular Monday Fun

Days! Taking place every week from 9.30am-12.30pm, this is a chance to take part

in different child-related activities, for FREE, with your preschool-aged family members. There are crafts, colouring, soft play, children’s entertainers, reading and toys – and you don’t need to book, just turn up. Plus, there’s even first aid training for mums and dads, free of charge, but for that you do need to book at www.intu.co.uk/uxbridge/ Make your way to intu Uxbridge with a hop and a events/monday-fun-days. Mondays aren’t so skid this Easter, because two exciting events are dreary anymore! coming to town that your little ones are going to be crazy egg-cited about – and they’re completely Plus, there’s the Odeon IMAX cinema where the free! whole family can see Easter blockbuster releases including Disney’s Dumbo and Wonder Park. And From 8-13 April, go-karting will hit the shop- with 16 delicious restaurants and coffee shops ping centre. If your little racer is aged 4-11 years that cater perfectly for tired mums, hungry dads old, and fancies themselves as the next Hamilton and fussy kids within and around the centre – not or Rosberg, this is their chance to get behind the to mention a whole host of places to stock up on wheel and be a speed demon. With four electric Easter chocolate – intu Uxbridge has you totally go-karts and a five-minute slot, your child will be covered this school holiday! able to race, skid and turn corners around the fabulous track located on the third floor of the car Families can join the intu family club for free and park. There’s no need to book – just turn up and receive exclusive offers, discounts and be the first you’ll be guaranteed a ‘wheely’ good time! to learn about events. Sign up at the customer information desk in intu Uxbridge. Then on Saturday 20 April, Britain’s bestloved bunny, Peter Rabbit, will be making a For more information on our family offering, star appearance at intu Uxbridge! The classic visit www.intu.co.uk/uxbridge/families 10

Dear Residents,

Jeanette Watkins Obituary

The Iver Childrens Centre Following strong representation made by your Parish Council and residents we welcome the decision by Buckinghamshire County Council to keep The Iver Children Centre open which will provide continuing support for families in our community.

North Park Footpath The section of footway just to the west of the entrance to the CEMEX site on North Park has been in very poor condition for some time. We were able to secure some funding from the Local Area Forum towards reinstating it and this work It is with great sadness that we announce the has recently been completed including the instalpassing of our dear friend and former colleague lation of concrete bollards to prevent parking of Jeanette Watkins. Jeanette had served as a Par- HGVs. ish Councillor from the mid-eighties until 2015 and will be fondly remembered as a mentor, friend and Green Spaces much valued member of the community. Rest in peace. This Easter take the time to visit the green spaces that surround you, pop by Swan Meadow a rural The Ivers Community Award Recipients habitat and peaceful retreat for dog walkers, families and amblers alike. There you will find a brass We were delighted to present five deserving resi- rubbing nature trail (see our website for a dents with awards at the Annual Meeting of the downloadable trail guide) and to the far East of Electorate on March 4th in recognition of their the entrance to the Meadow you will find a conservice to the community. servation treasure or two squirreled away in this often unexplored public space. Joyce Young for her longstanding service as a Governor at Iver Village Infant School. Jane #lovetheplaceyoulive Brown for her service with Neighbourhood Watch and her commitment to raising crime prevention awareness. Shantanu Tandon for his service to the residents of Richings Park with The Richings Park Village Action Group. Lauren Wilson for her artistic contribution to the World War 1 Centenary Celebrations in 2018 across The Ivers. Jacquie Bryson accepted an award on behalf of the Trustees of The Evereham Youth Group for their commitment to providing youth services to the community and Pankaj Shah for his service of 40 years as an independent Chemist to the community. 42

Black Park Junction Transport For Bucks advise an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order - A412 Uxbridge Road junction with Black Park Road comes into operation on 25th March 2019. Following a review of injury collisions across the county, the A412 Black Park Road junction has been identified as a priority for safety improvements.The site has undergone design and assessment and the proposed improvements are to ban the right turn out of Black Park Road onto the A412 towards Slough and to ban the ‘U’ turn on the A412 for south bound traffic at the junction with Black Park Road. In order to monitor the full effects of the proposed measures,

it is proposed to implement the changes as an experimental Traffic Regulation Order (eTRO). This method enables us to gather data from the site as well as views of the road user for the first 6 months before making a permanent change. Objections to the proposal together with the grounds on which they are made must be sent in writing by Friday 20th September 2019 in any of the following way: ●By email to tfbschemesdelivery@buckscc.gov.uk ●By post to the Network Improvement Team Please see The Ivers Parish Council website for further detail.

Forthcoming Committee Meetings Tuesday 2nd April – Planning Committee 6pm -The Ivers Parish Council Offices Thursday 11th April – Citizens Advice Bureau – The Ivers Community Hub Thursday 18th April – Connection Support – The Ivers Community Hub Tuesday 30th April – Planning Committee 6pm - The Ivers Parish Council Offices Monday 13th May – Full Council AGM 7.30pm - Iver Heath Village Hall Thursday 16th May – Policy & Finance 7.30pm - The Ivers Parish Council Offices Wednesday 22nd May – Amenities Committee 7.30pm - The Ivers Parish Council Offices Tuesday 28th May – Planning Committee 6pm - The Ivers Parish Council Offices For all the latest updates of interest to The Ivers please Follow us on Facebook and Twitter and see our website at www.iverparishcouncil.gov.uk

Sally Munn

Annual Subscriptions

Park a more enjoyable and valued place to live.

It is a new year for the Richings Park Residents’ Association and therefore annual subscriptions are now due for 2019/2020.

*Creating regular opportunities for the community to meet and make connections in the local area. *Communities are inclusive and built on relationships: families, adults, old, young, everyone! *Arranging events for the whole community with ongoing fund raising as the thread that brings us together. *Creating a surplus of funds to help increase event opportunities – where some are paid for, and others are subsidised. *Working as part of the Richings Park Residents Association.

This helps to support the invaluable and voluntary work undertaken by the committee on the residents’ behalf. It is only £5 per year, per household. So less than 10p per week! It is easy to pay either by the envelope through your door or on online by following the instructions on our website richingspark.com Your AGM The Annual Meeting for the RPRA will be on Tuesday 30th April / 7.30pm / Richings Park Sports Club Please attend to find out more about your village and your association! Recognition of Service to the Community It was fantastic to see 2 Richings Park Residents’ presented awards at the Iver parish Council Annual Meeting in recognition of their service to the community. Joyce Young for her longstanding service as a Governor at Iver Village Infant School. Shantanu Tandon, RPRA committee member for his service to the residents of Richings Park through The Richings Park Village Action Group & his role in organising the 2018 Summer Fete. The Community of Richings Park – continue to come together through their Y of socialising! ‘Richings Park Events’ is a spirited team of residents created and dedicated towards building the community through their love of socialising their common purpose being to make Richings 46

What have we been doing since 2017? Richings Pints, Bollywood Hollywood Gala Dinner, Fireworks Night, Summer fete, Back to the 80s Dinner & Dance, Children’s Movie afternoon at Pinewood Studios, Book Clubs, Richings Christmas, Cycling Group, Curry nights, Prosecco Crew nights out to name a few...with live entertainment, good food, and drink (!), auctions, raffles, competitions, make these events a fun experience for all. What have we got to look forward to this year? Even more fun bringing the residents of Richings Park together. New and ongoing events to look out for are; The 2019 Summer Ball will be the pinnacle of the 2019 events calendar. Look out for posters and

social media but make sure that Saturday 29th June is in your diary! Richings Sparkles, Richings Pints, Cinema, Cycling Group, Book Club, Curry Nights, Family Disco’s, Christmas Party...if you have any other ideas and have the time to help make them happen please get in touch. Socialising in Numbers Would you like to get involved? We’re always looking for new members with ideas and fresh inspiration: *Have your say in how the team work *Choose the fundraising opportunities to support *Help plan & organise upcoming events Get in contact: · https://www.richingspark.com/ · Twitter @richings_park · Facebook - Richings Park Village Group · Email RPVAG@hotmail.com

Action

It is the residents of Richings Park who give their time and talents, make this possible.

EASTER A

Easter Eggst featuring an Easter Egg Hunt, Hot Cross Bu Sunday 14th April, 10.3

King's with Hot Cross B Thursday 18th April, 10am

Good Frida Joint Service with St. P Friday 19 10.30am at St. Peter's | 10.50am Walk

Easter Sund Hallelujah! H Sunday 21st April, 10.3

West Square, High Street, Iver 01753 651178 | chris@ www.kingsch

AT KING'S

travaganza uns, the real meaning of Easter and more... 30am, Iver Village Hall

s CafĂŠ Buns and singing m, King's Church building

ay Service Peter's & St. Leonard's 9th April of Witness | 11am at Iver Village Hall

day Service He Is Risen... 30am, Iver Village Hall

r, Buckinghamshire, SL0 9NW @kingschurchiver.org hurchiver.org

‘SmartVille’ – A private ANPR and CCTV network to help to detect and deter crime in Richings Park It’ll come to no surprise to anyone that crime seems to be rising in our villages! In Richings Park alone we’ve seen reported crime rise by 34% between 2017/18 and the results for 2018/19 should be available soon. Working with The Residents Association; Neighbourhood Watch; Local businesses and the Residents of Richings Park, we’re raising funds to install a private network of linked CCTV cameras to help fight crime!

What is Smartville? About a year ago, we learned of a CCTV project in Ickenham that is run by NHW volunteers that has had great success since it started in 2010. They are using ANPR cameras that record vehicle movements through the village, these are then supported by a number of strategically placed CCTV cameras that are linked to a central control where they can monitor the movements of criminals when they are in the area. They started the scheme because they were experiencing similar problems to the Ivers where criminals are travelling into the areas from either neighbouring boroughs or from further afield using the motorway networks The volunteers gather evidence using high-quality equipment, when a crime occurs, they are able to present this evidence to the Police quickly and, if good enough, the Police use this to identify individuals and place them in the area at the time of the crime. The Ickenham project has helped to: * Increase detection rates to 34% *A drop in reported crimes by 95% *Secure over 1,200 years of criminal sentencing

Smartville in Richings Park

CCTV cameras to be situated at key locations and junctions within Richings Park – with the purpose of gathering stronger evidence to help the Police secure convictions with less resources. The aim of Smartville is to help to detect crime when it has happened and in turn to help to act as further deterrent within our villages. Richings Park is set to go live before the end of April and talks are already taking place in Iver Heath to create their own Smartville project, if these could be linked with with Iver Village too, imagine how it could help to deter crime across the whole of the Ivers. If you would like further information about Smartville, a website has been created at no cost to the public, you can find out the latest news, it has links with information on NHW, and advice on how you can contribute to Phase Two funding – please visit www.smartville.info What else can we do to help to prevent crime in our area? *Firstly, if you are able, make sure your own home and cars/vans are properly protected. *Get an alarm fitted and cameras if you can afford them and make sure you don’t keep anything valuable on display. *Fit a motion activated security light, motion sensor video doorbell, leave a light on. A cheap deterrent is a TV simulator from Ebay. *Visit the NHW website for some great tips on how to make your property less attractractive www.ourwatch.org.uk – A review showed that for every 100 crimes 26% were prevented because of an effective Neighbourhood Watch. *Join your local Neighbourhood Watch – it’s quick to register and you really don’t have to do much more than you do now, which is look out for yourself and be vigilant. *Anything suspicious should be reported to the police, 999 in emergencies or if non urgent, 101/ report online, then pass on anything you think suspicious to others in your group. *Join the ‘Iver, Iver Heath and Richings Park Crime Watch Facebook page’ and register for TV Alerts messages.

We’ve been planning our own Smartville project since we learned about the success of the Ickenham project and with the support of the local community who have managed to raise enough funds to purchase and install the first phase of our own network of high-tech cameras for that will help to identify those who travel to Richings Park by car, bike or on foot. ‘Phase Two’ funding will soon be Useful links: announced, the aim of this is to purchase further Smartville – www.smartville.info NHW – www.ourwatch.org.uk 64

News from your local Neighbourhood Policing Team Your neighbourhood team consists of Sgt. James Ellis; PC Will Ranford; PCSO Kam Benawra, PCSO Roy Fisher and PCSO Alex Hatzi-Haralambous Neighbourhood Priorities: The priorities for your Neighbourhood Policing Team (NHPT) are decided by the Community Forum for the whole of South Bucks. This steering group is made up of members of the community and representatives from organisations across the area. The forum is not run by the Police although we do play a part. This allows us to speak to a good cross section of society and find out what you want us to do and how you want us to police your area. The top three priorities are chosen by the forum every three months and are actioned by your NHPT.

Of those who have already been to court, every single one has been disqualified from driving for a period of at least 12 months. Additionally: • One driver was prosecuted for driving whilst disqualified, after being seen by police to switch seats with the passenger after being pulled over. • A 30-year-old woman failed to stop for police on Uxbridge Road, resulting in a pursuit. When she was finally caught and brought to the police station, she pretended to be asleep to try and avoid providing a sample of breath for analysis. She was given a 23-month driving ban for failing to provide a sample of breath for alcohol analysis, and failing to stop for police. • Priority One: Burglary See January 19 In and A driver was reported for prosecution after failing to stop at the scene of an accident, following a colliAround newsletter update sion with a cyclist at the junction of Denham Road Priority Two: Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) and Church Road, Iver Heath. In our newsletter last quarter, we talked about two • A driver was reported to court for using his mobile persistent ASB issues which had occurred in the phone while driving. Police couldn’t issue him with Iver area: specifically, a house in the area of Thora ticket at the roadside because he already had ney Lane North which was allegedly used by drug seven points on his licence; he will go to court users, and littering and drug paraphernalia left in a where he may receive six more, possibly resulting lay-by in Richings Park. Targeted patrols not only in a six-month totting ban. work to resolve particular issues, they also have a knock-on effect on other crime types in the area. In Other News this instance, there has been no recurrence of New team member: PCSO Alexandros Hatzieither case of ASB. Haralambous has successfully passed his tutorship This quarter we have been focusing on a property period under the capable instruction of PCSO Roy near George Green which is alleged to be used for Fisher. He is now independent and can be seen on drug-dealing, drawing criminals to the area. With his travels about the town. partnership working between the Neighbourhood team, the police Problem-Solving Team, and the housing association, we are looking to have the vulnerable occupant moved so that he can no longer be taken advantage of.

Priority Three: Speeding Officers continue to

conduct patrols and speed enforcement activities around the parishes. The Festive period over the last quarter saw some people abuse their privilege to drive, and during general road patrols in support of this priority, fifteen people were arrested for drink - or drug-driving. This is a very large increase on the previous quarter, which reflects people’s attitude to drink-driving over the festive and New Year’s period.

Parking

Parking has historically been a topic about which we get a huge number of complaints, and this quarter is no different. Parking enforcement has also historically been something for which we were responsible – but no longer. Parking enforcement is “decriminalised” in South Bucks – this means that responsibility for enforcing parking restrictions has passed from the police to the local council, who employ a contractor, NSL, to give out penalty notices on their behalf. The police no longer have the power to issue penalties for most parking offences, including all yellow-line offences. The positive aspect to this change is that with the police are unburdened of this responsibility, which affords us greater opportunities to focus on more stereotypical

criminal behaviour. To report persistent parking issues, the most efficient communication is to NSL via their website at www.nsl.co.uk/contact, or contac t Transport for Buck s at www.transportforbucks.net/Parking.aspx or by phone on 01494 478820.

and Denham. The offenders have been remanded in prison and are awaiting trial.

There are a few parking offences for which we can still give out tickets: largely obstruction and parking on zig-zags. However, we are well aware of all the major problem areas, such as commuter parking in Richings Park and drop-off/pick-up times around every school in the area; issuing tickets for obstruction on a frequent basis.

A man from Stoke Poges was charged with multiple offences following an incident where he caused damage to a house. On our arrival he fought with police and threw knives at them, before being shot with an electric stun gun by specially-trained officers. He is awaiting trial.

Offenders Brought to Justice

A team of offenders has been charged with a variety of offences across South Bucks and London, including a ram-raid at the Co-Op on Iver High Street which occurred in November 2018. A stolen Ford Ranger was driven into the front of the shop during a dramatic raid to enable burglars to gain access to the ATM; however, the burglars managed to knock over the ATM and then drive on top of it, stranding their vehicle and denying them access to the machine. All have been remanded and are awaiting trial. A man from West Drayton has been charged with a number of offences following an armed robbery at the Co-Op in Iver Heath. The offender and another man entered the shop, one armed with a screwdriver and another with a sledgehammer, and stole money from the till while threatening staff. Their vehicle was later involved in a pursuit with responding police officers. The man was charged with robbery, aggravated vehicle taking (where the offence was aggravated because the vehicle was driven dangerously), driving whilst disqualified, driving without insurance, and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place. He has been remanded in custody pending sentence. The owner of a property on Pinewood Close, Iver Heath, has become the first person in the Thames Valley area to be prosecuted for destroying bat nests. The man pleaded guilty to two counts of destroying resting grounds of European protected species (namely, the Common Pipistrelle bat and the Brown Long-Eared Bat); he was fined £500 on each count, plus court costs of £125. A 19-year-old man has been charged with burglary following an offence on Mansion Lane, Iver. The same offender was also charged with three other burglaries across Slough and Surrey. Additionally, three members of a burglary gang have been charged with a burglary at a house in Journey’s End, Stoke Poges. The same offenders were also charged with offences in Flackwell Heath

Two offenders have pleaded guilty to a burglary at Syke Cluan in Iver. The two men were caught on the roof of the property after police were called by vigilant neighbours. They are awaiting sentence.

A man has been charged with assaulting a police officer in George Green. Police responded to reports of a disorder and it is alleged that during the incident, the man punched a police officer in the back of the head causing minor injury. The man has pleaded not guilty and awaits trial. A juvenile has been charged with shoplifting from the Co-Op on the High Street in Iver. When searched by police he was also found to be in possession of a small but unlawful knife. He awaits trial for both offences. A man in Iver was charged for causing damage to a house and making threats to the occupants. Due to the seriousness of the circumstances of the offence, he received a sentence of six weeks’ imprisonment for making threats, and four weeks for criminal damage, to run concurrently. Two persons, each caught with a small amount of cannabis in Black Park, were given street warnings. The cannabis was seized and destroyed. Street warnings are low-level disposals introduced by government to allow police to deal proportionately with offences relating to the possession of cannabis and khat only. They can only be given to first-time offenders. Another person was cautioned after being found with a small quantity of cocaine on Pinewood Road. A fourth person was caught with cannabis close to Slough Road, Iver Heath. He was likewise given a street warning.

Contact

Us: You can e-mail us at IverStokePogesWexhamNHPT@thamesvalley.p n n . p o l i c e . u k O r y o u c a n visit www.thamesvalley.police.uk to report nonurgent incidents online. Sign up to Thames Valley Alerts to receive crime and policing updates directly from your local Neighbourhood Team as well as more crime and policing issues. Sign up to the service online at: www.thamesvalleyalert.co.uk or speak with one of your Neighbourhood Team. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter at @TVP_ChiltSBucks to see what we do day-to-day

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