Road Safety Competition

Many people throughout the local area are worried about the speed some cars and vehicles travel on our roads and throughout the local area.

I have joined up with Jimmy Waters and involved Rockin Robin to launch a competition which is fun, creates awareness about road safety and a home for local birds during the winter/spring. This competition is to celebrate the national Brake Road Safety Week which runs from 14th – 20th November. This week is designed to bring together communities and professionals to encourage safer roads. Our competition is aiming to increase speed awareness amongst families. The competition is to create a bird nest box in the style of a roadside speed camera. There is no entry is free and will be divided into two entry categories: Cat.1. Up to and including year 6 primary school children (Junior Box) Cat.2. Year 7 children upto and including adults (Adult Box) An Essex Roads Policing Inspector has kindly agreed to judge the entries. The closing date is 30th November 2022. A maximum of 4 photos of the finished bird box should be sent to June at North Weald Village Life via email – june@northwealdvillagelife.co.uk, or you can send photos via text or whatsapp. You can also submit via completing an online form which can be found on the website www.northwealdvillagelife.co.uk. Here is some helpful guidance regarding the bird nest box design:• The box can be of any size but suitable for the species you are building for. Here are some entrance hole diameters to help – 25mm (Blue Tit) 28mm (Great Tit) 32mm (Sparrow/ Nuthatch) 50mm Starling. Tip – there is plenty of information regarding bird box sizes on the Internet or try the library.

Photo: C. Jones

• The box must look like a roadside Speed Camera. • Points will be added for detail – check existing cameras locally for ideas but only paint the outside of the box and do not use wood that has been preserved! • Points will be added for using recycled materials in construction. • Please photograph your entry during construction, completion and also in position. Tip – try to position the box so the entrance hole faces to the northeast or east and away from predators. First prize for both categories will be Gardening vouchers where you can buy something to plant or put in your garden. An extra prize will be awarded for the first photo (from either category) sent to june@northwealdvillagelife.co.uk of your box in use by birds next spring!

There will be an awards presentation in January where the photos will be displayed and the prizes and certificates awarded.

Terms: There is no entry fee. The Judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Closing date 30th November 2022.

Essex Police have reported that bicycle thefts are on the increase. If you’ve ever had your bicycle stolen, you’ll know how upsetting it can be. These practical tips are from Essex Police and I hope theywill help keep your bike safe and out of the hands of thieves – and also advise on how to get it back if it is stolen. The most important thing to remember is, double lock your bike and register the frame number. Follow these 10 tips from Essex Police to ensure your bike remains safe, secure and not a statistic.

1. Double lock it—Using two locks slows thieves down and makes your bike less of a target. Use two quality locks, at least one of which is a D-lock. Thieves are less likely to carry multiple tools, so use two different types of lock if possible. 2. Lock the lot—Lock the frame and both wheels to a secure cycle stand. 3. Secure it—Secure your bike as close to the stand as possible to give any thieves little or no room to manoeuvre. 4. Take removable parts with you—Take parts that are easy to remove with you, such as wheels, lights, baskets or the saddle. Or use locking skewers or nuts which can increase security by securing the bike's components to the frame permanently. 5. Park securely—Lock your bike at recognised secure cycle parking. It should be well lit and covered by CCTV. 6. Register it—Register your frame number for free on a cycle database such as www.bikeregister.com or immobilise.com. The frame number is usually found underneath the bike between the pedals or where the back wheel slots in. If your bike is ever stolen and recovered by the police, it can be traced back to you. 7. Mark it—Get your bike security marked. It’s a highly effective, visible deterrent to bike thieves. They know that if they are caught with a registered bike, the owner can be traced and they will be arrested. www.bikeregister.com provide a list of police bike marking events. 8. Remember safety begins at home—Take the same care to lock your bike securely at home as you would on the street. Avoid advertising that you have a bike at home, for example, by removing car roof racks, and creating ‘privacy zones’ on apps like Strava to avoid disclosing your location.

9. Check ownership—Ask for proof of ownership and check the bike frame number on a cycle database such as those on the websites listed above. 10. Act fast - If your bike has been stolen, contact us as soon as possible by calling 101 or report online at Essex Police. Give them your frame number, cycle database number, a photo and any other details and make sure you update the status on the cycle database where you registered it. The sooner they know, the sooner they can act, which might stop it being sold on.

Source: Essex Police