PCSO Julie Pardoe from West Mercia Police has advised that the Safer neighbourhood Team has been made aware that a research interviewer from Ipsos, a market research group, will be in the area over the next couple of weeks.  They will be attending pre-selected addresses where residents have been notified in advance of the visit – they will NOT be cold calling on anyone.  The interviewer should have appropriate identification which they will be able to show anyone requesting to see it.

If you have any concerns about people attending your address, here are some simple but effective measures you can take to minimize risk and to deal with callers at the doorstep. Please share these with any older or vulnerable family, friends or neighbours:

·  If someone knocks on your door: check who it is by looking through a window or peep-hole.

·  If it’s not someone you know and trust or a business caller who has made a pre-arranged appointment, do NOT open the door. This advice applies whatever uniform the caller appears to be wearing or ID card they are carrying and however urgent their business claims to be.

·  Tell unexpected business callers to leave and come back later at an agreed time when you can have someone else with you.

·  In the meantime, check their credentials by calling the organisation they claim to represent. Do so by looking up the number in your telephone book rather than using one on any card they might give you as this could simply put you through to an accomplice of a potential offender.

·  Report suspicious activity to the police. No matter how small it may seem officer would rather be called to something that turns out to be legitimate than to miss the opportunity to prevent a crime or catch an offender.

The March edition of Pershore Times is now available for download.

This month’s edition contains articles on plans to celebrate the coronation of King Charles lll, confirmation that local bus companies will charge no more than £2 for single tickets, cost of living support for families, tree planting by members of the local u3a at Wick Care Farm, together with regular updates from local gardening gurus Reg Moule and Nikki Hollier, recipes for rhubarb from Ailsa Craddock, details of Easter activities at Pershore Riverside Youth Centre, the regular monthly puzzles and quiz and much more.

You can download this month’s edition at:

http://www.pershoretimes.co.uk/index_htm_files/Current Month.pdf

or you can have each month’s edition delivered to your inbox by visiting:

www.pershoretimes.co.uk

and entering your name and email address.

This month’s edition of KIT is available to download now. Topics include:

• Proposed events to celebrate the coronation of King Charles lll
• The Fladbury Village Show which will be happening in September
• Request for volunteers for Fladbury Walkabout in July
• Bellboat regatta in September
• March dates for Fladbury Coffee Club
• Update on River Avon water quality
• 5 Villages Prom on Friday 10th March at 7:30pm in Fladbury church

and much more.

You can download the complete newsletter here (Ignore “January in the link – it works for March!):

https://mailchi.mp/f06f646203dc/kit-january-17034411?e=3501a6f3e4

The February edition of John Campion’s newsletter is available for download now. This month’s newsletter contains stories on the new combined Redditch Fire and Police Hub, a 43% decrease in anti-social behaviour, Race Equality Week, access to a video recording of John Campion’s meeting with West Mercia’s Chief Constable, Pippa Mills, in which he discussed issues raised by residents, and much more.

You can download and read the complete newsletter here:

Wychavon District Council is working with Create Streets to come up with a design code which will be a first for the district. It offers residents the chance to influence how their towns, villages and streets are developed.

Design codes will become an important part of the planning system in the future. They will set out to developers, housebuilders and architects what is required, in detail, from their proposed plans before they are even submitted, guaranteeing standards are upheld and removing the uncertainty which can lead to delays in the planning process.

The codes can include everything from the type of material that can be used to whether buildings should avoid being north facing so it’s easier to install solar panels on them.

Having a design code will not replace the need for planning permission or remove the rights of residents to object or comment on individual planning applications. But by requiring developers to build to the design code, it means planners can ensure new development is better suited to towns and villages and is good quality, sustainable and helps communities flourish.

Input from residents is critical to the process of producing the code.

Consultations for all parts of the district are now open.

The deadline to have your say is 31 March 2023.

You can contribute to the consultation by clicking on:

http://www.wychavon.gov.uk/consultations

and following the link

The latest edition of Wychavon District Council’s Business News e-newsletter is now available for download. This edition includes articles on:

– office space available at the Pershore Business Hub

– Business start up evening at the Hive in Worcester

– free numeracy skills training

– small business leaders across Worcestershire invited to take advantage of the 90% government-funded Help to Grow: Management Course

– details of the Chamber Business Awards, sponsored by Herefordshire Council are an annual celebration of the amazing businesses across Herefordshire and Worcestershire 

Companies can self-nominate, or nominate another business, across 16 different awards for the chance to become a finalist and ultimately win at the popular Awards Ceremony on Thursday 15 June 2023

and much more. You can download the newsletter by clicking on this link:

https://securelinks2.cmadvantage.co.uk/linkapp/cmaview.aspx?LinkID=pageid100103844zrq9~xjnfzqr~zxjx~qtxttq~z~x~f~f~n

The latest edition of Wychavon District Council’s email newsletter is available for download at:

https://securelinks2.cmadvantage.co.uk/linkapp/cmaview.aspx?LinkID=pageid100320254zrq9~xjnxznq~9nnh~qtxhrh~z~x~f~f~n

This month’s edition contains details of the Council’s plan to freeze Wychavon’s share of the Council Tax bill for the sixth year running if proposals put forward by councillors are accepted, plus Wychavon’s continued support for Ukraine, confirmation of the need for photo ID in order to be able to vote in May’s elections and how to apply for a free voter ID document, known as a Voter Authority Certificate if you don’t have a suitable ID document such as a passport or driver’s licence, an article on how to apply for funding for celebrations to mark the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III and much more.

For the first time you will need to show photo ID to be able to vote in the Wychavon District Council and parish and town council elections which are being held on 4th May 2023. This follows a change in the law introduced by the UK government. If you do not bring photo ID with you to the polling station and produce it when asked, then you will not be able to cast your vote.

Many people will be able to produce either a driver’s licence or passport to satisfy this new requirement, but anyone in any doubt about which other documents will be acceptable should consult the comprehensive guide produced by Wychavon District Council available to download at:

https://www.wychavon.gov.uk/elections – voter_ID

You can also watch a short video prepared by Wychavon District Council which explains the new requirements at:

You can now download the latest edition of the Pershore Times online newspaper here:

http://www.pershoretimes.co.uk/index_htm_files/Current Month.pdf

In addition to the ever popular cooking, gardening and puzzle sections, this month’s edition includes details of Pershore Carnival Committee’s fundraising quiz to be held at 7:30pm on Saturday 11th February at the Sports and Social Club on Defford Road, Pershore, the success of Pershore’s Community Cupboard, Pershore Place Board’s plans for developments in and around the town, the setting up of Read Easy groups in Evesham and Pershore aimed at helping residents struggling with literacy skills, whether due to dyslexia, poor or interrupted schooling, dislike of learning or other reasons, the chance to win tickets for the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome show to be held at the NEC later this month and much more.

You can arrange for the latest edition of Pershore Times to be delivered to your inbox each month by visiting: http://www.pershoretimes.co.uk/ and entering your name and email address.

Citizens Advice in conjunction with the Rural Services Network have issued a request for people living in rural areas and experiencing difficulties with everyday expenses to complete a Rural Households Cost of Living Survey.

Results from the survey will build on the Rural Cost of Living research commissioned last year and help the Rural Services Network to lobby Government departments, MPs and other policy makers for a fairer deal for rural communities.