Recent Power Outages

Following the recent outages, the Parish Council contacted UK Power Networks to try and ascertain what was causing the issue. Below is response from them received 11th February 2020.

We can confirm that following the last fault on the 2nd February 2021 our engineers identified a fault on our high voltage cable, which affected a large quantity of customers. After further investigations our engineers ascertained the location of the fault and carried out the necessary repairs on the 3rd February 2021, we do not expect any further related problems on this section of cable.

We do hope this information will reassure you, if we can be of further assistance please do not hesitate to contact us.

Need help to find work or help to manage your finances – please see below

90-minute online sessions to help people find work

C3 Church is running three 90-minute sessions covering: what are my skills and where are the jobs?; application forms and CVs; and preparing for interviews. Session dates are: 11, 18 and 25 March.

Financial support for residents

C3 Churches are also offering some online finance courses covering help with bills, debts, loans and budgeting (session one) and money saving strategies, universal credit and grants (session two). Session dates: 7.30pm to 8.45pm on Thursday 25 February and Thursday 4 March.

Green Homes Grant


The deadline for the Government’s Green Homes Grant has been extended until March 2022, so there is now a more reasonable time frame for residents to investigate the possibility of making improvements to their home’s efficiency and having the work either part or fully-funded by Government vouchers.

Carbon Neutral Cambridge undertook some work to create heatmaps and detailed postcode maps showing areas that have concentrations of homes with either “poor” or “very poor” loft insulation, or uninsulated or partially insulated cavity walls.

You can view information for South Cambridgeshire on the
Carbon Neutral Cambridge website. You may be interested to learn that the top 21 ‘hotspot’ villages identified in South Cambridgeshire are: Over; Bar Hill; Bassingbourn; Caldecote; Cambourne; Duxford; Fen Ditton; Fen Drayton; Foxton; Girton; Great and Little Shelford; Hardwick; Hauxton; Histon; Linton; Melbourn; Milton; Sawston; Stow cum Quy; Teversham; and Waterbeach.

Climate and environment fortnight 2021


Commencing on Monday 22 February, the South Cambs District Council will be marking Climate and environment fortnight 2021 with a series of webinars to help people think about how to live more sustainably, reduce carbon emissions and in turn help tackle climate change. All are welcome to join any of these free online event
• Greener businesses, Thursday 25 February, from 1pm to 2pm
• Sustainable farming in Cambridgeshire, online film premiere and discussion, Friday 26 February, from 9am to 10am
• Greening your older home, tips and inspiration, Tuesday 2 March, from 1pm to 2pm
• Shrinking your carbon footprint, Wednesday 3 March, 7.30pm to 8.30pm
• Food for our Future workshop, Thursday 4 March, from 7.30pm to 8.30pm.
For more information, please visit SCDC website from next week where they will be updating information about how to join these events.

Vaccine Hubs – Urgent Request for Volunteer Support

Urgent Request for Volunteer Support
Please share this request for support via your mailing lists, Parish Bulletins and on all social media platforms.

Due to the large number of Vaccine Hubs, urgent support is required at 1 of our testing hubs within the region.

The roles range from queue management, registration assistant (welcoming people to the testing site), test operative (actually processing the testing sample, in full PPE, training provided), result logger (logs result), evaluation (asks people why they’ve come, would they come again) and general role (would include cleaning).

Fen Road, Cambridge
The test site is open Thursday 28th to Sunday 31st 10- 6pm.  Staff would be expected to arrive by 9.15/9.30 latest.  The last test is 5.30pm, so we would hope staff could finish by 6.15-6.30. 

If you are in a position where you can help support the testing hub, please contact Nikitta Vanterpool – Nikitta.vanterpool@cambridgeshire.gov.uk 
 

CAPALC · The Norwood Building · Parkhall Road · Somersham, Cambs PE28 3HE · United Kingdom

Neighbourhood Alert – Dog Owners Urged to Take Extra Precautions

We’re urging pet owners to be vigilant and review their security after reports of a rise in dog thefts in other counties.

The demand for dogs has soared across the country due to more people working from home and having extra time on their hands

DCI Chris O’Brien said “Dogs are often part of the family and having them stolen can be absolutely devastating. While we are not currently seeing an increase in dog thefts in Cambridgeshire, we’d urge pet owners to consider taking extra precautions to help deter thieves and protect your pets. You can never be too careful.”

Extra precautions include:

  • keeping an ID tag on your dog at all times
  • Lock gates using bolts at the top and bottom, along with a heavy-duty padlock
  • Ensure their are no places where dogs and other animals can escape, or be pulled through, if they are left in a back garden
  • Never leave your pet in the garden unattended
  • Fit a bell or gate alarm so it makes a noise when someone opens it
  • Purchase a driveway alarm so you are alerted to any visitors, these can also be used in your rear garden
  • Make sure your dog is microchipped and their details are updated so that they can be returned if they are stolen and subsequently found
  • Avoid leaving a dog tied up outside a shop or left alone in a car, even for a few minutes
  • Take lots of photographs of your dog to prove ownership if its stolen and then found
  • Report dog theft to the police straight away

Always report stolen dogs to us, as sometimes officers have been able to reunite owners with their pets.

Anyone with information about a stolen dog, or suspicious behaviour, can report it via the force’s web chat service: https://bit.ly/2D9KFKH or by calling 101 if they do not have internet access.

For more advice, visit the force’s dedicated dog theft page: https://bit.ly/3iDogWH

Thank you,
Corporate Communications

Message sent by Corporate Communications (Police, Communications Officer, Cambridgeshire)

Yellow Warning for Rain – Sandbags

Cambridgeshire has a yellow warning for rain from 00:00 Tuesday 19th January – 12:00 on Thursday 21st January. The Parish Council has a supply of sand and bags so if you are concerned about flooding of your property and need sandbags, please call at the public hall on the High Street today (Tuesday) between 12.30pm and 2.30pm and fill the bags you need.

Alert – Coronavirus Vaccination Scams

Willingham Parish Council have received a neighbourhood alert about Coronovirus Vaccination Scams, please see below.

Dear subscriber,

As of 7 January 2021, Action Fraud had received 57 reports from members of the public who have been sent text messages claiming to be from the NHS, offering them the opportunity to sign up for coronavirus vaccinations. The texts ask the recipient to click on a link which takes them to an online form where they are prompted to input personal and financial details. In some cases the online form has looked very similar to the real NHS website.

Pauline Smith, Head of Action Fraud, said: 
“Remember, the vaccine is only available on the NHS and is free of charge. The NHS will never ask you for details about your bank account or to pay for the vaccine. If you receive an email, text message or phone call purporting to be from the NHS and you are asked to provide financial details, this is a scam.”


How to protect yourself:

In the UK, coronavirus vaccinations will only be available via the National Health Services of England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. You can be contacted by the NHS, your employer, a local GP surgery or pharmacy, to receive your vaccination. Remember, the vaccinations are free of charge and you will not be asked for a payment.

The NHS will never:ask for your bank account or card detailsask for your PIN or banking passwordsarrive unannounced at your home to administer the vaccineask for documentation to prove your identity, such as a passport or utility bills
If you receive a call you believe to be fraudulent, hang up. If you are suspicious about an email you have received, forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk. Suspicious text messages should be forwarded to the number 7726, which is free of charge.


If you believe you are the victim of a fraud, please report this to Action Fraud as soon as possible by calling 0300 123 2040 or visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk.


 *Please forward this email to any friends, family members, or colleagues that may find this information useful*

 
Message Sent By
Action Fraud (Action Fraud, Administrator, National)