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08 Double page feature on the up and coming cinema releases for 2017 at Empire Swindon.
10 SNDOGS Our monthly check in with the team over at SNDOGS.
11
Drove Vets Information that will help keep your pet safe over the Christmas period.
24 Churchfields Academy A heart warming article from the students at Churchfields Academy.
27 Robert Buckland Anything Swindon catch up with Robert Buckland Conservative MP for South Swindon.
12 Carpeo press release We learn of a new starter at the local UK Contact Centre services in Swindon
16 Ross Noble A Q and A interview with the king of improvisational comedy.
19 Consumer Rights Stay protected and know your rights over the festive period with some great help and information from Citizens Advice Services.
PAGE 04
28 Anything Swindon’s very own Graham updates us on his progress with his dental feature.
30 Mike Veale Monthly Focus We check in with Mike Veale from the Wiltshire Police.
Graham
Ian
Welcome to the new issue of the Anything Swindon Magazine. Welcome to our December 2016 edition of Anything Swindon magazine. This month we have a packed magazine with our regular updates from SN-Dogs, Drove Vets, Robert Buckland and Mike Veale. We bring you the next part of my treatment diary as I continue my visits to Smiles in Beechcroft Road to overcome my fear of the Dentist. We have a great Q and A from funny man Ross Noble plus some great advice from Citizens Advice to help you know your rights over the festive period. We have an update from the local contact centre business Carpeo, who have appointed Craig Barlow to head up their new professional organisation devision. Please enjoy this month’s edition and feel free to send in your community news and stories of success. Could you benefit from advertising your business or service? Anything Swindon Magazine is Swindon’s most cost-effective marketing platform with rates as low as £30.00 per month achieving an estimated readership of more than 70’000 people of all ages across both paper and online e-magazine.
Where else could you reach 25’000 properties from £30.00 per month?
Questions and feedback: Unit 73 BSS House, Cheney Manor, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN2 2PJ Phone: 01793 977117 Email: info@anythingswindon.co.uk Online: www.anythingswindon.co.uk Designed & Printed: Screaming Media Ltd www.screamingmedia.co.uk Readership: 75,000 Circulation: 25,000 Online View: 15,000 per month
Follow us on Social Media: facebook.com/anythingSwindon @anythingswindon
The Anything Swindon magazine is now working with The woodland Trust, Supporting the campaign to protect precious ancient woods by supporting the ones that are damaged and fight for those under threat. Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust is the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity. Over the last 40 years or so, we have acquired more than 1,000 woodland sites covering over 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). The Woodland Trust is a charity
We would like to wish all our readers and advertisers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and prosperous 2017
registered in England and Wales (No. 294344) and in Scotland (No. SC038885).
Happy reading,
Graham and Ian.
ANYTHING SWINDON
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Life is... exciting
Cotswolds
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Win family tickets to a Film of your choice! PAGE 08
To win the tickets, please tell us 30 words or less why you love going to the movies? Please email your answer to us at win@anythingswindon.co.uk Closing date for the competition is the last day of December 2016 PAGE 09
Up and Coming SNDog Events: 3rd December SNDogs will be the ATB Skate Park Christmas Market 10am – 3pm Registered Charity No. 1163257 SNDogs (Saving Needy Dogs)
SNDOGS update Wow ….. what a busy year 2016 has been for SNDogs with over 95 dogs going off to their new homes – a recording breaking year for adoptions!
Big Yellow Storage, Swindon raising money so that we could buy yellow ‘Adopt Me’ all-weather coats.
10th December SNDogs will be bag-packing in M&S, Town Centre, Swindon 11am – 2pm 19th December 10am – 12 Join SNDogs for a pre-Christmas Walk around Coate Water Please visit www.sndogs.uk for the full list of events
DOGS OF THE MONTH
Some of the many highlights during 2016 have been ……..
This month we are going to feature 2 DOGS OF THE MONTH – JASPER and WINNIE who are looking for special homes!
Megan the Staffie, who waited patiently in her foster home for 4 years and finally went off to her new home in Cheltenham in June. As well as …………… Spending a weekend in LUSH in Swindon at their Charity Pot Party Participating in the Wanborough and Wroughton Carnival Parades.
Local Businesses – M&S, Sirva, Carpeo and Zurich Finance choosing SNDogs and fundraising for us over the year.
Haydon Wick FC sponsoring SNDogs on their club shirts Meeting Blu an adopted SNDog who campaigns for Cainine Epilepsy. Meeting a very kind young lady called Olivia who donated some of her 11th Birthday to SNDogs JASPER is a Male Podenco, he is good with other dogs and people.
And our Christmas Craft Fayre hosted by The Bakers Arms in Stratton.
WINNIE is a 3 year old Lurcher X Greyhound and an ex racer who wasn’t keen on racing! She is good with other dogs. If you can give JASPER or WINNIE a home please email: sndrescue@gmail.com
Finally, SNDogs would like to wish all the Anything Swindon readers & SNDogs supporters a very Happy Christmas and New Year!
Drove Vets Monthly update A not so Merry Christmas The tale of Tina & the “Orange Liquer”
Fortunately Tina survived and was sent home the next day looking decidedly hung-over.
At this time of year, Tina, one of our smallest patients pop into our thoughts!
If in doubt contact your Vet as it is better to be safe than sorry.
Remember at Christmas always be wary of what your Pet may be eating or drinking as what is good for you is not necessarily good for them.
Tina staggered into the consult room, with her tongue lolling out, looking the worse for wear. She was closely followed by her distraught owner. Tina was an elderly Chihuahua who before the owners had left to go Christmas shopping appeared fine. But, on their return home only an hour or so later, they found Tina slumped over a box of orange liqueur chocolates, looking dazed and disorientated. To her owners’ horror, Tina had not only broken into their expensive box of chocolates but had bitten into the very palatable chocolate and drunk the liqueur inside. When her owners found her, she appeared drunk! When she was examined we could smell alcohol on her breath! Neither chocolate nor alcohol is good for pets. Only small amounts of chocolate can cause vomiting and diarrhoea, restlessness, hyperactivity, frequent urination, muscle tremors and spams, seizures and death. This is because chocolate contains the stimulants caffeine and theobromine. Our pets cannot digest these substances as quickly as us. Likewise only small volumes of alcohol can cause sluggishness, uncoordinated movement, disorientation and either excitement or depression which can last for a day or more. If greater volumes of alcohol are drunk a pet can develop slow breathing, and can become unconscious. As Tina was so small, she didn’t need to eat very much chocolate nor drink much of the alcohol before she was intoxicated. She was made to vomit, force fed activated charcoal to absorb the poisons in her system, and was placed on a drip. She had to be monitored constantly all through the night.
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Craig Barlow to head up newly formed Professional Services organisation.
“Further to our announcement of the 29th September 2016 regarding the appointment of Mike Minahan as our new CEO and to underline the ambition of Carpeo, the company have recruited Craig Barlow to head up their newly formed Professional Services organisation, reporting into Mike. Craig brings a wealth of IT delivery and operational experience from across multiple industry sectors. He joins from CSC Computer Sciences Corporation, where amongst numerous roles he was Head of Delivery for Banking & Capital Markets, UK, Ireland & The Netherlands.
PAGE 12
Craig also spent 9 years with Hewlett Packard Enterprise Services in roles that included Applications Services Executive, responsible for all Applications Business in the Middle East Region. Mike said “The creation of our Professional Services division is of huge strategic importance to Carpeo and its clients. We now have the capability to not only deliver world class operational performance but to assist our clients in designing and project managing their business transformation initiatives” Craig added that, “although having a history working for multi-billion dollar global or
ganisations with over 50,000 employees, the chance to get involved with such a forward thinking company such as Carpeo at the start of a new and exciting chapter in its development was just too good an opportunity to pass up. I’m looking forward to working with a team I already know is passionate about what it does, to help drive our client’s success and make Carpeo Professional Services the first name they think of. A name they trust, who understands their business and delivers on its commitments.”
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Ross The king of improvisational comedy Noble The king of improvisational comedy Ross Noble is back with his 15th tour, beginning in September and running until March 2017. A true master of surreal tangents, Geordie funnyman Ross Noble will bring his new show ‘Brain Dump’ to locations across the UK.
Syndicated Q&A Words: Ben Williams For more than 20 years Ross Noble has been the king of spontaneous stand-up, almost constantly touring, and he’s busier now than ever. It’s been a hectic few days for the Geordie comedy stalwart. He’s hopped off a plane on the other side of the world, driven to deepest PAGE 16
darkest Western Australia and has just finished his first gig Down Under. In truth, he’s a little knackered.
The new tour’s called ‘Brain Dump’. Where does the title come from?
‘Could you pick out the bits that don’t sound like a mad man rambling on at half midnight?’ he jokes over the phone from his Aussie hotel room. But, as I discover during our chat, even a jetlagged Ross Noble is on sharp, jolly form.
‘I got it from a customer review on Amazon for one of my DVDs. They wrote, “This is just like a massive brain dump,” and I thought: Oh yeah, that’s exactly what my stuff is! I’ll have that.’
Over the last two decades Noble’s largely improvised brand of whimsical storytelling has built up a huge, loyal following who are already snapping up tickets to his UK ‘Brain Dump’ dates in the autumn. So, ahead of the tour, I talked to the mischievous comic about his occasionally scary fans, playing a murderous clown and dating Harold Bishop from ‘Neighbours’…
Your ‘brain dumps’ are largely improvised. Is it still a risk, no matter how long you’ve been doing it? ‘No, the “risk” is all relative. It’s like driving a car; after 25 years you don’t get in a car and go, “What if this goes wrong?” If you hit a few bumps in the road you just think: Oh, this is fun, let’s bounce around for a bit!’
How do you think your comedy has developed since your started? ‘The main change is that, because I’ve built up this really loyal audience, there’s more of a shorthand. When I first started, if I was talking about something a bit leftfield people would go, “Oh god, where’s he going with this?” Whereas now that’s what people want, they go, “Oh right! Where’s he going with this!?”’
Your acting CV has bumped up in recent years, especially horror movie roles. Do your comedy skills come in handy? ‘It’s definitely easily for a stand-up to do straight acting than an actor to do comedy. In the horror movie “Stitches” – it sounds mad because I was playing a killer clown – but I wanted to play it as truthfully as possible. I didn’t want people to go, “Oh, that’s just Noble dressed as a clown.” I’ve just filmed another horror, and that’s a straight horror film; there are no laughs in it.’
Which was weirder: playing a murderous clown, or going on a date with Harold Bishop in the Australian comedy, ‘It’s a Date’? ‘Oh, the date! That was my idea, so I only have myself to blame. It was a mate of mine’s show – he asked me to write and be in an episode. Afterwards I realised that I could have picked pretty much any Australian actress to date; I’ve could’ve written myself a love scene! But when he asked who I wanted to go on a date with I said, “Ian Smith, who plays Harold Bishop.” We laughed about that for about an hour. But he agreed to it, and then the next thing you know I’m on a set sat opposite him.’
Back home in the UK you’ve clocked up 17 appearances on ‘Have I Got News For You’. Do you particularly enjoy that show? ‘I absolutely love it. I was still at school when the show started, so it was a really big deal when I first
did it. It’s still the top panel show on telly. Because it’s been on for so long, it’s got a really strong sense of what the show is, it’s become very well defined.’
On one appearance you and Paul Merton got every single question wrong and scored zero points. What happened there? ‘We did it on purpose! I’d done the show so many times, so I jokingly said to Paul, “Why don’t we just see if we can score no points?” It’s actually harder than you think, because when an obvious story comes up it’s really hard not to say the answer. Charlie Brooker was on the other team, and at the end he said, “I can’t believe we won!” and Paul went, “Well, we can!”’
Paul Merton was ranked at 54 in Channel 4’s poll of the 100 Greatest Stand-Ups. In 2007 you came in at number 10, but when they revisited the poll in 2010 you were bumped to number 11. What happened? ‘Ricky Gervais.’
Oh.
Like Gervais, you have a very loyal fanbase; they see your show multiple times, leave gifts for you on stage… Is it sweet or creepy?
‘When they did the first programme, he hadn’t done stand-up. By 2010 he’d started, so he was put in the top 10 which pushed me to 11. Which is fair enough – it was voted by the public, and he’s popular.
‘99 percent of the time it’s very sweet and very flattering. Every now and then you get one where you go, “Okaaaay… That’s a little bit scary…”’
There are probably 10 or 15 acts that nobody knew in 2007 and are now enormous, so if they do another one I’ll probably end up at 25!’
‘I was in New Zealand once, and I was on my phone to my wife. I put the phone down and it rang again. I thought it was her ringing back, so I went, “Hi!” and this voice said, “Hello.” It was a complete stranger who had rung every hotel in Auckland pretending to be my girlfriend. That was a bit terrifying. The thing is, someone being a fan is very flattering, but there’s a big difference between somebody liking your comedy and someone wanting to wear your skin as a suit.’
So we’re hoping that they don’t do another poll? ‘I don’t care, to be honest. It’s like those 100 sexiest men or women lists; it’s never won by someone who works in a chip shop in Loughborough. So I take all those things with a pinch of salt.’
Who’s been the scariest?
‘Ross Noble: Brain Dump’ is on tour Sept ‘16 – March ‘17. www.rossnoble.co.uk
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Consumer Rights! Consumers urged to understand their rights during National Consumer Week People in Swindon are being urged to seek redress from retailers that sell faulty electrical goods this Christmas after a survey found twothirds of consumers have bought problem goods in the last two years The advice is being given during National Consumer Week which runs until Sunday 4 December and encourages people to get #SwitchedOn to their consumer rights and shop with confidence. The Citizens Advice research, released this week, reveals that 1 in 4 (28%) people were initially turned away by retailers when they tried to get a repair, replacement or refund, despite the retailer having a responsibility to offer a solution.
“By being proactive at an early stage and offering to resolve any problems, businesses will reap the benefits of having more loyal and happy customers in the long run.”
The survey also showed that persistence paid off, with 61% of those who were turned away eventually getting some form of solution from the retailer.
Leon Livermore, CTSI chief executive, said: “Retailers are responsible for training their staff but consumers should spend a few minutes familiarising themselves with their right for a repair, refund or replacement.
It is hoped that focusing consumers’ minds during the busy Christmas period will help them to understand their rights which they can exercise all year round.
“Consumers who know their rights shop with confidence, saving time and money, which is good for all concerned.
The campaign is run by Citizens Advice, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
“Nobody wants to give or receive a defective product but it is important to know how to resolve any issues, should they arise.” Consumer advice is available from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06 or online on
www.citizensadvice.org.uk Free and impartial business advice on a host of trading standards legislation is available on the government-sponsored website,
www.businesscompanion.co.uk
“People should consider their rights whenever they make a purchase but they may wish to take extra care at Christmas.
Councils’ trading standards services up and down the country are also supporting the campaign by helping businesses to understand their responsibilities under the act. Cllr Oliver Donachie, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member responsible for Trading Standards, said: “Our Trading Standards team are committed to helping businesses so they aware of consumers’ rights and take a responsible approach when issues are raised with faulty goods. ANYTHING SWINDON
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BOOK IN TODAY FOR YOUR FREE MEET & GREET APPOINTMENT At the Smiles Centre we meet patients with dental phobias and fears everyday. This is mainly due to bad experiences and general fear of needles and drills. Some patients feel slightly emabarrassed too because they have put off coming for check ups in the past, and believe their teeth are unsalvageable! Our Team are here to help you overcome your fears, help restore your confidence in your smile and take care of your oral health step by step, giving you back your perfect smile. Robert: “I went on Saturday for an extraction, must apologise to the dentist for hitting her when she was injecting me, she was very understanding tho, after that she pulled my tooth out without me realising so got to say it was a good experience and will be making an appointment for regular check ups, just have to learn to calm down with the injections”
Emma: “You guys were amazing for me last year and some of you saw the state I was in. Still don’t particularly like dentists but I’m not scared as much anymore”
3 Beechcroft Road, Swindon, Wiltshire SN2 7RD Tel: 01793 200220 www.smilescentre.co.uk
PAGE 22
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CHURCHFIELDS
Academy Churchfields Academy pupils in Year 10 were keen to make someone less fortunate smile this Christmas. They decided upon reverse advent calendars where each day in December they would take it in turns to bring in a gift to add to the groups box. These boxes where then collected by our Year 10 prefects and the gifts wrapped. One box of gifts was taken to the elderly residents of Whitbourne House which is part of Churchfields local community.
The second box was given to Swindon’s Women’s Refuge and contained gifts for children and their mothers. Abbey Ayre from Swindon Refuge came to Churchfields to collect the gifts that had been brought in by the pupils and took back with her a selection of games, toys, books, sweets and colouring pencils as well as toiletries and chocolates were just a few of the items that were collected by our pupils. Amira who is in year 10 and was one of those who brought in gifts said I felt very happy to see the elderly receiving presents that we brought because it just shows that a small gift can mean so much to someone who may not get from anyone else. Amira added that the pupils realised that a lot of people don’t get the chance to celebrate Christmas the way a lot of us do an it’s a really good feeling knowing they’ll be getting something for Christmas thanks to our efforts. Marek Koza who is the Head of Year 10 said ‘I could not have been more proud of the pupils, this was their own idea and it is lovely to know that they were thinking of others are this time of year. I was impressed with how our pupils interacted with the Elderly residents and they have spoken about going back to see them again. The Year 10 pupils at Churchfields united with a common aim to put others before their own needs at Christmas and are a credit the us all at Churchfields’.
The Prefects delivered the gifts and sat with the residents, opening Christmas cards, reading poems that had been written for them and showing some of the artworks that had been created for them. They also talked with them about their lives and interests. The pupils left with a buzz and an excitement of what they had all spoken about, for most of them they had never experienced visiting a home and it brought much emotion. PAGE 24
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R
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Robert Buckland Stop discrimination against disabled people
Robert Buckland MP visited a Guide Dogs event in Parliament last week to show his support for taxi and minicab drivers receiving disability equality training when getting their licence.
At the event, guide dog owners told the MP for South Swindon how some taxi and minicab drivers refused to carry them because they had their guide dog with them. They explained that they had missed important appointments due to the refusals and how it had left them anxious and reluctant to use taxis and minicabs again.
Robert Buckland MP commented: “We are lucky that here in South Swindon many of our taxi drivers are understanding of the needs of disabled people. I was sorry to learn that across the Country some people living with sight loss have been illegally turned away from taxis and minicabs because they travel with an assistance dog. ‘It is important that taxi and minicab drivers receive disability equality training so they are aware of the law and how to assist their disabled customers in the right way.”
James White, Senior Campaigns Manager at Guide Dogs, commented: “Imagine you were turned away by a taxi driver or asked to pay an extra fare, for no good reason. Despite legal protection, this regularly happens to people living with sight loss because they are travelling with a guide dog. “This discrimination is not only illegal, it knocks people’s confidence and can stop them doing everyday things that most people take for granted.”
Although the Equality Act 2010 makes it illegal for a taxi or minicab driver to refuse to carry an assistance dog, Guide Dogs research found that 42% of people living in the UK with sight loss were turned away by a taxi or minicab in the last year because of their guide dog. The research also uncovered that 38% of assistance dog owners have illegally been asked to pay an extra fare for carrying their dog. Guide Dogs is calling for disability equality training to be made a requirement for all taxi and minicab drivers to help them understand the rights and needs of disabled people and how to welcome assistance dog owners.
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Smiles Update Whiter Christmas Early November I visited Smiles to begin the next part of my perfect smile procedure, having already undergone my appointment with the Hygienist, fillings and extractions with Mark it was now time to start the procedure of whitening my teeth in preparation for the reconstruction of my teeth. With so many whitening kits and ideas all over the internet it is always difficult to know what works and what doesn’t, in my own experience I once bought a whitening kit off Amazon for £20.00 and it was the worst experience, those of you that have tried this type of kit may have had the same uncomfortable feelings, sore gums and sore blisters around the inside of the mouth.
Hydrogen Peroxide Gel (6%) This works the same as carbomide peroxide but works faster, the downside to this is it can make the teeth more sensitive while its being used. We usually use carbomide peroxide for most teeth whitening treatments. Long Lasting Once your teeth have been whitened to the colour you want, the effects will last about two years. This may vary from person to person depending on the anatomical structure of the tooth and the types of food you eat. As soon as the teeth look like they need more, just reuse the tray and gel to do a top up (the gel has a shelf life but you can purchase more from the dentist, (Smiles have a five-year plan to avoid wasting gel).
My advice is go and get it done properly, I am now two weeks into the procedure and the difference is amazing, remembering of course the first day I arrived at Smiles with tea stained teeth and huge build ups of plaque, not only do I have whiter teeth I have no plaque build-up anywhere in my mouth and can even be confident in smiling without the feeling of paranoia.
Bad Press
How does it work?
The procedure is in no way uncomfortable and after speaking with mark my Dental technician I must stress that there are a few ways to make natural teeth whiter. There are some products that you can buy off the shelf, that claim to whiten teeth but are very ineffective and a waste of money. These may be offered up by websites, toothpastes and non-dental suppliers like beauty therapists. The most effective and safe way of whitening teeth is with a dentist prescribed hydrogen peroxide gel via a custom made soft removable dental tray.
Professional Procedure The dentist will take an impression of your teeth so that a very thin soft custom tray can be made for you that will fit perfectly over your teeth. Within this tray are small pockets in the areas of teeth and these are then filled with the supplied gel and worn for about three hours every day for about a week to ten days. The time it takes will depend on how dark the teeth are and how light you want your teeth to be.
PAGE 28
Bleaching teeth in the past has been considered dangerous because of the levels of bleach used, the method of application and prescriptions from nonregulated companies. Today however, the hydrogen peroxide content is very low (6%) and when administered properly it is very safe and can only be prescribed by a dentist.
Whiter Teeth Smile Plan (see www.smilescentre.co.uk) Smiles Centre offer an affordable Whiter Smile Plan. This plan covers the cost of all you dental check ups, oral hygiene and all tooth whitening treatments as an ongoing dental plan. The tooth whitening gels are available on going throughout the year so your teeth will always look great. 3 gels every 6 months worth £72 per year Custom made device worth £227 Custom device cover* worth £18 per year Two dental check ups per year worth £47 each Two twenty minute Oral hygiene per year worth £57 each *no quibble cover, lose it or damage it, we replace it, for free! Total cost separately £525.00 Actual cost for Whiter Smile Plan per year £239.88 Saving you £285.12 per year
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Mike Veale Monthly Focus During the last few weeks I have been ever increasingly reminded of the stresses and pressures placed on the people within our police force. This includes both frontline officers and staff, as well as those “behind the scenes� who provide a vital role in delivering the services which allow our business to function effectively. As our resources reduce and the demand increases it is more crucial than ever that I do all that I can as the Chief Constable to look after our employees. Only two weeks ago I went to a very special Wiltshire Police event which focussed on raising awareness of mental health issues and reducing the stigma attached to it. This is something I was already personally committed to, but I felt even more strongly about it when I heard about the experiences of some of the delegates. I listened to courageous accounts given by people who have experienced some horrific events, been involved in trauma, been exposed to some unimaginable and gut-wrenching criminality or other acts of barbaric inhumanity. The utter bravery exhibited on that day is something that will be with me for some time. This is something which not only affects the police service, and it has never been more important to destigmatise mental health so we can all work together to help one another in a far more complex and challenging world. Those who work within policing are under far more pressure than ever before. The landscape is more complicated, dangerous and unpredictable than at any other time in my 32 years of service. PAGE 30
Austerity means there are less people to do the job. In Wiltshire alone we have lost more than 600 staff and officers out of a workforce of only 2,000. The number of police officers we have now is lower than at any time in our recent history. These shrinking numbers are set against a backdrop of increasing demand. We have the very real threat of terrorism, and criminals are growing more resourceful, more sinister and more sophisticated. We have the global phenomenon of cyber-crime, human trafficking, modern day slavery, online child abuse and other forms of abuse which are reported more readily now as the trust and confidence in police increases. We also have the wider demands of dealing with people in crisis, which equates to about 40 per cent of our workload, as well as dealing with missing people and people suffering from mental illness. All of this means that it is no wonder that those who work in policing are feeling stressed and demoralised. Some of the factors which are making them feel that way are out of my control. However, I refuse to accept that there is nothing we can do to make sure our officers and staff feel valued, motivated and rewarded for the incredibly important job they do. Some of you may have seen the figures recently released by the Police Federation of England and Wales, giving the results of its annual Pay and Morale Survey. A lot of the results make for uncomfortable reading, laying bare exactly how police officers nationwide feel undervalued.
However, I felt heartened when I compared the results for Wiltshire against the rest of the country. This Force has not only improved its results for how officers feel about their personal morale and morale within the Force over the past year, but it is also one of the best performing when set against other police forces. We now need to focus on improving that even further. Whatever we have done or are doing at the moment to make our officers feel valued, needs to not only be maintained but increased. Since I have been Chief Constable my focus has been on improving life for my staff and officers, which has included investing in our Occupational Health department, improving their kit and uniform so they feel safe and comfortable while out doing their job, and making sure they have the best possible technology so they can work effectively and efficiently using 4G laptops and smartphones. That doesn’t mean I am complacent as there is much more investment to come, including the introduction of body-worn cameras for all frontline staff and officers in the future. Wiltshire Police is only as good as the people who work here and I passionately believe that investing in our workforce and looking after their health and wellbeing is key to providing a strong and effective service for the public. I need my officers and staff to feel healthy, both physically and mentally, to feel motivated by the job they do and to feel valued by their leaders, the public, the media and the Government. By doing our best for them, we can allow them to do their best for our communities.
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PAGE 31
Ask AMS
Advice for small businesses AMS Accountancy Ltd. 01793 818400
My business partner spent the profits from our business – am I now responsible for the debts? If your business is a Partnership, not a Limited Company or a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), all partners are “jointly and severally liable” for the Partnership debts. If there are no Partnership funds for the bills, creditors can chase you personally for the money – even though your partner took it out of the business. In a Limited Company or a Limited Liability Partnership, you would not be liable for these debts. Here, the monies and assets would be owned by the business itself. Exceptions: loans with a personal guarantee and trading while insolvent or fraudulently. www.ask-ams.co.uk @AMSAccountancy www.ams-accountancy.co.uk
HEAD TURNER MEETS HEART STOPPER
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The MPG figures quoted are sourced from official EU-regulated test results. They are provided for comparability purposes, and may not reflect actual driving experience. RC F fuel consumption and CO2 figures: urban 17.5 mpg (16.1 l/100km), extra-urban 36.2 mpg (7.8 l/100km), combined 26.2 mpg (10.8 l/100km), 251g/km CO2 (37% BIK)
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PETER CAROL COACHES
IDEAL CHRISTMAS SUGGESTIONS NEW YEAR’S EVE LONDON
Treat someone special with a
PETER CAROL Gift
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Select any of our trips - either book a specific excursion - or let the recipient decide by choosing any monetary value to suit you from just £30.00 Your voucher will be beautifully presented in a festive card. RECIPIENTS WILL ENJOY THEIR PRESENTS OR TREAT YOURSELVES FOR US TO ENJOY YOUR PRESENCE
LONDON’S CHRISTMAS - HYDE PARK
Saturday 31st December Return Coach & Fireworks Ticket
Return Coach Travel Only
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ROYAL ASCOT
CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW
VISIT OUR WEBSITE EXCITING TRIP DESTINATIONS
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Tues 20 June }
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Christmas Festival
WIMBLEDON
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(subject to availability)
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Dates:
Adult £116.95 60Plus £114.95 Child £111.95
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LAST FEW SEATS
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Bonded Coach Holiday Member