Thames Valley Police Open Day on Saturday 5 August

Thames Valley Police hosts the eleventh force Open Day on Saturday 5 August. The event is being held at its Training Centre in Sulhamstead, near Reading (RG7 4DX) and will be open between 10am and 4pm.

With over 40 exhibitors attending, there is something for everyone. This year the Open Day promises to be even bigger and better than before. Here are just some of the highlights in the jammed packed programme:

• Become a detective for the day and solve the crime
• Arena displays showcasing the specialist dog, horse and public order teams
• See the force helicopter up close and meet some of the pilots
• Listen to expert talks about tactical armed policing, the dangers of sexting and how we are combatting organised crime
• Children’s fancy dress – come dressed in police themed costumes
• Name a police puppy competition
• Sample some mouth-watering delights in the Fun Food Kitchen
• Visit the on-site museum to learn about some of our most notorious cases.

For the first time, visitors will be able to become a detective for the day. Working with our Forensic Investigation Unit, you can solve various clues to reveal how Mr Money Bags met his unfortunate demise. Children are also encouraged to come dressed in police themed costume, with a parade at midday and a fabulous prize up for grabs.

The theme this year is Children and Young People and there will be a dedicated Kids Zone featuring our Cadets and Mini Police recruits. We are also supporting SAFE, a charity that helps people aged between 8 and eighteen who have been affected by crime within Thames Valley.

Limited parking is available and will be offered on a first come, first served basis. Dogs are not permitted (except for assistance dogs) and must not be left in vehicles.

The Open Day will close at 4pm with the last entry at 3.30pm.

Looks like fun!

Disruption in London over the weekend of 29 and 30 July

This weekend, Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 July, there will be significant impact to travel as a result of the weekend of Prudential RideLondon cycling events. Certain roads and river crossings in east, central and southwest London and Surrey will be closed to traffic.
Roads

There will be extensive road closures on and around the routes; roads will be closed from early morning and will re-open when it is safe to do so. Pedestrian access to properties will not be affected. A number of bridges in London and Surrey will be closed at times over the weekend. Road users are advised to avoid areas near the event route wherever possible.
Public transport

Most of the network will be open with services running as normal, but please check before you travel as some essential upgrade works are taking place. While we will try to maintain a good service, many buses will be on diversion or will stop short of their destination, and some may be affected by traffic displaced by road closures.

For more information about the event please see https://www.prudentialridelondon.co.uk/about/faqs/  and the Transport for London website

 

 

Up and coming events in Oxford

 

  • Friday 21 to Sunday 23 July, Dreaming Spires Steam Rally, Cutteslowe Park, 12 to 5 pm. Annual event for Rally for Model Engineering Club members to come together.www.cosme.org.uk
  • Saturday 22 July, Orinoco fund raising Indian dinner 7pm. North Oxford Association, Diamond Place OX2 7DF. Adults £20, concessions £12. To book a place contact Orinoco on 01865 761113, email mail@orinoco.org
  • Saturday 22 July, Run the Oxford Parks by Thames Valley Orienteering Club, Headington Hill Park, 9am to 2pm. Part of a series of Saturday orienteering events based in and around Oxford organised by Thames Valley Orienteering Club. www.tvoc.org.uk
  • Saturday 22 July, Oxford Rathayatra, Broad Street, 12 to 4.30pm. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness’ biggest street festival with stage performances, chanting, free vegetarian food, exhibits, spiritual literature, meditation and a short procession around the city centre.
  • Saturday 22 July, FilmUunder the Stars, Hinksey Park, 9.20 to 11pm. Outdoor screening of a family film. www.filmoxford.org
  • Monday 24 July to Monday 28 August, World Vision Charity – Journey of Hope, Bonn Square, 9am to 7pm every day. Journey of Hope is an immersive experience telling the story of eight year old Ayie from rural Sierra Leone, giving people the opportunity to sponsor a World Vision child. www.worldvision.uk
  • Thursday 27 July, The Leys Play and Activity Day, Fry’s Hill, 11am to 3pm. Each year the Oxfordshire Play Association organises a series of play and activity days across the county in line with the ethos of National Playday, the celebration of the Childs Right to Play. www.oxonplay.org.uk
  • Saturday 29 July, Film Under the Stars, Sunnymead Park, 9.20am to 11 pm. Outdoor screening of a family film. www.filmoxford.org
  • Sunday 30 July, The People’s Fair, Florence Park, 11am to 5pm. Celebration of the diverse communities in Oxford with a variety of cultural stalls and food.
  • Tuesday 1 August, Meet Paw Patrol with the Oxford Tube, Broad Street, 10am to 5.30pm. The Oxford Tube is promoting their recently launched ‘Kids Go Free’ tickets.www.stagecoachbus.com
  • Tuesday 1 to Thursday 3 August, Rose Hill Play Ranger Sessions, Rose Hill Rec (behind the Community Centre) 10 am to 2 pm. Free play sessions organised by the Oxfordshire Play Association. www.oxonplay.org.uk

Response from OUH NHS Foundation Trust re Marston Medical Centre plans

We referred the concerns about parking pressure arising from the relocation of Marston Medical Centre that you raised at the June Ward Focus Meeting to the Trust, and we have received the following response from Peter Knight, Executive Director.

 

Marston Medical Centre

We have been keen to support our primary care colleagues in finding a new location for a much needed local GP practice, and so have worked with them to adapt accommodation at Arthur Sanctuary House for their use.

The Trust is very well aware of the pressures on parking on our sites, as you can imagine, but one of the key factors in getting our support for this application was the fact that there was not parking at the previous location, so there would be no expectation from patients for parking to be provided at the new location. From the practice’s perspective, the site offers very good public transport links which obviate the need for parking. There is provision for disabled parking immediately outside the building, but no other arrangements for onsite parking have been made with the practice.

Plans for our hospital sites

The Trust is working on a masterplan for all of our hospital sites with our University and healthcare partners, using experts AECOM. We are also working with planners in the City and other district councils. We will share plans at the appropriate stage of development with local councillors and local residents. We have not yet reached that level of detail.

Construction work for new Barton Park junction

Construction work began this week at the junction of Barton Village Road and Fettiplace Road to create a new access junction to Barton Park off Barton Village Road.

Barton Park is a new residential development to the north east of Oxford led by Barton Oxford LLP, a partnership between Oxford City Council and property company Grosvenor Britain & Ireland. The development will provide up to 885 new homes, 40 per cent of which will be “affordable” although the price for a three-bedroomed property has been given as £595,000.

Construction of the first 237 homes in Phase One of the development is already underway.

The project, which includes drainage, services and some landscape modifications, will take up to six weeks to complete. Local residents have been informed of the works and told to expect minor traffic restrictions during construction as well as the use of temporary three-way traffic signals. However, the disruption will be limited to Barton Village Road and Fettiplace Road.

CA Blackwell Contracts Ltd, who are responsible for delivering the infrastructure works for the Barton Park development, will notify residents of any temporary re-routing of traffic to accommodate the construction work.

Philip Koen, CA Blackwell Contracts Ltd’s Project Manager at Barton Park, said:

We’re advising motorists to use extra caution when driving through the area. Pedestrian access and public rights of way will be maintained during construction, and works are scheduled to take place between 7:30am and 6pm from Monday to Friday. However, some work may need to take place outside of these hours, but this work will be coordinated with Oxford City Council and notice will be provided to residents.

Victims First – self-help website for crime victims

Police and Crime Commissioner Anthony Stansfeld recently launched a new website to support victims of crime.  Victims First www.victims-first.org.uk is a new online resource for victims of crime which has advice on what to do and how to get help.  It includes information and advice for victims including signposting them to services to help them cope and recover from the impact of the crime. It also includes a section on the Victims Code explaining clearly what help victims can expect from the police and other criminal justice agencies if they report the crime.

The focal point of the website is a directory which allows victims to find relevant support in their area. Members of the public are able to use the website to refer themselves directly to the PCCs own support services or find information and contact details for other organisations. This support is available regardless of whether or not the victim has reported the crime to the police.

Exhibitions at the railway station concourse

There will be exhibitions of the plans relating to the development of Oxford Railway station and the surrounding area at the station concourse on the following dates:

Oxford Station concourse

  •  Wednesday 12th July to Friday 14th July; on Friday 14th July council officers as well as technical consultants will be available to discuss the proposals (9.00am – 12.00pm and 3.00pm – 6.00pm),
  • Wednesday 26th July to 28th July, on Saturday 29th July council officers as well as technical consultants will be available to discuss the proposals (9.00am – 12.00pm and 3.00pm – 6.00pm),
  • Wednesday 9th August to 11th August, on Saturday 12th August council officers as well as technical consultants will be available to discuss the proposals (9.00am – 12.00pm and 3.00pm – 6.00pm)

Town Hall(Long Room)

  • Saturday 12th August – a drop-in session for the public and stakeholders to meet council officers and the technical consultants

The online consultation is available here: https://consultation.oxford.gov.uk/consult.ti/StationSPD/consultationHome and it ends on 25th August.

The plans are currently unfunded.