Beware of Cold calling Scams again

The Police have recorded an increase in doorstep crime over the last week. 

There have been incidents of residents being approached by cold callers offering to clean out guttering, repair or maintain roofing and other similar problems arising from the wintry weather. This often results in inflated prices being charged, and occasionally the residents have felt intimidated into agreeing further work.

With the bad weather over the last couple of days, there may also be opportunist cold callers offering to sweep up leaves or take away trees. The message is not to accept offers of help from cold callers, unless they are known to you. A reminder that the council will always have ID and drive liveried vehicles. They will not object if you want to calling the council before letting them in.

There have also been victims of telephone fraud in the borough, where the resident has been persuaded to give over their pin numbers, and handed their credit or debit cards to persons impersonating Police officers.

The Police will NEVER ask for your credit/card details, either on the 'phone or in person.

If you are unsure who the caller is, engage your security door chain before you open the door. If you see anyone suspicious, and it is happening now, please ring 999, if you have recently had suspicious activity in your road, then please report it to ring 101.

Amanda Evans

Operations Manager

BROMLEY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FORUM

Sent on the authority of Chief Inspector Katrina Smith 

The Bromley Community Engagement Forum website is at http://www.bcef.org.uk/

THE NEXT PUBLIC MEETING OF THE BCEF WILL BE 

THURSDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2013, 2.30PM

ANERLEY TOWN HALL, ANERLEY ROAD, ANERLEY SE20 8BD

The meeting will focus on illegal money lending. All Welcome but to ensure sufficient seating please register your attendance in advance

Storm damage 28th October

Last night's storm was nowhere near as bad as the 1987 storm but this tree damaged the fence of the house on the corner of Briary Gardens and Ridgeway Drive. Less than two hours later it had been cleared.

If you have seen any damage somewhere else in the Links Estate please take a picture and send it as an attachment to leracontact@gmail.com

St Andrew's Church Autumn Fair

A website for lovers of reading

Hello, and Welcome to Bookmark Your Library

‘Bookmark Your Library’ is a brand new website which promotes the great work and diverse range 

of facilities and services that are available and take place in libraries around the country.

This site is designed to encourage you to engage with libraries, either through joining your local 

branch library, or making wider use of the facilities available. It is jam packed with information to 

introduce you to what is available at libraries both locally and nationally, and to help you find 

everything you need.

This site helps you discover books, explore local libraries, and even lets you get your questions 

answered by a librarian at any time of the day or night, 24/7, 365 days a year! Why not have a look 

around today, and see what you can find?

The website is at :- http://www.bookmarkyourlibrary.org.uk/

What's been your Best Book of the year?

Calling all book lovers in Bexley & Bromley

Q: What's been the Best Book you've read this year?
A: You tell us, and we'll tell everyone else about it!

It can be anything... fiction, non-fiction, junior... highbrow or lowbrow, old or new, we don't mind as long as you enjoyed it. We'll be promoting your choices online, in the media, and in our libraries. So, submit your nominations and look out for Bexley's and Bromley's Best Book of the year!

Last date for nominations is Friday 22 November 2013, vote now using the form on the book of the year webpage :- https://arena.yourlondonlibrary.net/web/bromley/book-of-the-year

Family History Drop in Session

26 October 2013

Join members of the North West Kent Family History Society in tracking down your ancestors.

Location: Bromley Central Library, High Street, Bromley BR1 1EX

Time: 10:00 - 16:00

Cost: Free

Bromley Libraries has teamed up with North West Kent Family History Society  to hold a drop in session.

Whether you are old or new to family history research there will be lots of free advice and help available.

Session times 10am - 12pm and 1-4pm

There's no need to book, just turn up and the advice is free.

Event organiser: Local Studies librarye-mail: localstudies.library@bromley.gov.uk
Telephone:  020 8461 7170

Calling all you knitters and crotcheters

Burnt Ash Library Special Storytime 28Oct

The next meeting of the reading group at Burnt Ash Library is on Thursday 31st October 2013 at 2.15 pm.

The book(s) to be discussed are :-

A quartet of Shakespeare's Plays :-
Including Othello, Romeo and Juliet and King Lear

Due to high demand they are currently unable to take new members.  Please ask if you wish to join the waiting list.

For more details visit the library or contact the librarians on 020 8460 3405 or by email at burntash.library@bromley.gov.uk

For details of other activities at the Burnt Ash Library see the following link:-
http://www.bromley.gov.uk/directory_record/34386/burnt_ash_library

Burnt Ash Library Coffee Morning 24th October

Classic Film Club St Andrews Church, Burnt Ash Lane 17th October

 

Raising a Riot (1955)

Starring  Kenneth More, Shelagh Fraser, Mandy Miller, 

Director Wendy Toye

British actor Kenneth More's screen charisma helps smooth over the rough spots of Raising a Riot. More plays Tony, a young husband and father. When Tony's wife Mary (Shelagh Fraser) takes a trip to Canada, the hapless hubby is left in charge of their three precocious children. The film then goes off on several directions, many of them hilarious: some of the best scenes involve the kids' ongoing feud with a bunch of American children. One of the three youngsters is played by Mandy Miller, who'd previously burst onto the movie scene with her brilliant portrayal of a deaf child in Crash of Silence. Ronald Squire indulges in his usual scene-stealing as the kid's roguish grandpa.

Thursday 17th October 2013

 Doors open at 6.45pm film show at 7.00pm

Cost - a £2 minimum donation per person is suggested to include refreshments at the interval.

For more information ring:-
Brian at James Harper 020 8464 0080
Rev'd Angela King      020 8313 3434
Rev'd Liz Davis           020 6460 4672

Burnt Ash Primary School Ofsted Report

Burnt Ash Primary School is our local primary school. It is very popular with local parents, with very good reason.

The school is in Rangefield Road and was inspected on 11 and 12 September 2013. The summary of the Ofsted inspectors findings is:-

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection:                   Satisfactory 3

This inspection:                       Good 2

Achievement of pupils                Good 2

Quality of teaching                     Good 2

Behaviour and safety of pupils    Outstanding 1

Leadership and management      Outstanding 1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school

• ·        Improvements have been made in very many aspects of the school’s work since the last inspection because of the very strong and determined leadership of the headteacher and other school leaders.
• ·        Teaching is typically good with some outstanding teaching. This is because of the high quality training and coaching provided by leaders, together with a rigorous cycle of checks on teaching.
• ·        All groups of pupils are making good progress with some making outstanding progress, especially in reading and mathematics. Attainment in both has risen strongly and is well above the national average.
• ·        Pupils behave exceptionally well and are very polite and well mannered. Their consistently positive attitudes have a very strong impact on the progress they make.
• ·        Pupils feel very safe, play well together and are able to reflect on their work and have mature discussions about world issues.
• ·        Governors show a determination to support the school in its quest for further improvement. They check information about pupils’ progress carefully and know what needs to be done to improve.
• ·        Children in the Reception classes get off to a flying start because teaching and the space provided are both of good quality.

The school will have open mornings at 9:05am on Friday 18th and Friday 25th October and then again on Friday 15th and Friday 22nd November.
The school's website is at :- Burnt Ash Primary School website

The full Ofsted report is at :-

 http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/ELS/101597

Clearing Autumn Leaves

With around 36,000 trees lining our streets, preventing pavements and roads becoming slippery and messy from fallen leaves is a crucial but difficult business to deal with.

The council’s street cleaning contractor is now on standby, ready to react to the changing weather-related leaf-fall patterns, mindful too, of different leaf-fall patterns associated with different tree species. The clearance programme is compiled from data collected on street trees - such as species, period of leaf-drop and volume expected to fall - and focuses on the top priorities with extra crews and vehicles being brought in as the season progresses. The height of the season presents the greatest challenge through the sheer volume of leaves falling at once and these are systematically collected as crews work through their programmes.

Roads with trees that shed their leaves early in the season and in large numbers will be timed for collection first, while those that loose their leaves at a later stage will be collected further into the season. Street Friends help too by bagging up leaves from roads and pavements ready for them to collect. You can help too by clearing the grids, kerb sides and pavements. The council can give you purple plastic sacks to collect the leaves. You can leave the purple sacks near the kerb by a lamp column. Please ensure they don’t cause a tripping hazard or obstruction, though. The council’s contractor will collect them on the next working day if you give details of exactly where you have left them by phoning our plastic sack hotline, 020 8308 9183.

Residents can also help by not sweeping leaves from their gardens, drives or pathways into the road, as leaves not removed in the first instance may block the road gullies and could cause flooding. If a flood happens you can clear the grid but if the water does not drain away within 20 minutes after rainfall stops, there may be further problems with the gully. Please report this to 020 8313 4557. The council should take further action if they think there’s a risk to pedestrians or road users.

To become a street friend and there is an application form at the following link:-

http://www.bromley.gov.uk/downloads/file/320/street_friends_application_form

More information is available at www.bromley.gov.uk/neatstreet .