THE ST PETER’S ASSOCIATION
NEWSLETTER
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
JUNE 2011
Dear Member
We invite you, your friends & family to our annual
SUMMER BARBEQUE
In the grounds of
The DOMINICAN PRIORY
On
Thursday 14th July at 6.30pm
Live Jazz Band * Raffle * Quiz
Due to the increasing popularity of the BBQ, tickets are now available in advance from Hilary McKernan – 01227 764094.
We do urge everyone to buy tickets as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
Ticket price is £7, children under 12 free. Entrance includes a glass of wine or soft drink and a meal.
SPA GET INVOLVED IN THE BIG CLEAN
City centre spruced up for summer
This year’s Big Clean event saw hundreds of people working together in partnership with CCP to clean, sweep and clear litter from the city’s streets and open spaces. Shop fronts, bus stops, phone boxes, pavements and pedestrian subways were spruced up, stickers and fly posters were removed and a major river clean took place, as well as many smaller scale cleaning projects.
More than a dozen community groups and businesses, including our team from the SPA, joined in The Big Clean, which was organised by the City Centre Partnership.
The SPA concentrated on clearing a lot of the overhanging bushes and weeds at the former Christchurch Art Centre in St Peter’s Lane. It took more than six hours of hard work to make it look a bit more presentable for the summer.
Serco removed the graffiti, gave a coat of paint to parts of the building, and provided us with high visibility jackets, gloves and rubbish sacks.
The blitz on Friday and Saturday was co-coordinated by city centre manager Philippe Esclasse who said it had been a big success. He said: "It really is an example of community spirit at its best and I was very pleased so many people took part.
I would also like to thank my fellow volunteers, Janet Scott, Gillian Rushton and Clive Bowley for giving up there Saturday and working extremely hard to make the area look a bit smarter.
THEFT
Marlowe Theatre, The Friars, Canterbury. Between 16:30 on 11th June and 08:00 on 13th June. A Laser Spirit Level, Marked Speedy Hire and coloured Yellow and Black was stolen. A Padlock and Chain was also damaged.
THEFT
Temporary library in Pound Lane, between 11:00 and 11:45 on 24th May. A black Sony Erricsson mobile phone was stolen.
OPPORTUNIST THIEVES
Please be aware of aggressive door-to-door sellers. It appears that the male(s) are being buzzed in through communal doors and once inside they cause problems. They are "ex-offenders" who are being dropped off in designated areas to ply their trade door-to-door selling over-priced household cleaning items to local residents who are usually elderly and vulnerable. They tend to focus their attention on multi occupancy accommodation. Any concerns please call (01622)690690
DISTRACTION
There have been some distraction thefts in the area recently whereby a male asks a driver for directions and a female enters the car via the passenger door and steals items.
TELEPHONE SCAMS
There has been a recent increase in telephone scams. The caller will be able to provide you your name address and telephone number and then say that you are going to get a council tax refund. They will even provide you with a special code to quote. They then ask you for all of your bank details to enable the refund to happen.
KENT POLICE have recently arrested an individual for selling goods door to door without a license. He is a prolific offender and often targets the elderly and vulnerable in the Canterbury area. If you have recently been cold called by a man selling household type goods, please contact Trading Standards via Consumer Direct on 0808 156 2256, even if you did not buy anything.
TRADING STANDARDS
Kent Trading Standards has received a report from Kent Libraries and Archives about a resident who was called on the telephone from someone claiming to be a member of their local library and asking for his home address. The resident became suspicious and ended the call. We don't know the exact reason for the call but it is unlikely to be innocent. Kent Libraries would like residents to know that they do not call Library users requesting personal information. They only ask for people to confirm personal information when they contact the Library service to request or change their PIN number (i.e. to assess they are who they say they are) and do not ask for full address.
HOT WEATHER OPPORTUNISTS
Please remember to be extra careful with regard to closing windows and locking car doors when leaving them unattended, even for a short period of time, during the hot weather. It does not take long for an opportunist thief to enter a vehicle.
The same common sense applies to doors and windows in the home. If you are in the garden, remember to close and lock doors and windows so that no access to premises is available for any passing opportunist.
Calling the Police?
Local Police Community Support Officers –
Ring 01227 868253 and enquire who is on duty at the time.
999: for crimes in action
01622 690690: for reporting crime, including anti-social behaviour.
Or 0800 555 111: CRIMESTOPPERS – for anonymous calls with information about crime.
Refuse & recycling collection: 01227 862211 City Council
Rubbish on streets and paths: 0800 0319091 Serco
Dog fouling: 01227 862253 City Council Street Scene
Fly-tipping and Graffiti: 0800 031 9091 Serco (Preferably also report to Police and get incident report number)
Abandoned vehicles: 01227 862203 Canterbury City Council
Street Lighting, Pavements, Potholes etc: 0845 824 7800 Kent Highways Agency
(An incident report number should be obtained for follow-up)
Canterbury City Council CCTV contact telephone number – 01227 862540
SPA contact information
Our website:
A general email link:
SPA Committee 2010/11
The current officers are:
Chairman: Hilary McKernan – 01227 764094
Vice-Chairman: Andrew Kerin – 01227 456618
Secretary: Alexi Brook
Treasurer: Gillian Rushton
Neighbourhood Watch: Andrew Kerin & Gillian Rushton
Committee members: Polly Coburn, Clive Bowley, Margaret Hagan, Margaret Keeler.
NHW Coordinators St Peter’s Association Neighbourhood Watch Scheme:
Andrew Kerin, Blackman House, 6 St Peter’s Lane, Canterbury CT1 2BP.
Gillian Rushton, 68 Broad Street, Canterbury CT1 2LS.
This is a list of your SPA street representatives and the roads they cover:
Mrs. Alexi Brook King Street:
Abbotts Place, Chantry Court, Dean Mill Court, Knotts Lane, Mill Lane,
St Radigund's Street.
Mrs. Polly Coburn 66 Northgate:
Kings Mews, Northgate, St John’s Hospital, St John's Place.
Mrs. Margaret Hagan 73 St Peters Lane:
Pound Lane, St Peters Lane, St Peter's Street, Tower Way, Westgate Hall Rd.
Miss Margaret Keeler Flat 1, Eastbridge Hospital 25 High Street:
16 The Friars, All Saints Lane, High St (part).
Mrs. Hilary McKernan 9 King Street:
Best Lane, Blackfriars Street, King Street, Orange Street, Palace Street,
St Alphege Lane, The Friars, Turnagain Lane.
Ms Gillian Rushton 68 Broad Street: Broad Street.