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Home , Aston Clinton, Aylesbury, Aylesbury Vale, Bedgrove, Berryfields, Bucks Herald

Aylesbury Vale Central Locality Profile

Prevention Matters Priorities

The Community Links Officer (CLO) has identified a number of key Prevention Matters priorities for the locality that will form the focus of the work over the next few months. These priorities also help to determine the sort of services and projects where Prevention Matters grants can be targeted.

The priorities have been identified using the data provided by the Community Practice Workers (CPW) in terms of successful referrals and unmet demand (gaps where there are no appropriate services available), consultation with district council officers, town and councils, other statutory and voluntary sector organisations and also through the in depth knowledge of the cohort and the locality that the CLO has gained.

The CLO has also worked with the other CLOs across the county to identify some key countywide priorities which affect all localities.

Countywide Priorities Befriending Community Transport

Aylesbury Vale Central Priorities Lunch Clubs Movers and Shakers Groups Dementia Services Social Activities Activities for Men Gardening and Cleaning Services Carers Support

Background data

Physical Area

The Aylesbury Vale Central Locality covers approximately 47 square miles, and is made up of 16 wards, as below.

Aston Clinton (includes Buckland, and ), Central Aylesbury, , (includes Parish), (includes Parish), Cold Harbour, (includes Aston and Slapton parishes), Elmhurst and Watermead, Gatehouse, Mandeville and Elm Farm, Oakfield, (includes Ivinghoe, and Horton Parishes), , , and Hawkslade, (includes Wendover Dean and Halton Parishes).

The Aylesbury Vale Central Locality includes 3 Local Areas, Greater Aylesbury, Wendover and , Wing and Ivinghoe, which are made up out of the 17 parishes within its boundary:

Aston Clinton, Aylesbury, Bierton with Broughton, Buckland, Cheddington, Cold Harbour, Edlesborough, Halton, Hulcott, Ivinghoe, Marsworth, Pitstone, Quarrendon, Slapton, Stoke Mandeville, Stoke Mandeville, Watermead, Wendover and Weston Turville.

The Aylesbury Vale Central Locality is made up of two quite distinct areas. The first being Aylesbury Town, which over recent years has seen huge expansion and incorporates new estates such as and Park.

The second biggest is that of Wendover, with the rest of the patch being made up of smaller much more rural including Aston Clinton, Marsworth, Edlesborough, Cheddington and Ivinghoe.

Population, Ethnic Diversity, Deprivation and Health

There is a strong multicultural diversity within the more urban areas, with particular reference to Asian/ Asian British populations and also a more recent increase in diversity due to Polish immigration. However the rural communities continue to be in the main White British in nature.

Employment relates primarily to service based industry which increases the population in urban areas, and makes employment scarce in rural economies.

Overall attainment in the locality is high, and according to the most recent GDP (Gross Domestic Product) statistics, the county as a whole has the highest ratings in the quality and expectancy of life, as well as the best education results in the country. However there are some contrasting pockets of poor educational achievement and higher levels of deprivation within the Central Area.

Households with families make up almost half of the population in the locality. However the largest growing area is that of older people, as 1 in 5 properties are now inhabited by someone of pensionable age.

While the health of the population is good the main concerns in the patch relate to, in many cases, preventable diseases such as, heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Cardio-vascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease are also particular concerns in the Aylesbury Central Patch.

A high proportion of unpaid carers are prevalent in the community with 1 in 10 people providing some form of care, to a family member or friend. This is a sharp increase of about 38% in the last ten years, of people providing 10 hours or more of care a week.

Chart showing population, age and deprivation in the Aylesbury Vale Central Locality by ward

Wards Total Population 60 Population 60 Economic Number of Potential Population and over as a or over as a deprivation - dwellings in areas of high (ONS 2011) figure. (ONS percentage % of each area levels of 2011) (ONS 2011) households (ONS deprivation below 60% of Neighbourhoo based on average d Statistics locality (ONS income after 2011) 2011) housing costs (ONS 2008)

Aston Clinton 9,365 2,565 26.60% 10.70% 3,837 Barriers to (includes housing Buckland, services Weston Turville and Stoke Mandeville Parishes) Central 3,854 601 15.60% No figure 1,859 Crime Aylesbury given Bedgrove 8,805 2,467 28% 12% 3,546 None Bierton 1,704 543 31.90% No figure 731 Barriers to (includes given housing Hulcott and services Broughton Parishes) Cheddington 3,028 677 22.40% No figure 1,273 Barriers to (includes given housing Marsworth services Parish) Cold Harbour 9,507 975 10.10% No figure 2,054 Income, () given employment and education/skill s/training Edlesborough 2,852 779 27.30% No figure 1,243 Barriers to (Ivinghoe given housing Aston and services Slapton parishes) Elmhurst and 9,229 1,444 15.60% No figure 3,807 Barriers to Watermead given housing services, education/skill s/training and crime Gatehouse 6,219 1,086 17.50% 23.40% 2,523 Health and disability, education/skill s/training and crime Mandeville 8,778 1,527 17.40% 13.80% 3,649 Barriers to and Elm Farm housing services Oakfield 5,910 1,049 17.70% 13.00% 2,253 Education/trai ning/skills and crime Pitstone 3,688 718 19.50% No figure 1,468 Barriers to (includes given housing Ivinghoe, services Dagnall and Horton Parishes) Quarrendon 5,498 757 13.80% 25.50% 2,099 Income, education/skill s/training and crime Southcourt 6,959 1,019 14.60% 30.10% 2,568 Income, employment, education/skill s/training and crime Walton Court 5,907 711 12.20% 19.70% 2,443 Barriers to and housing Hawkslade services, income, education/skill s/training and crime Wendover 8,524 2,108 24.70% 11.60% 3,520 Barriers to (includes housing Wendover services Dean and Halton Parishes) Total 99,827 19,026 Average 38,873 19.7%

Wendover Local Area

Aston Clinton

Aston Clinton is a rural approximately 4 miles east of Aylesbury. It is situated at the foot of the and consequently the topography of this area is that it has a reasonably level landscape which causes fewer issues for those with mobility difficulties. However it is also primarily on one long main street and therefore necessary services can be at some distance for individuals to get to.

Aston Clinton has two main bus services which serve its residents. These are the number 61 and the number 500. The number 61 runs every hour Monday to Saturday and allows residents of Aston Clinton to access Aylesbury, and , as well as smaller villages in the central patch including Ivinghoe, Edlesborough, and Tottenhoe. After 6pm there are three buses that still allow residents of Aston Clinton to access Aylesbury, Tring and Luton but not some of the smaller villages. This service is not available on a Sunday.

The 500 and 501(Sundays) bus service that travels through Aston Clinton is a 7 day a week service that enables residents of Aston Clinton to travel to Aylesbury, Tring, Berkhampstead, and . These services run approximately twice an hour but do not run in the evenings.

Currently as far as I am aware the ward of Aston Clinton and the parishes this encompasses do not possess a Community Transport scheme but can use the Aylesbury Vale Dial-A-Ride Service for planned journeys.

Aston Clinton’s Westongrove Doctors Surgery holds a fairly central location in the village of Aston Clinton but as the village is primarily based round one long main street, this may still be some distance for residents to get to.

Aston Clinton has one dental practice near to the village centre and a private dental laboratory.

The nearest hospital to Aston Clinton is Stoke Mandeville Hospital situated approximately 5 miles away. To access the hospital for appointments non – driving residents of Aston Clinton would need to catch a bus to Aylesbury town centre and then another bus to the hospital, use Dial-A-Ride or book a private taxi company.

There are no optician services in Aston Clinton, the nearest being located in Aylesbury town centre. However there are some private home visiting optician services that may be available for those who are unable to access the nearest opticians based in Aylesbury town.

There are no sheltered accommodation services in Aston Clinton and only two care homes, both of which are residential care for those with a Learning Disability. Therefore access to supported housing is limited in the area, for those who wish to stay in the locality. Indeed the rating for potential deprivation in Aston Clinton relates to the difficulty and potential barriers to housing, as a cause of concern.

Aston Clinton is served by its own primary school (Twitchell Lane Aston Clinton, HP22 5JJ ).

It has a large park, as well as two churches being St. Michael and All Angels Church, and Aston Clinton Baptist Church.

Aston Clinton has one general local store situated near to the park which serves the community with groceries, fruit and vegetables and newspapers.

There are five community spaces that can be accessed being: Aston Clinton Guide Hall, Aston Clinton Aston Hall, Aston Park, Aston Clinton Baptist Church, and Aston Clinton Church Lane building. There are no care agencies actually based in Aston Clinton although most of the Aylesbury based care agencies will cover Aston Clinton as part of their remit, including: Carewatch Mid Bucks, Bluebird Care, Phoenix Healthcare, Aylesbury Primecare etc. Unless social care services are received however this will be on a private basis and cost between £15-£20 per hour.

Aston Clinton in a wider context as part of Aylesbury Vale has the potential to access befriending schemes on a more county wide organisation basis such as Age UK, Alzheimer’s Bee Friending service, Royal Voluntary Service, Enrych and Carers Bucks, but does not have any befriending schemes specific to its locality.

As far as I am aware Aston Clinton does not currently have a Good Neighbour scheme in operation.

In terms of the asset based research I have completed for activities which are actually located in Aston Clinton there is:

 A badminton club which is held at the Green Park Conference Centre.

 An Old Friends club and a lunch club which are run by the same group of volunteers and are held at the local community centre (Aston Hall) primarily for older people in the village.

 The following community activities are also held at various venues in Aston Clinton: Aerobics Classes, Mixed Martial Arts, Aston Clinton, Buckland & Horticultural Society, Tennis Club, Bingo, Youth Club, Bowls Club, Buckland, Drayton Beauchamp and Aston Clinton Women’s Institute, Chiltern Fiddle and Accordion Club, Cricket Club, Football Club, Karate, Ladies Group, Men’s Football Team, Pilates, Royal British Legion, Slimming World, and a Wine Club.

Therefore there are a range of interest based services within Aston Clinton although more purely social activities are limited to the Old Friends club and lunch which are mainly aimed at older people, and tend to be quite a fixed group that attend. There are also more county wide organisations that can be accessed from Aston Clinton but these are more dependent on volunteers and their availability in terms of geographic location. These services include Carers Bucks, Age UK, Bucks Mind and Alzheimer’s society Befriending services, and Enrych for those with physical disabilities.

In terms of networks Wendover has an Older People’s Action group which covers the Aston Clinton area. This OPAG is linked in with the Bucks 50+ Forum who are the umbrella organisation for the OPAG’s in Buckinghamshire and helps make sure older people’s voices are heard.

Local Health Watch for those who wish to be involved in providing feedback and or looking at ways of improving local health and social care services is also a network available to Aston Clinton residents, much of which is done on line. More public meetings are held at various locations around the county so access to these will depend on where they are held.

Volunteering options in the main are limited to the older persons club and interest activities already in the village, or to the more county wide organisations mentioned above as a volunteer befriender.

From a personal perspective the unmet needs in this area relate to suitable housing and supported housing, more extensive social based activities, and ad hoc volunteering and help at home services such as a Good Neighbour scheme. However until more feedback from CPW’s is available this view is based on a more reflective practice feeling rather than evidential results, and some of the unmet needs may be solvable through better community transport services in order that activities can be more easily reached.

Wendover

Wendover is a at the foot of the Chiltern Hills, and is situated 4 miles from Aylesbury. The topography of Wendover due to its location means that the roads and pavements are varied but can incorporate some quite steep inclines when accessing the community, particularly in regards to some of the residential areas and town amenities which can make it more difficult to access for those with physical disabilities. Wendover maintains a vibrant high street with many small and unique shops. However due to the historic nature of Wendover some of these buildings are not always easy to access and are not adapted for those with a physical disability who may require wheelchairs and walking equipment.

There are two main bus services between Wendover and its closest town of Aylesbury.

Number 50 – This is a Monday to Saturday service with buses running approximately every half an hour throughout the day, up until approximately 6pm. It also runs a Sunday service but this only incorporates three trips throughout the day.

Number 55 – This is a Monday to Friday service which runs approximately two hourly from Aylesbury to , but this also incorporates and provides a link for stops at Stoke Mandeville hospital, Wendover and hospital.

A train service from Wendover to Marylebone in and also to Aylesbury is provided.

Currently Wendover has a Community Car scheme which is run by volunteers to enable those socially isolated in the community to access services. The importance of better transport services however continues to remain a priority for the local area. The Aylesbury Vale Dial-A-Ride Service is also usable for planned journeys in the Wendover area.

Wendover has one doctor’s surgery being the Westongrove Partnership Wendover Health Centre that serves its community. This is based along the Aylesbury Road into Wendover and therefore can be of some distance for some residents on the outskirts of the town to access it. . Wendover has three dental practices within close proximity to each other, all of which are based on the main High Street in the town centre. The one Optician’s in the town is also based on the High Street.

Due to the positioning of the local health services therefore, this makes them easily identifiable in terms of locating them, and supports individual’s access to them, as such appointments can be undertaken on perhaps a day when a person would be going into the town to fulfil other needs such as shopping.

There is also a car park located near to the Community Library which is just off the main High Street to provide those with transport adequate parking to attend appointments.

Wendover has access to two hospitals within a ten mile radius, the closest being Stoke Mandeville Hospital which is approximately 4.5 miles away, the second being Amersham Hospital which is at an approximate distance of 10.6 miles. A bus service does run between these health services, but this is not very frequent, and is not always accessible by everyone, so such schemes as the Community car scheme is very important to ensure individuals can make it to required appointments.

There are two registered care homes in Wendover which are both for the support of older people and for those with dementia. As well as this there are five retirement or sheltered accommodation properties which also cater for older people’s needs. However there is no accommodation noted specifically for those potentially vulnerable clients under the age of 60, and therefore no registered care for any individual who may require a supported living environment due to a mental health condition, physical disability or learning disability. Therefore access to supported housing is limited in the area, for those who wish to stay in the locality. Indeed the rating for potential deprivation in Wendover relates to the difficulty and potential barriers to housing, as a cause of concern.

Wendover has three churches in its parish as well as a memorial hall which can be accessed and used by the community. However Wendover does not appear to have any community centres, but there is a community space attached to the secondary school where the local youth club is held, and this is also used for other community meetings.

Wendover has many individual and creative shops within the town centre but is also served by a Budgen’s and Co-op for food shopping, and fresh produce for local residents. It is a well support economy within Wendover and it continues with its local heritage with the market held in the High Street every Thursday and early closing for the shops every week on a Wednesday.

Wendover has its own community library in the centre of the town. This also incorporates a meeting room that can be used for community events.

Wendover has two parks with playgrounds and green spaces near to its centre, and is also very close to with the Go Ape facility and therefore due to its location has many green spaces for residents to access.

Wendover has two primary schools and one secondary school within the area. However due to Buckinghamshire’s streamed secondary education and the 11+, those children who pass the exam and wish to go to a selective school would need to travel to Aylesbury in order to attend.

Wendover has one care agency Carewatch (Mid Bucks) that is actually based in the town, buts most of the Aylesbury based care agencies and others in the locality will cover Wendover as part of their remit. However help to live at home unless in receipt of social care, would be on a private basis at the cost of £15- £20 an hour.

Wendover in a wider context as part of Aylesbury Vale has the potential to access befriending schemes on a more county wide organisation basis such as Age UK, Alzheimer’s Bee Friending service, Royal Voluntary Service, Enrych and Carers Bucks, but does not have any befriending schemes specific to its locality.

As far as I am aware Wendover does not currently have a Good Neighbour scheme in operation.

In terms of the asset based mapping I have conducted, as with most of the Aylesbury Central Area the types of activities and community support within Wendover are largely activity based and interest based groups, for example Women’s Institute, Theatre Society, and Art, Bowls and Bridge clubs. The more specific and social activities are therefore in the main the domain of the local churches in Wendover that run such activities such as Women’s evening, a lunch club and coffee mornings. This is particularly spear headed by the Free Church in Wendover, who also operates a Food Bank for residents in need. Age Concern was at one time the main lead in providing a lunch club for residents but unfortunately this came to an end in recent years. Recently Wendover LAF has reserved money for a Movers and Shakers group to be set up in Wendover and I am currently trying to organise local groups who may wish to act as the committee or lead for such a project.

In terms of networks Wendover has an Older People’s Action group. This OPAG is linked in with the Bucks 50+ Forum who are the umbrella organisation for the OPAG’s in Buckinghamshire and help make sure older people’s voices are heard.

Local Health Watch for those who wish to be involved in providing feedback and or looking at ways of improving local health and social care services is also a network available to Aston Clinton residents, much of which is done on line. More public meetings are held at various locations around the county so access to these will depend on where they are held.

In terms of communication within the local area, the Wendover News which is a free monthly community magazine provides local updates and information as well as community based news on events, organisations and groups meeting locally. This can be accessed on-line but is also available to pick up at the community library.

Volunteering opportunities specific to Wendover include:  Community Car Scheme  Community Library  Wendover Arm Trust – restoration of canal.

I have unfortunately not received much feedback yet from the Community Practice workers in relation to the Wendover area, but feel that as with other areas of the Aylesbury Central Patch much of the work in providing groups and activities locally has been focused on physical and interest based activities, at sometimes I feel the neglect of more social based activities where any one, of any ability can attend. I also feel in Wendover that their seems to be an absence in support for those under 60 who may be experiencing social isolation due to either a mental health concern, learning and or physical disability and as such find it more difficult to access the community. A lack of health based and perhaps information and advice based services who are experienced in the specific local area and have an understanding of the concerns in the community also seems to be absent in the mapping of services available.

Greater Aylesbury Local Area

Aylesbury

Aylesbury is the largest town in the Aylesbury Central Area and encompasses in the main the town centre and outlying residential areas and estates. This therefore has possibly the most easy access in terms of shopping needs and central based services. Access in Aylesbury for those who are disabled is apparently good compared to some towns due to the national spinal injuries centre being close by which has to some extent made Aylesbury Town a beacon for access. The relatively flat nature of the topography helps with access in Aylesbury although there are still some shops and streets that remain more difficult to access due to cobbles, poor drop kerb facilities and limited access in shops due to steps or narrow doorways.

The bus station in the centre of town provides access to most estates within Aylesbury and the more outlying villages and towns in the Aylesbury Vale area and beyond i.e. , , , Hemel Hempstead etc., and the train to London can be used. Each main estate tends to be served by the rainbow route services which in the main run every 15-20 minutes from town:

 Silver Rider (Number 1) – access to Fairford Leys and Buckingham Park, Gatehouse and Cold Harbour areas.  Blue Route (Number 2) – access to / Quarrendon and the Gatehouse area.  Orange Route (Number 3) – access to Elmhurst, and Quarrendon.  Green Route (Number 4) – access to the Coppice and Berryfields Estates.  Water Rider (Number 6) – access to Elmhurst, and Watermead.  Pink Route (Number 8) – access to Bedgrove and Broughton Estates.  Red route (Number 9) – access to South Court, Walton Court, Hawkslade and Stoke Mandeville hospital.

Currently as far as I am aware Aylesbury only possesses the Aylesbury Vale Dial-A-Ride Service as a means of community transport for planned journeys. A shop mobility service is run at the Upper Hundreds Car Park for those who need mobility aids such as scooters and wheel chairs to access the town centre.

Aylesbury has 8 doctors surgery’s within its boundary and therefore is well served in terms of medical support, although some estates do not have their own practice and therefore access in these instances is less easy for residents who must travel to reach their practice. The doctor’s surgeries within Aylesbury are: Berryfields Medical Centre, Broughton House Surgery, Mandeville Surgery, Meadowcroft Surgery, Oakfield Surgery, Poplar Grove Practice, White Hill Surgery, and Weston Grove Surgery on Bedgrove. There is also a Sexual Health service offered in Aylesbury at the Brookside Clinic close to the town centre.

Aylesbury has approximately eleven dentist practices within its locality including the specialist dentistry service held at Brookside Clinic for those with extra requirements e.g. learning disability, disabled access, hearing difficulties etc. However not all of the other dentist practices have suitable disabled access and hence this needs to be checked if access is an issue. There are also other dentists in the broader area that cover the Aylesbury catchment.

The nearest hospital to Aylesbury is Stoke Mandeville Hospital situated approximately 1-1.5 miles away from the town centre. To access the hospital for appointments, non – driving residents of Aylesbury would need to access a bus into town and can then use the number 4 or 9 bus Monday –Friday, for a service that runs approximately every 15 minutes from early morning until approximately 11pm at night. Also available are the 55 service to Chesham which runs every couple of hours via the hospital, and the 300 service (High Wycombe to ) which runs a 7 day a week service from early morning to approximately midnight every half an hour during the day and every hour in the evenings up to midnight Monday to Saturday and up to 9pm on a Sunday and that goes via both Stoke Mandeville Hospital and the central Aylesbury bus station. Dial-A-Ride is available to book in advance and a private taxi company would charge approximately £6-£7 to get to the hospital and back from the Aylesbury area

There are approximately 13 optician services in the Aylesbury Area mainly based in the town centre. However there are some private home visiting optician services that may be available for those who are unable to access the optician’s altogether.

There are approximately 20 care homes (nursing and residential) accessible in the Aylesbury area which supply a variety of specialised support for learning disability, younger adults support (under 60) for those with a physical disability, brain injury and spinal cord injury specialism’s and older people’s care, as well as Alzheimer’s support.

There are also approximately 12 sheltered housing or retirement home complexes within Aylesbury, although these tend in the main to be for older people.

Aylesbury also has supported housing accommodation for homeless adults and young people, as well as for those with a learning disability.

However there appears to be very few individual smaller properties with disabled access where independence can be maintained, or whereby an individual can receive help at home but be able to stay in their community. Thus making being able to maintain independence rather than go into sheltered housing complexes difficult.

There are six main secondary schools in the Aylesbury area, and approximately 10 primary/junior schools, with three schools that support pupils with special educational needs.

Many of the estates in Aylesbury also have a local shop which can be accessed in order to purchase necessities such a bread, milk and small grocery items.

Aylesbury has some 26 large green spaces, including the Vale Park which is close to the centre of town with a skate park available, as well as several other parks including Alfred Rose Park (Elmhurst), Edinburgh Playing Fields (Walton Court/South Court) Bedgrove Park, Fairford Leys and Meadowcroft green space which also has an astro-turf that can be booked and used by local community groups.

Most of the estates in Aylesbury have a community centre and run various activities from these centres: These include: Alfred Rose Park Community Centre, Aylesbury Vale Multicultural Centre, Bedgrove Park Community Centre, Berryfields Community Centre, Buckingham Park Community Centre, Elmhurst Community Centre, Fairford Leys Community Centre (Ernest Cook Hall and Cold Harbour Hall), Hawkslade Farm Community Centre, Haydon Hill Community Centre, Healthy Living Centre (Walton Court), Prebendal Farm Community Centre, Quarrendon and Meadowcroft Community Centre, Stoke Mandeville Community Centre, South Court Community Centre, and Watermead Village Hall. There are also other community spaces available, particularly in church buildings.

There are approximately 13 care agencies actually based in Aylesbury town including: Bluebird Care, Phoenix Healthcare, Aylesbury Primecare, and Plan Care These include support for a wide range of needs including older people, learning disability, physical disability and Alzheimer’s support. This would be on a private basis at approximately £15-£20 per hour unless social care was being received.

I believe there is one Good Neighbour Scheme operating in Aylesbury for the Walton Court and South Court Estates, and includes volunteers who have all undergone the Disclosure and Barring checks.

Befriending schemes relate to more county wide organisations and therefore depend on volunteers being available in areas in Aylesbury but include: Carers Bucks, Alzheimer’s Society, Age UK, Bucks County Council Volunteers, Bucks Vision, Bucks Mind and Enrych.

Aylesbury as a whole appears to have a relatively good range of activities and interest based groups which incorporate physical activity such as bowling, cycling, swimming, and Pilates, interest/hobby based groups such as camera, bridge and chess clubs, and some more social based events across Aylesbury as a whole such as lunch clubs, and day care. Having a higher proportion of Asian/Asian British population within a dense urban area than most of the Aylesbury Central Patch a couple of social activities aimed at specific cultures including the West Indian and Asian Older People groups have arisen and are held at the Multi- Cultural Centre. However with nearly all of the activities the theme of community transport and how to access these services if an individual is unable to access them independently via any means is always prevalent. The social activities again are fewer in number than actual interest and physical based activities which seem to have been the main drive within the area over recent years, and these social activities continue to be aimed more specifically at older people and are limited in their success for individuals who do not match the criteria e.g. younger people with physical and/or learning disabilities, those for whom English is not their primary language and those with mental health needs.

In terms of networks Aylesbury has its own Older Person’s action group (OPAG) which is called Aylesbury Voice (Valued Oldies in Communication with Everyone). This OPAG is linked in with the Bucks 50+ Forum who is the umbrella organisation for the OPAG’s in Buckinghamshire and help make sure older people’s voices are heard.

Local Health Watch for those who wish to be involved in providing feedback and or looking at ways of improving local health and social care services is also a network available to Aylesbury residents, much of which is done on line. More public meetings are held at various locations around the county so access to these will depend on where they are held.

In terms of communication within Aylesbury the main methods in order to promote messages and advertise groups, events and volunteer opportunities seems to be via the local paper the , Aylesbury Town Matters the quarterly town council magazine which is delivered to houses throughout Aylesbury, via county and district councillors and by alerting organisations for them to advise and inform the clients that attend their groups and services.

There are quite a few volunteering opportunities within the Aylesbury area from the more county wide larger organisations such as Carers Bucks, Alzheimer’s Society, Age UK, Bucks County Council Volunteers, Bucks Vision, Bucks Mind and Enrych to smaller groups who may require extra support e.g. coffee mornings, disabled club, Contact the Elderly, Simply Walk and drivers for transport to access these activities. However the reliance on volunteers for many of the activities makes the security of certain groups more difficult to assess, and the finding of volunteers with the appropriate skill set e.g. drivers with own transport, understanding of needs of client group etc. and free time in order to volunteer in the current economic climate more difficult.

Such opportunities for volunteering are mainly accessed via the Community Impact Bucks volunteer scheme.

Again at this stage of the project the information from the Community Practice Workers currently is to an extent limited, although they have been able to find groups and activities for most of their referrals. It has been interesting to note from the Community Practice Workers perspective that many of the referrals so far have related to those under 60 with additional needs such as mental health, learning disability, and physical health conditions, who wish to access their local community more frequently as they have found themselves isolated at home.

I again from a personal perspective feel that a wider variety and more frequent development of more social based activities is required, where the support comes from meeting others in the community and talking and listening to each other, rather than the focus being purely activity based. I feel a wider range of services to support those with learning/physical disabilities as well as mental health concerns and the ethnic minority communities would be beneficial. I am also aware more ad hoc one to one support that can be offered by volunteers and support people in their home as well as acting in a befriending role are also lacking within the Aylesbury area.

Although I am aware this is an area I have not mapped in length Bierton and Hulcott have so far seemed quite remote in the services they offer and the difficulty in accessing Aylesbury in order to perhaps attend services, groups and activities is an area of concern. The percentage of older people in these areas is also the highest in the Aylesbury central patch and thus social isolation and support needs are consequently possibly relatively high.

Great Brickhill, Wing and Ivinghoe Local Area

This only includes the villages of Edlesborough, Ivinghoe, Ivinghoe Aston, Cheddington, Horton, Pitstone, Marsworth, Slapton and Dagnall as the other villages in this local area are part of the Aylesbury Vale North Locality.

The Ivinghoe local area which incorporates the villages listed above is the most rural part of the Aylesbury Central Locality and therefore its main difficulty appears in accessing services required. This local area is overall the more affluent of the Aylesbury Central Locality but has high levels of older people and is classified by small rural villages which may make social isolation a high level of need, and support more difficult to access. This is because the links between the communities are potentially stretched across villages and can make accessing them more difficult. The topography is generally level which does make mobility around the area easier, however as many of the villages are linked by long main roads often without pathways, independently accessing the services without transport could be dangerous. The issue of cross boundary services is also prevalent as much of the Ivinghoe patch is bordered by both and , which means that residents in this area may access services from Buckinghamshire County Council and another adjoining council.

Bus Number 61 This bus runs a Monday to Saturday service from Aylesbury to Luton, and incorporates the villages of Aston Clinton, Pitstone, Ivinghoe, Tottenhoe, and Eaton Bray. This is hourly through the day and then approximately 2 hourly up until approximately 9pm.

Red Rover bus 361 which operates Monday to Saturdays between 8am-3pm on an hourly basis which goes from Aylesbury Bus Station to and also stops at Aston Clinton, Marsworth, Ivinghoe, Edlesborough, Eaton Bray and Tottenhoe.

Redline bus 164 operates a Monday to Saturday service from Aylesbury to which runs three times a day and includes stops at Eaton Bray, Slapton, Horton, Ivinghoe, Cheddington, Marsworth, Pitstone, Aston Clinton and Weston Turville.

There are two community transport schemes that operate in this area being the Aylesbury Vale Dial=A=Ride service and that of the EDaN Community Car Scheme which operates in Edlesborough, Dagnall and and provides volunteer drivers to take people to medical appointments and on other required journeys.

Access to health services in this area could be seen as problematic in as much as the Aylesbury Central part of the Local Area Forum is only served by two doctor’s surgeries within the boundaries of Buckinghamshire being the Edlesborough Practice and the Pitstone Village Health Centre. This means many of the villages local to these are likely to use the Edlesborough and Pitstone practices including Horton, Dagnall, Slapton and Marsworth. Many of the other practices that serve this area are therefore just over the border into different counties, and therefore consideration into the services and perhaps cross boundary working in this area is required. In the area of Pitstone and Marsworth it is important to note that the Pitstone Village Health Centre which is classified as part of Buckinghamshire and has links with the Edlesborough Surgery is not one of the practices that has been linked to a Community Practice worker.

The nearest hospital for much of the area is the Luton and Hospital which is based in Bedfordshire and is approximately 8.5 miles from Ivinghoe, compared to 10.8 miles to Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury. A number 61 bus links Aylesbury town with Luton Hospital which travels through many of the villages in the patch from Monday to Saturday, with hourly buses during the day and two hourly buses in the evenings.

There appears to be only one dental practice within the local area based in Edlesborough, although there are many practices in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire which serve the area, for example in Tring and Leighton Buzzard. However if an individual does not have transport and is unable to access community transport this could be problematic.

Again there are no Opticians in the immediate vicinity and this area is primarily served by practices in Tring, Leighton Buzzard and Dunstable, which makes transport links imperative. However there are some private home visiting optician services that may be available for those who are unable to access the optician’s altogether.

Sheltered housing in the area is limited and research undertaken appears to show one such scheme in each of the following villages Cheddington, Edlesborough and Pitstone, with the only residential care home being located in Slapton for those with a learning disability.

The demographics researched previously in the report show both Marsworth/Pitstone and the Edlesborough/Slapton/Ivinghoe/Cheddington areas as being high in their population of older people and as such housing that provides for their needs in the locality is very limited. This is also shown in the deprivation concern over appropriate housing and barriers to housing as these areas scored highly in relation to this.

Community centres can be found in most of the villages that cover the Beacon area including Edlesborough, Dagnall, Cheddington and Ivinghoe, as well as in Marsworth and Pitstone. Many of these centres hold a variety of activities for those in the community including physical health activities, and group meetings that relate to hobby and interest groups. The churches in the villages are also centres for social activity and support in the community and from mapping the area, notable ones that I from a personal perspective felt were embedded in their community were based in Marsworth and Ivinghoe although I am sure there are more. The other type of community asset in terms of buildings in the villages are village halls, some of which are being taken over by the local community to run as community assets in which to hold groups, meetings and events.

Having mapped the areas Edlesborough, Marsworth and Pitstone all have local shops in their village which can be accessed by residents, and Edlesborough also has a café in the village which acts as a place for people to meet socially. Slapton has a local farm shop which the community can access. However other areas such as Dagnall, Horton and Cheddington do not have access to local amenities for buying produce and therefore need to travel or order on line in order to receive goods. Edlesborough and Ivinghoe also have sub post offices with Ivinghoe also having a community café within the grounds of the post office which again is used as a central meeting point in the community.

The nearest library in this area is based in Ivinghoe Town Hall which is set up as a community library. Other library services exist in Tring, Leighton Buzzard, Dunstable and Aylesbury. The mobile library does visit the area though and stops at Cheddington, Dagnall and Ivinghoe Aston.

The area covered by the Great Brickhill, Wing and Ivinghoe LAF is a rural community which gives rise to many green spaces, and areas in which communities can gather. Edlesborough has a wide area of land near to its centre, with pitches to play games as well as a play area for children. Pitstone also has a Pavilion where games such as cricket, bowls and football are played. The actual detail of where green spaces and play areas are located however is not easily located via research, and more mapping of the spaces available is required.

There are four primary/junior schools in the area based in Edlesborough, Ivinghoe, Cheddington and Marsworth. Secondary schools are not so easily accessible though, with Wing, Leighton Buzzard, Tring or Aylesbury being the closest to access. Access to further education and some higher education courses is available in Aylesbury and Luton/Dunstable.

There is also a food bank in operation at the Ivinghoe Vicarage covering Ivinghoe, Marsworth and Pitstone, and a Lunch club held at the Red Lion in Dagnall. Upon researching the area there appears to be no care agencies located in this area although most of the larger surrounding towns’ care agencies in places such as Aylesbury, Leighton Buzzard, Dunstable and Tring will supply care in these villages.

There appears to be no Good Neighbour schemes operating in this area, and although the more county wide befriending services such as Age UK, Bucks Mind and the Alzheimer’s Society cover the whole county, the availability of these services very much depend on where people volunteer from and their ability to travel to villages to meet the need.

As with the mapping I have completed so far there seem to be many community buildings which offer a range of interest based, and physical activities for those in the villages to attend. Many of the instructors or facilitators of these groups seem to move around the villages’ community buildings providing the same class on different days at different locations. This means many of these activities are accessible to the communities as they are held at local village halls and community centres. Popular activities currently seem to be Pilates, Zumba classes, Jazzercise, Women’s Institute and a variety of sports such as cricket, football and bowls. Film clubs also seem popular in the area.

There are three day centres in the area, Golden Years based one day a week at Cheddington and then at Edlesborough and an Age Concern club held in Northall. These vary in price, although all three provide transport to access their services.

In terms of networks the Ivinghoe area of the Local Area Forum does not appear to have its own Older Person’s action group (OPAG) which are created to make sure older people’s voices are heard.

Local Health Watch for those who wish to be involved in providing feedback and or looking at ways of improving local health and social care services is also a network available to residents in the villages, much of which is done on line. More public meetings are held at various locations around the county so access to these will depend on where they are held.

The main method of communicating in the area seems to be via the Focus Magazine which is published monthly and covers all of the activities that are run in the villages it covers being Eaton Bray, Edlesborough, Northall and Dagnall, as well as local articles of interest. This is delivered every month to every house in the areas it covers.

Marsworth also has its own magazine which tells the community about the activities on offer, and also includes information about Pitstone. This was available from the local village church.

In smaller communities and villages the local shop window and notice boards attached to community buildings also seem a clear method of announcing events and activities that are happening in the villages.

There is a variety of volunteering opportunities in the area again incorporating many of the large county wide schemes for befriending and visiting those isolated in the home. However there are also some more specific volunteering opportunities including:

 EDaN Community Car scheme – Edlesborough, Dagnall and Northall area.  Age Concern Lunch club – Northall and District (covers Northall, Dagnall, Edlesborough, Slapton and Eaton Bray)  Ivinghoe Community Library  Ford Water Mill Society – Ivinghoe

The unmet needs I feel are most easily identifiable in this area again relates to more social based activities rather than all activities having to be based around a class or structured activity. However the main concern for me is the absence of any groups aimed specifically at the needs of the under 60’s who may still be experiencing social isolation due to a learning disability, mental health need or a physical disability and would like to meet other people of a similar age who may be sharing similar experiences. Having mapped the area quite closely there appears to be a very obvious gap in these types of services, as well as in services aimed specifically towards men’s needs and those of the Black Ethnic Minority communities.

GP Practices

The more urban areas have relatively strong representation in terms of doctor’s surgeries:

Berryfields Medical Centre, Broughton House Surgery, Mandeville Surgery, Meadowcroft Surgery, Oakfield Surgery, Poplar Grove Practice, Westongrove Partnership, (3 surgeries in Bedgrove, Aston Clinton and Wendover) and Whitehill Surgery.

However to the east, the area is only represented by Edlesborough surgery which could have patients from Cheddington, Ivinghoe, Pitstone and Marsworth attending so a thorough knowledge of services in this area is necessary. Pitstone does have a health centre but has not been allocated to a Community Practice worker and although has links with Edlesborough surgery there is some discrepancy as to whether this comes under the Buckinghamshire or Bedfordshire boundary.