& Deane Over 55s Forum

NEWSLETTER – JANUARY 2017 Welcome to your first newsletter of 2017 and a very belated Happy New Year to you all. Unfortunately, our Newsletter Editor, Marian, is unwell so Gerald and I have had to step into the breach. We wish Marian a speedy recovery. I did think the letter might be shorter than usual but I am pleased to say that we have come up with lots of information which we hope you will find useful. Just a reminder that this is YOUR Newsletter and we do welcome any articles, poems, items of interest or even pictures that you think are important to our members or items you have found amusing. We hope that you all enjoy the various activities and find the open Forum meetings informative and an enjoyable experience. If there is a particular subject or issue you would like to be addressed please let us know. We represent all the older people in the community whether they are members or not so please let us know if there is a particular issue you would like us to raise with the relevant authority. We still welcome visitors to our meetings but have to ask them to wait to be seated until after the members who are attending are settled. For health and safety reasons we have to comply with the capacity number for the Carnival Hall. As you know, we have had to place a limit on the number of members, for the reasons explained; we will have to continue this limit in 2017. By the end of January there will be vacancies as we will know how many members have not renewed their membership for the coming year. At this stage we can welcome those on the waiting list as members. MEMBERSHIP Don't forget that, if you have not already done so, you should renew your membership subscription by the end of January or your name will be deleted from the database so that those on the waiting list may be offered a place. Should you wish to rejoin after that date, you will be added to the waiting list until there is a vacancy. Also, if your membership has expired, it will not be entered into our monthly free prize draw. For those members, who pay by cheque, it would be appreciated if you ensure it is only for membership and any payment for a trip or trips is made on a separate cheque. This does help with our accounts and makes life easier for our auditor. 2016 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING As previously advised, the Annual General Meeting will take place at the February Open Forum meeting to ensure we can present the audited accounts which were closed at the end of December. This year, we not only elect chairman and secretary but the whole committee. If you wish to stand as a committee member, please give your name and contact details to Gerald. Also, should you wish to nominate anyone for the roles of chairman or secretary, please pass their name etc. to Gerald (having confined they wish to stand). DECEMBER 2016 OPEN FORUM Graham welcomed members and guests to the December Open Forum Meeting and gave the usual Health and Safety notices. He expressed thanks to the many helpers, especially the committee and their partners. He went on to announce the results of the monthly free prize draws for October and November. The winners were Mrs Temporal and Mrs H Platt. Peppermint Oils This subject was presented by Ian Margetts who is the Estate Manager for Estate which has been owned by Sir Michael and Lady Colemen since the 1930s. There are 2,540 acres made up of 800 acres of winter wheat, 330 acres winter rape, 230 acres winter oats, 250 acres barley, 100 acres peppermint, 70 acres lavender, 50 acres camomile and 500 acres of woodland, with 40 acres "Stewardship" (set-aside), creating an environment for wildlife.

- 1 - There are 400 acres of Black Mitcham Peppermint which is not the same as your garden mint, it is much darker and very strong. It was developed in Surrey and classified as black because in some lights it is dark purple. Growing the perfect mint used to be very much trial and error, taking small samples, but this has improved with new knowledge. The mint grows to about 3 foot and is mown when it is flowering, cutting enough to harvest, then left for 2 days as it is 15-20% moisture. Depending on the weather forecast, it may have to be all mown down. GPS is used in the tractors which ensures that all rows are straight (even if you sit and read the paper). Harvesting is by forage harvester and the mint is then processed through the distillation equipment. Ian described how the process enabled the oil to be extracted, (distillation) with the waste being composted and the water recycled. For pure peppermint oil, it is allowed to settle to remove the last of the water and then left for a year to mature. After showing a short video, Ian described how he was approached by two seemingly scruffy men who wanted to make chewing gum as it used to be, from tree sap. Ian was unimpressed at the time but they have since sold the company for millions - moral, "Never judge a book by its cover". Ian went on to describe the other products from the Estate and how they are harvested and processed. The lavender is organic and it takes 3 years to become established. It does not like being in wet soil. Camomile flowers are like daisies and produce a dark blue sticky oil but have a low yield. Morphine poppies used to be grown, under licence from the Home Office, but production has now moved to Spain Ian outlined the various products from the Estate (Summerdown) such as chocolate mint creams, chocolate mint crisps, chocolate mint thins, chocolate mint mini bars, mint travel sweets, mint tea, camomile and spearmint tea. They also produce natural products such as body lotions, diffusers, scented candles and bath products. These are sold on the internet, in shops and supermarkets. 40% of what is produced is exported to markets all over the world. Then, Ian described the development of mechanisation on the Estate, from horses to steam power and the Fordson tractor through to the modern equipment where one man can now plough 40 to 50 acres in a day. He also spoke about the floods in the fields in 2014 when some 50 acres of corn were lost. In contrast, 2016 has been much drier than usual. Straw is baled and sold or stored for the winter. 800 tons of straw were lost when a fire was started by a lad who lives near the Estate. This was covered by insurance but, in a second fire, a baler was also destroyed. Finally, Ian described a visit by Anita Rani from Countryfile who spent a day on the farm, for 3 minutes of television! He then responded to some questions from the audience, including one about the neighbouring alpacas, and he also donated a box of chocolate mints to the Forum as a prize. Fairfields School Choir The audience was entertained by and greatly appreciated the first public performance by the children's choir, which included a number of Christmas numbers. Doorstep Crime & Distraction Burglary Following the raffle, we welcomed Georgina Peters, PCSO for , , and Beggarwood. She described how various scams operate, with over 50% directed at the over 55s. The average loss is £1,000 and can be as much as £30,000. People fall for the scams as they are becoming more professional and convincing, using the names and logos of organisations such as HMRC, BT and insurance companies. She described the case of Paul Wood who lost some £25,000. If you receive an unexpected call, especially saying you have won a prize when you have not entered a competition, you can call 101 or report it to Trading Standards. Georgina described how cold calling zones work and the checks you should make (i.e. ID cards etc.) if someone does call. If you go to the front door, make sure the back door is locked and always use the door chain. She also outlined the Neighbourhood Watch scheme and how to report suspicious callers and/or vehicles. Following the presentations, Graham reminded everyone that the AGM would be held at the February Forum in 2017, to coincide with the change to the year end for our accounts. He also said - 2 - that Fitness Classes would resume in January and that numbers attending the New Age Kurling sessions were now so low that the committee was considering if we should continue with the activity. He also outlined some of the work carried out behind the scenes, on behalf of our members. Gerald reported on developments at the Hospital where they have been interviewing for a new Chief Executive; he is attending a meeting on 20th December when the decision will be announced. At the car park, a number plate recognition system is under consideration. He mentioned the remaining trips for 2016 and expressed thanks to Trumans, especially for the additional work on the Brick Lane Music Hall trip. He has now spent £1 million on their coaches for the Forum and expressed thanks to our members for their support. Graham thanked Gerald for all the hard work in organising the trips and rounded off by wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas and New Year. EVENTS FOR 2017  10th March - Chislehurst Caves and Polhill Garden Centre. Price £18.50, includes coach and tour fee.  9th April - Chatham Dockyards. Price £28.50, includes coach and entrance fee. If you wish to go on the Victorian Ropery or the Submarine tours, which are included in your entrance fee, you MUST book them with Gerald when you book the trip as these tours have to be pre booked before the day.  25th May - Laycock Village and Devizes Market. Price £13.75.  7th July - Hampton Court Flower Show (HCFS Entrance Fee £32.50) - Total cost £44.40, including coach. Alzheimer's Society When the Forum staged the afternoon of music, songs and a sing-a-long of old tunes for those living with dementia and Alzheimer's, the sum of £52.17 was raised and donated to the Alzheimer's Society in Basingstoke. We received a letter from the Society thanking the Forum and its members for the donation which will help in their campaign. CARNIVAL CHORUS On 1st December, the choir sang for residents at Newman Court (Brighton Hill) and on 8th December for clients at Headway (). On 13th December, the choir was at the Tesco store in , in aid of their charity, Toybank. We have since received as letter from Tesco to say the choir was amazing and, in total, £705 was raised by all the choirs present, enabling 643 parcels to be handed over. We are looking for someone to act as choir master to help in training and directing the choir, during performances. If you have any experience with choirs, Marian would be delighted to hear from you, either by telephone 01256 462877 or email [email protected]. MOVEMENT AND STRETCH The sessions have commenced in the Carnival Hall and we do hope that more members will come along to help the viability of this activity. It only costs £2.50 per session and the exercises we do are very suitable for our age group: not only good physically but for the brain as well. NEW AGE KURLING At the session in January, only 11 turned up and, of those, 8 were committee members or their partners. In other words, only 3 members came along. Obviously, your committee cannot justify the expenditure for such a small number and will be considering if we should cease to offer this activity at our February meeting. FORUM COMMITTEE We are looking for a volunteer to join the committee to take on the role of Minute Secretary. It involves attending one meeting each month, takes notes and later typing up the Minutes from those notes. If you have a day to spare each month and have experience of using Word for Windows, we would be delighted to hear from you (telephone Graham on 01256 893667 or Gerald 01256 412119).

- 3 - OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST Over 55s Directory A reminder about the Over 55s Directory, produced in conjunction with Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council specifically for people aged over 55 living in the Borough, their carers, friends and relatives. It aims to provide information to help people find organisations to help them with various aspects of life, such as activities, care and finances. You can find it on line on the Basingstoke.gov.uk web site and searching under over 55s or hard copies are available from Gerald. Warning - Payments for Property Repairs Fraudsters are emailing members of the public who are expecting to make a payment for property repairs. The fraudsters will purport to be a tradesman who has recently completed work at the property and use a similar email address to that of the genuine tradesman. They will ask for funds to be transferred via bank transfer. Once payment is made the victims of the scam soon realise they have been deceived when the genuine tradesman requests payment for their services. Protect yourself  Always check the email address is exactly the same as previous correspondence with the genuine contact.  For any request of payment via email verify the validity of the request with a phone call to the person who carried out the work.  Check the email for spelling and grammar as these signs can indicate that the email is not genuine.  Payments via bank transfer offer no financial protection; consider using alternative methods such as a credit card or PayPal which offer protection and an avenue for recompense. If you believe that you have been a victim of fraud you can report it online http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud or by telephone 0300 123 2040.

North GPs Urge Women to Attend Smear Tests Our GP Practices want to enlighten women about the importance of attending their smear test. You may think it’s not a great topic to highlight in these pages, but it could save lives. With better treatment, the Cervical Screening Programme and the availability of Human Papilloma Virus (the anti-cervical cancer vaccination for young girls), the survival and prevention of cervical cancer has improved dramatically in the last decade. But, a staggering number of women are being diagnosed with cervical cancer every day. Sadly three will also lose their battle against this terrible cancer. One of the biggest reasons for this is not attending the screening programme (more commonly known as the smear test) when invited. This test picks up changes in the cells of the cervix before cancer has actually developed. All women aged 25-49 receive an invite to attend every three years, and those aged 50-64 every five years. Despite this many women are not attending their smear tests. Our GPs are encouraging all women to get your test booked as soon as you receive the invitation. For more information about cervical cancer and the need to attend your smear test please go to the website: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cancer-of-the- cervix/Pages/Introduction.aspx# Stay Healthy!

Amazon Email Scams Thousands of fake emails have been sent to Amazon customers that aim to get their bank card details. The emails claim that there has been a problem with a recent order and users are invited to click on a link that appears to go to the company's website. Customers are invited to click on a link that appears to take them to the company's website. But the link actually takes users to a fake, authentic-looking phishing site designed to look like an Amazon page. The customer is then asked to type in their bank details to re-verify their account. Amazon has provided details on how to identify spoof emails in a section on their website. 'The best way to ensure that you do not respond to a false or phishing e-mail is to always go directly to your account on Amazon to review or make any changes to your orders or your account,' the firm

- 4 - says. 'Customers can access their account by visiting www.amazon.co.uk and clicking on the ‘Your account’ link in the top right hand corner of any page.' The company says that it will never ask for details including a National Insurance Number, bank account, credit card PIN or passwords. Fortnightly Waste Bin Collections You may have seen in the local press that Basingstoke & Deane BC is considering changing to a fortnightly waste bin collection, to save up to £1 million per year. Your committee has concerns about this proposal and has initially raised the matter with the Council who provided the following statement: The borough council pays a company to empty both the green and grey bins from the 73,000 homes in the borough. This contract, which costs millions of pounds a year, is due to end in October 2018. So, the council is now looking at who should provide this service and the most efficient way to do this. One option, which the council is considering for the future contract, is to collect rubbish bins fortnightly, alternating with the week the residents’ recycling bin is emptied. This option would see a rise in the borough’s recycling rate and could also save up to £1 million a year. It is important that the council explores options to get the best value for residents especially given the substantial savings the council will need to find in future. The contract could last up to 16 years and any changes to it once it is in place could be costly. At this stage the council is gathering all the facts and is keen to see if there is evidence to support any change, a decision is not being made yet. We will seek your views at the Open Forum meeting but, if you are unable to attend, please complete the form at the end of the Newsletter and send it to Gerald or pass it to a member who is attending the meeting. We will be raising the matter with our "champion" on the council when we meet later in February.

Mayor's Charity Quiz Friday 10 February 2017 at 7pm Fancy testing your general knowledge skills? ……..Then join the Mayor of , Cllr Jane Frankum, and RSM UK for a fun charity quiz night at Basingstoke College of Technology, North Site, on Friday 10 February 2017 at 7pm (for 7.30pm start). It's an opportunity to get together with friends and family for a fun evening - being a registered member of MENSA is not a requirement!! Quiz rounds will be written by RSM UK and will include music, sport and television. Tickets are £10 per person, which includes a jacket potato and filling. A licensed bar will also be available on the night. Teams to be a maximum of six people and there will be a cash prize for the winning team. A raffle will also take place on the night organised by representatives from the Mayor’s Charity Appeal. All monies raised will go to the Mayor’s Community Chest fundraising committee run through Basingstoke Voluntary Action. Cheques, made payable to ‘Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’, should be sent along with your entry form to: Bernadette Rennick, The Mayor’s Office, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Civic Offices, London Road, Basingstoke RG21 4AH

MEMBERS CORNER The following items were extracted from our local parish magazine. A paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence is unexpected and sometimes very humorous. 1. If I had a pound for every girl that found me unattractive, they'd eventually find me attractive.

- 5 - 2. Today a man knocked on my door and asked for a small donation towards the local swimming pool, so I gave him a glass of water. 3. Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity. 4. I'm great at multi-tasking -- I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at once. 5. If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame. 6. Take my advice — I'm not using it. 7. My husband and I were happy for twenty years; then we met. 8. Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes. 9. Women sometimes make fools of men, but most guys are do-it-yourself types. 10. I was going to give him a nasty look, but he already had one. 11. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you. 12. Sometimes I wake up grumpy; other times I let him sleep. Church Bells The vicar was walking to church one morning when he passed one of his churchwardens working in his garden. "Can't you hear those bells calling you to church?" asked the vicar. "Eh, what's that?" said the churchwarden. "Can't you hear those bells calling you to church?" "I'm afraid you'll have to speak a little louder!" said the churchwarden. "CAN'T YOU HEAR THOSE BELLS CALLING YOU TO CHURCH?!" shouted the vicar. "I'm sorry," said the churchwarden, "I can't hear you because of those clanging BELLS!" And finally.... Reaching the end of a job interview, the Human Resources Officer asks a young engineer fresh out of university, "And what starting salary are you looking for?" The engineer replies, "In the region of £150,000 a year, depending on the benefits package." The interviewer inquires, "Well, what would you say to a package of 14 paid holidays, full medical and dental insurance cover, company matching retirement fund to 50% of salary and a company car leased every two years, say, a silver-grey Bentley?" The engineer sits up straight and says, "Wow! Are you kidding?" The interviewer replies, "Yes I am, but you started it." OPEN FORUM MEETINGS The Open Forum meetings are always held on a Wednesday and the dates for 2017 are 8th February (including AGM), 12th April, 7th June, 9th August, 11th October, and 6th December.

Graham Finlayson & Gerald Merritt "Editors" – January 2017 Newsletter

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Your view:

Do you support the council's plan to change bin collections from weekly to fortnightly?

Yes/No (delete as appropriate)

Please tell us why do you think it is a good or bad idea?

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