COMMITTEE MEMBERS 2002/03 Monks Orchard Residents’ Association www.monks-orchard-web.org.uk Chairman: BOB AKERS 020 8654 0043 4 Chaffinch Avenue, Shirley, CR0 7SE Croydon (Non Party) (Independent) Vice Chairman & JOHN WALKINGTON 020 8654 5762 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Treasurer: 16 Gladeside, Shirley, CR0 7RE NEWSLETTER – Winter 2002 Membership Sec: ALYCE MENHINNITT 020 8654 3595 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 5 Verdayne Avenue, Shirley, CR0 8TU Secretary: ANNE JOHNSON 020 8656 4531 19a Woodmere Avenue, Shirley. CR0 7PG Wishing All Our Members Editor: DEREK RITSON 020 8777 6669 2a Langland Gardens, Shirley, CR0 8DU Email: [email protected] A Merry Christmas Police Liaison/ JEAN COOK 020 8654 8212 Security: 54 Lorne Gardens, Shirley, CR0 7RY Hon. Historian: CHARLES HUTCHINGS 020 8777 6549 17 Orchard Rise, Shirley, CR0 7QZ Area Manager: ELAINE ECKHARDT 020 8654 5906 152 The Glade, Shirley, CR0 7UD Area Manager: MICHAEL NASH 020 8654 4041 27a Woodmere Avenue, Shirley, CR0 7PG Primary Care MARCIA NASH 020 8654 4041 Liaison: 27a Woodmere Avenue, Shirley, CR0 7PG Social Secretary: CHRISTINE ROSS-SMITH 020 8654 3175 104 Woodmere Avenue, Shirley, CR0 7PF Planning Officer: VACANT Minutes Secretary: VACANT Transport & VACANT Highways Officer: And A Happy New Year! 16 1 th Mention is often made of the need to get police back on our streets in Wednesday, 27 November 2002 12.00 – 2.00pm order to prevent crime and disorderly conduct. Sadly, recent changes Boardroom, Knollys House in the policing of the area do little to achieve this aim. Monks Orchard 17 Addiscombe Road, Croydon. is now situated on the fringe of adjoining Police Sectors and, as a AGENDA: consequence, there are two local beat officers, The southern part of Health Advocacy and Interpreting in Croydon. Monks Orchard is the responsibility of a Police Officer based at New Come and hear Elizabeth Mori, Advocacy and Interpreting Services Manager, Addington Station and the northern part is covered by a Police talk about the current service, pilot projects and how this service will be Officer based at South Norwood Station. In addition to patrolling a developed in the future. large area, the officers also have to devote their time to investigating Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) crimes and accidents, taking statements and attending training Our PALS Manager, Steve Hunt, will be giving a presentation on this service, courses plus duties outside the area policing demonstrations, what it provides and how you can access it. carnivals, large sporting events and celebrations. Open Forum Attendees can air their views or ask questions. Therefore, it is no surprise that local residents rarely see a Telephone Jo Flint, Communications Manager, on 020 8274 6000 for more policeman. This is a shame because a conscientious and friendly details. All Welcome – Refreshments provided. beat officer can do much to prevent crime and to reduce the fear of — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — crime. Muggers, burglars, vandals and sexual offenders operating in MONKS ORCHARD RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION the area must be reasonably confident that the local Beat Officer will not disturb them. If a crime does occur it is usually a community MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM minded resident that informs the police and even then response ‘I wish to become a member of the Monks Orchard Residents’ Association’ times can be slow. Name: Signature: The Council that has introduced Neighbourhood Wardens in parts of the borough has acknowledged the problems caused by a lack of a police presence. The Wardens duties are similar to those normally Address: undertaken by a Beat Officer. They are expected to promote a safer environment, tackle crime and anti-social behaviour and be a familiar face to everyone in their area. The problem has been tackled Post Code: differently in some parts of the country where local residents have found it necessary to form or employ security patrols to protect their Tick box for membership: Please send this completed form to: communities. Croydon ratepayers have to pay approximately £80 Full Membership £2.00 Alyce Menhinnitt, annually to the Metropolitan Police Service. They could be 5 Verdayne Avenue, forgiven for asking what type of service are they paying for? Senior Citizen £1.00 Shirley. CR0 8TU. The publication of this newsletter coincides with the start of the festive season. I take this opportunity to wish you a Happy Christmas and Prosperous New Year. May 2003 be a good year for all. 020 8255 5473 2 15 Formal Objection to the Secretary of State, Planning Inspectorate. The Friends of Mayday are a group of unpaid We have sent our Objections against the Bethlem MSU Extension to the volunteers who raise funds to provide equipment and Secretary of State, Planning Inspectorate (sent by special delivery), to meet comforts for patients and staff in the hospital. The the 30th October deadline. Copies can be viewed on request. Executive Committee meets monthly to consider Since our last edition, the Bethlem Appeal procedure has swung into full requests from the hospital, with a senior member of effect. Those of you who sent formal letters of objection to Bromley Council staff on hand to advise on priorities. would have received correspondence from Bromley Council asking you to Our fund-raising is mainly achieved through donations, subscriptions and send further letters of objection to the proposed Bethlem development by legacies, as well as through our annual street collection in August. We also the date of October 30th. If you have not been able to write an objection to sell cards, stationery and other gift items from a trolley which we take round the Secretary of State, the Monks Orchard Residents’ Association formal the wards, and from our shop in the London Road entrance. objection report represents our members’ concerns. To summarise what has happened so far, Monks Orchard Residents’ There are few parts of the hospital which have not been helped by the Association has, along with West Wickham Residents’ Association and Friends, and we have funded all types of requests. Any donation, large or West Beckenham Residents’ Association, continually represented the views small, helps to provide some much-needed items. of our members. Since the development became known, we have had Some of the items recently funded by the Friends include: much correspondence and support from our members wishing to General (Ward chairs), X-Ray (Grant towards refurbishment), Selhurst 2 (6 demonstrate their opposition. Due to the combined efforts of MORA, chairs for relatives’ room/meeting room), General (2 electric beds), Purley (2 WWRA, WBRA AND CABBE, the planning application for the 89-Bed Unit tape recorders for counselling), Purley (1 hydraulic examination couch), at Bethlem has been REJECTED by both Croydon and Bromley Council. Thornton 3 (Dinamap monitor), Elderly Care (2 Maxi belts), Woodcroft Road Meetings against the proposal have continually been well attended by our Entrance (Grant toward refurbishment), X-Ray Ultrasound (Music system with members, as have various protest marches. The heads of both Edenham fitting and discs), OT (2 x electric Bobath neuro plinths, Varitable, 4 folding High School and Monks Orchard Primary School have both demonstrated arm slings and kit, 3 recliner wheelchairs). an opposition to the development. A 29-Bed unit is a more than adequate size for our members. Our THERE ARE MANY WAYS IN WHICH YOU CAN ASSIST US: members worry about the size of the new unit, and the possibility of Volunteer to lend a hand, by shaking a tin at our Collection or by knitting patients escaping. As yet, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust has not baby clothes for us - or even by helping in our shop; done enough to placate our members fears, and as long as our members Set up a fund-raising group at work or at school, and help us by carol make their opposition felt toward the development, we will fight alongside singing, etc; CABBE, West Wickham Residents’ Association and West Beckenham Represent the Friends when participating in fun runs or other sponsored Residents’ Association to oppose the plan. events; Donate your spare foreign currency and paperbacks for sale in the hospital; To reiterate - the best way to protest now, is to send letters to the Rt. Hon Donate prizes for raffles (or persuade employers to do so); John Prescott, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA, and Mr. Ken Sponsor a piece of equipment. Livingstone, Mayor of London, City Hall, The Queen's Walk, London, SE1 The best way of helping, however, is to become a member of the Friends. 2AA, quoting both Bromley planning reference number (02/00288/OUT) and Croydon planning reference number (02/00398/CC). You can also write to CORRECTION - Croydon Council to demand that they become involved in the appeal as an We would like to make it known that in the last Newsletter (September 2002 - adjourning authority. This is very important, because Croydon Council Page 16), it is ‘The Friends of Mayday’ who provide the toiletry packs for turned the development down on the basis of fear of crime, whereas emergency admissions and not the Hospital Trust. Bromley Council rejected the proposed development on the basis of developing on Metropolitan Open Land. 14 3 If you have already written to the relevant people, then you can put up a Is there anything else I need to know? poster to demonstrate your support. We also urge you to show your support All applicants must have a modern telephone line and a 13 amp electric at any protest meetings and marches. Posters can be obtained from the socket within ten feet of each other. MORA website. N.B. We are unable to provide the SeniorLink service to anyone in sheltered accommodation and already receiving a monitoring alarm service from Further updates will be available on the CABBE website (www.cabbe.org), on another response centre.