your Wimbotsham Welcome to the Wimbotsham News! February 2019 Produced by Wimbotsham Parish Council Keeping you informed of village life Deadline for next issue: 22nd April 2019 This newsletter is produced by Wimbotsham Parish Council. Every effort is made to ensure that information is accurate at the time of going to print, but no liability will be accepted for losses caused by inaccurate information. your Wimbotsham February 2019 FRIENDS AND NEIGHBOURS Aer a couple of meengs at members’ homes, the Club finished the year with Christmas Lunch and a Christmas Tea Our lunch, once again, was held at The Chequers and, once again, the food, lay-out of the tables and the service didn’t disappoint In December, a splendid Christmas Tea provided a good start to the Season Than(s to all our hostesses who, throughout the year, have provided us with tea and ca(e Our first meeting of 2019 will be on the last Wednesday of February, (27th), with lunch at The Chequers – buy your own and have what you like. New members are always welcome. One sad note in 2018 was the loss of ,die -arrio. She was 103 and one of the original members of the Club She had connued to a.end meengs unl 0ust aer her 100th birthday 1or anyone who (new her, they will (now she was not only a lovely, friendly lady but also a real character, who was always ready for a chat and who wal(ed without the aid of a sc( unl her late 20s The service was held in a pac(ed Saint -ary’s 3several of us a.ended4 and she is buried in the churchyard At our ne5t meeng we held a collecon and sent a cheque to Tapping 6ouse in her memory Sheila 7ove 01388 388822 Beacon Lighng Ceremony Above9 Parish Council Chair- man, Vice Chairman and mem- bers of RA1 Downham -ar(et memorial fundraising group www rafdownhammar(et com 2 your Wimbotsham February 2019 Battles Over We hope that those of you who came along to the Battles Over 1 st World War commemorative event and our Community Café event, both held last November found both events worthwhile, informative and something you would like to see repeated? Approximately 100 people came along to the commemorative event held on the 11 th November. We were so very pleased with the turnout and alt- hough a poignant occasion, it brought the community out of their homes to share and show their regard for those from not only Wimbotsham and Stow Parish, but nationwide who fought and lost their lives in the 1 st World War. The weather was kind to us for the evening, no rain or wind and then with refreshments in the village hall people could get together and just enjoy being part of the community spirit that the event created. Two weeks later we ran a Community Café day in the village hall. We wanted people to come along, hear and see the results from the new vil- lage hall survey. Present too were the community policing team, West Norfolk Befrienders and West Norfolk Deaf Association, also representing LILY. Again thisMany was a wellhands-attended make day withlight people work! dropping in at differ- ent times of the day, visiting the stands, chatting to the Wimbotsham New Village Hall Working Group and enjoying tea and cake. We offered free transport as we wanted those with accessibility problems to have the op- portunity to attend. Feedback from the Befrienders and West Norfolk Deaf Association//LILY showed a real need in our village for more support for our older people to combat the negative effects of loneliness and isolation. The village newsletter promotes any forthcoming events and most people will attend based on what they have read. But for older people, who might like to come along, the Parish council has found that asking them personal- ly bears better results. So, please if you know of someone who would benefit from a personal invi- tation either contact our Clerk or offer to take them out with you. We will be running further community events; so look out for posters, newsletter articles and infor- mation on our website. I wish you a Happy New Year. 3 your Wimbotsham February 2019 There has been a recent increase in telephone, on line and doorstep scams, we thought it worth passing on some information and advice from the police: Scam Alert – Telephone cold calls claiming to be from BT Openreach Recent reported calls have included several claims including: • Your service is about to be ‘suspended’ • Your broadband will be ‘disconnected within 24 hours’ • They have ‘detected issues with your broadband’ • They are calling about ‘poor performance with your broadband’ • That your router has been ‘hacked’ We always advise to be wary of telephone cold calls and the claims made during them. If you receive a suspicious call claiming to be connected to BT do not give or confirm any personal or financial details, hang up, wait five minutes and then contact BT customer service on 0800 800 150. If you have received a telephone cold call which you believe to be a scam you can report it to us via our partners the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 03454 04 05 06 Scam Alert – Telephone cold calls claiming to be from HMRC Most of these cold calls claim to be in connection to non -payment of tax or other duty stating that the call recipient is liable to prosecution or other legal proceedings, such as repossession of belongings, to settle the outstanding balance. The cold caller will then say that to avoid action the debt can be settled immediately by bank transfer or by iTunes gift cards. Often, the period for which the tax is allegedly due will be a significant number of years back making it harder for the call recipient to be sure or be able to verify any claims. If the call recipient refuses to comply or is hesitant further threats of ‘immediate arrest’, ‘court appearances’, ‘bailiffs attending your home’ and ‘stopping pensions or benefits’ will be made by the cold caller. Where payments are made the cold callers then sever all contact. We always advise to be very wary of any approach made by a telephone cold call. If you receive this type of call our advice is do not interact with the call and hang up. 4 your Wimbotsham February 2019 Scam Alert – Messages claiming to be from ‘TV Licencing’ Emails and text messages claiming to be from TV Licencing. Often these state that 'Your TV Licence will expire' and then offering a link to ‘Please Set up a new Direct Debit Now'. These emails are not from TV Licencing and anyone following the link will be taken to a genuine looking fake version of the TV Licencing website which will attempt to gather personal and financial details. It is likely that many versions of this email will be circulating using a range of different ‘expire’ dates. Always question unsolicited requests for your personal or financial information in case it’s a scam. Never automatically click on a link in an unexpected email or text. Scam Alert – WhatsApp Gold WhatsApp users need to be aware of a number of messages circulating again claiming to be offering access to ‘WhatsApp Gold’. These messages often claim that this download offers several enhancements over the existing WhatsApp along with a link to ‘sign up’. These messages are a scam and there is no genuine ‘WhatsApp Gold’. Anyone clicking on the link will be taken to a site which will a.empt to infect their device with malware Any update to the genuine WhatsApp will take place through the app itself. If you ever receive a message claiming you can upgrade or install additional features to WhatsApp by clicking on a link ignore the message and delete it. For more information about how to stay safe online, visit www.cyberaware.gov.uk. You can report suspicious messages to Action Fraud using their online form or by telephone on 0300 123 2040. Cold Calling Alert – Doorstep cold caller in the Norwich area claiming to be ‘surveying about telephone cold calls’ Residents received a doorstep cold call from a man who claimed he was ‘surveying about telephone cold calls’ and during the conversation also stated he was ‘working on behalf of Trading Standards’. The man was carrying a clip board and left the area after a neighbour intervened and told him to leave the area. Be very wary of claims made by doorstep cold callers. Please be aware Norfolk Trading Standards do not cold call at properties to undertake surveys and we don't authorise anyone else to do this on our behalf. 5 your Wimbotsham February 2019 Parish Council Welcome to the first newsleer 5,, recrea*on ground, and school are of 2019. meeng see how they can beer communicate and wor together. The front cover is a reminder of how wonderful the footpaths around the Wor ing together can already bee seen, village can be, even in winter. Looking for example, through the church and back at the last newsleer there seem to other groups using the 0ethodist chapel be more village vents than ever and it room for events. seems from the reports in this newsleer 5arish ,ouncillor There remains a that all have been a great success, so vacancy. See website or no*ce boards well done Wimbotsham! for full details. 6efore pu7ng yourself Events And there are a good number of forward, to find out what8s involved why events in the planning for 2019, please not aend a few meengs as a member be sure to support again and do let us of the public.