Candidate Reveals All in Cambridge

Occassionally fate intervenes in elections and gives us a view into a candidate’s inner character. This is what happened on 19th April 2010 when Tony Juniper, Green Party parliamentary candidate in Cambridge, helped catch a burglar. The Cambridge News front page story reveals a man who realised that something was wrong, was quick off the blocks and got the job done without regard to his own personal safety.

Cambridge News, Monday 19 April 2010 (Click image to read story) 

Guided Busway to Open in April? (April 2010, 2011, 2015 ?)

    

 

Tuesday 16 March 2010:

CCC met today to consider the report released last week.

From the Chief Exec’s blog:

Finally, Cabinet considered a progress report regarding the Guided Busway. Cllr Roy Pegram made the following statement:

“Senior staff from Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) and BAM Nuttall Ltd (BNL) have met to consider further the outstanding issues holding up completion of the northern section of the Guideway as set out in the report to CCC Cabinet, dispatched last week and being considered today.

“The meeting was productive and actions have been agreed by both parties, commencing with early technical meetings this week, which if carried through, should lead to the resolution of the issues.

“Both parties have agreed that these actions will be monitored by the respective chief executives over the next five days, ahead of a further senior level meeting at the end of the month.

“One of the issues is the Busway’s maintenance track that is currently under water in some areas.

“CCC and BNL have agreed that these areas need to be raised, a process that will require liaison with the Environment Agency because of flood storage issues in the flood plain. The good news is that any work on this could be carried out whilst the Busway is operational, so the work, which needs drier conditions, will not prevent the Busway opening.

“CCC and BNL wish to see the Busway operational as soon as possible and have agreed to use the procedures laid out in the contract to progress the outstanding issues.

“Provided there is the expected progress during the coming weeks, both parties are hopeful that it will be possible to indicate by the middle of April the target date for trialling and then operating the Busway.  [That doesn't mean it will start in April! It will be announced - maybe - when it might start.  - ed.]

“CCC and BNL remain resolutely of the view that once completed the Busway will provide the high quality, well-used and successful service we always anticipated.”

BREAKING NEWS: Guided Bus DELAYED … until 2015?

Delayed until 2015?

News is leaking out of the Cambridgeshire County Council suggesting that it may be 2015 before the guided bus is running.  It looks as if contract and construction disputes between BAM Nutall and the county council may take years to resolve.

There will be many news media stories about this in coming days.  But the HI Courier has obtained the report being submitted to the Cambridgeshire County Council next Tuesday 16th March 2010,  10.00 a.m., Kreis Viersen Room, Shire Hall, CAMBRIDGE

You can find the report  here. (  http://bit.ly/9MXEXC  )Watch this space and our April issue for more details - and ‘no’ it isn’t an April Fool’s joke - but a very sad state of affairs that is likely to get even worse than it now appears.

MOT Voucher Auction

Number of Bids to date: 0   High Bid:  n/a

Buckingham & Stanley have generously donated an MOT voucher with a retail value of £54 to the Play Area project. It expires at the end of this month, so the project organisers have asked the HI Courier to see if we can auction it to the highest bidder. Because of time constraints, the auction will begin on 4th March and run until 11:59:59pm on March 15th.  Bids can be made by email to mail@hicourier.co.uk   Each evening we will update the highest bid on our website www.hicourier.co.uk - no name will be given only the amount of the current highest bid.
Remember this voucher is only valid for an MOT until 31/03/2010. All proceeds go to The Rec Playarea Project. Good luck!

LOCAL SURGEON’S MERCY MISSION TO AFRICA

Leo Cheng, Histon resident and surgeon, recently returned from Benin on board the world’s largest non-governmental hospital ship – the Africa Mercy. There he performed life-saving operations to some of the poorest people of Africa.  He will be speaking at the Histon Methodist Church ‘Big Issues’ series of meetings on 25 February at 7:30 PM at the church hall.

Leo Cheng, a Consultant Oral and Facial Reconstructive Surgeon in Cambridge and London spent two weeks in Benin, West Africa and has previously volunteered with the international charity Mercy Ships which has operated hospital ships since 1978. Last year, he also went with his daughter, Kat who volunteered as an eye clinic assistant in war-torn Liberia. Two years ago, his wife, Hilary, a Methodist Minister in Histon also volunteered as a chaplain for patients and carers both on board the Africa Mercy and on land-based community projects and clinics.

Leo said: “Publicity in the UK often focuses on a few desperate patients being flown into UK for reconstructive facial surgery but with Mercy Ships, we provide western quality treatment for patients in the poorest countries of the world, on their door step. We know that 90 of the world’s biggest cities are port cities, offering easy access to the ship for people without health care.”

The woman in the photograph with the enormous benign tumor in her neck is a perfect example. Leo told the HI Courier: “This woman was around 45 years who came to the Africa Mercy reluctantly because she thought that her growing neck lump was going to stay with her for life.

“He could not believe that the tumour had gone after surgery as he looked at the mirror because the tumour had been with him for so long. It is very sad to me to see such an extensive tumour in desperate patients like him. What he needed was basic surgery from specialist Maxillofacial Surgeon to remove the tumour when it was small but such basic surgical procedure does not exist in the developing world like those countries in West Africa. Here in UK, small tumours of the parotid gland are removed by Maxillofacial Surgeons with a few hours with good preservation of facial function.”

Villagers Deliver!

After almost a year of planning, in July the Histon & Impington Courier hit the streets for the first time. It is written, laid out, printed and delivered by volunteers from the two villages, and we hope you enjoy it and find it useful!

Producing the paper is one thing, but delivering it to more than 3,000 homes and businesses is also no mean feat. We divided and conquered by splitting the village into several zones, and teams responsible for each got the papers out (phew!). 

URGENT! Help Needed!

The Launch Edition of the Histon Impington Courier newspaper will be ready for distribution starting Friday JUly 3rd.  We still need help covering some of the streets and roads.   If you can help please contact distribution@hicourier.co.uk  or call 07906 315926.  Our goal is to have one or two people on each steet deliver newspapers once a month.  

Here are a list of those streets that still need volunteers to deliver the newspaper door to door.

ZONE A
Cooke Road
New Road west of B1049
Pepys Terrace
Pine Court
Chequers Road
Kay Hitch Way
Loves Close
Oak Tree Way
Poplar Road
School Lane

ZONE E
Ambrose Way
Drake Way
Mill Lane
Paddock Close
Spring Close
Glebe Way
Orchard Road
Garden Court/Walk
Youngman Close / Avenue

New Road/Impington Lane

Premier Foods

Health Warning - Heatwave Alert at AMBER (Level 2)

The Met Office and NHS Direct are advising that an Amber Level 2 ‘Heat-Health’ Alert has been issued for the next several days.  Chief Forecaster at the Met Office, Martin Young, added: “Temperatures are likely to build through the first part of this week, with a 60% chance of reaching 33 °C by midweek, before becoming less hot by the weekend”.

The NHS Direct website advises:

• Avoid going out in the hottest part of the day (11am-3pm).
• If you go outside, thickly apply sun cream with a SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 15. Children should use a higher SPF sun cream.
• Avoid strenuous outdoor activity, like sport, DIY, or gardening.
• If you go outside, stay in the shade.
• Wear a hat and light, loose-fitting clothes, preferably cotton.
• Close the curtains in rooms that get a lot of sun.
• Take cool showers or baths, and splash yourself several times a day with cold water, particularly your face and the back of your neck.
• Drink regularly even if you do not feel thirsty – water and fruit juice are best.
• Avoid tea, coffee and alcohol as they can cause dehydration.

NHS Choices Advises:

High temperatures can be dangerous, especially for:

• the elderly, 
• the very young, and 
• people with chronic or long-term medical conditions.

In alert level two, you don’t need to take immediate action but if the level of alert is raised, more information will be issued. 

In the meantime, make sure you’re prepared in case the weather stays hot:

• Stay tuned to the weather forecast on the TV or radio. If you’re planning to travel, check the forecast at your destination, too. 
• Plan ahead. Stock up with supplies so you don’t need to go out during extreme heat. Think about what medicines, food and non-alcoholic drinks you’ll need.
• Keep plenty of water to hand and stay in the shade whenever possible.
• Identify the coolest room in the house.

Remember: 

• Enjoy the weather but try to stay cool. Avoid going outside between 11am and 3pm as this is the hottest part of the day. Spend time in the shade and avoid strenuous activity. 
• Help others. Check up on your neighbours, relatives and friends who may be less able to look after themselves (for example, if they have mobility problems). 
• Drink water or fruit juice regularly. Avoid tea, coffee and alcohol. If you do drink alcohol make sure you have lots of water or other non-alcoholic drinks as well. 
• Keep rooms cool by using shade or reflective material external to the glass, or if not possible by closing pale coloured curtains. Metal blinds and dark curtains can make the room hotter.
• Keep the windows closed while the room is cooler than it is outside. If safe, open windows at night when the air is cooler.
• People with heart problems, breathing difficulties or serious illnesses may find their symptoms become worse in hot weather. Make sure you have enough medicines in stock and take extra care to keep cool.

Heat exhaustion can happen to anyone in hot weather and if it isn’t treated it can lead to heatstroke, which can be dangerous and even fatal.

If you or any one else feels unwell, drink water and go somewhere cool to rest. If symptoms such as breathlessness, chest pain, confusion, dizziness, weakness or cramps get worse or don’t go away, seek medical help.

Care homes and hospitals
If you run a care home or hospital, during alert level two you should:

• Monitor indoor temperatures four times a day.
• Prepare cool areas.
• Ensure you have enough staff to help keep residents and patients cool.
• Identify high-risk residents/patients.
• Make sure everyone has access to enough cold water and ice.

Contact your doctor, a pharmacist or NHS Direct (0845 4647) if you’re worried about your health during a heatwave, especially if you are taking medication, or have any unusual symptoms.

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