Big Cats in Glos; evidence and implications

Big Cat photo?

Some might have seen The Sun coverage of Stroud 's Coryn Memory filming in Summer 2010 what looks like a Big Cat - see here. There is apparently lots more than these edited highlights here. Well you can hear about this and more at a talk coming up....

Indeed basically this post is a bit of publicity for the illustrated talk by Rick Minter and Frank Tunbridge: Rick Minter is author of BIG CATS - Facing Britain's Wild Predators while Frank Tunbridge has recorded big cat sightings for 25 years.

The speakers will…

• Present the evidence for big cats living and breeding in Gloucestershire
• Discuss the implications of feral big cats for people and for other wildlife

THURSDAY 15TH MARCH 7.30 – 9.30pm at St Laurence Church Hall, Stroud. Price £3 Adults/£2 Child. Booking essential. For more details and to book your place contact Clare at Stroud Valleys Project, 8 Threadneedle Street, Stroud Glos Tel 01453 753358

The BBC Wildlife web site also has a report of the Woodchester big cat - see:
http://www.discoverwildlife.com/blog/gloucestershire-big-cat-stays-shadows

Two days left to stop Wallbridge Road reopening

The chicken was out as part of Stroud Against the Gyratory - see photos by Ruth Davey of the fairly new local business LOOK AGAIN (Photography, Film, Vision) - see my previous blog post with my video and details of the consultation here. Basically many of us think the Wallbridge road in Stroud should remain closed and we all have a chance to vote at the Cotswold Canal Centre until 17th Feb.

Petition: Save BSL Interpreter Service for Glos Deaf

Deaf people in Gloucestershire are petitioning NHS Gloucestershire for a return to a local BSL interpreter service for doctors appointments. Please support them and Gloucestershire Deaf Association (GDA):
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-local-bsl-interpreter-provision-for-glos-deaf.html
Last September NHS Gloucestershire moved to consolidate its PCT interpreting and translating services to a single company outside of the county.  For the first time in years, Deaf people in Gloucestershire are no longer able to pop along to GDA and organise their own communication support for GP appointments. NHS Gloucestershire says it is keen to promote 'Advancing Equality in the NHS in Gloucestershire' for vulnerable and hard to reach groups, and about a more people-centred approach to health. However this move looks set to make it more difficult. Please consider supporting the petition.

Brewery Bridge opened

I was out last week and managed to see Princess Anne opening the Brewery Bridge - happened to be in town so no special trip but great to see so many people marking this key step in progress. Indeed crowds were there despite the snow

Meanwhile we have until Friday to vote regarding the Wallbridge road  reopening - see my previous blog post with my video and details of the consultation here. Basically many of us think the Wallbridge road in Stroud should remain closed and we all have a chance to vote at the Cotswold Canal Centre until 17th Feb.

I came back via Wallbridge after a meeting and the canal boat was being winched out and put on a lorry.

You can see some photos by Ruscombe photographer Mike Gallagher from Friday if you access flickr via link on www.cotswoldcanals.com latest news.

Randwick, Whiteshill and Ruscombe 20 mph update

I've not had a chance to write up quite a number of recent meetings like Parish Councils, Green councillors and more - I'm not sure I will now as have another busy week with meetings every night - but I did want to add a note about the recent Working Party looking at 20 mph within the two Parishes. For those interested in the long history click on the 20 mph label - for me the story goes back 7 years but I read in the Randwick Runner Brian Stanley has campaigned for 33 years!! In 1988 he got a 30mph through the Parish but still hasn't got the 20 mph.....we were promised 7 years ago but at the last minute it was taken away....anyhow since then we've had working party's 20 is Plenty, a big Parish petition and much more...

Well now at last with the Community Offer by Highways we are moving forward again...Gloucestershire Highways cannot fund non priority schemes and police enforcement resources are limited and therefore communities are being given the opportunity to look at what they can do to put in place traffic calming and speed reduction measures in partnership with GCC. The Gloucestershire Highways Community Offer details can be found on the GCC website: http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/highwaysyourwayhttp://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=105872  


At our working group meeting in Westrip we looked at the options with a Highways Officer and have now embarked on further research into options and costs. Reducing speeds is clearly the aim - and a key issue raised with me on the doorstep - we basically are exploring two ways - should we go for a mandatory 20 mph across both Parishes - or just go for an advisory? Advisory is cheaper but how much do people really take notice of such advice...

The mandatory is a more complex process and more costly although Highways pay half and the two Parishes would split the cost - mandatory is also about changing the culture of speed - increasingly residential areas are wanting to create more pleasant environments which are not determined by giving priority to traffic. We also all know that hit at 30 mph you are much more likely to die than hit at 20 mph - see my 500 words in The Citizen here, the report I wrote here and the letter to GCC councillors here. Of course some of a mandatory speed limit's effect will also wear off as they do with the advisory - speeds can creep back up - but to me it is also a message about caring for our villages and the people in them - in Norway for example and other places in Europe 30 kph (about 20 mph) is mandatory in residential areas - drivers get used to it - already there is huge demand from Parishes across Gloucestershire for traffic calming and indeed across the country - Portsmouth has just turned their whole city 20 mph. I am convinced the better option is a mandatory but clearly even an advisory would be an improvement.

Of course none of this is possible without other traffic measures - 'gateways' are being considered - these are entrances to the villages - in some places they are earth bunds, others white gateposts (not like the Standish ones), some have lots of planting and in some places Cotswold stone walls (set back from road) - but basically a way to tell drivers you are entering a different area - a village with people in the streets...they work in many areas with strong evidence they cut speeds. I personally don't like humps or rumble strips as they urbanise our village environment......

Anyway we have a way to go - TRO's take about 2 years but we have at least started the process and will also be looking at how residents can be consulted - do drop me a line with any thoughts.

Energy, climate and a wasted £50bn

New shock for solar - see here

Yesterday's Independent covered Greens three point plan on energy - I've copied it below - it is extraordinary - we have rising carbon emissions especially from home heating - and now by the government's own admission, loft lagging will fall by 93% when the Green Deal starts!!!
The fact that a six-month shutdown of the Sizewell nuclear reactor was partly to blame for the recorded rise in emissions is yet another reason for the government to ditch its belief that nuclear can deliver the secure, reliable and low-carbon energy we need for the future.

The Bank of England has just launched it's latest quantitative easing - £50billions worth! A new report from the Green New Deal Group and Southampton University economics professor Richard Werner, who coined the term quantitative easing, is calling for such cash to be injected into green investment to support badly needed renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. Yet it goes to the banks!!! What a waste - they could have put the money into the wider economy - creating thousands of new jobs, improving energy security and tackling climate change at the same time. What planet are they on? Caroline Lucas has a comment piece on that here and below is Caroline Lucas' piece with the End the Big Energy Fix campaign that made front page of The Independent:

It is estimated that more than five million people in the UK are facing fuel poverty. Average annual household bills for gas and electricity exceed £1,200, and uSwitch has predicted that by 2020 this could rise to £3,202. Yet energy companies' profit margins go up and up. Ofgem warned last October that profits on dual fuel deals had risen from £15 per household to £125 – a rise of 733 per cent.

Something is going very wrong and it's time we did something about it. That's why today more than 100 public figures have launched a new cross-party campaign called End the Big Six Energy Fix.
We are proposing three simple and sensible solutions.

First, we are calling on the Government to impose a similar levy to the one it has imposed on North Sea oil companies and the big banks. Over time, such a levy could raise billions, revenues that could be ring-fenced and used to ensure that every home is insulated and highly energy-efficient – starting with the homes of the fuel-poor. This would form part of a Green New Deal and would help to create thousands of new skilled jobs.

Second, to prevent energy companies from passing the cost of any levy on to customers, we want the Government to give Ofgem the power to cap prices. This could be linked to the wholesale price to make energy prices fairer. Third, we want the Government to launch a public inquiry into the Big Six energy companies. The industry has a huge problem in terms of trust, and it is in the interests of energy suppliers themselves that these issues be addressed. We then need to devise appropriate reforms that ensure we have a market and an industry that serve people and planet before profit.
Energy provision should be viewed not merely as a market commodity, but as a crucial public service on which we all rely.

Caroline Lucas is the leader of the Green Party and one of the key figures behind the Compass campaign

Homemade artisan bread in Randwick, Whiteshill and Ruscombe

Fresh artisan bread delivered to the door - this is a fantastic service - a couple of slices are a meal in themselves - quite unlike the supermarket breads.

Yes I know I've mentioned this bread project before (see here) and a similar one (see here) - well it has now launched this week - I had two loaves from the first bake-off delivered to me on Monday morning. Both loaves were delicious - I had an 'Organic Seeded White bread: Organic white and light rye flours with poppy and sesame seeds. Ideal for sandwiches with your favourite fillings, sweet or savoury' and a 'Organic Walnut Rye bread: Organic white and dark rye flours with crushed walnuts.  Delicious naked or with cheese, ham, chutneys, soup, etc.'

Each week, Claire will have 2 varieties of bread for you to choose from, and the varieties will change each week, so that you can experience many!  The loaf sizes will vary slightly depending on the type and ingredients used, but there will always be a choice of "small" (approx 400g) or "large" (approx 750g).  For simplicity the prices will be the same whatever the flavour, i.e Small = £2.00 and Large = £3.00 (plus free delivery!!).

To receive your bread you will need to order type and quantity by the Friday evening beforehand, either by email or text! So email Claire at: chickpeas(at)hotmail.co.uk

Enjoy!!

Glos NHS Services Escape Privatisation after High court Drama

Great news - NHS bosses have backed down - this afternoon options for community health services in Gloucestershire are set to remain within the NHS consultations. Stroud Against the Cuts who have been supporting this write: "This is what the people of Gloucestershire wanted. This outcome shows what can be achieved, and gives the people of Gloucestershire, health workers and health unions the opportunity to continue to work together to defend our local NHS hospitals and services. It will continue to be crucial for people to make their views known, and we well be organising a public meeting as soon as possible. We continue to collect signatures on our online petition. We would like to thank everyone who has supported us. As Nye Bevin said, "the NHS will continue to exist for as long as there are folk left with faith to fight for it." We hope our local health services will more remain in the nhs, publicly owned and accountable, for many years to come."

NHS Gloucestershire and claimant Michael Lloyd issued a joint statement at the Royal Courts of Justice that The Citizen has printed - click read more to see it:

How ethical is your bank?

In a moment Mary Poppins but first a campaign is being launched that seeks to encourage individuals, organisations and enterprises to move their money from the major high street banks to more ethical, local and socially useful alternatives including the cooperative bank, building societies and credit unions.  A similar campaign in the US has resulted in over 4 million people switching current or savings accounts in the past 6 months alone.

'Moving money' has the direct impact of strengthening the ‘alternative’ banking sector, but it is also a positive and intelligent way to engage with the banking system. They aim 'to provide the information and confidence to broaden and enhance the public dialogue around what a socially useful and sustainable banking system should look like'.

So now to their video - see what Mary Poppins has to say about building a better banking system. Find out more at http://www.moveyourmoney.org.uk/

Privatisation of health.......aggggggh!

Commercial companies are preparing to cash in on a multi-billion pound opportunity to run NHS hospital services - according to the latest report from the NHS Support Federation. They looked at the business strategy of a group of leading private healthcare providers - and unsurprisingly found them to be highly enthusiastic about the government’s changes to the NHS and the business opportunities that they will create.

Indeed they are amongst the very few organisations who are in support of the proposed reforms. It is utterly exasperating to hear Cameron talking about how the NHS is safe in Tory and Lib Dem hands.....there are so many concerns and this report outlines a load more....in their detailed analysis of six healthcare providers actively seeking NHS contracts it suggests that their commercial interests will inevitably clash with those of the NHS and its patients. Here are the key findings from their report:

Commercial providers plan to expand on the back of the new opportunities for more private/NHS partnerships. The UK's two largest providers of private inpatient care believe that the pressure on the NHS to make savings will mean a boost for the self-pay and insurance market.

BMI/GHG and HCA International are planning to help NHS trusts raise their income by developing their own private patient units - one of the commercial opportunities created by the government’s controversial health bill.
 
There is strong interest in contracts to run entire NHS hospitals. Circle won a race against 11 bidders, the first contract of its kind, to manage the Hinchingbrooke NHS hospital. That contract began last week (1st February) and is part of a market opportunity worth billions. Our report identifies clear dangers from becoming more reliant on the private sector to treat NHS patients. Public statements from providers like Ramsay Health indicate that they would be willing to walk away from contracts which weren’t creating enough profit.
 
Four of the companies analyzed in the report have large investments from private equity companies, which could force changes in a company’s business strategy to suit their own profit motives but undermine the care of NHS patients. Circle and BMI are both backed by private equity firms and have structured their assets so that property can be disposed of when the market is right or have property already managed as a separate business. This approach is widely considered to be a major reason for the financial mess that care-home provider Southern Cross found itself in.

The business record of some of the new providers also raises doubts about their suitability as partners in the NHS. Our report highlights companies with connections to corporate fraud and illegal kidney transplantation - which brings into question whether some commercial companies would uphold the values of the NHS, as would be their duty under the NHS constitution.

Flood 'stars' Mary Dhonau and Judy Gibson visit - best ways of community disaster planning?

Judy Gibson and Mary Dhonau

Last week we had a meeting of the Stroud Valleys Water Forum - as many will know this was a group I helped found to bring together the flood and water action groups in the Stroud valleys - well we've been going for about three years and we have decided to formalise the group with a constitution - that was part of the meeting but the other part we had guests Mary Dhonau and Judy Gibson talking about the EA flood awareness scheme.

Well it was great to meet these two 'stars' of the flood world - both were full of enthusiasm and passion to make a difference - Mary Dhonau has been flooded 12 times and has an approach of  developing a blue print for best practice for communities to 'work with' rather than 'against' those who manage flood risk - she believes in managing the flood waters rather than trying to resist them....see more at: http://www.marydhonau.co.uk/about-us 

Judy Gibson who has, like Mary, appeared lots on TV and radio has also been a flood campaigner for years - see more about her home here. 

Anyway it looks like we are planning a day about flooding on Thursday 8th March 3ish to 8.30 at the Sub Rooms - still much to be planned but the idea will be to have speakers and info for folk to drop in on plus an evening which we will share more about hopes for the Five Valleys - in particular we are hoping the County will be able to support the event and explore how we can use natural processes to tackle flood issues. More about all that soon. UPDATE: sadly it looks like the day will only now be about emergency planning without an evening event - the natural processes will be considered later in the year.

The day will also look at community emergency planning - Parish and Town Councils have a role here - and also communities can act - but quite often communities don't act unless their is a clear reason - many see risks of flooding, fire or other big disaster as too small so don't plan....and there is also the issue of who keeps a plan up to date? Well it will be good to explore more about what is possible but I am skeptical about the value of some of the plans and am interested to see which way is best to go....

An interesting article here looks at what was learnt by some following the impact of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and other disasters around the world. In times of disasters neighbours help one another - ambulances and firetrucks and government aid are not the principal ways most people survive during — and recover after — a disaster. Governments were good for getting the power back on but it is the personal ties among members of a community that determine survival during a disaster, and recovery in its aftermath.


"Really, at the end of the day, the people who will save you, and the people who will help you, they're usually neighbors." Daniel Aldrich

Indeed the conclusion is that instead of practicing earthquake drills and building bunkers, we could get more involved in neighborhood events and reach out and make more friends among our co-workers and neighbours. So how does this fit with community planning? Well we'll see!

Future of NHS hanging on High Court Scales

My photo of march - used by The Guardian on their website

Here is the Stroud Against the Cuts press release embargoed until this moment - read it here first!

Summary: A Gloucestershire resident takes to the High Court in London, Wednesday February 8th in a bid to stop the transfer of all nine of the county's community hospitals and local health services out of the NHS and into a standalone 'Community Interest Company' (CIC). Gloucestershire health bosses' plans to transfer the county's community health services, including over 3000 NHS nurses, physiotherapists, health visitors and podiatrists (1), out of the NHS in October 2011 have been halted due to the legal action and a campaign in Gloucestershire that has involved thousands of people in protests, public meetings, petitions and fundraising (2). If successful in today's permissive hearing, the case will then proceed to full Judicial Review the following day (Thursday 9th) in the High Court in Aldwych, London.

The case is being taken by Michael Lloyd, 75, a retired railwayman from Stroud, Gloucestershire. Mr Lloyd said: “I'm worried that if local health services leave the NHS they will be more vulnerable to cuts, more fragmented, more bureaucratic and less accountable. Staff tell me they are frightened for their future, and have had no say in leaving they NHS they take pride in working for.”


Solicitors for Mr Lloyd, Leigh Day & Co (2) are bringing a case that NHS Gloucestershire has acted unlawfully by not allowing proper consideration of other options, including those that would keep local health services in the NHS. Rosa Curling of Leigh Day & Co. said: “NHS Gloucestershire had a number of options open to it, some of which would allow the community services in the area to remain provided by a NHS body. They failed to properly consider these options and their subsequent decision to award the contract to the social enterprise company is therefore unlawful.”


Caroline Molloy from local anti-cuts campaigners Stroud Against the Cuts (3), who are supporting Michael Lloyd’s case, said: “NHS bosses are using harmless sounding terms like social enterprise and making baseless claims about their potential benefits. But experience from other areas shows that where social enterprises have taken over services, patient care has suffered due to higher costs, and the need to turn a profit. Even where health social enterprises have been praised, once services have been transferred out of the NHS they have been forced to compete with multinational health companies waiting in the wings, and have been unable to, as in Central Surrey.”(4)


A National Audit Office report last year described health social enterprises (such as CICs) as “a first step towards stimulating a market” in the NHS (5). People across the region remain largely unaware that, even before the passage of the widely opposed Health & Social Care Bill (returning to parliament today), much of the South West's community health services were transferred out of the NHS in October last year.

Dr John Lister of national campaign group Health Emergency said: “It is vital to expose this type of deal to public scrutiny, despite the determination of health bosses to keep them under wraps. It is a scandal that changes like this, which can have a huge effect both on the vulnerable people that use these services, and on the livelihoods of thousands of healthcare workers have been taken behind closed doors.”

Despite assertions to the contrary, John Lister adds “There is no compulsion on health bosses to open these services up to social enterprises or the private sector: in most of England community health services continue to be successfully provided by the NHS, and that's how it should be in Gloucestershire.”


If successful in the court hearing, campaigners pledge to do everything in their power to raise awareness of the situation and force local NHS bosses to listen to the public and keep services in the NHS.

Click read more for 'Notes for editors' and click on label 'NHS' for previous blogs on this issue and here for video of the legal issues discussed at the talk last November in Stroud. You might like to check their twitter site www.twitter.com/StroudAntiCuts for the latest short updates from court on the day or go to the court: http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2012/02/491991.html?c=on#c278732




Don't forget petition -  at time of writing, 250 signatures and counting! If you haven't signed yet please do: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/keep-gloucestershire-s-nhs-public/signatures.html

Petition launched: Keep Glos NHS Public

Click on picture left to see the overwhelming opposition to these changes to our health service. In Gloucestershire the campaign continues - the petition is at: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/keep-gloucestershire-s-nhs-public.html

The legal hearing that will help decide the fate of our local community health services (ie. whether they are transferred to a private 'community interest company' and opened up to private sector competition in 3 years or fewer) is taking place on Wed 8th and poss Thur 9th February at the High Court in London. Here is the press release from Stroud Against the Cuts, here is their latest leaflet and see here the video I edited  on the talk by Prof Wendy Savage. Tomorrow at noon this blog will publish the latest press release on this issue.

You can also see lots more about the national campaign here: http://www.nhscampaign.org/

Stroud Potato Day success

What a great day Saturday - so many volunteers pulling together to sell so many seed potatoes - the tables were busy most of the day with many people buying seed potatoes for the first time plus those who are experienced growers trying new seed and old.

First to sell out were the organic Sarpo potatoes - Alys Fowler had recommended them in The Guardian a couple of weeks ago - see article here - they have been bred for 40 years in Hungary and are pretty blight resistant - I will be trying a couple of them this year and was telling other folk about them while on the stall in Merrywalks.....other bags also went down rapidly and I hope to have the figures of our top selling varieties soon! Update: over £500 of potatoes sold!

As always huge thanks to Chris Evans from the wonderful Dundry Nurseries - the home of the potato near Cheltenham - if you haven't got yours go there! Anyway Chris has been wonderfully supportive of this project that this year was organised by Transition Stroud and Down to Earth Coop - he has supplied most of what we needed to make this event possible. Of course Amanda Godber, Helen Royall, Jane Bown, Norah Kennedy, Tamzin Bent and others have also been great.

The day also saw a wonderful free lemon cake being handed out (made with potatoes instead of flour - you wouldn't know) and sales of the Stroud Potato Recipe book which was launched for last years event. Loads of fun and hopefully it will have raised some money for Transition and the Down to Earth Coop - it looks like the last bags of potatoes will be sold off locally in the coming weeks so check back here and we'll let you know if that does happen.

See the blog I manage re potatoes here:
http://stroudpotatoday.blogspot.com/

Motorists subsidising biofuels

New research commissioned by ActionAid and Friends of the Earth shows that motorists, the environment and poor people will be hit hard by biofuels in petrol - their new research shows car drivers in the UK will pay up to £2 billion more on the forecourt in 2020 if the government decides to increase the proportion of biofuels in petrol. A typical UK lorry driver will be spending as much as £1,400 extra per year on diesel by 2020.

The policy could also create an extra 13 million tonnes of carbon emissions every year in the UK, and more people in developing countries will go hungry and be pushed off their land as biofuel crops are grown instead of food.

Where on earth is the sense - this blog has covered this issue before and it is great that the campaign is still running to stop this madness. The EU target that the government aims to meet is based on the thought that biofuels are a greener alternative to fossil fuels. The reality is the opposite; biofuels increase greenhouse gases. The money planned to subsidise biofuels would be better spent on improving public transport and cycling.

Take action

Meanwhile on another biofuel matter E.On have submitted a planning application which, if approved, would allow them to generate 270 MW of electricity from burning imported virgin wood every year. At full capacity, they would burn pellets made from more than 2 million tonnes of wood annually. They want to partly convert Ironbridge coal power station to biomass. This large new demand for wood will translate into more aggressive logging abroad and, directly or indirectly, more forests and farmlands being turned into monoculture tree plantations. Take an action email at: http://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/2012/ironbridgealert/