Cllr Roy Gerstner – Community Activist

Some of us during our career’s or community work have had to have CRB checks – Criminal Records Bureau, as they were known, I have had several enhanced CRB checks done.
It is now called DBS – Disclosure and Barring Service.

What is the Difference Between a CRB and a DBS Check?
There is no difference between a CRB and DBS check. … One of which was the coming together and merge of the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA), under the new title of the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

I have no issues with this being done to ‘safeguard’ the public/children or vulnerable people I engage with – but it is only as good as the day the checks are done.
I have no issues with the frequency these checks are done – there is a cost of course.

So we learn this week that Cambs Police come pretty low on the league table of checking up on their own officers.

BBC 5 Live Investigates found that there were thousands of officers and staff who had not undergone the stricter checks.

Freedom of Information replies from 36 of 43 police forces in England and Wales revealed that 16 of them had not performed retrospective background checks on those people.

West Midlands Police had the largest number of officers and staff who had not been checked or vetted within the last 10 years, with 3,283.

Hertfordshire Constabulary had 831 and Cambridgeshire Constabulary had 637.

West Midlands Police said it had “backlogs in our routine reviews of vetting” but it was confident only “a minority” were not covered by other government or security checks.

So Cambs Police it is time to get your own house in order – otherwise the ‘public’ may well loose confidence in the service.
If I a member of the public need vetting regularly – surely the Police should come under the same rules.

Article from Bowls International©
The Hotshots of Bowls nude charity calendar, organised in support of Hannah Overton, has to date raised £22,233.52.
The money will be split between Bloodwise and Cancer Research UK and comes from calendar sales and donations.
Throughout the summer months of 2018, almost 60 English bowlers bared all to produce the nude calendar after learning that Hannah had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia.

The Parkway club bowler, who was just 28, died on December 23.
Hannah started her bowls career at the age of ten by playing indoors at Peterborough Indoor Bowls Club and outdoors at Whittlesey Manor Bowls Club.  

She was part of the Huntingdonshire team that won the England Under 31s National Competition in 2003.
She played in the pairs with Michelle Coleman and in 2011, they reached the final of the Women’s National Pairs Championship.
She played triples with Emma Thurston and Pat Reynolds and Michelle joined to make a fours team.

They qualified for the National finals together for many years and enjoyed a very successful bowling career together.
Hannah made her England debut in 2006 at the age of 15 and went on to represent her country in numerous International Series’, including captaining the England Blue team to success in Northern Ireland in 2014.

In 2012 the bowlers moved from Whittlesey Manor Bowls Club to Parkway Bowls Club, Maskew Avenue in Peterborough.
Hannah was an integral part of Parkway BC’s run to the final of the Women’s Top Club in 2017.
Hannah secured a National title in 2012 as a member of Huntingdonshire’s Walker Cup team, before also reaching the Women’s National Junior Singles Championship Final in 2014.
Hannah made a lot of friends throughout her life from Sir Harry Smith College in Whittlesey, Lincoln University, the two schools that she worked for Gladstone Primary School and St Botolph’s CofE Primary School and the British bowling community and this showed at her funeral that was attended by about 300 people who had travelled from all over the country to be there.  

She had a guard of honour from her fellow bowlers from the Parkway Bowls club.
Emma said: “Hannah wasn’t only a bowling partner, she was also one of our best friends, always happy and would do anything for anyone and this year is going to be especially hard when we put on our team shirts for the first time without her by our side.  

“We are having a memorial teddy bear made from her Parkway shirt so she will be able to come along and be our mascot in our future games. “The world of bowls is devastated to lose one of our family and she will be remembered by us with various charity events that are being organised across the country.”

As per my post on the 26th (below or Click Here) on the Whittlesey Town Councillors who will NOT be standing for re-election in this coming May’s local elections.

Sadly I have to say that Cllr Ralph Butcher will not be standing, I have known Ralph for many years and he has always treated me very well and always engaged with me.
Picture WTC                     he also started his politics ‘Independent’ and is
currently the longest serving Whittlesey Town councillor – he sat on the ‘old’ Urban District Council, has been Chairman of FDC and a Country Councillor for many years.
Ralph has a wealth of knowledge which as I said will be sadly missed.

Retiring from the front line but I am sure he will be able to assist in historical events that have happened within our area and correct any misunderstandings or ‘false news’

Picture RG                               Happy retirement Ralph.
Ralph was one of the first councillors to promote/join in ‘Street Pride’ pictured here on the (left) about January 2008 with myself on (right).
Picture RG

Want to network with local businesses – this is the place to meet them.

The now famous Mud Walls of Whittlesey (+1 Eastrea) Group are putting on an exhibition at March Museum during February.
This is part of an educational and historical campaign by the Group, to promote these unique pieces of building history.

March Museum – Chairman, Gordon Thorpe, is arranging invited guests to come along to the museum next Saturday pm. to allow us to have a chat to them about the walls.

The Mud Wall Group meets at Whittlesey Town Hall – Market Street 06th February 10:30 anyone welcome.