Monthly Archives: December 2010

New Year message 2011

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I begin this New Year with the same positive mental attitude as when I first stood as an Independent Councillor for Carterton. I am an optimist – I see challenges as opportunities and difficult times as tests of character, of substance and of our British indomitable spirit.

2011 is going to be a difficult year, as all tiers of government continue to take hard but seemingly necessary measures to sort out the country’s financial problems. We, as a community, will be required to be more innovative, more responsive to what our community needs and we will need to offer better value for money. The impact of local government cuts are also beginning to be understood and we have already begun the task of coming together as a community, rolling up our sleeves and seeking those innovative community led solutions to the challenges that present themselves to us.

For my fellow servicemen serving in Afghanistan, 2011 will be a significant and pivotal year in which we hope to see the transfer of security responsibility to the Afghan people. The brave service of our military personnel to their country means so much to all of us, and I know that we all have complete respect for the incredible sacrifices that they and their families have made. We wish them well and we pray for their speedy and safe return to Britain.

And so, looking forward with optimism and cognisant of the significant challenges ahead – I ask you not just to accept what might be thought to be inevitable pain in the form of cuts and loss of services, but to be part of the innovative community led solutions.

I wish you all a very Happy and successful New Year!

Carterton Youth Provision Action Group

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Many of you will all be aware that Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) has suggested that it is going to withdraw funding for youth provision across the county (20 out of 27 youth centres to be axed, including Carterton). It is worth noting that this decision is not set in stone and will be decided at the OCC Cabinet meeting in February 2011.

In response to this disconcerting news I have now formed the Carterton Youth Provision Action Group (CYPAG). The CYPAG is a multi-agency group with representation form across the community including the local councils, Thames Valley Police, Youth Council, Schools, Neighbourhood Action Group and Churches etc. The raison d’etre of the group is to consider the future needs for the provision of services to young people in Carterton and develop an innovative community led solution.

When these cuts were first announced in November I wrote to our local MP, David Cameron and highlighted our concerns. Yesterday I wrote to the OCC Cabinet member for Children, Young People and Families inviting her to come to Carterton and to discuss with us the future of youth provision for the town.

Whilst we continue to object to the cut in youth provision we also recognise that our objection may have no influence on the final decision, therefore we are already working hard to ascertain the best sustainable solution. Work is now underway to benchmark the current state and to evaluate what services are essential, desirable or simply nice to have. Further work is underway to quantify the value of outreach work and the likely impact on the community if this service was withdrawn, and work is also underway to understand the future of the Allandale site and whether the building will be made available to the community even if the funding for youth workers is indeed axed.

The group will meet again in the New Year when we will continue this essential work to establish what Carterton needs in respect of services to young people and then work to find that community led solution. Volunteers are always extremely welcome and I would like to invite anyone who would like to be part of this work to contact me at adriancoomber@googlemail.com.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those people who have already made themselves known to me with an appetite to get involved and be part of the solution. There are simply too many to mention them all here, but I would like to pay particular tribute to the Town Council, Janet Eustace (Town Clerk), Lin Kennedy (RAF Brize Norton Community Development Officer), Niall McWilliams (Community College Head Teacher), Matty Yallop (Carterton Youth Council), Mags Turner (Thames Valley Police), Rev Bill Blakey and Rev Jo Reid (St John’s Church), Claire Dowan (Base 33), Wiggy and Tania Wainman (Youth Workers), Patsy Walker (OCC), Clare Crossley (Extended Schools) and Carol Rowlands (OCC Youth Service).

Many thanks to all.

Carterton Christmas Lights Fair

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On Friday 3rd December the Christmas Lights were switched on by Mike Bulley, chairman of the Carterton branch of the Royal British Legion and the official Mace Bearer. The Mayors special guests who were invited to the Mayor’s Parlour for refreshments included Gp Cpt Dom Stamp, the Station Commander at RAF Brize Norton. The Oxfordshire Caledonian Pipe Bind were very impressive and added a unique twist to the occasion, particularly with The Mayor being originally from north of the border!

The weather was extremely cold but dry, thankfully the unusually cold conditions did not deter the crowds from heading into the town centre to visit the many stalls raising money for various charities.

Each year Carterton Youth Council has a stall to raise money for the chosen charity of the year which this year is Helen and Douglas House. Helen House was the world’s first children’s hospice, opening in November 1982.  It  sprang from the friendship between Sister Frances Dominica and the parents of a seriously ill little girl called Helen who lived at home with her family but required 24 hour care. A children’s hospice environment is unlikely to be suitable for someone who’s 16 or over, but neither is an adult hospice, which is why Douglas House, the world’s first hospice specifically for young adults, was opened in February 2004.

The Carterton Youth Council stall (pictured with, from L to R – Matty, Lily, Rosie and Emma) had 3 separate activities; a “lucky dip”, a “guess the name of the teddy bear” and a “guess the number of sweets in the jar”. The money has yet to be counted by the treasurer – all takings will go to Helen and Douglas House.

Well done to all who took part!