Category Archives: Rugby Borough

Look and listen when you walk and talk

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The green cross code appears to have been rewritten as more as more pedestrians seem to stop, change a track, and make a phone call, than stop, look, and listen when crossing the road.

Using MP3 players, mobile phones and similar devices when walking near roads is a major distraction for pedestrians so a new road safety poster campaign has been launched to remind people to avoid danger by giving traffic their full concentration.

In 2011, 33 pedestrians were killed or seriously injured in road accidents in Warwickshire and a further 122 suffered slight injuries. It’s unclear how many of these deaths and injuries were the result of pedestrian distraction, but road safety professionals are concerned that this plays a part.

The campaign to reduce distraction is running across Warwickshire and West Mercia. It urges pedestrians to ‘stay alert to traffic’ and to avoid using phones or other similar devices when crossing the road or walking near traffic.

Traffic is the biggest cause of accidental death of 12 to 16 year olds so campaign posters will be distributed to secondary schools across Warwickshire over the coming weeks to warn young people of the potential dangers. Parents are also being asked to support the campaign by talking to their children about the dangers of not paying attention to traffic.

Warwickshire County Councillor Richard Hobbs, portfolio holder for community protection said: “The immense popularity of mobile phones and other portable devices presents a major risk to pedestrian safety. It’s not uncommon to see pedestrians so completely absorbed in their phones that they are entirely oblivious to where they are and what’s going on around them.

People are increasingly using mobile phones on the move to perform complex tasks that demand a huge amount of attention, such as texting, accessing emails and the internet, updating social media or making use of apps. If you are focused on texting or selecting a play list you can’t be fully aware of traffic. It’s a recipe for disaster.”

Warwickshire Police Head of Incident Resolution, Superintendent Adrian McGee added: “This may appear to be a trivial issue to some but the risks are clear. It is all too easy for an inattentive pedestrian using a mobile phone to take a quick glance before stepping off the kerb to cross when they should take the time to look both ways properly. This makes it easy to miss an approaching vehicle.

“Similarly a pedestrian listening to music impairs their ability to hear approaching traffic. Pedestrians need to be aware of the risks they are unknowingly taking and ask themselves how important is that text , everyone needs to take more responsibility for their personal safety.”

Warwickshire’s Country Parks’ Big Jubilee Picnic

Warwickshire’s Country Parks are joining in this year with the ‘Big Lunch’ celebrations by hosting a family picnic day on Sunday 3 June at both Kingsbury Water Park North Warwickshire and at Ryton Pools Country Park near Rugby.

Starting from midday, the idea is for visitors to come along to the country park with family and friends, a picnic blanket and picnic lunch, and enjoy some quality time in the sunshine!

There will be a children’s fancy dress competition at 4pm with a theme of ‘Kings and Queens’ so parents who gets their kids dressed up can win a prize of a £10 voucher.

At Kingsbury, Echills Wood Railway will be running trains all over the bank holiday weekend, and the donkeys and boats will be on site, subject to weather.

In addition children can complete the ‘Summer Spotter’ sheets to see if they can spot different things around the park. At Ryton Pools youngsters can take a ‘Springwatch Trail’ following clues to crack the code and complete a Springwatch challenge. Trail and Spotter sheets are available from the Visitor Centres.

The fourth annual Big Lunch event falls on the same weekend as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Anyone who would like to celebrate and commemorate the Queen’s 60 year reign who is not already going to a street party, can come and join us at the parks. No barbecues are allowed on site.

Cllr Helen Walton, Warwickshire County Council’s spokesperson for Country Parks, said: “Some 10 million people came out in sunny 1977 to celebrate the Silver Jubilee so we hope a large number of people will take part in our very first ‘Big Picnic’ in 2012.

“We hope to see a patchwork quilt of blankets out on our events fields on Sunday 3 June. The Big Lunch is all about community, friendship and fun, so bring along your outdoor games, share out the sausage rolls and make new friends.”

The Big Jubilee Lunch will be a part of the main programme of events over the central weekend of Diamond Jubilee celebrations in June.  During this special week Warwickshire’s Country Parks service has a whole host of events on in the parks to celebrate.

Here is just a flavour of what’s on:

Monday 4th June – Green Man Masks at Pooley Country Park

Tuesday 5th June – Outdoor Art at Pooley Country Park

Wednesday 6th June – Green Men at Kingsbury Water Park

Wednesday 6th June – Small mammals up close at Ryton Pools Country Park

Wednesday 6th June – Ladybird hats at Pooley Country Park

Wednesday 6th June – Toddler Trundle at Ryton Pools Country Park

Thursday 7th June – Beetle Mania at Kingsbury Water Park

Thursday 7th June – Jellyfish windsocks at Ryton Pools Country Park

Thursday 7th June – Bugs on Sticks at Pooley Country Park

Friday 8th June – Summer Swimmers at Kingsbury Water Park

Friday 8th June – Fishy underwater world at Ryton Pools Country Park

All events are bookable, for more information and prices please visit the website and download the events booklet at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/parks or call on 01827 872660.

New powers will effectively ‘close’ problem alcohol retailers

Businesses that persistently sell alcoholic drinks to children could lose their license to sell alcohol in a matter of a few short weeks, thanks to new powers given to Warwickshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service.

Trading Standards Officers and Warwickshire Police can now stop businesses selling alcohol for up to two weeks where the retailer is found to have made two or more sales of alcohol to children in a three month period.

For many stores that rely wholly or predominately on the sale of alcohol for their profits, such as off-licenses, preventing a retailer from selling alcohol can often have a significant effect upon a business – effectively closing it for trade.

These new powers offer Trading Standards Services the opportunity to take quick and decisive action against problem businesses, whilst still allowing officers to take a full prosecution if a business transgressed further.

Warwickshire County Councillor Richard Hobbs, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety said: “Most retailers understand the problems caused by under-age drinking, to the health of young people and in terms of anti-social behaviour in the community. They take their responsibilities seriously and ensure that children and young people cannot buy alcohol.

“However, there remains a small minority who despite education, support and warnings, continue to sell to under 18s. This new power will help us to take quick and decisive action against them which will have an effect not only on their alcohol sales, but their entire business.”

In the latest undercover test purchase exercise, 17 alcohol retailers were visited across North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth and Rugby. Businesses that were suspected of selling alcohol to children were targeted and four sales of alcohol were made to 15 year old child volunteers.

  • Nuneaton and Bedworth and North Warwickshire: 11 alcohol test purchases attempted and one sale made (in North Warwickshire).
  • Rugby: six alcohol test purchases attempted and three sales made.

Warwickshire Trading Standards uses information and intelligence gathered from local communities to target problem businesses and investigations by Warwickshire Trading Standards Service are now on-going.

  • A recent survey has revealed that 20 per cent of 13-year-olds drink alcohol at least once a week. In 2009, the Chief Medical Officer advised that under-15s should not be drinking alcohol at all.
  • Alcohol misuse is a major public health problem, placing a heavy burden on society, and affecting a large number of individuals of all ages.
  • A new national alcohol strategy was published in March 2012.
  • In Warwickshire, alcohol is key public health priority having featured in the Director of Public Health’s annual report of 2011; it is a cross-cutting priority for all four Community Safety Partnerships; and there is Warwickshire wide alcohol implementation plan supported by all key stakeholders.

Under 18?

Contact Compass Warwickshire for drug and alcohol advice, information and specialist treatment on freephone 08000 88 72 48. The service is available between the hours of 9am and 5pm. Please leave a message if your call isn’t answered – someone will get back to you.

More information from – http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/alcohol

In addition to the new powers detailed above, brought in following an amendment to the Licensing Act 2003, Trading Standards Officers also have the option to prosecute as an alternative. The offence of persistently selling alcohol to children now carries a maximum fine of £20,000 (raised from £10,000) and following conviction, a Magistrates court could suspend the retailers licence to sell alcohol for up to three months.

Line the Streets for the torch

The Olympic Flame starts its’ epic 70 day journey around the UK this month and to mark the occasion Warwickshire County Council is urging as many people as possible to ‘Line the Streets’ when it arrives in the county on July 1.

Local Leaders of the 2012 Games and community groups are already getting their neighbours, friends and family together to support their Local Torchbearer and show the world how proud they are of the place where they live.

Games organisers are urging people to make maracas and shakers, hang bunting, bake flame ‘cone-cakes’, plant golden marigolds, dress up in gold and make some noise to welcome and celebrate the arrival of the Olympic Torch. Downloadable toolkits, posters and save the date cards are available to help along the way from the Line the Streets webpage at www.london2012.com/join-in/local-leaders/line-the-streets/

Julie Crawshaw, Warwickshire County Council’s Olympic co-ordinator, said: “The Warwickshire weekend on July 1 is our opportunity to get into the Olympic spirit and welcome the torch as it makes its way through the county. There are many events being planned and we hope our residents will line the streets in their thousands.”

On Sunday 1 July and Monday 2 July communities in Alcester, Newbold-on-Stour, Alderminster, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick, Leamington, Kenilworth, and Rugby will share in the excitement of the Relay as it travels through Warwickshire.

The route takes in major streets in the county including Shipston Road in Stratford, West Street in Warwick, The Parade in Leamington, Castle Road in Kenilworth and Lawford Road into Rugby.

The streets along the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay can be viewed in full at www.london2012.com/olympictorchrelay, which gives street-by-street details and proposed start times for when the Olympic Flame will travel through Warwickshire. Residents living in and around the county can find out when it will be travelling along their nearest high street, through their town square or past their local village shop.

The county council is encouraging as many people as possible to sign up as Local Leaders at www.london2012.com/localleaders and help organise the celebrations in your local area.

Residents are also being asked to tell the Games organisers how they are celebrating, so they can use their examples to inspire others. To do this all they need to do is email TellTom@london2012.com

Katy B to play Rugby Library

The Get it Loud in Libraries series of concerts has announced the latest performer to appear at Rugby Library with UK garage star Katy B next in line to perform.

The singer whose debut album Katy on a Mission was released last year is a major coup for the Get it Loud in Libraries project.  As well as enjoying her own chart success, she has supported Tinie Tempah and has collaborated with producer Mark Ronson to create a song for the Olympics’ advertisement.


Get It Loud In Libraries was originally created in 2005 by Stewart Parsons of Lancashire County Council, to engage young people with libraries through great live music.

Warwickshire Libraries have enthusiastically supported the venture as part of the service’s drive to engage a new audience to its libraries.  Katy B follows other bands and performers to perform at Rugby Library including Plan B, The Crookes and Spark.

Paul MacDermott of Warwickshire Libraries, said:  “In Warwickshire, we are looking to develop an audience of young people who are traditionally harder to engage and this is a wonderful opportunity to do so.  With the variety of activities on offer, libraries are becoming cultural hubs for all sections of the community and all age ranges.”

Katy B will appear at Rugby Library on 6 June with tickets priced at £16.50.  They are available directly from Rugby Library or by logging on to http://katyonamission.com  or www.seetickets.com

Have your say on the county’s heritage and cultural services

Warwickshire County Council is looking for people interested in the county’s history and future to take part in discussion groups which will help evaluate and shape services.

Three facilitated sessions will be taking place in Warwick over the next couple of weeks to get the views of local people who have previously used Warwickshire County Council’s Heritage and Cultural Services, including Museums and Heritage Education.

Hopkins Van Mil has been commissioned by the county council to undertake this review into people’s experience of services they have used. It is hoped these discussions will result in suggestions to improve local services and come up with ways to make services more resilient in the current economic climate.

The sessions for people who have used heritage and culture services are taking place at Northgate House Conference Centre, Saltisford, Warwick CV34 4JL on the following dates:

Tuesday 8 May          – 2pm to 3.30pm

Wednesday 9 May    – 11am to 12.30pm

Tuesday 15 May        – 5pm to 6.30pm

A further session for people who have not used heritage services in the last three years will take place on either Tuesday 8 May from 5pm to 6.30pm or Tuesday 15 May from 2pm to 3.30pm depending on the preferred availability those who express an interest in attending.

To take part in one of these lively and interesting sessions please email Henrietta Hopkins at Hopkins Van Mil henrietta@hopkinsvanmil.com or call 07985 514638 stating which session and date would suit you best.

Places are limited so do express your interest as soon as possible.

All participants will receive £20 to cover expenses and other costs incurred. This is funded from Hopkins Van Mil’s project budget.