Hello everyone, the May edition of the Compton Chronicle can be found below.

https://bit.ly/CC-MAY-2025

Paper copies will be delivered in the coming days.

For any contributions to the June edition, please note that the closing date for submissions will be 12th May.

We are now holding a front cover competition! Please read the editorial for more info and we hope to get lots of entries.

– The Chronicle Editorial Team

A few tips if someone you are not expecting knocks your door:

• Lock your back door before answering the front door.
• Never agree to have work done by somebody who has knocked on your door.
• Use a spy hole, chain or window to have a look at the caller before answering the door and keep the chain on. If you do not recognise the caller then speak through the closed and locked door.
• Always ask for proof of identity. Take it from the person (through the letterbox) and read it carefully before deciding what to do.
• Never use a phone number provided by the caller as it could be a false number to an accomplice.
• Avoid going outside so they can show you what needs doing as they will probably have an accomplice who will enter your house while you are distracted to steal from you.
• Never pay for work before it is completed. Always agree a final price in writing and get an invoice and receipt as proof of payment.
• Do not accept any offer to drive you to the bank to withdraw money or give them your bank details.
• Tell them that you are not interested and ask them to leave. If they refuse call the police and dial 999 if you feel at risk or are being threatened or pressured.
• Never give bank details to a caller, even those claiming to be from charities. Police will have a list of charitable organisations visiting your area which can be checked by calling 101. We recommend that you contact the charity directly if you wish to make a regular donation through your bank or building society.
• If you have any doubt, keep them out and remember you do not have to open the door.

Report any suspicious activity to the police on 101

Tysoe Heritage Research Group (THRG) is hosting a series of talks on the topic of The Red Horse; Myth, History and Landscape in the Village Hall, Tysoe on Saturday July 19th. As part of the programme they are running a short story competition for both children and adults. The closing date is 17 May. Further details are in this brochure:

• THE RED HORSE – SHORT STORY COMPETITION

If you want to know more about the red horse(s) of Tysoe, please check out this short article by the Local History group.

The election for County Councillors takes place on 1 May 2025. The Polling Station is the Reading Room. Avon Dassett is in the Kineton & Red Horse ward. The candidates are:

• Rob Ballantyne – Green Party
• Bruno Frenguelli – Labour Party
• John Leary – Reform UK
• Christopher Mills – Conservative Party
• Nick Solman – Liberal Democrats

ID will be needed in order to cast a vote.

Community Safety Message: Reporting Anti-Social Behaviour

(Also see the Crime pages on the Community Website)

Dear Residents,

We all want our neighbourhood to be a safe and welcoming place, and reporting anti-social behaviour (ASB) plays a crucial role in achieving that. While social media platforms like Facebook can be useful for sharing concerns, they are not an official reporting tool. To ensure issues are properly addressed, it’s important to report them through the correct channels.

How to Report Anti-Social Behaviour:

To the Police:

• Call 101 for non-emergency ASB (e.g., vandalism, persistent noise, public disturbances).
• Call 999 in an emergency (if a crime is in progress or there is an immediate danger).
• Report online via Warwickshire Police – Report | Warwickshire Police

Local Authorities:

The Council and the Police work in partnership and share relevant information when a coordinated response is needed.

Content of your report:

• Date
• Time
• Location
• Descriptions/Details of offenders if known
• Vehicle details, make, model, colour, registration (If seen)

What NOT to Include in Your Report

When reporting ASB, it’s important to provide clear, factual, and relevant information. Avoid:

Vague descriptions – Be specific about what happened, where, and when. Instead of saying, “Someone was acting suspicious,” describe their actions.

Unverified accusations – Only report what you have witnessed or have evidence of. Speculation can lead to false reports.

Personal disputes – If an issue is a private disagreement rather than ASB, consider mediation services or speaking to your local council.

Social media posts as a substitute for reporting – Posting on Facebook may raise awareness, but it does not officially log the issue for investigation.

Incidents that “might” happen – Only report actual occurrences not what you think could happen. Example: Instead of saying “A group of teenagers might cause trouble later” report, “At 8:00pm, a group of teenagers were throwing bottles in the park and shouting at passersby.”

Why Official Reporting Matters:

We’ve noticed that some residents post incidents on Facebook or inform their Parish Councillors but don’t report them to the authorities. While discussing concerns is valuable, without an official report, the police and council cannot take action. Reporting ensures:

The issue is logged and investigated properly.

The authorities can identify patterns and take preventative action.

Resources are allocated effectively to tackle ASB in our area.

We encourage everyone to use the correct reporting channels while also supporting each other as a community. If you witness or experience anti-social behaviour, please report it directly to the appropriate authorities.

Thank you for helping keep the community safe.

Southam Safer Neighbourhood Team

Mediation and Community Support

VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITY

Join us, receive free training and help others transform their negative conflicts

We are recruiting Volunteers throughout Warwickshire to join our team of Conflict Case Workers who will be trained to assist individuals and groups to transform their conflicts through coaching and  mediation as our  case load grows across the region. This training is free, funded by grant from 19 Warwickshire County Councillors.

Why do we need Conflict Case Workers?

Many of us have experienced conflict or disputes with other people that we found difficult to resolve and sometimes have changed the relationship forever. This is partly because we are emotionally involved and instinctively, we begin to label things as good/bad,  right/wrong and build an ‘enemy image’ of the other. Those unresolved or poorly managed conflicts can impact on our well-being and ruin relationships.

Trained impartial Conflict Case Workers  can help transform these situations as they empower people to work on the issues  both individually and collaboratively,  helping them to find their own workable, acceptable and future focussed resolutions to the identified problems.

Who makes a good Conflict Case Worker?

We are looking for people who want to make a difference to the lives of people in their community, who care about their community and who are interested in improving the way conflict is managed.

Case Workers come from all walks of life, bringing different experiences and perspectives. They  use a range of skills and are constantly learning from new challenges and from each other.

If you can communicate in a clear and helpful way, can work as part of a team, care about people, have a good sense of humour and a willingness to learn, join us!

The Role:

Our cases are varied and interesting and spread across Coventry and Warwickshire. We work with neighbours, family members, friends, groups or colleagues who are experiencing problems. Our volunteers work in pairs and travel to clients’ homes is usually required. We offer cases to all our volunteers which they may choose to do during weekdays or evenings and occasionally at weekends. You may offer to accept a case if it fits with your availability. The work is diverse, and each new case can bring new challenges to learn from.

The training

You will be fully trained on our AIM* Assured Conflict Transformation and Mediation course which will be delivered on over 8 days (Monday and Tuesday) in  June 2025  from 9.15am to 4.30pm each day. This course will equip you to work on interpersonal conflict between neighbours, work colleagues and family members and covers:

• How people manage conflict and a how this informs what we do.
• The values and principles of conflict transformation
• Nonviolent communication
• The role and skills of the conflict case worker
• The coaching and mediation processes – the stages and purposes
• Cultural differences in conflict
• Dealing with difficulties

The course is very interactive  with a lot of discussion, exercises and practice where you can learn through active participation and observing others in a safe supportive environment.

*Open College Network West Midlands and AIM Qualification and Assessment Group merged in September 2022 becoming one awarding organisation.

What will you get from it?

As well as finding that providing a valuable service to the community is personally rewarding, our volunteers often comment on how the skills have helped them in different parts of their lives such as:

• The ability to deal more confidently and competently with difficult conversations in their lives
• The ability to have more effective meetings in their organisation with board members, clients and colleagues
• Improving the quality of their listening and questioning to have more meaningful conversations with friends and family

If you are empathetic, interested in empowering people to find the best possible outcome, if you can remain impartial and work in a team, get in touch or join us on one of our forthcoming Zoom information sessions

Contact us:

Email Judith on admin@mediationsupport.org.uk or

Phone 07594653530.

Zoom Information and Question and Answer sessions:

Topic: MACS Volunteering information session on

• April 3^rd at 15:30PM
• April 18^th at 12.30PM
• April 29^th at 10.00AM
• May 12^th at 10.00AM
• May 20^th at 9.00AM

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87974020041?pwd=7GHMdfMkRXQbUm4DA90CMsMRiOsjDL.1

Meeting ID: 879 7402 0041

Passcode: 887726

Please feel free to forward this opportunity to anyone who might be interested.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

From 14 April Stratford District Council will recycle more items including food and plastic wrappings. For full details see poster below:

Following the public consultation over the festive period, Stratford-on-Avon District Council has decided to create a new Public Spaces Protection Order in relation to Dog Fouling.

Whilst there have been minor amendments to the language used in the order, there is in effect no changes to the previous order covering this issue.

From Monday 31 March, it is an offence to allow your dog to foul on land without removing the waste without a reasonable excuse. This applies to all public places across Stratford-on-Avon District.

You can view the order which includes how to challenge its prohibitions or requirements here.

To help publicise this we have produced a new poster to display on your parish noticeboards and would be grateful if you could display one on your parish notice board. There is no need to update the existing street signage as the extent of the order has not changed from previous years.

For more information or further guidance please contact the Environmental Health Team on 01789 267575 or see the website Dog Fouling | Stratford-on-Avon District Council

For more information on dog fouling please see our dedicated webpage.

Hello everyone, the April edition of the Compton Chronicle can be found below.

https://bit.ly/CC-APRIL-2025

Paper copies will be delivered in the coming days.

For any contributions please note that the closing date for submissions will be 12th April.

Last month’s edition was Jennifer Cranfield’s last after 25 years. We wish her all the best in her new adventures! We also would like to welcome Jenna O’Hagan to the Chronicle team.

– The Chronicle Editorial Team