The Launch

As advised this launch will be at 7.00pm on Friday 12th November in the Village Hall

The walk highlights many of the houses and buildings that have been written about (or are to be written about) in Our Virtual Village and there will be Originals and Prints of 23 houses and other landmarks in our Village drawn by John Pinch for sale on the night. 

There will be a raffle and a free glass of wine, soft drinks and nibbles will be available.

A map of the route will be unveiled by Andy Barton, President of the Dursley and Cam Society, Chair of the Dursley Heritage Centre and organiser of the annual Dursley Walking Festival. 

It would be great to see as many people as possible

Stinchcombe Local History Society

The Stinchcombe Historical Society

Pub trivia – 

1. Which Club ground was thought to have been the first in the country to host a limited overs cricket match?
2. What was the estimated crowd at that game?

You can get your answers in an article under Our Virtual Village called The Stragglers which has now gone live. It was compiled and written by John Darlaston MBE who is President of Dursley Rugby Football Club Ltd and includes the rise of Rugby and other sports at the ground.

Alongside that Richard Cheetham has written his fascinating Cheetham’s Ramblings about the cricket ground and players.

All the articles of House Histories, Notable Families and other historical aspects of the Village can now be found under the main menu heading Stinchcombe Local History Society

The list of future House Histories to be published has also been updated.

• December – Overend Cottage
• January – The Malthouse
• February – Pound Cottage
• March – The Old Vicarage

Can YOU supply interesting stories and photos on any property whether you own it or not? That includes any properties that have been featured already. I would be pleased to hear of anything you have that adds to the histories.

Roger Batty

Saturday 11th December – 6pm-9pm at the Village Hall

These last two years have been like no other. During this time Stinchcombe residents, both old and new, have shown great community spirit. Residents have shown concern for one another and involvement with neighbours.

So now, this Christmas, it’s time to CELEBRATE, to come together and enjoy ourselves as a United Village. – Stinchcombe.

It is proposed that we have a Community Christmas Party in the Village Hall to enable all people to come and mix, enjoy each other’s company, make merry and have a nibble and drink.

But…

There is always a but! BUT, First I need you to answer some questions….

1. Is this a good idea?
2. Can you bring a plate of nibbles to share.?. (And maybe a drink)?
3. Can you help?

To make this Community Christmas Party happen you need to answer with three Yes’s to the three questions above.

HELP

To make the Community Christmas Party work help will be needed. Not a great amount, but help will be needed on all sorts of things…it will be a case of more hands, less work.

To Obtain Your Replies

To obtain your answers a special form has been designed for you to fill in. So PLEASE FILL IN THE FORM BY THE END OF SEPTEMBER by clicking on the button below or the link above.

P.S. The form will require to capture your email so that we know who is answering…so the last bit is a bit fiddly, especially on a phone…but I did it… so I’m sure you can too.

Probabilities and Statistics

I have been trying to find how low the probability is of dying with COVID-19 if you have had both vaccination doses. However it’s proved to be an almost impossible task. My hopes were raised this week by an article in The Guardian and also the release of information by the ONS . Still, however It is an almost impossible task to try and read and correlate statistics to find one definitive answer.

From the ONS

However, from the ONS report, one table does jump out at me. The data is for deaths occurring between 2 January and 2 July. It shows just 458 deaths out of 51,281 if people have had TWO doses of vaccine or 0.8%

Source: Office for National Statistics – National Immunisation Management Service, NHS Test and Trace

Conclusion

I have finally had to give up on trying to find the answer to my question. The ONS data ends in July and this is mid September. We have now all had TWO doses. I can’t figure out how the Guardian came up with the 1.2% or how Sajid Javid came up with 1% on BBC Breakfast this morning. However, I do feel that it must be around the 1% which means that non vaccinated people are up to 99 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than you are…. Or is this too simplistic?

Further Reading

• Deaths involving COVID-19 by vaccination status, England: deaths occurring between 2 January and 2 July 2021
• Fully vaccinated people account for 1.2% of England’s Covid-19 deaths

A Fantastic result

Thanks to the generosity of the people of Stinchcombe and friends and acquaintances we smashed our target of £800. Instead we raised over £1000 towards the Historic Churches Trust in Gloucestershire.

Ride + Stride is the single largest source of income for many Historic Churches Trusts enabling them to make Grants to places of Christian worship. Taking place on the 2nd Saturday of September every year the funds raised are split between the Trust and St Cyrs.

If you would like to take part for all or just some of the time next year contact Andy Hamilton.

Further Information

• Ride and Stride org
• Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust

For more picture follow the link in the route!

Local Thefts of Catalytic Converters

We have had local thefts in Stinchcombe and area of Catalytic Converters. It seems that the Honda Jazz is the favoured target.

A combination of factors including surging global demand for vehicles, and the slump in mining during the pandemic, has meant that the price of the precious metals contained within catalytic converters has risen exponentially. An ounce of rhodium costs more than a brand-new Honda Jazz. This hasn’t escaped the attention of criminals. With a single scrap catalytic converter currently worth around £400, organised gangs are targeting dozens of cars each day. Older Toyota and Honda models are particularly at risk of Converter theft.

If yours is stolen

Call the police 101

The cost of a Catalytic Converter Theft

Catalytic converter theft is estimated to cost car insurance customers an average of £1,500. That’s before you consider rising premium costs. Worryingly, the crime could also make your car a write off.

What to do

To reduce the risk of having your catalytic converter stolen, you should:

• Park your car in a locked garage where possible. Or park it in a well-lit and well-populated are.
• Park close to fences, walls or a kerb with the exhaust being closest to the fence, wall or kerb. This makes the theft more difficult
• Avoid parking your vehicle half on the pavement and half on the road. This may make it easier for thieves to access the catalytic converter
• If parking in a public car park, consider parking alongside other cars and facing you bonnet towards the wall if possible. With the catalytic converter positioned at the front of your vehicle, this will make it harder for thieves to get close enough to steal it.
• For thefts occurring on driveways, consider the use of a Secured by Design (SBD) approved driveway alarm and sensor. This may assist in alerting you of a potential intruder entering your driveway or garden
• If your catalytic converter is bolted on, you can ask for your local garage to weld the bolts to make it more difficult to remove.
• Alternatively, you can mark your catalytic converter. Please ensure any property marking is Secured by Design (SBD) approved
• You can purchase a ‘cage clamp’. This is a cage device that locks in around the converter to make it more difficult to remove. Toyota are offering a ‘Catloc’ for the Prius (3rd generation, 2009-2011 models) and Auris (2nd generation, 2012-2018 models). Please contact your Toyota dealership for more information
• Speak to your dealership about the possibility of installing a Thatcham approved alarm. A tilt sensor will activate the alarm should any thief try to jack the vehicle up to steal the converter  
• If you see someone acting suspiciously under a vehicle, report it to the Police. Obtain as much information as possible, including any vehicle registrations.

Further reading

• RAC
• Which

Summer Spree

Apologies for the delay reporting on the Recent Summer Spree at the Village Hall, it was definitely a great success and attended by around 100 people who gave some great feedback. It was great to be able to use the new Patio area and gave us extra space for the Bar.

Ongoing

The Committee are trying to hold events that appeal to residents of Stinchcombe, their friends and Families. If you have something in mind for an event, please contact one of the Committee. We also learn from each event and try to improve future events so feedback is always very welcome (good or not so good). The Hall is a great venue and a huge asset to our community. We managed to raise around £850 which will go towards the running costs and future improvements.

Regular Classes

Regular bookings have pretty much returned to normal, please refer to the Village Hall Website for details. There are an increasing number of classes and activities we even have Line Dancing Classes starting shortly. Recent 1 off bookings included a Clairvoyant and a Wedding reception.

Private Bookings

Christenings, Baby Showers, Birthday Parties and Funeral Wakes are just a few of the Private bookings, so if you have an event in mind, please contact Margaret Wannell our Bookings Officer

Charlie Oakhill  

Chairman Stinchcombe Village Hall

Useful Links

• Stinchcombe Village Hall Website
• Regular Classes