Mothering Sunday

This year's Mothering Sunday family service will be held in Holy Trinity on Sunday 6 March at 10.30am. The children from the Loaves and Fishes Club will be helping to lead the service and Mrs Carroll / Miss Gibson would love to include any other children who would like to go along to this special service.

First Friday Worship

The next First Friday service will be held at 7.00pm on Friday 4 March in Holy Trinity.  The theme will be Taize worship which involves a lot of chanting, singing and prayer.

 

Bolton-le-Sands Library

 You will all know that Lancashire County Council (LCC) is having to make considerable cost savings in response to the reduced funding it now receives from central government. LCC are reviewing all their services - including libraries across the county.  The future of BLS Library is uncertain at best. If you would like to express your views regarding the future of this well-loved village asset, please complete the LCC online consultation.

 

555 Lancaster – Kendal – Keswick

LANCASTER SERVICES
555  Lancaster – Kendal – Keswick
(STC leaflet)
From 19 March 2016 Stagecoach in Cumbria will revise the timetable, adjusting a number of journeys for the summer period.

NOTICE OF CASUAL VACANCY

Notice is hereby given that a vacancy has occurred among the members of the Parish Council.   Any person willing to fill this vacancy should apply to the Clerk in writing on or before the 21^st of March 2016.   The applicant's name must appear on the current register of the Voters List or the applicant should, during the whole of the twelve months preceding the relevant date, resided in or within three miles of the parish, or the applicant’s only place of work during the whole of the twelve months preceding the relevant date is in the parish. 
The applicant must not be debarred from standing as a Councillor.
Clerk to the Council
“Seabank” No. 2 The Shore, Bolton-le-Sands.

Bogus Callers in the Carnforth area

Detectives are urging homeowners to be vigilant following several reports of bogus callers.
 Around 1pm on Monday, February 1, a man approached an address in Carnforth claiming he was owed money for work he carried out on the property’s chimney.  When the 63-year-old male homeowner asked what work had been done, the man followed him inside the property, taking £180. The offender then demanded more money, taking a further £70 from the victim’s wallet.  He left the property after being disturbed by a friend of the victim, driving away in a grey Peugeot car with another male.  The first man is described as white, of stocky build, with short black hair and spoke with an Irish accent. He was wearing a dark tweed-style jacket.  The driver of the car is believed to be in his 50s and was wearing glasses.
 An earlier incident was reported to police on January 25.  A 91-year-old man told officers a male had entered his property in Slyne to discuss building work. The offender claimed repairs needed carrying out on the roof of the property, taking £400 from the victim.  He is described as white, of broad build, wearing dark clothing and spoke with an Irish accent.
 Det Con Kate Foley, of Lancaster CID, said: “There have been a number of suspicious activity calls we want to warn the public about. “The callers have visited addresses stating work needs doing on the chimney stack or roof and that they have already done work to a neighbour’s house.  “We have had crimes reported in Carnforth and Slyne, but I believe that there may be other possible victims that have not yet reported it.”
 Anyone with information about the Carnforth incident can contact police on 101 quoting crime reference WB1600915.
If you have details about the second report, contact police on WB1600747.
If you have been affected by crimes of this nature in recent weeks, contact police on 101.
 

Mis-sold PPI callers

The 'Ministry of Justice' scam seems to be around again where the consumer is offered a refund from the government for mis-sold PPI. The caller usually claims the householder is entitled to £1000's but asks for administration fee to be paid upfront. If you believe you have mis-sold PPI please contact the Financial Ombudsmen Service on 0300 123 9 123 or 0800 023 4567 or visit www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk . They can advise on how to make a claim free of charge. If you do decide to use a claim handler, carefully consider whether to pay an upfront fee before your claim is submitted - there is no guarantee it will be successful and you could be left out of pocket.

Call Blocking

 Trading Standards are receiving calls about cold callers trying to sell a call blocking service. The caller usually suggests they are from the Telephone Preference Service or from BT.
Residents are reminded that the Telephone Preference Service provides a free opt out service enabling you to record your preference on the official register and not receive unsolicited sales or marketing calls. For further information call 0345 070 0707 or visit their website http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/index.html.

Doorstep Incident from bogus Council agent

There have been several reports of doorstep callers saying the householder is entitled to a refund on their Council Tax due to a change in banding. The caller claims to be an agent of the council. Although the service is 'no win no fee', successful claimants are charged around a third of any money received. 
If you are concerned that you may be paying too much or your house is in the wrong Council Tax band contact your local Valuation Office Agency (VOA) on 03000 
501501 or visit https://www.gov.uk/council-tax-bands where you can check you council tax band free of charge.

Bogus Traders

Bogus traders are taking advantage of the continuing bad weather to cold call householders with offers to repair roofs, and guttering.  Work is usually poorly done and/or extortionately priced. One older man was recently charged £8000 to fix ridge tiles and some guttering whilst another couple were tricked into paying an extra £4000 for repairs to their roof. One resident was charged £3,600 for repairs to flashing and some sealant round a skylight. The trader then continued to demand more money saying that extra work was needed and the householder had underpaid. The consumer was eventually pressured into paying an additional £2,300. If you do need to find a trader to do work ask friends and relatives to recommend a reputable business or try the Safe Trader Scheme.  Always remember to get two or three quotes. For more information visit about the Safe Trader Scheme visit www.safetrader.org.uk or call 0303 333 1111.