Message from David Lyon Census Area Manager for the Forest of Dean, Gloucester, Stroud and Tewkesbury.

"I would just like to thank all of you who have completed and returned their Census Questionnaires.
For those of you who haven’t, please do so as soon as possible. You can complete the Questionnaire online at www.census.gov.uk or on paper returning it in the prepaid envelop provided.

You need to take part so that services in your area – like schools, hospitals, housing, roads and emergency services – can be planned and funded for the future.

The census is compulsory, and if you don’t take part you could be fined up to £1,000.

Census Collectors have now started calling on households that have not completed Questionnaires.

If you require help with your Questionnaire please call the Census helpline on 0300 0201 101 or go online at www.census.gov.uk"

If you want to stand for election to the City and or Parish Councils, now is the time to get your nomination in. Nominations must be submitted to the Elections Officer at the Gloucester City Council, North Warehouse, The Docks, Gloucester no later than 12 noon on 4th April.

You need just a proposer and seconder (from the Ward in which you wish to stand) for the Parish Council but ten for the City, because it is a much larger organisation.

There are two wards, Quedgeley Severnvale Ward, and Quedgeley Fieldcourt Ward. You can stand in either ward provided you meet the various criteria for nomination. These are available from the Parish office (Tel’ 721552) and/or the City Council (Tel’ 396203).

Quedgeley, Fieldcourt Ward has roughly 1½ times the number of electors of Severnvale, but still has the same number of Councillors.
Don’t delay get the forms now from the Elections Officer!

Following a recent attendance at a fire in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service have issued a warning to homeowners.
Chief Fire Officer, Jon Hall, said: “Our attendance at this property highlighted two very serious problems, either of which could have led to death or serious injury.”

The fire happened when a saucepan was left on the cooker, boiling dry and the contents caught light but, because the smoke alarm had been incorrectly positioned, it failed to detect the smoke and alert the family to the problem. Had it been in the right place it would have given the family a few more precious minutes to get out of the house without being in danger.

Jon continued: “Fortunately, the family agreed to the Fire Service carrying out a Home Fire Safety Check including the fitting of smoke alarms in the right places and the opportunity for our staff to give the family vital information about preventing fires in the future.”

During the safety check, officers identified a problem with the gas boiler which had being placed in an unventilated cupboard, causing a build-up of heat with the potential to cause a fire or possibly a lethal build-up of carbon monoxide.

Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service carried out over 3770 home fire safety checks last year, which involves a short visit to identify fire hazards, highlight how a fire may occur and if necessary fit smoke detectors or test existing detectors.
Gas appliances should be fitted and serviced by a “Gas Safe” registered engineer and checked every year. Badly fitted or poorly serviced appliances can cause gas leaks, fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is a highly poisonous gas; you can’t see it, taste it or smell it but it can kill quickly with no warning.

Jon concluded: “We would like people to be aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning and the warning signs that a gas appliance is not working correctly – lazy yellow flames, black stains or marks around the appliance and too much condensation in the room or any signs that an appliance is not working correctly.”

For fire safety advice please visit www.glosfire.gov.uk, or to book a free Home Fire Safety Check you can contact your local community fire station, phone 0800 180 41 40 or register online at www.glosfire.gov.uk.

The new Quedgeley Post Office service will open on Tuesday 1st March 2011.

Retailers and parents warned to watch the dosage.

Take care when selling and using pain killers and cold remedies warns Gloucestershire County Council and safety watchdog.

As the Nation copes with the latest flu outbreak, Gloucestershire County Council’s Trading Standards Service and the Avonsafe Safety Partnership have issued a warning to retailers, patients and parents to take special care with the sale, use and storage of medicines for pain relief.

This advice follows a survey carried out on the supply of painkillers from various retailers in Gloucestershire and neighbouring counties.

Guidelines issued by the Medicines Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) state that retailers should not sell more than two packets of painkillers at a time. The restriction is designed to limit availability of such painkillers to consumers to reduce the risk of overdose.

Eddie Coventry, Head of Gloucestershire Trading Standards, said: “Shockingly the survey found that 50% of stores visited sold more than the recommended number of packs with one premise supplying 8 packs containing a total of 128 tablets. This is more than enough to cause serious liver damage or death”.

Trading Standards Officers also found that some stores are unaware of the overlap with other products such as powdered cold and flu remedies, cough syrups and children’s liquid medicines which may also contain painkillers. This lack of awareness means it is easy to overdose when mixing medicines unless you read the instructions carefully. Young children are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of overdose.

Angela Clarke, Chair of Avonsafe (South West) said: “Young children can easily take too much if they get hold of pills and the sweet tasting liquids they like the taste of. We may all underestimate the hazard posed by common painkillers. They are safe and effective in the stated dose, but we need to lock them away safely immediately after purchase and use and never keep them in handbags or anywhere children can find them”.

Last year, 450 children were taken to casualty in the south west suffering from accidental poisoning. Angela said “Many sick children and trips to Casualty could have been avoided by keeping small objects out of reach and storing products that contain Paracetamol and aspirin safely, especially at this time of year when they are more likely to be used in treating colds and flu”.