Oakworth Forward: Social Media Information Session

Social Media:

A world of opportunities

Date: 25th February 2012, 9:00am—12:00pm

Venue: Central Hall, Keighley

Is your organisation getting the most out of social media?

At Social Media: a world of opportunities delegates will get to hear how four organisations have either used or developed an innovative way of using social media .

Key note speakers will deliver presentations on:

- Using Social Media to set-up a voluntary and community sector organisation

- Social Media fundraising

- Creating networks using Social Media

- Using text messages to find out opinions about different issues and keeping people

informed

After tea and coffee delegates will have the opportunity to speak with each of the key note speakers in an informal question and answer session.

For more information or to book a place contact Alison Eagle at KIVCA on 01535 665258 or

e-mail: alison@kivca.org.uk or alternatively go to

www.keighleyvs.org/Rural_development.html

for more information

The event is limited to 60 people so please book early to avoid disappointment

This is a free event

Priority will be given to rural VCS in West Yorkshire

Friends of Holden Park: Fairy Fest 2012

We look forward to entertaining you again this year at our bigger and better Fairy Fest.

Saturday 11th August

Watch this space for more news nearer the day

Oakworth Forward: Metal Theft

Metal Theft

Theft of Metals such as cable, lead and Railway assets cost the economy an estimated £770 million per year. It also impacts on day to day life through disruption & financial implications.

No metal is currently immune to being stolen, but a combination of value, demand, quantity, uses and ease of theft makes some metals more prone to being targeted than others.

Copper – the price of copper over recent years has risen and as a result it is being stolen in large quantities. Drums of copper cables have been stolen from telecommunication compounds, building sites and railway yards as well as from buildings, sculptures & statues and from coin collections.

Lead - After Copper lead is the next targeted for theft and lead flashing on roofs and batteries from vehicles have been stolen.

Iron & Steel – railings, girders and railway tracks have been targeted.

Aluminium – has been targeted in similar ways to copper i.e. telecommunication and railway cables. As well as beer casks and Gas bottles have been targeted.

Other metals - such as Platinum, Palladium and Rhodium are expensive metals and present in catalytic converters and as a result exhaust systems of many vehicles are being targeted.

So where is this metal being stolen from, well from a wide range of places including the following and they have had caused wide ranging disruption;

Places of Worship – Such as Churches, Mosques, Temples and Synagogues have had lead stolen from their roofs causing rain water to leak in and damage the roof timbers and the property in general.

Electricity substations & Pylons – Most of the world’s cooper is used within electrical applications either for industrial or domestic use, this includes cables and wires. If the supply of electricity is interrupted it could adverse effects, for example if the elderly or infirm are caught up in a power loss for any length of time it could be fatal and if industrial power is affected it could affect the local, regional or national economy.

Telecommunications systems - Cable thefts could seriously affect these systems, for example the frontline emergencies might not be able to receive and respond to major incidents. And routine business & domestic calls would be affected as would broadband usage, thereby affecting industry & everyday life.

Hospitals & Schools - Schools may have to close if they had no power and Hospitals would be greatly disrupted in how they deal with both their emergency and non -emergency cases (though they would have backup generators to fall back on).

Cemeteries & War Memorials – there’s been a recent spate of thefts of Copper plaques from Cemeteries and memorials causing much upset for both the community and of relatives.

Residential properties and Building sites - Copper piping from both inside and outside buildings have been stolen as has lead from roofs. This has had potential dangerous consequences for the occupants and in the case of building sites affected work schedules and affected costs.

Railway lines & infrastructures - Theft of cables from lines can cause trains to stop running or if signal cable, greatly disrupts their running. Newly laid cable though not yet operational can cause problems as well by delaying the work and adding significant costs to the project.

As well as those mentioned above, cable and metal theft can interrupt other aspects of everyday lives;

Sporting events & Pop concerts can be disrupted due to power failures; Traffic (road & Air) management systems could be disrupted; Postal distribution could be affected; shops and shopping centres may have to close if power or telecommunication systems go down.

The dangers that go with stealing high voltage copper cables need to be considered as well. Individuals involved in these crimes have been electrocuted, burnt and in some cases killed whilst attempting to steal cables and metal from places like railway lines and electric substations.

So what can be done to deter these metal thieves, be vigilant and look out for the following tell-tale signs;

• Unmarked vehicles at or near construction sites, most organisations have company logos and or company details displayed on their vehicles.

• Most construction and building sites have their hours determined by planning consent, if there is activity on the site outside these hours be suspicious and report it

• Be aware of construction sites, depots and railway sites with unlocked access to them, apart from health and safety issues, it may be that thieves have broken in.

• Network rail require that all workers and contractors must be in orange high visibility Clothing both jacket and leggings, with the name of their organisation of whom they work for displayed on their jackets.

• Many electric sub -station are not routinely staffed, when they are, the majority of the time that they are there it’ll be during the normal working day and with recognised safety equipment. If this is not the case again be suspicious and report it

• Some Metal thieves are very brazen in their thefts and they have been known to remove manhole covers and drag cables away. If you see work being done on in the road, lf the work is legitimate, the workers will more than likely wearing the appropriate safety clothing (High vis. Vests) and their vehicle will have company logos or company details displayed on them. If they don’t report it.

• Black or acrid smoke coming from sites or depots at unusual times of the day may indicate that thieves are burning off cable casings, its price increases once the casing is off.

The key message is to be vigilant, if you are suspicious of criminal activity taking place report to the Police as soon as you can, make a note of any vehicle registration numbers or their colour and make and details of what you have seen.

Do not put yourself in danger, call for help, ring 999 the Police will treat any theft in progress as an urgent matter and will aim to arrive within 15 minutes at most. Ring 101 to report a theft that has occurred and no suspects have been seen, the Police will arrange an appointment to deal with a report of this kind unless other factors make it more urgent.

As mentioned earlier metal theft can take place in the home and as well as the theft of the metals already stated, Gold is another target for many of these thieves, so if you own Gold jewellery, don’t make it easy for thieves to steal it. Get advice from your local Crime prevention officer, they will be happy to come and pay you a visit and give you advice on how to secure your home and the advice is free. If you ring 101 you can arrange an appointment with an officer. Also look at the following link; http://pp.bishop.oh3-servers.com/