Slough

Slough libraries are inviting families to come along to a Paws and Tales event and celebrate the animal kingdom this February half-term.

Families can go along to one of Slough town’s libraries and try the woodland animal trail, measure up against tigers or elephants or try a quiz to find out which animal you are most like.

As well as lots of puzzling Slough fun there will be mystery boxes to explore and plenty of animal tales to borrow, so why not join in the fun and share an animal book at bedtime to round off the day?

At Slough, Cippenham and Britwell libraries, a community wildlife officer from the Berkshire, Bucks and Oxford Wildlife Trust will be available to talk to.

Paws and Tales events will take place at the following libraries:

Wexham Satellite Library at Wexham Road Children’s Centre: Monday 13 February 2.30 – 4.30pm, contact Slough Library to book 01753 535166
Chalvey Satellite Library and Community Centre: Tuesday 14 February, 2.30 – 4.30pm, contact
Slough Library to book 01753 535166
Slough Library: Wednesday 15 February, 2.30 – 4.30pm, contact 01753 535166
Cippenham Library : Thursday 16 February, 11.00am – 1.00pm, contact 01628 661745
Langley Library: Thursday 16 February, 2.00 – 4.00pm, contact 01753 542153
Britwell Library: Friday 17 February, 10.00am -12.00pm, contact 01753 522869

Slough Borough Council

Slough Borough Council is on the hunt for local residents, businesses and charities for whom 60 is a magic number.

The Slough council are planning an event to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee on 4 June this year and are looking to invite people to whom 1952 is a special year.

The event will be held in Upton Court Park, Slough in the evening of 4 June 2012 and will culminate in the lighting of a beacon bonfire as part of the national celebrations.

Councillor Rob Anderson, leader of the Slough council, said: “We will be celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and taking part in the national celebrations but we want to share the moment with local residents who also find this 60 year period is special for them.

“Whether you were born on the day of accession (4 June 1952) or married in 1952 or belong to a charity or business that has been in Slough for more than 60 years, we want to hear from you so we can invite you to our celebrations.”

The event will be invitation only and numbers are limited.

The Slough council wants to hear from:

People born on 4 June 1952
Couples married in 1952 or the coronation year, 1953
Business who were in Slough in 1952 and still are today
Charities or community groups who were working with local people in 1952 and still are today
Schools or organisations which were opened or began in 1952 and are still here today
Newspapers which were in the town in 1952 and still are today
Retailers who were in the town in 1952 and still are today

The event is still in the planning stage but will probably include refreshments for all invitees, free car parking, special commemorative goody-bags and possibly a small fireworks display as well as the lighting of the beacon bonfire.

To join the council in the Diamond Jubilee celebrations call 01753 875194 or 01753 875088 or e-mail events@slough.gov.uk and tell us why this 60 year period is special to you.

Slough Borough Council.

Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses after a robbery at a shop in the Langley area of Slough on Tuesday evening (31/1).

Shortly before 9.30pm, three people wearing balaclavas went into Castleview Grocers in London Road (A4), Castleview, and made off with an undisclosed sum of cash from the till.

A member of staff at the store sustained minor bruising to his torso during the incident, believed to have been caused by a hammer that one of the robbers was carrying. The 35-year-old man was seen by paramedics but did not require hospital treatment.

The Slough robbers are described as three white men, 20 to 30 years old, wearing hooded tops and scarves. It is believed that they made off on foot in the direction of Reddington Drive/Fox Road.

Anyone who witnessed the Slough incident, saw anyone behaving suspiciously in the area, or has any other information which may assist police with their investigation is asked to contact Det Con Christina Groenen via the 24-hour Police Enquiry Centre on 101.

If you don’t want to speak directly to the police you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

Thames Valley Police ~ Slough

Communities across Slough will be pleased to know that a new practical training course for setting up and running community projects is being offered by Slough Borough Council.

The free, four day Slough course, Community Activities Training Scheme (CATS), is for people living or working in Slough and is ideal for anyone wanting to know how to develop projects in their local communities, share ideas, find out about funding sources or just meet like minded people.

This course will take place on 2, 3, 16 and 17 March between 9am – 4pm in Slough Central Library and will be delivered through talks, workshops, practical sessions, group projects and discussions, and aims to:

• inspire participants and help them set an approach that will create a sensitive working atmosphere for their projects

• encourage participants to think about collaboration and partnerships and get excited about the creativity process

• familiarise participants with the range of practical issues involved in running community projects and an understanding of the period and process of planning arts projects

• unlock the Slough community funding system and enable participants to write their own successful funding bids. At the end of the session, participants will have an understanding of the support available to them, how to write funding bids and create a balanced budget.

• help participants get the best out of the media and produce effective promotional material within a tight budget

• provide an opportunity for participants to appreciate difference and to develop an understanding of the value of equal opportunity.

Megan Hurley, Slough active communities officer said: “This is the first time the cultural team has joined together to put on free training for the whole community to participate in. This is an exciting project that will give participants the opportunity to engage with people from a variety of organisations.”

Accompanying CATS is ‘Art and People’, written by the arts, sports and play team, a nationally recognised guide to setting up and running arts projects in the community. All attendees will receive a free copy.

To book your place on this four day training course please contact active communities at Slough Borough Council on 01753 875784.

Slough Borough Council

A man and a teenager have been charged with production of class B (cannabis) drugs, following the discovery of a ‘cannabis factory’ in Slough.

Forty-one year-old Loi Van Tran, of no fixed abode, and a 16-year-old boy who cannot be named for legal reasons, were arrested by Slough police on Friday 27 January and later charged.

The charge relates to a warrant being executed at an address in Wellesley Road, Slough, on Friday 27 January. Approximately 300 cannabis plants, to an estimated street value of £110,000, were seized from the address.

Both were due to appear before Slough Magistrates’ Court today (30/1).

Thames Valley Police ~ Slough

Slough Borough Council has successfully prosecuted a pensioner who dishonestly claimed housing and council tax benefit, incapacity benefit, income support, and pension credit of £69,533.

Sohan Singh of Marunden Green, Slough pleaded guilty at Reading Crown Court in November to 12 offences.

These amounted to

Overpayments of housing benefit of £27,236.
Council tax benefit of £7,048.
Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) benefits of £35,249.

The investigation was undertaken by officers from Slough Borough Council’s corporate fraud unit and the DWP fraud investigation service.

The Slough offences spanned the period December 2000 to November 2008 and included Singh making false statements on his claim forms by providing a false name, date of birth, national insurance number and failing to declare his identity as Charnjit Singh.

He also failed to declare savings accounts under this name, and that in November 2008 he dishonestly failed to declare his earnings from employment at Grundon Waste Management under the name Dhami Charnjit Singh.

On December 1, Mr Singh was sentenced at Reading Crown Court to 12 months immediate imprisonment concurrent on each and every charge.

Recorder Sallom QC told Mr Singh that he ‘had been deliberately dishonest and that this was a considerable amount of money which was defrauded over a long period using multiple fraudulent acts.’

Mr Singh has been imprisoned twice previously for fraud and deception offences.

Scott Warner, corporate fraud team leader for Slough Borough Council, said: “Benefit fraud will simply not be tolerated. The council’s corporate fraud team will use the full extent of the law to bring offenders to justice.

“This is not the first time Mr Singh has been prosecuted for deception offences, but with a 12 month custodial sentence to reflect on his actions, it will hopefully be his last.”

Commissioner for Slough opportunity and skills, Cllr Pavitar Mann, added: “This is yet another great example of working hard to bring people like Mr Singh to justice.

“We cannot tolerate people dishonestly claiming benefits which they are not entitled to, which could be taken away from those most in need.”

Slough Borough Council

Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses after an elderly woman was robbed in Slough on Monday evening (23/1).

At about 10pm, an 80-year-old woman was walking along Upton Park Road, Upton, Slough, when someone grabbed her handbag strap from behind.

A struggle ensued and the victim fell to the ground and the man who grabbed her bag ran off.

A Slough passerby called an ambulance for the victim and she was taken to Wexham Park Hospital, where she was diagnosed with a fractured arm. She remains in hospital receiving treatment.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information which may help officers with their enquiries should contact PC Jennifer Marsh via the 24-hour Police Enquiry Centre on 101. If you don’t want to speak to police or leave your name, call the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Thames Valley Police ~ Slough

Slough Borough Council’s investigation team have successfully assisted the Metropolitan Police in the prosecution a couple who fraudulently claimed in excess of £120,000 in state benefits.

Tanzanian couple, Hellen Mammy Shem Samuel, aged 39, aka, Helena Elisaeli Swai aged 34, and her husband, Richard Shem Samuel aged 41, aka Richard Alexander Sekuba aged 39, were convicted at Isleworth Crown Court on November 10 following a trial on a number of offences.

These included fraudulently claiming state benefits from the Department for Work and Pension (DWP) and Slough Borough Council between August 1999 and September 2010 by claiming under false identities.

They were also found guilty of obtaining leave to remain in the UK by deception and possessing improperly obtained identity documents with intent.

They had entered the UK in 1998 using Tanzanian passports, but then reinvented themselves as Burundian asylum seekers, changing their names and dates of birth.

They then used these new identities to obtain leave to remain in the UK and claim state welfare benefits.

The couple were caught following an investigation led by the Metropolitan Police, assisted by officers from Slough Borough Council and the DWP.

They were sentenced on January 6 – Hellen Samuel received two years imprisonment and Richard Samuel received three years imprisonment.

Chris Lamsdell, Head of Slough Corporate Fraud & Investigations said: “We’re very pleased with this outcome and hope it sends out a message to anyone thinking they can get away with fraudulently claiming benefits.

“We will continue to investigate claims and no doubt there will be more prosecutions going to court this coming year.”

Commissioner for opportunity and skills, Cllr Pavitar Mann, added: “These convictions are a great result and the culmination of a fantastic partnership between Slough Borough Council and the Metropolitan Police. I hope these convictions serve as a warning to others that we do, and will continue to, prosecute those who breaking the law.

“In the current climate, it’s more vital than ever to ensure benefits are accessible to those genuine need and who are entitled to them. Slough Borough Council will continue to clamp down on bogus claims which ultimately take vital funds from some of the most vulnerable in our society.”

On 6 January 2011 at Isleworth Crown Court before his Honour Judge Rylance, Richard Shem Samuel, 41 yrs, and Hellen Samuel, 39 yrs, both formerly of Severn Crescent, Slough were sentenced to three years and two years respectively having been found guilty on 6 November 2011 of an 11 count indictment including improperly obtained documents, leave to remain in the UK and fraud.

This follows an investigation by Metropolitan Police officers based at Heathrow, supported by Slough Borough Council, the Department of Work and Pensions, and the UK Borders Agency.

Officer in the case, DC Martyn Paley said: “This was a protracted enquiry vigorously pursued by police and Borders Agency CFI unit investigator, Sarah Fenney. The partnership has been integral to the success of our combined operations over many years.”

Slough Borough Council

Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses after an elderly person had cash stolen from his home in Slough on Tuesday (24/1).

At about 12.30pm a man claiming to be from Social Services visited the victim at his home address in Beechwood Gardens, Slough stating that he was there to clean the gutter at a discount price of £150.

The Slough victim handed over the money, no work was carried out.

The offender is described as having light brown skin, aged around 30 years, with short black hair combed to the side. He is of big build between 5ft 10ins and 6ft and was wearing a blue jacket. His accent is not local to the area.

Officers in the Slough area are working with Social Services regarding this incident.

PC Gary Hooks from Slough police station said: “I am appealing to any one in the area who saw a man matching the description above to contact police with any information.

“I would also ask everyone to remain vigilant, particularly to anyone visiting addresses claiming to be workmen.”

Anyone with information, or if they noticed suspicious activity in the area should contact PC Hooks via the 24-hour Police Enquiry Centre on 101.

If you don’t want to speak to police or give your name, please call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

Thames Valley Police ~ Slough

The first of several Slough trails has now been completed at Herschel Park to enhance visitors’ enjoyment of the Victorian Park.

People can marvel at the oldest and tallest tree in the Slough park, find out how a Monkey Puzzle Tree got its name, what the native country of a swamp cypress is, when the game of conkers was first played and what uses are made of the Yew tree wood.

A full coloured leaflet has been produced supplying lots of detailed information, facts and figures relating to ten of the most important trees in the park.

This is a self guided trail with each of the trees on the trail being clearly marked with an attractive new name plaque.

Leaflets will be available from the kiosk in the park, local libraries and Slough Museum.

Other leaflets and trails are to follow which will include the park’s wildlife and local history.

If after trying out the Slough tree trail you are keen to find out more about the trees of the park then why not join Tony Down, Herschel Park management officer on Sunday, March 25 when he will be leading a Tree Walk around the park from 2pm to 3.30pm.

For more information contact Tony on 01753 875209.

Slough Borough Council