Slough Community Websites
Free Slough Websites serving the local community

Following the roaring success of Slough High School Musical last year, the West Wing Summer School will be bringing its second full-scale musical production of Bugsy Malone to the stage. If you’re aged between eight and 19 and want to get on stage, then make sure you audition for the hottest and baddest show in town!

Bugsy Malone is a classic gangster musical set in New York, with a world of would-be hoodlums, showgirls and dreamers. If you think you’ve got what it takes, then show us your talent at the Slough auditions on Thursday 5 June at 4pm or Sunday 8 June at 10am.

So if you want to shine on the stage, come and show us your talents! The summer school runs between Sunday 27 July until Sunday 10 August and costs £120 for two weeks. You will need to be available for the full two weeks. If you have any questions please call 01753 476651 otherwise email westwing@slough.gov.uk

Slough Borough Council.

Slough Borough Council would like to make residents aware of the new rules for applying for a vehicular crossing at their homes, otherwise known as a dropped curb.

Anyone wishing to apply for a dropped curb will be issued with the new vehicular crossing application form and accompanying guidance. The procedure will take effect from May 27 2008.

This will help Slough residents identify whether they should apply for a vehicular crossing and the new procedure will make the process more efficient and help with record keeping.

To apply for a crossing, residents will need to fill in a form and submit it to the highways department at the council, along with a non-refundable administration fee of £65.

This covers officer time spent processing the application and any site visits that may need to be done.

If approved, a quote will be sent back to the resident for the work by post and if all is agreed, work will commence from four to six weeks after receipt of payment.

Slough Borough Council said: “The new application form and guidance notes will assist residents when applying for vehicular crossings and help them to decide if their request is in compliance with the council’s criteria.”

You can either apply online for a drop down curb or call the highways team on 01753 477335.

Slough Borough Council

Slough Borough Council’s trading standards team take more fake goods off the streets than the other 18 local authorities in the South East, a report has announced.

Counterfeit goods seized by Slough trading standards.In a recent publication, Slough’s trading standards has taken poll position for seizing counterfeit goods out of the borough, making it a safer place to buy quality products.

From June 2006 to July 2007, the team’s officers seized more than 10,000 counterfeit goods, including DVDs, shoes, clothes, watches, jewellery and cigarettes.

Then only six months later, a further 7,000 items were detained. These included fake vodka and condoms.

The total street value of all these goods is estimated at £1/4 million pounds.

Keith Eaglestone, trading standards manager for Slough Borough Council, said: “We have worked so hard over the last few years to make sure Slough is a safe place to buy products and have come down hard on counterfeit items.

“We are really pleased we have come out on top and will continue to be vigilant. The problem of counterfeit goods for sale in the borough is rife.

“It deprives local traders of legitimate business and the goods are generally of poor quality, and in some instances, dangerously unsafe.

“The local economy suffers and it denies consumers their normal rights under the Sale of Goods Act with no come back after the sale is made.

“We want to make sure we rid the streets of such products and have been very successful so far.”

In view of the seriousness of some of the seizures the team have made, several of the larger operations have been subject to legal proceedings.

All counterfeit products discovered and taken are later destroyed.

It is estimated that ten percent of all world trade, or the equivalent of the annual spend on world tourism, is made up of counterfeit products.

In the UK, the current estimate of the loss to all industry sectors affected by counterfeiting is around £11billion per year. Were that sum included in the legitimate economy, it would generate enough VAT to fund several new schools and hospitals.

Slough Borough Council

Slough Borough Council will be hosting events over the next two weeks for Foster Care Fortnight, from May 12 to May 25.

Could you give a loving home to a foster child? The fortnight will focus on finding foster carers to look after teenagers in the Slough - the biggest group of children in the care system, and younger children.

In Slough alone, there are currently 40 children who have had to be placed outside the borough, due to shortages.

This means they are away from their schools and familiar surroundings, because there are not enough foster carers in Slough.

On Saturday, May 17, the foster care team from the council will be in the Queensmere between 10am and 4pm to give out advice and information to people wishing to become, or find out more, about being a foster carer.

Anyone can become a carer.

You can be single, married, with or without children and can be renting or owning your own home. The important thing is that you can offer support, guidance and a positive family environment to help children feel secure and valued for however long they are living in your home.

In Slough we have children from varied racial and cultural backgrounds who need foster care families. Many are white or are of mixed parentage with African, Caribbean or Asian Muslim heritage. We recognise that children often do best in families that reflect their heritage, and we therefore welcome enquiries from people of these backgrounds.

Tina Ryan, fostering team manager for Slough Borough Council, said: “The two weeks will really help to highlight the need for more carers in Slough

“We know that children in care can benefit enormously from the chance to experience a caring and stable family life. Over the next few weeks we will be asking local people: Could you take on the challenge of fostering.

“I hope this campaign allows local people to realise they really could have the basic qualities needed to become great foster carers and I urge people to come along to the Queensmere or call us to find out more.

“Anyone thinking about becoming a foster carer will receive help every step of the way from the council.”

For more information, please contact the foster team 0800 073 0291, email familyplacement@slough.gov.uk

Slough Borough Council

Slough Borough Council’s trading standards team is welcoming a new safety warning for all toys containing small magnets to protect children from unsafe play.

The government initiative is still in the consulting process, but if all goes through, it will be passed in July.

Russell Clarke, trading standards enforcement officer for Slough Borough Council, said: “We welcome any moves that protect children from playing with unsafe toys.

“At the end of the summer break we will be visiting shops in Slough to ensure that toys containing these magnets have the suitably worded caution statements to warn parents.”

Slough Consumer affairs minister, Gareth Thomas, said: “We want toys containing these magnets to carry new safety warnings. The recalls last year highlighted the dangers that they can pose.

"The warnings will help parents make informed decisions about which toys to buy and to be on their guard in supervising how their children play with them."

The new safety warnings will be a temporary measure. They will remain in force until the European Commission and Member States complete comprehensive reviews of toy safety controls.

Slough Borough Council

Routes for Change: A sponsored walk to support young people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS

Saturday 24th May 2008 - Southall to Slough

Routes for Change is an annual sponsored walk organised by the young people of Aik Saath. This year the money raised will go to Thames Valley Positive Support, to help support young people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. The walk will take place on Saturday May 24th and begin at 10am. Walkers will meet at the Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Havelock road in Southall and walk along the Grand Union Canal covering a distance of 10 miles. The walk will end at the Mosque on Diamond Road in Slough.

“Aik Saath is celebrating its 10th birthday this year with a number of events and one of the most important is Routes for Change where we have a chance to help support other charities working with people in our borough.” (Mandeep Kaur Sira, Project Manager Aik Saath)

Thames Valley Positive Support helps and supports those infected and affected by HIV, in a friendly, supportive, practical and strictly confidential manner. They work across the Thames Valley and their clients come from a range of ages and ethnicities. One client recently commented on the support they had received from Thames Valley Positive Support,

"Thank you so much for putting my life back on track, and helping me feel human again!... "

The sponsored walk is being organised by Aik Saath, Slough and its young volunteers and is aimed at not only raising money to support Thames Valley Positive Support but also to bring members of the local community together to share in the experience.

“AIDS and HIV affect people all over the world and something that everyone should be aware of and I feel very privileged to be helping to organise this event.”
(Tej Bhachu, Aik Saath)

In order to take part please call Aik Saath on Slough 01753 574780 to register.

Slough Borough Council’s Art at the Centre project will be picking up pace in the next few weeks, as work on landscaping the High Street takes shape.

Art at the Centre is a £6 million enhancement scheme, which will see physical improvements along the Slough High Street to help revitalise the town centre and make it an exciting and attractive place to visit.

As part of the landscaping phase of the project, 21 new trees will be planted along the High Street. In addition, the Yew Tree Park area will be transformed with new trees and planting.

In order to make this possible, 11 of the existing trees have been removed to make way for the new paving and street furniture.

Roger Kirkham, Art at the Centre project manager, said: “Many residents will have already seen the changes taking place with new paving going in at both ends of the High Street.

“The landscaping with new trees will add another element to the scheme and help to give a boulevard look along the length of the street.

“The changes to the Yew Tree Park area will make an attractive entrance at the eastern end of the High Street.

“The next few months will see lots of activity in the High Street and it is hoped once completed it will attract new shoppers and retailers alike.”

The Art at the Centre scheme is due for completion in 2009.

Slough Borough Council

A Slough Borough Council toolkit which helps community groups run their own arts projects, has been recognised as an example of ‘extreme’ best practice by the British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA) and SEEDA (South East England Development Agency).

The Community Arts Training Scheme (CATS) which has been running for 14 years, was devised by the Arts Development team at Slough Council with local artist, Christine Wilkinson. It is a practical course for people who want to run arts projects in their community and is delivered through talks, workshops, group projects and discussions.

The toolkit was produced so that arts officers in other councils could adapt the course to run in their own areas. Surrey, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire are just some of the councils which are already running CATS.

To date, more than 300 people have been through the course in Slough, which has helped people to run projects such as Slough Crossroads’ summer arts activities for disabled children and their carers, Slough West Indian People’s Enterprise (SWIPE)’s steel pan factory and Two Left Feet’s inclusive dance classes.

The groups who have participated in the training have successfully attracted more than £1 million in funding for their local arts projects.

The council is now planning to formally launch the toolkit at the National Association of Local Government Arts Officers Conference in June. The toolkit costs £25 per copy.

Louise O’Dwyer Barnard, arts development officer for Slough Borough Council, said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this recognition.

“The CATS training over the years has equipped many local groups in Slough with the skills to run their own projects, enabling some to run fantastic projects that have grown right out of the communities that they benefit.

“Our aim now is spread the word about the toolkit to other councils, with our big launch in June.”

Miranda Pearce, urban renaissance manager for SEEDA, said: “The CATS toolkit was assessed as part of the South East Excellence’s Tools of the Trade expert panel which has been managed by BURA.

“Through this assessment, the CATS toolkit was recognised to be one of the top, in terms of content, accessibility and practicality, and has been uploaded onto the South East Excellence website under the resources section.”

Slough Borough Council

07 May 2008 - Two arrested in connection with incident in Cippenham – Slough

Police have arrested two men in connection with an incident in Cippenham, Slough, yesterday afternoon (6/5).

Several calls were received from members of the public at around 2.46pm, after a man was spotted wandering in the Bower Way area. It is believed the man made threats to a number of people.

Following a detailed search and a number of inquiries made, officers arrested a 42-year-old man and a 48-year-old man, during the early hours of this morning (7/5).

They were arrested at around 3am from addresses in Cippenham.

The 42-year-old was arrested on suspicion of being in possession of firearm (threats to kill) and the 48-year-old was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Both remain in police custody this morning.

06/05/2008 Police are currently dealing with an incident in Slough following reports of a man armed with a gun.

At 2.46pm, police received a report of a man wandering in the Bower Way area. It is believed the man made threats to a number of people.

Armed response units, local Slough officers and the police helicopter have been deployed to a block of flats where the man was last seen.

As a precautionary measure, local schools and residents have been notified and advised to remain indoors until the incident is resolved. Roads in the area have been closed to traffic.

Detectives investigating reports of a man armed with a gun in Cippenham, Slough, earlier today, have released the following description.

The man they are looking for is white, aged 35-45, 5ft 6ins to 6ft tall, and well-built. He is either balding or has fair close cropped hair, and is clean shaven. He has numerous tattoos on his arms and one on his right calf.

At the time of the incident, he was wearing a torn pale blue t-shirt and dark shorts.

The man remains outstanding at this time and inquiries are on-going to try and locate him.

As part of their search, Slough police can confirm that two men were arrested.

However, they were arrested on suspicion of being in possession of controlled drugs and their arrests are not being linked to the on-going search for the armed man.

Local Slough officers are carrying out high visibility patrols in the area to reassure the public.

If anyone sees a man matching the description above, they are urged not to approach him but to contact the police immediately on 999 quoting URN 758 of 6/5.

Those with information about the incident itself, are urged to contact Det Insp Steve Armstead at Slough CID on 0845 8 505 505. Those who do not wish to speak to police or leave their name should call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Thames Valley Police ~ Slough

Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was seriously injured in a road traffic collision in Slough on Sunday (4/5).

At approximately 2.50pm a pedestrian was crossing the A4 Bath Road, close to the junction with Tuns Lane, Slough when he was in collision with a red Rover 400.

The pedestrian, a man believed to be in his thirties, sustained serious head injuries and was taken to Wexham Park Hospital. As of yesterday (5/5) his condition was described as critical.

Anyone who witnessed the incident and has not yet come forward is asked to contact the investigating officer, PC Nicholas Brown of the Slough Roads Policing department at Taplow, on 0845 8 505 505.

Thames Valley Police ~ Slough