John Squiers

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It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of John Squiers. John was a long-time committee member of the Association and was Membership Secretary for a good number of years. He was very persuasive on the Association’s behalf. If he called to discuss a member’s offer of help, they somehow ended up doing more than they had originally thought!! He was also one of life’s true gentlemen in both senses of the word a very gentle man and an old fashioned courteous man . He will be greatly missed.

 

This picture shows John doing sterling work for the Association during Gala Day in 2002.

If you would like details of the funeral arrangements please email ickenhamresidents@hotmail.com

Paving over front gardens

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New Council guide published

paving garden pic

The London Borough of Hillingdon have taken planning enforcement action in Ickenham recently where homes have failed to apply for planning permission to concrete over their front gardens. While many would agree the loss of front gardens detracts from Ickenham’s street scene, and does little to help our local bee populations, the Council’s responsibilities on this issue relate to flood and water management.

The following guide, produced by LBH’s Flooding Officer, sets out some of the do’s and don’t’s if you’ve taken the decision to pave some or all of your front garden:

PavingfrontgardensinformativeMay2017

HS2 and the rumour mill

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On the day following the election, some HS2 notices appeared around some of Ickenham’s open spaces. They comprised several pages and it’s easy to see why some residents drew the wrong conclusions. Unfortunately, these wrong conclusions found their way onto Facebook and created a lot of heat and steam.

We thought it best to present some of the salient facts presented in the documents. If we learn more about HS2’s intentions we will let you know.

First of all, here’s the map of the (red-outlined) area debated on Facebook:

This area lies between Hoylake Cresent and the Chiltern Railway line.

Here is a snap of what HS2 intends to do here:

Since the Facebook alarm was about HS2 using the area “for storage of construction equipment for the building of HS2”, we think this paragraph (and the fact it’s a short-term survey) led to the misunderstanding.:

Apologies for the rubbish photographs. We thought it best to present the original documents rather than a transcript.

Northolt protest notes

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Quite a number of you will have received leaflets through your letter box from a group calling itself STOP NORTHOLT. We would like to give you the facts as we know them regarding the claims in this leaflet:

  1. Runway works to start in 2018 – these are to REPAIR the runway and improve the arrester beds to prevent aircraft overshooting onto the A40. These have been promised for some time but the MoD has finally released the necessary monies
  2. Possible scheduled service – this has been floating around for some time – realistically with the airbase operating as it does now there is NO way a scheduled service could operate out of Northolt.
  3. The number of movements and type of civilian aircraft are strictly limited
    • The maximum no of movements per year is 12000 (a movement is a landing or a take-off) – these can only operate between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday to Friday and 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
  4. The maximum number of movements per day is 40.
    • Aircraft have a maximum capacity of 29 passengers.
    • We hope this helps to clarify the situation.

Microsoft Tech-Support Scammers using WannaCry attack to lure victims

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Once again, our friends at Neighbourhood Watch have sent us some information on behalf of Action Fraud (National Fraud Intelligence Bureau):

Action Fraud has received the first reports of Tech-Support scammers claiming to be from Microsoft who are taking advantage of the global WannaCry ransomware attack.

One victim fell for the scam after calling a ‘help’ number advertised on a pop-up window. The window which wouldn’t close said the victim had been affected by WannaCry Ransomware.

The victim granted the fraudsters remote access to their PC after being convinced there wasn’t sufficient anti-virus protection. The fraudsters then installed Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, which is actually free and took £320 as payment.

It is important to remember that Microsoft’s error and warning messages on your PC will never include a phone number.

Additionally Microsoft will never proactively reach out to you to provide unsolicited PC or technical support. Any communication they have with you must be initiated by you.

How to protect yourself:

  • Don’t call numbers from pop-up messages.
  • Never allow remote access to your computer.
  • Always be wary of unsolicited calls. If you’re unsure of a caller’s identity, hang up.
  • Never divulge passwords or pin numbers.
  • Microsoft or someone on their behalf will never call you.

If you believe you have already been a victim:

  • Get your computer checked for any additional programmes or software that may have been installed.
  • Contact your bank to stop any further payments being taken.

Report fraud and cyber crime to Actionfraud.police.uk

Watch out for Smishing frauds

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Our friends at Neighbourhood Watch have asked us to beware of Smishing frauds:

This information has been sent on behalf of Action Fraud (National Fraud Intelligence Bureau):

Smishing – the term used for SMS phishing – is an activity which enables criminals to steal victims’ money or identity, or both, as a result of a response to a text message. Smishing uses your mobile phone (either a smartphone or traditional non-internet connected handset) to manipulate innocent people into taking various actions which can lead to being defrauded.

The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau has received information that fraudsters are targeting victims via text message, purporting to be from their credit card provider, stating a transaction has been approved on their credit card.

The text message further states to confirm if the transaction is genuine by replying ‘Y’ for Yes or ‘N’ for No.

Through this method the fraudster would receive confirmation of the victim’s active telephone number and would be able to engage further by asking for the victim’s credit card details, CVV number (the three digits on the back of your bank card) and/or other personal information.

Protect yourself:

  • Always check the validity of the text message by contacting your credit card provider through the number provided at the back of the card or on the credit card/bank statement.
  • Beware of cold calls purporting to be from banks and/or credit card providers.
  • If the phone call from the bank seems suspicious, hang up the phone and wait for 10 minutes before calling the bank back. Again, refer to the number at the back of the card or on the bank statement in order to contact your bank.

If you have been a victim of fraud or cyber crime, please report it to Action Fraud at http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/ or alternatively by calling 0300 123 2040