The Menace of Speeding on our Streets

UPDATE: 28 August 2016

On Wednesday of this week, the BBC Radio Cambridgeshire Breakfast Show covered the issue of drifting in Orton Southgate and invited myself, a City Councillor, a Cambs Police Sergeant and a Peterborough City Council Director to respond to residents' concerns. A number of residents were also invited to express their point of view, as were two young men who enjoy the pastime of drifting elsewhere in the county.

The piece came about after BBC Radio Cambs presenter Dotty McLeod read about the problem right here on this blog.

I have posted a full transcript of the broadcast here.

In summary, Cambridgeshire Police has apologised to residents of Orton Goldhay and confirmed that the police share the responsibility of addressing the drifting in Orton Southgate, while Peterborough City Council referred via a statement to measures that will shortly be put in place with the cooperation of the land owner to ensure that residents' sleepless nights are a thing of the past.

I would like to thank BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Dotty McLeod and her team for picking up this issue so enthusiastically on residents' behalf. I would also like to thank both Sgt Nikki Hall of Cambs Police and Adrian Chapman of Peterborough City Council for their robust response to residents' concerns.

Last night was the first quiet Saturday night residents of Orton Goldhay have been able to enjoy in a very long time. Thanks to the support of BBC Radio Cambs and the response of Cambs Police and Peterborough City Council we hope that peace will soon be restored on a permanent basis, and that the people who enjoy doing and watching the drifting will have a place to do it away from people's homes where they can enjoy their pastime safely and without bringing stress to people who live here.

Julie Howell, Peterborough Green Party, 28th August 2016


The Menace of Speeding on our Streets

I'm writing this with wet eyes, having just watched Sophie Morgan's powerful 2013 documentary 'License to Kill'. If you think you know that speeding is dangerous, why it happens and what should be done about it, I ask you to please watch Sophie's documentary anyway. Sophie adds a much needed fresh voice to the conversation about speeding. It's the voice of a young woman driver who drove without care when she was inexperienced. 18-year-old Sophie lacked the skills and understanding to handle her car at a high speed. As a consequence, Sophie's car crashed, and after weeks in a coma she awoke to be told she had lost her ability to walk for life.

Sophie's powerful story isn't a simple moral tale about the consequences of driving too fast for thrills. From her perspective, she is able to explain why she did what she did the night of her accident, and what she believes needs to be done to prevent more young people from causing accidents that result in serious injury or loss of life.

Sophie's documentary, highlights the dangers posed by newly qualified drivers. But what about drivers with 10, 20 or even 30 years of driving experience who pose grave danger to people, pets and property by driving too fast and too carelessly along our residential streets? These are the drivers who feel safe in their powerful cars and safe in the knowledge that their experience will protect them from having an accident.

I receive more emails and phone calls from residents about speeding than I do about any other issue. 

The emails and phone calls fall into two categories.

The first is the careless driving and speeding that happens along Wistow Way, Goldhay Way, Brimbles Way, Dunblane Drive, Loch Lomond Way, at the junction between Cherry Orton Road and Oundle Road, and just about any residential street you care to mention. It isn't just young people in souped-up cars, showing off. It's every kind of driver, driving too fast, making the roads dangerous for everyone. (I wrote an article earlier in the year about the death of a cat in the cul-de-sac where I live.)

Twenty's Plenty

Peterborough Green Party supports a national campaign called 'Twenty's Plenty', which calls for speed restrictions of 20mph in some residential streets. 

We recently wrote an article for the Peterborough Telegraph to explain why 20mph can save lives. I've pasted the text of the article below in case you missed it.

We need to change our attitude towards speeding. Why 20 is plenty.

Have you witnessed ‘near misses’ on the residential streets where you live? Have you heard that yet another beloved family cat has been crushed to death under the wheels of a car? Are you worried that your child isn’t safe on the streets near their school because of speeding motorists?

Let’s be honest. Have you ever driven faster than 30mph in a residential street? Do you believe that because you’re an experienced driver you are able to take the same remedial action to prevent an accident, whether you’re driving at 40mph, 30mph or 20mph?

If you do, you’re wrong about that.

You may believe that you are a careful driver, but if a pedestrian steps out in front of you when you’re doing 40mph it is five times more likely that your car will kill them than if you’re doing 30mph.

The 30mph speed limit for residential roads was introduced in 1934. A lot has changed since then, including the type, size and capabilities of the cars on our streets. Car technology has improved greatly, making driving much safer for the person behind the wheel. Human technology hasn’t advanced at quite the same pace, meaning pedestrians have become more vulnerable as drivers have become safer.

30mph is safer than 40mph but it is not as safe at 20mph. When it comes to driving on residential streets we believe that 20mph is plenty.

Driving at 30mph rather than 20mph increases stopping distances by 134%. This isn’t due to your skills as a driver. The fact is, a car braking from 30mph will still be travelling at 22mph when a car travelling at 20mph will have stopped. In some situations, that’s the difference between life and death.

If your car hits a pedestrian hit at 20mph they have a 95% chance of survival. This reduces to 80% at 30mph. At 40mph the chance of a fatality is 90%.

Reducing your speed to 20mph has many immediate benefits. Traffic noise and pollution will decrease. Walking and cycling will increase as safety perception improves. In Hull, child pedestrian casualties dropped by 74% when widespread 20mph limits were introduced.

Peterborough Green Party ran a petition recently in West Ward where residents have suffered from speeding problems along Mayors Walk and Aldermans Drive. The petition – which received considerable support from residents - was rejected by Peterborough City Council on the grounds that there is currently insufficient evidence that 20mph limits are effective. We dispute this and are campaigning for PCC to reconsider its position in the face of the overwhelming societal benefits that 20mph can bring with safer, healthier residential streets for people, pets, property and wildlife too.

We want drivers to think again about the risks of driving at more than 20mph in residential areas. This is not a draconian measure to bring the city to a grinding halt. It is a public safety message that could help Peterborough’s residents to re-claim our residential streets as safer places to be. 

'Car Cruises' & Noise

Speeding and dangerous driving is causing other harm to our environment and huge distress to residents in some areas of our ward, in particular, to people living in houses in Orton Goldhay close to Orton Parkway. On the other side of Orton Parkway, lies the Orton Southgate industrial estate. On late evenings throughout the summer, roads on the industrial estate are being used for unauthorised 'car cruises' of the type Sophie highlights in her documentary. 

People right across Peterborough are aware with the dangers of these unauthorised and un-stewarded events. On 8 August 2015, several spectators were badly injured when an inexperienced driver attempted a manoeuvre that resulted in him ploughing his car into a group of bystanders. I've seen footage of the accident. It is horrific. The driver - who is from Stamford - is currently serving a prison sentence for what he did that night. The injuries and the trauma will be with the people he hurt for life. Read more about this incident.

Anxiety and distress

You don't have to hit people with your car to cause immense anxiety and distress to them. Residents who live in earshot of Stapledon Road, Orton Southgate (who live across the Orton Parkway in Orton Goldhay) tell me that their lives are being made a misery by the noise from screeching tyres that can start as early as 8pm and finish as late as 3am almost every night through the summer months, as the motorists who attend the unauthorised car cruise meets attempt to 'drift' their cars around roundabouts. 

Stress and lack of sleep can have serious, long-term effects on people's health. I'm told that residents are unable to open their windows on hot summer nights because of the noise, children cannot get to sleep, people who have to leave for work early the next day are exhausted and everyone affected is stressed and anxious from the moment the screeching of tyres begins.

While some people are of the opinion that the people taking part in the car cruises are only a danger to themselves, this just isn't case. And it's not fair. The noise is causing real human suffering.

Call 101

If you are affected by the noise created by the car cruise, please call the police on 101. When you do, please remember to get an incident number from the call operator. The more times the matter is reported, the more likely the police are to prioritise your concern. Peterborough Green Party has written to the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire asking for action to be taken.

While we completely understand that it is far safer for drivers and the public that these events happen on industrial estates rather than on public roads (though, of course, roads on industrial estates are also public roads, just less busy on weekend evenings apart from lorries making deliveries), the noise nuisance is very harmful and it would be better for everyone if these events happened well away from residential areas.

Residents should also call 101, the police non-emergency number, to report other incidences of dangerous driving. 

I know how much speeding cars worry you because you tell me all the time. I would be very interested to hear what you think about 20mph limits, traffic calming measures and speed cameras. What do you think is the solution to speeding on our streets? 

Hello, Hello, Good Morning!

The path along Ham Lane, where I had this lovely experience

I had a lovely experience on my way to a meeting at Ferry Meadows this week.

As I walked down Ham Lane, every single person who passed me smiled and said 'Good morning'.

What's so special about that?

It's special because acknowledging one another really matters.

We are social creatures

A very long time ago, when we were all 'hunter gatherers' and had to forage for our food it was really difficult for us to survive by ourselves. We needed to search for food together, to build shelters and make clothes together, and to rely on each other for protection.

We live differently now, however, feeling that we are part of a community and feeling that others value us as individuals is still very important for our survival. Why? Because being acknowledged is vitally important for our mental and emotional wellbeing. In turn, our mental and emotional wellbeing is very important for our physical wellbeing.

We used to live like this.
If we still did we might acknowledge one another a bit more.

'By yourself' and 'lonely' are different things

More of us than ever before now live by ourselves, through either choice or necessity. I lived by myself for ten years and absolutely loved it. But key to doing well on my own was knowing that I was 'by myself' but not 'alone'. I knew my neighbours and I had friends so I felt supported and acknowledged in the world. Emotionally and mentally I felt well.

But many people struggle with the loneliness that can come with living alone, or don't live alone in the literal sense but feel lonely in the emotional sense. A simple 'hello' from an acquaintance or a total stranger can be the only human contact a person living by themselves has that day, or even that week.

A few years ago, when I was writing my book, I spent many days alone (I tend to work through the night and sleep through the day when I'm writing). I needed the social isolation but I also needed human contact. Sometimes, I'd think of an excuse to go to the corner shop just so I could have an interaction with another person.

We're all really busy, and it is of course true that some people don't want to be bothered with others when they are going about their daily business, and this is their right. But I would ask you to take up a challenge that I often set for myself. It's really simple.

Adults forget that smiling at one another is important.

Smile, make eye contact, say 'hello'

When you're out and about, and someone is about to pass you in the street, smile, make eye contact, say 'hello'. We're social creatures and most people will return your greeting automatically. Others will be so surprised they won't react until you've passed by. Others will be shy or may experience social anxiety. They may not return or even acknowledge your greeting, but on the inside your simple acknowledgement will have made a difference. And of course there are other people who will just ignore you because they're grumpy, and that's alright too.

There's a bit of science to it.

When we greet someone (in a nice way) we trigger in that person and in ourselves a release of the chemical 'oxytocin'. This is a hormone that helps us to feel good about another person. In fact, the moment your start smiling, you're making yourself feel better. So if you're not a good mood on a particular day, the best thing to do to make yourself feel better is smile and say 'hello' to someone!

If you're the one receiving the greeting from someone else, smile, make eye contact and say 'hello' back to give yourself a boost of feel-good chemicals. This is a completely natural way to feel good and you may notice that you begin to feel better about yourself and more confident in yourself the more you do it.

Think about it: why do you love your favourite comedian? Because he or she makes you smile and smiling makes you feel good.


An act of giving

If your greeting is ignored, don't be disheartened. This isn't about rejection or failure. Your act of giving acknowledgement to another person is good for you. This is not just about your need to be acknowledged. Rather, it's an act of giving acknowledgement to another person that is hugely empowering and life-affirming for both parties.

On Christmas Eve, for example, I set myself the challenge of seeing how many people I can say 'Merry Christmas' to that I pass in the streets where I live (if they reply that's bonus points!).

We've become not very good at the simple act of acknowledgement but we can so easily put that right. You can tell how happy those people on Ham Lane made me feel because I'm still thinking about it (and writing about it!) two days later. I bet they have no idea of the positive power of their simple 'good morning'.

If you would like to help to make our community happier, stronger and safer, it all starts with 'hello'.

Driven Batty

If you had asked me a month ago what I know about bats I'd have said "very little"!

That was before I took a week-long break on a farm in Cumbria.

You may be thinking that a week on an isolated farm is the ideal place to get a bit of peace and quiet, and it is, but at certain times of day the converted barn that I was staying in was anything but silent as its resident swallows and bats made their presence felt.

I first noticed the bats on the first evening of my stay. I heard some scratching in the roof space above my bedroom so went outside to investigate. Sundown is quite late at this time of year in Cumbria, so it was 11pm - and still light - when I ventured out into the garden to find out what all the noise was about.

When I stood just below the eaves of the house, a squeaking noise could clearly be heard coming from the direction of the barn roof. Shortly afterwards a bat flew out from a space between the roof tiles at great speed! It was soon followed by another. And then another. And then another. When the count reached 18 I stopped counting but the bats did not stop coming. I reckon there must have been at least a thousand in there, sleeping all day, and flying out at dusk to feed on insects on the wing.





There are a few things everyone needs to know about bats.

All bats are protected

Bats do a lot of good in our environment. Over 500 species of plant rely on bats to pollinate their flowers. Bats are insectivores (they eat insects) and will eat thousands of insects every night, including blood-sucking mosquitoes. Bats also play a vital role in distributing seeds of trees and other plants.

Some bats are 'indicator species'. This means that changes in their population can mean that there are also changes happening in the biodiversity of their environment.

So bats are very special little creatures. In fact, they are a protected species in the UK.

According to the Bat Conservation Trust, you are committing a criminal offence if you:

1. Deliberately capture, injure or kill a bat

2. Intentionally or recklessly disturb a bat in its roost or deliberately disturb a group of bats

3. Damage or destroy a bat roosting place (even if bats are not occupying the roost at the time)

4. Possess or advertise/sell/exchange a bat (dead or alive) or any part of a bat

5. Intentionally or recklessly obstruct access to a bat roost.

So bats are important and they are protected by the law. But what should you do if you find a bat in trouble?

Bats in distress

A couple of days into my stay I was in the garden in the early evening when I noticed the now unmistakable sound of squeaking bats. This time, however, it was clear that the noise wasn't coming from the roost in the roof. I followed the sound, and it led me to a covered drain on the ground. Looking up, it became clear what must have happened. A drain pipe leads from the guttering below the roof, very close to where the bats were roosting. Some of the bats must have flown down the drainpipe by mistake and become trapped in the drain with no way of getting out.

I knew immediately that the bats needed help. I knew also that a number had probably already died down there. Upon lifting the drain cover my suspicions were confirmed: six poorly bats and a number of others that had already succumbed to being stuck in the drain for however long. 

Before doing anything else, I immediately called the National Bat Helpline for advice. It being the evening by now, I got no reply from the local number that was suggested so I immediately called the local out-of-hours vet, who was incredibly helpful.

Should you ever find a bat on the ground and in trouble but are unable to reach either a bat rescue centre or a vet right away, this is what the vet told me to do:

1. Bats don't do well on the ground or away from the location you found them in, so don't leave them on the ground and don't take them far away from where you found them.

2. Never touch a bat with your bare hands as they can carry dangerous diseases.

3. If you need to move the bat, pick it up the way you would a spider, i.e. put a box over it and slide a piece of card underneath.

4. Put the bat into a box (I used a washing up bowl) with a piece of material, such as a tea towel or small towel, and a small container, such as a plastic milk container top, filled with water. Do not put a lid on the box.

5. This is important. Bats naturally want to climb. When they've climbed high enough they will be able to launch themselves and fly away. So put the box somewhere high up by a wall so they can climb out and keep on climbing. The perfect place for the bats I had found was in the garage which was close by and where other bats were roosting.

6. Now leave the bats alone!

The vet told me that I should call again if any of the bats were still there the following day. However, I'm delighted to report that they all recovered, climbed out of the box and up the wall and eventually flew off!

One of the bats that was rescued

This wasn't the only bat encounter of my stay. A bat appeared in the hearth. Another was found roosting in the curtains in the living room. And yet another was found on the outside wall of the barn, close to the ground and facing downwards. All three were subjected to the same procedure that the vet had suggested and all three survived and flew away. I left a note for the owner of the barn to let her know what had happened. Hopefully, no more bats will fall into the drain or get into the barn through the chimney!

If you find a bat in distress

I encountered these bats in Cumbria, but there are plenty in Peterborough too!

In almost all cases bats should be left alone. However if you come across bats that you think may be in distress please get in touch with either a vet or the Bat Conservation Trust on 0845 1300 228 and follow the advice that you are given. 

Bats are precious, protected and we need them as much as they need us! But it so important to give them the right sort of help, so always, always contact the Bat Conservation Trust or a local vet if you come across a bat you think may be in need of help.

The Tales of Two Cats

I have two stories about cats to share, one heart-breaking, the other heart-warming.

Why 20 is Plenty

On 4th December 2015 at 10am there was a knock on the door of my house which is in a cul-de-sac in Orton Northgate. I opened the door to a young woman who was clearly in some distress. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but there is a dead cat in the road and I can stand to just leave it there", she said. I craned my neck to look down the street in the direction she was pointing, and could just about make out a black shape in the road, with cars swerving to avoid it.

While my partner and a another gentleman from a house further down the road gently removed the cat from the street and washed the tarmac, we knocked on doors to see if we could find the cat's owner, but without success.

This is the street where the incident happened.
It's a residential cul-de-sac, much the same as many around our area.

I own two cats. I know how I'd feel if one of them simply went missing without explanation. So rather than call the council right away, my partner and I drove with the cat to our vet in the hope it might have a microchip with details of the owner. The vet was very caring and saw us right away without an appointment. Unfortunately, the cat was not microchipped.

Earlier this year, a new law was put in place that requires all dogs be microchipped. However, the law does not currently extend to cats (although I believe it should and I have signed a petition to Parliament in the hope of addressing this). You may think that you cat doesn't need microchipping as it never goes anywhere. However, it's those cats that never go anywhere that are least streetwise and most likely to be involved in an accident if they do stray into the road.

This is my cat Derek.
He is microchipped.
He's also quite grumpy.

I really wanted to find the owner before calling the council. Unfortunately, this hadn't been possible so I had no option but to call the council to ask them to collect the cat from me. The council workers arrived within the hour and treated the matter very sensitively. I told them that I was sorry they had to deal with things like this and they said that, unfortunately, it's a common occurrence in Peterborough.

The following day, I put notes through the doors of several of the houses in my street asking anyone who had lost a black cat to get in touch with me. Thankfully, this solicited a quick response from the owner and I was able to tell him what had happened on the previous day. It wasn't a conversation I'd care to repeat but I felt very relieved to have been able to tell him what had happened to his cat, as dreadful as the news was for his family. If it had been one of my cats, I know I'd have been very grateful to know what had happened.

The cat had been run over (and died instantly) in a hit-and-run incident. It was clear from looking at the aftermath that it had been hit by a large vehicle, such as a delivery van, and dragged some distance. Whoever hit the cat must have known what they had done, as it was obvious from tyre tracks that they had driven past the scene to leave the cul-de-sac shortly after the incident happened. In the UK, if your car hits a dog you are compelled by law to stop and report it. However, cats are not included under this legislation. A petition is calling for the law to be changed to include cats.

One would hope that whoever was driving the van would have realised that stopping was the right thing to do. Sadly, it appears not.

If you're running over pets you are driving TOO FAST.

Delivery drivers work to very tight schedules, and as this was just before Christmas the driver must have been under great pressure. Even so, driving without care and attention in our residential streets is not acceptable. What if this had been a child? There is a children's playground at the end of the cul-de-sac so it is even more important that delivery drivers take greater care than this when visiting our neighbourhood.

So what can we do to prevent this from happening again? Clearly, drivers need to drive with greater care and attention on our residential streets. If you're driving fast enough to run over a fit and healthy cat in a cul-de-sac your either driving too fast, not paying sufficient attention or both.

Peterborough Green Party supports a campaign called '20's Plenty' that aims to encourage drivers to slow down in residential areas, particularly around schools and other areas where children congregate. There is no expectation that drivers will all slow down to 20mph, but the hope is that seeing the signs will remind drivers that residential areas are not motorways and that it's all to easy to knock down a child or animal when you're going too fast in a built-up area.

What do you think about this? Would '20s Plenty' make a difference to the road safety in your street?

The Orton Wanderer!

Let's finish this post with a heart-warming story, that serves a as a reminder of how wonderful our community in Orton truly is.

Orton Southgate has an active residents' association and a Facebook group where residents share information and post messages of concern. It was about 10pm one evening in April when I spotted a call for help. A lady living in Orton Southgate had discovered a cat behind a shed in her garden that appeared to be lost. The usual advice if you see a cat that you believe may be missing from home is to leave the cat where it is but give it access to water. Put posters up in nearby streets and put messages out on social media in the hope the owners will recognise the description of the cat and come to collect it. Cats roam, and in many cases will find their own way home.

This particular cat had been seen near the shed for a number of weeks, however, and it was quite clear from its behaviour that it was truly lost. The lady who had taken the cat in was unable to keep it overnight due to having other animals so was asking whether anyone could look after the cat prior to it being taken to the vet the following day to scan for a microchip. I dug out a cat basket from our garage and made my way over to the lady's house and collected the cat.

The cat was a real sweetie, a female not much more than a kitten really. She was no trouble and enjoyed a restful night with me. I posted information about the cat onto some local Facebook pages in the hope that someone might be looking for her. One of these was the fantastic Orton Sellers and Stuff.

Orton Sellers and Stuff Facebook Group

The following morning, we took the cat to the vet. Unfortunately, no microchip was found. We were wondering what to do next when a message from another resident appeared on my phone. A family had lost a cat that fitted the description that I had posted. A picture of their cat was attached to the message. It was immediately clear that this was the same cat!

A short time later, a gentleman arrived at my home and before even seeing the cat or a picture of it he described it very accurately to me. He also showed me photographs of his missing cat on his phone. There was no doubt at all that this was his cat!

And this is the amazing part of the story... the cat, which was only 8 months old, had been missing for THREE MONTHS from an address in Orton Malborne THREE MILES AWAY! Where on earth had she been all that time? And how had she managed to travel so far from home, over at least two very busy roads?  It turns out the family had put 'missing' posters up in their area, but who was to know the cat would have travelled from Malborne, through Goldhay, through Southgate to finally end up in Northgate!

The family took the cat to the vet and apart from a few tics (that fortunately had not transferred onto me or anyone else!) she was found to be in good health. But what a story she could tell!

Now reunited with her family

What a lovely example of a community pulling together to reunite a family with their beloved pet.


Microchip Your Cats!

Please microchip your cats and make sure the information held on the microchip company's database is up-to-date. Microchipping can't protect them from accidents or from going missing. But when a cat is found, a microchip means it can be reunited with its family sooner rather than later.

Any vet can microchip your cat, and a number of animal charities, such as Wood Green, can also help. Microchipping is as important for your cat's welfare as food and shelter, so if your cat doesn't have a microchip yet, please get it chipped today!

A vet scans a cat for a microchip

Not Alright By Me

Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice, Peterborough

Wonderful things happen in our community every day, and over the coming weeks and months I intend to tell you about as many of them as possible. Orton is a lovely place to live and in our wider city environment of Peterborough there are many fantastic facilities and services that help to make our area a truly terrific place to live and to work in.

But it's not all good, no city ever is. Anti-social behaviour, in its myriad forms, happens all over the country and Peterborough is by no means immune to it.

However, something happened outside our precious Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice this week that, for me, is beyond the pale: fly-tipping.

Article in the Peterborough Telegraph

I was first alerted to what had happened by an article in the Peterborough Telegraph. It explained that a 'van-load of rubble, broken wood and insulation' had been illegally dumped in an area of natural beauty that had just been painstakingly re-created by volunteers for residents and visitors to enjoy.

The anger and upset I feel is difficult to put into words, but I will try.

People in need hospice care are not rubbish and where they are cared for is not a rubbish tip.

At some time in all of our lives we, or someone close to us, will need the care and support of our local hospice, either for end-of-life palliative care or for support living with the consequences of a long-term illness. At these moments we are at our most vulnerable, our most bewildered and in most need of the dignified and unconditional support that hospice staff and volunteers provide. Treating the grounds of the hospice as an open refuse site is the opposite of dignified and it burns my heart to think how the staff and residents of Thorpe Hall must have felt when this very selfish thing happened right on their doorstep.

If you've never needed the services of a hospice, perhaps I can explain a bit about what they do by sharing some of my family story.

On Christmas eve 2009, my dad was diagnosed with late stage terminal cancer of the throat. Treatment was not an option, so he was quickly transferred to the hospice in his area (not Peterborough) where he peacefully passed away on 12th February 2010. Had he not had access to a hospice, where the care he was given gave him great dignity and peace and where we as a family always felt very welcome and supported, he would have died in a noisy hospital with none of the support or care that he experienced at the hospice, quite simply because hospitals are not equipped to support people with terminal illness in the same way.

I found my dad's death very difficult to deal with (I still do, and expect I always will). I can be a tough cookie and the relationship I had with my dad when I was a teenager was certainly fiery at times, but he was still my dad and I loved him and wanted him to know that. I was really, really scared that my dad would pass away without knowing how much I loved him and needed him, and it was the kind and caring hospice staff who I turned to for advice and support on how to stem the flow of my tears long enough to be able to have a final, proper conversation with my dad before he died. In a regular hospital that would not have happened.

The best way I can describe the experience of being with a loved one who is in the late stages of a terminal diagnosis is this: it is like you're both in the departure lounge of an airport. Your loved one is about to go on a one-way journey and you know you won't see one another again. But the plane has been delayed. You know it will come eventually, but you don't know when. In the meantime, you are both sat in the departure lounge feeling terrified but with no idea what to say to one another.

In this most dreadful of situations, hospice staff are there to help and I don't know how they do it or what we would do without them.

As many of you know, I have multiple sclerosis (MS). I was first diagnosed with MS when I was just 19 and am now 45. I am acutely aware of the incredible care Sue Ryder provides to people with MS through our hospice and others like it. A friend worked in a hospice where I used to live and she said to me 'You matter until the last day of your life'. This is so important to remember. Being in a hospice doesn't mean your final days have no meaning, quite the opposite, They are an opportunity to squeeze as much from life as there is to be squeezed (in the circumstances). I don't know what course my MS will take. My dad's mum also had MS and she passed away at the age of 55 owing to complications. A close friend of mine, who also had MS, passed away aged 43 as her weakened immune system couldn't cope with an otherwise 'simple' chest infection. What I do know is whatever the future holds, if the hospice isn't there to support me and my family the outlook will be far more bleak.

The hospice costs £2.8million per year to run. The last thing it needs is unexpected clear up costs.

I wondered what I could do to help. Peterborough City Council has advised the hospice that the specialist clear up will cost £200. What was needed was money, and so I have sent the hospice a cheque for £200 which I hope will go some way to at least clearing up most of the mess. Moreover, I would like to take the opportunity to let people know why our hospice matters. It is one of the jewels in Peterborough's crown and its staff and volunteers should be treated with our greatest respect.

The hospice now needs more help to install CCTV in the hope of deterring further fly-tipping at its site and catching those that do. If you can spare anything at all (I could ill-afford the money I sent, but I can ill-afford a future without our hospice so I really don't care about the money) please send Thorpe Hall Hospice a donation. You can do so very easily via its website.

This was difficult to write and it may be difficult to read. If you or a loved one are currently coping with a terminal diagnosis I send you lots of love.

In loving memory of my dad, George Williamson 1942-2010.

How Close is Your Polling Station?

It's the European Referendum today. You know my feelings on the matter, so I'm not getting into that again other than to say, however you feel, PLEASE VOTE.

I'm writing this at 6pm, having already been out to vote.

Outside the polling station in Matley, Orton Brimbles

Here's a picture of me taken outside my polling station in Orton Brimbles.

"Orton Brimbles?! I thought you lived in Orton Northgate, in that house with all the 'Vote Green' posters in the window, Julie!"

Well, yes, I do live in Orton Northgate. Unfortunately, there is no polling station here. There isn't one in Orton Southgate either.

Polling station in Matley, Orton Brimbles, 1.5 miles from my home

Our polling station is in Matley in Orton Brimbles, 1.5 miles away. No big deal?  Well, it can be if, like me, you don't drive.

It happens that I don't mind a walk, and voting is very important to me, so I will make the effort. But it concerns me that turnout at the last local election was only 35% in this ward and I wonder to what extent the distance to the polling station made a difference.

Yes, it is true that more and more people choose to vote by post these days. Personally, I like the ritual and the process to turning up at the polling station to vote in person. I like to see democracy in action. I like to say 'hello' to people in my community. One of the great things about polling day used to be that feeling of being united under democracy as we all trooped to the polling station. There's an atmosphere of anticipation, and I like it. I still want to do that. I just wish the polling station wasn't quite so far away from my home and I worry that the distance deters some people from voting at all.

The irony, of course, is that there is a polling station very close to Northgate in Alwalton, but Electoral Commission rules state that you can only vote at the polling station to which you have been assigned (and Alwalton is beyond the ward boundary - in fact, it's outside Peterborough). This makes total sense from an administrative point of view. I'm less convinced that it makes sense for all residents, however.

What do you think? Given the growth of Ortons Northgate and Southgate, isn't it time we had a polling station of our own?

A crude map of my walk to my nearest polling station, 1.5 miles away. 
Yes, it does involve walking in a little circle at the half-way point.
I shall let you work out why.

Access to New Homes in Orton Northgate

This may come as news to you as there has been very little information about it in the local press or from the City Council until now. Did YOU know of the plans - that have already been approved by your City Council - to build up to 130 new houses on land formerly owned by the East of England Showground at Orton Northgate?

The Peterborough Telegraph ran a story about it last weekend which you can read here: http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/politics/new-homes-by-showground-1-7369667

As you will read, Alwalton residents have raised concerns about access to the new housing scheme.

According to the article, Alwalton Parish Council and some residents of Alwalton feel that access to the new housing should be via the entrance to Orton Northgate that already exists, along a road called Joseph Odam Way. Joseph Odam Way runs off the Lynchwood roundabout towards the entrance to the Showground, with access to the houses on the Northgate estate off to the left and the right from a further roundabout just outside the Showground gates).

Peterborough City Council, however, agrees with the developers, that access should be via Oundle Road and that a new signalised junction should be put in place on Oundle Road to facilitate this.

Click to enlarge

The area shown in purple is the approximate site of the new housing. The yellow dots indicate Joseph Odam Way.


Alwalton Parish Council's and Alwalton residents' objections and suggestions seem to make perfect sense to me (I live in Orton Northgate and share Alwalton PC's concerns about safety and congestion).

I would be interested to know how Orton Northgate residents feel about the access proposals.
Do you agree with Alwalton Parish Council or Peterborough City Council?
If you drive along this section of Oundle Road at peak times how do you think the plans will affect your journeys?
Do you worry that this section of Oundle Road will be less safe when the Council-approved access to the new housing is put in place?
What about during the construction period? Are you concern about safety on that section of Oundle Road with so many heavy plant vehicles entering the development site via an already very busy road?

I would appreciate your views.

*Please note that Alwalton Parish Council does not cover the area that is being developed. Alwalton Parish Council covers the area adjacent to it, hence their concerns about traffic flow and road safety. The new development will be within Orton Waterville Parish.

Thank you - Peterborough City Council Election Results 2016

Dear residents of Orton Waterville ward,

I'm writing this the day after the 5th May 2016 Peterborough City Council Elections.

I got home at 4am and have only had a couple of hours of sleep, so please forgive any errors in my text - I'm both physically and emotionally exhausted.

Yesterday, was the first time in my life that I have stood as a candidate in a local election. What's more, I took the decision to stand on Sunday 20th March 2016. This meant I had only 46 days between my decision to stand and election day to canvas your votes (compared to the other candidates who had years of experience and much more opportunity).

In the last local election in this ward, the Green candidate came in fourth place (out of four) with 319 votes, and in the year before that the Green candidate came in fourth place (out of five) with 206 votes (both of these results were EXCELLENT for the Green Party, and I thank our previous candidates for building this support for the Green Party in Orton Waterville wholeheartedly).

With little time and very little resource, and having been set the expectation that I should come last, I decided to work as hard as I could to continue to increase the Green share of the vote in Orton Waterville.

With all of this in mind, last night's result has blown me away.

Click image to enlarge

As you can see in the table above, 565 residents chose to vote for me, your Green Party candidate. The effect has been a 5th place ranking (narrowly missing 4th place by just 42 votes), with the Green Party polling more votes than candidates from two other mainstream parties.

This is a tremendous result for the Green Party.

I know from speaking to many of you that this has been the first time that you have ever voted Green. I can barely express how honoured I feel to have the support of so many people in Orton Waterville ward. I wish I could thank each person who voted for me individually. As you can see by looking at the figures, every single Green vote made an impact.

I would also like to take the opportunity to extend my thanks and respect for the gracious conduct of the other candidates in this race, both throughout the campaign and on election night, where I was very much the novice. We are all united in our hopes to encourage better turnout at local elections and to engage the public in local democracy. My Conservative colleagues worked very hard for their success and were gracious in victory.

This is a result to be celebrated. The mountain the Green Party in Waterville faced was enormous. To come in 5th place out of nine candidates is a huge achievement for my local party. Moreover, we are absolutely delighted to know that Green issues have such a high level of support in Orton Waterville. Any politician will tell you how difficult it is to convert voters from a standing start. I feel incredibly humbled by the level of support that I and the Green Party have received.

Last month, I was re-elected as Parish Councillor in this ward, so even though I didn't succeed in gaining a City Council seat in this election, I am still very much present in Orton Waterville ward and you will still see me in our community and still find me working hard for all of our residents.

Finally, I would like to thank my Peterborough Green Party colleagues for being so generous in their support of this new Green Party member, many of whom gave willingly of their time and resources to to help me to reach you with my leafleting campaign. Our Party Co-ordinator Roger Proudfoot, my electoral agent Fiona Radic and Green Party members Alex Airey, Jon Phillipson Brown, Fay Belham and Ruth Fiddy, all of whom went the extra mile (literally), helping me to deliver my election leaflet to nearly 4,000 houses in our ward, and to everyone at Peterborough Green Party and our supporters for being an unwavering source of encouragement and support (and hugs, when I stepped off stage after the declaration last night and promptly burst into tears). Last but not least, my loyal and loving partner David, who designed and delivered the electoral leaflet that had such a huge impact on local people.

This is not the end. It is the beginning of the sure and steady process of 'Greening' Orton Waterville by taking better care of ourselves, one another and our beautiful environment and I feel confident that our natural wildlife habitats will continue to benefit enormously from your new and renewed interest in Green issues.

To everyone who took the time and trouble to support me in your myriad ways, THANK YOU.

I'll leave the last word to my Peterborough Green Party colleagues...

For the Love of Peterborough: 5 Priorities for Orton Waterville Ward

Remember to vote on 5th May 2016

Peterborough has yet to have a Green Party Councillor.

That hasn't stopped us Greens from coming to your streets and asking you about the things that matter to you in your part of our city.

I've had the privilege of hearing from many of you (and I hope I'll hear from many more). I've listened and you've told me that these should be my priorities if I'm elected to serve you as a member of Peterborough City Council.

1. Street Safety

There's way too much pavement parking on the streets of Orton Waterville ward and it's making our residential roads dangerous. The pavements are meant for pedestrians, not cars. Cars parked on the pavement are a hazard in particular to blind people (with RNIB in our ward we have a high number of blind and partially sighted neighbours), older people and children. No one should have to step into the road to avoid a poorly parked car.

You're also concerned about the speed of traffic, particularly on Dunblane Drive in Orton Southgate, Loch Lomond Way in Orton Northgate, Brimbles Way in Orton Brimbles, Wistow Way in Orton Wistow and Goldhay Way in Orton Goldhay and you would like to see traffic calming measures in these locations. You've also noticed that cars and, in particular, delivery vans, drive too fast down our residential cul-de-sacs. While in other parts of the ward, such as Orton Waterville, heavy goods vehicles have mounted the verge and made a mess of the grass there.


2. Grass Cutting & Litter

The recent reduction in the number of times the grass is cut by the City Council has had a negative effect on people living right across the ward, including Orton Goldhay, Orton Brimbles and Orton Wistow. Those of you with dogs have been frustrated by the height the grass has grown to at times, making it difficult for your dogs to walk on and harder for them to do their doggy business in comfort! While efforts to create habitats where wildlife can prosper are to be commended, you don't want all grass verges to look unkempt and wild all the time.

On the subject of dogs, many of you feel there are insufficient dog bins in the Ortons, those we do have aren't used correctly and there are still too many instances of fouling (even a few thoughtless dog owners bagging the poo then throwing the bag into nearby bushes!). We want to sort this mess out (literally) by making the Council policy on dog poo very clear and providing the resources needed to manage the natural function of dogs that has been allowed to become a menace.

General litter is a problem that seems to affect people in all urban areas. The situation in our ward isn't helped by the brisk Peterborough wind or the lack of litter bins. Thankfully, the Council recently replaced the post-mounted bins (that could easily be raided by foxes and crows!) with larger, multi-use floor-standing bins. Everyone seems to agree that these are a vast improvement but you'd like more of them.

3. Crime, ASB & Noise

While crime is pretty low in parts of our ward, whenever a crime is committed (burglary and anti-social behaviour (ASB) in particular) you tell me that you feel more anxious about your personal safety. Anxiety and stress have a detrimental effect on general health, leading to sleeplessness and low mood, which can also affect your relationships at home and your performance at work.

At the Green Party, we're keen to support initiatives such as Neighbourhood Watch and Residents' Associations that promote the feeling of community. While not everyone wants to know their neighbours the way they know their family and friends, that feeling of being part of a community and knowing you can turn to someone close by when you want to is really important.

For example, people living in Orton Brimbles, Orton Southgate and Orton Goldhay have expressed their frustration about the amount of noise created by the illegal and unregulated 'car meets' that have taken place in the area during the summer months. Those of you who have to be up early for work the next day, have young children or who would simply like to get to sleep at a reasonable hour have said how stressed out you feel when the screeching of tyres can be heard well into the small hours some Saturday nights.

4. Somewhere to be

It isn't only our younger people who need somewhere to hang out. Residents of Orton Northgate and Orton Southgate don't even have a place on their own estates to vote! While the number of houses in these Ortons continues to rise, shared public facilities, such as a multi-purpose community hall, are nowhere to be seen. When you vote on 5th May, Orton Northgate and Orton Southgate residents need to go to Matley in Orton Brimbles to do it. You can get there on foot via the footbridge, but it's a bit of a walk if you live at the far end of either Northgate or Southgate and the last thing we want to encourage is going by car (although you may have little option).

A community centre isn't just for voting. It's a place where we can hold community events of all kinds and share information that's of benefit to each other.

We are really well served in the Ortons by the 'Orton Sellers & Stuff' and 'OSRA' (Orton Southgate Residents' Association) Facebook pages (the volunteers who run these pages are my personal heroes, and I'm sure many local people feel the same way). But as a community, we need a place to meet. Orton Wistow and Orton Brimbles both have Community Centres. Older parts of Orton, such as Orton Waterville, have a Memorial Hall (memorial halls were established across the country after the First World War). This is a fantastic facility if you live in that area, but we need more like this so everyone across Orton has a place to be within our community.

5. Visibility

Many of you have told me that you don't see your local councillors enough (and don't see your MP at all!). You are also concerned by the lack of police visibility on our streets and would like more PCSOs and Special Constables in our area. I agree with you. We need more peace-of-mind patrolling and availability, while at the same time the resources to provide these are shrinking. It is becoming more and more obvious that we all have a role to play in bringing our communities together, watching out for each other, caring for those around us.

As a Parish Councillor, I already make it my business to be visible and accessible around the Ortons, not just at election time, but all the time. If elected to the City Council I will make myself available to you at times that suit you. In particular, during that crucial 10am-2pm weekday timeframe, when parents of young children are more likely to have time to come and see me.

You will also be able to contact me on social media and email and can expect a very fast response from me.  Most Councillors have to fit their duties to you around a full-time day job.  If elected, I will treat my role as Councillor as my full-time job to maximise my availability to you. My availability to you is of key importance to me and if elected I invite you to hold me to that.

"But we told our Councillors about these problems already and they haven't done anything about it!"

All Councillors work hard to address the issues you raise. However, your current Council all represent the same political party. On 5th May, you have an opportunity to change this when all three Council seats in your ward become open and candidates from different parties have the opportunity to stand for election.

As your Green Party candidate I can provide an alternative voice for you and add much needed pressure and fresh thinking to the current closed shop of councillors from the same party. You will have three votes - this means you can still vote for a candidate from your preferred party and also vote for the candidate from the Green Party (which is me, Julie Howell) if you want to. A diverse council gets more done.

Five reasons why I'm standing for election in Orton Waterville Ward

On Thursday 5th May 2016, I will stand for election in Orton Waterville ward in the Peterborough City Council Elections. When you go to your polling station to vote, you will see my name JULIE HOWELL on the ballot paper along with the names of other candidates. I am standing on behalf of the Green Party.

The Orton Waterville ward includes Orton Southgate, Orton Northgate (I live here), Orton Brimbles, Orton Wistow, Orton Waterville and parts of Orton Goldhay. As a resident of this ward, I enjoy the many benefits of having good neighbours and of being a good neighbour, of being part of a thriving community and helping to build this community.

Standing for election to the City Council is a massive step up from simply being a good neighbour. To be an effective City Councillor is to put the needs of the people who live in our community first and requires many 'people skills', including listening, understanding, speaking up and not giving up at the first hurdle!

Orton Waterville has never had a Green Party councillor. You may be wondering why I have decided to stand for election to the City Council and, in particular, why I have decided to stand on behalf of the Green Party.

The area shaded orange represents Orton Waterville ward

1. For Peterborough

Orton Waterville is a lovely place to live. Outstanding natural beauty and a vibrant, diverse community that deserves the support of a committed City Council, with councillors who really listen and really engage (all year round, not just when there's an election coming up!).

We're very fortunate in Peterborough. We are less than an hour by train from London, yet we are not London. We don't have to pay London prices to live here and more of what we do earn we can re-invest in our local community by spending with local shops and businesses. While some of us do commute to London for our jobs, increasing numbers work right here in our city, with many now working from home. And why not? With our mix of the very best in public venues, business parks, and super-fast broadband set in or close to acre upon acre of unspoilt countryside this is a wonderful place to live.

Most days I walk around our neighbourhood and think to myself, "This is a beautiful place."

I want Orton Waterville to continue to be a beautiful, safe, community-oriented ward even as the region continues to develop and grow. We must protect our rich, natural environment, ensure what we take from nature we also put back, and continue to build strong communities so that no part of our area becomes just another 'dormitory town' for people who can't afford to live in London. I know my neighbours. I know where to turn if I need help in my community. I want everyone who lives in Orton Waterville to feel the same way.

I have a lot to say about why Orton Waterville needs - and deserves - to have its first Green City Councillor. Look out for future posts and do please share your thoughts with me and other readers.

(You'll find a fascinating history of Orton Waterville on the Orton Waterville Parish Council website.)

2. For older and disabled people

I'm attracted to the Green Party for many reasons. The greatest of these is the Party's position on the rights of older and disabled people. As I've already shared with you, I've had MS for more than a quarter of a century, and most of my adult life has been dedicated to serving the needs of disabled people. I am unwavering in my belief that disabled people, Deaf people, people with conditions that affect their mental health, people with learning disabilities, people with living with cognitive impairments, older people, people who are temporarily disabled due to illness or accident and people living with long term conditions have the fundamental right to participate in society as fully as everyone else.

Disability can be expensive. It can be lonely. It can be confusing. It can be isolating. But with the right social policies disability doesn't have to be any of these things.

Disabled and older people can be - and want to be - valuable, active and motivated members of our community.

I will be the first to say how access to the internet has changed disabled people's lives for the better. Suddenly, we are on a level field where we can participate in community conversations and can make our views heard. But life still happens in the 'real' world and that's why it's vital that disabled people are able to move about in our community safely and easily, to have 'real life' friends as well as friends online and to participate in the real life activities that everyone else enjoys.

The Green Party has a lot to say on the subject of disabled people's rights. If elected to the City Council, you can be sure that I will put the needs of Orton Waterville's older and disabled people at the heart of everything I do.


3. For democracy

I believe that people are best served when the people serving them represent a diverse range of backgrounds, experiences, interests and political views. At present, all three Orton Waterville City Councillors represent the same political party. While I respect the choice that the people of Orton Waterville have made when voting in past elections I hope that you will agree with me that:

A City Council made up of Councillors from different political parties is likely to work harder and achieve more than a City Council where all Councillors represent the same political party.

Past elections have show that growing numbers of people in Orton Waterville are choosing to vote for the Green Party candidate, which is why I'm really pleased to put my name on the ballot paper as a representative of the Green Party. As I'm sure you agree, people who want to vote Green should be able to do so.


4. In memory

I have also decided to stand in this election for a deeply personal reason. In October of 2015, a dear friend and noble campaigner for democracy and citizen engagement suddenly passed away at the age of 47. His name was Dan Jellinek. I'd known Dan for around 15 years, having met during my time as a disability rights campaigner for RNIB. He is the author of 'People Power: a user's guide to democracy'.

When considering whether to stand for this election I asked myself, "What would Dan say?"

Without a doubt he would have given me his full support and encouragement. So it is also in loving memory of my dear friend Dan that I stand for election to Peterborough City Council.


5. Because I wish to 'be the change'...

A wise person (possibly Gandhi!) encouraged us to 'be the change you wish to see in the world'. But what do these words mean to the people of Orton Waterville?

Well, for this resident, they mean being a good neighbour.

In our super-fast lives we can spend so much of our time focusing our attention and energy on 'things' (mobile phones and tablets in particular!) that we forget the very basic but very important 'skill' of being a good neighbour.

If you have lived for a long time in one of the more established parts of Orton Waterville, then you may already know your neighbours very well. You may know, without a shadow of doubt, that you can turn to your neighbours in a time of need and be committed to being there for any neighbour who may need your help. However, not everyone knows their neighbours or feels that they live in a community. For some, family life leaves little time to get to know the people in their street. For others, uncertainty and simple shyness can be real barriers to making new friends. Some people commute to work and don't spend as much time in their homes in Orton Waterville as they would like to, but still want to feel that they 'belong' in our community.

I recently watched a BBC documentary about loneliness and was struck by the revelation that it isn't only older people who can experience the feeling of being alone. It is possible to be surrounded by people but feel no real connection to them, and this is a situation I would like to see change.

I am desperately keen that everyone in Orton Waterville feels that they belong to a 'neighbourhood' IF they want to.

There are many big things we can do to encourage the spirit of neighbourliness in Orton Waterville, from forming Neighbourhood Watch Schemes and Residents' Associations, to making an effort to introduce ourselves to neighbours we haven't spoken to before. But there are also tiny acts of neighbourliness that we can take part in every day, that don't cost money or time. For example, sometimes I set myself the challenge of saying hello to as many people as I can while taking my dog for a walk. While that sounds like a really small thing (and for me it is) when you say 'hello' to someone you may be the only other person they've spoken to that day. Just a simple smile and hello can really boost another person's mood (and if they don't return it, that's okay too!).


So there you have it...

Five of the reasons why I'm standing as a Green Party candidate for Orton Waterville in the Peterborough City Council elections on Thursday 5th May 2016. I am committed to serving every resident of Orton Waterville to the very best of my ability, listening to what you tell me is important and representing your needs. Do please get in touch with me and let me know what matters to you. I'm all ears.