Village Voice December 2012/January 2013 | Page 11

JACKIE’S COUNTY COLUMN December Merry Christmas! The County Corner is in list form this month, as we all resort to writing long lists at this time of year! Keeping in touch with friends and relations How is your broadband signal? Invitations to tender have gone out for Hampshire’s work to bring faster broadband to rural areas. Anecdotes which describe the practicalities of slow broadband are always useful in explaining the problems, and provide a powerful lobbying tool. Please email if you can or call me with your story. The bells are ringing Age UK has a new very simple phone for the elderly which makes it easy to call family and friends. Call 0800 011 3342 for details or go to the Age UK website. Christmas Lights and starry nights As the rollout out of the County’s new low level lighting starts to spread towards Winchester it is a joy to see the footways well-lit and the skies remaining dark. Watch out for the scheme as it moves into the Itchen Valley division in 2013. Lights in the South Downs National Park will be LED style. colder. Please use your nearest grit bin to make sure nearby footways are salted on icy days and offer your help if you can to neighbourhood care groups. Happy and Healthy New Year! Spring 2013 sees the official start of the CCG’s- the Clinical Commissioning Groups led by the GP consortia across the County. The direction of services will be considered by the Health and Wellbeing Board, and the County takes on its clear role as the leader in Public Health, and increased role as scrutineer of Health Provision. If you have an unresolved issue with your health provider, you can report it to your County Councillor too. What’s your New Year resolution for 2013? I often get asked…’do you know anyone who could…?’ Could you become a foster carer, a charity volunteer or a School Governor? Please call me for ideas and lots of ways you can use your talents to help in your community! Councillor Jackie Porter e-mail: [email protected] www.jackieporter.mycouncillor.org.uk Phone: [phone] Text: 07973 696 085 or write to me at: The Down House, Itchen Abbas, Winchester, Hants SO21 1AX Goodwill to all at Christmas Thank you to all the volunteers who work all year round to provide lunch clubs and neighbourhood care groups. Your week inweek out volunteering is really appreciated. The joy of the Christmas celebrations My mum’s called Joy! She’s 85 and not so steady on her feet now. Perhaps you know someone similar? Please watch out for elderly people this winter as the days go 9