Promiscuity, separation and divorce have reached epidemic proportions in Britain, the Bishop of London has said.
The Rt Rev Richard Chartres said people should use the Queen's Diamond Jubilee to restore strained relationships.
He said although people were better off in many ways since the Queen's accession to the throne in 1952, material progress had come at the expense of equality and communal life.
He also called for action to tackle "depressingly high" youth unemployment.
Writing in a Bible Society pamphlet, Dr Chartres said relationships had become more strained, fragile and broken than people cared to recognise.
Anti-depressants"Literally millions of children grow up without knowing a stable, loving, secure family life - and that is not to count the hundreds of thousands more who don't even make it out of the womb each year," he said.
"Promiscuity, separation and divorce have reached epidemic proportions in our society.
"Perhaps, then, we shouldn't be surprised that depression and the prescription of anti-depressants has reached a similarly epidemic level."
The senior Church of England bishop presented the Biblical understanding of a Jubilee as an opportunity to take a long view, and think about the kind of environment being bequeathed to following generations.
He said it should include a move to living within our means.
Dr Chartres also described youth unemployment in Britain as "depressing" and said we should look to role models and mentors for a solution as well as government.
"The extent of youth unemployment is appalling. The waste of human talent is unsustainable morally and economically," he said.
He also praised the "quiet dignity" of the Monarch, who he described as the most famous public figure on earth and the most respected.
"The way in which she and her family have reached out to include newly established British communities has provided a focus for continuing but expanding national self-respect," he said.
That in turn had helped the peaceful transformation of Britain's national identity, he added.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Sussex prayer decision heads to arbitration - Delaware Wave
GEORGETOWN ---- The question of what public prayers can be offered during Sussex County Council meetings may be decided in a fourth-floor Wilmington conference room this morning.
A U.S. magistrate judge ordered the Sussex County Council and a group of residents suing the county, claiming council's ritual recitation of the Lord's Prayer at the beginning of its meetings is a constitutionally banned establishment of religion, to send representitives to mediation conferences. The first is scheduled for today and another could take place on June 14 if the first meeting doesn't lead to an agreement.
The talks come three weeks after U.S. District Court Judge Leonard P. Stark issued an injunction barring the council from leading the crowds at their meetings in reciting the Lord's Prayer. Four Sussex County residents, one of them a Lutheran pastor, had sued to stop the practice because they argued it was an uncomfortably blatant endorsement of Christianity by the government. Sussex County defended its ritual, saying it meant to give no preference to any religion and that the plaintiffs hadn't proven the the practice harmed them.
Stark issued a ruling May 15 that didn't end the lawsuit outright, but favored the plaintiffs and put Sussex on the defensive. The judge noted he was "likely to conclude that the Council's practice... constitutes government endorsement of the Christian faith," and he encouraged the two sides to agree to mediation. Other government bodies around the country, Stark said, use more amorphous prayers than the Lord's Prayer which don't run afoul of the Constitution's establishment clause, or invite a rotating cast of preachers and worshipers to recite prayers at public meetings. By June 15, Stark said in mid-May, the council had to change its ways.
A letter to Stark from an attorney for the four plaintiffs, telling him the two sides were ready to have a mediator hold settlement talks in the Mullin v. Sussex County case, says Sussex County wanted the June 15 deadline pushed back because "30 days will be insufficient to complete the settlement negotiations."
But the plaintiffs' attorneys, which include Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said it is "perfectly feasible for the parties to reach an agreement in time for the Council to approve an agreement at its June 5th or June 12th meeting," and discouraged Stark from extending the deadline. The court record doesn't indicate that Stark altered the June 15 date.
Sussex County spokesman Chip Guy said Council President Michael H. Vincent would represent the county at Friday's conference, along with attorneys.
At the May 22 County Council meeting, the first one held after Stark's order was published, council members said nothing about the order looming over them. They began the meeting with the Lord's Prayer as usual, just before reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and then voting to approve the day's agenda.
Source: www.delmarvanow.com
ICO fines Sussex trust £325,000 for data breach - The Guardian
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has served Brighton and Sussex university hospitals NHS trust with the highest civil monetary penalty (CMP) it has issued following what it described as a serious breach of the Data Protection Act.
The ICO's penalty of £325,000 on Brighton and Sussex follows the discovery of highly sensitive personal data belonging to tens of thousands of patients and staff – including some relating to HIV and genito urinary medicine patients - on hard drives sold on an internet auction site in October and November 2010.
The data included details of patients' medical conditions and treatment, disability living allowance forms and children's reports. It also included documents containing staff details including national insurance numbers, home addresses, ward and hospital IDs, and information referring to criminal convictions and suspected offences.
The trust said it plans to dispute the ICO's fine and denied that it had acted recklessly over data protection.
The data breach occurred when a worker at the trust's IT service provider, Sussex Health Informatics Service, was supposed to have destroy approximately 1,000 hard drives held in a room accessed by key code at Brighton general hospital in September and October 2010. A data recovery company subsequently bought four hard drives from an internet auction in December 2010, which had purchased them from the individual.
The ICO added that although it had been assured in its initial investigation that only the four hard drives were affected, a university contacted it in April 2011 to advise it that one of its students had purchased hard drives via an Internet auction site. An examination of the drives established that they contained data which belonged to the trust.
The ICO said the trust has been "unable to explain how the individual removed at least 252 of the approximate 1,000 hard drives they were supposed to destroy from the hospital during their five days on site. They are not believed to have known the key code needed to access the room where the drives were stored, and were usually supervised by staff working for HIS. However, the trust has acknowledged that the individual would have left the building for breaks, and that the hospital is publicly accessible."
The deputy information commissioner and director of data protection, David Smith, said: "The amount of the civil monetary penalty issued in this case reflects the gravity and scale of the data breach. It sets an example for all organisations - both public and private - of the importance of keeping personal information secure. That said, patients of the NHS in particular rely on the service to keep their sensitive personal details secure. In this case, the trust failed significantly in its duty to its patients, and also to its staff."
The trust said it has now committed to providing a secure central store for hard drives and other media, reviewing the process for vetting potential IT suppliers, obtaining the services of a fully accredited ISO 27001 IT waste disposal company, and making progress towards central network access.
However, the chief executive of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals, Duncan Selbie, said: "We dispute the information commissioner's findings, especially that we were reckless, a requirement for any fine.
"We arranged for an experienced NHS IT service provider to safely dispose of our redundant hard drives and acted swiftly to recover, without exception, those that their sub-contractor placed on eBay. No sensitive data has therefore entered the public domain. We reported all of this voluntarily to the Information Commissioner's Office, which told me last summer that this was not a case worthy of a fine.
"The information commissioner has ignored our extensive representations. It is a matter of frank surprise that we still do not know why they have imposed such an extraordinary fine despite repeated attempts to find out, including a freedom of information request which they interestingly refused on the basis that it would "prejudice the monetary penalty process".
"In a time of austerity, we have to ensure more than ever that we deliver the best and safest care to our patients with the money that we have available. We simply cannot afford to pay a £325,000 fine and are therefore appealing to the information tribunal."
This article is published by Guardian Professional. For weekly updates on news, debate and best practice on public sector IT, join the Guardian Government Computing network here.
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
London Gets Gold for ID Fraud - Yahoo Finance
NOTTINGHAM, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwire -05/23/12)- London could be set for a rise in identity fraud this summer as new figures from Experian CreditExpert reveal that 7.7 million Britons from outside the capital are set to descend on some of the UK's worst areas for ID theft - while 1.9 million Londoners plan to escape.(1)
London, the boroughs around many of the Games venues in particular, is already home to the UK's worst ID fraud hotspots, with rates of attempted fraud up to 11 times higher than the national average. These include East Ham (11 times higher), Woolwich (6.5 times higher) and Stratford itself (six times higher).(2)
There will be a mass influx of people into these areas, carrying personal information in the forms of UK bank account details, and credit card details. This leaves individuals at a high risk of Identity Fraud with individuals, in unfamiliar surroundings, exercising less caution than they would normally adhere to in their normal surroundings. This presents a massive opportunity to fraudsters, with visitors likely to have passports and other pieces of personal identification about their person, be freely using smart phones and unsecured WiFi hotspots, and also potentially sharing hostels or rented accommodation with strangers all of which increase the risk of identity theft.
Visitors are therefore advised to keep a close eye on their personal information, and on their credit report following their visit for any signs of unusual activity. CreditExpert also provides alerts if your personal details appear anywhere unexpectedly online so it is easy to protect yourself pro-actively.
TOP FIVE RISKS TOP FIVE TIPS TO STAY SAFE ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Passports Think about how much sensitive information you really need to have about your person - if your hotel booking has your card number and address, do you need to carry it around with you, for instance? Likewise, don't take your passport out with you unless you absolutely have to. If you are staying in a hotel for the Games, ask for sensitive documents to be securely stored in the hotel safe when you are not using them. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- PIN codes Make sure that no-one else can see you enter your PIN code at ATMs and chip and pin machines, particularly in large crowds. Do not write down or carry your PIN code with you. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Smartphones If you have a smartphone, you'll certainly want to photograph and tweet your time at the Olympics, but be particularly careful what you share when connected to an unsecured wireless network. Also ensure you switch off Bluetooth and roaming settings when not required and ensure you use a password. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post If you're going to be one of the lucky ones visiting London for a few weeks to enjoy the Games, think about what you'll do with your post. Intercepted post is one of the key ways in which fraudsters can take people's detail, so it could be worth setting up a redirect for the duration of the Games. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Face-to-face Check the credentials of anyone asking for your personal information, whether by phone, face-to-face or over the internet. If in doubt, don't do it!
The Experian CreditExpert research reveals that no fewer than one in six Britons (16 per cent) is planning on visiting London during the Olympics, half as tourists and half to attend the Games themselves. Seventeen per cent of people coming to the capital have not been for more than a decade, with a further three per cent making their first ever trip to the city.
Nearly six out of 10 (59 per cent) will be staying for several days. Although one in four (25 per cent) will be staying in hotels and one in five (21 per cent) with friends, a significant minority (four per cent) will risk staying in a hostel and two per cent will be renting a property or someone's spare room - some 154,000 people.(3)
And although they are concerned about large crowds (23 per cent) and the expense of London (20 per cent), just three per cent are worried about identity fraud.
The risk of ID fraud among visitors is arguably heightened by the decision of many Londoners to quit the capital during the course of the Games. One in 14 (seven per cent) are looking to leave London for the duration of the Olympics, with a further one in six (17 per cent per cent) planning to get out of the city for at least some of the period.
But it's not just newcomers who need to be careful. The one in 20 Londoners taking on a lodger or renting out a room or their whole property need to be aware they are putting themselves at risk of ID fraud by inviting a stranger into their home and are advised to ensure personal details are locked away and post collected promptly.
Peter Turner, Managing Director at Experian Interactive, commented: "This is set to be a once in a lifetime summer. But that doesn't mean people should let their guard down - just because you are holidaying in the UK, you should still take the same precautions you would if you were on a city break to Europe.
"Identity fraud is one of the fastest-growing crimes of the 21st century, and anyone could be at risk from fraudsters getting hold of their personal information, particularly if they are in an unfamiliar area, renting a flat short-term or a room in a B&B. Likewise if you are a homeowner letting a spare room just for the Olympics, do ensure all your personal details are kept safe from visitors."
"This is why it is so important to have proper safeguards in place to protect your identity. With Experian CreditExpert if the worst should happen you will be alerted to any significant changes to your credit report so that you can react quickly and keep the risks to a minimum."
Identity fraud hotspots
Top 10 10k households Top 10 in 10k households nationwide Cases London Cases ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Slough 25 East Ham 78 London (all) 22 Woolwich 46 Gravesend 20 Stratford 43 Birmingham 17 Ilford 33 Luton 16 Walthamstow 27 Manchester 15 Harrow 27 Leicester 14 Cheapside 26 High Wycombe 13 Lewisham 26 Peterborough 13 Hatfield 26 Windsor 12 Enfield 26
To avoid becoming a victim of identity fraud this summer, Experian CreditExpert suggests some further tips:
1. Keep an eye on your credit report It's a history of all your credit accounts and will highlight any irregularities such as suspect applications for credit and rises in card balances. You can view your credit report free with a 30 day trial with Experian CreditExpert.(ii)((i)New customers only. Monthly fee after trial ends) 2. If in doubt, don't click If an email purporting to be from a hotel or linked to the Games seems suspicious, contact the relevant organisation and don't give out personal details. Your bank, credit card provider and any reputable business will never ask for confirmation of details by email. 3. If you do become a victim of fraud Don't forget you can sign up to Experian's CreditExpert whose dedicated victims of fraud team will work on your behalf to resolve the issue.
Notes to editors:
1. The UK adult population is 48,091,600 (ONS). Sixteen per cent of adults are set to come to London during the Olympics. Therefore: 0.16 x 48,091,600 = 7,694,656 or 7.7 million.
The population of Greater London is 7,753,000 (ONS) 24 per cent of Londoners are looking to leave the capital during some or all of the Games. Therefore: 0.24 x 7,753,000 = 1,860,720 or 1.9 million
2. Based on analysis of information from the National Hunter anti-fraud data sharing system and the Insurance Hunter database.
3. 0.02 x 7694656 = 153,893 or 154,000
Key benefits of Experian CreditExpert membership:
- Experian is the UK's most trusted credit reference agency
- Experian is the credit expert with more than 30 years of experience
- Free 30-day trial of CreditExpert(i)((i)New customers only. Monthly fee after trial ends)
- Unlimited access to your Experian Credit Score
- Weekly alerts of changes to your credit report
- Access to an award-winning, UK-based customer services team
- Identity Protection Insurance of up to GBP 75,000(ii) ((ii)terms and conditions apply)
- Expert advice and tools to help improve your credit rating
- Intelligent price matching to credit products suited to your credit history
- Consumers can apply directly from the website: www.creditexpert.co.uk
About Experian
Experian is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients around the world. The Group helps businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. Experian also helps individuals to check their credit report and credit score, and protect against identity theft.
Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended 31 March 2012 was US$4.5 billion. Experian employs approximately 17,000 people in 44 countries and has its corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; California, US; and Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Source: finance.yahoo.com
Lessons from London: cutting carbon emissions without the financial risk - The Guardian
As public sector organisations face a period of unsurpassed austerity, managers are bombarded with directives to not only cut costs and improve efficiency, but to reduce carbon emissions and lower energy consumption at the same time.
In London, mayor Boris Johnson has committed the city to targets that could make it the greenest conurbation in the world, reduce the capital's CO2 emissions and energy consumption by 60% by 2025.
As a significant part of London's CO2 is emitted from public sector buildings, there needs to be a focus on making those buildings more efficient. This will require action from local government – figures estimate that up to 80% of premises belonging to councils, health, and education authorities will still be in use in 2050.
One answer lies with the Greater London Authority's retrofitting scheme, known as RE:FIT, which alone could lead to a reduction of 100,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2015.
The programme works by helping public organisations equip their buildings with energy-saving technology that did not exist when the buildings were first built. Retrofit measures include new building management systems, combined heat and power, photovoltaic solar panels, low-energy lighting and new, efficient boilers.
A pilot exercise applied these tools to 42 buildings currently used by Transport for London, the Metropolitan Police and the London Fire Brigade. This has been followed by work near completion on a further 44 buildings with the London boroughs, universities, hospitals and cultural organisations.
The potential energy and cost savings of retrofitting are substantial: for the organisations that took part in the pilot, the installation of the new technology helped them to identify savings of over 7,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum, generating annual cost savings of more than £1m.
It is anticipated that a total of 100 public sector buildings will have completed or signed up to the programme by May 2012, with 43 organisations already committed to the programme.
The RE:FIT scheme itself places councils at a very low financial risk. Approved energy service companies, which provide the retrofitting work, guarantee that the alterations to these buildings will deliver the agreed reduction in energy over an agreed payback period. This helps transfer the risk from the public into the private sector.
It also gives participants access to specialist skills and support. Financed via £2.67m from the European Investment Bank's ELENA (European Local Energy Assistance) fund, a development unit established to oversee the rapid implementation of the programme – and act as its public face.
This unit provides a single point of expertise and helps participating authorities understand how the scheme can be applied to their assets and provides support during the preparation of tenders and the procurement of suppliers that will help to save them energy. It oversees all projects being undertaken through RE:FIT, reporting back on their overall impact and success so new public sector retrofit schemes can learn from its progress.
This development unit is also responsible for managing the performance of the energy service companies. This is all done at no cost to those taking part.
Plans are underway to retrofit a further 297 buildings in London during the next year, with a target for a total of 600 public buildings to be given an energy-efficiency makeover as part of the programme by 2015. These include town halls, libraries and museums, and could lead to estimated savings of up to £6m on energy bills each year with reductions of 36,000 tonnes of carbon – the equivalent of taking around 60,000 vehicles off London's roads.
• For more information visit paconsulting.com/greeningbusiness
David Rees is head of local government services at PA Consulting Group
This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. Join the local government network for more comment, analysis and the latest jobs direct to you
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
London 2012: Olympic organisers reveal the official scent of victory - The Sport Review
London 2012′s official scent of victory has been revealed – a potent combination of mint, rosemary, English lavender and wheat.
Organisers have unveiled the look of all victory celebrations by revealing how the podiums, ceremonial costumes and medallists’ flowers bouquets will appear this summer.
And it appears their favourite novel must by Alice Walker’s The Colour Purple.
Over 805 carefully choreographed victory ceremonies will be staged over 30 venues and for the first time in Olympic history the medal bearers will also be male.
The costumes and podium have been designed by a team of students from the Royal College of Art while UK florist Jane Packer has crafted a victory bouquet that combines a rose, the most iconic of English flowers, with traditional herbs.
“The victory ceremonies mark the moment athletes can celebrate and share their achievements with fans in the stadiums and a worldwide TV audience,” said London 2012 chairman Seb Coe.
“I’m delighted that we have worked with not only with established British designers but also with the next generation of designers to create this special moment for them.” 
© Sportsbeat 2012
Source: www.thesportreview.com
TAYLOR LEAVES WATFORD POST - Worldnews.com
Watford was created as an urban district under the Local Government Act 1894, and became a municipal borough by grant of a charter in 1922. The borough had 79,726 inhabitants at the time of the 2001 Census. The most recent official estimates put the population of Watford at 79,600 at mid-2006.
The nearby areas of Croxley Green, Bushey, Rickmansworth, Chorleywood, Kings Langley, Abbots Langley, Carpenders Park and South Oxhey, located in Three Rivers and Hertsmere districts, also form part of the Watford postcode area. The Watford subdivision of the Greater London Urban Area, which includes much of the neighbouring districts, had a total population of 120,960 in the 2001 census.
History
Origins
Watford stands on a low hill near the point at which the River Colne was forded by travellers between London and the Midlands. This route, originally a pre-Roman trackway, departed from the ancient Roman Watling Street at Stanmore, heading for the Gade valley and thence up the Bulbourne valley to a low and easily traversed section of the Chiltern Hills near Tring. The modern High Street follows the route of this road.The ford was close to the later site of a gas works site. The town probably originated in Saxon times as a string of houses on the northern side of this ford. It was located on the first dry ground above the marshy edges of the River Colne. It is generally agreed that the town is named after the ford, but the origin of the first part of the name is uncertain. Theories include the Old English words (wet), (wade), watul (wattle, a fence) or wath (hunter), Watling Street, and a hypothetical Saxon landowner called "Wata".
Early history
Watford is first mentioned in an Anglo-Saxon charter of 1007. It does not get a mention by name in the Domesday Book, but was included in the entry for the then more important settlement of Cashio which stood half a mile away at the crossroads of the St Albans road and Hempstead road near the modern Town Hall.The settlement's location helped it to grow, since as well as trade along this north-south through route it possessed good communications into the vale of St Albans to the east and into the Chiltern Hills along the valley of the River Chess to the west. In 1100 Henry I granted a charter to Watford to hold a weekly market.
The parish church of St Mary the Virgin was built in 1230 on the same site as an earlier Saxon church. It was extensively restored in 1871.
The great houses of Cassiobury and The Grove were built in the seventeenth centuries and expanded and developed throughout the following centuries. Cassiobury became the family seat of the Earls of Essex, and The Grove the seat of the Earls of Clarendon.
The Sparrows Herne turnpike was established in 1762 to improve the route across the Chilterns, with the road maintained from charges levied at toll houses along the way. The location of a toll house can be seen at the bottom of Chalk Hill on the Watford side of Bushey Arches close to the Wickes hardware store; set in an old flint stone wall is a Sparrows Herne Trust plaque.
Industrial Revolution
Watford remained an agricultural community with some cottage industry for many centuries. The Industrial Revolution brought the Grand Junction Canal (now Grand Union Canal) in 1798 and the London and Birmingham Railway in 1837, both located here for the same reasons the road had followed centuries before, seeking an easy gradient over the Chiltern Hills. The land-owning interests permitted the canal to follow closely by the river Gade, but the prospect of smoke-emitting steam trains drove them to ensure the railway gave a wide berth to the Cassiobury and Grove estates. Consequently, although the road and canal follow the easier valley route, the railway company was forced to build an expensive tunnel under Leavesden to the north of the town. The main Watford railway station was and remains outside of the town centre to the east at Watford Junction.These developments gave the town excellent communications and stimulated its industrial growth during the 19th and 20th centuries. The Grand Union Canal, allowed coal to be brought into the district and paved the way for industrial development. The Watford Gas and Coke Company was formed in 1834 and gas works built. The canal allowed paper-making mills to be sited at Croxley. The John Dickinson and Co. Mill beside the canal here manufactured the Croxley brand of fine quality paper. The paper making influenced the development of printing in the town which continues today. There had been brewing in Watford from the 17th century and, by the 19th century, two industrial scale brewers Benskin’s and Sedgwick’s were located in the town.
Economy
Watford is a major regional centre for the northern home counties. It is the most westerly of these commercial centres and the only one in Hertfordshire. Hertfordshire County Council designates Watford and Stevenage to be its major sub-regional centres, heading its list of preferred sites for retail development. The primary shopping area is the Harlequin Shopping Centre, a large purpose-built indoor mall with over 140 shops, restaurants and cafes built during the 1990s, opened officially in June 1992.High Street, running through the town centre, is the main focus of activity at night having a high concentration of the town's bars, clubs and restaurants.
The head offices of a number of national companies such as British Waterways, J D Wetherspoon, Camelot Group, operator of the National Lottery; Iveco, manufacturers of commercial vehicles; Haden Young, the building services division of Balfour Beatty; Bathstore, the largest bathroom retailer in the UK; construction firm Taylor Woodrow; and Mothercare, are located in the town. The borough is also the UK base of many multi-nationals including Total Oil, Sanyo, TK Maxx, Costco, Vinci, and Beko. International golf tournaments such as the 2006 World Golf Championship have taken place at the Grove hotel.
The town was home to the Scammell Lorries Factory from 1922 until its closure in 1988. The site is now a residential area. Tandon motorcycles, founded by Devdutt Tandon, were also manufactured in Colne Way, By-Pass road, Watford from 1947 until 1959. Models included the Imp, the Milemaster, the Superglide and the Kangaroo.
Plans are underway to develop a new health campus complete with heliport adjacent to the site of the current Watford General Hospital.
Transport
Cycling
Watford town centre and the surrounding area is compact and the terrain is generally flat with more than 20 km of direct cycle routes avoiding busy roads. In Watford cycling to work makes up 2.26% of all journeys compared with 1.8% across the whole of Hertfordshire.National Cycle Route 6 and 61 run to the south and east of the town along the Ebury Way and the Colne Valley Cycle Route. A cycle track runs through the pedestrianised parts of the town centre along The Parade and the High Street. Sheffield and Harrogate Hoop cycle parking is provided at intermittent points all along the High Street and throughout the town centre
Road
Watford is close to strategic roads – the M25 motorway that rings London and the M1 motorway that connects London to the Midlands and northern England.
Bus
Watford is served by buses which link it to the wider surrounding area. These are operated by a number of different companies, including Arriva Shires & Essex, Arriva London, Uno, Red Rose Travel, Carousel, Mullany's Buses, Redline Buses and Tiger Line. Although the town is in close proximity to London, the majority of buses do not accept TFL's Oyster Card as a valid method of payment; however PlusBus, Intalink Explorer and Hertfordshire SaverCard is accepted on all but the London Bus routes.
Rail
The town is served by one of the principal National Rail north-south rail routes – the West Coast Main Line – which connects London (terminus at London Euston) to the Midlands, north-west England and Scotland. Some long-distance trains on this route serve Watford Junction, where there are also frequent suburban and regional trains. There is a shuttle train service to St Albans, via some local stations in North Watford, and a direct rail connection to East Croydon via Clapham Junction. London Overground services run from Watford Junction along a suburban loop to Watford High Street station and Bushey station, continuing along the Watford DC Line to London Euston.London Underground serves Watford Metropolitan Line station at the outer north-western boundary of the Tube system. The station is located outside the centre of Watford, close to Cassiobury Park. If the proposed Croxley Rail Link goes ahead, the Metropolitan Line branch would be diverted to Watford Junction via the disused Croxley Green branch, providing two new Underground stations between Croxley and Watford Junction.
It was once suggested that Regional Eurostar services could run via Watford to Paris via Kensington Olympia, but such plans were later abandoned. The Select Committee on Environment, Transport and the Regions recommended:
"We believe that Watford is well placed to become an integrated transport hub, and we recommend that the Government's review should consider what benefits and costs would be associated with direct services from Watford, and thorough services on the West Coast Main Line calling at Watford. Subject to the review's findings, we recommend that services from Watford to Paris should commence as soon as possible. The proposal for a Watford hub, as outlined in broad terms in ICRR's report is of interest to the Government. If there is a possibility that services to link the regions to the Channel Tunnel could be provided by such a link, the Government would be keen to see such a service operate."
Water
Watford is on the main Grand Union Canal route northwards from London. There is little commercial use, since the advent of the motorways, but the canal is used for recreational purposes.The River Gade and the River Colne also run through Watford.
Air
Regular and frequent bus and coach services connect Watford Junction station to Heathrow Airport and Luton Airport. Direct train services run from Watford Junction Station to Birmingham International Airport and also used to run to Gatwick (since 2009 it is necessary to change train at Clapham Junction or London Euston and London Victoria Station).Watford's closest airfield is Elstree Aerodrome, east of the town. Several private charter companies and flying clubs are based there.
The Rolls Royce or de Havilland factory as it was known in the Second World War at Leavesden was responsible for the manufacture of the Mosquito fighter bomber and the Halifax bomber and later became Leavesden Aerodrome, to the north of Watford. No longer operational, it was converted into Leavesden Film Studios, now famously the home of the Harry Potter films.
Education
History
William Saunders noted in 1595 a "George Redhead, schoolmaster" of Watford, and in 1640 Francis Combe gave £10 a year to a Free School in Watford for teaching the poor to cast accounts, to read English and to write. It was recorded then that, "The master hath the use of a room over two houses belonging to the Church Estate, nearest the churchyard." In 1704, Mrs Elizabeth Fuller of Watford Place built a new Free School for forty boys and twenty girls on her land next to the churchyard, with rooms for a Master and a Mistress.In the mid-19th century, the only schools in Watford were Mrs Fuller's Free School, by now in a poor state, and St Mary's National Schools (separate schools for boys and girls) in Church Street. All offered elementary education. State-funded elementary schools began to appear in the 1860s and 1870s. The Free School closed in 1882, and its endowment contributed to founding the Watford Endowed Schools, which provided secondary education and charged fees. After these schools, now called the Watford Grammar School for Boys and the Watford Grammar School for Girls, moved to new sites in 1907 and 1912, the building housed the Watford Central School, which taught pupils up to the age of 14. St Mary's National Schools closed in 1922, and the site is now a car park.
The London Orphan Asylum, later Reed's School, was located near Watford Junction station between 1871 and 1940. The buildings are now the Reeds housing estate off Orphanage Road.
Primary schools
All the state-funded primary schools in Watford are co-educational. Under an earlier system, schools were divided into infant schools, covering Reception and Years 1 and 2, and junior schools, covering Years 3 to 6. Most such schools have amalgamated to form Junior Mixed Infant schools or (equivalently) primary schools, and all new schools are of this type. Within the municipal borough, there are now 6 linked pairs of infant schools and junior schools, and 14 JMI or primary schools, of which 2 are Roman Catholic. Watford is also served by schools in the neighbouring districts of Three Rivers and Hertsmere.
Secondary schools
Although all state-funded secondary schools in Hertfordshire are comprehensive, there is a great deal of differentiation in the southwestern corner of the county, centred on Watford but also including most of the Three Rivers district and Bushey in Hertsmere district. Within this area, there are:
The partially selective schools and Bushey Meads School operate common admissions tests in mathematics and non-verbal reasoning each autumn. In addition to those seeking selective places, all applicants to Bushey Meads and Queens' Schools are required to take the tests, so they are taken by the majority of Year 6 children in the area. The partially selective schools also operate a common test and audition procedure to select children for specialist music places.
Results achieved by the schools at GCSE are also widely spread, including the three highest and the two lowest scoring state schools within Hertfordshire. The area also has by far the highest incidence in the county of children allocated to schools to which they had not applied.
Further education
The Watford Campus of West Herts College is situated on Hempstead Road just north of the High Street. It is the only Grade 1 College in the United Kingdom according to a recent Ofsted report. (As of September 2011)
Higher education
The Centre for Missional Leadership (CML) is the Watford campus of the London School of Theology and is located on The Parade. The London School of Theology is Europe's largest evangelical theological college. The Centre for Missional Leadership teaches an applied theology course in missional leadership, equipping Christians to go into the secular workplace. The course is accredited by Middlesex University.
Sport
Watford is home to professional football team Watford F.C., who reached the FA Cup Final in 1984 (as well as four other semi-finals), also finishing as league Division One (now the Premier League) runners-up in 1983. They were relegated from the old Division One in 1988. In 1996, Watford were relegated from the new Division One (now the Football League Championship).Watford won the then Nationwide Division Two championship in 1998, then the following season (1998–99) reached the Premier League by winning the First Division Play-Off Final, beating Bolton Wanderers F.C. at Wembley Stadium by two goals to nil. The club were relegated the season after.
After five years of uncertainty, Watford won the Football League Championship Play-Off Final against all the odds to achieve promotion to the Premier League once again in 2006, this time beating Leeds United A.F.C. by three goals to nil. Again, as before they were relegated to the Football League Championship after a single season (2006–2007) in the Premier League.
Singer-songwriter Sir Elton John is a keen, long-term supporter of Watford F.C. and a former club chairman. He still maintains his links with Watford as Honorary Life President.
Since 1997 the club has shared its ground, Vicarage Road, with Saracens Rugby Football Club.
Watford also has a Non-League football team Sun Postal Sports F.C. who play at The Sun Postal Sports & Social Club.
Watford is also home to the Watford Cheetahs American Football team who play their home games at Fullerians R.F.C.
Places of interest
Cassiobury Park
Cassiobury Park was formed from the grounds of Cassiobury House and consists of of open space. The house itself was demolished in 1927 and the original imposing gatehouse entrance – the Cassiobury Gates – in the 1970s, due to road widening. In July 2007, the park won a Green Flag Award, which recognises the best green spaces in the country. It has a children's play area which includes a paddling pool, play equipment, mini train track for children's rides, bouncy castle, ice cream van and a kiosk where you can buy food and drinks. The Grand Union Canal passes through the park.The name derives from a Celtic tribe the Cassii said to have inhabited the area in pre-Roman times.
Watford Colosseum
Formerly known as the Watford Town Hall Assembly Rooms, Watford Colosseum is a hall of exceptional musical merit. In 2009 Classic Concerts Trust, which presented orchestral concerts there for many years, commissioned a report on the acoustics from Paul Scarbrough of the US firm Akustiks which can be downloaded from this link.Throughout the second half of the twentieth century the hall was used for concerts and recordings by leading orchestras and artists. Failing finances led to closure by Watford Borough Council in 1994, after which a lease was acquired for private operation. Subsequent to this Classic Concerts Trust revived orchestral concerts with presentations by the English Classical Players and in successive years built a strong and loyal following for concerts there. From 2007 an innovative business model helped stimulate further growth in public support and audience growth.
The Watford Colosseum was used to record the Lord of the Rings, the Sound of Music, The Star Wars Trilogies, Sleepy Hollow soundtracks and is world renowned for its acoustic qualities, which are often said to be the best available in the UK. Among many famous classical recordings made there is Julian Lloyd Webber's performance of Elgar's Cello Concerto, conducted by Yehudi Menuhin.
It has housed performances from world renowned performers as The Who, Robbie Williams, One Direction and Oasis.
It is regularly used to host concerts by the BBC Concert Orchestra, in particular the long running Friday Night is Music Night. Laura, Austin and Amy from the X-Factor have also performed there.
After the management company collapsed in 2004, the hall was managed by Watford Council until April 2010, when it closed to undergo a major refurbishment. Reopen August 2011 - https://watfordcolosseum.co.uk/online/default.asp with new management.
Watford Palace Theatre
The Watford Palace Theatre is the only producing theatre in Hertfordshire. It presents a selection of comedy, drama, world premieres, family friendly shows and an annual traditional pantomime. Situated just off the High Street, the Edwardian theatre building is approaching its centenary and has recently been refurbished.
The Pumphouse Theatre and Arts Centre
The Pump House Theatre and Arts Centre is based in an old pumping station situated in Watford's lower high street. The building was converted for use as a theatre, with rehearsal rooms, and meeting place for local arts based groups. Current facilities include a 124 seat theatre, rehearsal rooms, and live music venue. Community groups currently meeting at the Pump House include Dance House (children's ballet), Pump House Clog Morris (women's Morris dancing), Pump House Jazz (jazz club), Open House (live open mic music), Woodside Morris Men (men's Morris dancing), child, youth and adult theatre groups.
"North of Watford" and "Watford Gap"
The phrase "North of Watford" is used in a light-hearted, yet derogatory sense—typically by those living in south eastern England—to describe any part of the United Kingdom situated more than a relatively short distance north of London and the Home Counties. It is a euphemism for 'provincial' and by extension 'unsophisticated'. It is commonly understood that the term is in fact highly arbitrary and flexible, applying to an approximate latitude rather than the town of Watford itself, but its use has contributed to a mildly negative association with the place name. However, in modern usage the term generally denotes the English Midlands and Northern England. See Bombay Hills for a similar cultural border concept in New Zealand.The phrase is also linked to the Watford Gap, a motorway service station on the main north-south M1 motorway, which is located 50 miles north of the town.
Nearby areas
Areas outside Watford Borough:
Twin towns
Watford has five twin towns: Mainz, Germany (since 1956) Nanterre, France (since 1960) Novgorod, Russia (since 1984) Wilmington, Delaware, United States (since 1985) Pesaro, Italy (since 1988)
Notable people
Watford was the birthplace of:Watford is the burial place of:
See also
References
External links
Category:Articles including recorded pronunciations (UK English) Category:Towns in Hertfordshire Category:Market towns in Hertfordshire Category:Non-metropolitan districts of Hertfordshire Category:Local government districts of the East of England
ca:Watford da:Watford de:Watford es:Watford eo:Watford fr:Watford id:Watford it:Watford he:ווטפורד lt:Votfordas nl:Watford ja:ワトフォード no:Watford nn:Watford pl:Watford pt:Watford ro:Watford ru:Уотфорд simple:Watford sv:Watford vo:Watford war:Watford zh-yue:屈福 zh:沃特福德 (赫特福德郡)Source: article.wn.com
Shopping police officers' illegal parking caught on camera (From Watford Observer) - Watford Observer
Police caught on camera parking on yellow lines for shopping trips in Watford
10:00am Friday 1st June 2012 in News By Mike Wright, Chief Reporter
Police officers in Watford have been caught on camera for the second time in two weeks parking on double yellow lines to go on shopping jaunts to supermarkets.
The town’s force is facing a mounting outcry after officers were snapped on Friday parking up on a pavement in central Watford for a trip to Iceland.
The revelation comes just a week after pictures emerged of police illegally parking in St Albans Road to visit a Tesco Express.
The pictures have been branded “disgraceful” by one former police detective who said the abuses damaged the force’s standing with the public.
Watford’s Chief Inspector Nick Caveney has also come down hard on the practice, saying the officers involved have been reprimanded and prosecuted.
The town’s top policeman also described the two incidents as a “rare lapse” in the behaviour of his committed and dedicated force.
The latest picture taken by a Watford resident who saw officers park their car on the pavement in Albert Road South, a stone’s throw away from Watford Police Station, where there are double yellow lines.
The resident, who asked not to be named, said: “A patrol car pulled up with all four wheels on the pavement, two officers jumped out slammed the door shut and left the engine running, presumably with the keys inside.
“I thought they were going to make an arrest but they strolled over to Iceland to do a bit of shopping.
“They emerged from the shop 10 minutes later with a bag of shopping. I wouldn’t mind but it would be quicker to walk from the police station in Shady Lane than to drive there.”
A retired Metropolitan Police detective, Terry Hymans, who lives in Rickmansworth, said he felt there was no excuse for officers misusing parking privileges.
He also said actions like the ones caught on camera damaged the public’s trust in the police.
“I think it is disgraceful personally,” he said “I don’t think there is any excuse. This is part of the reason people have little regard for police officers today.
“It sends out a signal of don’t do as I do, do as I say. People will naturally assume they (the police) all do it and that is not true.”
The first pictures police parking on yellow lines was first captured by Abbots Langley resident Kevin Brown who submitted them to the Watford Observer last week.
He said he was “amazed” to see an officer park on a double yellow lines on a pavement in St Albans Road before spending seven minutes in Tesco Express and emerging with a shopping bag.
Following the revelations Chief Inspector for Watford, Nick Caveney said he was “shocked and surprised” to see the pictures.
He said: “As police officers, we have a very clear responsibility to operate totally within the law, whether this is when dealing with people we have arrested or while using a public highway in a police vehicle.
We have to set a good example to our communities and these incidents clearly do not. I am glad these have been brought to my attention and have since spoken with the officers concerned to establish the circumstances.
“Had they been responding to an emergency, illegal parking is justified and allowed, but this was not the case.
The officers concerned have been reprimanded for their behaviour and just like any other member of the public, are being prosecuted for their actions.”
“I’m very proud of our team here in Watford who work beyond the call of duty on a daily basis in order to keep our communities safe.
“These incidents are a rare lapse in an otherwise committed, dedicated and upstanding team.”
Comments(17)
TRT says...
10:02am Fri 1 Jun 12
Hornets number 12 fan says...
10:04am Fri 1 Jun 12
Taximan says...
11:07am Fri 1 Jun 12
AWatfordTaxpayer says...
11:34am Fri 1 Jun 12
One of the horses then did his business right there in the middle of the pedestrian walkway, a few yards from the entrance to McDonalds, leaving a load of manure for any lucky gardener passing by, or any unlucky pedestrian going by, if you get my drift.
I asked the rider, a policewoman, what she was going to do about it. She replied it was a job for the council and that she was going to do nothing about it. After chatting a while longer, the riders went on their separate ways, leaving the steaming deposit for the people of Watford to enjoy at their leisure.
As a dog owner, I would be liable to a £1000 fine for leaving a dog poo on the pavement. The police leave something altogether more impressive and just ignored it, and that outside a popular fast food restaurant.
It really is one rule for us, and one for them, isn't it? The policewoman was not embarrassed at all, it was really just a case of "tough luck, shoppers".
I took photos to send to the council, of the horse in the act and the mess left afterwards, but decided not to as I doubted they would care or do anything about it.
I must admit, I was very disappointed in the police for leaving this steaming manure in the middle of the street and doing nothing at all about it. The policewoman just tried to ignore it until I brought it to her attention, whereupon she dismissed it.
Taximan says...
11:47am Fri 1 Jun 12
Reg Edit says...
11:53am Fri 1 Jun 12
Reg Edit says...
11:59am Fri 1 Jun 12
garston tony says...
12:12pm Fri 1 Jun 12
TRT says...
12:25pm Fri 1 Jun 12
garston tony says...
1:05pm Fri 1 Jun 12
LSC says...
1:10pm Fri 1 Jun 12
TRT says...
1:14pm Fri 1 Jun 12
onlyonerodthomas says...
1:22pm Fri 1 Jun 12
Maclanx says...
2:57pm Fri 1 Jun 12
gangerman says...
8:06pm Fri 1 Jun 12
pepsiman says...
9:19pm Fri 1 Jun 12
Reg Edit says...
10:25pm Fri 1 Jun 12
Source: www.watfordobserver.co.uk
Middlesex put Sussex on the ropes - ECB
Middlesex are in a strong position to claim their third LV= County Championship win of the season after dominating the third day of their Division One match against Sussex at Lord's.
Ollie Rayner and Toby Roland-Jones both made half-centuries as Middlesex scored 491 - their highest total of the season - before Steven Finn struck when Sussex went in again 208 runs behind.
Finn is hoping to benefit if the England selectors decide to rotate their seam attack for the third Test against West Indies next week.
He took his fourth wicket of the match when Ed Joyce slashed without moving his feet at a ball angled across him and Gareth Berg took a stinging catch in the gully.
Bad light frustrated Middlesex's hopes of making further inroads with 12 overs lost and Sussex will resume on the final day on 34 for one, still 174 runs behind.
Earlier, Middlesex had established a commanding first-innings lead although it was hard going for much of the day on a slow pitch offering little assistance to the bowlers.
Steven Finn removed Ed Joyce as Middlesex left Sussex facing an uphill task to take anything from the last day of their County Championship game
Resuming on 229 for three, skipper Chris Rogers fell agonisingly short of his first hundred of the season when he shuffled in front of a full-length ball from Luke Wright and was leg before wicket for 98, having added 97 for the fourth wicket with Eoin Morgan.
Sussex broke through again before lunch when Steve Magoffin, armed with the second new ball, removed Morgan for 71 as he pushed half-forward to an outswinger which brushed the outside edge.
Middlesex have a strong middle order, though, and John Simpson, Gareth Berg and Ollie Rayner all made positive contributions after lunch.
Simpson, in search of runs after a lean time with the bat, made 34 before he was cleaned up by Naveed Arif's inswinger but Rayner and Berg hit Monty Panesar out of the attack by taking 15 off one over from the England spinner.
The pair added 52 for the seventh wicket and Berg was in sight of a half-century when he came down the pitch to Chris Nash's off-spin and was stumped by Ben Brown after the ball turned out of the footholds.
Nash went on to pick up two more wickets but only after Rayner and Roland-Jones had injected some urgency into Middlesex's batting after tea.
Rayner, facing the county he had six years with before joining Middlesex during the winter, hit nine fours and a six off Mike Yardy while number 10 Roland-Jones raced to 52 from 63 balls to lodge his maiden Championship half-century.
Middlesex plundered 71 from eight overs after tea and although both were dismissed by Nash, who finished with 3-43, they had taken their side's lead beyond 200 as Middlesex posted a total of more than 400 for the first time this season.
Source: www.ecb.co.uk
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