WEARING a pink bra is not really me, but we can all help improve detection of breast cancer locally through more seemly conduct in an October Scannappeal project by organising a pink themed fundraising activity with family, friends or colleagues for breast cancer awareness month.

Contact Scannappeal for details and suggestions on 01494 734161 or visit www.scannappeal.org.uk or email info.scannappeal@buckshealthcare.nhs.uk Gav Singh will be supporting the cause in the fish and chip shop which, like the staff, will be in the pink and they’ll give away little nibbles on the big day, October 25.

I’ll dig out my pink T-shirt from last year and give Gav a hand rattling the tin that evening. Try Googling ‘wear it pink day’ to get lots more information.

ST MARY’S goes to the races next Saturday, October 5, from 7pm. This is a church event to raise funds and the ticket price of £10 includes five raffle tickets. There will be food and a bar.

The aim is to have a fun night for friends and family, while raising money for our parish share. People can come by themselves, as couples or in groups – the more the merrier.

Graeme Slocombe, on 07785 262078, has all the details and can reserve your tickets.

POLICE in the area have been having outstanding success with what were the most common types of crime, motor theft, burglary and so on. As manufacturers designed more sophisticated car entry and engine starting security systems, cars were less at risk, and police became more alert to house breaking threats. So what does the criminal do? Moves to activities against which the public and the police are less accustomed — phone, computer and bank account fraud.

In the last week, police have issued an urgent alert to a new and elaborate scenario for acquiring bank details and even credit cards from unsuspecting victims. The process is complex, involving phone calls, and home visits, and the enactment is very skilfully executed — but is too elaborate to detail comprehensively here. Neighbourhood Watch coordinators can give you the full description. But here are the main dos and don’ts to scupper the process. They’re not new, but with them you will be safe: Never believe that a caller is legitimately ringing from your bank to alert you to some problem – they don’t do that.

Never ring back to a number provided by an unknown caller – by a technical quirk, you will probably still be connected to a fraudster.

Never cooperate with someone who visits you at home with a ‘replacement’ bank card and offers to cancel your present one. Banks certainly don’t do this. Such steps are used to lead up to acquiring PIN numbers and other bank details in a well-drilled routine.

From this point, with your confidence gained, a number of variations may happen, all of which may seem helpful and genuine actions of the police or your bank. But you are very vulnerable, for you will have been convinced (even by yourself) that it’s all in your best interests. It’s not and you should now ring Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040, but check you get a dialling tone first.

This is a very dangerous hoax, and has already brought a lot of success to fraudsters in other parts of the TVP area.

RECENTLY, a lot of strong views have been generated by an application to build behind 322 Marlow Bottom. While there are probably supporters, most of the adverse comment has been about the problems of making access at perhaps the most dangerous point of Ragman’s Lane, with the loss of most of the hedge towards its end.

The applicant is appealing against the council’s refusal of the initial application and that needs to be reviewed carefully by all.

There is every possibility that the decision could be reversed by the Planning Inspectorate – particularly as the serious road safety and Marlow Bottom access issues are not recognised by County Highways, and did not form part of the formal grounds for refusal by WDC Planning Committee.

Furthermore, the council officers recommended approval and it was only overturned at committee. It’s a fine judgement therefore between the professional and technical view, and the political opinion of the elected councillors.

If you share the concerns of the many who submitted objections to the original application, do make your views clear on the Planning Inspectorate website. Log on to www.pcs.planningportal.gov.uk/ pcsportal and search for case reference 2203737.

All previous comments will be forwarded automatically to the Planning Inspectorate, but the procedures allow any interested party to make further comments or modify/withdraw previous comments.

The closing date for submissions is next Thursday.

SPIDERS haven’t appeared this year (touch wood). It could be that their numbers, like so many other populations, are threatened by the modern environment. However, I now keep two cats and someone told me he never got plagued by spiders throughout the life of his cat, but they returned soon after the moggy’s demise.

My daughter says that a spider’s speedy scurrying across the floor, interspersed by long periods of inactivity, is because they are like cheetahs. They can run very fast for short periods only. The completely still arachnid on the hearth is simply exhausted, recovering his strength for the next sprint.

A dangerous tactic in this house.