2008 Noise Action Week Campaign
This was the 6th year that Huntingdonshire District Council promoted national Noise Action Week. The Environmental Protection Team was joined on their Noise Action Week Roadshows by Luminus Neighbourhood Wardens to promote considerate neighbour noise. PC Mark Barry and PCSO Jo Grant joined this partnership working, at the Oak Road Roadshow, helping to explain the role of the Police when noise complaints involve public disorder issues. The Roadshows (Huntingdon, St Neots and Ramsey) were well received and many people were astounded to know that there may be solutions to their endless nights, or days, of noise from their neighbours.
Information and advice on how to deal with neighbour noise and barking dogs, as well as other noise problems, was provided and free stress balls were handed out. The stress balls had the telephone number and website address of Huntingdonshire District Council printed on them, so customers can log on or telephone in if they wish to discuss any issues after Noise Action Week.
The Team visited; Sawtry Youth Club and the Luminus Junior Wardens scheme at Thonglsey School during Noise Action Week and were present at the well attended re-launch of Yaxley Youth Club, promoting considerate neighbour behaviour. The Team were also trying to encourage everyone, in particular young people, to turn down the excessively loud music that they listen to on personal music systems so their hearing is not permanently damaged as a result. As a rule of thumb if others can hear your music it is too loud!
Poster Competition .... and the winner is...
If you were under 18 you had a chance to win a set of Philips wireless headphones (effective transmission range 100m!). The poster competition closing date was extended to Friday 13th June to include half-term holidays.
The 2009 campaign will aim to promote considerate behaviour and will focus on issues such as: noisy parties, DIY, shift-working and music systems.
Congratulations Ryan Turner (aged 7)!
Ryan Turner has just found out he is our winner and we will be presenting him with his prize and certificate soon. We will be converting his picture to a poster in the near future and will put a link to it from here as soon as we have it completed. Ryan's winning entry can be seen by following the link to the right of this text.
National Noise Action Week gives everyone involved in managing noise problems an opportunity to focus attention on the difficulties excessive noise can cause whether at home, at work, studying or in leisure time. Noise affects everyone’s quality of life and Noise Action Week aims to encourage everyone to consider the noise we make, the noise that bothers us and to try to find practical and easy ways to reduce noise. The week also provides an opportunity to inform noise sufferers of the services available to help them. Research shows that in England and Wales more complaints are made to the police, who do not have powers to intervene in domestic noise, than to the local authority departments that do.
Many people suffer with neighbour noise without realising that there are simple ways to overcome many of their problems and ways in which the Environmental and Community Health Service at Huntingdonshire District Council can help.
Over the last six years the Environmental Protection Team, at Huntingdonshire District Council, has promoted the national Noise Action Week campaign. Several competitions have taken place and the Team has visited several schools with the presentations on ‘Noise’; how sound travels, how to reduce noise & how hearing can be damaged by noise. At many schools the Team was astounded by the students’ knowledge on the subject of ‘noise’. In 2006 the Team won the ‘Highly Commended’ John Connell award, presented by the Noise Abatement Society, for their work in schools.
National Noise Action Week is co-ordinated by Environmental Protection UK (website link to the right of this text).