Top Gear presenter and local resident Richard Hammond suffered a "significant brain injury"
when he crashed a high-speed car, a hospital source has said. But doctors at Leeds General Infir-
mary, where the 36-year-old is in a serious but stable condition, say they are "reasonably opti-
mistic" he will make a good recovery. Hammond was traveling at about 300mph when the
Vampire jet-powered dragster he was driving overturned on Wednesday 20th September. He
had been airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary from the crash site at Elvington airfield, near York.
In a statement, the Hospital Trust said: "Mr Hammond has suffered a significant brain injury. It's
still giving cause for concern as it is still early after the injury. "However, we are reasonably opti-
mistic that he will make a good recovery." The show's makers, the BBC, police and the Health
and Safety Executive are launching inquiries. Superintendent Martin Deacon, from North York-
shire Police, said: "Anybody traveling at that degree of speed, I would say, is probably fortunate
to be alive, and clearly there are measures the organisers will have taken to ensure his safety."
Mr Hammond's wife Amanda and a brother are at the hospital. Fellow Top Gear presenter Jer-
emy Clarkson said: "James May (another presenter) and I are at the hospital in Leeds where Rich-
ard remains in intensive care. "Obviously at this time both he and his family are the most
important concerns we have. "It must be devastating for his wife Mindy and his two utterly
adorable children. Clarkson arrives at hospital "I would just like to say how heartened Richard
will be when I tell him just how many motorists and truck drivers on my way here wound down
their windows to say they were rooting for him. Both James and I are looking forward to getting
our hamster back." At the airfield today the wreckage was covered with a green tarpaulin as in-
vestigations were launched into how the accident happened. Dave Ogden, one of the first on the
scene, said Hammond had been traveling at speeds close to 300mph. "One of the parachutes had
deployed but it went on to the grass and spun over and over before coming to a rest about 100
yards from us." Sky sources understand that co-presenter James May had been due to drive the
Vampire but pulled out ahead of the event.

UPDATE! Richard has been reported to have woken up, asked what happened and got out of
bed and walked to the toilet! Hopefully, this means that the Hamster will be back on his feet and
back where he belongs on our screens soon. Everybody at The Winchcombe Express send our
best wishes and get well soon.

Radio Winchcombe is going to be back on air on Friday 20th, Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd
October 2006. There will be a meeting on Thursday, 5th October at 6.00 pm at Winchcombe
Youth Centre, Gretton Road, for anyone who wishes to come, or if you prefer please email your
comments and suggestions for future programmes to admin@radiowinchcombe.co.uk Requests
to all Winchcombe Teens, have you got any issues or comments that you would like Daniel Hy-
ett and Kate Essex to raise in their forthcoming "Winchcombe Teens" radio programme, contact
them on winchcombe_teens@yahoo.co.uk

Gloucestershire Police have issued the following statement re the “Positive Discrimination Case”
first reported in The Winchcombe Express in May this year, and more recently by the National
Press in the last week or so…

“The police service is set targets by the Home Office designed to ensure our workforce is repre-
sentative of the communities we serve. During the Constabulary's recruitment campaign earlier
this year 963 candidates submitted completed application forms, which included the initial stage
of the recruitment process, a competency based questionnaire. Of these, 300 were independently
marked as being at or above the required standard to go to the second stage of the recruitment
process, an assessment centre. We could only accommodate 192 of the candidates at the assess-
ment centre to fill the 70 or so police officer vacancies that arise each year. It was, therefore, nec-
essary to de-select 108 candidates. In order to enable us to recruit a workforce that better reflects
the communities we serve, it was decided to put through to assessment centre all those candi-
dates from under represented groups - namely women and ethnic minority candidates - all of
whom had achieved or exceeded the required standard at the initial stage. The de-selection took
place from those white male candidates who scored lowest in the competency based question-
naire. These de-selected candidates were subsequently invited to attend an assessment centre in
August 2006. The matter was referred to the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) and Com-
mission for Racial Equality (CRE), with the allegation that the positive action measures adopted
by the Constabulary were discriminatory. As was recognised by both the CRE and the EOC in-
vestigations, at the time the recruitment campaign was being run we were acting in good faith in
attempting to address the recruitment profile of the Constabulary. The CRE and EOC have re-
ported their findings and we have formally acknowledged those findings and given an under-
taking to change our process. Our recruitment processes have now been adjusted following a
review and are based on the latest legal advice available. This issue has sparked national debate
on the concept of positive discrimination versus positive action, which is to be welcomed in
terms of clarifying how the police service can meet the targets set within this complex area of
law. We regret any distress the process we adopted may have caused, but we would reiterate
that the process was followed with the best of intentions and in the interests of all the communi-
ties we serve.

DON’T DRIVE ONE DAY IN FIVE!

The don't drive one in five campaign aims to encourage people living and working in Glouces-
tershire to cut costs and improve the environment by walking, cycling, taking the train or car
sharing to work just one day a week. Chief Executive Pete Bungard is backing the Don't Drive
One in Five campaign, he said: "Virtually every single route into Cheltenham and Gloucester ex-
periences congestion at peak times. If we take no action we can predict that in the next five years,
congestion is going to double. "

"Obviously, changing the way you travel is not an option for everybody, but we're saying that if
it's viable for you, then why not give up the car just one day in five? And that's what this cam-
paign is all about." The worst jams currently occur on the A430 Bristol Road, sections of the A40
travelling into Cheltenham and Gloucester, the A417 at Nettleton bottom, the A46 through
Tewkesbury and Ashchurch and the A419 at Stroud, with speeds averaging as little as 8mph on
some routes at peak times.

It's hoped the day will encourage people to use their cars a bit less to reduce pollution in our
towns and cities. Or even to start sharing cars.

DON’T FORGET!

From Monday 18th September a child younger than 12 and up to 135cms in height must use the
correct child restraint when traveling in any car, van or goods vehicle, with very few exceptions.
This would mean having to use either a high backed booster seat or booster cushion. All drivers,
but particularly parents of older primary school aged children and those who don't normally
transport children, need to make sure they don't fall foul of the new law. That's why the County
Council has issued guidance to more than 700 schools, many of which have copied the informa-
tion to parents, and 1,200 childminders. The council is also targeting the county's 6,500 new
school starters. Every fire station in the county has a fully-trained officer who can advise drivers
on the rules if you are in any doubt.

On Thursday 14th September Cheltenham Cleeve Vale Rotary Club took 12 Carers and Patients
on a day out aboard a narrow boat on the Gloucester-Sharpness Canal. This was our way of say-
ing thank you to them all for the sterling work that they do for our Community. They left from
Saul Junction at 10.15am and returned there at 3pm. A packed lunch was provided. This is a first
for the club and if successful we hope more can be arranged. The Carers and their charges were
chosen by the Bishop's Cleeve Carers Group. Caring for disabled and ill family members and
others must often be a 24 hour responsibility and of course may mean that both are housebound. 
The Club is offering some respite for these wonderful people and their charges.

The club is using the specially prepared canal boat of the Willow Trust

that will take wheelchairs and has other support.

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