Welcome to the first WeekNotes news bulletin for Neighbourhood Watch in North East Lincolnshire. This is aimed at coordinators and committees and volunteers involved with Neighbourhood Watch Groups or other neighbours or residents groups across NEL. The information here is hopefully useful and of interest to yourself, but can also be shared across your group and membership as part of any other communications you distribute.
WeekNotes is compiled by Karl Elliott at VANEL. Karl is Membership Support Administrator (MSA) for NEL for Neighbourhood Watch as endorsed by OurWatch. (more about me at the bottom). Our dedicated website is www.nelwatch.org.uk and these WeekNote bulletins will also be shared on there.
If you have comments, feedback or content that you think should be included, please let me know.
Neighbourhood Watch Week
This first WeekNotes launches at the end of National Neighbourhood Watch Week 2025. Hopefully your own group has been more active than normal this week engaging with your members and I’d like to hear any stories you have to share.
A new “Stay Safe” guide booklet has been published this week and copies are now available via VANEL (and soon from community venues near you). This particular edition has been produced by VANEL for the Humber Watch Association and covers the whole of Humberside. Partners in each area have been involved and are sharing copies around. More about the guide on the Humberwatch website. Thank you to the funders of this edition. Please share copies around. Download the .pdf version here.
VANEL have also launched our new Neighbourhood Watch ‘hub’ information points this week. The first went into the Cup of Joy Cafe (Salvation Army) in East Marsh and the second is now in Laceby Stanford Centre. More coming soon. Read about this initiative here.
And this week we’re pleased to welcome Toll Bar area Neighbourhood Watch Group on board as a newly established Neighbourhood Watch Group in New Waltham.
A big Thank You
It’s also Volunteers’ Week this week so I’d like to express thanks for everyone involved across North East Lincolnshire in Neighbourhood Watch. However much or little you get up to supporting your community and neighbours, you’re doing it as a volunteer. So thank you for your efforts.
General News
June 2025 newsletter from OurWatch.
The work tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) over the past year locally can be seen in the 2024-25 Report. Powerful story here about the work going on.
Spring 2025 newsletter from the NEL Community Safety Partnership (CSP).
Scams and Fraud Awareness
Scams and Fraud are a huge concern for most people. So, I’ll feature relevant useful updates weekly here.
Fraud losses hit £1.17bn for second year running. Scams are not going away any time soon. Read the UK Finance 2025 annual report on scams here.
Which? has tips on spotting fake retailers.
FraudWatch trigger alert for May. This one is about one of the most common scams – Family Impersonation Fraud (New Text Message Fraud – From Mum or From Dad)
If you’re able to share this, FraudWatch produced a simple leaflet about Reporting Scams.
Signup to the regular scams e-bulletin from Which? for regular updates.
Police related Updates
Immingham: Humberside Police Operation Agility is supporting the Immingham community. Read the press story. Video here.
Cleethorpes: Cleethorpes Beach Safety Survey
Good news to hear that Neighbourhood Policing Teams are set to be strengthened.
Community Better Together Event, Monday 16th June 2025. 09:30am-12:30pm. Centre 4, 17A Wootton Road, Grimsby, DN33 1HE. All welcome. Flyer and contact details here.
MyCommunityAlert: Tips to keep your smart devices safe at home. With an interesting poster about password security.
Neighbourhood Watch
OurWatch is in the final stages of its current action plan, so watch out for the new one. But if you want to see how your group fits into the current ‘big picture’ then the current OurWatch plan is here.
VANEL have plenty of Neighbourhood Watch window stickers that can be circulated to households within current Neighbourhood Watch groups via their coordinators. If your group/area needs some, please let me know.
I’m starting on a full ‘stock take’ and survey of all our groups across North East Lincolnshire. I’m aware that our database is not always up to date and some groups may not be operating still or are dormant. I’ll be working through my database this summer and contacting every group individually for updates. Later this year we’ll be removing all the closed down groups from our database so please help me get our records straight. Thanks in advance and I’ll be in touch.
Remember that to call a group ‘Neighbourhood Watch’ and display and use the logos requires your group to be fully accredited. Part of my survey will be to ensure that use of the logo in an area ties in with our database. Every group coordinator and other committee members now need to agree to and sign a Code of Conduct. Nothing surprising in there, but I’ll be asking about this when I make contact.
Any questions, just contact me.
Thanks. Karl
Something to share?
If you have comments, feedback or content that you think should be included, please let me know.
Back next week…
Karl
Footnotes
WeekNotes 1 Friday 6th June 2025
By Karl Elliott, VANEL, NELwatch, HumberWatch
www.nelwatch.org.uk
www.vanel.org.uk
www.nelwatch.org.uk/neighbourstogether
part of Humber Watch Association
If you’d like to unsubscribe to this email please just email me (karl@vanel.org.uk). But if you’re a coordinator for a local Neighbourhood Watch Group please make sure someone on your committee is still receiving these emails or let me know if you’d like to change our database.
This news update and others are on our website.