New “approved garage” scheme for York

City of York Council is launching tomorrow (26th May) a new Approved Garage Scheme (AGS) to give both residents and garages peace of mind about the quality of services they are buying and giving.

The AGS scheme is backed by council Trading Standards officers who will advise and help raise standards at the car dealerships, service and repair workshops which sign up to the scheme.

Residents and other companies can be confident that AGS-authorised businesses are checked and approved by Trading Standards as being trustworthy and competent.

mechanic cartoon picTo secure AGS membership, garages must meet certain criteria and maintain those standards through routine audits and checks. They must also be prepared for the investigation of any customer complaints by Trading Standards officers who could intervene to help resolve them to the satisfaction of both customer and garage.

The officers will regularly update AGS members on national guidelines including technical requirements, service standards and warranties. They will also share professional advice on trading standards and civil law to ensure AGS garages are fully compliant.
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Lowfields on list of possible new mental health hospital sites

After over 4 years of neglect by the York Council, the derelict former Lowfields school site has emerged as one of the options for the location of a new mental health hospital.
Lowfields school site is now overgrown

Lowfields school site is now overgrown

The hospital will replace the obsolescent Bootham Park facility which was forced to close last year following a damming inspectors report.

In total 12 possible locations are being considered by the NHS.

The hospital will cover a wide catchment area so – with limited public transport services available – it is surprising that sites away from the City centre are apparently being considered.

The expectation had been that the new hospital would be built next to the existing facility in Bootham – although the traditional facility at The Retreat might have provided an alternative location.

Consultation meetings have been scheduled by the NHS with the nearest being at The Folk Hall, Hawthorn Terrace, New Earswick, on Tuesday 31 May (two events 2.00 – 5.00pm and 5.15 – 7.15 pm).

The NHS trust say,

We are in the early stages of planning for the new facility, which is due to open in 2019, and are inviting people to attend one of four events which are being held in the area.

The workshop style sessions will focus on three main areas – the size and number of beds needed, potential sites for the new hospital and best practice in building design.

Residents had been expecting the latest version of the Local Plan (set to be revealed on 15th June) to confirm that the school site (the footprint of the buildings) would be allocated for the construction of accommodation mainly aimed at older people. The site is ideal for retired people as it is located within walking distance of a full range of facilities in Acomb Village.

Residents were also hoping that any plans to build on the school playing field would finally be quashed. In surveys conducted by local Councillors the majority of residents said that they wanted the field to be retained as open space.

What’s on in York: The Secret Life of Shoes

Fairfax House : Thu 26  May : 7.00pm – 9.00pm approx :

£14.00 (Members & Friends £12.00), the price includes a glass of wine.

The Secret Life Of Shoes 26 MayIn this talk, Dr. Ceri Houlbrook will explore the theory that shoes were employed as protective devices, concealed within homes to protect the inhabitants from evil forces.

Within walls, up chimneybreasts, and under floorboards are just some of the strange places in which shoes have been found. Accidental loss cannot account for their locations; they must have been deliberately secreted away with no intention of retrieval. This custom of concealment was evidently popular throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, with almost 2000 concealed shoes on record, but it remains a mystery to us. Why were such shoes concealed? What were their concealers hoping to achieve? In this talk, Dr. Ceri Houlbrook will consider possible answers to these questions.

Ceri Houlbrook is a historic ethnographer and archaeologist, whose primary interests include the materiality of post-medieval magic and ritual, and contemporary folkloric practices. She attained her doctorate in Archaeology from the University of Manchester in 2014, having written her thesis on the British custom of coin-trees, and is currently a postdoctoral research assistant on the ‘Inner Lives’ project, University of Hertfordshire. This role sees her mapping concealed deposits across the British Isles and engaging with their contemporary finders.

For more information or to discuss your requirements, please contact us on 01904 655543, email info@fairfaxhouse.co.uk, or visit our website at http://www.fairfaxhouse.co.uk/.