HHRA Update 18 September 2026
Dear members
Members’ meeting Monday 5 October 7.30pm
Our meeting with Paul Edwards, project manager for the Osborne View rebuild is on 5 October in the Catholic church hall, Bells Lane. I have attached the history which our member John Lewthwaite prepared and which is on our website www.hhra.org.uk I look forward to seeing you there.
Scams and Fraud
There have been numerous scams reported in recent days:
· An apparent warning that you have not paid for your TV licence and will be liable for a £1000 fine. Don’t believe it.
· The fake QR codes at car parks have re-appeared in some areas. It is much safer to use other means of paying.
· Fake £20 notes have been seen in Stubbington: they are very convincing but it seems the holograms can with difficulty be peeled off; however, the real test is on the Monarch’s head side where, on genuine notes, a hologram showing “Twenty” changes to “Pounds” when the hologram is moved. This does not happen with the fake.
· A call from a so-called energy company telling you that there is now a national requirement that all properties have to have an energy rating of C. They will press you for an early visit to assess your property and advise. It is a complete fabrication. Do not agree to a visit.
· Hampshire Alert warns us of this fraud:
· A recent increase in calls from residents of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight reporting they’ve received a vhishing phone call/text/message from someone purporting to be a police officer/staff employed by Hampshire & IOW Constabulary AND the number appears as one of our genuine, local police station phone numbers. In the past week we’ve also received calls from local residents purportedly being contacted from police stations in the West Midlands policing area too.
· Regular readers will know this is a common vhishing (cold calling to get personal/financial information) and spoofing (criminal hiding behind a genuine phone number) occurrence.
· The Home Office advice to prevent fraud is Stop! Think Fraud. Hopefully by now, none of you are answering calls to unexpected, unsolicited, unverified numbers.
· However, if you do accidentally answer a call, or think you recognise the number, and the caller is someone purporting to be a police officer/staff (any rank, any police station, UK/overseas) please get their name and shoulder/collar number and which police force they apparently work and end the call without sharing any personal/financial information.
· If the caller states they work for Hampshire & IOW Constabulary you can contact a specific officer or member of staff here: Contact a specific officer or member of staff | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary if it’s genuine, the officer will get back to you, if there’s no match (ie: it’s a scam call) then we’ll let you know.
· Common scam calls of this type include:
· A family member has been arrested, and they want you to pay bail so they can get out – this is not something that happens in England and Wales – but they may pose as police from another country.
· Someone has been arrested and has your bank card (or similar financial/ID documents) in their possession – can you confirm your sort code/account number/card number etc?
· But it could be any other story to try to elicit personal/financial information.
· For more information about phone fraud please see: https://stopthinkfraud.campaign.gov.uk/how-to-spot-fraud/how-to-spot-phone-fraud/
Leisure classes
On a happier note, FBC offer the following information about leisure activities for older residents:
The Live Longer Better classes have been taking place for over a year and have been very well received by those who are attending them. Following grant funding from Hampshire County Council last year, Fareham Borough Council teamed up with Everyone Active to offer those aged over 55 the chance to experience a range of physical activity sessions in community locations across the Borough.
Classes are £5 per session and have been arranged to take place in the heart of communities that are currently lacking these opportunities, to make them as accessible as possible. Classes on offer are:
Seated yoga - Wednesdays at 1pm at the St John’s Church in Locks Heath
Falls prevention - Wednesdays at 1:30pm at Broadlaw Community Centre in the Fort Fareham Ward
Low impact dance - Thursdays at 10.45am at Hill Park WI in Fareham Park
To sign up, please contact Everyone Active on 01329 233652, or by visiting Holly Hill or Fareham Leisure Centres.
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