Gordon spent his entire career working in the financial services industry in the City of London – including 10 years as chief executive of an investment management firm – and now devotes much of his time to charity and community work. In addition to his role as our chairman, he is a non-executive director and vice-chairman of Bedford Hospital, a trustee and investment advisor to a charitable educational trust, chairman of Eaton Bray Parish Council, and secretary of Aylesbury Advanced Motorists, and recently stood down from the chairmanship of Bichon Frise Rescue, a national dog rescue organisation.

The Lymphoma Association is a registered charity working to ensure that everyone affected by lymphoma, the UK's fifth most common cancer, receives the best possible information and support, treatment and care.

Gordon said: 'I am delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to the uniquely important work that the Lymphoma Association does for lymphoma patients, their families and carers, and to build on the achievements of the last five years under Richard Morris's Chairmanship.'

Sally Penrose, the Lymphoma Association's chief executive, said: 'We are extremely grateful to Gordon for his commitment to our cause – supporting people affected by lymphoma. He has already been actively involved as a member of our strategy working group and investment committee and he brings invaluable leadership experience both from business and the voluntary sector to the role of chairman.'

Gordon Johns (left), together with Richard Morris, the outgoing chairman

Gordon Johns is also the current Chairman of Eaton Bray Parish Council.

There are two versions of the electoral register - the full register, which only certain organisations can access and the edited register, which anyone can buy. Your details will appear on the edited register unless you ask for them to be removed. Currently 117,000 people within Central Bedfordshire Council area have requested their name and address to be excluded from the edited version of the register.

In the past we carried over requests to be excluded from the edited register, but we will no longer be allowed to do this. If you want to have your details permanently excluded from the edited register you can write to us at Priory House, Monks Walk, Chicksands SG17 5TQ or email us at electoral.registration@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk making a permanent opt-out request.

Please ensure that you state your full name and address and that you wish your details to be excluded from the edited register on a permanent basis or until further notice. A separate request is required for each member of the household if they also wish to be permanently omitted from the edited register.

For more information and to see the full programme of events, see the Friends of The Church on the Hill website.

Crime Reference: J D / 1 7 2 0 1 / 2013.

Incident Details:

The offender has gained access to the side of the house, forcing the lock to the kitchen door.

A messy search took place.

A motocycle helmet and two sets of vehicle keys have been taken from the house.

A motorbike has been taken from the driveway, and the garage door has been opened.

The car has been taken from inside the garage.

Crime Reduction Advice:

Keep Doors and Windows locked at all times.  Remove all keys from the locks and keep them in a safe place out of view.

Keep garden tools locked away to avoid them being used to force a door, or window.

Dont leave out anything that can be used as a climbing aid, either to reach a window or into a neighbours garden.

Keep hallways clear of valuables like keys, handbags and laptop where they may be seen.

If your house will be empty after dark leave a light on or set a timer.

If you have information about any crime or suspicious activity please call the Control Room on 101 or Text your message to 07786 200011

Alternatively you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org

Bedfordshire Police staff and officers have therefore performed remarkably well reducing recorded crime across the county by 15% in the last year (1899 fewer across Central Bedfordshire as a whole) at the same time as going through significant re-organisation and a reduction in the number of police officers due to the budget cuts.

The government will unveil a new spending review shortly, which is expected to herald yet further police cuts. I am opposed to such cuts but my role is to deal with the world as I find it rather than as I would wish it to be.

So the challenge for the future for Bedfordshire Police, and indeed for all of us, is how do we keep our communities safe at a time when the budget is still be shrinking?

The answer is that we need to forge a closer and stronger partnership between our local communities and their police and all recognise the police cannot and never have been able to fight crime on their own. Wherever we live in the county we all have a duty to support the police if we want our communities to be safe, whether this means passing on information about criminal activity, being prepared to support the local Neighbourhood Watch, Street Watch and Speed Watch scheme or, for the most committed, volunteering as a Special Constable so that each community has a visible policing presence.

There must be a genuine partnership, so Bedfordshire Police will work hard to value the support communities and volunteers give. Whereas in the past such close partnership has always been desirable, in the future it is clear that it will be absolutely essential, which is why this is such a priority for me as your Police and Crime Commissioner.

Now in its 3rd year and with over fifty 6-14 year olds training and playing on a weekly basis, the club requires even more youngster to boost numbers!

Ability and experience is not important, the club provides a fun and safe environment in which to enjoy cricket. Training sessions are taken by four fully qualified Level 2 cricket coaches, each Wednesday. 6-7pm for 6-10 year olds and 7-8pm for 11-14 year olds.

The adult teams also continue to seek new players, so please get in touch if you are interested in joining a very enthusiastic, friendly village cricket club!

E-mail us at ebccenquiries@hotmail.com or follow us on Twitter @EatonBrayCC

A burglary has been reported at a residential property on High Street, Edlesborough on Monday 29 April. Between 4:45am and 5:30am offenders forced open a ground floor rear window to gain entry. An IPad was taken from the property.

Please remain vigilant and make sure any suspicious activity is reported immediately to the Police. Where possible get a description of them and the details of any vehicle they may be using – especially the registration number.

Nicola Swanscott from Aylesbury Local CID would like to hear from anyone that might have seen or heard anything in relation to this crime. If you have any information please contact her via the 24 hour Police Enquiry Centre number 101.

If you don't want to speak to the Police or give your details you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Not only is dog mess a nasty business, it also poses serious health risks. It can carry roundworm - containing the parasite Toxocara canis which can cause blindness, epilepsy, asthma and infections. So it's vital to reduce dog fouling to protect others and particularly children.

Keep Britain Tidy's latest report (2010) suggested that the UK dog population was estimated to be 8 million, with dogs producing approximately 1,000 tonnes of excrement each day.

Failing to clean up after your dog when in a public space is an offence and you could face a £75 Fixed Penalty Notice or a court imposed fine of up to £1,000. The Council is stepping up its efforts to tackle the problem and Dog Wardens are actively patrolling the area and can issue on-the-spot fines to owners for dog-fouling offences.

Councillor Brian Spurr, Executive Member for Sustainable Communities, said: "Dog fouling is anti-social behaviour which we take extremely seriously. We know that it is a matter of concern to lots of local residents too because they have been letting us know. Unfortunately the problem lies with a selfish minority of people who don't take the legal responsibility of dog ownership seriously enough.

"We're working hard to ensure that Central Bedfordshire continues to be a great place to live and work and have upped the Dog Warden patrols and made sure that there are around 625 easy to find dog waste bins around the area. We would encourage anyone who witnesses an incident of dog fouling to report it immediately by emailing Customer Services or by calling 0300 300 8302."

So if you're walking your dog please take a doggy bag, pick up after and use the dog waste bins provided. Remember you can also use the normal litter bins if there are none nearby, or alternatively bag it and bin it at home - there are no excuses!

To report a dog fouling incident or to suggest a location for a dog waste bin please email customer services on or visit the Council's website for further details. You can also call 0300 300 8302.

The dramatic fall in overall crime, 15% compared with a national average of 8%, follows the previous three months which also saw a huge reduction across the county.

"The figures published today continue to  show the force is achieving the aim of fighting crime and protecting the public ensuring residents of Bedfordshire are less likely to be a victim of crime than the national average," said Mr Hitchcock. "We are not complacent but the significant fall in crime is testimony to the great job the men and women of Bedfordshire Police are doing, day in day out, to fight crime and protect the public against a backdrop of real cuts to resources."

"For some time now our priority has been focused on tackling and reducing the number of homes broken into across the county and these figures show we have achieved this with huge reductions in house burglaries. The force is also ranked second highest when it comes to reducing break-ins to other buildings such as sheds, outbuildings and business premises."

"Bedfordshire is a force that continues to punch above its weight however we can only do this with the support of the public and volunteers, including the Special Constabulary and Cadets, who we rely on to help prevent crime."

Bedfordshire's Police and Crime Commissioner Olly Martins added; "The officers and staff of Bedfordshire Police are to be congratulated on another good year of cutting crime, particularly burglary, even at a time of government funding cuts and organisational upheaval. The recent success of Operation Sabre, including significant numbers of arrests across the county for offences related to burglary and handling, demonstrates the Force's determination to take the fight against crime to the criminals, especially those offenders who cause our communities most harm. This is how we will continue to cut crime and make our county safer."

Bedfordshire has seen some of the largest reductions in crime rates in England and Wales including:

• 15% reduction in overall crime – 4th largest reduction in England and Wales
• 14% reduction in Domestic Burglary – the 11th largest reduction (8% decrease nationally)
• 28% reduction in other burglary – the 2nd highest reduction
• 18% reduction in Violence Against the Person – the 3rd highest reduction (6% decrease nationally)
• 17% reduction in offences against vehicles – the 15th highest reduction
• 15% reduction in Criminal Damage – the 8th highest reduction (8% decrease nationally)

Bedfordshire's overall crime rate for the period was 59.7 crimes per 1000 population, below the England and Wales rate of 67.0 crimes per 1000 population.

A burglary has been reported to a residential property in The Pastures, Edlesborough, between Saturday 20 and Tuesday 23 April. Offenders gained entry by forcing a side door open – at this time it is not clear what, if anything, has been stolen.

Please remain on your guard and make sure any suspicious activity is reported immediately to the police. Where possible get a description of them and details of any vehicle they may be using, especially the registration number.

Det Con Emma Francis from Aylesbury Local CID would like to hear from anyone that might have seen or heard anything suspicious in the area in relation to this incident. If you have any information please call Det Con Francis via the 24 hour Police Enquiry Centre number 101.

If you don't want to speak to the Police or give your details you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.