Special guest interview - Chief Constable Anthony Bangham  Chief Constable Anthony Bangham is in charge of West Mercia Police Force, which looks  after Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire. By area, West Mercia is the 4th biggest  police force in England and Wales, also looking after the 1.2 million people who live within it.  Chief Constable Bagham is also responsible for over 4000 people, made up of Police  O�cers, Police sta�, PCSOs, Special Constables and Volunteers.    How has your day been?  My day starts as always at about 6.30am with me reading the overnight  operational log - I do this at home before jumping in the car and heading to  Police HQ. It covers all critical incidents from across West Mercia and  captures many di�erent types of operational incidents in the last 24 hours,  so I am well briefed before I arrive at work. Today, I had a telephone  conference call with the Home Secretary to discuss issues such as our  response to the ongoing Covid-19 situation and the protest activity over  recent days. I then had a mix of meetings with senior sta� (just a general  catch-up) and more formal governance meetings looking at a whole range  of organisational issues, which of course is an important part of my role as  Chief Constable.    What is the most exciting thing you have done this week?  The most interesting part of my role is visiting police stations and meeting with sta� across West  Mercia. Although I have been working every day throughout this lockdown, we have been extremely  restricted in our ability to move around the Force and meet with sta�. Due to some restrictions now  being lifted, this week I have started doing this again, and I have to say it is so good to once again  be meeting with sta� and chatting through local issues that they are dealing with. I am of course  doing this with strict social distancing..... just in case you were worried!    Have you learnt anything new recently?   I learn new things every day which is actually what makes policing so interesting. The awful and  tragic events in America has led to a reaction right across communities the length and breadth of  our country. I have learnt that we are all touched by and a�ected by such events - no matter where  they take place in the world - and this then brings out the best in community spirit. Whilst I am  concerned with the potential health consequences of large gatherings (a lot of people seem to  have suddenly forgotten what the last 2 months was all about) I do have respect for the peaceful  manner in which the communities of West Mercia have shown their support in public.    What is the best thing about your job as Chief Constable, and what challenges you the most?  Every day is di�erent and I deal with a wide range of both operational and organisational issues. I  have always lived in West Mercia, as do my family, and knowing that I have an amazing Police Force  full of o�cers and sta� that share my passion for making things better... every day, makes my job  so real and meaningful. I am the first Chief Constable in West Mercia who also joined this force as a  Police Constable – I was posted to Redditch back in 1991 - and therefore my bond and relationship  with every aspect of West Mercia is deep routed in everything I do. Feeling I make a contribution to  the communities across West Mercia is what I love most about my job. The challenges are of course  endless and varied but rather than one thing in particular, it is probably the fact that it is 24 hours  a day 365 days of the year. I am Chief Constable every day and never out of contact with the Force,  so if I asked my family I think they would say that the biggest challenge is..... always on duty!    What is your favourite song/musical/book of all time?  

My favourite song is Dancing in the Dark by Bruce Springsteen.. although to be fair I could have  chosen a fair few songs by 'The Boss'. My favourite musical is of course the greatest musical of all  time, Les Mis (Les Miserables if you are not acquainted). My favourite books (rather than book) is  the entire collection of Harry Hole detective novels by Jo Nesbo, a Norwegian crime thriller writer.    What do you do to stay positive during lockdown?  Spending time with my family and then whenever possible getting out at the weekend for lots of  long and steep trail runs. As I have been working every day, the lockdown is not really a lockdown  for me, but getting out and about for long runs in the fresh air is so important to me (but I still have  to take the phone with me just in case). As an aside, I am certainly looking forward to being able to  have a real pint again in a pub... just like we did in the old world.    Do you have a positive thought or saying that keeps you going in di�cult times?   "Remember to make the most of today... as by tomorrow it is too late!"   We would like to thank Chief Constable Anthony Bangham for his time in taking part in this week's  issue of Gander at the goose, I wonder who will be next to feature in our newsletter?    Equality and Diversity  Some of you may be aware of the peaceful protests that are currently  happening around the world in support of equality for people of colour in  light of the current hardship they are facing.   Treating people as equal regardless of our di�erences is one of the key  parts of being human. Regardless of your religion, skin colour, age, sex or  the people you are attracted to, we are all part of the same worldwide  community. You may not share the same opinions as others, or even  believe the same things, but as long as you still treat people as equals regardless of any  di�erences that we may have, you will be helping to make the world a better, kinder place.    Pierce’s Mini Quiche Mu�ns   Ingredients  12 mu�n cases  Low-calorie cooking spray  300g fat-free cottage cheese  4 large eggs  1 small onion, finely diced (you can use red onion for extra colour)  6 cherry tomatoes, halved  100g mushrooms, sliced  2 slices ham diced   Method  1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Lightly spray 12 mu�n cases with  low-calorie cooking spray, or use silicon cases.  2. In a bowl, mix the cottage cheese, eggs, onion, ham and a little salt and pepper  with a fork until well combined.  3. Spoon the mixture into the cases and top with the tomatoes and mushrooms.  4. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.        

 Student News  Here is the news from our students and what they have been doing over the past week…   Wildgoose Student Success!  We recently heard good news about Rebecca, who  left Wildgoose this year and moved on to other new  and exciting things this year. Her Mum wrote in to us  to share her story of Rebecca since joining  Wildgoose, here it is…   “ Our daughter Rebecca has Aspergers and ADHD  and was really struggling with her emotions  especially at school where she was in a classroom with others, she couldn’t handle it and  she was getting into trouble a lot. Then her teacher at school that deals with special needs  asked her if she would like the opportunity to go to Wildgoose nature reserve to work with  the land, nature and animals in which Rebecca said yes straight away. Rebecca has been  there for a couple of years and is a changed girl, she has made so much progress and all  the sta� are amazing and Rebecca has made many friends there. I can’t thank Wildgoose  enough they have helped my daughter so much they have changed her life for the better  thank you Wildgoose xx”    Thank you tree progress  Our Thank you tree has only had a couple of submissions this week and so it is looking  very glum. It would be great if everyone could submit something that they are thankful for  so we can decorate the tree in our thoughts and messages of thankfulness. If you would  like to take part all you need to do is send a message to jim@wgrt.org , with your name,  favourite colour and something that you are thankful for, this activity is open to anyone  and everyone. This week with all the cold weather we have been having, we have been  thankful for the nice weather that we have been having over the previous weeks, what have  you been thankful for?   

  

  Wasp Catcher  Joanne and her dad have been busy making wasp catchers and have kindly  shared with us the instructions on how you can  make one too at home…   You will need…  1 x Used plastic drinks bottle.  1 x Piece of string (60cm).    1 x Pair of Scissors.  1 x Stapler.  1 x Marker pen.    

Method  1. Take the bottle and remove the wrapper, Draw line  around the top as shown.     2. Cut along the line.         3. Insert the top you cut o� into the top of the bottle  hold tight and staple.      4. Make two holes opposite each other and tie the  string       5. Now add some fruit juice/squash  6. Hang on a tree