A thriving Suffolk village
Please read down the page through the posts for information on the Covid 19 outbreak.
You will find how you can register with the Parish Council if you need help and what is available to help you, or if you would like to volunteer to assist someone who needs help. You will also find information pages from the NHS, NHS 111 online, gov.uk and Public Health England plus some essential viewing and reading on the Coronavirus epidemic.
In the absence of brown bin collections, the Parish Council is organising tow more dates for a Green Garden Waste Collection
from
CHURCH FARM BARN
The Causeway, opposite St Mary’s Church
Sunday 31st May
Sunday 7th June
Between the hours of 10am and 12 mid-day
GREEN GARDEN WASTE ONLY!
This Year’s Walsham Horticultural Show has been cancelled due to the covid-19 pandemic.
Next year’s Show will take place on Saturday 14th August 2021
The list of classes will be the same as for this year, so save your knitting and chutney for next year!
Clare, Countess of Euston, Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk has written to the Clerk of the Parish Council in order to express thanks for the efforts of the community in supporting each other through the epidemic.
So this is a thank you to all those volunteers who have put themselves forward to assist their vulnerable neighbours and fellow villagers, whether via the Parish Council or independently.
Click on the letter to read the thank you and a copy of HM Queen’s message to the Nation and D Day 75th Anniverssary address.
The Parish Council would like to thank all the people who have volunteered to support the Parish Council’s effort to ensure that vulnerable people in the village have the support they need whilst they are required to self-isolate.
The approach taken has been to try to match people needing assistance to the volunteer who lives closest to them in order to make it easier for everyone and also to encourage relationships that may endure should that be desired and offered.
Thank you to all the volunteers for keeping in touch with the people you are supporting but don’t hesitate to contact the Parish Clerk if, for whatever reason, you need another volunteer to stand in.
As the registers were put togther it was heart-warming to discover just how many arrangements to support neighbours were already in place, either longstanding or newly established as the epidemic started to hit. We are all very lucky to live in a place like Walsham le Willows which, if we did not know it already, clearly has a strong community spirit.
Many of those who volunteered have not yet been called upon but it has been very comforting to know that those people are still ready to be called upon should the need arise. Let’s hope that the slow relaxation of lockdown as many are still required to isolate and social distancing is still required, does not result in a second spike of infections. But should that happen we know we are prepared .
Another thank you is due to Mr Richard Martineau who has always done so much for the village which is not always immediately obvious to everyone in the village. The Parish Council recently asked if a skip for the collection of green waste could be located on one of the local farms and Richard kindly offered.
The provision of a skip for green waste was suggested by Councillor Paul Arbon as a response to a number of sightings of the fly tipping of garden waste into hedgerows. Within a very short space of time, the skip was almost filled on Sunday last and there is still a bit more room to be made for this coming Sunday. So thank you again Richard for facilitating this effort which was very much appreciated by those who made use of it last week.
THE PLAY AREA IS CLOSED
Government advice is that all play areas which have play equipment should remain closed due to the potential risk of spread of infection. The Parish Council therefore asks that you please do your best to ensure your children do not gather at the Play Area until further notice.
This notice is issued by the Parish Council on behalf of the Play Council.
Eligible students/ parents need to opt in to receive Council Funded School Travel for 2020/2021, the deadline is 31st May 2020.
Opt in here: https://www.suffolkonboard.com/school-travel
Parish Council meetings are currently being held at the usual time, online using the Zoom conferencing app for the duration of the lockdown.
You can join the online meeting to observe and you can make a representation to the Council in the usual way.
The next meeting is at 7pm on 12th May 2020 – To register contact clerk@walshampc.myzen.co.uk | 01359 259 794
Please submit your request to join and/or make a representation by email to the Clerk in advance, but before 15:00 on the day of the meeting. A URL and password will be provided, by email, just prior to the commencement of the meeting.
Plans for the Annual Parish Meeting are on hold this year. If the lockdown is lifted with enough notice before 1st June 2020 we may still be able to go ahead.
Another of Ian ‘Red Sox’ Toulson’s videos, this one to mark the era of Coranavirus. A light hearted take in honour of the NHS that took two days to put together!
Due to the Government lockdown this year’s open day has had to be cancelled but read the letter from the manager which advises on other support available at this time.
Read on the Observer page in the new flip viewer.
Walsham le Willows Play Council [Charity number 293364] Update on current position from the Parish Council
A fantastic group of volunteers from the village, with the agreement of the Parish Council, has completed valuable work consulting with residents on ideas for the development of the Play Area on Townhouse Road. They also took on the formidable task of removing the skate ramp which had become unsafe.
Their excellent volunteer consultation exercise has resulted in a plan of phased development ready to be used for fundraising and then implemented. They continue their work behind the scenes on further consultations, on fundraising from local organisations and on getting the support of the school and sports club for future fundraising efforts. The Parish Council is extremely grateful for this work whilst the legalities of the situation with the governance of the charity were investigated and worked through.
Continue reading “Walsham Play Area – Developments”Notice is hereby given of an Annual General Meeting
of Walsham le Willows Play Council
Friday 29th May at 10am
An electronic invitation will be sent out just prior to the meeting. If you wish to take part, please contact the Parish Clerk before the day of the meeting:
clerk@walshampc.myzen.co.uk | 01359 259 794
The AGM will consider the following resolutions:
You will also find the April 2020 edition of the Observer Online because producing the hard copy over the next few months may prove difficult if not impossible.
Work is in progress to improve the quality of the text for screen and it will hopefully be replaced very soon with a fancy ‘pageflip’ version, maybe with a splash of colour too.
References to page numbers are slightly out at the moment as we need to exclude the front and back cover in the page count.
…showing why it is so important to protect yourself and others by helping to minimise the spread the virus. This is the battle for the NHS.
79 Volunteers have now registered which is a brilliant result for the village. Keep registering and please stand by because some people are okay for now but may need help later on. Thank you all.
74 People/Households Living Alone / Potentially Vulnerable registered so far. All but two have confirmed, regular contact with volunteers/neighbours, are not living alone, or have advised that they are okay for now.
24 People have asked for prescriptions to be collected by volunteers. Many others have confirmed as receiving support from neighbours.
Some volunteers, due to their own vulnerabilities and need to self-isolate, are not able to shop or collect prescriptions but have offered to keep in touch with people by telephone. So please do ask if you would like someone to support you in that way, particularly if you are living alone.
The Parish Council are building confidential registers of vulnerable people in the village and of volunteers who will make themselves available to assist where required. Obviously information from these registers will need to be shared appropriately but with due regard to data protection law.
The aim is simply to ensure that no-one in the village is left alone without support as evolving government advice (or orders) are put into practice. Priority may have to be given to those older people who are living alone (or elderly couples) without nearby family support.
Some volunteers, due to their own vulnerabilities and need to self-isolate, are not able to shop or collect prescriptions but have offered to keep in touch with people by telephone. So please do ask if you would like someone to support you in that way, particularly if you are living alone.
Please contact the Parish Clerk (preferably by email) to advise any of the following:
This information will greatly assist the Parish Council with co-ordination of responses and is especially important if someone is living alone, even if the only requirement is to keep a close eye.
It is everyone’s responsibility to do what they can to stop Covid 19 from spreading if particlularly vulnerable members of the community are to be protected. Particularly vulnerable people are those who meet one or more of the following criteria:
The Parish Council is duty bound to ask if anyone volunteering falls into any of the vulnerable groups listed above. It would be inadvisable, and somewhat counterproductive, to ask anyone falling into these groups to volunteer for anything that contravenes advice on social distancing. However, all forms of support may be needed, telephone contact included, so please do not let this stop you from registering a volunteer.
email the Parish Clerk | or call on 01359 259 794 (please leave a message with name and number)
If you do not have an email account, or need help, do ask someone to make contact on your behalf.
Prescriptions can be collected for you
You just need to advise the pharmacy who will be collecting for you. If you have not been able to arrange this and cannot collect medication yourself then contact the Parish Clerk who will try to arrange this for you.
Groceries can be delivered
If you are self isolating or otherwise avoiding contact let us know. Volunteers can assist with delivering your groceries to you.
Rolfes is also offering a free grocery delivery service.
The Blue Boar Pub are offering a home meals and delivery service. To place orders | 01359 259 168 | theblueboarwalsham@gmail.com
If you would like to volunteer to assist your community in any way, as well as registering with the Parish Council, you can register with Suffolk County Council for their recently launched Home But Not Alone Service
Volunteers can get the app here
If you need support, including help with shopping Call 0800 876 6926. This line is open from 09:00 to 17:00, seven days a week, with staff from both Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils working through their weekends to support this service.
Think you have Coronavirus symptoms? Check out what you should do.
Need help? Go to NHS 111 online
Regular Check-in By Text for people staying at home with suspected Coronavirus symptoms
Instructions and advice from the Government across a whole range of Coronavirus related issues.
Stay at Home Guidance for households with possible infection
Rickinghall Road, Walsham Le Willows, Suffolk
16 April — 17 April
Please take the 2 meter distancing rules seriously. This protects everyone. It is a simple and very much appreciated courtesy and no one should take offence.
If you pass people with children, or elderly people who may not be as agile, please give some thought to how much easier it may be for you to cross the road to maintain a social distance from them.
Social Distancing, Self Isolation and Shielding, do you know the difference?
If you are confused check out this BBC article that explains all three.
Show your appreciation for the NHS and everyone who works in it, all the keyworkers who are helping us all by keeping essential services going and putting themselves at risk, and not least the volunteers in our own village.
Remember to keep the appropriate social distance from your neighbours!
“It’s important to remember that no matter how healthy and active you are, your risk for getting pneumonia increases with age. This is because our immune system naturally weakens with age, making it harder for our bodies to fight off infections and diseases.”
From article in The Guardian quoting respiratory physician John Wilson, president-elect of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.
An informative Guardian article with background on Covid19 and how it affects different groups of people with some important information for those who fall into particularly vulnerable groups and why that is the case.
And an instructive video that illustrates the effect of exponential growth vs controlled growth of the Coronavirus epidemic.
Get a cuppa and watch this video of a Korean Professor who is the most prominent Covid-19 expert in his country, talking at length about his experience. He ends with “…you have to be humble, the moment we become arrogant we lose….but we have to be humble until the end. It’s not the end until it’s over”.
There are new meeting dates planned. Some of these may be held in the Priory Room but in the light of the Coronavirus outbreak, some may be conducted online. Suzi Steer has past experience of holding meetings this way using Zoom. Get your webcams at the ready!
A smaller group have been beavering away on the next steps for the Plan. Keep up to date by checking back on the Neighbourhood Plan page for ‘What’s New’
