Dear Neighbours
I hope you were able to enjoy some elements of a very strange Easter weekend under lockdown. We have had some wonderful spring weather to enjoy our gardens, the local countryside and the wildlife around us, which are all starting to burst into life once more.
On Easter Sunday more than 30 children from the village, went on a Teddy Bear hunt with their families. They had to count how many teddies they spotted in house windows around the village. The highest count was 318 teddies! All the children who took part received an Easter Egg, kindly donated by Sainsburys in Cockermouth.
Members of the Village Support Group, neighbours and friends continue to help households who are having to self isolate and need help to get their shopping. Tim Grisdale has been monitoring local stores and outlets to find out what you can order yourselves and have delivered by the stores or collected by neighbours or volunteers from the village. Please see Tim’s updated Shopping Information Leaflet and note that Booths in Keswick are now offering a click and collect service and Oakhurst Garden Centre are offering deliveries of plants or compost.
The Area Support Team are co-ordinating help, support and resources within Allerdale during this pandemic. They work with Statutory and Voluntary bodies and have produced a Directory of Services Issue 3 for Allerdale and an updated Allerdale Newsletter Issue 5.
A further publication containing infection prevention guidance may also be of interest.
We hope that the content of this post helps provide you with some useful information, but there are other ways to keep in touch with the community and with the village Support Group. We recognize that not everyone has the experience or access to online groups or services.
However, anyone can ring one of the Support Group Coordinators who will help deal with any queries or needs which you have. These may not be just practical things like shopping or odd jobs but also arranging for one of our many volunteers to make regular contact with you, by phone, to have a chat and see how you are feeling and to try and help address needs and concerns you may be having.
If you need any help or support then please contact one of the following four Support Group Coordinators:
For anyone with a mobile phone, we now have an active village Whatsapp group, which is proving really popular. Anyone can join and contribute to the conversations. It’s a great way to share news, gardening tips, photos, recipes, educational information, nature notes, in fact anything you might normally chat to your neighbour about in person. If you would like to join, any of the 4 Support Group Coordinators can add you to the Group, just give them a ring!
A Facebook Group has also been setup for anyone to join in and share their wows ‘n triumphs, tips ‘n tricks, chit-chat, or anything else that will help us maintain our sanity in these strange times.
We all heard this week that the general “lockdown” will continue for at least another 3 weeks. For some villagers, who are in the more vulnerable/at risk groups, then your self isolation or shielding is likely to last longer. Whilst it’s really important to continue to follow the Public Health guidelines on social distancing and hygiene, to prevent getting the coronavirus, its really important to look after your general physical and emotional health too.
Whilst people have tried to avoid putting unnecessary burdens on the NHS, NHS England have stressed the importance of people still seeking help if they potentially have other serious conditions developing. They still want you to call 999 or go to A+E if you have chest pains or symptoms or signs of a stroke or have a serious accident or injury. They also want you to contact your GP or phone 111 if you have a sudden deterioration in your ongoing medical condition like asthma, diabetes, angina etc. They also do not want people to put off contacting their GP or the 111 service if they have any suspicious symptoms which could be caused by an early cancer, such as finding a lump or noticing unusual bleeding.
Children can still get unwell during this pandemic and it maybe completely unrelated to a coronavirus infection. There is a really useful website run by the Royal College of Paediatricians. It can help parents learn more about childhood illnesses but also gives clear guidance on when to seek medical help. Go to the website and then use the “Parents and Carer” tab to get information and advice.
The stress and social isolation that the pandemic is causing, does have an impact on us all. There are many national and local agencies which are now producing really useful information to help people cope better, with simple advice and using self-help strategies. One of the best I have seen is produced by a local health charity “Every Life Matters” – https://www.every-life-matters.org.uk. It’s well worth looking at. Besides practical advice for adults, it also gives parents advice about helping their children deal with this very uncertain and potentially worrying time in their lives. Follow the link and look for the “Covid 19” tabs.
Whilst most people’s main focus has been to keep themselves and their families safe and well, with enough food in the house, some people are also facing uncertainty about their household incomes and jobs and possibly running into debt as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The Government has pledged support for workers and households through various schemes, with the safety net of Universal Credit and other state benefits when needed. Cumbria County Council and Allerdale Council have formed a partnership with many statutory and voluntary organisation throughout the County. Their aim is to support its residents who need assistance accessing financial help and advice and also supporting vulnerable adults, young people and families. Help can be given in many ways through grants, loans and benefit payments and support services. People are also benefiting from the use of food vouchers and accessing their local food banks when needed. (Cockermouth Food Bank- Lorton Street. Tel 01900 823854 or 07502 311452)
If you feel you do need some support in this area and are not sure where to get help or advice from, then I am happy to help signpost you to the right organization. I promise that any query will be treated in the strictest confidence. My contact details are:
David Clarkson – 01900 827763 or 07598 268523
Keep safe and keep looking out for each other!
David Clarkson