Day 91 of (flagging) Lockdown
Day 91 lockdown coincides with Windrush Day commemorating the Windrush generation and their legacy. You can find out more about this on Wikipedia and I ‘tip a hat to it’ at the end of the update. The day also sees the start of a week of activity leading up to Armed Forces Day on Saturday which is where we start; other items:
Flag Raising ahead of Saturday’s Armed Forces’ Day
A bugler from British Army Band Colchester heralded Armed Forces Day in Colchester, at 10am, today (22 June 2020).
Colchester Borough Council joined local authorities and community groups across the nation by flying the Armed Forces Day flag in support of servicemen and women and for the wider Armed Forces community of families, veterans and cadets.
The raising of the Armed Forces Day flag usually heralds a week of celebrations culminating in a national event on the last Saturday of June. Colchester raised its Armed Forces Day flag, alongside the Pegasus flag of 16 Air Assault Brigade, from the Town Hall. Today is of particular significance for the Colchester-based formation, marking 80 years since the creation of British airborne forces during the Second World War.
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, this year’s Armed Forces Day national event, which was to have taken place in Scarborough on Saturday 27 June, will now be held virtually with the public encouraged to show their support in other ways.
Allotment Story
John Easey, assisted by his dog Penny, has been growing this gesture to the NHS, it’s made with radishes!
Environment & Highways Committee
This committee met via Zoom earlier in June and today published the minutes of their meeting. Topics discussed included:
- New trees & hedges,
- Wildlife areas,
- Street furniture & signs,
- School buses,
- Handymen activities, and
- Play Area.
… which leads us nicely on to:
Rubbish news
In a bid to crackdown on littering and fly-tipping, Colchester Borough Council is urging residents to make sure they dispose of rubbish responsibly, by either holding on to it when a bin is full or taking it home.
Over the last few weeks, incidents of littering and fly-tipping have increased across the borough. Whilst local parks and green spaces have been a lifeline for many over recent months, now people are able to spend more outdoors and the town centre is reopening, there is a real risk they will be overtaken with rubbish and litter.
Do your bit
Despite the easing of restrictions, local authorities are still facing immense challenges protecting and supporting those who are vulnerable and shielding, while also trying to maintain essential services. Therefore, the council is calling on everyone to do their bit to keep Colchester clean, by taking their litter home and putting it in the bin and using the Keep Britain Tidy campaign, which asks people to ‘walk your rubbish home’ and ‘exercise compassion’.
The council will also provide local parish councils with resource packs to ensure the message is spread far and wide across the borough.
Several fixed penalty notices have been issued recently due to fly-tipping, with perpetrators identified through items left in the rubbish. Leaving rubbish next to a bin is classed as fly-tipping and where there is enough evidence, anyone caught littering or fly-tipping faces a Fixed Penalty Notice and fine of £100 and could end up with a criminal conviction.
Unacceptable
Cllr Goss, the portfolio holder for waste, has said:
It is unacceptable that people’s enjoyment of our town is spoilt by those who see fit to clutter the pavements with their litter and discarded food. We are not going to let up putting pressure on those who blight our town through littering.
Windrush Day
The official Windrush Day started in 2018. It falls on the anniversary of the Empire Windrush arriving at Tilbury Docks in 1948. Weirdly records of the day don’t seem to agree on how many arrived on it! The ship’s records indicate over 1,000 whilst news reports suggested just under 500 – was this early Fake News? They were invited to take up roles in key industries.
As well as helping to rebuild Britain after WW2, they also introduced us to Reggae:
COVID Advice Reggae Style
More Traditional – Bob Marley & the Wailers live in 1973
And with Buffalo Soldier: