Treating COVID-19 at Home & Vaccine

Vaccine Sites

Covid-19 Virus - where can you get the vaccine?

If you want to find out how you might get your vaccine carry on reading. Click here to read about treating COVID-19 at home.

Health and care staff are working hard to open as many centres as possible as supplies become available. Essex & Suffolk NHS now have five hospital vaccination hubs (including Colchester & Ipswich). Also more than 40 GP-led services and, from tomorrow, two new large vaccination centres. These are in Wickford & Ipswich with more opening shortly.

Continue reading “Treating COVID-19 at Home & Vaccine”

Day 91 of (flagging) Lockdown – the Windrush edition

John Easey with NHS Radishes display

Armed Forces day flagDay 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

Continue reading “Day 91 of (flagging) Lockdown – the Windrush edition”

Day 45 of Lockdown – the “What did they do” edition

Dave Vera Lynn aged 103

Plans for the weekend gameDay 45 of Lockdown

Day 45 and we are all agog to see what plans Mr Johnson will reveal on Sunday.  The little game on the right might help you predict.   Other news:

Last Few Days of Free Access at Ancestry

Linked to the VE day 75th-anniversary, Ancestry has been offering free access to their website – this expires on Sunday so if you are keen to track your roots this is the weekend to do it!

I (webmaster) have been impressed to Continue reading “Day 45 of Lockdown – the “What did they do” edition”

Day 31 of Lockdown – the Baked Potato edition

Thank You Baked PotatoDay 31 of Lockdown

Day 31 sees a couple of serious announcements, two new or updated initiatives for things to do during the lockdown and a Matt Lucas special.

More PPE Needed!

Essex companies have donated unopened and unwanted stocks of Personal Protective Equipment.  This PPE will support those working in adult and children social care across Essex.  While Continue reading “Day 31 of Lockdown – the Baked Potato edition”

Day 24 of Lockdown – The “Wot No ….” Edition

Day 24 of Lockdown

Day 24 starts off being a day of cancellations, passes by some gratitude from the NHS and moves on to an inevitable lighter moment with a musical cups game to try with the kids.  Don’t forget to join the applause for those in the front line tonight!

Cancellations

Village Bulletin

Whilst recognising that the Village Bulletin is particularly appreciated by those without access to technology, the difficult Continue reading “Day 24 of Lockdown – The “Wot No ….” Edition”

Day 17 of Lockdown – The “Let’s Not Waste It” Edition

On day 17 you are encouraged not to go visiting

Day 17 of Lockdown

Day 17 of Lockdown and apparently the curve is beginning to flatten but, we aren’t out of the woods yet.  Hence our slightly macabre focal image today.

With a sunny ‘holiday weekend’ ahead we really can’t take a holiday from the lockdown although please do go outside your house this evening at 8 pm to clap for those who are supporting our society right now.

There is also one update from ECC and some, possibly slightly worrying, news from the Essex Resilience Forum.  We will finish with some lightening of the mood looking at some things that have got better.

Vulnerable Adults

ECC has introduced a new service to help vulnerable adults stay physically and mentally active during the COVID-19 outbreak.  The Stay Connected service Continue reading “Day 17 of Lockdown – The “Let’s Not Waste It” Edition”

Day 7 of Lockdown – The ‘Look After Yourself’ Edition

Asterix vs PandemixDay 7 of Lockdown

So, it’s day 7, coming to the end of the first week and we’re looking at the possibility of there being many more weeks.  Nerves are already fraying at webmaster’s house.  With that in mind, looking after yourself is a key imperative, that’s why we’ll inject humour from time to time, but our first item is from Public Health England (PHE).  Others are:

Guidance on Mental Health & Wellbeing

Over the weekend PHE published a document basically concerned with helping us preserve our sanity in these troubling times.  It addresses a wide range of things you can do to help with your mental health & wellbeing, many with links to external resources such as helplines and the NHS Fitness Studio: Continue reading “Day 7 of Lockdown – The ‘Look After Yourself’ Edition”

Changes coming to West Bergholt Surgery

Changes coming to West Bergholt Surgery

As the NHS celebrates its 70th birthday, the stresses it is increasingly under are being felt by the Creffield Medical Group who run the West Bergholt Surgery.  Dr Hasan Chowhan from the Group has given the Parish Council a briefing on the changes.

Background – why change is needed

From the 1st June 2017 Creffield Medical Centre Continue reading “Changes coming to West Bergholt Surgery”

Hospital Merger Update

NHS Logo - Hospital Merger UpdateHospital Merger Update

The following announcement has been sent from Colchester & Ipswich hospitals’ Chief Executive, Nick Hulme.

Announcement

The two NHS trusts that run Colchester and Ipswich hospitals are planning to come together as a single organisation this summer. As the chief executive of both hospitals, I want to share the reasons for this with you as I know how important our services are to local residents. Continue reading “Hospital Merger Update”

Funding, Energy Switch & More

Funding, Energy Switch & More

Funding is just one of many subjects in the numerous news updates Essex County & Colchester Borough Councils issue every week, the following are extracts that might be of particular interest.

Funding available for community projects

Colchester’s Big Choice funding application process is now open! Bid for a share of £200,000 to fund new or existing community projects in Colchester. Finalists will be entered into a public vote at the end of February 2016 to decide on the winners.

If you have a project that could be eligible CBC needs to know more about it. Not all applications will go through to the final vote but in order to qualify CBC needs to know who you are, what you do and how your idea will benefit the residents of Colchester Borough.

Completing this online application form will guide you through the information CBC needs so please complete it carefully and take note of the deadlines as CBC has to stick to them. The online application form needs to be completed and received by CBC by 12 noon on the 15th January 2016.   Click here to find out more

Save hundreds in the Essex Energy Switch

An energy-saving initiative which has already saved Essex residents almost £1 million has reopened for new applications. Register now for the Essex Energy Switch to potentially save hundreds of pounds on your energy bills.

Registration is open till 1 February 2016. After this, energy providers will bid against one another in an auction with the winning bidder being the company offering the lowest price to all applicants. Following last year’s Switch, residents saved approximately £263 per household.

Anyone who pays for energy is eligible to take part. Signing up takes just a few minutes online. Visit www.essex.gov.uk/energyswitch for more information and to find out how to take part.

How to avoid a cold (caller) this winter

Free “No Cold Caller” stickers are now available at Essex libraries to help vulnerable people protect themselves from rogue traders.

#InstaEssex – Capturing the culture of Essex

What best describes Essex culture to you? Is it some of our buildings and architecture; our artwork and theatres; local street and contemporary social culture; or perhaps there’s an iconic image you think sums up the county? Whatever it is, the #InstaEssex campaign wants to capture it with a photography competition that’s open to both amateur and professional photographers.

15 winning images will be displayed at London Liverpool Street station and at branch line stations across Essex. From these winners the top three will be awarded cash prizes of £1,000 (first prize), £500 (second prize) and £250 (third prize).

If you’re stuck for inspiration why not take a look at the Explore Culture website.  Or if you’d like to brush up on your photography skills, why not take part in one of the #InstaEssex workshops.

If you don’t fancy submitting a photo but still want to share your thoughts, you can join the discussions on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using #Instaessex.  The competition is open until Mon 15 February 2016 so there’s plenty of time to get snapping!

Boost Your Online Skills

If you were fortunate enough to receive a new smartphone, tablet or PC at Christmas and you’d like help to get online, then why not brush up your IT skills for free at CBC’s digital bazaar events and online drop-in sessions beginning this month and running throughout 2016.

At CBC’s digital bazaar events and online drop in sessions, you are encouraged to bring your own device where you will receive professional help with setting it up.

Computers are available at all of the events and staff are there to support and teach you and undertake tasks such as setting up email addresses. You will also have the opportunity to meet some of CBC’s dedicated multi-skilled Zone Teams who have in-depth knowledge of local areas.

One to One Support

CBC also offer one-to-one support at any of the library hubs across Colchester. To book a free one hour session please complete CBC’s online form or call 01206 282222.

Local Health Matters Meetings

Taking place twice a month in various parts of the North East Essex area, these meetings are free to attend without prior booking and give you an opportunity to discuss matters of concern or interest to you regarding Local Health matters.  The minutes of the recent meeting in Colchester will give you an idea of what they are about:

Winter’s on its way

The unseasonal mild spell is coming to an end. Are you ready for wintry conditions on the roads? Keep up to date with road conditions via Essex County Council’s website or Twitter accounts.

Visit ECC’s winter travel web page for useful information about salt bins, salting (gritting) routes and links to other winter-related advice about school closures, flooding alerts and health. Follow @Essex_Travel and @EssexGritters for all the latest winter road updates from Essex County Council on Twitter. ECC does not manage the A12, A120, M11 and M25. Visit the Highways Agency website for information about these roads.

At midday every day during winter a weather report comes in to Essex County Council and the decision is made whether to send gritters out onto the Essex roads.  Essex County Council has 59 gritters which grit 2,500 miles of roads in the county using a mixture of salt and brine. Find out how the gritting service works in a feature which appeared in the East Anglian Daily Times this week.

Remember to always drive to the weather conditions to keep safe on the roads this winter.

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