Woods is a small but very friendly lawn bowls club that is normally open to all ages and abilities throughout the spring & summer months of April to September. The club consists of a mixture of male and female members with ages ranging from ‘Thirty-somethings’ to, sprightly Octogenarians! You are never too young or too old to play Lawn Bowls. Continue reading “Day 72 of Lockdown – the Bowling Along edition”
Day 64 seems to be full of controversy but not much news. Here is what little we have, news relating to the allotments first and then a couple of health-related items from ECC. As ever, some light relief at the end.
Spare Plants & Produce
Whilst COVID-19 has prevented the Allotments’ Charity Stall opening it is still possible to obtain surplus produce & plants. A neighbour of the allotments on New Church Road is happy for their driveway to be used for plot holders to deposit their surplus and for villagers to take what they need. Continue reading “Day 64 of (un?) Lockdown – the Spare Plants edition”
The main news item for day 63 is an update on the Old Church renovations followed by a few updates from our government, and some fun at the end. But first, we have a tall story from Annie Neish.
For those of you who are unable to cruise the village she thought you would like to see the Echium Pininana Tower of Jewels flowering beside the fence of the allotment on New Church Road. Several years ago John had one on the plot next to her so she knew it might be possible.
A quick search on Wikipedia reveals this plant is native to La Palma in the Canaries where it is endangered due to habitat loss (Laurel forests). Fortunately, it is being cultivated quite widely in the British Isles and Northern California so should have some resilience.
On day 58 we get the chance to finish what we started on day 57; the Essex Life in Lockdown article inviting you to share your lockdown story. After that:
The Research and Citizen Insight team at Essex County Council are reaching out to residents of Essex to hear their experiences and share stories of what it has been like for you during this extremely challenging time. How has COVID-19 and the lockdown has impacted your life, how you’ve been getting on, how you have managed to stay connected with friends, family and your community and how you’ve been feeling throughout the lockdown period? Continue reading “Day 58 of (is it?) Lockdown – the Life in Lockdown edition”
Following the latest government advice, the MUGA is now open for playing tennis only. To protect the health of our staff, the parish council is not currently charging to hire the tennis court, however, you must book the court in advance of playing to ensure social distancing is adhered to.
To book the court for an hour, call Victoria Beckwith-Cole on 07434 949631.
Guidance for use
in order to use this tennis court, you must:
Keep a 2m ‘social distance’ at all times.
Wash your hands at home before and after play. Bring antibacterial gel with you as there are no toilet facilities open.
Play within households if you can.
Singles play only unless you are playing doubles with members of your own household.
If you are playing against someone from a different household (Singles Only) you MUST have your own personal tennis balls CLEARLY MARKED that only you pick up.
When you arrive, wait for play to finish before entering the MUGA. Do NOT congregate by the entrance gate.
Please do not touch the nets, net-posts or fencing.
Do not touch other people’s tennis balls with your hands.
No spectating is allowed.
You must not use the MUGA for tennis without first pre-booking a court with Victoria on 07434 949631.
If these conditions are not met or any damage occurs, then the MUGA will be closed. Any issues please call 07434 949631.
Playgrounds
For the avoidance of doubt, playgrounds/play parks remain closed at this time.
When BBC Look East interviewed the Bears
CBC – Share Your Rainbows
Colchester Borough Council is encouraging residents to share photos of their home-made rainbow creations that demonstrate the borough’s support and gratitude to key workers throughout COVID-19.
Residents are being asked to share photos of their colourful and creative rainbow creations – whether it’s a hand-drawn rainbow, a chalk drawing on their driveway, or even a floral display in their front garden. The competition is open from 15 May until 7 June and will be judged by Cllr Mark Cory, Leader of Colchester Borough Council.
The winning photo will be awarded a family pass to visit Colchester Castle, a family swim pass at Leisure World Colchester and will feature on the council’s Facebook page as a cover photo.
The winner will be announced the week following the competition’s deadline of 5 June 2020.
ECC – International Day of Families
We’re using this year’s International Day of Families to remind you of the support available across Essex if you need help managing the extra pressure that the COVID-19 pandemic has put on family life.
We understand that while trying to make sense of this new world, you also need to support your child with their understanding. This will be unfamiliar territory and it’s completely normal to feel overwhelmed by this and trying to navigate the current circumstances we’re all living in.
Making It Easier to Find
With so much information out there, we know it can be hard to find what’s right for you, so we’ve collated key organisations and resources that can help support you and your family at this time.
We are continuing to share these with you through our Every Family Matters campaign, so that you know where you can get the help you need on subjects including children’s mental health and wellbeing, social distancing and young people, and how you can keep your child safe online.
Monty Python kicks us off on day 51. I’m afraid this video reminded me a little of some of the daily briefings we are getting.
Today sees the first day of softening in England, how was it for you? We start with a few government updates – quite a lot came out today; those included here are most relevant to members of the public.
More Government Guidance.
Further clarifications on access to green spaces, public transport & schools.
After a quiet weekend for local news, day 43 (6 weeks and a day!!!), brings us a few bits of news that might interest. Also a rather lovely parody of Cat Stevens’ Father & Son and other light relief. So we have:
The parish has a low crime rate but does suffer from occasional antisocial behaviour and parking issues, along with sporadic rural crime. West Bergholt Parish Council are supporting Essex Police to increase local and visible policing in their area. We nearly had Continue reading “Day 43 of Lockdown – the “Specials” edition”
e is?) Lockdown
e is?) Lockdown
