Day 84 is also day 3 of the Siege of Colchester some 372 years ago, that siege only lasted 77 days and here we are at day 84 of our COVID-19 siege. With the shops reopening, are we at the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning? If we want it to be the former then I guess we need to stay alert? Today is also the start of Loneliness Awareness Week, other news:
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 67, several weeks into unprecedented weather and virus, HMG has issued a raft of information to prepare for a heatwave. Some of the key elements of this are summarised below with a link to the full advice. Other topics are:
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”
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”
Slim pickings in terms of news on day 57, just 2 items and one of those is incomplete. A little bit of trivia to start with. Heinz has always been known for its 57 varieties but even when it was first introduced in 19th Century Pittsburgh they had more than 60; Henry J Heinz simply thought 57 was a lucky number. Of course, Heinz now has over 5,700 varieties, read more here. The news:
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.
On day 52 we have a timely intervention from the legend that was Bruce Forsyth. Having grown up in feet & inches I (webmaster) despair at the number of people (of all ages), who really have no grasp of what 2 metres is. I’ve gathered my pet gripes together, I wonder how many you share:
on a narrow pavement, it is NOT OK to walk side-by-side when somebody is coming the other way.
it is also NOT OK for runners & cyclists to whizz past at speed barely 1-metre away.
if you and your household come across another household it is OK to socially distance on the same side of the path; that is much better than straddling both sides forcing others to run the 1-metre gauntlet.
Loneliness Awareness Week
