Author: Lesley Webb

The “very vulnerable” should by now have registered for preferential online ordering. This will reduce the work that village volunteers need to do. If you classify as “very vulnerable” and need help doing this please reply to this email.

 NEW Morrisons Doorstep Delivery of essential items is available to vulnerable and elderly members of the community, unable to go shopping in-store. Call 0345 611 6111 and select option 5 to place your order. Demand for this is high so it may take you several attempts to get through but we have managed it so keep at it.

Any order placed before 5pm they will aim to deliver the next day. In order to use this service you must live within 10 miles of a Morrisons store. There is an limit of three per item whilst using this service.

Deliveries will adhere to the current social distancing rules so to avoid contact we strongly encourage contactless card payments only, if this isn’t possible chip and pin card payments are available but no cash payments can be accepted.

Please see  https://my.morrisons.com/doorstep-deliveries/ for the list of essential items which you can order.

Timberscombe Post Office now has a selection of fresh fruit and veg in addition to the usual milk, eggs, cheese, bread, cakes, tinned and frozen food.

Sarah is very happy to get more if there is a demand for it. She has also offered to pick up other products from the suppliers if villagers let her know what they want. So, if you are struggling to get food please speak to Sarah.

Stuart Lowen Farm Shop delivers to Timberscombe on a Thursday. He can provide fruit and veg, poultry, game, sausages, bacon, cooked ham, milk, cheese and bread. There is no delivery charge provided the order is of a reasonable size.

If you would like him to deliver call him on 01643 706034 to place your order. Payments must be made by card over the phone.

Iceland If you are happy to go out but struggle to carry your shopping don’t forget Iceland will deliver products which you select in store.

If your organisation has furloughed employees, the system for claiming is now live. Claim for 80% of your employee’s wages plus any employer National Insurance and pension contributions, if you have put them on furlough because of coronavirus (COVID-19). Click here for more details.

Trading Standards have told us that a number of residents have been called on their landline from a fake 01225 number, claiming to be from the Government. The automated voice said that the Government is instructing them to wear a face mask and to press a number on the keypad to make a purchase. Fortunately the residents have recognised this as a scam.

Although these calls were made to residents in the Bath area at present, it is likely that this will become far more widespread and will no doubt include our area. Please remain alert to any potential scam calls.

Help Tropiquaria?

Note from Cindy Hurn

I learned the other day that Tropiquaria are struggling to raise the upkeep for their animals now that they have to stay closed. They started a Go Fund Me page, hoping to raise enough to keep the animals fed and housed.  The kids always enjoyed going there, and I appreciated so much how well they kept their animals.  I wonder if folks in Timberscombe realize that Tropiquaria needs as much help as they can muster or they will have to shut down. That would be a real loss to the area.

Here’s the link if you would like to help them

https://www.gofundme.com/f/tropiquaria-save-our-zoo?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&fbclid=IwAR3HLTgvvINvZfEtdKRUW-C21vBL0KBd4Q6T3tISdG5SRogqTGRem2arBjw

Cindy Hurn

The Somerset Local Authorities Civil Contingencies Partnership is working to create guidance and considerations on what to do during an evacuation emergency while there is a Covid outbreak.

Can you help us? 

We are on the look out for people who own/manage Hotels,B&Bs and Holiday Parks who would be willing to open their doors if we needed to provide emergency overnight accommodation to individuals needing to evacuate during an emergency. As well as having our registered rest centres and places of safety this would provide us with the resilience we need to keep families separate and safe during this Covid crisis. If you are able to help please fill out this form to provide all the information we need. We thank you very much for your help in advance.

Emergency Overnight Accommodation – Hotel/B&B/Caravan/Holiday Park Form 

Volunteering: There has been an outpouring of public support and care for each other across Somerset communities as COVID-19 (Coronavirus) continues to increase across the UK. If you would like to get involved please go to https://www.sparksomerset.org.uk/covid-19 to see what you could do to help. So far 1200 volunteers have signed up!

Mindline Somerset – Mindline is a confidential listening service which provides a safe place to talk if you, or someone you know, is in distress. We can also give basic information about mental health and local support services.

An update from the Environment Agency : We remain fully operational, with the majority of our staff working from home. Our remaining frontline teams will be active, where necessary, on the ground tackling priority issues such as flood risk and pollution.

Inspections of flood risk assets damaged in Storms Ciara and Dennis are still underway using local inspectors. We are prioritising our work to protect the most at-risk communities to ensure they continue to remain resilient.

During this pandemic the Environment Agency continues to protect people and the environment, working alongside our partners. Please report any pollution incidents on 0800 80 70 60 and stay #floodaware.

For more information on the latest National and Local information relating to Coronavirus, small business grants, NHS advice and useful links go to https://www.somerset.gov.uk/coronavirus/

 

 

Just a reminder that Thursday evenings is Clap for Carers night, so get out on your doorstep and make some noise at 8.00pm.  Clap, cheer, ring bells, clang pots and pans – show your appreciation for key workers, and particularly those working in the NHS who have sacrificed so much to help Britain get through the coronavirus crisis.

Timberscombe Good Neighbours

A big thank you also to Joy Booth and her team of fabulous volunteers who are spending hours helping the isolated with food, medicines, hospital lift, cheer up chats, etc. Thank you one and all.

Fish and Chips

From Elisabeth Powls – Ken and I have just sampled John’s take away fish and chips and it was lovely. If you didn’t go you missed a treat. We would like to thank John and his helpers for giving us a change in these circumstances and giving us something to look forward to on May 4th.

Keep your distance

I have been asked to send out a huge thank you to everyone in the village who is maintaining the safe distancing rule.

Unfortunately, there appear to be a very few people in the village who seem to need a reminder about the importance of keeping their distance. Please be aware that although you may not be worried about catching the virus other people are.

Social contact has cost thousands of lives. Please keep your distance even from your friends. 

Thank you

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Old Dairy Takeaway Lunch Friday 24th April