Please find notice from RCC re temporary closure of Glebe Road

There have been enquires from residents about donating to the Rutland Food Bank. There has been a big increase in requests for help and donations are welcome.

If you would like to donate then donations can be left in a receptacle that will be inside the Telephone Box in Church St.. A resident in the village works at the Food Bank and will deliver them to their premises.

Some items are always in demand but others vary over time and these will be updated. The list below indicate the donations that are most useful.

The foodbank always runs low on the following items:

• Sponge puddings
• Tins of potatoes
• Tins of carrots
• Cereal Bars
• Packets of Sugar

Running low at present:

• Deodorants
• Washing up liquid
• Toothpaste for children
• UHT milk
• Tins of tomatoes

Dear resident,

I hope you all had a happy Easter and the continuing lock down isn’t getting you down too much. Don’t forget if you know someone is on their own, give them a ring, it’s far more cheering than an e-mail.  Rutland council is continually updating its web pages https://www.rutland.gov.uk/my-services/health-and-family/health-and-nhs/health-and-support-services/coronavirus/ and although the headings remain unchanged the content does change –promise.  Hospitals locally are currently coping very well but have noted a significant reduction in attendance at accident and emergency departments.  If you are ill ‘phone your general practitioner, 111 or, in an emergency, 999 –we don’t want people getting seriously ill or dying because they don’t want to be a burden on the health service at this time. 

There has been some confusion over whether cemeteries are open or not.  Government guidance is now that if you enter a cemetery, to visit a grave for example, social distancing rules apply.   However, the organisation who maintains the cemetery, whether parish or church, is responsible for it and for ensuring the rules are followed so it is their decision on whether to open it or not.  

The good news nationally is that coronavirus seems to be under control but that will only continue if we all follow the rules.  Only go out for collecting medication and essential shopping, and preferably no more than once a week, and then only one person from the household.  Only take one form of exercise outside the perimeters of your home once a day.  Do not undertake unnecessary journeys, whether by bike or car, and this includes visiting family and loved ones; even if you have baked them a wonderful cake!  And above all keep your distance when you are outside your home.  Remember, family groups are those you are currently living with not members of your family who you don’t live with but might see in the street –you must still keep your distance from them. Stay safe.  Stay happy.

Gale Waller

County Councillor, Normanton Ward

gwaller@rutland.gov.uk 01780 722169

All dentists have been advised to cease all face to face contact. A new directive has been issued that advises those with dental issues not to go to their GP or A&E, but to contact dentists that are participating in a triage service. A full list of dentists operating the triage phone service will be provided on the RCC website.

 A Very Happy Easter,
with hope for everyone to keep their neighbours safe & well.

Small chocolate eggs can be had for the taking beside the cross which is
situated near the zebra crossing.

All eggs in foil which is untouched by human hand, sanitised & can be
easily picked up by its own cocktail stick!

Thanks from the Parish Church to Colin Heasell for some of the wood, to
John Dyckhoff for making the cross & to Lilliane Coogan for some of the
fabric flowers.

Dear resident,

First, a very happy Easter to you all.  I hope you are able to enjoy the weather safely and that those of you with children and grandchildren are keeping them entertained whist following the no socialising rules.  I’m missing my own daughter who was due to be spending the long weekend here in Rutland and sadly my contact with her is now only electronic.  Please don’t be tempted to visit grandparents or let your children play with children from another family; social distancing is still essential.  However, if you want something to amuse your children Visions Children’s Centre has come up with some ideas https://www.visionsccc.co.uk/sessions  as has Rutland Museum https://rutlandcountymuseum.org.uk/kids-crafts/

Not all children are safe and happy, however, and RCC has recently issued a press release about safeguarding children.  Here is part of it “Since the introduction of social distancing measures, brought in to limit the spread of coronavirus, the Council has seen a drop in reports to their safeguarding team. Council experts are concerned that, despite this drop, cases of child abuse may be on the rise, with fewer opportunities for it to be seen, reported and stopped. They are calling on residents to help make sure children are kept safe. If you have any concerns or something doesn’t look right, please let us know. Across the county front doors are being kept closed. But our door is always open.  Residents are asked to look and listen out for signs that may indicate abuse:

*           Very young children being left on their own

*           Children looking dirty or not changing their clothes

*           Children are withdrawn or anxious

*           Aggressive or repeated shouting

*           Sounds of hitting or banging and things being broken

*           Children crying for long periods of time

*           Relatives denied access to talk to children by phone or video call

To report concerns about children’s welfare call 01572 758 407 or email childrensreferrals@rutland.gov.uk <mailto:childrensreferrals@rutland.gov.uk> .

If a child is in immediate danger call 999 and ask for the police.”

Despite this lovely weather please don’t be tempted beyond your own garden other than necessary food shopping, a medical appointment or your own exercise.  And don’t be tempted to have a house (or garden) party.  The NHS needs us to keep lockdown so it doesn’t become overwhelmed.  Stay safe.  Stay happy.

Gale Waller

County Councillor, Normanton Ward

gwaller@rutland.gov.uk 01780 722169

We now have a twice weekly prescription collection scheduled with Empingham Medical Centre. We will collect from them after 4pm on Wednesday and Friday afternoons. 

The surgery have requested that any repeat prescriptions are notified 1 week in advance and not 72 hours as has previously been the case (You do not need to do this if your repeat prescription is automatically renewed each month).  This is to enable them to provide the key service that we all need so please help them by adhering to this.

If you let the good neighbours scheme know when you have submitted your prescription we can collect for you during the Wednesday or Friday afternoon pick-up. Email nlgns2020@gmail.com or call 07825 697841. Please leave your name as the surgery knows it, address, telephone number, whether you are exempt from charges or have a prepayment certificate, and your date of birth (requested by the surgery to make it quicker for them to process).

If you have an emergency prescription this can be collected any day by contacting us as above.

Thank you 

Good advice and useful contact details. Please click on the links below.

Dear resident,

Many of you will have read in the press that calls to national charity helplines for those suffering domestic abuse have increased significantly during our self-isolation period.  The Government has set up help for people suffering such abuse; it’s called The Silent Solution.  Victims dial 999 and when the operator asks which emergency they want the caller taps the ‘phone or coughs.  The operator will then prompt the caller to press 55 and the operator then directs the call to the relevant police force as an emergency.  Please let anyone you know who might benefit from this service; more information on Rutland’s Facebook page (see below).

We all love our pets and they bring many people great comfort in times like these but please remember, when you are out walking your dog clear up its mess.  Sadly we have seen an increase in dog mess in parts of Rutland.  Please do your best to keep our pavements, paths and countryside clean. 

If you are an individual or a business and have any Covid-19 questions and haven’t yet looked at RCC’s web site I would urge you to do so as it is being updated regularly. https://www.rutland.gov.uk/my-services/health-and-family/health-and-nhs/health-and-support-services/coronavirus/  You might also want to have a look at the Council’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pg/RutlandCountyCouncil/posts/?ref=page_internal for up to the minute information.

Finally today I have a message from Alicia Kearns our MP. 

Dear Residents,

Thank you for all you are doing to keep our communities safe. I’m enormously grateful to you all for adhering to the Government guidance. In this pandemic each of us can save lives, simply by staying home.

Over the coming months our communities will lose people we love, people we used to wave at on the street, and those we hadn’t yet had the chance to get to know. We’re already mourning people this virus has taken from us.

Thank you for all you are doing to support each other. In particular an enormous thanks to all our keyworkers, from NHS Staff and Carers, to our Council Workers, Teachers, Refuse Men and Women, Delivery Drivers, and Shop Workers.

If someone is giving their all to support our local communities, please write to me and nominate them for a Rutland and Melton Unsung Hero Award. I’ve launched these awards to say thank you to those working tirelessly to protect our communities, and have already recognised Oakham School and Rutland Plastics for their substantial and heroic efforts.

Following Government advice my office’s ways of working are changing. I am working to come back to you as quickly as possible, but ask that you make all contact via email as I cannot guarantee that we will be able to respond to telephone calls or letters in a timely manner.

For frequent updates on new Government support for individuals and businesses to defeat COVID-19, and to sign up to my newsletter please email alicia.kearns.mp@parliament.uk <mailto:alicia.kearns.mp@parliament.uk> .

I remain completely committed to supporting every single one of you, together we can save lives and protect our communities.

Stay safe,

Alicia

Gale Waller

County Councillor, Normanton Ward

gwaller@rutland.gov.uk 01780 722169

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic Ahimsa Dairy is running free weekly deliveries of fresh milk in the villages of Manton, Wing and North Luffenham.  Whole organic pasteurised or raw milk is available at a special subsidised price of £1.50 a litre throughout the lockdown period. 

For more details please contact:

Nikki mobile 07958 347629 or email nikkisemail2002@gmail.com

About Us

The Ahimsa Dairy Foundation is a not-for-profit company that was set up to provide entirely slaughter-free milk. At present our girls, who all have names, produce 23,000 of litres of milk a year. We distribute to the door in North West London and parts of Hertfordshire. We have drop-off points in other areas of London and the South-East and can distribute milk and other products when available nationally by mail. We also go to Queens Park and Islington London Farmers’ markets on Sundays and Stamford market on Fridays. Cows are retired to join their friends in the non-milking herd when they are past milking age where they spend their days eating grass and chewing the cud.

We are looking at a variety of ways of working with bulls. These range from ploughing the land to producing electricity and milling flour.

Our mission is to make slaughter-free milk a reality and establish sustainable dairy farms in Britain, which give people a real ethical choice.

Dear resident,

It is now official, there has been a recorded case of Coronavirus in a Rutland resident.  We in Rutland are not immune from this disease so I would urge you to take self-isolation and social distancing seriously.    This means restricting visiting a shop to not more than once a week, having shopping delivered if possible, using your village’s prescription collection service to reduce the numbers going to the surgeries and pharmacies, and staying indoors.  Some people have to go out to work, of course, and we are all allowed out for daily exercise but one session of daily exercise is just that.  It’s not a bike ride/jog in the morning and a walk with the family or dog in the afternoon; it is one or the other and walking your dog is your daily exercise as well as the dog’s!  It has been reported that young people have been seen playing football on our village open spaces.  This is not acceptable because it is impossible to play football and maintain the 2 meter social distance required by Government and it is enabling cross family mixing, again not recommended.  Don’t let your children and grandchildren out to play with other families till all this is over and if you see any football or other games going on, feel free to challenge the players.  The latest modelling suggests the death toll in the UK from Covid-19 will be lower that first feared, largely because of the success of self-isolation and social distancing but we all need to keep it up.  Look after yourself and if you need to contact me, or just want a chat, the details are below.

Gale Waller

County Councillor, Normanton Ward

gwaller@rutland.gov.uk 01780 722169