Apr 07

Help the West Sussex Record Office document these unprecedented times

West Sussex Record Office has closed its doors for the first time in over 70 years because of coronavirus (COVID-19), but their great work continues, and they need residents’ help.

The team are inviting residents across the county to record a diary that will be kept alongside other pandemic related records. These will then be catalogued, stored, and ultimately available to the public for research.

All residents need to do is document their experiences during the coronavirus pandemic, including how it is affecting them, their family and friends and the local community. It can also include new experiences, thoughts and feelings.

The diary can be recorded on paper or on a phone and be done as an individual, part of a family project within the same household, a creative outlet or simply as a daily record.

Screen Archive South East, who are already partnered with the Record Office and look after all the moving image archives for the region, will be supporting to archive the video diary footage.

Duncan Crow, Cabinet Member for Fire and Rescue and Communities, said: “The current situation is an extraordinary one and something the majority of us will never have experienced before. The West Sussex Record Office is in a privileged position to be able to document what is going on right now, but some of this can’t be done without help from West Sussex residents, who are in a unique position to provide personal insight at this difficult time.

“Please let the Record Office have your experiences of what it is like living under the new government guidance and let us know how it is affecting your day-to-day lives, what you are doing to cope and how your daily routine has adapted. We want people to be as open and honest as possible and record how they are feeling so that future generations have an insight into what happened at the start of this new decade.”

If people don’t want to participate in a diary, the Record Office would also like help in collecting other material that residents might come across such as:

  • Leaflets/flyers/posters from councils and other organisations about the pandemic
  • Material from local business relating to closures or changes to how they operate
  • Advice from local organisations about hygiene, social distancing and self-isolation
  • Information about community efforts to help vulnerable and isolated persons
  • Information from local schools regarding closures and home-schooling

If you’re interested in finding out how you can support this Record Office initiative, please visit www.westsussexrecordofficeblog.com/2020/03/31 and for the latest government advice on coronavirus and how it affects West Sussex, visit www.westsussex.gov.uk/coronavirus

 
 

Apr 07

EMERGENCY GRANTS PROGRAMME

 


The Prince’s Countryside Fund is a member of our Rural Services Partnership


The Prince’s Countryside Fund is inviting applications for emergency funding from farming and rural community support groups, who are providing assistance to counter the effects of isolation during the Coronavirus pandemic

With thanks to Players of People’s Postcode Lottery, groups can apply for grant funding of up to £2,500 if they:

  • are providing emergency relief to vulnerable or isolated individuals or;
  • are providing support to farmers and farm businesses affected by the Coronavirus pandemic or;
  • are helping rural or farming communities to cope with the Coronavirus pandemic
    £100,000 total is available in this first round of funding.

The Fund will assist projects that support farm businesses or other rural businesses and rural communities. This may include, but is not limited to, volunteer and fuel costs for grocery and prescription delivery from rural community shops, pubs, and hubs; costs associated with emergency support by farm and agricultural support groups; or rural foodbanks and food delivery services.

To apply and for the eligibility and guidance click here

Apr 06

Urgent carer recruitment appeal launched to help our most vulnerable residents in West Sussex

 

Local people who have lost their jobs due to the impact of coronavirus are being urged to come forward and apply for jobs in the care industry to support elderly and vulnerable residents.

Care homes and home care providers in West Sussex are anticipating a huge demand for their services as the outbreak continues.

A West Sussex County Council initiative called Proud to Care is targeting people from the travel, leisure, retail and hospitality industries as they have the ideal skills and experience to succeed in care work.

Founder of Chichester based Guardian Angel Carers, Christina Handasyde Dick said: “As a home care provider we are on a major recruitment drive at the moment, as we are providing essential services to vulnerable adults in their own home at this challenging time.

“We desperately want to support our local hospitals to discharge patients as efficiently as possible, and to be able to continue to support them in the comfort of their own home.

“People from all sorts of career backgrounds can make great carers, if you are a compassionate, professional and reliable individual that would love an incredibly rewarding role to support your local community, please help.”

The Proud To Care website – www.proudtocarewestsussex.com – has details of around 300 full-time and part-time positions available with care providers across West Sussex.

As well as supporting the care sector which helps some of our most vulnerable residents, the County Council also aims to support our local economy and those who have been affected by the impact on it by the coronavirus outbreak. 

Amanda Jupp, Cabinet Member for Adults and Health, said: “This is a very difficult time for so many of us, particularly those who are vulnerable or live alone.  There are, no doubt, a number of people in the travel, leisure, hospitality or retail sectors who unfortunately may have lost their jobs due to the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.

“We would very much like to reach out to those people to help find them paid employment supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our community. By doing this we will not only increase the workforce in the care sector at this critical time but also help to support the local economy by keeping people in jobs.

“Many people will have transferable skills that make them well suited to working in care and I would urge them to help us by responding to one of the biggest challenges ever faced by the health and care sector.

“Protecting and caring for vulnerable people at this present time is our greatest priority.”

Care workers are classed as key workers and their safety and well-being and those that are being cared for is the highest priority. Anyone working in care will be trained and supported to make sure care is delivered safely and effectively. Interviews may take place over the phone or video and training may be done online, where possible.

Care work involves making sure vulnerable people feel safe are comfortable, by supporting with preparing their meals, washing, getting dressed and providing companionship.

Anyone interested can apply for jobs online through the website and contact the Proud to Care team who can answer any questions and give guidance. Visit www.proudtocarewestsussex.com/covid-19/
or email proudtocare@westsussex.gov.uk

Apr 05

What to do if bored…

To slow the spread of coronavirus, lockdown across the UK is keeping many of us away from the outdoors. Here are 10 simple ways to maintain that crucial connection with the countryside that we need.

Through your window

1. Many of us have whiled away the hours finding the shapes of familiar and fantastical objects in clouds as they drift by. But you can also use them to tell what weather might be about to come our way. For example, cumulonimbus clouds (the ‘King of Clouds’) towering high in the sky mean heavy rain is likely to be on its way.

There’s an old saying about cumulonimbus clouds: ‘mountains in the morning, fountains in the evening’. The Met Office has an interesting cloud-spotting guide. Why not look up now and see what clouds you can spot?

Time out can be a great chance for some dreamy cloud-watching

2. If you’re lucky enough to live in an area relatively free of light pollution, then try a spot of stargazing. You should easily be able to pick out the constellation of Orion if you look to the south. CPRE’s annual Star Count, held each February, is based around the stars you can see in Orion.

Looking north you can find Ursa Major, the Great Bear. Part of this constellation, shaped like a ladle, is pretty easy to distinguish: this is called the Plough in the UK and the Big Dipper in the US and Canada.

3. Watch wildlife from your window: what signs of spring can you spot? There are butterflies on the wing during sunnier days now. These will be the insects that hibernated over winter: brimstones, peacocks and red admirals for example. They’ll be hungry and will be looking for nectar to feed on: fortunately, there’s plenty of blossom coming out on the trees now, along with buds and catkins.

4. Wake up early and open your window to hear the best of the birdsong. The dawn chorus is building up now, often led by the blackbird which usually starts singing first, although robins can perform through the night.

Some birds have simpler songs which makes them easy to identify by sound. Listen for the two note ‘tea-cher, tea-cher’ of the great tit, and the three note ‘coo-cooo-coo’ of the collared dove.

Swallows can be seen returning to our skies – keep your eyes peeled! | Jacob Spinks, Northamptonshire

5. And look out for the first summertime birds arriving from Africa, where they’ve spent the winter. Swallows, house martins, and – a little later – swifts will all be back over the next month or so. Even if you can’t get outdoors, these three should be easy to see if they’re swooping through the skies near you. Each year, a swallow will fly an incredible 12,427 miles between its nesting site in the UK and wintering grounds in southern Africa.

With a garden, balcony or window box

6. Smelling a flower can really lift the spirits, and there are some wonderful springtime scents to seek out. Sometimes you have to get up quite close, or down on the ground, but it is well worth it to inhale the perfume of a primrose, for example! English bluebells, which flower in April and May, have a lovely fresh aroma.

7. Birds are busily building nests and laying eggs. So a little extra food and water can be very helpful, especially if there’s a frost. Treats that birds can grab with the minimum of fuss, like sunflower hearts which have the shells of the seeds removed, are popular.

You can also think about what you might plant in your garden this year that could benefit birds and other wildlife with nectar, fruit and seeds later on…

8. …And now is the perfect time to plant seeds! Growing plants, whether for food, flowers or wildlife, can be very therapeutic. There’s something almost magical about a seed transforming into a seedling. Fast-growing plants like radishes, rocket, broad beans and sunflowers are great for getting children hooked on horticulture!

The sun on your face can give a real boost

9. Close your eyes and feel the sun on your face, even if it’s just for a minute or two. Experiencing this warmth on your skin is wonderful after being cooped up indoors, so take advantage of it when we have sunny days.

Rain can be refreshing too, and there’s that wonderful smell, ‘petrichor’, produced when the water hits dry soil.

10. Explore your garden at night: what creatures are visiting, what can you see, smell and hear? Listen out for hedgehogs snuffling and see if you can find bats flitting around. If you’re near woodland, you might be lucky enough to hear an owl or two. And even the tiniest of windowboxes can attract moths!

 

For more ideas visit the CPRE site at https://www.cpre.org.uk/discover/countryside-connections/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=engagingnetworks&utm_campaign=CU-0420_members&utm_content=Campaigns+update+April+2020+-+members

Apr 05

Truffles Van Times

Truffles food van will be coming to Poynings on TUESDAY and THURSDAY next week at the playing fields at 0845hrs.

See, there are thing to look forward to…

Apr 04

Fuel coffee house Deliveries

Fuel Coffee House

Hey Guys, you can pre-order our burgers for tonight now online at https://www.fuel-coffee-house.com/burgers or give us a call on 01903 815958 when we open at 5:30pm 😃.

Pick up and Free local no contact delivery to Upper Beeding, Steyning, Small Dole, Henfield & Poynings.

Apr 04

Rushfields delivery Service

Top engineer Ian converting Percy the pie van to help deliver extra fruit and veg boxes to vulnerable customers, it will be out on the road next week

The Farm shop is open and trading as normal, if you would like a delivery of food then please see the options below:

Farm Shop delivery

Since the coronavirus has made us close the doors of the garden centre, we are running a delivery service from the Farm Shop. 

For this week (March 30 – April 5) we have four options:

  1. Veg Box: contains a selection of vegetables, we try to vary the items from week to week, depending upon market availability. The cost of the box is £15
  2. Fruit box: with a mix of apples, satsuma’s, pears, bananas, grapes etc. Again, we do our best to vary from week to week. The cost of this box is £10
  3. Dairy selection: contains a small loaf of bread (brown or white), 1ltr milk, 6 eggs, and approx. 250 grams of cheese (a mild cheddar). The cost of this box is £8
  4. Selection of the Butchery: our butcher Paul said he is ready to go, so if you would like any meat, sausages, bacon, mince etc. just add that to your order. The price differs per item.

    Due to the overwhelming response, we aren’t able to guarantee a delivery time or day, we have more than one van going around, so we should be able to cover a wide deliver area on the same day. If you are not in, we can’t come back on the same day, you’ll have to wait until we deliver in your area again. We hope that this will meet some of your needs during these difficult times.

    For up to date information go to https://www.rushfields.com/farm-shop

Apr 04

South Downs National Park Delivery Map

The South Downs National Park has created a new interactive map to help you search & find suppliers, deliveries and support local to where you live.

The map also has details for community support groups who can help those isolating.

 

Click Here for details

Apr 03

Parish Council Meetings and the Annual Parish Meeting

Due to the Coronavirus and social distancing, the regulations for Parish councils have been changed so that until 7 May 2021, Parish Council Meetings can be help remotely. The Annual Parish Meeting has been cancelled this year and the Chair can continue to next May, although councils may elect a chairman at an earlier meeting should they wish to.

 

Full details on how you can attend the May meeting (listen in and view only) will be announced nearer the time.

 

Colin Warburton

Clerk to the council

 

 

Apr 03

Asda Volunteer shopping card

Asda’s have launched a dedicated volunteer shopping card to help the many people self-isolating and unable to go out to buy their shopping.
Customers can buy these shopping cards online, top up and give to their family member, friend, or NHS volunteer to pay for their shopping without the hassle of using cash or bank cards.
This also promotes a contactless way of shopping, essential for reducing risk to our self-isolating customers.
These volunteer shopping cards can be bought at asda.com/volunteercard

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