For those of you in the village who are helping others, and there are lots… Here is a handy “Cue Card” with government guidelines to keep safe.

Please do not burn garden waste, or any other waste, under any circumstances.

With many people currently in their homes it is important to be considerate of your neighbours in Poynings. Smoke and smells from bonfires can aggravate respiratory problems such as asthma and bronchitis and affect those with heart complaints.

Please either compost your garden waste, keep it in a safe place or put it into your garden waste bin. Please continue to put your general waste in your black-lidded refuse bin. All of our waste services are currently running as normal apart from Garden waste which has been temporarily suspended.

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

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

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