An invitation to help a COVID-19 research project from Dr Richard M Clarke, Research Fellow (RTO Covid-19 project), Primary care, Population Science and Medical Education , Faculty of Medicine , University of Southampton

I work on a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funded research project based at the University of Southampton. We’re looking to recruit members of the public to take part in a large-scale survey on the preventative behaviours people are taking to avoid catching COVID-19 and the long-term effect of those that have suffered from COVID-19 during the pandemic.

To make our findings as meaningful as possible, we are hoping to get a broad range of participants from across the UK.

Details about the project can be found here and we have social media posts that link to the survey set up for ease of sharing from our Facebook and Twitter accounts here and here. This is the direct link to the survey: https://pharma.unige.ch/limesurvey/index.php/326544?lang=en.

Warwickshire Police and partners urge people not to buy e-scooters this Christmas

Partners in Warwickshire working together to improve road safety are urging the public not to buy e-scooters this Christmas because it’s currently against the law to ride a privately owned e-scooter in any public place in the UK.

Sergeant Shaun Bridle said “We understand that buying an e-scooter can be tempting, especially as you can get them from many popular retailers. However the law is clear.  You can buy one but it is illegal to use a privately owned e-scooter in any public space including roads, pavements, parks, town centres or canal towpaths for example. The only place a privately owned e-scooter can be used is on private land.”

This is because e-scooters are classified as Personal Light Electric Vehicles (PLEVs) so they are treated as motor vehicles and subject to the same legal requirements such as MOT, licensing, tax and insurance.

As e-scooters do not have number plates, signalling ability and don’t always have visible rear lights, they can’t be used legally on the roads.

Whilst some parts of the country are taking part in Government trials for e-scooter hire with a view to making them legal to use on the roads, Warwickshire is not currently part of the trials so e-scooters cannot be hired at this time.

Councillor Andy Crump, Portfolio Holder for Fire & Rescue and Community Safety at Warwickshire County Council said “We understand the public’s support for environmentally friendly modes of transport and want to work with our local communities to make sure the roads are safe for everyone. However, we are asking the public not to rush in to buying an e-scooter but to await the results of the UK trial.”

“In the meantime please do not ride an e-scooter in a public place”

Warwickshire Police have the powers to seize e-scooters and prosecute riders– please make sure you keep your e-scooter on private land so this doesn’t happen to you.

Officers will also be using Section 59 of the Police Reform Act to issue a warning to riders of e-scooters and educate them as to the legal requirements.  If a rider is under 16 years old then this advice will also be given to the parents.

VASA Community Transport  is expecting to be very busy in January, February and March once the Covid-19 vaccination program gets going locally, helping to transport vulnerable people to and from their vaccination appointments. In order to be able to do this – we need to recruit many more volunteers – in the short term – to help us. Both volunteer drivers and volunteers to help take bookings for transport over the telephone.

We Need You!

We need volunteers to help get local patients to receive the Coronavirus vaccination.

Have you got some spare time during the day?

We expect to be very busy in January, February, and March once the vaccination programme begins to roll out. We are going to need many more:

Volunteer drivers: If you have a clean driving license and would like to help people in your community who would otherwise struggle to get to their vaccination appointment and home again, please get in touch. 45p mileage costs paid.

Telephone operators: Have you got your own computer, decent admin skills and like talking on the telephone? We need plenty of people to help take transport bookings to vaccination appointments. If you could spare one or two mornings or afternoons a week we would love to hear from you? Volunteering from home with training & support.

To help, please call 01789 262889 or email recruitment@vasa.org.uk

Please see below a range of support on offer from our local community:

Free Creative Arts Offer for the Extremely Clinically Vulnerable

Creative Journaling packs are ready to go (see picture) so please do get in touch and contact info@escapearts.org.uk to request packs.

Fuel Poverty

More than 1 in 10 households can’t afford to pay their fuel bills this winter. Are you or someone you know struggling to keep warm and healthy at home? We can help. Contact us https://actonenergy.org.uk/contact-us/ or call free 0800 9882881 #FuelPovertyAwarenessDay #WarmeSafeHomes

The government has published new guidance on the restrictions for different areas after 2 December. Avon Dassett will be in Tier 3: Very High Alert.

This means the following:

This is for areas with a very high or very rapidly rising level of infections, where tighter restrictions are in place.

In tier 3:

• you must not meet socially indoors or in most outdoor places with anybody you do not live with, or who is not in your support bubble, this includes in any private garden or at most outdoor venues
• you must not socialise in a group of more than 6 in some other outdoor public spaces, including parks, beaches, countryside accessible to the public, a public garden, grounds of a heritage site or castle, or a sports facility – this is called the ‘rule of 6’
• hospitality settings, such as bars (including shisha venues), pubs, cafes and restaurants are closed – they are permitted to continue sales by takeaway, click-and-collect, drive-through or delivery services.
• accommodation such as hotels, B&Bs, campsites, and guest houses must close. There are several exemptions, such as for those who use these venues as their main residence, and those requiring the venues where it is reasonably necessary for work or education and training
• indoor entertainment and tourist venues must close. This includes:
  • indoor play centres and areas, including trampolining parks and soft play
  • casinos
  • bingo halls
  • bowling alleys
  • skating rinks
  • amusement arcades and adult gaming centres
  • laser quests and escape rooms
  • cinemas, theatres and concert halls
  • snooker halls
• indoor attractions at mostly outdoor entertainment venues must also close (indoor shops, through-ways and public toilets at such attractions can remain open). This includes indoor attractions within:
  • zoos, safari parks, and wildlife reserves
  • aquariums, visitor attractions at farms, and other animal attractions
  • model villages
  • museums, galleries and sculpture parks
  • botanical gardens, biomes or greenhouses
  • theme parks, circuses, fairgrounds and funfairs
  • visitor attractions at film studios, heritage sites such as castles and stately homes
  • landmarks including observation decks and viewing platforms
• leisure and sports facilities may continue to stay open, but group exercise classes (including fitness and dance) should not go ahead. Saunas and steam rooms should close
• there should be no public attendance at spectator sport or indoor performances and large business events should not be taking place. Elite sport events may continue to take place without spectators
• large outdoor events (performances and shows) should not take place, with the exception of drive-in events
• places of worship remain open, but you must not attend with or socialise with  anyone outside of your household or support bubble while you are there, unless a legal exemption applies
• weddings and funerals can go ahead with restrictions on the number of attendees – 15 people can attend wedding ceremonies, wedding receptions are not allowed, 30 people can attend funeral ceremonies, 15 people can attend linked commemorative events
• organised outdoor sport, and physical activity and exercise classes can continue, however higher-risk contact activity should not take place
• organised indoor sport, physical activity and exercise classes cannot take place indoors. There are exceptions for indoor disability sport, sport for educational purposes and supervised sport and physical activity for under-18s
• you can continue to travel to venues or amenities which are open, but should aim to reduce the number of journeys you make where possible
• avoid travelling to other parts of the UK, including for overnight stays other than where necessary, such as for work, education, youth services, to receive medical treatment, or because of caring responsibilities. You can travel through other areas as part of a longer journey
• for international travel see the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office travel advice for your destination and the travel corridors list

Please see the December/January edition of the Compton Chronicle below. Copy has been sent to the printers who will produce the magazine when they can and it will then be distributed in hard copy as usual:

• CC DECEMBER 2020 JANUARY 2021 FINAL

Warwickshire County Council is supporting the Carers UK national campaign Carers Rights Day to raise awareness about the needs and rights of those who regularly care for family, friend, or neighbour. The theme for this year’s campaign is Know Your Rights.

An informal carer is anyone who looks after a family member, friend or neighbour who could not cope without help. Those needing care could be anyone with a physical or mental illness, injury or disability or someone who struggles with substance misuse. People with caring responsibilities not only provide personal care but can also provide emotional support. Those who care can be any age; a child helping a parent or sibling, parents looking after a child with a disability or illness or an adult looking after a parent, partner, friend or neighbour. Those who care are particularly strained this year with the current pandemic.

In Warwickshire there may be well over 108,000 carers according to GP data. It is also estimated that 4 out of 5 adults will care for someone at some point in their lives and 8 out of every 10 carers are working as well as caring.  Many people with caring responsibilities do not see themselves as carers but just helping family or friends. As a result, they may not seek help until it’s a crisis. Warwickshire County Council supports the rights of carers and wants to ensure that:

• Carers are aware of their rights
• Carers know where to get help and support
• Everyone is aware of the needs of those who care.

Please see the following helpful resources:

• CARERS SUPPORT INFORMATION PACK FINAL
• Carers Rights Day 2020 Key Messages and Ideas

Please see attached:

• WCCC-669614087-3230

A number of post boxes have been stolen from nearby villages:

Incident 144 of 13/11/20 – Bishops Itchington

Incident 186 of 13/11/20 – Chadshunt

Incident 158 of 15/11/20 – Moreton Morrell

Please be vigilant and report any suspicious activities to the police by calling 101.

A Landrover (see picture above) was stolen from Avon Dassett last night. It was used to tow away a stolen caravan (picture below). The vehicles (plus two vans) were spotted driving through Farnborough at around 3am Sunday morning. The Landrover is in distinctive red livery with many logos.

In addition another caravan was stolen from Kineton Saturday night/Sunday morning. It was towed through fields and fences which resulted in a horse being let loose on the roads. The caravan was found smashed up in a ditch in Gaydon this morning.