Essex County Council urgently needs more PPE

Essex companies have been donating unopened and unwanted stocks of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to Essex County Council to support those who work in adult and children social care across Essex, and while the council is incredibly grateful for any stock, much more is needed.

The council still needs all items of PPE – masks, disposable gloves, aprons, eye goggles and also any sanitising gel. This will be provided to front line staff who are caring for the most vulnerable residents in Essex over the coming days and weeks.

The council recognises there may be a variety of reasons why companies have ended up with some PPE that they cannot currently reuse or distribute and would particularly appreciate hearing from those with larger volumes.

Councillor John Spence said: “The response from local companies has been great and we welcome efforts the government is making to ensure PPE is sourced and available, but we equally recognise the challenge they face in reaching beyond the NHS into other parts of the caring system.

“Quite simply we need more stock and so if you are able to help please get in touch, particularly if you have large quantities of items.”

Essex County Council may be willing to purchase any stocks if needed.

To donate or advise of stock please email PPESupplies@essex.gov.uk with your PPE supply details including quantity and postcode, plus a contact name and phone number, and someone will be in touch.

Any items offered and suitable will be collected safely with collectors observing social distancing and hand hygiene.

Bringing out the best in the community

We are looking to celebrate and say thank you to the heroes in the Braintree district who are doing incredible work in the battle against Coronavirus (COVID-19).

From friends, neighbours and family working on the front line to volunteers supporting their communities to people going the extra mile to show kindness to others facing hardship, we want to find and shine a light on those little pockets of brilliance.

We will publish stories about the efforts and achievements of residents who are helping in the fight against coronavirus. Tell us about your hero by sending an email to marketing@braintree.gov.uk or getting in touch with us on social media.

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Tell us who you want us to celebrate, what they’ve done and what it means to you.

Councillor Graham Butland, Leader of Braintree District Council, said: “We know that so many people in our community are playing a vital role during this extraordinary time. Whether you work in the care sector or in the NHS or emergency services or maybe you work in a supermarket, we want to thank you. There are so many wonderful stories out there amongst the sadness and we want to give the whole district a morale boost by telling them.”

Maintain your wellbeing during coronavirus

Every Mind Matters has highlighted how we can all look after our mental wellbeing.

Top 5 Tips

1. Talk about your worries: it is normal to feel worried, scared or helpless about the current situation. Maintain contact with friends and family via phone and video calls to share how you are feeling.
2. Keep a regular routine and set goals: you may need to set a new routine for now. Try writing a plan for your day with the things you can still do at home, such as watching a film, reading a book or completing a puzzle. Setting goals and achieving them gives a sense of control and purpose. Maintaining good-quality sleep makes a big difference to how you feel mentally and physically too, so it’s important to get enough (the Every Mind Matters sleep page provides practical advice).
3. Manage your media and information intake: if 24-hour news and constant social media updates are making you worried, try to limit the time you spend watching, reading or listening to coverage of the outbreak to once or twice a day.
4. Do things you enjoy and try something new: focusing on your favourite hobby, learning something new or simply taking time to relax indoors should give you some relief from anxious thoughts and feelings and can help boost your mood. Look online for free tutorials and courses.
5. Look after your body: our physical health has a big impact on how we feel. At times like these it can be easy to fall into unhealthy patterns of behaviour that end up making you feel worse. Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, drink enough water and exercise regularly. You can leave your house, alone or with members of your household, for one form of exercise a day – like a walk, run or bike ride. But make sure you keep a safe 2-metre distance from others.

You can view these and more tips on Every Mind Matters.

Everybody needs good neighbours

Braintree Cricket Club Ground is closed much like many other sports grounds across the district at the moment but they have come up with a brilliant idea.

They have given their neighbours at the McCarthy and Stone Retirement Home private access to the grounds for their daily exercise so they have an environment they feel comfortable in and can observe social distancing safely.

The club said it made sense to allow their neighbours to use their grounds especially because the majority of residents are over 70 and socially isolating and have no outside space of their own.

• Please share your stories with us: marketing@braintree.gov.uk

Got questions about your council tax bill?

If you are struggling to pay your council tax at this time due to a change in your income or employment, please remember that we are here to help.

Go to our website to find out what support is available.

Support for businesses in our district

Grants

Braintree District Council has issued more than 1800 grants to businesses facing financial difficulties as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic – paying out £21million to struggling businesses so far.

Do you run a business in the district? Keep in touch. 

Sign up to our business bulletin here: www.braintree.gov.uk/tellmemore

Or join our economic development team on their closed Facebook group www.facebook.com/groups/braintreedistrictbusinesses

Find more coronavirus financial support for your business

Coronavirus (COVID-19) support is available to employers and the self-employed. You may be eligible for loans, tax relief and cash grants.

Use this business support finder to see what support is available for you and your business. www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder

Advice on how to help others safely

If you need to help a vulnerable person, you need to do so safely.

Take a look at www.gov.uk/safehelp because it outlines how you can help and importantly, how to do it safely.

Getting food and medicine to the vulnerable

The Essex Welfare Service – set up by Essex County Council – is specifically for people who are not able to get any support from either family, friends, neighbours or from their local support groups.

Braintree District Council’s virtual community hub has received more than 100 referrals from the Essex Welfare Service about vulnerable people within our district and where possible we have provided support to these people or signposted them to the numerous parish councils, volunteer groups or individuals across the district.

Contact details for Essex Welfare Service:

www.essexwelfareservice.org.uk

0300 303 9988

provide.essexwelfareservice@nhs.net

Road repairs continue during lockdown

Road maintenance has been ruled as a necessity during the current lockdown due to Coronavirus COVID 19 and Essex Highways has been playing its part.

Crews have been out every day to mend potholes and repair other defects including mending streetlamps, traffic signals, white lines and signs. All this has been done while ensuring engineers follow the current self-distancing rules. Urgent response crews have been working at night and weekends.

Crews will soon be starting the resurfacing and redressing work to hundreds of miles of the county’s road network and preparing carriageways for next winter.

Read more.

Everything you need for home schooling

Are you looking for additional support for your children during the current school closures?

This week saw the launch of the Oak National Academy, a new, government-backed online learning resource. It provides 180 video lessons each week for every year group – from Reception through to Year 10 – across a range of subjects, including maths, art and languages.

The BBC has also launched its own education package, BBC Bitesize Daily. This will deliver a tailored day of learning across TV and online, with curriculum-relevant offers for Years 1 to 10.

These resources are alongside new government guidance for parents on how to best support their child’s education and development.

Food safety for community cooking & food banks

The Food Standards Agency has published new guidance on community cooking and food banks.

Food provided for community groups must comply with food law and be safe to eat and this guidance provides food safety information for individuals or groups wishing to prepare meals at home for their community.

This can include preparing or donating meals for those in self-isolation, vulnerable groups, community groups and local organisations, and NHS staff.

Healthy relationships

The coronavirus pandemic presents us all with huge challenges in protecting ourselves and our families and it is important to stay at home at the moment. But over long periods of time, this can put a strain on relationships and might lead to arguments.

Here are some tips to help you reduce anxiety and stress at home:

• Pause – is a disagreement escalating to a point where you are no longer in control and you are just reacting? If so, take a breath and re-assess the situation.
• Think – try to reflect on why an argument started. Ask yourself how you were feeling before the conversation started and whether you were already feeling anxious or tense.
• Resolve it – take a step back. Is this argument about something important, or can you come back to it when you are both calmer?
• Find out more: www.livewellcampaign.co.uk/healthyrelationship