




NHS Blood and Transplant and we still need your help this Christmas and New year period.
We have an upcoming blood donation session at Egremont, Town Council Market Hall on 29th January, with lots of available appointments. We would be grateful if you could help us spread the word.
We are working closely with the rest of the NHS to keep supplying lifesaving blood to hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic and we need people to keep donating as normal. We have extra safety measures in place and every precaution is being taken to eliminate the risk of covid-19 transmission at our blood donation sessions. Having an appointment to give blood is classed as essential travel and will be exempt from any local or national travel restrictions.
Black, Asian and minority ethnic donors are also specifically needed right now, because:
Some patients who receive frequent blood transfusions need blood to be closely matched to their own
A number of blood conditions, like sickle cell disease which is treated through blood transfusions, most commonly affect black, Asian and minority ethnic people
The best match typically comes from blood donors from the same ethnic background
While people from all communities and backgrounds do give blood, fewer than 5% of our blood donors who gave blood in the last year were from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. This is despite BAME communities representing around 14% of the population. We want to try and readdress this balance.
We would be very grateful if you were to communicate this message with anyone you feel may be interested in donating blood. I have also attached a poster and some social media graphics which could be displayed in your premises, posted on your channels or forwarded onto individuals to provide more information.
Whether you are a new or regular donor, please visit blood.co.uk, download the GiveBlood app or call us on 0300 123 23 23 to book an appointment today.
Thank you for helping us to save lives.
We hope you have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
Cumbria county council have created a new circular bus service will help Egremont parishioners get to some isolated villages. The bus service is being provided by the council via Jansen Travel.
The new Monday service to Whitehaven begins from 11th January and will travel via Cleator and Moor Row, which both lost their previous bus services earlier this year. Click here for the time table- 21-01-11 TT-216
The attached timetable details will appear on the County Council website www.cumbria.gov.uk/buses/216 from Monday. new roadside timetable posters will be shown in early January.
Any promotion of the availability of this service will be welcomed to help ensure the service is retained. Please share as much as possible. Thank you.
North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
The trust are looking to implement a new volunteer programme called Keeping Patients Connected. As a result of restrictions on visiting within hospitals many patients are unable to connect with their family members and loved ones. Some patients don’t have access to appropriate phones or IT equipment, whilst others may not know how to use equipment appropriately.
Many are truly distressed by their isolation and the loneliness this can cause and their health and recovery can suffer as a result.
This project will recruit and train a group of volunteers who will support patients to connect with their families using appropriate equipment supplied by the hospital. Volunteers will also have a role contacting families and keeping them up to date on the progress on their family member. If you are interested in this role and you would like to discuss it further, please contact Sylvia Atherton, Patient Experience Manager, phone 01228 602126 or email Sylvia.atherton@ncic.nhs.uk’
Volunteer Service
North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
Tel: 01228 814567
Retailers will be able to extend their daily opening hours from Monday to Saturday in the run up to Christmas and through January.
Under the government’s new tiered restrictions, in every tier, all shops will be allowed to reopen, giving people the opportunity to shop in person for gifts for family and friends during the festive season.
Restrictions may be imposed by individual local authorities when they grant planning permission for individual stores.
In normal circumstances, a retailer would need to apply to remove or vary such a condition under section 73 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. This can be a lengthy process, taking several weeks or more.
The measures announced make it clear to local planning authorities that they should take a positive approach when engaging with retailers who wish to extend their retail opening hours and look to relaxing local restrictions where possible
First published 30 November 2020
Boost for high street as Jenrick extends opening hours for Christmas shopping
This National Tree Week, we are inviting community groups, schools, businesses and local authorities to plant trees in memory of those who have lost their lives during the pandemic.
What began as a tribute to the late Bill Blackledge, passionate horticulturist and former Chair of North West in Bloom (NWiB), has blossomed into a UK-wide effort to mark this difficult period. Many groups in the region have planted trees and even orchards in his honour, spurring on the idea for a national tree planting campaign.
Anyone who would like to remember a loved one who passed away during the pandemic is invited to join in and plant a tree (or trees) in tribute, which will be added to a new RHS Roots of Remembrance tree map.
A fitting tribute to fellow gardeners, a tree also allows a physical place to visit, reflect and celebrate a loved ones for generations to come, while benefiting nature.
The pandemic has touched all of us, one way or another, and you couldn’t have a more fitting tribute to someone close, or someone who has been affected, than a tree – it’s life.
– Bernard Pendleton, new Chair of NWiB
By adding the trees to the RHS map, it’s a great way for people to see what they are part of – a fantastic legacy for future generations.
Trees can be any size, shape or variety in order to suit everyone’s budgets and capabilities. When trees are planted, we ask that you complete our survey, letting us know where the tree will be.
The information will be used to populate a map of the UK displaying all the trees that have been planted. The map will represent the living legacies created in tribute to those we have lost, and the contributions made to the natural world in their memories.
We would love to hear a bit more about your tree and who it is planted for. You might like to use this downloadable plaque to write your loved ones’ name on, and share a picture of your tree planting on social media, using the hashtag #rootsofremembrance. Or, you could email your photo and a short description of your tree and who it remembers to communities@rhs.org.uk
The Woodland Trust, is offering free tress to community groups and schools, with the next delivery in March, which should still offer you a good planting window. Apply by January 5th to take up this offer, and please mention the RHS when applying for your trees.
Lowes court gallery will be re-opening on Friday 4th December.
The shop and gallery are fully open for all to browse and enjoy
So if you are looking for the perfect Christmas gift or trying to find that right item for your home then please go along.
The shop will be open Monday, Wednesday and Friday between the hours of 0930 until 1530.
Happy Christmas everyone!