Your Hertfordshire Rural Affairs and Community News Bulletin
Welcome to our November 2020 eBulletin
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on our CDA Herts website where you can also find previous issues.
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Libraries and churches. Youth clubs and village halls. Parks and markets. These are all places that help to support and sustain the public life of our communities—from large cities to villages.
The Covid-19 Safer Spaces project has been developed by architects IF_DO to help public places to reopen safely.
Funded by Innovate UK, the series of easy-to-use guides will help anyone who works in public places to understand how adapt them to enable their safe reopening and operation. The current guides are available to download, with others coming soon.
Village Halls and Community Buildings Covid-19 Update
All Village Halls and Community buildings have been required to close as from 5 November under the new Govt restrictions, unless they have essential activities covered by the authorised exemptions.
Click Here for ACRE's latest Lockdown Information Sheet and other helpful Guidance from CDA Herts The Village Halls Adviser.
The ACRE National Village Halls Safeguarding Week 16 - 20 November
Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) has been awarded over £100k from the National Lottery Community Fund to promote good safeguarding practice to Village and Community Halls throughout England.
As a valued member of the ACRE network CDA Herts will be working with voluntary management committees across Hertfordshire to ensure they have the knowledge and confidence to operate in a safe and welcoming manner for all who work with or use their facility.
Click Here to read ACRE’s Statement about National Safeguarding Adults Week
Click Here to access Safeguarding Resources and Information on CDA Herts website
East Herts Village Halls & Community Buildings Consortium
Annual Meeting and Conference
Thursday 3 December 2020 9.00 am to 12.30 pm
This year's Conference will be held through Zoom and all are welcome to attend. We have a range of guest speakers presenting on topics of interest and practical support for Management Trustees of these valuable community buildings. We are also very pleased to welcome back Deborah Clarke from ACRE who will talk about the National Village Halls Survey and Safeguarding Adults Week.
All you need to participate is the Zoom link so please contact tim.hayward-smith@cdaherts.org.uk for details.
CDA Herts Supports our Herts RSNs - Rural Support Networks
Northchurch Community Pantry
"One Pantry two Venues"
A joint community project on behalf of St Mary’s Church and
Northchurch Baptist Church
The Pantry meets the local needs of those isolating and those on a low budget or with no means of supporting themselves. The Pantry gives free food and encourages conversations about meal ideas and recipes for the food that is given away. A leaflet provides for support with help against poverty, and financial information is offered to help those using the Pantry to be able to budget. The Pantry also has a children’s library of donated books for families to borrow.
Click Here to find out more about CDA Herts RSN Projects
CVS for Broxbourne & East Herts
Funding Bulletin
CVSBEH has produced a list of grants and funding opportunities. The list is updated fortnightly and we will endeavour to provide the latest information but recommend you check the details online before beginning any application.
Do you require any advice or have queries? Please contact the office on 0300 123 1034 or email and we will get back to you promptly.
It's time to Just Talk
about mental health
Just Talk week launched on Monday 16 November, and this year it has been moved exclusively online so that young people can get involved wherever they are.
Click Here to visit the Just Talk website to see what mental health and wellbeing support is available.
Self-Isolation: what you need to know
Self-isolating properly is one of the most important things you can do to help reduce the spread of coronavirus. Herts County Council has created a short guide which sets out the do’s and don’ts and tells you how long you need to stay at home if you’ve been told to do so.
Sustainable St Albans Playing Out team invite you to join in with the Festive Streets project and decorate the windows on your street
The team from our Playing Out project are very excited to announce the launch of their new scheme in St Albans District called Festive Streets.
Decorate the windows on your street into a Festive Street.
The project encourages neighbours like you in St Albans, Harpenden and the villages to decorate the windows on your street during the winter Festive Season, enabling you to celebrate as a community in a contact-free way and bring cheer to your neighbourhood.
Sign up now for a free electronic information pack. The pack includes posters and templates of notes that can be shared with your neighbours to get you started.
Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care System (ICS)Flu vaccination update and videos for sharing
The flu vaccination programme for priority groups is going well so far across our ICS, though we need to keep pushing the message for those priority groups who should get their vaccinations, particularly the under 65 year olds at risk as well as pregnant women.
As most of you will be aware, so that our health services can match the demand for the flu vaccination to the supplies of the vaccine, the vaccination is being rolled out in phases so that those who are the most at risk can be vaccinated first. More people than ever before are entitled to an NHS vaccination this year and the full list can be found on the NHS website.
Please find below the link to a local video we have produced on the flu vaccination to help show people that it is safe and quick to get the flu vaccination this year.
Click Here for Herts and W Essex Integrated Care System website
Click Here for Public Health England Flu Information guide
Groundswellag - How can regenerating soil help replenish water, boost human health, feed more people and tackle climate change? -
Monday 7th December 6:00pm (GMT)
Hear from visionary speakers from across the world at this special 5x15 online event in collaboration with Groundswell. Climate, water, food and health. The world is facing incredibly complex problems - but what if a simple solution was to be found in the ground beneath our feet? In this event we will discover the importance of the soil to sustaining human and planetary health, and hear from some of the world's leading scientists and practitioners. There are billions of life-forms in every handful of soil, with estimates suggesting that at least a quarter of all species live in - or on it. Without soil there would be no life. Healthy soil traps organic matter while sequestering CO2 - but farming intensively has turned our soil into something thin and insubstantial that no longer supports life without chemical interventions. What can we do to change the story?
We are working hard to support the local community in response to Covid-19. These are extraordinary times, but at Citizens Advice East Herts we’ve embraced the opportunity to find new ways of working which ensure we can meet the needs of our community now and in the future. Thanks to our fantastic team of staff and volunteers we’ve accelerated much of the service design we were planning pre Covid and have developed a more flexible client offer. This has enabled us to help over 5,000 clients since lockdown (as of end October), even more than the same time period last year.
Click Here to read Citizens Advice East Herts November Update
.
Harry Bott's November Farming, Wildlife and Garden Reports
Harry has been very pleased with the perfect weather for drilling Winter crops
and describes how to deal with Slugs environmentally but is anxious about the Agricultural Bill which may lead to greater imports undercutting our better quality produce. The unusual behaviour of 17 Red Kites and 4 Buzzards caused much interest.
Read the full report and more from Harry by clicking below.
Click Hereto download and read Harry Bott's November Countryside Notes
Beane Marsh, a piece of land next to the River Beane in Hertford, has been bought by Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust after a community group led a fundraising drive to save the site. The new reserve, a short distance from Hertford North Station, was put up for sale in 2019 and the fundraising drive that followed raised more than £100,000 to protect the site for wildlife. This funding, coupled with additional funding from Hertford Town Council, enabled the Trust to purchase the land and protect it for future generations.
The five-acre site lies next to the River Beane, one of Hertfordshire’s rare chalk streams, and is home to a variety of wildlife including rare marshy plants and a wide variety of butterflies and dragonflies. The river Beane is known to be home to endangered water voles too. The floodplain grassland of Beane Marsh sits within the Beane Valley and provides a rare and valuable habitat as well as a crucial connection by river to other nature reserves such as Waterford Heath to the north and King's Meads to the south.
The Google Maps version of Hertfordshire's Public Rights of Way network has now amassed over 600,000 views since its launch last year. The map can be loaded onto your smartphone, making it easy to follow your position on a map as you go. This is a fantastic way to explore over 3000km of rights of way in the county.
Herts Sports Partnership Helping Community Organisations
We're proud to be involved in the Thriving Communities Programme
The new Thriving Communities Programme will ensure there are more opportunities for people to be active, take part in arts and culture activities, receive financial support and be connected to nature.
In a blog on our website, our lead for social prescribing Delia Beck considers the impact the programme will have on participation in sport and physical activity.
Click Here for Sport England's Thriving Communities Programme
Support Services from Letchworth Healthy Living Centre
MENTAL HEALTH DURING COVID Remote and face-to-face counselling is offered by the 35-strong Counselling Service at the Letchworth Centre for Healthy Living. Enquiries to counselling@letchworthcentre.org or 01462 678804.
FREE AWARD-WINNING WELLBEING PROGRAMME – DELIVERED VIA ZOOM – FOR OLDER PEOPLE WITH MOBILITY PROBLEMS OR WHO ARE LIVING WITH LONG-TERM CONDITIONS Weekly sessions of gentle exercise followed by time to chat are offered to residents of North Herts, St Albans and Harpenden and Watford and Three Rivers thanks to grants from Hertfordshire Community Foundation and Herts Valley CCG. Email healthyliving@letchworthcentre.org or telephone 01462 678804 for further information.
RSN's RURAL FUNDING DIGEST - NOVEMBER 2020
A monthly bulletin facilitated by the Rural Services Network highlighting a selection of current funding opportunities.
Click Hereto download a printable version of the Funding Digest
Hertfordshire's Diversity & Inclusion Survey
The Council’s current Diversity & inclusion Strategy is due to end this year. This survey is asking you to inform how we deliver a new strategy that:
• Works with communities to ensure that our services are responsive to our diverse population
• Works in partnership across all sectors to make Hertfordshire a safe and inclusive County of Opportunity for all its residents
Have your say on the Hertfordshire Diversity and Inclusion Survey
This is a short survey which should take no more than 10-12 minutes to complete. Please complete this survey and also share with colleagues/friends in Hertfordshire.
Markyate is a village and civil parish in north-west Herts close to the border with Beds and Bucks. It is situated on the A5, the old Roman Road, north of junction 9 on the M1. The total population of Markyate is approximately 3,000
Markyate houses many businesses: the High Street has a well-known local Bakery (est. 1928) and Bakers shop, a Dispensing Chemist, a well stocked village store (Nisa) with integral post office and ATM open from 6am to 9pm, a Hardware and DIY store, a newsagent, an award-winning restaurant, two pubs, two take-aways, three hairdressers and beauty parlours.
For the young people there are brownies, beavers and scouts. There is a Football and Cricket Club.
For the young at heart there is the Good Companions 60-plus, All Age Choir, Methodist Sisterhood, bowls, over 50 fitness club, Markyate Health Walkers and Local History Society.
Today Markyate enjoys a real community spirit where you will always receive a warm welcome.
Hertfordshire County Council Transport consultation
HCC has developed a set of Growth and Transport Plans covering the towns from Bishop Stortford, Hertford, Ware, Hoddesdon, Broxbourne, Cheshunt and Waltham Cross, and key transport links between these towns and to the surrounding areas.
The Eastern GTP identifies a set of 37 and the South East 40 interventions The plans are divided as follows: Bishop’s Stortford, Hertford, Bishop’s Stortford links to other towns, Ware, Sawbridgeworth, Hertford/Ware - inter-urban links to the west and north-west, Connections to Harlow, Hertford/Ware - inter-urban links to the south, Stanstead Abbots and St Margarets, Hertford/Ware - inter-urban links to the north and east , Harlow and Gilston, Broxbourne Towns, Western Broxbourne and Cuffley, Links to Enfield
Public consultation on both plans started on 31st Oct and closes on 31st January 2021.
Click Herefor the Consultation material, supporting documents and online Survey
Publicise Your Seasonal Event
Send us details of your Seasonal Celebrations and we'll include it in the December eBulletin.
This will be published on Friday 11th December so only events after that will qualify for inclusion.
contact tim.hayward-smith@cdaherts.org.uk
Look forward to hearing from you
Thanks to our eBulletin Sponsors
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enabling us & other partners to bring information and support to rural areas on
numerous helpful services.
Click Here to Support our Mobile Hub Project by buying
East Herts Lottery Tickets.
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CDA Herts Services available to all communities in Hertfordshire
Community Garden St Albans - Plots available
Village Halls Advisory Service - part of the ACRE network
Rural Issues Network
Rural Loneliness Forum
Farmers' Cafes
Rural Affordable Housing Needs Assessments and Surveys
Village Connectors Project
HMP The Mount Play Area
Community Energy Network
Management Health Checks
Health & Safety Training, Audit and Risk Assessment
Health & Wellbeing advocacy
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