Health & Wellbeing

Explore ‘Wollerton Wetlands’… & beyond !

The next public walk in our programme for 2022 is on Thursday 2nd June.

Our walk is to the Wollerton Wetlands and then on to Helshaw Grange (see Hodnet Walks 5).

This is a varied walk with good views and departs at 10.00AM – Meet/roadside parking by Wollerton Village Room.

If you want to come along please email david.wilson65@icloud.com or call 07970 304169 on or before 5pm on Tuesday (31st May) – so we can assess numbers and the viability of the event. 

Many people have never seen the Wollerton Wetlands, but they are now quite established and worth visiting. So, if that is you or you’d simple like to join us for a pleasant stroll in good company please do come along.

Accompanied children and dogs [on leads] welcome on all walks. Sensible footwear advised, plus a drink/snack – although most walks are only 2 hrs duration.

Note. If weather is terrible, this event will be cancelled. If you have emailed David Wilson he will add you to our list of ‘friends’ and can then send a cancellation email on the day to warn you. So, please do let him know in advance if you’d like to attend, and how many will be accompanying you.

Walk routes can all be seen in the relevant walk leaflets, downloadable from https://hodnet.org.uk/main/index.php/tourism/local-walk-leaflets/


Wollerton’s Defibrillator Ready for Use

Wollerton Bowls and Social Club are pleased to announce that the community accessible defibrillator is now installed and available for use by local residents.

An event was held on Friday 13 May to thank our major donors for their support. Pictured left to right are: Randall Hardy, Club Chair; Jamie Richards, AEDdonate; Andrew Davies, Drayton Action for Health; Richard Smith, Downstream Energy Ltd; Cllr. Lin Sherwin, Hodnet PC; Michael Morgan, Hodnet Charities and Club Treasurer.

Randall says, “We appreciate all the support which has been shown for this project, which has meant that it has reached completion in a remarkably short amount of time. Besides thanking the charities and a local business for their support, I would also like to express appreciation to club members and local residents whose contributions have played a significant part in enabling this successful outcome.”

To find out more about the club and how to get involved visit their page on this site.

HFG – Walk this Thursday – Cancelled

Update. Unfortunately we have had to cancel tomorrow’s walk.

So far, no one has confirmed their attendance at the proposed public walk at Peplow this Thursday, details HERE.

If you would like to attend then please contact David Wilson ASAP, and certainly by 5pm tomorrow (Wed) evening. If we have no confirmed takers by that time the event will not run – but we do hope to see some of you at the next scheduled walk in June, for which you are again encouraged to register.

Thank You!

Thank you to everyone who helped with the Litter Pick around the Parish on Saturday.

Once all packed together we had collected 9 full bin bags of litter, which was generously disposed of for free by A.R.Richards at Tern Hill.

Keep a look out for details of future litter picks!

Frauds and Scams

Take Five

Take Five is a national campaign that offers straight-forward and impartial advice to help everyone protect themselves from preventable financial fraud. This includes email deception and phone-based scams as well as online fraud – particularly where criminals impersonate trusted organisations.

Many people may already know the dos and don’ts of financial fraud and scams – that no-one should ever contact them out of the blue to ask for their full PIN or full password, or ever make them feel pressured into moving money to another account. The trouble is, in the heat of the moment, it’s easy to forget this.

www.takefive-stopfraud.org.uk contains a wide range of information and advice and is definitely worth looking at.

If you have fallen for a scam, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via action fraud.police.uk

Scam text messages can be forwarded to 7726 to help phone providers take early action and block numbers that generate spam on their networks.

Forward fake emails received to report@phishing .gov.uk

Keep On Moving Shropshire Festival

People over the age of 55 are invited to get moving again as part of an inspiring Shropshire festival. 

The Keep on Moving Shropshire festival is a partnership between Shropshire Council, Energize, Taking Part, Age UK and the NHS, and will launch on Sunday 8 May 2022.  Keep on Moving Shropshire Festival graphic

It starts with a free one-day launch event, set to take place from 10am until 4pm at Shrewsbury Sports Village.  

The event is aimed at people over 55, and will include inspirational and internationally-renowned speakers who will give talks on different aspects of positive ageing. There will also be taster sessions of activities for participants to try, from singing to walking netball.  

The festival hopes to inspire people to take part in local activities again after the pandemic, to build people’s confidence and get them out and moving. It is also hoped that the day will increase recognition of the valuable role older people play in communities, as well as improved understanding about what keeps people well as they age. 

At the launch there will be activities to try, inspirational speakers, and a keynote speaker who will discuss the science of ageing. There will also be a number of information stands highlighting different activities and voluntary and community sector support in our communities.  

Throughout May there will be taster sessions run by partner organisations through the county: look out for fun opportunities to try new activities where you live.  

How to book 

To book, please complete the EventBrite booking form which can be found at www.shropshire.gov.uk/KeepOnMovingShropshire  

Vaccination Bus to visit Hodnet – 17th January 2022

Shropshire Council’s Vaccination Bus will visit Hodnet next Monday, 17th January 2022.

The bus will arrive at 08:00 and park near the Sports and Social Club. (The car park will still be available for the school drop off).

Vaccinations will take place from 08:30 – 10:30.

1st, 2nd and booster Vaccines will be available.

Please do take advantage of this opportunity if you are not yet fully vaccinated.

Support for those struggling with winter energy costs

People who are struggling to heat their homes are encouraged to seek advice and support to help with their winter energy costs.

Shropshire Council, along with its partners, offers a range of support and advice to help those in fuel poverty or facing other financial worries. These include:

  • Keep Shropshire Warm – a partnership between the council and Shrewsbury- based charity Marches Energy Agency (MEA), that offers free and impartial energy advice to anyone in need in Shropshire. Local advisers can support residents with a range of energy concerns, from accessing grant funding to switching supplier or resolving fuel debt issues. Residents who require help and support can contact the Keep Shropshire Warm team for free on 0800 112 3743 or via email at advice@mea.org.uk.
  • Household Support Fund – If you are one of the 3,600 households who have received a letter from the council, advising that you are eligible for a one-off payment of £115 to help with essential costs this winter, don’t delay. Complete the form as soon as possible so you don’t miss out. Those eligible will be in receipt of Universal Credit (at a level that is below the threshold for free school meals or free prescriptions) and council tax support. To receive this support residents will need to complete a short online application form to verify their identity and provide their bank details for payment. Each letter contains a unique identifier which needs to be provided to verify their application.  The form can be accessed at shropshire.gov.uk/hhsupportfund.
  • Finance and welfare support this winter– The council now has a range of support and funding available to help the most vulnerable of Shropshire’s households to manage over the winter months. This includes financial help for those eligible and who have been affected by the pandemic, and who may be struggling to pay for food or other essential outgoings. Please note this is limited funding and will only be offered for a limited time until it is spent. To find out more call 0345 678 9078.

Every winter millions of people across the UK struggle to stay warm and healthy at home. In Shropshire alone there is around 16,000 households suffering from fuel poverty. Rising energy costs, low incomes and inefficient homes leave them unable to afford even basic household essentials like food and heating. Living in a cold home can have a range of impacts on physical and mental health, and treating cold-related illness is estimated to cost the NHS in England and Wales over £2bn a year.

This year the fuel poverty situation will be even more difficult. The pandemic continues to squeeze household finances further, and the recent energy price increases will be being felt just as weather turns colder. Some of the health conditions caused or worsened by cold homes, such as asthma and COPD, also place people at greater risk from the virus.

There are a number of grants available for residents to improve their heating and insulation at home, helping them reduce energy costs and stay warmer at home. More information and an online application from can be found at www.shropshire.gov.uk/keep-shropshire-warm

Finance and welfare support this winter

To find out more about what other finance and welfare support is available during the winter months call Shropshire Council’s Welfare Support Team on 0345 678 9078 or visit https://shropshire.gov.uk/five-ways-to-winter-wellness/welfare-and-wellbeing/