News

Severn Trent Community Fund

Back in January Severn Trent launched their new Community Fund, giving grants from £2,000 – £200,000 to support new community wellbeing projects by local charities and community groups in our region. The fund is overseen by an independent panel which is made up of Severn Trent’s customers, who review applications on a quarterly basis and decide how the money is spent.

Since the fund launched, they have seen a huge amount of interest and as one of the few funders that are currently open to non-Covid 19 related projects, it’s been a very busy few months. However, they have found that the number of applications received from Shropshire has been relatively low when compared to other counties in their region.

It’s really important to Severn Trent that the Community Fund money is spread fairly across their customer base and the counties they supply, so please do pass on this information and click on the link below to find out more if you are aware of local initiatives that could benefit.

www.stwater.co.uk/about-us/severn-trent-community-fund/

Step Up Shropshire

Shropshire residents are being asked to ‘step up’ and play their part in stopping the spread of coronavirus and keep themselves and others safe.

‘Step Up Shropshire’ is the new countywide campaign launched to reinforce key public health messages.

Last week in Shropshire saw a further 75 confirmed cases, and we are strongly encouraging people of all ages, particularly the younger and working age population, to continue to play their part by keeping themselves and others safe.

To reduce the county’s COVID-19 cases, Shropshire Council are urging residents to protect themselves and others by continuing to wash their hands, cover their faces if in enclosed spaces, and to socially distance from people not in their own household.

 In addition, people are being asked to:

  • Work from home if you can
  • Limit contact with other people
  • Keep your distance from people not in your household bubble (2 metres apart where possible)
  • Stick to a maximum group of 6 people when meeting socially – indoors or outdoors
  • Wash your hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
  • If you are unable to wash hands and they are visibly clean, use hand sanitiser with at least 60% alcohol content
  • Do not leave home if you or anyone in your household has symptoms
  • Wear a face covering in indoor settings where social distancing may be difficult, and where you will meet people you do not normally meet.
  • Anyone who has any symptoms should book a test and not leave home for at least 10 days. Those living in households should self-isolate for 14 days if they or any members of the household receive a positive test.

Further information

For local advice and support during the pandemic (especially if you are self-isolating), call Shropshire Council’s COVID-19 Helpline on 0345 678 9028 (lines open on the weekend on Saturday from 9am-4pm and Sunday 9am-12pm) or visit our website at www.shropshire.gov.uk/coronavirus.

Shropshire Climate Action Partnership (SCAP)

 SCAP is a not-for-profit organisation set up to represent the communities, enterprises, councils and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) of Shropshire, dedicated to ensuring that Shropshire achieves net zero carbon by 2030.

 SCAP is bringing together organisations, businesses, and communities across Shropshire, through collaboration, knowledge-sharing and empowerment.  Their first aim is to develop a practical zero carbon Shropshire plan (ZCSP) by the end of 2020, and they are seeking input from all communities.

SCAP has set up working groups that are pulling together plans for Shropshire, and want to draw on all the excellent ideas and actions that already exist across our county.  The information that is being sought is anything that is already being done or is planned to reduce carbon emissions locally, or to mitigate climate change matters, i.e. solar panels on properties, tree planting schemes, reducing car use etc.

 The Shropshire Climate Action Partnership is interested to hear about work that has been done in the past, also anything that is scheduled, or what your aspirations are for your town or villages in the near future in mitigating or reducing your carbon footprint to zero. 

They are also keen to hear from anyone who may like to get involved in one of the working groups, or simply would like to keep in touch with the work of SCAP and learn more. 

Anyone interested can visit www.ZeroCarbonShropshire.org to learn more and sign up as a supporter.

Funding available for community organisations

This was received today from our Parish Clerk. Do please help spread the word!

Funding & Support from your Community Foundation

The Community Foundation has recently received additional DCMS funding to support local community organisations in Shropshire. You can apply for an emergency grant via our website for projects that are working to support local people affected by the Covid-19 crisis. 

The aim of the fund is to support organisations with the immediate and unexpected costs the COVID-19 virus has created. Organisations would need to be supporting members of the community. Grants are available to support with the costs of providing a vital service to the community. 

There are various tiers of grants available up to £10,000, larger grants may be considered but applicants are encouraged to discuss with the programmes team before applying. More information can be found on our website  https://staffsfoundation.org.uk/grants/covid-19-emergency-grants/

Please feel free to contact the Programmes team on 01785 339540 or email office@staffsfoundation.org.uk for more information or to discuss your project.

Jo Cooper

Business Development Officer 

The Community Foundation for Staffordshire

T:    01785 339540

D:   01785 339545

SCF-Logo-RGB-LR-Yellow

The Community Foundation for Staffordshire, Communications House, University Court, Staffordshire Technology Park, Stafford, ST18 0ES

Registered Charity No. 1091628     Company Limited by Guarantee, No. 04220563

Free central heating!

Free first time central heating installation is now available for eligible households, thanks to a new grant scheme to help people reduce their heating costs.

Managed by Shropshire Council, the Warmer Homes Shropshire initiative, launched in May 2020, offers grants for eligible households across Shropshire. The scheme is open to homeowners, as well as private tenants and their landlords.

Grants are available over the next two years to more than 300 households who don’t currently have central heating, many of whom rely on expensive and inefficient heating systems such as night storage heaters or portable electric heating. If a property needs to be connected to the gas supply to install a central heating system, this will also be covered by the scheme.

For more information and to apply visit http://www.shropshire.gov.uk/warmer-homes-shropshire or call 0333 202 4481.

In addition to the grant, the council’s Keep Shropshire Warm scheme can offer a range of energy advice to help residents make their homes more efficient, cheaper and easier to heat, including to households in rural areas, where gas central heating may not be an option.

The team at Keep Shropshire Warm are available on 0800 112 3743 and can discuss the scheme in more detail, help residents apply and provide advice on any energy topic, big or small. If you are in a rural area and don’t have central heating, the team could still be able to help.

Branches of Shropshire Libraries to accept returns!

Shropshire Libraries currently remain closed in line with national guidance, but for one week beginning Monday 29 June 2020, the six largest libraries will be accepting returns of books and other library items that have been on loan.

In order to facilitate the safest possible reopening, for one week beginning Monday 29 June 2020, a book returns service will be offered by the libraries in Shrewsbury, Oswestry, Ludlow, Whitchurch, Market Drayton, and Bridgnorth.

Book returns will be accepted between 10am and 2pm from Monday to Friday (not Wednesday at Whitchurch; not Thursday at Market Drayton, Ludlow or Bridgnorth). Social distancing measures will be in place and customers will not have access into the library buildings themselves.

This will enable returns to be quarantined for 72 hours as advised by Public Health England’s National Infection Service.

The latest Government announcement indicates that public libraries will be allowed to start reopening in Step 3 of the lockdown easing plan from Saturday 4 July 2020 or onwards.

In resuming face-to-face services the priority will be the safety of customers, staff and volunteers, with measures that include social distancing, frequent cleaning of surfaces and limited services overall.

Library e-resources can be found here https://www.shropshire.gov.uk/libraries/libraries-from-home/

Annual Glow Worm Walk is Cancelled

For the avoidance of doubt, as the Hodnet Footpath Group’s walk programme for 2020 was posted on this site at the start of the year (in a pre-Covid age!), the scheduled group walk next Friday (19th June) is not running – like all our events so far this year.

That does not mean that people cannot go and try to spot these curious creatures under their own steam – most appearing along the embankment at the Wollerton end of the former railway line walk from Hodnet to Wollerton. If you do wish to do so, choose a warm evening after dusk, e.g 10pm onwards at this time of year; and then look for the little blue/white glow in the base of the longer grasses at the edge of the track. In the right conditions you should see a few, and if you’re lucky tens of them – it’s nature and unpredictable!

Do not:

  • all go on the 19th June – a week or so either side usually produces results.
  • if others are there doing the same, maintain ‘social distancing’.
  • disturb them, they only get one chance to breed.

NHS test and trace – fraud awareness

If NHS Test and Trace calls you by phone, the service will be using a single phone number 0300 0135 000. The only website the service will ask you to visit is https://contact-tracing.phe.gov.uk.

Contact tracers will never:

• Ask you to dial a premium rate number to speak to us (for example, those starting 09 or 087)
• Ask you to make any form of payment
• Ask for any details about your bank account
• Ask for your social media identities or login details, or those of your contacts
• Ask you for any passwords or PINs, or ask you to set up any passwords or PINs over the phone
• Ask you to purchase a product
• Ask you to download any software to your device or ask you to hand over control of your PC, smartphone or tablet
• Ask you to access any website that does not belong to the Government or NHS

If you think you have been subjected to, or a victim of, a scam or attempted fraud using Track and Trace or any other fraud please call 101 or contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

Long queues expected this weekend at Household Recycling Centres

People planning to visit one of Shropshire’s five household recycling centres this weekend are being advised to expect long queues, and asked to avoid visiting the centres if possible.

The five recycling centres reopened earlier this month, but have been getting increasingly busy this week, with queues of up to two hours.