NEWS

Please see the following message from Essex County Council:

People across Essex are doing an amazing job supporting their family, friends and neighbours who at the most risk from coronavirus because they are older, vulnerable and have health conditions.

From now, public services across Essex are stepping up support for people who may not have help from their nearest and dearest.

Cllr David Finch, Leader of Essex County Council, said:

“The way Essex has rallied around the vulnerable across the County has been incredible and I would like to thank each and every person who is helping friends, neighbours and relatives stay home and stay safe. You are literally saving lives across our great County because you are protecting our NHS.

“Now Councils, the NHS and all our public and voluntary sector partners are stepping up to try and make sure no-one who needs help is missed out. It has been a huge effort, involving round-the-clock work. I am very proud of what is being put into place to shield our most vulnerable residents.”

Essex County Council is supporting the national effort to get food and supplies to the County’s most vulnerable residents.

How will it work

The Essex Resilience Forum (ERF) made up of all the county public sector organisations, is tasked with ensuring that people with the most serious health conditions across Essex, Southend and Thurrock, are shielded from social contact for 12 weeks during the peak of the epidemic. These people have been written to directly by the Government and told to expect food packages to be delivered to them.

A distribution hub has been set up by Essex County Council in Witham in central Essex, with two other hubs set up by Southend and Thurrock Councils. From this weekend, food packages will begin to be dispatched to vulnerable residents.

Given the importance of social distancing and the most at risk being able to stay in their homes, ERF members and the voluntary sector are also mobilising resources across the county to provide assistance to a larger group. These are residents who are also vulnerable during the peak of the epidemic, and includes people over the age of 70 or pregnant women, who do not have the support of friends, family or neighbours.

Councils across the county are working with supermarkets, delivery companies and other organisations on developing supply lines to people.

District Councils will also use their local hubs, which have been established in every district, borough and city council area, using volunteer support.

How will they be contacted

These residents will be contacted by the NHS, or their GP surgeries, starting from early next week, week commencing Monday 30 March.

The message will set out the instructions for those people who do not have the support of friends, families and neighbours, to register with the Essex Welfare Service (EWS) (part of PROVIDE, a health and social care provider), should they need food deliveries.

They will be able to contact the EWS via essexwelfareservice.org and by calling 0300 303 9988, Monday to Friday between 8am to 7pm, and Saturday to Sunday between 10am to 2pm.

We recognise not all of residents identified will need support, and many will have organised their own arrangements already. However, Community Shield’s aim is to ensure that no-one slips through the net. If you need support and have not received a message, please contact the EWS directly.

More information

Updates will be posted on the Essex County Council website and via social media.

Please sign up to volunteer in your local area.

The latest advice on coronavirus (COVID-19) is available on the Public Health England (PHE) and NHS websites.

The first issue of Felsted Focus is now available at a number of collection points around the village for you to pick up, if and when it is safe for you to do so within the government guidelines for movement outside of your homes.

1. Outside village shop
2. Opposite the Primary School (next to bus pull in)
3. On the Braintree Road at Gransmore Green (next to the bus stop)
4. On the Rayne Road at the junction with Bernstie Road (in Bannister Green)
5. Outside the Memorial Hall (they have a notice board on the wall outside).
6. In the former red telephone “book box” in Garnets Lane.
7. By the temp. notice board in Chelmsford Road adjacent to the old telephone exchange
8. On the grassy triangle at the end of Mill Road
9. By the Felsted school main gates in Stebbing Road
10. Outside the Crix Green Mission
11. Hollow Road J/w Mole Hill Green
12. Abbeyfields delivered (20 copies)
13. Willows Green Main Road JW Evelyn Road

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Please be aware that the scammers are now focussing on Coronavirus.

There are a number of scams claiming to offer free data packs or routes to treatment. These will download a virus to your PC or phone. BEWARE, the common sense rules apply. Don’t click on links or download PDFs etc unless you are 100% sure of the content. Remember, scammers can clone your mother’s email and send you a message with a virus.

Fraudsters are even knocking on doors offering ‘free temperature checks’ to gain entry to your house

The latest of these scams is an email or text, claiming to be from the government, saying that you have been seen outside, against the Coronavirus rules, and must pay a fine. The message provides a link for you to pay the fine.

THIS IS A SCAM.

First of all, ‘the government’ will never contact you like this. How could they know your email or phone number from having ‘seen you outside’?

If you click on the link and pay, at best you will lose £35, at worst some require bank details and they will empty your account.

If you are fined for breaking Coronavirus restrictions on movement then you will know about it because a Police Officer will directly charge you, face to face. There will be no emails or text messages.

These scammers are the lowest of the low. Don’t fall for the scam and don’t let your neighbours fall for it.

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The following information and advice has been received from Uttlesford District Council regarding waste services:

Bin – waste and recycling collections: Waste collections are continuing as normal at this time. We do have contingency plans in place and will communicate those if/when those plans kick-in.

Bins – garden waste collections: We have suspended our garden waste service.

Bins – missed bins: We are unable to return for any missed bins. You can place any side waste out in bags next to your bin ready for your next scheduled collection. Additional waste placed next to your Green recycling bin must be in clear bags, carrier bags, white bags or cardboard boxes only, as we will not accept black sacks.

Bulky household waste: We will no longer be offering a bulky household waste collection service. This is to minimise non-essential contact and to free up resources to ensure waste (black bin) and recycling (green and brown bin) collections can run as normal.

Replacement bins: We will no longer be able to deliver replacement or additional bins. We will still be delivering bins to new build properties.

Garden waste weekend skip service: We have suspended the garden waste weekend skip service until further notice.

Recycling centres closures

How to get rid of your waste if you are self-isolating or confirmed to have coronavirus

Anyone who asked to self-isolate, either as a precaution or because they are confirmed to have coronavirus, should follow the Love Essex advice to get rid of their household waste to ensure the virus is not spread via personal waste.

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The following message has been received from the surgery:

The Felsted Surgery

Changes to our appointment system to protect patients and our staff. From 16 March 2020, we are cancelling all routine face-to-face GP appointments.

Instead, we will be offering an enhanced telephone service.  All requests for appointments must be made by phone and will be triaged by a clinician over the phone.  If you need to be seen face-to-face, this will be arranged for you.

Video consultations will be launched this coming week, to provide patients with another option to connect with their GP.

What about pre-booked appointments?

If you have a routine appointment booked at the surgery with any clinician, you will be telephoned before your appointment and asked some simple questions to assess if you are well enough to come to the surgery.

PLEASE DO NOT ATTEND THE SURGERY UNLESS YOU HAVE BEEN TELEPHONED AND TOLD THAT YOU SHOULD COME IN.

What about new follow up requests?  We will attempt to do most follow ups over the phone.  If a clinician asks you to make a follow up appointment, please book this via Reception as usual, informing them that it is a telephone appointment.  Clearly, not all follow ups can be done over the phone, and if your clinician wants to review you face-to-face, they will inform you – so you can inform the Reception Team.

We need to work together to protect the community and our staff. Patients are still attending the surgery with cold and flu-like symptoms and this is not acceptable at this time.  It puts the health of vulnerable people at risk, and the health of our Surgery Team, who have to support the patients we care for.

We thank all our patients for their support and understanding during these extraordinary times.

Thank You

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Particularly for those people that are self isolating, there is a local wholesale company who can deliver vegetable/fruit or mixed boxes, plus a limited dairy range (milk, butter, eggs etc.), direct to your door.

They are called Donald Freeston Fresh Produce and they currently deliver to Lindsells.

They normally aim to deliver the next day and they are currently offering deliveries to Felsted daily.     Their website is updated and becomes “live” at 9.00am each day.

Clearly at present, demand is high and some items do run out quite quickly so you will need to check their website soon after 9.00am.

Payment is via their Website by normal Card or Paypal etc.

Their website is – www.freestonsdirect.co.uk

The minimum order is £20.   Orders placed on a Saturday will be delivered on the Monday.

The Parish Council has no relationship with this company.

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Please be aware that the Felsted playing field car park is now closed, as are the public toilets, for the duration of the Coronavirus situation.

The allotments will remain open for the foreseeable future.

This is in line with Government advice and the latest Coronavirus regulations.

We will keep you updated with all developments.

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Dear Neighbours

We are trying to share all Coronavirus related news specifically relevant to Felsted and our neighbourhood, here, on the Parish Council website.

To make the process easier you can register for an email alert, rather than having to visit to check for updates. Please visit our News page and subscribe by adding your email in the box on the right hand side.

If you have received this message as an alert, then you are of course already registered.

Please be assured we won’t share your email address with anyone, nor will we send you any SPAM.

Please note that, for clear understandable reasons, the Sunday green waste collection service has been temporarily suspended.

We will keep you updated with developments.

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