Dear neighbour, we are so happy to have you as part of our community. You may need help over the coming months. We are here for you. If you need assistance with purchasing essential items, picking up post, papers or medication or dog walking here is how you can get in touch with your community of helpers:

Email: stinchcombeparish@gmail.com

Alternatively, here are your point of contacts at the end of a line:

The Street:

• Beth Taylor: 07894 209611
• Naomi Hemming: 07904 249019

Wick Lane/Wick Road:

• Stephen Ponting: 07929 623540
• Caroline Marshall: 07970 808023

Taits Hill:

• Tracey Legg: 07790 389467

Clingre Down:

• Mandy Delafield: 07715 523637

If you would like to be added to the list of volunteer helpers, email us with your mobile number and we’ll add you to the WhatsApp group.

We’re in this together

(You can download the full leaflet from the “Documents” section of the website and a real copy will be distributed throughout the village.)

I cycled down this morning to Tesco to be greeted with this empty shelves.

Unbelievable!

I just can’t understand the crowd mentality that we have. The shelves have been and are being refilled every night, yet they are being cleared each day. There is plenty of food in the system, the supermarkets are adding extra deliveries and staff, yet people have this hoarding instinct.

However, we have much more important things to talk about.

First, keeping your infection probability down in the next three months.

We can all take steps to lower your risk of getting infected in the first place:

• As much as possible, limit contact with people outside your family.
• Maintain enough distance (six feet or more) between yourself and anyone outside your family.
• As soon as you enter your house, WASH YOUR HANDS. Put a notice up to that effect
• Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for 20 to 30 seconds.
• As best you can, avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
• Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces in your home, such as counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, phones, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables, every day.

Help for those in Isolation.

We are so lucky in Stinchcombe, neighbours and friends are happy to try and help. No-one should feel isolated with no-one to turn to. As a community we can help ourselves and others by offering to collect shopping and prescriptions etc.

A group has been formed in the village who are only too willing and in the next few days some more details might come through your door.

Local business’s like Cam Family Butchers Tel 544415 info@camfamilybutchers.co.uk and now Cam Catering Butchers Tel 01453 890254 will take orders which can be collected. Also, Leaf & Group Tel 393007 will I am sure be offering a pickup service for those in self isolation.

Supermarkets are now giving or going to priority to those over 70 for online shopping.

Also, the first hour of each day will be given over to “the elderly and vulnerable customers”

Also there are wider plans evolving from other larger groups in the Dursley area who are combing their efforts. This effort is still in the planning stage so I have little detail at present

So much, at present is unknown.

We just don’t know how things will unfold in the next few months and uncertainty in the future makes us worry. So try and manage your stress, keep busy, talk with friends, listen to music, exercise and laugh.

Richard

If today’s figures for UK infections of up 407 (which should have been released at 9.00am) prove to be right, it is extremely worrying as it means the Government has completely lost control of the spread of the virus. The growth rate of new infections is now at least 1.36 far exceeding Italy’s current growth rate of 1.24.

I hope I am wrong but even today I watched MP’s crowding around each other in the House of Commons. Do they not get it? Have they not heard of “Social Distancing”

PLEASE, Washing hands and social distancing are the two single most effective ways to stop the virus spreading.

It makes me feel good that already since yesterday 19 people have come forward to become Stinchcombe Saints. Offering to help others in Stinchcombe would might be in isolation. We have 3 from Taits Hill, 7 from The Street and 9 from Wick Lane.

Thank you to all who came forward so far, I don’t know just how much you will be needed in the coming months, but it makes me feel good that people are so caring about others in the community and want to help.

Still, we do need others on the register so please come forward.

email stinchcombeparish@gmail with all your details.

Richard

Thank-you all for quickly responding to my email with offers of help, remember it won’t just be one section of the population self isolating, it will be those who have come into contact with others and also those who are recovering.

We have started a WhatsApp group and there is already around 15 people signed up to it. An email address stinchcombeparish@gmail.com has been setup which will be monitored and we are hoping to put something through everyone’s letterbox requesting information.

What we do need is volunteers who would be willing….because at some point when this all kicks off, it could be you in Isolation!

I watched Boris tonight and I don’t know what it is, but the more I listen to him the less I understand. It’s like listening to Stanley Unwin.

So here are the key points:

• everyone in the UK is now being advised to avoid “non-essential” contact with others and “unnecessary” travel.
• people are also being asked to work from home “where they possibly can”, and avoid pubs, clubs, theatres and social venues.
• people are now being advised to stay at home for 14 days if they, or anyone in their household, has either a high temperature or a “new and continuous cough”
• people in at-risk groups will be asked within days to be “largely shielded from social contact” for 12 weeks.
• the UK is to scale up coronavirus testing in the coming weeks
• from tomorrow, mass gatherings will no longer be provided with emergency workers

It now seems likely that within the next week to 10 days that over 70’s will be requested to stay at home and “Self Isolate” while the peak of the infection passes by.

In our Community of Stinchcombe that affect quite a few households and it will mean Isolation for up to two months. Whether this will be compulsory or voluntary will have to be seen. However, in other countries, they are going down the compulsory route.

Personally I hope it is voluntary, but I fear it will be compulsory

In my own household this ruling would affect one but not the other, but what would be the point if one self isolates while the other goes out and gets the virus and brings it home.? However that is another discussion.

So what can we do in our community to help those who are having to self isolate? And should we start to plan now?

Are younger people willing and able to pick up and deliver food, papers, post and whatever else? Are you willing to walk any pets? Are you willing to drive someone the a drive through testing station? Are you willing to keep in touch?

We do need a list of volunteers with:

• Name:
• Contact Number:
• Address:
• What you can help with:
  • Picking up Grocery Shopping
  • Picking up Other Shopping
  • Picking up Prescriptions
  • Pet Walking
  • Posting
  • A Friendly Chat.

Have a think about this as I am sure the Parish Council will be interested to hear from you.