“Hello everyone, first of all I hope you are all well.

For those of you who I’ve not yet met, I am a Police Community Support Officer, with 11 years of service, working predominantly in the Woodhouse and Little London area of Leeds. I have met many people through Caring Together and delivered a number of crime prevention talks to their regular groups. I have also enjoyed many social gatherings over the years and especially love the ones with tea and cake!

We are currently working a little differently, whilst still trying to deliver our messages. Social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, is a useful tool at this time, and lots of other information is also available online.

It’s been a trying few weeks with the changes that we have had to endure. I understand the emotional and physical impact that this pandemic is having on people. Looking out for each other with a wave (from a safe distance) and making phone calls does make a massive difference to someone who is normally used to lots of social contact. Hopefully by taking the necessary measures around social distancing, and for some, 12 weeks of shielding, we will continue to stay well and keep safe. Staying in doors will help to stop the spread of the virus and play a part in protecting the healthcare system and save lives. 

I look forward to a time when we can all sit together with a cuppa for a proper chat. 

I have added some links that you may find useful but if you have any other concerns please the Caring Together team.

Scams https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/consumer-advice/a31702083/coronavirus-scams-fraud/

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/alert/coronavirus-scam-costs-victims-over-800k-in-one-month

Report a crime https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/report-it

General Crime preventionhttps://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/advice/10-principles-crime-prevention/10-principles-crime-prevention/10-principles-crime-prevention

Social distancing https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-on-social-distancing-and-for-vulnerable-people/guidance-on-social-distancing-for-everyone-in-the-uk-and-protecting-older-people-and-vulnerable-adults

Facebook www.facebook.com/wypleedsnorthwest

Twitter www.twitter.com/wyp_leedsnw

Best wishes to you and you families. Stay safe.

PCSO Sam Pemberton

To report a crime, please ring 101. Always dial 999 in an emergency.

Day to day living in lock down. Our members wanted to share a bit of what they have been up to. For some they have been baking as we have already mentioned. For others its completing sudoku, art work, gardening, listening to the radio, face time with family and friends, writing, being challenged by exceptionally difficult jigsaws and exercise that includes walking from one room to the other. And a few have talked about doing knitting and crafts for others.

One member said she was currently knitting scarves for our bingo box (for when we are back) and sleeves and blankets for premature babies in Leeds.  And another member is knitting outfits for newborns. I have seen some of these items prior to us sadly having to go into lock down and they were beautiful. And finally another of our members is currently whiling away her time making Christmas cards with hand stitched designs for us for later in the year. I have put a picture below of some she had already given us. Everything is made with such care and attention to detail and love. We appreciate this immensely, as I know the community does too. We look forward to seeing the others once things have settled.

“About five years ago, I wrote the last of my regular columns for the Yorkshire Evening Post and very soon afterwards, I forgot that I had ever been paid to write at all.

Which was strange, because many people enjoy writing for free and I was given the task of filling a whole page, with hardly any limitations or instructions – or indeed advertisements – every Friday for 14 years.

It would have been a dream job if I didn’t find communication of any sort difficult and if I didn’t think that useful explanatory or creative writing – as opposed to self-promotion or preaching –  is entirely about communication.

My hero, Dr Samuel Johnson, thought that a day spent in the crowded streets of 18^th century London without speaking or listening to someone new was a day wasted. This was how he came to know virtually everything there was to know at that time and place, and I would follow his lead if I found opening my mouth in the presence of a stranger anything less than challenging.

And it’s not just strangers – adding a few words to the bottom of a retirement card gives me a day’s anguish; meeting a regularly chatty bus driver can cause me to change my bus route and my hair would be a lot tidier if it wasn’t for my (to be fair, usually justified) fear of friendly barbers.

I suppose my condition might be diagnosed as a mildly severe and, since it’s lasted from childhood, chronic case of social anxiety. I prefer to think of it as unforgivable idiocy which shouldn’t be allowed to continue when it’s suddenly become quite clear, as it always should have been, that our survival depends on humans communicating sensibly with each other.

So I’ve decided to return to writing, unpaid and inglorious, just as a matter of duty, although obviously shut-down boredom also played a part.  

When I said earlier that Dr Samuel Johnson was my hero, I wondered briefly how he might have coped with the present crisis. The answer, I think, is very unheroically.

He was prone to severe depression which he overcame by constant conversations and activities; once, after a long night of drinking and talking, he called in at Covent Garden market and decided he could make himself useful by helping the fruit and veg traders to set up their stalls. The traders had never been assisted by a world-class lexicographer before

Our small, fat cat is called Kitty, which is a very inappropriate name because it suggests the kind cute playfulness which most cats, so long as they are awake and fed, can display and which has bought most of them a meal ticket for life.

But Kitty’s background is more that if a social work case than a domestic pet. She was abandoned early in life early and brought herself up, unaided, in our garden shed.

Then one day, during one of her fleeting appearances in our back garden, we noticed that she was heavily pregnant. My partner Lynne, being more socially responsible than me and better at fighting cats, managed to force her to the vet’s, where we were disappointed to find there was no quantity discount for a combined abortion and sterilisation operation.

Kitty has lived with us ever since but under sufferance. The deal is that we feed her while she looks at us with withering contempt.

She has all the symptoms of classic attachment disorder, including fear and mistrust of others, a listless appearance and a reluctance to smile – and I know cats can’t really smile but the friendlier ones at least look like they want to.

Also, normal cats don’t have time to appear listless because they’re too busy sleeping. Kitty seldom sleeps; she behaves like a one-cat GCHQ, always keeping her eyes half-open for plots and dirty tricks.

Still, self-isolation has revealed one of Kitty’s not-so-bad points. As we do our restricted daytime rounds (front room, back room, front garden, back garden, occasional adventure retreats under the stairs), Kitty follows at a slight distance. You might have thought she found our presence reassuring or even comforting, but it’s probably just part of her plotting”

Oliver Cross, Caring Together member

Please see below some of the lovely comments we have received and acts of generosity for our work in the communuity

What an amazing week already. We have been hearing some lovely stories of kindness and generosity, with neighbours sharing food, calling each other to check in how they are doing and helping out in whatever way they can.

We too have been busy helping with various things including some shopping. A few of them had some extra goodies in their bags on Wednesday. We had some fresh rosemary, thyme and sage from the Caring Together allotment and some rhubarb from another. Ben kindly dropped them off Wednesday morning, all nicely bagged up and John had brought the rhubarb in the day before. I was also able to drop off a few snack boxes from Jet2 as well.

“Thank you for shopping for my fresh vegetables and delivering them, I really appreciate it and all the help and support from Caring Together. A huge thank you for the snack box and herbs too. All are much appreciated and needed” Caring Together member

And another of our members and volunteer Myrna also helped with delivering a few of the snack boxes in her street. It was for those self isolating that she knows whilst getting her daily exercise. She has also made some lovely crumbles with the rhubarb we dropped off. She is going to drop them off at her neighbours door. We are pleased so many are getting to benefit from the fresh produce.

Thank you to everyone yet again for making this all possible, the ripple effects of your kindness, whilst keeping safe, is heartwarming.

Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber is calling all musical lovers! Starting this Friday, they will be releasing a full-length, smash-hit musical once a week for you to watch for free on YouTube! It will be available for 48 hours, so you can tune in whenever you like over the weekend! The next one is this Friday 10th April 2020 at 7pm!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdmPjhKMaXNNeCr1FjuMvag/featured

Below are two pictures that two of our members wish to share with you.

“A picture perfect view from my door whilst self isolating” Can anyone guess where it is?

I can see some of the flowers have dropped already but there are still some flowers holding on. Thank you for sharing this lovely image with us Margaret. Member and Volunteer

“Wish you were all here”

We do too, thanks for sharing your garden view with us Pat. Member and Volunteer

How many did you get?

A puzzle for you this weekend.
In this cartoon by Ella Baron there are 27 sayings/figures of speech.

See how many you can find

Answers tomorrow