Changes to bus services from 4th October 2020
First and Arriva are changing bus services in Leeds from Sunday 4th October due to the reopening of The Headrow in the city centre. Specific changes that will affect Leeds 16 are that the number 1 bus will terminate at Lawnswood and a new service the number 8 will service Lawnswood to Holt Park.
For full details of changes https://www.
Dear all
Last week, thinking it time to return to action, we took a ground-breaking trip to the Humber estuary. Almost immediately, the Prime Minister told us that the policy on breaking ground had been revised and we had better get back behind the barricades, or at least the facemasks.
We had been on a guided tour of Spurn Head, a narrow spit of land extending about three-and-a-half miles on the northern side of the Humber estuary. Both my partner Lynne and I share the belief that, as members of an island nation, we need regular trips to the seaside, where, as a bonus, fish and chips always taste better. It’s our heritage.
Not that Spurn Head has a chip shop. It has a cafe and visitor centre run by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, a disused Victorian lighthouse, a working lifeboat station and lots of curious ruins from the First World War, when big gun emplacements, barracks and searchlights were installed to protect the vital Humber shipping lanes and then left to rot. What’s protecting Humber shipping now, I don’t know.
The ruins are now covered in low-growing scrub, the sandy land not being stable or fertile enough to support decent-sized trees. It’s an edgy, changeable place, suspended between the estuary and the North Sea and in 2013, when a tidal surge tore a huge gap in the spit, its southern tip became an island overnight, only accessible to walkers or specialist vehicles at low tide.
In our case, the specialist vehicle was a former Dutch army truck seating, according to current rules, nine on what the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust called a safari, although the largest wild beast we were likely to see was a rabbit.
Even when we climbed the many, many steps to the top of the Spurn Point lighthouse, where we might have seen many seabirds and marine creatures, the chief sight of interest turned out to be Grimsby.
And much as we admire the sea, we were in danger of overdosing on it. Estuary on one side, open sea on the other and both ready to engulf us during high tides. The flatlands of East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire don’t rise much above the sea level and the broad horizons and unconfined sea breezes all around us felt nothing at all like being locked down in Leeds, which, in retrospect, was the point of the outing.
Incidentally, among our safari group was an energetic boy, aged three or four, who charged around with great aplomb, occasionally barging into other people, as children must.
His mother, in apology, said that her boy had actually won a school merit award for his social-distancing abilities. This is how things have changed so suddenly and utterly; six months ago social distancing was an unfamiliar phrase to most grown-ups, now it’s an essential skill for children who have yet to master shoelace-tying.
The Green Homes Grant gives homeowners in England vouchers to help cover the cost of energy efficient improvements to their home – such as low carbon heating systems, insulation or double glazing to replace single glazing.
For most, the vouchers will be worth about two-thirds of the cost of the energy efficient improvements, up to a maximum of £5,000 per household. If you are a private tenant your landlord can apply.
However, if you’re on a low income or certain benefits, you can get vouchers of up to £10,000 to cover the entire cost of installing the measures. (Homeowners only)
Qualifying benefits: income-based/contribution-based jobseeker’s allowance, income-based/contribution-based employment and support allowance, income support, pension ‘guarantee’ credit, working tax credit, child tax credit, universal credit, disability living allowance, personal independence payment, attendance allowance, carer’s allowance, severe disablement allowance, industrial injuries disablement benefit and housing benefit.
Vouchers must be used to install at least one primary home insulation, (solid wall, under floor, cavity wall, loft, flat roof, room in roof), or low carbon heating measure.
If you install at least 1 of these, your voucher can also be used to help cover the cost of any of the following secondary measures: draught proofing, double/triple glazing (where replacing single glazed windows), secondary glazing (in addition to single glazing), external energy efficient doors (replacing single glazed or solid doors installed before 2002), heating controls or hot water tank thermostats and insulation. This can only be up to the same value as the primary measure.
All work must be completed within 6 months (by the end of March 2021) so if you want to take advantage of this scheme you need to do so as soon as possible.
There is now a Government website where you can find all the infomation and apply for a Green Homes Grant
Simple Energy Advice has lots of information as well as tools to help you check eligibility and find accredited tradespeople: www.simpleenergyadvice.org.uk Or you can call them on 0800 444202.
Alternatively, if you want to chat to Valerie about this – call 0748 3333 115 or email valerie@caringtogether.org.uk
Now is the time Of the retrieving of the jackets From whence they've spent Their summer repose Or The back of the closet So sorry that I'd Forgotten about you Until your warmth Sent me searching Welcome back, old friend Especially if You've got money In your pocket
The local NHS has bought together NHS doctors and public health to talk about misinformation about coronavirus on Tuesday 29 September, from 6 to 7.30pm on NHS Leeds Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCG) Facebook page www.facebook.com/nhsleeds
The speakers for the evening are Dr Mo Sattar, Dr Andrew Lee, Dr Mizanul Hoque, and Dr Najeeb Rahman. This first session is part of a number of online health education sessions that the CCG will be looking to hold in response to feedback from local people looking for trusted information online.
Dr Mohammed Sattar, GP in Leeds, said: “There’s a lot of misinformation about coronavirus, you hear different things from a number of sources and feel overwhelmed with so much information that you don’t know what to believe.
“The purpose of this Facebook Live session is to explore some of that misinformation, this includes social distancing, how you can reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus, when to get tested and myth busting. We want people to hear what GPs and other health professionals are saying to take away that learning, and to share with family, friends and people within their communities.
“There’s so much information on social media, some of it which is true and some of it isn’t. Some of us will take in what’s being said on the news whether this is in England or your home country. However, we need to feel assured that the information we hear and read is accurate and reliable. Having this live session, we’re hoping to uncover some of the information which may be misleading and inaccurate.”
Dr Jason Broch, GP and Clinical Chair at NHS Leeds CCG, said: “By running the Facebook Live session we’re hoping to provide misinformation about coronavirus.
“It’s an opportunity for people learn more and they can submit their questions to the speakers in advance or on the day of the live session. I would strongly encourage Leeds residents to join the session, we can only overcome misinformation about coronavirus if we hear the truth from healthcare professionals who will give advice in line with the current government guidelines. Visit the NHS website which has the most up to date and accurate information about coronavirus.
“Over the coming months we will be looking to deliver more of these sessions, this will include winter health and cancer signs and symptoms, as well as prevention.”
Join the Facebook Live session on Tuesday 29 September, from 6 to 7.30pm on NHS Leeds CCG Facebook page www.facebook.com/nhsleeds
Questions to the speakers can be sent in advance of the live session, they can be sent by email leedsccg.comms@nhs.net or by Facebook www.facebook.com/nhsleeds or Twitter https://twitter.com/nhsleeds
If you have a smartphone you can now download the NHS Covid 19 app from today. The more people who use the app the more useful it will be and so everyone over 16 in England and Wales is asked to download it.As well as contact tracing, health chiefs say the goal is to change people’s behaviour to make them less likely to catch or transmit the coronavirus.
There’s more information about the app and how it works here: https://www.covid19.nhs.uk/pdf/introducing-the-app.pdf
You can download it by going to Google Play on an android phone or Apple App Store on iPhones and searching for “NHS Covid-19”. Or there is a guide if you need some help downloading it: https://covid19.nhs.uk/help-downloading.html
Unfortunately it doesn’t work on some older smartphones.
I downloaded it this morning and it looks fairly simple to use – Valerie
Caring Together has an allotment, complete with raised beds and a shed on Woodhouse Moor.
We would love to hear from members who might like to take part in looking after this allotment.
This would be a good way of getting some outdoors, socially distanced, exercise as well as a source of fresh, healthy produce and gardening also helps to relieve stress – so a positive result all round!
If you are green fingered and would like to take part, or if you are not at all green fingered but enthusiastic anyway, then contact us.
The Government decided not to put new local lockdown restrictions on Leeds this week but it has been moved up to being an area of concern and to receive enhanced national support to help curb the rise in coronavirus cases. A statement from Leeds City Council is here :
https://news.leeds.gov.uk/news/leeds-people-urged-to-help-city-stay-out-of-further-restrictions
Leeds City Council are texting the most vulnerable residents (on the shielding list) and are asking everyone to take care to protect the vulnerable – and all of us in the city:
The government plans to make face coverings mandatory in shops and supermarkets from 24 July.
Use of a face covering is not a replacement for social distancing and keeping up regular hand washing.
A face covering is something that covers your mouth and nose. Under the new rules, people who do not wear a face covering will face a fine of up to £100. Children under 11 and those with certain disabilities will be exempt.
Should someone without an exemption refuse to wear a face covering, a shop can refuse them entry and can call the police. If people refuse to comply, police can issue a fine.
For information on how to use a face covering correctly, watch this video.
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The new Government guidance means more people are likely to be using public transport. However, you are still encouraged to use other means of transport where possible.
Public transport users must wear a face covering when travelling on buses and trains. In line with government guidelines, visitors to travel centres will need to wear a face covering from 24 July.
The exemptions for wearing a face covering in supermarkets and shops also apply on public transport.
Those exempt from wearing a face covering can download an assistance card to help communicate this to staff on bus and rail services in West Yorkshire. You can print them off or take a picture on your phone to show staff.
You should also continue using contactless payment if you can.
You should wear a face covering when using taxis or private hire vehicles. A taxi driver or private hire vehicle operator may be entitled to refuse to accept you if you do not wear a face covering.
Follow the advice of the driver. For example, you may be asked to sit in the back left-hand seat if travelling alone. You may want to check with your taxi or private hire operator before travelling if they have put any additional measures in place.
Full guidance on face coverings including other exemptions, and how to make your own face covering, is available here.
