Wereham News October

MOBILE POST OFFICE will park near the village pond on the following days/times, Monday and Thursday 14.00 – 14.15 Tuesday and Wednesday 12.25 -12.55

Wereham Parish Council

Next Meeting Date – Tuesday 10 November 2020 at 7.00 pm

Agenda items must be received before the end of the month prior to each meeting, items received after this time will not be possible to discuss. Please send to the Parish Clerk at werehampc@gmail.com. The Agendas for meetings are always published on the Wereham Village Notice Board three clear days before the meeting, and notified via the Wereham Parish Council Facebook Page and on the website www.werehamparishcouncil.co.uk You will also find minutes of all meetings here too. Please contact the Clerk should you wish to attend virtually once the agenda is public for joining instructions. The Council are meeting via Zoom virtually until further notice and in following guidance issued to it by authority bodies, invitation information and how to attend is placed on each meeting agenda.

Coronavirus – Covid-19 - Stay Alert, Control the Virus, Save Lives (As at 08.09.20)

Re-Opening of Play Area The play area was reopened on 4th July in line with Government Guidance, a risk assessment took place and additional signage has been added to the play area. Users are advised to sanitise their hands before and after use; use disinfectant wipes or spray prior to use on the equipment in high traffic areas; do not eat within the play area and most importantly social distance from others within the play area. At this time due to flowing activity at the play area that the Council do not need to monitor usage or put usage restrictions in place. Please all follow this guidance. Anyone concerned should contact the Parish Clerk by telephone or email in the first instance.

Volunteers and Assistance with Shopping If there are volunteers that could help other residents in the village with essential shopping please contact the Parish Clerk who will add you to a register that is being kept. If there are residents that still need help with essential shopping or medical prescriptions with no family or friends network affected by covid-19, please also get in touch with the Parish Clerk who will be able to discuss options available for helping you. Though Covid-19 has eased as at 5th August, the Council is continuing to have arrangements in place.

Please continue to keep to the social distancing guidelines, for the latest Government Advice view the following websites:

The HSE have now created a dedicated Coronavirus page for businesses here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/news/coronavirus.htm This should be used in conjunction with the NHS information here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Social Behaviours – We often talk about what is ‘anti-social behaviour’, but the Council would like to promote ‘social behaviours’ as a positive step. It is important that we all consider our neighbours and fellow residents in any actions that we take in our own homes, gardens and out and about. Wereham has been well regarded by visitors and residents as being a friendly village with many opportunities to make friends and support each other. It is important that we continue to uphold these values, so just a couple of social behaviours to highlight and think about:

- Please could users of the playing field and facilities, and parents of children who attend unaccompanied think about how late is acceptable to be using it, as potentially past daylight hours it can cause disturbance to neighbouring homes. We have not ever had an official closure time, but a reasonable time would probably be when it begins to get dark. - Fishing at the pond is for parishioners only, this is for the protection of the fish as their environment is a delicate balance, but also for the homes that surround the pond. There are rules displayed at the pond. Whilst confrontation is not something the Council wishes to pursue with individuals that don’t abide by rules and who are not parishioners, residents of the village can assist by ensuring they follow the fishing rules, tidy up after themselves and spread the word to others that this is the case and fact. - Dog Waste continues to always be an issue, and with five dog bins around the village, including those in our own homes, there should be no excuse for not cleaning up after. But unfortunately it continues, please could all dog walkers in the village collect their dog waste and either take it home or place in the dog waste bins provided and paid for by all parishioners. We all want to enjoy our village so there really is no excuse not to pick up dog waste. The five dog bins available are at the playing field; off Cavenham Road, Lamas Lane; End of the Row/Wretton Row and on Church Road/Junction with back lane). So this is plenty of points to deposit waste plus the option to take it home. Please respect the village and clean up after your dog.

Wereham Cemetery – Memorials Next of Kin Please could any members of the public known to be the next of kin for memorials within the Wereham Cemetery please contact the Parish Clerk to agree to share their contact details. We need to ensure that our contact database for the purposes of contacting next of kin, where we need to discuss memorials is as up to date as possible. Memorials that have been laid down for safety reasons can be reinstated by commissioning a stone mason to install what is called a NAAM bar.

Highways – Paths and Roads – Defects Please report anything that you see verges, trees, pot holes, main holes, drains to Norfolk County Council Highways via their defects page of their website. You need to set up a login, and once on the site you can easily report issues and upload pictures of the issue. They will then arrange inspection. You are also able to track the report. Should a report not be resolved as you wish please then contact the Parish Council. The Parish Council will report issues that it finds, but if residents do this also we can increase the repairs that we notice need doing. https://apps.norfolk.gov.uk/HighwaysDefect/

Helen Richardson Wereham Parish Clerk and Finance Responsible Person Email werehampc@gmail.com or Phone/Text: 0779 500 6811

WEREHAM CHURCH

We are taking small steps to opening up the church. It is being cleaned next week, once all Covid protocols are in place we will be opening for Private Prayer, no date yet.

WEREHAM VILLAGE HALL

In line with current government guidelines Wereham Village Hall reopened for business in mid July. Since then we are pleased to have welcomed back several of our regular activity groups, such as Line Dancing, Bingo, Zumba and Tai Chi, as well as a number of visitors from the local and wider community. Monthly Cinema shows started in early August, . Likewise our monthly Car Boot is up and running again Some activities are planned to recommence later this year or in the New Year. For further details you are advised to contact the individual group organiser and/or check the Village Hall website and facebook page. The safety measures that we have put in place to protect all of our staff and customers are working well but, as ever, we rely on all of you to follow all of the standard guidelines to protect both you, friends and family, and other users of the building. The measures that we have introduced to facilitate customers’ use of the building whilst ensuring their safety and wellbeing include: • Extra staff training • A self completed register for all users on entering the building • Clearly defined entry and exit points • Strict control of numbers in order to maintain social distancing and to avoid congestion • The provision of hand sanitiser at designated points • Regular cleaning of all contact points within the building (handles, switches, tables, chairs etc) • A “one in one out” system for the toilets, with cleaning wipes and hand washing facilities for customer use • Reduced seating capacities • The cafe will only be open for specific events and will operate on a “take-away” basis, with single use items such as sugar sachets and disposable cups.

All group leaders are expected to take responsibility for all of their members’ and participants’ safe use of the building, maintaining accurate records of all attendees and retaining a register of users. We are certain that by continuing to work together and respecting each other, we can provide a safe environment for everyone at Wereham Village Hall. As the situation progresses and hopefully improves, we look forward to a number of other activities and events taking place in the Village Hall, and to welcoming everyone back to the Village Hall in a safe, secure and healthy way. Please keep checking our website and facebook pages for the latest news. We value your continued support and look forward to seeing you again soon.