Apply To Get Help with Bills By Friday,12th February

Dorset residents have until Friday, 12th February to put in their applications to apply for funding to pay utility bills.

Vulnerable families in Dorset can apply for money to pay their utility bills, but the deadline is approaching fast.

The programme is being administrated by Citizen’s Advice Dorset. To access the funding, which come from the Government’s Covid Winter Grant Scheme, log on HERE. You can also call on 01929 408950 to apply.

Cllr Jane Somper, Dorset Council lead member for Safeguarding, said, “I urge families, and others, who need support this winter with essential bills like heating, to apply online for help or get in touch by ringing our helpline. These are difficult times and helping our most vulnerable families, who have been hard-hit by the pandemic, is vital. We are working with schools and other organisations like Citizens’ Advice to get help and support out to those who need it.”

At least 80% of the Covid Winter Grant will be used to help vulnerable families in Dorset; some of the remaining 20% will either be used to support other vulnerable residents across the area or will also be spent supporting families.

Support and advice for all residents, including information about accessing food and other financial support is available online at: www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/reaching-out.

#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Drimpton,#Dorset,#Covid19,#DorsetCouncil,#StayHome,#SaveLives,#CovidWinterGrant,#ReachingOut,#CAB,#ApplyNow,#NationalLockdown,#2021,#BeKind,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

You Need A Reasonable Excuse Else Stay Home

Stay Home. Save lives. The new variant of COVID-19 is spreading fast. If you go out, you can spread it. People will die. You must not leave or be outside of your home except where you have a ‘reasonable excuse’.

You should follow this guidance immediately. This is the law.

What is a reasonable excuse?

Clicking on the links in the text below will take you the relative Government page with more detail.
The Government website states that a ‘reasonable excuse’ includes:

Work:

You can only leave home for work purposes where it is unreasonable for you to do your job from home. This includes, but is not limited to, people who work within critical national infrastructure, construction or manufacturing that require in-person attendance

Volunteering:

You can also leave home to provide voluntary or charitable services. You must volunteer from home unless it is not reasonably possible for you to do so.

Essential activities:

You can leave home to buy things at shops or obtain services where necessary. You may also leave your home to do these things on behalf of a disabled or vulnerable person or someone self-isolating.

Education and childcare:

You can only leave home for education, registered childcare, and supervised activities for children where the child is eligible to attend. Access to education and children’s activities for school-aged pupils is restricted. See further information on education and childcare. You can continue existing arrangements for contact between parents and children where they live apart. If you live in a household with anyone aged under 14, you can also form a childcare bubble.

Meeting others and care:

You can leave home:

to visit people in your support bubble ( if you are legally permitted to form one)
to provide informal childcare for children under 14 as part of a childcare bubble (for example, to enable parents to work, not to enable social contact between adults)
to provide care for disabled or vulnerable people
to provide emergency assistance
to attend a support group (of up to 15 people)
for respite care where that care is being provided to a vulnerable person or a person with a disability, or is a short break in respect of a looked-after child.

Exercise

You can continue to exercise alone, with one other person or with your household or support bubble. This should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.You should maintain social distancing. See the exercising section.

Meeting others and care:

You can leave home:

to visit people in your support bubble ( if you are legally permitted to form one)
to provide informal childcare for children under 14 as part of a childcare bubble (for example, to enable parents to work, not to enable social contact between adults)
to provide care for disabled or vulnerable people
to provide emergency assistance
to attend a support group (of up to 15 people)
for respite care where that care is being provided to a vulnerable person or a person with a disability, or is a short break in respect of a looked-after child.

Exercise:

Medical reasons:

You can leave home for a medical reason, including to get a COVID-19 test, for medical appointments and for emergencies.

Maternity:

You can leave home to be with someone who is giving birth or, accessing other maternity services, or to be with a baby receiving neonatal critical care. There is NHS guidance on pregnancy and coronavirus.

Harm:

You may leave home, to avoid injury or illness or to escape risk of harm (such as domestic abuse).

Compassionate visits:

You may also leave home to visit someone who is dying or someone in a care home (if permitted under care home guidance), hospice, or hospital, or to accompany them to a medical appointment.

Animal welfare reasons:

You can leave home for animal welfare reasons, such as to attend veterinary services for advice or treatment.

Communal worship and life events:

You can leave home to attend or visit a place of worship for communal worship, to attend a funeral or event related to a death, to visit a burial ground or a remembrance garden, or to attend a wedding ceremony. You should follow the guidance on the safe use of places of worship and must not mingle with anyone outside of your household or support bubble. Weddings, funerals and religious, belief-based or commemorative events linked to someone’s death are all subject to limits on the numbers that can attend.

Further reasonable excuses:

There are further reasonable excuses. For example, you may leave home to fulfil legal obligations, or to carry out activities related to buying, selling, letting or renting a residential property, for the purpose of picketing, or where it is reasonably necessary for voting in an election or referendum. See guidance on . This applies to anyone campaigning for electoral events.

Medical reasons:

You can leave home for a medical reason, including to get a COVID-19 test, for medical appointments and for emergencies.

Maternity:

Harm:

You may leave home, to avoid injury or illness or to escape risk of harm (such as domestic abuse).

Compassionate visits:

You may also leave home to visit someone who is dying or someone in a care home (if permitted under care home guidance), hospice, or hospital, or to accompany them to a medical appointment.

Animal welfare reasons:

You can leave home for animal welfare reasons, such as to attend veterinary services for advice or treatment.

Communal worship and life events:

Further reasonable excuses:

There are further reasonable excuses. For example, you may leave home to fulfil legal obligations, or to carry out activities related to buying, selling, letting or renting a residential property, for the purpose of picketing, or where it is reasonably necessary for voting in an election or referendum. See guidance on campaigning during the national lockdown. This applies to anyone campaigning for electoral events.

To view all the Government guidance on the National Lockdown – Click HERE.

#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Drimpton,#Dorset,#Covid19,#StayHome,#SaveLives,#SupportTheNHS,#GovernmentGuidance,#SocialDistancing,#ThisIsLaw,#WearYourMask,#Vaccine,#NationalLockdown,#2021,#BeKind,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

Lawrences Online General Sale – Wednesday 10th February

Lawrences auctioneers are holding an online General Sale starting at 10am on Wednesday, 10th February.

The salerooms in Crewkerne are closed but you can browse the items in the sale and leave your bids ahead of the sale.
Click HERE to view all the items in their catalogue.

Telephone:01460 73041
or email: enquiries@lawrences.co.uk

#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Drimpton,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Dorset,#WestDorset,#NationalLockdown,#2021,#Crewkerne,#Somerset,#Lawrences,#AuctionRooms,#GeneralSale,#OnlineSale,#BidFromHome,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

Think Brain Health

We see many advertisements and charities promoting looking after your heart and how to prevent heart disease and research tells us that the most important thing you can do is be kind to your heart, especially in your 40s and 50s. What’s good for your heart is also good for your brain!

Looking after your heart health, including controlling blood pressure and being physically active, can help lower your risk of heart disease and dementia too – particularly Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.

According to a report published by leading medical journal The Lancet in 2020, social isolation in later life could be a factor in around 4% of cases of dementia. We know that being socially active, whether that’s picking up the phone, meeting friends for a coffee, joining community groups, volunteering, or jumping onto Zoom for a catch-up can help us feel happier, healthier and more positive in general. Please reach out, particularly to those on their own.

Some interesting random brain facts from various sources of recent research:

A brain weighs about 3.3 lbs. (1.5 kilograms).
A 2 year old baby will have an 80% fully grown brain. It will continue to grow until you’re about 18 years old. It isn’t until about the age of 25 that the human brain reaches full maturity.
Obesity is linked with poorer brain health in people with and without memory and thinking problems.
Your brain only accounts for 2% of your body weight but uses about 20% of your energy.
Afternoon napping was linked to better memory and thinking in people over the age of 60.
Your human brain contains approximately 100 billion neurons which is about the same as the number of stars in the Milky Way galaxy.
Officially called a Sphenopalatine Ganglioneuralgia, a brain freeze happens when you eat or drink something that’s too cold.
Every minute, 750-1,000 millilitres of blood flows through the brain. This is enough to fill a bottle of wine or litre bottle of soda.
Consisting of minimum 60% fat, your brain is the fattiest organ in your body. This is why healthy fats, such as Omega-3s and Omega-6s, are vital for brain and overall body health.
We cry when we are very happy because our hypothalamus in our brain can’t distinguish the difference between strong happiness and strong sadness.
The world’s fastest supercomputer requires 24 million Watts of power to operate, but our brains only require 20 Watts and operate about 100,000 times faster.
Your brain is the only object in the world that can contemplate itself.

Take their Brain Health quiz HERE.

If you have general questions about dementia or want to know more about dementia research and how you and your loved ones can get involved, Dementia Research Infoline can help.

Call 0300 111 5 111 between 9.00-5.00pm Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).
Calls are charged at the same rate as 01 or 02 numbers and should be included in any free call packages you have. Charges for mobiles are likely to be higher. They try to answer calls as quickly as possible, but if the Infoline is busy or you call outside our operating hours, you can leave a message with your contact details and one of their team will aim to get back to you within three working days.
Email: infoline@alzheimersresearchuk.org.
Write to: Dementia Research Infoline, Alzheimer’s Research UK, 3 Riverside, Granta Park, Cambridge, CB21 6AD

Alzheimer’s Research UK is a registered charity, numbers 1077089 and SC042474.

#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Drimpton,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Dorset,#WestDorset,#DementiaResearch,#AlzheimersResearch,#TheLancet,#SocialIsolation,#NationalLockdown,#2021,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

Captain Tom Moore In Hospital With Covid-19

Captain Tom Moore’s daughter Hannah released this statement earlier this evening:

The remarkable and truly inspirational man, Captain Tom Moore was appointed an honorary Colonel to mark his 100th birthday on 30th April 2020 in recognition of his exceptional efforts that has raised almost £30 million for the NHS.

The Nation’s thoughts and prayers go out to him and all of his family.

#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Drimpton,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Dorset,#WestDorset,#CaptainTomMoore,#NationalLockdown,#2021,StayAtHome,#SaveTheNHS,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

Trees Planted At Hursey Common

At Hursey Common this morning, 30 saplings were planted.

A massive thank you & well done to David Leader with the group of volunteers: Stefan, Kirsty, Eden, Linda, pictured above with Peter and Hazel, pictured below.

Scarlet Elf Cup at Hursey — Sarcoscypha coccinea – Scarlet Elf Cup Photo: David Leader

The fungus shown in this photograph is the Scarlet Elf Cup (Sarcoscypha coccinea) – though not poisonous, it is considered inedible. It can be spotted in several places throughout the common at this time.

We are so lucky to have this woodland on our doorstep – please help look after it and take any litter home.

Read the Woodland Trust’s A-Z guide to British trees from native species to naturalised and widely planted non-natives – Click HERE.

#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Drimpton,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Dorset,#WestDorset,#Woodland,#TreePlanting,#ScarletElfCup,##NationalLockdown,#2021,#StayAtHome,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards launch on Monday 1st March.

This is the third year that the team of Paul, Tom and Michelle (and Rosie and Coco the Spaniels) from Surrey, UK have held the competition. The overall winner in 2020 was Mark Fitzpatrick with Terry the Turtle flipping the bird. The other images used were all finalists in last year’s competition.

To enter the competition, you must visit their website*, complete the online entry form and upload your entry(ies) before the deadline of 11.59pm, BST on 30th June 2021. They state: “We do not control the internet, and are not computer geeks, so we can’t take responsibility for any technical problems. It is up to you to ensure your entries reach us on time, no excuses.”
This is a wildlife photography competition and that means no domestic animals and no animals that live in zoos or other captive environments.

Please read all the Terms & Conditions before entering HERE.

Yaron Schmid
– The look on his face! That was brilliant!

Competition Categories:

You can enter a total of up to 10 images, 4 portfolio entries AND an additional 6 entries into the other categories, and 2 videos – that’s it, no more.
You can enter up to 3 images into each category, except the Amazing Internet (and they are…) Portfolio category where you have to enter 4 pictures. (More info on the categories below.)
The total number of images across all categories must not exceed 10.
There is only one category for video.

Muhammad Faishol Husni – I love you darlin’

Here are all the Categories with details of what they are asking for:

The Alex Walker’s Serian Creatures of the Land Category

Enter up to three of your funniest pictures of wildlife which lives on the land. Couldn’t be simpler. Don’t panic if the animal, like a squirrel, for example, looks like he is flying, it still lives on the land, so bung it in here. Another thing, remember if your pic is hilarious but in the wrong category, fret not they will put it into the right category, simple as that.

The Spectrum Creatures in the Air Category

You guessed it, birds, bats and any other creatures that fly. If you have a funny pterodactyl image, put it in, seriously, although that might mean the image is more than 99 years old, so wouldn’t be acceptable, but perhaps worth trying.

The ThinkTank Photo Junior Category

This is a category for kids with a talent for taking great and funny wildlife pictures. You have to be less than 16 years old by 11.59pm 30th June 2020 (BST). So, if you are 15 and turn 16 on July the 9th, bummer big time!! Enter your funny pics into the other categories! If you have a query, fret not ping us an email; PJ and Tom (who run the competition and write this drivel are desperate for emails, as they have no friends.)

The Amazing Internet Portfolio Category

This is a brilliant category and to be honest a hard one. They want a collection of 4 images which are a collection, or portfolio, (that clue is in the category title) of really funny wildlife images. You can put 4 unconnected images in, as your portfolio, but you will get more points if the 4 images are connected, say “4 African Mammal Funny pics” for example, or they can be 4 images which are really funny from a single scene, I think you get where they are going with this one.

The Underwater Category

Ok, you can put an underwater picture of an elephant swimming and farting at the same time, but they would move it into Creatures of the Land, so this category is for creatures (fish mainly to be honest) which live in water. There are a few marine mammals, amphibians and reptiles and so on which live in water so the spectrum is broad.

The Video Clip Category

Listen carefully; this is the category where you can enter up to 2 video clips and each one can be no more than 60 seconds. They should be a maximum resolution of 1080p HD at 30fps with a maximum file size of 150MB but any resolution below that is acceptable too. Videos will be uploaded to Vimeo which accepts most major and popular video types. Please check the Vimeo website if you have any questions.
Please do not add music, captions or anything like that to the video (don’t worry about peoples voices that’s ok), but do make sure you edit it as judiciously as possible. Much better you send them a 15 second clip which is short, sharp and brilliant, rather than them having to trawl through 45 seconds of dull video to find the funny 10 seconds at the end.

To view their Gallery of all previous finalists and winners – click HERE.

*Enter the Competition from 1st March 2021.

If you have any queries, please email info@comedywildlifephoto.com
Competition Director & Chair of the Judging Panel : tom@comedywildlifephoto.com

This year the Comedy Wildlife Awards are supporting a wonderful grass roots conservation project; the Gunung Palung Orang-utan Conservation Program in Borneo, which helps to protect the environment that the wild Orangutans inhabitat, so they can survive and hopefully flourish. You can go to their website HERE and have a look at the incredible work they do and spread that word as well.

#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Drimpton,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Dorset,#MartinFitzpatrick,#YaronSchmidt,#MuhammadFaisholHusni,#DanielFriend,#ComedyWildlifeAwards,#ComedyWildlifePhoto,#NationalLockdown,#2021,#Photography,#Competition,#StayAtHome,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

Children’s Mental Health Week 1st – 7th February

We have all been through a lot over the past year and it’s important that we all talk about how we are feeling. Help is out there if you or your child needs to speak to someone.

The theme of this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week is ‘Express Yourself‘.

In Dorset there are free and confidential mental health services that can help support your child:

Kooth is a free, confidential online service that helps young people aged 11 – 18 who want to talk about their mental health and emotional wellbeing.

ChatHealth is a free school nursing text service available to all young people aged 11-19. Young people can use this service to get advice about a range of subjects including mental health, relationships and drugs and alcohol.

Dorset Council’s Educational Psychology Service has a helpline to support those who are worried about their child or teenager during the lockdown.

Text SHOUT to 85258 if you’re any age, it is free on most networks even if you get a warning message about costs.

YoungMinds is the UK’s leading mental health charity for young people. If you’re a parent worried about your child please contact the Parents Helpline for advice on 0808 802 5544, open from Monday to Friday, from 09:30 to 4pm.

#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Drimpton,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Dorset,#WestDorset,#ChildrensMentalHealth,#Kooth,#ChatHealth,#DorsetCouncil,#TimeToTalk,#YouHaveAFriend,#Shout,#YoungMinds,#NationalLockdown,#2021,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

Property at Hollis Hill – £650,000

This detached property up Hollis Hill is on the market with Purple Bricks and a guide price of £650,000. The four bedroomed house has the following highlights:

Four double bedrooms
Finnish red pine
Sociable living area
Four ensuites
Stunning views
Outhouses
Sustainable living
Ample parking
Potential B & B

Featuring:

Finnish solid log – red pine; Triple glazed windows; Engineered oak flooring throughout the ground floor; Solid pine flooring throughout the first floor; Plant room housing the boiler and water pumps and filters, there is further potential for additional outhouses.
All the details, floor plan and many more photographs can be viewed HERE and of course the opportunity to purchase.

#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Drimpton,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Dorset,#WestDorset,#HouseForSale#PurpleBricks,#PrimeLocation,#CountrysideLife,#NationalLockdown,#2021,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

CPRE – The Countryside Charity

Broadwindsor, the parish and the surrounding villages have always had difficulties when it comes to public transport. The CPRE (formerly Campaign to Protect Rural England) believes without regular bus services, many people in rural communities can become cut off, isolated and left without the means to live an independent life. Formed in 1926 by Sir Patrick Abercrombie, the CPRE claims to be one of the longest running environmental groups.

They have launched a petition calling for a reliable bus service for rural communities. This will be forwarded to the Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps.

More buses means:

Less traffic and air pollution
Better access to local green space for everyone
More spending on our local high streets
Access to training and jobs for everyone
A ticket out of loneliness and isolation for our friends and family.

By signing this petition, you will show the Government that this is an issue that thousands of people across the country want them to act on. Sign the petition HERE.

The Dorset contact for the South West region of the CPRE is:

Peter Bowyer, Chair, Dorset CPRE,
PO Box 9018, Dorchester DT1 9GY
Telephone: 0333 577 0360
Email: info@dorset-cpre.org.uk
Visit their website HERE.
Charity number: 211974.

#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Drimpton,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Dorset,#Lockdown,#2021,#CPRE,#SouthWest,#CountrysideCharity,#Petition,#SignaturesNeeded,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

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What is a reasonable excuse?

Work:

Volunteering:

Essential activities:

Education and childcare:

Meeting others and care:

Exercise

Meeting others and care:

Exercise:

Medical reasons:

Maternity:

Harm:

Compassionate visits:

Animal welfare reasons:

Communal worship and life events:

Further reasonable excuses:

Medical reasons:

Maternity:

Harm:

Compassionate visits:

Animal welfare reasons:

Communal worship and life events:

Further reasonable excuses:

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Some interesting random brain facts from various sources of recent research:

Take their Brain Health quiz HERE.

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The Nation’s thoughts and prayers go out to him and all of his family.

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The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards launch on Monday 1st March.

Please read all the Terms & Conditions before entering HERE.

The Alex Walker’s Serian Creatures of the Land Category

The Spectrum Creatures in the Air Category

The ThinkTank Photo Junior Category

The Amazing Internet Portfolio Category

The Underwater Category

The Video Clip Category

To view their Gallery of all previous finalists and winners – click HERE.

*Enter the Competition from 1st March 2021.

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