JSCH Residents Association Monthly Newsletter

Jumpers and St Catherine’s Residents association now on Twitter and Facebook

Did you know that we are now on Twitter and Facebook? Why not follow us on Twitter @JumpersStCatsRA or like our Facebook page ‘Jumpers and St Catherine’s Hill Residents Association’.
We will post any updates relevant to our area.

Your Chance To Ask Questions about Covid-19

Dorset residents are being invited to put their questions about how the county’s authorities are tackling Covid-19 to police and health leaders.

Anyone who wants to take part should email pccmedia@Dorset.PNN.Police.uk.

The final in a series of ‘Question Time’ style virtual events, run by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset, will take place at 6pm on Wednesday November 25, and will be an opportunity for the public to ask questions about how the pandemic is being handled locally during the run up to Christmas.

The event will feature Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill with Dorset Police Chief Constable James Vaughan and Sam Crowe, director of Public Health for Dorset and BCP Councils.

BBC Radio Solent presenter Laurence Herdman will chair the event, putting questions submitted in advance to the panel.

The session will take place over Microsoft Teams, and if you would like to be in the audience please email pccmedia@Dorset.PNN.Police.uk by the end of Friday November 20. Please note audience numbers are limited so spaces will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

If you would like to ask a question during the session, please send it to the above email address, making it clear whether or not you would be happy to have your name mentioned.
Invitations will be sent out to audience members’ e-mail addresses early next week, featuring a link they need to click in order to take part.

Could you or someone you know be eligible for a free gas connection and central heating?
.

Heating a home with electricity is three times more expensive than it would be with a gas central heating system, forcing many people this winter to make the difficult choice between heating or eating to survive.

SGN's Help to Heat scheme can support people struggling to make ends meet by providing funding to connect some households to our gas network for free.
In some cases, we can also fully or partially fund a gas central heating system.

We’ve already helped thousands of people to receive free connections and installations and we’re determined to help hundreds more homes save money on their energy bills this winter.

You, or someone you know, would qualify for support if you receive certain income-related benefits:
- if your household income, after your rent or mortgage costs, is considered low and the expected cost to adequately heat your home would be high;
- and if you are eligible under your local authority’s unique criteria, known as its ‘statement of intent’. This will include income, but may also include health conditions and/or your home’s energy efficiency rating. However, not every local authority offers this.

Grant funding is also available to organisations who can show they are able to help us reach households in our network so that we can work in partnership to maximise the benefits of both our Help to Heat scheme and Central Heating Grant Fund.

To find out more about our Help to Heat scheme, visit sgn.co.uk/HelptoHeat or call YES Energy Solutions on 0800 015 5174 to speak to a Help to Heat advisor. You can also email our team at HelptoHeat@sgn.co.uk with your name and contact details.

Latest Updates on Covid-19 in Dorset from BCP Council

Public Health Dorset has released updated figures for Covid-19 cases in Dorset. The table shows the number of confirmed new positive cases of Covid-19 and the rate per 100,000 in the BCP Council area in the latest 7-day period:

Do Your Bit
We need everyone to play their part in bringing cases down. This will put us in the best possible place to return to fewer restrictions after national measures end.

Until 2 December, you must:
Stay at home as much as possible
Only leave home for essential reasons like exercise, food shopping and healthcare
Remember ‘hands, face, space’ are still critical when you do go out
If you have any COVID-19 symptoms, self-isolate with your household immediately, book a test and remain at home with your household whilst you wait for the result.

Libraries in lockdown

All libraries are closed now following government regulations, but you can still

•    use the Order & Collect service or reserve books
•    use the Home Library Service
•    enjoy online family activities on the BCP Libraries Facebook page
•    use free online resources and e-membership.

This includes free access to Ancestry Library Edition whilst our libraries are closed during the coronavirus pandemic, with kind permission from ProQuest and Ancestry.
Please note this temporary arrangement has been extended and will now end on the 30th December 2020.

Ancestry Library Edition provides access to:

Index to civil registrations of births, marriages and deaths
Census returns for England & Wales from 1841 to 1911
an increasing number of family history datasets from all over the world

This may be a good time to start your family tree. Apart from ancestry.com and my.heritage.com which build trees online there are free apps which allow you to build one offline such as My Family Tree for Windows.

All loans have been renewed until 14 December. If your items are already overdue, please renew them to prevent further charges building up.

Public invited to shape plans for sustainable travel routes

BCP Council are looking for Bournemouth and Christchurch residents to express their views on the new plans to improve travel routes between the two towns.

The new proposals, one of six sustainable travel routes included in BCP and Dorset Council’s Transforming Travel’s proposals, will look to improve walking and cycling routes between Holdenhurst Road in Bournemouth and Jumpers Common to the north of Christchurch.

As well as connecting residential and major employment areas at either end of the route, the proposal includes improvements to the access to a number of other destinations including Bournemouth railway station Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Several schools.

haveyoursaybcpcouncil.uk.engagementhq.com/transforming-travel

Shoppers to benefit from discounted bus fares and free parking this December

BCP Council demonstrates support for high street

Residents across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole will have access to a generous package of travel offers in the run to up to Christmas, in a bid to support local businesses.

Bus passengers will receive an early Christmas present from both Yellow Buses and Morebus in the form of a ticket that permits from two to five people to travel together on any number of journeys in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area for just £5 - a saving of £7 on the normal price.

The discounted tickets, purchased from the driver, will be available throughout the day each Sunday prior to Christmas (6, 13 and 20 December) and from 5.30pm to midnight every Thursday (3, 10 and 17 December). Tickets will be valid only for the operator from whom they are purchased (T&Cs apply)

Meanwhile, BCP Council is offering car users a series of free parking offers across the conurbation: on both Thursday evenings and Sundays in the main town centre car parks, and within other districts on Saturday afternoons. Free parking will be available as follows:

Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch Town Centres:

Thursdays 3, 10, 17 and 24 December, 4pm to 10pm
Sundays 6, 13 and 20 December, 10am to 6pm.

District car parks - Boscombe; Southbourne; Westbourne; Winton; Highcliffe; Ashley Road, Poole; Broadstone; Penn Hill, Poole; Canford Cliffs and Ashley Cross:

Saturdays only, 5, 12 and 19 December, Midday to 6pm.

The free parking days and locations have been chosen following discussions with local business organisations in order to maximise the benefits for both residents and businesses. The specific car parks included in this scheme can be found online at www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/latestnews.

To ensure car parks can be used safely, contactless payment methods are available in almost all of these facilities and anyone queuing should stay two metres apart. Face coverings are mandatory in all multi-story car parks.

Initiated by BCP Council, the travel offering complements its recent ‘Rediscover Safely’ campaign, which encourages local residents to make an active choice to shop and spend locally to help Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole’s businesses to thrive. This continues the council’s strategy of creating dynamic places and an innovative, successful economy in a great place to live, learn, work and visit.

Councillor Mike Greene, Portfolio Holder for Transport and Sustainability at BCP Council, said:

“We know how difficult the year has been for local businesses and how hard they’ve worked, with our continued support, to make our high streets Covid-secure. Our high streets are the heart of our community and this shows our commitment to them by offering residents free parking opportunities and, for the first time, a consistent discount from both bus operators to ensure that this year’s Christmas offering has something for everyone, not only for those who drive.”

3rd CHRISTCHURCH BROWNIES AND GUIDES CHRISTMAS GOOD TURN 2020

Our Covid 19 Socially Distanced Good Turn started in September in the hope that we could complete it before another “Lockdown” happened. All items were sorted and bagged up ready for collection by the girls from Brown Owl’s house. The Brownies and Guides then made up the parcels and presents before returning them to Brown Owl’s house 2 days later. Thanks to all the parents for their help & “running around” to ensure we completed our task.

250 Children's Xmas Gifts and 50 Adult Pamper Packs were donated to Christchurch Foodbank by the Brownies & Guides using funding gained from the Tesco Covid 19 Bags of Help Community Fund

ALL THE GIFTS WERE DELIVERED TO CHRISTCHURCH FOODBANK BEFORE” LOCKDOWN NO 2 “ STARTED AND WILL GO OUT WITH FOOD PARCELS IN DECEMBER

Community Matters is produced and edited by a team of local residents who try to present you with the facts that will both keep you informed and enable you to make up your own mind on local issues
Jumpers and St Catherine's Hill RA

Your Residents Association Newsletter

Community Matters - November 2020