Category: More News

SOUTH Oxfordshire District Council haS suspended its kerbside service collecting small electrical items, batteries and textiles for recycling.

In the current situation, recycling centres for these items are unable to accept them for processing as staff shortages, due to illness and social distancing, has meant work at these centres cannot continue as it did before the Coronavirus pandemic, and The council doesn’t its self have storage for such items.

In a warning to residents the council said: “Please do NOT put unwanted or broken electrical items or batteries in the general refuse (rubbish) or recycling as they can cause a fire in the bin trucks which could endanger the lives of bin crews and others nearby. A fire could also lead to the loss of a bin truck and less of a service at a time when the waste service is needed by everyone.

A Crowdfunding page, set up by a Thame couple concerned about front-line staff working with Covid-19 patients at the JR Hospital in Oxford, has very quickly reached its fund-raising target ‘to provide a little bit extra to make their lives better’.

Ron and Gill Swanson’s JustGiving page has been set up to help the ICU team at the JR with ‘some of the simpler things’ to boost morale and help the Unit through these difficult times ahead. Ron was prompted to do something after chatting with a neighbour of his who works on the ward about the challenges he and the NHS teams on ICU have been facing.

The aim is to provide things like pizza deliveries, a coffee machine (now the coffee shops are closed), taxis home after what might have been a 48-hour shift, and anything else they might need.

A Just Giving Page, with a target figure of £8,500, has already raised £8,350, due to the generosity of the people of Thame and the surrounding area.

Gill Swanson told Thame.Net today: “The intensive care medical, nursing and allied health professional staff have all been deeply touched by the generosity of all who have donated to the page.

“All the wonderful messages of support are helping to lift spirits at this difficult time.”

THOUSANDS of people and many organisations across the district have already volunteered, or would like to support their local communities in this time of crisis, and now there is an ‘all response map’  where all these efforts and these sites can help coordinate those efforts.

Whether it’s delivering essentials, putting all the bins out for someone, or being on the other end of a phone, there are hundreds of opportunities available across Oxfordshire for you to get involved and these organisations will be a central point of information for you.

To ensure that residents know where to turn, all community groups, community organisations and local businesses are being asked to include details of their initiatives on the Oxfordshire All In Response Map. If you have linked with your District or the City Council already – please don’t worry, the link would have already been made for you. The map is the best way to  maximise eeryone’s ability to spend the time helping our communities.

If you live in Vale of White Horse, South Oxfordshire, West Oxfordshire or Cherwell then please visit Oxfordshire All In for  details of all the opportunities across Oxfordshire.

THE Oxfordshire Community Foundation (OCF) has announced a new fund and package of support available to help community and voluntary organisations meet the new needs and challenges created by the Coronavirus emergency. 

OCF’s new Community Resilience Fund has been kick-started with a donation from the Indigo Trust and has already reached more than £500,000. At a time when they have never been more needed, many charities and voluntary organisations are at risk, with little or no working capital, thus anticipating significant cash flow problems.

 “We want our new fund to unlock the power of our community,” explained OCF CEO Jayne Woodley. “This is a time when their services have such potential to provide the essential lifeline so needed by those who are most vulnerable and at risk in our communities.”

How the funding will be distributed is currently being formulated as Kate Walker, OCF’s Marketing Projects Manager, explained to Thame.Net: “We are working hard to pull the details of grants that will be available as soon as we can.  As I am sure you can understand we want to do this right and also ensure that there is a long-term solution as well.

“We are currently working on the details of how the fund will be managed. Information will be released on our website as soon as these are completed. People will be informed by email when the fund is open for applications and anyone who does not normally receive OCF communications, can opt in to receive these emails here.”

The objectives of the fund are to:

•  Help organisations to respond better: grants will help organisations meet new needs appearing as a result of the Coronavirus and help organisations for whom restrictions mean they have to find new ways of meeting existing needs.
• Help organisations to recover stronger: grants will help to ensure organisations can survive if their operations or income are interrupted by the Coronavirus.

The design for operating the fund will be guided by the following:

•  The need to respond quickly and to adjust to a changing situation. Therefore, the fund to include a “light touch” element.
•  The recognition that there will need to be flexibility with regard to milestones and reviews.
•  An assessment of the wider context of needs and resources available. This will include a needs analysis in relation to urgency and importance, plus the evaluation of applications based on their relative levels of impact.
•  The need to be professional and thorough in assessing applications and the use of funds.

Help to scale up efforts to distribute food

The fund will help organisations like SOFEA (South Oxfordshire Food and Education Alliance), who can scale up their efforts to distribute food to vulnerable people across Oxfordshire. It is already working together with existing volunteer hubs, such as Oxford Together and Citizens Advice Banbury.

This means renting additional vans, buying more fuel, cleaning materials and redeploying staff. SOFEA have committed to this even as their cash flow is reaching a critical point. Restrictions on educational activities are reducing SOFEA’s income. The speed with which the fund has been set up means that SOFEA has already received an emergency cash injection of £10,000. CEO Richard Kennell said, “Support from this new fund is vital for us. It enables us to focus on meeting the urgent needs of the crisis and gives us confidence that SOFEA will still be here when the crisis is over.” 

The OCF funds will be pooled with other money being made available, including that from the National Emergencies Trust (NET).

ALL libraries in Oxfordshire, including Thame’s, have been closed to the public, since Saturday, March 21, to keep the community and staff safe.

In a statement, the Library Service said: “The Library Service is working hard to help customers during these uncertain times and our staff will be working behind the scenes exploring ways we can further develop and increase our online services.”

The statement continued: “The Library Service is working hard to help customers during these uncertain times and our staff will be working behind the scenes exploring ways we can further develop and increase our online services.

Renewals, returns and reservations

“Please don’t worry, as until further notice, we have rolled forward the return due dates on all library books and audio visual items for all borrowers. This means you don’t need to renew items which you have on loan now, it’s been done for you. You won’t be asked to pay fines or hire charges for items that were due on these items.

“If you are concerned about returning items on loan, please don’t worry, especially if you are self-isolating. You won’t be asked to pay fines or hire charges. Nor will customers receive pre/overdue emails during this period.”

Online services

Oxfordshire Libraries has a wide choice of online services that you can enjoy from the comfort of your home, especially if you are self-isolating. There is a wide choice of eBooks & eAudio, eNews, eMagazines and e-reference databases as subscribers already know from our eNewsletters.

You will also begin to see more of the library service’s lively social media – Facebook and Twitter – as they develop more online services and help to keep you in touch.

“When the time is right, we will be back with our face-to-face services,” concluded the statement.

SOUTH Oxfordshire District Council is increasing resources to help groups in the community providing support to those most in need as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to the ongoing public health risk from the virus, the council has closed its office building and reception in Milton Park as of 4.30pm yesterday,  Friday, March 20.

Residents can continue to access information about council’s services, and make payments, or make an application or a report via the council’s’website southoxon.gov.uk

Follow the LINK to read the whole bulletin.

FOLLOWING reports of Covid-19 related scams, Thames Valley Police is urging the public to remain vigilant against criminals using the publicity around the coronavirus as a chance to target their victims with fraudulent emails, phone calls, text messages or door to door services.

In a statement today, the police said: “We are encouraging residents to look out for their friends, family and neighbours. There are examples of communities working together to help local residents and we don’t want to discourage this so we ask that people consider the following advice to avoid falling victim to fraudsters, and protect yourself.

Door scams

“We are aware of people knocking on the doors of elderly and vulnerable people offering to shop or other services for them and then taking money without providing what they have offered.

• If you can only accept help from people you are familiar with or who can prove who they are.
• Do not hand over a bank card or large sums of cash to anyone on your doorstep.
• Please look out for your neighbours and family members who may not have access to social media and therefore will not be receiving this information.

Watch out for scam messages

“A number of online scams offering fake services are being reported nationally. Don’t click on the links or attachments in suspicious emails, and never respond to unsolicited messages and calls that ask for your personal or financial details.

Shopping online

“If you’re making a purchase from a company or person you don’t know and trust, carry out some research first, and ask a friend or family member for advice before completing the purchase. If you decide to go ahead with the purchase, use a credit card if you have one, as most major credit card providers insure online purchases.”

For more information on how to shop online safely, visit: https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/shoponlinesafely

Coronavirus Testing Kits

The police are aware that some may be trying to sell fake coronavirus tests, and warn: ” At this time the public are not being offered COVID-19 tests to purchase, and no companies have been deployed to carry out checks in homes or businesses; this will be a scam.”

If you have been a victim of fraud or cyber-crime, report it to Action Fraud online or by calling 0300 123 2040

AS Thame will undoubtedly have people who, because of jobs lost and the other hardships associated with the challenging  times ahead for all us, many will appreciate the news that Thame is to get its own Community Larder. 

Sharing Life Trust, who run the local foodbank, are collaborating with SOFEA, a charity based in Didcot, to bring a Community Larder to Thame. 

John Hulet, a Trustee of Sharing Life Trust, explained: “This was planned before the current coronavirus emergency but we think it will be welcomed by many, as a way of accessing staple foods during what will be tough times for many people in our community as jobs are lost or the self-employed find themselves without any work.

“ If there is a demand, we hope to start this up quite soon. Our friends at Christchurch have made their hall available for us free of charge which is fantastic. Volunteers will be needed as well. If we start we will not run the social aspects of the larder at this stage for obvious reasons but we will be able to provide the food items.” 

For more details about the scheme, to sign up or to help or become a member, visit the Community Larder page on the website. www.sharinglifetrust.org