Get protected this Christmas and Grab a Jab

covid-19 update

On Saturday 27 November, the Prime Minister announced a range of temporary measures as a precaution to slow down the potential spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Knowsley Council will continue to monitor the current situation and update any guidance in line with Government announcements.

What this means for you:

Face coverings

From 4am Tuesday 30 November face coverings will be compulsory in shops and other settings such as banks, post offices and hairdressers, as well as on public transport unless individuals are exempt from doing so.

In schools, face coverings should also be worn in communal areas in all settings by staff, visitors and pupils or students in year 7 and above, unless they are exempt.

Pupils or students (in year 7 or above. 11+) should continue to wear face coverings on public and dedicated school transport, unless they are exempt.

Wearing a face covering protects you and those around you. A recent global study showed that mask-wearing is one of the most effective public health measures at tackling COVID,

Travellers

All travellers arriving into the country from 4am on Tuesday 30 November will be required to take a PCR test on, or before, day 2 and self-isolate until they have received a negative test result. These PCR tests can be purchased from private providers. Free NHS tests are not valid for this purpose. You can find a provider here.

Vaccination

If you’ve not had your COVID-19 vaccination, or, if eligible, your COVID-19 booster, you’re encouraged to get it as soon as possible.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) previously advised that those aged over 40 years and those at higher risk from coronavirus (COVID-19) should be offered a booster. This new JCVI advice means those aged 18 to 39 will also be eligible for a booster when the NHS calls them forward.

The booster will be offered in order of descending age groups, with priority given to the vaccination of older adults and those in a COVID-19 at-risk group. In response to the changing risk posed by the Omicron variant, the booster will now be given no sooner than 3 months after the primary course.

In addition, a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (30 microgram) for young people aged 12 to 15 years is advised no sooner than 12 weeks after the first dose.

The vaccination gives you the best possible protection against the virus. It reduces the risk of you getting seriously sick if you catch the virus. It also reduces the risk of you catching or passing it on.

You can find out more about vaccination here.

Contact tracing and isolation

The current guidance on contact tracing and isolation remains in place. In addition to these, any suspected or confirmed close contacts of the Omicron variant will be asked to isolate for 10 days regardless of vaccination status or age. You will be contacted directly and told to isolate.

Other steps you can take to protect yourself and others:

Testing

All Knowsley residents are encouraged to test twice weekly for COVID-19. Residents are also urged to take an additional test before attending higher risk settings (concerts, sporting events and other crowded places) or meeting up with vulnerable friends and family. You can find out more on testing here.

Keep following COVID safe behaviours

The advice reiterates many behaviours that have become embedded into our everyday lives. This includes:

• Regularly washing your hands with hot water and soap for at least 20 seconds.
• Carry a tissue to catch coughs and sneezes (discard of the tissue immediately and then wash your hands)
• Consider others – some people may still prefer to wear a face covering (or for you to wear one if you’re in close contact with someone) or for you to keep your distance, so please respect others wishes.

New Yoga Classes Starting in Knowsley Village & Stockbridge Village

New yoga classes will be starting in the New Year at the Bob Whiley Community Centre, Knowsley Village & The Community Pavilion, Stockbridge Village

Community Pavilion : Monday & Wednesday 10.00 am - 11.00 am

Bob Whiley Community: Centre Tuesday & Thursday 10.00 am - 11.00 am 

Warm home improvements available to eligible Knowsley residents

KNOWSLEY WASTE COLLECTIONS OVER CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR

there are no changes to waste collection days in Knowsley over the Christmas and New Year period, so please put your bins out on your usual day.

As both Christmas Day and New Year's Day fall on weekends, there will be no changes to Knowsley's waste collection service's usual schedule of weekday collections. Knowsley residents can check their online waste collection calendar here for details.

Knowsley's waste collection service recognises there will be an increase in waste over the festive period and will collect additional recycling if this is placed alongside the grey bin in a box small enough to fit inside the bin itself.  Please do not present large cardboard boxes for collection as we cannot remove them unless they fit safely inside a wheeled bin.

You can recycle your real Christmas trees between Monday 3 January and Friday 7 January 2022 by dropping them off at: Halewood Park • Stadt Moers Park, Whiston • Millbrook Park Millennium Green, Kirkby • Court Hey Park, Huyton • Holy Family Social Club, Cronton.

Remember all bottles, cans, wrapping paper, Christmas cards and cardboard packaging can go into the grey recycling bin. For more information about recycling visit www.recycleright.org.uk

Other ways of disposing of waste

Knowsley's Household Waste Recycling Centres - tips - in Wilson Road, Huyton and Depot Road, Kirkby are open every day 8am to 5pm except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. For more information visit: Find a Local Recycling Centre - Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (merseysidewda.gov.uk)

If you want to dispose of large or heavy items which won't go into your household waste bin, you can arrange for them to be collected by Knowsley's Bulky Waste Collection Service. The service collects a wide range of bulky items, including furniture, kitchen appliances and items from your garden or yard.

The bulky items will be collected between 7am and 4pm on the agreed day. For more information visit,

https://www.knowsley.gov.uk/residents/bins,-waste-and-environment/book-a-bulky-waste-collection  

Help prevent fly tipping

If you have waste removed by a private company, you must make checks to ensure the business/person has a waste carriers licence from the Environmental Agency, which you can check here: https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers

If you hand waste over to a unlicensed carrier you could be fined £200.

Over the Christmas period you can report fly tipping via the Knowsley Council Website https://www.knowsley.gov.uk/  using the Online Report It services.

Holistic Harmonies 

Holistic Harmonies is a mission driven Community Interest Company using music, movement and song to promote positive wellbeing and togetherness for the family and wider community across all lifespans.

In December 2020, Holistic Harmonies brought together three Liverpool based musicians to perform with organisations, and on people’s doorsteps during the festive season. The aim was to bring a 'Musical Mood Boost' to people experiencing loneliness and isolation during the turbulent year of 2020.  

We partnered with community based organisations to reach a wider audience of people experiencing hardship in the community as well as a social media campaign asking for nominations of people in the community who were deserving of a doorstep performance.

We had such positive feedback that we would like to repeat the project and complete another tour of musical interactions in order to maintain and enhance the relationships that were built.  The collective mood across the country is still that of uncertainty and we’d like to bring some connection to those most isolated, especially families; singing has proven to be a successful mood booster and conduit to feelings of belonging and togetherness; supporting positive mental health.

Holistic Harmonies' deliver:

- Weekly choirs for women of all ages (accompanied children welcome)

- Music and movement sessions for children

- Family social events

- Targeted projects linked to developing cross-generational practice within social care settings

- Singing For Lung Health sessions - Long Covid Group

- Singing For Wellbeing - NHS staff choirs 

Based in Liverpool, Arts For Health professional Rachel Waite (Director) established Holistic Harmonies in 2018 and has created a vibrant community in the city region.

REWARD!

For those who donate £50 or more, we will send you, or someone you love a personalised video which you can send as a gift this Christmas.

Thank you for supporting our project! Rachel x

The National Lottery Community Fund

Good Morning! The National Lottery Community Fund is about to launch a new fund, please see below for more information. Should you require any support with your application, please get in touch. Advance notice of our Platinum Jubilee Funding programme. You are receiving this email as we have identified you as someone who will be able to share information with organisations and groups who may not have applied for funding from The National Lottery Community Fund before and may be interested in applying to our Platinum Jubilee Fund. To mark Her Majesty the Queen’s 70th (Platinum) Jubilee, The National Lottery Community Fund will make funding available to 70 projects across the UK. This is a significant National moment, and we are looking for projects that go beyond simply celebrating it. Instead, we want to fund projects aligned to one or more of our three areas of focus: Across Generations - Strengthening relationships between generations and creating a legacy for future generations. Community Renewal - Supporting new opportunities for people to develop skills and experiences in their local community, as well as opportunities to bring people together in new ways, and in new or different places and spaces. Our Shared Natural World - Deepening our care and action locally for the natural world. Funded projects will need to be up and running by the time of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend on the 5 June 2022. We plan to make our final decisions on which projects to fund in Spring 2022. So, we would expect the projects we fund under this programme to start in Spring 2022 onwards. Funding programme key facts: Opens to applications on Wednesday 17 November 2021 and closes at 5pm on Wednesday 15 December, unless 700 applications are received sooner Available UK wide but projects do not need to be operating across the UK £3.5m is available and we’ll be offering grants of between £30,000 - £50,000 70 projects will receive funding Funded projects will have up to 2 years to deliver their activities from award Awards will not cover capital costs The Platinum Jubilee Fund will offer eligible groups funding for activities that meet at least two of the following criteria: connecting people across generations through doing activities together making use of significant local sites or spaces – parks, heritage buildings, community spaces etc. considers future generations and how the Jubilee can leave a legacy for them in the community creates new opportunities for the people that live locally to contribute and/or to build skills and experience starts something new (a set of activities, a group, a community space, a service, a network) that marks the Jubilee as a turning point in the community is designed and led by young people who want to be more active in shaping the future of their communities starts collective action in relation to the natural world locally - giving more people the opportunity to care for the planet at a local level We’ll prioritise applications from groups who: have not received funding from us before do not have a current award with us are smaller or medium sized organisations or groups with an annual turnover of under £100,000 or are organisations that can demonstrate to us that they have significant reach into communities and are able to engage a large number of people to get involved work in communities where there is a history of fewer funding opportunities. work in areas where we know communities face challenging economic circumstances. You can apply online from 17 November by searching for ‘The Platinum Jubilee’ on our website. Anyone applying will need to check that they are eligible to apply. If a group or organisation is NOT eligible, even if we love the idea we cannot award funding. What is an eligible organisation? You can apply if you are a: voluntary or community organisation registered charity constituted group or club not-for-profit company or Community Interest Company school (as long as your project benefits and involves the communities around the school) statutory body (including town, parish, community council or local council). In addition: Organisations must have a UK bank account or building society account. It needs to be in the legal name of the organisation, with at least two unconnected people who are able to manage the account. It must be with a UK based bank or Building Society which is covered and authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority, and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. They must also be covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. The account must require at least two unconnected and unrelated signatories to authorise all withdrawals and transactions. You will need to submit a bank statement that is less than 3 months old with your online application. Your organisation should have at least two unconnected people on the board or committee. By unconnected, we mean not a relation by blood, marriage, in a long-term relationship, or people living together at the same address. Groups will need to give the details of a main contact (usually the person completing the application form) and a senior contact (usually someone on the Board or equivalent) – their full names, date of birth and their home addresses (not the address of the organisation) If the project works with children, young people or vulnerable adults they will also need to consider how the project will keep people safe and confirm that they have an up-to-date safeguarding policy in place. For more info on safeguarding please take a look at our website. Applicants will also need to make sure the project is addressing any potential barriers for people to take part, including communities experiencing ethnic or racial inequity, discrimination or inequality, disabled people, Travellers, LGBTQ+ people, and people who are seeking asylum or who are refugees. To help answer any questions groups may have about eligibility they can contact platinumjubilee@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk. To reach as many organisations on our priority list as possible before the 700 application cap is reached, please share this email with other groups and organisations who you think might benefit from this advanced notice and would be interested in this programme. However, we please ask that you do not share this information on public forums (such as social media, websites etc) before we open for applications on 17 November 2021. If you have any questions before the programme opens you can contact the team at platinumjubilee@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk. Thank you for your support and cooperation for this important opportunity and celebration. Best wishes, The National Lottery Community Fund     Kind Regards Jacqui Meadows Stronger Communities Coordinator 07811 849121

Mental Well-Being Sessions

Knowsley Borough of Culture 2022?

Would you like to get to know your community and help create happy memories for local people?

Would you like to get involved in Knowsley Borough of Culture 2022?

A year of storytelling, arts, culture, and festivities in celebration of Knowsley’s people, places, and magic?

Would you like to join a Knowsley Village community collective and help bring to life a village parade and an outdoor community lunch in June 2022?

If the answer is yes to the above, then please email Beatrice Anderton on bea.anderton@knowsley.gov.uk to attend an online community meet-up on Tuesday 23rd November 2021 from 7.30pm to 8.30pm on Zoom.

Please note: We will look to hold another ‘community conversation’ in January in-person for those in the community who aren’t active online

Kind Regards
Beatrice Anderton
Heritage Shaker

Christmas lights switch-on and festive events