The lead into Christmas!

Hello everyone, apologies that the newsletter has come a little later than usual.  There has been so much information that we have wanted to share and as the next edition doesn't come out until January 2022, we thought we would delay things a little!  A little premature but as we are also in an Enhanced Response Area, we also want to say that we hope you are able to stay safe and healthy this Christmas break. 

Alzheimer's Society Extended Service

We are delighted to announce that our Winter Pressures Projects are continuing to March 31st 2022, thanks to the generosity of the CCG. We are offering Carers who are in crisis, those whose health is affected by caring, those whose situations are close to breaking down, prevention of hospital admission and those who have loved ones in hospital where we hope that by education and understanding we can expedite discharge. When patients are referred we contact them within 24 hours and going forward will contact them every day during the first week. During these calls we will work with them to increase their understanding of Dementia, we will identify and suggest strategies that may help overcome difficulties they are experiencing; when required we will make referrals to other agencies; we will work with them to increase their emotional resilience and very importantly provide a listening ear. We continue to offer intense support to get people through the difficulty they face, our goal is to get them to weekly call and once the situation is stable we offer keeping in touch calls. If you have anyone who could benefit from our help and support please don’t hesitate to contact us. To make referrals or speak to staff involved in the project please call us on 01223 620962 or email cambridgeshiredementia@alzheimers.org.uk

Voluntary and Community Action East Cambridgeshire Appeal for Volunteer Drivers

New Household Support Fund

A new support fund which aims to help those struggling to pay for food, energy or other essential items this winter has been launched. 

Cambridgeshire County Council has been allocated £3.58 million as part of the Government’s Household Support Fund to help people who need financial support.

More than £1.1 million of the funding is being used to operate a direct voucher scheme for eligible families over the October half-term, Christmas school holidays and February half-term periods.

The remainder is being used to provide a wider scheme, with at least half of the total funding allocated to support households with children, in line with government guidelines.

The rest will be reserved for other households in need of support this winter.

Councillor Tom Sanderson, chair of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Communities, Social Mobility and Inclusion Committee, which has approved the use of the funding, said: “We want to ensure all our residents are given the support they need to help cover essential costs this winter. The fund is here to help anybody struggling to heat their homes or put food on the table. 

Throughout the pandemic we have helped thousands of people who have struggled through our network of support hubs. We know these unprecedented times have placed huge pressures on people, and we know that for many that pressure remains.

“If you need help and support this winter, whether it is for food, heating or to pay water bills, the Household Support Fund is here to help. 

“Details of how to access the scheme are available at: http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/household-support-fund.”

Practical support provided through the fund includes:

• Vouchers to support with food for both families and individuals

• Fuel and water, either by paying bills on demand, via direct debit or a pre-payment meter

• Other essential supplies.

The council is working closely with district councils, local community groups and other partners to identify people across the area who can benefit from the fund.

People can apply via a number of local community groups signed up to the fund or apply directly by following the link: http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/household-support-fund

Ely GP practices deliver 100,000th COVID-19 vaccination

GP Practices in Ely and the surrounding area are marking a momentous milestone as they celebrate giving their 100,000^th COVID-19 vaccine, less than a year after they first started delivering the life-saving vaccination.

Delivered on Thursday evening (24 November), the 100,000^th vaccine was given to Mr Colin Moffat, who came to Staploe Medical Centre to get his booster. Over the coming weeks, Ely Primary Care Networks (PCNs) – groups of GP practices working together – have hundreds more vaccination appointments booked in, with more patients being invited to come forward every day.

Dr Anthony Gunstone, Covid-19 Lead and GP at Staploe Medical Practice, commented:

“I am so proud of every single member of our vaccination programme team, from receptionists to GPs and from nurses to administrators. Whilst patients may only meet vaccinators and volunteers on site at our vaccination clinics, there’s a huge amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to make every vaccination possible. To all of our team I want to say a huge thank you, as we wouldn’t have reached this wonderful milestone of 100,000 vaccinations without you.”

Commenting on this achievement, Dr Gary Howsam, Chair of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group, said:

“The COVID-19 vaccination programme has been a phenomenal team effort across the health system, with GP practices, NHS Trusts and community pharmacy teams all working together to deliver COVID-19 vaccinations whilst also continuing to offer routine care to patients in our area.

“We are hugely thankful to Ely South and Ely North PCNs in particular for the part they have played in the vaccination programme, from their delivery of the very first COVID-19 vaccination outside a hospital environment in our area in December 2020 straight through to this fantastic milestone of the 100,000^th vaccination delivered by the team.”

Patients who are registered with practices in and around Ely and who have not yet had their first or second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine are invited to contact their practice to access the vaccination, as it’s never too late to accept the invitation to have the life-saving jab.

Patients registered with a GP Practice within one of the two Ely PCNs who qualify for a booster vaccine can either choose to wait to hear from their practice, or book a booster appointment at a large scale or community pharmacy vaccination centre by visiting www.nhs.uk/covidvaccine. Those without access to the internet can call 119.

Littleport's Senior Lunch Club Launch

Littleport hosted its revived lunchclub at the village hall last month to rave reviews.  Over 42 registered and attended with thanks to the social car scheme volunteers which is run through VCAEC in Ely. With 7 volunteers led by Kathryn Buck, the Community Link Worker for Littleport, the seemless planning paid off and a heart meal of jacket potatoes and apple cake with cream went down a treat!  Due to keeping the attendees safe from illness, it has been decided that the club will resume in the Spring.  

BIPC Jumpstart – a brand new support programme for local start-ups

The Business & IP Centre (BIPC) Cambridgeshire & Peterborough has launched  a brand new support programme for new local businesses. BIPC Jumpstart  is offering grants (from a   30k fund) as well as resources and support designed to help start-up businesses get set and    grow. New businesses that registered in Cambridgeshire or Peterborough on or after 14 January 2021, or those that are due to start shortly, are eligible.

BIPC Cambridgeshire & Peterborough is committed to supporting new businesses at every stage     of their start-up journey. From its five BIPC libraries    in Cambridge, Ely, Huntingdon, Peterborough and Wisbech, pre-start and start-up businesses can access expert teams and incredible resources.

Find out more here:    website link

Reviving A Room!

A local resident of Ely got in touch with the team to discuss reviving a community space in their housing scheme.  Where it was once a much used space prior to covid, it has now become under utilised and Carole is determined to see it being used for activities such as yoga and arts and crafts for the local residents.  We will be working with them all to bring it back to life in 2022!

ECDC's Youth Survey

East Cambridgeshire District Council is seeking the views of local young people to gather information and understand their desires, needs, issues and aspirations.

Engagement forms one of the Council's Youth  Strategy's key themes. Understanding the views of local young people will help us ensure that young   people in East Cambridgeshire are   engaged with and contributing to  local decisions that may affect them, and are aware  of resources available to them to maximise their potential.

We know how important continued engagement is with local children and  young people, therefore     we have developed a questionnaire for people aged 5-18 which focuses    not just on facilities and services, but also on the potential effects of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Please pass this onto any young person for them to have their say here

Innovate & Cultivate Fund

Cambridgeshire County Council is pleased to announce that the next deadline for Innovate & Cultivate Fund applications  is 1st February 2022. Pre-application advice appointments will be offered in December. The aim of the fund is to support initiatives that strengthen communities. The fund is open to voluntary, community and social enterprise sector organisations based in and outside of Cambridgeshire, and public sector organisations in Cambridgeshire. This  funding round is for  Cultivate grant applications (£2,000-£15,000) for  projects that build community support networks for vulnerable people. Telephone advice appointments for projects supporting vulnerable children, young people and families are offered on 1st and 9th December. Appointments for projects supporting vulnerable adults are offered on 14th and 16th December. These 15-minute appointments must be pre-booked and are available on a first come first served basis. Booking slot . Applications and further information about fund priorities and criteria may be found on the Cambridgeshire Community Foundation (CCF) website: 

www.cambscf.org.uk

In response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, and the challenges it has brought to our communities, East Cambridgeshire District Council recently held a ‘Health and Happiness’ event in Littleport.

The event was held on 16^th of October at Littleport Leisure Centre, and focused primarily on residents of Littleport and Little Downham area however, residents from across the whole district were welcome.

There were 21 agencies in attendance, offering a wealth of advice and support covering many different topics from volunteering and community safety, to physical and mental health.

The Vaccinators were also in attendance and 106 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered. This included first doses, second doses, and boosters, which was a great success.

Feedback from both attendees and stallholders was overwhelmingly positive, and we very much look forward to our next event.

Watch this space!