An interim support package, funded until September 2020, will provide Fusion, the Council's leisure provider, with the funding needed to fully open Okehampton's centre to ensure health and wellbeing needs are being met within the Borough.

The Council has been working closely with Fusion to enable the reopening of Parklands Leisure Centre with a wide range of both wet and dry activities beginning again on Monday 17 August. 

By stepping in to help, the Borough Council has agreed to cover the costs of the centre's lack of use during July, while also agreeing to cover the mothballing costs for Meadowlands for three months, with further discussions about the reopening of the centre being revisited in September.

Across the UK, leisure companies have been severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and with no financial support available from Central Government, other than the furlough scheme and the availability of loans, these are very challenging conditions for Fusion.

The Borough Council and Fusion are supporting the #SaveLeisure campaign launched by Community Leisure UK urging the UK Government to commit circa £800m relief funding to enable the full reopening and recovery of the public leisure sector. Without this dedicated relief fund, a third of all public leisure facilities in the UK may not reopen and half will face permanent closure by the end of the year.

The decision to open Parklands, and not Meadowlands in Tavistock, was agreed after discussions centred on the availability of other local leisure provision and the size of each centre to accommodate social distancing restrictions.

By supporting the reopening of Parklands, the Council will provide opportunities for furloughed staff to return to work and will also support the local economy. Find out more here.

We have received reports of potential rogue traders operating in our area, specifically targeting vulnerable and elderly residents unable to carry out their own tree works.

Several members of the public and their families contacted the West Devon Trees team recently, after they were cold-called by traders claiming to be tree surgeons.

The traders offer to do garden and tree works for cash, and also 'advise' residents they could legally carry out works to protected trees and provide a certificate to submit to the Council to avoid prosecution. For further information, click here.

If you're heading out and about around West Devon, make sure that you are keeping to social distancing, wearing a mask is shops and on public transport and washing your hands or using hand gel regularly to help stop the spread of the virus.

If you think you have symptoms, or a positive test result, of COVID-19, the Chief Medical Officers have extended the self-isolation period to 10 days. 

Help to keep us all safe by doing your bit. Find out more about the new rules here. You can order a free NHS Covid test today.

We have known for a long time that living with obesity or by being overweight reduces life expectancy and increases the chance of serious diseases such as Cancer, Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes. In the last few months we have seen that being overweight or living with obesity puts you at risk of dying from COVID-19.

The government have launched a campaign to help tackle this by helping people make positive lifestyle changes by healthier eating, more exercise and by reducing the amount of alcohol they drink to live healthier lives and reduce the risk of serious illness, including COVID-19. 

Luckily we live in beautiful West Devon so can easily enjoy fresh air and stunning scenery whether walking or cycling, right on our doorstep. Find out how to get started here.

This Eid Al-Adha it is more important than ever to make sure you and your family are staying safe.

Mosques and other places of worship have reopened for prayer and communal worship, but in a different socially distanced and COVID-19 secure way. This means many are not able to welcome as many worshippers as before.

Some faith leaders continue to use digital tools to bring worshippers together for prayers and sermons and we would encourage you to take advantage of these services where possible, to mark Eid Al-Adha safely.

Eid will be different this year but it will be really important to follow the guidance so that we can all get back to the things we love as quickly as possible and so that we keep ourselves and our loved ones safe. 

Local guidance for places of worship are here. Find further information on the latest coronavirus guidance here. 

From tomorrow, if you have been shielding, due to being at high risk from COVID-19, you do not need to follow previous advice any longer.

This means you can go to work as long as the workplace is Covid-secure, but if possible, you should carry to work from home wherever possible.

You can go outside as much as you like but you should still try to keep your social interactions low. When out and about try to keep two metres away from others wherever possible and continue to wash your hands carefully and more frequently than usual.

If you have received free food parcels, medicine deliveries and basic care from the National Shielding Service, these will stop but you will keep your priority supermarket slot. There are still volunteers who can help out with prescriptions or essential items by NHS Volunteer Responders or check our website for details of groups who can continue to help within your community.

If you are worried or anxious about going out after so long shielding, you can get support from the Every Mind Matters website here.

Great news! The Eat Out to Help Out Scheme starts on Monday until the end of August. Look out for the logo!

There are some great eateries in West Devon eager for your business, so if you can, support our local participating cafes and restaurants by taking advantage of this offer to eat out at a discounted rate. 

You can get a 50% discount on food or non-alcoholic drinks to eat or drink in (up to a maximum of £10 discount per diner) every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday between 3 and 31 August and you can book as many times as you like!

You don't need a voucher and you can use the scheme at the same time as other offers and discounts.