Tomorrow (Saturday 5) is Small Business Saturday – a timely reminder of the importance of shopping locally and supporting the retailers and traders that so many people in Teignbridge rely on, especially those without their own transport.

A lot of them have suffered as a result of Covid restrictions and the switch by many people to online shopping. But some local businesses will price match, so check out what they can provide before ordering online. Businesses have invested in making their premises Covid secure and safe, so let's all get behind them and #SpendLocal #ShopLocal.

Under the new Tier 2 restrictions, pubs and restaurants in Teignbridge can open as long as they serve 'substantial’ meals and operate under the strict Tier 2 provisions, illustrated in this Government video.

This reopening will provide a welcome boost to our local hospitality industry and the jobs which depend on them.

Shopping and spending locally reduces the demands on local authorities from the huge increases in packaging as a result of online shopping, which is causing issues with fly tipping around our recycling banks.

We know it's frustrating when you get to a local recycling point and the containers are full. Our crews are emptying the recycling banks daily, but having to pick up huge volumes of packaging that has been dumped slows down collections.

We don't want you to stop recycling but please help us cope with the huge increase in packaging.  If the recycling bank is full, do the right thing, don’t fly-tip by leaving materials on the roadside - either go to another recycling point, the recycling centre, or come back another day.

We have limited capacity, limited budget (in deficit this year due to the impact of the pandemic) and a limited number of staff, who are being hampered by having to clear up piles of fly tipped rubbish.  As one of the few councils who allow cardboard at recycling banks, we need you to help manage the volume.

Whatever your views on whether we should be providing more collections, more facilities or more recycling banks, the fact remains that dumping rubbish outside our recycling banks, or anywhere else, is fly tipping, and therefore illegal.

Helping local stores to help you

The Government has asked councils to allow retailers to extend their hours and to allow ‘essential’ goods to be delivered outside the hours imposed by planning conditions.

This added flexibility is designed to ensure stores have the range of goods people want, and to help them cope with anticipated pre-Christmas demand while maintaining safe distancing.

Most stores in Teignbridge's town centres were established before such planning restrictions were applied but there are some (eg supermarkets) where relaxing the rules will help.

We recognise that for residents close to these stores there may be some increased noise and traffic, but we hope everyone will accept the inconvenience as part of the effort to help maintain our high streets and ensure local retailers survive the pandemic.

It should also help retailers to maintain stock levels so we can all find the items we want to buy.

Awards highlight Teignbridge sports, community and green heroes

Teignbridge is honouring a host of local heroes, as it unveils the Sports, Community and Green awards in a video premier being released just before Christmas.

The awards, sponsored by Kitsons Solicitors and the Rotary Club, have been held ‘virtually’ this year, because of the impact of lockdown and Covid restrictions meaning it has not been possible to host the usual live event.

They feature nominees from across a range of categories including sports, health and community champion, coaches/managers, schools, teams and young and senior sporting individuals.  The awards also honour contributions to business, charity, and special categories of lifetime achievement and people’s champion.   For the first time there will also be a category in recognition of individuals who have made a positive contribution towards tackling climate change and improving the environment.

All the categories and finalists are on our website, and the announcement will be made on the film which will debut on the  Sports and Community Awards page on our website,  at 7pm on Thursday 17 December. 

Teignbridge-owned trees are growing!

Not surprisingly in National Tree Week we’ve been asked whether our pledge to plant 1,500 trees last winter was fulfilled.

The good news is it was - and the number continues to grow!  The new trees planted helped to create three small copses, and the same number (1,500) is planned for this winter and next, expanding the copses or creating new ones on the same sites.

Supplied by the Woodland Trust, the new planting of UK-grown native trees exceeds the trees we will lose from Ash Dieback.

Our grounds maintenance contractor is also planting 16 specimen trees in parks and open spaces - and will be doing this every year - it amounts to one for every person who works on the contract.

We have approximately 24,000 trees in council ownership - up from 20,000 three to four years ago - and our tree population is in a healthy state with a broad range of ages and species.

Competition

Don’t forget that our Green Spaces team is featuring trees this week on our social media accounts and there is a competition on our website.

Below are just some of the wonderful tree pictures our green spaces team has been posting on social media to mark National Tree Week.

Free school meals holiday voucher scheme

Devon County Council has arrangements in place to provide supermarket vouchers to nearly 15,000 children across Devon who currently receive free school meals, to help their families buy groceries over the Christmas holidays. 

Each child eligible for free school meals will receive a £30 supermarket voucher (£15 per week for the 2-week school Christmas holiday) that can be used at Sainsburys, Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, M&S Food or Waitrose.  

The vouchers are issued individually per child, so families with more than one child entitled to free school meals will receive a voucher for each one. 

DCC is working with an organisation called Black Hawk Network to help issue the vouchers as quickly as possible via their ‘Select’ website because they have many years’ experience of managing voucher schemes like this and are working with several other local authorities too. 

The scheme is a way of providing funds to ensure that families of primary and secondary age pupils who are eligible for free school meals during term time are able to purchase food over the holidays to replace the meals their child would have had at school. 

Could you qualify for carer's support?

There are thought to be around 130,000 unpaid carers across Devon, and only around 20,000 are getting any help or support for what is often a difficult and demanding responsibility.  

A new campaign has been launched across the county by Devon Carers, to encourage people to come forward and get the help they need, apply for additional benefits, and talk to others in a similar situation. 

Many of these carers are people looking after a family member, a friend or a neighbour, and many more have become carers throughout the pandemic, taking on additional responsibilities for vulnerable people in their community.

Devon Carers is offering informaiton and support, and access to a range of services to enable people to look after themselves and the person they are caring for.  Anyone who looks after another person and is unpaid can simply register online or use the chat function on the website for more information.

Planning to travel this Christmas?

With the Tier 2 rules being relaxed over Christmas, the Government has announced that during the festive travel window (23 and 27 December) roadworks will be lifted, rail services increased and rail engineering works accelerated or postponed

The Government is also urging passengers to plan their journeys carefully, consider quieter routes and, where possible, to book ahead.

• Between 23 and 27 December, you may travel between tiers and other nations of the UK if necessary to meet with people in your Christmas bubble.
• Anyone travelling to or from Northern Ireland may travel on 22 and 28 December.
• Be prepared that journeys may be busier than usual
• When travelling, sanitise your hands regularly, wear a face covering unless exempt, and maintain social distancing.
• If you are driving, avoid sharing a car with people not in your household, Christmas or support bubble. Plan ahead and check your route before you travel.
• Follow local restrictions at your location for the Christmas period.

Youth grant deadline extended

The deadline to apply for grants to support youth projects has been extended until 22 January, due to the ongoing uncertainty around youth services and their ability to re-open.

The Small Grants Fund is administered on behalf of Devon County Council by Space*, under the banner of ‘Youth Work In Devon’, a partnership with VOYC.  The Fund can support groups working with any young people aged 11-19 and provides:

• Maximum grant of £5000 per group per year
• Startup Grants for new youth groups of up to £1000.t.