Coronavirus Update: Resident Survey, scam protection, business directory and more

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Leader of the Council Clare Coghill green background

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

Dear residents,

As we near the end of week five of the lockdown, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued sacrifice during this tough and challenging time. Staying at home and not seeing family or friends for this long period can be difficult, but by doing it, we as a community are helping to keep ourselves and each other safe.

It's important for this council to understand what this experience has been like for our residents across the borough and we'll be gathering this information through our resident survey. An amazing 2,500 of you have completed the survey since Monday, so a huge thank you for taking the time to do so. We'd like to hear from more of you, so please help us to understand your experience by completing the survey by Monday 4 May 2020.

New business directory

In a bid to beat the economic slump caused by Covid-19, Waltham Forest Connected (WF Connected), in partnership with Waltham Forest Council, has launched a new online directory of local businesses.

The free-to-use directory will help residents find everything they need at the click of a button, and will help businesses link to each other at this crucial time.

All businesses need to do is add their details and provide a small amount of information about the goods and services on offer, while residents can search by postcode to find local suppliers of what they need.

Check out the directory

WF Heroes

Waltham Forest staff are working hard to continue to work as best as they can throughout this crisis to support residents, and #AllTogetherNowWF showcases staff and residents alike who have gone above and beyond during this difficult time.

This week we spoke to a member of staff who has been supporting survivors of domestic abuse seeking advice and guidance during the lock down, to find out how residents can get help.

100 volunteers, 1000 scrubs and £10k of donations

The Waltham Forest Scrub Hub a team of 100 volunteers, is on track to make 1000 sets of scrubs for NHS workers. Due to the current PPE shortages, this group of local heroes are making scrubs and have raised almost £10k to support the scheme.

These scrubs go to key workers such as Dr Prabhjot Gill, who is pictured above in his new scrubs.

Donate to Scrub Hub

Substance support available

If you are concerned about your alcohol or drug use at the moment, there is still support available for you.

CGL Waltham Forest (Change, Grow, Live: Waltham Forest's Drug and Alcohol Service) provide support services for adults, young people and families by providing free treatment, with services including regular telephone appointments with one of CGL’s recovery workers.

Visit the CGL’s Coronavirus info page for information on how to get in touch with the team. If you're under 21 years old and struggling with this issue there is dedicated support for you too, so please do visit the Coronavirus advice for under 21s for more information.

Stop, challenge and protect

During this time, it's important that residents are vigilant against fraud, not only for themselves but also vulnerable family members that could be at risk.

It's important that you don't give out your financial or personal information and do not hand over money. It's okay to reject, refuse or ignore requests for money and only criminals will try to rush you.

We have helpful information on our website that you may find useful to avoid scams and stay safe.

If you're worried about a scam or potential fraud activity you can report to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

Free School Meals shopping made easy

Are you receiving free school meals vouchers whilst your child is at home? In partnership with Bite Back, Jamie Oliver has produced a handy shopping list to make buying and preparing your child's lunches as easy as possible!

The helpful Bite Back Lunch List aims to make the most of the weekly £15 budget, whilst also giving you great suggestions for meals and snacks.

Visit the Bite Back website

Virtual activities for all ages

We know finding things to do at home at the moment can be tough but we've got lots of online activities available for you to access. There are sessions for all ages available, such as online cooking demonstrations, dance and music sessions, follow along craft videos, den making and so much more.

On Saturday, they'll also be a children's film festival, showcasing the best lockdown films submitted from the younger generation of our community!

Here is the full virtual culture schedule with details of each session and how to access them.

We've also got our Stay at Home resources page which has a lot of great activities for the whole family.

Struggling financially?

If you're struggling at the moment with thoughts of how you're going to pay your bills or you're worried about your housing costs, then we have information advice to help.

Support available ranges from housing payments, help with paying Council Tax, or support to pay for bills and food. We've also got helpful tips on how to budget and how you could cut down your spending during this time.

Visit our website for options and support.

Council Services

A number of Council services have been affected but we are working hard to ensure that vital services continue.

Visit our website for up to date information on our services and how to access them.

Information and advice regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) is changing quickly and its important you keep up to date with those changes. The Council will be using email newsletters to keep residents and businesses up to date.

If residents have questions please visit our website, and use live chat to talk to one of our team, it's quicker than phoning.

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