Your Essential St Mary's Park Update: April 2020

Pictured: Councillor Rhodri Morgan and Councillor Melanie Hampton 

Welcome to Your Essential St Mary's Park Update: April 2020

Dear Resident,

We understand that many people will be very worried about the effects of COVID-19 on our community, so we wanted to get in contact with you to share information about how we can best protect ourselves and support each other. We are both working with council staff to keep on serving the needs of our residents. 

Locally, there are so many inspirational initiatives and unsung heroes who are supporting our community during these very challenging times. 

One particular initiative whose incredible work we would like to draw attention to is that of Battersea’s Coronavirus Angels. Founded earlier this year by St Mary’s Church, Sacred Heart Church, Battersea United Charities, the Battersea Society and KLS, they now have an incredible 370 volunteers and have already been supporting people in St Mary’s Park for some time. 

So far, many of the requests for help have come from those who are self-isolating who need prescriptions or shopping delivered to their door. They are also training volunteers to be telephone buddies, to reach out and have a chat with isolated residents to help prevent loneliness. 

If you need their help, or you would like to volunteer to support them, you can either call them on 07394 856557 or e-mail them using: angels@stmarysbattersea.org.uk

You can also find out more information about other support that’s available in Wandsworth using the links below.

As ever, if there is anything we as councillors can help with, then please just drop us a line.

With very best wishes,

Councillor Rhodri Morgan - Deputy Chairman for Housing

Councillor Melanie Hampton - Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health

Please click on our names above to get in touch with us. 

Stay at Home – Protect the NHS – Save Lives 

The expert advice is clear, we all need to stay at home and minimise our social interaction for the next few weeks in order to reduce the spread of the virus. The Government has said people should only leave the house for one of four reasons.

  • Shopping for basic necessities for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible. 
  • One form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle - alone or with members of your household. 
  • Any medical need or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person. 
  • Travelling to and from work but only where this absolutely cannot be done from home. 

Helping Vulnerable People

The Council has created a Community Hub for residents, particularly those people who are elderly and/or vulnerable without support networks, who need support to access medical/care services and food supplies. It is designed to help those most in need to stay safe and well while they self-isolate at home.

You can call our Community Hub on 020 8871 6555 or click here to e-mail our Community Hub.

You can see a short video of the Council’s work with Wandsworth's AgeUK to deliver food parcels across the borough here.

You can find support for the voluntary and community sector by clicking here.

If you want to help

If you are an individual, business or organisation that is interested in helping, we would encourage you to visit our webpage and complete our online form in the ‘how your organisation can help’ section.

If you are an existing voluntary or community group in the borough, or one who has been formed in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, you can contact the Wandsworth Voluntary Sector Co-ordination Project (part of the Care Alliance) to liaise with the Council. 

Helping Businesses, Employees, and the Self-Employed

In response to the economic impact of the virus, the Chancellor has announced an unprecedented package of financial measures. The measures include business rate relief, grants and loans to keep businesses and the economy going during these difficult times. 

Details of the schemes and how to apply can be found by here.

The Council has already paid out over £20 million of grants, helping hundreds of local businesses. So please do visit the website and see what your business can apply for. 

Update on Council Services

The Council has had to reduce or change a number of services across the borough as part of the emergency response, here are some of services that are affected: 

  • All libraries and leisure centres are currently closed.
  • Parks and green spaces remain open but signs have been placed on playgrounds and equipment reminding residents of the need to maintain social distancing measures. 
  • Rubbish and Recycling collections are running to schedule. 

But we have had to postpone the collection of garden waste and we urge people not to dispose of bulky items at this time. The waste crews are doing a tremendous job keeping the service running with reduced staffing levels due to the virus. We have also had to close the tip at Smugglers Way for the time being.

Schools and Children

  • School attendance in Wandsworth has been very low, which means local people are staying home to protect the NHS.
  • We know it’s difficult having children unable to go out during this difficult time. The Council has put together a page with fun digital activities for young people, including yoga, audiobooks, boxing and cooking. There’s a section specifically on SEND, too: ‪https://shar.es/aHhRZG
  • Many schools are staying open for children of key workers and vulnerable children. A few have made alternative arrangements with nearby schools; you can contact your headteacher for details.
  • Some key workers have been in touch because they need to work but their children’s private nurseries have closed. If you need help, please contact your ward councillors, who will try to help you find a place.

You can find the latest updates on the Council’s website

Sign up for the weekly e-newsletter by clicking here.

To join our circulation list, please click here to e-mail us. 

This will ensure you receive the latest information on combatting COVID-19 and any changes to Council services like waste and recycling, libraries, schools, and leisure centres as part of the emergency response. 

We hope you find this e-bulletin useful. Please do feel free to share it with your friends, neighbourhood and community groups.

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