@WAR - Warwickshire Weekly News 11th March

 

• Support for people facing hardship
• Smokers urged to consider quitting
• Timebanking can still make a difference this Spring
• Easter Holiday activities available for  schoolchildren
• Register now with your local early years provider

Share Tweet Share Forward Continued support for people facing hardship in Warwickshire Warwickshire County Council continues to support families and individuals experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, poverty during the pandemic.  A total of 14,816 supermarket vouchers were issued ahead of February half term directly to families with children eligible for benefits related free school meals. This follows similar support during the Christmas break and this group will be helped again when schools close for Easter.  We strongly encourage people to look online and get in touch with us in confidence, either for themselves or on behalf of someone else, to find out what help is available.   People can contact the Warwickshire Local Welfare Scheme team on 01926 359182 or 0800 408 1448 or they can visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/localwelfarescheme    Find out more Warwickshire smokers urged to consider quitting on National No Smoking Day Smokers across Warwickshire are being urged to seize the moment and quit the habit to improve not just their physical health but also their mental wellbeing. No Smoking Day (Wednesday, 10 March) is a nation-wide initiative to encourage smokers to give up for good. Research shows that those who quit for six weeks or more are happier and experience less anxiety and depression than those who carry on smoking - and people who stop for a year are happier than those who continue to smoke. The pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in a rise in stress and concern about health. And whilst in the past year the chances of smokers successfully quitting have been high, smokers who are experiencing stress and mental distress are likely to be smoking even more. Read more This is the difference you make: Meet Jagjit Mahal, Delivery Lead for Flood Risk Management at Warwickshire County Council Jagjit started working at Warwickshire County Council (WCC) seven years ago as a Junior Drainage Engineer and is now leading the Flood Risk Management team. He joined WCC at an exciting time when local authorities first became responsible for Flood Risk Management and he played a big part in shaping the initial strategy for Warwickshire.  Jagjit said: “I wanted to join WCC to make changes to the local environment, for the better. Flooding is a very difficult and stressful time for people to get through, so you are there to help people when they are most in need.”  This is the difference you make, working for Warwickshire County Council.  Learn more Timebanking can still make a difference this Spring, even if you ‘do it online’ Warwickshire County Council is calling on individuals and community groups to make a difference this Spring by joining the increasing number of volunteers taking part in the county’s timebanks. Timebanks bring together volunteers to support, and receive support from, their neighbours in their communities. The co-ordinators of Time4Warwickshire, Warwickshire County Council’s timebanking initiative that links residents with their local timebank, are keen to let people know that they can still help others in their community, even during lockdown and with social distancing measures in place, by offering support online via Zoom or Skype, or even just over the phone. Read more Thousands of new jobs to be created as Warwickshire looks ahead to a tech-led sustainable future Warwickshire County Council’s Leader and Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, Cllr Izzi Seccombe, has spoken of areas of growth that have blossomed in Warwickshire. This comes despite the economic downturn felt across the world as a consequence of the Covid pandemic with thousands of new jobs being created in and around the county across a range of sectors. Warwickshire has had a high amount of positive activity and investment in the early stages of the year, with large numbers of new jobs being created across the entire county. Find out more

Easter Holiday activities available for Warwickshire schoolchildren Warwickshire County Council is organising a local Holiday Activities and Food scheme to ensure that food and activities are made available over the Easter holidays for the county’s schoolchildren who are entitled to benefits-related free school meals. The local Holiday Activities and Food scheme is part of the Government’s £220m programme for 2021 which will roll-out nationwide in all 151 English local authority areas. It aims to offer valuable support to families on lower incomes, through access to a programme of activities alongside healthy meals. Government grant funding will cover coordination and provision of free holiday places for six weeks a year: one week at Easter, four weeks in the summer and one week at Christmas – all in 2021. The national policy aims that there should be free holiday clubs available for school-aged children eligible for benefits-related Free School Meals (FSM).  Find out more Register now with your local early years provider to ensure you don’t miss out on your child’s Early Education Funding Parents of young children across the county are being encouraged to contact their local early years' provider to find out what is available for their children During the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, it has become apparent that the usual channels for parents to acquire information about the Early Education Funding entitlements via early years providers, stay and playgroups and talking to other families has broken down due to parents being unable to access their usual support networks and reduced face-to-face contact with peers.  This has led to some parents not knowing how to take up their funded place or understanding how to claim their entitlements including additional entitlements for working parents to assist with childcare costs.  Find out more

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