Message from Horsham District Council:

#Through collaborative working the Sussex Community Foundation and Healthwatch West Sussex, Voluntary Sector Support want to capture the experience of the voluntary sector response and future planning to the COVID-19 crisis within the Horsham district. The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the importance of the voluntary and community sector and the vital role of volunteering and community support during this crisis.
We want to hear about your experiences of COVID-19, to help us to better understand the challenges for your organisation and the wider voluntary and community sector. We will use this information to advocate for your interests and, wherever possible, to adapt our services to meet your needs.

We will also use the information in our joint reports which will be widely distributed to our members and partners.  We will anonymise all data. This information will be stored on Healthwatch West Sussex, Sussex Community Foundation and Voluntary Sector Support IT systems and will be password protected.

Please take some time to complete this survey and share your experience and thoughts. It should only take you about 10 minutes.

If you would prefer to have a phone interview, please also contact Cheryl Berry. Email: cheryl.berry@healthwatchwestsussex.co.uk

Thank you for your support with this request.

Respond here

North Horsham Parish Council owned playgrounds at Amberley Open Space, Birches Road, Earles Meadow and Holbrook Tythe Barn will reopen as soon as possible next week after being deep cleaned and modifications have been made to support the government’s social distancing guidelines. Please do not use the playgrounds until they are officially open.

The Parish Council Multi-use games areas at Holbrook Tythe Barn are available for booking and the Parish Council Open Spaces at Amberley Close, Birches Road, Earles Meadow and Holbrook Tythe Barn have remained open throughout the pandemic for use with social distancing.

Please note, the clothes re-cycling bin at Holbrook Tythe Barn is not in use and please dispose of litter responsibly when using Parish Council facilities by using the bins provided.

Plans for how West Sussex will cope with any local outbreak of COVID-19 have been published by West Sussex County Council.

Every County and Unitary Council has been asked to publish its plans to deal with local pockets of the virus which may appear.

The West Sussex plan, which includes details about the public health response, what action businesses and members of the public might be asked to take, and how this will be communicated, can be found on WSCC website.

Amanda Jupp, Cabinet Member for Adults and Health at West Sussex County Council, said: “COVID-19 has affected our way of life and everyday routine extensively. We have been asked to make unprecedented sacrifices in order to limit the spread of this virus and as national restrictions begin to lift, it is important for us to make sure that here in West Sussex we are able to monitor and manage any rise in cases locally.

“I know that a considerable number of people, as well as our businesses, are very keen to get back to a more normal life, but I also recognise that this will cause a certain amount of anxiety. We want to ensure that we get the balance right between keeping our residents safe and well while getting our economy back on track.”

To ensure the plan is delivering for residents, a Local Outbreak Engagement Board (LOEB) will be established as a sub-group of the County Council’s Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB). This is chaired by Amanda Jupp and will report to the quarterly Health and Wellbeing Board, which is held in public. Dates and times of the meetings are available on WSCC website.

Libraries in West Sussex are introducing a phased reintroduction of services from Monday 6 July, starting with a ‘Select and Collect’ service.

The service will allow residents to collect books from the front doors of all 36 West Sussex County Council owned libraries without the need to enter the building.

People will be able to reserve specific titles in the usual way online or by phoning their local library. In addition, people who may not know exactly what they want to borrow, will be able to ask for a more general selection of books chosen by a member of the West Sussex Library team.

Customers can complete a short online form or phone their local library giving them some basic information so that appropriate books can be selected.

People will also be able to pick up existing reservations made before Monday 23 March.

When items are available, the library service will let customers know and arrange a time for the items to be collected.

Duncan Crow, Cabinet Member for Fire and Rescue and Communities, said: “Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, the West Sussex Library Service has done their utmost to make sure that they offer all library users an alternative service to tide them over until lockdown restrictions were eased.

“Now, they are taking their first step back to a ‘new normal’ by offering this fantastic ‘Select and Collect’ service. We hope that this will get our regular library users comfortable with heading back into their local library when they re-open fully at a later date. It will also allow library users to see some of their regular library staff and have a chat or talk through any worries or concerns they may have about using the libraries at this current time.

“Whatever you plan to do, the staff at all of our libraries are looking forward to welcoming you back.”

Browsing inside the library is not yet available and all libraries will be operating with reduced hours for the foreseeable future.

Once the ‘Select and Collect’ service has been trialled, the next priority is to restore customer access to IT whilst still enabling staff to work safely.

For anyone who cannot visit the library and would like to borrow a selection of stock or request specific items, the Essential Delivery Service, which was set up when libraries closed towards the end of March, will still be available.

There are currently no overdue charges for outstanding items, so please do not worry if you are unable to return your books at this stage.

To take advantage of the ‘Select and Collect’ service, visit arena.westsussex.gov.uk/web/arena/staff-select and fill out the short online form.

 

Headlines and useful links from Friday 26^th June update: Including Government announcements, local updates on support and services, extra money to support new schemes cycling and broadband.

• Most recent Government Announcements – the new guidance for social distancing to be implemented from 4 July. This included changes to the two meter distance rule, the relaxing of rules for certain shops and venues, plus changes for those in the shielding category.  This is good news that many have been waiting for but we would urge everyone not to jeopardise the good progress our county has made so far in slowing the spread of the virus. Support our businesses and make the most of the relaxation, but please continue to take the necessary precautions at all time
• Massive thank you to everyone who makes up the Armed Forces community, especially for all of the help they have provided our county during the pandemic. Saturday was Armed Forces Day.
• Green light for 21km of temporary cycleways in West Sussex

• Bereavement support during COVID-19 – The Sussex Bereavement Helpline has been set up to provide information and guidance Please call: 0300 111 2141 (Monday to Friday: 8am to 5pm). Find out more.
  
• Thank you to local businesses – Since the end of March a number of local businesses have been kindly supporting our Community Hub operations.
• Ceremonies – Our Ceremonies team will restart marriage and civil partnership services from 4 July Find out more.
  
• Local suppliers: new listings – Do you know which organisations and shops are delivering food and other essential goods in your area? Find out here Does your business deliver essential goods but isn’t listed? Please email us and we’ll add you to our website
• Gigabit Voucher for residents & businesses – Struggled with your broadband during lockdown? Extra money is available for gigabit-capable broadband for residents and businesses in our rural areas  information regarding the scheme