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NEWBURY NEWS CORONAVI US NEWS

Thursday, April 16, 2020 3

Newbury Weekly News

Community hub providing vital help for vulnerable Coronavirus support network receives nearly 90 calls a day asking for advic e Report by JOHN HERRING email john.herring@newburynews.co.uk twitter johnh_nwn

“That’s a really nice story about how people are making a difference.” Susan Powell, also based at the hub, said that it had been working with Spotlight to supply families in f ood need with parcels. She said around 78 parcels are to be delivered this week. The parcels are provided by Spotlight in colla boration with the foodbank. Mrs Powell said that the hub was now using a digital filter on calls that would help record and track information better. “It’s quite stable at the moment and there’s nothing dramatic coming in at the moment,” she said. Council leader Lynne Doherty (Con, Speen) said that the council had been working on distributing the business relief grant to more than 600 businesses last week.

Mrs Doher ty said that busi- nesses had told her how much the grants, ranging between £10,000 and £25,000, would help them. But she urged patience with the scheme as the council wanted to “get it right first time”. Mrs Doher ty said a process had to be followed to reduce fraud. “We are working through responses and it will tak e a couple of days to get through to everybody,” she said. For more information, visit https://info.westberks.gov.uk/ coronavirus, call (01635) 503579 or email westberksbct@west- berks.gov.uk n The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases confir med in West Berkshire was 148 when the Newbury Weekly News went to press yesterday (Wednes- day).

WEST Berkshire’s Coron- avirus Community Suppor t Hub dealt with nearly 90 calls a day last week. The hub of fers advice and information and works with charities and volunteers to ensure that the district ’s elderly and most vulnera ble residents have access to food, medication and suppor t. Katharine Makant, based a t the hub, said that just under 90 calls a day were received Monday to Thursday last week. Over the Easter weekend this dropped to around 28 calls and emails a day. The calls asked for advice about community and volun- teer groups, food shopping and medicine. The council has been in touc h with more than 580 people registered as shielded, and around 65 voluntary and community suppor t groups

have registered with the hub. Mrs Makant said: “The team answering the calls ar e only one part of the network across West Berkshire. “They are all doing f antastic work and we couldn’t do this without them. ” She said that over the week- end the hub took a call from “a lovely lady aged 89”. “She couldn’t go out for her shopping and ask ed her 70-year- old son, but she didn’t trust him to get things that she needed to do her hair. “Staff went out and got the pins and curlers and gave an Easter egg to this lady. “She was overwhelmed and said ‘it’s really brightened up my day’.

Ewart Eatwell carries on baking for neighbours Ewart Eatwell, 88, with some of his bakes he shares with neighbours

enjoys baking at home. He said: “I still like baking and seeing the children’s faces when they get their bread. “Being in four walls makes you depressed, so making the bread keeps me active.” Over the years, Mr Eatwell has baked for churches, women’s groups and a range of voluntary organisations, but recently he has just baked for friends and neighbours. He said: “I went into the bakery when I was 13 and I’ve done nothing else but that. “I was still at school at the time. “I do about six or so types of bread. I give it to what we call the ‘inmates’ round here – because we’re all penned in right now.”

A RETIRED baker has been making novelty breads and savouries for his community. The appropriately-named Ewart Eatwell – of Harvest Green, Newbury – has carried on with his baking, after decades at bakeries in Newbury and Aldbourne. He enjoys creating novelty breads and made a recent batch in the shape of mice. And for Good Friday, he made hot cross buns. Mr Eatwell began baking more than 75 years ago and, after leav- ing school, he went to work at Wilkins in Aldbourne, Wiltshire. After a spell in the army, he moved to Newbury and worked for Smith bakery in London Road for 34 years. Now aged 88, Mr Eatwell still

Residents asked to play by the rules over rubbish WEST Berkshire residents have been asked to abide by new waste disposal r ules during the coronavirus pandemic. bin/box/bag handles or lids to minimise the spr ead of infection and wash their hands thor- oughly. the council has ask ed residents to store items safely until they reopen. emailing customerservices@ westberks.gov.uk or call-

ing (01635) 519080. Bonfires have also been discouraged as people staying at home may be vulnerable and have respiratory issues or even have coronavirus. The council has ask ed people to sign up to its garden waste service, costing £50 a year. n Reduction in waste collection in Basingstoke and Deane, page 10

The council said: “Leaving items outside on the street or in parks, forests and fields is f ly- tipping. “This is a crime and w e have a range of powers to tackle it. “Even if you mean well and leave items outside charity shops, or next to full recycling bins, this is still f ly-tipping.” Fy-tipping can reported by

Recycling and rubbish bins should be put out by 6am, or the evening before if possible. The service for bulky waste has been temporaril y suspended. A warning not to fly-tip has also been issued. The district ’s recycling centres have all been closed and

West Berkshire Council has asked households with a possi - ble Covid-19 infection to double- bag and tie their r ubbish in plas - tic bags and store it securely for 72 hours before putting it out f or collection. Where possible, residents are asked to wipe or sanitise the

Your villages, your voice DURING these unprecedented times, the true Blitz spirit has truly been reignited. Volunteers in their hundreds have set up support groups across the district and everyone is doing their part to ensure family, friends, neighbours and strangers are looked after throughout this pandemic. And, standing by your side, as we always have, is the Newbury Weekly News , remaining your trusted source of news and information in West Berkshire and North Hampshire. Now, more than ever, we all need to work together. All of our journalists are working from home, so we are asking you to let us know the news and events from your village – coronavirus-related or otherwise – and as much good news as possible. We will publish these stories (after editing, to ensure word count, style and legal process is all followed) on to a new section, Your Villages, Your Voice, on our website newburytoday.co.uk , which staggeringly had more than 1.3 million page views in March, and on our social media platforms. Our goal is to make sure everyone can find up- to-date, factual information quickly and easily, through your chosen platform. We are living through an important time in history and we believe it is our duty to document it. So please send us your stories, your news, your support networks and don’t forget to also send us your photos and pictures of how you are all getting through. We need the important details, but we also all need a smile. We understand that every business is strug- gling at the moment and we are no exception. We are a small, local business that has been hit hard by this pandemic and we too have been forced to furlough a number of staff while we navigate this uncertain time. We will always be there to inform the public, but we ask, at this time, that you only send us stories to Your Villages Your Voice without a commercial element please. Please send all news and information to your.villages@newburynews.co.uk

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