Plymouth Chronicle Plympton & Plymstock January 2021

Chronicle Plymouth

See inside for news and information from Plymouth City Council Pages 2 and 3

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Plympton & Plymstock

February 2021

COVID UPDATE

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Plympton schoolboy Taylor Hardy has raised over £4000 for a Plymouth charity See page 11

See inside for great range of discounts from city shops and businesses

Winter warmers!

These two cute little kittens at Gables Dogs and Cats Home didn’t have to wear scarves for too long to keep warm - thanks to the generosity of supporters who raised more than £6,000 for the Gables Winter Heating Appeal.

• See story on page 8

2 February 2021

2 February 2021

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It’s going to be tough, but we all need to keep going

By Councillor Tudor Evans Leader of Plymouth City Council

It is fair to say that the next few weeks are going to be tough for everyone.

Across the country the rates of COVID-19 cases are going up and while we are not seeing the shockingly sharp rises of some areas, we are still very worried.

This is why I am appealing to everyone to keep doing what you are doing and to think about why it is important to follow the latest lockdown measures.

I know that across the city, families, individuals, businesses and organisations are making huge sacrifices, which we must not

allow to be in vain.

We know everyone is tired and frustrated, but the power to bring down the infection rate is, literally, in our (frequently cleaned) hands.

The NHS is under huge pressure and while we hope the lockdown will help us turn a corner in the number of cases, it will be some time before we are all vaccinated. We are at a very dangerous point in time and I can’t stress enough how important it is that we all do our bit.

We must not let our guard down. Stay at home unless you absolutely have to go out;

ask yourself is that trip really essential?

We will keep the city running while people stay at home.

We are supporting schools and working with CaterEd to make sure children who usually get free school meals get fed when learning from home.

We’ve processed over £51 million in business support grants to help businesses get the support they desperately need and we are working with the police to make sure businesses – and the public – follow the guidance.

HELP US GET THE INFECTION RATE DOWN

It’s really heartening to see the vaccination programme well underway here in Plymouth. Our colleagues in the NHS are working flat out to get as many people vaccinated as supplies allow.

Those groups at highest risk of serious illness are being prioritised, in line with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommendations. This covers staff and residents of care homes for older people, those over 80 and health and social care workers first, before moving to the over-75s, then the over-70s and clinically extremely vulnerable adults of any age.

But while this is great news, the city has recently had its highest ever number of cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic and we are still very worried.

Plymouth is in a better position than most areas, but we still have a very significant problem here in the city. At the

time of writing, our rate is less than half the national average but there are large numbers of people who are very poorly and, with more having to isolate, this is having a knock-on effect on our city, our hospital and our care homes.

We need to get the infection rates down and that’s something we can all help with.

The new lockdown measures will help us achieve this.

It is vital that everyone stays at home as much as possible. We should do everything we can to minimise contact with others, while making sure we continue to wash our hands frequently and wearing face coverings.

With one in three people with the virus not showing any symptoms, coupled with a far more transmissible variant of the virus, we need to make sure we keep our distance from others as much as possible.

Plymouth residents must stay at home following the Government’s announcement of a new national lockdown.

voluntary or charitable services.

If you have to go out – for essential shopping, for instance, or for exercise – are you really keeping your distance from others as much as you could be? Act as if you have the virus and everyone else also has the infection and we can help prevent the spread.

I know everyone is tired and restless, but if we get this right, it will save a lot of anguish in months to come. Stay Safe Plymouth.

By Dr Ruth Harrell Director of Public Health for Plymouth

HOW TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE

You can check the latest number of COVID-19 cases in Plymouth on the Council’s website at: www.plymouth.gov.uk/covid-19. There are also daily updates on the Council’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

What you can and cannot do during the lockdown The measures mean that everyone should stay at home, except for specific reasons, such as essential shopping, to work if you cannot work from home, to exercise and to seek medical help.

Primary and secondary schools have moved to remote learning until February half term, except for vulnerable children and those of critical workers. Parents should check with schools to confirm arrangements.

Shops selling non-essential goods will remain closed, apart from those providing click and collect services.

When you can leave home

You must not leave or be outside of your home except where you have a ‘reasonable excuse’. The police can take action against you if you leave home without a ‘reasonable excuse’, and issue you with a fine (Fixed Penalty Notice).

You can leave home for:

Work – where it is unreasonable for you to do your job from home, including people who work within critical national infrastructure, construction or manufacturing.

Volunteering – to provide

Essential activities – to buy things in shops or obtain services. You may also leave your home to do these things on behalf of a disabled or vulnerable person or someone self-isolating.

Education and childcare – for education, registered childcare and supervised activities for children where they are eligible to attend.

Meeting others and care – to visit people in your support bubble (if you are legally permitted to form one), to provide informal

childcare for children under 14 as part of a childcare bubble (for example, to enable parents to work) or to provide care for disabled or vulnerable people.

Exercise – You can exercise alone, with one other person or with your household or support bubble. This should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area. You should maintain social distancing. You can only leave your home to exercise, and not for the purpose of recreation or leisure (for example, a picnic or a social meeting)

Medical reasons – including to get a COVID-19 test, for medical appointments and emergencies.

Harm prevention and compassionate visits – to be with someone who is giving birth, to avoid injury or illness or to escape risk of harm (such as domestic abuse).

You can also leave home to visit someone who is dying or someone in a care home (if permitted under care home guidance), hospice, or hospital, or to accompany them to a medical appointment.

Animal welfare reasons – such as to attend veterinary services for advice or treatment.

Communal worship and life events – to attend or visit a place of worship for communal worship, a funeral or event related to a death, a burial ground or a remembrance garden, or to attend a wedding ceremony.

Vulnerable people - If you are clinically extremely vulnerable you should only go out for medical appointments, exercise or if it is essential. You should not attend work.

For full details of what you can and can’t do during the national lockdown visit the GOV. UK website

February 2021

@PlymChronicle

Council pledges to continue providing key services during national lockdown Plymouth City Council has pledged to continue to do everything it can to keep day-to-day services running during the national lockdown while ensuring the safety of staff and residents.

Additional support is being put in place where needed. This includes remobilising the city’s Caring for Plymouth scheme, the partnership between the Council, Livewell Southwest and a large number of voluntary and community sector organisations, to help provide a vital lifeline for people who are clinically extremely vulnerable to COVID-19.

Services will focus on people who do not have established support networks so that they can access emotional support, food, medicine and support with paying bills and accessing money.

Teams are also looking at the implications of the latest Government announcement to help businesses, particularly the hard-hit hospitality sector, to get the latest grant support available.

Bin collections and recycling centres Refuse collections continue as usual and both Chelson Meadow and Weston Mill household recycling centres remain open.

Check www.plymouth.gov.uk/recyclingcentres for opening times.

If anyone in your home is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, bags containing used tissues should be placed into another bag,

tied securely and kept separate from other waste. This should be put aside for at least 72 hours before being put in your usual external household waste bin.

Streets Gulley and drain cleansing schedules are operating as usual. Street cleaning and grounds works are also continuing.

Parks, open spaces and play areas All Council-run parks, nature reserves and play parks remain open. If you visit a play area for exercise, please use hand sanitiser before and after and think about how you long you stay, to give everyone a chance to use it safely. Please don’t use play areas if you or your child aren’t feeling well.

Allotments remain open for allotment holders only.

Skate parks across the city are open. We would encourage people to only use them in line with the government guidance on exercise.

Tennis courts across the city are closed.

Multi-use game areas, like basketball and five-a-side football courts, are also closed.

Public toilets Council-run public toilets remain open.

Leisure centres Plympton Swimming Pool and Brickfields Sports Centre as well as Manadon Sports Hub are closed during the lockdown period, in line with the national guidance

The Plymouth Life Centre will remain closed until April 2021, while urgent works are carried out inside the building.

Libraries Nine libraries are providing e a Select and Collect service at the door and essential PC use by appointment. Opening hours are from 10am until 4pm on certain weekdays, with Central Library open Monday to Saturday. See plymouth.gov.uk/libraries for full details.

North Prospect and Estover libraries are closed as they are inside other buildings The Library Service’s popular digital service is available and offers e-books and magazines, as well as audio books. Online activities like Storytimes and Rhymetimes are continuing.

The Box The Box has closed. Anyone with booked tickets is being contacted about new dates.

The Tourist Information Centre on the Barbican is also shut.

Registration service The register office remains open for birth registrations, death registrations (can be made over the phone), notice of marriage appointments and virtual citizenship ceremonies.

Licensing and Public Protection teams Teams are continuing to visit premises that are allowed to open to provide information and support on how to do this.

Education Schools and colleges have closed except to children of critical workers and vulnerable children, in line with the Government guidance.

Early years settings and childminders remain open. Please check with your provider.

Youth centres remain open with limited access by appointment only.

LOCKDOWN TOP-UP GRANTS FOR CITY BUSINESSES The City Council continues to offer support for businesses and will be administering the latest grant announced by the Government in addition to earlier grants.

Businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors are to receive a one-off lockdown grant.

The top-up grants are worth up to £9,000 per property to help businesses through to the spring.

A discretionary fund has also been made available to support other impacted businesses.

This follows the announcement that these business will be closed until at least February half term to help control the virus.

3

The cash is to be provided on a perproperty basis to support businesses through the latest restrictions.

The one-off top up grants will be granted to closed businesses as follows: • £4,000 for businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or under • £6,000 for businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000 • £9,000 for businesses with a rateable value over £51,000 The further discretionary funding is being made available for local authorities to support other businesses not eligible for these one-off top up grants.

The Council will share details on the visitplymouth.co.uk/invest website as they become available.

NOTE: The information on these pages was correct at time of going to press on January 14.

Please visit plymouth.gov.uk/covid-19 for latest updates or sign up for email updates with the latest news and information at bit.ly/plymouthemailalerts

More vulnerable people will be supported in Plymouth thanks to £160,000 funding pot Charities and organisations in Plymouth who provide food and essential items for vulnerable people are being invited to bid for grant funding of up to £10,000.

This is in addition to the Emergency Food Grant funding that is also open for applications and will complement that scheme.

A funding pot of approximately £160,000 has been set aside from the £950,000 the Plymouth City Council was awarded as part of the Government’s COVID Winter Grant Scheme (WGS) and will be awarded to groups, charities and social enterprises who can provide food and essential items to individuals and families in need either through buying, storage or distribution.

The Winter Grant Scheme has been able to provide direct support to vulnerable Plymouth households and families particularly affected by the pandemic, with food and essential utility costs, where alternative sources of assistance may be unavailable.

Since the funding was announced in November the council has worked with city schools to distribute more than 10,000 unique e-voucher codes to families on their free school meals registers to support them with the cost of buying food over the Christmas holidays.

The council has also partnered with Plymouth Energy Community to distribute £280,000 to people at risk of fuel poverty as a result of the impacts of the pandemic to eligible households.

Councillor Chris Penberthy Cabinet Member for Housing and Co-operative Development said: “We know that a great many Plymouth families have faced financial challenges over the past few months as a result of the fallout resulting from the pandemic and our absolute priority has been helping those who need it most, but we know there is still more to do.

“That is why we want voluntary groups and organisations to come forward to apply for this funding and help us ensure these limited monies are put to best use by those that need it most.”

Visit Plymouth.gov.uk and search for Winter Grant Scheme. The deadline for bids is 5pm on Tuesday January 26.

Pedestrian crossing takes a step closer

Woodford residents have welcomed the news that a pedestrian crossing in Larkham Lane could finally become a reality this year after Plymouth City Council secured a Government grant of £55,000 to bridge the previous shortfall in funding for the project.

Local residents have been calling for a pedestrian crossing by the Woodford School entrance in Larkham Lane ever since the site lost a regular lollipop patrol there in December 2018. In January 2019 a young girl was knocked down outside the school entrance, resulting in a campaign being set up for a proper pedestrian crossing facility. This campaign gained extra momentum when a second child was knocked down by a hit and run motorist there on 2 October 2020.

The installation of the new crossing has to be formally advertised but unless there are unexpected objections it is anticipated the work will be carried out in April or May 2021. (story courtesy of www.PlymptonPodcast.org.uk)

4 February 2021

@PlymChronicle The new state-of-the-art pilot vessel

Cattewater Harbour Commissioners took delivery of a new Pilot vessel in late December and after a period of handover and training she is now operational in the Port of Plymouth.

Pilot vessel Stamford is named after the Grade II listed Fort Stamford in Turnchapel, which overlooks the Cattewater. The fort was built to protect the city and its harbour as part of the Palmerston Forts defences.

Built by Goodchild Marine, Pilot vessel Stamford is is 12.5m in overall length and is fitted with twin Volvo Penta D8 engines – delivering sufficient power to achieve a service speed of 22 knots, with a top speed of 28 knots.

Stamford is also fitted with stateof-the-art navigational and safety equipment, including a hydraulic Man

Overboard Recovery System at the stern.

Accepting the vessel from Alan Goodchild of Goodchild Marine, Captain Richard Allan, Harbour Master for Cattewater Harbour

New Pilot vessel enters service in Plymouth Commissioners said:“The arrival of the new vessel signifies a significant investment to our pilotage service here in Plymouth. Pilots are the primary control measure in protecting the Port, and safety is of paramount importance.

“The safety capabilities of the vessel are very impressive and will provide a greater safety asset to the service here in Plymouth and for those who are working with her, and in turn a greater service to our visiting vessels as she provides a more stable platform to operate from “Additionally, due to hull design, efficiency is vastly improved and the reduction in emissions from this vessel is a further commitment to the Port’s Air Quality Strategy. It has been a pleasure dealing with the team at Goodchild Marine during this turbulent year.”

Mayflower 400: a programme of cultural events, activity and sport finishing in 2021, commemorating the journey of the Mayflower.

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February 2021 5 @PlymChronicle

Arts Cinema gets big grant boost - but then has to close again

Plymouth Arts Cinema was one of more than 200 independent cinemas across England supported with £16 million in grants from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund, allocated by the British Film Institute.

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It was awarded £47,419 which would have helped the cinema to continue to operate until March. However, the new national lockdown announced at the beginning of January means the cinema has been forced to close down again.

Anna Navas, the cinema’s director and film programmer said: “This is obviously disappointing for all of us, staff, volunteers and customers alike, but everyone’s safety is our main concern so we will be keeping a very close eye on any changes to guidelines as the situation develops.

“We will open the cinema as soon as we are able to do so safely. We will let all of our members, customers and friends know details as soon as we can.”

The cinema only reopened at the beginning of December so the latest closure is another setback, as it is for other leisure venues in the city.

Anna added: “We want to thank everyone so much for their continued support and patience, it doesn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated. We are part of a network of small, local, independent businesses and we all rely on people continuing to buy tickets and watch films with us. We wish you all a healthy New Year; it isn’t the start to 2021 we were hoping for but we look forward to welcoming you back to see some wonderful films with us very soon.”

Holders of tickets for cancelled shows will be contacted to ask if they would like a credit note or refund - or to make a donation to the cinema.

Ben Roberts, BFI chief executive, said: “Across the country, local independent cinemas are hubs and lifelines for communities and often the only form of culture and entertainment. From educational programmes and workshops for young people, to screenings for the elderly and audiences with specialised needs, these cinemas play such an important role in people’s lives.

“The Culture Recovery Fund will mean that many of these cinemas survive the current crisis, and go on to play a vital role in the recovery of local economies and communities, bringing people together to offer joy, solace and the magic of the big screen.”

Over 200 cinemas have received funding so far from a £30 million pot allocated by the BFI, on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, as part of the biggest ever single investment in this country’s cultural sectors.

The BFI has been accepting applications and awarding grants to independent cinemas since autumn. Plymouth Arts Cinema also received a Safety Grant, to help venues meet the immediate costs of implementing Covid-secure measures to protect staff and audiences.

Cinemas will be able to apply for another £14 million in grants in the new year as part of the second round of the Culture Recovery Fund. The new round of funding is in addition to the £30 million already being allocated by the BFI.

6 February 2021

6 February 2021

Archaeologists digging up Plympton’s past Teams of archaeologists are opening a window to the past when they began work near Plympton recently.

Experts from AC Archaeology carried out work off Stoggy Lane to try and get an understanding of what, if anything, remains of prehistoric and/or Romano-British multi-period activity in the area.

Earlier geophysical survey investigations have already located what might be a substantial settlement enclosure appearing to contain ancient houses and farmsteads.

The 24 hectare site to the east of Stoggy Lane and south of West Park Hill, is earmarked for housing development in the Joint Local Plan but no formal plans are yet in place.

The area is long known to be of archaeological interest and so requires further, more detailed investigation to inform any possible future planning applications that may be submitted.

The principal objective of the programme shall be to evaluate any below-ground archaeological deposits

“What care means to me” - Natalie

At Friends Helping at Home we are really keen to share the amazing stories of our service providers. Our dedicated ladies and gents work tirelessly to support clients across the South West. In this article, we celebrate the lovely Natalie!

Natalie has worked in both our Plymouth and Torbay branches and continues to share the love across the South West.

How did your journey in care begin?

I worked in a supermarket for a while and found that I was having a lot of panic attacks. I noticed how much focussing on other people calmed me so I decided to change my job to something more people focussed. I got a job in a small care home in Newton Abbot and it changed my life. Now there is nothing that I would rather do.

across the proposed development site and, if necessary, excavate them further.

Councillor Chris Penberthy, Cabinet member for Housing and Cooperative Development, said: “I usually like to talk about housing we’re building, but this time I’m just as excited to find out about a house that was built many thousands of years ago.

“Work like this on sites where one day we would like to provide housing are really important. We can’t just build anywhere we like - we have to understand the past in order to plan for the future.”

Christopher Caine, supervisor from AC Archaeology, said: “I am very excited to be working on this site, as myself and my family live locally and what we find could be very important in understanding how our ancestors lived here 2000 years ago. We will hopefully find the remains of their houses, what animals they kept, what crops they were growing and what they were making” Works at Stoggy Lane are expected to take between three and six months, depending on the findings.

Why do you love your work so much?

I find it really comforting to know how much I am able to help someone, especially when you are helping someone stay in their home. There’s no place like home – you really can save someone by doing something (however small) to keep them there. When I am with a client I feel like I can really be myself – if I didn’t need to have a job, I would do it anyway.

What was it like working through the height of the lockdown?

I thought more about PPE and things like that but my actual job was the same. For me it doesn’t matter what is in the way. Some people needed more support without family and friends to help them. There has also been a change in the amount of emotional support I have to give my clients but that’s ok – I’m glad I can be there for them.

News in Brief...

Oakley’s Coaches have now taken over the running of the number 52 bus service between Plympton and Derriford Hospital and have also introduced a peak-time 52C linking Plympton and Crownhill. The firm has bought two new single decker buses for use on the routes and these have been painted in a distinctive blue livery.

Timetables can be viewed at https:// bustimes.org/operators/oakleyscoaches Volunteers from the Plympton Team Ministry teamed up with the Brook Inn and the wider community to deliver freshly cooked free lunches on Christmas Day to those who were alone or selfisolating 16 players took part in a tournament on the tennis courts at Harewood Park one Saturday shortly before Christmas and raised Ј85 for the Plympton Foodbank.

A new set of bollards has been set into the gap in the central reservation at the bottom of Cot Hill to prevent vehicles taking unauthorised short cuts into and out of Lidl.

City planners have approved an application to use an outbuilding at a domestic residence in Boston Close in Plymstock as a Chiropractor Clinic.

DS Smith Packaging in Colebrook provided both the practical and a bit of luxury

to the Plympton Foodbank this Christmas. They donated 100 flat pack boxes to make up the hampers and started off the content of each of those 100 hampers by donating an equal amount of Quality Street tubs Motorists are urged to be careful when topping up their vehicles with antifreeze this winter. A number of cats in the Plympton area have died after ingesting spillages of the substance.

It is sweet tasting for cats so they tend to lick such spillages but it can result in organ failure. One local parent said: “Our beloved cat sadly died of antifreeze poisoning. We have heard of other cats in the Plympton/ Chaddlewood area also dying of antifreeze poisoning. We have very devastated young children from a death that definitely could have been avoided.”

Three familiar figures from Plympton were among a cast of presenters entertaining people over the Christmas weekend with pilot programmes on Devon’s newest radio station, Devon Gold Radio. The Rev’d Robert Harris, local publican John Govier and ex-Stannator Andrew Hill were among a team of presenters hosting shows on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Sunday 27 December.

The station aims to formally launch later this year.

(News in Brief is provided by www.

PlymptonPodcast.org.uk)

We are delighted to have Natalie in our team, serving the needs of our customers every day.

Are you looking for a new career?

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What advice do you have for young people considering a career in care?

I would say if you’re thinking about it then go for it. I would also say it’s really important to make sure that you have the support that you need for all of the other things that go with work so that you can just focus on your clients and their needs.

@PlymChronicle

(01752) 648 320 We provide a safe, friendly and professional service that enables you to remain living in the comfort of your own home.

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Find us online at: friendshelpingathome.co.uk

February 2021 7

Thought For The Day

@PlymChronicle

The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.

Mark Twain

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Following the announcement from Prime Minister Boris Johnson, anyone deemed as clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) to COVID-19 are being advised to stay at home and only go out for exercise and medical appointments.

This group of people includes individuals that are seriously ill as well as some people living with a disability or ongoing medical conditions.

Caring for Plymouth, the partnership between Plymouth City Council, Livewell Southwest and a large number of voluntary and community sector organisations, has already remobilised to help provide a vital lifeline for people who are clinically extremely vulnerable to COVID-19.

The service previously ran between March and July and then throughout November 2020.

Services will be focussed on people who do not have established support networks so that they can access emotional support, access to food, medicine collection and support with paying bills and accessing money.

Staff providing the service will have had appropriate background checks to provide added piece of mind. With most CEV people already known to the council and its partners, specially trained staff are already rallying to pro-actively contact people to assess their needs.

Councillor Kate Taylor, Cabinet member for Health and Adult Social Care, said: “I am so proud that once again this council is stepping up to help people.

“It’s not the start to 2021 that anybody wanted, but the fact that we are able to bring hope and support to the people who most need it at the time they most need it is represents a beacon of light in these challenging times.”

While work to contact people has already begun, if you are clinically extremely vulnerable and you need help, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Staff will be ready and waiting to take calls on 01752 668000 between 9am and 5pm from Monday to Friday.

Alternatively, a full list of Caring for Plymouth partners and services can be found on the Plymouth Online Directory at www. plymouthonlinedirectory.com/covid19/ caringforplymouth

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8 February 2021

8 February 2021

@PlymChronicle

Massive response from supporters for Gables Winter Heating Appeal Gables Dogs and Cats Home recently put out an appeal for help with their winter heating costs - and the response was magnificent.

It is vitally important that Gables provide their animals with the very best care during their stay with them and their pens must be kept warm and comfortable at all times.

During the winter months they use lots of donated duvets and blankets to help keep the animals warm and cosy, but their heating bills still increase dramatically.

There are 81 cat pens and 82 dog kennels to keep warm, which costs over £5000 each winter.

Gables supporters have been very generous in previous years and this year was no exception.

Their winter heating appeal went live in midNovember and donations started to add up.

At one point some of their cats took to wearing scarves and hats but thankfully they only needed to wear them long enough for a photo, as an amazing £6255 was raised

to cover the cost of Gables heating bills.

General Manager Claire Sparkes said: “We are totally blown away by the support we have received for our winter heating appeal this year. It has been a tough year for everyone but our supporters have Gables resident Insta keeps warm been amazing and we on a frosty walk are so grateful to them.

Christmas was made extra special knowing that we have one less thing to worry about during these difficult times. We cannot thank everyone enough.”

During the pandemic Gables Dogs and Cats Home are looking for homes for their animals using a, safe online process.

Visit Gables website at www.gablesfarm.org.uk for information about all the dogs and cats currently looking for homes.

There is also more about their adoption process and an online application form.

For more information please call Otterlie Griffiths, Helen Roper or Jade Dyer on 01752 342410 or email us at fundraising@gablesfarm. org.uk

Lions to the rescue

The Lions Club of Plymouth stepped in to help the Plymouth Food Bank to distribute much needed Christmas food to people in need.

Chair of Community Service Lion George Poad is pictured on Christmas eve collecting a boot load of food from Andrew Denham at the Plymouth Food Bank ready to set off on a delivery to those in need.

In other acts of service to the community, the Lions Club and the Lions’ Ladies, presented cheques or £3000 each to Sue Rodgers of Derriford Hospital. The ladies donation will assist in the purchase of TVs for the children’s wards at the hospital whilst the Lion’s donation will go to the Derriford Children’s Cancer Service.

Children in hospital at this time of year and in particular this year with Covid 19 limiting numbers of visitors allowed is somewhat depressing for the children and families, so it is hoped by providing them with something to help them adjust to this situation will help them through this period. The televisions will of course, also benefit future children patients.

The Lions Club have also donated £300 to the Feast and Fun worthy charity of all the church denominations of St Budeaux who worked together to provide bumper Christmas hampers full of treats for struggling families within their parish. The hampers were distributed during the first week in January 2021.

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POP continues to support both the established Neighbourhood Care Networks and those eager to replicate their success with an NCN in their own area.

A message from Matt...

As we welcome in 2021, and find ourselves in another lockdown, please be assured that POP will be maintaining its support for local groups, organisations, networks and associations across Plymouth so that they can continue to support individuals in these difficult times.

2020 disrupted our lives, changing forever the way we live and work. Hardship and inequalities that existed before Coronavirus have been made more visible and yet, throughout the year; throughout the pandemic and the lockdown(s) there was a glorious response from communities. 2021 provides us the opportunity to build on this together: collaboration is vital to

#BUILDBACKBETTER.

Matt Bell, CEO Plymouth Octopus Project.

Mindful Art Club started with a little help from POP Ideas

“We’ve been taking part in the POP coffee mornings on zoom and it’s been brilliant to meet so many different people from different organisations and see what they are doing. Plymouth is a really great place for community groups.”

The Mindful Art Club is currently running a weekly Tuesday zoom session where individuals can find a little sanctuary based around a simple art project offering creativity, company and social connection online.

For more information about the Mindful Art Club and its Tuesday sessions visit www.mindfulartclub.co.uk

Your neighbourhood needs YOU! If you – or your organisation – want to be involved and can offer some support to your neighbourhood text 07411 949 742. Register your details and you will be contacted by someone from POP or from your neighbourhood who will be delighted to speak with you about how you might be able to help.

Neighbourhood Care Networks Helpline Numbers

Peggy and Emma

Efford Community Network

The Mindful Art Club was set up by Emma Sprawson and Peggy Melmoth in September 2019 after they were both made redundant following the closure of Broadreach House where they had worked as art therapists. Emma and Peggy, took a giant leap to set up the MAC and in doing so, says Emma, found the support of POP ideas invaluable; “We didn’t have a clue what we needed to do or how to go about it. Things like how to start a business; setting up a bank account and what kind of organisation we should be. POP has been brilliant.

The help we’ve had has made a massive difference: they really are there for you and are committed to helping you get stuff off the ground and making a success of things.

We have seen how the NCN’s of Stonehouse, Stoke, The Hoe and Keyham have made each distinct to their area, supporting residents during these challenging times while the latest NCN - the Efford Community Network Group - is now up and running and ready to help. Community ‘leaders; faith groups; employees from, for example, Plymouth City Council and housing associations along with people from local services, businesses and organisations have all come together to work together to support their neighbours. The role of these networks has been – and continues to be – pivotal in caring for people and for creating greater resilience for what lies ahead.

Efford 07380 309 586

Keyham’s Tin Can Alley Van Record number of fledgling community projects take flight with help from POP Ideas

£

£224,500

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200+ hours of one to one advice since March 2020

100+ digital workshops and training sessions since March 2020

40+

new groups or projects advised on how to turn ideas into action since March 2020

At the beginning of December Keyham Neighbourhood Watch was kindly lent a Efford Plymouth City Council van for one day. For five Efford Efford Community hours volunteers from KNW took to the586 streets 07380 309 Efford Efford Community Network – walking alongside the van which was driven Efford 07380 309 586 byCommunity ‘local Banksy’ Mike Vosper, communicating Network 07380 309 586 withNetwork residents through a megaphone – appealing for any spare food for the Keyham food bank. The response was overwhelming.

Thousands of tins; industrial bags of rice and an extraordinary amount of pasta were donated.

Some people handed over £50 bags of food they had bought specifically for the collection while others, with less money to spare, gave from their own emergency food parcel displaying a determination to be part of the initiative in spite of their own circumstances.

Keyham and people threw food in the back. The response from residents was amazing.”

Thanks to the Keyham Tin Can Van iniatiative, Keyham’s food bank - run by the marvellous Paul and Jean from Keyham Green Places - has distributed hundreds of meals and bags of food over Christmas and the New Year and is now open longer so that it can support more residents. And the KNW also raised nearly £200 from the community to buy the food bank a much-needed freezer.

Kevin Sproston, the chair of the KNW says it was something of a spectacle!

“We had people running down the street in their dressing gowns; kids singing, dancing and playing around as the van trawled up and down

Do you have an idea to help others but don’t know how to start?

Kev Sproston with 17 yea r old, Chey-Anne Burtt helpin g collect the food

POP can help - contact us at info@plymouthoctopus.org or telephone 395131. We can help with the practicalities of setting up a neighbourhood community network; digital technology training; communication and we can help to fund you.

February 2021

@PlymChronicle

Schoolboy hero ‘cycles’ 600 miles to raise funds for Plymouth charity Plympton schoolboy superhero Taylor Hardy has spent the last two months ‘virtually’ cycling the 603 miles from Lands End to John O’Groats, to raise money for Plymouth-based charity Friends and Families of Special Children.

On Sunday January 10 Taylor finally crossed the finish line, surrounded by his parents and brothers, and with a host of family, friends and supporters cheering him on via social media.

So far Taylor has raised £4000 (and counting) and you can still help him surpass that by donating at www. justgiving.com/fundraising/TheresaHardy Taylor, who is 12, is a young carer for two of his three brothers, who

Special gifts for Taylor

have additional needs. Taylor’s family have had a particularly challenging year, even by 2020 standards, and more than ever they have really needed the support they’ve received from Friends and Families.

Taylor decided to take on this challenge to give something back.

Friends and Families’ mission is to make families with disabled children feel valued and experience the best quality of life possible.

Thanks to the charity, Taylor’s whole family have regularly accessed a hydrotherapy pool - a fun activity they could all enjoy together. Danny, 13, and nine-year-old Sonny have tried new activities, such as pottery painting, at Adventure Club.

Taylor said: “I’m really proud of how much I’ve raised and I hope

Taylor celebrates

that if there are families like ours that didn’t know about Friends and Families of Special Children and how they can help, that they do now.”

He added that he was ‘blown away at raising £4000. It’s four times more than I ever hoped for and I can’t believe I’ve done all of those miles!’

Taylor’s Mum Theresa said: “In the two months he has been doing this, Taylor’s been very motivated and has only taken four days off. It’s been a huge challenge and it was all Taylor’s idea - he drove the whole thing. We’re really impressed. We are so proud of him and his positive attitude.”

The charity’s founder, Kay O’Shaughnessy, said “Taylor is an inspirational young man who has raised an amazing amount of money. Life for everybody has been very challenging over the past few months, so for him to be spurred on to do this is really incredible”.

The money that Taylor raises will help Friends and Families continue to provide vital advice and support, and host great activities that can be accessed by all members of the family.

Anyone wanting to help this local charity can donate to Taylor’s fundraiser, or by following Friends and Families on Facebook @ FriendsAndFamiliesOfSpecialChildren or Twitter @FAFplymouth.

Taylor with his three brothers

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11

12 February 2021

Sherford Life How’s your 2021 going so far? As I write this (in mid-January), the internet is awash with memes about wanting to cancel our 2021 subscriptions, or portraying 2020 as the evil Emperor from Star Wars and 2021 his dark apprentice. Perhaps you feel some of the truth in these memes.

So, where is our hope? Just before Christmas, Health Secretary Matt Hancock proclaimed loud and clear that the shining hope for 2021 is science and the COVID-19 vaccines.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson repeated this idea as he addressed the nation in early January to tell us we were all heading back into lockdown.

But I want to suggest that there is room for hope By Revd Tom Brassil outside and beyond science and the vaccine. In fact, we need a wider and bigger hope than that.

Whatever you think of our Royal Family, watching the annual Queen’s Christmas Broadcast is a tradition that a majority of us enjoy each year. This year’s speech may have been her best speech.

She pointed to the hope of modern science, and yet she didn’t stop there.

She praised the resilience, courage and kindness of people all across the country, and yet she didn’t stop there. She then proclaimed: “The teachings of Christ have served as my inner light, as has the sense of purpose we can find in coming together to worship.”

We need more than a physical cure for coronavirus. We need a cure for hopelessness too: an inner light, a sense of purpose. Looking back over the past 12 months we have seen evidence of how the adversity we faced has brought us together.

The weekly “Clap for Carers” on our doorsteps; the way the majority of people made great personal sacrifices to stick to the various lockdown and tier restrictions; the way the world of science and medicine has come together in the fight against coronavirus. Look at your local community as well, and I’m sure you will find countless stories of selfless love and care.

In my own local area I am very proud of the Sherford Mutual Aid Group, not least the way they came together to provide Christmas hampers for those who were struggling to put food on the table over the festive period.

But we need even more than resilience and togetherness: we need hope. I believe that nothing can beat the hope that Jesus offers us.

Peter (one of Jesus’ closest friends) wrote these words: “In his great mercy He [God] has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3, the Bible). Incredibly, he wrote these words to people suffering ‘grief in all kinds of trials’ (1 Peter 1:6). Do you resonate with that description? Maybe 2021 is the time to discover this hope for yourself?

If you have any questions about Sherford life, or if you would like to know more about Sherford Community Church or about the living hope that God offers us, please contact me at tom@ sherfordchurch.net

12 February 2021

@PlymChronicle

Sherford secures a future for careers in construction The future of Sherford Skills Training Centre has been secured thanks to recent funding from the Construction Industry Trade Board (CITB).

Awarded for the commitment to improving the industry’s current skills shortage, the skills centre is now set to continue offering specialist training to those in the South West and beyond.

The funding has been granted for an ‘Onsite Experience Project’ from 2021 to 2023.

It will enable the town’s dedicated skills centre to build a lasting legacy for the region’s construction industry by filling workforce gaps and providing new employment opportunities.

Training programmes and on-site work experience will develop skills in drylining, plastering, rendering and painting – delivered by education partner City College Plymouth, with support from South Devon College and Plymouth Construction Training Group.

The creation of the £370,000 centre and the Sherford Skills Training Scheme was funded by the Sherford Consortium – a partnership between Taylor Wimpey and Vistry Partnerships, which includes Linden Homes and Bovis Homes.

Opening its doors in 2018, the training centre has supported the training and development of over 100 apprentices, supported armed service leavers, helped create over 280 jobs, and offered its users the opportunity to retrain and upskill across trades.

Learning professional quality skills, course participants benefit from the guidance of expert mentors, as well as gaining insights into the industry from Sherford’s awardwinning housebuilders and team of local contractors.

From aiding new entrants with apprenticeship training, to dedicated courses for veterans, the skills centre opens doors of opportunity to anyone looking to begin a career in construction.

Guided through every stage, participants are even offered support in finding employment, with networking events a part of every course. A valuable chance to meet and speak with leading local employers, the course has helped many participants find their first step towards employment. Many standout students have been offered jobs with Sherford’s local contractors, giving them a chance to share their passion and specialist skills to contribute to this new community.

Bradley Davison, managing director of Vistry Partnerships South West, part of the Sherford Consortium, said: “We are dedicated to supporting skills and training, so we are extremely proud that Sherford Skills Training Centre has been recognised for the positive opportunities it provides. We are completely committed to supporting the region and its construction industry – and we are also deeply passionate about helping people pursue a rewarding career.”

Steven Ricketts, Sherford Skills Training Scheme Coordinator, added: “We are over-themoon to have received CITB funding, so that we can continue to offer specialist training and support to the South West right here at Sherford.

“It is so rewarding to see so many of our graduates go on to find their dream job and to know that, in return, they are strengthening the future of the industry and having a positive impact on the region.”

For more information about the Sherford Skills Training Scheme or Sherford Skills Training Centre, please contact: Steven Ricketts, Sherford Training Scheme skills coordinator on 07812732403.

Aimed at helping both current and ex armed forces members to learn valuable skills in the construction industry, the Building Heroes course at Sherford sparked the interest of DIY novice, Mark.

Reaching a milestone of 11 years of service in the Marines, the Corporal hoped the course would at least teach him the skills he needed to work on his own property, yet what was actually provided exceeded all his expectations.

Building Heroes is delivering the course in partnership with Sherford Skills Training Centre, Vistry Partnerships and Train4All. The five-week programme offers a helping hand into a new career, with learners ultimately gaining Level 1 Construction Skills and Health and Safety qualifications under the guidance of specialist instructors.

With supportive tutoring, the course has provided Mark with hands-on training across all major construction trades. From plumbing and bricklaying, to carpentry and rendering, each detailed class has given Mark the opportunity to perfect practical skills and to produce industry quality work.

Mark, said: “I’ve surprised myself, I didn’t think that I could do what I can now. Honestly, I didn’t know anything when I arrived, now I’m shocked at the level of work we’ve done and the level of knowledge we’ve gained. We’ve dived into the syllabus and learnt far more than just the basics, I

Case History 1: Mark now feel like I could do anything.

“The course has gone above and beyond my expectations, from the environment and the tools, to the support of the Building Heroes charity and the instructors. In particular, Steve Ricketts from the Sherford Skills Training Centre and Grant Johnson of Train4All, can’t do enough for us, the whole team deserves so much credit.”

The course also provided Mark with the opportunity to meet various industry professionals, including the award-winning housebuilders responsible for Sherford’s development. Shining a light on how participants could apply their new professional skillsets, the meetings also provided a chance to understand more about the industry and what career opportunities were available within the sector.

“I started out wanting to gain some skills so that I could do a bit of DIY and to think about whether construction was an option for me, but now, I’m fully determined to pursue a career as a construction manager. The people that I’ve met have really opened my eyes, I now feel that I can offer something outside of the service – something that I didn’t feel confident about before.”

Case History 2: Zoe After 22 years of being posted to various locations across the UK, Zoe took the decision to retire from the Army and make a permanent home for her family in the South West.

Unsure of the next step in her career, it was an unfulfilled ambition that led Zoe to the Building Heroes course at Sherford. Grabbing the opportunity with both hands, it wasn’t just skills that Zoe gained from the experience but the chance to finally achieve her goal.

“It’s the best course I could have gone on. They didn’t just teach us the hands-on skills we needed, in just a few weeks they changed how we all felt.

It gave us a positive outlook on life, knowing that you can have a second career. It’s there, you’re ready, you just have to go out and get it.”

Taking place over five weeks, the in-depth course helps participants to gain a variety of skill sets and create industry quality work across a range of construction trades. With guidance from the course tutors, practical assessments include everything from tiling and fitting radiators, to the construction of stud walls and basic plumbing.

The majority of learners at Sherford Skills

Training Centre are former members of the Armed Forces. Utilising all of the resources available, the Centre introduces course participants to industry leaders, including those who have contributed to the Sherford development. Encouraged by her tutors, it was during this part of the programme that Steve Hoskin Construction caught Zoe’s attention.

“I got to meet them on the course, sent them my CV, went to a couple of interviews, and got the job offer I wanted - it was amazing.”

February 2021

@PlymChronicle

13

Council seizes opportunity to make major New homes to improvements to the Plymouth Life Centre be delivered Major improvements are to be made at the Plymouth Life Centre while it undergoes remedial works, under plans set to be agreed by the City Council.

Additional works that will improve facilities for centre users will be carried out while the centre is closed.

The works have been approved in an executive decision approved by Council Leader Tudor Evans, who visited the site alongside Deputy Leader Councillor Pete Smith recently to oversee progress on the ongoing remedial works ahead of the planned reopening in early spring 2021.

The additional works will be carried out while the venue is closed, minimising disruption to users and ultimately delivering an improved facility for future generations to enjoy.

They will reflect the latest standards in the ever-evolving fitness sector, valuable feedback from the Life Centre’s many network groups and members, the latest standards to increase COVID safety, carbon reduction and improving the overall customer experience.

The improvements include: • Upgraded ventilation and air conditioning systems in response to the impact of COVID-19 • Upgraded LED lighting in pool and changing areas • Replacement of all cubicles and lockers in male and female gym changing areas • Installation of pool hoists to improve accessibility for disabled visitors • Creation of a new yoga studio Council Leader, Tudor Evans, said: “We are seeing really substantial progress in the work at the Life Centre. It was always our intention to get in, get the work done and get the centre open

Council leader Tudor Evans and deputy leader Pete Smith pictured during their visit to the Life Centre

in Plymstock Plymouth City Council is set to directly deliver new homes in the city for the first time this century.

again so that people can get back to the sports and activities they enjoy.

“We have given the green light for additional enhancement works to commence, these will extend the life cycle of the centre and ensure first-class facilities for visitors, for years to come.“Everyone is working very hard to remain on schedule to get this iconic regional and national venue delivered back to the people of Plymouth by early spring 2021. I thank the members and sports groups for their support and patience while the centre undergoes works.”

Matthew Ashwell, commercial director for Balfour Beatty, said: “We have been working collaboratively with the council to ensure the works are progressing in line with our

programme. We have engaged a number of local sub-contractors to deliver this important scope of works, helping us to give back to the local community.”

The enhancements works, approved by executive decision, will be funded via the accumulation of the Capital Programme and Life Centre Maintenance Fund that was established for works of this nature in 2012.

Members of Plymouth Life Centre can access gym, group fitness classes and swimming at Brickfields Sports Centre and Plympton Swimming Pool while the centre is closed.

For more informatio visit www.everyoneactive. com/news/information-for-members-on-theclosure-of-the-plymouth-life-centre/

e-cargo bikes take to city streets

A fleet of brand new electric cargo bikes are taking to the streets of Plymouth, cutting carbon emissions, air pollution and business costs.

A total of 21 businesses across the city have partnered with Plymouth City Council to bring 27 e-cargo bikes into use to carry equipment and delivering goods.

One of just 18 councils in England to be awarded funding in May from the Department for Transport’s £2m eCargo Bike Grant Fund, Plymouth won £123,500 to support the introduction of e-cargo bikes and trailers.

Local businesses receiving funding towards the cost of an e-cargo bike include a community brewery, a school, a design agency, a secure storage company, a bike shop, two photographers, a marina, a restaurant and a builder.

Businesses received up to £4,750 towards the cost and also contributed to the purchase costs themselves. Many of the businesses supported the local economy by choosing Plymouth-based e-bike retailer Bikespace to supply their e-cargo bike.

James Ellwood, Co-Director of project partner Fotonow CIC, said: “It’s a great scheme and has helped us make our first step in reducing the company’s carbon footprint and doing something to

by city council

Cabinet Member Cllr Mark Coker (far left) and Plymouth’s Cycling Champion Cllr Jeremy Goslin (far right) with proud new e-cargo bike owners and users from Plymouth Schools Sports Partnership, Rockets and Rascals, Fotonow, Secure Open Storage, MVP Property Maintenance, Snapdragons, Royal Adelaide Arts and Yoga, and Jasper LM

tackle climate change.

“We are using the bike to carry camera equipment to our shoots.

It’s already reducing the amount of short car journeys we make, reducing our fuel bills, cutting carbon emissions and keeping the team fitter at the same time!”

The growth of online shopping and grocery delivery in the last decade has led to an increase in the use of polluting diesel vans in the city and Covid-19 has accelerated this trend.

By enabling businesses to shift to clean, low carbon transport for

local ‘last mile’ journeys, e-cargo bikes can play an important part in making sure the recovery from the pandemic is clean and green.

Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Infrastructure, Mark Coker said “E-cargo bikes are growing in popularity and offer businesses the opportunity to reduce their transport costs and their environmental impact.

I’m delighted to have secured funding to fast track the growth of e-cargo bike use in Plymouth and to have partnered with so many innovative local

businesses. This is an important step towards our goal of being carbon neutral by 2030”.

If you think your business would benefit from an e-cargo bike why not try out Plymotion’s free eCargo bike loan scheme or consider applying to the Council’s Workplace Travel Grant for funding towards the cost of e-cargo bikes for your business or other investments to enable you and your staff to travel.

A pre-planning application was submitted in December for 10 exceptionally well designed new homes on the site of the former Morley Youth Centre, off Broadland Gardens in Plymstock.

The spacious family homes will be a mixture of two, three and four bedroomed properties and heated with modern, energy-efficient technology, to help achieve low carbon living.

The plans have been put together with Plymouth-based architects Clifton Emery Design and show high-quality homes that overlook an open, green space. Once finished, all of the homes will be available for sale on the open market.

Councillor Chris Penberthy, Cabinet member for Housing and Cooperative Development, said: “Direct delivery of housing has been a long held ambition and I’m delighted with the plans for Broadland Gardens.

“With this project, we want to set the standard for what new homes should look like and instil a culture among the industry that high standard, well designed, low carbon homes are the new normal.

“While Broadland Gardens is the first of these such projects, we’re confident it will not be the last.”

Since the council transferred its housing stock to Plymouth Community Homes in 2009, it has played a strategic role in the market by helping and enabling housing to be built by partners and developers through the Plan for Homes. This new venture will see the council plan, design and build homes directly itself.

Neil Emery, director of Clifton Emery Design, added: “This is a tremendously important moment in time and one which we are extremely happy to be part of.

The client brief is to design a residential environment that will set the benchmark for new housing in the city.”

Now that the pre-application has been submitted, a public consultation window will now open to neighbouring residents of Broadland Gardens and beyond.

A full planning permission application is then set to be submitted in the near future.

More information on the scheme can be found at www.broadlandgardens.co.uk

An architect’s impression of the new development in Broadland Gardens Image: Clifton Emery Design

14 February 2021

14 February 2021

@PlymChronicle

Snowdrop treat in store

Laura is city’s first Laureate of Words

Laura Horton

Plymouth playwright and publicist Laura Horton is Plymouth’s first ever Laureate of Words, for the two years 2021-22.

There’s a treat in store for snowdrop enthusiasts in 2021 at The Garden House’s world famous Snowdrop Festival which takes place in January and February.

The world renowned Matt Bishop Snowdrop Collection, one of the most diverse collections of named and naturalised snowdrops in the UK, has been joined by the Colin Mason Collection at The Garden House, one of the finest gardens in England.

The new collection was left as a very special legacy to the Garden House and it’s expert gardening team very carefully transplanted the collection to the plantsman’s paradise.

Now, together with the original Matt Bishop collection, there are nearly 350 named cultivars and species of snowdrop – some rarely seen in open gardens.

Colin Mason was the owner of ‘Fieldgate Snowdrops’ from which he made successful hybrids which proved to be successful and attractive. He bulked these up by

‘twin scaling’. Much sought after examples include Fieldgate Tiffany, Fieldgate Sophie and Fieldgate Superb – and the Garden House has examples of these in its named collection.

The snowdrops are planted in huge swathes across the garden’s stunning 10 acres. The snowdrops bloom from September through to March, peaking in January and February, and are carefully labelled, tucked into herbaceous borders and naturalised with early flowering bulbs. Snowdrops are scattered across banks and in borders, in plain sight but also tucked away in secret corners.

The Snowdrop Festival, which has become an annual highlight for UK garden lovers, takes place every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from January 15 to the end of February. The Garden House is located at Buckland Monachorum, Yelverton PL20 7LQ For information on visiting times and conditions visit www. thegardenhouse.org.uk

This autumn, Literature Works joined forces with Plymouth Culture and The Box to recruit a Laureate of Words for the city, picking up the baton from outgoing Poet Laureate, Thom Boulton.

The call for the new Laureate of Words was made far and wide to find a wordsmith of any kind to take up this new creative role, representing the city in words.

A panel of partners across the city selected three hopefuls to go through to the first ever public vote for the role.

Throughout November, Laura Horton campaigned for votes alongside fellow playwright and co-director of Downstage Write, Jon Nash and poet Caitlin Brawn before emerging as the public’s choice for Laureate of Words. A total of over 2,150 votes were cast by members of the public in Plymouth.

Over the two years of her Laureateship, Laura will respond to a series of commissions from partners and organisations across Plymouth. She will run a series of events for the public, including one for young people, as well as representing the city at occasions in the civic calendar.

Speaking about her appointment, Laura said: “I’m thrilled to be offered the position of Plymouth Laureate of Words.

To be the first woman feels significant and I know I won’t be the last. I’m excited to explore this role as the first playwright, illuminating the life, culture and stories of this historically rich city.”

Trevi receives £56,000 donation to fund support worker

Trevi, the award-winning Plymouth charity which has helped transform the lives of thousands of women and their children, has received a donation of nearly £56,000 from Devon Freemasons.

At a recent socially distanced meeting Nick Ball, deputy provincial grand master and charity steward Dr Reuben Ayres presented the charity with a certificate confirming the donation of £55,931 which will fund a support worker for three years.

Trevi’s Hayley Dann said: “We are extremely grateful to the Masonic Charitable Foundation and the Devonshire Freemasons for this wonderful donation. It really means a lot to the Trevi team, particularly at this challenging time.”

Nick Ball pictured with Laura Fraser-Crewes of Trevi

February 2021

@PlymChronicle

University granted consent for iconic new engineering and design facility The University of Plymouth has been granted permission to create an iconic new facility that will inspire and educate the next generation of engineers and designers.

The Babbage building, on the western edge of the university’s main campus, will be enlarged and enhanced to provide an innovative and sustainable new home for the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics and additional space for the School of Art, Design and Architecture.

Designed by internationally award-winning architectural practice Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, it has received conditional planning approval from Plymouth City Council.

The facility will include a dedicated new-build component and refurbishment of the 1970s Babbage building, creating more than 10,000 square metres of research and teaching space.

This will offer enhanced and modern specialist equipment, aligned to staff research and expertise and targeted on activities that support our research focus and enable us to engage with regional industrial partners.

The new engineering and design facility forms part of a long-term Campus Masterplan which complements a number of recent developments.

Over the next 10 years, the university will be investing significantly in its campus to ensure existing and future staff and students will continue to enjoy a first-class education, research and working environment.

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Artist’s impression of the new building

Professor Judith Petts, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Plymouth, said: “This is a landmark decision for a project that will have a number of significant benefits for the University and wider community. Over the past decade and more, we have invested in our estate and created outstanding research and teaching facilities in the arts and health, ocean science and sustainability.

“This project will enable us to build on our existing expertise in engineering and design, and provide staff and students with a facility that matches their aspirations and enables them to push the boundaries in addressing real-world challenges.”

...and £1million to create national test facility for renewable technology Plymouth University has been awarded more than £1million to create a unique facility for testing new innovations in floating offshore wind technology.

Supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the project will upgrade the COAST (Coastal, Ocean and Sediment Transport) laboratory, housed within the university’s Marine Building.

It currently enables researchers to study how devices are impacted by waves and currents and, since opening in 2012, has been used to test a range of offshore renewable energy devices.

The additional investment will enable wind generation to be added, creating the UK Floating

Offshore Wind Turbine Test facility within the COAST Lab’s Ocean Basin.

A first-of-its-kind facility within the UK, it will enable physical modelling experiments with wind, wave and currents simultaneously.

The UK presently has the largest installed capacity of offshore wind, and it contributed around 10% of the UK’s power in the third quarter of 2019.

However, the majority of existing turbines are fixed to the seafloor in water depths up to 60metres, and such sites are in limited supply.

Dr Martyn Hann, lecturer in Coastal Engineering and academic lead within the COAST Laboratory, is principal investigator on the project.

He said: “Floating offshore wind is an exciting sector that is likely to grow significantly over the next few years. But before any device goes into the sea, physical modelling is critical, especially during the early stages of developing a new concept.

“Testing model devices at scale in the controlled environment of a laboratory has many advantages and this investment gives us the capability to be at the forefront of such advances.”

The new funding reinforces the university’s reputation as one of the UK’s leading centres for offshore renewable energy research and innovation.

16 February 2021

16 February 2021

@PlymChronicle

Digital future of Plymouth is about to be transformed with £52m full fibre roll-out Nearly every home and business in Plymouth will gain access to nextgeneration broadband thanks to a multimillion pound investment by CityFibre.

Plymouth is to benefit from an investment of at least £52m in its digital future, as part of CityFibre’s plans to upgrade the nation’s legacy networks with gigabit-capable full fibre connectivity.

The state-of-the-art infrastructure is expected to boost business productivity and innovation and deliver millions in economic benefits for the port city, while giving residents access to the UK’s fastest broadband services.

Detailed planning is already underway as CityFibre, the UK’s third national infrastructure platform, designs a network capable of serving Plymouth’s current and future demands. When completed, the network will be in reach of nearly every home and business in the city and will provide a platform for a new generation of ‘smart city’ applications, as well as the roll-out of 5G mobile services.

CityFibre has appointed Kathryn Askew Smith as City Manager to spearhead delivery of the Plymouth project, which is due to start in January. In this role, Kathryn will be responsible for ensuring the state-of-the-art full fibre network is implemented with minimal disruption while delivering maximum

benefit for the wider community.

Kathryn will also be the lead point of contact for all the city’s stakeholders and a key advocate of the wide-ranging benefits that a full fibre network will bring to Plymouth’s residents and businesses.

Kathryn said: “The past months have really shown us just how much we depend on digital technology to manage so many aspects of our lives; yet, people across the country are still battling with unreliable connectivity that slows them down and causes no end of frustration.

“This is why it’s so exciting to be working with an organisation that has set out to tackle this challenge in communities like Plymouth. By investing in Full Fibre infrastructure

and delivering a citywide network roll out, the city can expect to have the best available broadband speeds and futureproof infrastructure that can meet the data-hungry demands of today and tomorrow.”

Kathryn is a project manager with more than 25 years’ experience in supporting infrastructure and telecoms projects in the UK, Asia and the USA. Oakway Ltd is delivering the construction programme on CityFibre’s behalf, using modern build techniques to deploy the network quickly. CityFibre will work closely with Plymouth City Council and local communities to ensure a fast and successful roll-out. Residents are being kept informed by mailings ahead of works commencing in their streets.

Stuart Elford, chief executive at Devon & Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, said: “CityFibre’s investment will help ensure that the power of digital technologies are fully harnessed in Plymouth.

“Full fibre broadband will benefit the people and the business community by unlocking new forms of economic and social value and ensure that Britain’s Ocean City builds on its reputation as a great place to live and work.”

The network is not yet live, but once activated, services will be available from an increasing range of broadband providers.

Across the UK, CityFibre is already

working with launch partner, Vodafone to deliver next generation broadband services, and TalkTalk is expected to join the network soon.

If residents are interested in full fibre broadband, they can pre-register interest with CityFibre to receive information when services are available. To pre-register, visit: cityfibre.com/ residential

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February 2021

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Students get their message across - big time!

Two students from Plymouth College of Art have had their artwork blown up to billboard size, thanks to a competition by Yellowbird Media in Plymouth.

The college was approached by Chris Passmore, of Yellowbird Media, as he had two mobile billboards which were available and in need of artwork. Chris wanted the message of the billboards to focus on environmental awareness and through connecting with Nick Crawley, employer engagement coordinator at Plymouth College of Art, he was able to come up with a brief to send out to students across the whole college.

Rachel Hopkins, who is studying MA Illustration after completing her BA (Hons) degree in Interior Decoration, Design & Styling this year, submitted her piece ‘Save the Rainforests’ after hearing about the opportunity through her student email.

Rachel said: “My entry was actually artwork from one of my Interior Decoration, Design & Styling modules. I constructed a concept for a ‘Save the Rainforests’ pop-up education centre that would tour around the UK to spread awareness of the rate that we are losing our rainforests and how to support the cause.

“My past few projects have all been inspired by the environment and how I can make a difference to our ever changing world. I’m really driven to create work that inspires others to make a change and hopefully contribute to making up the harm us humans have done to this planet.

I’ve personally gained so much from the billboard experience, I’ve had such a positive response.

My submitted piece is really meant to make a statement and having it printed so big is exactly

Plymouth firms urged to access funds to help jobless young people

The number of young people claiming Universal Credit in Plymouth has now exceeded 4,000 people according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics.

Local employers are now being urged to access funding from a £2 billion Government scheme to create job placements to help young people back in to work.

A total of 4,881 young people aged 16-24 years old are now claiming Universal Credit in Plymouth, with large numbers of young people being badly impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic.

The Kickstart Scheme will fund employers to provide six month work placements for young people. Employers will be paid 100 per cent of the National Minimum Wage and employers National Insurance for 25 hours a week. There is also a £1,500 grant per job placement available to help employers pay for setup costs, support and training.

Kickstart Jobs UK is an approved Gateway helping employers access the Kickstart Scheme, especially employers creating under 30 job placements who are not allowed to apply directly to the Government.

Applying through Kickstart Jobs UK is free of charge for employers, who will also gain access to the exclusive Kickstart Academy which will provide free employability skills training to the young person recruited. Employers can apply for Kickstart Scheme funding now at www. kickstartjobs.uk Katie Range from Kickstart Jobs UK said: “The Coronavirus pandemic has hit young people hard and youth unemployment is rising across the country. The Kickstart Scheme is a £2 billion investment by the Government to fund job placements to get young people back in to work.

“I would urge local employers to access this funding to create job placements and help kickstart the careers of local young people, as well as boosting your business at the same time. Pledge your job placements now at www. kickstartjobs.uk “

Plymouth College of Art student Rachel Hopkins with her giant billboard

what it needed to get the message across. It was so amazing to see it in person and see the sheer scale of it!”

Mary Clark, second year student on BA (Hons) Painting, Drawing & Printmaking, also had her artwork chosen for the environmental billboards.

Mary said: “I love to draw and paint from images, and for this project I was inspired by a photo of the sculpture from the Lost Gardens of Heligan in St Austell. The sculpture is a sleeping human figure covered in moss, grass and ivy with a

group of trees behind it.

“For me, that perfectly symbolises the fact that ‘nature is your home’, so I took that as my main inspiration for the poster. Over the summer break, I kept noticing litter in random places while on my daily walks, it always looked like someone had carefully placed it in specific positions, as if they were deliberately trying to destroy the surroundings. I have never heard anyone say ‘litter is vandalism’, but I think it is, so I decided that was my main message.

“I have been drawing and painting since I can remember, but this experience has given me more confidence in my work and definitely an eagerness to enter more competitions to see where they take me! I went to see the billboard recently and I’m so pleased it’s in a place where people can easily access it for free. The size of it makes the message easy for viewers to remember. In fact, I’ve noticed much less litter around since the poster went up.

Maybe it’s already having an effect.”

The billboards were printed at the Imprint Lab and Digital Print Bureau based at Plymouth College of Art, where they discovered the challenge of printing at such a large scale.

However, thanks to Kerry Brosnan, technical demonstrator at the Imprint Lab, along with others on the team, they were able to complete the print, ready for display on the mobile billboard at a huge six by three metres in size.

Nick Crawley said, “We like to encourage students to take part in external briefs, as they get to work on a real life project with a real employer; it’s no longer theoretical.

“They get to see their artwork come to life and be in the public domain which means they can get feedback from creatives and non-creatives about their work. It can also lead to other opportunities, for example Rachel is now designing a poster for Sutton Harbour, because they saw her billboard and loved the simplicity of the artwork and the strength of the message. It just shows what can happen if you enter these live briefs and competitions.”

Rachel’s billboard is situated on the Marsh Mills Roundabout with Mary’s billboard currently stationed at Transit Way near the Tesco store.

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18 February 2021

Councillor Column

18 February 2021

George the pony finds a new home after waiting 10 years to be adopted Staff and volunteers at an equine sanctuary near Plymouth are celebrating after one of their ponies has been found a new home - after a 10 year wait.

By Nick Kelly Leader of the Conservative Group on Plymouth City Council

New Year, new COVID variant We entered 2021 with hope that ‘normality’ would resume sooner rather than later. Sadly COVID had other ideas. The rate of infection with the new variant has wreaked further havoc, and whilst low compared to the national figures, infections in Plymouth have surged.

As a result, we are now in a national lockdown. Our only way out is to comply with the new restrictions, remain vigilant and take personal responsibility around masks, washing hands and social distancing.

This will allow the vaccines to be rolled out at the various locations across the city, starting with the most vulnerable.

In turn we will all receive notification about our own vaccination, but patience is required, especially for the more youthful among us.

So COVID continues to dominate our day to day living and fill our news channels. Despite some false dawns, we will beat this virus and we will do so more quickly and with less deaths and suffering if we act in a responsible manner.

Plymouth so far, has been affected less than most major cities and that is down to the great attitude displayed by virtually everyone in the city. Let’s keep that going.

We are fortunate living in Plymouth to have numerous parks and green spaces that we can visit to take our permitted daily exercise, as well as clear our minds.

So whether it’s a stroll around Thorn Park, Central Park or a visit to the Hoe, I encourage you to get out when possible and enjoy some fresh air and the local beauty Plymouth has to offer.

Mental health is so important at all times, but especially now, and a regular spot of physical exercise works wonders for the mind as well as the body. Please say ‘hello’ if you spot me whilst you are out and about as the Hoe is one of my favourite walks.

It’s at challenging times, such as we are enduring now, we take stock of what is important to us. Family, friends and personal health become more important than ever. It’s also the sense of community spirit and helping others where we possibly can make a positive difference. With this in mind I would welcome your thoughts and views on how we can make our city a far better place to live, work and visit.

Please feel free to email me at nick. kelly@plymouth.gov.uk

@PlymChronicle

George was taken in by the Hoofbeats Sanctuary in 2010 and the search began for a new adopted home where his special needs could be met.

Now after more than 3,500 days in the charity’s care, George has finally been adopted.

Hoofbeats, based on the edge of Dartmoor, has been rescuing and rehabilitating troubled horses and ponies for over 20 years. Totally reliant on public donations, their work has seen nearly 200 horses and ponies of all shapes and sizes pass through their gates, with the charity’s aim being to find approved, loving forever homes for each resident.

Adapting to lockdowns and changing restrictions, the allvoluntary team have amazingly managed to rehome almost 30 horses and ponies in the past year, despite the pandemic.

The Hoofbeats team had grown attached to George’s quirky and cheeky personality - but his complex behavioural issues meant he needed a special kind of home where he could be left to simply enjoy field life with other horses and be fussed over in a quiet environment.

Hoofbeats founder Sharon Vieira said: “We are delighted to see him finally find the dedicated loving home he so deserves. While we offer a permanent sanctuary to those who may never be rehomed, and vow to never put a healthy horse to

George with his pal Snoopy

Donut faces an uncertain future

sleep, finding forever homes for our residents means that we can help more horses and ponies in the future.”

One such horse in need is Doughnut, who has joined the sanctuary in need of help to allow him to live a settled and peaceful life. At only four years old, it has been discovered that Doughnut requires surgery which could cost the charity upwards of £3,000 in order to rebalance his testosterone levels.

With Doughnut currently living with a lot of pent-up frustration, the team at Hoofbeats are hopeful that their supporters can help raise the money needed to fund his urgent operation and allow him to find the forever loan home he deserves for the future.

With spring fast approaching, the charity anticipate that Doughnut’s hormone levels will increase, meaning that he is likely to need to be isolated for the safety of the other horses in the sanctuary’s care.

Sharon added: “Doughnut has joined our sanctuary to be rehabilitated and rehomed. However, at present this is not possible and he faces an uncertain future. Please help us to ensure that this beautiful boy’s life is a happy and healthy one for many years to come by donating to our appeal and helping us to get him the treatment he so deserves.”

To find out more about Doughnut’s story and to donate to his appeal, please visit justgiving.com/ campaign/doughnut. Alternatively, you can donate via PayPal using the address fundraising@hoofbeats. org.uk, and find out more about the charity’s work at www.hoofbeats. org.uk.

A new home at last for George

Counting the cost of COVID in Plymouth The Coronavirus pandemic has cost Plymouth City Council over £20 million in the current financial year and looks set to cost at least £10 million next year.

Like families, businesses and organisations everywhere, the council is counting the cost of COVID-19 as it attempts to set a balanced budget for next year to keep the city running and crucially, to keep people safe.

Cabinet Member for Finance Mark Lowry said: “The figures tell their own story of what an extraordinary time it is - over half a million pounds taking hundreds of homeless people off the streets, £2.9 million caring for our children and young people in need and £3 million lost income as businesses struggle to pay rent.

“And while we are grateful that some of these costs have been covered, there is still a gap of over £7 million.”

The effect of the pandemic also means that fewer people can afford to pay. Last year 74,603 households paid council tax. This year it is 73,115 households as more people are claiming council tax support.

The Government’s provisional settlement has indicated that for every £5 the council has available to spend, nearly £3 is from the council tax payers of Plymouth. The Government has also told councils that they will be allowed to charge a precept - or contribution - of up to three per cent on top up of the

final council tax bill to pay for elderly people needing social care.

Councillor Lowry said: “It is absurd that the Government is forcing local councils to hike up council tax. We still don’t have all the information from the Government we need. In the middle of a pandemic we don’t know what our Public Health Grant for the year is. Last year it was £15.3 million, so it is rather important.”

The council had only just set its budget for 2020/21 when the country went into the first lockdown. It had to urgently implement exceptional measures, including setting up a temporary mortuary, securing supplies of PPE for care homes and ensuring there was support for more than 10,000 medically vulnerable residents who had to shield. While Government grants have supported some council expenditure during the pandemic, it has only been compensated for 71p in every pound spend in responding to COVID-19.

Plymouth has also seen a reduction in its main source of Government funding (the revenue support grant) from £76.6 million in 2013/14 to only £9.74 million this year.

Finance officers have calculated that the cost of running council services next year will need a budget of £195.822 million, but this will not be finalised until February 22. How much council tax people will have to pay will be finalised at the same time.

A full report including final options to balance the budget will be considered by Cabinet on February 9.

February 2021

@PlymChronicle

19

Plympton residents donate more than £2,000 to Rotary’s Santa collections Plympton residents have embraced electronic technology to raise over £2,000 during the 2020 Santa rounds organised by the Rotary Club of Plympton.

In what was an otherwise somewhat miserable year, Plympton Rotarians were determined to continue with the annual Christmas cheer which the Santa rounds bring to young children in Plympton.

COVID-19 meant a much different means of conducting the annual Santa rounds this time though, but Plympton Rotary members together with several other local groups were still able to take to the streets to accompany Santa as he made his pre-Christmas checks.

The hardy team encountered the worst weather on the rounds for many years, but still managed to ensure that eight different rounds were successfully completed in the period leading up to Christmas.

To be COVID compliant the teams avoided knocking on doors this year and only took limited cash on the night. Instead people were asked to make donations online and by mobile phone.

Almost £2,000 had been donated by the final night but the online and text donation facilities remained open for a few weeks after and this pushed the total amount collected to £2,071.

Although this sum was well down on past years it exceeded by twofold the Rotary Club’s expectations of what might be achieved this season without door knocking.

Club President Darren Hands said: “We knew due to the restrictions imposed on us due to Covid that our collections would be down this year but we

CALL OUT FOR MEMORIES...

Plymouth Hebrew Congregation and Ripple Theatre Co are looking for people who have memories of once well-known places in the city that can feature in a new historical audio trail.

Part of the Mayflower 400 Community Sparks - a partnership project between Mayflower 400, Plymouth Culture, Plymouth City Council, The Box and Vital Sparks – the project started by talking to people with relatives buried in the Jewish Gifford Park Cemetery to collect memories.

From these ancestral family conversations, Plymouth Hebrew Congregation and Ripple Theatre Co identified some key re-occurring historical places within the city that many other people will likely share memories of too. The project then evolved and is now looking to incorporate more memories of these much-loved places which can be included within their new audio trail.

Some of the key places mentioned in people’s memories include West Hoe Skating rink; the first Drakes Jewellers; Jack Cohen’s magic shop known as Jack’s Jokes; Solly’s Warehouse hardware store and Robin’s Nest in the Pannier market.

Derek Frood and Ruth Mitchell of Ripple Theatre Co previously created the very successful cemetery audio trail at the Old Jewish Cemetery in Lambhay Hill and for the last four years the Synagogue have opened the door to the cemetery during the Plymouth History Festival.

They are now making a new audio trail and are looking for people who may have memories of the above places, no matter how small.For those wanting to submit their memories, simply contact Ripple Theatre Co via their website at rippletheatreco.com or e-mail rippletheatreco@ gmail.com.

never dreamed of raising as much as we have done.”

At least half of the funds raised will go back towards the local groups who helped out with the remainder going towards other causes supported

by Plympton Rotary.

Darren went on to say: “All of us would like to thank the various groups and individuals who helped us undertake the rounds, from Fordbrook Nursery who donated the tree that was on our ‘sleigh,’ Skills Group who once again loaned us a vehicle, and the various local groups and individuals who helped out each night.”

These groups included Dartmoor Search & Rescue (Plymouth), the Ivybridge Ladies Rugby team, Plympton Guides, Woodside Animal Trust, Woodford Primary School PTA, Santander Bank (Plympton Branch), Plympton Tennis Club, Boringdon Primary School, Devon & Cornwall Food Action and the Plympton Cricket Club.

Plympton Rotary would also like to thank everyone who donated throughout the collection period and to wish everyone a very happy New Year.

(Story courtesy of www.PlymptonPodcast.org.uk)

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20 February 2021

@PlymChronicle

Madman, liar or the Son of God? THE

Experience Many of us celebrate His birth at Christmas and at the beginning of every New Year we at Cross Rhythms endeavour to start this column off with a focus on the Person of Jesus Christ.

Both divine and human, Jesus is the Cornerstone and Foundation of the Christian faith. In these challenging times where our normal rhythms of life have been altered, then more than ever it is important for us at Cross Rhythms to focus on the central foundation of our faith as Christians, Jesus Christ.

According to Pew Research Agency, as of 2010 there were just under 2.2 billion Christians around the world, or about one-in-three (31.4%) of all people worldwide. This makes Christianity the world’s largest religion. The world’s Christian population is expected to grow to 2.9 billion by 2050.

Christendom, or structured Christianity in the West, is challenged as it endeavours to adapt to social changes since World War 2, but global Christianity continues to grow. However, there are some encouraging signs of new life in the church in the west especially amongst the younger generation.

According to ancient scripture (the Bible); historic tradition, history itself and the belief of orthodox biblical Christianity through the ages, Jesus Christ is the focus of global Christianity.

By Chris Cole, founder of Cross Rhythms Charity

Christ lives in the heart and experience of those who believe who He is with lives confirmed by the Holy Spirit.

C.S. Lewis wrote that there are only three options of opinion open to us when we consider the claims Jesus makes about Chris Cole himself: madman, liar or Son of God...

For Christians, Jesus is the one and only Son of God, He has existed with the Father and the Holy Spirit for all eternity, and He came to earth as a man 2,000 years ago in the mysterious act we call the incarnation – quite literally, Heaven invaded Earth.

But who is Jesus to you and me?

A couple of hundred years ago, Napoleon Bonaparte had this to say: “I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man… Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires… upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.” In 1926 Dr James Francis wrote the following: “Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.

“He never owned a home. He never wrote a

book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city.

“He never travelled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself...

“While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves.

“While He was dying His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

“Nineteen long centuries have come and gone, and today He is a centrepiece of the human race and leader of the column of progress.

“I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life.”

£945,000 funding boost for walking and cycling in city Plymouth City Council has secured £945,250 for local walking and cycling improvements, through the second phase of the Government’s Active Travel Fund.

The funding follows the £249,000 awarded in the summer, which has already delivered a number of measures to encourage walking and cycling, as well as support social distancing, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These include a temporary cycle route through Armada Way, 35 new cycle lockers, ‘20mph when lights show’ signs outside 14 schools and cycle safety signs on key city roundabouts.

The emphasis of the second phase of funding is on schemes that support cycling and walking in the longer term.

Councillor Mark Coker, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Infrastructure said: “This council is committed to creating an environment that is safer and better for cycling and walking and establishing these as practical choices for local journeys. Not only does this improve people’s health and the environment, it also supports Plymouth’s economy through reducing congestion.

“We’re delighted to have secured this additional funding through the Active Travel Fund. Together with our existing programme of sustainable transport schemes, this will help us make Plymouth’s cycling network more connected, direct, safe, comfortable and attractive, so that people of all ages and abilities can cycle.”

The funding will be used to deliver or support a number of schemes, including the trial closure of the eastbound carriageway of Royal Parade to all traffic except buses, taxis, motorcycles and bicycles, with the aim

Photo: Plymouth Cycling Campaign

of reducing the amount of vehicles along this busy stretch and improving safety for cyclists.

This temporary closure is expected to be introduced in late spring or early summer and will be closely monitored to understand its impact on all road users.

A contribution will also be made towards further tidal flood defence works along the Embankment, which will incorporate permanent improvements to the existing shared-use, off-road pedestrian and cycle way between Arnold’s Point and Blagdon’s Meadow.

These include widening and resurfacing the route and providing better signage.

Lighting will be installed on an eastwest cycle route through Central Park, safety improvements will be made at the roundabout on Millbay Road, near the international ferryport and two new 20mph zones will be created in Laira and also in Plympton.

Other measures will include: • ‘20mph when lights show’ signs at a further 15 schools • new cycle contraflows allowing cyclists to travel in both directions in one-way streets • improved bicycle detectors at seven signalised junctions, with a view to introducing this newer technology in more locations around the city going forward • pedestrian crossing in Larkham Lane, Plympton • traffic calming scheme near Thornbury Primary School on Miller Way • further steps to tackle physical barriers on walking and cycling routes, for example by reducing street furniture, signposts and other obstructions The funding will also be used to extend the council’s free adult cycle training and bike maintenance sessions and eCargo bike loan scheme for businesses, – currently delivered through the Plymotion programme – supporting this key infrastructure investment.

Public engagement on the various measures will start in the New Year, with the majority of schemes being delivered between Summer 2021 and Spring 2022.

Details will be published on the council’s website at www.plymouth.gov.uk/ activetravelfund.

The foundation of the Christian faith is that Jesus Christ has existed for all time and beyond time. He created us and the world we live in.

‘Gentle Jesus meek and mild’ He may be, but He is also ‘tougher than hell’ and he defeated death, rising again to life to empower men, women and children with grace to carry on where he left off.

He enables us to defeat fear with love in the power of His Holy Spirit. He sits now, ‘the lamb Who was slain’ on a throne beside his Father’s in heaven and his Father has given Him charge of everything that He has reclaimed with His own life.

He has promised He will one day return to bring His peace and the rule of righteous Love in the world. Prophetic scripture confirms this.

This is who Jesus is, for me, and I believe it’s who the Bible says He is... what about you?

When Pontius Pilate stood before Jesus and asked Him ‘what is truth?’ it is ironic that Pilate was standing before Absolute Truth Himself and didn’t realise it.

From all at Cross Rhythms, have a powerful and influential 2021 especially in these challenging times.

Listen to Cross Rhythms Plymouth on 96.3FM or online at the new Cross Rhythms Plymouth website at www. crossrhythms.co.uk/plymouth

Pub food donated to city families in lockdown

Over £200 of fresh food has been distributed to local families due to the kindness of staff at the Wetherspoon’s pub, the Gog and Magog.

Chef Becky Holbrook also volunteers with Plymouth youth charity Barefoot, and knew that the pub would have lots of fresh food that would otherwise be unused and thrown away.

Jon Dingle, a youth worker with Barefoot, said: “We work with a lot of young people and their families in Ernesettle and Whitleigh, and know that many families are struggling even more than usual as a result of all the Covid restrictions.

“We assist the Four Greens Community Trust Wellbeing Hub every Thursday, distributing food packages to families, so we knew which families would benefit most from this fresh food.”

Becky said: “As well as working as a chef, I’m training to be a youth worker, so I know there are families in need across the city. The food was all in date, it just wouldn’t be sold.”

Two donations have been made so far, as various restrictions have been imposed. The first included 360 eggs, salad, mushrooms, pies and orange juice, and had all been given to Plymouth families within two days.

Jon continued: “Those living in areas like Ernesettle and Whitleigh are experiencing tough living conditions on a daily basis, but unless you’re living it, you don’t always realise. This food donation enabled families to eat proper meals for a few days.”

Any businesses which would like to donate excess food stock to Plymouth families can contact Jon on jon@spaceshot.org.uk or get in touch via the Barefoot Facebook page.

Dial the Experts The handy guide to Plymouth trades & services

ARCHITECT

ROWE NET - Electrical & Home Automation

J & M ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN House & Building plans Extensions • Conversions • Alterations Planning & Building regulation applications Fast & efficient service 01752 936125 07745 392764 jjmmdesign@yahoo.co.uk • www.jmdesign.org.uk

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07786 864375 or 01752 242897

Call 01752 548766 or email info@rowe-net.net STEVE ELECTRICAL Fully qualified and insured electrician • Free estimates/no call-out fees • all electrical work considered • Over 25 years experience • Friendly, local, family run business • NICEIC cert • Rewires • Certification for minor or major work Very competitive prices/ high quality work.

Will beat all other reasonable quotes.

• Call Steve 07894 208842

GARDEN & LANDSCAPING

ROB'S LANDSCAPES

BLINDS

UK Blinds Plymouth Ltd We won’t be beaten on price or choice!

Comprehensive Range of Styles & Fabric Free Measuring, Quotation & Fitting Discounts for Multiple Blinds 01752 300923 | 07765 033470 www.ukblindsplymouth.co.uk

BUILDERS D HEWLETT GENERAL BUILDERS • All general household maintenance work undertaken • • No job too small • Kitchens • Bathrooms • Plastering • • Carpentry & joinery • Guttering • Windows • Bricklaying • • Bedrooms • Facias • Driveways • Patios • Decking • Call Derek on 07967 233257 or 01752 777578

CARPENTERS ALLWOOD INSTALLATIONS Trading Standards approved company Bespoke joinery • doors • staircases • bars Box frame windows • counters • PCstations.

Kitchens Bedrooms Bathrooms.

All associated plumbing,electrical & tiling Tel 07704448835 www.allwoodinstallations.co.uk 01752348648 allwoodinstallations@icloud.com

MALCOLM WILLS CARPENTRY

Home Improvements, Alterations, Flooring and Doors, Small jobs undertaken.

Senior Citizens Rates. Call for an estimate.

07599 888841 malcolmwills2017@outlook.com ELECTRICAL

Landscaping • Gardening • Natural Stone Walling • Fencing Block & Brick Walls • Patios • Decking • Ground Maintenance Block Driveways • Pressure Washing • Turfing Artificial Grass Free estimates • 18 yrs experience • Find us on Facebook

07506 739819

robslandscapes@icloud.com

colourfenceplymouth.co.uk Storm proof garden fencing.

Professionally installed with a 25 year warranty.

CALL NOW! 01752 544944 GUTTERING

TOTALLY GUTTERED BLOCKED, BROKEN OR DIRTY GUTTERS? Domestic & Commercial, High Level Gutter Vacuum (up to 4 Storey) Prompt, Efficient Service from a Local Family Business Call on 07467 297363

LOCKSMITH The Door Doctor - 24 hr Locksmith • Lockouts • Lock Changing/Fitting • Specialist UPVC Door & Window Repairs • Replacement Glass • Free Quotes 30 PERCY TERRACE, PLYMOUTH, PL4 7HG Tel 01752 516877 Mob 07989 599969

OVEN CLEANING SERVICES

R.C. Electrical - Ryan Cross

Fully qualified ‘Approved Electrician’ Which? Trusted Trader & Reviews on Yell.com • Over 19 years experience • FREE quotes •

www.rc-electrical.net info@rc-electrical.net 07813 195943

GREENS OVEN CLEANS Let me give your oven a new lease of life Call Trevor on 07501 645208 trevgreen4@gmail.com Fully Insured

PAINTERS & DECORATORS A.S. DECORATING & MAINTENANCE Specialising in full room skims/decor • Maintenance • Repair • Plastering • Flooring • Tiling • Kitchen & Bathroom fitting 16 Lympne Ave, Ernesettle, Plymouth Tel 01752 771457 Mob 07966 639129 Email: a.sdecorating@hotmail.co.uk

ERB PAINTING & DECORATING

Decorating internal & external • Plastering Renovations • Flooring • General maintenance Garden decking & fencing • Friendly & reliable Tel: 01752 559753 Mob: 07796 961036 email: ellis-ball@hotmail.co.uk

S.G.F Decorating Services Plastering & Decorating Specialist Painting - Plastering - Wallpaper - Interior & Exterior Work - Over 30 years experience C.S.C.S Registered - Friendly & Reliable 07859 804389 stevefull@live.co.uk

PLASTERING

B Williams Plumbing and Heating Reliable plumber no job too small from tap washers to central heating systems. Free quotes gas safe registered. No call out charge, recommendations can be given. 07971572632 www.bw-plumbing.co.uk PINK PLUMBERS Fast, Friendly, Reliable and tidy service by your local FEMALE plumber.

Specialist in small to medium jobs (NO VAT) 01752 412070 07540 956436

PROPERTY MAINTENANCE

One Call Maintenance

Call Richard • WINDOW AND DOOR REPAIRS 07974101028 • GLAZING REPAIRS • GARAGE DOOR REPAIRS or email

1callplymouth@ • ANY PROPTERY MAINTENANCE gmail.com All repairs expertly undertaken

ROOFING

A R PLASTERING & BUILDING From a small repair to the whole house All Internal & External Work undertaken • Plastering • Rendering • Building work • Decorating • Damp proofing • Tiling • and more Free estimates call Alex on 07904755491

STEVE BENNETT PLASTERING

Special OAP Rates Internal/External Plastering • Spar Dash Specialist • Insurance Work Welcome • UPVC Facias, Soffits and Guttering • Property Maintenance • Painting/Decorating • Coving Prompt Polite Friendly Service • No Job Too Small • Free Estimates 01752 368601 • 07971 741068 www.stevebennettplastering.co.uk • facebook.com/plasterersofplymouth

PLUMBING & HEATING SERVICES

A Boiler 4 U Boiler servicing, boiler repairs, boiler replacement.

Radiator replacements. All plumbing and gas work undertaken. Book your boiler service with us today.

Visit our showroom at Unit 12 Sugar Mill Business Park,

By The Range in Plymstock.

07786 864375 or 01752 242897 MIKE JARVIS PLUMBING & HEATING SERVICES All plumbing, heating and gas work undertaken • Servicing, installation and repair • Gas Safe • • No job too small • 24 hour emergency call out • VAILLANT approved installer Tel 01752 778440 Mob 07875136429

T.R.B Heating - Trevor Bryant

Full Heating Systems • Boiler Exchanges • Fire and Fireplace Installations • Complete Kitchen & Bathroom Design and Installation • Former British Gas Heating Installer • Gas Safe Registered Special offer on servicing boilers £50 (T&C Apply) 0790 6706 799 www.trbheating.co.uk trbheating@live.co.uk

DEVONSHIRE ROOFING SERVICES

All aspects of roofing work undertaken, from repairs and maintenance to full restoration and new build projects.

Pitched or flat roofs • GRP (fibreglass) •lead-work uPVC Fascias & guttering • Roof-lights • Fully insured A fast & friendly service. Competitive rates.

Call or email Neil for a free estimate • 07543363225 • 01752216765 devonshireroofing@live.co.uk • www.devonshireroofing.co.uk 10% discount to Forces Veterans

LES PIKE • Emergency roof repair specialist • Concrete tiles • Natural slate • Lead valleys • Flashings All building & construction work undertaken.

45 Years experience in the building industry.

Tel: 01752 787708 Mob: 07977949898

WASTE REMOVAL

J&S RUBBISH REMOVALS House/Loft/Garage/Garden Clearances Licence carriers. Discount for OAPs. Free estimates Call Steve today to take it away Tel: 01752 600570 Mob: 07929000918 info@js-rubbish-removals.co.uk

KSR Licensed Disposal REMOVAL OF WASTE Cheap rates for OAPs, For a FREE Estimate, CALL Kevin: 07810 450940 Please Stay Safe!

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22 February 2021

22 February 2021

@PlymChronicle

Latest climate plans for Plymouth revealed Engagement on Plymouth’s latest actions on the climate emergency will begin shortly.

Initial plans to help tackle the crisis were first launched in December 2019, setting out 39 actions Plymouth City Council would take to address its own carbon emissions and 75 actions planned for Plymouth as a whole.

Over the past year, and despite the challenges of the pandemic, many of the actions detailed in those plans have now been completed and so the time has come to ramp up the actions for 2021.

The draft actions for the second Corporate Carbon Reduction Plan 2021 and the Climate Emergency Action Plan 2021 will first be reviewed by the Council’s Brexit, Infrastructure and Legislative Change Committee when it meets on January 13.

Following this, any suggested recommendations will be taken on board before the plans are put before the Council as a whole on January 25 and then rolled out for engagement with partners and in the community.

Councillor Sue Dann, Cabinet Member for Street Scene and the Environment, said: “Climate change is a top priority for Plymouth City Council now, and as we look to the future so I’m really pleased to be able to present these latest plans to my colleagues, firstly at scrutiny and then at our city council meeting later this month. ”We’ve had a very successful first year delivering over 100 actions from our first Action Plans and it’s great to be able to highlight the good work that is happening in organisations across the city.

“It’s vital that the city council continues to show leadership on climate change issues and agrees on the way forward so that together, we can reach our ambitious 2030 net zero target.

“This includes getting our own house in order so we can continue to deliver important services for local people in a more sustainable way, but in a way that no community gets left behind.

“I think what I’m most proud of is that the plans are not just word; they are all about action; actions that pave the way to a carbon neutral future for our city.”

Plymouth City Council recently invested in a fleet of electric vans as part of its commitment to carbon reduction

The Corporate Carbon Reduction Plan 2021 centres on what the City Council can do within its own operations.

There have been some notable successes to date with the last plan delivering the replacement of fossil fuel powered vehicles with electric alternatives, reviewing street lighting and focussing on emissions and waste from Council buildings.

The Action Plan also sets out the council’s social and moral responsibility to take positive action and provide strong leadership on averting the dangerous effects of climate change and leading by example.

The Climate Emergency Action Plan 2021 meanwhile concerns the whole of the city and how everyone can be part of the change needed to reach net zero by 2030. It sets out the city-wide strategic approach and response to the declaration of the climate emergency and how partners can help contribute to wider cause.

It describes the three phases of Plymouth’s response to climate change issues: an Emergency Response Phase 2019-2021; a Transitional Phase 2021-2023, and an Acceleration Phase 2023-2030.

There have also been some notable city-wide success during 2020 including installing ground-source heat systems, updating planning policies, improving the energy efficiency of over 100 homes through the Warm Homes Fund, installing over 45 workplace electric charging points, and commencing many of the walking and cycling projects that form part of the Transforming Cities Fund.

Councillor Dann added: “Notwithstanding the awful impacts of the pandemic we know we must all change our behaviours and our relationship with the natural world. We know we need to do more and we also know we can’t do it alone.

“In addition to what we have achieved so far we will continue to make funding bids throughout 2021 to maximise what we can achieve for Plymouth so that there is a future for us all and we can leave a lasting legacy for the young people of this proud city.”

Forgotten voices at the heart of new UK food research project Disadvantaged communities left behind by the UK’s traditional food system will have a bigger say in how healthy and sustainable food is produced and distributed through a new research project involving academics at the University of Plymouth.

The project unites researchers and food industry representatives with charity leaders to reimagine how food policy, products and supply chains can be developed.

It will focus on working with disadvantaged communities to jointly establish new solutions to address a lack of access to healthy, sustainable food.

The work is one of four interdisciplinary research projects to have received a total of £24 million funding through the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Strategic Priorities Fund (SPF).

It will develop a framework to ensure food is affordable, desirable and fits with the complex demands on people’s lives. This means regular consumption of a nutritious diet, produced in a way that is good for our planet, will be an attainable aspiration for all members of our society.

Preliminary work has shown that people living in disadvantaged communities have the desire to eat a healthier diet and are aware that good nutrition is closely linked to good physical and mental health.

The project is being conducted by a partnership including Dr Clare Pettinger, lecturer in Public Health Dietetics, and colleagues at the universities of Reading, Cranfield, Sussex and Kent.

She said: “I am thrilled to be part of a collaborative project which brings together four very diverse communities – alongside a range of other key partners – putting their

voices at the heart of more democratic decision making to transform our food system.

“In Plymouth, a city with very high levels of disadvantage, we have seen worsening inequities in food access, particularly in our more disadvantaged communities, which affects both physical and mental health.

“This project will bring enormous opportunities to our city offering our communities, and the organisations that serve them, a greater active say in how we can transform our food system to support both human and planetary health gains.”

The Plymouth element of the project, which will directly receive around £600,000 funding, will build on Dr Pettinger’s previous work examining how food poverty is impacting vulnerable people across the city.

This has included research in tandem with disadvantaged groups and community

Photo: Getty Images

Dr Clare Pettinger of the University of Plymouth

initiatives, and resulted in a film – Food: On the Margins in Plymouth, produced with media company Fotonow CIC – designed to shed light on the impact of food poverty within the city of Plymouth.

For the new project, she will be using her expertise in public health nutrition as part of a local and national benchmarking exercise to understand the diets of disadvantaged communities.

She will then also work with the Food Plymouth CIC to establish a team of

community food researchers, whose work will include helping industry partners to improve the content healthiness and sustainability of food products.

As the project progresses, Dr Pettinger will also help to evaluate the impact of new products on choice and public health and then develop new community food policies.

Away from Plymouth, the project will focus on sharing knowledge and learning from working with people from a variety of disadvantaged communities (Whitley, Berkshire; Brighton and Hove, West Sussex; Tower Hamlets, London) as well as small and large food businesses and policy makers. Communities will co-create policies to prevent food loss from ‘mainstream’ supply chains, and identify where increased sustainable production of primary food ingredients is needed.

Professor Carol Wagstaff, from the University of Reading, is the overall project lead. She said: “People who are currently struggling to put healthy, sustainable food on their tables each day are at the heart of this new project. Many struggle, not because they lack aspiration or knowledge about food, but because of the real impact of financial or time poverty. The project will give a voice and power to those who are so often left behind when food systems, food policies and novel products are designed.

February 2021 23

@PlymChronicle

£935,000 boost for The Box The Box has received a near £1 million grant from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund to help with the increased capital costs caused by the pandemic.

The Box was only a couple of months away from its launch when the first national lockdown came into effect this spring.

The government restrictions meant it had to postpone its highly anticipated opening from midMay until the end of September.

The delay resulted in increased fees for the fit out of The Box’s building and its exhibition spaces.

It also had to extend the lease on its offsite store, purchase specialist PPE equipment, create and produce additional signage and develop new digital interpretation.

Tudor Evans, Plymouth City Council Leader, said: “We are thrilled to be the recipient of yet more support from Arts Council England and for the grant that The Box has now been awarded from the Capital Kickstart programme.

“No-one could have predicted the challenges that 2020 has presented us with and the delayed opening of the city’s major new museum, gallery and archive incurred a range of additional capital costs.

Emergency Numbers

Police, Fire, Ambulance or Coastguard 999 or 112 Police general enquiries 101 Derriford Hospital 01752 202082 Electricity, Western Power Distribution 0800 678 3105 Gas, Wales & West Utilities 0800 111999 Water, South West Water 0344 3462020 Environment Agency (Emergency) 0800 807060 RSPCA 0300 1234 999

Helplines

“This funding will go a long way towards helping to alleviate the financial pressures these have created and will help put The Box in a really strong position to go on to even bigger and better things in 2021.”

The grant of £935,000 for The Box bring the

total investment from the Government’s Cultural Recovery Fund in Plymouth to £4,986,492.

The funding is supporting 14 projects across the city including Theatre Royal Plymouth, Real Ideas Organisation, Plymouth Pavilions and the Plym Valley Railway.

Mind my Rolls-Royce it’s worth £1.5 million!

The group of gleaming vintage Rolls-Royces and Bentleys waiting on Plymouth’s Millbay Docks started their engines and slowly boarded the Brittany Ferries ship for the inaugural crossing on the new Plymouth to Santander, North Spain route.

It was 1978. Naturally enough, with one of the vehicles worth £1.5 million, their owners became very protective and demanded a minimum one-metre space be left around their vehicles on the car deck. As a result, it soon became clear that not all other vehicles booked on the crossing were going to get on.

As the ship sailed out, 24 cars were left on the dockside with the angry occupants pursuing flustered Brittany Ferries staff back to the terminal. All this was played out in front of the press and TV crews who were having a field day!

This is just one of the many of the stories and anecdotes recounted in a new book on Brittany Ferries that is out now.

Brittany Ferries: From a Cause to a Brand 1973-2005 is an account of the first three decades of the ferry company’s operations that saw it grow from a single ship operation exporting agricultural produce from Brittany to England to being the sole operator of cruise ferry services from Britain and Ireland to France and Spain.

There are stories of the huge hurdles the company faced as it developed it services, fishermen strikes, dockers strikes, crew strikes, financial crises, ship

breakdowns and accidents, environmental disasters, dark dealings by competitors and more.

Brittany Ferries survived them all and by the early years of the 21st century was well on the way to becoming the leading brand it is today This is more than a book to be enjoyed by just ferry enthusiasts. Brittany Ferries benefitted from multinational management. The formation was driven by Alexis Gourvennec, one of the Breton farmers, politically astute and eventual long-standing company president.

Charismatic Christian Michielini acted as a bridge between French and British management teams. The French provided the initial cause, the finance, the ships and built the onboard experience. Yet most of the revenue was generated in a southbound direction.

So sales, branding, destination led marketing and route expansion strategies were driven by a management team in the UK. The result was an international blend of the best of French and British cultures.

It is a no-holds-barred account of how a small group of farmers had the foresight to put their money where their mouths were and start their own freight export operation rather than call on existing operators, and how it developed.

Published by Lainson Publishing, the 384-page book costs £22.95. Visit www.ferrypubs.co.uk/product/brittanyferries-from-a-cause for further information on how to obtain a copy.

Winter grant scheme set to help Plymouth families Plymouth City Council will distribute food and fuel support worth more than £900,000 to families in need as part of the Government’s COVID Winter Grant Scheme over the coming months.

The scheme will provide support to vulnerable households and families with children particularly affected by the pandemic throughout the winter period, where alternative sources of assistance may be unavailable.

With the funding ring-fenced to support with food and essential utility costs, it will allow help to reach the hardest-hit families and individuals.

Building on the success of the October half-term Council funded holiday support scheme, the COVID Winter Grant Scheme will ensure support will be provided over the Christmas holidays to all eligible children.

The council is sending batches of unique food e-voucher codes to city schools for them to distribute to all families on their Free School Meals registers. Each code can be used once to redeem vouchers to the value of £30 per child (£15 per week for the two weeks of school holidays) at various supermarkets.

Councillor Chris Penberthy Cabinet Member for Housing and Co-operative Development said:

USEFUL NUMBERS

“We know all too well the devastating impact the pandemic is having on the lives of many people across the city and throughout these difficult and uncertain times it has been our absolute priority to protect our most vulnerable residents. Our immediate focus is on the provision of food and other support to our most vulnerable households and I’m really pleased that the council is working closely with other organisations across the city to support our citizens over the winter months.”

As well as supporting the families of children who are eligible for free school meals the funding will also be used to provide support with winter warmth essentials to eligible households. The council has partnered with Plymouth Energy Community to distribute £250,000 of these funds to people at risk of fuel poverty as a result of the impacts of the pandemic. Full details of how to apply will be released soon and the first grants issued in the New Year.

In line with national guidance the following households will be eligible for support under the Winter Grant programme: • Households with children that are in receipt of any benefits • Households (including statutory provision) with children that are recognised as vulnerable

and are in receipt of statutory support • Households without children that are struggling to access food or are in arrears with utility costs.

• These households will only be eligible for support if they are on benefits and can evidence that they cannot pay for food or fuel (evidence will be needed in both cases).

Other areas of the council are also helping to tackle food poverty over the festive season. The Box, working in partnership with Fosters – the company that runs its Kitchen & Bar, Plymouth Community Homes and Food Plymouth, has raised over £26,000 in a successful crowdfunding campaign to create boxes of tasty ingredients so thousands of local families can cook a Christmas dinner. All the information and support available is listed on Plymouth On-line Directory.

The council’s Community Connections team will work with PEC to support people with fuel debt and white goods, both of which can be barriers to people moving into permanent accommodation.

More details about the COVID Winter Support Grant and other support available to residents impacted by the pandemic can be found at www. plymouth.gov.uk/coronaviruscovid19information/ ineedhelp

Age UK Plymouth 01752 256020 Adoption UK 0844 848 7900 Al-Anon Family Groups 020 7403 088 Alcoholics Anonymous 0800 917 7650 Carers UK 020 7378 4999 Childline 0800 1111 Christians Against Poverty (Debt Advice) 0800 328 0006 Citizens Advice 0300 3309 043 Cruse Bereavement Care 0870 1671677 Devon & Cornwall Food Action 01752 651800 Disability & Information Advice Line 01302 310123 Drug Addicts Anonymous: Helpline 07818260811 Jan Cutting Healthy Living Centre 01752 203670 Money Advice Plymouth (Debt Advice) 01752 208126 NSPCC Child Protection Helpline 0808 8005000 National Missing Persons Helpline 0500 700700 National Christian Helpline 0300 111 0101 NHS Direct 0845 4647 National Domestic Violence Helpline 0808 2000247 Osteoporosis Support Group 075958 500314 Overeaters Anonymous 07000 784 985 Parentline Plus 0808 8002222 Relateline 0845 1304010 Samaritans 116 123 Talk to Frank 0800 776600 Shelterline 0808 8004444 Stop Hate Crime 24/7 Helpline 0800 138 1625 Stroke Helpline 0303 3033 100 West Country Landlords Assn 01752 242980

Travel RAC Green Flag Rail Travel, national enquiries Plymouth Citybus National Express Coaches Brittany Ferries Cremyll Ferry Torpoint Ferry Tourist Information Passport Office, National Helpline

08000 828282 0800 400600 08457 484950 01752 662271 08717 818181 08705 360360 01752 822105 01752 812233 01752 266030 0870 5210410

Entertainment Theatre Royal 01752 267222 Barbican Theatre 01752 267131 Devonport Playhouse 01752 606507 Plymouth Athenaeum Theatre 01752 266079 Plymouth Pavilions 01752 936363 Plymouth Pavilions Ticket Store 03337 727727 Cineworld 03303 33444 Vue Cinema 0345 308 4620 Tourist Information 01752 306330 National Trust Saltram 01752 333500 Plymouth City Museum & Art Gallery 01752 304774 Plymouth Arts Centre 01752 206114

Leisure

Plymouth Life Centre 01752 606900 Brickfields Recreation Ground 01752 563320 Manadon Football Dev’ment Centre 01752 201918 Plympton Swimming Pool 0870 300 0020 Plymouth Pavilions 0845 146 1460 Megabowl, Coxside 0871 5501010 Tourist Information 01752 306330 The Beckly Centre, Plymstock 01752 484433

Weather The Met Office Weathercall

0870 9000100 0870 6004242

If you think your organisation would benefit from being listed in our Useful Numbers guide please e-mail your details to info@cornerstonevision.com or write to: Plymouth Chronicle, 28 Old Park Road, Peverell, Plymouth Tel 01752 225623

Please note that whilst the Publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of telephone numbers in this Directory, and dates in the What’s On section, no responsibility can be accepted for any errors.

24 February 2021

24 February 2021

Work due to start on Leigham Roundabout Work to widen and improve Leigham Roundabout and Forder Valley Road is due to start in February as a key part of the city’s Forder Valley transport improvement scheme gets underway.

The roundabout at the bottom of the valley is getting a complete redesign to smooth traffic flow and reduce congestion. Once the new Forder Valley Link Road is complete, it will form part of the new alternative link from the A38 to the north of the city.

After months of detailed planning and design work, it’s now green for go on the scheme which will be delivered by Balfour Beatty, who are the main contractors on the Forder Valley Link Road project.

What’s coming?

• Extra road space and better traffic flow • Upgraded and extended merge off the roundabout heading north onto Forder Valley Road • An extra lane on the southbound approach to the roundabout • Wider off-road walking and cycling space leading off the roundabout up Forder Valley • Subway under Forder Valley Road extended and improved.

A decision is being signed today confirming the contract on the Forder Valley Interchange scheme - as it is more formally known as - and the final cost of the scheme, which is £10.54 million.

There has been a slight increase due to unfavourable ground conditions detected following surveys as part of the detailed design stage, as well as the impact of COVID-19.

The surveys revealed that part of the land earmarked for construction was used for dumping material from bomb damaged properties following the end of the Second World War. The scheme is expected to start in February and be completed by Spring 2022. The programme is being planned so that the new area of road space on Forder Valley Road is constructed off-line first.

The extra space can then be used to move traffic around, avoiding the need for extensive traffic management measures and minimising disruption to the travelling public.

Councillor Mark Coker, Cabinet Member for Strategic Transport and Planning said: “Anyone who uses this roundabout knows it can get seriously snarled up at peak times. We’re creating an impressive new road link at the top of the valley so we also need to look at the roundabout at the bottom.

“It currently causes aggravation - not just for commuters but for the locals living in Delamere Road trying to get out. This scheme aims to sort those niggles out.

“Much of the build will be taking place off the roundabout and more disruptive works will be done off peak or overnight as far as we can.”

Landscaping for the scheme will see improved

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planting that will better blend the verges of the highway into meadow grasslands, then into tree and shrub planting at the woodland edge before merging with the existing mature woodlands of the Forder Valley.

A more diverse range of grasses and wildflower species for the meadows will provide habitats for insects and invertebrates and the woodland edge will be planted with native species of tree and shrubs, providing food and shelter for the local wildlife.

The scheme received a £5 million contribution

from the Department for Transport’s National Productivity Investment Fund and £3.83 million from the Community Infrastructure Levy.

A further £1.59 million from the Integrated Transport Block and £116,000 revenue to capital contribution will now be invested into this major scheme to allow construction to be delivered.

Further details will be released shortly about the construction phasing and associated traffic management. For more information visit www. plymouth.gov.uk/fordervalleyinterchange

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Appeal for vaccination volunteers Volunteers are being sought to help with the COVID vaccination programme in Plymouth.

With the rollout of a vaccination programme under way in the city, Our Plymouth CIC are working with the Plymouth Good Neighbours Scheme and University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, to recruit volunteers to help in a variety of roles.

Some of the roles will require specific skills and knowledge, but there are many others - such as car park marshals - which mainly involve committing time to help out.

One of the main volunteer requirements is for stewards to direct patients to and from vaccination centres, ensuring people respect social distancing guidelines and that they have all the documentation and paperwork prepared for checking.

Another role requirement is vaccination care volunteer which will involve meeting and greeting patients, helping them navigate the vaccination centre and signposting them to relevant external resources as needed.

These volunteers will work with small teams of doctors, nurses and other trained staff and assist in completing the documentation associated with the administration of the vaccine, ensuring compliance with regulated requirements.

Patients advocates are also needed to provide support to patients, presenting them with relevant details about the vaccination and possible adverse reactions.

Our Plymouth operations manager Martin Mills said that they had received more than 150 volunteer applications since their appeal was launched just before Christmas. But more volunteers are needed.

Martin said: “I’ve always loved the community spirit Plymouth exudes but I’m still surprised at the response, to have so many people stepping up is awesome. We still have more places to fill though, so the work isn’t done yet.”

Once the induction sessions and paperwork are all completed the task of scheduling the days and times for each volunteer to start will be undertaken.

The Plymouth vaccination centre will be running three shifts a day and a full induction session is being prepared for volunteers ahead of it’s opening.

Neil Minion from the Plymouth Good Neighbours Scheme is well known by volunteers in the city as the head of the volunteer programme for Mayflower 400 and he’s passionate about the training and induction for volunteering.

Neil said: “As a city we have to make sure that volunteers are treated properly and it’s a real meaningful experience for them. I’m humbled at the number of people coming forward to give up their time to help others, it’s a real demonstration of the great community spirit in the city,” he said.

For more information go to www. ourplymouth.co.uk

Chronicle Plymouth

February 2021

COVID UPDATE See inside for news and information from Plymouth City Council Pages 2 and 3

Plympton schoolboy Taylor Hardy has raised over £4000 for a Plymouth charity See page 11

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Plympton & Plymstock

See inside for great range of discounts from city shops and businesses

Winter warmers!

These two cute little kittens at Gables Dogs and Cats Home didn’t have to wear scarves for too long to keep warm - thanks to the generosity of supporters who raised more than £6,000 for the Gables Winter Heating Appeal.

• See story on page 8