Sunday Email – Page 37 – Topcliffe and Asenby Sunday Email

Posted on 22 November 202030 August 2021 by Doug Allan

Sunday Email: Issue 34

Hello and welcome to the 34th issue of this regular Sunday email.

Apparently the Cabinet is meeting today to consider what restrictions should be in place once the current lockdown ends on Wednesday 2 December. Some pundits are suggesting that a tougher three-tier arrangement will come into force with more areas in the top tier. However, there is likely to be a concession allowing families to come together in ‘a bubble’ over Christmas. (Makes you wonder if the virus knows it has to take a holiday!). An announcement is expected tomorrow.

I’m sure that you will agree that it’s important to support local businesses during the pandemic and especially in the run up to Christmas. That’s why a few items in this email look familiar – either because they are repeated or updated.

I hope you find the email contents interesting and informative. As usual, get in touch with me if you have any news or information that you think Topcliffe and Asenby residents might like to hear about.

Doug

07785 223707

The latest Covid situation in North Yorkshire – a report from Richard Flinton, Chief Executive

It has been all eyes on Scarborough over the past week as the health services and other agencies have been responding to the soaring rates of covid-19, the borough has been experiencing. To put it into perspective Scarborough remains in England’s top 10 highest infection rate areas and at one stage, was second only to Hull. Some commentators have linked the increase to the influx of visitors to the coast over half term but in reality the facts are rather closer to home and they serve to remind us all of the very volatile virus we are dealing with. While most people are continuing to stick to the rules and making sacrifices around not seeing their loved ones, sadly a few others are not. So of the 45 fixed penalty notices issues by our partners in the police last weekend just gone, 40 were for illegal gatherings including birthday parties indoors.

Our Director of Public Health, Dr Lincoln Sargeant commented: “This virus does not spread in a linear way, it increases exponentially. This is difficult for some people to grasp – hence there can be a degree of complacency. By the time they are aware of the impact, the spread is getting rapidly worse. It is catastrophic, as is the nature of pandemics. The virus told us its secrets earlier in the year: it spreads through people we trust to be in our personal space. If we are going to make a difference we have to think about our personal responsibility.”

So there it is. The stark truth. It is only individuals who can make the difference in the decisions they make every day. While most of us are playing our part for the county, those who decide to flout the rules can trigger rapid changes in the rate of spread. Some people seemed well aware they should not be having house parties, perhaps they felt safe because they did not believe they had been in contact with anyone who had the virus. But many people will carry the virus with very mild or even no obvious symptoms. Sadly, they may then pass it onto the very people who may develop much more serious symptoms, some may well die. None of this is very palatable, I understand that, but frankly, I think we are at the point with the small minority of people where just asking isn’t enough. As a result, North Yorkshire Police are very clear that they will act on the public’s concerns and respond to reports of breaches of the Covid laws and that enforcement will continue where that is necessary.

So as we head toward the lifting of the second national lockdown I urge everyone in the strongest terms to think very carefully about the sort of Christmas we want to have. We do not yet know what national tier we will be in from December 2. At the moment as a county, we remain above the national average, which is not a happy place to be. The very high rates along the coast are pulling that average up, but we are not powerless in this. In fact, we are very much in charge of our own decisions so let’s make the right choices!

Book a Coronavirus test locally

Testing sites in North Yorkshire are operated and managed by the Department of Health and Social Care and private contractors employed by them. The Department is asking the public only to get a test if they are directed to do so by NHS Test and Trace or other NHS services – OR – if they have symptoms. This is important to ensure that those people who need tests the most can be prioritised.

This list only shows the testing sites closest to where we live. These are government operated sites and they are open between 11am and 3pm. The full list of North Yorkshire sites can be viewed on the county council’s website at https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/book-coronavirus-covid-19-test

Every day – Harrogate – Dragon Road Car Park, Dragon Road, Harrogate, HG1 5DB
Monday 23 November – Northallerton – Newby Wiske Hall, Northallerton, DL7 9HA
Tuesday 24 November – Catterick – Catterick Race Course, Catterick Bridge, Richmondshire, DL10 7PE
Thursday 26 November – Richmond – Round Howe car park, Reeth Road, Richmond, DL10 4T
Friday 27 November – Northallerton – Newby Wiske Hall, Northallerton, DL7 9HA
Saturday 28 November – Skipton – Coach Street, Skipton, BD23 1LH
Sunday 29 November – Richmond – Round Howe car park, Reeth Road, Richmond, DL10 4T
Sunday 29 November – Thirsk – Millgate Car Park, Thirsk, YO7 1PE

Before you attend you must book a test. Tests can be booked from 8pm the night before. If test sites are fully booked they will not appear on the government’s website. To book a test visit: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

In certain cases, home test kits can be delivered to someone’s door so they can test themselves and their family without leaving the house. There’s a link on the North Yorkshire County Council website to request a home test – https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/home-testing

Flu jab for over 50s

People aged 50 to 64 will be able to get a free flu vaccine from 1 December as part of an expanded pre-winter flu vaccination programme. Jabs will be available from their GP or pharmacy.

Provisional data published by Public Health England last Thursday suggests that the initial push to give flu jabs to the most vulnerable has gone extremely well with 72.9% of those aged 65 attending for their jab.

Reminder of postal deadlines at Christmas

Friday, 18 December………………..2nd Class and 2nd Class Signed For

Monday, 21 December…………….1st Class and 1st Class Signed For and Royal Mail Tracked 48

Tuesday, 22 December…………….Royal Mail Tracked 24

Wednesday, 23 December………. Special Delivery Guaranteed

International Standard

Friday, 4 December…………………. Australia and New Zealand

Wednesday, 9 December………… Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Central and South America, Far and Middle East

Thursday, 10 December………….. Canada, Cyprus and Malta

Friday, 11 December………………. Greece, Eastern Europe (except Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia) and Turkey

Saturday, 12 December………….. Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Poland, Sweden, USA

Wednesday, 16 December ………Austria, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Switzerland

Friday, 18 December………………. Belgium, France, Ireland, Luxembourg

Topcliffe Christmas tree and decorations

On Tuesday a group of volunteers will be putting up the Christmas tree outside the village hall in Topcliffe. This year our Christmas tree is being kindly donated by Debbie Roberts, Hannah Alderson and Kerry Parker of The Milk Churn Farm Shop. Last year, the first time we had a community tree in the village, we collected together a few decorations and lights but we haven’t enough to properly decorate the larger size tree we are getting this year. So, if anyone would like to donate any spare decorations or battery/solar lights please get in touch. They must be suitable for outside use, of course. We will leave the lower branches free so that children can put their homemade decorations on the tree. Lockdown and restrictions allowing we hope to have a carol service at the tree in December. More on that in the near future.

Police & Fire public accountability meeting

North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner is asking for people to get involved in her next monthly public accountability meeting, live from 1.30pm on Tuesday, 24 November. The main item considers how the fire and police services are achieving an inclusive and diverse workforce. Members of the public are invited to watch the discussion, send in relevant questions in advance or submit comments by Twitter during the session.

These meetings give members of the public and staff the opportunity to understand the performance of both services and hear what they are doing to keep the public safe.

• The agenda, along with presentations and reports, are available on the Commissioner’s website: http://bit.ly/PAM24NOV2020

• To ask a question: In advance of the meeting, please send your question to info@northyorkshire-pfcc.gov.uk please include your name and address with your question.

• To ask a question during the meeting using Twitter, @northyorkspfcc – include #NYscrutiny in your tweet.

• You can watch the broadcast on: http://bit.ly/PAM24NOV2020

• Or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4ylyU5N-0k8

Care for Christmas

Herriot Hospice Homecare (HHH) has launched a ‘Care for Christmas’ campaign which aims to raise funds and awareness of its services in the community over Christmas and beyond. Their dedicated teams are working tirelessly to deliver vital hospice care services, support for NHS colleagues and assistance for the wider community. In this time of crisis more support than ever is required. The campaign features three fun and easy fundraising activities, which encourage people to keep active and connected throughout lock down:

1. Christmas night in – in light of many Christmas parties being cancelled, HHH can provide you resources for households to have a fun virtual Christmas night in. They include a best/worst Santa jumper competition, a sure way to bring plenty of smiles and laughter to your team it includes a quiz. In return, HHH simply asks for a donation of the savings you would have spent on a night out!

2. E-cards – HHH can provide bespoke Herriot Hospice Homecare e-cards to send to your colleagues, family and friends. This is a great way to show you’re supporting your community by being affiliated with your local charity as well as being environmentally conscious.

3. Christmas challenge – whether it’s step based, running or walking HHH is challenging you to get active. You could raise some smiles in a festive outfit, for example. In return for your donation or getting sponsored you will receive a special Santa medal if you raise £50 or more. HHH also has a limited supply of Santa hats, which are available on a first come, first serve basis.

Support of this campaign will help HHH care for more local families living with terminal illnesses and bereavement across Hambleton in a very challenging environment. To receive a free pack, contact Lucy on 01609 777413 or email lucy.turner@herriothh.org.uk To donate please visit the website at www.justgiving.com/campaign/HHHCareforChristmas

Christmas at The Elm Gallery

The Elm Gallery is temporarily closed during lockdown, so Liz and Dave can’t allow anyone into the gallery. However, they can arrange collection of things from the door at agreed times and if you see something in the window that you want to buy, they can bring it to the door for you. The best way to see new things is to follow their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheElmGallery/ They post things on there every day, including many things that would make lovely Christmas gifts. Liz and Dave have been delighted with the support they have had so far during lockdown and have had quite a lot of orders, which has really helped. They will be open again as soon as they are allowed to be. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with if they can help you with gift ideas. (01845 577316 / 07709 223920) or mailto:lizanddave@the-elm-gallery.co.uk

• The gallery’s website – www.the-elm-gallery.co.uk – presents lots of information about the gallery. There’s an exhibitors’ page which will give you a good idea of the range of hand made things on sale.

• Liz and Dave have launched a new idea for Christmas decorations and they’ve called them Christmas Bottles. Each bottle has a miniature print of one of their paintings in it. The prints include leaf and flower paintings, winter landscapes, animals and birds. They would look lovely hanging on a tree or in a window. The prints are very lightfast, so they won’t fade. The Christmas Bottles are 7cm tall and sell at £2.50 each. Great as stocking fillers or buy a selection as a gift for someone. These are delicate so if posted out would need to be boxed.

• The bags that Liz makes have been selling very well as they make lovely gifts.

The Milk Churn Farm Shop

• Customers may order meat and veg boxes, as well as fresh bread, dairy products and fish, via the telephone and we can make arrangements for collections or deliveries to Topcliffe and Asenby households. We’d be grateful for a couple of days’ notice before food boxes are ready. Payment is preferred by bank transfer, but cash can be accepted if necessary. Ring 01845 400446 to order and talk through the payment steps. You can see what is on offer by visiting www.milkchurnfarmshop.co.uk

• Orders for Christmas are now being taken. This includes free range turkeys, turkey crowns, real Christmas trees, handmade wreaths by Lavender & Bee, plus everything for a full festive lunch or dinner. Examples of the Christmas puddings and Christmas cakes that can be ordered are now on display. Both have a gluten free option.

• Orders are now being taken for Christmas hampers from The Little Yorkshire Hamper Company, the Milk Churn’s sister company. There’s a fantastic range of hampers in a wide range of sizes and prices. Call in at the farm shop for more information or to place an order. Alternatively, check out the hamper website at www.thelittleyorkshirehampercompany.co.uk

Current opening times are Monday to Saturday 9-5pm, Thursday 9-1pm and Sunday closed.

Amazon Prime customers warned of scam phone calls

Consumers have been warned not to fall prey to fraudsters who are targeting Amazon Prime customers, many of whom became members for the first time during the Covid-19 crisis. Consumer group Which? said fraudsters had been phoning people claiming to be calling from “Amazon Prime security” and saying their Amazon account had been compromised, and a series of payments had been made from their account. Having gained the person’s trust, the fraudster instructed them to download TeamViewer, a brand of remote access software, which was subsequently used to access the victim’s online bank account. While this is by no means a new fraud, scammers are thought to have taken advantage of the fact that many households have signed up to Amazon Prime since the pandemic hit and as more online shopping is being done. Providing remote access to your PC can result in hackers installing sophisticated malware. Action Fraud has warned consumers to never install any software or visit a website as a result of a cold call. Unsolicited requests for remote access to your computer should always raise a red flag, it said.

Key to candle success!

From their home in Long Street, Topcliffe, Nikki and Sam Keys have for some time been running a home-based business making candles, wax melts and reed diffusers. Their company slogan is ‘environmentally conscious, luxury candles hand poured in North Yorkshire.’ On their Facebook page they recently stated: “We have been overwhelmed with all the support our online candle business has received over the past year, especially with so many of our planned craft fairs having been cancelled and Christmas ones still undecided. As a big thank you we are offering a 10% discount on all orders up until the 20 December 2020. We can offer contact-free collection if you’re local. So if you’re looking out for Christmas gifts check out our website at www.fotiacandles.co.uk and don’t forget to enter the promo code FOTIA10 at checkout.” Another example of the fine entrepreneurial skill that is increasingly on show in our community.

A crafty arrangement

Although Samantha Spence doesn’t live in either of our villages she has past links to Topcliffe as for many years she worked at The Angel in the days that Tony and Trish were mine hosts. Now she runs Crafts of Thirsk – the wool and craft shop based on the Market Square. Like for all businesses, trading during lockdown is no easy matter but Samantha is doing her best to keep the business going and to meet the needs of customers. During lockdown she is operating a collect or delivery service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, between 10am and 1pm. Everything must be pre-ordered by telephone (07979 157243), Facebook or by a message posted through the shop door. If you leave a message please leave a contact number for Samantha to return your call and arrange payment etc. The shop’s Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/craftsofthirsk/ is updated regularly to give people ideas and inspiration. And an added bonus! John Mulley has very kindly offered to offer Topcliffe Post Office as a collection point.

St. Columba’s Church

The church is closed for private prayer and is unable to organise services at this time. The next scheduled service will be a Choral Evensong at 6.30pm on Sunday, 6 December unless the rules regarding church openings change in the meanwhile.

Asenby Parish Council Meeting

The Parish Council met online last Wednesday, 18 November. Minutes are available on the village website at www.asenby.net

The Angel

The Angel at Home take-out menu is available Wednesday-Friday 5-9pm; 3-9pm on Saturday and 12-8pm on Sundays. Our special offers for the coming week is: buy a main course, get the second half price Wednesday-Friday and add a dessert to your main course for £2 only on Saturday and Sunday. 20% off any bottle of wine. Thank you all for your support so far, we are now all set up for Christmas and can’t wait to welcome you again. See their website- www.theangelattopcliffe.co.uk – for more details and call 01845 578000 to pre-order.

The Swan

Closed for the duration of the lockdown.

Bin Collections

Hambleton (Topcliffe):

• Refuse – Monday, 23 November; Monday 7 December; Saturday 19 December and Monday 4 January 2021

• Recycling – Thursdays, 3, 17 and 31 December and Thursday 14 January

• Green waste – Thursday, 3 December. This will be last collection of green waste until 14 January (the special Christmas tree collection). Normal collections resume 25 February. Subscriptions for 2021 open in January.

Harrogate (Asenby):

• Recycling – Monday, 23 November, Monday 7 December, Saturday 19 December and Monday 4 January 2021

• Refuse – Monday, 30 November, 14 December, 28 December and 11 January

• Garden waste – The 19 November was the final garden waste collections of this year. Normal service will resume in March. Subscriptions for 2021 will open in January 2021.

That’s all until next Sunday. Stay at home, keep safe and remain well.

Posted on 15 November 202030 August 2021 by Doug Allan

Sunday Email: Issue 33

Hello and welcome to the 33rd issue of this regular Sunday email. I hope you find the email contents interesting and informative. As usual, get in touch with me if you have any news or information that you think Topcliffe and Asenby residents might like to hear about.

Doug

07785 223707

The latest Covid situation

Yesterday the UK’s official Covid-19 death toll was just short of 52,000. The average age of people who have died with Covid is above 80 with more than nine in 10 of the deaths among the over 65s, according to Office for National Statistics analyses of the pandemic. Deaths among the under 45s have been low at only a few hundred, including six children under the age of 14.

Confirmed cases of the virus started rising again in July, with the rate of growth increasing sharply in September and October. Yesterday, the government announced a further 27,000 confirmed cases in one day and a total of 1.35million cases since the pandemic began. Despite this, since the start of the current lockdown there are some signs of a slowdown in the rate of growth. That, together with the prospect of a vaccine on the horizon, offers hope that the rising numbers will slow, perhaps eventually to almost a stop.

We are into our second week of this second period of lockdown and whether we like it or not are having to get used of the restrictions on our day to day lives. A recipient of these Sunday messages drew to my attention a video featuring BBC Health Correspondent Laura Foster and suggested it should be included here for viewing. It is a quick guide to what we can still do in lockdown and is an interesting presentation that’s worth watching.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54815307

Book a Coronavirus test locally

Every day – Harrogate – Dragon Road Car Park, Dragon Road, Harrogate, HG1 5DB
Monday 16 November – Northallerton – Newby Wiske Hall, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL7 9HA
Tuesday 17 November – Richmond – Round Howe Car Park, Reeth Road, Richmond, DL10 4TL
Wednesday 18 November – Scarborough – Scarborough Park and Ride, Seamer Road, Scarborough, YO12 4LW
Thursday 19 November – Richmond – Round Howe Car Park, Reeth Road, Richmond, DL10 4TL
Friday 20 November – Northallerton – Newby Wiske Hall, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL7 9HA
Sunday 22 November – Richmond – Round Howe Car Park, Reeth Road, Richmond, DL10 4TL
Sunday 22 November – Thirsk – Millgate Car Park, Marage Road, Thirsk, YO7 1PE

Buy local when you can

One important thing we can all do during this crisis is to buy local when we are shopping online. We can look to local businesses, and there are hundreds of great local businesses and retailers registered on the North Yorkshire Buy Local directory. This is a great place to start for whatever you need: food deliveries, Christmas presents or trades people. Please do look close to home first. https://buylocal.northyorks.gov.uk/

Blankets made from crisp packets!

Last week Topcliffe resident Joanne Brierley flagged up an interesting project she’d heard about on BBC Radio York. They had been reporting on an amazing story about a group in Scarborough who make survival blankets out of crisps packets (the type with foil inside). Joanne thinks it is a fantastic idea, not only because it is an easy way to recycle, but also because it potentially will help those who are homeless. Having contacted the group in Scarborough, Joanne has agreed to collect crisp packets locally to support the project. She is now inviting villagers to help her by saving crisp packets, washing them and passing them on to her. It’s important that the bags aren’t ripped as they can only be used for blankets if they are a complete rectangle. Ring Joanne on 07732 941758 to arrange pick-up or delivery. If you want to know more, including how these blankets are made, check out the group on Facebook – ‘Scarborough Survival Blankets & Bivi Group’.

GPs stop prescribing medicines that can be bought over the counter

Some people might have missed this! As of 1 October 2020 GPs in North Yorkshire are no longer prescribing medicines that patients can buy themselves from a pharmacy or supermarket for minor health conditions such as coughs, colds, aches and pains. This does not affect the prescribing of over the counter medication for long term or more complex conditions or where minor illness are a symptom or side effect of a more serious condition.

Last year, the NHS in North Yorkshire spent nearly £4 million on prescription items that are available over-the-counter. Across the NHS, it’s around £140 million. By reducing the amount of money it spends on over-the-counter medicines, the NHS says it can give priority to treatments for people with more serious conditions such as cancer, diabetes and mental illness. The NHS says buying medicines over-the-counter for minor health concerns from your local pharmacy or supermarket, rather than obtaining them on prescription, can make more efficient use of NHS resources and free up more GP appointments for people who need them most.

Topcliffe Christmas Tree and Decorations

This year our village Christmas Tree is being kindly donated by Debbie Roberts, Hannah Alderson and Kerry Parker of The Milk Churn Farm Shop. It will be arriving on the 23rd November and a team of volunteers is lined up to position it and add decorations. Last year, the first year we had a community tree in the village, we collected together a few decorations and lights but we haven’t enough to properly decorate the larger size tree we are getting this year. So, we would like to ask if anyone would like to donate any spare decorations or battery/solar lights they might have. They must be suitable for outside use, of course. We are also wondering if children in the village would like to make decorations to be put on the tree. Jenny Bumby, who lives in Rangimarie on Long Street (between the Surgery and Barningham’s Farm) is coordinating decorations so if you could leave anything at her house that would be greatly appreciated. Lockdown and restrictions allowing we hope to have a carol service at the tree in December. More on that in the near future.

Care for Christmas

Christmas at The Elm Gallery

The Milk Churn Farm Shop

Current opening times are Monday to Saturday 9-5pm, Thursday 9-1pm and Sunday closed.

St. Columba’s Church

Asenby Parish Council Meeting

Asenby Parish Council will meet online at 7.30pm on Wednesday, 18 November. Information will be available before the meeting from the Parish Clerk via email on asenbypc@gmail.com and details will also be made available on the village website at www.asenby.net (Please note the change of time. It is definitely 7.30pm and not 7pm as previously publicised).

The Angel

The Angel at Home take-out menu is available Wednesday-Friday 5-9pm; 3-9pm on Saturday and 12-8pm on Sundays. Our special offers for the coming week is: buy a main course, get the second half price Wednesday-Friday and add a dessert to your main course for £2 only on Saturday and Sunday. Thank you all for your support so far, we are now all set up for Christmas and can’t wait to welcome you again. See their website- www.theangelattopcliffe.co.uk – for more details and call 01845 578000 to pre-order.

The Swan

Closed for the duration of the lockdown.

Bin Collections

Hambleton (Topcliffe):

• Recycling and green bins – Thursday, 19 and 30 November.

The 30 November will be last collection of green waste until 11 January (the Christmas tree collection). Normal collections resume 25 February. Subscriptions for 2021 open in January 2021

• Refuse – Monday, 23 November

Harrogate (Asenby):

• Refuse – Mondays, 16 and 30 November

• Garden waste – Thursday, 19 November.

The 19 November will be the final garden waste collections of this year. Normal service will resume on Thursday 12 March. Subscriptions for 2021 will open in January 2021.

• Recycling – Monday, 23 November

That’s all until next Sunday. Stay at home, keep safe and remain well.

Posted on 8 November 202030 August 2021 by Doug Allan

Sunday Email: Issue 32

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them.

Hello and welcome to the 32nd issue of this regular Sunday email.

We’re now back in lockdown and our lives will be massively restricted for the next four weeks. The government has declared that the lockdown will automatically end on 2 December and at that time we’ll return to the previous three tier system. That means we should go back to tier 1, the lowest level, but it’s difficult to see how anyone can know how things will be at that point. If the rate of infection and deaths has dropped because of the sacrifices we have all made then a tier 1 status would be fine, but if things aren’t massively improved we could be pushed into a higher tier. It’s going to be a long four weeks.

Due to the pandemic, Remembrance Sunday commemorations across the UK today will take a different form with many ceremonies curtailed or moved online, and many cancelled because of the difficulties around social distancing. The service at the Cenotaph in London, which is typically attended by thousands, will be stripped back in order to limit mass gatherings. The BBC’s coverage of the Cenotaph event in London broadcasts from 10.15am. The Royal British Legion confirmed that the event will be ‘closed to the general public’ for the first time in its history. In a statement the organisation said, “We are encouraging people across the nations to ensure Remembrance Sunday is still marked appropriately by taking part in remote and socially distanced Remembrance activity. We hope that millions will join a two minute doorstep silence at 11am.”

On Remembrance Day – 11 November – millions of citizens across the Commonwealth will pause to mark the 102nd anniversary of the signing of the First World War armistice. We can all commemorate this important day by again standing in silence on our doorsteps for two minutes at 11am as a mark of respect. And, if you are passing Jubilee Gardens in Topcliffe at any time it’s worth taking a look at the village memorial, which includes a wreath placed by Topcliffe Parish Council on behalf of all villagers.

Doug 07785 223707

Lockdown underway

It’s worth repeating the main restrictions we all face now that we are in lockdown again:

• People must stay at home except for specific reasons. These include work which cannot be done from home, childcare or education, exercise outdoors, medical reasons, essential shopping, providing care for

vulnerable people or for volunteering, and visiting members of your support bubble.

• Meeting indoors or in private gardens will not be allowed, but individuals can meet one other person from another household outside in a public place.

• Pubs, bars, restaurants have had to close, but can still provide takeaway and delivery (in a change of the rules this can now include alcohol).

• Indoor and outdoor leisure facilities, such as gyms and swimming pools, have had to close, along with entertainment venues and personal care facilities such as beauty salons.

• Single-adult households can continue to form a ‘support bubble’ with one other household, and children can move between homes if their parents are separated.

• Schools, colleges and nurseries remain open.

• Furlough payments at 80% are extended to 31 March 2021.

• Those classed as clinically vulnerable are advised to take ‘extra precautions’ but will not be formally asked to resume shielding.

• Overnight stays, staying in a second home, and holidays are not allowed – including in the UK and abroad – although there are exceptions, such as work trips.

• People should avoid all non-essential travel by private or public transport.

• Places of worship have closed for services other than funerals. But people can attend for individual prayer. Weddings are only allowed in “exceptional circumstances”.

• A maximum 30 people can attend a funeral, although it is advised that only close family members should attend.

• Elite sport are allowed behind closed doors.

Nine things that are different from the March lockdown.

You can meet one friend… with your children. In March, you could only meet others from outside your household in a very limited set of circumstances. Meeting another person socially wasn’t allowed until May. This time, you can catch up with a friend in an outdoor public place, like a park or beach, as long as you socially distance and neither of you is self-isolating. And this time, children of pre-school age are not included in the two-person limit, so those looking after youngsters can still have social contact.
Schools and universities are staying open…the government has emphasised that it is prioritising education – so schools, colleges and universities will all remain open, as will nurseries and other childcare. They closed back in March and while studies continued online, many students did not return in person until September.
Public toilets will not be closed…the government has specifically said that public toilets can remain open. This also applies at visitor attractions like gardens and castles, if they are normally available to the public and are sufficiently separate. During the last lockdown, many councils did not reopen their public toilets when allowed. People with young children and long-term health conditions were particularly affected, and with pubs and restaurants closed, many complained they were forced to relieve themselves in public places.
‘Bubbles’ exist…many people are going into this lockdown as part of a support ‘bubble’, a concept which didn’t exist back in March. It means that an adult living alone or a single parent family can mix freely with one other nominated household of any size. A household with children under 13 can also form a childcare bubble with another household to help with informal (unpaid and unregistered) childcare. This must always be between the same two households. However, it’s unclear whether one or more people from the second household can provide the childcare so in the case of grandparents there’s confusion as to whether only one of them can do it.
Click and collect services will be available…non-essential shops are closing once again, but this time click and collect – where customers order products online and go to pick them up – will be allowed. Click and collect involves minimal contact, and could help shops to keep more workers employed. Garden centres can also stay open this time, as can waste and recycling tips.
Sitting on a bench is allowed…in the early days of lockdown, sitting on a bench could be interpreted as breaking coronavirus rules – unless the person was taking a break from exercising. Sunbathing or reading outdoors were also not permitted. This time, the government has not placed any time limit on recreational activities, with the prime minister suggesting that meeting a friend in the park for a walk or sitting on a bench and eating a sandwich was perfectly fine.
You can take unlimited exercise…the message is very different now to March, when people were told to take only one form of exercise outdoors a day. The government is mindful of obesity, mental health and other problems caused by lockdown inactivity, and the risks of coronavirus transmission are generally higher indoors. The new lockdown guidance says "…you can and should still travel to… spend time or exercise outdoors. This should be done locally wherever possible, but you can travel to do so if necessary". Only essential travel was permitted in the spring, but this was open to interpretation, with one police force criticised for sharing online drone footage of ramblers.
Dentist and opticians are staying open…dentists and opticians were only open for emergency appointments at the start of the last lockdown. But they can open as usual this time, as can chiropractors and osteopaths. Boots Opticians and Specsavers say they will operate as normal, while the British Dental Association has confirmed that dental services will be available.
Nobody will formally shield…about two million vulnerable people had to shield in the last lockdown, meaning they stayed at home. The aim is to strike a balance between practical measures to keep people safe, while reducing the harm caused to their wellbeing and mental health. However, the ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’, including organ transplant patients and people with certain cancers, have been told to take extra care to minimise contact with others, including working from home. They have been advised not to go to shops, but can still exercise and go to school.

Book a Coronavirus test locally

Every day – Harrogate – Dragon Road Car Park, Dragon Road, Harrogate, HG1 5DB
Sunday 8 November – Richmond – Round Howe Car Park, Reeth Road, Richmond, DL10 4TL
Monday 9 November – Northallerton – Newby Wiske Hall, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL7 9HA
Tuesday 10 November – Thornton Le Dale – National Trust Car Park, No.5. Chestnut Avenue, Pickering,
Tuesday 10 November – Richmond – Round Howe Car Park, Reeth Road, Richmond, DL10 4TL
Wednesday 11 November – Skipton – Coach St car park, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 1LH
Thursday 12 November – Richmond – Round Howe Car Park, Reeth Road, Richmond, DL10 4TL
Friday 13 November – Thornton Le Dale – National Trust Car Park, No.5. Chestnut Avenue, Pickering,
Friday 13 November – Northallerton – Newby Wiske Hall, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL7 9HA

Community Support

Community support and voluntary organisations are handling a massive increase in demand for help. It’s recognised that not everyone has family, friends or neighbours to check on them. If you or someone you know needs help you can call North Yorkshire County Council on 01609 780780 every day between 8am and 5.30pm. You can also check out this website to search for local organisations: https://northyorkshireconnect.org.uk/

Library services

North Yorkshire County Council’s directly operated libraries and community libraries are closed but they are offering a ‘select and collect’ service. Home library and super-mobile library services are running as normal. The record office in Northallerton is closed. Find more information on https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/library-and-record-office-services-during-coronavirus-covid-19

Household waste and recycling

Household Waste Recycling Centres, including our nearest one at Sowerby, will remain open, with some restrictions, during lockdown. But you should stay at home as much as possible so please only use them if you have to. Find more information on https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/household-waste-and-recycling-during-coronavirus-covid-19

Buy local when you can

One important thing we can all do during this crisis is to buy local when we are shopping online. We can look to local businesses, and there are hundreds of great local businesses and retailers registered on the North Yorkshire Buy Local directory. This is a great place to start for whatever you need: food deliveries, Christmas presents or trades people. Pleased do look close to home first. https://buylocal.northyorks.gov.uk/

News from The Elm Gallery

Since re-opening after lockdown, the gallery has been doing things differently to keep everyone safe. We only allow one person / couple or bubble in at any one time, so that you get an exclusive viewing of the gallery. A notice is put on the inside door asking people to wait outside until the customers come out. Occasionally, we’ve had a queue! We have a tall perspex screen round the counter and door handles, hand rails and the card machine are sanitised after each customer. We have an automatic hand sanitiser just before you go into the gallery.

Late night opening – At this time of year, we would normally open late on Wednesday evenings for people to shop for Christmas and we would provide free wine and nibbles. This year, we can’t do that due to Covid restrictions. As we live in the same building as the gallery, we would be happy to open the gallery for shopping for you and anyone else in your ‘bubble’ any evening of the week, provided you arrange a time in advance with us. The same safety precautions would be in place in the evenings as during the day, so face masks must be worn and hand sanitiser must be used. No-one else would be allowed in during your visit so you would have the gallery to yourselves. A great way to buy Christmas gifts!
Mondays and Tuesdays – We are normally closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and in normal times, we would go out for the day. However, most weeks now we are at home on Mondays and Tuesdays and would be very happy to open by prior arrangement for a specific time if you would like to visit on those days. Please contact us on 01845 577316 or 07709 223920 if you would like an appointment.
New website – Dave has been very busy recently creating a new website, which is far better than the old one. Our online card and print sales are directed through our two Etsy shops, which are linked to our website. The web address is: www.the-elm-gallery.co.uk You can find lots of information about the gallery, including which original paintings are for sale. There’s an Exhibitors’ page which will give you a good idea of the range of hand made things we sell.
Liz’s Bags – The bags that Liz makes have been selling very well in the gallery. We now have a new page on the gallery website which shows all the bags that are currently available to purchase . She makes at least three new bags most weeks and they make lovely gifts! You can see the full range of bags here: https://the-elm-gallery.co.uk/bags

For those of you who use Facebook, we have a gallery page : https://www.facebook.com/TheElmGallery and we put regular updates on there about new stock in the gallery. For example, recently we’ve got a lovely range of etched drinking glasses (including a large gin glass!), dichroic glass jewellery, log baskets and lots of new ceramics. If you’ve never been to the gallery, do pop in and see what we’ve got. We have many things which would be perfect Christmas presents, including many which are under £20 and some that are under £10.

Friends set up school lottery

There’s a small group of parents and others who work tirelessly to support our local school – Topcliffe Church of England Academy. In normal times they organise a wide variety of events and activities to raise funds to boost the school’s resources and help ensure local children have the best possible school experience. In these difficult times extra-curriculum activities can’t go ahead but that’s not deterred the Friends of Topcliffe School from looking for ways of raising cash. Jenny Bumby, who has two daughters at the school, says: “We have set up our school on the National School Lottery site and we hope to raise much-needed funding to enhance the school experience for local children. There are cash prizes every week and a jackpot of £25k. It’s a great way to donate money to your local school and hopefully win something yourself. I hope residents will give this initiative their support and I’d be very grateful to anyone who signs up for even one ticket. Our first draw is on the 5 December.“

https://www.yourschoollottery.co.uk/lottery/school/topcliffe-c-of-e-academy?fbclid=IwAR2BEOy3eqBI0PPjPxrdbLDI_ARr2BuEBQkA7n6z9vouM2ksh3IuZ82QYg8#offer-content

The Milk Churn Farm Shop

In order to keep customers and staff safe the number of people in the shop at any one is being restricted to two. Carers can accompany the person they are looking after. It would be appreciated if only one representative of larger family bubbles would enter the shop at any one time. Current opening times are Monday to Saturday 9-5pm, Thursday 9-1pm and Sunday closed.

St. Columba’s Church

Because of the lockdown St Columba’s is closed for private prayer and is unable to organise services, including today’s planned Act of Remembrance. It is expected that the scheduled Choral Evensong at 6.30pm on Sunday, 6 December will be the next service, unless the rules regarding church openings change in the meanwhile.

Royal Mail Christmas Stamps

The Nativity scene in one of the spectacular stained glass windows in Topcliffe’s St Columba’s church features in a range of stamps issued by Royal Mail for Christmas postings. Six parish churches from across England are included in the new set. I hope to be able to tell the whole story about how this came about in the December edition of The Tattler.

Postal deadlines at Christmas

Friday, 18 December………………..2nd Class and 2nd Class Signed For

Monday, 21 December…………….1st Class and 1st Class Signed For and Royal Mail Tracked 48*

Tuesday, 22 December…………….Royal Mail Tracked 24*

Wednesday, 23 December………. Special Delivery Guaranteed

International Standard

Friday, 4 December…………………. Australia and New Zealand

Wednesday, 9 December………… Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Central and South America, Far and Middle East

Thursday, 10 December………….. Canada, Cyprus and Malta

Friday, 11 December………………. Greece, Eastern Europe (except Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia) and Turkey

Saturday, 12 December………….. Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Poland, Sweden, USA

Wednesday, 16 December ………Austria, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Switzerland

Friday, 18 December………………. Belgium, France, Ireland, Luxembourg

Thirsk Garden Centre remains open

The government has recognised the importance of gardening for people’s mental and physical health. Most garden centres in our area will continue to operate, including Thirsk Garden Centre on Blakey Lane. The centre’s opening hours are Monday to Saturday 9am – 5pm and Sunday 10am – 4pm. The Coffee Shop, which will be closed throughout the lockdown, will be offering a take-out service. The owners say they can assure all customers that safety is the centre’s highest priority.

‘Life in Lockdown’ Project

The Jennyruth Workshops in Ripon – which many readers will have given support to from time to time – has an interesting new project underway to collect stories about peoples’ lockdown experiences. The idea is to create an archive that will be available for future generations. They are looking for submissions from people of any age from Ripon and surrounding villages, including Topcliffe and Asenby, and all entries in the archive will be anonymous. If you would like to be included in the archive just write about how you have managed during the last and current lockdowns – perhaps highlighting things like how you and your family coped, what you did to keep fit and avoid boredom, whether you felt lonely or kept active by volunteering in the community….and what your hopes are for the future. You can email your thoughts to info@jennyruth.co.uk

Please don’t impede the refuse collectors

A longstanding issue about badly parked cars causing difficulties on bin collection day came to a head last week when recycling bins in East Lea were left uncollected because the refuse collectors couldn’t get near. Apparently similar problems regularly occur in the Back Lane/East Lea area as well. It’s difficult for car owners who don’t have off-street parking and want to park as close as possible to their home, but this is an appeal for everyone to think of others and to keep the roads as free of cars as possible, especially on bin collection days. (Don’t forget that if a refuse lorry can’t get near, it’s likely a fire engine would have exactly the same problem!).

We can all join the fight against online shopping fraud

Andy Fox, Financial Abuse Safeguarding Officer attached to the Economic Crime Unit at North Yorkshire Police will be hosting an online event later this month about the increasing prevalence of online shopping fraud, how to spot it and how to stay safe. It’s being organised in partnership with North Yorkshire Trading Standards. Andy says: “With the country placed into another lockdown I know many of you will be increasing your online shopping in the run up to Christmas. Fraudsters are aware of this and I do expect to see a rise in online fraud over the next couple of months. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are now established retail events which will see North Yorkshire residents spend millions of pounds online and I’d like to ensure residents are well prepared to recognise and avoid fraud.”

This online event, which will take place on Wednesday 25 November between 6:30 – 8:30pm will be conducted over Microsoft Teams. Do not worry if you do not have Teams installed on your computer. All attendees will be sent a link and you can join the meeting through your web browser. Full details will be circulated to all those attending prior to the event. If you wish to attend please follow this link.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/black-friday-cyber-monday-how-to-avoid-online-shopping-fraud-tickets-127694759463

Parish Council Meetings

• Topcliffe’s Parish Council met online last Thursday (5 November). Minutes are available on the village website at www.topcliffe.org.uk All enquiries to the Clerk by email at topcliffeparishcouncil@gmail.com or any Parish Councillor.

• Asenby’s Parish Council meeting will be held online on at 7pm on Wednesday, 18 November. Information will be available before the meeting from the Parish Clerk via email on asenbypc@gmail.com and details will also be made available on the village website at www.asenby.net

The Angel

The Angel is closed to customers but offering an ‘Angel at Home’ take away meal service – Wednesday to Friday 5 until 9pm (order from 3pm), Saturday 3 until 9pm (order from 1pm) and Sunday 12 noon until 8pm (order from 11am). See their website- www.theangelattopcliffe.co.uk – for more details and call 01845 578000 to pre-order.. Their latest tantalising offer is buy a main course, get the second half price on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

The Swan

Closed for the duration of the lockdown.

Bin Collections

Hambleton (Topcliffe):

• Refuse – Mondays 9 and 23 November • Recycling and green bins – Thursday, 19 November

Harrogate (Asenby):

• Recycling – Mondays, 9 and 23 November • Refuse – Mondays, 16 and 30 November • Garden waste – Thursday, 19 November

That’s all until next Sunday. Stay at home, keep safe and remain well.

Posted on 1 November 202030 August 2021 by Doug Allan

Sunday Email: Issue 31

Hello and welcome to the 31st issue of this regular Sunday email. This week’s email had to be rewritten at the last minute to reflect the last minute announcement from Downing Street that from Thursday the whole country will again go into lockdown. Most people will consider this dramatic set of restrictions on our lives inevitable considering the medical advice and massive increase in infections and deaths. It will be difficult for us all, but for the vulnerable in particular. No doubt local communities will again respond to the pandemic and lockdown by organising to help those who need support. So watch out for more details in future Sunday emails.

I hope you find the contents interesting and informative. As usual, get in touch with me if you have any news or information that you think Topcliffe and Asenby residents might like to hear about.

Doug

07785 223707

Here we go again! Lockdown for four weeks

Last night the Prime Minister announced a new lockdown across the country starting at 00.01 on Thursday, 5 November and lasting until Wednesday, 2 December. The new restrictions in lockdown include:

People must stay at home except for specific reasons. These include work which cannot be done from home, childcare or education, exercise outdoors, medical reasons, essential shopping, providing care for vulnerable people or for volunteering, and visiting members of your support bubble.
Meeting indoors or in private gardens will not be allowed, but individuals can meet one other person from another household outside in a public place.
Pubs, bars, restaurants will have to close, but can still provide takeaway and delivery, excluding takeaway of alcohol
Indoor and outdoor leisure facilities, such as gyms and swimming pools, will also close, along with entertainment venues and personal care facilities such as beauty salons.
People will be allowed to exercise and socialise in public spaces outside with their household or one other person, but not indoors or in private gardens.
Single-adult households will continue to be allowed to form a “support bubble” with one other household, and children can move between homes if their parents are separated.
Unlike in the lockdown during the first wave of the pandemic, schools, colleges and nurseries will remain open.
Furlough payments at 80% are extended for the duration of the new restrictions.
Those classed as clinically vulnerable will be told to take “extra precautions” but will not be formally asked to resume shielding.
Overnight stays, staying in a second home, and holidays will not be allowed – including in the UK and abroad – although there are exceptions, such as work trips.
People will be told to avoid all non-essential travel by private or public transport.
Places of worship will close for services other than funerals (maximum 30 people, although it is advised that only close family members attend), but people can attend for individual prayer. Weddings are only allowed in “exceptional circumstances”.
Job centres, courts, and civil registration offices will remain open.
Construction sites and manufacturing workplaces can remain open.
Elite sport will be allowed to continue behind closed doors.
“Rapid turnaround tests” for coronavirus will be rolled out in “a matter of days”, and the Army will be brought in to help distribute the swabs, which could help partners attend labour wards.

Mr Johnson warned that Christmas could be “very different” this year, but offered a glimmer of hope that families may be able to be together after the lockdown. However, another Minister, Michael Gove, suggested that the four week lockdown could be extended if necessary.

The national picture – why the lockdown became inevitable

The government had been reluctant to reinstate a national lockdown – or even a lighter touch ‘circuit-breaker’ – but in the end the enormous pressure became intolerable and it had to rethink the matter.

This week we reached a tragic milestone as the UK recorded over a million confirmed cases of coronavirus and more than 46,000 deaths so far. These official figures include only people who have died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus and other methods of calculation suggest the number of deaths is higher. Almost 11,000 people are now in hospital with Covid-19, including 978 on ventilators.

The three tier regional system had not worked effectively in reducing the numbers being infected with the virus. At the end of the week over eleven million people were living in areas where the tightest Tier 3 restrictions were in place and slowly but surely more areas were gravitating towards the highest level. The north has suffered much higher infection numbers over the last two months but it had become clear that other parts of the country were seeing significant increases. A major study last week suggested that nearly 100,000 people are catching coronavirus every day in England. The study, by Imperial College London, stated that the pace of the epidemic was accelerating out of control and estimated the number of people infected is doubling every nine days.

The current Covid situation in North Yorkshire

The number of Covid cases in North Yorkshire continues to increase. As of 25 October, there have been 7,047 positive tests since 3 March, with 1,716 new cases reported in the past two weeks. Last week, the average number of new cases was 121 cases per day. Until the lockdown decision sealed out fate, it had been intended that North Yorkshire would remain in the medium (Tier 1) alert level, but discussions between local and national health chiefs had been held to consider putting us up a level to Tier 2. All that’s now academic.

Until the lockdown is implemented on Thursday, North Yorkshire remains in Tier 1 and these restrictions apply:

• You may not meet in a group of more than six people, indoors or outdoors, unless you’re in a larger household or a support bubble.

• Pubs, bars and restaurants must close by 10pm.

• You can holiday anywhere in England that’s also in Tier 1.

• You can holiday with people from other households in private accommodation (as long as you socially distance), but only in groups of six and under (unless your own household or support bubble is bigger).

• You can stay in a hotel or B&B with another household, but you should avoid sharing rooms with people outside your household.

• You should try not to share a vehicle with those outside your household or support bubble.

At the conclusion of the lockdown North Yorkshire will likely return to Tier 1 restrictions, although they are likely to be reviewed in the light of developments.

With the announcement of a four-week lockdown, community support organisations and their voluntary sector partners are preparing for a massive increase in demand for help. Not everyone has family, friends or neighbours to check on them. Community support organisations have been set up across North Yorkshire. If you or someone you know needs help they can call North Yorkshire County Council on: 01609 780780 every day between 8am and 5.30pm. You can also check out this website to search for local organisations: https://northyorkshireconnect.org.uk/

Book a Coronavirus test locally

Testing sites operated and managed by the Department of Health and Social Care will be running at the following locations over the coming days between 11am and 3pm:

Sunday 1 November – Richmond – Round Howe Car Park, Reeth Road, Richmond, DL10 4TL
Monday 2 November – Skipton – Coach St car park, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 1LH
Monday 2 November – Northallerton – Newby Wiske Hall, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL7 9HA
Monday 2 November – Selby – South Entrance, DRAX Power Station, New Road, Selby, YO8 8PH
Monday 2 November – Whitby – Whitby Park and Ride, Whitby, YO21 1TL
Tuesday 3 November – Sherburn in Elmet – White Rose Sports Club, The Recreation Ground, Tadcaster Road, Sherburn in Elmet, LS25 6EL
Tuesday 3 November – Thornton Le Dale – National Trust Car Park, No.5. Chestnut Avenue, Pickering, North Yorkshire, YO18 7RR
Wednesday 4 November – Scarborough – Scarborough Park and Ride, Seamer Road, Scarborough, YO12 4LW
Wednesday 4 November – Skipton – Coach St car park, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 1LH
Wednesday 4 November – Selby – South Entrance, DRAX Power Station, New Road, Selby, YO8 8PH
Wednesday 4 November – Selby – Portholme Crescent Car Park, Selby Town, YO8 4QH
Thursday 5 November – Whitby – Whitby Park and Ride, Whitby, YO21 1TL
Thursday 5 November – Richmond – Round Howe Car Park, Reeth Road, Richmond, DL10 4TL
Friday 6 November – Sherburn in Elmet – White Rose Sports Club, The Recreation Ground, Tadcaster Road, Sherburn in Elmet, LS25 6EL
Friday 6 November – Thornton Le Dale – National Trust Car Park, No.5. Chestnut Avenue, Pickering, North Yorkshire, YO18 7RR
Friday 6 November – Northallerton – Newby Wiske Hall, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL7 9HA

Asenby’s Spooky News

Young Oliver Robertson has produced the third edition of his newsletter for Asenby residents. It was nice to see that he mentioned that he had featured on the front of the last Tattler. I particularly liked my portrait. Take a look at the attachment to read Oliver’s latest news. He’s definitely a journalist in the making.

Big Thank You Awards

JPI Media – publishers of local newspapers including the Yorkshire Post, York Evening News and Harrogate Advertiser – has launched the inaugural “Big Thank You Awards” to recognise the heroic efforts of the key workers, neighbours, communities, families and friends who have helped to keep us safe and healthy during the months of the pandemic. These awards are an opportunity to say a big thank you to those that have done so much to help others. Anyone is eligible to win an award: It could be anyone who has inspired you – NHS staff, key workers, volunteers, local shops and neighbours who have set up and got involved in the uplifting and motivational initiatives in local communities. Nominations, which close 12 November 2020, can be made online at: https://bigthankyouawards.evessiocloud.com/bigthankyouawards2020/en/page/nominate

The awards event will take place as a virtual ceremony on Friday the 11 December at 7pm. Everyone in Yorkshire will be able to tune in and watch the Big Thank You winners get their awards live.

The Milk Churn Farm Shop

The return to lockdown will mean visits to our local farm shop will need to be undertaken in an even more Covid aware fashion than they have recently been. In order to keep customers and staff safe the number of people in the shop at any one time will be restricted to two. Owner Debbie Roberts says: “Please can I ask that we only have one customer in the front and one in the rear of the shop? Carers, of course, can accompany the person they are looking after but I regret I must restrict numbers in larger family bubbles. I understand it’s not ideal but the new rules require tighter controls. Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience caused.

“Customers, particularly those who are vulnerable and in isolation, may like to consider ordering their meat and veg boxes, as well as fresh bread, dairy products and fish, via the telephone and we can make arrangements for collections or deliveries to Topcliffe and Asenby households. We will be organising an easy process for people to order goods and would be grateful for a couple of days’ notice before food boxes are ready. In view of demand increasing, fruit and veg seasons changing, certain items may have to be exchange for something similar. We will start taking orders from Monday 2 November. Payment is preferred by BACs, but cash can be accepted if necessary. Ring 01845 400446 to order and talk through the payment steps. You can see what is on offer by visiting www.milkchurnfarmshop.co.uk

Current opening times are Monday to Saturday 9-5pm, Thursday 9-1pm and Sunday closed.

The Halloween alternative – the Pumpkin Trail

Well done everyone who took the time to make the Halloween spooky pumpkin trail such a success last night. There was an amazing number of spooky pumpkins and other scary objects on display in both Topcliffe and Asenby and the kids appeared to be having a fantastic time, even though the normal Halloween trick or treat door knocking was abandoned. There was great community spirit during these difficult times.

St. Columba’s Church

Today’s Choral Evensong, with St Columba’s Choir, will be the last service until after lockdown. It will take celebrate the Feast of All Saints and will be led by Reverend Fiona Mayer-Jones, Area Dean and Vicar of All Saints Northallerton. The service starts at 6.30pm. Full Covid safety arrangements will be in place.

Remembrance Sunday

As local Remembrance Sunday parades are cancelled because of the lockdown it has been suggested that we might like to stand in silence on our doorsteps for two minutes at 11am on Wednesday 11 November as a mark of respect.

Air Ambulance clothes bank

The Auction Mart in Thirsk has installed a clothes and shoe bank to support the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. The bank can accept any unwanted clothes and shoes. Please bag them before depositing. The mart car park is always open with lots of parking so nice and easy to drop stuff off. https://www.facebook.com/ThirskRuralBusinessCentre/

It’s great to offer support to this invaluable service which helps save lives across North Yorkshire and beyond, but please don’t forget that there’ll be another Bags2School event in the spring to raise cash for two local organisations – the Village Hall and Topcliffe 1st Scout troops. It’s hoped that residents will store bags of unwanted clothes and other textiles until then. Watch out for an announcement of time and date in due course.

Parish Council Meetings

Fortunately both forthcoming Parish Council meetings will be staged online so can still proceed despite the lockdown.

• Topcliffe – to be held online at 7pm on Thursday, 5 November. There’s a 10 minutes session at the beginning of the meeting set aside to receive questions and comments from members of the public. Any members of the public wishing to join this meeting electronically should contact the Parish Council Clerk for log in details. All enquiries to the Clerk by email at topcliffeparishcouncil@gmail.com or any Parish Councillor – details are available on the village website at www.topcliffe.org.uk

• Asenby – to be held online on at 7pm on Wednesday, 18 November. Information will be available before the meeting from the Parish Clerk via email on asenbypc@gmail.com and details will also be made available on the village website at www.asenby.net

The Angel at Topcliffe

The Angel will continue to operate a take away meal service throughout the lockdown – see their website- www.theangelattopcliffe.co.uk – for more details. The Angel will be open until 10pm each day until it has to close at the close of play on the evening of Wednesday 4 November. IMPORTANT NOTE: 50p is being offered off cask ales until stocks last.

The Swan

The Swan will be open and serving food until Wednesday evening after which it will close for the duration of the lockdown. Telephone 01845 595185.

Bin Collections

Hambleton (Topcliffe):

• Recycling and green bins – Thursdays, 5 and 19 November

• Refuse – Mondays 9 and 23 November

Harrogate (Asenby):

• Refuse – Mondays, 2, 16 and 30 November

• Garden waste – Thursdays, 5 and 19 November

• Recycling – Mondays, 9 and 23 November

That’s all until next Sunday. Stay at home, keep safe and remain well.

ASE NBY5~ SPOEKY NEL S.pdf

Posted on 25 October 202030 August 2021 by Doug Allan

Sunday Email: Issue 30

Hello and welcome to the 30th issue of this regular Sunday email. I hope you find the contents interesting and informative.

As usual, get in touch with me if you have any news or information that you think Topcliffe and Asenby residents might like to hear about.

Doug

07785 223707

The current Covid situation in North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire remains in the medium (Tier 1) Covid-19 alert level. The county has seen an overall increase in people testing positive for Covid-19 since the beginning of September. Although North Yorkshire rates are lower than those for England as a whole, rates have risen in all areas of the county and in all age groups. The numbers of cases is currently highest in the younger age groups, especially 18-29 year-olds, however rates of cases within this group are starting to steady. The number of cases within 30 year-old and over age groups are continuing to increase. The rates in each locality are very changeable and vary by the day. All residents are asked to remain vigilant and think of any further measures they can take to help slow the spread of the virus such as reducing social contacts where possible. The county council is working with the district councils and its partner organisations to manage a number of small outbreaks across the county, although most spread of Covid-19 is still linked to household and social settings.

Reminder of the three-tier system

The three tier system for dealing with local outbreaks has been in place for two weeks. It’s proving difficult to keep up with the rapidly changing situation with areas shifting from one tier to another – but always in the ‘wrong# direction. The government said this tiered arrangement would bring clarity and simplicity but in reality it has brought confusion and divisiveness across the country. The whole of North Yorkshire is currently in the lowest category – Tier 1 – which is classed as the medium alert level.

Tier 1 – Medium alert – fewer than 100 cases per 100,000 of population.

• You may not meet in a group of more than six people, indoors or outdoors, unless you’re in a larger household or a support bubble.

• Pubs, bars and restaurants must close by 10pm.

• You can holiday anywhere in England that’s also in Tier 1.

• You can stay in a hotel or B&B with another household, but you should avoid sharing rooms with people outside your household.

• You should try not to share a vehicle with those outside your household or support bubble.

There are key differences between the tiers and how the rules impact on individuals. Although we all live in a Tier 1 area, we potentially face a shift to Tier 2 as local authorities intensify the battle to tackle the increasing number of cases. And we are surrounded by Tier 2 area right now so many of us will be interacting with areas under different restrictions to our own…and need to know what is required if we visit these areas. So although the details were included in last week’s email, here is a repeat of the information for your guidance.

Tier 2 – High alert – above 100 per 100,000. (Teesside, Darlington, the North East, York, West Yorkshire, including Leeds). People visiting a Tier 2 area should follow the local Covid rules for that area.

• The rules for Tier 1 also apply in Tier 2. In addition, individuals cannot meet socially indoors with people they do not live with – this includes private homes, as well as pubs or restaurants.

• People in support bubbles can go on meeting as before and informal childcare may also be provided.

• People can still meet friends and family outdoors, but only in a group of up to six people.

• People should aim to "reduce the number of journeys they make where possible".

• People can go on holiday outside their local area as long as they don’t share accommodation with people they don’t live or bubble with, or socialise with them in any indoor setting.

Tier 3 – Very high alert – significantly higher rates of infection and they are put in a form of lockdown. Areas in tier 3 include the Liverpool city region, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire and Nottingham). People from Tier 1 and Tier 2 areas should avoid visiting or staying overnight in a Tier 3 area where possible, except for those who need to for work, education or caring responsibilities

• People are not allowed to meet socially with anybody who is not part of their household or their support bubble indoors or in certain outdoor locations.

• People cannot meet in private gardens or pub gardens, but can meet in parks, beaches, countryside or forests, as long as they are not in a group of more than six.

• Pubs and bars must close unless they are serving substantial meals – alcohol can only be served as part of a meal.

• People are being advised not to travel into or out of Tier 3 areas, other than for work, education, or because of caring responsibilities.

• People who live in a Tier 3 area should not visit or stay overnight in another part of the UK, whether in a second home, a private home or guest accommodation. They may travel to hotels and other guest

accommodation within their own area, but they should only do this with people in their household or support bubble.

Help prevent the spread of the virus

If you have the symptoms of coronavirus you must self-isolate and get a test. You must self-isolate and get a test if you have:

a high temperature – you feel hot to touch on your chest or back
a new, continuous cough – this means you’ve started coughing repeatedly
loss/change in your normal sense of smell or taste

There are two parts to the NHS test and trace service.

Part 1: for someone with symptoms of coronavirus

isolate: as soon as you experience symptoms you must self-isolate for at least 10 days. Anyone else in your household must self-isolate for 14 days from when you started having symptoms.
test: order a test immediately.
results: if your test is positive, you must complete the remainder of your 10-day self-isolation. Anyone in your household must also complete self-isolation for 14 days from when you started having symptoms. If your test is negative, you and other household members no longer need to self-isolate.
share contacts: if you test positive the NHS test and trace service will send you a text, email or call you with instructions of how to share details of people with whom you have had close, recent contact and places you have visited. It is important that you respond as soon as possible. You will be told to do this online via a secure website or you will be called by a contract tracer.

Part 2: if you are contacted by the NHS test and trace service because you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus

alert: you will be alerted by the NHS test and trace service if you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus. The alert will usually come by text, email or phone call. You should then log on to the NHS test and trace website, which is normally the easiest way for you and the service to communicate with each other – but, if not, a trained call handler will talk you through what you must do. Under-18s will get a phone call and a parent or guardian will be asked to give permission for the call to continue.
isolate: you will be told to begin self-isolation for 14 days from your last contact with the person who has tested positive. It’s really important to do this even if you don’t feel unwell because, if you have been infected, you could become infectious to others at any point up to 14 days. Your household doesn’t need to self-isolate with you, if you do not have symptoms, but they must take extra care to follow the guidance on social distancing and handwashing and avoid contact with you at home.
test if needed: if you develop symptoms of coronavirus, other members of your household must self-isolate immediately at home for 14 days and you must book a test. If your test is positive, you must continue to stay at home for at least 7 days and you will be asked about your contacts since they must self-isolate. If your test is negative, you must still complete your 14-day self-isolation period because the virus may not be detectable yet – this is crucial to avoid unknowingly spreading the virus.

Book a Coronavirus test locally

Testing sites operated and managed by the Department of Health and Social Care will be running at the following locations over the coming days between 11am and 3pm:

Sunday 25 October – Richmond – Round Howe Car Park, Reeth Road, Richmond, DL10 4TL
Monday 26 October – Skipton – Coach St car park, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 1LH
Monday 26 October – Northallerton – Newby Wiske Hall, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL7 9HA
Monday 26 October – Selby – South Entrance, DRAX Power Station, New Road, Selby, YO8 8PH
Monday 26 October – Whitby – Whitby Park and Ride, Whitby, YO21 1TL
Tuesday 27 October – Sherburn in Elmet – White Rose Sports Club, The Recreation Ground, Tadcaster Road, Sherburn in Elmet, LS25 6EL
Tuesday 27 October – Thornton Le Dale – National Trust Car Park, No.5. Chestnut Avenue, Pickering, North Yorkshire, YO18 7RR
Wednesday 28 October – Scarborough – Scarborough Park and Ride, Seamer Road, Scarborough, YO12 4LW
Wednesday 28 October – Skipton – Coach St car park, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 1LH
Wednesday 28 October – Selby – South Entrance, DRAX Power Station, New Road, Selby, YO8 8PH
Wednesday 28 October – Selby – Portholme Crescent Car Park, Selby Town, YO8 4QH
Thursday 29 October – Richmond – Round Howe Car Park, Reeth Road, Richmond, DL10 4TL
Thursday 29 October – Whitby – Whitby Park and Ride, Whitby, YO21 1TL
Friday 30 October – Sherburn in Elmet – White Rose Sports Club, The Recreation Ground, Tadcaster Road, Sherburn in Elmet, LS25 6EL
Friday 30 October – Thornton Le Dale – National Trust Car Park, No.5. Chestnut Avenue, Pickering, North Yorkshire, YO18 7RR
Friday 30 October – Northallerton – Newby Wiske Hall, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL7 9HA

How to protect yourself

Simple personal hygiene actions continue to be key to keeping safe and protecting yourself and those around you.

wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds.
always wash your hands when you get home or into work.
use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available’
cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze’
put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards.
avoid close contact with people who have symptoms of coronavirus.
use phone, online services, or apps to contact your GP surgery or other NHS services.
do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean.

Did you remember? Clocks went back this morning

Don’t forget to adjust your time pieces. Clocks went back by one hour at 2am this morning.

Dalton Bridge roadworks

Most residents will have noticed the road closure signs and barriers at Dalton Lane end They relate to works to put right a problem identified after earlier flood relief works. The project, jointly funded by North Yorkshire County Council and Hambleton District Council, aims to deal with some contributory causes of flooding that were not apparent when the original improvement scheme was implemented. The unprecedented flooding which was caused by back to back storms in February this year highlighted the need for further works to ensure the scheme performs as intended. Following an extensive investigation by the County Council, work to raise part of Dalton Lane is being undertaken, which will involve infilling between the flood embankments close to the A168 and the reconstruction of the road. The road will be closed until 6am on November 2. By this stage in the project the road level will have been raised and it is then anticipated that a further overnight closure will be required for the final surfacing, the date of which is to be confirmed. Diversion signage is in place. Vehicle access may be restricted to properties and land but contractors will try to assist where possible during the working day. The whole project should be finished by 27 November.

The Milk Churn Farm Shop

Last call for pumpkins! Halloween is next Saturday, 31 October. If you haven’t purchased your pumpkin yet please visit us soon as supplies are limited. And don’t forget that the Farm Shop is organising a Pumpkin Carving Competition as part of its Halloween celebrations. To enter, share your spooky carving or display on Facebook and tag the shop – @milkchurnfarmshop – and please make sure your post is public so it can be seen. The winner will be chosen later week and will receive a prize full of tricks and treats.