Hi all, 17^th March 2020

Support for Heathfield and Thriplow during Coronavirus outbreak

Our community spirit is very strong so please look after each other at this worrying time. Our first responsibilities are to look after our families, friends and neighbours.

We are putting in place, back-up plans and services for those who may have to self isolate or need help in other ways. Below are some contact numbers where you can access help and support. Also attached is information about the services you can access through the shop such as medicines and prescriptions. Parish Councils are shortly going to be asked to help coordinate community responses.

We are also looking for volunteers to help with deliveries, shopping etc for those who are isolated. Included in this message are ways you can get in touch to volunteer and other ways in which you may be able to help.

First points of contact

Ideally please contact us using thriplowcoronavirus@PROTECTED giving us your contact details and the type of assistance you need.

If email is not possible then please do contact one of the people below. They will be able to provide support by using our volunteer services or put you in touch with people who will be able to assist you. We have given a number of contacts to spread the load and also so you can contact someone you already know. We would like some more contacts for Heathfield and Pepperslade – see “volunteering” below

Kit and Margaret Jackson (01763) 208780 Mobile 07712811483

Liz Moore (01763) 208735 Mobile 07788640927

Kelly Austin (01223) 836012 Mobile 07584021585

John Rimmer (01763) 209160

Gill McDonnell (01763) 208059

Sarah Clarkson (01763) 208841 Mobile 07540815287

Andrew Parsons (01763) 209070

Rebecca Glazier (01223) 830118 Mobile 07904934213

Erica Webber (01763) 208 224 Mobile 07710452 814

Jonathan Jack (01763) 208753 Mobile 07812322855

 

Services available from the shop

Thriplow Village Shop is going to continue to offer services already operated but intends to add new ones particularly for people who are self-isolating.

Home Delivery of Medicines - we are continuing to run the Village Box service for patients who use Harston or Sawston medical centre pharmacies. For those who don’t know about this, you can get a free delivery service to the Village Shop by requesting on your on-line request or paper repeat prescription that the medicines be delivered to Thriplow Village Box. Deliveries are once or twice per week. Please use this system if you don’t pay for your prescriptions.

This service does NOT currently apply for people who have to pay for their prescriptions or for people who use other pharmacies - for these people we will add a new service: you need to let us know you have a prescription (new or repeat). Please call one of the “first points of contact” above to let us know your requirements. We will send someone to collect the prescription from you, take your payment, and then collect the medicine and bring it to you. There may be a few days delay while the prescription is fulfilled at the pharmacy.

Home Delivery of Food and General Goods - We will add a service to deliver goods from the shop to your home. Please call the shop before 1pm Monday to Friday, on 01763 208958 with your list of things needed from the shop. We will collate these items as long as they are available and deliver them to you by a volunteer later in the day if possible. We will print off a receipt and take payment from your Prepay account so if you would like to use the shop delivery service and don’t have a pre-pay account please set one up a.s.a.p.

Use of Prepay Accounts - Pre-pay accounts can be topped up with card payments, cash or cheques. Volunteers may be able to deliver cash or a cheque to the shop for you if you can’t get out. If you pay with a cheque please remember that the shop is charged £1.50 for every cheque banked, so we would therefore prefer cash or card payments.

Cash Back Service – cash back service will be offered in the usual way with card payments.

Hygiene in the Shop - For those people who can actually come into the shop, it is good practice to stand back from the counter and pay by tapping your card, so that we avoid close contact and dirty coins as far as possible. During the current difficult times customers are also asked not to linger inside the shop chatting.

Volunteering and helping

We are building a list of volunteers to actually do stuff (loads of people have already come forward) - the type of activities you may be asked to do are:

• “Shopper” – collecting shopping lists and going to a supermarket to buy them for people
• “Deliverer” - taking stuff to people from the shop, pub (including medicines) etc
• “Friendly Face” - people just to check up on more vulnerable people e.g. by ringing them, waving through the window etc
• Dog walker

 

The more people we have doing this the easier it will be for everyone – please help if you can.

 

Please email thriplowcoronavirus@PROTECTED and head your email “volunteering”. Please let us know your contact details and ways in which you would like to help. We are aiming to assign the tasks centrally so that no one is asked to do too much

 

Other ideas and plans

 

We are also working on databases of those who may need some support, medical contacts, checklists for those delivering and picking up stuff etc.

We will start a supermarket shopping system as soon as we have the volunteers in place – further details to follow.

It is likely that the current emergency is going to last for a few months. Please let us know of any other ideas you may have to help us all get through it. Some of the more fun suggestions include things like “maintaining correct separation” aerobics classes on the village green, separated drinks outside the pub, mass dead heading of the daffodils etc.

 

Please look after yourselves and keep in touch.

Best wishes

Your parish support group