Community pulls together

Rev Michelle Godbold, the priest for Navenby, Wellingore, Harmston, Coleby, Boothby Graffoe and Temple Bruer, launched Graffoe Parish Coronavirus Community Care on Thursday to help any isolated older people, carers and single parents needing support or unable to get to shops.

She said: “We set up a telephone contact system for daily calls to check on these people in the event of a lockdown as well as those already self isolating or ill. People can put themselves on the list for a call and we are organising delivery teams to drop groceries and medicines off at people’s homes.

“We will have others to fill the gaps if someone falls ill and our team is growing with 17 on the phones from our extended ministry team and up to 40 on deliveries.”

Ideally volunteers have already been DBS checked and proper safeguarding protocols are in place.

People can register or volunteer through the Facebook page ‘Graffoe Parish Coronavirus Community Care’, call 01522 426723 or email: [email protected]

Roberta Hall, from Syston, near Caythorpe is a local leader with community group Favourshare.com which has been operational locally since June 2019.

Users can register free of charge and can request favours or can offer to help people self-isolating with shopping, supplying books or DVDs or children’s games

She said: “We have had lots of people offering help and are hoping to connect the two. We check all favours before they go onto the site and have a code of conduct. We have had bird feeders topped up in exchange for a chocolate brownie and wheelie bins taken out while on holiday.”

All Sleaford Dementia Support groups are closed until further notice, Citizens Advice Mid-Lincolnshire has cancelled its annual meeting, and Sleaford Museum is also temporarily closed.

The River Slea Clean Up Team is suspending clean ups for the foreseeable future and Sleaford Playhouse is cancelling all events for 12 weeks.

A raft of overseas trips planned by Sleaford schools have been cancelled under government advice.

A ski trip by William Robertson Academy students and staff had to return home as soon as they arrived last week and self-isolate.

Nick law, executive headteacher for Carre’s Grammar and Kesteven and Sleaford High Schools, said all foreign trips will be cancelled for the rest of the academic year, including a visit to First World War battlefields, a visit to CERN in Switzerland, Côte d’Opale in northern France and a rugby tour of South Africa.

Non-essential domestic trips, visits and activities have been cut until Easter including parents evenings and sports fixtures.

Mr Law said: “The Lincolnshire Teaching Schools Together is suspending its face to face training and activities from now until May 29. They are looking at different ways to do that.”

Principal of St George’s Academy, Laranya Caslin also confirmed they too had cancelled their upcoming Easter Sports Tour to Barcelona.

Mr Law has also written to parents to quash rumours that Carre’s had a case of coronavirus. He said: “It remains the case that we have no reported cases of coronavirus at school.

Contingency planning in the event of full or partial closure instructed by Government will allow students to continue their studies at home, with access to revision material online and to teachers during the working day via phone or possibly video conferencing.