Westminster Park Residents Association

Local contact tracing launched in Cheshire West and Chester to stop the spread of COVID-19
A local contact tracing partnership has been launched in the fight against COVID-19 in west Cheshire.

Cheshire West and Chester Local Contact Tracing Partnership will start calling people who have tested positive for Coronavirus from Wednesday, 25 November.

Cheshire West and Chester Council has set up the partnership with NHS Test and Trace and Council company Qwest.

In this new partnership, the Council will contact any borough residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 which the national NHS Test and Trace service has not been able to contact within 24 hours.

Cllr Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, said: “Contact tracing is a vitally important part of the strategy to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the borough.

“Effective contact tracing is based on getting in touch with as many people who have tested positive as possible and getting in touch with them as quickly as possible after their test result.

“We know from information collected by NHS Test and Trace that as many as 30% of people are not contacted at all, and for a number of people it can take more than 48 hours before they hear from Test and Trace.

“Our new partnership will work closely with NHS Test and Trace to take responsibility for those residents, aiming to reach more of them and reach them more quickly to make sure people have the support they need to self-isolate.

“It’s about working together with our partners and residents, all playing our part to turn this around.”

Working directly with our Public Health team, specially trained contact centre staff will telephone residents to offer advice and guidance on how to self-isolate following a positive test result and ensure they have the support they need to do this successfully.

They will help residents identify anyone else who may also need to be advised to self-isolate and will make sure residents know how and when to access healthcare if they or their families develop more serious symptoms of COVID-19.

Anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 – a new continuous cough, a high temperature or a loss or change in your sense of smell or taste – should self-isolate immediately and book a test by calling: 119 or visiting: nhs.uk/coronavirus.

If you have symptoms you should self-isolate for 10 days unless you receive a negative test result. Anyone in your household should self-isolate for 14 days. They do not need to get a test unless they develop symptoms.

If you need support to self-isolate and do not have friends or family to help then you can call the Council’s helpline on: 0300 123 7031.

If you have online access you can visit: livewell.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk for information about support available in your community.

For more information about financial support, including help with council tax payments, financial and practical support or the Test and Trace support payment, and to find out if you are eligible, visit: cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/coronavirus and click on ‘how to get help’.

Final preparations are now in place to commence the Clockwise plan for the inner ring road on 16th November for approximately 12 months, in order to allow for essential infrastructure works to install a new rainwater drainage tunnel through Chester from the Northgate site.

In response to a number of enquiries, we have developed at set of FAQs explaining the changes and some of the finer details around how Nuns Rd. and Castle Drive, for example will be impacted. See www.clockwisechester.com for more or email us at: northgate_int@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk

In advance of the main clockwise plan, prior enabling works will take place overnight on Friday 13, Saturday 14 and Sunday 15^th. This work will require the road to be closed in both directions along Vicar’s Lane and Pepper St. from 7pm to 6am on Friday and Saturday, and from 10pm to 6am on Sunday. Residents’ access will be maintained but may be subject to delay while equipment is moved.

Northgate Site Updates

 Foundation Piling

This work has now been completed, apologies for any disturbance while the sheet piling adjacent to Hunter St. was carried out. The sandstone geology created a very hard rock bed which resulted in louder than planned piling. Thankfully the vast majority of the piling was completed with an auger which was significantly quieter.

Weekend Working 8am – 6pm

Further permission to work at weekends has been granted to allow for limited small scale works until the end of December. This is to allow for critical groundworks to enable the superstructure works to start on time after Christmas. VINCI have assured us that they will try to minimise breaking works in the first hour where possible.

 And finally… Movember

Our VINCI site management team have all committed to take part in the Movember Challenge to raise funds for the homeless in Chester by growing facial hair in various guises. So far they have raised over £1,700, to support them please visit: http://www.justgiving.com./fundraising/vincimovhomeless A great team effort!

This information is also available in our latest newsletter if you wish to share:

http://chesternorthgate.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/CNG-Newsletter-Nov-2020.pdf

Latest news from CWAC about the Recycling Centre (tip): Household Waste Recycling Centres remain open but we ask that people only travel there for essential reasons and be patient to ensure distancing can be maintained on sites. A proof of residency will need to be shown to staff.

GAS MAINS REPLACEMENT:
The plan for this work is over a 12 week period. This has started on Phase 1 at Boxmoor close/Rowcliffe Ave and hope to replace the gas main pipe today 5th November, then 1 week to complete the reinstatement.
The residents will get the 10 day advance notice letter and a visit from a Colleague to help explain the procedure. It’s important that people are not left worrying about the situation in this current climate. Please ring the number on the letter or the customer service desk if they have any issues.
We hope to complete each phase in 1 week replacing the main gas pipe followed by 1 week to complete the reinstatement(and get back to normal).Delays can be created by incorrect maps or the depth of the gas pipe.
Est start Pipework Est Finish Reinstatement start Streets
Phase 1 started 5/11/20 06/11/20 Boxmoor Close
Phase 2 6/11/20 13/11/20 16/11/20 Rowcliffe Ave
Phase 3 16/11/20 20/11/20 23/11/20 Rowcliffe Ave
Phase 4 23/11/20 27/11/20 30/11/20 Merton Drive
Phase 5 30/11/20 04/12/20 07/12/20 Merton Drive
Phase 6 07/12/20 11/12/20 14/12/20 Merton Drive
Phase 7 14/12/20 18/12/20 21/12/20 Rowcliffe Ave
Christmas Break
Phase 8 04/01/21 09/01/21 11/01/21 Rowcliffe Ave
Phase 9 11/01/21 15/01/21 18/01/21 Rowcliffe Ave
Phase 10 18/01/21 22/01/21 25/01/21 Denstone Drive
Phase 11 25/01/21 29/01/21 01/02/21 Radnor Drive
Phase 12 01/02/21 05/02/21 08/02/21 Radnor Drive
While the work is taking place we will supply Hotplates and electric heaters to any resident off gas. Please let me or a team know so we can supply these items before the gas goes off.
These are all planned estimated dates subject to change but at all times we will do our best to communicate any changes. People can ring the office or even talk to the team members on site(they don’t bite)

Due to a family member testing positive, Dave the fishmonger is self isolating as a precaution in line with government guidelines.

The shop will be closed from Monday 2nd November to Saturday 7th November.

We plan to re-open on Tuesday 10th November.
Thank you for your understanding.

Three new COVID-19 local testing sites will open in west Cheshire within the next two weeks, enabling residents with Coronavirus symptoms to book a test.

The sites in Ellesmere Port, Frodsham and Blacon are walk-through sites and will be open from 8am-8pm, seven days a week.

The Ellesmere Port site is located on Wellington Road car park. Installation has started today, Monday, and the site will start offering tests in the next few days.

The Frodsham site will be located at the back of Frodsham Leisure Centre, in Princeway, and the Blacon site will be located in the Sealand Road Park and Ride car park. Work is expected to start on these sites within the next two weeks.

Residents with symptoms can book an appointment at the new sites on the national portal at: www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling 119. The symptoms of COVID-19 are a new continuous cough, a fever, or a loss or change in sense of taste and smell.

Visitors to these local testing sites will be required to self-swab the back of their own throats and their noses and will receive guidance and instruction from staff.

They will need to wear a face covering at the sites and keep a two-metre social distance from others.

Residents who have been in contact with someone who has had COVID-19 symptoms do not need to go for a test unless they have symptoms, or have been advised to do so by a health professional or the Test and Trace Service.

Our other local testing site is in the Little Roodee car park in Chester.

A message from Evergreen Club Chairperson:
After the initial Coronavirus lockdown in March, I think we all hoped there would be some return to normality, certainly by the end of the year. However, this was too optimistic. Now as a consequence of the recent increase in reported infections, particularly across the North West and the latest tightening of restrictions, at our Committee meeting on 15th October we have taken the decision to cancel our annual Christmas Lunch, which was to be held at 1539 and there will be no further ‘Evergreen’ activities for the remainder of the year.
Nevertheless, we are still hoping the situation will improve in 2021, so we have drafted our 2021 programme and will continue to monitor the situation carefully and we will let you know as soon as we feel confident that it is safe and practical to resume our ‘Evergreen’ 55+ Club.
Membership subscriptions for 2020 will be carried over as 2021 subscriptions.
If anyone has any questions please contact Sandra Magilton on 01244 677373 or Penny White pennywhite@sky.com

A ban on people travelling to Wales from coronavirus hotspots elsewhere in the UK has come into effect.
First Minister Mark Drakeford announced the rules on Wednesday after twice asking Boris Johnson to stop people from English hotspots from travelling.
The ban covers all of Northern Ireland, England’s tier two and three areas and the Scottish central belt.

2020 has been a year like no other for the RNLI. Our lifeboat crews and lifeguards have continued to risk their lives to save others during the lockdown.

Over the past 6 months, all of the RNLI’s stations continued service every single day. Our crews have been missing family occasions and dinners to answer the call from those in peril. Unfortunately, our ability to raise funds has been significantly impacted by the lockdown and we are currently projecting a £60m downturn in income at a time when our services are being called upon more than ever.



I really appreciate that fundraising is quite possibly the last thing on many people’s mind at present, but I wondered if members of the Residents Association including the Evergreen Club might be interested in participating in one of the RNLI’s major fundraising campaigns next year; the RNLI Open Gardens 2021.



An Open Garden can be any shape or size, country or urban, private, or public, a grand hall garden or a driveway plant sale.

An online page will be available to register interest in Open Gardens and where people will also be able to download a ‘how to’ guide. More resources, (posters, adverts etc) will be available later in the year. If anyone is interested in taking part, there’s still plenty of time to get involved.



By pledging to host an Open Garden, neighbours, family and friends can get involved too. If anyone would like further information on RNLI Open Gardens, please email: opengardens@rnli.org.uk



The RNLI is also inviting people to join their Open Garden Facebook group where people can share garden images, tips, stories and ask any questions they have.

You don’t have to open your garden to be part of this group. The more who join, the more we will all hopefully benefit and have some fun. mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;color:blue;mso-fareast-language:EN-GB”>https://www.facebook.com/groups/270252550739018/



Thank you for your time and if there are any questions, do please feel free to contact me.



With very best wishes and warmest regards.



Bryan


Bryan Hughes – RNLI volunteer
Mobile + 44 (0)7768 928 942 / email bjh0307@btinternet.com