A highly experienced team of digital volunteers from the Dorset Digital Hotline have been praised for the way they helped a 'shielding' couple connect with loved ones and the outside world during the COVID lockdown. The big 'thank you' from Wareham residents Arthur and Daniel Brown marks this year's #LetsTalkLoneliness Week (15-19 June 2020). The couple are keen for more people to know about the hotline which can offer support to anyone who wants to get connected with friends and family by video and provides help with any other IT or digital problem. Arthur and Daniel, who are both 'shielding', moved to new sheltered accommodation with hours to spare before lockdown but their broadband connection didn't move with them. In a new town, with lockdown taking hold, the couple found themselves isolated, alone and no connection to the outside world save their GP surgery. Arthur said: "We were on our own for 10 weeks in all. We have always been loathed to go digital but our motivations changed during lockdown. It became crystal clear that all essential services and human contact relied on us getting broadband and video conferencing. "We tried some internet service providers but the cost was too high and neither of us are able to work. Our GP surgery suggested we call the Dorset Digital Hotline who immediately suggested we apply for the BT Basic Broadband package. This was installed extremely efficiently and with full safeguarding adhered to. Dorset Digital Hotline advisers have been on the end of a phone throughout to make sure the broadband and video technology works for us.” Daniel continued: "The BT Basic Broadband package is available for people on lower incomes. It was installed midweek and last Sunday we were invited to a 70th digital birthday party on Zoom. There were multiple screens so we could catch up with lots of people, many we hadn't seen for years, and all party together. It was wonderful. Anyone who needs IT or digital support should get in touch with the hotline now, we thoroughly recommend it." A selection of some of the support the Dorset Digital Hotline can provide – no problem too small! • helping families with digital applications for home schooling • providing help to get online for home shopping • support for all digital NHS services and e-Consult • setting up video calls such as Skype and Facetime to keep in contact with friends and family • support to use all digital appliances and solve problems Cllr. Gary Suttle, Dorset Council cabinet lead for skills, said: “Without broadband or digital skills it must be incredibly difficult to shield. During the COVID lockdown, people without broadband have effectively been shut off. I am delighted we have been able to work as a team to find a good all-round solution for this couple." Anyone can call the Dorset Digital Hotline with an IT question on 01305 221000 (Option 2) weekdays from 10am to 12 noon, or leave a message.

Risk & Policy Analysts Ltd. are carrying out a study for the Environment Agency on resilience to flooding. We are currently collecting views and opinions and are interested in questions such as: • Are property owners and occupiers aware of Property Flood Resilience measures? • Do property owners and occupiers have any measures installed (e.g. flood doors)? • Are there any issues that are hindering owners and occupiers from taking up Property Flood Resilience? We are using an internet-based survey to collect opinions on Property Flood Resilience from owners and occupiers. The survey can be accessed via: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/ownersandoccupiers/ We would like to ask you to kindly pass this invitation on to property owners and occupiers in your area, so that we can find out what they think about Property Flood Resilience. The study is part of wider work on increasing resilience to flooding (see https://www.gov.uk/government/news/29-million-extra- funding-to-boost-action-on-making-homes-more-resilient-to-floods for more information). If you would like any further details on the survey and how the data collected will be used, please do get in touch. Thank you in advance for your help. Kind regards, Emma Emma Cary Consultant Office hours: Wednesday, Thursday & Friday Risk & Policy Analysts Ltd Suite C, 2nd Floor, The Atrium, St Georges Street, Norwich, Norfolk, NR3 1AB, UK Direct: +44 1603 558518 ǀ Switchboard: +44 1603 558442 Email: emma.cary@rpaltd.co.uk Website: https://rpaltd.co.uk/

VILLAGE INFORMATION

VILLAGE INFORMATION

NEWS

Portesham Surgery would like to invite you to book your 2020 flu vaccination appointment. The arrangements will be slightly different this year so please read this email carefully. All our flu clinics will be held at two of the larger village halls where there is plenty of space for social distancing and with separate entrance and exits. However if you need an appointment at the Surgery during late September or October (for example with a nurse or for a blood test) we can give you your flu vaccination at the same time so you will not need to book into one of the village hall flu clinics. Village Hall Flu clinic arrangements: • You must book an appointment and arrive on time - not early or late. If you are early we will ask you to return to your car or wait well away from the queue until the appointed time. If you are late we will ask you to book a new appointment, to ensure we do not have too many patients waiting at any one time. • Do not come if you have COVID-19 symptoms, or think you have been exposed to the virus in the last 14 days, including if you have returned from a travel destination which now requires you to self-isolate. • Be prepared to wear a face-covering or mask from the time you join the queue, if you are able. This will help to protect other patients who may be feeling anxious, and our staff. • Wear a short-sleeved top so you can easily bare your arm. There will be nowhere to put coats, sweaters or bags etc so please leave your belongings in the car. • Come alone. Unless you need help, anyone accompanying you but not having the flu vaccination should wait in the car or outside, well away from the queue. • Be prepared to stand. The vaccinations will be done standing to minimise the cleaning of touch points, so you should be in and out within minutes. Bring your wheelchair or walker if you need. • The toilets will be closed in both village halls, so plan ahead before you leave home! If you will struggle with any of these arrangements or you are shielding, please ring us so we can make alternative arrangements for you. This year's flu clinics will be held: at Portesham Village Hall, 2 - 5pm, on Thursday 1st October, Thursday 15th October and Wednesday 21st October at LATCH (Litton and Thorners Community Hall) on Wednesday 28th October. Ring us on 01305 871468 to book your appointment. If you don't want to have the flu jab this year it would be really helpful if you can let us know (ideally by email to portesham.reception@dorsetgp.nhs.uk, to save our phone lines!) so we don't keep contacting you - thank you.

From St. Mary’s Church Sunday 29th November is a 5th Sunday so there will be no morning service at St. Mary’s that day. Instead we shall be holding a special United Valley Advent Service at 5.00 p.m. to celebrate the Advent season and the start of the Church’s year. There will be music – Paul Cheater will be playing “live” and there will be hymns and an anthem recorded by members of St. Mary’s choir. Everyone from across the Bride Valley will be very welcome. Virtual Christmas Draw The annual Grand Draw in aid of the upkeep of St Mary’s Church is usually run in conjunction with the Fete in May. Coronavirus meant no Fete and no draw this year, so instead we are running a Virtual Christmas Draw. 1st Prize: Luxury hamper of Dorset’s finest food and drink 2nd Prize Bottles of Rosé Bella and Brut Reserve sparkling wine from Litton’s own Bride Valley Vineyard 3rd Prize £25 cash To take part, go to St Mary’s Just Giving page on the link shown on the village website, BVN insert and December’s BVN. Tickets are £1 each, so for every £1 you donate we will allocate you a virtual numbered ticket (remember to leave your contact details). The draw will be held on Sunday 13th December and winners will be notified during the following week. Thank you for your support. Dorset Historic Churches Trust – Ride & Stride – 12th September Apologies to Elizabeth Kingston, Pauline Price and Sarah Nobes, who strode valiantly around churches in Swanage, Langton Matravers, Worth Matravers and Corfe but who were not mentioned as participants in last month’s magazine – well done them and thank you. This year was a bumper one for the village, the grand total raised was £1727, nearly three times more than the previous record; St Mary’s Church benefits from half the amount which is returned by the Trust, a very welcome addition to church funds in a year without income from a Fete and much reduced income from service collections. The PCC is very grateful for this and a very big thank you to all who sponsored the Riders and Striders so generously. Litton Cheney Parish Council – Next Meeting; Tuesday 10th November The next virtual meeting of the Parish Council will be held on the date above, commencing at 7.30 pm. Details of how to join the meeting will be published on the meeting’s agenda closer to the date of the meeting. At the time of writing the Parish Council has a vacancy for a new councillor to be co-opted onto the council. This is a great opportunity to contribute to the well-being of the village by giving up a small amount of your time hopefully for the good of the community. Please contact either Clerk, Maggie Walsh or John Firrell who’s contact details can be found on the village website and village notice boards. In Case of Covid Whilst infections remain relatively low in Dorset, that situation could change over the coming weeks with possible local lockdowns in operation. If you suffer problems as a result of restrictions and require assistance please refer to the Parish Council’s letter displayed on village notice boards and the village website where you can find contact details of those people who can provide that assistance. Your community is all here to help, and we would also ask local residents to look out for their neighbours, check that they are ok and provide help where needed, much as you have done over the past six months. Thank you. Litton and Thorner’s Community Hall Looking back to November last year, the hall was really busy – we had bookings for Scouts, dancing, table tennis, short mat bowls, Yoga, a film night, choir practices, a Wine Tasting evening, and an Artsreach show! It’s hard to imagine now, isn’t it? Hopefully we will be offering many of these things again by this time next yearIn the meantime, Table Tennis has started again – on Wednesdays from 4.00 to 5.00 p.m. – if you would like to take part, contact Ron Davidson (01308 482661). There is a Yoga class on Wednesday evenings from 7.00 – 8.00 p.m. – contact Anna Forrest if you would like to join (01308 485343). Nadiya Wynn is holding two Yoga workshops on Sunday mornings 1st and 29th November - contact her on 07800 712998 for details. Village Carol Singing Sadly at the time of writing it does not seem possible given current restrictions for there to be the usual carol singing this year around the village. If that situation changes we shall ensure the word gets around. Ron Davidson – Litton Cheney Social Committee. The White Horse – The Centre of the Universe for Local Hospitality Don’t forget HAPPY HOUR from Tuesday to Sunday 5.30 to 6.30. All real ales, lagers, ciders, Guinness and all medium sized (175ml) wines are just £3. This will hopefully run on into the New Year as it is proving to be quite popular. Socially distanced of course!! Our current opening hours are: Monday - Closed Tuesday and Wednesday 5pm to 9pm. Pub menu available 6pm to 8pm. Thursday 12 to 2.30pm and 5 to 9pm. Pub menu available 12 to 2pm and 6 to 8pm. Friday 12 to 10pm. Pub menu available 12 to 2pm. Fish and Chips eat in or takeaway 5.30 to 8pm. Saturday 12 to 10pm. Pub menu available 12 to 2pm. Curries eat in or takeaway 5.30 to 8pm. Sunday 12 to 8.30pm. Pub menu and roast dinners 12 to 2.30pm. Beef, Pork, Lamb, Chicken/Turkey on a 4-week rolling rota. We are continually adapting to conform with ever-changing government rules to keep everyone safe. As it stands: 1. Face masks must be worn while stood up; can be removed when sat at a table. 2. Table service only. 3. Test and Trace obligatory. We can help if you don’t have a smart phone. 4. We have removed some tables and chairs to accommodate social distancing. Tables strictly up to a maximum of 6. 5. We also have a 10pm curfew, which unfortunately does not mean last orders at 10, it sadly means everyone must be out by 10pm. We look forward to continuing to welcome you under these measures. Next event we CAN join in is Halloween! If you’re out with your children, there will be pumpkins, hand sanitiser and little treats on the wall from 6pm so come on down BRIDE VALLEY FILMS at Litton and Thorner’s Community Hall. Although we can seat 34 for a socially distanced viewing in Litton, Burton cannot achieve their break even numbers in their hall, screenings therefore are not viable at present. With this in mind and the fact that some people may not be happy to attend indoor events in the near future, we have decided to delay any new dates until 2021; hopefully we may be able to resume then. At such time we will try to ascertain whether everyone has seen all available films during lockdown etc. so we can confirm titles. That’s all folks! - for now.