There are some excellent resources online for supporting positive mental health and encouraging a sense of wellbeing and connectedness. The following resources would be great places to start:
- Check out www.bbc.co.uk/headroom
- Have a look at this handy eight minute digital buddy training so you can help older members of the community have online access through their devices too.
- MIND, the mental health charity, provides a range of services to support our communities including peer support groups, open door calm spaces, good mood cafes, and Qwell – online support and more, all accessible online and by phone.
- FRAZZLED Café is a registered charity that operates with the purpose of providing a safe, confidential and non-judgemental environment where people who are feeling frazzled and overwhelmed by the stresses of modern life can meet on a regular basis to talk and share their personal stories. Currently all online.
- Action for Happiness is a movement of people committed to building a happier and more caring society. They have a selection of groups, events, online activities and resources based on the science of happiness available on their website.
PPE for carers
The Government has confirmed that unpaid carers across the country, who do not live with the people they care for, can now benefit from free Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) through a new national scheme. Locally, if someone is a carer to a relative, and requires PPE, they could be entitled to free PPE until the end of June 2021. They will need to email ppe@cambridgeshire.gov.uk to request an order form. PPE can then be collected from a PPE Hub in the county – these are based in Peterborough, Huntingdon, March, Cambridge (Trumpington).
Half term activities
We are seeing the vaccine roll out happen at great pace and over 12 million people have now received their COVID-19 jab. It is also very encouraging to see infection rates start to fall. This is mainly driven by the current lockdown and social distancing. However, the drop in positive cases will take longer to filter through to the number of deaths and hospitals are still under huge pressure. There are reasons to be hopeful and it is good to see the sacrifices of lockdown making a difference, but to ensure infection rates and hospital admissions continue going in the right direction, and to keep ourselves and those around us safe, it remains as important as ever to continue following the rules.
The County Council will be sharing ideas of things to do with children during half term on their social channels (Facebook or Twitter), if you find them helpful.