Most families have experienced upheaval in their daily lives during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Data shows that over half of parents in the South West said that the mental wellbeing of their children has been one of their biggest worries. 

After a tough year, lots of children are feeling unsettled, so Public Health England has launched a campaign to help parents and carers spot the signs that children may be struggling with their mental health, and provides tools to help. It's been developed in partnership with leading children and young people’s mental health charities and endorsed by the NHS. 

Check out the Better Health Every Mind Matters website for tips and advice.

Residents and visitors in Devon and Cornwall are being urged to continue to play their part and prevent the spread of coronavirus after new regulations have come into effect making it illegal for groups of more than six people to gather socially.

In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the rule of six means that anyone gathering in a group of more than six people in any inside or outside place will be dispersed and could be subject to a £100 fine if they refuse to comply.

Devon and Cornwall Police will maintain the approach of 4Es to the new legislation using engagement, education and encouragement to ask members of the public to comply with the regulations. Enforcement remains a final option.

Assistant Chief Constable Glen Mayhew said: “Preventing the spread of COVID-19 is a shared effort and police will play a part alongside the Government, businesses, hospitality owners, local authorities and others.

“The change to COVID-19 legislation, and subsequent change in the law, means everyone has a legal responsibility to play their part and not gather in a group of more than six people.

“The new rules are clear. We all have a personal responsibility for following them to help stop of the spread of a deadly virus.”

There are some exceptions to these rules, including if everyone in the group is a member of the same household or two linked households.

• The new regulations do not refer to schools or other childcare, education or training, the workplace, for voluntary charitable purposes or providing support to a vulnerable person.
• The regulations do apply to the majority of public spaces, whether indoors or outdoors.
• Gatherings of more than six, but no more than thirty, may be permitted at weddings or civil partnerships, funerals and other religious or belief-based life cycle ceremonies.
• Police will have the ability to issue an on the spot £100 fixed penalty notice, which can rise to a maximum of £3,200 for repeat offending.

Assistant Chief Constable Mayhew added: “Demands on Devon & Cornwall Police, and the police service in general, are back to pre-COVID levels, making it even more important that people respect the change in the law and take personal responsibility.

I hope that we do not need to enforce the legislation as people understand the importance of the measures to keep us all safe. In the circumstances where police do engage with a group, I hope they all disperse and we do not need to issue a fine, but the powers are there should officers need them.

“The pandemic has not gone away and everyone must play their part to protect themselves, their families and our communities.

“I know we are seeing large numbers of younger people returning to universities in our region and campus life is likely to be very different with these measures. The work of universities and student groups to prepare for the year ahead highlights how we can all adapt”

“But I would ask everyone to respect yourself, others and comply with the law to make Devon and Cornwall a safe place for all.”

If members of the public are concerned that the law is being broken or they are experiencing anti-social behaviour, they can report this to Devon and Cornwall Police. We will consider the most appropriate response and will target the most problematic behaviour. Reports should be made through online reporting wherever possible via https://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk

Full details of the guidance can be found on the Government website - https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

You can also visit our frequently asked questions page which is updated regularly - https://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/advice/covid-19-coronavirus/

The on-line version of this message can be found here – https://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/News/NewsArticle.aspx?id=9d385dea-7fbc-442b-af70-ee5fc942c0b9

Mick HARRISON, Community Engagement Worker, Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

PLEASE NOTE: CHANGES BEGIN FROM 5 OCTOBER - THIS MAY INCLUDE A CHANGE OF COLLECTION DAY - CHECK YOUR COLLECTION DAY ONLINE

14 September 2020

In Spring 2021, South Hams District Council will be introducing an all new ‘Super Recycler’ service, so that every household can recycle more.

The planned changes will add glass and a wider range of plastics to the list of items collected at the kerbside.

In preparation for the new service, a full review of the collection rounds has taken place and new routes will come in to effect from 5 October 2020. From this date, it is possible that crews will collect at a different time of the day for every household so it’s important that all waste is out by 7 a.m. For about two thirds of residents, actual collection days will change.

Reviewing the days and weeks we collect recycling and waste is a common part of delivering the service. These reviews are needed periodically to take account of new properties, and this round review is long overdue in South Hams.

With the incoming new service, now is the perfect time to implement a full review of the rounds. This will ensure that the rounds have been amended to take into account the changes that are needed for the new service to work effectively in 2021.

The new recycling service was originally planned to come into effect in September 2020 but has been delayed due to the impact of lockdown on vital supply chains and preparations.

Residents in the South Hams are already very good at recycling all of the items currently collected. With the introduction of the new service, South Hams District Council wants to help residents become Super Recyclers and recycle even more every single week.

Recycling more and throwing away less reduces the impact on the environment because less energy is used producing new materials and we can make the best use of our resources.

In 2019, South Hams District Council joined many other councils and Central Government, in declaring a climate change and biodiversity emergency. While tackling the global issues seems an overwhelming task, recycling is one of the easiest way for every household to do their bit.

The new service will introduce a new weekly separate food waste collection and weekly recycling collection. It will allow residents to recycling glass and plastic packaging, such as yoghurt pots, margarine tubs, meat trays and fruit punnets, at the kerbside. Garden waste and refuse collections will remain fortnightly.

All properties impacted by the day changes will receive a letter this week, 14 – 18 September, informing them of their new collection day. If residents have not received a letter and want to check if they have been affected they can use the ‘find my collection day’ feature on our website, www.southhams.gov.uk/recyclingwaste. Households not affected by the day change may notice that the time of day their collection is completed may change. Residents are reminded that collections can happen any time after 7 a.m. on their collection day.

Cllr Keith Baldry, South Hams District Council’s Executive Member for Environment, said: “We are delighted to be bringing this improved service to our residents in Spring 2021. Many of them have been telling us that they want to recycle more materials, because they know how important recycling is.

“The collection route changes are a necessary step in the preparation for the new service. Residents may experience low levels of disruption while our hard working collection crews adjust to the new routes. If missed collections do occur they can be reported on our website the following day.”

Cllr Baldry added: “While we’ve unfortunately had to delay the new service until 2021, we hope the delay will mean that we have more time to talk to more people about the new service as lockdown restrictions ease.”

Residents will receive further information on the new service through their door in early 2021.

Collection calendars issued with council tax statements in March finish in September. This was in preparation for the original new service date. A downloadable copy of the calendar for the rest of 20/21 is available at www.southhams.gov.uk/recyclingwaste.

Last week, DCC reported that the government has diverted some of the testing resources from parts of the country where prevalence is lower, to other parts where prevalence of cases and demand for testing is higher.

That's meant that people are finding that access to testing locally is less available.

Dr Virginia Pearson, Director of Public Health Devon, said:

"There may be issues with people accessing COVID-19 testing in Devon as a result of national laboratory capacity for analysing tests being directed to areas elsewhere with a higher prevalence of cases.

"You must still follow the national guidance on getting tested, which is that if you develop any of the symptoms - a new and continuous cough; high temperature; or change in your sense of taste or smell – you should book a test via the NHS website or call 119 to if you have problems using the internet."

If you are unable to book a slot, you can email for advice on what to do:
d-ccg.cornwalldevon.urgenttesting@nhs.net