Get Involved / Have Your Say
Lower Valley Friday Flyer 26 February 2021 – OUT NOW!!
Click here to view the latest Lower Valley Friday Flyer…
This week:
- Sign up for ebilling to support tree planting pledge
- Statement from Calderdale Council in response to Prime Minister’s announcement
- SureStart Children’s centres recruiting now
- Tai Chi Tigers Breathe-Tap-Stretch free exercise routines for all!
Have a great weekend!
If you’re on our mailing list the Friday Flyer will arrive direct to your inbox every Friday. Join the mailing list by emailing calderdalelowervalley@gmail.com
You can also contact us on 01422 252 209
Sign up for ebilling to support tree planting pledge
Calderdale residents can support the work to tackle climate change by opting to receive their council tax bills electronically. Calderdale Council is pledging to plant trees across the borough for every 1000 households that switch to ebilling before the end of March 2021.
Currently only 15% of Calderdale residents receive ebilling for their council tax. Receiving bills electronically reduces the financial and environmental impacts of producing and sending paper bills. The more residents that sign up, the more trees will be planted by the Council, furthering the environmental benefits of switching.
The additional trees planted will support natural flood management and improve air quality. As they will be native species, they will also help protect our natural habitats and the wealth of biodiversity they contain.
Ebilling is also the most convenient way to receive your council tax bill. Once registered, instead of issuing a traditional paper bill and sending it through the post, your bill will be sent electronically to your email address. Any other correspondence regarding your council tax account will also be sent in this way where possible.
To switch to ebilling and support the tree planting pledge, visit www.calderdale.gov.uk/counciltax. For more information on Calderdale Council’s wider commitments to tackle climate change, visit: https://www.calderdale.gov.uk/climate-emergency.
LAB Wellbeing Online Course starting March 5th
Calderdale Adult Learning and the national award – winning Proper Job Theatre Company have joined forces again to offer another LAB Wellbeing course in March. A free short online course to inspire you to try using models to boost mental well being, to identify and confidently communicate your needs. The course runs from 5th to 19th of March.
In Calderdale we are presently all facing challenges and difficult situations. Having tools to cope well, deal with situations and minimise negative effects of challenges can help us to feel more in control. The tutors teach this fun upbeat course using scenarios, case studies, games, insights from CBT and Psychodrama. Using the Five Ways to Wellbeing model, the sessions aim to encourage participants to take a look at where they are now and start planning a positive future.
As we begin to move on from the unsettling last months, identify things that you can control and go forward with some effective tools for setting motivating goals and dealing with effects of stress.
LAB Wellbeing Online is part of the LAB Project. Participants are offered on follow – on sessions. These cover personal confidence, Communication, Employment skills and offer a free nationally recognised qualification.
Some participants are eligible for a £50 shopping voucher: try something new and give your feedback.
To enquire or book, please call one of our friendly team
Audrey on 07716638762 or email: audrey@properjob.org.uk
Melissa on 07368291874 or email: melissa@properjob.org.uk
A641 Initial Engagement online
As the A641 scheme progresses through the development of an Outline Business Case, an initial public engagement has been launched since Thursday 18th February, using an interactive platform called Commonplace. The link to the Commonplace A641 engagement site is https://thea641.commonplace.is/
The purpose of this initial engagement is to help build on the detailed knowledge we already have including from responses to other engagements such as the valuable public feedback received last summer regarding he Brighouse Town Centre Vision Masterplan. This coupled with our existing technical understanding of the various issues relating to the local road network in Calderdale, Bradford and Kirklees, will enable us to continue to refine the scheme details further.
It is intended that responses to the engagement using Commonplace will help us ensure any known or emerging issues and opportunities along the A641 route will continue to be identified and understood. This in turn will enable us to best respond to them and where necessary refine existing proposals; improve facilities and the environment for people choosing to walk, cycle and use public transport and thereby enable more people to use these forms of transport; reduce the negative impacts of congestion and air pollution on our health and our local environment; and make the A641 safer and more useable for everyone.
The Commonplace portal is interactive and gives participants opportunity to pinpoint any issues or opportunities on a map, along with being able to tell us how they feel through multi-choice questions and an option to provide free text. The image to the left is an example of a Heatmap produced for a project in London but gives an indication of what can be expected for the A641 scheme.
For those who do not have access to, or wish to use Commonplace, we will also make available the Calderdale Council Contact Centre email address (customer.first@calderdale.gov.uk) and have arrangements in place with the Contact Centre to complete responses for those wishing to provide them over the phone (01422 288001). There will be a press release, an advert in next week’s newspaper and a social media campaign on the Calderdale Next Chapter and Calderdale Council Facebook and Twitter pages.
A full public consultation is anticipated to take place in the Summer of this year – at that point it is intended an emerging package of A641 transport proposals will be presented to enable respondents to continue to shape the scheme and its development.
West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership Board Meeting March 2nd
West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership’s Partnership Board will meet in public on Tuesday 2 March 2021 at 2pm. The meeting will be held virtually due to Government social distancing guidelines and to ensure people are not at any unnecessary risk.
The Partnership Board further strengthens joint working arrangements between the NHS, councils, care providers, hospices, Healthwatch, the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector. Together, the Partnership improves health and care for the 2.7 million people living across the area.
The Board is an important group for the Partnership, which covers Bradford district and Craven; Calderdale, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield. It brings together elected members, executive and non-executives and independent lay members in one decision making process.
Chaired by Cllr Tim Swift, Leader of Calderdale Council and Chair of Calderdale Health and Wellbeing Board, the meeting will focus on the Partnership’s response to COVID-19, including support for Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities and staff; and new national proposals launched to join up health and care services and embed lessons learned from the pandemic.
Working alongside communities, the Partnership Board aims to give people the best start in life with support to stay healthy and live longer. Many factors determine whether someone leads a long and healthy life, including good housing, access to green space, and building an inclusive economy that creates more good jobs, reduces health inequalities and promotes opportunity for all. These important factors are at the heart of the Partnership Board.
The Partnership Board is also influenced by the voice of local people. It has co-opted four independent members of the public and has a strong commitment to listening to the public’s views. The meetings are held in public and gives people the opportunity for people to ask questions and have their say.
The Board meets in public every three months.
Due to the meeting following a different format in these exceptional circumstances, questions from members of the public will be limited to one per person being read out at the Board. All other questions submitted will receive a written response after the meeting and published on the Partnership’s website as usual.
Members of the public are asked to email their questions to westyorkshire.stp@nhs.net before Monday 1 March 2021 at 5pm – highlighting the question to be asked at the Board. People can also call 01924 317659 to submit questions.
The agenda, papers and watching the meeting live can be accessed at: https://www.wyhpartnership.co.uk/meetings/partnershipboard/papers
You can find out more about asking questions to the Board at: https://www.wyhpartnership.co.uk/meetings/partnershipboard/questions
Choose to Challenge : International Women’s Day March 11 Event
Halifax Central Initiative invite you to join them to their annual International Women’s Day Event.
They will be holding an online Zoom event to celebrate International Women’s Day
Thursday 11 March 2021 : 10am to 12pm
You can register on Eventbrite or contact Sarah Dyer of Halifax Central Initiative.
There will be online workshops, music and ideas about how we can choose to challenge for a better future.
For more information email HCI@calderdale.gov.uk
or call Sarah Dyer on 077 02 817356
Free Psychological First Aid training for those supporting children and young people affected by COVID-19
New Psychological First Aid training for supporting children and young people affected by emergencies and crisis situations including the COVID-19 pandemic
On Monday 22 February, PHE launched a new psychological first aid (PFA) online training course to help support children and young people that have been affected by emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is available for all frontline workers such as teachers, health and social workers, charity and community volunteers and anyone who cares for or is regularly in contact with children and young people aged up to 25, including parents and caregivers.
Those completing the training will be equipped to better identify those children that are in distress and provide support to help them feel safe, connected and able to take steps to help themselves during the pandemic or other crisis situations.
The course is free, takes up to three hours to complete (that the learner can complete at their own pace) and no previous qualifications are required. PFA is a globally recognised training programme for emergency situations and PHE has developed this new course with input and advice from a range of experts, government and charitable organisations via an advisory group which includes NHS England, the Department for Education, British Red Cross and in partnership with FutureLearn.
About Public Health England:
Public Health England exists to protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities. We do this through world-leading science, knowledge and intelligence, advocacy, partnerships and providing specialist public health services. We are an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care, and a distinct organisation with operational autonomy. We provide government, local government, the NHS, Parliament, industry and the public with evidence-based professional, scientific expertise and support. Follow us on Twitter: @PHE_uk and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PublicHealthEngland.
Phonecall Coronavirus Scams alert
There are several reports of suspicious phone calls, to both personal and work phones.
Here are some examples of reports received:
“I’ve had several spam phone calls on our landline claiming to be from both BT about my wi-fi as they say I’m having problems and they will cut me off if I don’t give them my IP address details etc! (I don’t have wi-fi with BT!!) and also from Amazon about my card being used for a purchase over £1000 (not true either) but they are all very believable in the moment you answer the phone if you haven’t got your brain in gear!”
“I have just taken a call on my work mobile from an automated caller alleging to be from the National Crime Agency saying my NI number is being suspended due to illegal activity and if I don’t proceed with the call by pressing ‘4’ I will be arrested!”
“I have personally, on my own mobile phone, received a scam phone call and also a text both yesterday claiming to be from HMRC advising me that I am entitled to a COVID-19 Support Grant. I ended the phone call before it got to the point where I was asked for my bank details and I’ve reported the phone call to HMRC through their official website.”
“Just had an automated message from ‘HMRC’ saying that there is a fraud case against me (!) and a warrant would be issued if I didn’t press 1 to connect (which I didn’t!).“
All these types of phone calls are scams. Criminals seeking to defraud people out of money use emails, phone calls and text scams to try to trick people, by using scare tactics.
By “pressing 1” or “pressing 4” you could potentially be connected to a premium rate number with extortionate rates.
HMRC will never contact you in this way. If you are at all concerned, then our advice would be to go directly to the HMRC website and look for genuine contact numbers.
Please do take care if you receive calls from your Internet Service Provider. If you are at all suspicious, end the call, go to their official website and find the correct number to call back.
Please read the advisory from the Police regarding Covid phone call scams
If you receive any such call, disconnect immediately and ensure the line clears. It is advisable to block the number too.
If you have any concerns, please do get in touch.
Harmony Hub Radio feature to go on TV!
Video needs the Radio star, as a local TV station is interested in doing a piece on the Harmony Hub radio show.
The project is still in its concept and all listeners of Harmony Hub are invited to take part!
They TV station would like to talk to someone who listens to the show and benefits from it.
We would love to hear from Iisteners who would like to talk in an interview.
The form of this has not been decided yet, it could just be a quote or maybe someone would come with a camera to interview, adhering to the Covid guidelines and every effort will be made to work around the needs of anyone who has interest in talking to them about the show.
If that sounds like something you’d be interested in, please ring 0759 1157841
or email kaye@awakeningarts.co.uk
Harmony Hub – Live every Monday 1pm on Phoenix FM 96.7 FM
Community Grant opportunity for Not-For-Profit organisations
The West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s CityConnect project is inviting not-for-profit organisations to bid for grants of up to £5,000 to support people in their community to make more everyday journeys by bike and on foot.
We are encouraging groups to apply to deliver projects which address the specific issues within their local community. The project may use walking and cycling to improve an individual’s wellbeing, to support them in accessing employment and training, to address physical and mental health problems or achieve one of the many other benefits cycling and walking can bring.
The application guidance and form can be found here
You will also find examples of type of projects that could be funded.
If you have an idea and would like to discuss it before completing an application please contact cityconnect@westyorks-ca.gov.uk and one of the team will get in touch.
We look forward to hearing from you!
