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Council and district news

Stay safe: 746 Covid cases in South Staffordshire

Covid has not gone away – and here in South Staffordshire we currently have 746 cases of coronavirus.

If you’re not fully protected, book an appointment or attend a drop-in centre for a vaccination.

It’s not too late to get your first vaccine.

For more information on how and where to get vaccinated, click here

Though there are now no legal restrictions, please continue do what you can to stay safe.

Remember: hands, face, space.

Nine new symptoms of Covid have now been added to the official NHS list, including shortness of breath and an aching body.

See the full NHS list here

Codsall Community Hub: Official opening event

Save the date! 

We are excited to announce the official Codsall Community Hub opening event will take place on July 23.

More details of the event will be released in the coming weeks, but be sure to keep your schedule free for a fun-filled day for all the family.

Virtual High Street

Shopping locally is now available online.

The Virtual High Street offers businesses a free online presence, enabling customers to access opening times and purchase items.

We encourage all local businesses to sign up to the service by clicking on the link below and selecting the relevant village.

So far, we have more than 40 businesses signed up, with the aim of having every high street business represented within the next few months.

For more information, see here

Delegation of taxi licensing services completed

The delegation of taxi licensing in South Staffordshire was officially handed over to City of Wolverhampton Council on Friday, April 1.

This is an excellent example of partnership working with a neighbouring local authority to share resources, benefiting from economies of scale to save the taxi trade’s time and money, while continuing to maintain public safety.

This is believed to be the first delegation of its kind and there has been a huge amount of work undertaken by officers at both councils, without whom such a smooth transition would not have been possible.

Council job vacancies

Leisure latest

Leisure centre refurbishments

South Staffordshire Council’s Leisure Service is pleased to announce that agreements are in place with three of our partner schools, and extensive refurbishment work is to be carried out at leisure centres during the financial year 2022/23.

The plans include complete refurbishment of the poolside changing rooms and work to the poolside at Wombourne Leisure Centre, with additional work planned for the reception and vending area; Penkridge Leisure Centre will undergo a complete refurbishment of the reception and vending area, including work to the staircase; Cheslyn Hay Leisure Centre will include a total refurbishment and upgrade to the gym, in addition to refurbishment work on the entrance and pool areas.

Later this month, we will release further details to include start dates and timescales, and we intend to ensure minimal disruption to services during the works.

We will keep you updated and informed on progress and look forward to announcing when the work will start, later this month.

Wombourne Leisure Centre pool now open

Wombourne Leisure Centre’s pool has been temporarily closed for maintenance on the pool filters.

The pool is now open as normal.

Swim times can be found on the website at https://www.sstaffs.gov.uk/leisure/swimming.cfm

  

Easter school holiday activity camps

Cheslyn Hay, Codsall, Penkridge and Wombourne leisure centres are providing daily activity camps for young people aged 5-14 throughout the Easter school holiday.

The camps are being delivered in conjunction with Aspire Sports who will be providing a variety of sports and health-related activities between April 11 and 22, from 8am-4pm each day.

Aspire provide early bird, sibling and emergency service discounts.

To find out more and to book, visit https://www.aspire-sports.co.uk/active-camps

As an added bonus, all bookings will also receive free leisure centre passes including junior and adult swim passes; gym passes; exercise class passes; and day passes.

Holiday Activities and Food Scheme

Families in receipt of free school meals are eligible for free activity camps and food during the Easter holiday.

The Holiday Activities and Food Scheme is a central government initiative and has been made possible thanks to funding from The Department for Education.

Registration for the Holiday Activities and Food Scheme is now open.

All eligible families will receive a letter from their school, and parents will need to register using their unique ‘HAF’ code.

For details visit https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Education/Educational-awards-benefits/Holiday-activities-and-food/Holiday-Activities-and-Food.aspx

Wombourne Leisure Centre’s new 3G pitch now open

Wombourne Leisure Centre is delighted to have opened its new all-weather 3G sports pitch.

The project has been made possible thanks to a £800,000 investment by South Staffordshire Council, the Premier League, The FA, and the government through the Football Foundation.

The FIFA-accredited facility is located at the back of Wombourne Leisure Centre and provides shockpad flooring and floodlights – making it a great-quality pitch suitable for training and match standards. There are also newly-refurbished changing areas available in the leisure centre, which serve the users of the pitch.

To find out more, visit the website: https://www.sstaffs.gov.uk/leisure/3g-pitches-3.cfm

Baggeridge Country Park: Easter activities

This Easter, Baggeridge Country Park has loads on offer for families to enjoy. 

The park offers:

  • Miniature railway (opening on Sunday, April 10)
  • Children’s outdoor play area
  • Challenge Academy high ropes adventure
  • Wellbeing instructor-led and independent walks and trails
  • Café, toilets and onsite parking.

Fore more information visit https://www.sstaffs.gov.uk/leisure/baggeridge-country-park.cfm or follow on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Baggeridge/

Everything you need to know about your local leisure centres

Find out what’s on offer at your local leisure centres with this short guide which provides information about all of the available facilities and services.

Find out more here: https://www.sstaffs.gov.uk/leisure/leisure-center-welcome-pack.cfm

Partnership updates

WhatsApp scam warning

Staffordshire Police is warning people to be vigilant to a WhatsApp scam using the lure of a ‘Cadbury Free Easter Chocolate Basket’.

The message has a link to a website which looks genuine – but is not. The police believe the site may be aimed at capturing personal and financial details in order to scam individuals out of money or for other fraudulent purposes.

  • It always pays to ‘Take Five’ if you are in receipt of messages like this. Ask yourself what is being ‘offered’ to you – is it ‘too good to be true’?
  • Always check credibility of offers like this using a reliable source, by visiting the official website directly and not in response to messages with links.

Aiming High

Boost your SEND child’s confidence and independence with free and fun activities.

Aiming High is a programme of activities and short breaks for children and young people aged 0-18 with a special educational need/disability (SEND) who live in Staffordshire. There is no requirement for an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) to be in place.

The programme includes activities including music, dance, horse-riding, sensory experiences, day trips to the cinema with a meal out, forest and farm activities, plus much more.

To find out more, visit the Aiming High pages on the Staffordshire County Council website: www.staffordshire.gov.uk/aiminghigh

Community Matters Fund: Tackling loneliness

Western Power has teamed up with Localgiving to deliver its Community Matters Fund.

The scheme looks to support projects addressing loneliness and social isolation that fit within the following themes:

  • Delivering services to reduce loneliness and/or social isolation
  • Delivering services to improve mental health caused by loneliness and/or social isolation
  • Delivering educational activities focused on skills development and ongoing support to reduce loneliness and/or social isolation (e.g. digital skills, employability skills, life skills)
  • Innovative approaches to combat loneliness and/or social isolation and its associated impact on mental health.

The programme is now live and accepting applications until April 24.

For more information, click here

Healthy lifestyles services survey

Staffordshire County Council would like you to tell them about your thoughts on the county’s healthy lifestyles service in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

They’d like to know whether you feel the services currently on offer are helping support your health and wellbeing. And they would like your opinions on how the healthy lifestyle service could meet your needs in the future.

The survey should take about 10 minutes and the results will help to shape the service in the future, making sure it’s right for the needs of Staffordshire people.

Take the survey here – https://bit.ly/3JZBtpM