townclerk

Time: May 11, 2020 07:00 PM London

Join Zoom Meeting starts at 7.15pm

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8257830705?pwd=c0hUWUszUUZVWXNaeW1OYWZVRXZvZz09

Meeting ID: 825 783 0705

Since the start of lockdown six weeks ago, St Just Town Council has opened its Library porch twice weekly to receive donations for the Food Bank, given that the usual collection points in the town are no longer accessible. Supervised by local councillors and council staff volunteers, donations have flooded in, along with rising levels of cash donations. On 2nd May, for example, in two hours cash totalling £200 was received, along with a full carload of food donations.

Town Mayor Marna Blundy says:
“We are proud of our generous community who have stepped up by searching both their cupboards and their purses to offer help to others. We have also appreciated the support of the National Trust, and Emily from the Red Box campaign for their donations. We know the need for Food Banks is, sadly, increasing, with referrals to our local Food Bank already up by 40%, and the impact of the lockdown likely to become more pronounced as time goes on; so continued support is vital. Well done, residents of St Just Parish. Keep up the good work!”

Deputy Town Mayor Sue James adds:
“Alongside this, a community effort in Carnyorth, setting up a roadside bring and buy charity stall where people are trusted to leave appropriate donations, has raised over £350 for local Food Banks in just three weeks.”

All donations are initially taken to the storage depot in Penzance, where requests are processed and arrangements made for deliveries across the area, including to St Just and Pendeen. All fresh foods are sourced in Penzance, and deliveries made on Thursdays.

Residents in Pendeen continue to make their donations at Costcutter during shop opening hours, and those in St Just can drop off donations to the Library porch on Mondays and Saturdays between 10am and 12noon.

The Town Council understands and shares the concerns of residents over the removal of the granite wall bounding the Plain an Gwarry / Plen an Gwary.

The Council, along with Cornwall Council, Heritage England and our local archaeological adviser, sprang into action on 16th March, ensuring that all measures would be in place for reinstatement.

The Co-operative Group are attempting to correct the matter, and Heritage Consultants in Bristol are liaising with Historic England to submit a Scheduled Monument Consent application for the rebuilding of the wall. Prior to this they will be undertaking a programme of archaeological recording of the section of the Monument with has become exposed. Due to the restrictions relating to social distancing associated with COVID-19, this will require a temporary 2m cordon to be placed in the public area of the Monument, and the Town Council as given consent for this.

Inevitably this whole process will take time, but we are committed to ensuring that the Plain / Plen is restored appropriately. Before this happened, we were already in the process of negotiating improvements to pedestrian access at both entrances including a handrail at the Market Street entrance steps at the request of residents.

Due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, the Pendeen Outreach Team can produce only a few paper copies of Outreach Magazine. However, issues have been online since February 2017. Please print a copy for any of your neighbours who have no online facilities.

Versions of Outreach and adverts can be emailed on request from members of the Outreach Team (email addresses are on the front page of this month’s issue).The May issue of Pendeen Outreach is now online at the following link:

https://pendeenoutreach.blogspot.com/

Time: Apr 20, 2020 07:15 PM 

link now removed 22 April 20

Dear St Just Parish Residents

Important information for those in need of help during the current Coronavirus Pandemic

We hope you are safe and well. This letter is to reassure you that help is available locally if you should need it now, or in the coming months.

Several weeks ago a system was set up in our parish, nicknamed ‘The Daisy Chain’. Volunteers started delivering little notes through every door in our parish.  The notes gave the name and phone number of a volunteer in your street or very nearby, offering help with shopping, collecting prescriptions or a friendly phone call.

This sizeable army of 90+ volunteers, covering a small group of homes, is now working with Volunteer Cornwall and is actively helping families, supported by local businesses willing to deliver to your door. Just give your named volunteer a ring, even if you just want to hear a friendly voice. If you did not receive or have lost the note put through your door –contact Town Councillor Daisy Gibbs, co-ordinating the system, on 07896 534275.
St Just Town Council is working to support these initiatives, and councillors along with some town council staff are actively involved in volunteering. Although the Town Council Office is closed, you can still contact the Town Clerk, Mr Cas Leo, calling 07907 039014 or email townclerk@stjust.org

Cornwall Council is keeping essential services running and supporting communities, like ours, to ensure there is a safety net for anyone feeling particularly vulnerable or with complex needs. To aid Cornwall Council in understanding such special needs contact one of us below so we can ensure you are ok and pass on your details.
Cornwall Councillor & Deputy Mayor – Sue James
Call 07745 116049 or email sue.james@cornwallcouncillors.org.uk
Councillor Marna Blundy, Mayor
Call 01736 788107 or email marna blundy.stjustcouncil@gmail.com
If you prefer, there is help through Volunteer Cornwall:
Call 01872 266988 or email: requestforhelp@volunteercornwall.org.uk

There is a wealth of local information and support available through the local Facebook Group: Covid-19 Mutual Aid St Just in Penwith Parish:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/515614452431210/
Or have a look at Cllr Sue James website: https://www.suejames.org/coronavirus-special-blog/

The NHS has recently written to a number of people who have an underlying disease or health conditions which potentially makes them more vulnerable to coronavirus (COVID-19). Those who have received a letter will be getting further follow up contact and are asked to register as advised.

For those people who think they are in medical high risk and have not received communication from Government, please contact your GP, or visit www.gov.uk/coronavirus-extremely-vulnerable

For LiveWest Tenants in our area there is support available direct through your local Housing Officer or the Tenancy Sustainment Team – you will be directed through enquiries on 0300 123 8080

Finally Cornwall Council’s Website www.cornwall.gov.uk has a range of important information and updates on services and support, if you are finding it hard to cope and need support, if you are worried about money, if you don’t feel safe at home, or if you run a business and need help.

Stay safe, you are not alone; there is organised help nearby if you need it, from Tregiffian to Rose Valley.

Yours sincerely

Sue James
Cornwall Councillor for St Just In Penwith
Email: sue.james@cornwallcouncillors.org.uk

Since March 23rd, all our lives have changed pretty dramatically, and terms like ‘social distancing’, ‘shielding’ and ‘lockdown’ have been frequently on our lips. I don’t underestimate the impact this has had on so many of our residents. Loneliness and isolation, already a big issue here, has been driven up. Many have seen their employment badly affected, and their incomes diminish or even collapse. Families have been facing challenges with keeping their children occupied following the closure of schools and nurseries; and key workers are dealing with unimaginable pressures in caring for the most vulnerable as well as maintaining essential services. Meanwhile, in many ways our lives have been put on hold, with so many future events being cancelled and our diaries being empty for weeks to come.
COVID-19 has certainly shown us that we can take nothing for granted, and that we can only live one day at a time. It has also enabled us to realise what is really important, particularly rediscovering the value of neighbourliness and community. We are especially proud of the ‘Daisy Chain’, the scheme driven by a new town councillor Daisy Gibbs where everyone in our area has a neighbour’s name and phone number to be called on when help is needed. Daisy has over ninety volunteers ready and waiting to serve. For years I have dreamed of having a ‘good neighbour’ in every street – it has taken COVID-19 to make this a reality.
Being restricted to our homes and gardens has also brought out the creativity and imagination of our residents too. The shared cheers, music and saucepan banging to applaud the NHS and key workers have become a weekly ritual. Rainbows in our windows, and teddy bears, and over Easter the virtual Easter Egg hunt, have brightened our walks. I personally have enjoyed joining with a neighbour to take a socially distanced weekly walk around our hamlet playing Cornish folk tunes – good exercise and practice for us, and hopefully bringing cheer to our neighbours. Technology has enabled teams and committees to meet online through Zoom and other conferencing apps; and also to link musicians and artists together, as well as providing a platform for teaching and sharing with others. It’s actually been exhilarating more than exhausting, as we discover our capacity for innovation out of crisis.
How long we shall be ‘locked down’ is at the time of writing this unknown. But I hope that when we emerge from it we’ll find ourselves in a new and revitalised community, not content to go back to as we were, but determined to live in a better way for our own good and for the good of others, as well as in a way that is better for the planet.

Keep up the good work, everyone – this parish stretching along the coast from Tregiffian to Rose Valley is a place to be proud of.

Marna

St Just Library and St Just Town Council offices are both closed until further notice. Library books can be held at home until the library reopens, and no fines will be charged. Pendeen Play Park and St Just Recreation Ground are also closed, as are the public toilets.
Town Council business continues, with office staff working from home. The Town Clerk can be contacted during working hours on 07907 039014 or by emailing townclerk@stjust.org

Members of the public can of course continue to contact their local councillors by phone or email. Councillors are being consulted by email on Council matters and following emergency legislation will be able to conduct virtual meetings online, to enable the essential business of the Council to be conducted.

The Town Council is actively supporting the work of the Food Bank by opening the Library foyer on Saturday and Monday mornings 10am – 12noon to receive donations. The door is left open and the collection box by the door, so contributions can be left without touching anything or coming into contact with anyone. Donations are then transported safely to the depot, from where they are distributed to members of our communities who need support at this time.  Boscaswell Stores continue to collect Food Bank donations as well.

ST JUST IN BLOOM

In view of current government restrictions, and with future uncertainty, our group has decided that St Just in Bloom will be unable to provide and maintain floral displays around the town this year.

If restrictions are lifted before the end of the season we may be in a position to provide some flowers in the town centre, and where possible we will try to continue to maintain some of the public spaces that St Just in Bloom usually look after.

The Britain in Bloom competition has been cancelled for this year, but the ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ judging may go ahead later in the year.

With regard to our own competitions, the painting and photographic competition will not go ahead, but it may be possible to judge the gardening competition later in the year. We will make a final decision when restrictions allow it.

St Just in Bloom Committee, April 2020

We’re now in the second week of ‘lockdown’ and the council would like to thank all residents for the way they are coping with a very different way of life. We’re particularly sorry that the Library has had to close until further notice, which we appreciate will be a great loss for many people. Books can be renewed online, but overdue charges will be removed at this time. We are indebted to one of our councillors, Daisy Gibbs, for the work she and others have done in creating a network of volunteers in the area, a directory of local shop services, and considerable support on the Facebook page ‘COVID-19 Mutual Aid St Just in Penwith Parish’. Three part-time members of our staff have volunteered to help the community during this time of closure; and a team of councillors and staff, together with some Cornwall Council staff who live locally, are working together on emergency response plans for the community at this time. If you need to contact us, please see the contact details on this website for the Town Clerk and members of the Town Council. Finally, if you can, please support the Food Bank. We are opening the Library foyer on Monday and Saturday mornings, 10am – 12noon, to receive donations.

Try Deputy Mayor and Cornwall Councillor Sue James link  on Coronavirus help, advice and support. https://www.suejames.org/coronavirus-special-blog/

 Volunteer Cornwall have a call centre all assigned to Covid-19 response. They can provide all sorts of support around health and wellbeing. Their phone number is 01872 265300 and the email address for people needing help is requestforhelp@volunteercornwall.org.uk