The Parish Council has been informed that the Post Office service at the Village Hall, 10-12 on Tuesdays, will continue during lockdown as this is an essential service. Please use masks, sanitisers and social distancing when visiting.

The playground will remain open, please sanitise hands before and after visiting, parents please supervise your children and no more than 6 should use the playground at any time.

The taxi for our residents who do not drive will not run until further notice as too few people wish to use it at this time.

Please contact Clare, Becky or Irene if you need assistance as during the first lockdown.

Lichfield District Council is a valuable source of advice on business grants, and other payments.

Staffordshire Highways have confirmed that the planned closure of the bridge from October to January will not take place.

Initial works will be done with traffic light controls, although some shorter term closures may be required next Spring.

Details of diversions and dates will be published in due course.

Tree surgeons will be at work in The Avenue from Monday 2nd November, trimming back overhanging branches, and this work may go for on for a few weeks.

Friary Grange to re-open for swimming 

The swimming pool at Friary Grange Leisure Centre will re-open on Saturday 24 October following its closure in March due to Covid-19 restrictions.

In-line with current guidelines, and lessons learned from re-opening Burntwood Leisure Centre, the Friary Grange pool will open for pre-booked lane swimming and be available for club and group sessions.

The re-opening follows shortly after the start of essential repair work promised by Lichfield District Council to help keep Friary Grange operational until a new leisure facility is constructed. The repair work is scheduled to continue until March 2021

Gym facilities and the dance studio will re-open from 2 November, following the completion of work in an area shared with Friary School that can only take place at half-term. Class sizes and gym numbers will be reduced to make sure they are run in a safe and compliant way.

The repairs programme includes significant work on the roof and ceiling over the swimming pool, which will mean the closure of the whole leisure centre from 29 November until 4 January.

To book swimming pool sessions, visit www.freedom-leisure.co.uk/centres/friarygrange.

To keep up to date with the works at Friary Grange Leisure Centre, visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/FGLCfuture.

Telephone canvassers to push local voter registration

A team of canvassers will be calling local residents this autumn to help Lichfield District Council complete its electoral register and encourage voter registration.

Over the summer Lichfield District Council started its annual canvass to compile a new and updated electoral register, which will be published on 1 December 2020. This included sending letters to all 46,543 households across the district.

To make sure no one is missed off the electoral register, the council sent reminders out to households that had not responded to the initial letter.

Where a response has still not been received, telephone canvassers will be calling properties over a two-week period from Monday 26 October, to encourage people to confirm the information needed.

Responding to the canvass is not the same as registering to vote but, if a response has been requested, it must be completed as it tells the council which eligible voters live in properties within Lichfield District.

The information also enables the council to send a separate invitation to register to anyone who is eligible to vote but not yet registered. Any new residents who are eligible to vote can also go online to register at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. 

Diane Tilley, Electoral Registration Officer for Lichfield District, said: “Using telephone canvassers will allow us to reach the properties that have still not responded to our annual canvass and to encourage voter registration for anyone who has not registered at their current address. 

“It is particularly important to remember, if you want to have your say at election time and help choose the people that make decisions that affect your everyday life, you must be registered to vote.

“The 6th of May 2021 is going to be a bumper election day with Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner elections and Staffordshire County Council elections taking place on the same day, alongside a small number of by–elections and a neighbourhood plan referendum that were delayed due to Covid-19, so it is extra important this year to make sure you are registered.

“With concerns around coronavirus, we are also encouraging people to choose to change their vote to a postal vote, although this remains a personal choice.”

For more information, please visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/elections or call Lichfield District Council’s elections team on 01543 308125.

Sign up to Staffordshire Smart Alerts on www.staffordshiresmartalert.co.uk for latest information on crime, scams etc to your inbox

Residents are urged to claim a discount on their energy bills

Thousands of people across Lichfield District on low household incomes could benefit from a £140 rebate by claiming their Warm Home Discount.  

The Warm Home Discount scheme offers a £140 energy bill discount to low income households across the UK.

Provided by energy suppliers, many schemes are now open and operate on a first-come-first served basis.

The discount is available to people on a low income, who receive certain means-tested benefits. However, as in previous years, the qualifying criteria varies slightly between energy suppliers.

Local residents are now being urged to contact Lichfield District Council’s Warmer Homes, Greener District advice line on 0800 677 1543 for more information and help to apply.

Councillor Angela Lax, Cabinet Member responsible for Housing, said:“With all the financial strain the coronavirus outbreak has put many households under, it’s really important that eligible households claim their discount to help with their heating bills over the winter.

“Our Warmer Homes, Greener District advisors can discuss qualifying criteria and make applications on behalf of our eligible residents over the phone. So, if you think you might be entitled to a Warm Home Discount please contact our advice line without delay.”

The council is especially encouraging households with particular health conditions that need extra heat at home, or where fixed low incomes mean affording bills in the colder months can be a real struggle, to apply for their discount.   

“Once suppliers reach their target number of applications, they often close schemes abruptly. It really does pay off to apply as soon as you can,” added Cllr Lax.

If you think you may be eligible or for more information, please contact Warmer Homes, Greener District for free on 0800 677 1543.

The Warm Home Discount is separate from, and will not affect, any Cold Weather Payments or Winter Fuel Payments.

Children are invited to follow a spooky trail at Beacon Park and to download some extra activities for double the Halloween fun.

From spotting the odd ghost out to solving the spell ingredient anagrams, follow a fun trail to find eight clues dotted around Beacon Park as part of the Halloween puzzle trail.

Running from Saturday 17 October to Sunday 1 November, between 10am and 4pm, the trail has two levels of clues – one set for little ones aged three and up and another set for older children.

Solve all of the puzzles to complete the trail and be entered into a prize draw to win one of two rounds of foot golf or crazy golf for up to four people.

Councillor Richard Cox, Lichfield District Council’s Cabinet Member responsible for Parks, said:“We’re really pleased to be bringing out this year’s all-new Halloween puzzle trail, which gives children of all ages a chance to get into the spirit of Halloween.

“It’s a good opportunity to head to beautiful Beacon Park and put your problem solving to the test, and you may even win a game of crazy golf or foot golf!”

Beacon Park’s Halloween puzzle trail is available at the Ranger Station and costs £1 each and 20p extra for a pencil, which are optional. All children must be accompanied by an adult when completing the trail. 

Lichfield District Council’s parks team has also created extra Halloween activities for everyone to download. They set out a series of outdoor Halloween-themed activities to try, such as making a stick skeleton or creating spooky shadows.

“We hope families will have a go at our Halloween activities and that they encourage some creativity and fun,” added Cllr Cox.