Please see the poster attached for information on fostering and adoption in Cambridgeshire

Warmer Weather Brings Opportunities For Burglars

We don’t need to point out the obvious that the weather has got much warmer, however we do want to take this opportunity to remind you to take extra precautions to secure your home. There is usually a notable correlation each year between when we get the warmer months and opportunistic burglaries where windows and doors have been left open. Our advice is to make sure windows are closed fully when leaving your home or even when you are in your garden (if you are fortunate enough to have one!) and make sure your front door is locked. Sadly some people see this as a window of opportunity to quickly enter homes and take items they can then sell on, often going unnoticed for some time. Also, homes without basic security features are five times more likely to be burgled than homes with security, therefore our advice is to put in place simple yet effective, precautionary measures to reduce the chances of becoming a victim of burglary. Security measures that can be taken are: installing a visible burglar alarm having good outdoor lighting or motion sensored security lights locking doors, windows, side gates and outbuildings when you leave your house, even if you’re just out in the garden keeping vehicle keys out of sight and away from letterboxes keeping ladders and tools stored away Please be vigilant and report any concerns about suspicious activity to us – even if you think it may be nothing, it could help us prevent a burglary or catch those responsible. Sharing information on social media or with your neighbours is great, but please also remember to pass it on to us. To report information, visit https://bit.ly/3enN585 or use our online webchat function at https://bit.ly/3vsiYDw. Those without internet access should call 101, but always dial 999 if a crime is in action or someone is in immediate danger. More information on how to keep your home safe can be found on our website at https://bit.ly/3elWc9l. Kind regards,

Message Sent By Lauren Alexander (Police, Senior Communications Officer, Cambridgeshire Constabulary)

New life in the Old West are starting their activity programme with two guided walks for families over the school summer holidays.

These will follow planned routes through a range of wildlife habitats of about 2 miles, starting in the villages of Rampton and Wicken. We will be on hand to help identify any wildlife spotted – perhaps dragonflies, remaining summer migrant birds, and butterflies. The walks are suitable for families with children and are level and mainly off road. They take place at 10am on 11 August (Rampton) and 18 August (Wicken).

Participants are asked to book in advance, and can do this via our new website at https://www.newlifeoldwest.org.uk/events/

There are many more activities planned and on the way this autumn and onwards, across all the parishes involved in New Life.

A mass vaccination walk-in event is taking place this Sunday at the Hub in Cambourne.

In general, vaccination take up in the district is good, but it is recognised that transport difficulties and a lack of flexible, non-appointment based walk-in events in the district can be a barrier for some people.

The venue will have both AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines available. Anyone who is 18 or over will be able to have a first or second dose (second doses are available if their first dose was eight weeks ago or more; on or before 23 May).

Venue: The Hub, High Street, Cambourne, CB23 6GW

Date: Sunday 18 July

Time: Drop in any time from 10am to 4pm

A face mask must be worn.

Below are links to South Cambridgeshire District Council’s social media channels that you can visit for information .

South Cambridgeshire District Council Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/SouthCambridgeshireDistrictCouncil/

South Cambridgeshire District Council Twitter – https://twitter.com/SouthCambs

South Cambridgeshire District Council Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/southcambs/

With further unlocking taking place on 19 July and infection rates increasing, it is important for as many people to be protected through the phenomenal national vaccination programme as possible. .

Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) has funding for families who receive free school meals for their children, due to the benefits they receive, to have fun with their friends and enjoy new experiences at a local holiday scheme this summer. The Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programme is funded by the Department for Education (DfE) and is co-ordinated by CCC.

An eligible child will be entitled to up to 64 hours of free holiday childcare through the school summer holiday period. Parents can book places directly with participating holiday schemes, more information can be found at www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/haf

A meal is also provided as part of the offer and children will have much needed social contact and physical activity.

Kind regards, Allison Box

HAF Programme Co-ordinator

Cambridgeshire County Council

Sling your hook campaign launched by Neighbourhood Watch to tackle scams

We are excited to tell you more about our SLING YOUR HOOK campaign running throughout July to help tackle scams WHY ‘SLING YOUR HOOK’? The campaign taps into the psychology that scammers use to hook people in, helping you stay one step ahead and protect yourself and your loved ones against the increasing variety of scams happening every day. We’ve identified the following five behaviours scammers commonly use: They imply they’re doing you a favour (reciprocity) They indicate everyone else is doing this (social proof) They say your only chance is to act now (urgency) They act like they’re similar to you, so you like them and want to please them (connection) They ask you to do one little thing which makes you do more (commitment). We also know that often victims of scams report that in hindsight they felt something wasn’t quite right at the time.  This campaign aims to raise awareness of the tactics scammers use and encourages people to ‘stop and think’ if something doesn’t FEEL, SEEM, LOOK or SOUND right.  This allows them time to trust your gut instinct and help prevent becoming a scam victim. “Everyone likes to feel special. But watch out! If a stranger is going out of their way for you, something fishy may be going on instead. Scammers like to offer one-off deals and favours. Don’t be afraid to tell them no.” John Hayward-Cripps, CEO of Neighbourhood Watch Network How can you support this campaign? LEARN: Visit our scams website pages to learn more about common scams, preventing scams, reporting scams, supporting victims and a scams campaign toolkit SHARE: Follow us on our Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / LinkedIn channels and share our posts        JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Join us for an online talk (details below) ONLINE TALKS We are delivering a series of scams awareness online talks in partnership with the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU), the National Trading Standards Scams Team (NTSST) and Avast. Anyone can attend, but we are now running waiting lists only for all the webinars apart from one! Last week we ran an online talk on ‘Exploring the psychology behind scams and how scammers are so effective at their crimes’. It was so popular we have decided to re-run it on 27th July, 5pm.  Click here to book your place. Please note – this event will not be recorded. Keep safe, NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH NETWORK, Central Support Team Follow us.. ourwatch.org.uk / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / LinkedIn Neighbourhood Watch Network is a charity registered in England & Wales, CIO no: 1173349

Message Sent By Central Support Team (NWN, Neighbourhood Watch Network, England and Wales)

Please find attached the highway events diary for July. The diary shows all known events and their associated highway restrictions.

As the easing of Covid restrictions has been delayed until July 19th, several event organisers have reconsidered their plans for 2021, instead focusing on 2022.  This includes the Tour of Cambridgeshire and the Race for Life.

Please note

• Expected attendance figures are now colour coded. Larger events are easily identifiable (RED – 5000+, ORANGE 500 – 4999 and below 499 no colour).
• Expected attendance figures show the maximum attendance on any one day of the event.
• Events link directly to their entry on the one.network web page, where more details can be found relating to associated traffic management.

As usual the diary can be searched and filtered via the arrows in the title bar.                           

Upcoming Highlights

Newmarket Races and concert nights are going ahead throughout July and August. 

• Town and Gown – Saturday 16^th October
• Cambridge Half Marathon – Sunday 17^th October  (moved from its usual March date)

Additional Resources

Potential event organisers are urged to review the current government guidelines. As well as following any recommendations from relevant governing bodies/associations, to ensure Covid – 19 risks are identified and mitigated within risk assessments. * Details of all highway events can be found on https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/residents/travel-roads-and-parking/roads-and-pathways/highway-events/

Update and information from South Cambs District Council

I’m sure that, like me, you are disappointed about the delay to the relaxation of rules until 19 July (more below), but with the increase of the Delta variant, we need to keep up our guard against the spread of the virus. It may have felt over the last month or two that regularly taking Lateral Flow Tests wasn’t an urgent priority, but with cases on the rise again right across the country, the best way for everyone to protect family, friends, colleagues and other members of the community is to regularly (twice a week) take a Lateral Flow Test. Every asymptomatic positive case picked up by the Lateral Flow Tests means another person with Covid-19 who doesn’t spread the virus to others. You can order tests online to be delivered to your home – so it is easy to organise.

End of lockdown delayed to 19 July

The Prime Minister confirmed earlier this week that lockdown restrictions, with some exceptions, will be extended by four weeks, to 19 July. The 30-guest cap for weddings will be lifted, with the maximum number of attendees to be based on the venue capacity (allowing for social distancing). The Prime Minister said it was “time to ease off the accelerator” in order “to save many thousands of lives”. He described 19 July as a “terminus date”.

Vaccination update

The Prime Minister provided an update on the vaccination programme and confirmed that vaccination greatly reduces transmission with two doses providing a high degree of protection against serious illness and death. The Government’s target of offering vaccines to all adults by the end of July has been brought forward to the new 19 July date.

• As of this week, anyone over the age of 21 can book a vaccination appointment – with this to be widened to over 18s from tomorrow (Friday 18 June)
• Those people above the age of 40 who used the national booking system can reduce the period between their first and second jabs from 12 weeks to 8 weeks. They should first cancel the 12 week appointment, after which they will see the available 8 week appointments to make a new booking.

Translations of easy-read Covid-19 vaccination leaflets

Public Health England (PHE) has published translated versions of easy-read leaflets on the Covid-19 vaccinations. The leaflets, which include information on what to expect after your vaccine and information for women who are pregnant or are breastfeeding their baby, are now available in 21 languages including English, Arabic, Urdu and Polish. COVID-19 vaccination: easy-read leaflets.

Safe and Well visits

Colleagues supporting the South Cambs Community Safety Partnership are promoting the opportunity for vulnerable residents to have free Safe and Well visits. You can find out more in a recent update from the Fire Service. The Safe and Well team visit residents’ homes to assess six key elements:

• Fire safety in the home – including cooking, general safety and escape plans.
• Falls prevention – including simple remedial action such as replacing lightbulbs or taping down loose carpet.
• Alcohol use – alcohol related hospital admissions are steadily increasing.
• Stay well and warm – can residents afford to heat their home? Do they have access to a hot meal? Do they access the all the services available to them?
• Crime reduction – providing advice on making their home more secure in addition to advice to make them less vulnerable to scams or fraud.
• Smoking – if people need a helping hand to quit, our Safe and Well partners can offer the help and advice people need.
• Hoarding – if people need advice in relation to the health and safety of individuals with hoarding concerns.

Find out if someone is eligible for a free Safe and Well visit by completing a short questionnaire or contact the automated message line on 0800 917 9994 and leave a message including the person’s name, address and daytime phone number to receive a call back.

What do adults with learning disabilities need?

Cambridgeshire County Council has launched a survey to find out what adults with a learning disability in Cambridgeshire think is important to help them to live happier, healthier lives. This will help the County Council to know what to focus on when planning services and supporting people with a learning disability in the future. Have your say before 30 June 2021. Or if you’d like to share this information in your community, please feel free to share these Facebook or Twitter posts.

We will send a further community update when there is useful information to share. Thank you again for all your support.

WIN A FUN-FILLED TREEHOUSE ADVENTURE STAYCATION
To mark the end of a very successful Neighbourhood Watch Week, and to celebrate the release of The Croods 2: A New Age, we are delighted to launch a prize draw on our Facebook page to give you the opportunity to win a fun-filled treehouse adventure.

The Croods 2: A New Age, which is in cinemas on 16th July 2021, celebrates community, neighbourliness, inclusivity, and working together – values that are close to the heart of all Neighbourhood Watch supporters. The opportunity presented by this partnership enables us to reach more young families and to build on the awareness of Neighbourhood Watch as positive and approachable. The Croods and the Bettermans are two very different families who are thrown together and have to learn to live with one another when an evil tribe of monkeys threaten their homes. The Croods and the Bettermans realise that home is not a place, its people, and together they create history’s first neighbourhood!

Neighbourhood Watch’s partnership with this film provides the opportunity to promote the importance of neighbourliness and community spirit to new audiences and across diverse communities. We know many young people and their families share the values that we stand for and this partnership gives them an introduction to Neighbourhood Watch and hopefully they will become supporters for life.

The Croods faced their biggest threat when they left their cave – another family – while we are offering an opportunity to leave your cave behind and experience a very different treehouse adventure with your family! To be in with a chance to win this amazing prize, be sure to visit our Facebook page and enter the prize draw. Terms and conditions can be found here.

HOW TO SUPPORT THIS CAMPAIGN
We rely on the wonderful Neighbourhood Watch volunteers to promote Neighbourhood Watch as the first step for all people to connect with their neighbours for mutual support. We hope that you will share this campaign within your community and use it to reach more young families across your area. We have amazing prizes to be won over the course of the partnership.

To support this campaign, you can:
• ENTER: Visit facebook.com/ourwatch to enter the prize draw
• SHARE: Follow us on social media and share our posts on the prize draw
o Facebook: facebook.com/ourwatch
o Twitter: twitter.cm/N_watch
o Instagram: neighburhood.watch.insta
• INFORM: Share this activity pack with your community. This could be via email, WhatsApp or in your local newsletter
• WATCH: Go and see the film when it comes out on 16th July. See the trailer here

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH AND THE CROODS 2: A NEW AGE SPECIAL EDITION LOGO
The Neighbourhood Watch brand and iconic yellow roundel is undeniably widely recognised across the UK. To celebrate the film’s release, we have created a unique and playful adaptation of our logo to be used on all supporting material. We will be using the fresh and fun logo on all our social media channels, on relevant pages on our website and materials created for this partnership. Feel free to use the logo on your materials up until the end of the partnership.

Want to be part of Universal Pictures’ universe? To hear more The Croods 2: A New Age news and find out about other upcoming film releases, exclusive competitions and giveaways, click here.

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH WEEK 2021: LISTEN. TALK. DO!
Thank you to all those that supported Neighbourhood Watch Week. Please find links to resources and activities below which you may find useful:

New Neighbourhood Watch resources
• Every Mind Matters neighbourly postcard
• ‘How to run a listening campaign’ guide
• ‘How to organise a litter pick’ guide
• ‘How to organise a street party’ guide
• ‘How to conduct an Environmental Visual Audit’ guide

Podcast
• Listen to John Hayward-Cripps talk about community safety in the 21st Century

Webinar (click to book onto an upcoming scam webinar)
• 6th July, 5pm: Exploring the psychology behind scams and how scammers are so effective at their crimes
• 14th July, 5pm: Insights into how a fraud case is investigated and how not to be the next victim
• 23rd July, 5pm: Scams awareness training from the Friends Against Scams initiative
• 30th July, 5pm: Don’t get hooked by scammers! What you need to know about flubot and phishing scams

Kind regards

Central Support Team, Neighbourhood Watch Network
www.ourwatch.org.uk
Neighbourhoood Watch Network is a charity registered in England & Wales, CIO no: 1173349