Best wishes for the Easter Break (for some)

The NHS and plenty of other front-line workers deserve our extra support on Thursday evening at 8pm. Work for them must carry on regardless of Easter. Good to see a super-sized flag flying above the Abbey.

Amongst those front-line services is the CRA’s very own help and support coordination exercise. To ensure we don’t take on cases beyond our capabilities all new requests for help and offers to volunteer should now be directed to 3SG, being run on behalf of the Council and the NHS.

Our red ‘CLICK ME‘ button will take requesters to the 3SG page explaining what help and support is available and what number to dial. Lines are open from 09:00 until 17:00 each day (except Easter Sunday).

If you would like to be added to the list of volunteers providing help and support yourself then click here to go directly to the 3SG web-site where you can download their handbook and sign up. If you are a Camden resident the CRA coordinator will then call you when we have a local volunteering opportunity.

Another opportunity has just arisen for people fit and well in Bath…

This is ‘St Michael’s Waitrose’ where an improvised factory has been set up by local Lansdown company Foldall to manufacture face shields for front line health and social care workers. If you want to consider volunteering you can start here.

Our very own low traffic neighbourhood…

With all this relative peace on our roads many people have mentioned how much more awareness there is of the local beauty here in Camden. This is a particularly glorious set of tulips next to one of our local artist’s front door.

Here are some other examples…

Easter Bunnies

Talking of Easter Bunnies and Easter Eggs, Laura at 14 Belgrave Place has popped a leaflet through some of our doors suggesting we make a large easter egg from recycled materials and display it so that it can be spotted from the roadside on Easter Sunday as we take our daily exercise.

Two further bits of news:

• The 31 Bus, the Lansdown Park and Ride service has stopped running for the foreseeable future due to lack of use. If you have any concerns over this then please email [email protected]
• The Cleveland Bridge summer closure is deferred until further notice which is quite a relief as the threat of traffic displacement up through Camden looked very real.

Here is a salutary story from a lady across the valley from us…

I’ve seen a lot of nasty posts about people making “non-essential” trips.

Did you ever stop to think that maybe that guy buying a tin of paint knows he must keep busy, because idle hands in the past has caused him to relapse and pick up that case of beer? Perhaps he’s using this time to do home improvements, something that keeps his mind busy while feeling a sense of accomplishment, and trying to avoid painful triggers while off of work.

Or maybe that lady buying bags of soil and seeds has struggled with depression. How do you know that planting and watching something beautiful grow during this time of darkness, isn’t essential to her and holding on to what little hope she might still have ?

We need to remember that it is impossible to know just by looking at a situation from “our” small lens what someone is truly going through or where their mental health is. Everyone handles chaos and healing through different means. I know we are all on edge but please stop being so judgmental of others.

And finally, to those who gave me the “look” yesterday, the 60 Easter eggs I bought – I bought them for the Bath ambulance station for the amazing paramedics who are everyday putting their lives on the line. I hope you enjoy them guys.

Finally…

In view of some of the harrowing stories coming from rhe front line, I’m really um and ahing about whether to include this or not. However, behind it is the important message to uphold the government’s key message:

Tempting as it will be this Easter to walk on popular hill top routes the threat to social distancing is serious…

Let Camden clap and roar for all front-line workers at 8pm this evening.