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Join the national effort and sign up for the NHS COVID-19 vaccine research registry. Be part of the fightback against the virus by volunteering to be contacted by researchers to take part in COVID-19 vaccine research. 

There are a number of vaccines being identified, but only large-scale studies can give researchers the information needed about how effective they are. 

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is working with the NHS and aims to recruit as many people as possible onto the registry, which will allow people to be put in touch with the vaccine studies in the coming months. 

Researchers are looking for people from all backgrounds, ages and parts of the UK – including both people with or without existing health conditions – to take part in vaccine studies, to make sure that any vaccines developed will work for everyone. 

The service is available to anyone aged 18 or over, living in the UK. There is no obligation to join in any study, if you are contacted. But by taking part, you could help researchers find vaccines to protect us all more quickly – which in turn could help the NHS and save lives. 

Sign up today! 

Kent County Council has announced vouchers for food are available during half-term for families whose children are eligible for free school meals, so that no Kent child goes hungry.

The county’s families most in need will receive supermarket vouchers for each eligible child to ensure they are able to feed their children outside of term time.

A dedicated helpline has been set up and is now open so that Kent’s low-income families are able to quickly and easily access the help they need when they need it most, including during the school holidays. Families who apply will receive one voucher of £15 per child.

The announcement comes after KCC Leader Roger Gough pledged that no child should ever go hungry during school holidays, or at any time.

Anyone eligible for free school meals who needs extra financial support to help feed their children can now visit www.kent.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals or call the dedicated helpline on 03000 41 24 24. You have until next Monday 2nd November 5pm to apply.

Meanwhile, the KentTogether helpline remains open for any other Kent resident who needs support with food, collection of medication and prescriptions and other urgent needs during the pandemic, 24 hours a day. You can get help by visiting www.kent.gov.uk/kenttogether or calling 03000 41 92 92.

Due to Covid restrictions, this year the usual Remembrance Sunday service on 8th November at St Paul’s Church will be invitation only, and strictly limited to 30 people.

Our Chairman Tim Prater has been invited and will be honoured to attend the service to represent the Parish Council, but that’s little consolation to all those who would normally taken some time together to remember on this day. We will do so again, but this year, we need to stay apart.

But staying apart does not mean we will forget. Sandgate will remember.

So – on Remembrance Sunday, 8th November, we are asking as many local residents as possible to go to our War Memorial: singly or in family groups, at the time of their choice.

There, there will be large sandboxes on the foot of the memorial for you to plant your poppy. Please take a couple of minutes out of your day – whenever you can – on Remembrance Sunday, to walk to the memorial, and leave your poppy, or if you wish flowers, or a wreath, in remembrance.

Be it alone, with your family, or on behalf of a small group – its up to you. A wreath will be laid by Councillors, and we know of other groups already planning to lay flowers. If there is already someone there, please wait a little way away or on the Village Green opposite until they have moved away. There is plenty of space and no rush.

There will be no Last Post, no timed silence, no service. Just, we hope, that all those in Sandgate who wish to do so take a few moments to go and plant their poppy. We will remember them.

Sandgate War Memorial is at the junction of Sandgate High Street and Military Road, across the road from the Village Green.

Poppies are already available from Sandgate Library (open 9.30-12 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday) and from a number of the usual shops through until Remembrance Day.

NHS Blood and Transplant are holding an extra blood donation session
at:

The Grand, The Leas, Folkestone, CT20 2XL

…on Thursday 29th October 2020 and have appointments available between 13:30 – 19:30.

To book an appointment:

• visit blood.co.uk
• download the app NHSGIVE BLOOD
• call on 0300 123 23 23

Never given blood before? New donors are always welcome – learn more and register on the blood.co.uk website.

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Flood Wardens are volunteers trained to help and prepare people in local communities that are at risk of flooding. They play an important role in the preparing a community flood plan and putting it in to practice. In Sandgate we would also ask you to meet the Parish Council annually to update us on the flood plan.

The commitment

• Training takes just 2 hours to complete (training is currently online, with the next FREE course on 13th October from 7-9pm).
• Flood Wardens meet a few times a year to test their flood plan.

The Role

• Help local people prepare for flooding.
• Provide a vital link between your community and the emergency responders.

What you’ll get

• Comprehensive handbook.
• Access to a whole host of resources.
• Support from fellow Flood Wardens.

It’s been a while since we’ve had a substantial flood in Sandgate, but that’s no reason not to be prepared.

You would be making a real difference to your community, helping the ensure the safety of neighbours, for a few hours a year. From https://www.kentprepared.org.uk/flood-wardens the responsibilities of being a Flood Warden include:

Helping the community before, during and after a flood

…before

• Identify problem areas within your community;
• Identify vulnerable people and properties;
• Write a community flood plan;
• Monitor watercourses within the community;
• Encourage sign up to free Flood Warnings.

…during

• Communicate the risk of flooding within the community;
• Help co-ordinate the community flood plan;
• Heed emergency services advice at all times;
• Share information from the Environment Agency and emergency services with residents;
• Encourage residents to take action;
• Collect flood event information.

…after

• Assist in the post-flood clear up if required;
• Continue to act as a communication channel;
• Collect post-flood data and photos;
• Assist in the review of the community flood plan.

If you are interested in becoming a Flood Warden, please contact the Kent Resilience Team to organise a training session at krf@kent.fire-uk.org  or call 01622 212409.

Kent Speedwatch is a volunteer scheme to monitor and display the speed of passing traffic on selected roads.

A group of 3 people use a roadside speed indicator device to monitor and display the speed of approaching traffic, and note the details of those significantly in excess of the speed limit.

It acts as a good reminder to motorists to keep to the limit, and forms a base of data that Kent Police can see to understand if there is a lot of speeding in a certain road, and to target their resources at monitoring them.

Sandgate Parish Council has a part share in a Speed Indication Device, but haven’t run sessions for some time. We’re looking to get Speedwatch sessions running again, but to do so we need a group of volunteers willing to join the team.

Training takes a couple of hours, and we’d be hoping to run 2 or 3 Speedwatch sessions a month to start with: if we had 9 volunteers, that’s commitment to one 90 minute session a month.

Sessions only happen during daylight hours, in Police approved locations, with trained volunteers. You’ll never be working alone.

Would you register to get involved in helping our area cut traffic speeds with Speedwatch?

If you are willing to become a Sandgate Speedwatch volunteer you can register online. Please go to:

https://www.communityspeedwatch.org/

..and select “register” on the top menu. On the next page, select “Join and Existing Group” on the left.

On the next page, select “Kent” from the “Force” list, then “Continue”.

On the next page, select “XE Folkestone and Hythe” from the Police Area list, then “Continue”.

On the next page, select “Sandgate – Sandgate Speedwatch Group” from the Group list, then Continue.

On the next page, complete the form, make sure you tick the “term and conditions” box, then select “Register Me”.

You should get an email notification of some type, but then that’s done. When we have enough (5 or so) volunteers registered we’re away – we will get a training session organised and all volunteers invited.

Please – get involved: register today!