Volunteer Visitors Needed

Somerset Sight is recruiting volunteers to befriend visually impaired people on a regular basis.

Would you like to help someone in your local area?

Join our team of volunteers, who help people to remain independent and overcome loneliness and isolation.

All reasonable and out of pocket expenses are paid.

For more information, please contact Somerset Sight on: 01823 333818 or email admin@somersetsight.org.uk

Somerset Sight is a local charity that has been supporting sight-impaired people across Somerset for over a hundred years and in 2019 we proudly won the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

One of the services we offer is the Volunteer Visiting Service, whereby volunteers are matched locally with a sight-impaired person for regular visits for company and support and to alleviate their loneliness and isolation.

Volunteer visitors help with a variety of tasks such as reading, correspondence, making appointments, going out for a drive or just a cup of tea and a chat.  Many volunteers get great satisfaction and enjoyment from their voluntary work, many friendships are formed and the people they support very much look forward to their visits, some telling us that it is the highlight of their week.  Full training is provided and we cover all reasonable expenses.

We have a number of visually impaired people in Somerset who would welcome a volunteer visitor, but they are on a waiting list as we don’t have enough volunteers to match them with.  Therefore, we just wondered if you might be able to assist us in promoting this service to help us recruit some more volunteers.

Furthermore, we hold monthly Social Groups for the visually impaired in various towns across Somerset. Our service users come along to have a chat and a coffee, and we are also able to share ideas and information about living with sight loss. Please call Somerset Sight on 01823 333818 to find out more.

We also have a Mobile Advisory Service which travels across the whole of Somerset offering information, advice and visual aids for people with sight loss. We have lots of helpful gadgets and interesting resources on board. The dates are on the website.

We arrange regular outings and events for people who are visually impaired, including an annual trip to the seaside.  We deliver regular ‘Seeing Life Differently Days’ for people who are coming to terms with sight loss.  We also provide Low Vision Clinics and we offer Emotional Support sessions via telephone.  We have seen a big increase in the use of IT by our service users, so we now offer IT support to our visually impaired service users.

Further information about us can be found on our Facebook page and on our website:

https://www.somersetsight.org.uk/

New service guides, including an 18-month collection calendar, will begin to arrive next week in the former Sedgemoor and Somerset West and Taunton areas, as well as a small part of South Somerset.

Everyone in these areas will be getting the guide ahead of a change to collection days for some households.

Residents having a change of collection day will have received a letter earlier in the month letting them know that things are changing.

The new guides and their delivery come at no cost to Somerset Council. They are funded by the council’s collections contractor Suez Recycling and Recovery UK.

The changes will make rounds more efficient and manageable for crews, whilst reducing mileage and carbon emissions.

It is important that everyone looks out for their guide, checks it and keeps it for future reference. Unfortunately, crews will not be able to return for collections if bins and boxes have not been put out on the correct day.

Cllr Dixie Darch, Executive Lead Member for Climate and Environment said: “Check your guide and keep it, the guide includes your new collection calendar, making it easy for you to look up your collection days.

“Updating the collection routes will have a positive impact on the environment by reducing vehicle mileage and carbon emissions, changes begin from 12 February.

“The changes, and all the associated mailings, come at no cost to the council and will help towards making the county greener and more sustainable.”

Residents in this phase can now look up their new collection day online, and download a copy of their service guide. If a service guide is not available to download – this means they are not part of phase one.

Any changes to collection days will start from 12 February 2024 and until then collection days will remain the same.

Some residents with collection changes may also have an additional one-off Saturday collection of their rubbish on either 10, 17 or 24 February. Residents should check their letter for details.

If there is no mention of an additional one-off collection of rubbish in the letter, then residents will not need one.

Please follow the link to view the above road closure; https://one.network/?tm=136002319 and the link for the Notice 2: https://api-gb.one.network/downloads/tm/1111/03-notice-2_136002319_3667278_68f3301ab2.pdf
The order becomes effective on 08th February 2024 and will remain in force for eighteen months.

The works are expected to commence on 12th February 2024 and last for 3 days to enable Milestone infrastructure to carry out patching works.

The contractor has indicated that access for Emergency Services through the site is not permitted on this occasion.

For any further information about this closure please contact Somerset Highways on 0300 123 2224, quoting reference: ttro361491S.

Please note that should you require to view a closure which is more than two weeks ahead, you will need to register for free with www.One.Network

Overview

Last week, Storm Henk caused significant flooding across Wessex, including in Shepton Mallet, Croscombe, and Frome, as well as Bath, Dorset and Wiltshire. With heavy rain falling on saturated ground, some watercourses reached their highest ever recorded levels. Since then, the sustained dry weather has seen levels in rivers and on the moors drop considerably. Staff continue to be out on the ground in affected areas, recording impacts and offering advice and support.

We would encourage anyone affected by property flooding to report this on the Flood Online Reporting Tool. We are working closely with our partners at Somerset Council to gather data about how many properties have been affected by flooding. This information is crucial not only for incident response, but for long term planning of flood risk reduction measures. The eligibility for public funds, both for flood schemes and for householder support such as the Flood Recovery Framework, is determined in large part by the recorded number of flooded properties.

We know that as well as the economic and physical impacts, flooding can have a serious effect on emotional wellbeing. Please see the links at the end for information about recovery from flooding.

Current situation

The situation on the Somerset Moors is an ever improving one, and flood risk is decreasing daily thanks to the continued settled weather and our ongoing pumping operations.

Athelney spillway has stopped running and water has receded in this area, allowing Somerset Council to reopen the A361. At the time of writing, the Council’s emergency road closure gates remain closed at Cutts Road, New Road and Langport Road.

In Somerset, one flood warning for Curry Moor and Hay Moor and four flood alerts remain in place.

Axe / Brue Catchment

Pumping stations are operating whenever they can, as high tides allow. There is a lot of water on low lying fields, which is taking time to work through the network of rhynes and watercourses to the pumping stations. Levels are steadily dropping across the moors.

In all areas of the Somerset Levels and Moors, landowners can help speed the evacuation of water by ensuring that their rhynes, culverts and ditches are clear of obstructions. For more information on riparian rights and responsibilities see Owning a Watercouse.

Parrett / Tone Catchment – Upstream of Langport

All pumping stations are operating to clear as much water as possible from all the moors during this settled spell.

There are still large areas with considerable volumes of water on the ground, most notably West

Sedgemoor and the moors around Muchelney and Thorney. While levels are dropping, most areas will continue to see high levels for another week or two yet, and the worst affected moors will take longer than this to be pumped clear.

Monksleaze Clyce is operating within normal protocols.

Parrett / Tone Catchment – Downstream of Langport

All spillways have stopped running, and pumping is taking place at all stations. Temporary pumps remain in place at Currymoor, Saltmoor and Northmoor. There is still a considerable amount of water in Currymoor and Haymoor. All permanent and temporary pumps are operational at Currymoor, and we have staff monitoring operations 24hrs a day at Saltmoor pumping station, switching the temporary pumps on whenever there is enough water in the drains to do so. The water level in the drain at Northmoor pumping station is down to the desired winter level, and has remained within the capacity of the permanent pumps throughout.

It is taking time for the standing water on the fields to soak away through the soil or work through watercourses to pumping stations. We would encourage landowners to check their rhynes, culverts and ditches for obstructions.

Outlook

Dry weather looks set to continue for the next 5 days, with the potential for the return of wet weather from mid-week next week.

Flooding advice and information

Our advice to the public is to stay safe and not enter floodwater – just 30 cm of fast flowing water can move a car, and just 15 cm of fast flowing water could be enough to knock you off your feet.

What to do to prepare for flooding

• Call Floodline on 0345 988 1188 for updates on flooding, to sign up for flood warnings, or to report flooding.
• Go to gov.uk/prepare–for–flooding or search ‘know my flood risk’ to sign up for Environment Agency flood warnings, receive information on the risk in your area and what to do in a flood.
• Sign up for flood warnings at gov.uk/sign–up–for–flood–warnings
• Follow us on social media: facebook.com/environmentagencywessex  www.twitter.com/EnvAgencySW

Or visit:  www.somersetriversauthority.org.uk

What to do during a flood

• Stay up-to-date on weather information and warnings: https://check–forservice.gov.uk/plan–ahead–for–flooding
• Report current flooding to the Environment Agency Incident Hotline 0800 80 70 60 (main rivers or sea), Somerset Council 0300 123 2224 (ordinary watercourses) or Wessex Water (sewers) 0345 600 4600
• Get information on what to do during a flood from: gov.uk/help–during–flood  http://www.somersetprepared.org.uk/hazard–advice/flooding  www.somersetriversauthority.org.uk/useful–info  
• Call 999 if there is a risk to life
• Remember: Always stay safe. In an immediate flood emergency or where there is a risk to life, follow the advice of the emergency services.

Recovery from Flooding

• For information on recovering from flooding, see: How to recover from flooding – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk); or: https://floodmary.com/wp–content/uploads/2023/02/homeowners–guideto–flood–pdf
• Somerset Council may be able to support with housing and welfare issues https://www.somerset.gov.uk/beaches–ports–and–flooding/flooding–information–and–advice/
• Submit a detailed property flooding report at https://swim.geowessex.com/somerset
• Flooding is very distressing, and it is common for people’s emotional health to be impacted. Somerset Talking Therapies may be able to offer help:

https://www.somersetft.nhs.uk/somerset–talking–therapies/

For all enquiries, or if you would like to be added to the distribution list for Somerset Levels and

Moors updates, please email WessexEnquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

Please follow the link to view the above road closure; https://one.network/?tm=136788979 and the link for the Notice 2: https://api-gb.one.network/downloads/tm/1111/03-notice-2_136788979_3664855_0bd36b9240.pdf
The order becomes effective on 01st February 2024 and will remain in force for eighteen months.

The works are expected to commence on 5th February 2024 and last for 5 days (09:30 – 15:30) to enable Openreach to carry out cabling works and replace damaged poles.

The contractor has indicated that access for Emergency Services through the site is permitted on this occasion.

For any further information about this closure please contact Sunbelt Rentals on 0370 050 0792, quoting reference: ttro923609S

Please note that should you require to view a closure which is more than two weeks ahead, you will need to register for free with www.One.Network

Please follow the link to view the above road closure; https://one.network/?tm=135778047 and the link for the Notice 2: https://api-gb.one.network/downloads/tm/1111/03-notice-2_135778047_3648265_be028980e8.pdf
The order becomes effective on 25th January 2024 and will remain in force for eighteen months.

The works are expected to commence on 1st February 2024 and last for 8 hours (08:00 – 16:00) to enable Utility Services Ltd to replace a pole on behalf of Openreach.

The contractor has indicated that access for Emergency Services through the site is permitted on this occasion.

For any further information about this closure please contact Utility Services Ltd on 0191 303 9782, quoting reference: ttro580191W(TD).

Please note that should you require to view a closure which is more than two weeks ahead, you will need to register for free with www.One.Network

Please follow the link to view the above road closure; https://one.network/?tm=135720344 and the link for the Notice 2: https://api-gb.one.network/downloads/tm/1111/03-notice-2_135720344_3648110_6ba10226ef.pdf
The order becomes effective on 25th January 2024 and will remain in force for eighteen months.

The works are expected to commence on 1st February 2024 and last for 8 hours (08:00 – 16:00) to enable Utility Services Ltd to replace a pole on behalf of Openreach.

The contractor has indicated that access for Emergency Services through the site is permitted on this occasion.

For any further information about this closure please contact Utility Services Ltd on 0191 303 9782, quoting reference: ttro463340W(TD) 

Please note that should you require to view a closure which is more than two weeks ahead, you will need to register for free with www.One.Network

Please follow the link to view the above road closure; https://one.network/?tm=136198183 and the link for the Notice 2: https://api-gb.one.network/downloads/tm/1111/03-notice-2_136198183_3659114_69f1f8c1e7.pdf
The order becomes effective on 25th January 2024 and will remain in force for eighteen months.

The works are expected to commence on 29th January 2024 and last for 12 days to enable Openreach to lay duct in carriageway.

The contractor has indicated that access for Emergency Services through the site is permitted on this occasion.

For any further information about this closure please contact FreeFlow Traffic Management on 0797 114 261, quoting reference: ttro458477S.

Please note that should you require to view a closure which is more than two weeks ahead, you will need to register for free with www.One.Network

‘Look out for your letter’ is the message from Somerset Council as recycling and rubbish collection days change for more than 120,000 households in western parts of the county in February.

New collection routes are being introduced for many homes in the former Sedgemoor and Somerset West and Taunton areas, as well as a small part of South Somerset.

This means many homes in these areas will have a change in collection day from the week beginning Monday 12 February 2024. Changes will be made for the rest of the county later in the year.

Being brought in by the council’s contractor, Suez Recycling and Recovery UK, the new routes will make rounds more efficient and more manageable for crews, whilst reducing mileage and carbon emissions. The changes come at no cost to the council.

Residents may have:

• a change to collection day
• a change in the week that their rubbish is collected (it will still be collected once every three weeks)

If a household’s collection days are changing, they will receive a letter in early January making this clear. This will be followed by a service guide – including a collection day calendar – arriving near the end of January. Look out for this and save it for future reference as this will show your new collection day.

If a household does not get a letter at the start of January, there will be no change to collection day, but they will still receive a service guide including collections calendar near the end of the month.

There will be no changes to collection days for garden waste subscribers, clinical waste collections, or communal property collections (with shared collections, such as blocks of flats). Crews will still provide assisted collections.

Some residents having a change of collection may also have an additional one-off Saturday collection of their rubbish on either 10, 17 or 24 February. This will be made clear in the letter they receive at the start of January and is to make sure no one goes more than three weeks between rubbish collections as crews move to the new routes. If there is no mention of an additional one-off collection of rubbish in the letter then households will not need one.

Councillor Dixie Darch, Executive Lead Member for Climate and Environment said: “Look out for your letter and service guide, take note of your collection day. If you don’t receive a letter this means that your day is staying the same.

“The changes will make rounds more efficient and manageable for crews, whilst reducing mileage and carbon emissions. That comes at no cost to the council and will help towards making the county greener and more sustainable.

“Please make a note of your new collection day and possible interim rubbish collection. Crews can’t return for missed collections where bins are not out on the right day.”

Residents with questions about the changes can head to Somerset Council’s website for further information. The online collection day look-up feature will be updated from Monday 12 February.

If residents have downloaded their collection calendar to a smartphone, they will need to do this again after 12 February.