12.05.20 Newsletter no.7

We’re entering a new phase, so please be careful  -

What do the Government’s new proposals mean for Lissenden Gardens?

While we all try to work out what the new advice means for us as individuals, our community approach to tackling the coronavirus will remain the same. 

·      There has been no slackening of the rules on social distancing. Stay two metres away from everyone except the people you live with. 

·      You should continue to stay at home if you are aged over 70, or if the NHS has said you shouldn’t go out because of underlying health reasons.

·      You will now be allowed to meet a partner or friend you don’t live with, but you must stay outdoors and keep two metres away from them.

·      You may now exercise outdoors as much as you want (and sunbathe), but this should only be done on your own, or with people you live with.

·      The Government is advising that we do our laundry more often, as there is some evidence that the virus can survive on fabrics.

·      Unless you now have to go to work, you should still only go out for essential shopping/medication, or to care for someone vulnerable.

·      If you shop or go on public transport you should wear a cloth mask.

·      Wash your hands for 20 seconds regularly. Try not to touch your face.

Worried about work?  

If you’re worried about having to go back to work because you think it’s unsafe, the Citizens Advice website may help. Go to: www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work/coronavirus-if-youre-worried-about-working/ Alternatively, contact the trade union that covers your workplace or job. And why not tell the newsletter of your experiences?

Lissenden musicians help us to feel less locked in

Two stairways, in Lissenden Mansions and Parly, took up the offer of our free half-hour back garden concerts last weekend, and the move proved popular.

‘It was a complete pleasure,’ said Mike Holt, from 31-39 Parly, who allowed his garden to be used. Everyone stayed out on their balconies chatting afterwards. ‘People had smiles all over their faces, just like the Bisto Kids,’ he added, referring to a TV ads that ran from the 1970s to the 1990s.

If you’d like a back-garden concert, or fifteen-minutes of songs or a classical recital on your stairway, contact Frank on 07757 706419. 

Clap for Carers

We’ll be having music on Thursday again to liven up our Clap for Carers. We’ll be walking around singing ‘Lean on Me’ and ‘Three Little Birds’ so everyone will get a chance to hear. Please be patient. STAY ON YOUR BALCONIES or at your doors, or we may have to cancel the music in future. 

Lissenden posties feel safer – thanks to you 

Imagine having to shove mail through hundreds of letterboxes every day, not knowing if the last person who touched them might have left traces of covid-19 on the surface. Or maybe they’d caught a sneeze with their hands and then pulled themselves up the stairs with the help of the bannister?

That’s the worry that postal workers in most of London have faced every day during the coronavirus crisis – but not in Lissenden Gardens. We’ve been disinfecting bannisters, street-door handles and letterboxes on our stairways, and our posties are delighted.

Bayram, who covers all of Parliament Hill Mansions, and elsewhere, says that he delivers post through 516 letterboxes every day, and he has to ‘touch every one’. What people do in Lissenden Gardens  ‘gives me confidence to come into your buildings and confidence to deliver your letters’, he says. ‘It also makes my wife happier.’ 

Children’s drawings thanking postal workers have also helped. ‘When we see them it means we don’t feel alone,’ Bayram says. ‘It makes us feel that everyone respects us.’   And cleaning commonly-touched surfaces isn’t an empty gesture. According to Bayram, 11 postal staff in the UK have already died because of covid-19. 

Stairway disinfecting materials available free

The cleaning we do only takes five minutes, but it can make life safer for all of us. If you’d like to be part of a rota disinfecting bannisters on your stairs, please contact your stairway rep. Free cleaning materials for your stairway (paper cloths and cleaning fluids) are available from Gary Henson and Jenny West. Ask your staircase rep to contact them.

Councillors and Camden volunteers extend help with food and shopping

Our local councillors have contributed funds to set up a service at Highgate Newtown Community Centre (HNCC) to assist anyone who needs help with food or shopping during the current crisis. The food is paid for through local donations. The service is offering:

     Home-made hot meals delivered to your door. Cost £2.50. Call HNCC volunteers on 07483 145587 or 07552 218520, 

     Food parcels delivered to your home. Food parcels are FREE if you are experiencing financial hardship as a direct consequence of the Covid-19 crisis. Call HNCC volunteers on 07551 798767 or 07748 091604.

     Help with shopping or collecting medicines. A checked and authorised volunteer will be assigned to assist you. Call HNCC volunteers on 07748 091604 or 07483 145587. 

Alternatively, the community centre by email at: andrewhncc@outlook.com.  And if you’re stuck at home and need shopping or help, contact your stairway rep.

Would you prefer to get this newsletter electronically?

We’re going to continue to post this newsletter through people’s door to ensure everyone can keep up to date with what’s going on in Lissenden, but if you’d prefer to get it electronically, email: newsletter.lgta@gmail.com. Thanks to Nicky for printing the newsletter and letters on the Mystery Bears competition. 

If you have any suggestions for the next newsletter, contact Frank: 07757 706419.

For more, go to our new website at: lissendengardens.co.uk  Why not check out our new sections on health and wellbeing, wildlife and pest control?