Author: alpington-yelverton-admin

August is the first month of harvesting your hard work. It is also the time to begin tidying up your garden as the early-summer-growing plants finish flowering. 

Harvesting

If you have grown vegetables, you may already be picking your sweetcorn, tomatoes, peas, beans, courgettes and other greenhouse crops.

As pumpkins and butternut squashes come on, you can put straw or old tiles under the ripening vegetables to stop them rotting on the soil surface.

Pick sweet peas regularly to encourage new flowers to form.

Supporting

Tie in or support tall late-summer perennials to stop them leaning or falling over.

Pruning back

Lavender and rosemary will have finished flowering by now, so lightly trim them by cutting off the new soft growth, but try not to cut into the older brown wood.  Trim off excess foliage from strawberries once they’ve finished fruiting.

Prune back shrubs that have finished flowering. Cut back established Wisterias, trimming new long growth back to between 4 and 7prs of leaves and pinching out the tips of very young shoots.

Continue trimming fast growing hedges to keep them in check.

Watering

Water all pots, baskets and flower beds well in dry spells, ideally from collected rain water or with used bathwater. Dark coloured patio pots will out more quickly, so may need watering twice a day in very hot weather.

Mowing

Mow the lawn weekly but raise the blades if the weather is hot and dry to prevent the grass turning brown.

Relaxing!

Although there are always things to do in your garden, remember to find time to relax and enjoy it whenever you can.

The Potato Pod at the Wheel of Fortune

5.00pm – 8.30pm

The Potato Pod serves freshly cooked jacket potatoes loaded with delicious toppings, they also serve a Nacho box & Sweet pepper wraps

Eat in or take away. Social distancing rules apply

Click for the Potato Pod’s Facebook post with menu

From plan coordinators Louise Taylor and Sue Stacey:

Since the middle of March Alpington with Yelverton Parish Council has been coordinating a band of local residents who had volunteered to help in the villages in the case of an emergency situation. The situation was, as everyone is now aware, the Corona virus pandemic.

The volunteers were allocated an area to cover and made introductions to residents through a card dropped through letter boxes, letting them know how we could help. This resulted in anyone who was shielding or vulnerable and wanted some support having shopping or prescriptions collected and delivered to them.

From the feedback Sue and I have received I’m aware how much this support was appreciated.

Following government advice around people shielding we have brought this activity under the emergency plan to a close. If there is anyone who still feels they need support please call either myself or Sue, contact details below.

One of the most pleasing things through this difficult time was the way the community has come together and we hope that this will continue.

A suggestion has been made that a small team of volunteers, independent of the parish council, will continue to offer support but how this would be taken forward has to be decided.

Sue and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers who offered to help and we hope
that we will all be able to meet together to celebrate our achievements.

Louise Taylor, coordinator, 01508 492599
Sue Stacey, deputy coordinator, 01508 491185

The Alpington with Yelverton Parish Council will be opening the play area by the Village Hall on Saturday 1st August 2020, but to enable us to keep it open we have to ensure that it is being used sensibly.

Parents/carers should ensure that children are maintaining good personal hygiene and understanding social distancing.

The following information will be put up on signs around the play area:

Photos of the new play area

Please help us to let everyone know, by sharing this post with other residents!

Poringland library is due to reopen on Monday 3rd August, with measures in place to keep everyone safe.

Also the fleet of mobile libraries are being adapted to allow the safe return of rural mobile library services, which is due to take place in mid-August.

Full details on the Norfolk County Council libraries page.

With the BBC scrapping free TV Licences, there may be an opportunity for scammers.

Be cautious about any emails or calls that ask you to update your personal or banking details. Find out more about how to keep your money and information safe, here:

age uk – spotting TV licence scams

From Temporary Assistant Chief Constable – Julie Wvendth

Two weeks ago, we were preparing for the most significant easing of lockdown yet, with pubs, bars and restaurants getting ready to welcome customers again.

Venues across Norfolk, closed since the end of March to prevent the spread of coronavirus, have adapted well to the new measures they must follow to make sure premises are Covid secure.

By the same measure, pub goers have equally played their part with the overwhelming majority enjoying these greater freedoms sensibly and safely.

However, a night out isn’t what it used to be. Venues are operating differently, as you would expect, with reduced capacity and booking systems in place. Even if you just want to go somewhere for drinks, you should be booking a table.

Some places will allow walk-ins if they’re not full, however our experience over the last couple of weeks has shown many people head into the city for a night out, only to be left disappointed by being turned away from fully-booked venues.

A few people turned away from bars went on to buy alcohol from shops and hang around, drinking in the streets. It led to a number of incidents of anti-social behaviour which officers had to deal with.

A word of warning to anyone considering the same this weekend… nightlife areas in Norwich are covered by a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO). This means officers can confiscate any open bottle or can of alcohol. While I do hate wasting things, we could literally tip it down the drain. You wouldn’t want this, and let’s be clear we would rather not be dealing with it so if you’re going for a night out, please plan ahead and book to avoid disappointment. We will deal with street drinking and the anti-social behaviour that often accompanies it.

It would be remiss of me not to mention face coverings. I’m sure by now you’re all aware that new regulations will come into effect next Friday, making the wearing of face covering mandatory in all shops. This has naturally led to conversations about our role in enforcing this law and the implications for policing. Our national body (the National Police Chief’s Council) is working closely with the Home Office, retailers and trade bodies to understand the new regulations and what they mean for policing. We will of course update you as soon as we have more detail. However, I would like to take this opportunity to reassure you our policing approach will be consistent with all previously public health regulations, in that we will engage, explain and encourage, using enforcement as last resort.

Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Julie Wvendth

Link to original message

The main gates of St Mary’s Church, Yelverton, have been restored following a successful application to the Community Benefit Fund, which is administered by the Parish Council.

Give them a look when you’re on your way past, and if you’re coming for a visit why not use the church’s own guide book when you’re having a look inside.

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Our Church Page Church’s Online Guide Book Our Parish Council Page