Email to register: mail@stourpaine.info
Login here to the Community Blog.
The Black Cat Cafe has opened.
It is near Gain’s Cross, just off the A357 between Stourpaine and Shillingstone.
Check where with this link: https://w3w.co/surcharge.crunches.conducted
Check its website for Opening Hours: https://www.theblackcatcafe.co.uk
A family-run small business set in a rustic converted barn just moments away from the North Dorset Trailway. Its mission is to offer the best local produce alongside its homemade sweet and savoury treats. Dog- and cycle-friendly everyone is welcome!
Do you have a spare room? If so, you could help a homeless young person by volunteering as a host with Dorset Nightstop
Dorset Nightstop supports homeless young people aged 16-25yrs (18-25 in Bournemouth, Poole & Christchurch) by accommodating them in the homes of trained and supported volunteers, for a few nights at a time.
Most young people who use Nightstop have experienced family breakdown. We have been running since 2008 and have provided more than 1,500 bednights. We have a thorough screening and referral process to keep you and the young people safe.
Our volunteer hosts provide:
Volunteers choose which evenings they would like to host on a flexible basis, there is no pressure and you can do as much or as little as you choose. We provide a comprehensive recruitment process including full training, home visits and DBS checks. When hosting we check in with you and the young person daily.
To find out more or to join our team of amazing volunteers please contact Katy on 07779 029292 or e-mail dorsetnightstop@actionforchildren.org.uk
Or, if you have friends or family, especially in BCP, who may be interested, please also help us by spreading the word… Thank you!
Katy Overton
Night Stop Volunteer Coordinator
07779 029292 | 01202 525643 | katy.overton@actionforchildren.org.uk
Dorset Night Stop
Action For Children, Office B1, Arena Business Centre, 9 Nimrod Way, Ferndown Dorset BH21 7UH
@actnforchildren | actionforchildren.org.uk | Dorset Services Website
https://dorsetcouncil-newsroom.prgloo.com/news/could-you-offer-a-home-to-a-ukrainian-refugee
It is nearly three years since Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, and thousands of Ukrainians have had to flee the worn torn country.
Hundreds of refugees have found a safe haven in Dorset, regaining their independence with the help of kind hosts and sponsors.
More than 500 households in Dorset have opened their homes as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme, but more homes are still needed for those escaping war zones.
https://www.gov.uk/register-interest-homes-ukraine
Ways you can help with accommodation:
Dorset Council is once again asking anyone who has a spare room or two, or an annexe, to host a Ukrainian refugee or a family and help them rebuild their lives. For more information, please register here
You will be linked into a network of support, and we will pay you £350 a month to provide a room in your house.
We’re also looking for landlords who can rent a home to refugees. Many are now ready to live independently.
Ukrainians on the Homes for Ukraine, Ukraine Extension, and Family Schemes have the right to rent, work, claim benefits and access public funds.
To find out more about working with us as a landlord, ‘Register Now’ and we will be in touch to discuss this in more detail.
Ukrainian refugees can access a range of services including schools, work, training and volunteering placements, while libraries and community groups are working to make them feel welcome.
Here are a few quotes from our current hosts:
“Hosting is a venture worth embarking on – understand the implications, have courage, and the rewards will be with you, and your guests, for life!”
“They bring me immense joy every day”
“Playing a small part in taking action to show support for Ukraine in opposing criminal Russian aggression.”
Cllr Ryan Hope, Portfolio Holder for Customer, Culture and Community Engagement at Dorset Council, said, “We continue to stand with all those affected by the horrific events which have taken place in Ukraine since the Russian invasion.
“Dorset has a proud history of welcoming new arrivals at times of crisis, offering homes and support to people escaping the horrors of war, and I am grateful to local people who have shown true community spirit and willingness to help others by welcoming Ukrainian people into their homes and our communities.”
If you would like to talk to us about the Ukraine Response in Dorset, please call 01305 221000 or email us at ukraineresponse@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
Karin Engdahl
karin.engdahl@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
During 2023, one third of the kitchen fires attended by Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) were in the homes of people aged over 65 and living alone. To combat this alarming statistic, DWFRS is launching a new safety campaign, with a focus on preventing cooking-related incidents and making residents safer at home.
‘Cook with Care’ has four key themes to help reduce kitchen fires:
It’s vital that we do all we can to protect our communities, especially those people who are perhaps more vulnerable because of their age or where they live. By highlighting some of the potential dangers in the kitchen, DWFRS hope to encourage safer cooking behaviours amongst those most at risk.
There is more information on the DWFRS website about safety in the home, www.dwfire.org.uk/safety-at-home and anyone with an older friend or relative who lives alone is asked to share this advice with them.
If you are concerned for someone’s safety, you can contact the DWFRS Safe & Well team – call 0800 038 2323 or visit www.dwfire.org.uk/safe-and-well-visits
Child Okeford Stores, The Cross, Child Okeford, Blandford Forum, Dorset, DT11 8ED, runs The Post Office Outreach Service in the Stourpaine Village Hall every Tuesday morning.
The Post Office pays for this service to us and The Post Office is doing an audit for the next 3 months about usage in outreach places.
Stourpaine is in danger of losing this post office facility unless we use and promote it more.
Please can everyone do their bit and try and buy some stamps, post a parcel (Parcelforce Express Services), use Drop & Go rather than get the Postie to come to you (a great convenience), withdraw some money, open an account, etc as much as possible ( especially whilst the audit is happening).
At the same time the Village Hall Committee invites you to the “Warm Hub” between ten and twelve where tea, coffee, biscuits and a chat are always brewing.
Beats cycling or walking to Blandford Forum or beyond.
With living costs rising all the time, everyone is looking for ways to save some money, so Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is highlighting some areas where a saving could be a false economy – and a fire risk.
The Service is asking people to #SaveSafely, and there is a wealth of information about staying safe at home and on the roads at www.dwfire.org.uk/save-safely. This includes energy saving tips, cooking safely advice, how to stay warm safely, staying safe when cutting costs, cutting the costs of driving, and signposting to financial help.
Some top tips include:
The Fire and Rescue Service offers free Safe & Well advice, which can include a home visit and the provision of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. To request this for yourself, a family member or a vulnerable person, please call 0800 038 2323 or visit www.dwfire.org.uk/safe-and-well-visits
If British Summer Time and warmer days means you will be visiting one of Dorset & Wiltshire’s local heathlands or outdoors spaces to enjoy the wildlife and wilderness, please take a picnic.
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) are encouraging residents and visitors to take a picnic and not BBQ. Warmer and breezy weather increases the risk of accidental or deliberate fires in our open spaces. A wildfire can move at speeds faster than an Olympic sprinter, so we are asking people who are out and about to follow some simple steps:
During 2021, DWFRS dealt with 494 fires in the open. In 2022, we have already seen large wildfires in Dorset & Wiltshire and firefighters across the UK have dealt with more wildfires between January and May than in the whole of 2021 (243 compared to 237 in 2021).
Area Manager Marc House, Head of Prevention at DWFRS said: “As we move into the summer, with longer daylight hours and warmer weather, understandably more people want to get out and use Dorset & Wiltshire’s natural environments. There is a trend that the number of deliberately set fires and fires caused by BBQs and bonfires in these open spaces, increases.
He added: “I cannot stress enough how important it is to take extra care when enjoying our beautiful open and forestry areas. If you are a smoker, please extinguish them fully before disposing of them responsibly – never ever just throw them away lit, similar to throwing them out from car windows – the result could be 50 or 100 firefighters tackling the subsequent blaze.”
Anyone caught starting a fire on a heath will be prosecuted whether it is a case of deliberate arson or neglect, for example an unauthorised camp fire or a disposable BBQ that gets out of control. Wildfires cost lives not only to endangered plants and animals but also put people and houses in danger.
We need your help to protect our countryside. Please #BringAPicnicNotABBQ
Blandford Community Hospital is running a walk-in for Covid-19 vaccinations on Saturday and Sunday, 18/19 June 2022. Please check if there are other dates arranged.
The hospital details are;
Milldown Road
Blandford Forum
DT11 7DD
01258 456541
Helen Hunt
Parking is available on-site and located at the rear of the hospital
The walk-in is signed from the side entrance going into the Out-Patients area.
Booking are also possible through the NHS Covid telephone number 119.
12 Apr 2022
In October last year we launched the Dorset Education Advice Line – an advice line for parents and carers who are worried their child might not be making the progress they should be, or who may believe their child might have emerging special educational needs.
To date, we’ve spoken with approximately 60 Dorset families, talking to them about their worries and concerns, and making sure they get the right help, at the right time.
Cllr Andrew Parry, Dorset Council Portfolio Holder for Children, Education, Skills and Early Help said:
“The Education Advice Line will help to ensure that families and professionals work together at the earliest opportunity to engage in early identification and universal support for families in Dorset.
“If you are concerned about your child’s academic progress, or social and emotional development, then please do get in touch. Our Special Educational Needs Family Workers are here to listen, offer advice and can talk through your concerns with you.”
Get in touch
You can book a 15 minute appointment with one of our SEND Family Workers by using our online form, this is the quickest way to contact us.
If you aren’t able to do so, contact us and someone can make this booking for you over the phone. Call freephone 0800 14 040 41.
Our lines are open:
Rian Davies
rian.davies@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
Use these assets for you own DEAL publicity:
You must be logged in to post a comment.