Category: Information

Cook with Care

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:

  • Prepare – Before you start cooking, create a clear space to prepare your meals safely. Keep tea towels and cloths away from the cooker and hob, and take care if you’re wearing loose clothing.
  • Prevent – Never put anything other than pots and pans on your cooker hob; even after you’ve finished cooking, the hob will remain hot for some time.Never put anything metal into the microwave.Saucepan handles left sticking out create a danger; there’s a risk they could be caught, leading to the pans being knocked off the hob.
  • Focus – Don’t leave cooking unattended.Avoid cooking if you are tired, have been drinking alcohol or are taking medication that leaves you drowsy.
  • Stay Safe – Keep the oven, hob and grill clean as a build-up of fat or grease can catch fire when hot. Switch off the oven and/or hob when you have finished cooking and take pans off the heat.

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

Village Hall Outreach Service

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.

#SaveSafely this winter

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:

  • Pulling something like electric heaters or electric blankets out of the loft, that haven’t been used for years, can be risky. Watch for signs of dangerous or loose wiring, such as scorch marks, hot plugs and sockets, fuses that often blow, or circuit breakers that trip for no obvious reasons.
  • If you’re drying clothes indoors rather than use a tumble dryer, keep them well away from the heat source so they can’t catch fire.
  • Air fryers and microwave ovens are great at saving energy when cooking, but please read the manufacturer’s instructions and keep them clean between uses.
  • Getting chimneys swept when you have a woodburner or open fire is essential to reduce the risk of chimney fires. Also be careful of what you burn; green (unseasoned) wood may seem cheap, but it doesn’t create much heat and it creates a residue that can easily catch alight within the chimney.
  • Get your boiler serviced – a well maintained boiler is more efficient and reduces the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning.
  • Only use the correct charger for mobile devices. Although it can be cheaper to buy imported and unofficial chargers, fake ones are often made with poor quality components that fail to meet UK safety regulations. This means they can cause injury, electric shocks and even fires.
  • Make sure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions when using wheat bags – don’t heat them for too long, or at too high a temperature.

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

#BringAPicnicNotABBQ

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:

  • If you are enjoying our open spaces when a fire occurs, get to a safe place and call 999 with as much information as possible.
  • Consider downloading and using What3Words to identify your exact location.
  • You can also help by reporting any antisocial behaviour on the heath to the Police on 101. 

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

Safety first for summer cooking

Top up your Covid-19 Vaccination

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.

https://www.dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/patients-and-visitors/our-services-hospitals/community-hospitals/blandford-community-hospital

The hospital details are;

 Address

Milldown Road
Blandford Forum
DT11 7DD

 Reception

01258 456541

 Matron

Helen Hunt

 Parking

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.

Dorset Education Advice Line

Dorset Council News

12 Apr 2022

Worried about your child’s educational progress?
Get in touch for advice and support

Worried about your child’s educational progress? Get in touch for advice and support: DEAL advice line social media3 (1)

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:

  • Monday to Friday
  • 10am to 4pm
  • term time only

Contact Information

Rian Davies
rian.davies@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk

Downloads

Use these assets for you own DEAL publicity:

North Dorset bin collection changes in June

https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/bins-recycling-and-litter/north-dorset-bin-collection-changes-june-2021.aspx

Key Messages

  • Some households in and around North Dorset will have their bin collections changed in early June
  • Most won’t notice a difference, but we will write to you in advance if your bin collection days are changing
  • Your bins may be emptied by more than one crew at different times on your collection day
  • Larger vehicles have separate compartments for different waste types, so rest assured your rubbish/recycling/food waste is still being kept separated
  • Our crews often use a “service bin” to gather up food waste or glass – this looks like a regular wheelie bin
  • Garden waste and business collections are mostly unaffected by these changes, but we will write to customers separately if their arrangements are changing
  • If you suspect one/some of your bins have been missed, please leave them out and wait until 4pm before reporting to us.

If this information doesn’t cover your concerns or you need help responding, please e-mail wasteteam@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk and they’ll be very happy to help.

Census 2021

Your questions answered

What is the Census?

The census is a survey that happens every 10 years and gives us a picture of all the people and households in England and Wales. All kinds of organisations, from local authorities to charities, use the information to help provide the services we all need, including transport, education and healthcare. Without the census, it would be much more difficult to do this.

When should I fill in my census questionnaire?

Census Day is Sunday 21 March – but you can fill yours in as soon as you get your access code in the post. Your answers should be about the people who usually live in your household on this date – even if you’re filling it in before then. If you need help, visit www.census.gov.uk 

Do I have to take part?

If you live in England and Wales, you must take part in the census – it’s a legal requirement. Census information helps inform how billions of pounds of public funding is spent. By taking around 10 minutes per person to fill in the census questionnaire, you will help make sure your community gets the services needed now and in the future. 

Will the government use the information I provide to identify me?

No. The Office for National Statistics (ONS), which is an independent public body, carries out the census in England and Wales. It only ever publishes anonymous information from the census. In fact, it’s a crime to share personal census information and everything you say is protected.

How will the census make a difference to me?

The census makes a difference to everyone. It’s a once-in-a-decade chance to have your voice heard and help inform the future of your local area.

What if I do not identify with the census options?

The census asks you about your ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation, religion and national identity. It’s up to you to decide how you would like to answer each question. Some questions allow for a free text response rather than having to use predefined categories. Do it in the way that you feel best represents you. 

Could information I share affect my benefits or immigration status?

No. The information you share in the census cannot be used to influence benefit claims, a residency application, immigration status or your taxes. Officials dealing with payments or services you receive cannot see your census information.

What if I cannot fill in my census questionnaire online?

The ONS can help with a wide range of support services to make it as easy as possible for you, whatever your needs. Services include:

• guidance and support in many languages and formats

• help over the phone, in a web chat or on social media

• a paper version of the questionnaire, if you prefer

• accessible census guidance, for example in braille

In addition, there will be four library based Census Support Centres in Ferndown, Gillingham, Weymouth and Dorchester to provide help with online completion. The contact details for this will be available very shortly.

Where can I get this information?

Everyone will receive a postcard followed by a letter with their digital access code which will contain both the website address and phone number for census support.

What other local support is available? 

If you run a local community group or organisation and would like more information for your website or newsletter or if you are holding any online events or meetings and would like to receive a presentation or the opportunity to ask questions, you can also contact the ONS Census Engagement Manager for Dorset, Philip Eades, at  philip.eades98@field.census.gov.uk or on 07452 948119.

Why is the census asking me about my gender and sexual orientation?

This census asks voluntary questions about sexual orientation and gender identity for the first time. This is to give us more accurate information on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender populations. This will help organisations combat any inequalities these groups face and show where services are needed. The census will only ask people aged 16 years and over these questions. If you do not feel comfortable identifying on the same form as the rest of your household, you can request an individual census questionnaire and answer separately.

Can I help friends and family fill in the census?

Yes. If a friend or family member needs support, help them if you can. Always fill in your own census first. You can also ask for help for yourself, or for someone else.

Is it safe for the census to go ahead at present?

Yes. The ONS has planned and built a flexible operation which can adapt to the changing circumstances of the pandemic. It will continue to review and adapt these plans to ensure census staff and the public can be kept safe and everyone can be safely counted. It is important to note that the ONS hopes that about 75% of the population will complete the census online without the need for any additional support.

Census 2021 will also be crucial to our understanding of how the people of England and Wales have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and it will give us detailed information on the health, social and economic impacts on all of us. It is essential we understand the needs of different groups and communities and the challenges people are facing in order to inform future decisions and policy making.

Where can I get more information?

  • Your local Census Engagement Manager, Philip Eades can provide you with talks, presentations, posters, leaflets in many languages and social media content.  Contact Phil via philip.eades98@field.census.gov.uk or call 07452 948119.
  • Downloadable  resources are available at www.census.gov.uk/downloadable-resources
  • There are still jobs available at the Census www.censusjobs.co.uk