02 April 2020

Media round-up for Thursday, April 2, 2020

This round-up is intended to keep the media briefed on the COVID-19 impact on Council services across Aberdeenshire. The public can keep up to date with changes online at https://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/featured-items/coronavirus-covid-19/
 
National position
 
The Scottish Government sent out an update yesterday (Wednesday, April 1):

• As of 2pm on April 1, 17,007 Scottish tests has been concluded with 14,697 confirmed negative and 2,310 testing positive
• Sadly 76 patients who tested positive have died

The following press releases were issued by the Scottish Government yesterday (Wednesday, April 1):

• FM’s statement from Parliament:
http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=12602
• Climate change plan update https://news.gov.scot/news/climate-change-plan-update
• Update on devolved benefits https://news.gov.scot/news/update-on-devolved-benefits

The following social media content was sent out by the Scottish Government yesterday (Wednesday, April 1):

• NHS Louisa Jordan https://news.gov.scot/news/nhs-louisa-jordan
• Anaesthetic machines boost ventilator capacity https://news.gov.scot/news/anaesthetic-machines-boost-ventilator-capacity
 

Support for young people who speak English as an additional language

Aberdeenshire Council's Inclusion, Equity and Wellbeing Team has developed a new suite of resources to support home-learning for pupils who speak English as an additional language. These can be accessed online at:
https://asn-aberdeenshire.org/english-as-an-additional-language/
Contact details for help and assistance to support EAL learners are also available on this web page.

Online Food Standards resource for teachers and home-schoolers

Food Standards Scotland have issued a special online resource to support teachers and for parents who are home-schooling.
The online pack at www.foodstandards.gov.scot/education-resources offers healthy eating and food safety interactives which need minimal parent/teacher involvement but are also great fun. 
FSS says it is important to help keep the motivation going at home, which could be starting to stall in some households! 
Among the interactive games are the ‘Cookin Castle’ which has awards and points for pupils who improve the health of the castle's clan targeted at ages P4-P7, and the interactive ‘Eatwell Guide’ tool - a drag and drop game teaching about foods and their food groups, with ideas on questions to set for ages P1-S3.
‘Storage Solutions’ is an interactive piece with worksheet which explores food storage in terms of the correct conditions for food safety suitable for ages S1-S3, while ‘Fridge Facts’ for ages P5-7 looks at safe ways to store food in the fridge and an activity asking pupils to create characters to depict “clean and safe” and “bad bacteria”.

Big-hearted Banff Academy staff create more than 100 face shields for frontline workers

Big-hearted staff at Banff Academy have created more than 100 face shields for frontline workers.
Principal Teacher of Design & Technology, Caroline McFarlane, and colleagues Caitlin Paton and Roisin Steele made the equipment using materials in school and a laser cutter.  While adhering to the recommended social distancing proved somewhat of a challenge, it hasn’t stopped the enterprising trio from making around 30 masks an hour. The equipment will now be distributed locally by the authority.
And an appeal on social media for more materials has enjoyed a truly tremendous response and will ensure the team can work towards its target of creating many hundreds of face shields in the near future.
Caroline explained: “There is such strong demand for this sort of equipment that we really wanted to do something to support all those who are working so hard on the frontline in the battle against COVID-19.
“The face shields – although not to medical grade – will provide a basic physical barrier for people who are continuing to work in a variety of frontline-facing services across our local communities.
“The response from our social media appeal for additional supplies has been outstanding and I would like to thank everyone for their support. We’ve had offers of help from across the North-east and some people have been making purchases online and getting it sent to the academy which is just terrific.”
Banff Academy headteacher Alan Horberry said: “I would like to congratulate Caroline and her team for demonstrating outstanding initiative and teamwork during this very difficult time.
“The response to their appeal for additional materials to make even more face shields has been tremendous and again our thanks go to everyone who is supporting their efforts.”
Cllr Gillian Owen, Chair of Aberdeenshire Council's Education and Children's Services Committee, added: "What a fantastic effort by the team at Banff Academy to supply much-needed equipment to frontline services. 
“We are so impressed by teams' continued hard work and dedication during these difficult times and I'd like to say thank you to each and every one of you."
Working in partnership with Aberdeenshire Council colleagues, the plan now is to create little ‘hubs’ where similar manufacturing could be introduced.  
Live Life Aberdeenshire has donated 3D printers for use, while economic development teams are looking to source businesses in the area which could produce face shields or provide protective equipment for their community.  
Requests have been made on Facebook to supply local pharmacies, so if you have this capability please get in touch with econdev@aberdeenshire.gov.uk and a member of the team will get back to you.

Communities funding

Call for funding applications to the Banff and Buchan Initiatives Fund

Communities across Banff and Buchan can now apply for the Banff and Buchan Area Initiatives Fund, which will provide funding of up to £10,000 for projects such as improvements to towns or volunteering schemes.
The fund of £80,000 has been set aside to support local groups to meet the needs of their communities and tap into the talent and resources that exist throughout the area.
The first round of applications should be submitted by May 29.
Applications are invited from constituted groups and the aim is to deliver projects within the Banff and Buchan area in line with the following themes:
 •   Improving the appearance and maintenance of towns
•    Stronger communities
•    Safer communities
•    Supporting health and active communities
•    Tackling poverty and inequality
•    Transport and connectivity
•    Educational development
 For an application form or for further details call 01467 530700, or email banffandbuchanamo@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

Waste and Recycling

Now that Spring has sprung, more of us are starting to mow our lawns - which leaves us with a bit of a dilemma as to how to dispose of the grass appropriately.
Currently all of our household recycling centres and seasonal garden waste outlets are closed owing to coronavirus and we really don’t really want grass cuttings going in your landfill bins.
So how about making your own composter with this easy guide from the RSPB? It’s a particularly good stay-at-home activity for the children to enjoy in the fresh air.
More here: Build your own compost heap
Meanwhile, Zero Waste Scotland has produced a very handy online leaflet answering your questions on home composting:
https://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/sites/default/files/Composting_at_Home_-_leaflet.pdf

And a further reminder that we are doing our absolute best to empty your bins on your scheduled collection days, however, collections might not happen at the usual time.
Like many organisations, we are currently struggling with staff shortages and need to stretch our resources to ensure we meet the demands that are expected of us. If we happen to miss your bin, there's a chance we might not be able to return until the next collection day. We understand this is not ideal, and we apologise for that.
• Regarding our recycling centres, we know many of you are struggling with excess waste and recycling, but please do not leave rubbish at the gates of these sites. This is still considered fly-tipping and legal action will be taken against those responsible. Please be responsible and dispose of materials at home where possible (or store recyclable goods until the centres reopen).
• On this note, we are unable to collect loose bags and rubbish alongside household bins. Handling these bags poses a direct health risk to our workers, which is why we cannot accommodate any loose materials, even under these circumstances.
• Also, with many of us now working from home, the additional cars parked on streets is causing some access issues for our bin lorries, resulting in missed collections. We ask that you please park in a courteous location on your bin collection day, where possible.

We would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding during this unsettling time. We have received a number of positive messages about our hard-working frontline staff and we thank you for these kind words.
Please know we are doing our best to minimise the impact on communities, but unfortunately some compromises will need to be made. We're all in this together, so please feel free to reach out if you have any concerns.

Roads

Repairs

Due to the current situation our teams are focused on delivering essential services and therefore defects may not be repaired within our normal timescales and some activities may be significantly delayed.
During this period, when submitting a defect report, it is essential that you provide contact details and where possible a photo. This assists us in assessing the defect risk efficiently.
Mud/debris on our road network from agricultural activities will not be dispersed as quickly due to reduced vehicle numbers on the road, so drivers are advised to take extra care.
You can continue to report Road Condition faults via https://online.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/apps/roadconditions/ .

Donation from Refresco

Beverage company Refresco have generously supplied Aberdeenshire Council with 1000 empty bottles for staff to fill with hand sanitiser. The sanitiser will be provided to frontline staff to ensure they can safely continue with their essential roles and limit the spread of Covid-19.

Refresco, who produce MacB’s flavoured Scottish spring water, is based in Macduff, Aberdeenshire.