News

Playground to re-open on 4th July 2020 with restrictions

Gosforth Parish Council are pleased to announce that Gosforth Playground will re-open on 4th July 2020. In line with government guidance there are some restrictions which are listed below. Please note Food and Drink cannot be consumed in the playground area and we are asking everyone to keep socially distanced and to take your litter, and any disposables, home with you to avoid spreading the virus. Please bring your own sanitiser and clean your childrens hands before and after playing on the equipment. Thank you and stay safe.

Guidance for users of Gosforth Playground

  1. Parents & guardians must read this guidance and ensure their families follow it carefully for the safety of their children & others.
  2. The equipment is checked regularly (monthly) for damage, wear & tear, but it is NOT sanitised or disinfected.
  3. This is shared, publicly accessible equipment, used at your own risk.
  4. Do not use this equipment if you or any member of your household has coronavirus symptoms or are self-isolating.
  5. Make sure you have hand sanitiser with you before you enter this play area.
  6. Encourage everyone in your family to wash their hands with hand sanitiser regularly and as a minimum before & after using the play area.
  7. Encourage children to avoid touching their faces.
  8. You MUST maintain social distancing from others who are not in your household- current advice is to maintain a distance of 2m where possible or 1m with mitigation such as wearing a mask or face covering (not advised for the under 3’s).
  9. Some equipment can only be used by one child at a time whilst social distancing. Please ensure your children wait at a safe distance if the equipment is in use or return later to use the equipment.
  • Try to avoid busy times.
  • If your family is wearing disposable PPE, you MUST take it home with you. DO NOT LITTER.
  • Wash your hands thoroughly for at least 20seconds with water and soap when you get home.

We hope you enjoy using this play area and thank you for helping to keep everyone safe by following these instructions.

This guidance maybe updated as regulations and guidelines change, therefore we ask you to review this signage each time you access the play area.

If you have any concerns or questions, please contact the Parish Clerk on Gosforth.parish2@outlook.com or tel: 01229 717551

July 1, 2020 in Community, Parish News, Uncategorized Comments (0)

Lake District National Park urges visitors to be kind

As the lockdown begins to ease, the Lake District has seen a significant increase in the number of visitors.  While many are acting in a considerate way, there have been instances of visitor behaviour that has put pressure on the local communities and the emergency services.

Richard Leafe, Chief Executive of the Lake District National Park Authority comments:

“We’re delighted the nation has such an appetite to the visit the Lake District.  Our communities have been hit hard by COVID19 and as they start to recover, we ask all our visitors to be kind to both people and the place when they arrive.  We’ve had some real issues with littering, fires, illegal camping and terrible car parking in the last couple of weeks.

“We recognise that people have spent many weeks cooped up at home and being in such a beautiful place as the Lake District is exciting but please remember it’s also a place when people live and work.  Please make sure that there is no trace of your visit and you leave with great memories.”

Agencies are urging people to follow the Countryside Code on their visit:

Respect other people:

  • consider the local community and other people enjoying the outdoors.  Do not block and narrow roads with your car.  Only park in marked car parks.  Inconsiderate parking could prevent emergency vehicles passing you.  Please visit saferlakes.co.uk and only travel to places that have available parking.
  • leave gates and property as you find them and stick to paths.  Sanitise your hands before and after you touch anything.

Protect the natural environment:

  • leave no trace of your visit and take your litter home
  • keep dogs under effective control
  • Do not light fires or BBQs.  It is very dry and fires can spread quickly endangering the natural environment, people’s homes and lives.

Enjoy the outdoors:

  • plan ahead and be prepared.  Don’t take risks in the water or on the fells.
  • follow advice and local signs.

Inconsiderate parking caused particular problems for the county’s emergency services.

Craig Drinkald, Area Manager, Head of Community Safety, Cumbria County Council Fire and Rescue Service, said:

“While we understand that people want to get out and enjoy our county’s beautiful scenery, it’s important everyone does so responsibly.

“We are asking people to ensure they park in a safe and considerate way that allows access for fire appliances and other emergency vehicles. If you can’t guarantee this then please find a safer alternative place to park or return at a different time. Fire engines are approximately 2.5 metres wide. Therefore if you’re parking your vehicle and don’t think a van could get through the space, it’s extremely unlikely that a fire engine will either. So please keep this in mind, especially on our narrow country lanes. The delays this can cause could cost lives. We’d also urge people not to light fires or BBQs. The weather has been exceptionally dry for weeks and the potential for dangerous wild fires is high.”

Sector Manager for North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), Rick Shaw, reiterated this advice. He said:

“As people head to Cumbria to enjoy the outdoors in the beautiful county, we ask that they are considerate of their parking and make sure that they leave enough room for ambulances and other emergency services to get through. In a life-threatening emergency every second counts and if an ambulance is delayed due to dangerous and thoughtless parking, it really can mean the difference between life and death. We know that the vast majority of people do act responsibly but please bear in mind that we need extra space to allow large vehicles to pass at speed if necessary.”

June 5, 2020 in Community, Uncategorized Comments (0)

Visitors Urged to Stay Away from the Lake District

13 May 2020

Public urged not to visit Lake District yet

Following the relaxing of lockdown restrictions, the clear message from Cumbria and the Lake District is now is not the time to visit the area.

With the Prime Minister announcing a lifting of the restrictions on travel and exercise there are fears an influx of visitors will put local communities and emergency services at further unnecessary risk. As the county continues to experience one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in the country, with higher numbers of infections and deaths than elsewhere and shops and visitor amenities still closed, Cumbria’s multi-agency Local Resilience Forum is asking people to stay local for their exercise and not rush back to the Lake District just yet.

Assistant Chief Constable Andrew Slattery, Chair of Cumbria’s Local Resilience Forum, said:

“We know people love the Lakes and when the time is right we will of course warmly welcome back visitors. But now is not the right time. Cumbria has been one of the worst affected parts of the UK and Coronavirus is far from over, we still have people being infected and people dying in the county on a daily basis. People coming into the county from elsewhere just makes the job of containing and controlling the outbreak more difficult. We’ve said it before, the Lake District isn’t going anywhere, so please put off your visit for now.”

For those that do decide to visit the area despite local concerns there three key messages:

Respect our local communities

  • Be considerate and don’t do things that increase the risk or cause problems for local people, particularly the vulnerable: avoid using paths through farmers’ yards; keep your dog on a lead and take your litter home.
  • Plan ahead and avoid busy places: use saferlakes.co.uk to park safely and considerately and avoid the more popular destinations.
  • Bring your own food and drink to avoid pressure on local shops.
  • Consider the lack of toilet and washing facilities and don’t behave in an anti-social manner.

Respect the risk

  • Cumbria continues to record new cases of the virus every day and the threat has not gone away
  • Don’t take risks on the fells, on the water or on the roads. Stay within the limits of your ability and equipment at all times.
  • If you get into trouble help may take longer to arrive and you will put unnecessary additional pressure on local health and emergency workers as well as volunteer mountain rescue and coastal rescue services.

Respect the rules

  • Observe all the Government’s social distancing rules.
  • No overnight stays, no camping, no visiting second homes.
  • Avoid crowds.
  • Wash your hands regularly.

Richard Leafe, Chief Executive at the Lake District National Park Authority, said:

“We understand that people are keen to enjoy the health and wellbeing benefits of the Lake District National Park, however we’re appealing to people not to rush back. Many of the facilities that visitors usually enjoy, such as toilets, restaurants and campsites, are not open, so it’s a very different experience in the National Park at the moment.  If people are exercising, we’d urge you not to take unnecessary risks to help protect our volunteer mountain rescue service and local communities.”

Colin Cox, Cumbria’s Director of Public Health, said:

“We have had well over 2000 confirmed infections and around 400 deaths as a result of COVID-19 and it’s only as a result of the lockdown restrictions that those grim totals aren’t even worse. We understand that lockdown can’t last forever, we certainly don’t want it to, but I’d urge people to really consider whether a visit to the Lake District is the right thing to do at the current time. As the Government says, the best way to beat this virus remains to stay home as much as possible.”

 

ENDS

May 14, 2020 in Community, Parish News Comments (0)

Gosforth Covid-19 Assistance

Gosforth Parish Council are working together to support you.

Gosforth Parish Council have held an emergency meeting to discuss the impact of Covid-19 to the village of Gosforth.  We have put together an action plan on how we as a Parish can support each other through this unfamiliar time.

Firstly, we are looking for volunteers to support the vulnerable and isolating residents.  This support could be arranging deliveries, picking up shopping or medication, a friendly phone call, posting mail, help topping up gas or electric or collecting urgent supplies.  If you feel you could offer help in any way, please contact:

Dawn Pennington (Co-ordinator) 07715182423, Rachel Rowe (Unsworth) 019467 25525/25235 or Paul Turner 07795169637.

Secondly, we want to hear from those that are isolating or feel vulnerable.  Tell us what you need, how we can help.  Unfortunately, as the situation worsens the list of people isolating will grow and you may need the help of a volunteer.  You may be isolating and have support just now, but your support network may also need to isolate.  So, if you need us now or in the future please get in touch on one of the numbers above.

We want nobody left isolated without support!

March 22, 2020 in Community, Parish News Comments (0)