Spring Newsletter 2021

Welcome to the Spring update from the team at Somerset Prepared. We hope that everyone is enjoying the longer days and nicer weather!

As we transition out of lockdown, the Somerset Prepared team have been busy planning for what comes next! We are in the process of putting together the itinerary for the Somerset Prepared Event taking place in October. We would love to hear your thoughts on what training sessions you would like us to host. Please read more about this below.

We are not the only ones who have been busy! We would like to extend a huge thank you to volunteers who have been working hard to respond to the pandemic and support communities over the past year.

If you want to learn more about volunteering in Somerset, please visit out Volunteers page.

Best wishes,

Somerset Local Authorities' Civil Contingencies Unit

Somerset Prepared Training Sessions - Have Your Say

At the next Somerset Prepared Online event in October, Communities Prepared will be running webinars on our behalf. There are currently 5 topic suggestions, but we would like to know which 3 of these you would find most useful for us to run at the event this October, with a view to covering the other topics at a later date. The proposals are:

• GDPR

• Insurance

• Risk assessments

• How to recruit volunteers

• Debrief and evaluation events – what learning you can take from an emergency event.

Please Contact us to let us know your preferences and any suggestions for sessions you would like to see run in the future by Monday 19th April

EU Settlement Scheme - Deadline June 2021

Most EU citizens living in the UK need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to gain Settled Status so they can continue to live and work in the UK after 30 June 2021. It’s vital that people apply as soon as possible.

You can apply for settled status at https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families

Local charity Diversity Voice, in partnership with Somerset County Council, are providing help from regulated advisors for those who need it, including vulnerable people and employers. They can provide 1:1 help for applicants in any language. There’s no charge for this service. Contact euss@diversityvoice.org.uk, 0300 075 0105

Protecting our Flood Warning Service during the pandemic

During the pandemic we ran a reduced Flood Warning Service. This helped to preserve our ability to provide warnings where they were most necessary.

We are pleased to tell you that we are now back to business as usual and issuing all Flood Alerts and Flood Warnings across Wessex.

At the Environment Agency we continue to review and improve the Flood Warning Service we provide to communities but to do this we need your help. Please provide our team with any feedback by emailing floodwessex@environment-agency.gov.uk

Please report any property flooding through the Flood Online Reporting Tool (FORT) https://swim.geowessex.com/uk If you are not familiar with FORT here’s a useful video for further information Flood Online Reporting Tool (FORT) Presentation - YouTube

Somerset Prepared Small Grant Scheme

Don’t forget that you can apply to Somerset Prepared for up to £5000 for training, equipment or other costs that would help your community be better prepared for emergencies. Applying is simple, and we are happy to work with you to find the solutions that are right for your community. See the Funding Support page for terms and conditions and how to apply.

Calour Gas Rural Community Fund - £85k available to support rural communities

Get your entries in before Wednesday 21st April!

Calour Gas has launched a nationwide search for the best rural community projects, with £85,000 up for grabs. This is designed to help communities who aren't conected to the mains gas grid.

Click Here to find out more

COVID-19

As lockdown eases, but please make sure you remain vigilant and follow the Covid guidance. For information on the latest National and Local information relating to Coronavirus, small business grants, NHS advice and useful links, go to: https://www.somerset.gov.uk/coronavirus/

We would love your feedback!

Have your say on what you'd like to see in these newsletters. Please Contact us and let us know.