24th September 2021Welcome to the Rotherham Round-up, your regular email update with news, video and events from Rotherham Council.If you would like to comment on any articles included in this bulletin, or suggest what you’d like to see in future issues, please drop us a line at corporate.comms@rotherham.gov.uk And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Linked-in and YouTube for more regular updates. See the links at the bottom of this email.Click the image to view the latest Town Centre progress videoVIDEO: Town Centre changes about family, lifestyle and peopleIn the latest of a series of new videos about Rotherham’s exciting plans for the regeneration of our Town Centre we take a look at how the changes focus on family, lifestyle and people in the area. Work is underway to revitalise the town centre, with a large emphasis on leisure, culture, events and recreation along with new housing developments and improved open spaces.The town centre will be a vibrant, diverse, and thriving place, where people will bring their families, and come together to socialise, live and work. The new concept for the town centre is bold but realistic.This new lease of life is already starting with the development of Forge Island, improvements to the look and feel of the town centre’s open spaces, and better housing.You can see the latest Town Centre progress video by clicking hereMore information about the town centre masterplan, including Forge Island and many other schemes is available from the Rotherham Town Centre website.Falls Awareness week free online eventIn support of this year’s Falls Awareness Week and Older People’s Week 2021 a Free Virtual LIVE Strength and Balance Class is being run by Functional Fitness.The event has been organised in partnership with the Yorkshire and Humber Falls Prevention Network.It will take place on Wednesday 29th September at 1pm.The 1hr exercise class will be delivered by Leon Wormley, a Level 4 Exercise Specialist, and will be streamed LIVE over ZOOM.Leon’s mum will also be joining him to provide a variety of seated and standing exercises.You can find more information about the event in the video hereIf you would like to register and book a place for the class click hereVaccine rollout to be extendedBoosters for people aged 50+ and 12-15s to be offered jabThe Government announced the Autumn / Winter Covid plan, which includes an extension of the current vaccination programme.Over the coming weeks, children aged 12-15 will start to be offered one dose of the vaccine in school and people aged 50+, care home residents, frontline health workers and those classed as Clinically Extremely Vulnerable who have already had two doses of vaccine will begin to be called for ‘booster’ jabs.First and second doses of vaccines ARE still available for anyone eligible who is yet to take them up. It’s not too late. Booking details.12-15 year-oldsChildren and young people in Rotherham aged 12 to 15 years will be offered one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.The NHS is preparing to deliver a schools-based vaccination programme, which is the successful model used for vaccinations including for HPV and Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio (DTP).Parental, guardian or carer consent will be sought by vaccination healthcare staff via secondary and special schools, prior to vaccination, in line with existing school vaccination programmes.If you are at secondary school or collegeit’s really important to keep on with twice-a-week lateral flow tests for COVID19.Cases are still increasing among our 12 to 17 years olds in Rotherham.Regular testing can help prevent the spread at school, at home and in the wider community.Lateral flow testing is only for people without symptoms.Take twice-weekly tests using a home test kit provided by school or college.If anyone tests positive on a lateral flow test or gets coronavirus symptoms, they should:self-isolate immediatelyget a PCR test to confirm the resultfollow the stay at home guidance for households with possible coronavirus infectionPupils, students and staff should also tell their school or college if they test positive.A negative result lateral flow test means the test did not find signs of coronavirus at the time of taking the test. But this does not guarantee you do not have coronavirus, so you should keep testing and following all coronavirus advice including:regular handwashingsocial distancing where recommendedwearing a face covering where recommendedSpeak to your school/college for more information.#CovidsNotGoneYetBooster jabsBooster jabs of the Covid-19 vaccine will be available to thousands of eligible people across Rotherham.Priority will be given to care home residents, health and social care workers, people aged over 50, those aged 16 to 49 years with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk, adult carers, and adult household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals.The NHS will contact people directly to let them know when it is their turn to get their booster vaccine. Please wait until you are contacted.It is likely that those who had their first and second doses earliest will be amongst the first to be offered the booster.Vaccinating against flu is also a priority across Rotherham and many thousands of eligible people have already been invited for their jabs to help protect them against winter illness.Why get the vaccine?Public Health England estimates that more than 112,000 deaths, 143,000 hospitalisations and 24.5 million infections have been prevented so far as a result of the UK’s COVID vaccination programme.Figures from the Office for National Statistics also show that almost 99% of COVID-19 deaths in the first half of this year were people who had not received both doses of a vaccine.Further information about the vaccination programme for all groups is available from the NHS website.What’s On at Rotherham TheatresRotherham Civic Theatre are delighted to announce the return of local star Laura Judge who will be following up her ‘wicked’ performance as Carabosse in 2019 with Spirit of the Ring and Empress this year. Joining Laura is another local performer, Carragon Guest who will be playing the role of Princess Jasmine.Laura has appeared in many pantomimes throughout the UK and after a disappointing festive season for most last year she is looking forward to helping the people of Rotherham make some fantastic memories with their family and friends again this year.Aladdin runs from Thursday 2 December 2021 – Sunday 9 January 2022This month Rotherham Civic Theatre has a fantastic line up:The Roy Orbison Story 2021 – 2 OctForbidden Theatre – 7 & 8 OctTales from the Great Wood – 9 OctOne Man Two Guvnors 2021 – 11 – 15 OctThe Opera Boys 2021 – 16 OctWhistle and I’ll Come To You – 18 OctOff the Shelf – poetry live – 22 OctDirty Dusting – 29 OctHow the Koala Learnt to Hug – 30 OctTo book tickets:Go to www.rotherhamtheatres.co.ukCall 01709 823621Visit the box office, Civic Theatre, Monday – Saturday 10am – 2pmCoffee Shop open Thursday – Saturday 10am – 2pm Recycle Week – step up to the climate change challengeSouth Yorkshire is proud to ‘Step it up’ this Recycle Week in the biggest and best Recycle Week ever.Residents are being asked to take action to protect our environment through even better recycling habits.Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield Councils are joining forces with national recycling campaign Recycle Now to promote the message locally.And this year, Recycle Now has a celebrity ambassador on board with the national campaign – TV presenter, Invictus Games Medallist and Strictly Come Dancing star JJ Chalmers.Watch the Step it Up video hereTo find out more about Recycle Week, and to find out what you can and can’t recycle where you live, visit www.recyclenow.org.uk/RecycleWeekRead the full story hereIt’s not too late to have your say in Dalton and ThryberghAt the start of the month, Councillors Baker-Rogers and Sylvester invited residents to have their say on local priorities, via a series of ‘Have Your Say Days’ in the ward.Listening to residents and working with council officers and partners, four key priorities were identified. These priorities will provide the criteria for delivery of council services in Dalton and Thrybergh, and help councillors address the things that matter most to local people.Input from residents is vital and it is not too late to have your say. We would like to hear your thoughts on the proposed priorities, and what you think could be done to achieve these. You can email your thoughts to Neighbourhood Coordinator, Jo Talbot at Joanna.talbot@rotherham.gov.uk by the 30 September.Read full story hereYou can find out more about other neighbourhood consultations on the Council’s Your Neighbourhood website page here We value the contributions that people are already making within their local area from volunteering to getting involved in decision making. Throughout these pages you can find out what is happening in the area where you live and work, and how residents and community groups are transforming their neighbourhoods for the better.Residents asked for views on Wickersley Neighbourhood PlanWickersley Parish Council has put forward the Wickersley Neighbourhood Plan to Rotherham Council where it will now undergo public consultation, prior to independent examination.Neighbourhood planning enables communities to play a much stronger role in shaping the areas in which they live and work and in supporting new development proposals. Once a neighbourhood plan is in place decisions on planning applications will be made using both the Council’s local plan and the neighbourhood plan, and any other material considerations.The consultation will run until 25 October 2021 and you can view and comment on the neighbourhood plan hereRead full story hereYour opinion mattersDid you know the Council is regularly asking local residents and businesses for their views on a huge variety of topics?From taxi licensing to cycling strategies and our annual budget to local plans, we would really like to hear your views on what’s happening locally, what you support, what you’re against – and why. Public opinion matters.All our live consultations are available to view on our website, which is regularly updated. |