A host of tributes help the war veteran who has raised money for the NHS mark his 100th birthday.

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A hospital trust has set up a new email and messaging service to allow relatives and friends to maintain contact with patients during the Covid-19 pandemic when visiting is restricted.

The Letters to Loved Ones, external service, using email or a voicemail for the team to deliver, has been established by the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, external, which covers Colchester and Ipswich hospitals, Aldeburgh, Clacton, Halstead, Harwich and Felixstowe community hospitals and Bluebird Lodge near Ipswich.

“We understand that it is really difficult to not be able to visit the people you care about while they are in hospital, particularly in these challenging times," chief executive Nick Hulme said.

Firefighters have delivered essential medication to people across Northamptonshire.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, external is helping community pharmacies so they can concentrate on coping with the extra demand.

Anne-Marie King, chief officer for Pharmacy Northamptonshire, said: “Delivering prescriptions was becoming challenging and so I was delighted when Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service agreed to help relieve the mounting pressure."

Darren Dovey, chief fire officer said: "This is yet another way in which our firefighters and staff have gone the extra mile to ensure that partners are resilient and can provide support to vulnerable people while at the same time, providing our business as usual to keep the people of Northamptonshire safe.

Image source, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service

New doctors have volunteered to work at Peterborough City Hospital to help respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

Many of the junior doctors have graduated three months early from their medical schools.

As they were not able to sit exams, their work was accessed and if they found to have a passing standard, they were able to graduate after their work was accessed.

Dr Kanchan Rege, medical director at the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, said: "These are doctors that have gone through all but their very last bit of training. They are above the standard required to become a doctor.-

Image source, Getty Images

A beer festival that welcomes between 8,000 and 10,000 people has been called off.

The Peterborough Beer Festival, external, due to take place from 28 and 31 August on the city's Embankment, will now move to 24 to 28 August 2021.

Mike Lane, from the Campaign for Real Ale, said: "Local landlords and local brewers are suffering beyond belief, so if we are not able to do the festival then we would like to do something to help out."

He said organisers were looking to see if they could put on an ale trail, when the festival would have been on, to help local businesses, but only if lockdown restrictions were lifted.

Image source, Stephen McKay/Geograph

Alex Pope
BBC News Online

Image source, Pho2u!

A wedding photographer, whose work has dried up because of the coronavirus lockdown, has gone "quackers" and created his very own wedding, using plastic ducks.

As first reported in the Leighton Buzzard Observe, externalr, Lewis Duncan, who runs Pho2u! in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, decided to get creative in his "downtime".

Image source, Pho2u!

As he currently is not photographing any weddings, he decided with his 10-year-old son, Alfie, to make the union of Mr and Mrs Duck as official as he could!

"I just put something on my Facebook page to keep it running, to give people a little bit of a laugh and make them smile.

"It is the most shared and commented post I have ever done", he said.

Image source, Pho2u!

Image source, Pho2u!

New figures released by a police force show that in April seven officers were assaulted after dealing with coronavirus-related behaviour issues.

Bedfordshire Police said between January and March, 74 assaults were recorded, compared with the same period of 2020 – a rise of 27%.

Supt Jaki Whittred said: “We all know that policing can be a dangerous environment, but it is totally unacceptable that any officer is assaulted while carrying out their role.

“Our officers do an extraordinary job on a daily basis, and we need to ensure they are as safe as possible when carry out their duties, committing to giving them the support they need and following through with the consequences for those who assault emergency service workers."

A display of rainbow pictures, presented to Royal Papworth Hospital, by Cambridgeshire Police, now has pride of place by the hospital's main exit.

They were handed over last week for the Thursday Clap for Carers event.

Staff thought the pictures, drawn by schoolchildren across Cambridgeshire were so good, they needed to be in a very prominent spot.

Image source, Royal Papworth Hospital

Musicians, staff and former pupils from the school that Captain Tom Moore's grandson Benjie attends have come together to record a special musical tribute to him.

The "Wellesley" is the regimental quick march of the Duke of Wellington's regiment, in which Capt Tom served during World War II.

Bedford School wanted to "salute" the 100-year-old, who has raised more than £30m for NHS charities.

Volunteers have helped open, arrange and display the thousands of birthday cards Capt Tom received for his birthday today.

A pilot scheme has been launched across Essex to begin testing care home staff and residents for coronavirus if just one person there has symptoms.

Essex county councillor, external John Spence told BBC Essex he has taken action after ministers expanded the number of people eligible for testing.

Image source, Getty Images

"This week we're doing the pilot to see if it works. Once we've done that we'll work with Public Health England to secure greater capacity," Mr Spence said.

"The whole point is that we've got to have a swift response. So if the care homes start phoning us up I should hope to test them in the next day or two.

"But I cannot be specific. If 100 care homes phone us on the first day I cannot promise to be with them the next day."

More than 30 Urgent Dental Care hubs have been set up across the East to help people who need to see a dentist urgently.

Anyone who needs help should call their practice,and those who do not have a dentist are asked to call 111.

A phone assessment will then be carried out and if it is urgent, an appointment will be made at one of the hubs.

Image source, Getty Images

Rachel Webb, director of primary care and public health for NHS England, said: "All non-urgent ‘face to face’ dental activity has stopped; however people still have dental health issues that need urgent attention and need to be able to access the right care.

"Each hub has been designed to meet the needs of people who are possible or confirmed Covid-19 patients, those who are shielded, those who are vulnerable or those who do not fit into those categories.”

The hubs are in Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes.

Eastern Daily Press

A couple in Beccles hoping to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary with family and friends, until the coronavirus lockdown postponed their dream, were given a great surprise by their neighbours.

Percy Harris and his wife Margaret expected to spend the special day with just each other but were pleasantly shocked when neighbours came together in commemoration of their marriage.

Neighbour Hollie Pigney organised a card to be signed by residents and the town mayor joined them in a round of applause when it was delivered.

BBC Northampton

More than £300,000 has now been given to community groups in Northamptonshire to help deliver food aid, essential shopping and support the homeless during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Northamptonshire Community Foundation, , externalappeal started in March to help those most in need.

Image source, Northamptonshire Community Foundation

Mary Hollands, head philanthropy at the foundation, said: "It’s been truly overwhelming to see the incredible generosity of so many people in the last month.

"From businesses match-funding their employees; fundraising efforts to families getting involved the 2.6 challenge, everyone has really got behind our appeal.

"Your support means we can stand with the amazing groups and organisations supporting the most vulnerable in our society during this crisis and for that, we are truly grateful.”

Gareth Lloyd
BBC Three Counties Radio

Captain Tom Moore has now seen the mosaic made up of thousands of people from across the UK saluting him for his 100th birthday.

BBC Local Radio had been encouraging listeners over the past week to take a photo of themselves and their family saluting the Marston Moretaine resident.

They were uploaded via the BBC Make a Difference website.

While enjoying a moment of quiet time away from the TV cameras, Tom’s daughter Helen showed the newly- appointed colonel the mosaic made up of 4,000 photos sent to the BBC.

Capt Tom was "overwhelmed" by the gesture and stunned at how many people had taken part.

Image source, Emma Sohl / Capture The Light Photography

BBC Radio Norfolk

A Norfolk family is helping to produce personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep NHS workers safe.

Simon Marriott, and a team from the College of West Anglia, external, have been making face shields, mask clips and door openers and switch operators using 3D printers.

The plastic devices, opens doors and turns on switches, to avoid touch contact.

Image source, College of West Anglia

Summer and Ryan Marriott wanted to help as their aunt is a nurse and told them what she needed.

"The feedback that we have had from everyone is fantastic, anything that we can produce and send, they just think its fanastic", Simon said.

"It's a big community spirit that is happening around the area - it's just brilliant."

Simon Oxley
BBC Three Counties Radio

A man from Milton Keynes has asked the government to consider moving vulnerable residents in care homes to some of the field hospitals set up to treat Covid-19 patients.

The man - known only as Bob - was chosen from thousands of applicants to submit a question to yesterday's Downing Street briefing:

"As there has been success so far in not overwhelming the NHS and there seems to be plenty of space in the Nightingale hospitals, why can't we remove some residents in care homes for their immediate safety?" he asked.

"This could save some lives.".

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who chaired the session, said such issues were under "constant discussion".

"We are looking at that and it is something under review", he added.

Daily Record

A five-piece Perth band called Longstay, external have updated David Bowie's classic song Space Oddity in honour of Captain Tom Moore.

They said it was as a tribute to "an amazing man".

A charity providing specialist palliative care for people with terminal or life-limiting illnesses across West Essex and East Herts has joined with local artists, illustrators and tattooists to launch two colouring-in and activity books to help raise funds.

The Colour to Care project at St Clare Hospice, external, based at Hastingwood, near Harlow, has been inspired by research revealing that colouring-in activities have a calming influence in times of stress.

Image source, St Clare Hospice

Puzzles, quizzes and artwork designed by 10 local artists, illustrators and tattooists offer children and adults this "calming activity" while staying at home.

Also included are rainbow templates to colour and display in windows in honour of front line workers.

Both books are available, external by post and there is a digital version of the activity book that can be printed at home.

St Clare asks that local people make a suggested donation of £2 for the activity book and £5 for the colouring book, to help raise funds for the hospice after the cancellation and postponement of many fundraising events due to Covid-19.

Matt Precey
BBC Look East

The latest figures for the number of Covid-19 deaths each day in NHS hospitals in the East of England have been released by the government, external.

In the BBC East region, statistics for each NHS trust show a rise of 62 deaths.

The total number of deaths at the region's hospitals is now 2,588.

·Addenbrooke's, Cambridge: 3

·Anglian Community Enterprise CIC Fryatt Hospital: 2

·Basildon and Thurrock: 3

·Bedford: 2

·Broomfield, Chelmsford: 2

·Buckinghamshire Healthcare: 4

·East and North Hertfordshire: 2

·Colchester and Ipswich: 6

·Hertfordshire Partnership: 1

·James Paget, Gorleston: 2

·Kettering General: 5

·Milton Keynes: 3

·North West Anglia, Peterborough and Hinchingbrooke: 5

·Northampton General : 4

·Princess Alexandra, Harlow: 2

·Southend Hospital - 9

·West Hertfordshire Hospitals: 5

·West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust: 2

The total number of coronavirus-related UK deaths is 26,097.