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Posties up and down the country have been raising incredible amounts of money for various different charities during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Image source, TrueStoryPR

The Posties of Fakenham, external, as they're known, have been raising funds for local breast cancer charity.

"We have come together to raise funds for Little Lifts - a charity that has recently supported one of the wives of the Fakenham Postie family, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy."

Donations can be made online and at the Post Office in Miller's Walk.

Founder of Little Lifts, external, Oa Hackett, said: "We are extremely grateful to the Posties of Fakenham for their incredible spirit and efforts.

"Those undergoing treatment for breast cancer are more vulnerable at the moment, and with charities across the nation struggling to meet their targets, we’re eternally grateful for all the help we receive."

A woman has said a stretch of Suffolk beach needs to have more police patrols after an influx of visitors following the loosening of lockdown measures.

Tracey Cross, who lives close to Sizewell beach, said she spotted people not maintaining social distancing and lots of campervans and cars parked up.

"We do have the police down there once in a while - it doesn’t hurt them to know it’s going to be a busy weekend to be patrolling it a lot more," she said.

However, visitors who spoke to the BBC said the vast majority of people appeared to be observing social distancing guidelines, following the re-opening of a cafe and toilets.

• The BBC looks at the national picture from our Britain's coasts

Katy Lewis
BBC News Online

A school in Watford has been getting involved with Mental Health Awareness Week, external by drawing pictures of themselves "holding hands".

Cherry Tree Primary has pinned pupil's self-portraits to the school gates with their hands touching so they are "connecting to each other whilst we are having to physically stay apart".

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A monthly package of more than £3m is keeping Suffolk care providers afloat during the coronavirus pandemic, it has emerged.

Image source, PA Media

The county council’s adult and community care service revealed it had constructed "four pillars" of financial support, which was being funded from the £34m coronavirus response grant supplied by central government.

They include providing a minimum income guarantee and cashflow help.

According to the council, the minimum income guarantee for residential care providers was £1m in April.

That number does not include support spend for non-residential care providers, which is to be collated in early June.

Meanwhile, Suffolk is to receive £9m from the government’s additional £600m pot for care home support.

Traffic is seen queuing for the fast food restaurant following its reopening in Chelmsford, Essex.

Katy Lewis
BBC News Online

After the news that Prime Minister had nominated Captain Tom Moore for a knighthood, it seems that Boris Johnson is on a roll for dishing out honours in our region...

Image source, Holly King-Mand

On National Thank A Teacher Day, external, English teacher Holly King-Mand, from Leighton Buzzard has been awarded the prime minister's daily Points of Light award, external, which recognises outstanding individual volunteers who are making a change in their community.

The mum-of-two provides daily English Live , externallessons for parents who are home-schooling children aged 7 to14.

She had 74 Facebook followers at the start of the UK's lockdown and it now stands at more than 50,000 across three social media platforms.

In a letter to Holly, Boris Johnson said: "I wanted to write to thank you for the ingenuity with which you have captured the imaginations of thousands.

"As our country comes together to win this battle with coronavirus, I am lost in admiration for the courage and dedication of our teachers – from those in the classroom looking after the children of other critical workers, to those like you who have helped to reimagine education for the online world."

Holly, 36, said she was "absolutely flabbergasted".

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Care homes in Hertfordshire are to receive £13m of a £600m government funding package to control the spread of coronavirus.

Image source, Getty Images

The latest figures – reported to the county council’s cabinet, external - show there have been 206 Covid-19 deaths in the county's care homes – which doesn’t include care home residents who died in hospital.

Each home will receive the equivalent of £1,000 per bed – to be paid in two installments, the first £500 immediately and the second after the first clean of the care home – to show that some infection control has taken place.

Richard Roberts, councillor with responsibility for adult care and health, said: "I think this is a very positive input of cash into the care system – and specifically around cleanliness.”

He said the number of deaths in care homes in the county appeared to have "dropped right down" in the past week or so, but stressed that there was still a need to be vigilant.

• The Northampton Chronicle and Echo, external says graffiti vandals are derailing plans to keep Northampton's trains safe for travellers
• The Northamptonshire Telegraph, external reports that the county’s care homes are to share more than £8m of government cash to help them control Covid-19 outbreaks on their premises

Norfolk radish producer G’s Growers has created its own tribute to recognise the contribution of the NHS in response to Covid 19, inspired by children's window art.

Image source, G's Growers

Scott Watson and his team at Feltwell created a radish rainbow in front of the processing unit, as first reported in the Eastern Daily Press, external.

"We harvest well over half a billion radishes each year at Feltwell so it seemed the logical medium to create our artwork with," said Mr Watson.

"It took about a day for the team to take about 15,000 red, purple and French breakfast radish grade-outs, and some of the leaves, to create the [letters] NHS and rainbow."

Image source, G's Growers

Grade-outs are radishes that have damaged by pests, harvesting and washing and cannot be sold.

Usually they end up being turned into compost.

Sarah Jenkins
BBC News

Messages of congratulations to Captain Tom over his knighthood have reached new heights, as officers from Bedfordshire Police spotted earlier.

The creative artwork was left in the sky above the war veteran's home in Marston Moretaine this morning.

Capt Tom is to be knighted for his efforts in raising more than £32m for the NHS by walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday in April.

The centenarian received the special nomination from the prime minister.

Mariam Issimdar
BBC News

Health practices in south Norfolk have told patients they must now wear a face covering when attending a surgery.

Image source, Getty Images

Heathgate Medical Practice, external in Poringland sent out the instruction in a text to patients.

"To support the ongoing response to Covid-19, patients attending the surgery for face-to-face appointments should wear a face covering.

"If this is not possible, you will be asked to wear a face mask provided by the surgery."

A similar message was sent to people registered with The Humbleyard Practice in Cringleford with patients advised not to buy surgical masks which should be prioritised for the NHS.

The Norfolk and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said: "The latest government advice, external is that if people can, they should wear a face covering in an enclosed space where social distancing isn’t possible."

But the CCG added that face masks were not a replacement for social distancing and hand washing.

Katy Lewis
BBC News Online

Olympic medal-winning badminton player Gail Emms revealed a "new look" today as she revealed she had signed up to be a volunteer coronavirus tester.

In a tweet, external, Emms, 42, said: "Change of look for me today...so some might not know but I have signed up as a volunteer COVID-19 tester at the Milton Keynes testing station.

"Great team of people there - thank you for making me feel very welcome and I passed my training. Maybe see you there."

Emms first represented England in 1995 and played for her country until her retirement in 2008.

She won a silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens in the mixed doubles with partner Nathan Robertson.

Image source, South Beds News Agency

Caeden has not been able to visit hospital for physiotherapy since lockdown began.

The chief executive of Addenbrooke's Hospital says the process will be "sensitive and delicate".

Katy Lewis
BBC News Online

A wheelchair user who says she failed to find suitable workouts online has developed her own.

Image source, Ella Beaumont

Ella Beaumont, 25, from Dudswell near Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire, who has been paralysed and in a wheelchair since birth, studied sports coaching science with disability studies and represented Great Britain at the Under 25 wheelchair basketball world championships.

She has started her own YouTube , externalChannel to help anyone with an impairment stay fit and active in their homes with upper body workouts.

"At the beginning of lockdown, I found very limited online exercise videos for people with impairments and the few I did were not very engaging or motivating," she said.

"My aim was to reach as many people as possible to encourage them and give ideas on how to work out at home without specialised equipment."

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Image source, Getty Images

A Hertfordshire county councillor has said dividing up playgrounds and restricting class sizes are among the measures schools will be expected to consider before opening up to more pupils.

At a cabinet meeting, external, the executive member for education, Terry Douris, backed the government’s plans for some children to return on 1 June if certain tests were met and assured councillors the welfare of pupils and staff was "absolutely paramount".

He said with leaving the house already becoming a "real challenge" for some children – it was right they returned to school.

He also said comprehensive guidance had been drawn-up for head teachers to help them divide playgrounds and ensure social distancing in classrooms.

"We can’t keep children locked up out of school forever," he said.

"It would be entirely wrong."

Nick Clare 36, is struggling with flashbacks after intensive care and the fear of falling ill again.

Northampton Town's players and coaching staff give up their bonuses for reaching the League Two play-offs.