All the latest from Beds, Bucks, Cambs, Essex, Herts, Norfolk, Northants and Suffolk
Daily Covid-19 deaths in the region's hospitals rise to 29
Southend's RNLI volunteers report their busiest May for seven years, despite lockdown restrictions
Cambridgeshire's market towns can bid for grants from a £13m fund to help them recover from the impact of coronavirus
The University of East Anglia thanks Vogue cover star and graduate Rachel Millar for her work on the NHS front line
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Nearly £10,000 has been given to an air ambulance to pay for personal protective equipment (PPE).
The cash from Lions Clubs is being distributed to the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT).
Stuart Elms, its clinical director, said: “Our crews are working hard to care for the most seriously sick and injured patients around the clock, and this generous grant from the Lions Clubs will help keep them safe during this difficult time.
"The lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on our fundraising, with many events being postponed or cancelled, so we are very grateful for this grant."
Image source, EHAATVisitors to the seaside are being asked to take their rubbish home, after an increase in rubbish being left on beaches and seafronts.
Tendring District Council, external in Essex said 130 extra bins had been put out along the coastline and litter-picks were also taking place, but it is was not able to "cover the whole coastline and must prioritise safety tasks".
It looks after areas including Clacton, Frinton and Walton-on-the-Naze.
Image source, Tendering District CouncilAlex Porter, cabinet member for leisure and tourism said: "We put significant additional resources in every year to counter this problem, but ultimately responsibility lies with people, whether you live locally or come to visit our beautiful district.
“If a bin is full use another one or take your rubbish home with you. Please don’t place rubbish next to bins, as however neatly you leave it, it will get spread around by the wind or wildlife".
A country estate and popular tourist attraction is appealing for people to leave portable barbecues at home.
Visitors have been travelling to Holkham Hall's beach, gardens and woodland in north Norfolk, but the estate has been experiencing problems with fires starting due to the recent dry weather.
Jake Fiennes, from the estate, said: "We want protect and preserve [the estate] for future generations, so please don't bring your disposable barbecues out to the coast.
"It's a tinder box out there. We've had no significant rain for 10 weeks, so please just bring sandwiches and please don't cook your lunch on the beach or in the dunes or in woodland."
Image source, Holkham
Local Democracy Reporting Service
A council has no plans to dip into its £21m reserve pot to prop up small businesses in Milton Keynes, a meeting has heard.
Milton Keynes Council, external has said it intends to lobby the government to top up £1.97m it has been given to help struggling small firms that have so far fallen between the cracks of coronavirus financial help schemes.
Councillor Rob Middleton, who is in charge of the finances, told the cabinet’s first virtual meeting that the council faced a shortfall of between £27m and £55m in its £200m budget at the end of four years.
“Digging into our reserves might not be a prudent move,” he said.
Image source, Steven Haslington/GeographAll performances run by a theatre group have been suspended until 2 August.
Ambassador Theatre Group, external, which runs Milton Keynes Theatre and Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, has said it has successfully rescheduled thouands of performances across its theatres and it is planning shows for the end of the year.
"If you have made a booking that is affected by this suspension, you do not need to do anything," it said.
"We are currently contacting customers whose original tickets were for performances up to 28 June."
Image source, Peter S/GeographWork to help homeless people during the coronavirus pandemic needs to continue, according to a council leader.
During the pandemic, councils have intervened to keep rough sleepers off the streets, for their health and to stop the spread of the virus by placing them in shelters with the help of homelessness charities.
Alan Waters, leader of Labour-controlled Norwich City Council, external, said: "Having found people accommodation and having worked with groups of people to make sure that they can have a positive change of direction in life, we wouldn't want that work in anyway hindered."
Image source, PA Media
BBC Politics
An MP says she has written to Boris Johnson asking whether Dominic Cummings had undermined public adherence to the lockdown rules through his trip to Durham.
Andrea Leadsom, Conservative MP for South Northamptonshire, said she had received about 1,100 emails from constituents who did not agree with his actions, and about 100 from people telling her they supported him.
"I think it is really important that government ministers and advisers do set a good example", she said.
Image source, PA Media
BBC Radio Suffolk
Newmarket racecourse, external will host the first day of the Guineas Festival today, but a month later than planned and behind closed doors with no cheering crowds because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Nearly 40 races will be run over the next four days, including the first two Classics of the flat-race season, the 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas.
Image source, Hugh Routledge/PoolFrankie Dettori, who made a winning return to the sport at Kempton on Tuesday, has praised the safety measures being implemented.
"We are putting a good system in place, obviously with markers on the floor," he said.
"We are riding with masks and as you know it's a non-contact sport so we're very much within the guidelines and we're in the fresh open air."
Suffolk county councillor Rachel Hood, external said: "It's hugely exciting. This is a huge employer and an industry that's worth £4bn annually for the UK so it's a very important driver for the country."
More than £13m is to be spent on helping market towns in Cambridgeshire recover from the impact of coronavirus.
The Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, external said 11 towns could bid for their share to pay for projects and upgrades.
Image source, Jonathan Thacker/GeographJames Palmer, the elected Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said: "We want to make sure that our high streets and our businesses and our market towns thrive into the future.".
Image source, British VogueThe University of East Anglia has publicly thanked one of its former students who has appeared on the cover of the July edition of British Vogue.
The Norwich university thanked midwife Rachel Millar, who graduated in 2018, for "her continued work on the front line".
She is one of the key workers whose portrait is featured on three versions of the cover of the latest edition, which is out this week.
A lifeboat crew has had its "busiest May for seven years".
The RNLI volunteer crew in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, said it launched 23 times throughout the month.
"This is all despite the government guidelines and restrictions in place, advising people to stay at home for the large portion of the month", it said.
Image source, RNLI Southend Lifeboat
Matt Precey
BBC Look East
The latest number of new daily coronavirus deaths, external in the region's hopsitals show an increase of 29, up 53% on the previous day's figure of 19.
The latest reported deaths were at the following NHS trusts:
The total number of Covid-19 associated UK deaths now stands at 39,398.
Phil Shepka
BBC News
Image source, Denise TogherA junior doctor who ran a marathon home from his hospital shift to raise money for personal protective equipment (PPE) said he had been "overwhelmed" by donations.
Dr Kieran Togher, 25, who works at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital, has raised £2,500 for Covid Crisis Rescue, five times his original target.
On his donation page he said the charity "is a small group, run by two doctors, undertaking an inspiring operation to get PPE to where it's needed".
After his shift on Wednesday he ran the marathon distance to his home in north London wearing a T-shirt he also donned during his last competitive race - as a 15-year-old.
Following his run, he told the BBC he was grateful for the support "not only [from] my nearest and dearest but also people who have no idea who I am".
Alex Pope
BBC News Online
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