Image source, Essex Police

Police officers on patrol in Essex took time out to surprise a little boy who was celebrating his birthday in lockdown.

Loki Vidler, 5, from Heybridge near Maldon, is obsessed with police "putting baddies in jail" and wants to join the force when he grows up, his mum Jessica said.

She said the unexpected appearance and rendition of Happy Birthday "made Loki's day".

Ch Insp Steve Scott-Haynes, district commander for Chelmsford and Maldon, said: "This was a really kind gesture by my officers who were carrying out their patrols.

"We're all human and small things like this really put smiles on our faces."

Free hot meals for about 300 Kettering General Hospital staff are to be served up.

Kate Toller, from Sudborough, and Wendy de Capell Brooke, from Corby, launched Food 4 Heroes, external in the town to thank NHS for all their hard work.

Kate said: "We wanted to bring the local community together to support the NHS staff who are doing so much for local people."

Image source, Kettering General Hospital

Image source, Peterborough City Council

An engineering company has stepped in to help keep a Post Office open.

Sawtry PO in Cambridgeshire was due to close last week over safety concerns for its staff and customers.

Local company Spirotech, external was approached to create a protective screen for the counter - with the same created for staff at Boots and John Greens newsagent in the village.

County councillor Simon Bywater said: "If the post office had closed it wouldn’t have only affected Sawtry, but all the villages around it too.

"It’s particularly vital for the elderly in our community, who may already feel isolated due to social restrictions."

Businesses in South Cambridgeshire, external that need financial support in the current climate will be sent letters by the district council inviting them to apply for grants.

The government has two schemes to help small firms ride the storm during the coronavirus restrictions:

• The Small Business Grant Fund: A one-off grant of £10,000 for those who pay little or no business rates
• The Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund: Grants of either £10,000 or £25,000 depending on businesses' rateable value

The council estimates that about 1,700 businesses in its district are eligible for one of the grants.

Firms are advised to check the council website.

Cllr Peter McDonald, who is leading council efforts to support small business, said: "Every day I am hearing stories of local companies doing all they can to stay in business and we will support them."

The Milton Keynes Festival Fringe, due to be held on 13 to 19 July, has been postponed because of coronvairus.

The event showcases outdoor arts, theatre, visual arts, performance, comedy, music and dance.

It will return next summer, organisers said.

Zoe Applegate
BBC News

The editor of a local newspaper has appealed for people to take out subscriptions or donate to keep it going as sales and advertising income plummets.

Image source, Stephen Richards/Geograph

David Powles said although the Eastern Daily Press, external has plenty of readers, things were "tough" due to businesses closing and cutting their advertising.

He paid tribute to about 60-70 of its journalists now working from home who have kept the paper coming out every day.

"We are more important than ever before - people still want the news, they want it more - so we had to work out a way how we could do that safely where none of us had to be in the office," he said.

"The big challenge has been around commercial and advertising… that’s been the area that has been pretty dire and we have seen a big drop.

"Still people are supporting us and they deserve our thanks and credit."

Orla Moore
BBC News

Here's a quick look at the stories making the newspaper headlines across Essex:

• The Mayor of Saffron Walden and his wife are being treated for pneumonia complications after they were diagnosed with coronavirus, according to the Reporter, external
• The Southend Echo, external is reporting that workers at the Argos warehouse in Basildon say it is "busier than Christmas", triggering worries they are at risk with no personal protection equipment
• Tributes have been paid to a St Osyth dad at Ipswich Hospital a day after he was diagnosed with coronavirus, reports the Colchester Gazette, external

Conversion work will begin on Wednesday at Marshall Aerospace and Defence in Cambridge.

Image source, Clarence House

A Hertfordshire pensioner has received a telephone call from the Duchess of Cornwall to launch the work of an NHS volunteer army.

Doris Winfield, 85, from Rickmansworth, is self-isolating and said the call from Camilla meant the world to her.

Some 750,000 people who responded to the government's call for help will begin work today, after security checks are done.

The Duchess. Prince Charles' second wife, is the president of the Royal Voluntary Service., external

Patrick Byrne
BBC News

A group of sewing machinists has begun a campaign to raise money for material to make “scrubs” - the clothes that frontline NHS staff wear on duty.

The 16 machinists call themselves the Felixstowe Scrubbers and have already smashed their initial target of £500 needed to buy fabric to make scrubs for the Ipswich and Colchester hospitals.

Image source, Felixstowe Scrubbers

"There is a shortage in supply of scrubs to frontline NHS staff and by providing them with this essential piece of clothing we are enabling them to stay comfortable whilst on duty," said the group's Sew Scrubs for Ipswich Hospital Facebook page, external.

"We have calculated that it will cost around £12 to make up one set of scrubs. If you can give anything to help keep our NHS staff safe that would be amazing and really appreciated!"

Pete Cooper
BBC News

Technicians at the University of East Anglia in Norwich have been using materials from local brewers to produce hand sanitiser to help the NHS and local councils

Many distilleries have switched from making spirits, such as gin, to hand sanitiser and brewer BrewDog has also been making alcohol gel in its Aberdeenshire factory, external.

Image source, Getty Images

The NHS in Northamptonshire is gearing up for what it expects to be the peak of the coronavirus outbreak.

Toby Sanders, chief executive of the NHS Nene Clinical Commissioning Group, external, said everyone was working hard to free up existing beds and increase capacity.

"This week we will be opening an extra 100 beds within our community services and we are also working very closely with the two private providers in the county."

Food that could have ended up in the rubbish bin is currently being sent to about 600 people a week in Bedford.

Food4, a project run by YMCA Bedfordshire, external, offers free food supplies to people who are isolated, frail or on the breadline.

It includes fruit, vegetables, bakery and larder items donated directly from local suppliers, which would otherwise have ended up as waste.

Image source, Food4

Many items have come from local stores and restaurants, that would have otherwise sat in their stores until lockdown ends, it said.

Rebecca Ireland, business operations manager, said: "We have seen requests for food sky rocket."

She estimated that 2.2 tonnes of food left the building last week.

"We usually serve that much food in a month," she added.

Image source, Food4

Orla Moore
BBC News

Here's a brief look at some of the stories making the headlines in the newspapers across Cambridgeshire:

• The Cambridge News, external is reporting a heartfelt plea from nurses at the Sue Ryder hospice charity, who say it is "teetering on the brink of closure"
• Work has begun on preparing a temporary mortuary facility for Peterborough and Cambridgeshire at Marshall Aerospace in Cambridge, according to the Peterborough Telegraph, external
• And the Cambridge Independent, external reports on the £2.3m "war chest" of grants launched by the county's combined authority to help businesses

Image source, GOV.UK

Simon Oxley
BBC Three Counties Radio

More than 8,000 people have responded to a call for volunteers in Hertfordshire.

The county council said the help was "essential to help keep residents safe and well".

Some of the work they have carried out included dropping off groceries, collecting essential supplies and being a friendly voice on the end of a phone.

Image source, Herts County Council

Erin, a university student from Hertford, has been making a daily phone to an older lady in her area.

"We've built up a good rapport and we can chat about anything, from family to the weather," she said.

"It's just good for both of us and it's nice to know I'm making a difference."

Anyone needing help is asked to visit the Herts Help website, external or call 0300 123 4044.

Image source, Damion Brown

A man who shared videos of his experience in hospital with coronavirus said he "can't fault" the care he received from the NHS.

Damion Brown spent 11 days at Milton Keynes Hospital and posted videos urging people to take the disease seriously.

He is now at home continuing his recovery, and said that just before he left he had a tearful and "very emotional heart-to-heart" with one of the nurses who had seen his videos.

Mr Brown told BBC Look East: "The day I left all the nurses were giving me a standing ovation which was lovely, because they'd all cared for me and were so lovely for 11 days."

Zoe Applegate
BBC News

More than 400 people have been recruited to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital in the wake of coronavirus, its medical director said.

Image source, NNUH

Prof Erika Denton said some of them had come out of retirement, while student doctors on the verge of qualifying have joined early.

Student nurses, pharmacists and physiotherapists have also started working at the hospital ahead of schedule.

Prof Denton said the day procedure unit was being converted into an emergency department for those with confirmed or suspected Covid-19.

A new 10-bed isolation unit and 25 high-dependency beds were also being set up as part of a £9m extra NHS investment, she said.

She added the nearby private Spire hospital would be doing "much of our NHS elective surgical work" to ensure some operations still went ahead and to keep those patients totally isolated from any others with Covid-19.

The hospital currently has 85 coronavirus patients and a further 50 awaiting test results.

BBC Radio Norfolk has been answering your questions on the coronavirus outbreak.

Patrick Byrne
BBC News

Beach patrols by Essex Police, external, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, external and staff from Tendring District Council, external at the weekend revealed some people ignored official instructions to stay at home.

But the vast majority of people heeded the warnings to stay away earning them a thank you from the council leader.

Image source, Tendring District Council

Neil Stock said: "Thank you to everyone, Tendring residents and beyond, who heeded the guidance and stayed away from our beaches."

“With the Bank Holiday weekend approaching I would remind everyone that this advice – to stay away – is still in place for now.”

Image source, Tendring District Council

Here's how the newspapers in Suffolk are reporting the coronovirus pandemic today:

• The East Anglian Daily Times, external says the Sudbury-based Sue Ryder charity claims the country “will lose its hospices”
• The Ipswich Star, external reports that the chief executive of Ipswich and Colchester hospitals is “anxious” about the Easter weekend as he reveals he wants to quadruple the number of Intensive Care Unit beds for coronavirus patients
• The Bury Free Press , externalreports that Dr John Hague, a GP and clinical lead for mental health, has advised anyone nervous about the coronavirus to follow a routine, exercise and "not read the news every five minutes"