Deborah Price
Local Democracy Reporter, Hertfordshire

Signs asking members of the public to respect teams working on the highways during the coronavirus lockdown have been brought in - after road workers were subjected to abuse from passers-by.

Image source, PA Media

Since the beginning of lockdown, contractors have been allowed to continue with a number of projects on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council, external, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

But it has been reported that a number of teams working across the county have been subjected to "adverse comments" from members of the public. In some cases people have questioned whether their presence is putting themselves or others at risk.

The council's executive member for highways Phil Bibby stressed that work was only continuing where it was safe to do so.

"We are not going to be putting people on sites where we don’t think they will be able to socially-distance," he said.

A hospice said its future is under threat if it cannot plug a funding gap of £0.6m.

Garden House Hospice Care, external, based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, said demand for its services has increased during the coronavirus pandemic.

It provides help for people in the north of the county, Stevenage and parts of Central Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

Although the government has pledged £700,000 in funding, the hospice said it was losing £25,000 a week - which could total £1.3m a year.

It has launched an emergency appeal to raise the remaining £600,000.

Image source, Garden House Hospice Care

Jenny Esson, 45, worked for an NHS trust that deals with mental health.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

The chief executive of Cambridgeshire County Council has said "there is sufficient PPE [personal protective equipment]" for the county’s care home staff.

Gillian Beasley said: "The care homes now are able to source their PPE through what is called the PPE hub, which is in Alconbury.

"There are supplies there, and there was another delivery of supplies this week, and so they are able to source PPE for their purposes."

NHS trusts have previously issued public calls for more PPE during the outbreak, including the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.

Image source, Getty Images

Helen Burchell
BBC News Online

A jewellery designer has donated more than 100 of her handmade items to hospital staff working on the front line in the fight against Covid-19.

Tali Iserles, who runs a company from her home in Ely, Cambridgeshire, said: "I don’t have a sewing machine or a 3D printer and I don’t have first aid skills, but like so many other people I’ve been watching events unfold, feeling helpless and depressed."

Image source, Tali Iserles

So, instead of sewing scrubs or printing safety visors, she donated bracelets, bangles, earrings, necklaces and rings to be shared out among staff working on Covid wards at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.

Image source, Tali Iserles

Ms Iserles said she hoped her gifts would "bring a smile to their faces", adding staff at the hospital had saved her life when she was pregnant with her first child, and she "cannot imagine what they're having to deal with now".

Image source, Whitbread

More than a 100 phones, desks and chairs that are no longer needed by brewers-cum-hoteliers Whitbread have been redistributed to the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAS).

The office supplies were left over when Premier Inn relocated its headquarters from Luton to Dunstable.

After hearing the EEAS needed additional equipment for its expanding call centres, the supplies were sent to Bedford, Norwich and Chelmsford.

Huw Thomas, head of facilities at the company, said: "Quick thinking by one of our key partners enabled us to put to good use equipment that we no longer had need for."

Alex Pope
BBC News Online

Image source, Sarah Bunker

A 12-year-old-boy is getting on his bike to raise funds for the Bedford Hospitals Charity, external.

Louis Bunker, from Felmersham, has set up his bike in his back garden on a "turb trainer" and is hoping to ride 50km in just three hours.

He said he has never ridden that far before, as the furthest he has traveled in one goes is 25km.

"I just wanted to give something back to the community," he said.

He had hoped to raise £100, and is currently on about £800.

Brett Moore was an inmate at HMP Peterborough when he died on 18 March, days before a man at HMP Littlehey.

Hundreds of university students are to join NHS front line staff.

So far 133 adult nursing and mental health nursing students at Essex and Cambridgeshire-based Anglia Ruskin University, external have completed their degrees, so they can apply for Nursing and Midwifery Council registration and begin employment.

More than 300 students, in their final six months of their degrees, are also undertaking extended clinical placements.

Image source, PA

College members of staff have also returned, including Melanie Bird, head of school of nursing and midwifery.

"It is enormous credit to our students that they have stepped up and made themselves available," she said

"We will work with our NHS partners to continue to support these, and indeed all of our students, to ensure they remain safe.

"While it will be daunting for many, this is an unprecedented situation for them to be facing so early in their careers, which will stand them in good stead for the future."

The resumption of garden waste collections from homes continues...

Green bins are to be collected again from 4 May for residents of the Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire districts.

Collections were suspended in March, to ensure black and blue bins could be prioritised.

At the moment only one collection a month can be guaranteed, a council spokesman said.

Image source, Cambridge City Council

Douglas Moore got a round of applause from Kettering General Hospital staff as he was discharged.

Fifteen new breathing devices have been delivered to a hospital as part of a "cutting edge trial".

Northampton General Hospital, external hopes to use them in the "next few days".

The new Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), has been designed by University College London, and were made by just a few miles away from the hospital by the Brixworth-based Mercedes Formula One team.

Image source, Northampton General Hospital

Matthew Metcalfe, the hospital's medical director, said: "These new devices will help patients with Covid-19 who need assistance to breathe more easily.

"The small device works with an oxygen mask to make sure the patient has enough oxygen going into their lungs.

He said it meant they didn't have to use use invasive treatment or take up a full ventilator machine as often.

Piers Harrison-Reid reflects on the health service as its staff tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

He created it in his back garden as his own "quirky" tribute to NHS staff to make them smile.

Nic Rigby
BBC News

A road markings firm has said a big thank you to the NHS and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital by painting on the road.

Image source, East Anglian Road Markings Ltd

East Anglian Road Markings Ltd, with the permission of the hospital, has written "Thank You NHS" with rainbow-coloured heart on two roads at the hospital site.

Richard Clarke, from the painting firm, said: "After a very definite 'yes' from my contact on the site we thought it would be nice to show our appreciation to our key workers for the outstanding work they do during these very difficult times.

"We installed these to remind people who the real heroes are today and for many days to come."

The chief constable of Northamptonshire has said there has been a fall in the number of homes being burgled.

However, Nick Adderley said figures show there has been an increase in commercial properties being broken into.

He said domestic burglaries across the county have gone down 34%, meaning there have been 1,000 fewer burglaries so far this year, compared to the same period last year.

He said investigating burglary did not stop, but the force, external was "focusing on those intelligence reports that are telling us about large social gatherings, parties at home, barbecues, and we are responding to and reacting to those also".

Image source, Northamptonshire Police

Jessica Frank-Keyes
Local Democracy reporter

A Norfolk MP has praised Britain for its “long-held belief that we should look after people in need” as he spoke out to quell concerns over asylum seekers temporarily housed at a former RAF base.

Image source, Jerome Mayhew

The old officers’ mess at RAF Coltishall, used by fighter pilots during World War Two, is being used to offer temporary housing to asylum seekers who have fled from war-torn countries, says the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Some 77 rooms were used by asylum seekers, while 20 were available for councils to house homeless people.

The Home Office said the move to house asylum seekers while their status was being considered was not permanent and was "to help in the fight against coronavirus".

Broadland Conservative MP Jerome Mayhew (pictured) said 24-hour security at the site was in place "not because there’s any increased risk, but to provide reassurance".

"I’m in discussions with the council to help in that process, which is to answer questions, provide reassurance and make sure we have the right level of scrutiny and oversight, whilst living up to our country's long-held belief that we should look after people in need," he added.

The Home Office said it would review the measure before the end of June.

Alex Pope
BBC News Online

Image source, The Crane Event

For the past four weeks a number of buildings across Cambridge have been bathed in blue light, to thank NHS staff and key workers.

Until last night, only one building has been lit up each week, when Royal Papworth Hospital and Trinity College where chosen.

Justin Crane, director of The Crane Event, just one of the companies behind the idea, said they had to bring in extra help to deal with requests.

"When our inboxes started to fill up with the positive responses from venues, we knew just who to turn to help us expand."

Four other companies are now involved, including Blueshed, JezO’s, JMPS and Pink Lamp.

Image source, The Crane Event

The chosen building is kept secret, until the big reveal at 18:00 on Thursdays.

Dame Sally Davies, master of Trinity, said: "It’s wonderful to see the Wren Library turning blue. I know from my lifetime on the front line of the NHS and then as Chief Medical Officer how hardworking, dedicated and selfless NHS staff are."

Image source, Essex County Cricket Club

The former Essex and England cricket captain Graham Gooch has dusted off his overalls to deliver food to hospitals in the county.

He's working with the charity Supporting Humanity, external to take hot meals to staff at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford and the Princess Alexandra in Harlow.

So far it has made 1,700 meals a day.

Gooch, England's second highest run-scorer in test cricket after his successor Alaistair Cook, said: "I’m delighted to be part of the club’s outreach campaign, external and it’s fantastic to see the inspirational work that charities such as Supporting Humanity are doing.

"The key workers are doing a fantastic job."

Gooch has been joined by a number of the Essex first team and women’s squads in recent weeks, including captains Tom Westley, Kelly Castle and Simon Harmer, the club said.

Simon Oxley
BBC Three Counties Radio

Image source, Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner

The police and crime commissioner for Hertfordshire has said the force's officers do have enough personal protective equipment.

In a tweet, external, David Lloyd said "crime is down by a third", but that shop burglaries, excessive speeding and fly-tipping were still areas of "concern" during the lockdown.

He said that the county has "come together" and he honored the "dedication of our emergency workers, key personnel and volunteers, at keeping us all safe".

"Our police force is standing up well", he said.