Dear Member, & Thelwall U3A Newsletter Hello and welcome to our first extra-ordinary newsletter for these extraordinary times. We are anticipating that regular U3A email newsletters and bulletins will continue, but we wanted to share some local Lymm & Thelwall news and information to help us all. We will aim to bring you updates and useful local information, tell you about how the Interest Groups are keeping in touch, and any other interesting bits and bobs we can find. It’s going to be a tough couple of months, so let’s see what we can do to make it all a bit easier. It’s reassuring that there are lots of local and national groups all pulling together in a true British spirit and we’ve made a note of some of them below. Items are provided for information only and in the current climate are quite subject to change. We aren’t endorsing anything as “U3A approved”, you’ll have to make your own decisions as to whether something is for you or not. These newsletters will only be as good as the things we find to put in them so please let us know if you have contributions by emailing Lymm & Thelwall U3A. Lymm Help A group of local residents have set up a volunteer service to provide help where it is needed to those are self-isolated or affected by coronavirus. Every street in Lymm has at least one volunteer providing support. If you need help with essentials such as arranging deliveries, picking up essential shopping, a friendly phone call, posting your mail, getting urgent supplies, topping up your electric or gas, or walking your dog, they can help You will have received a postcard from your local volunteer with their contact number and a letter from the group. The central team’s contact is 07510 749854, www.lymmhelp.co.uk Church Services Many church services have been suspended. Rev Bev from St Mary’s has set up her own YouTube channel. There is a short welcome video there already, and she will be leading what she describes as “a sort of a service”, on Sundays at 10am. Search for “Rev Bev Jameson” on YouTube.com (Make sure you get the right Rev Bev ;) Lymm Radio “As more local families self-isolate during the Coronavirus crisis, we had the idea to create a radio streaming service to keep our fellow neighbours entertained and informed at this challenging time. We don’t aim to compete with the national and local radio stations or media channels – we won’t, for example, be bringing you news updates every hour. Instead, our content will be specific for Lymm and Thelwall. We’ll be covering items that are important to you in your daily life – from product availability at local shops, to ideas for keeping yourself mentally and physically fit.” Listen online at www.lymmradio.co.uk Out and About The Government’s current advice recognises the potential negative impact of social distancing and recommends doing exercises at home, eating healthy well balanced meals and getting fresh air out in the garden. You can also go for a walk or exercise outdoors if you stay more than 2m from others. Our villages and the nearby areas are pleasant to walk around and there are many great places a little further afield. Sadly, the National Trust has had to close its parks and gardens, including Dunham Massey and Tatton Park, due to too many visitors so they couldn’t observe the social distancing guidelines. The RSPB has closed all its visitor centres, cafes and shops but they say: “Our nature reserves remain open and we hope that visitors will continue to enjoy these amazing places for wildlife while observing physical distance measures. All car parking charges will be waived so people can enjoy these sites at no cost. Over the coming days and weeks, we will be helping people to share their wildlife encounters and provide ideas for things you can do for wildlife close to home.” RSPB Reserves near here: • Coombes Valley, Bradnop, Leek ST13 7EU tel 01538 384017 • Dee Estuary – Burton Mere Wetlands CH64 5SF • Dee Estuary – Parkgate • Dee Estuary - Point of Air, near Prestatyn • Phone number for all the Dee Estuary sites is 0151 353 2720 • Dove Stone, Greenfield, Lancashire OL3 7NE tel 01457 819880 • Eastern Moors, Bakewell • Hesketh Out Marsh, Hesketh Bank, PR4 6XO, 01704 211690 • Marshside, Marine Drive, Southport, PR9 9PJ, 01704 211690 Help with milk and grocery deliveries Note - there is unprecedented demand on these delivery services at the moment and they may not be able to take on new accounts, but for information: Two dairies deliver milk and other goods to houses in the Lymm and Thelwall areas • Sheldons based in Knutsford, (although they are not taking on any new customers at present), Telephone 01565 634509 & Online Deliver dairy, bakery, newspapers and pet food. • G P Broadsmith & Son, Pool Farm, Statham Lymm tel 01925 757655 “your local dairy can deliver much more than just milk. A variety of fresh produce is available” Riverford Organic Veg Boxes Also deliver meat, fruit and salad boxes. Website is www.riverford.co.uk, and phone number 01803 227227 Groobarbs Based at Groobarb’s Wild Farm, Mag Lane, “We grow and deliver fresh fruit & veg in and ” Tel 01925 569160 [email protected] Hello Fresh “A subscription service, sign up to receive the ingredients for 3, 4 or 5 meals a week, managed on line” www.hellofresh.co.uk Wiltshire Farm Foods Deliver ready made frozen meals to be microwaved at home Order on line or by phone 0800 077 3100 www.wiltshirefarmfoods.com Pets Pantry, for pet food and wild bird food www.pets-pantry.com or 01925 398598

With Best Wishes Lymm & Thelwall U3A Committee John, Catherine, Mark, James, Sue, Dinah, Jackie and Lynn