Just a timely reminder to everyone that unfortunately “in times of crisis, crime increases”. There are numerous scams doing the rounds at the moment, with criminals trying to prey on vulnerability and fear of the virus.

With the launch of the Government’s Track and Trace scheme recently, it seems that the crooks have gone into overdrive, with numerous reports of bogus phone calls purporting to be from the NHS Track and Trace Service. However, all those calls have one thing in common – they ask you for a payment for a Covid-19 test.  An NHS test is free, so if you’re asked for a payment, typically £50 for a testing kit, then it’s a scam and you should hang up.

There are plenty of other scams too, so before you give anyone your payment details ask yourself one simple question “is this really genuine?” If you have the slightest doubt, ask the caller to ring back later, after you’ve had a chance to check them out. If you’re pressured to make a decision there and then, it’s a scam.

You can find lots of information about  current scams on the Norfolk Trading Standards website. It’s well worth a look.

Be on your guard. Stay safe, protect yourself and protect others and keep washing those hands. Let’s keep Dersingham fit and healthy!

As we said a couple of weeks ago, slowly the lock-down is being eased and the Village Centre Trustees are planning for the day when we can start to reopen the Centre.

We are hopeful that in due course, as part of the Government’s planned Stage 3 release of the lock-down, we may be able to open at least part of the Centre for exercise and dance classes. The current guidance from the Government is that the Stage 3 release will not be until the beginning of July, at the earliest. Accordingly, we are making plans for limited opening from Monday 6th July.

The Trustees have also decided that the 6th of July will be the earliest date that the Centre will reopen, even if government guidance changes to allow legal opening before then. We need the coming weeks to prepare the Centre for safe reopening. It is important to realise that at the time of writing, in late May, the date of the 6th July cannot be regarded as a certainty. It will depend on how things progress over the next few weeks.

What we hope will be possible . . .

The resumption of small groups of exercise and dance classes that use the main hall. Groups that normally use the smaller rooms in the Centre will have to  move temporarily into the main hall in order to maintain the correct social distancing.

The only rooms in the Centre that will be open initially will be: the main St Nicholas Hall, the entrance lobby and the toilet off the main hall. All other rooms, the Garden Room, the Loft, the Hub, the kitchen, the main toilets etc. will remain closed for the time being.

What we will NOT be able to do straight away . . .

In a normal week the Centre is used for many different types of event, including parties, weddings, community lunches, Village Voice talks, the Village Cinema and others. None of these will be able to take place yet. Once we have had some experience of running the Centre in the limited manner outlined above, we will start to plan for the opening up of the venue for these larger functions. It is not currently possible to say when this will be. We will post more information here as soon as the situation becomes clearer. But, there is light at the end of the tunnel!

There is much more about the Coronavirus situation on the Dersingham Parish Council website, Dersingham.org.uk which has a dedicated page of information and loads of links to useful websites.

Meanwhile, stay safe, protect yourself and protect others and keep washing those hands. Let’s keep Dersingham fit and healthy!

In tiny steps the lock-down is being eased and the Village Centre Trustees are planning for the day when we can start to reopen the Centre. For the moment, all we can do is make plans and it is certain that there will be no return to business as usual for some time. The Centre will definitely not be opening during either the remainder of May or in June.

But, we are hopeful that in due course, as part of the Government’s planned Stage 3 release of the lock-down, we may be able to open at least part of the Centre for exercise and dance classes. When that will be depends entirely on how things go over the next few weeks, we will keep you posted as the situation develops.

To all those who enjoy coming to the classes, talks, film shows and other events that take place in the Village Centre we can only say sorry. We will be back as soon as we can!

There is much more about the Coronavirus situation on the Dersingham Parish Council website, Dersingham.org.uk which has a dedicated page of information and loads of links to useful websites.

Meanwhile, stay safe, stay at home and keep washing those hands. Let’s keep Dersingham fit and healthy!