• October is Black History Month - and this year, 12,000 new Black blood donors are needed to help fight sickle cell disorder. If you're the #GivingType, join the thousands of people giving blood every day. You can find out more and book now, here.
• This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I am proud to join Asda and their charity partners BreastCancerNow and CoppaFeelPeople, in raising awareness of the ‘Real Self-Checkout’ campaign, to encourage people to check themselves for signs and symptoms of breast cancer. Learn more about signs and symptoms, and how to donate, here. #TickledPink
• I’m proud to support the Road Haulage Association this National Lorry Week. I know that here in Corby & East Northamptonshire, and indeed nationwide, road haulage businesses and their 42,000 employees across the country do vital work in ensuring our communities and local businesses stay connected and can operate as they need to. Having visited a number of haulage and logistics businesses locally recently, I'm always struck by just how sophisticated their operations are – we certainly should not take them for granted, as the work they do matters to all of our day to day lives!
• The NHS winter vaccine programme is now underway, and eligible groups, including housebound individuals and residents of older adult care homes, can now receive COVID-19 and flu vaccinations. With the winter period fast approaching, and in light of a new COVID-19 variant emerging, it’s especially important to make sure we’re all up-to-date with our vaccinations, and so if you are part of a vulnerable group, then please do make sure you’re sufficiently protected. Children aged 2-17 are also eligible for flu vaccinations, and so I’d strongly encourage all parents to complete their school consent forms to enable their children to receive the shots. The #NHS winter vaccination programme is underway, offering flu and COVID-19 jabs to eligible groups. With winter on its way, and a new COVID-19 variant emerging, it’s even more important to ensure you’ve received the shots. You can book online, via the NHS App, or by calling 119.
• I am proud to support local convenience stores across Corby & East Northamptonshire and the invaluable role they play in our communities. I therefore welcome the ACS Local Shop Report 2023, which once again shows that our local convenience stores contribute hugely to our local economy, as well as being invaluable within our communities in terms of the service they provide, which we should all seek to support where we can. You can find out more, here.
• Applications are now open for the Community Automated External Defibrillators (AED) Fund, through which community organisations can apply for grants to fund defibrillators. With £1 million of Government funding, the fund will provide at least 1,000 defibrillators in community spaces across England, which will enable 24-hour access to these life-saving pieces of medical equipment. Using a defibrillator within three to five minutes of a cardiac arrest increases survival chances by 40%, so it’s hugely important that we have as many defibrillators as possible to provide emergency medical interventions. I’d strongly encourage community groups across Corby & East Northamptonshire to consider applying for funding, demonstrating that defibrillators will be placed in accessible areas where they’re most needed. You can find out more about the fund, and how to apply, here.
• With the new university and college terms getting underway, it’s really important that new and existing students ensure they are up-to-date with their vaccinations. These free vaccines include HPV, MenACWY and MMR, and are routinely provided by the NHS, and you can check whether you’ve received all these vaccinations via the NHS App. Particularly with new data showing that one in eight students are unprotected against four deadly types of meningitis, ensuring you’re fully vaccinated is even more crucial, and if you’ve missed out on any then please do contact your GP to arrange a catch-up.
• Historic England have recently announced another round of funding for 'Everyday Heritage Grants: Celebrating Working Class Histories', to support community-led projects telling the stories of working class history. They’re inviting heritage groups to apply for grants of up to £25,000, as well as £1,000 grants for smaller community initiatives, for projects that share untold stories about their local areas, and encouraging communities to tell their stories in their own ways. I know many in Corby & East Northamptonshire, myself included, would really appreciate, and be interested in, projects highlighting the history of our area, so this is certainly not one to be missed! Applications close on the 7th November 2023, and you can find out more, here.
• UK Parliament Week is back for 2023 between the 6th and 12th November. It’s Parliament’s flagship public engagement campaign, spreading the word about what Parliament is, and is a great opportunity to find out what it does and crucially, how you can get involved. Organisations, irrespective of size or age group, including community groups, youth groups and schools, can sign up online and receive free resource kits to help them organise their UKPW activities. Last year, 1.1 million people took part in over 10,000 activities in every region and nation of the UK. Find out more and sign up, here. Don’t miss out!
If you have anything you would like to be featured next week, please email all the details to pursglovet@parliament.uk.
Also, if you have taken any photos of constituency landscapes or landmarks, which could be featured in my ‘Community Notices’ headers, please send them in and I will try to use as many of them as possible (and credit them accordingly!), as a celebration of the fantastic place we live and work in. I know we have many budding photographers in our community and it would be great to showcase their work!
