Message from the leader of the council, James Swindlehurst and chief executive, Josie Wragg
Message from the leader of the council, James Swindlehurst and chief executive, Josie Wragg
Following the recent announcement by the government about the current coronavirus restrictions remaining in place for at least the next three weeks, we first want to thank all of our residents who are following the government guidelines, staying at home and only going out for essential reasons.
We know how hard the current restrictions are on everyone but we also know it is the best way we can all play our part in preventing the spread of the virus and protect all those who are providing critical services and keeping the town running.
Our thanks also have to go to our staff, so many of whom are living up to our motto of serving with honour, putting themselves at higher risk to continue to provide the services we all rely on; our adult and children’s social care staff, schools, our registrars, housing, the benefits teams ensuring residents in need get the money their deserve, our bin men who are out every day covering their rounds without fail and all the staff working behind the scenes so these frontline services can continue.
Since the lockdown started our teams have collected more than half a million bins, are looking after around 350 children of key workers and those with special needs in our children’s centres and schools and given out hundreds of pounds of hardship grants.
All the details of help available from us are on our website, so please check www.slough.gov.uk/coronavirus for the latest.
We have had many emails thanking our teams and have received many messages of good wishes as well as seeing lots of rainbow pictures and pictures thanking carers which is really raising the spirits of our staff who are out and about.
But we aren’t doing this alone.
We have teamed up with Slough Council for Voluntary Services (SCVS) to provide a one Slough approach to helping the most vulnerable among us. The ingenuity, power and energy shown by the town’s volunteers has been second to none with more than 300 signing up within a week of our call for assistance.
More than 1,500 residents have benefited from the support on offer from this group; people who, without this support could have been without food, care or human contact.
These volunteers and the staff who are supporting them are genuinely helping save lives and we can never thank them enough for giving up their time for others.
If this crisis has taught us anything, it is that by bringing the public, voluntary and private sector together we have a strength none of us has on our own.
If we could bottle that strength we would be set forever; so it down to all of us, all partners, not to lose the momentum, the relationships and the connections, born in a crisis, as life begins to get back to normal.
While we all mourn those we have lost and have hope for those who may fall ill before this is over, we are, all of us, becoming stronger together, even whilst we are apart from each other.
We wish all of you well. Stay safe. If you can stay home, please do. Protect those who most need it.
James and Josie
Following the recent announcement by the government about the current coronavirus restrictions remaining in place for at least the next three weeks, we first want to thank all of our residents who are following the government guidelines, staying at home and only going out for essential reasons.
We know how hard the current restrictions are on everyone but we also know it is the best way we can all play our part in preventing the spread of the virus and protect all those who are providing critical services and keeping the town running.
Our thanks also have to go to our staff, so many of whom are living up to our motto of serving with honour, putting themselves at higher risk to continue to provide the services we all rely on; our adult and children’s social care staff, schools, our registrars, housing, the benefits teams ensuring residents in need get the money their deserve, our bin men who are out every day covering their rounds without fail and all the staff working behind the scenes so these frontline services can continue.
Since the lockdown started our teams have collected more than half a million bins, are looking after around 350 children of key workers and those with special needs in our children’s centres and schools and given out hundreds of pounds of hardship grants.
All the details of help available from us are on our website, so please check www.slough.gov.uk/coronavirus for the latest.
We have had many emails thanking our teams and have received many messages of good wishes as well as seeing lots of rainbow pictures and pictures thanking carers which is really raising the spirits of our staff who are out and about.
But we aren’t doing this alone.
We have teamed up with Slough Council for Voluntary Services (SCVS) to provide a one Slough approach to helping the most vulnerable among us. The ingenuity, power and energy shown by the town’s volunteers has been second to none with more than 300 signing up within a week of our call for assistance.
More than 1,500 residents have benefited from the support on offer from this group; people who, without this support could have been without food, care or human contact.
These volunteers and the staff who are supporting them are genuinely helping save lives and we can never thank them enough for giving up their time for others.
If this crisis has taught us anything, it is that by bringing the public, voluntary and private sector together we have a strength none of us has on our own.
If we could bottle that strength we would be set forever; so it down to all of us, all partners, not to lose the momentum, the relationships and the connections, born in a crisis, as life begins to get back to normal.
While we all mourn those we have lost and have hope for those who may fall ill before this is over, we are, all of us, becoming stronger together, even whilst we are apart from each other.
We wish all of you well. Stay safe. If you can stay home, please do. Protect those who most need it.
James and Josie
