Nottingham City Council Deputy Leader, Councillor Sally Longford:
The world is experiencing an unprecedented challenge and it is important in this moment that we cooperate, doing what we can to support one another. Many of you have already supported people in your community by helping a neighbour or a friend in need so I want to thank you for your support and community spirit.
We want to make sure people do this safely, making sure help gets to where it is needed most. Last week, we supported the launch of the Robin Hood Fund to help coordinate financial help in one place and I’m pleased to see that over £15,000 has been raised. Donations can be made by visiting the Robin Hood Fund’s GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/3ytaf-robin-hood-fund
Due to concerns around the large number of people out over the weekend, we will be putting up signage at all our parks with clear Government guidelines around social distancing. To further protect members of the public, we have taken the decision today to close all play areas and outdoor gyms within parks. These will be shut from tonight and we urge people not to use them until we are in a position to reopen.
I’m sure that parents and guardians across the city are coming to terms with nursery and school closures but for those children who must stay at home and would normally receive free school meals, you can access a voucher or gift card for several major supermarkets every two weeks and you will be able to collect your voucher or gift card from your school. Please click here for more details: https://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/mealvouchers
Finally, at times like this, it’s great to hear something positive and I’m sure many of you will have seen reports in the Sunday Times over the weekend, that Nottingham is one of the best places to live in 2020. Great to see it reported that Nottingham is Britain’s most improved small city and as we know, a wonderful visitor destination with a wealth of new developments bringing growth and prosperity for the future, as well as shaping Nottingham as a carbon neutral city by 2028, all of which helps create a place where people want to be.