Beer Action Group (BAG) are issuing regular newsletters :  Beer Talks!

 A lot has happened in the last week or so to put it mildly! There is still much uncertainty about what is to come but again, they want to take this opportunity to reassure everyone in Beer that they will do their very best to support you.

The principal aims of BAG are simple:

  • To try and help reduce feelings of isolation and worry in our community;
  • To try and provide practical help and support to better cope with the situation we are facing;
  • To try to help to maintain our physical and mental well-being;
  • To act as a hub for sharing ideas, projects skills and expertise

 

Update so far:

  • Every road in the village now has a community coordinator and a group of willing volunteers ready to help. If you don’t know who your community coordinator is then please call Lee Reeve on 07890 948262;
  • The Beer Emergency Hub has now closed in line with the increased restrictions put in place by the government, but don’t panic! We are already working on alternative plans to make sure you can access assistance when you need it. Watch this space!
  • We will now be printing as little as possible to reduce any possible contamination and so your main resources to find out what’s going on will be:
  • If you or someone you know haven’t got access to online resources and you would like to have, please let your coordinator know and we will try to help;
  • If you would like to join BAG and help please contact your local community coordinator. Absolutely everyone is welcome! 

 

Latest information on the local facilities:

  • The Post Office will be changing its opening hours and more details will follow as soon as we have them. In the meantime, the Post Office still has lots of supplies;
  • Banking facilities – we recognise that we might face difficulties accessing cash to pay for shopping etc over the next few months and we are working hard to find a solution that both meets our needs and is also secure. More to follow;
  • The Top Shop is open daily and has a great range of Delivery options are available so just ask;
  • Beer Fisheries is open and can do some home deliveries;
  • Unfortunately, Woozies will be closing on Saturday at 4pm so please visit before Saturday as they will be clearing their shelves;
  • The Pharmacy opening hours will remain as is, namely Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday open from 09.00 – 17.30, Thursday and Saturday 09.00 –13.00. The Pharmacy will also arrange deliveries if required;
  • Friday night is now pizza night at Smugglers’ Kitchen so go online or phone in now and order yours ready for this weekend! Deliveries can be arranged;
  • Steamers will be selling fresh bread and cakes on Fridays and Sundays and will be available outside Steamers from 11.00. Steamers are also looking to produce a delicious main meal from fresh local ingredients hopefully every Tuesday and next week it is a fish pie with green vegetables. If you would like to order a meal please call the chef, Andy, on 07900 036231. Deliveries can also be arranged;
  • Winchester’s, Greendale and Dart’s Farm are also doing deliveries of supplies.

    Initiatives currently in development:

    • Shirley Carroll has designed a fabulous BAG bag and more are in production – this will be a collectors’ item!
    • The Tech Team are working on techy ways to communicate with each other as a village – if you can help with techy things please let us know;
    • The Fun Team are putting together lots of projects to upskill us all in terms of cooking, crafting, gardening and so on…
    • We are getting together a Maintenance Team who will be able to help sort any practical house related issues – if you can help let us know.

Support from our local churches:

The churches in Beer would like to offer support and help to all at this difficult time. Following the latest Government advice, both churches are now closed for time being, but contact is still available for anyone who would like it.

St Michael’s Church – please go to the website www.coastalchurch.org.uk where they have lots of information and links to services for use at home. They are investigating ways to use technology to keep people connected so please check back regularly with the website or contact Jeremy or Gayle for further details.
Rev. Jeremy Trew – 01297 20391 or jeremytrew@hotmail.com Gayle Chapple – 01297 20756 or 07794 838219

Congregational Church – they have Readings and Prayers which they are distributing to the congregation and would be very pleased to send to anyone else who would like a copy – please contact Nigel or Eileen for further details.
Rev. Nigel Freathy – 01297 22303 or nigelfreathy@hotmail.co.uk Eileen Singleton – 01297 21496

Donations:

Amazingly, we have already been asked by several people if they can donate money to help support our beautiful village through these trying times – how incredible! We are now working on a way to facilitate this and all the money that is raised will be used for projects as needed including a food bank facility.

 

More to follow in the coming weeks but we really hope you find this information useful and that it helps reassure you that help is at hand, no matter what. Take care!