In This Together

The #InThisTogether campaign aims to help everyone in Ireland to stay connected, stay active, and look after their mental health throughout the Covid-19 Emergency.

The Campaign encourages everyone to set a new daily activity which helps them to feel a little healthier or a little happier as we deal with Covid-19. It signposts useful advice to help people of every age group to cope with the ongoing restrictions, whether they are looking after children, dealing with self-isolation or cocooning.

In This Together draws together a huge range of activities that you can pursue in your home or your locality, by yourself or with family members or with friends online. There are ideas and activities for people of all ages.

A full range of supports is available online at gov.ie/together.

Some of the local wellbeing initiatives underway in Monaghan are:

 

Looking after Your mental health

 

 

Coping at home

 

 

let’s play ireland

 

 

Staying active

 

 

healthy eating

 

 

helping in the Community

 

Public Health Measures

As you know, we are seeing some increases in rate of COVID around the country, and as a result, some additional advice and restrictions have been recommended by NPHET and the Government. These measures aim to protect our priorities – caring for vulnerable people and keeping health services open. You can view the national public health measures here.

New COVID-19 TV ad:

The HSE has launched a new TV ad reminding everyone of the steps we can all take to protect ourselves and the people around us from COVID-19. Everyone has been working hard to reduce the spread of the virus but it’s important we continue to follow the public health advice. Because COVID-19 is still a problem… and we’re all the answer.

Watch the TV Ad here.

New Symptoms & Testing radio ad

The HSE new Symptoms and Testing radio ad went live at the weekend. The ad is a reminder of the symptoms of COVID-19 and the importance of taking action if you have symptoms – to self-isolate and phone your GP. The coronavirus consultation with your GP is free, as is the COVID-19 test. Getting tested quickly for coronavirus and self-isolating when you have symptoms reduces the risk of spread in the community. Listen to the radio ad on Soundcloud.

COVID-19 Schools and Parenting Resources

The HSE and the Department of Health have been supporting the Department of Education with back-to-school advice and guidance for families and schools. This includes a guide to how to approach any symptoms of cold, flu or COVID in children, and what to do next.  Parents can read this information here.

 

For more information and resources for schools and parents, please see:
www.gov.ie/backtoschool

 

For more information on protecting your child from COVID-19, please see:

www.gov.ie/adviceforparents

 

For multi-lingual resources and materials for parents/guardians and for students on returning to school, please see:

 

https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/0cf46-resources-and-materials-for-parentsguardians-and-for-students-on-returning-to-school-multi-lingual/

 

COVID-19 Nursing Homes Expert Panel: Final Report

The report contains a range of recommendations aimed at safeguarding the residents in nursing homes over the next 12-18 months and into the longer term. The report can be downloaded here.

 

Bringing Back the Sleep Routine during COVID-19

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many families have lost a sense of routine and parents have said that getting this routine right is the key to making a start on improving other unhealthy behaviours. Sleep is the cornerstone to health and wellbeing and its impact on a healthy lifestyle cannot be underestimated. The START campaign has radio and digital advertising live since 20/8/2020. You can find more information on www.makeastart.ie/ or on Twitter @safefood_net #makeastart and on Facebook.

 

The START campaign is a public health awareness campaign from safefood, the HSE and Healthy Ireland. The campaign promotes these healthy behaviours: minimise intake of foods high in fat, salt and sugar, establish water and milk as routine drinks, give child-sized portions to children, include more fruit and vegetables in their diets, increase physical activity levels, limit screen time and establish good sleep routines.

HSE Approved Guidance for Disability Services

New guidance has been issued by the HSE Disability Services:

Interim Guidance on Conducting Assessments in Disability Services

 

Guidance to Support the Resumption of Centre-Based Respite Services for people with disabilities

 

A list of all COVID-19 guidance documents developed to date can be found here.

The following webinar may be of interest to you:

Irish Cancer Prevention Network: Learning from the Past – Planning for the Future

Tuesday, September 8^th 2020, 10:00am -12:30pm

 

Speakers include

• Smoking and Cancer Prevention: Dr Fenton Howell
• Obesity and Cancer Prevention:  Dr Donal O’Shea
• HPV and Cancer Prevention: Dr Abigail Collins
• Alcohol and Cancer Prevention: Dr Sheila Gilheany

 

This webinar should be of interest to those working in the areas of health improvement, policy development, advocacy and research. It is free of charge but registration is required to secure your place

REGISTER HERE

The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring TD, and Mr Seán Canney TD, the Minister of State with responsibility for Community Development, have launched a €40 million COVID-19 support package for Community and Voluntary Organisations, Charities and Social Enterprises using Dormant Account Funds.

The support package is broken down as set out below:

·         A €35 million ‘COVID-19 Stability Fund’, administered by Pobal, will provide a level of support to community and voluntary, charity and social enterprises who are most in need and have a projected loss in their 2020 fundraising income and / or traded income of 25% or more as a result of COVID-19. The grant awarded will be dependent on the need identified and will range from €2,000 to €100,000. Details on how to apply for the COVID-19 Stability Fund are available here. The Fund is now open for applications and will close on Wednesday 20 May;

·         A €5 million government commitment to a Philanthropy Fund ‘Innovate Together’, which will focus on projects that possess innovative and adaptive solutions to existing and emerging challenges. The Innovate Together Fund will be administered by Social Innovation Fund Ireland (SIFI) with grants ranging from €20,000 to €200,000 available. Further information on the application criteria is available here 

It is  the responsibility of the organisations to ensure their eligibility and complete the application process. If the organisations have any questions or queries, they should be directed to contact Pobal and SIFI.

Commencement of Survey Work in County Monaghan for National Broadband Plan

Surveying and design works for the National Broadband Plan (NBP) rollout gets underway in Monaghan this week. National Broadband Ireland (NBI) are the company undertaking the fibre network roll-out to enable high speed internet connectivity for 537,000 premises across the country.

NBI would like the public to know that contractors will be on the ground, both inspecting and recording pictures of infrastructure such as poles, cables and underground ducts. The teams have been fully trained in physical distancing practices, hygiene, appropriate use of personal protective equipment and how to engage with the public in a safe manner – if or when required.

In Monaghan, the initial surveys will commence in the following areas: Cornacassa, Cortolvin, Rooskey, Smithborough, Ballybay, Ballinode, Stranooden, Glaslough. This is the first phase of the NBP as the surveys will enable network designs for each area, for the laying of the new high-speed fibre broadband in phase two.

4Site are the contracting company commencing this work and they will have vehicles and signage with both their own, and NBI logos. Employees will also wear hard hats and high visibility vests featuring the NBI logo. All contractors will also carry official ID cards & essential worker letters.

Should you have any further queries, please contact John McArdle, Monaghan County Council Broadband Officer, 087 2508557 or email broadbandofficer@monaghancoco.ie

 

The NBI customer call centre number is 0818 624 624 (local call rate) or email contactus@nbi.ie for any queries. For further information on the NBP see www.nbi.ie or www.broadband.gov.ie

In consideration of our community that have been cocooned over the last few weeks and as people can now exercise within 5km of their homes,  Monaghan County Council has decided to reserve access to the following parks from 9.30am to 11am each day for cocooners and the medically vulnerable.

Monaghan Town, Greenway

Monaghan Town, Peter’s lake

Clones, McGuigan Park

Ballybay, Lakeside Park

Carrickmacross, Convent Walk

 

We ask the other users of these parks to avoid using the parks at these times each day.

Thank you

Bealtaine Festival, an Age & Opportunity event, is a celebration of the arts and creativity as we age. Although we had to cancel our live and in-person events this May, we are bringing a taste of the festival to you online for the entire month of May – Bealtaine At Home.

Bealtaine At Home honours the creative spirit of the festival with a wide selection of online activities that we want you to get involved in, and share with the older people in your lives.

“The festival has moved online this year, but we have a wide variety of activities that we hope will interest older people in particular who are cocooning during this difficult time,” Karen Horgan, CEO Age & Opportunity, said. “The incredible calendar of events for Bealtaine At Home throughout the month of May reminds us that we can be creative and enjoy the arts in our homes.”

The Artistic Director of the festival, Dr Tara Byrne added: “While we were so disappointed to have to cancel the huge plans we had for our 25th Bealtaine Festival, we have managed to respond with a diverse, engaging and highly entertaining series of events to mark this extra-ordinary May!”

We will be releasing a specially commissioned Bealtaine At Home video every Wednesday in May with Pom Boyd and The Windy Lady, who invites the viewer into her home to share her surreal thoughts on self-isolation, medication, her turkey family, pigs, racing cars, buses, the moon and Vladimir Putin (or the manager in Super Valu as she knows him).

“I started making this noise in rehearsals one day and The Windy Lady came into being,” Pom Boyd, Dublin born Actor, Performer and Writer, said. “The character is born out of how older people are typically portrayed, so I’ve made sure there is subversion, anarchy and feminism going on with The Windy Lady. She’s a perfect fit for Age & Opportunity as she challenges stereotypes. You’d never know it to look at her though, you have to get to know her.”

“During Covid 19 the Windy Lady is sharing her home schooling skills, looking after her family of turkeys and sharing her collection of photographs with us, so I hope you’ll take a journey with her in these videos throughout May,” Pom said.

We’ll also be getting imaginative with artist Brian Cooney and his photography club online; we’ll be discussing literature with our book club with the help of writer Mia Gallagher and hearing from authors Michael Harding, Catherine Dunne and Neil Hegarty; we’ll be asking choirs to send in their videos from isolation to celebrate the Dawn and Dusk Chorus’s with us and much more.

In 2019 Age & Opportunity ran six artist residencies in care settings around Ireland. This May, the six artists were due to revisit their care setting for a Bealtaine celebration. This unfortunately is no longer possible, but the artists involved have all responded to this by creating an opportunity for wider engagement, inspired by their residency, including photography, drawing workshops, print at home pamphlets and videos, immersive video for those living with dementia and more. We will be sharing the creative activities of the artists involved on our website and social channels.

Make sure you keep an eye on our Bealtaine Festival website and our Facebook page for information and updates: http://bealtaine.ie/  and https://www.facebook.com/Bealtainefestival/

Interview your Grandparents

This is a challenging time for us all, it is especially challenging for those who are cocooning and those who live alone. We have all been busy calling, zooming and whats-apping! But we are all running out of news and craic to share. Monaghan Age Friendly programme has put together “Interview your Grandparents”  to help put a bit of fun into the family chats. We forget our parents and grandparents had busy fun lives long before they were parents and grandparents. This is a lovely opportunity to get to know them that little bit better. We know not everyone is lucky enough to have grandparents in their lives, you can interview anyone in your family or neighbourhood who might enjoy it.

       

From the 18th of May, the Government plans to begin the reopening of the country on a carefully managed, phased basis.

For an overview of what will happen in each phase, see Gov.ie 

Government Roadmap For Reopening Society And Business (PDF)

 

 

Those found Guilty of Illegal Dumping will be Prosecuted says Ireland’s Local Authorities.

• City and county councils record as increase in reports of illegal dumping since the introduction of Covid-19 related restrictions.
• DCCAE ring-fence €1 million for measures that will stop this activity and catch the perpetrators

 

Ireland’s local authorities, funded by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment (DCCAE), have joined forces to highlight and address the reports of increases in illegal dumping, since the introduction of Covid-19 related restrictions just over six weeks ago.

 

City and county councils have recorded in increase, as high as 40% in some areas, in the number of calls reporting illegal dumpsites during March 2020 when compared to the same time last year.

 

Complainants are reporting a number of illegal dumpsites being discovered in streets and byroads, hills and bogs, at public amenities and in private housing estates across the country.

 

In response, DCCAE has ring-fenced €1 million of the 2020 National Anti-Dumping Initiative allocation for measures that will stop this activity and catch the perpetrators.

 

Ireland’s three Waste Enforcement Regional Lead Authorities (WERLAs), who are coordinating the Local Authorities response to illegal waste activities, said those found guilty of dumping illegally with be fined or prosecuted.

 

Sean Scott, Coordinator for WERLA, Connacht Ulster Region, “The situation is being monitored continuously on the ground with specific incidents and patterns of illegal activity being investigated thoroughly. Investigations will lead to fines and possible prosecutions.

 

Mr Scott advised, “Household waste services are operating normally. We are asking householders to please use an authorised waste collector or their local civic amenity to dispose of household waste.” He also advised that leaving waste, including recyclables, on the street close to waste collection amenities is considered illegal dumping.

 

“Now, more than ever, we need to protect our environment and manage our waste responsibly.

Illegal dumping destroys our communities and it will result in fines or prosecution,” he said.

 

Persons who are found to be responsible for, or involved in, the unauthorised disposal of waste are liable to a maximum fine of €5,000 on summary conviction and/or imprisonment for up to 12 months, and to a maximum fine of €15 million on conviction on indictment and/or imprisonment for up to 10 years.

 

For more information on managing your waste, go to mywaste.ie.

COVID19 Emergency Fund

 

The COVID 19 grant is now open for applications.  All applications to be made online only at the following link: https://documents.monaghancoco.ie/forms/covid19fund

 

This grant programme is providing grants to groups that are directly involved in the Community Call response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

It is intended that the majority of the funding allocated to each Local Authority area will be ring-fenced for grants of €1,000 or less for exceptional, once-off costs incurred by community and voluntary groups associated with the Community Call initiative

 

Monaghan County Council will distribute grants on a discretionary basis to those groups/organisations involved in the Community Call COVID-19 response locally.

 

ALL APPLICATIONS ARE TO BE MADE ONLINE BY 5pm Friday 1^st May, 2020.

Information Webinars for Volunteer Directors of Owners’ Management Companies – April 28 and May 5

For more information see HousingAgency.ie: