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Herewith YOUR local services. We all strive to make Sywell a better place to live, work and visit. Our website includes a wealth of information about how we conduct business and what we do in and for our village. Use 'enter keyword' to search or browse the site to find whatever you are looking for. If you can't find the information you require then please contact the Parish Clerk.
Latest News
Message from Anglian Water - Pitsford Reservoir Closed
I wanted to give you an update on the difficult decision we have taken to keep Pitsford Water closed to the public for the time being.At Anglian Water we know our leisure attractions are loved by many but the health and safety of our colleagues and visitors is our top priority. Therefore, Pitsford Water will remain closed over the bank holiday and during half term, and we are asking everyone to respect the difficult decision we have needed to make.In preparation for the potential influx of people attempting to visit Pitsford Water this weekend, we have worked with local Highways teams to install temporary signage on access routes to Pitsford, warning drivers that the site is closed to the public. We are also working closely with local councils and media to share this message.Balancing the needs and wishes of all our active communities is always a challenge and we are all as keen as each other to get back to some sense of normality. We are working on plans to reopen our parks as soon as we are confident we can do so safely. As a tourism venue, we are unlike a regular park, with additional factors to consider, and we must be certain that we can meet all the guidance on social distancing.Protecting our staff has been at the forefront of our minds since the lockdown began, even though hundreds are out working every day to keep essential services flowing. We don't want our colleagues to face abuse as has sadly been the case recently. It's also very important to us to make sure our park staff are not being expected to police visitors or manage social distancing with crowds either.I hope this explains our current situation, but rest assured, we are working hard to be in a position to reopen Pitsford Water as soon as we can and it is safe to do so.
Posted: Thu, 21 May 2020 13:05 by Maureen Holliday
A message from the Northamptonshire Libraries
message from the Northamptonshire Libraries and Information Service:
We are all keen to open as soon as we can safely do so, but do need to have a consistent and planned approach to this across all our libraries.
Each library is going to be slightly different of course, depending on the physical layout, but there will be guidelines for all to follow.
Please be assured that we will share our procedures with you all when we can. More »
On-line Rhymetimes:
We know how important it is for families to be able to entertain their youngsters at this time. We're posting Craft activities and Rhymetimes on the Northamptonshire Libraries YouTube channel. During this period of social distancing library staff are recording Rhymetimes and are uploading them on to our YouTube page, so if anyone is missing their weekly fix of interactive singing please go to the link below and join in!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2ouq9dvlOGwIOV11Jvm8Vw
Facebook Pages:
Library staff are continuing to keep customers updated on the library offer through individual library Facebook pages. Check them out for some great craft and quizzing activities! If you have your own Facebook pages, please use these to keep your customers informed – like the Library Facebook pages too, so they have up to date information. As we have said before, if you do not currently have a Facebook page and/or your own website, now is a good time to get them up and running. Please let us know if you have recently set one up as we can get AnswersPlus Team to add it to your Tile on the NCC website.
eBooks now available through Libby:
We've seen a huge increase in people signing up for Virtual membership and use of e resources. We are investing in additional e resources all the time to satisfy demand.
We recently launched our new eAudiobook service, Libby by Overdrive, and we have now developed the service further by adding eBooks as well! We have started with an opening collection of more than 1200 titles and have also created a special collection for CILIP's National Shelf Service which means you can find fantastic titles recommended by professional librarians all in one place!
We are of course offering all this in addition to BorrowBox, so please don't worry, BorrowBox is going nowhere!
To use Libby, simply download the app from your app store. In the Libby app, follow the prompts to find your library and search Northamptonshire Libraries. Enter your library card number (with the D in front and no spaces) and 4 digit PIN number.
Libby also has some great features:
• Users can download up to a total of 5 loans across the collection made up of eBooks or eAudiobooks, or a combination of both.
• Within Libby there is a great support section with a guide to using the app
• Users can tag eBooks and eAudiobooks that they want to read, love or dislike
• Users can vary the speed of eAudiobooks, set a sleep timer and more
• Hold redelivery option - when a hold (reserve) becomes available, a user will receive a notification and have 3 days to pick up the hold. The user can then borrow the hold, have it delivered later, or cancel it
• Users can choose their own loan period – 7,14 or 21 days but the default is set to 21 days
For more information about Libby and all our e-lending services visit our library online.
Here's a reminder of the key facts:
• Library users need their library card number and PIN to register and use the service
• Users can download up to a total of 5 loans and 5 holds (reserves) across the collection made up of eBooks or eAudiobooks, or a combination of both.
• Within Libby there is a great support section with a guide to using the app
• Users can tag eBooks and eAudiobooks that they want to read, love or dislike
• Users can vary the speed of eAudiobooks, set a sleep timer and more
• Hold redelivery option - when a hold becomes available, a user will receive a notification and have 3 days to pick up the hold. The user can then borrow the hold, have it delivered later, or cancel it
• Users can choose their own loan period – 7,14 or 21 days but the default is set to 21 days
For The Love Of Books:
For the Love of Books – don't forget this challenge is still ongoing. If you're struggling to choose from our huge array of e books, there are different challenges posted regularly to widen your reading choices. Find the latest challenge and join in on the Facebook page.
Many of you may have heard about it or even taking part in the challenge! Basically, from 7 October 2019 to 30 September 2020, Northamptonshire Libraries are challenging you to read, or listen to, 25 books.
• discover new authors
• rediscover your love of reading
• share online
If you are stuck trying to find something to read try The Book Doctor. This is an online service to help you find a new reading Mojo. You can also post reviews of books and download your own personal reading log.
https://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/councilservices/library-service/Pages/for-the-love-of-books.aspx
Find My Past at home:
Find My Past is now available to access from home. After speaking to Find My Past and Information Governance internally, an extra disclaimer has been added regarding search history being visible: "Please be aware your search history will be visible to other users, so if you are uncomfortable with this, please do not use the service"
Customers who are interested in this service need to email answersplus@firstforwellbeing.co.uk and they will provide login information and instructions. We are not permitted to share login details publicly on social media.
There are a few things customers need to be aware of:
• Users will not be able to log into their personal Find My Past account to use the library subscription as they normally would via IP address recognition whilst in the library premises.
• Please be aware your search history will be visible to other users, so if you are uncomfortable with this, please do not use the service.
• Additionally, for privacy reasons, users should not start or update their own family trees on this account. Instead they should register/sign into their own personal account with Find My Past (which will require their own purchase of subscription or credits to access records within their own account).
• Users must not share the login details we give them publicly.
• Multi-user access is enabled on the subscription but there is a fair usage policy in place and a limited number of records that can be accessed monthly, so we ask that users are selective and only access records they need for their research.
Coronavirus Archive - Keep Calm and write a diary!
The Northamptonshire Archives and Heritage Service sent out a request for anyone to contact them about keeping a diary during the current time reflecting personal thoughts and feelings for the archives. This will provide a permanent record for future generations to learn from and will feature experiences of people in lockdown, stories from local keyworkers and how Northamptonshire companies adapted their skills to help with Covid-19 crisis.
Phil decided to contact them and offer to keep a diary having never kept a diary in his life before!
"I read History at University and have always appreciated the value of personal archives, we have plenty of 'history from above' but not so much 'history from below', so I thought I could in a small way add to the archive. I am keeping a hand-written almost daily diary which I have to admit is quite cathartic! It takes some discipline, which those of you keep diaries appreciate, and I write it at the end of each day and it does genuinely allow me to bring my thoughts in to focus. Even if you don't intend to hand it in to the archives have a think about keeping one, it helps."
Here is the link if you'd like to join in and record your own lockdown experiences:
https://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/news/council-news/Pages/northamptonshire-archives-service-to-make-covid-19-diary.aspx » Less
Posted: Wed, 20 May 2020 12:52 by Maureen Holliday
Fraudsters Calling Northamptonshire Residents Pretending To Be Police Officers
Detectives from Northamptonshire Police's Fraud Team are warning local residents of a scam in which people are pretending to be police officers in order to steal money and personal details.
In April 2020, the Force received 12 reports of fraudsters posing as police officers in an attempt to commit courier fraud. Those targeted were aged between 70 and 89, and their total financial losses were £7,100. More »
Courier fraud involves fraudsters telephoning a potential victim,
claiming to be from their bank, the police or another law enforcement authority, and tricking them into revealing their PIN number, bank card and personal details.
They often do this by claiming that they need help with an ongoing fraud investigation, or that they have arrested someone who has cloned the victim's bank cards.
These fraudsters commonly target the elderly and will sometimes even turn up in person to collect cash from their victims.
Detective Sergeant Tim Craven, said: "Criminals are experts at
impersonating people, organisations and the police. They spend hours researching you for their scams, hoping you'll let your guard down for just a moment. Stop and think. It could protect you and your money.
"We are encouraging everyone to help us spread the word about this kind of scam to prevent any more people in our county being taken in by it.
"Please tell your friends and relatives, especially the elderly ones,
that if they receive a telephone call of this kind, they should never
give out any information or agree to assist the caller, however plausible they may seem.
"A police officer will never ever ask for money under any circumstances and they will also not mind you wanting to ring 101 to verify their details. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you."
If you are approached unexpectedly remember to:
- Stop: Taking a moment to think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe.
- Challenge: Could it be fake? It's ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.
- Protect: Contact your bank immediately if you think you've fallen victim to a scam and report it to Action Fraud.
The police, or your bank, will never ask you to withdraw money or
transfer it to a different account. They will also never ask you to
reveal your full banking password or PIN.
Confirm requests are genuine by using a known number to contact organisations directly. The police non-emergency number is 101. For your bank, use the number printed on your bank statement or bank card. Use a different phone to make this call whenever possible as fraudsters can keep phone lines open.
Message Sent By
Kelly Noble (Police, Social Media Engagement Officer, Corporate
Communications, Countywide) » Less
Posted: Wed, 20 May 2020 12:11 by Maureen Holliday
