DISTRACTION BURGLARIES

Officers investigating a series of distraction burglaries in Ilkeston and Sandiacre want to speak to this man in relation to the incidents. The series of crimes, which has 25 victims, is believed to have begun in September and are being linked by officers. In each of the crimes the man, who is said to speak with a local accent, knocks on the door giving a story about needing money – he has then entered some of the homes uninvited and stolen money.

The man is targeting elderly victims, with the two oldest women in their 90s. Officers are appealing for information about the man pictured who was seen in the area of a number of the incidents in the series. They are also appealing on friends and family of elderly and vulnerable people to remind them of safety messaging around answering the door to strangers.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Derbyshire police using any of the below methods, including reference 20*616474:

·         Facebook – send us a private message to /DerbyshireConstabulary

·         Twitter – direct message our contact centre on @DerPolContact

·         Website – complete the online contact form derbyshire.police.uk/Contact-Us.

·         Phone – call us on 101.

VACCINATIONS BEGIN IN LONG EATON

GPs began vaccinating patients against Covid-19 at Long Eaton Health Centre, in Midland Street. Long Eaton on Tuesday, December 22nd. They have started inviting priority patients to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. People should wait to be contacted about their vaccination, and do not need to visit or contact their GP about the vaccine. Initially vaccinations are being provided for those aged 80 and over, as well as care home workers and residents, identified as priority groups for the life-saving vaccine. GP Practices in Long Eaton will using Long Eaton Health Centre as their vaccination hub, and some patients will be asked to attend the Health Centre for their vaccine rather than their usual GP practice.

SAWLEY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION GET £1000

Derbyshire County Councillor for Sawley, Cllr Kewal Singh Athwal was requested for a financial grant assistance to purchase a new cooker for the Sawley Community Hall based on Draycott Road in Sawley. This hall was built in 1958 in memory of local servicemen who gave their lives in the 1st and 2nd world wars and it is widely used by many local organisations, along with individuals living in the Sawley area.

Mark Williams, Chairman of Sawley Community Association said;

“On behalf of the Association I would like to thank Cllr Athwal for the £1000 grant, it is much appreciated and will allow us to replace our existing cooker which has been well used over the years. The Sawley Before and After Club use the cooker daily providing meals for children, additionally we have several groups who make use of it on a regular basis including as diverse a selection as the Association warming up mince pies for the Salvation Army Carol Service, the parents making treats for the children’s birthday parties, and even families preparing food for Wedding receptions.” 

Councillor Kewal Singh Athwal said:

“I am aware that this community asset is well used by our local residents for many different types of activities and I am very pleased to have been able to assist with a grant funding of £1000 from the DCC Members Leadership Scheme.”

LONG EATON UNITED REACH FOURTH ROUND IN THE FA VASE

BY ROB MCNEIL

Long Eaton United will face Hellenic Football League Premier Division side Westfields FC at Grange Park in the Buildbase FA Vase Fourth Round Proper.

The Hellenic Football League side overcame Nottinghamshire based step six side Radford FC in the previous round of the Vase. Fields walked away from the HBW Arena as 5-0 victors, thanks to goals from Sirdic Grant, Keanu Cooper, Henry Dyde, and a brace from Richard Greaves. The Blues earned their spot in the Fourth Round Proper, after beating Hanley Town 2-0 at the weekend. A poachers goal from Alex Marshall, and an unbelievable byline half-volley from Jamie Walker, put the 2020 Blues squad in the history books - taking Long Eaton into the Fourth Round of the FA Vase for the first time in the clubs' history. Both sides have only ever met in the FA Vase once before, back in 2004/05 when the Blues travelled to Herefordshire and beat the Fields 2-1 to take them into the Second Round. The winner of this tie will set a new record for the furthest point they have reached in this competition. Grange Park is expected to play host to the cup tie on Saturday 9th January 2021 with a 3.00 pm kick-off.

PAYING OUT BUSINESS GRANTS

The roll-out of the latest support grants is continuing, with nearly £680,000 in total so far paid out to more than 500 businesses in Erewash hit by the financial impact of the pandemic. The council is working flat-out to process applications and get the money into the bank accounts of businesses as quickly as possible. This week Councillor Wayne Major, Erewash Borough Council’s Deputy Leader and Lead Member for Resources, sent a message to the local business community:

“We know some businesses have found it frustrating having to wait for their grants, but I can assure everyone that we are working as quickly as we can to issue this support – which we know is much needed by our small businesses. At the end of the day, this funding is taxpayers’ money and it is our duty and our responsibility to ensure all applications are properly checked and approved. The good news is the money is being rolled out and I would continue to urge eligible businesses to apply for support. We are here to help.”

 Since the start of the pandemic in March, nearly £21m of support in total has been awarded to businesses in the borough and a further £1m in discretionary grants to small businesses not eligible for other support – with that total now increasing daily as the council pays out the latest government-funded grants. The latest grants cover businesses affected by the recent national lockdown that ended on the 2 December and those that had to close or remained open but suffered serious financial impact under Tier 2 and Tier 3 restrictions. In addition, applications have opened giving businesses that do not pay business rates the opportunity to apply for an Additional Restrictions Grant. This is aimed at micro and small businesses in Erewash that have not previously been eligible for COVID-19 support. Details of all the grants available can be found at www.erewash.gov.uk and businesses are advised to register for a My Erewash business account at the website where full details of the grants’ criteria and online application forms are available.