Four important messages ahead of this Bank Holiday weekend
Released on May 5, 2020
- Help is available
- Friday’s waste collections moved to Saturday
- Stay at home – get gardening
- VE day celebrations at home
1. Help is available
Our support service for people who need urgent help as a result of current government guidelines will be running over the weekend.
Our support line is open Bank Holiday Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 5pm each day.
Please don’t wait until the last minute to call us as the bank holiday might make it more difficult to get hold of the items you need. Our advice is to think ahead.
The first step if you need help is to check with your friends or family, or a trusted neighbour. If they can’t help, then your local volunteer group might be able to and, if you have no success with either, please don’t hesitate to call or email us.
Call us on 01235 422 600 or email communitysupport@southandvale.gov.uk
For more information on how you can find more help and support, please see our Coronavirus community support pages – southoxon.gov.uk/covid19 or whitehorsedc.gov.uk/covid19
2. Friday’s waste collection moved to Saturday
If your waste collection is usually on a Friday, then this week’s collection day will change to give our collection crews the bank holiday off. Instead, we’ll come and empty your bins on Saturday 9 May – these collections will start at 6am so we recommend putting your bins out the night before.
To find out more head to our website – visit whitehorsedc.gov.uk/bankholiday or southoxon.gov.uk/bankholiday
3. Extra garden waste collections
If you’re a garden waste customer, this weekend’s the time to spend getting it in shape. As we’ll be collecting one extra bin’s worth of garden waste on your first brown bin week after the bank holiday. A bin’s worth of waste is around three large bin bags, which you should leave next to your brown bin on your usual collection day during:
- week commencing 11 May – Vale of White Horse
- week commencing 18 May – South Oxfordshire
4. VE Day celebrations at home
It’s tempting to go out and visit friends and family during a Bank Holiday weekend, but its important we remain at home and follow the national guidelines.
This weekend everybody has a great reason to stay at home to take part in the national ‘at home’ celebrations to commemorate 75th anniversary of VE Day this Friday.
We’re asking everyone in our district to ‘make it red, white and blue’ this weekend to help mark what’s an important date in our history. Residents can get involved by baking and make red, white and blue, cakes, buns or muffins, or dress your front garden, house, car, pet or lockdown partners up in red, white and blue. Take photos and share them on social media to show your celebrations.
The VE Day website has heaps of information on how you and your household can get involved at home. It has dedicated educational packs that you can use to teach your children all about why we’re celebrating, and there’s a party toolkit that includes print off bunting and posters to display in your home and windows. They’ve set up a few special events that people can join in from home including an afternoon tea with recipe ideas from celebrity bakers such as Bake-Off host Prue Leith and previous winner Nadiya Hussain, and a 1940s musical play list.
Head to the VE Day website to download your educational packs and a toolkit.
Cllr Sue Cooper, Leader of South Oxfordshire district council, said, “This is the perfect weekend to get out in your garden and deal with your unwanted weeds and hedge clippings. For residents who are signed up to our brown bin collections, our extra-large garden waste collections start from 18 May for South residents.”
Cllr Emily Smith, Leader of Vale of White Horse district council, said, “It is a shame that plans for the bank holiday have had to change, but there are lots of events on TV and online to help us mark commemorate Victory in Europe Day. I look forward to spotting some red, white and blue bunting and other decorations while on my daily exercise”
