Laura Barrett

The Young Carers Team at York Carers Centre have asked us to help with delivery of pancake making kits to their young people.

This week is half-term holiday for schools and York Carers Centre is doing an extra pancake making and decorating activity session. The session for young carers aged 5 to 18 is designed to give them a break from caring responsibilities and a boost to their wellbeing. This is crucial as a way of helping them to maintain both their own wellbeing and their caring roles, which in turn takes some of the pressure off health and social care services.

There are 28 pancake making kits, each consisting of a small bag of ingredients with some sauces and sweets and an apron.

We will require 8 people for this task, as the addresses are well spread out across the city. You are okay to deliver solo, or in pairs.

The kits will be ready for collection from an address on Beckfield Lane, YO26 5AT on Sunday 14th and Monday 15th February between 11am and 6pm (the exact address will be emailed to you directly).

Delivery addresses: Each runner will be allocated 1-4 addresses (some addresses are very remote).

We are asked to deliver these kits to young carers by end of Monday 15th Feb.

I've recently discovered Turf, an awesome app-based game which gives you a reason to walk, run or cycle more in your local area.

Basically there are GPS locations that you go to and 'claim' by standing in them for 15-20 seconds, then once you have claimed the turf, you score points and you keep scoring points until someone else steals it from you. Find out more about the game and the rules here.

It's a game that's 100% more fun with more people, and so far I think it's mainly me, someone who appears to work at the University and a sneaky someone who may or may not be Jeff (it's definitely Jeff).

So I thought this coming weekend, let's all get involved and maybe take your daily exercise to a slightly new (but still local) area... and if we're really lucky we'll see each other out and about.

Potentially last of the popular series... gosh it's so cold today!

We were asked by Kristina, the Council's Environment and Community Officer to help with gritting paths across West Bank Park during the approaching cold snap. The plan is for us to visit on an evening and sprinkle grit on all paths across the park. City of York Council staff members will be checking paths the next morning, before opening the park to the public.

We have a key to the gate and the tools store where the gritting equipment is kept. Eboracum Security will be coming to close the park gates around 7pm, but they have been made aware that we will be on site. We will have to lock the gate after we are finished.

IMPORTANT

To avoid slipping and falling on a frozen surface walk using small steps and try to have both feet on the ground as much as you can. Wear shoes with good grip. It will be cold, so try warming up before coming to the task.

Bring your gardening gloves and a head torch, as it will be dark.

It is crucial that we all follow the latest COVID-19 guidance while at the task.

This task is classed as essential in order to keep the park open for its users.

Meet by the James Backhouse Place gate.