I WANT to once again thank everyone for getting in touch with me and the council with their thoughts and their ideas surrounding the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Please do keep them coming, we want to hear from you. We are putting out city briefings and updating the council website with advice and guidance every day, so do check the website for information and how to access help. I know lots of you are worried about your jobs and financial security at this difficult time, so I want to highlight some of the key information and support that is available.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme means employers can claim 80 per cent of furloughed staff’s usual monthly wage costs up to £2,500. The Government measures to support businesses and their employees through this crisis also include: statutory sick pay relief for small and medium sized enterprises, a 12-month business rates holiday for all retail, leisure and hospitality businesses, and a Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme to help with short-term cash flow support.

There is also support available for self-employed workers who have lost income due to Covid-19, which allows you to claim a taxable grant worth 80 per cent of your trading profits up to £2,500 a month. The council is already paying out business grants and is working hard to ensure all small businesses and their workers benefit as quickly as possible from them. Check the council and government websites for more details, as you or your employers may be eligible for some of the support measures outlined above.

These could ensure your job is safe and you still receive an income even if your place of work has had to close its doors due to Covid-19. You can also ask your trade union what additional support is available, and if you’re not a member of one please consider joining.

The council website also has links to useful guides to help with managing finances throughout the pandemic. One of these is produced by the debt charity Step Change and has loads of helpful explanations and advice on how to access government support and benefits. If you’re able to help others, we want to hear from you too. I’m really proud of your efforts to support elderly and vulnerable residents across the city already. We are also asking for donations to help support the vulnerable in our community through this difficult time.

The council is making an urgent appeal for donations of unused Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Things like protective gloves, goggles, masks and hand sanitiser. The details are on our website. These are key to allowing our care workers to keep caring for the most vulnerable and to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. Donations can be taken directly to Hove Town Hall between 7am and 7pm Monday to Friday, whilst keeping a safe social distance of course.

People in the city are also being asked to return specialist rehabilitation equipment they are no longer using as soon as possible. Hospital-style beds, mattresses, hoists, electric reclining chairs, perching stools and commodes, for example. This equipment is vital to helping the NHS during this crisis, so please email enquiries@brightonandhove.nrs.uk.net to arrange a collection.

We are looking for more freezer space. We’re working with the Food Partnership and 60 local community groups across the city to provide food to those that need it most. As part of this effort, our partner organisations are asking for more freezer space to store food for individuals in need, as well as food banks. Both chest and industrial freezers are needed by organisations, with a preference for those being contributed by the catering trade. Please email janet@eastbrightonfoodcoop.uk if you can help.

I know it is really tough staying indoors as the weather gets warmer and sunnier, but even more so for those of you with small children. And how do you explain coronavirus to your children without making them anxious? Young Minds have put together ten tips on how to help children make sense of what is happening right now.

Meanwhile, how about doing the Cosmic Kids Yoga together to let off steam? It is great. You exercise along to a story... my favourite is Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (hey, who said grown-ups couldn’t have some fun too) There’s a link to the videos on the council website, and with more than one million views on many, what greater recommendation do you need? Once you have exhausted all the stories, you can try out the five-minute workout from The Body Coach. Let’s keep supporting each other and asking for support when we need it, and we’ll come through this stronger for it.