sWe know there are some fantastic acts of kindness taking place across the UK right now. It’s been incredible to see everyone staying at home to not only stop the spreading of COVID-19, but to protect those who are currently working hard and providing essential services to everyone across the country.
We have put together a list of key information to help you during this time. Choose from the below topics to skip to your required section:
Shopping (discounts and opening times)
Education
Exercise
What to do over the bank holiday
Looking after your mental health and well being
Shops and their opening times
There are many high street shops that are showing their appreciation to key workers by offering exclusive discounts and their own dedicated shopping hours. Below is a list of the shops which have rules in place to help people during this time.
Tesco is opening all of their stores (apart from express stores) from 9am -10am for vulnerable people to carry out their shopping without any problems, you can find more about it here.
Aldi is currently hiring for staff to join their team so they can continue to get as much stock on the shelves as possible. As of Sunday 29th March, they are introducing a dedicated browsing time solely for Emergency Workers (NHS, HCA, social care workers and Fire Service) 30 minutes before opening.
Lidl are currently recruiting for 2500 staff and have a FAQ page which will answer all of your questions regarding their store opening times and other key information.
Sainsburys have allocated the hours 8am - 9am for NHS staff, social care workers, the vulnerable and the elderly.
We know many of you may just work for Thornbury Community Services but for those who work for the NHS, you can shop at Asda and Morrisons before the store opens to the public. Check out their websites for more details.
If you are looking for ways to save money on your weekly food shops, the money saving expert Martin Lewis has an article on his website
for the best places and websites to get discounts on all the essentials items you need.
Education for your children
Since schools across the UK closed on the 20th of March many parents have been trying a variety of creative ways to support their children's education. To give parents a helping hand during this time, the BBC has a website called BBCteach which has thousands of free resources for primary and secondary school students to use. They can be found here.
If you're looking for fun and engaging activities to occupy your children, the charity Scope has created Mindful Monsters, a website that aims to educate children on how to be kind and grateful. They have fun educational activity cards for your children, with over 84 to choose from, there are plenty of activities to try. To find more about Mindful Monsters and how you can get your activity cards, click here.
To support children with special educational needs and disabilities the government has put education plans in place. The plans cover children and adults up to the age of 25 and help to give more support to those who need it. If you would like to find out more,
click here.
Exercise for you and your family
There are plenty of fitness instructors who are regularly posting videos or hosting live streams of workout plans for everyone to get involved with.
The fitness expert Joe Wicks, known as “The Body Coach”, is posting live exercise videos on his YouTube channel every Monday to Friday at 9 am. The videos are a great way for families to keep fit together.
For adults and seniors, the green goddess and many other fitness instructors have social media accounts, and online videos that you can tune into to get the latest fitness tips.
By utilising the equipment and tools around you, you can make exercising at home more fun. Whether you're using a can of Heinz baked beans as weights or using your chair to balance against, there are plenty of items in the home to utilise.
What to do over the bank holiday
No matter if you're working this bank holiday, or off for the long weekend, there are plenty of ways you can keep fit and entertained.
For people living in flats and houses with smaller or no gardens, it may seem difficult to utilise the space around you, but don’t worry we have plenty of fun activities you can try whilst social distancing.
The classic games
There are many classic childhood games we have all played that will never get old. Pictionary, hide and seek, and bingo are just a few of them. There are plenty of games and activities you can try over the bank holiday weekend. Little space is required, and you may only need a few items to hand. Most games can now be played virtually so if you live on your own you can play with your friends and family online.
Yoga and exercise
As mentioned previously, there are plenty of fitness experts who are offering free online workouts to the community. They are regularly posting videos on YouTube or the television for everyone to get involved with.
Rainbows
You may have seen beautifully painted rainbows in the windows of people’s homes. Hundreds of schools are encouraging children to get creative and spread hope in the community. This is a great activity for those with younger children.
Baking
You may have noticed on social media, more and more people are spending their time baking during the lock-down. It's an activity with no limits and a great way to get creative. Whether you live on your own or with people, you can all enjoy baking and eating your delicious creations.
There are plenty of things for everyone to try over the bank holiday weekend. Many websites and apps can also help you to find ideas of games and activities to try as well. The possibilities are endless!
Mental health and well-being
Even though this will be a different period of time in your life, it’s not necessarily a bad one. See it as an opportunity to try a new hobby or build upon a current one. Many of our team are taking the opportunity to try a new hobby, such as learning Irish dancing or crocheting. With all the technology available to us, it’s important to utilise it, and make sure you keep in contact with loved ones on a regular basis.
Create a new daily routine that prioritises your mental and physical health. You could try reading a new book, or watching an interesting documentary. A lot of people are now creating their own exercise routines, as we mentioned previously, there are plenty of fitness fanatics who are sharing their knowledge with the world.
To give you a few more tips on how to look after your mental health and well-being, our sponsored charity of the year Mind, Has released a fantastic blog about looking after yourself and others during this time. They also have a web page dedicated to information regarding the virus and the actions in place, it’s worth giving both of them a read!
It would be great to see how you and your family are making the most of your time at home, send us a message on social media channels which can be found below.