Father Christmas is doing the rounds in Formby

THE Rotary Club in Formby have got Santa doing the rounds, sat in the specially converted milk float for yet another year.  It was very close to having to be cancelled, due to the Pandemic, but the hard work of the Rotary Club members and the fact we are now in Tier 2 has meant Santa can tour the village, yet again in the environmentally friendly, electric vehicle. The route Santa will use along with the start and finish locations, dates and approximate times for this week are below and can also be located on this link.  Unfortunately Santa will not be able to stop and talk to individual children, as happens in other years, due to Covid19 restrictions, but he will be waving his greetings. The next part of the 2020 tour of Formby will take place on the following nights:-  7 December, 9 December, 11 December, 13 December, 14 December, 16 December, 18 December and finishes on 20 December 2020.  Please remember collectors will not be knocking on doors and families should wave at Santa and his elves from their windows or doorsteps rather than approach the sleigh to keep within social distancing guidelines. This year you can also TXT:- 'formbysantaN' to:- '70085' to donate ₤? - Texts cost what ever you decided to put in the '₤?' txt, say... '₤1.50,' plus your networks standard rate message for 1 message.  If you wish to make a donation to Formby Rotary's charity fund you can Donate here.

ALL the way from the North Pole, Santa is making himself, at home at Dobbies Garden Centres, with his magical grotto open for families to visit in the Southport store. Open to 24 December 2020, and in partnership with Great Grottos, families can adventure through the winter wonderland, featuring faux reindeer and other animals before they meet Santa at his house checking the list of who has been naughty or nice. The safety of customers and team members is Dobbies' number 1 priority and a number of social distancing and hygiene measures are in place. Those visiting Santa's grotto will be required to wear a face covering in store, and Dobbies asks that customers come prepared with their own mask. There will also be scheduled cleaning carried out regularly throughout the day. Tickets include a visit to Santa's grotto and a gift. Santa has selected a range of toys, all suitable for different ages, with children invited to select their own present. To book your visit or to find out more, visit:- Dobbies.Com.

Our Live Santa Watch Webcam is back for 2020

THE extremely popular Santa Watch Webcam is back on our site, yet again this Christmas. This year we are extremely pleased to announce that it is being sponsored by:- Beyond-Books.Co.UK, a local online Book Shop. If you are looking for that ideal gift, why not get a book?  Also, by buying of Beyond Books Media Ltd, you will also be helping a local business to ride out the Pandemic.  Anyway, as for the webcam, it will be live again from 1pm GMT, and can be accessed via our normal link, but this year we are going to also have a link that will let you have a locked page, that will not allow access to any other sites. Plus we are extremely pleased to announce that yet again we have teamed up with emailSanta.com and a few other to be announced soon!

THE Government has announced more details of its ₤170m Covid Winter Grant Scheme, as Local Authorities begin to receive funding to support those most in need this winter.  Local allocations and guidance on how the money could be spent have now been published, as Councils get ready to support the lowest paid families over Christmas and beyond.  The Covid Winter Grants are focused on helping families buy essentials, with the guidance re-enforcing that 80% of funds are ring fenced to be spent on food, energy and water bills.  Councils can decide the best method of support, but this could include, for example:- direct payments to individuals, providing meals directly, cascading funds to food distribution charities, or providing food vouchers. Councils will receive half of their allocated funding from today, allowing them to put support in place ahead of the Christmas period. The remainder of the funds will be given in 2021, as the scheme is designed to run until the end of March 2021. The money will be distributed to Local Authorities based on population size, whilst also weighting for deprivation in the local area.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Thérèse Coffey said:-  "No 1 should go hungry or be unable to pay their bills this winter. By empowering Local Authorities who know their areas best, this scheme ensures families are warm and well fed this Christmas. This adds to the wide range of support already available, including ₤9.3 billion of additional welfare support to help families in need during the pandemic, along with mortgage holidays, support for renters, and billions in income support through the furlough scheme."

The Government has encouraged Local Authorities receiving funding to engage with lower tier Councils and other organisations immediately to ensure any local eligibility and funding criteria are in place;  and the Government expects that they will be ready to help feed families as soon as the money arrives. Councils are in an excellent position to quickly and accurately identify families in their local area most in need of support.  The ₤170m is for Local Authorities in England only. Devolved Administrations have received equivalent funding through the upfront funding guarantee we have provided, which was recently increased to ₤16bn for the year to support their Covid19 response. This is all part of the Government's long term plan to tackle poor health, hunger and education. In addition to the Covid Winter Grant Scheme, from Easter 2021 the Holiday Activities and Food Fund will be expanded with ₤220m of funding to cover the major school holidays that year. This will help disadvantaged children get healthy food and take part in fun and enriching activities.  Healthy Start scheme payments are also set to increase from ₤3.10 to ₤4.25 a week from next April, and the government has pledged additional funding of ₤16m for food distribution charities. 

The full guidance for Local Authorities can be found on Gov.UK.