Charlton House has been used as a vaccination centre since December
Pfizer vaccines against Covid-19 will be available to all adults at Charlton House tomorrow and Friday as the drive to get as many people inoculated as possible steps up.
All over-18s in Greenwich borough will be able to get first or second jabs from 2pm to 6pm on Thursday; with the clinic also open from 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 6pm on Friday.
Hundreds of people got their jabs at The Valley last weekend in a mass vaccination event for over-40s, and the stadium will opening its gates once again this Saturday. This time, over-18s from all SE London boroughs will be eligible with Pfizer jabs on offer.
The Valley is one of a number of London stadiums to be pressed into service for mass vaccination days, with queues also forming at Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham last weekend.
Vaccinators – including Greenwich Council leader Danny Thorpe – at The Valley last Saturday (photo: twitter.com/royal_greenwich)
Anyone who has not had a jab can book via their GP or the NHS website.
There are also daily walk-up sessions for over-40s from across SE London at Guy’s Hospital and St Thomas’ Hospital from 8pm to 7pm, and sessions every Tuesday and Friday from 8am to 4pm at Lewisham Hospital. Greenwich borough residents over 40 can also get jabs from 8am to 2pm daily at Woolwich Late Night Pharmacy on General Gordon Square.
More details of clinics across Greenwich and other SE London boroughs – some are being organised at short notice – are on the NHS SE London website.
Thursday update: We’ve been told by one attendee and by volunteers at the clinic that there has been a “miscommunication” and second jabs are not available.
The season might be over, but The Valley is set for socially-distanced crowds on Saturday
Charlton Athletic’s stadium will become a mass vaccination centre for one day on Saturday – with all Greenwich borough residents who have not yet had a jab invited to the drop-in session.
The first 1,000 people at The Valley between 8am and 8pm will get a free ticket for a future Charlton match, with other prizes on offer during the day.
While The Valley has been open to locals with appointments for jabs since March, Saturday will be the first time its gates have been flung open for all, with people set to queue up around the pitch to get their vaccine.
AstraZeneca vaccines will be on offer for those over 40; under-40s will also be able to get the jab but will need a clinical assessment first. People who have had their first vaccine eight weeks ago but not yet had their second are also invited. More details are on the Greenwich Council website.
While nearly 80 per cent of the UK population have had one at least one jab, that figure falls to 60 per cent in Greenwich. While London has a comparatively younger population, there is still some ground to be made up in older age groups – nearly a quarter of people aged 50 to 55 in Greenwich have still not had a jab, according to Public Health England data.
Pop-up clinics are taking place around the borough with other vaccines, often at short notice – today will see Pfizer jabs offered to over-25s at the Clockhouse community centre on the Woolwich Dockyard estate from 9am to 4.30pm.
Pfizer vaccines will also be offered at the Wallace health centre in Clarence Road, Deptford, on Wednesday; the Amal Pharmacy in Greenwich Millennium Village on Thursday and Sutcliffe Park Sports Centre in Eltham on Friday.
In addition, the Woolwich Late Night Pharmacy in General Gordon Square is offering AstraZeneca vaccines to over-40s every day from 8am to 2pm until July 25.
The estate ball court is one of Evie’s proudest achievements
Evie Hoyte has been looking out for the people of Woodville Estate, next to the Sun-in-the-Sands roundabout, for 50 years. She spoke to SAM DAVIES about the unique challenges she’s faced in the past 12 months.
“Twenty-seven people live along here, but you wouldn’t think so.” Evie Hoyte is showing me round the Woodville Estate at a social distance. “I’ve been doing it for a long long time, just keeping an eye on the community. It’s a little, closed-in place. But it’s not closed in.”
It’s a grey, locked-down Saturday and there aren’t many people about, but Evie seems happy right where she is. She gestures proudly towards her neighbours’ flats and a sports area with a goal and a basketball hoop. It’s clear she welcomes visitors.
Sitting just off the Sun-in-the-Sands roundabout in Blackheath, the Woodville Estate has been included as part of Greenwich Council’s neighbourhood champions scheme, which is targeting communities in and around Charlton as well as a Plumstead, Woolwich and Thamesmead.
Launched in November, the programme links volunteers with community leaders and organises regular check-in sessions with the aim of making sure everyone is alright. As someone who has been active in her community for over half a century, Evie was a natural fit.
Evie’s taken an interest in her community ever since moving to London from Trinidad aged 21. She worked as a nurse for most of her adult life and brought her children up on the Woodville Estate, watching them grow up and eventually move away to have kids of their own. When she retired from nursing in 2003, she started working in social services, then finally settled into full retirement in 2011.
The secluded estate lies just off the Sun-in-the-Sands roundabout
But she’s never been one to put her feet up. “I thought what am I going to do now?” she says. “I can’t be just squiggling my fingers and doing nothing. And this is when I started getting absolutely involved with the community.”
She helped install an allotment, allowing Woodville residents to grow their own fruit and veg, as well as a garden, which Evie looks after along with some of her neighbours. Her proudest achievement is the Woodville sports court. A decade ago the estate had a five-a-side football pitch around the corner from where it is now. But it wasn’t visible from the balconies of overlooking flats, meaning kids often felt more inclined to cause trouble there. Evie was instrumental in securing council funding to get a new court built in the middle of the estate.
“We deliberately made it open,” she says. “So that the teenagers don’t sit in a little cubbyhole and make mischief.” Because it is so secluded, Woodville was once an appealing spot for drug dealers. “But we were keeping an eye on things,” says Evie. “And if there was any anti-social behaviour, we would report it to the council.”
The sports court has been popular with people from all over, and Evie talks glowingly about visitors. “I am really really proud of the outside world coming in,” she says. “The other day I saw a gentleman with four kids and they were having such fun. I thought, that’s brilliant, because he was a complete stranger and he didn’t know this was here.” Charlton Athletic have even sent football coaches to Woodville to host games for kids.
Behind the sports court is a cluster of noticeably more modern buildings. This is a gated accommodation project, built recently, with houses available at prices considerably higher than those of the rest of the estate. The council consulted Woodville residents like Evie before granting planning permission to the project. While they got the green light, Evie says she’s had next to no contact with her new neighbours.
During the pandemic, Evie has tried to maintain a close relationship with the council. But at 77, she’s not especially keen on Zoom — where most of the neighbourhood champions’ meetings take place. “When we used to have participation meetings, we used to meet 10, 15 people, and everybody brings something to the table from where they live,” she says. “But now people depend on Skypeing and doing Zoom and all of that. So we don’t get involved as much as we used to.”
Instead she focuses on her immediate community, regularly knocking on doors and catching up with her neighbours from a safe distance. “All my neighbours know me,” she says. “If they need anything, if they want me to help, I put myself forward.” If anyone has a serious problem, Evie conveys it to the council through a younger, more technically-minded neighbour, who takes part in the Charlton neighbourhood champions’ meetings.
Evie Hoyte, left, is looking forward to seeing more of neighbours on the Woodville Estate like Val in the future
She admits that her social network has shrunk in the past year, making it hard to keep track of people she used to be in regular contact with. “Probably some people not well,” she says. “Probably some of them died, I don’t know.” Of Woodville’s 27 residents, so far nobody has had the virus. Evie has managed to stay safe, mostly keeping to herself except for trips to the supermarket with her daughter.
She has had her first dose of the vaccine already and is expecting her second soon. She says everyone on the estate has been sensible in adhering to the government’s lockdown measures. “You feel proud of people following the rules without you telling them to do it.”
Evie’s now looking forward to a post-pandemic world. “In the summertime, it really is buzzing,” she says, remembering barbecues from previous years. For now she remains positive. “Yes I am. Because I wanted to get back on my feet and get back out and do my work and do my allotment and do my exercises — all of these things that you cannot be doing, but we’re all thinking positive. And there’s always light at the end of the tunnel and I think the light is nearly on our doorstep.”
If you are in Charlton and want to become a neighbourhood champion, email kelly-ann.ibrahim[at]royalgreenwich.gov.uk.
SAM DAVIES is a journalist who has written for Dazed, DJ Mag, the Guardian, the i, Mixmag, Pitchfork, Readers Digest and Vice. He co-hosts the podcast Exit The 36 Chambers.
This is the last of a series of stories published here and on our sister site 853 about how SE London’s communities have reacted to the coronavirus pandemic. See all the stories published over the past year.
You can help the area bounce back from the pandemic
Want to have your say in who gets grants for projects to help people in Charlton? Sign up for Community Voting Day and you can do just that.
Last month, we reported how community groups and individuals could apply for grants of up to £2,000 each for projects to help Charlton bounce back from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
Now you can sign up to help decide who gets the money in a 90-minute online meeting to be held at 10.45am on Saturday 27 March.
The details of the groups and people involved are a tightly-guarded secret – you’ll have to sign up to find out who they are – but they’ll all relate in some way to health and wellbeing. The scheme is being run for Greenwich Council’s public health team.
You’ll be able to watch the groups pitch for your vote – think of it as like Dragon’s Den, only it’ll be full of your neighbours rather than irritating bigheads. In fact, if you can spare a chunk of your Saturday morning, you’ll be guaranteed to find out a lot more about your local area and the people who live in it. You might even find a project you want to help yourself.
Good luck to all those taking part – we’ll bring you news of the winners after the event.
(Declaration of interest: We’re not affiliated with anyone taking part in the event, but we have had a small hand in discussions about making it happen.)
Funding could be used to help people in Charlton get out and about
Community Voting Day is coming to Charlton on Saturday March 27. Greenwich Council has a pot of government money to spend on community health and wellbeing schemes in SE7 as part of its response to the pandemic. GAYLE WALLACE, who is running the scheme, explains…
Individuals and organisations are encouraged to apply for ‘small grant’ funding of up to £500 or ‘larger grant’ funding of up to £2,000, to provide projects that will improve health and wellbeing in the local area.
The criteria for funding applications have been set by local residents from the Charlton Neighbourhood Delivery Team, who have been championing health in the community for some time.
This is a unique opportunity, as it will be local residents in this area who will vote to decide which projects will be successful through an online (lockdown compliant) Community Voting Day, based on the principle of participatory budgeting. This will be held on Saturday March 27 (time to be decided). It’ll be a community-style Dragons Den.
The funding is being dispensed through the Royal Borough of Greenwich. I have been commissioned by the council to deliver the Community Voting Day process for this area.
Residents and organisations have the opportunity to gain funding through making an application outlining a project that they wish to deliver (based on the criteria set by the local community).
As well as organisations, we are actively encouraging individuals with great ideas, enthusiasm, and the energy to deliver, to apply. To support this aim we are also looking for organisations willing to play the role of an umbrella/sponsor organisation for an individual or small group that has a good idea but may not be constituted.
The application forms will be available shortly, with a final decision being made (as to who gets the funding) at the community voting day to be held on March 27, to which all from the community would be invited to take part.
Training will be available to help those interested in applying to help them formulate their project ideas, complete application forms, and to make a great presentation to the local community.
If you have any further queries regarding this funding, please do feel free to contact me at gayle.wallace[at]btconnect.com or call me on 078144 22696 for a brief discussion.
An update in the coronavirus emergency from Greenwich Council’s public health team, with special advice on wearing face masks and where to go if you are grieving.
In the seven days until Tuesday there were 702 confirmed new cases of coronavirus in Greenwich borough. Cases are gradually decreasing, but are still high. We need to stay safe and make sure this number continues to go down, by following the guidance explained in this update.
185 people are in hospital right now in the borough because of coronavirus. This number is starting to go down, but is still far too high. To have to go to hospital because of coronavirus means your case is very serious, and puts a strain on our hospitals and everyone who works in them.
A national lockdown is in place across the country. This means everyone must stay home except for when it is absolutely necessary to leave.
It has never been more important to take every measure we can to fight the virus. Everyone needs to stay at home, except for essential activities. If you do need to leave home: Wear a mask. Make space. Wash your hands.
Unfortunately, a face shield, or visor, is not a suitable face covering as it does not cover the nose and mouth properly.
Please wear a face mask, not a visor, when in enclosed spaces such as shops, public transport and places of worship. This is important to stop the spread of this virus and reduce the amount of people that are ill, and sadly, die, from coronavirus.
Coronavirus is spread by droplets from coughs, sneezes and speaking. When used correctly, wearing a face mask may reduce the spread of coronavirus, helping to protect others.
A face mask should:
cover your nose and mouth while allowing you to breathe comfortably
fit comfortably but securely against the side of the face
be secured to the head with ties or ear loops
ideally include at least two layers of fabric
unless disposable, be able to be washed regularly
Because face masks protect others from coronavirus rather than the wearer, they are not a replacement for social distancing and regular hand washing. It is important to still regularly wash your hands and stay at least two metres from people not in your household or support bubble.
Support if you’ve lost someone to coronavirus
Most people experience grief when they lose someone important to them. It affects everyone differently. There’s no right or wrong way to feel.
You may be finding it particularly difficult at the moment because of the changes in place to try to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Changes have been made to several services, including end-of-life and palliative care, as well as funeral arrangements.
Live Well Greenwich has lots of helpful links that can hopefully help you during this difficult time.
Getting tested for coronavirus
If you have coronavirus symptoms: (a high temperature, a new, continuous cough, a loss of, or change to, your sense of smell or taste), even if they’re only mild, it’s important to get a test and stay at home until you get your result.
There are several local testing centres – please go to gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test to book a test. Booking is essential for all testing centres. Order a home test kit if you cannot get to a test site. If you have problems using the online service, call 119. Lines are open 7am to 11pm.
Rapid testing centres
If you can’t follow the Government guidance to stay at home and have go to work, you can get a test very quickly in a number of walk-in centres around the borough, including at The Valley.
The test takes five minutes, and the results are emailed to you in 30 minutes. It will tell you if you have Covid-19, but no symptoms, so that you can protect those around you by self-isolating for 10 days until the virus clears from your body. Book a rapid test here.
Testing is NOT available at the Emergency Department at the hospital or at your GP practice, so please do not attend here trying to get a test.
Support if you test positive and have to self-isolate
If your test result is positive, you and your household will need to stay at home and self-isolate for 10 days (this has changed from 14 days). This is important to stop the virus spreading and to keep your community safe.
This can be stressful and worrying when you need to go to work. If you are unable to claim sick-pay from your employer and are a low income household, a one-off £500 payment may be available from the Government to support you and your family during these 14 days. Find out if you are eligible to apply for this payment or call 0800 470 4831.
Training available
If you’re interested in helping your community through volunteering, short training is available to introduce and prepare volunteers for the role of Neighbourhood Champion. This is an opportunity to learn, ask questions, share information and practice.
For more information, please email victoria.smith[at]royalgreenwich.gov.uk.
The access route to Louise Noyce’s home was cut off on Wednesday
A disabled woman living in a Greenwich Council flat has been told to rely on volunteers to bring in food because her usual access route to her home has been cut off by contractors building new homes.
Louise Noyce lives in a block of flats in Charlton next door to where Meridian Home Start, a council spin-off company, is building 29 houses and eight flats on the site of an old sheltered accommodation block and garages.
The construction work cut off access to the flats from Fletching Road, a quiet street behind Charlton Village, apart from a narrow alleyway. The residents all have Fletching Road in their addresses.
This final remaining route to their road was blocked on Wednesday, with residents told that they would have to use a bin storage area on Charlton Church Lane to get in and out of their homes. The route is expected to be closed for about eight weeks.
Residents used to have deliveries taken down this alley, which is now closed for 8 weeks
Noyce, who uses a crutch or a mobile scooter to get around, has been shielding during the lockdown and relies on supermarket deliveries for her supplies. She is also recovering from injuries sustained after falling while trying to use the bin storage area, which sits on top of a slope. “My knee gave out on the slope because it is too hard on my joints,” she said.
She has been told by her supermarket that because she cannot provide a recognised address on Charlton Church Lane, she can no longer get deliveries.
“The shop said they can only deliver to my bank card address,” she said. “I have to eat to take medication, so either I don’t eat or I go out to get my shopping myself and break the lockdown law and hope I don’t get coronavirus.”
Noyce injured herself using the council’s suggested access route, via the bins
She said others in her block are elderly or disabled and face similar problems. “I am not the only one who will have to do this if we don’t get access to our road.”
After raising the issue with the building contractor in November, and getting nowhere, she tried emailing Greenwich Council leader Danny Thorpe earlier this month. She was advised by a council officer to use the town-hall’s volunteer-led community hub service to get supplies.
Noyce, who is 50, has had to spend the pandemic stuck at home next to the noisy building site, making her depression and anxiety worse. “I don’t like asking for help because I will try and look after myself,” she said. “I have had people help me but I get ripped off or they can’t help when I need it.”
The new development, Duke Court, replaces a sheltered accommodation block, Fred Styles House. The 37 homes were given planning permission as council housing in October 2017; however the development has been transferred to Meridian Home Start, a spin-off company which charges tenants about 65 per cent of market rent, compared with the 40 per cent typically charged for a council flat.
Noyce has been stuck at home next to a building site during the pandemic
At the time, residents complained of a lack of consultation about the planned work – and the then-chair of planning, Labour councillor Mark James, said more work needed to be done in communicating with residents. Three years on, it appears his words have not been heeded.
“I had no idea until it started coming down,” Noyce said. “I feel they should have moved us all out. I feel as if I don’t have a voice in the matter.”
When visiting the block on Thursday, The Charlton Champion spoke to an elderly neighbour of Noyce’s who told how she took a bus one stop to reach Charlton Village because she was unable to walk up the hill at Charlton Church Lane. She added that the problems accessing the block were compounded by a broken lift.
Work on the new homes is taking place behind the plywood partition
Despite Noyce’s pleas for help, the council has been insistent that using Charlton Church Lane should be sufficient, even though her supermarket will not recognise the address. “Please could you advise delivery companies that the most appropriate access arrangement to your flat is via Charlton Church Lane,” a council officer wrote on Wednesday.
“They don’t care what happens to disabled and old people,” Noyce said.
“I don’t know what I will do next, I will just try and look after myself the best I can. I will keep trying with the council because what they are doing is wrong.”
The new homes replace a sheltered accommodation block
A Greenwich Council spokesperson told The Charlton Champion: “Fletching Road remains open to vehicles and no area of the road is due to be closed off. As part of the building works, a footpath will be closed for eight weeks and affected residents were given advanced warning by the contractor beginning a year ago.
“In the interim, affected properties can be accessed from Charlton Church Lane via a footpath to the street. Signs have been installed advising visitors to the area of access routes to the various blocks on the estate.
“Residents should advise their delivery companies of these temporary arrangements. It is disappointing if supermarkets are not currently recognising this alternative route – and we would urge them to rectify this.
The Charlton Champion 