Launcells has been an interactive parish since 2013, offering online access to its residents and beyond.  

We have just upgraded our website to comply with the new website regulations for 2020.

Please browse and let us know what you think and please tell us if there is anything that you feel the website could add to benefit users. 

Thank you 

Launcells Parish Council

With just five weeks to go until the voter registration deadline for the local elections on 1 May, make sure you're registered to have your say.

If you've recently moved house, you'll need to reregister.

Once registered, you have a range of options – you can vote in person, by post or by appointing someone you trust to vote in your place, known as a proxy vote.

If you're going to a polling station you'll will need to show photo ID, such as a passport or driving licence. To find out which ID you can use in the polling station, visit the Electoral Commission website.

If you do not have one of the accepted types of ID, you can apply for free ID at www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate or by completing and submitting a paper form to Cornwall Council. 

Register to vote

Cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (bird flu) are increasing in both kept poultry and wild birds across multiple areas of Great Britain. If a flock of poultry is infected, DEFRA imposes a 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone. These zones protect other birds in the local area and prevent the disease spreading.

For these zones to be effective, DEFRA needs to know who is keeping poultry. For this reason, since 1 October 2024 everyone who keeps poultry must by law register their birds with DEFRA.

New regulations coming into force from 31 March 2025 mean certain businesses will be required to separate their waste for recycling including glass, metal, plastic, cardboard and paper, food and drink cartons and food waste.

Cornwall Council's Commercial Waste Collection team offers a simple-to-use service from just £13 a week, collecting food waste weekly and recycling and rubbish fortnightly.

For more information about the change, and to get your no obligation quote please visit the Simpler recycling for businesses page on Cornwall Council’s website.

Next week is Safer Sleep Week (10-16 March), which is The Lullaby Trust’s national campaign to raise awareness of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and the simple advice that reduces the risk of it occurring.

Cornwall Council Public Health and Our Safeguarding Children Partnership (OSCP) are offering free Lullaby Trust safer sleep training for anyone working with families with babies in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Safer sleep advice is crucial in reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), which still claims over 200 babies' lives in the UK each year. By promoting safer sleep practices, we can help save lives. This training is open to anyone working with families with babies. This includes anyone working in health, early years education, social care, voluntary and community organizations, emergency services, and housing officers. We spoke to some of those who have already completed the training and you can hear what they thought of it in this video.

To sign up, visit the OSCP website and complete a pre-training survey. Spaces are limited, so register as soon as possible.

To find out more about reducing the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome visit www.cornwall.gov.uk/safersleep

Find out more

Do you have old, unused, unwanted or expired medicines at home?
Help keep your home safe and dispose of them properly by returning them to your local pharmacy - no questions asked!

• Unused medicines at home can be dangerous, especially if accidentally taken by children, pets, or vulnerable famity members.
• Keeping old prescriptions just in case increases the risk of taking the wrong medication.
• For safety, medicines are prescribed for you-never share them with anyone else.

• Throwing medicines in the bin or flushing them can pollute water systems, harming wildlife and ecosystems.
• Returning them to your local pharmacy ensures they are disposed of safely, reducing environmental impact.

• Returning unused antibiotics helps combat antimicrobial resistance, preserving their effectiveness so they work when you really need them. Improper use or disposal can make bacteria resistant, making infections harder to treat.

• Unused medications contribute to significant waste and financial costs within the healthcare system.
• Only order what you need, once medicines have left the pharmacy, they can't be reused or recycled.

Find out more

Did you know people aged 19-25 can get unlimited one day travel on Cornwall’s bus network for just £5? Or unlimited travel for a whole week for just £20?

Young Person’s tickets are available exclusively through the Transport for Cornwall App, where bus users can buy their ticket and verify their age all in one place.

People aged 19-25 can verify their age through the app by going onto the buy bus tickets section, where they will be asked to provide ID to confirm they’re eligible. Access to these types of tickets will be automatically removed the day of their 26th birthday.

As well as access to the Young Person’s Discount, the Transport for Cornwall App also makes it easier than ever to plan journeys, buy tickets and track the bus services - across different routes, across different operators, across Cornwall. 

So whether you're getting the bus to work, popping to the shops, or meeting up with friends, our app has got you covered – whatever your age!

Find out more

From the 6 April 2025, people will only be able to make voluntary National Insurance contributions for the previous six tax years, in line with normal time limits.

The Check your State Pension forecast service on GOV.​UK is the quickest and easiest way to check what your pension will be in retirement and take action if needed. You can also use the HMRC app.

Find out more

If your little one's all grown up it could be time to cash in their Child Trust Fund.

These trust funds are long-term tax-free savings accounts set up for children born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011 with the Government making an initial deposit into the account.

The young person can claim their fund when they turn 18. The average amount is £2,200, but hundreds of thousands of accounts remain unclaimed.

Check your Child Trust Fund

If you’re currently letting your property or considering letting it in the future, why not work with our Private Letting Service? We're helping local workers and families to find long-term homes. 

Our service already manages 100+ properties and makes the letting experience as seamless as possible.

✅We're competitively priced
✅We carry out background checks and referencing
✅We offer dedicated tenancy sustainment if needed.

Call 0300 1234 161 to find out how we can help: www.cornwall.gov.uk/privatelettings

Find out more

Notice is given that Launcells Parish Council will be holding a parish council meeting in Launcells Parish Hall on Monday 3rd March at 7.30pm.

If you would like to share your views on an agenda item, but are unable / uncomfortable attending, please email your comments to launcellspc@gmail.com no later than midday on Friday 28th February.

View the agenda

Your involvement will help ensure that the local needs for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly are fed into the national plan, and we will also use your feedback to shape local delivery.

1. Take part in an NHS 10 year plan engagement workshop. A series of online and in person engagement events take place during January and February 2025. You can register to attend an online or in-person workshop.
2. Complete the local NHS 10 year plan survey. Available online you can complete our local survey even if you have already completed the national one. This is to ensure that insights from local people can be used to improve local services.

Want to know more: There is a dedicated webpage, which includes further information and will be kept updated throughout the engagement timeframe. 

If you have any questions regarding our engagement plans, including any requests for additional events, please email the communications and engagement team.

Thank you in advance for your support.
 
Communications and engagement team
NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board

Get FREE support from our friendly team at Healthy Cornwall to lose weight and improve your overall health and wellbeing.

Our FREE Digital Healthy Weight Programme runs for 4 weeks and is designed to help adults across Cornwall to begin their weight loss journey and understand how to use the free tools and links provided by our team to support longer term weight and healthy lifestyle goals.

Each session is just 30 minutes long and delivered online.

We have a new programme running each month, book your space on our website now.

Or if you’d prefer to speak to someone in person pop along to our Healthy Lifestyles Support Drop-in Sessions happening in locations across Cornwall.

These FREE sessions are a chance for you to catch up with your local Health Improvement Practitioners for advice and support about a range of topics involved in improving your health and wellbeing, including:

• Getting an up-to-date weekly weight measurement inc. muscle mass and BMI
  Healthy weight loss advice and support
  Answers to nutrition queries
  Having food diaries checked over
  Recipe ideas
  Physical activity ideas
  Stop smoking support, tools and resources
  Signposting to other services
  ...and much more

These sessions are free for anyone to drop in, just turn up and speak to one of our members of staff.

Find out where to drop in

Cornwall Scrapstore is inviting you to be part of something special! Whether you're a school, community group, artist, or maker, we offer affordable, eco-friendly materials that can bring your creative projects to life while supporting sustainability.

What We Do: At Cornwall Scrapstore, we promote creative reuse by offering a wide range of materials such as fabric, paper, plastics, and more—all saved from landfill. Our goal is to support creativity and reduce waste in our community.

Become a Member: Access a treasure trove of creative materials for your projects.

Visit Us: We’re open every Tuesday and Wednesday, 10am to 5pm, plus the last Saturday of each month.

Get Creative: Use recycled materials for your artistic, educational, and community projects, helping us promote a greener, more sustainable future.

By becoming a member of Cornwall Scrapstore, you’ll not only gain access to unique and affordable supplies but also support a thriving community focused on sustainability and creativity.

For more information about membership, fees, and what we offer, please visit our website: www.cornwallscrapstore.co.uk.

Let’s create, recycle, and make a difference together!

Low-income households in Cornwall will once again receive payments to help with the ongoing cost of living crisis after we secured £4.5m from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), through the Household Support Fund (HSF).

Payments of £80 per person will be made automatically to those eligible, including pensioners receiving council tax support and vulnerable adults on a low income.

In a change to the way HSF funds are allocated, this latest round will see an £80 payment made to an additional 3,000 pensioners in receipt of council tax support – previously only those in receipt of pension credit received payments.

A payment of £80 per child will also be made to low-income households who claim council tax support.

The latest round of funding will run to 31 March 2025, and will provide urgent support for those most in need as living costs continue to rise.

Find out more

There are a whole range of things you can do to lower your chances of getting Alzheimer’s disease and all types of dementia in later life. 

In this video Dr Vicky Brown, shares her top tip to avoid loneliness and isolation.

Find out how to reduce your risk

The chatbot nick named ‘Ker-Know' can answer questions on all the services offered by the council, from waste to education, and do tasks by responding to messages in real time.  

It does this by using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to search the website on behalf of residents, intelligently responding to their inquiries.  

Ker-Know can now resolve almost three quarters of enquiries received by the council daily.  

Find out more

Run by Suez Recycling and Recovery UK, which operates Cornwall’s HWRCs on behalf of Cornwall Council, Kernow Reuse Shops will stock a variety of pre-loved items including home and garden accessories, small electricals, sports equipment, books and DVDs, and everything in between. The items are sold at the shops for affordable prices.

Shops have already opened at Truro and St Austell HWRCs, with more due to open in the coming months.

People can donate pre-loved items for the shops at all of Cornwall’s HWRCs. Donated items will be sold at the reuse shops or given to charity organisations.

Kernow Reuse shops will be open between 9am and 4pm seven days a week.

Find out more

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major respiratory virus that is most common over the winter period, typically October to February. While the symptoms are mild for many, for some it can have much more serious consequences. The new RSV vaccination programme launched in September will help to prevent thousands of cases of RSV, GP visits and hospital admissions.

Around 20,000 babies under 1 are hospitalised with RSV in the UK each year. Sadly we see 20 to 30 infant deaths as well. You can have the RSV vaccine from week 28 of your pregnancy. Having the RSV vaccination in pregnancy reduces your baby’s risk of severe RSV lung infection by around 70% in the first 6 months of life. Speak to your maternity service or GP practice to arrange an appointment

Find out more

Spending 5 minutes using the government's online 'can I claim Pension Credit?' checker tool and find out if they're entitled to extra support.

They might be allowed to claim even if they :

have savings
own their own home
are working
are getting a small occupational pension
have been turned down in the past

Check if you're eligible for pension credit

•  missed waste collections
   fly tipping
   full litter bins
   graffiti
   broken street lights
   potholes
   abandoned vehicles 

Report something...

Has fallen out of education and training, maybe? Is struggling to find a steady job? Or is vulnerable in some other way?

If your answer is 'yep', then we hope that 'Yep!' will prove to be the solution, too.

Yep! is a collaboration between some truly brilliant community partners and Cornwall Council to give 16 to 24-year-olds having a tough time support with:

job searching, CV and interview skills
work experience, apprenticeships and internship opportunities
enterprise skills
motivation and confidence building
mental health
passing the driving theory test 
budgeting, debt management, accessing benefits
ICT and technology skills
and more

If you think you might know a young person who'd benefit from this support, hit the button below.

To qualify, they need to be aged 16 to 24, living in Cornwall or the Isles of Scilly, be struggling in 16+ education, or not be in employment, education, or training at all.

Find more on how Yep! can help

Around a third of adults in the UK have high blood pressure, although many don't realise it.

Known as the silent killer, high blood pressure rarely causes symptoms but, if left untreated, increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

The borrow a blood pressure monitor scheme launched as part of this week's Know your Numbers Week - the national campaign encouraging people to check their blood pressure at home.

Find out more

You can now take pre-loved wetsuits, even if they’re ripped or marked, to your local household waste and recycling centre.

After being cleaned and repaired, they'll be sold at affordable prices at Wave Project's shop in Newquay.

Items that can't be repaired are recycled into new items such as pencil cases and bags.

All proceeds support The Wave Project's Surf Therapy initiatives, helping young people improve their mental health and wellbeing through the power of surfing.

 Find out more on The Wave Project’s website

Our public health team want to learn more about people's understanding of dementia.

To help them, we'd like you to answer one simple question using our online poll. Use the button below to take part.

Take part

We will be releasing new episodes each week, bringing you top tips and guest speakers to discuss a range of topics relating to your parenting journey. 

This first episode is an introduction to the podcast series as well as an overview of the wider parenting support on offer in Cornwall. 

Listen here

----------------------

The community emergency plan document can be found here

It was created in 2018 and distributed to all parish households - some details have changed but the general information is still relevant.

November 2020 - 

Covid - 19 Directory amended pdf here

The first defibrillator is located at Launcells Parish Hall in Grimscott - EX23 9LS

The second is It is located at the Red Post Inn, by the post box - EX23 9NW.

As before, should you need access to this "self-guiding" piece of equipment, just phone 999 and follow the instructions on the cabinet. You will then be given the access code to open it. The machine then tells you how to use it.

We would hope to arrange another set of training for the use of a defibrillator, once we return to normal, but in the meanwhile, attached is the note that was in the Parish Magazine a while back.