On behalf of Broughton Astley Parish Council and all its residents, we would like to offer our sincere condolences to Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth and the rest of Royal Family at this sad time.

Funeral of The Duke of Edinburgh

The Duke of Edinburgh's Funeral will take place on Saturday 17 April 2021 at 3pm in St George's Chapel, Windsor. The Funeral Service will begin with a National Minute's Silence at three o'clock. The service will be preceded by a ceremonial procession inside the grounds of Windsor Castle.

The plans for the funeral are in line with The Duke of Edinburgh's own personal wishes, and the occasion will recognise and celebrate The Duke's life and his more than 70 years of service to The Queen, the UK and the Commonwealth.

It will be a Ceremonial Royal Funeral, the same as for Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, rather than a State Funeral – something which is generally reserved for Monarchs. The plans have been approved by The Queen and reflect appropriate Government advice.

Full details can be found at: https://www.royal.uk/funeral-duke-edinburgh-0

Union Flag

The Union flag will be flown at half-mast at the Memorial ground until one day after the state funeral.

Flowers

Flowers, should people wish to lay them, can be placed around the base of the flag pole in the Memorial grounds. Can I please ask you to remove any plastic / cellophane as we will be composting the flowers afterwards and using the compost to plant a commemorative tree.

Condolence Book

Due to Covid, a virtual book of remembrance has been opened by the Church of England and can be found on this link. https://www.churchofengland.org/remembering-his-royal-highness-prince-philip

There is also a virtual book of remembrance on the official Royal Family website and at:

www.leicestershire.gov.uk/book-of-condolence

Opportunity for Reflection

St Mary's Church will be open on Sunday 11^th of April from 14:00 until 16:00 and again on Wednesday 14^th of April from 10:00 until 12:00 for quiet reflection. There will be the opportunity to light a candle in remembrance at that time.

Clive Grafton-Reed

Chair of Broughton Astley Parish Council

We would like to thank Sean Maguire Managing Director of Sapcote Engineering.

They have repaired the Tommy that was damaged during storm Ciara on the weekend of 8th and 9th of February 2020.

Sapcote Engineering have very kindly repaired the statue free of charge.

Tommy is now back in his rightful place at Broughton Astley Memorial Garden.

A dangerous fake NHS text has been circulating, telling people they're eligible to apply for the COVID-19 vaccine.

The text confusingly states that "we have identified that your are eligible to apply for your vaccine" and advises you to follow a link to get more information: uk-application-form.com

This link takes you through to an extremely convincing fake NHS website that asks for your personal details and will ask you for your bank/card details in order to 'check your identity'.

These fake sites may typically contain spelling or grammar mistakes, classic signs of a phishing scam.

Please remain vigilant of Coronavirus scams!

We know that criminals will use the confusion and urgency around the pandemic as a way to target potential victims – 'Which' have covered five similar attempts:

⚠ Council tax reduction phishing email

⚠ Fake NHS contact tracing text

⚠ HMRC Government grant phishing email

⚠ Microsoft 'covid relief fund' phishing email

⚠ COVID-19 vitamin pill cold calls

With the recent approval of multiple vaccines in the UK, these types of scam attempts are likely to continue as fraudsters look to take advantage of the roll out to so many people.

Cold calls regarding the vaccine are also beginning to take place – we've already had reports of scammers asking people to pay for it over the phone. If you receive one of these calls, hang up.

'Which' advise:
If you think you may have handed over your card details to scammers, let your bank know what's happened immediately. Please do share this warning with friends and family so we can prevent anyone from falling victim.

For more details please visit the 'Which' website page: WHICH

Leicestershire County Council Trading Standards Service

❗Scam alert – fake Leicestershire County Council text message❗️

This Service has received a report that a fake text message is being sent purporting to be from Leicestershire Council regarding breaches of Covid restrictions.

We have NOT sent this message.

Be wary of unsolicited text messages or emails.

If you need advice or wish to report any scam please call Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.

Or visit http://citizensadviceleicestershire.org/

Details of this scam will be provided to Action Fraud https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/ and consumers are able to report any scam text directly to their network provider, free of charge by forwarding the text to '7726'.