Displaying items by tag: United Kingdom

There are concerns some schools in lockdown could be inundated with pupils without laptops after a change to the vulnerable pupil list. Pupils are learning remotely in England after schools shut to all but children of key workers and the vulnerable. But those without laptops or space to study are now eligible to attend school, under government guidance. National Association of Head Teachers general secretary Paul Whiteman said demand for key worker and vulnerable places in schools had risen substantially since the last school shutdown. ‘We have concern that the Government has not supplied enough laptops for all the children without them, and so has made lack of internet access a criterion of vulnerability - adding to the numbers still in school.’

England’s church leaders welcomed permission for communal worship under new lockdown. Pray that God will help congregations to take care, and for His shield of protection and wisdom to be around the vulnerable. Cardinal Vincent Nichols said, ‘The regular practice of our faith in God is a well-established source of personal resilience and dedicated service to those in need - vital in these difficult times. I am glad no measures have been introduced to obstruct or curtail this essential source of energy for the common good.’ Pray for God’s blessings to pour over all serving the needs of local communities. Meanwhile in Scotland all places of worship will be banned from hosting physical gatherings throughout January. The only in-person services allowed are weddings, limited to five people, and funerals, where 20 will be allowed. The Bishop of London, who chairs the CofE's Covid recovery group, said the new measures ‘underline the severity of the situation for the country’.

Belfast’s Nightingale hospital will be expanded to increase the number of intensive care beds from 24 to 32. Currently 20 Covid-19 patients are receiving intensive care at the facility and four beds are available. The Nightingale will deal with patient surges due to rising numbers of Covid-19 cases in the coming weeks. There are 126 nurses providing round-the-clock one-to-one nursing cover for all 24 beds. The BBC also revealed plans to increase the number of ward beds from 21 to 36. All six NI main hospitals are operating at full capacity or beyond. There is an expected peak during the last two weeks of January.

Vera Baird, the victims’ commissioner for England and Wales, said that data showed non-fatal strangulation was dangerous, prevalent, and often ignored. Current legislation minimises the seriousness of ‘domestic terror tactic’, and so a change to the law is urgently required. A push to make such strangulation a criminal offence is being led by the former victims’ commissioner Baroness Newlove, who is campaigning for the change via an amendment to the domestic abuse bill when it returns to the Lords on 12 January.

Stripping away the spin in both the UK and EU, the prospects of a deal feel very slim at present. In the next few weeks everything rests on intense negotiations behind the scenes. The process is unlikely to be straightforward as this is all uncharted territory. Please continue to pray for God to direct every conversation around this challenging situation. Pray for everyone to be creative and able to keep the basis of negotiations on level ground. Political observers say that if they wanted to, the EU and the UK could, in theory, come up with an agreement outside EU law. Meanwhile the UK and USA are in talks over a mini trade deal to reduce tariffs. Pray for the success of post-Brexit deals with Washington. Pray for God to pave the way for excellent future communications between US trade representative Robert Lighthizer and the UK international trade secretary Liz Truss. See

In a joint editorial, two leading medical journals have said the UK's plan to ease Covid rules over Christmas is a ‘rash decision’ that will ‘cost many lives’. They said people might see the lifting of restrictions ‘as permission to drop their guard’. However, Number 10 said it would not review plans to allow household mixing over Christmas. It is only the second time the two publications have written a joint editorial. Pray for people to understand the danger and keep social contact to a minimum over the five days of reduced restrictions.

Justin Bieber has teamed up with the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS choir to record a Christmas single, a remix of the star's single Holy, which reached number seven in October. The charity collaboration comes five years after the two acts were locked in a battle for the Christmas number one. Bieber said, ‘I was honoured to meet everyone from the choir and I'm really happy that they got their number one.’ Their new charity single is aiming for Christmas number one, with proceeds to be split between NHS Charities Together, which represents more than 230 NHS charities, and the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust Charity. An immunisation clinical coordinator said, ‘The message that holding someone is such a special thing that it's almost a holy experience is so resonant with current difficulties and personal challenges.’

A Church of England spokesman has said, ‘At Christmas around six million people of all ages wish to attend services to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Covid-19 has meant it is necessary to limit the capacity of church buildings to keep everyone safe.’ Those wishing to attend services this Christmas are being encouraged not to leave it too late to book their seats. Churches have been advised to set up free online ticket booking systems to ensure adequate physical distancing can be maintained. The popular Christmas services are quickly filling up. St Paul's Cathedral has no tickets left for Christmas services. York Minster tweeted, ‘Tickets for 23rd and 24th carol services are sold out, although they will be livestreamed’. Some churches have added additional services to their programmes to keep up with demand, while advising online bookings. Churches are urged to add their Christmas events to the CofE’s 'A Church Near You' page.

This year has been tough for us all, but for millions of the poorest in our country life is now desperate. They don’t know where their next meal is coming from and are facing a Christmas of hunger and hardship. Centrepoint say this could be the worst homelessness crisis in their fifty-year history, with 23,000 young lives at risk. They are not just a Christmas statistic, they need a safe warm room to live in. They need to be able to turn their lives around (see) The Salvation Army said that after a difficult year they want to reach out to those who are suffering the most and bring joy and hope into their lives this Christmas. In over 650 communities across the UK they will be rolling up their sleeves and doing all they can for them.

As we prepare for a different Christmas, thousands of families will be carrying the mental exhaustion of an unwelcome guest - debt. Debt erodes confidence and brings a whole host of stresses, and strains this festive season. Furlough, income reduction, job losses have all taken their toll. The recent collapse of Debenhams and Arcadia put a further 25,000 jobs at risk, on top of the thousands of jobs already hanging by a thread. Our poorest communities are hit hardest, with little or no savings to fall back on, and are unable to cope with the income shocks that this year has brought. Heating or eating is a brutal choice for many families. Pray that those struggling with financial problems and feeling isolated will realise that they are not alone and there is no shame in needing debt advice. May those needing such advice be put in touch with the agencies who are able to support them.