The return of children for the new academic year ? combined with the autumnal weather ? really does make it feel like we are leaving summer behind. As well as going back to school, many people will be heading back to work and returning to ?business as usual.? Unfortunately, while many people have enjoyed a summer break, Covid has never stopped working. We still have cases of the virus in our city ? and so it is important that we continue to protect ourselves. As we return to our routines of work and school, we should also return to thinking about how we can take steps to not spread Covid-19. More of us will now be mixing again, so that means:

• Continuing to wear a face covering in busy indoor spaces
• Taking regular tests to make sure we are free from Covid
• Getting vaccinated to reduce the harm if we do catch the virus.

I?m aware that this is far from ideal. The ending of restrictions at the start of the summer perhaps made it feel like Covid is over, but unfortunately this is not the case. We all need to continue to work together to keep our city safe.

The start of the autumn term this week is a great opportunity to get your children in the habit of walking, cycling or scooting to school.

We?re making school gates safer by extending the school streets scheme following a successful trial last academic year. Preventing vehicles from driving up to the school gate makes school streets safer, removes harmful air pollution and will encourage more people to walk, cycle or scoot to school.

If you or your kids need a little extra convincing ? why not sign up to Operation: School Run? A top secret mission will be sent to your inbox each Sunday night, to give you and your little ones a fun challenge to complete on the walk to school each week.

Councils up and down the country are struggling to provide all the usual waste collection services due to an unprecedented combination of factors ? and the City Council is no exception. Bin crews have been faced with more waste than usual during the pandemic due to people being at home more, while also dealing with staff shortages due to Covid. This has been exacerbated by the national shortage of qualified lorry drivers stemming from EU drivers returning home after Brexit and driver training and tests being suspended for a year during the pandemic.

All of this means that our thinly stretched crews are prioritising general household and recycled waste - meaning that garden waste and bulky waste are not always being collected on schedule. So far, unlike some councils, those services have been kept running - but if the situation worsens, we may have to follow the Government-backed approach of many other councils and suspend garden or bulky waste collections.

We are asking Nottingham residents to remain patient and do what they can to help our bin crews by reducing waste, recycling and composting more, using the Lenton recycling centre and avoiding adding garden waste to general household bins. More here

We?re supporting Cycle September ? a free competition run by Love to Ride encouraging as many people as possible to get on a bike. It?s an ideal opportunity to rediscover the joy of riding a bike, or ride even more than you already do. Why not get family, friends and co-workers involved and make it a healthy competition? You can ride as little or as often as you like, and there are some fantastic prizes on offer every week. Go to lovetoride.net/nottingham to register and start logging your rides. You can find a map of cycle routes in the city and beyond on our website.

It?s the Meadows Big Day Out this Saturday, three local groups - Green Meadows, AMC Gardens and Bridges Community Trust - are hosting a day of events designed to help people think about what they can do to help tackle the climate crisis. Wildlife yoga, hydrogen-car racing and football classes will all be part of a fun-filled day of games, activities and workshops.

I?ll be going with my granddaughter and I?m looking forward to hearing from local people and organisations about working together to create a greener more sustainable future for the next generation. The day starts with the Green Meadows Picnic 11am-2pm which will take place at the Queens Walk Recreation Ground, find out more here.