His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral will take place at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle at 3pm on Saturday (17 April) and a national one minute silence will be held to coincide with the start of the funeral.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Books of Condolence are not available in public buildings for people to sign in person but an online condolence book is available on our website or by calling Customer Services on 01793 445500 for you to leave comments and thoughts, should you wish. An online book of condolence is also available on the Royal Family website.

As lockdown restrictions remain in place, we would encourage everyone to reflect and remember at home, and do not gather in public spaces or travel to lay tributes. Further guidance can be found on our website.

From 6-12 April, there were 55 new COVID-19 cases in Swindon, down from 84 the previous week.

From 6-12 April, our case rate was 25 per 100k, down from 38 the previous week. The South West average was 13 per 100k and 28 per 100k for England.

Some of the rules on what you can and cannot do changed on Monday (12 April), including:

• the reopening of non-essential retail, personal care premises such as hairdressers, barbers and nail salons, and public buildings such as libraries and community centres
• pubs, bars, cafés and restaurants are now able to serve people outdoors, offering table service only
• indoor leisure and sports facilities, such as gyms, are able to reopen for individual exercise, or exercise with your household or support bubble
• all childcare and supervised activities are allowed indoors and outdoors for all children
• self-contained accommodation, campsites and holiday lets are able to open for overnight stays in England with your household or support bubble

You can find the full list of what you can and cannot do here, or for more information on how COVID-19 restrictions are being eased in England, check out the Government's roadmap out of lockdown.

You may not have symptoms of COVID-19 but you could still have the virus.

The best way to protect yourself and the ones you love is to get tested regularly, even if you’ve had the coronavirus vaccine.

You can access regular testing through a number of routes depending on your individual circumstances. These routes include:

• through symptom-free testing sites (subject to availability)
• through workplace testing programmes (both on-site or at home)
• ordering testing kits to your home
• collecting testing kits from participating pharmacies
• through education settings

Find out all the different ways you can access testing at www.nhs.uk/get-tested

More than 580k residents across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire have now had at least one COVID vaccine, over 100k have had both doses.

Anyone who falls into the following categories can now book their vaccine through the NHS portal:

• You are aged 45 or over on or before 30 March 2021
• You are at high risk from coronavirus (clinically extremely vulnerable)
• You have a learning disability
• You get Carer’s allowance, get support following an assessment or your GP records show you are a carer

If you use the online booking system, you may find that your nearest vaccination centre is outside of Swindon. If you are unable to travel or would prefer to have your vaccine in Swindon, please wait and your GP will contact you directly.

You can book an appointment using the online portal here or call NHS 119. Please do not call your GP to book a vaccine appointment.

Click the play button on the video above to find out what to expect when you attend your vaccination appointment.

Leading Muslim figures working in the NHS have joined other medical leaders and Islamic scholars in stressing that Ramadan should not stop anyone from getting the COVID-19 vaccination.

Dr Farzana Hussain said: “Getting an injection does not break the fast as it’s not nutrition and so there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t have it if you are eligible and have been invited for your Covid-19 vaccine and those scheduled for their second dose, should take it"

Imam Yunus Dudhwala, Head of Chaplaincy Barts Health NHS Trust, said: “This Ramadan will continue to be different. The vast majority of scholars have deemed taking the vaccine whilst fasting as permissible and stated that it does not break the fast.

“The experts have stated that the COVID-19 vaccine is effective and the best way of protecting yourself and your loved ones. I ask my Muslim brothers and sisters to consider taking the vaccine when called.

Read more here.

Today (16 April), 96 per cent of pupils due to start primary school this September have been offered their first choice of school, while 99 per cent will be offered one of their top three preferences.

The School Admissions team received 2705 applications on time this year.

If your child is due to start primary school in September and you submitted their application on time, you will receive an offer email throughout the course of the day. Keep your eyes peeled on your inbox and make sure to check your junk folder.

If you have any queries regarding school places for this September, please email School Admissions at schooladmissions@swindon.gov.uk or contact the school directly. Find out more about primary school offer day here.

As children return to school next week after the Easter holidays, and with the recent changes to coronavirus restrictions, some young people may find the changes overwhelming. The impact of these changes will vary for each family and young person, and will be very welcome for some, but will be more challenging for others. It is important to know that support is available to help young people cope with the transition.

If your child needs support with their mental health, there are plenty of resources available, including:

• An NHS guide written for young people.
• NHS guidance on mental health and self-care for young people.
• The Swindon Local Offer page, which lists lots of resources and services available nationally and locally.

There is also a local emergency mental health helpline for children and young people in Swindon, available here.

The deadline to register to vote at the 2021 local elections is quickly approaching. If you haven’t registered by next Monday (19 April), you won’t be able to cast your vote on election day (6 May). All you need to do is go to gov.uk/register-to-vote and enter your details – It’ll only take you five minutes.

If you’re thinking of voting by post this year, you need to register for a postal vote by 5pm on 20 April and to vote by proxy (when someone votes on your behalf), you should register for a proxy vote by 5pm on 27 April. To apply for a postal or proxy vote, visit our website.

For information about what you can expect on election day and a list of the candidates, visit the forthcoming elections page on the SBC website.

1. How can I reduce the spread of COVID-19 in my household?
2. What should I do if someone in my household has COVID-19, or has symptoms?
3. How and where can I get tested for COVID-19?
4. What do I need to do if I receive a positive or negative COVID-19 test result?
5. How is the COVID-19 vaccination being prioritised?