Newsletter 21st August
Greetings from The Jubilee Centre
I hope this newsletter finds you well. This week, we include news from our cafe and charity shop, details about our online activities and information to support people with diabetes.
Jubilee Centre Cafe
On Wednesday, we opened up our Conservatory Cafe and Window Sales at the Jubilee Centre and it was great to see some of our members back in the cafe.
The Cafe & Window Sales are now open Monday to Friday from 10.30 to 2.30. Seating in the cafe will be restricted to 7 tables (of four seats each) to allow for social distancing measures. Weather permitting, we will add extra tables and chairs outside.
In order to open, we have taken all possible steps to make sure the cafe is Covid-19 secure. You need to sanitise your hands before coming in the cafe, and you must give your contact details if you are sitting down for a meal. We can take cash but we prefer contactless card payments.
I would like to thank Karen and the team for their hard work.
Our charity shop on The Rock
As I write this, we are opening our shop at 91 The Rock, Bury. Like the cafe, we have to adopt Covid-19 secure measures. This means the number of customers allowed in the shop will be SIX at any one time. We are asking all customers to sanitise their hands before coming in and to wear face coverings, unless medically exempt from doing so. We are reducing our opening hours to allow for more time to clean the shop and restock.
Our new hours will be
- Wednesday : 10.30 am to 3 pm
- Thursday - Saturday : 10.00 am to 3.00 pm.
We can accept a limited amount of donations at the shop. We must store all donations for 72 hours before we can sort them and space in the shop is limited. Please phone 0161 761 2780 to check we have space before you set out.
Our shop in Ramsbottom will open in September.
A big thank you to Debbie and our retail team for getting the shop up and running. .
Government restrictions in Bury (21/8/2020)
This is the fifth week that the number of people in Bury being tested positive for Coronavirus has risen. Sadly this means that restrictions remain in place for Bury.
The current rules for Bury residents are:
You can not meet with people you don’t live with:
- Inside private homes
- Inside public venues
- Or outside in private gardens
If you feel unwell, get a free test now. Call 119 or go to www.nhs.uk
For more information on the situation in Bury, go to https://www.bury.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=15594
Online Activities
Diana will next be live on our Facebook page on Monday and Wednesday next week.
- Monday: 11.00 to 11.30 am: Gentle Exercise
- Monday: 11.40 to 12.10 Chair Based Exercises
- Wednesday: 11.00 to 12.00 am: Pilates
These sessions are free and many thanks to Diana for setting them up. Please tell your friends they are welcome to join us. If you can’t make these times, Facebook will let you watch at a later time. Join us at https://www.facebook.com/ageukbury/
Sue holds a Tai Chi class online on Fridays at 11.00 am. This class is aimed at those who attend the 12.15 Tuesday class and 11.00 Friday class at the Jubilee. Send an email to taichi.college@yahoo.co.uk or message Sue via Facebook at m.me/taichiandwildgooseqigongbury for the access code.Many thanks to Sue.
We are pleased to confirm that these online classes will continue until the end of October, whether we open the Jubilee or not. This is with the support of a grant from the Age UK Coronavirus appeal. We are really grateful to our national partner for their support.
Foot Care Appointments
Dougie, our Foot Care Practitioner, will be at the Jubilee Centre from 11.00 am to 2.00 pm on Tuesday 1st September 2020. Each appointment costs £20. Please call in advance to make an appointment. Call 0161 763 9030, Monday to Friday, from 10.00 to 2.00.
Self-managing diabetes through free NHS-led website
Research suggests that people with diabetes are at greater risk of developing complications from COVID, and individuals aged over 70 are also at greater risk. The risk for people with diabetes can be reduced if they manage their blood glucose levels, Diabetes My Way can support individuals to self-manage their condition and be more aware of their health results.
Diabetes My Way is a free NHS-led website designed to support people living with diabetes in Greater Manchester to self-manage their condition.
The site also includes a special page for Bury residents :https://diabetesmyway.nhs.uk/get-local/bury/
Older people needed for research on long-term physical health conditions
Manchester Metropolitan University are looking for Greater Manchester residents over 65 to participate in research around ageing in place with long-term physical health conditions. They are looking for participants who are over the age of 65, are a resident of Greater Manchester, have at least one long-term physical health condition and live in their own home (not assisted living, or nursing/residential home)
If you would like to take part or request further information please contact rachel.e.orrin@stu.mmu.ac.uk
The Quiz
Last week’s picture quiz was on the topic of birds and golfers. The answers are in this link.
This week's themes are Olympians and people called George. The Quiz is in this link.
The quiz is just for fun. We sadly don’t have any prizes but you get the glow of success, if you get all the answers right. Good luck!
…and now for the essential stuff in one “easy to find” list
For help with getting food deliveries and prescriptions, please phone Bury Community Hubs on 0161 253 53 53, every day of the week.
Our Keeping in Touch telephone service offers older people in Bury a regular friendly phone call from one of our volunteers. For more information, call 0161 763 9030 (Monday to Friday 10.00 am to 2.00 pm) or email jane@ageukbury.org.uk to sign up. Alternatively, call Jane Lees, our Befriending Coordinator on 07541 741891.
The Age UK Advice Line is 0800 678 1602 from 8 am to 7 pm, every day of the year.
If you would just like to have a friendly natter with another person, please call The Silver Line 24 hours a day on 0800 470 80 90.
Our previous newsletters are online at https://www.ageuk.org.uk/bury/about-us/coronavirus/
For all those questions about Coronavirus, and how it affects your life, please check out the Age UK FAQ website: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/coronavirus/coronavirus-guidance/coronavirus-faqs/
We are in the office on Monday to Friday and our phone lines will be open from 10.00 to 2.00. Call us on 0161 763 9030.
Please share this newsletter with your friends. If you know someone who is not on the internet, please phone and tell them the news.
And finally…..
On a personal note, for the first time since the lock down began, I was invited to a garden party which, under the government restrictions, is illegal. I kept hearing about people having garden parties but until now, nobody had invited me and I was starting to feel like Billy-no-mates.
Although I was grateful for the invitation, I had to decline. The thought of being caught out and the headlines screaming “Chief Officer in garden party scandal” with a picture of me holding a battenburg and a cup of tea, would not do my reputation any good. So, to cheer myself up, I put on the biggest face covering I could find, went to the bank, stood at the counter, and demanded money from the staff. We live in strange times!
I hope to see you soon at the Cafe
Stay safe, keep strong.
Andy and all at Age UK Bury
