Newsletter ¦ 1st April 2022

I hope this newsletter finds you well and warm! In this week’s email, there is news about our Spring Raffle, our new Cyber Surgeries at the Jubilee Centre, a warning about a chocolate egg scam, news about a range of new activities across Bury and updates on the big news items – Ukraine and Coronavirus.  

You will be pleased to know that there is no April Fool item. Let’s face it - the world can’t get any more bizarre! Enjoy the read!  

Age UK Spring Raffle

The Age UK Spring raffle is now open! There is a top prize of £25,000 or a stunning Scandinavian Cruise, and over 5,000 cash prizes.

All the proceeds of tickets sold at the Jubilee Centre and our charity shops will go to supporting our Befriending Service in Bury. Entries cost just £1.

We are aiming to sell all our tickets to raise £3,000. If you would like to become an authorised seller to help us sell tickets, please contact Michelle at the Jubilee Centre by emailing admin@ageukbury.org.uk or calling 0161 763 9030.

Café Prices at the Jubilee Centre

From Monday 4^th April 2022, we are reluctantly rising prices on food and drinks at the Jubilee Centre. We last increased prices in Summer 2020 and have since done our best to absorb rises caused by Brexit and the pandemic. However, with increasing energy prices it has now become impossible to delay putting up the prices. We will continue to do our best to source good quality food and keep prices down.   

Our new menu is in this link: Cafe Menu April 2022 (PDF)

Yoga & Mindfulness

The Monday evening “Yoga & Mindfulness” sessions, led by Melanie, is back on Monday evenings at the Jubilee Centre. This session starts at 6.00, lasts 90 minutes and costs £7.

Yoga and mindfulness (PDF)

Beginning this week: Cyber Surgery at the Jubilee Centre

If you're struggling to keep up on the internet book a 30-minute spot and let us answer your questions. Get help with things like choosing a safe password, setting up Zoom/Teams calls, shopping safely, and making the most of social media.

Sessions will take place 10 to 12 noon on Thursday mornings, from 7^th April 2022 at the Jubilee Centre. Sessions are free but donations are welcome!   

You can book a 30-minute session with Leisa at reception at the Jubilee Centre, call us on 0161 763 9030 or email admin@ageukbury.org.uk

You would need to bring your tablet, smartphone or laptop with you. Wi-fi is available at the Jubilee Centre.

We are extremely grateful to Charlotte and Ray from the Creative Living Centre for their support in running these sessions.

Easter Closing

The Jubilee Centre and café will be closed on Friday 15^th April and Monday 18^th April for Easter and the consumption of chocolate eggs!

Bury Older Peoples Network

This new network is a way for people (aged 50 and over) to work with professionals on things that matter to them, to improve health and social care services and to create better outcomes for people.

The next meeting will take place on Tuesday 5^th April from 10am at the Met on Market Street in Bury Town Centre.  The main theme for this meeting will be ‘Neighbourhoods’ with discussions about the support and activities available for older people across the borough. 

For this month only, following the discussions, there is an option to stay on for seasonal craft activities and lunch will be provided (11am – 1pm). 

To book your place or for more information, please contact Bury VCFA: networks@buryvcfa.org.uk

GM LGBTQ+ Online Dementia Support Group

A new online peer support group for people living with or caring for someone with dementia, who identify as LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer) has been set up. We are here to provide you anonymity in a friendly and safe environment where you can share your experiences or concerns with like-minded people.

This is held on the first Tuesday of the month from 2.00 to 3.30 and the next meeting this Tuesday – 5^th April 2022

For more information contact Maggie Hurley on 0161 622 9252 or email Maggie.Hurley@ageukoldham.org.uk

Let’s Do It

The ‘Let’s live well’ programme offers residents throughout the borough of Bury, lots of different ways to live well. The key aim of the programme is to support communities to recover from the serious impact of Coronavirus, inspiring local people to make better lifestyle choices that will allow them to improve their health and wellbeing. thrive and flourish and live their best life.

The following links contain information about activities in your area are

• Bury East (PDF)
• Bury North (PDF)
• Bury Borough 1 (PDF)
• Bury  Borough (PDF)

Join in the Big Conversation about Health

Take part in the new survey on health and social care and help shape the future with the Greater Manchester (GM) Integrated Care Partnership (ICP).

The survey is now live until Sunday 8th May 2022 and anyone who lives or works in the 10 Greater Manchester boroughs can take part. Anyone who registers their views will be entered into a free prize draw with a chance to win one of four £250 Love to Shop vouchers.

The feedback collated from the survey will help to shape the future vision of how we will work together in partnership to improve everyone’s health and wellbeing.

You can access the survey at this link: www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/GMBigConversation

To take part over the phone or request communication support, call 0330 120 1763 or email salccg.involve@nhs.net

The GM Walking Festival May 2022

The Let’s Walk GM Walking Festival 2022 is an opportunity for people to walk more in May by joining in with a programme of free, organised group walks. This is part of National Walking Month 2022.

They have over 100 walks already on offer and these can be viewed here.  Use this page to search for walks by area, distance, day or date or how easy or challenging the walk is. More walks will be added until mid- April, so keep checking back to see if there is a walk near you!

More at GM Walking Festival 2022

Beware the Easter Egg Scam

Outside London’s Victoria station in 2006, a group of researchers offered people the chance to win a basket of Easter chocolate. All they had to do was fill out a form with a few personal details. Surprisingly over 80 percent of people handed over enough data to steal their identity.

Yesterday, four friends innocently sent me a social media message offering FREE Cadbury chocolate eggs with a link that would take me to a site where I would have to submit enough details that would allow a stranger to steal my identity. I am quite sceptical of anything that claims it’s free so I checked online first and found plenty of warnings about the new scam.

If you get an invitation, please ignore it and please tell your friends and family.

Coronavirus

As of Thursday 31^st March, 581.5 people per 100,000 in Bury tested positive for coronavirus over the last 7 days – that is a decrease of 1% from the previous week. Bury is the only Greater Manchester borough to see a fall – infection rates in the nine other areas are on the increase. On the same day, the England average was 858 people testing positive per 100,000 over the last seven days– an increase of 33% from the previous week’s figure.

In the week ending on March 27, a total of 726 patients were admitted to Greater Manchester NHS hospitals with Covid-19. That is 159 more than the week before, a rise of 28 per cent.

From today, ironically April Fool’s Day, free testing for COVID-19 will end for most people in England (but not in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland where free tests are still available!). You may still be able to get free rapid lateral flow tests (LTF) if you work for the NHS or in some social care settings, are going into hospital, or you’re at high risk of getting seriously ill from COVID-19 (you will be contacted directly by your health provider if you fall into this category). However, most people will have to pay for lateral flow tests in England. Boots and Superdrug already have LFTs for sale for about £2 a test. 

The best defence against the virus is the vaccination. See the Bury Council website for a list of places where you can get the vaccination https://www.bury.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=15987

Spring Boosters are being offered to people over 75 or people over 12 who have a severely weakened immune system. If you fall into one of these categories, you can now book online https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/

We are asking anyone who is ill to avoid coming to our Centre, shops and activities. We are still making sure sanitiser is available everywhere and asking people to take extra care when meeting with others. 

Ukraine

Thank you to all who have donated to support our partner Age International to support their work in Ukraine. The Jubilee Centre has raised £827.95 since we began collecting last month.

The UN estimates that more than 3 million people have fled Ukraine and almost 2 million more have been displaced inside the country with many unable to leave their homes because of heavy fighting in cities such as Mariupol, Kharkiv and Kyiv.

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) brings together 15 leading UK aid charities at times of crisis overseas. It launched its Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal on 3 March and has so far raised an incredible £175 million, including £25m in Aid Match from the UK Government.

The aid effort is fully underway both inside Ukraine and on the borders of neighbouring countries, with DEC charities and their local partners working to meet the immediate needs of all people fleeing the conflict with food, water, medical assistance, protection and trauma care. 

Chris Roles, Age International’s Managing Director describes the immense difficulties facing aid staff and volunteers in Ukraine: “Due to the nature of this crisis, our staff and volunteers are facing huge challenges when trying to send help where it is needed. For example, in some cases agencies in Ukraine are using cars instead of lorries — which could be mistaken for military vehicles — to transport essential supplies which is less efficient and slowing things down. 

One aid worker delivering food and medical supplies to older people who are unable to flee their homes reported having to take cover 12 times in a single day as a result of air-raid siren warnings, so humanitarian aid is constantly being disrupted.

In addition, people are really worried about the safety of humanitarian corridors. This again puts a stop to getting help and supplies to the people who urgently need it, as well as making it extremely frightening for those who could flee but who don’t know if it’s safe and are unsure where it will lead them to.”

If you would like to support Age International, click on the link below or bring your loose change to the Jubilee Centre or our shops and we will pass it onto Age International. Thank you so much for your support. 

https://www.ageinternational.org.uk/donation/ukraine-appeal/#step1

Flat Wanted

A reader is looking for a flat or one bedroom or self-contained unit in the Bury area. Please send any information to news@ageukbury.org.uk  and I will pass on.

My Generation Magazine

The “Talking About My Generation” project was started so people aged 50 and over from across Greater Manchester could change the record on what it means to grow older in the region.

The latest edition is out today and available at this link: Talking About My Generation

Our next newsletter is out in two weeks in time for Good Friday (15^th April).  

Best Wishes

Andy and all at Age UK Bury