Newsletter ¦ 24th December
Greetings from the Jubilee Centre
Happy Christmas Eve from us all at Age UK Bury.
Well, it’s been a strange week and the only thing we have learnt is that coronavirus is not planning to take a holiday over the Christmas period. The rates of coronavirus infection in Bury is now at an all-time high. As a result we took the difficult decision to cancel our activities at the Jubilee until January and bought back some measures to prevent the spread of the virus in the café.
We would like to wish our friends in the health and social care services all the best as they continue to roll out the vaccinations and boosters and respond to rising numbers of patients needing their support. It has been a tough year for everyone but those on the frontline have faced the worse of this pandemic. We really appreciate their dedication and commitment to the people of Bury.
Coronavirus in Bury
As of Wednesday 23rd December, 955.9 people per 100,000 in Bury tested positive for coronavirus over the last 7 days – that is an increase of 69% from the previous week. On the same day, the England average was 905.9 people testing positive per 100,000 over the last seven days– an increase of 67% from the previous week’s figure.
This time last year, the figure was around 200 per 100,000 – a very scary figure at the time as the first vaccine had only just been rolled out and most of us had to wait months before we received it. This year, we are in a better position. Latest figures show that, as of 16th December, a total of 143,988 people in Bury have received a first Covid vaccination, and 131,560 have had their second jab and 75,480 people in Bury have now received a Covid-19 booster vaccination. All the evidence shows that those who have had the booster are best protected against the Omicron variant and far less likely to end up in hospital.
Vaccinations
Bury Council has updated their page on vaccination centres for next week (27th Dec to 2nd January). Go to https://www.bury.gov.uk/coronavirus-vaccine
There is a new helpline to help people find and book a Covid-19 vaccination. The team can help with online booking or find a site close to home. Call 0161 608 4304 Monday to Friday, open 8am – 6pm. This new service is aimed at people who aren’t online so please share with your friends who need this help.
Bury Community Hubs
Bury’s Community Hubs are there for anyone who needs support, including those who are self-isolating. To access essential help, call 0161 253 5353 (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday – excluding bank holidays) or text 07860 022876 (messages responded to by the next working day).
Bury Public Health Briefing
Last week’s Bury Public Health briefing, which contains information about sources of help in Bury, is available in this link Borough Bulletin (17.12.21)
Our services
The Jubilee Centre café, Friends Together, Information and Advice, shops and Handy Person Service are now closed and will reopen on Wednesday 29th December.
On Friday 31st December, our café and shops will open from 9.30 and close at 2.00 pm. We will be closed on Monday 3rd January and all our services will return to normal from Tuesday 4th January 2022.
Our Café
We plan to open our café on Wednesday 29th December, but government restrictions may prevent us from doing so. We will let you know our plans on Facebook and Twitter. If you would like to check we are still open, before setting off from home, call us on 0161 763 9030 from Wednesday morning.
If we are allowed to open, we will continue to operate a table service and ask all customers to wear facemasks when not seated. The café is extended into the hall, to allow for more distancing between tables.
Our annual Café raffle raised £581. A big thank you to the generosity of our members who donated gifts and bought raffle tickets. Every penny will be ploughed back into the charity to support our services to you. The Prize list is located on the middle door of the café. Please check your tickets.
Activities at the Jubilee Centre
In response to the rising Coronavirus infection levels, we have sadly taken the decision to cancel all activities until the New Year.
We will send out an email on New Year’s Eve to update you on our plans for activities from Tuesday 4th January.
Collection of donations for our charity shops
We can collect your donations from your home from Wednesday. Give us a call on 0161 763 9030 and we will arrange a collection. This is the perfect way to dispose of any embarrassing presents discreetly!
Support over Christmas
If you need support over the Christmas holiday, these services are open.
- Age UK - 0800 678 1602 - Free information & advice from 8am to 7pm, every day of the year.
- The Silver Line - 0800 4 70 80 90 - Free confidential friendship, 24 hours a day. every day of the year.
- The Samaritans - 116 123 - Call free any time
#JoinIn on Twitter
Sarah Millican, the comedian, set up the #JoinIn on Twitter 10 years ago because she hates the thought of people feeling lonely at Christmas.
By using the hashtag #JoinIn, you can join a community made up of those alone, those not alone but lonely, those who wish they were alone (who often tweet the horrors of being with others to make the lonely ones feel better) and Sarah.
Find out more at https://inews.co.uk/opinion/sarah-millican-ill-be-spending-christmas-day-chatting-to-strangers-and-i-want-you-to-join-me-1357487
If you are not already on Twitter, it is free to join and a good way to keep in to get updated on what’s happening in the world. Go to https://twitter.com/ to sign up. You can find us there by typing @ageukbury in the search bar.
100 Club
Today, we can announce this month’s group of winners in our 100 Club. For December, we had 59 members and the winners this month are:
- 1st prize - No 24 Anonymous
- 2nd prize - No 45 Pat Thorp
- 3rd prize - No 27 Anonymous
The numbers were chosen using a computerised random number generator and independently verified. As soon as we can prise the cheques from the clenched hands of the Chief Officer (Scrooge hates giving money away!), the cheques will be in the post.
There are plenty of numbers to purchase and if you would like to join the 100 club, please call us on 0161 763 9030 and we will send you a brochure. Alternatively, click on this link: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/bury/get-involved/100club/
It would be a great Christmas Present for someone, and you don’t even have to wrap it!
The Quiz
The answers to the last Quiz (dated 17th December) is in this link.
This week, we have a special Christmas Eve Quiz bringing you 50 – yes 50 – questions! This quiz is just for you and your friends to enjoy. Hopefully by New Year’s Eve, we will have sobered up and figured out what the right answers are!
A Happy Story
Today, we met Sienna Quinn and her mother Lauren. Sienna is a pupil at St Gabriel’s High School and she made and sold hot chocolate reindeers and sweets to raise money for our telephone befriending service. Sienna researched charities online and decided to choose to support our work. On Thursday she popped into the Jubilee to present £72 to our Chair, Joan. A big thank you to Sienna.
Our next newsletter will be out on New Year’s Eve.
We would like to wish one and all a very Happy Christmas. We look forward to seeing you all in the New Year.
Andy and all at Age UK Bury
