Newsletter 23rd October
I hope you and your loved ones are safe and well.
In a packed newsletter, we include the most vital links you need to help us with the new Tier Three restrictions which have started today, some gossip we heard about another café, how to receive a certificate for protecting your friends from scammers, a chance to sing along with Basil Brush (!) and an update on all our services.
Coronavirus (23rd October 2020)
When the GM restrictions were imposed in July, the number of people testing positive for coronavirus in Bury was 13 per 100,000 people per week. It has now risen to 415 per 100,000 people and this number continues to rise in Bury. Scary stuff!
The government has placed Bury in the “tier three” restriction category which means there is a “Very High” of infection spreading.
The following links are vital information to help us all get through this.
An update from NHS Bury & Bury Council (pdf)
A one-page guide on what Tier Three means (pdf)
A one-page leaflet on what you must do if you need to isolate (pdf)
Please keep a close eye on this Bury Council website, which will update you with the rules that apply in Bury.
https://www.bury.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=15594
Shielding vulnerable people
In the March lock down, there were significant shielding restrictions put in place to protect the most vulnerable. This time there are not the same restrictions, but guidance has been produced to advise people on how to protect themselves.
The guidance is at this website, which is a rather long one to remember: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19
This time, there will no deliveries of food from the government, but supermarkets have priority slots if you are booking online.
If you are self-isolating or don't have any other support, Bury Community Hubs are still here to help with food shopping and collecting medicine supplies.
- Phone 0161 253 5353 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).
- Greater Manchester Text phone: Dial 07860 022876 (Messages will be responded to by the next working day)
Jubilee Centre Café
We will continue to open the café from 10.30 to 2.30, Mondays to Fridays until further notice. We are really pleased to see our friends support our café and it makes opening worthwhile.
We have heard on the grapevine that the police visited another café in Bury and found that some customers were not obeying government rules by meeting with others that they do not live with or were outside their social bubble. These customers got fined. The first fine is £200 and this can rise to £6,400 so it made for a very expensive meeting. So if you wish to visit our café, please observe the rules. Karen, our Catering Supervisor, does have the right to ban anyone persistently breaking the rules.
Keeping Fit
A new report by Sport England shows that Greater Manchester's activity levels have decreased, after a steady increase over previous years, due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
The Keeping Well at Home booklet provides practical tips for older people on how to keep moving, during the pandemic
Read the booklet at: https://bit.ly/35pWdUm
Friends Against Scams
By completing the online learning, anyone can learn about the different types of scams and how to support a victim. With increased knowledge and awareness, people can make scams part of everyday conversation with their family, friends and neighbours, which will enable them to protect themselves and others.
Once you have finished the course, you can claim your Friends Against Scams certificate. It is a worthwhile way of spending a rainy evening.
For more information, go to https://www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk/training/friends-elearning
Enjoy a sing-a-long
Shapeshifter Productions are running free sing-a-long sessions that are keeping people singing through the pandemic. Released every Monday, the sessions feature celebrity guest performers and a range of popular and favourite songs. Each session comes with on-screen lyrics and is accessible via an online app and also as downloadable links and mp3s.
Among the celebrities lined up to take part in the second series of the Sessions are KT Tunstall, Brian McFadden, Merrill Osmond and Basil Brush. They perform a range of well-known songs like ‘Fly Me to the Moon’, ‘Edelweiss’, ‘Secret Love’, ‘Will you Still Love Me Tomorrow’ and ‘Moon River’.
For more info, click here: http://www.shapeshifter-productions.com/smiling-sessions-covid-19/
Improving Intermediate Care Services in Bury
Bury Council and NHS Bury Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) are seeking views from people living in Bury about changes to intermediate care services in Bury.
People in Bury don’t have the same opportunity to access home-based intermediate care compared to other areas in the country. This is because there is an over reliance on bed-based care. The proposals aims to address this imbalance.
For more information, go to https://www.onecommunitybury.co.uk/improving-intermediate-care-services-in-bury
Greater Manchester loses out on £100 million of government funding
This week, the headlines have been all about Greater Manchester losing out on five million pounds of government money. But did you know that older people in Greater Manchester are losing out on Pension Credit, worth over £100 million, every single year?
If you are not claiming this benefit, please read our next piece.
If you are receiving Pension Credit and would like to tell others how it helps you, a new project has been set up to promote the benefit. Email Henry Parker at henry.parker@greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk or call / text him on 07800 613 104.
Information and Advice
Our information and advice service supports people with benefit checks and filling in application forms for Attendance Allowance and Pension Credits.
Please send an email to info@ageukbury.org.uk or call Louise on 07872 067662 or Ruth on 07547 400142.
Handy Person Service
Our service helps with small DIY and repair jobs such as fitting handrails and security locks, putting up shelves, curtain rails and wall decorations; assembling flat pack furniture; minor plumbing, painting and decorating work and changing light bulbs. All work will be carried out adhering to Covid-19 regulations to protect you and Andrew, who is our Handy Person Manager.
Written quotes will be given for all work. Prices are dependent on the scale and length of work being done. If you have a couple of small jobs which could be completed in an hour, it would cost £30 plus materials.
We are also working with trusted traders to help people with specialist work (e.g. replacement of boilers, roofing etc)
Contact Sue on 0161 796 6949 or email hp@ageukbury.org.uk
Office hours 08:30 am – 4:00 pm, Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday.
Keeping In Touch
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.
Foot Care Appointments
Dougie, our Foot Care Practitioner, will be at the Jubilee Centre from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm on Tuesday 27th October. Each appointment costs £20. Please call in advance to make an appointment. Call 0161 763 9030 to book.
Online Activities
Diana will be live on our Facebook page on Mondays and Wednesdays.
- 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
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. Send an email to taichi.college@yahoo.co.uk or message Sue via Facebook at m.me/taichiandwildgooseqigongbury for an access code.
The Bury Shop
Our shop at 91 The Rock, Bury is now open on Wednesdays from 10.30 am to 3 pm and Thursday - Saturday: 10.00 am to 3.00 pm.
Customers to our shop at 91 The Rock must wear a face covering when entering the shop unless you are carrying proof of exemption. We are asking all customers to sanitise their hands before coming in.
We can accept a limited amount of donations at the Bury 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.
We are unable to collect and we cannot receive and store items at the Jubilee Centre.
We are planning to reopen our Ramsbottom shop later next week.
The Quiz
The last quiz was on Acronyms and Adverts (Part Two)The answers are in the link.
This week’s quiz is on the things that go bump in the night at this time of year! Halloween Anagrams!
The quiz is just for fun. We sadly don’t have any prizes but you get the warm glow of success, if you get all the answers right. Good luck!
And a big thank you to Eleanor for putting these quizzes together for us.
The Essential Stuff
For help with getting food deliveries and prescriptions, please phone Bury Community Hubs on 0161 253 53 53, every day of the week.
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.
We now have over 300 people receiving this newsletter. If you know of anyone who would like this newsletter, please send this this link, where they can sign up. https://mailchi.mp/38cd71011527/age-uk-bury-newsletter
Thanks for reading and I hope you have found the newsletter useful. If you have any news you would like to share to our readers, please send onto news@ageukbury.org.uk
Stay safe, get a flu jab and keep smiling.
Andy and all at Age UK Bury
