Newsletter ¦ 3rd December
Greetings from the Jubilee Centre
I hope you and your loved ones are warm, safe and well. In this week’s newsletter, there is an update on the coronavirus in Bury, news about our parties and an important update about how to donate to our charity.
Christmas Parties
Our Tea Dancers will be holding a Christmas Party on Thursday 16th December from 12.30 –4.00. The price is £10 which includes a buffet. Andrea, Keith & Nadine will be our hosts.
Our Line Dancers will be holding a Christmas Party on Friday 17th December from 1.00–4.00 pm. The price is £10 and this includes a buffet. It will be hosted by the one and only Malcolm Brister.
Tickets for both parties are now on sale at the Jubilee Centre reception.
A Christmas Concert By The Radcliffe Male Voice Choir
We are now sold out for our annual Christmas Concert by the Radcliffe Male Voice Choir. We looking forward to seeing the Choir return to the Jubilee Centre.
Refunds policy for the concert and parties
Given the concerns about Coronavirus, we have taken the decision to offer full refunds to ticketholders for our concert and parties
- if the event is cancelled,
- if you, or the person you care for, or the people you are coming with, fall ill, (we will not need any evidence of sickness – we will take your word for it.)
- if you are worried about mixing with other people.
Refunds will be available at the reception desk at the Jubilee.
Coronavirus in Bury
This week the headlines have been all about the new Coronavirus variant called Omicron. It is far too soon to say if the Omicron variant will cause another spike of infections or just give people a mild cold. Scientists need the time to study the variant and its impact on people’s health and this will take a few weeks. Until then, don’t panic and treat any newspaper headline with a pinch (or barrel) of salt.
Despite the possibility of a new variant, the number of infections has decreased in Bury. As of Thursday 2nd December, 367.1 people per 100,000 tested positive for coronavirus over the last 7 days – that is a decrease of 10% from the previous week. On the same day, the England average was 441.0 people testing positive per 100,000 over the last seven days– an increase of 2% from the previous week’s figure.
In England, cases of Covid-19 among people aged 70 and above have decreased in the last week. The rise is highest in children aged two to the school year six and among those aged 35 to 49.
Get a Booster
If you haven’t had your vaccinations or booster yet, please make it your priority. Go to https://www.bury.gov.uk/coronavirus-vaccine for more information.
Mask up
Facemasks are compulsory in all shops and on public transport. Shoppers and passengers who refuse to wear masks face fines of £200, which can rise to £6,400 for idiots who prefer to flout the rules.
Possible Impact on our activities
At the Jubilee Centre and our Friends Together groups, we are following government guidance. People using these services do not have to mask up.
We are keeping a close eye on announcements and will adapt or close services if we feel there is any risk to anyone’s health.
We will announce any changes via a special e-newsletter, website, Twitter, Facebook, notice board and a message on our answerphone (0161 763 9030).
We ask that if you are feeling unwell, please help us to stay open by not coming to the Jubilee Centre or our shops. We are asking everyone to use the sanitiser provided and be considerate in giving each other space.
Help us to support others
Next year, we are planning to launch a fundraising campaign to raise £30,000 to support our befriending service which supports older people in Bury who are isolated and lonely. Our Keeping In Touch telephone service was launched at the beginning of the pandemic and now supports over 150 people per week, with our wonderful team making over 220 calls week. For many people, it has become a vital service and it is our priority to keep this service going.
To help us achieve the target of £30,000, we have joined the Just Giving web platform to make it easier for people to donate and fundraise for our charity.
If you would like to make a one-off donation or set up a monthly direct debit, go to https://www.justgiving.com/ageuk-bury and click on the donate button.
If you would like your family and friends to sponsor you to do something amazing, like jumping out of a plane, giving up chocolate for a month or doing a sponsored walk, click onto www.justgiving.com/fundraising-page/creation/?cid=3131130
If you want to raise money in the memory of loved one, click onto www.justgiving.com/fundraising-page/creation/initiate?cid=3131130&catId=10
You can gift-aid your donations and sponsorship, which gives the charity an extra 25p for every £1 raised.
If you would like to fundraise for our cause, or would like to know more, please contact Michelle at the Jubilee Centre on 0161 763 9030 or email admin@ageukbury.org.uk
If you would like to volunteer with our telephone service, please call Jane or Steph on 0161 763 9030 or email jane@ageukbury.org.uk
The Quiz
The answers to the last Quiz (dated 19th November) is in the link.
This week’s Quiz brings you another 30 questions to test your knowledge and the some of the questions are quite topical. This quiz is just for you and your friends to enjoy. The right answers will be sent out in two weeks.
Keep warm and safe.
Andy and all at Age UK Bury
