Newsletter ¦ 18th June

Greetings From the Jubilee

I hope you and your loved ones are well. I hope you have recovered from the news that the return to normality has been delayed. Given the rise of infection rates in Bury, this is a good thing as clearly we are not winning the war against the virus yet.

We were really pleased that our befriending service has been nominated for the Asda Green Token Scheme. Rather than receiving the tokens in store, you now vote online. Please vote for us by clicking this link and selecting Age UK Bury. We would really appreciate your vote for our service.

Our newsletter includes an update on our services given the delay in the easing of the lockdown, news about Nutrition and Hydration Awareness week and a new campaign to fix the social care system.

Part One: Coronavirus in Bury

In Bury, on Thursday 17th June, 292.2 people per 100,000 were tested positive for coronavirus – that is an increase of 38% from the previous week’s figure. The figures are rising fast amongst younger people in Bury - college students and those in their twenties. On the same day, the England average was 77.5 people testing positive per 100,000 – an increase of 43% from the previous week’s figure.

Yesterday’s figure meant that Bury now has a bigger infection rate than Bolton! In Greater Manchester, Salford and Manchester have the highest figures with Bury coming third.

The rise in infections is due to the Delta variant which was first detected in India. Public Health England reports today that this variant now accounts for more than 99% of reported cases.

Bury residents are advised to minimise travel out of the area and to take extra care when meeting people outside of their household or support bubble. Everyone can do their bit to reduce the infection rate by getting the vaccination, urging their family and friends to get the vaccination, testing yourself for the virus and living by the mantra of “hands, face, space and fresh air”. Let’s do it for Bury!

The official Bury Update on Coronavirus is available in this link

Vaccination News

As of 13 June 2021, a total of 120,340 first doses and 86,395 second doses of the vaccine have been delivered from Bury's four community vaccination centres, hospital hubs and regional vaccination centres. Figures include patients vaccinated at local sites, hospital and mass vaccination centres. This is a fantastic achievement by our local services - thank you.

Vaccinations are now available to people aged 18 and over living - please pass this message onto your family and friends. Your “word of mouth” encouragement to your family and friends is the most effective way of getting people vaccinated and getting us out of restrictions.

Walk-in vaccination clinics open this weekend

Walk-in vaccination clinics will open this weekend offering first dose vaccinations.

First dose Pfizer clinics

When: 8.30am to 6.30pm, Saturday 19 June
Where: Ramsbottom Civic Hall, Market Place, Ramsbottom, BL0 9HT

First dose AstraZeneca clinics

When: 8.30am to 1pm, Sunday 20 June
Where: Ramsbottom Civic Hall, Market Place, Ramsbottom, BL0 9HT

If you prefer to make an appointment, go to the Bury Covid 19 Vaccination booking service which is online here: https://covid.nhsbookings.com/gmpcn

The Bury Council website has a page about the vaccination at https://www.bury.gov.uk/coronavirus-vaccine

Please share this information with anyone who has not had the vaccination.

Proof of vaccination status

If you're planning to travel abroad, you may need to show proof that you're vaccinated against coronavirus (COVID-19). This is your COVID-19 vaccination status.

A member called our office and said he asked his GP for vaccination proof for him and his wife. He was informed there would be a charge of £25 per person.

I checked this and you can get the proof you need for free. Go to Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination status for travelling abroad - NHS (www.nhs.uk ) or call 119 for more information.

Testing for Coronavirus

Anyone without coronavirus symptoms can now access free rapid coronavirus testing twice a week as part of a national universal testing offer. For more details go to https://www.bury.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=15451

The rules on what you can and can not do

For all the details, please go to https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-coronavirus-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do#if-you're-in-an-area-where-the-new-covid-19-variant-known-as-delta-is-spreading

Part two: Our support to you

The Jubilee Centre Cafe

Our café is open next week from 10 to 2.30, Monday to Friday.

Social distancing rules on inside hospitality will be in place so it’s six people or 2 households per table. As a temporary measure, the cafe will extend into the main hall, allowing us to accommodate more people.

Online activities will continue until 16th July

We will continue with Sue’s and Diana’s video activities on Facebook and Zoom until Friday 16th July. For a full list of online activities, please go to https://www.ageuk.org.uk/bury/our-services/online-activities/

We did have technical problems with Diana’s activities on Monday. We suspect this is the fault of a dodgy Ipad so Diana is borrowing one and we hope normal service will be resumed from Monday..

Let’s Celebrate with Age UK Bury - Postponed

Our special event to celebrate the end of lock down has been postponed and we are now working on a special event for 11th September. More details soon.

Our Charity Shops

Our Ramsbottom charity shop is open from 10 am to 4 pm, Wednesday to Sunday. .

The Bury charity shop will open on Tuesday 22nd June and operate from Tuesday to Saturday from 10 to 4. Debbie, Lynn, Michelle and the team have done a grand job in preparing the shop and the storage areas upstairs for its reopening and we look forward to opening the doors on Tuesday.

We are unable to collect donations until the government restrictions are lifted.

Our services

We will be answering the Age UK Bury office telephone – 0161 763 9030 - from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm from Monday to Friday.

During the pandemic, we are keeping essential support services open. These include:

Nordic Walking – a real life activity!

Diana is leading the Nordic Walking session on Wednesday afternoons from 2.00 pm till 3.00 pm. The classes are £5, payable by cash or cheque, on the day. We will supply the poles and Diana will give full instructions. You can just turn up on the day.

The Jubilee Centre - our use of space during restrictions

Some people have asked why recreational activities are happening at other community centres but not the Jubilee Centre. It is a fair question and I will briefly explain our position.

In order to make community buildings Covid-19 secure, there is a necessity to reduce the number of people in the building at any one time and ensure there is sufficient space between people..

The Jubilee Centre serves three purposes: office space; our cafe and our activity hall. Our fire assessment allows for a maximum of 200 people in the centre at any one time, in normal circumstances. With the Covid-19 restrictions, we have to halve that.

We have 18 tables seating a maximum of 86 people, having extended the cafe into the hall. In addition, we have 22 staff and volunteers coming into the centre over the week. Thankfully not everyone is in the centre at the same time and regulars would have spotted we are encouraging as many people as possible to sit outside. The sunshine makes that easier for us but we have to allow for British weather forcing everyone in, to take shelter. .

In order to reduce the number of people in the building and run the cafe and office safely, we are unable to run activities inside the hall. We do know that people are missing the activities and as soon as the restrictions on social distancing are lifted, we will restart them.

Part three: and in other news...

Fix Social Care

Today, our national charity, Age UK and 49 other national charities sent a letter to Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, calling on him to urgently bring forward his plans for care reform.

Boris Johnson stated on 24th July 2019, the day he became Prime Minister, that he would “fix social care once and for all.” The Covid-19 pandemic showed how much pressure the social care system is experiencing and how vital the need for reform is.

Find out more at http://keepyourpromiseboris.com

Nutrition and Hydration ¦ 14th- 20th of June 2021

14th- 20th June is Nutrition and Hydration Week which aims to raise awareness on the value of good food and drink in maintaining health, wellbeing and quality of life.

Have you or someone you look after recently lost weight without planning to? Has your appetite changed and is now lower than it used to be? Do your clothes, jewellery and shoes feel or look loose? If you answer yes to any of these questions you may not be eating enough.

Eating enough and having a balanced diet can protect you and your loved ones from ill health and if an illness strikes, your body is more equipped to deal with it if you are well nourished and hydrated.

To find out more please visit this website and share with your friends: Age UK Salford | Improving Nutrition and Hydration in Greater Manchester

New CCTV to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in Clarence Park

Four new CCTV cameras will be installed in Clarence Park to help address crime and anti-social behaviour reported by residents.

The new cameras will cover the car park and Lido in the north and the play area, field and main footpath in the south.

Hopefully this, coupled with the greater police presence, will help reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in the local area.

“Happy to chat” benches

COVID- 19 and the Lockdown has led to increased loneliness and so Bury Council has put up signs on some benches in Clarence Park and other parks across Bury, inviting people to sit and talk to one another.

Quiz-time

The answers to last week’s General Knowledge Quiz are in the link.

This week’s Quiz brings you another 30 questions to test your knowledge. This quiz is just for you and your friends to enjoy. The answers will be sent out with next week’s newsletter.

Keep safe and stay hopeful

Andy and all at Age UK Bury