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Newsletter ¦ 19th February

Greetings from the Jubilee Centre

I hope you and your loved ones are well and coping with the third lockdown.

The good news of the week is that over 41,000 people in Bury have received their first vaccination and now all people aged 65 and over and unpaid carers can now get their coronavirus vaccination (see part one of this newsletter). 

In part three of this newsletter, you have an opportunity to win a £100 shopping voucher, an invitation to London Fashion Week, loads of art and culture to inspire you and our weekly quiz.  

Part One: Coronavirus in Bury

In Bury, on Thursday 18th February, 205.2 people per 100,000 were tested positive for coronavirus – a fall of 2% from the previous week’s figure. On the same day, the England average was 133.2 people testing positive per 100,000 – a fall of 29% from the previous week. 

This week’s Bury Council/ Bury CCG update states that 95% of all new cases in Bury are a result of the B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant (first detected in the UK) which makes the virus more transmissible. For this reason, the “stay at home“ rules are important and necessary, even if you have had a jab. 

Bury residents are living under the regulations of the National Lockdown, which was outlined in my email on Tuesday 5th January. A link to that email is here: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/bury/our-services/coronavirus/newsletter--5th-january/

Vaccination Update

41,000 people in Bury have now received their first vaccination - that’s more than 23% of the eligible population (182,100). This is a tremendous achievement by our council, local health services, the army and local volunteers. Keep up the great work folks! 

Book a vaccination online

You can now book a vaccination online if you are aged 65 and over, or if you have previously received a letter saying you are at high risk from coronavirus (clinically extremely vulnerable) or if you are an eligible frontline health or social care worker. 

Click on https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/

Unpaid Carers

Unpaid carers are now included in the current phase of the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine. Unpaid carers are defined by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation as “those in receipt of a carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill”. 

If you are an unpaid carer, please let your GP know that you care for someone. If you depend on an unpaid carer, let tell them about this. 

More information is here: https://www.carersuk.org/news-and-campaigns/press-releases/carers-uk-welcomes-news-that-unpaid-carers-will-be-in-next-phase-of-covid-19-vaccinations

More vaccination information

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

Dementia UK has produced guidance on how best to support people who experience dementia with the vaccination process. Click here: Giving the Covid-19 vaccine to someone living with dementia - Dementia UK

Our friends at Age UK have produced a webpage answering the main questions about the Covid-19 vaccine. Click onto https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/coronavirus/coronavirus-guidance/coronavirus-vaccine

Last chance to claim FREE Vitamin D tablets

You can claim free Vitamin D tablets if you have received a letter from the NHS or the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) saying you are at high risk from coronavirus. You can make one application for vitamin D supplements and.you need to apply before Sunday 21 February 2021.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/people-at-higher-risk/get-vitamin-d-supplements/

Part two: Our support to you

Tea and Chat with Sue on Zoom

Sue is running a Tuesday afternoon Tea and Chat session, giving people a chance to catch up with friends.  

Our free online chats will take place from 2.30 pm to 3.30 pm. To join us, send an email to Sue at taichi.college@yahoo.co.uk for an access code and link. Get your best china out!

This class is available on the Zoom platform. To download the free app, go to https://zoom.us/ 

Tai Chi with Sue

Sue also holds a Tai Chi class online on Fridays at 11.00 am. Send an email to taichi.college@yahoo.co.uk for an access code and link.

Sue has kindly set up a new group on Facebook for all who are interested in Tai Chi - click onto https://www.facebook.com/groups/144906774110472 or search for “Age UK Bury Tai Chi Group”. Thank you, Sue. 

Diana's classes

Diana will be live on our Facebook page on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

  • Monday: 11.00 to 11.45 am: Gentle Exercise
  • Monday: 11.50 to 12.35 Chair Based Exercise
  • Tuesday: 10.00 to 10.45: DanceFit 
  • 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/ Thank you Diana.

Telephone helpline and online support 

We will be answering the Age UK Bury office telephone – 0161 763 9030 - from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm every weekday throughout the lock down. If we can not help, we are sure to find someone who can! If you get the answerphone, please leave a message and we will get back to you as soon as possible. 

We will update people with latest news on

This weekly newsletter comes out on Friday. Urge your friends to sign up at our subscription page.

During the Coronavirus pandemic, we are trying to keep essential support services open. These include: 

Support for people living with Dementia and their carers

Bury Council and Bury CCG have produced a guide of local resources for people living with dementia and their carers – Click this link for the guide

Support from our national Partner, Age UK

  • 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.

Part Three: And in other news

Bury Draft Housing Strategy Consultation

Bury Council's new draft Housing Strategy will affect everyone in the borough. Do you want to have your say on the plans for the future of housing?

Complete either survey plus a chance to win a £100 shopping voucher (you can skip any questions that you don’t feel able to answer).

The deadline for completing the survey is Monday 22nd February 2021.

Older EU citizens

Our national partner, Age UK estimates there may be somewhere in the region of 40,000 EU citizens, aged 65 years and older, who are yet to make an application to the Settled Status scheme. This is the process that every EU citizen living in the UK needs to go through, in order to be given an ‘Indefinite Leave to Remain’. Once a person has been granted this, they can remain living in the UK for as long as they want.

The closing date for EU citizens to make their application is 30 June 2021, so time is getting short. More at https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families

Visit over 2,500 museums from your couch

Google Arts & Culture has teamed up with over 2,500 museums and galleries around the world to bring you virtual tours and online exhibits of some of the most famous museums around the world.

The collection includes the British Museum in London, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Guggenheim in New York City, and hundreds of places where you can gain knowledge about art, history, and science. There are loads of interactive fun things to do - I just spent the lunchtime teaching four blobs to sing an opera song.  

The Google Arts & Culture app is available free on Google Pay or Apple Store. The website is https://artsandculture.google.com/

Great Big Art Exhibition

Some of British art’s biggest names, including Antony Gormley, Sonia Boyce and Anish Kapoor, are encouraging Britons to turn their front windows into a gallery as part of a nationwide initiative to create a “magical patchwork of creativity”. Simply draw and create, then display in your windows at home! Go online to get a free pack to inspire you or just place a new masterpiece alongside your NHS rainbow.

https://firstsite.uk/the-great-big-art-exhibition-gallery/

London Fashion Week (from today to Tuesday)

Every year my ticket to London Fashion Week mysteriously gets lost in the post and I never get there. This year, the whole event is going online and you can have a front row seat from the comfort of your home. Go to https://londonfashionweek.co.uk/

The Quiz

Last week's quiz was a Picture Quiz.and the answers are in the link.

This week’s quiz is a General Knowledge, Music, Food and Drink Quiz. The quiz is just for fun and to keep you out of mischief. The answers will be in the next newsletter.  

Keep warm and stay safe. We will be back next week - send us any news to share with others. 

Andy and all at Age UK Bury 

Reflections of the trees in the ice of the Lido