Newsletter ¦ 27th August

I hope you and your loved ones are well.

With infection rates falling in Bury and 75% of local people being fully vaccinated, we are now confident that we can start safely reopening activities at the Jubilee Centre. There will be two Tai Chi classes in the hall next week and we plan to restart other activities in the week beginning 6^th September. Details are in part two of this newsletter.

We are also looking forward to our big "Let's Celebrate" day on Saturday 11^th September. Duncan is busy practising on his drums for his big Drum-a-thon and we are busy working on plans to make it a spectacular day. More details soon!

We will be closed on Monday 30th August for the Bank Holiday. Diana will be online with her exercise classes, as we never let her take holidays! We will be open as usual on Tuesday.

Part One: Coronavirus in Bury

As of Thursday 26^thAugust, 266.9 people per 100,000 tested positive for coronavirus over the last 7 days – that is a decrease of 11% from the previous week. On the same day, the England average was 331.4 people testing positive per 100,000 over the last seven days– an increase of 7% from the previous week’s figure.

Some areas in Bury are reporting comparatively low rates in comparison to other areas of the country. In Walmsley & Limefield, where the Jubilee Centre is based, the rate has fallen to 152 per 100,000 people. However in some areas of Cornwall, the figure is over 1,800 per 100,000 people. We have not beaten the virus yet and it has the potential to return. In reopening our activities and services, we are keeping a close watch on local infection figures, recognising that we may have to close down if infection levels rise rapidly.

All young people in Bury aged 16 and over are now able to get a Covid jab and get protected against coronavirus. Please urge your young family members to get the jab. Information about vaccinations, getting a test for Covid-19 and links to government advice are now found on our Coronavirus page

There has been some concern about the possibility of getting blood clots after receiving the vaccination against coronavirus. The chances of developing dangerous blood clots after being infected with the coronavirus far outweighs the risks of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines, according to the largest study of its kind, which drew its conclusion after studying the records of 29 million people. More here: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/27/blood-clot-risk-greater-after-covid-infection-than-after-vaccination

Part Two: Our services

Jubilee Centre activities

Diana is leading a Nordic Walking class on Wednesday afternoons from 2.00 pm till 3.00 pm. The classes are £5, payable by cash or cheque. We will supply the poles and Diana will give full instructions. There is no need to book - you can just turn up on the day.

Sue Johnson’s Tai Chi class will take place in the hall on Thursday 2^nd September from 10.45 to 11.45 and Friday 3^rd September from 10.45 – 11.45. Cost: £5 and we can accept payment by card or cash.

In the week beginning 6^th September, we plan to bring back other activities including Diana’s classes, dancing, and gentle exercise. More details will be in next week’s newsletter.

The Bury Folk Dancers will be back at the Jubilee Centre on Monday 6^th September and Monday 20^th September from 8 pm to 10pm.

Yoga with Melanie will start on Monday 27^th September.

The Jubilee Centre Cafe

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

Online activities

Diana will be on our Facebook page on Bank Holiday Monday (30^th August) for gentle exercise and chair-based exercise and on Tuesday 31^st August, Diana will be leading her last online Dancefit group. Diana’s videos remain online after the original broadcast, and you can watch them at your leisure later

Go to https://www.facebook.com/ageukbury for details.

As Sue is back in her day job, the Friday Zoom sessions have now ended.

I would like to pay a special thank you to Sue and Diana for running these online activities whilst we have been closed. Originally, we were only going to run these sessions for a few months but with each successive lockdown, they became a vital means of helping people to keep fit and keeping in touch.

Our Charity Shops

Our Ramsbottom charity shop is open from 10 am to 4 pm, Wednesday to Sunday and our Bury charity shop is now open on Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm.

We are unable to collect donations at the moment, but we can accept over-the-counter donations if you are able to bring them to the shop. Readers of this newsletter can also bring donations to the Jubilee Centre between 10 and 2.30 and we will get them to the shops.

We are asking our shoppers to wear facemasks and keep their distance from others. We really need our staff and volunteers to stay healthy and our shops to stay open.

Our services

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

Let’s Celebrate!

Our “Let’s Celebrate” community fun day will be on Saturday 11th September, from 11.00 to 4.00. For more information go to https://www.ageuk.org.uk/bury/our-services/coronavirus/lets-celebrate/

We will be making more announcements in this newsletter when activities are confirmed. Expect to see plenty of smiles and balloons!

Part Three: And in other news

Fraud Alert

A reader has notified us of criminals turning up at people’s houses, claiming they are from British Gas, and saying they need to check the meter. They are working in pairs with one person distracting the homeowner whilst the other one does whatever inside.

The lady that was approached had not been with British Gas for the last three months which is why she suspected it was fraudsters otherwise she would probably have let them in. She did check the meter and told them the reading which she says they pretended to input into a device, but she noticed it was actually just a calculator.

After the visit, she did contact British Gas who advised no-one was working in the area. The Police have been informed.

The Weekly Quiz

The answers to last week’s Quiz is 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.

If you have any news to share, please send to news@ageukbury.org.uk

Have a great Bank Holiday!

Andy and all at Age UK Bury