Newsletter ¦ 4th June

Greetings From the Jubilee

I hope you and your loved ones are well. It has been great to sit in the sunshine and see friends at the Jubilee.

This week is volunteer’s week and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our volunteers who work in café, shops, the garden, on the telephones, on fundraising and on our committee for all their enthusiasm and energy that they bring to our charity. We simply would not be able to survive without our wonderful team. Thank you to one and all.

This week, the newsletter includes an update on the situation in Bury, news about four pop-up clinics so people can get their first vaccination, and a mix of local news.

Part One: Coronavirus in Bury

In Bury, on Thursday 3rd June, 136.9 people per 100,000 were tested positive for coronavirus – that is an increase of 106% from the previous week’s figure. On the same day, the England average was 33.6 people testing positive per 100,000 – an increase of 39% from the previous week’s figure.

In Bury the rise is most evident in the groups aged between 15-19 and 20-60, however there is a small and worrying rise in the number of people over 60 being infected. .

The figures in neighbouring Bolton are coming down following a government rescue package of soldiers and resources, However the Manchester Evening News reports that a request for similar help from Bury leaders has been declined by the government. More at https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/greater-manchester-infection-rates-surge-20737602

Everyone in Bury 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 - Please share this information with your family and friends

As of 30 May 2021, a total of 112,348 first doses and 76,180 second doses of the vaccine have been delivered from Bury's four community vaccination centres, hospital hubs and regional vaccination centres.

To combat the rising number of infections, drop-in clinics in Bury will be offering Coronavirus vaccinations for people aged 25 and over. If anyone younger feels they want the vaccine now, they can go along and have a chat with the vaccination team to see if they are eligible.

These walk-in clinics are for first dose vaccinations and will be using the Pfizer vaccine.

Saturday 5 June, 12 noon to 7 pm at Noor Ul Islam Mosque, Yarwood Street, Bury, BL9 7AU
Saturday 5 June, 2 pm to 5.30 pm at Prestwich Walk-in Centre, Fairfax Road, M25 1BT
Sunday 6 June, 8.30 am to 6 pm at Elizabethan Suite, Knowsley Street, Bury, BL9 0SW
Thursday 10 June, 1 pm to 8 pm at Fairfield Generals Hospital Vaccination Hub (Education Centre), Rochdale Old Rd, Bury BL9 7TD.

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 vaccine at https://www.bury.gov.uk/coronavirus-vaccine

Testing yourself

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=16065

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

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 more people to see others safely - even if it’s just waving to each other from their table.

Activities

We are still hoping that from Monday 21st June, we will be able to start most of our activities. However, it is now possible that the spread of the Delta variant (which was first reported in India) could scupper all our plans. We will not know for sure until Monday 14th June. We will do a special newsletter as soon as we know what is what!

Our special day - subject to government restrictions being lifted

If government restrictions are lifted, we are planning a “Let’s Celebrate with Age UK Bury” event on Saturday 26th June to promote the centre and our activities. On that day, there will be a mix of stalls, music and hopefully entertainers outside. Inside the hall, we will offer taster sessions of our activities.

Our fundraisers group is busy working on plans to make it a special day but we need the help of you lovely readers.

Can you donate gifts for our tombola and raffle stalls?
Can you run a stall or activity to raise funds for our charity?
Can you entertain others - we need singers, musicians, magicians and clowns?
Do you know a celebrity who would like to join us and sign autographs?

If you can help in any way to make the day spectacular, drop me an email at news@ageukbury.org.uk

Donations for the tombola and raffle may be left at our cafe. Thank you to all you kind people who have already left us donations.

Our Charity Shops

This week, we welcomed Lynn as the new Shop Manager for our Charity Shop on The Rock. Lynn comes to us with a wealth of experience in retail and has spent the week with our team getting the shop ready for a reopening very, very soon.

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

Our services

We will be answering the Age UK Bury office telephone – 0161 763 9030 - from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm from Tuesday to Friday - we are taking Bank Holiday Monday off.

During the Coronavirus 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.

Job Vacancies

We are seeking a Telephone Befriending Officer to support our Befriending Co-ordinator to support isolated people living in the borough of Bury (Closing Date is Noon on Tuesday 8th June 2021.)

We are also seeking a Shop Assistant for our Bury shop.

For more details, please go to https://www.ageuk.org.uk/bury/about-us/work-for-us/

Part three: and in other news...

Making caring visible and valued this Carers Week (7–13 June)

Bury is preparing to celebrate the invaluable work that thousands of carers across the borough do every day of the year.

Carers Week, which runs from 7 to 13 June, is an annual campaign that recognises the vital contribution of the UK’s unpaid carers – supporting family members and friends who are older, have a disability, mental or physical illness or need extra help as they grow older.

Provided through n-compass, the Bury Carers Hub provides information, advice and a wide range of specialist support services designed to help adult carers continue in their caring role for as long as they choose and reduce the impact the caring role can have on their own health and wellbeing.

During Carers Week, Bury Carers Hub will be holding carer-related information sessions, organised walks, fun activities and the weekly ‘coffee and chat’ session currently delivered via Zoom.

To find out more and to register to take part in events:

call 0300 303 0207 and ask to speak with one of the Bury Carers Hub Team
email enquiries@burycarershub.org.uk
visit the website www.burycarershub.org.uk.

Information will also be posted on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Bury-Carers-Hub-100983494977654

Shop with Amazon and support our charity

Want to help make a difference while you shop in the Amazon app, at no extra cost to you? Simply follow the instructions below to select Age UK Bury as your charity and activate AmazonSmile in the app. Amazon will donate a portion of your eligible mobile app purchases to us.

How it works:

Open the Amazon app on your phone
Select the main menu (=) & tap on "AmazonSmile" within Programmes & Features
Select Age UK Bury as your charity
Follow the on-screen instructions to activate AmazonSmile in the mobile app

At the moment, every penny really helps! Thank you!

Neighbourhood Watch Week 2021

If the pandemic has taught us one thing, it is that neighbourliness and community spirit is just as important as ever.

Neighbourhood Watch Week 2021 (5th-11th June) is an opportunity for us to build on the existing and new neighbourly relationships formed throughout the pandemic. It is a time for us to build on the connections we have made before and during lockdown. Let’s stay connected!

More at https://www.ourwatch.org.uk/nwweek

Clarence Park News

New signs have now gone up around the Lido and the entrance to the woods reminding people not to dump food waste. It is illegal, it attracts rats and it harms other wildlife.

Ducks and other wildlife really do not benefit from eating bread as it offers unbalanced nutrition and insufficient calories. It may make birds feel full when they haven’t actually eaten enough causing malnourishment.

The Canal and River Trust recommend these foods for wild ducks:

Sweetcorn, tinned, fresh or frozen (defrosted first)
Lettuce, ripped up
Frozen peas, defrosted
Oats, flapjacks and instant porridge oats
Seeds (Seeds don’t always float so scatter on the ground or in shallow water within swans’ reach.)
Rice, cooked or uncooked
QuackSnacks – responsible, convenient wild duck pellets

Our volunteer, Linda, has kindly produced some seed bags, available for purchase from our café, to feed the ducks.

Engage with art and improve your wellbeing

Being confined to our homes, whether with family or on our own can be a challenge to our wellbeing. To help you maintain good mental health, the Manchester Art Gallery’s Health and Wellbeing Manager Louise Thompson is offering some simple mindfulness sessions inspired by art techniques. All audio has been recorded in Louise’s home during lockdown.

Go to https://manchesterartgallery.org/exhibitions-and-events/exhibition/stay-well/

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