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Newsletter ¦ 5th February

Greetings from the Jubilee Centre!

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

This week will see the start of our new online Tea and Chat Get-Together with Sue.  More details in the second part of this newsletter. If you missed the premiere of Diana’s Dancefit on Tuesday morning, you can catch a repeat of it for your Friday night boogie on our Facebook page.  

In the third part of the newsletter, we have information about walks around Bury, a week of meditation and the forthcoming Science Festival.

Part One: Coronavirus in Bury

In Bury, on Thursday 4th February, 229.9 people per 100,000 were tested positive for coronavirus – a fall of 21% from the previous week’s figure. On the same day, the England average was 257.3 people testing positive per 100,000 – a fall of 27% from the previous week.

The fall shows that the lockdown is working in reducing the infection rate and all your “Staying at Home” is making a difference. Well Done You! 

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/

Bury Council and Bury CCG have now vaccinated over 28,000 people. We keep hearing from our members about what a great job the doctors, nurses and volunteers are doing. If any of you are reading this newsletter – keep up the great work. The Bury Council website has a page about the vaccine at https://www.bury.gov.uk/coronavirus-vaccine

If you have problems in getting to the centre where your vaccination is planned, we have been informed NHS Responders can help. Call 0808 196 3646 for more details.

Click on this link for this week's Bury Council / Bury CCG update 

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/

Scam vaccination email

A scam email, which attempts to trick people into handing over their bank details, was reported to Action Fraud more than 1,000 times in 24 hours.

It appears to come from the NHS and asks the recipient to click on a link to accept or decline an invitation to receive the coronavirus vaccine. If they click accept, they are asked to input personal information and their bank card details.

  • If you receive a call you believe to be fraudulent, hang up.
  • If you are suspicious about an email you have received, forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk.
  • Suspicious text messages should be forwarded to the number 7726 which is free of charge.
  • If you believe you are the victim of a fraud, please report this to Action Fraud as soon as possible by calling 0300 123 2040 or visiting actionfraud.police.uk

Part two: Our support to you

Tea and Chat with Sue on Zoom - From Tuesday 9th February

Sue will be running a Tea and Chat session, giving people a chance to catch up with friends and have a chat. It’s just like Knit and Natter but without the knitting. But you can knit if you want to. 

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.

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/

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 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.

Support from Bury Council 

If you are self-isolating or don't have any other support, Bury Community Hubs are still here to help with food shopping and collecting medicine supplies. 

  • Phone 0161 253 5353 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).
  • Greater Manchester Text phone: Dial 07860 022876 (Messages will be responded to on the next working day)

Closures

Due to government restrictions, our Jubilee Centre café, charity shops and activities, including Diana’s Nordic Walking group, have closed. 

Part three: and in other news

Bury Self Led Walks

The Bury Self Led Walks website has free maps and guides to 12 walks in the borough of Bury. Each walk is circular, no more than 3½ miles in distance and should take between 60-90 minutes for most people to complete.

For more information, click onto to https://gmwalking.co.uk/bury-self-led-walks/

Manchester Let’s Meditate

We are experiencing unprecedented times and so many things seem out of control. Meditation enables us to slow down, let our mind unwind and our body let go of stress. Manchester Let’s Meditate is an online event open to all to support people during these difficult times.

It is taking place over 7 days from Monday 8th February – Sunday 14th February 2021. The online event is co-created with a group of accomplished meditation teachers, many of whom are based in Manchester. It is a free event and open to all, but donations are welcome to raise money for Forever Manchester.

More details at: https://forevermanchester.com/manchester-lets-meditate/

Manchester Science Festival

Manchester Science Festival returns from Friday 12 – Sunday 21 February 2021 with a programme of free online talks, exhibitions, debates and activities that explore our changing climate and ideas for a better world.

Click onto https://www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/manchester-science-festival

Annual Report 2019-2020

Our charity’s annual report and accounts for 2019-2020 are now available online at the Charity Commission website.

Alternatively, please send an email to admin@ageukbury.org.uk for a copy.

Our 100 Club – Next Draw will be on 26th February!

If you would like to join for the February Draw, please call us on 0161 763 9030 and we will send you a brochure.

Alternatively, click on this link: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/bury/get-involved/100club/

The Quiz

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

This week’s quiz is a Mixed Bag Quiz  and there are a few trick questions thrown in. The quiz is just for fun and to keep you out of mischief. The answers will be in the next newsletter.  

Stay home, Stay Safe! As more people get vaccinated and as the infection rates fall, there is a sense that this is slowly coming to an end soon. Keep Cheerful.

Andy and all at Age UK Bury 

Join Diana for a boogie on our Facebook Page