Newsletter ¦ 8th January

Greetings from the Jubilee Centre!

Our newsletter today includes information about free Vitamin D tablets if you are shielding, free energy checks and equipment to reduce your heating bills, free IT support, an urgent warning about vaccine scam texts and a virtual flight over Bury.

As usual, the newsletter is in three parts. We begin with an update about coronavirus and its impact in Bury, then a list of our services and finally all the exciting news we have managed to find over the last week.

Part One: Coronavirus in Bury

In Bury, on 7^th January, 405.3 people per 100,000 were tested positive for coronavirus – a rise of 55% from the previous week’s figure. On the same day, the England average was 619 people testing positive per 100,000.

The good news is over 3,000 older people in Bury have already received the vaccine and distribution will be speeded up by the opening of a fourth vaccination centre in Ramsbottom on Monday.

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

Part two: Our support to you

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

our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ageukbury/
on Twitter - https://twitter.com/AgeUKBury

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 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)

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.

Closures

Due to government restrictions, our Jubilee Centre café, charity shops and activities, including Diana’s Nordic Walking group, have closed. Our footcare service is closed on Tuesday.

Help 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

Beware the fake NHS Covid-19 vaccine texts

Criminals are using the rollout of the NHS Covid-19 vaccine to separate people form their money by sending out fake text messages.

The fake messages claim to be from the NHS and claim that you are eligible for a vaccine after filling in a form, which requires you to give them your credit card details. The NHS would never require such details from you.

Free Vitamin D tablets for people at high risk of Covid-19

Vitamin D has the important role of helping the body to absorb the minerals (calcium and phosphorus) that are essential for healthy bones and teeth. It is also used by our muscles for movement and by our immune system to help fight some infections.

Free Vitamin D tablets are available for those considered at high risk of the effects of COVID-19 but you need to apply by Monday 11^th January 2021.

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

If you do not qualify, it is worth considering buying Vitamin D tablets, which are available at most pharmacies and supermarkets.

A factsheet about Vitamin D is available in this link.

Free energy checks and equipment to reduce your energy bills

Older people in the borough of Bury can receive a free home energy check and goods worth up to £30 through our new Handyperson service.

Andrew, our handyperson manager will assess the energy efficiency of a person’s home, give tips on how to save energy and, where appropriate and abiding by Government rules on social distancing, install simple and practical energy efficiency measures such as draught proofing, low energy light bulbs and radiator reflector panels to help reduce energy bills. These goods are free and worth up to the value of £30 per household.

The Warm Homes Programme is funded by E.on, Avro energy, Octopus energy and Shell energy and is co-ordinated by our national partner, Age UK.

For more information, contact Louise on 07872 067662 or email Louise@ageukbury.org.uk. Louise’s office hours are 08:30 am – 4:00 pm, Monday to Thursday. At other times, please leave a message on the answer machine.

We can support up to 50 people with this offer, so the offer is on a “first-come, first served”.

Bury Times

News about our mission to promote awareness of Attendance Allowance was featured in this week’s Bury Times – the article, with a lovely picture of Ruth and Louise is here: https://www.burytimes.co.uk/news/18987953.pensioners-urged-not-miss-attendance-allowance-payments/

Free IT Support for older people

Ron at Info-Tec Bury is offering his services to older people struggling with computer problems during this lockdown. He is happy to sort out your problems in return for travel expenses and cost of materials only for the lockdown.

Call Ron on 07742 488 917 or ron@infotechbury.co.uk.

If you have an old computer that you no longer need, Ron can delete the contacts of your hard drive safely, repair and donate to others needing a PC.

A Big Thank you to Dry Dave!

Dave Berry, who is a volunteer at our café, raised a grand sum of £435 for Age UK Bury by giving up drinking for November. Many congratulations to Dave. Dave is still taking donations at https://www.gofundme.com/f/r5q3m-dry-november

If you are inspired to fundraise by achieving a goal, you can set up at fundraising page for free at Virgin Money Giving at https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity-web/charity/finalCharityHomepage.action?charityId=1015191

Smoking

Stopping smoking is good for your health, your pocket, and your peace of mind. Make 2021 the year you quit and start your journey to better health.

Visit http://YouCanGM.org or call the NHS Stop Smoking Helpline 0300 123 1044 for more details.

Have your say!

One Community Bury is a website that brings together consultations and surveys on issues that affect Bury residents.

Current topics include the future of Bury (Bury 2030), buses, housing in Bury, the transformation of the North Manchester General Hospital (NMGH) and council ward boundaries.

Add your voice to these consultations by clicking on https://www.onecommunitybury.co.uk/

Domestic Abuse

Our national partner Age UK campaigns on older people’s issues, working closely with politicians and the key decision-makers in government.

Currently, nobody knows how many people over 75 experience domestic abuse. The Age UK Campaigns team has been urging a change to this and this week, Susan Baroness, Home Office Minister, confirmed that in the future, national data collection on domestic abuse will include the over-75s.

This is an important step to help policy makers understand the extent of the problem and how services need to change to support the most vulnerable in our society.

Fly over the Jubilee (virtually)

One of my favourite sites is Google Earth, which allows you to explore world from your PC, tablet or phone. Areas in Bury have been upgraded so they now appear in 3-D, offering you a real birds-eye view of your local area.

Go to https://earth.google.com/web/ or find the Google Earth App on Apple and Android.

The Quiz

Last week's quiz was the seasonal New Year Quiz. The answers are in the link.

This week’s quiz is a General Knowledge Quiz

The quiz is just for fun and to keep you out of mischief. We sadly don’t have any prizes but you get the warm glow of success, if you get all the answers right. Thank you to Eleanor for preparing these quizzes for us and keeping us busy.

Our next newsletter is out next Friday - contributions welcome at news@ageukbury.org.uk

Keep strong and stay safe

Andy and all at Age UK Bury