Newsletter 16th October
I hope you are your loved ones are safe and well.
This week, we received the sad news that Hilary Brown has passed away. Hilary had been a trustee of Age UK Bury since 2008 and was a champion of many voluntary sector groups and initiatives in Bury. Our thoughts are with her family at this sad time.
In a packed newsletter, we announce the return of our Handy Person service to help you with small jobs around the house, a plea to help us raise money while you shop online with Amazon, a chance to win a Cadbury’s hamper of chocolate and so much more.
Coronavirus (16th October 2020)
As I write this newsletter, it is quite possible that government restrictions in Bury may have changed a couple of times before I reach the end of it. I am not going to add to the confusion so I will just urge you to keep a close eye on this Bury Council website, which will update you with the rules that apply in Bury.
https://www.bury.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=15594
If the new restrictions mean we must close any of our services during the week, we will send out a special email to our readers.
Handy Person Service
Our service helps with small DIY and repair jobs such as fitting handrails and security locks, putting up shelves, curtain rails and wall decorations; assembling flat pack furniture; minor plumbing, painting and decorating work and changing light bulbs. All work will be carried out adhering to Covid-19 regulations to protect you and Andrew, who is our Handy Person Manager.
Written quotes will be given for all work. Prices are dependent on the scale and length of work being done. If you have a couple of small jobs which could be completed in an hour, it would cost £30 plus materials.
We are also working with trusted traders to help people with specialist work (e.g. replacement of boilers, roofing etc)
Contact Sue on 0161 796 6949 or email hp@ageukbury.org.uk
Office hours 08:30 am – 4:00 pm, Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday.
Share their story
Our national partner, Age UK and Cadbury has launched a new project to celebrate the lives of older people.
If you know an older person whose story deserves to be shared, you can share the story and stand a chance of winning a £100 Cadbury’s hamper.
To enter, and to hear the inspiring stories that have been submitted, go to https://www.ageuk.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer/donate-your-words/
Let’s talk taxis
Do you travel by taxi or private hire services? Whether you use them on a night out or to get around locally, we want you to have peace of mind on every journey. That’s why Bury Council is proposing minimum standards for every service licensed in Bury, as part of Greater Manchester’s plans to make sure every journey is safer and more reliable.
Taxis and private hire are a crucial part of our transport network, and the proposed minimum licensing standards could help put local operators ahead of out-of-town services as they will help give customers the confidence they are using a high-quality, safer and more reliable service, with high environmental and accessibility standards.
An eight-week public consultation on the proposals started on Thursday 8 October 2020 and will run until midnight on Thursday 3 December 2020. This consultation will be the first of its kind and it would be good that passengers, taxi and private hire drivers and operators give their views.
To find out more and have your say, visit: https://www.onecommunitybury.co.uk/minimum-licensing-standards-consultation
Virtual Vegan Luncheon Club
Vegetarian for Life is a UK charity, set up exclusively for the benefit of older vegetarians and vegans. They are kindly offering a cookery activity completely free of charge. Please click on this link to find out more.
The Veterans' Railcard
A new railcard giving military veterans a third off most train travel has gone on sale this week.
The card will be available to anyone who has served at least one day in the armed forces, or merchant mariners who have seen duty on legally defined military operations. Initially the one-year version of the card will cost £21, with the three-year card costing £61.
More details at: https://www.veterans-railcard.co.uk/
Shop for Christmas & raise money for us!
With Christmas fast approaching, and the constantly changing government advice, more and more of us may turn to online retailers when shopping for the festive season. Many of us are familiar with Amazon, but did you know… you can support us at Age UK Bury by shopping with Amazon.
Amazon will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to your chosen charity. All you need to do is start your shopping at www.smile.amazon.co.uk The donation will be made to the charity at no extra cost to you and you will find Age UK Bury in the list of eligible charities.
With the challenging times for everyone set to continue, we would be extremely grateful for your continued support.
Information and Advice
Our information and advice service supports people with benefit checks and filling in application forms for Attendance Allowance and Pension Credits.
Please send an email to info@ageukbury.org.uk or call Louise on 07872 067662 or Ruth on 07547 400142.
Keeping In Touch
Our Keeping in Touch telephone service offers older people in Bury a regular friendly phone call from one of our volunteers.
For more information, call 0161 763 9030 (Monday to Friday 10.00 am to 2.00 pm) or email jane@ageukbury.org.uk to sign up.
Jubilee Centre Café
We will continue to open the café from 10.30 to 2.30, Mondays to Fridays until further notice.
No activities are taking place until further notice. We are reviewing this weekly.
Foot Care Appointments
Dougie, our Foot Care Practitioner, will be at the Jubilee Centre from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm on Tuesday 27th October. Each appointment costs £20. Please call in advance to make an appointment. Call 0161 763 9030 to book.
Online Activities
Diana will be live on our Facebook page on Mondays and Wednesdays.
- Monday: 11.00 to 11.30 am: Gentle Exercise
- Monday: 11.40 to 12.10 Chair Based Exercises
- 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/
Sue holds a Tai Chi class online on Fridays at 11.00 am. Send an email to taichi.college@yahoo.co.uk or message Sue via Facebook at m.me/taichiandwildgooseqigongbury for an access code.
The Bury Shop
Our shop at 91 The Rock, Bury is now open on Wednesdays from 10.30 am to 3 pm and Thursday - Saturday: 10.00 am to 3.00 pm.
Customers to our shop at 91 The Rock must wear a face covering when entering the shop unless you are carrying proof of exemption. We are asking all customers to sanitise their hands before coming in.
We can accept a limited amount of donations at the Bury shop. We must store all donations for 72 hours before we can sort them and space in the shop is limited. Please phone 0161 761 2780 to check we have space before you set out.
We are unable to collect and we cannot receive and store items at the Jubilee Centre.
We are planning to reopen our Ramsbottom shop at the end of the month.
The Quiz
The last quiz was on Brand Acronyms and Adverts. The answers are in the link.
This week’s quiz is on the same topics - Acronyms and Adverts Part Two
The quiz is just for fun. We sadly don’t have any prizes but you get the warm glow of success, if you get all the answers right. Good luck!
And a big thank you to Eleanor for putting these quizzes together for us.
The Essential Stuff
For help with getting food deliveries and prescriptions, please phone Bury Community Hubs on 0161 253 53 53, every day of the week.
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.
Our previous newsletters are online at https://www.ageuk.org.uk/bury/about-us/coronavirus/
For all those questions about Coronavirus, and how it affects your life, please check out the Age UK FAQ website: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/coronavirus/coronavirus-guidance/coronavirus-faqs/
We are in the office on Monday to Friday and our phone lines will be open from 10.00 to 2.00. Call us on 0161 763 9030.
We now have over 300 people receiving this newsletter. If you know of anyone who would like this newsletter, please send this this link, where they can sign up. https://mailchi.mp/38cd71011527/age-uk-bury-newsletter
Thanks for reading and I hope you have found the newsletter useful. If you have any news you would like to share to our readers, please send onto news@ageukbury.org.uk
Stay safe, get a flu jab and keep smiling.
Andy and all at Age UK Bury
