Newsletter 4th September
Greetings from The Jubilee Centre
I hope this newsletter finds you well. We will start with some positive stuff and then get on with updating you about our services and the situation in Bury.
Creative Care Kits
The Creative Care Kit was created as a gift to support people with the challenging times we are all facing. Getting creative can support our own health and keep us well. The kit is a collection of cultural and creative resources to keep you entertained, engaged and connected as we continue to practice physical distancing measures.
We have 50 kits available for free at the Jubilee Cafe on a first come, first served basis. If you would like one, or would like to pass one onto a friend, please ask our staff at the café.
This week, Stella, Irene, Juanita & Michael delivered 45 Creative Care Kits to our Friends Together members, who are still stuck at home due to the pandemic.
The Creative Care Kit was created by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and cultural and voluntary sector organisations from across Greater Manchester, including Bury Met, Bury Art Museum and Bury Cultural Champions.
Happy Thoughts!
Action for Happiness has the aim of creating more happiness in the world. The group provides ideas and resources to enable people to take action at home, at work or in their community to increase happiness for all.
One of their ideas is a monthly calendar, giving you daily inspiration. This month's theme is "Self care - you can't pour from an empty cup". To download your free copy, go to https://www.actionforhappiness.org/self-care-september
TV Licences
We have finally got our hands on a genuine letter requesting payment for TV Licences. Click this link to see it.
TV Licensing will only ask you to pay using the following options:
- By post using the address: TV Licensing, PO Box 578, Darlington DL98 1AN
- Online at co.uk/75pay or tvl.co.uk/75apply
- Over the phone on 0300 790 6151
If you are contacted and asked to pay for your TV licence using a different phone number, a different website or by posting your details to a different address you have been contacted by a scammer. TV Licensing have also been clear that they will not come to your doorstep to collect the licence fee if you are over 75, so anyone who claims to do so is also a scammer.
If you’re unsure about anything, you can call TV Licensing on 0300 303 9695 to speak with someone who can help.
Find out more at https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/scams-fraud/tv-licence-scams/
The Jubilee Café
This week, our café and shops were featured in the Bury Times to publicise the reopening and you can find the article here: https://www.burytimes.co.uk/news/18687983.age-uk-reopens-conservatory-cafe-added-safety-measures/
This week, we increased the number of tables available to members in a way to ensure that people remained socially distanced.
The Cafe & Window Sales are now open Monday to Friday from 10.30 to 2.30.
We want to get activities up and running as soon as we can, but the Greater Manchester coronavirus restrictions need to be lifted first.
Our charity shop on The Rock
Our shop at 91 The Rock, Bury is now open.
Covid-19 restrictions means that the maximum number of customers allowed in the shop is SIX at any one time. We are asking all customers to sanitise their hands before coming in and to wear face coverings, unless medically exempt from doing so. We are reducing our opening hours to allow for more time to clean the shop and restock.
Our new hours will be
- Wednesday: 10.30 am to 3 pm
- Thursday - Saturday: 10.00 am to 3.00 pm.
Donations of goods
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 can not take items at the Jubilee Centre.
Online Activities
Diana will next be live on our Facebook page on Monday and Wednesday next week.
- 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
These sessions are free and many thanks to Diana for setting them up. Please tell your friends they are welcome to join us. 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. This class is aimed at those who attend the 12.15 Tuesday class and 11.00 Friday class at the Jubilee. Send an email to taichi.college@yahoo.co.uk or message Sue via Facebook at m.me/taichiandwildgooseqigongbury for the access code.
We are pleased to confirm that these online classes will continue until the end of October, whether we open the Jubilee or not. This is with the support of a grant from the Age UK Coronavirus appeal and we are grateful to our national partner for their support.
Government restrictions in Bury (04/9/2020)
The good news is that the number of people who have tested positive for Coronavirus in Bury has fallen. The bad news is that the number of people testing positive is still twice the national average.
The restrictions in Bury remain in place and are:
- you must not meet people you do not live with inside a private home or garden.
- you must not visit someone else’s home or garden - even if they live outside the affected areas.
- you should not socialise with people you do not live with in other indoor public venues – such as pubs, restaurants, cafes, shops, places of worship, community centres, leisure and entertainment venues, or visitor attractions.
Everyone (unless exempt) must also wear face coverings in shops/supermarkets, public transport, banks and post offices, cinemas/theatres, places of workshop, libraries/museums and community centres.
Wash your hands frequently and stay two metres apart wherever possible.
If you feel unwell, get a free test now. Call 119 or go to www.nhs.uk
For more information on the situation in Bury, go to https://www.bury.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=15594
If things get worse and we must close our cafe and shop, we will communicate this by an email newsletter, Twitter and Facebook.
The Quiz
Last week’s quiz was a difficult one, asking you to name a country beginning with each letter of your name. I still have resisted looking on Google until I have done it myself. If ytou really want to cheat, a full list of countries is at https://www.worldometers.info/geography/alphabetical-list-of-countries/
This week, we return to anagrams. We provide the anagram and you work out who it refers to. The theme is British Writers and Actors.
The quiz is just for fun. We sadly don’t have any prizes but you get the glow of success, if you get all the answers right. Good luck!
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.
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. Alternatively, call Jane Lees, our Befriending Coordinator on 07541 741891.
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.
Please share this newsletter with your friends. If you know someone who is not on the internet, please phone and tell them the news.
Hope to see you soon at the Cafe
Stay safe, keep strong.
Andy and all at Age UK Bury
