Share Your Soup Recipes! 

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Do you live in Ardwick, Longsight, Gorton, Levenshulme, Hulme, Moss Side, Fallowfield, Rusholme, Chorlton or Whalley Range?

buzz Health and Wellbeing Service would love to see your favourite healthy and traditional warming soup recipes. Submit your recipe and please let us know If you don’t have a slow cooker and we will enter you into the prize draw for one.

Your recipe will go into a collection of soup recipes from around the world to promote eating well over winter.

To enter contact Patricia Williams patricia.williams@gmmh.nhs.uk / 07818523098 Deadline 1st November 2021

Peer Coaching Community Course 

Link to Video introduction. At Brunswick Church. 12 week course intended for participants to learn methods and practices for effective peer coaching in the communities in which they work and live, and to work together to create social change projects in their communities. Limited spaces (first come first served). Book your place by contacting Mo mo@brunswickchurch.org.uk / 07938959284. Starting Friday 17th September at 10am-12noon for 12 weeks.

Activity

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• Functional Maths Skills Course – face-to-face with an initial assessment on 14th September, starting 15th September for 3 weeks. A few spaces remain. Poster attached. Entry Level 2, for those age 19+. Contact referral team 0161 881 4826. 14th September – 6th October.

• Brunswick Beestro Open! – Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday lunchtimes 10.30am-2pm at Brunswick Church. Serving drinks and light refreshments (with a hot meal for £1 on Tuesdays 1-2pm). Leaflet attached, for more information contact mo@brunswickchurch.org.uk

• Learn How to Use Canva – a online tool for creating distinctive images (think Photoshop but more user friendly – in my opinion). This free workshop will give pointers on how to use it. 14th September 1.30-3.30pm.

• Natter in Nature – gardening activity at Brunswick Village for workshops from 10am – 3.30pm. Limited spaces so get in touch with Suzanne 07790 801034 or Suzanne.walton@groundwork.org.uk Poster attached. Monday 20th September.

• Rainbow Flourish South Manchester - a free monthly social group run by Pride in Ageing at LGBT Foundation for LGBT people over 50. This group is a place to learn new skills and develop personal growth in areas that interest you. Join in for the 'Bags of Pride' taster sessions in September, a chance to get creative and share your ideas about future sessions. First Monday of the month. To be in line with venue request, book your space via Eventbrite.

• Be Well FREE NHS Community Health Checks – from 10am – 3pm. To book, ring 0770 287 2861.

  • Northmoor Community Association Wednesday 22nd September

  • Church of Nazarene Monday 27th September

• Gorton Happiness Walk – run by Gary Loftus of the Orange Club. Meet at Gorton Central. Leaflet attached. Any questions or to sign up, contact Sally 07305 325369 / sally@hmhc.co.uk 10am – 1pm 29th September.

• CAHN Black Community Wealth Building Event – stalls, poetry, commemorations, food for sale, presentations and more at this Black History Month event hosted by Caribbean & African Health Network at Manchester Cathedral. Booking via link essential. Will be livestreamed on Youtube & Facebook. Thursday 30th September 6.30-9pm. Poster attached.

• Older People’s Day Drag Bingo! – at Central Library, free to attend. Maximum 6 to a table, book tickets by ringing 0161 234 1932. Saturday 2nd October 2-4pm. Poster attached.

• ‘Basics of Being Age Friendly’ training sessions – this free  (currently online) training is targeted at groups and organisations who are looking to develop new ways of working to improve access to services and groups for older residents within communities. Online training bookable on Eventbrite for 12th October 10-12pm and 21st October 1-3pm.The plan is to move to in person training in 2022. If that is your preference, or any questions, please contact our buzz Age Friendly Neighbourhood Health Worker Yasmin.Holgeth@gmmh.nhs.uk.

Information

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• Manchester Community Response Hub –Tel: 0800 234 6123 – E: COVIDSupport@manchester.gov.uk – Text: 078600 22876 (message responded to by next working day). Reminder: this response line remains open to support with food, medication and other queries or need for support as a result of COVID-19 / isolation.

• COVID-19 Resource Hub – buzz Knowledge Service has compiled a hub of reliable information around COVID-19. This includes links to verified Vaccine information in multiple languages such as, but not limited to: Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil, Sylheti and Urdu. Updated mythbusting sheet linked.

o   The Better Information Programme from Buzz - designed for staff from a wide range of health, social care and community organisations. There are 2 sessions available: ‘Health Literacy Awareness’ and ‘Introduction to Misinformation’. All free training and hosted on Microsoft Teams. Book via Eventbrite (follow links) or email buzz@gmmh.nhs.uk for more information.

o   Getting Started with your New Device guides from buzz in: Arabic, English, Farsi, Polish, Romanian, Urdu.

• Free Rapid COVID-19 tests (Lateral Flow) - are now available to all residents not showing symptoms. Free rapid home testing kits are available from participating pharmacies and libraries in Manchester. Search nearest location here. How-to instructions available in: English, Easy Read, Gujarati, Bengali, Polish and Urdu.

• Carers Manchester Contact Point – works to identify and support carers in Manchester. Initial support and contact available on 0161 543 8000, Monday – Friday 10am – 4pm and 10am-6pm on Wednesdays. Email: contactpoint@carersmanchester.org.uk .

• Healthy Start Vouchers – for those who are atleast 10 weeks pregnant, and/or with children 0-4. These vouchers provide free vouchers ever 4 weeks for spending on food and milks. This is for those receiving specific support, as listed here. Applicants can contact Healthystartclaim@dhsc.gov.uk or 0345 607 6823 stating you believe you qualify and someone will reply to discuss the application process with you. 

• Pension Credit Top Up - Greater Manchester Citizen's Advice can help you to check if you can get a top up. You can also call them on 0800 144 8848. Remember, you may still be entitled to a top up even if you have savings, a private pension or own your home. 

• CAP Debt Help – providing free debt advice. Phone 0800 328 0006 or follow link for more information.

• Free Mental Wellbeing Audio Guides – from the NHS. Guides include audio around anxiety, sleep problems, unhelpful thinking and more

• FREE Smart Home Monitors - the monitors can detect when there has been no or little movement in the home, inappropriate room temperature or inappropriate humidity. This would trigger contact with the next of kin. Limited stock but FREE for residents. All you need to do is refer into your local Care Navigator. Need: name, consent, GP, NHS number. Send to mft.spa-uhsm@nhs.net or 0300 303 9650.

o   The Recovery Lounge - for those who identify as experiencing a mental health crisis. Based in Central Manchester, is open Wednesdays – Fridays 7pm-11pm. Contact in advance on 0161 238 5249.

• Polly Helpline & Webchat – for women and girls age 13+ - free, confidential and anonymous. Run by and for all women. Mon-Weds 10-3pm.

• engAge partnership (request flyer by replying to this email) - a partnership working in the Ardwick and Longsight neighbourhoods! Formed with a view to enable more people to take part in social activities, meeting new friends, and feeling healthier and happier. Enabling older people to get involved and stay active. Any questions, contact Zainab zainab@mbwo.org.uk

• Warm Home Discount – one off discount of £140 from energy bill over Winter 2021-22. Eligible if on low income or in receipt of Guarantee Credit of Pension Credit. This will not affect your Cold Weather payment or Winter Fuel payment. Scheme opens 18th October.

Funding

Reminder: contact me if you want to talk through a A&L project idea, that’s what I’m here for!

• Manchester Wellbeing Fund – please consider this for projects supporting five ways to wellbeing for adults. Can apply £250 - £3,000. Grants up to £500 only need a expression of interest. Running till October 2021.

• Neighbourhood Investment Fund - These are funds available to communities to make their neighbourhoods better places to live, up to £10,000. Can discuss if your idea is eligible by emailing nif@manchester.gov.uk

• Free Childcare Awareness Raising Grants – for Bangladeshi or Pakistani led groups in Greater Manchester to host community events or produce awareness raising materials of the government funded free childcare offer for 2 year olds from eligible families. Grants of up to £1,000 available. Deadline 5pm 16th September. With a briefing on 6th September 2-3pm.

• Young Women and Mental Health PLUS funding – from Pilgrim Trust to help improve the mental health of young women (16-25) in the UK.. Grants of £60,000 to £90,000 spread across three years and grantees will form part of a learning cohort to share best practice. In its first year, which is seen as a pilot, the programme is open to charities working in Greater Manchester and Northern Ireland. Follow link to book a conversation before applying. Deadline for application 20th September.

• Cultural Recovery Fund – for Heritage – for organisations at imminent risk of failure due to COVID-19 Deadline 12noon 30th September.

• Lush Community Pot Grants – follow link on details how to apply for a grant (average application is £2,000-£4,000) for groups working in areas around environment, animal protection and human rights (social justice, peace and equality).

• Manchester Guardian Society Charitable Trust – grants applications welcome on average £3,500 to support organisations for young people, provision for the sick, the disabled, the elderly and disadvantaged, support for educational initiatives by Arts organisations and support for community groups.

• Vodafone Free Mobile Connectivity – for charities to use over 6 months to support digital inclusion programmes. SIM cards with 20 GB data on them. This is a targeted scheme for charities delivering programmes, not for individual applications. Open as long as supplies last.

Other

o   Voter ID Survey Stonewall - Stonewall and LGBT Foundation welcome responses from the full LGBTQ+ community in order to understand the impact of proposed plans to make photo ID compulsory for voting.

o   New Beginning Programme ANTZ – free online series of workshops to support anyone looking for employment, improved health & wellbeing or thinking about starting their own organisation and more. Eventbrite link to book on for online links. Various dates

o   Social Eating Projects Guide – communal eating promotes social bonding and feelings of well-being. Guidance on ways to approach setting up social eating activities has been created and available via link.

o   Volunteer: Cook in a Community Diner – at Northmoor Community Association on Wednesdays 10am – 2pm. Travel expenses paid, free meal provided. Training given, experience in cooking is required. If interested get in touch with Fiona 0161 248 6823 fiona@northmoorcommunity.org

o   Vacancy: The Beacon Centre Manager – based in Clayton. Application deadline extended. Job Description and person specification attached to this email. Deadline 12noon 8th October

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