Author Archives: Caring Together

COVID-19 Scam Alert issue 13 26.06.2020

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Good Afternoon

Please find attached the West Yorkshire Trading Standards Newsletter Scam Alert. This weekly alert outlines trending fraud patterns during the current COVID-19 pandemic and what we can do to stay protected. There have been further reports of scams, doorstep Crime and business complaints all relating to the COVID-19 pandemic here in West Yorkshire. This news alert will give you an indication of the current situation here in West Yorkshire.

WYTS Weekly News alert issue 13 . 26.06.2020 (1) – Copy

   

News and information on:

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Face Coverings on public transport

From June 15, Government guidelines require people to wear a face covering on public transport, with some exemptions for children, disabled people or people with breathing difficulties.   A full list of exemptions from wearing a face covering can be found here.

If you are exempt from wearing a face covering you can download an assistance card here to help communicate this to staff on bus and rail services in West Yorkshire. You can either print the card off or take a picture of it on your phone to show transport staff.

For further information and updates on local public transport, please see: https://www.wymetro.com/corporate/news/releases/bus-and-train-service-updates/

Covid-19 Transport Plans

As part of the council’s response to Covid-19, Connecting Leeds is taking emergency action to help the public safely make their essential walking or cycling trips. Enabling people to keep two metres apart will help protect the health and safety of the public.

Connection Leeds would like your ideas on these four themes

  • Creating more pedestrian space in busy public places
  • Creating more space to cycle for travel and daily exercise
  • Maintaining quieter residential streets to support safer walking/cycling
  • Creating more space for pedestrians and cyclists outside schools

There is also still an opportunity to suggest a scheme on the interactive map

You can find out more and give your feedback here.

Hospitals of the Future

Hospitals of the Future is the plan to build a new adults’ hospital, and a new Leeds Children’s Hospital at our Leeds General Infirmary site.   Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust would like your views on their  hospitals and how they could be improved.

You can find out more and access the survey here.

Hospital care since lockdown for people with dementia 

The National Audit of Dementia (NAD) is a programme which looks at the care provided to people with dementia in general hospitals in England and Wales. They would like to find out about care that has taken place since lockdown (after 23 March 2020).

Two surveys are available:

  • For people with a dementia diagnosis or memory problems who have experienced hospital care.  Click here to access this survey.
  • For people who provide care for a person with dementia. You can use this survey to provide information about a hospital admission for the person with dementia you support OR about a situation where a hospital admission would usually have happened but did not.   Click here to access the survey

Leeds Directory

  • Access to vetted and rated trades for essential  and urgent repairs
  • Helping people stay safe but socially connected

https://www.leedsdirectory.org/

 

Snapshot in time: ‘Down Town’ written by Ben Anson

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“Hello all,
I actually made it down town today the first time for months….on foot..I still feel anxious about getting on a bus even though I do carry a face mask now. As you can see (below picture), I made it as far as the canal behind the station. The swans have eight signets. You can just make out another little head poking out from behind the far swan, very cute.

I had the daunting prospect of getting home again.and getting hungry. I was tempted to get a bus but crawled all the way home…I’m out of condition. I said hello to my neighbours who are from Sudan as I passed, they were in their yard having a barbecue. I got in and sat down….phew…..what can I have to eat, then a knock on the door, they’d brought me some food round ..chicken and barbecued pork.!. Good job I’m a lapsed vegetarian..how do you say thank you in Arabic?…I won’t need any tea now…Ben”

Thank you Ben for sharing this with us. Until next time…..

National Theatre at Home – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

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This week National Theatre at Home is giving you the chance to watch Shakespeare’s most famous romantic comedy.

A feuding fairy King and Queen cross paths with four runaway lovers and a troupe of actors trying to rehearse a play. As their dispute grows, the magical royal couple meddle with mortal lives in the forest, to hilarious, but dark, consequences.

The Bridge Theatre’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is streaming from 7pm  tonight until 7pm Thursday 2 July 2020. — The running time is 2 hours 40 minutes with a very short interval. The BBFC rating is 12A with infrequent strong language.

Click on the picture to watch from 7pm tonight

Shared Moments: Day 75 – ‘Fashion’ written by Maureen Kershaw

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Dear all,

Day 75 – Fashion. As the 70s headed into the 80s we were watching “Dallas” and “Dynasty” and wanted ‘The Look’ in our lives too but pencil skirts, fitted jackets and cocktail dresses were not for me. The shoulder pads were useful though and could soon enhance a simple shirt with its turned-up collar – another fad. Jewelry was important too; I wore bold clip-on earrings until I had my ears pierced then it was studs thereafter. I felt I was “at a funny age” as my Mum would put it, young enough for culottes and velvet knickerbockers worn with frilled oversized shirts from ‘Chelsea Girl’, but far too old for the younger fashions of ra-ra skirts and leg warmers (thank goodness!).

Princess Diana was such an influence in fashion and from the moment we saw her in ‘Laura Ashley’ separates and pie-crust frilled collars, we all wanted to copy her. Her hats were copied for weddings but I don’t think many wished to wear a copy of her crumpled silk wedding dress! In the early 80s I attended three weddings in the same year and wore the same outfit to each. Cream culottes and matching blazer with a taupe-ish silky blouse which had a cream Puritan collar. Camel/taupe shoes and bag with a small ‘Diana’ style cream brimmed hat and gloves.

We enjoyed many years of elegance in the 80s and once again sleeves featured heavily from full to batwing. We were rid of the less flattering fabrics and enjoyed wearing floaty silk or crepe de chine ‘for best’ although I didn’t as I was always scared I’d spill something down it. Polyester jersey was more serviceable for me and it was available in such an array of shades from dusky pinks to jewel brights. My Designer friend Stephen Hanley had made me a beautiful mid-calf dress with matching turban in emerald and buttermilk (or cream!) for an earlier wedding and I fell in love with the fabric forever.

More dresses and stage costumes followed from Stephen. I never tired of the fabric as it adapted to many styles which fitted the years of elegance – without any lumps and bumps showing! I have three which still fit today – ah yes but wait! They were based on the djellaba style – one size fits all – but with added interest and I have promised to donate them to the Leeds Discovery Centre for their Clothing Archives.

Following the birth of my son in the mid-80s I hadn’t time to observe fashion and only discovered it again when I worked for Schofields, prior to moving into Theatre. What a contrast! From back-of-house in the Management Office where I was amongst the glamour of the store and wore their fashions too, to the move into Theatre’s front of house which converted my style to casual.

After the first day in denim skirt and white shirt, I don’t think I wore a skirt again. Out went dresses, skirts and heels and in came trousers and denims plus loafers and trainers. I did insist on dressing for Press Nights though in smart trousers with fashionable tops or jackets. It was working at the Playhouse that I noticed how fashion changed drastically in the 90s. I loved to see the audience ‘dressed for the theatre’, particularly at Christmas when we would welcome Corporate and workplace parties.

Ladies would be dressed up to the nines and the men in immaculate suits. As the years went by with fashions coming and going, smart casual and just ‘casual’ was accepted in most places and I was sorry at the change. Certainly at the Theatre, those who had ‘dressed for the occasion in the past, did so no longer and we would comment that we only knew it was Saturday because ‘best’ perfumes and aftershaves were worn! As Frank Sinatra sang “Regrets I’ve had a few…..”  my main regret of the last era covered was the SHELL SUIT!

The proud owner of a black and cerise with a second one in white, navy and turquoise, both suits being worn with trainer boots. What was I thinking? What was anyone thinking who wore them? All part of life’s rich pattern. Nowadays clothes just seem to happen around us, we buy what and when we want it. Whatever our age, in our minds we are so much younger but now it is the Classics with a twist for added style that is safe. The problem is – where are all those lovely shops of yesteryear??

Thank you Maureen, it was fun to be transported to my wardrobe of yesteryear, until next time…..

 

Happy Place Festival

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This festival of Wellbeing and creativity is back for it’s second year but this time it is online – and it is free!

Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place Festival runs until 12th July and each day has a full schedule of events and activities promoting mental and physical wellbeing, you can roam around the virtual festival grounds and find inspiration from the amazing performances, tutorials and speakers that are making this festival so special.

You can join the festival here.

Once on the site you will find a list of today’s events and you can click on each area on the map to see what’s happening and follow the instructions to join in.

 

Reggie Yates, Gary Barlow, Craig David, Emma Willis, and Clara Amfo are just a handful of names lined up.  Wellbeing will be at the heart of the festival and activities, talks, and workshops will be hosted by inspirational professionals from across TV, radio, music, sport, and wellness – including Bryony Gordon and Scarlett Curtis, Tom and Gi Fletcher, Gok Wan, ‘The Breath Guy’ Richie Norton, Alice Liveing, Dr Hazel Wallace, and The Happy Pear.

There’ll be plenty to do, watch and listen to for everyone, from music to meditation, cooking, storytelling, and craft workshops – and family-friendly activities for the whole household.

Fearne hopes that the digital festival will provide a sense of escapism, serenity, and calm that is very much needed after the events of 2020 to date and with restrictions on physical contact.

“It’s clear that community and connection is more vital than ever,” Fearne shared when she announced the virtual event. “I wanted to work out a way of making the festival happen to give people a way of experiencing helpful classes, workshops, and talks for free this summer. There’s even more content than we would have had at the live event and I’m excited for people to enjoy our month’s long schedule.”

Virtual areas at the festival include The Talk Lounge, Meditation Mountain, Family Retreat, Wellbeing Garden, Kitchen, Craft Village, and Pledge Wall. Boutique, ethical, and independent vendors will feature too in the online bazaar.

The festival is completely free but Happy Place encourage you to donate to their charity partners, Mind, The Prince’s Trust, CoppaFeel, and NHS Charities Together.

Lockdown easing from 4th July

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The government has annouced further easing of the lockdown rules and a change to social distancing guidelines from 4th July.

From now up to 4th July the rules remain the same and you can read these here

From 4th July the social distancing rules change from 2 metres to what the government is calling ‘1 metre plus’.  This means where you can still stick to 2 metres it is advised that you do but where this is not possible keep a minimum of 1 metre while taking extra care to protect yourself and others – such as hand washing and face covering where appropriate.  The closer you are the greater the risk of infection – scientists believe the risk of infection roughly halves with each metre of distance so avoid close contact with people outside your household as much as possible.

On the same day more businesses will be allowed to open  including restaurants, pubs, cinemas, visitor attractions, hotels, and campsites as well as other public places, such as libraries, community centres, places of worship, outdoor playgrounds and outdoor gyms.

More detailed information is on gov.uk but a summary of the new rules is below:

As of 4 July, this will mean:

  • you can meet in groups of up to two households (your support bubble counts as one household) in any location – public or private, indoors or outdoors. You do not always have to meet with the same household – you can meet with different households at different times. However, it remains the case – even inside someone’s home – that you should socially distance from anyone not in your household or bubble. This change also does not affect the support you receive from your carers
  • when you are outside you can continue to meet in groups of up to six people from different households, following social distancing guidelines
  • those who have been able to form a support bubble (i.e. those in single adult households) can continue to have close contact as if they live with the other people in the bubble, but you should not change who you have formed a support bubble with
  • additional businesses and venues, including restaurants, pubs, cinemas, visitor attractions, hotels, and campsites will be able to open – but we will continue to keep closed certain premises where the risks of transmission may be higher
  • other public places, such as libraries, community centres, places of worship, outdoor playgrounds and outdoor gyms will be able to open
  • you can stay overnight away from your home with your own household or support bubble, or with members of one other household (where you need to keep social distancing)
  • it will be against the law to gather in groups larger than 30 people, except for a limited set of circumstances to be set out in law and unless all members of the group are exclusively from two households. Police will have the power to break up groups larger than 30, apart from these exceptions

These rules may be changed at any time if the infection rate seems to be rising.

Poetry Corner: ‘Letting Go’ Author unknown – 24th June 2020

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Dear all,

To let go doesn’t mean to stop caring;
It means I can’t do it for someone else.

To let go is not to cut myself off…
It’s the realization that I can’t control another…
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To let go is not to enable,
but to allow learning from natural consequences.
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To let go is to admit powerlessness,
which means the outcome is not in my hands.
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To let go is not to try and change or blame another,
I can only change myself.
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To let go is not to care for, but to care about.
To let go is not to fix, but to be supportive.
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To let go is not to judge,
but to allow another to be a human being.
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To let go is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes,
but to allow others to affect their own outcomes.
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To let go is not to be protective,
It is to permit another to face reality.
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To let go is not to deny, but to accept.
To let go is not to nag, scold, or argue,
but to search out my own shortcomings and correct them.
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To let go is not to adjust everything to my desires,
but to take each day as it comes and cherish the moment.
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To let go is not to criticize and regulate anyone,
but to try to become what I dream I can be.
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To let go is not to regret the past,
but to grow and live for the future.
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To let go is to fear less and love more.
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Unknown author
sourced from: great-inspirational-quotes.com
Courage indeed, love this, take care.
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Changes in Government guidance for those who are shielding

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Yestercached.imagescaler.hbpl.co.uk/resize/scaleWidth...day the government outlined some upcoming changes for people who are shielding.  This is for those people who have been contacted by the NHS or Government to say they are at high risk (extremely clinically vulnerable) from coronavirus, and advised to stay home and shield.

The advice will change (in England) from July 6th and after that date the changes are

  • you can meet with 1 other household if you live alone or you’re a single parent who lives alone with your children – this is called a support bubble
  • you can meet outside with people you do not live with, in groups of up to 6 – as long as you stay 2 metres away from each other
  • you do not need to try to stay 2 metres away from people you live with

From 1 August the government will be advising that shielding will be paused. From this date, the government is advising you to adopt strict social distancing rather than full shielding measures. Strict social distancing means you may wish to go out to more places and see more people but you should take particular care to minimise contact with others outside your household or support bubble. In practice this means that from 1 August:

  • you can go outside to buy food, to places of worship and for exercise but you should maintain strict social distancing
  • you should remain cautious as you are still at risk of severe illness if you catch coronavirus, so the advice is to stay at home where possible and, if you do go out, follow strict social distancing
  • you can go to work, if you cannot work from home, as long as the business is COVID-safe
  • children who are clinically extremely vulnerable can return to their education settings if they are eligible and in line with their peers. Where possible children should practise frequent hand washing and social distancing

After 1 August, the centrally provided support – ie government food boxes etc will stop, however local council and some nhs volunteer support is likely to continue, at least for a while.  We will be keeping an eye on the situation so that we can advise you on the support (including support from Caring Together) available locally

Information is available on gov.uk  and on the nhs website

Please note: this advice is from July 6 and it is recommended you follow the current advice till then. This advice is as follows:

  • only leave your home to spend time outdoors, for example to go for a walk
  • stay at least 2 metres (3 steps) away from other people in your home as much as possible
  • get food and medicine delivered and left outside your door – ask friends and family to help or register to get coronavirus support on GOV.UKif you need it
  • prepare a hospital bag, including a list of the medicines you’re taking, in case you need to go into hospital
  • wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
  • make sure anyone who comes into your home washes their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds
  • use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
  • clean objects and surfaces you touch often (such as door handles, kettles and phones) using your regular cleaning products
  • clean a shared bathroom each time you use it, for example by wiping the surfaces you have touched
  • Do Not have visitors inside your home, including friends and family, unless they’re providing essential care
  • Do Not stop taking any prescription medicines without speaking to your doctor