It’s our ‘Winter Warmer’ today, call in anytime from 11am to 2pm for some warming home soup and a roll and cuppa. We have some Traditional Irish music on today too. No need to book just pop along, we would love to see you.
Location: Caring Together Premises, 127 Woodhouse Street, Leeds LS6 2PY (opposite Post Office/Londis Shop)
Time: Call in anytime between: 11am to 2pm
(Note: soup is usually ready by 12noon)
Our doors will be open every Wednesday for the wintery months ahead where you don’t have to think about what to cook or if the heating is on or off. It will be on and we will have a light lunch covered too.
There will also be some ‘Live Music’ from the students of Leeds University Music in the Community and some Traditional Irish Music & Songs on the some of the weeks. You can come and listen, tap your foot and even sing along if you wish.
So please call in, and take some soup away, or stay a while, with a warming cuppa, some hearty soup and a bread roll. There are also books and magazines to read or take away if you wish. There is no need to book, all are welcome. We would love to see you!
We have two two events on Friday 24th November at our Caring Together premises, 127 Woodhouse Street in relation to the buses in Leeds. that we hope you can make.
See below for details:
1pm Cllr Kayleigh will be with us to listen to your concerns/grievances around the current bus services in our area, the infrequency and inconsistency of services and the re routing of the 38 & 39 due to works in the area.
and then at
1.30pm Bus Reform – Join the consultation with The West Yorkshire Combined Authority that will inform a decision by the Mayor of West Yorkshire in whether or not to introduce the Proposed Franchising Scheme in March 2024.
The renovation work on Charing Cross Square – outside Caring Together is starting today and is expected to last about 12 weeks.
The plans involve resurfacing the square, adding trees and a new sign, putting steps at the front of the square to the pavement (near the bus stop) and changing the steps at the back of the square—taking away part of the large step area to create more space as you enter the square from the back and repairing the steps to make them safer.
We hope that, when finished, this will be a big improvement to this area, but it is bound to create some disruption in the short term. We have been promised that access to the shops and to Caring Together will be maintained throughout the works.
Here at Caring Together we have lots of activities happening over this time and we are intending to continue these as planned if we can. If you are planning to visit us, or attend an event/activity, and you have any concerns about it, please contact us.
On Sunday April 23rd at 3pm there will be a test of the new UK emergency alerts system.
Emergency Alerts is a UK government service that will warn you if there’s a danger to life nearby.
In an emergency, your smartphone or tablet will receive an alert with advice about how to stay safe.
The government does not need to know your phone number or location to send you an alert.
The alert on Sunday is just a test and so you do not need to do anything, in a real emergency you should follow the instructions that come with the alert.
It will only go to smartphones or tablets that work on 4g or 5g networks, so if you have an older phone it may not receive it.
When the test happens your device is likely to make a loud siren like sound, even if it’s set on silent and maybe vibrate. The sound and vibration will last for about 10 seconds.
If, for any reason, you do not want to receive the test alert please make sure your phone is switched off at 3pm on Sunday – you will not get the alert when it is switched back on.
The message that you will get (in England) is:
This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby.
In an actual emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe.
Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information.
This is a test. You do not need to take any action.
The alerts are sent by mobile phone masts, which can broadcast them to compatible devices in the surrounding area during an emergency.
This means the Government does NOT need your phone number, location or any other personal details to send you an emergency alert, and you DON’T need to download an app or sign up to receive them.
Scammers often exploit Government initiatives and other news items as a way to target people so be wary of suspicious texts, emails or other messages asking you to hand over your details.
We will continue to do all we can to support anyone affected. As well as our regular email updates, please remember you can visit our Cost of Living website for support and advice on housing, food, fuel and health, as well as details of events taking place across Leeds to support local residents.
Leeds City Council
If you use energy pre-payment meters, you should be receiving energy bill discount vouchers from the first week of the month, through either text, email or the post (using your registered contact details).
You will need to redeem these at your usual top-up point, such as your nearest PayPoint or Post Office branch.
For more information on receiving the discount, visit the Energy Saving Trust website
Warm Spaces across Leeds offer a welcoming and safe warm place for anyone to use for free, particularly if you’re struggling with the cost of heating your home during cold weather. Opening hours have now returned to normal after the festive period.
To find your nearest Warm Spaces visit www.leeds.gov.uk/warmspaces
A reminder that community hubs and libraries offer warm spaces and a warm welcome. You can also access additional services including help with job applications, claiming benefits you could be eligible for and money saving tips and budgeting. You can find your local community hub here.
Free, confidential advice is also available from the Money Information Centres.
A leading doctor in West Yorkshire is calling on people who haven’t yet had their flu and COVID vaccinations to come forward as soon as possible. You can read more here
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Over a million families in the UK are entitled to support with the cost of childcare from the government. Find out whether you’re eligible for tax-free childcare or 30 hours per week of free childcare at www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
If you’re considering fostering, joining Foster4Leeds means you can help the council keep Leeds children in their local area, and you’ll receive a huge amount of support from our amazing fostering service and other local foster families.
For more information visit www.leeds.gov.uk/foster4leeds or to speak to a member of the Foster4Leeds team, call 0113 378 3538.
With the cost of living going up, many people are searching for fun things to do that won’t break the bank. For some inspiration, take a look here: Free and low-cost activities for people in Leeds
Leeds 2023 is a year-long celebration of culture. It kicked off earlier this month with The Awakening at Headingley Stadium, featuring music, poetry, dance, comedy and more. You can find out more about Leeds 2023 here.
This week Leeds added a new chapter to a remarkable story of courage and comradeship as the city awarded its highest civic honour to Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield.
Rugby league legends Rob and Kevin have both been given the freedom of Leeds in recognition of their heroic campaigning and fundraising for all those affected by motor neurone disease (MND).
You can read more here.
Our first soup and a roll get-together was very well attended last week and everyone enjoyed the homemade carrot and coriander soup.
There’s another one today and every Wednesday until the end of March. At the Caring Together premises, 127 Woodhouse Street. Drop in any time between 11am and 2pm (soup usually served from around 12 noon) – or come and join us for the full 3 hours if you wish.
Warm soup, warm building and a warm welcome for all!
We won’t tell you what today’s soup is, you will have to come along to find out, but we are sure it will be delicious.
Today – 10/10 is World Mental Health Day and we are sharing with you ‘Take10’ from Mindwell Leeds for some calm, mindful time which might might help. Here are 10 activities you can do for 10 minutes or 10 seconds.
And also some information about where to access mental health support or find resources to help you better understand your mental well being
Please be aware of energy rebate scams which are circulating. There are fake texts and emails going round which appear to be from gov.uk or from Ofgem – the energy regulator and these are asking people to click a link to register for the £400 energy rebate.
The links will go to a site that is designed to collect your personal details for the scammers. Some of these sites look very much like the real government website but they are fake – you do not need to register to get this discount, or give anyone your personal details, your energy company will be automatically applying it to your bill. They should have already been in touch to let you know how they will be doing this.
If a suspicious text message is received it can be forwarded to 7726 free of charge, and the suggestion is for it to be deleted.
Forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk
If someone suspects they have been a victim of a scam and unwittingly shared personal financial details, they should notify their bank ASAP and also report the matter to Action Fraud 0300 123 2040.
There is also the possibility that criminals may attempt to approach people via cold calling at the door, under the guise of this official support scheme. If anyone receives an unsolicited knock on the door regarding any discount scheme or refund please be vigilant.
Households will start to receive the discount from October
You do not need to apply for the discount, and there’s no need to contact your energy supplier.
The discount will be applied to your monthly household electricity bill for 6 months starting in October 2022. You’ll get:
You’ll get the discount monthly, even if you pay for your energy quarterly or use a payment card.
Traditional prepayment meter users will get equivalent vouchers that you will need to redeem.
Government today announced the new energy price guarantee. This will start on 1st October and will cap the energy costs for a household with ‘typical’ use at £2500 (it is currently £1971). The Energy Price Guarantee limits the amount households can be charged per unit of gas or electricity. So your exact bill will continue to depend on how much energy you use.
If you have fixed your tariff you can either stay on this, or can leave and switch to the new subsidised tariffs with no exit penalties. There will be some discount applied to existing fixed rates as part of this scheme so you may have to work out which tariff benefits you most.
The £400 payment to all homes this winter will still be paid – this is to be spread over 6 months, as a credit on your bill, a reduction in direct debits or by voucher for those on pre-payment meters.
For those who pay electricity costs via their landlord, equivalent help is promised but there are no details yet.
The other, previously announced, cost of living payments for those on means tested benefits, people over state pension age and those who receive disability benefits will go ahead as planned.
While this is welcome news compared to the £3549 cap that was due to come into effect in October it is still an increase of more than 25% on top of the already extremely high cap. If you are struggling to afford your energy bills please reach out for help.
Contact your supplier first – they have an obligation to try and help you and many suppliers have set up hardship funds.
Caring Together members – or anyone over 55 in Woodhouse, Little London or Leeds city centre – speak to us and we will help you to explore your options re getting help with your bills or seeing if you are entitled to any additional income.
We will also be hosting some information sessions with the Energy Efficiency Worker from Green Doctor Leeds, where you can come along and have a cuppa and have a chat about your current energy bills and energy efficiency:
Monday 12th September at Caring Together premises, 127 Woodhouse Street – 11am -12.30pm
Thursday 27th October and Thursday 24th November at Little London Community Centre 2.30pm-4pm
