Special Delivery

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Some Caring Together members have been exchanging letters with members of Armley Helping  Hands as part of the Penpal project and using penpal packs provided by Seagulls ReUse.

The latest of these were distributed this week. It has been a nice way of keeping connected during lockdown and findning new friends.  Other members have used the materials in the packs to help stay in touch with family and friends.

One lady has used it to write to some friends she had lost touch with and was delighted to receive replies rekindling the old friendship

Community kindness…..

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We wanted to give a shout out to our volunteers Myrna and Mary. Some of our chairs got a lovely deep clean a few weeks ago. They have come up like new and are already in use. I know all our bottoms will appreciate it.
Our humble thanks to you both for a fantastic job. I know it was not easy as they were pretty grubby. Thank you.

Free Will Service with Turn2Us

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Turn2Us (a national charity that helps people to gain access to information and support around benefits, charitable grants and support services) has a scheme that enables you  to make your Will for free, using qualified solicitors within reasonable travelling distance of where you live.

This offers you the opportunity to make or amend a simple single or joint Will with a qualified solicitor, free of charge.

Making a Will is very personal and can be daunting initially. However, it is the best way to ensure that people and causes you care about are taken care of exactly as you wish.

Turn2Us say there is no obligation to include a donation to them in the will you make but they hope that you will consider a gift to them or a charity of your choice – after you have taken care of your loved ones

Here’s how it works
Register your interest on the Turn2Us website https://www.turn2us.org.uk/Support-Us/Ways-To-Donate/free-wills-service and tick the Free Will Service box.
Their partner, the National Free Wills Network, will then send you the names and addresses of at least two local firms of solicitors taking part in this scheme.
The solicitor draws up your Will and you don’t have to pay the bill.

There is also lots of other  information on the Turn2Us website that you may find useful

This week we took a trip up to Golden Acre…..beautiful!

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Dear all,

Thanks to another suggestion from one of our members some of us took the bus this week up to Golden Acre, the flowers in The Demonstration Garden were beautiful as were the cakes at the cafe.
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And if you wish to join us for other outings please do get in touch, call Lisa on 07436 530073 or email: lisa@caringtogether.org.uk. And please keep the suggestions coming we are slowly working our way through them.
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We also love your suggestions on where you would like to venture. This outing was from a suggestion, so thank you. And while the weather is in our favour we are working our way through them.

Do you need to pay for a TV Licence?

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Last year, the automatic entitlement for free TV licences for all aged over 75 was scrapped and anyone not in receipt of pension credit now has to pay for their TV licence.

There has been a transition period which has meant anyone who hadn’t initially bought a licence would not be given a penalty charge.  This has now ended and so now if you haven’t bought a licence you could be prosecuted – although the BBC has said it will be arranging ‘customer care’ support visits initially.

If you are over 75 and not receiving Pension Credit, you will need to pay for your TV Licence, it currently costs £159 a year but there are a number of instalment options.  See https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/pay-for-your-tv-licence/ways-to-pay 

If you get Pension Credit and are over 75 it continues to be free but you do have to apply for it:  https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/for-your-home/aged-74-and-over-aud3

If you are under 75, nothing has changed and you still need to buy your licence.

You need a TV licence to watch or record live programmes on any television channel in the UK or if you’re watching something live using an online streaming service on any type of device.

If you are over state pension age and not receiving Pension Credit, it is worth checking if you might be entitled to it, you can find out more at gov.uk/pension-credit. You can use the online Pension Credit calculator which will provide you with an indication of how much you might get.

 

 

‘Shout out (not too loudly) for wool and crochet needles….’

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Dear all,

Do you have any ‘double knitted wool’ you no longer need and would like to see it being used? If yes, would you like to donate some to us, or know of someone else that might have some? And if you have any ‘number 4 crochet needles’?
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If yes please call 07436 530073 or email: lisa@caringtogether.org.uk, thank you
MARRINER DOUBLE KNIT 100g only £1.25 | Cheap Knitting & Crochet Yarn | Cheap Wool | Knitting Yarn

‘Stroll on Woodhouse Moor and Allotment visit’

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Dear all
We have once again enjoyed our stroll on Woodhouse Moor with a pit stop at the Caring Together Allotment. There were onions, courgettes, broad beans (scarlet emperor), potatoes, herbs and so much more including the beautiful flowers to keep the bees (of all varieties) well catered for.
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Thank you once again Ben for hosting us and letting us get to take away some of the produce. And for passing on your knowledge not only about the allotment produce but also some cooking tips too. Including the many bees who frequent the plants.
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If you wish to join us for more outings/strolls do get in touch, or you would like to get involved and learn more about the allotment. Lisa 07436 530073 or email: lisa@caringtogether.org.uk

Women Reflecting on Women

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Before the pandemic a group of us from Caring Together were among 13 different community groups in Leeds, who in partnership with artists from Skippko Leeds, gathered stories of lesser known women who were involved in the fight for the vote at the turn of the 20th century. We also looked at how life has changed for women in the last 100years.
A few weeks ago we were finally able to attend the long awaited exhibition of all the work together. It looked amazing and was a delight to be part of it. Thank you to everyone who took part.
If you are interested in getting involved in further projects please do get in touch: lisa@caringtogether.org.uk

Advice & Support for Clinically Vulnerable in Leeds as we move out of lockdown.

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Around 55,000 people Leeds have been classified as Clinically Extremely Vulnerable and were advised to shield for much of the last year.  Many others who are not on the Govt list but still feel they are vulnerable re the virus may have been following similar advice.

Now that most restrictions are over and things are opening up, many people may be feeling a bit anxious about life returning to normal.  Please keep taking extra care and move at a pace that feels comfortable to you.

CEV summary

There is still support available in Leeds, both from the council and from a number of other organisations – including Caring Together.  Lots of information is in this booklet from Leeds City Council – if you are registered as Clinically Extremely Vulnerable you should recceive a paper copy of this in the post

Community Support for CEVs Booklet PRINT (040821)