Wednesday 30 August 2017

15 Best Free Things To Do in Manchester

Just a reminder... in case you're running out of things to do with the grandkids before they go back to school.  

Click here for links.

Monday 28 August 2017

Women's Words Manchester Project

Are you a woman who’s 16 years or older? Women's Words MCR want you to add your own words to a new archive of women’s stories about living, working and growing in this vibrant city we call home; Manchester...

"Has this city been a part of your story as you’ve become the amazing woman you are today? We’d love to hear your story in your own words. You don’t have to be a confident writer to take part. It’s your story that matters, not your ability or background. Even if you can’t write in English, you can have someone write your words down for you. Your story should be 1000 words or less, and can be in the form of a story, a poem, even a list of notes, memories or thoughts."
Find out more: http://womenswordsmcr.com/

Monday 14 August 2017

Updating Manchester's Ageing Strategy

Since March, the Age-Friendly Manchester Team has been working on a refresh of the City's Ageing Strategy, which will be relaunched on 4 October 2017. They have been looking ahead to the next four years, talking to services and partners about how they can deliver action to improve the lives of older people. 

They have had a busy month, holding their Older People's Forum, a Communication with Older People Workshop, an Older People, Employment and Skills workshop and a Age-Friendly Neighbourhoods Coordination Group. They've also spoken to their Older People's Board and their Age-Friendly Ambassadors.

The feedback gained from all of these sessions has helped shape and inform the refreshed strategy but they still want to hear from YOU!

Please take the opportunity to have your voice heard and contribute to the future of our Age-Friendly City. Follow this link to complete a short consultation survey - it will take five minutes.

Thursday 10 August 2017

HomeSAFE Study

A new research project has been launched to seek experiences and views of LGBT*Q people living in social housing.

The HomeSAFE study will use focus groups, interviews and an online survey to identify the steps that housing providers can take to address the concerns of LGBT*Q residents.

If you are an LGBT*Q person and are interested in taking part in the study, please visit HomeSAFE Registration. You can email Frances, the research project assistant, or call on 07895 656222.

Wednesday 9 August 2017

When2Go Research Study 

You are invited to take part in an online study conducted by researchers from the University of Manchester. In this study, we are evaluating a tool which helps people decide if they need to see a doctor about certain symptoms. You can take part if you, or someone you know, has any of the following symptoms:
 
A cough (whether dry and tickly or productive with phlegm)
A long-standing cough that changes or gets worse
Feeling out of breath
Discomfort in the chest, shoulder or back
Coughing up phlegm with blood in it (even if just a few specks) / spitting blood
Changes in your voice
Unexplained weight loss or unexplained  loss of appetite
Swelling of face and neck
Persistent / recurring chest infections
Tiredness or lack of energy
Any changes in the appearance of the fingers or finger nails (such as a softening of the nailbed, stronger than normal curving of the fingernails, or thickening of the fingertips)

If you would like to find out more or take part, please visit the study website or contact julia.mueller@manchester.ac.uk, telephone: 0161 275 7821

Tuesday 8 August 2017

Royal Voluntary Service Manchester

Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) is an age-positive, national charity founded 79 years ago. At a local community level, we deliver personal and practical support, making a difference to the lives of 100,000 older people every month. If you want to make a difference to older people’s lives, join us at RVS to help make an impact.

Across Greater Manchester, we are delivering a programme where we aim to develop and deliver new services which meet the needs of older people in individual, local communities, alongside retaining and growing our existing service portfolio. This is an exciting and highly relevant piece of work working alongside multiple Local Authorities and Hospital Trusts.  The team are responsible for managing, retaining and developing existing services day-to-day, alongside seeking opportunities for pilot projects across the City and wider area to deliver multi-faceted, needs-led services for older people across GM.

The team recruits, trains, manages and leads volunteers to deliver the support elements of the services; delivering bespoke support at home and in the community via a suite of service offers. The team also works to identify, engage and work with partners to extend our reach.

RVS currently has the following vacancies:



Service Coordinator North/South, based in Rochdale. This role will be working across North Manchester, Rochdale, Oldham, Tameside and Bury

Service Support South, based in South Manchester. This role will be working across South Manchester, Trafford, Stockport and Salford.

Monday 7 August 2017

The North City Nomads hit Llandudno

Over 200 North City Nomads went on a trip to Llandudno this month. Check out the blue skies in the photo above!

Together, the Nomads are reducing loneliness and promoting health and happiness. Making new friends and catching up with existing ones. Great days out for people living in North Manchester.

If you would like to know more or get involved, email Tracey Annette or call 0161 234 4299.

Friday 4 August 2017

Out in The City

It's fifty years this month since the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in Britain. Approximately 7,650 people aged over 50 living in Manchester identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB). 

Read the State of the City for Manchester's LGB Communities Report published by the LGBT Foundation.

AgeUK Manchester continues to support members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community through their innovative Out In The City initiative, which is a friendly social and support group for people over 50.

Out in the City meets at The Church of England, Diocese of Manchester located at Church House, 90 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 2GP every Wednesday between 1pm and 3pm.

For more information, email Sue Nzilani or telephone 0161 302 4130.

(Information courtesy of Age Friendly Manchester)

Thursday 3 August 2017

Love Letters to Whitworth Park Exhibition

If you were at the Whitworth Art Gallery on Saturday 22 July you may have seen an exhibition in the Art Garden.

Housed in ARC Stockport's pop-up dome, the work exhibited  was the culmination of a short project, Love Letters to Whitworth Park.

Love Letters to Whitworth Park ran over a four week period. Workshops were led by an artist from ARC who worked with three groups including Handmade (the Whitworth's older people's craft
workshops) to create artwork inspired by the Park and Art Garden. During the sessions participants discovered that one of the regular attendees of Handmade had an uncle who was head gardener at Whitworth Park. 

You can find more information on the Whitworth Age Friendly work here, or contact Claire Cowell, Age-Friendly Culture Coordinator - tel: 07776 170 688 or email: claire.cowell@manchester.ac.uk

(Article courtesy of Age Friendly Manchester)

Wednesday 2 August 2017

The Golden Generation?

The Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing (MICRA) launched a new report this month: The Golden Generation?.

By examining the impact that work, retirement, social activity, volunteering and health all have on the wellbeing of older people, the report concludes that the "golden generation" referred to in its title is a myth that can no longer be applied to today's population of older people.

As part of a series of mini blogs examining the report, Paul McGarry has written a post: Creating age-friendly policies to improve experiences of later life in Greater Manchester.

If you have any questions about the Manchester Institute for Collaboratuve Research on Ageing, you can email micra@manchester.ac.uk.

(Article courtesy of Age Friendly Manchester)