9th December 2022 InfoNOW News

Cold weather warning for the weekend

There’s a yellow weather warning in place for Newcastle until Monday 12th December. With icy conditions there’s a greater risk of ice, slips trips and falls. Read more on Falls prevention and getting up safely after a fall.

As the temperatures drop there is support available to help you if you are struggling to heat your home. Remember to stay healthy try to heat your home to 18 degrees Celsius. Read more on Keeping warm and well in Winter

With the high energy costs, you may be looking for warm places where you can spend time to save money on your heating bills. Community venues are offering low cost or free refreshments, free wifi and even laundry facilities in some venues. To help keep you warm and socialise with others. Read more below about the Winter Wellbeing Hubs in Newcastle.

Community centres and hubs

Community centres and hubs are a great way to meet new families, check on the health and wellbeing of your children and family, get involved in local activities and groups, make new friends, keep fit

In Newcastle we have 4 Children & Families Newcastle hubs.Children & Families Newcastle is part of a community network providing activities and services across 4 areas in the city for babies, children, young people and families. The hubs in Newcastle are:

Winter Wellbeing Hubs

Winter Wellbeing Hubs are a warm welcoming place to spend time in Newcastle. Local venues, such as libraries and community centres, offer a range of support such as hot drinks, free wifi, place to charge your devices, information, advice and more.

Visit Newcastle.gov.uk to find what support is available at a hub near you.  Possibly this link which has more added Directory – Public Health (newcastle.gov.uk)

Search for Winter Wellbeing Hubs on InformationNOW to find support near you. Choose your location from the drop down list or search by postcode

Read more about Cost of living help and support on InformationNOW 

Community centres and hubs

Community centres and hubs are a great way to meet new families, check on the health and wellbeing of your children and family, get involved in local activities and groups, make new friends, keep fit

In Newcastle we have 4 Children & Families Newcastle hubs.Children & Families Newcastle is part of a community network providing activities and services across 4 areas in the city for babies, children, young people and families. The hubs in Newcastle are:

Winter Wellbeing Hubs

Winter Wellbeing Hubs are a warm welcoming place to spend time in Newcastle. Local venues, such as libraries and community centres, offer a range of support such as hot drinks, free wifi, place to charge your devices, information, advice and more.

Visit Newcastle.gov.uk to find what support is available at a hub near you.  Possibly this link which has more added Directory – Public Health (newcastle.gov.uk)

Search for Winter Wellbeing Hubs on InformationNOW to find support near you. Choose your location from the drop down list or search by postcode

Read more about Cost of living help and support on InformationNOW 

Newcastle Futures move to Newcastle City Council

New approach to help residents get into work

Newcastle City Council is taking a new approach to help residents get into work.

Newcastle Futures provides a wide range of services to residents, including assisting with job applications, offering online support and preparing people for interviews. It was established in 2007 and has helped almost 10,000 residents gain employment.

Now, Newcastle Futures is set to be integrated into the Council so it  can take a clearer leadership role in coordinating and shaping employment support for people who need it most, whilst also working closely with local employers.

Read the full story here 

Newcastle Homes launch

You may have heard that Tyne and Wear Homes is ending.

Newcastle Homes is the new service which launched on 7 December. From this date, if you want to apply for, view or bid for council or housing association properties in Newcastle, you need to visit their new website. This includes sheltered accomodation

People registered with Tyne and Wear Home for housing in Newcastle: Your details have moved to Newcastle Homes. There is no change to your log in details and the status of your housing application.

Registered Tyne and Wear Homes members looking for a home in Gateshead, South Tyneside or North Tyneside: Your details have moved to the new system for that area. Find the website for your area here.

Staff can help you to complete your online application at any of the YHN community hubs.

Read more on InformationNOW about:

• Buying or renting a house
• Housing for older people

Half price Victoria Tunnel Tours

Half price tickets are available for Ouseburn Trust‘s award-winning Victoria Tunnel Tours and Back to the Future Guided Walks in January for residents of postcodes NE1 and NE6 and Shieldfield

Book on the website

Use the discount code LOCAL in at the last stage of booking
Phone 0191 230 4210
or call in to the Ouseburn Trust at 53 Lime Street (just opposite Seven Stories).

Then just bring something with your name and address on when you come on the tour. Groups meeting in these areas can claim the same discount. Please ring to arrange.

Read more on InformationNOW about Museums and attractions

Clean air charges start January 2023

If you drive an older taxi, van, bus or HGV and are affected by the Clean Air Zone you can apply for funding to help you upgrade your vehicle. Charges for taxis, buses and HGVs start on 30 January 2023. Charges for vans begin in July. Find out more at Breathe-CleanAir

Need help with your energy bills?

Many energy suppliers offer schemes or grants that can help with home heating & energy costs. You can also apply for extra support schemes like the Winter Fuel Payment, Warm Home Discount & Priority Services Register

For information on how to get support and more advice to keep you #EnergyAware, visit the Ofgem website.

Read more on InformationNOW about Help with heating problems and how to pay for them

LLARC Christmas podcast

Later Life Audio and Radio Cooperative (LLARC) is a team of people who network across the UK to produce audio content with and for older people.  On Tuesday they celebrated their work by getting together at the Urban Sciences building in Newcastle and reviewing their achievements and you can hear more about that at their AGM in January.

Listen to their Christmas reminiscences podcast to enjoy interviews by Gerry Foley as they discuss Christmas past and present in Newcastle, Ireland, Germany and Switzerland.  Enjoy.

You can join LLARC and share your ideas, memories and interests for all to hear.

Read more on InformationNOW about libraries, audio and reading groups

Covid Vaccination clinics in December

Don’t forget you can still get your first or second dose of the covid vaccination if you need it.

There are clinics open across the city throughout December including a drop in clinic at the Grainger Market.

See the full list of clinics and their opening times on the Newcastle City Council website.

VOICE Public Advisory Group

Are you interested in sharing your thoughts to help shape current and future VOICE activity?

VOICE (Valuing Our Intellectual Capital and Experience) at Newcastle University, involves members of the public in research. Members work with academics to improve the focus, quality, relevance and impact of research, to make a positive difference to people’s lives.

VOICE is looking for members to join the VOICE Public Advisory Group (VPAG), to share their views and advise on current and future activity, representing the wider VOICE membership. There are 4 meetings a year.

Members of the VOICE Public Advisory Group will be asked for their input on:

• VOICE Collaboration Network UK strategy and activity
• The future development of the VOICE Digital Platform
• Exploring and improving the VOICE Member experience
• How they communicate with current VOICE members
• How they attract new members

Find out more on their website and how to register.

Read more on InformationNOW about volunteering

Do you know how your drinks add up?

If you drink alcohol, do you know how your drinks add up? And are they putting your health at risk?

Most of us know that smoking causes cancer. But it is now proven that alcohol is a direct cause of at least seven types of cancer including bowel, breast, mouth and throat cancer.

It’s not just heavy drinkers at risk. The risks start from one or two drinks a day and rise the more you drink. Any type of alcohol can cause cancer… whether it is wine, beer or spirits.

Regular drinking can also damage the liver and raise the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure (hypertension) and stroke. It can also worsen existing weight problems which will further impact negatively on your overall health.

The best way to reduce your risk is to cut down and limit your drinking:

Drink no more than 14 units a week (about six glasses of wine, six double spirits or six pints of lager) spread your drinking out over several days, and take more drink free days to give your body a break.

You don’t necessarily need to stop drinking all together to feel the benefits of drinking less. Even by just setting and sticking to a few drink free days a week, or swapping to lower strength drinks is a great step in the right direction.

More information and support around alcohol harms can be found on the Public Health web pages.

Read more on InformationNOW about:

• Healthy eating and drinking
• Alcohol

Increase in Sexually Transmitted Infections in people over 65

A report by the Local Government Association said “the largest proportional increase in gonorrhoea and chlamydia was seen in people aged over 65” leading up to the pandemic. But why are older people so often left out of the conversation about sexual health? Professor Kaye Wellings, is currently working on the next action plan on older adults and sexual health for the government.

Read more on InformationNOW about

• Sex in Later Life
• Sexual health

Sex Work, Survival Sex and Sexual Exploitation Training

Changing Lives, the Women’s Safety in Public Places Project Team on behalf of Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness. are running training courses across the North East for:

• Professionals in statutory services, e.g. police, social workers and NHS Staff
• All frontline practitioners
• carers of young people and vulnerable adults
• Students

During the session you will gain knowledge and understanding about the nature of sex work, survival sex and adult sexual exploitation across the Northumbria police force area, and the primary needs of the client group and how best to support these

The next session in Newcastle is taking place on Tuesday 24 Jan 2023 Newcastle Civic Centre, Barrass Bridge, NE1 8QH Register here

See the list of training dates available here
Contact [email protected] 

Events and activities this week

Visit our Events and Activities section to see what’s happening this week.
Search by postcode or choose your location from the drop down list to find out what’s near you.

Come and Dance Monday 12 Dec @ 1.00 pm – 2.30 pm

Christmas Coffee Morning with Live Band Tuesday 13 Dec @ 10.30 am – 1.00 pm
Time

Buy and Bite Wednesday 14 Dec @ 11.30 am – 1.00 pm

Free badminton at Newcastle United Foundation Thursday 15 Dec @ 11.30 am – 12.30 pm

Men’s Pie Club – Fenham Thursday 15 Dec @ 2.00 pm – 4.00 pm

Women’s Cookery Friday 16 Dec @ 9.30 am – 11.30 am

Free telephone activities to stay connected over Christmas

Getting Together Matters is running a series of telephone activities to keep older people connected over Christmas. Free craft packs are posted to participants

See all their events on InformationNOW

Read more on InformationNOW about Christmas events and activities

Grainger Market this Christmas

Come and enjoy our very own Grainger Market this Christmas with 100 local traders offering everything you’ll need this festive season. They are:

• Now open on Sundays 11am to 4pm
• running free Christmas crafts every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday 
• Entertainers, bands and choirs are performing at the weekends
• Christmas Markets running throughout December

See more Christmas activities on Newcastle’s Christmas countdown

Read more on InformationNOW about Christmas events and activities

New Winter Wellbeing Hubs

New organisations added to InformationNOW that are a warm and welcoming place to spend time in our city:

Hadrian School A primary school for children with special needs. They cater to children with a range of additional needs and are a fully accessible site.

Martha and Mary’s in Heaton, offer a warm space with tea, coffee, and light food. They also have a meeting room with WiFi, Computer and Printing facilities.

Church of God a church in Walkergate.

NE1.4.TV offer skills and employment training, with a particular focus on the arts.

The Church of St John the Evangelist in Kingston Park

• Tuesday warm space 2pm to 5pm where you can have a hot drink, chat, use free wifi and bring your own food. Children with parents or carers are welcome
• Wednesday morning coffee drop in, there is also an adult art group on Wednesday morning
• Toddler group

Heaton Stannington Football Club in Heaton

Big River Bakery a community bakery and cafe in Shieldfield. They bake and sell fresh artisan bread products. You can pay what you feel day for their food on Wednesdays. They also run baking sessions Monday to Saturday. They support long-term unemployed people to develop their skills and confidence to prepare for work.  They can also offer food parcels.

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Best Wishes

Lauren

Lauren Hoy: Prevention, Information and Advice Lead at Newcastle City Council

Last updated: December 9, 2022