InfoNOW News 20th July 2022

News

InformationNOW – Use InformationNOW to find your fitness activities or ways to connect with friends and across the City.

The summer holidays are when everyone wants to find information on what’s on locally. InformationNOW’s events and activities section gives you information the whole year round. Do check that all the events are on over the summer as there may be some changes during this period. There are different ways to search in this section.

Use the events and activities box, and for example, type in “music” and a range of options will come up including a classical series and pop up choir
Select an option in the “type” box, for example gardening or sports and fitness and this will bring up all the opportunities for exercise beginning on the day of your search, such as Over 50s with Healthworks
You can select a location or “ward”, for example West Fenham, and this will give you all the results for the area including Badminton at Slatyford Road, Knit and Natter at Fenham Library and friendship groups
You can select a “day”, for example Monday and you will get a range of results including Ekta Asian Women’s Group, Andy’s Man Club, line dancing, cycling, walking and ESOL classes
You can search by organiser or venue, for example Search and this will bring up a range of their activities including: memory cafe, swimming, yoga and tai chi or St Martin’s Centre and this will bring up activities such as:tea clubs, tech social and fit and fab.

We are always seeking to improve our range of events on the calendar so please let us know what is on by contacting us at InformationNOW.

Summer Holiday Activities

Newcastle Support Directory has published a list of what activities are available for the first three weeks of the school holidays. There will be plenty more to add for the subsequent weeks too. Keep an eye of their pages.

Read more on InformationNOW about Things to do in Newcastle, day trips and visits and children’s activities

Newcastle’s Best Summer Ever continues in 2022

Holiday activities and local community support for families in receipt of free school meals with young people (aged 4 to16 years) continue. There are over 80 local community projects providing holiday activities and facilities will open during the school summer holidays. These projects will provide activity sessions and a meal for your child and it is fun and free to attend.

The Best Summer Ever events by partners and Newcastle City Council will be updated regularly.

Kids eat free or cheaper over the summer

The cost of eating out is high and this will be a difficult summer for many. Whilst a little sceptical about the real costs of these offers, we wanted to alert you to them. We particularly like the ASDA deal. Deals will keep changing throughout the summer holidays and we will post more in InfoNOW News.

Read more on InformationNOW about managing the cost of living and low income support

New measures to boost employment, finances and wellbeing for over 50s

The Government has announced that £22 million will be invested in new measures to tackle unemployment among the over 50s on benefits. Jobseekers aged 50 and over will have more 1 to 1 support at Jobcentres to help them get into and progress in work, boosting their earnings ahead of retirement. This increased support includes the appointment of 37 50PLUS Champions to work with local employers to showcase the benefits of employing older workers. Mid-life MOTs will also start to be available in Jobcentres, targeting workers in their 40s and 50s. They will help people take stock of their finances, skills and health, enabling them to be better prepared for retirement and to build financial resilience.

InformationNOW has information on where to get help and support into work or self-employment support to prepare for work and
Starting your own business or self employment

How do I get the cost of living and energy payment grant?

Direct payments to help with the cost of living will begin to be paid into bank accounts this month. All UK households will also receive an energy bill discount to tackle rising gas and electricity prices by £400 from October. The discount will be made automatically by your energy supplier. There is no need to apply. Over the course of six months from October, direct debit and credit customers will have the money credited to their account. Customers with pre-payment meters will have the money applied to their meter or paid via a voucher.

Some people will need to ensure they receive their full entitlement – so check here.

Low income benefits and tax credits

A £650 payment will be made to more than eight million low-income households who receive Universal Credit, income-based Jobseekers Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, working tax credit, child tax credit and pension credit.

The first instalment of £326 will be paid between 14 and 31 July 2022 for most people.

The second instalment of £324 will be paid in autumn.

People on tax credits will have to wait longer – their first payment will be in the autumn and the second instalment during the winter.

The tax office will be automatically identifying those people who are eligible but anyone who feels they are entitled but does not receive it can contact the office that pays your benefit or tax credits.

People must have been entitled to their benefits payments by 25 May to receive to £650.

The Department for Work and Pensions says that 850,000 pensioner households are failing to claim Pension Credit to which they are entitled.

If you aren’t currently claiming pension credit when you could be, ensure you are signed up bu August 18 to also receive the £650 payment – you can ask for a pension credit claim to be backdated for up to three months.

Disability Cost of Living Payment

You may get a lump sum payment of £150 if you’re getting any of the following:

Attendance Allowance
Constant Attendance Allowance
Disability Living Allowance for adults
Disability Living Allowance for children
Personal Independence Payment
Adult Disability Payment (in Scotland)
Child Disability Payment (in Scotland)
Armed Forces Independence Payment
War Pension Mobility Supplement

You must have received a payment (or later receive a payment) of one of these qualifying benefits for 25 May 2022 to get the payment.

Pensioner Cost of Living Payment

If you’re entitled to a Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2022 to 2023, you will get an extra £300 for your household paid with your normal payment from November 2022.

This is in addition to any Cost of Living Payment you get with your benefit or tax credits.

The full amount of Winter Fuel Payment you will get for winter 2022 to 2023 will depend on your circumstances.

Newcastle City Learning courses

Want to learn something different or thinking of trying to turn your hobby into a money-spinner? Newcastle City Learning are offering a huge range of courses from September across the city. Venues include Westgate College, Gosforth Library, Heaton Centre and Spital Tongues Community Centre. Courses run daytimes and evenings.

Arts and Crafts courses
You can learn painting, drawing, photography, candle making, jewellery making, crochet, dressmaking, textile crafts, creative writing and lots more! They have courses to suit all levels of ability and they could be free if you meet the eligibility criteria.

Modern Foreign Language courses
Now that we can travel again, do you want to learn a new language or brush up your skills? There are opportunities to learn online too using Zoom and Google classroom links. You can learn Spanish, German, French, Italian, Russian and Japanese. They have courses to suit all levels of ability and they could be free if you meet the eligibility criteria.

Music and Performing Arts courses
At long last it is safe to sing and play music in public. Newcastle City Learning are offering singing workshops, ‘folk club’ style sessions and drama classes on various evenings from September across the city. They have courses to suit all levels of ability and they could be free if you meet the eligibility criteria.

Ask about flexible learning – you can try a taster session of many of the longer courses by arrangement if you don’t want to commit to a full term. Enrolment opened 18 July. Contact [email protected] to find out more.

Read more on InformationNOW about lifelong learning and hobbies

Support Small Charities

Charitable giving has a proud tradition in the UK. Around two-thirds of us give to charity and we’re consistently in the top ten countries across the world for donating money. Giving to charity is especially important right now.

Small charities

The UK charity sector is rich and diverse – powered by volunteers and funded by your generous support. Small charities are one of the largest, yet often overlooked, parts of society.

Did you know:

The majority of charities (80%) are considered ‘small’ (with an income of less than £100,000)
A notable amount (38%) have an income of less than £5,000
The combined income of small charities accounts for a small amount (4%) of the total income generated by the charity sector
Small charities predominantly work locally and contribute to the social fabric of our communities

Wherever you live, there will be small charities doing amazing work, often under the radar, to improve the lives of people and communities across the country and world.

Small Charity Week

Small Charity Week raises the profile of small charities and the contribution they make.

If there’s a local cause or small charity you care about, and you’re able to, please think about whether you can support them by donating money, goods or time.

If you are a taxpayer and giving a donation or regular gift, you can Gift Aid your donation which will increase its value by an extra 25 percent.

For tips on how to give safely, take a look at the Fundraising Regulator’s website.

Restaurant Week 8 to 14th August 2022

Get into Newcastle/ NE1’s Newcastle Restaurant Week returns from the 8th to 14th August with over 100 restaurants offering £10, £15, and £20 menus! Browse participating restaurants and their menus below.

Newcastle Pride tennis

As part of Newcastle Pride, there are free tennis taster sessions at Exhibition Park on Saturday 23rd July. There will also be a stall in the Sports zone of the Pride village. Check out the link: Book ahead.

#NewcastlePride #ukpride #tennis

Plastic Free July – Refill

We have just included the profile of Refill on InformationNOW. This is a campaigning organisation that has achieved a lot in two years.

How does Refill help?

There are over 300 locations where you can fill up your water bottle, 100 of which are in the City Centre. Among them are well-known chains like Greggs, Costa and Starbucks, along with museums, pubs, and independent cafes. You can use the Refill app to find them or check for the campaign’s blue and white window stickers.

In Newcastle City Centre, they include Greggs, Caffe Nero, Starbucks, John Lewis, Pret and Lush, Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle City Library, bars including Lola Jeans and Dat Bar.

Their app also offers locations where you can take your own coffee cup and your lunch box to choose the food you want in there.

The overproduction and consumption of single-use plastic is creating an environmental and humanitarian crisis. Globally, we use millions of tonnes every year and it’s becoming clear that we can’t recycle our way out of our plastic problem. Plastic is now found everywhere – in the deepest parts of the ocean, to the highest mountain peaks and even in human blood and organs.

Through the Refill app, they’re connecting millions of people to locations around the world where they can refill and reuse. Download the free app and find your closest Refill Station.

Businesses can sign up too.

#PlasticPollution

Everybody wins when we walk or cycle

Cycling and walking helps to improve air pollution, reduces congestion and brings benefits to the local economy. The Sustrans Walking Cycling Index research found that across Index cities, cycling trips contribute £1 billion in net economic benefits each year.

In addition, their research found that across Index cities, cycling prevents 4,200 serious long-term health conditions each year, saving the NHS roughly £27.5 million annually.

It’s the biggest ever survey of walking, wheeling and cycling in 18 urban areas across the UK and Ireland and includes Tyneside. This is the first year walking and wheeling has been included.

Remember that Recyke y’bike refurbish and sell bikes at a low cost. They also offer free safety checks to make sure your bike and your family’s bikes are ready for summer holiday adventures. Just drop your bike in to either the Byker or Chester-le-Street shop this week for a check over, so that you can cycle with confidence.

Cycling in hot weather. Top tips:

sunscreen (don’t forget your nose, ears and neck)
hydration + Electrolyte tabs (carry more than you need)
keep your rides short and sweet, avoid exhaustion
go out early or late in the day and avoid the intense heat
acclimatise to avoid gastric distress and heat exhaustion or heat stroke

Keep safe and cool in summer

The Melanoma Fund has produced a really handy Outdoor Kids Sun OK Safety Code which we’d encourage you to read, however the key points are:

Prepare: Ensure that everyone arrives ready for a day in the sun.
Protect: Use clothing, hats/sunglasses and sunscreen, re-applied at breaks.
Shade: Avoid direct sunlight during lunch or while watching others.
Hydrate: Ensure water is always available.
Lead by example: Inspire children with your own actions.

“It only takes a few incidences of sunburn to more than double a child’s risk of getting melanoma in later life ” Paediatric dermatologist

Advice for clothing: Protective clothing can be an easier solution for sun protection as it avoids the application of sunscreen which needs to be reapplied and can be sweated or rubbed off. Appropriate clothing will absorb or reflect harmful UVB rays. This can be of particular help for children with learning difficulties or very young children. Close weave fabrics afford more protection. Better still are UPF rated garments which are constructed of textiles affording a superior level of protection – ideally UPF50 which will block out nearly all of the harmful UVB. Sunscreen and its application

They recommend a minimum of SPF30 with both UVA/UVB protection (broad spectrum) and where young people have disabilities or special considerations that may affect their ability to use sunscreen, advice should be sought.

Read more on InformationNOW about staying cool and safe in summer

See this week’s Events & Activities

Find an event or activity by category, day or location on InformationNOW. View calendar. Search events

New organisations

Record Me Now

is a free video resource to leave a message towards the end of your life and connect with loved ones

The Digital Legacy Association

The Digital Legacy Association gives online help related to records left in your name. Social media, accounts from online shopping to online chat rooms. Your information is shared across the internet. They offer training for professionals and information for the public.

“People should leave clear instructions about what should happen to their social media, computer games and other online accounts after their death,” The Law Society (UK).

Updated and new articles

Looking after someone or caring for someone

A carer is someone who provides unpaid help and support to a family member, parent, friend, partner, child or neighbour who could not manage without their help. This applies to children, young carers and adults looking after an adult. We have updated Looking after someone with more information about being a young carer and who can help and beyond the caring role.

Palliative and hospice care

Palliative care is concerned with quality of life from the point of diagnosis onwards. It is designed to make sure you receive the best possible medical, practical and emotional support according to your wishes. The earlier you can access this care, the more benefit it will bring to you and your family and friends. If hospices are limited in your area, then palliative care can be reached in hospitals.
Read more on InformationNOW about

Wheelchairs, scooters and powered wheelchairs

Wheelchairs, scooters and powered wheelchairs explains about how to get the right chair, who can help, the range of wheelchairs and mobility scooters as well as driving on the road DVLA standards.

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Best Wishes

Kate and Lauren

Last updated: September 23, 2022