October 2016 InfoNOW News

October 2016 InfoNOW News

Information event, Saturday 1 October 11.00am – 3.00pm Pottery Bank Community Centre (previously known as the Thomas Gaughan Community Association), Yelverton Crescent, Walker, NE6 3SW.

Tree Top Village is in the heart of Central Walker and offers 75 one and two bedroom homes to rent in a brand new development on Walker Road.
Exclusively for people over 55, all homes are light and airy with excellent space standards and modern fixtures and fittings. The central atrium area of the development boasts a community area and retail and leisure space to give residents the option of socialising nearby if they wish.

A sheltered service is available on some of the apartments.

Tree Top Village offers:

  • No fees or deposit to pay
  • Affordable weekly rent
  • Secure door entry system as standard
  • Furnished option available on request
  • All repair and maintenance costs covered
  • Car parking available

Information event, Saturday 1 October

Get a sneak preview of the beautiful new interiors, find out about the retail and leisure space and register your interest at our information event on Saturday 1 October, from 11.00am ?3.00pm:

Pottery Bank Community Centre (previously known as the Thomas Gaughan Community Association), Yelverton Crescent, Walker, NE6 3SW.

No need to book. All welcome.

Interested?

Call Your Homes Newcastle on 0191 278 8455, email [email protected] or come along to the information event to find out more and register your interest.


Warm Home Discount Scheme – Applications open now

Applications open now to get for next winter? bill (or prepay top up vouchers.)

Pension Credit (Guarantee) customers get the discount automatically so do not need to apply.

Find out more from Warm Home Discount Scheme


Smart meters

Smart meters are a new kind of gas and electricity meter that can digitally send meter readings to your energy supplier. This not only ensures more accurate energy bills, smart meters also come with monitors so you can get a better understanding of your energy usage.

Smart meters are in the process of being installed and suppliers intend to replace all existing credit and prepayment meters with smart meters by 2020.

The benefits of a smart meter are:

  1. Installation is free
  2. Smart meters work in real time ?the amount of energy you use is sent by wireless connection to your supplier several times a day, thereby removing the need for regular meter readings
  3. Payment plans for arrears will be based on actual usage amounts rather than estimates
  4. There is a remote display, which you can plug into any mains socket in any room in the house
  5. When set up as a prepayment meter the display tells you how much credit is left and some give an estimated time left before you need to top it up
  6. You can top up by sending a text message Card, Payzone, online banking and payments made through the supplier? app will be instantly credited to the meter, meaning that people will no longer have to take the key out, go to the shop, top up and then put the key in

The disadvantages are:

  1. There will only be one type of meter
  2. The meter will contain an internal ?witch? which will allow the supplier, without the need to attend the property or obtain a warrant of entry from the Magistrates?Court, to:
  • Change the meter to a pre-payment meter; or
  • Disconnect the supply
  • They currently cannot be installed in multi-story flats where there is a communal meter room

Read more from Smart Energy


New 105 phone number for power cuts

A new national phone number has been launched for people or find out about power cuts in their community.

105 is the new number and will route customers to their local electricity network operator. It’s also supported by a new website


Tyneside Cinema shortlisted for a North East Equality Award

Tyneside Cinema? Dementia Friendly Cinema programme has been shortlisted for an Equality North East Award.

The Awards Presentation takes place on Thursday 20th October.


Care cuts ‘leave frail elderly fending for themselves’

Frail older people in England are being left to fend for themselves because government-funded care is being scaled back, a review suggests.

The number of over-65s being helped by councils had fallen by a quarter in the four years to 2014, the joint King’s Fund and Nuffield Trust report said.

This was despite more people needing help, because of the ageing population
Read more on BBC


Police and Crime Plan Consultation

In 2012 when Vera Baird was first elected as PCC for Northumbria she talked to local people to understand what their priorities were around policing and crime. Vera used this information to set out the five priorities in her first Police and Crime Plan which are:

  • Putting Victims First
  • Dealing with Anti-Social Behaviour
  • Domestic and Sexual Abuse
  • Reducing Crime
  • Community Confidence

For each of these priorities Vera identified a number of actions which have improved services to local people. Towards the end of her first term in office, she was pleased that:

  • 91% of victims are satisfied with the service provided by Northumbria Police ?the highest level in England and Wales.
  • Victims of crime are getting practical and emotional support from a new service, ?ictims First Northumbria?
  • 10,000 fewer Anti-Social Behaviour incidents in Northumbria from April 2015 to March 2016.
  • Over half of the people suffering long term ASB in their neighbourhood had no further incidents after reporting it.
  • Vulnerable people calling Northumbria Police are identified quicker and receive the right response from Northumbria Police.
  • More officers are in new neighbourhood bases bringing them closer to where you need them, and by sharing premises with other organisations we?e also saved some money.
  • Domestic violence patrols continue on weekend evenings with domestic abuse experts and police officers working together to support victims.
  • Recorded crime has increased in line with most other forces by 29%. This doesnot represent an increase in actual crime as recording standards are continually improving.
  • By encouraging the reporting of domestic abuse and sexual offences we have supported more victims who may have previously suffered in silence and at the same time increased the conviction rate for rape and domestic abuse offences.
  • Frontline officers have more time available to deal with serious incidents as we can now, with the agreement of the caller, resolve some incidents over the phone.

Please try to attend one of the public meetings the commissioner is holding throughout the force area, details available on her website.

  • Newcastle Wednesday 5th October 2016 at Newcastle Civic Centre at 6pm. Chaired by Council Leader, Cllr Nick Forbes.
  • North Tyneside Monday 24th October, at North Tyneside Council Quadrant, Silverlink North, 6pm. Chaired by the Elected Mayor, Norma Redfearn.
  • Sunderland Tuesday 25th October at Sunderland Civic Centre at 6pm. Chaired by Council Leader, Paul Watson.
  • Gateshead Wednesday 26th October, at Gateshead Civic Centre at 6pm. Chaired by Council Leader, Cllr Martin Gannon.
  • South Tyneside Thursday 3rd November 2016, at Jarrow Town Hall at 6pm. Chaired by Council Leader, Cllr Iain Malcolm.
  • Northumberland To be confirmed please check PCC website for details

Alternatively if you would prefer to give your views electronically you can complete an online survey – or contact the office directly via [email protected].


NHS Self-Care Engagement and Participation Programme

NHS Newcastle Gateshead Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is running a second Self-Care Engagement and Participation Programme in October. This project will provide a core group of volunteers with the skills and knowledge necessary not just to better manage their own care, but to engage with the wider population of Gateshead on behalf of the Care Home Programme. The programme has received positive feedback and volunteers from the first programme have connected with 130 older people so far. The course runs from 5th October 2016 over five Wednesday?, 10.00am to 3.30pm, and is open to older people in Newcastle. Lunch will be provided and travel expenses will be refunded on all course days.

Applications requested by 23 September. To find out more contact Lindsay Gibbins, Patient, Public and Community Involvement Lead at Newcastle Gateshead CCG. Call 0101 217 2881 or email [email protected].


Free replacement gas boiler

Warm Up North is offering free gas boilers, subject to eligibility and survey, to people who really need them. That is, people on certain benefits, with a lower income, home owners or tenants with private landlords with an inefficient gas boiler. They want to make sure you can keep your home warm.Read more


Great North Snowdogs arrive in Newcastle

Great North Snowdogs is a large scale public art trail coming to the streets, parks and open spaces of Tyne and Wear this autumn, all in aid of St Oswald? Children? Hospice.

Sixty one individually-designed Snowdog sculptures are located placed around our region for the next 10 weeks. Each Snowdog has been elaborately designed by an artist or celebrity and sponsored by a local business, with many offering discounts and promotions to people who discover their dogs.

Tyne and Wear Metro is supporting the trail, and as the trail map is largely based on the Metro map, most of the Snowdogs are easily accessible by Metro.

Official trail maps will be available to pick up from shops and libraries, and there is an app which provides the locations for each dog and details of offers and discounts.

When the trail ends, all 61 dogs will be auctioned off to raise vital funds for St Oswald? Children? Hospice.


Highlights of the upcoming INSIGHTS programme

  • 13 October: in a lecture marking Black History Month, we welcome Professor Catherine Hall from University College London. Professor Hall? talk will focus on the ways in which racial slavery in the Caribbean provided the conditions for metropolitan freedom in the 18th and 19th centuries.
  • 20 October: Matt Perry, a lecturer in Labour History here at Newcastle University, will be giving a talk to mark the 80th anniversary of the Jarrow March
  • 1 November: one of the UK? most respected religious thinkers and social commentators, a regular ?hought for the Day?contributor on BBC Radio 4, Professor Mona Siddiqui OBE, considers ?uman struggle and hope ?Christian and Muslim perspectives?
  • 10 November: renowned British military historian, Antony Beevor will be delivering this year? Defence Lecture entitled ?talingrad to Syria ?how warfare has changed?
  • 7 December: bringing the semester to a close, we welcome Baroness Greengross, President of the International Longevity Centre UK, and former Director General, Age Concern England. In her talk, Baroness Greengross considers across the life course, how people have different opportunities and are treated differently because of their age.

Read more here


Job Searching Online course, Skills Hub at the City Library

Places can be booked by clicking here if your customer does not have an email address please use [email protected] an E-ticket will be generated and sent to this address, I will then print it off and post it to them. If customers can? book online they can call 0191 277 4125.

See below for full course content:

This is a 4 week course and you must attend all of the sessions below:
Session 1, Tuesday 18th October, 2.30 – 4.30pm

  • Gmail set up
  • Registering with UJ
  • Simple searches
  • Apply for a job
  • Record activities
  • Internet job profile and alert setting

Session 2, Thursday 27th October, 2.30 – 4.30pm

  • Search and apply for jobs online
  • Save your search results
  • Develop and send your CV online
  • How to use computers and the internet to find information on benefits
  • How you should prepare for an interview and how the internet can help

Session 3, Thursday 3rd November, 2.30 – 4.30pm

  • Fill in the different parts of forms
  • Complete more complex forms over several pages
  • Use forms for everyday activities online
  • why being able to create a document is useful
  • how to format a document
  • how to lay out and address a letter
  • how to save and print a document

Get Online Week 2016

Get ready for Get Online Week which this year takes place between 17-23 October. Co-ordinated by the Tinder Foundation and the UK online centres network, the campaign will see hundreds of local events taking place to show thousands of people how being online can make their lives a little easier.


Over 55’s Dance Taster Day

Sunday 2 October, 12.30-2.30pm or 3-5pm
Beginners welcome

Dance City in Newcastle City Centre are holding a day of dance taster sessions for people aged 55 and over to try Salsa, Tap, Ballet and Pilates. This is a fun, friendly and relaxed event for anyone who wants to try dance, and costs just £2. Whether you’re a regular dancer or completely new to dance, you are welcome to come along. There will be chance to meet like-minded folk, and tea and biscuits will be provided.

There are also free taster sessions for people with Parkinson’s and Dementia available.

More information and bookings


Dementia Friendly Afternoon Tea

Chain Reaction are currently supporting a new Dementia friendly Afternoon tea which starts soon at All Saints Church hall in Gosforth. This is hoped to be a timely venture with the current aim to make Gosforth a Dementia friendly community.

The Afternoon tea will take place on a weekly basis on a Tuesday afternoon 3 – 4.30 and has a cost of £1.50 – the first session is 13th September.

They hope to welcome anyone who would like a light afternoon tea (a coffee/ tea/ juice and cake) and an opportunity to get together and connect with others and enjoy some entertainment or an activity (optional).

The group is inclusive of anyone in the community – those finding themselves at a loose end, carers , cared for persons or those living with Dementia.

Read more

Last updated: July 2, 2020