Health

Going walkabout in Whalley Range

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Mary joins Whalley Range residents on the ‘benches walkabout’

Thursday (October 1st) was International Older People’s Day – to celebrate the occasion Age-Friendly Whalley Range organised a (socially distanced) walkabout, visiting some of the age-friendly benches in Whalley Range and providing an opportunity for some of our less mobile older residents to meet others at their nearest bench for a quick chat.

Councillor Mary Watson joined the walkers – she says “We had such a good time – so lovely to see each other, the first time we’ve been able to (other than on screens) since the lockdown started in March!”. She adds “From the calls that Aftab, Angeliki and I have received in the last few months we know that that the Covid risks and restrictions on movement and socialising have disproportionately affected older people in the area, especially those living on their own. We all need to carry on looking out for and supporting our neighbours”.

More information about Age-Friendly Whalley Range is here, or you can call 0161 881 3744 or email agefriendlywhalleyrange@gmail.com.

Coronavirus update and information links

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Here is a quick update from your Whalley Range Labour team of Cllr Aftab Razaq, Cllr Angeliki Stogia, Cllr Mary Watson and Assia Shah.

We hope you and your families are managing to stay in good health in this very difficult and challenging time.

As the pandemic unfolds and government policy starts to move from lockdown into another phase, many of you have concerns and questions about health, jobs, housing, education and benefits, and worries for the future. Unfotunately we still can’t hold face-to-face advice sessions but you can contact us by phone or email (see here for details). We will try and respond as quickly as we can. Below is a short list of useful phone numbers and some links to sources of information and help.

The City Council will continue to do all it can to manage the impact of coronavirus on Manchester, and plan ahead for future recovery from this crisis.

Please stay safe

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Covid-19 – mutual support and help in Whalley Range

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A quick update from the three Whalley Range Labour councillors (Aftab Razaq, Angeliki Stogia and Mary Watson) :

These are of course very challenging times for all Whalley Range residents. We hope you can remain safe and well as we move through this uncertain period.

Some people have asked us about local neighbourhood ‘mutual support’ groups to help us all cope in the current crisis. We are encouraging anyone who would like to get involved in this way to join and engage with the Whalley Range COVID-19 Facebook group. You can check there to see if a local WhatsApp support group has been set up for your street, and follow the listed links to join it – or if your immediate neighbourhood doesn’t have one yet, of course you can set it up.

Alternatively, for any individual who is keen to offer help directly, Whalley Rangers have organised a short questionnaire so that they can be safely matched with residents who may need help or just a reliable point of contact (ie someone to ‘look out’ for them).

Unfortunately we have been advised that we should no longer hold face-to-face advice sessions, so these are suspended for the time being. But please be assured that we are still working hard for you – you can always contact us by phone or email, follow the links on our web page here.

And more generally – let’s look out for each other, be kind, and follow official advice. The Council has a web page of useful information here, where you can also sign up for updates.

Tackling ageism together – Mary speaks at Council

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Mary Watson speaking in Council

At the full Council meeting earlier today, Whalley Range Labour councillor Mary Watson seconded a motion calling on the Council to promote positive images of ageing, raise awareness of the benefits of older workers, and champion more age-friendly activity and infrastructure in our neighbourhoods. Mary used as an example the twelve benches installed in our area earlier this year with the support of Age-Friendly Whalley Range, which have proved really popular with local people, older and not so old.

To hear Mary’s speech in full, click on the image or follow this link.

Talk to your councillors about the Beelines scheme

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The Greater Manchester Cycling and Walking Commissioner Chris Boardman has launched a wide-ranging public consultation on the proposed Beelines scheme, to reduce traffic congestion on the region’s roads through improved cycling and walking routes. The proposed network is not primarily for people who already cycle or walk for the majority of their journeys – instead, its focus is to enable the two thirds of people who currently use their car as their main mode of transport, to walk or cycle. More details of the proposals can be found on the TfGM website.
The Whalley Range Labour councillors would like to hear the views of local residents on the scheme, and have organised a drop-in consultation session, to be held on Saturday 22nd September from 11.30am-1pm at Manley Park Methodist Church, 82 Cromwell Ave, Manchester M16 0BG. Continue reading →