Chorlton Good Neighbours, Wilbraham St Ninians Church, Egerton Road South , M21 0XJ, Tel 881-2925
June 2021
Dear Good Neighbour
Doesn’t it feel better now we are all gradually able to do more and go inside other people’s houses, cafes, and cultural & social venues; great for catching up with family and friends and having a sense of normality.
Over the past month CGN has begun running some support groups, including Positive living, one for coffee , one for drama ,and another more art based, still with a maximum of 15 adults.
Mid May we were able to re start the Monday and Friday exercise classes, and of course we continue with zoom exercise sessions and monthly History talks, as well as local coffee shop meetings.
Volunteers are now able to go inside homes for visits although we do still encourage getting in the garden or going for a walk, taking as many precautions as possible. Thank you everyone for being patient with us and supporting us when you could; it is really much appreciated as I know it has been such a challenging year for everyone.
Keep doing your bit as Covid hasn’t gone away
Due to how easily the new variant can spread Manchester’s public health team are urging people to be cautious, even after government guidance was relaxed on 17 May.
They advise you to:
– limit the number of different people and households you mix with,
– meet outdoors wherever possible,
– keep washing hands, wiping surfaces, wearing masks or face coverings when needed,
– keep rooms ventilated and keep social distancing,
– get your vaccine as soon as it is offered to you,
– Get a PCR Covid test if you develop symptoms- this is the swab test that gets sent to a lab for the results; this is the only way to check for new strains quickly.
Surveys
Big thanks to all of you who took part in our survey either by speaking to a volunteer over the phone or filling in a paper copy. We received over 140 responses which was brilliant and volunteer Katherine and I will soon be analysing the feedback and formulating a report.
Vaccinations: Please remember to have your second dose
Please remember that your second Covid-19 vaccine is just as important as the first.
It helps to provide longer-term protection. So, when your second appointment is offered, keep doing your bit by keeping it and help to protect you and your family from Covid-19. If you’ve had your Covid vaccine you still need to keep following the government guidance. If you have any reservations about having the vaccine / 2nd jab I can always ask one of my health colleagues to have a chat with you over the telephone so that it might allay any concerns.
Monday 12th July 2021 from 1pm to 3pm- Free Concert with coffee/ tea and cake
Alexandra Park Manchester heritage group invite you to a Coffee Concert at Coffee Cranks Café (inside the pavilion). This event is to welcome you all back to the park, and is funded through an OPeNS grant
There will be Live music from the Panceviski Duo, an innovative husband-and-wife clarinet and cello ensemble. Its members, Jennifer Moss and Peter Phelan, are both professional musicians based in Manchester. The Pancevski Duo give a fresh spin to established repertoire, as well as creating exciting melodies for this unconventional and versatile combination of instruments.
Tea / Coffee and cakes will be served before the start of the concert. There will be a choice of raspberry sponge cake or vegan chocolate cake or a gluten free cake.
The volunteers from Alexandra Park Heritage Group will ensure that the concert is as “covid secure” as possible
There are 40 places allocated to CGN members and volunteers / carers, so booking is on a first come basis.
Please contact me at Chorlton Good Neighbours should you wish to attend 881 -2925.
The park is on the 85-bus route and the café is near the Demesne Rd/ Springbridge Rd entrance. Car parking is on the road.
Longford Park Bowling Club Request:
Does anyone have any spare sets of lighter /smaller women’s bowls they would be willing to donate to the club? As the season gets under way the club is looking for donations of bowls so that any new people wanting to have a go need not buy their own sets to begin with. If you have any that you could donate please contact Olive on 0161 917 2318
Trish Kelly
Trish ‘s fundraising walk for CGN.
Thank you to everyone who has sent in a donation to support volunteer Trish in her 800 mile fundraising walk for CGN. So far she has done 370 miles so we need to support her as much as we can to get past the half way mark. If you feel you could contribute then thank you .
Volunteers’ feedback session and Thank you
As you might imagine it feels almost impossible to say thank you in a big enough way to all the volunteers who have stepped us to support everyone over the past 12 – 15months. As a start CGN, held two Thank You sessions with tea and cake for some of the volunteers, and we also invited them to feedback about what the challenges, positives and learning was for them over the past year. Two local Councillors also came along to say a few words and give their thanks on behalf of the neighbourhood; Cllr Dave Rawson (Chorlton Park ward) and Cllr Eve Holt (Chorlton ward). Eve actually read out a poem which summed it up wonderfully, and we hope all volunteers will know that they have been and continue to be much appreciated.
Chorlton Bike Deliveries aiming to bring trishaw rides to Chorlton…..here’s a message from their Co ordinator Glynis
“Our initial plan is to train up more of our riders at Chorlton Bike Deliveries as ‘trishaw pilots’, we have one done already! Then we can borrow a trike from Trafford for CGN to test ride and trial ideas of how one might be used. The aim would be for older members to benefit from a ride out in the fresh air , seeing parts of Chorlton that they haven’t been to in a long while , having a ride in the parks and having a bit of fun as well . Residents sit on the front and a Rider does the cycling. All being well we can then think of how we might raise the funds – new one will cost us £8100 including shipping from Copenhagen with one of those lovely waterproof covers, but firstly we would like CGN members to have a go and tell us what they think.
If you would like to have a go please get in touch with Helen though we hope the bike will come to one of the coffee mornings for a trial!
“Do you have family stories of the Victorian period?”
Visioning Lab are looking for people who’d like to share stories they may have relating to the Victorian era. Whether it’s family memories that have been passed down through the years or general musings from the past, we’d love to hear from you.If you are interested and would like to sit down for a chat over a brew,
please contact Ellie on 07305 316 852 or ellie@visioninglab.com
Miscellaneous
• The gardening club have bought a new bench , using some of the donation money given last year from the closure of the Chorlton Green festival group
• The Drama group are practising a new play, suitable for radio as well, called Kerfuffle Towers. It is about a group of older residents of a retirement complex, and during their usual chaotic day,a coach load of 18-30 year olds crash just outside and invade the Towers looking for booze, the loos and a good time. We hope there may be an opportunity later in the year for them to perform this in front of a Good Neighbours audience
Thank you as always for any donations, whether that be gifts, stamps or cards. Remember we are here if you need any small odd jobs doing, light bulbs changing etc and I still have a supply of hearing aid batteries.
Take care and all good wishes
Helen Hibberd,
Co ordinator
Chorlton Good Neighbours 