The Royal College of Nursing has joined forces with the Royal College of Midwives and UNISON – collectively representing more than a million NHS and public service staff – to campaign for a moment of reflection at 11am on Tuesday 28 April.
The minute’s silence will be held on International Workers’ Memorial Day. It will allow the nation to pay respect to those whose work involved caring, saving lives, and keeping key services running and the rest of the country safe, while showing support for families who have lost a loved one.
RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary Dame Donna Kinnair said:
“We’ve become used to hearing a great roar on a Thursday night for key workers, but this respectful silence will be a poignant reminder of the risks they run to keep us safe. I hope the public gets behind this with the same affection they show when applauding our people.
“The silence is a simple show of respect for those who have paid the very highest price, but their loved ones must know the levels of gratitude we feel as a nation and take some comfort from that.”
The government’s Job Retention Scheme is now live and taking claims.
Claim for 80% of your employee’s wages plus any employer National Insurance and pension contributions, if you have put them on furlough because of coronavirus (COVID-19).
At this difficult time it is important to be aware of our mental health and wellbeing. The NHS has support via its Every Mind Matters programme where you can develop your own Action Plan.
The LGBT Foundation has launched a befriending service to help people during the covid19 lockdown.
“Our new telephone befriending programme Rainbow Brew Buddies aims to reduce loneliness for LGBT people across Greater Manchester who may have reduced opportunities to make social connections due to the recent coronavirus outbreak or other circumstances in their life.
Those who sign up for the service will be allocated a buddy, who will have received training from LGBT Foundation and have passed a DBS check. You will then “get-together” over the phone with them for a brew and a chat at least once a week for around 30 minutes.”
Full details are available on the LGBT Foundation website HERE
Government advice on leaving the house for exercise have been updated for people with autism or learning difficulties. The government advice now says:
“You can leave your home for medical need. If you (or a person in your care) have a specific health condition that requires you to leave the home to maintain your health – including if that involves travel beyond your local area – then you can do so. This could, for example, include where individuals with learning disabilities or autism require specific exercise in an open space two or three times each day – ideally in line with a care plan agreed with a medical professional.
Even in such cases, in order to reduce the spread of infection and protect those exercising, travel outside of the home should be limited, as close to your local area as possible, and you should remain at least 2 metres apart from anyone who is not a member of your household or a carer at all times.”
The limit for contactless payment has been raised from £30 to £45. Please remember to check when shopping to help avoid touching keypads. If you exceed the new £45 limit you can also ask for shopping to be put through in more than one payment to ensure you stay below the limit and can use contactless payment. The increase has been rolled out over the last week so should apply in most places.
Greater Manchester Law Centre has developed a guide to support residents and support organisations to assist people through the current health emergency.
This guide will be updated regularly as the situation develops. This guide is correct to 3rd April 2020. A downloadable version of the guide is available here
is there a threat to life (including road traffic incidents where someone is injured or the road is blocked)
does it feel like the situation could get heated or violent very soon
is there a risk of serious damage to property
is a serious offence in progress
there’s serious disruption to the public or there could be
If so, please call 999 now.If you’re deaf or hard of hearing, use our textphone service 18000 or text us on 999 if you’ve pre-registered with the emergencySMS serviceExternal Link.
If you’re concerned about a business or venue that’s open and you don’t think it should be, please check the guidance on this first.
We’re seeking to resolve situations where people appear to be or are contravening the government advice on physical social distancing and the stay at home measures without resorting to enforcement and issuing fines.
Please only tell us about something if you feel there is a significant issue or breach which you think we need to know about.
Use the form available HERE to report any concerns about breaches of the regulations and where they are.
A call for contributions for a Community Collage on the advertising board beside Station South on the A6.
Here’s an idea! We’d like to do something to keep us all entertained in these crazy times!
We’re giving the advertising board over to you for a big #COMMUNITYCOLLAGE challenge.
To help lift people’s spirits and get creative at home we’re setting you an arty challenge over the next few days…we’ll prompt your efforts with themes!
A daily ‘call to action’ to submit your photos/artwork/words coming out of these trying times which represent the #positives and spread #hope and #happiness during this time.
We’ll put the best ones into the #communitycollage and showcase on the advertising board on the A6/Stockport Road where we hope it will cheer up key workers and the like.
The government is building several new hospitals across the UK to cope with the demand placed on the NHS because of the Covid19 crisis. The Manchester “Nightingale” hospital is being contracted in the Manchester Central Convention Complex (formerly known as the G-Mex).
It has been confirmed that Prime Minister Johnson has been moved to intensive care follow his admission to hospital yesterday (Sunday 5 April 2020). The Prime Minister’s condition has since worsened with persistent symptoms of the Covid19 virus.
Johnson has asked Dominic Raab, Foreign Secretary, to take over some of his responsibilities for the time being although the exact nature of how the government will operate while the Prime Minister is incapacitated is yet to be confirmed.
Levy Corona Helpers have compiled a Street Directory of coordinators for help and support.
Contact your street coordinator in the first instance if you either need or can offer assistance. If your street does not have a coordinator email set up, please email levycoronahelpers@gmail.com
You can also inbox the LCH Admins on the Facebook group or if necessary, contact Carey by text on 07968 031085.
If you are hearing from people in your street and have issues arising that you are not sure how to deal with please let LCH know. All the Admins work full time, so it might be that they can’t respond immediately.
Please note Levenshulme Inspire is offering a Corona Phone Hotline for certain streets, check the list to see if it applies to your street.
Mike Heath provides yoga classes at Arcadia Library and Leisure Centre and is now doing a yoga podcast using the Zoom Cloud Meetings application during the Covid19 crisis.
Click HERE to find out what you need to do to get online.
It’s pretty straightforward – but you’ll need the Zoom app before we begin. Zoom works on desktop and laptop computers, and on smartphones and tablets.
How to maintain your car when not driving regularly
With the country in the middle of the coronavirus (COVID-19), you may not be able to get out and about in the car as much as you’re used to. Many will be wondering what to do with your car if you aren’t driving it on a regular basis.
What to do with your car, and how to maintain it, depends on how long you’re leaving your car idle. For example, you may be using it to top up on food and supplies or driving it if you work in an essential job or industry. But for many, you may not need or want to use your car for a lot longer, maybe even months.
Remember that even if you’re not using it, you’ll still have to insure your car unless you make a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN). You can only make a SORN if the car’s being kept off the road.
Here are some commonly asked questions and answers:
How long can you leave a car without starting?
How long you leave a car without starting can depend on the condition of your car’s 12-volt battery. Most modern cars with a fairly healthy battery should last at least 2 weeks, without needing to be started up to re-charge the battery. If there’s any doubt about the condition of the battery, start it once a week just to be safe.
What happens if you don’t drive a car for a long time?
Even if you haven’t driven for a while your car should be fine. If it’s been regularly started and run for 15-minute periods, the battery should work. The tyre pressures should be checked and adjusted before driving. The brakes may have some corrosion on them, especially if the car was wet when it was parked up. Drive carefully and test the brakes as soon as possible. Make sure you use your brakes for the first few miles to clean off any corrosion.
Is it bad to leave a car unused?
Cars are made to be driven but with good care it should be fine. If it’s left unused follow our guidelines.
Can I leave my car parked for a month?
Yes, but it’s best to follow these guidelines to keep the car ready to drive.
How long can a car sit before the battery dies?
As we’ve said above, there are many factors that can affect this. The age of the battery, how the car’s been used and the temperature all affect the performance of a battery. If you follow our guidelines your battery shouldn’t let you down.
What if my MOT expires?
The government has announced a 6-month exemption from the MOT test, although your car must be kept in a roadworthy condition.
Here are a few simple tips on how to keep your car lasting longer and ready to use when you need it again.
Leaving your car parked for up to a month
Fuel – Before parking your car up for a long period, it’s a good idea to top up with fuel. Not only will this help with other measures, but a full tank doesn’t attract condensation, which could cause issues if allowed to build up over time.
Battery maintenance – If you can, connect your car’s battery to a mains-powered battery maintainer. If you can’t, start the engine once a week and allow it to run for about 15 minutes. This will re-charge the battery and help keep the engine in good condition. It’s important to allow the engine to run for this long so the battery can charge properly. In the case of petrol engine cars, it also helps to prevent engines from flooding with fuel. Never leave your car unattended with the engine running.
Brakes – Sometimes when a car’s parked up for a long period with the parking brake on, the brakes can seize. To prevent this it’s good practice to release the parking brake and move the vehicle a short distance back and forth, at the same time as running the engine. You shouldn’t leave the parking brake off unless the vehicle is on private land with the wheels securely chocked.
Electric vehicles – EVs and hybrid vehicles have 12-volt batteries, the same as conventional cars. However, they charge differently. Pressing the start button, so the ready light comes on, will operate the charging system. Doing this for 10 minutes once a week should keep the 12-volt battery topped up. Some electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles can maintain their 12-volt batteries if they’re plugged in to the mains charger. Check your vehicle handbook for details on this.
Garages – Don’t run a car engine inside a household garage as the exhaust fumes can be toxic. If you keep your car in a garage, pull it out onto the drive to run the engine to charge the battery.
Tyres – Before driving the car after a long period parked up, check all of the tyre pressures and inflate if needed.
You’ll need to contact the school yourself if it isn’t listed.
If your child’s school is outside Manchester, their free school meals will be dealt with by the local authority the school is in. Go to the GOV.UK website and enter the postcode of the school your child attends to find out how to get them.
Which children qualify for them?
Your child may qualify if you have any of these incomes:
Income Support
income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
income-related Employment and Support Allowance
the guaranteed part of Pension Credit
Child Tax Credit (as long as your annual gross income is £16,190 or less and you don’t get Working Tax Credit)
Working Tax Credit run-off after you come off Working Tax Credit
Universal Credit that you applied for on, or after, 1 April 2018. As long as your household income is less than £7,400 a year after tax, not including any benefits
Children who receive these benefits themselves instead of through a parent or guardian, can also qualify for free school meals.
Your child may qualify if you are an asylum seeker.
Children who are eligible for free school meals now will be eligible for them until either:
they finish school; or
if on 31 March 2022 they are still in school, until they finish the phase of schooling they are in (primary or secondary) –
whichever is sooner.
Infant free school meals in England
All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 can get free school meals whatever your income. But if you have one of the qualifying incomes (above) it will help the school if you tell them this, so they can get extra funding.
We know these are difficult times for artists and communities in Greater Manchester and that lives and livelihoods are being impacted daily. We want to support artists and creative practitioners to continue to experiment, dream and to support and influence society.
We are repurposing some of our artist development funds to support this and offering the following opportunities to GM-based artists and creatives. Alongside this we’re continuing to reach out nationally and internationally to support artists and projects impacted by these times. We are very open to proposals that would be delivered through online international collaborations in response to this call out, and we will be developing our ideas further in the coming weeks.
We encourage proposals under the following headings:
– Festival In My House – an opportunity to re-imagine MIF’s Festival in My Houseprogramme for today’s unique times. We want people to host their own micro-international festival at home, exploring remote collaborations and audiences – up to £1000 budget for each event
– Get creative – opportunities to create and deliver activity that safely engages artists / community / wider society during the crisis. This could take the form of an online workshop, performance, talk, discussion or other creative idea of your choice – up to £350 per activity.
– Remote residencies – an opportunity to develop your practice and to develop new ideas and projects. This could include responding to the COVID-19 situation or other imaginative ways to support communities, artists or audiences during the coming months, alternatively, this could be an opportunity to research and develop an idea you’ve always wanted to do. Residencies do not have to result in specific outcomes but need to take place at home – up to £1000 per residency.
Key notes:
We’re open to ideas that are not digital in form provided they are compliant with current government guidelines – these might include the use of phones, radio or other ideas.
Budgets includes all fees, materials and other expenses
Whilst our teams will do our utmost to offer support and help remotely, we’re unable to offer our usual level of producing or technical support at the moment; please bear this in mind when submitting your proposal.
You are eligible to apply for this opportunity if you are over 18 years of age and resident in Greater Manchester.
We encourage proposals from people with specific access needs and are happy to work with you to help with both the application process and to realise your idea.
How to apply:
We are accepting proposals from GM-based artists and creatives. Please send a maximum 500-word overview of your idea to creativeengagement@mif.co.uk; we will also accept video proposals (up to 2 minutes in length) or if you would like to apply in another way, get in touch. If you are applying via video, please send us the URL via email.
You should include:
what you would like to do and which of the three strands it sits within
how you might do it
who it would benefit or engage
any support that you might need in delivery
how your budget is worked out
your postcode
links to your previous work or any reference points for the ideas you’re suggesting.
Selection:
We aim to review all proposals quickly – we’ll be looking for:
interesting ideas with the ability to stimulate creativity and connection
ideas that consider the local and international
ideas that are deliverable on the levels of financial and practical support available
proposals that help artists to develop artistically, a space to dream, imagine, create and test new ideas
ideas that allow for audience participation and involvement, beyond simply broadcasting
proposals that represent the diversity of Greater Manchester.
We will be reviewing applications based on the ideas and the opportunities these will make for the applicants.
Timeline:
We’ll be accepting proposals on a rolling basis until the end of April, or until all available opportunities have been filled. We will be continuing to respond to the needs of our community during this time and will be looking at providing ongoing opportunities past April.
Questions or support:
If you have any questions or need any support in preparing your application please email: creativeengagement@mif.co.uk and a member of the team will respond. We can also arrange to call you if that is more convenient.
Further Links
Resources For Artists and Freelancers – An evolving open document of resources for the freelance creative community who are looking for support and guidance.
If you need help you can get it now by calling 0800 234 6123
We have set up a hub to support Manchester’s most vulnerable people, and help them cope with the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak.
We want to help you if you are:
over the age of 70, are self isolating and have no support network,
if you have received a letter from the NHS advising you are high risk, or
you are medically vulnerable according to the government criteria.
We can help with things like:
Delivery of food
Delivery of medication
Combating loneliness
Managing fuel top-up payments
Help is also be available for other reasons, for example if you are a carer, care leaver or young carer.
Across the City a community of charities, businesses, community groups and the Council have all come together to make sure you have the support you need during this challenging time.
Get help – 0800 234 6123
If you live alone, are struggling to make ends meet, are self-isolating or generally in need of advice or support please contact us between 8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Saturday.
From 30 March 2020, MOT due dates for cars, motorcycles and light vans will be extended by 6 months. This is being done to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.
You do not need to do anything to extend your vehicle’s MOT expiry date if it’s on or after 30 March 2020. However, you must keep your vehicle safe to drive.
Your vehicle will be automatically given a 6-month MOT exemption. This will extend your current MOT expiry date by 6 months.
ExampleYour vehicle’s MOT was due to expire on 3 April 2020.
This will automatically be extended to 3 October 2020. You will need to get your MOT by this date.
You can check your MOT history to see when you have been issued an exemption. It will not be updated straight away, so keep checking back if your new due date MOT is not yet showing.
You will not get a paper exemption certificate.
If your vehicle tax is due, you can tax your vehicle as soon as your MOT due date has been updated.
If your vehicle’s first MOT is due
Your vehicle will be automatically given a 6-month MOT exemption from the date its first MOT was due.
If your first MOT was due before 30 March 2020 and your vehicle did not pass
Your vehicle will not get an extension to its MOT due date.
Your vehicle will need to pass an MOT before you can drive it again.
The government is allowing MOT centres and garages to remain open. So you can still get an MOT if you need your vehicle:
to shop for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible
for any medical need, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person
to travel to and from work, but only where this absolutely cannot be done from home
Doctors of the World have developed Coronavirus (COVID-19) advice for patients in 34 languages. These documents were produced in partnership with the British Red Cross, Migrant Help and Clear Voice. The guidance is based on the UK government’s updated advice and health information. It is hoped this will help important guidance reach migrant and asylum-seeking communities in the UK.
The We Love MCR charity has set up a fund to provide Covid-19 Community Response Grants. Full information is available HERE
Constituted community groups and organisations with a bank account can apply to this fund for £500 – £3000 for the items, equipment or supplies they need to support their communities in this difficult time.
The application process has been simplified to help get the money out to groups quickly. The application form can be downloaded here:
Please share this information with groups you are aware of and your wider networks. WeLoveMCR want to support as many groups and organisations as they can in this time of need.
The government is setting up a NHS Volunteer Responder Service, hoping to recruit 250,000 people to do simple but vital tasks such as:
delivering medicines from pharmacies;
driving patients to appointments;
bringing them home from hospital;
or making regular phone calls to check on people isolating at home.
The NHS Volunteer Responders Service is not intended to replace local groups helping their vulnerable neighbours but is an additional service provided by the NHS.
Register if you have a medical condition that makes you extremely vulnerable to coronavirus. For example, you’ll be able to ask for help getting deliveries of essential supplies like food.
If you’re not sure whether your medical condition makes you extremely vulnerable, register anyway.
You can register yourself, or on behalf of someone else.
Arcadia Library and Leisure Centre has been closed in line with instructions from the government during the current crisis. A payment freeze has been applied for the duration of the closure.
Better, who operate the centre, has made the following announcement:
“In line with Government instruction, we will be closing all of our Better Leisure Centres and Better Gyms across the UK at the end of Friday 20th March, 2020.
The health and well-being of both our staff and valued customers is paramount. We have a social responsibility to everyone in the local community to take action to protect ourselves and others.
We would also like to help you during this difficult time by automatically applying a payment freeze for all of our members. A payment freeze means that you retain your membership or lesson/course, but will not have to pay during the period that the centre is closed. That means, whether you have an annual, monthly, pre-paid or pay and play membership or lesson/course your Direct Debit payment will not be collected throughout this period. If you would like to know more about how we’re working to help you, or any other queries, visit our dedicated FAQs page.
We are working closely with local public health authorities and receiving all official updates from the Government. We will keep you up to date on what is happening going forward.”
Please note the following announcement from Manchester City Council:
“To protect the health of residents the Councillor’s advice surgeries have been suspended until it is felt it is safe for them to resume. This page will be updated when that happens. Until then, please use the email and telephone contact details.”
After schools shut their gates on Friday afternoon, they will remain closed until further notice except for children of key workers and vulnerable children, as part of the country’s ongoing response to coronavirus.
Examples of these workers include NHS staff, police and supermarket delivery drivers who need to be able to go to work to support the country’s fight to tackle coronavirus. Vulnerable children include those who have a social worker and those with Education, Health and Care Plans – a legal document that describes a child’s special educational needs and the support they require.
Children who do not fall into these groups should remain at home with appropriate care.
Where schools are unable to look after these children, local authorities will work with the Department for Education’s regional teams to ensure an alternative option is available in the same area.
Registered early years providers, including childminders, private schools and sixth forms should also follow this guidance. We will provide financial support for these settings as required.
Where possible, we would encourage settings to also look after key workers’ children and vulnerable children throughout the Easter holidays.
The scientific advice shows that these settings are safe for this small number of children to continue attending – but asking others to stay away will help us to slow the spread.
To lift the pressure on schools themselves and to allow them to focus on supporting those children who need it most, Ofsted will cease all inspections of schools and colleges with immediate effect.
We will not go ahead with primary school assessments or secondary exams this summer, and we will not be publishing performance tables.
We will work with the sector and Ofqual to ensure children get the qualifications they need.
We recognise that many special schools and residential settings will need to continue to look after their pupils.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said:
Fighting Coronavirus and protecting the vulnerable and our NHS are the Government’s top priorities right now. That’s why we are asking schools, nurseries and colleges to close – except for vulnerable children and the children of key workers.
We are facing increasingly extraordinary circumstances, but by asking schools to support our key workers and vulnerable children I am confident we will help beat this virus.
I am deeply grateful for the civic spirit and dedication of everyone working in education, and I will continue to provide my full support throughout this crisis.
To support children eligible for free school meals, schools will be able to provide meals or vouchers for supermarkets or local shops.
The government has also confirmed that the total value of vouchers offered to each eligible child per week will exceed the rate it pays to schools for free school meals, recognising that families will not be buying food in bulk and may therefore incur higher costs. The final amounts will be confirmed shortly via guidance for schools.
Effective immediately, schools will be able to order vouchers directly from supermarkets or shops in their communities to be emailed or printed and posted to families, and they will have their costs covered by the Department for Education.
We know that many universities and other higher education institutions are already taking necessary steps to keep their staff and students safe. We are confident vice-chancellors are making the right decisions and the Department for Education continues to support them in doing so.
To support nurseries at this time, the Chancellor has also decided that they will also now be eligible for a business rates holiday for one year. That means non-local authority providers of childcare will pay no business rates in 2020-21, from 1 April.
Local authorities will be fully compensated for the cost of this measure. We are applying the Barnett formula to this additional support in England.
Guidance for local authorities on the application of the holiday will be published by MHCLG shortly.
Due to yesterday’s advice from the government we have taken the decision to cancel the rest of our markets for the month of March.
This means there will sadly be no birthday party Night Market this Friday, and no Saturday market on 28th March.
We’re awaiting further clarification on whether it will be possible to continue with our events in Levenshulme in the coming months. The situation is very much a live one at present and making any concrete decisions for our future is deeply challenging. But as a community hub our priority remains the safety and wellbeing of our customers, traders and staff.
The situation we find ourselves in comes as a huge blow both to the market and to our traders. Markets exist due to small businesses born out of passion and dedication whose survival depends on opportunities to trade. Cutting off those opportunities gives us no pleasure and we would like to take a moment to add our voice to those venues and events organisers who have highlighted how unreasonable it feels that a decision of such magnitude has been left in our hands.
We’re hopeful that there will be some clarification very soon on how businesses such as ours are expected to cope with the decisions we’ve found ourselves having to make, and any future plans for our markets will be made accordingly.
Due to the recent announcement as well as the University of Manchester’s decision to cancel all in-person seminars, we have also taken the decision to cancel all of the Tuesday lunchtime food markets we run at UoM for the time being.
However, while the market may not be open for business we will still be here for you, working away on ways for you to support independent traders, amplifying those doing good work for the community here in Levenshulme and looking forward to a future when shopping, street food and socialising are safe once again.
Until then, please be kind to one another, support independent local businesses where you can and look out for those who may need help in these testing times.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said today, “Now is the time for everyone to stop non-essential contact with others and to stop all unnecessary travel“.
Here are some key points from the press conference this afternoon (Monday 16 March 2020):
Anyone who lives with someone who has a cough or a temperature should stay at home for 14 days
People should start working from home where they possibly can
Avoid pubs, clubs, theatres and other such social venues
Only use the NHS when we really need to
From tomorrow government will no longer be “supporting” mass gatherings using emergency workers
The LCA has set up a dedicated coronavirus web page to share information and advice. This will contain official information and also ideas and support from the Levy Corona Helpers group.