Local Living August 2020

August 2020 Issue 40

Delivered to

10,000

Homes!

Welcome to the August issue of Local Living Hopefully you are reading this in the sunshine (one can dream!).

Well as one of the ‘Summer’ issues of Local Living I wanted to add in some information about getting yourselves out and about. On pages 6 & 7 there are details of Geocaching (it’s great fun you really need to give it a try) and also a list of some lovely walks. We are so lucky that we have such beautiful countryside right on our doorstep.

As with every issue there is a selection of some of the best local companies and services in the area. The #stayloyalstaylocal feature on page 10 has a fabulous range on this month. From dog groomers to diets and Tutors to tradesmen!

Along with some lovely stories from the community it’s a bumper issue. I am now booking for the September issue. If you have any news or stories or would like to get your business into 10,000 homes please get in touch now. contact@localliving.online or 07507071411. Until next month take care.

Tracy x

Covid 19 Updates from Wigan Borough Council If home isn’t a happy place for you, please know that you aren’t alone and there is help and support available. We’ve launched a new hub of resources which cover everything from money worries to mental health www.nwbh.nhs.uk

Face coverings The government has announced face coverings must be worn in all shops and supermarkets now. You could be fined £100 if you don’t wear one. They’re also still compulsory on public transport.

The advice from Professor Kate Ardern:

Covid-19 weekly tracker The Covid-19 tracker has been published on social media and on our website www.wigan.gov.uk It shows: For the beginning of July there were 14 new cases, a rate of 4.3 per 100,000 of the population versus 9.8 per 100,000 regionally and 6.8 nationally.

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Our new infection rates are still low compared to national and regional figures

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Covid-19 related deaths in the latest week are the lowest since the end of March Our exceedance rating (which monitors rising cases) has been ‘green’ every day this week Bereavement services fees We’ll be freezing our cremation and burial fees until 1st April 2021 to support bereaved families in the next year. We review our fees and charges annually to make sure we are providing the best value for residents across the borough. Many of our neighbouring authorities are going ahead with an increase in fees this year.

Recycling centre permits From 22nd July we’ll be re-introducing the electronic permit system at our recycling centres for all vehicles other than cars.

The system allows residents with smaller and larger vans, camper-vans and mini buses to obtain permits online in a matter of hours via My Account. Proof of address is still required on site and we’re asking residents to sort their waste before attending the centres as staff are still not able to provide physical assistance Funding for councils The government announced yesterday we will receive an additional £3,035,905 from the latest pot of funding for local authorities.

This third tranche brings our total to £22,503,828. We’re still waiting for guidance from government about reclaiming lost income and what is eligible. The finance team is working on a revised budget that will be presented soon.

Young people’s survey Our Covid-19 impact survey for children and young people has gone live this week. We want to find out how Covid-19 has affected young people in the borough and what they think the council’s priorities should be. The results will help us to make future plans.

We’re asking all young people aged up to 17 to share their views with us in this short survey, which has been put together with the help of young people from Wigan and Leigh Youth Cabinet.

Find the survey here: www.wigan.gov.uk/covid or www.wigan.gov.uk/ LINC2/HaveYourSay Playgrounds Council maintained playgrounds and outdoor play areas will open in phases.

New signage will be in place to ensure visitors adhere to social distancing guidelines and use the equipment and spaces in a manner that will keep everyone safe.

Golborne High School is the best state-funded secondary school in Wigan according to a comprehensive new guide

The Real Schools Guide 2020, compiled by Reach's data unit, aims to give a far more comprehensive picture than traditional league tables.

It takes into account 51 different data points - including not just GCSE results and Attainment 8 scores but also factors like Progress 8, pupil-teacher ratios and absence rates.

Parents can go online to browse the full data, compare different schools, and find links to contact details and recent Ofsted reports.

The Guide, now in its eighth year, has been praised by ministers and education experts alike. Former schools minister David Laws called it 'public-service journalism in the best tradition'. This year's results put Golborne High School on top as the best school in Wigan.

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After 18 weeks of being out of group and running a virtual service. Claire, Julie and Vicki are pleased to announce they are putting plans in place to return to running groups. (At the time of printing the dates for this are as yet to be confirmed but it is estimated to be towards the end of August) During the lockdown members of the groups have stood strong and continued their weight loss journey and Claire, Julie and Vicki would like to express a heartfelt thanks for all the love and support given to them and to each other. To enable groups to run and adhere to government guidelines and social distancing some temporary measures will be in place. Existing members will be contacted by each consultant to discuss this. If you would like to join or re join one of the groups, please contact the consultant on the day most suitable for you. "We cant thank you all enough for your support and patience during this time and we cant wait to see all our members and some new faces very very soon " love from Claire Julie and Vicki xxxxx

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Golborne In Bloom have been helping the fairies by preparing a new home in Golborne Library Gardens!

Kaitlyn, Layla, Lilly and Erin, our younger members have been very busy and we have a special garden we are proud of! They have been also making pom-poms and painting stones for our new Sally Snake. We would love everyone to get involved and bring their brightly painted stones and homemade pop-poms to the library gardens on a Thursday morning between 9am and Noon.

On behalf of Golborne In Bloom we would like to so far thank‌. Stan & Ann Crook, Cllr Kath Houlton, Cllr Ed Houlton , Cllr James Grundy MP, Advance Fencing and everyone else who’s donated logs, fairy items, painted stones for all their donations.

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Rotary Newton-le-Willows respond to national increase in domestic abuse cases Members of Rotary Newton-le-Willows hand over £250 to Charlotte Stenhouse, Operations Manager, at Torus Group. Torus runs Safe2Speak which provides support and advice to anyone who is a victim of domestic abuse, and provide emergency accommodation for those needing to flee.

President of Rotary Newton-le-Willows Len Rainford said ‘We invited Torus to speak to the club about the rise in domestic abuse cases since the start of the Pandemic, which is a great concern. After hearing about the difference that Torus’ services make, we wanted to give a donation to help those moving out of the Group’s emergency accommodation into their next homes.’

If you want to volunteer your time to help in the community contact Rotary Newton-le-Willows through our website, Facebook or Twitter.

Pictured are L to R, Rotarian John Murray, Charlotte Stenhouse, President Len Rainford, Rotarian Chantelle Seaborn.

Rotary Newton-le-Willows was formed in 1937, and now has 40+ members, men and women, working together for the good of others through numerous initiatives and fund-raising projects. We serve the communities of Newton-le-Willows, Lowton, Golborne and Burtonwood and are actively seeking more members. We support a wide range of projects within our local community, as well as International Projects and Disaster Relief. We meet weekly (currently via zoom) with one committee and business meeting a month. The highlights of our year are the Beer Festival and Santa Events.

Anyone interested can find us on Twitter @nlwrotaryclub, on Facebook or via our website.

Torus is one of the region’s largest Housing Providers, with 1,500 staff, managing around 40,000 homes and serving 75,000 customers. It invests in its homes and communities, and improves services to better meet the changing needs of tenants and make a bigger, more significant contribution to the regeneration of key heartlands of Liverpool, Warrington and St Helens and further afield across the North West.

The Safe2Speak service provides support to any resident of St Helens who is a victim of domestic abuse. The free, confidential, supportive, informative, non-judgmental and available to anyone experiencing domestic abuse of any kind: sexual, physical, emotional or financial. Since 2011, 3,000 referrals have been received. They provide one to one advice, the Safe2Speak programme, safe accommodation, 24-hour helpline and training course.

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What Is Geocaching?

Outdoor Adventures For Kids

Geocaching is an exciting outdoor adventure for the whole family. It’s a treasure hunt for the digital generation, where you can enjoy the freedom of being outside and discovering new places. All you need is a handheld GPS and a sense of fun.

A geocache or ‘cache’ is a small waterproof treasure box hidden outdoors. Geocachers seek out these hidden goodies guided by a GPS enabled device which uses coordinates, or ‘waypoints’ downloaded from the geocaching.com website or you can download a free geocaching app for Android or iPhone. Find out more on geocaching.com Whether on the side of a windswept mountain or on an expanse of beach, there are geocaches hidden across the UK including hundreds on our land.

What will you discover?

So once you’ve found the treasure box – what will you find inside? Most caches have a log book for you to leave a message in and the satisfaction of finding the box is a reward in itself. But often you will also find a strange array of trinkets that people have left to swap. If you take a treasure out of the box, you should leave another trinket in its place, so come prepared.

Getting started •You will need a GPS device (or smart phone) •Find a cache near you on geocaching.com •Choose a cache and enter the co-ordinates into your GPS •Follow your GPS towards the spot - then use your wits to find it •Fill out the log book and return the cache to its hiding place •Log your find on opencaching.com and pick your next one!

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Former professional rugby league player Jason Donohue has created a new business looking to support people in their own homes or taking them out Many of us have had difficulty living in lockdown over the last few months due to COVID-19. However, for some people living in isolation and not getting out is the norm and this can have a detrimental affect on mental health and well-being.

A qualified teacher, Jason has worked in care for the last 2 years and has seen the importance of spending time with people of all ages. Whether it be to taking someone out for a pub meal, a trip to the pantomime or even visiting Media city to watch television shows being made, Jason has done these activities with different 'buddies' - all of which have been enjoyed by those who have attended. Jason often organises get-togethers with some former Leigh players; meeting in cafes, chippy's and Leigh cricket club to spend an afternoon of reminiscing, chatting and laughter.

'Seeing people engage & interact with each other and enjoying different company is much better than staying in and looking at 4 walls. I always enjoy taking people out for a change of scenery and support their interests,' said Jason. 'Buddy 4 U can help to provide a service for your loved ones who perhaps would enjoy getting out and about if they could do so.'

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