| Bramhall |  |
| Community Information |
The aim of the Community Information page is to provide short articles of relevance to U3A members, with links to more detailed information.
Please note that each article has a date indicating when it it was added to this page.
Older articles may not be current and links may have changed.
|
|
FINANCIAL
Microsoft Office and Other Software at Heavily Discounted Prices
Now that we are all students again, why not take advantage of the discounts that are available to us?
For anyone with a computer, Microsoft Office must be close to the top of the wish list.
The full “Professional Plus” version can cost about £430.
The software includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook and several other programs.
A bonus is that it can be installed on two computers.
As a member of U3A you can purchase it for £38.95 plus P&P from Software4Students at http://www.software4students.co.uk
This website has been endorsed by an article in the Guardian newspaper, see http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/feb/03/studentfinance.education
Other software is available from the same site. Note that, to be eligible, the software must not be used for a business.
The procedure for purchase is:
• On the Software4Students website, click on Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Plus (or whichever software you want).
• Click on Check Out (right hand side of page).
• Click to Register.
• On “Please Create Your Profile” page, enter personal details (Step 1 – Student; Step 2 – your name, Step 3 – U3A).
Click Find It button.
A drop-down list will appear, which does not include Bramhall U3A, so highlight the first item, Old Municipal Buildings.
Enter your email address and a password. Click Register and Continue.
• You will need to choose how the software is delivered, either as a download (for which you need a broadband connection) or as media.
Please note that neither Microsoft nor Bramhall U3A can assist with the installation of this software onto your computer.
This article last modified Monday April 04, 2011
Pension Credit
Do you know that up to one third of pensioners are entitled to Pension Credit but a third of them are not claiming it?
Are you one of them?
It is a means-tested benefit so depends on your income and savings. There are two types of Pension Credit – Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit.
The first type, Guarantee Credit, is to ensure that everyone over the state pension age has a guaranteed minimum income.
Currently the minimum income is £132.60 per week if you are single and £202.40 if you have a partner.
The second type, Savings Credit, is paid to people who are 65 and over and who have made some provision for retirement, such as savings or a second pension.
Savings Credit can be up to £20.52 a week if you are single or £27.09 a week if you have a partner.
You may still get the Savings Credit even if the money you have coming in is up to about: £184 a week if you are single or £270 a week if you have a partner
There is a limit to your weekly income.
For up to date advice go to
- Pension Credit, H.M. Government
- Age Concern
- Ring The Pension Service on 0800 99 1234.
This article last modified Thursday February 17, 2011
GENERAL
101 – the new non-emergency number for the Police
101 is the new national phone number for you to use to contact police in a non-emergency, such as:
• Report a crime that has already occurred (e.g. vehicle theft, your property damaged)
• To report a minor traffic accident
• If you suspect drug dealing in your area
• To obtain crime prevention advice
• To contact your Neighbourhood Policing Team
Dialling 101 anywhere in the country will automatically put you through to your local police force. If you have a speech or hearing impairment, use textphone 18001 101. The cost is 15p per call, no matter how long you are on the phone, from landlines and mobile phones.
999 is still appropriate in an emergency such as when reporting a crime in progress or violence is being used.
This article last modified Sunday February 12, 2012
Cold calling
Dorothy Chesterman, Chairman, raised the issue of cold callers in the October 2010 Newsletter. If at any time you are uncomfortable about cold callers, do call the police on 0161-872-5050.
For example, some people have had cold callers who say they are ex-prisoners on a scheme set up by the probation service. They are selling small household goods and say that if they show they can make a go of this work, they will be helped to obtain a permanent job. The police do not know of this scheme and ask anyone approached to contact them.
The police are promoting NO COLD CALLING AREAS in order to protect older people from scams.
For further information see
http://www.gmp.police.uk
This article last modified Monday April 04, 2011
Computer Scams
Computers can be extremely useful but your PC can be misused by fraudsters, such as:
• You are sent an email with a story promising that if you pay a small sum, for example to help someone move money from one country to another, then you will be rewarded with a much larger sum.
You will lose your money and never receive the reward.
Another example is you receive an email from a friend who has lost his wallet and could you send him money. Your friend's email will have been hacked and the email will be from the scammer.
Advice: Ignore and delete the email. Remember “If something is too good to be true, it probably is”.
• You are sent an email with an attachment from an unrecognized address.
Opening the attachment can place a virus on your computer.
Advice: Don’t open the email and delete it.
• You are sent an email purporting to be from your bank asking for your username and password (known as phishing).
Banks will never use email for requesting such information.
Advice: Ignore and delete the email.
You could forward the email to the fraud department of your email provider, e.g. gmail-abuse@google.com
• You receive a phone call, e.g. someone says that they are from Microsoft Technical Support and that there is a problem with your computer.
You are asked to switch on your computer, which they take over and correct the “fault”.
Software can be implanted which reads your information such as passwords and you can be charged a fee.
Advice: Put the phone down. There is nothing wrong with your computer as no external party should know whether you have a problem or not.
• Some shopping websites are fakes, although they can look very realistic, and then take your debit or credit card details.
Advice: Make sure that the web address begins “https:” as the “s” ensures that the site has an official security certificate. Also, check that there is a physical address and phone number for the company.
More Advice: Always ensure that you have up to date anti-virus software installed.
For further advice on scams contact Consumer Direct, the government-funded consumer advice service
http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk tel. 08454-04-05-06
If you think you have been the victim of a scam contact the police at Action Fraud
http://www.actionfraud.org.uk tel.0300-123-2040.
This article last modified Saturday June 11, 2011
Telephone and Mailing Preference Services
If you prefer not to receive unsolicited sales or marketing calls, the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is a free official opt out register.
You need to register your phone online at
http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps.
After registering it can take 28 days to become effective. If you continue to receive calls after that time, you should take the details of the company calling you and register a complaint.
Registering with the TPS will not stop calls from overseas companies,
although it is supposed to stop calls from overseas for UK companies, e.g. UK banks.
This Service will not stop silent calls as they are generated by automatic dialers.
However, there is a separate service called Silent CallGuard and you can register with them online at
http://www.ukdatait.co.uk/
and clicking on the link to the SilentCallgard service or by phoning 0844 372 2325.
There is a similar service, called the
Mailing Preference Service, if you wish to reduce the amount of unsolicited direct mailings from marketing companies.
Important mail, such as from your bank, from local authorities, etc. will still be sent to you.
You can also register the details of someone who has died with the
Bereavement Register to remove their details from mailing lists and marketing databases.
For more information go to
Telephone Preference Service,
Mailing Preference Service and
Bereavement Register.
This article last modified Saturday December 31, 2011
HEALTH and MEDICAL
Medical Care Out of Hours
Do you know what to do if you need non-emergency medical care out of normal GP hours and you don’t feel the need to go to A & E at Stepping Hill hospital? Well, if you live in Stockport, call Mastercall Heathcare on 0161-476-2299. They provide the out of hours service for all GPs in the Stockport area.
They are open Monday-Friday 18:30 – 8:00 and on Saturdays/Sundays/Bank holidays there is a 24 hour service.
Ring 0161-476-2299 and give your personal details, the name of your registered GP and information on your illness. They will prioritise the urgency of your call:
• Emergency – an ambulance will be called
• Urgent – you will be contacted within 20 minutes
• Routine – you will be contacted within 60 minutes.
You will be given either advice by phone, asked to come to their centre, which is 226-232 Wellington Road South (on the A6 near Longshut Lane/Hempshaw Lane), or in certain circumstances (e.g. bed bound) you will receive a home visit. You cannot walk in without an appointment.
For further information see Mastercall Healthcare
This article last modified Monday April 18, 2011
Recognizing a Stroke
If you suspect that you or someone else is having a stroke, phone 999 immediately and ask for an ambulance.
The main stroke symptoms can be remembered with the word FAST: Face-Arms-Speech-Time
• FACE: their face may have fallen on one side and perhaps they cannot smile
• ARMS: they may not be able to raise both arms and keep them there or there may be numbness or weakness
• SPEECH: their speech may be slurred
• TIME: if any of these symptoms are seen, it is time to act fast and ring 999
The quicker someone with a stroke receives treatment the more successful it is.
The symptoms of a transient ischaemic attack are the same as for a stroke but only last from between a few minutes to a few hours,
then completely disappear. Do not ignore as a transient ischaemic attack may warn of a stroke in the future so requires investigation.
See NHSDirect http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stroke/pages/symptoms.aspx .
This article last modified Saturday June 11, 2011
Stockport FLAG (For Local Advice and Guidance)
Stockport FLAG offers free, confidential and independent advice and guidance to health and social services in the Stockport Area for anyone aged over 18 years.
They aim to be a one-point contact for people to deal with the many statutory and voluntary services in the area.
The organization will direct you to the most appropriate services or they can do the leg-work for you.
They always follow up users to find out whether people received the service they were seeking.
Examples of the work they do are:
- identifying aids to help disabled people or those people coming out of hospital to live at home
- seeking support for carers
- finding a nursing home for a relative
- advice on community transport
- helping with housing problems
- dealing with domestic violence
Stockport FLAG has an office at Graylaw House, Chestergate, Stockport, and you can just drop in or phone (0161-474-1042) to make an appointment.
Information can be found on the
Stockport FLAG website.
In addition, there is a very user-friendly website called
My Care, My Choice that helps you identify appropriate Adult Social Care services in Stockport.
This article last modified Friday December 02, 2011
LEGAL
Citizens Advice Bureau
The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) provides free, confidential and impartial advice on a wide range of topics, such as tax, benefits, money management, health, education, consumer affairs, civil rights, family matters and the legal system. The Stockport branch is located in Fred Perry House, Edward Street, behind the Town Hall, with a drop in service from 9.30am to 1pm Monday to Friday. The telephone advice service is open from 2pm to 7pm Monday to Thursday and 2pm to 4pm on Fridays on 0844-826-9800. The Cheadle CAB is in Cheadle Library 10am to 3.30pm Monday to Friday.
Stockport CAB has about 80 volunteers and is always interested to hear of more people wishing to volunteer. Training lasts one to one and a half days a week for a year with volunteers gradually taking on a more independent role during that period. The CAB is looking for people willing to commit to a day a week after training.
For more information:
Stockport CAB - http://www.stockportcab.org.uk/
National CAB - http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/
CAB Online Advice Guide - http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/
This article last modified Friday August 12, 2011
Free Legal Helpline for U3A Members
As a member of the U3A you are entitled to a free legal helpline on all personal matters (car, house, etc.).
Assistance is obtained from First Assist, which has a 24 hour Legal Helpline (Tel. No. 01455 251 500).
If they are busy they will ring you back within the hour; they are quieter in the evening.
Should any member require to use the facility, they should phone U3A National Office (Tel No. 020 8466 6139) and seek the Code No. from them before telephoning the helpline. Alternatively, members can email enquiries@bramhallu3a.org.uk whereby the Member’s current membership can be verified before the Code No. is disclosed by email.
This article last modified Wednesday September 07, 2011
Wills
Did you know that if you die without leaving a will your estate is distributed according to the intestacy rules? For example, if you are not married nor in a civil partnership, the intestacy rules mean that your partner will not inherit. Similarly step-children do not inherit from their step-parent unless named in their will. If you are separated but not divorced, then your ex-partner will inherit the first £250,000 of your estate. To ensure that your estate goes to whom you want have a will drawn up. Also, you can minimize inheritance tax paid on your estate by an appropriate will.
You can make your own will, use a will writer or use the services of a solicitor but be aware of possible problems with the first two methods. Every November is Will Aid month during which many solicitors will draft wills for free as long as you make a minimum donation to charity (see http://www.willaid.org.uk/ ).
For advice on wills:
An article in the Daily Telegraph
Citizens Advice Bureau
Government information
Money Savings Expert
This article last modified Wednesday October 12, 2011
LOCAL SERVICES
Community Transport
Communicare is a Bramhall and Woodford charity providing friendly and personal transport for elderly and disabled people in our area to doctors, dentists and hospitals normally in the Stockport area.
To book transport ring 439-6000 on a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday from 9am to 5pm between a few days and 10 days in advance.
There is no charge for the service but donations are appreciated.
Communicare is in real need of people to be drivers; the time commitment is totally flexible.
Communicare also needs people to be telephonists 1 or 2 days a month from 9am to 5pm to take bookings and arrange drivers.
The calls are taken in their own home and routed from a central number on that day.
If you would like to be a volunteer driver or telephonist ring 439-6000.
Ring and Ride is a transport service provided by Greater Manchester Accessible Transport Ltd, a charity funded by Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority.
It provides a door-to-door service for people of all ages who find it difficult to use public transport.
You can use it for journeys such as for shopping, travel to work, school or college, attend health appointments, go to day care centres or visit places of worship.
The service operates 7 days a week from 8am to 10pm and covers not only Stockport but the whole Greater Manchester area.
There is a small charge, for example £2 for a single trip before 9:30am and £1.60 for a return trip after 9:30am in the Stockport area.
You need to register first by ringing 0845-688-4933.
Bookings can be made by phone 0845-688-4933), by post (Stockport Ring & Ride, Kay Street, Manchester M11 2DX) or by email
enquiries@gmatlcallcentre.info and can be made between 7 and 1 days in advance.
For further information ring 0845-688-4933 or go to http://www.ringandride.info/index.htm.
This article last modified Friday December 02, 2011
Leisure Key from Stockport Council
A Leisure Key gives discounts on leisure and cultural activities for certain Stockport residents. You can obtain discounts at swimming pools, recreation centres, heritage sites (such as Bramhall Hall), Stockport F.C., the Garrick Theatre and other places. For example, Bramhall Hall is free (normally £3.05 for an adult) and table tennis at Bramhall Recreation centre is £2 (normally £4 for an adult) but do check with each place.
There are several categories of people who are eligible. Of particular relevance to members of Bramhall U3A is Band B, which covers people over 60 years of age and people with registered disabilities of any age plus their carers.
Band B Leisure Key card costs £6.15 for the first year and then an annual renewal fee of £3.10. You can obtain your Leisure Key at any Stockport Library, the Tourist Information Centre in the Market Place, Stockport, or at Fred Perry House behind the Town Hall. You need to provide proof that you live in Stockport (e.g. Council tax bill or recent fuel bill), a passport-sized photo and that you are over 60, disabled or a carer.
For further information go to
Stockport Leisure Key, ask in any Library or phone 0161-217-6009.
This article last modified Sunday February 12, 2012
Library Services
We all know we can borrow books from Bramhall Public Library but are you aware of the wealth of other services available in your local library?
• Borrow large print books, talking books and DVDs
• Learn the basics of email and searching the web with FREE taster sessions
• Search Ancestry online for your ancestors
• Pick up a wide variety of information leaflets (e.g. on benefits, consumer advice) and see an advisor on Stockport services
See Bramhall Library for opening hours and services.
Stockport Central library has an excellent heritage section useful for searching local and family history -
Many services are available online from your own PC, such as
• You can renew your books or reserve books or search the catalogue
• Search sources such as business and legal information, encyclopaedias and The Times for the last 200 years
• You can download e-books and audio-books from their website. For further information click here
If you cannot go to the library, the library service will come to you as there is a free home library service.
For details of Stockport libraries and their services click here
Stockport Direct
Stockport Direct provides residents and business users a choice of ways to access services from Stockport Council.
It also offers advice on benefits, tax credits, consumer issues, employment rights, environmental issues, Leisure Key applications, money matters, planning applications and more besides.
There is a town centre facility in Fred Perry House, Edward Street, Stockport (just behind the Town Hall).
It is open 8.30am – 5.00pm Monday to Friday for face to face contact.
Alternatively, you can contact Stockport Council by email on stockportdirect@stockport.gov.uk, or you can obtain telephone numbers of specific departments from the
Stockport Direct Contact Centre.
There is a
Stockport Direct Local Centre in Bramhall library.
It offers both a drop-in and appointment service on part of 4 days of the week.
Bramhall library holds leaflets on many of the above topics.
For more information go to
Stockport Direct.
This article last modified Wednesday October 05, 2011
RESEARCH
Volunteering for Parkinson’s disease research
Who are we looking for?
• We are looking for healthy volunteers to compare with people who have Parkinson’s disease
What would I have to do?
• You would be invited to take part in up to 6 single testing sessions (2-3 hours) over 2-3 years.
• If you can only manage one session, that would still be very valuable for our research.
• Testing sessions will take place at the University of Manchester or at the Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility (Manchester) or we can visit you at home.
• We will reimburse your travel expenses or we can visit you at home.
What is the study about?
We are interested in how people with Parkinson’s disease respond to different objects and movements in their environment
and how well they can communicate. We will ask you to watch some video clips and pictures and make judgments about them,
while we measure your reaction times, eye and hand movements. We will also sometimes ask if we can video you completing the tasks.
We will also get you to answer some questionnaires.
If you would like to take part or would like further information about the study, please send your details (name, phone and address) to
Dr Ellen Poliakoff on 0161 275 7333 email: Ellen.Poliakoff@manchester.ac.uk
School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL
This article last modified Friday August 12, 2011
Volunteering for Memory Research
This project is being carried out at the University of Manchester as part of a PhD. It will look at how performance in certain types of memory tasks change in the ageing brain.
It has been shown that as you get older, performance levels in some tasks drop. The project will look at what changes in the brain may be responsible for this.
The study will involve 2 visits:
1) Performing a number of memory tests at the University of Manchester and
2) Having your brain scanned with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) at Salford Royal NHS.
To take part you need to be: healthy; aged between 40 and 80; a non-smoker; no history of neurological disease; right-handed.
If you would like to know more about taking part, please contact Daniel Cox:
Email: Daniel.Cox@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk Telephone: 0161 275 5113
You will be compensated for your time (£15 for each visit in addition to travel costs).
This article last modified Saturday June 25, 2011
Volunteering for Hearing Research
The Audiology and Deafness Research Group at the University of Manchester need both normally hearing and hearing-impaired volunteers to take part in their studies to help teach them more about the auditory system and ultimately provide a better service for those with hearing difficulties.
If you'd like to join the volunteer pool to participate in their research you will be asked to complete a short questionnaire about your hearing and general health.
They will then be able to contact you from time to time to invite you to take part in suitable experiments, typically involving one or more visits to their university laboratory and a variety of hearing tests.
For more information and to volunteer please follow the link below.
http://www.psych-sci.manchester.ac.uk/audiologyvolunteers/
This article last modified Monday April 04, 2011
Volunteering to reduce falls in elderly people with a visual impairment
A Professor of Nursing at Manchester University is conducting a research study with people aged over 75 years who have a visual impairment
with the aim of reducing falls.
Volunteers are needed to visit these people in their homes to help them with their exercise programme to improve muscle weakness and balance problems.
For further information click
here.
This article last modified Friday January 13, 2012
This document last modified Monday February 13, 2012
Site created and maintained by Bramhall U3A
Email comments to communications@bramhallu3a.org.uk