Looking afte r your health & wellbeing
Visit your eLibrary
Get cr
ng i r e te n u l ies t i Vo n u t r o opp
eative
The Bolton
Family s
Job vacancie
#1
Family l
earning
Spring clean
!
Contents At home with Bolton Library Looking after your health & wellbeing Support for adults Spotlight on learning - English and maths Love of reading Family learning - Help with home tutoring - Exercise, activities and socialising - Useful websites Your community needs YOU! Job opportunities available NOW: - Care Assistants - Night Care Assistants - Home Support Workers - Qualified Social Workers Page 13 Volunteering opportunities Page 14 Top tips for spring cleaning Page 15 Be a good neighbour Page 16 Your suggestions Page 17 Creative corner Pages 18 - 19 Don’t get bored Page 20 Looking after the Bolton Family Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Pages 8-11 Page 12
Bolton College’s new community e-magazine, created in partnership with Bolton Council
At home with
Library and Museum Services The buildings may be closed, but you can still access the fantastic eLibrary resources of Bolton Library and Museum Services from the comfort of your own home - for FREE! Join NOW If you’re not already a member of the Library, you can join online by visiting: bolton.spydus.co.uk and clicking ‘Join online’. If you need help, or have any digital issues, email the friendly team at libraries@bolton.gov.uk or phone 01204 332 853. Once you’ve joined up, you’re ready to go! Enjoy: FREE e-magazines From Top Gear magazine to Women’s Weekly, you’ll have access to an unlimited amount of magazines, keeping you entertained for hours. Visit: bit.ly/rb-magazines
FREE eBooks and eAudiobooks from Borrowbox Visit: bit.ly/bolton-library-books and borrow up to six eBooks and eAudiobooks at any one time - we can’t wait to listen to Stephen Fry narrate ‘Harry Potter and the Philiosopher’s Stone’ FREE online resources Whether it’s research for homework, following up news stories, doing your family tree or simply looking up facts, discover a world of information at your fingertips with our eLibrary’s online resources. Visit: bit.ly/bolton-resources FREE home learning resources We’ve created a list of free websites for home schooling and eLearning, including online courses, video tutorials and activities to make home learning that little bit easier. Visit: bit.ly/bolton-homeschooling BoltonLibraryandMuseumServices
3
@bolton_library_museum
@BoltonLMS
Looking after your Health & Wellbeing during the Coronavirus Pandemic To help stay well whilst at home: • Stay in touch with family and friends over the phone or on social media • • • •
Keep yourself busy, try activities like cooking, reading, crafting, gardening and online learning Do light exercise at home, or outside, once a day Get support the Council’s Response Hubs, see pg 20 for help available Visit digital mental health and wellbeing resources for adults, children and families
For more advice, see: • Every Mind Matters - 10 tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus • Every Mind Matters - how to look after your mental wellbeing while staying at home • NHS Fitness Studio - exercises you can do at home Covid-19 Fake News and the importance of using trustworthy sources: Try to limit the time you spend watching, reading or listening to coverage of the outbreak, including on social media. Think about turning off breaking-news alerts on your phone. You could even set yourself a specific time to read updates, or limit yourself to checking a couple of times a day. Only use trustworthy sources, like GOV.UK or the NHS website, and always fact-check information from the news, social media or other people.
Keeping your Child Safe Online There's lots of support available to keep your child safe online. Below are some useful links to help parents and carers: Advice from the National Crime Agency to help stay safe online: • Thinkuknow Support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online: • Internet Matters • Parent Information • LGfL - London Grid for Learning Support for parents and carers from the NSPCC: • Net-Aware During Covid-19 children may become more vulnerable to abuse or neglect. If you are worried about a child, take action. Contact 01204 331 500 during office hours; out of hours, weekends and bank holidays call 01204 337 777. Go to Bolton Safeguarding Children for more information. You can also discuss your concerns with the NSPCC. Call 0808 800 5000, email help@nspcc.org.uk or text 88858 Children can call Childline free on 0800 1111 or visit www.childline.org.uk
4
Support for Adults If you are working from home for the first time, or more than usual, or if you are self isolating but otherwise well, you might like to look at this resource from Mental Health First Aid, ‘Supporting your Mental Health while Working from Home’ Click Here App of the week You might feel like your mind is all over the place at the moment. If you want to take some time to disconnect from the world around you and calm your thoughts, have a look at Smiling Mind. The FREE app is available via these links:
Click Here Apple
Click Here Google
Useful Website
5
Thrive Inside with Smiling Mind will help you to remain inspired, stay connected and foster good mental habits during the Coronavirus crisis. Thrive Inside is a special initiative to help you stay calm and healthy in the physical constraints of your home, while remaining calm and healthy inside your mind. Click Here
Spotlight on Learning English & maths English and maths An excellent starting point for any college learning is to further improve your writing and numeracy skills. There are some great resources available online. Click Here Levels 1 and 2 provide the core skills required to gain a good GCSE in English and maths. English (Suitable for Levels 1 and 2) Learn the basics, tips and tricks for reading, writing, speaking and listening. Using English at work including health & social care and retail. Click Here Maths (Suitable for Levels 1 and 2) Learn the basics, using numbers, carrying out calculations and interpreting results. Using maths at work including catering, sport and leisure. Click Here
English & maths Coming Soon Bolton College’s English and maths team are currently developing online learning resources to help you get a taste of learning - check out future issues of The Bolton Family.
Communication Skills (Suitable for Levels 1 and 2) Tips and tricks for reading, writing, speaking and listening. Using communication skills at work including childcare and construction. Click Here
Resources courtesy of BBC Bitesize
6
Visit our website: www.boltoncollege.ac.uk
Love of Reading
Many people, even as adults, still love to read children’s books. The Harry Potter series is a prime example; the books are as beloved by adults as they are by children. Many first read the series in adulthood, rather than childhood, and are enchanted by the magical world J K Rowling has created. Another popular series is Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games. Set in a dystopian future and aimed at the teen market, the trilogy is equally popular with grown-ups – as of 2014, the series had sold 65 million copies in the US alone. Like Harry Potter, the books have also been adapted for film, breaking numerous box office records. Goodnight Mr Tom is a classic children’s novel that many only discover as adults. Written by Michelle Magorian and winner of the Guardian’s Children’s Fiction Prize, the novel focuses on evacuee William and his guardian ‘Mister Tom’, a reclusive grump. The story details the touching relationship that develops between the pair, and is a beautiful tale with a timeless appeal. A lesson in love and loss, Charlotte’s Web is a wonderful book to revisit or read anew. The farmyard tale is so much more than a children’s novel and deals with an extremely dark subject matter – how to prevent the slaughter of a pig, Wilbur, by his farmer owner. Finally, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden is a book that can be enjoyed as an adult. Written in 1910, the story is considered a classic of English literature. It tells the story of Mary, who arrives at Misselthwaite Manor a spoilt and selfish girl, but soon undergoes a character transformation, thanks to a secret garden locked away in the grounds of the manor. Bolton College would love to receive your book recommendations for us to share in our next edition of The Bolton Family.
Email: marketing@boltoncc.ac.uk
7
Visit our website: www.boltoncollege.ac.uk
Maintain a routine Set out roughly what you are going to do each day; making a timetable will help.
Family Learning
The National Literacy Trust has set up a comprehensive web portal for parents with new and useful content. You’ll be able to access free reading and writing resources, audiobooks, videos, competitions and reading challenges. Every resource is available for free, although to access some you may need to create a free account. Click Here Let Carol Vorderman teach your child maths during this difficult period. Matched to the National Curriculum, this is for children aged 4 to 12 years.
8
Click Here
Exercise & Activity Exercise and activity is essential for good mental health. Try these workouts and activities and always follow NHS guidance. 10-minute home cardio workout. P.E. with Joe Wicks.
Click Here
Click Here
A range of activities that families can do together at home. Click Here
Socialise as much as possible
Use technology to keep in touch with friends and family.
These apps will help you to keep in touch and have fun. Click Here
Download and listen to the world’s best storytelling. Enjoy audiobooks, original series and more on this free app. Click Here
9
Visit our website: www.boltoncollege.ac.uk
Family Learning
Other Helpful Websites 1)
Free printable worksheets and educational activities to help make learning fun. Resources arranged by grade or subject. Click Here
2)
Purple Mash is a website designed for children aged 3 to11. It contains many creative tools such as coding, animation, publishing and art, as well as applications for maths, spelling and grammar. Click Here
3)
Bitesize is the BBC’s free online study support resource for school-age students in the United Kingdom. It is designed to aid students in both schoolwork and, for older students, exams. Click Here
4)
Lots of exercise activities for movement breaks. Click Here
5)
10
ABDO’s entire eBook collection is now available for students to access at home for free.
Click Here
Family Learning
Other Helpful Websites 6)
Activity Village provides thousands of colouring pages, crafts, puzzles, worksheets and more, for parents and teachers.
Click Here
7)
FREE educational resources, worksheets, writing prompts, themed colouring pages, craft and snack ideas for parents, teachers and caregivers.
8)
Click Here
Videos about artists and art projects from around the globe. Click Here
9) More exercise activities for movement breaks. 10)
Click Here
Digital and interactive resources for drama, dance and theatre. Click Here
11
Look out for more family learning activities and resources in our next issue
Your Community Needs YOU! Bolton Council are recruiting:
Day and Night Care Assistants Home Support Workers Apply Here
Bolton’s Independent Care Sector are recruiting Apply Here
For vacancies across Greater Manchester
Employ GM connects employers who have urgent temporary vacancies with individuals across Greater Manchester, who are available to start working straight away during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Apply Here
It’s time to make a difference!
12
Volunteering in Bolton With older and vulnerable people in our community shielding and self-isolating, many people have volunteered to help, demonstrating the amazing community spirit in Bolton. Bolton Community Voluntary Services (CVS) Working closely with Bolton Council, CVS are coordinating volunteering opportunities to support various services and activities during the coronavirus outbreak. If you’re interested in becoming an Urgent Response Volunteer, you can register online. If your volunteer group would like to help, please email Bolton CVS at info@boltoncvs.org.uk or call 01204 546 055. Urban Outreach Bolton Council, in partnership with Urban Outreach, need a large amount of particular types of food and other items for individuals and families in Bolton. To donate, contact the foodbank on 01204 385 848 or visit their website. NHS volunteers The NHS need volunteers to help vulnerable people stay safe and well at home, helping up to 1.5 million people shield themselves due to health conditions. The public can sign up quickly and easily at goodsamapp.org/NHS and become an NHS Volunteer Responder, carrying out simple but vital tasks such as: •
Delivering medicines from pharmacies
• Driving patients to appointments • Bringing them home from hospital • Making regular phone calls to check on people isolating at home. GMCA volunteering Greater Manchester partners are working together to provide community support and advice to those struggling to access basic or essential services during the coronavirus outbreak. The Volunteering in Greater Manchester website can help you find and register with local voluntary organisations, matching you with a suitable volunteering role in your community.
13
Top Tips for the
Spring Clean m & Sh a e l G ’s b Ro
ine!
With all that spare time on your hands, there’s no excuse for not giving your home a good old spring clean! Rob Anacreonte, Lecturer and Community Learning Curriculum Leader, is not only Bolton College’s cleaning aficionado, he’s also the star of Channel 4’s ‘Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners’. Try out Rob’s top tips, and your home will be spick and span in no time!
1. Keep carpets fresh
Grind lavender in a pestle and mortar then mix with bicarbonate of soda. Sprinkle over carpets and rugs, leave for 20 minutes, then vacuum off.
2. Steam clean Steam cleaning a mattress kills bugs.
3. Freshen cupboards Place a bowl of coffee beans in food cupboards to remove odours.
4. Limescale? No more!
Tackle toilet limescale by removing all water from the bowl then soaking cotton wool in cheap white vinegar. Use this to pad out the toilet, like papier mache, and leave overnight. The vinegar will completely disintegrate limescale without the need for scrubbing - it also gets rid of smells.
5. Care for the environment and save cash! 14
Tip 4 sounds like a big job but the results are worthwhile - if you want to be more environmentally friendly and save money on cleaning products, this is the way to go!
Visit our website: www.boltoncollege.ac.uk
How to be a Good Neighbour in Bolton With many older and more vulnerable people in our community self-isolating due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, lots of people have been stepping forward wanting to help, demonstrating the community spirit in Bolton
With many older and more vulnerable people in our We have put together some tips for theto best you can offer your community self-isolating due theways coronavirus (COVID-19) support. outbreak, lots of people have been stepping forward to help. The first place you can start is by being a good neighbour. You yoursocial time You couldcan set updonate a neighbourhood media page; pick prescriptions or shopping; swap numbers and pick up the Beup a good neighbour phone for a chat; plus much more.
Connect and reach out to your immediate neighbours Swap phone numbers – a conversation may be a lifeline and will help Read our How to be a Good Neighbour in Bolton, people feelguide, less lonely ways to help yourpage community during forIf even there ismore a neighbourhood socialin media you could help themthese connect with times; this challenging just remember to observe social distancing Encourage others on your street to help measures at all times, including keeping 2 metres apart at all Help your neighbour put together a contact list of useful numbers times. e.g. their personal emergency contacts, local advice lines, etc. Practical support such as picking up prescriptions, helping them with online shopping, walking their dog, etc.
Advice and Guidance
15
Don’t enter people’s houses – stay on the doorstep and keep 2 metres apart! Be kind and courteous Respect everyone’s privacy, helping vulnerable people requires mutual trust e.g. don’t share any private information Follow infection control advice and social distancing – with coronavirus (COVID19) the situation is fast evolving so follow the latest advice from trusted sources e.g. Public Health England http://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england) If you feel unwell with symptoms of coronavirus you should self-isolate. Guidance on this is available on the NHS website: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid19/ Visit our website: www.boltoncvs.org.uk for regular updates Carry a mobile phone and let someone know where you are going Working together to develop a diverse, strong and effective voluntary and community sector in Bolton: www.boltoncvs.org.uk
Your Suggestions We’d love to know what you think of The Bolton Family! Please send us your feedback, or even better, send your suggestions to
marketing@boltoncc.ac.uk
You may like to read our learner magazines, packed full of activities and useful information during the current lockdown
click here 16
Creative Corner
Always wanted to draw faces but don,T know where to start? Check out the tutorial in the link below Click here
twork Send us your ar c.uk a . c c n o lt o b @ g in t marke
17
Don’t get bored, get a board! Board Games are fun, but they can also be educational. Here are some games to keep your family entertained, and their brains ticking over, during lockdown: Scrabble Education value 100% Using a standard dictionary and a crossword puzzle format, lettered tiles are used to form words in this simple but classic board game. Monopoly Education value 80% Players roll two six-sided dice to move around the game board, buying and trading properties, and developing them with houses and hotels. Players collect rent from their opponents, with the goal of driving them into bankruptcy.
18
Qwirkle Educational value 100%
Risk Education value 90%
For logic lovers and the strategically minded, Qwirkle is a new game with a time-honoured and instantly classic feel, plus it’s won coveted awards for its educational merits.
A simple goal of acquiring and defending territory launches into a strategic military gem with Risk. Appealing to players of all ages, Hasbro’s dice-rolling war game hits themes of diplomacy and conquest.
Visit our website: www.boltoncollege.ac.uk
Battleships Education value 90% Humbly starting as a pencil and paper game during World War I, Battleships keeps opponents guessing which grid coordinate will successfully target and eventually sink their enemy’s five ships. Yahtzee Educational value 90% The excitement of creating combinations of dice has never wavered, keeping Yahtzee a fixture on game shelves around the world. Shake and roll your way to a Full House, Straight or the elusive Yahtzee to generate the highest score and win! Connect 4 Education value 80% Four matching pieces, set in a row. Using red and yellow checker disc-like pieces on its iconic vertical standing blue board, Connect Four employs simple logic, deduction, and abstract strategy. Cluedo Education value 80% Who did it? Cluedo creates detectives of us all, with players gathering information to successfully deduce ‘who’ ‘where’ and ‘how’ a crime was committed. Trivial Pursuit Education value 80% Trivia buffs are created around the Trivial Pursuit board. Allowing single player or team play with six challenging categories, spanning Geography to Sports and Leisure, the pursuit of knowledge has never been more engaging. Blokus Education value 90% Award-winning Blokus challenges 2-4 players to arrange each of their 89 shapes on a grid-like board. Negotiating space and strategically defending territories make this game puzzling and thrilling.
19
Visit our website: www.boltoncollege.ac.uk
Looking after the Bolton Family We’re working hard with our Team Bolton partners to support residents through the Council’s Response Hub. If you’re struggling because you need to stay at home and have no family or friends to support you with shopping or medicine, or need other help, please call the Council emergency contact number: 01204 337 221. You can also check the Bolton Council website to find out how we can help and for our Coronavirus (COVID-19) Daily Bulletin.
Other Useful Numbers:
Age UK Bolton – for elderly residents: Age UK Bolton are making daily wellbeing calls to local older residents who live alone or have no other means of support. To request a call phone: 01204 382 411 (Mon – Fri, 9am-4pm). For further information or advice visit www.ageuk.org.uk/bolton BAND: Band offer support for adults experiencing mental health and wellbeing issues. Call 01204 380 643 or email band@family-action.org.uk Fort Alice: For women, families, children and young people affected by domestic abuse and violence ring the 24-hour helpline 01204 365 677 or visit www.fortalice.co.uk to access ‘live chat’, currently open 9am-5pm. 1Point: Counselling and bereavement support offering online individual, couple and bereavement counselling. Call 01204 917 745 or email office@1pointbolton.org.uk Bolton Carers Support: For adults who look after family members or friends, this is a free confidential helpline, open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 01204 363 056, email info@boltoncarers.org.uk or visit www.boltoncarers.org.uk
20
www.bolton.gov.uk