News

Next meeting

Our next meeting will be on Monday 14th September 2026 at the Fusilier Museum starting at 1.00  pm - our speaker will be: Chris Green, Family Bereavement Support Officer at Bury Hospice. Chris will be speaking about coping with bereavement.

SCAMS, FRAUD, AVOID

Our last meeting was on Tuesday 4th August 2026 at the Fusiler Museum.  The topic this time  was on

Scams, Fraud, and what to Avoid!  A warm welcome was given to three members from Bury MBC Trading Standards Team who gave a very entertaining presentation centered around the work they perform with particular emphasis being made to fraud, scams and how to avoid them. Important advice was given around spotting the warning signs as fraudsters can be convincing and knowledgeable with websites and materials that look identical to the real thing. A thoroughlly enjoyable afternoon where members learned much about the role of the Trading Standards Team and the importance of the valuable work they do.

Welfare Benefits

We had a visit from Berni Vose, who was a welfare rights advisor. Berni explained the difference between benefits that are means tested and those that aren't. She also offered to help members one to one if necessary. 

Everything Myeloma

We were fortunate to have Dr Jenna Fielding, Consultant Haematologist, Manchester Royal Infirmary who briefly talked about updates in Myeloma treatments but more importantly answered all our queries.  She was excellent in explaining things in layman's terms so we could all understand.  

All Things Mouthcare

We had an excellent presentation from Emma Riley, Healthcare Services Director on Mouthcare.  Emma pointed out the importance of mothcare and that neglecting this can lead to lots of other health problems from infections, pneumonia and even to sepsis.  She also talked about dry mouth syndrome which many on cancer treatment suffer from and the best forms of treatment to deal with this.

Staying Well

On 23 February we had an excellent turnout to hear a Talk from Hannah and Adam on the services that the  Staying well team provide.  If you are over 50 and a resident but not currently receiving any support from social care services then you are eligble for their service to help you stay well.  For those outside the area it is worth contacting your local council to ask what services they offer for elderly.  Hannah and Adam talked about the fact that you are assessed in your own home and they can then provide you with referrals to other services e.g help with applying for benefits, simple adaptations e.g grab rails etc.  People found it extremely helpful and they took time to talk to people individually too.

AGM

There were 24 members at the AGM on Monday 12 January 2026.  After a sandwich lunch the business part of the meeting took place.  Two important documents, the Consitution and Adults at Risk policy had been updated.  There were ratified by the members.  The committee membership was also confirmed as seen in the section 'about us - our team'.  Christine also highlighted some of the events that had taken place the previous year and said the group continued to be friendly and inclusive.  

Christmas Lunch

Twenty four members of the support group enjoyed a Christmas Lunch on Monday 8 December at Owen's Restaurant.  It was a very sociable occasion and followed by free raffle.  The committee were thanked for organising it. Pictures of the occasion can be seen in the latest newsletter.

Safe and Sound Wellbeing

Russ Magnall gave a lively and entertaining talk on how to build resistance along with tips.  He also directed us to his website on safeandsoundwellbeing.com which gives tips and techniques for dealing with all of life' challenges.  He was so appreciated that he might return to the group at a future date.

Coping with Fatigue

We had an excellent presentation from Sarah Plant on how to cope with fatigue.  Sarah introduced the 3 P's, Plan, Prioritise and Pace.  When having fatigue it is important to plan ahead but not to overload.  This means prioritising and thinking about what needs to be done, what can be lessened or delegated or simply stop doing.  Even on a good day it is important to pace yourself.  If you go all out you may find the next day you are so exhausted that you are not capable of doing anything.

Sarah also explained where and how people can contact Macmillan and what services they can provide and how they can refer you if required to other services.

Visit to Granada News

A group of us were lucky to visit Granada Studios to have a tour of the building and see how the reports are put together.  People had a chance to sit in the presenter's chair and read the news from the autocue.  We met the technical staff who control the cameras, the links to oher reports, the producer and the presenter all of whom made us very welcome. This was organised by Caroline Whitmore, one of the reporters who is the daughter of Christine Hacking and everyone agreed was a great experience.

Equipment and home adaptations to aid daily living.

We had an excellent talk from Paula Cotton, an ocupational therapist and one of our members on what equipment and minor adaptations could be made to make life easier with daily tasks at home.  Those below £1000 will be provided free of charge from your local authority whereas more major adaptations might be funded from a grant although the latter is means tested.  She not only talked about the benefits but also some issues where equipment and adaptations may not be suitable.