On Thursday 6th May Londoners will go to the polls to elect the next Mayor of London and members of the London Assembly.

Age UK London would like to invite you to the Older Londoners’ Mayoral Hustings 2021 – An age-friendly recovery for an age-friendly London on Tuesday 30th March at 3pm.

 Spaces are limited so Age UK London would be grateful if you could register your details and confirm your place on the Eventbrite weblink below by Monday 15^th March.

Please register your details and confirm your place by Monday 15^th March here on this Eventbrite link https://hustings2021aukl.eventbrite.co.uk

This survey is your chance to rate Langtons Gardens and Fielders Field, and the work of our Heritage Lottery funded project. Your responses will help us improve the park and garden for all visitors.

You can find the survey here.

The last year has been an incredibly challenging time for all, and although it has prohibited some activities at Langtons Gardens and Fielders Field, we still need to evaluate the progress of the project as it nears its final few years.

The survey will take at least 15-25 minutes to complete.
Your answers will be reported anonymously- You can identify yourself at the end of the survey if you wish to be in contact.

Hi All,                                                                    SCAMS ALERT

Please be aware of the following scams.

HM Customs & Revenue are contacting people and threatening the caller with warrants of arrest unless they hand over their banking information.

Broadband scams are once again quite high on the list, they are asking for access to your computer or they will disconnect you.  If you give them remote access to your computer they will put malware virus into your computer so they can gain access to your bank accounts.

Building and Gardening Scams are once again coming high on the list in Havering – please do not accept doorstop callers or leaflets you receive through the post – either get a recommendation from a friend/neighbour or go onto www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk these businesses are recommended by Trading Standards and companies have to go through rigorous expensive checks to be listed.

If you have an elderly/vulnerable neighbour please do keep an eye out on who is knocking on their door, people are being charged £800 to cut the front garden and upto £40,000 for house projects when they were not needed.

A Government Agency or Bank will never ask you for any banking details, if you have been scammed please do report it to the police and also to Action Fraud – www.actionfraud.police.uk

Scam video link:    https://fb.watch/3LDzcz0mmJ/    right click on link and choose open hyperlink

Lastly, this is from Essex Police l received from a friend, it is worth filling in the survey re dog theft

For all of our Essex Police Dog Watch members, dog owners and workers, please take a look at the following link to the national survey from the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, designed to understand the public perception of dog theft, enforcement and the prosecution of offenders: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/dogtheft

Kind Regards

Lisa

It’s been a long year. As you can imagine we are all looking forward for the Forum to be up and running again. As soon as we can we plan to have an outside event for members with refreshments and updates from speakers on what’s occurring in the London Borough of Havering.  Our networks tell us that members are talking to each other by phone and social media and there are currently some issues of concern that members have made us aware of :

Census 21^st March

By now most of you should have received your Census letter,  giving you a choice of completing the form on line or requesting a paper copy.  Unfortunately as expected, for those who do not wish to, or are unable to do their return on line, members are finding it very difficult after entering their 10 digit reference number to get a response by phone to request a paper copy, likewise the help line,  no response  after 20 minutes. The letter states “You must complete the Census by law or you could be fined up to £1000”. Welcome any experiences.

St. Georges Hospital

It appears there is talk once more with regard to the Centre of Excellence on the St. George’s site.  As we know St. Georges Hospital was closed in the Autumn of 2012 and all day hospital services were lost to our Community when the majority of the site was sold for housing.  As major stakeholders the Over 50’s need to make sure if this facility goes ahead it fits the needs  of our Community and is fit for the purpose with the correct access.

Over 75’s TV Licence

If you have an entitlement to a free TV Licence and are being pursued to pay the £159 and are concerned that you cannot provide information scanned on line, or do not have access to photocopying facilities, we have been in touch with TV Licencing and the Minister for Culture and Leisure and they have confirmed they will take a verbal declaration over the phone.

Nosey Neighbour

It is a great time to be a nosey neighbour. If you see any unusual activity locally and it looks wrong tell someone.  We have recently been involved in a case where we had concern for the resident, we informed the police and London Borough of Havering enforcement. Through our intervention the resident was protected from a huge scam.

Thank you

From what we hear from all our members  across the Borough the work of London Borough of Havering and it’s volunteers could not have made the role of the vaccinations more comfortable for all. It goes to show when Havering mean it we are always the bright star in the East.

Take care, hope to see you all soon. If you have any issues always happy to help to raise them in the relevant areas.

Cliff Reynolds

Chairman

Havering Over 50’s Forum

Some people are receiving fraudulent calls and text messages offering the COVID-19 vaccination. In some cases, people are asked to press a number on their keypad or to send a text message to confirm they wish to receive the vaccine. Doing so is likely to result in a charge being applied to their phone bill.
In other cases, callers are offering the vaccine for a fee or asking for bank details.

Like other scams, the same rules apply;

• Don’t click on links or attachments in unexpected texts, emails or instant messages.
• Challenge every request for your personal details.
• It doesn’t matter what they say or what they know about you, don’t respond to unexpected phone calls, hang up, take five then verify their claims via a trusted method. (such as the usual website or official phone number)

The vaccine is only available from the NHS and the NHS will contact you when it is your turn. At present, appointments are only being offered to members of the public over 80 years old.

The NHS will:

• NEVER ask you to press a button on your keypad or send a text asking you to confirm you want the vaccine.
• NEVER ask for payment for the vaccine or for your bank details.

If you believe you have been the victim of fraud or identity theft, you should report this directly to Action Fraud either online; https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/ or via phone
0300 123 2040
Where the victim is vulnerable, report it to the MPS online or by calling 101.

Link to an example of the scam text message on behalf of which.co.uk
https://conversation.which.co.uk/scams/scam-nhs-covid-vaccine-text-message/

Email the Secretary of State

In a matter of days we will find out if Freedom Pass and 60+ Oyster card concessions will be further reduced or even cut entirely. You may have seen the story in the news as part of the coverage around conditions attached to the next funding deal between the government and Transport for London.

We started the campaign to protect older Londoners’ travel concessions back in June but the next few days are vital. The government need to know the impact that this will have and they need to hear from those most affected. We have until 31 October to stand up for older Londoners and keep transport affordable.

Click here to email the Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps MP.

Affordable transform is not a luxury it’s a lifeline and can transform lives. Taking travel concessions away from older Londoners who live in the city with the worst pensioner poverty rate in the country and some of the highest living costs in the world will drive up poverty and exacerbate the capital’s social isolation crisis.

Please help spread the word
Once you send your email (which you can personalise) you will see an option to share the campaign on Facebook or Twitter. You can also forward this email on to all those that may be interested. We need to get as many people emailing the Secretary of State as possible.

We are very concerned that the 60+ Oyster card may be most at risk. If you are a 60+ Oyster holder or know someone that is, it is particularly important to be heard.

Time is against us. The next funding deal will be announced by 31st October. Now more than ever, let’s raise our voices!

Thank you for your support,

John, Abi and the Age UK London team

PS. Here is a powerful case study from Deborah, a 60+ Oyster card holder who told us her story earlier this week.

Free, weekly social prescribing dance and drama workshops are designed to be introduced pre-diagnosis – at the onset of symptoms of dementia or cognitive impairment, to ensure individuals stay connected in the community, and have a re-energising sense of purpose from the outset of their journey.

They are aimed to be introduced when people are awaiting appointments for memory assessment, for referral through GPs and social prescribers.

Please refer participants as soon as possible, so they are able to get the full benefit of all the classes in the 8 week term.

• ‘Muse of Fire’ with Southwark Playhouse, Friday morning drama workshops
  2 October – 20 November, 10.15 for 10.30 start
  (One hour workshop, Zoom stays open for friendly evaluation and chat until 12pm)
• ‘Dance for the Brain’ with Siobhan Davies Dance, Tuesday afternoon dance classes
  6 October – 24 November 2.15 for 2.30 start
  (One hour class, Zoom stays open for friendly evaluation and chat until 4pm)

To refer and register participation, please call Veronica on 07713 636381, or 020 8780 5217.

The local mental health charity: Havering Mind that organises the annual Havering Half Marathon event has made the decision to cancel this year’s event due to the COVID pandemic.

Whilst this is disappointing, the worst thing to do would be to stop running!

Running, like other forms of physical activity is great for our mental wellbeing!

Therefore, Havering Mind challenges you to take part in the ‘VIRTUAL HAVERING HALF MARATHON MONTH!’

Between 1^st – 31^st October, take part in your own personal challenge, by running half marathon (or less) around your own route in Havering!

Share pictures of your run and your route on our Facebook page and share with others your fitness challenge!

You can also if you like get sponsorship for your challenge and help Havering Mind continue its vital work! All participants will receive a special commemorative medal and a certificate of thanks for their support.

Our events coordinator Ciaran says ‘Whilst we are of course gutted to not be doing the usual ‘live run’ we are really pleased to be able to offer our runners and local community this unique month long challenge!”

To sign up please visit:

www.haveringhalfmarathon.co.uk

COVID-19 cases are rising quickly in Havering.

Last week more new cases were reported in Havering than in the week before the lockdown was implemented in March, with new cases in Havering higher than both the London and England average.

The Council has been monitoring the increase and, as part of its response, the Government has agreed to the Council’s request that a new walk-through coronavirus testing facility should open in the borough.

The test centre is at the Council-owned Cherry Tree Lane car park off Rainham Road in South Hornchurch.

Please click on link below for more information on Covid 19 testing and booking an appointment in Rainham and Romford

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKLBH/bulletins/29f26ad