Inspire Magazine - Winter 2017

Winter warmers
On average around 70% of household
energy bills are spent on heating, so
if you can cut your heating costs you
should really see a difference in your
bills. Here are a few handy tips to help
keep you warm this winter.
Block out draughts
Keep the cold out and the warm in by
sealing up gaps wherever you can. Using
draught excluders on letter boxes and
to seal gaps in doors can really help.
Stuffing a pair of tights with old socks or
material is an easy way to make your own
draught excluder.
Gorton
Way
Gorton is full of hidden gems
with many places of historical,
environmental or social interest.
We’re looking for people
interested in celebrating what
Gorton has to offer to help develop
Gorton Way, with a plan to mark
and share the areas of interest in
the area and apply for funding to
get it off the ground.
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@onemcr
Turn down
the dial
Some like it hot,
some like it cooler,
but turning your
thermostat down
by just 1°C could
cut your heating bill by as much as
£150 a year. The minimum temperature
recommended by Public Health England
is 18°C. Once you set the temperature,
the heating will automatically cut off
when it reaches that level and kick in
again if the temperature drops. That
means you don’t have to worry about
switching it on and off and it costs less to
keep the temperature more stable than
having to re-heat your house if you let it
get really cold.
Check your heating regularly
Heating can seize up if it’s not used
regularly, so give it a quick blast at least
once a month even during the summer
to keep everything running as smoothly
as possible.
The Gorton Heritage Trail has
existed for many years and recently
there have been some works to
improve the trail, with ideas still
being developed. These include
adding a digital marker linking back
to a website with more information
about that particular point. The
digital markers will link to videos
or voice recordings of memories,
historical facts or photographs of
different times and places.
If you are interested in taking part
please join us at 6pm on Tuesday
14 February at Belle Vue House,
Garratt Way, Gorton, M18 8HE.
Check your radiator valves
Heat rises so if you keep the
downstairs radiator valves turned
up high (4 or 5), you should be
able to switch your upstairs
radiator valves down to around
3 and still feel warm enough.
Keep your radiators clear
To get the most benefit from your
radiators, the area around them needs to
be clear so the hot air can circulate freely.
Make sure your curtains aren’t covering
the front of the radiator, move settees
away and try not to dry your clothes
directly on the radiator.
Make best use of your curtains
Now and again the sun does actually
come out in Manchester, so when the
rays are shining open your curtains and
let the sun warm your home for free.
Close the curtains once it’s dark though
to help keep out draughts.
Reset the meter
If you’ve run out of gas, remember that
after you’ve topped up you will need
to reset the meter. Just hold down
button A for 10 seconds to reignite
and you should be cooking
on gas once again.
Hey, what’s
cooking?
Would you like to be creative with
food, learn to cook on a budget for
the family, and pass on your skills
and ideas to others?
Join our cookery club starting in
February to learn some simple, quick
and fun ideas to expand your recipe list
at home. It’s a great way to build your
cooking confidence, meet new people
and enjoy delicious food cooked by you.
The cookery club starts on 22 February
at East Hub from 1pm. Contact the
Customer Involvement team to reserve
your place.
What’s an age-friendly
neighbourhood?
A new partnership of residents and
local organisations has come together
with the aim of making Hulme & Moss
Side more age-friendly. Along with
researchers from the Manchester
School of Architecture, the partnership
has been working with older people
over the past nine months to find out
what it’s like to live in Hulme and Moss
Side for older people.
As part of the Ambition for Ageing
programme, the partnership has access
to The Big Lottery Fund and has started
funding projects. These projects aim to
tackle the risk factors of social isolation
by increasing social activities in the
neighbourhood or by targeting particular
‘at risk’ groups.
An age-friendly neighbourhood enables
people of all ages to actively participate
in community activities where everyone
is treated with respect, regardless of their
Making
connections
in east
Manchester
The East Manchester Business
Network, developed in partnership
with the Oasis Centre, has seen
businesses of all sizes in the local
area start to share ideas and provide
a helping hand to one another over
the last few months.
The meet-ups take place on the second
Wednesday of each month, with the
centre usually open and the kettle
age. It is a place that makes it easy for older
people to stay connected to people that
are important to them. The aim is to stay
healthy and active and provide appropriate
support to those who can no longer look
after themselves.
The project recognises that the challenges
people face can be specific to their
neighbourhood, and what works in one
neighbourhood might not be the best
solution for others.
There are a range of activities that people
can take part in such as digital skills for
beginners courses, walking football
and Zumba classes for the over 50s.
The partnership maintains a calendar of
activities that are aimed at older people.
You can view this online at
http://tinyurl.com/handmcalendar
Hulme & Moss Side residents and
organisational members have praised
on from 5pm for informal networking.
Refreshments and biscuits are provided.
By joining the network you will get the
chance to showcase your business at
future events and will also receive top
tips and support from business coach
Mark Dyble.
All businesses are welcome and can
register for an upcoming event at
eastmanchester.eventbrite.co.uk
the project for connecting different
generations and providing activities for
older people to participate in. One local
resident said, “It’s great to see people
knowing and caring about their
neighbours. Everyone is able to get
out of their home regularly now”.
To hear more about the partnership
and their projects, contact Matthew
Youngson on 07973 973 185 or
email m.youngson@mmu.ac.uk.
Where: East Hub, Belle Vue House,
27 Garratt Way, Gorton, M18 8HE
When: Second Wednesday of each
month – upcoming meetings 8 February,
8 March, 12 April
Time: 5.30 -7pm
0330 355 1002
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