Lots of people have asked us what is happening to our animals and all our beautiful plants and crops whilst the Covid-19 pandemic is happening? Whilst observing social distancing, a few key staff and volunteers are looking after them.

We’re continuing to keep our animals fed, watered and exercised. We are also keeping all the horticulture going, to ensure our students and members have a flourishing place to come back to! A big thanks to key people who have come in over the weekend to help out WHILST observing social distancing of course – it really is very much appreciated.

Day Opportunities at Standish have been busy growing our crops and flowers this year. We’ve been nurturing and tending to these as part of the activities for those members who are still attending and have found it the perfect job to do with social distancing in place!

We are in the process of filling the polytunnels, greenhouse and outdoor spaces with plants such lettuce, beetroot, broccoli, carrots, onions and the like.

Audrey Hepburn said: “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” We are following that philosophy and will be very excited to see the results of the plants we have grown from seed and will hopefully be able to reap the rewards in a few months, whether it be in our hampers, the pop-up kitchen, or in The Stable Door Café, when things return to normal.

We are planning strawberry planting areas that can hopefully be used by everyone on their return and a pumpkin patch for later in the year (they take a while to grow!!) We are also in the process of spreading our growing bug to our My Life members who aren’t currently here with us on site, watch this space…

We’ve had lots of queries to ask if our Standish site can be accessed by people walking to it via public footpaths. The answer to this is yes, but we need to know when this is happening so that we can ensure that there is enough space for you to observe safe distancing. Simply call our Reception on 01257 472 900 and we can book you in.

Teresa Harfield, Standish Day Opportunities Manager

Fancy making something new whilst you’re at home? These buttery shortbread biscuits are perfect with a brew!

Or why not make the most of the weather by sitting in the garden and serving them broken into pieces with fresh strawberries and ice cream? They’re even more delicious accompanied by a light glass of prosecco, Pimms or simply a diet coke and a squeeze of lime…

So, here it is, our exclusive recipe from Head Chef of The Stable Door Café Paul Plumbley – enjoy making and eating them!

Ingredients

• 225g Butter
• 110g Caster sugar
• 225g Plain flour
• 100g Cornflour
• A pinch of salt

Please note that the allergens in this recipe are flour and milk.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 155c.

2. In a large bowl or mixer place the butter & sugar, whisk till it becomes smooth and creamy.

3. Sieve the flour, cornflour and salt into the butter and mix in.

4. Place on a baking tray and roll out until approximately 12mm thick.

5. Chill for 30 minutes.

6. Bake for 22 minutes.

7. Leaving in the tray, cut into fingers or squares.

8. Put back in the oven for a further 8-12 minutes.

9. Leave for 10 minutes then remove from the tray and place on a cooling rack.

10. Sprinkle with more caster sugar.

11. Eat!

If you hear of anyone trying to buy tests to see if they have Covid-19, or medicines to prevent or cure it, please let them know that they are fake.

Lots of bogus websites have been set up to make money from this scam and the products they sell could pose a risk to your health.

An increasing number of bogus medical products being sold through unauthorised websites claiming to treat or prevent Covid-19 are being investigated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

These include self-testing kits, ‘miracle cures’, ‘antiviral misting sprays’, and unlicensed medicines.

At this time, there are currently no medicines licensed specifically for the treatment or prevention of Covid-19 and there are no CE marked self-testing kits approved for home use.

The MHRA has disabled nine domain names and social media accounts selling fake or unauthorised Covid-19 products.

Lynda Scammell, MHRA Enforcement Official said:

“Don’t be fooled by online offers for medical products to help prevent or treat Covid-19

There is no medicine licensed specifically to treat or prevent Covid-19, therefore any claiming to do so are not authorised and have not undergone regulatory approvals required for sale on the UK market. We cannot guarantee the safety or quality of the product and this poses a risk to your health.

The risk of buying medicines and medical devices from unregulated websites are that you just don’t know what you will receive and could be putting your health at risk.

The government is working alongside other law enforcement agencies to combat this type of criminal activity.”

This advice is part of the MHRA’s ongoing #FakeMeds campaign which aims to encourage people who buy medical products online to make sure they are purchasing from legitimate sources.

To stay safe when buying medicines and medical devices online, the MHRA advises that you purchase from a registered pharmacy – either from the premises or online.

The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau is also seeing reports from victims who have lost money when they have tried to purchase PPE or self-testing kits online, from fraudulent websites, that simply do not exist. If you think you have been a victim of fraud, please report it to Action Fraud or by calling 0300 123 2040.

Staying at home is the perfect excuse to try your hand at some crafts!

We’ve got some great ideas for you and the best bit is, you can make everything using bits and bobs you can find at home. Thank you to My Life’s Wendy and Janice for these creative ideas!

Toilet roll animals and people

Over the next few weeks you can use your supplies of toilet roll to make everything from gifts to animals and people. Why not have a go at recreating your pets, friends and entire family using the medium of the toilet roll tube?

Click here to find out how. 

Download the templates you need to make them, here.

Plant Pot Houses

Use pebbles, twigs, buttons – in fact, anything you can put your hands on to decorate a plant pot and make it look like a house! Find out how here.

Make a Pebble Path!

Decorate a stone or pebble and contribute to our Pebble Path! Each pebble will be unique (just like you!) and can be decorated however you wish. Enjoy your pebbles at home and keep them safe. At a later date we’ll ask you to send them into My Life and we’ll join them together to make a beautiful, colourful path. Find out how to do this here.

Colour in a rainbow or a rabbit!

Make your own rainbow to put up in your window for others to see, or colour in our very decorative rabbit! Download them here.

Let us see your creations – email info@my-life.org.uk when you’re done!

Being at home self – isolating or social distancing can mean you don’t move around as much as usual.  This can be bad for your mental and physical health, especially if you’re older or have underlying health issues.  

Why not try these simple gentle exercises? You don’t need any special equipment and can do them easily in your home.

They’re designed by the experts at The Chartered Institute of Physiotherapy and are a great way to help you or someone you know stay strong AND improve their mental health!

You don’t need to be older to do them, you might just be finding that sitting still is difficult and making you stiff and achy when you get up. Try them twice a day and reap the benefits and prevent the complications of sitting still!

Click here to follow the simple video or, if you prefer, easy to use diagrams – it’s up to you! 

Life as we know it has changed and we are all having to adjust to the uncertainties that surround us, not least our loved ones who need support, who know things have changed, but many can’t work out the what or why.

However, what we are seeing and hearing is how our loved ones have shown great resilience and coping strategies that will help them to get through this difficult time.

“Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it’s less good than the one you had before. You can fight it, you can do nothing but scream about what you’ve lost, or you can accept that and try to put together something that’s good.” Elizabeth Edwards

At My Life we have decided to go with the positive and have been using this opportunity to help create more opportunities, spaces and resources for our members and students for when they return.

The weather has been very kind and this has enabled us to get our green fingers out at our Standish site and start to expand our growing knowledge. It has enabled us to create a mass of new resources at Leigh, we have had time to build stronger connections with families and most importantly it has enabled us to do the small things that make a big difference to people we know and those out there in our community.

We are welcoming volunteers on the Standish site, which is deemed an acceptable activity, whilst respecting social distancing, and we are also welcoming volunteers who would like to do things at home such as making resources, sewing soft furnishings and more. If you would like to volunteer please let us know by emailing info@my-life.org.uk.

The next few weeks and months will no doubt be tough and as a charity we are doing everything we can to keep strong and keep helping everyone who needs us.

Remember, we are still open and if you would like to discuss how we can support, or provide opportunities whilst respecting the government guidance please don’t hesitate to call us. Please do get in touch if you think we can help with anything. Our lines are open during office hours, call us on 01257 472900.

Caroline Tomlinson, CEO, My Life