A £30 million support package has been announced to help Manchester residents with the cost of living this winter.
Manchester City Council is set to spend the money on helping those facing hardship and poverty as the weather turns colder, and this includes £6.5 million awarded through the Government’s Household Support Fund to target support for those most in-need of help to pay for energy, water, food, and other essentials up to April 2025.
According to the Council, this will supplement the already-ongoing wider work to support residents at risk from the cost of living throughout the year.
Enhanced support for pensioners has also been announced this week.
Under the new scheme, pensioners who are not in receipt of pension credits – and therefore will not receive the winter fuel payment – but still need support over the winter, will now be eligible for payments of £150, or £200 if they are aged 80 or over.
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The cost of living is continuing to hit Mancunians. That's why we're announcing a wide range of support for those who need it.
All low income Manchester households in receipt of Council Tax Support, where at least one person gets disability benefits, will get an automatic payment of £100 from the Council, it has been confirmed – with an estimated 21,437 households across the city are expected to benefit from this.
£10 per week is also to be paid to around 350 care leavers, who are living in their own tenancies across the city.
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Families with children who are eligible for free school meals during term time will receive payments for each eligible child of £15 for the autumn half term, £30 for the Christmas holiday, and £15 for the spring 2025 half term to prevent holiday hunger – with payments distributed via Manchester schools.
A further £190,000 will also be allocated to the Council’s Holiday Activity Fund (HAF) to provide free activities for children during half terms.
A £30m winter support package has been announced to help Manchester residents with the cost of living / Credit: RawPixel
To round things off, £200,000 will be allocated to voluntary and community sector organisations working in the city to help make sure those who are harder-to-reach are still supported, and £20,000 will be added to funding for the Council’s existing welfare support scheme to provide grants for those facing hardship.
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Councillor Bev Craig, who is the Leader of Manchester City Council, says these targeted payments will “make a real difference” to tens of thousands of Manchester people who are struggling with cost of living pressures.
“The message is clear, if you are struggling this winter, please contact us and we will support you,” she concluded.
Residents struggling with costs and wanting to find out more about the range of support available are encouraged to contact the Cost of Living Advice Line on freephone 0800 0232692 between 9am and 4.30pm Monday to Friday.
Payments will be made from November onwards.
Featured Image – EthelRedThePetrolHead (via Flickr)
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NHS launches new AI and robot cancer detection pilot offering ‘glimpse into future’
Emily Sergeant
The NHS has launched a ‘trailblazing’ new AI and robot pilot to help spot cancers sooner.
Patients who are facing suspected lung cancer could get answers sooner under the new pilot that makes use of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic technology to help doctors reach hard-to-detect cancers earlier, and all without with fewer tests too.
At the moment, patients are faced with weeks of repeat scans and procedures to come to a diagnosis.
But this could soon be replaced with a single, half-hour cancer biopsy – reducing prolonged uncertainty, and avoiding more invasive surgery.
According to the NHS, the new approach uses AI software to rapidly analyse lung scans and flag small lumps that are most likely to be cancerous, before a robotic camera is then used to guide biopsy tools through the airways with much greater precision than standard techniques.
A new NHS pilot using AI and robotic technology will help doctors reach hard-to-detect lung cancers earlier.
Weeks of scans and procedures could be replaced with a single biopsy, reducing uncertainty and avoiding more invasive surgery.
The robot can reach nodules as small as 6mm – which is around the size of a grain of rice – that are hidden deep in the lung and are often deemed too risky or difficult to access using existing methods, and once AI has highlighted higher-risk areas, doctors can then take a precise tissue sample, which is sent to specialist laboratories and reviewed by expert cancer teams to confirm or rule out cancer.
The NHS’s top cancer doctor hailed the pilot – which is currently being carried out at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust – as ‘a glimpse of the future of cancer detection’.
“Waiting to find out if you might have cancer is incredibly stressful for patients and their families,” admitted Professor Peter Johnson, who is NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Cancer.
The NHS has launched a new AI and robot cancer detection pilot that’s offering a ‘glimpse into future’ / Credit: rawpixel
“Our lung cancer screening programme means that we are picking up more cancers at an early stage than ever, and by bringing AI and robotics together in this trailblazing NHS pilot, we’re bringing in the very latest technology to give clinicians a clearer look inside the lungs and support faster, more accurate biopsies.
“This is a glimpse of the future of cancer detection.
“Innovation like this is exactly how we can help diagnose more cancers faster, so treatment can be most effective, and why the NHS continues to lead the way in bringing new technology safely into frontline care.”
If successful, the pilot will help the NHS to generate evidence to develop a national commissioning policy for robotic bronchoscopy.
It will also support more consistent access to the technology across the NHS in future.
Featured Image – Tima Miroshnichenko (via Pexels)
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Chester Zoo announces new spring date for its popular running event to help UK wildlife
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo has announced that its popular Run For Nature is back again this year, and this time, there’s a new spring edition.
The UK’s biggest charity zoo seen success with this event in the past few years, with thousands of runners signing up for one of the North West’s most unique athletic experiences and all funds raised going towards efforts to protect highly-endangered giraffes in Africa.
This year though, the much-loved event’s focus brings conservation ‘a little closer to home’ and will protect some of the UK’s most threatened species instead – with all funds helping to safeguard hedgehogs, kingfishers, otters, harvest mice, and more.
It comes as the UK is currently considered one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth.
Participants will first get to wind through the zoo and enjoy glimpses of elephants, lemurs, and other incredible species along the way, before heading out into the picturesque Cheshire countryside.
Adults can choose from a 10K or 5K route, while younger runners are invited to take part in a one-mile ‘Zoom’ race, open to children aged four-15, which takes place entirely within the zoo’s incredible 130-acre grounds.
All runners will receive free entry to the zoo for the rest of the day as part of their registration, along with a 25% discount for friends and family who come along to show support.
Chester Zoo’s popular 10K charity run is returns with a new spring date / Credit: Chester Zoo
Lorraine Jubb, who is the Fundraising Lead at Chester Zoo, called the Run For Nature a ‘really special event’.
“In previous years, runners have already supported conservation efforts for Asian elephants, Eastern black rhinos and Northern giraffe,” she explained. This springtime though, we’re turning our attention much closer to home in the UK, and to the wildlife we share our gardens, parks and countryside with.
“With one in six species now at risk of extinction in the UK, every runner will be playing a vital role in helping us protect animals and supporting our growing nature recovery work across right across Cheshire.
Emily Sergeant -
15th October 2024 
