 The Healthy Lives Team hope you all have a wonderful break and we look forward to working with you in 2021!
This is the FAMILIES newsletter from The Healthy Lives Team.
Each Friday we share relevant information, activities and resources to support your ongoing health and wellbeing.
The HEALTHY LIVES TEAM supports schools, pupils and families with everything to do with health and wellbeing. We want to help you to live fitter, healthier and happier lives.
We now have a Healthy Lives Team webpage where you can find out more about the team and access Healthy Schools resources and all our archived newsletters.
Here's a selection of fun activities and helpful information for you and your family...
 No symptoms? Get a Covid-19 Test
Covid-19 infections are rising fast in Tower Hamlets, especially in young people.
Often, people with Covid-19 show no symptoms. If you have Covid-19 and don’t know it, you can spread it, putting your friends and family at risk.
Testing tells you if you have Covid-19 so that you can protect your friends and family this Christmas.
If you are a student in Years 7 – 13 or you live with someone who is, you should get tested for free before Christmas, with or without symptoms. Similarly, if you work in a secondary school or college, you should get tested as soon as possible. Visit www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/MTU for more information.
After Christmas, you can take another free test if you work in a secondary school or college, or if you are a student in Years 11-13. This is to help protect school communities from Covid-19 in the New Year.
 Staying Safe this Christmas
Beyond testing, we can do much more to keep our friends and family safe this Christmas.
Government guidance currently permits the mixing of a maximum of THREE households for FIVE days over the holiday period (Wednesday 23rd – Sunday 27th) BUT families will need to think carefully about this.
Remember!
London is in Tier 3 (Very High Alert) and Tower Hamlets is experiencing a record high number of Covid-19 case numbers.
Think Carefully
About the level of risk unique to you and your household. Is a family member extremely clinically vulnerable or elderly, for example?
Wait?
We are moving swiftly towards widespread Covid-19 vaccination in England. Can you wait a couple of weeks or months to see your friends and family safely?
 The 12 tiny festive plays
This December, Fly High Stories presents their unique 12 Tiny Plays! They have asked some of the best contemporary playwrights to write 12 short, fun and festive play scripts for families to act out together at home.
Including the Interactive digital story 'Mrs Scrooge', and the interactive audio 'The Panto-logues', they have accompanying music tracks and theatrical design tutorials, as well as other winter themed activities.
 Tower Hamlets Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Support Services
Please be aware of the opening hours of VAWG support services over the Christmas period, including the Respect perpetrator helpline.
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Victim Support Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA) Service: 0207 364 7957 available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, except bank holidays
- For weekends and bank holidays domestic abuse victims can call the National Domestic Violence Helpline: 0808 2000 247 open 24 hours a day 7 days a week
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Women’s Health & Family Service Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Service: 020 7377 8725 open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday except bank holidays
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Mile End Hospital FGM clinic: closed from the week commencing 14th December 2020 and resuming on 8th January 2021
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Respect phoneline for perpetrators: 0808 802 4040 closed on bank holidays and weekends but otherwise open Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm
More local and national VAWG support services can be found using the Tower Hamlets VAWG Directory.
 Five minute mindful activities
The festive period can be very busy, so here are are a few mindful activities to keep little ones calm and focused on what they can see, smell, hear, taste and feel.
Pausing to be in the moment really helps children and adults. These quick ideas can be done at home and are suitable for kids aged three upwards. They include making their own snow globe and some simple colouring.
 Free online coding courses for kids
Udemy offers a number of free courses to help children and parents study coding. Learning to code at a young age can help children develop a number of important skills, including logical thinking, pattern recognition, problem-solving, perseverance and creativity.
 “To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake, it is necessary to stand out in the cold.”
Aristotle
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The Healthy Lives Team
The Healthy Lives Team want to support you with all aspects of health and wellbeing. We will be sending you regular newsletters that will be relevant whether you are at school, work, or at home.
Please feel free to share this email.
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We are incredibly proud in Tower Hamlets to have supported schools to gain more Healthy Schools awards than any other borough in London. So please use this newsletter in whatever way suits you best to stay as fit and healthy as possible.
If you're in a school, please share this newsletter using your social media or website using the following share button, or you can click the hyperlink in the top right corner of this email:
Subscribing to this newsletter
Just to let you know, you're receiving this because you have either opted in to get emails from the council relating to children and education, or you are one of the Healthy Lives team's regular contacts, or you may also have been forwarded this email from your school.
If you know anyone who would like to sign up to this newsletter, please send them the following link. They will need to close the initial pop-up subscription box and complete the one on the main webpage. They will then need to choose Children and Education as their preferred topic:
www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/signup
Take care,
The Healthy Lives team at London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
Useful links
Did you know that Tower Hamlets offers other email newsletters to keep you up to date on a variety of topics?
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