All Together NOW!

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ALARM BELLS OVER MORE BLUE BADGES

JUNE-JULY, 2019

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– AND REACHING ALMOST HALF A MILLION READERS!

Thanks to our partners for their fantastic support . . .

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What’s inside NEWS

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NEWS

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The true cost of living in poverty

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NEWS

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Can YOU help? n All Together NOW! is a registered charity set up to provide a tip top news service for anyone whose life is affected by disability, long-term health condtions or age. n The charity – the only one of its kind in the UK – relies entirely on support from its sponsors, advertisers, subscriptions and donations.

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Editor: Tom Dowling

email: news@alltogethernow.org.uk

Editorial Support: Gerry Corner

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A truly four-midable family!

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LL smiles from this jubilant family as they crossed the finishing line of the London Marathon.

And it’s no wonder! They have become the first family of four to do so in the history of the race.

The Mowbray family – Peter, 52, wife Louise, 46, daughter Charlotte, 22, and son Bradley, 18,

crossed the line in a time of six hours 43 minutes and 11 seconds.

They ran in memory of Peter’s sister, who died 10 years ago after an epileptic seizure, and to raise funds for the deafblind charity Sense.

Peter said: “Sense means a lot to us because my sister, Michelle, who had Down syndrome, suffered from hearing and vision problems.”

WINNERS: High Sheriff of Cheshire Alexis Redmond hands over the top prize to Dave Thompson

Top award for enterprising charity

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HE WARRINGTON Disability Partnership scooped the overall prize at the Cheshire High Sheriff’s Enterprise Awards.

Set up in 1991, the charity is now delivering 28 mobility and independent living services aimed at supporting disabled people and people

living with long-term health conditions.

Dave Thompson, co-founder and chief executive, said: “As a medium-sized charity, we had to adopt business strategies in order to survive the past few years of austerity.

“That which has resulted in years of cuts in grants

and contracts with statutory services.

“We have worked hard to find the balance between the use of business acumen needed to develop a hugely successful trading arm, the Disability Trading Company, and the values-based ethical philosophy of our charity.”

HALF A MILLION READERS . . .

THE number of disabled people living in poverty has risen to FIVE MILLION – an increase of 100,000 in only a year, shock new Government figures reveal.

Households are said to be in absolute poverty if their income is less than 60% of average income in 2010-11, adjusted for inflation, “Wealthy people running the Government think poverty means not having much money,” said Bob Ellard, from Disabled People Against Cuts “They don’t understand poverty, it doesn’t just mean little money; it means bleakness, fear, misery, hopelessness, day in, day out, no rest and no remission, stretching into a degrading future.

“It means hunger, it means cold in winter, it means worsening mental health, it means bad living condition and fear of being on the streets,” said Bob, a member of the organisation’s national steering group.

“And for some people it means death by suicide, starvation or other easily preventable causes. A hundred thousand more disabled people in poverty isn’t just a number.

“Five million disabled people in absolute poverty is five million individual human beings living terrible, degrading, miserable, half-lives. A living nightmare.”

Alison Taylor, director of operations at poverty charity Turn2us, said: “These statistics can be attributed to a range of factors including the transition from legacy benefits such as DLA and ESA to new benefits such as PIP and Universal Credit, the ongoing benefits freeze, low paid jobs and zero hour contracts.

“Thousands of people every month tell us having someone to speak to and navigate the complexity of what support exists is becoming increasingly difficult to find. This is why we have a dedicated helpline to assist people in increasing their income.” n Turn2us Helpline: 0808 802 2000.

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THE SUPPORT THAT GIVES US HOPE!

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June/July 2019

There’s no doubting the importance of this excellent publication

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OURTEEN years-old and getting bigger and better than ever – that’s your FREE and favourite All Together NOW! newspaper.

And it’s all down to the phenomenal support we get – from readers, from advertisers and especially from our partners and funders.

Of course, along the way there have been lots of ups and downs – including some major disappointments – but as the saying goes . . . where there’s life there’s hope!

Best news so far this year is the decision

by The Steve Morgan Foundation to extend its fantastic support for another THREE years – making All Together NOW! one of the Foundation’s longest supported charities.

Steve Morgan, chairman of The Steve Morgan Foundation, said: “We have supported All Together NOW! for the past 12 years and are proud to be one of the charity’s main sponsors.

“Our support recognises the way in which the newspaper helps bring together so many people and organisations from across the region.

3 wheel walker Only £49 Red, Silver or Blue Includes FREE DELIVERY

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OUR SINCERE thanks to Medicash for covering the printing costs of this edition.

The Liverpool-based health insurer is giving away all of its last year’s £700,000 profits to charities.

Over the past decade Medicash has donated over £1 million to healthrelated charities – including Samaritans, the Firefighters Charity and The Children’s Air Ambulance.

“The paper makes a unique contribution to improving the quality of life of disabled people and their families.

“There is no doubting the importance of this excellent publication.

“We are delighted with the huge progress the paper has made, and we know from the number of telephone calls we receive from people who have read the paper that distribution is on the increase

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and is reaching the right audience.

“We look forward to another exciting three years.”

Other generous support this year has come from the Eleanor Rathbone Charitable Trust, John Moores Foundation, the Lord Mayor of Liverpool Charity, Medicash, Persula Foundation, P H Holt Foundation, and W O Street Foundation, while the Duchy of Lancaster Benevolent Fund and Anne of Westminster Charity have also helped us to get more papers out and about the region.

It’s great to know that all these organisations believe in what we do, recognising the importance of news and information for the millions of people who are faced with disability and isolation.

As the late Sir Bert Massie would often say: “All Together NOW! is more than just a newspaper. It is the key to independence.”

I hope you enjoy this info-packed 14th anniversary edition. We’re back in August – Tuesday the 5th to be precise.

See you then.

TOM DOWLING, editor

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SALES, REPAIR & SERVICING OF ALL MOBILITY & DISABILITY PRODUCTS

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Alarm bells over new Blue Badge extension

THE Blue Badge scheme is being extended on 30 August to make parking easier for lots more people with hidden disabilities.

People with conditions such as dementia, autism and a number of mental health conditions will be eligible for a badge, which provides special parking concessions.

But, while many organisations welcome the move, the Disabled Motoring UK charity say increasing the numbers of badge holders (currently 2.4 million) without increasing disabled parking bays will seriously jeopardise the scheme.

The charity’s chief executive Graham Footer said: “This change may have disastrous consequences for all Blue Badge holders, especially wheelchair users, as there is simply not enough parking to meet demand – and concessions could soon disappear because of increased numbers.

“The scheme is already poorly enforced and in some areas of the country not enforced at all.

“We are asking that all local authorities and private operators review their disabled parking provision now, before the change comes into force to make sure that they can manage increased demand.”

The new Blue Badge eligibility will include people who: n Are unable to walk; n Experience very considerable difficulty whilst walking, which may include very considerable psychological distress; or n Be at risk of serious harm when walking; or pose, when walking, a risk of

What do you think?

THE VIEWS of people with disabilities or long-term health conditions are wanted on public transport and accessible parking.

Angela Matthews, head of policy and advice, Business Disability Forum, said: “Please take part in our survey and help us ensure transport is accessible for everyone.” www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/PQDP9XT To receive the survey in a different format, email policy@businessdisabilityforum.org.uk or call 07980 616108.

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4

NEWS

A medical first as man has his sight restored

A NEW treatment has restored the sight of a 73-year-old with a rare cancer-related syndrome.

The man, whose sight was failing due to melanoma-associated retinopathy , was injected with long-acting steroid implants Improvements were recorded after just a week and detailed examination revealed that abnormalities previously observed had partly resolved. Three years on and the man’s vision is back to normal.

Simon Taylor, Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Surrey and Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at the Royal Surrey County Hospital, said: “To our knowledge, this is the first time the vision of a patient with melanoma-associated retinopathy has been treated and significantly improved with long-acting steroid implants.

“This offers a possible alternative treatment option to patients, whose quality of live is significantly reduced due to the symptoms of this debilitating ailment.”

The patient said: “Every day I am extremely grateful to have had this treatment.

“After being diagnosed with serious melanoma, and during treatment, I developed problems with my eyes: deterioration of my sight, discomfort and extreme disturbance.”

New Guide Dogs plea

THE Guide Dogs charity is calling on people to sign up to its new My Guide scheme, which matches trained sighted volunteers to help blind people to get out and about.

This comes after a study found that over two fifths (42%) of people with sight loss feel “left out” of everyday moments many take for granted. They feel excluded from all aspects of life, including socialising, family life and work However, most believe the rest of society could help end their isolation if they had a better idea of what it’s like to live with sight loss. n Guide Dogs: Tel. 0118 983 5555.

Your health budget

WHEELCHAIR users and people who access aftercare services under the Mental Health Act will soon have a right to a personal health budget, the Government has announced.

Personal health budgets allow people to choose their own health and care support, which could include: n Specially adapted wheelchairs designed to maximise independence. n A choice of personal assistants who can be specially trained to meet the individual’s needs. n Technology, equipment or even an assistance dog to reduce the need for support from a carer.

Over 40,000 people currently benefit from personal health budgets, and the Government plans to increase this to up to 200,000 people by 2024.

June/July 2019

Life in the slow lane for wheelchair

L

ONDON is known as one of the UK’s most accessible cities. But a travel experiment testing the most popular public transport commutes suggests otherwise.

The Going the Extra Mile project compared the experience of five wheelchair users with that of others on five notoriously busy London transport journeys, revealing what it really takes to brace the capital’s transport with a disability.

The project revealed: n Wheelchair users’ commutes take almost 50% longer than an able-bodied person’s. n 71% of London tube stations are NOT fully accessible. n Disabled public transport users don’t feel that official apps or planners cater to their individual needs. n A 9-minute commute for non-disabled people from Liverpool Street to Kings Cross took 32 minutes for a wheelchair user, whose only option was taking a bus.

Despite carefully planning their journeys for the experiment, the wheelchair users still encountered

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obstacles and challenges, some of which they said are a regular occurrence on their commutes on public transport.

These included transport staff who were often unprepared to offer assistance, or situations where there was no staff available to help.

A spokesman for law firm Bolt Burdon Kemp, who organised the experiment, said: “In total, the wheelchair users took three hours and five minutes to complete all five journeys while the able-bodied passengers took one hour 30 minutes.

“What’s more, while able-bodied passengers were able to carry out their journey with nothing more than a commuting crowd to contend with, wheelchair users had a fair few other obstacles that delayed their journey.

“This included the confusion of figuring out the right carriage to use, difficulties finding a working lift to help them enter, change at or exit stations and being left unattended on trains due to a lack of visible station staff.”

TRAIN TRAVEL TO GET EASIER R

AIL users with mobility issues are to get better access at EIGHT North West stations over the next five years.

Transport Minister Nusrat Ghani announced that 73 stations – including 10 in the North West – have been earmarked for a £300 million upgrade, which will see new footbridges and lifts being installed.

The North West stations that will have disabled access are: Liverpool Central, Broad Green, Hillside, Hunts Cross, St Michaels, Birkenhead Park, Chorley, and Irlam.

Several other stations will also see smaller scale improvements such as tactile paving on platform edges or adjustable ticket counters, to allow disabled passengers to travel with confidence.

The improvements, part of the Government’s Access for All programme, will also benefit those with health conditions or older people with impairments, along with people travelling with children, heavy luggage or shopping.

Ms Ghani said: “We want the 13.9 million disabled people in Britain to be empowered to travel independently, which is why I am delighted to announce this roll out of upgrades across the rail network.

“Over the next five years these newly accessible stations will open

Improving access...

Abergavenny; Alfreton (Parkway); Anniesland; Barnes; Barry (Town); Battersea Park; Beaconsfield Station; Biggleswade; Birkenhead Park; Bridlington; Broad Green; Caerphilly; Catford; Cathays; Chatham; Chalkwell; Chorley; Cricklewood; Crowborough; Croy; Cwmbran; Daisy Hill; Dumfries; Flint; Garforth; Grays; Hackney Downs; Handforth; Herne Bay; Hertford North; Hillside; Hither Green; Hunts Cross; Irlam; Isleworth; Johnstone; Kings Langley; Llanelli; Leatherhead; Liverpool Central; Ludlow; Luton; Market Harborough; Menston; Mill Hill Broadway; Northallerton; Peckham Rye; Petts Wood; Port Glasgow; Queen’s Park; Retford; Selby; Seven Sisters; Shotton; St Michaels; Smethwick Rolfe Street; Streatham; Southend East; St Mary Cray; St Erth; Stoneleigh; Stowmarket; Tenby; Theale; Todmorden; Trefforest; Uddingston; Walton-on-Thames; Wandsworth Town; Warwick; Wellington; Weston-Super-Mare; Worcester Shrub Hill All work is due to be completed by the end of March 2024.

up routes across the country, helping us move closer to a transport sector that is truly accessible.”

Following nominations from the rail industry, stations were selected based on a range of criteria including footfall weighted by disability in the area, value for money, and local factors such as proximity to a hospital.

The stations were also chosen so as to represent a fair geographical spread across the country.

Since the Access for All scheme was launched in 2006 more than 200 stations have undergone

improvements. Another further 1,500 stations have received smaller scale improvements such as accessible toilets, platform humps to reduce stepping distances and improvements to help those with a visual or hearing impairment.

Keith Richards, chair of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, said: “The announcement is very welcome and must go hand-in-hand with clear and practical information to ensure disabled people are aware of what improvements have been made, and that more travel options are now possible as a result.”

HALF A MILLION READERS . . .

Shock new figures on spinal injuries

TWO and a half times more people suffer a spinal injury in the UK than was previously thought.

And only between a third and half of recently injured people are able to access specialist NHS care – while those that do can expect lengthy delays before being seen.

Spinal injury charities say the number of people injured or diagnosed with a life-changing spinal cord injury in the UK is 2,500 per year, while the total number living with a spinal cord injury is 50,000.

Previously it was widely believed that only 1,000 people were injured or diagnosed each year.

The figures were compiled by the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA), Aspire and Back Up. SIA chief Nik Hartley said: “The revelation that there are hundreds more people across the UK that are now known to sustain a spinal cord injury every year is stark.

Few services

“But it is not just the increased numbers; it is the decreasing provision of specialist services alongside that, that is truly shocking.”

Sarah Bryan, chief executive of Back Up, added: ‘’The new statistics show that there are over twice as many people out there who need our help – people who may have never received specialist support at a spinal centre and have no idea where to turn for help.

“This is deeply troubling to us, as we know that having the right support at the right time is key to making a positive start to life after spinal cord injury.

“At Back Up we are determined to expand our reach so we can be there to support all these people with our peer led services to get the most out of life.’’

How Bert proved them all wrong

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I

T’S against all of the rules for book launches to take place at the House of Lords.

But if you have a book that deserves this very special start in life, how do you get round the problem?

Easy. Hold a Lords’ party, invite a few bigwigs, and say it’s all to celebrate the good work of a pioneering and highly respected charity (Local Solutions), of which the author was a trustee and to which all royalties would be directed!

It was a plan the late Sir Bert Massie would have greatly approved of… and a tale he would undoubtedly loved to have told in one of his hugely popular columns for All Together NOW! Bert, who lived all his life in Liverpool, was one of the country’s greatest disability campaigners.

Born in working class Liverpool in 1949, he contracted polio at just three months and was to spend the rest of his childhood and teenage years kept hidden away in special schools.

Leaving education at 16, and just about

June/July 2019

by TOM DOWLING

able to read and write, Bert’s careers officer described him as unemployable.

To say that he proved him wrong is an understatement.

O levels at 20, A levels at 22, a degree at 25, and jobs that took him to faraway places that most of us – including that careers officer – will probably never get to.

And that’s not to mention the OBE, CBE and a knighthood, which came in 2007, following his seven-year stint as chairman of the new Disability Rights Commission.

The first time I heard of him was way back in the bitterly cold and snow-filled winter of 1963.

I was just 10 years old and had taken a shine to two sisters living in a terraced house in Tweed Street, Liverpool, just opposite White Rock Street, where I lived.

“I’m going to play for Everton,” I told them.

“Oh, yeah, and our kid is going to be Prime Minister,” came the instant reply.

They were talking about their 14-year-old brother, Herbert. “He’s handicapped,” said

Audrey. “Polio.” “And he’s in a handicapped school,” added Georgina. “He can’t play out.”

It was 20 years later, in the autumn of 1983, that I heard his name again – 10 years after a bullet in the spine had left me disabled, too.

I’d been thinking of starting a new disabilityfocused column in the Liverpool Echo – to be called I Can Do That!

To get some advice I phoned the boss of the country’s leading disability rights organisation.

It turned out to be Bert …

“Hello, Bert Massie here,” came the cheerful response. “A disability column in an evening newspaper? Excellent idea!”

Bert knew the real value information was to disabled people.

“It’s vital,” he’d say. “It’s all well and good creating new opportunities for disabled people, but if they don’t know about what’s out there to help them then it’s all a bit of a waste of time and energy.”

And wasting time and energy were just not part of Bert’s psyche. n Sir Bert Massie: A LIFE without Limits, Mereo Books, £10

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Call for more help to escape fuel poverty

MUCH more needs to be done to ensure that disabled people and other groups in fuel poverty can benefit from energy efficiency schemes, according to a new report.

The report says that disabled people often have higher energy demands, because of factors such as health-related needs to keep warm and the electricity needed to use equipment such as nebulisers, stair lifts and hoists, and to charge wheelchairs.

The report, published by the UK Energy Research Centre, University of York and ACE Research, says this can lead to both higher energy costs and a greater risk of harm if energy supplies are disconnected.

Sue Bott, deputy chief executive of Disability Rights UK, said: “Fuel poverty blights the lives of disabled people of any age.

“The effects can penetrate deep into everyday life and exacerbate existing impairments and health conditions.”

Dr Joanne Wade, chief executive of ACE, said: “In short, the needs of older people – important though they undoubtedly are – have been prioritised above those of people with disabilities and long-term health conditions, and those of families with young children.”

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All Together NOW!

June/July 2018

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Summer event is not to be missed!

One of the UK’s most popular disability events is promising to be even bigger and better this year.

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June/July 2019

All Together NOW!

Changing lives T HE Steve Morgan Foundation aims to make a real difference by changing the lives of thousands of people across the region.

Founded by Steve Morgan CBE in 2001, the Foundation supports projects that help children and families, people with physical or learning disabilities, the elderly, and the socially disadvantaged across North Wales, Merseyside, Cheshire and North Shropshire.

More than £38m has so far been awarded to over 650 charities and organisations, and this number will increase dramatically over the coming years after Steve committed £200 million additional funding

to the Foundation in 2017.

Enable funding for individuals was also introduced to provide grants for adults and children with disabilities in financial hardship, who require specialised equipment.

There are three types of funding available for organisations which fit the application criteria: n Major grants and one-off capital funding for large projects; n Regional grant funding; n Enable funding for specialised equipment, which includes the brand new Smiley Buses.

If you need help, contact us – details at the foot of the page.

Our winners?

J

UDGING is underway to decide the winners of the Steve Morgan Foundation’s 2019 Entrepreneur Awards.

Prize money totalling £35,000 will be available, in what is a revised version of the successful Entrepreneur Awards organised by the charity between 2008 and 2012.

Steve Morgan, pictured, chairman of the Steve Morgan Foundation, said: “In addition to the prize money, the awards will also raise more

Cool grandad!

THE FIRST thing that grandad Richard did after receiving a new lightweight wheelchair and Batec power attachment was to go and escort his grandson from school – just as he used to before a spinal injury that left him paralysed.

“Picking up my grandson felt like I was getting back to my old life for the first time,” said Richard, from St Helens.

“I can’t thank Steve Morgan and the trustees enough for giving me a glimmer of independence again.”

The Steve Morgan Foundation provided an Enable grant of almost £5,000, which was added to Richard's own contribution to purchase the new equipment.

awareness of these fantastic charities and organisations and provide them with a platform to continue to tell their stories and gain even more support.”

This year’s awards will combine with the return of the charity conference, both events taking place at Carden Park Hotel on Friday 13 September.

Judging will be made by the Steve Morgan Foundation team and trustees, but online voting taking place during July will also account for 25% of the final points.

A-Live! – and kicking

LET’S ROCK: Youngsters from Live! making the most of a great day at Conway

www.stevemorganfoundation.org.uk Tel 01829 782808

SCHOOL RUN: Richard back giving a helping hand

LIVING life to the full – that’s the ethos of Chester-based charity Live! which provides high quality learning and recreation activities for people with disabilities.

And a three-year grant for a senior coordinator – potentially to the tune of £70,208 – from the Steve Morgan Foundation means more exciting opportunities are set to unfold.

Debi Whittaker, at Live!, says: “First established in 1993 as a small community group, we have grown and developed to the point where

Steve Morgan Foundation

we now run an average of 72 activity sessions every month.

“We are the only organisation in our area that provides a wide range of clubs and activities designed to break down the barriers that lead to the exclusion of disabled children, young people and adults.”

A variety of sessions on offer include sport, the performing arts, gardening, music, and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.

There is also business advice available – and a community café on site!

@stevemorganfdn

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NEWS

‘Give autistic people control of their lives’

A NEW guide – written solely by autistic people – aims to show care providers, commissioners and inspectors how to provide “quality care” for other autistic people.

The guide says care providers should make the protection of service-users’ autonomy “a core priority” and ensure they have choice and control over “major life decisions and not just everyday choices”.

The guide adds: “Respect the rights of all people to privacy, dignity and the maximum possible control over their own lives.”

It also says there should be respect for the right of autistic service-users to make “unwise decisions”, while their human rights should be prioritised over any “perceived risks to organisational or personal reputations”. n National Autistic Society Helpline: Tel. 0808 800 4104. n www.nationalautistictaskforce.org.uk

Uni’s $25m boost

BIRMINGHAM University has been handed a $25m Microsoft grant to build a computer system that helps people with disabilities gain employment in the technology sector.

The university will develop a system on Microsoft Azure which aims to make it easier for people with limited mobility to code.

Eye-tracking technology, which removes the need for a mouse and keyboard, and speech to text software will also be developed by the team.

Bid to beat spinal crisis

SCOLIOSIS, a disease that can lead to severe spinal curvatures, is a huge problem for children in Hong Kong.

A recent study in Guangzhou indicated that for girls of 14 and 15, the prevalence is as high as one in seven. In the UK, one-in-250 children have the condition.

Early detection and monitoring the condition is vital.

Now, a palm-sized portable scanner has been developed to screen children in their schools.

Professor Zheng Yong-ping, who helped develop the device called the Scoloiscan Air, said: “With this innovation, we can now bring mass screening to schools.”

June/July 2019

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Oh no, Minister . . . they don’t want YOU!

DISABLED activists have reacted with dismay after the Government appointed another “shoddy, shameless” minister for disabled people.

The new minister, Justin Tomlinson, right, previously held the post between May 2015 and July 2016, before he was sacked in a Government reshuffle.

Now he has been appointed again, this time to replace Brexit casualty Sarah Newton, and becomes the eighth minister for disabled people – or the seventh if you only count him once – since 2010.

Activists pointed to Tomlinson being repeatedly publicly shamed for his ministerial performance and activities as an MP. In October 2016, he had to apologise to MPs and was suspended from the Commons for two days after

leaking a confidential Commons report to payday lender Wonga.

Last November, having been restored to DWP as the family support, housing and child maintenance minister, he suggested to a Commons committee that families hit by his Government’s benefit cap could cope by taking in a lodger or “renegotiating” their rent.

Bob Ellard, a member of the national steering group of Disabled People Against Cuts, said: “Eight ministers for disabled people in nine years. Frankly, by now disabled people care almost as little who their minister is, as the minister couldn’t care less about disabled people.

“None of these shoddy, shameless ministers has ever lifted a finger to improve the lives of disabled people.

And under this Government, none of them are likely to.”

THIS JUST ISN’T FAIR . . .

W

ORKING class disabled people are three times less likely to be in well-paid jobs than those without disabilities from privileged circumstances.

Only one in five disabled people from workingclass backgrounds are in professional or managerial jobs, says a disturbing report from the Social Mobility Commission.

That compares to three out of five nondisabled people from a professional or managerial family background, says the report.

The figures are contained in the commission’s sixth State of the Nation Report.

The report says even disabled people from more privileged backgrounds “still face a huge disadvantage” and are 30% likely to enter professional occupations in comparison to their non-disabled peers.

The commission also examined the impact of disability in education.

Its report highlights the practice of “off rolling” – removing children from the school roll – and warned that the incentive for schools to perform well in performance tables meant some headteachers “may off-roll pupils facing disadvantage just before their exam year”.

The report says: “The national proportion of students with special educational needs and disabilities is 13%, whereas 30% of pupils who leave their school between Year 10 and Year 11 (GCSE examination year) have special educational needs.

“This is of concern, particularly given the intersection of disability and socio-economic disadvantage.

“This indicates that the system may be having the effect of rewarding schools for ineffective and even unethical behaviour.”

The report also highlights concerns about the impact of school funding pressures on disabled pupils, and it warns that the “increasingly fragmented education system” can mean that single academy trusts and maintained schools find it difficult to buy in the support their disabled pupils need.

‘Disabled people from working-class backgrounds are hugely disadvanatged’

Social hate crime soars

ONLINE disability hate crime has soared, with recorded incidents up by almost a third in the last year.

The new findings come from charity Leonard Cheshire, following Freedom of Information requests to all police forces across England and Wales.

Leonard Cheshire found 70% of those who had experienced online hate crime had done so through Facebook or the Facebook messenger app.

The next most common medium was email (22%) Janine Howard, who experienced online disability hate crime and was supported by Leonard Cheshire’s hate crime advocacy services, said: “People I don’t know take my photograph when I am out and about. They post it on social media for others to comment on.

The comments are nasty, hurtful and leave me feeling frightened and angry.”

Under-reported

Step too far for No 10?

T

HE MYSTERY deepens over why the most famous house in the UK still has steps to its entrance.

Documents that could reveal why the Government has refused to remove the steps to 10 Downing Street will not be released – because of a risk that the information could be useful to terrorists!

by JOHN PRING Disability News Service The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) says that although some information does exist, it does not need to be released because doing so could cause “a direct or immediate threat to the UK”.

An ICO senior case officer said: “The withheld information does reveal a greater level of detail about No 10 than is currently publicly available and it cannot be dismissed that this information could be of use to individuals wanting to commit acts of terrorism.”

HALF A MILLION READERS . . .

Leonard Cheshire’s chief executive, Neil Heslop, said: “Police are increasingly recording online offences, but we know it remains an underreported area and that disabled people may have reservations about speaking out.

“These offences can have a devastating impact.

We know from our work with disabled people that hate crime causes longterm fear, anxiety and in some cases, isolation.

“Advocacy services that support disability hate crime survivors, like the one our charity provides in Northern Ireland, are a lifeline and enable us to work closely with police and upskill them in this area. Such services should be rolled out across the UK.”

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

All Together NOW!

June/July 2019

9

Keep your garden blooming lovely this summer Summer is a wonderful and exciting time for JDUGHQLQJ ZLWK EHDXWLIXO LjRZHUV FRPLQJ LQWR EORRP We’ve got some brilliant water saving tips to keep your garden looking lovely and vibrant all summer long.

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TIP

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Add a layer of mulch (e.g. bark chips, manure) over your soil to help retain moisture and keep weeds at bay.

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A water butt is a great way to catch all that lovely rainwater and save it to use on your JDUGHQ We’ve got 10 water butts to give away. To be in with a chance of winning, simply send your name, address and phone number to Water butt competition, All Together Now, The Bradbury Centre, Youens Way, Liverpool, L14 2EP or email your entry to competition@alltogethernow.org.uk with “water butt” in the subject line. Entries will be accepted until the end of the day on 26 July 2019. Terms and conditions apply, see unitedutilities.com for details. :HàUH DOVR FXUUHQWO\ RDŽHULQJ discounts on water butts. Visit XQLWHGXWLOLWLHV FRP ZDWHUWLJKW for further details.

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June/July 2019

FEATURE: OUR COMMUNITY HERO . . .

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

DUET: Steve and Cathy

STEVE’S OUR BRIGHT STAR I

WOULD like to tell All Together NOW! readers about Steve Shotton and Rhythm Reaction.

Steve left his job as Clinical Systems Trainer at the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre on Merseyside in 2016 to pursue his dream – using his skills and passion for drumming to improve the lives of less able members of society.

Having volunteered his services in spare time for several years, he decided to set up Rhythm Reaction (Community Interest Company) as an outlet for people to realise their potential, improve self-esteem, confidence, creativity and communication skills.

To quote from Steve’s own website “Rhythm Reaction encompasses the ablebodied, the disadvantaged, those with varying degrees of learning difficulties, low self-esteem, physical or mental health issues, those at risk, as well as people recovering from illness”.

I had the privilege of meeting Steve, who is from Halewood, Merseyside, in September 2017, when I signed up for a Drum-A-Cise class at the David Lloyd club in Knowsley.

It was advertised as a new way to exercise, sitting down, playing drums and having fun. Drum-A-Cise is an upper body aerobic cardio workout aimed at rebuilding muscle

CATHY PETTET liked the idea of doing some sit-down exercise and signed up for one of STEVE SHOTTON’S Drum-A-Cise courses. Now, she says, she’s never felt better.

memory, developing dexterity, hand-eye co-ordination, motor/psychomotor skills etc and is therefore ideal for all ages and abilities including wheelchair users and people recovering from strokes.

As an able-bodied 55-year-old, who hadn’t exercised much in 30 years, I just thought it sounded like something I might enjoy – the idea of exercising while sitting down really appealed to me.

Therapeutic

I had no expectations whatsoever. I didn’t know anything about Rhythm Reaction or the work that Steve did with various wellbeing groups and I had no idea about therapeutic drumming.

Drum-A-Cise is a totally unique way of exercising (using drum pads rather than actual drums so it’s not as noisy as you might think!). I absolutely loved it and I left the class on a real high every week.

After the first couple of sessions I realised that it had had the most incredible effect on my mental health – it was as if it had flicked a switch in my brain and I’ve never looked back.

I have since discovered that a lot of research has been done on the beneficial effects that drumming has on the brain.

A study by the Royal College of Music (March 2016). found that a 10-week

programme of group drumming reduces depression by as much as 38% and anxiety by 20%.

I can honestly say that for me it has been completely life-changing - which is why at the end of 2018 I had no hesitation in nominating Steve for a Hidden Hero Award – an international award for people in the drumming community who are making a difference to people’s lives. We were thrilled when we heard that he had been chosen as one of only three people in the world to be awarded this accolade, the other two being American.

This award is so well deserved as Steve works tirelessly to make sure that his workshops are accessible to all.

He has endless patience and puts a lot of time and effort into adjusting the equipment to suit the needs of the individual thus ensuring that everyone can participate to the best of their ability, whatever their limitations.

Steve does fantastic work with many organisations, charities, social enterprises, schools and community groups.

He runs therapeutic workshops and various exercise classes for people with special needs, the elderly, those with dementia as well as stroke and cancer patients and people living with mental and/or physical health issues as well as

Drumming is good for the mind

and body

YOU don’t have to to play drums as good as Ringo to feel like a star!

people like me who just want to try something new and exciting.

Steve gets people with limited mobility active again and, most importantly, he brings fun back into people’s lives.

His passion and enthusiasm for drumming is contagious and everyone who meets him loves him. He has enriched the lives of so many people in the North West of England, including mine.

Wellbeing

Rhythm Reaction are currently delivering a National Lottery Awards For All funded project called Drum-A-Cise Physical (Advanced - 4 pad session).

This is a research project looking at how people’s mental and physical health and wellbeing can be improved by playing multiple drum pads along to music and participating in drumming exercises and activities.

Long term, Steve hopes to make Drum-A-Cise Physical available to people who have physical and mental challenges in their lives and who would benefit from this unique form of exercise.

n www.rhythmreaction.org Facebook/rhythm reaction, Twitter @rhythmreactions Tel. 07814045918.

Music is the KEY!

June/July 2019

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

FEATURE: TIME TO BLOW YOUR TRUMPET

M

AKING music is good for all of us – in all sorts of ways. And that’s official!

It can result in longer life, improve physical health and reduce the use of medication.

Just playing the piano exercises the heart as much as a brisk walk!

A study by the charity Music For All also reveals other health benefits that learning to play a musical instrument can bring.

The findings included: n Playing an instrument as a child leads to a sharper mind in old age: Those who had played an instrument for a decade or longer scored significantly higher on tests to measure memory and other cognitive abilities than those with no musical background. n Higher intelligence: Children who received music lessons for one year gained an average of 2.7 IQ points more than a control group of children who did not over the same period, with particularly large

All Together NOW!

11

increases in verbal ability, spatial ability, processing speed and attention. n Making music develops your brain: Extensive instrumental music training affects the anatomy of the brain with greater grey matter volumes in motorrelated areas and greater white matter volumes in motor tracts with differences emerging after one year.

The thickness of the corpus callosum, which links the two hemispheres of the brain, is found to increase directly with the hours spent practising the piano.

Paul McManus, CEO at Music for All, said: “Those who currently play a musical instrument already know the enjoyment it can bring to our lives and how it is an amazing thing that can bring people of all ages and backgrounds together.

“Collating this research on the health benefits is just another reason why we as a charity believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn to play.” n Music for All: Tel. 020 7939 6030.

Let’s hear it for the children M

USIC may be good for all of us but the vast majority of disabled children are excluded from playing music – and few parents know that most instruments can be adapted to suit many situations.

Research by a consortium of leading access to music organisations found that a lack of knowledge about the existence of adapted instruments is a major barrier to ensuring parity of opportunity for disabled children.

Virtually all standard musical instruments require two highly dextrous hands to play and hold them, and so without the right

enabling equipment and/or adaptations many children are being unnecessarily excluded.

Now, a new pilot project taking place in Nottingham primary schools could change things dramatically.

Nottingham Music Hub is working with The OHMI Trust, a charity dedicated to musicmaking for disabled children, to identify and help all disabled children in Year 3 of mainstream primary schools across the city.

NMH chief executive Ian Burton said: “We genuinely believe that music is powerful and can have a transformative impact on children.

“Since we started in the city,

the number of children learning instruments has gone up exponentially and we want to make sure this includes disabled children and those with special needs because everyone deserves the opportunity to make music.”

Rachel Wolffsohn, general manager of The OHMI Trust, said: “OHMI has shown that traditional instruments can be adapted for any number of disabilities, but that’s only half the story.

“We desperately need projects like this one,, which brings the instruments and teaching skills to the children. We are really excited to be a part of it.”

The pilot has been initiated by

HALF A MILLION READERS . . . tel 0151 230 0307

Creative United which operates the Take it away scheme, an Arts Council England funded initiative that aims to make the purchase of musical instruments and associated equipment and accessories easier and more affordable for parents wanting to support their child’s learning and participation in music. n The Take it away consortium comprises Creative United, Drake Music, Open Up Music, The OHMI Trust and Youth Music.

Tel. 020 7759 1111.

12

All Together NOW!

June/July 2019

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Your new Partner Allied’s new Rifter has all the signs of another top seller!

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OR almost a decade the Peugeot Partner Horizon, from Allied Mobility, has been by far the UK’s best-selling wheelchair accessible car.

and all the comfort and style associated with Peugeot. Taking over from the previous model, the new Rifter represents a huge leap forward in terms of technology, economy and modern good looks.

Just as importantly, it continues the tradition of spacious interior dimensions, which are so crucial for creating space and comfort for wheelchair users.

Other features including parking sensors, electric parking brake and i-Cockpit® 8” colour touchscreen with in-car entertainment

All things must change, of course, and Allied is now excited to launch the next phase of its Horizon story with its amazing Peugeot Rifter Horizon.

The Rifter comes with the premium Allure specification as standard, excellent wheelchair accessible features

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There are also stylish body-coloured bumpers and Taranaki alloy wheels.

Allied Mobility’s unique Easyglide ramp now offers an even lower angle for ease of access, while still being ultra-strong and simple to use.

There are two Rifter models for you to choose from. The RS model cleverly combines full original Peugeot seating with the ability to create wheelchair space

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Alternatively, for a longer or wider wheelchair or powerchair, the RE model is the perfect choice with space for up to two slimline seats depending on the size of the wheelchair.

n To arrange a free home demonstration call 0800 587 9613, email info@alliedmobility.com or visit www.alliedmobility.com/horizon

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www.alltogethernow.org.uk

What’s parking like at your supermarket?

All Together NOW! readers are being asked to check out local supermarket car parks to help gather data on the levels of Blue Badge parking abuse.

Heidi Turner, communications and campaigns director at Disabled Motoring UK, said: “Baywatch is one of the charity’s longest running campaigns and is really important to draw attention to the parking problems that disabled people face when just trying to do their everyday grocery shopping.”

The Baywatch campaign was first launched in 2002.

Over the years there have been small improvements but the DMUK say that in the light of the future changes to the eligibility criteria for the Blue Badge there is likely to be an increased demand for disabled parking. n Survey forms are available at the charity’s website www.disabledmotoring.org n You can also call the charity’s HQ on 01508 489449

All roads lead to NEC

THE Big Event – the UK’s biggest display of cars, scooters and powered wheelchairs for disabled people – returns to the NEC in Birmingham on 28-29 June.

Visitors can test drive adapted and non-adapted cars with a professional instructor to find out which vehicles are best suited to their individual needs. n www.motability.co.uk/thebigevent

All Together NOW!

June/July 2019

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All Together NOW!

June/July 2019

Irton House Farm

HAPPY HO LID AWARD 2 AY 012!

A warm welcome is waiting for you at our superbly scenic, fully accessible self catering cottages in the Lake District.

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Care in crisis D

ISABILITY charity Sense has called on the Government to give social care the urgent attention it requires, and to offer a long-term funding solution.

The call follows a BBC programme, which highlighted the strain on social care in England.

BBC Panorama: Care in Crisis: Who Cares? spent ten months with Somerset County Council as they juggled the increasing need for help from people who are older or disabled, alongside the council’s severe financial pressures.

Sense Chief Executive Richard Kramer said: “We are now in crisis local authorities are struggling to meet social care demand, while those

needing care and their loved ones are at breaking point.

“Time and time again we have been promised a long-term funding solution for social care and we are still waiting.

While Government remains unwilling to give this care crisis the urgent attention in requires, more and more disabled people are being left without the care they need and the £1.5 billion funding gap for social care by 2020 is set to increase to £3.56 billion by 2024.

“Government is failing disabled people and their families who have been left without support. They have been waiting too long for a solution, too long for the social care they need.

Enough is enough and it’s time Government took action.”

www.irtonhousefarm.com 017687 76380

Lifesavers on the road

VITAL FIRST AID: Liverpool City Council Licensing Officer Aziz Musa, Mark King of the Oliver King Foundation and city council training officer Karl Lloyd

L

ICENSING officers with Liverpool City Council could soon become lifesavers, thanks to a move that will see them offer vital first-aid in a medical emergency.

The team has joined forces with The Oliver King Foundation to equip its fleet of five vehicles with stateof-the-art defibrillators.

Mark King, founder of The Oliver King Foundation, has made it his mission to raise awareness about the vital role that defibrillators can

play following the tragic death of his 12-year old son, Oliver.

Oliver was taking part in a swimming lesson in 2011 when he went into cardiac arrest.

It later transpired that Oliver had an underlying medical condition Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS).

Mark believes that the presence of a defibrillator could have made all the difference.

He said: “As a father, I was horrified to discover we

lose up to 19 young lives a week through cardiac arrest.

“Ultimately we want to see a defibrillator wherever you see a fire extinguisher.”

If a defibrillator is used within the first minute of collapse, the survival rate can be up to 90%.

This reduces by 10% for every passing minute.

The council is already planning to expand the scope of the project to include the city’s black cab and private hire vehicles.

DENIED YOUR VOTE? W www.alltogethernow.org.uk

HAT’S your polling station like for disabled access? For years campaigners have been trying to make stations far more user friendly for disabled people.

All Together NOW!

June/July 2019

`Polls apart...

Neil Heslop, head of disability charity Leonard Cheshire, says: “Last year we found that an estimated 52,820 disabled people were prevented from voting by inaccessible polling stations. No one should face any barriers when exercising this fundamental democratic right.�

But if you have problems, spare a thought for what some Europeans face ‌ The latest report from the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) shows that despite many binding legal documents protecting the rights of disabled people in the EU, millions of them are not able or allowed to cast their votes, or may at least have difficulties doing so.

On top of this, it is estimated that 800,000 EU citizens suffering from mental health problems or with an intellectual disability will be deprived of their right to vote on account of national rules that are in force in 16

n IN 18 Member States blind voters have no way of voting independently. n In 8 Member States, there are no alternative forms of voting, such as postal voting, electronic voting or voting by mobile ballot box. n In 12 countries, national rules do not allow voters to change polling stations to a more suitable one if the latter is not assigned to them based on their place of residence. n On the more positive side, Romania allows voters to make a mark next to a candidate’s name using a stamp obtained from the electoral commission.

Member States, which the EESC finds particularly worrying.

In nine EU countries, people automatically lose their right to vote when their legal capacity is reduced or when they have a guardian appointed.

Under seven national laws, their voting

n In Lithuania, authorities provide an online map identifying polling stations best suited to voters with reduced mobility. n All citizens in Estonia can vote electronically. n Voters in Denmark have the option to vote early, from two days to three weeks in advance at designated polling stations.

ability is individually assessed by either courts or medical boards.

The procedures relating to revoking of voting rights vary between Member States substantially. While in some they are aimed only at people with a severe medical condition and unable to make any contact

with other people, in others thousands of people must go through a complicated process which sometimes even includes a general knowledge test with questions about physics or history (such as “What is the speed of light?� or “Who was Catherine the Great?�).

The figures vary, too – only around 100 people are unable to exercise their right to vote in Portugal, whereas in Germany and Poland their number rises to 82,000 and 90,000 people, respectively.

As for technical barriers, the question of adapting polling stations is dealt with very differently by Member States.

Six countries have no rules on making polling stations accessible.

Polish EU Member member Krzysztof Pater, who wrote the report, said: “This report presents an ugly face of Europe – the reality which is far away from our expectations, from basic international legal acts and political declarations. “The vast majority of polling stations in the EU are not fully adapted to the needs of persons with different types of disability.�

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16

NEW BEGINNING All Together NOW!

June/July 2019

www.alltogethe

‘I want to show what you can achieve if you

ON TOP OF THE WORLD: Damian getting fit for his Kilimanjaro challenge – and flying high at the Flying Scholarships for Disabled Pe

W

AY BACK in 1986, I had just started doing my ‘A levels’ and was dreaming about a bright future in chemical engineering. I was a fit young guy and living life to the full.

For six months I’d been bothered about a dull ache in my left leg, but hadn’t paid it much attention. I should have. I eventually got it checked out on January 28, the day of the Shuttle disaster.

After scans, investigations and operations, I was told there was a great chance that I had a malignant bone tumour. But, after more scans I was given the all clear and told to go home and get on with life. The elation was overwhelming.

But two months later my knee reached the size of a basketball, turned purple and caused me intense pain.

An orthopaedic surgeon took one look at my X-ray and said: “You have cancer, I’m 100% certain.”

The lump in my left leg was osteosarcoma, bone cancer. The chance of surviving was 50/50. I was 17.

To say I was devastated would be an understatement.

Kids didn’t get cancer. I was fit and healthy. Only old people get cancer. Everyone who gets cancer dies, don’t they?

After six months of the worst chemotherapy imaginable, my left leg – from the hip – was amputated.

Following the treatment, I was at a loss as to what I should do next. I didn’t want to go back to school; all of

by DAMIAN HARPER

my friends had left to go on to university.

I was determined to carry on regardless. I had a new-found drive to get back to “normal”.

During the following four months I was fitted with a prosthetic, despite being told I’d probably never walk again. But I did.

I also passed my driving test, bought a car, and got a full-time job as a biomedical scientist in the pathology lab at Whiston hospital on Merseyside.

My job turned into a career and I was very successful.

I met my fiancée, Susan, there too.

To everyone I looked like I was doing really well and getting on with the rest of my life . . . but I was living a lie. I was painting on a smile and carrying on. Inside, I was screaming.

Things came to a head around 2014. I couldn’t carry the mental burden any more. I was diagnosed with depression, anxiety and PTSD. I had hit rock bottom. I had to give up my job and was in a very bad place, mentally.

Counselling and medication didn’t help. Then I saw an advert about a TV documentary asking for amputees who hated their body image. I took a risk and applied. I was selected and appeared in BBC4’s “Nobody’s’ Perfect” with internationally renowned photographer

Rankin and artist Alison Lapper.

The result was a very powerful and strong image of me that helped rekindle some self-belief and confidence.

I then won a flying scholarship for disabled people and spent the summer of 2017 learning how to fly light aircraft.

It was an amazing experience, and it helped me take a step back and take stock of what had happened to me and what I’d managed to achieve – despite such a difficult start.

I now feel that I’ve been given a second chance at life and want to help others in similar situations.

I am now a trustee of the Amputation Foundation, a charity that helps amputees rebuild their lives following amputation.

I had no role models when I became an amputee, so I had to struggle on alone as best I could. I made many mistakes, which had a major impact on my life in later years.

I hope that by sharing my experiences I can help other amputees and stop them making the same mistakes.

That drives me on now to do things that, hopefully, can inspire new amputees and more importantly give them hope for the future.

A diagnosis of cancer and amputation is not an automatic death sentence. All those years ago, I was

told that I would show the world I’ve travelled o killer whales bre Canyon.

My next goal i part of a team o October.

It’s going to be ever tackled.

If successful, disarticulation) a I intend to wea be a world first, I want to show is not the end – beginning.

n If you woul Damian’s clim Amputation F can make a d www.mydona n Amputation Dentons Gree

GS

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June/July 2019

All Together NOW!

Play a big part in this paper’s future — BACK PAGE

believe’

Together we can do more

eople

d probably never walk again. I want to just what you can achieve if you believe. over the world, seen amazing things – eaching in Canada, flying over the Grand

s to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. I will be of 17 amputees attempting the climb in

e the toughest physical challenge I’ve

I will be the first British HD (hip amputee to summit. ar my 10kg prosthetic to the top. This will too. w that amputation it is a new

d like to support mb and help the Foundation, you onation at: ate.bt.com/fundraisers/damianharper1 n Foundation, Unit 3, Ruskin Drive, en, St Helens Tel 01744 808850

LIFE CHANGER: The picture taken by photographer Rankin that changed Damian’s life

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SHOPMOBILITY

n ALTRINCHAM . Tel 0161 929 1714 n ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE. Tel 0161 339 9500 n BARROW. Tel 01229 434039 n BIRKENHEAD. Tel 0151 647 6162 n BLACKBURN AND DARWEN. Tel 01254 690566 or 07757 502217 n BLACKPOOL. Tel 01253 349427 n BOLTON. Tel 01204 392946 n CARLISLE. Tel 01228 631564 n CHESTER. Tel 01244 312626 n CHORLEY. Tel 01257 260 888 n COLWYN BAY. Tel 01492 533822 n CREWE. Tel 01270 580 031 n ELLESMERE PORT. Tel 0151 355 1420 n KENDAL. Tel 01539 740 933 n LEIGH, Wigan.

Tel 01942 777 985 n LIVERPOOL. Tel 0151 707 0877 n MANCHESTER Trafford Centre. Tel 0161 747 2684 n MANCHESTER Arndale Centre. Tel 0161 839 4060 n NELSON. Tel 01282 692 502 n NORTHWICH, Vale Royal Tel 01606 288820 n OSWESTRY. Tel 01691 656882 n PENRITH. Tel 01768 895 438 n PRESTON. Tel 01772 204 667 n RHYL. Tel 01745 350665 n ROCHDALE. Tel 01706 865 986 n RUNCORN, Halton Lea Tel 01928 710144 n SHREWSBURY. Tel 01743 236900 SKELMERSDALE. Tel 01695 550066 n ST HELENS. Tel 01744 613 388 n STOCKPORT. Tel 0161 666 1100 n WARRINGTON. Tel 01925 240064 n WARRINGTON. Birchwood Tel 01925 822 411 WIDNES: 0151 511 8833 n WIGAN. Tel 01942 776 070 n WINSFORD Tel 01606 557550 n WREXHAM. Tel 01978 312390 MIDLANDS n BIRMINGHAM. Snow Hill Railway Station. Tel 0121 236 8980. Level 2, Centre Car Park, Bullring. Tel 0121 616 2942 n STAFFORD. Tel 01785 619456 n STOKE ON TRENT. Tel 01782 233333 n SUTTON COLDFIELD. Tel 0121 355 1112 n TAMWORTH. Tel, 01827

June/July 2019

YUMMY, YUMMY!

CONGRATULATIONS to the TEN winners of our Yummy raspberry plant competition, courtesy of Suttons’ Seeds.

Mrs L Hulme, Vaughan Street, Eccles, Manchester (“I picked up my copy of All Together NOW! at Tesco Walkden) Mrs A C Byrne, Cornflower Close, Hesketh Bank, Preston (Southport Hospital) Mrs V Tilley, Uplands Avenue, Connah’s Quay, Flintshire (Subscriber) Mrs A Wainwright, Sayce Street, Widnes (Widnes Market) Miss Sophie Boldman,

Landseer Avenue, Blackpool (Wilkinson’s Blackpool) Mrs V Dring, Burtree Road, Liverpool (Broadgreen Stroke Centre) Mrs Sue Gregory, Maple Crescent, Leigh, Lancs (Asda Leigh) Mr Bob Jones, Cobham Avenue, Orrell Park, Liverpool (Subscriber) Judith Kelly, Thornfield Road, Thornton, Liverpool (Clatterbridge Hospital) Martyn Formstone, Inglewood Villa, Hungerford Road, Crewe (Leighton Hospital)

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TAKE A BOW!

Liverpool Philharmonic Hall (20 April) Carrie-Ann Smith, Latimer Street, Kirkdale Brenda Fay, Argyle Road, Garston, Liverpool The Lowry Gary J Todd, Elton Street, Stretford, Manchester Brenda Roberts, Marina Drive, Marple, Stockport Venue Cymru Mrs Lynne Rielly, Field close, Cornist, Flint Doreen Smith, Ambergate Road,

Kathy’s all set to be a real DIVA

K

ATHY Wright has never considered herself a diva. But she’s hoping she will soon become one!

She will be one of hundreds of women taking part in the annual Deva Divas Triathlon, which includes a 750 metre swim in the River Dee, a 25k bike ride and a 5k run.

Kathy, Centre Head at cancer charity Maggie’s Merseyside, says: “Over the four years I have worked for Maggie’s, I have been so inspired by our visitors who we support and also the supporters who

take on challenges for us.

“I have never competed in a triathlon before but I am hoping my efforts will help make a difference to people living with cancer.”

Built in the grounds of Clatterbridge Hospital, Maggie’s Merseyside is a warm and welcoming place, with qualified professionals on hand to offer support to people diagnosed with cancer.

The Deva Divas Triathlon takes place on the River Dee at Chester and will be held on Sunday, July 14.

n Maggies: Tel. 0151 334 4301

HELP AT THE END OF A PHONE

n ANGLESEY: TARAN Tel 01407 721933 n BLACKPOOL Disability Information and Support.

Tel 01253 472 202.

Textphone 01253 476 450 n CHESHIRE CIL Tel 01606 331853 n CHESTER Dial House Tel 01244 345655 n DENBIGHSHIRE Tel 01745 354445 n ELLESMERE PORT DICE Tel 0151 355 1420

n HALTON Disability Service Tel 01928 717222 n KNOWSLEY DISABILITY CONCERN. 0151 480 4090 n LANCASTER DISC Tel 01524 34411 n LIVERPOOL Association of Disabled People. 0151 263 8366. Text 0151 260 4076. n ACSIL (Amputees and Carers), Tel, 0151 261 1166 n THE BRAIN CHARITY Tel 0151 298 2999

n MANCHESTER (GTR) Coalition of Disabled People Tel 0161-273 5154 n MOLD Flintshire Disability Tel 01352 755546 n NELSON: Pendle Pakistan Welfare Association.

Tel 01282 603 616 n PRESTON DISC: Tel 01772 558 863.

Text 01772 204 787 n RHYL Tel 01745 350665 n STOCKPORT: Disability

Garston, Liverpool Floral Pavilion Michael Higgins, South Hill Road, Prenton, Wirral Elsie Hitchmough, Brookside Court, Shaw Lane, Prescot Liverpool Philharmonic Hall (4 June) Hayley Davidson, Forwood Road, Bromborough, Wirral Rita OConnell, Lowther Avenue, Aintree, Liverpool

What a goal!

BLIND visitors to the Ibrox Stadium – home of Rangers FC – can now ‘see’ exhibits and read narratives, thanks to the club investing in the revolutionary Orcam MyEye 2 device.

Rangers Health Safety & Access Manager Liz Kay said: “We have become the first club across all the professional leagues in the UK to purchase the OrCam device.

The device, which attaches magnetically to the side of any pair of glasses, uses artificial intelligence to analyse visual information and instantly say what it sees!

Stockport. 0161 480 7248 n WARRINGTON Disability Partnership. 01925 240064 n WIRRAL WIRED Tel 0151 670 1500 n WEST LANCS HELPLINE Freefone 0800 220676 n ST HELENS DASH Tel 01744 453053 MIDLANDS n BIRMINGHAM Disability Resource Centre Tel 0121 789 7365

n Disabled People’s Network Solihull Tel 0121 788 1544 n STOKE: Disability Solutions Tel 01782 683800 n WOLVERHAMPTON Elder and Disabled Group Tel 01902 448552 n WEST MIDS Amputee

Group. 07891 794733; 07585 958322; 07557 228154

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All Together NOW!

June/July 2019

CARERS’ CENTRES

Family help

MANY families with disabled children are missing out on essential care services because they don’t want to involve social workers in their lives, says children’s charity Newlife.

The charity has compiled a new free guide highlighting the sort of services available through social care and how to get them. n Tel. 01543 462 777.

DIARY DATES

n Wednesday 12 June: Warrington Young Carers Event, Winmarleigh House.

Tel 01925 633492 n Wednesday 12 June: Carers Jamboree, Manchester Carers Centre Tel 0161 27 27 27 0 n Thursday 13 June: Carers Event, Isla Gladstone, Stanley Park, Liverpool. Tel, 0151 705 2422 www.carersweek. org.uk n June 28-29: The Big Event, NEC Birmingham.

The’Motor Show’ for disabled drivers.

Motorzone – Page 13 n Sunday 14 July: Disability Awareness Day, Walton Hall Gardens, Warrington.

Page 6 and 32

VISUAL PROBLEMS n ACCRINGTON Tel 01254 233332 n BARROW Tel 01229 820698 n BIRMINGHAM Action for Blind Tel 0121 665 4200 n BLACKBURN Tel 0125 554143 n BLACKPOOL: N-Vision Tel 01253 362696 n BURY Tel 0161 763 7014 n BURNLEY Tel 01282 438507

FROM LEFT: Tony Grant, Robbie Fowler, Jason McAteer, Jim Mitchell and Rob Palmer

Footie stars putt on the style for charity...

FUNNY TURN: Stan Boardman

F

OOTBALL legend Robbie Fowler has been proving he’s as accurate on the golf course as he was in front of goal – by leading his team to victory in the Stick ‘n’ Step Charity Golf Day.

The former Liverpool striker teamed up with old Anfield team mate Jason McAteer, one-time Everton rival Tony Grant and Sky Sports Commentator Rob Palmer to claim the first team prize at Pryors Hayes Golf Club.

There was also a reuniting of Old Trafford legends Frank Stapleton, Alex Stepney, Arthur Albiston and Stuart Pearson as well as teams captained by Everton greats Kevin Ratcliffe and Derek Mountfield.

The winning scores were kept until last as

comedian Stan Boardman and star of The Voice, Ally Mac kept the guests entertained in the clubhouse.

Sarah Smithson, Stick ‘n’ Step’s operations manager, said: “Once again, our supporters and sponsors have made the most tremendous effort to make our annual golf day a huge success.

“This is one of our most important events of the year and it has provided a fantastic boost.

“We now have nearly 100 children attending conductive education sessions at our two centres in Wallasey and Runcorn.

A total of £26,000 was raised for the charity working to transform the lives of children and young people with cerebral palsy. n Stick ‘n’ Step, tel 0151 638 0888

HELP AT THE END OF A PHONE

n CARLISLE: Action for Blind People Tel 01228 595121 n CHESHIRE & N WALES: Vision Support. Tel 01244 381515 n CUMBRIA (West) Tel 01946 592474 n CUMBRIA (Sth Lakeland) Tel 01539 726613 n GUIDE DOGS Tel 0118 983 5555 n HENSHAW’S 0161 872 234 or 0151 708 7055

n LIVERPOOL: Bradbury Fields.Tel 0151 221 0888: Action for Bind Tel 0151 298 3222 n MANCHESTER: Action for Blind Tel 0161 787 9252 n PRESTON: Action for Blind People Tel 01772 320550 n OLDHAM Tel 0161 682 8019 n ROSSENDALE Tel 01706 873256 n SIGHTLINE (North West)

Tel 0800 587 2252 n WIGAN Tel 01942 242891 n WIRRAL Tel 0151 652 8877 HEARING ISSUES n BIRMINGHAM Institute for Deaf Tel 0121 246 6101 n CHESHIRE Deaf Society Tel 01606 47831 n CUMBRIA Deaf Society Tel 01228 606434 n LANCASHIRE (EAST) Deaf Society Tel 01282 839180

n MANCHESTER Deaf Centre. Tel 0161 273 3415 Genie Networks.

Tel 0161 941 4549.

Text 18001 0161 941 4549 n MERSEYSIDE Society for Deaf Tel 0151 228 0888 n SOUTHPORT Centre for the Deaf Tel 01704 537001 n ST HELENS: Deafness Resource Centre Tel 01744 23887 n WOLVERHAMPTON Centre for Deaf Tel 01902

n ACCRINGTON Tel 01254 387 444 n BLACKBURN with DARWEN Tel 01254 688 www.bwdcarers.org n BLACKPOOL Blackpool Borough Council, Tel 01253 477 716 nCUMBRIA Carlisle.

Tel 01228 542 156 Penrith.

Tel 01768 890 280 Barrow-in-Furness.

Tel 01229 822 822 Kendal.

Tel 01539 732 927 Whitehaven, Tel 01946 592 223 n CHESHIRE & WARRINGTON Helpline:0300 102 0008 n KNOWSLEY Tel 0151 549 1412 n LANCASTER Tel 01524 66475 nLIVERPOOL Tel 0151 705 2307 n MANCHESTER Tel 0161 835 2995 n MORECAMBE Tel 01524 833456 n PRESTON Tel 01772 200173 n RUNCORN Tel 01928 580182 n WIDNES Tel 0151 257 9673 n SALFORD Tel 0161 833 0217 n SEFTON Tel 0151 288 6060 n ST HELENS Tel 01744 675 615 n STOCKPORT Tel 0161 442 0442 n WARRINGTON (WIRED) Tel 01925 633 492 n WEST LANCS Tel 01695 711243 n WIGAN & LEIGH Tel 01942 705959 / 486923 MIDLANDS n BIRMINGHAM Tel 0121 675 8000 n SOLIHULL Tel 0121 788 1143 n WALSALL Tel 01922 610 810 NORTH WALES n ANGLESEY Tel 01248 722828 n BANGOR Tel 01248 370 797 n CONWY Tel 01492 533714 n DENBIGHSHIRE: NEWCIS, Tel: 0845 603 3187 nDOLGELLAU Tel 01341 421167 n FLINTSHIRE: NEWCIS, Tel: 01352 751436 n WREXHAM CARERS SERVICE

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All Together NOW!

FLASHBACK

June/July 2019

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ABOVE: The Lottie Sleigh and the explosion in the River Mersey, January 15, 1864. RIGHT: the famous figurehead

n KEN PYE turns back time to the winter of 1864 – and a day when Liverpool was rocked to the core by a huge explosion on a munitions ship on the River Mersey. n Ken is the managing director of Discover Liverpool, and is an author and broadcaster.

He has just published his 15th book, Two Triangles: Liverpool, Slavery, and The Church.

ROCKED TO THE CORE BEACHED: Lottie ready to be broken up

T

HE River Mersey has been the scene of many momentous and historic events – none more so than on a bitterly cold winter’s day in 1864.

It was January 15 and the good ship ‘Lottie Sleigh’ had just taken on a consignment of gunpowder – 11 tons of it to be precise!

This 12-year-old three-masted, wooden, sailing barque, was anchored in the middle of the river, midway between Liverpool and its sister towns of Birkenhead and Wallasey, on the Wirral, and was preparing to sail.

While most of the crew were on deck making ready, a steward down below was trimming a paraffin lamp.

A slight swell was on the river and a wave caught the ship, rocking her. This threw the steward off balance and he tipped the lamp over, spilling oil. Making a grab for the lamp he accidently ignited the oil with the lighted taper he was holding.

The paraffin burst into flames and began to spread across the lower deck.

Very quickly the wooden walls were ablaze, too.

To a man, the crew

jumped overboard – the captain too. There would be no “going down with the ship” that day!

Everyone began to swim as fast and as far away as they could, from what was now a floating time bomb on a very short fuse.

But then, and not realising that Lottie Sleigh was a munitions ship, the captain of the steam ferryboat ‘Wasp’, sailing from Rock Ferry to Liverpool, saw the flames aboard the barque and the men in the water.

He immediately made speed towards them to pick them all up. This man was a genuine hero because, even though the first men his boat rescued instantly warned him about the danger, the Wasp stayed until it had saved

www.discover-liverpool.com

were thrown wide open – hundreds, yea even SHRAPNEL from the explosion aboard the thousands of squares of Lottie Sleigh travelled over four miles, splitting glass were smashed.” some of the branches of the 1,000 year-old Most of the city’s gas lamps Allerton Oak Tree, out at Calderstones. were blown out, people were This is why, even today, some of its great limbs knocked off their feet, and are still supported by large iron rods, put there ships were rocking and after the explosion to repair the damage. straining at their moorings.

Fortunately, the old tree still thrives, and Almost every pane of glass produces an annual crop of acorns. in the buildings facing the Wirral side of the river was also shattered. n The Allerton Oak, left, still bears the Eventually, when all had scars of the ‘Big Bang on the Mersey’ quietened down, the burning wreckage from the Lottie every crew member. Only then did it steam Sleigh could be seen floating down the river. at full speed away from the blazing ship.

This sad hulk was eventually towed to New Then, the Lottie Sleigh blew up.

Ferry, where it was beached and later The sound of the explosion was earbroken up. splitting, and was described at the time as All that survived of the ship was the large being ‘like a hundred thunderbolts rolled figurehead, carved in the form of a welltogether’, and ‘as the clap of doom proportioned woman – perhaps ‘Lottie’ heralding the world’s end’. herself? This was virtually unscathed and The noise carried for 30 miles. A report at her painted colours remained bright. She the time said: has blond hair and blue eyes, and is “Its effects in every part of Liverpool dressed in a crinoline dress of black, blue, were severely felt and created and white. indescribable terror. At the same time the Lottie can now be seen in Liverpool’s most solid blocks of warehouses, offices Maritime Museum, staring off into the and private dwellings were shaken to distance; a silent reminder of an their base – doors locked and bolted exceptionally noisy event.

Ken Pye – 0151 427 2717

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All Together NOW!

June/July 2019

Just chill and stay cool . . .

MEDICAL NOTES

I

Is your bed making your allergies worse?

D

F a summer heatwave like last year’s strikes again – dig out your hot water bottle!

ON’T let your bed become a trigger for allergies this spring, is the message from the National Bed Federation.

Fill it with ice cold water and keep it in bed with you on hot, sweaty nights.

That’s one of The Sleep Council’s tips for preventing hot weather from wreaking havoc with your sleep.

Lisa Artis of The Sleep Council said: “Ideally bedrooms should be around 16-18°C (60-65°F).

“Your body temperature needs to lower slightly before you go to sleep which is why it can be difficult to drop off when you’re too hot.”

Lisa’s tips for staying cool in bed this summer: n Open windows – and doors – to create a cool draught. Draw curtains or blinds during the day to block the sun out and keep your room cooler at night. n If you’ve got an attic, try opening the hatch. Hot air rises and this will give it somewhere to go. n Get rid of the duvet and blankets and sleep with just a cotton sheet - or a duvet with a low tog rating. n Wear light cotton nightwear – this is actually better than wearing nothing as natural fabric will absorb perspiration. n Have a cool shower or bath before bedtime to lower your core body temperature. n Drink plenty of cold water during the evening and keep a glass by the bed. n Avoid too much caffeine, alcohol or a big meal before bedtime as this can make you feel hot in the night because of dehydration and over-active digestion. n Chill a pillow case in the fridge before bedtime or try one of the cooling pillows available to buy. n The Sleep Council: Tel. 01756 791089.

SLEEP WELL! S

LEEPING habits can dictate how long we live, according to a team

of international scientists.

So-called “owls” – people who stay up late and struggle to get up in the morning – were found to have a higher risk of dying sooner than “larks” – those going to bed early and rising with the sun.

“Night owls trying to live in a morning lark world may have health consequences for their bodies,” said one of the research’s leaders, Kristen Knutson, of Chicago’s Northwestern University, which took part in the research involving half a million people.

But it’s not all gloom for you “owls” as Ms Knutson added: “You’re not doomed. Part of it you don’t have any control over and part of it you might.”

The scientists adjusted for the expected health problems in owls and still found a 10% higher risk of death.

“This is a public health issue that can no longer be ignored,” said Malcolm von Schantz, from the University of Surrey. “We

Early to bed, early to rise for longer life

should discuss allowing evening types to start and finish work later, where practical.

“And we need more research about how we can help evening types cope with the higher effort of keeping their body clock in synchrony with sun time.

“It could be that people who are up late have an internal biological clock that doesn’t match their external environment,” said Mr Knutson “It could be psychological stress, eating at the wrong time for their body, not exercising enough, not sleeping enough, being awake

news@alltogethernow.org.uk

at night by yourself, maybe drug or alcohol use. There are a whole variety of unhealthy behaviours related to being up late in the dark by yourself.”

In the study, scientists found “owls” had higher rates of diabetes, psychological disorders and neurological disorders.

Genetics and environment play roughly equal parts in whether we are a morning or a night type, or somewhere in between, according to the researchers.

One way to shift your behaviour is to make sure you are exposed to light early in the morning but not at night, Mr Knutson said.

“Try to keep a regular bedtime and not let yourself drift to later bedtimes.

“Be regimented about adopting healthy lifestyle behaviours and recognise the timing of when you sleep matters.

“Do things earlier and be less of an evening person as much as you can.

“Society can help, too, by acknowledging that some people are better suited than others to night shifts.”

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Around 44% of British adults suffer from at least one allergy, and 59% of indoor allergy sufferers say their conditions become worse in the bedroom.

Bites, waking up with congestion or suffering itchy eyes, a stuffy nose and repeated sneezing are all possible signs your bed is past its best or that you could be allergic to it.

A build-up of moisture (we lose half a pint or more of fluid each night) and skin scales (we lose a pound of skin or more a year) makes beds a favourite breeding ground for the common dust mite.

That’s bad news for the nation’s 2-3 million asthma sufferers, and a grim thought for those sleeping on second-hand beds and other peoples’ sweat and skin scales!

Simon Williams, marketing manager at the National Bed Federation, said: “Almost all beds will, in time, attract house dust mites, whose droppings are highly allergenic.

“It’s important to take care of your mattress, but we also recommend replacing it about every seven years, because during that time, most Britons would have spent more than 20,000 hours in bed. And while it may sound unpleasant, the moisture and skin cells we all shed at night will take a toll on any mattress over time.”

IF YOU answer “Yes” to three questions, you may not be getting the best possible night’s sleep. Five or more “Yes” answers and it could be time to buy a new bed.

n Is the bed seven years old or more?

Do you ever wake up with neck or back ache? n Is the mattress cover torn or stained? n When lying in bed, do you feel springs or ridges beneath the surface? n When moving in bed do you hear creaks, crunches or other suspicious noises? n Do you and your partner roll towards each other unintentionally? n Is the bed too small to give an undisturbed night’s sleep? n Would it be embarrassing if the neighbours saw the bed without its covers?

TO HELP you to get the best out of your bed during its natural life, use a washable, protective cover to protect the mattress (and pillows) from stains.

Barrier fabrics for allergy sufferers are available. In the mornings, throw back bedclothes and leave to air for 20 minutes to allow body moisture to evaporate.

Tel 0151 230 0307

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All Together NOW!

June/July 2019

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

City life may be a health hazard

MEDICAL NOTES

Can a good workout help cancer patients?

CAN high intensity exercise help patients with prostate cancer?

That’s what researchers are asking in a new worldwide study involving 866 men with prostate cancer over a three-year period at sites across Australia, North America and Europe.

Dr Ralph Manders, from the team at the University of Surrey and Royal Surrey County Hospital, said: “The benefits of exercise to both our physical and mental well-being is undeniable.

What we are hoping to uncover is whether the same benefits are experienced when a person is living with cancer, and whether it extends their survival from cancer.

“If it does this could be revolutionary in the future of treating and supporting people with prostate cancer.”

Watch the birdies . . .

DOCTORS in Shetland are now prescribing nature visits and bird watching to their patients.

Thought to be the first of its kind in the UK, the Nature Prescriptions scheme recognises the benefits of nature in reducing blood pressure and anxiety and increasing happiness.

Karen MacKelvie, at RSPB Scotland, said: “It’s great for us because we get to help connect people with nature that we wouldn’t normally see at our reserves, events or on our guided walks.”

Hostility hurts the sick

REFUGEES and asylum seekers are finding accessing health services difficult due to Government policy changes aimed at decreasing immigration, say researchers from The University of Manchester In 2012, the coalition Government began to restrict entitlement to NHS services for asylum seekers and refugees as part of its controversial “Hostile Environment” policy, which aims to cut migration to the UK. Charging for healthcare was also extended in 2017, and costs must now be paid before treatment.

Although GP services remain free, charges now apply to community services allied to primary care and nonemergency hospital care.

Dr Louise Tomkow said: “Our results demonstrate how embedding controversial Hostile Environment policies into the NHS compound the multiple barriers already faced by vulnerable migrants when accessing health care.”

A high five for this hi-tech team TECHNOLOGY is thriving – and patients in Liverpool are seeing the benefits.

Virtual reality headsets with 15-minute recordings of calming situations like beaches and forests have been helping patients on the palliative care wards at the Royal and Broadgreen hospitals.

Now, thanks to the next generation of technology – known as 5G – patients are being offered much greater choice of what they want to see.

The team providing the service were recognised

at the 5G Realised Conference in London. Rosemary Kay, Liverpool 5G Health and Social Care Project Director, said: “This award recognises the care and effort our members have put into creating innovative ways that improve lives.”

PICTURED: From left: Jane Davies (CGA Simulation), Jen Fennah (Defproc), Andrew Miles (Blu Wireless), Rosemary Kay (eHealth Cluster), Ann Williams (Liverpool City Council) and Norman Nivin (Protel Health)

Rooting it out

N

ATURE could have the answer to several causes of blindness, according to an important new study.

Scientists have found and tested compounds in plants that could possibly be used to treat degenerative eye disease.

The abnormal growth of new blood vessel cells in the eye – known as proliferative diabetic retinopathy – is linked to a number of types of blindness, including in premature babies, people with diabetes and older adults.

Researchers from three universities – Surrey, Kingston in London, and Indiana in the US – tested naturally occurring homoisoflavonoids found in the Hyacinthaceae plant family.

They tested how well these compounds were able to stop the growth of new blood vessels and isolated several active compounds.

One synthetic derivative in particular could be used to develop future treatments, and the work is continuing.

According to Great Ormond Street Hospital, retinopathy of prematurity affects around 20% of premature babies and mainly occurs in those who are

Plants may provide the answer for blindness caused by diabetes, say experts

born before week 32 of pregnancy or weigh less than 1,500g.

Diabetic retinopathy is caused by high blood sugar levels damaging the back of the eye – causing blindness if left untreated.

It is estimated to affect 28 million people throughout the world.

Wet age-related macular degeneration is one of the world’s leading causes of blindness – affecting 20 million older adults worldwide.

Prof Dulcie Mulholland, head of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Surrey,

said: “It goes without saying that losing your eyesight is a devastating experience.

“We believe that our results hint at possible future treatments for many degenerative eye conditions and it appears that nature still has many secrets to reveal.”

Prof Tim Corson, director of Basic and Translational Research at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Eye Institute, added: “Existing therapies for these diseases must be injected into the eye, and do not work in all patients.

“Our findings are a first step towards therapies that might avoid these shortcomings.”

Dr Sianne Schwikkard, based at the University of Surrey, said: “The discovery of new and innovative treatments from natural sources for lifealtering diseases has huge potential.

“This work has produced a real opportunity to further collaboration and has the potential to bring about new breakthroughs in the treatment of degenerative eye-diseases.”

The research was published by the American Chemical Society.

HALF A MILLION people are reading these pages . . .

EFFORTS to halt the Type 2 diabetes epidemic are failing to take important social and cultural factors into account, says a new report.

A study of 17 cities showed things like food traditions and traditional gender roles can increase the likelihood of having diabetes.

Three-quarters of people with the disease are set to live in cities by 2045.

Professor David Napier, from University College London, said: “For many years, diabetes has continued to rise at an alarming rate despite the best efforts of policymakers and healthcare providers.

“In order to turn the table on this devastating and costly disease, we need to think differently and adopt new approaches.

“When public health strategies and individual care plans take into account the prevailing local cultures and associated conventions and behaviours, they are much more likely to be successful.”

Fuelled by rapidly increasing rates of obesity, diabetes could affect one in nine adults by 2045 – more than 730 million people.

Niels Lund, of Danish healthcare company Novo Nordisk, said: “Whether it’s by initiating door-to-door care provision, relocating clinics within urban communities or through enabling peer support among religious faith groups, the many partners in the Cities Changing Diabetes programme are already acting to great effect on these research findings.

“However, halting the rise of diabetes requires others to learn from their approach and to develop strategies that reflect local needs.” n Cities Changing Diabetes is a partnership programme aimed at reducing obesity by 25% by 2045.

tel 0151 230 0307

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All Together NOW!

June/July 2019

How worms may make us healthier GPs cancer role

WORMS might just hold the key to a longer and healthier life, new work by scientists has revealed.

Researchers found that by manipulating the gene – known as DAF-2 – they could not only increase the lifespan of a roundworm – but also improve the fitness of its offspring.

Dr Alexei Maklakov, at the University of East Anglia School of Biological Sciences, said: “It is often thought that we age because of a slow accumulation of unrepaired cellular damage in our bodies, and that ageing is the result of energy trade-offs between growth, reproduction and survival.

“But we now know that switching off the function of certain genes in adulthood can increase longevity without a reproduction

cost. An emerging new theory is that the genes that age us are programmed to make us grow and reproduce in early life, but when their function ‘runs-on’ unabated in later life it starts causing problems.

He added: ”If this is true, then we should be able to stay younger for longer by reducing high levels of gene signalling, or ‘shutting down’ these genes in later life.

“We are really killing two birds with one stone, because we are improving the health and longevity of the parents and the fitness of their offspring.

“This really challenges the classic idea that ageing is invariably linked to energy allocation between survival and reproduction.”

GPs will have a vital role in ensuring the success of the new Faster Diagnosis Standard for Cancer – set to be introduced next year.

That’s the conclusion of a study carried out among people who had undergone diagnostic tests for cancer and received the results in the last six months.

Dr Katriina Whitaker, from the University of Surrey, where the research was carried out, said: “Simple steps such as informing patients about the diagnostic testing and referral processes and about time scales will help patients.

“This will ultimately fall to GPs, who will need clear guidance so they are able to support their patients.”

SHOULDER IT . . .

Bearing the pain and keeping the faith could be the key to recovery

P

EOPLE are more likely to recover from shoulder pain if they have the confidence to carry on doing most things – despite their pain.

Researchers found that those who expected physiotherapy would help them were likely to recover more than those who expected minimal or no benefit.

Meanwhile, people suffering more pain, who were confident in their ability to still do most things, were likely to recover better with physiotherapy than those suffering less pain, but who weren’t confident.

“Physiotherapy management is effective for many people with shoulder pain, but not everyone,” said lead researcher Dr Rachel Chester, from the University of East Anglia’s School of Health Sciences. “We wanted to find out what factors predict why some people do better than others.”

The team investigated the strength of a patient’s belief or confidence in their own ability to successfully complete tasks and reach a desired outcome despite being in

pain – known as “pain self-efficacy”. The study included 1,030 people attending physiotherapy for the treatment of musculoskeletal shoulder pain in 11 NHS trusts and social enterprises across the east of England.

The team collected information on 71 patient characteristics and clinical examination findings prior to and during the patient’s first physiotherapy appointment. A total of 811 people provided information on their shoulder pain and function six months later.

The majority of patients significantly improved during their course of physiotherapy. The most important predictor of outcome was the person’s pain and disability at the first appointment - higher (or lower) levels were associated with higher (or lower) levels six months later.

But the most interesting finding was that pain self-efficacy could change this outcome.

Dr Chester said: “We looked at people

who started off with a high level of pain and disability and found that the more they believed in their own ability to do things and reach a desired recovery outcome – the less likely they were to be in pain and have limited function after six months.

“What really surprised us was that these people were more likely to have a better outcome than people who reported a low level of baseline pain and disability but had low pain self-efficacy.

“In addition, on average, people who expected to recover because of physiotherapy did better than those who expected minimal or no benefit.

“We recommend that physiotherapists help patients understand and manage their pain and to select treatments and exercises which help them build confidence in their shoulder and optimise their activity levels.

“This includes helping patients to gain the confidence to get back on track after a flair up.”

HALF A MILLION people are reading these pages . . .

MEDICAL NOTES

Childhood exercise can work wonders

WE tend to associate cardiovascular disease with later life.

But the battle to avoid it starts in childhood, a new study show.

Researchers measured the effects of vigorous, moderate and light exercise in primary school children, and then again two years later.

And they found that the overall risk and individual risk factors of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes reduced in children who had increased their amount of vigorous exercise.

In children whose sedentary behaviour increased, the risk increased as well.

Researcher Juuso Väistö, from the University of Eastern Finland, said: “A physically passive lifestyle is gradually becoming alarmingly widespread among children and young people almost all over the world.”

He said youngsters should engage in more physical exercise than what it takes to go about their daily activities, adding: “Our findings provide support for the role of physical activity in preventing common chronic diseases already in childhood.”

Knee mystery solved

INJURIES to the knee joints can lead to a severe form of osteoarthritis but nobody has known just why.

Now, researchers have found a connection between the deterioration of cartilage and the flow of fluid around injury areas.

The discovery could help medics decide on the best form of rehabilitation and improve the quality of life of patients.

Teams from the University of Eastern Finland and Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US carried out the research.

Did you know . . ?

A NEW campaign is hoping to unearth people with a little known, genetic, neurological disorder so they can get the support and advice they need.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth can cause uncontrollable pain, chronic fatigue and deformities in the hands, lower legs and feet, leading to balance problems and falls.

CMT UK’s chief operating officer, Karen Butcher, said: “There are still too many medical professionals who don’t know what CMT is.” n Contact: Tel. 0300 323 6316.

tel 0151 230 0307

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All Together NOW!

June/July 2019

Jun 3-8: Club Tropicana. Opera House, Manchester. The brand new 80s Musical from the producers of the hit UK tour of Hairspray.

Jun 3-8: The Rocky Horror Show. Regent, Stoke. Richard O’Brien’s legendary rock ‘n’ roll musical returns. Audio described Jun 7, 5.30pm. Touch Tour 3.45pm. BSL Jun 8, 5.30pm Jun 6-Jul 27: The Book of Mormon. Palace Theatre, Manchester. The New York Times calls it ‘The best musical of this century.’ BSL Jun 25, 7.30pm.

Audio described Jun 26, 7.30pm. Captioned, Jun 27, 7.30pm.

Jun 6-15: The Importance of Being Earnest. Octagon, Bolton. Oscar Wilde’s sensational and lavish tale is brought to life. BSL, Jun 11, 7.30.

Audio described, Jun 12, 7.30.

Captioned, Jun 30, 7.30.

Jun 7: Legend – The Music of Bob Marley. Grand Theatre, Blackpool.

An unforgettable evening celebrating this musical icon in one fantastic stage show extravaganza.

Jun 7-8: Dreaming the Night Field.

Theatr Clwyd, Mold. An intoxicating performance that makes ancient voices and landscapes come alive.

BSL, Welsh Language, Jun 7 Jun 7-8: Verdi’s Macbeth. Charter Theatre, Preston. Featuring a top line-up of classically-trained singers with the famous Preston Opera Chorus and Preston Opera Orchestra.

Jun 7-9. Zog. The Lowry. Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s much-loved Zog comes to life.

Jun 8: Swan Lake. Venue Cymru, Llandudno. Filmed live at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London in 2019.

Jun 8: Showaddywaddy. The Brindley, Runcorn. An incredible live show - acclaimed the world over.

Jun 9: Speaky Blinder. The Lowry. Blind comic Chris McCausland (See feature, Page 25) Jun 10: Alan Johnson - In My Life.

Lyceum, Crewe. An evening with one of the most popular politicians of recent times and now a best-selling author.

Jun 10-15: The Lady Vanishes. Venue Cymru, Llandudno. Quick-witted thriller based on the 1939 Hitchcock classic.

Jun 10: An evening with Sir Michael Parkinson. Theatre Royal, St Helens. The nation’s favourite interviewer relives historic and iconic moments from his remarkable career.

Jun 11-15: Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet. The Lowry. A passionate and contemporary re-imagining of Shakespeare’s classic love story. Audio described Jun 13, 7.30pm. Touch Tour 6pm.

Jun 11: Margot Fonteyn – Centenary Celebration. The Brindley, Runcorn.

Ballet Theatre UK mark the centenary of the gre at ballet icon.

Jun 11-12: Dinosaur World Live. Theatre Royal, St Helens. For all the family ages 3 +.

Jun 12: Les Musicals - Live Concert Tour.

Pavilion, Rhyl.

The ultimate celebration of Musical Theatre.

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

BOX OFFICE CONTACTS

BLACKPOOL Grand Theatre: 01253 290190 BOLTON Octagon: 01204 520661 CREWE Lyceum: 01270 368 242 LIVERPOOL Empire: 08444 999 999 Everyman & Playhouse: 0151 709 4776 Royal Court: 0870 787 1866 Unity 0151 709 4988 LLANDUDNO Venue Cymru: 01492 872000 MOLD: Theatr Clwyd: 0845 3303565 MANCHESTER Opera House: 0870 401 9000

Palace: 0870 401 3000 SALFORD The Lowry: 0843 208 6000 NEW BRIGHTON Floral Pavillion: 0151 666 0000 PRESTON: Charter Theatre: 0845 344 2012 RHYL: Pavilion: 01745 330 000 RUNCORN The Brindley: 0151 907 8360 SOUTHPORT: Floral Hall: 0844 847 2380 ST HELENS: Theatre Royal: 01744 756000 STOKE: Regent Theatre:

Glasses for deaf

N

EW smart glasses are all set to revolutionise the theatre-going experience for people who are deaf or hard of hearing!

A pilot project at the National Theatre in London has set new standards for accessibility.

Smart glasses worn on the head or over standard glasses are fitted with augmented reality lenses where “closed captions” scroll along the bottom in accordance with what’s happening on stage.

Unlike subtitles or “open

captions” – which just provide a straight transcript of the dialogue – closed captions also provide audio and visual cues as to what is taking place on stage.

They also track the movements of the performers and provide descriptions of what is happening.

The National Deaf Children’s Society said that “by developing this pioneering new technology, the National Theatre is sending a powerful signal to deaf people across the country”.

CHEER UP TIME! Compiled by CHRIS GROVES

Jun 12-13: Desperate Scousewives 4.

The Brindley, Runcorn. Lynne Fitzgerald returns with the next instalment of her hilarious hit comedy.

Jun 13-15: The Comeback Special. Royal Court, Liverpool. Given the choice, Robbie would rather not talk to the dead, and definitely not to this bloke who claims he’s the ghost of Elvis.

Jun 13-15: Rotterdam. Opera House, Manchester. Warm, witty and wise. The stupidity of thinking that there are only two genders.

Jun 14: The Carpenters Story. Liverpool Empire. Featuring the Carpenters hit songs.

Jun 14: Thank ABBA for the Music. The Brindley, Runcorn. Stunning costumes, a 7piece live band, interactive video projection. This is the ultimate feel-good party show.

Jun 14-15. Ada. Lyceum Studio, Crewe. The exhilarating story of Ada Nield Chew during one of the most important moments in British social history.

Jun 15: ABBA Mania. Liverpool Empire. The world’s number one touring ABBA tribute production.

Jun 15: The Lancashire Hotpots - The Love Tour. Grand Theatre, Blackpool.

Jun 15: Elkie Brooks. Lyceum, Crewe. Elkie will be performing her biggest hits.

Jun 16: Menopause. The Musical. Lyceum, Crewe. The Hilarious Celebration of Women and “The Change”.

Jun 16: Kris Kristofferson. Opera House, Manchester. Legendary singer-songwriter and actor.

Jun 17-22: Admissions. The Lowry.

Award-winning and bitingly funny new comedy.

Jun 18: Into the Spotlight. The Brindley, Runcorn. An action-packed live concert, with celebrity host Crissy Rock.

Jun 18-19: Cheshire School’s Gotta Sing.

Lyceum, Crewe. A wonderful evening of entertainment with choirs from across Cheshire.

Jun 19: Jimmy Carr - Terribly Funny.

Floral Pavilion, New Brighton. Jimmy’s brand new show contains jokes about all kinds of terrible things.

Jun 19: Nat King Cole – Centenary Songbook 2019.

The Brindley, Runcorn. Having shot to fame as the runner up of The X Factor in 2005, Andy Abraham celebrates the life and music of Nat King Cole.

Jun 20: Hormonal Housewives.

Venue Cymru, Llandudno. A seriously funny evening – what these women can’t teach you about modern womanhood isn’t worth knowing.

Jun 20: Cloudbusting–The music of Kate Bush. The Brindley, Runcorn. Mandy Watson’s stunning vocals set to send shivers up your spine.

Jun 21: Walk Right Back. Grand Theatre, Blackpool. The story of The Everly Brothers.

Jun 21: A Night of Queen with the Bohemians. The Brindley, Runcorn. A comprehensive re-enactment of Queen’s greatest hits.

Jun 22: Cirque du Sparkle. Charter Theatre, Preston. A night to remember as the students from Sparkle Dance Studio take you on a wonderful journey.

Jun 22: One Night of Queen. Venue Cymru, Llandudno. Recreating the look, sound, pomp

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June/July 2019

All Together NOW!

YOU GOT TO LAUGH!

Blackpool. A visual, audio and electrifying journey through the magic of Michael Jackson’s 45-year musical history.

Jul 16: Graham Nash. Southport Theatre. An Evening of Intimate Songs and Stories.

Jul 17: Jethro. Lyceum, Crewe. A memorable evening of hysterical nonsense.

NE of the UK’s top Jul 18: Jimmy Carr Terribly Funny.

Venue Cymru, Llandudno. Jimmy’s comics can’t tell how brand new show contains well he’s doing from jokes about all kinds of the look on his audiences terrible things. faces.

Jul 20: The Grimethorpe But the laughter is normally Colliery Band. Venue Cymru, enough to reassure one the Llandudno. world’s few blind professional Jul 21: Raymond Froggatt. Pavilion, stand-up comedians.

Rhyl. A fantastic show with great Multi-award-winning comic Chris songs spanning decades.

McCausland is taking his smash Jul 21: Rock Choir Live 2019. hit Edinburgh Fringe show, Theatre Royal, St Helens.

Speaky Blinder, around the A spectacular display of uplifting, feelthree series of Comedy country for his debut national tour. good pop, rock and Central’s At the Comedy contemporary chart songs performed Chris, who is from Liverpool, has Store, as well as Stand-up by national phenomenon, Rock Choir. taken seven acclaimed shows to Hero on ITV and Celebrity Jul 21: Purple Zeppelin. Lyceum, Edinburgh and was awarded the Deal or No Deal Comedians Crewe. A tribute to the two greatest Creative Diversity Award for Special on C4.

Rock Bands of all time, Deep Purple Comedy by a panel of He is also an actor, recently and Led Zeppelin. broadcasters including Channel 4, appearing in top soap Jul 22-27: The Mousetrap. Grand BBC, ITV and Sky. EastEnders, in a lead role in Theatre, Blackpool. The longest The 40-year-old was born with Jimmy McGovern’s Moving running show of any kind in the history the hereditary eye disease retinitis On (BBC1), on Unwrapped of theatre. pigmentosa that left him blind in with Miranda Hart (BBC2), Jul 24-Aug 3: Early Doors. The his late teens. and as Rudy the market trader Lowry. Final chance to see the He found the slow deterioration in 150 episodes of the award-winning comedy live on in his sight hard to deal with and children’s show Me Too stage. would later suffer from depression Jul 24: The Carole King (Cbeebies). before trying his hand at comedy Songbook. The Brindley, Runcorn.

Multi-talented Chris has in his mid-20s.

Jul 25: Luther Vandross also made numerous Celebration 2019. Theatre Royal, St While limiting how much he appearances on radio, Helens. brings his blindness into his including Radio 4’s InTouch Jul 26: Rhythm of the Dance. The routine, he does talk about life and Loose Ends.

Brindley, Runcorn. A fully live show and parenthood in the dark, from you can’t see where to hide or where to do n Forthcoming shows include: The that celebrates Irish culture through his inevitable shortcomings as a husband the seeking!

Lowry, Salford, on Sunday, June 9, and music and dance. who can’t do his share of the driving to the In 2018, Chris made his debut on BBC2’s at Hot Water Comedy Club, Liverpool, on Jul 26: The Chicago Blues total farce of playing hide and seek when Live at the Apollo, and has appeared in Monday, June 10 Brothers – Motown Mission. Venue Cymru, Llandudno.

Jul 26: Junior Showtime. Pavilion, Rhyl. The Gay Harris Dancers sing and and showmanship of arguably the greatest rock performance Jul 17, 7.30. Audio described Experience. Pavilion, Rhyl. A brand-new show dance their way through everything from chart band of all time. and captioned, Jul 19, 7.30 from this superbly talented eight-piece band. hits to musical classics.

Jun 22: Tommy the Album – Live. Pavilion, Jul 9-13: American Idiot. Liverpool Playhouse.

Jun 28-29: An evening with Sir Michael Jul 26-27: Rent. Liverpool Empire.

Rhyl. The Goldhawks perform the original Green Day’s explosive rock musical.

Palin. The Lowry.

Liverpool Empire Youth Musical iconic rock album in full detail and accuracy.

Jul 10: UK Pink Floyd Experience. Opera Jun 29: Girl Power – The Spice Girls Theatre Company present the multiJun 22: One Night in Dublin. Grand Theatre, House, Manchester.

Experience. Pavilion, Rhyl. Continuing the award-winning rock musical.

Blackpool. The Wild Murphys will entertain you Jul 11: Some Guys Have All the Luck – The legacy of British pop sensations, the Spice Jul 28: The Big Chris Barber Band. The with a selection of great Irish songs.

Rod Stewart Story. Opera House, Manchester.

Girls.

Brindley, Runcorn. One of the last British Jazz Jun 23: The Seekers Performed by Jul 12-Aug 10: Scouse Pacific. Royal Jul 1-16: Club Tropicana. Liverpool Empire. legends and an icon of traditional jazz, MorningTown. Lyceum, Crewe. Experience Court, Liverpool. Let us take you The brand new 80s Musical. celebrating his 70th anniversary on starting his the wonderful songs of the Seekers again with across the oceans to the exotic Jul 2-3: Buzz-AH! Don’t Stop Believing. musical career. uncharted island of Secosu. this young tribute band.

Theatr Clwyd, Mold. Buzz-AH! is an innovative Jul 31-Aug 17: War Horse. Liverpool Empire.

Jul 12-14: The Very Hungry Caterpillar Jun 24-29: Annie. Liverpool Empire. Direct award-winning charity that promotes inclusion An unforgettable theatrical eventset during the Show. Grand Theatre, Blackpool. A menagerie from the West End with unforgettable songs. through the performing arts.

First World War. of 75 lovable puppets, faithfully adapting four of Jun 24-29. Club Tropicana The Musical.

Jul 6-7: Dream, Believe, Perform. Lyceum, Aug 1-3: Seussical. Pavilion, Rhyl. Incredible, Eric Carle’s stories. Fantastic for families.

Venue Cymru, Llandudno.

Crewe.Students from the Aspire Dance and colourful and fun filled musical perfect for the Jul 13: Lea Salonga. Opera House, Jun 25: Sheryl Crow. The Lowry. One of the Theatre Academy will take to the stage in this whole family. Relaxed performance Manchester. Known across the world for her most popular female voices in rock. fun filled variety show.

Aug 2. 2pm. powerful voice, and perfect pitch. Lea Salonga Jun 26-29: Animal Farm. The Brindley Jul 7: The Magic of Motown. Grand Theatre, Aug 3: Joe Longthorne. Venue Cymru, is Broadway royalty.

(Studio), Runcorn.

Blackpool. 40 back-to-back classic Motown Llandudno. Plus special guest, TV comedian Jul 13: The Drifters. Southport Theatre. The Jul 27: Cloudbusting: 40 Years of Kate hits.

George King. veteran vocal harmony group celebrate over 60 Bush. Charter Theatre, Preston. Mandy Jul 8-13: The Lady Vanishes. Lyceum, Crewe.

Aug 3: Rhythm of the Dance. Regent, Stoke. years of The Drifters.

Watson’s stunning vocals set to send shivers Based on the film directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

A fully live show that celebrates Irish culture Jul 13: The Bon Jovi Experience. Theatre up your spine.

Jul 9-19; On the Other Hand, We’re Happy. through music and dance.

Royal, St Helens. The world’s first and finest Jun 28: Ian Waite & Vincent Simone - The Theatr Clwyd, Mold. A single dad meets his tribute to the great Bon Jovi.

Ballroom Boys. Theatre Royal, St Helens. adopted daughter for the first time. Three lives Jul 15-17: Thriller Live. Grand Theatre, will be changed forever. Relaxed Jun 28: Eclipse – The Pink Floyd

O

How blind comic Chris can tell if he’s doing okay!

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All Together NOW!

Books

Overcoming life’s problems . . .

Dealing with Disability, by Victoria Cairns, Troubador, £8.99

VICTORIA Cairns worked for over 30 years as a medical statistician for various organisations until she caught Lyme disease.

It led to her needing a heart operation which had devastating consequences.

Victoria says: “In January 2015 I had an operation for an irregular heart beat that resulted in a series of complications, and which has left me with a spinal cord injury and unable to walk.

“I have used my own experience and knowledge of the medical literature to write what I could, in the hope that it would provide some help for others in a similar situation.”

Her book provides advice for coping with the troubles of life and gaining acceptance of what cannot be changed.

Nature’s way . . .

Think like a Tree: The Natural Principles Guide to Life, by Sarah Spencer, Amazon, £9.99 (paperback) and at £5.99 (ebook)

AUTHOR Sarah Spencer says: “When I was recovering from a rare chronic illness I noted the patterns that I saw around me in the woods and applied them in my life to improve my overall wellbeing.

“By mimicking the ways nature is healthy and resilient I was able to heal myself and become happier and more fulfilled in the process. I now share the principles with other people so they can use these and associated tools, whatever their circumstances.”

The book shares the amazing abilities of trees, their evolutionary success stories and their abilities to heal.

Real-world case studies demonstrate how the Think like a Tree principles are being applied by people using them to tackle a wide variety of problems and circumstances.

Sarah lives with her family on a smallholding in the National Forest in Derbyshire. She also runs Think like a Tree courses and workshops, for adults and children.

June/July 2019

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

ARIES (March 21st-April 20th)

SAGITTARIUS (November 23rd-December 21st)

You’ll be indecisive at the beginning of June.

This is not a good time to sign a contract, submit official papers or enter into a verbal agreement. Legal problems will occur on or around the 17th, when the Full Moon forces you to make restitution to the other party. Don’t let yourself be consumed by anger. Big changes will occur on the home front at the beginning of July. The Solar Eclipse on the 2nd suggests you will move to accommodate someone’s career. On the 16th, a Lunar Eclipse will bring an end to a tense situation with someone at work. Don’t panic if you’re forced to find another job. It will be much better working for someone who isn’t on a power trip.

The New Moon on the 3rd will pave the way to a romantic or business alliance. On the 17th, the Full Moon will trigger a troubling realisation.

You’ll change the way you feel about a relative.

Someone you admired or hated has been putting on a false front. Once you know the truth, you’ll have to alter the way you deal with them. Be willing to admit you were wrong. A Solar Eclipse on July 2nd invites you to be more generous with an intimate partner. You’ve always prized your freedom, but if you’re going to enjoy the benefits of a close relationship, you have to open your heart and share your resources. A Lunar Eclipse on the 16th will put an end to an ethical dilemma. Justice will be served to a bullying, oppressive personality.

TAURUS (April 21st-May 21st)

Stay focused on your duties. People around you will soon come to understand that you’re worth your weight in gold. The Full Moon on the 17th will force you to confront an untrustworthy person. Do the world a favour and expose this manipulator for who they really are. Nobody will look down on you for being fooled. The Solar Eclipse in early July beckons you to acquire more skills and knowledge. Taking a course in a subject that has always fascinated you will give you the spiritual lift you need. A Lunar Eclipse on the 16th brings the end to a legal matter. Once this decision has been rendered, you’ll be able to lead a more stable, organised life. It will be such a relief to not be constantly on call.

GEMINI (May 22nd-June 21st)

June’s Full Moon on the 17th will force you to confront problems in an intimate relationship.

The career constraints of a partner are undermining your bond. Unless one or both of you is willing to change, it may be necessary to go your separate ways. Are you single?

Beware of getting involved with someone who is emotionally distant. The Solar Eclipse on July 2nd brings a new source of income, but there will be challenges involved. Someone who has been struggling with an addiction needs to undergo rehabilitation. Don’t let their obsessions drag you down. Although you don’t want to leave your loved one in their hour of need, it may be the only way they see what needs to be done.

CANCER (June 22nd-July 23rd)

Dealings with a government agency will be difficult at the beginning of June. You’ll be continually turned down for help without being given a reason why. Instead of trying to crack this code, look elsewhere for the assistance you need. A hidden benefactor will come to your rescue when you least expect it. July’s Solar Eclipse on the 2nd helps you undergo a radical transformation. You are being called to fulfil your life’s purpose. Embrace every opportunity to improve your circumstances, even if it creates tension in your personal life.

It’s possible you will relocate on the 16th.

That’s when a Lunar Eclipse brings closure to a domestic situation.

LEO (July 24th-August 23rd)

A creative project won’t turn out the way you intended on the 17th. That’s because a stressful Full Moon has limited your finances.

As a result, you’ve been forced to work with inferior materials. Don’t despair. You’ll be able to make improvements as more funds become available. July’s Solar Eclipse on the 2nd will prompt you to adopt a low profile. Take it easy on yourself and chill out. This will allow you to wake up and face the day’s challenges with a positive attitude. The Lunar Eclipse on the 16th could find you reaping rewards for a job well done. Your health could improve dramatically at the end of the month.

CAPRICORN (December 22nd-January 20th)

RUSSELL GRANT CALLING . . .

VIRGO (August 24th-September 23rd)

July’s Full Moon on the 17th brings a stressful domestic matter to a head. You’re no longer willing to tolerate outrageous behaviour.

Instead of continuing to subject yourself to this toxic situation, make a fresh start. You have more control over your destiny than you realise.

The secret to your success is adopting a positive attitude. When you believe in yourself, you can move mountains. The Solar Eclipse on July 2nd will draw influential people into your social circle. A romantic partner or someone close won’t approve of your new friends. They’ll be threatened by their influence in your life.

Don’t let your loved one’s misgivings interfere with these new alliances.

LIBRA (September 24th-October 23rd) There is no time for self-doubt. Focus on acquiring as much knowledge as possible.

When you encounter difficulty, ask for additional instruction. This isn’t the way you enjoy working, but these are extraordinary circumstances. Adopting another way of doing things will force you grow. On the 17th, the Full Moon will bring some upsetting news but remember that when one door closes, a window will open. Too often, you try to impress your loved ones instead of pursuing your own desires. Embrace this opportunity to change.

Your dependence on a habit will come to an end on the 16th.

SCORPIO (October 24th-November 22nd)

The Full Moon on the 17th brings disappointment in money. A payment will be far less than you expected. However, the opportunity to expand your horizons will arrive on July 2nd, thanks to a Solar Eclipse. Going on an overseas trip, taking a course of study or launching a new and exciting personal project are all possibilities. You will feel like a fish out of water throughout this journey. Being uncomfortable will help you grow and change.

Working alongside people who are in a more vulnerable position will make you more compassionate, sympathetic and caring.

Beware of undergoing a radical health regimen.

Your system might not be able to handle the shock of a total overhaul to your diet and exercise routine. If you want to eliminate certain foods from your meals, do so one item at a time. Carefully observe how your body reacts to these changes. By listening to its signals, you’ll be able to craft a regimen that is based on your unique digestive needs. July’s Lunar Eclipse on the 16th brings a close to a prominent role. Leaving this position will give you more time to do the things you love. Don’t feel compelled to fill your days with work and chores. Instead, venture outdoors. Begin a creative project. Indulge your sensual side.

You’ve always been the useful, productive one in your group.

AQUARIUS (January 21st-February 19th)

If you want to make more money, it will be necessary to change your priorities. When you satisfy your own desires, you’ll radiate positive energy. This will attract the moneymaking opportunities you crave. The Solar Eclipse at the beginning of July will help you acquire some undoubted abilities. Be open to growing, changing and improving. Pride is your worst enemy. By the 16th, a Lunar Eclipse will help you conquer a persistent fear. Your fundamental distrust of the establishment has stopped you from realising your full potential.

Instead of avoiding a government official, manager or politician, ask for their help. They’ll help you gain access to fundamental resources. We’re here to help one another.

Don’t insist being a lone wolf when you can be supported by the pack.

PISCES (February 20th-March 20th)

Family matters are stressful in the early days of June. It’s important to make some changes to your household. If you’re living in a toxic situation, stop fooling yourself. On the 17th, the Full Moon warns against assuming unrealistic expectations. Friends won’t approve of a creative project or romantic relationship on July 2nd. That’s when a Solar Eclipse forces you to choose between being happy and being popular. Stop trying to impress people who want to control your life. As soon as you start listening to your instincts, you’ll become much more confident about your choices. When others criticise your choices, you’ll simply shrug, laugh and continue on your path. This will be incredibly empowering. The Lunar Eclipse on the 16th brings an end to an abusive association.

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June/July 2019

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FIVE watering kits to be won

W

E have a great solution to holiday watering – FIVE super kits, each of them worth £21.95, from Mr Fothergill’s, top suppliers of seeds and gardening equipment.

CHECKLIST

of plants to be watered together even over a long holiday period.

To win an easy2GO watering kit, answer this question: What capacity container is needed with the easy2GO watering kit?

Send your entry with your name and address on a postcard or sealed envelope, stating where you picked up your copy of All Together NOW!, to Watering Kit Competition, All Together NOW!, The Bradbury Centre, Youens Way, Liverpool L14 2EP, to arrive by Friday, July 26, or online at www.alltogetherno.org.uk

This neat and simple system enables you to use your own pots, tray, water tank or container to create a complete self-watering system. The kit contains an AQUAvalve, connectors and 1.5m (5ft) of 6mm (0.25in) pipe.

All you need is a container with at least 30-litre capacity and a tray with a minimum depth of 3cm (1.25in).

Many different sized and shaped pots can be held in one tray, allowing a large number

n For Mr Fothergill’s full range of seeds, plants and products¸ go to www.mr-fothergills.co.uk

NEAT AND SIMPLE: Our prize watering kit

SUMMER COLOUR: Petunias and begonias

BLOOM OR BUST

T

HIS is your last call, ladies and gents, for the summer’s flight of flowers. So get on board!

Purchase and plant your final bedding and container blooms – or you’re heading for a dull destination.

Half-hardy annuals explode into colour almost instantly wherever you put them – just a few will brighten up a drab corner or enliven a flower bed. For the price of a bunch of cut flowers you can buy two or three geraniums that will fill a container with colour all season.

These summer flowers are perfect for growing in baskets, window boxes and pots – as well as borders – so if you have only a balcony or windowsill, there’s space for some. This kind of mini-gardening is flexible: you can move containers around to catch the sun or group them for a massed effect.

Go for familiar petunias, pelargoniums (geraniums), lobelias, busy lizzies and nasturtiums or the more exotic scaevola with violet blue “half flowers”, felicia daisies with sky-blue petals, or osteospermums which are really perennials but grow well as annuals.

Their lax habit, with quilled or spoon-shaped petals, makes them just as suitable for

27

containers as for planting in the ground. Trailing lobelias in blue or white are also great in window boxes and hanging baskets.

For a real eye-catcher, plant the perennial Lobelia cardinalis that has deep scarlet flowers on 90cm (3ft) stems of deep bronze-purple leaves.

In a pot, it is much easier to protect from slugs and practically impossible to kill with kindness by over-watering.

For something else special, try begonias – the tuberous kind. Their blooms are huge and in many forms, resembling roses, carnations, camellias and peonies, while the colours vary from white and yellow through to deep bronze and rich red. My favourites are the picotee kinds with petals edged with darker or lighter tints than the rest of the flower.

Begonias grow well in outdoor containers or

beds. They need careful but not complicated cultivation – potash-rich compost, regular feeding and careful watering. They flower best in a position where morning and evening sun shines but they are shaded from midday heat.

Meanwhile, there is also time to sow hardy annuals in gaps in the border or in pots. You can choose flowers to match your colour scheme – brick-red nasturtiums, bronze and yellow mixtures of nemesias, vivid pale blue nigella (love-in-a-mist), rich orange English marigolds and, for the back of the border, tall annual chrysanthemums.

Night-scented stocks don’t have much in the way of flowers but sow them in a pot to keep near your favourite seat for a knockout fragrance at twilight.

For seeds in a border, prepare the night before sowing by hoeing in a general fertiliser and drenching the soil with water. Sow the seeds quite closely at the depth stated on the packet for each kind and place a few twigs across the area to keep cats and birds off.

Make sure the soil remains moist until the seedlings are 8cm (3in) tall. When they have reached that height and are growing strongly, thin them to a few inches apart.

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FLOWERS: Trim over aubrieta and yellow Alyssum saxatile with garden shears and give them a generous liquid feed of highpotash fertiliser. Plant autumn flowering bulbs such as colchicum and autumn crocus.

PATIO: Spend a few minutes every day dead-heading container flowers. Make sure the compost does not dry out and give a liquid feed once a week.

SHRUBS: Remove the flowers of roses as they fade. To boost a second flush of bloom, prune the heads back to an outward-facing leaf-joint then spray the foliage with a liquid feed. Choose one combining a feed with insecticide and/or fungicide if aphids or fungal diseases like blackspot or mildew have been a problem.

LAWNS: Grass in which spring bulbs have been grown can be cut lightly now.

PONDS: Control blanketweed by removing as much as possible and applying a proprietary treatment.

FRUIT: Watch for aphid attack on gooseberries and currants, usually starting in the tips of shoots, and squash them or spray with a contact insecticide.

Also check gooseberries closely for sawfly larvae – inconspicuous green caterpillars which can strip a bush of foliage. Hand-pick and spray with an insecticide.

VEGETABLES: When the first pods of broad beans set low on the plant, pinch out the growing tips at the top of each stem to encourage the pods to fill out and discourage blackfly. Sow successional crops of salad leaves and lettuce Little Gem. HERBS: Sow Florence fennel and chives outdoors. Sow seeds or buy plants of other herbs such as dill and coriander. If you find parsley difficult to grow, sow it now. Make seed-drills just a quarter of an inch deep and water them with boiling water, then sow the seeds thinly.

GREENHOUSE: As tomatoes ripen, keep feeding and watering regularly. Pinch out the sideshoots from cordon tomatoes and tie in the main stem as it continues to grow, and pinch out the growing tip once five or six trusses of flowers have set fruit. Cherry tomato types can be allowed to grow taller.

HOUSEPLANTS: Water more freely, feed regularly and do not leave them in full sun all day except for types really suited to those conditions.

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28

June/July 2019

The Accumulator Quiz

STARSPOT CROSSWORD Can you find the celebrity name hidden in this Starspot Crossword? Complete the crossword in the normal way then make a note of the letters contained in all the squares which are marked with shaded stars. These letters will make an anagram of the name you are looking for.

1

2

3

★

5

5

★

6

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★

7

8

★ 9

4

12

★

★

A B C D

A B C D

17

QUESTION 2 – for 2 points: What is a futon?

13 14

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18 20

15

16

19 21

21

24

23 26

27

★

★

★

22 24

25

A B C D

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A B C D

30

ACROSS

DOWN

1. Eyeglass (7) 8. Particular form, translation (7) 9. Exempt from duty (3-4) 10. Roman sea-god (7) 11. Breather (7) 14. Append (3) 16. Leave (4) 18. Witty saying (4) 19. Belonging to the second person (4) 20. Gangster (4) 21. Day before (3) 23. Whirling round (7) 26. Importune (7) 28. Violent windstorm (7) 29. Weariness (7) 30. Receptacle for dirt (7)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

12.

13.

15.

16.

17.

18.

22.

24.

25.

26.

27.

Beetroot Bacon Banana Butter

A B C D

An aged female sheep A type of bed A bread roll with currants A climber’s spiked axe

Ludo Snakes and ladders Draughts Monopoly

A B C D

North America Australasia Africa South America

QUESTION 5 – for 5 points: American Hulk Hogan was a multiple world champion in which sport?

A B C D

Wrestling Weightlifting Cage fighting Rugby league

A B C D

A B C D

Edward Lear King Edward VII Theodore Roosevelt Sir Edward Elgar

A B C D

Prince Andrew Prince Edward Prince William Prince Harry

Henry I Edward I Stephen William II

QUESTION 14 – for 14 points: Which of the planets was described as being the ‘Bringer of Jollity’ by composer Gustav Holst in his Planets Suite?

QUESTION 8 – for 8 points: “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” is a line from which thriller film?

A B C D

Port Talbot Maesteg Caerphilly Pontypridd

QUESTION 13 – for 13 points: Which king of England was the youngest son of William the Conqueror?

Jaws The Perfect Storm The Deep Waterworld

A B C D

QUESTION 9 – for 9 points: Send in the Clowns is a song from which musical?

SUDOKU

Neptune Saturn Mars Jupiter

QUESTION 15 – for 15 points: What are Dani, Ga, Motu and Nguni?

A B C D

Mac and Mabel Aspects of Love A Little Night Music Sunset Boulevard

Islands on Lake Victoria Languages Currency units Zulu chieftains

KAKURO

There is just one simple rule in Sudoku. Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9, and so must each 3 x 3 box. This is a logic puzzle, and you should not have to guess.

EASY

8 5 7 6 4 2 7 3 2 8 7 6 1 3 8 4 8 2 5 4 9 5

A B C D

QUESTION 7 – for 7 points: Who is next in line to the throne after Prince Charles?

A B C D

QUESTION 6 – for 6 points: The teddy bear was named after which famous person?

Vermont New York New Hampshire Maine

QUESTION 12 – for 12 points: Singer Tom Jones was born in 1940 in which Welsh town?

Singer Tom Jones. See Question 12

QUESTION 4 – for 4 points: Budgerigars are native to which continent?

Driver (8) Connection (5) Welsh dog (5) Flattened (6) Snare (4) Alcoholic drink (7) In the past (4) Bath stopper (4) Cloth strip (4) Stained (4) Wharf (4) Wolfram (8) Degree of excellence (7) Examined carefully (6) French novelist (5) Freeze (3,2) Divan (4) Zoo enclosure (4)

M58 M63 M69 M90

QUESTION 11 – for 11 points: Which is the most easterly state of the USA?

QUESTION 3 – for 3 points: In which board game can an opponent lose a piece by being huffed?

29

★

chosen answers and keep a record of your points total. Maximum total points 120.

QUESTION 10 – for 10 points: Which motorway runs from Leicester to Coventry?

10 11

Each question has four possible answers and is worth from one to 15 points. Circle your QUESTION 1 – for 1 point: In the American sandwich known as a BLT, what does the B stand for?

7

10

★

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

DIFFICULT

4 5 6 9 2 6 8 2 7 1 4 6 8 9 2 8 3

4

3 6

7

9

9 6 5 7

7 2 1 5

7 3 5 2 8 6 4 2

9

2 8

4 7

Fill in the blank squares in the grid with numbers so that each horizontal or vertical line adds up to the total given in the box either to the left or above it.

Horizontal totals are given in the top right corners of the shaded boxes; vertical totals in the bottom left corners.

You can use the numbers 1 to 9, but may not use the same number more than once in any run. The number may be used again, however, in the same row or column but as part of another run.

MEDIUM 5

16

19

13

20

11

15 27

32 7 21

4 27

4 7

7 11 29 24

8

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www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Telephone dialling pads combine several letters on one key. Here we have encoded several sets of words or items by using numbers rather than letters. Then we have divided them into groups of three characters and run all the names one after another to make your task a little more difficult. Can you crack the codes?

Each number in our Cross Code grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. You have three letters in the control grid to start you off.

Enter them in the appropriate squares in the main grid, then use your knowledge of words to work out which letters should go in the missing squares.

As you get the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and control grid. Check off the alphabetical list of letters as you identify them.

6

5

MISSING LINK Each pair of words has a missing word between them that acts as a link to both (e.g. FRONT – DOOR – MAT). The initial letters of the six answers (reading downwards) will spell out the surname of a novelist.

BLUE

––––

BOY

GOLD

––––

HOUR

FIND

–––

COMPASS

––––––

POINT

OVER

–––––

UPON

TENNIS

–––––

GREASE

SIDE

1 []’–

2 ABC

3 DEF

4 GHI

5 JKL

6 MNO

7 PQRS

8 TUV

9 WXYZ

Spaces and any punctuation marks are represented by 1.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

(

29

DIALLING CODES

CROSS CODE

All Together NOW!

June/July 2019 1. old and new 645 317 827 814 726 122 731 387 566 415 487 317 686 319 273 174 681 328 466 154 566 387 315 324 831 566 814 624 146 871 366 816 468 831 866

units of measurement

2. gases 358 674 631 936 661 638 426 317 767 263 163 661 493 764 361 266 664 216 487 643 613 849 536 316 994 361 435 486 124 567 463 127 466 172 366

3. reptiles 837 727 461 242 635 366 126 272 188 785 312 771 549 273 186 786 473 143 256 126 226 632 125 544 286 717 288 537 625 314 482 621 276 263 453

4. famous cricketers 556 931 836 385 527 176 237 714 282 752 715 272 127 236 261 442 516 674 261 878 362 612 673 371 742 427 371 468 441 927 631 928 441 268 426

5. constellations 437 285 371 724 488 274 871 674 661 236 828 787 122 623 714 937 212 946 871 274 371 877 216 256 717 472 371 436 464 173 427 871 263 766 332

6. on the left 625 821 463 421 926 242 162 642 421 766 254 212 977 871 345 416 372 518 424 526 317 464 276 731 639 193 252 631 842 632 172 547 826 186 642

PATHWORDS

SPOT CHECK

Starting from the central shaded letter, move one letter at a time (up, down, right or left, but not diagonally) to find 15 number one hits of the seventies.

Can you place the six dominoes (right) into the grid below in such a way that the number of spots in all four rows across and all four rows down totals 11?

M A

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countries which drive

1

2

3

4

5

6

WORD WIZARD Here is an unusual word with three definitions, only one of which is correct. Can you identify the right definition?

A C B E D

BOLIDE

H

L

K

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B

S

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H

E MAKE A DATE

R O

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In which year did all three of these significant historical events take place?

G

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A

D O

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H

A

A

D

N

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A

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1. America’s space shuttle Atlantis successfully docks with the Russian Mir space station.

P

S

L

D L U C L E TRANSFORMER

D

A

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1) An arboreal term meaning very broad, with particular reference to the circumference of a tree’s trunk;

F

2) A large meteor, especially one that explodes;

2. The Royal Yacht Britannia is decommissioned.

Y

3) An insecticide used to control the weevils whose larvae infest cotton plants.

3. The UK transfers sovereignty of Hong Kong, the largest remaining British colony, to the People’s Republic of China.

Add the given letter to the first word to make a new word.

Clue: Imprison domestic.

WAS IT? a) 1993; b) 1994; c) 1995; d) 1996; e) 1997.

______+AL=______AL

ALL THE ANSWERS Pathwords Eye Level; Tragedy; Sailing; Mamma Mia; Figaro; Woodstock; Clair; Grandad; Lucille; Dancing Queen; She; Blockbuster; Waterloo; Vincent; Bohemian Rhapsody.

8 1 3 9 5 2 7 6 4

5 4 2 7 6 8 9 3 1

7 9 6 4 1 3 8 2 5

9 2 8 1 7 4 3 5 6

SUDOKU EASY

6 7 1 8 3 5 2 4 9

3 5 4 2 9 6 1 8 7

4 6 9 3 8 1 5 7 2

1 3 5 6 2 7 4 9 8

2 8 7 5 4 9 6 1 3

8 1 5 3 6 2 9 4 7

9 6 7 5 1 4 3 8 2

4 3 2 7 8 9 5 6 1

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CROSS CODE

6 5 3 9 7 1 8 2 4

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SUDOKU DIFFICULT

3 7 6 2 9 5 4 1 8

5 4 1 6 3 8 2 7 9

2 8 9 1 4 7 6 5 3

24 29 7 27

8 4

1

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21

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KAKURO MEDIUM

7 20

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Accumulator Quiz 1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; B; 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; B; 3 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; C; 4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; B; 5 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A; 6 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; C; 7 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; C; 8 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A; 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; C; 10 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; C; 11 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; D; 12 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; D; 13 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A; 14 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; D; 15 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; B. Starspot Crossword Across â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1 Monocle; 8 Version; 9 Tax-free; 10 Neptune; 11 Respite; 14 Add; 16 Quit; 18 Quip; 19 Your; 20 Thug; 21 Eve; 23 Eddying; 26 Solicit; 28 Tempest; 29 Fatigue; 30 Dustpan.

Down â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1 Motorist; 2 Nexus; 3 Corgi; 4 Evened; 5 Trap; 6 Liqueur; 7 Once; 12 Plug; 13 Tape; 15 Dyed; 16 Quay; 17 Tungsten; 18 Quality; 22 Vetted; 24 Dumas; 25 Ice up; 26 Sofa; 27 Cage.

Star Name: NELLY FURTADO

Word Wizard No 2 is correct. A bolide is a meteor.

Dialling Codes 1. mile; quart; gram; acre; furlong; litre; pound; yard; pint; fathom; kilometre; league; knot; inch; hour; foot; minute; ton.

2. fluorine; xenon; methane; propane; neon; hydrogen; ammonia; nitrogen; ethylene; oxygen; helium; chlorine; argon; radon.

3. terrapin; chameleon; cobra; turtle; asp; lizard; tortoise; gecko; anaconda; alligator; rattlesnake; iguana; crocodile.

4. Lloyd; Tendulkar; Sobers; Gavaskar; Lara; Bradman; Hick; Morgan; Trueman; Border; Richards; Gough; Warne; Waugh; Botham.

5. Hercules; Sagittarius; Orion; Centaurus; Cancer; Hydra; Cygnus; Aries; Ursa Major; Pisces; Gemini; Pegasus; Andromeda.

6. Malta; India; Zambia; Namibia; Somalia; Cyprus; Fiji; Nepal; Thailand; Singapore; New Zealand; Uganda; Pakistan; Tonga.

Spot Check A = 3; B = 5; C = 1; D = 4; E = 6; F = 2.

Missing Link bell; rush; out; needle; there; elbow.

Novelist: BrontĂŤ.

Make a Date The year was 1997.

Transformer Intern + AL = Internal.

REACH 500,000 READERS

ADVERTISE HERE 0151 230 0307

30

All Together NOW!

BRIEFLY

Time to get on cue . . .

ENTRIES are now being accepted for the Humber Classic 2019, the first event of the new 360Fizz WDBS Tour season.

The event runs from 28-30 June at the Tradewell Snooker Club, Hull, a familiar stop for WDBS since 2016, but a new arena for players with physical disabilities.

The event includes full two-day tournaments for people with physical and learning disabilities, as well as a Friday Open Day at which people will all disabilities are encouraged come and try snooker. n www.wdbs.info/tournamententry/humber-classic/

Power guide

NATIONAL charity LimbPower have created a guide for amputees and people with limb difference to support them through the rehabilitation process, by informing them about how to make the most form their Limb Centre visits.

The “Making the most of your limb centre visit guides’, for the upper limb and lower limb versions are now available on the LimbPower website. n www.limbpower.com

Boccia for all

BOCCIA is getting bigger – and players are getting better and better.

It’s a Paralympic sport that tests muscle control and accuracy with players propelling balls to land close to a target ball.

To help coaches get the best from players, Cerebral Palsy Sport has created a Boccia Games Resource (cost £24), which provides a range of games that can be played using boccia equipment. n CP Sport, tel 0115 925 7027 www.cpsport.org

Team talk works

THREE charities have joined forces to tackle the barriers faced by people wanting to take part in sport and other physical activities.

The newly-formed Sensory Alliance will combine the skills and experience of British Blind Sport, national disability charity Sense, and UK Deaf Sport.

It’s hoped that together they can improve sporting opportunities for people living with sensory impairments and/or complex disabilities in England.

June/July 2019

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

The first academy for disabled race fans

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE!

D

ISABLED drivers can now get expert training to compete with the best on the racing circuits.

Top racing driver Nicolas Hamilton joined Team BRIT to launch their Racing Academy, which gives drivers in the UK with disabilities a unique opportunity to experience motorsport.

Nicolas, who has cerebral palsy, was the first disabled driver to race in the British Touring Car Championship.

He said: “I’m all about championing disability in motorsport, having been working at establishing myself in the sport since 2011.

“Disabled people are used to being told what they can’t do. I’m all about proving what’s possible, and I’ve learnt that sharing my story inspires others, which can only be positive.

“Team BRIT is inspiring others in the same way and now the Academy will open doors people haven’t had access to before, providing the same chances that able-bodied drivers have.

“This is a huge step forward in motorsport and something I’m proud to support.”

Any disabled driver with a full UK licence can now receive race coaching, mentoring and tuition at Team Brit’s base in Dunsfold, Surrey..

The Academy will give drivers access to the team’s world-leading hand controls, which use fly by wire technology to provide electronic acceleration and braking from a steering wheel that can be adapted to suit.

Team BRIT is aiming to become the first ever all-disabled team to race in the Le Mans 24 hour race and its drivers are working their way up the motorsport ladder, currently competing in the BMW 116 Trophy and the Britcar Championship.

Some of the drivers are part of the academy’s coaching team and have worked their way up from rookie driving in kart racing.

Many are injured military troops and have used motorsport as part of their rehabilitation and recovery.

Team BRIT founder Dave Player said:

PICTURES: David Archer, Kingsize Photography

“Disabled drivers make up around 5% of the UK’s driving population, but accessing motorsport has been incredibly hard.

“We will support them right from the start, providing simulator training before they get on the track, expert coaching and specialist controls to suit most disabilities.

“Now is the time to level the playing field, if anyone is interested, I’d urge them to get in touch and give it a try.”

Track days start from £125, full courses to achieve a race licence cost £2,000. n www.teambrit.co.uk.

HALF A MILLION readers across the North West . . .

June/July 2019

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

SUBSCRIBE!

Mayhem magic raises hopes of a great season

M

By PETER BRADBURY

ANCHESTER Mayhem opened their British Para Ice Hockey League campaign with a ‘smash and grab’ 4-1 home win over the Cardiff Huskies at Altrincham’s Planet Ice.

Manchester started the game as they did for the majority of it – on the back foot, but Cardiff had nothing to show for their complete domination and were left frustrated by the performance of Pomfret in the Mayhem goal.

Play in the second quarter was much like the first, with the Huskies on top. But

New pitch gets pulses racing and muscles twitching

D

ISABLED footballers across Cheshire have been given a fantastic boost – in the shape of a new floodlit 3G sports pitch and accessible changing facilities.

All Together NOW!

as the half progressed Manchester began to stir.

Tyler Christopher got called for a teeing penalty and, very much against the run of play, the home side scored on the powerplay when Anthony Booth put the puck past Susan Cook in the Cardiff goal.

In trying to find the equaliser, Cardiff were left open at the back and were punished when Dean Laham played the puck to Karl Nicholson, who in turn, flipped it high up the ice for Booth to make it 2-0.

In the third, Cardiff kept up the pressure on Pomfret, but another Mayhem break resulted in Nicholson grabbing a third goal.

The full-size pitch at the Seashell Trust’s Cheadle Hulme base was made possible thanks to £500,000 grant from the Premier League and The Football Foundation.

Other groups that will use the facilities include Cheadle and Gatley FC, and Stockport County teams.

Seashell also plan to hold weekly disability football coaching sessions and there are plans for the pitch to be used by local Rugby Union teams (Manchester Rugby Club), the Norbury Lacrosse Club,

PICTURE: Yetiiis Photography

The Huskies finally got on the scoreboard through Tyler Christopher, but their hopes were short-lived. A minute later the game was sealed when Rob Allen’s great vision provided Nicholson to net his second.

FIXTURES Sun 9 Jun: 4:15pm Manchester Mayhem v Sheffield Steelkings Sat 13 Jul: 6:30pm Cardiff Huskies v Manchester Mayhem Sun 28 Jul: 4:15pm Manchester Mayhem v Peterborough Phantoms Sun 4-Aug: 4:15pm Sheffield Steelkings v Manchester Mayhem n Contact Pete Hagan, tel 07709 086586

All Together NOW! is helping and inspiring tens of thousands of people whose lives are affected by disability.

But the charity needs to find ways to balance the books.

You can help in a big way by becoming one of our loyal subscribers. For a suggested £15 donation (more, if you can afford it!) we will send you the next SIX editions.

NAME

ADDRESS

as well as the possibility of hosting Rugby League events as part of the newly launched Super League “Learning Disability Rugby League” project. n PICTURED (from left): Wendy Meikle, Deputy Mayor of Stockport, Edith Conn, Deputy Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, Jolanta McCall, chief executive Seashell Trust, students Stephen Darbyshire and George Oliver, and Mary Robinson, MP for Cheadle

Please send this coupon and a cheque payable to All Together NOW! to: Subscriptions Dept., All Together NOW! The Bradbury Centre, Youens Way, Liverpool L14 2EP — THANKS!

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FANCY A CHAT AND A GET-TOGETHER?

32

All Together NOW!

W

E WANT to hear from readers who might like to get more involved with All Together NOW! – maybe attending an ATN get-together / afternoon tea to have a good talk about what you like (or dislike!) in the paper – and perhaps suggesting what we should include in future editions.

Apart from helping us to make All Together NOW! even better, this could also be a great way of escaping from the house for a few hours, having a good chat, and possibly even making new friends…

Or perhaps you might like the idea of joining in one of a series of news writing/reporting workshops that we might stage, or even helping with our fundraising!

At this stage, we are not expecting any firm commitments from you – just an indication that you might like the idea of getting more involved with our work.

PLEASE get in touch and let us know your thoughts.

You can either give us a quick phone call to register your possible interest, or send a brief email (subject GET TOGETHER).

You can also complete this form and send it to us. To save additional postage, you could include it with a competition entry to win a water butt, courtesy of United Utilities (Page 9) or a garden plant watering kit from Mr Fothergill’s (Page 27) – or both!

June/July 2019

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

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