Issue62 june july 2015

‘

p18-19

10

YEARS OLD!

BRILLIANT – FULL OF HOPE BEAUTIFULLY PRODUCED

T AKE ME H OME!

opening doors, broadening minds

Professor Fiddlesticks (John Cossam) and Dave Thompson at last year’s fun and info-packed Disability Awareness Day

JUNE-JULY, 2015

BEST DAD IN THE WORLD p10-11

2

All Together NOW!

What’s inside NEWS

p2-6

THE MORGAN FOUNDATION

p7

UNITED UTILITIES

p9

YOUNG AT HEART

p8

DISABILITY AWARENESS DAY p10-11 SKILLZONE

p12

INDEPENDENT LIVING

p16-17

SOUNDING OFF: SIR BERT MASSIE p13

ALL TOGETHER NOW! CONTACT BOARD HEALTHZONE

p18-19 p20

p21-27

THEATRE GUIDE

p28-30

GARDENING

p31

SPORT

p34-35

HOROSCOPES/BOOKS: PUZZLEZONE

p30

p32-33

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. n If YOU can help, please contact us on

0151 230 0307

Editor: Tom Dowling

NEWS

June/July 2015

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Too scared to claim

Top new awards await autistic artists

P

SEE PAGE 13

EOPLE of all ages with autism are being given a chance to show off their creative talents by entering a new national competition focusing on art and technology.

The competition is being organised to coincide with AuTech 2015, a national conference that will explore how people with autism can benefit from new technologies.

Organiser Dave Smith, from Wirral Autistic Society, said: “People with autism enjoy art because there’s never a right or a wrong answer. They can be free to

express themselves without fear of being different. In fact, differences, quirks and special interests are celebrated in an artistic environment. It’ll be the same with our competition.”

There are prizes in five categories – under 11; 11-15; 16-18; and over 18.

The competition will be judged by autism champion and art patron Dame Stephanie Shirley.

How to enter

Photos, scans or links to the artwork should be emailed to Dave.Smith@AuTech2015.co.uk

by August 21. Applicants can also post their photos or scans to: Dave Smith/AuTech, Wirral Centre

for Autism, 6 Tebay Road, Bromborough, Wirral, CH62 3PA Entrants should also include a completed information sheet, which can be downloaded from: www.autech2015.co.uk/creative future.

Shortlisted applicants will be informed by September 4 and their artwork will be displayed at the conference, when final judging will take place.

n AuTech 2015 takes place at Old Trafford stadium, Manchester, on October 1. n Wirral Autistic Society, tel 0151 334 7510 n www.wirral.autistic.org

CLEAN SWEEP: John, left, Michael, centre, and Steven hard at work on their makeover project

email: news@alltogethernow.org.uk

Advertising/sponsorship 0151 230 0307

email: sales@alltogethernow.org.uk

Editorial Support: Gerry Corner IT Support: Ken Almond Website: Pharos Design www.alltogethernow.org.uk

NEXT EDITION

Tuesday 4 August 2015 All Together NOW! is published by All Together Now! Ltd, The Bradbury Centre, Youens Way, Liverpool L14 2EP Registered Charity No.1106387 Company No. 5096931

Brighter days ahead for centre

A

CENTRE for people with learning disabilities has been getting a bright new look thanks to the efforts of three of its regulars.

John Davies, Michael le Good and Steven Ward came forward to offer a helping hand at the Dunningsbridge Centre in Netherton, Merseyside.

Centre manager Gill Flood said: “They take pride in their surroundings, and regularly get involved with jobs such as recycling and gardening, as well as helping our handyperson with maintenance and repairs around the building.”

The centre is run by Sefton’s leading social care provider, New Directions.

Be a special Friend – see back page

MANY disabled children’s families are not applying for benefits they are entitled to because of the way some sections of the media portray claimants.

Disability charity Contact a Family’s Counting the Costs survey of over 3,500 respondents shows that: n 70% say the stigma of claiming disability benefits for their children has increased in the last two years. n 62% don’t tell people that they claim benefits for their disabled child. n 11% received verbal insults from friends/family members because they claim benefits for their disabled child. n Of 481 surveyed parents not claiming Disability Living Allowance, nearly one in 5 (18%) said they felt uneasy claiming benefits for their child. n The charity’s Special Educational Needs Advice Line has just received £30,000 funding from the Freemasons to continue its work. Call 0808 888 3555

Need help?

NINE in 10 disabled people on low incomes have seen no sign of their financial situation improving in the last year, say national charity Turn2Us. Despite a recovering economy, the charity’s survey found that almost four-fifths (78%) have struggled to pay for food and other essentials, and nearly half (46%) say that their outgoings now exceed their earnings.

And half (49%) expect their financial situation to decline further over the next 12 months.

Alison Taylor, director of operations at Turn2us, said: “Support is often available through the benefits system but many people are just not aware what they are entitled to.” n Turn2Us Helpline (for people with no internet access): 0808 802 2000, www.BenefitsAwareness. org.uk

www.alltogethernow.org.uk NEWS

Jameela’s music club set to be a big hit

RAP star Tiny Tempah is set to headline the opening gig at the country’s first fully accessible music events club for disabled people.

Radio One DJ Jameela Jamil has set up her Why Not People? club to provide exclusive gigs with gold-standard access for its disabled members and friends.

Five massive acts – Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, James Blake, Mark Ronson and Tinie Tempah – have all agreed to perform at Why Not People? gigs in 2015-16.

Jameela said: “Our members and their mates can expect a night and experience unparalleled to any other.

“No one will be separated from their mates, everyone will be right in the action.

“This is just the first of many.”

Technology such as the SubPac – which helps deaf people to “feel” the music – will also be featured at the event.

Jameela presented Radio One’s weekly chart show and has personal experience of disability.

After being hit by a car when she was 17, she was not able to walk for more than a year.

The launch event takes place in the indigo venue at The Troxy, London on July 1 n www.whynotpeople. com See Page 6

June/July 2015

All Together NOW!

3

Young disabled ‘spies’ wanted

VAN TASTIC A

LL Together NOW! is TEN YEARS OLD – and we are celebrating in style!

Your FREE charity health newspaper is about to get a very special birthday present – a brand new delivery van, courtesy of our longstanding supporters, The Morgan Foundation.

Ever since setting up the charity we have relied on a small team of drivers – using their own cars – to get the papers to more than 150 venues across the North West.

But as demand for the paper continues to grow and grow (we are now distributing more than copies) – so, too, is the pressure on our drivers and on their old vehicles!

So to be told that we are to get a new Morgan Foundation Smiley Van – complete with All Together NOW! branding on all sides – is absolutely tremendous news and a magnificent boost.

Mr Steve Morgan, founder and chairman of The Morgan Foundation, said: “There’s no denying the important social contribution that All Together NOW! is making. It is excellent and we are proud to support the charity’s work.

“One of our fully branded Smiley Vans will bring many benefits. Apart from making it easier to distribute the paper it will raise awareness about the charity and will, hopefully, attract even more supporters.”

A MASSIVE THANKS to everyone at The Morgan Foundation – and to all our partners. Without your support we just would never have got this far.

Hope you all like this 10th anniversary issue. We will be back in August – the 4th to be precise. Enjoy the sun – but take care not to overdo things!

TOM DOWLING, editor

n WE’VE more good news to share . . .

This 10th anniversary issue has been produced using new Apple Macintosh computers, kindly funded by The Persula Foundation. Teresa Chapman, the Foundation’s secretary, said the trustees recognise the importance of getting news and information to people affected by disability – and are hugely impressed with All Together NOW!

n We also received a very welcome cheque from the W O Street Charitable Foundation to help with our deliveries. THANKS!

YOUNG disabled campaigners are wanted to go undercover across the UK to find out if access to public transport has improved since a “damning” study six years ago.

Members of the Trailblazers network will check out buses, trains and taxis, and will examine access to stations, bus ramps, journey times, staff training and attitudes, and even the behaviour of their fellow passengers.

A spokesman for Muscular Dystrophy UK, which runs Trailblazers, said: “We want to hear from young people across the UK on their experiences using public transport.

“We want to find out whether promises from transport providers and local authorities are truly making a difference on the ground.” n To take part call 020 7803 4846 or visit n www.mdctrailblazers.org

Deaf video advice

PEOPLE who are deaf can now get advice on welfare issues, with a new video relay service set up by deafblind charity Sense, and communications experts, Sign Solutions.

The service works by connecting people who use British Sign Language to a fully qualified interpreter via an online video link, which can be accessed by desktop, tablet or smartphone.

The interpreter then relays the conversation between the advice team and the caller.

Sean Nicholson, CEO at Sign Solutions, said: “Previously deafblind or deaf people have needed to book time with a sign language interpreter in advance.

Now anyone can have instant access to a dedicated interpreter whenever and wherever they need it.” n Tel, 0300 330 9250. Text, 0300 330 9252 n www.sense.org.uk.

Year of the ear...

THE Ear Foundation, famous across the world for its pioneering work with deaf people, have opened their unique new hearing centre in Nottingham.

The centre is designed so the latest hearing technologies can be seen and tried in a family friendly environment under the care of skilled professionals. n Tel. 0115 942 1985, n www.earfoundation.org.uk

4

All Together NOW!

Sir Bert blasts wheelchair plans

MOVES to improve wheelchair services within the NHS have been blasted by Sir Bert Massie, the former chair of the Disability Rights Commission.

Sir Bert says health chiefs are closing their eyes to an excellent code of practice that already exists.

Since announcing the improvement programme in February 2014, only two conferences and a series of working groups have taken place.

A Wheelchair Leadership Alliance – chaired by the disabled crossbench peer Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson – was also set up and told to produce a one-page “wheelchair charter”.

But Sir Bert, himself a wheelchairuser, said he was concerned and mystified by the whole programme. He said: “I can’t work out why it takes nearly a year to write a charter.”

Sir Bert chairs the Community Equipment Code of Practice Scheme (CECOPS) social enterprise, which has already drawn up a code of practice for the community equipment industry.

He said: “We have done the standards for them. They are here.

What’s their problem?” n Liverpool leads the way – p16

Shock stroke rise

THE number of strokes occurring in men aged between 40 and 54 has leapt by almost 50% in less than 15 years.

The Stroke Association says there were over 4,260 hospital admissions in 2000 for stroke among men aged between 40 and 54 in England. This soared to 6,221 in 2014 – an increase of 46%.

Women aged 40-54 admitted to hospital after a stroke in the last 15 years has also dramatically increased, by almost a third (30%) – from 3,529 in 2000, to 4,604 in 2014.

Overall, the number of strokes occurring in people of working age (20-64) has risen by a quarter within the past 15 years.

It is thought that the rise is due to increasing sedentary and unhealthy lifestyles, and changes in hospital admission practice. n Stroke helpline: 0303 303 3100, www.stroke.org.uk

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.irtonhousefarm.com 017687 76380

NEWS

June/July 2015

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Skidding down Skiddaw Attitudes really do need to change

T

HE weather was atrocious, but for handcyclists Keith Robinson and Adrian Disney it was a day to remember!

The hardy pair and their support crew battled with wind and snow in their six-hour climb – and 30 minute descent – of Skiddaw in the Lake District, England’s fourth highest mountain.

It was the latest in a series of off-road adventures, entitled Hand-Bikes at Dawn, co-ordinated by Challenge your Boundaries, which promotes adaptive mountain-biking.

Keith, 68, a retired university programmer from London, has lived with polio since a toddler, while Adrian, 48, a lecturer from Pembrokeshire, is spinally injured following a climbing accident. n Challenge Your Boundaries: 01341 430628.

OFF LINE! Majority of disabled people do not use the internet

D

ISABLED people are less likely to have used the internet than non-disabled people in every age group, according to a new report from the Office for National Statistics.

The information, taken from the Labour Force Survey, shows that the gap in the percentages who have used the internet widens in older age groups, with 10.9% of disabled 45-54 year olds having never been online, compared with only 2.8% of nondisabled adults in the same age group.

Looking at the overall figures, the South East was the region with the lowest proportion of adults who had never been online (8.6%), with Northern Ireland remaining the highest (18.8%). At a local level, the area with the highest proportion who had last used the internet more than three months ago, or who had never used it, was the Isle of Anglesey (40.9%), with the lowest being Thurrock (4.6%).

The share of UK adults who have never used the internet decreased from 12.6% (6.4m) in Q1 2014 to 11.4% (5.9m) in Q1 2015.

Recent internet usage was highest among 16-24s (98.8%) and lowest among over 75s (33%). Internet usage by women continues to be lower than men, particularly in older age groups, with only 27.3% of women over 75 having been online.

Make it a holiday to remember

FANCY helping someone who is deafblind to have a holiday they’ll remember forever?

Deafblind charity Sense is looking for volunteers to join its annual holidays programme.

Accommodation ranges from outdoor activity centres to cottages, farms and barns. Villas and barges are also available.

Activities are fun and varied and can include kayaking, horse riding, camping or making sandcastles on the beach. n Tel 0300 330 9250 or email holidays@sense.org.uk www.sense.org.uk/content/volunteering-sense-holiday

n The full ‘Internet Users, 2015’ statistical bulletin is available at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/rdit2/in ternet-users/2015/stb-ia-2015.html

THE ONS report backs up findings from the digital inclusion charity Citizens Online, which said that only four in ten disabled people use the internet – and that the majority of websites continue to fail to meet the legal minimum standards of accessibility.

Francis Barton, one of the authors of the report, said: “Society is not divided into two clear groups, disabled and non-disabled people.

“Everyone is likely to journey from relative disability in childhood, through periods of greater ability and then in later life back to relative disability again, as for instance eyesight, memory or dexterity

deteriorate. We are all, at the very least, not-yet-disabled, and it is the ‘standard web user’ – adult, fullyable-bodied, and literate which is really the minority group.” n There are 11m disabled people in the UK, 76 million across the EU and more than 550 million worldwide. n 1.8m people in the UK have a vision impairment, of which 180,000 are registered blind. n Almost 2m people in the UK have a hearing impairment, of which 50,000 use British Sign Language to communicate. n 2.6m people have difficulties using their hands, which may impact their use of keyboards, screens and mice. n Over 1m have a progressive, cyclical or fluctuating condition such as multiple sclerosis, that will periodically affect their ability to use the web.

Sign up for your FREE e-newsletter – www.alltogethernow.org.uk

ONLY one in 20 people say they would feel confident meeting somebody with a disability.

And 82% of those quizzed say there should be more training at work to ensure that employees feel comfortable with disabled colleagues.

Disability experts are now calling on UK employers to listen to their workforce’s wishes in relation to being more disability aware.

Commissioned by the Disability Matters Consortium – a group of national organisations working with disabled young people and parent carers – the research also found: n Nearly one in five don’t feel confident working alongside a disabled colleague. n 16% don’t know whether they would feel confident communicating with a disabled child. n 27% wouldn’t feel confident speaking to the parents of a child who they think might be disabled. n Only 5% of people choose “confident” as a top three term that describes how they feel when they meet a disabled person Dr Karen Horridge, clinical lead for the Disability Matters Programme and fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: “Much needs to be done to improve everyone’s attitudes and confidence around disabled people of all ages.”

The new website, Disability Matters, funded by the Department of Health, encourages organisations to create additional training for their workforces and volunteers. n www.disabilitymatters. org.uk TA KE ME HOME!

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

All Together NOW!

June/July 2015

NEWS

TRAILBLAZERS: Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside Dame Lorna Muirhead leads the walk at Barstondale

My blue heaven!

RIGHT: Dame Lorna Muirhead with Robin Bush, chief executive of Wirral Autistic Society

B

LUE skies and a stroll through a new and exciting sensory trail – it was double delight for Dame Lorna Muirhead, the Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside.

Dame Lorna was officially opening two new facilities for disabled people on the Wirral.

On World Autism Day she was at The Willows, a state-of-the-art home for people with severe autism, located at Wirral Autistic Society’s Raby Hall site in Bromborough.

The new development is part of a 10-year strategy to completely modernise the site.

Dame Lorna, a former nurse and midwife, said: “When I was a young nurse autism wasn’t even identified.

“Parents then had to just soldier on. We

Everton FC ambassadors Ian Snodin (left) and Graeme Sharp

know so much more now – but it is still a constant challenge.”

To mark World Autism Awareness Day, with its official colour of blue, the charity had asked

families, schools and companies across the region to ‘Get your blue on’.

Hundreds of blue balloons were released after the opening with the help of Everton FC ambassadors Graeme Sharp and Ian Snodin.

Earlier Dame Lorna cut the ribbon at the new sensory trail at Barnstondale, which has provided activity breaks for families for more than 100 years.

She said: “The children who come here are always active, always playing, always smiling.

I am an advocate for social inclusion and child development, at which Barnstondale excels.” n Wirral Autistic Society: 0151 334 7510, www.autistic.org n Barnstondale: 0151 648 1412, www.barnstondale.org

Fears over Access to Work job scheme

THE GOVERNMENT has been urged to reject a document released by Department for Work and Pensions hours after the General Election result, suggesting the Access to Work programme may be axed.

The Business Disability Forum says more than 110,000 disabled people have been helped to get and stay in jobs since 2007 through the ATW programme, with more than 35,500 people assisted in the last 12 months.

George Selvanera,BDF director of policy, services and communication, said: “The Government should restate its commitment to Access to Work, reject DWP’s document and ensure continued partnership with business to deliver real jobs for disabled people.

“While it is right that the Government makes savings, saving pennies to lose pounds is obviously enough not the way to do it.

“Access to Work is not a benefit but a successful partnership with employers that has a 100% success rate in helping disabled people work and stay in work.”

The programme meets the extraordinary costs that would otherwise prevent an employer hiring a person with particular disabilities. These include costs of support workers and transport. n www.businessdisabilityforum.org.uk

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All Together NOW!

MUSIC

June/July 2015

THE Mono LPs. From left: Ste Reid (vox and guitar); Vicky Mutch (cello); Dan Beech (drums); and Chris Barlow (bass)

Autistic stars all set to shine

A FUNDRAISING concert showcasing performers who are on the autistic spectrum takes place at the Z Arts Centre, Manchester on September 12.

Sonja Malpeli, from the Stepping Stones Across the Spectrum group, said: “This is our second annual concert. “Last year we held a very successful autumn ball at The Last Drop Village Hotel and Spa, Bolton, where all of the performers, including the photographer, were on the autistic spectrum.

“The ball raised over £6,000, which enabled us to donate £3,100 to The Heroes Project, £3,100 to Halton Autistic Family Support, and a further £100 to Ruby’s Fund.

“As a mother of three adults who are all on different ends of the spectrum, I am very aware of how autism impacts not only on the person themselves, but on the whole family – and how services dwindle away when children become adults.”

The group has just set up a monthly social night – first Tuesday of the month, at the Walkden Gateway Centre, Smith Street, Worsley, Manchester. n Contact Sonja, tel 07976 896351 email: steppingstones55@yahoo.co.uk www.steppingstonesacrossthespectrum .co.uk

Your big chance

THOUSANDS of pounds of prizes up for grabs – including recording studio time and music development classes – in this year’s Open Mic UK competition.

Auditions are being heldacross the UK with the aim of finding the UK’s best singers, singer songwriters, rappers and vocal groups. The overall winner will receive a comprehensive package as well as a main prize of £5,000.

Audition dates include: Sat Aug 8: Birmingham NEC Sun Aug 9: Studio 25, Manchester Sun Aug 30: The Liner Hotel, Liverpool n www.openmicuk.co.uk

Music festival first

THE FIRST ever music festival for people with a learning disability and autism, their families and carers is coming to the heart of the New Forest this summer.

More than 40 live acts have signed up for the three-day event, taking place at Lyndhurst from Friday to Sunday July 10-12.

The festival will host two stages, a dance tent and a sensory area, as well a circus school, swing dance classes, a zip wire and a large camp site.

The whole festival is 100% wheelchair friendly, say the organising charities, The Minstead Training Trust and Stables Family Home Trust who provide care and support to over 250 adults with a learning disability in the area. n A three-day ticket, including camping, costs £120, with a one-day ticket £80.

Email, Halkennard@gmail.com or call 07593 996 931. n www.newforestspectrum.org

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

THE band’s latest single – Emilia – is widely tipped to bring them greater recognition.

Next on the agenda is performing at Farm Feast, Claremont Farm, Wirral, June 13. Then it’s over to Norway for the Fosnavag Rock festival on June 26.

Check them out at: www.themonolps.com www.facebook.com/themonolps www.youtube.com/themonolps

Banging the drum n THE Mono LPs are one of Liverpool’s bright young bands. They have headlined shows for Alan McGee, performed at the Notting Hill Arts Club, The Orange Unlit Tour and a wealth of festivals including Kendal Calling, Liverpool Music Week and Sound City. n But it’s not been easy and the four-piece band have had to overcome all sorts of challenges to get their name and their music known. n Drummer Dan Beech has also had to deal with some very special health challenges . . .

I

WAS diagnosed at 13 with Crohn’s disease and colitis. After spending months at school being fed through a tube – and leaving with good grades in the most boring subjects possible – I decided to pick up a hobby that appealed to my creative side.

I begged my mum to get me a drum kit from eBay. It cost £50 and made a lot of (horrific) noise.

Less than a month later, armed with four well-rehearsed drum beats and a natural knack for hitting things and being loud, I joined my first band. By no means were we great but we had fun learning our crafts.

Eventually I was asked to audition for a local band that I knew, and loved – The Mono LPs. I had never really auditioned for a band before, so I went on YouTube and studied every video I could.

Unable to play my kit I sat on the end of my bed hitting my drum stool for three days until I came out the other end ten-plus songs – and a load of blisters – better off.

I went to my audition, played a gig with them less than a week later, and the rest is history.

Now we’re touring, playing festivals around the world, supporting popular bands in major venues, and having the time of our lives.

When I first started in The Monos my Crohn’s wasn’t too bad. It was more of an occasional inconvenience.

But as I’ve got older it’s got progressively worse. With the flare ups and sick days becoming more frequent I’ve had to miss a lot of practise over the years.

It’s not great to have to cancel on your friends, especially when you have important gigs coming up.

I was very lucky to find a group of friends who understand that it’s not my fault that I cancel plans at the last minute, who always make me feel better when I’m feeling down, as well as being gifted enough to tear the roof off a venue without actually practising.

There have been many days when I haven’t been able to do what I love but my advice to anyone is never never let things stop you from pursuing what you want to do in life, whether that’s achieving highly in academic fields, or expressing your creativity through an art form.

Your disability does not define you. Go out there and do what you love and show everybody that disabled does not mean unabled. n Crohn’s disease is a chronic (longterm) condition that causes inflammation of the lining of the digestive system, causing extreme tiredness, abdominal pain, and weight loss.

Manchester venue strikes gold!

M

ANCHESTER’S Band on the Wall has become the UK’s first small venue to be awarded gold status for its commitment to deaf and disabled music fans.

Attitude is Everything, the charity that campaigns on behalf of disabled audiences and operates a nationwide Charter of Best Practice, has placed the 320-capacity venue on a par with London’s O2Arena and Glastonbury Festival.

Gawain Forster, projects & facilities manager at Band on the Wall, said: “We feel it’s hugely important that the FAIR PLAY: Garwain Forster, left, and Gideon events we stage are as inclusive as possible and can involve all of the local Fieldman, left, from Attitude is Everything community.

Everything, said: “Even relatively small “We have experienced how much live changes, such as ensuring that your website music can mean to disabled.” offers clear information or that staff are Suzanne Bull, CEO of Attitude is welcoming and properly trained, can make a

real difference to disabled customers and ensure they become fans of a venue for life.”

The charity has now signed more than 100 venues and festivals to the Charter.

According to Government data, the contribution that deaf and disabled people make to live music in the UK is significantly undervalued – almost 4 million attended at least one gig in 2013/14, a figure that doubled over six years while the number of non-disabled revellers stayed relatively static.

In 2013, more than 70,000 disabled people attended Attitude is Everything’s Charter venues and festivals, generating more than £3.5m worth of ticket sales.

However, despite this progress, a recent survey by the Music Venue Trust, found that more than one-third of the UK’s small venues offered no disabled access. n Band on the Wall: 0161 834 1786. n Attutude is Everything: 020 7383 7979.

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

June/July 2015

All Together NOW!

Making a difference . . .

H

ERE at the Morgan Foundation we want to help organisations who share our philosophy – Making a Difference.

across North Wales, Merseyside, West Cheshire and North Shropshire.

Our aim is to provide funding for small to medium-sized organisations who are addressing specific needs in these regions.

We are particularly keen to support those who have already begun to make an impact, but need a helping hand to expand their work and increase their effectiveness.

We focus our help mainly on those who work directly with children and families but we recognise that many wider issues may also affect their welfare, so we are interested in any project which contributes to the quality of life in our region.

ALL ABOARD!

Over the past decade we have helped hundreds of organisations across the region, committing over £14 million.

This year we will be giving away a whopping £2 MILLION to good causes.

Created in 2001 by businessman Steve Morgan OBE, founder and chairman of Redrow plc, chairman of the Bridgemere Group of Companies and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, the Morgan Foundation supports charities

I

T’S NOT just cash that The Morgan Foundation gives to charities and groups who are making big and lasting differences in their communities.

For the past 11 years we have also been helping groups by providing them with our very own Morgan Foundation Smiley Buses.

So far there are 35 Smiley Buses (including those donated to Wolves in the Community and via Wolves Aid) on the road being used by organisations such as community transport groups, special schools and disability sports clubs.

This year we have also expanded the scheme by providing Smiley Vans for charities and groups that need to move around bulky equipment.

Sefton Play Council was the first charity to get the keys to a Smiley Van. And we are delighted that our second Smiley Van will be going to All Together NOW! to be used to distribute more than 100,000 copies of the newspapers to more than 150 venues – at an average rate of 10,000 per week.

It will be coming to a stockist near you soon – watch out for it!

Smiley Buses and Smiley Vans are offered to eligible organisations on the understanding that they are used every day. This may mean sharing with other supported groups in the community.

They can be supplied either as standard, or fully adapted for use by physically disabled passengers if required.

Smiley Buses are offered to eligible organisations on the understanding that they are used

WE LOVE to hear your stories of how funding from The Morgan Foundation has given your charity a new lease of life, or enabled more families to overcome hardship. It makes our job worthwhile! Thanks!

Please get in touch via Facebook, Twitter, email, our website, or even by phone on 01829 782800.

every day. Buses are offered on a five-year loan basis with the option to purchase for £1 at the end of that period. Beneficiaries are required to cover all running costs, including road tax, insurance and servicing. n Commercial hire of donated vehicles is not permitted. n Organisations may be required to make a contribution towards the total purchase price.

SMILEY FACES: ABOVE – a brand new Morgan Foundation Smiley Van for Sefton Play Council. BELOW, a new Smiley Bus for St Christopher’s School, Wrexham

Buses will be provided to eligible charitable and voluntary organisations in the remit area which provide: n Community transport for the elderly, disabled and isolated for essential journeys such as medical visits, social visits, shopping. n Transport for disabled people to sports and social activities.

www.morganfoundation.co.uk Tel 01829 782800

HERE are the lucky 35 groups benefiting from our buses:

The Barnstondale Centre, Wirral.

Central Cheshire Buddy Scheme, Shavington, nr Crewe.

Cheshire Penguins.

The Children’s Advenuture Farm Trust, Millington, Cheshire.

Chrysalis Holidays, Newton-le-Willows.

CIL De Gwynedd, Porthmadog.

Conwy Community Transport, Colwyn Bay. Dwyfor Travel Club, Pwllheli.

Dynamic, Wrexham.

Ellesmere Port and Neston Community Transport.

Estuary Voluntary Car Scheme Group, Holywell, Flintshire.

The Harris Club for the Disabled, Speke.

Hinderton School, Ellesmere Port.

Millstead School, Everton, Liverpool.

O Ddrws I Drdws, Nefyn, Gwynedd.

The Observatory School, Bidston.

Oswestry Community Action.

Re-entry, Wolverhampton.

Rimrose Hope Primary School, Seaforth.

Save The Family, Chester.

St Christopher’s School, Wrexham.

St Columba’s Church Day Centre, Wolverhampton.

St Paul’s Age Integration Project, Croxteth.

Team Oasis, Dingle.

Tir Morfa School, Rhyl. n Special needs schools (excluding Venus Centre, Bootle.

Welsh Border Community mainstream schools) for the Transport, Buckley, Flintshire. transport of pupils to essential life The Wrexham Warehouse Project skills, sporting and social activities.

Wolves Community Trust, n Organisations providing respite Wolverhampton. and breaks for children, young Ysgol Maes Hyfryd, Flint. people, families and people Ysgol Pen Coch, Flint. suffering disabilities who would not Ysgol Plas Brondyffryn, Denbigh. otherwise be able to access . . . and coming soon Agewell Centre, Amlwch, holidays.

Anglesey.

The Morgan Foundation

@Morganfound

7

All Together NOW!

8

YOUNG AT HEART

Numbers of pensioners in work at all-time high

T

HE rise of the “grey entrepreneur” has been revealed – with new figures showing a record number of pensioners in employment.

In all, 8.1 million pensioners are working, a rise of 192,000 on the previous year. And 1.75 million of these are self-employed, with 12,500 companies set up by people aged 50 and over under the New Enterprise Allowance.

The reasons for the rise vary, often according to who you ask.

In many cases, says Age UK, they have no choice as finding employed work past the age of 50 is “tough”.

However, the Department of Work and Pensions, who came up with the figures, says it’s a case of the older generation “showing more entrepreneurial spirit than ever before”.

But Age UK is also taking a positive view, with a spokesman adding: “Far from being content to sit back and let the ageing process do its worst, increasing numbers of over-50s are choosing to stay in employment by starting up their own businesses.

“As a result the level of selfemployment in the 50-plus age group is about one in five, considerably higher than levels across all ages.”

He added: “Years of collected experience and expertise means that this group of start-up entrepreneurs is more likely to succeed, with over 70% lasting more than five years, compared with 28% of younger entrepreneurs.”

According to the Office for National Statistics more than one third of over 65s “choose” to run their own business than work for somebody else.

A spokesman said: “The latest estimate is that there are 411,000 selfemployed people 65 or over and this represents about 39% of all employed people 65 and over.”

Coral Hadley runs The Beauty Academy which has 10 centres nationwide including two in London and is a training ground for people of all ages.

She said: “Beauty is a business that works well for this age group because you can start out small, it’s not expensive to run and it can be homebased.

“This is very attractive to the older generation because banks are unlikely to lend over 65s start-ups funds.”

She added: “People who start businesses later in life are refusing to let old age get the better of them and are bursting with drive, determination and experience.

“With the over-55s due to account for a third of the UK’s population by 2025, these really are the grey entrepreneurs leading the way.” n www.thebeautyacademy.org

June/July 2015

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Life is fragile, handle with care

Over-70s ‘biggest gym users’ MONEY MATTERS

n IF you think the nation’s gyms are populated by twentysomethings with six-packs, listening to earsplitting rap music while they work out – think again.

It’s the 70 to 79 age group more than any other that is using the country’s gyms, according to a new survey.

And 72 is the age of the UK’s most frequent attenders, racking up around eight visits per month to gyms run by the Nuffield Health not-for-profit private healthcare charity.

The figures highlight a growing priority of fitness and good health among the older generation, says the organisation with 75 gyms UKwide, including in Manchester, Wolverhampton and Liverpool.

Researchers found: n Over 65s are the most frequent users across all UK clubs. n 74-year-olds in Leicester are the UK's most frequent gym users, averaging 14 visits per month. n Edinburgh, St Albans, Sheffield and Glasgow have the most UK octogenarian gym members.

KEEPING FIT: Gyms are not just for young people

IF YOU are reaching pension age before April 6 2016 – 65 for men and 60 to 65 for women depending on your date of birth – then you have the option of deferring your state pension.

If you are still working then this may be an option as it may take you into a higher rate of tax.

So what are the options?

Firstly, if you defer you can have an enhanced pension by 10.4% for each year of deferral.

Secondly, you could be paid the amount deferred plus interest of approximately 2.5% p.a. as a lump sum and your normal pension thereafter. This lump sum is taxed at the highest rate of tax you are currently paying so if your income varies or you are finishing work, timing is all important.

Deferral can boost your income. But it seems that you are only going to be better off overall after about 10 years.

Personally, I think it is better to draw it now than wait 10 years to be better off. But it is your choice.

This article is only a rough guide, much more detailed information is available at www.gov.uk/state-pension

Don’t die for a drink H

AVING survived the swinging Sixties, the economic changes of the Seventies, and the technology explosion of the Nineties, it seems an increasing number of us “old heads” are at high risk of drugs and alcohol misuse.

Sounding the warning is The Royal College of Psychiatrists who have released new guidelines that aim to reduce the threat of alcohol-related brain damage and suicide among my age group – 50 plus.

The RCP say that our post-war baby boom generation reaped the benefits of a new NHS and the plentiful food supplies afforded by the Common Market, now the EU.

By JOHN WILLIAMS

In the first few decades after World War II, consumerism flourished and people were wealthier and healthier than ever before.

But there has been a price to pay . . .

Alcohol misuse is inextricably linked to ill health and to self-harm and suicide. Its misuse is associated with both depression and anxiety, and because intoxication itself reduces inhibitions and increases impulsive behaviour, heavy drinking can even facilitate suicide.

In 2012, the 80-84 age group had the UK’s highest suicide rate, with over 20 per 100,000 people taking their own lives.

SENIOR MOMENTS . . . with FRANK HARRIS

GORDON VINER FCA CTA

The “baby- boomers” born between 1946 and 1964 have the highest suicide rates at any age than any other generation.

The problems don’t end there.

Although the damage caused by alcohol to the brain may be less well documented than alcohol-related liver disease, bowel disease or circulatory problems, alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) nevertheless devastates lives – and older people are particularly at risk.

ARBD includes alcohol-related brain injury and alcohol-related dementia. It can affect memory, judgement and reasoning, problem solving skills and understanding.

Currently, the highest prevalence of ARBD is found in the 50-60 age-group. While some people of this age may be at the height of their career and others enjoying a healthy and happy early retirement, people with ARBD may already need support from health and social services.

They may need this support for the rest of their lives, say the RCP. Many already struggle financially on their pensions, and an addiction can be expensive, leaving people housing, food and heating needs.

Dr Tony Rao, chair of the Substance Misuse in Older People Working Group, said: “Having lived in the shadows of the health and social care system for many years, it is now time for both clinical and public health services to work together to improve the lives of our baby-boomer generation and expanding population of older people.”

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

All Together NOW!

June/July 2015

Don’t fall victim to bogus callers!

Beat the bogus caller • LOCK Home or away – keep all doors LOCKED

• STOP

United Utilities is calling on all customers to protect themselves from doorstep criminals.

Bogus callers will often call at your door claiming there is an issue with the water and they need to check your taps; they will use this as an opportunity to trick themselves into your home claiming to be from United Utilities or ‘the water board’. Once inside, they will distract you while they or an accomplice help themselves to money and valuables.

Genuine United Utilities’ employees always carry an ID card and are happy to show this to you. They will never put pressure on you to enter your home and will be happy for you to phone United Utilities to check their identity. And our employees won’t refer to ‘the water board’ as this hasn’t existed for more than 30 years!

Bogus callers can be very persuasive, but our advice is to never feel under pressure to let someone into your home.

To help you, we operate a ‘password protection’ scheme. Joining our password scheme is easy.

It takes just one call to 0345 672 2888.

Is anyone EXPECTED? Is the back door LOCKED?

• CHAIN Put the CHAIN ON before opening the door

• CHECK Ask for caller’s ID card Check it by PHONING 0345 672 3723 Or ask for your PASSWORD if you are registered for our password scheme (see below for details)

We simply need your details and your choice of password. Then, whenever someone claiming to be from United Utilities calls at your home, you can ask them for your password. Only a genuine visitor from United Utilities will know what it is. It’s a simple deterrent that really does work and will give you the confidence to turn people away from your door.

Most gas, electricity and telephone companies will operate a similar scheme – see a recent bill for further details and contact numbers.

Need a little ExtraCare?

We offer a range of free services to help customers who: • are older • have a disability • have a serious illness • have sight, hearing or learning difficulties

fo r d n ha

customers

wi th

extra needs s with g r e n tom pi ed s cus l e r n e o f h ra nd t A ha ex ng

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We also offer a free password scheme for all our customers.

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m usto or c f d an gh

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Our services include: • personal notification of water shut-offs • large print, Braille and talking bills

A

customers with ext ra ne nd for a h e ds ing extra needs p h t l i w e s h er

To find out more call 0345 672 2888.

If you have hearing or speech difficulties and use a textphone, please dial 18001 followed by the number you require.

01/15/SD/6561

9

BEST DAD IN THE

10

All Together NOW!

DISABILITY AWARENESS DAY

June/July 2015

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Walton Hall Gardens,

W

DAD’S ARMY: Just a few of the staff and huge band of volunteers who helped at last year’s event

ARRINGTON’S world famous Disability Awareness Day was the first of its kind in the UK when it was launched way back in the summer of 1991.

Now, 24 years later, the FREE annual event has gone on to become widely regarded as the best DAD in the world – attracting more than half a million visitors to Walton Hall Gardens.

“It’s been a fantastic journey,” says Dave Thompson MBE DL, founder and chief executive of Warrington Disability Partnership, organisers of event.

“And one that we just couldn’t have done without the magnificent support from our huge band of volunteers and, of course, the vital funding we have received from our sponsors.

“Like always, so much work has gone into this year’s event and we think we have put together a day that will have something for everyone, young and not so young, disabled or not!

“We can’t guarantee the sunshine, but we can assure everyone of a fabulous family fun day out - and the chance to learn about all kinds of opportunities for disabled and older people.”

Warrington’s success has led to similar DAD events taking place in the Punjab, Cameroon and Gibraltar, where Dave has been invited to make a special presentation this year.

“It’s a real honour to be invited to the Gibraltar event,” said Dave. “They have been so impressed with our event and want to know how we put it all together. It’s a great tribute to our team who continue to come up with fresh ideas to make DAD better and better.”

Believed to be Europe’s biggest voluntary-led pan disability event, DAD is the perfect place to find out about the products, services and support that are available to help people remain independent.

Almost 500 exhibitors are expected in the tented village at Walton Hall Gardens, near Warrington. Visitors will be able to get information on all sorts of equipment, transport services, holidays, leisure, employment, support groups and a multitude of services all working to a common goal of ‘promoting independence throughout life and work’.

There will be something for all ages and all abilities, including information for people affected by a whole range of physical, sensory and learning disabilities.

A wide range of sports will be available to try – including scuba diving, wheelchair fencing, archery, golf, basketball and small bore rifle shooting – plus a non-stop music programme taking place in the everpopular Arts Zone.

Artists include several who have recently featured on TV – Britain’s Got Talent finalists Urban Gypsies will line

up alongside Carly Ryan and Martin Finn from BBC 3’s Autistic Superstars.

The programme also includes the Batala Samba Band, ELLA Performance Drama Group, Wired for Sound, Warrington Signing Choir transforming singing into sign, Wire Choir and Hollie Caddock.

“It’s an action-packed programme,” says Dave, “but the main aim of the day is to provide people with lots of information to help them get on with their lives.

“DAD is a platform to enable small and large support groups, businesses and public sector organisations to work together promoting their services directly to the general public.

“Since we set up the event we have gone on to play a huge part in helping to promote a ‘can do’ culture focussing on ‘what disabled people can do’.

“And this is something all of us Warrington Disability Partnership are extremely proud of.”

Support services include a free accessible Park and Ride scheme, a free accessible bus service from Warrington town centre, a free scooter and wheelchair loan service with trained volunteers, British Sign Language interpreters, unisex wheelchair accessible toilets, and more than 100 stewards and assistants all eager to make it a day to remember for everyone. n Car parking is limited, though there will be 300 Blue Badge spaces on the Walton Lea Road car park – adjacent to the bridge to the park. There are 700 spaces on the grass field car park (this can mean a journey of over 700 metres to the event site). A dropping off point is available adjacent to the bridge.

Minibuses and coaches can park

WORLD! WORLD www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Sunday 12 July 10am-5pm

Meet the sponsors . . .

Y

Kathy Cowell, chair, and Brian Cronin, chief executive our Housing Group has confirmed its ongoing support to the event.

Chief executive Brian Cronin said: “Your Housing Group is enormously proud to again be the headline sponsor of tDisability Awareness Day. “This fantastic event is not

only a wonderful day out but a unique opportunity to showcase the achievements and talents of disabled people.

“It also gives us the chance to show how we too are helping people affected by disability and other health problems.”

June/July 2015

All Together NOW!

DISABILITY AWARENESS DAY

DAD WEEK

n SATURDAY July 4: Launch of DAD 2015, Old Market Place, Golden Square Warrington Town Centre.

10.30am - 4.30pm. Free Admission n TUESDAY July 7: Positive Action Awareness Event, Walton Hall, Walton Gardens (9.30am - 12.30pm).

Students from schools across the area will attend our annual interactive awareness event aimed at dispelling myths and misconceptions associated to disability and disabled people.

Invitation only.

Frogtastic in the Park, Arts Marquee, Walton Gardens (6.15pm – 9.30pm).

Featuring 2 Ace Tribute Acts ‘Gary Barlow & Freddie Mercury’ and ‘Autistic Superstar’ Scott James plus full supporting show including guest Frogtastic club night DJ’s. Come and join the nationally recognised Frogtastic Team as they bring their multi-award winning Club Night experience outdoors to generate the feel and vibe of a real outdoor festival!

The event is aimed at people who have learning disabilities, their families and friends. Tickets £4 from The Heroes Project on 0161 872 8787 or contact Janis Williams on 01925 240064 n WEDNESDAY July 8: Ignite Your Life - Mental Health & Wellbeing Workshops & Exhibition, Arts Marquee, Walton Gardens (10.30am 3.30pm). 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust invites you to join them for a day of workshops and activities, advice & information from local support services, complimentary therapies, healthy eating, art, crafts and sports. Free admission. Contact Kathryn Earlam 01925 664450 Party in the Park, Walton Hall and Gardens (5.30pm - 8.30pm). A partnership of local children and young people’s support groups present a fun filled evening for disabled children, disabled young people, their families and friends.

Activities include arts, dance, sports, plus chill out and fun areas. Contact Karen Beaton/Stacey King 01925 240064 Theatre in the Park: Taming of the Shrew, Arts Marquee, Walton Gardens. Contact Gavin Gibbons, Walton Hall Ranger Service 01925 261957 n THURSDAY July 9: Concert in the Park - Wingate’s Brass Band, Arts Marquee, Walton Gardens (8pm10.30pm). Tickets £10. Bring your own food and drink, bar available. Contact Janis Williams on 01925 240064 n FRIDAY July 10: DAD Mega BBQ, Quiz & Charity Auction, Arts Marquee, Walton Gardens (7.30pm 11pm). Teams of up to eight, hundreds of £’s worth of prizes, fun quiz, great food, bar and charity auction.

Admission by ticket only £7.50 (includes barbecue). Contact Janis Williams on 01925 240064 n SUNDAY July 12: Disability Awareness Day, Walton Hall Gardens (10am - 5pm).

11

12

All Together NOW!

June/July 2015

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

. . . EDUCATION . . . TRAINING . . . JOBS . . . EDUCATION . . . TRAINING . . . JOBS . . .

Tackling prejudice at work

OVERCOMING ignorance and discrimination is the aim of two new guides from the TUC. The awareness-raising guides have been designed to help trade union representatives supporting workers with epilepsy and mental health.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Despite legal protection, workers with epilepsy still encounter ignorance, prejudice and discrimination.

“Trade unions challenge all such attitudes and behaviour and this guide will help them to do so from a position of understanding and strength.”

TUC disability policy officer Peter Purton said: “People with mental ill health still have among the lowest employment rates for disabled people, according to the Labour Force Survey.

“But the good news is that trade unions are finding ways to prevent mental health problems arising, or to work with employers to enable a person with a mental health condition to continue in work.” n Epilepsy in the Workplace and Good Practice in Workplace Mental Health are available from the TUC website: nwww.tuc.org.uk

The starmaker BELLES OF THE BALL: From left, Lorraine Worsley, Holly Nicol, Amy Brown, Candice Bowness, Sharon Cameron, Tony Eckersall, Katherine Crozier, Lauren Gallagher, Jess Palmer and tutor Karen Radcliffe

B

RUCE Dyer is developing a nice little sideline to his teaching job – helping create world-class sports stars.

Cash and creativity combine

A PROJECT that’s giving students a greater understanding of disability has also raised almost £800 for people living with Parkinson’s Disease.

The students at Stockport College used their creative skills to illustrate a collection of poems about the disease, written by Ray Wegrzyn and colleagues from the town’s Parkinson Equip charity, which helps people to lead active lives through sport and the arts.

Their work was then eagerly snapped up at a special college auction.

Ray, founder and chair of Parkinson’s Equip, said: “This donation will help improve access to art and sporting activities. Membership to art clubs or the purchase of equipment, such as Wii Fit, will improve participation and raise selfesteem of those with Parkinson’s.

“Research shows that an active and inclusive lifestyle helps sufferers manage Parkinson’s better.

“The students’ hard work and this fantastic donation means Parkinson’s Equip can reach out to more people.”

Reach half a million readers . . .

Irish paracyclist Colin Lynch has already been helped on his way to a world title and fourth place at the 2012 Paralympics by the university lecturer.

Now Dr Dyer is designing a prosthetic leg for amputee Craig Preece, who is in with a chance of making the Team GB cycling squad for Rio 2016.

“A project like this is tricky as you’re taking something that has to replace a limb that has been lost,” explained Dr Dyer. “ It must be comfortable to use during extremely high levels of effort but has to perform well technically too.”

Bournemouth University’s senior lecturer in product design was nominated for a Times Higher Education award in 2012 for his work with two-time world champion Lynch.

Preece, a father of two from Scarcliffe, Derbyshire, was injured by a roadside bomb while serving as a soldier with the Royal Engineers in Afghanistan in 2010 and was bought his first racing bike by Help for Heroes.

Stockport College students, Ray Wegryzn (middle) and Debra Long, treasurer (right) from Parkinson’s Equip

tel 0151 230 0307

Students get red carpet treatment

STUDENTS were given the red carpet treatment after raising more than £12,000 for the skin complaint charity, Debra.

The second year events students at Manchester Metropolitan University raised the money at their masquerade ball, which was organised by their own company, Klassic Events.

For the past seven years the university’s events department has supported the charity, which helps people who have epidermolysis bullosa, a rare genetic condition which causes skin to blister.

Candice Bowness said: “We were all very passionate about raising as much awareness and money as possible for Debra.

“Klassic Events believe that bringing 132 new faces to the ball has given us the opportunity to help a wider range of people understand the work that the charity undertakes.”

Sharon Cameron, regional director of sales at the Palace Hotel, said: “The Palace Hotel has a long association with the charity Debra and MMU, so we thought that Klassic Events deserved a special congratulatory lunch.”

TAKE ME HOME!

SOUNDING OFF

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

June/July 2015

Are YOU entitled T to be disabled?

All Together NOW!

. . . with Sir BERT MASSIE

Access to Work – or not?

HE Access to Work scheme has been a secret success of successive governments.

T

O ASK a disabled person whether they should be entitled to be disabled sounds like a daft question

Nonetheless, it is a question being asked in Government circles and the answer is likely to be a resounding no.

When the Work Capacity Test was being devised it was based on a concept devised by American insurance companies and introduced into the UK through a number of reports written for the Department for Work and Pensions.

A major report – The Scientific and Conceptual Basis of Incapacity Benefits – argued that many people claiming incapacity benefit did not have a disability that could be verified by medical science.

Examples of such disabilities were back pain and stress as, it was argued, all the DWP had to rely on

was the self-assessment of the person.

This does not mean that the person is not disabled but that sufficient evidence is not available.

The report also argued that many such conditions were treatable and curable and were therefore not longterm impairments. With the right medical interventions the person could be helped back to work and off benefits.

The extension of this logic is that the country has a duty to support people who are unable to work for reasons beyond their control.

If that reason is related to a disability that could be cured, but the person refuses the treatment, should they lose their right to disability benefits when the country is prepared to meet the cost of the treatment?

Does that mean they are disabled by choice and the country has no obligation to support them? These

questions are now being asked.

In recent years much of the media has depicted disabled people receiving benefits as scroungers.

Attempts to force disabled people to undergo “cures� opens a new can of worms.

If the policy is implemented there must first be long and detailed negotiations with disability organisations to ensure that people who have no choice but to live with an impairment are not wrongly penalised. We would also need assurance that medical science is capable of “curing� people and, if it is, will it be adequately resourced.

We would need to discuss whether forcing people to have medical treatment would be an abuse of their human rights.

However the Government proceeds, it must be with huge caution because the dangers of such a policy are worrying and profound.

It predates most disability legislation and was introduced to enable employers to meet additional one-off costs incurred when employing a disabled person.

In recent years the scheme evolved to include longer-term assistance for disabled people.

For example, blind people can use the scheme to employ a “reader� for part of each day.

Deaf people can apply for funding to employ a sign language interpreter.

Government figures indicate it is a cost-effective scheme because for every pound spent more than that is contributed in taxes. However, this splendid scheme is under threat.

The Government is considering limiting significantly the amount that deaf people can receive to employ sign language interpreters. The objective is to save money.

The logic is that since 1995

employers have had a duty to make reasonable adjustments to support disabled employees. As employers have such a duty it is inappropriate for government to also fund such adjustments.

There are several faults with this reasoning. The first is that employers are required only to make “reasonable� adjustments and there is no mathematical way of calculating what is reasonable.

Ultimately, it will be decided in an Employment Tribunal, which are too expensive for many disabled people.

However, even if an employer is happy to make a one-off payment, fewer employers will be willing to meet the on-going costs of sign interpreters or readers for blind people.

Moreover, a growing number of disabled people work for themselves and are only able to do so because of the support of Access to Work.

If these proposals are pursued they could result in many hardworking disabled people no longer being able to work. That will be the reverse of what the Government claims to believe in.

CREATIVE FUTURE

AN ART COMPETITION FOR PEOPLE WITH AUTISM AMAZE US WITH YOUR INGENIOUS IDEAS WE’LL EXHIBIT THE BEST AT OUR NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON 1STOCTOBER Using any medium imaginable, show us how Art & Technology can be combined to produce a striking piece of artwork. Could you create a roaring lion out of cables and circuit boards, build a supersonic jet engine o†| o= r-rb;u l-1_� ou †v; |_; Ѵ-|;v| 1olr†|;u vo[‰-u; |o ğr-bm|Ľ - lo7;um l-v|;urb;1;ľ

Regd. Charity Number: 1007878

13

How to enter: All ages can enter - as long as you have a diagnosis of ASC or Asperger’s syndrome.

The entry deadline is 21 August 2015. Email a photo or scan of your entry - or a link - to dave.smith@autech2015.co.uk. u rov| b| |oÄš -ˆ; "lb|_ġ )buu-Ń´ ;m|u; =ou Â†ŕŚžvlġ Ńľ $;0-‹ !o-7ġ uol0ouo†]_ġ )buu-Ѵġ ѾƑ Ć’

Ń´;-v; bm1Ѵ†7; -m ;m|u‹ =oulġ ‰_b1_ 1-m 0; =o†m7 -|Äš ‰‰‰ĺ-†|;1_Ć‘Ć?Ć?Ɣĺ1oĺ†hņ1u;-ŕŚžÂˆ;=†|†u; "_ou|Ń´bv|;7 ;m|ub;v ‰bŃ´Ń´ 0; bm=oul;7 0‹ Ć“|_ ";r|;l0;u Ć‘Ć?Ć?Ɣĺ

Ń´;-v; u;-7 |_; =†ѴѴ 1olr;াাom u†Ѵ;v -|Äš ‰‰‰ĺ-†|;1_Ć‘Ć?Ć?Ɣĺ1oĺ†hņ1u;-ŕŚžÂˆ;=†|†u;

14

All Together NOW!

June/July 2015

Now this is real Independence

T

HE Peugeot Independence is the wheelchair accessible vehicle that ticks all the boxes for the Button family.

Aaron and Kelly find the vehicle ideal for daughter, Bethany, 19, who uses a wheelchair.

The couple heard of Allied Mobility and called to arrange a home demonstration.

They met mobility advisor Karen who instantly put them at ease.

Kelly says: “We loved Karen – she was so helpful and understanding and explained everything about the car perfectly so we were

‘We’ve got to help older drivers . . .’

really confident in choosing the right one for us.”

The family of six need lots of space when travelling and the roomy Independence, based on the popular Peugeot Expert, provides plenty of it.

The vehicle is available in a wide range of seating layout options, so it can be customised to suit every family’s needs.

With a simple to use lightweight ramp, accessing the vehicle is straightforward and is designed to make life easy.

As always, safety is of the utmost importance so every vehicle is fitted with high-rated

0800 916 3028

wheelchair restraints and full lap and diagonal seat belts for every passenger.

The Button family now travel as a family – something they couldn’t do before getting their Independence.

Kelly says: “If we decide to take a trip it’s a quick and easy process. It’s lovely that Beth can come everywhere with us.

“Beth is at college, so having a wheelchair accessible vehicle makes it a much more pleasant experience for her and means she can concentrate on her course. Independence is really smooth on the road, and much easier to drive than I imagined it would be!”

WITH the number of drivers aged 70 or older now rising by more than 10,000 a month, the Institute of Advanced Motorists is calling for the Government, medical professionals and assessment providers to come together to address their needs.

The call comes in light of figures showing for the first time there are now more than 4.34 million licence holders over 70 on our roads – 320,000 more than three years ago, an increase of 11% from 3.9 million in 2012.

Over-80s broke the one million number last year and has increased by over 100,000 since then – a rise of 10%.

There are over 11,000 more licence-holders in their 90s compared to three years ago – an increase of 16%.

There are now 232 licence holders over 100, a rise of 70 on three years ago.

Britain’s oldest licence holder in 2015 is 107, while in 2012 it was 106.

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Motability row

THE Motability car scheme has been asked to justify tough new rules restricting grants made to disabled drivers with high support needs, at the same time that its charitable trust has reserves of nearly £200 million.

Last June, the charity introduced new rules for its Specialised Vehicles Fund (SVF), which meant that only disabled people who spend more than 12 hours-a-week in education, work, volunteering or caring would qualify for grants enabling them to lease a drivefrom-wheelchair (DFW) vehicle.

The rules were brought in at a time when the financial assets of the Motability Tenth Anniversary Trust (MTAT) – a charity set up by Motability in 1989 – had risen to £186 million, an increase of £150 million since 1995.

MTAT’s income in 2013-14 was £54.4 million – including a donation of £50 million from Motability Operations, which manages the car scheme – but it only spent £5.5 million of that on grants.

The concerns have been raised by the grassroots, user-led,

campaigning network Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC).

Motability has defended the SVF rule changes, arguing that it has a “finite amount of money”, that the new criteria “allow us to approach applications in a consistent manner”, and that “the complexity and cost of the DFW vehicles makes it inevitable that some criteria will be applied to prioritise applications for support”.

DPAC is now hoping to support a legal case for discrimination against Motability over the changes to the SVF. DPAC wants to hear from anyone affected by the changes who would qualify for legal aid.

It is particularly keen to hear from anyone who does not have a Motability vehicle and has been refused the right to apply for grant funding. n email: mail@dpac.uk.net

Motability won praise in October 2013 after it announced that it would hand £2,000 to every disabled person who had their vehicle taken away after being reassessed for PIP and had joined the scheme before January 2013.

June/July 2015

All Together NOW!

15

16

INDEPENDENT LIVING All Together NOW!

June/July 2015

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Top praise from Jane

A

CTRESS Jane Asher heaped praise on a newly-renovated North-West respite service for young people with autism.

Jane, who was officially opening the new service in Cheadle, Cheshire, said: “The new facilities at Meridian are excellent. I have seen many sensory rooms but this is by far the best. The centre will give young people a relaxing place to recuperate among fantastic surroundings.”

Meridian, which is operated by The Together Trust, is a specialist accommodation, offering overnight breaks to young people aged between five and 18 who have a diagnosis of autistic spectrum conditions, as well as associated challenging behaviours.

Jane, president of the National Autistic Society, joined parents and staff to unveil the redesigned centre.

Since opening its doors in 1996, Meridian has helped hundreds of families in the North West via its

residential and day care facilities.

National Autistic Society accredited, Meridian accepts referrals from across the North West region. n Together Trust: 0161 283 4848.

Wheelchair users wanted . . .

LIVERPOOL is leading the way with its new ‘Wheelchair in a Day’ service for NHS patients.

People previously faced up to 12 weeks following a medical assessment to receive their wheelchair.

But now the majority of people needing a chair can expect to be assessed, fitted and able to go home with their new bespoke wheelchair on the same day.

Those with more complex health needs and who require hi-tech equipment and powerchairs will be included in the next phase, which is due to be launched later in the year.

There are now plans to set up an adult wheelchair user group.

The service supports about 10,500 wheelchair users across Merseyside each year. n If you want to get involved in the new group contact the team 0151 296 7770

INDEPENDENT LIVING

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

All Together NOW!

June/July 2015

World’s smallest lift!

T

HINKING about having a lift put into your home – but worried about the space it will take up?

Well, your problems may now be solved.

Cheshire-based Churchill’s Home Care, who have been providing stairlifts for more than 20 years, say they have developed the world’s smallest home lift. It comes with a seat and can also be used by wheelchair users.

Malcom Ehret, the company’s national operations manager, says: “We know how important staying independent in your own home is. This new Mini Homelift will give customers a real alternative to a stairlift at an affordable price and with a fast installation service.�

Churchill’s will also remove and buy back the lift when it is no longer required.

Prices start from £5,995 n Churchill’s tel 0808 301 5296

Talking is often the first step to getting back on track Many of us go through times in our lives when we feel stressed, anxious, depressed or unable to cope.

Want to talk?

At Talk Liverpool, our trained practitioners are here to listen and to help you make sense of these kinds of feelings, so that you can find better ways of coping with them.

Your GP, or other primary healthcare professional, can refer you for a one-to-one appointment with a Talk Liverpool practitioner.

Or book you a place at one of our Introduction to Controlling Stress open access events.

How to make an appointment

Come and talk to us

How to self refer

Talk Liverpool is a talking therapies service for people aged 18 and over and registered with a Liverpool GP.

“Telling someone was a massive relief�

You can arrange an appointment yourself, or book onto one of our open Access evenings.

Just call 0151 228 2300 or go to talkliverpool.nhs.uk to complete a self-referral form.

Hasan, 26

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All Together NOW!

A REALLY inspirational and inclusive newspaper that I refer back to on many occasions. As a non-disabled reader it has helped me to ensure I do not define someone by the disability but by who they are and try to educate others to do the same. B Betteridge, Burton Close, Liverpool

A FANTASTIC charity newspaper giving so much help and advice. There are many people who don’t have the support from their families or who don’t have any relatives so this is an excellent outlet for people who feel isolated and alone. Kerry Hedges, Penhill Road, Bexley, Kent All Together NOW! has grown immensely from the time it first started. I remember getting the first edition. It was good then but it is so much better now. Well done to everyone involved in the reporting, editing, printing and distribution of the paper. Dorothy Radley, Church Street, Widnes

YOU have really helped my family on a personal basis as my father in law has had failing eye sight and through your website I have managed to contact the specialist help to provide him with equipment to help him around the home and outside.

Leesa Beckwith, Engel Close, Ramsbottom, Bury THIS paper keeps people connected. It’s like a friend dropping in. A very important social link. Mrs Pat Gillies, Helton Close, Prenton, Wirral

THIS newspaper is inspiring. It contains help, advice and good news – and brings able bodied and those with difficulties of every sort together. It cheers me up. Karen Kempson, Newline, Bacup

I LOVE this paper. I don’t use a computer and this paper gives me loads of advice and news which I wouldn’t otherwise get. There is lots of news about health issues. Everybody should read All Together NOW! Mrs J Birchall, Childwall Court, Ellesmere Port.

SUCH a colourful, varied, interesting, informative, cheerful read. It is like a paper equivalent of a friend! Mrs Sheila Tilston, Cinder Close, Guilden Sutton, Chester.

I HAVE only just come across the paper and I can honestly say it is amazing. Kerry Thwaite, Sneyd Hill, Stoke on Trent.

I GOT my copy from Warrington hospital. It tells me of things I didn’t know. Mrs P Mitchell, Dam Lane, Woolston, Warrington.

10

June/July 2015

www.alltogethe

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NOW FOR THE N FLASHBACK: May 2005 and Liverpool band The Farm help at the

HOW YOU CAN HELP KEEP THIS CHARITY NEWSPAPER ALIVE – BACK PAGE

THIS is a great paper full of information that we wouldn’t find elsewhere. Mrs Irene Ruth Price, Lindale Road, Fairfield, Liverpool.

WHAT an enjoyable read – and very informative. I never knew so much help and advice was so easily accessible.

Mrs K Quigley, Curzon Road, Ashton under Lyne.

THIS newspaper makes me feel like part of a group and that I’m not on my own. Sarah Hoyle, Raleigh Road, Leasowe, Wirral AN excellent source of information and encouragement, knowing you are not alone with your problems and help is available. Jennifer Brambury, Stoke on Trent

All Together NOW! keeps me up to date with health and important issues regarding disabled people. I am a carer for my husband who has a lot of health problems including vascular dementia. Mrs Elizabeth McCarthy, Nutgrove Road, St Helens.

I LOVE this paper. Two of my family are affected by learning disabilities and I get lots of support from reading your paper. Mrs P Ireland, Preston New Road, Southport.

NO OTHER publication comes close, even one that has to be paid for, in being so open and straightforward in addressing the often complex issues surrounding disability. The paper gives so much information and speaks of kindness towards others that I find so heart-warming. Mrs Barbara Williams, Chester Road, Helsby, Cheshire.

IT REALLY does keep up to date with

disability issues and inspirational people who let us know there is help and where to access it. Wouldn’t miss it for anything. Mrs B Whittle, Mere Close, Haslington, Crewe.

AN ENGROSSING read - many informative articles, inspirational to see those who have overcome barriers and those who selflessly give their time, money and guidance (great to see recognition for their efforts) and educational, too. Excellent publication.

G Fraser, Millars Place, Southport.

IT’S MY main source of information for relevant news about everything affecting disabled people like myself and my friends! Mrs Karen McDonald, Bulford Avenue, Woodhouse Park, Manchester.

A FANTASTIC publication in times when services are constantly being withdrawn from the very people who need them. Joanna Smith, Acre Lane, Bromborough.

Rich

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ernow.org.uk

June/July 2015

EY TO OPEN A THOUSAND DOORS – SIR BERT MASSIE

‘

NEXT DECADE!

launch of All Together NOW! RIGHT: Editor Tom Dowling and sons with the first edition

I LOVE reading articles on the health conditions from which I suffer and it makes me realise I’m not alone. Helen Swales, Sydalls Way, Catterick Village, hmond, North Yorkshire.

WHAT a brilliant paper. It has opened my eyes to a lot of problems that disabled people face on a daily is - especially things I just take for nted. Su Jones, Crabtree Lane, scough.

IT REMINDS me that my world doesn’t have to stop because I’m disabled and that there is so much more I can do. It’s at to know that there are people who really are and that some work tirelessly to create ortunies and better lives for people with bilities. Mrs Lorna Eells, Green Road, ington, Manchester.

I USED to struggle to get the information I needed for my teenage son who has learning difficulties autism. I love that it is written in an eat and entertaining way. Luisa Lauren, rer Walk, Steeton, Near Keighley, West kshire.

SO MANY charities focus on research and not many think to inform. So I’m pleased to find a charity dedicated to Cheryl Haste, Mary Vale Road,

All Together NOW!

LISTEN to what ‘Cynthia from Greasby’ said about us on Radio Merseyside’s Roger Phillips show . . .

AMAZING . . .

BRILLIANT, full of HOPE, INSPIRATION, BEAUTIFULLY PRODUCED . . . . and FREE!

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

OUR SUCCESS IS A REAL TEAM EFFORT

2014 O2 North West Media Awards (Specialist Publication) – Highly Commended 2013 O2 North West Media Awards (Specialist Publication) – Highly Commended 2012: Best Magazine (North West) – How Do Media Awards – WINNER Niche Newspaper of the Year, Newspaper Awards – Commended, Best small charity Making Best Social Contribution, Morgan Foundation Entrepreneur Awards – Finalist UK Public Sector Communication Awards, Best Publication – Finalist.

2011: Best Magazine (North West), How Do

Roll of Honour (The story so far . . . )

North West Media Awards – Highly Commended 2010: Barclays Trading Places Awards – Regional Winner; National Finalist.

How Do North West Media Awards: Best Magazine (Finalist) 2009: 02 North West Media Awards: Best Editorial Team (Highly Commended) How Do North West Media Awards: Best Magazine (Finalist) Morgan Foundation Entrepreneur Awards: Against All Odds (Highly Commended)

2008: How Do North West Media Awards: Best Magazine (Finalist) Morgan Foundation Entrepreneur Awards: Against All Odds (Finalist) 2007: Halton Positive About Disability Awards: Best Media – WINNER 2006: National Information Forum: Getting The Message Across – WINNER

2005: Wirral Challenge Awards: Best Media – WINNER North West Positive Action Awards: Best Media - WINNER

19

20

All Together NOW!

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 349 427 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 716971 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 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 709392 n WALSALL. Tel 01922 650781 n WEST BROMWICH: Sandwell. Tel 0121 553 1943 n WOLVERHAMPTON. Tel 01902 556021

June/July 2015

A

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

CARERS’ CENTRES

Active Community Enterprise CIC CE is one of the biggest personalised support agencies for people with learning disabilities in the North West.

Based in Toxteth, Liverpool, we provide training, paid employment and volunteering opportunities – as well as a chance to develop friendships.

Our current activities – Monday-Friday plus two evening sessions – include: n Fitness and sports classes Food prep and hygiene classes n Drama and dance classes n Art activities n Disability awareness

raising films and discussions n Twice weekly discos, attracting hundreds of people across the North West n Twice weekly cabaret events n Gardening using our large community garden, and garden maintenance for more than 100 elderly and disabled people in south Liverpool.

We also ‘take over’ Woolton cinema every Friday – again attracting hundreds of people. Unpaid carers can come for free.

All of the above activities offer paid employment to 39 of our 40 clients.

Darren Guy 07966 534030

WINNERS of our recent gardening competition are: Mrs M Lockhurst, Thirlmere Court, Hudson Close, Liverpool Ruth/Tracey, Manchester House Nursing Home, Albert Road, Southport Mrs. A Butt, Hall Road, Rusholme, Manchester All three win a superb Rootrainer pack, courtesy of Two Wests & Elliott.

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. Tel 0151 263 8366. Text 0151 260 4076 n MERSEYSIDE Coalition of Inclusive Living.

Tel 0151 260 4001 n NEUROSUPPORT Centre 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.

Textphone 01772 204 787 n RHYL Tel 01745 350665 n STOCKPORT: Disability 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 n WREXHAM Tel 01978 262955 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

ORGANISATIONS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND 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 n CARLISLE: Action for Blind People Tel 01228 595121 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 Tel 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

ORGANISATIONS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE DEAF 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 ST HELENS: Deafness Resource Centre Tel 01744 23887 n WOLVERHAMPTON Centre for Deaf Tel 01902 420904 n N WALES Deaf Association, Tel 01492 542235

nACCRINGTON 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 Helpline: 0800 085 0307 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 Tel 01925 644 212 n WEST LANCS Tel 01695 711243 n WIGAN & LEIGH Tel 01942 683711 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 Tel: 0800 276 1070

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

All Together NOW!

June/July 2015

21

Freedom of the city for an ‘incredible’ eye unit A

FORMER Lord Mayor was so impressed with the sightsaving treatment he received at a specialist eye unit that he nominated it for his city’s highest award.

St Paul’s Eye Unit, based in the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, has now been awarded the Freedom of the City.

Three years ago, just before retiring as a councillor, Roger Johnston was diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy - a condition involving damage to the retina, which leads to blindness if left untreated.

Mr Johnston was advised that if nothing was done he would lose his sight within 18 months. Among a range of options, he was invited to participate in a clinical trial at the Clinical Eye Research Centre.

A course of injections stabilised his condition and allowed the subsequent

DECADE OF POSITIVITY!

TOP HONOUR: Roger Johnston with the plaque

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Another organisation to benefit from Medicash funding is the Teenage Cancer Trust.

They needed funding to create facilities for young people at the new Alder Hey Hospital.

Medicash have pledged £10,000 towards the new unit which has been specifically designed to allow young people diagnosed with cancer to be treated alongside other patients of their own age.

Last year Medicash supported a programme around homelessness – with

£25,000 donated to four organisations.

Everton in the Community received £25,000 to help extend their sporting provision for disabled children.

Medicash has also donated more than £10,000 to Jospice over the years, helping the organisation to raise in excess of £250,000 in additional funds. n To find out more about Medicash, its health plans and its charitable work visit www.medicash.org

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Medicash is also committed to supporting charitable causes.

Over the last 10 years, more than £1m from The Medicash Charitable Trust has helped a huge range of important projects – many of which have been featured in All Together Now! The North West Air Ambulance (NWAA) provides lifesaving helicopter medical care across the region. Lynda Brislin, chief executive, said: “Donations from organisations like Medicash are crucial as we have to raise £4m every year if we want to keep saving lives.”

from world class professionals. If I had not attended the screening appointment and benefited from the clinical trial, I would now be blind.

“Not a day goes by when I don’t appreciate the quality of care and treatment I was given.

“They thoroughly deserve to be awarded Freedom of the City.”

St Paul’s date back to 1871. In 1992 it moved from Old Hall Street to its new site within the Royal Liverpool University Hospital.

Now St. Paul’s provides a worldrenowned ophthalmic service, with more than 100,000 patients visiting the unit each year.

Liverpool Lord Mayor, Cllr Erica Kemp, said: “St Paul’s forms an important part of the fabric of our city’s health heritage.

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successful removal of cataracts from both eyes.

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01/10/2014 14:09

YOUR health YOUR hands P All Together NOW!

22

June/July 2015

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

in association with Healthy Liverpool

IN

REVENTION is better than cure and, according to medical professionals, the prescription for good health is moving more, drinking less, eating well and stopping smoking.

The team behind the Healthy Liverpool programme – set to transform the way healthcare is delivered in the city – believe that these three factors hold the key to transforming the health of Liverpool residents.

Dr Maurice Smith, Executive Lead for SelfCare and Prevention for Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group, and a GP at Mather Avenue surgery, in Allerton, said: “No matter how good the simplest, cheapest and most effective way of keeping the people of our city well is simply by changing our behaviour.

“That means cutting down or stopping smoking and drinking, moving more and eating the right things.

“Lifestyle factors such as these have been identified as key health issues in Liverpool – more so than in many other cities.

“And they particularly influence high mortality rates for cancer, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disease, meaning it is quite literally a matter of life or death.”

In order to address these issues, Healthy Liverpool will empower the people of Liverpool to take control of their own health.

Central to this will be helping Liverpool residents build more exercise into their daily lives.

Working with Liverpool City Council and expert bodies like Sport England, the aim is to create a social movement, with people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities feeling motivated to take control of their own health

TIME FOR A CHANGE: Some simple changes to our lifestyles can make such a difference to our health, says Dr Maurice Smith

through physical activity.

A range of large and small activities, including ‘activity champions’, will promote the benefits of getting moving and offer support to people who want to get started.

Dr Smith explains: “People often worry that ‘moving more’ will involve lots of lycra and expensive gym memberships. It really doesn’t have to. It just means building half an hour of physical activity into your day – something that’s easy for nearly all of us to do.

“This could mean getting off the bus a stop earlier before work or just going for a halfhour walk during your lunch break.

“Just making these simple changes can make such a difference to your health, whether you’re fighting fit or already managing a long-term health condition. For example, physical activity reduces blood

pressure in patients with hypertension far more than prescribed medication. It’s even recommended by the National Institute of Clinical Evidence (NICE) as a treatment for depression, particularly when it’s undertaken in a group.

“Evidence shows that, if we could just get every adult in the city to undertake 30 minutes of physical activity most days, we could prevent 424 deaths per year. If exercise were a medicine with these benefits, people would queue at the pharmacy for it!”

Dr Smith concludes: “It really is simple. We want to get people doing more of the stuff that’s good for our bodies, and less of the stuff that’s bad.

“Changing our behaviour isn’t always easy but, through Healthy Liverpool, we’ll be providing help every single step of the way.”

“To do this, we’ll use the best evidence available to craft programmes for specific groups, such as young people and middleaged women.

“We’ll also continue to lead the drive for minimum pricing for alcohol at a national level, and work with local businesses to ensure that alcohol is marketed and sold responsibly.

“By doing this, over the next five years, we aim to significantly reduce the under75s death rate for liver disease, and remove the stress that alcohol misuse is placing on our already over-burdened

health service.”

Healthy Liverpool also has its sights on stubbing our smoking.

As the single biggest behavioural risk factor for premature death, and a big causation factor in lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular disease, it is already a major killer in Liverpool.

To address this Healthy Liverpool challenge, Liverpool City Council will work with partners in order to put in place a number of specialist programmes aimed at supporting people to stop smoking,

The city by numbers

n 10% – The percentage of all city hospital admissions that are estimated to be alcohol-related. n 424 – The number of deaths per year that could be prevented by 30 minutes of activity per day. n 3 – The number of hours per week a diabetes patient needs to walk per week to make the risk of heart disease-related death 2.5 times less likely. n 18% – The percentage of breast cancer deaths due to inactivity. n 86% – The number of adults in Liverpool who are not active enough to maintain good health compared to 70% nationally.

We have to get rid of this hangover

A

LCOHOL misuse in Liverpool is causing a significant health hangover.

An estimated 11,300 people in the city drink at high risk levels, and approximately 10% of all hospital admissions are estimated to be alcohol –related – the 4th highest level in the country.

Dr Sandra Davies, Director of Public Health for Liverpool, is leading the city’s efforts to tackle this problem.

She said: “We want to help people misusing alcohol to really cut down their drinking or stop altogether.

For further information visit ...

including improving advisory and specialist stop-smoking services and targeted interventions for groups such as young people and pregnant women.

The city has already had great success in this area. Providing a comprehensive tobacco control programme, including a specialist stop-smoking service, has already help to reduce Liverpool’s smoking rates from 35% in 2005 to 25% in 2013.

Healthy Liverpool aims to lower smoking levels in the city even further by delivering another 5% reduction by 2020.

www.healthyliverpool.nhs.uk

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June/July 2015

in association with Healthy Liverpool

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23

HOSPITAL TONIC H

CHANGE FOR THE BETTER: Left, how the new Royal Liverpool University Hospital will look; and, right, the new Clatterbridge Centre

OSPITALS in Liverpool are set to change for the better.

As part of the Healthy Liverpool programme, clinicians – such as doctors, nurses and therapists – will be leading the way and improving patient care by making sure our hospitals operate as efficiently as possible.

Professor Donal O’Donoghue, a leading hospital doctor and member of Liverpool CCG Governing Body, explains: “Liverpool, unlike many cities, benefits significantly from having excellent specialist centres, including Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, The Walton Centre, Liverpool Heart and Chest, Liverpool Women’s and the Clatterbridge Centre.

“Specialist services are also provided in our two acute hospitals – Liverpool & Broadgreen and Aintree University Hospitals.

“However, Liverpool’s hospital landscape has evolved over time rather than being designed to meet the current and future needs of the city and its surrounding areas, meaning that we have duplication of services which are not always delivered in the best place.

“All this opens up opportunities to review this landscape with the primary aim to improve the quality of care and to ensure we have clinically and financially sustainable hospital services for the next generation.

“Doctors and other health professionals from across the city are exploring how they can work better together and how we can respond to new national requirements that will see a wider range of hospital services being delivered seven days a week to more challenging clinical standards.

“Our aim is that everyone who

needs hospital care should have access to the highest standards of care, wherever they live, whatever time of day or night, or whether it is a weekday or the weekend.”

He added that doctors are also reviewing the way in which some specialist conditions are treated.

For things that may usually be experienced once in a lifetime, such as stroke, cancer surgery or major trauma, there is compelling evidence that bringing together the specialists who deliver these services in one place saves lives, particularly for the growing number of people who have complex needs and who live with one or more long term conditions.

Dr Fiona Lemmens, Clinical Lead for this work from NHS Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group, concludes: “The aims of the

Healthy Liverpool programme are simple. We want all patients to receive the right care, first time. We want the care delivered to be of the highest quality and available seven days a week, wherever you live, whoever you are.

“The city’s clinical community is working together to identify what needs to happen to make the greatest improvement in the quality of patient care and, ultimately, improved outcomes for the people of Liverpool.

However, this is just the start point for future improvements.

We will share initial proposals and ask people, both current and future users of services, what is important to them.

“Over the summer months, we will be out there speaking to the public in a citywide conversation to help us shape our outline proposals for improvements to hospital services into more specific plans, she concluded.”

Frank’s happy helping others

M

ORE Independent (Mi), a partnership led by NHS Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), helps people all across Liverpool to live healthier, happier and more independent lives.

The Mi Champions play a key role in the movement, working within their local communities to make a real difference, supported by Mi partner, PSS. Frank Ford is one of them – and here he shares his story.

“I have been helping people in the community for more than five years now.

During that time, I’ve set up a walking club to help people socialise, get out and about and improve their fitness. It’s been really successful, and I like to think it’s made a difference.

“Lots of the members have seen their health improve and are a lot fitter than when they joined. They also get to meet up with other people and have a chat and enjoy the social occasion. They range in age from a 6 year-old to an 87 year-old

and pretty much everything in between.

It’s a lot of fun, as well as having health benefits.

“From my point of view, being an Mi Champion is fantastic and I’d really recommend it. There are lots of courses you can take, and you get all the support you need – I’ve seen people go on to get jobs because of their roles with Mi. “Whatever your interests are, there is something you can turn your hand to – something that will not only make a difference to your neighbourhood, but

also give you a lot of new skills.

“There are course on health and safety, food safety, first aid and more, which is great if you are looking to improve your CV and find a job.

“I’m actually retired, so for me it is more about doing something I find rewarding – and, if I’m honest, I also enjoy getting out of the house and having a bit of a chinwag!”

e-mail: healthy.liverpool@liverpoolccg.nhs.uk. Follow us on Twitter at: @healthylvpool

24

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June/July 2015

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Kidney patients winners in £2m contest

MEDICAL NOTES

Big breakthrough in epilepsy conrol

RESEARCHERS have discovered the reasons why diet control can help millions of people with epilepsy who cannot be treated with antiepileptic drugs.

Their work could lead to potential new drugs that may be effective for treating certain types of epilepsy.

Ketogenic diets – high in fat and low in carbohydrate – have been used to treat epilepsy since the 1920s, but how they work has never been fully undersood.

Now scientists at Japan’s Okayama University and Kawasaki Medical School have identified the metabolic pathways altered by diet treatments, the enzymes that can control them, and potential metabolic drugs that may be effective for treating types of epilepsy that are resistant to other drugs.

Team leader Tsuyoshi Inoue said: “Our study opens a realistic path to develop compounds for drug-resistant epilepsy by targeting LDH enzymes with stiripentol derivatives.”

One per cent of the world’s population suffer from epilepsy, and a third cannot be treated with antiepileptic drugs.

NHS breast test

A TEST which could spare thousands of women with breast cancer from having needless chemotherapy is now available from the NHS. The test was recommended by the health watchdog NICE (National Institute for Health & Care Excellence) 18 months ago but the cost of £2,000£2,500 per patient deterred most NHS hospitals from trying it. Only 10%-20% of early-stage breast cancer patients are believed to benefit from chemotherapy.

UK asthma capital

THE UK will continue to be the asthma capital of Europe, experts predict.

While the exact cause of asthma and the reason for the disease’s significant prevalence in the UK is unknown, high diagnosis rates will mean an estimated 7.4 million being treated for the disease by 2020, according to Fiona Chisholm, of business intelligence provider GBI Research.

Hospital robots

THE company behind a robotic system that helps paralysed people to walk has teamed up with Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust to explore ways of getting patients who are critically ill or injured back on their feet.

Rex Bionics say that muscle mass has been shown to decrease at a rate of between 2-4% a day during the first two weeks following admission to an intensive care unit (ICU).

Dr Tom Clutton-Brock said: “This has the potential not only to reduce length of stay and its associated costs but to significantly impact on many aspects of patient outcomes.”

T

Joint effort CONFIDENT: Steve on the golf course

T

HE sun was shining and life was good for Steve Barnes as he enjoyed a ride on his prized 2005 Daytona 955i motorbike.

Steve did not make it back to the RAF base where he served as an electronic engineer, his outing violently halted as a drunk driver, asleep at the wheel, ploughed into him.

Half of Steve’s leg was ripped off, his skull, four vertebrae and pelvis were fractured, and all the bones in his hand and arm, from knuckles to elbow, smashed.

The severity of those injuries, six years ago, left him on the brink of death and eventually he had his right leg amputated, leaving him devastated.

But now, a new bionic leg has given Steve renewed freedom, ability and confidence.

“I remember the day my accident happened,” said Steve. “The Queen was visiting our RAF base that weekend and it was just before I was due to graduate as an officer at Cranwell.

“I was enjoying a bike ride on a sunny afternoon. As a Senior Observer with the Institute of Advanced Motorists, I was a competent, safe rider. A speeding car lost control and crashed into me, there was nothing I could do.”

An off duty police officer happened to be passing just before and saw the crash in his wing mirror. Thankfully, he acted fast and an ambulance swiftly arrived to take Steve to hospital in Lincolnshire.

“I woke up 10 days later following an induced coma,”

Bionic knee plus a can-do outlook turn Steve’s life around

recalls Steve. “At the time I couldn’t see the full extent of the damage to my leg and couldn’t feel any pain. I was asked if I wanted to have my leg amputated “It was a strange and emotional period for me; at the time my family and I didn’t really know anything about prosthetics or how they worked.”

Steve was transferred to Headley Court, a defence medical rehabilitation centre, where he found a positive atmosphere with fellow servicemen that helped him get through the traumatic experience.

As his wound healed he was in a wheelchair for three months. He was given a polycentric prosthetic knee but struggled because it did not feel secure.

“Eventually I trialled the C-Leg microprocessor knee from Ottobock,” said Steve. “It was an epiphany, I immediately felt secure and quickly gained confidence walking again. “ Soon after my fitting I was playing golf again, walking in my garden, tackling slopes; I was even kicking a ball around with the kids.”

WO Manchester businesses are among six winners of a competition aimed at revolutionising treatment for kidney patients.

Microsensor and IF Sensing will now use their share of a £2m prize to help develop cutting-edge technology over the next two years.

The Department of Health came up with the prize money for the Small Business Research Initiative competition.

Microsensor is developing a safety monitor to improve infection control for peritoneal dialysis patients, while IF Sensing is working on a device to allow the monitoring of kidney function at home rather than in hospital.

Other teams being funded by the competition are developing a radical new approach to delivering patient transport for kidney disease patients, and the development of a new type of diagnostic and monitoring test allowing patients to manage their condition at home.

This will enable patients to be further supported and seen in the community, reducing the number of hospital visits required.

The development of a novel self-help web-based solution will also help patients better manage their condition and keep to their medicines.

Life Sciences Minister George Freeman said: “Competitions such as this help the development of cutting-edge technologies which will make a real difference to NHS kidney patients.

“The UK is fast becoming the world leader in 21st century bio-medicine and life science, driving innovation and supporting small businesses to grow.”

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New chair takes over the helm

TREVOR Lake has been appointed chair of Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust, replacing Frances Molloy who announced in March that she was stepping down after five years in the role.

Mr Lake comes to LCH from The Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust, where he has served as a nonexecutive Director since 2012.

He is also chair of the Joint Independent Audit Committee for the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner and West Yorkshire Police Force, and was previously an Independent Member of West Yorkshire Police Authority, a non-executive director with Calderdale PCT and a non-executive associate with NHS Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield District.

Deaf video

AN interactive video service for people who are deaf has been produced by the LCH Social Inclusion Team.

The service, introduced to support Deaf Awareness Week, will benefit the one-in-six people who have hearing loss and who use British Sign Language as their first language.

The Social Inclusion Team work in close partnership with a range of local agencies to support excluded groups and individuals to improve access to health and social services.

You can view the video on at: https://youtu.be/H7ay0B_zy6w For more information contact 0151 296 7433.

Alternatively you can tweet them on @LCH_SI_team.

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June/July 2015

HERE COMES THE SUN! longer healthier lives

. . . so look after your skin

S

TAY sun smart this summer – that’s the message from experts at LCH.

Skin cancer is now one of the most common forms of cancers in the UK – and it is still on the increase with over 250,000 new cases diagnosed each year.

Those at greatest risk to skin damage from the sun include those with fairer skin, people with lots of moles or freckles, those with a personal or family history of skin cancer, as well as babies and young children.

It is important to have fun in

the sun, but also to be sun aware and take precautions to protect your skin.

Take these simple precautions: n Use at least factor 15 sunscreen or above whenever you are out in the sunshine. n Remember to apply sunscreen 30 minutes before you go out in the sun, and reapply it every couple of hours. n Check that your sunscreen is still in date. n Take regular breaks from the sun – and avoid sunbathing between 11am 3pm when the sun is

strongest. n Keep babies and young children under some shade at all times – their skin is more sensitive to the sun.

In addition, regularly look for: n Skin growth or sore that won’t heal. n Mole that grows or changes shape. n Mole where the border or colour significantly changes. n Mole or sore that itches, bleeds, crusts or scabs.

Should you have any concerns ask your GP.

Walk in for an X-ray!

PEOPLE using the Litherland Town Hall Walk-in Centre are now benefiting from the latest diagnostic equipment and x-ray facilities, following an investment of £250,000 by LCH. The new equipment produces higher quality images much more quickly enabling specialist community radiographers to review within seconds, which will improve diagnosis and should help to reduce patient waiting times.

The new facilities have been designed to meet a range of patient needs, including those with mobility and sensory disabilities.

Patient dignity and privacy has also been taken into consideration and improved changing cubicles will provide increased privacy for those who need to undress before treatment.

Amanda Pye, Interim Director of Nursing for Liverpool Community Health, said: “This new facility will provide an improved quality of community health services.” n Litherland Town Hall Walk-in Centre is open every day between 8am – 8pm and patients do not need an appointment to use the nurseled service.

25

Nurses come back to where it all began

O

VER 150 years ago district nursing – established by William Rathbone – began in the communities of Merseyside and helped sow the seeds of the modern community health care services that exist across the UK.

Just a few short years earlier another individual was helping to shape nursing forever through her pioneering approach to care.

International Nurses Day – May 12 – marks the birthday of Florence Nightingale, and the event recognises the contributions of nursing and allied health professionals in providing care within our communities.

This year Liverpool Community Health hosted an International Nurses Day conference at Aintree Racecourse to celebrate the hard work and achievements of staff including district nurses, community matrons, health visitors, physiotherapists, podiatrists and occupational therapists.

As part of the day, attendees took part in team activities and listened to speakers from the various services within Liverpool Community Health, while sharing their own personal reasons for taking up a career in nursing.

A range of LCH nursing services also shared there nursing stories and photographs online with the public and talked about what makes them proud of their jobs.

Yvonne Marsden, Community Matron at LCH, said: “I became a nurse in 1983 and since then there have been many developments in nursing practice and changes to the role enabling us to ensure services can work together and put the patient first.”

Amanda Pye, Interim Director of Nursing at LCH, added: “The conference was a celebration of the commitment and collaboration of our nurses and therapists. I was truly touched hearing about the great work our staff do each day to provide great patient care.

“The event also enabled student nurses to join together with our experienced nurses to share knowledge and career experience to help shape the future of healthcare in our community.”

To find out more, visit . . . www.liverpoolcommunityhealth.nhs.uk

26

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Have you heard? Jenny’s a star!

JENNIFER Fahy’s patients already knew she was a star.

Beatrice Fraenkel chair, Mersey Care NHS

NATIONAL Mental Health Awareness Week has just passed and I was glad it gave us another high profile opportunity to challenge the stigma associated with mental health.

The campaign aims to promote public awareness of mental health by highlighting it in the news media, increase social media exposure and importantly for all of us it’s a focussed opportunity to encourage people to talk and be open about mental health.

Talking about mental health is important for many reasons.

It seems to me that unless we feel able and confident to share our feelings, mood or problems with others, how can we support one another?

I am still surprised and delighted that when someone knows I am associated with Mersey Care they tell me about their own, or a family member’s mental health.

I have had this experience so many times, including from taxi drivers, that I know how many people are longing to be able to talk to someone.

I am very pleased that Mersey Care is now providing the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service for Liverpool. This is an important step in ensuring continuity of service across a range of mental health conditions.

Called Talk Liverpool, the service aims to provide psychological treatments – sometimes called talking treatments or talking therapies – to people who have common mental health problems such as feeling stressed, feeling low in mood (depressed) or very nervous (anxiety).

One thing I feel passionately about is the need for early intervention.

Talk Liverpool aims to see patients quickly and offer the kind of help they want and in the way they want it. The service works in different ways, so it can interact with people on the telephone, face to face, online, or through a range of courses and workshops. The service also offers support at a number of communitybased locations.

The service is available to adults aged 18 and over registered with a Liverpool GP through all the GPs and primary care staff in Liverpool, as well as a range of voluntary sector organisations. Someone can access it by self-referral by phone or online from the Talk Liverpool website.

All of us can feel low from time to time and everyone has something that they feel anxious about, but it’s when these very normal emotional experiences have unhelpful effects on day-to-day life that they can be termed a common mental health problem. n Talk Liverpool, tel 0151 228 2300 or go online at: www.talkliverpool.nhs.uk

Now it’s official after hearing expert Jennifer was named as a “rising star” at a national awards ceremony.

Audiologist Jennifer has dedicated herself to improving the hospital experience for patients and visitors who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Her work to improve deaf awareness among her colleagues at Aintree University Hospital, Liverpool, won her the title of Rising Star in physiological services at the Healthcare Science awards, run by England’s Chief Scientific Office, Professor Sue Hill.

Jennifer said: “It’s really important that staff across the hospital understand the needs of people with hearing difficulties and are able to

provide as good an experience as possible while they are in our care.”

Her work includes developing a deaf awareness training course for staff, securing funding for personal communication devices in all wards and assessment areas for patients who may visit as an inpatient without their hearing aid, and providing staff with advice on communicating effectively with deaf or hard of hearing patients.

Tony Kay, Head of Audiology Services at Aintree, said: “I am delighted Jennifer’s dedication and passion for improving deaf awareness has been recognised at a national level by England’s Chief Scientific Officer.

“The work she has done by going the extra mile has significantly improved the hospital experience for hundreds of our patients and visitors.”

Disaster looms TOP AWARD: Jennifer Fahy

Patients MUST

stop insisting on antibiotics

M

ORE than one million people across the UK and Europe could die unless more money is spent on developing new treatments for diseases that are becoming resistant to antibiotics.

Scientists are warning of an impending “Antibiotic Armageddon”. No country will be spared, they say.

In the UK alone, infections already claim an estimated 10,000 lives per year and experts fear this number could triple or even quadruple within the next 10 years.

Top scientists at the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases warn that as infections evolve into superbugs like MRSA – some of which are already resistant to all existing drugs – more must be done to ensure antibiotics are used correctly and only where they are effective.

Experts believe patients themselves are a major part of the problem, as a new study has revealed that one in seven Brits insist on being prescribed antibiotics for routine coughs and colds.

Only a handful of new antibiotics have been developed in the last few decades as new drugs are becoming harder and harder to create – as all the simple formations have now been found.

And the problem for existing drugs is that the more they’re used, the less effective they become because of increasing resistance.

A research team at ESCMID believes governments and the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry have not responded quickly enough, as over the last few decades the number of working antibiotics has reduced from 15 to just two or three, and in some cases, no existing drugs are now effective.

The potentially catastrophic scenario

emerged as a separate study revealed millions of Brits are still unaware supplies of effective antibiotics are dwindling.

A poll of 1,685 adults found 45% do not fully understand the consequences of our growing resistance to a string of common antibiotics.

A similar number admitted they were in the dark about the fact we face a race against time to develop new drugs before existing supplies become ineffective.

The study also revealed an over reliance on antibiotics for illnesses which could have been treated by over-the-counter medicine. n One in seven Brits said they believe antibiotics were the only way of treating common illnesses such as colds and flu, when in fact readily available medicine would have sufficed. n Alarmingly, more than 10% of those who took part said their doctor had prescribed them stronger drugs than expected for a particular ailment and around 6% even admitted they had lied to their GP in a bid to get their hands on antibiotics. n Even more worrying was the revelation that close to 12% have self-diagnosed a condition,

The perfect tonic . . .

and then turned to out-of-date antibiotics to treat it.

Researchers also found many of us have a flippant attitude towards the use of antibiotics, which frequently leaves courses uncompleted, or ineffective due to the consumption of alcohol. n More than eight out of 10 were unaware that as many as one in seven antibiotics fail to cure the illness in question.

Murat Akova, president of ESCMID, the organisation that commissioned the study, said: “The really worrying aspect is that no one yet really knows just how great this problem is.

“The real issue is that all the existing antibiotics we have are becoming less effective as people continue to use them unnecessarily.

“Deaths in the UK alone could very easily triple over the next 10 years. The rapid increase in antimicrobial resistance in Europe and the world is jeopardising modern healthcare.

“And resistance is spreading to the UK from across other European nations.”

HALF A MILLION

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Jab that could spare pain sufferers surgery

S

CIATICA is painful – and almost half of us will suffer from it in our lifetime.

Often caused by a slipped disc which irritates the sciatic nerve, the pain can be excruciating and might stretch from your lower back right down to your toes.

Now doctors at Liverpool’s Walton Centre have started recruiting patients to a new trial that hopes to find the best treatment for the condition.

With a £1m grant from the Government’s health research fund, the Centre’s spinal specialists will test whether surgery is always the best option for treating severe leg pain or sciatica secondary to a prolapsed disc.

Between 180 and 200 people are wanted to join the trial, which compares a pain-killing

steroid injection into the base of the spine though the “transforaminal (TF) route” with surgery – a “lumbar microdiscectomy” – on patients with a prolapsed disc.

If it is proven that the TF injections prove just as effective, or more effective, than traditional surgery, it could save the NHS thousands of pounds each year. The average cost of a microdiscectomy is around £6,000 compared to the £600 injection.

Martin Wilby, consultant in spinal surgery and chief investigator of the study, said: “There are 25,000 injections done a year in the NHS and 10,000 microdiscectomies.

“We want to know if the injections are doing any good and if microdiscectomy is being done enough.”

In the vast majority of cases where leg pain

is caused by a slipped disc, patients will get better without medical treatment.

But severe cases, where the pain has lasted more than six weeks, are referred to The Walton Centre.

If these patients have tried and failed methods such as tablets and physiotherapy; specialists can offer steroid injections or surgery.

Mr Wilby said: “We know surgery works really well. It’s 90% effective, nine out of 10 will have their leg pain taken away, but it might be like using a sledge hammer to crack a nut. The question is whether there is another treatment that works as well, and we think there may be.”

Patients are being recruited through sciatica clinics.

DEAFNESS PILL Drugs for treating hearing loss and tinnitus by 2020

T

HE FIRST drugs to treat hearing conditions could be available within five years, says a dramatic new report by charity Action on Hearing Loss.

With five drugs already in the final stages of clinical testing and a further 13 in the early stages of clinical development, the charity expects the first medication to be approved and on the market by 2020.

The pioneering treatments will help alleviate some types of tinnitus, reduce hearing loss associated with loud noise exposure, relieve middle ear infections and counter specific anticancer drugs that cause hearing loss.

The Hearing Progress report highlights the significant advancements made by the charity over the last 15 years in its quest to find treatments to protect and restore hearing, silence tinnitus and improve today’s technology.

Paul Breckell, Action on Hearing’s chief executive, said: “Remarkable progress has been made bringing us to a point where there are a number of promising new treatments for hearing loss and tinnitus being clinically tested.

“We’re about to enter an exciting era where people confronting hearing loss won’t just be limited to hearing aids and cochlear implants – drug treatments are within touching distance.

“Currently 10 million people in the UK have a hearing loss, which will increase to 14.5 million by 2031.”

Marc Nicholson, the London club DJ who developed tinnitus through playing drums at school and then DJ-ing, said: “I am delighted that research is getting close to finding a treatment for tinnitus and really hope there is a cure for it in the next few years.

I’m excited that Action on Hearing Loss is continuing to fund academic institutions to help understand what is going on between my ears and my brain.” n www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk

THUMBS UP: The new equipment gets full approval from children, hospital staff and Medicash marketing manager Andy Abernethy

Charity fingers on the pulse

C

HILDREN needing care at Ormskirk hospital are benefiting from brand new equipment, thanks to local health insurer Medicash and children’s charity MedEquip4Kids.

Medicash teamed up with the Manchester-based charity to donate four pulse oximeters which are used to measure the oxygen saturation and pulse rate of any child visiting the unit.

They are particularly beneficial for the thousands of children treated each year for asthma, bronchiolitis and winter bugs.

The pulse oximeters were funded through a donation from Medicash Charitable Trust.

people are reading these pages . . .

Medicash marketing manager Andy Abernethy said: “We are proud to be able to work with MedEquip4Kids to provide these new units.

“Although they are only small, I’m sure they will go a long way in improving the experience these children and their parents have on the unit during what can otherwise be a difficult and overwhelming time.”

The Medicash Charitable Trust makes regular donations to health-related charities and has given away in excess of 1m over the past 10 years. n Medicash: 0151 702 0265, www.medicash.org n MedEquip4Kids: 0161 798 1600, www.medequip4kids.org.uk

27

MEDICAL NOTES New bid to prevent bone fractures

NEW guidance for medics treating and preventing bone fractures for people over 50 was launched at the Rheumatology 2015 conference in Manchester.

The National Osteoporosis Society’s new set of resources are aimed at supporting the implementation of Fracture Liaison Services (FLS), which save the NHS money and can save lives by preventing further fractures.

Currently only 42% of health care organisations in the UK offer any form of FLS, which proactively targets patients over 50 who have suffered a fragility fracture and treats those at risk of further fractures.

Fizz Thompson, clinical and operations director at the NOS, said: “Fragility fractures can have a devastating effect on people. Not only do they cause long-term pain, disabling changes to body shape, immobility and depression, but they hugely increase the risk of further fractures and may ultimately lead to a debilitating hip fracture.”

Fact file

n Half of all hip fractures happen to people who have previously suffered a fracture. n A month after suffering a hip fracture, one in 13 people (8%) will have died and only half will have returned home. n By identifying patients at risk of further fractures up to 25% of hip fractures (about 20,000 a year) could be prevented. n Every year hip fractures in the UK account for approximately £1.9 billion in hospital costs alone, excluding the high cost of social care. n A fifth of women who have broken a bone break three or more before being diagnosed. n Only 42% of health care organisations in the UK offer some form of Fracture Liaison Service (FLS). n More than three million people in the UK are estimated to have osteoporosis. n One in two women and one in five men over 50 are expected to break a bone. n National Osteoporosis Society: 01761 471771, www.nos.org.uk

Allergies explained

PEANUTS, dogs, latex . . . people are allergic to all kinds of things.

And for the estimated 21 million UK sufferers and their families who have to deal with allergies, life can be stressful.

Allergy to animals is common and caused by factors including animal dander (hair and skin cells), saliva, sweat and even dandruff.

UK allergy charity the Anaphylaxis Campaign has produced a factsheet making it all clear in easy-to-understand language, discussing everything from symptoms and treatment to debunking the myth of “hypoallergenic dogs” and alternative pet suggestions. n Helpline: 01252 542029, www.anaphylaxis.

TAKE ME HOME ! org.uk uk

tel 0151 230 0307

28

All Together NOW!

One advert goes a long, long way

Tel: 0151 230 0307

June/July 2015

TAKE ME HOME!

BOX OFFICE SENSATION!

Until Jun 13: Night Collar.

Liverpool Royal Court. Classic Scouse comedy.

Jun 1-6: The Producers. Liverpool Empire. Smash hit Broadway musical comedy.

Jun 3-6: Boogie Nights. Salford Lowry.

The ultimate 70’s party.

Jun 3-6: Side Effects. Port Sunlight Gladstone Theatre.

Hilarious Comedy.

Jun 3-27: The Hudsucker Proxy.

Liverpool Playhouse. Based on the Coen Brothers’ romantic comedy. Audio Described, Thu Jun 18, 7.30pm. Captioned, Sat Jun 27, 2pm.

Jun 3-July 25: Wicked. Salford Lowry.

Untold story of the Witches of Oz. Jun 4: An Intimate Evening with Russell Watson. Wolverhampton Grand Theatre.

Jun 4: Big Country. Sale Waterside Arts Centre.

Jun 4: Fairport Convention. St Helens Citadel. British folk-rock music.

Jun 4: The Rod Stewart Story.

Llandudno Venue Cymru. Tribute to Rod Stewart.

Jun 4-Jul 4: Noises Off. Bolton Octagon. Riotous comedy. Audio Described, Wed Jun 24, 7.30pm.

Signed, Thu Jun 11, 7.30pm.

Jun 5: Nights On Broadway.

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre. Tribute to The Bee Gees.

Jun 5: The Beatles - A Musical Celebration. New Brighton Floral Pavilion.

Jun 5-13: Love Me Tender. Manchester Opera House. Musical featuring Elvis Presley’s greatest hits.

Jun 6: Elton John & his Band.

Llandudno Venue Cymru. Part of Elton’s European Tour.

Jun 6: Pinked Floyd. New Brighton Floral Pavilion. Tribute to Pink Floyd.

Jun 6: The Importance of Being Earnest. Runcorn Brindley. Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy.

Jun 7: Cirque Du Hilarious.

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre. Comedy circus.

Jun 7: Milton Jones and the Temple of Daft. Blackpool Grand Theatre. Stand-up comedy.

Jun 7: The Carpenters Story. Runcorn Brindley. Tribute to The Carpenters.

Jun 7: The Ken Dodd Happiness Show. New Brighton Floral Pavilion. Stand-up comedy.

Jun 8: Beating Berlusconi.

Runcorn Brindley. Scouse comedy.

Jun 8: Hilarity Charity Gala 2015. Wolverhampton Grand Theatre. Stand-up comedy.

Jun 8-10. Judy - The Judy Garland Story. Liverpool Empire. Tribute to Judy Garland.

Jun 9: The Three Degrees. Runcorn Brindley.

Jun 9: The Witches. Blackpool Grand Theatre. Adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic story.

Jun 9: West End Men. Manchester Palace Theatre. Celebrating the leading Men of the West End. Jun 9-13: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Wolverhampton Grand Theatre.

Jun 10: Blake. Runcorn Brindley. Brit award-winning harmony trio.

Jun 10: The Soul Man Tour. Runcorn Brindley. Spirit Medium.

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BOX OFFICE NUMBERS

BLACKPOOL Grand Theatre: 01253 290190.

BOLTON Octagon: 01204 520661.

LIVERPOOL Empire: 08444 999 999.

Everyman & Playhouse: 0151 709 4776.

Royal Court: 0870 787 1866.

LLANDUDNO Venue Cymru: 01492 872000.

MOLD: Theatr Clwyd: 0845 3303565.

MANCHESTER Opera House: 0870 401 9000.

Palace Theatre: 0870 401 3000.

SALFORD The Lowry: 0843 208 6000.

NEW BRIGHTON Floral Pavillion: 0151 666 0000.

PORT SUNLIGHT: Gladstone Theatre: 0151 643 8757.

PRESTON: Charter Theatre: 0845 344 2012.

RHYL: Pavilion Theatre: 01745 330 000.

RUNCORN The Brindley: 0151 907 8360.

SALE: Waterside Arts Centre: 0161 912 5616.

STOKE: Regent Theatre: 0844 871 7627.

SOUTHPORT: Floral Hall: 0844 847 2380.

ST HELENS: Theatre Royal: 01744 756000.

Citadel: 01744 735436.

WOLVERHAMPTON Grand Theatre: 01902 429212.

Summer time specials

compiled by ROBERT DAY

Jun 11: Joe McElderry. Rhyl Pavilion.

Jun 11: The Illegal Eagles. Manchester Palace Theatre. Tribute to The Eagles.

Jun 11: The Searchers. Runcorn Brindley.

Jun 11: Woody Man. Runcorn Brindley.

Jun 11-12: Anything Goes. Blackpool Grand Theatre. Cole Porter’s much loved musical.

Jun 12: An Evening of Dirty Dancing.

Southport Floral Hall. Tribute show to Dirty Dancing.

Jun 12: Solid Gold 70s Show. Runcorn Brindley. Live concert show of 70s hits.

Jun 12: The Blues Brothers Experience. Rhyl Pavilion. Tribute to The Blues Brothers.

Jun 12: The Illegal Eagles. Liverpool Empire. Tribute to The Eagles.

Jun 13: Let’s Hang On. St Helens Theatre Royal. Tribute to Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons.

Jun 13: Sing-A-Long-A Frozen.

Liverpool Empire. An interactive experience of the film.

Jun 13: The Billy Fury Years. Rhyl Pavilion. Tribute to Billy Fury.

Jun 13: The Drifters. Runcorn Brindley.

Jun 13: The Fireflys - Storytellers.

Runcorn Brindley. Runcorn alternative rock band.

Jun 13: The Rat Pack Vegas Spectacular Show. Southport Floral Hall. Tribute to The Rat Pack.

Jun 14: Joe McElderry. Blackpool Grand Theatre.

Jun 14: Ray Quinn. New Brighton Floral Pavilion.

Jun 14: The Elvis Years.

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre.

Outstanding musical production.

Jun 15: We’ll Meet Again. Runcorn Brindley. Brand new Wartime Cavalcade show.

Jun 15-20. And Then There Were None. Rhyl Pavilion. Adaptation of Agatha Christie’s mystery novel.

Jun 15-20: Derren Brown. Liverpool Empire. Psychological Illusion.

Jun 17: Bucks Fizz. Runcorn Brindley.

Jun 17: Northern Ballet - Elves & The Shoemaker. Stoke Regent Theatre.

Ballet for children.

Jun 17-20: TWO by Jim Cartwright.

New Brighton Floral Pavilion. Comedy.

Jun 18: A Tribute to Barry White and Soul. Runcorn Brindley.

Promote your shows here . . .

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THE BR INDLEY , HIGH

10 Dec

em

STREET, RUNC

Box O ber 2015 – 10 JaOnRN WA7 1BG ffice: 0 u Book o 151 90 ary 2016 nline: www.t 7 8360 hebrin dley.o rg.uk

A

LADDIN is on his way to The Brindley and budding young performers are being given the chance to make their wishes come true . . .

The production team has already started on the most spectacular pantomime ever staged at the Runcorn venue – and they’re now looking for an all-singing, all-dancing chorus of boys and girls aged between nine and 18, who are full of personality and who can move well.

Auditions will take place on Saturday, June 20, at The Brindley, from 10am-1pm.

Darren Maddison, of Polka Dot Pantomimes, said: “We are looking for potential and ambition so just try your best and don’t panic – we are here to help.” n Contact 01775 712359, or you can email admin@polkadotpantomimes.co.uk n To audition you must fill in the online application form at www.polkadotpantomimes.co.uk

Jun 19: The Blues Band. Salford Lowry. Celebrating their 35th year together.

Jun 19: The Johnny Cash Roadshow. Llandudno Venue Cymru.

Tribute to Johnny Cash.

Jun 20: ABBA Mania. Stoke Regent Theatre. Tribute to ABBA. Jun 20: Showaddywaddy. Runcorn Brindley.

Jun 21: The Chuckles of Oz. Manchester Opera House. New version of the Wizard of Oz story.

Jun 21: The Overtones. Llandudno Venue Cyrmu.

Jun 22-Jun 27: The Woman in Black. Llandudno Venue Cymru.

Terrifying live theatre. Audi Described, Sat Jun 27, 7.30pm.

Signed, Fri Jun 26, 7.30pm.

Jun 23: Hercules. Blackpool Grand Theatre. A dance cabaret for all ages.

Jun 23-Jul 4: Jersey Boys. Liverpool Empire. Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons.

Jun 24-25: Michael McIntyre.

Blackpool Grand Theatre.

Stand-up comedy.

Jun 24-26: Romeo and Juliet. Stoke

June/July 2015

All Together NOW!

29

ENJOY a summer evening on the home front as Blists Hill Victorian Town, near Ironbridge, is transformed into the 1940s of World War II. Go along to the event dressed in period civilian costume and experience the entertainment, music and activities of the day as the Victorian town travels four decades into the “future” on Saturday, June 20 (6pm-9pm). n Tickets (£9.50, adults and seniors; £6 children aged 3-15 years; and £26.50 for a family – two adults, two children; under 3s free) must be purchased in advance either online at: (www.ironbridge.org.uk),or from Blists Hill Victorian Town or the Ironbridge Visitor Information Centre, tel 01952 433424

Companion scheme is just the ticket!

A

NEW concessionary scheme has been set up at 30 Welsh theatres and arts venues to help disabled people with ticket costs.

Theatr Cymru (Mold), Theatr Colwyn (Colwyn Bay), and Venue Cymru are all now offering free tickets for the companions of disabled theatregoers.

Sarah Ecob, general manager at Venue Cymru and Theatr Colwyn, said: “We know that if you have an impairment or a specific access requirement visiting a theatre or an arts centre can be more complicated than just booking tickets and choosing what to wear.

“We believe that the new Hynt scheme will be of huge benefit to our customers.” n Tel. 01492 872000, www.hynt.co.uk

Regent Theatre.

Jun 24-27: Bad Girls! Runcorn Brindley. Original British musical based on the television drama.

Jun 26: Livewire The AC/DC Show.

Sale Waterside Arts Centre. Tribute to AC/DC. Jun 26-Aug 1: Mam! I’m ‘Ere. Liverpool Royal Court. Comedy disco musical.

Jun 27: One Night Only. Port Sunlight Gladstone Theatre. Disco Dancing.

Jun 29-Jul 4: Love Me Tender. Stoke Regent Theatre. Musical featuring Elvis Presley’s greatest hits.

Jun 29-Jul 4: The Mousetrap.

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre.

Agatha Christie’s murder mystery.

Jun 29-Jul 12: wonder.land.

Manchester Palace Theatre. A new musical inspired by Alice in Wonderland.

Jul 2: Alan Carr. Blackpool Grand Theatre. Stand-up comedy.

Jul 3-4: Cinderella - Starlight Youth Theatre. New Brighton Floral Pavilion.

Pantomime.

Jul 4: Russell Watson in concert.

Llandudno Venue Cymru.

WARM WELCOME at Venue Cymru, above, and at Theatr Colwyn, below

Jul 7-8: Room on the Broom. Stoke Regent Theatre. Songs, laughs and scary fun for children.

Jul 7-18: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels The Musical. Liverpool Empire. Based on the classic comedy film.

Jul 11-19. The Tale of Mr Tumble.

Manchester Opera House. New show for children and their families.

Jul 12: Red Riding Hood. Rhyl Pavilion. Pantomime.

Jul 13-18: Anything Goes.

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre. New production of Cole Porter’s classic musical-comedy.

Jul 16: The Rat Pack Vegas Spectacular. Rhyl Pavilion.

Jul 17: An Evening of Dirty Dancing.

Stoke Regent Theatre. Tribute show.

Jul 17: Mercury: The Ultimate Queen Tribute. Southport Floral Hall.

Jul 18: Dancing Queen. New Brighton Floral Pavilion. Party show featuring hits from ABBA, Grease and the 70’s.

Jul 18: Pink Floyd’s The Wall Live.

Rhyl Pavilion. Vesbim presents a tribute to Pink Floyd.

Jul 19: The Bootleg Sixties.

Blackpool Grand Theatre. Sixties hits performed by the Overtures.

Jul 20-25: East is East. Stoke Regent Theatre. Comedy.

Jul 20-25: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. Liverpool Empire. Based on the award-winning novel.

Jul 21-Jul 25: Annie. Llandudno Venue Cymru. Audio Described, Wed Jul 22, 2.30pm. Signed, Fri Jul 24, 7.30pm.

Jul 22-24: Aliens Love Underpants.

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre. Family fun.

Jul 23: Sing-A-Long-A Frozen.

Southport Floral Hall. Interactive viewing of the film.

Jul 24: Abba Reunion. Runcorn Brindley. Abba tribute show.

Jul 24: The Bootleg Sixties.

Southport Floral Hall. 60’s hits performed by The Overtures.

Jul 24-25: Inala. Manchester Opera House. Unique artistic collaboration.

Jul 25: Mama. Runcorn Brindley.

Tribute to Genesis.

Jul 25: Roy Chubby Brown.

Southport Floral Hall. Stand-up

FOLLOWING the success of last year’s autism-friendly performances at London’s Lyceum Theatre, a third dedicated performance of Disney’s The Lion King has been announced for Sunday, August 30, at 1:30pm.

An autism-friendly website and booking system has also been set up specifically for this performance, including a downloadable ‘social story’ to help people with autism understand the process of a visit to the theatre. n www.lionkingautism friendly.co.uk comedy.

Jul 25: Voice of the Heart - Karen Carpenter. Wolverhampton Grand Theatre. A celebration of music from The Carpenters.

Jul 28: When You’re Smiling.

Manchester Opera House. Songs from 1940s - 1970s.

Jul 28-Aug 1: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Stoke Regent Theatre.

Based on the classic comedy film.

Jul 30-Aug 2: Faulty Towers - The Dining Experience. Salford Lowry.

Comedy theatre.

Jul 31: Roy Orbison and Friends.

Southport Floral Hall. Tribute to Roy Orbison.

Jul 31: The Tiger who came to Tea. Preston Charter Theatre. West End smash hit for kids.

Jul 31-Aug 1: Inala. Liverpool Empire.

Critically acclaimed ballet.

Aug 2-23: Halfway To Paradise - The Billy Fury Story. Blackpool Grand Theatre.

Performed

by Fury’s TAKE ME HOME! Tornados.

450,000 readers. Call us NOW! . . . 0151 230 0307

Books

30

All Together NOW!

June/July 2015

ARIES

on creative pursuits. Fashion design, painting and jewellery making are activities that will offer you lots of emotional fulfilment.

The Full Moon on the 2nd marks the arrival of an important document. The New Moon on July 16th brings an exciting opportunity to travel, study, or write. It looks as if you will get paid to have fun, which is an even bigger bonus. A second Full Moon on the 31st will force you to scale back your office hours for the sake of family.

March 21st - April 20th

My life with MS

I

FIGHTING SPIRIT: SELINA BUKHARI

WAS diagnosed with multiple sclerosis some 23 years ago – a time when there was hardly any information about MS.

Because I made, what seemed, a full recovery, the doctor said my MS was mild and that if there was another relapse it would probably be years away.

I carried on in my job as a solicitor. My mobility was fine. I even fulfilled the dream of owning a sports car – a shiny blue MR2.

I then went on to co-own a law firm with my husband and had a baby – my beloved Hassan.

A year later another relapse. Huge this time.

Although I recovered, despite the large areas of scarring on the MRI scan, I can’t say I was 100% back to normal. Things were slowly, almost imperceptibly slowing down.

But I stubbornly refused to change my life and five years later had my second child – my lovely Aleesha.

Eight years ago, I was told I had gone on to the secondary progressive phase of the disease. That is when it really hit me.

There were low moods, days of crying, but I refused to take anti-depressants. I kept thinking of all the good things in my life, what I had achieved professionally, my kind family, and my miracle babies who were growing fast. They did not need a depressed mum.

As my symptoms worsened I found myself unable to stand up. During this dark time, I decided to write ‘Heart of Glass’. The story was almost a cathartic experience. It is not my autobiography, of course, but I did draw on my personal experiences regarding the central character, Kate.

I am sure many MS sufferers will identify with Kate’s pain because they, too, have lost the life they once had.

But I would urge people with MS to keep strong. If doctors say they can do nothing more for you, don’t let that stick in your mind.

You can turn it around yourself: If you have faith, there is hope. Without faith and hope there is nothing.

I hope my book encourages others in my position to think positively and have faith. If any readers with MS want to share their experiences please email me (selinabukari@yahoo.co.uk) and I shall do my best to reply and help. n SELINA’s book – Heart of Glass, published by Pegasus, TAKE ME HOME! £5.99 – is a moving account of living with MS.

Travel plans will be cancelled in early June.

This change of plans is actually a blessing in disguise. Postpone any heavy decisions until June is halfway through. The New Moon on the 16th prompts you to take a trip for pleasure. If you’re not in love, you will find it on your travels. Good luck arrives through your social network near the end of the month. Fame, acclaim and rewards come your way in early July. Striking a healthy balance between home and work will be challenging mid-month. Don’t neglect your relatives for the sake of your job. The New Moon on the 16th is perfect for family fun, like a reunion or group outing.

TAURUS

April 21st - May 21st

The early days of June bring an end to a source of unearned income. A relative will tip you off to a great position before it is officially advertised. Early July is ideal for finding beautiful artwork and furniture for your home. Don’t be surprised when a generous relative gives you a gorgeous family heirloom. The Full Moon on the 2nd brings the successful conclusion of a legal matter. A former lover will make their way back into your life in late July. Revisiting old times will be fun, but beware of renewing your commitment. A second Full Moon on the 31st forces you to cancel family plans for the sake of work.

GEMINI May 22nd - June 21st It’s important to gain a greater measure of independence this month. Be sure to initiate a creative project at mid-month; this endeavour will bring both fame and acclaim.

The New Moon on the 16th is perfect for updating your look. A friend will ask you to accompany them on their holiday towards the end of June. You’ll be very attractive to romance throughout the first half of July. The New Moon on the 16th is ideal for finding a better job, getting a raise, or finding another source of income. A second Full Moon falls on the 31st, forcing you to defend your beliefs to an insensitive neighbour or loved one. Don’t let this bully denigrate your ideas.

CANCER June 22nd - July 23rd It may be necessary to cancel some holiday plans in the first half of June, due to unforeseen circumstances. Don’t despair.

You’ll be able to reschedule a much nicer trip later in the season. An exciting moneymaking opportunity will arrive towards the end of the month. There will be more money for luxuries as June turns into July.

The New Moon on the 16th is perfect for changing your look. Change the way you wear your hair, get a cosmetic procedure, or update your wardrobe. You’ll get positive feedback on an artistic endeavour during the second half of July. A second Full Moon on the 31st puts an additional strain on a troubled relationship.

LEO July 24th - August 23rd Working as part of a team will yield terrific ideas at mid-month. The New Moon on the 16th is ideal for networking. Be sure to attend a business conference or party, as

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RUSSELL GRANT CALLING . . .

you’ll make some influential contacts. A surprising opportunity to teach, write, or travel for money will fall into your lap by the end of June. The New Moon on July 16th is perfect for resting, relaxing and recharging your batteries. Sneak away to a private hideaway with the one you love. If you’re single, you will find romance on this journey.

The second half of July gives you a double dose of charisma. It will be virtually impossible to resist your charms.

VIRGO August 24th - September 23rd It may be necessary to revise travel plans on or around the 11th. You’ll realise a career ambition at mid-month, causing everyone to envy and admire you. The New Moon on the 16th is perfect for changing your look.

Spending time on solitary pursuits will give July a wonderfully dreamy quality. The Full Moon on the 2nd marks an exciting festive occasion. The New Moon on the 16th prompts you to go after a cherished dream.

This is a great time to change direction if you are unhappy in your career. A second Full Moon on the 31st brings a health problem to your attention.

LIBRA September 24th - October 23rd The Full Moon on the 2nd piles more work on your plate. It will be difficult to accomplish everything on your ‘to do’ list, but try anyway.

Family proves wonderfully understanding and will do their best to make life easier. The New Moon on the 16th prompts you to venture into unfamiliar territory. Your social life sparkles throughout early July. You’ll have more time for solitary pursuits during the second half of July. Take this opportunity to read, write and play music. Expressing your creative side will lift your spirits. A second Full Moon will rise on the 31st, putting strain on a romantic relationship.

SCORPIO October 24th - November 22nd The New Moon on the 16th allows you to pay off a long standing debt. Once you are free of this burden, you can spend more time

SAGITTARIUS November 23rd - December 21st You’re very generous by nature, but you can’t continue giving everything away at the expense of your own health. It will be necessary to make some adjustments to your household in mid-June. Your expert knowledge gives you a greater measure of freedom towards the end of June. A wonderful opportunity will fall in your lap at the beginning of July. You’ll be bashful and shy at a social gathering on the 14th, perhaps because you are attracted to one of the guests. A second Full Moon on the 31st brings startling news about a relative. You might have to postpone a holiday as a result.

CAPRICORN December 22nd - January 20th People will seek your advice during the first half of June, which is gratifying. If you aren’t running a consultancy business, you probably should. You’ll have a wonderful time rubbing elbows with community leaders. The early days of July promise to be a delight to the senses. The New Moon on the 16th is ideal for making up, getting engaged, or reciting vows. Your best friend or lover will help you realise a cherished dream on or around the 21st. This calls for a celebration. Be frugal as July turns to August.

AQUARIUS January 21st - February 19th Outdoor activities like hiking, biking, walking and running are all great possibilities. You’ll have the power to make a cherished dream come true on the 21st. Don’t turn down a well intentioned and generous offer of help.

Early July promises to be a very romantic time. You’ll feel rebellious in mid-July, which will cause problems with a colleague who wants to do things by the book. A friend’s sarcasm is too much to bear on the 19th.

You need to be honest about how these scathing comments affect you. A second Full Moon falls on the 31st, prompting you to make more demands of a romantic or business partner.

PISCES February 20th - March 20th It will be easy to resolve domestic problems in mid-June. If you’re worried about money, the New Moon on the 16th will bring extra funds. Your artistic talent will generate lots more income during the second half of June.

The opening days of July are perfect for going on a shopping spree. You’re overdue for a splurge. The New Moon on the 16th brings exiting news about a birth, engagement, or love affair. A second Full Moon on the 31st brings an embarrassing secret to light. If you exaggerated the extent of your experience at work, it’s time to come clean. Your colleagues will respect your honesty.

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June/July 2015

All Together NOW!

EIGHT info-packed herb ‘bibles’ to be won THE sumptuous new edition of RHS Encyclopedia of Herbs is a must-have bible for gardeners, herbalists and cooks – and we have EIGHT copies worth £30 each as prizes.

The 448-page encyclopedia,

by Deni Bown, is published by Dorling Kindersley and endorsed by the Royal Horticultural Society.

You can discover all there is to know about the beneficial properties of more than 1,000 herbs from round the globe, and learn about their uses in cookery, cosmetics and herbalism.

An illustrated A-Z section (Abelmoschus to Ziziphus) is packed with horticultural

harmful herbs. Every aspect is covered from history to garden design and planting schemes, with intriguing sections like “Herbs that changed the world”. n To enter the competition, answer this question: Who is the author of RHS Encyclopedia of Herbs? n 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! (and what you think of the paper) to: Herb Encyclopedia Competition, All Together NOW!, The Bradbury Centre, Youens Way, Liverpool L14 2EP, to arrive by (Friday, July 24), or enter online at www.alltogethernow.org.uk n For the full range of Dorling Kindersley’s gardening books, go to www.dk.com

lily love songs Lily information and practical tips for growing and using the plants.

A quick identification guide includes rarely seen species as well as the familiar, and a warning symbol alerts readers to toxic or

I

F I had room for only one flower in a border or patio pot, I’d choose the lily.

Lilies are often seen as exotic and expensive – and therefore difficult to grow – but many of the loveliest are hardy, free-flowering and more or less trouble-free.

They range from towering giants to colourful little pot lilies and many are deliciously scented.

The tallest is Lilium giganteum, which can reach a huge 3.3m (11ft) in ideal conditions and produce 20 or more trumpet-shaped, fragrant white blooms up each stem.

At the other end of the scale are two 30cm (12in) beauties for the rock garden: Lilium nanum, with scented, purplish-pink bells, and Lilium oxypetalum, bearing bowl-shaped yellow blooms with purple spots in the throat.

Between those extremes are other wonderful choices including these easy growers… n Lilium regale, the regal lily (pictured), which reaches 1.2m-1.9m (4ft-6ft) and has trumpet blooms with turned-back tips to the petals and a heavy fragrance. They are smoky-red outside and white inside with golden anthers – a real classic. n Lilium tigrum splendens, the tiger lily, which has pale bronze flowers with darker speckles on 1.2m (4ft) stems. n Lilium auratum, the golden-rayed lily: 1.7m2.7m (5ft-8ft) tall with numerous sweetly-scented flowers 15cm (6in) or more wide, white with crimson or yellow spots. These are lime-haters so prefer soil in which azaleas and summer heathers grow well. n Lilium martagon, the turk’s cap lily: Blooms can be from mauve to maroon on stems up to 1.9m (6ft). There is a also white form, album. n Lilium candidum, the Madonna lily: 90cm1.5m (3ft-5ft) tall with a cluster of scented white

CLASSIC: The elegant and fragrant regal lily

flowers. It should be planted in August, which is its only dormant time.

Lilies have one serious aversion – bad drainage, so don’t plant them in heavy, low-lying soil. They also prefer full sun or light shade and seem to dislike being watered with a chilly stream direct from a hosepipe. Better to fill the cans after watering and leave them to warm up before the next irrigation.

The easiest way to grow lilies is from bulbs.

Make sure they are plump, firm and fungus-free and be sure to plant at the depth recommended for the species or variety. It is too late to plant for flowering this year but most lilies are tougher than

they look and can be planted at any time from April to autumn (but see Lilium candidum above) as long as the soil is warm enough to promote active growth.

Bulbs planted now will tolerate winter in the ground, all the better if protected with a thick mulch of manure or garden compost. and bloom next year.Lilies can also be grown in large pots.

Use a fairly rich, loam-based compost such as John Innes No 2 and keep them well watered and fed.

After they have flowered, allow the foliage to die back then turn the pots on their sides to dry out.

Remove the bulbs in late autumn and keep in a dry, frost-free place. Replant in fresh compost next spring.

Propagation is easy and costs next to nothing once you have a good stock of lilies: snap scales from the best bulbs in late summer or early autumn, and set them in pots in a gritty compost.

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CHECKLIST

31

FLOWERS: Sow in a seedbed biennial flowers such as wallflowers and perennials like lupins for planting in autumn.

Trim lightly over winter heathers and water thoroughly with a liquid feed.

SHRUBS AND TREES: When roses start to fade, remove the fading flowers, pruning the heads back to an outward facing leaf joint to encourage a second flowering in appropriate varieties. Trees planted in the past 18 months should be watered generously in dry spells.

PATIOS: Water and feed plants in containers regularly and ensure they never dry out.

LAWNS: Raise the mower blades so that grass is not cut too short to withstand hot weather. Use a spot-weeder spray to kill individual weeds.

PONDS: Control blanketweed by removing as much as possible and applying a proprietary treatment. In hot weather, if fish show signs of oxygen shortage by “gasping” at the surface, fix a hose to trickle water on to the surface.

VEGETABLES: Sow successional crops of lettuce, salad leaves and quickmaturing carrots such as Eskimo and Amsterdam Forcing.

FRUIT: Check soft fruit for pests – the green caterpillars of sawfly on gooseberry bushes and green shield beetles on raspberries. Handpick and spray with an insecticide. If apples, pears or plums have been attacked by the burrowing grubs of codling moth or apple sawfly, spray as soon as the petals have fallen and again when the tiny fruits form.

HERBS: Few herbs need regular feeding but those in pots benefit from a thorough watering with a liquid fertiliser.

If mint grows tall stems, which are not needed, cut them down to encourage new shoots from the base.

GREENHOUSE: Pinch out the sideshoots of tomatoes, 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: Repot plants if roots are showing through the base holes in the pot or on the compost surface.

Replant in a pot at least 2.5cm (1in) wider and ! deeper.

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32 All Together NOW!

June/July 2015

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.

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Later consequences (9) Revolve (6) Thick slice (4) Tight (4) Quick look (6) Abates (7) Tall flower (4) Stupefy (4) Swampy ground (3) Employ (3) European mountain range (4) Freshwater fish (4) US legislator (7) Dreary (6) Stupid person (4) Whip (4) Sikh headdress (6) Traders, businessmen (9)

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

A B C D

A B C D Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. See Question 14

QUESTION 7 – for 7 points: Which island has a parliament known as the Tynwald?

A B C D

QUESTION 5 – for 5 points: What is the name for the soft area of a newborn’s skull?

A Fontanelle B Foolscap C Fontina D Fonticulus

Jersey Iceland The Isle of Man Sark

A B C D

QUESTION 6 – for 6 points: What do Americans describe as a tuxedo?

A A bucking bronco B A Mexican immigrant C A cocktail made with rye whisky D A dinner jacket

Henry James George Eliot Virginia Woolf Thomas Hardy

QUESTION 13 – for 13 points: Which murderer was portrayed by Richard Attenborough in the film 10 Rillington Place?

A B C D

Sweeney Todd John Christie Jack the Ripper Dr Crippen

QUESTION 14 – for 14 points: The title of singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran’s second studio album, released in 2014, is a single arithmetical sign. Which?

QUESTION 8 – for 8 points: Who was the first person to train three consecutive winners of the Epsom Derby?

A B C D

Luca Cumani Aidan O’Brien Michael Stoute Peter Chapple-Hyam

Plus Minus Multiply Divide

QUESTION 9 – for 9 points: What is the purpose of a fish’s gills?

QUESTION 15 – for 15 points: Which City guilds mark the beaks of swans in the annual ceremony of ‘Swan Upping’?

A B C D

A B C D

To extract oxygen from the water To correct buoyancy To steer To eject unwanted food

Fishmongers and Cooks Mercers and Grocers Salters and Plumbers Vintners and Dyers

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

9 7

A witty saying A poem on a gravestone A song celebrating a marriage A long serious letter

QUESTION 12 – for 12 points: Which English novelist wrote Far From The Madding Crowd?

SUDOKU

1 7

Eels Kestrels Hares Llamas

QUESTION 11 – for 11 points: What is an epigram?

A B C D

QUESTION 4 – for 4 points: On which of the following scales are earthquakes measured?

A Mohs B Richter C Libra D Avery

Stumble, hesitate (6) Stamp (6) Morning prayer (6) Fruit basket (4) Neolith (anag.) (3,4) Daybreak (4) Lay siege to (9) Clear up, dispose of (9) Location (4) Footfalls (5) Ship (4) Road surface (7) Affected by bacteria (6) Tuberous plant (6) Girdle (6) Nimble (4) Solitary (4)

QUESTION 10 – for 10 points: Which animals have young called leverets?

QUESTION 2 – for 2 points: What do four quadrants make?

A An octagon B A sphere C A cube D A circle QUESTION 3 – for 3 points: For what do sailors use a marlin spike?

A Beating off pirates B Joining ropes C Tapping rum barrels D Fishing

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Each question has four possible answers and is worth from one to 15 points. Circle your QUESTION 1 – for 1 point: Which disc jockey had an unlikely chart hit with the song Floral Dance in 1978?

A Tony Blackburn B Jimmy Young C Terry Wogan D Simon Dee

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5 TAKE ME HOME!

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.

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June/July 2015

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All Together NOW!

June/July 2015

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Ben and Julie set to inspire new talent BEN Rowlings and Julie Rogers have been appointed as BT Ambassadors, joining nine other of the UK’s top disabled athletes.

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.

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Wheelchair racer Rowlings, from Newport, Shropshire, won a bronze medal in the 2014 European Championships and is the current British record holder over three distances.

He has spastic diplega cerebral palsy, which affects all four of his limbs.

Rogers, from Bedford, was one of the youngest participants in the London 2012 Paralympic Games, representing Great Britain in the sitting volleyball team.

Since switching to athletics she has become one of the fastest female single leg amputee sprinters in the UK. Born with a congenital disorder, Julie, now 16, had an operation to shorten her leg at the age of five in order to be able to use an above-the-knee prosthetic limb.

Sport for all . . ?

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EW moves to boost the number of disabled people taking part in sport and physical activity have been launched.

The Charter for Change has been created by the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS), after figures showed a sharp fall in participation by disabled people.

In January, new Sport England figures showed 121,700 fewer disabled people over the age of 16 (1.58 million) participating in sporting and physical activities between October 2013 and October 2014, with the fall coming mainly in swimming, athletics and fitness.

Less than half the numbers of disabled people said they were taking part in sport or physical activity for 30 minutes once a week (17.4%), compared to non-disabled people (39.4%).

Research also shows that most SIR Michael Parkinson was caught and said: “ I’m incredibly proud. This is a disabled people are not as active as bowled for a duck when he visited the wonderful organisation. they would like to be, and that demand Lord’s Taverners Disability Cricket “The Disability Cricket Championships is for such activities among disabled Championships Finals at the Kia Oval. the first of many programmes I hope to people is not being met.

The charity’s new president, Sir Michael experience during my presidency.”

EFDS’s own research in 2013 found seven in 10 disabled people wanted to need to do an awful lot better. activity to promote positive attitudes towards increase their levels of physical activity.

“I am really excited about the charter disabled people’s participation.

The new charter calls for everyone involved because it is really simple and achievable.

Baroness [Tanni] Grey-Thompson, the in providing sport or physical activity to “Much though I am a fan of elite sport and winner of 11 Paralympic gold medals and support disabled people to participate; for the Paralympics, that’s not what this is about.

EFDS’s honorary president, said: “The latest disabled people to have the same “Sport and activity providers have to do figures show us the need to do things opportunities as non-disabled people to be more at the grassroots. Everybody needs to differently. active throughout their lives; and for be doing more to give disabled people a “There are sports governing bodies who communications about sport and physical chance to be fit and healthy.” have done some great things, and others that

Parky’s out for a duck

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June/July 2015

All Together NOW!

Shooters in top form

THE GB disability shooting squad returned from the International Shooting Competitions of Hanover with seven medals.

The haul included an individual gold medal for Roy Carter in the pistol shooting competition.

There was also three team golds for GB – in the R6 50m rifle prone SH1 mixed (Matthew Skelhon, Ben Jesson, and Lorraine Lambert); R8 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 women (Karen Butler, Lorraine Lambert and Lesley Baldwin); and in the R2 10m air rifle SHI event (Mandy Pankhurst, Lorraine Lambert and Lesley Baldwin).

Skelhon won an individual bronze in the R3 10m air rifle prone mixed SH1 before taking team silver alongside Jesson and Lambert.

Stewart Nangle won GB’s second individual bronze medal in the P1 10m air pistol men SH1. n The GB squad comprised: Owen Burke (Aylesbury); Matt Skelhon (Stilton, Peterborough); Ben Jesson (Crawley); Karen Butler (Bristol); Lorraine Lambert (Portsmouth); Lesley Baldwin (Blairgowrie, Perthshire); Mandy Pankhurst (Ash, Surrey); Stewart Nangle (Bacup, Burnley); Roy Carter (Wood Green, London); Kyrun

Giddy up to Glouestershire

CARRIAGE driving is a big hit with disabled people.

And to celebrate 40 magnificent years of providing the service, Riding for the Disabled Association is planning to celebrate in style.

The charity’s three-day National Championships, taking place at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire, July 17-19, will feature driving, dressage, showjumping and more.

A free shuttle bus runs throughout the weekend from the car park to the arenas to make the site more accessible for both visitors and competitors.

Admission is free and friendly dogs on leads are also welcome. n RDA: 0845 658 1082, www.rda.org.uk

Foy’s heroes

Storm storm to rugby victory

A NORTH-West player took a top prize at the first BT Wheelchair Rugby National Championships.

Ayaz Bhuta who plays for Southport’s West Coast Crash team picked up the Most Valuable Player Award.

More than 1,000 spectators saw London-based Storm win the 16-team tournament at the Copper Box Arena in London’s Queen Elizabeth The championships also gave spectators the chance to try out the sport, with over 200 taking the opportunity.

Later this year teams from Australia, Canada, USA, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan and France will return to the Copper Box Arena to join Great Britain for the BT World Wheelchair Rugby Challenge that will run alongside the Rugby World Cup from October 12-16.

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WINNERS: Top referee Chris Foy (left) presents the trophy to the Walton Sports Centre team TOP Premier League referee took charge at the first ever staging of a disabled football contest.

Chris Foy, who finished a 21-year career by officiating at Manchester City versus Southampton, was the man with the whistle at Merseyide’s New Directions Disability Football Tournament.

Eight teams took part in the six-a-side competition at Goals Football Centre, Netherton, with Walton Sports Centre doing just enough to lift the trophy.

Competition came from Dunningsbridge Centre, Shared Lives (Sefton), People First (Bootle), Oakfield Day Service (Liverpool), Kirkby Activity Centre, and St Helens Coalition of Disabled People.

Karl Hughes, who organised the tournament, said: “The day went very well and feedback from players, officials and spectators has been very positive.

“We’re now planning to make the competition an annual event, and to expand the size and scope of next year’s tournament.”

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Chelsea FC blasted over equality award

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AMPAIGNERS are furious that an organisation which fights discrimination in football has given a prestigious equality award to Premier League champions, Chelsea, despite the club failing to provide enough seats for wheelchair-users.

It is the second time the organisation – Kick It Out – has awarded its Advanced Equality Standard to a Premier League club that fails to meet recommended levels of wheelchair spaces.

Chelsea has 127 spaces for wheelchair-users at its Stamford Bridge ground, out of a capacity of about 42,000, far below the recommended level of 214 wheelchair-accessible spaces.

KIO originally withheld the award because of the club’s failure to meet requirements on disability access, but reconsidered when the club agreed to provide 27 additional wheelchair spaces, taking the total to 127.

Joyce Cook, chair of the user-led Level Playing Field, which represents disabled sports fans, said her organisation was “deeply disappointed” by the award.

She said: “When considering an advanced award in any walk of life, surely it is not unreasonable to expect the recipient to meet best practice standards.”

She said LPF first discussed its concerns about the award scheme with KIO in 2012, after it awarded the Advanced Equality Standard to Aston Villa, even though the Premier League club had also performed poorly on disability access.

She said: “We were reassured that greater consideration and consultation with LPF and other accessibility experts would be taken by KIO going forward to ensure that access and inclusion for disabled fans would be a core part of their decision process.”

A Kick It Out spokesman said that the grant was awarded following a process that included two access audits, consultations with disabled supporters, increasing wheelchair spaces to 127, and “an ongoing commitment to improve accessibility”.

A Chelsea spokesman said: “Like many clubs with older grounds we are hampered by the age and layout of the stadium. We keep our disabled facilities under continual review to see what improvements can be made and it is an TAKE ME HO ME! issue we take

extremely seriously.”

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36 All Together NOW! NOW! All 36 AllTogether Together NOW! 36

June/July 20152015 April/May April/May 2015

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