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BRIXTON BUGLE YOUR FREE
No 84 | JUNE 2022
Lambeth mayor Pauline George during the tournament at Lambeth town hall in Brixton with Dr Sadru Kheraj (left) and Clifton Oddman of the Brixton Immortals
DOMINOES AND DOCTORS – A WINNING COMBINATION
A unique and imaginative initiative involving one of Brixton’s longest established social organisations is proving the value of community involvement in health care. Competitors and spectators at a three-leg domino tournament organised by the Brixton Immortals club were able to have their blood pressure tested and to get health advice. More than half the people checked at one session were at risk of developing dangerous high blood pressure, but did not know it. Health professional say they are “really encouraged” by how many people had come forward to be tested. A FULL STORY: Page 12
Published monthly in and for Brixton
HONDO TOWER: MORE DELAYS In the latest twist in the “Hondo tower” saga, London mayor Sadiq Khan has agreed to postpone his hearing on plans for a 20-storey tower on Pope’s Road in Brixton. It had been scheduled for 10 June. The mayor “called in” the planning application after Lambeth council approved it in November 2020. A terse statement appeared on the mayor’s website on 31 May this year, saying that, following a request from the applicant, “without prejudice to the mayor’s position and any subsequent decision he may make, the mayor has agreed to postpone the hearing”. The postponement is on the basis that “significant concerns have been raised by Historic England and others which would require commensurate changes if these are to be overcome” and that “re-engagement should
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involve the local community as well as statutory bodies”. The statement said notice of a new date for the hearing will be given “in due course”. It appears to have been added in a hurry shortly before the long jubilee bank holiday as the web page it appears on still says there will be a hearing on 10 June. Historic England’s concerns about the plan have been well known and publicised since they were made two years ago. This is not the first delay to the planning process for the tower. A meeting of Lambeth council’s planning committee deferred consideration of the
application by the Amsterdam based company AG Hondo Popes Road BV, and the mayor of London also extended his consultation period on the application. A report by on the application by the mayor’s officers had been promised “at least seven clear days in advance of the hearing” planned for 10 June, including a recommendation to the mayor. But it had not been published on 4 June, only six days before the now postponed hearing was due. Historic England’s letter to Lambeth council setting out its initial objections to the tower disappeared from the council’s website soon after the mayor’s announcement was made. Lambeth council first received an application for the tower on 16 April 2020. It has been revised on more than one occasion since.
COMMUNITY PAPER
INSPIRING PEOPLE A potter’s progress
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FROM LIDO TO THE CHANNEL Swimming for charity 4
WINDRUSH NOVEL What about the voyage?
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WELCOME TO LAMBETH A refuge from Russian missiles 3
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2022
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Most people tested at domino event in danger of high blood pressure More than half the people who had their blood pressure checked at a recent community health initiative were at risk of developing dangerous high blood pressure, but did not know it. The discovery came not in a clinic, hospital or GP’s surgery, but at a domino tournament. Local community organisations in the Lambeth Together partnership and the local NHS teamed up to bring blood pressure checks and health advice into the community. Lambeth Together is a health care partnership helping local people to have better access to health and care. Black Thrive, one of the partners, NHS England, and staff from Lambeth’s Hills, Brooks, and Dales Primary Care Network, with support from the Ubele Initiative, enlisted the help of the Brixton Immortals domino club. Lambeth Together said the evidence suggests that efforts to diagnose and reduce health risks have a greater success rate when embedded in the community. So the domino initiative, involving three events, two of them at Lambeth town hall in Brixton, was designed to bring blood pressure monitoring to areas where Black communities gather, with dominoes clubs chosen as a good place to start this work. Brixton Immortals’ three-round tournament started on 21 May. During the first leg, staff from local GP practices offered people blood pressure checks and asked them to answer a short health questionnaire. There was great interest from dominoes players and spectators and all available blood pressure test slots were taken quickly. There was such a large demand that not everyone could be seen during the first session, and 15 returned to receive blood pressure checks at the next tournament in Brixton on
Health professionals ‘really encouraged’ by community initiative with Brixton Immortals domino club Saturday 28 May. The majority of participants who had their blood pressure checked had readings indicating they could be at risk of developing high blood pressure. Lambeth Together said that this suggests that community interventions could ultimately save lives. Some of the initial findings from the first round of tests include: ● 6% of people who had checks were found to have blood pressure indicating hypertension, or raised blood pressure. ● 93% of those who had checks were found to be “pre-hypertensive”, which means that they could be at risk of developing high blood pressure if they do not take steps to keep their blood pressure under control
Lambeth mayor Pauline George, herself a nurse, discusses the initiative with Dr Sadru Kheraj and Brixton Immortals committee members Mervin Stewart and Clifton Oddman
● 27% of people tested were pre-hypertensive but had previously received a diagnosis of hypertension, indicating that they have successfully reduced their blood pressure since diagnosis ● 60% of people tested were pre-hypertensive without a diagnosis of hypertension, suggesting that these individuals are potentially at risk of developing high blood pressure if they do not take steps to control it Dr Sadru Kheraj, a Lambeth GP and clinical director of the Hills, Brooks and Dales primary care network, whose team is offering the check-ups, said: “We know that there are high rates of undetected hypertension in Lambeth, especially among Black communities. “We can struggle in general practice to get people to come in to get checked, especially as high blood pressure rarely has noticeable symptoms. “This type of community event is new ground for us, and I am really encouraged to see how many dominoes players have come forward. “It underlines just how important it is for health and care services to work with community groups and to embrace innovation in preventative healthcare. Here, it seems to have worked so far.” Clifton Oddman of the Brixton Immortals, said: “The club is a hub for the Windrush Generation and other local people of Caribbean
heritage. We know that members of our community have suffered disproportionate health impacts during the Covid-19 crisis, as well as higher than average rates of diabetes and strokes, even before the pandemic. “We need to work together as a community to tackle these issues and I’d encourage residents in these higher risks groups to come along, get checked out, and enjoy some world class domino matches.” Jolyon Miles-Wilson, quantitative research fellow at Black Thrive Global, said: “Our aim in this project is to understand whether bringing blood pressure checks to dominoes clubs helps neutralise health inequalities by flagging potentially dangerous blood pressure before it becomes a serious health risk. “The finding that most people who had checks had potentially high blood pressure highlights the potential health-preserving benefits of regular tests at dominoes clubs.’ The Brixton Immortals tournament final round was due to take place on Saturday 11 June, at Lambeth town hall, from 3.30pm. The event is open to all and no pre-booking is required.
Pictures: Camille Addis Alem and Alan Slingsby
JUNE
Lambeth mayor Pauline George poses for pictures with Dr Sadru Kheraj and members of the Brixton Immortals’ committee at Lambeth town hall. Below: the tournament in the town hall
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Restorative, Radical, Rest Sandra Brown-Springer on getting the rest you need and why you must have it
Everyone seems to be tired nowadays – maybe I’m projecting, but often when I ask how someone is, the response is “Tired,” or “I need a break!” Committing to getting the rest you need can be a struggle, and sometimes, no matter how much rest or sleep you get, it doesn’t seem to refresh you. We commonly understand rest as a cessation of labour or movement, be that mental or physical. In this 24-hour world we are constantly contactable, always switched on, ready to spring into action at the call of our names or the ping of our phones. Drawing a boundary around our personal time is so important, yet can be seen as being extreme, lazy or just rude. But in order to be able to really relax, it’s absolutely necessary. Many of us believe that going to bed at a reasonable time is all we need to do to get the right amount of rest. But what is the correct amount? Some people swear four hours works well, while others say they require eight. It seems that most adults require a minimum of six hours, according to The Sleep Charity, and not getting those vital hours of uninterrupted sleep can have all manner of negative physical and mental effects – such as grogginess, mood swings, low energy, reduced attention span and even, to my astonishment, an increased likelihood of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes. Clearly, ensuring you create and maintain a good sleep routine is essential. In addition to that essential sleep, it’s important to remember to carve out time to relax and retreat from responsibilities during our waking hours. Because we’ve become so used to rushing around, constantly doing, just being requires real effort. If we attempt to take a day, a few hours or even 20 minutes off, the to-do list calls our names, loudly. Guilt can kick in, accompanied by its friend, worry. At these times it’s good to remember that you can often delegate or delay tasks. If you
Meditations on Wellbeing with Sandra schedule your rest periods, you’ll be able to enjoy them without worrying that your world will stop turning because you are still. People can pick up the slack at work. Partners, friends or family members can take care of the children, and for those of you who are not in a position to leave your children with anyone, try to rest when they rest. The cleaning can wait. But rest has been defined as more complex than just – stopping. I’ve discovered that there are at least seven different types of rest: mental, sensory, creative, emotional, social, physical and spiritual. The most obvious type of rest, physical, even has two categories: active, which can involve restorative activities like yoga or massage, and passive, involving more traditional rest such as sleep. Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith explains this in depth in her Ted talk which can be accessed at youtu.be/ZGNN4EPJzGk – or scan the code. Acknowledging each of these aspects of rest, while also examining our diets or meal schedules, could radically improve the quality of our downtime. Committing to radical rest can seem like a waste of time. It might be scary, as taking time to be still creates space for personal issues or problems to come to the surface, demanding attention we may not want to give. I can relate to that, but the alternative is continuing to run on the hamster wheel we call modern life until exhaustion forces us to stop. People learn how to treat you by watching how you treat yourself, and I’ve found learning to treat myself as I would a beloved friend extremely rewarding. I am still perfecting this practice, which has been challenging, but it’s definitely worth the effort. Resting and respecting the limitations of all your energies is a large part of self-love, which will only benefit you and the people around you in the long run. Now, I’m off to put my feet up.
People learn how to treat you by watching how you treat yourself, and I’ve found learning to treat myself as I would a beloved friend extremely rewarding