A Helping Hand from NHS Ayrshire & Arran and NAC
A HELPing hand
NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s Health Promotion team has joined forces with North Ayrshire Council’s Consumer Advice Shop to promote their new initiative Health, Employment, Lifestyle and Prevention (HELP).
A recent promotional event was well attended by members of the public, who received a free health check. Fullarton Wheelers cycling club took along their TACX Virtual Reality Turbo Trainer to encourage people to take up cycling and give them a taste of what it is like to ride a road bike.
Every Wednesday, over the past year, various partners have been delivering advice, health checks and providing information at the Consumer Advice Shop, Bridgegate House, Irvine.
The sessions cover different topics each week and range from advice on healthy eating, to money matters, to advice on sexual health. Eye examinations and health checks are also available.
The sessions run at different times between 9am and 4pm on a Wednesday and are becoming increasingly popular, so why not pop into Trading Standards and see if the HELP sessions can help you.
Second year of success for sports charity swimming gala
Children from Ochiltree Primary School
Second year of success
for sports’ charity swimming gala
Ayrshire Sportsability, a charity which promotes the wellbeing of children and young people with a disability through sport, held its second annual swimming gala on 26 October 2011. The event was organised with the help of Joan O’Sullivan from ‘Sports for Special Needs at the Space Place’.
Children and young people from all over Ayrshire came along to the special event in the Galleon Leisure Centre in Kilmarnock.
Teams of youngsters and individuals from East, North and South Ayrshire competed against each other, with East Ayrshire emerging as the victorious team for the second year running. The swimming champions were presented with the Ayrshire Sportsability Swimming Gala shield and gold medals. Runners-up were also presented with bronze and silver medals.
Dr Wai-yin Hatton, Chair of Ayrshire Sportsability and Chief Executive of NHS Ayrshire & Arran, said: “We are pleased to welcome back the swimming gala to our other annual activities. This is another way that Ayrshire Sportsability is offering more sporting opportunities to children and young people with disabilities. My sincere appreciation goes to Joan O Sullivan, Shirley Morrison, volunteers from Sports for Special Needs, Hugh Hall and East Ayrshire Active Schools Team and to everyone who took part.”
Children and young people from the following schools took part in the gala:
- James McFarlane School, North Ayrshire
- St. Anthony’s Primary School, North Ayrshire
- Stanecastle Primary School, North Ayrshire
- Cumnock Academy, East Ayrshire
- Park School, East Ayrshire
- Doon Academy, East Ayrshire
- Crosshouse Communications Unit, East Ayrshire
- Annanhill Primary School, East Ayrshire
- Drongan Primary School, East Ayrshire
- Dunlop Primary School, East Ayrshire
- Ochiltree Primary School, East Ayrshire
- Woodstock Primary School, East Ayrshire
- Southcraigs School, South Ayrshire
- Carrick Academy, South Ayrshire
- Queen Margaret Academy, South Ayrshire
Dont let flu turn on you
Don’t let flu turn on you
NHS Ayrshire & Arran is encouraging people who are especially vulnerable to the effects of flu to have the seasonal flu vaccination to protect them against the virus.
The Scottish Government has launched the seasonal flu campaign focussing on the theme – Don’t let flu turn on you - to raise awareness of the seriousness of flu, and remind at-risk groups across Scotland to get their free flu jab now, before flu starts circulating more widely. GP practices across Ayrshire and Arran are offering the vaccination to their eligible patients.
Last year almost half of people aged under 65 in Ayrshire and Arran who were entitled to get the flu jab didn’t take up the offer. Flu can be extremely serious - even for younger people if they have a long-term illness and are in an at-risk group. People in the at-risk groups who are aged under 65 are being encouraged to protect themselves this year by getting vaccinated.
Other eligible groups are also being urged to take up the offer of free flu vaccination. This includes pregnant women, who are at greater risk of complications if they catch flu. The vaccination is safe to use at any stage of pregnancy and also protects the unborn baby from the flu virus. Studies have shown that vaccination during pregnancy can continue to provide protection against flu to babies after they are born and in the first few months of life.
Who is eligible for flu vaccination?
- Those aged 65 years and over
- Those of any age with a medical condition which puts them in an at-risk group*.
- Pregnant women
- NHS health care staff
- Unpaid carers
*The at-risk group conditions include:
- heart disease
- chest complaints or breathing difficulties including asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and cystic fibrosis
- chronic kidney failure
- lowered immunity due to disease or treatment (such as steroid medication or cancer treatment - chemotherapy or radiotherapy)
- liver problems such as cirrhosis or hepatitis
- a neurological condition such as stroke or cerebral palsy
- diabetes
Dr Gill Hawkins, Consultant in Public Health Medicine and local flu immunisation co-ordinator, said: “I strongly urge all pregnant women and anyone who is in one of the at-risk groups to make an appointment with their GP to get the free vaccination. It only takes a few minutes to be vaccinated but will give you protection against the flu for around a year.”
The virus changes every year so it is necessary for people to have a vaccination every year to provide protection against that season’s viruses.
If you are confused about whether you eligible for the vaccine, or would like to find out more information about it, contact NHS Inform on 0800 22 44 88 or log on to www.immunisationscotland.org.uk for further information on immunisation programmes.
Date of release: Friday 11 November 2011
The Careers Show 11.11.11
Ability Fest is a charity committed to providing an annual event that focuses on promoting opportunities for all disabled people. As a charity we rely on support from partners and organisations providing services within the disability sector.
I recently spoke to an adult who suffered from a brain injury caused by a car accident and he told me about the ability fest and how it would be very useful for the show to highlight some of the charities etc that supported people into improving their quality of life, education and hopefully back to work. This week's show will interview represtatives from Visability,Common Knowledge, Stroke Association, Indepen-dance and Epilepsy Connections.
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Open Doors in the Evening at Ayr College
The second feature on the show this week will highlight bricklaying, electrical and core
Skills. Shelagh McLachlan, Marketing and PR for Ayr College, invited me to an Open
Evening and meet with the above and while I was there, I also met with a parent and her
son deciding whether to leave school, try for apprenticeships or go to university.
Great insight into the courses and a parents view on the evening.
Check out Impact Arts Monthly Art Competition for 5-16 year olds.Contact 01294 273051
Apprenticeships at Hunterston power station. Further info can be obtained form www.edfenergy.com/apprentices. You need to look at nuclear apprenticeships and closing date is 15th January 2012.
Next week………
*I am off to Polmont Young Offenders to record and interview a group of YO’s on their future ideas.
*I will also be interviewing both the Principal and Chairperson of Stow college with the help of Auchenharvie pupil Corrie McKendrick (who is gaining broadcasting journalism skills with me over the coming months.
*This week I met with Moira Heron of URsTV (Ayrshire) a local, community TV website.
She filmed some interviews for the show at Construction Skills, Inchinnan, and we will be filming more of my upcoming interviews. Check the site out… www.URsTV.com