Ben Nevis victory for seven year old boy with cerebral palsy
Caeden Thomson (7) from Corby in Northamptonshire has conquered Ben Nevis to raise money for disability equality charity Scope and his local hospital.
The climb in total took 13.5 hours up and down.
Mum Lisa, who along with Caeden’s brother, sister and dad were with him every step of the way, said: “Caeden is an absolute legend. We started at 9am and reached the top at 5.30pm – and got back to the bottom at 10.30pm.
“It was such a massive challenge and much, much harder than any of us expected. There were many hard time along the way – from three quarters of the way up the pathway is just massive boulders and very hard to climb, and even at the top we didn’t think he would make it down.
“There were danger areas where carrying was very difficult, so Caeden did have to walk down a lot of it too. The temperature dropped hugely and many climbers said they were turning back. But we made it!
“We are all super proud of him, he deserves a medal! People we have spoken to at the campsite said they climbed it once and they will never climb it again – we now know why! Last night no-one could move or celebrate, so today we are resting up and will celebrate tonight!! We all love Caeden so much and can’t believe his passion for getting to the top.”
Caeden said: “My body hurts a lot but I’m ok! It was really, really hard! I felt sick and exhausted at the top, and I felt exhausted but happy at the bottom!”
Money raised will give back to the NHS Children’s services and the physiotherapy department at Kettering General Hospital and disability equality charity Scope.
Gyms, swimming pools and indoor sports courts can reopen from today in Scotland, two weeks earlier than originally planned.
A spokesperson for PureGym said:“We are delighted to be opening our 25 gyms in Scotland today and welcoming back hundreds and thousands of members who want to get back to working out.
“Better health and fitness is an important contributor in the fight against Covid-19. The safety of our members is our number one priority and so we have significantly enhanced our cleaning and safety standards in our gyms, in close consultation with medical experts, to ensure that they are safe places to work and safe places to workout.
“All gyms have sanitisation stations, contact-free entry and rigorous overnight deep cleaning and we’ve received highly positive feedback on cleanliness from our members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who have already returned for millions of gyms visits without incident.”
You can find information about PureGym’s safety measures for re-opening here, and pictures of what the gyms will look like here.
Health experts have encouraged the public to take more exercise during the Coronavirus pandemic. Excess weight puts people at greater risk of serious illness or deth from COVID-19.
Lucie Bennett, Chief Nutritionist at Fitnazz, said: “We’ve just published the Biggest List on the Internet for the Benefits of Exercise, which includes a free implementable Guide”.
Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion at Heart Research UK
SMOKING
In the UK around 6.9 million people over the age of 18 smoke. Although rates of smoking have decreased in recent years, the number of people who smoke remains high.
Smoking harms almost all organs in the body and it is the leading cause of preventable deaths in England. Smoking can damage your blood vessels and heart, which increases your risk of having a heart attack.
Quitting smoking can be very difficult, but it is an important step for reducing your risk of heart disease. We provide some tips for stopping smoking below.
List your reasons for stopping smoking
If you are trying to quit smoking, an effective and simple thing you can do to stay on track is to write a list of the reasons why you wish to quit smoking. Whenever you feel the urge to smoke, you can read this list and it should inspire you to keep going.
Decide a time
As soon as you stop smoking, your risk of heart disease will reduce. The sooner you decide to quit the better. Try to choose a date within the next two weeks. If you leave it too long, you will give yourself time to change your mind.
Make a plan for when you quit
Make a plan to quit smoking and ask your friends, family and co-workers for their support. Identify the triggers that make you feel like smoking and work out how to deal with them in advance. For example, if you hang around with other people who smoke, you could plan to spend more time with non-smokers or do smoke-free activities with friends who are smokers.
If you usually smoke during your break at work, plan to go for a walk instead. Dealing with cigarette withdrawal can be tough and it can lead to you feeling emotional and upset. Before quitting, ask people to be patient and understanding and remind yourself that these feelings are temporary.
Distract yourself when you get cravings
Cigarette cravings are intense urges to smoke. Quitting smoking requires a huge amount of willpower. Cigarette cravings are temporary and they can last for 5 minutes. To avoid giving in to cigarette cravings, try to distract yourself for 5-10 minutes. You could try doing some physical activity or a bit of housework, do a bit of colouring in or planning a healthy dinner. Once the craving has passed, you can give yourself a pat on the back.
You could also consider using a stop smoking aid, such as nicotine patches, gums, lozenges or nasal sprays to help stop the cravings.
Get support to stop smoking
There is a lot of support available for people who want to stop smoking. Getting support with stopping smoking can increase your chances of success. You could try contacting your local Stop Smoking Services or chatting to your GP. If you know someone who is also trying to quit smoking, you could offer to support each other. You could also seek advice from a friend or family member who has successfully stopped smoking.
You can get further support with stopping smoking and a free Personal Quit Plan from the NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/smokefree.
People in England on low incomes who need to self-isolate and are unable to work from home in areas with high incidence of COVID-19 are to benefit from a new payment scheme.
Government to implement new payment for people on low incomes in areas with high rates of COVID-19, who need to self-isolate and can’t work from home
Payments of up to £182 to be made to people who have tested positive for COVID-19 and their contacts
Scheme to start first in Blackburn with Darwen, Pendle, and Oldham
People on low incomes who need to self-isolate and are unable to work from home in areas with high incidence of COVID-19 will benefit from a new payment scheme starting on Tuesday 1 September, the Health Secretary has announced today.
Starting with a trial in Blackburn with Darwen, Pendle and Oldham to ensure the process works, eligible individuals who test positive with the virus will receive £130 for their 10-day period of self-isolation. Other members of their household, who have to self-isolate for 14 days, will be entitled to a payment of £182.
Non-household contacts advised to self-isolate through NHS Test and Trace will also be entitled to a payment of up to £182, tailored to the individual length of their isolation period.
It is designed to support people who are unable to work from home while self-isolating, either after testing positive, or after being identified by NHS Test and Trace as living in the same household as – or coming into contact with – someone who has tested positive. It will be available to people currently receiving either Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit.
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: The British public have already sacrificed a great deal to help slow the spread of the virus. Self-isolating if you have tested positive for COVID-19, or have come into contact with someone who has, remains vital to keeping on top of local outbreaks.
“This new payment scheme will help people on low incomes and who are unable to work from home to continue playing their part in the national fight against this virus.”
Payments will be provided within 48 hours of the eligible individual providing the necessary evidence. Individuals will be asked to provide a notification from NHS Test and Trace and a bank statement.
The local authority can also check the NHS Test and Trace system to confirm the individual has been asked to self-isolate, if the individual is unable to provide this information. The local authority will put in place checks to prevent fraud and ensure compliance through welfare check-ins, phone calls and employment checks.
There will be a rapid review of the scheme in Blackburn with Darwen, Pendle and Oldham to assess the performance consider how effectively vulnerable people have been reached, and consider how far it has helped reduce transmission of the virus in these areas. If the approach is successful, the scheme will be quickly applied in other areas of high COVID-19 incidence.
This will not reduce any other benefits they receive. This payment equates to:
£130 if an individual has tested positive for coronavirus and has to self-isolate for 10 days (from the point they first developed symptoms).
£182 if a member of an individual’s household has tested positive for coronavirus and they are asked to self-isolate for 14 days (from the point the member of their household first developed symptoms).
£13 per day (up to a maximum of £182) if an individual is identified as a non-household contact of another person who has tested positive for coronavirus and is asked to self-isolate up until 14 days after they were most recently in contact with the person who tested positive.
To be eligible for the funding, individuals must meet the following criteria:
Have tested positive for Covid-19 or received a notification from NHS Test and Trace asking them to self-isolate
Have agreed to comply with the notification from NHS Test and Trace and provided contact details to the local authority.
Be employed or self-employed. Employed people will be asked to show proof of employment. Self-employed will be required to show evidence of trading income and that their business delivers services which the local authority reasonably judges they are unable to carry out without social contact
Be unable to work from home (checks will be undertaken on all applicants) and will lose income a result
Be currently receiving Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit.
The TUC says the payment is nothing like enough, however,
Commenting on today’s (Thursday) announcement that the government is piloting payments of £13 a day to people on low incomes who need to self-isolate, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “These paltry payments will not make the difference needed.
“Every worker should have the right to decent sick pay so they can help stop the spread of the virus. Ministers shouldn’t need a trial to know that’s the right thing to do. And sick pay must not become a post code lottery.
“The sooner government gets on with delivering fair sick pay for everyone, the quicker we will beat this pandemic.
“It should be at least as much as the real Living Wage – £320 a week – so everyone who needs to self-isolate can afford to.”
A mistake in a spreadsheet calculation set in motion a series of events that led to the delayed opening of the new £150m Sick Kids hospital, a new report has revealed.
The go-ahead for a new hospital at Little France, a replacement for the ageing Sick Childrens Hospital in Sciennes, was first agreed by NHS Lothian in 2005 but the project has seen a catalogue of delays and spiralling costs.
Scottish Conservative health spokesman, Lothian MSP Miles Briggs, said: ““It is absolutely staggering that this mistake has had such huge repercussions and was not picked up until after the new hospital had been built.
“This review is highlighting how ill equipped health boards are for undertaking projects the magnitude of a new hospital.
“SNP Ministers are ultimately responsible for what has been described as a ‘collective failure’ in the specifications of ventilators at the hospital.
“This fiasco has cost the tax payer enormous amounts of money, money which should have gone towards properly resourcing hospitals and improving treatment times.”
With lockdown restrictions becoming increasingly relaxed and people getting used to the ‘new normal’ PHIL DAY, Superintendent Pharmacist at Pharmacy2U, offers some tips on boosting your immune system.
Phil Day, Superintendent Pharmacist at Pharmacy2U comments:“With peoples’ lives getting back to this ‘new’ normal, people are understandably cautious about crowded areas, with the risk of catching the virus still very much apparent.
“However, there are some key things you can do to boost your immune system, making your body more likely to fight off viruses:
Get enough sleep – poor quality sleep is linked with a higher susceptibility to lots of illnesses; adequate rest strengthens your natural immunity. Adults should aim for 8 hours of sleep per night, with teenagers needing an hour more.
Find ways to reduce stress – when you are stressed, your body releases a hormone called cortisol to prepare you for “fight or flight”. But over time, excessive levels of cortisol will lead to an increase in inflammation in the body, which in turn impairs your immune system, reducing its ability to fight infections.
Ensure you’re getting enough vitamin D – vitamin D is vital for healthy bones, teeth and muscles thanks to its ability to influence the amount of calcium in our bodies. A lack of vitamin D could lead to complications with the immune system, which could worsen the effects of the virus if you do get sick. Most of our vitamin D comes from our diet, and exposure to the sun during the warmer months. However, there are other sources of vitamin D. Supplements containing vitamin D are widely available from your local or online pharmacy, or supermarket.
Eat more fruit and veg – fresh fruit and vegetables are packed with vitamins and antioxidants, which are essential for keeping your immune system as healthy as possible. Get your 5 a day!
Take moderate exercise – this can reduce inflammation in the body and promotes the healthy turnover of immune cells, as well as boosting the effectiveness of vaccines in people with compromised immune systems. Exercises such as jogging, cycling and swimming are excellent for this – even a daily walk is really good for you.”
Designed for people managing long term health conditions but also useful for those have gotten out of the way of being active, find activity challenging or have trouble getting started, this resource from the ‘We Are Undefeatable’ campaign is excellent.
The attached ‘Five in Five’ booklet presents a simple template: choose 5 exercises from the activity library and do each one for 1 minute, adding up to a 5 minute mini-workout.
Have a look and please share it with anyone you think might be interested.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has today made a direct appeal to parents to return their children to the classroom when schools reopen in England next week.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “I have previously spoken about the moral duty to reopen schools to all pupils safely, and I would like to thank the school staff who have spent the summer months making classrooms Covid-secure in preparation for a full return in September.
“We have always been guided by our scientific and medical experts, and we now know far more about coronavirus than we did earlier this year.
“As the Chief Medical Officer has said, the risk of contracting Covid-19 in school is very small and it is far more damaging for a child’s development and their health and well-being to be away from school any longer.
“This is why it’s vitally important that we get our children back into the classroom to learn and to be with their friends. Nothing will have a greater effect on the life chances of our children than returning to school.”
Chief Medical Officers and Deputy Chief Medical Officers of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales made a weekend statement on the evidence of risks and benefits to health from schools and childcare settings reopening, which says:
We are confident in the extensive evidence that there is an exceptionally small risk of children of primary or secondary school age dying from COVID-19. The infection fatality rate (proportion of those who are infected who die) for those aged 5 to 14 is estimated at 14 per million, lower than for most seasonal flu infections.
We are confident that there is clear evidence of a very low rate of severe disease in children of primary and secondary school ages compared to adults, even if they catch COVID-19. The percentage of symptomatic cases requiring hospitalisation is estimated to be 0.1% for children aged 0 to 9 and 0.3% among those aged 10 to 19, compared to a hospitalisation rate of over 4% in the UK for the general population. Most of these children make a rapid recovery.
We are confident that there is clear evidence from many studies that the great majority of children and teenagers who catch COVID-19 have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.
Control measures such as hand and surface hygiene, cohorting to reduce number of daily contacts, and directional controls to reduce face-to-face contact remain key elements of maintaining COVID-19 secure school environments and minimising risk.
Children return to school in Northern Ireland this morning, while Welsh children go back next month.
Pupils in Scotland start their second full week of school this morning, and parents are reminded to observe guidelines on social distancing.
Steps include:
Limiting the number of family members at drop off and pick ups where possible
Following the specific guidance issued to them from their schools
Following national advice on keeping two metres apart.
Edinburgh’s Education Convener Cllr Ian Perry said: “We realise it will take time for parents and pupils to get used to the new arrangements around our schools and I want to thank everyone who has been following the advice such as dropping children off away from schools gates so there is no overcrowding.
“We would urge everyone to remember the physical distancing guidelines they have been following so well for the past few months as these also apply outside our schools. Please take on board these simple steps so we can keep everyone safe.”
Education Vice Convener Cllr Alson Dickie said: “Each school is different so specific advice has been issued to parents about the best ways to help with physical distancing at drop off and pick up times.
“Discussions between parents and schools will continue as we find solutions that best support each school. In addition a number of temporary measures have also been put in place as part of our Spaces for People programme to give pupils and their families safer access so they can physically distance using buggies, wheelchairs and other mobility aids.
“We are continuing to encourage parents/carers to travel to school by walking, cycling and scooting where possible so please follow the national guidance so we can keep the virus suppressed.”
