You are invited to attend
PILTON COMMUNITY HEALTH PROJECT
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
on Wednesday 12 November 10:30 – 12:30
at Pilton Community Health Project
73 Boswall Parkway, Edinburgh, EH5 2PW
Come along and find out what we’ve done this year and hear more about what we have planned!
Light refreshments will be served
RSVP
admin@pchp.org.uk or 0131 551 1671
You are invited to attend
PILTON COMMUNITY HEALTH PROJECT
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
on Wednesday 12 November 10:30 – 12:30
at Pilton Community Health Project
73 Boswall Parkway, Edinburgh, EH5 2PW
Come along and find out what we’ve done this year and hear more about what we have planned!
Light refreshments will be served
RSVP
admin@pchp.org.uk or 0131 551 1671
3,800 copies of learning resource to be distributed across Scotland
Scottish Ambulance Service clinicians are set to benefit from a new learning resource on dementia designed and developed by NHS Education for Scotland and the Service itself.
It is essential that ambulance clinicians are able to recognise when a person may have dementia, and that they are are confident of their ability to provide appropriate support, care and treatment. The bespoke resource will help ambulance clinicians to give informed, high quality and person-centred support to people with dementia, their families and carers.
Ambulance clinicians will frequently come into contact with people with dementia, their families and carers as well as people with early signs of dementia who have not had a diagnosis. While recognising the often immediate and time limited nature of their contact, this will have an influence on the impact of the whole care experience for the person with dementia, their families and carers.
Pauline Howie, Chief Executive, Scottish Ambulance Service, said: “This new learning resource is an invaluable clinical support tool that will be issued to every one of our frontline emergency staff, as well as our Patient Transport Service teams.
“People with dementia often face many complex challenges and issues and this initiative, which is enhanced by a number of specially trained ‘Dementia Champions’ within the Service, will help our teams to provide the most appropriate care and treatment for people with dementia and their families and carers.”
Malcolm Wright, NHS Education for Scotland Chief Executive added: “We are delighted to have developed this important resource in partnership with the Scottish Ambulance service. NHS Education for Scotland is committed to providing educational resources and training opportunities for the entire health workforce to support rights-based, and person-centred approaches to the care, support and treatment of people with dementia and their families and carers. This new, targeted resource is a valuable addition to our suite of resources developed as a part of the ‘Promoting Excellence’ work force development programme”.
The learning resource focuses on understanding dementia, effective communication, and providing positive person-centred support. It can be used for individual learning, learning as a group or team, in a facilitated learning event, or in a mixture of all of these approaches.
As well as providing key learning, activities and scenarios are used throughout the learning resource to help encourage exploration and reflection about real practice issues.
New Caledonian Woodlands needs your vote for Inverleith Park project
New Caledonian Woodlands has been shortlisted for the Bank of Scotland Community Fund 2014 in the Edinburgh North category – and needs your support!
By encouraging the public to vote, we have a chance to be awarded a grant of up to £3,000 from Bank of Scotland to enable us to continue doing good work in the community.
New Caledonian Woodlands are an Edinburgh-based charity that exist to enhance Scotland’s natural environment, inspire positive environmental behaviour change and improve mental and physical well-being in our community. We deliver a range of projects combining environmental sustainability with education about wider environmental issues, whilst utilising environmental activities to achieve improvements in mental and physical well-being.
Over the course of a year we work with around 100 referred participants and 1000 volunteers in a range of programmes to benefit those struggling with their mental well-being and encourage community ownership of caring for local woodlands.
We educate people about the important role they need to play in a range of environmental issues, from habitat conservation to climate change and carbon footprint reduction.
Participants on our projects work together in a friendly and relaxing atmosphere,
in a setting that benefits individuals in terms of self-esteem growth, learning transferable skills and community involvement.
Currently, our site located in Inverleith Park lacks adequate work space for our mental health participants to carry out their projects and limits the amount of individuals we can work with at any given time. We have plans to greatly enhance the space into an environmentally sustainable facility to accommodate and expand on the various mental health, employability and environmental volunteer projects we currently offer.
Being awarded this grant would help us put some tangible changes into place, the first being an outdoor Iron Age roundhouse to be used as a sheltered area for our mental health participants to hand craft products which they will then go on to sell.
Andy Ross, coordinator and founder of New Caledonian Woodlands, said: “The Bank of Scotland Community Fund could give us an amazing opportunity to build workshop space in our Edinburgh site that meets the needs of our Fruitful Woods and Good Wood mental health and employability projects. An Iron Age roundhouse will be built by our project participants and then used by them as a dry workshop space to carry out a range of activities – from making baskets to wooden spoons to small pieces of furniture. We anticipate that the roundhouse will be used by 80 participants per year from our mental health and employability projects, and will be a part of their recovery journey.”
The Bank of Scotland Community Fund was set up to help local people across Scotland have a positive impact at the hearts of their communities by giving grants to 232 local good causes in 58 Scottish communities.
Four good causes in each community have been shortlisted and Bank of Scotland is inviting everyone to vote for the causes they’d most like to support.
Members of the public can vote for their preferred community group on-line, by SMS or Twitter, or in a Bank of Scotland branch from 2 September to 10 October 2014. The local good cause that receives most votes in each community will receive an award of £3,000, with the other groups receiving £2,000, £1,000 or £500 depending on the votes received.
You can find out more about the Community Fund and New Caledonian Woodlands and cast your vote by visiting the Bank of Scotland Community Fund website at:
www.BankofScotland.com/communityfund
Voting for the 2014 Community Fund is open until Friday 10 October.
Read between the lines – that’s the message being promoted by the City of Edinburgh Council during National Suicide Prevention Week.
Two lives a day in Scotland are lost to suicide and the awareness week, which runs from today (Monday September 8), reaches out to the people close to those who are at risk.
Events to raise awareness will take place in shopping centres, libraries and neighbourhood offices in a bid to urge Edinburgh residents to help those who may be suicidal. As well as information stalls, a free showing of A Single Man starring Colin Firth is being held at the Filmhouse on Lothian Road on Wednesday (10 September).
The “read between the lines” campaign promotes the message that if you are worried about someone asking them how they feel can help to save their life – even if they say that they are feeling fine.
Activities kicked off at the weekend with the Choose Life Challenge five-a-side football tournament at Gracemount Leisure Centre. A church service for people whose lives have been touched by suicide took place yesterday in the Augustine United Church.
Councillor Ricky Henderson, Convener of Health, Social Care and Housing, said: “Talking to someone about suicide can make the difference between life and death and this can bring a real sense of relief to people who are struggling with these thoughts.
“Staff from Health and Social Care are actively involved in the Edinburgh Choose Life Steering Group with partner organisations, which supports the Scottish Government’s suicide prevention strategy.
“If you are worried about someone’s behaviour, please read between the lines and don’t be afraid to broach the subject. There are a number of excellent, professional organisations out there that would be happy to help.”
For help and further advice if you are concerned that someone you know might be at risk, contact Breathing Space on 0800 83 85 87 or the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90.
Local growers, food groups, community gardeners and volunteers fashioned up a feast to celebrate the unveiling of the Edible Edinburgh Sustainable Food City Plan at Muirhouse Community Shop on Pennywell Road yesterday.
Developed in consultation with the public, the food plan aims to motivate Edinburgh to develop a healthy and sustainable approach to food, one which will bring social, economic and environmental benefits to the whole community – latest figures show that over two thirds of people across the Lothians eat less than the recommended five portions of fruit and veg a day.
The six-year plan is based on feedback from the public and outlines six distinct themes which need to be addressed in order to achieve its vision of Edinburgh as a sustainable food city. These are: Health and wellbeing, Land use, Environment, Buying food, Economy and Cultural change.
A series of actions have been set out within each theme in order to work towards key outcomes, including more fresh and healthy food eaten, fewer people living in food poverty, the protection of our natural environment and a thriving local food economy.
Efforts will be coordinated by Edible Edinburgh, a cross-sector steering group from the public, private and third sectors, including City of Edinburgh Council and NHS Lothian.
City of Edinburgh Council’s Environment Convener, Councillor Lesley Hinds, who chairs the Edible Edinburgh steering group, welcomed the launch of the plan.
She said: “We are proud to be launching this plan in collaboration with our partners, who have worked with the public to ensure our vision and targets are realistic and relevant for achieving a sustainable food city for all.
“Food is central for everyone in Edinburgh, and there are a great many groups who work tirelessly towards a greener, fairer and healthier city. By building on their efforts we are determined to expand this enthusiasm to residents across the capital.”
Dr Margaret Douglas, consultant in public health medicine with NHS Lothian, added: “Edible Edinburgh’s vision is of ‘a city where good food is available for all.’ Healthy affordable food is essential for good health but for too many this is not yet a reality. Projects like Pilton Community Gardeners are showing the way by involving local people in growing healthy food and improving the local environment.
“We need change at many levels if the causes of diet-related ill health are to be tackled. Partnerships like Edible Edinburgh can help coordinate public, private, voluntary and community sector action to push for a fairer food city.”
Iain Stewart, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Community Food, said: “Community food groups play a vital role in addressing inequalities by getting local people involved in making good food available locally. At Edinburgh Community Food we support this effort by providing food and health promotion sessions and supplying food projects throughout the city with a range of healthy affordable food products.”
MS Therapy Centre Lothian launches creative writing fundraiser
The MS Therapy Centre Lothian today launched its latest fundraiser – a new creative writing service which will benefit its 200 visitors. MS: My Story will be a series of eight weekly creative writing workshops, specifically designed for people with multiple sclerosis to experiment with writing about their lives.
The groups will be led by a creative writing facilitator who focuses on the therapeutic benefit of writing – not spelling, grammar or literary quality. This means that the content of the writing, no matter how personal, will be treated as important and valuable.
At the end of the eight week series, participants will be given the option to publish a piece of their writing in a small booklet which will then be used to raise awareness of MS and to raise funds for the centre.
Nancy Campbell, Operations Manager at the Centre, said: “Writing is not a substitute for counselling or therapy, but it is a cost-effective, community-based and often enjoyable way to address emotional issues. Putting words down on the page can help people to order their thoughts, perhaps even leading to positive adjustments to their lives. Penning a poem can also create a wonderful sense of achievement.”
To make the initiative possible, the centre is looking for £2,500. Each person that provides funding – ranging from a minimum of £10 to over £500 – will be kept informed of the project’s progress with some being offered the opportunity to take part in a creative writing workshop.
Nancy added: “The yearly cost of providing our current services is around £200,000, which we are able to raise thanks to the kind support of regular donors and fundraisers. However, these running costs mean that we simply cannot draw upon existing support to fund new projects – every penny is needed to maintain our current level of support.
“We are hoping that crowdfunding will help us to find new supporters, interested in pioneering this innovative and exciting way of supporting our clients. The money will cover the fees of the creative writing facilitator inclusive of materials and over an eight week period, the cost of 200 copies of our publication and a launch event.”
To donate please visit http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/MS-My-Story/
The MS Therapy Centre Lothian is a charity providing help and practical therapies such as physiotherapy, complementary therapies and oxygen therapy as well as emotional support and advice.
www.mstc-lothian.org.uk
Leith’s MS Therapy Centre is to mark MS Awareness Week 2014 (28 Apr-4 May) by hosting the UK premiere of “When I Walk”, an award-winning film by Jason DaSilva about his life with MS.
The event takes place on Monday (28 April) at the Filmhouse Cinema on Lothian Road at 11am. Tickets are priced at £12.50 and available at www.mstc-lothian.org.uk.
Thirty five year old New Yorker Jason (pictured above) was diagnosed with MS in 2006. He had been on holiday with his family when he suddenly fell down. Unable to get back up, he could no longer ignore the disease which doctors had diagnosed a few months earlier.
Jason tried exercise to help, but after his fall on the beach his mum reminded him he was still able to pursue the things he enjoyed most in life – art and filmmaking – and from that moment he set about set out on a worldwide journey in search of healing, self-discovery and love.
Jason said: “I just want people to relate to it to as a story that is interesting and compelling to watch. And I do hope that for people with disabilities or struggles with illness similar to mine, it will be cathartic for them to see their story on film.”
Nancy Campbell, Operations Manager at the MS Therapy Centre, said: “We are showing the film in the hope it will provide some insight into MS, its symptoms, and its impact. Scotland has the highest incidence of MS in the world and can’t be ignored. “
The MS Therapy Centre Lothian is a charity providing help and practical therapies such as physiotherapy, complementary therapies and oxygen therapy as well as emotional support and advice.www.mstc-lothian.org.uk
Pilton Community Health Project has won an award for Moving Forward, a review featuring an innovative programme of activities with the local community.
Pilton Community Health Project (PCHP) is one of North Edinburgh’s longest-established community organisations, first set up as the Health Hut almost thirty years ago. Over that time the PCHP team has worked tirelessly to improve health and wellbeing across the area, so it’d great to hear that PCHP’s efforts have been recognised – PCHP has just won a prestigious Physical Activity and Health Alliance (PAHA) ‘Community Wide Programme’ award from NHS Scotland for the Moving Forward initiative.
‘Moving Forward’ used exciting, innovative research techniques to explore how to involve the community in encouraging people to become more active. It found that local people would like to be supported to take part in informal, community led activities in local spaces.
Lianne Pipskyj and Clare Symonds, Physical Activity Development Workers at PCHP who co-ordinated the Moving Forward review explained “The value of the work we do is that we do it together, in partnership with other organisations and local people. We have also established a forum which strengthens these relationships, lets us be creative and helps us all improve what we do”
The report also found out that increasing the use of local green spaces and cycle paths would remove obstacles to getting active.
Savita Purran (pictured above) who’s been dancing Bollywood for more than 20 years is dancing for joy at the news of the award. Savita is now sharing her skills and enthusiasm by leading her own class in Muirhouse, having been supported and encouraged by the PCHP team. Savita told us, “Its excellent news! I have been able to follow my dream of teaching Bollywood which gets people active while having fun.”
Shona Robison said: “I’m delighted to congratulate Pilton Community Health Project on their success in the Physical Activity and Health Alliance Awards (PAHA) 2014. It’s fantastic to know that there is so much innovative and truly deserving work taking place around Scotland to make the nation more active’’.
The award will be presented at the 7th National PAHA Conference, which is being held on 24 April at Murrayfield and will be aattended by Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport Shona Robison.
Congratulations to all at PCHP!
PEOPLE in Lothian are being encouraged to “hop” into Easter by preparing ahead for the holiday period.
The NHS Scotland Be Ready for Easter campaign, which was launched today, is advising people to take a few simple steps to look after their health.
By making sure they have a supply of over the counter medicines, knowing when their GP surgery is open and checking their repeat prescriptions, they can ensure they make the most of the Easter holiday weekend.
This year many GP surgeries across Scotland will close for four days from Good Friday (18 Apri) to Easter Monday (21 April), before re-opening on Tuesday 22 April.
NHS 24 Medical Director Professor George Crooks said: “After winter, Easter is the busiest time of year for Scotland’s health services. The Be Ready for Easter campaign wants to remind people of the small steps they can take to ensure illness doesn’t ruin their Easter.
“Being prepared by having enough repeat medication to cover you and having some simple home remedies available can make all the difference if illness strikes. It is also important to plan ahead for any required repeat prescriptions over the Easter break, so please order and collect in good time. We would also remind people of the wide range of health information available at NHS inform.”
Professor Alison McCallum, Director of Public Health and Health Policy, NHS Lothian, said: “We’d encourage anyone who relies on prescription medicines to ensure they get their request for a repeat prescription to their GP or pharmacist well before Easter preferably by 10 April.
“It’s important you have the medicines you need to see you through this holiday period. Coughs and colds are still doing the rounds. Staying at home, regular hot drinks and taking plenty of rest is the best medicine for a cold. This also helps our specialists focus their efforts on those who are seriously unwell. To help manage troublesome symptoms e.g. colds, your local pharmacist can advise on what you need for a well stocked medicine cabinet.”
Although many GP surgeries will be closed at Easter, hundreds of GPs will be working throughout this period supporting out of hours services across Scotland.
The four key steps that Be Ready for Easter recommends this Spring are:
Restock your medicine cabinet if needed
Common ailments such as colds can often be effectively treated at home with readily available medicine such as pain relief, cough mixture and cold remedies. Parents are reminded to restock their medicine cabinet with child-friendly remedies.
Use your local pharmacy
Your pharmacist can offer advice or help if you need over-the-counter remedies or have run out of any prescribed medication. You can also pick up plasters and antiseptic creams to prepare for any minor accidents.
Make sure you have enough repeat prescription.
If you or someone you care for requires medicines regularly, make sure you order and collect repeat prescriptions in good time to ensure you have enough medicine to last over the holiday period.
Know when your GP surgery will be open
Your local doctor’s surgery may be closed for four days during the Easter weekend from Good Friday to Easter Monday (April 18th – April 21st).
General advice and information on how to stay healthy this Easter can be found at www.nhsinform.co.uk or contact NHS inform on 0800 22 44 88.
