health – Page 17 – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Edinburgh gets set for Festival of Cycling

City to host third Festival of Cycling from 11 – 21 June

The third Edinburgh Festival of Cycling will be held from 11 to 21 June, and Scotland’s greatest cycling celebration promises to be a real showcase of all aspects of bicycle culture.

The jam-packed 10-day programme features not only bike rides and races, but talks, films, drama, art & photography exhibitions, family events, and workshops. Among the rides there are several new rides, including the inauguration of the Capital Trail a long distance mountain biking challenge, and two new Audax rides aimed at beginners and families. There will also be rides and events for children and families.

The festival will feature inspiring speakers such as: Shannon Galpin, National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, talking about her work in Afghanistan using the bicycle as a vehicle for social justice. Juliana Buhring (the fastest woman to cycle round the world) will be giving a Q&A after the Scottish première of ‘Inspired to Ride’ the new film about the 4,233 mile Trans America race, in which was the first woman to finish (and fifth overall). Also, new at the Festival is the powerful new drama ‘The White Bike’ by Tamara von Werthern, who was inspired to write the play by the death of Eilidh Cairns who was killed as she cycled to work.

This years Festival of Cycling will see the return of the Original Edinburgh Night Ride, for its third year: this is a supported ride which has been described as a magical mystery tour from Edinburgh to East Lothian and back through the mid-summer night – this ride sold out for the last two years.

Then there’s the Bike Curious Family workshop – showing families how bikes can be the perfect transport solution for children of all ages. Also, returning this year is Women’s Cycle forum, an evening of discussion, inspiration and networking on how to build a better world.

In addition to all this there will be plenty more to do including a literary tour, rides and tours for all-abilities, novice riders, children and the elite, workshops, exhibitions of art & photography, various workshops, including one where you can build a bicycle from scratch using bamboo to make the frame, and public meetings.

Throughout June, ‘Pedalling past: Edinburgh’s Cycling Heritage’, explores Edinburgh’s cycling heritage in a free exhibition at the Central Library, through historic photographs and other material from the collections of Edinburgh Libraries and Museums and Galleries.

The Festival also caters to the increasing amount of people commuting in Edinburgh. The Spokes’ Bike Breakfast will be free to all who arrive by bike and features a range of stalls, speeches, security marking and servicing for bikes at the Edinburgh City Chambers. The Brompton Fold-Fest will have prizes for the quickest in town to fold a Brompton bicycle at Biketrax and at the SEStran Commuter Challenge participants will set off from Ferrytoll, Ingliston, Straiton and Newcraighall by car, bus, train, tram, bicycle, or jogging/walking and head for St Andrew Square, to see which mode is the fastest and causes the least environmental damage.

Louise Haston, Commonwealth Games double Silver medallist said: “Over the past few years cycling in Scotland has gone from strength to strength and it’s great to see events such as the Edinburgh Festival of Cycling taking place,
especially for the 3rd year running.

“Events like this are key to getting people of all ages and abilities involved in cycling whether it be for sport, leisure, to stay fit or have fun! There are some fantastic events on this year’s calendar – I can’t wait to be involved!”

Director of the Edinburgh Festival of Cycling, Kim Harding, says “This year we are bringing you our strongest programme yet: more rides, including the new Capital Trail and two new Audax rides. More films, including the première of ‘Inspired to Ride’ with a Q&A with one of the stars. Great talks, such as ‘Pedalling a Revolution’ by Shannon Galpin, founder of the nonprofit organisation Mountain2Mountain, on her social justice work in Afghanistan, a country where there is a cultural taboo against women and girls riding bicycles.

“Also, Emily Chappell a cycle courier taking on the world, and Swiss mountain biker Gian Liesch. The powerful new drama ‘The White Bike’ by Tamara von Werthern, plus books, photographs, workshops, rides and more. Did I mention the rides?”

Held across different venues around Edinburgh, more information on all events of the Edinburgh Festival of Cycling and tickets are available online at www.edfoc.org.uk.

The Festival can also be followed on Twitter at @edfoc, on Facebook at EdinburghFestivalofCycling, on Instagram at @edfoc and on Flickr at edincyclefest. The hashtag for the event is #edfoc2015.

The Edinburgh Festival of Cycling is supported by Sustrans, Sestran, The City of Edinburgh Council, Spokes and the Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative. Booking information and contact details for all events can be found on www.edfoc.org.uk, the online brochure can be browsed at goo.gl/TYrM6z.

Healthy Hibee Scott tackles diabetes head on

‘Around 4% of the population of Lothian have diabetes – which although is a life-long condition, as Scott has proved, it does not need to stop you living a full and normal life’ – Dr Alan Jaap

Hibernian midfield star Scott Allan inspired young people with diabetes at a special event at Easter Road on Monday. Scott was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a child, and the recently-named SPFL Championship Player of the Year is the perfect person to prove that the condition need not stand in the way of a successful sporting career.

The event, the first in a series of health promotion activities planned by the Hibernian Community Foundation and NHS Lothian, saw around 100 children who have been diagnosed with diabetes and their families hear Scott talk about how he manages his condition as a sportsman.

Scott said: “I am delighted to be asked to provide positive messages to young people with diabetes. If they can draw some extra energy from meeting with me and having a conversation about how I manage my diabetes then that is fantastic. The fact that so many people want to come along is really humbling.”

Leeann Dempster, Chief Executive of Hibernian FC and a Director of the Hibernian Community Foundation, said: “Scott is a high profile professional athlete and sportsman who has managed to build a successful career despite being diagnosed with diabetes.

“He manages the condition very successfully, even during matches, and because of the help and support he has received is keen to help children and young people with diabetes understand the condition, how it can be managed better, and how much can be achieved despite it. Scott approached us to say he was keen to help in any way that he could, and to raise awareness of diabetes.”

Dr. Alan Jaap, Consultant in Diabetes, NHS Lothian, said: “Around 4% of the population of Lothian have diabetes – which although is a life-long condition, as Scott has proved, it does not need to stop you living a full and normal life. I’m sure Scott will act as an inspiration and positive role model for all of the youngsters attending.”

Scott has always had to consider his type 1 diabetes when playing football – his diagnosis came when he was just three-years-old, and he learned how to manage his condition playing football at school.

Diabetes should be no barrier to young people considering a career in sport, Scott insists. “As long as you manage your diabetes you can do whatever you want”, he said. “There have been a lot of athletes throughout the years that have been at the top of the game with diabetes. You need to live as much of a normal life as possible – don’t let people tell you otherwise.”

The event is part of ‘Healthy Hibs Messages’ – a series of health promotion events undertaken as part of the new GameChanger Public Social Partnership, the first Public Social Partnership launched by a football club in Scotland, and supported by Hibernian FC, Hibernian Community Foundation and NHS Lothian. This unique partnership has seen more than 70 different organisations signing up to work together with the joint aim of making Scotland’s population healthier.

Ebola: one year on

Yesterday marked the anniversary of the first reported case of Ebola in Sierra Leone. International Development Secretary Justine Greening said:

“A year ago today it was confirmed that the deadly Ebola virus had reached Sierra Leone. In the months that followed this terrible disease swept across the country claiming thousands of lives, devastating communities and temporarily crippling the economy.

“The UK can be immensely proud of its life saving work leading the international humanitarian response in Sierra Leone. Working hand in hand with the government of Sierra Leone and its people, we have supported them through every step of this disease — setting up labs to quickly diagnose Ebola, raising awareness about how the disease is spread, building treatment centres, training frontline health workers, and funding teams to provide safe and dignified burials. The number of cases has now fallen from a peak of over 500 a week in November to just 8 last week. We won’t have won this battle until we get to zero infections and stamp out Ebola. We will continue to work with Sierra Leone’s government and local communities to seek out and isolate every new case.

“There is no room for complacency, but we hope that the end is in sight. The UK will continue to stand by Sierra Leone until the job is done but it is vital that others now join us to help Sierra Leone get back on its feet. UK support will help get health and education services up and running, kick start the economy and protect the people most affected by the disease — including the children who lost their families. We cannot wipe out the suffering this disease has inflicted but we can help to build a stronger, more prosperous Sierra Leone that is better prepared to tackle disease outbreaks in the future.”

New bus stops at Royal Infirmary

Two new bus stops will open at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh from tomorrow (Monday 25 May). The new routes will see buses coming from town, and out of town. travelling through the site.

One of the new stops will be located on Little France Crescent, with the other situated between the University of Edinburgh Chancellor’s Building and the University of Edinburgh Queen’s Medical Research Institute (click here for large map).

The main bus terminal moved from the West to East side of the site in May 2014 and the loop road, which runs around the site, has now been redeveloped to allow buses to pass through.

This development forms part of a programme of works which have been carried out to prepare the site for the new £150 million Royal Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Clinical Neurosciences.

Work started on the new hospital in early 2015 and the new building is anticipated to open to patients in autumn 2017.

Brian Currie, Project Director, Royal Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Clinical Neurosciences said: “The majority of the road works have now been completed and I would like to thank patients, visitors and the public for their understanding as these developments have taken place.

“The new hospital will conjoin the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh via a link building between both adult and child Emergency Departments. This link building will run across Little France Crescent and therefore the need to reconfigure the bus routes has been an important part of the construction programme.

“We would again like to thank you for your understanding as construction of the new hospital and work to redevelop departments within the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh continues.”

www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/riecampus for more details.

Give blood in Blackhall

The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service are asking donors to make an extra special effort to give blood at St Columba’s Parish Church on Hillhouse Road tomorrow (Tuesday).

Sessions run from 2.30 – 4pm in the afternoon

and there’s an evening session from 5.30 – 8pm.

If you are not sure if you are eligible to donate, call 0845 30 17 270

email NSS.snbtsenquiry@nhs.net

or call in to speak to a member of staff at one of the sessions.

Local learners on a high!

Local young people short-listed for learners award

Late last year I spent time with a bright and enthusiastic group of young adults at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre to plan a piece of work. Their mission? To choose a subject of relevance to young people, research and then write an article on that subject for North Edinburgh News.

The group has now produced their article (see below) – and all their hard work is to be recognised too!

Community Learning & Development tutor Karen Riddell, who supported the group during the project, explained: “They really were a vibrant group of young people with strong opinions and it was great to see them engage with the topic and undertake the various activities related to building their skills and putting the article together.

“The group was nominated for an Edinburgh Adult Learners Achievement Award and I’m delighted to say that they have been short-listed for an award in the Young Adults Category.”

The Tomorrow’s People team will learn their fate at an event at the City Chambers on 20 May. Fingers crossed for you, guys – and here’s your article …

LEGAL HIGHS: Is It Worth It?

Local young people speak out against ‘legal highs’

We are a group of young people from Pilton who have just spent 16 weeks on the Tomorrow’s People employability programme. Part of our course helped us brush up on our literacy and critical thinking skills through a weekly CLD Practical Journalism course held at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre.

Dave Pickering, the editor at the North Edinburgh News, very kindly gave us the opportunity to write an article for his paper, so after much debate we decided to research and write about Legal Highs.

We compiled a local survey and found out that most of the young people who responded to the survey had either used Legal Highs or knew someone who had. The main reasons cited were: they were easy to get, friends were trying them, they’re cheap – at least half the price of illegal drugs, they give you a really good high, taking them gives you something to do, boredom and peer pressure.

Even although a high percentage of young people surveyed had used them without any serious long term consequences, we did find out that at least 68 people died last year as a direct result of using them, so they are not quite as harmless as some people think.

We found that their name made them quite misleading and people thought it meant they were pretty safe to use. The truth is that drugs councilors now advise their clients to stick to their heroin as legal highs are even more dangerous, burning the skin as it is injected and causing blistering and serious infection.

Most people who completed the questionnaire had also tried illegal drugs and strongly felt that these were safer than Legal highs. As a group, we definitely agreed with that.

We also feel that the government are failing to make drug taking safer. No matter what you might feel about drugs, a lot of people from literally all walks of life use them and are going to continue to do so. David Cameron dodges the issue for fear of losing votes and insists that ‘What is in place is working’ despite the fact that over 2500 people died from drugs-related causes last year in the UK.

Is it not time to follow Portugal and make drugs a health issue rather than a criminal one so that people are offered more protection? In Portugal they found that de-criminalising it didn’t bring about any increase in the level of drug use by people and also that millions was saved on the essentially ineffectual enforcement of drug laws.

Across Europe clubs have drug-testing facilities so that people can test substances before they take them – surely that must offer people more protection than kidding on that ‘what is in place is working’!

A recent Home Office report that we looked at said that having tough drugs laws didn’t make any difference to the level of drug use but Home Secretary Teresa May had this part of the report removed and it was only found out about when Norman Baker revealed the findings after he resigned! This just goes to show that governments make useless drug laws to kid on they are in control of the problem when they’re really just doing it as a vote catcher.

Present policy bears no relation to the reality of people’s recreational drug use and it’s time for the government to introduce some new policies to protect its citizens and not put their own vote-catching first.

We need much better drug education to help us keep ourselves safe, and the obvious place for this to take place is in schools. We felt strongly that a peer to peer support programme in schools would help young people make informed choices about drug use and help keep them safer.

Our research found that young people felt there needed to be far more opportunities for young people in the work-place and much better affordable or subsidised recreational facilities to offer them the chance to experience other kinds of ‘legal highs’, their own ‘natural highs’ like ski-ing, skating, abseiling, snow-boarding, canoeing, dirt-biking, go-karting etc. Risk-taking is part of brain-development for young people and we need to offer them the opportunity to explore this in a safer environment.

Drugs become a problem when there is little else in the drug users lives. We found out that in an experiment, mice which were separated from other mice kept going back to drink the drug-laced water whereas mice that lived in groups didn’t. The experiment showed that lack of strong emotional bonds in your life can drive you to bond with legal highs or drugs instead.

They say it takes a community to bring up a child so that’s why it’s very important for us to work together to stop the reckless experimentation that can lead to addiction, to value the young people of Pilton and provide them with the support they need to keep their use of drugs and alcohol to an acceptable level and help them realise their potential.

It seems to us that one of the worst thing about legal highs is the hypocrisy of supposedly ‘respectable’ shop-keepers who are prepared to stock them in the full knowledge that people, especially young people, buy them to consume them. We feel a local campaign should be set up to stop these shops from selling them.

Good websites:

(1)Anyone’s Child; Families for Safer Drug Control – www.anyoneschild.org

(2) Release.org

Food conference follow-up tomorrow

Taking the next steps forward to tackle food poverty

Pilton Community Health Project recently produced a report on December’s ‘Good Food for All’ conference which focused on food poverty in North Edinburgh.

http://pchp.org.uk/sites/default/files/resource/files/Good%20food%20for%20all%20final%20report.pdf

The report identifies a number of issues that we, as people living and working in the community, cannot solve ourselves. We need action on policy issues

Particularly:

– Living wages

– Job creation and security

– Social security and the punitive sanctions regime

– Better recognition of the contribution that this local community makes towards improving its own food culture and access to affordable, fresh, healthy food and further support for this

– The role of business in the provision of food.

You are invited to a meeting on Tuesday 28 April from 10 – 12 at Pilton Community Health Project to discuss how we might go about having our voices heard on these issues.

Please let me know if you are able to attend.
Anita Aggarwal (Community Development Manager)

Pilton Community Health Project

73 Boswall Parkway, Edinburgh, EH5 2PW

Telephone 0131 551 1671

anitaaggarwal@pchp.org.uk

www.pchp.org.uk

Wild Horses wouldn’t keep her away!

Susan Boyle serenades residents during music session

Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle, who has sold over 20 million albums since being discovered on Britain’s Got Talent in 2009, made a surprise visit to specialist health and social care service Penumbra Milestone last week.

Grammy-nominated Susan took time out of her busy schedule to visit the ten-bed residential service for people recovering from alcohol related brain damage (ARBD). During her visit she was given a guided tour by Service Manager Lesley Forbes and spent time listening to a residents’ music group.

The singer, who is due to head into the studio to record a new album later this month, was invited to visit Penumbra Milestone by a former service user.

Dr Mathew Hicks, who runs the music group at Penumbra Milestone, said: “Our music therapy group aims to encourage recovery from ARBD. Performing and listening to music helps residents to improve memory, coordination and motivation.

“When we told residents that Susan Boyle was coming to the therapy group they thought we were joking. When she arrived they were amazed.

“Susan listened to the music and chatted to staff and residents. Towards the end of her visit she sang one of her biggest hits – Wild Horses. It was an amazing experience to hear her sing in person – we were mesmerised!”

Penumbra Milestone is a partnership between mental health charity Penumbra, Waverly Care, NHS Lothian and Edinburgh City Council’s Department of Health and Social Care. It is an alcohol-free 10-bedded step-down unit which provides short-term care for vulnerable men and women, aged 18+, who have a diagnosis of ARBD.

Speaking about the service Graeme Henderson, Director of Services and Development at Penumbra, said: “Penumbra Milestone is an innovative step-down unit which bridges the gap between hospital and community based care. The service has been designed to ease the pressure on acute hospital beds caused by the lengthy stay of people diagnosed with ARBD.

“This joined-up approach makes the NHS more efficient and improves the care provided to people by drawing on the valuable range of skills in the third sector, NHS and council services.

“Penumbra Milestone offers the ideal environment in which people experiencing ARBD can be supported, allowing them to transition back into the community when they are ready.”

While Penumbra Milestone began accepting referrals late last year, it will be officially opened next Thursday (23 April) when actress, comedienne and campaigner Elaine C. Smith – who coincidently played Susan Boyle in a musical based on the singer’s life – will be the special guest.

for more information about Penumbra visit www.Penumbra.org.uk

Twitter (@Penumbra_Scot)

and Facebook (Facebook/PenumbraScotland).

Book your seat at PCHP exercise training course

This weekend (Sat 18th & Sun 19th April) Pilton Community Health Project (PCHP) are very excited to be piloting a brand new ‘Seated Exercise Training Course’.

This has been developed by PCHP’s Physical Activity Development Worker in partnership with Specialist Instructors and Physiotherapists, in response to long term local need in North Edinburgh (and beyond).

For a number of years the physical activity development work at the PCHP has identified (and attempted to fill) a gap in the provision of regular physical activity for older people in residential homes, sheltered housing and lunch clubs. We strongly believe that every older person should have access to regular and FREE activity sessions that will maintain functionality and improve quality of life.

Please share this around your networks, there are still 3 or 4 spaces available on the training and it would be a real shame to see them go to waste!

Furthermore, since this is the first pilot it is FREE OF CHARGE!

Do you or someone you know work with (or would like to work with) older adults in North Edinburgh?

Do you or someone you know have an interest in and appreciation of the importance of keeping active in later life?

Are you interested in learning about the effects of ageing on the body and how this impacts health?

Would you like to gain new skills and knowledge around leading activity sessions for specialist groups?

Would you like to volunteer to deliver seated exercise sessions in North Edinburgh that might improve the health of older people?

If you can answer yes to any of these questions then this training might be just what you are looking for!

The training will be taking place at Pilton Community Health Project as follows:

Sat 18^th April 9.30am-3.45pm

Sun 19^th Apr 10.00am-3.15pm

If you are interested in taking part then please get in touch with liannepipskyj@pchp.org.uk or call 0131 551 1671 asap to secure your place!

Healthy regards

Lianne Pipskyj (Development Worker – Physical Activity)

Pilton Community Health Project

73 Boswall Parkway Edinburgh, EH5 2PW

0131 551 1671

liannepipskyj@pchp.org.uk

www.pchp.org.uk

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Sports quiz support for Sick Kids

‘during these worrying times the Drop-In Centre is a haven’ – Michelle (mum)

The Sick Kids Friends Foundation (SKFF) is calling on sports fans to pit their knowledge against rival teams at this year’s Ultimate Sports Quiz to help the charity raise funds for the Drop in Centre at the children’s hospital.

The Foundation is looking for supporters to enter teams of five or ten to battle it out at The Ghillie Dhu on Thursday 23 April, after last year’s event raised £10,700 for the hospital’s Wayfinding signpost system.

This year the charity aims to raise £18,500 for the SKFF Drop in Centre, which provides a non-clinical atmosphere where patients, siblings, families and friends can spend time together away from the hospital.

Last year the centre welcomed more than 650 patients and 1,700 parents, including the Harnwell family of Rosyth in Fife. Mum Michelle visits the Drop in Centre regularly when accompanying her 7-year-old daughter Olivia and 9-year-old son Ben (pictured top) to appointments at the RHSC.

Michelle said: “Olivia has cerebral palsy and as a result visits the Sick Kids regularly for crucial orthopaedic appointments. My son Ben also has acute lymphoblastic leukaemia so we visit the hospital every month so he can receive life-saving chemotherapy treatment and blood and platelet transfusions.

“During these worrying times the Drop in Centre is a haven – it’s somewhere you can go for a relaxing, reliable chat located within the hospital grounds. The team are second to none and their professional, empathetic and approachable nature always puts me at ease.

“As well as having the opportunity to meet with other parents who are going through a similar experience, the centre provides complementary therapy which helps keep you sane after spending hours in the hospital ward worrying about your little one.”

The SKFF’s Drop in Centre was the first of its kind in the UK when it opened its doors in 2006 and the funds raised from the Ultimate Sports Quiz will help to meet the £135,000 the charity invests in the centre each year.

SKFF supporters and sports buffs attending this year’s quiz will be treated to a drink and tasty supper before having the opportunity to get their hands on priceless sporting items at the event auction.

The quiz itself will be hosted by Scottish sport pundit Scott Wilson and quizmaster Johnny Craig.

Rachel McKenzie, head of voluntary fundraising at the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, said: “We’re very excited to welcome quiz teams from across Edinburgh to join long-time SKFF supporter Scott Wilson at the eighth annual Ultimate Sports Quiz.

“I know Scott will have no problem putting attendees’ sporting knowledge under the spotlight on what is sure to be a great night of fun and fundraising. There’s still time to secure your place and help us continue to fund a fantastic facility which benefits thousands of families each year, including the Harnwells.”

The SKFF’s Ultimate Sports Quiz takes place from 7pm on Thursday, 23 April at The Ghillie Dhu, 2 Rutland Street.

Tickets are priced at £45 per person, £225 for a team of five or £450 for a team of ten and can be purchased from Linda Cameron on 0131 668 4949 or linda.cameron@luht.scot.nhs.uk.