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n All Together NOW! is a registered charity set up to provide a tip top news service for anyone whose life is affected by disability, long-term health condtions or age. n The charity – the only one of its kind in the UK – relies entirely on support from its sponsors, advertisers, subscriptions and donations.

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Editor: Tom Dowling

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Legal Affairs, Corporate Social Responsibility, Philanthropy editor: Steve McDermott

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NEWS

October/November 2016

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Tributes to a champion of those in need

‘

TRIBUTES have been pouring in after the death of a man described as an “inspirational and tireless” worker for charity in the North West.

The Duke of Westminster, who has died at 64, was “a dynamic and caring philanthropist who believed passionately in the importance of helping the most vulnerable,” said Joelle Warren, chair of Cheshire Community Foundation.

He said: “The Duke was an inspirational figure in the formation of Cheshire Community Foundation five years ago and, as Patron, he has continued to give unyielding support and guidance ever since.

“The Westminster Foundation also works tirelessly to help communities in need and many organisations in Cheshire and Warrington have benefited due to the generosity of the Duke and his team.

“Despite the Duke’s business being global he never forgot the old adage that ‘charity begins at home’ and Cheshire was very much his home.”

The Duke was also closely involved with Wirralbased Autism Together.

The charity’s chief executive, Robin Bush, said: “It

She left firm wheelmarks in the sand

Fight for ‘equal right to sight’

is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Gerald Grosvenor, Duke of Westminster.

“The Duke was Patron of Autism Together (formerly Wirral Autistic Society) for many years, and with his help we launched several successful fundraising campaigns.

“Indeed, we were lucky enough to hold some of our most memorable events in the grounds of his estate in Eaton Hall, Chester.”

The Duke, pictured above, died in August after a heart attack at his Lancashire estate.

King of farce and a force for good

SIR BERT MASSIE’S WARM TRIBUTE TO A LIFE-LONG FRIEND AND FELLOW CAMPAIGNER – p 16

HOMAGE has also been paid to popular actor Lord Brian Rix, a leading campaigner for people with learning disabilities.

Lord Rix was also the entertainer behind a hit run of Whitehall farces in London in the 1950s and 1960s.

But the birth of a daughter with Down’s syndrome saw him begin a lifetime of campaigning for those with learning difficulties.

It culminated in him becoming president of the charity Mencap and using his seat in the Lords to press for reforms in the law to provide better care and treatment.

Mencap chief executive Jan Tregelles said: “Lord Rix was a beloved colleague and friend to so many people with a learning disability and their families.”

“His passion, zeal and

humour will be sorely missed. His tireless campaigning has perhaps done more to improve the lives of people with a learning disability than any other.”

A few weeks before his death, Lord Rix announced he was terminally ill and called for the legalisation of voluntary euthanasia for those dying in severe pain.

“Unhappily, my body seems to be constructed in such a way that it keeps me alive in great discomfort when all I want is to be allowed to slip into a sleep, peacefully, legally, and without any threat to the medical or nursing profession,” he said in a letter that attempted to explain to his fellow peers in the House of Lords why he no longer opposed assisted dying legislation.

HALF A MILLION READERS . . .

PEOPLE with learning disabilities in England are missing out on eye care – and some are even losing their sight, say national charity SeeAbility.

Studies indicate four in 10 of the 100,000 children in special schools have never had a sight test, and up to half of adults with learning disabilities have not had their eyes tested in the recommended period.

Children with learning disabilities are also 28 times more likely to have a serious sight problem than other children.

SeeAbility and leading eye health organisation the Local Optical Committee Support Unit are calling for an urgent overhaul of the system.

At the Parliamentary launch of the charity’s report, Delivering an equal right to sight, Lord Holmes of Richmond said: “It makes much more sense for people to be supported to get low cost early eye care rather than end up losing their independence and relying on high cost care and support because their vision is impaired.”

People with learning disabilities, their families and supporters are also being asked to sign a petition calling on NHS England to offer free sight tests for all working age people with learning disabilities.

Sight tests not only help people get the glasses they need, they can identify serious sight threatening conditions.

The current NHS contract for sight tests fails to recognise that people are likely to need additional time or appointments to complete a sight test, as well as better support with choosing suitable glasses.

Those of working age may not be eligible for NHS funded sight tests, unlike other high risk groups which are.

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Get some Priority treatment

All Together NOW! readers are being urged to sign up to a scheme that offers United Utilities customers extra help.

The FREE Priority Services scheme is open to people with a wide range of challenges – age, ill health, disability, mental health problems, financial worries or language barriers.

Readers experiencing a significant change in their circumstances such as bereavement in the family, losing a job or an increase in caring responsibilities are also eligible to join the scheme. n To register, call 0345 072 6093 n Textphone 18001 0345 072 6093

UNITED UTILITIES – Page 11

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Help when you need it most

Council Approved Contractor & Suppliers Covering The Northwest

Hannah said she is scared of being reassessed for the new Personal Independence Payment benefit.

Hannah, 24, said she dreads the possibility of having her support cut and losing the car she leases through the Motability scheme.

“If I don’t have my car I will lose everything,” she said. “I will lose my WORRIED: independence.”

HANNAH COCKROFT Tighter eligibility criteria under PIP mean that claimants only qualify for the enhanced mobility rate – and entitlement to a Motability car – if they are unable to walk more than 20 metres, rather than 50 metres under DLA. She said: “I am strong pushing a wheelchair, but ask me to walk down the street and I’m probably going to land on my face in about two minutes.”

New minister row

working with All Together NOW! and our colleagues in Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service to highlight some of the interventions firefighters and support staff are carrying out in the communities we serve.

“All Together NOW! Is a unique publication which can extend our reach and help to ensure that our safety message is as far reaching as possible.”

Peter O’Reilly, Chief Fire Officer at Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service, said: “We are looking forward to working in partnership with this wonderful newspaper and reaching and engaging with members of the community, especially those at risk from fire.”

THANKS for the support!

TOM DOWLING, editor

GREAT to report that All Together NOW! is getting into more and more libraries.

Copies are now available at Liverpool Central Library, Greater Manchester libraries – and now at all Halton libraries.

Bringing together two great cities

The feedback we get is tremendously positive, especially from those huge numbers of people who are not connected to the internet, and who rely on this newspaper to keep them informed about life-enhancing opportunities that might help them and their families.

But printing and distributing the paper is extremely costly – and something we just would not be able to do without the huge support we get from our small band of partners and supporters.

I am, therefore, delighted to extend a very warm welcome to our latest partners – Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service and Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service (see Pages 12-13) Merseyside’s Chief Fire Officer Dan Stephens said: “I am looking forward to

PARALYMPIAN star Hannah Cockroft fears she is set to lose her independence as a result of the Government’s welfare cuts.

OR 11 years your FREE All Together NOW! charity newspaper has been helping and informing hundreds of thousands of people affected by disability and ill health across the North West.

Benefit worries for Paralympian star

8QLWHG 8WLOLWLHVà 3ULRULW\ 6HUYLFHV RDŽ HUV additional support for water customers

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All Together NOW!

October/November 2016

THE decision to appoint an assisted suicide supporter as the new minister for disabled people has been blasted by campaigners.

GOOD READ: Adele Evans at Widnes Library

Free Home Demonstrations

SALES, REPAIR & SERVICING OF ALL MOBILITY & DISABILITY PRODUCTS

Disabled activists say they are “deeply concerned” by MP Penny Mordaunt’s role.

She is a long-term advocate for changing the law to allow assisted suicide, and in 2010 she was appointed to the Commission on NEW MINISTER: Assisted Dying, which PENNY MORDAUNT has been accused of bias.

Brian Hilton, campaigns officer for Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People, said: “The minister is a well-known supporter of legalising assisted suicide, which is opposed by all leading disabled people’s organisations.

“At a time when disabled people are still facing huge cuts to their support, we need a minister who is willing to champion our right to live.”

CAREZONE – Page 10

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All Together NOW!

£70k in prizes for entrepreneurs

A TOP prize of £30,000 plus four pots of £10,000 for the other finalists are up for grabs in this year’s Stelios Award for Disabled Entreprenuers.

Now in its 10th year, the award recognises achievements of disabled entrepreneurs who have overcome challenges to set up their own company and excel in their chosen business field.

All forms of entrepreneurship or planned business activity – even startups – which are operated by disabled people or for the benefit of disabled people are eligible to apply.

The organisers, Leonard Cheshire Disability, are also keen to hear from employers who employ significant numbers of disabled people or supply products or services for disabled people. DELIGHT: Sir Stelios Sir Stelios said: “I am delighted that this idea I had 10 years ago has matured to be an institution still supported by the leading charity in the UK in the field of disability.”

The winner will be personally chosen

by Sir Stelios and will be presented at a gala evening on November 10.

Past winners have been drawn from the travel agency, building and IT sectors as well as businesses specialising in disability/mobility aids and services.

The deadline is October 10. n www.facebook.com/steliosfoundation n www.leonardcheshire.org/stelios

Slow shopping days

SAINSBURY’S is trialling a new service for older and disabled customers – a two-hour ‘Slow Shopping’ scheme on Tuesday afternoons at its store in Gosforth, Newcastle- upon-Tyne.

Staff are available to help customers with their shopping – and seats are placed at the end of aisles for shoppers to have a rest.

The idea has been championed by Katherine Vero who had found it hard to go shopping with her mother who had dementia.

Research published by the Alzheimer’s Society has found that eight out of 10 of the 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK list shopping as their favourite activity.

However, since being diagnosed, one in four have given up shopping.

Over the past year Sainsbury’s has invested over 50,000 hours in training store colleagues to help customers with visible disabilities and non-visible disabilities like autism.

THE WEB WILL SHUT US OUT NEWS

October/November 2016

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Schools ‘attack on our children’

PLANS to lift the ban on grammar schools are an onslaught on disabled children and young peoples’ social mobility, say campaigners.

And it will hamper their parents’ rights to choose a good mainstream school, claims a leading ORE charities are joining education charity. a national campaign to “If mainstream schools persuade banks and become selective where others to keep sending paper will disabled children statements to customers. go?” said Simone Aspis, So far, 90 charities representing campaigns coordinator disabled and older people have at the Alliance for signed up to Keep Me Posted – a Inclusive Education. campaign urging organisations not to “They will have no rely entirely on the internet. choice other than to “Large numbers of disabled and attend a special school older people prefer to receive paper against their own and communications, either due to ease their parents’ wishes of understanding or because websites which is scandalous. are inaccessible,” said Susan Scott “This Government has Parker, head of Business Disability International ratified the UN “In addition, the growing numbers Convention for Persons who discover they are unable to use with Disabilities computers due to fluctuating mental including Article 24 that capacity caused by conditions such makes it clear that as Alzheimer’s and dementia will find disabled children’s it much easier to manage their affairs access to mainstream when vital information is provided in education is a human hard copy. We are delighted right and that an to support the Keep Me education system that Posted campaign.”

YOUR free and favourite All Together NOW! separates and n 16 million New figures from newspaper knows all about the importance of segregates disabled over 15 don’t have the Office for providing information in print – that’s why the children is a violation of National paper is so popular! basic online skills. their right to mainstream Statistics’ report More than half of the newspaper’s 500,000 education.” n 5.2 million households on internet readers do not use the internet regularly.

Government statistics usage show in the UK do not have You can help the charity by becoming a show that children with that 25% of FRIEND (see back page) or by becoming a internet access SEN statements or disabled people loyal subscriber.

Education, Health and n 40% of UK adults say in the UK For a suggested £15 donation (more if you Care Plans (EHCP) (almost three can afford it!) you will get the next six issues that the removal of paper represent a mere 0.1% of million) have sent straight to your home – or a friend’s. statements could grammar school pupils, never used the n All Together NOW! The Bradbury Centre, despite making up 1.8% internet. Another seriously affect their Youens Way, Liverpool L14 2EP. of the whole secondary two million disabled Tel 0151 230 0307. email finances school population. people do not use the news@alltogethernow.org.uk Disabled children internet on a regular basis. and about five million older without statements or For many of the 10 million people the Keep Me Posted campaign so people are also not online.

EHCPs make up only who suffer with arthritis in the UK, that people can get Research previously undertaken by 4.2% of grammar school having the option to receive paper the information and the campaign found that people who pupils, but 12.4% of all bills and statements is essential, as advice they need in receive financial correspondence by secondary school their condition can impede their ability pupils. the format they post are much more likely to be able to go online.” want.” to correctly assess the state of their Ms Aspis added: “Now Other charities backing the Judith Donovan, accounts. with the introduction of campaign include Carers UK, Stroke who chairs the Judi Rhys, head of Arthritis Care, greater selection in our Association, RNIB, Disability Action, campaign, said: said: “People with arthritis want a education system,choice Alzheimer’s Research UK, “bdi’s work to help choice about how they communicate, for SEND pupils and DementiaUK, and mental health businesses improve their practices for receive information and engage with their parents will charity, Mind. more than one billion people service providers such as banks and become non-existent.” worldwide with disabilities is utility companies. commendable and we are delighted “While some people find computers to welcome the organisation to be n For an information pack write to: helpful in their everyday life, others part of our campaign.

Keep Me Posted, PO Box 72064, find it difficult to use online services, “I am also delighted to welcome London EC4P 4DZ. particularly if their dexterity is Arthritis Care. Mobility issues still Tel: 020 7566 9773 hampered by their arthritis. n info@keepmeposteduk.com present a huge barrier to consumers.

“Arthritis Care is happy to support

M

The way to reach everyone!

HALF A MILLION READERS . . .

WIN £549 HAMPER

All Together NOW! has again teamed up with Park – one of our key partners – to give you a fantastic chance to win their top-of-the-range Christmas hamper.

The Empire hamper is worth £549 – and it will be all yours if you win our super prize draw.

It’s the SIXTH successive year that Park have donated their monster hamper, which contains a huge range of Christmas food and drink to keep even the biggest family fed over the festive period.

Park CEO Chris Houghton said: “Our previous competitions in All Together NOW! have all been extremely popular. We are confident that this one will attract even more interest.”

So get your entries in now! n For more information about budgeting for Christmas, go to: www.getpark.co.uk/atn

All Together NOW!

October/November 2016

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

ENTRY FORM

THE first entry drawn out of the hat on Friday, November 6, will win the hamper. You can also send your answer on the back of a postcard to:

NAME

ADDRESS

This could be your best ever Christmas present!

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TEL NO:

MOBILE NO: EMAIL:

At least one telephone number is required

By entering you agree with Park’s terms and conditions – please see below.

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● Spread the cost of Christmas 2017 with easy weekly instalments ● Choose from a wide range of gift cards and vouchers. Including Love2shop Vouchers that can be spent at over 20,000 high street stores. Plus, we are adding new retailers all the time to give you even more choice! ● Enjoy your Christmas shopping knowing it’s all been paid for in advance

Helping you plan your perfect Christmas!

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ORDER ONLINE TODAY www.getpark.co.uk/atn

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REQUEST A CATALOGUE

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Post to Park Christmas Savings, Valley Road, Birkenhead, CH41 7ED DATA PROTECTION: By placing an order with us and/or giving data to us you confirm that you understand and agree that the information you provide will be held on a Park Group database and that it will be shared by all companies within the Park Group. A full list of those companies is available by writing to the Data Controller, Park Group Plc, Valley Road, Birkenhead, CH41 7ED. Park Group plc shall be the data controller for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998. The information you provide will be used by us and any necessary third parties to provide you with the goods and services you request. Companies within the Park Group may wish to contact you for customer care purposes or to keep you informed about the latest offers, promotions, prize draws, and competitions, using post, telephone, e-mail, SMS and any other appropriate means, including new technology. If you wish to be contacted via email or SMS, please provide us with your e-mail address and/or your mobile telephone number as appropriate. If you do not wish to be contacted by any member of the Park Group for marketing purposes, please tick this box You should be aware that your account with Park is not a bank account or equivalent and that any pre-payments made to Park are not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Your pre-payments are however held in an independent trust designed to improve protection of pre-payments made by you and agents in respect of orders. You can see full details of the trust on our website.

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RULES: By entering the competition you confirm that you understand and agree that the information you provide will be held on a Park Group database and that it will be shared by all companies within the Park Group.

A full list of those companies is available by writing to the Data Controller, Park Group Plc, Valley Road, Birkenhead, CH41 7ED. Park Group plc shall be the data controller for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998. The information you provide will be used by Park Group and any necessary third parties to provide you with the goods and services you request. Companies within the Park Group may wish to contact you for customer care purposes or to keep you informed about the latest offers, promotions, prize draws, and competitions, using post, telephone, e-mail, SMS and any other appropriate means, including new technology. If you wish to be contacted via email or SMS, please provide us with your e-mail address and/or your mobile telephone number as appropriate.If you do not wish to be contacted by any member of the Park Group for marketing purposes, please indicate this on your entry. The winning entry must agree to having a photograph taken for promotional purposes.

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All Together NOW!

NEWS

October/November 2016

Robin’s reward for making a difference

COMPUTER charity AbilityNet has honoured one of its senior employees, Robin Christopherson, for his outstanding contribution to inclusive technology.

Liz Williams, BT’s director of tech literacy and education programmes, said: “Robin is an inspirational speaker and a global expert on inclusive and accessible digital design – changing the lives of disabled people everywhere by harnessing the amazing power of technology.

“Robin holds a mirror up to disability and technology and enables us to really understand the difference that technology can make in people’s lives.

“I am delighted that he has been chosen to receive the Tech4Good Special Award.”

AbilityNet provides a range of high quality paid for and free services that help disabled people succeed at work, at home and in education. n Freephone: 0800 269 545. n www.abilitynet.org.uk

New £5 notes help blind

We’re ear to help

A NEW website brings together a wide range of products and information available on hearing loss.

Sue Archbold, chief executive of The Ear Foundation, said: “Hearing loss has a huge, often hidden impact on communication in today’s modern world.

“We have the technology to transform this, but all too often the latest information is hard to find.

“That’s where SoundSpace Online comes in, bringing together a wide range of resources, provided by people who understand its impact on the lives of deaf children, young people and adults.” n www.earfoundation.org.uk/sound spaceonline

How Chordelia allows anyone to play guitar

M

USIC should be for everyone, no matter what their ability, says guitarist and bee-keeper Tim Rowe.

HOUSE BUILDERS ARE LOSING OUT H

“Guitars are the easiest instrument to sing along to – but they are surprisingly difficult to learn, and especially if you have arthritis or have a few fingers missing,” he says.

So it’s not surprising that Tim’s Chordelia Guitar Machine is creating quite a stir.

OUSE builders are missing out on a huge and rapidly growing disability market.

SHOPPING just got a little easier for people living with sight loss, thanks to new bank notes that incorporate features to help blind and partially sighted people.

Steve Tyler, head of strategy at RNIB, said: “The new five pound notes are made from a polymer plastic material and are smaller than current notes.

“The other new notes, to be introduced next year, will have an additional tactile feature – created by a series of raised dots – different visual features and be successively larger in size.”

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Disabled people CAN afford to buy new homes

Design more homes that are accessible for everyone, market them properly, and reap the benefits, says a new report, Hidden Housing Market, The report, from the influential London School of Economics, challenges assumptions about the ability of disabled people to buy their own home.

It comes at the same time as figures show new The bathroom. house sales plummeted Office for n More than to a 20-year low. a third of National Statistics And it highlights the the British growing appeal of found that households homes that deliver headed by someone over public would be higher quality the age of 65 are expected more accessible features. to increase by 155,000 per likely to Key findings year, making up 74% of consider a include: total household growth property if it n Of the 1.8 million had disabled people by 2039. adaptations to needing accessible make it easier to homes, 56% are use a bathroom, or homeowners with 39% having step free access at the front. incomes in the top half of the n When surveyed on potential income distribution. later life housing needs, fewer n 19% of the British public would than one in 10 (6%) say they most favour moving to a different would most favour moving to property specifically designed or specialist care and supported adapted to enable them to live housing, while the majority (59%) independently in later life. of disabled people 65 and over n Nearly half of the British public say that they will personally need (47%) say they would be more some accessible housing likely to consider moving to a features in the next five years. property if it had a downstairs

Vicky McDermott, the chief executive of Papworth Trust, which commissioned the report, said: “It has been widely assumed that disabled people do not have the means or money to purchase their own home.

“This report clearly dispels this myth and shows the demand for buying accessible homes, and the opportunity for developers to look again at their market.

“Papworth Trust’s and Habinteg’s on-going extensive research looks into the housing market, but also the impact the lack of accessible homes creates, highlighting the fact that people who are living in inaccessible homes are four times more likely to be unemployed.

“Building more accessible homes is a fundamental part of future-proofing the housing market, with a short term investment and a long term positive social impact.”

Paul Gamble, chief executive of accessible housing provider Habinteg, said: “New homes that are accessible, affordable and available must play a part in addressing the long term demands of UK housing policy, especially as the population ages.

“We are hoping we will see a new commitment to this from the Government, local authorities and developers from now on.”

HALF A MILLION READERS – AND GROWING!

Launched during the summer from his tiny workshop in West Cork, Ireland, it does the hard part for you by making the chords when you pull a lever. Now all you have to do is strum. And sing.

Last year Tim had to down-size his commercial bee-keeping venture, because of increasingly wet summers.

Looking around for a replacement, he went back to a project he’d begun 11 years earlier – the Chordelia Guitar Machine.

“I’d given up on it many times because progress was so slow,” he said.

“Getting the correct pressure on the strings was the hardest part. I made 59 versions of it before I got one to work reliably. That was a good day.”

Having established (and patented) the new design, he still had to work out how to manufacture them.

“That involved a lot of noise and sawdust coming from the back-bedroom!

“People said they should be plastic, but I’m a carpenter and I know wood best. Wood feels right.”

He has started with the simplest model – the Chordelia number five – which makes the five most commonly used chords.

With it you can play hundreds of songs. He expects to launch the 7chord and 9-chord models before too long. n Cost 225 euros (just under £200). n www.chordelia.com n Tel 00353 8606 08695

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

October/November 2016

All Together NOW!

Making a difference . . .

H

ERE at the Morgan Foundation we want to help organisations who share our philosophy – Making a Difference.

Over the past decade we have helped hundreds of organisations across the region,

Merseyside, West Cheshire and North Shropshire.

Our aim is to provide funding for small to medium-sized organisations who are addressing specific needs in these regions.

We are particularly keen to support those who have already begun to make an impact, but need a helping hand to expand their work and increase their effectiveness.

We focus our help mainly on those who work directly with children and families but we recognise that many wider issues may also affect their welfare, so we are interested in any project which contributes to the quality of life in our region.

£2 MILLION GIVEAWAY

committing over £32 million.

This year we will be giving away more than £2 million to good causes.

Created in 2001 by businessman Steve Morgan CBE, founder and chairman of Redrow plc, chairman of the Bridgemere Group of Companies, the Morgan Foundation supports charities across North Wales,

Why this choir has lots to sing about

A

CHOIR whose members have all experienced periods of homelessness or other tough times have lots to sing about, thanks to a £45,000 grant from The Morgan Foundation.

Formed in January 2014, The Choir with No Name enables members to make friends, build confidence and skills, and re-find their place in the world.

SINGING SENSATION: Jane Harris meets members of The Choir with No Name Each week members meet at Bluecoat, Liverpool, to learn new songs, meet new friends and enjoy a hot home-cooked meal.

HE MORGAN Manager Ema Quinn said: “The last Foundation doesn’t year has been incredible for our just give money to Liverpool choir. We sing pop, rock, soul, deserving causes. gospel, reggae, musicals... you name it, It also helps keep things we’ll give it a go... although we’ve yet to moving – whether that’s try any thrash metal or grime! helping people to go on a day “This grant from the Morgan out or ferrying goods from Foundation will help secure the choir one place to another. over the next three years so we can Our 45th vehicle – a continue expanding and working the fantastic Smiley Bus – has people who most need us. It’s very just been handed over to exciting!”

Orrets Meadow School in Jane Harris, administrator of The Morgan Foundation trustee Ashley Lewis with staff and pupils at Orrets Meadow School Moreton, Wirral.

Morgan Foundation, said: “The Trustees Smiley Buses are offered to five-year loan basis with the adapted for use by physically thought that the Choir was an innovative organisations on the option to purchase for £1 at disabled passengers. way of helping people who have understanding that they are the end of that period. n Organisations must be experienced difficulties in their lives and shared on occasion and by able to demonstrate there is Beneficiaries are required to are delighted to be able to support the mutual agreement with other cover all running costs, call for a full time use of the groups supported by The work they do.” including road tax, insurance bus; that they have sufficient Morgan Foundation in the n The Choir with No Name Liverpool drivers to meet demand; and and servicing. community. are keen to perform at local events. that there is a safe place to n Commercial hire of The vehicles are supplied n Contact Ema on 07585 710433 or at: house the vehicle. donated vehicles is not either as standard, or fully emaq@choirwithnoname.org permitted. n Buses are offered on a www.choirwithnoname.org

THIRTEEN new awards totalling £512,602 were agreed at our latest trustee meeting.

That takes us to over £2m awarded since the start of this financial year!

Welcome to: n The Brain Charity n Bridge Community Farms CIC n Cynnig Cyf n Codi’r To n St Cyril’s Children and Youth Project n Mill Green School n The Neuro Therapy Centre n Clare Mount Specialist Sports College n Holy Trinity Blacon Community Outreach Project n Emmaus Merseyside n Ysgol Maes Hyfryd

Forty-five Smiley vehicles are now on the roads

T

www.morganfoundation.co.uk Tel 01829 782800

The Morgan Foundation

n Organisations may be required to make a contribution towards the total purchase price. n Buses can only be provided to charitable and voluntary organisations in the remit area which provide: n Community transport for the elderly, disabled and isolated for essential journeys such as medical visits, social visits, shopping. n Special needs schools for the transport of pupils to essential life skills, sporting and social activities (mainstream schools are not eligible). n Organisations providing respite and breaks for children, young people, families and disabled people who would not otherwise be able to access holidays.

@Morganfound

7

8

We’re too scared to fly . . .

All Together NOW!

Features

making days out a delight IMAGINATIVE new features are helping transform days out for disabled visitors in the UK, according to the new Rough Guide to Accessible Britain.

Sensory trails, foot operated audio guides, and stair climber wheelchairs are just a few of the new installations.

Other unusual accessibility features include vibration plates for sound to be felt, and pre-visit stories to aid those with autism.

There are also tactile maps, wheelchair accessible bikes, golf buggies, accessible tree houses, and motion sensors to experience lights and sounds.

Emma Bowler, reviewer and foreword author of the guide, said: “Gone are the days when people thought a ramp was all it took.

“Attractions around the UK have really upped their game and are being increasingly creative as they recognise the diverse needs of disabled visitors.

“The guide is a really valuable resource and has done the hard work – digging out gems and dismissing those who have merely added a disabled parking space – making sure that your day out is truly inspiring and great fun to boot.”

F

October/November 2016

EAR of flying for disabled people usually has nothing to do with cruising the skies at 35,000 feet.

For an awful lot of travellers with a disability catching a plane is still an experience wracked with anxiety and uncertainty.

Now a new report is urging airlines, airports and service providers to work together to take the worry out of air travel for people who require a little extra assistance.

A long-term programme of improvements to the present system is planned and the experiences of nearly 550 passengers will be used to help address existing problems.

Their comments are in a report by OCS Group – the largest provider of assistance to people with reduced mobility (PRM) in the UK and Ireland, and helping over one million passengers at nine airports each year.

The report found that lack of knowledge among disabled passengers about the advance booking process led to uncertainty, lack of confidence in service provision and customer dissatisfaction.

The main source of uncertainty was confusion over the roles and responsibilities of the airline, the

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Anxiety of disabled travellers using UK’s airports

‘ ‘ ‘

airport, the baggage handler and the service provider.

By contrast, frequent flyers who knew how to book and specify the assistance they need reported a higher level of satisfaction with the Passenger Assistance Service.

Steven Wheeler, customer services director for OCS Group, said:

Irton House Farm

HAPPY HO LID AWARD 2 AY 012!

A warm welcome is waiting for you at our superbly scenic, fully accessible self catering cottages in the Lake District.

n The guide is available at accessibleguide.co.uk

www.irtonhousefarm.com 017687 76380

“Airlines, airports, baggage handlers and PRM service providers are all committed to excellent customer service but it is clear that we need to collaborate more effectively.

“After 50 years of experience in the aviation sector, OCS is acutely aware of the difference between achieving compliance and delivering excellence for disabled passengers.

“We commissioned this report to gain a greater The airline knows I am a understanding of the vegetarian on my membership experiences of disabled form but they don’t know I have a travellers and the specific limb difference, which means I challenges they face at need help with my bags. I can’t record airports.” this anywhere. So often when I turn up The report puts forward 16 at the airport there is a wheelchair recommendations for industry waiting for me. I don’t need a chair, my consideration, including legs work just fine. improved use of technology for service co-ordination and to It causes much anxiety as you record the nature of individual never know whether the disabilities to help deliver the assistance you have support required. requested/booked will actually Only 17% of disabled happen. Also, what happens seems to passengers in the study were differ every time–even with the same confident that the airport would airline. have arrangements in place to handle their access I never get the same service twice requirements. The remaining – it all just seems such a mystery 83% expressed various – why can’t it be consistent? This degrees of anxiety about the would remove the fear I have. service – with 32% reporting “a lot of fear”.

What passengers say

HALF A MILLION READERS – AND GROWING – 0151 230 0307

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

October/November 2016

All Together NOW!

Timely tips for teens

Harry’s more than happy in the hot seat

ALL SMILES: Harry Elliott sitting comfortably, thanks to Newlife

A

FTER mum Shona Elliott spent months lobbying local statutory services for a specialist buggy so she could get her young son out and about, she turned in desperation to Newlife – and the equipment was delivered just 48 hours later.

One-year-old Harry has a life-limiting condition that affects his development and movement.

He has cerebral palsy and experiences several seizures a day.

His parents were using a standard pushchair to get him to essential medical appointments, but because they had to prop him up with pillows and cushions – and he still sat awkwardly – they were reluctant to take him out.

Shona said: “Getting the specialist buggy has been revolutionary for us.

“It has a pommel and under-arm supports as well as a lot of additional padding to keep Harry upright and posturally comfortable.

“He loves it and is so much happier because he doesn’t have to concentrate on sitting so he can interact more with the world around him.

“The seat swivels to face me when I am pushing him so that when I take him out on his own I can monitor him more easily.”

Due to Harry’s complex condition, good postural support is essential to help prevent further health issues.

Shona added: “It is important to us that he has the best quality of life possible.

“We like to get Harry out as often as we can – but we also have the appropriate weather-proofing for the buggy so we’re not prevented from going out, whatever the weather.”

The buggy was provided through Newlife’s Emergency Equipment Loans service for children with unstable, lifethreatening or life-limiting illness and to help those who face injury due to the absence of appropriate equipment.

The service aims to deliver and install equipment within 72 hours.

Benefits helpline gets a huge helping hand

N

ATIONAL charity Contact a Family has been handed more than £400,000 to continue its Welfare Rights Helpline.

The Big Lottery funding means parents of disabled children can get free expert advice on benefits and other financial support over the phone for the next three years.

The charity’s welfare rights and benefits advisor, Derek Sinclair, said: “Contact a Family has long been a source of information about the benefits system for

families with disabled children, and now we’ll be able to offer more intensive and personalised advice for parents.”

Parents contacting the charity’s Freephone helpline will be offered a one-to-one advice session to discuss their individual situation and taken through the latest relevant benefits advice and any other financial help they may be entitled to in order to help maximise their income.

Mr Sinclair added: “The funding means we’ll be able to continue to offer parents a truly personalised service so they have the right information to make informed decisions.” n Helpline: Tel. 0808 808 3555.

n Newlife supports families through a range of free services including: nurse-staffed helpline; equipment grants; emergency equipment loans; sensory and developmental toy ‘pod’ loans; and Comfort Capsules. n Tel. 0800 902 0095 or 01543 468 400. email nurses@newlifecharity.co.uk www.newlifecharity.co.uk

HALF A MILLION READERS WE CAN HELP YOU REACH HUGE NUMBERS OF POTENTIAL NEW CUSTOMER

Call us NOW! 0151 230 0307

NEW help for young people who are deafblind or multisensory impaired to make the transition to adult life is available from deafblind charity Sense.

“Teenage years are recognised as being challenging for everyone,” said Richard Kramer, from Sense.

“However, for young people with disabilities, moving into adult life can be even more complex.

“Many young people who are deafblind receive a wide range of services during childhood.

“For those with the most complex needs, moving from the familiar children’s health, social and education services to the adult equivalent has always been a challenge.

“We hope our information pack helps.” n Download the ‘Getting a Result’ pack at www,sense.org.uk, request a copy from info@sense.org.uk or call 0300 330 9256

Eureka!

HALIFAX-based Eureka! The National Children’s Museum has received a £15,545 grant from the Morrisons Foundation to support its Access All Areas project, which offers free support and activities for disabled children and their families.

The Morrisons Foundation provides grants for charity projects which make a positive difference to people’s lives. n www.morrisons foundation.co.uk

HOW YOU CAN HELP TO KEEP THIS PAPER ALIVE AND KICKING – back page

9

10

All Together NOW!

New help makes good Sense!

Sense!

CARERS of people who are deafblind can now get free help to complete benefit claim forms.

National charity Sense can offer tailored support for people making applications for benefits such as Personal Independence Payment, Attendance Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance.

Kari Gerstheimer, head of legal support service at Sense, said: “This brand new service will ensure deafblind individuals, their families and supporters receive accurate advice and information to help ensure they get the right result from their benefit application first time around.

“We hope this service will reduce the possibility of claimants having to appeal decisions and the delays they would consequently face getting the benefits they are entitled to.” n Contact tel 0300 330 9256 www.sense.org.uk

October/November 2016

Benefits threat to 10,000 with MS

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‘

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

‘Support for carers needs bold ideas’

P TO 10,000 people with multiple sclerosis could lose vital support under UK benefit changes – despite qualifying for it under the old system.

Over 1,000 people with the condition have already had their benefits cut since the Personal Independence Payment was brought in to replace Disability Living Allowance, says the MS Society.

Under DLA, 93% of people with MS who received it were awarded the highest rate of the mobility component.

But of 4,349 who have so far been moved over to and awarded PIP, only 70% have received the equivalent rate.

MS is an incurable, progressive and debilitating condition. For many people, the impact of their condition is likely to get worse over time, not improve.

With more than 80% of people on DLA still to be moved onto PIP, the MS Society fears up to 10% of the 100,000 people living with MS in the UK could lose the higher rate of mobility.

Michelle Mitchell, the charity’s chief executive, said: “Changes to disability benefits assessments have already had a devastating impact on the lives of too many people living with MS. “It’s absurd that those who were once deemed to be in need of this crucial support now face having it reduced or taken away. We’re deeply concerned by the staggering figures of how many could lose out.

“Living with a neurological condition

A devastating impact on too many people

like MS can cost up to an additional £200 a week. People with MS have told us financial support from disability benefits is vitally important for them.

“Many of those who use it for a Motability vehicle or electric wheelchair say they rely on it to continue to be independent, travel to work or medical appointments, or pick their children up from school.”

Tightening of the eligibility criteria

SENIOR MOMENTS

under PIP means that more people with MS stand to lose this support.

Under PIP, if someone can walk more than 20 metres, even with walking aids, they will no longer qualify for the highest rate of support.

Previously, 50 metres was often considered to be the rule of thumb for entitlement to the higher rate under DLA Ms Mitchell added: “Changes to the eligibility criteria for mobility support under PIP were introduced with no evidence to show why it should be reduced. These changes must be reversed to reflect the barriers people with MS face.” n MS Helpline: 0808 800 8000

. . . with FRANK HARRIS

NATIONAL charity Carers UK is calling on the Government to be bold as it develops its new strategy to improve the lives of those caring unpaid for older, disabled and ill family members and friends.

As the UK approaches the tipping point where the number of older people needing care is predicted to outstrip the number of working age people available to provide it, Carers UK has set out its vision of a society that respects, values and supports carers.

The charity has carried out a comprehensive review of how people are supported now, and can in future provide care without putting their own lives on hold and jeopardising their health and long-term financial security.

Carers UK has submitted extensive evidence, calling for changes to financial support and making recommendations to build workplaces, an NHS, and care services which are carer friendly.

Heléna Herklots, chief cxecutive of Carers UK, said: “Over two million people take on a new caring role every year and many struggle to access the information and support to care for a loved one without falling out of work, struggling financially, or seeing their own health suffer.

“There has never been a more crucial time to look at what carers need now and in to the future.” n Carers UK: 0808 808 7777

Car crisis worsens

THE Motability scheme allows those in receipt of the higher mobility rate of PIP or DLA, to lease an adapted wheelchair, mobility scooter or vehicle.

At the end of 2013 the DWP announced that only people who could walk a maximum distance of 20 metres (previously 50 metres) would qualify for the highest rate of the mobility part of the benefit.

The change could mean a loss of over £35 a week or access to a Motability vehicle, electric wheelchair or mobility scooter – which many use to get to work, college or medical appointments.

An estimated 548,000 people currently receiving the higher rate of the DLA mobility component will not receive the enhanced rate of the PIP equivalent.

HALF A MILLION READERS – AND GROWING – 0151 230 0307

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

October/November 2016

All Together NOW!

11

Help when you need it most 8QLWHG 8WLOLWLHVà 3ULRULW\ 6HUYLFHV RDŽ HUV additional support for water customers As the North West’s water provider, we’d like to let you know about our Priority Services and the kind of help that is available to you.

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Customers who register for Priority Services are looked after by our specialist team. They are very caring and kind and have received training from charitable organisations who really know about the LVVXHV WKDW SHRSOH IDFH LQ OLIH VR \RXĂ OO always speak to someone who understands your particular needs.

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How do I register for Priority Services?

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What kind of help is available when you register?

A range of services are available for customers registered with Priority Services such as: ç +HOS LI \RXĂ UH VWUXJJOLQJ WR SD\ \RXU water bill or have debt issues ç %UDLOOH ODUJH SULQW Ă&#x;WDONLQJĂ ELOOV DQG OHDLj HWV ç .QRFN DQG ZDLW VHUYLFH ,I \RX WHOO XV you have mobility needs and we have WR FDOO DW \RXU KRPH ZHĂ OO ZDLW DIWHU knocking to allow enough time for you to answer the door • Nominate a carer, family member or friend to speak to us on your behalf • Alternative water supplies if your ZDWHU LV OLNHO\ WR EH RÇ„ IRU PRUH WKDQ 12 hours • Support for dialysis patients • Protection from bogus callers with a password protection scheme • Notice of interruptions to your water supply • Translation services

You can also register at our website unitedutilities.com/priorityservices

• Text relay service

'RQĂ W IRUJHW WR DOVR FRQWDFW \RXU JDV DQG HOHFWULFLW\ VXSSOLHUV WR UHJLVWHU IRU WKHLU 3ULRULW\ 6HUYLFHV 5HJLVWHU DV ZHĂ UH QRW DOORZHG WR SDVV \RXU GHWDLOV WR RWKHU FRPSDQLHV

• Free quarterly meter reading if you are unable to read your meter 09/16/SD/6959

12

All Together NOW!

October/November 2016

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Paddy passes again!

RALLY legend Paddy Hopkirk has passed his IAM RoadSmart Advanced Driver Course for the second time – 27 years after he took his first test.

Paddy took the Institute of Advanced Motorists’ Mature Driver Assessment (MDA), a one-hour lesson aimed at giving older drivers the assurance they need to maintain their driving careers long into the future, as well as pointing out any areas that could be improved upon.

Paddy said: “Anyone can benefit from a little extra advice, as a way of becoming a safer and more confident driver on today’s roads.”

“Having taken the course I think about my driving more,

0800 916 3028 www.alliedmobility.com

NEW

NEARLY NEW

USED

rather than it being automatic.”

“For instance, I really learnt a lot about the useful information conveyed by road signs and painted lines on the road. They really do make life easier!”

In a 15-year racing career, Paddy, now 83, won the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally and 1967 Acropolis Rally in a Mini – one of few UK drivers to have won a rally at world level.

He finished second in the fearsome London to Sydney marathon in 1968 – giving up a certain win when he and his codriver rescued a fellow competitor from their burning car. n For more information about IAM RoadSmart courses call 0300 303 1134. n www.iamroadsmart.com

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Going that extra mile

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

October/November 2016

All Together NOW!

. . . getting – and keeping – you mobile . . .

13

n IT MAY have become a bit of a cliche, but going the extra mile really does make a difference, say the team at Da Vinci Mobility. n It’s a sentiment also very much shared by the Revd Matt Martinson, who has just completed a marathon UK ride using a powered, clip on, Da Vinci Trail Rider

T lives.

HE Da Vinci Mobility team love hearing how their revolutionary products are changing people’s

When the Rev Matt Martinson asked if they could come up with a wheelchair for a John O’Groats-Land’s End trek to raise funds for a new church, they knew exactly what was required.

“Our powered Trail Riders are perfect for helping people to reach places they previously couldn’t get to,” said Steve

JOURNEY’S END: The Revd Matt Martinson at Land’s End on his Da Vinci Trail Rider

Curran, director/partner at Da Vinci Mobility, “and we had no hesitation in recommending one to the vicar!

“We even provided a full UK breakdown/support service.

“The Trail Riders just clip onto a standard wheelchair, can cope with hills and uneven ground, and can achieve speeds faster than your average cyclist! They really can turn people’s lives around.”

Revd Martinson, 41, turned his own life around 20 years ago.

After serving in the army, he found himself homeless, addicted to drink and drugs, and was jailed in 1995 for armed raid.

He said he “nurtured” his faith while serving four years of an 11-year sentence, and was ordained in York in 2006. A year later, he lost the feeling in his legs and needed to use a wheelchair.

The Vicar of St John’s church, Bransholme, Hull, who served four years of an 11-year sentence, said he embarked on the 965-mile challenge to have some time away on his

Dusseldorf here we come!

D

A VINCI director Vin Ross travels the world searching for the best products to get – and keep – people mobile.

MAN ON A MISSION: VIN ROSS

Whether it’s the Far East or America, Vin has spent the past few decades in search of equipment that will help people to be more independent.

The fact that he is paralysed and uses one of his own handbuilt wheelchairs to get around is neither here nor there …

“After more than 40 years of pushing myself around I am probably more independent than a lot of other people with use of their legs,” said Vin, who was paralysed in a car accident in 1974.

Just as this issue of All Together NOW! was going to print, Vin and Da Vinci’s car adaptation expert, Mark Townley (also a wheelchair user), were setting off in the company van bound for the Reha Care Exhibition in Dusseldorf, Germany.

When they arrive they will be using the powered Da Vinci Trail Riders to make the daily 10-mile return trip to and from the hotel to the exhibition.

“It’s a fantastic four-day show, packed with all sorts of products and ingenious inventions that are helping disabled people,” said Vin. “We always come back with some fresh ideas “ Hopefully, we’ll also return with some orders for our Trail Riders …”

own – and to raise funds for a new church.

“I wanted to spend some time with God, and being in a parish setting all the time that’s really hard because the phone never stops ringing.

“For as long as a can remember I’ve always wanted to do this journey. While other disabled people have completed the challenge with support, I wanted to be the first to do it alone.”

Revd Martinson completed his epic journey in 17 days.

All Together NOW!

14

October/November 2016

ALL SIGNED UP . . .

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

HANDS ON: Keith gets some safety tips from Faith – and Merseyside firefighters learning Block Alphabet Signing

S

OMETIMES changing the approach to a situation can lead to a fantastic working partnership, a very real community engagement, and a deeper understanding of at-risk groups.

Keith Mitchell, 64, lives at Dene Court on Long Lane, Fazakerly.

He was born profoundly deaf, with visual problems, and was registered blind aged 15.

He lives alone and, above all else, cherishes his independence.

CROXTETH Firefighter FAITH GADSDON talks about her experiences working with a deaf/blind member of the community and explains how sign language training has helped her and other MFRS staff members communicate with vulnerable people.

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British Sign Language as a child, I always took the time to sign to him so that he knew what was going on.

This seemingly small effort to communicate has grown into a genuine trust that has enabled myself and Watch Manager, Ronnie Duffy, to work with Keith and reduce fire calls to his home.

We have also put in place a number of other small but effective measures – introducing Braille cards to make communication easier; getting a cleaner to look after his grill; and

forging a new relationship with MFRS that has enabled Keith to be more fire safety conscious in his home.

With the help of Firefighter Mark Buchanan, Vera Beacon, manager at Dene Court, has successfully carried out Block Alphabet Signing training sessions at Croxteth Fire Station. It’s is easy to learn, the feedback has been positive, and our partnership with Riverside, the housing association that manages Dene Court, has been strengthened.

Stay gas safe

Merseyside firefighters have helped Keith several times when attending false alarms at his flat, usually caused by cooking fat from his grill or cigar smoke.

I met Keith a few times and, having learnt

8dciVXi jh/

WORKING TOGETHER: Vera, left, Keith, and Faith

T

HE cool temperatures of autumn have arrived – and many of us are turning on the heat again in our homes.

But it’s important to make sure that your heating systems are safe – especially if they have been lying unused for months.

Without proper installation and care, these can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning.

It is a highly poisonous gas.

You can’t see it, taste it or smell it, but it can kill quickly with no warning.

Follow these few simple checks to keep you and your family safe: n Gas appliances should be checked annually and serviced regularly by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Tenants – make sure your landlord arranges this. Set a reminder so you don’t forget at www.staygassafe.co.uk n Check your engineer is Gas Safe registered. You can find engineers at www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk or call 0800 408 5500 n Check your engineer’s Gas Safe Register ID card. Make

DID YOU KNOW . . ?

MERSEYSIDE Fire & Rescue Service has a Heritage & Education Centre at its headquarters in Bootle, with memorabilia, machines and equipment from generations of firefighting and one of the largest photographic archives of any UK fire and rescue service, with more than 80,000 digitised images.

Merseyside has a long and proud fire heritage, having been at the forefront of innovation and the introduction of new firefighting technology for more than 180 years.

Liverpool put the world’s first steam fire engine into service decades before other cities.

The centre is staffed by extremely knowledgeable volunteers and is open to the public Mon-Fri between 10am and 3pm. n Visits must be pre-booked by phone on 0151 296 4714/4640 or by email: dannymurphy@merseyfire.gov.uk

sure they are qualified for the work you need doing. You can find this information on the back of the card. n Check for warning signs your appliances aren’t working correctly e.g. lazy yellow or orange flames instead of crisp blue ones, black marks on or around the appliance and too much condensation in the room. n Know the six signs of carbon monoxide poisoning – headaches; dizziness; breathlessness; nausea;

collapse; and loss of consciousness. n Have an audible carbon monoxide alarm. If you are a tenant it is your landlord’s legal obligation to make sure you have one installed and serviced. If you don’t have one make sure you contact them NOW! n For gas safety advice or to find and check an engineer visit www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk or call the free helpline 0800 408 5500.

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Call us for your FREE check up!

October/November 2016

K

EEPING people safe from fire in the home is, of course, one of our top priorities – but we also offer help and advice on a wider range of issues, including health and crime prevention.

One way of doing this is by carrying out FREE Safe and Well visits in the home.

Research tells us that people most at risk of having a fire often have health problems and are known to other services, therefore a Safe and Well visit involves: n Identifying and offering advice about fire risks in the home. n Ensuring the home has working smoke alarms. n Putting together an escape plan in case fire breaks out. n Talking about the health and wellbeing of everyone in the household. n Advice about home security. n Directing people to services and activities that may help them.

Recently our Community Safety Advisors paid a visit to a man called Gary, who lives in Partington, who had suffered a stroke and was experiencing mobility and speech difficulties.

GMFRS made a referral for adjustments to be made to Gary’s bed to make getting in and out easier.

We also gave Gary tips on safely discarding cigarettes and provided him with a fire-retardant sheet to put on his settee.

Another Greater Manchester MEMORY LANE: Fred Alfrey rolling back the resident benefiting from a Safe years with the Green Watch team at Rochdale and Well visit is Susan, from Timperley, who contacted us to ask about smoke alarms.

As well as fitting the alarms, our staff advised her on electrical GREATER Manchester Fire and Rescue Service has items in her flat and gave tips on been raising awareness about the everyday cooking safely – making sure she challenges faced by people with dementia. doesn’t leave pans unattended or Firefighters from Green Watch at Rochdale Fire cook when tired.

Station and Community Safety Advisors joined Susan said: “I find it difficult residents and representatives of the Alzheimer’s getting things done sometimes, Society for a special seminar. but when the fire service comes I Retired firefighter Fred Alfrey and his wife, Dot, feel like I am listened to and opened the discussions with Fred talking about how issues are sorted. I am really dementia has affected his life since leaving the fire careful with smoking and also service. when cooking in the kitchen area Community Safety Advisor Rod Holmes said: because of the advice they have “During the day participants learnt about how living given me.” with dementia fits into everyday life. The group also n If you or someone you know delivered awareness training, and all who could benefit from a participated became dementia buddies.”

Safe and Well visit, please call: 0800 555 815

Tackling dementia

All Together NOW!

15

Winter warm-up

W

E AT Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service are determined to keep people healthy and safe over winter.

That’s why we are working with Public Health England and colleagues across the NHS to support a national campaign that aims to do just that!

The advice is aimed at people over-65; pregnant women; parents with children aged two to five; those with long term health conditions; and carers / friends and family.

Following these five tips can help to improve your mental health and wellbeing: n Connect . . . with the people around you and invest time in developing relationships. Building these connections will support and enrich you every day. n Be active . . . exercising makes you feel good.

Discover a physical activity you enjoy and that suits your level of mobility and fitness. n Take notice . . . Savour the moment, whether you are walking to work, eating lunch or talking to friends.

Reflecting on your experiences will help you to appreciate what matters. n Keep learning . . . Set a challenge you will enjoy achieving. Learning new things will make you more confident as well as being fun. n Give . . . Do something nice for a friend, or a stranger.

Seeing yourself, and your happiness, linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and creates connections with the people around you Visit: www.safe4winter.com for more tips.

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All Together NOW!

October/November 2016

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Will new Mayors be any good for disabled people?

T

HE Labour Party has elected MPs Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram as their candidates to be the Mayors of Greater Manchester and the Liverpool City Region respectively.

Given voting patterns in this part of the world there is a strong likelihood that both will be elected.

They will have control over housing, public transport and economic regeneration. Other powers are likely to be added. They will be influential and important political leaders; but will they use their powers to support disabled people?

In each policy area there are many options.

A mayor can decide that it is more important to be able to boast of the number of homes built but not to be too concerned about the quality of

OPINION

those homes. They can build the slums of the future and call it a success because the future is a long way off.

“Or they can build quality homes that are also accessible for disabled people to use. Housing is an essential element of an inclusive society.

The Mayor can change the rules on public transport and even bring bus services back under public control as in London.

But will the Mayors also ensure disabled people can use those services and that wheelchair users have priority of pram users for the single accessible space on buses? These are policy decisions that the Mayors will have to take.

It is for disabled people in Greater Manchester and the Liverpool City region to make sure that those who want to be Mayor agree to serve disabled people before we vote for them.

Barbara SOUNDING paved way OFF for today’s successes SIR

A

S WE glow in the success of our Paralympians newly returned from Rio we also admire our new role models: disabled people who push the boundaries and then break through them.

The philosophy on which this newspaper is based is that disabled people can do what other people do if artificial barriers are removed.

Each generation produces new disabled heroes who emerge in the same way as non-disabled people.

It is sometimes forgotten that the freedom disabled people enjoy today is built on the work of disabled campaigners of previous generations.

This was brought home to me when I attended the funeral of Barbara Wood who died during the summer.

Although Barbara was born in the south she spent most of her life in Crosby, Merseyside.

She contracted polio when she was 11 in 1939 and used a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

In the 1960s disabled people began campaigning for better employment opportunities and access to buildings.

It was also the decade that set the tone for the remainder of Barbara’s life. The first

BERT MASSIE

official Paralympic Games were held in Rome in 1960.

In 1966 Barbara represented her country at the Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in Jamaica, winning a bronze medal for fencing.

She was also an accomplished archer.

I first met her in the late 1960s when she was running the Liverpool Paraplegic Sports Club. Through this she supported a number of people who later enjoyed Paralympic success,

STANDING: Steve Rotheram and, inset, Andy Burnham

Time to Lord it

THERE is much talk about the need for Parliament to be representative of the people it serves.

This is usually code for meaning should have more women in Parliament and I agree.

I also think we need more disabled people in political life.

I know of only five MPs who have a physical impairment. Do you know of more?

We do have some disabled local politicians but I cannot recall there ever being a disabled Lord Mayor, although in 2012-13 Jean Almond, who has MS and is a wheelchair user, was Lady Mayor of St Helen’s. Her book, ‘The Mayoress with MS’, describes her adventures in that role.

Is it not time that we had disabled people as Lord Mayors of Manchester and Liverpool?

If they were wheelchair users all the places they visit would have to ensure they were accessible.

Two disabled Lord Mayors would be a great inspiration and its time it happened.

including Gerry Kinsella who went on to become one of the world’s best wheelchair basketball players and who now supports disabled athletes through the Greenbank Sports Academy in Liverpool. Barbara was a strong supporter of his work.

Barbara was a founding trustee of what was then the Liverpool Association for the Disabled (LAD) and used her skills to ensure that Liverpool City Council policy began to reflect the needs of disabled people. She was vice chair of the Merseyside Council for Voluntary Service (now Local Solutions) where she chaired the Merseyside Joint Committee on Disability.

Barbara was the consummate committee operator but used her talents to find practical solutions.

Through her work with the Wallasey Disabled Persons Swimming Club and LAD she was a pioneer in enabling disabled people to have holidays abroad. She was very conscious of the problems disabled people had in finding suitable housing.

Barbara became involved with Merseyside Housing Association and through that

organisation was able to offer accessible homes to disabled people.

She will be long remembered within polio circles. The highest award the British Polio Fellowship offers is the Barbara Wood Award.

This goes annually to a person who either has had polio and assisted groups of people who had not, or a person who had not had polio but supported those who did.

This recognises that Barbara’s work certainly helped people with polio but she also helped and supported all disabled people.

Barbara’s massive contribution was also recognised when she was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant of Merseyside.

Her work was also recognised by Liverpool John Moores University, which made her an Honorary Fellow, the highest award it confers.

It is right that Barbara’s work was recognised but that was never her motivation. She knew the obstacles she had overcome and wanted to help fellow disabled people to do the same.

As she grew frail, she withdrew from public life but she left firm wheel marks in the sand that will endure for many years.

The success disabled people enjoy today can be traced back to the industry of people like Barbara Wood.

We owe her a great deal.

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October/November 2016

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All Together NOW!

Reaching 500,000 readers across the North West

Positively different: A breath of fresh air

October/November 2016

www.alltogethe

SUPER SARAH’ WORLD RECOR I

T MIGHT look like something’s just landed from Outer Space – but this aerodynamic shell has just helped London Wheelchair Marathon champion Sarah Piercy to become the fastest woman hand cyclist on earth!

Sarah’s sensational push at the World Human Powered Speed Challenge in Battle Mountain, Nevada, set a new world record of 24.85 mph – just 0.1 mph faster than the previous record.

O

MONEY MATTERS

24.85 mph on a handbike!

Sarah said: “This has been the greatest sporting challenge of my life. Just a year ago, I would never have believed this could be possible.”

Sarah, who has competed in TEN London Marathons, including her win at the age of just 19 in 2000, added: “Throughout my life, I have

always been up for a challenge, so when this opportunity came along I knew I wanted to be involved.”

Project leader Adam Kyte, lecturer in Mechanical and Marine Engineering Design at Plymouth University, said: “We are all absolutely thrilled for Sarah.

. . . with GORDON VINER FCA CTA

NCE AGAIN I just have to mention the Santander 123 account.

For a few years they have been the leaders in their field with cash back on direct debits and 3% on up to £20,000.

However, things have changed.

They now charge £5 per month and the rate of interest is dropping very soon to 1.5%. This is still a good rate bearing in mind the Bank rate is 0.25%.

So, should you stay or should you go?

If your cash rebates are more than £5 per month, then this is still a reasonable account to have.

But if your monthly charge of £5 is more

than your rebates, maybe you should consider other banks.

Look through the Sunday papers and/or online for best deals.

One other matter to consider if you have up to £20,000 with the Santander is to look at the rate of your mortgage, as many people have fixed rates, some up to 3 or 4%.

By paying some money off your mortgage, subject to the terms and conditions of your mortgage, you will effectively earn 3 to 4% (or whatever your rate is) and it is also the equivalent to tax free income – much better than 1.5% taxable with Santander.

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October/November 2016

INSIDE STORY: Sarah in training for her world record attempt. Below, the team behind her success

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October/November 2016

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Were you one of our lucky winners . . ?

CONGRATULATIONS to the EIGHT lucky winners of our gardening competition.

All winners will soon be learning plenty of new gardening tricks, thanks to publishers Dorling Kindersley, who are providing the prizes – The Big Box for Small Gardens, published by Dorling Kindersley, which contains four books specially for new or inexperienced gardeners.

David Sadler, Darwin Street, Castle Northwich, Cheshire (Mr Sadler picked up his copy of All Together NOW! at Bridgemere Garden Centre) Ivy Parry, Kent Grove, Failsworth, Manchester (ASDA Eastlands) Derek Toms, Wordsworth Crescent, Blacon, Chester (Countess of Chester Hospital) Miss Janice Gill, St James Street,

Westhoughton, Bolton (Southport Hospital) Mrs Susan Jane Cannon, The Copse, Liverpool (Broadgreen Hospital) John Gleavey, Tuscan Street, Widnes, Cheshire (by email) Mrs Delyth Earp, Derby Road, Ansdell, Lytham (email) Gillian Massey, Derby Drive, Warrington (email)

HELP AT THE END OF A PHONE

n ANGLESEY: TARAN Tel 01407 721933 n BLACKPOOL Disability Information and Support.

Tel 01253 472 202.

Textphone 01253 476 450 n CHESHIRE CIL Tel 01606 331853 n CHESTER Dial House Tel 01244 345655 n DENBIGHSHIRE Tel 01745 354445 n ELLESMERE PORT DICE Tel 0151 355 1420 n HALTON Disability Service Tel 01928 717222 n KNOWSLEY DISABILITY CONCERN. 0151 480 4090 n LANCASTER DISC Tel 01524 34411 n LIVERPOOL Association of Disabled People. Tel 0151 263 8366. Text 0151 260 4076 n MERSEYSIDE Coalition of Inclusive Living.

Tel 0151 260 4001 n NEUROSUPPORT Centre Tel 0151 298 2999 n MANCHESTER (GTR) Coalition of Disabled People Tel 0161-273 5154 n MOLD Flintshire Disability Tel 01352 755546 n NELSON: Pendle Pakistan Welfare Association.

Tel 01282 603 616 n PRESTON DISC: Tel 01772 558 863.

Textphone 01772 204 787 n RHYL Tel 01745 350665 n STOCKPORT: Disability Stockport. 0161 480 7248 n WARRINGTON Disability Partnership. 01925 240064

n WIRRAL WIRED Tel 0151 670 1500 n WEST LANCS HELPLINE Freefone 0800 220676 n ST HELENS DASH Tel 01744 453053

MIDLANDS n BIRMINGHAM Disability Resource Centre Tel 0121 789 7365 n Disabled People’s Network Solihull Tel 0121 788 1544 n STOKE: Disability Solutions Tel 01782 683800 n WOLVERHAMPTON Elder and Disabled Group Tel 01902 448552

ORGANISATIONS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND n ACCRINGTON Tel 01254 233332 n BARROW Tel 01229 820698 n BIRMINGHAM Action for Blind Tel 0121 665 4200 n BLACKBURN Tel 0125 554143 n BLACKPOOL: N-Vision Tel 01253 362696 n BURY Tel 0161 763 7014 n BURNLEY Tel 01282 438507 n CARLISLE: Action for Blind People Tel 01228 595121 CHESHIRE & N WALES: Vision Support. Tel 01244 381515 n CUMBRIA (West) Tel 01946 592474 n CUMBRIA (Sth Lakeland) Tel 01539 726613 n GUIDE DOGS

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ORGANISATIONS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE DEAF n BIRMINGHAM Institute for Deaf Tel 0121 246 6101 n CHESHIRE Deaf Society Tel 01606 47831 n CUMBRIA Deaf Society Tel 01228 606434 n LANCASHIRE (EAST) Deaf Society Tel 01282 839180 n MANCHESTER Deaf Centre Tel 0161 273 3415 Genie Networks.

Tel 0161 941 4549.

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CARERS’ CENTRES

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Tel 01228 542 156 Penrith.

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www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Plight of parents parted from kids

PARENTS of children with learning disabilities who live away from home face significant barriers keeping in touch, a study shows.

The new report from charity Mencap provides guidance for the first time on how residential settings should ensure parents stay in contact.

Thousands of children and young people with a learning disability are in specialist residential placements, often hundreds of miles from home.

The report, Keeping in Touch with Home, has revealed several criticisms from parents including: n Parents being asked to stay away when their child or young person started in a new setting. n Parents not being kept informed, for example about changes in medication or hospital visits. n Staff applying policies that prevent helpful visual technologies such as Skype from being used.

A family carer who was involved in the report said: “When staff, for whatever reason, do not promote the importance of family and home contact, alarm bells should ring.”

James Robinson, policy lead for children and young people at Mencap, said: “Keeping in touch should be a clear focus in children and young people’s care plans, not an afterthought. Children with learning disabilities shouldn’t have to live away from home, but if they must, then their right to family life must be supported and promoted.” n Mencap Direct: Tel. 0808 808 1111.

All Together NOW!

October/November 2016

21

Drop in hate crime figures welcomed

LEVELS of disability hate crime in England and Wales fell from 2007 to 2014, figures in a new report by the equality watchdog suggest.

Katharine Quarmby, a coordinator of the Disability Hate Crime Network and author of the ground-breaking book Scapegoat:

Why We Are Failing Disabled People, which investigates disability hate crime, said: “I welcome the continued focus of the Equality and Human Rights Commission on disability hate crime, and this report in particular.

“I think the statistics from the Crime

Survey showing a small fall in disability hate crime are interesting. They are in line with a general small fall in hate crime across England and Wales.

“But while there are still disability hate crimes in Britain, and in the world, we still have work to do.”

HALF A MILLION READERS

PRINT and ONLINE

Premier clubs break promise @ATNnews AllTogetherNowNews www.alltogethernow.org.uk

M

ORE than a third of Premier League football clubs will not meet disabled accessibility standards in time, says disabled fans organisation Level Playing Field.

Liverpool, Bournemouth, Chelsea and Crystal Palace are all set to miss an agreed deadline to bring their stadiums up to the minimum standards.

Recently promoted Watford, Burnley and Middlesbrough have an additional year to meet the requirements.

Last year, all Premier League clubs pledged to improve their stadium facilities for disabled supporters and increase the numbers of wheelchair user spaces by August 2017, as set out in the Accessible Stadia Guidance.

However, in meetings with the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which took the league to task last year over inadequate accessibility provisions, the Premier League has now acknowledged that many will miss the deadline.

Chris Holmes, EHRC Disability Commissioner, said, “All clubs agreed to make the minimum recommended improvements for disabled fans over two years. We are now at half-time, and for

World’s richest league failing disabled fans many teams, the performance is simply unacceptable.”

The Commission has warned that clubs could now face legal action.

“Football teams are legally obliged under the Equality Act to ensure disabled fans are not disadvantaged.

“Where it is found that little or no progress has been made toward improving accessibility, we will consider using all our strong legal powers to ensure compliance; all options are on the table.

“We will be writing to each club to ensure they do not go back on their commitment given last year, and we will be receiving a report every six months from the Premier League on progress being made.”

Lord Holmes added: “The English Premier League is the richest league in

the world; in a year when club signings are reaching stratospheric levels, Premiership clubs simply cannot continue to leave disabled fans by the sidelines.”

Level Playing Field’s findings do point out some significant improvements.

LPF Chair Joyce Cook said: “Just like last season on the pitch, champions Leicester City are leading the way, while many other teams such as Manchester United have shown clear commitment towards reaching the ASG standards of accessibility by next year.”

For other clubs, even newly built stadia are falling short of minimum standards.

One of the most shocking findings is that the Olympic Stadium, the new home of West Ham, will no longer have sufficient permanent seating provisions. In its current state, there will only be enough seats for disabled fans if places in the hospitality area are included on a flexible basis, which will never be part of the season ticket provision.

Joyce Cook said: “How can we talk of the positive legacy of London 2012 for disabled people in the UK when even the Olympic Stadium will no longer be fully accessible? It truly beggars belief.”

STEVE McDERMOTT

STEVE McDERMOTT, a former chairman and trustee of the Everton In The Community charity, wants to hear from North West legal firms wanting to team up with All Together NOW! A commercial and procurement lawyer for the Government Legal Department, Steve said: “My organisation encourages its lawyers to lend their expertise to not-forprofits and charitable organisations from a pro-bono perspective, and I couldn't think of a better charity to help.”

Steve, who has a keen interest in both corporate social responsibility and philanthropy, said: “This is an absolutely fantastic charity and community newspaper that’s helping and informing hundreds of thousands of people.

“I am sure there are many businesses and individuals who would want to be associated with this innovative and award-winning work.”

PROMOTE YOUR LEGAL SERVICES TO HALF A MILLION READERS . . . Tel 0151 230 0307

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All Together NOW!

October/November 2016

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Deaf quitting their jobs

ONE in four deaf people have packed in their job due to discrimination, says a new study.

And more than half (56%) of deaf or hard of hearing employees have experienced discrimination during their career.

The research, by the recruitment agency totaljobs and five deaf charities, found discrimination was most likely to come from colleagues (62%), and then from management (53%). n More than one third (37%) have faced discrimination as early as the interview stage. n While the vast majority (74%) of deaf people feel confident they have the right skills to look for work, almost the same number (72%) have received no support because of being deaf in finding a job. n 47% said that they did not receive support from their employer for issues related to being deaf. n And one third (34%) claim lack of deaf awareness as the biggest challenge facing deaf people in the workplace.

Books for all

STUDENTS with sight loss or dyslexia can now access a wider range of school resources, thanks to a stronger partnership between Oxford University Press and the Royal National Institute of Blind People.

RNIB Bookshare, previously known as Load2Learn, allows learners who cannot read standard print, including those who are blind or partially sighted, or have dyslexia, to read the same books in different formats.

The service is completely free. www.load2learn.org

LISA’S DIARY

The icing on my wedding cake?

Why my pupils ignore mystutter

‘

I

HAVE stuttered for as long as my parents can remember.

It wasn’t until I was about nine and reading out in class that I really noticed. I just couldn’t get the words out and if I did they were VERY different to others in the class.

Years of conventional therapy had made little impact on my progress and I still stuttered quite evidently.

I was lucky that I had a supportive group of friends in school that often spoke for me and just accepted that it was part of me.

I, on the other hand, hated my stutter.

I used to do everything to avoid speaking; changing words in sentences, avoiding words, never speaking out in class and being reluctant to meet new people.

I was genuinely unhappy and the prospect of leaving school to attend university was making me miserable. I didn’t want to leave my comfort zone, I didn’t want put myself in situations where I was vulnerable.

I really wanted to be a teacher but knew I wouldn’t get through the teaching side of the course too much talking and too much

ADAM BLACK tells how he wouldn’t allow a stammer to end his dream of being a primary school teacher

pressure made me choose a course that involved little to no public interaction.

I ended up enjoying my undergraduate course in ‘Sports Development’ but I knew it wasn’t what I wanted. I had to do something about my speech, and in March 2007 I eventually enrolled on an intensive therapy course called ‘The McGuire Programme’, which focuses on a new way of breathing when speaking.

This new breathing, called costal breathing, gives power behind a breath and helps you control what you’re saying.

This physical part of the method is important but would be nothing without tackling the psychological side of stuttering - accepting yourself as a stutterer.

Learning to embrace my stutter was challenging to begin with but I now present myself as somebody with a stutter who is working hard to be an eloquent speaker.

Like the elephant in the room, the more you ignore it the more obvious it is that it’s there, but

when I started to accept it the less it bothered me and in time my stuttering wasn’t an issue.

I decided that I had enough speech control and followed my dream to apply for teaching.

My new speaking technique has held up in the scrutiny of Glasgow classrooms. Last year a child, when talking about my stutter, said, “I don’t notice it anymore. It’s just what makes you, you.’”

Another lovely comment came from a parent who said that being honest about my disability helped her come to terms with her son’s own additional needs, and helped her to focus on what her son can do and not what he can’t .

In addition to my teaching, I also present at universities, and I’ve given a best man’s speech – and also spoke at my own wedding.

Having my dream job and not letting my stutter rule my life is an amazing feeling. This year I was also nominated and then shortlisted for a national diversity award for my work as a positive role model being a teacher with a disability.

I never in my wildest dreams thought that my stutter, which caused me so much pain as a youth, could bring others inspiration as an adult.

Hi all . . .

WHAT a hectic, action-packed summer – mainly due to the fact that I have just got married to my partner, John!

The big day took place at Southport Town Hall followed by our honeymoon in Tenerife. All very exciting.

But it’s back to business now and I’m keeping everything crossed, hoping for some good news about a grant application to the Big lottery – please keep your fingers crossed for me.

The grant will help me deliver and create opportunities for disabled people with no, or limited communications, to choreograph and create opportunities for those disadvantaged and or isolated within communities, to enjoy the pleasure of dance.

I will also be using the ‘Simpson board’, which is a tool that helps people who have limited communication choreograph dance moves.

If there are any readers out there who may be interested in dance or choreography please contact me on the number below or through social media, if you prefer.

I would especially welcome those from the community who have not had the opportunity to get involved in dance before.

I look forward to hearing from you. n Tel 07814232189 n www.facebook.com/LisaSimpson InclusiveDanceLtd

REACH HALF A MILLION READERS . . . . 0151 230 0307

JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED!

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October/November 2016

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REACHING PEOPLE OTHER NEWSPAPERS AREN’T! . . . HALF of our readers DON’T read any other LOCAL NEWSPAPER

‘

BRILLIANT – FULL OF HOPE, BEAUTIFULLY PRODUCED

. . . the ONLY paper that focuses on helping readers affected by age, ill health and disability

This is more than just a newspaper . . . It is the key that opens a thousand doors – Sir BERT MASSIE

Tel 0151 230 0307

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BREATHE EASY

FOUNDER: Joel Jelen

‘The bridge between yoga and meditation’

B

REATHING is something most of us do without even thinking about it.

But the right sort of breath can help with everything from anxiety to asthma and chronic fatigue, according to followers of so-called Reduced Breathing Techniques.

“Breathing techniques are the new yoga if you like” says Joel Jelen, founder of Reset Breathing and a Fellow of the Buteyko Professional International institute whose global members make up a network of “breathing education” experts.

Mr Jelen insists: “The general public are over breathing on a mass scale and we set up Reset Breathing to help raise awareness of this.”

“The more people become aware of how they breathe, the more they will be likely to want to change their breathing and their behaviour.

“We’re seeing more and more household names like Oprah Winfrey adopting similar techniques as part of, for example, mindfulness programmes that are helping sleepless professionals facing burnout.

“Breathing is the join between yoga and meditation—yoga strengthens our body and meditation strengthens our mental state.”

The Buteyko method as founded by Professor Buteyko in the 1950s (who cured his very high blood pressure by adopting reduced breathing techniques) insists both inhalation and exhalation of the breath is only through the nose, as practised by ancient yogis.

With a background in PR and marketing, Mr Jelen admits to being given some quizzical looks when first mentioning in his networking circles that Reset Breathing helps people retrain their breathing.

But he insists that we all breathe too much.

“In science terms, our techniques increase oxygen and CO2 in the blood which has a huge effect on your physical function and equally your emotions as a result.” n www.resetbreathing.com

October/November 2016

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Patients left in dark by GPs OVER half of deafblind people leave a doctor’s appointment without understanding what has been discussed.

Research by national deafblind charity, Sense, highlights the inequalities and barriers faced by deafblind people accessing healthcare in England.

It came ahead of the launch of the Accessible Information Standard, which sets out what providers must do in order to meet the information and communication needs of those who use their services.

There are estimated to be over 358,000 people in the UK with a

sight and hearing impairment.

Described as deafblind, they have some of the greatest health needs in society, with 70% requiring ongoing support from a GP or healthcare professional.

“This underlines the need for all healthcare services to be accessible to people who are deafblind, but to date this need is not being met,” says the charity.

One in two deafblind people have left a GP appointment having not understood what had been discussed.

Many reported needing to rely on a friend or family member to answer their questions or provide

support.

More than three quarters (85%) of deafblind people don’t get information about their healthcare appointments or follow up correspondence in a format that they can access.

Most needed to ask someone else to read letters for them.

More than a third (35%) of deafblind people are not confident about managing their own health, and it is clear that the current system has put further strain on a group who already feel stressed and anxious.

HELP THROUGH TOUGH TIMES SUPPORT: Mark Duffy, left, undergoes dialysis at the Royal with nurse Alan Reay

F

IRST-TIME dialysis patients in the North West will be the first in the country to be given crucial one-to-one support.

Patients on Merseyside will be trained during the first six dialysis sessions to make decisions about their own treatment.

Dialysis is used for patients who suffer from chronic kidney disease and is normally carried out three times a week, for around four hours each time.

The first 90 days of dialysis are often the most critical, with patients’ bodies and minds adapting to new circumstances.

The new project, which will benefit the 150 patients who start dialysis at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital each year, is supported by the Health Foundation, an independent charity committed to bringing about better health and health care for people in the UK. As a regional specialist dialysis unit, the Royal treats around 100 patients every day.

Dr Asheesh Sharma, consultant nephrologist and project lead, said: “We’ve worked with our patients

to create a service that supports them through an extremely difficult time. Chronic kidney disease is a life-limiting condition with outcomes that can be worse than some cancers.

“It has a huge impact upon quality of life and patients are often under-prepared to make decisions about their treatment options.

“With this project, we want to make dialysis as stress-free as possible for our patients and their loved ones.”

Dave Reid, 58, from Kirkby, underwent dialysis after suffering kidney failure when he was 23.

He said: “When I found out I had kidney failure, I didn’t know what that meant, what my kidneys did or how it would affect my life.

“It is really important to have a nurse with the time to talk you through what is happening around you and tailoring the treatment specifically for you.

“Dialysis doesn’t just affect you, it affects your family, too – they see what you’re going through hooking up to the dialysis machine so often.

“They live it with you. This service is incredibly important for them as well.”

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Why ugly buildings are bad for you

IT’S OFFICIAL – living in an attractive area IS good for your health.

People living in places rated as more “scenic” reported their health to be better, a major new study shows.

But researchers also found that scenery does not have to contain greenery to be considered beautiful.

People living in urban areas with little green space still experienced better health as long as they considered their surroundings to be attractive.

And researchers called for town planners to consider this more when designing new developments.

“The beauty of our everyday environment might have more practical importance than was previously believed,” said Chanuki Seresinhe, one of the team at Warwick Business School who carried out the study.

“Our findings imply that simply introducing greenery, without considering the beauty of the resulting environment, might not be enough,” added Chanuki.

“We know that some of the areas rated as very scenic, such as the Lake District, are also very green,” said behavioural science professor Dr Suzy Moat.

“For this reason, we wanted to make sure that the relationship we were seeing between scenicness and health wasn’t simply reflecting beneficial effects of green spaces.

“Our analysis confirmed that people do report their health to be better in areas with more green land cover.

“Importantly, however, we find that across urban, suburban and rural areas, we can better explain differences in how healthy people report themselves to be if we also consider how scenic the area they live in is.”

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Free jabs for staff

T

HE annual battle against winter flu has begun!

A major new eye-catching health campaign has been launched, with the backing of a number of NHS Trusts throughout Merseyside.

The #JabDone campaign aims to encourage all frontline NHS healthcare staff to have a flu vaccine to help protect patients from harm from flu this winter.

Every year there are thousands of deaths caused by flu in England, but a simple vaccine can offer life-saving protection.

A free jab is offered to all NHS employees each year to help them protect themselves, their colleagues, and their patients from the latest strains of the flu virus.

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October/November 2016

Flu is not just a bad cold; it’s a very nasty illness that can leave people feeling extremely unwell for up to seven days with range of nasty symptoms including a high temperature, fever, chills, headaches, aching, nausea and sickness.

It is highly contagious, and it can cause severe or even life-threatening health complications if passed onto vulnerable patients.

Those at greatest risk of harm from flu this winter, include those over 65, pregnant women, carers, and those of any age with existing health conditions.

If you are an NHS employee or are in any of these above risk categories, you are eligible for a free NHS flu jab this winter.

Please contact your GP surgery for more information.

COLD weather can be seriously bad for our health, especially for people for older people, and those with longterm health conditions.

But cold weather doesn’t have to go hand in hand with illness.

Here are some simple tips to help keep you, and those around you well this winter: Keep Warm: Try to keep your home heated to at least 18C, and reduce draughts wherever possible. Wearing several light layers of warm clothes is more effective than one thick layer.

Eat Well: Food gives you energy which helps keep you warm so try to have regular hot drinks and hot meals where possible.

Get a flu jab: You can have a free flu jab to protect against seasonal flu from your GP if you are over 65, pregnant, a carer, or have a longterm health condition. n For more information, visit: www.nhs.uk/staywell

Your chance to help P

EOPLE across Liverpool who no longer need loaned items of NHS equipment are being asked to return them so they can be recycled to help others.

Liverpool Community Health Trust’s Community Equipment Service is holding the ‘amnesty’ as part of a drive to improve sustainability and reduce wastage within the service.

Not returning items of NHS community equipment costs the local NHS over £500,000 every year.

Some specific examples of how much money could be saved by returning unused items of community equipment include: Each manual wheelchair returned saves the NHS at least £135 Each returned walking stick saves the NHS approximately £15 Each supportive seat returned saves the NHS approximately £25-50.

Allan Rimmer, Community Equipment Service Lead, said: “Everyone is aware of the financial pressures currently facing the NHS, and we felt that a community equipment amnesty was one way that we could help save some money locally within our service.

“We encourage everyone who has community equipment on loan from the NHS which they no longer use or need, to return it to us as soon as possible to help us support other patients in our community.”

Common examples of NHS equipment that often get forgotten and left

Recycling unwanted loan items will benefit others

unreturned include wheelchairs, walking frames or sticks, supportive seating, and specialist matresses or cushions.

n IF YOU or a relative has NHS equipment which you no longer require, you can arrange for it to be collected free of cost at a time suitable for you by calling: 0151 295 9816.

n ALTERNATIVELY, you can also return it to the NHS Community Equipment Service yourself during opening hours (Mon to Fri, 8am – 5pm) at either of the following addresses: LCH Community Equipment Store, Units 4 -7 Graylaw Trading Estate, Aintree, L9 7AU or LCH Community Equipment Store, Lifehouse Centre, Summers Road, Brunswick Business Park, Liverpool, L3 4BL

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That Rio magic can work wonders

WHILE Merseyside’s Paralympians were in action in Rio, the team at Liverpool Wheelchair Service were busy encouraging people living with mobility issues to get inspired and get active.

Liverpool Wheelchair Service supports around 10,500 wheelchair users from communities across Liverpool.

Rebecca Denson, Clinical Lead for the service, explains: “The Paralympic Games were fantastic for raising greater awareness of disability sports and providing some great role models.

“While not everyone will become a future Team GB Paralympian, we are keen to encourage all of our service users to explore ways that they can stay active.

“Getting regular exercise is so important for wheelchair users.

“Not only does it help improve overall health and wellbeing, it can also help prevent some of the most common health issues associated with poor mobility such as the risk of becoming overweight or developing pressure ulcers.” n For further advice about developing or maintaining an active lifestyle, and finding the right type of activity for you, speak to one of the team. Call us on 0151 296 7770 or visit www.liverpoollife house.org

To find out more, visit . . . www.liverpoolcommunityhealth.nhs.uk

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All Together NOW!

October/November 2016

MEDICAL NOTES

Secrets of toddlers’ vision to be revealed

THE secrets of a young child’s eyes are set to be revealed for the first time.

Up to now the technology needed to examine the human eye has been far from toddler friendly.

Bulky and heavy, one of the most commonly used devices for obtaining 3D images from the back of the eye requires patients to sit still and remain focused on a particular point.

But at last a device has been invented in the US that will allow researchers to gather detailed structural information about the eyes of infants and toddlers for the first time.

Weighing no more than a few slices of bread, the new handheld machine is capable of gathering detailed information about the retina’s cell structure.

“Diagnostic tools that examine and image the retina have been welldesigned for adults, but are exceedingly difficult to use in infants and young children who can’t hold the required position or focus for long enough periods of time,” said Professor Cynthia Toth of Duke University, North Carolina.

£20m health kick

A NORTH West council is to spend more than £20 million over the next five years to tackle a range of public health priorities such as addiction treatment, weight management and sexual health.

Wirral Council’s plans include a new £2 million service to help people find and access activities which will improve their health and well-being.

Over-65s chilling out

PEOPLE over 65 are helping to create a new “chill out” guide to help avoid heatrelated illnesses, which claim 2,000 lives in the UK each year.

Researcher Kirsty Waldock said: “The earth’s climate is warming and as the mean global temperature rises so does the frequency, severity and duration of heatwaves, presenting a significant health risk to the population, with the elderly being the most vulnerable.

“If effective action to adapt to climate change is not implemented, a predicted five-fold increase in the number of heatrelated deaths will occur in the UK by 2050,” said Miss Waldock, a PhD student and lead investigator at Brighton University’s College of Social Sciences.

“We want to find ways for older people to stay cool – the aim is to provide specific guidelines for maintaining good levels of activity whilst remaining healthy during periods of hot weather for an ageing population.”

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Wanted: Your stories with meningitis

HAVE YOU been affected by meningitis – a condition that can kill or leave survivors with lifelong after-effects such as hearing loss, epilepsy, limb loss or learning difficulties?

If so, here’s your chance to highlight your achievements – or thank your personal heroes who have helped you back on the road to recovery.

Meningitis Now, the charity that helps people affected by the disease, is celebrating 30 years of the meningitis movement in the UK by asking people to contribute to its online photo-wall.

Amanda Oxford, director of fundraising and communications, said: “We want to showcase as many stories as we can.’’

Anyone with a meningitis experience can submit their stories and photos at www.MeningitisNow.org before October 15

n Meningitis is inflammation of the membranes that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. It is usually caused by bacteria or viruses. n Septicaemia is blood poisoning. n Meningitis and septicaemia often happen together – it is vital to know all the signs and symptoms. n The early signs and symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia can be similar to ‘flu and include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting and muscle pain. n The more specific signs and symptoms include fever with cold hands and feet, drowsiness, confusion, pale blotchy skin, stiff neck, dislike of bright lights and a rash which doesn’t fade under pressure. n There are an estimated 3,200 cases of bacterial meningitis and septicaemia each year in the UK.

n Following bacterial meningitis or septicaemia, one in 10 people will die and at least a third of survivors will be left with lifelong after-effects such as hearing loss, epilepsy, limb loss or learning difficulties n Meningitis and septicaemia can affect anyone, of any age, at any time. n In the past 20 years, effective vaccines have been developed to give protection against SOME types of meningitis. These are offered to all babies and young children as part of the UK childhood immunisation programme. BUT there are not vaccines to protect against ALL types.

The eyes have it

n If you suspect someone may be ill with meningitis or septicaemia, trust your instincts and get immediate medical help.

Helpline: Tel. 0808 80 10 388 www.MeningitisNow.org

Normal sight test detects first signs of Alzheimer’s

A

SIMPLE eye test could be enough to spot the early warning signs of Alzheimer’s.

The link between retinal nerve thickness and poor cognitive skills has been discovered by researchers at the world-famous Moorfields Eye Hospital.

And their findings could mean that screening for dementia becomes part of the routine eye test carried out by opticians.

The breakthrough was announced at the 2016 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Toronto.

Over 33,000 participants took part in memory tests at Moorfields, with those scoring poorly showing a significantly thinner retinal nerve fibre layer, or RNFL. Visual information is transmitted from the retina to the brain and thickness of the RNFL is known to decrease with age.

Those taking part completed a series of tests for memory, reaction time and reasoning. The results were compared to measurements taken using special optical scans which record the thickness of the RNFL. The researchers found a significant association between a thinning of the RNFL and poor cognition skills. The RNFL also

The perfect tonic . . .

appeared one-micrometre thinner for each additional cognitive test failed.

Dr Clare Walton, Research manager at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “Changes in the brain associated with dementia can begin several years before any memory symptoms appear.

“This research suggests that some of these changes happen in the retina of the eye too, which could give us a relatively easy, noninvasive way to spot them early.

“Eye tests are fairly common for older people, so there is great potential to incorporate additional tests into their regular check-up. These tests could help to identify people at risk of dementia who would benefit from further investigation but will not become a primary way to diagnosis the condition.”

University College London Institute of

Ophthalmology also took part in the research.

Another eye test presented at the conference was about amyloid protein which builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. It is also known to accumulate in the retina and has been previously investigated as a potential marker for the condition.

The University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, presented the results of a study which compared different methods for visualising amyloid protein deposits in dissected eyes as well as in dogs that had symptoms of Alzheimer’s.

One of the imaging techniques tested – polarization imaging – was shown to be a non-invasive and sensitive way to identify amyloid deposits in the retina.

HALF A MILLION people

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

October/November 2016

A stroke of luck

TOWN Crier Terry Stubbings has even more to shout about than usual – he wants to let everyone know how hospital staff helped him survive a stroke.

The official Liverpool town crier was lucky to be living in one of the best places in the country for saving stroke victims’ lives.

Terry admits he might not have survived to tell the tale were it not for the care of staff on the Stroke Unit at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital He was admitted to the Royal after a stroke in August 2015.

Terry said: “I never expected to find myself in this situation.

However the treatment I received was second to none. Without their quick acting care and their attentiveness, my experience could have been so much different.”

Paul Fitzsimmons, Consultant at the Royal Liverpool Hospital, said: “It is great to see that our work has a positive impact on patients’ lives and Terry is a great example of this.

“After a stroke patients can experience speech difficulties, but with our help not only did Terry recover but he is back on his feet and crying loud and clear!”

MEDICAL NOTES

UK breakthrough in deafness treatment

Burning issue OYEZ, OYEZ: Town Crier Terry with Dr Paul Fitzsimmons

Get checked out if the pain of indigestion is persistent

A brave face

D

OCTORS are warning that symptoms of over indulgence might be more than a sign that you’ve had too much food and fun.

The warning comes as a study of over 8,500 people show far from being a disease of the elderly, cases of oesophageal cancer are rising in younger people.

The cancer is strongly linked to persistent heartburn and obesity.

“The latest studies show us that a much younger generation needs to be aware of oesophageal cancer,” said Tim Underwood, a consultant oesophagogastric surgeon.

“We are warning people who suffer from heartburn not to ignore the symptoms that might be a signal of cancer.

“If they persist for more than three weeks, make it your resolution to see your GP. Early diagnosis is key.”

The most recent statistics demonstrate that more than one in 10 people with oesophageal cancer are now under the age of 50, with 30% of cases occurring in those under the age of 60.

In these younger age groups those with persistent heartburn are eight times more likely to contract the life threatening illness.

Obesity is a major factor too – people with a BMI of more than 30 are four times more likely to suffer from it.

The UK has the highest incidence of

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oesophageal cancer in the world, with figures from Public Health England showing 10,200 people dying from it each year.

In the last 40 years there has been a 50% increase in deaths from the disease.

Only 15% of people with oesophageal cancer survive more than five years after diagnosis.

Despite this it accounts for just 2% of the Cancer Research budget.

However, despite the historic underinvestment, there is some good news on the horizon.

Doctors at the MRC Cancer Unit at the University of Cambridge have just been given funding for a new trial of 4,000

are reading these pages

CELEBRITY make-up artist Sarah Jagger braved public reactions to highlight the plight of people with a chronic skin condition.

Sarah used her cosmetic skills to draw attention to the facial redness and flushing caused by rosacea, a relapsing, multi-symptom, long-term skin condition caused by abnormal blood flow to the top layers of skin.

“I felt increasingly conscious of those around me, constantly wondering what they were thinking. It was completely isolating,” said Sarah, pictured left.

For around 10% of the UK population, this can be an everyday reality.

In the company of Embarrassing Bodies’ Dr Dawn Harper and Dr Anton Alexandroff, consultant dermatologist at University Hospitals Leicester, she took on the challenge for the Experience My Rosacea campaign. n www.experiencemyrosacea.co.uk

patients in GP practices to see if a new test can pick up the earliest stages of cancer.

The new test, called the cytosponge, is a small sponge on a string linked to a simple laboratory test. It is inexpensive technology that helps to detect abnormal cells in the oesophagus.

Rebecca Fitzgerald, Professor of cancer prevention at the University of Cambridge, who is leading the team developing the test, said: “Patients with oesophageal cancer have a remarkably improved survival when diagnosed at an early stage.

“We are very hopeful that our simple test will help save lives in the very near future.”

The new study is in the International Journal of Cancer.

tel 0151 230 0307

NEW ways of treating a common form of hearing loss could be on the way after a discovery by a UK team of scientists.

A biological mechanism involved in the progressive loss of hearing was revealed by researchers funded by charity Action on Hearing Loss.

It’s already known that gradual loss of sound-detecting sensory hair cells within the inner ear is associated with progressive hearing loss.

But now researchers have shown it can also be caused by defects in a structure within the ear called the stria vascularis, which is essential for normal hearing.

Professor Karen Steel, from King’s College, London, said: “Our finding suggests that designing treatments to boost the function of the stria vascularis could be important in treating some forms of progressive hearing loss.

“What is needed now are accurate ways of diagnosing what part of the ear is affected so that in the future the most appropriate treatment can be administered.”

Ralph Holme, of Action on Hearing Loss, said: “Hearing loss affects as many as one in six people in the UK and all too often isolates people from friends and family.

“By funding cutting edge research to increase our understanding of progressive hearing loss we aim to bring the development of urgently needed treatments a step closer.” n Info Line: Tel. 0808 808 0123. n Textphone: Tel. 0808 808 9000.

Don’t get forgotten

MANY people living with multiple sclerosis are at risk of being forgotten by the NHS, campaigners warn.

The MS Society is concerned about a widening divide between people with the condition who are in the know about their treatment options, and those who aren’t seeing health professionals and are missing out on treatments that could greatly improve their lives.

According to a survey of over 11,000 people with MS, as many as one in ten of those with relapsing MS haven’t seen an MS nurse or neurologist for over a year.

Among this group, just 12% are taking a disease modifying therapy (DMT), which could reduce relapses and slow the progression of the condition.

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of the MS Society, said: “These people risk being forgotten by the NHS. We need to work closely with MS professionals to understand why people aren’t able to access the right treatment at the right time, despite them being proven to be cost-effective and improve health outcomes.” n MS helpline: Tel. 0808 800 8000.

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King Tut calling all blind time travellers

PEOPLE with sight loss can experience life in ancient Egypt, thanks to a new touch tour service at the British Museum.

The large-scale objects on display belonged to great temples and tombs in ancient Egypt and were believed to be imbued with powerful spiritual qualities.

Through the touch tour, blind visitors can travel through Egyptian history, from the time of the Old Kingdom over 4,000 years ago to the middle of the Roman period. Blind and partially sighted visitors can prebook a guided touch tour with volunteer guides who have been given extensive training.

Selene Burn, the museum’s access & equality manager, said: “We continually aspire to make more of the museum’s collection accessible to as many people as possible.” n The Touch tour is also available to download as an audio guide from the Museum’s website: www.britishmuseum .org/egyptiantouchto ur n To book a Guided Touch tour, email access@britishmuse um.org at least four weeks in advance of your visit. n British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Tel. 020 7323 8299.

Oct 4-8: Keep Dancing. Manchester Palace Theatre. Celebrating the world of Latin and ballroom dance.

Oct 5-8: Grease. Theatr Clwyd. Stage adaptation of the hit film.

Oct 5-29: The Rivals. Liverpool Playhouse. A comedy of love and manners.

Oct 5-29: The Two Gentleman of Verona. Liverpool Everyman. 21st century adaptation of the Shakespeare play. AUDIO DESCRIBED: Oct 25.

CAPTIONED: Oct 29.

Oct 8: The Carpenters Story.

Liverpool Empire. Story featuring the life and music of the Carpenters.

Oct 8: Buddy Holly and the Cricketers. Rhyl Pavilion. Tribute show..

Oct 9: Buddy Holly and the Cricketers. New Brighton Floral Pavilion. Tribute.

Oct 9: Ken Dodd. Blackpool Grand Theatre. Stand-up comedy.

Oct 10-15: Dirty Dancing. Manchester Palace Theatre. Musical.

Oct 10-15: Rehearsal for Murder.

Manchester Opera House. Agatha Christie play.

Oct 10-15: Sister Act. Liverpool Empire. Musical based on the hit film.

Oct 11: Steeleye Span. New Brighton Floral Pavilion. Rock band.

Oct 11-12: Buzz-ah! Theatr Clwyd.

Jukebox musical.

Oct 11-15: Spine. Liverpool Playhouse.

Hilarious and heartbreaking call to arms for the modern age.

Oct 11-15: The Glenn Miller Story.

Llandudno Venue Cymru.

Oct 11-15: Pride and Prejudice.

Salford Lowry. Stage adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel.

Oct 11-15: A Tale of Two Cities.

Blackpool Grand Theatre. Dickens’s classic. AUDIO DESCRIBED: Oct 14.

Oct 12: King Lear. Runcorn Brindley.

Oct 12: An Evening with Hazel O’Connor. Runcorn Brindley.

Oct 12-15: Twopence to Cross the Mersey. Rhyl Pavilion. Legendary play.

Oct 13: Ladyboys of Bangkok.

Runcorn Brindley. Cabaret show.

Oct 13: Hal Cruttenden. New Brighton Floral Pavilion. Standup comedy.

Oct 14: Billy and Wally’s Variety Show. New Brighton Floral Pavilion.

Oct 14-Nov 19: Father O’Flaherty Saves Our Souls. Liverpool Royal Court. Comedy.

Oct 15: Ball of Fire. New Brighton Floral Pavilion. Celebration of legendary footballer Alan Ball’s life.

Oct 15: The Sounds of the Musicals.

Runcorn Brindley. A night of wonderful sounds from the musicals.

Oct 15: Frank Ifield. Llandudno Venue Cymru.

Oct 16: Some Guys Have All The Luck. Runcorn Brindley. Rod Stewart tribute.

Oct 16: Magical Mozart by Candlelight. New Brighton Floral Pavilion.

Oct 16: Ken Dodd. Blackpool Grand Theatre. Stand-up comedy.

Oct 17-22: Rocky Horror Show.

Liverpool Empire. Cult classic.

October/November 2016

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BOX OFFICE CONTACTS BLACKPOOL Grand Theatre: 01253 290190 BOLTON Octagon: 01204 520661

MOLD: Theatr Clwyd: 0845 3303565 MANCHESTER Opera House: 0870 401 9000 Palace Theatre: 0870 401 3000 SALFORD The Lowry: 0843 208 6000 NEW BRIGHTON Floral Pavillion: 0151 666 0000 PRESTON: Charter Theatre: 0845 344 2012 RHYL: Pavilion Theatre: 01745 330 000

RUNCORN The Brindley: 0151 907 8360 STOKE: Regent Theatre: 0844 871 7627.

SUPER NIGHTS

LIVERPOOL Empire: 08444 999 999 Everyman & Playhouse: 0151 709 4776 Royal Court: 0870 787 1866 Unity 0151 709 4988 LLANDUDNO Venue Cymru: 01492 872000

Oct 17-22: Relatively Speaking.

Salford Lowry.

Oct 17-29: Walk Like a Man. Blackpool Grand Theatre. Tribute to Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons.

Oct 18: An Evening with the Merseybeats and Friends. New Brighton Floral Pavilion.

Oct 18-22: All or Nothing. Manchester Opera House. Mod musical.

Oct 18-29: Pilgrims. Theatr Clwyd.

Comedy.

Oct 19: The Solid Gold Rock ‘n Roll Show. Manchester Palace Theatre.

Rock and roll extravaganza.

Oct 20: Mum’s the Word 2.

Manchester Palace Theatre. Funny and emotional new production.

Oct 20: An Evening of Mediumship & Clairvoyance with Donna Robinson.

New Brighton Floral Pavilion.

Oct 20: Jack the Ripper 2016.

Llandudno Venue Cymru.

Oct 20: Edwina Curry. Llandudno Venue Cymru.

Oct 20-22: Rock of Ages. Runcorn Brindley. Rock/jukebox musical.

Oct 21: Whitney – Queen of the Night. New Brighton Floral Pavilion.

Tribute Oct 21-Nov 5. The Winter’s Tale.

Bolton Octagon. Shakespeare’s epic tale.

Oct 21-Nov 12: Rent. Theatr Clwyd.

Landmark musical.

Oct 23: Rebecca Ferguson.

Llandudno Venue Cymru. Singing superstar.

Oct 23: Ken Dodd. Blackpool Grand

SOUTHPORT: Floral Hall: 0844 847 2380.

ST HELENS: Theatre Royal: 01744 756000.

Citadel: 01744 735436.

WOLVERHAMPTON Grand Theatre: 01902 429212.

Theatre. Stand-up comedy.

Oct 23: Morgan and West. Salford Lowry. An evening of magic and illusion.

Oct 24: Midge Ure. Salford Lowry.

Oct 24: Joe and Caspar. Liverpool Empire. Live tour ahead of the release of their second feature film, Joe & Caspar Hit the Road USA. Oct 24-29: Rocky Horror Show.

Manchester Opera House. Cult classic.

Oct 25: An Evening with Jimmy Osmond and his Band. Llandudno Venue Cymru.

Oct 25-29: Ghost. Manchester Palace Theatre. AUDIO DESCRIBED: Oct 26.

SIGNED: Oct 27.

Oct 26: Dr Hook. Llandudno Venue Cymru. Live concert.

Oct 27: The Australian Pink Floyd Show. Liverpool Empire. Tribute to Pink Floyd.

Oct 27: That’ll Be The Day. New Brighton Floral Pavilion. Buddy Holly musical.

Oct 27-Nov 4: The Entertainer. Theatr Clwyd. Modern classic.

Oct 27-Nov 6: The Wind In The Willows. Salford Lowry. Wild tale about the thrill-seeking Mr Toad.

Oct 28: Mum’s the Word 2.

Liverpool Empire. Funny and emotional new production.

Oct 28: The Whitney Houston Show.

Rhyl Pavilion. Tribute show.

Oct 28-29: Twenty Memories.

Runcorn Brindley. Dance show.

Oct 29: Merry Hell. St Helens Citadel.

North West band showcasing songs from their new album.

Oct 29: Fright Feast: The Haunting of Sarah Taylor. New Brighton Floral Pavilion. An immersive theatrical dinner show.

Oct 29: Let’s Hang On. New Brighton Floral Pavilion. Tribute to Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons.

Oct 30: Angelos and Barry. Salford Lowry. Stand-up comedy duo.

Oct 30: Bad Guys. Rhyl Pavilion.

Perfect for kids aged 5-11.

Oct 30: Thank Abba For The Music.

Runcorn Brindley. Tribute to Abba.

Oct 30: Ken Dodd.

Blackpool Grand Theatre.

Stand-up comedy.

Oct 30: Endellion String Quartet. Theatr Clwyd. Classical music.

Oct 31: Seriously Dead!

Runcorn Brindley. Comedy.

Oct 31: Sirens and International Internal Catastrophes. Salford Lowry. Multisensory performance.

Oct 31: The Specials. Llandudno Venue Cymru. Phenomenal live show.

Oct 31: Polaris. Salford Lowry. Heavy drama.

Oct 31-Nov 5: Little Shop of Horrors.

Manchester Palace Theatre. Charming cult classic musical. AUDIO DESCRIBED: Nov 3. SIGNED: Nov 2.

Oct 31-Nov 5: The Full Monty.

Manchester Opera House. Stage adaptation of the hit film.

Oct 31-Nov 5: Rehearsal for Murder.

HOW YOU CAN PLAY A STARRING ROLE IN THE FUTURE OF THIS

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October/November 2016

B

OOK your tickets now for some high quality and exciting productions in this year’s DaDaFest International.

CURTAIN CALL: Liz Carr, right, and Laurence Clark, left, among the star performers at this year’s DaDaFest International

Nov 1: The Lady Boys of Bangkok.

Llandudno Venue Cymru. Touring cabaret show.

Nov 1: An Audience with Martin Taylor. Runcorn Brindley. Awardwinning guitarist.

Nov 1: Jimeoin. Runcorn Brindley.

Stand-up comedy.

Nov 1-2: Daughters of Fortune/Mia. Salford Lowry. Eye-opening play about parents with learning disabilities.

Nov 2: Romeo & Juliet. Runcorn Brindley. Ballet performance.

Nov 2-5: Things I Know to be True.

Liverpool Playhouse. Beautifully touching play.

Nov 2-5: The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning. Liverpool Playhouse. One of the most controversial political stories of modern times.

Nov 2-12: Love, Lies and Taxidermy. Theatr Clwyd.

Offbeat comedy.

Nov 3: Old Haunts. New Brighton Floral Pavilion. One-man adaptation of two timeless tales of horror.

Nov 3: Swinging at the Cotton Club.

Runcorn Brindley. Recreating the feel of a 20s New York swing club.

Nov 3-4: The Vagina Monologues. Runcorn Brindley.

Nov 4: China Crisis. St Helens Citadel. Pop/rock band.

Nov 4: Wishbone Ash. New Brighton Floral Pavilion. Rock band.

Nov 4: Let’s Hang On. Runcorn Brindley. Tribute to Frankie Valli and

All Together NOW!

This year’s festival, the 13th since its inception in 2001, opens with Liz Carr’s controversial musical, Assisted Suicide, at the Unity on November 17, ending with Grammy-award-nominated afro-funk duo Amadou and Mariam at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on December 3 (International Disabled Persons Day).

Here’s a few of the confirmed events: n Nov 17-18: Assisted Suicide: The Musical (8pm) Unity Theatre - £10/8 - BSL and AD n Nov 21: SWAGGA (8pm) - Unity Theatre - £10/8 BSL Dance at its very best performed by Charlotte Cooper and Kay Hyatt with music from Verity Susman and Trash Kit. n Nov 23: Give Me a Reason to Live (8pm) - Unity Theatre - £10/8 - BSL and AD Solo performance by Claire Cunningham, inspired by the work of Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch and set to a mesmerising sound score by Zoe Irvine. n Nov 24: Can I Start Again Please? (8pm) - Unity Theatre - £10/8 - BSL Parallel narratives in parallel languages (English & BSL), which intersect, diverge and build to create a spellbinding mix of verbal and visual theatre. n Nov 25-26: Laurence Clark: Independence (8pm) Unity Theatre - £10/8 - BSL Liverpool comic Laurence Clark in this tale of adolescence, love and Harry Potter. n Dec 2: Disability for Dunces (7pm) - St Helens Central Library - £3 to £6 - BSL Award-winning comedian Lost Voice Guy. n Dec 3: Amadou and Mariam (7:30pm) - Liverpool Philharmonic Hall - £19.50 to £28.50 – BSL

the Four Seasons.

Nov 4-5: The Fawlty Towers Dining Experience. Llandudno Venue Cymru.

Nov 4-5: At the End of Everything Else. Liverpool Everyman. Powerful new play.

Nov 6: GaGa. New Brighton Floral Pavilion. A tribute to Queen.

Nov 6: The Carpenters Story.

Runcorn Brindley. Tribute show.

Nov 7: Circus of Horrors. Manchester Opera House. Circus show.

Nov 7: Bouncers. Llandudno Venue Cymru. Comedy.

Nov 7-12: The Full Monty.

Liverpool Empire. Musical.

Nov 7-12: The Woman in Black. Liverpool Playhouse.

Gripping thriller.

Nov 8-9: Rolling Back The Years.

Runcorn Brindley. Ultimate feel-good show.

Nov 8-12: Heads Will Roll. Liverpool Everyman. Inspired by the myth of el Dorado.

Nov 8-12: Things I Know to be True.

Salford Lowry. Beautifully touching play. AUDIO DESCRIBED: Nov 11 (with TOUCH TOUR).

Nov 10: Money For Nothing. Runcorn Brindley. Tribute to Dire Straits.

Nov 10: Andy Fairweather Low & The Lowriders. New Brighton Floral Pavilion.

Nov 11: Teechers. Runcorn Brindley.

Comedy.

Nov 11: An Evening of Burlesque.

Manchester Opera House. Burlesque show.

Nov 12: Rumours of Fleetwood Mac. New Brighton Floral Pavilion.

Nov 12: CASH. St Helens Citadel.

Johnny Cash tribute.

Nov 12: La Boheme. Manchester Opera House. Puccini’s opera.

Nov 13: Frankly Sinatra. Liverpool Empire. Tribute to Frank Sinatra.

Nov 13: Steve Backshall’s Wild World. Blackpool Grand Theatre.

Nov 13: Rumours of Fleetwood Mac. Llandudno Venue Cymru.

Nov 15: Oliver. Runcorn Brindley.

Dickens’s timeless tale.

Nov 15-19: George’s Marvellous Medicine. Manchester Opera House.

Roald Dahl’s classic kids’ tale.

Nov 15-19: Blood Brothers. Salford Lowry. Legendary musical from Willy Russell.

Nov 16: Joe Brown. New Brighton Floral Pavilion.

Nov 16-19: Institute. Liverpool Playhouse. Inventive and suprising journey.

Nov 17: Starman. Rhyl Pavilion.

Celebration of David Bowie’s work.

Nov 17: Glen Tilbrook. Salford Lowry.

Nov 17-19: Ebenezer Scrooge 2016.

Llandudno Venue Cymru.

Nov 17-20: White Christmas.

Liverpool Empire. Irving Berlin’s Christmas spectacular.

Nov 18: All About A Wedding.

Runcorn Brindley. Drama.

Nov 18: Glenn Tilbrook. New Brighton Floral Pavilion. The voice of Squeeze.

Nov 18-Jan 14: Cinderella. Bolton Octagon. Pantomime.

Nov 19: Gary Murphy’s Guitar Legends. New Brighton Floral Pavilion.

Nov 19: Dr Hook. Manchester Palace Theatre. Live concert.

Nov 19: Griff Rhys Jones. Salford Lowry. Stand-up comedy.

Nov 22: An Audience with Martin Kemp. Runcorn Brindley. Q&A session with the musician, writer, actor and director.

Nov 22: The Merchant of Venice.

Llandudno Venue Cymru. Opera.

Nov 23: Macbeth. Llandudno Venue Cymru. Opera.

Nov 22-26: When We Are Married.

Liverpool Playhouse. Heartily entertaining Northern comedy.

Nov 22-26: Little Shop of Horrors.

Blackpool Grand Theatre. Cult classic musical.

Nov 22-26: The Peony Pavilion.

Salford Lowry. Ballet.

Nov 23: The Ladyboys of Bangkok.

New Brighton Floral Pavilion. Cabaret show.

Nov 23: The Human League.

Llandudno Venue Cymru. Legends of Disco.

Nov 23: Whitney – Queen of the Night. Manchester Palace Theatre.

Tribute to Whitney Houston.

Nov 23: The Circus of Horrors.

Runcorn Brindley. Circus show.

Nov 23-26: Macbeth, Director’s Cut. Theatr Clwyd. Bold and powerful play.

Nov 23-Dec 3: Love’s Labour’s Lost.

Manchester Opera House.

Performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company.

UNIQUE UNIQUE CHARITY CHARITY NEWSPAPER . .. . SEE SEE BACK PAGE PAGE FOR FOR DETAILS

29

Manure a ‘cure’ for Great Fire victims

COMMON remedies for burns and scalds from the time of The Great Fire of London are on show at London’s Royal College of Physicians.

Forming part of a new exhibition ‘To Fetch out the Fire: Reviving London, 1666’, the exhibits detail the extraordinary potions, poultices and salves that were used to provide relief from the effects of flameinflicted wounds.

Handwritten recipes, or ‘receipt’ books, used by medical professionals and lay people alike, particularly women at the head of large households, often list stomachchurning ingredients for cures alongside instructions for making fruit preserves and tempting jellies.

Animal waste, in all its forms, is a favoured material for easing the pain of burns.

One recipe advises that horse manure is best, though only if the animal is reared ‘at grasse’.

Another advocates frying hens’ dung with herbs to make a paste, a third adds sheep’s droppings to a complex mix including ‘barrowes grease’, the fat of a neutered male pig. n The exhibition runs at the Royal College of Physicians, St Andrew’s Place, until December 16.

Books

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All Together NOW!

Listen up – more than 28,500 books available CELEBRATION TIME: Staff at RNIB dress up as their favourite book characters

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LIND and partially sighted people can now listen to thousands more books, thanks to a new partnership RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) and HarperCollins.

Members of RNIB’s completely FREE Talking Books scheme now have a choice of more than 28,500 titles – including HarperCollins’ complete backlist of more than 2,000 books comprising novels by George RR Martin, David Walliams, Max Hastings, Michael Morpurgo, Bernard Cornwell, Wilbur Smith and Hilary Mantel.

Steve Tyler, Head of Solutions, Strategy and Planning at RNIB, said: “We feel passionately that reading can change the lives of blind and partially sighted people, and we work hard to find new ways of making all books available in all accessible formats at the same time as mainstream publication.

“We are delighted that HarperCollins has chosen to support RNIB Talking Books and help improve accessibility through our library. We hope that other publishers will follow their lead.”

Charlie Redmayne, CEO of HarperCollins UK, said: “We believe that our content should be available to everyone simultaneously in all formats, whoever they are and however they read.

“We are delighted that our ongoing partnership with RNIB will grow the numbers of books in the Talking Books library by 15%, improve reading choices and enhance the overall accessibility agenda.”

There are currently 38,000 Talking Books members, with more than 8,000 joining since November 2015 when the service went completely free for all blind and partially sighted people in the UK. RNIB has added 25% more books in the last two years. About 90% of the Talking Books catalogue is available on Overdrive, which also has hundreds of magazines and podcasts.

The RNIB Library also offers a range of fiction and non-fiction titles for adults and children in braille and giant print.

n To find out more about the RNIB Library or to sign up for Talking Books call the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or visit www.rnib.org.uk/books

October/November 2016

ARIES March 21st - April 20th

SCORPIO October 24th - November 22nd

You will have to work hard to strike a healthy balance between your personal and professional lives during the first half of October. Don’t be resentful if your nearest and dearest want to spend more time with you. The Full Moon on the 16th prompts you to make a change. Conserving resources is strongly advised for the final days of October. Your love life will sizzle with excitement in the early days of November. Beware of making promises you can’t deliver during the second half of the month. Setting up a loved one for disappointment will create tremendous resentment. The New Moon on the 29th will force you into unfamiliar territory. Ask for guidance when you’re not sure what to do or how to behave.

Changing your views and values will put you on the road to romance. The Full Moon on the 16th marks a turning point with your health. Resist the temptation to push yourself too hard. Gentle exercise will have a better effect than rigorous workouts. Money will be tight as October turns to November; be resourceful. You’re feeling good and looking good in early November. The Full Moon on the 14th marks a turning point in a close relationship. Don’t listen to petty criticism as November turns to December. A jealous rival will do everything in their power to shake your confidence. If the New Moon on the 29th results in a loss of income, remain positive.

SAGITTARIUS November 23rd - December 21st

TAURUS April 21st - May 21st

An argument with a colleague could erupt in October. Do your best to fulfil your responsibilities, even if it means dealing with a hypercritical know it all. The Full Moon on the 16th will put an end to a period of isolation.

Your love life will be enriching at the beginning of November. It may be difficult to find peace and quiet. Exercise patience with a colleague who wears on your nerves. Show respect for their superior knowledge and expertise. You may need their help on the 29th, when the New Moon makes you aware of limited resources.

By teaming up, you can produce impressive work on a tiny budget. Summon your creative powers as November turns to December.

GEMINI May 22nd - June 21st

Inspiring breakthroughs can occur while you’re doing routine chores. A close partnership will show signs of strain at the end of October. Try not to push a business or romantic partner into a hasty decision. If you show respect for their boundaries, the two of you can hammer out a compromise. Work will be financially and emotionally rewarding in the opening days of November. Solitary pursuits like reading, writing and communing with nature can energise you.

The New Moon on the 29th warns against mixing business with pleasure. If you’re looking for love, find it with someone who doesn’t work with you. Similarly, it isn’t a good idea to form a professional alliance with a friend.

CANCER June 22nd - July 23rd

Your love life will be a source of profound pleasure during the first half of the month.

Career demands could become increasingly stressful in mid-October; it may be necessary to miss a family gathering. The Full Moon on the 16th could present an opportunity to get ahead, provided you are willing to make some personal sacrifices. An exciting opportunity to travel will arrive at the beginning of November; there’s never been a better time to take a dream holiday. The Full Moon on the 14th brings a successful conclusion to a group project. As a result, bigger and better opportunities will be offered to you. The New Moon on the 29th will prompt you to get attention for a health matter.

LEO July 24th - August 23rd

Domestic activities can also be fulfilling during the first half of October. The Full Moon on the 16th will bring a legal matter to an abrupt close.

Although you may not be happy with the result, it will be a relief to have this situation resolved.

A romantic relationship will resemble a rollercoaster ride as October draws to a close. Money from a grant, loan or scholarship will become available in early

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RUSSELL GRANT CALLING . . .

November. The Full Moon on the 14th marks an exciting turning point in your career. During the second half of the month, you should be as discreet as possible. The New Moon on the 29th warns against taking emotional and financial risks. It’s best to maintain the status quo as November turns to December.

VIRGO August 24th - September 23rd

A moneymaking opportunity will arrive at the beginning of the month. Resist the urge to spend more than your budget will allow. The Full Moon on the 16th could bring about some unexpected expenses. As October draws to a close, you will be given a chance to acquire new skills. Seize this opportunity while it lasts.

Your love life will sizzle with excitement in early November. A financial windfall makes it possible to purchase some new technical equipment during the first half of the month. The Full Moon on the 14th brings the satisfying conclusion of a legal matter. The second half of November could put some strain on finances. Launching a home-based business could be profitable on the 29th, thanks to the New Moon.

LIBRA September 24th - October 23rd

Updating your look will bring good results from the very start of October, when the New Moon makes you yearn for a change. The Full Moon on the 16th marks a turning point in an intimate relationship. This may be a chance to break free of an oppressive business or romantic alliance. Landing a new job is a distinct possibility at the end of October. Moneymaking opportunities will abound in early November.

The Full Moon on the 14th will pave the way for a passionate encounter. There’s also a good chance you will get a significant financial windfall from an inheritance or legal settlement.

The second half of the month should be devoted to building solid relationships with your neighbours. The New Moon on the 29th could put extra chores on your plate.

Your hard work and experience will help you forge the lifestyle you’ve always wanted. The Full Moon on the 16th will prompt you to launch a bold creative project. Your charisma will attract lots of romantic attention during the second half of October. Solitary pursuits will give you a welcome chance to recharge your batteries in early November. The Full Moon on the 14th will attract a terrific job offer. The New Moon on the 29th warns against adopting a different look. If you want to make a change, devote more time to creative pursuits. Playing sports can be another way to let off steam.

Being outdoors never fails to lift your spirits.

CAPRICORN December 22nd - January 20th

Concentrate on building bridges instead of instilling fear during the first half of October.

The Full Moon on the 16th will prompt you to make some important changes to your domestic life. During the second half of the month, your social life will pick up. Being surrounded by affectionate, supportive people will give you an optimistic outlook. Allow yourself to think outside of the box at the end of October. Spending time with friends and family is strongly advised in the opening days of November. The Full Moon on the 14th could cause a legal decision to be rendered in your favour.

AQUARIUS January 21st - February 19th

Don’t let fear get in the way of taking risks during the first half of October. Treat mistakes as learning opportunities. The Full Moon on the 16th will prompt you to make changes to your daily routine. A social gathering at the end of the month will put you in contact with influential people. An opportunity for career advancement will arrive in early November. The Full Moon on the 14th will find you spending quality time with your family. This is a wonderful chance to reconnect with your nearest and dearest. The second half of November will be a wonderfully social time.

PISCES February 20th - March 20th

The Full Moon on the 16th will attract a sudden windfall. You might have to assume some new responsibilities, but don’t let that scare you. The opportunity to travel, study or write will arrive in early November. Assuming a more public role at work could be in the cards. Don’t hesitate to step into the spotlight during the first half of the month. The Full Moon on the 14th will allow you to capitalise on expert knowledge. It will be easier to command respect during the second half of the month, when people will be more receptive to your creative approach. Resist the temptation to lend or borrow money in late November.

HALF A MILLION PEOPLE ARE READING THESE PAGES

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October/November 2016

All Together NOW!

SIX DAZZLING TULIP COLLECTIONS TO WIN

TULIPS are among the world’s most vivid and spectacular flowers – and we have SIX prize packs of Woolmans’ dazzling tulip bulb collections, each worth £29.75, to give away!

Planted in November, they will transform a garden by next spring.

Each pack contains 50 bulbs – 10 each of these varieties: Queen of Night, which is very deep purple; Royal Virgin, pure white; Seadov, scarlet; Purple Prince, rich mid-purple; and Candy Prince, soft lilac.

Tulip bulbs are best planted in November, rather than earlier in autumn, to reduce the risk of frost damage to premature young shoots and of the disease tulip fire. Plant them 10cm (4in) deep and 15cm (6in) apart,

ideally in full sun, sheltered from wind and in fertile, well-drained soil. For the most striking effect, plant them in groups.

To enter the competition, answer this question: Which is the best month for planting tulip bulbs?

Send your entry with your name and address on a postcard or sealed envelope, stating where you picked up your copy of All Together NOW!, to Woolmans’ Tulip Competition, All Together NOW!, The Bradbury Centre, Youens Way, Liverpool L14 2EP, to arrive by Friday October 28 or enter online at www.alltogethernow.org.uk.

Please include TULIP in the subject line. n For the full range of Woolmans’ bulbs and flowers, go to www.woolmans.com

TOP CLIMBERS: Regal honeysuckles – cream and red Late Dutch and, right, the reliable Japanese honeysuckle

Shooting stars

W

HICH is really the Queen of Climbers? Is it the rose, the clematis or, perhaps, the honeysuckle?

Climbing roses cannot reasonably claim to be regally superior because, lovely though they are, they are heavily outnumbered by non-climbing roses.

The term ‘Queen of Climbers’ is freely used by clematis fanciers but, though their enthusiasm is understandable, honeysuckle also has a strong claim to the throne. Not only does it need minimal attention but it also grows quicker and flowers longer.

All the climbing plants in most gardens originated in exotic places or resulted from complex breeding programmes although there are humbler versions to be seen as wild plants in British hedgerows – roses as sweet briar (white) and dog rose (pink), clematis as old man’s beard with grey, beard-like seedheads and common honeysuckle as woodbine. Of those, only the honeysuckle would be a garden asset.

Most honeysuckles are sweetly-scented and, if two or three kinds are chosen carefully, will release their fragrance for up to nine months of the year.

Apart from the scent and beauty, honeysuckle is much easier to grow well, especially in the north.

I have been comparing growth rates between

different climbers I planted in windy, shaded positions two years ago.

The honeysuckles have romped away – with roses not far behind – while, of the three clematis, one died, another suffers wind-burn in the sea breeze at any time of year, and the third, the winter-flowering, fragrant, evergreen Clematis armandii, has been disfigured by leaf miners.

So honeysuckle is at least Queen of the North in my opinion and I suggest you start a collection to cover your walls, fences, trellises and arches.

Try some of these . . .

Lonicera periclymenum grows vigorously to 7m (22ft), twining round any support it encounters and producing clusters of very sweet-scented cream and red flowers in summer, followed by red berries.

Excellent selections from this species include Belgica or Early Dutch with pink and red blooms from June; Graham Thomas, with long-lasting white flowers turning yellow; Serotina or Late Dutch (pictured), cream with dark red streaks, from July to September; Heaven Scent, very

fragrant, July and August; and Munster, pink and cream from June to August.

Lonicera x americana (pictured), equally vigorous and favoured for training as a tall pillar, flowers very freely from summer into autumn, producing yellow flowers with dark red flushes.

The Italian honeysuckle, Lonicera caprifolium has very fragrant, cream flowers flushed with pink.

For even brighter flowers, though generally less scent, look for Lonicera x brownii ‘Dropmore Scarlet’ , a garden hybrid that grows to 4m (13ft) and has scarlet blooms with a golden mouth in summer.

Most reliable of all is the evergreen Japanese honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica (pictured). This bears fragrant, cream-coloured flowers in the leaf joints from late spring to autumn and even winter in mild seasons.

For the best display of honeysuckle against a wall, prepare the soil by making a trench 45cm (18in) away from the wall and putting in plenty of humus – well-rotted farmyard manure, garden compost or a rich commercial compost such as John Innes No 3.

If the ground is dry, flood the trench and let the water soak in before back-filling and then planting.

Water the plants thoroughly whenever the soil is dry in the subsequent year. Tie the long, new shoots to wires or thread them through trellis. Cut out any that can’t be trained in the right direction, especially shoots growing away from the wall.

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31

CHECKLIST

FLOWERS: Split the roots of older herbaceous perennials such as phlox, delphinium, Shasta daisy (marguerite) and peony. Dig up overgrown clumps, cut off sections from the edge, each with a few shoots and some roots attached, and plant these.

SHRUBS AND TREES: Plant new roses, hedging, shrubs and trees. Water camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas thoroughly if the ground is dry.

Shortage of water during early and mid-autumn can cause the flower buds to drop next spring.

LAWNS: Spiking in autumn is highly beneficial. This opens up compacted lawns, improving drainage, reducing moss and weeds, and encouraging grass growth. Use a hollow-tine aerator or, as a second best, a garden fork. Spike 10cm (4in) deep in rows 10cm apart. Apply autumn lawn fertiliser, which is high in phosphate (not highnitrogen spring lawn fertiliser).

PONDS: Prepare ponds for winter by removing the dying leaves of water lilies, taking out any blanket weed or algae and clearing fallen leaves from the surface before they have a chance to sink to the bottom.

Pools under trees are best covered with fine mesh netting to catch the leaves. Clear the netting regularly.

VEGETABLES: Save seeds of runner and French beans to sow next year. Leave old pods to dry on the plants then pick them before they split. Store the seeds in a dry, frost-free, mouse-proof place.

FRUIT: Tie the new canes of summer-fruiting raspberries to supporting wires. When autumn raspberries have finished cropping, cut down the canes to ground level. Tie the long, new shoots of blackberries and loganberries to supports. Cut down stems which fruited this year.

HERBS: Split well-established clumps of perennial herbs such as tarragon, chives and mint.

HOUSEPLANTS: Remove dead leaves and flowers and move plants closer to windows so they receive enough light as the days grow shorter. Sponge shiny-leaved plants with water or a proprietary leaf-polish.

Don’t sponge ferns and hairyleaved plants but brush off dust with a soft-bristled paint brush.

Mist ferns with tepid water regularly to maintain humidity.

All Together NOW!

32

October/November 2016

STARSPOT CROSSWORD Can you find the celebrity name hidden in this Starspot Crossword? Complete the crossword in the normal way then make a note of the letters contained in all the squares which are marked with shaded stars. These letters will make an anagram of the name you are looking for.

1

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ACROSS

DOWN

1.

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Graze (6) Stuck (6) Guests (anag.) (6) Card game (6) Legend (5) Open-topped car (6) Stableman (6) Receive wages (4) You (arch.) (4) Cain’s brother (4) Synthetic (4) Yacht station (6) Breathe out (6) Filthy (5) Thinner (6) Incites (4,2) Senile person (6) Complete agreement (6)

24

The Accumulator Quiz Each question has four possible answers and is worth from one to 15 points. Circle your chosen answers and keep a record of your points total. Maximum total points 120.

QUESTION 1 – for 1 point: In which forest did the fabled outlaw Robin Hood and his band of merry men live?

A Nutwood B Epping C Sherwood D Arden

QUESTION 10 – for 10 points: Which of the following is the name given to a young hare?

QUESTION 2 – for 2 points: What is the prevalent colour of the shirts worn by the Dutch international soccer team?

A Red B Blue C Orange D White

QUESTION 11 – for 11 points: Which price comparison website’s adverts feature the character Aleksandr Orlov?

QUESTION 3 – for 3 points: What is the points value of the blank tile in Scrabble?

A Zero B Five C Ten D Twenty

QUESTION 12 – for 12 points: In which American state are the towns of Norfolk and Suffolk?

A B C D

A B C D

TV presenter Emma Willis. See Question 7

A B C D

QUESTION 5 – for 5 points: How many balls are used in the game of billiards?

A Two B Three C Four D Six

A B C D

QUESTION 6 – for 6 points: Which novel by Charles Dickens ends with the words: “God bless us, every one”?

A The Pickwick Papers B Oliver Twist C A Christmas Carol D Little Dorrit

Elver Leveret Eyas Whelp

moneysupermarket.com confused.com moneysavingexpert.com comparethemarket.com

Virginia Pennsylvania Illinois North Carolina

QUESTION 13 – for 13 points: Which celebrity couple have a daughter called Blue Ivy? A B C D

Busted Take That Westlife McFly

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner Tom Cruise and Katy Holmes Beyoncé Knowles and Jay Z Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr

QUESTION 14 – for 14 points: What is a cartouche?

QUESTION 8 – for 8 points: Which of the following is a sheepshank?

SUDOKU

A B C D

A shepherd’s crook A leg of mutton A rustler A type of knot

An oval emblem bearing Egyptian writing An elaborate coffin A four-wheeled carriage A Greek pillar

QUESTION 9 – for 9 points: Which type of fruit has varieties called Careless and Invicta?

QUESTION 15 – for 15 points: In which year was the Open University established?

A B C D

A B C D

Gooseberry Strawberry Greengage Raspberry

1959 1964 1969 1974

KAKURO

THERE is just one simple rule in Sudoku. Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9, and so must each 3 x 3 box. This is a logic puzzle, and you should not have to guess.

EASY

9 8 2 1 9 6 5 4 9 8 4 1 6 3 5 7 1 3 7 3 6 1 8

A B C D

QUESTION 7 – for 7 points: Big Brother and The Voice UK presenter Emma Willis married a member of which long-standing boy band?

QUESTION 4 – for 4 points: In which country is the port of Bilbao?

A Portugal B Spain C Argentina D Brazil

Spectacles (6) Slightly indecent (6) Like better (6) Anew (6) Centre (6) Gloomy (6) Mountain lake (4) Spot of ink (4) Jewish priest (5) Freshwater fish (5) Sauntered (6) Out-and-out (6) Make beloved (6) Animal’s den (4) Measure (4) Gaseous element (6) Central US state (6) Streamer (6)

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DIFFICULT

4 2 9 4

8 9

7 2 2 4 9 3 5

8

5 3

6 5 9 1 8 7 5 6

1

9 6

4 5

REACH 500,000 READERS

2

6 9

8

2 6 5 9 4

1 4

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FILL in the blank squares in the grid with numbers so that each horizontal or vertical line adds up to the total given in the box either to the left or above it.

Horizontal totals are given in the top right corners of the shaded boxes; vertical totals in the bottom left corners.

You can use the numbers 1 to 9, but may not use the same number more than once in any run. The number may be used again, however, in the same row or column but as part of another run.

MEDIUM 15

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Telephone dialling pads combine several letters on one key. Here we have encoded several sets of words or items by using numbers rather than letters. Then we have divided them into groups of three characters and run all the names one after another to make your task a little more difficult. Can you crack the codes?

EACH number in our Cross Code grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. You have three letters in the control grid to start you off.

Enter them in the appropriate squares in the main grid, then use your knowledge of words to work out which letters should go in the missing squares.

As you get the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and control grid. Check off the alphabetical list of letters as you identify them.

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PROUD

LIFE STICK

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3 DEF

4 GHI

5 JKL

6 MNO

7 PQRS

8 TUV

9 WXYZ

1. breeds of domestic cat 742 637 312 428 743 172 436 551 626 912 748 474 174 678 424 712 876 373 173 774 261 787 742 612 583 172 688 474 136 531 742 374 261 774 969

2. EastEnders characters 528 175 283 717 427 661 928 871 426 123 253 174 451 648 243 551 253 431 666 613 364 731 369 162 912 726 646 413 284 319 425 713 681 268 866

3. pairs of lovers 266 643 126 312 593 317 274 712 631 435 361 343 612 631 236 327 176 636 126 315 854 381 376 712 631 779 243 162 765 366 126 315 673 744 63

4. cocktails 379 162 784 641 427 839 192 552 264 371 444 422 551 787 891 624 517 465 144 617 273 937 483 717 464 276 731 754 641 626 428 826 132 478 474

5. races and speed contests 276 771 268 687 916 272 846 616 278 225 314 273 126 314 686 371 943 352 277 691 735 291 722 518 742 845 661 752 566 177 746 818 463 187 425

6. small creatures 726 774 661 624 468 164 554 733 318 272 688 521 762 451 327 944 153 284 375 225 381 966 356 873 178 425 146 732 812 368 473 331 262 576 224

PATHWORDS

SPOT CHECK

Starting from the central shaded letter, move one letter at a time (up, down, right or left, but not diagonally) to find 17 condiments.

Can you place the six dominoes (right) into the grid below in such a way that the number of spots in all four rows across and all four rows down totals 12?

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MISSING LINK Each pair of words has a missing word between them that acts as a link to both (e.g. FRONT â&#x20AC;&#x201C; DOOR â&#x20AC;&#x201C; MAT). The initial letters of the six answers (reading downwards) will spell out a stone fruit.

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Spaces and any punctuation marks are represented by 1.

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DIALLING CODES

CROSS CODE

All Together NOW!

October/November 2016

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1) A blue and orange coloured butterfly, with a distinctive elongated wing shape;

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Here is an unusual word with three definitions, only one of which is correct. Can you identify the right definition?

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MAKE A DATE In which year did all three of these significant historical events take place?

1. Prince William Arthur Philip Louis is born, becoming second in line to the British throne.

2) A flintlock, or a weapon with a flintlock;

2. The partial remains of the Tudor warship Mary Rose are lifted from the seabed at the entrance to Portsmouth harbour.

3) A fastening device used on corsets in Elizabethan times.

3. The Thames flood barrier at Woolwich becomes operational.

Add the given letter to the first word to make a new word.

Clue: Increase the noise made by a mass of fog.

WAS IT? a) 1978; b) 1980; c) 1982; d) 1984; e) 1986.

____ +C=C____

ALL THE ANSWERS Pathwords: salt; ketchup; mustard; pepper; mayonnaise; barbecue sauce; jam; chutney; salad cream; pickle; mint sauce; sugar; butter; brown sauce; vinegar; wasabi; honey.

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Accumulator Quiz 1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; C; 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; C; 3 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A; 4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; B; 5 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; B; 6 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; C; 7 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A; 8 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; D; 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A; 10 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; B; 11 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; D; 12 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A; 13 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; C; 14 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A; 15 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; C. Starspot Crossword Across â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1 Scrape; 4 Jammed; 8 Gusset; 10 Bridge; 11 Fable; 12 Tourer; 14 Ostler; 16 Earn; 17 Thee; 19 Abel; 22 Mock; 26 Marina; 27 Exhale; 28 Dirty; 29 Leaner; 30 Eggs on; 31 Dotard; 32 Unison.

Down â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1 Sights; 2 RisquĂŠ; 3 Prefer; 5 Afresh; 6 Middle; 7 Dreary; 9 Tarn; 10 Blot; 13 Rabbi; 15 Tench; 18 Ambled; 19 Arrant; 20 Endear; 21 Lair; 22 Mete; 23 Oxygen; 24 Kansas; 25 Pennon.

Star Name: CHRIS MARTIN

Word Wizard No 2 is correct. A snaphaunce is a flintlock.

Dialling Codes 1. Siamese; Chausie; Ragdoll; Manx; British Shorthair; Burmese; Persian; Russian Blue; Scottish Fold; Siberian; Sphynx.

2. Kat Slater; Sharon Watts; Ian Beale; Phil Mitchell; Alfie Moon; Denise Fox; Max Branning; David Wicks; Dot Cotton.

3. Bonnie and Clyde; Paris and Helen; Dido and Aeneas; Romeo and Juliet; Eros and Psyche; Napoleon and Josephine.

4. dry martini; Harvey Wallbanger; highball; rusty nail; pink gin; screwdriver; Singapore Sling;

Manhattan; daiquiri.

5. cross-country; marathon; obstacle; hare and hounds; wheelbarrow; relay; sack; triathlon; slalom; sprint; time trial.

6. scorpion; maggot; millipede; tarantula; snail; earwig; leatherjacket; woodlouse; stick insect; centipede; cockroach.

Spot Check A = 6; B = 2; C = 1; D = 5; E = 4; F = 3.

Missing Link cloth; house; ear; rough; real; yard.

Fruit: cherry.

Make a Date The year was 1982.

Transformer Loud + C = Cloud.

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All Together NOW! is helping and inspiring tens of thousands of people whose lives are affected by disability.

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You can help in a big way by becoming one of our loyal subscribers. For a suggested £15 donation (more, if you can afford it!) we will send you the next SIX editions.

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October/November 2016

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

Hooked again at 90

N

INETY-year-old Jean Sussock can’t believe her luck after thinking her fishing days were

well and truly behind her.

Jean had been a keen angler until her sight began to fade, forcing her to hang up her rod.

But then she heard about a newly-formed club for visually impaired anglers, signed up, and went on to win a special prize at the club’s monthly fishing trip.

“I am overjoyed,” she said, receiving the Bobby Mooore Happy Days trophy.

“I was really looking forward to the day, and it fulfilled all my expectations.”

The club is a joint initiative by Liverpool blind charities Christopher Grange Rehabilitation Centre and Bradbury Fields. n Contact Mike Bailey, 0151 220 2525, email mikebailey@christophergrange.org or Jamal, 0151 221 0888, email jabdullah@bradburyfields.org.uk

TOKYO, HERE FISHING FOR FUN: Jean and friends at the waterside

T

HOUSANDS of people are expected to line the streets of Manchester to honour Team GB’s awesome Paralympians and Olympians.

Prime Minister Theresa May revealed the city parade will take place on October 17.

Among the long list of athletes expected to be showing off their medals will be Paralympian cyclists Dame Sarah Storey, Sophie Thornhill, swimmer Stephanie Millward and wheelchair tennis star Jamie Burdekin.

The event will take place after 4pm to allow children to attend.

The Prime Minister said: “In every discipline and at every stage, Team GB have shown the world what we’re made of: determination, dignity and true sportsmanship.

“They haven’t just made history; by showing just how far talent and hard work can take you, they have inspired the next generation.”

GOLDS for cyclists Helen Scott (Halesowen) and Sophie Thornhill (Poynton).

Bronze for swimmer Stephanie Millward, who trains in Manchester

Magical memories and golds galore

P

aralympicsGB returned from Rio with 64 gold medals – the most golds and the most medals of any British Paralympic team since Seoul 1988 – and won 12% of all golds awarded at the Games.

A series of exceptional performances ensured the team comfortably passed the 121 medal target set by UK Sport, eventually finishing with 64 golds, 39 silvers and 44 bronzes, a total of 147 medals – a result which saw the team finish second in the table behind China.

In all, the team set 49 Paralympic and 27 World Records. Historic ParalympicsGB performances included: n Dame Sarah Storey surpassing Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson as Great Britain’s most successful female Paralympian. n Kadeena Cox becoming the first British athlete to win gold medals in two sports at the same Games since 1984. n Andy Lewis becoming the first ParalympicsGB athlete to win a medal in triathlon by taking gold in the PT2 class. n Piers Gilliver winning ParalympicsGB’s first wheelchair fencing medal since 1992 with individual epee silver. n ParalympicsGB’s women’s W1 archers completing a clean sweep.

n ParalympicsGB men’s wheelchair basketball clinching their third bronze medal in four Games, with the women’s team finishing fourth for their highest-ever finish at a Paralympic Games. n ParalympicsGB equestrian team winning 11 medals and seven golds. n Six medals for ParalympicsGB wheelchair tennis players, including gold for Gordon Reid after defeating teammate Alfie Hewett in an all-British men’s singles final, and bronze for Jamie Burdekin and Andy Lapthorne in the men’s quad doubles after the longest wheelchair tennis match in history (four-and-a-half hours), beating Israel’s Itai Erenlib and Shraga Weinburg.

stay ahead of the game . . . .

www.alltogethernow.org.uk

October/November 2016

All Together NOW!

Rugby for all

S

Contest is right on cue

ALE Sharks and England star Mike Haley joined excited youngsters as the club’s Community Trust launched its new inclusive wheelchair rugby programme ‘In the Pack’.

The programme kicked off in style with pupils, who have a range of physical and mental disabilities, at Woodchurch High School, near Birkenhead, Wirral.

Vicky Irwin, inclusion officer at Sale Sharks, said: “We’re rolling the programme out in schools and community centres across Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside and Lancashire so we give as many people as possible the chance to play the game together.” n Tel. 07738 131064. www.salesharks.com/community

THE second World Disabled Billards and Snooker championships take place at the South West Snooker Academy in Gloucester from October 14-16.

The weekend competition is open to classification groups 1-5, which includes those who have physical disabilities and are either ambulant or wheelchair players.

For the first time there will also be a learning disability snooker festival held on the opening day. n PLANS are also in hand for a tournament in Kingston-upon-Hull on the weekend of November 12-13.

The competition will be the second WDBS event open to players with either visual or hearing impairments. n Contact chris.hornby@wpbsa. com www.wdbs.info

WE COME! CELEBRATION TIME: Right – Manchester’s Sarah Storey and daughter, Louisa, Left – wheelchair tennis stars Jamie Burdekin (Liverpool) and Andy Lapthorne (Middlesex), who won bronze in the men’s quad doubles

Dame Sarah weighing up Japanese Paralympics

D

AME Sarah Storey, Britain’s most successful female Paralympian, says there is every likelihood she will compete at her eighth Games in Tokyo.

The 38-year-old cyclist won three gold medals at Rio 2016 to take her tally to 14, three more than former wheelchair racer Baroness Tanni GreyThompson.

Sarah competed at the 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 Paralympics as a swimmer, before switching to the velodrome.

“Four Games in each sport sounds rather cool,” she told BBC Sport.

“Once everything calms down I’ll start to look at what’s happened in Rio with an analytical mind and say ‘this is where we were, this is where we could

go, is that possible or is that asking too much?’.

“You don’t want to push your luck as an athlete.”

Sarah won two road events – the C5 time trial and C4-5 road race, and one on the track – the C5 3,000m individual pursuit – in Rio. She now has just two gold medals fewer than swimmer Mike Kenny, the most successful British Paralympian of all time, who won his 16 titles between 1976 and 1988.

“After London, the first question I was asked was: ‘Are you going to retire?’,” she said. “This time the question people ask is: ‘Are you going to Tokyo?’

“It’s exactly the same question just asked in two different ways. I really like the positive one.”

After winning four gold medals in London, she missed the 2013 season to have her first child,

. . . www.alltogethernow.org.uk

35

Louisa, returning the following year. She said: “I wanted to be an athlete for as long as I possibly could.

“But I also assumed I’d be married with four kids by now. I’m amazed to still be an athlete.”

Dame Sarah’s Paralympic golds: Barcelona 1992 – 100m backstroke, 200m individual medley.

Atlanta 1996 – 100m backstroke, 100m breaststroke, 200m individual medley.

Beijing 2008 – road time trial, track individual pursuit.

London 2012 – road time trial, road race, track individual pursuit, track time trial.

Rio 2016 – road time trial, road race, track 3km pursuit.

Deafblind video

DEAFBLIND charity Sense has produced a short video for sport coaches and instructors, aimed at giving them more confidence in working with people who are deafblind.

Taking part in sport has significant physical, mental and emotional benefits, yet over 300,000 people with dual sensory loss in England are effectively barred from activity due to the lack of facilities and understanding. n Sense YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/j5d4 X1NYSP0

36

WILL YOU FUNDRAISE FOR US? All Together NOW!

Y

OUR FREE and favourite All Together NOW! charity newspaper is helping hundreds of thousands of people.

But we could do with a bit of help, too . . .

If you are taking part in a fun run – or ANY fundraiser – please consider doing it for All Together NOW! and we’ll feature your efforts.

You can also help by making a charitable a donation to All Together NOW! You can either send us a cheque, text a donation on your mobile phone (DONATE ATNOW 88802), or commit to a regular monthly donation via the Charity Checkout link on our website www.alltogethernow.org.uk All Together NOW! is the only paper of its kind in the UK. Together we can secure the newspaper’s future – and make it even bigger and better for EVERYONE! Thank you TOM DOWLING, EDITOR All Together NOW!, The Bradbury Centre, Youens Way, Liverpool L14 2EP Registered Charity No: 1106387 n Tel 0151 230 030 n info@alltogethernow.org.uk

October/November 2015

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