14
Issue 1073
Call 0114 283 1100
8th August 2019
www.looklocal.org.uk
Local News
Chapeltown charity reveals financial impact of rare disease A CHAPELTOWN charity has revealed the results of its research into the financial impact of pulmonary hypertension. The Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA UK) has found people living with the rare disease are suffering financial distress and an unfair battle for benefits. The life-limiting condition affects the heart and lungs and the charity’s research shows that on average, patients in full time work at the time of diagnosis lose a third of their income. Over 80 per cent of those who have applied for benefits found the process difficult or ‘extremely difficult’. Over half were turned down upon first application, but 78 per cent of those who appealed had their application approved in the end. PH affects just 7,000 people in the UK. There is no cure and if patients don’t respond to treatment, they may undergo a lung and / or heart transplant. The results of the research show over half of people with PH say they now have more difficulty paying bills, and 84 per cent say life or travel insurance quotes are now more expensive. The PHA UK, the national charity for people affected by pulmonary hypertension, will use the results of its financial impact survey to campaign for change.
Iain Armstrong, chair of the PHA UK, lives in Stocksbridge. He said: “Pulmonary hypertension is a disease which robs people of their financial stability, through no fault of their own. This research shows just how serious the problem is and we now have strong evidence that the unfair benefits system is simply adding to the financial distress facing PH patients and their families. “It’s abhorrent that patients are having to go through appeals and tribunals simply to get what they are entitled to, battling ignorance along the way. These people are being let down by the very system set up to support them.” Symptoms of PH typically involve breathlessness, fatigue, black-outs and swelling around the ankles, arms and stomach. The disease affects the ability to carry out basic tasks and to get around and it can affect anyone, of any age. The Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield houses one of only seven specialist PH treatment centres across England, Scotland and Wales. The PHA UK is the only charity in the UK dedicated to supporting the PH community; made up of patients, their family and carers, and NHS professionals. The full results of the PHA UK’s financial impact survey can be accessed here.
Three Parishes woodland events FIND out about the history, evolution and future of our woodlands with the Three Parishes events. The events throughout September celebrate the woodland vision of the three parishes of Stocksbridge, Ecclesfield and Bradfield who are working together at a landscape scale to put forward an idea about the future for woodlands in the area. The events cover key themes of heritage, archaeology, woodland management, wildlife conservation and supporting species. The talks and walks are bookable so that organisers can plan for numbers and have your contact details should arrangements change due to bad weather. In Stocksbridge, on Saturday September 7 at the Inman Pavilion and Oxley Park there is a nature walk from 10.30am to 11.30am and a talk by Richard Godley entitled Lumberjills from 11.30am to 12.30pm.
In Ecclesfield, on Saturday September 14 at Grenoside Woods and at the Reading Rooms, there are children’s activities 10am to 2pm and a talk by Melvyn Jones from 2.30pm to 3.30pm. Finally, in Bradfield on Saturday September 21 at High Bradfield St Nicolas’s Church, there is a talk by Julie Riley, community ecologist, from 5.30pm to 6.30pm and then a walk by Robert Bell of South Yorkshire Bat Group, from 7pm to 8.30pm. The Ecclesfield and Bradfield events are in the Heritage Open Days Programme at https://www.heritageopendays. org.uk/ For more information about any of the events, including whether events are accessible for those with limited mobility, please contact the Sheffield Lakeland Landscape Partnership Team at s.poulter@wildsheffield.com or on 0114 2634 335.
