4 | NEWS
Three in four paramedics fear for safety on the job THE MAJORITY of paramedics in Wokingham and beyond have felt threatened while at work, according to a new survey. The College of Paramedics has revealed nearly three quarters (72%) of those working in the South East have feared for their safety while on duty - slightly higher than the national average (70%). The report also found nearly half (49%) of those surveyed have been physically abused on shift, while four out of five (80%) have faced verbal abuse. The findings come one month after NHS England found paramedics saw results rise by a third (33%) in the past five years. Tracy Nicholls, chief executive of the College of Paramedics, said: “We have long been aware of the physical and verbal abuse that paramedics suffer and the toll it takes on their health and wellbeing – but this is the first time that a largescale survey of this kind has revealed the extent of the problem.” She said paramedics go above and beyond to support the vulnerable. “It’s absolutely outrageous to think that so many paramedics have been abused whilst carrying out their duties,” Ms Nicholls added. “Worryingly, the abuse appears to have increased during the pandemic when paramedics are already exposing themselves to greater personal risk.” And she is concerned it is affecting medics’ mental health, as nearly all (89%) of those surveyed said the abuse directly impacts their health and wellbeing. The College of Paramedics will now form part of the NHS Health and Wellbeing team to provide further support to paramedics in the South East and beyond.
Don’t go site seeing warning A DEVELOPER is urging Wokingham residents to steer clear of construction sites this summer, in a bid to keep children safe. David Wilson Homes Southern has launched a series of videos for primary school-aged children to teach them about avoiding hazards when out and about during the holidays. Campbell Gregg, managing director of the housing developer, said: “Developers like ourselves are building more new homes at sites all over the country, but until they are completed these places can be dangerous. “Now restrictions have eased and we’re able to venture further afield, children should be told to stay away from construction sites. “While we do watch out for youngsters during the day and secure our developments at night, we would like to ask parents to ensure the safety of their children during the holidays, especially if they live near an active building site.”
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WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, August 5, 2021
Charity launches Park Yoga in Wokingham town centre FREE: Classes run on Sunday morning in Howard Palmer Gardens Picture: Park Yoga
EXCLUSIVE By LAURA SCARDARELLA lscardarella@wokingham.today A NEW YOGA class has proved to be a hit with Wokingham locals as it welcomes more people each week.
Park Yoga, a charity-funded organisation that aims to promote yoga outdoors for everyone, has made its way to the borough thanks to Wokingham-based instructor Richard Welch. The free classes, which began on Sunday, July 25, will be running every Sunday until mid September. Taking place at Howard Palmer Gardens, sessions will be from 9.30am to 10.30am for people to enjoy the fresh morning air. With 13 participants in the first week, Mr Welch was pleased to have 28 people join him last Sunday and hopes the numbers keep on rising. He said: “Everyone who came along to our morning session had a brilliant time, the enjoyment people got out of it was great and it was lovely to see a wide range of ages join. “Realising the whole mental wellbeing of yoga really was a life
changing moment for me, for how I breathe and manage myself during the day, and I want to pass my knowledge and love for yoga onto other people through these free outdoor classes” Mr Welch said he was particularly impressed with the children who took part saying it was lovely to have a mixture of people there. “We are a very inclusive group
and even if you’ve never done yoga before, just come along and see what it’s all about,” he said. “We focus on relaxation and mindfulness at the end of the class, how to use your breath to calm the nervous system down to release that stress, which is absolutely vital.” And you don’t even need to worry about parking as the Cockpit
Path Car Park is free on Sundays. Attendees should pre-register for free online. In the event of bad weather, everyone that has signed up will be emailed a link to a video session called Park Yoga Short so no one misses out that day. n For more details, visit parkyoga. co/wokingham or follow Park Yoga Wokingham on Facebook.
Doctor’s fears over sewage treatment By SUE CORCORAN news@wokingham.today A LEADING medical doctor is worried about risks to his seriously disabled sister’s health from a sewage treatment system. Dr Henry Lupa, is complaining about plans to discharge the sewage system into a stream circling 22 homes. His sister is due to move into one of them. There’s anger at the homes in Bonhomie Court, Broadcommon Road, Hurst about the treatment system installed, without permission, for a new barn conversion house about 400 yards from their homes and gardens.
IT project manager Andrew Wilson was horrified to discover the end of the system’s discharge pipe installed, without his go ahead, over the waterway running through his garden. A planning application has now been made for the wastewater treatment plant at Grange Farm, Islandstone Lane. Twelve Bonhomie Court residents had raised objections to planning permission being given yesterday. The deadline for comments to Wokingham Borough Council is today (Thursday). Dr Lupa, who is chief medical officer to QinetiQ plc defence and security company and an expert advisor to the General Medical Council, said in his objection: “I, as a Trustee, purchased the property within the last month in Trust on behalf of my seriously disabled sister, who has yet to move into the property
CONCERN: The outlet pipe in Hurst in Bonhomie Court with her live-in carer. “The location was selected so that she could sit in her wheelchair and enjoy her garden which backs directly onto the stream. “Unfortunately, this stream could soon be potentially contaminated and thus pose a significantly higher risk to her health due to the immunosuppressive medications she needs to take. “I am hence very concerned that in the event that this application is passed, we may have inadvertently
moved her to a property that is likely to impact on her longer term health. “Notably, and of grave concern, is that Wokingham Borough Council did not declare that that this may be happening during any of the very recent searches conducted by our solicitors, which would have influenced our decision to purchase at this time.” Resident Valerie Tester objected saying: “With a serious lung condition, this installation will cause me to have rethink my living conditions here at Bonhomie Court. How disgraceful is that!” Mr Wilson who has been campaigning against the system lodged his objections. This week he told Wokingham.Today that the council should not have approved the barn conversion without knowing and approving details of how sewage would be dealt with. Neither Wokingham Borough Council or the application’s agents, mm3 Design, had replied to the residents’ allegations as we went to press.
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