Life in Salford 26 • August 2019 20
School children get creative at after school arts club School children have been honing their creative skills in an arts project designed to improve their health and wellbeing. Starting in October 2018, children from Fiddlers Lane Community Primary School attended weekly after school art sessions to explore different artists and techniques, inspiring them to create their own artwork. This led to an exhibition at Eccles Art Gallery to showcase the young artists’ work to their proud families. The project, funded by NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) through Salford CVS's Healthy Schools Fund, helps the children achieve an Arts Award Explore, a level 3 qualification certificated by Trinity College, London. Dr Tom Tasker, Chair of Salford CCG, said: “The Healthy Schools Fund offers up £5,000 to Salford primary schools to improve the health and wellbeing of children. “It’s great to see the fund is proving successful, allowing children to develop new skills and knowledge in extra curriculum activities.” After the exhibition, the project has continued with drama sessions, using puppets and decorations to create a show which will also be shown to parents.
Aleksandra Zgrabczynska, the teacher who is managing the project, said: “The project has been great. Thanks to support from Salford CCG and Salford CVS, the pupils have been able to use their creative imagination whilst working towards a certificate. They were so proud to show their parents the results at the exhibition.”
Deaf champions are coming Deaf champions are to be introduced in GP practices across Salford to provide extra support and help for patients with hearing loss. The deaf champions will be members of staff at GP practices who will help arrange interpreters and book appointments and referrals to specialist services for patients who are deaf or hard of hearing. They will also conduct regular checks on loop systems to make sure they are maintained and working properly. The project, Access to Health, is being delivered by the charity Action on Hearing Loss after receiving money from NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCG) Innovation Fund. After a successful 12-month pilot in Eccles and Swinton GP practices, the project is expanding across the whole city. Access to Health aims to improve how patients with hearing loss access GP practices and engagement events, as well as raise awareness of the communication barriers people with hearing loss experience. With more than 5,500 deaf or hard of hearing people living in Salford, the deaf champions will improve their lives by allowing them to access health services more easily.
