April is
bowel cancer awareness month and this year the focus is on improving care and
saving lives, by early detection and screening.
Bowel cancer
is the fourth most common cancer in England. Almost 42,000 people are diagnosed
with bowel cancer every year in the UK. Bowel cancer can be difficult to
diagnose. The bowel cancer screening kit can
detect bowel cancer early on, before the symptoms begin to show. So the best way
to catch it and treat it sooner is to complete the screening
kit.
Dr Neil Smith
GP lead for cancer commissioning for Blackburn with Darwen and East Lancashire
Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) has won multiple awards for his cancer
work. His team has recently launched a “Let’s talk cancer” campaign encouraging
people to make “cancer” part of everyday conversations.
A project which Dr Smith has organised is being used where G.P.s can
encourage more patients to take up screening. As a result of this there has been
an increase in patients completing the kits and more cancers being detected
earlier.
Dr Smith
said:
“Bowel cancer
screening saves lives which is why I urge anyone between the ages of 60 and 74
to take advantage of the free tests which are sent out every two years. At the
moment, only 58% of those in the UK who receive a screening kit actually use it.
“Thousands of
people are missing out on detecting bowel cancer at an early stage when it is
easier to treat and the chance of survival dramatically increases. Don’t ignore
it, take the test”
Leading a
healthy lifestyle can help reduce your risk of bowel cancer. A number of ways to
do this include: stopping smoking, keeping active by doing regular exercise,
eating a balanced diet, and reducing the amount of alcohol you drink.
This World Oral Health day (20 March
2019) people are being encouraged to look after their teeth and gum health.
Making small changes to your daily routine will ensure your mouth stays
healthy.
Dr Preeti Shukla, Clinical Lead at NHS
Blackburn with Darwen CCG said:
“Taking care of your teeth isn’t
difficult or time consuming. By brushing your teeth properly twice a day and
flossing, will prevent serious dental health issues.
“Try humming ‘Happy Birthday’ twice
through when you brush your teeth. This song is the perfect way to gauge how
long you should be brushing for and is a great way to teach kids.”
Alongside brushing and flossing, it is
recommended that you visit your dentist for a check-up and cleaning regularly,
preferably every six months. Your dentist will be able to let you know about any
concerns they may have. If these concerns are left unobserved, they are likely
to worsen and cause you more problems.
Dr Shukla added:
“Cutting down on the amount of sugar
and alcohol you consume, as well as how much you smoke, will also significantly
reduce your chances of tooth decay. Try swapping out fizzy drinks for water and
snacking on fruit instead of sweets.”
By making these small changes to your
everyday routines, you will ensure that your teeth and gums will stay strong and
healthy for years to come.
Public Health England has launched a major national campaign this week to encourage more women to attend their cervical screening. The ‘Cervical Screening Saves Lives’ campaign which was launched on 5th March follows recent data showing that the number of women attending screening has fallen to a 20-year low. Around 2,600 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in England each year, and around 690 women die from the disease, which is 2 deaths every day. It is estimated that if everyone attended screening regularly, 83% of cervical cancer cases could be prevented.
Dr Neil Smith, local award winning GP and Cancer Lead for Blackburn with Darwen and East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Groups said: “Cervical
screening checks the health of your cervix. It is not a test for cancer, it’s a
test to help prevent cancer by detecting early abnormalities in the cervix, so
they can be treated. If these abnormalities are left untreated they can lead to
cancer of the cervix (the neck of the womb). I would recommend that every woman
invited should have the test. We know that on average cervical screening
helps save the lives of approximately 4,500 women in England every
year.”
Professor Anne Mackie, Director of Screening Programmes at Public Health England, said: “The decline in numbers getting screened for cervical cancer is a major concern as it means millions of women are missing out on a potentially life-saving test. Two women die every day in England from cervical cancer, yet it is one of the most preventable cancers if caught early.
“We want to see a future generation free of cervical cancer but we will only achieve our vision if women take up their screening invitations. This is a simple test which takes just five minutes and could save your life. It’s just not worth ignoring.” Cervical cancer is the most common cancer in women aged 35 and under. Despite this, more than 20 per cent of women invited for screening do not attend. Cervical screening can prevent around 45% of cervical cancer cases in women in their 30s, rising with age to 75 per cent in women in their 50s and 60s, who attend regularly.
As
well as attending for screening when you are invited, other signs to look out
for include any abnormal bleeding or unpleasant discharge or pain after sex. If
you notice anything unusual, make an appointment to see your doctor and get it
checked out.
Following questions being raised by supporters relating to the early kick-off for the forthcoming home fixture against Preston North End, Blackburn rovers would like to clarify why the kick-off time was moved. Following the announcement and release of the 2018-19 fixtures last June, discussions were held with the Police around the fixtures that would attract a sell-out of the away end.
Preston North End and Leeds United were the two games identified as attracting away support in excess of 7,500 and therefore a mutually agreed decision was reached by the club and the Police for these two homes games to have the kick-off times brought forward.
For the visit of Preston North End, due consideration was given to the game being a local derby, previous encounters between the two clubs, the large away allocation and the short distance for the Preston fans to travel.The impact on the wider Blackburn public and those residents living in close vicinity to Ewood Park was also taken into account. We realise that by moving the start time will cause inconvenience to some of our home supporters and we can only apologise for that impact on those affected.
With support from Proffitts – Investing in Communities, work to create Rishton United Football Club’s new £306K home ground at Norden Recreation Ground is nearing completion. The work will help to improve and protect Norden Valley Playing Fields in Rishton for future generations of football players. The move comes after Hyndburn Council granted the club a 25 year lease for the site which enabled the club to establish this land as their home ground and apply for funding from Sport England and the Lancashire Football Association, who require a twenty-five year lease as an essential part of any funding application. Funding for the £306,000 refurbishment scheme has also come from Lancashire Environmental Fund, Newground Together and Tesco’s ‘Bags of Help’ fund with a contribution being made by Hyndburn Council.
Drainage and levelling works to the grass areas has allowed more pitches to be created and therefore more game time. A new fence installed around the pitches will prevent horses and motorbikes damaging the playing surface. The work has also included a seating area for visitors and spectators and improved access paths.
Cllr Miles Parkinson, Leader of the Council, said; “We are committed to helping local communities access quality sporting facilities and so it’s great to see to see this project for Rishton nearing completion. It will not only provide the town’s football club with a home ground, but it will also help develop and inspire the next generation of footballers in the area.” Chic Kelly, Rishton Utd FC Chairman, said; “We are really excited to see the project progressing and finally bringing local grass roots football back to Rishton. Our teams have had to travel across the Borough to play matches and attend training so this will be welcomed by everyone to have our own home ground. Whilst we’ve spent 7 years on this project there’s still some fund raising to organise to ensure we complete phase 2 and provide changing facilities and a club house.”
Martin Proffit of Proffitts, Investing in Communities, said; “We’ve been working with the club on this idea since 2012. Together we have overcome many hurdles to get to the stage we are at today. With thanks to the funders involved Rishton United can now provide a great place to train and play for the benefit of many teams throughout Hyndburn for many years to come”. John Townend, Trustee of Newground Together, said: “By reinvigorating the site, we hope to boost membership to attract more people, in particular young people and women back to the club.”
Fellow Trustee of Newground Together, Laurence Loft, added: “This is a great example of what can be achieved when partners work together. In addition to improving security and maintenance, we expect the landscaping to promote biodiversity on the site.”
We all play and enjoy this great game of golf for different reasons. There are lots of things that keep bringing us back for more, some of which are obvious, some of which might not be. We got to thinking about it and came up with 10 of the things that we love about golf. Let us know what it is that brings you back.
Empty courses Who wants to take five or six hours to play 18 holes of golf? So how good is it when, once in a blue moon, you turn up with your regular fourball and discover that there isn’t another soul on the course? You don’t have to wait on every shot, you don’t have to lean on your driver in an intimidating manner to let the people in front know that they are holding you up, and you don’t walk onto the tee at every par three and find three groups already there. There can be one downside, however – thinking there is nobody on the course, the steward has shut the bar and locked the clubhouse, inside which are your shoes, mobile phone, wallet and car keys!
Wide fairways We may kid ourselves that we would like to face the challenge of threading drives with pinpoint accuracy through 20-yard-wide fairways surrounded by 3ft-deep rough, but please, let’s not kid ourselves – that sort of golf course is no fun at all, all the more so because it encourages the higher handicappers among us to attempt to steer our drives, with disastrous results. What we ALL want is to stand up on the tee, open up our shoulders and thrash the ball as hard and as far as possible – and still be on the short grass, even if we are 50 yards off line.
Shallow bunkers Nobody likes to find that their perfectly-flushed drive has finished up the face of a hidden fairway bunker. If you have ever played the Old Course at St Andrews you will know what it is like to wander down the fairway and discover your golf ball lying in a tiny pot bunker that you did not even know was there, and then find it is impossible to take any kind of stance without defying the laws of gravity. So how good is it when you play a course for the first time, hit a drive into a trap and get there to find that it has no lip, that it is filled with “proper” sand and that your ball is sitting up, inviting you to take a rescue club or long iron?
Drivers We lose all sense of reason when it comes to the driver, a club we will use a maximum of 14 times in a round. Why is it that we are all seduced by the claims of manufacturers who suggest that the latest model will hit the ball further and straighter than the one upon which you have just forked out £350? There is something called the laws of physics which dictates precisely how much performance you are going to get from a driver, regardless of the brand name on the sole. You can adjust it all you want, but the chances are that it probably won’t hit the ball any further than the one you already have in your possession. But we all just love to go out and hit that shiny new club, filled with so much hope and promise. And then we wonder why it is that it worked so well on the driving range but we can’t hit it for peanuts the minute we pay for it
Cavity-backed irons If you ever thinned a shot with a blade iron on a cold winter’s day then you should give thanks to God every day of your life for the guy who came up with perimeter weighting and cavity backs to irons. They helped to make decent golfers of us all, and all but eliminated that dreaded judder that started at the tip of your fingers, went all the way up your arms, down your spine, through your legs to your toes and then all the way back again – and left you with no feeling in your fingers for the next four holes.
Easy fixes We all love to take short cuts but the truth is that there is no “easy fix” to finding a good golf swing or a sound technique. All of us know this, so why is it that we keep falling for the “miracle cure” to your slice? Or the “three easy steps to playing par golf”? Or the sand wedge that is guaranteed to get your golf ball out of the bunker every time? Or the new driver that will add 40 yards to your drives?
Trees… To be a little more specific, trees into which a drive disappears, rattles around among the branches for what seems like an eternity and then, lo and behold, the ball miraculously reappears slap bang in the middle of the fairway. Unless, of course, you are having one of “those” days.
Hot weather Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun…and Scots, Irish and Welsh. We get more than our fair share of dud weather in the British Isles so when the sun comes out we cannot wait to get out there. Usually, we forget to take enough water with us. Sometimes we forget to take a baseball hat and almost always we don’t apply sunscreen before or during the round. Four hours later, we stagger off the 18th green looking like ripe tomatoes and head straight to the bar and do the one thing that you should never do when you are dehydrated – consume one or two pints of alcohol.
The career shot Every once in a while we all hit a shot that could stand comparison with those that the world’s best tour professionals manage to accomplish every day of their lives. It might be a bunker recovery shot, it might be a drive that travels in excess of 300 yards, or a long, snaking birdie putt. It might be a holed chip or it could be a miracle iron shot over a lake to the heart of a green. The problem with career shots, or course, is that they are precisely that and the chances of replicating them are slim – but we always try.
Slow Greens Every time we switch on the TV and watch Tour professionals suffering the screaming heebie-jeebies on lightning-fast greens we long for the opportunity to play on such surfaces. Except that we don’t. Not really. Can you imagine a downhill putt on a green so fast that if you hit it just a fraction too hard you know it will end up 50 yards back down the fairway? And that when you play your next chip, there is every chance that the ball will finish up back at your feet? No, your humble, average amateur wants a green that is true and slow, so that he can hit the ball hard.
Foster carers from across Lancashire who have looked after children for many years have been honoured with a lunch at County Hall. The celebration, held on (Wednesday 13 February), was attended by foster carers from across Lancashire, county councillors and senior officers. These foster carers have all been fostering for at least 15 years, caring for more than 750 children in total during this time. The foster carers who attended the lunch were: Alison and Arthur Poulter from Skelmersdale, who have been foster carers for 26 years and have fostered over 50 children.
Susan Ewens and Brett Steven from Burnley, who have been foster carers for 15 years and have fostered nine children. Gillian and Peter Blackwell from Leyland, who have been foster carers for 19 years and have fostered 18 children. Christine and Harry Gregoire from Carnforth, who have been foster carers for over 30 years and have fostered 200 children. Kath and Pat Miller from Poulton-le Fylde area, who have been foster carers for over 18 years and fostered four children.
County Councillor Susie Charles, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Schools, attended the event. She said: “It is such a pleasure to have the opportunity to be able to recognise the incredible efforts made by our foster carers. “All of our foster carers work tirelessly to improve the lives of looked after children in Lancashire. The importance of the work they do is much appreciated by us all. Being able to hold this lunch gave us a chance to meet the foster carers and to thank them. It also gave us the opportunity to mark the length of time that some of our foster carers have carried out this incredibly important role.
“For many years now they have all opened up their hearts and their homes to provide children with a secure and loving place to live, and they make a massive difference in improving children’s lives each day. I’d like to offer my personal thanks to each one of them, including those who unfortunately weren’t able to attend the celebration.”
County Councillor Anne Cheetham, Chairman of the county council, hosted the lunch. She said: “I was a foster carer myself for 11 years, so it was a great pleasure for me to be able to host a lunch to honour the foster carers and to recognise the important role they do. I enjoyed spending time with them, and having the opportunity to personally thank some of them for their incredible contribution.
“Fostering is such a tremendous thing to do, as it gives children the opportunity for the childhood that they deserve, a childhood that otherwise they may not have had. I’d like to say a personal thank you to all our foster carers.” The county council is currently recruiting new people who can foster all ages of children, particularly siblings who need to stay together and older children. No formal experience or qualifications are needed, all that is required is a spare room and the desire to make a difference to a local child’s life. A package of support is available 24/7 to help foster carers in their role, including local support groups, their own social worker, a dedicated helpline and flexible training.
If you want to find out more, call the fostering recruitment team on 0300 123 6723 or visit www.lancashire.gov.uk/fostering
Nominate your local heroes for the 2019 Community Volunteer Awards It’s time to show local heroes some love as Blackburn with Darwen’s Community Volunteer Awards open for nominations. Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council has teamed up with Community CVS and a range of local sponsors to launch the new awards, which aim to recognise the contributions community groups and individuals make to life in our borough.
Whether it’s a sports coach who gives up their evenings and weekends, someone special who lends a hand at a local charity, or a group that makes a real difference to where you live – nominate them now for the 2019 Community Volunteer Awards. For the first time, the Council’s Good Neighbour Awards will be presented alongside the annual Community CVS Awards and there are opportunities for residents, local businesses, charities, community groups and social enterprises to be nominated for awards. Councillor Mohammed Khan, Leader of the Council, said: Our borough is powered by an army of volunteers who selflessly give up their own time to make where we live the very best it can be.
I’ve been incredibly privileged to have met many volunteers and seen first-hand the amazing work they do. Most are very modest and don’t expect an award for what they do, but it’s really nice to recognise their efforts and share our appreciation for their hard work and dedication.” In total, 21 awards will be up for grabs across 12 categories including Volunteer of the Year, an Environment Award, Grassroots Award and the Community Involvement Award, which is open to the local business community.
Chief Executive of Community CVS Garth Hodgkinson added: It’s great that we are bringing these awards together to honour our borough’s unsung heroes and it is fantastic to see the local authority, Community CVS, the local charities and the local business community all working together to celebrate the impact of volunteering within our community.
We have lots of people who wouldn’t even class themselves as volunteers – they just see it as helping out, but they are making a big difference. If you know someone who really deserves an award, I’d encourage you to nominate them now.” The closing date for nominations is Friday 5 April. Nominations can be made online at www.communitycvs.org.uk/volunteer/volunteer-awards/.
You can also collect nomination forms from Community CVS at the Boulevard Centre, Railway Road, Blackburn – next to Blackburn train station – or contact Donna Talbot on (01254) 583957 or donna.talbot@communitycvs.org.uk.
The Community Volunteer Awards will be presented at a special celebration in King George’s Hall in June. Among the sponsors of the 2019 Community Volunteer Awards are Euro Garages, Blackburn Rovers Football Club, Blackburn Rovers Community Trust, Herbert Parkinson, East Lancashire Hospitals Trust, Social Inclusion Programme and Together a Healthier Future, Blackburn Youth Zone, Age UK, Shelter and Personalising Freedom. Ilyas Munshi, Euro Garages Group Commercial Director, said:
EG Group are delighted to support the Community Volunteer Awards. For us it is an occasion which reflects our town as a place where voluntary organisations and people make the difference to the everyday lives of local residents. We look forward to being part of the celebrations.”
Other Blackburn with Darwen businesses who’d like to get involved in the Community Volunteer Awards as a sponsor can contact Ben Greenwood, Partnerships Communications Manager at Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, on (01254) 585181 or ben.greenwood@blackburn.gov.uk.
Burnley Council leader Mark Townsend will hold his next “out and about” surgery on Saturday 2nd March in Burnley town centre, between 10am and noon. As well as picking up your shopping, you can raise your points and questions with him about local services and issues for the town and get information on council services. Councillor Townsend will be in Curzon Street (between Marks & Spencer and Next).
He said: “I invite anyone to come along and talk through any issues or concerns they have. These Out and About surgeries are an opportunity for people to talk to me face-to-face about things that matter to them and their community.”
If you can’t make it along in person to one of these drop-in surgeries, there are other ways to contact the council leader: by phone – 07854 437417; by email – mtownsend@burnley.gov.uk; or by letter – Cllr Mark Townsend, Leader’s Office, Burnley Town Hall, Manchester Road, Burnley, BB11 9SA.
New facilities added to a popular play area in Baxenden have proved a hit with local children. The new facilities, which local school children helped to choose, have been added to Baxenden Recreation Ground play area and include an aerial runway, a basket swing, a rodeo board, a large rotator and new swings. This complements the existing range of play equipment for younger children including slides, a dish roundabout and a rotating climbing net.
The improvements are a result of Baxenden Community Forum working closely with the Hyndburn Green Spaces Forum to be awarded a grant of £30,000 from the Lancashire Environmental Fund and a further contribution of £30,000 from Hyndburn Council.
Shelia McVan of Baxenden Community Forum said; “Although the weather has been cold the local children have been enjoying the playground when they come out of school. You can tell when they are on it as there is a lot of yelps and laughter”. Councillor Paul Cox said; “The improvements are part of an ongoing plan to improve the Borough’s play areas.
We work closely with local groups like the Baxenden Community Forum and the local community to provide a community facility which can be enjoyed by the current and future generations of children and families.”
