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Letters To The Editor:-
"Norwich Union Breaks for Carers"
DEAR Editor, "Carers from across the UK get a well-deserved break during Carers Week.
As we head off for our annual 2 week break I want you to spare a thought for the countries 6 millions carers who cannot take a break when they feel like it or go on holiday to perk themselves up because of their responsibilities at home.
1 in 10 people in this country give up their jobs and own lives to look after a member of their family or a friend who cannot cope alone due to an illness, disability, frailty or addiction, they dream of a break and time for themselves.
I know from watching my Dad look after my Mum that caring for someone takes over your life and that you as a carer can very easily lose any life of your own.
When I heard about the Norwich Union Breaks for Carers I thought what a fantastic idea. Every year, during Carers Week, which is this week, The Princess Royal Trust for Carers and Norwich Union help over 1,000 carers take a five-day break at Pontin's in Blackpool. These carers come from all over the UK, but the one thing that they all have in common is caring and most definitely needing some time away. For five days they are looked after, entertained, have their meals cooked for them and given plenty of opportunity to relax and unwind.
We would like your readers to know If they're a carer or know someone who needs help and would like more information on how they could get support they can call The Princess Royal Trust for Carers on 020 7480 7788 or check out their website at:-
www.carers.org"
PR Dept. Norwich Union
Letters To Editor:- "Video may have killed the radio star!"
DEAR Editor,
"Video may have killed the radio star, but it could make heroes of the country's millions of volunteers. And it could also give your readers the chance to see their own film appear on national television, or at cinemas across the country.
Volunteer Britain is a competition led by CSV as part of the Year of the Volunteer. Budding Spielbergs simply need to make a short film showing that volunteering isn't dull - and how can it be when volunteers mentor young people, work in prisons, save the environment, teach reading, cut hospital waiting lists, train guide dogs.
To find out more, see:- www.csv.org.uk/volunteerbritain. And if you want to take part, but either don't have film-making skills or don't know any volunteers, don't panic - contact us and we'll help you out. Closing date for entries is September 16th.
We hope your readers will grab the chance to leave a legacy of the amazing work done by local volunteers. And maybe find themselves a new career in the process."
Sue Farrington, Director of Corporate Affairs, CSVvolunteerbritain@csv.org.uk
Holy cow batman!!!
THE residents on Park Street, Toxteth in Liverpool will discover what this feels, looks, sounds and smells like,
for 9 days, they will wake up every morning with 5 grazing cows at their doorstep. Come and see!
We are delighted to announce the presentation of:- 'COW - the udder way'
- This is an architecture/performance intervention and winning entry of the Shrinking Cities Competition (commissioned by the German Federal Cultural Foundation and Archplus magazine) to coincide with architecture week.
18 to 26 June 2005 in Toxteth (Liverpool) UK
The London based team of 3 architects:-
- Ulrike Steven
- Eike Sindlinger
- Gareth Morris
- 2 choreographers:-
- Heidi Rustgaard
- Susanne Thomas
Film-maker:- Paul Cotter
All of them will experiment with live urban strategies over this period and together with the cows become resident on various unused green areas along Park Street in Toxteth, Liverpool. The intervention is raising one simple question:-
"What to do with the unused available land?"
The theme of the entry will be presented symbolically through a series of live performances demonstrating self-preserving and self-supplying systems. The work wants to give an insight into the psychological constitution of inner city suburbia.
The live event will be documented throughout its duration by the team in collaboration with Toxteth TV. This will form the basis of a promenade installation for the Gallery of Contemporary Art in Leipzig, Germany, November 2005.
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MERSEYSIDE'S NEW BLUEPRINT FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT
WITH more than 800,000 tonnes of domestic waste produced from Merseyside households each year, landfill is becoming an expensive option for disposal.
The region is tackling its waste mountain head on, with a new approach that will be delivered jointly by local councils and the Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority (MWDA).
MWDA is launching new 25-year Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy (JMWMS) to combat the growing waste mountain. Currently Merseyside produces 800,000 tonnes of waste a year, recycling 13.5% of this. This means that the region sends 700,000 each year to landfill sites - the equivalent of 5,000 double decker buses.
Carl Beer, Director of MWDA, says:- "Not only do we want to be more environmentally friendly but, the Government has imposed limits on what we can now bury in landfill and each council on Merseyside will face hefty fines if they exceed these limits. This means we now have to find new methods of reducing waste, recycling waste and recovering energy from our waste to reduce landfill. The new Strategy outlines the ways that MWDA and the local councils can do this with increased recycling, new ways of collecting waste and new waste management facilities."
A lengthy consultation programme has taken place, which included close working with 5 local authorities, questionnaires being distributed to over 10,000 of the region's residents and a series of Citizen's Juries - where interested members of the public considered the way forward for managing waste on Merseyside.
At its meeting on 24 June, the Waste Disposal Authority, which consists of councillors from each of Merseyside's five local authorities, will examine the key findings of the consultation and review the Strategy. The aim is to invest long-term in a strategy to deal with waste on a more environmentally friendly way. This will conform with new Government legislation and avoid cost increases, which could see the bill for waste disposal rise by millions of pounds. These costs would have to be passed on to the taxpayer via their Council Tax.
If Merseyside does nothing to reduce the landfill of its waste by 2009/10, an additional £35 million annually could be required to pay for its disposal.
Cllr John Fletcher, Chairman of MWDA, says:- "This strategy will set out what will be required in order to meet new Government legislation. The fines that will be imposed are so hefty that doing nothing is simply not an option. It is estimated that to implement a strategy, recycle more waste and keep waste out of landfill would cost around £42 million per year by 2014 - but if we don't, costs could reach up to £70 million by the end of the decade. To put it simply, we must keep any cost increases that council tax payers will have to pay to acceptable levels" He adds:- "It was agreed at a joint meeting in September last year that all of Merseyside's five districts would sign up to a single strategy for the whole region, which will mean cost savings on procurement and waste management. The strategy sets out targets and solutions that are financially acceptable, technically possible and will reduce the impact on the environment in the long term.
It seeks to reduce waste, increase recycling and find new technologies that keep the cost of waste management at affordable levels. We will also look at diverting waste from landfill and we'll be working - in partnership with the Clean Merseyside Centre - to develop end markets to turn former waste materials into useful products."
Members of the Authority have been asked to consider the following key recommendations:-
Waste growth is reduced to 0% by 2020.
Re-use of waste is optimised.
Recycling and Composting across Merseyside is increased to:-
· 22% by 2005
· 33% by 2010
· 38% by 2015
· 44% by 2020
Landfill be reduced to the following levels:-
· 78% by 2005
· 52% by 2010
· 16% by 2015
· 10% by 2020
Ų To work together to procure residual treatment technologies and develop a waste-planning framework
Ų The strategy will be an evolving process, reviewed and updated every five years. In addition, annual reviews of the strategy will take place, taking account of legislative changes, changes in methodologies and best practice.
MWDA is already investing in flagship waste management and recycling facilities at Bidston and Sefton. The Bidston development alone is anticipated to divert 30,000 tonnes of waste per year from landfill when it opens in 2006, through recycling and composting. Government grant funding has also been used to implement waste reduction schemes for nappies, composting, recycling and educational programmes.
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