|
TEACHING YOUNG PEOPLE NEW TRICKS
DOGS Trust
Merseyside is delighted to be initiating dog training classes for
young adults between the ages of 10 and 16. This Kennel Club Good
Citizen Scheme will aim to get each candidate up to scratch for
their Kennel Club Bronze Test- in just 6 short weeks! On the last
evening each candidate will take their test. The test compromises of
the basic dog positions, for example: SIT-STAND-DOWN. They will also
have to walk nicely on the lead and stay when instructed to.
Each class consists of just 6 candidates at any one time and will be
run on a Wednesday evening between 19:15 and 20:00 throughout the
year, starting on 22 August 2007. Using a variety of engaging
activities the workshops are aimed to make learning about training
dogs’ fun and also dips into being a responsible dog owner and
caring for your dogs.
Hollie Sevenoaks, Dogs Trust Youth Education Manager comments:-
“Responsible dog ownership is extremely important and through
these Kennel Club Good Citizen Scheme classes, young adults get to
learn in a fun and enjoyable way. Students will also have the
opportunity to air any concerns regarding dogs they may have and
iron out any areas in training that may not have been as easy to do
at home. These young adults are the dog owners of tomorrow and it is
great to see them having strong opinions on responsible dog
ownership and setting an example to their peers”
Dogs Trust has 17 Rehoming Centres across the UK, and the charity
cares for 15,000 dogs every year. For further information and to
sign up for this workshop please call Angela Madigan at Dogs Trust
Merseyside on 015148956722. Please feel free to look at this
website.
‘THE
ALTERNATIVE GOURMET' JOINS LIVERPOOL FOOD LOVERS FESTIVAL
LEARN to eat
yourself healthier and boost energy levels at unique food event.
A new food concept ‘The Alternative Gourmet’ is coming to the
Liverpool Food Lover Festival (3 September 2007 to 16 September 2007) with an imaginative
food evening aimed at inspiring people to eat more healthily.
The brainchild of Nutritional Therapist Helen Turner, the event,
which takes place on Wednesday 12 September, will provide food
lovers with a unique four course meal, plus lots of advice on health
and nutrition. The meal will be designed specifically with no
salt, refined sugar, trans fat, wheat or dairy ingredients but still
is guaranteed to be a tasty experience, with the added benefit of
being especially good for you.
Taking place at Deli Fonseca on Stanley Street, the menu has been
developed in conjunction with Candice Fonseca owner of Deli Fonseca
and her head chef Martin Cooper.
Helen Turner, comments:- “Many foods can contribute to ill
health and on this evening we’re hoping to highlight how eating the
right foods can actually be beneficial to our health and vitality”
The meal will cost £28, and will start at 7.30pm with a talk by
Helen.
Cathy Valey of North West Fine Food who is organising the Liverpool
Food Lovers Festival comments:- “We have chocolate fantasy
evenings, the tallest sandwich attempt and a special dinner by
London Carriage Works and now an Alternative Gourmet Evening. The
Festival is proving to cater for all types of tastes.”
The evening is limited to 50 places and to reserve call 0151 255
0808.
 |
Alcohol affects poorer communities across England
WITH high
levels of deprivation, the North West has more alcohol-related
deaths and ill health than other English regions and the gap is
increasing. A new report for the Chief Medical Officer
released by the (National) Association of Public Health
Observatories reveals the full extent of the suffering experienced
by populations across England as a result of alcohol consumption.
It identifies the North West region as having some of the greatest
problems due to links with deprivation. In particular, poorer
communities are suffering higher levels of alcohol-related
mortality, hospital admission, crime, absence from work, school
exclusions, teenage pregnancy and road traffic accidents due to
greater levels of alcohol consumption.
Overall the report, “Indications of Public Health in the English
Regions 8: Alcohol”, explores the impact of alcohol across the 9
English regions using 36 different indicators of alcohol-related
harm, health and behaviour. Key findings from the report show
that:-
• There are substantial differences in the health consequences of
alcohol use between richer and poorer communities across England and
the North West... For instance, the
most deprived 5th of communities suffer 2 to 3 times greater loss of
life, mortality and admission to hospital related to alcohol than
the more affluent areas. In the North West, on average men living in
the more deprived areas lose 20 months of life and women lose 9
months because of conditions related to alcohol, compared with 6
months for men and 3 months for women living in more affluent areas.
Nationally and
regionally, areas where young, highly qualified, but not very
well-off people live experience higher than expected levels of
mortality, life lost and admission to hospital (indicating places
where alcohol issues are likely to worsen in the future).
• There are around 1.55 million people drinking to harmful levels in
England: the North East, North West and Yorkshire and The Humber
generally show higher levels of excessive alcohol consumption than
other regions. In the North West, 28% of men and 18% of women drink
at hazardous or harmful levels.
• Across all regions, the most deprived places have the highest
recorded levels of chronic liver disease, incapacity claims due to
alcoholism, unauthorised school absences, teenage conceptions,
Anti-Social Behaviour Orders, crime and violence related to alcohol.
For every 1,000 people living in the North West, each year alcohol
leads to: at least 18 people being admitted to hospital, 10.7 crimes
and 2 claims for incapacity benefit.
The report also shows that for some indicators, the already
pronounced gap between regions is widening even further. For
example;
Binge drinking, in
females in particular, has continued to increase in the north but
some areas in the south showed a decrease over the last 5 years. In
the North West, 22% of men and 10% of women now binge drink.
Life lost and
mortality related to alcohol are increasing across England but
typically are doing so faster in the North West, where 6.4% of men
and 4.2% of women now die from a condition related to alcohol.
All regions show an
increase in the proportion of people admitted to hospital due to
alcohol but there are greater increases in the North West and North
East than elsewhere.
Commenting on the report Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer,
said:- “Alcohol misuse has become a major problem in England
that contributes greatly to ill health and inequalities across the
regions. I welcome the report and hope it will encourage public
health leaders to find innovative and creative ways to reduce the
impact of harmful drinking.”
Professor Mark Bellis, Director of the Centre for Public Health,
North West Public Health Observatory (NWPHO) and co-author of the
report, said:- “Alcohol is now destroying the health gains we
have made by reducing smoking. Each year more people are developing
alcohol related diseases and there are now around 3,260 deaths
relating to alcohol every year in England with more in the North
West than in any other region. Every man dying from an
alcohol-related cause loses on average 21 years of life and every
woman loses 15 years. This report catalogues the real price we are
paying for cheap alcohol and a culture where drinking to excess is
not only tolerated but often encouraged.”
Dr Karen Tocque, Director of Science and Strategy at the NWPHO and
co-author of the report commented:- “These indicators reveal
the huge variation between different regions of England in patterns
of alcohol consumption and the negative effects they have on
people’s health and wellbeing. We have also been able to highlight
detailed differences between local communities, which measure just
how big a contribution alcohol makes to widening health gaps across
England.”
Dr Ruth Hussey, Regional Director of Public Health in the North
West, said:- “The impact of alcohol on our lives is clear and
our overall aim is to reduce the number of preventable deaths in the
region caused by alcohol. There are already many initiatives
underway designed to help reduce levels of alcohol consumption
within key groups, and to help and treat those people who start to
suffer the ill health effects of excessive use. However, far more
action is needed to reduce the harm caused by alcohol. We want to
work further with all agencies, from licensing authorities to the
hospitality industry, employers, the NHS and the general public to
curb the damaging effects of alcohol – this is a wake up call for
all of us.”
This report will act as a reference document, providing the latest
and most comprehensive information available on alcohol to a wide
range of agencies involved in promoting and protecting public
health. Such detailed information, as provided by the report, will
act as a warning sign and help to identify areas and populations who
are likely to be at risk in the future. |
