Fast-track treatment for heart attack patients praised

A cancer-sufferer has praised the quick actions of staff at Southport and Ormskirk hospitals who realised his suspected indigestion pain was the onset of a heart attack.

Graham Campbell, 58, was rushed by ambulance from Southport hospital to Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital for emergency heart surgery under a new scheme to ensure the best possible treatment for suitable heart attack patients.  After waking up on Saturday, June 19, with chest pain, Graham, who takes chemotherapy tablets for bowel cancer, thought he simply had indigestion.

"With the tablets I take, it says if you have any pain in your chest to ring this 24-hour care line, so I did that and a nurse advised me to go to hospital.  They were waiting for me at Southport A&E and wired me up and found out there was a problem with my heart. They were very good and there was no waste of time." said Graham, a wood machinist, of Aughton, near Ormskirk. 

A combination of Graham's cancer treatment and hereditary narrowing of the arteries had caused a blockage in his heart.  Graham was told he would be transferred straight to Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital for an emergency angioplasty. This is an operation where a small balloon is inserted into the blocked artery and inflated. Once removed it leaves behind a "stent" - a rigid support which squashes the fatty deposit blocking the artery, allowing blood to flow more easily.

Just 3 days later Graham was recovering at home and now says he is "feeling fine".  "My treatment was excellent in every department, from staff at Ormskirk and Southport to the paramedics, all the way through to Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital," Graham said.  "I couldn't fault them - their quick responses have done me wonders. I want to thank in particular nurses Christine and Pam, the doctor at Southport A&E and paramedics Gei and Stuart."

All patients eligible for "clot-busting" drugs for a heart attack at Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust are now offered immediate transfer to Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital for emergency angioplasty. This currently affects one to two patients each week.

Consultant in Emergency Medicine Simon Mckay said:- "I am pleased that we are able to offer our patients a significant improvement in the care they receive. We anticipate it making a big difference to patients suffering a heart attack."

Volunteer Champion Triumphs at Pride Awards 2010

A kind-hearted Southport resident has been recognised for his volunteering efforts within the community at a unique awards ceremony. Dave Crawford, who volunteers his own time with the local Sea Cadets, was honoured a ‘People to be Proud of’ award, run by Hull-based food company William Jackson Food Group (WJFG).

The awards, which are in their 10th year, recognise and celebrate the activities or achievements of staff, which have brought significant benefit to the wider community.

Dave has been the Vice Chairman for the Southport Sea Cadets for over three years and spends on average 10 hours per week helping out in fundraising and standard Cadet activities.  In between his time spent at the Cadets, Dave’s day job is engineering team leader at Wigan-based salad supplier Hazeldene, which is owned by WJFG, along with Aunt Bessie’s, Jackson’s Bakery and Parripak.

Dave, who was delighted to collect his award at a dedicated WJFG event, held at the Beverley Racecourse in Yorkshire on Friday night, said:- “I’m really pleased to have been acknowledged for the work I do with the Sea Cadets. It’s a real privilege to work with the youngsters and we have a lot of fun during the Cadet and fundraising activities.  My role at Hazeldene is very busy day-to-day and most people probably would choose to relax and unwind out with office hours but Sea Cadets is my way of life now and I wouldn’t have it any other way, particularly as I was in the navy for almost 25 years!”

Dave, who was nominated for the award by colleague Mary-Jane Balshen, received a commemorative certificate together with £300 and an invitation to Friday night’s Beverley Races, which was sponsored by the WJFG, as acknowledgement of his achievement.

Nicholas Oughtred, Chairman of WJFG, who presented Dave with his award, said:- “The People to be Proud of awards recognise and celebrate the activities or achievements of colleagues who have brought significant benefit to the wider community. These awards reflect the good that they have done and our pride in them as individuals. They are indeed ‘people to be proud of’.  We’d like to congratulate Dave once again for his excellent volunteering efforts within the community. It’s fantastic that he uses his own time to work with the local Cadets and hope that they learn from his experience and guidance.”

Dave has worked for Hazeldene for over 3 years and currently lives with family in Southport.  For more information on WJFG, log on to:- wjs.co.uk. 

PERFORMERS THEATRE SCHOOL OFFER ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO FIND DANNY AND SANDY

ONE of Liverpool’s leading theatre schools is throwing open its doors for its annual musical theatre Summer School, which is open to youngsters from across Merseyside between the ages of 7 and 19 years.

To coincide with those ‘Summer Days,’ Performers Theatre School are proud to announce that this year’s production will be ‘Greasemania’! Now they are looking for a cast to star in it! The search has begun for Danny, Sandy, Rizzo, Frenchy, Marty, Jan, Kenicke and Vince Fontaine! There are also parts for The "Pink Ladies" the pink-jacketed, gum-chewing, hip-swinging girls' gang and also The "Burger Palace Boys" - a super-cool, hard-looking group of high school wheeler-dealers...or so they think!

SO..... Could you be the next Danny or Sandy...?

Due to the recent phenomenon that was the World Cup, The Performers Theatre School will be holding another audition for all of those who may have missed out. The audition will be held on Friday 9th July between 6.00pm and 7.30pm at The Performers Theatre School (1 Maryland Street (off Hope Street), Liverpool, L1.)

The two week course includes dance, acting and singing workshops as well as rehearsals and coaching. The course costs £130.00 and there is a 10% discount for siblings.

The summer school is run by tutors with extensive experience of theatre and working with young people, with all the current police checks and chaperone requirement in place. The show will be choreographed by Craig Thompson who co-directs alongside leading Liverpool vocal coach, Suzanne O'Keeffe. Performers Theatre Summer Schools are not just about cultivating acting, singing and dancing for today’s youth but also about building self-discipline, self-confidence and self-esteem, enabling participants to grow and develop over the summer.

Participants of the Performers’ Summer School in previous years have subsequently been selected to appear on stage by leading producers in professional productions such as Joseph & The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Evita, Annie, Scrooge, Doctor Dolittle, Twopence across the Mersey and many more.

For further Information on all the courses and to download an application form visit:- liverpoolsummercamps.co.uk Alternatively you can call:- 0151 708 4000 or email:- info@performerstheatre.co.uk (places are strictly limited).

ORGANISERS ANNOUNCE ACOUSTIC STAGE LINE UP

HOLD on to your guitars and get ready to tap those tambourines! Organisers of Liverpool Pride have announced an exciting line up of stars to play the Acoustic Stage at Liverpool’s first ever Pride festival, which takes place in and around Liverpool’s Dale St area on Saturday, 7 August 2010.

Cool down and chill out as this talented troupe of artists sing the day away with their understated yet enthralling performances.

Fresh from performing at Glastonbury, Cocabelle will take to the Acoustic Stage with a stunning vocal and visual set. Carina, is sure to put on a spectacle that is not to be missed, with a number of bluesy and seductive songs that wouldn’t seem out of place in a speakeasy, whilst BBC One’s Last Choir Standing stars The Sense of Sound Choir, directed by Perri Alleyne-Hughes are sure to blow you away with their spectacular, contemporary a cappella numbers. One of the highlights of the day is celebrated soul singer and Artistic Director of Sense of Sound Choir Jennifer John, who will showcase her amazing talent in a live solo set.

Cocabelle said:- “My band and I are excited, honoured and delighted to play the first ever Liverpool Pride festival, we can’t wait for the carnival to begin! We promise to put on a spectacle that will be exciting, dramatic and glamorous, bring it on!”

Liverpool legend Ian McNabb headlines the stage, bringing with him his passionate and expressive sounds, performing songs from his dozen albums including his latest hit ‘Great Things’ which was released in April 2010. Also headlining is one of the UK’s finest blues singer songwriters, the award winning Connie Lush. This fabulous Liverpool based singer is described by the Times as having ‘a voice like a 3am whisky with enough electricity to power the national grid. Both Ian and Connie will perform a string of their hits, offering Pride-goers an alternative, chilled atmosphere to revel in, in contrast to the Main and Cabaret stages.

Council leader Joe Anderson said:- “The Pride Festival is gearing up to be an amazing event which will attract people from far and wide to Liverpool, promoting tolerance and providing an economic boost to the city.”

The Pride team have put together a fantastic line up of some great local acts that are sure to entertain with their unique covers of hit songs or original self penned numbers. The line up includes;

Peach, a singer songwriter with a unique sound that can be described as an acoustic and very mellow relaxing and easy to listen to sound, Peach enjoys performing covers but likes to put her own spin on them and change the sound to make them her own. She shows this most in her take on the Kings of Leon hit 'Sex on Fire'.

Ogo, writes music relating to his experiences, be it in relationships or as an answer to peoples’ negativity. Ogo’s main influence in life however, remains his late uncle, who sadly died five years ago. Ogo will perform some of his own songs in a 20 minute set.

Will Maitland, has been on the Liverpool music scene for a number of years. Will has appeared as a member of various bands including 'The Stays', 'Hangfires' and currently the lead singer of 'Silent Fiasco'. He’ll perform some of their songs especially for Liverpool Pride.

Also appearing are the The Benjamin Stead Trio, who combine innovative folk guitar, soulful grand harp, and jazzy brush drum work with three part harmony to perfectly deliver Benjamin's distinctive songs.

Hannah Trigwell has been writing songs for a years and, after reaching the age of 19, decided it was time to record a few of her favourites. Based in Leeds, Hannah first started performing publicly busking in the city centre in 2007. She has just finished recording her debut EP, 'Hold My Heart' which is now available on iTunes and BigCartel.

Stealing Sheep, a fresh export of LIPA, will perform songs from their debut EP ‘With a wand she is a poet,’ which was release in January 2010. Stealing Sheep have had a great year thus far and have a string of tours in the UK, a mini stint in Germany and a host of summer festivals in which to perform in addition to Liverpool Pride!

Jo Bywater & The Waves are innovative and inspired singer/songwriters, with their songs being an infection of tasty riffs and blues rawness, a melting pot of styles and influence, laced with funk and injected with the rusty edge of vocal honesty.

Lonesome Georginas started playing together in January 2009. Their acoustic performances featuring guitar, bass, cajon and beautiful vocals will have you singing along as their catchy tunes stick in your mind no matter what your age or backgrounds.

Ex Frankie Goes To Hollywood front man Holly Johnson said;- ‘I wish you all a Safe and Happy Liverpool Pride, Free from hostility and full of joy! I hope the wider community can see how an influx of Gay people and their friends can enrich the Culture of the City and boost the local economy. Let's not forget that without the Gay flair of Brian Epstein, The Beatles may never have reached a global audience and put Liverpool on the musical map forever.’

The Liverpool Pride Acoustic Stage has been organised in association with Rebel Soul, a brand new social enterprise with the primary objective of encouraging, nurturing and championing unsigned bands and artists:- myspace.com/rebelsouluk.

All of the acts from the Main and Acoustic stages have now burst out of the closet and are raring to go! The exciting line up for the Cabaret Stage will be announced shortly, containing some fabulously camp and tremendously talented acts. So, make sure you get yourself, your family and your friends along to and support the first ever lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Liverpool Pride Festival on Saturday, 7 August 2010. It’s gonna be a corker!