SHOW YOUR MOOOVES FOR WORLD SCHOOL MILK DAY 2010..!

SCHOOLS and Nurseries across the North West are being urged to follow the winning moves of street dance star Akai Osei by making their own video doing the ‘Milkshake’ dance as part of a competition to celebrate World School Milk Day.

11 year old Akai Osei, the winner of Sky 1’s ‘Got To Dance’ series provides inspiration with his own unique ‘Milkshake’ dance moves on the new World School Milk Day microsite. 

Kids can then copy Akai’s version or get creative with their own ideas for their ‘Milkshake’ dance clips which will be loaded onto the site for people to vote for their favourite.

The competition is split into four categories – Childminders, Nurseries, Schools and Hometime with a Wii Fit and dance DVD’s up for grabs for the clips with the most votes. An extra special prize of the opportunity to turn their routine into a professional music video is on offer for the overall winner to be chosen by the judging panel at Cool Milk.   As a main UK sponsor of World School Milk Day and the UK’s leading milk supplier, Cool Milk is running the competition to celebrate free milk in schools.

The event also highlights the health benefits of milk for all children. School Milk contains:-

► Over half the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of calcium which is essential for strong teeth and bones.

► Almost one third of the RDA of Protein, great for lean muscles and healthy hair and nails.

► All of the RDA of Vitamin B12 – vital to help fuel the body.

► It is a good source of Vitamin A which helps strengthen the immune system.

Dr Rosemary Leonard, well known media doctor from BBC breakfast and Medical Advisor to Cool Milk says:- “School milk is often the only milk some children will have during the day, which is why the continued provision of it in schools is so important to children’s health. As well as being an excellent source of nutrients, school milk is a healthy way to keep children hydrated which can help with concentration, memory function and creativity. World School Milk Day is a fantastic way to highlight the health benefits and importance of a daily dose of milk.”

Cool Milk Managing Director John Sedgwick added:- “It’s important to us to promote not only the benefits of milk, but also how milk contributes to a healthy, active lifestyle, and our World School Milk Day celebration this year does precisely that. We’ve chosen to hold a fun, active event that everyone can be a part of and have invited schools, nurseries, childminders and families at home across the UK to do the Milk Shake. They can then upload their video to:- worldschoolmilkday.co.uk to be in with the chance of winning some amazing prizes. We hope to see some spontaneous, creative and energetic moves and who knows, we may discover the Akai of the future!”

Blast Away the Meningitis Bug with Life Saving App

TEENAGERS across the UK are gaining vital life-saving information thanks to a free i-phone app from national charity Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF).

This new application includes vital information for students on the signs and symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia, details of their local A&E, latest news and a selection of fundraising challenges.  The app has been launched following an extensive survey of students (link to the results) across the UK which revealed a concerning lack of knowledge of the symptoms of meningitis, despite 14 to 24 year olds being the 2nd most at risk group after children under 5.

Bug Blaster, a virtual battle against bacteria to eliminate the meningitis bug, seeks to combat this lack of knowledge and boost awareness of the diseases amongst this age group. People can learn about the diseases and the symptoms whilst also competing against their friends with this new game.

MRF are encouraging people to download the app today. Chris Head, Chief Executive, said:- “Knowing the signs and symptoms of meningitis is crucial and quick action can save lives. This app ensures people have vital life-saving information directly at their fingertips. The app is free and we are encouraging every i-phone, i-pad and ipod touch user to download it today.”

Meningitis and septicaemia can be hard to recognise at first. Symptoms can appear in any order, and can include fever, vomiting, headache and feeling unwell, just like in many mild illnesses.

MRF’s survey found that 25% of students believe a rash is present in all cases of meningitis, when in fact there are some types of meningitis where a rash does not appear at all. The 'red flag' symptoms, such as cold hands and feet, pale or mottled skin, and limb, joint or muscle pain, often appear earlier than these symptoms so people need to be vigilant.

Meningitis and septicaemia are life threatening diseases that can kill in hours, or leave survivors with potentially devastating after effects sometimes as severe as brain damage, amputations and epilepsy.

PARLIAMENTARY ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR TRANSPORT SAFETY COMMENT ON REPORTED ROAD CASUALTIES 2010

THE Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) welcomed publication by the Department for Transport of Reported Road Casualties Great Britain, the annual report setting out road casualty statistics. Commenting on the report, Robert Gifford, Executive Director, said:- “Earlier this year, we had the welcome news that road deaths had reached an all-time low. This publication confirms those headline figures. It is encouraging to see in the report a fall in deaths of 16 per cent year on year among young car occupants. It is also good to see a fall of 71 in the number of fatal crashes involving young car drivers, especially as 65 of these were young drivers themselves. Historically, 17 to 25 year olds have been over-represented in crashes on our roads. At last we seem to be making progress with this age group. However, it is important to note that drinking and driving still accounts for 17 per cent of all road deaths. It is also concerning that child cyclist deaths and serious injuries rose 10 per cent in 2009 and serious and slight injuries to all cyclists rose 6% and 5% respectively.  We should also note that these casualty figures are subject to the qualification that not all injuries are reported to the police. As the article in the publication points out, other sources of data suggest that the overall number of casualties may be far higher than those contained in the DfT publication.  That said, the continuing progress in reducing deaths and injury on our roads comes through consistent action by local and national government, through enforcement of road traffic law and through improvements to vehicle design. As we come to the end of the current road safety strategy, it is vital that the government draws up plans for a new framework and performance outcome for road safety. Failure to do this will suggest that it is reluctant to show leadership on this key issue for our local communities, giving greater priority to cutting the deficit rather than saving lives.”