|
A Happy Handy
Christmas!
CHRISTMAS is coming early
for elderly and vulnerable Liverpool residents this year, as the
City's Handy Persons scheme offers the gift of carrying out free
work to mark the festive period.
DIY professionals from Housing Maintenance Solutions (HMS),
Riverside Housing and Blackburne House will complete a free job
every day, between 12 December 2013 and 24 December 2013, as part of the 12 Deeds of
Christmas offer.
The Handy Persons scheme is run by Liverpool Council, which awarded
HMS and Riverside Housing a grant of £250,000 in the summer to
deliver the pilot in north and south Liverpool respectively.
Blackburne House Maintenance Ltd, a female-staffed maintenance
business, have also recently been brought on-board to provide
residents with access to women DIY experts.
The 12 Deeds of Christmas offer – which will see 12 jobs selected
from random from all the bookings received - is open to people aged
over 65 and those with a disability.
Tasks such as fitting locks, spyholes and door chains, replacing
light bulbs, electric fuses and plugs, and installing grab rails
will be carried out.
Fitting doorbells and smoke alarms, assembling flat pack furniture,
unblocking sinks and one-off garden clean-ups will also be offered
free of charge.
Liverpool City Council's Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Ann
O'Byrne, said:- "The Handy Persons scheme is designed to keep
people safe in their homes and living independently for longer - and
our Christmas initiative is extending the reach of our helping hand.
Residents may need some work carrying out around their homes; but are
putting it off because they have to cover the cost of Christmas.
Our offer means residents who book a job in this period will be in
with a chance of having the work carried out free of charge, so they
can be safe, secure and comfortable in their homes over the festive
period."
Managing Director at HMS, Paul Worthington, said:- "Christmas
can be an expensive time for many residents with the added cost of
buying presents and socialising so we're offering the Handyperson
scheme free of charge as a gesture of goodwill.
We will be selecting 12 jobs at random and carry one out each day up
until 24 December 2013.
The offer is available to all residents, not just social housing
tenants."
Residents should request a job on:- 0151 295 6102 by 6 December 2013 to
be in with a chance of getting the work carried out for free.
The Handy Persons scheme aims to improve the health, wellbeing and
quality of life of vulnerable people, allow them to stay living in
their homes for longer, and cut hospital admissions caused by DIY
accidents.
Funding comes from the Department of Communities and Local
Government Housing Strategy for Older People.
TRADING STANDARDS NORTH WEST HAILS
USED CAR CAMPAIGN A SUCCESS!
A social media campaign
driving people not to take a gamble on used cars has reached more
than half a million people in a 2 week period.
The campaign in partnership between Trading Standards North West and
the Citizens Advice Bureau asked people in the North West to
'Check it Don't Regret it' by assessing whether the used car
they are buying is safe, legal and what it seems.
The regional campaign was launched at the start of National Consumer
Week (NCW) with shopping advice via
Facebook and
Twitter and support from
Citizens Advice. It follows the national campaign which is
being run by the Trading Standards Institute (TSI).
Derek Payet the Strategic Lead of the Trading Standards North West
Fair Trading Group said:- "We are delighted with the results
of the campaign. The extra funding we received from the National
Trading Standards Board (NTSB) has meant that there are potentially
half a million people who will be making further checks the next
time they buy a used car. They also have more idea of where to go
for advice and help and what rights they have. It's been really a
positive reaction from the people of the North West."
Paul Nicholls the Chief Executive of Cheshire West Citizens Advice
said:- "Hopefully the success of the North West National
Consumer Week campaign has meant that we are able to safeguard more
people from making mistakes, losing money or being unsure of where
to get help and advice when buying a used car. Raising awareness of
this issue was crucial to this campaign and we're pleased to have
achieved that. "
To find about more about the campaign and for advice go to:-
adviceguide.org.uk or contact
the Citizen Advice Consumer Service by calling:- 084540470506.
|
 |
Smiles All
Around as Liverpool Student Wins Dental Skills Competition Heat
A Liverpool University
dental student will represent his university at a UK wide dental
clinical skills competition to be held at The Royal College of
Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) in spring 2014, after being
shortlisted by winning first place at the Liverpool Heat which took
place at the University's School of Dental Science on the evening of
21 November 2013.
26 year old Elgan Rees made it through to the final of this
nationwide dental clinical skills competition after competing
against 12 of his fellow dental students from the University by
demonstrating his clinical skills in undertaking a metal ceramic
crown preparation on an upper canine tooth.
Organised by RCSEd and sponsored by DENTSPLY, this dental clinical
skills competition is the 1st of its kind in the UK and is running
in 14 of the UK's dental schools this autumn/winter 2013. At each of
the heats, final year dental students are given the opportunity to
showcase their clinical skills against their peers, with the top
student from each heat shortlisted to win a travel and accommodation
package to compete in the Grand Final of the competition which will
take place at RCSEd on 6 March 2014.
The overall prize the top 14 UK finalists will compete for is an
expenses-paid trip to the Chicago Dental Society's Midwinter Meeting
in February 2015, courtesy of RCSEd's Faculty of Dental Surgery.
Commenting on making it through to the Grand Final of the
Competition, Elgan Rees said:- "I was very pleased and shocked
to have made it through to the final. I went into the heat with the
concept of nothing to lose, everything to gain. It was great to be
able to get extra practice, use different equipment and overall was
a really enjoyable experience. I was surprised at how laidback and
relaxed the atmosphere was. However I definitely used every minute
available and could have probably used a few more. I am sure that
whichever career path I follow having an association with this
competition will definitely help my career prospects. It is great to
be affiliated with the RCSEd at this early stage in my career. I
look forward to visiting the College and Edinburgh itself. The
chance of winning a trip to Chicago is amazing. However I am
expecting the competition to be very tough!"
Explaining more about the competition, Dean of RCSEd's Faculty of
Dental Surgery, Professor Richard Ibbetson said:- "RCSEd's
Faculty of Dental Surgery is dedicated to providing training
opportunities for aspiring dentists and we are therefore delighted
to have launched this competition to give the next generation of
dentists an occasion to showcase their dental knowledge and skills
in this UK wide competition. For the last 2 years RCSEd ran a
similar competition for medical students with surgical career
aspirations which was a huge success, so we hope final year dental
students will find taking part in this unique dental competition
useful and beneficial to their career ambitions."
The Grand Final of the competition will be followed by a dinner in
the 500 year old Edinburgh College at which presentations will be
made to the winner and 2 runners-up.
All participants in the
competition will receive a certificate of participation and a year's
Affiliation with RCSEd.
Commenting on sponsoring the competition, Olivier Collet, DENTSPLY
UK Dental Division Vice President and General Manager said:-
"We are delighted to be working with the Royal College of Surgeons
of Edinburgh (RCSEd) and supporting the Clinical Skills Competition.
It is a valuable opportunity for students to demonstrate their
skills within a competitive environment and compare results with
their peers as well as a welcome chance for students to interact
with DENTSPLY representatives. We very much look forward to
observing the students putting the knowledge they have gained during
their studies into practice."
For further information about the Dental Clinical Skills Competition
please visit:-
rcsed.ac.uk.
Letters to Editor:- "Ask LOVEFiLM to put
deaf movie lovers in the picture this Christmas"
"AS a 10,000 strong petition
backed by Action on Hearing Loss, TV Stars and writers calls for
LOVEFiLM to provide subtitles for people with a hearing loss, I hope
your readers will join us and back the campaign to urgently improve
the accessibility of their latest releases for their customers. The
petition that can ve views via this
link has already received backing
from "White Queen" screenwriter Emma Frost, Shameless actor Sally
Carmen and many more celebrities, and we are calling on your readers
to do likewise. It's frustrating for people who rely on subtitles
who look forward to a DVD from LOVEFiLM and find out, only when it
arrives that it doesn't have subtitles. It would be nice if (like
Netflix), they would consider the 10 million people in the UK with
hearing loss and let us all know before placing an order whether the
film includes subtitles or not. John Lewis showed how it should be
done by adding subtitles to their Christmas advert after a request
from people with hearing loss. LOVEFiLM refuses to engage, so we
hope that if more people sign the petition, we can force a response
from the retailer. A lack of regulation means DVDs and downloadable
programmes don't require subtitles, but John Lewis and others have
taken the 1 in 6 of the UK population with hearing loss into account
and we hope a change of heart will allow all of us to LOVEFiLM this
Christmas. When families gather for evenings in front of the TV this
Christmas, it would be nice if all us could share and enjoy the
experience. Signing the petition will help deliver an early present
for people with hearing loss and encourage LOVEFiLM to avoid being
known as the Grinch who stole subtitles." Yours faithfully -
Rob Burley, Head of Public Affairs and Campaigns, Action on Hearing
Losse. |
