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Help save the
Brass in the Park!
SUNDAY 25 May 2014, will see the Old Hall Brass launch the 55th
season of Brass Band Concerts in the Botanic Gardens Southport. The
season sees 3 new bands performing, not least the famous
championship section Wingates Band on 8 June 2014. But how long will
the bands play on in the Botanic Gardens? This year Sefton has
withdrawn funding of £2,800 with immediate effect due to spending
cuts, money which is used to pay the bands a modest fee and to cover
costs of insurance and publicity. This season's concerts will go
ahead through small grants and the reserves of Southport and
District Brass Band Association, but then the coffers are empty.
This all means that new sponsors must be found for next year and
into the future and we are appealing to concert lovers and those
interested in ensuring the future of the brass band concerts to get
in touch with the Secretary Christine on:- 07850130803 or through
the band's website:-
babdsinthepark.co.uk.
Time running out
to have say on libraries
THERE is just a week to go
for people to respond to a public consultation questionnaire on the
future of Liverpool's libraries, as the service seeks to find
savings of £2.5 million.
The Library Service needs to reduce its £10 million budget by 25% as part of £156 million of savings needed over the next 3
years due to cuts in Central Government funding.
The scale of the financial challenge means there could be a
significant reduction in the 19 libraries that are currently
operated across Liverpool.
A paper and online consultation questionnaire has so far drawn 2,500
responses and closes on Friday, 16 May 2014. People are being
urged to have their say
online, or by
phoning:- 0151 233 3069 or picking up copies from libraries, One Stop
Shops and Neighbourhood Health Centres.
The results of the consultation questionnaire will be analysed by an
independent local company.
In addition to the consultation questionnaire there have been 3
public consultation meetings held to date, with another 2 to come:
Wednesday, 21 May 2014, at Ellergreen Community Centre in Norris Green,
Liverpool 11 from 6pm to 8pm and Friday, 30 May 2014, at Liverpool Central
Library from 2pm to 4pm. The City Council is committed to ensuring that a comprehensive
library service is retained which is close to good transport routes
and fully accessible.
Decisions will also take into account local needs as well as
exploring opportunities to share building costs with other services
and organisations.
Director of Community Services, Ron Odunaiya, said:- "Due to
the sheer scale of the £156 million savings that we need to find
across the Council over the next three years, we have to make some
extremely tough decisions about all Council services including the
library service.
In future it is doubtful that we will be able to have a library in
every community, and people may well have to travel further to
access the service. That is why we are really keen to hear what
people think, and their ideas about how we can mitigate the impact,
or do things in a different way to enable people to continue to have
access to books, public information and computers."
Liverpool's 19 libraries are at: Central on William Brown Street; Allerton; Breck Road; Childwall; Croxteth; Dovecot; Fazakerley;
Garston; Kensington; Lee Valley; Norris Green; Old Swan; Parklands;
Sefton Park; Spellow; Toxteth; Walton; Wavertree and West Derby.
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FOURFOLD
INCREASE IN THE RATE OF DIAGNOSED CASES OF COELIAC DISEASE IN THE UK
COELIAC UK, the national
charity for coeliac disease announces, new research from the
University of Nottingham that has found a fourfold increase in the
rate of diagnosed cases of coeliac disease in the United Kingdom
over the past 2 decades, but still 75% of people with coeliac
disease remain undiagnosed.
The National Institute of Health & Care Excellence (NICE) previously
estimated that only 10% to 15% of those with coeliac disease had been
diagnosed, however, this latest research by Dr Joe West from
University of Nottingham, funded by Coeliac UK and CORE has shown
that the level of diagnosis has increased to 24%.
Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease caused by intolerance to
gluten. Left untreated it may lead to infertility, osteoporosis and
small bowel cancer. 1 in 100 people in the UK have coeliac disease,
with the prevalence rising to 1 in 10 for close family members
The only treatment for coeliac disease is a strict, lifelong
gluten-free diet. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye
and, once diagnosed, people with coeliac disease need to eliminate
all gluten-containing foods and make sure they only eat gluten-free
varieties.
Researchers identified the number of people diagnosed during the
study period using the diagnostic codes for coeliac disease recorded
in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (1990 to 2011).
This research, published by The American Journal of Gastroenterology
comes out as the charity celebrates its annual Awareness campaign
which this year is entitled the 'Gluten-free Guarantee' and aims to
improve availability of gluten-free foods in stores across the UK.
Sarah Sleet, Chief Executive of Coeliac UK said:- "This latest
research shows that nearly a quarter of people with coeliac disease
have now been diagnosed and gives an up to date picture of the
diagnosis levels across the UK. Of course, increasing numbers with a
diagnosis is good news and will inevitably mean that there will be
an increased demand for gluten-free products in supermarkets. But
the three quarters undiagnosed is around 500,000 people – a shocking
statistic that needs urgent action."
From 12 May to 18 May 2014 the charity is asking people across the UK to
support the 'Gluten-free Guarantee' which asks supermarkets
to commit to have in stock 8 core items of gluten-free food, making
it easier for people with the condition to manage their gluten-free
diet, which is their only treatment.
"Can you imagine going into your local supermarket and there
is no bread you can eat, not one loaf not one slice? And when you
check out the pasta, cereal or flour again there is nothing
available on the shelf which means you have to trawl around two or
three stores in order to be able to find your staple foods. This is
not about your preferred brand but about the major supermarkets
ensuring that they have sufficient stock in all their stores
whatever their size for this growing market of people who depend on
gluten-free food for their health."
The symptoms of coeliac disease range from mild to severe and can
vary between individuals. Not everyone with coeliac disease
experiences gut related symptoms; any area of the body can be
affected. Symptoms can include ongoing gut problems such as
bloating, abdominal pain, nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, and wind,
and other common symptoms include extreme tiredness, anaemia,
headaches and mouth ulcers, weight loss (but not in all cases), skin
problems, depression, and joint or bone pain. |
