|
Half of people in North
West fear loved ones could be struck down with heart disease
OVER three quarters of people in
the North West have someone in their family with risk factors that put them
greater risk of heart disease, according to new statistics released ahead of
the British Heart Foundation's (BHF) Wear it. Beat it. campaign to get the
nation wearing red to fight heart disease on Friday, 5 February 2016.
The BHF poll revealed 51% of people in the North West fear that a loved one
could be struck down with a potentially life threatening heart attack or
stroke in the future. 47% have already lost someone or know a loved
one affected by heart disease.
Despite this, 41% of people in the North West said although they might worry
about a loved one's health they're too afraid to talk to them about it.
78% of people polled in the region said they know someone in their family
with one of the major risk factors for heart disease. 51% knew someone
with high blood pressure, 37% knew someone with high cholesterol while 35%
knew someone who is overweight or obese.
Yet 45% of people in the North West say they're reluctant to talk about
health issues with loved ones for fear of upsetting someone.
Around 901,000 people are living with heart and circulatory disease in the
North West.
The BHF's Wear it. Beat it. campaign aims to raise £1million this February
5th to help fund new life saving research in the fight against heart
disease. The nation's heart charity is calling on everyone to wear red and
hold a fundraising event to help save more lives and protect more families
from the devastation of heart disease.
Since 2009 the campaign has raised over £6million towards new cardiovascular
science. Last year more than an incredible 23,000 people took part in Wear
it. Beat it. and the BHF is calling for even more of you to get involved
this year to help raise £1million for life saving research.
Sign up
online or call:- 0300 330
0645 and get your free fundraising pack full of fun ideas about how to get
involved.
Dr Mike Knapton, Associate Medical Director at the BHF, said:- "Heart
disease can strike anyone at any age, without warning. That's why it's vital
we do everything we can to reduce our risk and protect our hearts against
these devastating conditions. This survey highlights just how important it
is for us to talk about the UK's biggest killer with our friends and family.
Too many lives are cut short by heart disease every year. We urgently need
to accelerate research into finding new ways to fight it. By signing up to
Wear it. Beat it. you can help fund cutting-edge research to better
understand, treat and predict who is at risk."
For more information and to get your free fundraising kit visit:-
BHF.Org.UK/Red
or call:- 0300 3300645. Only a small percentage
of Liverpool residents are registered as potential lifesavers
DELETE Blood Cancer UK, the charity
that recruits potential blood stem cell donors, is asking for more Liverpool
residents to register to become a potential lifesaver. Currently, only 8,844
from the Liverpool area are registered as potential blood stem cell donors
with Delete Blood Cancer UK, but many more are being sought to help find
matches for the thousands of blood cancer patients needing a blood stem cell
donation every year.
For many blood cancer patients, a blood stem cell donation is their only
chance of survival and they will die if a matching donor isn't found for
them. A matching donor not being found doesn't mean that there is nobody
with a tissue type compatible with the patient. There could be someone out
there with a tissue type that matches the patient's, meaning they could save
their life, but tragically, they may not be registered as a potential blood
stem donor.
Emphasising how easy it is for people to register, Caroline Portlock, Head
of Donor Recruitment at Delete Blood Cancer UK, said:- "Registering
online as a potential blood stem cell donor only takes a few minutes, but it
could lead to you giving decades to someone else. It could lead to you
saving the life of someone with blood cancer who is in need of a blood stem
cell donation for their survival. Please take the time to do it as it could
be 1 of the most important things you ever do."
You can register in 5 minutes online and request a cheek swab kit that will
enable you to do your own tissue test to go on the database and maybe 1
day become a blood stem cell donor. Register through the Delete Blood Cancer
UK
website. |
 |
Liverpool Challenge
launched at education conference
A DRIVE to further improve
educational attainment in Liverpool is being launched at a special
conference on Friday, 22 January 2015. The Mayor of Liverpool's Education
Conference is taking place at Liverpool Hope University and will see head
teachers and representatives from universities, employers and creative
organisations coming together to celebrate the progress the City has made
and discuss working together to take it to the next level.
Former education minister for school standards, shadow secretary of state
for education and West Derby MP Stephen Twigg will be unveiled as Chair of
the:- 'Liverpool Challenge'; an initiative which will run for at least the
next four years to drive up standards, particularly in maths. He led the
hugely successful London Challenge which improved attainment in schools in
the capital from 2003 to 2005.
Mayor Joe Anderson said:- "There is no doubt that education standards
in Liverpool are unrecognisable compared to a decade or more ago and the 17
new and refurbished schools being delivered as part of my Mayoral pledges
are making a significant difference to teaching and learning. This
conference is an opportunity to reflect on the areas where we are doing well
and identify the things that we can do better by working together in
partnership to make sure that every school pupil achieves their potential."
Assistant Mayor and Cabinet member for education, employment and skills,
Councillor Nick Small, said:- "Liverpool schools have lots to be proud
of but in a changing world we can't stand still and must keep challenging
ourselves to do even better. We need to make sure pupils are supported
properly in the transition between primary, secondary and sixth form
education and to ensure that we are giving them the skills to enable them to
get into the jobs where we know there will be growth in the future. We
want to concentrate very much on making sure that we have an education
system in Liverpool that meets the City's needs and delivers the skills that
employers want and need."
Stephen Twigg MP said:- "I am absolutely delighted to be chairing the
Liverpool Challenge and am confident that my experience in Government and
working in the capital leading the hugely successful London Challenge will
help drive further improvements here. As a local MP, I know about the
amazing work that goes on in our schools and the difference that the
teaching and support staff make to the lives of pupils. This is about
building on our success and spreading it further and wider throughout the
education system in Liverpool, working in partnership with universities and
employers."
The keynote address at the conference will come from respected education
expert Sir Ken Robinson via video link from Los Angeles.
Sir Ken is an internationally recognised leader in the development of
creativity, innovation and human resources in both education and business.
He works with Governments and education services in Europe, Asia and the USA
as well as international agencies, major companies and leading cultural
organisations.
Eleanor Benson, Chair of the Liverpool Association of Secondary Headteachers,
said:- "The headteachers of Liverpool secondary schools welcome the
launch of the Liverpool Challenge initiative. We are grateful for the
resources which have been poured into many schools in the recent past and
this new initiative promises that the attention and resources of the City
Council will continue to be focused on this vital part
of the City's life.
Our schools are caring and safe environments, which nurture and challenge
pupils from all backgrounds. We want to press ahead and enable our pupils to
reach the highest academic standards, and integrate them into a cohesive and
supportive community.
We believe that, with this support from theCity, we can make Liverpool a
national leader in secondary education."
Ruth Town, Chair of Liverpool Learning Partnership - an organisation of
education leaders in the City who support and challenge each other - said:-
"The Liverpool Learning Partnership exists to ensure that all learners
in Liverpool, including the most vulnerable, are given every opportunity to
achieve. The Partnership is looking forward to working with the
Liverpool Challenge to develop strong links with businesses and employers,
to raise aspirations and standards, as part of the City's overall strategy
for Education."
|
