Diabetes and Ramadan event to help prepare for the holy month

PEOPLE in the Muslim community who live with diabetes are being offered help and advice from Diabetes UK to stay healthy during Ramadan. The charity, with support from Act as One, the health and care partnership for Bradford and Craven, are hosting a free webinar, on Thursday, 17 February 2022, for anyone preparing for and participating in the holy month. As well as hearing from people with lived experience of diabetes and Ramadan, the event will include information from Moulana Azizur Rahman and health expert Dr Waqas Tahir, from Act as 1 and West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership. This year Ramadan will run from 2 April for 29 or 30 days. The exact dates will be confirmed nearer the time and Ramadan ends with Eid al-Fitr in May. The Qur'an requires Muslims to fast during the month of Ramadan from sunrise to sunset. There are exceptions and people who are unwell or have medical conditions are not expected to fast; and this includes people with diabetes.

Dr Waqas Tahir, GP and Clinical Lead for the Act as One Diabetes Programme, said:- "Preparing for the holy month of Ramadan is something many Muslims will be thinking about now. We want to help those living with diabetes and their loved ones to understand some of the health issues they should consider if they wish to fast during Ramadan. We are pleased to be working with colleagues at Diabetes UK to run this webinar so that people can access trusted advice and guidance so they make an informed choice that is best for them. This is the latest in a series of events we have been working on with Diabetes UK which builds on our recently announced strategic alliance."

Clare Howarth, Head of the North of England at Diabetes UK, said:- "Choosing whether to fast is a personal choice, however getting information and advice in advance can help you decide whether it is right and safe for you to do so. This event will be a great opportunity for people with diabetes to get support and guidance to help them participate in Ramadan safely. As well as hearing from others who have lived experience of diabetes and observe Ramadan, there will also be the chance to ask any questions you might have, to help you prepare for the holy month."

The webinar will take place on Thursday, 17 February 2022, from 5pm to 6.30pm and will take place on Zoom. Please book your place in advance via:- TINYURL.Com/Ramadan-2022 The charity adds that if you are observing Ramadan and have decided to fast, receiving the Coronavirus Vaccine does not break your fast. So, please get the Vaccine if you are invited to book an appointment. For more information on diabetes and Ramadan visit:- Diabetes.Org.UK/Ramadan.

Campaign Group Save Rimrose Valley accuse National Highways hiding climate impact of Port of Liverpool Access Road

THE Save Rimrose Valley campaign group have told us that the UK's National Highways' in their view delay publishing the full, projected carbon emissions arising from its controversial Port of Liverpool Access Road Scheme (A5036), and are hiding the road's true environmental impact. Transport Action Network recently requested an up to date carbon assessment for the road proposal. National Highways sent an old assessment from 2017 adding that it will not be producing a new carbon assessment in time for the public consultation. It will only do this when it applies for planning consent, after the consultation has taken place. This will deny the public important information to consider when they comment on the scheme. National Highways' 2017 figures showed that extra traffic caused by the scheme would increase carbon emissions by 555,232 tonnes. However, unlike some of the organisation's other road projects, this figure did not include emissions from the scheme's construction nor the wider, cumulative impacts.

Stuart Bennett from the Save Rimrose Valley Campaign, said:- "National Highways has form when it comes to keeping the public in the dark. It failed to publish the scheme's environmental impact assessment in its initial public consultation in 2017. It took repeated requests from CPRE to obtain this document; by which time, it was too late. The next round of consultation is a critical opportunity for people to raise concerns about the road, but to do this, we need to be in possession of the full facts. Incomplete, outdated figures are simply not good enough. What does this Government-owned company have to hide? Whichever way it chooses to spin this road proposal, there's simply no escaping the fact that it would be hugely destructive to the environment and set efforts to tackle the climate emergency back by decades. Why can't National Highways see what everyone else can? We need urgent action and a complete rethink of our infrastructure; not more damaging roads."

Rebecca Lush, Local Campaigns Support Officer, at Transport Action Network,added:- "We were shocked to discover that climate change is not a priority for the National Highways team working on the Port of Liverpool Access Road. It is the most important and pressing environmental issue of our time so it is inexplicable that National Highways' consultation will not include in the scheme's total carbon emissions. It will make an informed view of the scheme's climate impact impossible. National Highways has provided full carbon estimates in time for the statutory consultations of the huge A66 Northern Trans Pennine scheme, and the A358 scheme, in Somerset. These included emissions from both the additional traffic generated and construction. Why the inconsistency and why is Liverpool being treated differently?"

Transport Action Network has asked National Highways to provide them with further information on how they plan to assess the climate change impact of the Port of Liverpool Access scheme for the forthcoming consultations and is awaiting a response.

The group have also included in the email to us the following related links:-

► Freedom of information request:- WhatDoTheyKnow.Com/Request/a5036_Port_Of_Liverpool_Access_l.

► Freedom of information request:- WhatDoTheyKnow.Com/Request/a5036_Port_Of_Liverpool_Access_c.