New vaccine marketing campaign launches urging North West residents to boost their immunity this winter

A new country wide marketing campaign urging millions of eligible people to get their flu and Covid booster vaccines to top up their immunity will launch on Monday, as almost 10 million people in England have already received their boosters, on 24 October 2022. The campaign is well timed as the latest data shows continued high rates of Covid19 cases and rising cases of Hospitalisations among older people who are most at risk.

Cases of flu have climbed quickly in the past week, indicating the season has started earlier than normal. This is leading to increased pressure on emergency departments with rates of Hospitalisations and ICU admissions rising the fastest in children under 5. In the North West, we're starting to see indications of an increase of laboratory detections of flu for several age ranges, including young children and those aged:- 15 to 44, and an increase of Hospital admissions being reported. In addition, Covid19 rates in the North West have increased throughout September mirroring national figures and have now peaked, remaining at a high level.

The campaign aims to drive awareness, motivate, and reassure all eligible groups, to achieve a high level of vaccine uptake ahead of winter. In 2022, over 50's will be eligible for a Covid19 booster as well as a flu jab and the campaign will specifically target individuals with long term health conditions, pregnant women and ethnic minority communities, with a particular focus on those with low vaccine confidence and where vaccine uptake rates have been low in the past.

Around 33 million people are eligible for the flu vaccine and 26 million people are eligible for the Covid19 booster. Getting vaccinated is not just about protecting yourself, but others around you, especially the more vulnerable groups.

More than 10 million people in England have already received their Covid19 booster with more than 49.5% of those 65 and over getting their flu jab, securing protection against serious illness throughout the winter. In the North West, more than 1 million people have received their autumn Covid19 booster.

Dr Merav Kliner, Interim Regional Deputy Director at UKHSA NW, said:- "The latest data follows the pattern we predicted, and a difficult winter is expected. This year we want people in the North West to think about Covid19 and flu as equally important; and both vaccines need a 'boost' this winter. Covid19 vaccine protection decreases over time and topping up immunity will help to provide better protection against new variants. So far, we have seen millions getting their vaccines, particularly older age groups, who remain at risk of severe illness and deaths from both diseases. Those aged 50 to 64 years are now eligible for Covid19 vaccination and will become eligible for flu shortly. Having both vaccines will help to protect you and to protect the health service so we can continue to treat patients with other conditions. I urge everyone who is eligible to book your vaccine as soon as you can and not to delay; you could be in contact with flu or COVID tomorrow."
 

Letter to the Editor:- "Parents cut back on food spending and sell possessions due to the cost of living crisis"

"MORE than ½ of parents with children aged 18 or under in Great Britain have been forced to cut back on food spending for their family over the past 12 months, as a way of helping to save money, according to new research by YouGov for the UK's largest children's charity, Barnardo's. The current cost of living situation has seen ¼ of parents forced to sell possessions and 1 in 5 parents have taken on new credit cards, extra debt or a payday loan. Barnardo's is concerned about the impact on children as over a quarter of parents said their child's mental health has worsened due to the rising cost of living. The charity is providing emergency support to children and families to pay for food, help with heating, warm clothing and in some circumstances to purchase goods such as fridges and freezers where this would cause a family not to be able to have access to safe food. No child should go to School hungry or return to a cold home, but the cost of living crisis is driving more and more families into poverty. Families we support are struggling to afford food, and our frontline workers are saying they are stepping in to prevent children going hungry. We know that growing up in poverty makes it much harder to achieve a positive future. That's why we're asking the public to join us now by signing our petition calling on the Government to introduce free School meals for all Primary School children in England, and to do more to tackle hunger during the School holidays. To share your support visit:- Barnardos.Org.UK and sign our Free School Meals petition." Nadine Good, Barnardo's North Regional Director.
 

Margaret Maule to exhibit at ArtHouse Southport

CARRIED out with the precision of a jeweller labouring at his bench, the dexterity and patience that local artist, Margaret Maule, brings to her decorative re-inventions will be well to the fore at her new showing of glass and mosaic assemblies at the ArtHouse during November 2022.

The art of arranging:- 'broken' fragments to conjure up an aesthetically pleasing:p 'whole' is as modern as it is historical. Dating back millenia to the ancient mosaics discovered in temples in Mesopotamia and later practiced by Mayan civilisations, it has continued to manifest itself on everything from the elaborate golden mosaics across the interior of the St Mark's Basilica in Venice to Antoni Gaudi's mosaic dragons that greet visitors to Parc Güell in Barcelona.

A keen artist, it was only later in life that Margaret was able to fully explore her own talent:- "My working life in the NHS, I worked as a Case Manager at the Regional Spinal Injuries Centre and also having a Refrigerated Transport Services family business delivering food nationwide, occupied most of my waking hours. However, once the business had been sold and I finished my job, I rediscovered my creative self."

Having explored different disciplines, Margaret was attracted to working with glass, particularly Tiffany Style Leaded work. "I'm continually fascinated with the challenge of choosing the most appropriate glass for each project. The endless possibilities of tessellated patterns, examples of which can be found across the globe, are inspirational."

From the work on display it is difficult to grasp that Margaret is virtually a self taught artist:- "I don't have any formal qualifications in Art, but I continue to have expert tutorage from a local skilled expert. She is inspirational and offers invaluable advice."

Her current modus operandi, when preparing the glass, has resulted in a happy outcome that means that nothing goes to waste:- "Mainly, I do Tiffany style copper foil work using lots of bright colour combinations, but I have now started to do some leaded pieces as well. The 1 thing guaranteed is that you will end up with numerous small offcuts of glass and that is where my mosaic work started."

An avid traveller, Margaret has gained 1st-hand insights into traditional arts and crafts around the world that she has fed back into her own work:- "In Sicily I was inspired by the amazing Roman Mosaics, the tessellations and how the interpretation of a story was articulated and also in Japan, where the persevered simplicity of design was important in every aspect of life."

Nearer to home, Margaret has recently taken inspiration from the Merseyside coastline:- "Pine Cones Glass mosaic on Slate was inspired by the Formby pinewoods. I wanted to represent each of the cones using different techniques. 1 emphasises the texture of the glass. 1 is cut into tesserae using the light grout colour to emphasise the cone's stature. The 3rd cone has a soldered wire cage embedded over it."

Practical considerations are inevitably inbuilt into the final use of Margaret's artworks. Margaret added:- "I generally create projects for outside display in the garden and the challenge is always to ensure the work is weatherproof. As is often the case, the solution lies in the past. Traditional leaded glass techniques and natural slate for mosaics offer tried and tested solutions."

The changing seasons mean that Margaret's outdoor mosaics and glass pieces can be appreciated in different lights and backgrounds all year around.

The free hanging Tiffany Glass style:- 'Springlight' was constructed using copper foil and solder:- "The challenge on this piece was to make it structurally strong but keep the lines curved and flowing. When hung in a window, the way the light changes during a day will alter the characteristics of the transparent textured glass."

Certainly not 1 to be missed, this latest showing by Margaret Maule will be on display at the ArtHouse, Eastbank Street, Southport, from:- 29 October to 26 November 2022. The gallery is open Tuesday; Friday:- 10.00 to 15.00. Saturday:- 11.00 to 16.00.