Refugee and asylum seeker ukulele band brings festive joy to people living with dementia

A ukulele band formed from refugees and asylum seekers brought festive joy to people living with dementia; while helping boost their own English language skills. The group of English language students; including people from:- Syria, Sudan and Iraq; were joined by members of the Neston Strummers, who have been teaching the instrument.

The event was the latest from the Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram and the Combined Authority's pioneering Test and Learn initiative to encourage innovate ways to improve adult education.

Mayor Rotheram launched the scheme over 3 years ago to tackle local market failures for skills and has supported innovation in learning, addressing gaps and enhancing adult learning with over £2m per year or 5% of the devolved adult education budget.

Wirral Met College has used the Test and Learn funding to create a unique curriculum of events; including crown green bowls; to help refugees integrate into British life while boosting language skills.

The students played and sang festive classics, including:- Jingle Bells, in English, Spanish and Arabic, and recited a poem for the residents at Meadowcroft Community Wellbeing Hub, in Bromborough, Wirral.

Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, said:- "Bringing people from all walks of life together through the power of music is what our area does best. While we know the real challenges that face our new residents as they settle into their new life, we want to try and help make that transition as easy; and enjoyable; as possible for them. Having control over how our adult education funding is spent locally means that we're able to try out new and innovative ways of supporting people in their moment of need; and this pilot is a perfect example of that. We're empowering people to start afresh and build a better future for their families; and immerse themselves in the communities they're now a part of. Our Region has been a sanctuary to people seeking refuge for centuries and it's a legacy we're proud to continue today. Our message is clear: the Liverpool City Region is open to all. We will give you the support you need to help you; and our area; grow."

During the 1st year, a total of 31 pilot projects were funded by Test and Learn, widening participation in particular to include disadvantaged groups.

Almost 1,800 learners took part, costing less than for mainstream adult education, but generating much more in social value.

The care home class was designed in response to this year's Test and Learn theme of wellbeing.

It was created to help students learn through interaction whilst giving residents a boost with a live music singalong.

Sue Higginson, Principal of Wirral Met College said:- "It's initiatives like these that show what it is to be a community. I am so proud of our ESOL students who continue to inspire all around them through the challenges they have faced and overcome to be here, with their love of learning, and openness to finding out more about the local area and developing new skills like playing the ukulele! But it is so much more; it is partnerships like these that our help our students settle in their new home and that's why they are so valuable."

Jenny Paton, Deputy Chief Executive of Age UK Wirral, said:- "Our clients thoroughly enjoyed the Christmas Carols and listening to the students playing ukuleles. We have been working with Wirral Met this year to build connections with their students helping them to understand the impact of Dementia, so it is lovely to see students and clients meet together in person. Our clients love the opportunity to engage with new people and the students have definitely brought the Christmas spirit with them today! Thank you for involving us in such a wonderful opportunity."

Joanne Anderson, Mayor of Liverpool and Combined Authority Portfolio Holder for Education, Skills, Equality and Diversity, said:- "Test and Learn is producing some amazing results in adult education and this is a great example of what can be achieved when we think more creatively. Students who have come here from other countries are learning important language skills in real life situations as well as integrating into the communities where they live."

Life saving cancer screening trucks rolling into South Sefton

A ground breaking check up, which has already saved hundreds of lives across England, is being rolled out into South Sefton, throughout December 2022. Part of NHS England's latest rollout of its Targeted Lung Health Check programme, people aged:- 55 to 74, within South Sefton, with a history of smoking and registered with a local GP surgery, are starting to receive their invitation to have a free lung health check. Targeting those most at risk of lung cancer, the checks have been proved to significantly improve the earlier detection of the disease.

Thousands of people across the country have already taken up the opportunity to assess their lung health. Around 1,200 people have been diagnosed with cancer through the programme. ¾ of these cancers were detected at an early stage; far earlier than would have been likely without these checks. People diagnosed with lung cancer at the earliest stage are nearly 20 times more likely to survive for five years than those whose cancer is caught late. Within the Merseyside and Cheshire Region, targeted lung health checks have identified 111 lung cancers so far, of which, 68.5% were at stage 1. This has enabled 74 people diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer to receive curative treatment.

Gordon Darnell was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer in a similar programme in Liverpool. He had surgery in January. Eight weeks later, he went on holiday to Spain: He said:- "My consultant said when I went for my original lung scan, I saved my own life. I was never ill; not before my diagnosis, not during treatment and not now, and that's because they picked it up so early. I almost feel like a fraud speaking to people who've got cancer or who've had cancer because I didn't experience anything like they did, and that's all down to going for that lung check. We're talking an hour out of your day. If you go and there's nothing wrong, you haven't lost anything, but if there is something wrong, you've got to deal with it as quickly as possible. I truly believe it has saved my life."

Lung cancer is the UK's biggest cancer killer, claiming the lives of more people than breast, prostate and pancreatic cancers combined. It is a particular issue in South Sefton, with local incidence above that of the national average.

Now, these simple lung checks provide a way to significantly change the situation. They could revolutionise long-term lung cancer survival rates in the area by detecting the disease at the earliest opportunity, even before symptoms appear. However, in order for the checks to work, people need to take up the opportunity and make an appointment; even if they feel well.

Dr Chris Warburton, Medical Director at Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance, said:- "We are delighted that South Sefton and also St Helens are now part of NHS England's Targeted Lung Health Check programme. We have been seeing the impact of these checks for several years now through programmes in Liverpool, Halton and Knowsley. It is wonderful that residents across South Sefton and St Helens will now have the same opportunity. Lung cancer can be difficult to detect early, which is why so many people are currently diagnosed when the disease has become incurable. However, as we are seeing from the existing programmes, these checks are helping us to diagnose many more people earlier, when it is far easier to treat. This is why we want everyone who is invited to take up the opportunity and make an appointment. The chances are you will not have any symptoms when you receive your invitation, but this should not stop you making an appointment. You should have the check whether you feel fine or not. The main aim of these checks is to find cancer at the earliest opportunity before there may even be any symptoms, so, just as you would go for a breast screening or send off your bowel screening kit, we now want you to have your lungs checked. For the majority of those who attend, everything will be fine, while for those who do have something wrong, catching it early can make all the difference."

The 1st residents in South Sefton to receive their invitations will be eligible patients in Litherland, Seaforth and Bootle, with the programme rolling out to other areas in South Sefton over the coming year.

Those invited will have an appointment with a lung health nurse, either over the phone or face to face. Those then considered to have a higher risk of lung cancer will be offered a low dose CT scan in a mobile truck located within their community. This scan is far more accurate at picking up cancer than a standard X-ray.

The programme also offers help and advice on how best to quit smoking for those who are ready to make the change.

For more information about the programme, visit: LHCH.NHS.UK.  Click here to download an awareness poster or on this link to download another poster...