Councillor Palmer, in an article on the Leicester City Council website, said “We are committed to supporting the valuable work of the city’s carers, and despite the government cuts, we have found the funding needed to keep this important programme going.

“We will continue to work in partnership with carers and voluntary sector organisations to find ways of supporting carers in the city in these challenging times.”

Read the full story at:http://news.leicester.gov.uk/newsArchiveDetail.aspx?Id=241

Admission Free

 Drop in for a fun family event with a healthy twist!

 Enjoy free health checks and taster sessions in:

• Chinese medical massage,
• Head massage
• Laughter yoga
• Aaerobics
• Boxercise
• Bhangracise
• CVD screening
• B.P. check
• Silver Diabetes Bus

 You can also enjoy: wall climbing; clown and balloon magic; bouncy castle; face painting; mehendi; competitions and more…

 Refreshments will be available.

 Need more information?

Call us on (0116) 299 5450 or visit libraries@leicester.gov.uk

Read the article at:http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/Poetry-pottery-project-enjoyed/article-2453406-detail/article.html

See a video of the group on Citizens’ Eye You Tube Channel

Stacey Welton, Democratic Support Democratic Services Officer, Leicester City Council   Tel: 0116 229 8813

Behind the Headlines provides an unbiased and evidence-based analysis of health stories that make the news.

The service is intended for both the public and health professionals, and endeavours to:

• explain the facts behind the headlines and give a better understanding of the science that makes the news,
• provide an authoritative resource for GPs which they can rely on when talking to patients, and
• become a trusted resource for journalists and others involved in the dissemination of health news.

See Behind The Headlines at: http://www.nhs.uk/News/Pages/NewsIndex.aspx

You can also sign up for the Behind The Headlines weekly email newsletter at: http://nhschoices.info/servlet/formlink/f?gokJQSDD

Founded in 2000 by Roger Lovell and Simon Thomas, the organisation has grown from a few specialist bikes stored in a garage to an overflowing 5,000 square feet cycling centre on Friday Street housing what is believed to be the widest range of pedal powered machines in the world.

The core aim of Cyclemagic, a totally self-financing not-for-profit organisation, is to help those with special needs enjoy the benefits of cycling and people travel from across the UK to access the unique service it offers. To fund this voluntary work it runs a range of commercial activities to raise vital funds including cycling roadshows, cycling history exhibitions, schools education projects and bike repairs.

Simon Thomas said “Our special needs work is very rewarding especially when you see someone riding a bike with a huge smile across their face who previously believed they’d never be able to do so. It can take several months to build or adapt the bike for each individual need and it just wouldn’t be viable to do a lot of the work commercially, so the work of our volunteers is vital.”

Roger Lovell added “We’ve also worked on a Stella Artois advert, made television programmes and been invited to events across the country. We even taught Olympic cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy to ride a Penny Farthing, but I think the highlight for me was being asked to open the 2007 Tour de France in London in front of world-wide media and hundreds of thousands of people across the city”

The organisation will be hosting several events over the next few months and inviting everyone to help them celebrate. The first will be Cycling With Style, A Bicycle Ride and Picnic for Ladies and Gentlemen on Sunday August 8th followed by a Cyclemagic Festival at the Abbey Pumping Station Museum on August 29th to coincide with SkyRide Leicester.

On Sunday October 3rd friends and colleagues of Cyclemagic from across the country will be riding to the village of Costock near Loughborough to create a 2010 version of this photograph of the Leicester Cycling Club taken in the village during the summer of 1896.

For further information please contact Roger Lovell on 0116 262 5551 or 07949 680 455.

To see detail of the cuts proposed by Leicestershire County Council in the Leicester Mercury see the following link to the This is Leicestershire website: http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/Charities-face-funding-cuts/article-2450789-detail/article.html

The Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment (PNA) aims to highlight any gaps in provision and show which services are required, where and by whom. The results will help to determine if pharmacy services meet the health needs of the population and whether applications to provide new pharmacy services will be approved in the future.

Both NHS Leicestershire County and Rutland and NHS Leicester City will be carrying out their own Pharmaceutical Needs Assessments, which are a legal requirement for primary care trusts in England.  

Lesley Harrison, associate director of primary care commissioning at NHS Leicestershire County and Rutland, said: “By filling in the questionnaire people can make sure that their views influence the services delivered by pharmacists. 

“We are asking people to tell us which services they use most, whether they are convenient and if they would like more services to be provided.“After we have got the feedback from the questionnaire, we will each put together a draft Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment which will then go out to public consultation from 1 September until 31 October.”

David Riley, head of primary care improvement for NHS Leicester City, added: “We want to hear from as many people as possible what they think of city pharmacies. We work closely with pharmacists to provide the best possible services. Get in touch if you regularly visit your pharmacist for repeat prescriptions or advice, or alternatively tell us the reasons why you don’t use your pharmacist. Your comments are vital to helping us improve our services.”

www.lcr.nhs.uk/pna

www.leicestercity.nhs.uk/getinvolved

Almost five per cent of people living in Leicester are diagnosed with diabetes,1 but it is thought many more have the condition and are unaware of it.

Prevalence of type 2 diabetes is four times greater in the city’s South Asian population compared with the white population and South Asians are more likely than other ethnic groups to develop the condition at an earlier age.1

The campaign will see more than 17,000 leaflets delivered to households in the areas of the city where diabetes rates are known to be highest. They are aimed at people with diagnosed diabetes, as well as those who may be at risk of developing the condition.

In addition, a number of Asian-language radio stations will promote the campaign and posters will be displayed in health centres, doctors’ surgeries and other selected community venues.

The campaign reminds those diagnosed with diabetes of the importance of getting their blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked, their weight monitored and their blood sugar recorded. The materials also highlight the warning signs of diabetes ranging from a family history of the condition to feeling thirsty, tired and passing water more often than normal.

Alongside the awareness-raising, healthcare professionals will also make the Leicestershire Personal Diabetes Handbook available to people diagnosed with diabetes.  They will receive a copy of the handbook so that they can make notes on their condition and keep a log of their health.

It will also be possible to ask for a Personal Wellbeing Plan from the GP surgery or specialist nurse. This is designed to help people feel more confident in managing other long-term conditions they may have and by focusing future discussions around their feelings, needs and goals. A copy can be requested from GPs or diabetes nurses.

Rod Moore, NHS Leicester City’s Deputy Director of Public Health, said: “It’s vital we raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of diabetes so people are diagnosed as early as possible. This means they are less likely to suffer long-term complications and can manage their condition effectively.

“This campaign is also about giving those with diabetes the tools and the confidence to avoid a crisis in their condition. We hope it will empower people to feel in control of their health.”

Maggie Lambert, Pfizer’s Senior Local Marketing Manager for the East Midlands, said: “This is the second time this partnership project has run following a similar, successful campaign in 2008.  Campaigns such as this combine the resource and expertise of both the NHS and industry to enable the delivery of tangible benefits to local communities”.

The evening started with an information fair in which residents of the ward were able to find out about initiatives and projects happening in Castle Ward. People were able speak to representatives and see displays about Citizens’ Eye, Litter and Graffiti problems, Police issues, and the City Wardens.There was  information available about the ‘One Pass’ scheme for those over 60 and Smoking  Reduction Services.

The Community Meeting itself was attended by Castle Ward Councillors Patrick Kitterick and Lynn Senior. Apologies were sent by Neil Clayton the newly elected Councillor for the ward. The meeting was arranged some time before the by-election and he was on a pre-arranged holiday.

Councillor Kitterick introduced the meeting and it began with a minute’s silence in memory of the late Councillor Phil Gordon.

The first part of the meeting was primarily a Youth Services session. A number of individuals spoke about their roles in  youth provision including Danielle Williams, Children’s Rights and Participation Officer for Leicester City Council, who spoke about her role and Fiona Bedford, Area Youth Work Manager for Access, Inclusion and Participation for Leicester City Council spoke about Youth Services across the city and in Castle Ward in particular.

Councillors were interested in what services were available across the ward during the summer holidays and Councillor Senior was particularly interested in the ways organisations were engaging youth in activities.

The next person to speak was Trish Reynolds of Voluntary Action Leicester who was attending the meeting with young people volunteering on the V involved project. The young people were attending a ward meeting for the first time and are working with Trish on a report to make recommendations about how to make council meetings more attractive for young people to attend. Both Councillors were interested in this work and looked forward to any recommendations.

John Coster, Editor of Citizens’ Eye, spoke about young people getting involved in citizen reporting. He spoke about ‘ Leicester Wave’ ,the first and only newspaper to be sourced, written and edited by young people. John mentioned the fact that he lived in Castle Ward and several of the locations for delivering Citizens’ Eye’s news were in Castle Ward including, The Leicester Mercury, BBC Radio Leicester, Community News Cafe at Kona Blue Coffees in Highcross and the Learning and Information Library.

To round up the Youth Services aspect of the first half of the meeting several of the workers at The Watershed Youth Centre spoke about their specific roles and some service users spoke about their use of the centre and how much they enjoyed activities there.

The first half of the meeting was concluded with Councillors then answering questions from a resident about the building of the new student hall of residence on land bounded by The Newarke,Oxford Street and Jarrom Street. Questions were about issues of about the construction and light being affected to local houses.

During the interval Citizens’ Eye had an interesting discussion with Barbara Whitcombe,Team Manager of the City Wardens about the One Clean Leicester initiative which is putting extra resources into cleaning the city and taking measures against making it dirty. Particularly interesting was a scheme, to be launched by Leicester City Council in the near future, that uses mobile phone applications to report directly to the City Wardens.

The second half of the meeting was made up of a lively discussion about the proposed new Freemens Common Health Centre on Victoria Park Road and deciding which applications to the Ward Community Fund should be supported.

The discussion about the health centre was chaired by Councillor Kitterick alone as Councillor Senior left the room having declared an interest in this project earlier.

The discussion included residents of Castle Ward, representatives of Assura - the firm commissioned for the build, Doctors from the Freemens Common Health Centre, a representative from the Primary Care Trust and members of Leicester City Council Planning Department.

Assura spoke about the plans and then questions were taken about the build from local residents.

Questions were about the need for the build, the build being located on a green site, the size of the build, the inclusion of a pharmacy, car parking, other potential uses of the build and the potential felling of some trees on Victoria Park Road.

For people interested in the details of the questions and answers about these issues the minutes will be available when completed at: http://www.cabinet.leicester.gov.uk/ieListMeetings.aspx?CId=457&Year=2010

For related stories about the proposed Freemens Common Health Centre see the following articles that appeared in the Leicester Mercury on the This is Leicestershire website at:

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/Health-centre-plan-near-Victoria-Park-set-face-opposition/article-1839209-detail/article.html

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/Health-centre-hope-air-raid-shelter-site/article-2358294-detail/article.html

The last part of the meeting consisted of deciding which applications to the Community Fund were to be supported.

Some funding was agreed for the preparation of a Highfields Action Plan and an Autumn Fair to be held on Queens Road on October 10.

Applications for projects to promote African literature to young people and an Interfaith gardening project were deferred for more work on the applications.

Projects rejected included a Wimbledon Fever tennis project and a dance, music and yoga health project that covered several other wards that had already declined funding.

Councillor Kitterick and Councillor Senior thanked everyone for their attendance and input and concluded the meeting.