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John Lennon Airport and The Mersey Forest launch Lastcall.org.uk
LIVERPOOL John
Lennon Airport and The Mersey Forest have joined together to give
passengers the opportunity to contribute to their local environment
and take a step towards off-setting the carbon emissions from their
flight.
The new initiative known as ‘Last Call!’ provides
passengers with the opportunity to invest in their local environment
before or after taking a flight from John Lennon Airport by helping
to plant trees in the nearby Mersey Forest, the UK’s largest
Community Forest.
There are two ways in which passengers can support the scheme either
by donating money in the collection box which is located in the
Airport Departure Lounge or by contributing online at
www.lastcall.org.uk.
JLA is part of the first UK Airport Group to instigate such a
passenger Carbon Sequestration Scheme and is looking forward to a
long term sustainable partnership with The Mersey Forest that will
allow the scheme to grow in years to come.
Contributions made by passengers will go towards planting trees to
help absorb some of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from their
flight. The Airport Company has also pledged to match passenger
contributions made at the collection box therefore doubling the
amount going towards this worthy cause.
Andrew Dutton, Environment Manager at John Lennon Airport, said:-
“The joint scheme introduced by the Airport and The Mersey Forest
is an excellent opportunity for passengers to contribute towards
making their local environment a cleaner and greener place to live.
Until now passengers haven’t had the chance to give something back
to their local environment and probably wouldn’t have considered
doing so before or after a flight but following this launch we hope
to raise awareness and kick-start the donations made towards the
Last Call! fund.”
Paul Nolan, Project Director at The Mersey Forest, added:-
“There is increasing awareness about the importance of climate
change and the need for us all to make changes to reduce the amount
of carbon dioxide we produce. This programme will continue to raise
awareness, create new woodlands and help to lock up carbon from the
atmosphere.”
Donations made by passengers will not only help to off-set
emissions, funding will also create invaluable woodland valued by
wildlife and people alike to enjoy for years. |
STOP THIS HOSPITAL SCANDAL
AGE Concern
calls on local residents to pile on the pressure. Thousands of
older people in the North West are malnourished when in hospital,
yet nine out of ten nurses do not always have time to help patients
who need help with eating, reveals new research published by Age
Concern. The charity is calling on people across the North West to
join its campaign to end this scandal.
The lack of nursing time and the failure by hospitals to introduce
simple safeguards has hit the most vulnerable. Hard-hitting
statistics show that 6 out of 10 older patients are at risk of
becoming malnourished or their situation getting worse while in
hospital. It means older patients, who occupy 2/3rds of general
hospital beds are at risk of malnutrition while in hospital.
The figures are worse for those who are older, as patients over 80
admitted to hospital have a 5 times higher prevalence of
malnutrition than those under the age of 50.
The toll of malnutrition on health costs in the UK is estimated to
exceed £7.3 billion per year – much more than obesity. Malnourished
patients stay in hospital for longer, are 3 times as likely to
develop complications during surgery, and have a higher mortality
rate.
Today, in a bid to improve basic care standards and save lives, Age
Concern launches its national campaign ‘Hungry to be Heard’.
This major campaign aims to end the scandal of older people being
malnourished in hospitals across the North West and the rest of
England. The campaign highlights that although the problem is widely
recognised, NHS guidelines are not solving it. Age Concern is
calling on supporters of the campaign to visit their
website
to record their own experiences of eating in hospitals. Local
residents in the North West are also being asked to contact their
local NHS trust through the website to ask what is being done to
stop malnutrition in its hospitals.
Gordon Lishman, Director-General of Age Concern said:-
“Hospitals are in danger of becoming bad for the health of older
people. Many older patients in the North West are being denied some
of the basic care they need leaving thousands of older patients
malnourished. It is shocking that the dignity of patients is being
overlooked, and that Age Concern has to run a campaign to fight for
the implementation of such simple measures. From ward to board
everyone needs to address this problem. Food and help with eating it
should be recognised by ward staff as an essential part of care, and
they should be given time to perform this task.”
A new report from Age Concern spells out the steps that hospitals
must implement to eradicate avoidable malnutrition and ensure that
older patients get the food they need and help with eating.
1. Hospital staff must listen to older people, and their relatives
and carers
2. All ward staff
must become ‘food aware’
3. Hospital staff
must follow their own professional codes and guidance from other
bodies
4. Older people must
be assessed for the signs or danger of malnourishment on admission
and at regular intervals during their stay
5. Introduce ‘protected
mealtimes’
6. Implement a ‘red
tray system’ and ensure that it works in practice
7. Use volunteers
where appropriate
Meols Hall Opening Times
THIS week
Southport's Meols Hall is open to the public until 14 September
2006.
Admission is £3 per
adult and £1 for children. Further details are available on
meolshall.com. |
