New website will give young hearts a boost

A fun, interactive website for teenagers has been launched by the British Heart Foundation (BHF).  The website, yheart.net, encourages young people to find out how their heart works and how to keep it healthy in an exciting and interesting way. It is jam packed with health-related competitions, quirky games and challenges that win prizes.

The website also has a password protected area called Meet @ Teen Heart which is specifically for teenagers with heart conditions. Here, young people can chat with each other, share experiences and talk to an expert. No other such website exists for teenagers who were born with heart problems.

Information about smoking, drugs, healthy eating and keeping fit is given in a chatty style. Bite-sized facts keep visitors enthralled and info pages help people learn about their heart health. This is a vital step forward in a country with rapidly increasing childhood obesity levels and decreasing activity levels.

Nicki Cooper, Head of Heart Health at the BHF says:- “We wanted to create a website that spoke to teenagers and that’s why we involved teams of teenage pilot testers for different sections. They told us what they wanted to see on the website, and that’s why it’s full of useful stuff about the heart and what we can do to keep it in the best condition we can.  The Meet @ Teen Heart is THE website for teenagers with heart problems to have in their favourites folder. It is a secure site where they can chat with other teens who’ve experienced similar problems to them, sharing support and information, and where they can get confidential advice from our experts.”

Also on the website:-

Challenges on topical issues: earn points which can be exchanged for funky gifts

Monthly competitions: ipod shuffles and HMV vouchers up for grabs just by answering a health-related question

Fun games such as Urban Energy, the lifestyle quiz or Office Olympics

Downloads of cool screensavers brighten up your screen

BHF events like junior golf or the London to Brighton bike ride are listed for you to get involved in and do your bit for charity

It is estimated that 4,600 babies are born with a heart defect in the UK every year – that’s one in every 145 babies. At least 3/4 of babies born with congenital heart disease are predicted to survive to adulthood.  But lifestyle is a major factor in many people developing heart and circulatory disease in later life. Heart and circulatory disease is the UK’s biggest killer and 208,000 people died of it in 20052. People can avoid heart disease by living a healthy lifestyle from a young age by not smoking, keeping to a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet which is low in salt and fat, and keeping physically active.

SOUTHPORT & SEFTON CHRISTMAS REFUSE

STICKERS are being placed on grey wheelie bins informing residents of their refuse collection dates over the Christmas season. Residents in Sefton are asked to note revised refuse collection dates as cleaning crews take their usual Christmas break.

This Christmas there will be no collection on Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year's Day.

To cope with the extra refuse received over the festive period, the green garden waste wheelie bin collection will be suspended after the week commencing 10 December 2007.

This means grey bins will be collected instead on a revised frequency schedule with details of collection dates placed on the bins with distinct stickers. The Green Bee doorstep recycling service and the new food waste collection service will continue to operate on the revised days as well.

A revised black sack collection will also be in place over Christmas for residents who have not yet received their wheelie bins.

The green waste collection service(greenbags) is also suspended from Christmas Eve and will resume on Monday 7 January 2008,

A spokesman for Sefton Council said:- "This year will be different as some residents in the borough have the new wheelie bins while others have the black sack collection.

Residents can help us by checking their new collection dates over Christmas and putting out their refuse on the revised dates. It will also make a huge difference if everyone tried to recycle as much waste as possible generated over the festive period as well.

At Christmas we always produce extra refuse, so please bear with us and we will do our best to get back to normal as soon as possible."

For any queries about refuse dates over the festive period call Sefton Plus on 0845 140 0845

Normal and revised collection dates for black sacks:-

Normal collection day MONDAY

Normal collection on Monday 24 December 2007, 31,and 7 January 2008

Normal collection day TUESDAY

No collection on Tuesday 25 December 2007. Revised collection on Wednesday, 2 January 2008. Normal collections resume from Tuesday, January 8,2008 onwards

Normal collection day WEDNESDAY

No collection on Wednesday 26 December 2007. Revised collection on Thursday, 3 January 2008. Normal collections resume from Wednesday, January 9, 2008 onwards

Normal collection day THURSDAY
Normal collection on Thursday, 27 December 2008. Revised collection Friday, 4 January 2008.

Normal collections resume from Thursday January 10,2008 onwards

Normal collection day FRIDAY

Normal collection on Friday, 28 December 2008. Revised collection on Saturday 5 January 2008. Normal collections resume from Friday, 11 January 2008 onwards.

Message from Sefton Home Watch

ALL members are advised over the Christmas and New Year period to keep the wheelie bins or black bags on their property and only put them out in the street on the day of collection according to the revised list.