Credit crunch hits disabled children

DISABLED children across the UK are emerging as some of the largest victims being hit hard by the credit crunch. The UK’s leading child disability charity, Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children, has reported an alarming increase in requests for help from struggling parents refused assistance by the government funded statutory services, turning to the charity.

New figures out today reveal a demand for Newlife’s services has increased more than 400% in just 2 months, a crucial period as the UK braces itself for a recession. Calls to Newlife Nurses have heard of families putting wheelchairs on credit cards, in some cases the debt will long outlive the child.

Families that have to take children to multiple hospital appointments or distant special schools are suffering from fuel increases. Many families report worries about winter cold as immobile and sick children need more heating. Special diets and the additional cost of continence supplies are also creating serious problems for families of disabled children.

Victims of the credit crunch are facing financial hardship - rising living costs, increased household bills and fuel costs are leading concerned parents to turn to reliable charities to provide essential equipment and advice. Newlife, a national charity that focuses on health, research and care into children with disabilities, has said that it fears thousands of children refused equipment by statutory services and now under pressure from the credit crunch, will cause real problems for carers. This will result in families being forced to go without essentials unless funding for charities giving direct services improves.

Newlife’s Chief Executive, Mrs Sheila Brown OBE, says:- “We understand that everyone is feeling the pinch of the credit crunch, including us, however there are a quarter of a million children across the country desperate for essential equipment. Statutory services often spend a pitiful amount on equipment for each disabled child and some charities are now unable to offer any support or have waiting lists of up to two years, so desperate parents are turning to Newlife for help. Last year we spent £1.2 million on equipment for disabled children.”

The major increase in calls for help and information shows the dramatic level of concern. Sheila continues:- “Unfortunately with the current economic climate, poverty levels in the UK are continuing to soar, however those with disabled children are struggling more than ever as costs continue to rise yet more doors are being closed on their calls for help. 55% of disabled children grow up in, or at the margins of poverty** with the average income of families with disabled children standing at just £15,270, 23.5% below the UK mean income of £19,968. Shockingly, 21.8% of families with disabled children have incomes that are less than half the UK average.”

If you are experiencing trouble receiving equipment for a disabled or seriously ill child, please contact a Newlife Nurse via the website (newlifecharity.co.uk) or call 0800 902 0095 for further information on how Newlife can help disabled children.

Green light for Merseytravel’s sustainability drive

FOLLOWING an independent audit, the organisation has retained its certification of the international standard for Environmental Management Systems (EMS), ISO 14001.

To gain certification an organisation must demonstrate that it is working to limit its environmental impact, training staff, complying with legislation and delivering continual environmental improvement.

Neil Scales, Chief Executive and Director General of Merseytravel, said:- “We have driven the national passenger transport agenda on environment issues since we became the very first passenger transport body in the country to produce an Environmental Strategy twelve years ago.  We were also the 1st PTA in the country to gain certification 5 years ago and environmental sustainability remains a vital element of our future transport plans.”

Work in progress on the new Pier Head ferry terminal building is an example of Merseytravel’s approach to environmental management.   Merseytravel commissioned the Building Research Establishment (BRE) to produce a customised Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM) rating for the terminal.

The contractor has signed up to the Considerate Constructors Scheme which requires monitoring, reporting and setting targets for carbon dioxide production and energy use from site activities, monitoring water consumption, monitoring, sorting and recycling construction waste and the adoption of best-practice regarding dust.  The contractor has undertaken to provide a high level of environmental consideration regarding site activities and procurement; this ethos is being passed on to all sub-contractors involved in this project – and many others.

When completed, the ferry terminal will be compatible with its surroundings and will include a large proportion of recycled building materials.  It will include a rainwater harvesting system and a variable speed heating system designed to produce low carbon emissions.

Merseytravel’s multi award-winning Liverpool South Parkway interchange is another project being held up as pioneering example of environmental features at the heart of major infrastructure planning.

The sustainability elements of Liverpool South Parkway are reaping rewards.

Its giant rainwater harvesting system saved more than 540,000 litres of mains water since the interchange opened, its geothermal heat pumps exceeded targets by saving 40 tonnes of CO2 per year; the enhanced roof insulation saved 3.4 tonnes of CO2 and the solar photovoltaic cells on its south facing windows saved some 1.5 tonnes of CO2 by providing an electricity supply to the building.