New support group for glaucoma sufferers

DO you suffer from glaucoma?  Would you like to meet others who do to discuss ways of coping with the disease?  Then the Royal Clifton Hotel in Southport on Wednesday, 3 February  2010, at 3pm is where you should be heading.

Glaucoma is the name given to a group of eye conditions that affect vision.

Research suggests that a form of glaucoma affects about two out of every 100 people in the UK who are over 40. Because the risk of glaucoma increases as you get older, it's important to have your eyes tested regularly.

Glaucoma often affects both eyes, usually in varying degrees. One eye may develop glaucoma quicker than the other.

If glaucoma is left untreated, it could lead to blindness, being one of the main reasons of people registering as blind in the UK.

Therefore, early detection and treatment is very important. If it's diagnosed and treated early enough, further damage to vision can be prevented.

Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon Jose Gonzalez-Martin from Southport & Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust is hoping to start a support group for glaucoma sufferers. "If there is enough interest I believe a support group for sufferers and their families would be a great idea. Other support groups around the country say they can really help both the patients and their families, but the nearest group to here is in Bolton. The meeting next Wednesday will be the first step at hopefully forming a local group for the Southport and West Lancashire area."

The meeting will be attended by Professor Ian Grierson from the Eye and Vision Research Group at the University of Liverpool who will be giving a talk about the subject. It is also being supported by the International Glaucoma Association who will have a stand with information and some examples of how they can help sufferers. Their website is:- glaucoma-association.com.

If you are interested in starting this support group or would like more information, just go along to the Royal Clifton Hotel in Southport for 3pm on Wednesday, 3 February 2010.

 SWIMMERS NEEDED TO TAKE ON EXCITING CHARITY CHALLENGE

MARIE Curie Cancer Care is appealing for swimmers from across Merseyside who are looking to take on a real challenge for 2010. Voted 5th in the top 100 Open Water Swims worldwide, The British Gas Great North Swim is taking place on England’s largest lake, Windermere, on Saturday 4th and Sunday, 5 September 2010.

The Public Ballot for this event has now closed having filled in record time. However Marie Curie Cancer Care has secured a limited number of Charity Guaranteed Places on the swim. To secure a Marie Curie Cancer Care place for this event, swimmers need to pay a registration fee of £30 and aim to raise a minimum of £175 in sponsorship. Alternatively if you have already secured a place on the swim and are seeking a charity to support why not consider swimming for Marie Curie and receive full support from the fundraising team.

Zoe Casson, a Marie Curie Cancer Care Fundraising Manager based in the Preston Marie Curie Office has already taken the plunge and signed up for the challenge. Zoe said:- “We are all desperate to get rid of the Christmas bulge after eating too much over the festive period, so when I signed up for the swim I knew that as well as raising sponsorship for a great charity it would also be a great opportunity to help me loose weight and get fit.”

The money you raise will help our nurses to continue to provide care to terminally ill people across Southport and Formby, who choose to spend their last days at home – free of charge. Every £20 you raise will fund an hour of Marie Curie Nursing Care to support families across Southport and Formby.

All swimmers who take part in the swim in aid of the charity will receive a fundraising pack, support from the local fundraising team, a t – shirt and encouragement on the day. If you would like one of our Charity Guaranteed Places, or would like to use your own place to swim for the charity, please email:- greatruns@mariecurie.org.uk or call:- 08700 340 040.

STILL MISSING FROM HOME - HAROLD 'LAL' SPENCER

HIS family and Merseyside Police are extremely concerned about the safety of Harold Spencer who has been missing from his home in Bootle since Saturday, 2 January 2010.

Mr Spencer, 71, from Knowsley Road, who is also known as 'Lal', was last seen almost three weeks ago buying a paper from his local shop on Knowsley Road at around 8am on Saturday, 2 January 2010.

The shop assistant believes she may have later spotted him walking toward Hawthorne Road along Linacre Lane at 10.45am. This was the last time he was seen.

Mr Spencer's family is extremely concerned about his whereabouts as he has a set routine and his disappearance is very out of character.

He is described as white, 5ft 9in tall, medium build with short grey hair and long sideburns.

He has blue eyes and occasionally wears glasses. He has moles on the bridge of his nose and a bandage on his left hand.

When last seen he was wearing blue jeans, a blue Berghaus fleece jacket and black shoes.

Anyone who has seen Mr Spencer, or knows of his whereabouts, is asked to call Merseyside Police on:- 0151 777 4100 or Missing People on:- 0500 700 700. Also if you have a business and can display a Missing Person's poster, please print off this .pdf file by clicking here and then please display it. Please remember though to remove it when he has been found. Thank you.  

Cameron's Tories vote against EU proposals to tackle tax dodgers and target tax havens

IN a vote in the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee on Wednesday, 27 January 2010, the British Conservatives tabled amendments and voted to water down key recommendations supporting the automatic exchange of information to crack down on those seeking to hide their money from the tax authorities.   The amendments were overwhelming rejected by other Members of the Committee.  Local Euro MP Arlene McCarthy, the Vice Chair of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee, said:- "Tory Euro MP's actions make a mockery of George Osborne's pledge at Tory Party Conference "to target tax evasion and offshore tax havens". We should judge the Tory Party by their actions not by their words. Weakening proposals which seek to crack down on tax dodgers using tax havens shows they are not serious about tackling tax cheats. The Tories cannot be trusted on tax; time and again they protect and prioritise the wealthy and privileged minority over law abiding taxpayers. If we have learnt one lesson from the financial crisis, it is that reforms must be based on more transparency and increased access to information on all financial transactions. Labour Euro MPs support, alongside 25 out of 27 EU member states, the introduction of automatic data-sharing in the fight against tax evasion. The wider public can judge for themselves whether the motivation for weakening global and EU efforts against tax evasion and tax havens is linked to the fact that major Tory party donors benefit from non-transparent tax status."  Email us what you think to:- news24@southportreporter.com.