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May the Force be
with you! Star Wars' R2D2 drops into Southport disability centre
SCREEN legend Kenny Baker,
who played robot R2D2 in the Star Wars films, made an appearance at
the Sandpipers respite holiday centre in Southport on Wednesday, 2
May 2012.
Kenny’s visit was the highlight of Vitalise’s inaugural Sci-fi Week
at the Sandpipers centre.
Kenny, who gave life to the trusty R2D2 robot in all six of the
blockbuster Star Wars movies to date, spent the evening at the
centre answering questions from the guests, signing autographs and
posing for photographs.
In keeping with the Star Wars theme, Kenny was escorted on stage by
a fully costumed Imperial Storm Trooper from the 99th Garrison Star
Wars costuming group.
Commenting on his visit to Sandpipers, Kenny Baker said:- "It
was a pleasure to be invited to Sandpipers to help them celebrate
their very first Sci-fi Week, and great to meet the guests and find
out at first hand about the fantastic work Vitalise does. I hope
this week is the first of many, since everyone was having such a
great time. The Force is most certainly with Sandpipers - and long
may it continue!"
The people with disabilities and carers taking much-needed breaks at
Sandpipers during Sci-fi Week are being treated to an exciting
schedule of science and science-fiction related excursions and
activities during their stay.
The accessible attractions visited have included Jodrell Bank
Observatory and Spaceport Visitor Centre, where the guests were able
to take an amazing journey through our universe at the centre’s
Oasis in Space adventure.
Screenings of classic sci-fi films, including the Star Wars saga,
have been laid on to complement the week’s activities.
Darren Holloran, General Manager of Vitalise Sandpipers, said:-
"We were over the moon when Kenny graciously accepted our
invitation to drop into Sandpipers for our first ever Sci-fi Week.
He is an absolute legend and was a huge hit with the guests.
Sci-fi Week epitomises what Vitalise is all about. We refuse to
accept disability as a barrier and pride ourselves on giving people
with disabilities and carers opportunities to see and try new
things. We want them to have the kind of unforgettable experiences
that anyone else would expect from a good holiday; and Kenny has
certainly provided 1!
I'd like to thank Kenny for providing the highlight of Sci-fi Week
and I hope he will come to see us again 1 day."
Vitalise is a national charity providing essential breaks for people
with disabilities and carers. Vitalise provides its short breaks,
with 24-hour nursing care on-call and personal support, at
Sandpipers and 2 other accessible UK centres, all offering a wide
range of activities and excursions.
Can you help find next of kin of
Gary Broom?
LIVERPOOL Coroner's Office
are appealing for information on the whereabouts of the next of kin
of a 46 year old man from Tuebrook. Paul Gary Broom, who is also
known as John, of Newsham Drive, died on Tuesday, 1 May 2012. Mr
Broom's next of kin, or anyone who knows of their whereabouts, is
asked to call Liverpool Coroner's Office on:- 0151 225 5067. |
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Spitting has
come top of a poll to discover which bad habits are found to be the
most ghastly
35% of respondents placed
spitting at the top of the list while 73% positioned it in the worst
3. Using somebody else’s toothbrush and not telling them was branded
as the most disgusting habit by 25% of people, coming 2nd in the
poll, with nose picking in 3rd (17%). Flatulence (12%), bad
language (7%), belching (2%), biting nails (2%) and thumb sucking
(0.3%) made up the rest of the list.
The survey, which questioned more than 1,000 members of the public,
was conducted by the British Dental Health Foundation ahead of
National Smile Month, a campaign to improve the UK’s oral health in
2012. In addition to using somebody else’s toothbrush and not
telling them being the second biggest pet peeve with respondents,
49% found it nasty enough to rank it amongst their top 3.
Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, Dr Nigel
Carter said he was surprised the attitudes against borrowing
toothbrushes were not higher, especially as it was one of few on the
list which could cause illness and disease. "Borrowing
somebody else’s toothbrush leaves people susceptible to all sorts of
oral and general health problems. There are many hundreds of
different bacteria and viruses in the mouth and people sharing a
toothbrush could be passing these on to others. Whilst this might be
something relatively harmless, such as a common cold or cold sore,
if either person is infected with hepatitis B or HIV these could
also be passed on via the toothbrush with life threatening
consequences.
People need to take good care of their toothbrush, changing it once
every 3 months, and not letting anyone else borrow it."
Dr Carter added:- "What people may not realise when looking
through this list is how many of these bad habits could go on to
affect their oral health. Nail biting could result in chipped
teeth, gum trauma and a reduction in the enamel. An acid reflux from
belching could cause dental erosion while thumb sucking can affect
the position of the teeth, misaligning the jaw bone over time,
resulting in unpleasant and costly corrective treatment.
Kicking bad habits can often not be easy but in this case they may
be crucially important to achieving better oral and overall health."
National Smile Month, which runs from 20 May to 20 June 2012, is being
supported by a record number of sponsors including Listerine,
Wrigley and Oral-B, and encourages everyone to follow three basic
rules for great oral health throughout life:-
► Brush your teeth for 2 minutes twice a day with a fluoride
toothpaste;
► Cut down on how often you have
sugary foods and drinks;
► Visit your dentist regularly, as
often as they recommend.
National Smile Month is also promoting a water saving message in
2012. By visiting
smilemonth.org everyone can
find out more about the campaign, including details on this year's
official symbol; the 'Smiley'.
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