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Merseyside Police Officer
awarded Queen's Police Medal
MERSEYSIDE Police Chief Constable Andy
Cooke has congratulated Detective Constable Tracy O'Hara after she attended
Buckingham Palace to be awarded the Queen's Police Medal (QPM) for distinguished
services to Policing, on Thursday, 7 December 2017. Detective Constable O'Hara
was recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours, in June 2017. She has been a
Police Officer in Merseyside since 1996, working within both Uniformed Policing
and a number of specialist investigative roles. Alongside this, Tracy is
the Chair of the Merseyside Police Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT)
Staff Support Network and Co-Chair of the National Police LGBT Network.
The Chief Constable said:- "I'm absolutely delighted to see Tracy awarded
such a major honour. This is a reflection of how highly we regard her and how
much we appreciate her hard work, dedication and commitment to the people of
Merseyside. Tracy is a key figure within the Merseyside LGBT+ community and
beyond, promoting strong relationships with the Police Service nationally and
internationally, whilst ensuring that Merseyside Police is a diverse
organisation to work for. It is wonderful to see professional and passionate
Police Officers recognised nationally for their services to the community in
such a prestigious way. Over the years I have been humbled by the 'can do'
attitude of the Officers and their commitment to providing the people of
Merseyside with a professional Police Service. They all have the utmost respect
of their colleagues, and demonstrate their tenacity, integrity and
professionalism on a daily basis. Everyone in Merseyside should be proud of them
as their work and conduct reflect so well on us all."
Local charity calls for urgent action
to help disabled people and their families due to increasing poverty
REVITALISE has responded to the new
study from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), UK Poverty 2017, in calling for
urgent financial support for disabled people in poverty. Revitalise, which runs
the Sandpipers centre in Southport, providing respite breaks for disabled people
and carers from the region, has already noted increasing demand for hardship
support in recent years.
As a result, Revitalise has increased its funding support to help those facing
increasing hardship and poverty by around 400% in the past 5 years. By the
end of January 2018, Revitalise will have provided funding in excess of
₤650,000, helping over 1,300 people in financial hardship take much needed
breaks with the charity.
Revitalise has also responded with concern to the report's finding that families
in poverty are disproportionately affected by social isolation and
'relationship distress.' The charity is reasserting its call for more support for disabled
people and carers; especially in the form of regular respite; in order to
alleviate the damaging effects of isolation and loneliness and prevent costly
interventions, increasing the pressure on the NHS and local authority social
care, if the relationship is allowed to break down.
Revitalise CEO Chris Simmonds commented:- "The media is right to focus on
the upswing in children and older people in relative poverty, but let's not
forget that the most vulnerable people in society are also disproportionately
affected.
It is extremely concerning to find 30% of households with disabled members
living in poverty; that's 50% more than households unaffected by disability.
We are working hard to make our contribution to combating this and our financial
support for respite breaks for those experiencing hardship has increased
4 fold over the past 5 years in response to increasing demand, but clearly
more needs to be done in terms of statutory support. JRF's research also reveals a clear link between poverty and a disproportionate
strain on relationships.
Relationships between disabled people and carers are already under huge stress
and support must be in place before they reach breaking point. ½ of our
guests told us that a break with us could have or did prevent their relationship
from breaking down.
According to Carers UK, unpaid carers save the UK economy ₤132 billion each
year. As long as disabled people and carers continue to live in poverty, with
all the accompanying problems this brings, the cost to society down the line
will be huge if we allow relationships to break down."
In order to address the problem of isolation and loneliness among disabled
people, Revitalise's Christmas Appeal is raising funds for the Revitalise
Support Fund, which provides support for disabled people and carers in financial
hardship, enabling them to take much-needed breaks with the charity. More
information can be found on the charity's
website.
Revitalise is a national charity providing respite holidays for disabled people
and carers, combining 24 hour nurse led care with a real holiday experience, at
Sandpipers and 2 other accessible holiday centres in Chigwell and Southampton.
Each centre offers a wide range of accessible activities and excursions in a
holiday environment.
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½
of adults in the North West admit to overspending on food at Christmas
50% of adults in the North West admit
to spending too much on food at Christmas, according to a new nationwide poll by
ComRes for charity Christian Aid about festive charitable giving and food waste
habits.
The poll also revealed:-
► Of those in the North West who admitted to overspending on food at Christmas,
50% say they would overspend by up to ₤50, and 20% by ₤50 to ₤100.
► People of the North West most likely to say they bin Brussel sprouts (13%),
Christmas pudding (12%) and cranberry sauce (9%) from the Christmas dinner.
► 43% of people in the North West said they're more likely to help those less
fortunate at Christmas than at other times of the year.
The poll is published as Christian Aid launches stop motion film:- 'Oh
What A Waste,' using real food from the traditional Christmas dinner, combined with
a unique version of The Twelve Days of Christmas, to highlight the vast quantity
of edibles the UK public throws away every year.
The statistics used in the film are based on existing research and include 70
million mince pies, 4 million puddings and 2 million turkeys. The film is
part of the charity's annual Christmas Appeal, and is encouraging people to save
their money this Christmas and spend it on food that really matters; waste
less, save money and save lives.
For every pound the public give to the appeal to support people living in
poverty, the UK Government will also give a pound. That's double the support for
families struggling to feed themselves in South Sudan, meaning even more mothers
and infants under 5 in South Sudan will be saved from the life threatening
effects of malnutrition.
Eirlys Jessop, Christian Aid's Regional Coordinator for Southport, said:-
"We really hope the people of Southport enjoy Oh What A Waste as a bit of
festive fun, but that it also highlights an important issue. If we all cut back
a little on food we tuck into this Christmas, we can all save a little and waste
less. Hunger is not inevitable. There is enough food in the world to feed
everyone; yet thousands of people around the world, including South Sudan, still
go to bed hungry. The crisis in the African nation has reached unprecedented
levels, with an estimated 6 million people facing food insecurity. If left
untreated, acute malnutrition; the most extreme form of food crisis; can lead to
death. Please do share the film, waste less and donate what you can to our
Christmas Appeal; with all donations being doubled by the UK Government."
Just ₤5 could provide a cash voucher to provide enough food for a family for 4
days, and ₤10 feed a family in South Sudan for a week.
Donations made to the Christmas Appeal between 6 November 2017 and 5 February
2018 will be matched up to ₤2.7 million. The UK Government's match will fund our
work in South Sudan.
To watch Oh What A Waste visit:-
CAid.Org.UK/12Days, and to donate visit the
Christmas Appeal's
website.
Survey reveals why Brits love British
more than ever before
WITH Brexit looming, recent research
suggests Brits are turning to traditional British comfort food more than ever
before and further cementing the growing trend with 6 in 10 Liverpudlian's
saying when given the choice they would always choose a product that was made in
the UK.
The research conducted by Young's Seafood polled 2,000 adults and revealed what
Brits love so much about British food with over 60% citing the fact it is
traditional and comforting. Not only do they feel love for these dishes but
Brits even have an emotional reaction when they eat them with ½ expressing it
makes them feel good and 45% reminding them of their childhood. It's not
surprising then that 1 in 5 voted fish fingers, beans and chips as their
favourite British meal, a classic childhood dish.
A whopping 95% of Liverpudlian's agreed that family meal times are important
with Roast chicken, fish and chips and Shepherds pie, all making the top 10 line
up of favourite British meals. Over ¾ of Liverpudlian's voted
British food as the best in the world with prawn cocktail, a full roast chicken
dinner and apple and blackberry crumble voted the ultimate 3 course meal.
When it comes to cooking traditional cuisine over ¾ enjoy cooking
traditional British meals with Mum being the sole teacher at 58%, but nearly ½ having taught themselves how to rustle up these types of dishes.
A traditional meal wouldn't be complete without a British favourite, with the
survey further revealing a list of favourite British brands that include Heinz,
Warburton's, Young's Seafood and Marmite; all of which take pride of place on
kitchen tables all over the country.
A spokesperson for Young's Seafood said:- "It's great to see most Brits
would choose products made in the UK and that you still cannot beat simple
British classics like beans on toast or a fish finger sandwich. Young's have
been making delicious fish dishes here for over 200 years and are proud to be
recognised as a favourite British brand still making the only branded fish
finger in Britain."
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