Due to demand another Poverty Awareness Training course will be run on Thursday 11th August in The Shed, Francis Street, Stornoway, from 9.30am-4.30pm.

Refreshments will be provided but participants are asked to bring their own lunch.

The Poverty Awareness Training course, which is KSF matched, is delivered by NHSWI and Citizens Advice Bureaux staff who draw heavily on their knowledge of poverty issues and on their direct experience of working with individuals and groups who are experiencing poverty.  This one-day course aims to: Continue reading →

Celebrating this year’s ‘Year of the Dad’ and Men’s Health Week, a Father’s Day Treasure Hunt will be held on Saturday 18th June, starting 10am with registration from 9.30am at the Bridge Centre, Bayhead, Stornoway.

The treasure hunt will take the form of using clever pictures to scavenge for clues and is open to fathers and adult male role models with children under 10 years. Although aimed at father figures and male role models, women will also be welcome to participate

Limited spaces available – register in advance to avoid disappointment. Register by telephone: (01851) 762017 or email: lorraine.gillies1@nhs.net

www.yearofthedad.org

Are you interested in free baby massage classes in your area?

Classes will be held over a 5 week period by IAIM trained baby massage instructors and babies must be aged under 12 months.

To register your interest please contact Alison Macdonald, Senior Health Promotion Officer, (01870 602588) or email: alison.macdonald9@nhs.net

As part of the annual Men’s Health Week, a Male 7-a-side Works/Trades Football Competition has been organised to take place on Wednesday 15th June 2016 at the All Weather Pitch, Stornoway, from 6.30pm-10pm.

All players must be 16 + and currently working in the same trade or company. No more than 3 Lewis and Harris Football Association Players in One team. Cost: £10 per team, age: 16+, Max no of teams: 16 teams only.

For further information or a booking form please contact Community Sports Development Officer on 01851 822785 or email smunro@cne-siar.gov.uk

Funding was received from the Scottish Government Health and Welfare Reform Development Fund to run a pilot in the Western Isles to increase front-line staff understanding of welfare reform and health inequalities and to develop their role in mitigating against the negative impact of poverty on health outcomes.

The project aims to challenge stigma and increase awareness and knowledge of poverty issues and welfare reform amongst front-line staff. Additionally the pilot wanted to introduce routine enquiry by health staff about money worries to help them identify individuals experiencing financial hardship or crisis and to facilitate their onward referral for specialist money and welfare advice, through the introduction of a Universal Referral Form. Continue reading →

The Poverty Awareness Training course, which is KSF matched, is delivered by NHSWI and Citizens Advice Bureaux staff who draw heavily on their knowledge of poverty issues and on their direct experience of working with individuals and groups who are experiencing poverty.  This one-day course aims to

• increase participants knowledge and understanding of the relationship between poverty and inequality and how poverty impacts on individuals lives,
• enable participants to identify ways in which they can provide an effective service to people who experience poverty.

The course has been well attended each time it has been previously run with participants from the NHSWI, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Action for Children, Hebridean Housing Partnership and Tighean Innse Gall.

For further information please contact Mary Maclean, Health Promotion on 762014 or marymaclean1@nhs.net.

We all get stressed. The question is: what do you do about it?  This is the theme of Men’s Health Week 2016.

It matters because if we don’t release stress, it can turn into something more serious.

This year, one in four of us will develop a mental health problem. That is odds of 3 to 1. Or about the same as France or Germany winning the Euro 2016 football. In other words, it’s likely to happen sooner or later if we let stress build.

There are many things we can do to beat stress: exercise, sing, dance, laugh, play or listen to music, paint, write, volunteer, learn something new and lots more.

Our message to men: talk about how you beat stress, talk about what causes it. Talk to your mates, talk to your family.

The CMO (2015) 19 letter was issued in October 2015 to replace CEL (01) 2012 Health Promoting Health Service.

This followed the framework of measures communicated through 2 Chief Executive Letters (2008 and 2012) which have brought forward significant change throughout Scotland and the Western Isles.

These included the achievement of Healthy Living and Healthy Working Lives Awards, introduction of Smoke-free grounds, increased referrals to smoking cessation support and the attainment of Baby Friendly accreditation. Continue reading →

Training in mental health is continuing with sessions run for MG Alba in Stornoway and Qinetiq in Uist.  Two sessions have taken place at MG Alba and three in Qinetiq with others planned.

Line managers have a crucial role in supporting the health and wellbeing of employees, from communication, to clarity of job role, line Managers can influence the success of a team.

Three workplaces in Stornoway picked up awards for their efforts to raise awareness of health and wellbeing in their workplaces.

Western Isles Foyer and MG Alba achieved the Bronze award while the D.W.P. office in Stornoway achieved the Gold award.

These workplaces have achieved Awards for taking a number of steps to improve the health and wellbeing of their staff, such as promoting healthy eating and exercise programmes, mental health and well-being promotion, on-site smoking cessation and health and lifestyle checks.

The creation of the Scottish Rural Fuel Poverty Task Force was the result of an action point arising from the Scottish Housing Event held on 18th November 2014.

One of the action points in the Joint Delivery Plan for Housing in Scotland was for the Scottish Government to set up a specific Task Force with a remit to develop a specific set of actions relevant to rural/remote and off-gas grid properties.  Continue reading →

The Macaulay Farm’s  “Berry Good for You!” growing initiative will encourage members to engage in the expansion of an already successful outdoor vegetable growing project, which benefits both their physical and mental health and development.

The project will also feed-in to healthy eating classes, which will encourage students to eat the produce they have grown themselves.  The addition of the berry produce would further increase the College’s earned income, supporting the day to day programme of activities. All monies raised from the sale of produce will be invested directly back into the College, with the hope that further tunnels can be purchased. Continue reading →

Funding has been allocated to Western Isles Alzheimers Scotland by the NHSWI Fas Fallain project to establish a ‘grow your own’ project.  The gardening project will be in partnership with Lews Castle College and will deliver activities to users of the Solas day service and the wider community.

It is estimated that they will deliver monthly sessions from 12pm-4pm for up to 6 people and each session will be supported by an Alzheimers Scotland member of staff and 3 volunteer workers.  The sessions will take the form of a social event with a light lunch/feedback session held in the college.

The Solas Day Centre, in collaboration with Alzheimer Scotland (Lewis & Harris) and NHSWI Health Promotion Department, recently ran an event which saw Councillors Alistair Maclennan, Alasdair Macleod and Maggie Mackenzie, Hebridean Connections, Ness Historical Society and An Lanntair, all come together to provide activities to stimulate memories for the Centre’s dementia clients.

Maggie Smith offered some Gaelic conversation, gaelic songs and melodeon playing whilst Jon Macleod provided a slide show of  food-related images – and some carrageen pudding! Continue reading →

The Barra and Vatersay Agricultural and Horticultural Association last year developed and piloted a garden starter pack, which gave people step by step instructions on how to grow fresh, affordable fruit and vegetables.

It was extremely well received and so, therefore, it is to be further developed and the packs made available to the most vulnerable groups in the community – single parents and those on a low income. The packs will be accompanied by ‘learning to grow’ workshops to help people get maximum benefit from the packs.

Bùth Bharraigh is a community owned local produce shop and bakery, providing local residents and tourists the opportunity to purchase fresh, healthy and beautiful items from eco-friendly local producers and suppliers.

The shop is currently trading, with over 50 local producers supplying items for the shop, including meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, home baking, paintings, photos, crafts, jewellery, and knitwear. 80% of money received through sales goes directly back to local  producers.

The shop is run by volunteers in order to keep overheads down and only charges 20% commission to cover the bare minimum running costs.

The Tagsa Uibhist Horticultural Project, established in 2011 with funding from LEADER, acts as an extension of the already established Mental Health Project.

It does so by providing an outlet for people with mental health and/or addiction issues (the therapeutic benefits of gardening and growing plants are well documented) and the Local Food for Local People project commenced in April 2015. Continue reading →

The Western Isles Learning Shop in partnership with Shared Roots held their annual Accreditation Ceremony in the Stornoway Town Hall on Thursday 31st March, with over 100 learners, family and friends in attendance.

Certificates were presented to all learners from the Learning Shop, Grow2work and Failte Café by Councillor Charlie Nicolson. Continue reading →