WEST BERKSHIRE ALZHEIMER’S SOCIETY ANNUAL OPEN MEETING – BAPTIST CHURCH

I was invited to attend the Annual Open Meeting of the West Berkshire Branch of the Alzheimer’s Society at the Baptist Church in Cheap Street, Newbury on the Thursday 27 September 2007.
I met the acting Chairperson, Gill Brown who is the Branch Co-ordinator. She gave the annual report which stated that it had been a busy year but they had achieved a great deal. The development work had expanded to include Art for the Brain and the Gentle Exercise group. Fundraising continued despite the resignation of their fundraising and marketing officer and they are now anxious to recruit a replacement.
On the campaigning front she stated that dementia cost the country some £17 billion year and that there are some 7000 people in Berkshire suffering from dementia and this is estimated to rise to 9500 by 2021. She thanked and praised all the volunteers who had given their time and effort over the year.
The treasurer gave his report and stated it had been an excellent year for the Branch, partly due to a generous legacy. This would ensure that the salaries would be funded for a few more years.
The AGM concluded by a talk by Dr Stephen Gentleman, Reader in Experimental Neuropathology at Imperial College, London.

BERKSHIRE BLIND SOCIETY ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – ST.GEORGES CENTRE

I was invited to attend the Blind Society AGM at the St. Georges Centre at Wash Common on the afternoon of 25 September. When I arrived, I saw the hall was almost full and including the Mayors of Thatcham and Hungerford.
The AGM followed its usual pattern with reports on the years progress and the financial situation After the business aspects, there was musical entertainment. I noted that there were members from most of the towns in West Berkshire in groups together on separate tables and I joined the Newbury group. Amongst them was Florrie Marx, the widow of Frank Marx who had been one of the Town Council macebearers. Although partially sighted, she manages to get around reasonably well and she often attends civic functions and is a regular attendee of the
Remembrance Sunday parade and service.
I am always pleased to attend these functions as it indicates that there are a great number of kind, caring and thoughtful people who care for the disadvantaged in the Town, who do this caring without any thought of reward. The delight on the faces of those attending is always a wonderful reflection of what they think of being looked after.

VISIT TO NAOMI HOUSE CHILDREN’S HOSPICE

Edwina Cooper and I were invited to attend one of the Open Days at Naomi House in Sutton Scotney and we drove down there on Friday 21 September. Neither of us had visited and we were anticipating an interesting afternoon. On arrival we were greeted by members of staff, some of whom were volunteers and had our photographs taken, presumably for publicity purposes. The main building is modern, single storey purpose built and in a crescent shape which allows all the rooms to look out over a landscaped attractive garden with a pond.
We were taken on a guided tour by one of the staff who had been there only a relatively short time. Wherever we went, she enlisted the aid of a member of staff who was in attendance in each room and was therefore able to describe in detail the purpose and facilities in each room.
There was a specific route which we followed as this was the method of getting the best out of the visit. On the floor is marked with pink feet to follow as the main tour route so we could not get lost if we were on our own. The first room we saw was the play room. It was extremely tidy with games and toys neatly stacked on shelves and rather like a miniature version of Hamley’s. The next and largest room was the dining room and lounge where everyone sits down and eats and relaxes. This was followed by the music, computer and art/craft room, all of which are used to allow the resident children to have fun and stimulation.
We walked outside into the beautifully maintained garden with its pond and then back inside to the hydrotherapy pool. It is equipped with an array of hoists and supports so that the resident children of varying capabilities can relax and enjoy the warm water.
We were then taken into the butterfly suite which is used by families when their child has ended its life. There they can stay with their child for as long as they like. This room is complemented by a quiet garden adjacent to it and the dovecote where families can meet the bereavement team. We were also shown the families accommodation in a 2 storey annex.
As a finale to the tour, we were given details of a future project to build accommodation for older children up to the age of 25. Currently the facilities are geared up for young children and the new scheme will enable older children to be looked after, with different and more complex conditions to be catered for. The project will cost in the region of £12 Million.
We left Naomi House with the thought that children with limited life expectancy would be given the best possible care and love while there. It is a charity which future Mayors could consider during their term as being extremely worthwhile.


(Afternote: It was recently announced that they had received a £6 Million bequest towards the new facility. Naomi House must be delighted.)

BUSINESS TRAINING SOLUTIONS NVQ CELEBRATION EVENING

I was pleased to be invited to attend a second presentation event in one day, because it is a great opportunity to see so many people being rewarded for their achievements. This event was organised by Business Training Solutions, one of the top training providers in the country, and their student were mainly school’s Teaching Assistants from local schools in the area who had been studying for NVQ qualifications which would make them fully fledged Teaching Assistants.
As I said in my speech, the students were to be congratulated not just for achieving their NVQ qualification, but most of them had to learn in their spare time as well as working during the day and supporting their own families. All the candidates who started finished the course with no-one dropping out, which indicates how dedicated they were to the coursework and to achieving success.
It was a splendid evening and apart from presenting the certificates, I was able to speak to most of the candidates afterwards. I also congratulated Margo McIver, Director of Business Training Solutions and her assistant Margaret Young for their 100% success with their candidates.

WELLBEING IN THE OLDER COMMUNITY, FAIRCLOSE DAY CENTRE

I was invited to the launch of a new project Wellbeing in the Older Community at Fairclose on the afternoon of 18 September.
A 15 minute presentation revealed that a new scheme, organised by Age Concern, Reading and supported by the West Berkshire Partnership, would give help to the more vulnerable older people in West Berkshire in a number of ways in order to help them maintain an independent lifestyle in their own homes. Services would include help with gardening such as grass and hedge cutting, home cleaning and a minibus service to supermarkets. These services would incur a charge.
Those who would be interested should contact the Service Co-ordinator Ray Reeves on 0791 771 8588 or Age Concern Berkshire on 0118 959 4242.
This is a really worthwhile project which should help the elderly keep their independence as long as possible and I would commend it.

ANNUAL EMPLOYERS AWARDS CEREMONY

I was invited to the Annual Awards ceremony at Shaw House on 18 September by EBP (Education Business Partnership) West Berkshire Chief Executive, Amanda Richards. This organisation gives young students the opportunity of work experience with local firms. I noted that Richard Benyon MP was among the invited guests, as well as the firms who had assisted EBF in finding work with the firms.
Amongst the employers who received awards were Boki Florists, Imago Ltd and Copyshop, as well as the heavyweights Vodafone and Barclays.
In addition to Amanda Richard thanking all the employers for their valuable efforts, Mr J Slevin who currently works at Park House School, indicated that those who were on work experience had found it very useful and they would be more confident about approaching an employer for work. Stuart Robinson concluded the presentation by also praising the various employers in the Newbury area for their work in allowing students to undergo work experience and related activities. He is currently the EBP Board Chairman.
I was very pleased to have had the opportunity to present the certificates at the ceremony.

THE ROYAL COUNTY OF BERKSHIRE SHOW

It is a fun day at the Agriculture Show each year as there is always new things to see and do there. This year was disappointing that due to the foot and mouth incidents in Surrey, there was a ban on the movement of cattle and sheep and therefore there were none at the show. Edwina and I were really saddened to see the empty enclosures with just cardboard cutouts of animals to indicate the plight of the breeders.
We headed for the Newbury Weekly News marquee as we were invited to a late breakfast. I declined the champagne and opted for tea and a bacon sandwich served by the Chairman’s PA and staff, and sat down with Richard Benyon with Zoe with their baby son. We also talked with the Chairman of the NWN group Jeremy Willis and John Hampton, the MD. It was a very popular watering hole and we were very grateful for the hospitality shown by the NWN. The Show is a great occasion because you often meet those people you have not seen for ages. One such couple was Doctors Wyn and Maria Anderson. Wyn is the senior medical officer at AWE Aldermaston and Maria worked for Newdocs when it was in existence. They were providing the medical cover and she said the only casualty was from a wasp sting. We toured around the show and stopped at many of the charity stalls including the Lifeboats. We spent a fair amount of time in the craft marquee and then into the food tent. We are so lucky to live in the 21st century as there is such a wealth of different foods from a wide of countries and cultures. The stands were well patronised and we were both drooling as we left the marquee to go to the display ring to see the JCB Dancing Diggers. The manoeuvrability of the diggers and the skills of the drivers was remarkable. There was not a scratch of paintwork on any of them at the end of the performance.
We left the Show soon afterwards and we both agreed it was a good Show and we would return next year.