Newsletter
Extracts from the December 2005 Newsletter
Opening Words
Season’s Greetings
Best wishes from the Group.
We have yet to plan more fundraising events for next year apart from the annual Quiz. The date for your diary is 12 July 2006 at the Duke’s Head Hotel, King’s Lynn.
We have had some tips for raising money from the National Society. See what you think of these.
Abseiling, Aerobic-a-thon, After Dinner Games, Black Tie Ball, Beard Shaving, Carnival, Clay Pigeon Shooting, Dog Show, Darts Night, Easter Egg Hunt, Easy Cooking Lessons, Film Premiere, Go-Karting, Gladiators, Head Shave, Horse Show, It’s a Knockout, Jailbreak, Karaoke, Knobbly Knee Contest, Lawn Mowing, Lilo Races, Murder Mystery, Netball Tournament, Obstacle Course, Photo Competition, Quiz Nights, Rag Week, Read-a-thon, Skittles Match, Skeleton Games, Teddy Bears’ Picnic, University Challenge, Vegetable-eating Competition, Window Cleaning, X-ray Competition, Yoga Marathon, Zany Ideas.
What lively people there are out there. We need never ask for suggested ideas again!
But something we are good at is thanking people and it’s nearly time for our January Social. Roger Lines and his clarinet group The Norfolk Reeds will provide the entertainment and we are encouraging our members to come, bring a friend and a plate of food. This has always worked very well in the past. This is our opportunity to thank all those people who have helped us during the year.
Many thanks to all of you who continue to support by purchasing the Newsletter, by buying cards, making tea and all the one hundred and one other jobs you do.
We have more plans for the future. 2006 is our Tenth Birthday Year and we intend to make it our Valuing Members Year.
Merry Christmas. Keep warm and well.
From our Secretary, Edith Finbow
New Roadshows & Scanning Days for 2006
Next Osteoporosis Roadshow
Swaffham Community Centre, Campingland
Saturday 8 April 2006
We have now held two more of our Osteoporosis Roadshows: Wisbech on 24 September 2005 and Downham Market on 29 October 2005.
We want to alert more people to the fact that this ‘silent’ disease is increasing rather than diminishing. Now it is known that 1 in 2 women and 1 in 5 men over the age of 50 in the UK will break a bone through bone loss due to osteoporosis. We feel our Roadshows are helping to highlighting this.
Nearly 100 people attended the Wisbech Roadshow and nearly 250 the Downham Market one.
Future Roadshows will follow the same format. Publicity will be in the local press and posters will be displayed in local villages.
At each future event there will be about 10 to 12 stalls. As well as information and small items for sale from the National Osteoporosis Society, there will be a variety of complimentary therapies and local information givers. The latter, in most cases, will be the Local Information Support Team (LIST), Care and Repair, Community Policing focusing on personal and home security, Smoking Cessation and Arthritis Care. Some changes will be made according to availability.
Also at each event there will be Speaker Sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The talks will cover What is osteoporosis?, interviews with people Living with Osteoporosis, Nutrition and an exercise demonstration.
Wrist scanning for 30 people will also be available.
This format has worked well in Wisbech and Downham Market. The exercise at Wisbech was led by Pat Reilly with Active for Life exercises and at Downham by James Wong with a t’ai chi demonstration.
Next Roadshow: Swaffham, Norfolk
The next of the Roadshows will be held in Swaffham at the Community Centre, Campingland, Beech Close on Saturday 8 April 2006. The last one will be in Burnham Market — no arrangements for this have yet been agreed.
Forthcoming Events & Plans
See our Diary Dates for more.
LA Fitness
The Group has been given a substantial prize from LA Fitness. This is a 3-month free pass to the LA Fitness gym in King’s Lynn, starting from the end of January 2006 and is worth £99.
Jill and Edie have been working with LA Fitness recently, leading to a display for World Osteoporosis Day on 20 October 2005, a talk on 18 November 2005 and general discussions with several of those attending the Prime Time classes.
Exercise
We know exercise is important for building and keeping strong bones. LA Fitness is probably providing exercises more suitable to those of us who wish to prevent osteoporosis whereas Active for Life are targeting people who have already been diagnosed with osteoporosis.
Active for Life classes, at present, can only be joined through GP referral from the Heacham surgery. This is a contribution from someone who obviously is very glad she found out about the classes.
When I’m troubled with my aches and pains
It is my age I blame
But I met some people recently
Who quite put me to shameI watched a demonstration
These folk meet regularly
And do an exercise routine
At Heacham surgeryTheir ages ranged from 65
To over 83
So when it comes to birthdays
They’ve had some more than meThey obviously enjoy themselves
And strengthen bones by exercising
I must admit their stamina
Was pleasantly surprisingThe class is called “Active for Life”
And very worthwhile too
If you are over 65
It could be just the thing for you.With thanks to Doreen Reed
Funds raised
Flora Light Hydro Active Run | September 2005
Fund-raising run
Heidi Hart and Lindsey Travell.
Lindsey Travell and Heidi Hart completed the Run dressed as skeletons — and raised £220 between them.
Thank you very much girls and many thanks to those who sponsored you!
Charity Stall, Tuesday Market Place | October 2005
Unfortunately we were unlucky with the weather again. We were thoroughly rained-off after an hour of hanging on to the goods on the stall in an effort to stop them blowing away. Having decided to call it a day and gone home to dry out, of course, the sun came out and the rest of the day was beautiful. We only raised £4.10, and even that was amazing!
We are now looking at venues under cover.
Recent Group Events
X-rays & Scanning | August 2005
Tony Bennett, Senior Radiographer from the West Suffolk Hospital came to talk to the Group about X-rays and scanning. Tony is well known to several of the Group as he has been carrying out the scanning for us at each of our Scanning Days and Roadshows.
Tony spoke a little about scanning, the machine he uses and the scan reports. He then went on to talk about X-rays. These were discovered, almost by accident, by Malcolm Conrad Roentgen in 1895. They are in fact a ‘shadow picture’. The first X-ray was of his wife’s hand. This very famous X-ray clearly showed light going through the fleshy tissue with the bones distinctly shown because they blocked the light. The rest of Tony’s X-rays and explanations gave some insight into his work at the hospital.
He also mentioned that the West Suffolk Hospital has a new up-to-the-minute facility and he would be happy to take a party of about 10 or 12 people around to show them. If anybody is interested in visiting the West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, please contact the Secretary. This will be arranged in Spring 2006. Hopefully then the weather will be good. The visit would need to take place at 5 pm so as not to interfere with the work of the Nuclear Medicine Department during the day.
Homewatch | September 2005
With Autumn beckoning and thoughts turning to darker days, Ed Moss, the Homewatch Administrator for West Norfolk, was asked to talk to members about personal and home safety.
Ed advised generally on how to make your property look well cared-for and well protected. If a burglar thinks your house, shed, garage or car looks difficult to break into, the chances are he or she will look for an easier target.
With personal safety he reminded people of the need to be vigilant, notice who is around you, not to use shadowy or lonely paths, and not to leave your purse on top of your bag in full sight.
Ed had information on safety products and good ideas for general protection. Anybody who was unable to attend that meeting and who would like any more information, again please contact the Secretary.
One Man’s Rubbish | October 2005
Colin Yorke is a very talented and enthusiastic wood carver and turner. He came to show us some of the things he has made. He explained how the different colours are produced and the selection of types of wood needed for a variety of uses.
He called his talk One Man’s Rubbish. This is because he tries always to use something that another person might throw away as waste.
Colin started carving aged 17, when his parents bought him his first set of gouges. A Woodwork teacher for 30 years, he is now retired and has more time to give to his passion. He has exhibited at Pensthorpe Wildlife Carving Exhibition and created a woodland trail for Oxborough Hall.
If anyone has a tree they are chopping down, old wood with fungus on or even redundant oak fence posts, give Colin a ring (01760 721393). The chances are he can turn it into a work of art.
Peterborough Information Day
The National Osteoporosis Society (NOS) each year arranges a Regional Meeting for local support groups. Ours was held in Peterborough on Wednesday 9 November 2005. These meetings are our opportunity to meet several of the staff from Headquarters and to hear, first hand, what they are doing and why.
It is also their chance to thank us for our work and to enthuse us for the following year.
Every year we meet our colleagues from East Anglia and the Midlands, swap ideas and consider the possibility of joint events.
Membership Campaign — Jo Morris
The NOS has been looking at other charities, comparing membership fees, for example:
The NOS fee of £15 is about average.
The benefits are similar also: membership card, magazine, discounts on publications, local groups, third party benefits, annual report, and so on. The NOS wants to grow membership. Why?
- Help more people with the disease
- Stable finance, through sustainable, unrestricted funding from membership fees
- More accurately represent the prevalence of the disease, through increased market penetration
- Add credibility to campaigning and lobbying
- Help applications to statutory and voluntary sector funders.
It would be a great help if our local Group members would consider also becoming members of the National Society.
Promoting Legacy Giving
At present legacies form 25% of NOS income. If anybody is interested in finding out more the Secretary has a supply of leaflets. If any member would like a small bundle of leaflets to take for display at their solicitor’s office, this can be arranged. Your Committee members are taking information around the local funeral directors. Many people prefer to have a donation to a charity rather than flowers or wreaths at the funeral service.
Links with MPs — Nina Booth-Clibborn
Nina spoke about the Government Relations Programme. She works at Westminster and elsewhere to:
- Influence policy development
- Drive policy implementation
- Build relationships
This is never a quick fix, more like working to long-term goals. As well as visits and briefings for MPs and Peers, she has regular contact with the Department of Health. She has been working with NICE on the guidelines for treatment of people with osteoporosis. It is through her work that the government has been encouraged to promise £20 million over this and 3 more years for DEXA services. Her current work is seeking to get osteoporosis included in the new GMS (General Medical Services) contract from 2006. This is very important work at a National level.
Events Fundraising — Stephanie Bailey
Many National events are organised by Stephanie and her department, such as supporting entrants to:
- the London Marathon
- the Hydro Active
- New York Marathon
- London to Paris Cycle Challenge
And so on. There are also wholly organised events such as the Bristol Half Marathon.
There is one project that we might be able to take part in next year — the Backbone of Britain Walk. The idea is to organise walks through National Trust properties around the country. In this way people who cannot run can walk at their own pace and they won’t have to travel miles to reach the venue.
We hope to tell you more about this in our next issue.
UK Development Manager — Janet Strang
The aim of Janet’s department is to:
- Strengthen and support existing groups
- Help some struggling groups
- Establish 10 new groups across the UK
- Possibly start rural volunteers project — dependent on Age Concern funding.
Lloyds Chemist will be making the NOS their Charity of the Year 2006. We would like to link into this scheme. If any member has a contact within this chain perhaps this would help us. Please let any committee member know.
June 2006 is the NOS’s Twentieth Anniversary and there will be many celebrations but also locally in July 2006 it is the King’s Lynn & District’s Tenth Birthday.
We too have exciting plans. Watch this space in the next issue.
This day is one where we can air our views and also thank the staff at Bath for their hard work and the support they give us during the year.
