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Freshwinds is delighted with last night’s X Factor result as Syco will donate 100% of its profits from the sale of each CD single and download to Together for Short Lives, of which Freshwinds is a member. It was also announced on Sunday’s final that Government will waive VAT on sales of the X-Factor winner’s charity single by making an exceptional one-off charitable donation to Together for Short Lives.

Barbara Gelb, CEO of Together for Short Lives comments, “James Arthur’s single is fantastic and with such a talent behind it, we couldn’t have asked for a better boost for singles sales. We wish James all the luck in the world. We are also delighted that the Chancellor of the Exchequer agreed to our request for a VAT waiver. The generous waiver will mean a further 20% on top of sales. Every single bought will make a difference, and will help us continue our work to support all those who love and care for children with life-limiting conditions and their families. Our heartfelt thanks to all involved.”

Syco will donate 100% of its profits from the sale of each CD single and download to Together for Short Lives and Freshwinds is to receive a share of proceeds from James Arthur’s X Factor Winner’s Single.

Children with life-limiting conditions and their families met with David and Samantha Cameron at Number 10 on the 3rd December, at the switching-on of the Downing Street Christmas lights. They were joined by The X Factor finalists for this exciting and special event. The families all use specialist services which are supported by Together for Short Lives.

Together for Short Lives is the leading charity for UK children’s palliative care. We support those who help, love and care for children and young people who are unlikely to reach adulthood. We work with children’s hospices and a range of other services across the country to ensure that every child, young person and their family has the best possible care and support whenever and wherever they need it. From the moment of diagnosis, for whatever life holds, we help to ensure families make the most of their precious time together.

 

What people have said about The X Factor winners single supporting  such a good cause?

Steve Moralee says, “A share of the proceeds from James Arthur’s winner’s single will come to Freshwinds to help us support the children and families we work with. Your purchase will help us continue our services which are a lifeline to them.”

 

James says: “I am absolutely overwhelmed to have won The X Factor. I am lost for words. To have been be able to perform my winner’s single was just insane. I love the song and am so glad that proceeds of the single will be going to such a great cause.”

 
George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, says: “I’m delighted to be able to do my bit to help, handing the VAT back and ensuring that as much money as possible goes to the charity.”

At the annual Volunteers Awards ceremony we all stood around with baited breath, waiting to see who would win this year’s Best Community Event Award.  With so many different successful community events no one was sure which would come out on top. The silence was broken and the winner of the award was announced, the hotly contested prize would be going to Emma Loghin, Sandeep Pahal, France Quirin, Rachel Turley and Sneha Rajan for their Community Health event hosted on October 21^st at the Student Christian Movement Regional Gathering Birmingham.  They went up and proudly received their hard earned certificates, secure in the knowledge that they had achieved something special.

Speaking to the successful team after the award ceremony they all pointed at Sneha and tell of how she had done the bulk of the preparation work, liaising with the Student Christian Movement to ensure the event was as effective as possible. The whole team are far too modest, for this event was two weeks in the making and it was not luck but hard work that guaranteed their message about a healthy lifestyle was so well received.

On the day of their event the popularity of their stall surprised even them and they had a steady flow of people to talk to about health issues and give advice. Four out of the Five are Community Health Champions and they confidently talked about important issues such as healthy eating and exercise. Unsurprisingly at a largely student event the people were most responsive and shocked to the facts and advice they received about alcohol consumption. At the end of the day the team were all very tired but happy at how many people they had spoke to (around 60) and how responsive they had been.

So what does the future hold for these winners of the Best Community Event Award, well Sneha has been inspired by her knowledgeable group to become a Community Health Champion herself and together they are planning future events to continue to tackle health and well being issues across Birmingham.

If you are interested in becoming a Community Health Champion and helping to transform health and well-being in your community please contact us by email at volunteer@freshwinds.org.uk or call us on 0121 415 6670

What is Yoga and how can it help me?

Yoga is more than just exercise. It provides a holistic approach to body, mind and spirit, typically through stretching, breathing and relaxation. Yoga aims to improve our physical and emotional wellbeing, and complements any conventional treatment you may be receiving for specific medical conditions.

What is different about this yoga class?

This class is specifically tailored to the needs of those attending, and is taught by British Wheel of Yoga Teacher, Jenny Charlton. Since graduating from her degree in Complementary Therapies in 2004, Jenny has worked as a complementary therapist in hospice and palliative care settings and lecturer in Reflexology at the University of Derby. Jenny currently works for Freshwinds in the role of Complementary Therapy Coordinator.

The course consists of 10 yoga classes; however, each class stands alone so there is no need to worry about ‘catching’ up if you miss one (or more). Unfortunately we will not be able to refund payment for classes which have not been attended.

Last month, 6 families from our Parent Support Group enjoyed a great day out at Bowlplex in Five Ways. Everyone played a fun game of bowling followed by a meal thanks to kind grants from The Douglas Trust, Baron Davenport’s Charity and The Cole Charitable Trust.

The Parent Support Group is a key addition to our Children’s Programme, which provides support for children with life-limiting illnesses and their families. Throughout the year, we organise regular group outings which offer families the opportunity to socialise with others in the same situation and visit places they would not feel confident to attend on their own. Previously, the group have visited The Botanical Gardens, The Sea Life Centre and local cinemas. Next month, the group will be seeing the pantomime, Dick Whittington followed by a Christmas dinner, again supported by kind donations.

These outings are only possible through kind donations from charitable trusts, local companies and members of the public. If you would like to help support disabled children and their families to access these opportunities by enabling us to continue this service, please donate at https://freshwinds.org.uk/about-us/help-freshwinds/interested-in-donating/ or by post, or in person when you are next at our Selly Oak centre. Your contribution will help us to provide much needed respite for families and create happy memories for children suffering from terminal and long term conditions.

As the days get shorter and the temperature drops, eating comfort food and huddling indoors can seem a more tempting option than a healthy diet and exercise. Priscilla Adiewere, a volunteer research assistant in the Integrated Medicine team, brings you top tips from our Community Healthy Champions to stay healthy during the winter months.

1. Eat healthy – Eating healthy foods with lot of fruits and vegetables is crucial to boost and maintain the immune system. Remember almost all fruit and vegetables count in your 5 A Day including frozen, canned and dried varieties. Stews and casseroles are a great way to increase your vegetable intake in the winter.

2. Sleep well (Get your ZZZs) – Try and get the recommended 6-8 hours of sleep or even more. Not getting enough sleep can lower your immune system and increase your risk of getting ill.

3. Stay hydrated – Make sure you’re consuming enough water to stay hydrated. Drinking herbal tea and swapping sandwiches for a bowl of soup will increase your water consumption and help to keep you healthy.

4. Keep warm – Keep your home warm and protect yourself against the elements by wearing layers of warm clothing. In particular, make sure your head, hands and feet are sufficiently covered.

5. Stay connected/Try new activities – Socialising and exercise help strengthen the immune system and reduce stress levels. Becoming isolated can also contribute to feelings of depression.

If you follow these basic tips you should be able to keep yourself tip top for the upcoming festive season! If you would like any further information regarding the Community Health Champions, please contact Jenny on chc@freshwinds.org.uk or 0121 4156670.

Freshwinds have launched a FREE programme of complementary therapy treatments and relaxation sessions designed to help those who are HIV positive live better with the physical and emotional effects of their condition and the side effects of HIV treatments.

The programme consists of individual aromatherapy or reflexology treatments as well as group relaxation sessions. These therapy treatments can help relieve the side effects of HIV medications, such as nausea, muscle aches and severe tiredness.

For more information, please download our Optimum Well-Being Leaflet.

We are pleased to announce that in a recent audit of our advice giving processes and policies, Freshwinds has now been awarded the Advice Quality Standard. This externally verified standard is in recognition of the quality of our work and the commitment of our team to continually improve the advice services that they deliver for the residents of Birmingham. We would like to say well done to all Freshwinds FInDA staff who were involved in the audit!

Freshwinds, as lead on behalf of the Birmingham HIV Partnership, has secured £180,000 funding for the next 2 years to work with consortium partners to deliver HIV services across the city. The partnership have delivered a number of activities in the past as a group including the very successful Birmingham HIV Living Archive project which collected the stories of people living with and affected by HIV in the city of Birmingham.

The partnership of Freshwinds, ABplus, The Terrence Higgins Trust Birmingham and Barnardo’s will be delivering a joined up pathway of care and support for people with HIV including peer support, advice and information, activities, health and well-being services and many more. The partnership is seeing this successful funding application as the start of many more joint applications to develop the HIV sector further in Birmingham to meet the changing and unmet needs of the client group.

Birmingham HIV Partnership worker Dr Catherine O’Byrne said: “it is fantastic that we have been awarded this grant as it will enable the partnership to build on the success we have had in working together over the past few years. It gives the sector a real boost as we are nearing World AIDS Day”.

For more information, please contact Catherine on 0121 4156670 or Catherine@birminghamhivpartnership.org.uk

Freshwinds Institute of Integrated Medicine are offering a fantastic discount on all their complementary therapy sessions until March 2013 so don’t miss out! 

FIIM offer a number of complementary therapies at their well-being centre in Selly Oak and where possible can also arrange home visits for those unable to travel.  Therapies include acupuncture, massage, homeopathy, reiki, spiritual healing, hypnotherapy and aromatherapy and are delivered by an experienced and committed team of medical and complementary therapy practitioners.  These services can relieve the symptoms and side effects associated with a wide range of conditions (e.g. cancer, HIV, MS, COPD, motor neurone and heart disease) and provide vital support to both adults and children with life-threatening and long term illnesses.

Click the image above for more information about the services provided and the wider work of FIIM.

Freshwinds is the lead Third Sector Organisation for TB (Tuberculosis) in Birmingham. In partnership with TB Alert UK we are spearheading a pilot programme to promote awareness of TB in Birmingham. The incidence of TB is increasing and between 1987-2008 there was a 57% increase in Birmingham, making it one of the highest rates of TB in the West Midlands with 35 cases per 100,000 population (40/100,000 rate is considered to be the threshold for a “high rate area”).

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