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Teens grab a jab at Hugh Baird college

8 October 2021
Martin Driver
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Categories: Front Page, Latest News, Uncategorized

Reece - one of the Hugh Baird College students vaccinated at a recent pop up clinicOver 130 students and staff took the opportunity to ‘grab a jab’ at recent, pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinics at Hugh Baird College.

The vaccination team set up a clinic inside the Balliol Road campus in Bootle, before later arriving on the COVID-19 vaccination bus at the college’s south Sefton campus in Litherland.

Latest

The sessions were aimed at encouraging teenagers to get their vaccine as early as possible and were the latest in a series of pop-up clinics across Sefton. Others have including events at at the Port of Liverpool, the Waterloo Festival, Seaforth Village Surgery and Asda in Bootle. The Hugh Baird College college sessions were Led by Seaforth and Litherland Primary Care Network (PCN) with the support of NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

Young people aged 16 and over are now able to get their COVID-19 vaccines at sites across Sefton.

People can find a walk-in vaccination site or to book a COVID-19 vaccination appointment when they are eligible,  by visiting  www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/

Enthusiastically

Dr Ken Lamden, COVID-19 vaccine programme coordinator, who was vaccinating patients on site said: “Of the total 133 patients vaccinated at Hugh Baird college, 85% were under 20 years old. It was really positive to see that teenagers in Sefton are so enthusiastically picking up the baton as the latest group of people eligible to get their vaccine.

“With students, we typically see more women than men coming forward for their vaccines, so it was really positive to see so many young men at the college stepping up and getting their jabs.

“It’s great to see that teenagers across our communities are taking responsibility for protecting not just themselves but their families and classmates alike.”

Real danger

James Bradbury, 16, a Hugh Baird College student who got his COVID-19 vaccination at the pop-up clinic at the Balliol Road campus said: “I came to get my COVID jab because it’s better to be safe than sorry. My mum has asthma so she’s vulnerable. If I were to catch COVID-19 then she would catch it and she would be in real danger.

“I was just told about the pop-up in my class, so I thought I’d come and get it out of the way, get it done.

“You’d usually have to get a vaccination appointment sorted out and that would discourage some people because that’s more effort. But the pop-ups are no effort really, just come to the building and get it done.”

For more information on the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Sefton, visit the CCG websites: www.southseftonccg.nhs.uk / www.southportandformbyccg.nhs.uk

 

Mersey Care gets animated in its support for World Mental Health Day

8 October 2021
Martin Driver
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Categories: Essential Sefton, Front Page, Latest News

Mersey Care is supporting this year’s World Mental Health Day, on Sunday 10th October by launching two new animations to help guide people to services if they are concerned by their mental health.

This year’s theme for World Mental Health Day is mental health in an unequal world, which was chosen as inequalities impact negatively on people’s mental health.

The two short animations aims to help support people after the challenge of the past 18 months.

The first animation talks about what you can expect if you,  or someone you know, might be experiencing a mental health crisis.

The second animation is to help support your mental wellbeing by talking about the NHS’s 5 Steps to Wellbeing.

The 5 Steps to Wellbeing are a set of five activities that have been proven to help boost our mental wellbeing if we practice them regularly. they are:

  1. Keep learning
  2. Take notice
  3. Connect
  4. Give
  5. Be active.

Mersey Care also has a range of self help guides on and apps which cover a wide range of topics.

Find out more.

Dr Noir Thomas, Mersey Care’s Medical Director said “While it’s important to remember mental health issues need to be addressed all year around, events like World Mental Health Day do raise awareness and give us the chance to highlight some of the help, advice and services we offer.

“We hope everyone enjoys the animations but realises they are sharing important messages to help those who need it.”

Lack of Government funding will widen gaps rather achieve levelling up warns Sefton Council Leader

8 October 2021
Martin Driver
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Categories: Front Page, Latest News, Sefton Council
Cllr Ian Maher
Council Leader Cllr Ian Maher

Sefton Council leader, Cllr Ian Maher has responded to a forecast by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) that Council tax could need to rise by up to 5% a year for the next three years.

Cllr Maher told yesterday’s Sefton Council Cabinet meeting that if the Government continued to push social care costs on to local authorities and rely on Council Tax rises to fund vital local; services, it would widen disparities between area rather than achieve any levelling up.

Forecast

The IFS forecast says said under government spending plans, a rise of at least 3.6% on council tax bills will be needed annually to keep services at pre-pandemic levels. But the report says rises of up to 5% are likely owing to extra cost pressures and demand on councils. are more likely to see bills rise by up to 5% through to 2024/25.

Additionally, the IFS claimed the government’s recently-announced social care policies will cost £5 billion a year in the long term, which is almost three times the funding that has been allocated over the next three years.

England’s councils face almost £8 billion of extra cost pressures of by 2024/25 just to keep vital local services running at today’s levels, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned.

The LGA’s analysis says the £8 billion figure is about addressing new pressures councils will face in the next three years. It does not include what it calls ‘the very real pressures that councils are facing here and now such as paying care workers a fair wage or investing in the early intervention services which help families and young people falling into crisis’.

Hardest hit

Cllr Maher said: “As the country emerges from the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic and areas such as Sefton that have been among the hardest hit, start to recover, we are facing enormous financial pressures.

“These are a result of a legacy of Government cuts and then a failure of ministers to provide sufficient support during rh pandemic, despite their claims at the beginning of this crisis, that they would do “whatever it takes” to support communities.

“It is now becoming clear that the government’s plan for tackling existing pressures and the growing costs of social care is through Council Tax and the new social care precept.

“As the research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the LGA have shown this is going to leave people facing significant rises in Council tax at the same time as they are having to deal with increasing household fuel costs, rising prices in the shops and the Government’s £20 per week cut in Universal Credit uplift yesterday.”

In a recent letter to Sefton residents Cllr Maher wrote: ‘we’ve always managed our budget to the highest standard despite having to make over £233m of savings over the last 10 years’.

Demand

In his letter, Cllr Maher said that all councils had seen a rise in demand for services as well as a drop in income from fees and charges and reductions in council tax and business rates and that Sefton Council had been calling on Government for months to deliver the resources needed to provide vital support and services to residents.

He wrote: ‘The Government will have you believe that they are making £1 billion of funding available for local authorities for social care. What they won’t tell you is that £700 million of that comes from allowing councils to increase Council Tax’.

Safeguarding

Cllr Maher called on the Government to make safeguarding vital local services for the long term, a priority for the Chancellor’s Spending Review later this month.

He said: “If Minsters have any real commitment to levelling up society, as they keep claiming, providing robust and sustained funding for our services needs to be at the heart of it, rather than relying on people in already hard-hit areas to foot the bill themselves.

“We are already building back in Sefton but if the government doesn’t support us with long-term investment Boris Johnson’s claims this week to be building back better will be seen as nothing more than political posturing and sloganeering.”

People in Sefton warned to beware of NHS COVID pass criminals

8 October 2021
Martin Driver
No comments
Categories: Front Page, Health, Latest News, Uncategorized

Poster warning people about COVID Pass fraudSefton Council is reminding resident to beware of criminals using the NHS COVID Pass to get people to hand over money or their financial details and secret passwords.

Available in electronic form or on paper or via the NHS App, an NHS COVID Pass shows a person’s coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination details or test results. This is their COVID-19 status. They may be needed to travel abroad, or at events and venues in England that ask for proof of COVID-19 status.

Free

An NHS COVID Pass is free and details of how to get one can be found on the NHS website at www.nhs.uk/nhscovidpass or by calling 119.

However, criminals are targeting people and sending fake text messages, emails and making phone calls pretending to be from the NHS, offering fake vaccine certificates for sale online and through social media.

They are using these methods to get people to hand over money, or to reveal financial details and personal information, which they then use to empty their bank accounts.

Alert

Margaret Jones, Sefton Council’s Director of Public Health said: “It’s important that we all remember the NHS App is free, the NHS COVID Pass is free, and that the NHS will NEVER ask for payment or any financial details.

“If you are contacted by phone, text or email by someone claiming they can offer you a pass or the App, and asking for money, you should not respond or share important personal information such as bank details or passwords.

“And you should be alert to links and attachments in unexpected text messages or emails, which may corrupt your device and steal your information.”

Suspect

Mrs Jones went on to encourage anyone who has any information relating to NHS COVID Pass or vaccine certificate fraud to report it.

She said: “If you receive a call and suspect it to be fraudulent, hang up straight away. If you are suspicious about an email, forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk and make sure you do not open any links or attachments.

She continued:  “If you are suspicious about a text message, you can forward it free to 7726, and if you think you’re the victim of a fraud, report it to Action Fraud as soon as possible by visiting actionfraud.police.uk or calling 0300 123 2040.

“Any information relating to NHS COVID Pass or vaccine certificate fraud you can be reported 100% anonymously to Crimestoppers online at covidfraudhotline.org or by phoning 0800 587 5030.”

Sefton Council celebrates Black History Month 2021

6 October 2021
Amy Hitchmough
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Categories: Front Page, Latest News, Your Sefton

During this Black History Month Sefton Council will be celebrating the incredible history, achievements and contributions of black people in our communities and across Merseyside.

Throughout the month, we will also be shining a light on some of the people and organisations who are striving for equality and diversity in our Borough. This includes an update about the Council’s joint work with the Liverpool City Region’s Combined Authority, to drive the race equality agenda across the whole City Region.

There are a range of exciting events happening across the Borough, some of which are based on this year’s national campaign ‘Proud to be’, which encourages people from our black communities to share their own personal and unique stories.

We’ll be keeping people updated about these activities but to kick off, here are a few to highlight;

Sefton Libraries

Sefton Council will be hosting a series of library events during half term. Aimed at young people, the sessions will open up conversations around Black history. Children will be encouraged to think about who they are, where they come from, their heritage and how they are ‘Proud to be’.

Parents can sign up for their children to join one of two groups — one in Crosby Library, and one in Bootle. Both events are free, but booking is essential to help manage numbers.

Please email nwokoarts@gmail.com with any questions. Drinks and snacks will be provided, please bring a pack lunch for the longer sessions. Parents are welcome to stay to join the session if they would like too.

 

Bootle Library

 Saturday 16th October 11:00 am – 12:00pm, Introduction

Join workshop leader Maria Paul to take part in some icebreaker games and to meet the rest of your group.

Monday 25th October 11:00 – 2:00 pm, ​​What is in a name? 

​​What is in a name? We will creatively explore our names and where they originate from, investigating their meaning and celebrating the richness and diversity of our names.

Tuesday 26th October 11:00 – 1:00 pm, ​​Mask Making 

Our final session will be an African mask making session, using the origins of our names as inspiration for what we make. Afterwards, we will engage in a movement session and small performance wearing our masks.

To book tickets and find out more information, visit the event page.

 

Crosby Library

Saturday 23th October 11:00 am – 12:00pm, Introduction

Join workshop leader Maria Paul to take part in some icebreaker games and to meet the rest of your group.

​​Wednesday 27th October 11:00 – 2:00 pm, What is in a name?

​​What is in a name? We will creatively explore our names and where they originate from, investigating their meaning and celebrating the richness and diversity of our names.

Thursday 28th October 11:00 – 1:00 pm, ​​Mask Making

Our final session will be an African mask making session, using the origins of our names as inspiration for what we make. Afterwards, we will engage in a movement session and small performance wearing our masks.

To book tickets and find out more information, visit the event page.

 

Southport against Racism Community Event

The Southport Against Racism Community Group are holding a fun-packed event entitled ‘Proud to be Black in Southport’. The event brings communities together to enjoy artists and talent from across the Borough with performances including music, poetry and spoken word.

The event will take place on Saturday 30th October at Greenbank High School, Southport.

To register for free tickets, people can visit www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/proud-to-be-black-in-southport-tickets-184136746967

People can stay up to date and get involved by joining the event group ‘Southport Against Racism’ on Facebook.

Black History Month in Schools

Black History Month magazine has sent 500 resource packs to UK schools which include information about key moments in Black British History and a wide variety of lesson plans. People can find the resource packs by visiting www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk

Cllr Trish Hardy, Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing at Sefton Council, said:

“We are proud to be celebrating our black communities throughout Black History Month and beyond. As a council, we are incredibly grateful for the contributions black people continue to make to not only our Borough, but across the UK.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how black people across our Borough are ‘proud to be’ and to continue conversations on how we can build a stronger, more united society.”

 

Catherine Ross, the editor of Black History Month UK, said: “It’s been a challenging time for many black and brown people, with so much in the media about racism, inequality and injustice. We wanted the theme of Black History Month 2021 to focus on celebrating being black or brown, and to inspire and share the pride people have in their heritage and culture – in their own way, in their own words.”

 

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