Some of the UK’s most prolific celebrities have purchased their special bricks on The Stroke Association’s latest fundraising initiative, the virtual ‘Honour Wall’, to help raise funds for the UK’s first Life After Stroke Centre.
Queen of 80s pop, Toyah Willcox joined TV’s Adrian Chiles and film icon, Honor Blackman to buy and dedicate their bricks on the wall. Toyah said: “I’m really delighted to be able dedicate a brick to my father. Well done to The Stroke Association for supporting stroke survivors and their families’ right when they need it. I hope more people support this fantastic Centre.”
The virtual bricks can be bought by stroke survivors or their family members in honour of someone who may have helped with their recovery or in honour of someone who has had a stroke that they want to honour in a special way. The online Honour Wall (Honourwall) offers only 350 virtual bricks for a minimum donation of £50 per brick.
Every five minutes someone in the UK has a stroke. Stroke is also the leading cause of severe adult disability in the UK. The Life After Stroke Centre will give stroke survivors the opportunity to relearn old skills and develop new ones, from mobility and communications therapies to IT and vocational skills. Carers and professionals will also be able to access training at the centre so that they can better support stroke survivors. The Centre will also house the Stroke Information Service and national Stroke Helpline as well as a Resource Centre for people interested in stroke.
Jon Barrick, Chief Executive of The Stroke Association, purchased two bricks on the wall and said: “This new virtual wall is our way of honouring someone special whose life has been affected by stroke. Whether you are a stroke survivor or have a family member who had a stroke, buy a brick today to recognise them.”
If you are interested in honouring someone special on The Stroke Association’s Honour Wall, please visit:www.stroke.org.uk/honourwall.
Campaigns & Issues
Lobby for libraries
The NPC officers have given their backing to a lobby being organised by UNISON, the National Federation of Women’s Institutes (NFWI), Voices for the Library, The Library Campaign, Campaign for the Book and the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) which will call on politicians to protect vital library services.
News
Care homes spend as little as £2.27 a day on food per resident
Care homes who spend as little as £2.27 a day on food for each resident have been slammed as a "national disgrace".
An independent report into more than 50 care homes in Sefton, Merseyside, found that the average institution spent an average of £27.50 a week on food - or £3.93 a day.
Competitions & Fun
Win a signed copy of Citizen James on DVD
CARRY ON’S inimitable Sid James is Citizen James in the hilarious 1960s BBC comedy, which finally comes to DVD for the first time. This long-lost classic comedy series makes its DVD debut, featuring the only known surviving episodes, the complete series one, and two episodes each from series two and three. They will be released as a two-disc set on 6 February 2012 courtesy of Acorn Media.
In series one written by Alan Simpson and Ray Galton (Hancock, Steptoe & Son), Sid (Sid James) is a hard-working layabout, gambler and con-artist, hanging out on the streets of Soho with his sidekick Bill (Bill Kerr), in Charlie’s Nosh Bar and occasionally paying a visit to his long-suffering fiancée Liz (Liz Fraser), to borrow money to pay off his gambling debts and cons gone wrong.
Advertorial
February is travel love month with Silver Travel Advisor
WIN £1,000 CRUISE VOUCHERS WITH VIKING RIVER CRUISES AND MANY OTHER PRIZES
Silver Travel Advisor is a friendly website packed with advice, tips, information and honest reviews written by and for silver travellers (aged over 50). A team of advisors are on hand to answer queries (for free), and you can share your own experiences too.
February is Travel Love month at Silver Travel Advisor, and there is a whole range of prizes to be found including the star prize:
Viking River Cruises – win £1,000 cruise vouchers
Health & Wellbeing
Scrap the government's health bill, say BMJ readers
More than 90% of British Medical Journal readers responding to a poll published today think the government's health reforms should be scrapped.
The poll asked: "Should the Health and Social Care Bill for England now be withdrawn?"
Property & Finance
Did you miss the Self Assessment deadline?
If you have missed the deadline for submitting a Self Assessment (SA) tax return and you can show that you should not have been in the SA regime in the first place, then you may be able to avoid any penalties.
Lifestyle
Paula's Wines of the Week starting 6 February 2012
If you really like a certain wine, rather than buying it in single cork-stoppered bottles why not get larger four bottle-sized amounts available in boxes? But if stepping along to the supermarket seems like too much of a chilly effort then try the online winebox retailer InspiredWine.co.uk because they’re offering free delivery during February.
There are advantages to buying wine in a winebox. As the wine is dispensed through a plastic tap all the annoyance of the cork is removed: no more tainted 'corked' wine (this spoils at least one in ten traditionally bottled wines due to improperly sterilised corks) and no more chasing around bits of broken cork that always sink when the index finger sent in to oik them out gets anywhere near them.
Travel & Leisure
£15m boost for sustainable travel
Transport Minister Norman Baker today announced £15m of new funding for sustainable travel projects across the country that will promote economic growth and cut carbon.
The investment is in addition to the £560m Local Sustainable Transport Fund announced in January 2011. This additional funding, heavily geared towards cycling, will support jobs, enhance access to employment and encourage greater use of more environmentally friendly transport.
More informative and entertaining than ever!