Living Well Sefton is supporting Sefton Community Learning Service’s summer celebration this Saturday and will be there with our ever popular smoothie-making bike.

Its summer fair and car boot sale is taking place at the Sefton Community Learning Service hub at 53 Cambridge Road, Seaforth from 12noon to 3pm and the event promises lots of fun for all the family with a variety of workshops and activities on offer.

Workshops include self-defence, Italian dessert-making, healthy pizza decorating, recycled jewellery making, self defence awareness and flower arranging.

Freshfield Animal Rescue will be running games and stalls to help support their charity while Merseyside Police is bringing along a ‘police media gaming van’ providing information on personal and home security (including bike marking).

Bluebell Stalls, which runs local gift, craft and produce fairs, will be offering plenty of craft products to buy.

The Canal & River Trust will also be attending the event, and there will be plenty of traditional stalls including ‘hook-a-duck’, ‘hoopla’ and balloon modelling.

To find out more about the event, book a place on one of the workshops or secure a pitch for the car boot sale, call 0151 934 4546. Admission is free and entry is £5 per car for the car boot sale.

In recognition of Love your Lungs week (June 17-23) local organisations are reminding residents of the support they have in Sefton to help with breathing conditions.

As part of the week, NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), NHS Southport and Formby CCG, Living Well Sefton and Sefton Council are all encouraging people to take the British Lung Foundation breath test and to seek help if they need it.

Dr Nigel Taylor, respiratory lead for NHS South Sefton CCG, said: “We are keen to raise awareness, not just this week but all year round, about the services that are available in Sefton for those who have lung related conditions.

“If you have a known lung condition and are feeling breathless you should follow your personal management plan. If you are not improving or you don’t have a plan and are worried then you should attend the walk in centre or contact your GP practice.”

Dr Kati Scholtz, respiratory lead at NHS Southport and Formby CCG, said: “For simple problems such as a cough or a cold your local pharmacist can help, they can also help by giving additional advice regarding inhaler techniques and providing over the counter Nicotine Replacement Therapies if you are trying to stop smoking.”

The Breathe Easy group is a great support network to encourage people with lung conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, pulmonary fibrosis and cystic fibrosis, to look after themselves and to share ways to do this.

The Sefton south group meets in the Strand By Me shop in Bootle every second Tuesday of the month at 1pm and the Sefton north group meet on the first Wednesday of every month at the Doves Centre on Duke Street, Formby at 1pm.

Living Well Sefton partners are also supporting Love Your Lungs Week by encouraging people to take advantage of the activities and classes that they offer.

Over at the Feelgood Factory in Netherton, Philomena Zilinski, says: “Our walking football and guided walks as well as our physical activity classes  all  improve cardiovascular  fitness leading to  improved lung function.”

Working outdoors in the garden is another great way to keep your lungs fit and both the Brighter Living Partnership in Southport and the May Logan Centre, Bootle, have gardening groups to join. People also have the option of joining in the weekly social walk from May Logan too.

And, with Smokefree Sefton’s support, your breathing and lung capacity will improve once you’ve quit smoking.

Click here for details on the Living Well Sefton support or call 0300 323 0181.

To watch a video on the Breathe Easy group and Smokefree Sefton click here: https://youtu.be/fzaFSIYif5U

You can find out about the Breathe Easy groups in your area here: www.blf.org.uk/support-in-your-area and you can take the British Lung Foundation breath test here: https://breathtest.blf.org.uk/

People who want to rediscover their love for cycling in Sefton after years of staying out of the saddle can now benefit from free refresher sessions.

To mark Sefton Council’s Year Of Friendship, the local authority’s Highways Safety Team are holding bespoke ‘Back In The Saddle’ rides for those who want to rediscover their confidence on two wheels as part of a friendly group.

Those looking to get a handle on their cycling skills will join like-minded others at MeCycle cafe in Station Road, Ainsdale, every Friday before 10am to bike in confidence with the aim of improving overall skill and ability.

The sessions will run every week throughout the summer holidays.

John Fairclough, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Locality Services, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone over the age of 16 to have a wealth of help and support to find their way back into the saddle.

“The best thing about our courses is you won’t be alone and it’s great to be around like-minded others who share the same fears, abilities and difficulties but still want to learn and want to be able to ride.

“Sefton is a fantastic borough for cyclists and boasts an incredible cycle route that encompasses our coastline which will make a beautiful victory lap for our Back In The Saddle graduates.

“This is a wonderful initiative which ties in perfectly with our ongoing Year Of Friendship campaign to bring people together throughout our borough.”

No booking is required for the Back In The Saddle events, simply turn up with your own equipment.

If you need to borrow a bike or helmet, please contact MeCycle Ainsdale ahead of time via 01704 579353.

For further information please email road.safety@sefton.gov.uk

Sefton Carers Centre staff are at libraries across the borough this Carers Week to support carers and provide information about the Reading Well Books on Prescription service – available at all Sefton libraries.

Carers Week is a national awareness campaign to celebrate and recognise the vital contribution made by the UK’s 6.5 million unpaid carers. In Sefton, more than 34,000 residents provide support to a family member or friend who could not manage without this help.

Sefton Carers Centre staff will be available on the following days and times at libraries across the borough:

Tuesday 11th June – Formby, 10.30am – 12.30pm

Wednesday 12th June – Crosby, 10.30am – 12.30pm

Thursday 13th June – Southport, 10.30am – 12.30pm

Friday 14th June – Bootle, 10.30am – 12.30pm

At these events Sefton Carers Centre staff will be able to give information about the free services available at the centre including: Carers Assessments, Young Carers Service, Direct Payments, Welfare Benefits Advice, Training, Activities and Health and Wellbeing.

There will be also be information available from Sefton Advocacy, Living Well Sefton and Co-op Estates (Wills, Trusts and Power of Attorney).

If you are unable to attend any of these events but would like more information about the free services we provide then please contact our Carer Support Officer on 0151 288 6060 or email: help@carers.sefton.gov.uk

The focus for this year’s Men’s Health Week (June 10-17) will be men’s health by numbers.

Men’s Health Forum, which co-ordinates the health awareness event, is raising awareness of the importance of looking at the key numbers that men need to know about their own health.

The week will also highlight the statistics that policy-makers need to know including the impact of inequality and deprivation on men’s health.

Key numbers for men:

• 37 – a waist size of 37 inches or above puts you at increased of heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Learn more.
• 150 – men should aim for 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week. Learn more.
• 14 – maximum 14 units of alcohol a week. Learn more. 

Key numbers for policy-makers and service providers:

• 1 man in 5 dies before the age of 65
• 2 men in 5 die before the age of 75
• 3 out of 4 suicides are by men

“At the Men’s Health Forum, men of all ages, policy-makers and service-providers alike all ask what they can do to improve men’s health. Knowing a few simple numbers can make all the difference.

“To take it further, our new interactive manual ‘Man MOT- DIY checks and challenges’ helps men put those numbers to work monitoring their own health and living healthier lives,” says Martin Tod, Chief Executive of the Men’s Health Forum.

Living Well Sefton partners can support men in Sefton to know their numbers and improve their health by offering a variety of groups, courses, activities and free health checks.

To find out more, give the team a ring on 0300 323 0181.

Southport and Formby Macmillan Cancer Information Centre is doing something a bit different this summer to support children and young people whose lives are affected by cancer, with a free family fun event on Saturday 22 June.

Taking place from 1pm to 4pm at The Salvation Army, Shakespeare Street, in Southport, local residents from north Sefton are invited to come along.

As well as some entertaining and free activities, the event is a chance for the team from the Macmillan Centre to raise awareness of the support available to children, whether they have a close relative who has had cancer, is undergoing treatment, or has passed away.

The afternoon will give children, parents and carers the opportunity to speak to relevant professionals such as Child Bereavement UK, Access Sefton, Parenting 2000, Sefton Carers and Queenscourt Hospice.

Tanya Mulvey, Macmillan Information and Support Centre manager at the centre, said: “We wanted to do something specifically for children so that they can have access to the help that they might need whether they have lost someone to cancer or have a relative who has cancer. There will be  craft activities, a dance workshop, mindfulness and yoga for all the family to relax and enjoy.  The event will be opened at 1pm by a special guest from Starkidz.

“We’ve also been given a signed football from Everton Football Club which will be up for a prize in our free raffle draw on the day. Myself and colleagues from the centre will also be available on the day to talk to adults about the practical and emotional support we can offer.”

Dr Graeme Allan, Macmillan GP and NHS Southport and Formby CCG cancer clinical lead, said: “It’s so important that families and carers are aware of the help they can access for their children which is the main reason for planning this event. We hope everyone who attends has an enjoyable day and that the information and resources provided will be useful, either now or in the future.

“We are hoping that as well as giving children and their families the chance to see how they can get support it will also raise awareness of the centre in Southport for those affected by cancer.”

Refreshments will be provided for adults and there will be party food for children on the day. Parents / guardians are asked to stay with the children during the afternoon. Booking is essential, to book your place please call the centre on 01704 533024 or email sfccg.macmillancic@nhs.net.

Set up by Macmillan Cancer Support, NHS Southport and Formby Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and St Marks Medical Centre, Southport and Formby Macmillan Information & Support Centre is located on 20 Stanley Street. Those affected by cancer, whether it be them directly or a friend or family member are invited to pop in anytime for a chat or you can visit: www.southportmacmillancentre.org.uk

Anyone who is interested in staying up to date with healthcare and services in Sefton is invited to attend forthcoming governing body meetings for local clinical commissioning groups (CCG).

NHS Southport and Formby CCG and NHS South Sefton CCG hold their bi-monthly governing body meetings in public so that people can listen to the discussions and decision making processes of the doctors, nurses and other health professionals that make up these forums.

Dr Rob Caudwell, local GP and chair of NHS Southport and Formby CCG, said: “We want to ensure members of the public know what is going on in Sefton and can see how decisions about local health services are made. I’d encourage anyone who wants to stay up to date with our work to attend.”

Dr Craig Gillespie, local GP and chair of NHS South Sefton CCG, said: “Attending these public meetings is a great way to stay up to date with the work we have been undertaking in Sefton. At these meetings the governing body will discuss and agree to work on behalf of all member GP practices.”

It will be Craig’s first governing body meeting in his new substantive role of chair for NHS South Sefton CCG. He has been acting chair for the past year and takes over the full role from Dr Andrew Mimnagh following CCG elections amongst member GP practices.

He commented: “I am delighted to take on the role of chair and hope I can bring some continued direction to the CCG in our work to shape health services for residents in south Sefton that are fit for the future.

“I’d also like to take this opportunity on behalf of my fellow governing body colleagues to thank Dr Andrew Mimnagh for his significant commitment and work with the CCG since it was founded in 2013.”

NHS Southport and Formby CCG’s governing body meeting will take place on Wednesday, 5 June at the Family Life Centre, Ash St, Southport, Merseyside at 1pm. Papers will be made available here beforehand.

NHS South Sefton CCG’s governing body meeting will take place on Thursday 6 June at Merton House, Stanley Road in Bootle at 1pm. Papers will be made available here beforehand.

Attendees have the chance to ask questions shortly before the meeting formally starts. To confirm attendance or for more information please call 0151 317 8456.