Registered Charity # 1080517

Age UK Sandwell were the lead host at this years Spread the Warmth event to raise awareness of the importance of keeping warm and well, in preparation for the onset of winter; for older people living in Sandwell.

The objective was to ensure that the information and support was delivered to:

·  Give practical advice on how to keep warm to prevent illness and possible hypothermia

·  Offer attendees the opportunity to speak with organisations who could help with grants available for free cavity wall and loft insulation

·  Provide benefit checks to those with a disability/debilitating illness

·  Offer free health checks provided by health care professionals

·  Publicise and raise awareness of organisations available to support older people across the borough.

A BIG WARM thank you goes to the organisations that supported us on the day which included West Midlands Police, Sandwell Trading Standards, Agewell, Sandwell U3A, West Midlands Fire Service,Sandwell MBC, Sandwell PCT, STAY, Ring & Ride and Home Accident Prevention Service.


Age UK has been campaigning to end malnutrition in hospitals since 2006.

Our Hungry to be Heard campaign tackled the scandal of older people becoming malnourished while in hospital, either because they don’t get food they can eat or the help they need to eat it.

What we called for! All hospital wards to effectively implement seven steps to end malnutrition. The Care Quality Commission to inspect hospitals with a particular focus on malnutrition

What the campaign achieved?

•Working with Age UK, many hospitals have implemented some or all of the seven steps.

•With the support of Abbott Nutrition, our local partners have been able to set up mealtime volunteer programmes in more than a dozen hospitals.

•After being inundated with hundreds of emails from Age UK campaigners, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out unannounced spot checks in 100 hospitals during 2011. CQC inspectors looked to see if older people were treated with dignity and if they received the food and the support they needed at mealtimes. The inspections showed that while some hospitals were doing well, a fifth of hospitals were not meeting the minimum standards required by law. More inspections are planned for 2012.

What's happening now? Age UK is now working with others in a Malnutrition Taskforce to look at how to drive down preventable and avoidable malnutrition in hospitals, care homes and the community.

What you can do Have you, or someone you know, experienced malnutrition in hospital, a care home, or at home? Would you be happy to share your experiences with Age UK? If so, please contact Age UK.

Donate a coat this winter

Can you spare a coat to help us raise vital funds to keep vulnerable older people warm and well this winter?

Back for the 3rd year, our Donate a Coat initiative is calling on everyone to Spread the Warmth by donating old winter coats to an Age UK shop to be sold on and loved again – with all the profits going to Age UK’s vital winter warmth work.

Celebrity coats on sale, coming to a store near you!

A host of celebrities have kindly donated their coats to be sold in our shopsas part of Donate a Coat.And if that wasn't enough, we've also been given a selection of brand new coats from some top retailersincluding Topshop, Barbour, Ted Baker, New Look, Wallis, Burton, BHS, Miss Selfridge, Jaeger, H&M, Dorothy Perkins, River Island and French Connection.

Come back and visitwww.ageuk.org.uk/donateacoat from 7 November to find out which coats are available, and whereyou canbuy them.

Over 8,000 coats were donated and resold through Age UK shops last winter, helping to raise thousands of pounds to help older people.

Whether you are donating your coat or buying a new one from Age UK shops you can help Age UK Spread the Warmth this winter.

Why we're collecting coats

Each winter, an extra 200 older people die every day from the effects of cold weather. Age UK is here to change that.

·  Age UK helps people get benefits and grants to help with heating costs.

·  Our Winter Grants Programme helps local partners deliver groceries to those trapped by bad weather.

·  And our volunteers are making friends with those who would otherwise have no human contact.

You could help with just one small act of kindness. Let a coat you have loved be loved all over again.

You can donate your coat, or other quality items, to any Age UK shop or bring along to

The Head Office in Bull Street, West Bromwich.

SNOW / SHOVEL / COLD
WINTER / FREEZING / HAT
WEATHER / SNOWFLAKE / SCARF
SLIDE / SLEDDING / HAT
SKATING / EAR / MITTENS
SLIPPERY

Just for fun

Spot the 8 differences Sudoku

1 / 6
5 / 3 / 4 / 1
4 / 1 / 2 / 3
3 / 4
4 / 6