BHWN Notes of the Meeting held on 2 October 2015, Moat Community Centre

Present:Dee James, BHWN Co-ordinator, Home Start

Carol Jones, Adult Learning

Craig McNally NHS Highland Public Health

Russell Byrne, SFRS

Samantha Stubbs, 3rd Sector Support for Cowal/Bute TSI

Allan Henderson

Audrey Forrest Acumen

Kaz Molloy Womb Cancer Support UK

Caroline Gorman, Rape Crisis

Gwen Harrison, Patient Advice and Support Service(PASS)

Apologies:Reeni Kennedy-Boyle, Fyne Futures/TZCB Absen Board Member, Ann Kennovin Youth Services, Sharon MacDonald Community Development Officer,Ellen Cromack Bute Forum for Older Voices, Fiona Duncan Oral Health Improvement Practitioner, Ryan McKellar Active Schools, Maria Rowan Art Therapist,Jillian Gibson Community Sports Hub, Jan O’Brien Woman’s Aid, Deirdre Henderson MacMillian Cancer Support, Yennie van Oostende NHS

Minutes of last meeting, proposed Sam Stubbs, seconded by Allan Hendersonwith one change: amend AVA to Argyll and Bute Third Sector Interface.

Matters Arising - Please would partners remember to send updates straight after the meetings or in advance to enable minutes to be completed promptly.In line with the other Health and Wellbeing Networks we are scoring bids within some of the meeting and therefore do not have time for any partner updates.

Gwen Harrison, Patient Advice and Support Service (PASS) gave an informative presentation about her role as an advisor. Gwen supports people through issues, concerns and complaints regarding the NHS and gives the amount of support needed to each individual. Gwen is employed by Argyll and Bute Citizens Advice and so can often refer people to additional or more appropriate support. There is a volunteer training programme running this month. Referrals are by phone through the main CAB number.

Four bids were presented for BHWN funds:

Bid 1 – Port Bannatyne – Adult Get into Golf Equipment and Storage - Elaine Thom.

Elaine presented to the group that there are plenty men and not very many women playing golf. Expense is a barrier and it is useful if people are able to try for a few months before committing to buying clubs. Elaine was supported through the Community Sports Hub to do her level 1 training and currently coaches two hours a week. She has four people lined up to learn to play and would like them to be able to keep the clubs for several months until they feel they will continue to play and purchase their own. The bid covers purchase of four sets of clubs and a storage unit for keeping them in at the golf club when they are not out on loan.

Bid 2 – Keep Calm and Carry on! A WW2 Flying Kitchen – Alana Mathers

Alana is part of an outdoor theatre (The Walking Theatre Company) that travels all over Scotland. They combine flying kitchens, food and theatre. The performance involves everyone singing, talking and eating. For those that lived during the war it brings back memories and for younger people it teaches about what life was like then. Each performance can take up to sixty people and the performance part lasts around forty five minutes to an hour. Alana has already spoken with care homes on Bute and with Bute Befrienders.

Bid 3 – Healthy Eating on a Budget – Alison Johnston, Bute Advice Centre

Alison presented the bid on behalf of Bute Advice Centre who had funding left over from a Big Lottery bid last year. The sessions are particularly aimed at single people and young mums and cover where to shop, budgeting advice, how to avoid waste, together with important social interaction of people that often eat alone. The people targeted will be those on a low income giving them the cooking skills to make the most of their money. Bute Advice will use the money together with the money from the bid to provide 26 sessions.

Bid 4 – Issues – Shiona Lawson

Shiona is the Librarian and the Joint Campus which nowadays is a learning resource centre helping young people with information literacy. Young people are required to produce a discursive essay using information from several sources. “Issues” provides both a paper based and online information and also provides health and wellbeing information appropriate to the age group. These books are well laid out with plenty up to date information from various sources and can be photocopied. They are for reference only. Shiona no longer receives a budget from the school and so is looking to other sources of funding.

Partner Updates

BHWN UPDATE FOR WOMB CANCER SUPPORT UK Kaz Molloy

September was womb cancer awareness month and we have had a good response to our awareness raising via social media again this year.

We had our 3rd annual meet up in Birmingham at the beginning of the month where women from across the UK who have been diagnosed come together for a day of awareness raising in Birmingham city centre. Managed to persuade lots of people to pose with a pair of peach knickers (peach being the awareness colour for womb cancer) and allow us to share their photo on social media, all in the name of raising awareness.

Sadly the local press in Birmingham again failed to pick up the story but at least The Buteman allowed me to write a brief piece which went on their website and also in print.

At lot of awareness leaflets went out during the month and that has continued into October. The number of likers on the FB page is slowly growing and the website is getting regular hits so we are being seen. I am continuing to get our details onto various websites but sadly Macmillan and CRUK are not willing to put us on their websites – reason given by Macmillan was that we don’t offer anything different to what they do!!!

September also saw some of our ladies around the UK contact their local press so womb cancer got a fair bit of media attention with some of the national papers also running stories about it.

WCSUK is continuing to reach out via social media to women who have been diagnosed to offer them support and advice and will continue to raise much needed awareness of the 4th most common female cancer in UK.

Fyne Futures/TZCB Absen Board Member -Reeni Kennedy-Boyle

ACUMEN Audrey Forrest

ACUMEN continues to work with Mental Health Service Users and Carers throughout Argyll and Bute. Our Service Users Reference Group and Carers' Group meet bimonthly in Lochgilphead to discuss issues and feedback to NHS.

We have a monthly meeting in Helensburgh.

We are involved in embedding the Triangle of Care with NHS and this work is being done in partnership with nationalCarer Groups and Scottish Recovery Network, and has informed some great developments in terms of Carer involvement with inpatient services at Argyll & Bute hospital.

We will be having our AGM on 25th November (venue to be confirmed) and have some great Wellness events planned for part of it.

Date of NEXT MEETING

29 January 2016, 1200 o'clock for refreshments, meeting starts at 1230

13th May 2016

12th August 2016

28th October 2016

27th January 2017