Health & Wellbeing

Sunday 2nd April 2023 saw the Birmingham Walkathon make its return, 10 years since last taking place in the city.

Birmingham based charity, Help Harry Help Others joined forces with former BRMB Director and original event visionary, David Bagley, to bring back the famous event, which saw almost 1000 Brummies sign up to pound the pavements, raising much needed funds for local charities including Help Harry Help Others, Birmingham Children's Hospital, NSPCC Birmingham, Birmingham & Solihull Women's Aid, All Making A Difference and Birmingham Mind.

The staff and volunteers at Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s West Midlands-based shops have been raising awareness of the lifesaving equipment they have in store that can be used for lifesaving bystander support.

The store is equipped with an automated external defibrillator, which can be vital if a person goes into cardiac arrest. Sadly, only ten per cent of patients survive with a good recovery after suffering an out of hospital cardiac arrest.

The countdown is for a determined fundraiser as he laces up the trainers ready to tackle a half marathon to support mental health and wellbeing charity, The Kaleidoscope Plus Group.

Account manager, Liam Coombes is taking part in the London Landmarks half marathon and is raising funds for the Midlands based charity. The Midlands-based charity helps thousands of people across the UK each year and offers a range of services for people in need, struggling with their emotional health and wellbeing.

Health insurance for staff should be provided by the employers. At Hyatt Hotels in California staff is begging guests to donate.

“I just paid for breakfast at the Hyatt-operated Thompson Hotel in Hollywood, California”, said World Tourism Network chair Juergen Steinmetz. Not having a breakfast buffet, but a combination of a yogurt dish, a simple breakfast sandwich, and a cappuccino came to $41.39 plus an expected tip of $8.00.

In honour of World Autism Awareness Week, running from 27th March to 2nd April, Percussion Play is highlighting the healing power of playing music in the great outdoors and how it can support people with Autism.

It is well-known that playing musical instruments lifts people’s moods and creates a powerful sense of well-being.  Music therapy has been shown to significantly improve communication for those with a wide range of disabilities and health conditions. 

Barnet Council has approved its first dementia strategy as it prepares for a large increase in the number of residents living with the condition.

The strategy is designed to help the council and its partners in the health and voluntary sectors provide more proactive support, maximising people’s independence, health and wellbeing.

Health City Cayman Islands officially opened its new Radiation Oncology Centre in Camana Bay this week, ushering in a new era of hope for cancer patients in the Cayman Islands and surrounding territories.

Equipped with the latest technology in the form of a Siemens TruBeam Varian Lineae Accelerator, the Centre is the first of its kind in the Cayman Islands and one of the most advanced in the region.

An entrepreneur from the south of England whose parents were both diagnosed with dementia is unveiling a new debit card for people living with the condition, supported by Alzheimer’s Society and Mastercard. Sibstar is the UK’s first debit card and app designed with the specific functionality to help people in the West Midlands to safely manage everyday spending.

Sensory rooms at Edgbaston Stadium are helping make cricket accessible to families with neurodiverse children who might otherwise feel uncomfortable attending matches. Two new sensory spaces – in the South and RES Wyatt stands – were opened ahead of last season as part of Warwickshire’s Edgbaston for Everyone inclusivity pledge.

A leading Nottinghamshire housebuilder has donated £1,500 to Nottingham Hospitals Charity’s neonatal service, to help enhance care facilities available for newborn babies.

The donation, provided by David Wilson Homes, was part of the developer’s Barratt Developments Plc Charitable Foundation, which is designed to support national and local charities, large and small, across the UK to leave a legacy in the communities in which the housebuilder operates.

The Kaleidoscope Plus Group is proud to be an Investing in Volunteers (IiV) achiever, having been awarded the quality standard in 2023 for the 1st time for its commitment to volunteering. The West Bromwich-based charity helps thousands of people across the UK each year and offers a range of services for people in need, struggling with their emotional health and wellbeing.

On the recent accreditation Carol Wilson, Volunteer Coordinator at the Kaleidoscope Plus Group added: “We are delighted to have received the Investing in Volunteers accreditation. It shows that we value our volunteers and demonstrates our commitment to volunteering within our organisation.

The Birmingham Walkathon is just weeks away, which means it’s time to start thinking about pounding the pavements in preparation for the big day.

Thankfully, organisation GoodGym is on hand to help, joining Walkathon as their official training partner so participants and volunteers can get step-ready for Sunday 2nd April.

Trevor Johnson has joined Acorns Children’s Hospice this week, as the charity’s new Chief Executive. Mr Johnson, who was previously CEO of Katharine House Hospice in Oxfordshire, replaces previous CEO Toby Porter, who stepped down in September 2022 after six years at the helm.

Speaking of the appointment, Matt Bullock, Acorns Director of People and Culture, and interim CEO, said: “We are delighted to welcome Trevor to the charity – someone we know brings with them a wealth of knowledge and experience from within the children’s palliative care and charity sectors.

During yesterday’s World Kidney Day, Kidney Care UK, the UK's leading kidney patient support charity and Severn Trent, announced that they have joined forces to support more than a quarter of a million people with chronic kidney disease in the heart of the UK1.

Kidney Care UK provides a range of various support services to help the 3.5million people with kidney disease across the UK. Through the partnership with Severn Trent every kidney patient from the Bristol Channel to the Humber, and from mid-Wales to the East Midlands will be able to access help from the charity including with assistance with benefits, financial hardship grants, free counselling, free community support from the charity’s network of patient support and advocacy officers.

Over 700 Austin 7 owners from all over the world gathered to celebrate the centenary of the car's launch last summer, raising over £10,000 for Parkinson’s UK. Charlie Plain-Jones of Solihull, organised the celebration of the car, which was launched in July 1922. Charlie wanted to fundraise at the event for Parkinson’s UK as his father lived with the condition for many years.

A sponsored swimming challenge which raises vital funds for leading charity Diabetes UK returns this spring – and a call has gone out for people from Birmingham to sign up. Swim22 runs between 22 March and 22 June and involves swimming a total of 22 miles –the same distance as the English Channel. Participants can take on the challenge at their own pace, in their local pool or the open water, accumulating the miles across the course of the 12 weeks.