Hello Everyone

So highlights for this and next week…. 

This week we have our monthly Carers Forum on Wednesday 16th February 11am to 1pm 

We have two presentations this month 1. We want carers to contribute to the Council’s Suicide Prevention Strategy – as carers what do you think should be added that reflects the needs, experience of carers regarding suicide?  2. Chair Hip hop dancing for older people – want to know more, I know it does sound intriguing…

CREATE – Sculpture Course – Monday’s 11am to 1pm – there are still some places left 

Following on from the great success of the pottery course we are now offering carers a course on Sculpture.  Each week as a group you will learn different sculpturing techniques, learn to make decorative pieces and most importantly have some mental respite by using your hands and of course the obligatory fun.  Carers have reported they love the hands-on sessions and want more and more….

increased cardiovascular and pulmonary (heart and lung) fitness. reduced risk of heart disease and stroke. improved management of conditions such as hypertension (high blood pressure), high cholesterol, joint and muscular pain or stiffness, and diabetes. stronger bones and improved balance.

Come and join the group and have some fun.

Next Weeks Activities

REMINDER – YOU CAN CHECK THE CCTH CALENDAR – 

If you want to know what activities are on each day at the centre then check out the CCTH Calendar – https://ccth.org.uk/new/calendar/?cid=mc-03c4653fb809aa02e303ae7a3bb5520a&month=9&yr=2021

Then email me tony@cth.org.uk to book your place.

Learn new recipes and reduce food waste

Join us on Thursday 24 February from 11am – 12:30pm at the Teviot Centre for a practical and fun workshop on reducing food waste.

We will show you how to prepare our favourite recipes that use up common leftovers but don’t compromise on taste. We will also share simple tips on how to minimise waste, by considering how we plan, buy, store and throw away food.

Sign up >

Free half-term fun this week

From Valentines themed arts and crafts to a scavenger hunt, birdbox building, pizza making, pond dipping and more – our parks teams will be hosting lots of free, fun family activities this half term from 14 to 18 February. 

There’s something for everyone to enjoy. Places are limited.

What’s on >

Do you care for someone with Parkinson’s? If so please take part in this study.

Title of Study: What do informal caregivers of Parkinson’s disease-patients want from an online journaling website? An online survey study

 Email:

Prof. Aileen Ho                  a.k.ho@reading.ac.uk                               Prof. Jacqueline Sin Jacqueline.sin@city.ac.uk        Neil Boyt                n.boyt@pgr.reading.ac.uk

or phone  0118 378 8523

We would be grateful if you would assist us by completing our online survey. We are interested in your opinions about the features we are planning for our website and app.

The website we are building is an online journaling website. It will allow you to write journal entries about a variety of subjects, using guidance based on Positive Psychology principles. The survey will ask whether you find the features suggested for the website acceptable or practical. It will also give you space to tell us about any other features you feel are necessary and useful.

.We expect you to take approximately 10 minutes to complete our survey. You will answer questions where you either indicate ‘Yes/No’ to, or select your preference from, a list of possible features.  There will be free-text options for you to give us written descriptions about any features not proposed. Our survey is completely anonymous, so it will not ask you to give any personal details. We foresee few risks in completing our survey

Your survey responses will be kept confidential and securely stored, with completed surveys only identifiable by an anonymous number. Data collection from this study will be preserved and made available in anonymised form, so that data can be reused by others. Please see the next page for full details about our Data Protection.

Taking part in this study is completely voluntary; you may withdraw at any time without having to give any reason. Please feel free to email any questions that you may about at any point during this study.

Invitation: Community Access Scheme online talk

‘Suffragettes at the palaces’

Thursday 24 February, 13:00-14:00

Microsoft Teams: Click here to join the talk

Join curator Polly Putnam for this talk about suffragettes who lived and stood up for women’s rights at the palaces.

This talk is inspired by International Women’s Day (8 March 2022), a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

Please contact Kim if you have any queries: kim.klug@hrp.org.uk

Historic Royal Palaces is a registered charity (No 1068852), correspondence details, Hampton Court Palace, Surrey KT8 9AU Historic Royal Palaces Enterprises Ltd, a company registered in England (No 3418583) registered office Hampton Court Palace, Surrey KT8 9AU.

Actors for Human Rights: This Is Who I Am

Wed, 16 February 2022
18:30 – 21:00
St. Margarets House, E2 9PL 

For LGBT+ History month 2022 St. Margaret’s House are hosting an evening of queer refugee and migrant wellbeing, creativity and activism by ice&fire theatre, Micro Rainbow International and Lesbians and Gays Support the Migrants. Expect workshops (join in some yoga, placard making, asylum mapping workshop or maybe even some dancing…), a rehearsed reading and Q&A panel discussion.

Schedule

6.30: Doors open (refreshments available)

6.45 – 7.30: Workshops (45 mins)

7.30 – 8.15: This Is Who I Am reading (45 mins)

8.15 – 9pm: Q&A panel discussion (45 mins

Poplar’s ‘Female Husband’: Sources at Tower Hamlets Archives
Wednesday 23 February,
5.30pm-7pm
FREE
Online via zoom
Room opens 5.30 for a 5.45pm start

A queer scandal which took place in 18th century Poplar has become world famous in LGBTQ+ history. But did you know that the local borough archive holds unique records which provide tangible evidence of the East End’s oldest queer pioneer?

Join Tower Hamlets Heritage Manager Tamsin Bookey in conversation with Francis Ray White and Ceara Holness-Crone to explore the story of James Howe, an upstanding local citizen who was exposed by blackmailers to have been born Mary East.

ELOP’s LGBT+ Groups
Join our fun, friendly and non-judgemental safe space to meet new people and discuss LGBT+ topics!

LGBT+ Over 50 Social Group 
Every Monday 1.00 – 2.30pm, online 

LGBT+ Social Support Group 
Every Tuesday 7.00 – 8.30pm, online 

LGBT History Month Topics: 

(LGBT) Gays the Word – Creating and sharing our personal stories for LGBT History Month
Valentine’s Survival Guide – Sharing tips for surviving valentine’s for LGBT single’s / couples
Art & Politics in LGBT British History – Discuss and share our favourite art/artists and figures that influence LGBT British History / our favourite LGBT icons and allies from around the world
Queer Museum: What artefacts would you like to see displayed in the museum? – Discuss your ideas and share any artefacts that you would share in the museum.

Check out a new free course that has just been launched that focuses on carer wellbeing. It is called ‘Physical activity for health and wellbeing in the caring role’ and has been kindly endorsed by the Carers Trust. The course is 6 hours in length and learners can achieve a ‘badge’ on completion of the end quiz, and this can be added on a CV to evidence their learning/continuous professional development. We hope that it will be helpful to those working with carers, including carer centre staff, those supporting carers less formally and importantly carers themselves!

https://www.open.edu/openlearn/health-sports-psychology/physical-activity-health-and-wellbeing-the-caring-role/content-section-overview?active-tab=description-tab

Did You Know we have a weekly Shared Reading Group?

How does it work?

A group of carers, one of them a trained Reader Leader, reads a great novel, short story or poem aloud. We stop and talk about what we have read. There is no need for carers to read aloud or speak – it’s fine to just listen. The idea is to create a space where people feel at ease.

Reading the literature aloud in real-time, means that everyone is involved in a shared, live experience. Carers are encouraged by the Reader Leader to respond personally, sharing feelings, thoughts and memories provoked by the reading.

Everyone experiences the text in their own way, but the literature provides a shared language that can help us to understand ourselves – and others – better.

It can even help with your ESOL needs.

If this is for you then email tony@ccth.org.uk

WALKING ALONE? REMEMBER THESE 10 TIPS

1) Plan Your Route

Make sure you plan your route ahead of time. If you are walking in an area you are not familiar with, this can help keep you from getting lost. You will be able to walk with confidence. If you do get lost, don’t wander aimlessly, find a gas station, supermarket, or fast-food restaurant where you can ask for directions.

2) Make Sure Someone Else Knows Your Plans

Don’t go out when it is dark without telling someone, even if you are just taking the dogs out for a walk around your neighbourhood or walking home from a friend’s house nearby. It may seem paranoid, but in fact, knowing someone knows where you are can be reassuring and help you feel safe. If you fall and hurt yourself or run into trouble, and someone knows where you are, they can send help if you don’t arrive at your destination on time.

3) Always Carry Your Phone with You

Always carry your phone, but not for music or to make social calls as your walk. Your phone can be a lifeline if you see something suspicious or worse if something happens to you. Download a safety app on your phone, so you’ll be able to discreetly alert the authorities if you feel threatened or see something suspicious.

4) Avoid Suspicious People and Areas

Areas that are dark, deserted, or out-of-the-way, such as an alley or a parking lot, can be riskier than a well-lit area full of people. Stick to busy, lighted paths, to minimize the risks. Also, walk mainly in familiar places where you are known. That way, if you feel like a suspicious person is following you, you can always duck into a store you know or knock on a neighbour’s door. Avoid empty streets and pathways with thick shrubbery.

5) Keep Your Hands Free

Except for a flashlight and one of the items discussed below, keep your hands free. If you are carrying anything, put it all in one bag or backpack. This will make it easier for you to react if you notice someone following you. In a dangerous situation, carrying too many bags can keep you from moving as quickly as you can if your hands are free or if you only have one bag.

6) Carry a Non-Violent Deterrent

In addition to a flashlight, carry a non-violent deterrent such as a whistle, mace, or pepper spray. A whistle will help you alert others and call them to aid you if something is wrong. The loud noise may put off attackers, and they’ll move on to find someone else. Mace or pepper spray can give you enough time to evade a potential attacker, and in a pinch, a flashlight can be used as a weapon. Make sure you know how to use the mace or pepper spray to get its full effect.

7) Wear Reflective Clothing to Prevent Accidents

When it comes to personal safety, it’s not just about suspicious people. Areas with low visibility can be prone to accidents. Reflective clothing allows bikers and cars to see you as you walk along. A flashlight or headlight can also help drivers see you if there are dark stretches of road on your route.

8) Take a Self-Defence Class

When fighting off something as an assault, the element of surprise can work in your favour. If you regularly walk alone, take a self-defence class. You don’t have to become a black belt. In fact, it’s probably better to learn something like Krav Maga, which has been popular for self-defence. The idea is to disable your attacker enough for you to get to safety, and a class focused on self-defence will help give you those survival skills.

9) Remove Any Distractions

Keep your phone in your hand in case you need to hit the panic button on your safety app, but don’t let it distract you. When walking alone at night for exercise, music can be motivating and energizing but also distracting. You may not hear someone driving or walking up behind you. Avoid wearing headphones or talking on your phone as you walk.

10) Trust Your Gut

When walking alone at night, trust your gut. If you feel like an area or situation may be dangerous, don’t wait around to find out. Stop and scan your surroundings if you think someone is following you. If you are being followed, walk as quickly as you can to a well-lit public place. You can wait until you feel safe, or call a friend, a taxi, or an Uber to help you get safely get home at night.

Following these personal safety tips will help keep you stay safe when walking alone. Always be aware of where you are and alert to suspicious activity.

REMINDER TO CARERS

If you still need PPE for you and your loved one then Tower Hamlets are still providing PPE for Carers.

Collection and delivery is on Wednesday only from Mulberry Place, 5 Clove Crescent, E14 2BG. Carers can call or email Ayeda directly 0n 07366977103 or ayeda@ccth.org.uk to order.