Hello Everyone

As I write today’s blog in the pouring, windy, grey day I am mindful about women’s personal safety.  We touched on this earlier this year and I would like to revisit it today.

As you may be aware there continues to be shocking violence towards women and there have been some high profile cases in the news over the last year.  I am highlighting that there are some steps women or men can do to protect themselves going from A to B.  I am not trying to scare you but I am trying to raise awareness and I am always wanting you safe and sound.

Have a wonderful weekend, keep dry and warm, keep safe and see you next week ….

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 neighborhood 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 neighbor’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-Defense Class

When fighting off something as an assault, the element of surprise can work in your favor. If you regularly walk alone, take a self-defense 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-defense. The idea is to disable your attacker enough for you to get to safety, and a class focused on self-defense 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 – 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.

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Thought-provoking and feel-good activities for Black History Month

We are hosting and supporting a varied programme of activities, offering residents and the wider public the opportunity to engage with the richness of Black arts, culture and history this October as we mark Black History Month.

Activities and events include live music, film, workshops, art, theatre, talks and more.

Don’t miss the photography exhibition Beauty and Power. Alternative Arts presents ten black artists who have been brought together for the first time to exhibit their photography at the Brady Arts Centre during the month. The show is a celebration of black culture, perception and moving personal experience.

Celebrate Black History month >

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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.

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There are some places still available so sign up and look towards a new you…

There is another Coaching session on October 5th 10.15am to 12.30pm and this would normnally cost you £100 but for carers who sign up it is free.

Develop the confidence to change your life story

Do you ever find yourself wishing you were living a different life, but feeling trapped in your current one?

In this workshop we will look at how you can change the story of your life by

• Thinking differently about it
• Developing the confidence to change the patterns and habits that keep you trapped
• Making positive choices based on your own needs and wishes

Come and join us to start re-writing your life story!

To register for this workshop, please click on the following link.

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwsdeivqT8uHN2Sm_Zl-SglFifC5DAuCbh5

After registering, you will receive a personal confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Please double check that you have entered the correct email address or you won’t receive the notifications you will need!

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Great News!!!

We have ESOL Classes starting on the 8th October and then every Friday 12.30pm to 2.30pm , we are providing a prayer space for students if required and we welcome any carer who wishes to improve their English.  Learn how to talk to your Social Worker, GP, advocate for your loved one, talk to other carers and the world is your oyster…

if interested then email tony@ccth.org.uk

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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

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Next Weeks Activities 

 

4^th October

Shared Reading for Carers – CCTH – 11am to 12 noon

Carers Mental Health Programme/Talking Therapies/ Self-Care does not equal neglecting others – CCTH/Zoom – 2pm to 3.15pm

5^th October

Counselling Day – CCTH/Zoom – 10am to 6.15pm

CREATE – Ceramics – 11am to 1pm – CCTH

The Tuesday Social Club – Zoom – 2pm to 3.30pm

Coaching for Carers – Zoom 10.15am to 12.30pm

6^th October

Walking Wednesdays/Health Walks – CCTH/Outdoors – 1pm to 2pm

Young Adult Carers Group – CCTH – 5.30pm to 7.30pm

7^th October

Arts & Craft Group – CCTH – 11.00am to 12.30pm

WeConnectCommunties Hub – CCTH – 2pm to 3pm

8^th October

ESOL Assessment Day – CCTH – 12.30pm to 2.30pm

Creative Writing Group – Zoom – 2pm to 3pm

 

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Next Group Session is Wednesday 13th October 11am to 1pm 

We Will be having someone coming from the Transistion Team to help you understand their role, the team’s criteria and how thery can help your family member movge into adulthood.  We will also have a presentation on PIP and what to expect when completing the application form, when the benefit is up for review and the langauge to use.

 

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Government announces plans to make the right to request flexible working a day one right, as well as new entitlements for unpaid carers.

Read and respond to the consultation: Making flexible working the default

Check it out

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Our Next Carers Mental Health Programme with Talking Therapies is

Self-Care does not equal neglecting others – Carers & Mental Health Programme – with Talking Therapies – Monday 4^th October 2pm to 3.15pm – Carers Centre & Zoom 

Self-care is key when in a caring role. It is common that there are feelings of guilt associated with self-care and we may feel we are neglecting others. This workshop will emphasize the importance of self-care and look specifically at common reactions everyone may have received from their cared-for person when taking time out for self-care.

Please book your place as we are trialling a in person and zoom session combined.

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Stop smoking with free support during Stoptober

Are you thinking of quitting smoking? Why not join the national ‘Stoptober’ challenge this October, and quit tobacco for 28 days and beyond.

Advisors from Quit Right Tower Hamlets alongside Mayor John Biggs and our Director of Public Health, Dr Somen Banerjee, launched the campaign outside Whitechapel Idea Store, where they spoke with residents about their quitting options and signed them up to the free challenge.

Support is available for those looking to quit with free nicotine replacement therapy and advice along the way.

Book a free support session >

 

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Are you a council tenant? Have your say!

Our tenancy agreement has been in place for many years and it is important that we make sure it is up to date and fit for purpose.

We are carrying out a review of the rules to make sure it takes account of changes in law and reflects best practice across the housing sector. We want to hear your views. Please fill in the survey to have your say.

Have your say >

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Young people aged 12 to 15 to be offered a COVID-19 vaccine

All young people aged 12 to 15 will now be offered one dose of the Pfizer vaccine, following advice from the four UK Chief Medical Officers. They will be delivered through school settings with extra sessions elsewhere for those not in mainstream schools.

Locally, we are working closely with young people, schools and community groups to provide advice and information and ensure people have the opportunity to make an informed decision about vaccinating their 12 to 15 year olds. More information will be communicated directly to families about the school Covid-19 vaccination offer.

Read more >

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