BREAST CANCER CARE - 21st June PLEASE SPONSOR US!

Rosie and Cassie are doing the ten mile Ribbon Walk for Breast Cancer Care on Saturday 21st June 2008 in the Peak District. We are committed to raising £500, every little helps, so please sponsor us by donating via our Just Giving website which is simple, fast and totally secure and if you are a UK taxpayer 28% gift aid is added at no extra cost to you.

www.justgiving.com/rosieandcassie
(If you prefer to donate another way please telephone Rosie on 01630 672061)

Breast Cancer Care is the UK's leading provider of information, practical assistance and emotional support for anyone affected by breast cancer. The charity is committed to campaigning for better treatment and support for people with breast cancer and their families.

THE NEW AREA AT MUCKLESTONE SCHOOL
A report by JM, age 11

St Mary’s School Mucklestone has got a new quiet area which has gone through a series of steps to completion.
First of all, the juniors decided that they needed to extend their playground because in the winter children were too squashed and people were getting injured because the grass was too wet to play on.
The children decided what they wanted in the new area. Adults helped them plan and decide things. The plans were ready to go but all they had to do was get funding. So they entered a competition and failed but then luck struck! Shropshire Horticultural Society funded most of the money for the area.
Two men came and made the quiet area. It took four weeks to complete. In the area there is a pergola, hopscotch, chess and a boat that the children enjoy. The flower club is planting flowers to make the area pretty.
Now the children are enjoying the area everyday – thank you SHS!

The Great Ashley Spring Clean

Saturday 26th April saw the first ever organised litter pick in Ashley village. 27 volunteers, aged from 6 to ‘over 50’, arrived at Ashley Clinic car park at 10am armed with grabbers, bin bags, fluorescent jackets, heavy duty gloves and bags of enthusiasm.

Ashley village is no different to many small villages in our country; it suffers from a general apathy and disrespect when it comes to keeping the streets tidy. The group of concerned villagers had all expressed concern over increasing amounts of crisp/sweet wrappers, bottles and glass. These items take many years to degrade - a coke bottle takes an astounding 1000 years to disappear organically, a simple banana skin takes an amazing 10 years. Forget our native birds, the thing you are most likely to see in an Ashley hedgerow is a Walkers crisp packet (…the Walkers factory in Leicestershire churns out 11 million packets per day, that's around 4 billion per year!)

The group of volunteers collected 36 bin bags of litter and some of the more unusual items included a fridge, a rusty wheelbarrow and various car parts.

The spring clean took just under three hours – that’s 81 person-hours. The satisfaction for those who helped was clearly visible at the end – dirty hands, sore backs but a clean village.

The pleasure for many will have been short-lived however. Despite the best efforts of the volunteers, it wasn’t long before the litter was back. That evening, not more than 10 hours since the roads had been cleared, there were sweet wrappers back on Charnes Road; and by Sunday morning, Bell Orchard had fresh cans and beer bottles littering the street. Can you (you know who you are) take responsibility and sort out whoever is dropping the litter. Maybe those youngsters complaining about nothing to do in the village in the last newsletter should get a plastic bag and collect up some of the litter next time they get bored. Maybe every householder should take responsibility for not just their garden but the path and road in front – just pick up the litter don’t just look or step over it.
..... we've done or bit - its over to you now!

Community Eucharist at Hugo Meynell Primary School - 10 am Tuesday 24th June 2008
The patronal festival of St. John the Baptist

A working party was established and has been meeting to consider this issue and the views of the school community, as a result of this we plan to hold a community Eucharistic service on Tuesday 24th June. This service will mark the patronal festival of St. John the Baptist after whom our church in Ashley is dedicated. The service will be held in the main hall at Hugo Meynell Primary School starting at 10 am. Pupils from the school will be actively engaged in the service and all members of the local community are welcome to join us at this special service.
Malcolm Morrey, Headteacher

Campaign urges people to choose the right place for the right treatment

Each month more than 10,000 people attend the A&E Department at University Hospital of North Staffordshire. More than one in four could be treated more appropriately elsewhere.

A&E is the right place for real emergencies only, but many people regard it as their first port of call for minor illness or injuries. This is despite the fact that it can become very busy especially at weekends and through the evening, and some people may have to wait longer than necessary for treatment.

However it doesn’t have to be that way. NHS organisations across the region have joined forces to encourage residents to choose the right place to treat their condition:

• Self-care - the right place for treatment of a hangover, cough, grazed knee or sore throat
• Pharmacist – the right place for treatment if you have symptoms such as diarrhoea, headache, runny nose or painful cough
• NHS Direct – the right place for people who are unwell, unsure, confused or who need help. Call 0845 4647 or visit: www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
• GP surgery – the right place for treating non-emergency health needs and for people with symptoms such as vomiting, stomach ache, ear pain or back ache. If your surgery is closed and you need urgent healthcare which cannot safely wait until the next working day, please call North Staffs Urgent Care on 01782 719 100
• NHS Walk-in Centre and Minor Injuries Unit – the right place for treating symptoms such as cuts, strains, itches and sprains. Haywood NHS Walk-in Centre is open 7 days, 7am-10pm, 365 days. Tel: 01782 581 112. Alternatively, the Minor Injuries Unit at Leek Moorlands Hospital, Ashbourne Road, Leek is open 7 days, 8am-8pm. Tel:01538 487100.
• A&E is still the place to go for real emergencies. If you’re blacking out, experiencing severe breathing difficulties, loss of blood, chest pain or have suspected broken bones, you should go to an A&E Department. They’re open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and are there to assess serious illness and injuries and provide emergency treatment.

For further information about choosing the right place visit: www.stokepct.nhs.uk or www.northstaffordshire-pct.nhs.uk

ASHLEY AND DISTRICT PATIENTS GROUP

Ashley Surgery has set up a Patient Group. The purpose of the group is to maintain links with patients and their concerns and to ensure that the views of patients are taken into account when considering the development of the practice.
Group participants include the practice manager, practice GP and patients representing local community groups and organisations. Members of the primary health care team will be invited to attend specific meetings.
Two initial meetings have already taken place and it was decided to hold a regular meeting every three months. The next meeting is on Monday 28th July.
The panel members are:-
Ashley & District Patient Group, Eric Pemberton (Chair) on 01630 673543
Ashley & Loggerheads Community First Responders, Linda Ellis on 01630 673331
Ashley Luncheon Club, Jean Sharp on 01630 673543
Ashley Surgery (Minute Secretary for the Patient Group), Julia Watkin on 01630 672225
Ashley Surgery, All the Doctors on 01630 672225
Ashley Toddlers Group, TBA
Ashley Youth Club, Abi Hopkinson
Baldwins Gate Village Hall, TBA
Hales PCC, TBA
Loggerheads Community Information Shop, David Loades on 01630 673543
Loggerheads Parish Council, Alan Machin on 01630 673426
Mucklestone WI, TBA
Woore WI, Hazel Irving on 01630 647713

If you would like further information or want items of a general nature discussed, please contact any of the above or Julia Watkin (Practice Manager) at Ashley Surgery Tel 01630 672225 or email info@loggerheads.eu. Letters can be posted in the library addressed to
Ashley & District Patient Group, c/o Loggerheads Library, 7 Eccleshall Road, Loggerheads, Market Drayton, TF9 4NX

Amdrams Nominated for Award

For the second year running Market Drayton Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society’s play production has been nominated for a prestigious National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA) award.
Kay Ikin, the regional NODA representative has nominated Court in the Act (a French comedy play performed at the Festival Drayton Centre in October of 2007) for 2007 Best Production Award – Drama in District 2 for the West Midlands..
Last year the Amdrams Production of Habeas Corpus was also nominated and narrowly missed out on the first prize.
The producer of Court in the Act Suzanne Edwards is delighted, as is the cast of the play
Suzanne said, “We are so pleased. The cast were superb and worked incredibly hard and the audiences loved the play and many people said it was one of the best productions we have done, which NODA seems to agree with”
Ken Stalker, Chairman of the Society said, “This is a real honour for us to be nominated for the second year running and just goes to show that a Society in a small rural market town like Market Drayton can punch above it’s weight with the big societies within the West Midlands. I am very proud of everyone involved in the show.”

Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue provide a free safety check of your home. The visit will only take around 20 minutes of your time and could save your life! During that visit you will receive advice on smoke alarms and the best places for them to be located as well as planning of escape routes and all other matters concerning fire risk and safety within the home.

Smoke alarms are provided free of charge and consideration can be given to providing such things as deep fat fryers (in exchange for old fashioned chip pans), fire guards, electrical extension leads and a wide range of other fire protection measures.

Each year Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service works in partnership with Trading Standards to offer a free electric blanket check. Failing blankets are replaced free of charge. This usually takes place in September. However, if during the visit to your home we find your blanket to be potentially unsafe we will replace it free of charge.

For advice or to arrange a home visit, contact: Neil Broad, Newcastle Fire Station,
Telephone 01785-898547 or Email n.broad@staffordshirefire.gov.uk

Including Surgeries by Newcastle under Lyme College, the Local Police Community Support Officer, N u L Borough Councillor, Brian Tomkins and the Youth Employment Service - please see the notice board outside the Co-Op for details or ring 01630 674365 leaving your name and telephone number.

The Information Service is manned by Volunteers trained to deal with ALL your enquiries for information regarding Community Services and facilities, trading standards, Highway and Welfare matters.

All sorts of useful information for locals and newcomers alike!

Newcastle recycling initiative

Recycle Week kicks off in Newcastle on 2nd June. ‘Just One More Thing’ is intended to raise awareness of everyday items such as aerosols, clear glass jars, pet food packaging and paper – that can be recycled but are often forgotten in our usual weekly recycle.
Recycle Week is part of the council’s initiative to inspire the Borough’s residents to recycle more by showing them just how easy it can be, and that their efforts really do make a difference and benefit our environment.

For more information regarding recycling contact Julie Whittaker on 01782 742711
or e-mail her at wastemanagement@newcastle-staffs.gov.uk
Or call the Recycle Helpline Number on 01782 742592 for blue boxes, calendars and bags for paper or textiles.
You can also get a large amount of information on recycling and sustainability issues by visiting the Council’s website
www.newcastle-staffs.gov.uk