Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Community Roadshow began its visit to the West Midlands recently.  With nearly 68,000 people estimated to be living in the West Midlands with dementia, Alzheimer’s Society’s Roadshow is an essential service which will provide much needed information and advice about the condition.

The Roadshow took its 3rd tour of the West Midlands’ area including Redditch. The vehicle, funded by Tesco, travelled from site to site providing a hub for people who are currently living with dementia, or who are worried about a friend or relative’s memory, or perhaps just had questions about the condition were encouraged to drop by the site to learn more.

David Ash Area Manager West Midlands Alzheimer’s Society, said: “We are delighted that the Dementia Community Roadshow is back and we hope as many people as possible took advantage of this vital free information service. The Roadshow really is pioneering as it helps us reach out to communities, tackle stigma by raising awareness of the condition and encourage people who are worried about their memory to visit their GP.”

Josh Hardie, Tesco Head of Corporate Responsibility, added: “With stores all over the West Midlands we’re extremely proud to help Alzheimer’s Society raise awareness of dementia. The Roadshow is part of the legacy from our Charity of the Year partnership with the society and we hope that it contributes to building a better future for people with dementia.”

Karen Lumley MP took time out to visit the Roadshow when it made an appearance at the Coldfield Drive Tesco store in Redditch to meet the team. Karen said: “It was very interesting to spend time with the Roadshow Team and hear more about the work they do helping people within the constituency coping with the various different affects of Alzheimers. I look forward to popping in to their Dementia café at the local library soon to spend time with sufferers and their families”.

Together Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer Scotland were Tesco Charity of the Year 2011, which raised over £7million to help people live better with dementia. As well as the Roadshow, the money raised through the partnership funds new research and dementia support professionals to help those living with the condition.

Dementia and diagnosis rates for the West Midlands available in an interactive map at www.alzheimers.org.uk/dementiamap

Karen is pictured with Sue Day, Information Officer, Kumbi Mandinyenya, Locality Manager and Sue Oddy, Volunteer.

Karen Lumley, MP for Redditch County visited Newbow Aerospace Ltd to discuss the government’s efforts to boost manufacturing, growth and exports.

The government and banks are stipulating that funding is readily available to help SME’s grow their business, create new job opportunities and increase export sales.

Newbow Aerospace Ltd believes that the government and banks have actually offered very little support and have approached their Local MP for assistance to try to make the government aware of this dire situation.

In 2007, Newbow Aerospace Ltd was subject to a MBO (Management Buy Out).  During this period, the company was re-structured, new job opportunities created and the new management team made self-financial investment.

Twelve months later, the company was directly affected by the recession and the heavy impact within the aviation industry, of which is Newbow Aerospace’s core business sector. Banks were not lending or supporting any businesses during this period, forcing Newbow Aerospace to make strategic financial decisions that would determine the company’s future. Newbow Aerospace found their bank were very unwilling to support them and they struggled to raise finance themselves to safeguard employee’s jobs and continue trading with key suppliers. The company used this specific period as an opportunity to diversify their business and streamline their operations considerably, which, in turn, greatly improved the company’s performance.

Over the past five years, since the MBO (Management Buy Out), the company has increased its turnover by approximately 105%.  It has created three full-time job opportunities and grown business export sales to approximately 65%, with the largest growth made within the Middle East. With careful financial management, lean business processes and inward self-funding, the company has gradually achieved this success.

The company is now growing at a fast rate and requires new government initiatives to provide accessible financial support from the banks.  Access to finance will allow Newbow Aerospace to create new job opportunities and further boost its export sales.

Karen said of the visit – “I had a very open discussion with the Directors at Newbow and was interested to learn about the difficulties they are facing as a business looking to grow and expand. I understand that these are real problems affecting businesses across the country and my focus is on helping such businesses in Redditch thrive and move forward during these difficult times. I have written to HM Treasury highlighting this problem affecting local business and have asked that the matter be looked into. I will continue to work hard to support business in the area in any way I can.”

Karen is pictured with Managing Director Ron Stilliard and Sales Director Marc Green.

A personal approach can make a real difference to the lives of people with learning disabilities.

Karen Lumley MP visited the home of three young people with learning disabilities in Redditch and heard how they are able to live more independently for the first time in their lives.

Karen met staff and residents from the home, which is operated by the not-for-profit social care provider Dimensions where she discussed the support needs and aspirations of the people living there. She heard how people with learning disabilities are involved in the design and delivery of their support and how a tailored approach can make a real difference to people’s quality of life.

Julie Campbell, Dimensions Operations Director for Worcestershire said: “We were delighted to welcome Karen and share the stories of the people we support. We are passionate about improving every person’s quality of life; what this means in practice is giving people real choice and control over their support, such as who supports them and how they spend their time. Dimensions was asked by the local authority to plan and deliver a service for three young people with learning disabilities who were planning to live in the Worcestershire area. We were given a very tight timeline of four months to make this happen as the young adults were all leaving either school or college and had chosen to move away from their families to be more independent. All three young people had been supported fairly intensely during childhood and at school but as they move into adulthood we are focusing on providing just enough good support, which will help them develop and maintain independence – as opposed to over-supporting people which can take away people’s ability and right to have choice and control over their lives.”

Dimensions firmly believes that everyone it supports can benefit from personalised support, irrespective of individual needs and abilities. The funding for the people Karen met has been broken into core support hours for the group but also individual hours so that each young person has supported hours spent doing what they wish to do, with whom they wish to be supported by. This has resulted in some very positive progress.

One of the residents is now attending college, another is focussing on vocational opportunities, including gardening and cooking, which is where his interests lie and one resident has recently received his own car which has given him greater independence to go out and get involved in activities that interest him.

Karen Lumley said: “My visit highlighted that it is possible to find creative solutions that mean even people with complex needs can live fulfilling, individual lives. It is obvious that a more personal approach to social care can make a significant difference to people’s quality of life and can help people to become more independent and included in their community. It is important that organisations and individuals that are a part of our community play their role in making our society an inclusive one where people with learning disabilities have the same opportunities to realise their potential as everyone else.”

Julie Campbell added: “With major government reform to social care being planned, it is vital that the needs of people with learning disabilities are not marginalised and that we do not see a return to the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to care. We welcome the support of Karen Lumley for these issues that are central to people like those he met today.”

Photo with with Sally Griffin and Luke Howell.

Local authorities urged to ‘sign up’.

Karen Lumley, MP for Redditch County, has attended an event at the House of Commons to promote the creation of Community Covenants across the United Kingdom. Organised by The Royal British Legion, the event highlighted the importance of local communities getting behind the Armed Forces community in their own area and honouring the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant in practice on the ground.

Launched by the Government in 2011 following a successful campaign by the Legion, the Community Covenant scheme is helping to transform the relationship between local communities and serving and reservist Armed Forces personnel, veterans and their families, for the benefit of both communities.

The Legion is encouraging local authorities to sign a Community Covenant as their own unique commitment to develop mutual understanding, meet the needs of the Armed Forces community and identify opportunities for closer working in their area. More than 50 Community Covenants have been signed so far, and another 50 are in the pipeline.

Signing a Community Covenant is an excellent way for local authorities to demonstrate that they are doing their bit to support the Armed Forces Covenant locally. It also offers access to a £30M Government funding stream, the “Community Covenant Grant Scheme”, for local projects that strengthen ties or mutual understanding between the Armed Forces Community and the wider community.

The Legion campaigned successfully for the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant to be written into law.  The principles recognise the unique nature of Service and state that no disadvantage should arise from it, such as in accessing public services, and that special treatment should be allowed where justified.

Chris Simpkins, the Legion’s Director General said, “Community Covenants provide an excellent opportunity to honour the Armed Forces Covenant and really bring its principles to life at a local level. We’re delighted that a growing number of local authorities from across the political spectrum are engaging with their local Armed Forces communities, and charities such as the Legion, to show their support for our brave Service men and women and their families. We ask every local authority to ‘sign up’. We are very grateful to Karen for attending the Legion’s event and backing stronger local support for their Armed Forces community.”

Karen said, “I was pleased to show my support for The Royal British Legion and to back its call for local communities to strengthen ties with the Armed Forces community in their own area. Community Covenants are a fantastic way for local authorities and the wider community to show their support for our Armed Forces and their families. These Covenants are about securing real improvements in the welfare of Armed Forces personnel, veterans and their families in constituencies across the UK. I am pleased that so many local authorities are signing up. Now all of us need to ensure the commitments made really make a difference where it matters – on the ground.”