International Nurses Day, organised by the International Council of Nurses, is celebrated around the world every May 12, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth.

The event attracted plenty of local interest meaning the organisation, which is the UK’s leading charity for nurses, raised over £100 from the morning along with raising awareness of the vital work carried out by nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants across the world.

Mrs Lumley said: “I was delighted to attend this charity coffee morning and meet with the team to discuss the fine work they do throughout the year.  Cavell Nurses Trust is a Redditch based charity that operates on a national level and does excellent work helping hundreds of nurses who face extreme difficulties in various situations across the board. The services they provide can make a huge positive difference to their lives.”

Simon Knighton, Chairman of Cavell Nurses’ Trust, said: “Nurses are the unsung heroes of healthcare – undervalued, yet still show dedication, commitment, care and compassion to their patients. Their efforts should be recognised and Cavell Nurses’ Trust exists to support UK nurses throughout their career and their lives, when faced with financial difficulties.”

If you would like to know more or make a donation please visit www.justgiving.com/cavellnursestrust.

Karen is pictured with Simon Knighton, Chairman of Cavell Nurses’ Trust and Kate Tompkins, Acting Chief Executive.

The theme for Carers Week 2012 is ‘In sickness and in health” recognising the strain families are under as they see their services cut back. It calls for better financial and practical support for the diverse range of people who have caring responsibilities.

Research carried out in 2012 found that carers are at breaking point:
•    47 per cent of unpaid  carers said they were made ill by money worries
•    45 per cent of unpaid carers said that caring had pushed them into debt

Karen Lumley and Fiona have joined together to pay tribute to carers, and to urge that they receive more support in their caring roles.

Karen said: “Thousands of people in the constituency sacrifice not only their time, but also their money and their health in order to care for a loved one. Together they save this country an incredible £119 billion every year. It’s vital that carers are offered regular breaks from caring and health checks so that they can be supported. I am taking part in Carers Week to show my respect and appreciation for our carers. I also want to let them know that there are services out there to help them. Caring can be so incredibly demanding. It’s important that carers know that they don’t have to struggle on alone.”

Fiona Phillips has personal experience of being a carer. She says: “From personal experience, I know caring can demand a lot of your time and attention, which in some cases can put pressure on other areas in your life such as financial responsibilities and relationships. These problems can prove to be exhausting and mentally gruelling and can really take its toll on your health and wellbeing.  I hope that Carers Week can again help to achieve change, and make a real difference to the lives of carers in this country.”

Helen Clarke, the Carers Week Manager says. “I’m delighted that MPs are listening to carers’ concerns and supporting this year’s Carers Week. We must take action to support the UK’s 6.4 million carers. Many are paying the price of a care system in crisis – being forced to give up work to care and often pushed into ill-health, financial hardship and debt because of a lack of support to help them care.”

Carers Week is organised by a partnership of 8 national charities: Age UK, Carers Trust, Carers UK, Independent Age, Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie Cancer Care, MS Society, and Parkinson’s UK. For more information about local events and activities visit www.carersweek.org.

Interestingly there are 30,000 hectares of horticultural crops grown throughout the region with a farm gate value of £350 million and a Gross Value Added contribution to the region in excess of £600 million. The sector employs over 13,000 full time workers and a further 7,000 part time workers. These are figures to celebrate and be proud of.

Access to fresh fruit and vegetables is a significant issue for local people and the wider population. With nearly 1 in 4 adults and 1 in 10 children aged 2-10 obese; this crisis places a major burden on the NHS at a cost of approximately £4.2 billion per annum. Growers in the West Midlands are extremely well placed to assist with the national 5 A DAY campaign.

Many might be surprised to learn that growers from the region produce 20% of the total UK soft fruit production and a staggering 65% of the UK asparagus crop plus also growing significant volumes of field vegetables, salad and protected crops. Yet more reasons to celebrate!

Of course the sector is not without its challenges and to identify these, the NFU working with an organisation called the European Food and Farming Partnership (EFFP) together with Wychavon District Council have undertaken a region wide survey to highlight issues raised. Karen has also taken the opportunity to meet with local farmers in the area recently to listen to and discuss their industries’ concerns.

Karen is pictured with Asparagus Man and also with fellow local MP’s Harriet Baldwin and Peter Luff.

This unit includes twelve inpatient beds and will provide a home from home for many young people and their families. Unlike ‘ordinary’ hospital wards, it has a kitchen, quiet room, education room and an activities area including a digital jukebox and access to media facilities such as the internet, TV and music.

The unit, the charity’s third in the West Midlands, will bring young people together to be treated by teenage cancer experts in an environment tailored to their needs. Designed to feel like a home from home, the walls are bright, each room is individually styled, the furniture is funky and there’s always a place to watch films and surf the net. Combined with specialist nursing staff and a dedicated Youth Support Coordinator, the unit has everything to make a young person’s stay in hospital as comfortable as possible.

Every day in the UK, six young people are told they have cancer. Teenage Cancer Trust understands that teenage cancer requires specialist care, provided in an environment suited to their specific needs.

Teenage Cancer Trust funds specialist teenage cancer units in NHS hospitals that are designed to give teenagers the very best chance of a positive outcome. There are now currently 21 of these units across the country, including three in Birmingham. The charity plans to build a further 12 so that all young people needing hospital treatment for cancer across the UK have access to the dedicated, specialist support they provide.

Simon Fuller, Director of Services said “I’m delighted that Karen Lumley MP had the chance to visit the Teenage Cancer Trust unit at the University Hospital Birmingham. The unique inpatient and educational facilities in this unit and its excellent staff represents what Teenage Cancer Trust is all about – that young people’s lives shouldn’t stop because they have cancer. We’re very grateful for Karen’s support, including fundraising and asking questions in Parliament about issues affecting young people with cancer.”

Karen said of the visit: “It was extremely interesting to visit and meet with specialists and patients at the hospital to gain a better understanding of the challenges they face dealing with such a difficult situation both personally and professionally. At times it was very difficult to hear about their journey with cancer and I was moved by the bravery, positive attitude, determination and excellent humor they each possessed in the face of such unfortunate circumstances.”

Donations are still needed for the upkeep of Teenage Cancer Trust’s unit and to provide services in the region – all donations can be sent to: Teenage Cancer Trust West Midlands Appeal, 3rd Floor, 93 Newman Street, London, W1T 3EZ.

For more information about Teenage Cancer Trust and how you can get involved, visit www.teenagecancertrust.org

Karen is pictured with Tracey Middle (Clinical Nurse Specialist), Daniel Saunders and Mathew Cooke.

As Trinity High School was graded as good with outstanding features in October 2010, it was able to convert to being an independent state funded academy. Since then, the school has seen its GCSE A* – C pass rate including English and Maths, a key indicator used by both Oftsed and parents to judge the success of a school, raise from 51% to 60%, this was 19% higher than the target set for the school, and Trinity are currently, for the second year running, the most improved school in Worcestershire.

Marian Barton, Headteacher said, “Karen was extremely pleased to hear that we are continuing to make great strides in terms of student achievement. Not only do the students at Trinity High School make excellent progress in terms of value added, we are also expecting this year to be our best set of GCSE results ever. This will be our third year of sustained improvement. The additional funding that we receive from being an Academy has meant we can give our students greater support, for example, in additional Maths and English tuition.”

As part of the visit, Karen was able to see the plans for the new Music Suite which opens in June 2012. This will comprise of a suite of Apple computers running the latest industry standard software, recording studio and a number of soundproofed rehearsal rooms.

Karen said of the visit “It was a pleasure to visit Trinity High School and to hear of all the wonderful progress they are making as an Academy. It was interesting to learn of all the improvements the school has scheduled and the benefits felt by both students and staff and I look forward to seeing the results of their ongoing success in the future.”

The local candidate standing next to Karen is Alex Jones who was in the same class at school as Karen’s daughter!

Feeling old or what!

Karen Lumley MP is calling on local businesses to get in involved in Manufacturing Excellence 2012, the UK-wide awards programme which not only identifies and celebrates outstanding UK manufacturing businesses but can also help companies improve. Past winners have shown that by taking part and adopting best practice they can thrive, grow and become global players.

Karen said, “I’m calling for businesses to apply and take advantage of the programme. Entry is free and there is up to £20,000 free consultancy advice up for grabs as well as the chance to win at the prestigious Manufacturing Excellence Awards in November. Manufacturing is the economic backbone to the UK and by entering companies can ensure Redditch is at the heart of the country’s manufacturing resurgence.”

Manufacturing Excellence works with all manufacturing businesses, whatever their size, age, sector or area of expertise to help improve their processes and showcase their successes and innovations. To enter businesses are encouraged to visit their website www.mxawards.org/home

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers has over 100,000 members working in over 19,000 different companies. With a 30 year history, Manufacturing Excellence is the most successful and long established manufacturing awards programme in the UK, and the only one that provides such a detailed benchmarking and assessment process to help improve your business. Manufacturing Excellence 2012 is run in partnership with The ERA Foundation, Lombard and WMG and sponsored by Arup.

As well as Awards for Best Manufacturer and Best SME, categories for this year are: Business Development and Change Management; Customer Focus; Financial Management; Innovation in Products and Processes; Logistics and Operational Efficiency; Partnership with Education; People Effectiveness; Sustainable Manufacturing; and Most Improved Company.

Robert Underwood said “As a family we know the true extent and the heartache suffered following the loss of a child, in our case our wonderful daughter Charlotte who sadly, at the tender age of 16, passed away from the silent killer SADS – Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome. Our aim is to raise awareness and to hopefully ensure that no other family has to go through what we have been through unnecessarily. Today we now back demands to get this potentially lifesaving equipment (defibrillators) installed in all schools and youth establishments to protect our children. We are very grateful for the help and support offered to us from our local MP, Karen Lumley.”

Maggie Underwood went on to say “We know there are costs involved in getting this equipment into schools but the upset for families and those close to a person who is swiftly taken in this way, such as their fellow classmates, teachers and friends, is a far greater price to pay. There are many children dying from SADS each year, and although some may display symptoms, they are often ignored or mistaken for other ailments such as asthma. I think it is time that we all get together and do all we can to protect our kids, after all, the children we are trying to protect are our future. Having a defibrillator can and will save lives, so please help and sign now.”

Anne Jolly Founder of SADS UK explained, “The cardiac charity SADS UK is pleased with the support shown for the Big Shock Campaign, urging Government to bring forward a strategy to make defibrillators available in all schools.  The amount of people signing the SADS UK online petition shows how passionate the public are that schools have this potentially lifesaving equipment in place. We are delighted that Karen Lumley MP is backing SADS UK’s important initiative and that she is hosting an event for fellow MPs in Parliament to help further highlight the need for urgent action to be taken.”

Karen said “I met with the Underwood family last year and I was extremely saddened and moved to hear about the tragic loss of their daughter Charlotte. Since then I have been more than happy to lend my support to the family and to SADS UK to help raise awareness. I will soon be hosting an event for my colleagues in London to further emphasise the importance of this issue and the work that SADS UK does, and I am currently in the process of trying to secure a Westminster Hall Debate on the subject.”

To sign the SADS UK petition on line please visit www.change.org/petitions/sads-uk-big-shock-campaign-schools-must-have-defibrillators

If anyone would like to help sign and circulate the SADS UK’s paper petition please call 07794637073 and Robert and Maggie will gladly make arrangements to send one to you.  If anyone would like to donate to Charlotte’s fund where all money raised will go directly into buying defibrillators for local schools, please visit http://www.justgiving.com/margaret-prentice

Anyone who would like further information about Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome or the Big Shock Campaign should contact Anne Jolly, SADS UK, Tel:  01277 811215 email: info@sadsuk.org  www.sadsuk.org

Karen met staff from Pertemps People Development Group (PPDG) including CEO Steve King at their Albert Street offices and was interested in the training and help on offer to the unemployed in the area. Karen also had the opportunity to meet with local people looking for work.

One of the people shown meeting with the Redditch MP was 40-year-old Carl Smith from Studley. He had spent 14-years with his previous company and has 22-years experience as an operator/assembler.

“I’ve really been helped forward in a positive direction by the team at the Redditch office,” he said. “I particularly like the open-door approach and the flexibility around the times I can use the facilities, just being able to drop in rather than having to always make an appointment is fantastic. I’ve gained new qualifications, made new friends and it is really paying dividends.”

After enjoying but not achieving at school Carl says he has learnt more with PPDG than he ever did in his school days gaining numeracy and literacy qualifications through learndirect courses. Carl is determined to find work and has been mailing over 20 CV s a week. A local company has offered him an interview in April that brings hope to the former factory worker.

PPDG Employment Coach Helen Barrett has worked alongside Mr Smith in his quest to return to work. “Carl is an inspiration to other job seekers,” Helen explained. “He has had family problems in the past but has moved himself forward very well and has exciting news to come with a new baby on the way in May.  He is one of the most positive job seekers I have met and it would be wonderful if all job seekers were alike.”

Karen said following the visit “Employment opportunities and business growth in Redditch are huge priorities for me. I have had many meetings with local business, job seekers, local colleges and other providers to ensure that we attract a wide range of jobs in all fields to the area and provide the facilities for local people to acquire the necessary skill sets to gain long term employment. Most recently I’ve met with the Chamber of Commerce, local LEP and the Council and along with launching the Skills Survey that was sent to local businesses in January, we now have a better understanding of what gaps need filling in Redditch and a clearer idea of how to move forward and get people into work. It was encouraging and impressive to see the hard work and focus that PPDG and their customers put into finding a job and I wish Carl the best of luck for his interview in April!”

To learn more about PPDG in Redditch, please telephone 01527 592080.

Topics of conversation included HS2, body image and prisons where students put their thoughts and feelings on matters directly to their local MP.

Pictured with Karen are students Shay Kerins, Liam Kennedy and Leah Carver.