RESIDENTS in Sully who were left helpless two days before Christmas when torrents of floodwater swept through their homes say they are living with anxiety every day. On the afternoon of December 23 couple Shirley and Stewart Murdoch were happily preparing for Christmas on what seemed an unremarkable day at their home on Winsford Road in the village. There had been some rainfall, “but nothing to worry about”, Mrs Murdoch said. A couple of hours later their home had been gutted by four feet of water, and they urgently tried to save what they could. They ran around to neighbours Sara and Ian King, whose home had also been wrecked.
Eyes down: Doggie bingo sessions help dementia patients stay connected
Updated: 21/12/2020, 5:34 pm
A bingo project aimed at helping Scots living with dementia during the pandemic has enlisted the help of furry friends.
Dementia Dog, a collaboration between Alzheimer Scotland and UK-wide charity Dogs for Good, uses specially trained dogs to help people with dementia and their carers.
The initiative was born after the charity had to think of new ways to work with their clients and help them stay connected in order to reduce social isolation.
Virtual Dog Bingo was one of the projects, which would see video calls with existing Alzheimer Scotland dementia support groups in various locations across Scotland such as Aberdeen and Fort William.
There are 254 TimeBank groups around the UK. Littleport and Ely TimeBank alone has 108 members currently, and this number is increasing by the day as more people recognise the value of it.
TimeBank offers a circle of support between all ages, gender, race, religion. Offering friendship, skills exchange - hospital travel, DIY, gardening, car washing, to name a few.
Socialising events such as games evenings, quiz nights, coffee mornings, fish and chip nights, and group outings to the Coast and Christmas fairs.
They say that quality of life drastically improves when part of group of people - not being alone, this has really been shown to be true of timebank during lockdown.
A PLEA has been issued to see unpaid carers on the priority list for Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine. Mayor of Workington Janet King has backed the appeal which was first issued by the Liberal Democrat Party. The mayor said: “A lot of carers are living with people who are shielding so it’s really important for those people to get it.” Workington s mayor is a passionate supporter of the West Cumbria Carers charity. Although some young people are looking after a disabled or ill vulnerable relative, they may be one of the last to receive the vaccine. Mrs King said: “The young carers are probably not eligible because of their age.”