Month: <span>October 2017</span>

Healthy Hodnet – a worthwhile event

On Tues 24th Oct Hodnet Medical Centre Patient Participation Group, in conjunction with Shropshire Council Community Enablement Officers, hosted a successful health & well-being drop-in event at the Lyon Hall in Hodnet. Billed as “an event to showcase what is available to help you keep healthy”, the organisers sought to provide a range of useful information and encourage people to continue living active and interesting lives, fully engaged with their own communities, even as they get older.

Visitors could look around the Help 2 Change bus which was parked outside and receive free health checks/advice. (H2C aims to motivate people everywhere to achieve the changes they want in order to live a healthier life.)

Refreshments were provided by Hodnet Women’s Institute. Sir Algernon and Lady Jane Heber-Percy of nearby Hodnet Hall were amongst the thirty or so people who visited the event. Both local and national organisations were represented.

Exhibitors included: Shropshire Choices, with their very useful directory of adult care and support services; Healthwatch Shropshire – “the patient voice for people of this area”. Call them on 01743 237884 – they really want to hear what you think about all health and social care services! People2People were represented too – they advise on community resources in the area of adult social care, and Age UK – the UK’s largest charity for older people, with their extensive range of useful booklets on so many topics.

It was fascinating to see some of the aids devised for individuals with disabilities by volunteers from Remap, a very inspiring charity producing customised equipment for disabled people. (They would love to hear from people with skills and time to contribute in designing/constructing ingenious solutions to everyday problems. Contact their local Chairman John Graham on 01743 341626.) Visitors could also view a wide range of health-related resources available through the local library, including 4 different collections of Books on Prescription, using self-help reading to help people better understand and manage their health & well-being issues.

Hodnet & District Garden Club’s lovely display carried a leaflet on the health benefits of gardening along with their programme for the coming year. Walking for Health were teamed up with the Hodnet Footpath Group, trying to gauge interest in establishing a local Walking for Health Group, the nearest ones at present being in Market Drayton, Whitchurch or Higher Heath. (These groups do not cover miles and miles, but provide a gentle introduction to more regular walking alongside the social benefits of meeting up with others. Anyone interested in knowing more, please contact the Footpath Group.)

Practical and emotional support plus a regular programme of events for those with caring responsibilities were highlighted on the Carers Trust 4 All stand – call 01743 341995 for more info. Trustees from Drayton Action for Health were there to raise awareness of assistance available to local residents re health care needs not available through the NHS, this through funds accumulated by Market Drayton Cottage Hospital League of Friends prior to its closure. The local Compassionate Communities scheme, running in conjunction with the Medical Centre, were there to spread the word about their volunteer befrienders who visit socially-isolated elderly people, helping them to keep in touch with their community.

The slideshow below includes photographs of all exhibitors present.

For comments or enquiries following the event, please see the PPG Facebook page or email them.

Feedback is always appreciated – it’s good to hear what local residents would like to see happening in future in regard to community health events.

St Luke's film night, Nov 2017

St. Luke’s, Hodnet have recently started holding film nights on the first Wednesday of the month. At 7pm on Weds 1st Nov there will be a free showing of “Goodnight, Mr Tom” in the church, and everyone is welcome to attend.
The film is based on a children’s novel of 1981 by English author Michelle Magorian. Set during World War II, it features a boy abused at home in London who is evacuated to the country at the outbreak of the war. In the care of Mister Tom, an elderly recluse, he experiences a new life of loving and care.

Facebook page for Patient Group

Patient Participation Groups are a requirement for every medical practice in England. The function of such groups varies according to practice and locality, but one of their aims is to help medical centres communicate with their patients about new patient directives such as the flu jab.

The new ‘Hodnet Medical Centre Patient Participation Group’ Facebook page has been created by your local group to provide Hodnet Medical Practice patients with this type of information. Please ‘Follow’ this page on Facebook to keep up to date with the latest health awareness information and Hodnet Medical Centre updates.

Find us on Facebook

www.facebook.com/HMCPPG

‘Likes’ & ‘Shares’ of posts will help the Group to become more aware of the type of information most important to Hodnet patients. The PPG will also post about general health issues and health initiatives from other local organisations. At this stage the page is only informative rather than interactive.

To contact the PPG, see the “About” section of the Facebook page or please email.

Update Dec. 2017: The PPG now also has its own page on this website.
Hodnet Medical Centre

Peplow Community Walk – November 2017

Boy & Girl WalkingSunday 12th November
Ercall Woods near The Wrekin
Approximately 3.5 miles (2 hours)
Meet at 1:15pm for 1:30pm
Park opposite the Buckatree Hotel – Map
All ages welcome.
In case of forecasted wet weather please check here (or phone Randall on 01952-540970) after 11:30am on the day.
See our page for more information about the Peplow Community Group.

Updated: Espley Roundabout – 2 Weeks of Roadworks

UPDATE Sunday, 19 Nov. 2017: By 6pm tonight all the machinery, signs and cones had been removed from Espley Roundabout and new white lines painted on new surface. The only things which remained were the large flashing signs warning of delays – it seems no one knew how to switch them off!


Roadworks SignLocal residents may have seen the signs recently erected at the A53/A442 roundabout to the south of Hodnet. These announce that resurfacing work is planned to begin there on Tuesday 7th November 2017.
Today, Shropshire Council published details of the the work here on their Newsroom website. The notice reads:

Essential resurfacing work is to begin on Tuesday 7  November 2017 at the Espley roundabout on the A53 Hodnet bypass.
The work will take approximately two weeks to complete, including weekends, and will be undertaken under traffic lights.
We are using a special product for this scheme that can take up to 24 hours to cure before traffic can use the road, so there will be times when you see no workforce on site.
This site has been identified via a combination of asset management data and local engineering judgement and has been deemed in need of essential maintenance. As such we ask for your patience and support while the work is carried out and offer our apologies for any inconvenience that may be caused.
Information about the work will be found on a dedicated webpage at shropshire.gov.uk/roadworks. Updates will be added to this page throughout the work to keep you informed of progress.

Resurfacing work on another roundabout will also be of interest to local residents. In a similar notice which can be found here, the Council has announced that essential resurfacing work is to begin on Tuesday 31 October 2017 around the Prees Heath roundabout south of Whitchurch.

Hodnet & District Garden Club

Hodnet & District Garden ClubTuesday 21st Nov is the date of the final meeting of this year’s programme. We shall meet at the Lyon Hall at 7.30 pm for an in-house presentation on the theme of Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe – the cultivation of these items of winter greenery, as well as myths and legends associated with them.
As usual light refreshments will be served at the end of the meeting and guests are always welcome; one-off visitors pay £2, annual membership is £10.
The committee agreed to hold prices at the same level for next year. Our programme resumes in February, with some interesting speakers and visits to look forward to. It will be available to view on the Garden Club website once details are finalised, and we should be delighted to see new people coming along.
 
 

Shrewsbury Relief Road – Any Thoughts?

Shropshire Council LogoShropshire Council have this week announced a consultation on the proposed route for the long awaited Shrewsbury North West Relief Road (NWRR). Following the last such consultation (2010) the Council have secured funding for the construction of the “Oxon Link Road” originally proposed as part of the NWRR. The Council is now preparing to submit a funding bid to take the remaining sections forward and is therefore taking the opportunity to get a measure of current opinion across the county.
The consultation, which ends on Friday 8 November, does not take long to complete. Those responding to the questionnaire are asked to read background information first. This can be found here on the “Get Involved” section of the Council’s website. The Council have also published a list on Shropshire Newsroom of one day exhibitions providing the same information. PDF’s of the display boards which will are to be used can be downloaded here. The same page also hosts this video:

Whilst the proposed NWRR is not in the Hodnet area, no doubt many local residents travel to places to the south west of Shrewsbury and in Mid-Wales. This consultation may therefore be of interest to a number of people in this part of Shropshire.

Public Walk – Cancelled

Please note: this walk has been cancelled due to wet weather.

Hodnet Footpath Group have been drafting a new walk leaflet for a nice route connecting Peplow Chapel and Stoke on Tern Church, and we plan to ‘road test’ this with a public walk on Sunday 5th November.
We shall meet by Peplow Chapel [roadside parking] at 10am and do the walk – there and back, but if folk wish to do just the outward part they could arrange to leave a ‘spare’ car at Stoke on Tern Church. We should be back by 12.30 – 1300.
Children and dogs welcome, dogs on leads please.
Suitable footwear advised – this is a walk largely passing over hardcore tracks and fields.
We hope that it won’t be necessary to call off the walk due to bad weather, but should it be pouring with rain the event will not take place.
We hope that you can join us.

Don't miss the Healthy Hodnet event

It’s not long now until the Health & Wellbeing drop-in event at the Lyon Hall on Tuesday 24th October, from 10am-2pm.
The Patient Participation Group have been busy distributing publicity around the area served by Hodnet Medical Centre, and are hoping that plenty of people will come along to find out more about a variety of different groups and organisations.
The Diabetes UK stand should fulfil the doctors’ desire to raise awareness of the value of exercise and a healthy diet, particularly in connection with pre-diabetes .
The Help 2 Change bus aims to encourage motivation and provide resources to help people everywhere to achieve the changes they want, to live a healthier life.
Remap, who produce customised equipment for disabled people, will be represented. If it’s information or advice you need, then Shropshire Choices and Age UK will be on hand.
Alzheimers Society will be there, and so will Healthwatch Shropshire – their aim is to make sure that everyone gets the best from their health and social care services and that those services work in a joined-up way.
Local groups will feature too. Hodnet Footpath Group and Walking for Health will have a stand. Hodnet Garden Club will be there, along with Hodnet Compassionate Communities and representatives from the Market Drayton-based FoodBank and CAP schemes. Look out for Beyond Fitness who are running Boot Camps on the rec on a Thursday morning, and the local Zumba Dance Party leader who wants to increase numbers attending her Monday evening sessions at the Lyon Hall.
The Patient Participation Group looks forward to seeing you there.

Egg Vandalism in Hodnet

West Mercia Police LogoThe Shropshire Star has reported here and here that police have had to speak to children and their parents about a series of egg throwing incidents. While the majority of these seem to have been in Market Drayton, the second report states that a similar incident has occurred in Hodnet.

Residents have complained that a group of people have been throwing the eggs at houses in the town and in Hodnet.
Constable Alan Ambrose, of Market Drayton police station, said: “Police are still dealing with some of these incidents at this time.
“We have already spoken to a group of children in front of their parents regarding one of the incidents and some strong words of advice has been given.”

No further details have been provided. Please remember to report all incidents of anti-social behaviour to the police as soon as possible. Unless the situation is an emergency concerned members of the public should call 101 to report minor crimes such as this.