Top tips for having fun and getting home safely are:

You don’t have to be drunk to have a good night, set

limits and stick to them.

Always pre-book a licensed taxi for your journey home,

stay with your friends & never walk home alone.

www.westyorkshire.police.uk/nightoutsurvivalguide

Welcome to the December - January

2014/15 edition of The Calderdale

Voice.

This year has seemed to fly by and we

have been very busy at Healthwatch

Calderdale. In our News from the

Healthwatch team, there are a few

updates about what we have been up

to including a really positive mention

about us from the Calderdale MP Linda

Riordan!

Winter can sometimes dramatically

affect people’s moods, particularly

Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD.

In this issue, we have included some

strategies for dealing with SAD on

page 16.

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas

and New Year!

Emma Worsley, The Calderdale Voice Editor

If you hate Brussels Sprouts, it may be

because of your DNA! Some people have a gene that can make Sprouts taste bitter.

The coldest temperature ever recorded in

the world was -128 degrees Celsius, in Vostok Station in Antarctica in 1983.

Healthwatch is the new Consumer Champion, or Watchdog, for health and social care.

The aim of local Healthwatch will be to give citizens and communities a stronger voice

to influence and challenge how health and social care services are provided locally.

Healthwatch Calderdale is an independent body that will raise your views and

opinions on Health & Social Care in Calderdale and to help make your voices heard.

What we aim to:

Enable local voices to influence the delivery and design of local health and

social care services

Use local volunteers to gather views and information from local people and

communities

Involve and engage local people, putting you at the heart of Health and

Social Care service decision making

Enable local people to make informed choices about their own and family’s

health and social care needs

Influence the way services are designed and delivered

Have a strong relationship with Health and Social Care

providers as a critical friend using community views to

influence and improve planning and delivery of services

Provide information, advice and support about local health

and social care services

Refer people to make a complaint via the Advocacy Service

Healthwatch Calderdale will be taking

their Community Engagement in a new

direction in the new year.

As part of our revised engagement plan,

Healthwatch Calderdale will be replacing

some of our drop in sessions with new

methods of outreach including the

Todmorden Market Charity stall - starting

15th January - and Halifax Woolshops.

Healthwatch Calderdale will also be

visiting local Health & Social Care support

groups and organisations to talk to them

about their experiences of Health &

Social care services.

If you would like Healthwatch to visit

your group, please email

info@healthwatchcalderdale.co.uk

Over the past year, we retrieved information

from residents of Calderdale, which

informed us of the trends in Health & Social

Care services in Calderdale. These trends

initiated our first Enter & Views, three of

which, we have recently completed. The

reports from those Enter & Views will be

published on our website.

Alan Walsh, our Information and Support

Officer said

“Enter & View is an integral part of our

operation(s) because it highlights, and

brings to the fore, the views and

experiences of Calderdale residents. It is

vitally important that we have open,

transparent dialogue between us,

Calderdale residents and Health & Social

Care services to ensure patients needs are

met and a high level of excellent care/

treatment is provided.”

Please visit our website for more information

www.healthwatchcalderdale.co.uk

Average snowflakes fall at 3.1mph and they

always have 6 sides.

Healthwatch Calderdale was mentioned by

Linda Riordan, Labour MP for Halifax, when

she addressed the House of Commons on

Thursday 20th November.

Whilst addressing the House of Commons in a

debate on the future of our local A&E, Linda

said:

“I hope today’s debate can shed some light

on exactly what is taking place. I also want

to place on the record the excellent health

staff we have in Halifax; the nurses,

doctors, consultants, clinicians and everyone

in the NHS wider health family do a superb

job in difficult circumstances. That is why, as

Healthwatch Calderdale have found, that the

clinical treatment administered by GPs in the

district is very good and they make a positive

contribution to residents’ health in the

area.”

This is really positive for Healthwatch

Calderdale and we are keen to develop our

relationship with local MPs further.

People with Chionophobia are simply said

to have a fear of snow.

Healthwatch Calderdale has been busy

with our Task and Finish groups.

In September 2014, Healthwatch

conducted a survey about Car Parking at

Calderdale Royal Hospital. Based at the

hospital front entrance, Healthwatch

staff and volunteers spoke to 651 people

about their car parking experience.

With the help of our volunteer Ruth, we

have collated all the data and are in the

process of creating a report of our

findings. The report will be given to

the Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS

Foundation Trust for their consideration

and will also be published on our website

www.healthwatchcalderdale.co.uk

Healthwatch Calderdale is a membership

organisation. We make sure that all our

members are kept up to date with

everything related to Health and Social

Care at both a local and national level.

Becoming a member is free of charge and

is open to anyone who lives in Calderdale

and/or receives substantial health and

social care services from any provider

within Calderdale. It is also open to

voluntary and community groups who

supports users of health and social care

services.

To become a member, please email

info@healthwatchcalderdale.co.uk

Healthwatch is the new Consumer Champion,

or Watchdog, for health and social care. The

aim of local Healthwatch will be to give

citizens and communities a stronger voice to

influence and challenge how health and

social care services are provided locally.

Healthwatch Calderdale is an independent

body that will raise your views and opinions

on Health & Social Care in Calderdale and to

help make your voices heard.

The feedback we receive from local

residents allows us to understand what the

issues are from the people that use the

services. Your views will help us identify

areas that need to be looked into further.

Please get in touch by calling 01422 431099

or you can email us on

info@healthwatchcalderdale.co.uk

You can also give us your feedback by using

the ’Talk to Us’ page on our website

www.healthwatchcalderdale.co.uk

On Christmas Day, people eat an estimated 7,000 calories each.

The Healthwatch Calderdale website offers a number of different services:

Send us your feedback using the ‘Talk to Us’ page

Sign up to be a member of Healthwatch Calderdale

Find out about our volunteering opportunities

Search for local Health & Social Care services

Keep up to date with news from Healthwatch

Find out where your nearest Healthwatch drop in session is

Watch videos from Healthwatch England

See our Healthwatch Calderdale Twitter feed

Read the Healthwatch Calderdale Pledge

Find out about Healthwatch Calderdale local meetings

www.healthwatchcalderdale.co.uk

Twitter @hwcalderdale

Facebook Healthwatch Calderdale

Chilblains are small, itchy swellings on the

skin that occur as a reaction to cold temperatures.

A number of churches and organisations

are working in partnership to provide a

weekly drop in point for food & support at

the Ebenezer Methodist Church, St. James

Road, Halifax.

The aim of the project is to enable vul-

nerable people who have a 'chaotic

lifestyle' to access a drop in on a weekly

basis and collect a free food parcel and

gain support and guidance to enable them

to move on from their current situation.

This will include:

people who are experiencing

homelessness

destitute asylum seekers

people who suffer from substance

misuse

clients and people suffering extreme

hardship.

For more information, please ring

07975 718 093

Yorkshire Smokefree is a stop smoking

service run by South West Yorkshire

Partnership NHS Foundation Trust which

gives smokers the chance to quit their way

using tailored support.

Smokers in Calderdale can choose to pick

and mix their support from:

- Face to face support in a local and

convenient quit shop

- Telephone support from trained

advisors, available 7 days a week with

extended opening hours

- Online support using Yorkshire

Smokefree’s innovative online quit tool

which is available 24/7

It’s free, flexible and run by NHS experts

who have already helped thousands of

people across Yorkshire to stop smoking.

To find out more about how Yorkshire

Smokefree can help, visit

www.yorkshiresmokefree.nhs.uk

or call 0800 6120011 (free from landlines) or

0330 6601166 (free from mobiles).

Exciting news for Calderdale residents!

If you have a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 25

or over, you may qualify for FREE Weight

Watchers vouchers. These vouchers

entitle you to up to 12 weeks of free

Weight Watchers support to help you

lose weight healthily.

This is part of the Calderdale Council

Scheme and allows people to self refer

onto the programme.

At Weight Watchers you’ll find friendly,

effective, support that you need to help

lose weight safely and keep it off.

To find out more or register your

interest, please call 01422 230 230.

Winter can be a really hard time for people

grieving a loved one. CHIBS is a free,

befriending service that provides emotional

support to bereaved adults and children over

the age of 5 years living in the Calderdale

area.

Adult support is offered on a 1-2-1 basis in

your home or at a mutually agreed venue.

All Befrienders are volunteers who have

undergone professional training which is

updated regularly. Most have suffered

bereavement themselves and can empathise

with the many thoughts and feelings that

grief can bring. They have also undertaken

an enhanced Disclosure Barring Service

check (DBS).

CHIBS are not a counselling service but if you

have suffered the loss of a loved one and

would like someone to listen and help you in

your loss, then please get in contact.

For more information, please visit

www.chibs.org.uk

or call 0845 0099220

Calderdale Inn Churches is a Winter

shelter project for homeless people aged

18 years and over, it runs 7 days per week

(from 6pm to 9am) from Sunday 4th

January until Sunday March 29th 2015.

Evening meals and breakfast are provided.

This is a free service.

Who can use the shelter?

Temporary homeless – e.g. due to

relationship breakdown

People sleeping rough

Economic migrants

Recently released prisoners

Destitute asylum seekers & refugees

Hidden homeless – living in squats,

hostels or sofa surfing

For more information, please ring

07975 718 093

The Basement Recovery Programme has been

designed by people who have been affected

by alcohol and drug issues, with the aim of

helping others attain a lifestyle free from

addiction, abuse and the fear.

The programmes aim is to help people get

clean from alcohol and/or drugs and for

them to understand more about the nature

of addiction. The winter months can be

particularly hard and depressing for those

who misuse drink or drugs and the realisation

that help is needed can be at its greatest,

The Basement Recovery Programme is here

to help. The project has an open door policy

for anyone to walk in and ask for help.

The Basement Recovery Project provides

twice weekly drop-ins for food to those who

are socially excluded or homeless. The

Breakfast Club is available 10am – 12pm each

Tuesday and Thursday morning.

For more information, please visit

www.thebasementproject.org.uk

This December, Heart Research are

asking the nation to warm up their vocal

chords so we can continue helping people

to live happier, healthier, longer lives.

Sing for Your Heart encourages choirs,

singers and people alike all over the

country to sing, whether in a train

station or at home on the karaoke to

raise money for Heart Research UK.

Choirs and singers can also sign up to

sing at one of Heart Research’s

organised city venues.

Not only is singing a great way to raise

money, research has shown that it's also

good for your heart, helping you to live a

longer and healthier life.

For more information, please visit

www.heartresearch.org.uk

The Campaign to End Loneliness aims to

maintain and create connections in older age

and combat loneliness. They are asking

people to reach out to older neighbours or

family who might be isolated or lonely over

Christmas

Loneliness is a bigger problem than simply an

emotional experience. Research shows that

loneliness and social isolation are harmful to

our health.

Laura Ferguson, Director of the Campaign to

End Loneliness said:

“Keeping in touch with older neighbours and

family could help them overcome the extra

emotional pressures of Christmas. Memories

of past friends and Christmases can make the

festive season particularly painful for older

people who are isolated and lonely.

Simply sending a Christmas card, giving a gift

to or spending time with an older neighbour

or family member might help lift them out of

their isolation and loneliness.”

For more information, please visit

www.campaigntoendloneliness.org

Monday 19 January 2015 is expected to be

the most depressing day of the year.

Now, individuals and organisations are being

challenged to cheer up the day and

make a real difference to people with

depression or seasonal affective disorder

(SAD).

Mental Health Research UK (MHRUK) is

hosting Blooming Monday in order to help

break down the continuing stigma attached

to mental illness. 1 in 4 people will have

some form of mental illness in their lives.

On the 19 January 2014, MHRUK invite

everyone to join their Blooming Monday

campaign and make a big visual impact by

injecting some unexpected colour and joy

into the day. It’s a simple ask: that

everyone wears their brightest clothes on

one of the dullest days of the year. Even if

you have to wear formal clothes to work,

you can at least wear a bright tie or scarf,

and bring a smile to someone’s face.

For more information, please visit:

www.blooming-monday.com

Decembeard is the next big thing in men’s

lifestyle charity fundraising. Think

Movember but with beards. Less Freddie

Mercury, more David Beckham.

The campaign aims to encourage men

throughout the UK to raise sponsorship for

bowel cancer by growing a beard.

Beating Bowel Cancer is a leading UK

charity for people affected by bowel

cancer. The money raised during

Decembeard will fund their work

supporting people affected by bowel

cancer and raising awareness of the

disease, its symptoms and the importance

of early diagnosis.

For more information, please visit:

decembeard.org

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a

form of depression that people

experience at a particular time of year

or during a particular season.

If you experience SAD, the change in seasons will have a much

greater effect on your mood and energy levels, and lead to symptoms of

depression that have a significant impact on your day-to-day life.

Self Help Strategies for SAD

Make the most of natural light - Going outdoors, particularly around

midday or on bright days, can be effective in reducing symptoms.

Avoid stress - If you find this time of year difficult, try to plan ahead to

reduce the amount of stressful activities you have during this time.

Exercise and eat well - Try to keep physically active during the winter.

Consider using a light box - Using a light box has been found to be an

effective treatment for SAD, as it increases your exposure to light during the

winter months.

Mind

www.mind.org.uk

A rarer type of seasonal affective disorder known as ‘summer depression’ can occur in people who live in warmer climates.

Healthwatch Calderdale is hosted by