LIST OF PLANNED BHC ACTIVITIES AVAILABLE IN THE MACHARS AND NEWTON STEWART AREA

JANUARY 2015 - MARCH 2015

ISLE OF WHITHORN

Arts Group – Wednesdays, 14th January to the end of March 2015.

12.30pm to 3.30pm.

The aim of the group is to inspire, encourage and help members further their interest in the Arts.  2 volunteers from Building Healthy Communities, David and Margaret, will be facilitating the group, whilst providing a friendly and sociable environment for the development of people's hidden artistic and creative talents.  So come along and do what you prefer at your own level.

Dancercise –Tuesdays, 6th January to 31^st March 2015.

10.30am to 11.30am

We will be continuing with the popular Dancercise group, facilitated by Pamela Paterson.  The group is open to all adults who wish to do some gentle exercise through dance. 

Computer Club –Thursdays, 15th January 2015 for 4 weeks.

1pm to 3pm

Due to popular demand, the computer club will run for a further 4 weeks.

The club will aim to assist you in all aspects of using your laptop computer or tablet.  Members will be supported with their learning or with any minor issues they may have with their device by an experienced tutor, Luke Utting, as well as getting support and skills from each other.

WHITHORN

Whithorn Primary School - January 2015

As part of their wider achievement, all pupils are being offered various activities they wouldn't normally experience in the classroom on a Wednesday afternoon from 2.10pm to 3.10pm. 

BHC will be providing 4 weeks of Tambourelli, facilitated by Tracey, BHC volunteer as well as New Age Curling, which will be facilitated by Samantha.

Volunteer Drop-in - Weekly

Our weekly volunteer drop-in will resume on Thursday 15^th January 2015, from 9.30 to 12.30pm.

NEWTON STEWART

Monday Club - Mondays throughout 2015

The club will meet again on Monday 5^th January 2015, 10am to 12pm at Penninghame Church.  The club runs every 1^st and 3^rd Monday of the month.  During the first session, the members will be planning their activities for the next few months.

New Age Curling and Boccia Group 

The weekly group will restart on Monday 12^th January 2015, 1.30pm to 3pm, at Penninghame Church Hall.

Laptop Heaven

The weekly computer club will run for a further 3 weeks from Tuesday 13^th January 2015.  The club is open to members of the Riverside Centre.

Gentle Exercise to Music

Tenants from Ashgrove Court will once again be entertained by Pamela Paterson every Wednesday from 3pm to 4pm.

Tai Chi For Health

From Tuesday 3^rd February 2015, Lyn Irvine, BHC Volunteer, will be delivering a weekly Tai Chi for Health session at Penninghame Church Hall from 2.30pm to 4pm.

ALL BHC ACTIVITIES ARE FREE OF CHARGE

Contact the office on 01988 501111 for further information on these or any other activities.

Free Short Courses for Carers

There are a range of courses available in 2015 for carers and family members.
All of these are FREE.

To view the poster about short courses click here

To view the schedule of training in Dumfries and Galloway click here

Not sure? Contact the BHC office for more information.

Gym Equipment Loan Scheme (GELS)

The idea of being able to lend out Home Gym Equipment has evolved after a generous donation of equipment from Jim Thomson of Penninghame. Jim was no longer using the equipment and wanted others to benefit and saw Building Healthy Communities as an organisation that could take this forward. Since Jim's initial donation of an electric treadmill, an exercise cycle and a cross trainer, BHC has received further donations from David and Ann Hirst, a step machine, and from Dave and Nat, a rowing machine and a sit-up machine.

The equipment is available to borrow and be used by groups in the Machars or by individuals in their own homes.

Further details will be available in January, but once again, thanks to Jim Thomson for initiating the idea.

Cairnsmore Medical Practice

We are putting a link on the blog which will direct you to the Cairnsmore Medical practice.  To view the webpage please go to http://www.cairnsmore.org.uk/

Breast Cancer Awareness

The earlier Breast cancer is found .....................................................The easier it is to treat!!

DON'T GET SCARED, GET CHECKED.

For more information go to www.nhsinform.co.uk 

Isle of Whithorn - AccessArt

The art course facilitated by James from AccessArt being held at St Ninians Hall, has come to an end. The 7 participants have all enjoyed the sessions. They worked on a variety of mediums and used many different techniques.

 Participants Comments:

"A very enjoyable course with very pleasant and helpful trainers"
"I’ve gained new skills and enjoyed exchanging ideas with others"

"I have gained so much more knowledge about art and all the things possible.  It has helped my confidence and belief in myself."

"I have achieved things I didn’t know I was capable of."

Many thanks to James for his efforts in delivering these quality sessions with such positive outcomes.

Tambourelli at Whithorn School

As part of the School's wider achievement awards, a BHC volunteer has been introducing Tambourelli to Whithorn School pupils over a 4 week period, 29th October to 19th November.

All the children and staff enjoyed their sessions and were awarded a certificate for their achievements.

Thanks to Tracey for her input!

Bowel Cancer Awareness

"Don't Get Scared, Get Checked!"

For further information, go to: www.nhsinform.co.uk

Isle of Whithorn – Computer Classes

The 6 weekly sessions have now come to a close, and 8 different individuals have benefitted from the intense 1:1 work that has been on offer.

The evaluation showed that all participants have enjoyed their experiences and learned new skills.

Comments from individuals:

“Happy with a class that can cope with a novice like me”

“I’m not quick with computing so need patient tutor”

“I am now able to carry out projects that I was unable to do previously”

There has been a request for more classes, and this is being looked into for 2015. Watch this Blogpage for further classes!

Many Thanks to Luke, the tutor for facilitating these popular classes and Samantha for her support throughout the delivery of the sessions.

Ashgrove Court – AccessArt Workshops

The recent set of workshops at Ashgrove Court have come to an end and have proved to be very successful. 7 residents took part and produced some great material around monoprinting, watercolours and abstract work.

Participants comments:

“Had a great time lovely to make a mess.”

“Enjoyed the chat and the company”

Thanks again to James from AccessArt for facilitating the sessions as part of the
Self Management Programme.

Cancer Awareness

To view the poster about Lung Cancer advice click here

Isle of Whithorn Computer Group

For the past 4 weeks Luke and Samantha have been at the Isle of Whithorn's new St. Ninians Hall, giving assistance to people with Laptop/Tablet problems. 

There has been a very successful turn out so far. Everyone attending has found new skills and made use of the information that has been provided.  With another 2 weeks left more members are joining to learn how to keep up to date with all the latest technology.

We have been able to update various programmes for individuals, solve problems and generally assist the group with all aspects of computing.

Arts and Crafts Fair - Monday Club

Please see poster below about an Arts and Crafts Fair to be held on Monday 17^th in aid of The Monday Club. Please come along and support this event.

Isle of Whithorn Art Group

The Isle of Whithorn Art group is continuing to flourish. Please see below the comments from facilitator James Galloway (AccessArt, Turning Point Scotland)

”The second block of sessions with 'Isle Inspirations' is currently taking place in the Isle of Whithorn. The concept of the sessions is to celebrate the artistic development of the group and introduce new participants to printing techniques. The development of the group has seen an increase in participant numbers with the group members taking more responsibility for driving the group forward. The group is informal and now has the capacity to welcome new artists.”

The group continues to 26th November.

Arthritis Care Open Day

The Arthritis Care Open Day was held on 31^st October and supported by Suzanne from Building Healthy Communities.

It was a well attended event and all participants enjoyed the event, trying out Boccia, New Age Curling and Tai Chi. 

Let's Cook

Today’s Let’s Cook session was our last one of our four week block. Today we made Bread and Butter Pudding and Pasta and Bacon in a Cream Cheese Sauce.

We started by preparing our bread, spreading the butter and then cutting it into triangles, layered with sugar and sultanas, added our homemade egg custard straight  into oven and cooked for 30-40 mins.

Next job was to start preparing the vegetables for our pasta and bacon dish. We chopped peppers (green, yellow and red), garlic and mushroom (if you liked them),  cut our bacon into strips (could take the fat of if you wished) and then added to the frying pan with our veg. Added cream cheese, yoghurt and passata sauce, then the cooked pasta and let our dish cool down before putting it into our containers.

At the end of today’s session we all received certificates for completing the course and a booklet of all the recipes that we had made.

We would like to thank Richard for his hard work and input throughout the sessions.

Quotes from our let’s cook participants.

“As I live alone, I have to cook all my own meals”   Ron

“Making proper food so my son has healthy meals” Emma

“I can cook for my family without constantly asking for help” Kathleen 

Boccia and New Age Curling - Monday 3rd November

The first of the taster sessions for Boccia and New Age Curling  took place at Penninghame Church Hall on Monday. There were 8 people in attendance and all took part and tried the activities. The group was facilitated by Suzanne and Samantha and the session was very competitive, with the Red team winning!! 

Next session Monday 10^th, same time, same place.

Monday Club, 3rd November

An interesting talk was given to the group by Shona Sneddon, Dementia advisor for Alzheimer’s Scotland, explaining all the stages of this progressive disease and how it affects the individual as well as the family and/or carers.

She used a great analogy of “Books falling off a book shelf” and how they cascade down with the short term memories being on the top shelf. This being one of the reasons why many sufferers still have memories of their younger days. (At the bottom of the bookshelf).

There was a good Q and A session to finish before Pam closed the meeting with another vibrant exercise to music session.

Wigtownshire Women's Aid Extended Service

Dumfries and Galloway Community Safety Survey 2014

Dumfries and Galloway Council, Police Scotland and many partners are committed to reducing or eliminating the threats to safety within our communities.

The Community Safety Partnership wants Dumfries and Galloway to be the safest place in which to live and welcomes your opinions on where you think the priorities are. Help us to achieve our aim by completing this short survey and telling us what issues affect you and how we can improve our overall service.

The results will be used by the Community Safety Team and partners to identify areas for improvement.

Link to survey - https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JBMQ76C

The survey closes on 23 December 2014

Step Up Arthritis Care Newsletter

To view the poster leaflet please click on the link here.

NHS New Hospital News One Step Closer

To view the leaflet please click on the link here.

Wigtown Drop-In Hard of Hearing Group

Let's Cook Session - Week 3

"For this week's 'lets cook' session the group had agreed that they would like to make beef curry with basmati rice and chocolate sponge. The attendance was good and 2 more new people had joined the group. The participants started with the sponge first in order to get that into the oven cooking while they prepared the ingredients for the beef curry. If you are not used to making sponges it can be hard on the arms, but all worked really hard and by the end of the session had great chocolate sponges. The beef curry is surprisingly easy to make and as 2 of the group felt the spiciness was a little too much for them we were able to tweak the recipe to make a beef stew instead, allowing everyone to see how easy it can be to adjust recipes so we are still eating healthily and what we like. At the end of the session I was very pleased that the group had achieved so much in the time they had and looking forward with pleasure and a little sadness to our fourth and final session next week - pasta and bacon in a cream cheese sauce and bread and butter pudding".  Richard Line- Let's Cook Tutor/Community Food and Nutrition Worker.

Initiatives and Activities in the Machars - Oct to Dec 2014

Please click on the images to enlarge them.

DANCERCISE

The “Gentle Exercise to Music” as previously planned, turned into “Dancercise” after week one!  Here is what Pamela Paterson, the tutor, told us:

“The Dancercise classes at St Ninians Hall, Isle of Whithorn, have been a success so far. My dancers are lovely and we have lots of fun. I asked them for comments and they all huddled in a corner and came up with this:

 "Like minded women moving to the gentle rhythm of lovely music. We so enjoy. *****" (that's supposed to be five stars!) Regards Pam.

Arthritis Care Open Day in Newton Stewart

Please click here to view the poster.

New Group Starting in Newton Stewart - Boccia and New Age Curling!

D & NHS Recruitment - Two new Non-Executive Board Members

Monday Club 6th October

Basic Food Banks

On Monday, members were informed about Basic Food Banks within the Machars area and how they are set up, distributed etc. The Machars area Food Bank is based at Penninghame Church Hall, but has distributors across the area.

Christmas is a really busy period and the Food Banks are always looking for people to help with packing and distributing to individuals. People can be referred by any external agency that is operating in the Machars.

When a specific item or items are required, there is a poster network employed to raise awareness of the need.  The public have been very generous in assisting with this project.

The meeting ending with an exuberant session of exercise to music with Pam.

Let's Cook - A member's report.

Richard, at the start of this week’s session, provided us all with recipes for Apple Crumble and a simple Stir Fry. The Crumble was being made to a basic recipe, but he had brought with him other ingredients such as Sultanas and Cinnamon which we could add if wanted.

For the Stir Fry, we chopped and sliced Onions, Ginger and Garlic. On another board, we sliced Chicken which we were told not to wash as this could spread bacteria. We then added Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil and Sugar. 

Everything was then stir fried and Noodles were added. Chilli Sauce was handed round to add if wanted. We collected our Apple Crumbles which looked really good.

The group decided to cook Beef Curry and Chocolate Sponge the next time.

What I enjoy about these sessions is that Richard listens to other people's comments and fits his recipes around what the people's needs are.

There does appear to be a lot of washing up though! Only joking about the washing up. There is a very friendly atmosphere during the sessions.

New Boccia and New Age Curling Group coming up!

Both sessions were so successful that Building Healthy Communities will be starting a regular group of Boccia and New Age Curling every Monday afternoon, 1.30 to 3pm, from 3^rd November at Penninghame Church Hall.

Let's Cook!

Today was our first “Let’s Cook session” with Richard Line at Isle of Whithorn New Hall.

Once Richard welcomed everybody, introduced the Let’s Cook programme and explained the health & safety procedures, we proceeded to make Minestrone Soup and Cheese or Fruit Scones.

We started off with preparing the vegetables by cutting and sweating them off in a pot.  We then added the spaghetti (Richard showed us a clever trick with a tea towel to break the spaghetti into smaller pieces).  We added peas, garlic, bacon and a parsley parcel and left the soup to simmer for 20 minutes.

  

To make the scones (we had the choice of making cheese or fruit scones), we mixed together the flour, caster sugar, margarine, and dried fruit (for fruit scones) or cheese (for cheese scones). We had to spread some flour on the chopping board before rolling out the mixture and cutting it into two equal portions which were then baked for 10/12 minutes in the new oven. 

Whilst waiting for our “masterpieces” to be ready, we all took turns washing and drying the dishes.

For next week, we decided to make a Chicken Stir-Fry followed by Apple Crumble!  Yum!! 

ISLE OF WHITHORN - NEW PROGRAMME OF ACTIVITIES

In partnership with Isle Futures, we are offering several activities in their newly refurbished hall:

Computer Club: Facilitator Luke Utting

The club will aim to assist you in all aspects of using your laptop computer or tablet.  Members will be supported with their learning or with any minor issues they may have with their device by an experienced tutor as well as getting support and skills from each other.

Week 1 - Thursday 2nd October - 1pm to 3pm

Week 2 - Thursday 9th October - 1pm to 3pm

Week 3 - Thursday 30th October - 1pm to 3pm

Week 4 - Thursday 6th November - 1pm to 3pm

Week 5 - Thursday 13th November - 1pm to 3pm

Week 6 - Thursday 20th November - 1pm to 3pm

Boccia: Facilitator Lyn Irvine

Week 1 - Tuesday 28th October - 1pm to 3pm

Week 2 - Tuesday 4th November - 1pm to 3pm

Week 3 - Tuesday 11th November - 1pm to 3pm

Week 4 - Tuesday 18th November - 1pm to 3pm

Chair Based Exercise to Music: Facilitator Pam Paterson

Gentle exercise whilst sitting (or standing).  Pam guides you through gentle stretches for the whole body, whilst entertaining the group and making the whole session have a "feel good" factor.

Week 1 - Tuesday 7th October - 10.00am for registration. 10.30am to 11.30am

Week 2 - Tuesday 14th October - 10.30am to 11.30am

Week 3 - Tuesday 21st October - 10.30am to 11.30am

Week 4 - Tuesday 28th October - 10.30am to 11.30am

Week 5 - Tuesday 25th November - 10.30am to 11.30am

Week 6 - Tuesday 2nd December - 10.30am to 11.30am

Week 7 - Tuesday 9th December - 10.30am to 11.30am

Week 8 - Tuesday 10th December - 10.30am to 12pm

Let's Cook: Facilitator Tutor Richard Line – Health Improvement Team

Let’s cook is about easy recipes to make for yourself or your family. It’s about making mealtimes special which helps us all to eat healthy, affordable home-cooked food.  Let’s Cook sessions are friendly and fun, with cooking in groups, in pairs or individually.

Following the session you can taste what you’ve made and take it home to share and enjoy with others. The recipes are simple, easy to follow and adapt. Each week you can build your collection of recipes and information into a folder. The session gives time for discussion and allows participants to build skills and confidence in the kitchen. We also chat about budgeting and ideas for snacks and lunch boxes.

Week 1 - Wednesday 1^st October – 10am to 12pm

Week 2 – Wednesday 8^th October – 10am to 12pm

Week 3 – Wednesday 22^nd October – 10am to 12pm

Week 4 – Wednesday 29^th October – 10 to 12pm

Art Group: Facilitator James Galloway, Access Art

Week 1 - Wednesday 1st October - 2pm to 4pm

Week 2 - Wednesday 8th October - 2pm to 4pm

Week 3 - Wednesday 15th October - 2pm to 4pm

Week 4 - Wednesday 22nd October - 2pm to 4pm

Week 5 - Wednesday 29th October - 2pm to 4pm

Week 6 - Wednesday 5th November - 2pm to 4pm

Week 7 - Wednesday 12th November - 2pm to 4pm

Week 8 - Wednesday 19th November - 2pm to 4pm

Tai Chi For Health & Fall Prevention Course – 2nd to 23rd September 2014

Some of the members of the Monday Club took part in four taster sessions of Tai Chi for Health and Fall Prevention at Penninghame Church Hall. The sessions were delivered by instructors Patsy Cullen and Lyn Irvine. The participants enjoyed the new activity and found that although the sessions encouraged gentle exercise, they were thoroughly relaxing!

At the end of each session, different  deep relaxation techniques were delivered and were found so beneficial to all... especially the instructors!! Everyone attending enjoyed them and became very involved in learning a new way of gentle exercise.

Everyone is now looking forward to January 2015 as we are pleased to announce a regular class will be starting on 13^th January, 2.30pm to 4pm at Penninghame Church Hall.  Watch out for posters nearer the time!

New Age Curling - Monday 22nd September 2014

A different taster session was delivered by Suzanne.  8 people took part and proved very competitive indeed!  This time, both teams won a game each and agreed to call it a draw!  

Monday Club – 15th September 2014

We had a smashing group gathering.... Great chat over tea and coffee, discussing our Christmas outing on Monday 15th December to Hetland Hall Garden Centre and Christmas Lunch.  The list is growing quickly and is open to anyone, so please feel free to bring along a friend or partner. Hetland Hall always puts on a fabulous show of lights and decorations.... It will really get us all into the festive spirit.

Sally sat making jewellery which members enjoyed watching and Ainslie and Esme had a close game of Scrabble ... Shhhh ...girl power to Esme winning by 10 points!!

The main feature of the morning was Liz MacLean, who introduced us to Yang style Tai Chi... Liz gave us a fantastic demonstration of the full form and it was beautifully performed ....everyone loved it.  We were able to follow Liz in practising moves and exercises to help increase muscle strength, agility and importantly help us to relax.  Thank you Liz for a great morning, everyone will look forward to you visiting us again in the future.
In view of the success of the morning perhaps a wee taster session by myself of Sun .. Pronounced "Soong" style Tai Chi might just need to be incorporated into our busy programme of events!

In view of the success of the morning, perhaps a wee taster session by myself of Sun..., pronounced "Soong" style Tai Chi, might just need to be incorporated into our busy programme of events!

Finally the general consensus was that we have a Christmas Fair or Fete on 17^th November to help raise funds for the Machars Area Partnership and the Monday Club.  This would be open to the public where arts and crafts, jewellery, pickles and preserves will be on sale. Coffee, Tea and biscuits will also be available at a small charge. Any contributions will be very welcome!!

Our next meeting will be on Monday 6^th October with a talk about Basic Food Banks followed by Exercise with Pam.

Boccia Taster Session – Monday 8th September 2014

On 8^th September, Lyn, BHC and Arthritis Care volunteer, delivered a Boccia taster session at Penninghame Church Hall.  Boccia is a Paralympic target ball sport belonging to the same family as petanque and bowls.

Lyn says:

“We had a perfect team of six people attending and what a competitive crew indeed.
The Red  team were way ahead after just three ends leading 6-NIL ... Then a certain ball boy joined the team! And rallied the troops!  So much so the Blue team brought the score to 9 ALL with 1 end to play! 
A certain young lady in fact the only lady playing... threw her final red bowl and knocked away a blue bowl and left her team with 3 bowls around the jack!!  Final score RED team 12, BLUE team 9.
Fantastic afternoon with tea and coffee thrown in!” 

Tai Chi Sessions