National Photo Exhibition
heads to Dobbies, Southport
THE SRGB Photography Group are heading
to Dobbies, on Benthams Way, Birkdale to run a free to view exhibition, that
will features some of the finest photographic prints from across the country. It
will be held over 5 September to 19 September 2015, at the garden center. There
will be over 200 top quality prints on display in The SRGB photography
exhibition, including a showcase of award winning prints. The exhibition is now
in its third year and has various themes including:-
► Believable Reality.
► Creatures of the world.
► Environment.
► Humanity.
► Step out of the box.
The SRGB exhibition this year has judges from as far afield as
Scotland and The Channel Islands selecting the exhibition and making the awards,
and it is expected that there will be well over 1,000 print applications made,
with only approx 200 prints actually being selected for the exhibition.
Last years exhibition held at Dobbies, Southport and it proved to be
exceptionally popular with visitors, and it's expected to again attract a lot of
interest again.
The exhibition is ran, managed and staffed by members of The SRGB Photography
Group, who are based in Southport. The group has a small membership, and meets
twice a month in Southport to promote, encourage and develop their own
photographic skills and knowledge, and also to promote and encourage others to
not only take photographs, but to print and display them in all their glory.
Holding a print in ones hands is the final stage of photography, and is
something the group encourage.
The SRGB Exhibition is a member exhibition of:- 'The British Photography
Exhibiton' organisation, and carries patronage from:- 'The
Photographic Alliance of Great Britain'. The exhibitions main sponsors
are 'Wilkinsons Cameras' and other sponsors that include:-
Permajet, Paper Spectrum and Fotospeed.
More details available at:-
SRGBPhotoGroup.Co.UK.
The North West Ambulance
Service warns of the dangers of legal highs
A warning has been issued from North
West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NWAS) following an increase in 999 emergency
calls as a result of patients consuming so called:- 'legal highs.'
These 'legal highs' contain chemicals which have most often never
been tested for human consumption meaning that there is no way of knowing what
effects it will have on the body, both in the short and long term. NWAS has
noticed a growing trend in recent months, across the region, of people who are
using these products in the same way as illegal drugs often with serious health
consequences with some cases even resulting in death. Senior Paramedic for NWAS,
Wayne Pemberton, said:- "These substances are not designed for human
consumption and people should not be fooled into thinking they are safe because
of their nickname. I, myself have witnessed a change in the extremity of the
symptoms presented in people who have taken these 'legal highs', such as
hallucination, unconsciousness and even respiratory arrest and, as we have no
idea what chemicals have gone into the drugs, it can be difficult to know how to
treat these patients. It is particularly concerning seeing young people take
these substances as they become extremely vulnerable and can easily get
themselves into dangerous positions as they lose their inhibitions are not in
control of their actions." NWAS has also noticed patients becoming
violent and aggressive after taking these substances, which include street names
Spice, Haze and Oblivion, posing a threat towards ambulance staff who can often
bear the brunt of uncontrollable behaviour. Sector Manager for NWAS, David
Rigby, said:- "The effects of patients taking ‘legal highs’ are extremely
worrying as symptoms are sporadic and unpredictable. We have seen such a wide
range of people falling victim to these substances, from youngsters to hardened
drug users, as they are found to be easily accessible and relatively cheap to
buy but, as we have seen first-hand, the effects can be detrimental."
NWAS urges people not to take the risk and stay away from these substances as
there is no way of knowing what ingredients have gone into them or what effect
they will have on each individual. If you require further advice on
drug use, please contact the 'FRANK' drugs helpline on:- 0300 123
6600 or call NWAS’ 111 Service. |
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CLA backs call for new
powers to tackle litter
THE
CLA in the North is backing calls for councils
to be given new powers to tackle the rising problem of roadside rubbish. The
Local Government Association (LGA) is now calling for a legal loophole to be
closed, so that car owners can be fined if rubbish is thrown from their vehicle,
regardless of whether it was them or a passenger throwing it. The CLA, which
represents thousands of farmers, landowners, and rural businesses in the North,
is supporting the move because rubbish dumped on to the side of roads can find
its way into nearby fields used for growing crops or to graze livestock.
CLA North regional Director Dorothy Fairburn said:- "Any type of rubbish,
no matter how big or small, dumped on to the side of roads can easily find its
way into nearby fields used for growing crops or to graze livestock. Rubbish is
ending up in crops, jeopardising farmers’ contracts. A famer in the south east
recently lost a £16,000 contract because fragments of glass from a discarded
bottle were found in a one kilo grain sample. Livestock can also chew and ingest
rubbish found on grazing pastures, leading to the slow, agonising death of the
animals."
Miss Fairburn said that while she welcomed tougher penalties for those caught
dropping litter or throwing it from their car windows, the public needed to
realise the consequences of dropping litter. "It might seem like a
victimless act, but throwing rubbish from a car window or dumping it on a verge
could lead to a major problem for a farmer and the food they grow or the animals
they care for."
Last year the CLA welcomed new guidelines from the Sentencing Council, which
said it wanted magistrates to make more use of the highest levels of fines for
people caught fly tipping. The CLA is also lobbying government to create a new
ticketing scheme that would enable landowners to take fly tipped rubbish to
their local tip free of charge. Doctors' kidney injury
project wins national award
2 doctors have won a national patient
safety prize for their work preventing kidney injury in older people. Dr Andrew
Falzon, a Foundation Year 1 doctor, and Consultant Urological Surgeon Mr Rahul
Mistry, won the:- 'Patient Safety in Care of Older People Award' with their projects:-
"Breaking AKI" and "Ur-ine-volved" at the Patient Safety Congress and Awards
held in Birmingham on Monday.
Acute kidney injury (AKI) occurs when there is sudden damage to the kidneys.
This will cause a reduction in their function which can be temporary or
permanent if not identified early. It particularly affects people over 65, but
also those with long term medical conditions such as heart failure and diabetes.
Experts estimate AKI is responsible for 1 in 5 emergency admissions to
hospital and up to 100,000 hospital deaths of which nearly a quarter could be
prevented.
Dr Falzon and Mr Mistry who are both doctors at Southport and Ormskirk Hospital
NHS Trust, developed a 3 pronged approach that:-
► Educates and involves patients.
► Promotes early recognition of symptoms.
► Helps with the management of AKI in hospital.
"By empowering patients through education, patients can assess their own
hydration status through their urine colour and quantity as well as identify any
symptoms that should be brought to the attention of a medical professional,"
said Dr Falzon.
Mr Mistry added:- "As doctors, we're always telling patients to drink more
but it's less straight forward to advise how much.
The tools we have developed include information sheets which allow self directed
patient education. We are both delighted the work has been recognised at these
prestigious awards."
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