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Welcome. In this issue, the following topics are covered:
- Say Hello benches
- Breast screening taking place in Dudley
- Free Park Yoga
- Free community walks
- Park Active volunteer opportunities
- Beat The Street
- Heatwaves predicted
- Urgent mental health help
- Early detection for Parkinson's disease
- Your diabetes check-ups matter
- Know your blood pressure
- Ageing Well Festival
- Is your child ready for school?
- Update for children and families
- Measles protection before summer holidays
- Open Farm Sunday
- Water safety
- Support after loan sharks
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Enjoy walking tennis, pick up a plant, have a game of chess, and much more, at the Say Hello benches, which are back next week.
From Monday 9 June to Sunday 15 June, stop off for a chat, get advice, or take part in activities at one of 13 benches across the borough.
Each bench will be decorated and adopted by a local community group as part of Loneliness Awareness Month and Month of Community.
The Say Hello scheme is inspired by comedian John Bishop, who launched the Say hello campaign in 2021.
Find out what’s going on and where, on the Healthy Dudley website.
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It’s normal to feel anxious or embarrassed when going for breast screening (x-ray to detect cancer). Staff are trained to help you feel comfortable and safe and can answer any questions you may have.
Women from Dudley, Netherton and Sedgley are being invited to attend the mobile screening unit now. Ladies aged 50 to 71 are invited every three years.
GP practices that are inviting women for breast screening are:
- St James Medical Practice, Dudley
- The Greens Health Centre, Dudley
- Stepping Stones Medical Practice, Dudley
- Bath Street, Sedgley
- Castle Meadow Surgery, Dudley
- Anchor Medical Practice, Netherton
- Links Medical Practice, Netherton
- Cross Street Health Centre, Dudley
- Bean Road, Dudley
If you are given an appointment, please do attend. If cancer is detected early, treatment is far easier.
For information and reassurance go to www.bscreen.org.uk
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For the second summer, free Park Yoga has returned to Brierley Hill.
Supported by Dudley Public Health and Active Black Country, the sessions take place every Sunday morning from 9.30 to 10.30am at Brettell Open Space, Brettell Lane DY5 3LT. The inclusive classes will continue until 14 September.
All are welcome, regardless of age, background or ability. No need to book but bring a mat or towel.
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If you enjoy walking and talking, two local social strolls could be right for you.
The new Dudley and Netherton PCN wellbeing walk takes place on Tuesday mornings from 9.30 to 10.30am, meeting at Priory Park, at the pavillion. Book your place by contacting Grace on 07435 661797.
New dates for a monthly Saltwells wellbeing walk have also been released. The hour-long led walks, which explore Saltwells Nature Reserve, take place on Thursdays from 12.30pm. Find out more and get the dates by calling Aidan Wheeler on 01384 816316.
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Do you have an interest in fitness and love the outdoors? If you are also a good communicator and would like to try something new, you could become an ideal Park Active volunteer.
Free 45-minute Park Active fitness sessions take place each week at five parks across the borough. Twenty amazing volunteers help to run these sessions, and the team is on the look out for more local champions.
Training for future volunteers will take place on Saturday 4 and 11 October.
Contact healthy.places@dudley.gov.uk to find out more.
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The popular Beat The Street physical activity game is coming to Brockmoor and Pensnett this summer.
From 11 June to 9 July, school children, friends, work groups and anyone who signs up to take part, can win prizes for walking, cycling, running, scooting and wheeling.
Find out more, including how to take part.
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The UK is more likely to experience a hotter-than-normal summer with an increased chance for heatwaves, according to the Met Office.
It has predicted that meteorological summer - which runs from 1 June to 31 August - is twice as likely to be hotter than normal in 2025.
If you care for older relatives, children, or anyone with a long-term health condition, check out Dudley Council’s summer wellbeing tips.
Information is available for people of all ages, ranging from fire safety tips when having a barbecue and signs of heatstroke, to how to stay cool in hot weather.
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If you need urgent help for your mental health, call 111 and select the mental health option. Please share this widely.
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Diabetes can cause other health problems that can become serious if not picked up and monitored or treated in the early stages.
If you are diagnosed with diabetes, regular health checks – sometimes called your yearly or annual review – are part of your routine NHS treatment.
Find out what to expect at a diabetes check up.
For more information on diabetes, go to the Healthy Dudley website.
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90% of strokes are preventable. One of the things that can help you avoid having a stroke is by ensuring that you don’t have high blood pressure.
The tricky thing is that your blood pressure tends to rise very slowly over time, so you don’t tend to notice any signs or symptoms.
Some things you may notice are:
- Headaches
- Nose bleeds
- Shortness of breath
- Feeling tired
Really, the only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to have it measured regularly.
To check your blood pressure, contact your GP surgery, or go to a local pharmacy.
Get tips on how to reduce your blood pressure on the Healthy Dudley website.
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Are you involved in supporting people and communities to age well in Dudley?
If so, you could be part of Dudley borough’s second Ageing Well Festival, which will take place from 29 September to 5 October.
The festival is a celebration of how to enjoy having a fitter and happier later life and trying something new.
Dudley Council and partners are looking for community groups, organisations and businesses that would like to contribute to the festival by running activities.
We want a diverse and dynamic programme of events across the borough that will help to change perceptions and prove that ageing is to be embraced.
Find out more, or express your interest by emailing the Healthy Ageing Team at Dudley Council on healthyageing@dudley.gov.uk, or call 01384 816437.
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Children develop at their own pace, and we all learn from birth. When it’s time to start school, some children will need more help than others.
There are key skills that schools expect children to be learning before their first day. Practising these will make your child’s journey to Reception as positive as possible. If your child is already at nursery, in pre-school, or with a childminder, those professionals will work with you and your child to help get them ready.
There’s lots you can do at home to build your child’s confidence and independence, helping them feel emotionally and practically prepared to start school. The starting reception booklet has useful information.
Physically, to help your child stay well and in school, learning, check they are up-to-date with their immunisations and have had their pre-school booster and two doses of the MMR vaccine. Speak to your GP or practice nurse if there are any they need to catch up on.
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The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is calling for families to be protected from measles before the summer holidays.
UKHSA’s latest figures on measles cases in England show outbreaks continuing, including in the West Midlands. Cases have predominantly been in unvaccinated children aged 10 years and under.
There has also been a global increase in measles cases, including Europe, over the last year and the Agency is concerned, that with travelling for holidays or to visit family this summer, there is a risk this could lead to another surge of measles cases in England.
The Agency is calling on parents and carers to ensure that adults, children and young people have had both doses of the MMR vaccine.
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Did you know that 8 June is Open Farm Sunday when people are encouraged to visit local farms? Find a farm that is open near you.
While you are there, public health advice is to make sure that you wash your hands regularly with warm water and soap, particularly after touching any animals and before you eat and drink.
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Drowning Prevention Week takes place from 14 to 21 June. Taking place before the school summer holidays, it raises awareness about water safety and helps to prevent accidental drownings.
Find out how you can get involved and what potentially lifesaving tips you can pick up for you and your family on the Royal Life Saving Society UK’s website.
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On average, it takes four years for someone to reach out after borrowing from a loan shark. Fear, shame, or not realising it was a loan shark can all be barriers.
But support is available—no pressure, no judgement.
Call the Loan Sharks 24/7 helpline on 0300 555 2222, or visit www.stoploansharks.co.uk
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