Health & Wellbeing

Tesco is taking the lead by being the first major retailer to offer customers a healthier cola by stocking Green Cola in its 309 in-store cafes.

The cafes are addressing consumers' increasing demand for healthier options as Green Cola is the only cola that contains:

NO sugar NO Aspartame NO Phosphoric Acid NO preservatives NO calories

The drink is sweetened with Stevia, a natural plant extract and caffeinated with green coffee beans, which is why it's called Green Cola.

Green Cola was conceived in 2013. It took two years to perfect the recipe and it has been brought to the UK by Green Room Brands after phenomenal success in Greece.

CEO Paul Woodward says: "We are delighted that Tesco are now stocking Green Cola for all its shoppers to enjoy. There is nothing else like Green Cola on the market. Most low calorie colas contain aspartame, an artificial sweetener that many consumers have growing concerns about. Like many retailers, Tesco realise that consumers are demanding more choice when it comes to their desire to a achieve a healthier lifestyle.”

Green Cola will be sold in 500ml PET bottles in Tesco cafes from November this year.

Green Cola is already a massive hit in Greece, Romania, Germany, Ireland and Hong Kong. It has also recently launched in Spain. In the UK, it is currently stocked by Ocado, Amazon, Tesco cafes and artisan food and select coffee shops.

Fundraisers in Birmingham are being asked to come forward to join a new fundraising group which launched this week to support Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity.

The founding members of Alzheimer’s Research UK’s first Birmingham fundraising group have plans well underway for their first events and are looking for new members with a range of skills to join the team to raise vital funds and awareness for dementia research.

Members can get involved in fundraising challenges to raise money for pioneering research, representing Alzheimer’s Research UK at events or spreading the word about the charity within their local community.

Alzheimer’s Research UK regional groups play a crucial part in the fight against dementia, which currently affects over 850,000 people across the UK, including more than 11,000 in Birmingham.

The charity powers world-class studies focusing on prevention, diagnosis and treatments for dementia and has funded 49 research projects in the Midlands, providing grants totalling more than £4.1m.

One member of the new group is Kate Evans, a Business Development Manager for Marketing Birmingham. The Group Leader is aiming to use her events management and marketing skills to raise awareness of the need for research into dementia and the diseases that cause it.

Kate, who lives in Bournville, said: “I began supporting Alzheimer’s Research UK as my grandmother Betty was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease six years ago.

“Nothing can prepare a family for this awful disease – the endless medical appointments, care assessments and residential practicalities, while watching someone you love decline and dealing with changes in their behaviour.

“I am passionate about raising awareness that dementia is not a natural part of getting older – with the right research it can one day be defeated and better treated.

“We have a very talented and experienced committee with a passion for events with a twist. Please follow us on social media and watch this space for upcoming events and ways to get involved.”

Zoe Baggott, Alzheimer’s Research UK Regional Fundraising Officer for the West Midlands, will be on hand to provide advice, materials and assistance when needed.

She said: “Dementia has a huge impact on families and it’s important to us at Alzheimer’s Research UK that communities have the opportunity to come together and get involved with supporting dementia research.

“Regional fundraising groups are the perfect way to do this and are vital in helping us achieve our vision is a world free from the fear, harm and heartbreak of dementia, both through raising funds and awareness of this cruel condition. I look forward to welcoming more new members to the Birmingham group."

University of Wolverhampton staff at Telford Innovation Campus hosted a visit by the Consulate General of India in Birmingham, Dr Aram Puri.

Dr Puri was appointed Consul General of India in Birmingham in February this year. He is a member of the Indian Foreign Service and served at the Indian Mission to the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg, based at Brussels.

The visit to view the new state-of-the-art £10 million facilities included a tour of the mechanical testing laboratory and the metrology laboratory as well as the University of Wolverhampton Race Team (UWR) workshop where engineering students work on a variety of race cars.

Dr Puri was given an overview of the range of Engineering courses available at the University and tried his hand at motor racing in one of the University’s race simulators.

He said: “It’s a real pleasure to see the Campus and the amazing work which is happening here.  I’m impressed with the extraordinary work being done in the field of Motorsport, Aerospace and 3D Technology – it’s a real hidden jewel.

“We very much welcome initiatives which build on collaborations with India.  Next year, Telford Campus will be outreaching to Indian students and we feel that those kinds of institutional links and also supporting Indian students coming here will be a win-win and they will add a lot of diversity and value to the programmes here.”

Almost £500,000 has been secured by West Midlands Combined Universities to develop a Health and Care Degree Apprenticeship Accelerator Programme – helping to plug healthcare skills gaps across the region.

The consortium, made up of Birmingham City University, Coventry University and the University of Wolverhampton working collaboratively with Black Country Partnerships for Care and Health Futures University Technical College, was awarded £484,000 funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), as part of the government’s Degree Apprenticeship Development Fund.

The funding will be used to develop and deliver a curriculum for a new integrated Care Navigator Degree Apprenticeship Programme with courses planned to start in January 2019, providing skilled staff in the social care, health and voluntary sectors.

The partnership will also scope the range of job roles that would benefit from developing new apprenticeships aligned to Care Navigation and the delivery of Integrated Care.

Care Navigators organise and co-ordinate care pathways across all health and care settings and all stages from childhood to old age. Their primary focus will be supporting service users, carers and their families through complex and interconnecting systems and settings of care.

Wayne Langford, Director of West Midlands Combined Universities, said: “The West Midlands region has a thriving economy but it is no secret that we have a skills shortage in some key areas.

“We believe this funding provides a timely opportunity to develop a suite of Care Navigator roles that will help stimulate a beneficial change in the way social care is delivered in the health and care system.

“Degree Apprenticeships provide us with an ideal method of making sure our workforce is equipped to meet the employment demands of the region, as well as giving students both on-the-job training and a degree level education.

“The Combined Universities working together in a joined up approach with other leading health and social care partners and employers, which takes in the needs of the entire region, give us a much better chance of addressing this skills gap whilst at the same time making a valuable contribution to the propagation of new trailblazer groups to further develop innovative standards.”

Courses will be specifically tailored to meet the needs of the region’s healthcare sector and students will gain hands-on experience in the industry to earn while they learn, and will be equipped with a full degree at the end of their courses.

A further £178,000 from HEFCE has been allocated to Birmingham City University to develop Degree Apprenticeships in Construction and Surveying and Coventry University has been awarded £240,000 for Degree Apprenticeships in Health, Engineering and Construction.

The University of Wolverhampton was awarded £250,000 last year to develop Degree Apprenticeships in Chartered Management, Construction Management, Chartered Surveying, Digital Technology Solutions, Engineering and Health.

A packed audience of over 500 representatives from education, health, local councils and the voluntary sector came together to put the spotlight on mental health at a major HeadStart Wolverhampton conference this week.

Aimed at teachers, health professionals and voluntary sector staff who work with children and young people, it focused on how they can help young people to improve their resilience and wellbeing.

Around a tenth of 15-year-olds have a diagnosable mental health condition, and the conference formed part of a national debate about how to prevent the development of serious, often lifelong, mental health difficulties in young people.

The audience enjoyed a top class line up of presentations, including keynote speeches from Ruby Wax OBE who used her own experiences of depression to break down the stigma associated with mental health, Paul McGee, who applied the lessons of his SUMO (Stop, Understand, Move On) approach to supporting professionals and young people, and mental health ambassador Dr Pooky Knightsmith who shared practical strategies and resources to improve the mental wellbeing of young people.

There were also a fantastic range of workshops hosted by national organisations Young Minds and Time to Change and by experts in their field including Kay Price, Claire Birkenshaw, Ken Corish and Alison Cope.

The conference, at Wolverhampton Racecourse on Tuesday, concluded with a showcase featuring eight community organisations working with or supported by HeadStart Wolverhampton. It included dance, music, drama, personal testimonies, films showcasing their work with young people and presentations on the impact of HeadStart.

Kevin Pace, HeadStart Programme Manager, said: “The HeadStart Wolverhampton Conference was everything we hoped it would be.

"It was fantastic to be able to bring together, in the City of Wolverhampton, such a diverse range of professionals to learn, share and network in support of HeadStart’s aims of breaking down the stigma around mental health in our society.

"I know that the delegates who attended will return to their organisations reinvigorated and ready to apply what they’ve learned to improving the lives of the young people they work with every day.

"The young people who presented, performed, and shared their testimonies during the conference, and during the incredible community showcase that followed it, did themselves, their community organisations and the City of Wolverhampton proud.

"As she left, Ruby Wax told us, 'You have a wonderful programme, now go save the kids!', which is exactly what we aim to do."

Councillor Val Gibson, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “There was a tremendous response to the HeadStart Wolverhampton conference, and I am delighted that so many professionals were able to contribute to the mental health debate, share good practice and develop new ways to support children and young people – indeed, such was demand for tickets that we probably could have filled the Racecourse twice over.

"It was wonderful to hear from such brilliant keynote speakers as Paul McGee, Dr Pooky Knightsmith and of course Ruby Wax OBE, and to take part in the excellent range of workshops, and I would like to pay tribute to the young HeadStart Ambassadors Megan Williams, Hannah Rooney and Cristina Wilde, who compèred the whole event so well.

“We now want the frontline professionals to take the learning and innovative ideas talked about at the conference back into their work with our City's children and young people.”

HeadStart Wolverhampton, funded through The Big Lottery Fund, is a “test and learn” programme designed to improve the resilience and emotional well-being of children and young people aged 10 to 16 by giving them the skills they need to cope with life’s challenges.

Famously something Walt Disney did, having your head frozen when you die is thought to be a way of preserving enough of your personality, intellect and memories to be able to bring you fully back to life at some point in the future when technology is more advanced.

But this service has previously been within the reach of only the very rich, such as Disney, while less affluent people have missed the opportunity to do this when they die.

And now, say StemProtect.co.uk, we are looking at a near future in which the service is available to everyone - for a small cost of course.

Mark Hall spokesperson for StemProtect.co.uk said: “We’re accustomed to making jokes about freezing heads when we die, and of course everyone knows Walt Disney did it - often that’s their only point of reference. But soon we could see this practice becoming commonplace because advances in technology have made it much more affordable.”

“And of course, while we’re not at the point yet where we can bring someone back to life from this procedure, we believe it’s just around the corner.”

StemProtect.co.uk agree that this does raise some weighty ethical questions, however: “We don’t yet know what the emotional impact would be of bringing someone back to life this way even when we are physically able to do it. That’s not a question for science but for us as human beings, and it’s a question we might not be able to answer until the first person is brought back to life after being frozen.”

The service will be offered at a cost of £5000 for 250 years. Which Mr Hall points out “That’s cheaper than some funerals”

Other ways of preserving vital tissue, such as stem cell banking, are now much more commonplace than ever before, and carry far fewer ethical problems. Unlike freezing a head, which is done to bring a dead individual back to life, the work StemProtect.co.uk do is aimed at preserving information about the body which can be used for medical purposes while the person is still alive.

Public surveys show that people are still not completely happy with the idea of having their heads frozen when they die, even if it does become something that’s affordable to them and realistically within their reach.

Johnny 37, from Leeds, said “ Where do I sign up? Freeze me now and bring me back in a few hundred years please, I take it my bar tab will be cancelled?”

Mr Hibbert, from Yorkshire, said “ Anything to get away from the wife”

Stephen, 45, from Bedford, said: “I don’t even like to think about it. Who would want to be, or know, someone who had been brought back after they died and had their head frozen? I can’t imagine it’s a smooth ride, put it that way.”

And Mary, 75, from Oxford, said: “As a Christian, I don’t think it’s right at all. Once you die, you die, and I’m not scared of that. I’d be more scared of coming back afterwards away from peace and back here where there’s not as much peace.”

What are your thoughts?

Official figures published today by Public Health England (PHE) show there has been a significant decline in new diagnoses of HIV in the UK in gay and bisexual men. The statistics highlight the importance of frequent and regular testing to ensure that HIV is both diagnosed and treated much sooner; improving patient outcomes and reducing the spread of HIV.

The decrease in HIV diagnoses in gay and bisexual men represents the most exciting development in the UK HIV epidemic in the last 20 years, when effective treatment became widely available.

Commenting on the figures, Dr Valerie Delpech, Head of HIV surveillance at Public Health England, said: “This is very good news. It is the first time since the beginning of the HIV epidemic in the 1980s that we have observed a decline in new HIV diagnoses among gay and bisexual men and is clear evidence that HIV prevention efforts are working in the United Kingdom.

“Our success in reducing transmission is due to high levels of condom use among gay men, and a sharp rise in the number of men testing for HIV each year, with those at greatest risk testing more frequently. Early diagnosis is also key to making sure that people benefit from HIV treatments so they can live long and healthy lives and are protected from passing on the virus to others.”

With continued investment in testing and diagnosis the decline in HIV infection which has taken place for gay and bisexual men in London can be replicated in other parts of the country and in all those at higher risk of HIV. HIV testing enables diagnosis and the opportunity for treatment which not only means people can live long, healthy lives but also provides reassurance that the virus cannot be passed on.

It is easy to get tested for HIV. Testing is freely available through GP surgeries, local hospitals and sexual health clinics as well as on self-sampling and self-testing (see NHS Choices for further information). As well as getting tested, using a condom with new or casual partners protects against HIV and other STIs.

Many studies show that an unhealthy gut can have a direct, negative effect on the immune system.  This ranges from general lethargy and frequent colds to developing autoimmune disorders.

An autoimmune response is where the immune system sees the own body’s cells as a risk and attacks them or creates an excessive immune response. An underactive response means that it isn’t working at full speed. Either way, it can be difficult to pinpoint the causes.

Simon Bandy, General Manager of the nutritional supplements brand Health Plus which has been family run for more than 25 years says:

“Staying active and eating a balanced diet can help to keep your body in tip top shape.  But something as simple as a tummy bug that goes untreated at the source can increase risk to your immune system.”

Here, Simon talks about the simple steps you can take to restore and maintain a healthy gut.

Bad bacteria, fungi, yeasts and parasites can get into our body and many are encountered in ways we don’t often realise. Here are some of the most common:

Tap water

Parasites from the environment or our food

Food poisoning

Fish from polluted waters

Birth control pills

The best way to regain good gut flora balance and to establish a healthy digestive system (and therefore improved immune system) is simply to consume more good bacteria than bad. Taking a probiotic daily will help populate the levels of friendly bacteria. Our Health Plus Mega Multi Probiotic (£23.45/30 capsules) offers a dairy-free supplement containing 20 billion probiotic bacteria – great if you think your gut is unhealthy or if you have just completed a course of antibiotics.

There are plenty of things that you can include and remove from your diet to help aid a healthy gut and immune system. Avoid foods that are high in yeast and refined sugar as these will encourage the bad bacteria to multiply.

Fermented foods are becoming increasingly popular in the UK and are incredibly rich in beneficial probiotic bacteria, so try to include a few fermented vegetables in your weekly meal plan. Options include sauerkraut (finely cut fermented cabbage, widely available on the high street), kimchi (the Korean spicy version of sauerkraut which is also high in fibre), kefir (a fermented milk drink) and more easily found in the supermarket is live or cultured yoghurt.   Remember to also feed these good bacteria with prebiotics which can be found naturally in fruits and vegetables like artichokes, bananas and onions.

Simon concludes: “As research is showing us, the link between poor gut health and overall health is very strong. Too much bad bacteria can seemingly have an affect not only on our physical health, but also on our emotional wellbeing too. Links have been made to poor mood swings and even autism. Including fermented foods or a good probiotic in your daily life could make a huge change to your overall health and is a simple change to make.”

New rules being debated in Europe could make keeping your garden tidy quite literally a massive pain in the neck.

Despite Europe’s food and chemical agencies agreeing that it’s safe, European politicians are considering whether to allow people to continue using the weed killer glyphosate. The substance is the key ingredient in many weed control products used by gardeners.

The alternative is weeding by hand, which would particularly affect the elderly and less mobile. The aggressive invasive plant Japanese knotweed, which can make selling a house extremely problematic, is very difficult to eradicate without access to products containing glyphosate.

Research released today shows that many British gardeners over the age of 50 believe this potential EU weedkiller ban would “impact their ability to garden”, damaging one of the nation’s most popular pastimes for older people.

Sarah Mukherjee, Chief Executive of the Crop Protection Association (CPA), said:

“Every independent scientific study into glyphosate has found it is safe for consumers, including the EU’s own European Chemicals Agency and European Food Safety Authority.

Banning the use of glyphosate would be contrary to the science and cause particular problems for older gardeners who rely on this safe and effective tool to help them create and maintain a beautiful garden, simply because of political pressure from activists.”

Regionally, gardeners in Yorkshire were found to be the most dedicated in England, tending to their gardens the most often and for the longest period of time, while Londoners were revealed as the least dedicated gardeners in England, tending to their gardens less often and for less time.

Gardeners in the North West are the most likely to decorate their gardens, with one in three saying they add ornamental features to their garden, compared to just one in five in London, who are more likely to leave things as they are.

Gardeners in the North East were the most concerned about weeds ruining their gardens, with one in five saying weeds are ‘very problematic’ for their garden - more than three times the number of gardeners who were this concerned in the West Midlands.

A new initiative is set to ensure that care home residents in Wolverhampton receive safe and effective support if they need to go into hospital in an emergency.

It will see residents given a red "transfer bag" containing paperwork, medication and personal belongings which will be with them from the moment they leave their care home until the time they return from hospital.

Based on a successful scheme in the London borough of Sutton, it was introduced to address gaps in the care and support network – both clinical and socially – for poorly residents who needed to go into hospital.

They included paperwork not being standardised; belongings and medications being misplaced; poor communication between care homes and hospitals; and residents having to stay in hospital for longer than necessary.

Councillor Sandra Samuels OBE, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Adult Services, said: "We are delighted to be introducing this important initiative. Having to go into hospital can be traumatic at the best of times, but particularly so for people who are elderly or vulnerable.

“Improving the care pathway by implementing a special transfer bag which will stay with the resident as they move to and from hospital will benefit not only them, but also the health and social care staff who are supporting them.

"The bag will include medication personal belongings, standardised paperwork, personal and clinical information about the resident and assist ambulance and hospital staff. This will help make the resident’s admission and journey to and from hospital as comfortable as possible.

"All of this will enable better communication between care homes and hospitals at all points on the resident's journey, ultimately improving patient safety and reducing the time needed to be spent in hospital."

The City of Wolverhampton Council is working with Wolverhampton Clinical Commissioning Group, the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and local care homes on the project, which is set to be implemented this autumn.

Manjeet Garcha, Wolverhampton Clinical Commissioning Group’s Executive Director Nursing and Quality, said: "The red bag initiative is an innovative example of service redesign, which will help ensure residents living in care homes receive safe and effective treatment should they need to go into hospital in an emergency."

New data published today in a University College of London (UCL) report shows quitting success rates at their highest for at least a decade, up to 19.8% for the first six months of this year, significantly higher than the average for the last 10 years (15.7%).

Success rates among the less well-off have for years remained low, but in a major turnaround the sharp increase in success rates is being seen entirely among this group. For the first time, smokers in manual occupational groups have virtually the same chances of quitting as those in white collar jobs.

The report coincides with the launch of Stoptober quit smoking challenge, which has inspired over one and a half million quit attempts since 2012. The campaign is based on research that if you stop smoking for 28 days you are five times more likely to stop for good.

With Stoptober now in its 6^th year, the UCL report gives a number of reasons why there’s never been a better time to quit, including:

• better and more quitting aid options, with e-cigarettes now the most popular
• more restrictions on smoking
• the introduction of plain tobacco packaging
• a stronger anti-smoking culture in England
• supportive stop smoking campaigns such as Stoptober

Dr Lola Abudu, PHE West Midlands director of Health and Welling, said: “Stoptober is a really great way to kick the habit, as people who can stop smoking for 28 days are five times more likely to quit for good. In the West Midlands we have come a long way in reducing the numbers of adults smoking to around 15%, compared to 23% in 2007, when the ban on smoking in public places was introduced. While smoking rates across the region continue to decline there are still too many people risking their health and lives by continuing to smoke, especially in the most deprived areas – with around 20% of adults still smoking in some parts of the West Midlands.

“E-cigarettes are now the most popular way to quit in the country with half of all those taking part in Stoptober last year using an e-cigarette. Vaping is at least 95% less harmful than smoking – a fraction of the risk, so if you’ve struggled with quitting before, an e-cigarette may be the best option for you. Don’t be put off if you’ve already made several attempts. Join up with Stoptober and benefit from free support direct to your phone, laptop or tablet via the Stoptober app, a daily email giving support or Facebook Message, free face-to-face support plus a raft of advice and information on the website. Search ‘Stoptober’ online and join the thousands of others who go smokefree once and for all this year.”

After more than 25 years of being a smoker, Jason Ryan from Wolverhampton (44) quit during Stoptober 2012. His first attempt was aged 26 when he managed to stop for nine months, but he was soon back to smoking up to 40 a day after just one cigarette with friends at the pub. However when it came to quitting four years ago, Jason had support of family, friends and Stoptober.

This October, Wolverhampton resident Jason Ryan is encouraging smokers all over the country to try Stoptober and quit for good, he said: “Now that I’m in my forties, I know that my body is getting older, so I wanted to give up smoking to help my health. My wife used to smoke many years ago, but she quit, and having her encouragement and praise was incredible. The Stoptober tools really helped me quit, but it was willpower that got me through. My morning cough has gone and I sleep much more peacefully now. Breathing is easier too. But the best thing is probably my newfound love of food; the taste is so different and everything tastes better.

“Set a date in your head for when you’re going to stop – 1^st October works well. Then you can get that date in your head and build yourself up to your goal.”

Jason tried a variety of different stop smoking products, such as e-cigarettes and tablets, before finding one that worked well for him – a mouth spray that he used when he had a craving. After a month, Jason no longer had cravings and became completely nicotine free.

Professor Gina Radford, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, said: “The battle against smoking is far from over – it is still the country’s biggest killer, causing 79,000 deaths a year, and for every death another 20 smokers are suffering from a smoking-related disease. Far too many people are still dying as a result of smoking, but there has never been a better time to quite – the culture has changed, strong legislation is in place and the effective support is available.

“It’s never too late to give up – any smoker, not matter what their age, will feel the health benefits within months. Make the commitment to stop, join Stoptober and add healthier years to your life.”

The campaign starts on 1^st October. Search ‘Stoptober’ online for all the support you need to quit.

I Knew You is the highly-anticipated new play from Birmingham-born writer and performer, Steven Camden, aka spoken-word artist Polarbear. Staring Birmingham actress Lorna Laidlaw, I Knew You, looks at family dynamics and asks if we can really escape from our past. Directed by Daniel Bailey, I Knew You receives its World Premiere at Birmingham Repertory Theatre from 29 September to 7 October followed by a tour to fifteen libraries, community halls and cafes across Birmingham.

Steven Camden says of his new play: “Everything I write is about family, whether blood or chosen. The dynamics between those people closest to each other are the ones that fascinate me. I am very interested in what the passage of time does to perceptions and opinions. How the lens through which we view what happens changes over time and what that means for us when we are forced to address it.

“I Knew You was born out of me thinking about that in relation to parenthood, duty and absence. What happens to the space that remains when a person leaves? What do we make them into in order to function? What do we make ourselves?  And what happens if they come back?”

Birmingham actor, Lorna Laidlaw returns to The REP’s stage to play Angela. Lorna is well known to many as Mrs Tembe in BBC Doctors for which she has won an RTS and MVSA award for Best Actress. Her many previous theatre credits for The REP include These Four Streets, The Mother, Peter Pan and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Appearing alongside Lorna as Patrick is fellow Birmingham actor, Roderick Smith who last appeared at The REP in Tartuffe and Heather Gardner.  His other theatre credits include Love’s Labour’s Lost, Much Ado About Nothing and The Christmas Truce (Royal Shakespeare Company). Brenton Hamilton, also from Birmingham, makes his REP debut as Nathan.

Steven Camden (Polarbear) is one of the most respected spoken word artists in the UK. Regularly performing his work internationally since 2007, Camden has graced stages from Kuala Lumpur to California via Glastonbury and The Royal Shakespeare Company.  His work has featured extensively on BBC Radio 1, 3 and 6. His first Radio 4 play Sleeping Dogs was commissioned in 2013. His debut play Back Down for Birmingham Repertory Theatre toured nationally in 2015. He was co-writer and script mentor on the Akram Khan Company's Olivier Award winning production Desh as well as script writer for LIFT festival's acclaimed production Turfed.

He has written two Young Adult novels for HarperCollins, TAPE and It's About Love, with his third, Nobody Real due to be published in January 2017. His first young people's theatre piece Mouth Open, Story Jump Out, received five stars reviews and is currently on it's third international tour, with the follow up Dark Corners set to tour internationally in 2018.

I Knew You is directed by Daniel Bailey, with design by Georgia Wilmot, lighting design by Alex Boucher and sound design by Clive Meldrum.  The production and subsequent tour are supported by the Sir Barry Jackson Trust.

Today marks the next important step in the UK construction sector's efforts to improve the health and mental wellbeing of its workforce as it welcomes the full roll out of the Mates in Mind initiative.

Mates in Mind has led in the creation of a flexible and joined up approach that is tailored to the needs of individual construction companies as they seek to tackle poor mental health whilst also nurturing positive mental wellbeing amongst their workforce. The programme is being delivered to the UK construction industry in support of the Health in Construction Leadership Group and in partnership with a number of industry representatives and mental health charities. Key to its success is breaking the silence and stigma that can surround mental health in society in general and the construction sector in particular by promoting a culture of positive wellbeing.

According to Health and Safety Executive figures, 18 per cent of reported work-related illnesses in the UK construction industry are the result of mental health problems, such as stress, depression or anxiety – accounting for 400k working days lost each year*. Furthermore, industry data reports that 55 per cent of construction workers had experienced mental health issues whilst 42 per cent are living with these issues at their current workplace. Construction deaths from suicide are also believed to be potentially ten times higher than that of fatal accidents at work**.

Central to the Mates in Mind framework is providing construction firms with a joined up approach to mental health, from support to employees, line managers and the organisation, through to a tiered training framework developed in collaboration with various organisations including British Safety Council, Mind and Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England. This builds understanding, knowledge and confidence amongst all workers, throughout the business, so that they can get the help they need as well as to identify colleagues who could benefit from further support.

More information on Mates in Mind and details on how to access its training materials and support resources are available at: www.matesinmind.org

Commenting on the further roll out of Mates in Mind, Steve Hails, Chair of Mates in Mind Board and Director of Health, Safety and Well-being at Tideway, said: "Today is a significant moment as we roll out the Mates in Mind framework and resources for businesses to use. This is the culmination of several months of hard work and would not have been possible without the substantial help of key mental health charities and its championing by industry representatives. Mates in Mind represents a meaningful way forward for tackling mental ill health in the workplace whilst also encouraging a positive wellbeing culture. Uniquely, this approach offers flexibility which enables a business to tailor the resources to their needs so that priorities can be more effectively targeted. In doing so, it should be possible to start making serious progress into an issue that is currently the source of much needless pain for so many."

Supporting today's announcement, Clive Johnson, Chair of the Health in Construction Leadership Group and Head of Health and Safety at Landsec, said: "For too many years the industry has been shouting about safety but only whispering about health. I am extremely proud that Landsec and the HCLG are at the forefront of ensuring mental health provision within construction is dramatically improved."

Josceylene Shaw, Executive Director of Mates in Mind, said: "As we all know, there is no health without mental health. The construction industry’s championing of Mates in Mind sends a strong message about the role workplaces can play in supporting workers’ mental wellbeing and helps to demonstrate their commitment to leading the way in managing this important issue both to their staff and society more broadly."

Christian Van Stolk, RAND Europe, said: "It is well documented that the construction industry has many characteristics that could affect the mental health of its workforce. This year, through RAND Europe’s work with Vitality’s Britain’s Healthiest Workplace and working with Mates in Mind we have found that there is high variance in the survey results between construction organisations. This is especially noticeable in areas such as financial concerns, work-related stress and unrealistic time pressures where in some organisations there were much higher risks reported compared to the average.  This suggests that in designing mental health approaches across the sector there is an opportunity to acknowledge differing cultures and sub-sectors, learn from each other and to work to reduce variance."

Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has raised over £8,000 by auctioning off the strings from the guitar that he used for the last Black Sabbath concert on their world tour. Tony very kindly decided to split the money that he raised between Ward 19 at Heartlands Hospital and Macmillan Cancer Support.

 The music star was inspired to raise money for Ward 19 after visiting a friend of his who was being treated for cancer on the ward and thought that auctioning off his guitar strings would be a brilliant way to do this.

Ward 19 at Heartlands Hospital treats thousands of people from across the West Midlands each year and specialises in treating patients with a wide range of cancers including breast, lung, prostate and leukaemia. Heartlands Hospital Charity raises money to provide ‘added extras’ for the ward over and above that which the NHS can provide.

These added extras help to make life easier for patients and staff on the ward and, to-date, have included medical equipment, special seating for patients and even nurses who provide chemotherapy at patients’ homes.

Tony said: “I am proud to have raised money for Ward 19, my friend received the highest standard of care whilst on the ward and I wanted to do my part to give something back.  I would encourage everyone to do what they can to help support this nationally-renowned local cancer ward.

“Having been treated for lymphoma myself, I am aware of the challenges that being diagnosed with cancer can bring. The incredible staff on Ward 19 do everything they can to ease these challenges and I hope the money raised means they can provide even more for their patients in the future.”

Mr Shankara Paneesha, Haematology Consultant and Heartlands Hospital has asked Tony to be a patron of Ward 19. Mr Paneesha said: “I am delighted that someone of Tony’s fame has decided to fundraise for Ward 19, it will be an honour to have Tony as a patron and I’m sure his influence will help Ward 19 to continue to provide the best possible care for our patients.”

Justine Davy, Head of Fundraising for Heartlands Hospital Charity said: “The Charity is so grateful to Tony for his amazing fundraising efforts. As someone who has spent most of their life in the West Midlands he is well aware of the importance of Ward 19 to the region.”

The national mental health director for NHS England visited Wolverhampton to focus on mental health issues in the Black Country – and was "uplifted and excited" by the work of the City of Wolverhampton Council and its partners.

Claire Murdoch met representatives from the council and a wide range of other organisations at the event at the Civic Centre earlier this month. Hosted by the council, it reflected on the good work taking place in the region to support people with mental health needs, and looked at areas for further development.

Claire, who has been a registered mental health nurse for more than three decades, also met young members of the pioneering HeadStart Wolverhampton programme, which is helping 10 to 16-year-olds cope with life’s challenges.

She said: "I was stimulated, humbled, uplifted and excited by all I heard about the work of the council and its partners. The passion, values and creativity shone through and I really had insight into the ideas and plans. I was blown away by Wolverhampton's youth – the future is bright."

Linda Sanders, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Strategic Director People, said: "Everyone made a strong impact on Claire and I am sure she will utilise some of her findings in her national role and bear Wolverhampton in mind when opportunities arise to contribute further to the implementation of the national programme in the future.

"The day underlined the importance of strong national policy direction with passionate leadership, and the impact of this on local implementation. It was great to hear how pleased Claire is with the way we have embraced the national programme here in the Black Country.

"A key challenge highlighted by Claire was to change the somewhat negative narrative around mental health support and services, and that is something we are determined to do here in Wolverhampton. Our HeadStart programme in particular is a very positive scheme which is an inspiration to us all and which is set to have a huge impact on the lives of so many children and young people."