Health & Wellbeing

Health City Cayman Islands officially opened its new Radiation Oncology Centre in Camana Bay this week, ushering in a new era of hope for cancer patients in the Cayman Islands and surrounding territories.

Equipped with the latest technology in the form of a Siemens TruBeam Varian Lineae Accelerator, the Centre is the first of its kind in the Cayman Islands and one of the most advanced in the region.

An entrepreneur from the south of England whose parents were both diagnosed with dementia is unveiling a new debit card for people living with the condition, supported by Alzheimer’s Society and Mastercard. Sibstar is the UK’s first debit card and app designed with the specific functionality to help people in the West Midlands to safely manage everyday spending.

Sensory rooms at Edgbaston Stadium are helping make cricket accessible to families with neurodiverse children who might otherwise feel uncomfortable attending matches. Two new sensory spaces – in the South and RES Wyatt stands – were opened ahead of last season as part of Warwickshire’s Edgbaston for Everyone inclusivity pledge.

A leading Nottinghamshire housebuilder has donated £1,500 to Nottingham Hospitals Charity’s neonatal service, to help enhance care facilities available for newborn babies.

The donation, provided by David Wilson Homes, was part of the developer’s Barratt Developments Plc Charitable Foundation, which is designed to support national and local charities, large and small, across the UK to leave a legacy in the communities in which the housebuilder operates.

The Kaleidoscope Plus Group is proud to be an Investing in Volunteers (IiV) achiever, having been awarded the quality standard in 2023 for the 1st time for its commitment to volunteering. The West Bromwich-based charity helps thousands of people across the UK each year and offers a range of services for people in need, struggling with their emotional health and wellbeing.

On the recent accreditation Carol Wilson, Volunteer Coordinator at the Kaleidoscope Plus Group added: “We are delighted to have received the Investing in Volunteers accreditation. It shows that we value our volunteers and demonstrates our commitment to volunteering within our organisation.

The Birmingham Walkathon is just weeks away, which means it’s time to start thinking about pounding the pavements in preparation for the big day.

Thankfully, organisation GoodGym is on hand to help, joining Walkathon as their official training partner so participants and volunteers can get step-ready for Sunday 2nd April.

Trevor Johnson has joined Acorns Children’s Hospice this week, as the charity’s new Chief Executive. Mr Johnson, who was previously CEO of Katharine House Hospice in Oxfordshire, replaces previous CEO Toby Porter, who stepped down in September 2022 after six years at the helm.

Speaking of the appointment, Matt Bullock, Acorns Director of People and Culture, and interim CEO, said: “We are delighted to welcome Trevor to the charity – someone we know brings with them a wealth of knowledge and experience from within the children’s palliative care and charity sectors.

During yesterday’s World Kidney Day, Kidney Care UK, the UK's leading kidney patient support charity and Severn Trent, announced that they have joined forces to support more than a quarter of a million people with chronic kidney disease in the heart of the UK1.

Kidney Care UK provides a range of various support services to help the 3.5million people with kidney disease across the UK. Through the partnership with Severn Trent every kidney patient from the Bristol Channel to the Humber, and from mid-Wales to the East Midlands will be able to access help from the charity including with assistance with benefits, financial hardship grants, free counselling, free community support from the charity’s network of patient support and advocacy officers.

Over 700 Austin 7 owners from all over the world gathered to celebrate the centenary of the car's launch last summer, raising over £10,000 for Parkinson’s UK. Charlie Plain-Jones of Solihull, organised the celebration of the car, which was launched in July 1922. Charlie wanted to fundraise at the event for Parkinson’s UK as his father lived with the condition for many years.

A sponsored swimming challenge which raises vital funds for leading charity Diabetes UK returns this spring – and a call has gone out for people from Birmingham to sign up. Swim22 runs between 22 March and 22 June and involves swimming a total of 22 miles –the same distance as the English Channel. Participants can take on the challenge at their own pace, in their local pool or the open water, accumulating the miles across the course of the 12 weeks.

Former England rugby captain Matt Dawson MBE is supporting Bowel Cancer UK’s latest fundraising campaign, ActiveApril. Taking part is really simple.

Just get sponsored to walk, run or stretch every day in April, which happens to be Bowel Cancer Awareness Month. Supporters can choose how they take part, whether it’s a dance class, jogging to the top of the nearest hill, or aiming for the top of the stairs.

Refugees and asylum seekers of all ages residing in Sandwell will benefit from a specially designed wellbeing programme following a funding grant of £59,000. The grant, courtesy of Sandwell Council public health team, forms part of the Stronger Sandwell initiative that looks to build on Sandwell’s strengths, focussing on the ethos that nobody is left behind.

The charity Diabetes UK is providing support and advice for people in the Muslim community who live with diabetes, to help them stay healthy during Ramadan. 

This year, Ramadan will run for 29 or 30 days from on or around 22 March, ending with Eid al-Fitr, a religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide. The Qur'an requires Muslims to fast during the month of Ramadan from sunrise to sunset, but there are exceptions and people who are unwell or have medical conditions are not expected to fast. This includes people with diabetes. 

Following the success of the tenth anniversary Bike4Life Ride Out and Festival, the event will return for another year on Sunday 23rd April 2023, with a new sponsor in place. The Bike Insurer, a British motorbike insurance comparison site, has announced its support of the lifesaving Midlands Air Ambulance Charity by becoming the official headline event sponsor for the pre-hospital emergency service’s Bike4Life 2023 Ride Out and Festival.

Helen Harms from Smethwick, West Midlands, is running her first ever marathon this year to raise funds for Parkinson’s UK.

She will be taking part in the London Marathon on Sunday 23 April. A secondary school teacher, she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2020, just before the first lockdown, and said that the charity was very important in helping her come to terms with her condition.

Marie Curie and supporters including Tom Jones, actress Alison Steadman and Downton Abbey’s Jim Carter are urging the nation to unite for a National Day of Reflection. Taking place one month from today, the aim is to provide a moment to remember loved ones who have died, support those who are grieving, and connect with each other.