Herald - Issue 410

Page 34 • The HERALD • 5th August 2021 v SAY YOU SAW IT IN THE HERALD v GET BACK TO FEELING YOUR BEST WITH HYTHE & TOTTON CHIROPRACTIC CLINIC 8 Drummond Court, Prospect Place, Hythe (Opposite Hythe Ferry) 023 8020 7826 81a Rumbridge Street, Totton 023 8086 3612 Health, Beauty & Wellbeing Do Something Amazing TODAY and Help a Family Near You Home-Start Hampshire is a local charity supporting parents who are going through challenging times. Trained volunteers work alongside families to give compassionate and con dential support, tailored to each family. At the heart of Home-Start Hampshire is the fantastic network of volunteers and as demand for support continues to increase, they are looking for new volunteers to join our team. Their aim is to reconnect and increase the family support from just under 400 families last year to over 500 families in 2021- 22. This means increasing their income and volunteer numbers. Can You Help? • ey need funding to increase sta capacity, to manage referrals, liaise with other family and community support services and manage ongoing family support • More volunteers are needed to support the fundraising and community action and to deliver the all-important weekly home-visits • ey need to extend their group work and outdoor services across the county • Event volunteers to run fun reconnection events in the community for children and parents to enjoy! ey have a wide variety of ways you can get involved; from training to be a family support volunteer, to joining one of their community teams to help with fundraising and raising awareness. No matter how much (or how little) time you can o er, you can help make a di erence to families in your local community. Visit: www.home-starthampshire.org.uk or email: info@hshants.org.uk Waterside Walking for Health You are very welcome to go along and join in any of their walks. Thursday 12th August , 3pm, Longdown for a 2.9 mile walk; Saturday 14th August , 10.30am, Tilery Road 5 mile walk; Monday 16th August , 10am, Pigbush for a 2.4 mile walk; Thursday 26th August , 3pm, Hawkhill for a 3.2 mile walk. Contact Mike Roberts on: 023 8084 7461 or: 07811 361319 for more information about the Waterside Walking for Health group. BARKING UP THE “RIGHT” TREE. HEARING DOGS’ AIM AND DAVE’S NEW NAME We are all aware of Guide Dogs for the Blind and the fantastic work that their dogs do. However, there are other clever assistance dogs Hearing Dogs for Deaf People (HDfDP) is the only UK registered charity that breeds and trains Assistance Dogs for the profoundly deaf. Hearing Dogs are trained to alert the Deaf Partner to important everyday sounds and danger signals providing new levels of independence, con dence and vital companionship and emotional support. But how can you tell if somebody is deaf? It is not always obvious. Deafness is known as the ‘Invisible Disability’. Hearing loss is very common; 1 in 6 of the UK population have some sort of hearing loss including 45,000 children. And as we mature gracefully (or not) statistics are against us impacting 70% of people aged over 75. Across the South Hants region there are generally about 35 puppies being socialised/in training and there and 66 working Hearing Dogs. Dave Moodie from the South Hants branch has come up with a novel way to raise funds. On his next birthday he is going to change his name by deed poll to that of a cartoon dog. Everybody that sponsors Dave will be eligible to vote from the list of names. Have a look at his video and Just Giving page at: www.hearing-dogs- southhants.org.uk/?page_id=20 and if you are interested and able to do so please sponsor him. Next time you are out, watch out for a dog wearing a burgundy coloured coat. e dog might be working or might be in training. Please do not approach them without asking permission: but do think about the fantastic work they are doing or will do in the future for their Deaf Partner. If you would like to be made aware of HDfDP activities in the South Hants area please contact Kevin Moore: kevinmoore111@icloud. com or visit our website at: www. hearing-dogs-southhants.org.uk For further information about the charity please go to the following link: www.hearingdogs.org.uk Local trainee Mason who is currently being matched with a Deaf Partner New Forest ‘Springwatch’ Inspires People with Learning Disabilities Budding nature watchers with learning disabilities are recording incredible images of New Forest nature thanks to a generous donation. e donation of £1,000 from New Forest Rotary Club has allowed Minstead Trust to purchase motion cameras that are capturing images of the wildlife that visits its headquarters at Minstead Lodge, near Lyndhurst. Minstead Trust is a charity which supports more than 200 adults with learning disabilities across Hampshire to live more independent lives. anks to the donation from New Forest Rotary Club, the charity has been able to expand its wellbeing activities to include sessions observing and connecting with nature. e motion cameras have been tted in bird boxes and in the main greenhouse where a resident Robin has set up her nest. As well as motion cameras, the donation has enabled Minstead Trust to purchase a power box which means the team have been able to connect all of the cameras to a TV in the classroom so everyone can view the live feed. e wildlife caught on camera so far have included a roe deer, a pair of pheasants and a fox with her cubs. e inspiration for this donation came to a member of the New Forest Rotary Club a er attending a Minstead Trust webinar about how the charity is keen to o er more wildlife sessions to support its wellbeing programme. Steve Timms, President of the New Forest Rotary Club, said: “We recognised that these adults were being severely affected, both physically and mentally, by the isolation caused by the restrictions on movement, so the idea of bringing live nature to them from Minstead Lodge was really timely. We are pleased to see that Minstead Trust now have their very own version of Springwatch!” Florrie, a resident at Minstead Lodge who takes part in these nature sessions by regularly checking the footage, said: “It’s fun! My favourite is the fox cubs.” Studies have shown connecting with nature helps mental, physical and emotional health (Mental Health Foundation, 2021), especially throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, and this is an activity that Minstead Trust would like to continue to develop. John Davies, Deputy Head of Day Opportunities at Minstead Trust, said: “Thanks to the generous donation from the New Forest Rotary club we were able to purchase some great equipment to enable us to run our nature well-being sessions. All of this would not have been possible without this donation. Exposure to nature not only makes you feel better emotionally, it helps with your physical well-being reducing anger, fear and stress, and increasing pleasant feelings.’” e Coronavirus lockdown greatly impacted Minstead Trust as a large part of its income comes from its social enterprises which along with so many businesses had to close. e Trust runs Furzey Gardens in Minstead, Hanger Farm Arts Centre in Totton and Minstead Lodge which hosts a range of weddings and events. All of these social enterprises o er work experience for people with learning disabilities. If you would like to nd out more about Minstead Trust or how you can get involved with the charity, please visit: www.minsteadtrust.org.uk Florrie on double nature watch, checking footage on the wildlife camera and keeping an eye on resident nesting robin and blue tits