VEGAN FESTIVAL PIONEER AWARDED PRESTIGIOUS GREEN AWARD

Bristol-based organiser Tim Barford was recognised for his outstanding community work during the glittering PEA Business Awards ceremony in central London last night.

As founder and organiser of the wildly successful VegfestUK events, Tim Barford was recognised above his fellow nominees and awarded the Working in the Community honour. Sponsored by The Earth Foundation, this award recognises an individual or a team for outstanding community work within an environmentally conscious activity.

An elated Tim said of the award:

“VegfestUK was awarded first place in the Working in the Community category and I am thrilled to accept it as I lead our festival though its tenth year. Our shows have all been 100% vegan, showcasing the best of a plant-based lifestyle to an ever-curious public over the last decade.

I would like to send heartfelt thanks to our supporters, especially all the people who have believed in the validity of the vegan lifestyle as a genuine green option. I would like to dedicate the award to the memory of our vegan forerunners such as Donald Watson and Arthur Ling. I’m certain they would be delighted to know a vegan festival has won a major award in 2013!”

Tim continued:
“I would also like to express my gratitude to all those tireless campaigners working hard to spread the vegan message. I hope this award is inspirational to you in your efforts. Please keep up the amazing work you do for the people, the animals and the planet.”

The People and Environment Achievement Business Awards (PEABs) celebrate the many ways in which green initiatives can be good for business, as well as the planet. The awards showcase the excellence and innovation demonstrated by an individual or team within an organisation making genuine and effective contributions to the "greening" of UK businesses.

Additional information

VegfestUK continues its tenth birthday celebrations by staging a mammoth music, food and entertainment event in Bristol on May 24^th, 25^th and 26^th, 2013. Full details including musical guests, opening times, admission costs and the festival programme can be found here: http://bristol.vegfest.co.uk/

VegfestUK takes over London Olympia on October 5^th and 6^th, 2013. This huge two-day event will feature world-famous comedians, cooking demonstrations, 150 green businesses and the best vegan food caterers in the UK. Full details available here: http://london.vegfest.co.uk/

Kumon UK host competition for children to win £400 for their favourite hobby!

To celebrate the launch of their new website, Kumon Educational UK is hosting an exclusive competition for children throughout May 2013. To enter, children aged five to 16 should visit kumon.co.uk/education-is and write up to 100 words about what education means to them. One lucky child from each age category (five to eight, nine to 12 and 13 to 16) will win £400 to put towards their favourite hobby.

Kumon offers maths and English study programmes for children of all ages and abilities. Through daily study, Kumon aims for each and every child to become an independent, advanced learner, with a positive attitude to study. In addition to developing academic ability, Kumon study fosters in students invaluable confidence and the mind-set and skills for self-learning, enabling them to realise their potential both at school and beyond.

Kumon hope the prize money will enable three lucky children to thrive in their chosen hobby and experience joy and success.

There are over 67,000 students experiencing success through the Kumon programmes across the UK, though this exciting competition is open to all children. Families not yet enrolled on a Kumon programme can take advantage of a Free Assessment at their local centre.

To explore the new website, visit www.kumon.co.uk. You can also join the Kumon UK Facebook community at www.facebook.com/kumon.uk.

Top poet and playwright Lemn Sissay to judge new literary award

Brighton-based charity Creative Future has launched a national competition to discover the best writers from disadvantaged groups who find it hard to get their work recognised.

The judging panel will be led by best-selling poet, playwright and broadcaster Lemn Sissay, who spent his childhood in care and who will present the prizes at an award ceremony at Charleston House, East Sussex, in September during the Small Wonder literary festival.

The Creative Future Literary Awards has prizes totaling £5,000 and is open to short stories and poetry from writers in marginalised groups including homeless people, those with physical and learning disabilities, as well as those with mental health or substance misuse issues, the long-term unemployed, carers, ex-offenders and refugees.

The competition theme is “The Spark” and is divided into two sections: Flash fiction for short stories of 300 words maximum, and poems of 200 words maximum, with a deadline for entries of midday on June 16, 2013.

There’s an entry fee of £5, or £15 to include a critique of the submitted work.

There will be a total of 20 award winners and prizes include cash as well as membership and mentoring at New Writing South, Brighton, which is dedicated to inspiring and nurturing creative writers throughout South East England.

Winners will get to read their work at the award ceremony and successful entries will be published in an award anthology.

Creative Future Project Director, Dominique De-Light, says: “The association with well-known authors, publication and national coverage will ensure that winning writers will experience greatly boosted self-esteem, acknowledgement of their writing skill and increased opportunities”.

The charity already runs two other events to promote the work of disabled and marginalised writers and artists in the South East: The Impact Art Fair, the only art fair in the UK solely featuring the work of disabled and disadvantaged artists, and The Tight Modern, a miniature replica of the Tate Modern highlighting 50 disabled artists.

Anyone interested in entering the literary competition can get more details and apply for an entry form at info@creativefuture.org.uk. 

Check cfliteraryawards.wordpress.com for more details

Zoe Ball’s Personal Plea to Back the Martlets’ Midnight Walk

TV Presenter and local resident Zoe Ball has joined the team promoting this year’s Midnight Walk. Zoe is lending her voice to the campaign to encourage the ladies of Brighton & Hove to join with hundreds of other women and take to the streets, at midnight on 14th June, to raise money for the Hospice.  Now in its seventh year, the Midnight Walk is the Martlets Hospice’s biggest annual fundraising event and the organisers hope that this year’s walk brings the total sponsorship raised to over a million pounds. 

Zoe explains why she is keen to support the walk:

"I had heard about the Martlets but it was only when my dear stepfather Rick was diagnosed with MND last year that I witnessed firsthand the importance of the wonderful work done by all the staff there. Sadly Rick passed away in December and we miss him dreadfully.  I can’t express enough gratitude to all the marvellous doctors, nurses and support staff at the Martlets; their care for Rick was incredible and they provided our family with the thoughtful loving and supportive care we needed. The work they do is so important and I wouldn't hesitate to lend my wholehearted support to their fundraising to help other families in their hour of need. Thank you Martlets and let's raise as much as we can!”

Although, many women do the walk because they have a personal connection to the Hospice, others get involved to enjoy a night out with friends, or, for a personal challenge. Vera Jeffery, 67, from Newhaven, has done the walk every year and would not miss it. Attempting the walk for the first time is Imogen Smith, 14, from Rottingdean. Speaking about why she’s doing it, she said: “My Mum has walked before and I now feel old enough to do it with her to support a local charity.”  The Martlets needs to raise £8,000 per day to run its services and the sponsorship money raised will go to fund the work of the Hospice’s specialist nurses. 

In a change from previous years, this year participants can choose whether to do a 6 mile or a 13 mile walk. Walkers do not need to be super fit; they just need sensible footwear and a sense of adventure!   Both walks start at midnight from Brighton Racecourse and snake through the streets of Brighton & Hove. Marshals will be on hand around the course to ensure no one gets lost and the walk ends with a tasty breakfast. 

All walkers will be asked to raise a minimum of £25 in sponsorship and anyone who achieves over £120 in sponsorship will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win a treat at the Thistle Hotel.

To enter go to www.themartletshospice.co.uk , pick up a form at any Martlets shop or call the Fundraising Department on 01273 747455.

Midwives write an open letter in the press to the Government

• Government refuses urgent meeting with independent midwives
• Women and midwives request for help ignored by health ministers
• Women’s choices in childbirth to be denied. Women and midwives fight back
• EU law may drive more women to birth alone
• EU law will cost NHS maternity system approx. £12 million a year
• Government ignore own commissioned report

The Health Minister has repeatedly ignored and refused requests for help from hundreds of women and midwives to stop the illegalisation of Independent Midwifery in October. They have refused an urgent request for a meeting from Independent Midwives UK to explain the barriers midwives have experienced in accessing insurance. They have no choice but to respond in an open letter to the press.  Independent Midwives UK is the organisation which represents Independent Midwives. Independent Midwives UK and women want the Government’s help to secure the insurance which is needed for them to remain legal.

A Department of Health consultation on the legislation concludes on 17th May 2013 with the likely outcome of making it a condition of registration for all healthcare professionals to have insurance despite it being not available for Independent Midwives, not because of clinical risk, but for commercial reasons.

Government Policy ‘Maternity Matters’ promises to improve women’s choice and standard of  maternity services, yet the new law will illegalise a midwifery service which currently meets the Governments own targets.

Independent Midwives care for approximately 3000 women a year, an estimated saving of £12 million for the NHS. This figure could increase as thousands more of midwives would work self-employed if insurance was available. At a time of a rising birth rate of 22% and deficit of 5000 midwives the Government are ignoring part of the solution to the plight of childbearing women and the national midwifery shortage.

Women will have no safe alternative choice to the NHS. Many women refuse to use the NHS, because of the failing system and state they would now choose to birth alone with no medical help. Public funds to the value of £260.000 have already been spent on the Governments recommended solution despite being informed by Independent Midwives that it is flawed.

Thousands of supporters have contacted the Health Minister Dan Poulter to inform him of the barriers facing midwives in accessing insurance and their dissatisfaction with the Governments response to an appeal for help. He constantly sends out standard replies which ignore the issues.

The campaign for a workable system of insurance for midwives has support from the Association for the Improvements in the Maternity Services, (AIMS) The National Childbirth Trust, (NCT) The Association of Radical Midwives (ARM) Doulas UK, as well as all birth choice campaign groups across the U.K.  All groups are urging Dan Poulter to meet with IM UK.

Many MPs have pledged support. Ian Duncan Smith assured his constituent Samantha Lealman, Independent Midwife, of his support. Samantha said “Before I left his office he looked me straight in the eye and said, 'I am 100% behind you, I really mean this, don't think it's just talk and nothing will happen. I will put the contents of this meeting in writing to you and then we will arrange to meet again after I have met with the cabinet to talk about what we can do next.' “

In April 2007 Prime Minister David Cameron said, “At a time when maternity units in the NHS are threatened with closure, there is a shortage of midwives in the health service generally, and Ministers are struggling to make good their promise of one-to-one care and genuine choice in childbirth, it would be utterly foolish to force independent midwives to cease practising”.  David Cameron has also assured his constituent that he has requested Dan Poulter meets with IMUK immediately, but to date Dan Poulter continues to refuse.

Supporters will be publically requesting a meeting between IMUK and Dan Poulter. IM UK publically request a meeting with Dan Poulter by 10th May 2013.

Press@imuk.org.uk 

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/44382

www.facebook.com/chooseyourmidwife

www.independentmidwives.org.uk