A leaflet board for Neath Port Talbot Hospital

How nice it is, after raising all that money earlier in the year with our abseil event, donations, and sales, to be able to use it to everyones benefit. Last month we were able to give a large cheque to British Lung Foundation Wales and today we were able to purchase a British Lung Foundatio leaflet board and present it to Hannah Howard, our oxygen nurse. Hannah says it will be displayed in the waiting room in the Lung Function and Oxygen Assessment area in the hospital. We hope many people will make use of it, get information on their lung condition, make contact through the helpline - 03000 030 555 and come along to join us in Breathe Easy.

Hannah was delighted and said she was sure that both patients and staff will benefit from it being there.

Life on the Mary Rose

Phil Bowen gave us a great insight into life on the Mary Rose, Henry VIII's flagship which sank in the Solent in 1545 and was recovered, in a widely watched televised event, in 1982. Life must have been pretty grim aboard, especially during the many battles she fought.
Phil, a retired headteacher, was just the kind of history teacher I would have liked. He made the subject fun. We ended with a test and were rewarded with sweeties.
We have asked him to come back next year to tell us about Carisbrook Casle and Osbourne House.

We also discussed how our local service for people with COPD has been much depleted lately and ways we can campaign and work along with the health authority to get it back to what it once was - home visits, early discharge scheme and a pulmonary rehab programme which helps all of us with COPD to keep well and out of hospital. It's in all our interest to help get this service up and running at full strength again.