Neath Communities First and NHS Services

Donna Roberts is so full of energy and enthusiasm. She told us all about the Communities First scheme, funded by the Welsh Assembly, for areas of deprivation and then went on to describe all the activities she and her colleagues have started in Neath. Sadly funding ends for this next year, but some of the schemes are now well established and will hopefully continue and, with luck, so will funding from the Welsh Assembly. I must say, Neath sounds far from deprived with all these activities going on. It's a very lively place to live. Call Donna on 01639 640670 or d.roberts@bbc.co.gov.uk or check out the website http://www.neathtowncentre.co.uk. There is so much going on over Easter for the children and adults. I have promised to make fancy cakes for the Spring Cookery competition, knitted ones of course, just to be different. Maybe I will do sausage, egg and chips too. Keep up the good work Donna. Then Vicky Broad and Maria led a discussion on our COPD Care in the Community team and how we valued the work they do. The general consensus is that we can't do without them and if the service is reduced in any way more of us would be going into hospital with acute exacerbations because we couldn't cope at home on our own without their support and care. We have a wonderful service here in Neath and we would like to see the COPD patients in the rest of the ABM area getting a service as good as the one we have.

The work of the Red Cross and the Expert Patients Programme

Well, there was an awful lot we didn't know about the work of the Red Cross in the Neath Port Talbot area. The Neath Port Talbot Hospital Discharge Service is invaluable in helping people get home from hospital early, knowing that they will have support for six weeks with shopping, cleaning, personal hygeine, companionship and a host of other things.
They also have the Practical Aids to Living Servive - PALS - which offers trials, advice and sales of many gadgets which make life easier for those living with a disability, from wheelchairs, to pencil grips to commodes - and all things inbetween. There is also a Mobile Medical Loans Service. There are many items for loan or for sale. These are available from the Neath Branch of the British Red Cross, The Ropewalk Neath, 01639 643818, or Carmarthen 01554 749374
or check out their website http://www.redcross.org.uk/

Then we had an informative chat from Donna about the Expert Patients Programme (EPP) which is funded by the Welsh Assembly. It is a six week programme, free to anyone who is living with a chronic condition and well worth taking part. As well as teaching techniques to combat stress, pain etc it is a wonderful social opportunity to meet other people with different problems, which can often put your own into perspective, or give you another angle to look at and tackle your own difficulties. http://www.eppwales.org/ http://www.eppcymrru.org/

Breathing easy in Baglan

Donations from our Breathe Easy Group have helped purchase new exercise equipment for the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Team in the Medical Resource Centre at Baglan Moors.

The group spent £1,500 on the equipment. The money was raised by holding a sponsored abseil event, when seventy people, adults and children, abseiled down the spectacular 130ft Dinas Rock in the Neath Valley.

The new equipment which consists of a treadmill, two bikes, set of pedals, a set of weights and a tea urn for that important cuppa will help the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Team in delivering a valuable service.


The Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programme helps treat patients with Chronic Lung Disease. Specialist Physiotherapist, Cath Harper who is based at the Baglan Resource Centre said:

“I just want to say a big thank you to the Breath Easy Neath Valley for all their hard work and to everyone who took part in last years abseil.

“This equipment has a huge benefit for patients who attend the six week rehabilitation programme. It is very important that patients with a respiratory disease try and exercise a little bit more; which will help expand the lungs and improve breathing for the patient.”



Patients attending the programme have already seen health changes by using the new equipment.

Giving the thumbs up to the new equipment and programme is Philip Jones from Port Talbot, who is just completing his fifth week. Philip said:

“The new equipment is fantastic and having this facility locally is brilliant.

“I’m doing really well, feel great and everyone is very helpful.”

Linda Davis, also from Port Talbot is just starting her first week and added: “Sometimes I panic when I can’t get my breath and the team have been teaching me how to control my breathing. Everyone is very supportive and helpful.

“I don’t think I’ll be using the treadmill, but I am very happy with the small floor pedals that I use when sitting on the chair.”

The Breathe Easy Neath Valley are a group of people who are all living with lung conditions, mainly COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), which can be debilitating.

Secretary for the group Margaret Barnard said: “Pulmonary rehab is an important part of our treatment and understanding of our condition.

“It teaches us a new way of tackling life with a chronic condition and enables people like us to live full and active lives. As well as the information we receive during the programme, we learn the value of exercise in maintaining muscle tone and keeping our lungs working as well as possible. All this helps to keep us out of hospitals as exacerbations are reduced.

“It's thanks to the generosity of the people who take part and give, that we are able to present this equipment. Thank you to all of you.”

The group are setting up the 2011 abseil event, if you would like to support them or give a donation visit www.justgiving.com/Margaret-Barnard1 For more information on British Lung Foundation Wales visit - www.lunguk.org helpline 08458 50 50 20
Wales Office 01792 455764

Briton Ferry Health and Wellbeing Group.

Well, the ladies of Briton Ferry certainly put us through our paces and raised a lot of laughter. Gentle exercise really can be a lot of fun as well as being really good for you. Sorry, everyone was having such a good time no photos were taken. Must be better organised in future.

New equipment for pulmonary rehab

This month we bought equipment for the Pulmonary Rehab team at the Primary Resource Centre in Baglan Moors. They were delighted to take delivery of a treadmill, two exercise bikes, a set of pedals, a set of weights and the all important tea urn, for that relaxing cuppa when all the hard work is done. On Thursday this week we went to see it all in use and what a lovely time we had. We had our usual chat with the people in rehab, telling them all about our Breathe Easy group, all the fun we have, and we do hope they will come along to join us.

Pictures to follow

A big get together

Some of us went down to Bridgend on Tuesday to meet up the Breathe Easy group there along with some of Swansea Bay group. We chatted about this and that, drank a lot of tea and coffee and made a good job of demolishing the lovely cake kindly provided by the Bridgend group.
We had a lively exchange of ideas about how our groups are doing and what we should be doing. There was interest in joining our abseil in April, which would be great.
Bridgend group asked us to join them for ice cream and a paddle in Porthcawl in the summer, and we have asked them all to visit us in September for a knees up with the Neath Bees Knees group.

Terrific Support

Local support has been wonderful for our annual fundraising event - Abseil at Dinas Rock.
The abseil will be run by Call of the Wild, a professional company, based locally in Seven Sisters, who have plenty of experience running these events. They are winners of the Welsh Tourist Board Team Building Company of the Year and current National Small Business of the Year. Once again the company is generously giving it’s time and expertise free of charge to help our fundraising. So, again, a huge thanks to Call of the Wild.
This year Bob Granger, a local photographer has kindly offered to be our official photographer at no cost to us, another generous gesture.
Then today, Imbex Services have said they will provide first aid cover free of charge.
The generosity of these people, and those who sponsor our brave abseilers are what makes this event such a success
A huge thank you to them all.