AGM and a long chat

Once again we have had a successful year, recruiting new members, raising money and campaigning for better services for people living with lung conditions. Following on from our "Meet the Patients" events at the Welsh Assembly, pulmonary rehab is becoming more widespread across Wales. All that lobbying of Am's does pay off.
Chris Mulholland talked to us about the work of British Lung Foundation Wales in improving services with emphasis on early diagnosis for all lung diseases. We also talked about all the Breathe Easy groups, in the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg Health Board area, working together for improved pulmonary rehab services and follow on exercise programmes available to all. If we can achieve that it would be wonderful and a good way to spend the money we have raised over the year.

Margam Park

The craft market in the orangery at Margam Park was a splendid affair. We were there with our awareness stand, dolls and toys, books and frames. All in all a lovely day. We gave out a lot of information to people who came seeking it, made £75 for the British Lung Foundation Wales, recruited two people who would like to abseil with us next Easter and collected loads of signatures on the petition to prevent people smoking in cars where children are present.
Many thanks to our two very able helpers who made sure everything was priced correctly, counted out the correct change and kept our stall neat and tidy.

Visit to the National Botanical Garden of Wales

What a lovely day we had - perfect weather, neither too hot nor too cool, just right in fact. Eleven of us met at the site in Llanarthney in the morning and spent most of the day wandering around the gardens enjoying the plants and the lovely setting.

Meet the Patients at the Welsh Assembly

Yesterday four of us went down to the Welsh Assembly in Cardiff Bay. We shared a minibus with the four from Swansea Bay group. Peter Black was going to talk about the unfairness and difficulties we encounter when travelling by air with oxygen. So I had a long chat with him about my portable oxygen concentrator and how some airlines won't let me use that and want to charge me £100 each way to use their oxygen and I could find myself sitting next to a child with a gameboy or someone with a laptop, both running off the same kind of batteries. To hear the debate follow the link on the right hand side of the page. Select Plenary session on 16th June, then go to item 6, short debate to hear Peter talk on our behalf.
Later we had a long chat with Mick Bates about the fact that there is no rehab in Powys and the unfairness of the lottery of where you live in Wales. He has promised to do something so I have sent him my experience - living on the border of Neath Port Talbot and Powys. NPT has a good rehab service and a team of dedicated respiratory nurses to care for us when we are ill and to advise us on how to stay well.
Bethan Jenkins was very interested to hear of the difficulties of many patients in getting to the locations where rehab is held. This is a problem all over Wales. It is such a rural country with scattered communities and it is very easy to become isolated if you don't drive and you are far away from an infrequent bus route.

Breathe Easy Week 2010

We joined a whole load of people in the old Remploy Factory in Ystradgynlais to set up our stall for an event for Carers Week. Lots of people signed our petition to prevent smoking in cars where children are present - go to the BLF Website to sign this petition online.

Port Talbot Charities fair

On a wet and windy day we set up our Awareness Stand and goods for sale, in a marquee in the Aberavon shopping centre. The horrible day did not deter the good people of that town. They came in large numbers to see us and all the other people with stands at the fair. We talked to a lot of people about Breathe Easy and how it helps to join us if you have a lung condition. And we sold a lot of toys, aprons, peg bags ang other goodies made by our group, raising £60.

Discrimination for oxygen users on planes

On Thursday we were delighted to welcome Hywell Griffith, from BBC Wales, and Kevin Sullivan, from British LUng Foundation Wales, to our home to film an article about the discrimination encountered when trying to fly away for a holiday break. Some airlines charge to use oxygen, around £100 per leg of the journey and others provide it free. Some won't let me use my battery operated portable concentrator, which is approved as safe by the Civil Aviation Authority, but on the same flight I may see people using laptops, mobile phones or Gameboys - what's the difference?

You can hear the article via the link on the right, or read the Welsh version.
This really must stop. All we ask is to be able to visit places in the same way that other travellers can without extra charges.