The idea to develop the new scheme came from existing volunteers concerned that some patients are lonely in hospital as their friends and family may not live locally or be able to visit, or indeed they may have not have any relatives.

Siobhan Jordan, the hospital’s Director of Nursing & Quality, said: “Volunteer visitors will have the opportunity to spend time with a range of patients. This could include providing a listening ear or spending time with patients who would benefit from activities such board games or reminiscing about the past. We are also encouraging ‘social dining’ for patients, encouraging people to eat and enjoy their meals around a table rather than at their bedsides and volunteer visitors would be able to assist us in this.

“Volunteers at our hospital already make a valuable contribution to the experience of patients in our hospital, which is greatly appreciated by the staff. This new development aims to build on a very strong foundation already in place”.

The open morning will share the aims behind the new scheme and provide an opportunity for people to decide whether this is an area where they feel they could make a difference. The event will be led by David Flower, chaplaincy co-ordinator, and will share information about the volunteering role and listening skills, as well as advice on how to best support patients. Sarah Higson, Patient Experience lead, will outline the next steps for anyone interested in becoming a volunteer visitor.

Other opportunities to support patients and carers at the hospital will also be promoted at the open morning. This includes identifying individuals who wish to support family carers. Our Carers’ Kitchen provides space for family carers to take a coffee or tea break from supporting their loved ones on the wards. The Carers’ Kitchen volunteers provide a listening ear, support and signposting for family carers and we are seeking others to join the team in order to extend this service.

Booking is not essential but anyone with a query should contact Pam Evans on 01473 702101.

The John Peel Centre for Creative Arts in Stowmarket, and its Norwich project partner Eye Film and Television have been granted funding for the project and given exclusive access by the family to John Peel’s record collection which includes 25,000 LPs, 40,000 singles and many thousands of CDs. The Arts Council will provide initial funding, and the BBC will provide support and development advice, after which further funding will be sought to complete the project and make every record available online.

“It is the first step in creating an interactive online museum with access to the entire collection, which is one of the most important archives in modern music history.” (Tom Barker, Director, John Peel Centre for Creative Arts)

“The idea is to digitally recreate John’s home studio and record collection, which users will be able to interact with and contribute to, whilst viewing Peel’s personal notes, archive performances and new filmed interviews with musicians.” (Frank Prendergast – Eye Film and Television’s Creative Director)

Sheila Ravenscroft, John Peel’s wife and Patron of the John Peel Centre for Creative Arts said: “We’re very happy that we’ve finally found a way to make John’s amazing collection available to his fans, as he would have wanted. This project is only the beginning of something very exciting”.

Eye Film and Television has a long-standing relationship with the Peel family having worked on a number of television projects with him including the ITV series “Going Home”. Eye will be working with the John Peel Centre, musicians and fans to create the digital content for the platform.

The Space will run from May to October across PCs, smartphones, tablets, internet connected TVs and will also be available as a red button, video on demand service via Freeview HD.

Arts Council England is committing up to £3.5m, while the BBC is contributing to the partnership by developing the technological solutions and providing ongoing support.

The Apache from the base where Prince Harry is based was on a night exercise when it caught power lines and had to make an emergency landing in fields between Wherstead and Tattingstone. Luckily neither of the crew were injured although the power line was damaged resulting in a power cut for just under 400 people in the immediate area.

That’s where you come in.

By standing for election as a governor, you can influence how the Trust develops in the coming years.

The Trust’s lead governor, Tony Jackson, who lives in Norwich, said he would encourage anyone with an interest in mental health issues to put their names forward for election – the closing date for nominations is Monday 5 March 2012.

“I’m sure they would find that being a governor is an interesting and worthwhile way of making a contribution, and making a difference in terms of helping to make sure the Foundation Trust is accountable to service users, carers, and others directly involved in the its services,” said Mr Jackson, who retired 12 years ago as deputy director of education for Norfolk.
“It’s a good way to learn more about the provision of health services, and about implementing the direction in which those services are going.”

If you are interested in becoming a governor, for information and to request a nomination form please contact Caroline Hinchcliffe at Electoral Reform Services. Email caroline.hinchcliffe@electoralreform.co.uk or call 020 8829 8448.

This professional five-piece band has the ability to whip-up any crowd from the word GO! Probably the most sought after, hard working and renowned Madness tribute band in Europe ‘Complete Madness’ expertly cascade all of the nuttiest sounds around onto the excited, expectant audience.

You don’t have to be a Madness fan to enjoy this show, just enjoy being entertained! Complete Madness are now in their 15th year and each year still seem to go from strength to strength despite strengthening competition, but the few things the band have is trust, reliability and always a steady line up of band members.

March 17th
Westgate Ward Social Club
Box Office 01473 433100

However, the figures have revealed that only 38% of people that are living with dementia have a diagnosis in the East of England – an increase of 1.6% in the last year. It is thought that there are 48,000 people in the region that are living with the condition but aren’t receiving any of the benefits, drug treatments and support that comes from receiving a diagnosis.

Studies also show that an early diagnosis can save the taxpayer thousands of pounds, because it can delay someone needing care outside of their own home.*

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough saw the biggest improvement in diagnosis rates in the region, with an increase of 2.3%, well above the national average of 1.8%.

Paul Dunnery, Area manager for Alzheimer’s Society in East Anglia and Central says: “Well over half of people that are living with dementia still don’t have a diagnosis in East Anglia and Central and so aren’t receiving the support, benefits and the medical treatments that are often available. We have seen an increase over the last year, but there is still a long way to go.”

“Everyone is a little bit forgetful now and again, but when memory loss starts to interfere with your daily life it is important to get it checked out as soon as possible. The sooner people are diagnosed, the sooner they can get support and start planning for the future.”

Elizabeth Ashton moved to Norfolk from Hampshire to be nearer to her mother, Pamela, who lived in Suffolk and died last year. She was diagnosed with Vascular dementia in 2008 but had shown signs of the disease for at least 10 years before her death. Elizabeth said:

“I thought her forgetfulness was just a sign of aging and pursuing a diagnosis at the time, just didn’t occur to me or my GP. I can see now that we should have been more aware, and an early diagnosis would have been a great help. She might have responded to medication had she been diagnosed earlier, and we would have had a greater understanding of the difficulties she faced.”

“If more people were aware of the prevalence of dementia it wouldn’t be such a fearful disease. Agencies, especially should be more aware of the disease. There is never a box to tick for dementia. And a greater awareness would bring a greater understanding, and a greater understanding of the disease would generate a greater knowledge of how to care for someone with dementia.”

Alzheimer’s Society recommends that anyone concerned about memory problems, and experiencing any of the following should speak to their GP:

• struggling to remember recent events, despite being able to recall things that happened in the past
• finding it difficult to follow conversations or programmes on TV
• regularly forgetting the names of friends or everyday objects
• unable to recall things you’ve heard, seen or read
• having difficulty in making decisions
• repeating conversations or losing the thread in speech
• having problems thinking and reasoning
• feeling anxious, depressed or angry about your forgetfulness
• finding that other people are commenting on your forgetfulness

People who are worried about their memory can also contact Alzheimer’s Society on 0845 300 0336.

Alzheimer’s Society and Tesco are currently touring the UK to raise awareness of dementia. If you would like to find out when it is visiting your area, please visit www.alzheimers.org.uk/roadshow

Since she began her legendary residency at Boston’s famed Club 47 and her debut at the 1959 Newport Folk Festival Joan Baez remains a musical force of nature whose influence is incalculable – marching on the front line of the civil rights movement with Martin Luther King, singing on the first Amnesty International tour, standing alongside Nelson Mandela when the world celebrated his 90th birthday in London’s Hyde Park.

Her earliest recordings fed a host of traditional ballads into the rock vernacular, before she unselfconsciously introduced Bob Dylan to the world in 1963 and focused awareness on songwriters ranging from Woody Guthrie, Dylan, Phil Ochs, Richard Fariña, and Tim Hardin, to Kris Kristofferson and Mickey Newbury, to Dar Williams, Richard Shindell, Steve Earle and many more.

The research will consider perceptions of risk from a variety of perspectives and notions of self-identity in relation to Pro-Ana online environments. The research will examine how young people use the sites for tips and advice, support and other information and as an ‘embodied’ social space.

Dr. Emma Bond, a senior lecturer in the School of Applied Social Sciences at UCS leading the research, said: “There are increasing concerns over the number and availability of Pro-Anorexia sites on the Internet yet little is known about why people use them, what they use them for and whether or not they are contributing to either the anorexic condition or the phenomenon. We do know that young people use new media technologies for both risk management and risk-taking behaviours to achieve identity as individuals and as members of cultural groups in both offline and online environments.”

The research will examine how young people use the sites for tips and advice, support and other information as an ‘embodied’ social space. The relationship between users’ perceptions of risk and self-identity and the online environments will be examined in order to gain knowledge and understanding of the range, uses and content of these sites.

The EU Kids online report published in September 2011 highlighted that 21% of 11-16 year olds in their research have been exposed to one or more types of potentially harmful user generated content: hate (12%), pro-anorexia (10%); self-harm (7%), drug-taking (7%) and/or suicide (5%). Little is known though about the sites themselves and the nature and extent of the risk or harm they present to young people.

The band’s chart-topping record will be played in its entirety – as initially recorded – for the first time since its original tour in 1972. The original only featured one seamless 45 minutes long track, although it was split to accommodate the album on vinyl and cassette. It reached number 5 in the UK charts.

‘Thick As A Brick – Whatever happened to Gerald Bostock’ promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime musical experience, rediscovering a timeless milestone of progressive rock. The performances will also incorporate video projection and other theatrical elements. Ian Anderson performs some of his finest work with the added maturity and skill acquired across a 44 year-long career.

Anderson says: “I really look forward to this opportunity to bring the wee Gerald Bostock into the new millennium and to explore the ups and downs of his possible life journey.”
Widely recognised as the man who introduced the flute to rock music, Ian also plays ethnic flutes and whistles together with acoustic guitar and the mandolin family of instruments, providing the acoustic textures which have been an integral part of most of the Tull repertoire and his solo material. In recent years, he has toured more and more under his own name in solo concerts with orchestras, string quartets, featured soloists and in his other eclectic acoustic shows.
During the ‘Thick As a Brick’ tour Anderson will be joined by John O’Hara on keyboards, David Goodier on bass, Florian Opahle on guitar and Scott Hammond on drums as well as a guest performer.

Full details are: –

Ian Anderson will hit the road in April 2012 (including a stop-off at Ipswich) for a 19 date UK tour commemorating the 40th Anniversary of Jethro Tull’s 1972 Billboard No. 1 ‘Thick As A Brick’; it can now be revealed that, to coincide with the release of the groundbreaking album sequel ‘Thick As A Brick 2’ on 2nd April, there will be a second part to the show where Anderson and the band will also perform the new material.

‘Thick as a Brick’ was a concept album based on a poem written by a fictitious 10 year old boy Gerald Bostock – in reality Anderson himself, who wrote both music and lyrics. The anniversary “part two” album will examine the possible different paths that the precocious young schoolboy might have taken later in life through alter-ego characters with song-section identities illustrating the hugely varied potential twists and turns of fate and opportunity.

The band’s chart-topping record will be played in its entirety – as initially recorded – for the first time since its original tour in 1972. The original only featured one seamless 45 minutes long track, although it was split to accommodate the album on vinyl and cassette. It reached number 5 in the UK charts.

‘Thick As A Brick – Whatever happened to Gerald Bostock’ promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime musical experience, rediscovering a timeless milestone of progressive rock. The performances will also incorporate video projection and other theatrical elements. Ian Anderson performs some of his finest work with the added maturity and skill acquired across a 44 year-long career.

Anderson says: “I really look forward to this opportunity to bring the wee Gerald Bostock into the new millennium and to explore the ups and downs of his possible life journey.”
Widely recognised as the man who introduced the flute to rock music, Ian also plays ethnic flutes and whistles together with acoustic guitar and the mandolin family of instruments, providing the acoustic textures which have been an integral part of most of the Tull repertoire and his solo material. In recent years, he has toured more and more under his own name in solo concerts with orchestras, string quartets, featured soloists and in his other eclectic acoustic shows.
During the ‘Thick As a Brick’ tour Anderson will be joined by John O’Hara on keyboards, David Goodier on bass, Florian Opahle on guitar and Scott Hammond on drums as well as a guest performer.

Full details are: -

April
14th Perth Concert Hall 01738 621 031 £22.50/£25.50/£28.50
15th Glasgow Theatre Royal 0844 871 7627 £25.50/£28.50
17th Newcastle City Hall 0191 261 2606 £25.50/£28.50
18th Liverpool Philharmonic 0151 709 3789 £25.50/£28.50

19th Sheffield City Hall 0114 2 789 789 £25.50/£28.50
20th Blackburn St George’s Hall 0844 847 1664 £26.50
21st Harrogate Royal Hall 0845 130 8840 £25.50/£28.50
22nd Manchester Opera House 0844 847 2484 £25.50/£28.50
24th Derby Assembly Rooms 01332 255 800 £25.50/£28.50
25th Ipswich Regent Theatre 01473 433100 £25.50/£28.50
27th London Hammersmith Apollo 0843 221 0100 £25/£28.50/£32.50
28th Bristol Colston Hall 0117 922 3686 £25.50/£28.50
29th High Wycombe The Swan Theatre 01494 512 000 £26.50/£29.50
30th Birmingham Symphony Hall 0121 780 3333 £26.50/£29.50

May
2nd Oxford Apollo 0844 847 1588 £25.50/£28.50

3rd Reading Hexagon 0118 960 6060 £25.50/£28.50
4th Guildford G Live 0844 7701 797 £28.50/£31.50
5th Cardiff St David’s Hall 029 2087 8444 £25.50/£28.50
6th Southampton Guildhall 023 8063 2601 £25.50/£28.50

Doors open at 7.30pm except for Southampton – 7pm. Tickets are onsale from http://www.gigantic.com and are subject to booking fee.

After 44 years of leading Tull to 54 countries worldwide and over 60 million albums sold, Ian Anderson celebrates a true progressive rock classic with old and new fans across the UK for a whole three weeks. Anderson is known as the flute and voice of the legendary Jethro Tull, formed in the North of England in 1968 from the amalgamation of blues-based John Evan Band and McGregor’s Engine. Since their first performance at London’s famous Marquee Club in 1968, the band has released 30 studio and live albums and earned a prominent place in rock history.

15 / 2012 / Thriller
Cast: Danny Dyer, Anna Walton
Screenplay: J.K. Amalou / Director: J.K. Amalou

Release Dates:
February 24th, 2012 (Theatrical)
February 27th, 2012 (DVD)

Plot: While on her way home from work, Amber (Anna Walton), a young nurse, is car-jacked by Frankie Norton (Danny Dyer). Frankie is a vicious psychopath recently escaped from prison and is looking to flee the country. He takes Amber prisoner in her own car, as they drive around London over the course of one night, while Frankie tries to piece together his next move.

This reviewer seldom ever gets the opportunity to review a film before it’s general release, so when the opportunity came along, it was enthusiastically grabbed with both hands! All well and good you might think, until the realisation suddenly hits as to what has come through the letterbox. The preview DVD is accompanied by some PR gumpf that has none other than Danny Dyer’s name written all over it. That feeling of excitement was tragically all too brief…

Anyone who thinks that’s a little unfair should have a go at sitting through Deviation first: because it’s a mess. Credit where it’s due though; it’s not all Mr. Dyer’s fault. From the get-go, we are treated to some very questionable cinematography which, for the first 5 minutes or so, simply gives us a view of Amber (Walton), from the back, talking on her mobile phone, whilst walking along a London street. This might have been acceptable, had the camera decided to survey her clothing or the phone she was using just to give us some indication of what this character is about. But no. It’s just her, from a fixed angle, having three simultaneous conversations – one of which is from her work, who can’t decide if they need her to come back or not – thus making her walk back on herself twice. By the end of the sequence, you’ve lost all care for the character and she hasn’t even been abducted yet!

Once she is though, the whole film then plummets to depths of absurdity that you didn’t think were possible! Frankie is less of a raving psychopath and more of a confused and love-starved man-child. If his criminal activities are as well renowned as the highly contrived breaking-news-on-all-radio-stations would have you believe, why does he only restrain his victim with a single cable tie attached to the join of a headrest; and why doesn’t she then simply pull it off!? There also appears to be a severe lack of a police presence searching for this supposed mad man…

These and many other questions are likely to annoy and plague you as the running time creeps along like a clock working at half-speed. That and the performances, which are bland at best; although Anna Walton’s final scene does manage to breathe some much-needed genuine emotion. But by that point, your senses will have become too dulled to notice.

Rating: 7/10

Kyle Buxton

Extended commentary for this review can be found here.

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Kyle Buxton is an independent freelance film reviewer and blogger

Be sure to check out hid blog at: Reel Lighthouse  - containing movie reviews, as well as other occasional film-related insights.