INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE OLDER PERSON

Thursday 1 October 2015 is the International Day of the Older Person and we would like to celebrate this by promoting healthy ageing.  This information about activity and diet, although specifically for those over 65, can be used by anyone to pursue a more active lifestyle.

Why is Activity Important?

Physical activity will make you look and feel better.  It will give you more energy, help you relax and generally tone your body.   It is also good for your mind in reducing stress and anxiety, improving concentration and self confidence. Finally, it is good for your body in helping to control weight and a variety of medical conditions.  It also reduces your risk of heart disease, stroke and some cancers.  It will help you maintain your independence as well by helping maintain and increase the movement of your joints and decrease your risk of falls.

How Much Activity do I Need?

It is recommended that older people take 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day.  This will help keep your heart, lungs, muscles and bones in good working order.  If to start with you can’t manage 30 minutes, start with 10 minutes  once or twice a day (or whatever you can manage) and add 5 minutes every two weeks until you reach the 30 minutes a day. If you can manage more than 30 minutes that will help even more.

What Type of Exercise Should I Do?

Try to do exercise in as many ways as possible with a range of exercises such as brisk or uphill walking, gardening, swimming, and housework.  Try to be as active as possible taking the opportunity to stretch and gradually increase your strength, flexibility and balance. Moderate exercise means that you don’t have to puff and pant, but if you do that is OK – although if you have any health concerns check with your doctor or nurse before starting to exercise.  And if you already do regular exercise in excess of this, carry on doing this in a manner to suit your capability.

Balancing Activity with Healthy Eating

It is important to try to balance the energy being used for physical activity with energy going into your body (food and drink).  This will help you to maintain a healthy weight and will help to keep your body working well.  Ensure you eat at least three meals a day. Use the layout of the Eatwell Plate below to guide how much you should be eating of each type of food.  If you would like a leaflet with the Eatwell Plate on, please contact the Health Promotion Team via the details below.

Enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods such as:

• Starchy foods – bread, potato, rice, pasta and cereals
• Fruit and vegetables – eat as many as you like but at least 5 a day is recommended
• Dairy foods – milk, yoghurt, cheese and eggs. Plenty of these for calcium which will slow bone loss as you age.  Choose low fat or calcium enriched where possible
• Protein – meats, fish, poultry, eggs and nuts.

In addition to this, try to eat a diet low in saturated fat to help your cholesterol level.  Cut visible fat off meat and avoid processed foods as much as possible.  Reduce your intake of foods such as biscuits, cakes and chocolate.  To control your blood pressure, it is also advisable to choose food low in salt and preferably to add no salt when cooking.  Instead add extra flavour by using herbs and spices. Use sugar in moderation in your food and choose low sugar or diet versions of foods or drinks where possible.

It is also important to make sure you drink enough fluid.  If your urine is dark yellow it is a sign you are not drinking enough.  Drinking enough will prevent dehydration, mean that the kidneys do not have to work so hard and will help prevent constipation, urine infections and kidney stones.

If you drink alcohol, limit how much you drink.  As you get older your liver is not able to manage alcohol as well.  You are more likely to have trips and falls if you drink too much.  You also need to know if alcohol is safe with any medication that you take.  If you are not sure, talk to the Pharmacist.

For further information, contact Marian Kanes, Health Promotion Trainer at hp.trainer@publichealth.gov.sh, or Marian Yon, Health Promotion Coordinator at marian.yon@publichealth.gov.sh.

Thanks for reading.

Marian Kanes

Health Promotion Trainer

SHG

28 September 2015

 

To date SHG have issued 1300 wheelie bins for Island households, 36 communal bins for domestic waste and around 330 wheelie bins for commercial use. St Helena Waste Management Services (WMS) retains 40 blue wheelie bins for recycling use and deployment at Island events.

The public and commercial businesses are advised that WMS has exhausted their supply of wheelie bins for households and commercial use, and WMS now recommends that all new build homes and businesses procure their own wheelie bins, compatible with the Island’s Refuse Collection Vehicles.

Householders and commercial businesses are further advised that bagged waste must be suited for wheelie bins in order to be safely collected for disposal. Recipients of SHG issued bins are also reminded that if a bin is lost or damaged, replacement of the bin is their responsibility and not SHG’s.

Further information can be obtained from Environmental Risk Manager, Mike Durnford on tel: 24724 or via email: mike-durnford@enrd.gov.sh

SHG

28 September 2015

The public is advised that the St Helena Archives will be closed from 1.15pm on Tuesday 29 September 2015 for staff development purposes. The service will re-open to the public as normal the following morning, Wednesday 30 September 2015.

SHG apologises for any inconvenience this may cause.

SHG

28 September 2015

 

HMS Lancaster, one of the Royal Navy’s Type 23 Frigates, and the tanker RFA Gold Rover, are expected to visit St Helena from Tuesday 13 to Friday 16 October 2015 to take part in the bicentennial anniversary of Napoleon’s arrival to the Island 200 years ago (aboard HMS Northumberland). She will take part in the Napoleon anniversary commemorations, and further strengthen existing ties with the Island.

All the ships in the Type 23 class are named after Dukes, in this case, the Duke of Lancaster – who is better known as Her Majesty the Queen.  The British Monarch is the ship’s very special sponsor and Her Majesty takes a keen interest in Lancaster’s activities around the globe.

The RFA Gold Rover, built on the River Tyne in north-east England, entered service in 1974. This is her final deployment after over 40 years of service, replenishing Royal Navy ships with fuel, oil, aviation fuel, lubricants, fresh water and a limited amount of dry cargo and refrigerated goods. Her 56 officers, non-commissioned officers and other sailors departed from HM Naval Base Devonport for the last time with an escort of tugs throwing water spouts high into the air to mark the occasion.

Commander Peter Laughton MBE, HMS Lancaster’s Commanding Officer said:

“It is a great honour to visit St Helena and take part in the Napoleonic Bicentenary Week.  I am sure it will be a wonderful experience and also allow us to continue the long and close relationship the Royal Navy enjoys with the Island and its community.”

HMS Lancaster has completed two thirds of her nine-month deployment, and has so far travelled over 24,000 miles with over 14 port visits on four continents. As well as visiting British Overseas Territories, her deployment has also seen a range of other tasks including general defence engagement, maritime security and conducting training with foreign militaries. On leaving St Helena, HMS Lancaster will visit a further seven countries. On returning from deployments, HMS Lancaster is greeted, wherever possible, by a Lancaster bomber of the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, which provides a fly past over Portsmouth harbour.

HMS Lancaster is the first ship in the Royal Navy to deploy with the new Wildcat helicopter and her crew are wearing the newest Naval uniform in 70 years.

The versatile Wildcat, the latest generation of multi-role helicopter for the Royal Navy, is designed for a variety of roles including anti-ship, anti-submarine, ship protection, casualty evacuation, battlefield reconnaissance and general utility.

Three photos are attached to this release, along with an information leaflet on HMS Lancaster.

Further information on the ships’ visit will follow.

SHG

28 September 2015

In accordance with Section 15(3) of the Immigration Ordinance, 2011, the following persons have been granted St Helenian Status with effect from 28 July 2015:

• Miss Jennifer Cristie Scanes of  Frith’s Cottage, Napoleon Street, St Helena Island
• Mrs Fe Resco Scanes of Pink Grove, Levelwood, St Helena Island

SHG

29 September 2015

Walter Scott has been appointed by Governor Capes as Acting Attorney General while the substantive Attorney General, Nicola Moore, is away from the Island on overseas business.

Walter – who is Solicitor General on Ascension Island – took the prescribed oaths for Attorney General before Governor Capes today, Thursday 24 September, in the Governor’s Office at the Castle (photo attached).

The Attorney General on St Helena is the principal legal adviser to the St Helena Government.

SHG

24 September 2015

Derrie Yon and Laura Lawrence have recently returned from the UK after completing their university studies and are now employed at Prince Andrew School as English teachers.  Both Laura and Derrie teach Key Stage Three, Four and Five students and specialise in the subject areas of English Literature and Language at A level.

After gaining a BA (Hons) in English Literature and Creative Writing in 2014, Derrie completed her one-year Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) at Bath Spa University in south-west England.

Derrie spoke about her reasons for choosing a career in teaching:

“Whilst doing my A levels, I knew I wanted to be in Education and when I began tutoring a friend I enjoyed it so much and knew this was something I wanted to pursue.  Whilst in the UK, I volunteered for a Church of England School and that reassured me that a career in teaching was the right path for me.”

Laura embarked on a different route into teaching, as she became a locally qualified teacher under the direction of Wendy Benjamin, before her departure in 2011 to study in the UK.  Laura completed her BA Honours in English Language and Communication, with English Language Teaching – allowing her to teach at a higher level in the English syllabus.  She then commenced a Masters in Education, Laura said of her experience:

“My Masters was based around recent school practices, and for my Dissertation I researched around the teaching profession and professional skills testing.  Throughout the course I became more exposed to gaining the relevant knowledge of teaching in the classroom, as well as having an insight into senior management organisation and planning.  I also had the added benefit of studying special needs situations and learning how to deal with children in different ways.”

Laura is now applying what she has learnt in the classroom and applying it to her high level teaching subjects, covering child language development, language acquisition, the history of the English language, phonetics and phonology.

Laura would like to thank her mum, dad, sister, family and friends and the Education Directorate for their support throughout her journey.  Derrie thanks all those on St Helena, and her family – who have offered her support and best wishes on her return to St Helena.

SHG

25 September 2015

PUBLIC MEETINGS

St Helena’s first comprehensive piece of environmental legislation was released for public consultation on 15 September 2015.

The draft Environmental Protection Ordinance deals with the protection of St Helena’s environment, including the conservation of biodiversity, the control of pollution, waste and litter, consideration of environmental impacts in decision-making and environmental monitoring.

The Environmental Protection Ordinance has been developed over the past four years and includes stakeholder input given prior to legal drafting.  We now invite comments on the final draft version by Friday 9 October 2015.

In order to increase awareness of the policy, conduct wider discussions and share ideas, two public meetings are set to be held in order to gather additional public input.

Public Meetings are due to be held at the following times and locations:

• Wednesday 30 September, 7pm at the Longwood Community Centre 
• Tuesday 6 October, 7pm at the Half Tree Hollow Community Centre 

Anyone requiring transport to the public meetings are asked to contact the receptionist at Essex House at 22270.

SHG

24 September 2015

 

The calibration flights at St Helena Airport – led by Flight Calibration Services Limited (FCSL) working with TAB Charters – were completed yesterday Wednesday 23 September 2015, and the Beechcraft King Air 200 aircraft will depart St Helena for Namibia between 5am and 6am tomorrow Friday, ten days after its arrival.

Speaking yesterday evening at a reception at Plantation House, held for the crew (photo attached) and others working on the Airport Project, Governor Mark Capes said:

 “Tuesday 15 September 2015 will always be a special day to remember on St Helena. For this entire community it was an exciting day and for some an emotional one.

 “For those who have worked so hard on the Airport project, some for many years, it was hugely rewarding to see their work make possible such a momentous event. There are of course too many people to thank but quite a few are here tonight to share in celebrating their contribution to making it possible for the first flight to land on St Helena. 

 “Thanks of course to Deon de Jager and his Basil Read colleagues, to Janet Lawrence and the Access team, to DFID represented here once again by Nigel Kirby, to Halcrow, to the team that received and processed the flight on landing – Customs, Immigration, Bio-Security, the Emergency Services – and of course to those magnificent men in their flying machine, thank you for that oh so perfect touchdown.” 

 Captain Grant Brighton commented:

“We didn’t know what we were coming to but the runway was very good, solid and conditions were great. When we were first approaching the runway and experienced the turbulence you realise that no one has ever experienced that turbulence before. We probably did a dozen landings over the last nine days.

 “The Island itself far exceeded our expectations. The people are incredible and there’s so much history here which you don’t understand until you research it or are here to see for yourself.”

Until a full assessment of the communication and navigation findings has been made by various parties, the final outcome of the calibration flights will not be known, including any follow-up actions arising from the flights.   Further information will follow in due course.

 SHG

24 September 2015

 

ONE-TO-ONE SESSIONS

St Helena’s first comprehensive piece of environmental legislation was released for public consultation on 15 September 2015.

The draft Environmental Protection Ordinance deals with the protection of St Helena’s environment, including the conservation of biodiversity, the control of pollution, waste and litter, consideration of environmental impacts in decision making and environmental monitoring.

The Environmental Protection Ordinance has been developed over the past four years and includes stakeholder input given prior to legal drafting.  We now invite comments on the final draft version by Friday 9 October 2015.

To assist with interpreting and understanding the Ordinance, a Plain English guide has been produced and copies of this and the draft Ordinance itself have been placed in the Public Library, Customer Services Centre, Essex House and ENRD’s Scotland Office. Personal copies are available on request. Both the Environmental Protection Ordinance and the user guide can also be found at: http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/publications/.

Staff from the Environmental Management Division will be available in Essex House for One to One drop-in sessions with interested persons at the following dates and times:

 

• Tuesday 29 September, from 11am – 1pm
• Friday 2 October, from 11am – 1pm
• Wednesday 7 October, from 2 – 5pm

 

Environmental Assessment and Advocacy Manager, Isabel Peters, said: “We have included drop-in sessions as part of the public consultation to provide additional opportunities for those interested to learn more about the new Environmental Protection Ordinance and raise any issues or concerns on a one to one basis.”

For further information on the drop-in sessions or the Environmental Protection Ordinance in general, please contact Isabel Peters, at Essex House, on tel: 22270 or email: isabel-peters@enrd.gov.sh

SHG

23 September 2015