Sickle Cell Awareness Month in H&F, Sharon Tomlin, Community Organiser

September is the month worldwide to raise awareness of sickle cell disorder – known mainly as sickle cell disease. The condition is a genetically inherited condition that affects the red blood cells is prevalent mainly in individuals from the African diaspora community.

The condition was first described by American physician, Dr James Herrick in 1910 written in medical journal with the title “Peculiar elongated and sickle-shaped red blood corpuscles in the case of severe anemia”

 As one can imagine, living with the condition on a day-today basis can be and usually is described by those affected as debilitating as it affects mainly the muscles and joints and other parts of the body. Despite this, local community champion, Feyona continues to raise awareness of her lived experience and provide support to others throughout the borough and beyond.

We met when we worked together on the borough`s recent Hammersmith and Fulham Council project “Building Trust” that focused on inequality of health within the black African and Caribbean communities in the borough. The project hosted a series of Listening Events one of which covered the condition sickle cell. Some of the feedback from the event included the following:

  • Concerns that the condition is not recognised as a disability when interacting with welfare benefits systems
  • Lack of cultural awareness
  • Not “being believed” – the burden to proof on the person living with sickle cell to be believed that one is in pain.

I have found Feyona to be a phenomenal advocate of sickle cell condition as she is involved in a range of forums and societies seeking to raise awareness and affect change at the local community, policy and parliamentary levels.

We recognise that more needs to be done to raise awareness of this condition across sectors in the borough.

The above was written with permission of Feyona.

For more information and if you wish to be involved, please contact Sharon by emailing sharon.tomlin@sobus.org.uk.

Please see below some useful links:

Sickle Cell Society: lived experiences, reports, campaigns – https://www.sicklecellsociety.org/

Hammersmith & Fulham:

Work of Dr James Herrick: https://web.archive.org/web/20101119100223/http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/summary/VI/5/517

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Community Pharmacy Smoking Cessation Service Launched in H&F

In an effort to reduce smoking rates within the community, a new initiative has been launched offering free stop smoking support through local pharmacies. The Community Pharmacy Smoking Cessation Service (CPSCS) is designed to support residents on their journey to quit smoking by providing easily accessible support.

Currently, nine local pharmacies have joined the programme offering both face-to-face and telephone consultations with trained stop smoking advisors. These advisors provide personalised advice and guidance tailored to each individual’s needs. Participants in the programme will also benefit from free e-cigarette starter kits, which have been recognised as an effective tool for quitting smoking successfully.

The service is open to all residents, as well as those who work or study in the borough. The process is simple with self-referral options that empower individuals to take that first step. By simply visiting any of the participating pharmacies you can initiate your journey to smoke-free life.

The Pharmacy Smoking Cessation Service is available at the following locations:

  • Faro Pharmacy, 16 Swanscombe Road, W11 4SX
  • Fulham Pharmacy, 608 Fulham Road, SW6 5RP
  • Goldhawk Pharmacy, 9 Goldhawk Road, W12 8QQ
  • Jays Pharmacy, 175 Uxbridge Road, Shepherds Bush, W12 9RA
  • Lime Grove Pharmacy, 66 Goldhawk Road, London, W12 8HA
  • Myhealth Pharmacy, 392-402 North End Road, SW6 1LU
  • Oza Chemist, 9 Fulham Broadway, SW6 1AA
  • Bush Pharmacy, 334 Uxbridge Road, W12 7LL
  • Healthside Pharmacy, 90 Shepherds Bush Road, W6 7PD

With Stoptober just around the corner, the council is urging voluntary and third-sector organisations to promote the smoking cessation service to residents they work with. This is an excellent opportunity to encourage smoking residents who use their services to take advantage of this offer and move towards a healthier smoke-free life.

For more information on the Community Pharmacy Smoking Cessation Service, organisations can reach out via email to Tohel Ahmed, tohel.ahmed@lbhf.gov.uk.

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Hammersmith & Fulham Car Free Day

In H&F it is a very easy process to apply:

  1. Agree a date/time with a few neighbours
  2. Drop a letter to all affected properties advising of your plans (templates and other resources, tips available here: https://londonplaystreets.org.uk/car-free-day-2024/)
  3. Apply to the council: https://www.lbhf.gov.uk/transport-and-roads/street-parties-and-events/play-streets

 

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H&F Community Compass

In several H&F Cost Of Living Alliance workshops, local voluntary and community sector organisations have requested a single point of information for local VCS services and organisations. Such a centralised system would enable residents and referrers to find local community groups more easily, and raise the profile and accessibility of local community organisations.

To achieve this, Hammersmith & Fulham Council has been working with Sobus and other VCS Alliance Partners to develop an online signposting service: H&F Community Compass

What will H&F Community Compass do?

H&F Community Compass will connect people with the right services, support and advice that they need. It will also offer small and large VCS organisations opportunities to connect by providing:

  • A searchable directory of services
  • A digital platform to share accurate and reliable information in one place
  • Information that is accessible and visually engaging
  • Warm signposting and early intervention
  • Community “what’s on” space

Who is providing the service?

Sobus is working with Ayup Digital to deliver the platform, in partnership with the Cost of Living Alliance partners and H&F Council. The data will be legally held by Hammersmith & Fulham Council.

To see examples of what H&F Community Compass might look like please have a look at these examples:
https://connectedkingston.uk/                                https://hounslowconnect.com/

What will this mean for your organisation?

With more and more information and activities being online, having a digital presence promoting your organisation has become increasingly important. Accessing funding opportunities and a chance to showcase your service and what you do to support residents is vital but hard to do if you do not have an online profile.

Sharing your information

Sobus holds a directory of local VCS organisations. We would like to share some of this information with Hammersmith & Fulham council to load onto H&F Community Compass – but we need your consent to do so. From our database, we would like to share with the council ONLY the following information:

  • Your organisations name
  • Your organisations contact details and website
  • A contact name at your organisation
  • A short summary (2 or 3 sentences) of the services you provide.

Can we share your information?

Please click on the survey link – which will take less than one minute to complete! You will be asked if you agree to Sobus sharing your organisation’s name, contact info and service summary. You’ll have the options of Yes, No, or that you would like to review the information before deciding.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RLQ3XBT

Time is of the essence!

We want to get H&F Community Compass up and running by the beginning of September – so would ask you to respond to the survey as quickly as possible!
If you would like further information, please contact Sobus at info@sobus.org.uk or telephone 020 7952 1230.

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Dormant Assets Scheme Expands with Potential to Unlock Further £880m

“An expansion of the Dormant Assets Scheme may make millions more available for the charitable sector. In a second phase of expansion, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has amended its rules to enable dormant investment assets and client money to be part of the scheme…” Read more here.

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Recent Protests – Police Advice

We are really pleased that despite much publicity, some true and a great deal fake, there were no ugly scenes across our Boroughs on Tuesday evening. Your West London Chambers of Commerce has close communication with all Councils, Police, businesses and community groups in the boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow, and we are well placed to be a reliable source of accurate information.

However, in light of recent protests please find advice from the Police, to businesses of all sizes and sectors: Crime_Prev_Business_Advice-General-Aug-24.pdf (ukhospitality.org.uk)

The advice remains – “check your risk assessments and if not recently updated, update them. If you have lockdown procedures review these and if needed rehearse”.

Any issues/incidents call the police via 999 as there are additional, dedicated resources assigned to addressing these issues at this time.

For non-emergency situations, dial 101 to receive guidance and support from your community safety team.

Any hate crime witnessed or experienced should be reported, either directly to the police or via Tell MAMA on 0800 456 1226

For anti-Muslim hate crime, contact Tell MAMA on 0800 456 1226 or via www.tellmamauk.org

For antisemitic hate crime, contact Community Safety Trust on 0800 032 3263 or here Report Antisemitic Behaviour – CST – Protecting Our Jewish Community

You can also report hate crime here How to report hate crime | Metropolitan Police

Safeguarding your business during public events

Keep safe!

The team at West London Chambers of Commerce 

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Charities to Support in The Wake of Far-right Violent Riots

In our latest blog, Kalli Jayasuriya spotlights several charities dedicated to combating discrimination and hatred. Kalli also shares practical steps we can all implement in the workplace today. Take a look here.

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Warnings from Unite about Mental Health at Work

Following Mental Health Awareness Week in May, Unite (the trade union) has published findings that almost 70% of not-for-profit workers report anxiety related to work, with 68% reporting constant exhaustion and 66% sleeplessness. The relevant factors named by respondents include increasing workloads and the rising cost of living. More detail about the report is available on the Civil Society website.

For more information about workplace mental health for charity workers and volunteers, you can visit the NCVO or contact our team of employment law specialists to learn about how we can help.

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Voluntary Organisation Banking Guide

Opening a bank account is an important step for any voluntary organisation. The new digital guide from UK Finance simplifies the process, by giving you guidance on how to choose, open and manage a bank account. Read more here.

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