Whitby Coach Trip - The coach trip this year was on the 5 June and once again SHOC members had good weather with plenty of sun, albeit a little cool. The customary raffle on the coach raised £38.00 with thanks to Bill Gower for his excellent organisation of this and the trip. The driver, John, of Walter Martin's Coaches was particularly helpful on the day and many members remarked on this.
Alan Roles wrote "For an enjoyable day out in this neck of the woods Whitby takes some beating. A grand little seaside town with a lovely harbour, magnificent Abbey (apart from the 199 steps), a decent variety of shops (though thankfully not too many), and for something a little different, an 80 year old steam bus. Some of us took a twenty minute round the town trip on it and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Thanks once again to Bill for organising it."
Doreen and Richard Davy found it was just the sort of day for a gentle saunter and enjoyed a pleasant meal at the Duke of York pub.
Bill Gower was interested in the steam bus 'Old Glory' and has sent in some of the photos he took of the bus and some of the SHOC members.
Margaret and Len Briggs found the Abbey a worth while visit, though the 199 steps were a bit of a challenge! An open bus was on hand as an alternative way up, but Margaret says if you go twice you get the same story! However they were impressed with the information provided about the area and learned that the Abbey was 200 years older than the church. They discovered that not only did the Abbey have family pews but it also accommodated a "Strangers Pew".
Supermarket collections – The recent supermarket collection on 15 April and 16 April at Morrisions Supermarket, Halfway was well received and made £637.80. Thanks to Alison Brown and all the volunteer members who collected over the 2 days. Once again collectors found the shoppers very interested in SHOC and were keen to chat about their experiences in relation to cardiac surgery
Subs reminder – if you still need to send your subscriptions in for this year then please give them to Bill Gower at the social nights or send them to him at 10 Penrith Close, Sheffield, S5 8TW. If you wish to contact Bill about your subs his telephone number is 0114 234 4420. Please note that cheques should be made payable to "Sheffield Open Heart Club" and not to Bill. Thanks to everyone for your continued support.
SHOC is supporting the refurbishment of the patient quiet room on Chesterman 4. The nursing staff are currently choosing the furnishings and décor.
Fun Day Niagara – SHOC’s stall at the Niagara Fun Day in July went very well. The stall was run by Bill Gower, Eric and Jean Copley, Claire Taylor, Stuart White and Wendy Flynn. A number of other members went along to support on the day. The Tombola raised £171.60, plus the stall provided an opportunity to inform the public about SHOC.
The SHOC leaflet has been updated and reprinted and will be circulated to new cardiac surgery patients and used to inform the wider public about SHOC.
Alistair and Richard from Activity Sheffield attended SHOC Social Night in March to explain what they do and demonstrated through audience participation a variety of games. Their aims are to improve health and wellbeing and organise a range of activities in Sheffield.
Volunteer update The volunteer service is running smoothly at present with 2 new volunteers starting this year and more volunteers on the pipeline. The first of the Volunteer meetings this year took place on 21 March at the Northern General Hospital. It was well attended and is an opportunity for volunteers and hospital staff to discuss and raise issues about the work supporting cardiac patients in the hospital. Two further meetings are scheduled 20 June and 17 October 2011.
Stan the Skeleton A letter of thanks was received from Physiotherapist Chris Woodward on behalf of the Cardiothoracic Physiotherapist Team, thanking SHOC for its support in the purchase of a new skeleton which they have called Stan. Chris writes “it has allowed us to improve the very popular feature of using the skeleton during the post cardiac surgery talk and is a firm favourite amongst those who attend.”
Farewell A fond farewell was given to Sue Inglis on Friday 25 March at Northern General Hospital by all her friends, nursing and medical colleagues to mark her retirement after 41 years of working as a nurse and nurse manager at the hospital. There was a buffet lunch and presentation from Chief Nurse Hilary Schofield with memories recalled of her nursing career. Acknowledgment was given to Sue’s dedication to nursing, her role in the development of the Chesterman Unit and her work with SHOC.
The Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery Patient Forum April 2012 invitation for Patient Representatives
The Society for CT Surgery in Great Britain and Northern Ireland (SCTS) are holding their annual meeting and conference in April 2012. For the fourth year they will be inviting patient representatives to a Patient's Forum. This will be on Thursday 19th April 2012 in Manchester. SCTS will cover entrance fees, refreshments, lunch and conference documentation, but patients will have to arrange their own travel costs.
If anyone is interested please contact Jeanette Douglass on 0114 2715395 or jeanette.douglass@sth.nhs.uk or David Geldard SCTS Patient Representative on 01706 861 381 or email david.geldard2@sky.com