A seasonal letter from our secretary, Linda Smith
Dear members
The committee would like to wish all members of Breathe Easy Warwick & District a very happy and healthy 2012.
2011 was a very successful year for the Group. We were able to attract some excellent speakers, who covered some surprisingly interesting subjects. Taylors, the Funeral Directors, was a case in point. I know some were not looking forward to such a potentially morbid subject, but the staff were very professional and gave lots of insights into arranging a funeral and answered all our many questions.
We had very welcome support from Warwick Hospital in the person of Steve Crooks, the Chest Consultant, who launched our year with a talk focusing on our lungs. Lynn and Debbie, the Respiratory Specialist Nurses, gave a talk about their work and were present to answer members’ questions at most meetings. Dr Dunn, as ever, was very informative and the year’s programme of meetings ended on a high with Malcolm Benny, who gave a very inspirational talk about coping with COPD, and we all enjoyed the bring and share supper on that evening.
The highlight of the year, however, was Monica Fletcher, Chief Executive of Education for Health, who spoke about COPD in Bangladesh and explained to the group that 50% of Bangladeshi women have COPD, largely caused by cooking indoors over open log fires. Monica was joined by Karen Tan, a Respiratory Nurse from Singapore General Hospital, who is spending 3 months in the UK with Education for Health. Karen told the group about healthcare and lung disease in Singapore, and finished by teaching the group to say COPD in Chinese Mandarin. Karen returned to the group before she travelled home to say farewell and to bring some gifts – she was a true ray of sunshine.
We had some very enjoyable fundraising events. At the AGM our committee member, Bella, organised a Bingo evening with Fish & Chip supper, which was great fun. This event raised £46.50.
In December we had our Christmas Lunch at the ‘White Lion’ in Radford Semele, organised by Alice. This event was well attended, the food was excellent and everyone was in good spirits.
Fundraising during the year included the bingo evening, Ron’s sale of plants grown by himself, £200 from Pharmaquest in return for a group member testing out a new questionnaire for them, and Ron and June’s granddaughter raised £157 from a sponsored run. As a result we were able to donate £486 to the Respiratory Team at Warwick Hospital and a similar donation to the British Lung Foundation to go towards research.
The committee has been busy planning the speakers for our 2012 programme of meetings, and you can find out all about what's coming up by clicking here.
We hope that you will be able to join us for our first meeting on Monday 6 February. Everyone is welcome. There is no charge to attend and no joining procedure. Just come along to St. Mary’s Hall, St. Mary’s Road, Leamington Spa CV31 1JW at 7pm on the above dates. Voluntary donations are most welcome to cover the costs of the refreshments. Family and friends are welcome to attend. British Lung Foundation literature is available at each meeting.
Very best wishes
Linda Smith
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