Madge chooses retail therapy for her care

CAPTION: Madge Tibbs goes shopping with her personal assistant

Madge Tibbs from Seacroft is adding a spot of ‘retail therapy’ to her care options at a Leeds City Council-run day centre in Leeds.

Madge, who has dementia, is a regular attender at The Green Resource and Day Care Centre in Seacroft, which specialises in services for people with dementia.

Madge goes to The Green four days a week and staff there began to be concerned that isolation on the other days was affecting her behaviour.

Centre manager Margaret Morrison looked for a solution for Madge, and after talking to her, found out that there was nothing Madge enjoyed more than a nice bit of shopping.

Margaret Morrison, centre manager at The Green Resource & Day Care Centre said:
“As Madge is physically fit, I suggested to her social worker that the outreach service could be used to offer Madge some activities in her local community.

“When our outreach team visited Madge at home, the first thing they asked was what she really liked to do when she was well enough to get out and about herself.

“It turned out that she was a very enthusiastic gardener and also liked nothing better than a bit of retail therapy. She was overjoyed at the prospect of going to garden centres to buy plants for her much loved garden and to go into the city centre. She also liked going to the local shops to choose her own weekly groceries - something she hasn’t done for at least five years.”

Instead of another session at the day centre, Madge now has a weekly supported trip to the supermarket, the garden centre or the city centre. As a result, her memory has improved, she looks forward to the trips and gets excited about going out.

Madge Tibbs says:
“I’ve always really enjoyed shopping and since I’ve started visiting the shops again, I’ve had more fun than I’ve had for a long time. The day centre is great, but it’s nice to get out and about too. My outings are the best bit of the week.”

As the outreach service is time-limited, with the help of her social worker, she has now decided to employ a Personal Assistant to take her out. When the PA has been appointed, the outreach service will withdraw, leaving Madge with a better quality of life, the stimulation of new company and new horizons.

Councillor Peter Harrand, executive board member for adult social care said:
“Madge’s case is a splendid example of how we are developing care for older people in the future. A variety of activities during the day can mean so much more than spending time in a day centre.”

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact:
John Donegan, Leeds City Council Press Office (0113) 247 4450
email John.Donegan@leeds.gov.uk

Former coal mine turned into green oasis

Caption: : Councillor David Blackburn Chair for Green Leeds Limited, Sam Cooper from the Forestry Commission, Councillor John Procter, Glen Gorner Countryside Operations Manager for Leeds City Council and Sue Lumby from Leeds City Council at Water Haigh Woodland Park

The site of the former Water Haigh colliery on the edge of Woodlesford and Swillington has been transformed from a former spoil heap to a green oasis of flora and fauna.

Thanks to a series of successful bids to Biffaward, Green Leeds Limited and the Forestry Commission, Leeds City Councils Parks and Countryside team have been able to plant new woodland compounds, strengthen hedgerows and create new footpaths for people to access the park on Fleet Lane, Oulton.

The newly formed park is helping to transform the once industrial lower Aire Valley into a haven for wildlife. The park is helping forge a major green corridor connecting St Aidan’s Country Park, Rothwell Country Park, Temple Newsam Estate and extending up towards the city centre.

In addition, the installation of new signs and interpretation panels, plus the creation of a seating and picnic area along the edge of the Trans Pennine trail has really brought the park to life.

The park is home to over 40,000 new saplings, and expands for as far as the eye can see forming a green ribbon along the river Aire’s banks.

Leeds City Council executive member for Leisure Councillor John Procter said:
“Its great to see the old coal mine transformed into an area of natural beauty. Leeds is a very green city and it is great to see we are adding to this with the new Water Haigh park.”


Notes to editors

In 1997 Biffa Waste Services agreed to donate landfill tax credits to the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) to administer under the fund name Biffaward. Grants made from the fund currently amount to over £96 million, supporting many worthwhile projects.

Biffa Waste Services Limited is a part of the Biffa Limited Group of Companies. Biffa Limited is owned by Waste Acquisition Co Ltd, an entity formed by Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), Montagu Private Equity & UCIL (Uberior Co-Investments Limited).

Biffa Limited is one of the largest single suppliers of waste management services in the UK. It collects, treats, recovers and disposes of municipal, commercial and industrial waste nationwide.

The landfill tax came into operation in 1996. Its purpose is to reflect the impact of landfill on the environment and also to help achieve the targets for more sustainable waste management. The tax, levied on the tonnage of all material disposed of in landfill sites and collected by Biffa on behalf of HM Revenue and Customs, aims to encourage recycling and reduce waste by raising the cost of disposal.

The regulations allow landfill site operators to direct approximately 6% of the tax they have collected towards approved environmental projects. However, any approved project can only receive 90% of its desired funding from the landfill tax. The remainder must come direct from the landfill site operator or from a third party organisation or company.www.biffaward.org

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For media enquiries please contact:
Catherine Milburn, Learning and Leisure Communications Assistant,
on 0113 247 8285
Email: catherine.milburn@leeds.gov.uk