Take a step back into the seventies
OUR 50th anniversary year has been something we’ve been planning for a long time.
As one of the oldest
●●ST ANN’S Hospice is an institution that has supported countless family across the Stockport borough and beyond for half a century.
In the run up to its 50th anniversary in 2021, the Stockport Express will carry regular features looking at the work and impact of this much-loved hospice that is one of the oldest in the UK. It operates three sites in Heald Green, Little Hulton, and the Neil hospices in UK, we’re so proud to have reached this milestone, and feedback from our supporters and the patients and families we care for is that they’d love to see us celebrate in style throughout 2021.
Cliffe Centre at Wythenshawe Hospital, and has plans for a new hospice building in Heald Green.
The hospice is supported by a team of more than 350 staff and 700 volunteers.
Alongside its clinical services, it has a range of online and high street shops, as well as a lottery. To mark its 50th anniversary it will be holding a wide range of activities and events to celebrate this important milestone.
When we started to put plans in place for this landmark year in our history, little did we know how different the world would be.
The Covid-19 pandemic has certainly challenged all of us at the hospice in lots of ways.
But, despite those challenges, it has also meant we’ve been able to come together to quickly evolve services, collaborate with others locally, and join forces with individuals and groups in our local community to make sure we could continue to care for those who needed us.
Fundraising has been challenging of course, with many events and activities cancelled.
So many people have kindly signed up to take part in one of our special 50th birthday activities (www.sah.org.uk/birthday) and we couldn’t be more grateful for the support of everyone who has helped us through this really difficult period.
The Manchester Midnight Walk has been our flagship event for more than a decade, with participants hitting the streets of the city to raise more than £2million for our patients over the years.
This year, we had been hoping to run a huge birthday version of the event, but sadly, due to restrictions, we’ve had to make the difficult decision that we won’t be able to hold the walk in its usual form.
The team at the hospice has worked hard to reimagine what the walk might be like this year, and the good news is, we’ve adapted it to mean people from across Greater Manchester can still join in, taking part safely in whatever way works best for them.
For this year’s Manchester Virtual Walk, we’re challenging participants to complete a 10km sponsored walk whenever, however and wherever they like.
The distance can be completed all in one go, or can be split over multiple days, and people can walk, skip, run or hop – whatever they’d like to do.
We’re encouraging people to take part over our birthday weekend from May 14 to 17, but if that doesn’t work for individuals, they can simply choose a different date and get walking.
We’ve given the event a 70s theme this year, nodding to 1971 when St Ann’s first opened its doors.
Some of those signing up are already pledging to take part in fancy dress, and many are also taking advantage of the 1970s music playlist to get their feet moving even more quickly for the challenge.
Everyone who signs up will get a t-shirt and free fundraising pack, and will also receive a special birthday edition medal on completion. I’ve signed up and am raring to go – will you please join me?
ASECONDARY school has been slammed as ‘irresponsible and dangerous’ for its lenient policy on face masks while stressing the need for ‘polishable leather shoes.’
Since schools reopened in full last week, the government wants all high school and college students to wear masks in classrooms and not just while walking around the buildings.
And while it’s not compulsory - and said to be necessary when a two-metre social distance can’t be maintained - most schools are asking students to follow the guidelines and keep them on at all times indoors.
However, Stockport School is taking a different approach and telling pupils the masks don’t need to be worn in class.
Explaining the school’s mask policy in an email to parents, headteacher Ian Irwin said: “Students must then keep their face covering on until they have entered their next classroom and are safely seated facing front in their assigned seat, at which point their classroom teacher will then advise them that due to our other classroom Covid safety controls, they may then remove their face covering for the duration of the lesson if they wish.”
The safety measures implemented at the Mile End Lane school are listed as ‘year group bubbles, one-way systems, safe social zones, hygiene routines, track and trace seating plans, students facing front in classrooms, Teacher 2 metre safe teaching zones, and increased ventilation.’
And like all other high schools and colleges, students are now being tested twice a week using the rapid lateral flow tests.
But the email has angered one parent who contacted our sister paper the Manchester Evening News to share their concerns over the seemingly lenient face mask policy.
They were particularly annoyed by the school’s reminder to parents that children should only be wearing ‘black polishable leather school shoes,’ saying this highlights even further how much the school ‘has its priorities wrong.’
“The recommendations regarding masks in school are clear and the school are not even trying to meet them,” said the parent.
“There are no other safety controls in most classrooms. Students are not always facing forward and there is often poor ventilation. They sit shoulder to shoulder for an hour. They frequently turn round to chat to their peers.”
They added: “I feel it is irresponsible and dangerous of the school not to follow the DfE guidelines regarding masks in classrooms and the emphasis on polishable leather shoes which are mentioned multiple times - seems ridiculous at a time when most shops are closed and the school will not take such simple measures as mask wearing as seriously.”
The email from school explains that students can wear masks in class if they wish to.
Mr Irwin adds: “Following discussions and full unified agreement with Teaching Union Representatives in school, we do not expect students to wear a face covering whilst in lesson after they have been greeted and advised that they can remove it by their Teacher.
“It is our continued view that our existing and wellestablished protective Covid control measures in classrooms, including our new asymptomatic testing programme, reduce the risks, and the wearing of face coverings throughout a lesson or multiple back to back lessons for a long duration, will be very uncomfortable for students and staff and may inhibit effective communication and the quality of teaching and learning activity.”
Department for Education guidelines on masks state: “Where pupils and students in year 7 and above (and their equivalents) are educated, we recommend that face coverings should be worn by staff, pupils and students when moving around the premises, outside of classrooms, such as in corridors and communal areas where social distancing cannot easily be maintained.
“Face coverings do not need to be worn by pupils and students when outdoors on the premises.
“In addition, we now also recommend that in those settings where pupils and students in year 7 and above (and their equivalents) are educated, face coverings should be worn in classrooms, in other learning environments such as workshops, and during activities unless social distancing can be maintained. This does not apply in situations where wearing a face covering would impact on the ability to take part in exercise or strenuous activity, for example in PE lessons.”
Stockport Council’s return to school guidance suggests schools should be following the advice of the DfE. It states: “Students in year 7 and above should wear face coverings, unless they are exempt, when moving around the premises, in classrooms and during activities unless social distancing can be maintained. This guidance will apply at least until Easter when it will be reviewed.”
Stockport School has been contated for comment.
“I feel it is irresponsible and dangerous not to follow the DfE guidelines”