Topics for this month:

National Heart Month
The British Heart Foundation has long since made February, National Heart Month in the UK. There are many different heart conditions and problems, which together, are called heart disease.  This includes: angina; heart attack; heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms – as well as many other conditions including congenital heart disease and inherited heart conditions.  There are over two and a half million people in the UK living with coronary heart disease (CHD) and it causes over 82,000 deaths annually.

There are several aspects a person can influence such as managing diet, keeping fit, and watching their blood pressure are just a few important factors.  The British Heart Foundation’s webpage has information about heart diseases and ways in which you can beat them.  Healthy Performance are trying to encourage employers to raise awareness of the dangers of heart disease to their employees.  The most effective way is via onsite checks which cover blood pressure and total cholesterol checks.  You can get more information by visiting https://www.healthyperformance.co.uk/national-heart-month

The Education Support Partnership

The Education Support Partnership is the UK’s only charity providing mental health and wellbeing support services to all education and training staff and organisations. The organisation offers telephone support and counselling, email support and live chat, training and development, information and advice, and even grants.

There are many stresses on those who work in education and training – a challenging student, stress & depression, personal financial worries and so many more. That’s why the Partnership offers free, confidential help and support, no matter what the problem. Trained counsellors listen without judgement. No issue is too big or too small.

Free Helpline: 08000 562 561 (24 hours)
Website: https://www.educationsupportpartnership.org.uk/

Safeguarding Children and Protecting Professionals in Early Years Settings

The government have published new guidance on 4th February 2019, aimed at professionals working in EYFS settings. There are two versions, one for practitioners and one for managers. Please access the links below for further information:

For Practitioners
Safeguarding children and protecting professionals in early years settings: online safety guidance for practitioners
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safeguarding-children-and-protecting-professionals-in-early-years-settings-online-safety-considerations/safeguarding-children-and-protecting-professionals-in-early-years-settings-online-safety-guidance-for-practitioners

For Managers
Safeguarding children and protecting professionals in early years settings: online safety considerations for managers
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safeguarding-children-and-protecting-professionals-in-early-years-settings-online-safety-considerations/safeguarding-children-and-protecting-professionals-in-early-years-settings-online-safety-considerations-for-managers

Promoting Sustainable Living

WWF is the world’s leading independent conservation organisation and their mission is to create a world where people and wildlife can thrive together. It is important that we take necessary steps to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible to make a real change in contributing to sustainable living. The WWF have an Environmental Footprint Calculator that calculates your carbon footprint using a series of questions about your day to day living habits.

We think this is an excellent tool to use to raise awareness of your carbon footprint and the small changes that you can make to improve and reduce your impact.

The questionnaire can be accessed here: https://footprint.wwf.org.uk/?_ga=2.54581163.101542398.1550231536-1907968609.1550231536#/

Did you know?…

Eight million tonnes of plastic is dumped into the sea every year. See below ten tips on how to reduce your plastic footprint:

  1. Fix your caffeine fix – Carry a reusable cup or flask.
  2. Bring your own bottle – Plastic bottles are one of the most frequently found items on ‘beach cleans’.
  3. Say no to plastic cutlery – By reusing plastic cutlery or using a compostable alternative, each person could personally save 466 items of unnecessary plastic every year.
  4. Plastic straws – Plastic straws and stirrers can take up to 200 years to decompose. Opt in for paper straws, or ditch them all together!
  5. Stop using cling film – Cling film cannot be recycled, unlike foil. Make the swap!
  6. Teabags – Use loose leaf tea with a tea strainer instead of teabags that are sealed with plastic.
  7. Ditch chewing gum – Britons are the second biggest consumers of chewing gum in the world. Chewing gum is made from plastic and can be swapped for plastic free alternatives such as Chewsy.
  8. Glitter – Glitter is made from plastic of such a small size it’s lethal to our oceans. There are many eco-friendly biodegradable glitters available!
  9. Milk – Consider getting your milk delivered in glass bottles which are reused and recycled instead of the plastic containers in the shops.
  10. Wine – Choose wine bottles with natural cork stoppers instead of plastic stoppers or metal screw caps.