Things in the Illingworth Library - September 2023

Things in the news

Updates on vaccinations 

Where did the summer go? As September brings a return to school or a new adventure at college or university, vaccinations are featuring heavily in the news.

Around 1 in 8 new students have missed their meningitis vaccination, warns the UK Health Security Agency.

All first-year students starting college or university this September and returning students who are not up to date with all their childhood and adolescent vaccinations are at increased risk of serious diseases such as meningitis, septicaemia and measles as they mix with large numbers of other students. 'Freshers' Flu' is not just an urban myth. 

NHS England announces a September roll-out for flu vaccines for children.

From September, children in England will be targeted to receive their flu vaccine to prevent them from getting seriously ill from flu and to break the chain of transmission of the virus to the wider population. School aged children will be able to get the flu vaccine at school or at community clinics, children aged two and three years will be able to get an appointment with their GP practice. Further details are in the guidelines.

The Children's Commissioner and school attendance

Shocking figures from Rachel de Souza, the Children's Commissioner, on school attendance: 'Last year, the school absence rate stood at 7.5%, compared to 4.7% pre-pandemic. An increasing number of children have started to regularly miss school. A child is known as “persistently absent” when they miss 10% or more of possible sessions in school. In 2022/23, nearly a quarter (22.3%) of all children were persistently absent. Absence levels have remained stuck at unprecedented highs.'

From the King's Fund - AI could help with health literacy

Amid all the scare stories and hype around AI, the King’s Fund offers a note of optimism, suggesting that AI may be a useful tool for making health information accessible to all. As up to 61 per cent of adults have been found to have low health literacy levels, this is a real challenge. This post also gives a great insight into how AI works.

Things to do in September

September is a busy month in Sheffield, with Art in the Gardens at the Sheffield Botanical Gardens Saturday 2 – Sunday 3 September and the Sheffield Festival of Walking Friday 8 – Sunday 17 September. 

The festival of walking coincides with Sheffield Heritage Open Days, also from the 8th - 17th, which offer a chance to visit historic sites you may not have access to for the rest of the year. If you're free on Friday 8th September at 10.30, then I strongly recommend the behind the scenes tour of Sheffield Town Hall, which was Sheffield's tallest building for nearly 70 years, until the Arts Tower at the University of Sheffield came along in 1965 and spoiled the party.

It's a Sheffield Thing

Our monthly feature highlighting independent businesses

For well-organised cooks who plan ahead (and me, in a good year), September is the start of the festive cooking season, when thoughts turn to getting a head start on fruit cake and steamed puddings. My favourite source of dried fruit and cooking ingredients is the zero waste shop 'The Bare Alternative' on Abbeydale Road in Sheffield. Zero waste shopping reduces the amount of plastic in a weekly shop and allows you to buy the exact quantities of dried goods that you need. They also stock all sorts of alternatives to everyday products, including plastic-free chewing gum because yes, most chewing gum contains plastic.