Things in the Library 13th May

Things about mental health...

This week is World Mental Health Awareness Week, and the theme is loneliness. The connection goes both ways - poor mental health leads to loneliness and loneliness leads to poor mental health. It can mean the world to check in on a friend or colleague if you suspect they may be feeling lonely. Mental Health UK have created a Connect for Mental Health Board to encourage building meaningful connections with friends, acquaintances, family or colleagues for this week and beyond.

The Health Foundation have published a blog discussing contextual factors in young people's mental health. How increasing cost of living, missing school due to Covid 19, and having unemployed parents can have great impact on the mental health of children and young people, who may feel like they don't want to add a further burden to their families by being open about their struggles. 

    "Focusing on the NHS side of young people’s mental health tells only part of the story. Mental health     problems do not come into existence only at the point of referral to NHS services. The young people     behind these statistics are part of wider society, workers or in education, and part of families, often        families under strain."

Things about DynaMed...

Last week library staff had a training session on how to use DynaMed, which is a point of care tool that we have recently subscribed to. We were really impressed with how simple it is to use, and the depth of information provided. You can subscribe to alerts in your speciality, use the calculators, and search for drug interactions. Each topic has a succinct overview plus detailed information on diagnosis, management, complications, prevention and guidelines. You can easily log in with Open Athens. Let us know if you'd like to be shown how to use DynaMed!

Things to read...

You still have time to read this month's reading group book, The Colour Purple by Alice Walker. It's an absolute classic about an African American girl growing up in the South in the early 1900s, and there is certainly lots to discuss. It's still available to borrow from the library, as is the rest of our leisure reading collection.

Things about paediatric sepsis...

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health are running a one-day course on how to manage paediatric sepsis. By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Describe the early signs of sepsis 
• Appraise parents’ assessment of their children
• Explain which is the most appropriate antibiotic to choose 
• Discuss current issues in fluid resuscitation 
• Estimate which inotrope to use, when and how much
• Compare differences in children with complex health conditions
• Differentiate between orders of immunodeficiency 
• Analyse appropriate management strategies in these cases. 
• Practise and assess your knowledge and skills through sepsis simulation scenarios.

Things about strength training...

The New Scientist has reported that only one in twenty adults in England are exercising their muscles enough. Strength exercises such as lifting weights and body weight exercises are really important for improving strength in muscles, which can help mobility as you age. The UK’s weekly health guidelines, which recommend 150 minutes of moderate activity a week – including two bouts of strength training.

Things about child safety...

NSPCC Learning has published a report as part of the Together for Childhood project which aims to make local communities safer for children by helping local partners and families come together to prevent child abuse. The report discusses the evaluation approaches used to look at the effectiveness of Together for Childhood. For the Transformative Evaluation, 37 stories from community members and partners about the biggest changes they have experienced during their involvement with Together for Childhood, were collected. A selection of these stories have been shared in the report which reveals changes such as improved knowledge and awareness around preventing abuse. The report finds that the variety of changes cited in the stories demonstrates the added value of joining up different services, professionals and communities.

Things to make...

This week I'll be making one of my favourite spring recipes, baked ricotta with asparagus and jersey royals (though I have to admit I cut back on the salt in this recipe!). Love a jersey royal!

Things in the library 9th July...

 Things to buy... 

It is a long time since we have been able to sell some of our old books but we have just released a new batch. We now have on sale some old editions of books which we have replaced with newer stock. 

Please note that books are sold on a first-come, first-served basis and can only be reserved by making a card payment. Books can be posted using the internal post but at your own risk.

If you are interested in purchasing any items please come to the Illingworth Library, F Floor, Stephenson Wing, and ask at the counter. If you would like to see a list of the items available please see here - note there may be a delay in updating this list as items start to be sold. 

Payment may be made in cash, card or contactless apps Please note that no book sales will be possible within 30 minutes of our closing times. Our opening hours are: Mon - Fri 8:45 until 17:00 

Things about storytelling... 

The emotional challenges experienced by parents of infants admitted to the neonatal unit are well documented. Stories based on parents’ narratives can be an effective method for nursing students to learn about parents’ experiences and develop empathy for them. This article in 'Nursing-children-and-young-people' explores this issue and concludes that: "Arts-based digital storytelling can convey the complexities of parents’ emotional experiences in the neonatal unit, so that nursing students are better equipped to understand and empathise with them".

Things about diabetes...

In the same journal a CPD article for nurses on  'Effective management of type 1 diabetes in children and young people'. Recommended reading to:

• enhancing your knowledge of what the optimal management and monitoring of type 1 diabetes entails
• improve your practice in providing support to children with type 1 diabetes and their families
• count towards revalidation as part of your 35 hours of CPD, or you may wish to write a reflective account

Things about trauma... 

The Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH) has released a podcast with Dr Stephanie Lewis about complex trauma and its contribution to psychopathology and cognitive deficits. Findings discussed include: young people exposed to complex trauma have more severe mental health problems than both those who haven’t been exposed to trauma and those who’ve been exposed to other types of trauma; and vulnerable young people are more likely to experience complex trauma, whereas non-complex trauma tends to occur more randomly in the population.

Listen to the podcast: ‘The contribution of complex trauma to psychopathology and cognitive deficits’ – In conversation Dr Stephanie Lewis

Things to attend (virtually)... 

Caldicott principles and information sharing: children and young people. This virtual online conference, organised by Healthcare Conferences UK, takes place on 28 September 2021. This conference will focus on developing your role in improving communication and information sharing around children and young people whilst ensuring patient confidentiality.

Things to report... 

The NSPCC’s Childline service has launched the Report Remove tool with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). The tool will enable young people under the age of 18 to report a nude image or video of themselves that’s appeared online. The IWF will then review these reports and work to remove any content which breaks the law.

Things about cooking... 

Cooking interventions have been criticised for their weak designs and 'kitchen sink' approach to content development. Currently, there is no scientific guidance for the inclusion of specific skills in children's cooking interventions. Therefore, a four step method was used to develop age-appropriate cooking skill recommendations based on relevant developmental motor skills. The article in 'Appetite' gives recommendations consisting of 32 skills, across five age categories: 2–3 years, 3–5 years, 5–7 years, 7–9 years, and 9+ years. The proposed recommendations will strengthen programme design by providing guidance for content development targeted at the correct age groups and can act as a guide to parents when including their children in cooking activities at home.

Things about forced marriage and FGM... 

The Home Office and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office have published annual statistics on cases reported to the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU). Of the cases the FMU provided advice or support to in 2020, 15% involved victims who were aged 15 or under and 11% involved victims who were aged 16-17. These figures include cases related to forced genital mutilation (FGM), which often involves children.

Things to make... 

With the school summer holidays approaching, if you want some inspiration for things you can cook with children then there are some nice ideas here...not just for children - the fruity filo parcels could be adapted for anyone and I think I may pop some of my red currants into something like this over the weekend. I would only add sugar if the fruit really needed it - certainly not for pears as in this recipe.

Photo from 'Babies and Young Children ' by our very own R S Illingworth.

Things in the library 23 April...

 Things that are 70...

As you may recall last year was our 70th birthday...celebrations sadly curtailed or cancelled, though we did create an online quiz or similar for each month of the year. However another 70th birthday to be celebrated is that of the Peak District - that glorious resource we are so fortunate to which we have easy access. The Peak District was the first of Britain’s 15 national parks and was designated on 17th April, 1951. It covers 555 sq miles (1,438km) in the heart of England (that’s about the size of Greater London). 

Some interesting facts:

• The lead for white paint in Vermeer’s painting of Girl with a Pearl Earring came from the Peak District.
• Peak District reservoirs supply surrounding towns and cities with 450 million litres of water each day. 
• Peak District blanket peat bogs act as a ‘carbon reservoir’ that locks in CO² - it’s almost as effective at combating global warming as the tropical rainforests. [Please buy peat free garden compost!]
• Mountain hares; the only UK population outside the Scottish highlands

Poet and recording artist Mark Gwynne Jones is creating a series of audio artworks to celebrate the 70th birthday of the Peak District National Park the third chapter will be released on 24 April, 2021.

Things for free... 

Today is World Book Night and we have been able to obtain some of the free books to distribute - going like hot cakes but still some available in the library; come and pick one up, read it and then pass it on. The book we have available is Stories to make you smile - a seriously entertaining collection of feelgood stories guaranteed to put the smile back on your face written especially by ten bestselling novelists.

Things about research with children... 

NatCen has published a blog based on their qualitative study looking at the feasibility of conducting research with children on child abuse. The research included interviews with professionals, children and parents and guardians and found that participants agreed a survey on child abuse completed by children would have societal and individual benefits. It also identified a range of issues that would need to be carefully thought through before piloting or administering a survey of this nature, to minimise the risk that children would be negatively impacted by taking part.

Things about food poverty... 

The House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee has published a report following an inquiry looking at food poverty. The report estimates that 1.7 million children live in households without reliable access to sufficient affordable and nutritious food in the UK.  Recommendations to government include: the introduction of a Food Security Minister to ensure all relevant departments prioritise the issue of food insecurity; and ensuring that families with children eligible for free school meals continue to be able to feed their children.

Things about Reading Group... 

The Reading Group for SCH staff (and also some former staff and University staff) has been going since 2017 and didn't miss a beat when the pandemic struck, so we currently meet online. It works well and although it's not the same as being able to sit in a group to chat along with a drink and some nibbles it is a lovely group of people. If you want to be included in the mailing list for the books we are reading please contact the library. Our next book is 'The Midnight Library' on 5th May. If you want to see the books we have read previously and what we thought about them follow this link.

Things about e-books... 

We have access to e-books through national NHS collections as mentioned here last week but we also have some medical e-books which we purchase ourselves. These can be accessed for free via your NHS Open Athens account and if there is a particular book that would be useful for your team then please check out if it is already available to you or ask us if you would like to consider purchasing it. You can also request to 'borrow' a book for a short time if you don't think buying it is appropriate. Last year SCH staff used 31 titles, downloaded 6 books and 2 chapters. Items that we have already bought will be listed in our normal library catalogue and from the search page there is also another link to the Proquest e-book library as above. 

Things to make...

To celebrate St George's Day today how about tackling a traditional Yorkshire dish ...  a Yorkshire curd tart. If making pastry isn't your thing then you could buy ready made pastry - the filling is actually really easy but you need to prepare the curds overnight and use full-fat milk.

Things in the library 29th January...

 Things about child marriage... 

Although not primarily a problem in high-income countries this systematic review in the Journal of Adolescent Health is interesting as it  assesses evaluations published from 2000 to 2019 to shed light on what approaches work, especially at scale and sustainably, to prevent child marriage in low- and middle-income countries. The results indicate that enhancement of girls' own human capital and opportunities is the most compelling pathway to delaying marriage. In contrast, low rates of success, scale-up, and sustainability of multicomponent programs requires reconsideration of this approach. This review supports global efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goal 5.3.1 target of ending child marriage by 2030.

Things to rate... 

If you have read or used one of our library books then you can let others know what you thought about it by rating it and/or writing a review on our catalogue, Simply login with your reader number and PIN to give a star rating. Logging in to the catalogue, whilst not essential for searching, does give you the ability to see what you have borrowed and manage your renewals, create lists and favourite searches, customise the display and share information with others. 

Things that have unexpected benefits... 

For many years we have wanted to enable people to be able to pay for their photocopying, library fines and hot drinks by card and (thanks to a pandemic) we now have the ability to do so. So for those of you arriving at the library counter and unable to pay your dues ("I have no money with me") we are now able to accept cards and other contactless devices!

Things to discuss... 

“Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it.” 

This and other quotes from George Orwell's '1984' will no doubt be amongst our discussions at Reading Group on Wed 3rd Feb online at 18:30. If you would like to join us then please contact the library for the link.

Things about social media... 

The results of a study looking at social technology use from the perspectives of adolescents currently hospitalized for a recent suicide attempt or severe ideation. Results reveal both positive and negative social technology uses, with most participants reporting mixed (positive and negative) experiences. Negatives/risks included trouble regulating use, stress related to social media metrics, encounters with "triggering" content, hostility and meanness, self-denigrating comparisons, and burdensome friendship expectations. Positives/benefits included social connection, social support, affect-enhancing content, shared interests, and resources for mental health and coping. Overall, the documented risks and benefits of social technology use correspond with established (offline) risk and protective factors for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Participants generally valued the break from social technologies during hospitalization, and also viewed them as integral to social re-entry and identified related concerns. Future studies should test well-being focused 'digital hygiene' interventions for maximizing potential benefits and minimizing potential harms of social technologies for at-risk adolescents.

Things to make... 

We have been enjoying watching Rick Stein's Cornwall series recently and many of the recipes he demonstrates are available on his website. This Spiced poached pears sounds lovely - and if like me you are trying not to buy 'out of season' foods then you will be pleased that it uses frozen blackberries. 

Things in the library 15 Jan ...

Things about Gender stereotyping... 

The Commission on Gender Stereotypes in Early Childhood has published a report looking at gender expectations and gender stereotypes in the UK. Findings from responses to a call for evidence and a separate survey of 1,030 parents show that gender stereotyping persists in parenting, education and the commercial sector and that it is harming young people’s mental health. Recommendations to government include: embedding an understanding of gender stereotypes in antenatal and health visiting practice; and issuing new teacher training guidance to include knowledge and understanding of gender stereotypes, and stereotypes relating to race and other protected characteristics

 Things about the dark web... 

The Children’s Society have published a guide to the dark web describing what it is, how young people might use it and what to do if you have safety concerns.

Things to connect you... 

Our hugely successful and much appreciated Randomised Coffee Trial is running again in Feb/March. For anyone who has not heard about this before please do consider taking part. You sign up via this form, we then randomly match you with another participant and you both then agree a time and place  to meet for 30-45 minutes just to chat (mostly virtual at present - though some people have walked in the park to combine some exercise if that is allowed under Covid-19 restrictions at the time of your meeting). Please sign up before 5th February. You can talk about work if you want to, but your conversations can be about anything. Think of it as the equivalent of bumping into someone around a water cooler.  Participants really enjoy this opportunity and some recent feedback comments are:

I enjoyed it and found it very interesting to chat to people that you wouldn't normally get to meet with.

Love this!

I'll definitely do it again

Really enjoyed meeting a new colleague and finding out how we might support their team.

It's a great idea, I'd love to be involved in future

Still keen to take part, think this is a great innovation

Things about safeguarding... 

Attensi, specialists in gamified simulation training, have collaborated with NSPCC Learning on a new 3D learning tool to help adults talk to children about abuse. The free tool enables learners to: access simulated scenarios and interact with fictional child characters; learn how to respond to the children and build their trust to help them talk about their experiences; and build knowledge and confidence to talk to children about abuse.

Things not quite connecting...  

We have recently had to change one of our library emails (though still please contact us on illingworth.library@nhs.net) and this has resulted in some of our automatic library notifications going into people's nhs.net spam/junk folder. Do please check this folder regularly (not just for our emails) and if there is anything in there that you actually want please mark it as 'not spam' and add the address to your address book. Please be assured that notifications about overdue books are getting through correctly! 😀

Things to make... 

Stay safe, warm and cosy in this cold weather. This  Pork & apple stew with parsley & thyme dumplings is a winter favourite which we enjoyed last weekend. Very simple to make - I often use ordinary flour for the dumplings. 

Things in the library 3 May...

Things to spring clean...

(c)Mahua Sarkar from Pixabay

If you use the Healthcare Databases Advanced Search (HDAS)  you need to be aware that HDAS has built up a large amount of saved data, which has a potential impact on performance. Please review your saved search strategies and saved results and delete any that you don’t need any more, or export those that you do.  You can export saved results in a variety of formats to save outside HDAS eg Word, Excel, RIS.

From 1st August, HDAS will automatically delete any saved results that are more than 2 years old but your saved search strategies will still be available.
If you want to know how to use HDAS for literature searching we offer a one hour individual or small group training sessions - book here!

Things about young carers...
New research from Barnardo's says BAME young carers in England are missing out on their childhoods because of the additional responsibilities and stresses they have to deal with. Barnardo’s research, based on interviews with BAME young carers and practitioners found:

• Many young south Asian carers were far too often being relied upon as interpreters, relaying technical and deeply personal medical information between patients and doctors, which can lead to misdiagnosis and increased anxiety within families.
• The concept of a young carer is unfamiliar to many BAME communities as helping your family and extended family is often expected.
• Often BAME families do not want agencies involved as there is a deep mistrust of social services, or authorities and they are fearful of their families being split up.
• There is stigma within many BAME communities in acknowledging mental health and disability issues and in seeking support.

Barnardo’s key recommendations in the Caring Alone report include:

• All patients who don’t speak English should have access to a translator. Children and young people should never be expected to translate for a relative.
• The NHS should work with communities to tackle stigma around within BAME communities to reduce the stigma of mental illness, special needs and disability and improve access to services.
• NHS services should employ community outreach workers to improve understanding and relationships in BAME communities

Things about exercise and sleep...

The World Health Organisation has published guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 years of age. The full report is available here

Things digital...

Child health information will be available to health professionals and parents at the point of care, thanks to a new live national service which has been launched by the NHS. Parents and health professionals can securely receive information digitally and use it to inform decisions on care and treatment, using the National Events Management Service, which securely publishes information on key health interventions for children.

The service shows which preventative interventions a child has received; improving the speed of diagnosis and treatment by giving health visitors and parents access to the same information sources at the same time.

The service has initially launched in North East London in partnership with North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT) and their health visiting and child health services. The IT system suppliers supporting the trust – System C2 (CarePlus), Servelec3 (Rio) and Sitekit4 (eRedbook) – have all collaborated with NHS Digital to connect their systems to the new service.

It implements a near real-time message exchange sending birth notifications, change of address and change of GP practice details. Data is also forwarded to a digital red book offered to mothers as an alternative to the current paper red book.

Commenting on the first week's live running, David Pike, Programme Manager at NELFT, said “The results so far have been very encouraging. Within the first couple of days we achieved a 20% increase in the timeliness of new birth notifications from out of area maternity units, enabling our health visitors to see new families sooner."

“We also received 2000 address changes on the first day, which means we're picking up children new to NELFT services much quicker; ensuring those children moving out of area are rapidly notified to their new service provider. Based on these early improvements, we expect to be targeting health resources much more accurately in the coming year.”

Things about sexual abuse...

The Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse has published a report and video about medical examinations for child sexual abuse. Findings from the report, which is based on a review of available literature, includes: most children are not referred for medical examination, some professionals have concerns about harm through examination and most children reflect on the medical examination as a positive experience. A video, which has been produced alongside the research, aims to help professionals and practitioners involved in advising, referring and supporting children and families to make decisions and explain the processes involved in medical examinations.

Things to read ...

Our next reading group book is Mythos by Stephen Fry ..so an ideal choice if you want to brush up your knowledge of Greek myths and legends. The discussion meeting (with drinks and nibbles) will be in the Illingworth Library on Wednesday June 5th at 17:15 - you will be made very welcome.

Things to eat...

I'm just back from Avignon and rediscovered the delights of nougat whist there. This dessert of Iced nougat & raspberry terrine looks lovely for a special occasion...in small quantities!

Reminder we will be closed on Bank Holiday Monday

Things in the library 1st March ...

Things about genomic healthcare...
The government has announced a new National Genomic Healthcare Strategy to ensure the UK is able to offer a predictive, preventative and personalised health and care service for people with rare diseases. The strategy will set out how the genomics community can work together to make the UK the global leader in genomic healthcare. The government will also set out how it will improve services for people with rare conditions. These include:

• every person with a rare disease will have a dedicated person responsible for co-ordinating their care
• every patient with a rare disease will be given an ‘alert card’, including information about their condition, treatment regime and contact details for the individual expert involved in their care
• every child with a rare condition will be transferred to appropriate adult services when they reach the age of 18, even if that adult service is not the commissioning responsibility of NHS England

Things about abuse...

 Angelica experienced abuse aged 12. She shares her story and talks about her role in developing NICE guidance to support young people after abuse.

Things about social determinants of health...

The health foundation have issued a briefing discussing this topic. Their key points are:

• Despite extensive evidence for the impact of social determinants on people’s health, public discourse and policy action is limited in acknowledging the role that societal factors such as housing, education, welfare and work play in shaping people’s long-term health. 
• There are many reasons for this, but one factor that merits greater attention is the way in which the evidence is communicated to and understood by the public.
• The FrameWorks Institute has identified a range of ‘cultural models’– common but implicit assumptions and patterns of thinking – that give deeper insight into how people think about what makes them healthy. 
• Understanding which cultural models promote – or obscure – people’s awareness of the importance of social determinants is an important first step in developing effective ways of framing the evidence.

Things for young people with learning disabilities...

The NSPCC have produced a set of resources "Love Life" aimed at young people aged 11 to 25 to help them learn strategies for staying safe as they grow up and gain independence. Young people with a variety of different needs helped develop resources that are flexible and adaptable and aim to help young people explore topics such as emotions, relationships and identity.

Things about trauma...
The Lancet Psychiatry journal has published findings on the prevalence, clinical features, and risk factors associated with trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in young people.

Things about music...
In pediatric health care, non-pharmacological interventions such as music therapy have promising potential to complement traditional medical treatment options in order to facilitate recovery and well-being. Music therapy and other music-based interventions are increasingly applied in the clinical treatment of children and adolescents in many countries world-wide. The purpose of this overview in Medicines(Basel) is to examine the evidence regarding the effectiveness of music therapy and other music-based interventions as applied in pediatric health care.

Things about bone health... 
 Can osteoporosis be prevented as early as childhood? ...that is the subject of this discussion on Medpage Today. Weight-bearing exercise during childhood may increase bone accrual, with prepubertal children demonstrating greater benefits than their postpubertal peers.

Things about buses...
Don't forget to check your routes - the new timetables start on Monday.

Things to eat...
Today being St David's Day it has to be a leek based recipe ...so here is a vegetarian  leek, goat’s cheese, walnut & lemon tart.
St David ...Patron saint of Wales  is said to have founded a monastery in around the year 560, close to the place where he was born. The surrounding area (in Pembrokeshire, west Wales) is now known simply as ‘St Davids’. It’s believed that St Davids Cathedral and St Davids Bishop’s Palace are built on the site of the original monastery. The existence of the cathedral means that St Davids is Britain’s smallest city.  David’s final words to his followers were supposedly: “Do the little things, the small things you’ve seen me doing”.

Things in the library 1st Feb

Things that are not ok...

As part of their 'It's Not OK' program, which helps children and young people recognise concerning behaviour and identify characteristics of positive relationships, NSPCC Learning have created lesson plans, films and accompanying activities cover what behaviour to look out for and how to respond to it. It's Not OK reinforces the importance of building and maintaining positive relationships and recognising and responding to behaviour relating to:

• online safety
• grooming
• sexting
• harmful sexual behaviour
• child sexual abuse
• child sexual exploitation

Things that have had a spring clean...

Well I did spend the whole day yesterday with my head inside my mother-in-laws kitchen cupboards...but before that I asked our Library Management Software company to give our library catalogue a bit of a make over as it was looking tired. I am very pleased with the results and it now matches more closely the SCH Trust website. If you have a library PIN (ask if you don't) then you can do so much more here - you can write book reviews or rate books, keep a track of items you borrowed previously, reserve or request books and create your own reading lists and of course you can renew your books before they go overdue!  What do you think?

Things about asthma...

Millennials in the UK are more likely to be at high risk of having an asthma attack and the least likely to get life-saving basic asthma care than any other age group, according to a new report by Asthma UK. They surveyed more than 10,000 people with asthma and reveal that:

• Two thirds (67%) of millennials, those aged 18-29, are not getting basic asthma care, higher than any other age group
• Millennials are more likely to have uncontrolled asthma, putting them at a higher risk of an asthma attack
• They are twice as likely to need emergency care compared to those over 60 years old
• The National Review of Asthma Deaths found two thirds of asthma deaths would have been prevented if people had had basic asthma care

Basic care includes, among other things, a written asthma action plan, a yearly review with your doctor, and an inhaler check.

Things musical...

Not me actually ...though I am looking forward to taking my recently spring cleaned mother-in-law to a performance of Sibelius’s Finlandia,  by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, followed by Mozart’s third concerto for violin and Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending. This is part of Sheffield Classical Weekend 2019 in March. there are many events and workshops to attend and weekend passes are available (many events free for under 18s). The festival has three themes:

• Women in music - Celebrating International Women’s Day on Friday 8 March
• Future Makers  - Celebrating talented young musicians in our city
• Beyond Borders - Celebrating the fusion of classical music with other art forms and different world cultures

Things to keep you warm...

A nice warming bowl of soup and some chunks of bread...what could be better for a snowy weekend? I made this Curried lentil, parsnip & apple soup in half an hour this week and it was lovely - thick and warming.