Things in the library 10th Sept...

 Things about child well-being... 

The Children’s Society has published its annual Good Childhood report, looking at the wellbeing of children in the UK in 2021. Findings from a survey of around 2,000 10- to 17-year-olds between April and June 2021 include: 7% of 10- to 15-year-olds in the UK are not happy with their lives; the areas causing the greatest dissatisfaction are school, friendship and how they feel about their appearance; and 85% of children who rated how well they had coped during the pandemic gave themselves a score of above five out of ten. Children's happiness is in an alarming state of decline. 

"Society is tragically failing our young people. School, friendships and how they feel about the way they look are causing the greatest dissatisfaction in adolescence."

 Things about art... 

Evening in Benares, India
Sir William Rothenstein (1872-1945)

For the past six months there’s been a lot of work going on behind-the-scenes to renovate, redecorate and redisplay works at the Graves Gallery, and they are now open again.

They have transformed four of the galleries in the Graves – walls have been re-cladded, spaces redecorated and over a third of the artworks on display have been changed over.

Currently you will be able to see Phlegm’s Pandemic Diary, a new exhibition of work by sculptor Mark Firth, an exhibition curated by pioneering artist Keith Piper, and a new display on the theme of landscape.

Things to buy... 

We have over 100 second-hand books for sale, the list and prices are on this spreadsheet. Now that we can take card payments it is easier than ever for you to come up to the library to browse and buy.  You can also ring us with your choices and, if they are still available, we can take your card payment over the phone and either keep them for you to collect or send in the internal mail (at your risk). Please make sure all transactions take place 30 mins before our closing times. 

Things about opening hours... 

A reminder that we are now back open on two evenings a week  Tuesday and Wednesday until 19:00 - it seems to be popular and we have a few regular attendees.

Things about ultra processed foods... 

A cohort study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, of 9025 British children assessed longitudinal associations between UPF consumption and adiposity trajectories from childhood to early adulthood.  Ultraprocessed foods tend to be more energy-dense and nutritionally poorer (ie, high in levels of free sugar, salt, and saturated fats but low in levels of protein, dietary fiber, and micronutrients) compared with less processed alternatives and are designed to be cheap, palatable, durable, convenient, and appealing. The findings suggest that higher UPF consumption is associated with greater increases in adiposity from childhood to early adulthood. 

Robust public health measures that promote minimally processed foods and discourage UPF consumption among children are urgently needed to reduce obesity in England and globally.

 

Things about everything... 

 Whether you want to know more about our training, what we do, how to request an article or what services we can provide for management then our website is the place to look. Including useful links to Book a Librarian, finding e-books or searching our library catalogue.

Things to book and attend... 

Sheffield's brilliant 'Off the Shelf' literary festival is back 15th-31st October. With speakers and events for everyone including comedian and writer Andy Hamilton, Former Labour MP Helen Jackson, Black Women Write Now – curated by Désirée Reynolds' Lady Hale (who was the first woman and youngest person to be appointed to the Law Commission, President of the Supreme Court and a pioneering reformer), Miriam Margoyles and  Poet Laureate Simon Armitage performs a newly commissioned piece in celebration of the Peak District National Park’s 70th anniversary. This brochure has all the events at a glance.

Things to make... 

One of my jobs this weekend is to make crab apple jelly. This year my fairly new tree is heavily laden with fruit. If you don't have crab apples then other UK apples are coming up to their best season - one of my favourite apple recipes is Dorset apple traybake.

 

Things in the library 25th June...

 Things back in the library... 

(C) Gill Kaye 2021

Me!  After a wonderful break in Cornwall and calling in on friends and relations along the way - with frequent lateral flow tests! It was wonderful to be welcomed to Cornwall by a fly past from the Red Arrows 30 mins after we had arrived...right over head...as this view from our chalet shows! 

Things about young people with cancer...

Teenage Cancer Trust has revealed recently that more than a third of young cancer patients who felt they needed it, have had no, or reduced access to a psychologist in the six months prior to being surveyed, due to inadequate access in parts of the UK. The ‘#NotOK: Filling the gaps in mental health support for young people with cancer’ report, published today to mark the launch of the charity’s #NotOK campaign, also highlights the frustrations of psychologists who feel like they are ‘firefighting’ due to the high demand on ‘limited resource’. 87% of psychologists surveyed think current national provisions for specialist psychological support for teenagers and young adults with cancer is insufficient to meet their specific needs. Teenage Cancer Trust warns that young cancer patients could face depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions well into their adult lives unless UK Governments provide protected funding for high quality support that is available from the point of diagnosis.

Things about fathers... 

The Fatherhood Institute published a report 'Lockdown Fathers: the untold story'.

Their recommendations include:

During lockdowns fathers in the UK almost doubled the time they had been spending on childcare, grew in confidence, learned new skills and built stronger relationships with their babies and children.

All children should benefit, in learning and love, from the support that time with a confident, well-supported dad can bring. As we build back from this pandemic, we owe it to them to make this happen.

Fathers want to keep contributing, but shift patterns dictated to them at the last minute, long commutes, and long and inflexible working hours can get in the way. 

Following on from this is their campaign ‘Time with Dad’ to preserve the ‘lockdown positives’ of fathers spending more time with their children and supporting their learning, development and education. They want the UK to build back from the pandemic in ways that take account of fathers’ importance – and the limits on their time. They are looking for employers, schools, dads, mums, anyone who shares their vision, and might be interested in helping them turn it into a reality.

Things about air quality... 

Ambient air pollution is produced by sources including traffic, coal-fired power plants, hydraulic fracturing, agricultural production, and forest fires. It consists of primary pollutants generated by combustion and secondary pollutants formed in the atmosphere from precursor gases. Air pollution causes and exacerbates climate change, and climate change worsens health effects of air pollution. Infants and children are uniquely sensitive to air pollution, because their organs are developing and they have higher air per body weight intake. Health effects linked to air pollution include not only exacerbations of respiratory diseases but also reduced lung function development and increased asthma incidence. Additional outcomes of concern include preterm birth, low birth weight, neurodevelopmental disorders, IQ loss, pediatric cancers, and increased risks for adult chronic diseases.  This policy (from the American Academy of Pediatrics and available to you with an NHS Athens login) reviews both short- and long-term health consequences of ambient air pollution, especially in relation to developmental exposures. 

Things about fever... 

In the press today is news that Emergency departments across the UK are seeing very high numbers of young children for this time of the year because of a rise in infections usually seen in the winter.  RCPCH, RECM and RCGP are issuing advice for parents and carers concerned about fever in their child. One emergency paediatrician described the situation as “winter in June”. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has heard from paediatric emergency medicine doctors around the country describing pressures on their emergency department (ED) from an increase in children being brought in with mild fever by anxious parents. Many parents have not seen fever in their child – particularly if they were born during lockdown – and are taking them to A&E rather than seeking help at pharmacies, their GP, NHS 111 or online.

Things about mental health... 

Children and young people will benefit from a cash injection to mental health services which includes addressing the increasing demand for the treatment of eating disorders. An extra £40 million has been allocated to address the COVID impact on children and young people’s mental health and enhance services across the country. One way the additional money will be spent is to support ensuring the right type of beds are in the right places, or that alternatives to admission are in place, supporting parts of the country that have more challenges in their range of bed capacity. Across the country £10 million capital funding is being used to provide extra beds at units which provide care for young people with the most complex needs, including eating disorders, as well as £1.5 million to ensure there are additional facilities for children under 13. This funding is on top of £79 million made available by the government to support children and young people’s mental health in the community, including via increased access to crisis and eating disorder services, and new mental health support teams being rolled out – by April 2023, there will be around 400 teams covering 35% of the country.

Things to visit... 

It is great to be able to visit galleries again so I am looking forward to seeing Sheffield-born John Hoyland, one of Britain’s leading abstract artists, in this new exhibition opening at the Millennium Gallery. John Hoyland is renowned for his bold use of colour and inventive forms. In a career spanning over 50 years, his tireless innovation pushed the boundaries of abstract painting and cemented his reputation as one of the most inventive British artists of the 20th century. To commemorate the 10th anniversary of his passing, John Hoyland: The Last Paintings brings together large-scale canvases, some of which have never been publicly displayed before, made during the last eight years of the artist’s life. Sat 3 Jul - Sun 10 Oct 2021 Millennium Gallery. 

Things fishy...

On our one venture into St Ives (predictably they had a COVID outbreak following the G7 summit) we ate in a wonderful little restaurant recommended on one of Rick Stein's programmes. All the fish we ate in Cornwall was wonderful, of course, so today my recipe is  Hake in a Chorizo, Tomato & Olive Sauce.

Things in the library 12th March...

 Things about obesity... 

The WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI), was  recently published in an article in the journal Nutrients and in a WHO/Europe factsheet which summarizes the data.

According to the findings, which present the dietary habits of 132 489 children, 78.8% of children eat breakfast, 42.5% consume fresh fruit every day and 22.6% consume vegetables every day. 10.3% of children consume sweet snacks and 9.4% soft drinks on a daily basis. However, there are significant differences between eating habits from country to country.

Overall, the WHO findings from this study highlight that action is urgently needed to promote healthy eating habits among children in all the countries of the European Region, especially to increase daily consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.

“A healthy diet includes high consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, daily breakfast consumption and discouraging routine consumption of nutrient-poor foods that are high in sugars, saturated fats, trans fats and salt,” said Dr Kremlin Wickramasinghe, ad interim Programme Manager, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, WHO/Europe.

Things about women's health... 

An online consultation has been launched by Department of Health and Social Care which is seeking to collect views on women’s health. It will run for a period of 12 weeks and is open to everyone aged 16 or over. This consultation closes at 11:45pm on 30 May 2021. This to help inform the development of the government’s Women’s Health Strategy. The easiest way to participate in the call for evidence as an individual is by completing the public survey. 

They also welcome written submissions from individuals or organisations who have expertise in women’s health, such as researchers and third-sector organisations. Written submissions can include the contribution of data, research and other reports of relevance to women’s health.

Things about women's safety... 

In the news at the moment but you may not be aware of  'Our Bodies Our Streets' campaign in Sheffield on practical ways to help women feel safer.

The Sheffield based campaign is tackling the issues of catcalling and sexual harassment in our city. They are using art, conversation and protest to empower victims of harassment to celebrate their bodies and exercise without fear.

Kerry Lindeque, a member of the group who is studying at the University of Sheffield, says: "Everybody has the right to exercise and everybody should have the right to go for a walk, especially in lockdown because it's so important and has such a big impact on our mental health. But as soon as it gets dark a lot of women don't feel safe on the streets because you have people stalking you, you have people catcalling you, you have cars driving slowly past you."

She said that those who decide to go into parks to avoid those slow-driving cars then don't feel the parks are particularly safe either. The group have also created an online map, documenting people's experiences of harassment in Sheffield. Kerry, 20, says the aim is to "validate" people's experiences so they feel listened to, as well as to highlight the extent of the problem.

Keeping up to date... 

There is so much information available 'out there' that it can be bewildering and overwhelming. In terms of your work in SCH we try to help by sending out a monthly bulletin with information about articles we have found in which you might be interested. We currently send this to over 600 people in the trust so if you are not receiving it and want to give it a try please register with the library  and select 'Yes' for receiving the latest evidence. Also be sure to check out our Library Bulletin which is sent out every Monday morning to all staff in the trust.

Virtual Arts & Culture... 

Whilst we are all longing to be able to go out and about more and away from our screens it will be some time before that is possible. 

If you haven't previously discovered Google Arts & Culture you might be interested in some of their offerings, from online jigsaw puzzles to going on some explorations.

Things to eat... 

I have been trying hard over the past few months to avoid buying out of season air-freighted foods. We are so used to having everything available all the time but I love the seasonality of foods...and don't get me started on hot-cross buns in the shops at Christmas! We had this Harissa cauliflower pilaf last night which was really tasty and the recipe worked well.