A Welsh Climb and A Peak Walk

I haven't been climbing outside or indoors for years so it was quite refreshing to go to the Beacon climbing centre in North Wales and have a bash at it once again. The centre is at the end of an industrial unit and from the outside it doesn't look much but once you get inside you see what it's got to offer. There is plenty for children to do and for the serious climber. The have a good size bouldering area, pre roped routes and a funny seat belt type thing with a weight on the end which means you can just carabiner yourself onto it and it belays for you-brilliant! I managed to complete a 6a route so I was happy with that. My muscles did ache as I'm sure I haven't used any of those for a while! The centre also has a cafe so after a climb you can have a well deserved treat and watch the rest of the climbers carry on with their hard work. It's a big centre and great for a morning/afternoon out for adults or children. 

Next up on my adventure weekend was a trip up Kinder Scout. This is the route of the famous Kinder Trespass when in 1932 around 400 people took to the Peaks to protest for their right to roam on the beautiful country we live in. There is a car park near the Kinder Reservoir which has a plaque on commemorating the group that which to many were the people who drove the creation of national parks. From the car park there is well sign posted route up to the top of Kinder Scout and the plateau of silver sand and soft moorland. The view from the top on a clear day is beautiful and you can fully appreciate why the ramblers of 1932 wanted free access to this most breathtaking area. To get up to the top and back down past the reservoir only take a a few hours and can easily be done on a Sunday morning before every man and his dog descends on the area. Luckily the village of Hayfield has plenty of pubs for a post Kinder pint / cup of tea and cake. A lovely day out all within 45 minutes of Manchester, you can't say fairer than that.

A bit of a moan

Being a dyslexic journalist. After graduating from an English and Drama degree I thought the last thing I would become is a journalist. I found it hard enough keeping up with the reading at uni let alone trying to make sure my grammar was correct. I also have Irlen syndrome (apparently) which makes it hard to actually read things because letters go in and out of focus and just become a blur most of the time. So my day to day work as a journalist is somewhat challenging. Working in a hot seat open plan office is the first of the obstacles. To me this is the mother of all evils and I can't think of an environment that would be any worse to work in. It's horrible. Firstly because of all the noise. I find it really hard to concentrate when there is lots of back ground noise around me. I also find it weird that every week I'm sat at a different desk so any kind of software that may help me to do my job better becomes redundant because I move all the time. I miss out words in sentences and don't even notice. As I'm going through the negatives I may as well keep going. I'm not the best at articulating what I want to say either. I'm sure this is not only a problem for dyslexics so I will not dwell on this. 

Things that make life easier? If I could work from home I would. This is a given. My own quiet space where I can actually try and concentrate and have all the nice software that helps me. I have learned to be organised. If i'm not organised, my life swirls into more chaos. I am not naturally organised but because it makes such a big difference by being so I think I'm on the edge of obsessive compulsive! I'm not sure which is worse. 

I guess an attribute of being dyslexic is creating thinking and when working in journalism this is something that comes in handy. So that's alright I guess. I avoid reading, that's a biggy. I also find the actual word dyslexic really hard to spell.We all have challenges in our life we must overcome and we all have our different issues. You have to try and make the most of what you've been dealt. And although it seems very unnatural for someone who is dyslexic to work with words I'm going to give it my best shot. I advise you do the same. If you have any advice for me, let me know.

Where did the summer go?

I was hoping August was going to be warm enough to have a few more excursions than I've had this summer. But with a strained purse and poor weather I can only look back with fondness on my one bit of proper sun I've had this year. I was lucky enough to visit Turkey and went to a place called Turunc . It's a couple of hours from Dalaman airport and far enough away from the really touristy parts of Turkey to be a bit cleaner and quieter than places like Marmaris. Turunc still has the all the tourist attractions, boat trips, markets, bars and restaurants, it's just slightly more quaint. The weather was very hot whilst I was there so most days were spent putting on lots of sun lotion to make sure I didn't fry like a lobster. I went on a couple of boat trips that must not have cost more than £30 for the whole day which included a BBQ lunch- great value for money. Turkey is still fairly cheap compared to Europe although you can rack up the pennies if you drink a lot of alcohol! The food is, like with all places, fairly hit and miss. To find somewhere traditional to eat was harder than I would have liked but when I did find one it was lovely. I must have tasted the best salad I think I've ever had at one restaurant and it was served in style. This is the man at Bondjuk restaurant  preparing their very tasty and unique salad.

Racism in the Police

I thought I'd put some Freedom of Information Requests in about racism in the police force for three North West Regions. These results are correct as of June 2012 and this is what I found...

Manchester

Over the last three years Greater Manchester Police have had 5 racial misconduct investigations - one member of staff resigned prior to their misconduct hearing.

Since 2003 30 officers have been investigated and 7 of them left the force before their misconduct hearing.

Merseyside

No officers at Merseyside Police have been disciplined for any of the 8 racial misconduct investigations over the past 3 years.

A freedom of information request found there have been 8 misconduct investigations and 66 complaints all racially related since 2009.

Lancashire

In the past 3 year years Lancashire Police force has had only one racial misconduct case - the lowest for all three regions.

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I think what I find most interesting is the people who leave the force before any kind of trial or hearing has taken place. It makes you wonder what else slips through the net before any action is taken against the perpetrator.

How big is BIG?

Greater Manchester’s weight problem costs the NHS on average 3 million pounds a year. NHS Manchester, NHS Stockport, NHS Trafford, NHS Oldham, NHS Salford, NHS Bury, Tameside and Glossop NHS and NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale collectively have spent nearly £9 million on weight loss surgery over the past three years according to a Freedom of Information Request I submitted. The exact amount is £8,919,559 from April 2009-2012.

It seems quite a staggering figure but what I guess we have to try and remember is that by carrying out the weight loss surgery it should save the NHS in the long run. People who are obese can suffer many health problems that could cost more over some years. When I look into the obesity figures it’s not the cost of it that really shocks me, it's just how big some of the people are who go in for this surgery.

So how big is big? I discovered the person with the largest Body Mass Index over the last three years to have gastric surgery in Greater Manchester had a BMI of 76.7. Let me put that into perspective. You go to any website, NHS document or health booklet and the definition of the run down of BMI’s is as follows:

BMI Classification
18.5 or less	Underweight
18.5 to 24.99	Normal Weight
25 to 29.99	Overweight
30 to 34.99	Obesity (Class 1)
35 to 39.99	Obesity (Class 2)
40 or greater	Morbid Obesity

So someone with a BMI of 76.7 should probably not even be alive. Body Mass Index is a fairly good way of checking whether you are a healthy weight. The calculation is your weight divided by your height squared. So let’s get back to our 76.7 BMI, what does that actually mean weight wise? Well if a 5ft 7”in person was 35stone they would have a BMI of 76.7. Even if the person was very tall or very short- you’re still looking at a weigh in of around 30stone. Okay so 30-35 stone isn’t near the World’s Heaviest Man, which is a whopping 88stone, but it’s bigger than your average, considerably bigger.

I always read the headlines ‘Britain has an obesity problem’ and never think too much of it. But I am genuinely alarmed at looking at the BMI figures for those who have gastric surgery in Greater Manchester. I’m slightly worried if I do the same FOI request in a few years time just what the outcome will be. It the mean time, eat healthy and exercise on a regular basis, that’s an order.

The Week Oldham Shook

What a week for the Shaw community of Oldham. Greater Manchester Police are still trying to piece together what happened on Tuesday June 26th and families are beginning to piece their lives back together after the devastation of the explosion.




Prayers are being said for the small boy Jamie Heaton who died in the explosion. The two year old toddler, the innocent victim at the centre of this tragedy.  I still think it's remarkable know one else was fatally injured because of the blast. It's the small reconciliation other Shaw residents have, but it does make the death of Jamie Heaton even more tragic. It's still unknown what exactly happened on Tuesday to cause the blast as the houses on Buckley Street in Shaw are too damaged by the explosion.

It's also unclear how many houses will have to be demolished at the site as inspections are still taking place. The physical and emotional damage will take a long time to heal. However, the Oldham community  have pulled together during this uneasy time and the crisis fund is helping those who are struggling to come to terms with what has happened; the week Oldham shook.

Wet Welsh Waterfall

With all the wet weather of late it was maybe not the best of ideas to go for a walk on the edge of Snowdonia in North Wales but nonetheless it was a lovely walk. I went to visit Aber Falls at Abergwyngregyn  which is nestled in the Aber Valley. There are two car parks at Aber Falls both costing £2 to park for the whole day so not a bad price if you want a morning/afternoon trip out. The path leading from the car park to the water fall is pretty much graveled all the way so it's suitable for parents and pushchairs or for those in a wheel chair. It's only about 2 miles from the car park to the water fall so not too bad really. The path takes you past a couple of picnic spots, wild ponies and an old fashioned coal oven.

As a result of all the rain we've been experiencing in England and Wales the river was high and the water fall was epic! You didn't have to stand too close to the bottom of the waterfall to become absolutely soaked from the spray. The water was powerful and the noise was amazing. I walked as far as I could into the spray before my face could take anymore of the water pounding against it. I could stand watching waterfalls all day. This is a popular attraction with tourists to North Wales and I can understand why. It's beautiful.