WSF Latest News

Christmas Lunch

In December we had our annual Christmas lunch where we were entertained by Antoine.
Some members joined in the singing, some were dancing along to the music.
Food was supplied by Rumblings.
A small charge was made to the members but the event was heavily subsidised through group funds

November meeting

We heard from Lincs Digital who support people with all things internet related. They can help people access the internet, improve your online safety, show you how to shop online and basically help in whatever way they can.
They offer short classes of up to 8 people so the committee are looking at ways this can be arranged.
There is no January meeting so we hope to see you all again in March

Annual General Meeting

The AGM took place on 19th September. Elections of Officers took place with Tim, Maureen and Val all being re-elected to their existing positions. Outgoing committee members were thanked and incoming committee members were welcomed.

We then heard from Rachel from Lincs Partnership Foundation Trust (LPFT) about their plans for expansion of hospital at home scheme with only one inpatient hospital at N Hykeham. The main aim is to support people who are unwell at home (including in care homes). The team includes nurses, Occupational Therapists and a consultant. There is a Community Mental Health team based at Johnson hospital. However there seems to be little consideration for carers and family members to visit inpatients at N Hykeham other than a confirmation that during the pilot this hospital has only had a 69% occupancy rate.

We also heard from Susan about the Social Prescribers and how they support people in the community to "access the right care at the right time". They claim the service supports communities, increases volunteering and leads to a reduced call on services.
People can be referred by local surgeries, neighbourhood team, social care and self referrals. Can take up to 4 weeks for referral to be dealt with but support can be offered for up to 26 weeks.

Bees

At the July meeting around 30 members heard from the "Bee Lady" about her experiences of keeping bees. She brought her costume to show (she would have worn it but it was a bit too warm!). She explained that she has to wear the costume at all times, as she is actually allergic to Bee stings. She showed us a close up photo of a bee sting, but also confirmed that if you are stung by a bee it will die.

She advised to use a bicarbonate of soda solution to help with bee stings. She also explained the healing properties of honey.

She explained how the hives work with breeding frames and honey frames which weigh about 5lb (2.3Kg) when full of honey. Queens live about 5 years but drones and workers both live only about 6 weeks. Lots of photos were shared and questions answered.

The presentation was entertaining, amusing and informative.

Scams

Sylvia, a PCSO from Lincolnshire police attended to inform the group about scams. A number of scams are "doing the rounds including online, telephone and dating scams. She also updated the group on what to do if you feel you have been scammed including Action Fraud.

After a short break Bekki from Movement to Music ran a very lively 40 minute fun session

Blood Bikes

The initial meeting of 2023 saw over 30 people hear about the charity Lincolnshire Emergency Blood Bikes Service (LEBBS). This is a service working in partnership with the NHS to ensure that blood and its constituent parts eg plasma, platelets etc are distributed to hospitals where needed. The service mainly operates outside normal working hours especially evenings and weekends and is entirely run and managed by volunteers.
Consequently the proceeds of the raffle on the day plus any additional donations were handed over to the charity. This came to around £70.00

We also talked about a proposed summer outing, members were reminded about the lottery and also that photo ID will be required at the forthcoming elections.