Thursday, 3 July 2014

Clissold Park Marks 125th anniversary


Pic: Jan Weuterisse: Dog walkers enjoy Clissold Park ahead of the anniversary celebrations
Pic: Jan Weuterisse: Dog walkers enjoy Clissold Park ahead of the anniversary celebrations
By Yousif Farah
A famous Victorian Park is set to celebrate its 125th Anniversary in June. Clissold Park, in Stoke Newington, which has held green flag award since 2006 in recognition of its clean and green spaces, is one of Hackney’s oldest and most cherished parks.
However, despite the Anniversary being less than six months away there is no clear indication as to how the occasion will be marked despite organisers of the event calling on friends and users of the park to suggest ideas.
So the Big Issue Online Journalists team visited the park this week to find out local ideas and opinions on how to commemorate the occasion.
Andy Brown, an 82-year-old who has been coming to the park for a walk for the last 15 years, said: “I knew the anniversary was this year, but have no idea what they’re planning to do. I wish they’d finish building the tennis courts. I’ll probably just celebrate it by having an afternoon walk.”
However, Adam Grice, a technician and radio presenter from Dalston, had plenty. He said: “They should have theatre and sports games from 125 years ago with a modern twist. Actually, find out who was top of the hit parade back then and get a local grime artist to play all the old hits and do cover versions.”
Pic: Jan Weutersisse: How should Clissold Park celebrate its 125th anniversary?
Pic: Jan Weutersisse: How should Clissold Park celebrate its 125th anniversary?
The former country estate was opened to the public on the 24th of July, 1889, and includes the Grade II listed Clissold House, a cafe, paddling pool, tennis courts, a butterfly dome, bird and animal enclosures, and two ponds named: Beckmere and Runtzmere after the co-founders of the park.
The Park is blessed with spectacular views, and thanks to the extensive restoration which took place in 2011 and 2012 Clissold House has been taken off the “ Heritage at Risk” register where it has featured since 1991.
Clissold Park User Group, an independent group that works with Hackney Council to give a voice to park users, is asking for ideas on how to mark the occasion between June 21 and 26.
To submit your ideas, please email clissoldpug@googlemail.com

Mental Health England - A Car Crash

  Photo: Zeevveez/Flickr



                                  
 Mental Health in England is a car crash, according to the outgoing president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Prof Sue Bailey said that the mental health services are in crisis, she also accused the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt MP of lacking the basic understanding of mental health.

Mr Hunt rejected this, saying; he had made it a priority and that he visited the front line of the NHS most weeks and pledged £450 million in funds.

I don’t know whether Mr Hunt lacks the basic understanding of mental health or not. However, you would expect a health secretary to have studied medicine, or at least worked in the medical field. Nothing in Mr Hunt’s impressive resume suggests that he has ever rubbed shoulders with a mental health patient, at least in a professional manner.

Mr Hunt majored in Politics, Philosophy and economics, perhaps, that explains why he justified his position by referring to the funds pledged.

Funds are essential to tackle the mental health catastrophe facing us as a nation. However, it is a drop in the ocean of the list of requirements to establish a mental health system which can withstand the test of time.

I am sure that Mr Hunt is aware of the fact that the most common forms of mental illness are mixed anxiety and depression; with one in four of us likely to develop some form of the illness in their life time, and with 9% meeting the criteria for diagnosis according to the Office of National Statistics.

In most cases the depression or anxiety was triggered by external factors rather than biological or internal factors. To help these people, in addition to the money and the facilities, they need further help which money could not buy; they need empathy, care and love, these poor people lost their sense of purpose and are in desperate need of a leader figure to remind them of their true value as members of the society; that could have a more lasting effect than tons of medicine and equipment shipped from China, when they have had a rough day of therapy and unemployment, the last thing they want to come back home to is a Minister calling them scroungers.

Arguably love and empathy are usually provided by family, friends or partners. Or is it? Love could be provided through many mediums such as religion, art, music etc.

Fortunately the awareness among charities and social enterprises and non-governmental organizations is at its highest levels, each year the Mental Health Foundation supports a mental health week which aims at raising awareness, the last event was held 12-17 May and focused on anxiety, and the next event is expected to focus on relationships.


What is Beauty the Exhibition is another illustration of how concerned local communities are, endeavouring to spread the love through art, film, poetry and painting. And a forum aiming at establishing “what beauty means to each and every one of us”, perhaps, discover a universal meaning for beauty in the process.

The Exhibition is expected to be held in Hackney on 22 July, and is sponsored by Poached Creative and Mediorite; the exhibition is in support of a petition to properly fund mental health services.

On the other hand; and In Mr Hunt’s defence, the first thing the current coalition government did after removing Labour from power was to publish a new health strategy for England in 2011 aiming at improving the quality of care and reducing the number of patients.

 The strategy seemed fine on paper and was widely welcomed. However, in reality it was faced by many setbacks; the economic recession had its bearing on the strategy; it led to significant extra pressure on parts of the population (fear of debt or losing a house or a job and so forth) which consequently led to a dramatic increase in the number of reported mental health problems; normally about half people with common mental health problems are no longer affected after eighteen month. However poor people, the long term sick and unemployed people, are more likely to be affected; the economic climate provided all the previous ingredients, which in turn provided the recipe for disaster.

  Furthermore, the mental health problem is as old as mankind. It wasn’t until recently that it has been acknowledged and steps taken to address it.

 In all fairness, it is only under New Labour that this country had a half functioning mental health Authority, prior to the Second World War, persons with mental illness symptoms were treated through confinement, in the period also known as the asylum era.1959 saw the introduction of the land mark Mental Health Act, followed up by advances in Psychiatry and drug treatment, and greater emphasis on human rights accompanied by advances in social science and institutionalisation theory.

Generally most people with mental illnesses received no organised systemic care until the 19th century, care was basic and comprised of basic sedative drugs and bathes in various shapes and forms to calm the patient down. Therefore, it could be argued that the mental health system in this country has not yet truly and fully evolve, which makes the responsibility placed on Mr Hunt and the NHS the greater.


Prof Sue Bailey, a consultant child and adolescent forensic psychiatrist in Manchester, will be replaced by Sir Simon Wessely as president of the royal college.

She said, she will continue to promote mental health services, but in a broader context:

"One way to make societies healthier, including mentally healthier, is to invest in the health and education of women because women play this vital role in the rearing of the next generation,"


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Wednesday, 25 June 2014

Meeting Steven Gerrard



I was watching him being interviewed prior to the England v Italy game. He was asked by the rather flattering interviewer: “Do you think that you will go down as an England Legend?” Steven simply replied No, and added “to become a Legend you need to have won the world cup for your country”. The England midfielder is without a doubt as humble as they come.

It is only his misfortune that he is stuck with the wrong set of players. He is definitely “world cup winner quality”. He would most certainly have won the world cup for his country a handful of times, had he been of a Brazilian, or perhaps an Argentine nationality.

I shall never forget the night Liverpool were playing AC Milan, in the Champion League final in Istanbul (2005), as long as I live, It was a piece taken out of a fairy tale.

Although. I am a devout Gunner, I do support Liverpool when they are in an ambassadorial duty. However, I often opt to mention that in the presence of my old man, who claims to be a Liverpool fan of late. The veteran switches teams as often as he switches his car engine on. I remember him once claiming to be a man united fan since mountains settled down, another time he was going on about his Glorious memories as a young Nottingham forest fan. I also witnessed him praise Arsenal on numerous occasions (whenever they are enjoying one of their many and so close in-between “winning streaks”). I suppose he is like most of his post-war Generation counterparts, always cheering for the victorious.

Anyways, to cut a long story short; I was watching the game at a pub not far away from the halls of residence where I lived. The first half was adequately frustrating to put me off football all together; Liverpool were trailing 0/3 going into the second half wishing for a miracle, it was at that stage that I decided to call it a night.

By the time I settled in my room and switched the television on. Liverpool managed to turn the tables around. They miraculously managed to equalise in the space of five minutes, Stevie G scoring a goal and assisting in the other two goals, forcing a shootout resulting in Liverpool being crowned champions of Europe for the fifth time.

Since that day I idolised the young chap. Stevie G is one of the most fascinating footballers a person would ever come across. He is as humble as they come, a noble man who has always stuck by his beloved club through the good times and bad times, a role model in his loyalty to both club and country. It goes without saying his politeness and exquisite manners always command respect.

The 34 year old Merseyside legend is ahead of his time, and ahead of the English game by at least a couple of decades, the English football has not yet truly and fully evolved, it is in need of major changes, maybe the FA can draw few lessons from the Spanish experience.
Having said that brilliant stuff happens when you expect it the least, maybe 2014 will go down as the year where dreams materialise into reality; the year Steven Gerrard becomes Sir Stevie G and the year football finally arrive back home. Come on England.

And that was my Introduction to the humble Merseyside Lad. What an Inspiration.

Retraction

In Medieval England, publishing such an article would probably result in being dragged to the stake and set alight, alongside Stevie G, and other legends like Lampard. Rooney would probably escape this life with a more honourable death, given that he scored once. However, he will lose his 20 grand hair in the process.
 Luckily, neither do we live in Medieval England, nor did the late Medieval English think much of football.

Before you judge me, allow me to present my defence. I do not know what come up to me and made me write the article in question. Maybe the sense of optimism and patriotism impaired my usually sound judgment. Or perhaps my forgiving nature blinded me from the truth; the reality is that the same players were given a chance to prove themselves once and once again. Anyways, or why not use the oldest defence in the game’s history, I was legless.

The truth of the matter is that I wrote the article prior to England kicking off their world cup campaign, and before witnessing them exit in the most disgraceful manner in half a century.
Probably all the mitigating factors I mentioned above are true; it is amazing how a person’s perceptions could change overnight.

I suppose we are going to have to depend on a Scot man to put a smile on our disappointed faces, now that Wimbledon has started. Even if Andy achieve the impossible and win the trophy for a second consecutive year, we are unlikely to celebrate for long, with the independence referendum in the horizon.