Grahame Morris has pledged to work alongside leading charity, Arthritis Research UK to represent the thousands of people in Easington living every day with the pain of arthritis.

Arthritis is the single biggest cause of disability and pain across the country with 10 million people living with arthritis. and other musculoskeletal conditions such as back pain. The pain, fatigue and lack of mobility caused by arthritis affects every aspect of a person’s life, making everyday tasks such as making a cup of tea, travelling to work or getting out of bed extremely difficult.

As well as the personal impact, these conditions amount to the third largest area of NHS spending, with an annual budget of £4.8 billion, and are the cause of one in five working days lost in the UK.

Grahame Morris has pledged to support Arthritis Research UK’s Prevent, Transform, Cure manifesto in Parliament as an Arthritis Champion, which calls for:

• Making arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions a public health priority
• Ensuring people have timely access to health and care services that enable them to improve their musculoskeletal health
• Ensure people with arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions have fair and timely access to services that support them to be in work, including financial support
• Protect the UK’s position as a global leader in science and sustain the benefits of the life-science sector to the economy 

Speaking about becoming an arthritis champion, Grahame said:

“I’m proud to champion Arthritis Research UK’s policy calls to tackle the prevention, transformation and cure of arthritis. We need to put the issues affecting people with arthritis at the forefront of Parliament’s agenda.

“I’m committed to making a difference. Together we can fight this painful condition that has such a huge impact on all aspects of people’s lives in Easington.”

Dr Liam O’Toole, chief executive officer of Arthritis Research UK, said:

“I’m delighted that Grahame has become an Arthritis Champion. It’s imperative that we have the support of as many MPs and Peers as possible to stand up for the rights of people with arthritis.

“There needs to be a public health approach focusing on preventing arthritis, transforming services and finding a cure for the 10 million people affected by this devastating condition. It’s vital we work together to make life better for everyone affected by arthritis.”

For further information visit www.arthritisresearchuk.org/campaign or email action@arthritisresearchuk.org

In 2015, the RSPCA investigated 3253 complaints about animal cruelty in the county, with this number increasing to 3388 complaints last year. Calls to the RSPCA’s 24-hour cruelty line rose by nearly 4% last year, averaging one call every 27 seconds. 

While saddening that such incidences of animal cruelty are continuing in Durham, this does not necessarily mean that residents are becoming crueller. Rather, people are now simply less willing to stand by and do nothing if they think an animal is suffering.

 These latest statistics clearly show that animal cruelty remains a major issue in the UK. However, we take satisfaction in knowing that because of the RSPCA’s intervention, they have prevented many more animals from suffering at the hands of those they have investigated and brought before the courts.

The RSPCA has been investigating and prosecuting animal welfare offences since they were founded in 1824.  Each year they investigate almost 150,000 complaints of alleged animal cruelty across England and Wales. 

Click to find out more

Labour MP for Easington Grahame Morris helped launch a new weight awareness campaign devised by Dogs Trust in partnership with Durham County Council and Durham NHS today. The launch of Woof, Waggle and Waistline, which took place on Tuesday 11th April at Seaham Leisure Centre in County Durham, will be the first of many community events aimed at improving the lives and welfare of overweight dogs and their owners, across the North of England.

Woof, Waggle and Waistline aims to help thousands of dogs in the North of England due to a growing trend in canine obesity hitting the region. Statistics gathered by Dogs Trust’s campaigns team in the North of England show that almost half of the 12,607 dogs who attended their community events in 2016 were overweight, while the NHS tells us that 2 in 3 adults are considered overweight.
Dog owners who attended the launch were provided with important information on supporting the health and wellbeing of their dog, including how to ensure they maintain a healthy weight. Owners of dogs identified as being overweight were given a free pack which included a comprehensive information booklet with lots of useful dietary advice.

The Durham Council Walk4Life and Wellbeing for Life team also attended the launch to highlight the benefits of regular exercise and how having a pet dog can help you get fitter. The Wellbeing for Life team also offered blood pressure checks to any dog owners who were interested in receiving them.

Grahame Morris MP said:

“Woof, Waggle and Waistline is a great initiative which will ensure more dog owners are aware of the importance of responsible dog ownership and how putting Dogs Trust’s advice and resources into practice can be a very rewarding experience for them.

“Obesity remains a huge problem across the UK for many families, including their dogs, so it is encouraging to see creative solutions being rolled out which can tackle this in a way that brings families and their pets closer together.”

Denise Kelly, Campaigns Manager for Dogs Trust North of England, said:

“We are very grateful that Grahame could come along and support the launch. We received some fantastic feedback from families who attended as they got to have fun whilst learning a lot about how we should be treating our family pets.

“We plan on holding a number of community events across the North of England throughout the year that offer informative advice to dog owners and potential dog owners alike on the fundamentals of owning a dog. This will include the importance of neutering your pet, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, the cost and time involved in owning a dog and resources on dog training and behaviour, as well as the legal requirement to have your dog microchipped.”

Dogs Trust will be holding regular community events across the North of England. For more information, please visit www.dogstrust.org.uk/ifwoofswerewords

NEA and British Gas have now launched this year’s Energy Impact Award scheme with a first prize of £10,000, and two runner-up prizes of £5,000 and £2,500 recognising and rewarding innovation and best practice.

The Energy Impact Award Scheme will recognise innovation and best practice amongst agencies running projects that focus on energy and tackling fuel poverty by benefiting vulnerable people in the local area. This could be, for example, projects that make links between health and fuel poverty, distributed and renewable energy projects, projects improving the lives of those living in fuel poverty, or other innovative initiatives in England, Scotland and Wales (please note that the award scheme is not operating in Northern Ireland).

The scheme is open to community groups, charities, and other third sector organisations. Local authorities, health agencies, and other public and statutory organisations are also eligible to apply and we are specifically looking for applications which demonstrate partnership working. Agencies from both England, Scotland and Wales are welcome to apply.

The three successful winners will also receive one full place each at the NEA Annual Conference in Nottingham in September 2017 including travel and accommodation (worth £650) as well as the opportunity to showcase their project at the conference to around 300 delegates. If any of the winners are in Scotland and would prefer to go to Energy Action Scotland’s Annual Conference instead that can be arranged.

The scheme will close on Friday 19 May 2017, shortlisting and judging will take place in June 2017 and winners will be informed thereafter.

To apply first read the guidance document here and then download the application form here.

• Premier League Primary Stars will provide free curriculum-linked teaching resources for girls and boys aged 5-11
• Free to download lesson plans, activities and video content are designed to inspire learning in Maths, English, PE and Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE)
• National programme will expand in-school support for teachers provided by 88 Premier League and English Football League clubs in England and Wales
• New campaign sees the Premier League also launch its first ever national advertising campaign featuring Kevin De Bruyne, Gary Cahill, Eric Dier, Sadio Mané, Juan Mata, José Mourinho, and Theo Walcott.

The Premier League has today launched Premier League Primary Stars, a national curriculum-linked education programme which uses the appeal of the Premier League and professional football clubs to inspire children to learn, be active and develop important life skills.

This is the Premier League’s most ambitious community programme to date and aims to support 10,000 primary schools by 2019.

The Premier League Primary Stars resources, have been created in partnership with industry experts Edcoms and the PSHE Association, National Literacy Trust and other key stakeholders. Children’s authors Cressida Cowell (‘How to Train Your Dragon’ series) and Dan Freedman (‘Jamie Johnson’ series) helped create the programme’s English resources, while Sky Sports presenter and mathematician Rachel Riley is a consultant in the development of Maths teaching resources.

This content adds to the existing support professional football clubs provide to primary schools and their local communities and will offer a free downloadable suite of resources for teachers across Key Stages 1 and 2 in English, Maths, PE and PSHE.

The launch of Premier League Primary Stars also sees the Premier League unveil its first ever national advertising campaign which will air from Sunday 2 April across television, cinema, and social media channels. The advert features top Premier League names including Kevin De Bruyne, Gary Cahill, Eric Dier, Sadio Mané, Juan Mata, José Mourinho, and Theo Walcott, who joined children at primary schools across the UK to recite the poem “Try, Try Again” by T.H. Palmer.

Richard Scudamore, Executive Chairman, Premier League added:

“We are very excited to launch Premier League Primary Stars, our new national education programme that will use the power and popularity of football to inspire children to work hard and enjoy English, Maths and a range of other subjects.

“Our clubs already do great work in primary schools, and Premier League Primary Stars will support and enhance that work with educational resources for teachers, books from celebrated children’s authors, and much more.

“We want to support 10,000 primary schools in England and Wales by 2019 and we hope that our first national TV advertising campaign, including star names from our clubs, will capture the imagination of parents, teachers and children and encourage them to sign-up to Premier League Primary Stars.

Arsenal footballer, Theo Walcott, who stars in the advertising campaign stated:

“As a dad of two boys, I was very keen to support the Premier League’s Primary Stars community programme. I hope this programme can have a very positive influence on the education of young children across the country.”

Rachel Riley, who has helped to create the Premier League Primary Stars maths resources, said:

“Maths is a subject that a lot of young people find challenging and is often dismissed as boring. What I love about the resources we’ve developed for the Premier League Primary Stars programme is that it makes maths relevant to children’s everyday lives.

“I’ve seen the reaction from children using the lesson plans – they are excited, interested and engaged. I think this is a fantastic programme that will undoubtedly inspire children to learn but also give teachers the tools to be creative with their lessons. Anything that excites primary school children about maths gets a gold star from me.”

Grahame Morris, MP for Easington is supporting Bowel Cancer UK’s campaign to urge more people to take part in bowel cancer screening and save lives, as part of Bowel Cancer Awareness Month in April.

More than 44 people die from bowel cancer every day in the UK, it’s the nation’s second biggest cancer killer.  However, it shouldn’t be. It’s treatable and curable, especially if diagnosed early.

Bowel cancer screening can save lives but at the moment in some areas of the UK only a third of those who receive a test complete it. Thousands of people are missing out on the chance to detect bowel cancer early when it is easier to treat.

Grahame said, “As the local MP, I am totally committed to improving uptake rates for bowel cancer screening, both locally and nationally. I would urge my constituents who are sent a bowel screening test to use it.  Taking part in bowel cancer screening is the best way to get diagnosed early.  If you are over 60, take the test when you receive it in the post. If you are younger, tell the people over 60 in your life to take the test. Early diagnosis really can save lives.” 

Deborah Alsina, Chief Executive of Bowel Cancer UK, said, “I’d like to thank Grahame Morris for supporting our campaign during Bowel Cancer Awareness Month to raise participation levels for bowel cancer screening. One in 14 men and one in 19 women will be diagnosed with bowel cancer during their lifetime but it is treatable and curable, especially if diagnosed early.”

The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme can detect bowel cancer at an early stage in people with no symptoms when it is easier to treat. If you’re registered with a GP and aged 60-74, you will receive a test in the post every two years. You carry out the simple test at home in private and it comes with step by step instructions. The test looks for hidden blood in your poo, which could be an early sign of bowel cancer.

Visit Bowel Cancer UK’s website to find out how you can get involved in their campaign for Bowel Cancer Awareness Month: bowelcanceruk.org.uk.