The sun is at its strongest between 11am and 3pm from March to October.

While you might like to sit out, it’s important to consider your health.
Ultraviolet rays can damage our skin and eyes, and while it’s great to be outdoors, consider reducing your exposure to UV with these tips:

Wear sunglasses with UVA and UVB protection
Wear protective clothing (e.g., a sun-safe, long-sleeve top)
Use SPF30 or higher

You can read additional sun safety information here: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/seasonal-health/sunscreen-and-sun-safety/

Life as a carer can be complex, with challenges faced on a daily basis. Supporting carers ensures that the people they care for can stay at home where possible. It’s really important, if you’re a carer, that you let us know so we can care for you while you care for others.

Good Care Month spans the whole of July and aims to celebrate those who care for people in their homes and communities as well as healthcare workers from the social sector, acknowledging their hard work.

Find out more about support here: https://www.carersuk.org/

Carers Bucks is dedicated to supporting carers, based in Buckinghamshire for more information  - https://carersbucks.org/ 

 They can be contacted T: 0300 777 2722 E: mail@carersbucks.org

Caring for older adults can be challenging when you’re under pressure from work, and other commitments.

The Carents Room is a support network designed for those who are caring for older adults, and you can find out more about what they offer here: https://carents.co.uk/

On Samaritans Awareness Day, remember you’re never alone.

Whether you’re struggling or supporting someone who is, help is always just a call away. Let’s break the stigma around mental health and start real conversations.

Samaritans are available 24/7; whenever you need them, someone will listen.

You can call or message day or night. Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

Celebrate the International Day of Friendship and the people around us who bring joy, laughter and strength into our lives – our friends!

Remember to let those around you know how much they mean to you.

It can bring a smile to their face on this #InternationalDayOfFriendship

Aged 17 to 65?

Generally fit and well?

Weigh more than 7st 12lbs (50kg) and less than 25st (158kg)?

You could help by donating blood as stocks are critically low.

Giving blood

You can give blood at thousands of donation venues across England, from permanent donor centres to pop-up community venues.

More about giving blood

Giving plasma

You can give plasma (part of your blood that can make life-saving medicines) at 3 donation venues in England:

• Birmingham
• Reading
• Twickenham

More about giving plasma

Information: 

Note that you can't donate blood and plasma at the same appointment.

If you have a baby under six months of age, it can be really difficult to know whether you need to make a medical appointment, or whether you can safely look after your baby at home. The Lullaby Trust built an app to help parents of young babies to know the difference:
https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/safer-sleep-advice/baby-check-app/

National Weaning Week, 12th – 16th May

Babies are usually ready to start trying their first solid foods when they reach six months of age. Giving your baby a wide variety of normal family foods can encourage habits for life, but we do need to make sure we’re careful as some foods such as salt and honey aren’t suitable for very young children.
https://www.nhs.uk/start-for-life/baby/weaning/how-to-start-weaning-your-baby/

If you’re caring for someone at risk of going missing, you might want to have a look at the Herbert Protocol. Named after a war veteran called George Herbert, the Herbert Protocol helps you to establish information about someone who’s at risk before they go missing.

In the event that they later do go missing, you’re able to quickly share the information with the police force.

We’ve linked some national information below, but you’ll be able to find the information for your local police force and their forms by carrying out an internet search. The police will ask additional questions about what happened if/when the individual goes missing, but having the protocol ready helps you to think about important information beforehand when you’re not in a moment of intense stress.

https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-s...gether-magazine/scheme-support-missing-people

The safety initiative ‘Ask for Angela’ is being rolled out to bars, clubs and other licensed businesses across England.

People who feel unsafe, vulnerable or threatened can discreetly seek help by approaching venue staff and asking them for ‘Angela’. This code-phrase will indicate to staff that they require help with their situation and a trained member of staff will then look to support and assist them. This might be through reuniting them with a friend, seeing them to a taxi, or by calling venue security and/or the police. 

Venues that support ‘Ask for Angela’ have been given Welfare And Vulnerability Engagement (WAVE) training. Delivered by the Met’s licensing officers and Safer Sounds partnership, it gives staff the ability to help customers who may be in a situation that makes them vulnerable or unsafe.

For more information about the scheme, visit: https://askforangela.co.uk/