272 May 2017 - Gryffe Advertizer

10 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 07731 923970 e: info@advertizer.co.uk
Supporting
Homeless Women
Members of Soroptimist International of
Paisley heard at their recent meeting about
the work of the Lodging House Mission in
Glasgow from Gus Smeaton, who volunteers
there. Established in 1909, the Mission
supports homeless and socially excluded
people in Glasgow, many of whom don’t see
themselves as having any kind of future. The
number of women supported is small, but the Mission provides them with food,
a safe place to be and company as well as practical help with their problems.
Members provided ‘blessings bags’ at Christmas for the homeless women
being supported. These bags contain basic toiletries as well as gloves, a hat
and scarf.
‘Glasgow Girl’ Comes to Paisley
Members of Soroptimist International of Paisley
and their guests marked the 71st anniversary
of the club at their annual dinner in the Glynhill
Hotel recently.
The guest speaker was Amal Azzudin, one of
the ‘Glasgow Girls’ whose campaign played an
important part in the decision to change the
law around detaining children for immigration
purposes. With the support of charities and community groups, the girls kept
the detention and dawn raid issue on the political agenda.
Amal spoke movingly about her experience as an asylum seeker and her
continuing work in this area as a campaigner for human rights and social justice
in Scotland. Within the Mental Health Foundation she takes responsibility for
the Amaan project and the development and delivery of new and innovative
work with asylum seekers and refugees.
In August 2016, Amal was named as one of the Saltire Society’s Outstanding
Women of Scotland inductees.
Glasgow to Edinburgh Trek
Make your mark in the fight against heart
disease by walking 100km or 50km from
Glasgow to Edinburgh. Join over 250 hikers
and sign up to the Glasgow to Edinburgh Trek
on 22nd and 23rd July to help fund the British
Heart Foundation’s (BHF) life saving heart
research.
As part of the charity’s series of treks, the
ultimate walking challenge gives Heart Trekkers
a unique opportunity to trek from Scotland’s two largest cities. Alongside the full
100km challenge, there is also a 50km option, where participants can either
walk from Glasgow to Linlithgow throughout the day, or through the night from
Linlithgow to Edinburgh.
In 2016 those who took on the challenge helped raise over £100,000 which
will go towards helping us better understand how to prevent, diagnose and treat
heart and circulatory disease, which is the cause of more than a quarter (26%) of
all deaths in the UK. With over 710,000 people in the Scotland alone living with
heart and circulatory disease, the need is urgent to raise funds for research into
these conditions.
2017 sees a new start venue introduced, starting at the picturesque Glasgow
Science Centre. The route is primarily flat on canal tow paths so is suitable for
trekkers of all abilities. Also brand new for 2017 is the introduction of ‘The 500
Club’, which celebrates fundraisers who go above and beyond in their fundraising.
Those who have £500 or more (excluding gift aid) on their JustGiving page will
be eligible to request a complimentary 500 Club jersey which can be worn with
pride during and after the event. Susie Roach, Fundraising Event Manager at the
BHF, said: “Challenging yourself to the Glasgow to Edinburgh Trek is a fantastic
way to support the nation’s heart charity, save lives and improve your own heart
health at the same time.
“By taking on this exciting challenge, every step you take will be helping bring us
closer to beating heart disease for good. Our research has already helped halve
death rates from heart and circulatory disease over the past 50 years, but there
is still so much more to be done.
“We urgently need the people of Scotland to help us stop heart disease in its
tracks and support us in our search for more lifesaving breakthroughs.”
The BHF relies on the generosity of its supporters, through fundraising events like
the Glasgow to Edinburgh Trek to pay for life saving research. Sign up to join the
fight today by visiting bhf.org.uk/g2etrek
Optical Blog
by Kerry Taher, New Vision Opticians
Can Smoking affect
my eyes?
Tobacco use plays a role in many diseases, causing damage to virtually every
body organ. With over 4,000 chemical compounds present in inhaled smoke,
several of which are known to cause cancer, it is no surprise that the effects of
smoking can be so widespread.
Most of us know that smoking damages the heart and lungs but what about the
eyes? Well, here are some examples of what smoking can cause:
Cataract - people who smoke more than 15 cigarettes per day have a 3 times
greater risk of developing cataracts compared with non-smokers.
Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) - Smokers are 3 to 4 times more
likely to develop AMD than non-smokers. Non-smokers living with smokers
almost double their risk of developing AMD.
Diabetes & eye disease - Smoking increases your chances of becoming diabetic.
It also makes managing diabetes more difficult for those who already have it.
Infant Eye Disease - Women who smoke during pregnancy transmit
dangerous toxins to the placenta, potentially harming the unborn child and
increasing the chance of many foetal and infant eye disorders such as squint
and underdevelopment of the optic nerve (a leading cause of blindness in
children).
Optic Neuropathy (sudden loss of vision) - smokers are 16 times more at risk
and it develops up to 12 years earlier than non-smokers.
Dry Eyes - Tobacco smoke is a known eye irritant and worsens dry eye, even
among passive smokers - particularly for contact lens wearers. People who
smoke are about twice as likely to have dry eyes.
It’s not all bad news though! Stopping smoking at any age, even later in life, will
significantly reduce your risk of eye disease. Regular exercise and a healthy
diet, as always, will also help to keep your risk of disease as low as possible.
If you have any questions please contact us at the practice: 01505 614 700.