FYLDE

NEWS

INSIDE QUIZ RESULTS * Recycling

WHY JOIN PCS? KEEP WELL THIS WINTER

Alistair The Grinch Meet Lorna Kennedy

PCS FYLDE BRANCH

Twitter @PCSFylde

Web www.pcsfylde.com

FaceBook

www.facebook.com/pcsfylde

Alistair’s Green Fingers Quiz – the results

Here are the answers to my quiz hope that the questions made you want to start going green in 2020.

Answer 1

Monty Don is the presenter of Gardeners’ World

Answer 2

Alicante, Gardener’s Delight and Moneymaker are types of Tomato

Answer 3

RHS Chelsea ran from 21st

to 25th

May 2019

Answer 4

Dig for Victory

Answer 5

Adams Pearmain is an Apple

Answer 6

Gardeners’ World is presented from Longmeadow in Herefordshire

The winner who received a mystery prize was Vince Walker from Warbreck. Well Done

Tony’s Autumn Quiz – the results Tony here with the answers to my quiz about Autumn, in all it’s glory.

Here are the answers. Answer 1

John Yates wrote the poem “To Autumn”

Answer 2

In the UK it is Autumn, but in the USA it is Fall

Answer 3

Earth, Wind & Fire who had a hit in 1978 with September

Answer 4

Harvest was the word in the list that is associated with Autumn.

Answer 5

There is a Harvest Mouse Answer 6

Eva Cassidy and Nat King Cole sang about Autumn Leaves

The winner who received a mystery of chocolates was Jill Grimshaw from Warbreck. Well done, Tony

The views expressed by our columnists do not necessarily reflect those of the PCS Union. If you agree or disagree with any of the content of Fylde PCS News

then exercise your right of reply by emailing:

jonathan.bamborough@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

This is YOUR Newsletter

Have Your Say!

Safety groups issue workplace health election challenge

Whoever wins the next election, workers’ rights and protections must be maintained, the British Safety Council (BSC) has said. The organisation’s chief executive, Mike Robinson, has written to the leaders of the main political parties asking them to make policy commitments on occupational health, safety and wellbeing ahead of the general election. He said: “We want to see a cross-party consensus on health and safety standards, and I am hopeful that all the main parties will want to reassure voters that they are committed to maintaining high standards of workers’ rights and protections.” He added: “Over the coming years we will be campaigning on the occupational health risks of air pollution, the growing incidence of presenteeism in the workplace and tackling mental health at work. Underpinning that, of course, is a regulatory regime that is up-to-date and well-resourced.” The BSC leader said the general election “will decide the shape of domestic policy for perhaps the next five years. We want to see the next government building on the UK’s reputation as a leader in health and safety by creating a regulatory framework that ensures no-one is injured or made ill through their work.” A joint statement from the Faculty of Occupational Medicine (FOM) and the Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM) calls “for political parties in their manifestos to recognise the need for investment in occupational health.”

PEEL PARK OPEN DAY The Peel Park Open Day was a great

success with many members joining in the Yoga workshops, blood pressure

testing and stress reduction sessions..

We also had our new selection of Quick Reads and Jon’s famous Hot Pot.

1 A voice

Winning better terms and conditions at work is best done collectively, and being in PCS gives you a voice. Research shows unionised workplaces enjoy better pay and conditions.

2 Advice and support

Our union is there for you at work when you need it – reps can refer to our full-time officers and legal team for advice, if necessary.

3 Legal and financial advice

Access to our free, confidential legal helpline covers many personal matters for your family. Free financial consultation and free debt advice are also available.

4 Free will-making service

One free will for you and your partner saves money in legal fees. Members can also nominate someone to receive a death benefit payment of £1,663.

5 Insurance deals

A wide range of free or discounted insurance deals are available, including home, vehicle, travel, pet, health and accident cover.

6 Chance to learn

Training, learning and professional development opportunities are available, including life-long learning – such as GCSE English and Maths – or trade union education.

7 Networking opportunities

Being in a union gives you the chance to meet colleagues from your workplace and others. It’s an opportunity to get involved in a movement that truly impacts on people’s daily lives.

8 Political influence

The PCS Political Fund allows us to campaign politically on decisions being made that affect our members. PCS also has a parliamentary group of MPs to help us lobby on vital issues.

9 Financial support

We set aside money every year to help members facing severe financial hardship, which can be applied for through our benevolent fund.

10 Discounts

Members get exclusive deals on a whole host of things, including shopping, and leisure activities like hotel stays, holidays and days out.

Not a member? Register to join online today.

10 Benefits of PCS Membership

Alastairs’ GREEN PIECE

This year, in the same vein as previous years, households in the U.K. are expected to throw away an additional 750,000 tonnes of household waste. That is the equivalent of 5 extra bin bags for every household in the country. Much of this could be recycled, for example the extra 5 wine bottles in every bin or 17 Christmas cards sent to every person in the U.K. The cards can be recycled in Woodland Trust recycle bins which are normally available in M&S, Tesco, and WH Smith and the bottles can go into a roadside recycling bin or taken to a bottle bank in most supermarkets. Unfortunately, much of the 83 square kilometres of wrapping paper cannot be recycled due to the way the paper is produced. Check this by scrunching the gift-wrap into a ball in your hand. If it opens up then it cannot be recycled, if it stays in a ball then put it into your paper waste or compost bin. Any paper with glitter cannot be recycled. It is estimated that by recycling what we can from the rubbish then enough energy would be saved to fly Santa around the world 64,500 times to deliver his presents.

I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas

Of the estimated 6 million trees in the U.K. last year only 10% were recycled. Although the rest went to landfill this is a wasted opportunity to create biomass in forested areas to provide nutrients for depleted soil. Buying a plastic tree is often stated to be an eco alternative to cutting down real trees. However, Christmas trees are farmed exactly the same as any other plant based crop and do we want to encourage more plastic being created? A more eco alternative would be to Dedicate a tree for Christmas. This is a scheme run by The Woodland Trust which allows you to dedicate trees in a forest of your choice for only £20. For those of you with a bit of extra cash you can dedicate a quarter of an acre for £250.

You can now register for their 2020 Christmas tree collection!

Over two days in January, their team of dedicated volunteers will be collecting and recycling used Xmas trees in aid of Trinity Hospice.

For a small donation*, their crew will be picking up trees from a number of designated areas across the Fylde Coast on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th January 2020. These include:

FY1 / FY2 / FY3 / FY4 / FY5 / FY6 / FY7 / FY8 / FY9 / PR4 2,3

For more information and to sign up for our tree collection service, click the link below. Please note that applications close at 9pm on 7th January 2020.

https://just-helping.org.uk/find-a-collection/trinity-hospice-blackpool/

Trinity Hospice Christmas Tree Collection Service

Many Christmas decorations will break, either when putting them up or taking them down, and be thrown in the bin. More plastic being sent to landfill where it will decompose into micro-plastics and be washed by rain into streams and the sea where it will be eaten by fish and enter the food chain. Why not consider natural decorations made from pine cones and other natural materials. After Christmas just pop them into your composter or green waste bin.

We can all have a Happy Christmas without destroying the planet to do so.

Question 1

According to the saying, what should you do over split milk?

a) Dance

b) Cry

c) Fight

d) Walk

e) Wave

Question 2

Which sugar makes up around 2–8% of milk (by weight).

Is it?

a) Fructose

b) Lactose

c) Sucrose

d) Maltose

e) Tate & Lyle

Question 3

What is the name of the pig that features on Channel 5’s Milkshake Is it?

a) Peppa

b) Thyme

c) Salt

d) Spice

e) Rosemary

Question 4

In what year was the Milk Marketing Board finally dissolved. Was it?

a) 1972

b) 1982

c) 1992

d) 2002

e) 2012

Question 5

Which football team won the last EFL Milk Cup. Was it?

a) Everton

b) Blackpool

c) Oxford Utd

d) Swansea

e) Preston

Question 6

According to the advert, what were “the Milky Bars are on” Was it?

a) The House

b) Me

c) Ice

d) Hold

e) Mick

Please send your answers to Duncan Griffiths, Room A208R Warbreck (or e-mail Duncan Griffiths - details in the GAL) to arrive no later than 24th December 2019

The winner will receive a mystery prize.

Please remember that Branch Executive Committee members cannot enter/ win the quizzes

Grant & Carl’s Milk Shake We have decided to start a new tradition of going out for a Milk Shake every Festive Season. Last year the milk got a little spilt.

To celebrate the new tradition, we thought a quiz about milk was in order.

Here are the questions.

Here are the questions.

How the Grinch sees Christmas Dinner…

A male turkey in the wild will live for about 10 years and grow to about 7.5 Kg. The turkey in the middle of your dinner table hasn’t been quite so lucky being killed at between 8 and 26 weeks of age by hanging them upside down and slitting their throats. Living in cramped sheds with no access to daylight, fed with hormones to speed their growth to up to 25Kg in weight, many of them with broken legs due to the inability to support this increase in weight, it may be a blessed relief. Around 2 million turkeys will be slaughtered for Christmas in the U.K. alone.

Pigs in Blankets conjure up a pleasant picture of small pink animals, being kept warm by a fluffy covering. The reality is far from this picture with 60% of sows in the U.K. being kept in metal cages only a few centimetres larger than them. Piglets have their ears punctured, teeth clipped, and tails cut without anesthetic before being grown to the required size. No sign of any blankets here. At the age of just 6 months pigs, which are smarter than three year old humans, are driven to gas chambers where they scream during the final moments of their short lives.

The cream on your mince pies or Christmas pudding comes from milk produced by cows which have been forcibly artificially inseminated from the age of 15 months. Once they give birth their babies are removed so the milk, produced for the baby cows, can be ‘stolen’ and sold. Any female babies will soon follow their mothers with males being quickly slaughtered.

As you sit down for your Christmas dinner this year consider how the food in front of you has got to your plate and have a Happy Christmas.

Question 1

What was the USA version of Father Christmas (which merged with the British old Father Christmas). was it?

a) Santa Pod

b) Santa Cruz

c) Santa Fe

d) Santa Anna

e) Santa Claus

Question 2

Which Raymond wrote the book Father Christmas published in 1973? Was it Raymond?

a) Moore

b) O’Sullivan

c) Briggs

d) Chandler

e) Sullivan

Question 3

Who played the role of Santa Claus in the 1985 film Santa Claus: The Movie Was it.

a) Tom Huddleston

b) Dudley Moore

c) John Lithgow

d) Don Estelle

e) David Huddleston

Question 4

Santa Claus grew out of the traditions surrounding which Saint. Was it Saint?

a) Andrew

b) Michaelmas

c) Agur

d) Nicholas

e) David

Question 5

Which Greg, released the single I Believe in Father Christmas in 1975 (although he wrote it in 1974)?

a) Lake

b) Pond

c) Palmer

d) Emerson

e) Ocean

Question 6

In what year did Santa Claus win the Epsom Derby? Was it?

a) 1962

b) 1963

c) 1964

d) 1965

e) 1966

Please send your answers to Duncan Griffiths, Room A208R Warbreck (or e-mail Duncan Griffiths - details in the GAL) to arrive no later than 24th December 2019

The winner will receive a mystery prize.

Please remember that Branch Executive Committee members cannot enter/ win the quizzes

The Varg’s Father Christmas Quiz To make ends meet I used to have a nice little earner on the side.

I used to be Father Christmas at Woolworth’s in Blackpool. Ho ho ho!!!

Here are the questions.

2. Keep moving

Even though it's cold, it's very important to stay as active as you can during winter. It helps keep you warm and will improve your cardiovascular health - and your mood.

on health and wellness for winter

1. Eat right

Eating well will keep your immune systems in good order. Keep your diet balanced and eat a range of colourful fruit and veg to help to ensure a good intake of vitamins and nutrients. Spices and aromatic herbs add flavour to food but can also help winter health. Ingredients such as onions, garlic, ginger and parsley also help improve immune function.

3. Sleep well

Sleep is crucial for immune function and general mental wellbeing, and a lack of it can make you more susceptible to infections like viruses. Most adults will need around eight hours a night.

4. Stay warm

Staying warm is vital at this time of year, so wear layers when going outside. Office temperatures should be warm (around 18-20°C).

5. Be careful on ice

With colder temperatures comes the increased risk of accidents, both inside and out. So take special care on icy roads and pavements – making sure you've got good grips on shoes could help prevent you falling and suffering injury. Any accidents please make sure you complete an Accident report form.

6. Stop smoking

Adults who smoke are more likely to suffer from health conditions such as heart attacks, strokes and lung cancer.. If you want help quitting, then contact your doctor or local smoking cessation service.

7. Get your flu jab

Flu can be serious for some people, and may even land you in hospital – especially if you're older or have a long-term health condition. Speak to your GP, chemist or local health clinic to you get your flu vaccine.

8. Keep clean

Hand hygiene is really important in preventing the spread of germs, especially colds and flu. So if anyone has symptoms of illness, make sure they wash their hands. Simple soap and water usually does the trick!

9. Rest and recuperate

If you do get unwell with a cold or flu, then try to stay indoors and rest. Most people will get better with self-help, and rest. However, if you are getting more and more unwell, contact a healthcare professional for advice.

10. Take vital vitamins

Taking vitamin C in tablet form, or getting it from vegetables like broccoli or Brussels sprouts, will help your body to battle cold and flu symptoms. Extra Vitamin D helps to supplement the lack of light experienced during winter, and also helps you absorb other important vitamins like iron and calcium, vital for promoting resilience and bone health.

MEET THE Rep…

Lorna Kennedy Name: Lorna Kennedy

Age: 39

Catchphrase: “For The Many Not the Few”

Branch Role: PCS Fylde Branch Deputy Chair

Where: Ryscar House

What did you want to be when you grew up: PM

Favourite Holiday: Benidorm

Book to take on a long journey: Lord of the Rings

Favourite Quote: 'You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness. But still, like air, I rise.' One verse from Maya Angelou's inimitable poem Still I Rise, first published in 1978

Favourite Food: Soda Thai

Favourite Drink: Beer

Favourite City: London

Top 3 tunes: Moon Shadow (Cat Stevens Ruby Tuesday (Rolling Stones) Wolf Mother (First Aid Kit)

Best band: First Aid Kit

Favourite film: Lord of the Rings

5 Interesting Facts about Me:

I’ve been the rep in my office for 12 yrs

I did a speech at a TUC rally in Hyde Park London it was me then Jeremy Corbyn ah!! No pressure

I’m Autistic and campaign for better services and understanding for Autistic people

I’m the DWP LGBT+ committee rep

I’m a crazy cat person

WHO AM I ?