News

KCC and NHS promote jobs in East Kent

Kent County Council and the NHS organisations providing health and social care in East Kent have launched a website to promote employment in the sector in East Kent.

The move comes as the organisations work together towards the Kent and Medway Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP). The STP describes what the organisations think needs to be done differently to bring about better health and wellbeing, better standards of care, and better use of staff and funds.

www.takeadifferentview.co.uk/

Do something you’re good at

What do you love doing? What activities can you lose yourself in? What did you love doing in the past?

Enjoying yourself helps beat stress. Doing an activity you enjoy probably means you’re good at it and achieving something boosts your self-esteem.

Concentrating on a hobby like gardening or the crossword can help you forget your worries for a while and change your mood.

It can be good to have an interest where you’re not seen as someone’s mum or dad, partner or employee. You’re just you.

An hour of sketching lets you express yourself creatively. A morning on the football pitch gets you active and gives you the chance to meet new people.

Mental Health Foundation
www.mentalhealth.org.uk/your-mental-health/looking-after-your-mental-health/do-something-youre-good

#MHAW17
www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week

Mental health help and support services

If you’re experiencing mental health problems or need urgent support, there are lots of places you can go to for help. https://southashford.org.uk/index.php/2017/02/02/time-to-talk/#support

 

Election candidates announced

The candidates have been announced for the parliamentary constituency of Ashford and for the Ashford Borough Council Victoria Ward.

General Election

The candidates Ashford Constituency for the  are:

Name of Candidate Home Address Party
GATHERN Sally 16 Hoppers Way, Singleton, Ashford, Kent, TN23 4GP Labour Party
GEE-TURNER Adrian John 41 Western Avenue, Ashford, Kent, TN23 1LY Liberal Democrats
GREEN Damian Highlands, Charing Hill, Charing, Ashford, Kent, TN27 0NG Conservative Party
O’BRIEN Gerald Michael (address in the Sevenoaks constituency) UKIP
ROSSI Mandy (address in the Ashford constituency) The Green Party

By-election

The candidates for the Victoria Ward  are:

Name of Candidate Home Address Party
GALLOWAY James Angus 21 Jemmett Road, Ashford, Kent, TN23 4QD Liberal Democrats
GOLDENBERG Serge 42 Beaver Road, Ashford, TN23 7RP UKIP
PIZZEY Maria Ann 24 Lynsted Close, Ashford, Kent, TN23 5RZ Green Party
ROBEY David The Old Farmhouse, Faversham Road, Throwley, Faversham, Kent, ME13 0JN Conservative Part
SUDDARDS Charles 35 Queen Street, Ashford, Kent Labour Party

 

www.ashford.gov.uk/current-by-elections

To participate in these elections you have to be registered.

Your vote matters - don't lose itIf you have not already registered

Register now:

Online

You will need to provide your national insurance number to register. This can be found on your national insurance card if you have one, or on paperwork such as your payslip, letters about benefits, tax credits and some pension documents. Please make sure you enter it correctly as it will be checked before you can be registered.  If you do not have a national insurance number you can still use the website to make an application but it will ask you to give a reason and you may be contacted for more details.

You can use this service to apply to register to vote or to:

  • update your name, address or other details on the electoral register
  • change your voting preferences, for example to vote in person or by post
  • change whether you’re on the open register

It usually takes about 5 minutes.

www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

Apply for Postal or Proxy Vote

https://www.gov.uk/voting-in-the-uk/postal-voting

Telephone

the Electoral Services Office on 01233 330402,

Write to

Electoral Services
Ashford Borough Council
Civic Centre
Tannery Lane
Ashford
Kent
TN23 1PL

Am I already registered?

It is not possible to check online whether or not you are already registered. You can contact Electoral Services on 01233 330402 if you want to discuss any issues around your registration or call into their offices to view the current electoral register. Please note Electoral Services will not discuss your registration with anyone else including family members.

Take a break

A change of scene or a change of pace is good for your mental health.

It could be a five-minute pause from cleaning your kitchen, a half-hour lunch break at work, or a weekend exploring somewhere new. A few minutes can be enough to de-stress you. Give yourself some ‘me time’.

A few minutes can be enough to de-stress you. Give yourself some ‘me time’.

Taking a break may mean being very active. It may mean not doing very much at all.

Take a deep breath… and relax. Try yoga or meditation, or just putting your feet up.

Listen to your body. If you’re really tired, give yourself time to sleep. Without good sleep, our mental health suffers and our concentration goes downhill. Sometimes the world can wait.

Mental Health Foundation
www.mentalhealth.org.uk/your-mental-health/looking-after-your-mental-health/take-break

#MHAW17
www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week

Mental health help and support services

If you’re experiencing mental health problems or need urgent support, there are lots of places you can go to for help. https://southashford.org.uk/index.php/2017/02/02/time-to-talk/#support

Application for Powergen site

This drawing is indicate of the general layout of the siteAshford Borough Council (ABC) have published details of a reserved matters planning application for part of the Powergen site in Victoria Way.

The application gives details for Plot 3, comprising 66 apartments in a single block and 8 houses. The whole site comprises c. 660 dwellings.

A hybrid application for the site was approved by ABC’s Planning Committee last June and permission granted in November, following signing of a Section 106 Agreement. The eastern plots, 1 and 2, were fully detailed in the application. Plots 3, 4 and 5, to the west, were in outline. An amendment to the outline application was permitted in April of this year.

Details of the application can be found in our planning notice
https://southashford.org.uk/index.php/2017/05/12/former-powergen-site-victoria-road-3/

Planning Committee to consider college site application

This image may not fully represent the layout of the proposed developmentAshford Borough Council’s (ABC) Planning Committee will consider the reserved matters application for the Ashford College site in Jemmett Road on Wednesday 17th May.

The committee approved the outline application in 2011 but the permission was not granted until last December after the college signed the Section 106 Agreement.

The reserved matters application, ABC’s case reference 17/00354/AS, was posted in our planning notices on 14 March 2017. The outline application, case reference 11/00405/AS was posted on 10 December 2016.

South Ashford Community Forum’s comments can be downloaded here.

 

Ask for help

None of us are superhuman. We all sometimes get tired or overwhelmed by how we feel or when things go wrong. If things are getting too much for you and you feel you can’t cope, ask for help.

Your family or friends may be able to offer practical help or a listening ear. Local services are there to help you.

For example, you could:

  • join a support group like Weight Watchers or Alcoholics Anonymous to help you make changes to your life
  • find a counsellor to help you deal with your feelings or make a fresh start
  • call the council about noise nuisance
  • visit a Citizens Advice Bureau if you want advice on debt.

Your GP may be able to refer you to a counsellor. You should consider getting help from your GP if difficult feelings are:

  • stopping you getting on with life
  • having a big impact on the people you live or work with
  • affecting your mood over several weeks.

Over a third of visits to GPs are about mental health. Your GP may suggest ways you or your family can help you. Or they may refer you to a specialist or another part of the health service.

Mental Health Foundation
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/your-mental-health/looking-after-your-mental-health/ask-help

#MHAW17
#timetotalk
www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week

More advice

Citizens Advice

Call Adviceline on 0300 330 1313 if you want to speak to someone about your debts.

or can visit:

Ashford Borough Citizens Advice Bureau

Seabrooke House
Church Road
ASHFORD
Kent
TN23 1RD

01233 626185
answerphone/call back/live line

Monday to Friday 09.30 – 16.00
Appointments: 09.30-11.30
Drop in no appointment needed.
Last face to face appointment 11.30

Mental health help and support services

If you’re experiencing mental health problems or need urgent support, there are lots of places you can go to for help. https://southashford.org.uk/index.php/2017/02/02/time-to-talk/#support

Keep in touch

Strong family ties and supportive friends can help you deal with the stresses of life. Friends and family can make you feel included and cared for. They can offer different views from whatever’s going on inside your own head. They can help keep you active, keep you grounded and help you solve practical problems.

There’s nothing better than catching up with someone face-to-face. But that’s not always possible. Give them a call, drop them a note or chat to them online instead. Keep the lines of communication open. It’s good for you!

If you’re feeling out of touch with some people, look back at our section on talking about your feelings and get started!

It’s worth working at relationships that make you feel loved or valued. But if you think being around someone is damaging your mental health, it may be best to take a break from them or call it a day completely. It’s possible to end a relationship in a way that feels ok for both of you.

It can be hard to cope when someone close to you dies or you lose them another way. Counselling for bereavement or loss can help you explore your feelings.

Mental Health Foundation
www.mentalhealth.org.uk/your-mental-health/looking-after-your-mental-health/keep-touch

#MHAW17
#timetotalk
www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week

Mental health help and support services

If you’re experiencing mental health problems or need urgent support, there are lots of places you can go to for help. https://southashford.org.uk/index.php/2017/02/02/time-to-talk/#support

Drink sensibly

We often drink alcohol to change our mood. Some people drink to deal with fear or loneliness, but the effect is only temporary.

When the drink wears off, you feel worse because of the way the alcohol has affected your brain and the rest of your body. Drinking is not a good way to manage difficult feelings.

Apart from the damage too much alcohol can do to your body, you would need more and more alcohol each time to feel the same short-term boost. There are healthier ways of coping with tough times.

Occasional light drinking is perfectly healthy and enjoyable for most people.

Stay within the recommended daily alcohol limits:

3 to 4 units a day for men.

2 to 3 units a day for women.

Many people also smoke or use drugs or other substances to change how they feel. But, again, the effects are short-lived. Just like alcohol, the more you use, the more you crave. Nicotine and drugs don’t deal with the causes of difficult feelings. They don’t solve problems, they create them.

Mental Health Foundation
/www.mentalhealth.org.uk/your-mental-health/looking-after-your-mental-health/drink-sensibly

#MHAW17
www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week

More advice

More advice on drinking sensibly can obtained from the OneYou Shop in Park Mall, Ashford or

from the OneYou website
www.nhs.uk/oneyou/drinking

Mental health help and support services

 

Eat well

Your brain needs a mix of nutrients in order to stay healthy and function well, just like the other organs in your body. A diet that’s good for your physical health is also good for your mental health.

There are strong links between what we eat and how we feel, for example, caffeine and sugar can have an immediate effect.

But food can also have a long-lasting effect on your mental health. Your brain needs a mix of nutrients to stay healthy and function well, just like the other organs in your body.

A diet that’s good for your physical health is also good for your mental health.

A healthy balanced diet includes:

  • lots of different types of fruit and vegetables
  • wholegrain cereals or bread
  • nuts and seeds
  • dairy products
  • oily fish
  • plenty of water.

Eat at least three meals each day and drink plenty of water. Try to limit how many high-caffeine or sugary drinks you have, and avoid too much alcohol.

Please Note: The advice on this page may not apply if your doctor or dietician have given you specific dietary advice, e.g. if you are a kidney patient or a diabetic.

Mental Health Foundation
www.mentalhealth.org.uk/your-mental-health/looking-after-your-mental-health/eat-well

#MHAW17
www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week

More advice

More advice on eating well can obtained from the OneYou Shop in Park Mall, Ashford or
from the OneYou website
www.nhs.uk/oneyou/eating

You can also get advice at the OneYou shop in Park Mall, Ashford.

Mental health help and support services