Posts filed under 'Health'
Last week, I attended the Mayor of Waltham Forest’s charity dinner to raise funds for diabetes and celebrate the 60th anniversary of the creation of Pakistan.
Many of my council constituents in Leyton ward come from Pakistan and many people living in my ward (including most of my close family) suffer from diabetes. It was lovely to celebrate Pakistan’s birthday with all the residents who came, as well as to learn more about what we can do to combat this serious illness.
I had an absolutely lovely evening. After speeches and a gorgeous chicken dinner, guests were invited to tuck into the heavenly vision of Belgian chocolate loveliness you see above, so that diet I’m (supposed to be) on just went straight out of the window 
It was also really great to catch up with and congratulate Britian’s first ever Muslim Member of the British Government(!!) Shahid Malik MP (pictured with me above), now Parliamentary Under Secretary of State to the Department for International Development, on his promotion to Government.
Shahid is the greatest living example of hard work and the powers of persistence.
Congratulations again, Shahid!
Leyton’s Pakistani community is definitely proud of what you’ve achieved and I wish you well in your new role.
Two of my favourite members of the London Assembly, Waltham Forest’s London Assembly Member Jennette Arnold (pictured above right) and London wide Assembly Member Murad Qureshi (pictured above left) also attended the event to show their support for Waltham Forest’s Pakistani community.
I also got to catch up with mates and Labour party colleagues that I hadn’t seen for a while. Good friend and former local councillor for Lea Bridge ward Stella Creasy (pictured with me above) sat with us at my table….
….as did Cllr Faiz Yunis and the lovely Laura Bruni (who expertly ran my committee room on the day I was elected to the council last year – Thanks again, my dear! ).
Many thanks again to Waltham Forest’s Mayor and Labour council collegue Cllr Liquat Ali JP(pictured with me above) for organising a fabulous evening and raising a lot of money for diabetes sufferers.
Salaam aleikoom and a huge belated Happy Birthday to all of Leyton’s Pakistani residents for the 60th anniversary of the creation of Pakistan!
August 22nd, 2007
The 'Save the Whipps Cross' campaign (www.savewhippscross.org) organised a superb march and rally on Saturday, for local people to take to the streets and continue our borough’s campaign to keep Whipps Cross hospital a full, district general hospital.
Local residents from all parts of the borough joined all three of Waltham Forest’s MPs; Neil Gerrard, MP from Walthamstow, Harry Cohen, MP from Leyton and Wanstead, and Iain Duncan Smith, MP from Chingford and Woodford Green; Local Councillors from all three of the main political parties; and Waltham Forest’s London Assembly Member and Chair of the London Health Commission, Jennette Arnold.
The buoyant mood of Saturday’s march was set earlier on in the week in the House of Commons, when Harry Cohen MP (pictured above being interviewed during the march) led a brilliant debate in the Chamber on the future of Whipps Cross. You can read the debate by clicking here.
I felt really proud to be part of the Waltham Forest community on Saturday.
We will continue to keep up the pressure on the Waltham Forest PCT.
The ‘I Love Whipps Cross’ campaign is far from over!
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Members of the Leyton and Wanstead Constituency Labour Party gather in Forest View Avenue to begin the march.
Demo heads off.
Working off last week’s quota of chocolate with Wanstead Branch Labour party member Mary Tuffin (pictured left).
There at last! Leyton and Wansted Labour party Chair Greg Eglin (pictured left) and local Labour party Treasurer Brian Madican (pictured right) enjoy a rest after the long march carrying the CLP’s gorgeous banner.
Crowds gather in Walthamstow Town Centre to hear the speeches.
Save the Whipps Cross’ Chair, Charlotte Monroe (pictured above) kicks off the rally’s speeches. Other speakers included Neil Gerrard MP, Iain Duncan Smith MP, Jennette Arnold AM, and Yusuf Hansa, Imam to Leyton ward’s Noor Ul Islam mosque.
I just couldn’t resist posting this photo
Last time I checked, George Bush wasn’t running the Waltham Forest PCT but hey….
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, a demo just wouldn’t be a demo without Socialist Worker 
February 4th, 2007
A delegation of Waltham Forest’s Labour councillors travelled up to Westminister at the end of last week to deliver our ‘I Love Whipps cross’ postcard petition to Patricia Hewitt, the Secretary of State for Health. We would like to thank the 1500 local people who filled out a postcard and supported the campaign.
As previous visitors to this website will know, over the last few weeks myself and colleagues from the local Labour party have been busy collecting signatures on special ‘I Love Whipps Cross’ postcards, at special street stalls and events organised all over the borough, calling for Whipps Cross hospital to remain a district general hospital.
On Thursday morning, local Labour party members and councillors were joined by local MPs Neil Gerrard (pictured above far right) and Harry Cohen (pictured centre left) as we set off on our journey from the hospital, to deliver a festive Santa’s sack filled with the postcards to Richmond House, home to the Department of Health.
Up at Richmond House, Waltham Forest Councillor, Cllr Afzal Akram (above far right), Cllr Geraldine Reardon, Cllr Adam Gladstone, Cllr Faiz Yunis (second from right) and I were joined by Jennette Arnold, Labour London Assembly Member for Waltham Forest and Chair of the London Health Commission (pictured above next to me on the left) as we handed the postcards in.
Waltham Forest Councillors are urging the Health Secretary to keep Whipps Cross as a district general hospital. We are calling on her to improve and modernise Whipps Cross’ services for local residents in this deprived East London area.
Even though we have now handed the postcards in, the campaign doesn’t stop here!
Myself and my fellow local Labour councillors will be playing a full role in the next set of consultation meetings starting up again in the New Year.
To keep up to date with all the latest news from Waltham Forest Labour’s ‘I Love Whipps Cross’ campaign please go to: www.ilovewhippscross.co.uk
December 18th, 2006
I made a trip up to the Houses of Parliament last week, to hook up with my local MP for Leyton and Wanstead Harry Cohen (pictured above right), as we joined Government Health Minister Caroline Flint (pictured above centre) in unveiling a new government programme called “Healthy Start”.
Healthy Start, which replaces the Welfare Food Scheme, has been set up to encourage healthy eating amongst Britian’s low income families, who are more likely to suffer health problems than families on higher incomes.
The Healthy Start programme will support mothers who breastfeed by introducing equal benefits for both breastfeeding and bottle-feeding mothers, and it will also provide families with extra money to buy fruit, vegetables and milk, as well as free vitamin supplements.
For the first time, the scheme will be open to all pregnant women under the age of 18 too.
Launching Healthy Start, Caroline Flint MP said, “Poor diet can have a real impact on people’s health. We want people to have the best possible opportunity to eat healthily but for families in low income households, this is sometimes easier said than done”.
“The Healthy Start scheme will not only provide greater choice of healthy food, but will also mean that children can get milk and fresh fruit and vegetables from the cradle up, helping to give them the best possible start in life.”
The Healthy Start programme will benefit thousands of low income families throughout Britain. It is really good news for my residents in Leyton ward.
To find out more go to: www.healthystart.nhs.uk
December 5th, 2006
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