Meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month, from 2pm to 4pm, at the Lecture Theatre, Moseley Hall Hospital, Alcester Road, Moseley, Birmingham, B13 8JL.
Please contact the Midlands office before going to your first meeting by telephoning 0116 249 5780 or emailing . They will give you the group's contact details so that you can check the meeting is on.
Latest News
Garden Party Breathe Easy Week
Irene Hughes and family held a garden party for the 5th successive year and raised a total of £679.80 by a raffle, a table top sale, tombola and plant sale. An admission charge of £3 included a wonderful buffer, cake, mince pies and the usual refreshments. Thanks go to Irene and family for all their time and hard work in planning and hosting this event.
Breathe Easy Week 2010
Jeremy Bacon, Midlands Support & Development Manager, joined members of Breathe Easy Birmingham South at the Carrefour Gym for a 'Gym-athon'. Between them, the members kept at least one piece of gym equipment going for two hours, with a 'Spin Bike' forming the centre-piece of their efforts.
In the middle of Breathe Easy Week the group visited Year 6 pupils at Colmers Farm Junior School we talk to the children about BLF, Breathe Easy and about lung conditions and living with oxygen. The group got the children involved with activities, using a pulse oximeter to show pulse and oxygen levels, and a model lung (`Blue Peter’ style) to show how lungs inflate and the diaphragm moves. The school have nominated the group as their charity of the year this year, and on a recent charity day they raised £629.20.
World COPD Day 2009
On Tuesday 17 November, Breathe Easy Birmingham South held an information display at Selly Oak Hospital and gave a talk to patients about Breathe Easy and the BLF in the afternoon. Nurses also brought patients along to talk to group members throughout they day so that they could help them with specific problems.
On World COPD Day itself, the group held a stand at a local Sainsbury's supermarket and saw approximately 50 people, two of who came to the next Breathe Easy meeting. They were very pleased with this result and, although not actively seeking donations, also raised £41 during the four hours.
Chair and Vice Chair, Anne Yeomans and Maireade Bird, joined Jeremy Bacon and Claire Battye from the Midlands team at a COPD Study Day on 18 November at the Walkers Stadium, Leicester, which was organised by Leicestershire County and Rutland PCT. They gave a brilliant talk to healthcare professionals about what it is like to live with a lung condition, focusing on COPD. As some speakers were accompanied by music when they went up to talk, Anne and Maireade debated what they would choose as their theme tune. They considered 'Take My Breath Away' and 'Every Breath You Take' before agreeing on 'Puff the Magic Dragon!'
Breathe Easy Birmingham South win award
Breathe Easy Birmingham South have recently won a Breath of Fresh Air Award for 2008-2009. The award was presented in the category of Outstanding Service to Breathe Easy and the Community.
The group have worked hard to promote the British Lung Foundation and Breathe Easy within their local community and are never short of creative ideas to raise funds and awareness. The group actively promotes awareness of lung disease and reaches out to the local community through talks given to school children and at pulmonary rehabilitation classes.
Talks at pulmonary rehab are often done in conjunction with several interpreters to cater for the range of BME communities in the area. Members of the group have got involved in a wide range of activities, including giving a talk to 'Dignity Champions' in their local area about breathlessness. The Chair and Vice Chair of the group also sit on the Midlands Regional Committee and have both attended every committee meeting this year.
Walking Group
Breathe Easy Birmingham South has recently launched a walking group. Dates for forthcoming walks are listed below. Please contact the Midlands office before going to a walk; the office will give you the contact details so that you can reserve a place on the walk.
Breathe Easy Week 2009
Breathe Easy Birmingham South organised a sponsored ‘gym-a-thon’. The aim was to keep at least one piece of gym equipment active for two hours. Group members and their relatives were joined by Trevor Doxsey, physiotherapist and Pulmonary rehab instructor, and Jeremy Bacon from the BLF Midlands office (pictured left).
The group achieved their target and raised £250. Anne Yeomans, group chairman stated after the event, “It was marvelous that everyone came
together to make the event such a success”
