Residents struggling to get their foot on the property ladder will be given a step up by the Royal Borough and Housing Solutions after a one million pound extension to a shared ownership scheme was approved.

More than 30 households have already been helped through the project – known as Do it Yourself Shared Ownership (DIYSO) – and this latest investment will support a further 10. A scheme for key workers was also launched last year and so far two purchases have completed from an anticipated 10 purchasers.

The scheme enables residents to select a property on the open market and purchase it in conjunction with the council and Housing Solutions, allowing them to buy a home they would not have otherwise been able to afford.

By purchasing a property in shared ownership residents can pay as little as 35 percent of the total cost, buying back the rest over time, as and when they can afford to.

Year 7 & 8 students at Charters School in Sunningdale were in for a treat when they returned from the Easter Break as they took part in virtual expeditions thanks to Google’s Pioneer Program, a revolutionary tool enabling teachers to make lessons truly immersive.

A box of goodies arrived from Google to ensure that the students were able to embark on their journey; a tablet for the teacher & cardboard viewers and phones for every student. With the use of these Virtual Reality headsets, pupils viewed an exciting variety of 360° photo spheres and 3D images including The Great Barrier Reef, the Amazon Forest and even outer space.

Alexandra Dunnet said, “The Google Explorer experience was really cool! We saw volcanoes and went under the sea – there were spaceships too! I really loved it and I hope we can do it again for other topics.”

Pictured: Mandy Saligari with Headmaster Tom Bunbury, presenting to Papplewick parents.

On Monday, July 3^rd, Mandy Saligari, star of Channel 5’s “In Therapy” series and founder of the Charter Harley Street Centre for the treatment of addiction, gave an extraordinarily engaging and insightful talk to Papplewick boys in year 8 and their parents, as part of their leaving studies and drugs education programme.

Mandy first came into treatment herself in 1990, when working as a TV producer, later becoming a therapist and undertaking apprenticeships, group work, interventions and lectureships. She is passionate about dispelling the myths surrounding addiction and mental health.

Headmaster Tom Bunbury said: “If there is one vice that our sons will have access to in the coming years and which could completely derail them, it must be drugs. Mandy Saligari is a truly inspirational speaker and we cannot underestimate the potential value of her talk.”

Next Open Morning:   Saturday 4th November 2017 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m   Visit:  www.papplewick.org.uk 

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The children of St Francis Catholic Primary School in South Ascot ended their time at the school by braving the arch through to a cursed forest, challenging various witches and evil grogs, rescuing the Merestone and restoring peace and tranquility to the land.

The year six children premiered their production of “Hogbane’s Doom” at the Rose Theatre, St Mary’s School, and were very excited at their transformation into magical creatures, evil witches dancing animals.

Class teacher and director Lindsey Waller said, “The children have really risen to the challenge of this complex fantasy production. Their confidence has grown and will stand them in good stead as they make the transition to secondary school in September.”

The production benefited greatly from the participation of St Mary’s School, who kindly lent their theatre for the performance. “We’re very grateful to the backstage crew of the Rose Theatre, who pulled out all the stops to create a fantastic set for our use. 

Virtual reality comes to St Peter’s Hospital | Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is using pioneering new technology in a bid to improve the experience of patients suffering from dementia.

A Virtual Reality headset is providing a three-dimensional, computer generated environment which can be explored and interacted with by a patient.

The headset provides a visual and auditory experience which includes a nostalgic beach scene, a forest full of animals and an underwater experience of the coral reef and dolphins.

Users become part of this virtual world immersed within this environment. Developed specifically for dementia patients, the equipment has shown to improve patients’ moods and can leave long lasting calming effects sometimes hours after the experience.
 
Keefai Yeong, Consultant Geriatrician at ASPH said: “We are confident that this innovative technology will improve the experience of patients with dementia in our hospitals. The VR unit has already shown benefits to patients’ lives and is helping keep patients stimulated. This can prevent cognitive decline during what can traditionally be very long and tedious spells in our unfamiliar hospital environments.”

More information about the unit, including a video of a patient with dementia using it can be found here http://www.tribemix.co.uk/

Celebrating the past, present and future of the NHS at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals ..

Pictured: Children from Magna Carta School, Suzanne Rankin, (Chief Executive) Cllr Parshotam Sohi, Andy Field, (Chairman) Shahj Nazir (Magna Carta teacher), a volunteer from Ashford and St Peter’s Hospital’s (on far right), front of group: two children from First Steps Day Nursery

On Tuesday 3rd July Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals staff and volunteers were joined by special guests to bury a time capsule as part of the celebrations for the 70^th birthday of the NHS.

The event was all about preserving the present for future generations, so children from Magna Carta Secondary school and First Steps Day Nursery (the nursery on site at St Peter’s Hospitals) came to join in the fun. We were also delighted to be joined by Deputy Mayor of Runnymede, Cllr Parshotam Sohi.