Page 6

East_End_Life_09Feb2015

Contact the mayor To contact the mayor, call his office on 7364 4993 or email him at mayor@towerhamlets.gov.uk73 www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/mayor News Well done Deng! CONGRATULATIONS to Deng Yan Sam, who has just been elected the latest Young Mayor of Tower Hamlets. It was fantastic to meet Deng and the other candidates who stood for election. And I was pleased to hear her plans and how she intends to work with her team to improve our borough. But just as exciting for me was the fact that turnout for this election was 72 per cent. This is a really positive reflection of the interest our younger residents have in the democratic process and in their borough. They have a view and they want their voices to be heard. And just as our younger residents are investing in the future of their borough, I am keen to do the same. One key challenge young people face is getting into work. As a council, we’ve invested a great deal in improving the transition into the workplace. We’ve managed to secure more traineeships and apprenticeships than ever before. And we’ve been innovative – last year our fantastic Skillsmatch service, working with our partners, helped 3,000 people into work. With 68.1 per cent of adults in the borough currently in employment – the highest rate for ten years – I’m confident we’re moving in the right direction. And for our young people who choose to continue their education at 18, the future is also bright. Recent government figures show that 65 per cent of our sixth-form leavers go on to university, placing us in the top two inner London boroughs. Again, part of our success has been fantastic partnership working – with universities, businesses and community groups –as well as the refurbishment or rebuilding of all our secondary schools. So, as Deng starts to work with her team to realise the ambitions she has for her two years in office, I’m continuing to work with our partners across the borough, and beyond, to make sure that the commitment and hard work our young people show can be repaid with some fantastic opportunities for further education and employment. Mayor Lutfur Rahman Animal magic down on the ward The colourful designs have helped in unexpected ways. Children get to know their nurses by talking about the featured animals, which builds trust and makes medical tasks much easier. see story below Bright and beautiful art has transformed the children’s wards at Royal London Some of the animal designs on the walls (top); a nurse and her young patient in front of Ella Doran’s curtain designs part of our commitment to easing children’s fears of being in a seemingly strange and scary building, to instead create a warm and comforting place.” The Vital Arts department at Barts Health NHS Trust, which runs the Royal London Hospital, commissioned the artwork using charitable funds. Neesha Gobin, of Vital Arts, said: “Art has proven throughout paediatric hospitals all over the world to be an invaluable aid for staff in building relationships and children’s confidence, as well as positively engaging children who are receiving sometimes painful and frightening treatments.” SCAN CODE TO REGISTER Bartlett Park, Docklands, London E14 Spot the dinosaur… BY JESSICA ODUBAYO YOUNG patients have plenty to look at as they undergo treatment at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel. Artists have been transforming the children’s hospital with bright colours, wall-to-wall paintings, themed rooms and colourful hospital furniture. One of the wards has wooden trees lining the walls and textured mountains that have been decorated by children. Elsewhere there are life-size vinyl animals including a dinosaur peering down from the ceiling, all being looked after by a monkey dressed as a doctor. Typical show home image Research has shown that patients’ experience can be enhanced by improving their environment, and the designs are aimed at giving comfort and reassurance to the 40,000 young people who are cared for by the hospital each year. Textile artist Ella Doran, who designed colourful bedside curtains with a view of the Thames, said: “A three-year-old girl stopped crying the moment she saw the curtains, pointing excitedly to the hidden cats and rabbits – that’s when I knew my design had worked.” Sally Shearer, director of nursing and governance for children at Barts Health NHS Trust, said: “These fun designs are an important 6 NEWS FROM TOWER HAMLETS COUNCIL AND YOUR COMMUNITY 9 – 15 FEBRUARY 2015


East_End_Life_09Feb2015
To see the actual publication please follow the link above