Pat Glass MP

Derwentside Mind is a small independent mental health charity based in Derwentside with offices in Stanley and Consett. Derwentside Mind deal with people within primary care services, providing practical and emotional support to people from 14+ years suffering with feelings of depression, anxiety, confusion and loneliness due to emotional, physical or mental illness.

The following event is not based in the constituency but Pat Glass MP is a patron of this charity and constituents who use their services will benefit from the outcomes of these important discussions, so you may like to consider attending this event.

INVITATION

Derwentside Mind, Off East Parade, Stanley, DH9 0PS
Tel. 01207 284723

If you are interested in shaping the future of Derwentside Mind’s services in Stanley then go along for a chance to have your say.

12noon – BUFFET LUNCH
12.30pm – DEVELOPING MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN STANLEY

This event is open to Service-users, Carers, GP’s, Primary Care Workers, Commissioners, Mental Health Workers, Services Managers, Community Workers and anyone working with people who experience emotional distress.

For more information or to book your place please telephone their office on 01207 591705.

Derwentside Mind’s website can be viewed by visiting http://www.derwentsidemind.co.uk

Her Majesty The Queen recently celebrated sixty years on the throne. This is a remarkable achievement and to celebrate The Queen’s lifetime of service and dedication to her duty formal celebrations will take place in June 2012 to mark one of the longest ever reigns by our monarch.

Local businesswoman Maxine Johnson, who runs a successful ‘Personalised Party in a Box’ business called ‘Life’s A Celebration’, met with Pat Glass MP recently to advise Pat of her newly created ‘Jubilee Party Box’ which she hopes will make it easier for people to celebrate the Jubilee and ensure their parties go smoothly.

Pat Glass MP said:

“Maxine took the time to visit my constituency office and I was very interested to hear about her dedication to growing her business and how she helps people have great parties. I hope constituents will join in with the celebrations for the Queen’s Jubilee and I am sure Maxine’s Jubilee Party Boxes will come in very handy for people with a busy schedule like me who may not have time to plan their own event. I wish Maxine all the best with her business.”

For more information on Maxine’s business “Life’s A Celebration” and about her Jubilee Party Boxes, visit her website on www.lifesacelebration.co.uk.

A constituent telephoned me recently and informed me that they received a call from a company alleging they were telephoning to resolve a technical problem on her computer. The constituent had not made any such calls asking for this type of support and was concerned this was an attempt to defraud her.

Research on the Internet suggests that a fraud exists that an adviser will talk the customer through a scan using software they recommend is installed onto the computer, which reveals that a virus exists on their computer system. The customer is then asked to purchase a program to fix this problem. The scam is that the program used to scan your machine erroneously indicates a virus exists when it does not. Often it is vulnerable people, such as someone who is elderly or disabled who are most at risk of these scams.

Below are some pointers to be aware of that could alert you to a possible attempt to defraud you. There are many different ways a scam could be tried via the telephone but most will involve many of the points below;

• Is the call unsolicited (also known as a ‘cold call’)?
• Are you urged to make a quick decision?
• Do you have to pay a fee for a prize, or ring a ‘09’ number (premium) for more information?
• Are you asked for your address, date of birth or bank/credit card details?

Falling victim to a scam can be upsetting, embarrassing and in some cases very expensive so always proceed with care and if you have any concerns, or you simply do not wish to purchase whatever you are being offered during the cold call, end the call immediately.

Pat Glass MP and all of her staff would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The constituency office in Consett and Pat’s London Office will be closed from 4.30pm today for the Christmas break and will re-open at 9.00am on Wednesday 4th January 2011.

In the event that you need to urgently contact Pat in the meantime please contact her via Email. Her Email address is pat.glass.mp@parliament.uk

Pat Glass MP visited Lanchester on 26th November 2011 to switch on the christmas lights.

Pat was joined by children from local schools, residents and local parish councilllors including the Chairman of Lanchester Parish Council and local Durham County Council representative Ossie Johnson (pictured).

Pat Glass MP said,

“I was pleased to be joined by children from the local schools for the Christmas lights switch on. Everybody enjoyed the event, the lights look fantastic and it really enhances the village during the festive period.”

On Friday 9 December 2011 local MP Pat Glass attended the Christmas lights switch on in Willington.

The lights were switched on by Local resident, Trish Greensmith , founder of the Chyrelle Addams Breast Cancer Appeal.

Pat chatted to local residents over a cup of tea and a mince pie.

Pat Glass MP said:

“This event is a great kick off to the festive season for Willington. The Christmas lights look fantastic.

“I was very pleased to be invited along and enjoyed chatting to local residents at what was a popular and festive evening.”

On Saturday 26 November North West Durham MP, Pat Glass visited the Single Homeless Action Initiative in Derwentside (SHAID) to present donations to the local homeless community.

Local resident Eileen Watson organised a collection of food and toys to be donated for secret Santa presents and Pat was very happy to be invited to go along with Eileen and present them to SHAID.

Single Homeless Action Initiative in Derwentside (SHAID) is a group that originally focused on the housing difficulties facing young single people when it was established in 1993; after receiving a National Lottery Grant in 1998 the group was able to work directly with 16-25 year olds in need of housing. SHAID offers a variety of help and support for young people seeking advice on housing.

Pat Glass MP said:

“The work that SHAID does is vital to the Derwentside community. It is essential that young people in our area have the facilities to support and advise them on issues, such as housing, to ensure that they are not threatened by homelessness when they leave home. I am proud to have such a great organisation within my constituency.

“Homelessness fell significantly under the previous Labour Government but since the Tory-led government came to power it has risen by 10.3%. This is extremely worrying news and I am particularly concerned that the government’s changes to housing benefit will only make things worse.”

As new figures released yesterday showed nearly four million Britons were expecting to need a payday loan to make ends meet in the next six months Pat Glass MP called on the Government to take action to tackle the threat posed by high-cost credit providers to indebted families.

The regional data published by R3, the insolvency trade body, on Wednesday 7 December 2012 showed that the North East was found to have the highest number of people worried about their debt levels, with 70% of people responding that they are concerned about their current level of debt.

Speaking following the release of new research Pat Glass MP said:

“These figures show millions of families across the UK are suffering financially as rising costs of living, wage freezes and unemployment hit household incomes. What’s really worrying is that they’re so desperate they’re considering payday loans which have interest rates running into the thousands and which are leading to even more debt. With nearly four million people involved it is simply unacceptable that the Government is refusing to act. That’s why I’d urge all North West Durham residents to sign the e-petition calling for caps on the costs of credit now to tackle these problems.

“Without regulation these companies are being given carte blanche to rip people off with excessive interest rates and loose credit checks. Labour MPs have been campaigning on this for over a year now and this research shows why they were right to be worried. 32% of payday loan customers saying they had to take out a payday loan to pay off another loan and 48% saying the loan made their financial position worse. With half of families now struggling to make it to payday and a wealth of evidence about the problems they cause, how much worse does it have to get before the Government steps in? For the sake of families in North West Durham the Prime Minister should see sense and introduce caps on the costs of credit like they have in other countries.”

If the e-petition receives 100,000 signatures it will go before the Backbench Business Committee to be considered for a debate in the House of Commons. The petition can be found here: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/20219