Paisley Daily Express

28.08.2013

Danger driving rap

A motorist has been charged with driving dangerously on the M8 motorway near to St James Interchange. It is alleged that Gordon Dick, 47, of Lewis Drive, Old Kilpatrick, Dunbartonshire, drove at excessive speed in the face of obvious potential dangers or, alternatively, that he was speeding at 80mph in a 50mph-restricted area in June. When the case against him was called at Paisley Sheri Court, he failed to respond to the charge. Sheriff Susan Sinclair granted the Crown a continuation without plea until September 11 to provide a further opportunity to establish contact and ascertain how he intends to proceed.

NEW SERVICE

40,000 to be pumped into vital support group

Help at hand for people with Huntingtons Disease
Lynn Jolly A new service is being set up at a cost of 40,000 to help people in Renfrewshire who suer from the incurable brain condition Huntingtons Disease.
Renfrewshire Council is joining forces with four other organisations to fund the service, which is being provided by the Scottish Huntingtons Association (SHA) charity. The council will contribute 8,000 towards the costs of the project, with an identical amount being provided by East Dunbartonshire Council and the Community Health and Care Partnerships in East Renfrewshire, West Dunbarton and Inverclyde. Huntingtons (HD) is an incurable brain disorder that has seen diagnoses triple in just 20 years. Scotland now has three times as many people living with degenerative HD compared with the UK average 20 years ago. The condition is a progressive, degenerative brain disorder that causes abnormal physical movements and psychiatric problems. It is hereditary, with a 50 per cent chance of the condition developing in the next generation and there is no cure. e SHA already provides a network of specialists throughout Scotland and the new local services will include carrying out assessments and one-to-one support in the home, training and help through support groups. Councillor Iain McMillan, convener of Renfrewshire Councils social work, health and wellbeing policy board, said: Huntingtons Disease can have a devastating impact on families, due to the fact it is an inherited disease. There are the obvious, debilitating e ects for the person with the condition but their children also have to live with the knowledge that they might develop the illness. The new service will help provide people living with HD, and their families, with the emotional support they need, while also making sure they have the information and coping strategies to manage their condition in the long term. By working together, the local authorities of the Clyde Valley are providing an important service for people that taps into the experience and expertise of the Scottish Huntingtons Association. The SHA, which has a base at the St James Business Centre, in Paisley, is the only charity in Scotland working directly with HD families. Chief executive John Eden said: Since we started back in 1989, our most important goal has been to establish specialist support services across Scotland. Securing this funding takes us one step closer to achieving this goal. Step by step, we are steadily rolling out our services to more and more families whose lives have been blighted by HD. We will now be able to deliver our lifeline support to around another 240 families living with the condition in the Clyde Valley area. The life expectancy for people with Huntingtons Disease is approximately 20 years after symptoms start to be apparent. Full-time care is required in the later stages of the disease. M
A support group meets at the ACCORD Hospice, in Morton Avenue, Paisley, on the second Monday of each month. To nd out more, call the SHA on 0141 848 0308 or visit www.hdscotland. org

Safe Sun viewing

Paisleys Coats Observatory is holding its next solar viewing session tomorrow. Telescopes dedicated to safe Sun watching will be set up in the observatory garden, allowing visitors to see detail such as sunspots, solar ares and prominences. The event will run from 2pm to 4pm and is free. ere is no need to book. For further information on solar viewing sessions, call Coats Observatory on 0300 300 1210.

Support Councillor Iain McMillan