Latest news with #SusanVickers
BBC News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Wolverhampton exhibition showcases artworks of people in care
A woman who was adopted as a child says arranging an exhibition of artwork revealing what make care-experienced people happy has been "a joy".Susan Vickers, from Wolverhampton, approached the city's art gallery after noticing "cultural capital" was absent in many people's Makes Us Happy: A Celebration of Joy, Hope & Human Connection features contributions from both children and adults and is on display at Wolverhampton Art Gallery until 29 Vickers, who offers support to the community through the Susan Vickers Foundation, said she hoped "care-experienced people will understand that they can go to these places and feel comfortable and they'll be welcomed". Now 55, she said she came up with the idea for an art exhibition following research for books she has published about her experiences of growing up in care."I was fostered at three months, adopted at 18 months," she explained. "Nobody ever asked me how I felt about being fostered or adopted, how I was feeling at the time."People with similar experiences got in touch to tell her they did not feel supported either. It led her to realise "more mental health support and better understanding" was still launched the foundation 16 months ago to provide courses, therapy and regular meet-ups for children and families as well as adults still carrying trauma."We've supported so many families and it's just been wonderful," she said. Ms Vickers said many people she met told her they had never been to a gallery, theatre or museum, with people who had experienced foster care particularly impacted."They don't have the stability to have a local art gallery or a museum they might visit on a regular basis," she said. "It's a huge loss in people's contributors visiting their displayed artworks had been heart-warming, she said."Just to see their faces when they see something that they've done and experience that they didn't think was accessible to them, its just a joy." The exhibition, which includes paintings of celebrities, biological family reunion photos and a drawing of a McDonald's meal, was officially opened by Wolverhampton's mayor, councillor Craig Collingswood, on Vickers hopes it will give people a "better, rounded understanding of how care-experienced minds work"."They're just like everybody else... we're not some alien race," she said. "Really all they need is a Happy Meal and to have a little pet with them and play football."I wished I'd have had something like this when I was younger, it would have made a world of difference." Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Irish Examiner
25-04-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
How to maintain safe and healthy air quality in your home
Thermal comfort and Indoor air quality (IAQ) are cheerfully referenced when discussing the experience of a new home with an A2 BER, or a retrofitting home with a sustainable heating system and heat recovery ventilation (HRV). But even where we've tightened every split centimetre of the envelope, energy efficiency can never be at the expense of fresh, safe air everywhere in the home. Several studies led by Dr Marie Coggins, senior lecturer in Exposure Science at the School of Physics and a member of the Centre for One Health at the Ryan Institute of NUIG, have found an increase in indoor air pollutants in Irish homes following some deep energy retrofits. Particulate matter (PM2.5) and carbon dioxide (CO2) had measurably increased in some homes without whole-house mechanical ventilation. That's worrisome. So, what can we do as householders to monitor and improve IAQ in our new homes, deep energy retrofits, and every other property in Ireland? Here's the advice of two experts in the field. Susan Vickers is the new chair of Healthy Homes Ireland (HHI), established to highlight the crucial links between health and housing quality. Marie Coggins has a place on its steering group. HHI is an initiative between VELUX and the Irish Green Building Council (IGBC), and it aims to positively influence public policy and practice, bringing stakeholders together to consider how to address the health problems caused by existing low-quality homes. Susan Vickers, chair, Healthy Homes Ireland. Picture: Marc O'Sullivan It also aims to ensure there is no compromise between health and energy efficiency in new builds and renovated homes. Susan Vickers suggests some key actions, including upskilling of the industry in indoor environmental quality; raising awareness in industry and among the general public of the importance of ventilation; and improving communication with home occupiers to ensure they know how to operate and maintain their ventilation system. "There needs to be wider awareness and behaviour change to ensure that everyone gets the necessary ventilation," says Susan. "The financial costs of a mechanical approach can be prohibitively expensive. This is especially true given the lack of grants available in this area. "The positive effects of housing warmth on respiratory health and wellbeing among both children and adults are a consistent finding in research. Insulation, air sealing, and heating upgrades can mitigate health issues such as heat- and cold-related stress, allergies, asthma, pulmonary and respiratory risks, as well as cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, and rheumatism. 'Ireland as the country had the second-highest rate of asthma hospital discharge in Europe in 2016. Fine particulate matter from the burning of solid fuel is responsible for an estimated 1,300 premature deaths per year across Ireland (EPA, 2020). Findings from the Warmth & Wellbeing scheme run by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) have found that retrofitting the homes of people with chronic respiratory disease reduces their usage of GP services, hospital emergency departments, and other hospital services, also reducing the volume of drugs that are prescribed. "However, to improve public health, energy efficiency improvements must be introduced alongside ventilation upgrades/ appropriate ventilation management to ensure that measures, such as draught proofing, do not hinder air flow, and to mitigate the risk of any negative impacts on these factors that could be created by inadvertently locking in toxins and damp.' There's a lot we can do to take control of our IAQ before getting in professional help. 'Passive ventilation (wall vents, for example) has an important role, and people need to be aware of this. "There is no reason not to open the windows — it's still a best practice, although home users should just not leave them open all day in winter, or it will increase their heating bills. Off-gassing from new furnishings and even decorating, together with other imperceptible issues with air quality — there's a lot to consider, especially where any family member has respiratory issues. Shock ventilation using open windows and turning on your cooker hood are still valid short-term solutions. File picture "There are relatively cheap monitors (around €100/€150) that can be used, but we would recommend ventilating the space well for 48h (if possible) when new furniture is being used. are introduced. Radon monitoring is also important in some parts of the country, especially post-renovation work. This typically costs less than €60-€70 and does not require involving any specialists.' What habits by householders degrade air quality even where there is good mechanical ventilation in place? Susan Vickers points to cooking, drying clothes indoors, wood fire, overuse of some chemical products, such as cleaning products, air fresheners and, surprise, surprise, the burning of scented candles (of any wax type). Even burning incense can release problematic agents into our air that hang around in the atmosphere and enter the lungs. There's no need to fly into a panic; just be more aware of what you're introducing to your home (occupant actions). The tiny airborne particulate matter from open fires and stoves is often overlooked, and it's drawing increasing scrutiny. If you have a stove, keep the door closed when the fire is burning, and check that the rooms are adequately ventilated. Don't smoke indoors and don't block wall vents. Beyond the use of CO alarms (along with smoke alarms, vital for every level), if you have a concern regarding radon gas (it can be brought in through small conduits in a home's floor), have the house tested. You can buy a kit with two detectors directly from EPA Registered Radon Testing Services at Go to for everything you need to know about another silent killer. Marie Coggins and her team have shown in their most recent studies that there is a 'growing body of evidence supporting the inclusion of mechanical ventilation as part of deep energy retrofit of domestic dwellings'. In a more airtight home with high levels of insulation, can we be sure the air we are breathing is optimised for our health and comfort? Bryan Buckley, Renewable Energy Advisor with Energywise Ireland, offers his observations. 'Some heat recovery units have sensors in them that will show factors such as CO2 concentration, VOC concentration, and relative humidity. However, these are often optional extras at a cost. "Standalone air quality meters are available that can be placed in any house or building to monitor the air quality. For every house that we retrofit the system into the clients always tell us how much better the house smells, or doesn't smell more like it, that there isn't a puddle of water on the window boards in the morning, that the mould problem is gone or greatly reduced, that the people in the house with allergies, hay fever, asthma are much healthier since getting the heat recovery ventilation system installed.' Building tight and ventilating right is a central tenet of building a sustainable, energy-efficient and healthy home. Could a HRV system be put in DIY, or is it important to engage specialists? What is the installation of a whole-house HRV is just too complicated. Bryans says: 'While it is possible to be installed as DIY, it is important that the system is designed by a ventilation specialist to ensure that the correct ventilation rate is accounted for and that the ducting and other components are sized to suite that ventilation rate. Everything is possible; it comes down to budget and compromises for concealment. "Single room heat recovery ventilation units, or a combination of a ducted heat recovery ventilation system and single room units, may be required to make it work. There are other ventilation methods that can be used, such as demand control ventilation, central mechanical extract ventilation, natural ventilation and positive-input ventilation.' Could we put HRV in single rooms without SEAI grant aid? 'There are single-room heat recovery ventilation units for when there is just one or two problem rooms in a house or as part of a whole house system,' Brian says. 'Some rooms are under a flat roof with no reasonable possibilities for running ducting to that area. Heat recovery ventilation is installed by us in houses as a single unfunded measure for houses that have damp and mould issues. It has always proved very successful.' When your HRV or any ventilation system is being handed over to you by the supplier, ensure you know exactly how to manage your IAQ post retrofit and actively monitor and protect your IAQ just a closely as you did before you jumped to that snug BER.
