A Million Hands (Part 2)

So, it’s not a big deal, but… WE GOT A REPLY FROM THE PRIME MINISTER!! We are very grateful that he took time out of his busy schedule to reply to us, and to encourage us to continue with our project. His letter is pictured below (click on it to make it bigger).

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The letter says;

Dear All,

Thank you all very much for your letter. I am so interested to hear about the Million Hands Project and delighted that the 1st North Leigh Cubs have chosen Dementia as the subject they want to learn about for this project.

I believe that for far too long this terrible condition has been ignored, down-played or mistaken as a part of the ageing process when the truth is – dementia is one of the greatest enemies of humanity.

As Prime Minister, I have been clear that I want Britain to lead the way in tackling this disease and we have already taken great strides. Since 2010 investment in research has doubled, hundreds of thousands of NHS and care staff have had specialist training and more than 1 million dementia friends have taken part in awareness across the country.

In November last year [2015] I announced funding for the UK’s first Dementia Research Institute. The institute will have a central UK hub, with links to universities across the country and will draw together world-leading dementia expertise to accelerate the pace of research, develop new diagnostic tests and tackle the progression of the disease.

You might be interested to know that last month I visited Cedar Court Nursing Home in Witney. I met the caring staff which provide excellent care for those affected by this heart breaking condition and many patients and their families.

Good luck with the litter pick up on the 22nd and I am only sorry I cannot join you.

Thank you again for writing and do please keep in touch with me about your Million Hands Project.

Yours Sincerely,

David Cameron

Take Action
As the final part of our Million Hand Project, the Cubs joined in with the village litter pick. Many people who suffer from dementia rarely leave their houses, as it’s somewhere they know, and they feel safe as they can understand their surroundings. We wanted to make the village as nice as it can be for them when they do venture out. By clearing the village of litter, the area was made to look nicer, and meant that when people go for a walk they’re less likely to injure themselves by tripping over litter or by picking it up.

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At the end of the project, each of the Cubs received an ‘A Million Hands’ badge for their camp blanket, as well as stage one of the Community Impact Staged Activity Badge – we hope they’re very proud of what they’ve done to achieve this, and that they continue to help others around them.