Get creative to beat the blues
Madam,
As 2022 comes to a close, the Christmas lights glisten along our high streets, which means that the short, dark days of January and the blues that follow the festive season are only weeks away.
January is a time that signals new beginnings, change and opportunity. Still, according to the NHS, for over 2 million people in the UK, January can lead to depression, sleep problems, lethargy, feeling down and unsociable. 
For a decade, The January Challenge has encouraged schools, workplaces, prisons, community groups, and individuals to use their creativity to give themselves a boost.
Thirty-one days of simple, fun, free creative challenges land in participants’ inboxes throughout January to help boost well-being and emotional regulation.
Creative activities have been proven to benefit our mental well-being. Those who engaged in as little as two hours a week reported significantly better mental well-being than other levels of engagement. So, The January Challenge is a brilliant way to explore simple and quick ways to tap into our unique creativity and connection with ourselves and others.
Creativity is the use of imagination or original ideas to create something new. Many may say, “But I’m not creative” or “You need fancy tools and crafts to create with”, but we beg to differ. All of our creative challenges can be done using a pen, piece of paper - and your creative imagination! 
To help us celebrate the 10th Anniversary of The January Challenge in 2023, we have been working with brilliant and creative collaborators across the UK who have helped shape the creative challenges.
Our 2023 collaborators include poet Lemn Sissay OBE, award-winning poet and writer Liv Little and deaf performer and storyteller Jonny Cotsen. 
To sign up for The January Challenge, visiit 64millionartists.com/thejanuarychallenge
Jo Hunter 
Founder and CEO, 64 Million Artists

Save a life
Madam,
More than 6,800 people in the UK are spending the festive season/start of 2023 waiting for an organ transplant – and over 220 of these patients are children*. 
These mums, dads, wives, husbands, partners, daughters, sons can only be saved by someone giving them the greatest gift, the gift of life. 
At a time of giving/resolutions to do good, let people know you want to save lives.
Signing up to be an organ donor is quick and easy and makes it easier for families if they know what you want. 
Give hope to the thousands of people and hundreds of children on the transplant waiting list.
Join the NHS Organ Donor Register at www.organdonation.nhs.uk. 
Please tell your family about your decision so that they know what you want.
Anthony Clarkson
NHS Blood and Transplant

No time to book a test
Madam,
I spent a complete morning, attempting to get a blood test appointment at Kidderminster Hospital. I have tried and failed through the hospitals switchboard, I have tried the direct line to Phlebotomy, only after at least twenty attempts, only to have the call finally answered and immediately cut off, before I could speak. 
Later using the same number, my call was answered by an answering machine, telling me my call can’t be answered and that I cannot leave a message. 
Apparently, the service ends at 14 00hrs each day, so even for a part time service, there is no way for patients to access this vital service, despite being a requirement from my own family doctor. 
Name supplied