RNIB - Health and Wellbeing

October is Menopause Awareness Month and on the Happy Hour this week we’re going to focus on the link between strong muscles and heart health.  New research by the British Heart foundation shows that over a third (34%) of women aged 40-70 aren’t aware that perimenopause and menopause can cause them to lose muscle more rapidly. Furthermore, separate research part-funded by the charity has linked stronger chest and back muscles with a lower likelihood of heart attack.We’re joined now by  Prof. Michelle Williams, a Professor of Cardiovascular Imaging and Honorary Radiology Consultant at the University of Edinburgh and NHS Lothian.Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white and black background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a smaller font. 

 Angela Ricketts is an author, speaker, artist, entrepreneur, advocate, wife, and mother of three whose life and work are rooted in helping people feel seen, supported, and hopeful. She is also the founder of Sight Stones, a non-profit dedicated to building community and finding and funding cures for rare retinal diseases. She joined Happy Hour's Paulina Kuchorew to talk about her work and also her new book, Never Lose Sight.Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white and black background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a smaller font. 

This week on the Happy Hour we’re joined by Saima Ashraf MBE. You might recognise Saima as one of the voices on the Eye Believe podcast, but she also works as a senior auditor and runs the East Lancs Legends Visually Impaired Sports Club in Blackburn.She spoke with the show's Paulina Kuchorew about how she got involved in the sport and why she would encourage everyone to try it.Image shows Saima in a blue t-shirt laugh as she holds an award for East Lands Legends, a medal around her neck. She has long dark hair pulled back in a ponytail.

Yoga teacher Dawn Blezard returns to the Happy Hour for another Off The Matt chat.This month, she reflects on her recent challenge, which saw Dawn and her yoga community walk the Jurassic Coast Walk over the course of three days in support of RNIB.Dawn shares how years of yoga practice and also having a friendly community and a good cause in mind makes all the difference.You can find out more about Dawn by searching for "Pathway Yoga with Dawn" on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube. Dawn also has a podcast: Seeing Within Podcast. Image shows a birds eye view photo shows Dawn holding a pose on her black yoga matt. Her legs are crossed and she holds onto her toes on either side of her body as she looks up at the camera. She has blonde hair set in two French braids and is wearing a lilac long sleeve top with patterned leggings. The yoga matt is black with high contract purple alignment lines, which are designed to help align your body and improve posture during yoga poses.

On the Happy Hour this week we share another personal story. Musician Neil Billinness chats with Paulina about losing his sight after a stroke and turning to music for comfort in hard times following the death of his partner and his dad’s brain cancer diagnosis. We’ll also dig deep into his musical style and inspirations. To find Neil's music, simply search "Neil Billinness music."Image shows: Neil in dark glasses, headphones around his neck and a microphone hanging in front of him. He looks very cool.