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Publicity and Propaganda, Etc.
Public lectures to Ratepayers' Associations, Evening Institutes and
Church organisations, etc., on health topics were given during the year.
The Chairman of the Public Health Committee also made reference at a
number of Council meetings to health subjects. Poster displays regarding
Diphtheria immunisation and health topics were also given prominence.
Health and Home Safety Week, 18th—23rd April, 1955
The week was organised jointly by the Ilford Borough Council, the
Essex County Council, and the Women's Voluntary Services, and was
officially opened by His Worship the Mayor. An Exhibition was held at
Messrs. Harrison Gibson's Store and a series of lectures was given in the
Borough's Little Theatre.
The space kindly allotted by Messrs. Harrison Gibson was divided
into five rooms—a good and a bad kitchen, a good and a bad living room
—good and bad from the point of health and home safety. The fifth room
was set apart as a Clinic and was used for nine sessions through the week,
and included vaccination, diphtheria immunisation, B.C.G. vaccination,
two dental sessions, a school medical inspection, an infant welfare centre,
a physiotherapy session and a session devoted to publicising and serving
welfare foods. Apart from the school medical inspection and the infant
welfare centre, everything was an actual demonstration of what occurs in
normal circumstances. The infant welfare centre and the medical inspection,
in view of the nature of the work involved, were of course " put up "
jobs, and merely meant to attract.
It is estimated that some 3,000 people attended the Exhibition.
At the Little Theatre the lectures were held on four afternoons and
dealt with swimming and diving (illustrated by films); a demonstration
by the Women's League of Health and Beauty; a talk by Dr. Grantly Dick
Read on "Childbirth without Fear" (illustrated by film); and a Brains
Trust Panel dealing with the prevention of accidents in the home. The
Panel included the well-known Home Office Pathologist, Dr. Camps.
Many models constructed by the Health Visitors and Women's Voluntary
Services to illustrate various aspects of home safety were on view
at the Exhibition and at the Little Theatre.
A third feature of the week was a film competition, to which local
people, including school children, were invited to submit a script dealing
with some aspect of prevention of accidents in the home. The response
was good and the resultant film will be most useful to illustrate future
lectures.