Feather boa Friday
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Wheelchair Accessible Crazy Golf Is ‘UK’s First’
It is claimed a new wheelchair-height attraction is the ‘UK’s first purpose-built outdoor destination for accessible crazy golf’.
The 12 hole, Alice In Wonderland themed obstacle course is a blend of crazy golf and snooker, with participants using a cue instead of a putter.
Fairytale Farm in Chipping Norton was opened in 2013. It has been designed around the needs of children with sensory, learning and physical disabilities but built for all young people to enjoy.
Owner Nick Laister said the new attraction “underlines why we launched Fairytale Farm in the first place: to provide a space where everybody – regardless of their disability or background – can join in and have fun.”
Mr Laister said “Crazy golf and snooker are two popular family sports in the UK, and as far as we know, there are no other outdoor attractions that have merged the two sports together in the way that we are doing.
“My daughter, Olivia, has cerebral palsy, and so I know how much of a difference fully accessible attractions can make to helping families create fun and joyful memories together.”
Nick and Nicola Laister spent almost five years creating Fairytale Farm, which was opened by former Prime Minister David Cameron.
The farm also features adventure playgrounds, and animals including ponies, pigs, alpacas, goats and rheas, a species of bird from South America.
Tributes After Death Of Councillor Frank Letch
Tributes are being paid to the chairman of a district council who died on Tuesday.
Frank Letch was chairman of Mid Devon District Council, the Devon County Council member for Crediton, and was appointed an MBE for his charity and community work.
Letch, a father of five, was born without arms and went on to a successful career as a teacher while also exhibiting dogs at Crufts and campaigning for several charities while serving as a councillor.
Colleagues at Mid Devon said throughout his career he would advocate “for fairness and representation for everyone”.
‘Close to his heart’
Luke Taylor, Liberal Democrat leader of Mid Devon District Council, said: “Frank poured his heart and soul into local politics and would always represent his communities to the highest of standards, as he would expect from us all.
“He never shied away from stepping forward to represent others, be that through his role as a local councillor or through supporting charities and organisations close to his heart.”
Letch was mayor of Crediton for 13 years and served on Mid Devon District Council from 2015 and on Devon County Council from 2021.
Taylor said: “This council will be a poorer place without Frank’s dedication and enthusiasm to local politics and he will be missed by elected members from across all parties.”
Letch was born in June 1944 in London. He studied French and Italian at Birmingham University and lived in Wales and Scotland before moving to Devon in the mid-1990s.
The council said his response when asked about his disability was: “Most people know that I was born without arms.
“Nobody knows why and it doesn’t really matter if they do because it won’t change anything, will it?”
Letch had roles with several charities, including Reach, Devon in Sight, the Jubilee Sailing Trust and a local preschool and was awarded the MBE in the New Year’s honours list in 2015 for his work in the local community.
Letch had five children with his wife Helen, who died in 1990. His second wife Natalia is a member of Mid Devon District Council.
Devon County Council will hold elections on 1 May and a full list of all of the candidates is available here.
Publicising with pleasure on behalf of CPotential.
Join Our Dance Study for Children and Young People with Cerebral Palsy
Ricarda Tillmann is an Advanced Clinical Practitioner in paediatric neuro-orthopaedics at the Royal London Hospital and is currently pursuing a PhD at Queen Mary University of London. Her research is supervised by Professor Dylan Morrissey and Dr Manuela Angioi (QMUL), alongside Professor Jane Simmonds (UCL).
Ricarda is now recruiting children and young people with Cerebral Palsy (CP) to take part in a unique research project involving:
- A 10-week inclusive dance programme
- A one-week accelerometer wear study to monitor activity levels
We are looking for:
15 children (ages 5–12)
15 adolescents (ages 13–18)
Why Is This Study Important?
Children and young people with CP are often less physically active and are three times more likely to develop health issues such as diabetes, stroke, or cardiorespiratory conditions later in life.
Dance is a fun, expressive, and engaging form of physical activity that could help improve health, fitness, and overall wellbeing.
Who Can Take Part?
We’re looking for participants who:
Are aged 5–18 years Have a diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy (GMFCS I–III) (GMFCS IV may be eligible if able to participate in a 1-hour session using a walker) Can take part in group dance sessions independently
Mobility aids such as walkers, crutches, or sticks are absolutely fine — you can also use a wheelchair outside of class.
Who Cannot Take Part?
Children and young people will not be eligible if they have:
Received Botulinum toxin in the 3 months before or during the study Had surgery within 6 months before or during the study period
When and Where?
Dance classes will begin in the first week of May, most likely on Wednesdays
All sessions and assessments will take place in East London (Mile End Hospital / Campus)
Interested in Joining?
Please get in touch with:
Ricarda Tillmann
r.tillmann@qmul.ac.uk
We look forward to hearing from you!
Writer Proud Of ‘Groundbreaking’ Bilingual Show
The writer of a “groundbreaking” new bilingual thriller which uses both British Sign Language (BSL) and spoken English has said he is “proud” to see the show on the screen.
The four-part series, called Reunion, was written by William Mager from Bristol and stars actors Eddie Marsan and Rose Ayling-Ellis.
The show follows a deaf man determined to right his wrongs while unearthing the truth behind the events that led him to be jailed.
Mr Mager, who is also deaf, said he wanted to write something “thrilling” that “just happened to include a deaf character”.
The screenwriter said the show feels like a “new way of telling these stories”.
“We’ve had stories before that have deaf characters in them, but having a group of deaf actors and deaf characters and hearing characters who use sign language as well is unusual,” he said.
“Scenes with two deaf characters conversing one another together in sign language and subtitles for hearing viewers – I think that’s groundbreaking maybe.”
Mr Mager said he is “really proud” of the script, which he said he wrote for himself.
“I wanted to write something thrilling and appealing that just so happened to include a deaf person who uses sign language,” he added.
Bristol actor and radio BBC Radio Bristol presenter Joe Sims, who also stars in Reunion, said he is “absolutely delighted” to be part of the show.
“Billy is a good friend of mine. I read it [his script] and it was absolutely incredible,” he said.
The four-part series aired on Monday evening and can be watched on the BBC iPlayer.
Disability Groups ‘Stepping Back’ Over Benefit Cuts
A number of Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations have told the BBC they are considering stepping back from working with the government over proposed benefit cuts.
The organisations, known as DPPO’s which are run for and by disabled people, say there has been a lack of genuine engagement from the Labour government.
It comes as it launches accessible formats of the consultation on the cuts, triggering a 12-week period for people to give their views.
Sir Stephen Timms, Minister for Social Security and Disability, said the government needs the opinions of disabled people to move forward.
Appearing on the BBC’s disability and mental health podcast, Access All, Sir Stephen said: “I very much hope that they will carry on talking to me because I need to know what they think about these proposals.
“I want to make sure that the views and voices of disabled people are at the heart of what we do in this area, [as well] as elsewhere across the government.”
Ms Hadi said: “Currently, Disability Rights UK, continues to have dialogue with Ministers, as we believe it is important to express the depth of opposition to Government plans.
“Having said this, we will reconsider our position, should the wider disabled people’s movement decide to take a different stance.”
Svetlana Kotova, director of campaigns and justice at Inclusion London, another DDPO, said it was also “”considering its position on engagement”.
She said: “Massive cuts to financial support will push disabled people, including children, into poverty, the government is not even consulting on the most significant cuts”
Suspended Labour MP, John McDonnell, who represents Hayes and Harlington in Parliament and previously held the position of Shadow Chancellor, also told Access All of his “shock and anger” at the plans, and said he was “praying” for a government U-turn.Media caption,
Listen to Sir Stephen Timms, Minister for Social Security and Disability, talk about the controversial benefit cuts
Initially, the government’s reforms to benefits were intended to make savings of £5bn a year by 2030, but the Office for Budget Responsibility has revised government figures, projecting a lower net saving of £3.4bn.
The government says that without radical reforms to the benefit system it could cost the tax payer as much as £70bn annually by the end of the decade.
To make savings, other planned changes include freezing extra payments for existing claimants of Universal Credit and almost halving them for new applicants.
The government says some of the money saved will be reinvested into work programmes targeting youth unemployment.
Alongside the 12-week consultation, which ends on 30 June, the government has announced the formation of “collaboration committees” which will involve civil servants working with disability experts and those with lived experience to “provide discussion, challenge, and recommendations” to inform government proposals.
New Scheme Lets Shoppers Spend A Penny For Free
Visitors to a market town can now use shop toilets without the pressure of buying anything.
The community group About Dereham said its new Spend a Penny, external scheme was launched in response to the Norfolk town only having one public loo.
The scheme, backed by Norfolk County Council, came after a Liberal Democrat investigation found that the number of public toilets in Britain fell, external by 14% between 2018 and 2023.
Glynn Burrows, chair of About Dereham, said: “At the moment, we have a dozen businesses, organisations, churches…we are just hoping during the year other businesses do come on board.”
Mr Burrows claimed the town’s only public toilet was down a “horrible alleyway”.
“It was the victim of an arson attack on a bin, which damaged the toilet as well,” he said.
“It’s not a nice place to go, but then again, most public toilets are not nice places to go.”
Places signed up to the scheme have put a large penny sign in their window to show their support.
Ian Odgers from Dereham Aid Centre said they decided to take part as it was a good use of the centre’s facilities.
“It’s all about getting them into the town and them not feeling any pressure to come in and use the facilities,” he said.
“There’s wonderful places to visit and the longer people can spend in the town centre, the better.”
Raymond Martin from the British Toilet Association welcomed the new initiative.
“Councils around the country do not legally need to provide public toilets, but they want to look after people with accessibility issues, families with young children, families coming into the towns, but there is a severe lack of money and a severe lack of investment,” he said.
“Every person around the country when they leave home, when they go away from home they are going to need to use the toilet at some point therefore we must get our sanitation and hygiene sorted out.”
Accessible Play Area Like ‘Weight Has Been Lifted’
The mum of a boy with autism said taking her son to a charity’s accessible play facilities feels like “a weight’s been lifted”.
Gympanzees, a Bristol charity offering play spaces to children and young adults with disabilities, is building a new fully accessible exercise, play and social centre next to Severn View Services, in South Gloucestershire.
Michelle, 37, said the facility will give her and son Conor, who was diagnosed with autism a few years ago and is non-verbal, a place to properly relax.
The charity has so far raised £4.5m of the £8m it needs to finish building the specialist centre, with the hope of opening it in June 2026.
‘Heartbreaking’
Once built it is believed it will be the first of its kind in the UK.
“When you become a parent to a child with a disability, you realise how the world is not set up for our children. It’s heartbreaking.
“But Gympanzees is different because it gives us the opportunities we don’t get anywhere else, from the equipment to the staff, everything is just not available anywhere else,” Michelle said.
“For me personally, it’s a relief. When you walk through that door, you know you can relax, we know that Conor is safe,” she added.
Jen, 45, who works for Gympanzees, said she wants to help raise awareness of the charity on World Autism Day, to support the new specialist facility.
Her son Flynn, 10 was diagnosed with autism in 2022 and has a severe expressive and receptive language disorder, which means he struggles with social interactions.
Although Flynn can often mask his challenges in public he expresses his true feelings at home, with the world a “really challenging place for him,” Jen said.
“It’s tricky with autism and other neurodivergent conditions, their actions get mistaken as bad behaviour and tantrums but it’s not the case.”
So, she said, even if just one person can look at our family and feel compassionate, that is a win.
‘Incredible’
Jen said Gympanzee’s is the one place Flynn can come and be “truly relaxed, and he’s exercising and having fun without even realising it”.
The new centre will feature 11 fully inclusive rooms, a horizontal climbing wall accessible for all children and two storey soft play with a wheelchair lift.
“I think it’s a shining example of acceptance and individuality and nobody falls out of place [here], which is hugely important.”
“Gympanzees is the most incredible place ever,” Flynn added.
Couple Face Deportation From Australia Over MS
A British couple who face being deported from Australia after one of them was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) have said it is not fair the life they built could be taken away “any minute”.
Jessica Mathers was told the potential cost to health services of treating her condition meant her 2023 application for permanent residency alongside boyfriend Rob O’Leary was rejected.
The 30-year-old, a project manager and DJ from Macclesfield who has lived in Sydney since 2017, said the couple had been “living in a state of uncertainty” for years as they waited for an outcome of an appeal against the decision.
The Australian Department of Home Affairs said it cannot comment on individual cases.
Ms Mathers and Mr O’Leary, 31, from East London, met while backpacking in the country in 2017 and have lived there ever since.
He started a business in the carpentry and construction trade three years ago, and said the couple had “made the most of our lives here”.
But Ms Mathers’s diagnosis of the relapsing-remitting variant of MS in 2020 has led to a visa battle with authorities that could see the pair thrown out of the country.
Symptoms are typically mild for this form of MS, according to the NHS, but about half of cases can develop into a more progressive form of the disease.
She has received treatment in Australia under a reciprocal health agreement with the UK and said her condition had been “well managed” so far.
But the couple’s requests for permanent residency were rejected in 2023 due to the costs associated with her medical care.
Non-citizens entering Australia must meet certain health requirements, including not having “unduly increasing costs” for the country’s publicly-funded healthcare service Medicare.
The couple lodged an appeal with the Administrative Appeals Tribunal after the visa rejection in 2023, and have been waiting for the past two years for an outcome.
Mr O’Leary said they had offered to pay the medical costs themselves or take out private insurance, “but the law is black and white, and the refusal is based on that, it’s really hard for us”.
They have started an online petition to call for Australia’s Minister for Home Affairs to review their case and look into immigration policies that “unfairly target individuals with well-managed health conditions”.
Mr O’Leary said the couple were “not asking for special treatment” but a chance to continue “working hard to contribute to this country in meaningful ways”.
He said: “We’ve always paid tax, we’ve always worked, Jess has done heaps of charity work.”
Ms Mathers said the couple had been “stuck not knowing what to do” as they waited for the outcome of their appeal, which had made it difficult for her to find anything other than temporary work.
She said: “It’s held up our whole life, it’s really upsetting.
“We know that we could get a refusal from the tribunal and then get given 28 days to leave the country, at any minute.
“We’ve got so much opportunity in Australia, and to walk away from it would be so sad.”
Deaf Woman Models Cochlear Implant In British Vogue
A young woman with a hearing impairment has featured in British Vogue, modelling designer hearing aid covers.
Imy Harris, 22, from Cheltenham, was featured in the February edition of the world-famous fashion magazine, published on January 15, after working with designer Destiny Pinto, who creates fashionable medical devices.
Ms Pinto recently won the Vogue and BMW Future Creators competition and Ms Harris was chosen to model her designs.
“I had massive imposter syndrome, but it was incredible,” said Miss Harris, who has also appeared on this year’s series of Channel 4’s Great Pottery Throw Down. “So many people will look at that magazine and be able to relate.”
Miss Harris was born deaf and had two hearing aids but she said she mostly relied on lip reading.
She explained that growing up she did not see anyone like her on television or social media until her late teens.
When face masks were introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic, it meant she found it very difficult to understand people.
She did not want to get a cochlear implant because she was “embarrassed to have something so visual” and “didn’t want to embrace it”.
However, since having her operation in December 2023, she has felt “amazing”.
She said it made her feel “stronger and happier”.
“In the last two years I have accepted who I am because I can either be unhappy for 80 years of my life, or accept it and make some change,” she added.
Unlike hearing aids, a cochlear implant does not amplify sounds, it sends sound signals directly to the auditory nerve, bypassing damaged parts of the inner ear.
It has external parts including a microphone and speech processor, but it also has an internal receiver which is implanted under the skin behind the ear into the cochlea.
‘Barriers can be overcome’
When she was recovering from her operation, she decided to apply for season eight of The Great Pottery Throw Down, which aired on 5 January, and made it through the audition process.
“On the first day I was there, they connected my implant, by bluetooth, to the microphone the judges were wearing.”
This meant that even if she sat on a far away table she could still hear them.
She said this was a huge positive because “these barriers can be overcome, and people who don’t have disabilities get the opportunity to learn about someone who is different”.
She added that her mother had supported her the whole way through each journey and that she “wouldn’t be here” without her.
Product of the day
‘I Was Lucky To Lose My Leg’, Says Disabled Racer
A driver at a West Sussex disability motorsport team has said he never thought he would realise his racing dream “in a million years”.
Paul Fullick races for Team BRIT, an all-disabled competitive racing team, based near Washington.
Paul, who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident in 2021, said: “I wanted to be a car racing driver ever since I was a little kid but it was always out of reach financially.
“I was really lucky to lose my leg because it gave me this amazing opportunity to come and do this racing with these amazing people.”
Team BRIT held a behind-the-scenes day on Friday, welcoming a group of race marshals to tour their headquarters, with the aim of educating them on how best to work with disabled drivers – particularly in crashes.
Paul said in a previous crash he’d had a marshal help him who didn’t know he had lost a leg.
“She was unaware I was an amputee and thought that that had just happened. She started to panic, I started to panic,” he said.
“We look back and laugh now but that communication is really key with all involved to get the safety where we need it to be.”
Team BRIT was first set up to help rehabilitate ex-servicemen and women, who had suffered injuries, through go-kart racing.
The team has since expanded to several cars and competes alongside able-bodied drivers.
Engineering director Al Locke said: “It’s been quite a journey. It’s the most rewarding thing that I’ve ever not only done, but seen done, in motorsport. Working with these people is everything to us.”
Racing driver Aaron Morgan said Team BRIT had a big year planned.
“We’re able to compete on a completely level playing field. We go out there to win. Me and the rest of the team are absolutely buzzing for the season to kick off,” he said.
‘Nothing Stops Me,’ Says Surfer With One Leg
“Nothing stops me when I set my mind to it.”
Pegleg Bennett, 55, grew up surfing with one leg and has conquered some of the biggest waves in the world.
Now his story, along with many others, is part of Surf!, a celebration of 100 years of surfing in Cornwall.
Born with a birth defect that led to the amputation of his foot at 13 months old, Pegleg learned to surf without a leg, initially using a beach activity leg provided by the NHS.
“I didn’t want to be sat on the beach, I wanted to be involved,” he said.
He even drilled holes in his prosthetic leg to improve its functionality, much to the dismay of his prosthetist.
“The kit we are using now, from carbon fibre and titanium, has taken my surfing to another level,” he said.
Para surfing has undergone a revolutionary transformation, according to Pegleg, who changed his name by deed poll.
The turning point came in 2015 when the International Surfing Association (ISA) hosted the first Adaptive Surfing World Championships, bringing together surfers from around the globe.
Since then, the sport has exploded in popularity, said Pegleg, with the adaptive surfing, or para sufing, community becoming the fastest-growing segment of the surfing world.
Team England para surfing team is now ranked seventh in the world, its highest-ever placing, with world champions among its ranks.
“When surfing began in Cornwall in the 1960s, there wasn’t any recognition for para surfing,” said Phil Williams, Team England para surf manager.
“There was a lack of understanding, equipment, and support, making it quite challenging. Thankfully, that’s changed now.”
English para surfing has consistently performed well on the international stage and the sport is thriving in Cornwall, with athletes like Melissa Reid, a three-time world champion in the visually impaired category, and two-time world para surfing champion Charlotte Banfield.
“It’s in good shape. we have some amazing athletes coming through,” said Williams.
The Surfing England Para Surfing Roadshow, showcasing the world of para surfing to newcomers, kicks off on 10 May in Bournemouth, with further sessions on dates through to September at The Wave in Bristol, Scarborough, Bude, Croyde and South Shields.
Pegleg said he was “honoured” to have his surfboards and a prosthetic leg and other items exhibited Surf!, at the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth until January 2027.
Charlotte Banfield’s adaptive board and gold medal both also feature in the show.
Sam Bleakley, who curated Surf!, said: “Adaptive and para sports have really flowered in the last 15 years, and what’s fantastic about surf culture in Cornwall is that we have world champions from the para community.”
Although para surfing narrowly missed out on the 2028 Los Angeles Games, there is strong hope for its inclusion in the Paralympics in Brisbane in 2032, and the opportunities that could bring for extra funding.
As for Pegleg, the waves keep rolling and he is still chasing swells.
“As far as my competition life goes, I’m gonna keep competing as long as I can, until my body says you’ve had it or the purse strings go,” he said.
“I just want to keep surfing forever.”
Me and hello Kitty celebrating the character and shows birthday in the hello Kitty café on Saturday me hugging the hello Kitty
‘Makaton Has Made Our Bond So Much Stronger’
“Since we’ve been able to communicate, our bond has become so much stronger”, says mum Tasha of her son TJ.
Tasha, from Derby, is now learning to become a Makaton tutor after she mastered the language programme to communicate with TJ, who has Down’s syndrome, is autistic and non-verbal.
She decided to share her journey of learning Makaton with TJ on TikTok in 2023 and has since gained over 360,000 followers, whilst raising awareness of children with special educational needs (SEN).
Speaking to BBC Radio Derby, Tasha said: “A lot of my followers are parents, carers of the SEN community themselves. I’ve had people tell me that they have learnt lots of things from us, it’s been amazing.”
‘Changed our life’
Tasha said TJ, now aged 15, “spent a lot of his first years” in hospital.
“The doctors said he’d never walk, never talk, and we were told he would be lucky to reach his teenage years, but he’s proved every professional wrong,” said Tasha.
Before learning Makaton with TJ, Tasha found it “extremely hard” to communicate with her son.
“When he was around nine months old, he went to nursery, and we tried to use very basic sign language to communicate with him,” she explained.
“He then learnt more sign language at primary school, but I wasn’t being taught what he was, so I had no idea what he was trying to tell me,” she added.
Tasha then discovered Makaton through music, which she said “changed our life”.
Different to British Sign Language (BSL), Makaton is a language programme that uses symbols, signs and speech to enable people to communicate.
It is used in the CBeebies show, Something Special.
The symbols are simple black and white drawings that show what words mean.
They make it easier to communicate a message and can be used by people who prefer not to sign.
Now able to speak to TJ fluently, Tasha said sharing their journey on social media had been “amazing”, with followers from the US, Australia and New Zealand.
She said she originally started posting on TikTok for a fundraiser to help build a sensory garden for TJ.
“As time went on, I decided I didn’t want to use TikTok to ask for help; I decided I wanted to give back,” said Tasha.
“Everyone has seen us start as a mum and son that didn’t know how to sign together properly, to being a mum and son who are signing together fluently.”
Having a chip in your brain that can translate your thoughts into computer commands may sound like science fiction – but it is a reality for Noland Arbaugh.
In January 2024 – eight years after he was paralysed – the 30-year-old became the first person to get such a device from the US neurotechnology firm, Neuralink.
It was not the first such chip – a handful of other companies have also developed and implanted them – but Noland’s inevitably attracts more attention because of Neuralink’s founder: Elon Musk.
But Noland says the important thing is neither him nor Musk – but the science.
He told the BBC he knew the risks of what he was doing – but “good or bad, whatever may be, I would be helping”.
“If everything worked out, then I could help being a participant of Neuralink,” he said.
“If something terrible happened, I knew they would learn from it.”
‘No control, no privacy’
Noland, who is from Arizona, was paralysed below the shoulders in a diving accident in 2016.
His injuries were so severe he feared he might not be able to study, work or even play games again.
“You just have no control, no privacy, and it’s hard,” he said.
“You have to learn that you have to rely on other people for everything.”
The Neuralink chip looks to restore a fraction of his previous independence, by allowing him to control a computer with his mind.
It is what is known as a brain computer interface (BCI) – which works by detecting the tiny electrical impulses generated when humans think about moving, and translating these into digital command, such as moving a cursor on a screen.
It is a complex subject that scientists have been working on for several decades.
Inevitably, Elon Musk’s involvement in the field has catapulted the tech – and Noland Arbaugh – into the headlines.
It’s helped Neuralink attract lots of investment – as well as scrutiny over the safety and significance of what is an extremely invasive procedure.
When Noland’s implant was announced, experts hailed it as a “significant milestone”, while also cautioning that it would take time to really assess – especially given Musk’s adeptness at “generating publicity for his company.”
Musk was cagey in public at the time, simply writing in a social media post: “Initial results show promising neuron spike detection.”
In reality, Noland said, the billionaire – who he spoke to before and after his surgery – was far more optimistic.
“I think he was just as excited as I was to get started,” he said.
Nonetheless, he stresses that Neuralink is about more than its owner, and claims he does not consider it “an Elon Musk device”.
Whether the rest of the world sees it that way – especially given his increasingly controversial role in the US government – remains to be seen.
But there is no questioning the impact the device has had on Noland’s life.
When Noland awoke from the surgery which installed the device, he said he was initially able to control a cursor on a screen by thinking about wiggling his fingers.
“Honestly I didn’t know what to expect – it sounds so sci-fi,” he said.
But after seeing his neurons spike on a screen – all the while surrounded by excited Neuralink employees – he said “it all sort of sunk in” that he could control his computer with just his thoughts.
And – even better – over time his ability to use the implant has grown to the point he can now play chess and video games.
“I grew up playing games,” he said – adding it was something he “had to let go of” when he became disabled.
“Now I’m beating my friends at games, which really shouldn’t be possible but it is.”
Noland is a powerful demonstration of the tech’s potential to change lives – but there may be drawbacks too.
“One of the main problems is privacy,” said Anil Seth, Professor of Neuroscience, University of Sussex.
“So if we are exporting our brain activity […] then we are kind of allowing access to not just what we do but potentially what we think, what we believe and what we feel,” he told the BBC.
“Once you’ve got access to stuff inside your head, there really is no other barrier to personal privacy left.”
But these aren’t concerns for Noland – instead he wants to see the chips go further in terms of what they can do.
He told the BBC he hoped the device could eventually allow him to control his wheelchair, or even a futuristic humanoid robot.
Even with the tech in its current, more limited state, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing though.
At one point, an issue with the device caused him to lose control of his computer altogether, when it partially disconnected from his brain.
“That was really upsetting to say the least,” he said.
“I didn’t know if I would be able to use Neuralink ever again.”
The connection was repaired – and subsequently improved – when engineers adjusted the software, but it highlighted a concern frequently voiced by experts over the technology’s limitations.
Big business
Neuralink is just one of many companies exploring how to digitally tap into our brain power.
Synchron is one such firm, which says its Stentrode device aimed at helping people with motor neurone disease requires a less invasive surgery to implant.
Rather than requiring open brain surgery, it is installed into a person’s jugular vein in their neck, then moved up to their brain through a blood vessel.
Like Neuralink, the device ultimately connects to the motor region of the brain.
“It picks up when someone is thinking of tapping or not tapping their finger,” said chief technology officer Riki Bannerjee.
“By being able to pick up those differences it can create what we call a digital motor output.”
That output is then turned into computer signals, where it is currently being used by 10 people.
One such person, who did not want his last name to be used, told the BBC he was the first person in the world to use the device with Apple’s Vision Pro headset.
Mark said this has allowed him to virtually holiday in far-flung locations – from standing in waterfalls in Australia to strolling across mountains in New Zealand.
“I can see down the road in the future a world where this technology could really, really make a difference for someone that has this or any paralysis,” he said.
But for Noland there is one caveat with his Neuralink chip – he agreed to be part of a study which installed it for six years, after which point the future is less clear.
Whatever happens to him, he believes his experience may be merely scratching the surface of what might one day become a reality.
“We know so little about the brain and this is allowing us to learn so much more,” he said.
Disabled People Slam ‘Terrifying’ Changes To PIP
Two people with multiple sclerosis (MS) have told the BBC that government plans to reform disability benefits are “terrifying”.
The government is planning to change the eligibility criteria for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) as part of its reforms to try and save £5bn.
PIP is paid to people in England and Wales who have difficulty completing everyday tasks or getting around as a result of a long-term physical or mental health condition.
Phoebe Day, from Alton in Hampshire, said the benefit was “a lifejacket for those of us who are drowning with the rubbish situation of having a disability”.
Ms Day, who is in her 30s, works for a charity but her MS and severe fatigue have forced her to cut her working hours.
“MS is trying hard to take my career away from me but I am clinging on to it,” she told the BBC.
“If I was to lose PIP, I’d have to work another day and ultimately my body would get tired and I’d probably not be able to work at all.”
She accused the government of “trying to rip” PIP from disabled people.
“PIP is not a luxury. This is an absolute necessity and it’s terrifying and un-stabling, the idea of having it pulled away,” she added.
Under the government’s plans, the eligibility criteria for the benefit will be tightened up from November 2026, potentially resulting in reduced payments for many.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said the government would not “shy away from the decisions that we believe are right to give opportunities to people who can work” but would also maintain “security for those who can’t”.
She added the changes would ensure “trust and fairness in the social security system, and to ensure it’s there for people who need it now and for years to come.”
But pensioner John Stainton, also from Hampshire, asked: “Why are people put under such stress and strain when they have a diagnosed disability?
“It’s important people work for their own sense of purpose and achievement yes, but we do need to make sure there is a safety net so disabled people are OK.”
Mr Stainton, who also has MS, was forced to retire in his early 60s due to ill health.
He was initially refused PIP, before successfully taking the Department of Work and Pensions to court.
He said the benefit “just means I don’t have to worry about spending more on small things which improve my quality of life”.
Dance-Off Raises £36k For Down’s Syndrome Charity
A Strictly Come Dancing-style event has raised more than £36,000 for a charity that supports children and families affected by Down’s syndrome.
The dance-off saw 11 amateurs pair up with experienced dancers to wow some 600 people at Wicksteed Park in Kettering, Northamptonshire, on Saturday.
Among those taking part after months of training was 18-year-old Dylan Smith, who won the audience vote with dance partner Megan Roberts.
“We had an incredible night, it was heartwarming to see the dedication of all the dancers,” said Dylan’s mum, Karen, who founded Ups n Downs with husband Christian.
All monies raised will fund the Kettering-based charity’s activities and support across the county, including speech and language therapy, one-to-one swimming lessons and an advocacy support service.
Lucy Bronze Has Autism
Lucy Bronze always knew she was different.
When she was growing up, the England international, who has won almost every accolade in women’s football, attempted to copy her team-mates’ behaviour in order to fit in.
The 2019 Ballon d’Or runner-up has since enjoyed outstanding success both at home and abroad, winning 22 major trophies while representing Liverpool, Manchester City, Lyon, Barcelona and Chelsea.
A Euro 2022 winner and 2023 World Cup runner-up with England, the 33-year-old is an inspiration to millions of young players and fans. But stats and honours aren’t the only things that make a person.
Her mum had long suspected she may be autistic, but it wasn’t until four years ago that Bronze was officially diagnosed as having autism, external and ADHD , external(attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).
Speaking exclusively to BBC Sport before Neurodiversity Celebration Week, Bronze opened up for the first time about her diagnoses and the impact they have on her life on and off the pitch.
‘I saw things differently to others’
Although Bronze was only diagnosed as autistic in 2021, the news did not come as a huge surprise to her.
“It was something I always knew about in a way,” she says. “My mum had spoken about it from a very young age and noticed things in me.”
At school her condition manifested itself in her struggle to read and spell, and she was diagnosed with dyslexia.
Since childhood Bronze has struggled to sleep, something a sleep expert suggested could be remedied by writing in a journal before bed.
“I’d end up writing a book then,” Bronze says with a smile. “My brain is like 100mph, even when laying in bed.”
Bronze struggles to make eye contact with people during conversation, while her habit of touching her hair during games has been noticed by team-mates and fans alike.
“People think ‘she’s always messing about’, but that’s just me calming myself down without even realising it,” reflects Bronze.
It was during a Lionesses training camp that Bronze learned she had ADHD and autism.
“It didn’t change anything essentially, but it was a bit of an eye opener,” Bronze says.
“I just learned more about myself, understood why in certain situations I saw things differently to other people or acted in a different way to other people.
“Getting to sit down and actually speak through my traits and how it affects me, situations that make me feel good or bad, that was the thing that really clicked in my head and made me feel so much better.”
‘I couldn’t speak to anyone’
Bronze describes how she “copied the behaviour of others” all through her 20s to mask her autism.
The National Autistic Society defines masking as a strategy used to “consciously or unconsciously appear non-autistic”, in an attempt to ‘fit in’ in a neurotypical society.
It can have devastating impacts on mental health, sense of self and access to an autism diagnosis.
“When I first joined up with England I could not speak to anyone,” Bronze says.
“[I remember] Casey Stoney said to me, ‘You’ve never looked me in the eye when speaking to me’, and I was like, ‘It’s not because of you, it’s me’.
“I would watch Jill [Scott] and how she speaks to people. I thought I’d copy her a bit. I’m better at it now but I feel a bit uncomfortable sometimes.
“Hugging people, making eye contact when you speak, those two things I had to learn because they’re seen as the norm, and I found them so difficult.”
Luckily for Bronze, she has always had friends and family around her who understood what makes her feel uncomfortable.
“I’ve got to a point now where people know I don’t like hugs, so they don’t judge me for not doing it,” she adds.
“Before it was so frustrating because I felt I had to do that to make other people feel comfortable, but it made me feel more uncomfortable.
“It’s important for everyone to understand the differences in people.”
‘I’m obsessed with football – training is amazing for me’
Bronze has found that some of her differences have been her strengths.
“How I process things, being super-focused. People always say, ‘Oh, you’re so passionate about football’,” Bronze says.
“I don’t know if I’d say I’m passionate, I’m obsessed. That’s my autism, it’s my hyper-focus on football.”
As someone who started playing senior football at 16, it is remarkable that Bronze is still performing at the highest level at 33.
She says she partly has autism to thank for her longevity.
“Something that is really good for ADHD and autism is exercise. Having that focus, something to do, keeping moving,” she says.
“Training every day is amazing for me. Some of the other girls will be like: ‘Are you sure you’re 33 because you don’t stop?’ All the things I have because of autism have worked in my advantage.”
‘It’s about getting rid of the stigma’
Bronze says that “a diagnosis is not going to change who you are, but understanding who you are is such a good thing”.
She has become an ambassador for the National Autistic Society to help with “raising awareness” and “getting rid of the stigma” around it.
“There were times in my life where things might have been easier for me if there wasn’t a stigma, if I felt I could be more open about it,” Bronze says.
“Being misunderstood when you’re younger is so difficult, which is why I wanted to join the charity.”
Bronze says football has helped her, giving her something to focus on every day and the chance to be constantly active. But what happens when she retires?
“People say they’re worried about what I’ll do when I don’t have football, but I’ll find something else,” she says.
“Even now with football, my head is everywhere with it because I’m so obsessed.
“Not even just playing but the boardroom, the coaching, the physios. I’m obsessed with it all.”
Braille Sign Unveiled At Railway Station
A sign spelling out Colchester in Braille has been unveiled at the city’s main railway station.
The blue and white plaque – which features tactile lettering – is part of an exhibition of artwork created by blind and partially-sighted people.
The exhitibition, called Do You See What I See?, coincides with the 200th anniversaries of both Braille and the birth of the modern railway.
A similar sign has been unveiled at Norwich station.
The exhibition – which aims to raise awareness of how sight loss impacts people differently – has been designed by the Essex Sight Loss Council and was funded with £5,000 from Greater Anglia’s Customer and Community Improvement Fund
The artwork represents a number of different eye conditions, such as peripheral vision loss, and cloudy or hazy vision, based on descriptions from blind and partially-sighted people on the ways they perceive the world.
Visitors can scan a QR code to listen to an audio description of each piece of artwork and the eye condition it represents.
Samantha Leftwich from the Thomas Pocklington Trust, which funds the Essex Sight Loss Council, said the unveiling of the Braille sign was “very exciting”.
“It is tactile, so we want people to come and feel it as well as look at it and admire it for its beauty,” she told the BBC.
“We would like to encourage people to use Braille and certainly tactile lettering more, so that we can also access the information that sighted people get from a visual sign.”
Jonathan Denby of Greater Anglia said: “Having this [artwork] in the waiting room at Colchester is a chance to showcase the role and contribution of blind and partially-sighted people in a rail context.”
Mr Denby told the BBC the heritage railway sign was “the first time that some sort of Braille-related artwork has been put in place on the rail network”, adding the signs showed “how important the rail network is to those people who are blind and partially-sighted in living their lives normally”.
A similar art exhibition has been unveiled at Norwich railway station, with another due to be opened at Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, in the near future.
Upcoming Changes To PIP And UC
The government has unveiled sweeping changes to the benefits system, aimed at saving £5bn a year by 2030.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said the overhaul would create a more “pro-work system” to encourage people to take up jobs, while protecting those who cannot work.
The changes will make it harder for people with less severe conditions to claim disability payments. Extra benefit payments for health conditions will also be frozen for current claimants and nearly halved for new applicants.
And people aged under 22 could be prevented from claiming universal credit top-up payments for health conditions.
The government has not given a precise breakdown of the forecast savings but the bulk are expected to come from changes to eligibility for disability payments.
The overall benefits bill will continue to rise – but Kendall told the BBC the changes would put welfare on a more “sustainable footing” by getting people into work.
Spending on health and disability-related benefits has ballooned since the Covid pandemic, and has been forecast to increase from £65bn a year currently to £100bn by 2029.
The proposals, external are the result of months of work but they have become more urgent with the worsening economic backdrop, which has made it more difficult for the government to meet its self-imposed rules on borrowing and spending.
Charities and some Labour MPs are worried benefit cuts will push disabled people into poverty.
The government responded to their concerns by scrapping plans to freeze personal independence payments (Pips), which provide extra living costs for people who have a long-term physical or mental health condition.
But Kendall said eligibility for Pips – the main disability benefit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland – would be tightened from November 2026.
It will become harder to qualify for the daily living component of Pip, which is for people who need help with everyday tasks and starts at £72.65 a week.
There will be no change to the mobility component, for those who need help getting around.
Kendall told the BBC details on how many people would be affected would be set out alongside Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Spring Statement next week.
The Resolution Foundation think tank has estimated between 800,000 and 1.2 million people could lose support because of restrictions on claiming Pip.Media caption,
Liz Kendall: There is a Labour case for welfare reform
Kendall also announced work capability assessments, which are used to determine whether someone is fit to work and if they can receive additional benefits payments because of a health condition or disability, would be scrapped in 2028.
She said the assessments were “complex, time-consuming and often stressful for claimants”, as well as being based “on a binary can-can’t work divide”.
In the future, financial support for health conditions will only be available through the Pip assessment, based on the impact of someone’s health condition rather than their capacity to work.
Reassessments to determine whether someone is still eligible for benefits will increase, although those with the most severe conditions that will never improve will not be reassessed.
From April next year the extra amount of universal credit for a health condition or disability will be frozen for existing claimants until 2029/30 and cut by almost half for new claimants.
There will be an additional premium for people with severe, lifelong conditions that mean they will never work.
Meanwhile, there will be a permanent, above-inflation rise to the standard allowance of universal credit – equivalent to a £775 annual increase in cash terms by 2029/30.
The government will also introduce a “right to try” to guarantee that people who try out a job will not lose their existing benefits if it does not work out.
The Disability Benefits Consortium, which represents more than 100 charities and organisations, said: “These immoral and devastating benefits cuts will push more disabled people into poverty, and worsen people’s health.”
The SNP said the measures would “harm the most vulnerable” and “mark the start of a new era of austerity cuts”.
Debbie Abrahams, the Labour MP who chairs the Commons work and pensions committee, argued there were “more compassionate ways to balance the books rather than on the back of sick and disabled people”.
However, other Labour MPs agree with the government that there is a moral case for reforming the welfare system to encourage people into work.
The Conservatives said the changes were “too little, too late” and needed to be “tougher”.
Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately asked why the government was only planning to save £5bn annually, when the total bill for health and disability benefits is forecast to rise to more than £100bn a year by 2029/30.
Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokesman Steve Darling said: “If the government was serious about cutting welfare spending it would get serious about fixing health and social care and the broken Department of Work and Pensions.”
Some of the changes will require new legislation, raising the prospect of a rebellion by some Labour MPs during votes in Parliament.
However, the size of the government’s majority limits the threat from a vote.
Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White is set to be released in UK cinemas next week, marking the latest efforts by the film studio to revive a beloved old classic.
But the film, which stars Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, has faced several issues throughout its production.
The movie is being released amid a debate about how the seven dwarfs are represented on screen, while Zegler has made headlines for critical comments about the original 1937 film.
The European premiere was held on Wednesday at a castle in Northern Spain, instead of a more traditional and high-profile location such as London’s Leicester Square.
Dwarfism debate
The debate around the film began making headlines in January 2022, when Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage, an actor with Dwarfism, described the decision to retell the story of “seven dwarfs living in a cave” as “backward”.
Disney has used computer-generated dwarfs in the remake and said it would “avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film”.
But this week, other actors with Dwarfism have said they would have liked the opportunity to play the roles.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, performer Choon Tan said the decision to use CGI was “absolutely absurd and discriminating in a sense”.
“There really is nothing wrong casting someone with dwarfism as a dwarf in any given opportunity,” he said.
“As long as we are treated equally and with respect, we’re usually more than happy to take on any acting roles that are suitable for us,” he added.
Another performer, Blake Johnston, told the newspaper that “we have plenty of dwarf actors out there who are dying for roles like this”.
He said he also said he believed Disney had “succumb to peer pressure on political correctness, which has now given top dwarf actors less work”.
Dinklage, who has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia, criticised the film in 2022 during an interview with podcaster Marc Maron, external.
“I was a little taken aback by [the fact] they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White,” he said, referring to Colombian-American actress Zegler.
“You’re progressive in one way, but then you’re still making that backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess I’m not loud enough.”
The actor had previously spoken about the representation of dwarfism, saying it was “bad writing” to make it a “dominant character trait”.
In a statement released after Dinklage’s comments, Disney said they were “taking a different approach with these seven characters” and had made their decision to use CGI after “consulting with members of the dwarf community”.
Pared-down premiere
The film’s European premiere took place on Wednesday at a remote castle in Spain, which was the inspiration behind the castle in the 1937 original animated film.
Zegler performed a rendition of original song Waiting On a Wish at the event on Wednesday evening in Segrovia, north-West of Madrid.
Most media outlets were not invited to the medieval castle, and Zegler instead performed to a relatively small crowd.
The Los Angeles premiere, meanwhile, will be reportedly smaller than usual for a film of this magnitude, with the stars only expected to pose for photographs and speak to Disney’s in-house crews.
News journalists have not been invited, external to attend the red carpet and therefore will not have the opportunity to interview the film’s cast and creatives.
However, the cast are taking part in a few select sit-down interviews with some outlets as part of a press junket which is taking place this week.
Other controversies
The debate about the seven dwarfs is not the only controversy which has surrounded the film, which has reportedly cost £217m to make.
Early in the film’s production, there was controversy around Disney’s decision to cast Zegler, a Latina actress, in the role of a character deemed to have skin “as white as snow”.
It was part of a drive by Disney to cast a more diverse range of actors to play updated versions of some classic characters.
Halle Bailey, a black actress, was cast in another recent Disney live-action movie, The Little Mermaid. Both actresses faced abuse online after their casting was announced.
Zegler also made headlines after she made critical comments about some elements of the previous animated film.
“The original cartoon came out in 1937, and very evidently so,” Zegler said in 2022. “There’s a big focus [in the original] on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird! So we didn’t do that this time.”
Zegler also called the original film “extremely dated when it comes to the ideas of women being in roles of power,” adding: “People are making these jokes about ours being the PC Snow White, where it’s like, yeah, it is – because it needed that.”
Elsewhere, fans have speculated that there may have been a behind-the-scenes rift between Zegler and Gadot, who plays the wicked stepmother, because the actresses have opposing views on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Zegler has publicly taken a pro-Palestine stance, whilst Gadot is Israeli and served in the country’s army for two years.
However, others have said rumours of a rift are misguided, noting Gadot and Zegler have appeared publicly together on several occasions, including when they jointly presented an award at last week’s Oscars.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the latest in a long line of classic animated Disney stories which have been remade as live-action films.
Other recent live-action remakes the studio has produced include Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Dumbo and The Jungle Book.
Deaf Actress Brings Sign Language To Shakespeare
The first deaf actress to have graduated from the acting school RADA says she hopes her experience has paved the way for other deaf actors in theatre and television.
Sophie Stone has appeared on Doctor Who, Two Doors Down and Casualty.
She is now enjoying her latest role on stage in a production of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth at the Lyric Hammersmith.
She says better ways of working will mean that, in the future, it will be easier for deaf talent to come to the fore.
Action shots of me, taking part in the chalk and pesto drawing workshop with be creative last Sunday
Deafblind Student Adventurer Picked To Start Race
A university student who is deaf and blind has been chosen to fire the starting gun at a city’s half marathon this weekend.
Karolina Pakenaite, who studies at the University of Bath, will perform the honour before joining thousands of others to take part in the 13.1-mile (21.1km) run on Sunday.
The PhD student, who is originally from Southport, Merseyside, is a keen athlete and adventurer. She has previously completed the London Marathon and has scaled the Three Peaks in less than 24 hours.
“I want to break the stereotype around blindness and bring a better understanding,” she said.
Ms Pakenaite has Usher syndrome, a rare degenerative genetic condition that affects sight, hearing and sometimes balance.
When she was diagnosed at the age of 19, she was told her vision and hearing would fade over time.
She has said her guide dog has helped her regain confidence as she has limited peripheral vision and struggles to see in low light.
For the half marathon on Sunday, Ms Pakenaite will be accompanied by a guide, Tom Hutchison.
The pair have only been running together for a week after her previous guide suffered a knee injury, but they said their training is going well.
“The challenges will probably be things we can’t expect,” Mr Hutchison said.
“Things will happen in the race, people will be in front, somebody might fall over, so we just have to be flexible.”
Ms Pakenaite’s ambition is to become the first deafblind person to summit Mount Everest.
She hopes to complete the challenge in 2026.
NHS To Offer Take-At-Home Tablet For MS
Thousands of NHS patients in England with multiple sclerosis (MS) will soon be offered a “take at home” tablet to manage their condition, sparing them hospital visits for injections or infusions.
Cladribine can help people with the active relapsing-remitting version of the disease, as well as more severe, highly active MS, for which it is already used, says drug advisory body NICE.
Broadening access to the drug should give more patients freedom from hospital and free up clinic time, say experts.
The NHS is the first healthcare system in Europe to roll out the treatment.
NICE is expected to issue final guidance for England in April, with access in Wales and Northern Ireland likely to follow. Scotland is also considering it.
There are more than 150,000 people living with MS – a condition that affects the brain and spinal cord – in the UK.
Although it cannot currently be cured, treatment can slow the disease and ease symptoms.
Trials show cladribine can reduce the number and severity of relapses.
The drug targets certain immune cells involved in inflammation and myelin damage in MS.
It is given in two treatment courses, 12 months apart, which would mean patients would take about 20 tablets at home.
The list price is around £2,000 per tablet, but it is not clear how much the NHS is paying since it can negotiate discounts with drug companies.
It is estimated about 2,000 patients could be offered the treatment over the first three years.
Clare Elgar, 37, from Southampton, has taken cladribine for her relapsing MS, which was diagnosed in January 2021 after experiencing loss of function in her right arm and numbness across her face.
Clare says: “Being able to take the treatment at home meant I could maintain my day-to-day routine and not have to travel to hospital. I’m thrilled that the new criteria will now give others like me the opportunity to benefit from this life-changing medication.”
Laura Thomas, head of policy at the MS Society, said: “This decision could particularly benefit people who’d struggle to go into hospital regularly, like younger working-age adults.”
It will also benefit patients considering starting a family, as it’s safe to get pregnant six months after the final course of treatment – which is less restrictive than many other options – according to Ms Thomas.
“We’re so glad that more people with MS will now be able to choose an effective treatment which suits their lifestyle.”
Dragons’ Den Stars To Help Cosmetics Entrepreneur
An accessible cosmetics entrepreneur who got what was labelled the “best deal ever” on Dragons’ Den, has said she wants the industry to become more inclusive.
Millie Flemington-Clare, 26, from Bristol, who has a rare condition called cystinosis, pitched her brand of inclusive make-up products on the BBC One show.
Although she was unable to secure investment, she was given offers of help from three of the dragons.
“I have ambitions of accessibility across industries and products and creating real societal changes,” said Ms Flemington-Clare.
Her range includes anti-roll packaging, sensory-friendly formulas and audio descriptions via QR codes.
“I want an investor who really shares my values and my beliefs and wants to, kind of, change the world with me,” Ms Flemington-Clare said.
She explained she would like to see a large retailer “take the chance and show people the future of beauty is accessible”.
“I would also like to see other brands working with me because I’m not gatekeeping accessible beauty,” she added.
Cystinosis is a rare genetic metabolic disorder that causes crystals to form in many organs of the body, firstly in the kidneys and the eyes, and later in the muscles, pancreas, thyroid gland and white blood cells.
According to the charity Cystinosis Foundation UK, there are only two or three new cases diagnosed each year in the UK.
Ms Flemington-Clare, who is 4ft 7in (1.4m) tall, had to be tube fed until the age of 18 and has had two kidney transplants in the past four years.
“At school I definitely felt different because of my height, and I’ve used make-up as a form of therapy through times of bad health,” she explained.
“This has made me really passionate about making sure everyone can experience the power of make-up like I have.
“It doesn’t have to be crazy innovation because a lot of the time that type of innovation is inaccessible in terms of price, so little changes can make it easier for everyone to use.”
Ms Flemington-Clare had been hoping for a £50,000 investment from one of the dragons, with a 20% share in her business.
On the programme, dragon Steven Bartlett said it was a “really inspiring story” and while it was not a financial investment for him, he was willing to help and invited her to his office to explore how he could support her.
Fellow Dragons Touker Suleyman and Peter Jones also offered to help, while Deborah Meaden said it could be the “best deal” she had ever seen in the den.
“You’ve given away none of your business and you’ve got loads of help,” she said.
Ms Flemington-Clare said: “Being in the den was a challenging, but a pinch me, moment.
“I have been watching the show since I was seven years old and to be on there representing the disabled community and advocating for the change I never saw, is a lifelong achievement.
“This is a turning point for me. I can’t do it on my own and now’s the time that I need to ask for support and get people on board to be able to make my vision become a reality.”
Neighbours Superfan With CP Launches Petition To Save Show
This has not been written about our editor, but it might as well have been!
A Neighbours superfan from Devon said he is desperate to save his favourite Australian soap opera which is set to be cancelled at the end of the year.
Alex Christmas, from Yelverton, launched a petition to rescue Neighbours after it was cancelled again, two years after it was saved by Amazon MGM Studios.
The petition for the show – which first aired in 1985 and was shown on the BBC until 2008 – has received about 1,500 signatures.
Mr Christmas, who has cerebral palsy, said the programme had acted as a “comfort blanket” for him.
Neighbours has aired more than 9,000 episodes since its debut.
Mr Christmas said: “I don’t even see it as a guilty pleasure, it’s an absolute pleasure.”
‘Iconic institution’
The Neighbours fan, who requires 24-hour care, said he watched episodes when they went live at 07:00 GMT on Amazon Prime Video as it gave him the “best start” to his day.
“It might sound ridiculous, but when I’m watching Neighbours, it feels like I’m watching my friends and catching up with mates,” Mr Christmas said.
He said his favourite characters included Karl and Susan Kennedy, Paul Robinson and Roxy Willis.
“I see it as more than a TV show, it’s an iconic institution,” he said.
“It’s also a lifeline because it’s helped cheer me up in my darkest moments.”
Amazon MGM Studios said it was “very proud” to have played a part in the history of Neighbours.
Executive producer Jason Herbison said he was hopeful another broadcaster would step forward to take over the show.
He said: “We value how much the fans love Neighbours and we believe there are more stories of the residents of Ramsay Street to tell in the future.”
‘I Prepare For Hours As A Sign Language Performer’
Before Rebecca Palmer steps onstage, she dedicates hundreds of hours to prepare for her performances.
The 20-year-old, from Penkridge, Staffordshire, is a sign language performer in her spare time, helping to make events more accessible for deaf people.
From analysing scripts and researching song lyrics to rehearsing and visually recreating sound effects, Ms Palmer said preparing for shows was “very complex”.
“There is a misconception that performing sign language involves just stepping on stage but it’s a lot more than that,” she said.
The full-time sound engineer said that using sign language to become every single character during a performance was a “great challenge” that she really enjoyed.
“Engaging with different audiences at every single performance is just magical.”
Ms Palmer started learning British Sign Language (BSL) 10 years ago, before combining her love for the language with theatre to become a performer during her teenage years.
Since then, she has featured at more than 20 events across the West Midlands including at The Alexandra theatre in Birmingham and Wolverhampton Grand Theatre.
She said that sign language was like “creating an art form” and was her favourite way to express herself.
“Once I’m on stage, my head is in the game and I’m in another world, it’s something I absolutely love,” she said.
She recently took on the script of a brand new play Honest Lies at the Lichfield Garrick Theatre which she described as an “extraordinary challenge”.
It involved analysing unfamiliar characters, topics and storylines to depict motherhood and relationships, she said, which was a “privilege” to be a part of.
“This was one of the most rewarding processes and I feel so lucky to share the stage with such talented actors, directors, stage managers and technical team.”
Ms Palmer said that learning sign language had given her the opportunity to learn about deaf culture and the beauty of creating visual interpretations of the world.
“It provides access to a whole new community of people that I really value and love,” she said.
She hoped that the arts would become accessible to all, through providing BSL captioning, audio description and touch tools.
Cinema Offers Subtitle Glasses To Deaf Film Fans
A Kent cinema has become the first in the South East to offer subtitle glasses to deaf and hard of hearing customers.
The Kavanagh in Herne Bay has two pairs of Watchword glasses, which contain mini projectors in each arm that beam a film’s subtitles into the lenses.
The cinema has been trialling the technology since before Christmas and is confident filmgoers with hearing impairments can enjoy all current releases.
“Most modern films now incorporate subtitles this way,” said owner Robert Johnson.
He added: “We used to show films with whole screen subtitles once a month but it wasn’t very popular and we were losing money.
“Now people can see a film with friends whenever they like.”
The glasses cost more than £1,000 each and can have the text broadcast to the user at either of the Kavanagh’s screens, thanks to a Watchword controller box that reads the film soundtrack in the projector room.
“The glasses are unobtrusive but so far we haven’t had anyone accidentally forget they are wearing them and walk out after a performance”, said Mr Johnson.
“It’s made the cinema more accessible to those who previously could not enjoy a night at the movies.”
One regular subtitle glasses user is Janet Blake from Herne Bay, who said she finds them much better than a previous system that involved headphones.
“I’m used to watching subtitles for television programmes so I can catch everything people are saying,” she said.
“They make a big difference and the last film I used them for was Conclave – it’s well worth seeing!”
Mr Johnson said he hopes to purchase more of the subtitle glasses in the future depending on demand and hopes other cinemas follow suit.
“If the major chains start buying these units then it will hopefully bring the purchase price down for all cinemas,” he said.
The Watchword subtitle glasses are available to be booked in advance for most film releases at The Kavanagh Cinema in Herne Bay.
Communication Boards To Help Non-Verbal Visitors
Communication boards have been installed at a popular Dorset beach to help non-verbal children and adults express their needs.
The boards, on Lyme Regis beach, display 144 commonly used words and numbers to assist anyone who has difficulty with speech.
Lyme Regis Town Council said it had also installed the signs in Anning Road and Henry’s Way play areas.
Similar boards are already on display in Dorchester’s Borough Gardens and on Weymouth seafront.
The town council said the signs were particularly beneficial for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), developmental disabilities, or conditions affecting speech and language skills.
A spokesperson said: “Incorporating communication boards into public areas like the seafront and play areas is a meaningful step toward creating environments where everyone, regardless of their communication abilities, can participate fully and enjoyably.”
Disability Snooker Champion Brings Back Gold
A snooker star from Sheffield has claimed the top spot in the first World Disability Snooker Championship.
Gary Swift, who has used a wheelchair since he was 14, represented Great Britain at the contest in Nonthaburi, Thailand.
He secured a 3-1 victory against Thailand’s Numpol Thongpusawan in the Group 1 final.
Returning home after 40 hours of travelling, Swift said he was “tired but feeling great”.
There was rivalry between the two finalists, as opponent Thongpusawan had scored a 3-1 win of his own against Swift during the group stages.
Each had then secured 3-0 wins against their opponents in the semi-finals, before meeting again for the title-deciding match, which would last more than six hours.
Thongpusawan initially took the lead by winning the first frame, putting Swift on the back foot.
But he was able to turn the tables, taking the following three frames and sinking the last pink to be crowned champion.
“I had to dig in deep and fight, but I came back well,” he said.
“It’s every player’s dream when they turn professional to win a world championship, and no-one’s ever won a world championship from Sheffield.”
‘Very inspiring’
He said the victory was “more special” because he shared a home with the city’s Crucible Theatre, which has hosted the non-disabled Snooker World Championship since 1977.
He also hoped that one day the disability championship could make its way to the UK.
Coach Stephen Harrison, who runs his own disability snooker academy, called Swift’s achievement “very inspiring”.
“He’s such a great player, we’ve got like 200 members each week, and they’re looking up to him – kids in wheelchairs, stuff like that – to see they can achieve so much more.”
He added that the pair were campaigning for the reintroduction of disability snooker in the Paralympic Games – it was first introduced in 1960, but dropped after 1988.
“This world championship is a massive movement towards that,” he said.
Shopping For A Wedding Dress With A Stoma Bag
A woman is documenting her experiences living with a stoma bag – including shopping for a wedding dress – because she wants to “normalise it and break the stigma”.
Poppy Williams, 27, from Cardiff, was left with a stoma after emergency surgery in December 2021 and initially thought her “life was over”.
“But then I thought, my stoma isn’t going away. So I can either live with this, in secret, or I can project it to the world and see how it goes,” she said.
Ms Williams said the reaction has been “amazing” and she wants to help other people going through similar experiences.
Stomas are an opening in a person’s abdomen with a pouch placed over it to collect faeces or urine in a stoma bag.
Ms Williams, a supply teacher, said after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, she was “terrified” about the potential of having a stoma bag.
But it is now part of her life, and she has been considering what type of wedding dress will look best with it, as she looks forward to the big day in summer 2026.
Looking back on her journey, she described being rushed to hospital for emergency surgery more than three years ago.
It was there she was told that without one being fitted, “it’s unlikely you will leave the hospital alive”.
She told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast that she initially struggled with it.
“I was lying in hospital after my stoma bag [operation], thinking that my life was over and that I couldn’t possibly live a normal life with a stoma bag,” she said.
But she said her mindset then changed, and she wanted to help others who had experienced the same “horrible, lonely feeling” she had after the operation.
She said she put out a post on her Instagram page about her experience, which got an “amazing” response.
“And I thought, that’s what I needed when I was lying in that hospital bed, so how can I help other people on their path?” she said.
She now has thousands of followers on her page, which offers advice and education about what it is like to live with a stoma.
A recent post shared advice about what it is like to shop for a wedding dress when you have a stoma.
Ms Williams said she needed to consider how the outline of a stoma bag would look in a wedding dress, and how tight the dress would be against the bag.
She admitted she “had a good cry and felt very emotional” before shopping for her dress.
“I thought if I didn’t have my stoma bag, what sort of wedding dress would I pick? And growing up, you always have that vision of you in a white dress,” she said.
But she described it as a positive experience.
She said she accidentally wore a black stoma bag on the day of her fitting, instead of a nude one.
“But actually it was helpful because I could see it through the dresses. I could see where it was fitting, when it would fill up, things like that,” she said.
She hopes talking about her experiences will help other people who might be having similar experiences to her.
“There are so many people that don’t know what a stoma is so I just want to open up the pathway for people who are having surgery today to make it easier for them,” she said.
Disabled Life In Ukraine After Three Years Of War
To mark the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we catch-up with Oleksii and Raisa who previously spoke to Access All.
Oleksii has learning disabilities and, after initially re-locating to Denmark, returned to his group home in Ukraine a few months ago. Raisa runs a nearby respite centre for disabled people.
And we hear from Sara Cincurova, a human rights journalist, who has recently visited a specialist school in Ukraine for disabled children.
This episode also shines a spotlight on teen actress Niamh Moriarty, who has cerebral palsy and was thrilled to break away from the stereotype of disabled characters and play a bully in her new film, September Says.
Plus we hear how surf therapy is becoming a craze for the over 50s in Wales with mental health challenges.
The concert that I’ve got to enjoy last night
🤩🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶
Snooker Legend Davis Surprises Fans With Visit
A group of adults with learning disabilities have spent the day with their snooker “hero” as part of a surprise visit.
Retired snooker player Steve Davis dropped in to Apsley House in Bristol to play with residents who are huge fans of the sport.
Staff at the supported living space, which is home to 14 residents, organised the visit of the former world number one.
“It’s really nice to meet people because then all of a sudden you stop being their hero and you become their friend, which is far more important,” Mr Davis said.
Paul has been living at Apsley house since 1993.
He is a keen snooker player and frequently practices his skills at the pool table in the dining room.
He used to watch Mr Davis play on TV and said he was shocked to see his “hero” walk through the door on Wednesday.
“He’s a legend… I couldn’t believe it,” Paul said.
Fellow resident Adrian first got into snooker 11 years ago and has participated in local tournaments.
“What I like about pool is you get to meet different people,” he said.
“I met Steve Davis today and he’s a top man, a top snooker player and also he’s very good at doing his BBC commentary on the snooker.”
Adrian added that he was “glad” to have played a game with the “legend”.
Mr Davis said it was “lovely” to be described as a hero by others.
“You don’t really realise over the years what people have been watching or how they perceive you,” he said.
“It’s a lovely thing when you realise immediately that you’re amongst friends.
“The barriers are down and that’s really nice. It keeps your feet on the ground… I don’t think you realise sometimes how important it is to be one of the lads,” he added.
Mr Davis also complimented Paul and Adrian’s snooker skills, adding that there was “some good talent” in the room.
Bex Skinner, the service manager from Hft, the charity that runs the house, said the visit had been “fabulous”.
“To have somebody of Steve’s calibre come to visit us puts our name out there and gets [Hft] known,” she added.
Double Amputee Scales Highest Summit Outside Asia
A Gurkha veteran who lost both legs serving in Afghanistan has set a new record becoming the first double above-knee (DAK) amputee to summit the highest peak outside of Asia.
Hari Budha Magar, from Canterbury, made history when he reached the summit of Mount Everest in 2023, becoming the first DAK amputee to attempt and complete this challenge.
He has now set another world first after making it to the top of the 6,961m (22,837ft) Mount Aconcagua, in the Andes mountain range in Argentina, on Saturday.
Mr Budha Magar, who is aiming to climb the highest peak in each of the seven continents by the end of the year, said completing this challenge had given him the confidence to finish the final two.
Speaking at Plaza de Mulas base camp at Mount Aconcagua, Mr Budha Magar said: “I’m very pleased that we made it.”
The father-of-three set out with his team from Mendoza, Argentina, on 9 February, completing the challenge in under two weeks.
Mr Budha Magar joined the Royal Gurkha Rifles at the age of 19. While serving in Afghanistan he stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED) and lost both legs in 2010, aged 31.
He was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the King’s Birthday Honours for services to disability awareness last year.
“I’m trying to do my bit to give some hope and optimism to the people with disabilities or people who are feeling low,” he said.
“I’m trying to raise awareness of disability all around the world, because disabled people can do anything.”
For his Seven Summits challenge he has already climbed Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe, Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, Mount Everest the highest peak in the world, Mount McKinley, the highest mountain peak in North America, and now Mount Aconcagua.
Later this year, he will take on Puncak Jaya in Indonesia, and Mount Vinson, Antarctica, to complete his challenge.
“After summiting the second highest mountain [out of the Seven Summits challenge peaks], I think this will give me more confidence to complete the other two I have left,” he said.
First Place In British Isles Set To Approve Right To Die
A law to give terminally ill adults on the Isle of Man the right to end their own lives is entering its final stages, making it potentially the first jurisdiction in the British Isles to legalise assisted dying.
Anyone over the age of 18 and with a prognosis of 12 months or fewer to live would be eligible, under the legislation being debated in the Manx parliament.
The Bill will not be passed yet, since the isle of Man’s lower house, has rejected an amendment that would have meant people would only need residency on the island for one year to take advantage of the legislation.
The House of Keys continued to insist on five year residency and have sent the legislation back to the upper house.
The move comes as MPs in Westminster are scrutinising a bill that would legalise assisted dying in England and Wales. A separate bill is under discussion in Scotland.
People on the Isle of Man eligible to request assisted dying would have to:
- Be terminally ill and “reasonably expected” to die within 12 months
- Be over the age of 18
- Be registered with an Isle of Man GP
- Have the legal capacity to make the decision
- Have the decision verified by two independent doctors
The measures have been a matter of strong debate in Tynwald, the island’s parliament.
It is likely the bill will receive Royal Assent and become law, with the scheme possibly up and running by 2027.
Jersey – a self-governing territory like the Isle of Man which can make its own laws – is also moving ahead with legislation to establish an assisted dying service.
‘A long and careful process’
Former GP Dr Alex Allinson introduced the private members bill to Tynwald and has been pivotal in ushering it through the legislative process.
He hopes this will be the last time it will need to be debated by the directly elected chamber.
“The passage of this bill has been a long and careful process starting in 2022 and has been properly consulted on, scrutinised and put through a full parliamentary process,” Dr Allinson says.
“It lays the basis for further work to implement a service on the Island for those facing a terminal illness who would like more autonomy and dignity at the time of their death.”
Among the key clauses in the most recent version of the bill are measures on age and length of prognosis.
How does the Isle of Man legislation differ from the Westminster bill?
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill,, external introduced by backbench Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, is currently being scrutinised by MPs in Westminster.
If passed it would become law in England and Wales.
It has some similarities to the Isle of Man legislation – people must be terminally ill, over 18 and registered with a GP.
Both bills spell out the need for patients to have the mental capacity to make the choice and be deemed to have expressed a clear, settled and informed wish, free from coercion or pressure.
The Isle of Man bill says people would be expected to have fewer than 12 months to live, but the Leadbeater bill has adopted a more conservative six months.
The Manx suggestion of needing five years of residency on the island to be eligible is to try to stop people going there to take advantage of the scheme, as people do by travelling to Switzerland’s Dignitas clinic.
On the Isle of Man, two independent doctors will need to agree the request for assisted dying, but Leadbeater has recently suggested that cases in England and Wales could be approved by a panel of experts rather than a single judge, as was originally proposed.
That change has proved controversial, but is one of about 300 amendments being considered by a cross-party committee of MPs.
Meanwhile, the legislation being proposed in Jersey has very similar restrictions to the Westminster plans. However, it has a proposal that would extend the right to die for terminally ill adults with six months or fewer left to live to 12 months for people with neurodegenerative conditions
As with the Westminster legislation, the Isle of Man has experienced some passionate campaigning both for and against the proposed new law.
A third of doctors who responded to an Isle of Man Medical Society survey in 2023 said they would consider leaving if the legislation was introduced.
Some doctors fear the legislation will be a “slippery slope” that will see the scope of the laws extended.
Isle of Man GP Dr Martin Rankin is a member of the Medical Society and is worried about the dangers of coercion, where vulnerable people are pressured to end their lives early.
“The safeguards that are in place on this one, I’m not going to know if somebody has been coerced by a relative into ending their life sooner than they wish.
“So I really won’t be getting involved in it.”
However, there have been some passionate campaigners who have spent years fighting for this legislation.
Millie Blenkinsop-French lost her son James to neck cancer, aged only 52.
It was a very difficult, painful death that cemented her belief in assisted dying for the terminally ill.
“Nobody in their right mind would be against assisted dying if they had to sit, like I did, and watch my son die.
“I wish with all my heart and soul that assisted dying had been in then, I really do, because he would have opted for it. He wasn’t a stupid boy, he was a very intelligent young man.
“And it’ll give an awful lot of people the chance that James didn’t have, give an awful lot of people the chance to say, you know, ‘enough is enough, let me pass over’.”
The Isle of Man legislation now looks set to become law, but as politicians in Jersey, Westminster and Holyrood also consider their own proposals, the wider debate about assisted dying is far from over.
‘My Son Inspired Me To Make Comic Cons Inclusive’
A mum has launched inclusive comic conventions across the country for people with disabilities after being inspired by her son who is autistic.
Zoe Crofts, from Milton Keynes, founded Bolt Events and hosted her first inclusive convention in Northampton in 2022 after she felt other events were not accessible for children with hidden disabilities.
“I have a son who is autistic and I have always found as a parent we couldn’t always do the things we wanted to do,” the 48-year-old said.
To make her events more accessible, they were hosted in smaller locations outside of London and designed to be held in less busy environments where individuals can enter early to adjust to their surroundings.
“We would rather take less vendors and have bigger aisles so people in wheelchairs can come through,” she explained.
“And, if you just need a time out, we will always find a room for you.”
In September, Nicola Nenadovic attended one of the events in Bedford with her son, daughter and two nephews.
Her 10-year-old nephew, Jack, has the rare genetic disorder KPTN syndrome, along with autism and ADHD.
Ms Nenadovic said: “Jack finds crowded situations very scary, but he desperately wants to enjoy these things. He just struggles to understand them.
“He was always really scared of people dressed up.”
To help him feel more comfortable at the event, Ms Crofts explained to Jack that he had the power to control Spider-Man, Iron Man and other characters who were at the event in costume.
She told all the characters to turn around and they were not allowed to look at him until he gave permission. He then walked around with his camera and took photos of all the characters until he was comfortable.
Ms Nenadovic said: “Zoe worked to help him feel comfortable, it was real lovely and he really enjoyed it – it was a job to get him out of there.
“2024 was the first year he wanted to meet Santa and have a photo with him. This had a lot to do with the comic con event and conquering his fears there.
“He keeps asking when can he see Spider-Man again.”
The events featured a retro gaming zone, cosplayers, cars from films, workshops, and more than 100 exhibitor tables full of geeky memorabilia and handmade crafts.
This year, Ms Crofts was scheduled to run 31 events across the country and will visit Daventry, Luton, Ipswich and Walsall.
Ms Crofts hoped her family-run events could set an example that showed conventions could be safe spaces for everybody.
She said: “It’s not just for the child; it’s for the parents and the stress it causes the parents.
“They know someone has their back – if the child has an autistic meltdown, we are there to support them.
“I want to help, I want to make it accessible for others, and I want them to have a bit of fun.”
Quadriplegic Countdown Contestant Hopes To Inspire
The first quadriplegic contestant to appear on TV quiz Countdown hopes he will inspire others like him to apply to play.
Martin Wild, from Whitchurch in Shropshire, appeared on the long-running, Channel 4 word and numbers game on Wednesday.
The player, who was paralysed in an accident at home in 2018, said his participation showed “you can achieve things and you’re not completely washed up just because of your injury”.
He added: “Hopefully that will lead to others perhaps applying and appearing on the show as well.”
‘Pressure of the cameras’
Mr Wild visited the TV studio before filming to discuss what adaptions were needed.
He said he was not able to write down answers before declaring them because he had no functional use of his hands.
Instead, he said, he had to store all the information in his mind and that was not always easy.
Mr Wild described how he might see a seven-letter word in the letters selection, and could then go hunting for an eight or nine-letter word, but “by the time the clock’s finished, I’ve forgotten what my seven-letter word is”.
“It’s so easy to do that with the pressure of the cameras and obviously the competition itself which you want to win,” he explained.
“It becomes far more difficult to store that information and retain it, so I found that quite difficult – [it was] much more of a challenge than I thought it would be.”
After he narrowly missed out on winning, Mr Wild said he was happy he had taken part because he had always wanted to appear on Countdown, adding: “It does show to others that it can be done.”
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Hotel Turns Away Paralympian Because Of Wheelchair
A Paralympic fencer said he was not allowed to use a hotel room he had booked and paid for when staff saw he was using a wheelchair.
Tokyo gold medallist Piers Gilliver, from Wiltshire, was told he could not stay on the upper floors of the Ibis Rotherham East on Saturday.
Staff said it was hotel policy, Mr Gilliver said, adding he did not need an accessible room or help, and the way he was treated was “not acceptable”.
An Ibis spokesperson has apologised and said the chain was taking “immediate corrective action” and staff were being retrained.
Mr Gilliver said he told the hotel’s staff: “I’m not asking anything of you, I want to get to the room I paid for.”
His partner, who also uses a wheelchair, was with him at the time of the incident.
The staff member went to speak to a manager, Mr Gilliver added, but came back with the same answer.
“They wouldn’t budge,” he said.
The couple were told that because they were wheelchair users, they could not stay on the upper floors as it may cause issues with insurance or in case of fire.
But Mr Gilliver, from Trowbridge, said he could see there was a lift and an evacuation chair, and the couple’s wheelchairs were narrow enough to fit through standard doors.
Despite explaining he travels a lot and often stays in multi-storey hotels, sometimes with hundreds of other athletes with disabilities, Mr Gilliver says the couple were still asked to leave.
‘We sincerely apologise’
A spokesperson for the hotel said: “We sincerely apologise for the experience this guest had at our hotel, which is in no way reflective of our core values and expectations.”
The spokesperson added staff “regrettably” did not follow procedure or “clearly communicate” that there was an alternative option at a nearby hotel.
“We are taking immediate corrective action. The entire hotel team is being fully retrained on the correct procedures and expected levels of service in such circumstances, to avoid any future miscommunication.”
While Mr Gilliver said this hotel experience was unusual, he said he and his partner come across other issues in daily life due to being wheelchair users.
“For example a couple of weeks ago three taxis pull up, saw me in a wheelchair and drove off,” he said.
“I’ve always kind of kept quiet about this kind of stuff. We just want no more, no less than the average person.
“It is really encouraging how society has knocked down so many barriers in recent years but I feel like the area around disability is one that’s hugely left behind.”
He added: “To be honest, you get tired for feeling like a second-class citizen where your basic needs really aren’t being catered for.”
Communities Minister Introduces Bill In Sign Language
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has used sign language in the Stormont Assembly to introduce the second stage of the Sign Language Bill.
The bill recognises and promotes both British Sign Language and Irish Sign Language.
Mr Lyons was addressing members of the deaf community who were sitting in the gallery.
Violinist Determined To Thrive Despite Disability
A hearing impaired man from West Sussex who was gifted his first violin by The Osmonds has refused to let his disability get in the way of his dreams.
Matthew English, 19, was born with microtia atresia – a condition which means a person has no ear or ear canal.
Mr English, who hails from Lancing but lives in Kent in order to be a full-time carer for his grandfather, says that balancing those responsibilities with his music is a “tough task”.
“It’s quite hard work, but I wouldn’t want to have it any other way. I have [the] joy of giving him care and making sure he’s happy,” he said.
Mr English’s musical journey began after a chance meeting with The Osmonds.
While he longed to play the violin, he was unable to take private lessons or be taught at school.
However, he caught the attention of Jimmy Osmond while watching the band perform in Croydon in 2012 and was invited onto the band’s tour bus to meet other members, where he told his story.
Five months later, he was gifted his first violin by Merrill and Justin Osmond at a charity gala in Leeds.
Then in January this year, Donny Osmond gave Matthew a One Big Thank You on BBC’s The One Show in recognition of the years he has spent playing for charities and in care homes.
Mr English said performing in care homes was the “most rewarding” gig around.
“I could play in pubs, clubs, festivals – whatever. But you never get the same enjoyment as you do in a care home,” he told BBC Radio Sussex.
He is also a regular speaker at Microtia UK and other charity events for people with the condition.
Libraries To Share Hidden Stories Of Disability
An installation, writing workshops and dramatic performances, created by adults with disabilities, will be touring Buckinghamshire libraries this spring.
Called The Other Library, they have been produced by the Freewheelers Theatre and Media Company and feature 17 individual projects and three group projects, each presented in a physical or digital book.
Buckinghamshire is one of five local authorities involved in the scheme, part of a wider three-year Rekindle project funded by the National Lottery.
“The mission is to share hidden stories of disability within the county using physical and interactive books,” said Katie de Joux, culture and outreach services manager at Buckinghamshire Council
People will be able to explore the world and stories of artists with disabilities at High Wycombe, Chesham, Aylesbury and Buckingham libraries up until 23 April.
Each library will feature a bookshelf installation and host a creative workshop by author and screenwriter Sara Clifford, along with two performances by disabled artists at weekends.
“Some of the performances will be a story told; there will be some dancing,” said Ms de Joux.
“It is a little bit of everything and changes from location to location as well. So you never quite know what you are going to get, but it is half an hour of being blown away.”
It is hoped the tour could be expanded to cover libraries across the country one day.
Clive Harriss, the council’s Conservative cabinet member for culture and leisure, said: “The Other Library goes beyond paper text; it is a multimedia experience where some stories are told through dance, some through music and others are told through poetry.
“I would like to encourage residents to pop along to one of the events listed below and explore the bookshelves and discover the stories for themselves.”
Snooker Player Gets Flight Wheelchair Go-Ahead
A disability snooker player has been given the green light to take his electric wheelchair on an aeroplane, allowing him to travel to the world championships.
Matt Lester, who has cerebral palsy, is set to play in the upcoming World Disability Snooker Championship in Thailand.
The 36-year-old from Doncaster spent five weeks attempting to get confirmation from Thai Airways his wheelchair could be stored in the aircraft’s cargo hold.
Mr Lester said: “To eventually have it all sorted and be able to concentrate on playing in the world championship, I just feel completely elated.”
His electric wheelchair has a battery which cannot be removed and taken in hand luggage, so he had required the airline’s approval to take it in the plane’s cargo hold.
“I think it’s a lot more than a coincidence that my story got told by the BBC and then, all of a sudden, it’s sorted,” he said.
Mr Lester said he could now focus on the inaugural tournament, adding he felt “quietly confident”.
“My preparations, although I’ve been a bit sidetracked, are still going really well,” he said.
Valentine’s Movies With A Disability Theme
This Valentine’s Day I thought we’d publish a fun post.
So I’m linking to my reviews of three movies in which disabled people find love.
Disabled man meets sex therapist.
Man gets polio in adulthood. Marriage lasts through severe disability.
The life story of Stephen and Jane Hawking.
Readers, take your Valentine, fire up Netflix and remember, disabled people can find love too!
Hundreds Turn Out For Dying Guide Dog’s Final Walk
Hundreds of people – and their pets – have paid tribute to a terminally ill guide dog by joining him on his final walk.
Red fox Labrador retriever Ian was recently diagnosed with cancer and given only weeks to live, said his trainer and volunteer puppy walker Gemma Fairhurst.
Struggling to walk very far, eight-year-old Ian was initially pushed in a pram along Blackpool Promenade before he was given a “guard of honour” by well-wishers and dozens of dogs.
“I was a wreck,” said Ms Fairhurst, from Chorley in Lancashire, before thanking everyone for the love and “overwhelming” support they had shown towards Ian.
Ian was a working guide dog when he was diagnosed in early January with an inoperable sarcoma in his chest and lymphoma in his lymph nodes.
He holds a special place in Ms Fairhurst’s heart because he was the first of nearly 20 guide dogs the 40-year-old has trained.
She told BBC Radio Lancashire she had always agreed with Ian’s owner, guide dog user Mark Fielding, to look after him when he retired aged 10.
Following the dog’s terminal diagnosis, she said she was now looking after Ian for whatever time he had left.
“Unfortunately he isn’t going to get the retirement he deserves… so I decided to arrange this walk for him,” she said.
She said she had been “overwhelmed” by people travelling from as far afield as Liverpool to join Ian on his final walk on Sunday.
Ms Fairhurst said they were joined by about 80 dogs, including other guide dogs she had trained.
She said the guard of honour had been “so lovely” and that it was “very fitting to have it on Blackpool Promenade, where Ian has lived his guide dog life” with his “dad” Mr Fielding.
The walk – called 5,000 steps for £5,000 – raised money to train another guide dog.
Ms Fairhurst said he would also be named Ian in tribute to her “special boy” and “carry on his amazing doggy legacy”.
More than £6,000 has so far been raised.
Snooker Player Left Waiting Over Aeroplane Access
A disability snooker player has said he has been left in the dark by the airline he has booked to take him to the inaugural world championships in Thailand.
Matt Lester, who has cerebral palsy, is due to play in the World Disability Snooker Championship in less than a fortnight, but has yet to receive confirmation he can keep his electric wheelchair in the cargo hold.
The 36-year-old from Doncaster said he had attempted to resolve the situation for a month but was yet to gain a response from airline operator Thai Airways.
The airline has been contacted by the BBC for a comment.
Mr Lester said his wheelchair’s battery could not be removed and taken in hand luggage, therefore he required the green light from the airline to transport his wheelchair in the cargo hold.
“It isn’t an option for me not to go,” he said.
“If I have to book a different flight then I have to book a different flight I’ll fly with someone else,” he said, but this would mean paying for two sets of tickets.
He believes, out of all the forms of public transport he has used, planes are “15 to 20 years behind everybody else in terms of accessibility.”
“I’ve never known anything like it,” he said.
Despite the situation, Mr Lester’s staying positive: “If anyone’s got Richard Branson’s phone number, tell him I’ll put a badge on my waistcoat and he can sponsor me to go,” he joked.
He discovered disability snooker on TV when he was 13 years old, and has since travelled across the the globe to compete in the sport.
In October, he narrowly missed out on a bronze medal at the European Disability Snooker Championship in Portugal.
The World Championship is the first of its kind and will be held in the city of Nonthaburi between 23 February and 2 March.
This time he is going for the top spot.
“I don’t want to go to Thailand for a bronze medal, I want to come back and be the world champion,” he said.
“But on top of all my preparations, I’ve had to put up with this.”
‘Sight Loss Aids Would Help Me Vote Independently’
Blind and partially-sighted voters have welcomed proposals by their local MP to help them vote independently.
Carlisle Labour MP Julie Minns proposed a new law to ensure polling stations had audio and tactile voting aids.
Local people with sight loss described having to ask others to help them cast their vote and not being entirely sure of having marked the ballot paper correctly.
The government said it was exploring ways to improve the system. Cumberland Council, which runs elections in Carlisle, has been approached for comment.
John Atkinson, from Carlisle, is blind due to glaucoma and said he had used folds in the ballot paper as a guide to where to place his cross at last year’s general election.
He said he could not “guarantee” he had voted for the candidate he intended, but thought he had done.
Of Minns’ proposed new law, he said: “I think it will be a good thing, really, especially for myself – then I’ll be able to do it more independently.”
Susan Fox, from Brampton in the Carlisle constituency, needed help from her husband to vote last year and said the MP’s proposal was “excellent”.
Terri Balon, regional campaigns officer for RNIB in north-west England, said the charity was concerned some people with visual impairments were not voting because of the barriers they faced.
“People don’t believe the system is accessible,” she said
The charity said it had successfully trialled a device with a tactile template, a McGonagle Reader, that could be placed over a ballot paper.
A connected speaker or set of headphones announces the names of candidates.
Improving the system
A subsequent report by RNIB recommended returning officers provided such devices where needed and the charity said some electoral authorities had bought them.
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government said the government was committed to “making elections accessible” and it was exploring “ways to improve the system”.
Deaf Pupil Wins Legal Fight For BSL Interpreter
A deaf teenager has won a legal fight against Fife Council to have a British Sign Language interpreter in her class for school lessons.
Niamdh Braid, 16, from Glenrothes, launched an action against her local authority last year after missing out on essential learning.
She has been deaf since birth and wears hearing aids, but the teenager struggles to hear in noisy environments. Her preferred language is British Sign Language (BSL).
Niamdh often cannot understand what is taking place during class time and her learning has been affected as a result.
Her efforts to try to keep on top of her lessons without an interpreter left her “exhausted”.
She told BBC Scotland News: “At the end of the school day I’m so tired. I have to leave class sometimes and take a break because it is just so much.
“I come home and I have to go to my bed at half past seven or eight o’clock at night. That’s not normal for a 16-year-old.”
Auchmuty High School, where Niamdh is an S5 pupil, does have specialised deaf provision through teachers of the deaf.
This is a qualified role used in schools across Scotland.
But in some cases the post only requires a BSL level 3 qualification. A BSL interpreter must have at least Level 6 BSL qualification.
Niamdh and her parents had previously asked the school for a BSL interpreter but their request was turned down.
A complaint to Fife Council was also rejected.
Following this, and with financial support from charity National Deaf Children’s Society, Niamdh raised her own legal action against the local authority.
Niamdh said: “Deaf children are eight times more likely to leave school with no qualification and that shouldn’t be the case because deafness is not a learning disability. We are able to learn, we are able to achieve anything.”
Early last year in a tribunal, it was ruled that Niamdh was being placed at a “substantial disadvantage” and was “at risk of feeling isolated, withdrawn, unsupported and not listened to” without advanced BSL interpretation.
The ruling also stated that Fife Council’s BSL provision was only up to Level 2 qualification
During the case, Fife Council had argued that there was no spare capacity to assign Niamdh regular input and BSL support without the need to recruit additional staff. The tribunal rejected the complaint.
The tribunal’s ruling said the failure to provide advanced BSL support meant the claimant was “missing things in class and does not know what she is missing”.
Fife Council initially appealed the decision but in December that appeal was rejected.
The local authority has now said it will not challenge the ruling any further.
Fife Council must now provide BSL support at a qualified interpreter level in all of Niamdh’s National Qualifications classes. A recruitment process is under way.
In a statement, Fife Council’s head of education services, Angela Logue, said: “We have been working very closely with Niamdh and her family to meet her needs as identified by the tribunal.”
Niamdh’s father Steve Braid told BBC Scotland News: “It’s disgusting that we’ve had to fight as hard as we have, and as hard as Niamdh’s had to fight. We’ve been quite lucky as, in the end, we’ve got to where we have but there’s a lot of people out there who won’t fight as hard or don’t realise what they are entitled to.
“I’m immensely proud of what’s she’s done. She’s so passionate about wanting to take this all further and prove that just because she’s deaf doesn’t mean to can’t do something. She’s very stubborn.”
The legal action was funded by the National Deaf Children’s Society.
Mark Ballard, its head of policy in Scotland, told BBC Scotland News: “Deafness, by its very nature, means that children can just disappear into the back of the classroom.
“That’s why we hope that every local authority in Scotland will look at this and put in place the support that deaf children need, rather than those children and their parents having to go all the way to a tribunal to get what should be theirs as a right.”
Boy, 13, Diagnosed With Motor Neurone Disease
The family of a boy living with motor neurone disease have said it was a “massive shock” for him to be diagnosed at the age of 13.
Kyle Sieniawski, from Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, started to lose mobility in his left arm last year before experiencing other neurological symptoms.
Almost a year after she first noticed the symptoms, Kyle’s mum told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast that his conditions had deteriorated to a point where he can no longer feed himself.
Motor neurone disease is an uncommon condition that mainly affects people in their 60s and 70s.
Kyle was diagnosed with MND on 17 January – almost a year after his mum Melanie first noticed symptoms.
“He wasn’t walking straight and was using one arm to support the other,” she said.
Kyle was initially taken to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Rhondda Cynon Taf for tests followed by an MRI scan.
Doctors initially thought he had enterovirus, external which is an infection that can cause illness in babies, children, and teens.
But his family became concerned when his condition began to deteriorate further.
“In October his right arm started to become a bit shaky. By November he was struggling to walk up the stairs,” his mum said.
Kyle’s aunt Heather thought it was MND after researching the symptoms, but it still came as a “massive shock”.
“With the tears that have been spilled the last few months it’s been like a river,” said Heather.
Kyle needs support when eating and walking and has spent the past few weeks at Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital in Cardiff.
Heather said it was “unbelievable” he was so cheerful, which was having a positive impact on the rest of the family.
“I don’t think a lot of children would react in the same way. He is an inspiration,” she said.
The teenager spends his time playing games with his family including Connect Four, and has a VR headset that allows him to watch films hands-free.
His family said they felt “really positive” after discussions were held about a clinical trial which could slow down the disease.
But they were left “devastated” after it was put on pause.
The family said they felt there was “no hope” without the trial, according to Heather.
“It will make a difference. I’m hoping because he is so young he has the energy to fight it,” she added.
Heather said the response from the community had been “absolutely outstanding” with people setting up fundraisers “left, right and centre”.
“One lady even offered a luxury caravan the family can use to spend some time with Kyle. It’s been amazing. I can’t get over it,” she said.
Service Dog And Owner Told To Leave Subway
A woman with multiple sclerosis said she felt “discriminated against” after being told to leave a Subway sandwich shop as she was with her assistance dog.
Louise Harris, 42, said she entered the Subway on Pavement in York on Saturday with Bella when a staff member told her: “You can’t come in with a dog.”
Ms Harris said she told the worker Bella was an assistance dog and was allowed to enter under the Equality Act, however he told her they “only accept guide dogs”.
Subway is yet to responded to a request from the BBC for a comment in response.
Ms Harris said her family had travelled from Stoke-on-Trent to York to see the city centre ice trail and stopped off at the sandwich shop for lunch.
“When I got through the door, a staff member shouted at me from behind the counter,” she said.
Ms Harris, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2007, told the staff member the dog was wearing an assistance coat and said she “assists me with my disability”.
She said he replied: “I don’t care what your dog has got on, we only accept guide dogs.”
Under the 2010 Equality Act it is illegal to refuse access to a disabled person with their assistance dog, except in exceptional circumstances.
Ms Harris said she paid for the sandwiches she had pre-ordered online and was told to leave the shop.
“It put a dampener on the day, it felt like I’m not counted as a member of the public,” she said.
“I felt very discriminated against, upset, I didn’t feel like a real person.”
She said all businesses and employees should gain training in order for them to understand the law.
“[MS] affects quite a lot of my day-to-day living, like opening doors, picking things up off the floor – if I drop anything Bella will pick it up,” she said.
“Basically, without her, I wouldn’t be able to go anywhere.”
Ms Harris had to leave a Staffordshire pub due to the same issue in 2023.
She added: “You don’t want to go in shops and feel discriminated against from the word go, you want to be able to feel the same as everybody else.”
Disabled Snooker Player ‘Blown Away’ By Donations
A world number one snooker player said he had been “blown away” by support after revealing he could not afford to compete at the first-ever World Disability Snooker Championship.
David Church, 29, from Norwich, spoke to the BBC last week, and said with few sponsorship opportunities and no TV coverage he would struggle to take part in the tournament, which begins later this month in Thailand.
He had originally set an online fundraising target, external of £1,000 to cover flights, accommodation and entry fees – but has since raised almost £5,000.
Church said he “couldn’t thank people enough” for their donations.
“On Wednesday I’d accepted it probably wasn’t going to happen,” he said.
“But then my phone went crazy where people had seen the story online.
“I’m just blown away.”
Church, who was born with Moebius syndrome – a rare condition that affects facial muscles and eye movement – said he had recently got engaged and was due to become father in April.
He said he would spend the money on future tournaments, flights and accommodation.
“It takes a lot of pressure off me personally and a quite a bit off my mental health to be honest.
“I’d like to think I’ve put the work in – on and off the table – and I deserve a bit of luck here and there.
“I’m just chuffed to bits.”
World Disability Billiards and Snooker (WDBS), the tournament’s hosts, previously told the BBC that while it provided “significant funding” to reduce the “cost burden on players”, it could not fund the large amount of competitors taking part.
Competitors were required to fund themselves and stay at an agreed hotel costing £68 per night.
The winner of all eight separate categories will take home a minimum prize of £1,000.
“If I play well I’ve got a great chance [of winning],” Church added..
“It’s time to put in the hard work and get in some preparation.”
The tournament begins on 25 February.
Blind On A Night Out: ‘You Wouldn’t Recognise Your Attacker’
Women with visual impairments have not been sufficiently included in conversations about violence against women and girls, the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has said.
Georgia Hussey, a 20-year-old student from Belfast, rarely goes out socialising at night because she said the easiest way to protect herself is to stay at home.
“If I’m out in the street and I can’t see my friends because it’s dark, I’m just going to panic.
“I don’t want my friends to feel a responsibility over me either.”
Laura Cummings from RNIB said the reality is that there are additional challenges for women who have sight loss.
“So if you’re a woman and you go out, and you have additional challenges, perhaps you are attacked.
“You won’t recognise your attacker, you won’t be able to describe your attacker to the police. These things are on peoples’ minds.”
Ms Hussey was registered blind at birth.
“I’m not convinced that if something were to happen, I would be able to find myself a way out safely,” she told BBC News NI.
Many of her peers wouldn’t think twice about heading out for the evening. Life as a young blind woman means she’s concerned about her safety and feeling vulnerable.
“Not being able to tell at night in the dark who is around me is unsettling.”
She also dislikes getting a taxi and getting home often involves a planned lift from her mum.
In September, a new strategy to tackle violence against women and girls was launched at Stormont.
A few months later in December, PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher warned that inadequate officer numbers was affecting his service’s ability to deal with violence again women and girls.
Dawn Hopper, from Antrim, has glaucoma and is registered as severely sight impaired.
She said she can feel vulnerable on a night out.
“When I have Micky [her guide dog] with me, or the cane, it brings extra attention, there’s a perception there perhaps that I don’t see anything.
“The idea of a night out in a pub is challenging, with your drinks on a table, how do you know what drink is yours?
“So I think when you’re visually impaired you have to take control of what situation you are safe in. It shouldn’t be that way.
“I would love to get out and have a wee boogie, go to the nightclub, and I’m sure people think it’s very strange, that girl with the white cane and then she’s out dancing. So it’s always a challenge to keep pushing them [doors] open.”
Safe travel is also a concern for Dawn.
“I wouldn’t be able to tell if we were going down a different road or different route.”
Stephen Anton, from the Licensed Taxi Operators Association, told BBC News NI the industry is actively working to help protect vulnerable people.
“Legal taxis used correctly are safe. Book a legal taxi, for two reasons. The drivers are qualified, properly insured and have been vetted with a correct licence.
“Taxi companies have to have a licence too, log every journey, which means if there is an issue, you have some recourse.”
Mr Anton said pre-booking taxis, having a conversation about journey routes or preferences with your driver and sharing a journey electronically with a friend or family via app options can reassure passengers.
He added that many vehicles also have built in sat-nav devices, which could allow audio descriptions of routes switched on to further reassure passengers of their journeys.
Taxi drivers are under a duty to carry guide, hearing or certain other assistance dogs in their vehicles, with exceptions for drivers with certain medical conditions
A driver who refuses to carry one, or makes a charge for doing so, is guilty of an offence and could be fined up to £1,000
Other issues were raised by the women which they say act as barriers to going out at night.
There were concerns about street advertising, empty bottles or litter dropped on the floor creating hazards. Or, if they sat a handbag beside them on the floor, trusting that it won’t be lifted.
There have been initiatives within the hospitality sector to become more inclusive for those with vision impairment.
Last year, Derry City and Strabane District council passed a notice of motion which would see how QR codes could be made available at local venues to allow easy access to menus, which is currently being scoped out.
Model With Cerebral Palsy Champions Adaptive Clothes
Elliot Caswell has cerebral palsy and, like many disabled people, struggles to find clothes that are easy to put on.
Now he is one of the models for Primark’s range of clothes adapted for adults with disabilities.
The 25-year-old from Newcastle says adaptive clothing is life-changing for him and he hopes all major retailers will soon be providing their own ranges.
‘Life-Changing’ Brewery Given The Go-Ahead
A microbrewery providing training for adults with disabilities and neurodivergence has been given the green light.
The Count Me In Collective brews and sells beer at The Castle Tap, and now Reading Borough Council has approved the use of the organisation’s own premises.
Founder Becky Whinnerah said the project had already been operating by collaborating with other breweries, but the approval meant the project could go ahead “all guns blazing”.
“This brewery is going to happen. We’re really excited,” she said.
She said the trainees were “a great group of people”.
“We’ve got this fantastic bunch of trainees, so we’ve got people with learning disabilities, we’ve got people who are autistic, we’ve got people who are wheelchair-users, people with anxiety, ADHD,” she said.
“We work closely with them to give them the work experience, but also training in how to brew from start to finish with all aspects of brewing.
“And they’re an absolute privilege to work with.”
Local support
She said there had been “a huge amount of goodwill”, and the support of other local breweries had been invaluable.
“As a result, the beer that we made, one of them ended up being pulled at the Great British Beer Festival,” she said.
“To be able to take one of our trainees there and for him to see that beer be poured was life-changing.”
With planning permission approved, Ms Whinnerah said the collective could now start getting their premises ready, and were hoping get it up and running by the summer.
“There’s still some bits and bobs that need doing but fingers crossed let’s aim for that,” she said.
Despite the challenges, Ms Whinnerah said she was determined.
“We are so bloody minded,” she said. “Nothing is going to stop us.”
Traitors Fan-Favourite Inspires £46k Charity Gifts
A Traitors finalist has helped boost donations to a learning disability charity by more than £46,000.
Alexander Dragonetti told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire he was “so grateful” for donations to Mencap after the charity helped his late brother.
During the series, the former British diplomat, who attended Oundle School, Northamptonshire, said if he won, he would donate some of his prize money to the organisation.
Jon Sparkes, chief executive of the charity, said: “Telling his story has inspired a tremendous wave of generosity from the public.”
Mr Dragonetti, 38, said his brother, who had global development delay and autism, used to go to summer camps set up by Mencap.
While he was voted out of the show in the final and did not win, Mr Dragonetti told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire his hope of donating some prize money was “effectively happening” as fans touched by his story had made donations.
“Anything I can do to try and raise the profile of that would be fantastic,” he said.
“I know first-hand it’s really hard for carers, parents, siblings of special needs children to both look after children and be political advocates, and if there is anything I can do to add my voice to that and be helpful then that would be my most proud takeaway.”
More than 2,000 people gave to the Peterborough-based charity, with some taking to social media to share their reasons and encouraging others to donate.
Mr Sparkes said: “Despite not winning on Friday night, Alexander remained faithful to the end and captured the hearts of the nation – he is our champion.
“These donations are needed more now than ever as people with a learning disability continue to face extensive inequalities every day.”
Mary O’Hagan, Mencap’s executive director of fundraising, said: “Every penny will help us ensure people with a learning disability can live happy and healthy lives.”
How Traitors Winner Became ‘Proud Of Disability’
The joint winner of hit TV show The Traitors has revealed how he was “ashamed” of having cerebral palsy when he was a child, but learned to be proud of it.
Jake Brown, from Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, and former soldier Leanne Quigley triumphed as the last remaining faithfuls in the final broadcast on BBC One on Friday.
Jake, who revealed he had the condition at the end of the series, told BBC Radio Cumbria he realised he was doing those with a disability a “disservice” by trying to hide it.
The 28-year-old said he was proud of his game-plan of being “true to myself” and the outpouring of support from people in his home town had touched his heart.
“I know the struggles of having a disability growing up and I was very ashamed of it,” he said.
“I tried to hide it and wanted to be normal, but once I’d met fellow people with cerebral palsy and started playing football for the England cerebral palsy football team, I realised actually I’m doing a disservice here.
“It’s something to be proud of.
He realised he needed to “start spreading awareness”, adding: “I don’t want another six-year-old boy sat at home thinking ‘I hate this disability, I want to be normal’.”
Jake said he was planning to spend the prize money on a holiday with his wife Shannon, “because she’s my biggest supporter”, and helping his mother and father who supported him with his condition.
Finally able to talk about the show, he said: “Honestly it still feels like a dream.
“I can’t believe what has just happened. I’m on cloud nine now.
“It has been a real struggle keeping quiet, it’s been a lot of pressure, telling literally no-one.
“It was almost like still being in the game and not trusting anyone.”
‘Love yourself’
An average audience of 7.4m watched the finale of the third series of the show.
It featured faithfuls Francesca Rowan-Plowden, Alexander Dragonetti, Leanne and Jake go up against the last remaining traitor Charlotte Berman.
After weeks of challenges, murders, roundtables and banishments, the final prize fund stood at £94,600.
Ex-soldier Leanne and project manager Jake were the final two and split the money after revealing they were both faithfuls.
Jake said seeing himself on television was “weird and surreal” and he believes the reason for his success was that he was just himself on the show.
“I was true to myself I’m really proud of how I did.
“That touches my heart to know that everyone was so proud. My game plan was to just be me.
“You’ve got to love yourself, that’s my motto.”
Work Begins On Permanent Gym For Disabled Children
Work has begun on what is thought to be the world’s first fully accessible play centre for children with physical disabilities.
The 14-acre (5.7-hectare) site, next to Severn View Services, in South Gloucestershire, is set to be the first permanent home of the charity Gympanzees, which works to create exercise and play facilities for disabled children and young people.
The facility is expected to open in 2026 but the charity still needs to raise the second half of their £8m target to complete all necessary renovations.
Karina Kay, whose son Joel uses the service, said she was amazed by the “big” and “spacious” new space.
“It’s a good support network Joel can come along to and then I can meet other parents who use the service,” she said.
“Having somewhere that is a permanent location to come to any day of the week, not just in the holidays, will be such a good opportunity for him to have a safe space with everything that he needs,” she said.
“It will be amazing for Joel, it’s such a big and spacious place.
“It will really help him mobilise and will be really fun at the same time.”
Gympanzees have been operating through pop-up events in temporary homes around Bristol since 2018 and have attracted tens of thousands of attendees.
“People are travelling from around the country to come to us, and they’re staying in hotels,” said Stephanie Wheen, founder of Gympanzees.
“The need is absolutely massive, and the feedback we get is immense.”
The facility will include a trampoline room, soft play and sensory rooms among others.
Cutting edge equipment is being brought in to ensure that everything in the new space is as inclusive as it can possibly be, Ms Wheen said.
“We have things like the inner walk, which is a cross trainer for our most physically disabled children.
“It can be the first time that they have been out of breath in their whole lives and the first time they’ve ever had exercise,” she added.
My diet on Wednesday film baby girl
Paralympian Wants Better Cancer Care For Young People
Paralympic rowing champion Erin Kennedy said more young people with cancer should be given better wraparound care following their diagnosis.
Kennedy, 32, was diagnosed in May 2022, had chemotherapy in December 2022, a double mastectomy and reconstruction in January 2023 and was later given the all-clear.
The 29-year-old cox, who lives in Henley and is a member of the town’s Leander Club, was BBC Radio Berkshire’s breakfast guest editor on Thursday.
She said she was grateful to be treated at a specialist unit for young people at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford.
But others are not so lucky because most units stop treating young people at 24 and cannot benefit from their expert staff, like social workers.
“There are lots of considerations [for young people with cancer]. Back in 1990, the mean age for buying a first house was in your 20s. Now it’s significantly later. That brings with it instability financially,” Kennedy said.
“You’re less likely to be married when you’re getting these diagnoses so that means less household income coming in and often you’re put straight onto sick pay. And that’s not great.
“The cost of cancer is quite great and it’s all this wraparound care that can support you.”
About 250 people under 30 get diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK every year.
“I was really fortunate to be in that really small minority who had really specialised care in that 25 to 30 category,” Kennedy added.
“I would love to see that care gap being closed over the next few years.”
Louise Soanes, the Teenage Cancer Trust’s chief nurse, said: “We have got amazing, specialist nurses and specialist units that ensure that young adults don’t fall off a cliff edge around treatment and support them in other areas of care.”
The charity has 28 specialist cancer units at hospitals in the UK and funds 92 nurses and youth support coordinators.
Benefit Cheats Could Be Stripped Of Driving Licences
Convicted benefits cheats who fail to pay back the taxpayer could be stripped of their driving licences, under government plans to crack down on fraud.
Those who repeatedly cheat the system and have debts of £1,000 or more could be punished with a driving ban of up to two years.
Fraudsters can already be jailed in the most serious cases – but Work and Pensions Minister Alison McGovern said it would provide an additional “tool in the box” to chase repayments.
The plans also include new powers to force banks to hand over account information about benefit claimants to help target investigations, echoing a scheme announced by the previous Conservative government.
But this is likely to face strong opposition from the banks and privacy campaigners.
Providing false information to obtain benefits can see fraudsters hit by fines, while serious cases of conspiracy to defraud can attract prison sentences of up to ten years, under current laws.
Pressed on whether the power to disqualify drivers would provide an additional deterrent, McGovern told BBC Breakfast it would provide a “backstop” to chase repayment from those determined to “evade collection”.
She added that the department already tries to collect fraudulently claimed benefits via banks or the PAYE system, but the licence powers could help with those who still “don’t want to co-operate”.
According to latest annual figures, overpayments due to fraud amounted to £7.4bn last year, around 2.8% of total welfare spending.
A further £1.6bn (0.6%) was overpaid due to inadvertent errors by claimants, with £0.8bn (0.3%) overpaid because of errors by the DWP.
Ministers have estimated greater access to banking data could save taxpayers £1.5bn over five years, by helping DWP investigators identify suspect claims more effectively.
But campaign groups have warned that it will invade claimants’ right to financial privacy, and could lead to legitimate claimants being wrongly investigated.
In a letter to Kendall in September, the directors of Big Brother Watch and Age UK described the plans as “mass financial surveillance powers” which they said would “represent a severe and disproportionate intrusion into the nation’s privacy”.
Tory bill failed
Currently, the department can only request such financial information where it has reason to suspect fraud, and only in individual cases.
The previous government argued broader powers to obtain banking information in bulk would help investigators catch previously undiscovered fraud cases.
But a Tory bill to deliver the scheme failed to make it through Parliament before July’s election.
Under that plan, financial institutions would have been required to send information to the DWP about bank accounts receiving benefit payments that indicated a “potential risk” of fraud or error, or face fines for not complying.
An official assessment of the law said the system would be “fully automated, running within existing banking systems” and be rolled out gradually from 2027.
At the time, Labour attacked the Tory legislation as “poorly delineated” – while Tory ministers argued wide-ranging powers were necessary to ensure they could apply to all types of future banks, including accounts with newer, online-only providers.
Conservative shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately said the government’s bill was a “continuation” of work started by the previous government and Labour “must do more to tackle the spiralling welfare budget”.
‘Living abroad’
Since entering government, Labour has pledged that only “very limited information” will be shared with the department under its equivalent plan, but is yet to set out in detail how its system will work.
DWP minister Andrew Western confirmed last year this will include cases where claimants are “living abroad” without notifying the department, although a timeframe for this has yet to be specified.
Accounts could also be flagged if they are holding more than £16,000, the usual savings limit for being able to claim Universal Credit.
In a change from Tory plans, the government has said the new powers will not be used to target payments of the state pension.
Ministers have sought to reassure critics by emphasising that the DWP will not have powers to “access” bank accounts.
But campaigners have told the BBC they believe this is a “misdirection”, as the measures would give DWP the power to instruct banks to access the information on its behalf.
Call The Midwife Confronts A Brutal Reality In An Unflinching New Storyline This Week
Call the Midwife is back in full swing with its 14th season, ready to tug at our heartstrings again.
In its third episode of the season, the show continued its trend of tackling deep-rooted societal issues with sensitivity and an unflinching spotlight. This time, it took on internalised ableism by exploring the abandonment of children due to disability.
For many disabled people watching, all too familiar with negative reactions to the ‘burden of disability’, it would have felt heart-wrenchingly close to home.
A baby girl is born to an excited first-time mum desperate to meet her daughter. Upon her birth, however, the midwife notices something on her lower back, later identified as spina bifida, a congenital disability that causes a gap in the spine.
Without even a moment in her mother’s arms, the sweet baby girl is rushed to the hospital to be looked over and taken to surgery. A couple of scenes later, the midwife walks in on the mother packing to leave the maternity home.
When questioned, she says, with heartbreak in her voice, that she cannot take care of the baby and she’s going home. She and the father believe that “the state” can take better care of her than they can because it’s not possible for them to parent a disabled child.
The parents’ immediate detachment from their daughter and suppressed disgust at her disability was horrifying and well done. We feel sympathy for their struggle, but the audience also experiences intense revulsion for how easily and quickly the parents walk away from their newborn baby. Neither of them held or looked at her, not once. The parents don’t even give her a name. The nuns later call her June.
Unable to comprehend what has happened, the parents seem to be numbed by the child’s disability. What’s most apparent is that their internalised ableism – and a profound misunderstanding of disability – have led to this choice. Internalised ableism is a form of oppression brought about by the absorption of commonplace negative messages about disability. These attitudes were particularly prevalent, noxious and unchecked in the mid-20th century.
This attitude, when left unchallenged, can result in precisely what we see play out on screen: the abandonment or rejection of disabled people, even our own blood. Call the Midwife has accurately depicted such attitudes in the ’50s and ’60s throughout its run.
Though we still have a long way to go in the modern day, both on screen and in daily life, our understanding of disability then was even less sophisticated than it is now, and many parents rejected their children if they were born with a disability.
A considerable number of children were consigned to institutions instead of living at home with their families, something we saw in a series-three episode when a young girl with Down’s syndrome became pregnant while living in one such state home.
We’ve seen the theme of ableism pop up repeatedly throughout the series’ run, particularly during the excellently produced, long-lasting Thalidomide storyline, and when Fred and Violet first met their adopted son Reggie and were unsure of how his Down’s syndrome would impact their lives.
The show also spotlights the struggles of social services. After the parents decide to give up their rights to June, a social worker visits the maternity home to say that the state cannot take her due to the additional “financial burden” her care would demand.
The social worker asserts that the parents must “take her on” because they have the financial means to do so.
Despite offers of far more robust in-home support than parents in the UK can expect today, the parents refuse to reconsider, claiming that caring for her would prevent them from having other children.
Both the social services’ and the parents’ response to this adorable baby expose the internalised ableism that lives in us all. Negative, implicit associations ensure that everyone involved assumes the baby will be a “burden” and that her disability will be an automatic barrier to fulfilment.
No one knows this for sure: through the ableist lens such things are just assumed.
The Nonnatus House residents take over June’s care temporarily. Watching the baby jump between carers, all while thriving after life-saving surgery, is a gut-wrenching watch. We see glimpses of a tiny child, too small to voice her own needs, being carefully tended to by people who have rejected their own internalised ableism and know the child as she is: an innocent baby.
Eventually little June is taken to the orphanage run by the nuns, given an opportunity at a new life, and she leaves with only a letter from her mother explaining why she abandoned her.
Call the Midwife masterfully explores this baby’s brutal start to life, exposing the varying impacts of internalised ableism while highlighting the importance of caring for all children, no matter their circumstances.
While many in the audience undoubtedly would have preferred to see the parents judged a little more for their rejection of an innocent baby, the show approaches the subject fairly. All involved are allowed their feelings and no one is judged too harshly for their decisions.
But the overarching theme is sadness for the child, who will live her life knowing her parents abandoned her for being disabled.
The show also avoids focusing on one person’s response or interaction with the child – instead, the episode pans out, allowing everyone’s perspective airtime, and highlighting the broad spectrum of people involved in an abandoned child’s journey.
Once again, Call the Midwife confronts a brutal reality: internalised ableism too often prevents people from seeing the person before the disability.
EMR Introduces Accessibility Maps For Passengers
East Midlands Railway (EMR) has launched maps to provide disabled passengers with “key accessibility information” across its stations.
The train operator said the maps outline step-free access points, accessible toilets, parking facilities and assistance services.
EMR said the maps were created using feedback from members of its accessibility panel, made up of disabled customers that regularly engage with the company.
There are currently Nottingham Station, Robin Hood Line and EMR Network accessibility maps, with more being created “throughout the year”, said EMR.
Philippa Cresswell, customer service director at EMR, said: “We are always looking for ways to improve our services and make the information we provide more accessible and inclusive.
“We hope these new maps will prove useful to customers in planning their journeys and will be rolling out further versions later this year.”
Disabled Athlete To Open ‘Life Changing’ Gym
Opening a gym for people with a disability has been a dream come true for Jennifer Smyth.
The 10-year project took hard work, perseverance and a significant personal financial investment.
But she says it was all worth it as the Maydown facility outside Londonderry officially opens on Friday.
Jennifer was a talented young athlete but a fall during training in September 2013 changed her life.
‘We all need exercise’
Aged 17, the gymnast sustained a broken neck and became quadriplegic after the accident.
Since that day, she vowed to open her own gym to help others keep fit and socialise.
“After my injury, I had no gym to go to which was fully accessible,” she told BBC News NI.
“You can go to a regular gym and train parts of your body that work but you can’t train the parts of the body that don’t work.
“So I wanted to create a gym that I could train my whole body. We all need exercise so making a gym that’s fully accessible for all really was my dream to create.
“We’re fully accessible and all the equipment is fully adapted or created for people with disabilities. It has been a big investment but we are a charity.”
‘Life changing’
Brooke Canning and Jennifer, both from County Londonderry, came together and bonded over their life-changing injuries in 2023.
Brooke, from Ballykelly, said: “I was involved in a road accident three years ago where I suffered a spinal cord injury similar to Jennifer so I met Jennifer after my accident and she’s been a great help so far.
“I was initially paralysed from my neck down and through months of physio I finally gained strength in my arms.
“This gym is going to be life changing to a lot of people out there that are in similar situations like me as I’m a wheelchair user.”
Jennifer’s mum Pamela says she is really proud of her daughter.
“It is just fantastic to see it, 110% behind her,” she said.
“She is such a humble girl. She does not want this to be about her.
“She’s been to America and she has trained on a lot of this equipment that she has put in here and she knows the benefit, not just in terms of the equipment but in the social interaction that she and the others will get from it.
“She wants to share that. She wants other people to be their best and have a really good journey themselves.”
Kim Gregg, a clinical specialist physiotherapist, says the gym is a significant development.
“It really is priceless for this patient population,” she said.
“There really is nothing like this in Northern Ireland.
“In a normal set of circumstances, a gym will maybe have one piece of equipment that’s appropriate for someone who has a neurological condition but this gym has various pieces of equipment so people can get a really full workout, so very beneficial indeed.
“It’s not cheap at all. Everything to do with disability comes with a set of zeros at the end. Anyone in this position will know that when they go to buy any piece of kit it’s several thousand pounds so there’s been significant investment.
“Each one of these pieces of kit has a high degree of technology to be able to assist these patients, so it comes at a high tariff.”
Holly Deane, a volunteer at the new gym, thinks it will make a profound difference to those who use it.
“I’m very much interested in studying physio next year,” she said.
“I thought it would be a great experience to reach out to Jennifer and volunteer here in her gym to get more experience with her physios.
“It’s important to me because it’s really promoting workouts for people who have neurological conditions and disabilities and Jennifer’s really worked hard in making this possible.
“It’s so special seeing a place now in Northern Ireland that people can come and work out as its just as important for them to work out as people who are able.
“It’s inspiring for me and that’s why it’s special.”
Disney carousel Christmas decoration outside the toy shop, Hamleys video of a Disney fairy will outside the toy shop family
Due to Social Services opinions, that if I do not fundraise for my PAs to support me at my volunteer job; I will risk losing it which I don’t want to do but they are forcing me to either fundraise the money myself that I need for me to do this volunteer job and be a functioning adult in the society. They are telling me that they can refer me to somebody that can help me to chose a volunteer job even though I have chosen one; and I have secured it. Apart from the support and funding to do this I have secured fully and it should be starting on Monday 25th February 2025. Please help me to not have to give this up on this opportunity. I have graduated college especially to take this opportunity.
Wheelchair Dancer Returns To Class After Paralysis
A dancer who suffered life changing injuries and lost the use of both her legs has said rejoining her childhood dance school was like “coming home”.
Claire Booth, 38, first joined Alyson Livesey’s Academy of Dance in Manchester when she was four years old and was there for 14 years.
But her dreams of being a professional dancer were shattered when in her 20s she was hit by a drunk driver and now has to use a wheelchair.
After seeing an advert for a new adult tap dance class at her former school she decided to “give it a go” and said it had brought out the “cheeky, silly side” she had as a child.
“Dance was the last thing on my mind,” she said.
“I had generalised anxiety disorder, I’ve got mental health issues and I’ve got a lot of things that makes me want to stay home and not do things outside.”
Ms Booth was reunited with her childhood dance teacher Alyson Livesey who has since adapted the classes so she can take part.
She moves with the rest of her class and taps with her hands using tap gloves and a board.
“She has done amazing,” Ms Livesey said.
“When Claire was younger we used to have a little saying, ‘even if your head drops off you still carry on dancing’ and she recites that back to me now.”
Ms Booth said: “Everyone has their trials and tribulations in their life and everyone faces things.
“Coming back here I didn’t feel nervous, this is where I belong.
“If I can inspire another person in a wheelchair to join a class and do what I’m doing then that would be amazing.”
Me in the limousine when I graduated from school in my lovely dress with my hair, straightened for
Another clearer, video of me doing karaoke on
Public Toilet Anxiety Left UC Woman Trapped At Home
A woman who said she feared leaving her home for several weeks because she was so anxious about whether she would find a public toilet is calling for change.
Lucy Smith-Butler, from Rochdale in Greater Manchester, was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at the age of 17.
Symptoms include stomach pain and having to rush to the toilet urgently and often.
The 25-year-old said it would “make people’s lives easier” if there were better access to public toilets and cleaner facilities.
Rochdale Borough Council said there were public toilet facilities at 19 of its parks and cemeteries, plus 17 public toilets within libraries and public buildings, as well as five changing places toilets.
But not all councils can afford their upkeep.
‘More access’
Lucy, a fashion blogger who lives in Littleborough, said at one stage during an “awful flare up” she did not leave her home for six weeks because it was not worth “the anxiety”.
Two years after being diagnosed, she had surgery which led to her have a stoma bag fitted.
While she said the stoma gave her “her life back” she said there still needs to be a “clean place” for her to change it when she is out.
She said: “It would help a lot of people if there were more public toilets and it would make people’s lives easier if they had more access to them, and they were cleaner.
“It’s just that anxious feeling of not knowing if I’ll find one or what the state of the toilet is.”
According to Crohn’s and Colitis UK, half a million people live with inflammatory bowel disease and nine out of 10 “plan their journeys around toilet availability”.
Marianne Radcliffe, from the organisation, said that adequate toilet provision was “a matter of public health and should be a priority for those in power”.
Public toilets have existed on UK high streets for more than 150 years but there is no legal requirement for local authorities to provide them, meaning they are often closed down if councils feel they cannot afford their upkeep.
‘No funding’
The British Toilet Association estimates about 60% of public toilets have closed since 2010.
The association’s Raymond Martin said that because there was no legislation to provide them, there was “no funding” and councils had to use money for other things such as street cleaning and bin collection, and that public conveniences often “take the biggest hit of all”.
The association is calling for there to be a statutory duty on local authorities to provide toilets, and for the government to appoint a “toilet commissioner”.
Mr Martin said the association was meeting with ministers again in February.
The Local Government Association said: “The lack of public toilets can disproportionately affect vulnerable groups, including older people, people with disabilities, those with medical conditions, babies and children and people that find themselves sleeping rough.
“Funding pressures have caused councils to rethink provision, the maintenance of a public toilet could cost a council £25,000 a year, a figure which is greatly impacted by the condition in which they are left by their previous users.
“Vandalism and anti-social behaviour cost councils millions of pounds a year which means councils having to invest into more regular cleaning and better security, meaning that the taxpayer foots the bill for vandalism in this most basic of public provisions”.
It said many councils had attempted to address and prevent gaps in provision and multi-year funding settlements would enable local government to plan the transformation, rather than the closure, of facilities.
Vital Managed Migration Safeguard For Disabled Claimants
With many thanks to Benefits And Work.
The DWP’s “complex needs” safeguard could prevent thousands of vulnerable disabled claimants from losing their benefits when they are forced into managed migration to universal credit (UC).
From February, the DWP aims to send out 63,000 migration notices a month to employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants. It seems likely that some of the most vulnerable ESA claimants, who may not have had contact with the DWP for years, will now begin to be caught in the DWP dragnet.
So, it’s vital that claimants and support workers are aware of the complex needs guidance. This can offer additional help and protection to people who may struggle with making, or maintaining a claim for UC.
Claimants who are accepted as having complex needs are entitled to additional support, including things like:
- Additional time to make a claim
- A home visit
- Communication in alternative formats
Taking your needs into account when considering whether a sanction should apply
There is no strict definition of complex needs, anything that could affect your ability to make and maintain a claim to UC can be considered. This could include issues such as:
- a physical or mental health condition
- risk of suicide or self-harm or risk of harm to others
- abuse of drugs or alcohol
- domestic abuse
- homelessness
- sensory loss (hearing and visual impairments)
- care leaver
- unable to use a computer
- no bank account
If you have already begun a claim to UC, you can report your complex needs in your UC journal and a UC agent must then record these on the support needs section of the DWP’s records.
You should then receive support from a complex case coach.
Complex case coaches carry out ‘investigative work’ to support claimants who are approaching their claim-by date but who have not yet made a claim. This includes claimants who:
- the DWP have not been able to make contact with at all
- have been contacted, but they still have not made a claim
- have additional barriers to making a claim
- have complex needs
Once a claimant has been referred to the complex case coach, they should remain on their worklist until a claim to UC has been completed or their legacy benefits are terminated and no claim to UC has been made.
However, before a complex case coach claim can be closed in this way, there is a process that should be gone through which includes a referral to an advanced customer support senior leader and a review with a Higher Executive Officer.
In some cases, even if no progress has been made, it may be judged that it is not safe to terminate the claimant’s legacy benefits and the complex case coach will continue trying to contact the claimant at semi-regular intervals.
Only after all support options have been exhausted can the claimants legacy benefits finally be terminated.
It is clear that the complex needs process is an important safeguard for claimants who may struggle, especially with the mandatory migration process, but also with the ongoing requirements of a UC claim. If you think they apply to you or your client, ensure that you inform the DWP.
We’ve included more information in our updated 52 page guide to Successful ESA to UC Managed Migration, which members can download from the ESA/UC Guides page
We have also published two DWP documents on complex cases which members can find in the UC Migration Resources section on the same page.
My karaoke on Monday morning, the time in joyed my activity group. What a good musical start to a Monday morning
Learning all about the Sun and it’s raised at the science museum when I went on my trip with my PA there
Gavin & Stacey Script Raises £50,000 For Charity
A signed copy of the Gavin & Stacey finale script has raised more than £50,000 for charity in an online raffle.
Robert Wilfort, who plays Stacey’s brother Jason West in the popular BBC show, donated the script to a charity in his hometown of Chesham, Buckinghamshire, as a raffle prize.
The winning ticket was drawn on Monday, with proceeds going to The Theatre Shed, external, an inclusive theatre company bringing together disabled and non-disabled children.
Gavin & Stacey was first screened in 2007 and about more than 19.1 million viewers have now watched the final episode of the show, first screened on Christmas Day.
The series tells the story of Gavin, from Billericay, Essex, and his romance with Stacey from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, and the intertwined lives of their friends and family.
More than 4,500 people bought the £5 tickets, after Wilfort decided to raise funds through a raffle rather than an auction.
“I knew the show finale would be popular, to put it mildly, and I thought it would be good to do something with that popularity,” he said.
“There’s a fantastic charity near to me, I’ve had a long association with them, so I got in touch and said, ‘Shall we raffle off the script?'”
Alice Connor, artistic director of The Theatre Shed, said the gesture was “beyond generous”.
“Being able to raise money like this is so imperative to help us keep going. We don’t get any statutory funding, and it’s been a tough year for us as a small charity,” she said.
The group “incorporates sign language into everything we do” and every show was written and choreographed by the young people, Ms Connor added.
She said the money would “create access to the arts for those who would usually be unable to access it”.
Warwick Davis To Receive Prestigious Bafta Fellowship
Actor and TV presenter Warwick Davis will receive this year’s Bafta Fellowship, the British Academy’s highest honour.
The Surrey-born actor is known for appearing in the Harry Potter and Star Wars film series and has presented the ITV game show Tenable since 2016.
In a statement, Davis described the Fellowship as an “incredible honour” and thanked Bafta “for believing in my journey”.
“I accept this Fellowship in honour of everyone living with dwarfism or any form of difference, reminding us that our uniqueness can be our greatest asset,” he said.
Davis, 54, has spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, a rare form of dwarfism.
Throughout his career, he has advocated for a more inclusive screen industry and is the founder of Willow Management, an agency dedicated to representing actors under 5ft or over 7ft tall.
Davis said: “The Fellowship, to me, embodies the spirit of inclusivity, creativity, and collaboration that Bafta stands for.
“This recognition is not just about the body of work I’ve contributed but also about the people who’ve stood by me and the audiences who have made this journey worthwhile.”
He continued: “I also want to acknowledge the wonderful colleagues and friends who’ve worked behind the scenes – costumers, makeup artists, camera crews – who quietly and tirelessly pour their hearts into every production.
“I look forward to continuing to champion fresh perspectives, advocate for better representation, and inspire the next generation of storytellers to dream big.”
The Fellowship recognises industry figures who have made an outstanding contribution to film, television or games.
Previous recipients include Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Dame Judi Dench, Dame Vanessa Redgrave, Martin Scorsese, Sidney Poitier and Dame Helen Mirren.
Davis began his career aged 11 as Wicket the Ewok in 1983’s Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi.
He continued to appear in the franchise over subsequent decades, most recently in 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker.
His other film credits include Willow, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and the horror-comedy Leprechaun film franchise.
Davis is perhaps most familiar to audiences for his role as Professor Filius Flitwick in the Harry Potter series of films, which he appeared in between 2001 and 2011.
He appeared in BBC TV series Life’s Too Short, which he created with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant.
Bafta chair Sara Putt described Davis as a “talented, much loved and truly inspiring figure who has captivated audiences over many decades”.
Last year, Davis’s wife Samantha, the co-founder of dwarfism charity Little People UK, died aged 53.
Davis described her as his “favourite human” and said “her passing has left a huge hole in our lives as a family”. An inquest into her death was due to open this week but was adjourned until a later date.
The nominations for the Bafta Film Awards will be announced on Wednesday 15 January, with Conclave, Emilia Pérez, Anora and The Brutalist expected to make the shortlists.
LA Wildfire Victims Include 2 With CP
I was heartbroken to read yesterday that two of the 16 people who have lost their lives in the LA wildfires had cerebral palsy.
This post was shared on Linkedin last week and I wanted to share it here somehow. Now seems like the right time:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7282806168811368448/
Please find a way to click the link above if you can.
Paralympian Makes Disability Power List Top 10
A former Paralympian said she was “blown away” to have been recognised as one of the most influential disabled people in the UK.
Beth Moulam, who retired from sport in 2022 after representing GB at the Tokyo Paralympics, has been listed in the top 10 of the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 for the second time.
The 31-year-old communicates using a piece of technology that detects eye movement through a camera or tracker, similar to that used by rugby legend and MND campaigner, Rob Burrow.
Ms Moulam, from York, has been recognised for her work advocating for people who use alternative forms of communication.
The Disability Power 100 recognises and celebrates the 100 most influential and trailblazing people in the country with a disability.
Ms Moulam topped the Grassroots and Community Advocate category, placing her in the overall top 10 most influential disabled people in the UK.
She said: “When I made the list again this year I was blown away. It is a tough competition made up of leading lights who are influencing the disability landscape.”
The former elite athlete, whose cerebral palsy was caused at birth by a lack of oxygen, represented GB in the specialised disability sport of boccia.
‘Humbling’
Ms Moulam said the last 18 months had been “a whirlwind” of full time study for a MA in Social Policy and, in her spare time, advocating for those who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).
“Whether I am attending a board meeting, delivering a lecture, leading a workshop, or talking at a school assembly, I’m achieving my aim of creating greater awareness of AAC and engaging allies for AAC users,” she added.
In July 2024 she was awarded an honorary doctorate in health by Manchester Metropolitan University for her Paralympic achievement and for her advocacy work around AAC.
She said it was “humbling to be rewarded for doing something you love with a passion”.
Ms Moulam said the late Rob Burrow had done “a great job of raising awareness of electronic communication devices”.
“His celebrity status as a rugby player gave him a platform to raise awareness of motor neurone disease and, as a by-product of that, this type of equipment,” she said.
Ms Moulam said her own sporting career had also given her an awareness raising platform, which alongside her voluntary advocacy work included “lecturing, public speaking, delivering workshops and training and mentoring”.
She said: “It is all about awareness raising and my passion around empowering other people who use communication resources.”
Video about my shoppable content and ongoing fundraising, and all about my TikTok affiliate via TikTok shop and my shoppable content.
UK Athletics Charged With Manslaughter Over Death Of Paralympian
UK Athletics and the organisation’s former head of sport Keith Davies have been charged with manslaughter over the death of Paralympian Abdullah Hayayei.
Hayayei died aged 36 after a metal cage fell on him while training at Newham Leisure Centre, London in July 2017.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has charged UK Athletics Limited with “corporate manslaughter and a health and safety at work act offence”.
Davies, 77, has been charged with “gross negligence manslaughter and a health and safety at work act offence”.
UK Athletics and Davies will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 31 January.
Hayayei was training for the World Para-athletics Championships in London at the time of the incident.
The United Arab Emirates thrower had been set to compete in the F34 shot put, discus and javelin events.
Hayayei, a father of five, finished sixth in the javelin and seventh in the shot put when making his Paralympic debut at Rio 2016.
London 2017 was due to be his second appearance at a World Championships. At the 2015 event in Doha, Qatar, Hayayei finished fifth in the discus and eighth in the shot put.
A moment of silence was held in honour of Hayayei during the opening ceremony of the World Para-athletics Championships at London Stadium.
An experiment that we were shown when we went showing in one of the science museum shows all about eruption and all about explosion.
Disabled Man Completes South Pole Trek
A former GB para athlete has become the first disabled person to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole.
Jonny Huntington, from Kingsbridge, Devon, covered 566 miles (911km) of Antarctic ice in 46 days despite the effects of a debilitating stroke he suffered in 2014.
The 38-year-old set off from Fuchs-Messner on 21 November 2024 and arrived at the South Pole on Monday.
Throughout his expedition, he skied in extreme conditions, including freezing temperatures and 24-hour sunlight, while dragging a 242lb (110kg) sled carrying his food and equipment.
Speaking via a satellite phone on arrival at the South Pole, Mr Huntington said: “It’s been a bit of a whirlwind since getting here. It’s pretty emotional.
“My right leg is pretty sore, which I think is probably reasonable, because it’s done most of the work.”
Only 52 people have successfully skied to the South Pole without support but Mr Huntington is understood to be the first explorer with a disability to do so.
A former Army officer, Mr Huntington was left paralysed from the neck down on his left side when he suffered a stroke at the age of 28.
It took years of rehabilitation before he was able to fully walk again and he was left with restricted movement down his left side.
He said the final stage of his expedition was much more challenging because he encountered huge ice formations called sastrugi, as well as soft snow, which made progress difficult.
“This has been tough, the injury has certainly made it more difficult,” said Mr Huntington.
“In the last couple of weeks I have been in a position where I’ve worried if my good side is going to survive this.”
During his stroke recovery, Mr Huntington became a member of the Armed Forces Para-Snowsport Team (AFPST), which ignited his love for skiing.
‘Refused to stop’
He went on to join the GB para Nordic ski team, competing between 2017 and 2020 at World Cups in Lviv, Ukraine, and Vuokatti, Finland, as well as the inaugural European Paralympic Committee Games in Poland in 2020.
The idea for the South Pole expedition came after he stopped skiing competitively and he planned and trained for the expedition for five years.
He said: “I don’t think I’ve pushed any boundaries in the sense of the route I’ve done, or anything like that – but, at the same time, I’ve dragged a pretty mangled body through that route.
“I’m just a normal bloke from South Devon – like, there is no magic formula and there’s nothing special about me to enable me to have done what I’ve done.
“On this trip, I kept putting one foot in front of the other until I got to the end.
“When things were really tough, I just refused to stop putting one foot in front of the other.”
Mr Huntington said he was looking forward to celebrating his achievement with a steak and a glass of red wine.
McDonald’s Workers Make Fresh Harassment Claims
McDonald’s workers have said they are still facing sexual abuse and harassment, a year after the boss promised to clean up behaviour at the fast-food chain.
One 19-year-old worker, Matt, told the BBCsome of his colleagues were scared of going into work, and that managers would “touch up” other members of staff.
Since the BBC’s original investigation into the company, the UK equality watchdog has heard 300 reported incidents of harassment. It now plans to intervene again.
A McDonald’s spokesperson said the company had undertaken “extensive work” over the past year to ensure it has industry-leading practices in place to keep its workers safe.
The UK boss of McDonald’s has been summoned on Tuesday to answer MPs’ questions for a second time, including over claims of sexual abuse. You can follow the hearing live on the BBC website.
Warning – this article contains distressing content
Claims include:
- A worker quit her job in the West Midlands at the end of 2023, after she says managers inappropriately touched her and customers sexually harassed her. When she raised it, she says she was told to “suck it up”.
- A 16-year-old current employee based in the West Midlands says he was bullied, shouted at and sworn at by managers.
- A female worker, 20, says a male manager sent her topless pictures. She left her McDonald’s branch in the East of England in August.
These claims all relate to events after November 2023, when the boss of McDonald’s UK, Alistair Macrow first appeared in front of parliament’s Business and Trade Committee.
Mr Macrow told MPs then that the firm was taking action to improve working conditions, after the BBC uncovered widespread concerns over the treatment of staff.
However, one current and two former workers from different parts of the country, claim that the restaurant audits that were promised, were stage-managed by the branches.
More than 700 current and former junior employees are now taking legal action against the firm, accusing it of failing to protect them.
‘Scared to go in’
Matt said he quit his McDonald’s branch in the Midlands last year because of what he calls a “toxic” work environment.
He said he was bullied for having a learning disability and an eye condition.
“And then it was stuff you noticed, managers and staff being racist to other staff. Managers trying to touch other staff up,” he said.
He said some staff members felt scared to go into work, because they feared something “horrible” happening.
Matt said the work culture had not changed by the time he left in May.
‘Just banter’
Alan, not his real name, said he has been repeatedly subjected to “degrading and humiliating” verbal abuse by his colleagues at a McDonald’s branch in southwest Scotland.
“It’s just homophobic slurs a lot, sometimes to my face, sometimes behind my back,” the 19-year-old said.
When he reported the problem to a senior manager, he says he was told it was “just a bit of banter”.
Alan has worked in other fast-food restaurants where he said homophobia was taken more seriously.
“It just seems like McDonald’s don’t care as much,” he said.
‘Sex for shifts’
Claire, not her real name, who worked at a branch in the Midlands until May 2023, says a shift manager asked her for sex in return for extra shifts, which she refused. She was 17, he was in his 30s.
“You don’t expect that to happen,” she said. “It was totally inappropriate.”
Like most McDonald’s workers, Claire was employed on a zero-hours contract.
McDonald’s outlets are run as franchises, so local managers are responsible for employing the staff for their restaurants. Across the UK, 89% of their workers are on zero-hours contracts.
McDonald’s says workers can choose to switch to minimum guaranteed hours. But we have spoken to 50 workers across the country who say they were not given that choice.
Some workers told the BBC the insecure hours leads to an imbalance of power. Others, however, said zero-hours contracts worked well for them.
Claire says she felt “dependent” on her managers for work. “I was always asking for more shifts, as I needed more money,” she said.
A McDonald’s spokesperson said that in 2018, it offered all employees the choice of a flexible or guaranteed hours contract, and that every staff room should still display information on how to request one.
“Additionally, after four weeks in role, every new employee has a formal conversation with management – in which managers check that employees are aware of the option of a guaranteed hours contract,” the company said.
The company said it did not recognise the incident where a manager asked for sex in return for shifts. “If provided with sufficient information we would ensure a full investigation is carried out, and appropriate action taken if necessary,” the company said.
Liam Byrne, chair of the Business Select Committee, which will question Mr Macrow later on Tuesday, told the BBC the situation was “appalling”.
“There is a clear pattern of abuse here that suggests that McDonald’s has become a hotbed of harassment and it’s incredibly serious,” he said.
“And when the boss of McDonald’s came before us last year he promised that he would root out this problem and it’s quite clear that he’s failed.”
‘Traumatised’
Most McDonald’s staff are aged between 16 and 25. For many, it is their first job.
Even senior managers are often young.
Elliott, not his real name, was in charge of a store in the South of England by his early twenties. He left last February.
“If I had a sister, or if I had a daughter, I wouldn’t want them working in McDonald’s,” he said.
When the McDonald’s boss spoke to MPs in 2023 he said the company had stopped a practice of moving managers around so they could avoid disciplinary action.
But Elliott says that days after Mr Macrow gave evidence, a manager was moved to his store to avoid being disciplined, following allegations they had sent sexually explicit messages to female colleagues who were 16-18 years old.
Following the BBC investigation, McDonald’s brought in outside consultants, Price Waterhouse Cooper (PwC), to audit their restaurants and check on the wellbeing of their staff. But Elliott says the franchise he worked for “rigged” its inspection in February.
“They were meeting the best employees, hand-plucked from different stores,” he said. “The people that can be coached on the correct answers.”
According to Elliot the audit gave the restaurant a 100% rating. Yet, he told us, two months before the audit, a manager working there had been accused of performing a Nazi salute to a Jewish employee. He said PwC was not told of this allegation.
“I think I am a bit traumatised by it,” he said. “And I think I’ll continue to have bad memories of my employment for the rest of my life.”
PwC said that while it doesn’t comment on individual clients, its site visits are “subject to a stringent set of processes” and are refined as required.
A McDonald’s spokesperson said PwC’s independent site visits “play a crucial role” in assessing each restaurant against specific criteria and ensuring standards are met.
“In the few instances where our expectations have not been met, we have taken prompt corrective action,” the spokesperson said.
“The assessment procedures are under constant review by PwC and were refined early in the programme to ensure that employee interviews – which form part of the assessment – are selected randomly by independent assessors, further safeguarding the integrity of the process.”
The BBC first began investigating working conditions at McDonald’s in February 2023, after the company signed a legally binding agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), in which it pledged to protect its staff from sexual harassment.
After our investigation was published in July 2023, McDonald’s apologised and set up a new unit to deal with complaints.
The EHRC also set up a dedicated hotline for abuse claims.
More than 160 people approached the BBC with allegations after our initial investigation, while 300 incidents were reported to the EHRC.
Now, the watchdog says it is taking stronger action against the fast-food chain.
In a new statement provided exclusively to the BBC, the EHRC said: “We are actively working with McDonalds to update our ongoing legal agreement in light of serious allegations raised by our work with the company, and the BBC investigation.”
Its action plan will involve strengthening the existing measures – which included providing more training and conducting a survey of workers – as well as announcing new steps, the BBC understands.
McDonald’s said the agreement with the EHRC was signed “with the intention that it continues to evolve to ensure the robust measures we have in place are aligned with any updated guidance”.
Separately, law firm Leigh Day said it had been instructed to start legal action against McDonald’s by hundreds of staff and former staff, with more than 450 restaurants implicated in the claims.
A McDonald’s spokesperson said: “Ensuring the 168,000 people that work in McDonald’s restaurants are safe is the most important responsibility for both us and our franchisees, and we have undertaken extensive work over the last year to ensure we have industry-leading practices in place to support this priority.
“Any incident of misconduct and harassment is unacceptable and subject to rapid and thorough investigation and action.”
The company said: “Our relentless focus on eliminating all forms of harassment at McDonald’s is led by a newly created team and informed by the experience and guidance of external experts.”
It said it had rolled out company-wide programmes to improve safeguarding, drive awareness and enhance training, and in addition to the four existing channels, it had introduced an additional way for employees to speak up, confidentially, at any time, allowing employees to “instantly raise issues digitally”, and which was “specifically designed to ensure they feel empowered to speak up”.
It also said its new investigations unit was “dedicated to rooting out any behaviour that falls below the high standards” it demands of its workers.
“We are confident that we are taking significant and important steps to tackle the unacceptable behaviours facing every organisation,” the spokesperson added.
It said its latest anonymous employee survey showed that 92% of its franchisees’ people are now comfortable speaking up, and 93% believe management will act.
“However, we know that we must be constantly vigilant, and we will challenge and confront any behaviour that falls below those standards,” it said.
What to do if you have been sexually harassed at work
- Report it: The charity Victim Support, external suggests telling your manager, HR representative or trade union
- Keep a record: Include dates, times and details of any incidents. Save any relevant emails.
- Get help: Victim Support operates a free and confidential 24/7 helpline and live chat service. Call 0808 16 89 111 or use the live chat at: victimsupport.org.uk/live-chat.
- Call the police: If sexual harassment escalates into violence, threats or sexual assault, report this to the police by calling 101. If you are in danger, call 999.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story, information and support is available via the BBC Action Line.
Some of the names in this story have been changed to protect identities.
Volcano and trapping bubbles in oxygen, here is the explainer talking about volcanoes, bubbles and trapping oxygen within these.
Learning Guitar Helped Me Cope With Going Blind
Learning to play the guitar helped Craig Brown cope with the shock of going blind at the age of 30.
The former engineer and motorbike enthusiast, from Leicester, said he initially struggled to deal with the impact of losing his sight.
“My whole life turned upside down, and I spent ages moping and just sitting around,” said the 34-year-old.
“My dad, who is a massive guitar collector, said ‘Why don’t you give playing a go?'”
Mr Brown said: “My world was quite dark and gloomy, but taking up his suggestion cracked the shell of my depression and helped me cope with going blind.”
Mr Brown said he had visited the opticians when his sight began to fade and was referred to a specialist at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.
“They told me my retinas had started to detach from my eyeballs as a result of type 1 diabetes, which I have had since I was six.
“I had some laser surgeries, but they did not work, and eventually my sight more or less failed.”
A new community
Mr Brown said: “Learning the guitar gave me something to focus on.
“You might think you don’t need your eyes to play guitar, but you have to see where your fingers are on the strings, so it was a challenge.
“I stuck velvet dots on the neck of my guitar so I could work.
“I went online to try to learn a bit from other people and then started posting some videos on social media.
“I didn’t think anyone would be interested, but I was surprised to find they were, and they said some really nice things.
“It’s a strange thing to say, but going blind has helped me find a whole new community and also given me what I describe as a new kind of sight.”
Mr Brown has now set up a social media profile called Blind Guitar Guy, and has 1,000 followers on TikTok.
He said he hoped to expand his following to help him raise money for the Leicester-based Vista charity, which helps people with sight loss.
“Vista helped me so much when I was registered blind, ” Mr Brown said.
“When I lost my licence, they helped me get a disabled bus pass, they helped me adapt my home. They made a real difference at a hard time in my life.
“I want to try to give them something back. I have set up a fundraising page for them.
“I’ve started small, but if I get £100 for them, I’ll get Vista’s logo tattooed on my bicep and put the video of it online for everyone’s entertainment.”
Mr Brown said he now hoped to work with the charity to help other blind and partially-sighted people learn the guitar.
Vista has been contacted for comment.
Same Difference 