UK News

Devon father one step closer to completing world-first swim to raise awareness of son’s brain condition

A father from North Devon is set to complete the final six lakes in his bid to become the first person to swim Switzerland’s ten largest lakes after his young son was diagnosed with a rare brain-attacking condition PANDAS, that caused sudden onset aggression, OCD and tics overnight.

...

Full story

Super-model’s mum backs Mencap awareness campaign

Caroline White, whose son Seb was the first child with Down’s syndrome to feature in a major UK high street advertising campaign for M&S last Christmas, is backing Mencap’s Learning Disability Week (19-25 August) calling for superhero stories.

The learning disability charity Mencap is calling for people with a learning disability and their families to share their stories of...

Tags:

Mencap

Learning Disability Week

superhero

Buzz Lightyear

Spiderman

UK standards of neonatal care improving but better data recording needed

Better data recording by hospitals is needed to share best practice and drive up standards, says Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

More than three quarters (79%) of the parents of babies in neonatal units are seen by senior healthcare professionals within 24 hours of admission and the majority of parents report positive experiences, but there is room for improvement in...

Tags:

health

Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health

Health Quality Improvement Partnership

Department of Health announces £5 million of funding to encourage Brits to 'Get Active To Get Healthy'

One year on from the Olympics and Paralympics more than half the adult population is doing the recommended amount of physical activity, but worryingly more than a quarter are not doing even 30 minutes a week and putting their health at risk, Public Health Minister Anna Soubry has warned.

Only a third of boys and a quarter of girls meet the recommendation for at least 60 minutes of...

Tags:

Olympics

Get Active to Get Healthy

Charlatans drummer, Jon Brookes dies aged 44

Jon Brookes, the drummer with the British rock band The Charlatans, has died at the age of 44.

He had been receiving treatment for a brain tumour after suffering a seizure on tour in 2010.

A founder member, Brookes enjoyed long-running success with the band, recording 11 studio albums between 1990 and 2010.

The Charlatans first enjoyed success with the hit single The...

Tags:

Jon Brookes

The Charlatans

drummer

UK inflation rate falls to 2.8%

The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rate of inflation fell by 0.1% to 2.8% in the year to July 2013, down from a 14-month high of 2.9% in June, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The largest contributions to the fall in the rate came from air fares, plus price movements (in some cases the result of seasonal sales) in the recreation & culture, and clothing & footwear...

Tags:

Survey suggests UK housing market is on the road to recovery

The UK housing market appears to have finally turned a corner as buyers returned to the market in their biggest numbers for four years, according to the latest Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Residential Market Survey.

The survey reveals that during July, the number of potential buyers looking to enter the market grew at the fastest rate since July 2009. Since the start...

Tags:

housing market

Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors

RICS

new buyers

Help to Buy Scheme

Prime Minister announces £500 million to relieve pressures on A&E

With over 1 million more people visiting A&E compared to three years ago, last year's harsh winter put exceptional pressure on urgent and emergency wards.

The new funding will go to A&E departments identified as being under the most pressure and be targeted at 'pinch points' in local services.

The aim is for patients to be treated promptly, with fewer delays in A&E...

Tags:

Police operation helps to identify pit bull-type dogs sold by convicted breeders

Operation Doorstop Two was set up following the arrest of Stephen and Tracey Tewkesbury in relation to the selling of Pit Bull-type dogs, for which they have since been convicted. The purpose of the operation was to identify dogs sold by the couple and mitigate any risk they presented to the community.

The operation has now concluded and a total of 42 addresses have been visited, which...

Tags:

One of Britain’s rarest mammals needs greater protection

New research has revealed that just 1,000 grey long-eared bats, a species native to Devon, remain in the UK and numbers are declining.

"The UK’s grey long-eared bats need greater conservation efforts before we lose them” says Dr Orly Razgour, who is calling for this little-known species to be afforded ‘UK Priority Species’ status in the newly published Conserving grey long-eared bats...

Tags:

Bat Conservation Trust

Devon

Southern coast of England

mammal species

rare species

Animals

19-year-old killed in fatal motorcycle collision is named

A 19-year-old motorcyclist who was killed in a road collision in Paignton at the weekend has been formally identified and has been named as Gregory Taylor. Known as Greg, he lived in Buckfastleigh.

A 37-year-old man who was arrested by police in connection with the incident has been released on police bail until 7 November 2013 while police investigators carry out further enquiries....

Tags: