Two further terror arrests after vandalism of planes at RAF base
NHS keeps public away as patients seen as 'inconvenience', new boss says
NHS keeps public away as patients seen as 'inconvenience', boss says
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Daily Record
13 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Mum who lost home caring for anorexic daughter hopes life-saving charity has future
"It's the centre of my life at the moment... Some people have been here for 15 years. It scares me for some of the people that might lose this support." A mum who lost her home while caring for her anorexic daughter says a Scots charity threatened with closure is a "life saver". Janet Kramer battled anxiety and depression after her daughter started intensive treatment for the eating disorder. The 70-year-old credits Redhall Walled Garden in Edinburgh with helping her recover, saying it became the "centre" of her life. But the community garden, tucked in a glen off Lanark Road, is entirely maintained by people struggling with mental illness and is now at risk of closure due to funding cuts. Edinburgh Integrated Joint Board (EIJB) announced its intention to slash £2.2 million in funds to social care charities, meaning the garden, along with other charities in the Thrive Collective, could be hit. Janet told Edinburgh Live: "Caring for someone who has mental illness can also affect the person who's caring. I was a mess. I went to the Carers Council for some support and they recommended Redhall. "I can't even tell you how it's helped me, because it gave everything that I lost back to me. "I feel safe here. It's not just gardening, because a lot of us are all in the same position. We all have mental health issues and we understand each other because we don't have to explain constantly, as you probably do to the outside world." Janet spends three days per week with the charity, learning horticulture and helping maintain the grounds. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. She added: "I don't need anxiety medication. I don't need physical therapy. I get that here. I don't feel isolated. It dispels that feeling of being cut off from the world. That's incredibly helpful to me to be able to put my own mind to right so I can support my daughter, who is getting better, so she relies on me. It's not a guilty indulgence coming here. It's a necessity. "It's the centre of my life at the moment, and has been for the last four years. Some people have been here for 15 years. "It scares me for some of the people that might lose this support because it's a lifesaver, and I'm not being overdramatic." The EIJB has proposed cancelling Redhall's contract, which would leave dozens of trainees in the lurch. Claire Reynolds, senior service manager for the Scottish Action for Mental Health, says Redhall prevents people being sent to Edinburgh's already-overwhelmed statutory services by providing preventative mental health services. The SAMH boss said: "[The EIJB cuts] are a radical disinvestment of community mental health services in Edinburgh. This isn't a chipping away of services, it's a complete eradication of mental health supports that people go to. "We are very concerned about the human impact and of loss of life (this would cause) through people's mental health deteriorating to the point where they are needing hospital." Councillor Tim Pogson, Chair of the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board said: "The IJB funds a range of non-statutory services with third sector providers, through block contracts and service level agreements. "We are currently carrying out a review of this spend, with the aim of reducing annual spend by £2.2 million. We are taking time to consider this proposal to assess the data and evidence on the impacts of any changes, and to consider the concerns raised by providers, service users and others. "The level of funding Edinburgh's IJB receives has not kept pace with the increased demand and cost for our services. We are also being asked to care for people with more complex needs. As a result, the EIJB has had to make cuts of around £100m over the last three years which has been very challenging. "We recognise the contribution that our third sector providers make and the concern this may cause, however we are now in a position where unfortunately difficult decisions have to be made in order to protect the essential support we provide for some of Edinburgh's most vulnerable people. "This review will enable us to focus scarce resources on the provision of core, statutory services which help keep the people who most need our help safe and well cared for, while allowing our partners to meet their legal duties." "We really want the Health and Social Care Partnership to consult with the people affected by these changes instead of the radical removal of all support at the same time." A petition has been launched by Scottish Action for Mental Health to protest services like Redhall.
BBC News
18 minutes ago
- BBC News
How dem make anti-venom from man wey snake bite 200 times
Di blood of one US man wey deliberately inject imsef wit snake venom for nearly twenty years don lead to "unparalleled" anti-venom, scientists tok. Antibodies find in Tim Friede blood don shown to protect against deadly doses from one wide range of species in animal tests. Current therapies gatz match di specific species of venomous snake wey bite anyone. But Oga Friede 18-year mission fit lead to ogbonge step of finding universal anti-venom against all snakebites - wey dey kill up to 140,000 pipo evri year and leave three times as many needing amputations or facing permanent disability. In total, Mr Friede don endure more dan 200 bites and more dan 700 injections of venom e prepare from some of di world deadliest snakes, including multiple species of mambas, cobras, taipans and kraits. E bin want build up im immunity to protect imsef wen e dey handle snakes, documenting im exploits on YouTube. But di former truck mechanic tok say e don "completely screw up" early on wen two cobra bites wey happun in quick succession leave am in coma. "I no wan die. I no wan lose one finger. I no wan miss work," e tell BBC. Oga Friede motivation na to develop beta therapies for di rest of di world, explaining: "E just become lifestyle and I just keep pushing and pushing and pushing as hard as I fit push - for di pipo wey dey 8,000 miles away from me wey don die from snakebite". 'I go love to get my hands on some of your blood' Currently dem dey make anti-venom by injecting small doses of snake venom into animals, such as horses. Dia immune system dey fight di venom by producing antibodies and dem go harvest am to use as therapy. But venom and anti-venom gatz dey closely matched becos di toxins for venomous bite no be di same from one species to anoda. Dem even get wide variety within di same species – anti-venom wey dem make from snakes from India dey less effective against di same species for Sri Lanka. One team of researchers begin dey search for one type of immune defence wey dem dey call broadly neutralising antibodies. Instead of targeting di part of toxin wey make am unique, dem dey target di part wey make am common to entire classes of toxin. Dat na wen Dr Jacob Glanville, chief executive of biotech company Centivax, come across Tim Friede. "Immediately I look say 'if anybody in di world don develop dis broadly neutralising antibodies, e go be am' and so I reach out," e tok. "Di first call, I be like 'dis fit dey awkward, but I go love get my hands on some of your blood'." Oga Friede agree and di work dey ethically approved becos di study go only take blood, rather dan give am more venom. Di research focus on elapids – one of di two families of venomous snakes – such as coral snakes, mambas, cobras, taipans and kraits. Elapids primarily use neurotoxins in dia venom, wey dey paralyse dia victim and e dey fatal wen dem stop di muscles e need to breathe. Researchers don pick 19 elapids identify by di World Health Organization as being among di deadliest snakes on di planet. Dem don begin to source for Oga Friede blood for protective defences. Dia work, dey detailed in di journal Cell, identify two broadly neutralising antibodies wey fit target two classes of neurotoxin. For experiments on mice, di cocktail mean say di animals bin survive deadly doses from 13 of di 19 species of venomous snake. Dem bin get partial protection against di remaining six. Dis na "unparalleled" breadth of protection, according to Dr Glanville, wey say e "likely cover a whole bunch of elapids for wey no get current anti-venom". Di team dey try to refine di antibodies further and see if adding fourth component fit lead to total protection against elapid snake venom. Di oda class of snake – di vipers – dey rely more on haemotoxins, wey dey attack di blood, rather dan neurotoxins. In total around one dozen broad classes of toxin in snake venom, wey also include cytotoxins dey directly kill cells. "I think in di next 10 or 15 years we go get somtin effective against each one of dis toxin classes," Prof Peter Kwong, one of di researchers for Columbia University, tok. And di hunt continue inside Oga Friede blood samples. "Tim antibodies dey really quite extraordinary - e bin teach im immune system to get dis veri, veri broad recognition," Prof Kwong tok. Di ultimate hope na to get either single anti-venom wey fit do evritin, or one injection for elapids and one for vipers. Prof Nick Casewell, na di head of di centre for snakebite research and interventions for di Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine - e tok say di breadth of protection report bin dey unusual and provide "strong piece of evidence" wey get feasible approach. "No doubt say dis work move di field forward in exciting direction." But e caution say "plenti work still dey to do" and di anti-venom still go need extensive testing bifor dem fit use am in pipo. But for Oga Friede, reaching dis stage "make me feel good". "I dey do somtin good for humanity and e bin dey veri important to me. I dey proud of am. E dey pretty cool."
The Sun
20 minutes ago
- The Sun
Aldi's 89p bakery staple will repel flying ants from your home for good – they hate the smell & it lasts for weeks
EXPERTS have warned Flying Ant Day could be one of the biggest in recent years, but Aldi's cupboard staple will keep the pests out of your home. The affordable and simple solution is a toxin-free way to keep a potential ant problem at bay. Pest control experts swear by it To deter these pesky insects from infiltrating your home, experts recommend Ground Cinnamon, and you can get it for less than £1 in Aldi. For only 89p, shoppers can pick up this household essential, which is known to solve the pest problem. Chemical methods can be effective, but for shoppers wanting to find a non-toxic and harmless remedy to the issue, cinnamon is the perfect option. Will it kill the ants? Put simply, no, using cinnamon in your home does not kill the ants, but it will deter them. President of Black Pest Prevention, Nicole Carpenter explained: "The scent of cinnamon itself doesn't kill ants. However, it makes the life of ants much more difficult. "Cinnamon is a product with a strong scent, and this strong scent can create an unfavourable environment for ants, making them want to leave your space." Similar products like vinegar or essential oils also emit a similar strong scent and work by intercepting the pheromone trails, which they use to find food. Getting started There are different ways to use cinnamon to prevent ants. The simplest option is to sprinkle ground cinnamon along the ant's entry points and trails, creating a barrier to stop the pests infesting your home. However, it's not the most permanent option, as a strong wind or movement can blow the cinnamon away. What's more, for some homeowners, the idea of having cinnamon scattered around their home is not an appealing solution. Experts also suggest using cinnamon sticks as a mess-free option. For a solution which is less likely to blow away, lay the sticks in any location where you have seen the ants to have a similar non-toxic deterrent. To level up this hack, experts said essential cinnamon oil is also an effective method. Mix 60 ml of water with the same quantity of vodka (optional) and add 20-25 drops of the cinnamon oil. 3 The vodka is used to keep the solution together after it has been shaken. This solution can be sprayed in the problem areas, and can be applied when necessary, which means you do not have to see the cinnamon scattered around your home. Experts are warning that this year's Flying Ant Day could be the biggest in recent records due to the summer's high humidity. The high humidity encourages ants to swarm and can wreak havoc on your summer plans. But as Paul Blackhurst, Head of the Technical Academy at Rentokil Pest Control, said: "While flying ants may disrupt your picnic, barbeque, or pub garden pint, they play a vital role in the ecosystem.' He added: "This natural event, when vast numbers of winged ants, known as a lates, take to the skies at once in search of mates from other colonies, could be one of the most prolific for years." Experts have suggested that year's Flying Ant Day - the annual mating flight where millions fill the skies in synchronised displays - could be one of the biggest in recent years.
