Air quality animation created for Dorset schoolchildren
The project has been created to help raise awareness of how air pollution affects young people, particularly the one in 11 children in the UK who have asthma.The animation will be promoted via school communications, ensuring it reaches as many families as possible.
The council has been working alongside active travel charity Sustrans.The project aims to increase active travel, cut engine idling outside schools, improving air quality and protecting children's health.Councillor Andy Hadley, portfolio holder for the environment at BCP Council, said: "Air pollution is an invisible but serious problem, especially for children. "This animation is a fantastic way to help children, and their families understand the impact of air quality and how small changes, like switching off car engines or choosing active travel, can make a big difference."Animator Rowena Sheehan said: "It's been a privilege to work on this project and create something visually engaging and informative for local schools."Air pollution is a serious issue, but animation allows us to present it in a way that children can easily understand and share with their families."
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The Sun
3 days ago
- The Sun
Mum issues chilling warning after her ‘gorgeous' daughter, 15, died of an accidental paracetamol overdose
ALICE Clark was like any other 15-year-old girl - excited for her prom, a lover of animals, Christmas and her family. But in December 2024, after being off school sick for two days, with her mum Joanne Garcia-Dios watching over her, she died of a paracetamol overdose. When Joanne, 43, found her daughter incoherent in her bedroom, she discovered from friends that Alice had taken a fatal dose of the painkiller days before. Joanne and her family, from West Parley, near Bournmouth, Dorset, do not believe Alice meant to end her life, and are petitioning for the law to change regarding the sale of paracetamol. Here, she tells her story and makes a plea to all parents... IT was a summer's day, but as I walked into the kitchen, it smelt like Christmas. As 'Merry Christmas Everyone' blasted from the speakers, my daughter Alice, then 11, turned to me, flour dusted on her cheeks. 'What do you think, Mum?' she said, pulling out a tray of gingerbread men. 'They're perfect, sweetheart, but it's only August!' I chuckled. 'You know Christmas is my favourite time of year,' she grinned. 'I couldn't wait!' Alice was always making me, her stepdad Rudi and brother Jake, 17, laugh. Jake and Alice were each other's worlds. Alongside Christmas, Alice adored animals and enjoyed collecting snails and woodlice from the garden, making them her pets. Scientists discover that even really low doses of paracetamol could damage your heart She was family-orientated too, and loved spending time with my parents – who she called Nanny and Bop-Bop – and her dad, Rob. Before I knew it, my little girl had turned 15. Her GCSEs were her next big exams and after that, her prom. Alice had sent me photos of prom dresses she liked, all in her favourite shade, baby blue. I knew she would look like a princess, with her blonde hair and model looks. At Christmas, she had a tree up in her room, decorated with Jellycat teddies. It was a December morning when I went into her bedroom, but she didn't seem herself. 'I've got a funny tummy,' she said. 'Don't worry about school today,' I told her. I was working from home so I could keep an eye on her. She spent the day on the sofa, but later, seemed to rally. She went to her orthodontist appointment and was her normal chatty self. But the next morning, she texted me from her room. 10 10 'I've been sick and my tummy hurts,' she wrote. Alice was sick a few more times that day, but she was also laughing and joking. 'I'm popping out for a bit,' I said to Alice later. 'Do you need anything?' But when she replied, she wasn't making sense and slurring her words. What Alice's friend told me left me reeling Mothers' instinct kicked in - could it be a stroke, I thought? 'What's your brother called?' I asked. 'I don't have a brother,' she replied. I asked her what month it was, thinking she had to know with the Christmas tree right beside her. But to my shock, she was stumped. 'I'm ringing 999,' I said to Rudi. As we waited for paramedics, Alice's phone didn't stop ringing. 'Alice is really poorly and can't talk now,' I told her friend. But what he said sent me reeling. He told me my girl had taken an overdose of paracetamol two days ago. 'No way,' I said, not believing it. But the first thing I did was tell the paramedics. 'This isn't my daughter, but I'm relaying what I've been told,' I said. Alice was so sensible, and had seemed absolutely fine. She was rushed to hospital, where they ran tests all night. Rudi, Rob and I were beside ourselves. Alice was falling in and out of consciousness and so confused, as we stayed by her side all night. The next morning, the doctor came to see us. 'Alice has acute liver failure,' he said. They believed it was caused by taking too many paracetamol tablets. Alice was given dialysis treatment, but wasn't improving. We were told that Alice would need to be put into an induced coma and moved to a specialist hospital in London. 'It'll give her brain the best chance of survival,' the doctor said. 10 10 While Alice was transferred by ambulance, I picked up Jake. Back at hospital, doctors told us the next few days were critical. As the hours passed, we held Alice's hands and stroked her hair. Heartbreaking goodbyes By 10pm, we hadn't slept for so long, so we decided to go and get some rest. 'Good night, Alice,' I said, kissing her forehead, before Jake and I went to the family accommodation. Only 10 minutes later, Rob called me. 'You need to get back now,' he said. Jake and I ran to her ward. Rudi and one of my sisters had just been driving home, but they turned back too. 'I'm so sorry, but Alice isn't responding to treatment,' the doctor said. Then suddenly she went into cardiac arrest. After 25 minutes, she came round, but moments later, they were working on her again. Jake was too upset and waited in the family room with his auntie, my sister, while Rob and my husband tried to shield me from what was happening. But despite trying for another half an hour, they couldn't save Alice. I let out a cry of pain as Rudi held me. I'd never believed she wouldn't make it, never thought I'd need to say 'I love you'. The loss was excruciating. We were allowed some time with Alice, and Jake helped the nurse take Alice's hand and footprints. Searching for answers The next days sped by in a blur of grief and confusion. I just couldn't understand why Alice had taken the pills and how she'd deteriorated so quickly. The police took her phone to glean clues from her messages. In time, we held Alice's funeral, where everyone wore a splash of baby blue. Car-loving Alice would have been thrilled to be escorted to her prom in a supercar, but she'd never get that chance, so my son-in-law contacted three supercar owners to accompany her on her final journey. As her coffin was carried out of the car, the drivers of the cars, including a Lamborghini and Ferrari, revved their engines. My eulogy, which was read out by the priest, talked of her love for her family, Jellycats, cars and loud music. 'Alice left this world far too soon, leaving behind so many people who absolutely adored her,' he said. 'She leaves a huge emptiness in the hearts of everyone who loved her.' After police returned Alice's phone and I'd spoken to her friends, I pieced together, as best as I could, what had happened before she died. My beautiful, smiley Alice never appeared to be in a dark place and her struggles with mental health escalated so quickly, it came as a horrendous shock to us all. Joanne Snapchat and TikTok messages from Alice showed she had taken several paracetamol tablets in one go over several hours. She'd received harassing, then nasty messages from school pupils and also had the stress of looming exams. Although she'd told several of her peers she had taken the pills, none of them had told an adult. I learnt that if caught early, doctors could have pumped her stomach and even 24 hours later, they could have given her medicine that reversed the effects. If only someone had said something, I thought, desperately. We don't believe Alice realised the severity of what she'd done, or that taking that many paracetamol could kill her. We believe that Alice thought that by being sick she was getting them out of her system. 'I've done something silly' By the time any of us, including her, realised something serious was wrong, she wasn't talking properly or making any sense. Even in those conscious moments, she still didn't tell us what she'd done. She told one of her boy friends, "I've done something silly" - we don't believe she meant to end her life. As time went on, I did more research and was shocked. People saw paracetamol as harmless and readily available, but thousands were admitted to hospital with overdoses every year. I wanted everyone to know the dangers, that medicines should be locked away, even if parents thought they had sensible children. I've started a petition to call for the medication to be taken from supermarket shelves and placed behind the counter at a pharmacy, where it can be dispensed by a pharmacist. I also want to raise awareness of the symptoms and the importance of speaking up if you know someone has taken too many tablets, even if it feels as if you're betraying their trust. My beautiful, smiley Alice never appeared to be in a dark place and her struggles with mental health escalated so quickly, it came as a horrendous shock to us all. My life's purpose now is to raise awareness of her death and prevent this from happening to anyone else. In the name of my gorgeous girl, I'm determined to save others. 10 10
BBC News
19-07-2025
- BBC News
Terminally ill should be spared council tax, say charities
People given less than 12 months to live should be spared from paying council tax, two of the UK's leading end of life charities have City Council became what is believed to be the first local authority to introduce the scheme last Marie Curie and Hospice UK want other local councils and devolved governments to follow Local Government Association and devolved administrations say some discretion and support with council tax payments for people in challenging situations is already available. Nathaniel Dye, a 39-year-old primary school music teacher from London, has been busy living his life since receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis in since he was told earlier this year he has less than 12 months to live, as his health deteriorates, his finances have come into sharp the nearly £200 a month he pays in council tax."Having a council tax exemption might not sound like very much, it's not the hugest tax burden that people have to pay, but it's really, really important."It represents something, it represents peace of mind which for me is priceless."It's not having to worry about those little things. Maybe even being able to afford some kind of luxuries as you're nearing end of life that otherwise might not be able to afford." Extra costs People given a terminal diagnosis, especially those of working age, can face serious personal finance Thunder, from Marie Curie, says it can lead to a significant income shock."It can mean you might have to reduce your hours or stop working altogether and so might your partner if they're caring for you."At the same time you might have additional costs particularly around energy. Medical devices in particular... you might get the device from the NHS but you won't get support with the running costs."Council tax is one of the larger bills that you might have to pay. It's also one people are very worried about missing particularly because the enforcement of council tax can be quite sudden and ramp up quite quickly."So taking that bit of pressure off is a really valuable thing." How Manchester scheme works In Manchester, if a resident provides a letter from a clinician showing they have less than twelve months to live, they no longer have to pay council household won't have to restart repaying it until the end of the financial year after the person had died, or for a few months if their death is close to that cut off leader of the city council, Councillor Bev Craig, says this is one way it hopes to alleviate the burden of bills in the most challenging of times."Council tax for most people is still one of their biggest bills so we're saying as a council, what can we do practically to take away one of those biggest bills people have to worry about?"This is about showing that sometimes public services can be responsive, they can be flexible and they can be compassionate." Marie Curie and Hospice UK want other authorities to do the argue the cost to public finances would be minimal, but the benefits to individual households - both emotionally and financially - would be Local Government Association, which represents councils in England, and administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland says some discretion and support for terminally ill people is already available but that many will watch the Manchester scheme with interest.
ITV News
17-07-2025
- ITV News
What is Lumpy Skin Disease?: The cattle condition that's causing a cheese shortage 'crisis'
Rags Martel finds out how London's cheesemongers are coping with the temporary ban on unpasteurised soft cheeses made in Italy and France London, and the rest of the UK, could be (brie) facing a cheese shortage. An outbreak of Lumpy Skin Disease -LSD for short - in cows in Italy and France has led the UK to temporarily banning imports of unpasteurised soft cheeses made in the two countries after May 23. It means some cheesemongers, who rely on these imports could be facing a shortage - with some reporting thousands of pounds worth of produce not being allowed into the UK and going off at the border. Mons Cheesemongers, which sells French and Swiss cheese across London, told ITV News that the ban is a "nusaince". Their East Dulwich shop has run out of Brie and fears Camembert will be finished by the end of the week too. It's meant they're losing out on sales, to the farm shops and delis they supply and that customers are not getting the cheeses they want. There are fears the ban will continue for much longer. Cheesemonger Andrew Postlethwaite said: " I think it would be pretty devastating to imagine a Christmas without raw milk, cow's cheese. "I feel potentially people don't quite realize how much of, how much raw milk French cheese they eat at Christmas, and what a big part of British culture - we've been eating French cheese since far longer than we've been drinking tea." The disease sees bovines covered in lesions, leads to a drop in milk production, immaciation and even death in rare cases. A Defra spokesperson said: 'This government will do whatever it takes to protect British farmers and their herds from disease. "We have strengthened protections by temporarily suspending imports of a small amount of products from Italy and France, following outbreaks of lumpy skin disease across Europe. "Unpasteurised cheeses are restricted, but as most Italian cheeses, such as Parmesan, Mozzarella, and Gorgonzola, are pasteurised this should not have a significant impact on supply chains." Some cheesemongers, have argued that the rules are too strict. Patricia Michelson, who runs La Fromagerie, has lost thousands of pounds worth of produce at the border, she told The Times. She argues that France's dairy industry is carrying on as normal, as their government tested the infected milk and found it "not be diseased in any way". Ms Michelson said: "If DEFRA wants to protect their herds in the UK then banning live animals is absolutely correct as a precaution. "Dairy herds (in the UK) are perfectly safe from French and Italian made dairy products. "EU due diligence is already rigorous but the new UK paperwork duplicates it at cost, causes delays, and adds confusion—especially at poorly managed UK entry points. "It also poses huge delays at the final import gateway in the UK. "Unless DEFRA has proof that all milk products from France and Italy are affected by LSD, we deserve clarity. "For importers, this isn't trivial—it's costly, illogical, and deeply frustrating. " But for London businesses, who sell cheese that's made in the UK, it could be a chance for their products to take centre stage. Bath Soft Cheese Co, which sells its products in London's Borough Market, is hoping they can step out of France's shadow and promote their cheese, made on a farm in Kelston with milk from their own cows. Bath Soft Cheese, Shop Manager Damien Johnson told ITV News London: "It is a bit of a crisis. "We'd like to think there would be a knock-on effect that it would give us an opportunity to promote the diversity of British cheeses and what we already produce and sell in the UK.""We hope that they contain the outbreak, mainly for the impact on the animals above all else, but we hope that it gives us an opportunity to showcase ourselves in the meantime while they sort out the problem."We don't have the fame for cheese like France or Italy does, so I think people are pleasantly surprised to find that there is a significant range of British cheeses, that can maybe replace for a period of time, the French cheeses that are no longer being shipped to the UK on people's cheese boards."
