Latest news with #Briony
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Young woman breaks back in four places in holiday hotel balcony fall
A young Welsh woman has broken her back after falling from a second-floor balcony at her hotel in Rhodes. Holly Seaford travelled to the Greek island for a holiday with her partner last week before she fell from the high balcony in a freak accident in the early hours of the morning on Wednesday, July 9. The 20-year-old from Ystrad Mynach fractured four vertebrae and is unable to move in hospital while medics struggle to treat her. Doctors have told her boyfriend Tate Crees, who is with her in Rhodes, that it will be two months before Holly can move again. READ MORE: Mum fights for life in Tenerife after falling down hotel stairs READ MORE: Woman dies after getting into difficulty while swimming in river Tate said: 'She is lying flat in a hospital bed in a back brace unable to move or walk. Doctors have told us it'll be at least six to eight weeks before she can start to regain mobility. This is going to be a very difficult process.' Holly's sister Briony said the family can't afford to get Holly back to Wales themselves and have asked for support to fundraise for her repatriation. She said: 'She's in a lot of pain and is bedbound. The last I heard they'd given her paracetamol. They can't effectively look after her there.' The couple were due to fly back from Rhodes on the day Holly fell from the balcony. Tate said: 'Although the medical care in Greece is good the hospital sadly doesn't have any nursing support available. 'This means Holly is without help for even the most basic daily needs which is having a serious impact on her wellbeing. 'We are desperate to get her home to the UK where she can receive the professional nursing care and rehabilitation she urgently requires. 'But medical repatriation is incredibly expensive, especially as the only way Holly can fly home is on a stretcher. She requires a specialist medical flight with trained staff to monitor her throughout the journey and unfortunately this isn't covered by insurance.' Some £3,000 has already been raised to support Holly and her family. You can see the fundraiser here. Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here. We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice
BBC News
06-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- BBC News
Briony's Picnic Picky Bits
Briony's Picnic Picky BitsMini Filo Quiche LorraineIngredients (Makes 12):Ingredients1 pack filo pastry2 tbsp butter/spread, melted4 large eggs150g Greek yoghurt100ml milk100g Gruyère, gratedPinch ground nutmeg200g bacon lardons (optional)Method:1. Preheat your oven on to 180C. 2. Grease a muffin tin. Slice the filo pastry into roughly 10cm squares. Brush each piece with melted butter, then place 3 in each space and press down so you have a filo cup.3. If using, fry up the bacon lardons until crispy. In a jug, mix the eggs, yogurt, cheese and nutmeg. Divide the bacon up between the filo cups then fill evenly with the egg mixture.4. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Serve warm or DipIngredients:150g Greek yoghurt50g mayonnaise50g cream cheese1 Lemon, juice and zest½ tsp Dried Dill½ tsp Onion powder1 tsp honeyHandful fresh parsley, choppedHandful fresh chives, choppedMethod:Mix together all the ingredients until smooth and and Cream SandwichesIngredients:Loaf brioche bread300ml double cream150g cream cheese50g icing sugar150g fresh strawberriesMethod:1. Whisk together the cream, icing sugar and cream cheese until spreadable.2. Hull and slice the strawberries.3. Spread the cream mixture over a slice of bread, add some strawberries, then top with another slice.
Metro
04-07-2025
- Metro
'My abusive ex convinced the courts to give him custody of our daughter'
Briony and her 12-year-old son live just a minute's walk away from the park. They can see it from their kitchen window. However, the 40-year-old, who is speaking under a pseudonym, struggles to see it as a safe space for them to play after her ex – her son's father – appeared there out of the blue one day. 'I was talking to one of the other parents when he turned up and all hell broke loose. He demanded to know who I was talking to and what I was saying to him,' Briony, who is being supported by Refuge, tells Metro from her home. 'He then threatened to kill us, to bury me and my family, and threatened to throw acid in my face'. This is a man who has been battling Briony for access to their son for seven years. As many survivors have experienced, her abusive ex has attempted to control and manipulate her through the family courts. Since the end of their relationship in 2017, Briony's former partner has lodged more than a dozen applications, requiring an endless stream of hearings. It's why the mum-of-two calls the family courts 'an abuser's playground'. Charlotte Proudman, an award-winning family law barrister, tells Metro that 'many survivors think that once they've escaped an abusive relationship or left, then that's the end'. 'But when they arrive at the courtroom door, this is often just the start of another abusive relationship with their perpetrator,' she explains. In Briony's case, she spent countless hours fighting her ex in court, including on her son's birthday last year, which she couldn't celebrate because her statement was due in. Even when her second child was in hospital, her ex doubled down. 'My baby son was in intensive care halfway up the country and even on that day when he was fighting for his life, hooked up to all sorts of machines, I still wasn't allowed to be pardoned from the court hearing – I had to do it in the bereavement room in the neonatal intensive care unit. 'It was just awful.' Briony's former partner is very charming and charismatic, which allowed him to present an entirely different character to the courts and various agencies. 'He was trying to make out that he was the victim of years of abuse and had to save our son,' she remembers. In actual fact, Briony and her son had been subject to a campaign of coercive control that saw him monitor their every move. Isabelle Younane, Head of External Affairs at Women's Aid has said: 'Despite overwhelming evidence, and recommendations set out in the government-led Harm Panel report over five years ago to remove the presumption of contact, the wellbeing and safety of countless women and children continues to be put at risk by the family justice system. 'The Nineteen More Child Homicides report demonstrates how the ongoing 'pro-contact' culture has fatal consequences for children – due to a host of catastrophic failings across family courts and statutory agencies. 'We know that there is a widespread lack of professional understanding around patterns of coercive control, and when combined with constant minimisation of risk and the perception that perpetrators of domestic abuse can still be 'good enough' fathers, it tragically leads to children being killed by known perpetrators of domestic abuse. 'Our recommendations are clear in calling for the urgent repeal of the presumption of contact, as well as for specialist domestic abuse training across the family justice system, to ensure that the complexities and realities of domestic abuse are fully understood. 'It is the safety of children, and not the rights of abusive parents, that must lie at the heart of the justice system.' This extended to where they could go, how long for, and who they could see. 'He didn't even live with us, but he had such a control; he would turn up any time unannounced to check on us; to make sure we were following his rules,' Briony recalls. 'You couldn't just go to the park and talk to any other parents, you just weren't allowed to talk to anyone – males in particular.' Thankfully, she was able to prove five allegations of domestic abuse at a fact-finding hearing, which saw him facing a temporary ban on making more applications. However, Briony adds, the judge told her the ruling might have gone a very different way if she hadn't been able to provide evidence because of the strength of her ex's case. 'My ex absolutely loved it because he could do whatever he wanted in there. It was an exercise in humiliating and degrading me' The mum isn't the only one to complain that professionals – including the judges overseeing their cases – still do not properly grasp that proceedings can be weaponised as a form of post-separation abuse. Domestic abuse and coercive control expert Dr Emma Katz tells Metro 'the overwhelming objective' for judges in family court is to keep children in contact with both parents regardless. This is something that abusive ex-partners know and attempt to use to their advantage, she adds. 'It largely doesn't matter what they've done,' Dr Katz explains. 'It's very difficult for them to have done something that is seen by the court as severe enough to override the wish to have the child in contact with them.' Brothers Jack, 12, and Paul, nine, were killed by their abusive father in 2014 after contact was awarded to him – despite Paul and their mother Claire separately explaining to services what he had subjected them to, with Claire even warning that her ex was capable of killing their sons . After he cross-examined me, the courts allowed my abusive ex to see our sons – and he killed them On a court-ordered, unsupervised access visit, my two sons were lured up to the attic by the promise of a new train set by my abusive ex-husband. While my boys were up there, he set 14 different fires around the house, using petrol so that the flames would spread quickly. He also barricaded the home – not just to make sure that the emergency services couldn't get in but also to make sure that my boys could not get out. My sons were murdered by their father, someone who should have protected them. Read more here One of the main challenges victim-survivors face is that family courts fear 'parental alienation', explains Dr Katz. This is where one parent might be alleged to have repeatedly said or done something to negatively impact the child's relationship with the other parent. A Channel 4 Dispatches survey of 4,000 court users found that the charge of 'parental alienation' was more likely to be levelled at parents who had cited domestic abuse. 'As soon as perpetrators say these words, the court's focus shifts from domestic abuse and seeing the woman as a victim-survivor to questioning whether the mother is actually doing something really wrong here.' She explains that the emphasis is then put on the woman to prove she is not an alienator. The government's Harm Report from 2019, assessing how the family courts respond to claims of domestic abuse and other risks to children and parents, detailed how 'perpetrators were sometimes allowed to raise counter allegations of parental alienation and that these were taken seriously, even when there was little or no supporting evidence'. Lisa* is one mother who has been through this. She has not seen her 18-year-old daughter for six years after being 'forced into' the family courts by her former partner, who 'removed all contact' after accusing her of being abusive while poisoning their child against her. At what point do you die through that constant abuse? She describes sitting in court listening to her abuser 'making statement after statement that was both defamatory or just a downright lie' after being told her allegations against him were too historic to consider. Lisa says she has been made the subject of barring orders, been ordered to pay costs and even had a non-molestation order granted against her for trying to get the court to consider expert safeguarding reports. 'At one point, the judge was saying 'you need to get a psychiatric report to prove that you are not what your ex is saying',' Lisa recalls. 'My ex absolutely loved it because he could do whatever he wanted in there. It was an exercise in humiliating and degrading me.' She tells Metro the ordeal has destroyed her finances, as well as her physical and mental health, to the extent that she has been given support for suicidal thoughts. 'My health is failing, my finances are failing. And I see that my daughter is not only also being abused but she's also being taught to be malevolent towards me,' she says. 'None of the services are bothered by mothers being denied contact, only fathers.' Lisa has repeatedly reached out through letters – on Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, birthdays, and at Christmas – but never hears anything back. 'I end up sitting there thinking it's a bit like someone saying, 'well, we'll just let him keep strangling you, and so far you haven't died so it doesn't meet our threshold'. At what point do you die through that constant abuse?' It is an acronym for Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender, and describes a pattern of behaviour in which perpetrators try to deflect responsibility for their actions by seeking to portray themselves as the victim and the actual survivor as the aggressor. In her book, He Said, She Said: Truth, Trauma and the Struggle for Justice in Family Court, Dr Proudman calls the notion of 'parental alienation' a 'pseudoscience' that men use 'to flip a family court dispute on its head'. She says that when it comes to fathers demanding contact, the courts seem to take the view that it is better for a child to have a highly abusive and dangerous parent than go without one. One of Dr Proudman's current clients is a woman whose daughter was allowed to stay overnight with her father, despite him having sexually, violently and coercively abused the mother. She recently won an appeal at the High Court against the previous judge's decision regarding overnight contact – however her ordeal is not over. 'She is now being accused by the father of not enthusiastically supporting the relationship between the rapist father and her child,' Dr Proudman says. The fear now is that if the mother is found to be acting hostile towards the father, that he could get more contact or even full custody. 'In what world would a rape victim be pleasant, kind and enthusiastic and support her abuser to her child? I feel like I'm living in a parallel universe.' They have no choice but to send children off to these contact visits and see them often come back dishevelled, devastated, crying, furious Penelope* is another mother whose abusive ex was given access to her daughter with lasting consequences. 'My life's been damaged and my son's life's being damaged from an emotional perspective,' Penelope says. Penelope, who is also supported by Refuge, explains that when her 5-year-old does go to stay with his dad, he has been ignored, left alone and picked on by others in the house. The boy is now in therapy because of the anxiety in the lead-up to and immediately after contact visits. Refuge is the largest domestic abuse organisation in the UK. If you're being abused, or are concerned about someone you know, Refuge can offer support. Refuge helps thousands of survivors per day to overcome the many impacts of domestic abuse – from physical, to emotional, to financial –and works confidentially and individually with every survivor, tailoring a unique plan that meets her needs and helping her rebuild her life. You can find out more about the charity here; and if you need help now, you can contact Refuge 24/7, for free, on 0808 2000 247. 'They say a child needs to see both parents in order to grow up as a well-rounded individual – what about when this happens? Courts are just not interested – I think they actively choose to turn a blind eye. 'What I find is that they seem to bend over backwards for the male. Yet every time I say it's domestic abuse, it's met with silence.' Penelope's ex has taken her to court four times for a final hearing and withdrew a six-figure sum to bankroll his pursuit of her. 'As a domestic abuse victim, I don't want to negotiate with him, but I do so to keep it out of court. 'But he forces a final hearing every single time because he is never penalised by the court for wasting its time, which ultimately has a detrimental impact on my child.' More Trending As Dr Katz explains, for abusers who have lost control of their victims, 'the children are really the big card they have left to play'. 'Victim-survivors are trapped, sending their children off to perpetrators, who are then using that time to continue the abuse – or even escalate what they are doing.' 'They have no choice but to send children off to these contact visits and see them often come back dishevelled, devastated, crying, furious – and there's very little they can do about it.' 'We are reforming Family Court proceedings to provide much earlier access to specialist support for brave survivors of domestic abuse. 'Judges already have the power to restrict parental involvement if the court considers there to be any risk of harm to the child. We are currently reviewing the presumption and will publish our findings shortly.' *Names have been changed MORE: Family of teacher accused of sexually abusing pupil say she's 'victim of sexism' MORE: I hated being a mum the minute my baby was put on my chest MORE: I hate primary school – I can't wait for my daughter's last day
Daily Mirror
01-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Beach warning as Brits urged to take photo that could save a child's life
Families flock to the UK's many beaches during hot spells for fun in the sun and to cool off in the sea but there are many hidden dangers at our favourite coastal spots - here's how you can help keep your kids safe this summer There's nothing better than hitting the beach when the sun comes out to play and getting the kids out of the house for some fresh air, a paddle and a cooling ice cream. While days at the coast can be full of wholesome fun, they can also be fraught with panic for parents. Spots popular with tourists and locals alike can become extremely busy both on the shore and in the water. Coupled with most children's inbuilt desire to escape and run or swim free, the risk of losing sight of one of your little (or big) ones is a real possibility. However there are simple things you can do to help your chances of spotting your child or of them being found more quickly. Director of WetWetWet swim school in Brighton, Briony Jacobs, knows only too well how easy it is to get into trouble in the water and is passionate about keeping families safe in and around water. She has shared her top tips for making sure you're doing all you can to keep your kids out of harm's way at the beach. She says one of the first things you should do is to take a picture of your child when you head out. "Snap a photo of your child in the clothes they're wearing when you arrive. If they get lost, you'll have an up-to-date image to help identify them quickly," she advises. It's also important to make clever choices when it comes to their swimwear as this could mean they are spotted much more quickly if they get lost in the sea. "Opt for bright, contrasting colours like orange, green, pink, or red. These colours are far easier to spot in the water than blues or greys," Briony says. Last year double Olympic gold medallist, Rebecca Adlington, joined On the Beach's campaign which urged the government to ban the sale of this particular coloured swimwear, which is favoured by many retailers. The travel experts' research found that two thirds of children wear potentially dangerous blue, white or grey swimwear and a worrying 90% of parents were not aware that certain colours cannot be seen underwater. If a child was submerged in the sea or at the bottom of a pool wearing these colours, they are much more difficult to spot and therefore at risk of drowning. Ensure you are prepared before you head out to the seaside by checking the weather and tides: "Plan ahead," urges Briony. "Tides and changing weather conditions can quickly turn a fun day out into a risky one." It's also really important to understand the rules at the beach and what the different coloured flags mean. A red and yellow flag indicates a lifeguarded is present. A red flag is a dangerous area that is not patrolled and a black and white flag signals a water sports area. Briony advises: "Look out for beaches patrolled by lifeguards and always swim between the red and yellow flags." Although on a scorching day it's tempting to strip off and run straight into the inviting waves, caution should always be used because cold water shock can be really dangerous. If the body is suddenly submerged in water below 15°C it can lead to rapid breathing, involuntary gasping and increased heart and blood pressure all of which can reduce the ability to swim. "Even in summer, the sea is cold," Briony warns. "Enter water gradually to allow your body to adjust and control your breathing." If you fall into water you should fight the instinct to swim and float first while you regain control. Should the worst happen and someone does get into trouble in the water, you shouldn't attempt to be the hero and jump in to rescue them yourself unless you're trained in water rescue. Instead call for a lifeguard, throw a flotation aid, or call 999 and ask for the Coastguard. The Water Safety Code of "Stop & Think. Stay Together. Call 999 in an emergency. Float to Live" should always be followed and it's a good idea to teach your children this too. Above all it's so important to remember that swimming lessons save lives. "Learning to swim is more than just a skill — it's life-saving," Briony says. "Build water confidence and vital survival skills for children and adults alike." For more water safety advice and resources, check out the Royal Life Saving Societ's website, the RNLI website, or WetWetWet 's social media pages.
Scotsman
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Mess is reason quarter of parents struggle with kids in kitchen
TV Cook and Presenter Briony May Williams has revealed how to get kids involved in the kitchen – and why embracing the mess is vital. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The baker, who reached the semi-finals of The Great British Bake Off spoke about the importance of getting children invested in each step of making – and eating – a meal, including giving them the title of head chef to feel trusted. Top tips include giving little ones - and yourselves - regular breaks to keep them stimulated, compiling a playlist for fun background noise and focusing on a theme. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But it's important to embrace the mess when cooking with kids, the sooner this happens the more relaxed adults will be, and everyone will enjoy the event more. It comes after a poll of 1,000 parents with kids aged 2-10, found 42 per cent struggle to get their children involved in cooking. And 23 per cent attempt to make dinner times more fun by creating artwork out of foods. Briony teamed up with Herta, who commissioned the study, to create a hot dog-inspired meal featuring hidden veg 'ketchup' and crispy carrot toppings. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Cooking alongside her daughter, Nora aged nine, she said: 'Cooking with kids doesn't have to be as stressful as it might seem, encourage them to get involved. 'Let them get stuck in and if you're worried about mess, set up a specific place in the kitchen which children associate with making meals, a sturdy tablecloth will speed up the tidying at the end. 'While social media makes parents feel pressured to make Instagram-able food art, don't feel every meal has to be like this. 'A firm family favourite like hot dogs or pizza is a great starting point.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Other ways parents try and get kids to be more involved in the meal-prep process included letting them help choose what's for dinner (51 per cent) or turning the kitchen into a disco (32 per cent). 57 per cent of those polled consider cooking with their children enjoyable because of the time spent together | Shutterstock 'A sturdy tablecloth will speed up the tidying at the end' While 32 per cent will try out new and unusual foods together, and 24 per cent swear by turning mealtimes into themed nights – like Taco Tuesdays, or 'Breakfast for Dinner'. But one of the key struggles parents experience when trying to get their child involved in cooking is a lack of time (25 per cent). However, 57 per cent of those polled, via OnePoll, consider cooking with their children enjoyable because of the time spent together. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad While 46 per cent believe it teaches them valuable life skills, and 40 per cent feel it encourages creativity and independence. Nearly nine in 10 (87 per cent) also think getting their little ones involved with cooking helps broaden the foods they're aware of. As many as 84 per cent believe allowing children to be creative in the kitchen helps them become more confident. The study went on to find families polled eat their meals together five times per week, with 38 per cent saying 'a lot' of conversation happens at this time. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Child clinical psychologist, Dr Angharad Rudkin, said: 'Our relationship with food is a crucial foundation for our well-being throughout life. 'Giving our children the opportunity to get involved with cooking from a young age will help them feel grown up and capable. 'Although cooking together can take a bit of time and planning, the proof is, literally, in the pudding.' Gemma Serdet, senior brand manager for Herta, which is offering a Try Me for Free offer until 4th August, said: "It's not only fun to encourage children to get involved with cooking in the kitchen but clearly beneficial too.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'When it comes to helping kids develop confidence and curiosity, a little mess can go a long way.' 'Letting children get hands-on with food isn't just about fun, it's a great way for them to explore textures, tastes and ingredients in a way that's engaging and memorable.' Allowing children to be creative in the kitchen helps them become more confident. | Shutterstock Top 10 reasons parents struggle to get kids involved in cooking: Safety concerns Difficulty keeping children engaged or focused during cooking Lack of time to cook together A struggle with balancing cooking and other responsibilities Children prefer to eat prepared food rather than cook They feel children are too young to help with cooking Frustration with a child's reluctance to try new things It's hard to find easy recipes that children can participate in They prefer to cook alone or with less distraction Children are not interested in food preparation Briony's top 10 tips to get kids involved in the kitchen: Make them Head Chef: Involving kids in what you are making and giving them the chef hat really helps with engagement, you could even create a cute menu with them in breaks. Expect mess: The sooner you understand that when in the kitchen with little ones that it will be MESSY, the more you'll relax and enjoy. Prep, prep, prep: Pre-weigh ingredients, set them all out in front of the kids so they get excited about what you're doing. Kids can then just pick them up and pour them in - less food waste too. Break time: Taking time in the kitchen is brilliant, but when cooking with little ones, have regular breaks to keep them stimulated. Find a theme: Get the kids to come up with a theme they want to explore when cooking, whether Mexican or Italian, to influence the dress code and decor as well as the food. Create a playlist: Compile a cooking playlist with your child, fun upbeat songs which will make being in the kitchen even more fun. Cooking corner: Set up a specific place in the kitchen for your cooking with the kids, if they're too small to reach the worktops, move all the utensils and bowls to the dining table. Food art: Don't feel pressured to make every meal a piece of 'art' like you see on social media, but an easy option if you want to give it a go is a pizza face. Keep it simple: Kids can't concentrate on one thing for too long, to avoid them losing interest, choose straightforward recipes. Kid's kit: Get them their own set of safe and easy-to-use utensils so they can really get involved in chopping and prepping.
