Latest news with #Hartlepool
BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Oldham Athletic sign ex-Tranmere winger Hawkes
Oldham Athletic have signed winger Josh Hawkes on a two-year deal after he left Tranmere 26-year-old came through Hartlepool's academy and went on to make 61 league appearances for the club before joining Sunderland where he made just two there he eventually joined Tranmere Rovers in 2022 and scored 26 goals in 134 appearances before leaving at the end of last season."Boundary Park has a great atmosphere and a real ambition to climb the leagues which was a huge factor in me signing," he told the club website, external."I want to bring energy, creativity and goals from out wide, and help the team push up the table and match the ambitions the coaching staff have."
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Calls for Hartlepool Station security boost after attack
Residents are calling for more lighting and an increased police presence outside a train station after a man was reportedly bus stops outside Hartlepool station have become a hotspot for anti-social behaviour, with youths gathering there at night, local people Police was called to the area on 24 June after reports of teenagers throwing glass at a taxi and assaulting a 54-year-old man had minor injuries and police are appealing for witnesses to come forward. Warning: This article contains a video with graphic content which some may find are looking through CCTV and mobile phone footage. No arrests have yet been resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said incidents like it had become increasingly common."I think it happens because it is dark and there are not many people around this street at night," they said. "We need lighting and police otherwise they are not going to stop."The resident captured footage of a group of teenagers allegedly harassing a homeless man in one of the bus shelters."They jumped on him and beat him up but they ran away as soon as they heard the police sirens," they said. Ch Insp Andy Liddell said: "Our Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) is committed to tackling the issues that affect our communities the most. "The team carries out regular patrols to ensure we're visible in our neighbourhoods and engaging with residents."We have dedicated officers and PCSOs in each ward who work as part of our NPT. "Together, they work closely with key partners to address issues including anti-social behaviour through early intervention and problem-solving approaches as we know policing alone cannot solve the issue."Whilst we're always proactive in our approach, information from the public remains vital so we can continue to build intelligence and take action."A Hartlepool Borough Council spokesperson said: "Given that there is an ongoing police investigation, it would be inappropriate for the council to comment." Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
News.com.au
5 days ago
- Health
- News.com.au
‘We never spoke about it, ever': How rock bottom triggered Sydney man's life-changing conversation
James Wright always knew there was something a bit different about his dad. 'His energy would change from time to time,' recalls the 46-year-old Sydney man. 'Our Saturday morning bike rides would stop, and he'd withdraw socially, spending hours upon hours locked in his study.' Now, James recognises his father's episodes for what they were – major depressive episodes – but at the time, he was simply made aware that there were problems with his dad's health. 'When I was about 13, I remember being picked up early from school by mum, and she took my sister and I into the hospital, where Dad had been admitted to undergo electroconvulsive shock therapy (ECT),' James said. 'I remember being warned by the doctors that Dad might not really be able to recognise us or say anything, as he'd only had the procedure the day before.' Growing up in the UK, James says despite his dad's severe struggles with mental health, conversations about it weren't commonplace. In fact, it wasn't until his twenties that James discovered his Nonna – his dad's mother – had also been admitted for ECT. Australia is in the grips of a mental health crisis, and people are struggling to know who to turn to, especially our younger generations. Can We Talk? is a News Corp awareness campaign, in partnership with Medibank, equipping Aussies with the skills needed to have the most important conversation of their life. 'She never spoke about it, ever,' he recalls. 'She lived up in the North of England in Hartlepool, and she must have been one of the first rounds of women to receive that therapy.' It is perhaps unsurprising, then, that James' own mental health began to decline in his mid-teens. According to studies, the heritability of major depressive disorder is between 30 and 50 per cent. Coupled with this, new research by News Corp's Growth Distillery with Medibank found that 28 per cent of parents of 16- to 30-year-olds have never discussed their mental wellbeing with their children. In addition, half of all parents of 16-30 year olds (49 per cent) agree that 'I do/would find it hard to tell my children I'm having challenges or struggling with my mental wellbeing', with only 39 per cent disagreeing with this statement. For James, it meant that for a long time, he struggled alone. 'I was at an all-boy's Catholic school in North London, and I was just beginning to realise that I'm gay,' he said. There were a number of challenges in his life that combined to have a big impact on his mental health, but knowing what his dad had experienced, James didn't hesitate to seek help, first from the school, and then from a GP. 'Even though I didn't discuss it with mum and dad, I think my awareness of dad's condition meant that there wasn't any shame attached to seeking help – it was more just something I knew I needed to do,' he said. 'I knew there wouldn't have been any judgment from them if they had known.' James started taking medication, something he continued throughout his years at university. His mental health was what he describes as 'up and down' for much of his twenties, including a period of intense burnout that preceded a breakdown of sorts. 'I'm an ambitious person,' he said. 'I easily turn myself into a workaholic, particularly if I'm desperately passionate about what I'm doing, and I got myself into a real mess in my mid-twenties, and I think that's probably part of the reason I decided to move to Australia and give myself a fresh start.' Once settled in Sydney, James discovered a fulfilling new career in a workplace where he thrived, and felt his mental health stabilise for years. Then, in 2014, life threw James another curve ball. He contracted HIV. While early detection and antiviral treatment soon rendered the disease undetectable (and therefore non-transmissible) in James' body, the stress and shock of the experience sent him into a spiral of shame and self-destruction. 'I was too ashamed to tell my friends or family,' he recalls. 'I was drinking too much, stopped all forms of exercise and was hiding from the world.' This self-isolation – a tactic reminiscent of his father's – had become something of a hallmark of James' mental health struggles. 'That urge to withdraw socially has been a behaviour I'd been aware of repeating at several points during my life,' says James. 'And once you get better at recognising what's going on, you realise that pulling away is the last thing you should be doing to get better, but at the time, it feels like the only option.' Over the next few years, James' self-imposed exile from Sydney (he bought an ill-fated restaurant in the country in order to justify moving away) and determination to deal with his mental health forced him to face his demons head-on. Eventually, he realised that he needed to open up to his family – and his dad in particular – if he was to properly heal. 'It was in that one conversation – where I told him about my diagnosis and explained what I'd been going through – that we were able to be truly authentic with each other,' he says. That was about six years ago. Today, James describes his dad as his 'best friend'. 'We've had some incredible, raw, beautiful conversations about mental health, our emotions, about what it was like for him when I was growing up,' says James, who speaks about his father's struggles with pure empathy and understanding. 'I completely understand how hard it was for him, and why he needed to withdraw when he did. I feel like I'm able to have a lot of that relationship back now, as an adult, that I missed out on as a kid.' James, who now works as a positive psychology/strengths coach, says embracing authentic communication with his dad has been one of the biggest gifts of his adult life, and something he has adopted as a philosophy. 'Opening up to my family was the final piece of the puzzle,' he says. 'It means I can show up completely authentically, which in turn helps my clients be vulnerable and authentic in return.'
BBC News
7 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Decision on Hartlepool's nuclear future could be made next year
A decision over whether to bring new nuclear reactors to a north-east power plant could be made next year, says local Labour nuclear power station is due to be decommissioned in March 2027, but private firm X-energy UK has drawn up plans to install and run 12 Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs) on the site, which developers say will provide a "similar" amount of electricity to the current plant's power output.A company spokesperson highlighted the benefit of existing skills and land "already earmarked for nuclear".Jonathan Brash, MP for Hartlepool, said he was "very much hoping" for a final decision this year or in early 2026 - with the site up and running in the early 2030s. The AMRs would be built externally and then installed on site to generate can be used as individual units, to power high-energy facilities like AI data centres, or combined in 'four-packs' to increase power generation more current plan is to install three 'four-packs' at the Hartlepool site, generating nearly 1GW of energy. Nuclear investment Brash said he believed Rachel Reeves' spending review had given a "huge boost" to the proposed plans."The Chancellor has set aside £30 billion for new nuclear investment," he pointed out."I'm very much hoping we can get some final decision in 2025 or early 2026. "If that comes to pass, there will be a few years for development, and in the early 2030s, we'll be up and running."X-energy's UK corporate affairs spokesperson, Leon Flexman, said Hartlepool was the right venue, capitalising on the region's nuclear know-how."It's a particular good location because of the existing nuclear power station, the expertise, the skills - and there is land available that is already earmarked for nuclear," he added AMRs create high-temperature steam, which could be used to de-carbonise Teesside's heavy polluting industries. 'Nuclear culture' However some have raised concerns over the potential gap between the existing plant shutting down and the new AMRs becoming functional, even if the plans are Emden, from the Institute for Public Policy Research, said the government should act now to ensure skilled jobs and local nuclear expertise are protected."How do you make sure those high-paying, highly-skilled jobs in these power stations stay in the area? "With the promise of new nuclear - if indeed it is going to come," he saidEchoing Mr Emden, Chris Batty, a Unite trade union representative, said it was vital the skills and knowledge he and his colleagues at the nuclear power station have amassed are preserved."If we don't get a decision to get new nuclear power on this site we are going to lose all those skills. We are going to lose the nuclear culture." Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Teesside power cut under investigation by electricity firm
An investigation is continuing into the cause of a power cut that left 55,000 customers without Peterlee, Billingham, Middlesbrough and Yarm were among the areas affected by a blackout which started at approximately 21:20 BST on Powergrid said all but 27 households and businesses had their power restored by 03:00 BST on a message sent to customers at the weekend, the firm said equipment failure was believed to have been caused by extreme heat. Speaking to BBC Radio Tees on Monday, Carl O'Burn, the firm's regional manager for the Teesside area, said it was too early to know whether high temperatures were the sole cause of the power if "extreme weather" had been to blame, he replied: "We don't know. We've taken the equipment away that failed to do some investigations."Extreme heat and other extremes, such as wind and rain, can have an impact on the network - so it was probably exacerbated, but we're still investigating."Mr O'Burn said engineers had worked with teams from National Grid to restore power to about 40,000 people within three hours. 'Plunged into darkness' Among those affected was Hartlepool Stage Society. The amateur dramatic group had been performing Young Frankenstein at the local town Pam Gretton said she had been working as "chief curtain-puller" backstage, when the venue was "plunged into darkness"."The cast was performing Putting on the Ritz, which is the big tap number of the show. We were just getting towards the big finish."Part of our band was wired - we had an electric piano and guitar - but luckily we had brass and drums and they kept playing. "Our tappers kept going until the end of the number - it was amazing for the audience."They didn't miss a beat [despite] total darkness. The crowd stood up at the end and cheered. It was very uplifting."The cast was then compelled to leave the stage before returning a short while later to perform the final Gretton added: "A producer explained to the audience what had been missed and then we sang."For all they missed out on 20 minutes of the plot, the feeling was great." Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
