Latest news with #Inverness
BBC News
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Austitic teenager from Sanquhar dreams of big screen career
An autistic teenager from the south of Scotland is hoping to pursue a career in filmmaking after picking up a prize for his Ryan, 14, from Sanquhar, won the audience award at the recent Into Film event in received his honour from actor Andy Serkis and presenter Edith told BBC Scotland News he hoped to turn his passion for movie-making into a job in later life. Edward was born in Inverness and grew up in Forres but has lived in Sanquhar for almost a organisers of the awards described them as "celebration of talent" but also a "clear statement of intent".They said they wanted to show that the UK film industry "values, nurtures and believes in the voices of the next generation".Among those voices is Edward's. "I'd always loved making and building with Lego when I was younger and I wanted to make these Lego people and characters and things come to life," he said."So I then started to make stop-motion animations with these Lego characters and buildings and things like that, make little movies with them."Then I would then progress my skills with that and then get different equipment and better equipment."The Sanquhar Academy pupil was given a laptop by the local council for his school work which he started to use for making films and it has "progressed and progressed" from award-winning film - More Than One Way To Go Home - tells the story of a young autistic girl who has to find her own way home when her brother leaves her to fend for herself. He said winning the prize for his work was a special moment."It felt great, it was just overwhelming with all the support that I got from loads of people voting me for this award."It was just great. I am still in shock that I won."All the support from my community of Sanquhar, it's just been absolutely brilliant and I'm so grateful for all of it."It has fuelled his passion to pursue a life in cinema after he finishes his education. "I really want to go into the industry and hopefully become a director of photography," he said."That's my dream goal. So I'm hopefully just going to stick in and then go to college and university and just work my way up until I'm a director of photography and do what I want to do."His mother Jess said the whole family was "incredibly proud" of what Edward has achieved."He was a nominee in the best story category as well and even though he didn't win that prize it was still just an incredible achievement to be chosen," she said."That was a new category this year that the judges chose out of all the films that were entered."So it was an honour to know that he was chosen to be part of the best story category up against other filmmakers that were 18 or 19 years old.""We're just really, really proud of him and very thankful for the support the community gave him." She said the fact that he was autistic made it all the more remarkable."He's obviously had to overcome a lot of different challenges in his day to day life," she said."Filmmaking has been a way for him to express himself in ways that he has otherwise found difficult."It's been a really good outlet for him." She said she believed he could go further in the field where he has already started to thrive."We just feel proud and we just hope that he can continue on and achieve his goals and his dreams of one day being a director of photography," she said."I don't see why he can't, to be honest, he's got his sights set on the big screen."He's got a lot of hard work ahead of him, but he seems really enthusiastic for it."
The Sun
15 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
Full list of 43 shops and banks vanishing from British high street forever in July – is your local closing?
MAJOR retailers and banks will close several stores for good this month as the high street continues to face difficulties. The closures come as UK businesses continue to faced increased costs alongside a decline in footfall. Changes in this year's budget, including an increase in employer National Insurance contributions and energy and rent costs have piled on pressure for companies. As a result, some retailers have been forced to make drastic changes to remain competitive. This includes hiking prices, reviewing expansion plans and reducing the number of stores they have. Here is a full list of the shops and banks we know are shutting in July 2025. The Original Factory Shop The discount high street chain closed nine shops in June after previously warning it would have to shut some 'loss-making' locations. This comes after the discount chain began to struggle in recent years. And now the retailer is now set to close its location in Staveley, Cumbria on July 12. The private equity firm Modella bought The Original Factory Shop in February and has since launched a restructuring effort. This was carried out in an effort to renegotiate rents at 88 The Original Factory Shop stores across the country. Modella also recently bought Hobbycraft and WHSmith's high street shops. Co-op Faces Uncertain Future: 34 Stores at Risk Amid Financial Struggles Iceland The supermarket chain will close its store on Rose Street in Inverness on July 12. There will no longer be any Iceland stores in the Scottish city, with the closest located in Aberdeen. This move will come just weeks after Iceland shut down its Margate branch. The retailer has not yet confirmed the reason for the sudden closure but it has been completing a broader reshuffle of its operations in recent months. This is part of an effort to adapt to shifting consumer habits, cost pressures, and the growing demand for convenience and online shopping. Why are retailers closing stores? RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis. High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going. However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector. The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." It comes after almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs in 2024. End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such as Homebase and Ted Baker. It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date. This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023. It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns. The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase, The Body Shop, Carpetright and Ted Baker. Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations. Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes. Professor Bamfield has warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020." Poundland After a series of closures in the past few months, Poundland is set to shut down its location in Deepdale Retail Park in Preston on July 5 and another store in Newquay on July 30. Gordon Brothers, the ex-owner of Laura Ashley, purchased the business from Polish owner Pepco Group for £1 after a downturn in trading. The new owners are asking the court for permission to close 68 stores and negotiate lower rents on others. Up to 82 more stores are potentially at risk of shutting down in the future. However, before the sale was agreed, Poundland had already planned to close 18 stores, with the July shutdowns among the last to be confirmed. New Look The famous fashion retailer is set to close another location at the beginning of July. Hamilton, Scotland will see its New Look store permanently pull the shutters on July 1. The move comes after the shop announced it would be closing nearly 100 stores in the coming months. A New Look spokesperson said: 'Our store in Hamilton is set close on July 1. We would like to thank all of our colleagues and the local community for their support over the years. "We hope customers continue to shop with us online at where our full product ranges can be found.' Santander Santander is set to close 38 branches next month after announcing locations were struggling due to the increase in online banking. A statement on the Santander website reads: "We last did a major review of our branches in 2021. "Since then, many of our customers are choosing to use Mobile, Online and Telephone Banking more, and branches less." The Santander locations set to close in July are: Armagh July 1 Bognor Regis July 14 Borehamwood July 1 Caernarfon July 7 Camborne July 7 Colne July 14 Colwyn Bay July 24 Crowborough July 23 Cumbernauld July 7 Didsbury July 8 Exmouth July 15 Falmouth July 21 Farnham July 29 Felixstowe July 16 Hackney July 15 Hawick July 24 Herne Bay July 8 Hertford July 29 Holloway July 14 Honiton July 14 Kirkby July 22 Malvern July 2 Market Harborough July 1 New Milton July 28 Pudsey July 28 Rawtenstall July 15 Ross-On-Wye July 30 Ruislip July 7 Saltcoats July 21 Seaford July 14 Shaftesbury July 23 St Austell July 8 St Neots July 30 Stokesley July 31 Strabane July 23 Tenterden July 7 Tottenham July 8 Wishaw July 22
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Don't use 'value-laden language' against seagulls...it might 'demonise' them, claims veteran SNP MSP
An MSP called for seagulls not to be 'demonised' after the Scottish government announced a summit to address serious concerns about the birds attacking people. Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie confirmed the move in a debate on the issue of gulls swooping on the public raised by both former Conservative leader Douglas Ross and SNP grandee Fergus Ewing. But the SNP's Christine Grahame said: 'Language such as 'mugging' and 'menace' can be applied to us, our counterparts, but it is not appropriate to demonise an animal simply looking for food.' She claimed people should modify their own behaviour to tackle the problem and added: 'What we mustn't have is people versus gulls, or gulls versus people.' Mr Ross, a Highlands and Islands Tory MSP, told the chamber he has been 'inundated' with concerns about gulls from constituents, including a couple in the village of Hopeman who were 'worried about going out of their home'. Grahame, who has announced she will not stand in the 2026 Scottish parliament election, pointed members to a submission from the OneKind animal charity that urged them to avoid 'value-laden language' that described gulls as a 'menace or nuisance' and their behaviour as 'mugging' or 'dive-bombing'. Highlands and Islands MSP Mr Ross said: 'Well, I will say these gulls are a menace, they are dive-bombing and they are a problem.' Mr Ewing, who represents Inverness and Nairn, said a swooping gull could cause serious injury for an elderly person while their droppings can cause 'potentially lethal' illness in an infant. The minister said: 'There is absolutely no doubt - we've heard from members right across the chamber - that the people are being injured, they are being attacked and this is something that we have to deal with.' He said action needs to also be taken to find out if human behaviour is allowing gulls to 'thrive', including in urban areas as well as licences for dealing with the birds. Mr Fairlie said: 'I've already said that I will convene a summit in Inverness and we will look at the entire issue.' The power to hand out licenses to deal with birds is with NatureScot, a government-funded quango whose role includes conserving gull numbers as well as controlling them. Mr Fairlie said that licences can only be issued if there is a clear health and safety concern and not because the birds are regarded as a menace or nuisance. Mr Ewing asked if any analysis has been done by the Scottish Government or NatureScot about the health risks, and warned: 'I believe there has been no analysis whatsoever. If so, and there is a fatality, this Government will be held responsible for that fatality because they haven't looked into it.' Mr Ross said: 'In typical nationalist fashion Jim Fairlie believes that another talking shop will solve all these issues when he could take action right now.'
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Dogs pulling on leads cause large number of hand and wrist injuries in UK, study shows
Walking your dog may be good for you and your canine companion, but research shows it can also be dangerous. While the health benefits are numerous – encouraging increased activity levels and physical exercise, improving cardiovascular health and weight – researchers found that being pulled on the lead increases the risk of falls and injuries. The research published in BMJ Injury Prevention estimates that there are so many hand and wrist injuries among the walkers of the UK's 13 million pet dogs that it could be costing the NHS in excess of £23m a year. Hand and wrist injuries account for up to 30% of all cases treated in accident and emergency departments and 20% of acute fractures. The British Society for the Surgery of the Hand says hooking fingers under a dog's collar can cause finger fractures, while wrapping the lead around the wrist, hand or fingers can cause serious injury if the dog pulls suddenly. Experts from Raigmore hospital in Inverness and Sengkang general hospital in Singapore reviewed five US studies involving almost 500,000 injuries from dog walking. Of these, more than a fifth were specific fractures or soft tissue injuries to the hand and wrist. Finger and wrist fractures were the most common, accounting for just under 62,000 injuries. And more than two-thirds of injuries were caused by the dog pulling its lead, with the remainder attributed to tripping over the lead or dog and falling, and getting tangled up in the lead. While dog walking is not any riskier than other activities for injuring hands or wrists, the study found that women and older adults were disproportionately affected by dog walking injuries. Almost three-quarters of the injuries were among women and just under a third among those over the age of 65. The authors then modelled the potential costs of treating fractures and casts for broken wrist bones and calculated that treating distal radius fractures caused by dog walking-related injury could cost the NHS in England more than £23m a year alone. The figure does not include the wider economic impact of patients being unable to work and potentially higher care needs, the authors added. 'Preventive measures, including safer leash practices and public safety guidance, should be implemented to reduce injury risk,' the authors said. 'Policies should teach dog owners optimal dog walking practices to minimise injuries and enforce adequate dog training to reduce the risk of dogs injuring the person walking them.' Responding to the findings, Mark Bowditch, the president of the British Orthopaedic Association, said: 'Dog ownership is often promoted and encouraged for the multiple health benefits described. Nevertheless this data demonstrates that injuries may occur during the day-to-day activities of living with dogs. 'Hand, wrist and arm or shoulder injuries are very common and increasing. They can cause considerable functional disruption and interference. Owners needed to be informed and educated about how best to prevent these injuries, he added. 'This may be the breed suitability and exercise needs, simple available training, leash design, usage and handling.' Ryan Trickett, the communications chair of the British Society for Surgery of the Hand, said: 'Anecdotally we have known there are some risks to dog walking for many years, and this review enables a better understanding of the burden of this problem. 'Sudden pulls from the lead or the collar can easily cause walkers to fall and fracture their wrist. However, other injuries are also common in this scenario. Twisting injuries to the finger can be particularly damaging as they cause tears in the skin and often underlying finger fractures. These injuries can be troublesome to treat and the finger rarely returns to complete normality.' A spokesperson for the Kennel Club said: 'All owners should recognise how important it is to train their dog to walk on a lead without pulling or straining, to avoid injury for both dogs and people, and as part of making sure their four-legged friend is a good canine citizen.' This would help ensure owners could remain in control of their dog while walking among people, other dogs and distractions, and without pulling. He added: 'Choosing the right collar, lead and equipment from the offset is also important – they need to be comfortable, well-fitted and secure.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Injured dog walkers could be costing NHS £23m a year
Injured dog walkers could be costing the NHS about £23m a year, a study suggests. Hand and wrist injuries from a yanked lead are said to be the most common mishap. Experts from Raigmore Hospital in Inverness and Singapore's Sengkang Hospital looked at the "understudied topic" by reviewing five US studies of almost 500,000 dog-walking injuries. Women made up three-quarters of the injuries, and 31% of the cases were in over-65s. Researchers - writing in the journal Injury Prevention - found that broken fingers were the most common injury. Looking at the UK's population of about 8.5 million - one for every seven or eight people - the study estimated the cost of fixing the fractures suffered by unfortunate owners. "While finger fractures were the most frequently reported injury, the cost analysis in this review focused on distal radius [wrist] fractures due to their substantial economic impact," said researchers. "We estimated the potential annual cost of dog walking-related wrist fractures in the UK to exceed £23m." Read more from Sky News: However, they said the total economic cost would be bigger due to loss of productivity from some people needing time off work. "Preventative measures, including safer leash practices and public safety guidance, should be implemented to reduce injury risk," the study suggested. As well as teaching "optimal dog walking practices", it also recommended enforcing proper dog training to minimise the chances of pets hurting their human companion.
