Latest news with #JohnLawson
STV News
12-07-2025
- Science
- STV News
New cathedral exhibition brings city's medieval citizens to life
A new exhibition at Edinburgh St Giles Cathedral is giving visitors the chance to come face to face with some of the city's original inhabitants. 'Edinburgh's first Burghers' delves into the lives of medieval citizens who were found in a burial site within the cathedral's grounds. Commissioned as part of Edinburgh 900 celebrations, new scientific research gives people the chance to learn about the origins, health and even diets of these 'Edinburghers' alongside animated facial areconstructions. Originally excavated in 1981, these remains have undergone new detailed analysis using advanced methods including ancient DNA sequencing, isotopic analysis, radiocarbon dating, and forensic facial reconstruction. STV News New exhibition delves into the history of people in Edinburgh City of Edinburgh Council Archaeologist John Lawson said: 'This has been a fascinating project that brings together new archaeological science and the creative arts to tell the story of Edinburgh's first residents in an imaginative and exciting way. 'While we are accustomed to the tales of the famous and powerful, this project shifts the spotlight to the everyday citizens, telling their stories in the very place they once walked, worshipped, and were laid to rest. 'To honour their lives in such a meaningful location has been a rare and powerful opportunity.' The exhibition invites visitors to explore the Cathedral's medieval past in a new way – bringing faces and stories from Edinburgh's early history to life. Dr Maria MacLennan from the University of Edinburgh has designed five facial reconstructions of individuals who would have been among the first to call Edinburgh home. STV News Edinburgh College of Art lecturer Dr Maria Maclennan She told STV News it was a 'really rewarding' project to work on, adding: 'It has been an enormous privilege to contribute to such a fascinating and interdisciplinary project, which adopted a truly interdisciplinary approach requiring collaboration on the part of many. 'Each craniofacial approximation involved the marriage of archaeological evidence together with myriad scientific analyses undertaken by the research team, to help inform final facial appearance: forensic anthropology, radiocarbon dating, isotopic signature, DNA profiling, and forensic-artistic techniques. 'Craniofacial Approximation is a hybrid sci-art practice dedicated to restoring the face of an unknown individual from their skeletal remains. In archaeological contexts, as is seen here in St. Giles' Cathedral, the practice is often an important means of restoring visibility, identity, and humanity to those long lost or forgotten, and/or in promoting education and encouraging public engagement with historical figures of interest from the past. 'For each reconstruction, I produced both a more 'neutral' face (depicting how the individual may present in contemporary day Edinburgh), in addition to a 'historical' face, depicting the individual dressed in clothing/artefacts typical of the time in which they lived.' 'Edinburgh's first Burghers' is free to visit and will be open to the public until November 30 of this year. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The South African
25-06-2025
- Business
- The South African
Clifton apartment sells for new South African record price
A luxury apartment in Clifton has sold for a staggering R145 million, setting a new benchmark for the most expensive apartment ever sold in South Africa. The five-bedroom residence, situated on the shoreline of 1st Beach, features state-of-the-art finishes, sweeping ocean views, and expansive entertainment areas that reflect the highest standards of coastal living. Industry experts say the property likely exceeds 300 square metres, with spacious en-suite bedrooms, modern open-plan design, private terraces, and bespoke fittings. While the identity of the seller remains undisclosed, the buyer has been reported as a former South African now residing in Monaco. This transaction surpasses the previous record of R120 million for an apartment in the country and highlights the growing demand for ultra-high-end properties in the Atlantic Seaboard area, particularly Clifton – often dubbed South Africa's 'Billionaire's Row'. According to John Lawson, CEO of the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the record sale reflects a broader trend of property investors favouring Cape Town over other parts of South Africa due to its functional governance, reliable infrastructure, and high quality of life. 'There's a noticeable gap between Cape Town and other metros when it comes to service delivery. That difference is being reflected in the property market,' Lawson said. In recent years, Cape Town has consistently outperformed other metros in terms of attracting both local and international buyers, especially in high-net-worth sectors. Property in Clifton continues to command premium prices, driven by limited supply, world-class amenities, and spectacular coastal views. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
ABC News
20-06-2025
- General
- ABC News
Paramedic who rescued farmer trapped in grain silo receives highest honour
Vaughan Mason will never forget the triple-0 call that led him to be standing in a silo, frantically scooping grain by hand and using a piece of poly pipe as a makeshift breathing tube to keep a trapped farmer alive. He was the lone paramedic dispatched to a property on the outskirts of Baralaba in central Queensland after a man became trapped in a grain silo in February 2023. Mr Mason was part of a small group of rescuers desperately trying to save grain grower John Lawson. Mr Lawson had stepped into the silo to help release the grain, not realising there was a void underneath. He was quickly buried above his neck. "I could imagine if you're drowning in water, it'd be much the same," Mr Lawson recalled. "A lot of things go through your mind, and you think to yourself, 'Hey, Jesus, this might be it.'" For the first time since the accident, Mr Lawson has reunited with the paramedic who helped save his life. It was an emotional moment for the pair as they stood on the property where it happened, reflecting on how close it came to tragedy. "It's a very, very humbling moment, and it just cements [the fact that] I don't want to think that what we do is in vain." Mr Mason, who is the Baralaba officer in charge, recently received an Australian Service Medal at Government House in Brisbane. The Ambulance Service Medal is the highest recognition a paramedic can receive. The award recognised his service to the Baralaba community, including the grain silo rescue. Gwen Tennent works as a nurse at the Baralaba Multipurpose Health Service. In the small town of about 300 people, she wears a few hats — she is also the president of the Local Ambulance Committee and a volunteer emergency driver. She works closely with Mr Mason and said his presence had become a reassuring constant in the community. "He's very important here, people, they just take to him. I don't think it'd be the same [here] if they had a different officer in charge," Ms Tennent said. "The people really like Vaughan here." She said Mr Mason often went above and beyond the normal call of duty. "He does so much that we don't see … he's always teaching when he's on his days off, and he doesn't know how to say no," she said. Mr Mason runs regular community education sessions on the banks of the Baralaba River and is passionate about building community resilience. "There's an older couple next door, he goes in there just to see if they're OK," Ms Tennent said. "They're in their 90s and he'll try and fix whatever they need — if they need a meal, he'll go and get it for them." More than five years ago, he taught a Victorian grey nomad CPR and how to use a defibrillator when he was visiting the town. When the man returned home, more than 1,900 kilometres away, he used that training to save a woman's life at a bingo event. Mr Mason said the community's response to his award was heartwarming. Mr Lawson, who is a lifelong volunteer in Baralaba's ambulance committee, said Mr Mason was an asset to the town. "The training that he does with people is fantastic, the communications that he's got with the public is great," he said. "I could rattle on all day, but no, he's a good bloke." Watch ABC TV's Landline at 12:30pm AEST on Sunday or stream anytime on ABC iview.
BBC News
13-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Failure 'not an option' says Derbyshire's new anti-waste chief
Reform UK's new efficiency chief in Derbyshire says the party's flagship anti-waste agenda will pull the council's finances "back from the brink", despite admitting there is "limited scope" for savings in the County Council has a net budget spend of roughly £770m and debt levels in the region of £400m. Its current budget plans - formed under the previous Conservative leaders - include a deficit of well over £30m, largely due to pressures on adult and children's social care and special educational is one of only a few of Reform's new councils that has made its efficiency drive into a formal cabinet position. John Lawson, the newly elected Breaston councillor who has a background in finance, will be leading the county's "Doge" drive, modelled after the Department of Government Efficiency previously overseen by Elon Musk in the says formalising the position in Derbyshire is part of a "concerted effort" to stop the council from going into special measures, which would be the "direction of travel" without their efforts."[The council] is in significant debt's not really the problem. The problem we see is the increase in runaway expenditure. The operating expenses of running the council," he said."The position we inherited was a council spending beyond its means." Rather than making cuts and slashing expenditure, the party's focus will be on making spending more efficient and effective with existing efficiency by 10% is seen as an achievable target over the course of the next few years, and while it is unclear how exactly this will be measured, attempting to maintain existing levels of spending against a backdrop of rising costs and demand will be the broad aim. Lawson says that in the past two years, the council has spent £238m more than it anticipated it would have to, roughly a 15 - 20% overspend, which he says cannot be wholly explained by rising costs and other external and assessing council contracts, as well as combing through the council's operating costs, are seen as a prime target for where efficiencies can be found. However, the former administration's budget plans passed by the council in February will be adhered to for the rest of the financial year."We're not looking to make any savings over and above that, other than the small savings that we've already made, because we're just still understanding where we are," Lawson said."Hopefully we can make more savings but I can't promise anything at the moment."If you come back in six months time hopefully we've managed to find £10m we can save, but I doubt that will be the case simply because we know that there have been cost pressures."Having said that, we know that over the last two years the Conservative administration massively overspent, so if we can rein some of that in then possibly we can make some savings."He rejected any suggestion the party had underestimated the scale of the difficulty in finding efficiencies. "70% of the council's spend is spent on very vulnerable there's very limited scope for reducing spend, but that doesn't mean it can't be done," he said. However, the finance director admitted the party had overestimated figures put out recently claiming to have made around £88,000 of savings in its first two weeks in power, or £6,000 a day."We'll hold our hands up - we made a mistake there, was just a miscalculation", says Lawson, claiming the figure is more like £4,000 a day and about £60,000 worth of savings on councillor allowances and other small scale parties have used the "minute" figures to claim that the party's Doge agenda has been "discredited", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service."I'm grateful that our colleagues in the Tories and the Greens have actually pointed out we are saving money," Lawson said. Morale concern While job cuts are not being ruled out, Lawson says employee headcount will not be reduced in the short term with the potential exception of "small teams".However, it is possible staff pension schemes will be looked at, which the deputy leader of the party Richard Tice has criticised for being "unaffordable"."There's no doubt that defined benefit pension schemes have unfortunately become very expensive to operate," Lawson said."Ultimately, we haven't got a magic money tree, and we have to bear that in mind with future contracts." Leaders also think productivity can be tackled by "improving staff morale", which Lawson says is "on the floor". But the emphasis will be an ongoing mindset shift to the council's approach to its spending, rather than a "slash and cut" mentality in order to achieve the party's aims."We're very focused. We were elected on a ticket of change," Lawson says, rejecting the idea that recent turmoil at the top of the party will hinder their efforts for delivering Doge on the ground."We were elected by the people of Derbyshire to try to essentially instil some common sense into the management of council services. Failure is not an option." The leader of Derbyshire Conservatives Alex Dale predicts Reform UK will fail to "live up to their own hype" and says the Conservatives had left the council's budget "in a far stronger position than it was two years ago"."It's becoming increasingly clear that running a council of this scale and with these challenges is far more complex than Reform UK claimed during the election campaign and so it's little wonder they're getting their excuses in early now," he said."We'll be holding them to account for every promise they made and every decision they now take, on behalf of Derbyshire residents."
