Latest news with #Portishead
BBC News
2 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Toys from Bristol hospital charity 'gave my son a childhood'
A mother has raised nearly £6,000 for a charity that enabled her son to "have a childhood" while being treated for leukaemia. Four-year-old Connor, from Portishead in Somerset, was diagnosed in February. He is currently cancer-free but is still having chemotherapy to prevent it from returning. Last weekend, his mother Lucy Radford took part in a 24-hour relay to raise money for Bristol Children's Hospital charity, the Grand said the organisation had provided her family with endless toys and "distractions", allowing Connor carefree moments of "normality". Connor spent his fourth birthday in hospital having a spinal tap, where a needle is inserted between the bones of the spine to collect fluid for testing. To create a special memory, the Grand Appeal fulfilled his birthday wish by delivering a Jurassic Park Lego set to his bedside."It might seem like a small gesture, but in those moments, it meant everything," said Ms Radford."It's a distraction, not just for the children but for the parents too. "While they're playing, the adults can sit and talk about what's going on and how they're coping." While having chemotherapy, Connor was also able to play with the ward's jukebox, toys, puzzles, games and Ms Radford said Connor's illness was "a lot to take on". "No parent should have to deal with their child being diagnosed with leukaemia, or any other illness," she said. "We just take each day at a time really."More than 60 people took part in the fundraising relay, which was hosted by Portishead Running Club, of which Lucy is a member. The club quickly surpassed its initial target of £2,000, raising £6, money will go towards state-of-the-art equipment, music, play and art therapy, family accommodation, and making the clinical environment more Connor's diagnosis, his mother said she thought the weeks-long stay in hospital would be "really hard". "But so much effort and funding goes into making the hospital feel less like a hospital and more like a place of comfort and care, for both children and families," she said.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Youths trespass at 'extremely unsafe' building
Three youths wearing ski masks and balaclavas have been trespassing at an "extremely unsafe" abandoned care home, police have said. Avon and Somerset Police said it had received multiple reports of the unauthorised entry and further damage to the former Petersfield Elderly Persons Home in Portishead. The security system at the building detected motion from the youths on 11 July. The owners of the building were aware of the incidents and had been given security advice, police said. Anybody with information has been asked to contact the force. More news stories for Somerset Listen to the latest news for Somerset One of the youths has already been identified by officers, the force said. Officers added the building was not deemed safe to be entered by anyone other than qualified tradesmen. Police said the young people gained access to the site via the south boundary wall near Parsonage Court, which caused distress to residents. Sgt Timothy Stride, from the North Portishead and Clevedon neighbourhood policing team, urged people to stay away for their own safety. "The building is unsafe and anybody who accesses it is at risk of serious injury, or worse, and we are urging parents to make sure they know where their children are and to make sure they are aware of the dangers they potentially face at this site. "The risks are not only associated within the building, but trying to gain access via rooftops is particularly dangerous. "What we want to reiterate is this building is extremely unsafe, and people should stop trying to access it," he added. Additional patrols will be carried out by officers in the area. Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
BBC News
5 days ago
- BBC News
Youths trespassing at 'extremely unsafe' Portishead building
Three youths wearing ski masks and balaclavas have been trespassing at an "extremely unsafe" abandoned care home, police have and Somerset Police said it had received multiple reports of the unauthorised entry and further damage to the former Petersfield Elderly Persons Home in Portishead. The security system at the building detected motion from the youths on 11 owners of the building were aware of the incidents and had been given security advice, police said. Anybody with information has been asked to contact the force. One of the youths has already been identified by officers, the force said. Officers added the building was not deemed safe to be entered by anyone other than qualified tradesmen. Police said the young people gained access to the site via the south boundary wall near Parsonage Court, which caused distress to residents. Sgt Timothy Stride, from the North Portishead and Clevedon neighbourhood policing team, urged people to stay away for their own safety. "The building is unsafe and anybody who accesses it is at risk of serious injury, or worse, and we are urging parents to make sure they know where their children are and to make sure they are aware of the dangers they potentially face at this site."The risks are not only associated within the building, but trying to gain access via rooftops is particularly dangerous."What we want to reiterate is this building is extremely unsafe, and people should stop trying to access it," he patrols will be carried out by officers in the area.
San Francisco Chronicle
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Lalo Schifrin, composer behind ‘Bullitt' and ‘Dirty Harry,' dies at 93
Lalo Schifrin, the trailblazing composer whose music helped define the sound of 1970s action cinema and turned San Francisco into a sonic landmark for filmgoers around the world, died Thursday of complications from pneumonia. He was 93. Schifrin's jazz-inflected, rhythmically daring scores for Steve McQueen's 'Bullitt' (1968) and Clint Eastwood's 'Dirty Harry' (1971) helped establish the musical identities of two of the most iconic films ever set in the Bay Area. He was also hand-picked by Bruce Lee to score his final film, 'Enter the Dragon' (1973). With a deft mix of suspense, funk and atmospheric cool, Schifrin's work elevated car chases down Potrero Hill and showdowns at Aquatic Park into unforgettable cinematic moments. 'Everybody tells me how great the music for the chase in 'Bullitt' is,' Schifrin told The Chronicle in a 2003 interview. 'I didn't do any music for the chase. Four minutes before the chase, where there is a foot chase in the hospital, I build and build the suspense and the tension. And finally, when Steve McQueen finds a way to get to the freeway, at that moment the music stops suddenly. I told the director it would be a mistake to continue the music on the chase. The audience should hear the sounds of the cars, so they know whether the villain or 'Bullitt' is coming. You know what? It worked.' Born Boris Claudio Schifrin in Buenos Aires in 1932, he trained in classical composition at the Paris Conservatory under Olivier Messiaen while moonlighting in jazz clubs. He emigrated to the U.S. after a serendipitous encounter with Dizzy Gillespie, eventually becoming his pianist and arranger. That genre-crossing instinct became the hallmark of his scoring career. In Hollywood, Schifrin's fusion of jazz, Latin rhythms and experimental time signatures made him one of the most distinctive composers of the late 20th century. Schifrin received six Academy Award nominations over his career, including Best Original Score nods for 'Cool Hand Luke' (1967), 'The Fox' (1968), 'Voyage of the Damned' (1976), 'The Amityville Horror' (1979) and 'The Sting II' (1983). He also earned a nomination for Best Original Song for 'People Alone' from 'The Competition' (1980). 'He really was such a genius at combining rhythm, texture, instrumentation and melody in such a powerful and unique way,' Daniel Pemberton, an English composer who wrote the score for the film 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,' wrote on X. His theme for the 'Mission: Impossible' television show — composed in 5/4 time and famously written in just three minutes — became a pop culture staple, earning him Grammy Awards and renewed fame with the Tom Cruise film franchise that launched in 1996. Schifrin applauded you artists who sampled his work, most notably Portishead, who sampled the main riff from 'Danube Incident' for its 1994 hit 'Sour Times.' 'These young people are rediscovering my music and using it in their own way,' he told The Chronicle. 'It's almost like a bridge to a younger generation. It rejuvenates me. The same thing happens with the fact that the two 'Mission: Impossible' movies made people rediscover that theme. That is a very positive sign. I'm not a purist. I'm very far from being a purist.'
Irish Independent
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Kneecap appoint legal ‘dream team' including Birmingham Six lawyer ahead of terror charge court case
Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh (27), who uses the stage name Mo Chara, was charged by British police last month with a terrorism offence over the alleged display of a flag in support of Hezbollah at a London gig in November 2024. The group claim the charges are part of an establishment campaign to silence them over their criticism of Israel over Gaza. Scores of fellow artists, including Paul Weller, Massive Attack and Portishead, have come out in support of the group. The rap trio have announced the legal team that will represent Ó Hannaidh when he appears at Westminster Magistrates' Court next Wednesday. It includes experts in human rights and criminal defence law, such as international human rights lawyer Darragh Mackin, who represented Stardust fire families, and criminal defence expert Gareth Peirce, who has defended the Birmingham Six and the Guilford Four. "The British establishment is conducting a campaign against Kneecap which is to be fought in Westminster Magistrates court,' the band said in a statement. "We are ready for this fight. We are proud to have a strong legal team with us. We are on the right side of history. You are not. We will fight you in your court. We will win.' They described the team of six high-profile lawyers as 'the dream team'. Human rights lawyer Mr Mackin, who is 'renowned for his representation of the families of the Stardust fire, the 'Hooded Men' who were subject to torture by the British Government, and his role in changing the law against abortion in the North', will be accompanied by Ms Peirce and Brenda Campbell KC, the band said. They described Ms Campbell as 'a high-profile criminal defence specialist regularly appearing in cases relating to terrorism and protest law' who has previously represented 'the families of the Hillsborough disaster, the Stardust families and the family of Noah Donohoe'. Jude Bunting KC, an 'expert in freedom of expression' who has appeared for national and international media outlets, including 'in the challenge to MI5 for their handling of a neo-Nazi agent' who abused his partner, will also be involved in the case, the band said. ADVERTISEMENT Barrister Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC, who recently appeared before the International Criminal Court of Justice on behalf of South Africa in the genocide case against Israel over its actions in Gaza, and Rosalyn Comyn, who recently acted for the environmental protesters who threw soup at Van Gogh's Sunflowers painting in their appeal against their sentence, will also appear. Kneecap have previously said they will 'vehemently defend' themselves against the terrorism offence brought Ó hAnnaidh by British police, describing it as 'political' and a 'distraction'. He was charged over the alleged display of a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, in November last year by the Metropolitan Police by postal requisition on May 21.
