Latest news with #PrideofBritain
ITV News
6 days ago
- Health
- ITV News
The Pride of Britain hero with terminal cancer walking to give others hope - and a chance to live
Pride of Britain fundraiser Ian Hensley has conquered the 268-mile Pennine Way, all in support of a cure for cancer that he will not live to see. Sophie Wiggins joined him for ITV News Anglia. 'I've been walking in the mountains since I was 12. If I could die on top of a mountain, I'd be quite happy.' Ian Hensley says this with a quiet conviction. At 71 years old, with a crumbling spine, a terminal diagnosis, and three years of chemotherapy behind him, he has just completed a 268-mile walk along the famous Pennine Way. A walk that ITV News Anglia joined him on for a few days. It's a challenge many wouldn't attempt in full health, never mind living with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer that weakens the bones and drains the body. But Ian, from Northamptonshire, did it anyway, making it from Edale in the Peak District to Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish borders. All to raise money for a cure he knows he will never see. "They've been looking for a cure for more than 20 years," says Ian. "I just thought if I could raise enough money to go towards a cure, well, it won't help me, but it'll help others'. He was diagnosed in 2021, and given a life expectancy of just two to five years. Last year, he completed the Coast to Coast walk, and became ITV News Anglia's regional fundraiser of the year, which landed him a spot as a finalist at the national Pride of Britain Awards. After all of that, he decided to take on one of Britain's toughest long-distance trails. Some days, he says, he was in so much pain he needed morphine to keep moving. At his lowest, he fell and stumbled over and over again, but nothing stopped him from getting back up each time. He admits that he felt a lot fitter this time last year. 'My fitness isn't where it was," he says. "Because of the cancer, quite simply, my body isn't the same. Some days I was so out of it I don't know how I did the miles, but I did. "I just got up the next day and did them again.' I joined him for part of his walk at around the halfway mark, near Middleton-in-Teesdale. 'My legs are not working very well, and my back hurts," Ian tells me. "My breathing is a bit difficult. But other than that I'm okay, so I will carry on. Let's just keep going.' It's not just the miles that matter, it's what they represent. Every step was a small act of rebellion against the limitations of his body, and a quiet vow to keep going, for as long as he can. The three-week journey took him, and the various family members and friends who joined him each day, up mountains, through moorlands, across limestone pavements and peat bogs. Ian's connection to the outdoors runs deep. He spent years as a scout leader, leading others through wilderness. When asked why he loves being outdoors so much, he says: 'I like the solitude, especially at night-time when all the crowds are gone and it's just you left." "It's a place to be calm and quiet.' Ian says it's his friends and family who got him through the challenge. His best friend David not only helped with the logistics and planning, but walked with him, helped to administer medications and more. His friend Grant, "the taxi", ferried him between stops and brought cups of tea during breaks. He was joined by his daughter Hannah too along the trail. Strangers became supporters - rangers, walkers, farmers. Ian told many people along the way about his mission and several were happy to hand over cash there and then for the cause. His wife Gill, Ian says, has been his rock throughout. She says: 'We've said from the start of this that we're in this together. I was worried and had my reservations, but I knew that if he said he could do it, then he'd do it. "Its been hard for us, everything's a lot slower for him now, but he did it, and it's just amazing. He's just so inspirational.' Ian has now raised over £25,000 for Myeloma UK to go towards funding that much-needed cure. When asked how he finds the motivation to complete such a challenge, Ian's answer is simple. 'Because you have to," he says. "You have to just keep going." Ian and his family say they don't really know what the next year will hold. 'We don't have any more big walks planned for the foreseeable, but it's not totally out of the question," he tells me. For now, he says he wants to focus on his health, on enjoying dog walks round the village, spending time with his wife, Gill, and supporting his grandson, Charlie, who is currently training to run the London Marathon for Myeloma UK. 'We don't know how long I've got,' he said. 'But this gave me something to aim for - through the hardest part of my life, and I don't plan to stop walking yet.'
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Little girl's organ donation plea for Keir Starmer as she delivers letter to No 10
Little Beatrix Adamson-Archbold spent more than 15 months waiting in hospital for a heart transplant - her dad is now campaigning to put organ donor lessons on the national curriculum A little girl who spent more than a year waiting for a critical heart transplant has delivered a letter to No 10 appealing for organ donation lessons in schools. Beatrix Adamson-Archbold waited more than 15 months in hospital for her heart transplant, leading her devoted dad Terry Archbold to campaign for organ donor lessons to be part of the national curriculum. He decided to make the four-year-old's letter a special delivery. Terry, a police officer from Burnopfield, Co Durham, has won the support of his local Labour MP Liz Twist. He said: "Bea had a great day out, everyone was so kind to her. We have spoken a great deal about organ donation and I decided to put down everything she said in a letter to the Prime Minister." "She knew he was the 'boss of the country' and we were going to his home." Bea wrote to Sir Keir: "Hello, my name is Beatrix and I am 4 years old, what is your name? I will be 5 when it is my next birthday. I have a special heart, I had a heart transplant and it saved my life. "When I grow up I want to be a Doctor and a Unicorn Rider all at the same time. I want to be a Doctor to help people. Helping people and other children like me is nice. "I would like you to talk about special hearts and organs, I had a poorly heart but when I had a heart transplant it made me better. I want you to talk to my Dad about organs. "He says the more we talk about it the more poorly people we can help save. Kids like me. I have a school book which teaches about organs, it is an Orgamite book and I want to give it to you as a present." Now thriving, Bea is a testament to the miracle of transplant surgery. Terry told of the costs to the NHS for her care prior to her op in June 2023 at the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle; 30 days in paediatric intensive care, 425 days in the high dependency unit and fitting a mechanical heart to keep her alive cost more than £1m. Terry, 47, believes school lessons about organ donation for children of all ages would raise awareness, increase the number of donors and reduce the cost burden on the NHS. He was in London with Bea's mum Cheryl Adamson, 42, a council worker, who collected a British Citizen Award for her work with Bea's 500 Club, a group which supports good causes and people in need. The couple have seen both sides of the transplant journey. In 2018, they lost their daughter Isabel (c) when she was stillborn and they donated her heart for medical research. Terry has also written to the PM. He is being supported in his crusade by Sergio Petrucci, who won a Pride of Britain award for his work with the Red Sky Foundation, and Orgamites, the group which teaches about organ donation in schools. The government is considering an independent review on the national curriculum with Professor Becky Francis and her expert panel giving their recommendations late last year.
Daily Mirror
22-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Pride of Britain winner Tony Hudgell's mum makes vow after shock revelation
Pride of Britain winner Tony Hudgell's mum received national praise for giving the youngster a second chance after the abuse he suffered at the hands of his birth parents The mum of Pride of Britain winner Tony Hudgell has vowed to "give this the biggest fight of my life' after sharing that she is now fighting stage four lung cancer. Paula Hudgell, who gave Tony a second chance at life and has won national praise for her tireless campaigning on child abuse laws, has revealed the sad news that her cancer has returned and spread, nearly two years after she was first diagnosed. The 57-year-old former nurse adopted Tony in 2016 after he was left with life-changing injuries by his birth parents. The abuse little Tony suffered was so severe that both of the youngster's legs had to be amputated. Paula was honoured with an OBE in 2022 for her fight to bring about Tony's Law. But that same year she was diagnosed with bowel cancer and in a moving social media post on Saturday, she told followers the disease has now returned and spread. 'It's been a really tough few weeks,' she wrote in an emotional Instagram message. 'In 2022, I was diagnosed with bowel cancer - and after feeling the best I have in years, I've now been hit with the heartbreaking news that it's returned, and this time it's also in my lung. Stage 4. It's been a huge shock, and it's taken some time for us to get our heads around it.' Sharing a photo of the marking left on her chest from the portacath used to deliver treatment, she added: 'In ten days, I'll start aggressive chemo. We don't know exactly what the future holds, but I'm ready to give this the biggest fight of my life.' Paula lives in Kent with her husband Mark and their children, including Tony, now 10. The couple adopted him after he survived unimaginable abuse as a baby - suffering fractures, sepsis, organ failure, and ultimately losing both legs. But despite his brutal start in life, Tony has defied all odds. He has walked on prosthetics, raised over £1.8 million for charity, and become a national hero - winning a Pride of Britain award and receiving heartfelt praise from the Prince and Princess of Wales. Paula's relentless campaigning alongside MPs and child protection charities led to the introduction of Tony's Law in 2022, increasing the maximum jail terms for those who cause or allow serious harm or death to a child. Jody Simpson, 33, and her partner Tony Smith, 54, were sentenced to 10 years in prison in February 2018. But Simpson was freed from prison on June 30 following a risk assessment by the Parole Board. She will face strict conditions including on her movements and contact with others. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson told The Mirror: "This was a horrific crime that saw Tony Hudgell mercilessly tortured by his birth parents and our thoughts remain with him and his loved ones. Now that Jody Simpson has been released as directed by the Independent Parole Board, she will be subject to strict supervision and licence conditions. She faces an immediate return to prison if she breaks the rules."
Daily Mirror
21-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Pride of Britain winner Tony Hudgell's mum reveals she's battling stage four cancer
Paula Hudgell, who won national praise for her tireless campaigning on child abuse laws, revealed that her cancer has returned and spread - nearly two years after she was first diagnosed The devoted mum who gave Tony Hudgell a second chance at life has shared the devastating news that she's now fighting stage four lung cancer after her cancer returned and spread. Paula Hudgell, who won national praise for her tireless campaigning on child abuse laws, revealed that her cancer has not only returned but has spread - nearly two years after she was first diagnosed. The 57-year-old former nurse adopted Tony in 2016 after he was left with life-changing injuries by his birth parents. The abuse little Tony suffered was so severe that both of the youngster's legs had to be amputated. Paula, who was honoured with an OBE in 2022 for her fight to bring about Tony's Law, was diagnosed with bowel cancer that same year. But in a moving social media post on Saturday, she told followers the disease has now progressed. 'It's been a really tough few weeks,' she wrote in an emotional Instagram message. 'In 2022, I was diagnosed with bowel cancer - and after feeling the best I have in years, I've now been hit with the heartbreaking news that it's returned, and this time it's also in my lung. Stage 4. It's been a huge shock, and it's taken some time for us to get our heads around it.' Sharing a photo of the marking left on her chest from the portacath used to deliver treatment, she added: 'In ten days, I'll start aggressive chemo. We don't know exactly what the future holds, but I'm ready to give this the biggest fight of my life.' Paula lives in Kent with her husband Mark and their children, including Tony, now 10. The couple adopted him after he survived unimaginable abuse as a baby - suffering fractures, sepsis, organ failure, and ultimately losing both legs. But despite his brutal start in life, Tony has defied all odds. He has walked on prosthetics, raised over £1.8 million for charity, and become a national hero - winning a Pride of Britain award and receiving heartfelt praise from the Prince and Princess of Wales. Paula's relentless campaigning alongside MPs and child protection charities led to the introduction of Tony's Law in 2022, increasing the maximum jail terms for those who cause or allow serious harm or death to a child.
Daily Mirror
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
‘I was last one to talk to Jo hours before her ex beat her to death with hammer'
The horrific death of her best friend left Hetti Barkworth-Nanton traumatised, but her tireless campaigning to raise awareness of domestic violence led to a Pride of Britain award last year – and now a stage at Glasto! Ordinary mum-turned-domestic violence champion Hetti Barkworth-Nanton is headlining The Information Stage at Glastonbury this weekend to give voice to abused women like her best friend, who was beaten to death by her husband. Hetti was the last person to speak to her 'soulmate' Joanna Simpson an hour before her savage killing, and tells The Mirror: 'I was talking to her… and then she was just literally ripped away.' The 47-year-old mum-of-two, who was in the middle of a bitter divorce from her estranged husband, Robert Brown, had planned to stay with Hetti on the weekend she was killed. Hetti's life was shattered when Joanna was viciously killed and buried in a pre-dug grave by Brown in 2010, who slaughtered her within earshot of their young children. Afterwards, Hetti and Joanna's mother Diana Parkes started the Joanna Simpson Foundation, to help children affected by domestic violence, and were recognised for their work at last year's Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards. This year's Pride of Britain Awards with P&O Cruises are now looking for nominations for tireless campaigners like Hetti and Diana. Still grieving for her friend, Hetti, 58, from Swindon, says: 'Jo was a ray of sunshine – she was kind, warm, fun and, above all, an incredible mother. 'We set up the Joanna Simpson Foundation because, having seen the law fail to protect two deeply traumatised children, we couldn't let that happen again. We also wanted to raise awareness of domestic abuse. So often, people don't know it is happening to those they love.' According to the charity, 130,000 children are in households at risk of serious injury or death, while 200 children are bereaved through murder each year. Now Hetti, who also chairs domestic abuse charity Refuge, will be joined on stage at the UK's biggest festival by TV presenter Zara McDermott and football pundit Eni Aluko, to raise awareness of the soaring rates of violence against women and girls. Refuge ambassador Zara says: 'Since sharing my experiences of intimate image abuse, I have been taken aback by the sheer scale of this horrific form of abuse, with many survivors sharing their own stories with me. 'Domestic abuse affects thousands of women every day. No one can afford to turn a blind eye to this devastating societal issue.' Equally passionate, former footballer Eni has spoken out on the problem of stadiums not being safe spaces for women. READ MORE: 'We drank to excess and had debauched sex parties – but one drug split the band' Incredibly proud of winning Pride of Britain's Special Recognition award last year, Hetti continues: 'So much has happened over the last 15 years, but winning a Pride of Britain award has to be one of the most overwhelming and positive things. It's amazing.' As a direct result of their Pride of Britain award, she and Diana have successfully campaigned for the government to review the murder law and sentencing, and to look at changing the way licence conditions work for certain offenders. They say the current system traps victims, through the rule preventing some prisoners on licence from coming within a five-mile radius of their victims and their families. 'Victims feel very anxious about going outside of a five-mile radius, where they would bump into their assailant, but the offender can go everywhere else. It's crazy,' says Hetti. Diana, now 86, raised her daughter's children - now young adults - as her own after her killing. They wanted no contact with Brown, who was jailed for 26 years, after pleading guilty to manslaughter with diminished responsibility. In October 2023, Diana, from the Isle of Man, and Hetti successfully campaigned to block Brown's automatic release from prison after completing half his sentence. But he is up for parole again. 'Robert Brown is a massive danger to women and girls,' says Hetti. 'He's applied for parole again, but he hasn't yet been given a hearing for that. We believe it will be in the autumn this year.' Hetti says she and Jo 'became best buddies straight away' when they met at nursery when their children were little. 'We were really soulmates,' she says, reflecting, sadly, on how Jo called off her plans to stay with her on that fateful weekend. 'She decided she had too much work to do. I was literally speaking to her in the hour before… trying to just encourage her to stay positive, because it was their final High Court hearing a week later. 'She told me, 'It's not going to end when we have the divorce hearing. He's going to carry on controlling me. 'She knew what he was capable of, because he threatened her with a knife three years before. But we all hoped he wanted to get on with life with his new girlfriend, who was pregnant.' Even now, Hetti misses Jo and struggles with the loss. 'You know I was talking to her and then she was just literally ripped away,' she explains. 'Then there was no-one to give Jo her voice at the trial, and he ended up getting manslaughter.' Hetti has suffered serious health issues from the shock of Jo's horrific death. 'I spent four years unable to work with really severe complex PTSD. And then in 2018 got breast cancer, which was inevitably due to the trauma,' she says. She and Diana both fear Brown being released. 'We're really worried, terrified,' says Hetti. 'This is a man who spent his marriage resenting Jo because of the pre-nup he signed. And that resentment turned to utter distaste and then insidious hatred. 'It took him three years after they separated to carry out what he did. But having spent three months digging a grave, he holds vengeance like no other. 'He will be absolutely furious at the fact that he's been kept in prison longer than he believed he was going to be there. And he blames myself and Di for that. 'We just hope he stays in prison for long enough, so he will be older and that bit less physically capable of doing anything.' Both women were appointed CBEs in the New Year Honours List 2024 in recognition of their work, and Queen Camilla says they are her inspiration for raising awareness around domestic violence. Diana, who refuses to give up the fight, vows: 'I will continue until my dying days to keep children safe and to eliminate domestic abuse.' Major breakthroughs After Hetti and Diana collected their award at last year's glittering Pride of Britain ceremony, the pair went to Number 10 the following day to meet PM Keir Starmer. Hetti recalls: 'We then met Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and the Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood, where we put forward a number of issues we're concerned about, regarding the law and the treatment of victims. 'Two things have happened notably since then. First is that the High Commissioner of Justice has announced a full review by the Law Commission into the murder law and sentencing, and indeed have attributed our campaigning to that decision. 'The second issue we discussed, which is very much the brainchild of Diana and something that she feels very strongly about, is the licence conditions that are in place to stop offenders from going near the victim. 'When somebody is let out on license, it not only highlights to the offender where the victim lives, it effectively traps the victim within that five-mile range. They feel very anxious about going outside that five-mile radius limit, where they would bump into the offender, but the offender can go everywhere else. 'We campaigned really hard for the need to change that, particularly for dangerous offenders, so that the offender is given tight licence conditions, which leaves the victims free to travel.' Hetti adds: 'Shabana Manood announced in the House that she is now going to explicitly look at changing the way licence conditions work for certain offenders, doing exactly what we've asked her to do.' The background Believing he'd been 'stitched up' by a pre-nup, Robert Brown bludgeoned his estranged wife Joanna Simpson to death with a claw hammer – within earshot of their then nine and 10-year-old children – in Ascot, Berkshire, in October 2010. The former BA pilot buried her body in a pre-dug grave in Windsor Great Park, before confessing to police the following day. The couple had been separated for three years. Brown, then 47, claimed their bitter divorce proceedings had put him under great stress. Found not guilty of murder, Brown was initially sentenced to 26 years for manslaughter. After a public outcry at the leniency of the sentence and outraged could be released automatically after serving half his sentence, Hetti and Diana met with the then government. And, in October 2023, the government blocked Brown's automatic release the following month, referring his case to the Parole Board. Government lawyers said Brown had "persistently refused to engage in the rehabilitative elements of his sentence". In a landmark decision, the court dismissed the appeal, stating there were "good grounds for believing" that Brown posed a "high risk to the public of serious harm'. Now Brown has once again applied for a parole hearing, which is due to be held in autumn. • Do you know a campaign that deserves to be nominated for a Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Special Recognition Award, in partnership with P&O Cruises? How to nominate: Campaigns that change the world are at the heart of Pride of Britain, and over the past 26 years, some truly dedicated work by community-minded people have inspired the nation. If you know a campaign that deserves an award, like Hetti and Diana, you can nominate them for: SPECIAL RECOGNITION For achievements not covered in other categories, such as inspiring carers, campaigners and members of armed forces.
