Latest news with #YourWay
Daily Record
03-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
New learning module for drug and alcohol support workers can help people in West Lothian kick tobacco
'When a cigarette burns it releases a dangerous cocktail of more than 5,000 chemicals' A charity's e-learning module can help people in West Lothian who are receiving support for alcohol and drug use to live tobacco-free. ASH Scotland's new e-module provides vital information for alcohol and drug workers, and volunteers, to encourage smokers who are being supported to reduce their use of alcohol and other drugs to seek assistance to give up tobacco products. Statistics show the level of smoking for people entering treatment for problematic substance use is substantially higher than the rate of the general adult population and the new learning aid can inform how to best support service users who want to quit smoking. The health charity's Smoking and Problematic Substance Use module covers a range of topics including details about the linked behaviours between smoking and drinking alcohol or using drugs, the impacts of smoking on psychotropic drugs which may be provided during treatment, raising the issue of smoking and signposting to NHS Scotland's free specialist Quit Your Way service. Sheila Duffy, Chief Executive for ASH Scotland, said: 'Our new e-learning module is designed to increase awareness and provide essential opportunities to learn about the negative impacts that tobacco use can have on the lives of people who are being supported to reduce consumption of alcohol and other drugs. 'For example, nicotine can be as addictive as heroin or cocaine and, when a cigarette burns, it releases a dangerous cocktail of more than 5,000 chemicals – 250 which are toxic and around 70 that are known to cause cancer. 'Smoking also reduces the effectiveness of medicated psychotropic drugs, such as benzodiazepines, clozapine and most antidepressants, by up to 50 per cent which means people receiving treatment may need higher doses that could put them at higher risk of experiencing side effects. 'Our e-learning module is a vital resource for alcohol and drug support workers and volunteers to build their knowledge and confidence in starting conversations to empower clients across West Lothian to make informed choices about giving up smoking to live healthier lives.' ASH Scotland's 'Smoking and problematic substance use' e-learning module is available for free at For quit smoking support, visit or call the Quit Your Way Scotland free helpline on 0800 84 84 84.
Sunday World
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Love Island star Toby hoping for call-up from Irish national football team
Love Islander Toby has designs on playing for Ireland while Catherine is game for Dancing with the Stars Catherine Agbaje and Toby Aromolaran launch Virgin Media Play: Get Play,Your Way Love Island star Toby Aromolaran is hoping for a call-up from not just a League of Ireland side but the Irish national football team. The 26-year-old, who finished second on the hit TV show in 2021 when he reached the final alongside Chloe Burrows, is a footballer with semi-professional club Hashtag United, and its men's team plays in the Isthmian League Premier in the UK. 'If an Irish team gave me a trial in the Irish league, I would, why not? It would be a bit of fun,' Toby says. 'My mum (Victoria) is from Crossmolina in Co Mayo and I've got an Irish passport. 'I play as a forward with Hashtag United, both on the wings and as a striker.' Toby is setting his footballing sights high. 'I don't see why Ireland don't call me up, why not? I'm just waiting for the manager to call,' he winks. Finalists Toby and Chloe Toby, who grew up in Essex and whose dad is from Nigeria, is a regular visitor to Ireland. 'I was in Mayo last year, the October half term. It was quite funny cos I got recognised a bit,' he explains. 'Mum's dad is from Wexford, then he moved to Mayo and my mum grew up in Mayo. I still have my cousins and aunt that live in Foxford. I've been going there since I was quite young, nearly every summer.' Toby confirms he's 'young, free and single' right now. 'I wouldn't say no to going a date with an Irish girl,' he smiles. But he draws the line at Maura Higgins. 'Yeah I am familiar with Maura. She's a nice girl, she's alright, not a bit of me though. There's nothing wrong with her but she's just not my type, we're just not compatible. 'The age gap wouldn't work — I'm not her type and she's not my type,' he insists. The 24-year-old student and real estate agent from Blanchardstown was in season 10 of Love Island in 2023, entering on day one before being dumped on Day 38. Earlier this year Catherine also featured on Love Island All Stars. During her time in the villa she bonded with Welsh goalkeeper Scott Van-Der-Sluis. 'He played for Shelbourne, he's a goalkeeper,' says Catherine, who now lives in London. 'We talked a lot about Dublin, I think that was what we bonded about, that he lived in Dublin and trained here. He only lived 10 minutes away from where I lived in Blanchardstown, so we did talk about Dublin a lot.' Catherine is also currently single and has a couple of celebrity crushes. 'Looks wise, I like Michael B Jordan, but personality wise I love the streamer called Kai (Cenat), he's the biggest streamer. 'He's so funny. I'd love someone I could just sit down with and laugh for hours,' she says. Toby also has his own personal favourites. '[American singers] Madison Beer and SZA,' he raves when asked about his dream date. Both stars giggle when asked about the possibility of them dating each other some time, given they live close to each other in the London area. 'We're going on holidays after this, maybe Miami, we haven't decided yet,' jokes Toby. Catherine is enjoying travelling and has a number of projects on the go. Catherine Agbaje and Toby Aromolaran launch Virgin Media Play: Get Play,Your Way News in 90 Seconds - 09 June 2025 She would like to follow in the footsteps of fellow Dublin Islander Yewande Bialado and take part in Dancing With The Stars. 'I'd love to do it. I'd be open to it, as it would be a challenge, like Yewande did,' she said. 'I didn't know Yewande beforehand. I think we have some mutual friends, but I didn't know here personally. I watched the show.' Catherine and Toby have their own bits of advice for the new batch going into the 12th series of Love Island tomorrow.. 'My tip is be yourself, go for what you want, stand your ground,' she says. Toby adds: 'Just enjoy the process and let yourself enjoy the experience, because there's only limited time you're going to be in that village, so enjoy it while it lasts — connect to people, just let go, don't be uptight.'
Scottish Sun
22-04-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
I blamed my WiFi when family said I ‘froze' on FaceTime but I was delaying a terrifying diagnosis
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LAUREN Freeman mistook her seizures for "WiFi issues" during video calls – until she realised it wasn't a tech glitch, but symptoms of a brain tumour. "I've always been a daydreamer, especially when I'm tired and being in my final year of uni, I thought that's all it was," the now 22-year-old primary school teacher said. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Lauren Freeman had a brain tumour while studying primary education with QTS at the University of Winchester Credit: SWNS 6 Her symptoms started showing up during video calls with her boyfriend, J (pictured) Credit: SWNS 6 During FaceTime calls with her family and J she experienced vacant seizures Credit: SWNS Her symptoms began six months before her diagnosis, while she was studying primary education with QTS at the University of Winchester. During daily FaceTime calls with her family and boyfriend, JJ Morris, 22, a retail fixture technician, she experienced vacant seizures. She said: "J went to a different uni so I mostly saw him at the weekend and he had started noticing these little moments on FaceTime when I would blame it on Wi-Fi, and then he noticed them face-to-face where I went quiet. "I brushed it aside, but he was clearly worried." When she went home for Christmas, she brought it up with her family. She said: "I told them what J had noticed, and they said they'd seen something similar too - there was a time I froze on FaceTime, where I blamed it on connection issues afterwards. "They were supportive, and we booked a doctor's appointment straight away." An MRI scan at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge revealed she actually had a benign epidermoid tumour in her brain in June 2024. Benign epidermoid tumours in the brain are not typically deadly, according to The Brain Tumour Charity. They are non-cancerous growths made up of skin cells and usually grow very slowly. Man, 64, plays guitar while having a brain tumour However, their location and size can cause complications, such as pressure on surrounding brain tissue, which may lead to symptoms like seizures, headaches, or neurological issues. 'Brain tumours are indiscriminate' Lauren now takes daily medication to manage various ongoing symptoms, including seizures, déjà vu episodes, and prolonged auras - a type of long migraine. She said: "Despite my diagnosis, I'm able to live a normal life and I'm thankful to the medical team who has looked after me so well. "Brain tumours are more common than people might think. "I'm proud of myself for still graduating Uni with a first and getting to work a full-time job that I absolutely love. "It was a scary time, I didn't know what having a brain tumour meant but my family have been very encouraging as have my uni and the school I now work at." She is campaigning with the charity Brain Tumour Research to raise awareness of the disease by taking part in 200k In May, Your Way - a challenge where participants can cover the distance in any way they like. Lauren has already raised £700 for the charity. She said: "I want to use my own experience of the disease, to help other people. 6 An MRI scan revealed she had a benign epidermoid tumour in her brain Credit: SWNS 6 Lauren now takes daily medication to manage ongoing symptoms, including multiple types of seizures, déjà vu episode and migraines Credit: SWNS "We must invest in research into brain tumours so that people can have access to the best and most accurate treatments." Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: "Lauren's story is a reminder that brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age. "The number of brain tumour diagnoses has increased by 11 per cent in the last decade, yet just 1 per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002. "It's with the support of people such as Lauren that will help us closer to finding a cure for all types of brain tumours. "Good luck to all taking on the month-long challenge." 6 'I'm proud of myself for still graduating Uni with a first and getting to work a full-time job that I absolutely love,' she says Credit: SWNS
The Sun
22-04-2025
- Health
- The Sun
I blamed my WiFi when family said I ‘froze' on FaceTime but I was delaying a terrifying diagnosis
LAUREN Freeman mistook her seizures for "WiFi issues" during video calls – until she realised it wasn't a tech glitch, but symptoms of a brain tumour. "I've always been a daydreamer, especially when I'm tired and being in my final year of uni, I thought that's all it was," the now 22-year-old primary school teacher said. 6 6 6 Her symptoms began six months before her diagnosis, while she was studying primary education with QTS at the University of Winchester. During daily FaceTime calls with her family and boyfriend, JJ Morris, 22, a retail fixture technician, she experienced vacant seizures. She said: "J went to a different uni so I mostly saw him at the weekend and he had started noticing these little moments on FaceTime when I would blame it on Wi-Fi, and then he noticed them face-to-face where I went quiet. "I brushed it aside, but he was clearly worried." When she went home for Christmas, she brought it up with her family. She said: "I told them what J had noticed, and they said they'd seen something similar too - there was a time I froze on FaceTime, where I blamed it on connection issues afterwards. "They were supportive, and we booked a doctor's appointment straight away." An MRI scan at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge revealed she actually had a benign epidermoid tumour in her brain in June 2024. Benign epidermoid tumours in the brain are not typically deadly, according to The Brain Tumour Charity. They are non-cancerous growths made up of skin cells and usually grow very slowly. Man, 64, plays guitar while having a brain tumour However, their location and size can cause complications, such as pressure on surrounding brain tissue, which may lead to symptoms like seizures, headaches, or neurological issues. 'Brain tumours are indiscriminate' Lauren now takes daily medication to manage various ongoing symptoms, including seizures, déjà vu episodes, and prolonged auras - a type of long migraine. She said: "Despite my diagnosis, I'm able to live a normal life and I'm thankful to the medical team who has looked after me so well. "Brain tumours are more common than people might think. "I'm proud of myself for still graduating Uni with a first and getting to work a full-time job that I absolutely love. "It was a scary time, I didn't know what having a brain tumour meant but my family have been very encouraging as have my uni and the school I now work at." She is campaigning with the charity Brain Tumour Research to raise awareness of the disease by taking part in 200k In May, Your Way - a challenge where participants can cover the distance in any way they like. Lauren has already raised £700 for the charity. She said: "I want to use my own experience of the disease, to help other people. 6 6 "We must invest in research into brain tumours so that people can have access to the best and most accurate treatments." Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: "Lauren's story is a reminder that brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age. "The number of brain tumour diagnoses has increased by 11 per cent in the last decade, yet just 1 per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002. "It's with the support of people such as Lauren that will help us closer to finding a cure for all types of brain tumours. "Good luck to all taking on the month-long challenge." Symptoms of a benign brain tumour A benign brain tumour is a mass of cells that grows relatively slowly in the brain. Benign means it in not cancerous. Non-cancerous brain tumours tend to stay in one place and do not spread. Some slow-growing tumours may not cause any symptoms at first. When symptoms occur, it's because the tumour is putting pressure on the brain and preventing a specific area of the brain from working properly. As the tumour grows and increases pressure in the skull, you might experience: New, persistent headaches that are sometimes worse in the morning or when bending over or coughing Feeling sick all the time Drowsiness Vision problems, such as blurred or double vision, loss of part of your visual field and temporary vision loss Epileptic seizures that may affect the whole body, or you may just have a twitch in one area See a GP if you develop any of these symptoms. They'll examine you and ask about your symptoms. If they suspect you may have a tumour or are not sure what's causing your symptoms, they may refer you to a brain and nerve specialist for further investigation. Source: NHS
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Flutter Entertainment PLC (FLUT) Q4 2024 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Revenue Growth Amid ...
Release Date: March 04, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Flutter Entertainment PLC (NYSE:FLUT) reported a strong financial performance with a 19% revenue growth and a 26% increase in adjusted EBITDA for 2024. The company solidified its leadership position in the US market, achieving a 43% market share in sports betting and 26% in iGaming. Successful expansion into new markets, including North Carolina and Vermont, and the addition of Maxbet in the international business. The introduction of innovative products like the 'Your Way' customizable betting option and the FanDuel Casino Rewards Club has driven customer engagement. Flutter Entertainment PLC (NYSE:FLUT) is on track to achieve its 2027 goals, with a focus on strategic growth and cost efficiency programs expected to deliver over $300 million in annualized cost savings by 2027. The company faced adverse sports results in the US, particularly in the NFL, which impacted revenue and adjusted EBITDA by approximately $550 million and $360 million, respectively, in Q4 2024. There is a potential risk of increased state gaming taxes in the US, which could impact profitability. The racing market in Australia showed softness, leading to an 8% decline in revenue, despite positive player-driven momentum in sports. The Italian market saw some share loss in the second half of 2024, which the company aims to address post-acquisition of Sny. The competitive environment in Brazil is challenging, with up to 200 companies applying for licenses, which could impact Flutter Entertainment PLC (NYSE:FLUT)'s market entry strategy. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 2 Warning Signs with FLUT. Q: Can you elaborate on the $90 million investment losses in new states like Missouri and Alberta, and discuss the customer acquisition environment? A: (CFO Rob Coldrake) We expect to launch in Missouri in Q4 and Alberta in Q1 2026. Missouri's launch will incur around $80 million in costs, with Alberta adding $10 million for pre-launch investments. (CEO Peter Jackson) We're pleased with our customer acquisition strategy, exiting 2024 with a larger business than anticipated, and we see continued opportunities for growth. Q: Could you provide insights on the customer acquisition trends between iGaming and core sportsbook, and the expected benefits of new product integrations? A: (CEO Peter Jackson) We're seeing strong growth in iGaming, driven by product innovations like the reward machine jackpots and the Fanjo Casino Rewards Club. These initiatives are enhancing customer acquisition and cross-selling into the sportsbook. Q: What are the early learnings from the "Your Way" product rollout, and how are you managing the structural hold rate? A: (CEO Peter Jackson) The "Your Way" product saw good engagement during the Super Bowl, with 1 in 20 customers using it. We're focusing on simplifying the user experience and managing associated risks. (CFO Rob Coldrake) We're not guiding specifically on hold for 2025, but we're making progress towards our long-term targets. Q: How are you addressing the impact of higher tax rates in Illinois, and what is your outlook on potential iGaming legalization? A: (CFO Rob Coldrake) The impact in Illinois was in line with expectations, and we aim to mitigate 50% of the growth factor in 2025. (CEO Peter Jackson) We're optimistic about launching in new states and expect continued momentum in iGaming legalization. Q: Can you discuss your strategy for expanding in South and Latin America, particularly in Brazil? A: (CEO Peter Jackson) We're excited about working with NSX and plan to leverage our products and technology in Latin America. The Brazilian market is competitive, but we are confident in our ability to succeed given our track record and capabilities. Q: How do you view media rights partnerships in the US, especially with changes in broadcast deals? A: (CEO Peter Jackson) We've been disciplined in negotiating contracts and are adapting to changes in media rights and streaming. Our scale helps us invest in acquiring the right types of rights to ensure customer access to sports content. Q: What is your investment strategy in Brazil following the regulated market launch? A: (CFO Rob Coldrake) Brazil's market was already functioning before regulation, so it's different from a US state launch. We're working towards $100 million in losses for this year, with competition for media assets expected to shake out quickly. Q: What are the key drivers behind the US revenue growth exceeding original guidance, and where do you see potential upside in 2025? A: (CEO Peter Jackson) We ended 2024 with a larger business than anticipated, particularly in iGaming. Progress in parlay offerings and structural hold improvements contributed to exceeding guidance. We remain on track for our long-term targets. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
