
Tunnock's Tea Cakes pass RAF fit-to-fly test after being banned 60 years ago
The chocolate-covered biscuits with a marshmallow filling were lifted to 8,000ft, climbing at 4,000ft per minute, inside an altitude chamber normally used for training new jet pilots.
The tea cakes were rapidly decompressed to 25,000ft in three seconds to see if they would explode.
In the test, while the marshmallow in the tea cakes did escape from the chocolate casing, they did not appear to explode and cause a risk to in-flight safety.
Furthermore, when the tea cakes were frozen before being placed in the chamber, their hardened shells were more resilient to cracking at altitude.
The experiment was filmed for the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS), which provides news and entertainment for military personnel and their families.
'Best advice is that the snacks are kept frozen'
Dr Oliver Bird, a medical officer instructor at the RAF Centre of Aerospace Medicine, oversaw the tea cake tests and said he saw no reason why they couldn't be taken on flights.
He recommended freezing the tea cakes as it will make their chocolate shells more robust and cause them to merely crack during decompression.
He said: 'I think the best advice is that the snacks are kept frozen and in their foil wrappings until pilots are ready to consume them.'
Hannah King, a producer and director who filmed the tests for BFBS News, said: 'This was a critical piece of scientific testing. I'm just glad the RAF medics at the Centre of Aerospace Medicine stepped up and answered the question that everyone's been wondering for so many years.
'It may be that the original tea cakes really did explode in a much more dangerous fashion. Perhaps the recipe has changed – who knows.
'But people ought to spread the word – it's safe to fly with tea cakes.'
Tunnock's founded the business in 1890 as a bakery shop in Uddingston, Lanarkshire, and it now employs more than 600 people in the town and exports to more than 30 countries including Saudi Arabia and Australia.
The family firm is led by Sir Boyd Tunnock, 92, who created the Tunnock's Tea Cake in 1956 using marshmallow on a biscuit base coated in chocolate.
The sweet treats have become so popular that giant dancing tea cakes featured in the opening ceremony of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and scientists launched a tea cake into space in 2017, attached to a weather balloon which reached an altitude of 121,414ft.
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Press and Journal
a day ago
- Press and Journal
Big brother's pride in Elgin sister's 'sparkly' legacy helping thousands of children through cancer battle
Growing up, Cameron and Abbie Main were just like any other siblings. They wound each other up and blamed the other when they got into trouble, but they also loved playing games together and sharing unforgettable family holidays together. Their idyllic childhood was shattered though when Abbie was diagnosed with cancer at just 10 years old. Big brother Cameron spent his teenage years at her side, watching on with pride as she bore the burden of intensive treatments. He said: 'She was like 'Oh, yeah, it's not too bad.' I was watching it and thinking it was traumatic but she was dealing with it like it was nothing. 'She took it in her stride, everything she dealt with. MRI scans, operations, chemotherapy, it was all horrific for her but she dealt with it so well.' It has now been nearly eight years since Abbie died in 2017, when she was just 15 years old. Since then, her family have devoted their lives to a mission the energetic cheerleader set them before her death – to raise money to help others facing the same plight as her with 'hospitals and stuff'. Hundreds of thousands of pounds have been raised in her name with thousands of families benefiting from those moved by Abbie's story. Abbie and Cameron had a relationship like many other brothers and sisters growing up – fiercely competitive with each other while still being close. The two of them would tease each other but also put that aside to join together to stage makeshift X Factor recreations at home. Cameron said: 'We were always very close, we had the odd fight as siblings do. 'She was the younger one, so I would always be the one that got in trouble. She loved winding me up. 'She got a lot of enjoyment out of that, which was funny.' As a triathlete who rose through the ranks to represent Scotland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Cameron is naturally a very competitive guy. However, the professional athlete freely admits he always struggled to get one up on his little sister who more than matched his desire to win. He said: 'We'd have games in the garden, hide and seek, that kind of thing, and Abbie was very competitive. 'She'd always want to win and be the best at everything she did. I'm competitive, but she was even more so, which is crazy. 'She was destined to be very successful in whatever she wanted to do.' That idyllic family life changed forever when Abbie was first diagnosed with cancer when she was just 10. By the time her prognosis became terminal four years later, Cameron had already left home at just 16 to follow his triathlon dreams at Stirling University. While the distance changed their relationship, the brother and sister would still constantly message each other. Cameron said: 'I didn't want to leave Abbie during those times. I didn't want to leave my family, but I had to go study, I had to do my job and do triathlon because those were my career goals. 'It was like, 'this is what I have to do, we've got to try and make it work.' 'At the time I moved to Stirling, Abbie wasn't terminally ill but six months on that happened and it changed a lot of things. 'I needed to be home more often and all that became a lot harder. It was a very challenging time.' Time that had previously been spent playing games and on family holidays were replaced with long spells in hospital for treatment. Cameron watched on as Abbie underwent 'horrific' treatment, but her competitiveness and desire to be the best never diminished. Cameron said: 'She didn't let anything faze her. When she was cheerleading, she was all in for cheerleading. 'Before she passed away she was massively into The Sims, the computer game. She loved it, it was her thing, and she wanted the Sims and everything in that world to be the best. 'And the way she dealt with her treatment was the same, she wanted to deal with it the best she could. 'She was always going head first into everything and dealing with it like a champ.' After missing several years of school, Abbie was able to attend classes at Elgin Academy through the support of her friend Emma with a special timetable. Despite her tremendous struggle outside the classroom, the teenager's academic ambition remained relentless. Cameron added: 'Even at school, she wanted to challenge herself and when she struggled she did a lot of homework. 'She was so competitive and always wanted to be the best she could be.' Before Abbie died, she devised her charity with best friend Emma – giving it a name, designing a logo and setting its mission to help families facing the same battles she had faced. However, it was done in secret with her pal without her parents or brother having a clue she had even considered it. It was only when Abbie died on Christmas Day in 2017 that Emma, herself just 15 at the time, revealed the drawings the two had done together. Cameron said: 'I think they discussed it so long before Abbie passed away, I think it was 10 or 11 months before, that they almost completely forgot about it. 'There was so much going on with Abbie's treatment and her health that they never mentioned it. 'It was quite overwhelming when we were told about it, but in a nice way, like an amazing surprise that Abbie had even thought about that when she was ill. 'It was like a nice thing to come from this tragedy. It was like 'Wow, she wants us to do this. Let's do this for her legacy, let's make it happen.'' Today Abbie's Sparkle Foundation supports every single child in a Scottish hospital facing their own cancer battle. Relentless fundraising from the family and supporters funds 'Sparkle Bags', which volunteers delivered to 231 youngsters at Easter with more being prepared for Christmas. Inside are sweets and snacks as well as a £100 Amazon voucher so they can spend it on what they need most. There is also a special sparkly wristband, so they know the bag is a gift from Abbie. The teenager's big smile and sparkling personality is never far from their constant fundraising too with stalls always featuring big pictures of her. Cameron said: 'We're so proud of her. Putting big photos up of Abbie is what she would want, she'd want those pictures up in London, Glasgow, wherever with Abbie's Sparkle Foundation. 'She wants to be the star. That's why she loved cheerleading, she loved being that person thrown up in the air. 'It's very important for us, as a family, that we keep it family-run. It's very important for us that I'm the chairman, as Abbie's brother, it helps my mum (who is manager) and my dad who is also involved (as a trustee). 'We're doing this for Abbie. This is where it started, and we're doing it for her.' Abbie's Sparkle Foundation has been chosen by Press and Journal readers to be recipients from the P&J Community Fund. You can donate online to support them and Clan Cancer Support HERE.


Scottish Sun
08-08-2025
- Scottish Sun
Kenny Logan opens up about sex struggles with wife Gabby & issue that needs to stay ‘private, even in marriage'
Plus, how the former rugby star credits Gabby with helping him diagnose his cancer in time CANDID CONFESSION Kenny Logan opens up about sex struggles with wife Gabby & issue that needs to stay 'private, even in marriage' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) KENNY Logan has bravely opened up about struggles in his sex life with wife Gabby following getting his prostate removed. Former Scottish rugby international Kenny's world was turned upside down when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in February 2022. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Kenny Logan has opened up about how his prostate cancer affected his sex life with wife Gabby Credit: Getty 6 Kenny previously had an operation to remove his prostate and now aims to spread awareness about the cancer Credit: BBC The cancer was detected when he underwent a routine wellness check at the age of 50. 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Kenny admits that stat was preying on his mind before his operation. When struggling to get an erection, he shared how he would use a 'penis pump' to stimulate blood flow to the area. According to the NHS, they can be a suitable aid, if medicine is not advised or effective. Gabby Logan and Kenny Logan arrive for day 8 of Wimbledon Kenny added: 'It's certainly not sexy... I used it for ten minutes a day or so, several times in that first month, grateful Gabby was away working on the Commonwealth Games. 'I warned her that if she ever walked in on me using it and didn't back straight out the door, I'd never speak to her again! Some things are private, even in marriage." The former sportsman said he preferred this method to Viagra, as he 'didn't like the headaches'. The couple tied the knot in 2001 and share two children together - 20-year-old twins Lois and Reuben - but their relationship has been fraught with obstacles, which the couple have overcome as a team. 6 Gabby and Kenny share twins Lois and Reuben together Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk SURGERY DISCOMFORT In the 10 days following his op, Kenny candidly revealed he wore a catheter - which can cause patients to wet themselves once it's removed. He admitted he found it hard in hospital and came out feeling "horrific". While his torso was "really bruised", he joked: "I've got balls the size of tennis balls, which is a positive... they're black and blue." Despite any discomfort and challenges, Kenny insists that he's keen to be open about his symptoms, if it can help others. 6 Kenny opted for surgery to remove his prostate and has since said he is '95 per cent back to normal' Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk He told The Telegraph at the time: 'Whether it be my dyslexia, my relationship, IVF, we've always been quite open. So, I was quite happy to talk about erectile dysfunction and all these other things because I was like, 'it is a symptom'. 'From a sexual point of view, it's not consistent. As the surgeon said to me, this could take 18 months. 'Within a month, I was getting movement, where he says, 'That's amazing'. So it's just not as consistent. The beauty is you can take a tablet and it changes things.' 'If I can help one person, that'd be great.' HIS DIAGNOSIS 6 Kenny said he was prompted to go get checked after listening to his wife's podcast Credit: Getty He added that he was 'extremely lucky' to catch it early on, which helped him have options when it came to the treatment. He revealed that he felt prompted to go for his initial check up after hearing guests on his wife's podcast The Mid Point discuss having their hormones tested. After he did, his results showed a high level of PSA - prostate-specific antigen. Kenny shared: "I was actually listening to one of the episodes about menopause about women and their hormones falling off a cliff. "As I was going through this in my head, and I thought 'what about me', 'what is happening to me', and Gabby said that I should go and get checked. 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More men are also visiting their doctors thanks to better awareness, such as after cycling legend Sir Chris Hoy revealed his condition last year. The charity is still encouraging men to get checked sooner and increase the proportion of cases caught in early stages when they are more treatable. Chiara De Biase, director of improvement at Prostate Cancer UK, said: 'Unlike other cancers, prostate cancer won't give you symptoms in its crucial early stages. 'These new figures show that awareness is now growing across the UK. 'More men than ever are learning about their risk and speaking to their GP.


Wales Online
06-08-2025
- Wales Online
BBC Wimbledon host rushed to hospital after health struggle
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