Sight loss didn't stop me becoming a Sea Cadet
Issy always dreamed of joining her big brother as a sea cadet.She joined the Loughborough branch in Leicestershire two days after her 10th birthday - the official joining age - and was hooked from the first night.But at the age of 13, Issy's life changed when she suffered a deterioration in her sight overnight, leaving doctors mystified."I just woke up one day and my vision was super blurry," she said. "I've been to hospital, had checks with my brain and they can't find anything."
Issy explained she was released from medical care after a few years and "felt lost".She added: "I thought it was going to change everything at cadets, I'll be a health and safety risk - but the staff were really good, they said 'What can we do to help?'"Issy, now 16, said that prior to becoming visually impaired she had "loved" her work with the cadets, adding: "You're learning in such a fun way you don't feel like you're learning, whilst at school it's so stressful. "The tests you have to do, they make it seem so easy and do it in such a relaxed way."It was the cadets which helped her after her eyesight deteriorated, as they let her join in all activities, even on the water.
"Boating I thought was going to be like end game and I was going to have to sit on the side," she said. "But no, it was really good, I always have someone to help me and they say 'Let's just get on with it, we'll learn from our mistakes and keep going'. "Now I've done every qualification I can do on the water".Issy has had to adapt to her visual impairment in other areas, but, like her sea cadet career, she has continued to thrive. She has just completed her First Aid at Work course and is getting ready to take her GCSEs. At school, she uses large print to help her see the work. Her biggest problem is at night."In the dark, I can only see silhouettes and I can't tell who people are," she said. "I use a cane now to help me."She has also praised the cadets for the adjustments they have made. They painted white lines on all the steps and put glow in the dark tape around all the light switches.She added: "At first, at age 13 it was difficult, but I've learned to live with it. I had no idea what it would be like for the rest of my life. I've just tried to get on with it."
Now, Issy is helping her branch of the sea cadets by trying to encourage other people to come forward and volunteer. The charity is having to turn away children because it does not have enough volunteers to support new recruits.Stewart Thorpe, from the Loughborough branch, said the group wants to "positively change the lives of more youngsters in the area".He added Issy has been an inspiration and wanted to share her story "from having her world turned upside down when she woke up partially blind, to being made to feel like anyone else, thanks to volunteers."
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Max remembers little girl who 'saved his life' 5 years on from organ donor bill
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North Wales Live
21-05-2025
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'I left school after being told I couldn't use toilet during lessons'
A teenager says she has left school after after claiming she was barred from using the toilets during lessons. Holly Hicks, 15, from Pentyrch, felt compelled to leave school due to the humiliation and embarrassment she experienced when denied access to the loo during her period. Holly, who received an autism diagnosis two years prior, departed Radyr Comprehensive in early 2024 while in year nine, though she remains officially enrolled there. Now pursuing her studies online, Holly is preparing for her GCSEs. She acknowledges the teachers' concerns about vaping and misconduct in school toilets but insists that shouldn't restrict access for students needing the facilities during their periods. Holly said: "When I've asked to go to the toilet because I've started my period before, I've been told 'you have to wait until break'. "But at break time, the toilets are so crowded you can't get in there, and maybe you don't want to change your pad and stuff when everyone is in there." The teenager said it was true a lot of bad behaviour went on in the toilets, but said schools should address that rather than making everyone suffer. She added: "At my school a few of the toilets were locked, and often just some were accessible. The toilets are always busy, and always dirty. Some were open, some were closed. "Often the entire block where the toilets are located are locked, so you can't get in to the building to access toilets. I understand the reasons why the school made these decisions but it also isn't fair. "A lot of students are in the toilets vaping, or they stay in there after the break to try skip the next lesson and stuff like that, and that's what teachers are worried about. "We were never let out of lessons to go to the toilet, which again I do kind of understand, but this was the case even if you said you had your period. At the rare times when you were let out because you've got your period, and you didn't have any products, you would have to go to the office to ask for them. "It takes a while to get there and depending on where you are, you have to ask a teacher in the office, or sometimes ask a male teacher which you might not want to, and they have to get a key and go with you to get to the cupboard to get a pad. It's this whole big process just to get a pad, so it makes you not want to be in school. "The toilets were also really far from the office, so it becomes this extremely stressful ordeal if you unexpectedly get your period. The whole process could take around 10 minutes of walking here and there and you could leak through and be embarrassed in front of the entire school. "If the toilets are locked when you have a period, you're in trouble. A friend of mine bled through her uniform, had to explain this to teachers, and we were in the first few weeks of year seven. "She had to walk with a teacher the whole way through the school to a different block to get products and change, it was horrible. "I understand the problems schools are having but you need to make the toilets accessible for the reasons they're there. Don't lock them away from people who need to use them." Holly's mother Jo Wallace, who went to Radyr Comprehensive herself, said the toilets were always available when she was a pupil in the 1990s. She said lack of access to the toilets and Holly's anxiety and autism were the reasons she took her daughter out for home schooling, but she hoped to send her back one day, if the issues are resolved. She said Holly also needed to be able to go to the toilet to "regulate" herself during the school day because of her autism. "Holly is still officially registered at the school but now has an online tutor at home which costs hundreds a month," she said. "If she had her period she could never access the toilet when she needed to. Toilets were locked during lessons and even with a toilet pass she had to get someone to open it." The Welsh Government said school toilet policies are overseen by governors but toilets should be open. "We provide clear guidance to schools that toilets should be open and accessible to all learners throughout the school day," a spokesperson said. A Cardiff Council spokesperson said the authority wanted to "find solutions that ensure pupils can access toilets when needed" but some schools had to close them at times because of anti-social behaviour. More than £1m has been invested through Cardiff's Period Dignity initiative to combat stigma, address period poverty, and improve school facilities "to ensure dignity for learners", the spokesperson added. "Secondary schools are provided with a variety of period products, and dispensers have been installed in school toilets to ensure easy access to period products without needing to ask staff. "Special schools receive bespoke orders and from September 2023, the initiative has been expanded to all primary schools with the distribution of 18,000 pairs of period pants. The programme has contributed to Cardiff's recognition as a UNICEF Child Friendly City and is an example of how we are prioritising children's views and needs in decision-making. "We acknowledge the challenges some schools face in keeping toilet facilities free from anti-social behaviour and ensuring safeguarding, which may lead to restricted use during the day. However, we are committed to working with schools to find solutions that ensure pupils can access toilets when needed. "We welcome the publication of the Irise International Toilet Policy Toolkit and will continue to listen to young people to identify issues and co-produce solutions, ensuring they feel treated with dignity and respect, and that any shame related to periods is eradicated." According to a new poll from hygiene company phs Group and menstrual campaign charity Irise International, published today [May 21], one in six teachers in England, Wales and Scotland have prevented a student on their period from using the loo during a lesson with one in four of those students saying this caused serious issues, including bleeding through their uniforms. Teachers told the survey that their top concerns with school toilets were vaping (48%), truancy (46%) and bullying (27%). Another major issue for schools is pupil absence and the survey shows the toilet policy in many schools is contributing to girls being off school when they have their periods. On average three school days each term or 54 days over the course of their school or college life are missed by girls because of their periods. The data comes from a new study called Period Equality: Teaching a Valuable Lesson. It's the fourth consecutive research paper on period inequality in the UK conducted over six years with the aim of raising awareness about the issue, the authors said. Toilets are staying locked and permission to be excused from lessons denied – leaving some learners on their periods to bleed through their uniforms, the survey found. The research also revealed that two in three students (65%) are unable to access toilets at their school freely at any time, with almost a third (29%) needing permission from a teacher to leave the classroom and 15% requiring a pass to be issued. One in 20 teachers (5%) reported school toilets being locked at some point during the school day, including break times, with 4% saying they were shut all the time. One in six teachers (16%) has prevented a student who has periods from using the bathroom during class. When pressed on the reasons why, they believed learners merely wanted to skip lessons (39%) or meet friends (34%). A third (30%) felt that students on their periods should wait until the end of a lesson – and sadly, one quarter (26%) reported an issue after denying access to the loo, such as bleeding through uniforms. For the first time phs' research gauges secondary school teachers' attitudes and knowledge about period equality schemes and toilet access. It looks at "the complexity of the issues faced by teachers" and tensions between teachers and students around issues which restrict toilet access such as fears around student safety. Asked why toilet access was restricted, vaping tops the list of teachers' concerns about allowing washroom access during lessons (48%), followed by truancy (46%), a belief that students are lying about needing to relieve themselves (33%), vandalism (27%) and bullying or assaults (27%). Chrissy Cattle from Irise International said: "We know schools are under immense pressure, but the reality is that young people who menstruate, as well as those with bladder and bowel conditions, are paying the highest price for these restrictions. Education is a right, and no student should have to choose between their period and their learning." The new research paper includes a best practice guide for teachers and a "toilet policy toolkit" developed for UK schools by young people, educators and experts. A Welsh Government spokesperson said: "School governing bodies oversee the development of school toilet use policies. We provide clear guidance to schools that toilets should be open and accessible to all learners throughout the school day, taking into account pupils' basic needs. "Our 'A Period Proud Wales Plan' also sets out our approach to ensuring period dignity in Wales, including embedding this focus in schools." Claire Armitstead, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, said: "All school leaders want to ensure that pupils have dignity and comfort throughout the school day. Schools are also dealing with a number of other issues, including problems with increasingly challenging behaviour and attendance. "It's clear from this study that there are also growing concerns about issues such as vaping and internal truancy. Misuse of toilet facilities in this manner presents clear difficulties for schools and their efforts to maintain an environment where learning time is maximised."
