Lewes' Pells Pool shut for day over sun cream water quality fears
In a social media post, the pool team said: "We will be monitoring water quality continually and this decision is subject to change at short notice."If the water improves, we will look to reverse this decision and reopen on Monday."Alternatively, if the water clarity worsens, we will be forced to close earlier as ultimately your safety is our number one priority, and if our lifeguards are unable to see under the water this puts all of you at risk."Customers who had booked for Monday would have their bookings transferred to the same time in two weeks, it added.First opened in 1861, Pells Pool is the oldest freshwater outdoor public swimming pool in the UK.
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The Guardian
27 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘Whizzes up to a vibrant, candyfloss pink': the best supermarket frozen fruit smoothie mixes
We're big fans of frozen fruit in our household. My daughter eats it straight from the bag like sweets from a candy jar, while I love the silky texture of sorbet made simply from fruit and water (add banana or avocado for creaminess), with a one-to-one ratio of frozen fruit to liquid making a perfect scoopable treat. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. For this smoothie blend tasting, I focused mostly on supermarket own-brand berry and banana mixes, and blitzed them with just water on my blender's smoothie setting (Love Struck is the only independent brand in the test). I assessed banana-to-berry ratios, and the condition and taste of the fruit, looking at sweetness, acidity and smoothness. Blackberry and raspberry blends tend to have a slightly hairy texture, which I try to ignore, but offer more complexity and depth, while high-banana-content blends are sweeter, creamier and more texturally satisfying. The mixes with a higher berry content seemed to be better value, not least because bananas are a cheap filler. Sadly, no supermarket brands were organic, which I find concerning, especially for strawberries, which, according to the Pesticide Action Network UK are among the most heavily sprayed crops. Unlike in the fresh produce aisle, few brands offer sourcing transparency, either. ★★★★☆ This has a strawberry-dominant aroma with a bright, fruity flavour that's led by sweet, ripe berries. A generous 70% strawberry content, giving this great flavour balance and making blending easier. A classic, clean smoothie base. ★★★★☆ There is a fragrant strawberry aroma and a lovely, clean strawberry flavour with just enough banana to round it out. The 70% strawberry content is sliced (better for blending in a low-powered blender) and in good condition. A great value mix and not too sweet. ★★★★☆ A striking, deep berry red blend is on offer, with a subtly sweet, complex flavour because of the mix of strawberries, blackberries and raspberries. This is the only product tested without banana. The fruit quality is excellent. There's a claim of 'farm-to-cup transparency', but no sourcing details are provided; it's B Corp certified and has a strong impact report available online, though. ★★★★☆ Bright magenta when blended, with a harmonious, berry-forward flavour that's not overly sweet. A thoughtful blend of strawberry, grape, banana and blueberry. Fruit quality is excellent. Individually wrapped portions create unnecessary packaging waste, though – the outer box is recyclable, but the inner bags must be recycled in-store. ★★★☆☆ This had a plastic aroma in the bag, but it whizzed up to a vibrant, candyfloss pink. Sweet with a subtle savoury edge and tang of acidity from the strawberries. Strawberries were in perfect condition, although perhaps a little under-ripe, while the bananas were slightly smushed but not overripe. A solid performer and good value. Sign up to The Filter Get the best shopping advice from the Filter team straight to your inbox. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. after newsletter promotion ★★★☆☆ A fresh berry aroma and, once blended, a striking magenta colour. The flavour was harmonious with slight banana notes and prominent strawberry and deeper berry undertones. Mostly berries, all in good condition. Bananas were quite ripe and a bit crushed, but that adds natural sweetness. A solid blend and decent value. ★★★☆☆ Banana-y aroma with a rich, forest-fruit purple colour when blended. The cherries and redcurrants give it a lovely, complex flavour with gentle sweetness and balanced acidity. Some fruit was slightly bashed, but overall ripe and visually appealing. A nice, varied mix. ★★★☆☆ A nice red blend with a gentle, sweet-savoury flavour. Made with 70% strawberries, which were large, richly coloured and in great condition, and blended seamlessly. Mid-tier pricing, but premium feel overall with a natural flavour profile and solid performance. ★★★☆☆ Light pink once blended and not too sweet considering the 50:50 strawberry and banana mix. The berries were in good condition, while the bananas were slightly smushed but not overripe. A no-frills blend, although marginally pricier than some of the others. ★★★☆☆ A deep purple colour with a lovely, rich berry flavour that's not too sweet. A broad mix of berries and banana, though the fruit was quite bashed up and mostly in small bits. A robust choice.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
British medic's heartbreaking two words to dead Gaza child, 9, while zipping up their body bag
NHS paramedic Sam Sears recently returned from a three-week stint in the stricken Gaza enclave working at a charity's field hospitals, and now shares his harrowing tale For British medic Sam Sears, the episode is one he will never forget. Only days into working in Gaza, he was tasked with an act underlining war's grim reality — putting children into body bags. Though, of course, he bore no blame, Sam poignantly told one lifeless lad as he zipped up the bag: 'I'm sorry.' The brave NHS paramedic, 44, recently returned from a three-week stint in the stricken enclave for charity UK-Med. The British non-profit runs two field hospitals there where Sam, from Northamptonshire, split his time. After haunting pictures of emaciated children have emerged from the strip, he has offered a harrowing account of the experience. Drones and gunfire provided a chilling soundtrack for his days – and the flow of horrific injuries was constant. International pressure has been building on Israel to end the conflict, with PM Keir Starmer highlighting the 'terrible suffering' Palestinians have endured. But fighting has yet to stop; nor has the hunger. Famine, experts say, is underway. And just this week, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to take control of all of Gaza. More bloodshed will inevitably follow. Just a few days into Sam's deployment, he had to contend with a 'mass casualty incident'. Two boys, one aged nine, the other 10 or 11, were killed – and a third, about only eight, was in a dire state with shrapnel injuries. 'I was tasked with going into the resus area to support in there,' Sam, who back in the UK works for East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust, recalled. 'There's three beds and when I went in on two of the beds there were two deceased children and on the other bed there was another child critically unwell.' His job was an unenviable one; to confirm their deaths and put them into body bags to be taken to the mortuary. 'It was me and an interpreter,' Sam said. 'It was difficult because we knew we had to be quick to get them away to make room. But we were being very dignified, the way we were handling. Even in the UK when we declare someone deceased and then we make them at peace for the family to see them, I do sometimes say something to them. 'But I definitely said to this young nine-year-old, 'I'm sorry', as I zipped up the body bag.' Asked why they were the words that came to him, Sam explained: 'I think just because his demise, his end, came because of this whole war going on and he didn't deserve it.' The incident is one he will never forget 'without a doubt', he said. Sam, a veteran of deployments to Ukraine, Rwanda, Turkey and Sierra Leone for UK-Med, is no stranger to working in tough environments. But Gaza was so much worse than he anticipated – 'the destruction and devastation is just unprecedented'. 'Malnutrition is no longer a future threat. It is a present killer,' Sam said. 'One of my patients was a 16-year-old girl named Noor. She has diabetes but was half the expected weight for her age. 'Her father told me they sometimes went two days without food or clean water. Noor was lucky to reach us in time, but many others do not. Even those who survive the hunger live in constant fear. There is no safe space. The sound of shelling and airstrikes is relentless. Children cry not just from pain or hunger, but from sheer terror. The health system in Gaza has been battered. Hospitals are under-resourced, understaffed, and overwhelmed. Supplies are critically low. Electricity is intermittent. Colleagues I worked with in Gaza – brave, committed local medics – have lost homes, family members, and friends, yet they keep working. Their resilience is extraordinary, but it is not infinite.' UK-Med's field hospitals are in Al-Mawasi, in the south, which includes an emergency department, and Deir El Balah in central Gaza. The Manchester charity has been backed with £19million of funding by the UK government for its work in the strip. The Manchester charity has been backed with £19million of funding by the UK government for its work in Gaza. UK-Med has carried out over 600,000 patient consultations since starting work in the strip in January 2024. It is approaching two years since Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel left about 1,200 dead and saw 251 hostages taken, sparking the war. Though some hostages have been released, nearly 50 are still said to be held – just over half of whom are believed to be dead. More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's retaliatory military offensive, according to Gaza's health ministry. And hunger looms over the crippled territory. Only last month, the UN said nearly one in three people in the enclave are going days without eating. Though it has yet to be officially declared, UN-backed global food security experts have warned 'the worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out'. Sam added: 'This crisis requires a sustained ceasefire, not a fragile truce. It requires a permanent end to hostilities, full protection for civilians and health workers, and unhindered humanitarian access to food, fuel, and medical supplies. The longer the world waits, the higher the cost. Hunger and despair are spreading faster than aid can reach. If the conflict doesn't kill, starvation might. As I return to my life in the UK, I carry the weight of what I saw. The people of Gaza don't get to leave. They have no escape from the hunger, the fear, the trauma. They need more than our sympathy. They need our action.' Heartbreaking images from UK-Med's Al-Mawasi hospital this week paint a continuing picture of desperation. One shows the hand of a malnourished girl, with stick-thin arms, resting on her dad's. The child, Amira, visited the charity's nutrition clinic earlier this week with dad Abdulkader, mum Mona and brother Mohammed. In another picture, anguish was written on little Mohammed's face as his mother held him. According to UK-Med, there are four children in the family in total – all are suffering malnutrition. The only way for Abdulkader to get his daughter to stop writhing was to say 'milk, milk' – despite not having any. Another desperate story in a place where hope feels in short supply. But though tragic, Sam's tale of the two dead children offers a silver lining – the third boy survived after undergoing surgery. 'The next day, I found out he was sat up in bed and expected to make a full recovery,' Sam explained. 'It shows why we have to do what we do.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
How you can land a £25,000 payout from the NHS if your dentist misses tooth decay or botches surgery. Our must-read guide to claiming the compensation YOU deserve
Civil servant Saira Malik had been attending the same NHS dental practice for nearly a decade and believed her teeth were in safe hands – until a catastrophic mistake almost ended her life. The 53-year-old first began visiting the clinic, in Surbiton, south-west London, in 2009.
