EXCLUSIVE The mad world of Jamie Vardy: Insiders and friends lift the lid on triple Red Bull-downing star whose career is held together by his 'glue' Rebekah - and why alcohol-free Saudi is off the cards for their next move
Not long after Jamie Vardy joined Leicester City from Fleetwood in 2012, he asked to go back to non-league football. Briefly he considered being a nightclub rep in Ibiza.
When he was first called up for England three years later, he asked Leicester to invent an injury so that he didn't have to go. He has also said that playing football under an assumed name would suit him.
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Competition to design wrap for Herefordshire's Museum on the Move
A competition is being launched to design the wrap for a Museum on the pop-up programme will bring objects, displays and activities to schools, towns and villages in a van while Herefordshire Museum is shut for winner will receive a £200 prize and have their design seen across the county as the van tours Herefordshire later this Etheraads from Herefordshire council said the competition was a brilliant opportunity for local creativity to shine and he could not wait to take the winning design out on the road. The competition is now open and the closing date for entries is 27 July. Entry details, templates and guidance can be requested by emailing herefordmuseums@ Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
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All-Ireland SFC: Who needs what in final group games?
Right, here we go then: for the last time - at least for the foreseeable future - the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship has arrived at the all-important final round of group next year, the competition will have another new guise, with the round-robin phase scrapped in favour of a new format. More on that here. But this weekend, four teams will have their dreams of lifting the Sam Maguire Cup shattered for another year at least as 16 is whittled down to put, there are eight matches this weekend: four on Saturday and four on Sunday. As it stands, holders Armagh are the only team guaranteed a spot in the All-Ireland quarter-finals. As for the rest, a wide assortment of possibilities await. Let's get into it. A quick reminder: the team that finishes first in their group moves straight through to the quarter-finals. Second and third earns teams a preliminary quarter-final spot (those finishing second will have home advantage), while fourth is knocked out of the championship. Group One Tyrone v Cavan, Brewster Park, Sunday, 16:00 BSTDonegal v Mayo, Dr Hyde Park, Sunday, 16:00 BSTPermutations everywhere you look here. After two games, Donegal, Mayo, Tyrone and Cavan all sit on two points heading into the final round-robin weekend, the first time this has happened since this format was introduced. Ulster champions Donegal comfortably hold the most superior scoring difference (+16), thanks to their 19-point victory over Cavan in round two. However, the first tie-breaker is head-to-head, and given that Tyrone beat Donegal in the first round, the Red Hands will top the group if they beat Cavan and Donegal overcome Mayo, a sequence which would eliminate the Connacht county. Tyrone will also finish top if they win and Donegal and Mayo play out a draw, which would knock Cavan out. Courtesy of their win over Tyrone last time out, Mayo will top the group if they beat Donegal and Tyrone defeat Cavan. This would eliminate Cavan. Donegal will top the group if they beat Mayo and Cavan get the better of Tyrone, thus sending the Red Hands out. Jim McGuinness' Donegal will also secure first place if they win and the Tyrone-Cavan game ends in a draw, eliminating Mayo. Both games ending in a draw is a highly unlikely occurrence, but if that does happen, Donegal will top the group on scoring difference while Cavan will finish will finish top if they beat Donegal and Tyrone beat Cavan. They will also finish top with victory over Donegal and a draw in the Tyrone-Cavan game. Cavan can still finish top despite entering the weekend bottom. To do that, they will need to beat Tyrone and hope that Mayo see off Donegal, which would eliminate Donegal. If Cavan win and Donegal-Mayo ends in a draw, Cavan will finish at the summit and Tyrone will head for the exit door. Jeopardy. That's what everyone wants and this group is full of it. It could go right down to the final kick. Group Two Kerry v Meath, Tullamore, Saturday, 16:15 BSTRoscommon v Cork, Portlaoise, Saturday, 16:15 BSTMercifully, this group's web won't take quite as long to untangle. Kerry enter the weekend top after wins over Roscommon and Cork. Having already accrued four points, a win or draw against Meath will guarantee top spot for the Kingdom and a spot in the quarter-finals. If Kerry and Roscommon win, Kerry will finish top and Cork will be eliminated. If Kerry and Cork win, Roscommon will be are the only other team that can finish top, but they will obviously need to beat Kerry for that to happen. The best Cork can do is finish third, but they'll need to beat Roscommon. If it ends in a draw, the Rossies will secure third. Group Three Monaghan v Down, Athletic Grounds, Sunday, 14:00 BSTLouth v Clare, Portlaoise, Sunday, 14:00 BSTIn stark contrast to Group One, this group's package of permutations is much slimmer. The winner of the all-Ulster encounter between Monaghan and Down in Armagh will secure top spot. Down have a slightly superior scoring difference so they will clinch top spot with a draw, which would signify remarkable progress for the Mournemen given they had not played an All-Ireland game since 2019 before this year. Neither team can finish worse than second. The losers of the Louth-Clare game will exit the championship. A draw will see Louth scrape through in third courtesy of their superior scoring difference. Group Four Dublin v Derry, Pairc Esler, Saturday, 18:30 BSTGalway v Armagh, Breffni Park, Saturday, 18:30 BST Even though Armagh have already locked up top spot, Group Four is sure to deliver some Saturday-night drama. Below the Orchardmen, there could be much to-ing and fro-ing. Armagh face familiar foes Galway in a rerun of last year's All-Ireland final. After earning a crucial point in last-gasp fashion in their thriller against Derry a fortnight ago, the Tribesmen can still finish second and earn a home preliminary quarter-final. To do that, they must beat Armagh and hope Derry beat Dublin in Newry. In that scenario, scoring difference would decide second place (Galway are on -1, with Derry on -4). Dublin will finish second with victory or a draw over Derry, regardless of what happens in the Galway-Armagh game. If Dublin-Derry ends in a draw and Galway win, Derry will be eliminated. If Dublin-Derry ends in a draw and Armagh win, Galway will exit the championship, meaning Derry will move into the next stage without having won a game. Dublin will also finish second if they win and Galway-Armagh ends in a draw, eliminating Derry. Derry are guaranteed survival with a win as they will edge out Dublin on the head-to-head rule. If Derry and Galway both win, second place will be decided by scoring difference with Dublin knocked out. If Derry and Armagh win, Derry will finish second and Galway will be will also finish second if they beat Dublin and Galway-Armagh ends in a that's that. Come Sunday evening, the road ahead will show nothing but straight knockout for the final 12 teams. Before that, expect endless twists and turns as we bid farewell to the All-Ireland group stage. Knockout schedule The preliminary quarter-finals will be played on the weekend of 21/22 quarter-finals will be played on 28/29 semi-finals will be staged on 12/13 July with the final at Croke Park on 27 July.
BBC News
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Competing in World Transplant Games after surviving lymphoma
At the age of 25, Jo Kelly's world came crashing down when she was given just months to live after being diagnosed with Hodgkin undergoing years of chemotherapy, her terminal diagnosis made her determined to marry the love of her life Pete before she then a matching stem cell donor was found in Germany which would give her a chance to stay alive and cancer-free."You're literally starting from scratch. The best way I can describe it is, you're pushed to the point of near death, and then you're brought back again," she said. Thirteen years later, Ms Kelly, from Solihull, West Midlands, has two children and is preparing to compete in the World Transplant Games in August as a track cyclist for Great Britain. In 2012, Ms Kelly was waiting in hospital for her transplant from a stranger. At the same time, London was bustling with athletes arriving for the Olympics. The data engineer entertained herself by watching the event on TV and became "obsessed" with the "strength, stamina and grace" of Olympic track cycling."I swore that if I got out of everything alive, that I would take up the sport and give it a go."After recovering from her transplant, she started cycling and went on to win the women's road race twice at the British Transplant Games. In 2020, BBC Breakfast brought together Ms Kelly and her stem cell donor Stefan Berens for the first pair will be reunited this summer in Dresden, Germany as Mr Berens attends the World Transplant Games, which Ms Kelly said was "such a privilege". "Stefan is very special to me, I'll be forever thankful that he was my one and only match," she 39-year-old has been training for past year in the gym and on the bike, fitting it around her full-time job and caring for her family. "I'm definitely nervous, there are some really incredible cyclists competing. I'm really giving it my all to go for gold," she said. The data engineer said that taking part in the World Transplant Games was an "amazing opportunity" to spread awareness of the need for life-saving transplants. She encouraged people to share their organ donation wishes with their families and join the stem cell register to help save lives. Charity Anthony Nolan said people between the age of 16 and 30 could join the register to provide voluntary has helped more than 20,000 people receive a lifesaving transplant since it was established in 1974. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
