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MP offered private ambulance to attend assisted dying vote

MP offered private ambulance to attend assisted dying vote

Independent13 hours ago

Northern Irish MP Sorcha Eastwood, a vocal opponent of the assisted dying bill, was initially unable to attend a critical Westminster vote due to a Covid -19 infection.
An entrepreneur offered to transport Eastwood via private ambulance if she tested negative, and she later indicated she would travel if her tests allowed.
The assisted dying bill faces a very close vote, with four Labour MPs announcing a switch from supporting to opposing the legislation shortly before the vote.
Over 60 disability organizations and public polling raised significant concerns about the bill's impact on people with learning disabilities, citing fears of coercion and issues with informed consent.
The prime minister rejected calls for a delay to the vote, and the bill's proponent warned that rejection could mean a decade-long wait for the issue to be debated again.

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Sunny weather: Do more expensive sunglasses give more protection?
Sunny weather: Do more expensive sunglasses give more protection?

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Sunny weather: Do more expensive sunglasses give more protection?

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Blackpool: 'Carrying Baton of Hope made me feel less alone'
Blackpool: 'Carrying Baton of Hope made me feel less alone'

BBC News

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Blackpool: 'Carrying Baton of Hope made me feel less alone'

A woman who lost her husband to suicide has said carrying a symbolic baton representing mental wellbeing helped her to feel less isolated. Samantha Southern, from Blackpool, who took part in the Baton of Hope tour in 2023, said it was the first time in years she had not felt alone and the event had brought her "connection". Organised by the suicide prevention charity, bereaved families are preparing to carry the baton through 20 locations in the UK again in a bid to challenge stigma and campaign for practical 2025 tour begins in Blackpool in September. The baton is carried like an Olympic torch, passed from person to person, being held by 100 local people who each have a direct connection to suicide. Baton-bearers will walk through Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre. They will pass local services that can offer support for mental and physical will then tour the country, including visiting Leeds, London, Bournemouth and McCarthy, co-founder of The Baton Of Hope, said: "The idea is that people who have been bereaved by suicide or survived a suicide attempt find some comfort by being involved." Suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 50 in the UK, according to the McCarthy said he believed a change in strategy was needed."Suicide is preventable, he said. "Whatever we have been doing over the last twenty years hasn't worked."He said he was motivated to start the charity after his son Ross took his own life. "He wrote a long goodbye letter and one of the things that he said in that letter was please fight for mental health, the support is just not there," he said."If he could look down and see what we are trying to do in his name, and the name of all of the people we have lost to suicide, I'm sure he would think 'I'm proud of what you are trying to do'." The campaign is being supported by the Blackpool-based Empowerment Charity, where Ms Southern is the Solace Suicide Prevention and Bereavement husband Glen died in 2020 and she walked with the baton during the Baton of Hope tour in 2023."It was the first time in two-to-three years that I hadn't felt as alone," she said. "Being with a community of people who just understood and got me. I think it brings connection."Blackpool Councillor Jo Farrell, said: "It is an honour for Blackpool to host the launch of the Baton of Hope 2025 tour. "This powerful movement shines a vital light on suicide awareness and reminds us that behind every statistic is a real person."The 2025 tour sets off from the Village Hotel in Blackpool on Monday 1 September at 08.00 BST. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.

Stockport restaurant owner fined over mouse infestation
Stockport restaurant owner fined over mouse infestation

BBC News

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  • BBC News

Stockport restaurant owner fined over mouse infestation

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