John Griffiths MS on 'exciting' work being done in Maindee
There is some exciting work taking place in Maindee at present – and this also includes the greening of what is a very urbanised part of our city.
An example of this is the Maindee Gateway Garden (pictured), which opened last month and it was a pleasure to meet and speak with Sue Kent from Gardener's World, who was also at the event. You can see my conversation in full with Sue on my Facebook.
This brand-new community garden is a beautiful, welcoming space that really highlights the local creativity we have in Maindee, as well as the hard work of our community groups such as Greening Maindee.
They have transformed a once-neglected corner at the junction of Wharf Road and Chepstow Road, into a vibrant green space for people in this area of Newport to enjoy.
Moving onto a different subject, I am pleased that Welsh Government has announced a national lung cancer screening programme targeted towards those at greatest risk of the disease.
This has been a big focus of my campaigning as the cross-party group chair for lung health, which campaigns for improvements to those living with lung health conditions.
Work will begin immediately to develop the programme, which will be Wales' fourth population-based cancer screening programme.
With our country's heavy industrial past, sadly lung conditions are all too common - and lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Wales. It accounts for more deaths than breast and colorectal cancer combined.
It's why we need to detect these conditions early on so we can treat and give individuals the best possible chance of survival. At present most cases of lung cancer are detected at a late stage when the disease has spread beyond the lung and are rarely curable.
The screening programme will be key to detecting lung cancer and other conditions at a much earlier stage and to improving people's outcomes and survival rates.
Need John's help? Call 01633 222302 or email john.griffiths@senedd.wales
John Griffiths is the Senedd Member for Newport East.
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Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Nikki Grahame's mum's fat jab warning after one comment sparked star's death
Big Brother star Nikki Grahame died aged 38 after a long battle with anorexia, as her mum warns that current weight-loss culture and the rise in jabs could put more young people at risk Nikki Grahame was just seven years old when a seemingly throwaway comment turned her world upside down. The Big Brother star 's mum, Sue Grahame, recalls the moment Nikki came home from gymnastics, upset after another child commented on the size of her bum in a leotard. That one remark, Sue believes, marked the start of her daughter's life-long struggle with anorexia - a battle that would dominate Nikki's life until her death in 2021 at the age of 38. She From the age of seven, Nikki spent over a decade in and out of hospital - more than 18 institutions in total, including a two-and-a-half-year stretch at Great Ormond Street. Her condition was so severe, one world-renowned doctor told her: "You are by far the worst I've ever seen." Following her death, Dorset County Hospital conducted an internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding her passing. A spokesperson said at the time: 'The review has not identified any shortfalls in care which might have influenced the outcome, but has enabled both trusts to review opportunities for further partnership in the management of future complex eating disorder cases as well as further discussions on the clinical strategy in Dorset.' Today, Sue, 71, is raising alarm over the popularity of weight-loss injections, which she fears could become dangerous tools in the hands of those struggling with eating disorders. "I think these jabs are a nightmare for people with eating disorders," she told The Sun. "They're already skinny and this just gives them another way to restrict food. It would have been a worry for me while Nikki was alive." Sue explained that Nikki's relationship with food became tightly controlled from childhood. Small daily rituals, like weighing herself before and after meals, became part of a meticulous and punishing routine. The idea of taking an injection to suppress appetite, she says, would have only fuelled that toxic obsession. Sue also expressed concern about the kind of content being shared on social media, particularly "thinspiration" videos that glorify extreme thinness and offer tips on how to eat as little as possible. She revealed that Nikki used to browse this kind of online content in secret. The first sign that something was wrong came not long after the gymnastics comment. Nikki became withdrawn and fussy with food. Doctors, however, refused to believe anything was seriously wrong. Sue said she was repeatedly dismissed until the day Nikki became so weak she couldn't stand. That day, she carried her daughter into the GP's surgery and refused to leave until action was taken. Although Big Brother gave Nikki a temporary escape, her illness was never far away. Behind the scenes, she battled obsessive food rituals and deep-set fears around hygiene. She couldn't eat in front of people and everything had to be cleaned to her standard before meals. Sue said that Nikki learned survival mechanisms inside anorexia treatment units that later shaped her explosive personality on TV. Despite her battle, Nikki found moments of joy in her life. She worked abroad, trained as a teaching assistant, and continued to be a beloved figure to fans. But Covid lockdowns brought isolation and a serious relapse. Her gym closed, so she bought a £900 cross trainer for her flat. She began collapsing while walking. Her body, after decades of malnutrition, was shutting down. In April 2021, Nikki collapsed at a pharmacy and was taken to hospital. But due to a lack of space in specialist eating disorder units, she was placed in a general ward. According to Sue, care there was insufficient and, at times, 'aggressive.' Staff reportedly told Nikki she could go home if she walked up and down a set of steps - even though she could barely care for herself. She was discharged, alone, and took a taxi to her London flat. Hours later, she was dead. A nurse later phoned Sue in tears, admitting: 'She shouldn't have gone home.' Four years on, Sue is still grieving the loss of her only daughter. She recently had to say goodbye to Baby, Nikki's beloved chihuahua, who had lived with her since Nikki's death. She fears young people today are facing the same pressures Nikki did, but multiplied by social media, diet culture, and the rise of appetite-suppressing injections. It's estimated around 1.5 million people in the UK are on weight loss drugs, with demand continuing to rise. Around 95 percent of those are getting the prescriptions privately.
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Fat jabs are a nightmare for anorexics – I'll never get over my girl Nikki's death but I'd worry if she was still here
Sue Grahame makes a stark warning four years on from her beloved daughter's death, and recalls Big Brother star Nikki's tragic last days in unbearable pain and unable to bathe or dress herself DYING TO BE THIN Fat jabs are a nightmare for anorexics – I'll never get over my girl Nikki's death but I'd worry if she was still here Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) NIKKI Grahame was just seven years old when her mum said she came home from gymnastics club upset because another child had said her bum looked big in her leotard. That one tiny comment sparked the beginnings of an eating disorder in Nikki, which would see her spend the next decade in more than 18 different institutions, including two-and-a-half years in Great Ormond Street Hospital. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 16 Nikki Grahame shot to fame on Big Brother in 2006 Credit: Getty 16 Nikki with mum Sue Grahame before her 2021 death from anorexia Credit: David Cummings 16 Sue said she'll never get over the loss of her 'darling Nikki' Credit: David Cummings When she shot to fame on Big Brother in 2006, fans had no idea that behind her iconic diary chair meltdowns was a lifelong struggle with anorexia so severe that even the most experienced doctors described it as "the worst they'd ever seen." Now in a raw and emotional interview, Nikki's devoted mum Sue relives her gruelling journey with anorexia and recalls the last days before her tragic death from the disease, aged just 38. And she warns against the use of skinny jabs such as Ozempic or Mounjaro by people who are already slim - saying it could trigger or worsen eating disorders. 'Worst they'd ever seen' "I think these jabs are a nightmare for people with eating disorders because they are already skinny and it means they can restrict their food even more," Sue, now 71, told The Sun. "It would have been a worry for me while Nikki was alive. I don't know if Nikki would have taken them or not. She was already limiting her calories every single day, that was a huge part of her life. "I wouldn't have let her take the jabs, I'd have said, 'over my dead body'. "For people like Nikki, everything is counted, measured and weighed; it becomes their whole life. She would weigh herself before breakfast and again after each meal. It's constant. "To me, it's a short-term fix, to get an injection, because you need an education on how to look after your body, how to nurture it, how to nourish it. And just getting an injection, that's not going to change your ways, is it?" When shown examples of "thinspiration' content which can be found on social media sites such as TikTok, where influencers post images of ultra thin women and what they eat, Sue was shocked. 'Nikki used to go on sites like this and look at this kind of thing," she said. Nikki Grahame goes mad in Big Brother house in emotional scenes in new documentary 'I know when I've walked into the room and she suddenly turned her phone off. 'Back then there were lots of websites about how to be as thin as you can. These people should be bloody locked up. It's disgusting. 'People should be locked up' 'I can honestly say I've never been on a diet. Never. And so it wasn't something Nikki learned from me." Sue said the first signs of Nikki's anorexia came when she was seven and she suddenly stopped eating and became withdrawn. 'There was the comment from the girl in gymnastics and she started to become withdrawn, that was the first sign," Sue said. "She started to get smaller and very picky with her food, so the alarm bells started to ring. 'I took her to the GP and he stood her in front of him and he asked her what she had eaten today. Of course she lied to him. 'She was so young, doctors refused to believe there was anything wrong with her." 16 Nikki became known for her meltdowns and tantrums in the diary room Credit: Rex 16 Nikki was just seven when she started suffering from anorexia Credit: David Cummings 16 Nikki on the balcony of the London flat where she died age 38 Credit: David Cummings Sue remembers being fobbed off by doctors until one day, Nikki was so weak she couldn't stand, and she carried her into the GP surgery where she refused to move until they admitted her daughter to hospital. "I didn't want her to be admitted to hospital but I couldn't get her to eat anything, she'd trick me," Sue said. 'It got to the point where I had to make her eat naked so she wouldn't stuff food in her knickers or anything. 'Because it started so young, by the time Nikki became an adult it was so engrained for her. Her purpose, her way of life, was to stay as thin as possible. 'She was very competitive about it. She'd walk on to a ward and want to be the skinniest anorexic in there. I would despair. 'When she was in Great Ormond Street, she had this wonderful doctor Professor Bryan Lask and he said 'You're not the worst I've ever seen Nikki, you are by far the worst I've ever seen' - and he travelled the world lecturing on anorexia." 'Don't leave me mummy' Sue recalls the heartbreaking day she left seven-year-old Nikki as an inpatient in hospital for the first time. 'She kept saying 'Mummy don't leave' and I said, 'Nikki I don't have a choice because you won't eat for me'," Sue said. 'Then they said, 'You can't see or speak to her for two weeks'. I said no, but they insisted. 'As we were leaving Nikki was screaming and these people just came from nowhere and pinned her down on the floor while we were rushed out of the unit. It was hell on earth, it was unnecessarily cruel." Sadly, Nikki did not improve. She refused to eat and became so thin nurses would have to force her to eat through a nasal tube. 'It got to the point where I had to make her eat naked so she wouldn't stuff food in her knickers or anything Sue Grahame Later on, she had to have a tube fitted surgically direct to her stomach as she kept pulling the nasal tube out, but that didn't work either as she pulled the tube out of her body. Sometimes she'd be sedated for a month at a time, as doctors desperately tried to increase her BMI with forced feeds. Sue said it some of the treatments were so "cruel" it was "gut-wrenching". 'The whole system of trying to treat anorexics it doesn't work," Sue said. 'I've been to all those units and some of them are pitiful. 16 Nikki spent most of her life from age 7 to 18 in and out of eating disorder units Credit: David Cummings 16 Nikki before she entered the Big Brother house Credit: David Cummings 16 Nikki's anorexia worsened during Covid Credit: Splash 'In my mind none of them delivered for Nikki, it just strengthened her resolve. 'There was one place that I'd have to bring her back to after a weekend visit home or something, and she'd lie on the floor and beat her hands and feet and scream and cry and say 'Mum don't leave me here, please don't leave me!' 'But I didn't have a choice because she wouldn't eat for me, what was I supposed to do? 'Barbaric' treatments 'There was one place where they'd melt Mars bars down and make them set the table until it was gone and if they didn't finish it they'd have to sleep on the kitchen floor. "At one point she was put her under for a month to be tube fed. So I just used to go and sit by her bed and talk to her and hold her hand. 'She'd wake up and say 'I can feel all that food inside of me - I can't take it mum, it's torture'. 'Staff weren't always very kind. A lot of things I could accept if it was making a difference but it wasn't. 'It was very barbaric and cruelty just doesn't work." Nikki's admissions to hospital stopped when she reached 18, but her struggles with anorexia continued and she also developed severe OCD behaviour around hygiene and preparing food. Sue said she was supportive of Nikki entering Big Brother because she was pleased to see her having some fun after the "hell" she'd been through as a child, however she did worry about how she'd cope with her eating disorder in such an environment. 'Going on Big Brother was great for her, it did give her a taste of a normal life, but obviously those demons were always there," she said. Because it started so young, by the time Nikki became an adult it was so engrained for her. Her purpose, her way of life, was to stay as thin as possible Sue Grahame "When she got a call to say she had been chosen she started jumping around saying, 'I'm in, I'm going into Big Brother!' 'I was pleased for her but worried because at the time she couldn't eat in front of people and she wouldn't allow people to cook for her. 'I couldn't even cook for her because it she had this OCD as part of her illness and she became obsessed with hygiene. 'She had to clean her own plates before she'd eat on them, she had lots of rules. "That was the thing that worried me. But I just thought you know she's been in hospital from age seven til 18. Give the girl a bloody break. She had no life up to that point. 'This is why she used to have hissy fits in the Big Brother house because she learned in these units that if you shouted the loudest you'd get attention. "I used to watch her on the live stream and I could see she was having fun but I also knew when the s**t was going to hit the fan. I could predict it when she was heading for a meltdown. I'd think 'Christ here we go' and all of a sudden she'd let rip." 16 Nikki won a National TV Award for her appearance on Big Brother in 2006 Credit: Rex 16 Mum Sue with Nikki as a baby Credit: David Cummings 16 Sue said she vowed to always support Nikki through her illness Credit: David Cummings After Big Brother, Nikki enjoyed the fame the show brought and would travel the country doing appearances, even landing herself a magazine column. She entered the Big Brother house a total of five times, including the Canadian version. When TV work dried up, she moved to Nice, France where she worked in a Hard Rock Cafe branch, and learnt to speak French. After moving back to London, she went back to college to try and get her Maths and English GCSE and got a job in a local junior school as a teaching assistant. Sue said that in the years after Big Brother "she held her own" in her battle against anorexia, but Covid exacerbated her condition. Nikki would walk on to a ward and want to be the skinniest anorexic in there. I would despair Sue Grahame 'She had a flat with a gym so she wouldn't come and stay with me during Covid, but then they closed the gym and so she spent £900 on a cross trainer," Sue said. 'I used to illegally drive up to London because she was so isolated. 'And while I was there she'd get on this cross trainer obsessively and I'd beg her to stop. I'd say, 'I don't want to lose you' and she'd say 'I'm not going anywhere. I said, 'Yeah that's what Karen Carpenter said'. 'Covid definitely didn't help Nikki, but I can't help feeling she'd already thrown the towel in. 'Because for months before, we'd be walking. I'd turn around, she'd be on the floor. Her legs would just gave way. 'Her body was packing up. She had been starved for so long. She never even had periods. "I don't think she was ever meant to make old bones in this world." 16 Big Brother gave Nikki the chance to travel the country doing PAs and writing magazine columns Credit: PA 16 Nikki with her friend Imogen Thomas Credit: INSTAGRAM/IMOGEN THOMAS 16 Mum Sue was pleased to see Nikki enjoy life after her difficult childhood Credit: David Cummings 16 Sue said life has been tough since Nikki's death but she's trying hard to heal Credit: David Cummings In the weeks before her death, both Sue and social services tried to encourage Nikki to become an inpatient again but she refused. Instead she decided to travel to her mum's in Dorset, stopping on the way at a pharmacy to pick up her meds. 'She was only 10 minutes away when she passed out in the pharmacy, hit her head on the floor and they had to blue light her in to Dorchester hospital," Sue said. 'She was in there for two weeks and I went in every day for the two weeks because it was just a regular ward, not an eating disorder unit and I wanted to take the weight off of the nurses because she needed supervising. 'If they brought her food, it would either go down the toilet or in the bin or out the window. 'I moved into a Premier Inn so that I could just walk there each day and I used to shower her and and watch her eat her meals. 'The mental health team said there was an eating disorders unit but it only had six beds and they were full. That might have made the difference. I have never been loved as much as Nikki loved me Sue Grahame 'The nurses at the hospital were quite aggressive with her. Maybe they resented her. No one ever has any patience for anorexics. 'Her BMI was dangerously low. She was just skin and bones. She was pitiful to look at. "Then this nurse came in and said 'This isn't the place for you. This is a surgical ward. Nikki if you can walk up and down those steps outside there you can go home tomorrow. 'And I looked at her and the state Nikki was in and I couldn't believe it." Final journey Nikki was discharged from hospital later that day alone and took a taxi to her flat in London. 'She rang me from the taxi and said 'Hi Mum, I'm on my way home'. She was so weak, I couldn't believe they'd discharged her," Sue said. "She told me she really needed the toilet and the poor thing had an accident in the taxi she was so ill. I told her to get her friend to come over when she was at home and help her clean up and then I'd come over in the morning. 'Then she rang me up half three that morning. She used to do that a lot but it was usually when she was out clubbing. 'She said 'My friend came around and she helped me in the bath and put me in my jimmy jammies and then she saw me into bed, but I just wanted to tell you that I'm coping all right. ''I've just got up and been to the loo by myself on my walker.' 'I said, 'Every day take it slowly, you're not in a hurry, you'll get there. 'She said, 'Mum I'm tired. I love you.' I told her to go to bed and that I loved her." Nikki died that same morning. Sue was on a train on her way to London when Nikki's friend called her and broke the news. 'Goodbye darling' She rushed to Nikki's flat, where she said her final goodbye. 'I just lay on the bed with Nikki and cried," she said. 'The worst thing was watching the undertakers come and put her in a body bag and taking her out. 'I went down in the lift with them and we got to the outside door and I said 'Which side is her head?' 'They said it's up there. I just stroked the bag from the outside and said 'Goodbye darling'. It's awful, awful. I'll never get over it. It was the worst day of my life." Sue said she blames the hospital for Nikki's death and even looked into taking legal action but no law firm would take the case. She believes it was irresponsible for them to discharge her when she "couldn't even bathe herself or dress herself" and says she should have been transferred to a mental health unit. 'Even if I'd have taken it to court and won, I didn't want the money," Sue said. "I wanted things to change. Maybe I would have tried to get a unit built somewhere that would help others with anorexia. 'That nurse shouldn't have said, 'If you walk up and down the stairs, you can leave', because she clearly wasn't well enough to leave the hospital. If that's a rule, it shouldn't be. 'Nikki died on a Saturday morning. And I was walking my dog on the Monday morning when that same nurse rang. She was crying and she said, 'I'm so, so sorry. She shouldn't have gone home.' 'They shouldn't have let her home just because she put a bit of pressure on. She didn't know what was best for her." Signs and symptoms of anorexia if you're under 18, your weight and height being lower than expected for your age if you're an adult, having an unusually low body mass index missing meals, eating very little or avoiding eating any foods you see as fattening believing you are fat when you are a healthy weight or underweight taking medication to reduce your hunger (appetite suppressants) your periods stopping (in women who have not reached menopause) or not starting (in younger women and girls) physical problems, such as feeling dizzy, dry skin and hair loss Four years on from Nikki's April 2021 death, Sue says she's still struggling emotionally. She has relocated from Dorset and lives in East Sussex with her chihuahua Joey. Just two months ago, she suffered another heartbreak when she had to have Baby, Nikki's chihuahua who she had cared for since before her death, put to sleep aged 19. 'Until the day I take my last breath I won't get over Nikki's loss," she said. 'Nothing in this world scares me anymore because the worst possible thing has happened. "Life is tough, but since I came down here I'm trying extremely hard. I've made a couple of really good friends. 'But I have to say I have never been loved as much as Nikki loved me. And it wasn't because I was a pushover, it was because from day one of her illness I was fighting for her. 'I try and be philosophical because at the end of the day, she was mine for 38 years. How lucky was I? And people still write lovely things about her. They still love her. 'She wasn't everybody's cup of tea but for me she was very special. And even if I died tomorrow, I know I was truly loved in my life, and that's something not everybody can say." If you or a loved one is struggling with an eating disorder, the charity Beat offers support, call the helpline on 0808 801 0677
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
My cracked tooth led to a deadly brain condition after becoming infected... here's the symptom that diagnosed me
A man's seemingly benign tooth infection spiraled into a deadly brain condition. Graham Bell, a 61-year-old father-of-two from the UK, was preparing for a day trip with his wife, Sue, in March when he came down with a severe headache. Sue also noticed her husband's face 'had fallen to one side,' which is usually a sign of a stroke. However, after being rushed to the Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool, doctors found a one-inch mass in Graham's brain called an abscess. Graham underwent 'life-saving brain surgery' to drain the abscess, a growth that forms from pus and other materials in the brain. Abscesses swell and put pressure on the brain, which damages cells and restricts blood flow, eventually killing off brain tissue. Doctors believe the growth was caused by a crack in one of Graham's teeth that had become infected. He said in a hospital news release: 'It was bizarre because I had no pain or swelling in my mouth to tell me there was something wrong.' About 1,500 to 2,500 Americans suffer brain abscesses every year, and around 10 to 30 percent die from the condition. Estimates vary for the UK but range from 200 to 900 cases per year with a similar mortality rate. Bacteria from tooth infections are thought to travel from the infected tooth through the bloodstream, reaching the brain through the sinuses. Pus, which forms from infected tissues, then develops into an abscess. Sue said by the time Graham got to the hospital, his condition 'had deteriorated greatly.' 'The ambulance brought us to The Walton Centre, and once there I knew it was serious,' she said. 'Graham was prepped for surgery right away. The team was so professional, but it was obvious that speed was of the essence.' Surgery to drain the abscess was a success, and Graham's condition gradually began to improve over the coming days. He said: 'It was a lot of information to take in a short time. I had the family around me, but I think we were all in a bit of shock. I was not well, so finding out what was going on quickly was key for all of us.' However, his symptoms returned a few days after surgery, with doctors realizing Graham was suffering from sepsis. Sepsis is the immune system's extreme reaction to an infection that causes the body to attack vital organs. It's been dubbed a 'silent killer' in the US, taking 350,000 lives each year or one every 90 seconds. It's usually treated with antibiotics for the underlying infection and medications called vasopressors, which divert blood flow back to vital organs. However, this takes blood from 'non-vital' areas like limbs, increasing the risk of tissue death and amputations. Graham was rushed to the operating room for a second time to drain the abscess again. He spent six weeks recovering, though scar tissue in the brain from the infection has left him with some communication and movement delays. Sue said: 'He still has issues with communicating and moving around, but we're following the therapy and on our way to getting back to as close to normal as possible.' Graham's two children, Rob and Aimee, raised about $4,200 for The Walton Centre Charity with a sponsored walk after being inspired by their father's treatment. Sue said: 'The hospital saved his life. For that there is nothing we can do to thank them enough! 'But as a family we can raise some money and give something back to support the outstanding care they give to patients every day.'
