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Belfast Telegraph
24-06-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
Prestigious award for teacher who goes the extra 140 miles for his pupils every single day
A Northern Irish teacher who takes a 140-mile round trip to school each day has said the trek is 'all worth it', after being recognised with a prestigious award. St Patrick's Primary School teacher, Rauidhrí Quinn, who lives in Omagh and works in Portrush, was handed a Silver Pearson National Teaching award last week in the Unsung Hero category.
Daily Mirror
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Dua Lipa's regret over her name and what she wanted to be called
Pop star Dua Lipa's unusual name was her grandmother's suggestion - but she wasn't always keen on it Born in London during an intense summer heatwave, Dua entered the world on 22 August 1995. Her Kosovan-Albanian parents, Dukagjin and Anesa Lipa, had fled the city of Pristina due to the Bosnian war, arriving in Camden as refugees in 1992. Her dad, now 56, had been studying dentistry and her mum, 52, was training to be a lawyer, but once in the UK Dukagjin retrained in marketing and Anesa in tourism. They also took restaurant jobs to make ends meet, with Dua saying, 'They had to work very hard, waiting tables and studying in the evening and believing you make your own luck.' Her unusual name was her grandmother's suggestion, meaning 'love' in Albanian. But she was not always keen on it, saying, 'I was really proud of it, but when I was younger I wished my name was, say, Hannah – something 'normal' and English.' She grew up with brother Gjin, now 19, and sister Rina, 24, and her early love of singing was unsurprising as their dad – known as 'Dugi' – was once a long-haired rocker in a Kosovan band called Oda. 'Music was always played around the house, so it just always kind of had a big impact on me,' she said. After penning her first song aged around five, she began cello lessons at Fitzjohn's Primary School but struggled as she was so small. 'I would be carrying this massive cello on my back and it would either whack me on the top of my head or the backs of my legs. It was a real health hazard. So I gave it up.' Then, her attempts to join the school choir were thwarted 'because I couldn't reach the high notes'. As music journalist John Earls tells us, 'She was rejected for having too deep a voice, but of course, her distinctive tone is a key part of her appeal today. Her teachers must still kick themselves, but nobody knew she'd go on to become an international superstar.' In 2006, when Dua was 11, the family went back to Kosovo. She recalls, 'I was returning to a place where I almost already felt I belonged. It was really exciting for me.' But with few opportunities to further her musical ambitions, she begged her parents to let her return to London without them in 2010, at just 15. 'To have that belief in your talent and to move to London from another country as a teenager on your own is so impressive,' says music writer Matt Charlton. 'When I interviewed her, Dua told me she had no plan B, and maybe that's how it has to be if your sights are set on the top.' Back in Camden, she lived with a family friend, and though it was hard to be apart from her family, Dua vowed not to let them down. 'I am very close to my parents, who put a lot of trust in me, so I was as good as possible,' she said on The Graham Norton Show last February. It was a steep learning curve, though, with chores like laundry presenting some challenges. 'I'd take my clothes, stuff them in a cupboard and buy new ones until my mum came over.' Dua attended Parliament Hill School, and after completing her GCSEs she took A-Levels in Politics, Psychology, English and Media Studies. She also took weekend classes at the Sylvia Young Theatre School, whose alumni include the late Amy Winehouse and actresses Billie Piper and Keeley Hawes. 'When I started at Sylvia Young, my teacher there told me, 'You can sing, and don't let anyone tell you what you can and can't do,'' she said. Sylvia herself said of her pupil, 'She was always driven and had a phenomenal work ethic. She would not sit back and wait for things. We knew she was very intelligent and would be successful in anything she did.' As well as writing her own songs, on YouTube, Dua regularly posted covers of tracks by P!nk, Alicia Keys and Nelly Furtado, whose album Whoa, Nelly! was the first she owned. 'I remember knowing every single one of the lyrics on that album,' she has previously said. 'I was obsessed.' As well as taking part-time modelling work to help pay the bills, she began waitressing in her late teens. 'I worked at La Bodega Negra, a Mexican restaurant that looked like a sex shop,' she joked. 'I'd finish work, then go out to whatever nightclub was happening until, like, three in the morning.' A big break came in 2013, when she sung Lost In Music by Sister Sledge for a promo video for The X Factor. She was taken on by TaP Management, who represented singer Lana Del Rey, and aged 19, finally signed a record deal with Warner Records in 2014. 'The first time I met Dua, she had an energy that felt bigger than the room,' says Joe Kentish, president of Warner Music Group. Her debut single New Love was released the following year, and first album Dua Lipa arrived in June 2017. With her star in the ascendency, the second album Future Nostalgia followed in March 2020 and reached No1, in spite of the Covid pandemic. As her rise continued, Dua decided to leave TaP Management in February 2022, reportedly due to rows over earnings. As part of the separation, she purchased the rights to her entire musical back catalogue. 'It's my life's work,' she said. 'So it's good to be the person to say what happens with it.' Dua then established her own media and management company, Radical22, appointing dad Dugi as her manager. 'It was very easy to say, 'This is the person that I trust the most with everything,'' she said. 'He's my best friend, we have such an open dialogue and that's why I feel so in control, because there's not a single email or thing that we wouldn't talk about.' As Lauren Kreisler from Official Charts says, 'Radical22 brought her publishing and production under one roof, creating a world of new opportunity. It was a bold move, and definitely not for everyone, as some artists prefer to focus on their creativity and outsource the rest. But thankfully both approaches can work.' In May 2024, Dua released third album Radical Optimism, which debuted at No1, and in November she embarked on a world tour. While she'll be on the road until December, a break in July and August will enable her to relax with family, friends and fiancé Callum Turner. Dua regularly holidays on the glorious Albanian coast, and it's clear her heritage is as important as her British status. 'I feel very proud to be from both places and I feel like I represent both,' she has said. It has been reported that Dua is even building a multimillion-pound villa in Albania, with views over the Ionian Sea. Her property portfolio also includes a West Hampstead home she bought for £6.75 million in 2020, and a Beverly Hills mansion. No shortage of party pads then!
Perth Now
20-06-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Plans for second servo near schools despite concerns
Despite community opposition, plans for a new service station less than 50 metres from an existing petrol station along Wanneroo Road are set to be given the green light. The City of Wanneroo has recommended State planning officials approve a proposed Burk Fuel service station worth $2.1 million. The proposed petrol station would become the eighth along Wanneroo Road between Ocean Reef Road and Joondalup Drive, with only a Zambrero restaurant separating it from an existing 7-Eleven if constructed. Your local paper, whenever you want it. Plans for the service station include a 150sqm convenience store and four fuel bowsers with eight refuelling bays. It will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Despite the City of Wanneroo recommending approval, community opposition was clear during public consultation in November last year, with 184 of 193 submissions objecting to the proposal. The site is immediately next to St Anthony's Primary School and across the road from Wanneroo Primary School and locals are worried about the potential risks to children. 'Pollution caused by petrol stations such as fossil fuels, fumes and fuel leaking into the ground will impact neighbouring properties, nearby residents, children in the nearby schools as well as animals,' one objection said. The city believes strict requirements, including an emissions impact assessment, will ensure any potential risks are appropriately managed. The proposed service station is in Wanneroo on Wanneroo Road, opposite Church Street. Credit: Supplied 'The city considers that the concerns regarding emissions and potential environmental pollution that may impact nearby sensitive land uses will be sufficiently managed through strict requirements imposed on the operator as part of the 'Dangerous Goods Site License' licensing process and in consideration of the EPA guidelines,' city officers said in response to pollution concerns. Other objections to the proposal included increased traffic concerns and calls for alternative developments. 'There is a need for other uses within this area, such as community centres, restaurants, retail, medical centres, gyms, hardware stores, butchers, vets, accommodation for the homeless and parks,' one submitter said. 'Wanneroo becoming (the) City of Petrol Stations,' another objection stated. If constructed, the service station would be just 50 metres from another petrol station. Credit: Google Maps However, the site is privately owned and it's 'at the owner's discretion to propose development', according to the city, which said it can only assess the application in accordance with the requirements of its local planning schemes. 'The application is supported by technical reports which address concerns surrounding traffic, emissions and noise,' city officers said in a report. 'The proposal is appropriately located and well designed, providing consistency with the surrounding locality, and is compatible with the existing surrounding development.' The traffic impact assessment submitted with the proposal estimates 1644 daily trips, half of which are expected to be 'passing trade' already on the road. The Metro Outer Development Assessment Panel will consider the proposal on Tuesday, June 24.
Belfast Telegraph
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
‘It will be a very proud moment': Father and daughter to represent Ireland at multisport championships
Originally from England, Eddie Burton moved to Derry in 2001 after getting married. Both he and his wife teach in local primary schools. Eddie (54) and his daughter Lily-Mai (18) are gearing up to represent Ireland in the aquathlon — which consists of continuous run and swim elements — at the 2025 World Triathlon Multisport Championships in Pontevedra, Spain, later this month. The Burtons qualified to represent Ireland with strong performances in their respective age groups last season after remarkable comebacks to multisport. With her impressive progress in youth triathlon halted during the Covid pandemic, Thornhill College student Lily-Mai marked her return with a storming victory in the Aquathlon National Championships in Galway (16-17 female) last year. Eddie, a seasoned athlete, who once raced against Olympians Seb Coe, Steve Ovett and Ian Hammer, has made an impressive transition to the triathlon over the past 10 years, following seven knee surgeries. Despite an Achilles tear and tendonitis last year, the two-time Aquathlon National Champion is relishing the trip to Spain, having placed in the top 10 in his age group at the 2022 World Triathlon Aquathlon Championships in Slovakia. Competing in the sprint event, which involves a 1km swim followed by a 5km run, will mean 'so much more this time around', says Eddie, a teacher at St Therese's Primary School. 'This time, it will be extra special. It's been a fantastic journey for us — to train together, compete together, and now to represent Ireland together as father and daughter. 'Personally, it will be a very proud moment for me, and a tremendous experience for Lily-Mai. 'It's not just the two of us who have been on this wonderful journey — the whole family has been involved in the process. 'My wife, Caroline, who is also a teacher, and the girls Lauren (21) and Annie (12) have been such great support. We're all in it together and that has been a real boost. 'Pontevedra is a lovely part of the world and I thought: 'I really want her to experience it.' This year there [will be] 3,000 athletes there. 'I just wanted to be immersed in that, because she's going to uni now and I'd really like her to carry it on and to think: 'I really enjoyed that.' 'As a dad, it's about memories, and it will be a great experience.' Lily-Mai will complete her A-levels in biology, chemistry and maths just a week before the event and 'can't wait to celebrate' by competing alongside her dad. 'It's been so lovely to train with my dad to compete in the same event,' she said. 'At times the training has been hard, especially with the additional stress of exams, but the event is just a week after my last exam, so it will be a great way to round off all the hard work.' Lily-Mai, who works part-time as a lifeguard at Foyle Arena, plans to pursue a degree in biomedical engineering at Ulster University in Belfast next year. She competes for both Thornhill College and City of Derry Spartans in cross-country and athletics. Her teams have been district champions multiple times and Ulster cross-country champions on two occasions. They recently placed just outside the medals at the All-Ireland Cross-Country Championships. Last year marked Lily-Mai's return to multisport, and it's been nothing short of remarkable. In March, she competed in an aquathlon alongside her little sister, Annie, before participating in the Liam Ball Triathlon alongside her dad in May, and then winning gold in the National Aquathlon Championships in the same month. News Catch Up - Tuesday 17th June Eddie, who spoke of his disappointment when talented children he's taught at school don't nurture their sporting abilities when they transition from primary to secondary school, said he'd like to see Lily-Mai retain her interest when she goes to university. He believes it gives all young people 'discipline and routine', as well as benefiting their physical and mental health.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Warning issued as 'mindless' vandals keep setting fires near primary school
Officers have fired a warning following a string of 'mindless' fires near to a Greater Manchester primary school. Young vandals have been setting fires near to St Teresa's Primary School in Little Lever, Bolton, in recent days. Greater Manchester Police says the youths have even targeted the forest school which belongs to St Teresa's. READ MORE: Former Manchester United player, 19, died after quitting football in 'sudden' mood change READ MORE: Family's double tragedy as second teenager killed five years after shooting Officers believe the fires could have been worse had crews not arrived on the scene when they did. They are calling for the behaviour to stop - and urging anyone with information about the fires to get in touch with GMP. A spokesperson for GMP Bolton said: "We have seen an increase in anti-social behaviour along the pathway between Redcar Road and Fletcher Street. "This started with youths hanging out in the wooded area of the path but has now extended to the fields behind St Teresa's primary school. "We have had several reports regarding youths causing fires and burning down the forest school belonging to St Teresa's. Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE "Having visited the arson site, it is lucky that the fire service attended when they did. The overhanging trees and dry conditions could have [resulted] in the fire spreading. "This is a mindless act and ongoing enquiries will continue this week. If you have any information that could assist in the matter then please email 65429@ --- For the latest stories and breaking news visit Get the latest headlines, features and analysis that matter to you by signing up to our various Manchester Evening News newsletters here. You can also get all your favourite content from the Manchester Evening News on WhatsApp. Click here to stay up to date with the latest. Follow us on X @mennewsdesk for all the latest stories and updates on breaking incidents from across the region and beyond, as well as on our Facebook page here. If you prefer reading our stories on your phone, consider downloading the Manchester Evening News app here, and our newsdesk will make sure every time an essential story breaks, you'll be the first to hear about it.
