Latest news with #BBCIntroducing
Mint
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
The day after her breakup, skilled skydiver ‘chooses' not to open her parachute 10,000 feet above ground
A day after her breakup, Jade Damarell, a skilled skydiver, 'chose' not to open her parachute 10,000 feet above ground and fell to her death in Caerphilly, South Wales. According to a Mirror report, Jade's death was initially assumed to be a tragic accident, but the SkyHigh Skydiving, the skydiving company she was associated with, said they suspected her death to have been 'a deliberate act'. Later, it became known that Jade, 32, had broken up with her boyfriend Ben Goodfellow, 26, the day before her fatal skydive. Jade had been dating Ben, a fellow skydiving enthusiast, for nearly eight months after her split from her ex-husband. According to MailOnline, they had been living together in a property near the airfield, rented specifically for parachutists. According to a Mirror report, Jade, a keen skydiver who had jumped around 80 times this year, deliberately failed to open her parachute as she plunged at speeds of more than 120mph. The fatal skydive was marked 'non-suspicious' after the police discovered a note disclosing her intentions. Jade's friend also confirmed that the incident 'wasn't a skydiving accident'. Her friend said that they believe Jade intended to take her life. 'She skydived with someone else, broke off and turned onto her back and impacted. She chose not to open her parachute, and she landed on her back,' they said The friend also shared that the night before Jade's death, Ben had ended their relationship. He reportedly went to work the following day, during which time the tragedy occurred. Police and emergency services were called to a nearby farm, where she landed, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. One person is believed to have witnessed the horror. Ben Goodfellow is a Nissan technician and the lead singer and guitarist for the Sunderland-based indie band Post Rome, whose music has been featured on BBC Introducing. Following the incident, the band cancelled a scheduled performance, citing 'unforeseen circumstances.' Jade's friend described their bond as extremely close and said Jade was 'completely devastated' by the breakup, despite the fact that it was not the first time the couple had hit a rough patch. 'They were inseparable. They did everything together and didn't really interact much with others. They often went skydiving as a pair,' the friend said, adding that Jade and Ben had been living together since Christmas and had been dating for a few months before that. 'Jade had ended things with Ben on previous occasions, but Saturday was the first time he ended it with her. Ben is a quiet person - he's completely devastated by what's happened,' the friend added.
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Doomed skydiver's tormented final days from 'boyfriend split to tragic letter'
Experienced skydiver Jade Damarell, 32, plunged to her death and died instantly after her boyfriend reportedly broke up with her the night before, leaving her devastated New details have emerged about Jade Damarell 's final days before she tragically plummeted to her death. The death of thrill-seeking Ms Damarell, 32, a highly experienced skydiver, has been described as an "unimaginable loss" amid an ongoing investigation. The woman, who had completed more than 400 previous jumps, died instantly after hitting the ground at Wrefords' Farm in Shotton, County Durham. She was pronounced dead at the scene. It is understood that Ms. Damarell, from Caerphilly, South Wales, had broken up with her boyfriend the day before her fatal skydive. After splitting from her husband, she had reportedly been in a relationship with Ben Goodfellow, 26, a fellow skydiving enthusiast, for approximately six to eight months. The couple had been living together in a double room at a property near the airfield, rented specifically for parachutists, for several months, according to MailOnline. A friend described their bond as extremely close. The source said: 'They were inseparable. They did everything together and didn't really interact much with others. They often went skydiving as a pair. They had been living together since Christmas and had been dating for a few months before that.' According to the friend, the night before Ms. Damarell's death, Mr. Goodfellow ended the relationship. He reportedly went to work the following day, during which time the tragedy occurred. Mr. Goodfellow works as a technician at Nissan and is also the lead singer and guitarist for the Sunderland-based indie band Post Rome, whose music has featured on BBC Introducing. Following the incident, the band cancelled a scheduled performance, citing 'unforeseen circumstances.' A friend claimed that a note referencing the breakup was found by police. They added: 'Jade had ended things with Ben on previous occasions, but Saturday was the first time he ended it with her. Ben is a quiet person - he's completely devastated by what's happened.' Initial reports had assumed Ms Damarell's death was a tragic accident. But SkyHigh Skydiving issued a statement saying her death was suspected to have been 'a deliberate act'. It is understood police quickly marked the tragedy as non-suspicious after discovering a note disclosing her intentions. Ms Damarell had been living in lodgings in Shotton, Co Durham, since the end of last year, renting a double bed in a house used by skydivers staying over in the village. At the time of the tragedy it was said that Ms Damarell, a keen skydiver who had jumped around 80 times this year, deliberately failed to open her parachute as she plunged at speeds of more than 120mph. A friend of Ms Damarell said: "This wasn't a skydiving accident - we believe she intended to take her life, sadly. She skydived with someone else, broke off and turned onto her back and impacted. She chose not to open her parachute and she landed on her back." Police and emergency services were called to nearby Wreford's Farm, where she landed, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. One person is believed to have witnessed the horror. An inquest heard that Ms Damarell did not suffer any failure in her equipment. Asked by Senior Coroner Jeremy Chipperfield if there was any reason to suspect equipment failure, Coroner's officer Ms Alexis Blighe replied 'No reason at all sir.' On the face of it, Jade had everything to live for. Her mum's Facebook page proudly recorded the highlight's of her daughter's life. Other images showed her enjoying family hikes with the dog, and in one post, mum Liz revealed she'd completed her first skydive with her daughter. In an August 26, 2024 Facebook post, she said: "This weekend I did something I never thought I could, or would, do… a sky-dive! Such a bucket list moment. Firstly watching my beautiful daughter Jade free-fly solo right before me, like a ninja. Then, amazed at the reassurance and confidence Jade and my fabulous tandem instructor Lewis (aka Biscuit) and cameraman Blake gave me, off we flew. "Just wow… over a minute in freefall from 15,500 feet, at around 120 MPH, with the air temp -15 and breath-taking wind at this altitude. Considering my fear of heights I still can't quite believe I did it! My favourite part was actually being under canopy, I absolutely loved it but this experience makes me even more proud of Jade's amazing free-fly skills now and it was incredible to watch her nail her landing below us and be there to greet me back on solid ground." An inquest will now be opened to establish the circumstances surrounding Jade's death and answer questions surrounding her final moments. According to one friend, she jumped a staggering 11 times in the 48 hours leading up to her death. "Everyone is devastated and deeply traumatised by what happened because she was very much part of the skydiving community," the friend told MailOnline. "She was mad for the sport. In just the two days before she died, she did 11 jumps. She must have done 80 this year."
BBC News
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
New local acts added to Latitude Festival line-up
New and emerging music acts from across the East of England will have their chance to shine at the Latitude Festival, after being selected by BBC is one of the UK's biggest music and art festivals and is expected to welcome more than 40,000 people to Henham Park, near Southwold in Suffolk, between 24 and 27 Introducing Suffolk and Norfolk are teaming up with their Cambridgeshire and Essex counterparts for the first time.A total of 21 local acts will take to the Lavish Lounge, while headliners at the festival include Sting, Fatboy Slim and Snow Patrol. Acts from Suffolk include indie pop band Afterdrive with their mix of infectious, melodic anthems, and Shaggy FX - a young DJ and producer from Essex is PORTEUS, a 26-year-old multi-instrumentalist and songwriter from Colchester, as well as Monster Norfolk, tinyumbrellas bring their blend of folksy indie pop, having started life in a bedroom during the Coronavirus lockdown with a guitar and a ukulele. Alice-Lily, a 22-year-old singer-songwriter, also takes to the stage. Acts from Cambridgeshire include Fran Lusty, known for her indie-folk storytelling. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'Pickleball and pasta' - touring with Dua Lipa
"It's so wild that I released my first song only two years ago and now I am touring in huge arenas across the world," says rising popstar Alessi 22-year-old says it has felt like a "whirlwind" since she created her first piece of music that was made in a makeshift bedroom studio, to now supporting the likes of Dua Lipa and Tate McRae for their upcoming world said she was "excited" to travel across the UK, Europe and the US over the next few months."To go from just finishing my own tour to an arena tour in Madrid with Dua Lipa is quite the whiplash, but in the best way," Rose said. Starting out Growing up in Derby, Alessi's path to pop stardom wasn't always clear-cut, saying she never knew how to get into the industry."I don't have anyone who works in music or even plays an instrument in my family, so I didn't know how to meet people in music or people that can help you out," said Ms Rose. Knowing she always wanted to be a musician, Rose said having lots of time during the Covid pandemic was the catalyst to start making her own music."I remember being in my room whilst I was living at home in Littleover, where I had the weirdest music setup of my old keyboard and a 15 year-old MacBook that I was producing my songs on," said Ms Rose."I had one set goal of producing music that I could send to BBC Introducing, then I knew that would be exposure." After getting her tracks played on Dean Jackson's BBC Introducing programmes, Rose has gone on to to perform at Derbyshire's Ynot? festival, Reading and Leeds festival, as well as opening a show for American singer-songwriter Noah Kahan in August 2024."It feels like it's been a whirlwind, it doesn't feel like so long ago since my first session at Nottingham's Metronome," said Ms Rose."There are loads of incredible artists from the East Midlands and I'm so happy for myself and for other people that there is a way into the music industry." Since finishing her 2024 UK tour, Ms Rose said she felt "comfortable" transitioning from performing at smaller venues to bigger stadiums."I have always joked about my own headline tour, because we had a lot of staging and effects, people said it felt like an arena show," said Ms Rose."To now take my shows on to those actual incredibly-sized Dua Lipa stages, it's felt like a natural transition where I felt comfortable. "Sometimes I've walked off stage and I said to myself why was I so calm, that was so huge and there were so many people out there.""As I'm so happy and proud of what I get to do, the excitement overtakes all other feelings, I'm always so excited to be on stage."Away from the excitement on stage, Alessi and her band have been enjoying some unusual pleasures whilst touring the from a hotel room in Lyon, France, Ms Rose said: "Me and the band are going to eat pasta downstairs and we have gained an obsession with pickleball."It's pickleball tomorrow and pasta tonight, that is the really glam life on tour with Dua Lipa." Ms Rose said to tour with Dua Lipa and Tate McRae was "so wild and ridiculous"."I've admired both of their music and their careers individually for so long," said Ms Rose."I love Tate McRrae and I'm so grateful for her having me. It's an insane tour all across America. I can't believe that's a real sentence I'm saying."I have not met Dua Lipa yet, but we have spoken over Instagram messages. She is a delight and she is an incredible performer."It feels like so much has happened in such a short time, but I'm excited to see what the next couple of years will be like."
BBC News
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'We're honoured to play Latitude,' say Suffolk and Norfolk acts
Independent artists from Suffolk and Norfolk have spoken of their excitement and disbelief after being selected to perform at this year's Latitude annual arts event, first hosted in 2006, will take place at Henham Park, near Southwold, Suffolk, from 24 to 27 line-up includes big-name headliners Sting, Fatboy Slim and Snow Patrol, as well as laugh-out-loud comedians like Bridget Christie, Greg Davies and Reggie artists Lottie Gray, Pozzy, Arthur Black and Chest will also take to the Alcove Stage, and Jazmine Banks and The Wild Hearts will play The Sunrise Arena, all having been selected to perform by either BBC Introducing and First Light Festival. Lottie Gray from Gorleston, Norfolk, started writing songs aged eight and considers Latitude her local festival. "I am so excited to be at Latitude because I have always wanted to play at Latitude and I am lucky enough to have been given the opportunity," the 21-year-old told the BBC."My whole family is going to come and watch. It's amazing and a big milestone for me. I can't wait."Expect upbeat, fun pop songs mixed with moody folky stuff, good songwriting and a great band." Singer Arthur Black, who is from Lowestoft, Suffolk, but based in Norwich, said she was "honoured" to be performing at the festival. "It is so exciting and there will be lots of emotion," she said."Our performances are quite open and raw and we are a bit rocky at times, too, so you can get your boogie on."It is super-special and quite surreal and I am really looking forward to it. It's such a great community [at Latitude] and going back to reality is strange." 'It's so important' Chest, a '90s grunge-inspired band from Norwich, thanked BBC Introducing for the impact it has had on the group's success so far."If it wasn't for BBC Introducing I don't think we would have got half the opportunities we have," said the group's guitarist, Stan. "It's so nice to come to a festival that is on such beautiful grounds and there's so much nice water around here."So, I am looking forward to getting in that when we get here - a pre-show dip." Grime and hip-hop artist Pozzy, from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, said he was shocked when he was asked to take his blend of "raw, relatable lyricism and energy" to the event. Describing his reaction, he previously told BBC Introducing it was: "'"No way? Thank you so much."'That'll be sick; that'll be amazing. Let's do it.'"This year's event, run by Festival Republic, is expected to attract as many as 45,000 music fans. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
