Latest news with #BenGarrod
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Norfolk celebrities back BBC Page Turners to get children reading
Celebrity authors and TV personalities have backed a local BBC radio campaign to boost childhood to the Office for National Statistics, one in four children in Norfolk do not meet the expected standard in reading by the time they leave primary Turners launched on BBC Radio Norfolk on Monday, coinciding with the official opening of a new library in Great and TV presenter Ben Garrod said reading "should be inspiring" and actor Stephen Fry said "reading is just the most exciting thing in the world". University of East Anglia lecturer Prof Garrod, a presenter of several BBC wildlife programmes, has also written books aimed at children."We, in so many ways, see reading as a chore; it's something you have to do for homework and all these things," he explained."It should be fun, it should be engaging, it should be inspiring."As part of the Page Turners project, he helped children write an ending to their own stories."We've all got stories within us; our species is a storytelling species so giving these kids that chance to tell their own stories is really important." Norfolk broadcaster and writer Sir Stephen said his favourite book to read as a child was Greek Gods and Heroes: For Young Readers, by Robert Graves."What I love about books generally is how they take you into another world in a way that's somehow far more collaborative than you can ever get with television and computers."It's you and the author and this world that you've entered." Anne Thorley is the co-founder and chairwoman of the Norfolk Reading Project which provides free training to reading said the Page Turners project was "really fantastic"."The pandemic certainly played a part because that was two years disrupted education and missed early years opportunities, but there are lots of obstacles including hunger, lack of sleep, which can affect concentration."Smart phones, tablets; have now replaced traditional reading material for some generations and many households don't have books at home." Katrin Oldridge, a literary specialist at the Wensum Trust English Hub, said literacy abilities were linked to deprivation levels in Norfolk - which she said were higher than the national said: "Too many of our residents are unable to access good jobs, healthcare and the chance to learn new skills and like many other rural and coastal areas, Norfolk has faced historical imbalances of underfunding."It can, and must, do better." 'Busy lives' BookTrust is the UK's largest children's reading charity and tries to get children reading as young as executive Diane Gerald said Page Turners was a "great initiative"."We can see from the data that parents are struggling to find the time to read with their children," he said."If I can put it more positively, all the benefits of reading mean if we can just support parents, it makes such a difference to their children."I think the reality is people have very busy lives. We all know it's tough out there; people juggling lots and lots of things going on, and maybe we are all spending too much time on our screen."Maybe it's the grown ups spending time on their screen and not showing their children that they're reading too."The new library in Great Yarmouth has been built as a partnership between East Coast College and the University of Suffolk. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
How North Sea tanker crash could impact wildlife-rich coastline
Academics have raised fears over the ecological impact the dramatic crash involving an oil tanker and cargo vessel could have on the Norfolk coastline. The two ships – including one carrying jet fuel - went up in flames in the North Sea off the coast of East Yorkshire on Monday. Although the air quality at ground level has been recorded as at normal levels, experts said the event could damage the environment of the protected Norfolk coastline. Environmental biologist Prof Ben Garrod said "we should be doing all we can to ensure this never happens again". Thirty six people were rescued from the collision and one crew member remained unaccounted for. Prof Garrod, from the University of East Anglia's School of Biological Sciences, said the coast's shallow bay, The Wash, could be particularly impacted. "The Wash is recognised for its local, national and international ecological importance for flora and fauna alike," he said. "Some migrate there, others breed there, and for many species of plants, fungi, and animals, it's home. "The possible addition of tonnes of highly soluble toxic material which shuts down the respiration system into such a fragile and important habitat will likely have far-reaching impacts on our local wildlife, especially fish, birds and mammals. "We should be doing all we can to monitor the impact that the release of tonnes of ecologically damaging chemicals has on our fragile marine environment." The collision occurred at about 10:00 GMT, sparking fires and a mass evacuation, with one crew member saying the incident "came from out of the blue". The Stena Immaculate ship, the US-flagged oil and chemical tanker, was carrying jet fuel on behalf of the US military. The Solong meanwhile, a Portuguese-flagged container vessel, denied that it was transporting 15 containers of sodium cyanide. "There are four empty containers that have previously contained the hazardous chemical and these containers will continue to be monitored," said Ernst Russ, the ship's owner. Dr Paul Johnston, senior scientist at Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter, said he was "very concerned". "The wind is blowing from the north and will drive any material that is released towards the north Norfolk coast," he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. "There are bird colonies, there will be seals hauled out, dolphins and porpoises passing through the area and animals, together with fish and marine vertebrate. "[They will] all be very vulnerable to toxic events, from both oils and chemicals." Videos from the scene showed large clouds of smoke billowing out from the tanker, and the firm which managed the Stena Immaculate reported "multiple explosions". "The jet fuel will continue burning [but] the heavy fuel oil is more of a problem if it comes ashore - it will fell beaches and be very difficult to clean up," added Dr Johnston. "Any containers that go over the side are likely to be a navigational hazard in so far as any ship that strikes them could become disabled or even sink." When asked if he thought this could result in the largest environmental disaster for a generation, he said it was a "very difficult thing to predict". "And that's why so much effort is being put into salvage efforts in order to minimise the amount of material entering the sea. "An ounce of prevention is worth many tonnes of cure but what we can learn from previous events in terms of clean-up is that it is very, very difficult." Prof Alastair Grant, from the University of East Anglia's school of environmental sciences, said "a detailed evaluation" of the environmental risks posed by the jet fuel would need to be conducted. "It contains up to 25% aromatic hydrocarbons, which are relatively toxic and slow to break down in the environment," he said. "This makes it approximately 50 times more toxic to aquatic life than diesel oil, which in turn is more toxic than crude oil." These concerns were also echoed by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT), which said "any pollution spillage could be devastating" for habitats in the area. A spokesperson said: "Depending on wind direction and contaminants, The Wash and North Norfolk coast, including NWT Holme Dunes nature reserve could potentially be at risk. "These areas are home to internationally important populations of seabirds and fragile habitats. "We'll continue to keep a close eye on the situation and work with marine authorities if needed." While the incident happened in UK waters, the responsibility for the investigation will fall to the United States and Portugal. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch, however, is already gathering evidence and undertaking a preliminary assessment of the accident. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is also "rapidly assessing" the potential environment impact of the collision. When it is considered safe to do so, the BBC understands the MCA will deploy equipment to contain and disperse the oil spills. The government agency is also working with the owners of the ships and the Department for Transport to understand potential risks to public health. According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), any public health risk on shore is deemed to be very low. Labour MP Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, said she was grateful to HM Coastguard, the RNLI and emergency services for their response. "They were on the scene swiftly, have helped rescue those in immediate danger and I know they will continue to work tirelessly over the coming days. "My thoughts are with all those involved, especially the family of the missing crew member. "I am working closely with the MCA as they conduct an assessment of any counter pollution response which may be required over the coming days." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. North Sea tanker collision - what we know so far Search for ship collision crew member called off Maritime and Coastguard Agency Marine Accident Investigation Branch Department for Transport
BBC News
11-03-2025
- Science
- BBC News
How North Sea tanker collision could impact Norfolk coastline
Academics have raised fears over the ecological impact the dramatic crash involving an oil tanker and cargo vessel could have on the Norfolk two ships – including one carrying jet fuel - went up in flames in the North Sea off the coast of East Yorkshire on the air quality at ground level has been recorded as at normal levels, experts said the event could damage the environment of the protected Norfolk biologist Prof Ben Garrod said "we should be doing all we can to ensure this never happens again". Thirty six people were rescued from the collision and one crew member remained unaccounted for. Prof Garrod, from the University of East Anglia's School of Biological Sciences, said the coast's shallow bay, The Wash, could be particularly impacted. "The Wash is recognised for its local, national and international ecological importance for flora and fauna alike," he said."Some migrate there, others breed there, and for many species of plants, fungi, and animals, it's home."The possible addition of tonnes of highly soluble toxic material which shuts down the respiration system into such a fragile and important habitat will likely have far-reaching impacts on our local wildlife, especially fish, birds and mammals. "We should be doing all we can to monitor the impact that the release of tonnes of ecologically damaging chemicals has on our fragile marine environment." The collision occurred at about 10:00 GMT, sparking fires and a mass evacuation, with one crew member saying the incident "came from out of the blue".The Stena Immaculate ship, the US-flagged oil and chemical tanker, was carrying jet fuel on behalf of the US Solong meanwhile, a Portuguese-flagged container vessel, denied that it was transporting 15 containers of sodium cyanide."There are four empty containers that have previously contained the hazardous chemical and these containers will continue to be monitored," said Ernst Russ, the ship's owner. Dr Paul Johnston, senior scientist at Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter, said he was "very concerned"."The wind is blowing from the north and will drive any material that is released towards the north Norfolk coast," he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme."There are bird colonies, there will be seals hauled out, dolphins and porpoises passing through the area and animals, together with fish and marine vertebrate."[They will] all be very vulnerable to toxic events, from both oils and chemicals." 'Very, very difficult' Videos from the scene showed large clouds of smoke billowing out from the tanker, and the firm which managed the Stena Immaculate reported "multiple explosions"."The jet fuel will continue burning [but] the heavy fuel oil is more of a problem if it comes ashore - it will fell beaches and be very difficult to clean up," added Dr Johnston."Any containers that go over the side are likely to be a navigational hazard in so far as any ship that strikes them could become disabled or even sink."When asked if he thought this could result in the largest environmental disaster for a generation, he said it was a "very difficult thing to predict"."And that's why so much effort is being put into salvage efforts in order to minimise the amount of material entering the sea."An ounce of prevention is worth many tonnes of cure but what we can learn from previous events in terms of clean-up is that it is very, very difficult." Global importance Prof Alastair Grant, from the University of East Anglia's school of environmental sciences, said "a detailed evaluation" of the environmental risks posed by the jet fuel would need to be conducted. "It contains up to 25% aromatic hydrocarbons, which are relatively toxic and slow to break down in the environment," he said."This makes it approximately 50 times more toxic to aquatic life than diesel oil, which in turn is more toxic than crude oil." These concerns were also echoed by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT), which said "any pollution spillage could be devastating" for habitats in the area.A spokesperson said: "Depending on wind direction and contaminants, The Wash and North Norfolk coast, including NWT Holme Dunes nature reserve could potentially be at risk."These areas are home to internationally important populations of seabirds and fragile habitats."We'll continue to keep a close eye on the situation and work with marine authorities if needed." While the incident happened in UK waters, the responsibility for the investigation will fall to the United States and Marine Accident Investigation Branch, however, is already gathering evidence and undertaking a preliminary assessment of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is also "rapidly assessing" the potential environment impact of the it is considered safe to do so, the BBC understands the MCA will deploy equipment to contain and disperse the oil government agency is also working with the owners of the ships and the Department for Transport to understand potential risks to public to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), any public health risk on shore is deemed to be very low. 'Hugely grateful' Labour MP Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, said she was grateful to HM Coastguard, the RNLI and emergency services for their response."They were on the scene swiftly, have helped rescue those in immediate danger and I know they will continue to work tirelessly over the coming days."My thoughts are with all those involved, especially the family of the missing crew member."I am working closely with the MCA as they conduct an assessment of any counter pollution response which may be required over the coming days." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
