Latest news with #BenSullivan
The Sun
4 days ago
- General
- The Sun
I transformed my council house garden into an extra parking space to help neighbours but people pointed out same issue
A DAD-OF-12 has revealed his freebie garden makeover after converting it into an extra parking space - all to stay on his neighbours' good side. Ben, 50, and Zoe Sullivan, 46, and their bumper brood make up one of Scotland's biggest families. 4 The pair are parents to Elizabeth, 20, Olivia, 18, Noah, 15, Eva, 13, Toby, 12, Agnes, seven, Joseph, six, Flo, three, and two sets of twins, Charlotte and Isabelle, 17, and Leah and Erin, nine. They live in a six-bedroom council house in Burghead, Moray, where they regularly document their hectic lives on their YouTube channel. After buying a Fiat 500 as a "runaround car" for their eldest daughters, the couple were worried they were taking too much on-street parking away from their neighbours They already have two people carriers for ferrying around the whole family on day trips and holidays, and only had room for one car in their driveway. And they feared that having two cars parked on the street could create an issue. Ben said: "Since the girls have now got their car, the issue with parking is raising its head. "We don't want to take the mickey. We don't want to take up too much space outside because obviously it's a cul-de-sac. "There's lots of houses and most homes these days have cars and some two cars and it's just creating a bit of a traffic jam out there. "What we don't want to do is just to overtake an entire road with cars." As a solution, they decided to sacrifice their spare front garden space and converted it into another parking spot instead. I'm fuming after nosy neighbours left note on my car asking my 'plans for parking', despite having a four-car driveway Ben said the decision "improves curb appeal and makes their council home more functional". In a recent video, he documented his one-day transformation of the front garden - and it didn't cost a penny. Alongside sons Noah and Toby, Ben removed the front garden fence, digged out the deep fence posts and filled the holes with mud and stones that were already in the garden. Their job was made easier as the council had already removed half of the fence to accommodate for sewage works. And Ben "got the green light" from officials to remove the rest of the fencing too. Showing off the finished results, the delighted dad said: "That just leaves the little runabout just parked near to our house so it just saves a lot on space. "We're not taking up too much space and we've actually got a place to park." 4 4 4 But after sharing the transformation on social media, people were quick to point out a potential issue. "You need a dropped kerb now putting in which is an expensive job", one person said. Somebody else chimed in: "I guess if the kerb isn't dropped you run the risk of being blocked in if someone parks there?" And a third added: "Some jealous eejit will report for not having a drop kerb and removing the fence/posts." But Ben insisted that: the kerb is "partially dropped already" and added: "It's fine for now." "I put an application in with the council, plus it was the council who removed half the fence for us in the first place ️ "People will always try and trip us up unfortunately there are little bullies everywhere." Social media support Other people, however, were full of praise for the savvy dad's DIY project. One said: "Wow, I bet it will make a huge difference getting the cars on the drive! Much easier for you all... easier to load up... and safer off the road. Great job all." Someone else wrote: "Great job on the driveway, hopefully will make a difference especially now with the girls car. Well done to your helpers too." "Nice you can park on the drive now. So considerate of you as you have three cars", chimed in a third. A fourth agreed: "Front is looking good, much better use of the space in the front, and leaves the street less crowded." "Great job converting it into a driveway!! Looks really good!!" gushed a fifth. And a sixth said: "That's a great idea parking the two bigger cars in the driveway and the wee Fiat on the street it would be lovely if more neighbours were thoughtful like this and considered others." The garden renovation comes after the Sullivans were forced to hit back at trolls who claim they're jobless spongers on benefits - insisting they couldn't be more wrong. Zoe was faced with hateful messages after revealing she spends £400 on the weekly food shop. Opening up about the hate, Zoe said: "There is this assumption that number one, we don't work and number two we bring in mass incomes on benefits and then spend it all on rubbish. "People seem to be so angry at large families, [they] just assume you have children and you suddenly become a sponge on society. "We pay our taxes, we pay our bills, we pay our council tax, we pay our rent, we pay all that stuff." "Obviously getting us by, there's 14 of us, it takes quite a lot of money. But we budget, we make ends meet."
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City unveils Blaisdell's new PV system
STAR-ADVERTISER Ben Sullivan 1 /2 STAR-ADVERTISER Ben Sullivan STAR-ADVERTISER Allyn Lee 2 /2 STAR-ADVERTISER Allyn Lee STAR-ADVERTISER Ben Sullivan STAR-ADVERTISER Allyn Lee To celebrate Earth Day on Tuesday, the City and County of Honolulu formally unveiled a massive installation of 4, 554 large-format photovoltaic panels to assist in powering its prime entertainment venue. Atop the third floor of the parking structure at Neal S. Blaisdell Center, Mayor Rick Blangiardi and other city officials announced completion of a four-year project that will use solar energy connected to a wall-size bank of electric batteries at the city-owned property at 777 Ward Ave. Completed in December, the solar array spans the entire upper deck of the parking structure and will provide 100 % of the Blaisdell Center's daytime power use, reduce carbon pollution and provide shaded parking for visitors, the city said. Tuesday's media event also highlighted the release on the same day of the Mayor's Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency's 2025 Annual Sustainability Report for Oahu. That document—mandated by city law to be completed each year, with the latest report spanning calendar year 2024—outlines the progress the city says it's made in terms of city operations, climate plans, clean and affordable modes of transportation, food security, waste management and disaster preparedness. The solar project, built with oversight by the city Department of Design and Construction, included contractors installing 200 tons of steel to build the solar array. Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. 'This project represents another key step towards achieving the ambitious and essential climate goals that we track progress on every year in the annual sustainability report, ' Ben Sullivan, executive director of the Office of Climate Change, said during the morning event. Haku Milles, the city Department of Design and Construction director, said 'this huge PV canopy system ' was under a so-called energy savings performance contract 'in which we are working on various city buildings across the island.' ESPCs, according to the city, help reduce energy consumption, water use and demand on utilities. Allyn Lee, DDC's chief of mechanical and electrical division, said the ESPC contract directly involved Johnson Controls and Good Current Hawaii. 'We worked together in planning, coordinating and implementing the various energy conservation measures at over 80 city buildings, and installing over 60 photovoltaic systems to improve how we use electricity in our public buildings, ' he said. Lee said multiple ESPC projects were done in phases. 'The first phase involved various energy conservation measures in 10 city buildings that consume the highest amount of energy, ' he said. 'These buildings included the Fasi Municipal Building, the Honolulu Police Department headquarters and the Honolulu Fire Department headquarters.' Phase 1 was completed in 2022, he said. 'The resulting energy savings of nearly $2 million annually exceeded our expectations, ' Lee added. 'These savings will be used to pay for the project over a 20-year period.' The second phase involved more than 80 other city-owned buildings, he said. 'These facilities include police and fire stations, corporation yards, satellite city halls, transit facilities, municipal golf courses, the Honolulu Zoo and here at the Neal Blaisdell Center, ' Lee added. He said that during the course of construction of Phase 2, the city saved 'over $1.7 million in energy costs.' 'This phase was completed in December, ' he said. 'We are currently measuring and verifying the energy savings. We are anticipating that we will be saving another $2 million annually.' Afterward, Lee told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser the city did not pay for the PV system project's 'upfront costs ' to Johnson Controls. 'They arrange third-party financing through a local bank, ' he added. 'And then we pay the bank on an annual basis for a 20-year term to pay for the construction, but that's through the energy savings that we generate for this project.' He said, 'As far as the total cost of the projects, I can only give you a rough order of magnitude.' 'For the ESPC projects the total cost is $60 million ; however, we'll pay that off through the energy savings (and ) through rebates, ' Lee said. 'Now, the order of magnitude for the photovoltaic system is around $30 million or so.' 'So the total project is around $100 million, ' he added, 'but the good thing is it's not being paid upfront by the city.' Meanwhile, Sullivan said the city's annual sustainability report goals are 'long-standing ' and 'difficult ' to accomplish. 'One in particular that I'm thinking of is the statewide commitment to zero emissions or better by 2045, ' he said. He noted a few highlights from the sustainability report, excluding the increase in energy use as Skyline rail operations started in 2023. 'City facilities have used less grid electricity every year since 2018, every single year, accounting for a more than 20 % reduction in use over that time, ' he said. Likewise, he added that city facilities also generated 10.5 megawatt-hours of renewable energy in 2024, 'which is an 8 % increase ' from 2023. Total electricity generated by renewable sources islandwide increased by 5.6 %, 'with the largest share of that being rooftop PVs, ' he said. 'On an islandwide level per capita, water consumption decreased by 2-1 /2 %, ' he claimed. As far as transportation, he said the number of plug-in electric vehicles increased by '22 % year over year.' 'There's 25, 000 or thereabouts electric vehicles on Oahu, so that's a big, big increase, ' he asserted. He said that 'sales of Oahu's food hubs increased by 5.7 %, ' compared with the previous year. In addition, 1, 288 trees were planted on city properties, contributing over 3, 500 communitywide plantings, the city says. And in 2024, the city claims, disaster preparedness and response training was provided to over 1, 300 people on Oahu. For more information on the city's latest Annual Sustainability Report, visit.
Scottish Sun
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
I have 12 kids & live in council house – trolls say I'm a ‘jobless sponger on £6k benefits', they couldn't be more wrong
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A MUM-OF-12 has hit back at trolls who claim she's a jobless scrounger on benefits - insisting they couldn't be more wrong. Zoe, 46, and Ben Sullivan, 50, and their bumper brood make up one of Scotland's biggest families. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Zoe Sullivan is a mum of 12 who lives in Scotland Credit: The Sullivans 2 The Sullivans document their lives in social media and make money from the platforms Credit: The Sullivans The pair are parents to Elizabeth, 20, Olivia, 18, Noah, 15, Evangeline, 13, Tobias, 12, Agnes, seven, Joseph, six, Flo, three, and two sets of twins, Charlotte and Isabelle, 17, and Leah and Erin, nine. They live in a six-bedroom council house in Burghead, Moray, where they regularly document their hectic lives on their YouTube channel. In a recent video, Zoe exposed comments from trolls who flooded her with hateful messages after revealing she spends £400 on the weekly food shop. One read: "All paid for by the taxpayer, lovely." "When the benefits roll in", a second wrote. A third claimed: "Think you'll find they receive a lot in benefits. Child benefit, Scottish child payment ad whatever other UC they are claiming." "Neither parent works", another poison note read. Meanwhile, a fifth added: "£400 a week on shopping? That's crazy. She's either got a hardworking husband who can earn enough to feed his family or she gets good benefits." Opening up about the hate, Zoe said: "We get attacked quite a lot by trolls. "We can say it doesn't bother us as much as we like but there will be times when it does bother you. I'm a mum of two and get a £1.7k Universal Credit payday each month people hate me as they work 40 hours a week for the same "A lot of people say 'well you put yourself out there so you deserve what you get'. Well actually no, you don't. You don't deserve that at all. "You don't Just because we choose to share our life online that doesn't mean that we deserve to be bullied and made fun of." She added: "People assume that we claim like £6,000 a month in benefits. "I was like 'wow can you even claim that much?'. We definitely don't. "There is this assumption that number one, we don't work and number two we bring in mass incomes on benefits and then spend it all on rubbish. "People seem to be so angry at large families, [they] just assume you have children and you suddenly become a sponge on society." And the busy mum was quick to set the record straight about the money her family earns and the bills they pay. She revealed that Ben has a military pension after serving 26 years in the RAF. Now, the couple make cash from social media platforms where they share their experience as a large family. She said: "That is how we earn money. We are both self-employed so we both earn on social media. And whilst it might not be huge amounts, it's enough to get us by. "Obviously getting us by, there's 14 of us, it takes quite a lot of money. But we budget, we make ends meet. "There are some people that get really aggravated by the fact that they think their taxes go directly to me and my 12 children, to our family of 14. "They automatically assume you've got 12 kids so you must be on every benefit under the sun and paying nothing into the system. "We pay our taxes, we pay our bills, we pay our council tax, we pay our rent, we pay all that stuff." Even when talking about child benefit, Zoe pointed out: " A third of our children are actually adults."
The Sun
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I have 12 kids & live in council house – trolls say I'm a ‘jobless sponger on £6k benefits', they couldn't be more wrong
A MUM-OF-12 has hit back at trolls who claim she's a jobless sponger on benefits - insisting they couldn't be more wrong. Zoe, 46, and Ben Sullivan, 50, and their bumper brood make up one of Scotland's biggest families. 2 The pair are parents to Elizabeth, 20, Olivia, 18, Noah, 15, Evangeline, 13, Tobias, 12, Agnes, seven, Joseph, six, Flo, three, and two sets of twins, Charlotte and Isabelle, 17, and Leah and Erin, nine. They live in a six-bedroom council house in Burghead, Moray, where they regularly document their hectic lives on their YouTube channel. In a recent video, Zoe exposed comments from trolls who flooded her with hateful messages after revealing she spends £400 on the weekly food shop. One read: "All paid for by the taxpayer, lovely." "When the benefits roll in", a second wrote. A third claimed: "Think you'll find they receive a lot in benefits. Child benefit, Scottish child payment ad whatever other UC they are claiming." "Neither parent works", another poison note read. Meanwhile, a fifth added: " £400 a week on shopping? That's crazy. She's either got a hardworking husband who can earn enough to feed his family or she gets good benefits." Opening up about the hate, Zoe said: "We get attacked quite a lot by trolls. "We can say it doesn't bother us as much as we like but there will be times when it does bother you. I'm a mum of two and get a £1.7k Universal Credit payday each month people hate me as they work 40 hours a week for the same "A lot of people say 'well you put yourself out there so you deserve what you get'. Well actually no, you don't. You don't deserve that at all. "You don't. Just because we choose to share our life online that doesn't mean that we deserve to be bullied and made fun of." She added: "People assume that we claim like £6,000 a month in benefits. "I was like 'wow can you even claim that much?'. We definitely don't. "There is this assumption that number one, we don't work and number two we bring in mass incomes on benefits and then spend it all on rubbish. "People seem to be so angry at large families, [they] just assume you have children and you suddenly become a sponge on society." And the busy mum was quick to set the record straight about the money her family earns and the bills they pay. She revealed that Ben has a military pension after serving 26 years in the RAF. Now, the couple make cash from social media platforms where they share their experience as a large family. She said: "That is how we earn money. We are both self-employed so we both earn on social media. And whilst it might not be huge amounts, it's enough to get us by. "Obviously getting us by, there's 14 of us, it takes quite a lot of money. But we budget, we make ends meet. "There are some people that get really aggravated by the fact that they think their taxes go directly to me and my 12 children, to our family of 14. "They automatically assume you've got 12 kids so you must be on every benefit under the sun and paying nothing into the system. "We pay our taxes, we pay our bills, we pay our council tax, we pay our rent, we pay all that stuff." Even when talking about child benefit, Zoe pointed out: " A third of our children are actually adults."
