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Powys County Times
16 hours ago
- General
- Powys County Times
Powys man recieves British Empire Medal for chess club
A Welshpool man who has been using chess to help young people for decades received his British Empire Medal in the Powys town. After being listed among the New Years honours list at the end of 2024, Welshpool resident Steve Rigby received the British Empire Medal at a ceremony in The Westwood Park Hotel. Mr Rigby was presented with his British Empire Medal by the Lord Lieutenant of Powys, Tia Catherine Jones, in her role as the King's representative. He was recognised for his work as part of 3C's chess club in Oldham, having started the club with his friend Roy Williams as a way to give children in the area a chance to do something that would help give them opportunities. He's also taken the game to several corners of the world, listing Uzbekistan, Galveston and Texas as just some of the places he's played chess and gotten to know people through the game. At the time the honour was announced, he said: 'All this publicity isn't me. People are doing this as a gesture to me, I find it very flattering I am absolutely amazed. 'The first thing I thought was about all the people who aren't with us any longer since when we started in 1978 and I immediately thought of them and in a way it is for them. 'In 78 I was a teacher in Chadderton in Oldham, which is not the most fashionable part of the country and had quite a bit of deprivation. 'I always thought that if you give kids the opportunities if you give the families the opportunities they will take it. 'For me chess was a vehicle that allowed me to get to provide opportunities to socialise and learn how to play chess and develop friendships. 'I could take them to places they could experience different venues away from the estates. 'Me and Roy thought this would be a great vehicle to get them out of this academic isolation and get them out there. 'We have had children who have been enormously successful in the chess world but when you have children from quite poor homes and you can take them up and down the country and give them opportunities to see things beyond where they live it's a big thing – it matters.'
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mother who abused her baby so badly his legs had to be amputated to be released from prison
A mother who abused her newborn son so badly that he had to have both legs amputated is due to be released early from prison. Tony Hudgell was just 41 days old when he was assaulted by Jody Simpson and her partner Anthony Smith in 2018. He was left in agony for 10 days with his injuries untreated until he was taken to hospital for multiple fractures, blunt trauma to the face, and bone dislocations. As well as having his legs amputated, he also endured organ failure and sepsis. His birth parents were convicted of causing or allowing their baby to sustain injury and of wilful neglect. They were each sentenced to 10 years in prison. However, Simpson is set for release just seven years into her sentence, three years after a previous release date was put on hold due to an intervention from then-justice secretary Dominic Raab. After being treated for his injuries, Tony, now aged 10, is with his adoptive parents Paula and Mark Hudgell from Kent. Criticising the decision, Mrs Hudgell, who has campaigned for tougher jail sentences for convicted child abusers, wrote on X: "Tony has life-long injuries every day he suffers due to her hands.' Tony has since helped raise millions for charity through completing a series of challenges, and has received the British Empire Medal for services to the prevention of child abuse. A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: 'We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board has directed the release of Jody Simpson following an oral hearing. "Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community. 'A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims. 'Members read and digest hundreds of pages of evidence and reports in the lead up to an oral hearing. "Evidence from witnesses such as probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison as well as victim personal statements may be given at the hearing. "It is standard for the prisoner and witnesses to be questioned at length during the hearing which often lasts a full day or more. 'Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Tony Hudgell's birth mother to be freed from prison
The birth mother of Tony Hudgell, who injured him so badly as a baby his legs had to be amputated, is to be released from prison. In 2018 Tony's birth parents Anthony Smith and Jody Simpson were sentenced to 10 years in prison. Tony was adopted by Paula and Mark Hudgell, from Kent, and has since raised millions of pounds for charity through a series of challenges. A spokesperson for the parole board confirmed a panel had directed that Simpson be released following an oral hearing. Both Simpson and Smith had denied assaulting, ill treating or neglecting their child. Mrs Hudgell posted on social media criticising the release. She said: "Tony has life long injuries every day he suffers due to her hands." In 2024, Tony, from West Malling, underwent surgery to be fitted for new prosthetics to allow him to walk without crutches. He has received the British Empire Medal for services to the prevention of child abuse. The parole board spokesperson said decisions were "solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community". They added: "A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims." Hundreds of pages of evidence and reports would have been read in the lead up to an oral hearing, they said. They also said evidence from witnesses such as probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison as well as victim personal statements may be given at the hearing. "Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority," they added. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "This was a horrific crime that saw Tony Hudgell mercilessly tortured by his birth parents and our thoughts remain with him and his loved ones. "Now that the independent parole board has directed her release, Jody Simpson will be subject to strict supervision and licence conditions. She faces an immediate return to prison if she breaks the rules." Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Campaigning boy has life-changing surgery Double-amputee 'over the moon' to be Chelsea mascot Queen Camilla hosts boy who missed garden party Mum's anger over child cruelty registry decision Tony Hudgell Foundation
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Senior Labour MSs face three-way selection fight
Welsh Labour risks losing at least one more big hitter at next year's Senedd election because of a three-way fight for selection in a south Wales constituency. Arrangements for the new Afan Ogwr Rhondda constituency mean three significant figures are being pitched against each other, including the deputy first minister and the woman that won Rhonnda for Labour in 2021. Huw Irranca-Davies and Buffy Williams will also face the deputy presiding officer David Rees in the party ballot to decide who will get the best spots on the area's Labour list. Welsh Labour said it would not comment on the selection battle. Ex-Plaid leader's 2026 re-election bid in doubt Plaid Cymru pledges independence referendum Row over where cash from Tory office sale went Labour is already facing a major shake-up after the next Senedd election, with more than a third of current Labour MSs having made the decision not to stand for re-election next year. Former first ministers Mark Drakeford and Vaughan Gething are among those standing down. Parties are currently in the process of drawing up lists for each of the 16 new constituencies for the next Senedd election. They can nominate up to eight candidates per constituency, with parties to be rewarded with seats according to the percentage of the vote they win. While Labour would expect to win two of the six seats available in Afan Ogwr Rhondda, it might struggle to win a third. Winning three of the six seats in any given constituency would roughly require around 36% of the vote. Local party members will now vote again to decide who will take the first, second and third place on the list in the constituency, with a result is expected in the coming weeks. There are already indications from some within the party of a degree of anger were Williams, one of the party's highest profile women politicians – to miss out. There would be "fury", said one source. Williams claimed one of the biggest scalps of the 2021 Senedd election, winning Rhondda back from the former Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood with a 19% vote swing. The previous year she had been awarded the British Empire Medal for services to communities in Rhondda. While Welsh Labour said it was committed to a "diverse slate of candidates" in its selection across Wales's 16 new Senedd constituencies, the Welsh Labour government abandoned plans last September to force parties to ensure at least 50% of candidates were women. There were concerns about their lawfulness and whether the Senedd had the power to make the change. Ogmore MS Irranca-Davies has emerged as an important figure in the current government set up, taking on not only the duties of deputy first minister under the leadership of Eluned Morgan, but also the rural affairs brief in which he has sought to placate protesting farmers. He said last November that he had "listened" after making changes to controversial tree-cover requirements to qualify for subsidies. A former MP, he has served as a minister at Westminster. Rees has been MS for Aberavon since 2011 and deputy presiding officer for the past four years. His current constituency contains the Port Talbot steelworks. Under normal circumstances Labour would have realistic hopes of winning three seats in the constituency, but as another source put it: "These are not normal circumstances." Senior figures in Welsh Labour are very concerned about losing voters to Plaid Cymru, while some of the recent announcements from Reform leader Nigel Farage suggested they were now also turning their attention to wooing traditional Labour supporters. A poll last month suggested that Labour had fallen to third behind Plaid Cymru and Reform. Previous polls had suggested the three parties were neck and neck. At the next election there will be 16 new constituencies made of up of mergers of existing seats and a system of proportional representation. Afan Ogwr Rhondda takes in the former Aberavon, Ogmore and Rhonnda constituency party areas. Each of the three MSs are on the party ballot because they were nominated by their respective areas: Rees in Aberavon, Irranca-Davies in Ogmore and Williams in Rhondda. A Labour party spokesperson said: "Welsh Labour has committed to putting forward a diverse slate of candidates, including women, people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, those identifying as LGBTQ+, and Welsh speakers amongst other underrepresented communities."
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Holocaust survivor granted town's highest honour
A Holocaust survivor has been honoured with Eastbourne's highest award. Dorit Oliver-Wolff BEM was granted the Freedom of the Borough by Eastbourne Borough Council during a ceremony at the Town Hall on Wednesday, May 21. Mrs Oliver-Wolff, who was born in Yugoslavia in 1936, endured years of hiding and near starvation after her home country was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1941. Her father was killed, and the experiences profoundly shaped her life. After the war, she rebuilt her life and became a successful singer and top 10 recording artist in Germany. In recent years, she has lived in Eastbourne and dedicated her time to sharing her story and educating others about the Holocaust. She was awarded a British Empire Medal for services to Holocaust education and awareness in 2019. The motion to confer the Freedom of the Borough honour was put forward by Councillor Robert Smart and seconded by Councillor Stephen Holt. The symbolic and ceremonial honour, which dates back to the Middle Ages, recognises eminent services or achievements. A council spokesperson said: "Eastbourne Borough Council has honoured Holocaust survivor Dorit Oliver-Wolff BEM by bestowing her with its highest award, Freedom of the Borough. "Mrs Oliver-Wolff BEM was admitted as an Honorary Freewoman of the Borough of Eastbourne in recognition and appreciation of her extraordinary life, her outstanding contribution to Eastbourne and its community, her work as a freedom fighter and campaigner for human rights, her dedication to Holocaust education and her passion to ensure that the Holocaust is never forgotten."
