Latest news with #BuryStEdmunds
BBC News
2 days ago
- Science
- BBC News
World's first replica of toothless dinosaur on display in Suffolk
The world's first accurate sculpture of a recently documented toothless dinosaur has gone on display. Remains of the Berthasaura leopoldinae were first discovered in Brazil in 2012 and publicly revealed by scientists in part of a wider exhibition, West Suffolk Council's Moyse's Hall Museum in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, said it was now the first to display an accurate replica of the dinosaur's Pritchard, 31, from Torquay, Cornwall is the sculptor and paleoartist behind the replica and said it had been a "bizarre" but "wonderful" feeling to know he was the first one in the world to bring it to life. "It's a bit bizarre because when the paper was [published] they usually commission an artist to do a skeletal drawing and an illustrator to imagine what the dinosaur would look like, but no one had brought it into the 3D realm," he explained."So it's really weird bringing it to life because it's such a weird looking dinosaur that no one had seen... it's a really bizarre feeling, but wonderful at the same time." Scientists believe the Berthasaura leopoldinae lived approximately 80 to 70 million years ago and was part of the Ceratosauria is considered to be unique due to being toothless and having a parrot-like beak, despite its carnivore-shaped body."It was discovered in 2012, but it takes a long time to do what they call a description where they study every bone they have found to try and piece together what type of animal it was and how it lived," Mr Pritchard continued."Once they've got enough information they can go to the scientific community, release a paper and say, 'We have discovered a new animal, we've discovered all these things about it, and this is why it is different from other things'." Mr Pritchard explained he made use of the research papers to recreate the dinosaur which was time-consuming to ensure it was well as this, not all parts of the dinosaur had been found, so Mr Pritchard had to look at papers for other dinosaurs and animals scientists believe were related to dinosaur features as part of the museum's Prehistoric Beasts: Land, Sea, Sky exhibition which is running until Pritchard is also donating another replica of the dinosaur to a Brazilian museum that was involved in the discovery of it but later burnt down. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Suffolk man calls for paid student nursing placements
The father of a student nurse said he was "blissfully ignorant" trainees were not paid for their NHS placements and has launched a petition. Alex Lawrence, from Eye, Suffolk, has called for the abolishment of student nursing university fees and unpaid placements after his daughter, Tabatha, started her Prinsley, the Labour MP for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket, previously worked in the NHS for 30 years and said he agreed with the petition.A government spokesperson said nurses played a "critical role" and there was a non-repayable grant of at least £5,000 available to help with their student placements. As part of nursing degrees, students have to complete 2,300 hours of clinical placements that are unpaid while also paying for their tuition fees."If you've got the support of a family that don't charge you keep, you don't have to pay rent, maybe [who] make sure you get there every day, that's absolutely lovely," Mr Lawrence, whose petition has more than 6,200 signatures, said."But I do worry dearly about all the people out there that aren't quite as lucky, that might be fantastic nurses, doctors and dentists, but because of the financial implications will never get the chance," he added. Mr Lawrence added he felt the non-repayable grant available to student nurses "barely" helped. Prinsley said he agreed with Mr Lawrence that nurses were "essential" and he would sign the petition. "If somebody asks me, 'Who looks after the patients?', I always say it is the nurses," he said."I agree with them that they certainly shouldn't be doing this for nothing."I think the whole thing really merits review." Melanie McAteer, Suffolk's senior officer for Royal College of Nursing, said there had been a 35% drop in students applying for nursing degrees since 2021, and 21% of students drop out of the course each year."We know that nursing students have shocking experiences of being unable to afford food, being homeless and facing uncertain employment after qualifying," she added.A spokesperson for the University of Suffolk said its applications for 2025 entry to undergraduate adult nursing were 3% lower compared with the same point last spokesperson added applications for children's nursing were higher and it had seen an uptake in nursing apprenticeships."Nurses play a critical role in providing high-quality, compassionate and safe care, as well as helping to restore our world-class NHS system, as part of our Plan for Change," a government spokesperson said."Eligible nurses receive a non-repayable grant of at least £5,000 per academic year from the NHS through the Learning Support Fund, in addition to maintenance and tuition fee loans provided by the Student Loans Company." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
24-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Suffolk man calls for mandatory teacher neurodivergent training
An autistic man wants all teachers to undertake training to help them better understand how to interact with neurodivergent students and Howard's petition, calling on the government to make the training mandatory, already has more than 10,000 supporters. The 29-year-old, from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, hoped it would help make education more accessible, improve inclusion and safety, and ensure the mental health of neurodivergent students does not suffer like his did."At university, things became overwhelming, the lack of understanding and reasonable adjustments pushed me to breaking point," he told the BBC. According to the national charity Children's Society UK, it was estimated that between 15 and 20% of young people in the UK were meant they had been diagnosed with either autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia or Tourette's Syndrome, NHS England by the National Autistic Society, meanwhile, showed just 14% of secondary school teachers have received more than half a day's training on education report also revealed that 70% of autistic young people said teachers don't understand enough about autism. Joey Nettleton Burrows, policy and public affairs manager at the organisation, said it was "critical" for teachers to understand autism to ensure autistic pupils feel supported in the classroom."A lack of understanding about autism can lead to students feeling unsupported, or that their needs aren't being met, which can have a negative impact on their attendance and attainment," he said. "Autistic children deserve the right help at school, and teachers should be supported to provide this. "All teachers and school staff should receive mandatory autism training to improve understanding and ensure that all autistic children get the education they need." Mr Howard said he feared struggles faced by neurodivergent students could contribute to "poor mental health and emotional distress" – something he wants to prevent from happening."I want teachers to have training so they can spot and understand the signs and symptoms and learn how to interact with people who are neurodivergent," he said."But it's not just about the interactions between teachers and students because there are more and more neurodivergent teachers and support staff in the workplace." 'Every student deserves to be understood' Mr Howard received a "late diagnosis" for his autism in July 2016 when he was 20 years old and studying at lack of quiet spaces for breaks, clear instructions, extended time for exams and coursework, flexible deadlines and the availability of assistive technology made studying difficult, he said. He also struggled with changing timetables, not being allowed to leave class when he felt overwhelmed, and not having one-to-one mentoring sessions with a trusted staff member."This lived experience is what now drives me to campaign for change because no one should have to reach crisis before they're supported," he said. "Every teacher deserves the tools to recognise and respond to neurodivergence—and every student deserves to be understood." 'Something will change' Mr Howard surveyed just over 80 teachers and lecturers as part of research for his campaign and said he was "quite surprised" when 90% told him neurodivergent training would be useful. Speaking about the petition, he said: "It is absolutely incredible, I have been overwhelmed by the public response, and I am looking forward to seeing what the government has to say."If I can get further cross-party backing and keep raising awareness, I think we will slowly chip away at it, and I am hopeful something will change."The government is required to respond to petitions on the UK Parliament website with more than 10,000 signatures. A Department for Education spokesperson said: "It will take time but, as part of our Plan for Change, we are thinking differently about what the Send [special educational needs and disabilities] system should look like, to restore the confidence of families up and down the country and deliver the improvement they are crying out for so every child can achieve and thrive."We are already making progress by investing £1bn into Send nationally and £740m to encourage councils to create more specialist places in mainstream schools, paving the way for significant, long-term reform." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
She Vanished After Meeting Her Lover. A Stepmother's Dream Led to Her Body — and the Killer
Curators at Moyse's Hall Museum in Suffolk, England, found that a book on their office shelf was bound in the skin of William Corder, a 19th-century murderer Maria Marten's remains were discovered nearly a year after she vanished, following a dream her stepmother had about her death Corder confessed and was executed in front of a crowd of thousandsIt was a skin-crawling revelation. Staff at a museum in Suffolk, England, recently learned that an unassuming old book sitting in their office was actually made from human skin — believed to be that of a 19th-century murderer who was hanged nearly 200 years ago. The killer, William Corder, was convicted in 1828 of murdering a woman named Maria Marten in what became known as the Red Barn Murder. According to the BBC, the book was donated decades ago by a family member of the surgeon who anatomized Corder's body. Curators at Moyse's Hall Museum in Bury St. Edmunds realized what the book was — and how it was made — about a month ago. It's now on display. Corder was from a middle-class family of farmers and lived in the village of Polstead when he met Marten when he was 22. The two subsequently became lovers, per the outlet. In 1827 Corder came up with a plan for him and Marten to elope. He told her to meet him at the Red Barn on the Corders' farm so they could run away together. But Marten was never seen again. Corder swiftly left Suffolk and wrote to the Marten family that he and Maria had eloped. In reality, he was hiding out just outside of London after shooting Maria in the neck and burying her at the Red Barn. Almost a year later, Maria's stepmother, Ann Marten, had a dream that Maria was dead and at the Red Barn. Per the outlet, Maria's father dug with his 'mole spud' — a type of spade — and found Maria's remains at the barn. A manhunt ensued for Corder. When authorities found him, he denied any knowledge of what had happened to Maria. But he had a letter in his possession informing him that her body had been found. Corder was tried on 10 counts of murder, each based on a different theory on how Maria was killed, the BBC reported. Corder initially claimed Maria had died by suicide, but he was ultimately found guilty after a two-day trial, which included a confession in which Corder said he accidentally shot Maria during an BBC reported that an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 people came to see Corder hanged outside the prison on Aug. 11, 1828. There are currently two books about the trial — both of which are bound with Corder's skin, the BBC reported. Popular Mechanics reports that the practice of binding books in human skin — known as anthropodermic bibliopegy — dates back to at least the 13th century. By the 19th century, some doctors were using the skin of their own dissected patients to bind medical texts. According to The Times, Corder's skeleton remained at London's Hunterian Museum for more than 70 years — until it was released in 2004 following a campaign by a relative who had researched her family tree. Subsequently, Corder's remains were cremated. Read the original article on People
BBC News
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Overturned lorry blocks and closes B1106 near Bury St Edmunds
An overturned lorry has blocked and closed a road in both eastbound B1106 Marham Parkway carriageway near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, was blocked between Sandlands Drive and the A1101 just before 07:30 BST on emergency services were in attendance and completely closed off the road at 08:30. Suffolk Police said no injuries had been taken from the scene show the overturned lorry resting on the road and being lifted by another vehicle. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
