Latest news with #Crohn's&ColitisUK
Daily Mirror
20-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Nigerian-British woman makes history as UK's youngest mayor at just 29 years old
29-year-old Princess Opeyemi Bright has been inaugurated as the youngest mayor in the United Kingdom, holding the position of First Citizen of Barking and Dagenham in London A Nigerian-British woman has made history after she was elected the youngest mayor in the UK. Princess Opeyemi Bright now holds the esteemed position of First Citizen of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. The 29-year-old was officially inaugurated in a ceremony on Friday, May 16. It marks a new chapter for British politics and helps shine a light on and celebrate Nigeria and its history. In her inaugural address, Councillor Bright shared her vision of a civic leadership grounded in inclusivity, pride and community service. She said: "I believe in the power of community, the importance of tradition, and the need to inspire pride in the place we all call home." She continued: "As Civic Mayor, I am committed to being a voice that uplifts our borough — honouring local heroes, supporting charities, and forging deeper connections with residents, schools, and businesses." Born to Nigerian parents in Homerton Hospital, and a resident of Barking and Dagenham since 2009, the trailblazer was first elected as a Councillor in 2018 at the age of just 22. Over the years she has gone on to serve as a school governor, a board member of an NGO, and continues to be an inspirational mentor for students who aspire to be leaders and professionals themselves. Councillor Bright brings a wealth of experience in community engagement and public service, and as part of her mayoral duties will support two charities very close to her heart. The first is Ab Phab Youth Club, a local initiative that provides inclusive youth activities and support for disabled and non-disabled young people. And also Crohn's & Colitis UK, a national charity offering critical support and advocacy for people living with inflammatory bowel diseases. The new mayor was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in 2011 and said: "Through this partnership, I aim to raise awareness, advocate for better support, and bring hope to those affected." In a statement on the Barking and Dagenham Council website, a spokesperson stated: "During her mayoral year, Cllr Bright is committed to fostering a sense of unity and belonging across the borough. Her focus will be on inclusivity, dignity, and connection — making sure all residents, regardless of background, feel valued and seen. The council extends its heartfelt thanks to outgoing Mayor Cllr Moin Quadri for his dedicated service and congratulates Cllr Princess Bright on her appointment."
Wales Online
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Strictly Amy Dowden's 'absolute honour' after 'sweet' gesture at major royal event
Strictly Amy Dowden's 'absolute honour' after 'sweet' gesture at major royal event The Welsh star revealed she attended the floral event with her parents Amy Dowden attended the Royal Flower Chelsea Show where they launched the newest variety if sweet pea, which was named after her (Image: PA ) Strictly star Amy Dowden has spoken of the "absolute honour" of having a plant named after her at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The professional dancer from Caerphilly was presented with the sweet pea in a special event at the major royal event, and described it as a "sweet" gesture. English Sweet Peas officially launched their newest variety - Sweet Pea Amy Dowden, on Monday, May 19. The business revealed that 10% of every packet of 'Amy Dowden' would be donated to the dancer's two chosen charities - CoppaFeel!, which is a breast cancer awareness charity, and Crohn's & Colitis UK, which is a UK based charity dedicated to Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and other forms of inflammatory bowel disease. In a post shared on Instagram, English Sweet Peas said they were "extremely proud" to launch the special plant's name. In the caption, they added: "This sweet pea could not have been named after a more beautiful person and we are sure that you will all agree. We would like to personally thank Amy Dowden for taking the time to be here with us today." The Welsh star documented the event, which she attended alongside her parents, in a series of photos on her Instagram. In the caption, she wrote: "Today at The Royal Flower Chelsea show was the launch of the newest variety of sweet pea and named after me. Article continues below "What an absolute honour. Thank you English Sweet Peas. "The flower is so delicate, beautiful and smells so good. 10% of every pack sold will also be donated to my two charities Crohn's & Colitis UK and CoppaFeel. "Today really has been a perfect day and so happy I got to share it with my parents." Amy was diagnosed with Crohn's when she was 19 years old. Content cannot be displayed without consent In 2023, she faced a challenging time after being diagnosed with breast cancer, and underwent a mastectomy and intensive chemotherapy. Following her diagnosis, the dancer documented and candidly shared her cancer journey with fans on social media and on the small screen. In February 2024, she received the uplifting news of 'no evidence of the disease', but the ballroom expert has been unwavering in her commitment to raising awareness of the disease, providing regular heartfelt updates to her followers. It's been a busy year for the star so far, having completed her UK tour, Reborn, with close friend and fellow professional dancer Carlos Gu at the beginning of the year. Article continues below Not long after, it was confirmed that the star would be returning to BBC's Strictly Come Dancing later this year. The dancer had returned to the series last year following her health battle and was paired up with JLS' JB Gill but had to take a step back when she suffered an injury and was replaced by fellow professional dancer Lauren Oakley.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Amy Dowden supported over 'exciting' announcement linked to 'invisible illness'
Amy Dowden has been flooded with messages of praise and support as she made an announcement linked to suffering from an 'invisible illness'. The Strictly Come Dancing star has been living with Crohn's Disease since she was a teenager, and earlier this year, she was formally made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her work as a Crohn's & Colitis UK ambassador. Now, Amy teamed up with Crohn's & Colitis UK to launch a range of merchandise raising awareness of Inflammatory Bowel Disease which affects more than half a million people in the UK. READ MORE: The 20 countries that gave UK nul points in Eurovision 2025 - full list READ MORE: Britain's Got Talent's Alesha Dixon causes 'upset' over golden buzzer decision The Amy Dowden X Crohn's & Colitis UK: It Takes Courage range of t-shirts and tote bags is on sale from today, May 19th, which is World IBD Day. Amy's design features one of her favourite flowers, the sweet pea, surrounded by purple hearts, which are symbols of the Crohn's and Colitis community worldwide. Every item will be printed to order by Everpress Ltd and a minimum of 20% of the sales (excluding VAT) during the campaign will be donated to Crohn's & Colitis UK. "Raising awareness is vital and it takes real courage to live with Crohn's or Colitis every day, so I wanted to celebrate that with this design," Amy said in a statement. "I'm so proud to be an ambassador for Crohn's & Colitis UK. I'd say to anyone else with Inflammatory Bowel Disease that you might feel overwhelmed sometimes, but you're not alone. There's so much strength in the Crohn's & Colitis UK community and it's such an amazing charity." She also shared a message in a post shared by Crohn's & Colitis UK as she modelled the T-shirt range on Monday (May 19): "As it's World IBD Day, there's no better time to share some exciting news. "I'm so proud to have been invited to collaborate with @crohnsandcolitisUK to design their mfirst ever merchandise drop! This artwork means a lot to me, as I know all to well that it takes courage to live with IBD."I want to help Crohn's & Colitis UK spread the message, and now you can too! Our collaboration pieces are now live and available for pre-order. A minimum of 20% of the sales (excluding VAT) of the campaign will be donated by Everpress Limited to Crohn's & Colitis UK."Order your own by going to the link in the @crohnsandcolitisuk bio, under 'World IBD day' click 'Amy Dowden x Crohn's & Colitis UK' or visit I hope you love it as much as I do!" And the messages of support came flooding in. @angelinaballerina1607 said: "So proud of you, can't wait to get my hands on some." @ commented: "Brilliant partnership @crohnsandcolitisuk Well done Looks fab and wearable while raising positive awareness @ wrote: "Oh I love it." @countrylifewith__jo replied: "Beautiful @amy_dowden and fab attire." @amysdowdenn added: "Love these so cute." The Amy Dowden X Crohn's & Colitis UK: It Takes Courage range is available to buy online at and via the Crohn's & Colitis UK website
BBC News
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Strictly's Amy Dowden honoured at Buckingham Palace
Strictly Come Dancing's Amy Dowden has spoken about the "impact of chemotherapy" with King Charles as she was honoured at Buckingham 34-year-old from Caerphilly, who has Crohn's disease, was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to fundraising and raising awareness of inflammatory bowel who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023, described being presented with the honour by the King as being like an "out-of-body experience"."We spoke about my recovery from chemotherapy and the impact of chemotherapy on my body," she said. Dowden learned of her cancer diagnosis after returning from her honeymoon with husband Ben the BBC documentary Strictly Amy: Cancer And Me, she revealed that she had frozen some Royal Family has also publicly shared their cancer experiences, with Buckingham Palace announcing last year that the King has been treated for cancer while Catherine, the Princess of Wales revealed she was in remission from the disease in January after undergoing her cancer diagnosis, Dowden revealed in 2019 that she was living with Crohn's disease and spoke about her struggles with the condition in BBC documentary, Strictly Amy: Crohn's And years later, she was admitted to hospital in Manchester following a Crohn's flare-up while on the Strictly live tour. Dowden said being presented with her MBE "hasn't sunk in yet", adding that she was determined to continue her awareness and fundraising work for Crohn's and after the ceremony on Tuesday, Dowden said: "It's really surreal, it's been like an out-of-body experience but it is a true honour to get an MBE and I will forever do what I can to raise awareness and fundraise for Crohn's and colitis, and Crohn's & Colitis UK charity, and also, recently as well for breast cancer - getting as many people as I possibly can to check themselves as earlier detection saves lives."It's an incredible honour, and one that still hasn't sunk in yet." 'Normalising conversations' Asked what she was most proud of in her career, Dowden said she still could not believe she had become a British champion dancer with her said that, in addition to being the first ever Welsh professional dancer to join Strictly Come Dancing, "I'm also super proud of my documentaries I've made for Crohn's disease and breast cancer, and raising awareness and, obviously, getting an MBE".Marianne Radcliffe, chief executive of charity Crohn's & Colitis UK, said the dancer had helped "normalise conversations" about the conditions with her openness and honesty."People never used to talk about Crohn's or colitis, but Amy has really helped to normalise conversations about these conditions by being open and honest, and adding some of her trademark sparkle," she Radcliffe said that every year 25,000 people in the UK were told they had inflammatory bowel disease, and there would be many who felt less afraid about what lay ahead because of Amy Dowden's work."She has inspired so many with her determination and considerable achievements and we are proud to have Amy as a Crohn's & Colitis UK ambassador," she added. Composer honoured Composer Sir John Rutter said it was "very special" to receive a knighthood from King Charles at the ceremony on Tuesday because the King was a "music lover".Sir John, who is also a conductor, editor and arranger, was honoured for services to musician is best known for his choral compositions, including Christmas carols, anthems and extended works such as the Gloria, the Requiem and the has previously had works commissioned for major royal events including Queen Elizabeth II's golden jubilee, the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales in 2011 and the coronation of King Charles III.
The Independent
18-02-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Strictly's Amy Dowden discussed chemotherapy with Charles as she was made an MBE
Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden spoke about the 'impact of chemotherapy' with the King as she was honoured at Buckingham Palace, she said. The Welsh dancer, who has Crohn's disease, said being formally made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to fundraising and raising awareness of inflammatory bowel disease was an 'out-of-body experience' after the ceremony on Tuesday. In 2023, Dowden was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after returning from her honeymoon with husband Ben Jones and revealed in the 2024 BBC documentary Strictly Amy: Cancer And Me that she had frozen some embryos. The royal family has also publicly shared their cancer experiences, with Buckingham Palace announcing last year that Charles has been treated for cancer while the Princess of Wales revealed she was in remission from the disease in January after undergoing chemotherapy. Speaking after the ceremony, Dowden said she had spoken to the King about her recovery from cancer. She said: 'We spoke about my recovery from chemotherapy and the impact of chemotherapy on my body.' Before her cancer diagnosis, Dowden revealed in 2019 she was living with Crohn's disease and spoke about her struggles with the condition in a BBC documentary titled Strictly Amy: Crohn's And Me. Three years later, she was admitted to hospital in Manchester following a Crohn's flare-up while on the Strictly live tour. Dowden said being honoured 'hasn't sunk in yet' and that she was determined to continue her work raising awareness and funds for Crohn's and colitis. She said: 'It's really surreal, it's been like an out-of-body experience but is it true honour to get an MBE and I will forever do what I can to raise awareness and fundraise for Crohn's and colitis, and Crohn's & Colitis UK charity, and also, recently as well for breast cancer – getting as many people as I possibly can to check themselves as earlier detection saves lives. 'It's an incredible honour, and one that still hasn't sunk in yet.' Asked what she was most proud of in her career, Dowden said she still could not believe she had become a British champion dancer with her now-husband. She continued: 'Obviously, being the first ever Welsh professional dancer to join Strictly Come Dancing but I'm also super proud of my documentaries I've made for Crohn's disease and breast cancer, and raising awareness and, obviously, getting an MBE.' In a statement, Marianne Radcliffe, chief executive of charity Crohn's & Colitis UK, said the dancer had helped 'normalise conversations' about the conditions with her openness and honesty. She said: 'People never used to talk about Crohn's or colitis, but Amy has really helped to normalise conversations about these conditions by being open and honest, and adding some of her trademark sparkle. 'Every year, 25,000 people in the UK are told they have inflammatory bowel disease, and there will be many who feel less afraid about what lies ahead because of her work. 'She has inspired so many with her determination and considerable achievements and we are proud to have Amy as a Crohn's & Colitis UK ambassador.'
