Latest news with #Elen
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Drugs 'ruined our lives' as calls made for support
Warning: this article refers to drugs and drug taking throughout More funding is needed to support centres in Wales helping people with addiction, sector leaders have said. One service user at Penrhyn House in Bangor, Gwynedd, which helps people battling addiction said they were now 90 days sober from cocaine thanks to its help, describing the centre as a "life-saver". Figures show the number of people in Wales who were referred to recovery services has decreased over the last two years, but the chair of a cross-party Senedd group said the figures were not a fair reflection of the struggles in communities. The Welsh government said it was investing more than £67m to improve support services and to reduce the number of future drug-related deaths. Drug rooms could save Wales addicts' lives - claim Children criminalised by drug trade, says ex-addict Town's addicts struggling to get drugs, police say But a Penrhyn House leader said a long-term investment plan was needed to keep people from relapsing. The facility has offered guidance and support to people dealing with substance and alcohol addiction over the last 10 years as well as helping individuals in the community. Arwel Wyn Griffith, 35, from the Caernarfon area, said he had been fighting a cocaine addiction for 17 years after he started taking the Class A drug as a teenager. "I suppose as a youngster I enjoyed it," he told Newyddion S4C. "Soon after, at the age of 21, I realised I had an issue with it - I couldn't stop and my friends could stop. "It was extremely bad, I didn't have any life at all and I was just locked in my room all the time. Sometimes I'd be crying on the way to pick it up but I'd still use it. "It broke my family up." Arwel is now 90 days sober and said coming to Penrhyn House had changed his life. He added: "It's been a life-saver for me, it's changed my life around in a short space of time and I can't thank the place enough." As a couple, Mark and Elen are are also on a similar journey but have now successfully been sober for more than two years. "We took amphetamine for about 12 years and it ruined our lives and had a massive impact," said Elen, 35. "I didn't sleep, I couldn't function properly and I was always ill." Mark, 47, said the addiction was "stupidly hard". "It would be all day, everyday… make some money... go get some more drugs... it was just constant". Describing their experience, they also said Penrhyn House and the North Wales Recovery Communities (NWRC) network, which supports people to keep sober, had been a lifeline. Penrhyn House is operated by the NWRC, which received £94,420 from the Welsh government-funded North Wales Area Planning Board for 2025-2026. "This is my second home," said Mark, talking about the centre. "You come here and everyone is on the safe recovery path as you." Mark said without the centre he would not have been able to become sober, adding: "Literally the best thing I ever did was walk through that door." Penrhyn House has helped hundreds of people get clean and stay sober since opening. The service is 80% self-sufficient with its funding but its director of operations James Deakin said more needed to be done to fund services helping people with their recovery. He added staying sober was the "hard part" for many. Figures published on Wednesday by the Welsh government showed the number of referrals made to drug and alcohol treatment agencies in Wales had fallen overall over the last two years. There were 7,370 referrals from October to December 2022, rising to 8,124 from January to March 2023, compared to 6,658 from October to December 2024. But Peredur Owen Griffiths, chairman of the cross-party Substance Use and Addiction Group in the Senedd, said the figures did not reflect the true picture across Wales. He said while it was good the numbers were decreasing, questions needed to be asked about why, adding: "Are there less services? "Are people not being signposted to these services? "From speaking to people in the sector they are busier than ever and that to me means people are still suffering." A Welsh government spokesperson said every drug related death was "a tragedy". "We currently invest more than £67m to improve support services for those affected and reduce the number of future deaths, including more than £8.8m for support services in north Wales," they said. "Our approach to tackling drug misuse encompasses prevention, treatment, and recovery support, focusing on improving health outcomes and overall reducing harm." They added the Welsh government was working with health boards, local authorities, Public Health Wales and police to reduce the harm caused by drug and alcohol misuse. If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this story, support and advice is available via the BBC Action Line.
BBC News
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Osprey couple return to their nest for a third year in a row
Are you ready for a beautiful but rocky love story? This pair of ospreys, named Aran and Elen, have been reunited for a third year in a row after returning to Porthmadog in Gwynedd, North it hasn't been plain sailing... The birds of prey are thought to have migrated to West Africa for the colder winter months and have now returned to their newly restored nest, where conservationists are hoping they will create more new life. Ospreys are known to mate for life, and this couple raised two chicks in their first year together and three more last year. How did Aran and Elen meet? Aran, the male osprey, has been a resident in the Glaslyn Valley for over 11 years. He was previously partnered with another female called Mrs was one of the UK's most successful breeding female ospreys but is thought to have died in observing Aran via a webcam above the nest said he was really sad to not see his long-term partner return from migration. He was said to have spent many months alone on their nest, but he was then introduced to Elen, a new female. She took over as the dominant female in the area, and it wasn't long before Aran and Elen became parents. Three years later, they are still going strong and recently returned from migration separately, three weeks apart. However, it was a rocky reunion. Elen arrived back at the nest first (in March), and Aran returned three weeks later to find another male osprey attempting to charm Elen in his absence. Aran then started bringing Elen lots of fish to eat in order to win back his companion and stake his claim on the nest. It worked, and Aran and Elen have been happily nesting ever since. Osprey numbers are on the rise after successful breeding programmes across the UK - mostly in Scotland. According to the Dyfi Osprey Project, there are thought to be around 300 pairs of ospreys in the UK.
BBC News
14-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Glaslyn ospreys reunite in Wales for third year together
A pair of ospreys have reunited for a third year after returning from winter and Elen have both returned to their newly-restored nest near Porthmadog in lovebirds raised two chicks in their first year together and three last majority of UK ospreys migrate to western Africa, more than 3,000 miles away, before returning to the UK in the spring. Aran, named after the Eryri National Park's Yr Aran summit, was previously partnered with Mrs was one of the UK's most successful breeding female ospreys but failed to return from Africa in was devastated, spending much of his time alone on the nest before being partnered up with Elen who took over as the Glaslyn was named after the mountain Yr Elen, which sits in Eryri's Carneddau range. Elen arrived back in Glaslyn Valley three weeks ago on March 22, according to osprey protection group Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn who is celebrating his 11th year at Glaslyn, arrived three weeks later but was surprised to find Elen being courted by a new has had to regain control of his territory since returning by bringing fish to Elen in order to re-establish his suitability as her to the Dyfi Osprey Project there are an estimated 300 pairs of ospreys in the are approximately 270 pairs of ospreys in Scotland, around 25 pairs in England and five pairs in fans will recognise the name as one of the four professional rugby union teams in bird of prey was formerly a symbol on Swansea RFC's jerseys with the current Ospreys logo displaying an image of an osprey mask.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Traitors' Elen Wyn shares behind the scenes detail about BBC show she's 'grateful' for after castle 'struggles'
Welsh The Traitors contestant Elen Wyn, competed in the most recent series of the hit BBC show and was best known for her almost spot-on suspicions about strong female traitors and teaching the other contestants the Welsh language. Now the 25-year-old who lives in Cardiff has shared behind the scenes details how she was looked after by the welfare team on the show. Speaking about the duty of care she was offered on the show as a result of the team being aware of her having endometriosis, Elen said: 'The producers and the welfare team up in Inverness were amazing with me because they were aware that I had endometriosis. 'They were very accommodating. I told them exactly what I like to consume on a day-to-day basis, and they did accommodate me to the best of their ability, and I'm really grateful for that.' READ MORE: The Traitors star Elen Wyn receives incurable diagnosis after desperately seeking help READ MORE: The two amazing Welsh restaurants stunning TV stars and celebrity chefs The series finale saw Jake Brown and Leanne Quigley as the last two standing and were able to split the prize pot equally, which saw them take home £47,300 each. Unfortunately Elen, who said she was going to use the prize money on surgery to remove her endometriosis had she won, was the second contestant to be banished. She said: 'Being in the castle itself, that game was not for me. I did struggle in there. 'However, I have met the most amazing people. It was the nature of the game that didn't suit me, but the actual people in there were amazing on and off camera. 'That cast, there were so many amazing people in there. I've made friends for life and I have so much love for them, you wouldn't believe.' Since the show Elen has gone on to build quite the platform, whether that be fans of her on the reality show or from raising awareness of endometriosis on social media since the series aired. She explained: 'I will forever be so grateful for the producers who believed in me and got me on the show. I'm so very grateful for the opportunities that have come since January because of the traitors. I wasn't expecting it at all. 'I gained quite a big following, which I wasn't expecting, and I decided I wanted to do something good with it.' The translator has decided to post endometriosis content on social media throughout March, Endometriosis Awareness Month, to highlight the debilitating condition which around 1.5 million of women and those assigned female at birth in the United Kingdom are diagnosed with. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter Keep an eye out for our big interview with Elen about her endometriosis, how she copes with the condition and how she beiieves Wales could improve its diagnosis levels will be released this weekend to promote Endometriosis Awareness Month.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The Traitors' Elen has opened up about her stage 4 endometriosis
Elen Wyn, the lovely Welsh translator who appeared in the most recent series of The Traitors, is using her growing social media platform to speak about her tough experience of being diagnosed – and living – with stage 4 endometriosis. In a new TikTok video with the following words on screen, Elen looked downcast and contemplative: "My brain after finding out I have stage 4 endometriosis and it's spread to my bowel, bladder, kidney, ovaries and fallopian tubes after spending 10 years asking for help." Endometriosis is a condition that sees cells similar to those found in the lining of the womb growing elsewhere in the body, such as the bladder and bowel. Symptoms can hugely vary from person to person but may include extremely painful periods, deep fatigue, bladder issues, trouble conceiving and pain during sex. It's estimated that around 1.5 million people in the UK have endo, but the real figure could be much higher – as sadly, like Elen, for far too many it takes years to receive a formal diagnosis despite repeatedly asking for help. In fact, one recent study from the charity Endometriosis UK unearthed that the average diagnosis time in the UK is now nearing nine years, a number which has actually gone up in spite of pushes for greater awareness. Elen captioned her TikTok upload with an inspiring message: "keep pushing if you're suffering 🤍" Responding to one comment which asked whether an MRI would help with getting a diagnosis, Elen said she received her endometriosis diagnosis following a laparoscopy (a type of keyhole surgery). "They found nothing in my MRI so I had to push for a laparoscopy after this," she commented, before adding "Hope you get the answers you need." Her recent post isn't the first time Elen has spoken about endo online either; in a previous video she opened up about not wanting to be prescribed contraceptive pills in order to possibly alleviate some endo symptoms, but rather just wanted her condition treated. Often, those with endometriosis find their symptoms are relieved following successful surgery, however, as Cosmopolitan UK recently reported, the wait list is long and many women have gotten into debt after paying to go private. You Might Also Like A ranking of the very best hair straighteners - according to our Beauty Editors Best party dresses to shop in the UK right now 11 products you'd be mad to miss from the Net A Porter beauty sale
