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Edinburgh Live
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Scottish singer Lulu makes rare admission on mental health and says 'it's scary'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Scottish singer Lulu is urging those suffering from mental health issues to open up about what they are experiencing ahead of her charity's first major event. Admitting 'it's scary', she claims the chats are important as mental health wasn't talked about when she entered the industry, reports the Daily Record. The singer will be leading the first significant event - a sponsored walk - on May 19 for her charitable fund Lulu's Mental Health Trust. The 76-year-old decided to set up this fund while writing her memoir that covered her 60 years in the music industry. She realised mental health was a major factor throughout her life, whether it was her own or a loved ones. She said: "The process of writing my memoir opened my eyes to the role that mental health has played in my life. Whether that's my own mental health, my loved ones, colleagues, whatever. "When I was first coming into the industry we didn't talk about it! But it's so important, and I want to give back. People will understand what I mean when they read the book I think… it's coming soon." Looking back on her career, she added: "It feels kinda full circle. I've supported lots of charities over the years and still do, but to be able to put this together myself and help make a difference is really touching. "We never talked about mental health or mental illnesses when I was growing up, I'm glad it's now something we're aware of. "It feels important to take a minute to look back at everything I've achieved and take time to think how I can use it to give back to those that need it." Lulu announced her new mental health charity was being set up in February after coming off the back of her Champagne For Lulu farewell show last year. For her charity's first major event, Lulu is set to lead a mammoth walk which starts in E1 0AQ at the school she filmed 'To Sir With Love' and finishes at the old Decca studio where she recorded 'Shout' in NW6 3AU. Throughout the walk, she will pass other places that are connected to her impressive six-decade career. When asked what she hoped people would take away from this campaign, she said: "The message we want to put out about how important it is to nurture and look after your mental health. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sentstraight to your messages. "If they take away anything, I'd love for it to be that there is help out there if they need it. If you're struggling please talk to someone. Talk to a friend, a family member, or someone trained in what to do and say. It feels scary, but you've got this." She added: "People have been so generous. I didn't expect so many people to sponsor me and it's only our first initiative! There will be more to come." At nearly £16,000 in sponsorship so far on her Just Giving page, you can sponsor Lulu and support her new charity at
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Runners raise more than £12,000 for charity in annual 10k
Runners raise more than £12,000 for charity in annual 10k More than 350 runners took part in the Watford 10k and Fun Runs on May Day to raise money for Watford Mencap. (Image: Watford Mencap) More than 350 runners took part in the Watford 10k and Fun Runs on May Day to raise money for Watford Mencap. The event, which has been running for more than 25 years and is sponsored by Warner Bros Studios Leavesden, was open to runners of all ages and abilities. Joe Farry was the first to finish, completing the course in 39 minutes and 20 seconds. The youngest runner was just two years old, while the oldest was 83. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement Many participants commented on the "lovely bluebells" as they ran through Whippendell Woods. The event was supported by more than 40 marshals and spectators, with an energetic warm-up led by Kaliedescope Dance. The event, which has been running for more than 25 years and is sponsored by Warner Bros Studios Leavesden, was open to runners of all ages and abilities. (Image: Watford Mencap)The event was attended by several local running and athletics clubs, including Watford Joggers, Watford Harriers, and Fordys Runs Running Club, as well as local Parkruns. Every participant received a medal from mayor Peter Taylor and a team of people who use Watford Mencap's services. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement The event raised more than £12,000 for Watford Mencap, a charity dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with learning disabilities and their families. This money will help provide vital services and make a positive difference in the lives of those who need it most. Every participant received a medal from mayor Peter Taylor and a team of people who use Watford Mencap's services. (Image: Watford Mencap) Anyone who would like to make a donation can do so by visiting the Just Giving page. Michelle Hamilton, fundraising manager at Watford Mencap, said: "The Watford 10k is such a special event. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement "We're grateful to all of our dedicated runners, supporters, volunteers, and sponsors. "It was particularly lovely to have so many community partners at the event – Up on Downs, Penniwells Riding for the Disabled, Watford FC Trust, Blue Tangerine Café – all committed to inclusivity and empowerment for all. "The local community are wonderful at helping us to raise vital funds so that we can provide personalised support for people with learning disabilities, enabling them to live the lives they want for themselves." The youngest runner was just two years old, while the oldest was 83. (Image: Watford Mencap) The charity's next run event is the Santa Dash on Sunday, December 7. To keep up to date about Watford Mencap's services, events, and news, email fundraising@
Scottish Sun
28-04-2025
- Scottish Sun
First picture of teenage boy who died after being struck by van on Scots road
A fundraiser has been launched to help cover funeral costs TRAGIC END First picture of teenage boy who died after being struck by van on Scots road Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A TEENAGE boy who died after being struck by a van on a Scots road has been named. David Bark, 18, passed away after being hit by a white Ford Transit van on the A75 near Carsluith, Dumfries and Galloway, on Friday, April 18. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up The lad, of Wigtown, was raced to hospital after he was struck at around 10.15pm that night. He was later transferred to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, where he sadly died eight days later on Saturday, April 26. A Just Giving fundraiser has been launched to help cover David's funeral costs. With hundreds of well-wishers contributing, it has racked up more than £2,000 and exceeded its initial target of £500 since yesterday. A 28-year-old man was driving the van at the time of the smash. He and another male passenger, 33, were not injured. The driver was arrested in connection with the incident. He has since been released pending further enquiries. Cops are continuing to probe the incident. Sergeant David Kerr said: 'Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the young man who has died. Two children have died in a horror 'run' car crash 'Our enquiries into the circumstances of this crash are ongoing and I would urge anyone in the area at the time, before and after the incident, to get in touch with us. 'I am also asking anyone who was in the area at the time and who has dash-cam footage that could assist to get in touch.' Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 3905 of Friday, 18 April, 2025.
The Guardian
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Eilish McColgan calls for passport ID to combat ‘faceless' social media bullies
Eilish McColgan has revealed that she has even been body-shamed by school teachers, as she called for social media companies to use formal identification to prevent the abuse she faces every day. But McColgan, who will make her London Marathon debut on Sunday, has vowed to defy the bullies by staying on social media even though she was accused of 'looking like a skeleton' and having anorexia when her mum, Liz, reposted a video of her training last month. 'Having a verified account where someone has to link their passport would make a big difference, because at the moment a lot of it is nameless and faceless,' said McColgan. 'I think they just assume you're like a robot. You're not actually a human. You're not a person. You don't have a mum, a dad, a partner who's going to read that sort of stuff. It's very bizarre. 'It affects my mum way more than it affects me. Whereas for me, I've become pretty numb to it. The only reason I call it out is that I have a lot of young kids who follow me, and I don't want them to think that the reason I'm breaking the British record, or I'm fast, is because I starve myself to do it or that skinny means fast.' However McColgan admitted that she was stunned that people who hadn't hidden their identities were also prepared to abuse her. 'I always find it bizarre when people have their name and face on there and they're fully brazen,' she said. 'One woman actually said something about my body shape, who was a teacher, and she had a young girl in her profile picture. So I wrote to her to say that the fact that you are openly writing this on my page as a school teacher with a daughter is a disgrace. And then obviously they vanish. They delete it because they panic. 'There was one guy who had three young daughters, and one of the comments he made was quite sexualized. I wrote back to him saying, 'Could you imagine someone saying this to your daughters?' They don't think. But despite all the abuse, McColgan insisted that she would stay on platforms such as Instagram. 'Someone said to me, you should just come off social media,' she said. 'But would you tell kids that if they get bullied at school to stop going? Or to stop doing what they enjoy because one person is ruining it for you? Why should I change what I do just because of somebody that's irrelevant for me? That is my mindset. 'I've had a couple of people message me saying they get bullied at school because of the way they look, so it's helped them,' added McColgan, whose non-profit Giving Back to Track helps young athletes. 'It gives them a little bit more confidence to fight their corner. So that's really the only reason I do call it out. 'I would have loved to have been able to pop Kelly Holmes a message. But it's also trying to get it across to the next generation that in order to get longevity in your career, your utmost priority is looking after your body. And it doesn't matter what these people online think. They're not your family, they're not your friends, they're people who are irrelevant. ' McColgan has set her sights on beating her mum's personal best of 2hr 26min 52sec in what will be her debut marathon. In reality she may run several minutes quicker, although she admits she is nervous about running the distance for the first time. 'I'm absolutely bricking it,' she said. 'I've never been this scared. It's just a complete unknown. I've run 21 miles in training. We've never got anywhere near 26, so what happens after 20 miles? I don't know, but there's 55,000 other people on the start line all thinking the exact same thing. 'I'm super nervous, but there's really an overriding feeling of excitement. I can't wait to be on the streets with people cheering us, and having that sort of buzz in a race.'
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
5 Ways Jeff Bezos Could Put His Billions Toward Fighting Climate Change
There are worse things to be than one of the richest people in the world, but considering the flack that Jeff Bezos gets for his estimated net worth of $189.4 billion (which changes day to day), his therapist (or team of therapists?) might disagree. When you're the current second-wealthiest human ever — behind first-place Elon Musk — people tend to ask you, 'Hey, why not share the love and you know, save the world?' Saving the world is too tall an order for even the richest person. However, around $200 billion from the Amazon founder could afford to solve — or at least make a serious dent in adjusting — a number of global crises. See Next: Read More: Back in 2020, Bezos put forth the $10 billion Bezos Earth Fund which is still active and aims to disburse the funds by 2030 to address climate change and nature-related issues. To date, $2.3 billion has been funded so far, which may indicate it is behind schedule in 2025, the technical halfway point. This fund serves as a commitment to fund scientists, activists, NGOs and other actors working to address climate change and protect nature. Here are a few ways Bezos is potentially putting billions to fight climate change. There are 733 million people in the world suffering from chronic hunger — with roughly just under 50 million of those folks being in the U.S. How much money would it take to solve this global problem? According to Global Giving, estimates range from $7 billion to $265 billion per year. Why such a wide range? Because every year brings its own diverse challenges from natural disasters to disease outbreaks and any one of them plays a chief role in the hunger crisis. For the sake of argument, let's just say it's a 'good' year for hunger and the cost to solve it is on the lower end, let's say $10 billion. Bezos could pay and still have well over $150 billion to his name, despite his fluctuating net worth. Find Out: Hand-in-hand with hunger is extreme poverty, and it's on the rise. According to the World Bank, approximately 700 million people, or roughly 8.5% of the global population, live in extreme poverty, defined as surviving on less than $2.15 per day. The math depends on location but to get out of being in what is considered extreme poverty, if 700 million people need a bump from $2.15 to $4, then $1.3 billion would be needed to close that gap. Bezos could front the cash and it would hardly affect his net worth at all. Across the globe, over 4 billion people do not have access to safely managed drinking water services. WRI research estimates that resolving the clean water crisis by 2030 would cost just more than 1% of the global GDP, or roughly 29 cents per person daily, from 2015 to 2030. That number would surely exceed Bezos' worth. However, for example, Bezos could manage the clean water crisis in the U.S. In Michigan, 140,000 Flint residents have been exposed to lead in their water supply. Replacing all lead pipes in municipal water systems across the country could cost somewhere between a few billion to $50 billion. Even if it cost him a full $50 billion to replace lead pipes and open up access to clean water in U.S. households, Bezos would still be one of the richest men in the world. Assuming that the pattern for plastic pollution in the ocean holds, the world could see 600 million metric tons clogging seas by 2040. Research from Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ found that if we overhauled the global plastic industry — the best way to stem the flow of plastic waste into the oceans — plastic pollution could be reduced by 80% over the next 15 years. The price tag on such an ambitious overhaul is an estimated $600 billion, which is actually $70 billion cheaper than not overhauling it, because of reduced use of virgin plastic according to some experts. It's too big a bill for even Bezos, but he could front a hefty deposit of say, $50 billion — or better yet, he could force Amazon to address its own plastics problem. Many climate scientists estimate that global warming could be halted for a cool sum of over $275 trillion. Or more accurately, the cost of addressing climate change and transitioning to a net-zero economy would range widely anywhere from $275 trillion in total to $38 trillion annually. These scientists in particular were looking at tackling the agricultural aspect of climate change, chiefly desertification. Not even Jeff Bezos can make much of a dent in that figure, so what could he do with his riches? Donating $10 billion toward climate action (as Bezos pledged via his Bezos Earth Fund initiative) is a good start, but how he spends the money is imperative. If he and some other uber-rich individuals like Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Larry Ellison teamed up on some of these issues, it could go a long way toward saving the planet. Caitlyn Moorhead contributed to the reporting for this article. More From GOBankingRates Trump Tells Sean Hannity Why He Took Away One of America's Favorite Tax Cuts 7 Tax Loopholes the Rich Use To Pay Less and Build More Wealth Salary Needed To Achieve the American Dream in the 50 Largest Cities How Much Money Is Needed To Be Considered Middle Class in Every State? This article originally appeared on 5 Ways Jeff Bezos Could Put His Billions Toward Fighting Climate Change
