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South Wales Argus
15-05-2025
- General
- South Wales Argus
Councillor Kate Thomas is appointed mayor of Newport
Councillor Kate Thomas was appointed as the 393rd mayor of the city in a ceremony at the Civic Centre. Councillor Thomas represents the Stow Hill ward. Originally from Birmingham, Councillor Thomas has always been proud of her father's Welsh roots and has maintained close ties with his family near the Ceredigion coast. She chose to settle in Wales and studied at the college campus in Allt-yr-yn. In 2000, she moved to Stow Hill with her two children and worked for various organisations, including a housing association's community services team, the National Autistic Society, and Newport Mind, before joining Gavo in 2005. Councillor Thomas has been a dedicated volunteer for 20 years with Llais, an independent organisation that provides a voice and advocacy for NHS and social care users. She successfully ran for council in 2012, the last time a woman held the post of mayor, making her year particularly significant. Councillor Kate Thomas has been named as the first female mayor of Newport since 2012 (Image: Newport City Council) Councillor Thomas said: "Newport has fantastic people, an incredible history and with features like the river, the Victorian parks and the wetlands, it is an amazing place to live, work and get out and about in. "We have so much to be proud of; Newport is growing and its people are great!" She is deeply honoured to represent the people of Newport as mayor and looks forward to meeting many of the groups supporting people across the city, as well as old and new friends, during the coming year. Councillor Stephen Marshall was chosen as deputy mayor, with his mother Sylvia serving as deputy mayoress. The mayor's chosen charities, BookTrust and Little People UK, both play significant roles in their respective fields. BookTrust has been around for more than a century and is the UK's largest children's reading charity. It helps millions of children read each year, especially those from low-income families or vulnerable backgrounds. BookTrust Cymru works in partnership with Newport's libraries, health visitors, early years settings, and schools to deliver bilingual programmes that encourage and support family reading for young children. Little People UK is a registered charity that provides support and information to people of short stature and their families. Danielle Webb, from Newport, has been a major force in raising awareness of the issues faced by the thousands of people affected in the UK. The charity is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with dwarfism, offering friendship, support, and advice to all little people in the UK. Retiring mayor Councillor Ray Mogford and mayoress Sallie Mogford were thanked for their year of service.
South Wales Argus
14-05-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
‘Fierce' and ‘forthright' councillor becomes city's new mayor
Cllr Kate Thomas took up the role as Newport's 393rd mayor at a ceremony on Tuesday May 13, and amended the words of her official oath, declaring she would serve 'the people of Newport' as well as King Charles III. After moving to the city in 2000, Cllr Thomas was elected to represent the Stow Hill ward in 2012 – which was also the last time Newport had a female mayor. 'Newport has fantastic people, an incredible history and with features like the river, the Victorian parks and the wetlands, it is an amazing place to live, work and get out and about in,' said Cllr Thomas. 'We have so much to be proud of – Newport is growing and its people are great.' Cllr Thomas' mayoral charities for the coming year are Book Trust Cymru and Little People UK. Announcing the nomination, council leader Cllr Dimitri Batrouni said Cllr Thomas is 'fierce, forthright and will hold her ground – that sounds like Newport to me'. Opposition group leader Cllr Matthew Evans congratulated Cllr Thomas on having the 'great honour to serve the people of Newport'. He said Cllr Thomas had 'always made an active contribution to debates', and her 'passion is there for all to see'. Outgoing mayor Cllr Ray Mogford reflected on the 'incredible honour' of representing Newport that he and wife Sallie felt during the past year, and meeting 'so many people doing fantastic work' across the city. Some £17,000 has been raised for Cllr Mogford's mayoral charities, Sparkle and the Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA). Cllr Stephen Marshall was chosen as the deputy mayor, succeeding Cllr Chris Reeks.
The Guardian
14-04-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Warwick Davis's wife Samantha died hours before hospital discharge, inquest finds
The actor and campaigner Samantha Davis, the wife of Harry Potter star Warwick Davis, died after suffering a cardiac arrest hours before a hospital was planning to discharge her, an inquest has found. Davis, who co-founded Little People UK – the dwarfism charity known as 'an essential resource for little people and their families' – died aged 53 at London's University College hospital on 24 March last year. Prof Fiona Wilcox, of Inner West London coroner's court, concluded during Davis's inquest on Monday that she had died of arrhythmic cardiac arrest after complications of essential surgical treatment. Davis was admitted to hospital on 7 February last year following a sudden loss of mobility in her lower limbs after a disc prolapse. On 20 February, and then again on 14 March, she had a thoracotomy operation – a surgical procedure where the chest wall is opened. Upon the second surgery, her condition improved and the University College hospital at Westmoreland Street was planning to discharge her, the inquest heard. However, Davis went into cardiac arrest at 11.25pm on 23 March and was pronounced dead in the early hours of the morning on 24 March, following a failed resuscitation attempt. Wilcox said: 'I am satisfied that the medical cause of death should be arrhythmic cardiac arrest and complications following left thoracotomies. 'In my view, the stress of everything together has precipitated this arrhythmic cardiac arrest in a lady who was not known to have any previous arrhythmia problems.' According to Wilcox, Davis had achondroplasia, a bone growth disorder that results in dwarfism, which was 'complicated by very severe spinal problems' requiring multiple surgeries from 2016. The coroner said: 'In my view, if this compression hadn't occurred, Ms Davis simply wouldn't have been so unwell. She wouldn't have needed two lots of major surgeries.' She commended the 'excellent care' provided by the hospital, noting that it was 'frankly heartbreaking' that the surgery itself was successful only for complications to arise and to cause her death. Upon her death last year, Samantha Davis was described by her husband as 'the greatest love of his life'. Speaking about his wife, he said: 'She was a unique character, always seeing the sunny side of life. She had a wicked sense of humour and always laughed at my bad jokes. 'Without Sammy, there would have been no Tenable quizshow, no Willow series. No Idiot Abroad series 3.' Warwick Davis said Samantha was his 'most trusted confidante and an ardent supporter of everything I did in my career' and that having her by his side felt 'like having a superpower'. He dedicated his Bafta film fellowship award to his wife during an emotional tribute at the ceremony in February. Additional reporting: PA Media
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Warwick Davis's wife died after cardiac arrest
Samantha Davis, the actress and wife of Warwick Davis, died after suffering a cardiac arrest hours before a hospital was planning to discharge her, an inquest has found. Ms Davis died aged 53 at University College Hospital in London on 24 March last year. She had been admitted to hospital on 7 February following a sudden loss of mobility in her lower limbs after a disc prolapse. The inquest at Inner West London Coroner's Court concluded Ms Davis died of arrhythmic cardiac arrest following complications of essential surgical treatment. Ms Davis had undergone a thoracotomy operation - a surgical procedure where the chest wall is opened - in the February before her death. Her condition improved following a further thoracotomy a month later and the University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street was planning to discharge her, the inquest heard. However, Ms Davis went into cardiac arrest at 23:25 GMT on 23 March and was pronounced dead at 00:28 on 24 March following a failed attempt to resuscitate her. Professor Fiona Wilcox, senior coroner for Inner West London, said: "I am satisfied that the medical cause of death should be arrhythmic cardiac arrest and complications following left thoracotomies. "In my view, the stress of everything together has precipitated this arrhythmic cardiac arrest in a lady who was not known to have any previous arrhythmia problems." Prof Wilcox said Ms Davis had achondroplasia, a bone growth disorder which results in dwarfism, that was "complicated by spinal cord compression". The coroner said: "In my view, if this compression hadn't occurred, Ms Davis simply wouldn't have been so unwell. "She wouldn't have needed two lots of major surgeries." Discussing the care she received in hospital, Prof Wilcox said: "I have found nothing but excellent care being delivered to this lady and all of her complications were appropriately managed. "It is frankly heartbreaking that the surgery itself was successful only for complications to arise and to cause her death." 'I miss her hugs': Warwick Davis's tribute to wife Hospice charity pays tribute to Samantha Davis Together with her husband, Ms Davis co-founded the charity Little People UK in 2012 to help individuals with dwarfism and their families. The couple starred together in Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, where Ms Davis played a goblin. Mr Davis, known for his roles in Star Wars and the Harry Potter films, dedicated his Bafta film fellowship award to Ms Davis during an emotional tribute at the ceremony in February. He said "life has been pretty tough" since she died, and "she was always so supportive of my career, encouraging me to grab every opportunity with both hands". The couple met during the filming of 1988 fantasy movie Willow. They married in 1991 and have two children. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to West London Coroner's Court
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Warwick Davis' wife's cause of death revealed as arrhythmic cardiac arrest
Warwick Davis' wife's cause of death has been revealed as arrhythmic cardiac arrest. Samantha Davis died aged 53 on 24 March, 2024, and an inquest on Monday (14.04.25) at Inner West London Coroner's Court heard the actress – who had the achondroplasia form of dwarfism – underwent a thoracic discectomy at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London on 20 February 2024 and passed away following complications linked to her spinal surgery. The procedure, intended to address semi-paralysis in her legs, involved cutting through her ribs and deflating a lung. Post-surgery, she suffered a haemothorax, leading to the drainage of approximately one litre of fluid. She was then transferred to University College London Hospital for observation. After a second haemothorax in March, Samantha showed signs of improvement and was scheduled for discharge on 24 March. However, she went into cardiac arrest shortly before midnight on 23 March and was pronounced dead in the early hours of the following day. Resuscitation efforts lasted 53 minutes. Pathologist Dr John Firth attributed her death to a left haemothorax resulting from surgical complications, noting the presence of over 700ml of blood and clots. However, some medical professionals offered differing opinions. Cardiothoracic surgeon Mr David Lawrence stated a chest x-ray taken the day before her death appeared satisfactory and suggested that the bleeding was more likely caused by CPR. Consultant spinal surgeon Mr Adrian Casey, who performed the discectomy, remarked such blood loss was 'unlikely to cause death' and described the cause as 'somewhat unexplained'. Dr Katherine Hunt, UCLH's clinical lead for resuscitation, said Samantha's bleed was more likely a result of CPR and identified signs of an abnormal heart rhythm on the defibrillator rhythm strip. Senior Coroner Professor Fiona Wilcox concluded the actress passed away from arrhythmic cardiac arrest following complications from spinal surgical treatment. She stated: 'On the balance of probabilities, the stress of her surgeries and the complications that arose precipitated the arrhythmia.' Professor Wilcox emphasised Samantha received 'nothing but excellent care' and added: 'All of her complications were appropriately managed. It's heartbreaking that the surgery was successful only for complications to arise and cause her death."' Warwick, 55, and his family, represented by medical negligence lawyers, attended the inquest seeking clarity on the circumstances surrounding Samantha's death. In a statement released through their solicitors, the family expressed hope the inquest would provide them with answers and thanked everyone for their kindness and well-wishes. Samantha, who co-founded the charity Little People UK in 2012, met Warwick in 1988 on the set of the film 'Willow'. They married in 1991 and had two children, Annabelle, 27, and 21-year-old Harrison. The couple experienced the loss of two sons – Lloyd, who died at nine days old in 1991, and George, who was lost during pregnancy.
