Latest news with #LornaCampbell
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Pensioner ‘devastated' after losing his £17,000 retirement savings to ‘cowboy builder'
A pensioner says he has been left unable to 'trust anyone' after being scammed out of £17,000 by a cowboy builder. Eric Jordan, 70, was cold-called at his home in Kettering, Northamptonshire, in October 2024 by a builder who pointed out a loose ridge tile on his roof and offered to fix it for £3,000. After seemingly fixing the roof, Eric claims the builder then carried out additional work without permission, damaging the bathroom ceiling and leaving the house in a "right state". Despite the work being incomplete, Eric claims the builder then demanded £17,000, which Eric paid despite it being most of his retirement savings, forcing him to continue working. The builder soon stopped showing up to complete the work. A few weeks later, Eric said the builder returned, demanding an extra £10,000 in cash, which Eric refused to pay, and he has not heard from him since. Eric believes the botched job worsened his health, as he suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and was hospitalised for a week in November 2024 after struggling to breathe, which he attributes to the stress and the builder's failure to use dust sheets. His partner, Lorna Campbell, 69, who has been out of work since 2016 due to diabetic neuropathy, has also been very 'stressed' and said she hates her life because of 'what they did'. 'I'm just absolutely devastated, I'm lost for words – it's made me and my partner ill,' he said. 'We feel like we can't trust anyone. I was planning on retiring at the end of last year but now all this money has gone for nothing and I have to carry on working so we have enough money to live.' In October 2024, Eric stepped outside his house and saw a builder knocking on his neighbour's door. With no answer, the builder instead approached Eric and pointed out a ridge tile on his roof that was poking in the air, allowing water inside, which Eric had not noticed. Eric agreed for the builder to fix the roof, which ended up costing £3,000 and was completed without any issues. He said: 'There was definitely a tile sticking out, I just did not notice it until he pointed it out… I think he saw an easy target.' Then, Eric said the builder suggested additional work. Eric claims the builder said he noticed a piece of concrete missing on the gulley of his house and that he could 'repoint the walls' by scraping out the mortar from the bricks, and redoing it to look neater. Eric said that, without asking for permission, the builder proceeded with the work. 'Without saying yes or no, he started doing it, but he's ripping out the original plaster that was in the joints, and started just pushing stuff in it,' Eric explained. 'Basically, it looks like a right mess. 'I've got all one side of a wall that looks like a kid's been around there with Play-Doh and been filling in holes.' Despite his frustration, Eric asked the builder to fix a hole in the bathroom ceiling. 'He pulled at the hole, and pulled the rest of the ceiling down,' Eric said. 'He disconnected the electrics so the shower can't be used, and it was half painted, and there's dust everywhere – it's in a right state.' Lorna added: 'It's diabolical, when I go into the bathroom I want to scream…my life has gone from happiness to sadness because of this, I hate my life because of what they did, it's making me feel seriously ill. 'I'm fearful of them coming back or if I report them, what they'd do. 'They left plaster everywhere and there's still so much dust. 'We pulled up the carpet in there because they got plaster all over it.' Eric claims the builder then began demanding money before finishing the additional work. Feeling he had no choice, Eric paid a bill of £17,000, which was most of his savings. However, after receiving the payment, Eric said the builder stopped turning up. Eric said the builder returned to his door a few weeks later, demanding an extra £10,000 in cash, which Eric refused to pay. At the time, the builder parked his van outside Eric's home and police walking by asked him to move it, and the builder saw this as a sign to leave, driving off. Eric said police informed him they had contacted Trading Standards, having received multiple complaints about the builder in the area, and advised Eric to report any further contact. Eric said he has not heard from the builder since. He claims to have since discovered that several neighbours were also scammed by the same individual, who cannot be named for legal reasons. The individual has gone by many different names, closing down one business only to set up another, and Eric said one neighbour told him they understand the individual has even changed his legal name by deed poll. Eric said: 'He was also very careful to not give us anything with his name on it and he changed his phone number – he never came back to finish the work and we couldn't contact him.' In November, Eric said he was taken to hospital after he suddenly became unable to breathe – his partner called an ambulance, and he remained in hospital for one week. Eric has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and believes the stress and dust from the work triggered the episode – the builder did not put any dust sheets down while working. 'It was very scary, I literally could not get a breath,' Eric recalled. Eric's partner, Lorna, has been 'suffering a lot too' and is 'stressed' because she wants the work repaired and completed, but 'won't trust any builders'. In the meantime, Eric has set up a fundraising page to cover the costs of future repairs and get back some of the money 'wasted' on the builder who did not complete the work.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Just a dream': Volunteers enjoying chance to watch world-class curlers in Fredericton
Organizers are revelling in the opportunity to watch world-class curlers sweep the ice at Willie O'Ree Place as a pair of world championships unfold this week in Fredericton. A total of 67 teams representing 35 countries are competing in the world mixed doubles curling championship and the world senior curling championship until May 3. "To see these players live in person is just a dream," said Lorna Campbell, one of 190 volunteers working behind the scenes to stage the event. While she helps out with statistics and timing, Campbell is watching as the competitors in the mixed doubles championship also try to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. "I think as an athlete, I don't know that there's a bigger dream than that. So it's really fun to come and watch these curlers with so much on the line and see, hopefully, they'll make their dreams come true and get to the Olympics," she said. Volunteer Lorna Campbell is taking in the event as a volunteer and a fan. She watches curling on TV and is glad to have the opportunity to see the competition in person. (Ben Ford/CBC) Campbell's daughter Jenna, a young curler who hopes herself to compete for a spot in the Olympics Games some day, is also volunteering and has enjoyed seeing top curling talent up close. She said watching the competitors practise their routines will help improve her own game. "Getting to see them work so hard to achieve their dreams is really inspiring for me as a younger curler. So, I could definitely be in this position one day," she said. Event chairman Wayne Tallon has been part of the planning process since the World Curling governing body chose Fredericton to act as host of the championships more than a year ago. "Today the proof is in the pudding, everybody's very happy on the way things have gone," Tallon said Saturday. Stephen Muzzerall echoed those sentiments. The president of the Capital Winter Club, a curling rink on the south side of Fredericton, said this week's championships have put Fredericton "on the map" for hosting international events. Stephen Muzzerall, the president of the Capital Winter Club, is a volunteer for this week's curling championships. He says the event is putting Fredericton 'on the map.' (Ben Ford/CBC) Muzzerall, who said he first stepped on a sheet of curling ice when he was three years old, has enjoyed seeing senior competitors such as Scotland's Tom Brewster and Germany's Andy Kapp who he grew up watching. But he said it's also special to be able to watch the "next generation" of top-level curlers like the Canadian husband-and-wife team of Brett Gallant and Jocelyn Peterman in the mixed doubles championship. Gallant and Peterman have started the tournament with three consecutive victories, downing Germany, Denmark and Sweden.
CBC
27-04-2025
- Sport
- CBC
'Just a dream': Volunteers enjoying chance to watch world-class curlers in Fredericton
Teams from 35 countries are competing in 2 championships until May 3 Organizers are revelling in the opportunity to watch world-class curlers sweep the ice at Willie O'Ree Place as a pair of world championships unfold this week in Fredericton. A total of 67 teams representing 35 countries are competing in the world mixed doubles curling championship and the world senior curling championship until May 3. "To see these players live in person is just a dream," said Lorna Campbell, one of 190 volunteers working behind the scenes to stage the event. While she helps out with statistics and timing, Campbell is watching as the competitors in the mixed doubles championship also try to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. "I think as an athlete, I don't know that there's a bigger dream than that. So it's really fun to come and watch these curlers with so much on the line and see, hopefully, they'll make their dreams come true and get to the Olympics," she said. Campbell's daughter Jenna, a young curler who hopes herself to compete for a spot in the Olympics Games some day, is also volunteering and has enjoyed seeing top curling talent up close. She said watching the competitors practise their routines will help improve her own game. "Getting to see them work so hard to achieve their dreams is really inspiring for me as a younger curler. So, I could definitely be in this position one day," she said. Event chairman Wayne Tallon has been part of the planning process since the World Curling governing body chose Fredericton to act as host of the championships more than a year ago. "Today the proof is in the pudding, everybody's very happy on the way things have gone," Tallon said Saturday. Stephen Muzzerall echoed those sentiments. The president of the Capital Winter Club, a curling rink on the south side of Fredericton, said this week's championships have put Fredericton "on the map" for hosting international events. Muzzerall, who said he first stepped on a sheet of curling ice when he was three years old, has enjoyed seeing senior competitors such as Scotland's Tom Brewster and Germany's Andy Kapp who he grew up watching. But he said it's also special to be able to watch the "next generation" of top-level curlers like the Canadian husband-and-wife team of Brett Gallant and Jocelyn Peterman in the mixed doubles championship. Gallant and Peterman have started the tournament with three consecutive victories, downing Germany, Denmark and Sweden.
Boston Globe
18-04-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
40,000 bananas, 8 tons of paper cups, and a whole lot of emissions. Inside the Boston Marathon's climate footprint.
Then there are the runners themselves — so many runners, from so many places — traveling from around the world for the chance to run the iconic Add it all up, and not only is race weekend complicated — it's bad for the planet. The Boston Athletic Association, which hosts the In 2023, the association generated some 3,505 metric tons of carbon dioxide, according a Advertisement Those emissions are roughly the same as burning 4 million pounds of coal, or driving 9 million miles in a gas-powered car, according to a tool developed by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. In tackling those emissions, the race organizers are hoping to slash direct emissions from their operation to 42 percent below 2023 levels. 'This is us as the BAA wanting to be a leader in the marathon world and in mass participation sports, and to show that we can actually do more and have more of an impact in our sustainability efforts,' said Lorna Campbell, head of public relations for the association. Related : Advertisement To get there, the BAA has to take a holistic look at all the myriad things that together make up its emissions — energy to power offices, waste generated on race day, and gas-powered golf carts to shuttle volunteers and officials around, to name but a few line items. There are changes happening already to minimize the organization's carbon footprint, such as erecting solar panels on leased warehouse space and updated medals, which starting last year were made entirely from recycled plastic. At the weekend expo, many of the volunteers on site will model how to dispose of waste properly, and the nonprofit Sneakers4Good accepts donations of used running sneakers which are sent to developing countries for use. Last year, they collected 4,210 pairs of sneakers. The most immediate challenge will be tackling all the waste generated during race weekend. Between the race expo, the marathon, and the 5K, marathon weekend last year, 64.7 tons of waste were produced. That includes 17 tons of recycling and 18 tons of clothing — the various sweatshirts, pants, and other layers that are shed just before getting to the starting line — which were donated to Big Brothers, Big Sisters. Not to mention the cups. More than 7.7 tons collected during the 2023 marathon were diverted to compost. Empty water cups on the Boston Marathon course near a watering station in Wellesley, April 16, 2012. Michael Dwyer These changes make for a good start. But there's a long way to go. More than 99 percent of the BAA's carbon footprint comes from what's known as 'scope 3 emissions' — indirect emissions like those associated with purchased goods and services, like the 40,000 bananas shipped in from Ecuador for race weekend, or the buses used to get racers to the starting line. Those types of emissions are not included in the 2030 goal. Advertisement Erik Mohn, a vice president for sustainability at Schneider Electric, said they will be working with partners to address the supply chain, hoping to limit the emissions coming from packaging of bars included in the goodie bags, for instance, and other hand-outs. There are 'a whole host of supplier intervention measures that really help,' he said. That means partnering with the suppliers of food, tents, fences, barriers, bananas, T-shirts, and more. 'Across that gamut of suppliers, there's going to be opportunities for tangible, incredible GHG [greenhouse gas] reduction strategies.' One thing that hasn't been on the table: opting out of race shirts. That irks runner Caroline Staudt, who said that in 2013, distressed by the growing pile of race shirts accumulating in her closet, she told the volunteers at the marathon that she didn't want yet another. 'I think they called over three volunteers to try and understand what I was saying,' she recalled. 'They're like, What do you mean? You don't want it?' Staudt, who is a member of the group Green Runners, said she'd love to see Boston offer an option to opt-out when you register. 'These shirts matter to people, and I get that,' she said. 'But I also know that there are a lot of runners out there who run this every year, and they don't need 15 Boston Marathon shirts.' Related : There's also the elephant in the room: the travel. Advertisement The emissions from more than 26,000 runners traveling to the 2023 marathon added more than 52,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, equivalent to burning 58 million pounds of coal, about 15 times the other emissions associated with the BAA. According to a spokesman for Schneider Electric, those emissions were left out of the report because, under a United Nations emissions protocol, reductions in this category would be considered optional. In future years, the BAA may offer an option to offset their travel emissions. Traveling to any marathon comes at a cost to the climate. The challenge, said Walker Ross, a sports ecologist at University of Edinburgh, is that there's no 'magic bullet.' 'I think this is one of the really difficult things that sport has to reckon with in terms of its actual environmental impact,' he said. 'Sport, by its nature, requires us to all be in the same location.' Damian Hall, an ultramarathon runner and co-founder of Green Runners, pointed to another problem — the marathon's sponsor, Bank of America. 'They're sponsored by a bank that's third in the world for funding fossil fuels,' Hall said. 'All the event's sustainability measures are a waste of time until they bin their unethical sponsors.' When it comes to emissions it's not able to immediately eliminate, the organization will likely go the way of the Paris Marathon, which has been a leader on sustainability. As of 2019, the Paris Marathon was considered 'carbon neutral' because any of its emissions that weren't eliminated were offset through a partnership with the Advertisement The BAA will take similar steps, Mohn said. As they head into this weekend's events, Campbell, of the BAA, said it's all about first steps — getting an accounting done of their impacts and figuring out a path forward. Sabrina Shankman can be reached at
Boston Globe
31-03-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
The charity runners of the Boston Marathon go the extra mile
Send questions or suggestions to the Starting Point team at . If you'd like the newsletter sent to your inbox, . TODAY'S STARTING POINT Today we honor you, Boston Marathon charity runners. I see you. I'm one of you — kind of. I've run four marathons — Chicago, NYC, Philly, and NYC again — three of them for charities I care about: St. Jude, the Red Cross, and Sandy Hook Promise, plus a couple of It's my secret superpower: I'm no track star, and I'm not qualifying for anything except an AARP card at this point, but I like to raise money for good causes and move my legs while I'm at it. I'm slow, I'm steady, and I'm stubborn and shameless when it comes to asking for money for things that matter. Knowing the miles are adding up to something meaningful keeps me going. I want my kids to see me doing it. I want to do good where I can, instead of feeling like there's nothing I can do to change anything. I think I've raised roughly about $20,000 to help people. I'm proud of that. But here's the thing: I have never wanted to run Boston for charity. It's too scary! I don't think people really understand what an incredible commitment you all made when you applied to join your charity team and pledged to raise many thousands of dollars for your nonprofit organization in exchange for that Boston Marathon bib. The amount you have to raise for the incredible honor of running Boston is often higher than the minimum for most other prestigious marathons with a charity component. While the minimum is set by the charity you joined, in many cases you are committing to raise $7,500, $10,000, or more. Advertisement My brother and sister ran for Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital's team in 2017 and together had to raise at least $12,000 — $6,000 each, and largely from the same pool of family and friends. (That was practically a bargain. The minimum for this year's team Advertisement My siblings reached their goal — I helped them organize their fund-raisers, more thankful with every passing day that it wasn't my credit card on file — but it was hard and anxiety-inducing. But Spaulding has been there for my family and my brother, a wheelchair racer, a lot over the years, and so this was a labor of love. I know that for each of you, what you're doing is a labor of love, too. And let's not forget, this is on top of training to run an actual freaking marathon. You absolute beasts, you. I asked Lorna Campbell, the head of public relations for the Boston Athletic Association, how many charity runners would be on the course this year and how much they would raise. The numbers are astounding: There are 176 nonprofits with marathon teams for a total of 3,200 charity runners. (Another Advertisement So as you start to taper your runs in the next couple of weeks — and as your fund-raising deadline gets closer — just know we see you, we appreciate you, and we are cheering you on. In that spirit, your fans at the Globe have created a And maybe one day I'll be brave enough to follow in your footsteps. Your No. 1 fan, Chris Morris 🧩 5 Down: | ⛈️ 62° POINTS OF INTEREST The Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US. Maddie Meyer/Photographer: Maddie Meyer/Getty Boston and Massachusetts Fair fight: A youth jobs fair run by Mayor Michelle Wu's office was canceled over the weekend Sandra Birchmore: The federal government accuses a former Stoughton police officer of killing Birchmore, but the state medical examiner Hostile work environment: Patient attacks on health care workers have increased. A nurses union and hospital group Ramadan concludes: Thousands gathered at the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center in Roxbury to Catch up: As Karen Read prepares to stand trial again for allegedly killing her police officer boyfriend, Trump administration Intro to semantics: As universities change their policies Credit where due: Pro-Israel groups that created lists of pro-Palestinian activists they accuse of antisemitism are Trouble among friends: Trump threatened tariffs if Russia blocks a peace deal with Ukraine, saying he was 'pissed off' about Vladimir Putin's call for a new Ukrainian government. ( Lagging behind: As other Democrat-controlled states pass measures opposing Trump's actions, Massachusetts lawmakers Denied: Mike Waltz, Trump's national security adviser, says he's never met or spoken to Jeffrey Goldberg, the journalist Waltz accidentally added to a sensitive group chat. Goldberg says that's not true. ( Security guard: FDR started Social Security. His grandson, Boston lawyer Jim Roosevelt, The Nation and the World Left over: IVF patients confront an increasingly personal — and political — question: Voted down: Louisianans rejected all four of their Republican governor's proposed constitutional amendments, including one that would have made it easier to put minors in adult jails. ( Turkey unrest: Hundreds of thousands massed at a rally in Istanbul organized by the country's leading opposition party to oppose the arrest of its presidential candidate. ( Throwback: As Russia attacks Ukraine, Norway is reactivating Cold War-era military bunkers used for storing fighter planes. ( BESIDE THE POINT By Teresa Hanafin, Globe Staff 🗓️ Boston at a Bargain: 📺 This week's TV: Michelle Williams in 'Dying for Sex,' Kevin Bacon in 'The Bondsman,' 💰 Boomer bucks: Millennials could become the richest generation ever as they inherit a staggering amount of wealth from their parents and grandparents — the largest wealth transfer in history. ( 🥤 Popping: Those popular prebiotic drinks contain inulin, a fiber that's hard to digest and can cause bloating and maybe even cancer. ( Advertisement 🎸 Calming the chaos: Last year, Somerville's PorchFest clogged the streets of this 80,000-person city. This May, the music event 📕 Making choices: In her latest book, writer Maggie Smith says creativity in the craft of writing and in life both require imagination. ( 🎨 A sunny revelation: The new Van Gogh exhibit at the MFA glows with the 🌲 Rooted: An outdoors writer suggests that instead of burying bodies in a sterile cemetery, we should inter them in living forests. ( ☕️ Makeover: Vienna, replete with rich history, opulent architecture, and intellectual legacies, has undergone a 🪦 Epilogue: Stephen Bither's role in the Wicked Good Band — as its pianist, vocalist, business manager, van driver, and more — cemented his place in Maine's cultural landscape. He died at 76. ( Thanks for reading Starting Point. This newsletter was edited by ❓ Have a question for the team? Email us at ✍🏼 If someone sent you this newsletter, you can sign up for your own copy. 📬 Delivered Monday through Friday. Chris Morris can be reached at
