Latest news with #Loudon
The Citizen
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Mount Edgecombe resident strides to double gold
ON the surface the sport of race walking seems fairly straightforward; athletes must swiftly walk to the finish line across varying distances. However, there is more to the sport than meets the eye. The technique involved in race walking is equally important as athletes must have at least one foot in contact with the ground during their strides. They also are not allowed to bend the knee of their advancing leg – it has to be straight. Also read: Mount Edgecombe resident to raise funds on the run at Comrades Athletes also risk being disqualified by eagle-eyed judges who hold up paddles with symbols indicating which rule they've broken. It is for this reason that the achievements of Mount Edgecombe resident Caryn Loudon are incredible. The 59-year-old recently competed at the SA Masters Athletics (SAMA) Track and Field Championships in Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape. Loudon, representing KZN, won gold in the 5km and 10km race walking events in her age group (55-59). She finished the 5km race in 34 minutes and her 10km race in one hour, 10 minutes. 'I was really happy with my times. I managed to shave four minutes off in the 10km event so I achieved a personal best (PB), which was so rewarding. Overall the championships were incredible, the conditions worked in my favour as it was a little cooler and there was a bit of a breeze. We also had a break between the 5km and 10km events; normally at SA champs you are taking on both events a day apart,' she explained. Also read: Durban North resident crowned SA blackball champ Now a member of Riverside Harriers Athletics Club, Loudon's foray into Race Walking came at the Athletics North Club based at Crusaders. 'It was after the birth of my second child and I was looking for a way to lose a bit of weight and keep fit. I would join the club walks and eventually they encouraged me to take on the time trials. I tried and my coach said I had actually completed a KZN qualifying time and he encouraged me to compete in the masters division. I sort of fell into it and 20 years later I've competed at close to 16 SA Masters championships,' she said. For more from Northglen News, follow us on Facebook , X or Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
STV News
5 days ago
- Politics
- STV News
SNP candidate: 'It's fair to say people are scunnered'
The SNP candidate in the upcoming Hamilton, Larkhall, and Stonehouse by-election has said 'it's fair to say people are scunnered'. There's just a week to go until voters head to the polls to select their new MSP next Thursday, June 5. With First Minister John Swinney calling the by-election a 'straight contest' between SNP and Reform, Katy Loudon claimed that Labour are 'pretty much invisible in terms of their candidate'. 'They've been through all these years of Tory austerity and the way the UK Labour Government have conducted themselves in these months since coming into power – whether it's cutting winter fuel payment or not compensating WASPI women – people are scunnered with that,' she said. 'There's an awful lot of anger out there. 'I can understand why people are feeling scunnered but it's a vote for the SNP that will stand up against those cuts.' Speaking about her platform, Loudon said she wants to listen to 'as many people as possible' and become a 'real champion for this community'. Loudon avoided naming Reform as her biggest challenger, but she did urge people who are concerned about the party's rising popularity to vote SNP. 'If you are worried about Reform here, if you're worried about their rhetoric, if you're worried about their lack of policies or their comments on the NHS, or if you don't want to wake up on June 6 with a Reform MSP, then you should vote SNP in this election,' Loudon said. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Irish Times
18-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
From berets to top hats, the Tallaght man who stays motivated by his passion for preserving an ancient craft
Dubliner Mark Saunders from Tallaght has lived in France for 30 years having moved there with his French wife in 1995 and settling in the southwest of the country. He is known for rescuing Laulhère, the oldest and last authentic French company making berets. It has used ancestral techniques to craft its items since 1840. Having gained experience in other French headwear companies, he was hired to restructure the factory and rebuild Laulhère in 2012. As sales and marketing director, his priorities were to save the French-made product and make it profitable, which he did over the following eight years. The company is the official beret supplier to the French military. It sells thousands of berets every year, not only to the fashion industry but to armies in Senegal, Chad and Kurdistan as well as to the Dubai police. Following this success, Saunders was hired in 2020 as director general of Complement Europe in Loudon, France. His objective was to rescue another historic French hat-making company in difficulty called Fléchet. The biggest hat-making company of its kind in the country, it has a history of craftsmanship going back to 1859. READ MORE Over a period of four years, he and his team restructured the company and left it in good health. Its headwear, which is hand-crafted in France and elsewhere in Europe, includes Panamas, felt hats, berets and top hats. These items are now exported worldwide. Now, in the latest step in his career, he has taken over Christys Hats, the oldest and largest hat-making company in the world with a history dating back to 1773. We made all the Peaky Blinders hats and 250 for all the crew members — Mark Saunders Renowned for its handmade British bobby police helmets and top hats, it also supplies the British royal family and Ascot. Saunders acquired Christys in a deal leveraged with Libertys of London in November. Libertys, a heritage brand itself which bought the celebrated British brand in 2011, didn't want prospective buyers to move production to China. 'For once in my life, the company is mine and the plan is to make sure Christys is profitable and in good working order,' Saunders says. 'Libertys knew my track record and that I would never want to close down the factory, so they reduced the selling price to a point where I could make it happen'. Part of his plan is to open franchise stores. One has opened in central London, another in Madrid and one is due to open shortly in Brisbane. 'We follow the racing circuit,' he explains, pointing out how necessary it is to keep the base core. By this, he means the great dedicated hat shops in Europe. 'There are 90 in France, 80 in Germany and about 300 in Europe, so it is not a big market'. Christys hats continue to make their mark and not just at Ascot and royal weddings. He adds: 'We made all the Peaky Blinders hats and 250 for all the crew members (of the drama series). We made hats for Downton Abbey and more than 30 movie productions. 'All the hats – police helmets, top hats and fedoras – are made by hand, so it is time consuming, with original 18th century machinery that cannot be modernised. Most of the workers have been there for 20 to 30 years." Their social welfare systems work and though the French pay as much tax as the UK, they get something back — Mark Saunders The factory is based in Witney, in the Cotswolds. 'Real Agatha Christie country,' he says. Home is a restored mill near Nay in southwest France. However, Saunders is currently commuting between Chinon, where he has lived for the past four years working for Flechet in a rented farmhouse, and Oxford. It's a seven-hour journey by car. [ An Irish woman in Peru: 'I found it easy setting up a business here' Opens in new window ] [ The Irish man who bought a home in the US after winning $100,000 on NFL fantasy football Opens in new window ] Married to Edwige Olibet, the couple have four boys all in their 20s and working, except for the youngest, who is studying to be a chartered accountant. Saunders hopes he will come into business with him one day when qualified. 'Oxford is beautiful, but I love France and the pace of life. Priorities are different in France, not motivated by money but by what is important – family and life. 'Their social welfare systems work and though the French pay as much tax as the UK, they get something back and don't have to wait for a doctor for 12 hours. It's a different mindset.' He compares historic brands to castles or stately homes. 'You never really own them; you are the caretaker. 'We are literally dinosaurs on the verge of extinction, but I hope Christys will see another 250 years. I love what I do and taking on these challenges is how I keep motivated. I am 56 now and see this as the last chapter in my career.'
Daily Record
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
SNP by-election candidate accuses Labour Government of 'balancing the books' on backs of poor
In a wide-ranging interview, Katy Loudon also spoke about assisted dying and controversial plans by the SNP Government in Lanarkshire for the NHS. The SNP candidate in the Hamilton by-election has accused the Labour government of 'balancing the books' on the backs of the poor. Wannabe MSP Katy Loudon blasted Labour over cuts to winter fuel payments and disability benefits, accusing her Labour rival of silence. The 45 year old also revealed she would have voted for the assisted dying bill debated by MSPs this week. Voters in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse will choose a new MSP on June 5th in a by-election triggered by the death of the SNP's Christina McKelvie. The SNP are defending a majority of over 4,500, with Labour fighting to win and Reform UK expected to poll well. In an interview with Daily Record' s Planet Holyrood podcast, Loudon said the performance of the Labour Government is a key issue on the doors. The mum of two said of voter reaction to the cuts pushed through by Labour and rising energy bills: 'They are angry. They remember getting leaflets through at the general election in this constituency, telling them that they would save £300 from their energy bills. Instead their energy bills have gone up three times.' She wants a BBC head to head with fellow candidates, including Labour's Davy Russell, but accused him of keeping his head down: 'It is incumbent on him to tell the people of this constituency what his views are on the many important issues of the day.' Loudon also said she had 'not heard a single word' from Russell on issues like Labour's national insurance rises. However, the SNP candidate is also facing scrutiny of her position on difficult local issues. The SNP Government is under pressure from Labour and campaigners over plans to downgrade a neonatal intensive care unit in Wishaw. Loudon appeared to side with the Government: 'Fundamentally, the science, the experts, the medical research, tells us the best outcomes for these children, which will affect them for the rest of their life - these very small and sick babies - is to have them in a specialist centre. And as a parent that's what I would want for my child.' She added: 'I will listen to the expertise of people who have made those medical judgements and who have advised the Scottish Government on what is the best thing to do here. 'The best thing to do is to have a specialist centre …when you are dealing with something which is affecting such a small subset then that's what I would want for my own child.' Loudon also rejected Labour criticism of her not living in the constituency: 'I find some of it hilarious. It's been written by people that have no knowledge of my history.' She continued: 'I have been married for nearly 20 years now. My husband is from Hamilton. I know this area extremely well. I have family in Hamilton. It is a second home to me. My children have grown up running up and down the slopes in Chatelherault park. It's a ridiculous statement to make.' MSPs backed the general principles of a bill this week that would legalise assisted dying, with a final vote later this year. Loudon said she would have voted in favour on Tuesday, but noted that she would need 'further reassurances' to remain a yes. Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: 'Katy Loudon wants to talk about anything except the SNP government's woeful record in government. 'The UK Labour government has put a decisive end to Tory austerity, delivered a pay rise for 200,000 of the lowest paid Scots, set up GB energy, and legislated for the biggest boost to workers' rights in a generation – but this is a Scottish Parliament by-election. 'People right across Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse are feeling the effects of SNP incompetence – from overstretched NHS services to struggling high streets. 'Katy Loudon has made it clear time and time again that she will not stand up to this failing SNP government and demand better for this community. In fact she voted against an £8million investment in Hamilton town centre. 'This by-election is a chance to call time on SNP failure and vote for a new direction by backing Scottish Labour and Davy Russell.'
Daily Record
16-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
SNP by-election candidate accused of 'betrayal' over plan to downgrade Wishaw neonatal unit
Katy Loudon said she would "listen" to the experts who have advised the Scottish Government. An SNP by-election candidate has sided with the Scottish Government in a row over plans to downgrade a neonatal incentive care unit (NICU) in a nearby hospital. Katy Loudon said the 'best thing' is to have a 'specialist centre' amid an outcry over the downgrade plan for Wishaw. Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: 'This is a shocking betrayal of families across Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse. 'The SNP's reckless plans to downgrade the vital Wishaw neonatal unit are opposed by local people, experts and clinicians – but Katy Loudon is more interested in toeing the party line than standing up for the local community." The Nationalists are defending a near 4,500 majority in the HLS by-election triggered by the death of the SNP's Christina McKelvie. One of the issues raised by Labour is the SNP Government plan to downgrade the NICU at Wishaw. The number of units would fall from eight to three, in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow. In an interview with the Daily Record 's Planet Holyrood podcast, Loudon did not call for a reversal of the move. She said: 'This is about a very small subset of families where their child is needing that extra support. And it's only for a temporary time. There's funding in place to make sure that they have absolutely everything that they need when their families are going through what is an incredibly difficult time for them, to help them with some of the practicalities about getting there and so on, to make sure their family feels supported. "And, of course, it's about getting them back into their communities and back into a more local hospital." She said: 'Fundamentally, the science, the experts, the medical research, tells us the best outcomes for these children, which will affect them for the rest of their life - these very s mall and sick babies - is to have them in a specialist centre. And as a parent that's what I would want for my child.' Loudon added: 'I will listen to the expertise of people who have made those medical judgements and who have advised the Scottish Government on what is the best thing to do here. 'The best thing to do is to have a specialist centre…when you are dealing with something which is affecting such a small subset then that's what I would want for my own child.'
