Latest news with #Nancy
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
Force behind the creation of Scotland's first children's hospice dies
Died: May 10, 2025 Nancy Blaik, who has died aged 88, was a prolific charity volunteer and a driving force behind the creation of Scotland's first children's hospice in the 1990s. Born in Wallyford in East Lothian to parents Agnes and Angus Geekie, Nancy had two siblings, Christina and James, both of whom predeceased her. Growing up near Canonmills, where she went to school, Nancy entered her first employment at 15 years old, working as an office assistant in the National Farmers Union. She later becoming a highly skilled audio typist in the medical microbiology department of Edinburgh University. Despite a difficult start in life due to deprivation and wartime family stress, Nancy, who was blind from childhood, achieved so much in working for others. In 1977 she welcomed her beloved son Daniel into the world. Unfortunately, at the age of just two Daniel was diagnosed with, and profoundly disabled by, the metabolic disease Leighs Encephalopathy, a severe, progressive, neurological disorder which meant he could only move his eyes and mouth. As a result, Nancy took on the role of Daniel's full-time carer throughout his childhood, as well as being his devoted mother. Shortly after Daniel's diagnosis Nancy became involved with, and actively raised funds for, a small charity called Children Living with Inherited Metabolic Diseases (CLIMB). It was through CLIMB that she became aware of Martin House children's hospice in Yorkshire, where she started visiting with Daniel and her husband Jack for respite. In 1988, Nancy and Jack, along with some other parents who all regularly travelled the hundreds of miles from Scotland to Martin House for precious care and respite for their seriously ill children, got together to discuss the logistics of opening such a facility closer to home. So passionate were Nancy and her group to achieve this that in September 1991 they held their first public meeting in Edinburgh University and less than six months later a group was formally incorporated, becoming the registered charity that is known today as Children's Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS). Nancy never let herself be held back by her vision loss and her dedication and commitment to the charitable causes close to her heart led to her being named Disabled Scot of the Year in 1991. In the years that followed Nancy played a key role in raising the £10million needed to build the first CHAS children's hospice. Thanks to a major appeal from The Daily Record which attracted many generous donations from the Scottish public and other sources, Nancy's, and that of many others, dream for a children's hospice in Scotland was eventually realised in 1996 when Rachel House opened its doors in Kinross. Read more Daniel enjoyed 13 wonderful years of visiting Rachel house with Nancy and Jack before he sadly died in 2009, aged 31, long outliving the prognosis of a few years given when he was two. Before and since his death, Nancy remained active in raising funds for CHAS and received an MBE for her work as a founding director of CHAS in 1997. Over the last three decades Nancy's legacy has helped CHAS to ensure that no family faces the death of their child alone and has provided unwavering care and support to thousands of families in its two hospices, Rachel House in Kinross and Robin House in Balloch (which opened in 2005), in hospitals or at home – giving children and families the gift of choice in their palliative care journeys. Alongside her work at CHAS, Nancy inspired the creation of Leith Home Start, a support service in Edinburgh, and was also an active and dedicated fundraiser for RNIB and Guide Dogs for the Blind. Other notable achievements of Nancy's included being a participant in the Lothian Birth Cohorts 1936 research group study run by Edinburgh University. She also featured in a BBC Scotland programme in the Focal Point series in 1988 entitled Nancy's Story which was about her life as a fundraising powerhouse and about the life of Daniel also. In her later years Nancy became profoundly disabled herself by Lewy Body Dementia and was cared for by her devoted husband Jack and a small team of personal assistants, who made her life as active and as independent as it could be, in her own home and community of 50 years. Jack followed in Nancy's footsteps 25 years after her good example by being awarded an OBE in the 2025 New Years Honours list for services in support of the Independent Living Fund Scotland. Jack said: "I was 25 years well behind but in eventually catching up with Nancy she was the proof that women are invariably a good influence on men. Nancy was much loved by many, not least by Daniel and I." Nancy Blaik was blind from childhood (Image: Contributed) CHAS CEO Rami Okasha also paid tribute to Nancy saying: "Nancy was a true inspiration for many staff and families at CHAS. She had a clear ambition for what CHAS should offer young people, children and their families. She showed true commitment and spoke with real passion, holding true to her values over many years. "Nancy along with the other founders had the vision of what palliative care for babies and children could look like, along with strong determination, resilience and courage to turn their vision into a reality. With love and compassion, their mission has led to CHAS to now offer unwavering care to children who may die young and to their families, at every step on this hardest of journeys, in hospices, hospitals and in their homes." Nancy's legacy will forever live on in all the valuable work of CHAS in supporting children with life-shortening conditions and their families right across Scotland. At The Herald, we carry obituaries of notable people from the worlds of business, politics, arts and sport but sometimes we miss people who have led extraordinary lives. That's where you come in. If you know someone who deserves an obituary, please consider telling us about their lives. Contact
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Obituary: a life with three full courses
NANCY CARR In an era when a woman's place in the world was seen to be at the heart of a household, Nancy Joy Carr smashed those perceptions. She did it by forging a career, perhaps ironically, as an academic lecturer and researcher at the University of Otago School of Home Science. To her, it made sense, because it was there that she was able to inspire the hearts and minds of many generations of young women, and show them they could be more. Nancy was many things to many different people — a family woman, a friend, an academic, a leader, an adviser, a diplomat and an advocate. She wore a lot of hats, and she wore them well — most notably as a lecturer in community and family studies and food sciences, a researcher in experimental foods and recipes and a producer of popular cook books. Born in Invercargill on February 7, 1936, to Jack and Gladys Deal, Nancy was the youngest of five children. Later, the family moved to the Hutt Valley, near Wellington, and she went to Hutt Valley High School. When she finished school, she studied at the University of Otago School of Home Science. While there, she lived at Studholme College and relished working in the kitchen, because it gave her the chance to learn about catering. She excelled in the clothing and food science papers — particularly clothing. She often made beautiful dresses to wear for dance nights. It was at one of those dance nights at Otago, that she met chemistry student and future husband Melville Carr, and the couple became very close. When Nancy graduated with her bachelor of home science degree in 1958, she was awarded the Jessie Kinder Prize for the best graduate. There were mixed emotions about the achievement, because it was then that she and Melville had to begin a long-distance relationship. He needed to continue his postgraduate studies at Otago, while she needed to go to Auckland Teachers' College for a year, to study for a certificate in secondary education. In 1959, Nancy's working life started as a science teacher at Hutt Valley High School, and at the start of 1960, she and Melville were reunited and married in the Hutt Valley. They then spent 1960 both lecturing at Otago. Just when the newly married couple seemed to be settling down to their new life together, Melville won a Fulbright Scholarship in 1962, so they upped sticks and moved to London, where Nancy landed a job at UniLever's Food and Cookery Centre as head of the creative department, compiling and testing recipes. She became very skilled at food photography, preparing editorials and display advertisements for magazines and television. Learning how to make a pavlova without cracks was one of many important skills she developed there. Eighteen months later, Melville had completed his scholarship, and the duo moved again, this time to the United States, where Nancy pursued her dream of extending her education. She studied for a bachelor of economics in foods and nutrition at Penn State University, while working as a graduate assistant in food and nutrition research. Having completed the majority of a third degree, the couple moved back to Dunedin in 1965, where both took up lectureships — Nancy in food science at the University of Otago School of Home Science, and Melville in the chemistry department. She lectured on various courses, including home management, sociology of the family, consumer studies, community and family studies and experimental foods. Their first child, Stephen, was born in 1968, and while that may have ended the academic careers of many women of that era, six-month-old Stephen was often parked in a pram at the front of a lecture theatre while she gave lectures. Nancy was a strong, determined woman who knew how to use diplomacy to make a difference. One of her greatest passions was equality for women. She always dressed well, and while she loved beautiful dresses and skirts (many of which she made herself), she often wore trousers too, even when it was not common for women. Nancy also conducted a lot of research projects at the university, many of which were invariably connected to her personal interests. In response to rising food prices in 1980, she had her management in family living students conduct a pilot study of Dunedin households, to do with budgeting, shopping, home production and preservation of food, family meals and making ends meet. She found that buying at supermarkets was taking over from local grocers and greengrocers; bottling and freezing produce was still very common; vegetable growing was at 66%; and most knew how to make ends meet. In 1981, she published the results of another survey investigating the involvement of New Zealand men in homemaking tasks, which concluded that men did tasks traditionally seen as male responsibilities, like taking out the rubbish, mowing lawns and cleaning the car. They contributed to dishwashing and childcare, but their participation in washing and ironing clothes, vacuuming and cooking meals was "quite low". Nancy suggested New Zealand advertising agencies should pay more attention to males in their consumer advertising, rather than reinforcing stereotypes. Alongside her lecturing and research, Nancy developed and tested recipes and wrote four cookbooks in the 1970s and 1980s, titled Lively Lunches , for the Dunedin Lions Club and New Zealand Plunket Society; Eating for Health , for the Heart Foundation; Laurenson's Cookbook ; and Winning Ways with Chocolate , for Cadbury's. Her books often gave readers a few tricks of the trade, such as brushing food with oil or sugar syrup so it would glisten and using cream cheese instead of whipped cream for piping because it would not collapse so easily. Her son Stephen said coming home from school during that chapter in her life was "like stepping into heaven". "The kitchen would be full of chocolate desserts, biscuits, cakes — and the dining room would be set up for a photo shoot. "When I came through the door, Mum would catch the look on my face and quickly steer me toward the things that had already been photographed, so I could sample them. "Growing up, we also had all sorts of more experimental food at home, like sheep's brain fritters." At the same time, she was very invested in her children's education. She worked on school fairs, served as president of the Māori Hill Playcentre committee, chaired the Columba College Parents' Association and was a member of the Columba College Board of Governors and house committees. Nancy loved hosting family and friends for parties at home, and there was always a feast of different dishes for them to try. When presenting a dish, she was often heard to say, "this is an experiment", but everyone loved her dishes and no-one ever got sick. Eating out was another way she explored food. She became a NZ Beef and Lamb judge, frequently travelling "undercover" with Melville to restaurants, to sample and evaluate beef and lamb dishes. Later in her career, Nancy shifted into community and family studies lecturing, and consumer rights also became a big part of her life. She was a member of many food and consumer organisations, including the New Zealand Institute of Food Science and Technology; the Consumers' Institute Dunedin District committee; the Home Science Alumnae national executive (1977-82) and vice-president and associate editor (1979-82); the New Zealand Standards Association Meat Grades project chairwoman (1986-87); a Dunedin Budget Advisory committee member (1985-92); and was the Ministry of Consumer Affairs representative on the Otago District Legal Services committee (1992). She also represented the University of Otago's School of Home Science at International Federation of Home Economics quadrennial conferences in 1982, 1984, 1988 and 1992, and was on its business committee for a time in the 1990s. One of her greatest honours came in 1993, when she was awarded the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal, recognising her contribution to women's rights in New Zealand — something she was very proud of. After 36 years, Nancy retired from the University of Otago in 1996, bringing to an end a remarkable career. Having more spare time on her hands, she was able to focus on another passion in her life — Knox Church. She joined the church in 1955 and was actively involved in the life of the congregation for more than 63 years. Her family was immersed in church activities, and she participated in the Young Wives' Group activities in the 1980s. However, it was following her retirement from the university that she had the time to take on more significant church responsibilities. In 2010, Knox Church celebrated its 150th anniversary, and a book published at that time recorded several acknowledgements of Nancy's important contribution to Knox's work. This included serving as envelope secretary (1998-2011), serving on the finance committee and becoming a member of the Deacon's Court and the project committee. Nancy was also an avid traveller and often spent long periods on paths less travelled by tourists — like Alaska, Antarctica, Iceland and across Russia on the Trans-Siberian Railway. She was a natural public speaker and often gave talks for groups like the Friends of the Dunedin Public Library, sharing her travel tales. Later on, when travel became harder, she kept active through groups like the Cargill Combined Probus Club, and even served a term as president. Above all, Nancy was an incredibly dedicated woman. She was always cheerful and compassionate, and all of her work demonstrated her commitment to the values of her home science degrees, which aimed to improve living standards for all. Nancy died on April 9, 2025, peacefully at Summerset at Bishops Court, in Dunedin, aged 89. She is survived by Melville, son and daughter-in-law Stephen and Sara, daughter and son-in-law Joanne and Andrew Robertson and her five grandchildren. — John Lewis
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
International students weigh in on the revocation of Chinese student visas
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a statement saying they will be working with Homeland Security to 'aggressively' revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with potential connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying critical fields. 'The United States, I further can say here, will not tolerate the CCP's exploitation of US universities or theft of US research, intellectual property, or technologies to grow its military power, conduct intelligence collection, or repress voices of opposition,' State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said. 'The Trump administration is focused on protecting our nation and our citizens by upholding our national security and public safety through our visa process, obviously very openly and transparently applied by Secretary Marco Rubio,' she continued. The news of this has spread quickly at the University of Washington, especially among international students. According to the school, there are over 8,000 international students on campus; 3,886 are from China, which makes up 7.5% of the entire student population. '...if we don't have international students from China, I feel like that would be a huge detriment to the diversity to the school,' Nancy, a second-year student from Washington, said. KIRO7 spoke with international students about the State Department's announcement. Even those who aren't from China are very worried about the ripple effects this could have. 'But the fact that could become a reality…..it kind of sucks. Like I don't know how else to put it,' Shota, a student from Thailand said. Many students at UW would argue that what makes the school great is its dedication to diversity. 'I really value to be able to interact with people of different backgrounds,' Nancy said. 'Basically having a melting pot of different people and all that stuff,' Shota said. 'I mean, that is kind of what the US is known for, right?' he continued. The University of Washington sent KIRO7 this statement on how the school is addressing the State Department's decision: 'At this time, it is not known what criteria or legal justification will be used, or what fields are considered 'critical.' The University is closely monitoring this situation and international student services offices will communicate directly with potentially affected students.' – Victor Balta
Borneo Post
5 days ago
- General
- Borneo Post
KPWKM's 2025 Kembara Kasih Roadshow reaches over 10,000 Sabahans across six districts
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Joachim Gunsalam (fourth right) performs the gimmick for the Kembara Kasih closing ceremony in Tawau last Saturday TAWAU (May 28): The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development's (KPWKM) 2025 Kembara Kasih roadshow wrapped up in Tawau on May 24 after covering nearly 400 kilometres and making stops across six districts in Sabah. The outreach programme, which began in Tuaran on May 16, successfully reached and benefitted over 10,000 residents. Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the initiative brought together 34 programmes and services that were delivered at various roadshow stops, offering direct assistance to communities in need. 'Kembara Kasih also included visits to 14 clients under the Social Welfare Department (JKM) and several families identified by the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) along the route,' she said. 'We hope these visits help ease their burdens, offer encouragement, and inspire them to move forward and rebuild their lives.' Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor, accompanied by Nancy (third left), flags off the KPWKM 2025 Kembara Kasih Convoy at Astaka Padang Tuaran on May 17. The roadshow was divided into two zones: Zone 1 covered Tuaran, Papar and Penampang from May 16 to 18; while Zone 2 involved Lahad Datu, Kunak, and Tawau from May 22 to 24. Nancy highlighted that Kembara Kasih 2025 focused on five core pillars, namely empowering family institutions; advancing women's professionalism; enhancing community capacity and potential; strengthening community well-being; and promoting growth in the care sector. As part of family empowerment efforts, LPPKN organised several programmes, including a parenting character development forum in Penampang; a men's well-being programme at the Marine Police Force headquarters in Lahad Datu; and the Kasih Remaja@Kafeteen programme at SMK Sri Nangka in Tuaran. To support women's professional development, the Zero Tolerance for Violence programme organised by the Department of Women's Development (JPW) was held at the Papar Community Hall and drew more than 700 participants. Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor (fourth right) and Nancy (third left) symbolically launch the KPWKM Kembara Kasih programme and the Mobile One-Stop Social Support Centre (PSSS) at Astaka Padang Tuaran on May 16. 'We are also collaborating with the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives to host sales events for women entrepreneurs, helping them expand their businesses and contribute to the local economy,' the minister added. Under the theme of enhancing community capacity, JKM conducted five initiatives, including the Intergenerational Mind Image programme and the launch of a new Senior Citizens Activity Centre (Pawe) in Benoni, Papar. Nancy said KPWKM remains committed to uplifting vulnerable communities through inclusive programmes that bridge urban-rural gaps and empower families and individuals at every level. Family and Community Development Kembara Kasih roadshow ministry of women
AsiaOne
6 days ago
- AsiaOne
Body of 77-year-old woman found in Bedok flat after neighbour living downstairs notices blood dripping from ceiling, Singapore News
A 77-year-old woman living alone in Bedok was found dead in her flat after a family living in the unit below discovered blood seeping through their ceiling. The incident occurred at Block 163 Bedok South Road on Sunday (May 25) afternoon, reported Shin Min Daily News, who had received a reader tip-off on the multiple police vehicles below the block. A Shin Min reporter, who arrived at the scene at about 4pm, noticed a foul smell lingering in the corridor. A 70-year-old woman surnamed Zeng, who lives in the flat below, told the Chinese evening daily that her son had seen blood dripping from the ceiling of their master bedroom. 'I smelt a foul odour. We realised something was not right and went upstairs,' the neighbour recalled. They found the dead woman's sister outside the flat and asked her to call the police. Zeng's husband, surnamed Ou, added that they will temporarily sleep in their guest room as they cannot bear the stench. A neighbour living on the same floor as the woman told Shin Min she knew the latter as Nancy. According to her, the woman's elder sister had visited the flat at 10am on Sunday to find Nancy, but nobody came to the door. The sister then returned home to search for keys to the flat but could not find them. The sister then asked a locksmith for help, but the latter reportedly told her he could not help after he smelt the foul odour. Zeng subsequently arrived to inform them of the dripping fluid, and the police was called. Another male neighbour living on the same floor as Nancy said his wife had seen a pack of food hanging on the door on Friday. The packet was still there when he passed by on Saturday. In response to media queries, the police said a 77-year-old woman was found lying motionless in the residential unit at Block 163 Bedok South Road and pronounced dead at scene by a paramedic from the Singapore Civil Defence Force. Based on preliminary investigations, no foul play is suspected. Police investigations are ongoing. [[nid:718150]]
