Latest news with #OwenWells
The Guardian
20-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
At 82, I'm completely at home with bacteria
Regarding the article on bacteria in homes (Is your home a health hazard? 15 surprisingly filthy everyday items, from taps to toothbrushes, 17 July), I have managed to live to the age of 82 without ever putting a cutting board in the dishwasher, or sterilising light switches, the TV remote or my spectacles. I do boil the dishcloth every couple of weeks and that's it. We have lived with these bacteria for millennia. Is there any evidence that sterilising every surface would do anything other than increase paranoia?Owen WellsIlkley, West Yorkshire Adrian Chiles, trying to sleep in the heat of the Croatian summer, should use a canny old Australian trick: keep your pyjamas in the freezer until bedtime (I've found the cure for a sleepless night in a heatwave – but it can have its drawbacks…, 17 July). Bliss!Liz TaylorWest Bridgford, Nottinghamshire To answer Tony Meacock's question (Letters, 18 July), no, I haven't finished my replica of the Bayeux tapestry yet. Right now, the completed embroidery stands at 52.6 metres. I aim to finish in HanssonWisbech, Cambridgeshire Wow! Blake Morrison's compilation of terrorists (Letters, 18 July) is the most powerful letter I have ever seen in my 60 years of reading the Guardian. I just hope that those who could make a difference will read it. Gill Empson Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire Thanks to Blake Morrison for his poem. It just reminded me why I buy the KinderRomsey, Hampshire Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
West Australian
18-07-2025
- General
- West Australian
Pilbara's emergency volunteers recognised in prestigious WAFES Awards
The Pilbara's tireless volunteer emergency responders are being celebrated on the state stage, with several local heroes and teams named as finalists in this year's WA Fire and Emergency Services Awards. In Port Hedland, two rising stars from Marine Rescue have earned spots as finalists in the Marine Rescue Young Person of the Year Award category — maintenance officer and senior skipper Lachlan Field and rescue crew member Owen Wells. Mr Field said it was rewarding enough just to be able to assist in Hedland's boating community. 'To be recognised at a state level alongside people who have been volunteering for decades is truly humbling,' he said. 'If you have a trade or a skill, it would be awesome to see more young people giving back to their communities.' Mr Wells said it has been great to give back to Hedland using the skills he has gained through Marine Rescue and his career on the water. 'Being nominated alongside my peers has been a real surprise, and I encourage other young people to just get in and have a crack.' Also flying the flag for Hedland is Natalie Marley from the local Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service, nominated for the Individual Achievement Award. Meanwhile, Connie Reed from Newman State Emergency Service is in the running for the Peter Keillor Award. Over in the West Pilbara, the Karratha Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service (VFRS) has been nominated the Firefighting Team Achievement Award, while lieutenant Riley Mole has been shortlisted for the Firefighting Young Person of the Year Award. Across to Exmouth, David Skene from Marine Rescue Exmouth has been nominated for the Marine Rescue Individual Achievement Award, joined by fellow nominee Scott Williams from Marine Rescue Dampier. Inland, the Tom Price State Emergency Service has also earned well-deserved recognition as a finalist in the State Emergency Service Team Achievement Award.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Our lake is barren because of too many ducks'
A conservation group has asked the public not to feed the ducks at a local beauty spot as they were eradicating biodiversity. Friends of Ilkley Moor said that up to 100 ducks have "polluted" Ilkley Tarn to the extent that it was now "completely devoid" of aquatic wildlife. The tarn, on a lower section of Ilkley Moor in West Yorkshire, has been a popular spot for walkers and families since it was built in the Victorian era. Owen Wells, chair of the voluntary conservation group, said: "The tarn was an important breeding place for frogs and toads, on a spring evening they were everywhere - now there are none." The group, which has about 400 members, said the tarn could only support a single pair of ducks in its natural state and put the huge increase down to visitors feeding them. "After they have eaten the food they will jump back in the water and poo," the 81-year-old said. Mr Wells said the ducks have eaten pond weed, frogspawn and tadpoles at the tarn, with "very few if any" amphibians remaining. They group acknowledged feeding ducks was "a great pleasure for small children" but asked for families to instead feed them at the nearby River Wharfe, where the flow would wash droppings away. "We want to bring life back to the tarn and that can only be done if the number of ducks is greatly reduced," he added. "Let us bring back the frogs and toads and sticklebacks to this beautiful stretch of water." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Woman, 82, walks 50 laps of moor tarn for charity Woman who fed ducks followed home by wardens Friends of Ilkley Moor
BBC News
07-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Ilkley Moor duck feeding causing biodiversity loss
A conservation group has asked the public not to feed the ducks at a local beauty spot as they were eradicating biodiversity. Friends of Ilkley Moor said that up to 100 ducks have "polluted" Ilkley Tarn to the extent that it was now "completely devoid" of aquatic tarn, on a lower section of Ilkley Moor in West Yorkshire, has been a popular spot for walkers and families since it was built in the Victorian era. Owen Wells, chair of the voluntary conservation group, said: "The tarn was an important breeding place for frogs and toads, on a spring evening they were everywhere - now there are none." The group, which has about 400 members, said the tarn could only support a single pair of ducks in its natural state and put the huge increase down to visitors feeding them."After they have eaten the food they will jump back in the water and poo," the 81-year-old said. Mr Wells said the ducks have eaten pond weed, frogspawn and tadpoles at the tarn, with "very few if any" amphibians remaining. They group acknowledged feeding ducks was "a great pleasure for small children" but asked for families to instead feed them at the nearby River Wharfe, where the flow would wash droppings away."We want to bring life back to the tarn and that can only be done if the number of ducks is greatly reduced," he added."Let us bring back the frogs and toads and sticklebacks to this beautiful stretch of water." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
