Latest news with #Relentless
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Teesside DJ Boo to open Sunday's dance stage at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend Liverpool
An emerging DJ who will play at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend has spoken about the challenges some artists face developing their from Teesside, believes musicians in the North East have to work "10 times as hard" to be noticed and there were "no access points" to break into the electronic music Sunday, she will be playing one of the biggest gigs of her career, opening the dance stage at the event Liverpool."I've worked so hard so to have moments like this is so special," she said. "It's such a huge opportunity." The artist described how difficult it has been trying to progress her career."It's felt like I've been in a video game and I haven't been able to get past level one for a really long time," she said."Coming from Teesside, we don't have those networks for electronic music."There's been no access point, everything I have done has been through trial and error." Boo said for her, the key was to just release music and "slowly being introduced to certain contacts and networks"."It takes a lot more time and a lot more effort," she said. "I do feel like you have to be 10 times as good for anybody to take notice."Two weeks after playing Liverpool, alongside fellow north-east performers like Sam Fender and Jade, she will be partnering with Relentless and Mura Masa at The Georgian in DJ explained how becoming a Tees Valley Artist of the Year has already had a huge impact on her career."Having that level of mentorship and development, especially coming from a working class background, is really life-changing," she said. Boo started to upload her music after the first lockdown and then progressed through the BBC Introducing scheme."The BBC has been so supportive. I never thought that I would be playing to such big crowds this soon afterwards," she said."I'm so excited, I have never played in Liverpool before. It is a huge opportunity."It just shows that hard work and perseverance pay off eventually." Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Coca-Cola announces major change to how it produces its soft drinks: 'Will incorporate sophisticated systems'
This April, Coca-Cola's U.K. arm took a small step toward sustainability by beginning its own in-house nitrogen production at its largest European soft drinks facility, Yorkshire Live reported. The factory, a soda bottling plant in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, produces 420,000 cans per hour of popular sodas such as Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Monster, and Relentless. That total represents about one-third of all the soft drinks Coca-Cola sells in the U.K. To produce them, Coca-Cola has previously used nitrogen transported to the plant in tankers from third-party sources. This increases the amount of fuel being consumed and pollution being produced to supply the plant, which is one reason Coca-Cola wants to move the nitrogen production in-house, not to mention the cost savings. "The proposed nitrogen generation plant will reduce the number of deliveries, with obvious environmental and cost benefits," said Coca-Cola Europacific Partners in a statement. "The proposed plant will incorporate sophisticated systems for the detection and warning of nitrogen leaks." Even if there were a leak, the danger would be limited. In an enclosed space, concentrated nitrogen can displace oxygen, so detecting leaks is important for worker safety, but the atmosphere is already mostly nitrogen, as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration explained, so once any escaped nitrogen clears the building, it will be harmless. A few local residents still object to the project on the grounds that the new nitrogen tanks will be an "eyesore" and the process may be noisy, Yorkshire Live reported. But officials have determined that the addition will stay within the original grounds of the plant and be within the scope of its operations, so it's being allowed to proceed. Ultimately, Coca-Cola still has a long way to go to make its products and operations fully eco-friendly, as it currently generates a huge amount of unnecessary waste and pollution. However, this is a step in the right direction. Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to buy a refillable product? Saving money Reducing plastic waste Using less shelf space at home Getting easy refill deliveries Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Scottish Sun
28-04-2025
- Scottish Sun
One in ten Scottish cops took sick leave last year with mental health problems
Fears have been raised over the demands of the job 'CONCERNING' One in ten Scottish cops took sick leave last year with mental health problems Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AROUND one in ten Scots cops took sick leave last year with psychological disorders including alcohol and depression problems, new figures reveal. Stats released under FOI laws show 1,596 of 1,987 officers who took sick leave did so because of issues relating to their mental health, with three officers having committed suicide while off duty. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Sign up 2 Scottish Police Federation chair David Threadgold said the figures are 'concerning'. Credit: Alan MacGregor Ewing 2 Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs said that Police Scotland is looking to enhance the support it offers. Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd As of December last year, there were 16,508 full-time equivalent police officers working in Scotland, with the number rising to 16,631 in March 2025. Scottish Police Federation chair David Threadgold has called for a more proactive approach to be taken to help officers struggling with the demands of the job. He told the Scottish Sun: 'The figures are extremely concerning, but unfortunately they're not a surprise to me. 'The challenge we face in the organisation is about being proactive in dealing with the stresses and strains of being in the police. 'We know that cops are going to experience trauma. I think the statistics are the average person will see one or two traumatic events, cops will see 300 or 400 over their service.' It comes just weeks after a harrowing film, Relentless, was released by the SPF to give the public an insight into the gruelling challenges faced by cops here. The four-minute flick draws on the real-life experiences of frontline officers, including Craig Purdon who serves in the east end of Glasgow — and who admitted it is 'hard to switch off' after shifts. Scottish Tory Shadow Justice Secretary Liam Kerr said: 'The SNP must commit to investing in proactive mental health support for our police before things get even worse.' Scottish Labour's justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill added: 'The SNP must ensure any officer struggling with the stress of the job is able to access the right support.' Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs said Police Scotland was working to enhance its health offering to officers with 'our Employee Assistance and Your Wellbeing Matters programmes'. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'Staff and officers can access a range of services to support physical and mental wellbeing."
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cheerleading group joyous after winning bid to compete at Florida World Championships
A Bradford cheerleading club are jumping for joy after booking their place at the World Championships next year. Relentless Cheer and Dance, formerly known as the Luvabulls, attended Ice Cooler 2025, an event hosted by Incredibly Cool Events in Stoke-on-Trent a fortnight ago. There, they shone with a number of eye-catching performances and scores, and the club's senior team (15+) were one of four groups (bids) to confirm their place at next year's World Championships. It will take place in Orlando, Florida, April 2026, and Relentless will be hoping to put on a show once again. Reflecting on the club's achievement, head coach Ciara Patchett, who formed the club just three years ago, told the T&A: 'It's always been on my agenda to get to a world stage, but we've only been running as a club since 2022. 'You want to aspire to these types of things; however, you never expect it to come so soon. 'I think it's a credit to everyone at the club, whether it's the coaches or all the kids who show up on a weekly basis.' Patchett added: 'Since setting up, our students have always had it in their heads - that it is possible to reach something of this magnitude – but they've absolutely gone for it this time and fully deserve it. 'It's a great thing for my younger athletes to look up to because they can now be inspired and see exactly what is possible if they continue to work hard.' The Florida-bound senior team (Image: Submitted)Giving her thoughts on why she feels the club has progressed to world level so quickly, Patchett admitted: 'Every year we've just got bigger and we're up to over one hundred students now. 'We've upped the amount of training we do, which has naturally attracted more students, and our aspirations have continued to grow as a club. 'The students and coaches have continued to feed into that.' Patchett added: 'Winning the bid to get to the World Championships really made me sit back and reflect on what we've achieved in three years. 'It feels like a lifetime, but three years is not a long time at all, so what we have managed to achieve in that period is nothing short of remarkable.' As head coach Patchett works extremely hard to balance work-life as well as coaching at Relentless, and although it can be physically challenging, she admitted that it's something she needs in her life. 'It's hard work and extremely tiring because I'm a full-time teacher as well, so training comes after a day at work,' Patchett admitted. 'I think that shows just how much passion and love I still have for cheerleading and coaching because it is long, and I don't get to see my family lots of the time. 'Realistically, I do it because I love it, and this moment makes it all worthwhile. 'In the cheerleading world, this is one of the top competitions you can quality for, so it's a dream come true.' A joyous Ciara Patchett - head coach at Relentless (Image: Submitted) When established in 2022, Relentless were then known as Luvabulls, but the club decided on a name change two years ago. Giving the reasons behind it, Patchett said: 'Luvabulls was originally setup through the Bradford Bulls Foundation, so I changed the name so that people knew we were two separate things. 'The reason I changed it to Relentless is because I preach to my students regularly that it's important to never give up, no matter how challenging something can get. 'Life can be hard and there will always be things that get in the way, but it's how you battle through those challenges. 'So, I thought Relentless was a fitting name for what we're trying to achieve.' If you are interested in attending Relentless' cheerleading sessions, you can find out more by emailing: Relentlesscheeranddance@ or by heading to the Relentless Cheer & Dance Facebook page. The club welcomes students from ages 2-18+. Furthermore, Relentless are currently self-funding their trip to Orlando, so if any businesses are interested in sponsoring the club to help with their USA trip, you can contact them by emailing: Relentlesscheeranddance@ or by heading to the Relentless Cheer & Dance Facebook page.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Benefits: ‘Repeating ourselves would have been a f***ing waste of time'
'There's an old David Bowie quote where he talks about swimming,' ponders Benefits' Kingsley Hall. 'It's the idea that you should go a little bit out of your depth and when you don't feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you're just about in the right place to do something exciting.' According to Hall, it's a mantra that propelled the Teesside noisemakers forward – now a duo between himself and bandmate Robbie Major – when it came to creating their second album Constant Noise which arrives this Friday (March 21). Hall's attention grabbing state-of-the-nation polemics are still at the heart of their songs, but it's clear they've flipped up the sonic palette somewhat, resulting in a situation where the album's title is subtly tongue in cheek. If their first album turned things up to eleven at every opportunity, there's something more understated at play here, with Dream-like synths and doom-laden disco being the sonic palette they choose to serve up. 'Repeating ourselves just would have been an absolute fucking waste of time,' explains Hall. 'It would have been so boring, and I don't think Robbie would be that interested in it. I think it's just a question of being there and done that.' Hall adds that the record's producers – James Welsh and James Adrian Brown – helped to deliver 'their own take on how we should develop our sound'. Even if that's a difference of sorts, it's clear that the fire in Hall's belly burns as brightly as ever. 'Personally it's a lot angrier than the previous record, but less so in the cartoonish way that the first might have been seen as,' he explains. 'I'm looking up at a mountain of shit,' comes Hall's opening salvo on the title track – a haunting, understated riposte against the sheer futility of fighting with anonymous strangers online. Elsewhere, there's a genuinely unsettling monk-like choir on 'The Brambles' – which sees Hall tackle the reality of half-dead high-streets in northern towns that have been neglected and fallen foul of successive governments. 'A discarded wheelie bin, a smashed in shelter, the usual cliche of urban decay,' he reflects, softly. So a flip-up of sorts (bar the searing 'Lies and Fear'), but Hall admits there's a practical reason too. 'My voice is fucked!' he quips. 'Even if I wanted to write a load of songs where we're shouting again, my voice is fucking destroyed. There's one shouty song on the album, but the vast majority don't involve that, but it came at a time when we wanted to evolve.' And there's even a pinch-me moment too, Hall explains, in the form of a spoken-word cameo from Pete Doherty on 'Relentless'. 'I worked in a call centre in the 2000s and I would sit there doing the NME crossword every Thursday, reading about Pete,' he recalls. 'I think it's a brilliant, much maligned era of rock music, English rock music.' Doherty first reached out to the group after hearing them on BBC 6 Music, sparking an unlikely friendship.. 'I think a lot of songs look back to that golden age of thinking you're infinite and you're indestructible. So getting someone who was involved in making those sounds initially seemed too good an opportunity to miss.' So, cameos from indie royalty and a new sound to boot. Benefits, to paraphrase the Thin White Duke, have truly jumped into the deep end.
