Latest news with #RoyalHospitalChelsea
Daily Mirror
16-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Best and worst GP surgeries across the UK named
Overall, Brits seem happy with their GP services, but they fared worst in the area of contact, with only around half (53%) of respondents saying that contacting their practice was simple Patients have had their say on local practices - you can see how yours fared with our handy interactive widget. Over 2.7 million people took part in this year's GP Patient Survey, which finds out how people feel about their GP practice. The majority of people seem happy with the service offered, with 75% rating the overall experience as either 'very good' or 'fairly good'. Only 7% said 'fairly poor' and 5% said 'very poor'. The overwhelming majority of patients surveyed (93%), said that they had confidence and trust in their GP. Some 86% say their GP treats them with care and concern, and 87% say their GP listens to them. GP practices didn't fare as well though when it comes to being contacted. Only just over half (53%) of those surveyed said that contacting their GP was easy. Satisfaction varies across practices. You can see how your practice has fared in the survey using our interactive widget. Simply enter the name of the GP surgery in the search box and select it from the dropdown. Four practices achieved a 'good' overall score of 100% - Royal Hospital Chelsea, Wraysdale House Surgery in Coniston, Kenneth Macrae Med Centre in St. Helens, and New Ottershaw Surgery in Chertsey, Surrey. England's lowest-scoring practice had less than a quarter of its patients surveyed rating it as 'good.' Only 23% of surveyed patients at Medicus Select Care in Enfield gave the practice a good score. According to the NHS website, the practice is no longer accepting new patients and is permanently closed according to Google. Compass Medical Practice in Blackpool has the next lowest overall score, with just 29% of patients surveyed rating the practice as 'good'. That's followed by Emersons Green Medical Centre in Bristol where just 32% of survey respondents gave an overall rating of 'good'. These figures aren't always based on a large sample size, however. At Compass Medical Practice, for example, the scores are based on 39 responses, which is just 11% of the practice's patients who were asked to participate in the survey.
New York Times
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Mozart Played Here, Retired Soldiers Live Here. It's Also the Site of an Art Fair.
The Royal Hospital Chelsea, a retirement home for British Army veterans, has stood in Southwest London for over 330 years, outlasting monarchs, wars and even, according to a 1969 New York Times article, a 'vulgar' invasion of Mod fashion boutiques. Next week, the centuries-old building, just north of the Thames, will be the site of the third edition of the Treasure House Fair, with dealers from London, New York and beyond selling rare works, including paintings by French and Dutch masters, 18th-century English furniture and antique jewelry. The event will have a fitting backdrop on the South Grounds of the hospital. 'When the hospital was opening, we were still persecuting people for witchcraft,' said Tina Kilnan, the heritage manager at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. And Chelsea was still a small village with only some 300 families, not yet even part of London. The hospital was founded by King Charles II in 1681 for soldiers 'broken by age and war,' as they are described in a Latin inscription on the building. The king was inspired by the Hôtel des Invalides in Paris, a complex that was originally built for the same purpose. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Telegraph
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Beckham teams up with King and Queen at Chelsea Flower Show
The King and Queen joined forces with David Beckham at the Chelsea Flower Show before the launch of a joint initiative to encourage more young people to work in horticulture. Beckham, who was last year named an ambassador of the King's Foundation, met the King and Queen at the Highgrove stand in the world-famous event in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. The former England footballer, who previously swapped bee-keeping tips with the King, is backing the foundation's new campaign. The project, to be launched later this year, is designed to inspire young people to take up careers in horticulture. It will also be backed by Alan Titchmarsh, the TV presenter and King's Foundation ambassador who joined Beckham and the King at RHS Chelsea. The King carried a traditional country fair walking stick. He 'loves' such crooks and has collections of them at all his residences, a source said. On display at the Highgrove shop stand was the King's Rose, a new pink-and-white bloom named in the monarch's honour. The flower was created by David Austin Roses in collaboration with the King's Foundation, and has been carefully nurtured by the King's gardeners at Highgrove for the last three years. The King was due to pull back a curtain to officially open the shop and reveal the roses, proudly displayed in a Highgrove wicker basket. For every rose sold, £2.50 will be donated to the foundation. The name was inspired by David Austin's first encounter with the King, then Prince of Wales, at Chelsea in the 1990s, when they discovered that they had both grown the similarly-striped Ferdinand Pichard as the first rose in their garden. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester also toured RHS Chelsea on Monday evening, as did Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. Among the gardens on the King's tour was the Hospice UK: Garden of Compassion, which draws on the spirit of Mediterranean landscapes to show thoughtfully designed spaces can help provide comfort and calm at the end of life. The King was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer last year and continues to receive weekly treatment. Beckham has become increasingly close to the royals since becoming an ambassador for the King's Foundation. In December, both David and his fashion designer wife Victoria joined the King and Queen at a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, held in honour of the Qatari ruler. In February, the couple were among the King's guests at a black tie dinner at Highgrove to celebrate Anglo-Italian relations and the following month, Victoria Beckham was invited to Buckingham Palace for a Women of the World event hosted by the Queen. Beckham is also on friendly terms with the Prince of Wales, whom he joined last October to celebrate the replacement of London's ageing air ambulance helicopters. His latest appearance alongside the King coincides with a seemingly bitter family feud which has seen Beckham's elder son, Brooklyn, increasingly estranged from his parents and siblings. A source close to Brooklyn, 26, told the Telegraph last week that he and his wife, Nicola Peltz-Beckham, the daughter of Nelson Peltz, the US billionaire, feel that they have no meaningful private connection with the family and that he has been made to feel like an 'idiot' and 'stupid'. The younger Beckhams were recent guests at a Montecito party attended by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, where Peltz, 30, and Meghan were said to have found 'common ground' over being cast as meddling American wives breaking up Britain's most famous families. The source told The Telegraph the young couple had 'found Harry and Meghan to be particularly kind, caring and generous' at the gathering, hosted by Brian Robbins, a neighbour of the Sussexes in Montecito and the chief executive of Paramount, the media company. The encounter drew comparisons between both family rifts, with the Sussexes still similarly estranged from the rest of the Royal family. Monty Don's dog-themed garden Meanwhile, the King and Queen viewed several gardens at RHS Chelsea, including the RHS and BBC Radio 2 Dog Garden, designed by Monty Don. The garden, designed with dogs in mind, features grass areas for dogs to enjoy and a large tree providing shade. The brick paths are inscribed with the names of dogs belonging to Radio 2 presenters and RHS ambassadors, as well as Bluebell, the Queen's Jack Russell Terrier, Moley, her new puppy, and Snuff, the King's dog. The garden will be transplanted to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, of which the Queen is patron, when the flower show ends. The King also visited the King's Trust Garden, inspired by the potential of the more than one million young people supported by the charity since it was founded in 1976. The garden showcases the ability of seeds to adapt and flourish in hostile environments, drawing parallels with the resilience of young people who can overcome adversity and thrive when given the right support. Another stop on the royal tour was the Wildlife Trust's British Rainforest Garden, designed to evoke the wild and wet woodlands that once swathed the British west coast. Beckham also visited the London Square Chelsea Pensioners Garden, designed by Dave Green, an accessible and secluded space to be based at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, home to the famous Chelsea Pensioners.
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Paul Hollywood and his wife Melissa Spalding enjoy rare joint outing as they attend Chelsea Flower Show
Paul Hollywood and his wife Melissa Spalding enjoyed a rare outing together on Monday as they arrived at the opening day of Chelsea Flower Show. The Great British Bake Off judge, 59, was seen walking ahead of the former pub landlady as they crossed the road to enter the London event. Paul, who tied the knot with Melissa in Cyprus in 2023, cut a smart figure in a blue shirt which he teamed with denim jeans and a black jacket. The celebrity chef kept comfortable in a pair of blue trainers and placed a pair of sunglasses on top of his head. Meanwhile Melissa stunned in a colourful patterned midi dress which she paired with a green blazer and handbag. Styled her long brunette tresses loose, she completed her ensemble with a pair of eye catching orange flat shoes and a pair of drop gold earrings. Once inside, Paul beamed as he reunited with Bake Off co-star Prue Leith, 85, who looked incredible in a yellow blazer and white trousers. She layered the summery jacket over a colourful patterned blouse and donned a pair of white trainers which boasted multi coloured laces. Paul and Prue joined other guests exploring the vast flower show which spans over 20 acres. Established in 1913, the event in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea is a hotspot for celebrity visitors ahead of its public opening. This year, a staggering 145,000 people - including members of the royal family - are expected to enjoy the 400-plus exhibits. Several themes including innovation are on display at the 2025 event, with it aiming to showcase the power the natural world can have on people's health and wellbeing. Last year, Paul and his wife won Melissa's bitter planning row with locals to turn her pub into a house. Melissa and Paul had put more than £80,000 of their own cash into trying to save The Chequers, near Ashford, Kent. But they said it was no longer viable as a business, so her family submitted plans to turn it into a home earlier last year. But this hit massive local opposition, with residents even forming a campaign group to try and buy the pub and run it as a community. Melissa had told councillors that her parents had spent even larger sums trying to keep it afloat but said the business was 'dying on its feet'. In August last year at a meeting of Ashford Borough Council planning committee, councillors voted seven to five in favour of turning it into a residential property. This was met with anger from locals who believe the village of Smarden will now be 'ruined' as a result. One local told MailOnline: 'It is a travesty. It will ruin the village. I hope it makes them both very happy and a lot of money. But this will leave the village in a much worse-off position. 'What message does this send out to other places and villagers? What sort of importance is being placed on pubs in communities these days? None at all. 'I really hoped it could be kept as a pub and be the hub of the village. Instead it will be a home. I am sure it will be a lovely home but it will not benefit the rest of the village.'
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Jennifer Saunders makes a rare appearance with husband Ade Edmondson at the Chelsea Flower Show
Jennifer Saunders cut a stylish figure in a long dark patterned jacket as she attended the Chelsea Flower Show with her husband Ade Edmondson on Monday. The actress, 66, was all smiles as she cosied up to her actor husband, 68, who she tied the knot with in 1985, for photos at the star-studded event. Jennifer layered her jacket over a long navy blouse and skinny black trousers while keeping comfortable in a pair of white trainers. The comedian toted her belongings around in a white and black checked tote bag and carried a pair of sunglasses. She completed her daytime ensemble by accessorising with a pair of large silver hoop earrings and a trendy blue and white silk neck scarf. Meanwhile Ade cut a smart figure for the London event, donning a blue shirt tucked into a pair of navy trousers. He added a grey blazer over the top and opted for comfortable footwear in a pair of blue suede loafers. The couple were all smiles as they cosied up for photos while exploring the vast flower show which spans over 20 acres. Established in 1913, the event in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea is a hotspot for celebrity visitors ahead of its public opening. This year, a staggering 145,000 people - including members of the royal family - are expected to enjoy the 400-plus exhibits. Several themes including innovation are on display at the 2025 event, with it aiming to showcase the power the natural world can have on people's health and wellbeing. The couple's appearance comes after they finally got planning permission to create their dream retirement home in Dartmoor. The pair had submitted an initial planning application to Dartmoor National Park Planning Authority in August 2024 detailing plans for a significant renovation to the £2m property but became embroiled in a dispute. The comedians' plans had looked to 'reinforce the setting and significance' of their plush property before a building conservation officer hit back at their proposal. In a statement included in the planning application, the officer argued the proposed changes would have 'no benefit' to the public. 'As the application currently stands the impact of the proposals on the significance of the listed buildings and their setting has not been minimised,' the officer continued. However, after six months of consultation with the local authority, Edmondson and Saunders have finally received 'conditional approval' to begin construction on their dream retirement home. Amongst a host of alterations, the married pair will soon be able to enjoy a new 'dedicated pottery workspace', a plush new garden pavilion and some new EV chargers for their Tesla motor. Described as a 'space to facilitate the clients' personal interests in the planning application, the pottery workshop will be a place in which the pair can enjoy what is described as their 'hobby'. To be erected at the bottom of the couple's sprawling garden, a brand new 'oak frame garden pavilion' will offer Saunders and Edmonson a 'covered outdoor dining space' in a 'discrete location.'
