Latest news with #SarahClark
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
New Gateshead deacon working supermarket and church aisles
A supermarket worker is dividing her job in the checkout and church aisles after becoming an ordained deacon with the Church of Robinson, from Ryton, Gateshead, said her 23 year experience at Asda has allowed her to build up a passion for helping well as serving customers in her community champion role at the Gateshead store, the 59-year-old can now also conduct church services, baptisms and funerals. "I see myself as somebody that walks alongside people, so whether that's in their happiest or saddest moments - I just want to be there for them," she said. "It's a joy to be able to ease people's burdens and if I can help anybody in any small way then that's what God has called me to do," she Robinson is one of eleven new deacons to be ordained at Durham Cathedral, by the Right Reverend Sarah Clark, Acting Bishop of is serving her curacy at St Cuthbert's Blaydon, St Patrick's High Spen and St Barnabas Rowland's Gill - and in a year she will be able to marry people and distribute communions across the Tyne area. Ms Clark said watching Mrs Robinson "grow in faith and confidence has been lovely"."Donna's long service with Asda reflects her strength of character and qualities of loyalty, dedication and love of people," she her time at Asda, Mrs Robinson said she had met people from all walks of life and helped hundreds of charities through her role as community turn, she said colleagues and customers had supported her ambition to become a deacon. "People who come in and buy raffle tickets from me have congratulated me, so it is really nice to be recognised," she said. Mrs Robinson said she knew she wanted to become a deacon after "feeling Gods presence" amongst the silence while swimming in a labyrinth during a family holiday in Scotland. "It was a perfect day, blue skies, and I just sat in the labyrinth and felt the silence, there was lots going on in the background but there was no distraction for me and that's when I knew."She left school at 16 and admitted because she was not academic, the four years of study at Lindisfarne College of Theology was "difficult" and a "rollercoaster of emotions".During the process she was diagnosed with dyslexia which she said "made sense" because of previous events that had happened in her life. "I'm just a working class girl from the north east of England and one piece of advice I would give any student at college now is if I can do it, anybody can do it," she said. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Gulf Today
19-06-2025
- Health
- Gulf Today
Parent's mistake may cause teens to be anxious and depressed
More and more teens are experiencing anxiety and depression and it may be tied to a surge in overprotective parenting, a new poll found. The University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital conducted the survey, gathering responses from more than 1,000 parents of adolescents ages 13 to 18. The findings revealed that less than 50 percent of parents would allow their teen to stay alone in a hotel room while they went to get breakfast. Around a third of parents polled would let their teen walk alone to a nearby coffee shop, while only 20 percent said they are comfortable with their teen visiting amusement parks or museums without them. One in five parents says they've never let their teen be apart from them during a trip. The results suggest that today's teenagers have less autonomy than previous generations who regularly walked to school, worked part-time, or visited friends without adult supervision. Mental health experts say that this drop in independence may be contributing to the emotional struggles now seen in many young people. "It's absolutely no surprise to me that we are seeing these dramatic rises in anxiety, depression, even suicide among teenagers," Boston College psychologist Peter Gray told Science News. Adults should shift from shielding teens to teaching them real-world skills such as using public transit, handling strangers and ordering food or their own, said Sarah Clark, a public health expert and co-director of the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health. "If we reach some families and just approach this upcoming summer a little differently, I feel like that's a big win," Clark told Science News. Experts recommend involving teens in vacation planning and establishing clear guidelines, which can help families set mutually comfortable boundaries. For example, a majority of parents said they'd feel more comfortable if teens checked in by phone (64 percent), stayed with friends or siblings (62 percent) and stuck to predetermined locations (55 percent), measures that offer peace of mind while giving teens room to grow independently. The Independent
The Independent
17-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Experts warn this worrying parenting mistake may cause teens to be anxious and depressed
More and more teens are experiencing anxiety and depression and it may be tied to a surge in overprotective parenting, a new poll found. The University of Michigan 's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital conducted the survey, gathering responses from more than 1,000 parents of adolescents ages 13 to 18. The findings revealed that less than 50 percent of parents would allow their teen to stay alone in a hotel room while they went to get breakfast. Around a third of parents polled would let their teen walk alone to a nearby coffee shop, while only 20 percent said they are comfortable with their teen visiting amusement parks or museums without them. One in five parents says they've never let their teen be apart from them during a trip. The results suggest that today's teenagers have less autonomy than previous generations who regularly walked to school, worked part-time, or visited friends without adult supervision. Mental health experts say that this drop in independence may be contributing to the emotional struggles now seen in many young people. 'It's absolutely no surprise to me that we are seeing these dramatic rises in anxiety, depression, even suicide among teenagers,' Boston College psychologist Peter Gray told Science News. Adults should shift from shielding teens to teaching them real-world skills such as using public transit, handling strangers and ordering food or their own, said Sarah Clark, a public health expert and co-director of the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health. 'If we reach some families and just approach this upcoming summer a little differently, I feel like that's a big win,' Clark told Science News. Experts recommend involving teens in vacation planning and establishing clear guidelines, which can help families set mutually comfortable boundaries. For example, a majority of parents said they'd feel more comfortable if teens checked in by phone (64 percent), stayed with friends or siblings (62 percent) and stuck to predetermined locations (55 percent), measures that offer peace of mind while giving teens room to grow independently.
News.com.au
15-06-2025
- News.com.au
Overlooked Tasmania has message for Australian ‘mainlanders'
I have seen a lot of Australia. In fact, I saw almost the entire coast before the age of 10 thanks to my family doing a year of #vanlife before it was a trending hashtag. But the one state I've neglected is Tasmania. Like many Australians, I chase the sun and warmth on my travels and occasionally the snow to ski. Living in Melbourne, I've never had the desire to go even further south when the weather cools. That was until this year when I finally took the short flight across the Bass Strait to join Tourism Tasmania in celebrating the launch of their off-season. Chief executive of the state authority, Sarah Clark, has a clear message. She wants to convince us mainlanders to embrace the cold and become 'winter people,' urging Aussies not to run away to warmer climates. Tasmanians like to say they don't just survive the winter but thrive in it. Watching chef and co-founder Rodney Dunn stand outside The Agrarian Kitchen at night in a T-shirt as my teeth chattered, and Gunns Plains Caves tour operator Geoff Deer take his jumper off as we rugged up to go underground, or Discovery Resorts Cradle Mountain's general manager Andy Stuart get around in shorts while I donned my snow coat proved as much. After four days, I can confirm two things about Tasmania. Cold? Absolutely. Boring? Anything but. From kayaking and climbing through caves to hunting truffles at the farm that grew the very first in Australia and learning to DJ at a goat farm in a town called Penguin — I was entertained from start to end. (There is an opportunity to win a trip to see for yourself. More details on that further on). Tasmania taught me to get outside, even if it's cold and wet On the morning of our 7.30am kayaking tour on Dove Lake beneath Cradle Mountain I woke up to the sound of rain on the roof of my cabin and the feeling of disappointment. The kayaking would surely be cancelled? Nope. The thought of not going and crawling back into bed had not even crossed the Tasmanians' minds. Floating on the lake on hand-built kayaks made out of 1000-year-old rare King Billy pine, surrounded by the wilderness and no human sound (with the exception of our giggles trying to co-ordinate paddling), the occasional sprinkle of rain dampened our clothes but not the experience. If you ask adventure tour operator Anthony O'Hern; 'You get some of the most spectacular days for it in winter'. 'Sometimes in winter we get better conditions than any other time. Some weather will come through and on the back of that we'll get a high come across and it will be glass on the lake and snow on the mountain. You just get these really calm, crisp days.' Just like the environment they are used in, Mr O'Hern's kayaks are a thing of beauty. King Billy pine trees are endangered, endemic to Tasmania and found along the banks of Dove Lake. Given the trees are now protected, Mr O'Hern had to convince a mill owner in his 90s to sell him the rare timber from a tree cut down in the 1960s to make the special kayaks. WA couple visited Tassie for one week and bought a house After a morning on the lake, our itinerary had us off to a 'G.O.A.T Doof' in a town called Penguin, where there is a giant penguin statue dressed up depending on the occasion. On our visit, it was a top hat and bow tie. Now, when I first read G.O.A.T Doof on the itinerary, I thought the name was solely an acronym for 'Greatest. Of. All. Time.' and had no idea there were literal goats involved. Brad and Lisa Palmer moved from Perth, Western Australia to Penguin 10 years ago after visiting Tasmania for the first time on a holiday. 'We tried to tour the island in a week, which is laughable for anyone who has tried to do it, and we got to Penguin four days in and started house hunting … I think we made an offer while we were flying home. We were here for Christmas that year,' Ms Palmer said. Miniature goats were 'never' the plan but now with 24 of the animals, they are the centrepiece of Hideaway Farmlet, used for land management and as a bonus, a tourism drawcard. 'We were sitting outside having a whiskey and listening to music,' Mr Palmer tells me of the moment the idea for the G.O.A.T Doof came to them last winter. Ms Palmer added: 'As we were getting more intoxicated we thought 'Oh my god, wouldn't it be so great if people could spin vinyl of their choice and we could just do this while hanging out with the goats.'' It helped that Mr Palmer was an experienced DJ, but he was more used to spinning vinyl at warehouse raves than to goats and Airbnb guests. The experience is currently only available to those staying in the property's cottage, but the Palmers hope they will be able to get the right approvals to host small group celebrations soon. A 'GOAT Doofer' is one of 10 'Winternships' Australians can currently apply to win a trip to experience this winter. Another experience is being a 'Devil Sitter' at Cradle Mountain's wildlife sanctuary Devils@Cradle, looking after endangered Tasmanian devils. The successful applicant will win flights, accommodation and car hire or transfers, and will take home a selection of Tasmania's best seasonal produce. (Australian residents 18+ can apply here until June 17.) Truffle hunting on the farm that grew the first in Australia On the topic of farms, did you know the first truffle in Australia was grown in Tasmania and you can visit to go truffle hunting? While it's not finders keepers, you do get a truffle-themed lunch. Tim Terry harvested the first black truffle in 1999 after planting inoculated trees six years earlier. 'Back in the early 90s my father had an idea where he wanted to grow truffles here in Australia. Everyone said 'it's a terrible idea, it can't be done, it's impossible, you really should just let that idea go' but my dad is not very good at letting things go and thank goodness he isn't,' Anna Terry told a fascinated group of tourists at The Truffle Farm in Deloraine. The visitors, some of whom know Anna from her appearance My Kitchen Rules in 2018, are invited to join the furry four-legged stars of the real life show, Doug, Poppy and Peggy, to sniff and dig out the lucrative fungi. One truffle we watched a tourist dig up was worth a whopping $600 alone. Truffles in Europe, where they are found to grow in the wild, are traditionally hunted using pigs — but the problem is you can't train a pig to not want to eat the truffle themselves. Anna recalled meeting a man who had lost two of his fingers to a pig while truffle hunting. It is incredible to see the three dogs at work on the farm, sniffing out the buried treasure and alerting Anna to their find, in return for a treat. My favourite part, however, may have been watching Chief Truffle Hunter Doug (there's a statue in his honour) pretending he found one when he didn't just to get a treat. Anna believes personality is more important than the dog breed for the job and says she does not have many special training techniques, crediting love as 90 per cent of what makes them successful truffle hunters. Once digging out a truffle we were instructed to always show it off to the dogs and congratulate them. A hidden underground world Speaking of finding hidden treasures, located between Deloraine and Penguin is the Gunns Plains Caves. Hiding beneath a picturesque landscape of rolling hills and farms is an underground world of limestone caves, streams, sparkling crystals, glow-worms and platypus (but those are a rare sight). Geoff Deer and his wife Trish have been running tours at the caves since 2004, but he says the story of their discovery dates back to 1906 when a man named Bill Woodhouse went hunting a possum down a hole because there was a bounty on the animal at the time. Armed with a rope and a candle, Mr Woodhouse lowered himself into the darkness not knowing what was below. It turned out to be a pretty spectacular find. By 1909, the first tours were being run with ladders and wooden platforms. These days there is concrete steps. However, there is still a lot ducking and weaving to be done to navigate the underground world once you descend 54 steps. Perhaps, the best part of the tour was when Mr Deer asked us if we wanted to know what it was like when Mr Woodhouse was there. He switched off his torch and lit a candle, eventually putting out the candle to let us experience the eerie quiet darkness. As any good guide with plenty of dad jokes up his sleeve would, he then pretended to leave. You could say, the Tasmanians won me over.
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Travel + Leisure
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Travel + Leisure
Australia Is Even Better After Dark—From Torchlit Tours and Open-air Theater to Rooftop Climbs Under the Stars
As far as travel trends go, none are making a splash in 2025 quite as hard as "noctourism." In fact, named it the No. 1 travel trend of the year. And yes, it's exactly what it sounds like: nocturnal tourism, ensuring people don't just see their favorite destinations in the daylight. This trend is all about what happens in these spots after dark. And few spots are as spectacular after the sun goes down as Australia. "We're seeing an increase in visitors coming specifically for the night sky, but also for our nocturnal wildlife tours and dark-sky experiences," Sarah Clark, the chief executive of Tourism Tasmania, recently shared with ABC. "Tourists are coming for the natural beauty during the day, but staying for the nighttime spectacles like the aurora. It's a major driver for visitors, particularly from international markets." And while certainly gorgeous, travelers should stay up late for far more than the aurora. From torchlit prison tours and twilight roof climbs, to artistic illuminations and private after-hours museum access, these seven nighttime experiences from Cultural Attractions of Australia members will make your next night visit to Australia all the more memorable. Badu Gili projections depicting Celestial Navigation are seen on the Opera House sails. Every evening, the Sydney Opera House transforms into a glowing canvas as Badu Gili , which translates to 'water light' in Gadigal language, illuminates the eastern Bennelong sails with spectacular First Nations art. The free art exhibit runs multiple times each evening after sunset, so check here for the full schedule. Visit Western Australia's only UNESCO World Heritage site after dark with a spooky and educational nighttime tour. The Torchlight Tour at Fremantle Prison takes visitors into the cells, tunnels, and courtyards of the prison, all by handheld light, with guides recounting the stories of those imprisoned in the 19th-century penitentiary. Book a tour here. Live out a real-life "Night at the Museum" experience at Canberra's National Gallery, which opens its doors after hours for select Night at the Gallery events. Get access to marquee exhibitions, performances by local creatives, food and drink pop-ups, and a more intimate vibe than your average daytime visit. See exhibition dates here. Visitors climb the roof of the Adelaide Oval. Get a bird's-eye view of South Australia's capital by signing up for the RoofClimb Twilight experience. As the sun sets, guests will strap in and ascend the curved rooftop of the Adelaide Oval, a historic sports arena, taking them all the way to the top. There, guests can gaze upon the twinkling city lights and the River Torrens below. Book your climb here. Aura is far from your average historic reenactment. This immersive nighttime show at Sovereign Hill in Ballarat includes projection mapping, storytelling, and sound design to help guests more deeply understand the impact of the discovery of gold in the area. Learn about the chapters of Australia's history by booking the experience here. The company of Carmen during a media preview of Handa Opera's production of Carmen at Sydney Harbour. James D. Morgan/Getty Images Experience the magic of live theater under the stars with open-air productions at the Handa Opera on Sydney Harbor. With seats over the water, the stars above, and the Sydney skyline behind you, it certainly has cinematic appeal. See what's coming to the stage for your next visit here. Travelers can sit down for one of the most exclusive meals in the world with Dinner With David at the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). The event, hosted by MONA founder David Walsh, is a rare experience that brings each guest into his orbit for an evening of food, wine, and unforgettable conversation. Get a seat at the table here.
