Latest news with #SarahTurner
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Warning issued over 'dangerous' TikTok trend after rise in youngsters surfing on the side of moving trams
A tram operator has issued a warning over a 'dangerous' TikTok trend which sees youngsters surfing on the side of moving trams. Nottingham Express Transit (NET) said it has seen a 'recent rise of a number of incidents' as young people aim to imitate their favourite influencers. The company confirmed it had received a number of videos of individuals taking part in the trend and had passed them on to the police. Its managing director Sarah Turner added the behaviour 'could result in death or serious injury' and NET was taking it seriously. She told the BBC: 'All of the footage and videos we've received of such incidents have been shared with the police who are now handling it as a criminal matter.' Ms Turner confirmed the company had been contacting the schools of young people they had caught taking part in the phenomenon. She said the aim was to 'educate students of the severity' of the trend. 'Although incidents of this are usually very rare, anyone taking part in this trend, whether doing the challenge or filming it and sharing it online, is playing their part in publicising an extremely dangerous activity that ultimately could end someone's life,' Ms Turner said. 'Anyone caught engaging in dangerous activities such as tram surfing will face the very real repercussions of their actions.' MailOnline has approached Nottinghamshire Police for comment. The latest worrying trend comes after a leading podiatrist warned TikTok users dropping heavy objects such as air fryers and toasters on their feet for social media likes are risking a 'lifetime of pain and disability'. Hundreds of creators on the short-form video app started sharing absurd clips of themselves dropping objects such as vacuum cleaners, glass jugs and wooden tables on their feet. Posting with the hashtag #droppingthingsonmyfoot, the aim of the trend is to rank how painful each item is. Pilling, 19, is one of many TikTokers joining in, with one of his videos garnering 3.8 million views. The sales assistant from Bolton can be seen in the viral video jumping around in pain after dropping a toaster, air fryer and computer monitor on his feet. Asked why he decided to join the trend, the 19-year-old said he wanted to try it out for himself. The 19-year-old from Bolton can be seen in the viral video jumping around in pain after dropping a toaster, air fryer and computer monitor on his feet 'Curiosity and just because it was funny, he said. 'I love making content that I just like laughing at myself.' However, Dr Benjamin Bullen, lecturer in podiatric medicine at the University of Galway, said the trend could cause lasting damage. 'I find the viral #droppingthingsonmyfeet TikTok trend troubling and strongly encourage readers not to engage in this risky challenge,' he said. 'This trend, encouraging participants to drop sharp and increasingly heavy household objects on their feet, is highly likely to result in foot injuries. 'TikTok is particularly popular among young people, who may be setting themselves up for a lifetime of pain and disability, if they significantly damage the nerves, bones and joints of their feet.'
BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
Nottingham operator warns against 'dangerous' TikTok trend
A tram operator has warned against a "dangerous" TikTok it says is influencing young people to hold on to the back of trams while they are moving. Nottingham Express Transit (NET) said a so-called "tram surfing" trend had caused a "recent rise of a number of incidents".The firm said it had received a number of videos of incidents which it had shared with police. Managing director at NET Sarah Turner said the behaviour "could result in death or serious injury" and was not something the firm was taking lightly. 'Risk to life' "All of the footage and videos we've received of such incidents have been shared with the police who are now handling it as a criminal matter," she said. Nottinghamshire Police has been contacted for comment. Ms Turner said NET would be reaching out to schools of those caught engaging in the trend and schools in the area to "educate students of the severity" of the trend. She added: "Although incidents of this are usually very rare, anyone taking part in this trend, whether doing the challenge or filming it and sharing it online, is playing their part in publicising an extremely dangerous activity that ultimately could end someone's life."We'd like to remind the public of our strong measures that are in place to keep our network safe, including high quality CCTV cameras in all trams and tram stops, which means that every incident is recorded and handed over to the authorities."Anyone caught engaging in dangerous activities such as tram surfing will face the very real repercussions of their actions."
Daily Mirror
28-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Orchids 'bloom like crazy' using item 'better than banana peels'
Orchids are beautiful houseplants, but they can be quite tricky to get to bloom. Fertilising your orchids can be a game changer - and one woman swears by using a kitchen item Orchids are stunning yet high-maintenance houseplants that require extra care to encourage blooming. Using banana peel water to fertilise orchids might be the secret to getting them to bloom, as attested by numerous gardening enthusiasts on the Orchids Tips and Tricks Facebook page. Sarah Turner shared her experiment using banana peel water on her orchids after reading rave reviews about the hack. She explained: "People here keep mentioning watering their orchids with banana peel water and how they flower after doing so." Sarah then continued: "Confirming I did so, and now I have many flower stems growing! Thanks team - this group is awesome." Elaborating on the process, Sarah mentioned that she soaked a banana peel in water for a few days, used it for watering, then added a new peel and repeated the cycle before reverting to regular watering. She noticed spikes and blooms appearing weeks after using the banana peel water, reports the Express. Several group members corroborated her findings, attesting to the effectiveness of banana peel water. Kathleen Vaida said: "I use banana water on all my flowering plants and some I didn't even know flower. "All my orchids have new spikes and two other plants flowered that I didn't know about." Ila Peters posted: "I have used the banana peels and water method and my orchids soon had flower spikes." Denise Sanders exclaimed: "I have gotten flower spikes and lots of new roots doing this process. Who knew?" Similarly, Amber Ivey shared her success with the peculiar fertilizer: "I use banana water on all of my houseplants. They love it." However, Judie Varty suggested a different kitchen hack that could give your flowers an extra boost: "I have tried the banana water, but garlic water works better than banana peels. "It really did the trick for me. I got so many roots after using it and all my dormant plants bloomed like crazy this year." Garlic doesn't just deter pests with its scent; it's also a superstar at enriching soil thanks to its richness in phosphorus, which spurs generous growth, and potassium, ensuring your greenery's leaves and blossoms stay in tip-top condition. To whip up this magic potion, simply peel a few cloves of garlic then mash, blitz or chop them up before plopping them into your preferred container full of water. Allow this concoction to steep away from sunlight for a 24-hour minimum, or for even more potent results, wait two to three days before introducing it to your plants. While garlic water can work wonders, remember moderation is key - spritz your plants with this homemade elixir no more than once or twice per week to avoid impeding their growth.
BBC News
29-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Local elections 2025: Climate, traffic and rubbish
In the run-up to the local election the BBC is looking at the issues that matter the most to you, as part of Your Voice, Your councils and other authorities hold elections on 1 climate change, litter and recycling centres were important to Sarah Turner from Leamington Spa in units were empty, the main road gets congested and visting household waste sites could be tricky, she said. Other people who contacted the BBC said the environment and climate change should be the county council's priority. "On the main street in [Leamington's] Parade, there's just hardly anything, you've got so many empty shops," Ms Turner through the town is another issue, she added, even though there was lots of cycling and walking provision."You'd be silly to take a job the other end of town to where you live," she said."With climate change and everything else, the Greens seem to be the only ones protecting what green spaces we've got left." Household recyling centresw (HRCs) should be able to take rubbish from anyone, instead of charging fees for businesses to take their waste thier."You'd think that this service would stop half of the stuff being dumped everywhere," she said. Warwickshire County Council has signed up to the Leamington Town Centre Vision - a scheme designed to regenerate the town over the next has also committed to becoming a net-zero organisation by 2030 adding it would support the county to achieve net-zero by 2050. What do the parties say? Candidates and parties in the Leamington Willes ward were contacted to have their Roberts, the Green Party candidate, said:Support was needed for town centres, and a fund was recently put forward for more events to drive footfall thereThe party prioritised making short journeys to walk and cycle to schools, leisure and work saferImproved infrastructure was needed, and money needed to be better directedLocal access to parks and the countryside was vital, and the party had worked to try and reduce the number of greenfield sites for developers that need to come forward in the local planThe party would review the household recycling centres to see where they can be made more accessible and increase their recycling Millar, on behalf of the Labour party, said: Supporting local businesses and growing the economy was a priority The party believed the active transport policy in the county was often "paid only lip service". It believed the county could "do better" in terms of cycle provisionA masterplan of better sequenced road works would be developedGreen spaces would be protected and a green municipal board for Warwickshire be developedThere was a need for better enforcement of fly tipping and the party would look into the "pay as you throw" approach for commercial Viana, candidate for the Liberal Democrats, said:It would boost small businesses and abolish business rates, replacing them with a commercial landowner levy to help high residents to travel to the town centre by walking, cycling or using public transportThe party wants to see cycle routes from other areas of Leamington joining the Kenilworth to Leamington cyclewayThe party would invest in accelerating the decarbonisation of all county council buildings and transport, with savings invested in local servicesStreet trees would be well maintained and more trees planted where possible HRC booking slots should be UK did not respond for comment, but its national manifesto said:It wants to free more than 1.2m small and medium-sized businesses from corporation tax, and abolish business rates for high street-based small and medium-sized enterprises, offsetting with online delivery tax at 4% for large multinational enterprisesNet-zero and related subsidies should be scrapped along with an annual £10bn of renewable energy subsidiesIt would keep road speed limits low where safety is critical, otherwise it would scrap 20mph zonesExisting rail and road links would be imprroved focusing on coastal regions, Wales, the North, and the Conservative Party did not respond for comment, but its 2024 manifesto said:It would ease business rates for high street, leisure and hospitality businesses by increasing the multiplier on distribution warehouses that support online shopping over timeAccess to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises would be improved, including through expanding open financeIt would invest £4.7bn for smaller cities, towns and rural areas in the North and Midlands - to spend on transport priorities. This will cut congestion and upgrade local bus and train stationsThe cost of tackling climate change for households and business would be cut, and net zero delivered by 2050Red tape that holds back the planting of trees would be cut. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. POSTCODE LOOKUP: Check if there is an election in your areaSIMPLE GUIDE: Everything you need to know about the local electionsGET IN TOUCH: Tell us the election issues that matter to youFULL COVERAGE: Catch up on all our election stories
BBC News
25-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
What does Worcestershire's local election mean for town centres?
We are often told to "spend local" and support the local economy - but what do Worcestershire's five main political parties think about the future of the county's high streets?The Labour government has insisted it is working to stabilise public finances and is "focused on creating opportunities for businesses", but recent rises in the minimum wage and employers' National Insurance (NI) contributions have been met with some trepidation from small of the forthcoming county council election, Sarah Turner, who runs Mad Hatters Tea Room in Bromsgrove, asked what steps each party would take to ensure the survival of businesses like put her question to them. Labour's Beverley Nielsen described Worcestershire's high streets as "essential" to the local economy - and claimed independent businesses were doing "very well"."We are actually supporting local businesses through shared prosperity funding, which is providing grants to local businesses and across Worcestershire, but we're [also] providing, as district councils, funding for retail improvements."On the issue of the rise in NI, Nielsen compared the current situation to that under Liz Truss' premiership."You're talking about national economics there and basically trying to have a budget that inspires confidence in the markets," she said. "That's something we've had to do. It is actually working at the moment. And we have seen the impact of when governments do things very rash." The current Conservative leader of the council, Simon Geraghty, cited the authority's decision to retain local enterprise partnerships, which see businesses work with other sectors to stimulate the said that had led to a 25% growth in the economy and the creation of 28,000 jobs."We're bringing forward housing, economic activity [and] looking to improve rail services and connectivity."He pointed towards the development of the Worcester 6 business park and the regeneration of Shrub Hill, the council's work in Malvern Hills Science Park to create higher paid jobs, and the Eastern Gateway development in Redditch."We've attracted more jobs and more businesses outside," said Geraghty. "So there are things the local council can do and has been doing." For Liberal Democrat Mell Alcott, small businesses are "the backbone of our country".She said she would lobby government not only to reduce employers' NI contributions - which she said was a "squeeze" on businesses - but also the amount of tax paid by large retailers such as Amazon."I would also look at transport [to make it] much more accessible and much easier for people to come into cities," added Alcott. "I think there can be too much emphasis on out of city and out of also suggested legislation was needed "because there isn't a level playing field for small business against big business. I think we need to do more." Improved transport links are also a focus for Matthew Jenkins, of the Greens, who said people were often put off going into Worcester because of congestion problems."If you've got a decent public transport system, if you've got decent public park and ride, a decent cycle infrastructure, you can come in," he said. "There is research showing that people who cycle in tend to spend more money because they can cycle in, pop to a local shop, spend a bit of money, cycle somewhere else."But the rising costs, like NI, faced by businesses are also on the Greens' agenda."We've had three small businesses in Worcester, just over the past few weeks, all closing and one of the reasons they gave is those increased costs," said Jenkins."If you can invest more locally, that money usually stays within the county for much longer." Rerform UK's Max Windsor-Peplow called for an "immediate rate review" for high streets."No matter what we do at a council level to help small businesses, it isn't going to change the fact they've just been clobbered in the national budget by a National Insurance rise," he said."I'm hearing about wage freezes left, right and centre because there is no way to increase it - because their revenues aren't increasing but their costs are."There's very little we are going to be able to do as a council to counteract a 1.25% increase in National Insurance and, very likely, further tax rises in the autumn." More information on the election, how to vote and a full list of candidates is available on Worcestershire County Council's website. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
