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The Guardian
22-05-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Country diary: Who's to say there's nothing supernatural about a storm?
Thunder and cuckoos on Stapeley Hill. Half the sky is blue and bright over hill country of the west. For a moment, a fierce light reflects back from the quartzite tor of the Devil's Chair on the Stiperstones ridge. The other half of the sky, below white peaks of cumulus bergs slashed with mineral colours thickening to black with a wet mane that licks the hill's edge towards the Severn Vale, is shuddering with thunder. A low frequency, not as loud as peals or claps, but a rumbling through the bones. We have known since the last century that thunder is caused by lightning. Within clouds, friction between ice particles stimulates lightning, whose plasma reaches 10,000C and impacts the cooler air at supersonic speed, causing explosive shockwaves. There must be a swarm of lightning enclosed by these clouds to cause such constant rumbling. Maybe it's only visible from weather satellites, but its sound and electrifying energy is shakingly eerie. The storm is a living thing, moving slowly and ominously across the sky. Is this explanation any less weird and wonderful than those of previous generations who felt supernatural presences in the thunder? What did the people who built this stone circle on Stapeley Common called Mitchell's Fold 3,000 years ago believe about the power and presence of such storm song? What too did they make of the call of the curlew, a song just west of grief, or the guy rope of skylark song tethering the land to an invisible speck of bird so dangerously close to the sun? These are survivors from the deep past and their world hardly exists now, their populations decimated and scattered like those human ancestors who survive in folklore, or the lead miners who held their weddings here, making thunder using explosives in the ancient stones. Fragments of their speech from the throats of ravens make a black square on the hill's flank as they watch the hopeless innocence of lambs. But most extraordinary of all is the cuckoo: one note to call the future and one to call the past – an evocation of the present from the very core of the thunder. Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian's Country Diary, 2018-2024 is published by Guardian Faber; order at and get a 15% discount
Associated Press
20-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Family-Owned Severn Vale Home Care Showcases How Value-Based Care Drives Success With Triple Award Win
05/20/2025, Worcester WR2 4AY // PRODIGY: Feature Story // Severn Vale Home Care, a local team of home care professionals supporting families throughout Worcester and Malvern, is celebrating a remarkable achievement. It has been presented with three separate awards in recognition of its standards, contributions, and commitment to excellence. The company scooped a hat trick of awards, including Most Supportive Personal and Complex Care Specialists 2024, awarded at the GHP Social Care Awards, Home Care Business of the Year Worcestershire at the SME News Seventh Annual UK Enterprise Awards, and Home Healthcare Provider of the Year at the Innovation & Excellence Awards 2024. The Background of Severn Vale Home Care's Community-Focused Care Services Severn Vale was established in 2020 and is a private, family-owned home care service that delivers varied at-home support, from visiting and domiciliary care to extended live-in and specialist care for individuals, couples, and families. Owner Stuart Callister established the organisation after returning home to the local area. He aspired to create a home care company that would embody his family values, use this as a foundation to create meaningful career paths for care professionals, and ensure that care recipients would be guaranteed good living standards. Drawing together a team with over 35 years of home care experience, Severn Vale concentrates on delivering personalised solutions, getting to know each person or family, understanding their priorities, routines, and needs, and then structuring the care support provided accordingly. The fact that the home care organisation was so recently established makes its achievements even more impressive. It demonstrates that the values-based leadership and family values built into care delivery aren't only beneficial and valued by care recipients, but have also made a marked impact on the quality and accessibility of at-home care services in the local area. Severn Vale Home Care's care services are designed to reflect its values. An informal, friendly initial chat ensures local families can access the support they need to make complex care decisions. This is followed by in-person home visits, during which they can ask questions, discuss how their ideal care would look, and make supported decisions about the best way forward. Seven Vale Home Care's Recently Awarded Accolades Each of the three awards is designed to acknowledge and recognise home care providers who go above and beyond, and lead the sector in their dedication to adaptable, flexible home care support that makes a real difference to quality of life. Severn Value Home Care was nominated and selected for each award based on its standing as a highly reputable home care provider with excellent review ratings, personalised care planning, and introduction of app-based log and records. These ensure that families and management can access care logs on demand to check the tasks completed or care delivered. This is a vital tool for those reliant on care professionals to look after vulnerable loved ones or who live further afield and want to play an active role in supporting a care recipient. Celebrating Care Excellence After Triple Award Win Stuart Callister, Founding Director of Severn Vale Home Care said, ' We are absolutely thrilled with the successes and achievements of our teams and care professionals, and to be celebrated through these prestigious awards ceremonies that embody our reputation and focus on high-quality, supportive and compassionate care. Our enormous thanks to every care professional who represents Severn Value in the best possible way every day and to our clients and families who continue to trust us to ensure their well-being, comfort, and happiness are always in great hands. Going forward, we will continue to concentrate our efforts on adding value to the Worcester and Malvern communities and ensuring we maintain the enthusiasm, commitment, and spirit of dedication that have been instrumental in securing these three awards. The three awards were celebrated in both the local and national press, with award nominees, finalists, and winners also announced through each of the respective awarding bodies. Read more about Severn Vale Home Care - Severn Vale Home Care Cements its Position as a Sector Leader With GHP Social Care Award About Severn Vale Home Care Severn Vale Home Care is a leading home care provider dedicated to delivering compassionate, personalised care services across the Worcester, Malvern and Hereford, and surrounding areas. Media Contact: Stuart Callister 01905 950409 Source published by Submit Press Release >> Family-Owned Severn Vale Home Care Showcases How Value-Based Care Drives Success With Triple Award Win
