Latest news with #SimonOakley
The Sun
18-07-2025
- Health
- The Sun
My little boy came home from school trip with 2nd degree BURNS after he was left to fry in 30C heat with no suncream
A FURIOUS dad has slammed teachers for allowing his child to 'fry in 30-degree heat without sun cream' on a school trip. Simon Oakley claims his 12-year-old son Oliver came home from Barcelona with agonising second degree burns. 4 4 4 4 The Parklands High School pupil set off for Spain from Chorley, Lancashire, for a week-long holiday with classmates and spent nearly 24 hours travelling to the country via coach. But fuming dad Simon says the nightmare happened on the final day when the school trip took them to a water park. Simon, a self-employed furniture maker, said: "When I saw how bad the burns were, I was extremely upset. 'I feel incredibly let down and disappointed with the school. 'Oliver told me that the sunburn happened on the final day. The kids spent the full day at a water park. 'We later learned from Oliver that he hadn't had any sun cream on all day and wasn't wearing a T-shirt or a hat." Simon continued: 'This left him fully exposed to the 30-degree sun and heat. 'We found out about his sunburn on Thursday evening while he was travelling back. 'He sent us a few messages saying his shoulders and back were really sore, and even did a short video so his mum and I could see how red and blistered his skin was. 'Over the next 48 hours, the blisters got much worse and new ones kept developing.' I laid on the beach for just ONE hour but the sunburn was brutal and left me looking like a wasp-stung dog - don't make my mistake Simon claims Oliver was given paracetamol and heavy-duty plasters were applied to his burns but the youngster was in 'agony' by the time he got home. Oliver's parents rushed him to Preston Royal Hospital for treatment. Nurses allegedly confirmed that the burns were of a second degree nature and popped his blisters before peeling away the damaged skin. Simon said: 'They headed home straight from the water park at around tea time. 'It was only on the bus journey back, which took over 24 hours, that the burns and blisters started to develop and he was in agony for the majority of the journey back. 'He did let the teachers know towards the end of the journey, and they stuck some plasters on his blisters and gave him a paracetamol.' The family have since lodged a formal complaint with the school. 'SCREAMING IN AGONY' Simon was left unimpressed with the school's response to the situation, he claimed: 'They gave him some paracetamol and then applied heavy-duty plasters to the blisters. 'The plasters had to be peeled off the next day at hospital, which left Oliver screaming in agony and in tears on the floor. 'I submitted a formal complaint to the school. The headteacher phoned me back but I was essentially told there was nothing more that could have been done for my son - even though seven teachers were on the trip.' Parklands High School were contacted for comment on multiple occasions but a reporter was told over the phone by a receptionist that 'no one was available' to comment. Oliver went on the school trip on May 24 to May 30. But his dad says it has taken the child's skin 'about a month' to 'get back to normal' and he has some very faint scars from the burns. Simon added: 'He's okay now but is a little wary about going out in the sun because of what happened. "I just want other parents to know this can happen and schools need to take sun safety seriously. 'No child should come home in that kind of pain after what's meant to be a fun trip."
Scoop
10-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
NZ Cleantech Company NILO Hits Major Milestone In Low-Carbon Adhesive Made From Plastic Waste
NILO's plastic-waste-based adhesive is designed for hybrid use in engineered wood products, with a vision for a fully low-carbon, formaldehyde-free future. Auckland, NZ – 11 July 2025 Cleantech company NILO has reached a significant technical milestone on its journey toward commercialisation. NILO has developed a sprayable adhesive made from plastic waste that significantly reduces the emission of formaldehyde and the carbon footprint of engineered wood products. Rigorous internal validation testing over the last month has confirmed NILO's formulation meets key performance standards for furniture-grade products, which make up approximately 60% of the global particle board market. NILO's adhesive is derived from hard-to-recycle plastic waste streams, specifically polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), that would otherwise be incinerated or end up in landfill. These plastics are commonly used in products like agricultural and industrial shrink-wrap. Using a patented process, NILO transforms the plastic waste into an industrial adhesive that is clean, safe and cost-competitive. Developed by NILO's Auckland-based team, led by Chief Technical Officer Simon Oakley, the adhesive can be used with a wide range of fibre sources to produce engineered wood products in a heated press. In keeping with NILO's circular model, products made using its adhesive can be reground and reused as feedstock for new board production. Using NILO adhesive helps global manufacturers move away from hazardous traditional adhesives, particularly urea formaldehyde (UF), melamine urea formaldehyde (MUF) and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), while lowering the overall carbon footprint of the final product. NILO adhesive can be blended with existing adhesive formulations, increasing the speed to market and enabling a strong customer adoption pathway. 'Our aim is to ultimately replace UF, MUF and MDI adhesives entirely,' says NILO CEO Michael Maunsell. 'But right now, we're offering a real, workable solution that integrates with existing manufacturing processes, which is critical for the sector to make meaningful progress on emissions.' Adhesives are one of the most emissions-intensive components in the manufacture of engineered wood products, which are used globally in furniture, cabinetry, interiors and construction. Reducing the use of UF, MUF and MDI, which are derived from fossil fuels and associated with health, safety and emissions concerns, is a growing priority for global manufacturers under pressure to meet environmental targets. NILO's formulation is compatible with standard production lines and designed to be used as a drop-in component, supporting the transition to cleaner, lower-emission adhesive systems. Independent third-party testing will take place in the coming months, with full-scale production trials at international facilities scheduled for 2026. Backed by global investors – IKEA invested in NILO in May 2023 and has a seat on the board – NILO is one of a small number of companies globally working to decarbonise the adhesives that hold engineered wood products together.
