Latest news with #Stapleford
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Why have crows been attacking people in Nottinghamshire?
"All of a sudden I had this real thud on my head... I thought, quite scarily, 'perhaps I'm being attacked'. I do Tai Chi, so I was ready to go on the defensive."Jane Phillips is recalling the moment a crow swooped down and injured her head when she was walking along a footpath in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, on 3 June."I put my hand up and unfortunately it was covered with blood, and I could feel it running down my neck, down my T-shirt," she said."I didn't see them coming because they came from the back and the side." Despite not seeing the crow attacking, she quickly realised what was 74-year-old said: "I looked up and there was a couple of crows in the air, making this loud noise, just like, 'caw caw'." The wound to Jane's head - thought to have been caused by a claw rather than a beak - was so deep it needed posted about it on a community Facebook page to warn other people living in Stapleford, and quickly realised her experience was not unique."I'm just amazed not only by the number of people who were grateful for my post, but also several people are saying this is happening a lot," said Jane."It never occurred to me. You see the crows around but I was never aware that they could be a threat." In Arnold, about nine miles from Stapleford, Natalie Cater and her neighbours are all too aware that crows can be a heard about people being dive-bombed, where birds swoop down steeply, by corvids in the Spinningdale area last year, and the same has been happening during this year's nesting 29-year-old was walking to the shops on 30 May when she was chased and scratched."It was quite scary to be honest with you," she said."I heard two really loud squawks, and then behind me came two crows, so I ducked because they tried to go for my head, and then I carried on walking."Then I heard it again but there were three coming for me this time. I seemed to notice they were in packs."Then they tried to go for my head again and they managed to scratch it, so I legged it, and then they followed me. They were swooping behind me following me."She said she was glad her baby son was at home with his dad at the time. Elsewhere in Nottinghamshire, staff members at the Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) were warned about an "aggressive" crow near to one of the hospital entrances last bird, nicknamed Russell Crow, was reportedly swooping down and pecking people on the it isn't just Nottinghamshire. People across the country have reported numerous crow attacks in recent years - including in Essex, Teesside, Dorset and why does this keep happening? "Crows are seen as harbingers of doom, they are seen as birds of foreboding and birds of death," said Dr Rob Lambert, an environment academic at the University of Nottingham."Battle scenes in films like Braveheart, and Game of Thrones, often have dead people being pecked by crows after the battle, and Shakespeare wrote about crows, and they are part of our cultural literary story, and much of that presentation is negative in that crows are seen as somehow evil birds."But Dr Lambert, who is also vice-president of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, believes crows do not deserve their bad considers the incidents in Arnold and Stapleford to be "conflicts" rather than "attacks" and said they were a result of crows moving to urban areas to escape persecution in rural areas."We have for hundreds of years persecuted crows in agricultural areas. They are seen to impact on crops, they are seen to impact on livestock," said Dr Lambert."They have moved into urban areas and their behaviours have changed over decades, and they have become more confident and more ebullient, more confrontational than their rural cousins, who still live under this fear of persecution and fear of this idea of being seen as pests and vermin." He said there were a number of species of crows in the UK, but those typically seen in urban areas were carrion crows and seeing footage of the crows that have been chasing people in Arnold, Dr Lambert identified them as carrion crows."The majority of these cases are simply crows defending territory, defending the food source, defending a nest site, defending fledged young, and they are instinctively reacting to any invasion into that space, and I would say that's particularly more relevant with people with dogs," Dr Lambert said."They are not coordinated dive-bombing attacks, they are simply a scare tactic that these birds are using to chivvy us away from an area that they perceive to be their territory."And Dr Lambert has bad news for anyone with ornithophobia - a fear of birds - conflicts like these are likely to become more common in future."As we pave over the countryside, and as we change farming, and as climate shifts, birds are moving," he said."I think there will be instances of conflict between people and crows for decades to come."It's how we manage those conflicts, and it's how we avoid blaming the birds, and look at some of our behaviours, and look at some of our impacts on the wider countryside that are shifting and changing the maps of species across the country." Does Dr Lambert have any advice for people worried about conflicts with crows?"I think my advice would be to be very aware that there are nesting crows, then there will be young birds on the wing," he said."Feel free to carry a stick slightly higher above your head because they will strike for that, and be aware often if you're walking with dogs it might be the dog the crows are targeting, not yourself."Dr Lambert said crows were very intelligent, and there were many cases of people befriending them and being brought fact, clerical officer Melony Lockhart managed to form a bond with the QMC's "aggressive" crow by feeding it, and in return the crow brought her the gift of a shiny chocolate in Stapleford, Jane is still healing from her head injury, but she does not hold a grudge against the crow responsible."I'm a fan of nature," she said."It made me aware perhaps we need to learn a little bit more to protect them, because they were protecting their young."
BBC News
6 days ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Stapleford car park makes changes after criticism over fines
A Nottinghamshire car park criticised for issuing "heavy-handed" fines has made changes to its payment system in an effort to build goodwill with motorists. The privately-owned car park in Broad Oak Drive, Stapleford, is operated by the parking company previously charged for parking via a pre-paid permit system, which was criticised after one driver was fined after he stopped there to vomit and another drove onto it without parking to drop off his sister. UKPS has now introduced a 'pay and stay' payment system, which works like pay and display, but uses an online payment system instead of issuing tickets from a machine. A spokesperson for UKPS said: "We believe this adjustment restores access, rebuilds goodwill, and offers greater flexibility for everyone who needs to park in the area." Motorist Dave Knight previously told the BBC he had been fined £100 for stopping in the car park to be sick after stomach surgery, which gave him acid reflux. Another driver, Martin Leighton, started flagging down cars on their way into the car park and posted videos on social media to warn other drivers after he was fined for driving onto the car park for 70 seconds to drop off his sister and perform a motorists said they were unaware that only drivers with a permit were allowed to use the car park and claimed the signs warning motorists broke the rules as they were not "visible from a distance". UKPS denied their allegation, but said it has now decided to introduce a pay and stay system instead after it listed listened to feedback from the local Leighton said he welcomed the decision. "I think they've obviously listened to what people have been angry about... they've done something about it which I can respect them for," he said."The prices are not that extreme either really, they're quite reasonable and they fit in with every other car park pretty much that I know."However, Mr Leighton said the operator would have to stop issuing charges to those who enter the land accidentally to start rebuilding also said he was concerned that the pay-and-stay option required the use of the internet and a mobile phone, which could limit the accessibility for older said it remained "committed to being responsive, transparent, and community-focused"."Thank you once again to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts - we value your input and are proud to act on it," the company added.
The Advertiser
17-05-2025
- Health
- The Advertiser
Magpies celebrate Brain Cancer Awareness as Stapleford marks 10 years tumour free
Maitland FC women's players will wear special Brain Cancer Awareness jerseys against Adamstown on Sunday as their star forward Sophie Stapleford marks 10 years tumour free. The annual Brain Cancer Awareness game has become a cherished part of the Magpies season as they celebrate favourite daughter and star forward Sophie Stapleford's successful battle against a brain tumour. It is 10 years since Stapleford's life was turned upside down when world renowned neurosurgeon Charlie Teo told her: "You have a large aggressive brain tumour." "These words completely changed my life. Everything suddenly came to a halt, literally I had to stop everything," Stapleford told the Maitland Mercury in 2022. Doctors were able to successfully remove her brain tumour and after further treatment Stapleford returned to footballl in 2017. "The 18th of May 2015, 10 years ago I became a survivor," Stapleford recalled this week of her recovery after surgery. "There weren't many positive outcomes being spoken, you had two weeks left in you, you won't play sport again, a heart condition, a lot of every day side effects, there were a lot of hard times, the normal things became difficult. "Resilience became a must and survival was the only option. "With all of that, if you have a village of incredibly supportive, positive people lifting you up anything is possible.I am thankful for it all, I wasn't at the time but I am now. "I am so thankful for every day that I can run on to the field, I'm blessed to be out here because there were days I couldn't be," she said. Stapleford led Maitland when they entered the competition in 2021, and after a stint with the Newcastle Jets has been a mainstay of the Maitland team, leading them to the NPLW premiership last season. She said she felt humbled by the day, but appreciated the club's effort to show her how much they cared about her. It was also an opportunity to share the words from her pop's own battle with cancer that: "If you stay positive you can get through even the worst days." "I strive to promote that because unless you've been there you really don't know," she said. Stapleford said brain cancer kills more children in Australia than any other disease. "It kills more people under 40 than any other is a 22 per cent survival rate," she said. "The financial cost of brain cancer, to both patients and society is the highest of all cancers. "Brain tumours can have lasting and life altering physical, cognitive, and psychological impacts on a patients life more than any other disease. "The stats are absolutely devastating, yet it is the least funded and the least talked about." The Magpies had their first loss of the season in the Women's League Cup last weekend going down 3-2 to Charlestown Azzurri, but remain unbeaten in the premier league competition with eight wins and a draw. They are six points clear on top of the table from Azzurri, who have a game in hand, and defeated their main rival 3-0 away in round 7 in April. The other NPLW games this weekend have been postponed. Maitland FC's NPLM game against Valentine on Saturday has been postponed. It followed the wash-out of last Wednesday's round 10 catch-up fixture against Belmont Swansea. The Weston Bears home game against Charlestown Azzurri on Saturday has also been postponed. Maitland FC women's players will wear special Brain Cancer Awareness jerseys against Adamstown on Sunday as their star forward Sophie Stapleford marks 10 years tumour free. The annual Brain Cancer Awareness game has become a cherished part of the Magpies season as they celebrate favourite daughter and star forward Sophie Stapleford's successful battle against a brain tumour. It is 10 years since Stapleford's life was turned upside down when world renowned neurosurgeon Charlie Teo told her: "You have a large aggressive brain tumour." "These words completely changed my life. Everything suddenly came to a halt, literally I had to stop everything," Stapleford told the Maitland Mercury in 2022. Doctors were able to successfully remove her brain tumour and after further treatment Stapleford returned to footballl in 2017. "The 18th of May 2015, 10 years ago I became a survivor," Stapleford recalled this week of her recovery after surgery. "There weren't many positive outcomes being spoken, you had two weeks left in you, you won't play sport again, a heart condition, a lot of every day side effects, there were a lot of hard times, the normal things became difficult. "Resilience became a must and survival was the only option. "With all of that, if you have a village of incredibly supportive, positive people lifting you up anything is possible.I am thankful for it all, I wasn't at the time but I am now. "I am so thankful for every day that I can run on to the field, I'm blessed to be out here because there were days I couldn't be," she said. Stapleford led Maitland when they entered the competition in 2021, and after a stint with the Newcastle Jets has been a mainstay of the Maitland team, leading them to the NPLW premiership last season. She said she felt humbled by the day, but appreciated the club's effort to show her how much they cared about her. It was also an opportunity to share the words from her pop's own battle with cancer that: "If you stay positive you can get through even the worst days." "I strive to promote that because unless you've been there you really don't know," she said. Stapleford said brain cancer kills more children in Australia than any other disease. "It kills more people under 40 than any other is a 22 per cent survival rate," she said. "The financial cost of brain cancer, to both patients and society is the highest of all cancers. "Brain tumours can have lasting and life altering physical, cognitive, and psychological impacts on a patients life more than any other disease. "The stats are absolutely devastating, yet it is the least funded and the least talked about." The Magpies had their first loss of the season in the Women's League Cup last weekend going down 3-2 to Charlestown Azzurri, but remain unbeaten in the premier league competition with eight wins and a draw. They are six points clear on top of the table from Azzurri, who have a game in hand, and defeated their main rival 3-0 away in round 7 in April. The other NPLW games this weekend have been postponed. Maitland FC's NPLM game against Valentine on Saturday has been postponed. It followed the wash-out of last Wednesday's round 10 catch-up fixture against Belmont Swansea. The Weston Bears home game against Charlestown Azzurri on Saturday has also been postponed. Maitland FC women's players will wear special Brain Cancer Awareness jerseys against Adamstown on Sunday as their star forward Sophie Stapleford marks 10 years tumour free. The annual Brain Cancer Awareness game has become a cherished part of the Magpies season as they celebrate favourite daughter and star forward Sophie Stapleford's successful battle against a brain tumour. It is 10 years since Stapleford's life was turned upside down when world renowned neurosurgeon Charlie Teo told her: "You have a large aggressive brain tumour." "These words completely changed my life. Everything suddenly came to a halt, literally I had to stop everything," Stapleford told the Maitland Mercury in 2022. Doctors were able to successfully remove her brain tumour and after further treatment Stapleford returned to footballl in 2017. "The 18th of May 2015, 10 years ago I became a survivor," Stapleford recalled this week of her recovery after surgery. "There weren't many positive outcomes being spoken, you had two weeks left in you, you won't play sport again, a heart condition, a lot of every day side effects, there were a lot of hard times, the normal things became difficult. "Resilience became a must and survival was the only option. "With all of that, if you have a village of incredibly supportive, positive people lifting you up anything is possible.I am thankful for it all, I wasn't at the time but I am now. "I am so thankful for every day that I can run on to the field, I'm blessed to be out here because there were days I couldn't be," she said. Stapleford led Maitland when they entered the competition in 2021, and after a stint with the Newcastle Jets has been a mainstay of the Maitland team, leading them to the NPLW premiership last season. She said she felt humbled by the day, but appreciated the club's effort to show her how much they cared about her. It was also an opportunity to share the words from her pop's own battle with cancer that: "If you stay positive you can get through even the worst days." "I strive to promote that because unless you've been there you really don't know," she said. Stapleford said brain cancer kills more children in Australia than any other disease. "It kills more people under 40 than any other is a 22 per cent survival rate," she said. "The financial cost of brain cancer, to both patients and society is the highest of all cancers. "Brain tumours can have lasting and life altering physical, cognitive, and psychological impacts on a patients life more than any other disease. "The stats are absolutely devastating, yet it is the least funded and the least talked about." The Magpies had their first loss of the season in the Women's League Cup last weekend going down 3-2 to Charlestown Azzurri, but remain unbeaten in the premier league competition with eight wins and a draw. They are six points clear on top of the table from Azzurri, who have a game in hand, and defeated their main rival 3-0 away in round 7 in April. The other NPLW games this weekend have been postponed. Maitland FC's NPLM game against Valentine on Saturday has been postponed. It followed the wash-out of last Wednesday's round 10 catch-up fixture against Belmont Swansea. The Weston Bears home game against Charlestown Azzurri on Saturday has also been postponed. Maitland FC women's players will wear special Brain Cancer Awareness jerseys against Adamstown on Sunday as their star forward Sophie Stapleford marks 10 years tumour free. The annual Brain Cancer Awareness game has become a cherished part of the Magpies season as they celebrate favourite daughter and star forward Sophie Stapleford's successful battle against a brain tumour. It is 10 years since Stapleford's life was turned upside down when world renowned neurosurgeon Charlie Teo told her: "You have a large aggressive brain tumour." "These words completely changed my life. Everything suddenly came to a halt, literally I had to stop everything," Stapleford told the Maitland Mercury in 2022. Doctors were able to successfully remove her brain tumour and after further treatment Stapleford returned to footballl in 2017. "The 18th of May 2015, 10 years ago I became a survivor," Stapleford recalled this week of her recovery after surgery. "There weren't many positive outcomes being spoken, you had two weeks left in you, you won't play sport again, a heart condition, a lot of every day side effects, there were a lot of hard times, the normal things became difficult. "Resilience became a must and survival was the only option. "With all of that, if you have a village of incredibly supportive, positive people lifting you up anything is possible.I am thankful for it all, I wasn't at the time but I am now. "I am so thankful for every day that I can run on to the field, I'm blessed to be out here because there were days I couldn't be," she said. Stapleford led Maitland when they entered the competition in 2021, and after a stint with the Newcastle Jets has been a mainstay of the Maitland team, leading them to the NPLW premiership last season. She said she felt humbled by the day, but appreciated the club's effort to show her how much they cared about her. It was also an opportunity to share the words from her pop's own battle with cancer that: "If you stay positive you can get through even the worst days." "I strive to promote that because unless you've been there you really don't know," she said. Stapleford said brain cancer kills more children in Australia than any other disease. "It kills more people under 40 than any other is a 22 per cent survival rate," she said. "The financial cost of brain cancer, to both patients and society is the highest of all cancers. "Brain tumours can have lasting and life altering physical, cognitive, and psychological impacts on a patients life more than any other disease. "The stats are absolutely devastating, yet it is the least funded and the least talked about." The Magpies had their first loss of the season in the Women's League Cup last weekend going down 3-2 to Charlestown Azzurri, but remain unbeaten in the premier league competition with eight wins and a draw. They are six points clear on top of the table from Azzurri, who have a game in hand, and defeated their main rival 3-0 away in round 7 in April. The other NPLW games this weekend have been postponed. Maitland FC's NPLM game against Valentine on Saturday has been postponed. It followed the wash-out of last Wednesday's round 10 catch-up fixture against Belmont Swansea. The Weston Bears home game against Charlestown Azzurri on Saturday has also been postponed.
