logo
#

Latest news with #SteveRobinson

Community network receives £132k to boost services
Community network receives £132k to boost services

Yahoo

time6 days ago

  • Health
  • Yahoo

Community network receives £132k to boost services

An initiative to keep older people in the community active and connected has been backed with thousands of pounds in funding. The Volunteer Centre Dorset (VCD) has been awarded a two-year contract to create the Dorset Thriving Communities Network. The network has been allotted £132,000 in grant funding, to be divided among community groups and charities in Purbeck, north Dorset and Weymouth over the coming months. In a statement, the VCD explained the initiative has been created to "establish and strengthen these small networks". Projects receiving the funding will include lunch clubs, art classes and warm spaces for people to gather, in a bid to help older people feel independent and connected with their community. Councillor Steve Robinson from Dorset Council said: "This 'proof of concept' exercise holds the potential to develop a completely new method of funding our Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) core costs." He said the initiative could "create a truly engaged and resilient sector, able to provide long term health and wellbeing support as our older population grows". Marie Waterman, chief executive of VCD, added: "This is about more than just funding - it's about supporting the people and groups already making a difference in their neighbourhoods. "By working together, we can create local networks that are responsive, resilient, and rooted in the strengths of each community." A review into the initiative will be held after a year by Dorset's Voluntary and Community Sector Assembly (VCSA), reporting to the Dorset Health and Wellbeing Board. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Service befriending lonely elderly people extended Charity hosts community group to tackle loneliness Overhaul of council community services planned Students and elderly pair up to combat loneliness Dorset Council

Dorset communities network receives grant to support older people
Dorset communities network receives grant to support older people

BBC News

time6 days ago

  • Health
  • BBC News

Dorset communities network receives grant to support older people

An initiative to keep older people in the community active and connected has been backed with thousands of pounds in Volunteer Centre Dorset (VCD) has been awarded a two-year contract to create the Dorset Thriving Communities network has been allotted £132,000 in grant funding, to be divided among community groups and charities in Purbeck, north Dorset and Weymouth over the coming a statement, the VCD explained the initiative has been created to "establish and strengthen these small networks". Projects receiving the funding will include lunch clubs, art classes and warm spaces for people to gather, in a bid to help older people feel independent and connected with their Steve Robinson from Dorset Council said: "This 'proof of concept' exercise holds the potential to develop a completely new method of funding our Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) core costs."He said the initiative could "create a truly engaged and resilient sector, able to provide long term health and wellbeing support as our older population grows".Marie Waterman, chief executive of VCD, added: "This is about more than just funding - it's about supporting the people and groups already making a difference in their neighbourhoods."By working together, we can create local networks that are responsive, resilient, and rooted in the strengths of each community."A review into the initiative will be held after a year by Dorset's Voluntary and Community Sector Assembly (VCSA), reporting to the Dorset Health and Wellbeing Board. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.

Queensland's horrific lion attack shows wild animals should not be kept for our amusement
Queensland's horrific lion attack shows wild animals should not be kept for our amusement

7NEWS

time6 days ago

  • General
  • 7NEWS

Queensland's horrific lion attack shows wild animals should not be kept for our amusement

Last weekend, a woman was mauled by a lioness at Darling Downs Zoo in Queensland, and lost her arm. The zoo, which keeps nine lions, has been operating for 20 years and had never experienced an incident such as this. The victim was a relative of the zoo owner, Steve Robinson, who told the media the lions were not aggressive and the lioness was thought to be 'just playing'. Although attacks like this are extremely rare, they are obviously of great concern. The incident should prompt a rethink of our approach to wild animals in captivity, and whether it's morally acceptable – or safe – to keep them there at all. Why do zoos exist? Zoos, aquariums and other settings where wild animals are kept captive exist for two main reasons: human entertainment and profit-making. Surveys show zoo visitors have a preference for large mammals such as elephants, primates and big cats. Some animals are more tolerant of captivity conditions and exposure to humans than others. Fish, for example, seem to respond more neutrally to human presence than most other species. But a recent study found captive animals generally demonstrate abnormal behaviour more often than non-captive ones. For most wild animals, captivity deprives them of the ability to engage in natural behaviour, which harms their welfare. For example, free-living dolphins and whales have long-range migration patterns which require vast ocean spaces. They are also highly social and display complex communication behaviour. Some countries have banned keeping dolphins and whales in captivity for entertainment because it causes the animals to suffer sensory deprivation and stress, among other harms. Captiv e dolphins were once common in aquariums and marine parks across Australia. But now only one facility, Sea World in Queensland, still breeds dolphins for entertainment. And earlier this year, the last elephants at Perth Zoo were moved to a 12-hectare habitat in South Australia to improve their welfare. Another important welfare question is whether the captive animal has 'agency' – that is, whether it can make choices as it would in the wild. Can it choose, for example, which other animals it has relationships with? Or whether it has privacy? Having control over such decisions enhances the quality of life for the captive animal. It's important to note that some zoos can deliver positive outcomes for animals. Many play an important conservation role, such as running captive breeding programs for endangered species. An example is a long-running program across several Australian zoos and other organisations to recover populations of the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater. The program has released more than 400 zoo-bred birds into the wild. However, such conservation programs do not necessarily need to involve zoos to succeed. Weighing up the risks No matter how domesticated they might seem, some wild animals in captivity will always pose a risk to humans. Their behaviour can be unpredictable and, as the recent Queensland example shows, even a 'playing' lioness can cause enormous physical harm to people. Wild animals are called wild for a reason. To be kept in captivity, most animals require training so they can be safely handled. The Darling Downs Zoo incident shows despite this precaution, things can still go wrong. But humans will, understandably, always be fascinated by other animals, and want to see them up close. So, what are the alternatives to zoos? Open range-zoos, such as the one to which the Perth elephants were moved, can offer a better option for some animals. Another option is to recreate the zoo experience using technology. Artificial intelligence, virtual reality and augmented reality can be used to create images of animals that look and seem real. In Australia, examples include Brisbane's Hologram Zoo and a high-tech puppetry experience touring Australia which replicates a real shark dive. Overseas, animatronic displays have been created to replace dolphin shows. Questions about animals kept in captivity require us to consider how much risk to human safety we accept, and the extent to which we prioritise human amusement over animal welfare. In searching for answers, we can start by asking whether we need zoos at all.

Farm season starting to roll
Farm season starting to roll

Yahoo

time12-07-2025

  • Climate
  • Yahoo

Farm season starting to roll

A cold, wet spring has turned into a warm, dry start to the summer growing season. Area farmers had trouble getting seed into the ground because of the conditions in May but things are rounding into a better picture for the summer growth season. Several area growers and an agriculture specialist said the weather has put farmers a week or two behind in their growth spectrum. Ashtabula County Ohio State University Extension Agent Amanda Barnum said a big concern is the nutritional content of hay, with the first cutting occurring late in the season compared to a normal year. She said there is a certain height of the hay maximizes nutrition for area animals. Steve Robinson, of Robinson's Apple Barn in Harpersfield Township, said it was a slow start to the planting season, but it is improving with the warmer weather. He said the business has been selling tomatoes and strawberries, but his sweet corn first went on sale Thursday. He said it is really good corn. 'Corn and tomatoes love hot weather,' Robinson said. After the rainy spring, the weather tilted a bit too far the other way for area farmers. 'I need an inch [of rain] every other day,' said Rick Puckrin, who sells his locally-grown produce at area farm markets and to restaurants from his Austinburg Township farm. He said the rain provides a consistency of quality from the plants. Puckrin said he started planting April 1, but things got a little too cold and rainy. He said at least 60 degree temperatures 24 hours a day is perfect for growing. Barnum said the produce operations seem to have good growing results this year. She said apple and peach orchards also seem to be in a good place.

50-Year-Old Woman Loses Arm In Horrifying Lion Attack At Popular Australian Zoo
50-Year-Old Woman Loses Arm In Horrifying Lion Attack At Popular Australian Zoo

NDTV

time12-07-2025

  • NDTV

50-Year-Old Woman Loses Arm In Horrifying Lion Attack At Popular Australian Zoo

An Australian woman lost an arm after being attacked by a lion at a zoo. According to The Independent, Joanne Cabban, a 50-year-old school teacher, was at Darling Downs Zoo on Sunday when the incident occurred. She was watching animal keepers working in the zoo's carnivore precinct before opening hours when she was attacked. She was airlifted by helicopter to Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital for surgery and is now in a stable condition, the zoo said in a statement. The zoo staff are cooperating with government workplace safety investigators to determine how the incident happened. The state government confirmed an investigation was underway, per the outlet. "Inexplicably, at this stage, one animal grabbed her by one arm and caused severe damage to it," the zoo statement said. "At no stage did this animal leave its enclosure and there was no risk at all to staff members or members of the public," the statement continued. According to The Guardian, the woman was not a staff member but a "much-loved member" of the zoo's family. Darling Downs zoo owner Steve Robinson said that Cabban, his sister-in-law, was visiting on school holidays, something she has done regularly for 20 years. The 50-year-old is currently in the hospital and is in stable condition. Workplace Health and Safety Queensland is investigating the incident. Nobody else saw the attack take place, though others were nearby, per the outlet. The zoo's owner, Steve Robinson, credited another member of staff with saving Ms Cabban's life. He said that the staff member used his wife's leather belt as a makeshift tourniquet to stop the bleeding, and then applied a thermal blanket before paramedics arrived. Mr Robinson said that the incident was not the lion's fault and people should not blame the animal. The animal will not be put down or punished in any way, he said. "There's no aggression, and there's no nastiness, anything like that at all. The best we can come up with at this stage is the lion was just playing. Now how she was playing with a human in that circumstance is yet to be determined," Mr Robinson stated. He also said that it was the first time an incident like this had happened at the zoo. "That enclosure that we're looking at was one of our original ones. It's been there for 20 years, as I said before, without anything like this happening," he said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store