Latest news with #Tanni
Business News Wales
07-05-2025
- Health
- Business News Wales
We Need a Cultural Shift in Attitudes Towards Health says Future Generations Commissioner
Wales needs a cultural shift in attitudes towards health, says the Future Generations Commissioner. The calls come in The Future Generations Wales Podcast, hosted by Derek Walker, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, which continues its exploration into how the Well-being of Future Generations Act is shaping a better future. Wales is the only country in the world with a Well-being of Future Generations Act, and the commissioner's role is to challenge public bodies to take action today that protects people tomorrow. In this episode, A Healthier Wales, Derek is joined by Tanni, Baroness Grey-Thompson, one of the most accomplished Paralympians in history and a passionate advocate for health, well-being and inclusivity. A multi-Paralympic medallist, Tanni, Baroness Grey-Thompson secured 11 gold medals while competing as a wheelchair athlete in five Paralympic Games from 1988 to 2004. Her dominance extended beyond the track, winning the London Wheelchair Marathon six times and setting more than 30 world records. Beyond sport, she has served as an independent cross-bench member of the House of Lords since 2010 and with a lifetime dedicated to advocacy, is a powerful voice in the discussion on long-term health strategies. As chair of Sport Wales, she is accountable to the Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport for Sport Wales' performance and for the delivery of strategic priorities. At the heart of their conversation is the principle of prevention, a cornerstone of the Future Generations Act. Tanni and Derek discuss the necessity of embedding long-term health strategies rather than relying on short-term fixes. They use the metaphor of a fence at the top of a cliff rather than an ambulance at the bottom to emphasise the importance of proactive well-being measures. By 2025, we can expect to spend, on average, the last 20 years of our lives in ill-health, according to the Well-being of Wales report, 2024. Tanni advocates for a cultural shift in attitudes towards health, with a greater focus on collaboration between sectors to foster lifelong habits that support physical and mental well-being. The Economic Value of Sport report found sport in Wales is helping to directly deliver £1.9 billion in GVA for the Welsh economy, securing 38,345 full time equivalent jobs. As a fierce advocate for accessibility and inclusion, Tanni also highlights the need for physical literacy from an early age. She stresses that sports and physical activity should be available to all, regardless of socioeconomic status or disability. Ensuring that every child has the opportunity to engage in sports, she argues, is essential for building confidence, resilience, and lifelong healthy habits. Despite the well-documented benefits of physical activity, barriers to participation persist. Tanni shares her personal experiences as a wheelchair user navigating an often inaccessible world, shedding light on the daily challenges faced by disabled individuals. She also discusses the additional difficulties women and children encounter in accessing sports and exercise opportunities. These issues, she argues, must be addressed through targeted policies, investment, and a commitment to inclusive programme design. Derek highlights the Future Generations Report, which assesses public bodies' progress and offer recommendations for the next decade. The report, published at the end of April 2025 to mark 10 years of the legislation, serves as a roadmap for embedding well-being into policy, ensuring future generations benefit from healthier, more inclusive communities. In it, the commissioner makes several challenges around health, including calling for annual ringfenced prevention budgets and a move towards long-term funding arrangements to safeguard people's long-term needs. It was launched with a Future Generations Action Summit at National Museum Cardiff, where public bodies made commitments to key recommendations in the report. Since Wales committed to future generations thinking, we have seen a progressive school curriculum, a move to greener transport and a new way to define prosperity away from GDP. When Derek took on the role as commissioner in 2023, he said the law needed to work harder and faster so that people in Wales felt the everyday benefits. Both Derek and Tanni stress in the podcast the importance of maintaining momentum in the face of short-term funding pressures, advocating for sustained investment in long-term health initiatives. The full episode is available now as part of the Future Generations Wales Podcast series produced by Business News Wales. For more information and to read the Future Generations Report 2025, see
Daily Mail
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Loose Women hosting shake-up as brand new star joins ITV panel - and reveals disgusting insult she received just minutes into show
Tanni Grey-Thompson joined the Loose Women panel on Thursday's episode of the show - and revealed a disgusting insult she received just minutes into the programme. The Paralympian, 55, who was born with spina bifida, joined Jane Moore, 62, Coleen Nolan, 60, and Katie Piper, 41, to chat about this week's newsworthy topics. Right at the start of the episode the Loose ladies discussed how you prepare kids for a trauma, after Freddie Flintoff's wife Rachael revealed how she instructed their children to react when confronted with his injuries from his car crash in 2022. During the chat, Tanni touched upon a moment that happened when she was just five years old that left the panel and studio in shock. Tanni said: 'I know when I was young, I was five when I complete stranger stopped me in the street and asked me why my parents hadn't terminated the pregnancy. 'You don't really understand, my mum sat down with me and she talked through what that was and what it meant. 'She was really honest with me. 'When I was born, they were told if I had been born a couple of years earlier, I'd have been taken away, not fed and allowed to die. 'Again, she was talking about that. She was quite open with me. 'She said that if she'd known she was going to have a baby born with spina bifida, she might have considered termination.' Jane chimed in: 'Because she didn't know you at that point.' She continued: 'People get upset but she never said having had you, I would wish to terminate it. 'That open conversation, kids can be really accepting. They see what's in front of them. 'They learn to adapt. It's only later...' Jane said: 'Just don't lie to them!' Tanni is best known for her wheelchair racing career, being a politician and being on the TV. She started her wheelchair racing career at the age of 13 and has gone on to win multiple medals. Some include gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games for 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m. She also won gold at the Sydney Games in 2000 for the same events. Tanni also bagged gold at the 1998 World Championships. Elsewhere in the episode Beyoncé's mother Tina Knowles fought back the tears as she recounted her 'devastating' breast cancer battle and divorce. Tina, who is mum to the If I Were A Boy singer, 43, and Solange Knowles, 38, was recently diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer after doctors discovered two tumors during a mammogram appointment. She appeared on the ITV chat show to talk to Charlene White, 44, and Jane Moore, 62, about her new book Matriarch, which was released earlier this week. Her recent diagnosis was touched upon after Charlene was keen to find out if she had a group of close pals that she could turn to in a time of need. Tina said: 'Friendship with women is of the utmost importance to me, it's one of my biggest priorities to stay connected because when I went through that, I depended on my daughters. 'I didn't tell everybody in my friends group. I didn't have to tell them what was going on. 'I just went to Houston, gathered my girlfriends, we went to church, we went to lunch, we went parting at the club, dancing.' As her emotions got the better of her and her eyes started to tell up, she continued: 'I just told them I don't want to talk about what's going on, but I need you right now. 'They were all right there with me. They've been a big part of my life, my whole life.'
Daily Mirror
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
ITV's Loose Women star 'welcomed back' to show with huge on-air surprise
ITV's Loose Women kicked off in high spirits as they welcomed a much-loved panel back to the show Loose Women got off to a warm start on Thursday's instalment as they welcomed back panel member Tanni Grey Thompson, who has been absent for some time. Jane Moore, who was at the helm of the show, introduced her trio of panel members, which included Katie Piper, Coleen Nolan, and Tanni. As she approached the Olympic wheelchair racer who kicked off her career in a club in Cardiff, Wales, Jane said with a huge smile on her face, "Welcome back, Tanni. It's been a while." Tanni was excited to have made a comeback, but even more thrilled that her panel members had a huge surprise in store for her. Jane said, "You're a Jason Donovan fan, aren't you?" To which Tanni gushed, "I used to watch Neighbours all the time, and I cried at the wedding..." Before she could finish her sentence, the actor appeared at her side on the programme, embracing her with a kind hug on-air.
