Latest news with #WestonPark
BBC News
29-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Weston Park baton walk symbol of hope for suicide survivors
A charity started by a father who lost his son to suicide has held a Walk of Hope to encourage open conversations around mental McCarthy, a former BBC and Sky News reporter, lost his son Ross to suicide aged Ross left a farewell note asking his family to campaign for better mental health support, Mr McCarthy co-founded the charity Baton of said Saturday's event at Sheffield's Weston Park was about "smashing stigma surrounding suicide and encourage open conversation". He said: "Having witnessed first hand the trauma of losing a wonderful son with so much to give, I realised belatedly just how woeful society is when it comes to mental wellbeing."Together there is so much we can do and that includes bringing to an end the dreadful silence surrounding the subject."The event saw campaigners carry a Baton of Hope, a gold baton designed and crafted by Thomas Lyte, goldsmiths and silversmiths to Queen Elizabeth bearers included people who had lost loved ones to suicide or survived a suicide attempt. Debbi Marlow, who was among those who carried the baton, lost her brother Andrew to suicide three years said: "We've come together in the name of our loved ones and to consider people who struggle with their mental health."Suicide is everyone's business. In some way so many of us will be affected by suicide, whether we lose someone who is very special to us or we're aware of that. We're all connected as humans by suicide in some way."We need to connect and talk about it and the baton allows those conversations."Leah Laycock, who also carried the baton, witnessed her father attempt suicide as a child and is a suicide survivor said: "Once upon a time, I wouldn't talk about it but after coming across the Baton of Hope charity, meeting other people and connecting with them has helped me so much."And it's brought my journey of recovery forward very quickly, which is amazing."Carrying the baton feels like a symbol of survival, strength, and hope – not just for me but for everyone who's ever felt like they couldn't go on." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Mom, 24, Alleges Docs Refused to Test Her Tumor: 'They Didn't Think Somebody My Age Would Have Pancreatic Cancer'
Kanisha Collins, 24, alleges her doctors didn't test a mass on her pancreas, telling her she was too young for pancreatic cancer The mom of a toddler was in the midst of planning her wedding when she was told that she had stage four pancreatic cancer that was "incurable" PEOPLE has reached out to Chesterfield Royal Hospital and Weston Park Hospital for commentA mom who alleges she was told she's too young for pancreatic cancer has been given a bleak, "incurable" diagnosis — and now she's trying to make memories with her toddler and husband before she dies. Kanisha Collins, 24, sought care at the UK's Chesterfield Royal Hospital in December, she told Daily Mail in an article published on Thursday, June 5. her medical team was communicating with cancer specialists at Weston Park Hospital, and the consensus was that she had pancreatitis — an inflammation of the pancreas that can cause nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain. PEOPLE has reached out to Chesterfield Royal Hospital and Weston Park Hospital for comment. A representative for the hospital told The Daily Mail that internal reviews are "already underway." Kanisha told the outlet that this past February, May 30, a scan showed a mass on her pancreas and a blood clot, but her medical team still said she had pancreatitis. 'They wouldn't test the mass on my pancreas, because they didn't think somebody my age would have pancreatic cancer,' Kanisha alleged, claiming she was told the mass was 'benign.' But as she explains, the pain got worse — and she was rushed back to the hospital for more tests; On May 19, she was given the heartbreaking news that she had stage four pancreatic cancer that had spread to her liver and was 'incurable.' Pancreatic cancer is one of the most devastating cancers because it usually doesn't exhibit symptoms until it's too far advanced for effective treatment. As Pancreatic Cancer Action Network explains, even when it's discovered only in the pancreas, the five-year survival rate is 44%. For all types of pancreatic cancer, including if it has spread, the five-year survival rate is 13%. 'I felt discriminated against because I was so young,' Kanisha told the outlet. She'd been in the midst of planning her wedding and celebrating her daughter Amaya's second birthday, but now she says "I feel heartbroken.' 'I have a 2-year-old daughter at home," she said. "I get married on Saturday and I had all that to look forward to in the future.' Her father, Dean, has started a GoFundMe to support Amaya in the future and help Kanisha and her husband Mason build memories — all while paying for cancer treatment. 'I'm on chemo. I'm tired, so it's hard, but I suppose I've got to look for the positive side, that the chemo will shrink enough to give me many years down the line,' she said. 'We're all staying positive about it and hoping that treatment will shrink my tumors enough to give me a few years.' But as Dean bleakly wrote in the GoFundMe, "Amaya will grow up without her mummy by her side through her childhood, teenage years, and adult life. The pain of this loss is unimaginable for our family." As Dean told Daily Mail, 'My aim now is to bring further awareness out there, with regards to cancer, because there's loads of people out there who have experienced it … people just don't seem to be wanting to to push it further forward, to do further tests, purely because she was young.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Read the original article on People
BBC News
16-05-2025
- BBC News
Dead squirrels caught in Weston Park traps spark outrage
The sight of injured and dead squirrels caught in traps in the grounds of a stately home has sparked outrage from some visitors.A number of people have taken to social media with descriptions of "heartbreaking displays of animal cruelty" at Weston Park, near Shifnal, near the border of Staffordshire and have been posted online of a squirrel hanging out of a trap with its head inside and another squirrel caught in a tube.A spokeswoman for Weston Park said humane traps were used on part of the estate and added: "We understand how upsetting this was and sincerely apologise to anyone affected." On Facebook, one commentator, Jeneen Schive, wrote: "Visitors to Weston Park have been confronted with a distressing sight: Squirrel traps placed high in the trees, leaving injured or even dead squirrels caught and visible for all to see."This heartbreaking displays of animal cruelty cannot be ignored….these traps are causing unnecessary suffering to innocent creatures."The spokeswoman for the park said estate managers were now carrying out a review of everything they do to manage the squirrel population on the estate."We have a responsibility to control the population of grey squirrels, a non-native invasive species, in a humane and controlled manner," she added."We fully understand our visitors care and concern for the park and its wildlife and we remain committed to ensuring that all necessary actions are carried out responsibly in accordance with best practices." Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
