Latest news with #Whitham
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Popular Guiseley winger rejects new contract offer to leave Nethermoor
GUISELEY have confirmed that Lewis Whitham has rejected an improved contract offer to remain with the Lions and has instead signed for Worksop Town. Whitham spent two and a half seasons at the club joining in November 2022 for an undisclosed fee from Alfreton Town. Advertisement The winger went on to make 45 appearances, scoring eight goals and winning the Players' Player of the Season award at the end of the 2022/23 campaign. Whitham suffered a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus in his left knee in March 2023, with the injury leaving the popular winger out of action until November 2024. Guiseley commented: "The former Liversedge man departs with our best wishes for the future."
Daily Record
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Almost 6,000 Ayrshire households at risk of losing heating and hot water
The signal which controls radio teleswitch meters, or RTS meters, will be switched off on June 30 and thousands of people in Ayrshire are still to have theirs replaced. Almost 6,000 households in Ayrshire have still to have their radio teleswitch (RTS) meters replaced just weeks before the signal is switched off. The latest available figures, from mid-April, revealed that 5,923 households across the county were still relying on an RTS meter to record their energy usage. At the current rate of replacement, more than 4,500 homes in Ayrshire will still be relying on RTS meters when the signal is turned off on Monday, June 30. RTS meters, introduced in the 1980s, use outdated longwave radio signals to switch between peak and off-peak rates. Without replacement, customers risk being stuck on the wrong setting, moved onto a more expensive single-rate tariff or losing heating and hot water. Consumers are being urged to check their meters and contact their energy suppliers if they think they need a replacement, rather than waiting to be contacted. Last week, Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley MSP Elena Whitham took part in a debate in the Scottish Parliament calling for more to be done to support people with the transition or to postpone the switch-off date so that everyone affected can prepare. Ms Whitham said: 'The RTS switch-off takes place on June 30 - and it could have real consequences for households that have been unable to make the switch. 'I have heard from constituents who have done their part to get ready for the cut-off date but have faced hurdles which have left them in limbo. 'This is completely unacceptable and the UK Government must take control of the situation to ensure no one is left worse off. 'The switch-off date must be postponed, or full compensation must be given to those affected. 'Households are already struggling financially and the prospect of being stuck on a higher rate is the last thing they need to be dealing with. This is even more so the case for those who have RTS meters who are already experiencing fuel poverty. 'While challenges are clearly being experienced, I encourage everyone to do their part and replace their RTS meter ahead of switch-off at the end of June - this is one of those simple changes that can save a lot of stress down the line.' Across Scotland, nearly 125,000 properties are still using the obsolete energy meters but replacements are only happening at a rate of around 5,000 every two weeks. Advice Direct Scotland, which runs the national energy advice service has warned that urgent action is needed to avoid households being left without control of their heating or hot water when the signal controlling Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) meters is switched off on June 30. Andrew Bartlett, chief executive of Advice Direct Scotland, said: 'With less than six weeks to go until the deadline, these figures lay bare the scale of the challenge ahead. The replacement rate simply isn't fast enough and must urgently speed up. 'We are continuing to see a rise in the number of calls from worried households and expect this to increase as we get nearer to June 30. 'The system isn't working as it should, putting thousands at risk of losing heating or hot water. 'Anyone who thinks they might be affected should act now and contact their supplier. If you know someone with an RTS meter, especially if vulnerable, encourage them to act. 'Free advice is available at or by calling 0808 196 8660.'
Leader Live
13-05-2025
- Health
- Leader Live
MSP says her mother starved herself to death after terminal cancer diagnosis
Elena Whitham told how her mother Irene McLeod took two weeks to die after making that decision in secret back in 2014. As Holyrood debated a Bill that could bring in assisted dying for terminally ill Scots, Ms Whitham said her mother was 58 and 'had so much to live for'. She described her mother as being 'all sorts of awesome', adding: 'She was funny, she was sarcastic, passionate and complicated.' But after being diagnosed with terminal stage four lung cancer in February 2014, she said she she was dead just five weeks later. Ms Whitham recalled: 'I hadn't even processed the fact that she was ill by the time we were ordering her wicker casket. 'She was only 58, she had so much to live for. 'And yet her last decision on this earth was to starve herself, to hasten her inevitable death.' She added: 'My mum didn't tell us what she was doing, I think she knew we were not ready to let her go and she wanted to protect us from her decision. 'Her mind was made up in her usual headstrong manner, and she had the agreement of her medical team she could choose to die this way. It is the only way the medical establishment allows a death when you are terminal.' The SNP MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley said she could 'not even fathom the internal conflict she must have experienced, as she was consumed first by hunger and then by the urgent need to drink'. The MSP, who is stepping down from Holyrood in May 2026, said it had taken two weeks for her mother to 'starve to death'. She recalled: 'She woke up very briefly the morning she passed away, when she wasn't sedated quickly enough, and none of us will ever forget the terror on her face when she realised she wasn't dead after having been unconscious for three days.' Ms Whitham told MSPs: 'My mum deserved to plan a compassionate death, surrounded by her family, not one she had to conduct in secret, with us only finding out when a caring nurse explained what she had been enduring prior to lapsing into unconsciousness. 'No-one should be forced to starve themselves, travel overseas or use other traumatic methods to end their lives when dealing with a terminal diagnosis.' And she said that without change 'people will continue to make choices like my mum' .
South Wales Guardian
13-05-2025
- Health
- South Wales Guardian
MSP says her mother starved herself to death after terminal cancer diagnosis
Elena Whitham told how her mother Irene McLeod took two weeks to die after making that decision in secret back in 2014. As Holyrood debated a Bill that could bring in assisted dying for terminally ill Scots, Ms Whitham said her mother was 58 and 'had so much to live for'. She described her mother as being 'all sorts of awesome', adding: 'She was funny, she was sarcastic, passionate and complicated.' But after being diagnosed with terminal stage four lung cancer in February 2014, she said she she was dead just five weeks later. Ms Whitham recalled: 'I hadn't even processed the fact that she was ill by the time we were ordering her wicker casket. 'She was only 58, she had so much to live for. 'And yet her last decision on this earth was to starve herself, to hasten her inevitable death.' She added: 'My mum didn't tell us what she was doing, I think she knew we were not ready to let her go and she wanted to protect us from her decision. 'Her mind was made up in her usual headstrong manner, and she had the agreement of her medical team she could choose to die this way. It is the only way the medical establishment allows a death when you are terminal.' The SNP MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley said she could 'not even fathom the internal conflict she must have experienced, as she was consumed first by hunger and then by the urgent need to drink'. The MSP, who is stepping down from Holyrood in May 2026, said it had taken two weeks for her mother to 'starve to death'. She recalled: 'She woke up very briefly the morning she passed away, when she wasn't sedated quickly enough, and none of us will ever forget the terror on her face when she realised she wasn't dead after having been unconscious for three days.' Ms Whitham told MSPs: 'My mum deserved to plan a compassionate death, surrounded by her family, not one she had to conduct in secret, with us only finding out when a caring nurse explained what she had been enduring prior to lapsing into unconsciousness. 'No-one should be forced to starve themselves, travel overseas or use other traumatic methods to end their lives when dealing with a terminal diagnosis.' And she said that without change 'people will continue to make choices like my mum' .
Western Telegraph
13-05-2025
- Health
- Western Telegraph
MSP says her mother starved herself to death after terminal cancer diagnosis
Elena Whitham told how her mother Irene McLeod took two weeks to die after making that decision in secret back in 2014. As Holyrood debated a Bill that could bring in assisted dying for terminally ill Scots, Ms Whitham said her mother was 58 and 'had so much to live for'. She described her mother as being 'all sorts of awesome', adding: 'She was funny, she was sarcastic, passionate and complicated.' But after being diagnosed with terminal stage four lung cancer in February 2014, she said she she was dead just five weeks later. Ms Whitham recalled: 'I hadn't even processed the fact that she was ill by the time we were ordering her wicker casket. 'She was only 58, she had so much to live for. 'And yet her last decision on this earth was to starve herself, to hasten her inevitable death.' She added: 'My mum didn't tell us what she was doing, I think she knew we were not ready to let her go and she wanted to protect us from her decision. 'Her mind was made up in her usual headstrong manner, and she had the agreement of her medical team she could choose to die this way. It is the only way the medical establishment allows a death when you are terminal.' The SNP MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley said she could 'not even fathom the internal conflict she must have experienced, as she was consumed first by hunger and then by the urgent need to drink'. The MSP, who is stepping down from Holyrood in May 2026, said it had taken two weeks for her mother to 'starve to death'. She recalled: 'She woke up very briefly the morning she passed away, when she wasn't sedated quickly enough, and none of us will ever forget the terror on her face when she realised she wasn't dead after having been unconscious for three days.' Ms Whitham told MSPs: 'My mum deserved to plan a compassionate death, surrounded by her family, not one she had to conduct in secret, with us only finding out when a caring nurse explained what she had been enduring prior to lapsing into unconsciousness. 'No-one should be forced to starve themselves, travel overseas or use other traumatic methods to end their lives when dealing with a terminal diagnosis.' And she said that without change 'people will continue to make choices like my mum' .
