Latest news with #Widnes
The Sun
7 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
My five year old boy was called FAT by school – he plays tons of football and goes swimming… it's got to be a joke
A FURIOUS mum has slammed the NHS for branding her five-year-old boy overweight despite him regularly playing football and swimming. Laura Atherton had given permission for slim son Jack Atherton to take part in the National Child Measurement Programme at his primary school last month. 9 9 9 9 However, the 34-year-old laughed when she received a results letter from Halton Borough Council, Cheshire, last Wednesday declaring Jack as "overweight". The mum-of-two insists her "sporty" son plays football once a week and has been going swimming since he was two months old. Angry Laura says Jack "isn't chubby at all" and blames the 'outdated' BMI (Body Mass Index) system for not understanding how kids grow at different rates. Jack is 3ft 5in and weighs 3.5st, which puts him in the 97th percentile for his age and in the "overweight" bracket (91 and above). Tech complaints manager Laura posted an explainer video to TikTok, including a picture of her "'regular" son with viewers left gobsmacked. Laura, from Widnes, Cheshire, said: "I laughed when I saw it and said 'it's got to be a joke'. "Once it settled I thought classifying him as that was really bad. It's barbaric and horrendous. "He's very active and he's always been active. He's been swimming since he was a couple of months old. "He still goes swimming every week on a Saturday and he goes to football every Monday. "He's a normal-build five-year-old and he's wearing age 4-5 clothes. I've got washboard abs & weigh 13 stone at 5ft10 but I'm 'obese' by BMI standards "It angers me because what more can we be doing? I don't think he's overweight and everyone we know is outraged." She added: "People might think I've got rose-tinted glasses on and 'maybe he's a bit chubby but she doesn't see it' but he isn't chubby at all. There's nothing to him. "If I fed him less he'd be hungry. He's a growing lad and that's obviously not something I'm going to do. "From the checks online, I think if he was 3-4cm taller then he'd be in the healthy weight bracket, which is mental because they all grow at different rates at that age. "When Jack came home last night and asked for a biscuit I wondered if he should, but why was I thinking that? It's impacted me as well, it's ridiculous. "I don't want him to be overweight and that's a choice we make every day through his meals and making sure we get fruit and veg down him. "Jack doesn't know about it and he won't know about it either, he doesn't need to." 9 9 9 Laura, who also lives with hubby Sam, 36, and their other son George, one, insists Jack's weight hasn't been brought up by medical professionals before. The National Child Measurement Programme measures the height and weight of children in reception class (aged 4-5) and year six (aged 10-11) to assess overweight and obesity levels in primary school children. The programme uses BMI for the programme, which is a measure of whether you're a healthy weight for your height, and includes a QR code on the results letter to advise parents. Laura believes such tests should be done at clinics rather than schools but doesn't feel BMI is fit for purpose anyway. 'DANGEROUS & OUTDATED' Laura said: "I'm not a doctor but I don't think BMI is fit for purpose. I think it's dangerous and outdated. "Some parents are really impressionable and if they didn't feel as strongly as I did then their kids might be going on a diet unnecessarily. "If you're a child and you're told you're overweight then that could have a real detrimental impact on their confidence and their relationship with food. "I think it's a terrible idea [to weigh kids in school]. The next check is when they go into high school and that's such an impressionable age and they'll be talking about it. "I agree with it in the correct environment for children that need help so I think these checks need to be through the doctors and school isn't the right setting." Laura's TikTok video, captioned 'I'm fuming', has been viewed almost half a million times with many comments in support of her. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'The National Childhood Measurement Programme (NCMP) is vital to inform action to improve the health of all children and promote a healthier weight. 'We recognise that weight and growth can be very sensitive for some children, and their wellbeing is our priority. The privacy and dignity of children must be safeguarded at all times, and no child is forced to take part. 'School nursing teams and NCMP delivery staff measure children in a sensitive way, in private and away from other children, with weight and height information shared only with the parent or carer in a feedback letter. 'This government is shifting focus from sickness to prevention under our 10 Year Health Plan to meet our ambition of raising the healthiest generation of children ever.' 9 9
Leader Live
24-05-2025
- Business
- Leader Live
Deeside Dragons ice hockey club appeal for sponsors
Deeside Dragons are now reaching crowd numbers of almost 500 on match nights, and 700 during games against Widnes after regrouping from having their facility used as a coronavirus vaccination hub. MP Mark Tami recently revisited the club at Deeside leisure centre, having last visited management in 2022, and lauded its progress, including a revamp of the changing room to align with professional facilities. He said: "It's been great to meet Jake and Mike today and see the progress since my last visit. "Deeside Dragons are going from strength to strength and are giving back to the community's young people. "I would encourage any businesses who are in a position to do so to consider supporting them." Jake Witkowski, one of the team's two permitted professionals and a former USA NCAA Division I player, has taken on the role of business manager, focusing on youth team development and sponsorship. READ MORE: Tough calls for Carl ahead of North Wales Crusaders' Keighley trip He said: "Ice hockey is the most attended indoor sport in the UK, with its rapid growth trajectory suggesting a promising future. "With 130 in our junior club we're well placed to be at the forefront as the sport continues to develop. "We aim to create opportunity for young people through structured sport, personal development, and accessible training programmes." Despite ice time costs being comparatively lower than other rinks, the club would like more funds for exciting investments like Hudl software, which would facilitate training improvements. Businesses interested in sponsoring Deeside Dragons or helping the club continue its trajectory can learn more about sponsorship opportunities at
The Guardian
28-03-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Doug Laughton obituary
Doug Laughton, who has died aged 80, was a member of the last Great Britain team to defeat Australia in a three-match Rugby League Ashes series in 1970. As a player he was also a two-time Challenge Cup winner. However, he is possibly better known for his post-playing coaching career and his astute eye for spotting nascent talent. In three stints as coach of his hometown club Widnes he won every trophy available, tempting a host of big-name rugby union internationals to switch codes and move to Cheshire, where his formidable team became known as 'the cup kings'. Perhaps Laughton's greatest coaching triumph came at Old Trafford in October 1989, when Widnes, playing the free-flowing style associated with all his teams, became World Club champions, overturning a 12-0 deficit to beat Canberra Raiders 30-18. That team was a microcosm of Laughton's ability to identify embryonic rugby league talent from beyond its usual geographical confines. He had spotted Martin Offiah playing in a rugby union sevens tournament for London-based Rosslyn Park, plucked him from obscurity and turned him into the most prolific English try-scoring wing of all time. Also playing in that side were the former Scottish rugby union back Alan Tait and, perhaps Laughton's finest signing, Jonathan Davies. The Welshman was his nation's incumbent fly-half and a superstar of global rugby union when Laughton stunned the sporting world by paying a record £230,000 to bring him from Llanelli to Widnes. Many questioned the wisdom of the move, but via Laughton's exemplary player-management Davies became the most successful of cross-code converts. These players, added to Widnes's established league stars, such as Tony Myler, Kurt Sorensen and the Hulme brothers David and Paul, ensured a period of dominance lasting the better part of two decades. Laughton was born in Widnes, one of five siblings. His father, Frank, was a factory worker, his mother, Margaret (nee Douglas), a homemaker. He went to Saints Fisher and More high school, where, although a keen swimmer, he became a house captain and was expected to play rugby league. He was not keen. 'I thought this game is too hard,' he told his biographer Andrew Quirke in A Dream Come True (2003), 'but my sports teacher persuaded me to keep turning up.' The teacher was farsighted. Laughton began playing with the local amateur club St Paul's and was spotted by St Helens who, in 1963, signed him for £500. Four years later Wigan paid £4,000 to take him to Central Park. There he made his mark as a tough but skilful loose-forward and also made his first Challenge Cup final appearance, Wigan losing 7-2 to Castleford in 1970. Despite the defeat, Laughton was selected for the Great Britain Lions tour to Australia. He played all three tests – scoring a try in the first – as Britain won the Ashes for the last time. When Laughton was a boy, his neighbour had been Vince Karalius, a Great Britain international and a childhood hero of Laughton's. Karalius, now Widnes coach, had long admired his former protege's abilities and enticed him to his hometown club, as captain, in 1973. It was the start of a golden era for Widnes. They won the league championship in 1978 and visited Wembley for the Challenge Cup final four times in five years, winning twice – against Warrington in 1975 and Wakefield Trinity in 1979 – by which time Laughton had become player-coach. That latter year saw him crowned 1979 Man of Steel as the sport's best player and culminated in his selection as captain on Great Britain's tour to Australia. Unfortunately, his international career would end ignominiously. The Lions were heavily defeated in the first test and Laughton was dropped for the remaining matches. It was the last of his 15 Great Britain caps. By now, though, a persistent knee injury was curtailing his playing career and he opted to focus full time on coaching. Two more Challenge Cup finals followed, the first, in 1981 against Hull Kingston Rovers, ending in victory. The Premiership trophy was also won in 1980, 1982 and 1983. After an unexpected resignation in 1983, Laughton returned in 1986 and began scouring the ranks of rugby union for both hidden and overt talent. He would make clandestine trips to Wales to run his eye over potential signings. The day Davies penned his contract, Laughton was spotted in a pub by the Llanelli chairman Norman Gale, who sensed something afoot. Laughton and the Widnes director Jim Mills beat a hasty retreat, fearing a posse of Llanelli supporters might be summoned. Meanwhile, Laughton was undeterred, also securing the signatures of the Welsh union internationals John Devereux and Paul Moriarty. Boosted by these adroit signings Widnes won two more league championships (1988 and 1989). They also won the Premiership trophy in those years, making it a hat-trick in 1990. These were his last major successes. In 1991 he was lured to big-spending Leeds, where he continued to sign famous names from union including the New Zealand international Craig Innes and the rising English star Jim Fallon, and took the club to two losing Challenge Cup finals before returning to Widnes for a third time in 1996. However, dwindling finances meant he could not replicate earlier achievements and he retired in 1997 to concentrate on his plumbing business. Laughton was married three times, his first marriage ending in divorce. His second and third wives predeceased him; he is survived by his five children. Charles Douglas Laughton, rugby league player and coach, born 13 May 1944; died 16 March 2025
The Independent
12-03-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Widnes looking to ‘bring the good times back' ahead of Challenge Cup tie
Joe Lydon's pair of interception tries to seal victory for Widnes in the 1984 Challenge Cup final at Wembley remain two of the most seminal moments in the history of the 127-year-old competition. Beamed live on the BBC, the 20-year-old's lung-bursting feats to sink his home-town club Wigan capped a golden era for the Cheshire club, who featured in seven finals over a 10-year period, starting with their 14-7 win over Warrington in 1975. Half a century later, Widnes are preparing to face Sam Burgess' Wolves in the fifth round on Saturday. Still rebuilding from a serious financial crisis after falling out of Super League in 2018, they will start as significant underdogs at their Halton Stadium. Current head coach Allan Coleman knows all about the Widnes glory days. His uncle Derek Pyke played at prop in the 1989 World Club Challenge win over Canberra Raiders at Old Trafford, a final fling before the club began their slow and painful demise. Appointed in 2023 after a stint with Swinton, and previously a long period in the community game, Coleman hopes the tie will help galvanise the town to continue to reconnect with the club that once thrust it so thrillingly onto the sporting map. 'We're trying to do it progressively and bring the good times back,' Coleman told the PA news agency. 'We've got a pedigree and a history that's within the club and the fan base. A lot of our supporters saw those days, but there are a lot of youngsters who didn't, and hopefully this game can reignite the love affair with Widnes and the Challenge Cup for a new generation of fans.' Widnes, who have made a solid start to the new second-tier Championship season, are hoping for a crowd in excess of 5,000, more than double their normal gate, for the visit of Burgess' stuttering side. If they are the kind of numbers that emphasise the club's continued potential in the all-new IMG-led era, Coleman is realistic about his side's prospects in the short-term. 'We're not going to win the Challenge Cup this year but we can showcase ourselves and what we're about,' he said. 'We're a sleeping giant and sometimes you've got to be patient when you're waking giants up. If you wake them up straight away, it doesn't quite work. 'But if you wake them up progressively and in the right way, taking small steps but always improving, then you can have a dream.' Following his success, Lydon went on to join Wigan, with whom he won five more Challenge Cup titles, and also managed them before eventually drifting out of the game. Now 61, the anniversary of Widnes' final win over Warrington holds a special memory for Lydon, who played in the pre-match curtain-raiser at Wembley that day – ironically for Wigan against Widnes – that paved the way for his future exploits. 'I was 11 years old and to get the chance to run around at Wembley was pretty amazing,' recalled Lydon. 'We lost 8-0 and I had no inclination whatsoever of wanting to go on and play professional rugby league. But we got a chance to go into the dressing rooms and meet the Widnes players, and it certainly sowed the seed. 'People's memories fade but if you speak to people from the town now, they still remember those wins. 'I just caught the end of the golden era but it gave me some great memories and great times. It would be great if Widnes could one day get back to that.'
