Lifestyle

A story of resilience and hope…Liz’s story It was a vicious crime, attracting international condemnation and media outrage across the world. One night in 2013, a 16-year-old girl was gang raped as she returned home from her grandfather’s funeral in Western Kenya. After being brutally assaulted and beaten by six young men that she knew, her attackers threw her into a 12ft-deep pit latrine, leaving her for dead. The victim, referred to as “Liz” in order to protect her identity,...

A 94-year-old pianist with dementia celebrated 75 years of marriage - with a rendition of his wife's favourite song which he has never forgotten. Former soldier Edward Hardy struggles to remember a lot of things because of his disabling illness. But he has never lost his playing ability and could still serenade wife Betty, 92, with 50s jazz classic Misty to mark the milestone on Thursday (Sep 21). The couple married as teenagers before Ed served with The Musical Corp...

Elizabeth Ainge has been an ambassador and local champion for I CAN for over 15 years and is an alumna of I CAN’s Dawn House School in Nottinghamshire. I CAN is the children's communication charity. She shares her inspiring story. When I was six months old we moved as a family to Stafford. While we were there my mum took me to the health visitor because she could see that I was struggling to talk. The health visitor said, “No,...

Leslie Abrokwaa, 26, served three and half years in prison for robbery as a young man before turning his life around with the help of Salmon Youth Centre. Now Leslie, who lives in Wood Green, is set to start his Youth Work and Theology degree at Cambridge University from September 2017 – a fate he describes as “a dream come true” and “nothing short of a miracle”. Speaking of his criminal past, Leslie said: “A lot of my friends were making...

Hard water damages our protective skin barrier and could contribute to the development of eczema, a new study has shown. Researchers from the University of Sheffield and King’s College London have discovered that exposing the skin to hard water damages the skin barrier – which is our defence against outside threats such as bacteria or sun burn – and increases the sensitivity of the skin to potential irritants found in everyday wash products such as soap or washing powder. Hard...

Scientists have discovered the cocktail of germs and bacteria being picked up by people on Britain's public transport every day. Millions could be leaving themselves open to skin infections, respiratory infections and even food poisoning. A test of surfaces touched daily by commuters and tourists on London’s tube system was commissioned by Coldzyme to highlight the number of germs and bacteria we come into contact with every day. A commuter used the Tube wearing a white glove and touched surfaces...

A pet owner was stunned after her parrot managed to shop online using Amazon's Alexa voice recognition software. Corienne Pretorius, 39, was baffled after a £10 order for gift boxes, which she had not ordered, arrived at her house. The bemused mum-of-one questioned husband Jan, 45, a civil engineer, and son Jaden, eight, but quickly realised the culprit was Buddy - their African Grey Parrot. Corienne, from Greenwich, south east London, says the cheeky bird mimics her voice, and must...

A builder had a lucky escape after a razor sharp angle grinder flew into his face and lodged in his CHIN. Paul Thomas, 31, was trying to knock through a wall with a nine-inch angle grinder when it "ran up" the surface and hit him in the face. The tool missed his throat by a matter of inches and cut into his chin and Paul was left with blood pouring from the gaping wound. The tough builder said his colleagues...

We should be teaching young people to be unique rather than perfect, a leading psychologist has claimed. The comments come after new research revealed Brits spend an hour and 40 minutes of every day striving for perfection, with three-quarters dreaming of having the perfect life, dedicating an average of 12 hours a week to trying to improve their looks, career or love life. This amounts to the equivalent of almost 26 days a year or four-and-a-half years of their lives spent photo-shopping...