Police Officer unharmed after attempted attack by uninsured driver
A police officer was driven at by a reckless uninsured driver on High Street in Goldthorpe, Barnsley. Police are asking for information about the incident. The officer from the Roads Policing Team was riding a motorcycle and started following the grey Ford Mondeo in to an Aldi carpark. After driving around for a couple of minutes, the driver reversed towards the officer, who avoided injury by manoeuvring his bike between the safety bollards. "This type of behaviour is not acceptable, our officers come to work to serve their communities, not to be driven at and injured. Those involved in criminality have no respect for the law and no respect for officers. We are all someone’s loved one and deserve to go home to our families at the end of each shift,” said Paul McCurry, Operation Support Superintendent. After the incident, the driver fled the scene towards Hollygrove roundabout. The South Yorkshire Police was able to identify that the car was cloned and is likely to be stolen. Police are appealing for information about the driver and the vehicle with the registration BF58 OLJ. If you have any information contact SYP on their website or call 101 quoting incident number 231 of 16 March 2021 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. https://twitter.com/syptweet/status/1372935636055953417
Sheffield United 0-2 Chelsea : Blades battle hard but Chelsea secure victory, taking them to FA cup semi-finals.
To say it has not been smooth sailing for Sheffield United this season might be an understatement.
After suffering a 5-0 defeat to Leicester last week - their worst defeat in 20 years - chances were not looking hopeful for the Blades as they headed to Stamford Bridge for the FA cup quarter final.
With United under the caretaker management of Paul Heckingbottom, following the departure of Chris Wilder’s earlier this month, Chelsea were enjoying a change of fortune under Thomas Tuchel. They came into the game with an unbeaten run of 13 matches, having only conceded two goals since the German took over.
However, though Chelsea looked set to stroll through to the semi-finals, it was far from an easy victory. Sheffield United were not going down without a fight.
It was a solid start for Sheffield United as David McGoldrick unleashed the first shot on goal in the opening minute of the game.
15 minutes in, Aaron Ramsdale faced the first threat to Sheffield’s goal, but the attack from Chelsea was quickly dealt with.
The Blades were looking excellent as Chelsea made their first shot on goal. However, a low cross from Ben Chilwell was deflected into the net by Oliver Norwood, giving Chelsea a 1-0 lead.
Despite this setback, momentum never faltered for United and they looked to finish the first half strongly. A blind pass from Norwood left Christian Pulisic one on one with Ramsdale, but the United keeper handled it well.
As the whistle blew, Sheffield United were full of spirit and looked set to continue causing problems for Chelsea.
The second half began and a free kick for Chelsea saw Mason Mount bend the ball wide of the goal from around 25 yards.
The Blades were not without chances to score, and the most significant opportunity came for McGoldrick, but he failed to execute, heading wide with the goal at his mercy.
https://twitter.com/SheffieldUnited/status/1373649805285679108?s=20
A great shot from Oli McBurnie seemed to signal renewed urgency for United, with a similar opportunity falling to McGoldrick shortly after. Kepa Arrizabalaga did well to save both times.
It was their continued push for an equaliser that ultimately left United open at the back, and in the 91st minute Hakim Ziyech scored, sealing the victory for Chelsea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkPpicTw7WE
After the international break, Sheffield United travel to Leeds at 3pm on April 3.
Nine year sentence for “deplorable” man whose assault left victim with long-term breathing problems
A man who locked a woman in her own home and violently assaulted her after a night out in Sheffield has been sentenced to nine years in prison. Sergio Debrito, 27, of Lupton Walk, left his victim with serious injuries to her face, a collapsed lung and long-term breathing problems. DC Shaun Vine, who investigated the crime, said: “This was a terrifying ordeal and left a young woman with serious injuries, Debrito is a violent man who should not be on the streets of our city. “He was shameless in his actions and revelled in the fear he caused that night, carried out in his victim’s own home. I am pleased to see how seriously the courts have taken his deplorable behaviour and has rightly received a significant sentence for his actions." Mr Debrito and another man shared a taxi home with two women in the early hours of Sunday 12 May 2019. The women wanted to go home to bed but the two men invited themselves in for more drinks. After his friend went upstairs to bed feeling unwell, Mr Debrito started taking selfies with the women and became aggressive when asked to stop. He followed one of the women around the house, locking the front door and knocking her unconscious when she tried retrieve her key. After she came round, he assaulted her again, pushing her against a door. When the women called the police, he left the house filming the scene on his mobile phone. Mr Debrito was found guilty of Section 18 assault by a jury at Sheffield Crown Court on 12 March. He was also found not guilty of Section 47 assault.
£4.2 million wage investment for Sheffield’s social care workers sees increased fee rates for care services
Sheffield's frontline social care workers have been promised a multi-million salary investment by city councillors but fee rates for care services are set to rise. Due to materialize from April 12, the £4.2m investment which was approved at last week's Cabinet meeting is due to enable Council commissioned and Council funded providers of community, nursing, and residential care to increase staff salaries. Responding to the decision, Labour party candidate for Crookes and Crosspool Ruth Milsom said: “I think right at this point in time it’s desperately needed and possibly overdue although there are huge limits on what local authorities can do in terms of spending. “We’ve got a lot of people working below the real living wage at the moment in social care, it’s well known and it’s universal really across the sector that wages are generally low and the contracts are unstable. For people generally trying to pay their rent or pay their mortgage or pay the bills, it’s extremely unstable work really.” Across the 2021-2022 financial year, fee rates for Council contracted care homes, home care, extra care, supported living and day activity providers in Sheffield are due to increase. “The aim is to bring wages up to a real living wage, to the foundation living wage. That’s not set by the government, that’s set by the Living Wage Foundation and the figure that they cite is always above what the government says is the living wage. That’s the aim and this is the first step towards it,” Ms Milsom added. During last week’s meeting, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care Coun George Lindars-Hammond outlined the council’s ambition to transform Sheffield’s social care sector following the “tragedy of Coronavirus.” He said: "I want to thank all care workers and providers for their hard work and commitment for caring for our loved ones throughout this pandemic. You really are frontline heroes. “Care work is one of the most important jobs in our community and we want to ensure that they are rewarded, that is why we are investing £4.2 million today in raising the pay for frontline care workers."
Barnsley 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday: Jordan Rhodes’ derby double offers hope in the Owls’ relegation fight
Credit: Sheffield Wednesday Football Club
Sheffield Wednesday picked up a huge win in the South Yorkshire derby at Barnsley on Saturday in their bid to avoid the drop.
A first league victory under new boss, Darren Moore, ended an eight game winless run that had seen them go nine points adrift of safety.
The defeat still leaves the Owls six points behind Birmingham in 21st place, however there were plenty of positives for them to take from their win at Oakwell against promotion hopefuls Barnsley.
The visitors began on the back-foot, with in-form American striker Daryl Dike stretching their defence early on.
The Tykes kept on the early pressure with a flurry of corners, targeting goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith who was struggling with the set pieces. Alex Mowatt’s deliveries almost paid dividends but Michael Sollbauer was unable to convert at the far post with the goal gaping.
That miss allowed the Owls to gain some composure and push up the pitch. Darren Moore’s side appeared to try and target Barnsley’s high-line, they almost broke the deadlock when a long ball allowed striker Jordan Rhodes to knock the ball past the Barnsley goalkeeper but his shot drifted wide of the near post.
Another corner from Alex Mowatt then went into the back of the net after it was spilled by Wildsmith, but his blushes were spared as the referee adjudged him to have been impeded. Soon after at the other end, a well worked Sheffield Wednesday throw in allowed Barry Bannan to volley in a cross which was emphatically greeted with the head of Jordan Rhodes to fire past the goalkeeper to put Wednesday into the lead, 0-1.
Just minutes into the second half the Owls doubled their advantage. Scottish international Liam Palmer dispossessed Callum Styles who was the last man, Josh Windass then galloped into the right side of the box before teeing up Rhodes to pass into an empty net, 0-2.
For all of Barnsley’s recent goalscoring exploits they struggled to create any meaningful chances until the 78th minute, when substitute Carlton Morris’ deflected volley flew past Wildsmith to set up a nervy finish, 1-2.
Despite this, Moore will have been delighted to see the way his side held out Barnsley for the remaining fifteen minutes to secure a crucial victory.
Both teams now have a couple of weeks off due to the international break, the Owls will return against the high-flying Watford. Barnsley will be back at Oakwell against fellow promotion hopefuls Reading.
The Owls boss reviews our win in the South Yorkshire derby #BARSHW
— Sheffield Wednesday (@swfc) March 20, 2021
Fears sparked for civil liberties after ‘unacceptable’ cancellation of vigil
Image: Edrece Stansberry on Unsplash The cancellation of a Sheffield vigil has sparked fears for the future of rights to protest and civil liberties. The vigil, organised by Reclaim These Streets, to honour the late Sarah Everard who was murdered by a serving police officer, was called off on Saturday. South Yorkshire Police issued a statement warning that it would not be safe because of COVID-19 and anyone attending would be given a fine. Hayley Carman, 38, an MSc Criminology and Criminal Justice student who attended the online vigil, said: "The cancellation is dangerous in terms of our civil liberties and our rights to protest." She said she believed coming together in person was more important now than ever and that the digital age had caused communities to feel lost and isolated from one another. The recently proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, introduced by Home Secretary Priti Patel, has caused further stirs in the wider community. The bill would give greater powers to police authorities to restrict public protests. Hayley said: "This bill is a rushed policy, it has nothing to do with public safety or public interest." She claimed the issue faced by the police in dealing with this and past protests, such as BLM and Extinction Rebellion, was a 'resource issue not a legislative issue'. Green councillor Martin Phipps, one of three councillors representing the Sheffield city ward, called the decision to cancel the event 'unacceptable'. He said: "We've had protests during covid that have been allowed to go ahead, as is legal rights. "This was going to be a peaceful, well-observed, socially-distanced gathering and yet it is being clamped down on." Coun Phipps went on to say that while any gathering posed a risk, rates of COVID-19 were dropping. "The amount of police time put down against peaceful protests has been a problem for years. "We should allow people to mourn and protest and reflect on the serious issues we have in society right now with sexism and misogyny," he added.
Sheffield contact tracing group launches documentary series
A documentary series highlighting the experiences of marginalised groups during the pandemic launches tomorrow afternoon. ‘Seldom Heard Communities’ has been created by Sheffield Community Contact Tracers, a volunteer group that made national news in May 2020, when it set up a tracing service for residents of Sheffield before the government had a national scheme. Alex Cutts, SCCT communications officer, said the first episode titled ‘Tick Boxes’ explored the lives of members of the BAMER (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and Refugee) community and the difficulties they have experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will contain interviews with ISRAAC (Somali Community Association), SADACCA (Sheffield and District African Caribbean Community Association) and the Hadfield Institute based in Attercliffe. Tom Heller, 75, is a retired doctor and founding member of SCCT, worked with Ms Cutts on the documentary series. Mr Heller has prior experience of making films having worked with the Open University and BBC for decades. The project began after a discussion with the Independent SAGE Group. Mr Heller said: “What really struck us is that people from BAMER communities are often called hard to reach but when you talk to them there incredibly easy to reach. It's just that when they do speak the authorities don’t listen. “The film is all about the ways they are informing each other, supporting each other and doing a magnificent job. With food parcels, exercise classes and information sessions which don’t get a lot of publicity and are underfunded or not funded at all by the statutory authorities.” Two future episodes have been planned to focus on mental health and carers. An episode concentrating on the experiences of students during the pandemic is also being discussed. Mr Heller was particularly proud of the platform the Seldom Heard Communities series will give to BAMER groups. “These groups have contributed enormously to the wealth and prosperity of Sheffield but remain unheard, so we wanted honour them really," he said. The first episode will be aired online at 4pm, followed by a Zoom Q&A. Access is free and tickets can be attained from Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/seldom-heard-communities-docuseries-premiere-tick-boxes-tickets-144983129443?aff=efbeventtix
Absolute agony: The unseen pain endured by women with endometriosis
"I felt glad and validated at first, as I knew I wasn’t making it up! But then I felt quite overwhelmed as I didn’t even know where to start and when I googled all I saw was terrible journeys for fertility and that it was incurable. I was 23 when I was diagnosed so all of that felt like I was having to consider and make big decisions that I wasn’t even ready to think about."
Niamh Spence
Endometriosis causes tissue similar to the lining of the uterus to grow elsewhere in the body, causing debilitating pain, heavy periods and fertility problems.
Niamh said: "At my time of the month it’s like having your insides twisted constantly and your bones feel like they’re cracking against each other. It hugely affects your energy levels too so normal things like making dinner, getting in the shower and attending work become huge battles."
Lisa Bradley, 43, from Holmfirth, first started experiencing symptoms when she was 23: "It's so hard being a young woman saying that you have horrendous periods for people to actually understand what you mean by that. It is absolute agony, I think it's more painful than childbirth."
There is no cure for the condition, but it can be managed by surgery to remove patches of endometriosis and by taking painkillers, contraceptives and hormonal medicines.
However, it can take years to be diagnosed, with a report by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) showing the average time for diagnosis in England is eight years.
Niamh said: "I never felt listened to until I had a female junior doctor who actually asked me why I was so upset over struggling to be heard and then looked into my ultrasound results. She pushed me to be examined by a dedicated gynaecologist which eventually led to my diagnosis. In the early days I even had one doctor give me a leaflet on back stretches as he thought I was just suffering from pulled muscles."
Similarly, Lisa was initially misdiagnosed with Pelvic Inflammatory Disease after passing out from the pain and ending up in A&E.
Molly Williams, 21, from York said she first went to her GP after experiencing heavy and painful periods as a young teenager which could last up to three months.
Molly Williams
Alongside the day-to-day pain people with endometriosis have to deal with, the condition can also cause fertility complications.
The APPG report found that 58% of diagnosed women would have liked fertility support and treatment but were not offered it, despite endometriosis doubling the risk of infertility.
Niamh said: "I've unfortunately suffered multiple miscarriages where endometriosis was believed to be the cause. I'm currently 30 weeks pregnant with my first child and even in pregnancy I've suffered endometriosis pain as my baby grows and puts pressure on scar tissue and endometriosis tissues."
Molly, who is a trainee teacher, also said she had been forced by her diagnosis to think about her future as she has always wanted to be a relatively young mum: "At the age of 21 it's not something I thought I'd be having to think about."
After her diagnosis, Lisa went on to have two children naturally which is something she never expected to happen.
"I was really really lucky. I was told by both doctors that it was a one in a million chance that I would be able to have them so I've got my little miracle babies."
Lisa Bradley with her sons
Molly said one of the biggest challenges has been the knock to her self-esteem: "When you have doctors not taking you seriously repeatedly - that becomes very demoralising, you feel like you can't be bothered and it's not worth the hassle."
All three women believe there needs to be more awareness around endometriosis to give women who are experiencing symptoms the information they need to get treatment.
Molly said endometriosis should be included in sex education at school and that normalising discussions around the condition could lead to further research.
"Being in that amount of pain shouldn't be a taboo subject," said Lisa, who added that more awareness of symptoms would lead to quicker diagnoses and a better chance of being able to have children.
For more information visit Endometriosis UK.
AFC Unity: Sheffield football club closes its doors but has set standard for the future
If the government’s lockdown exit plan can be trusted, this summer, amateur sport will return with a flourish. Sadly for one of Sheffield’s football clubs, AFC Unity, this will not be the case after they made the difficult decision to close the doors for good on their footballing venture. They are unlikely to be the only club who have made this choice, but for what they represent, they are truly unique.
Created in 2014 as an independent women’s football club, AFC Unity was founded by Jay Baker and Jane Watkinson to combine their dedication to feminism and social justice with their passion for community-led sports. It was led by women, trans and non binary people committed to furthering intersectional social justice. Since its launch, the club’s trajectory had been an upwards one. Tasting success on and off the field, it is the latter which really made the club stand out. In 2016 the club were handed the ‘FA Respect Award’, receiving the prize from ex-Manchester United chief executive David Gill. This was in recognition of their ‘Football for Food’ campaign, an initiative which raised awareness on food poverty and collected donations for food banks all over Sheffield, including those in Fir Vale, Parson Cross and Firth Park.We would like to announce the formal closure of AFC Unity and have attached a statement below. We will continue to use this space for activism and solidarity and hope you will continue to join us. Thank you for all of your support! pic.twitter.com/F8lzOBEmOH
— AFC Unity (@AFCUnity) March 14, 2021
The impact off the pitch was just as important and the work with S2 food banks was outstanding and something I’m proud to have played a tiny part of - Amy Brown, player for AFC UnityMany clubs who had won such an award may have been tempted to try and pursue different ventures, however this was not in the ethos of a club whose values tended to be community-driven. For all the success that ‘Football for Food’ has brought, including the 2019 Grassroots Project of the Year Award from the Sheffield & Hallamshire County FA, the club has always strived to do more. Their ‘Unity for All’ campaign saw them team up with trade unions in the steel city, highlighting the benefits that they could have on Sheffield, which had the lowest average wage of a major city in the UK at that time. Using the #UnityForAll on social media, the team’s campaigning demonstrated the values of a team who are "a truly fine example of practical solidarity and collectivism for progressive politics," according to Martin Mayer, secretary of Sheffield Trade Union Council. https://youtu.be/oBxos8PTMwU Because of the club's amateur status, it could easily be interpreted that their off-the-field achievements completely dwarf their success on the football pitch. Speaking to former players, their playing experiences were spoken of immensely. Rebecca Gay, who left the club last summer due to their decision not to enter the league in light of lockdown, reflected glowingly upon her time at AFC Unity. Advertising themselves to players of all abilities and playing pedigree, the club became a desirable destination for women looking to play more regularly. A great football club is often supplemented by expert coaching and the Sheffield-based club was no different. "The club were amazing, so supportive and the coaching was second to none," Rebecca told me. "It took a few years to develop but in our last two seasons we were were playing football you rarely see at Sunday league level. Quick passing football, high pressing and brilliant to watch and be a part of. They developed me as a player from no experience to having nearly 70 games under my belt within 4 years and they developed so many good players into incredible ones!" AFC Unity's way of playing, modelled by head coach and founder Jay Baker from the great Johan Cruyff-inspired methods famously seen at European giants Barcelona and Ajax, embedded the club's ethos into their way of playing. An emphasis was on 'collectivism over individualism', whereby the team attacks and defends as an entire unit. The collectivist approach was neither merely tactical nor technical. The club's philosophy outlined on their website highlighted the importance to discourage 'Micro-management, teammate instruction, or cheating,' meanwhile, 'players are empowered by a shared captaincy system so the team is comprised of numerous leaders'.
Kristina Rankine, running with the ball for AFC Unity
Kristina Rankine, who grew up watching Arsene Wenger's Arsenal, returned to the game after a long time out of the sport due to operations and negative experiences from playing women's football. Rankine was one of the later additions to AFC Unity, and the positivity radiating from the club from top-to-bottom was critical in keeping her involved.
"AFC Unity taught me to learn from my mistakes and move on."
The team's former number 29 went on to describe how "the ethics behind the club are so important and demonstrated the positive impact football can have on lives, not only on those involved, but society as a whole."
It may be time for AFC Unity to close its proverbial gates to their playing ground, but the campaigning will continue and who knows, it may be the inspiration behind similarly special teams of the future.
Sheffield City Council to accept £1m to address unsafe cladding concerns
Acceptance of up to £1m from the government's Waking Watch Relief Fund is set to be approved today by Sheffield City Council's Neighbourhoods and Community Safety Cabinet Member Paul Wood. The funding is to help address the issues in the private sector relating to unsafe cladding on high risk high rise blocks. It is the third funding scheme announced by the government in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017. On the 17th December 2020 the government announced a £30m fund to address the scandal of excessive Waking Watch costs, as part of a further move to support thousands of residents in high-rise buildings. The fund builds on recently updated guidance published by the National Fire Chief’s Council (NFCC) on buildings that change from a ‘Stay Put’ to a ‘Simultaneous Evacuation’ fire safety strategy. Whilst Waking Watch, when established and operated in accordance with NFCC guidance, is an acceptable risk mitigation strategy, the guidance is clear alarms are preferable on the grounds of both safety and cost efficiency. The fund will pay for the costs of installing an alarm system in buildings with unsafe cladding. The alarm systems will enable costly Waking Watch measures to be replaced in buildings waiting to have unsafe cladding removed. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government made an allocation of up to £1m to Sheffield along with a New Burdens Grant of £31,000 so it can administer the funding directly to those blocks which meet the criteria as set out by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government. The buildings eligible to apply must:
- be over 17.7 metres in height when measured accordance with the Waking Watch Relief Prospectus
- be a residential building
- have a Waking Watch in place which has been identified and agreed by either a Competent person (as described in part 2 of the Simultaneous Evacuation guidance)
- or via FRS intervention to support a move to a simultaneous evacuation fire safety strategy and where unsafe cladding is present on the building, and where, as a result of the lease agreement, Waking Watch costs are being passed on to leaseholders.
“It affects my life every day, I always have to be prepared to have a seizure”: Raising awareness for epilepsy
Epilepsy is a serious neurological condition affecting 600,000 people living in the UK and impacting their lives everyday.
Purple Day on Friday 26 March is internationally dedicated to raising awareness for epilepsy in the hope of creating a better understanding of people with the condition.
Media Officer at Epilepsy Action, Hattie Hodgson-Crome said: “Epilepsy can affect anyone at any time, and about one in 100 people have the condition. Days like Purple Day give people with epilepsy a chance to speak up, to educate others and to challenge some common misconceptions people have of the condition they live with every day."
Jack Hill, 16, from Leicester, is one of the estimated 112,000 children and young people under the age of 18 living with epilepsy (Joint Epilepsy Council). He developed epilepsy when he was 13 months old. This resulted in him developing learning difficulties that cannot be diagnosed, the cause of his epilepsy is also unknown.
The CHESS Study showed that 95% of children with epilepsy experience difficulty in at least one area of learning or behaviour (Reilly, 2014).
Jack, who has lived with epilepsy for as long as he can remember, said: “I don’t know anyone with epilepsy which can feel lonely but epilepsy affects my life every day. I always have to be prepared to have a seizure.”
In 2017, an Epilepsy Action survey found that six out of 10 people (60%) with epilepsy have experienced feelings of loneliness.
Since August 2020 Jack has been living with his grandparents, Brian and Carole Blower, who are still understanding what it's like to care for a young person with epilepsy.
Mr Blower said: “We have never seen anything that offers support for us or for Jack. It is easier now because he is more self-aware, but it was frightening when we first found out he had epilepsy because we didn’t know what to expect.”
"It isn’t a very spoken about topic," said Mrs Blower. She added: “Epilepsy is more common than you think and it can develop at any age which is frightening. People need to be made more aware which is why days like Purple Day are important.”
Having supportive friends and family is vital to help people with epilepsy feel safe and understood, something Dale Powis, 34, from Exmouth, Devon, said he feels lucky to have.
Before his seizures began, Dale had a Saturday morning radio show, he watched his local rugby club, was a mobile DJ entertaining at weddings and enjoyed playing football. This all changed on his 29th birthday.
On 9 January 2016, Dale was getting ready for his birthday meal in the evening when he had his first seizure.
“Apparently a huge cry was heard. My mom came rushing down the stairs to find me fitting and having a seizure on the sofa, a significantly scary moment for my mom as I knew nothing about this at the time.”
Dale was taken to hospital and like so many people, he did not understand what epilepsy was until he was diagnosed.
“I thought, that's not right, I can’t have? I’m a DJ and I’m always with flashing lights. Yes, that's how naive I was about epilepsy. I thought, surely it’s only that flashy light thing that sends people into a fit…..How wrong was I.”
Many people just assume, like Dale did, epilepsy is just to do with flashing lights, but it is so much more.
In fact, photosensitive epilepsy only affects around three in 100 people with the overarching condition. In this type of epilepsy, seizures are triggered by flashing or flickering lights, or some patterns (Epilepsy Action). This is not the case for Dale.
There is a long way to go to move away from the generic ‘flashing lights’ response, Dale added. He said people should be encouraged to be more vocal about their epilepsy by highlighting their personal experiences.
“Days like Purple Day can help us take a massive step forward to get the message out there about epilepsy. It gives us time to reflect about how we have become Epilepsy Warriors with our condition and how we are battling and coping with it.”
Dale also has close friends at work, specifically a colleague he called Soph. He said: “It’s great to have someone so supportive so close and someone who shows a genuine interest in epilepsy.”
The side effects of the medication can be debilitating and it is important people are made aware of this. Dale said his include severe fatigue, mood swings, depression and anxiety, as well as many more.
Dale is still trying to find a medication to suit him as his epilepsy remains uncontrolled. He added: “Many people don’t understand or know about the magnitude of epilepsy.”
Ms Hodgson-Crome said: “We know that people with epilepsy face so many challenges beyond seizures and it can have a significant impact on both them and their loved ones. Side-effects of medication, memory problems and impacted mental health are just some of the things that can affect people."
Lucas Holt, 17, from Leicester, also had little knowledge of epilepsy before he was diagnosed at the age of 14.
As a mum, Bonita Keay said: “It was scary to start with. Before Lucas was officially diagnosed and before he started his medication, he didn’t want to be on his own anywhere in case something happened.”
Lucas added: “I was never aware I was going to have a seizure before I had one or if I did know, I don’t remember.”
Fortunately, most of Lucas’s seizures were at home and usually early in the morning. Lucas has been seizure-free for two years and his medication was due to be decreased in October 2020 but because of COVID-19 restrictions, his face-to-face appointments were cancelled and he remains on his usual dose.
Ms Keay said: “There does need to be more awareness of epilepsy so people know what to do when someone has a seizure, there is outdated information people remember from when they were younger, and it just isn’t right.”
Like Lucas, many people with epilepsy can take part in the same activities as everyone else, with the help of simple safety measures where appropriate. However, many people with epilepsy are still discriminated against due to ignorance about the condition, said Epilepsy Action.
Dale Lewis highlighted the importance of raising awareness for epilepsy. He said: “Don’t be ashamed of your condition, talk to people about it, educate people about it and make it a normal day-to-day thing that we as an Epilepsy Family deal with. If we keep getting the message out, the more comfortable we will feel about having the condition. I wish everyone to stay seizure free and have an amazing purple day!”
To find out more about Purple Day, visit: https://www.purpleday.org/
For epilepsy support visit: https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/
Blogs and social media: Can we have the best of both worlds?
The cover of Time magazine in 2006 was like a prophecy. The Person of the Year was You. Yes, you, me, and everyone who produces content for blogs, websites, social media profiles and many other platforms which feature user-generated content.
Many years later, the world has seen the power of Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels whose purpose is making us closer. But before that, people used blogs to share their stories, thoughts, and tips with others.
The word blog was coined in the late 1990s and since then many people started creating posts about different subjects such as politics, lifestyle, business, and travel. Whether as a hobby or a professional career, bloggers became influencers. Many people say that Instagrammers and TikTokers replaced the traditional Blogger. But do the numbers support this perspective? Is everything so clear cut?
Jake O’Neill, Head of Marketing for Vuelio, a market-leading software which ranks the most successful blogs, disagrees that those who craft blogs have become old-fashioned.
“Blogs are still going strong and for many influencers who have a blog, it is still a vital piece of the puzzle. It allows for flexibility in content creation and brings in a captive audience. They are not having to compete with thousands of other posts. For many influencers it is also a key part of their commercial relationships, again because content on blogs is typically considered higher value than on social media accounts," said Mr O’Neill.
The report “UK Influencer Survey 2020” commissioned by Vuelio, shows that 35 per cent of the bloggers see influencing as their current or planned future income. They seek compensation for their posts whether it is in form of a gift, a trip or sponsored posts.
Around 30 per cent of the blogger's collaborative work receives payment. Sponsored blog posts are likely to be paid, but the amount of money involved varies depending on the number of followers, page views, time to create the content and other factors.
Measures that are considered when negotiating compensation (%) Source: © Vuelio
Main platform used by gender (%) Source: © Vuelio