“I was clinically dead for 14 minutes when I gave birth to my healthy baby girl”
A mum was ‘clinically dead’ for 14 MINUTES before waking up to discover she had given birth to a bouncing baby girl.
Natasha Sokunbi was 37 weeks pregnant when she called 111 after she suffered chest pains and was struggling to breathe.
The 30-year-old was advised to go to A&E where she collapsed of a cardiac arrest in the waiting room at Royal Stoke University Hospital.
As medics desperately tried to bring her back to life, doctors also battled to save her unborn baby.
Just four minutes after being rushed into surgery, doctors delivered 6lbs 7oz baby girl Beau via emergency caesarean section.
Medics spent more than 30 minutes resuscitating Natasha before she was stable enough to be put into an induced coma.
She woke up the next day in the critical care unit and was told she had had given birth to a girl.
Natasha, from Stafford, said: “My heart wasn’t beating when the doctors delivered Beau. I was basically dead when they pulled her out.
“One team of medics were delivering her via C-section while another team performed CPR on me.
“The next thing I remember was when I woke up in intensive care and my husband walked over to me with a photo of Beau and said ‘it’s a girl’.
“We hadn’t found out the sex so it was a complete surprise.
“I couldn’t see Beau straight away because I was still very weak and she was in the neonatal unit but I finally saw her a few days later.
“I was really poorly but the doctors and medical teams were amazing.
“They told me I’d been clinically dead for 14 minutes. They saved my baby and they saved me.”
Natasha and husband Ayo, 29, had been looking forward to the birth of their second child when she collapsed on December 3.
Support worker Natasha, who is originally from South Wales, said: “I wasn’t feeling well for a couple of weeks because of chest infection.
“On that morning I called 111 who advised me to make my way to the Royal Stoke.
“I got a taxi to the hospital and went into triage and told them I was really having problems breathing and they told me to wait.
“As I walked back into the waiting room I collapsed and fell forward onto my baby bump.
“I remember bits, like the doctors performing CPR and putting a defibrillator on me.
“When I was having the C-section I remember being in pain but then everything going black.”
After Beau was delivered, doctors called Natasha’s husband Ayo, also a support worker, who rushed to her bedside.
Natasha said: “Ayo had no idea I was in hospital because he was asleep with our other baby daughter when I took a taxi to A&E.
“When he received a call from the hospital he thought they were telling him that I’d had the baby but the said he should get here straight away.
“He was so good. When I was in the coma I can remember hearing him talking to me saying ‘Come on Tash’ ‘Please wake up.’”
Natasha spent three weeks in hospital and had an ICD heart-starter device fitted to prevent her suffering another cardiac arrest in the future.
The mum-of-two is now back home and looking after Beau and her 15-month-old daughter Love.
She said: “I have had heart problems and I think the pregnancy put extra strain on me.
“I still have flash backs and worry that it’ll happen again but I’m just so grateful to the doctors for saving me and Beau.
“To start with I couldn’t hold her very well, but I always tried to do skin to skin with her.
“Being a mum of two is great and I’m regaining my strength and independence.
“Beau is a miracle, and you can never fully put what they’ve done for us it into words.
“The staff were all fantastic. Now I’m much more appreciative of life and won’t take anything for granted ever again.”
In recognition of their actions staff involved in the care of Natasha and Beau have been presented with the Chief Executive Award.
Dr Andrew Bennett, who was one of the first doctors to treat Natasha, said: “The issue when you have a mother who goes into cardiac arrest is that you not only have the team required to resuscitate mum, you very quickly of course when the baby is out, also have a team ready to resuscitate the baby if that’s required.
“So the number of clinical teams involved is huge. This has got to be one of the proudest moments that this department really has ever seen and that collaborative effect from all involved was incredible.”
Senior sister, Alison Hopwell, added: “It’s a rare event but it happened and it happened on a very very busy December morning.
“The department was very busy; however, the whole team, too many to mention, from all specialties pulled together on that morning.”
Dr Simon Constable, chief executive, said: “Natasha’s case is about as serious as it gets and involves not just one person but multiple teams looking after and getting the outcome for her and Beau.
“So it’s a great testament to the real skill and team work that made the outcome what it is because it could have been so very different and I think we recognise that would have been a tragedy.”
“I am a momo twin – we were given a 1% chance of survival”
A woman who is one of the rarest types of twins in the world says she is grateful to be alive after doctors gave her and her sister a one per cent chance of survival.
Hope and her sister, Faith Baxter, both 24, are Momo twins – monochorionic monoamniotic – identical twins who share a placenta and amniotic sac.
Doctors told their parents that if they went to full term there was a chance one of the twins would not survive so they decided to induce them two months early.
The twins spent six weeks in the NICU and were given a one per cent chance of survival.
Hope said it was a “miracle” that both of them are alive and thank their parents every day for their decision to have them induced.
Hope, a dental student, from Lima, Ohio, said: “I didn’t realise the severity and extent of the amount of fear my parents were put through.
“I am so grateful to them to be here – every day is a gift for us.
“On our birthday, we reflect on the fact we are miracle babies. I am so proud of how far we have got.
“Even to have both of us here, alive and well, is a miracle.”
Her mum was five months pregnant when doctors told her she was expecting Momo twins.
Mo/Mo twins have a higher risk of complications during the pregnancy – including infant death and childhood disability – which fuelled their parent’s decision to induce them two months early.
Hope said: “When they found out we were Momo twins, they were told there could be further complications down the line which is why we were born two months premature.
“It was my dad’s call, the doctors didn’t want us out so early as we were fully developed.
“They told my dad that if we went full term there was a chance that one of us might not make it.
“My dad said he wanted both twins to survive and told the doctors he wanted us to be induced two months early.”
The twins were born on August 25, 2000, and spent six weeks in the NICU.
Faith was born with a collapsed lung and Hope was born with heart problems and was being closely monitored.
It was in the NICU that their parents named them Hope and Faith.
Hope said: “It was definitely a scary time for my parents, everything leading up to the birth was scary for them.
“We were named Hope and Faith as our parents weren’t sure if we would make it.
“Doctors gave us a one per cent chance of survival as they didn’t think either one of us would survive.”
Despite being identical twins, Hope said their parents wouldn’t get them mixed up as she was born with heterochromia – the presence of different coloured eyes in the same person.
Hope said: “Lucky for them, they never got us mixed up growing up. The way they would tell Faith and I apart is I have two different coloured eyes.
“I don’t think they struggled with us growing up, they had a system where when one of us would be at pre-school and the other one would be at home with our parents.
“They didn’t want us to completely rely on each other.”
Hope said despite being best friends with her sister, it could be challenging growing up together as they would spend all day at school together and go home together.
Now, the sisters live in completely different states as Faith is training to be a doctor at VCOM-Carolinas, Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Hope said: “I would say we are best friends, we have always motivated each other.
“But there were definitely some struggles, being an identical twin, especially in high school, it felt like a competition with sports, grades and who had more friends.
“Because we’re so busy now, we don’t really realise how we’re not together.
“We are constantly talking to each other over text or FaceTime.
“We are always talking together so we forget how we haven’t seen each other in ages as we always know what we get up to.”
“I have 40+ allergies – including water – I track them on an Excel spreadsheet”
A woman with over 40 allergies – including WATER – has to use a colour-coded spread sheet to keep track of them all.
Chloe Ramsay, 19, was born with lots of food allergies and would even go into anaphylactic shock after eating certain foods – such as bananas and potatoes.
While she no longer ends up hospitalised from allergic reactions thanks to treatments in childhood, she currently has a list of 40 things that can cause her mouth and throat to swell up dangerously, or bring her skin up in hives.
They include kiwis, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and grapes.
Chloe was diagnosed with ‘pollen food syndrome’ – an allergy to any pollen-derived substances – including sweets, fruits, and even perfumes in June 2023.
This explained most of her allergies – but her most unusual is an allergy to WATER, known as aquagenic urticaria.
When unmedicated, showers cause her to flare up in hives and getting caught in the rain leaves her “wanting to scrape [my] skin off with a knife”.
New allergies frequently pop up and their severities can change too – meaning Chloe has to keep track of them with a colour-coded spreadsheet.
Chloe, a carer, from Havant, Hampshire, said: “We found out about my first allergies when I was six months old and my mum was weaning me.
“If I was given potatoes or bananas I would go blue and pass out, but luckily my reactions aren’t that bad any more.
“They change, but currently I can’t eat foods like strawberries, kiwis, fruit juices and I can’t use scented shampoos and body washes.
“With the water allergy, it just came on one day – I thought I’d used a body wash I was allergic to, but it got worse.
“Whenever I washed my hands I would get massive rashes and felt like ants crawling on my skin.
“I’ll have to be giving myself injections to treat my allergies for life.”
Chloe remembers frequent trips to hospital as a child to get epipens and medication.
When she ate a banana or potatoes she would go into anaphylactic shock and was rushed to A&E.
Over years, the hospital used a ‘microdosing’ technique to train the body not to go into anaphylaxis and to reduce her severe reactions.
Some allergies faded away over the years, while new ones emerged – and she stopped being able to eat any fruit at all.
The reactions were “invasive” such as swelling lips, redness and a “scratchy” sensation when she breathes.
As a result of what would later be diagnosed as pollen food syndrome, she also needed to avoid perfumes, scented soaps and even wood-smoked meats because of the pollen in the trees used to smoke it.
She said: “At school I used to have my own little blue band so the dinner staff knew my allergies.
“They had to make my food from scratch.
“Now I’m at university, I struggle because a lot of the social stuff is based around food and I have to constantly be checking the menu.
“It makes me quite anxious to be sitting around food that I know I can’t eat.”
In October 2022, she also started breaking out in hives when her skin touched water.
Her reactions were sometimes so intense she would be unable to focus on anything else.
She was issued a diagnosis of aquagenic urticaria – an allergy to water on her skin – but luckily, drinking it caused no issues.
She said: “It can be itchy and painful, like having ants crawling on your skin.
“The allergy came almost suddenly. I would be fine taking showers then one day I started itching and each time was worse.
“I changed my shampoo, conditioner, body wash, flannel, scrubber, and the water temperature – nothing helped.”
The condition worsened over time and became debilitating for her.
She said: “Once I got stuck in the rain waiting for a train and by the time I got inside, I couldn’t stop scratching – I looked like a drug addict.
“I felt like I wanted to scrape my skin off with a knife. I told even told my mum ‘I can’t do this any more’.”
Last year, she was introduced to a medication injected monthly to treat her allergies – after a medical board approved the strong drug because of her severe situation.
Twice a month Chloe has to inject herself with it to keep her allergies at bay – but she may need to be on it for life.
With the drug, her water allergy is “almost completely gone” but she still needs to be careful around perfumes and eating pollen-derived substances when on the medication.
She has to keep track of whatever foods she reacts to, and how severely, using a traffic-light colour coded system on an Excel spreadsheet.
She said: “So far, nobody has been on that injection for life. Apparently I’m one of the unlucky three per cent that wasn’t completely cured by it.
“I’m so unlucky – I used to get quite upset, but I just have to laugh it off now.
“I’m allergic to so many things that my parents joke ‘what will you be allergic to next, oxygen?’.”
LIST OF THINGS SHE’S ALLERGIC TO:
Peanuts
Hazelnuts
Soya
Smoked meats
Tomato
Carrot
Apricot
Banana
Blueberry
Blackberry
Cherriy
Cranberry
Grape
Grapefruit
Kiwi
Mango
Orange
Papaya
Peach
Pear
Raspberry
Strawberry
Dried apricot
Dried mango
Dried banana
Raisins
Dried cranberry
Tinned orange
Tinned pear
Tinned peach
Tinned apricot
Tinned apple
Tinned mango
Fruit pastilles
Wine gums
Haribo
Skittles
Jelly beans
Jelly babies
Water
Pollen
Dust
Sand
Mould
Dogs
Cats
Glue
Face paint
Insect bites
Perfumes
Candles
Air freshener
Deodorant
LUSH stores
Dad’s accused of “faking” brain tumour symptoms by GP including muddled speech
A dad’s cancerous brain tumour symptoms were dismissed as stress by a GP who even accused him of “faking.”
Stephen Blakeston, 53 when he died, began experiencing troubling symptoms in October 2010, including jumbled speech, severe headaches, and distress, which were completely out of character for him.
But a CT scan later revealed a glioblastoma – an aggressive brain tumour which leaves sufferers with a typical lifespan of 12-18 months.
But Stephen, a former council grounds worker, died suddenly on 13 July 2011.
Daughter Hollie Rhodes, 37, a PE teacher and mum-of-two from Hull, is running the London Marathon in his memory, to raise money for Brain Tumour Research.
She said: “In October 2010, Mum called me saying he was jumbling up his sentences and not making any sense. He also had a massive headache and was really distressed, which wasn’t like him at all.
“I couldn’t believe it when we visited the GP, who dismissed his symptoms as stress-related and even said he was faking, something I know my dad wouldn’t do.
“It was a CT scan at Hull Royal Infirmary that showed he wasn’t faking anything. The scan found a tumour growing on the left side of his brain, affecting his speech.
“He had surgery the next week, which was successful, but the biopsy confirmed our worst fear – it was incurable and cancerous.”
Stephen, survived by his wife, Elaine, daughters Hollie and Lauren, and five grandchildren, underwent one round of intensive radiotherapy and two rounds of chemotherapy to halt the tumour’s growth.
Despite experiencing fatigue, his mood remained positive, his family say, and scans showed no signs of further tumour regrowth.
But he died after collapsing at home, after a blood clot travelled to his heart – related to his treatment or the tumour.
“Dad walked to my sister’s room and barely got through the door when he collapsed.” Hollie said.
“We called an ambulance but unfortunately paramedics couldn’t save him, and they told us after about 20 minutes of fighting that he didn’t make it, and he died on her bedroom floor.
“It was so traumatic and unexpected.
“Although his brain scans were clear, a blood clot was found on his heart, which we’re not sure if it formed because of his treatment or the tumour.
“It was horrible for us to lose him so suddenly, but there is some comfort in knowing it was quick and likely the way he would have wanted to go. I’ll always miss hearing his laugh.”
Brain tumours can affect anyone at any age, and kill more men under 70 than prostate cancer.
Around 12,000 people are diagnosed with a primary brain tumour each year in the UK.
Hollie, who is head of PE at a sixth form college, added: “I have personally known three people impacted by brain tumours: my dad, my oldest friend’s little boy, Roux, and another friend’s sister who died after her brain cancer metastasised from breast cancer.
“The current level of funding for research is just not enough.
“It’s the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40, so it should absolutely be a priority to stop these deaths. It almost feels like people view brain tumours as a final prognosis. That whole narrative needs to change because more funding in research would bring hope to those impacted.”
Hollie is balancing work, family life, and a rigorous training schedule as she prepares for the iconic 26.2-mile course.
Inspired by memories of her father, she is determined to complete the challenge and raise awareness for Brain Tumour Research.
“Running is definitely not my forte; my colleagues with tell you that and say I’m forced to do it in my work role,” she said.
“On the day, I’ll be thinking of my dad and how he never got to meet his grandchildren, who he would have adored, with Blake, my eldest, named after him.
“Remembering his struggles and how a cure could have kept him with us gives me the strength to keep going. Four or five hours of running is nothing compared to what dad and so many others endure. I’ll remind myself to push through and do this for them.
“Dad was such a hilarious character with a wicked sense of humour. He was always supportive of my sister, Lauren, and me in everything we did.”
Carol Robertson, national events manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We’re so grateful to Hollie for taking on this incredible challenge in memory of her dad. Her determination and courage are truly inspiring. Every step she takes in the marathon will help us raise awareness and much-needed funds for vital research into brain tumours. We’ll be cheering her on in April.”
To support Hollie’s London Marathon fundraiser, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/runhollierun
Postmaster flies 4,000 miles to hand-deliver letter from King to his great aunt
A postmaster has dispatched his ‘furthest letter yet’ after he hand-delivered a card from King Charles to his great aunt in America – 4,000 miles away.
Luke Francis, head postmaster of Bude’s Post Office in Cornwall, took a special trip to Florida to deliver a 100th birthday letter to Emlyn Makofsky.
Emlyn Colwill was born one hundred years ago, at Lewdon Farm in Kilkhampton on January 19, 1925.
Growing up she became a nurse, working across North Cornwall, before moving across the pond and meeting her husband, Mr Makofsky.
After receiving a letter from the King, ready for delivery, Luke made his way over to Florida in secret, ready to hand Aunty Emlyn the card himself.
Having arrived, Luke and his family surprised Emlyn with the letter from HM King Charles III congratulating her on her 100th birthday.
Following the big event, Emyln, surrounded by her family, celebrated in style, enjoying a wonderful 100th birthday party, complete with a Union Flag cake and the English national anthem.
Luke said: “When I handed her the card and she finally got to read it, she got the giggles, she thought it was so brilliant she couldn’t believe it.
“She was overwhelmed and thought it was wonderful and was really privileged to accept the card.”
Detectorist unearths nugget of gold shaped like Britain
A detectorist has made the ”discovery of a lifetime” after unearthing a nugget of gold – shaped like Britain.
Jonathan Needham, 54, found the gold on the Staffordshire and Derbyshire border – and believes it was formed naturally beneath the ground there.
The nugget – shaped like England, Wales and Scotland – is almost 3cm in length and over 1cm wide and weighs 10.3 grams.
Retired tree surgeon and treasure seeker Jonathan says his ”Holy Grail” find on November 1 is his ”most interesting ever”.
He is now in the process of confirming whether the piece of gold is natural or smelted.
The nugget as scrap could be worth around £800 – but if it is evidence of gold mining in the Midlands in the past it will be worth much more.
History buff Jonathan said: “I really could not believe it. I have dug gold before but I was not expecting to find a nugget of gold.
“When you are detecting in England to find a nugget of gold is exceptional.
“When I dug it I could see it was gold coloured and I knew straight away that it was gold – but I thought it could have been some bit of jewelry but it is not.
“It was quite funny – when I started cleaning it and turned it around I thought ‘that looks just like England’.
“It is rare enough to find a piece of gold but to find one that looks exactly like England is crazy.
”The jury is out whether its natural or whether its part of a smelting process and the gold was smelted and then dropped.
”People are saying it’s natural – if it is natural then I found this on the Derbyshire Staffordshire borders. It could open up a whole can of worms.’
“Some experts are going to have to look into it and if it is natural gold it is going to be worth a lot more money than scrap gold.
“I am hoping it is a natural nugget and if it is it would be extraordinary because not many get found in this country.
“If it is natural gold it will be one in a life time.”
He is now hoping to return to the same area to see if he can discover more similar finds there.
He added: “I will be checking out the area very carefully to see if I can pull any more out – it is an amazing find.”
Last year Jonathan discovered a “one in a billion” Bronze Age artefact – after founding the 3000-year-old dress or cloak fastener on a patch of land in Staffs.
Jonathan wanted to be a treasure hunter decades ago after watching TV about finds.
He is passionate about ancient history and loves watching The Detectorists.
But he was always too busy working – so had to wait until after arthritis forced him to go part-time to take up the hobby.
And now his hobby has turned into a profession.
“This is what I do. I am a treasure seeker I don’t do anything else – this is my job,” concluded Jonathan.
He now runs a YouTube channel where he shares his metal detecting adventures called The Detector-hist: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDetector-Hist
“I speak to spirits using a Ouija board and connected with actor Paul Walker”
A woman says she speaks to the spirits of dead people using a Ouija board and even “had a connection” with Fast and Furious’ star Paul Walker.
Spiritual advisor Ari Lyons, 41, says she’s also heard from a client’s son who hung himself accidentally and another client’s dead ex-husband – who “said he was in hell and apologised for abusing her”.
Ari, from Brooksville, Florida, claims the spirit world has been a part of her life since about the of age five.
“I didn’t really fully comprehend it until I was around 12 when my grandma passed away,” she says.
“I was never close to her, but she had told me when she was sick that she could see things that haven’t happened yet or has dreams that come true,” Ari explains, adding that her grandmother “passed her abilities” on to her.
“I remember speaking to earthbound spirits when I was really young, but angels and demonic entities later on,” she says.
“It was hard keeping this all to myself. I didn’t actually tell my mom until my late twenties. She didn’t believe me.
“She would call me every day for a year and ask me for a physic reading to see if she got anything wrong. I think she was believing me in the third or fourth month. She was shocked I had a gift.”
“I had a connection with Paul Walker about a year after he died, which was weird,” Ari added.
“I heard his voice in my room and I instantly knew who he was.
“He was pretty much following me for an entire week. I don’t remember exactly what he said, but I just remember he kept on talking. I saw him wearing a white shirt and blue jeans.
“He was talking about his movie coming out, the one released after he died.
“He also told me what he likes, like the ocean and being outside. I had to Google this stuff, but everything he said and told me was online.”
Ari says she doesn’t do it for profit because she doesn’t want to abuse her ability and become famous. “I just want to help people. I don’t want to be an entertainer,” she insists.
As someone who’s been ghost hunting since the age of nine, Ari feels the energy surrounding spirits each time she taps into her spiritual practice.
“Ouija boards have worked mostly every time that I’ve used one,” Ari says.
“You have to have some type of relationship with the board in order for it to work.
“You just can’t use it and expect for it to work.
“There’s a lot of respect that goes into it while you’re using the board.”
Respect, according to Ari, is essential for any spiritual tool — whether it’s a Ouija board, tarot cards, or crystals.
“When you get a crystal, you have to have a relationship with the crystal in order for it to charge. These are all tools,” she explains.
“But everybody’s obsessed with the Ouija board because of the experiences that go on while using it.
“People love to be scared. They love to watch these types of things.
“There’s a lot of stuff that you can use to conduct the other side.”
Ari recalls a particularly intense experience with the Ouija board during a gathering with friends in her early twenties.
“It was getting dark, and we all put our hands on the planchette. It started moving really fast — none of us could move it that fast — and it started spelling words,” she says.
“You could feel the energy, like someone else was there holding it down.
“It’s a different type of energy you never felt before.
“I asked how many spirits were in the room, and it said 83. You could feel the room temperature just go down. It was freaking crazy.”
While some might find this terrifying, Ari insists it’s about maintaining control and respect.
“Like I said, it’s all about gaining a connection with the board and really practicing your spirituality.
“You have to distinguish what’s good energy and what’s bad energy, and entities love to manipulate people who are inexperienced.”
Ari points out that spirituality, for her, goes beyond religion.
“To me, spirituality is everything – whether it’s physical or spiritual,” she says.
“I believe this whole place was created in the spiritual part of things… it’s all energy, and we can manipulate energy.”
Ari warns that Ouija boards and other tools aren’t inherently dangerous if handled respectfully.
“Everything’s a portal. A mirror is a portal, you know what I’m saying? So I tell people it’s not bad—it’s a really cool tool. You just have to respect it.”
She remembers a time when a friend was frightened after using the Ouija board.
“Lights started turning on and off, doors were shutting, and they even felt pinned down to their bed,” she recounts.
“People were saying ‘bury it, burn it,’ but I told them you don’t want to burn a board because it has your energy in it.
“All you have to do is cleanse it — whether with holy water or sage.”
Despite the risks, Ari has seen the Ouija board bring comfort to many, including a woman she once gave a reading.
“I said her grandfather told me he was going to do something in her house, and she didn’t believe it,” she shares.
“Then her trash can flew across the kitchen.
“She was freaking out, but I told her, ‘That’s your grandfather saying hi. He told you he was going to do this.'”
Ari’s approach to the spirit world is both practical and deeply connected to helping others.
“I help people get in touch with their spiritual selves, especially those who feel lost, don’t know their purpose, or are grieving.
“I want people to spiritually connect within themselves so they can live a better life.”
For skeptics, Ari has a simple piece of advice: “If you really think it’s not real, experience it yourself.
“You might regret it, or you might just love it. It’s a different world, and some people only believe it when they see it.”
Couple say “I D-ewe” as they wed – surrounded by sheep
This loved up couple said “I d-ewe” on their wedding day – by spending it surrounded by sheep.
Paula Sassen met husband Klaas when she bought a bottle-fed lamb from him and the couple hit it off instantly.
They bonded over their love of Herdwick sheep, which is native to the Lake District.
The couple, in their forties, hoped to marry at Yew Tree Farm in Coniston, Cumbria, which was owned by Beatrix Potter and is known for breeding the breed of sheep.
But as they didn’t have enough time to arrange the necessary paperwork, they tied the knot at a registry office in nearby Kendal.
And they had their wedding reception at the farm on August 7, surrounded by the adorable sheep, sipping champagne and posing for photos.
Paula, of Ouddorp in the Netherlands, said: “Yew Tree Farm was the perfect place for us to celebrate our wedding.
“The history, the sheep, and the breathtaking scenery made everything feel so meaningful and magical.
“A real highlight of our day was sipping champagne surrounded by the very sheep that had brought us together.”
Paula, a teacher, and Klaas, an engineer, now hope to return to the Lake District in the future to celebrate their anniversary.
Klaas, an engineer, said: “Our day was absolutely perfect – just us, surrounded by the Herdwicks we love, at a place with so much meaning.
“The whole experience felt like a dream come true, and we couldn’t have asked for a more memorable way to start our married life.”
Jo McGrath, who runs Yew Tree Farm with husband Jon Watson, said Paula and Klass’ wedding day was “really exciting.”
She said: “It was a really exciting day and the weather was on our side too.
“We were delighted to help Paula and Klaas celebrate with their two guests, who enjoyed an afternoon tea and a champagne toast in the field with our wonderful sheep.”
Family’s $1,460 fly-tipping fine after bin bag stolen from their home and dumped
A young couple has been slapped with a massive $1,460 fly-tipping fine – after one of their bin bags was stolen and dumped 30 feet from their home.
Abigail Swinn, 24, and partner Travis Raggo, 25, left two bags full of domestic waste and old clothes for collection.
Thieves pinched the bag and ripped it open to steal the clothes before dumping the rubbish 30 feet from their home in Boston, Lincolnshire.
Days after the theft, an enforcement officer from Boston Borough Council knocked on their door.
The officials said they had used letters found in the rubbish to trace it back to the couple, and Abigail and Travis were both fined $730 each.
Abigail, who has a three-year-old daughter Lexi, says she now fears the couple will be unable to afford to pay for Christmas.
The nursery worker said: “It’s ridiculous to think we would fly-tip outside our own home when it was bin day.
“I’d even checked on the council website, which stated you can leave up to four bin bags out with your bin.”
Abigail and Travis had been renovating their bedroom and loaded bags of rubbish which they took to the tip.
They could only fit nine in their car, so left two bags out with their bins on Monday, October 28, ahead of Wednesday’s collection.
Two days later, they were each slapped with a fixed penalty notice, and the council even shamed them by posting a picture of one of their bin bags on Facebook.
Abigail added: “We’d just thought the bins had been collected, but one day an enforcement officer knocked on our door and accused us of fly-tipping.
“I have no idea how the bin bag was ripped open. At first, I thought it could have been a fox, but there was no food in the bag.
“I looked on Facebook, and apparently the day before, a man had been pictured stealing someone else’s bin bags.
“I’ve heard other incidents of people’s rubbish bags being stolen for any clothes which might be inside.”
Abigail has reported the theft of the bin bag to Lincolnshire Police, which has confirmed a report of anti-social behavior.
She added: “We haven’t paid the fines, and I’m trying to ask the council to cancel them because it is just not fair. We haven’t done anything wrong.
“We might have to pay up though because if we lose any court case, we’d face a criminal conviction or up to a $62,000 fine.
“We can’t risk doing that; we don’t want a criminal conviction.”
Boston Borough Council has cracked down on fly-tipping, and culprits can be issued fixed penalty notices (FPNs) of up to $1,220.
In July, the council vowed to “eradicate” the problem and boasted it had issued 237 FPNs in 12 months.
A spokesperson said: “We take allegations of environmental crime offenses very seriously as it impacts the cleanliness and safety of our community.
“If a member of the public contacts us regarding a fixed penalty notice, we are committed to reviewing the circumstances around each case and ensuring that the correct process is being followed.”
Guide dog becomes star at red carpet events
A guide dog called Bill has become the unlikely star of red carpet events in London’s West End.
The Golden Retriever stole the show at events including the Pride of Britain awards, the Craft Guild of Chefs National Chef of the Year awards and on stage at the musical The Devil Wears Prada.
At the Pride of Britain awards, Bill was given the full VIP treatment as he was walked down the red carpet with his owner Mohammed Ibrahim and former Love Island contestant and Guide Dogs campaign star, Faye Winter, and was greeted by moustached comedian Troy Hawke.
The two-year-old also managed to sneak on stage for the rehearsals for The Devil Wears Prada musical at London’s Dominion Theatre.
Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty star Vanessa Williams, who plays the iconic role of Miranda Priestly, was among those surprised by Bill’s appearance.
And at the illustrious Craft Guild of Chefs National Chef of the Year awards – whose previous trophy holders include Gordon Ramsay – he was photographed with the winners as they collected their prizes.
Bill’s surprise appearances were part of an “Unexpected Bills” campaign for Guide Dogs to raise awareness of the rising costs of pet ownership.
The charity is asking people to support its Guide Dogs Puppy Appeal campaign to raise money for its life-changing work and provide dogs to those who need them, amid rising costs for the dogs in their care.
A spokesperson for the charity said: “Bill has done an amazing job popping up in places where you’d least expect him – just like how household bills can.
“We understand people are being squeezed from all angles, and we wanted to demonstrate in a creative way about what that means for dog and Guide Dog owners. We know pet owners want to provide the best care for their dogs, and as a charity we’re no different.
“Guide Dogs relies on donations to continue our life-changing work and covers the costs of all of our working guide dogs, including vet and food bills.
“We believe a person’s financial situation should never be a barrier to having a guide dog and need the public’s support now more than ever before.”
The campaign comes after research of 2,000 dog owners found 69% are worried about rising costs associated with pet ownership.
And 55% have been hit with an unexpected bill for their dog.
Pet owners estimate on average they spend £1,144 in vet bills alone in a typical year – with 57% admitting that having a dog is more expensive than they anticipated.
With the most expensive bill those polled have paid on average amounting to nearly £2,000.
But amid the backdrop of increasing bills and rising costs, 68% were understanding of the need vets and other businesses have to cover ever-increasing outgoings.
And 83% of those polled, via OnePoll, sympathised with charity organisations which are having to spend more money to keep up with the costs of caring for dogs.
A Guide Dogs spokesperson added: “Our recently qualified guide dog, Bill, has been amazing at spreading awareness about the financial pressures impacting us as a charity, but also for dog owners across the country.
“Bill has been a very good boy, and I’m sure he will continue to be. And who knows, he may pop up in other places when you least expect him, too.”
