Funny video shows driver blasting "Pump It Up" song - as he drives past man pumping up his car tyres
Image by: Ellis Dimelow
This hilarious video shows the moment a driver blasted the song "Pump It Up" through his radio - as he drove past a man who was inflating up his car tyres.
Ellis Dimelow was a passenger in his friend Dom Zach's car when the pair drove past a man at the side of the road pumping air into his car tyres.
Cheeky Ellis, 27, quickly took advantage of the moment, and started playing 2004 dance hit, Pump It Up, through Dom's car radio, winding down the window as they drove past.
The man can be seen glancing up and laughing when he heard the song playing, and started pumping his car tyres in time to the beat.
And as Ellis and Dom laugh at the situation, the other driver can be seen crossing his arms and shaking his head in mock annoyance at the pair at Harrogate, N Yorks.
Ellis, who works at a housing company in Harrogate, said: "We just put the song on as we were driving up to him.
"He was loving it. All three of us had a good laugh about it," Ellis joked.
Video by: Ellis Dimelow
Firefighter needed open heart surgery after getting POPCORN stuck in his teeth which led to life-threatening infection
Image by: Adam Martin
A firefighter needed open heart surgery when he got a potentially-fatal blood infection -
after getting POPCORN stuck in his teeth.
Adam Martin, 41, was “on death’s door” after the deadly infection attacked his heart and left him fighting for life.
He contracted an infection called endocarditis after he struggled to dislodge the piece of popcorn stuck between his teeth.
Endocarditis occurs when germs from another part of your body, such as the mouth, spread through the bloodstream and damage areas of the heart.
Doctors quizzed him about a possible cause and the only thing Adam can think might have caused the infection is his constant wiggling and poking at the food lodged in his teeth.
Adam said he stuck everything from a pen lid, tooth pick, a piece of wire and even a metal nail in his mouth in a desperate attempt to remove the popcorn.
The constant playing around with his mouth caused toothache after he damaged his gum, but instead of going to the dentist, he did nothing.
A week later Adam developed night sweats, fatigue, headaches and eventually a heart murmur, which are all signs of the infection.
Father-of-three Adam, from Coverack, Cornwall, said: “The doctors told me if I hadn’t gone to the GP when I did then I could have been dead in three days.
“Most people die when they are at 350 on an infection scale and I was at 340. The infection had eaten my heart valves completely.
“If I had gone to the dentist in the first place then none of this would have happened. At one point it was quite touch and go. It was the worst experience of my life.
“I wasn’t far off death’s door and I am extremely lucky. The popcorn stuck in my teeth is the only possible cause I can think of. I am never eating popcorn again that’s for sure.”
Adam’s life-threatening ordeal started when he shared a bag of popcorn while watching a film with his wife, Helen, 38, at the end of September.
The popcorn stuck in a tooth in the back left of his mouth, drove him crazy for three days and no matter how hard he tried, could not dislodge it.
Adam admits he playing around with his gum with random things he found lying around to dislodge it.
A week later Adam developed what appeared to be a cold, which then turned into what was assumed to be flu, and on October 7 he went to his GP.
Image by: Adam Martin
Image by: Adam Martin
Image by: Adam Martin
Image by: Adam Martin
Image by: Adam Martin
The doctors diagnosed a mild heart murmur and sent him for blood tests and x-rays, which came back showing nothing more significant than slightly raised inflammation markers.
Adam was sent home with medication to recover under his own steam, but a few days later, he was still experiencing flu-like symptoms.
He also developed a blood blister on his toe - which was later diagnosed as a Janeway lesion, an external indication of infective endocarditis.
Endocarditis is an infection of the endocardium, which is the inner lining of the heart chambers and heart valves.
It can lead to bacteria spreading through the bloodstream and damaging areas in the heart. If it's not treated quickly, endocarditis can damage or destroy heart valves.
Worried about his worsening current condition, Adam went to the Royal Cornwall Hospital on October 18.
He said: “I had a feeling there was something seriously wrong. I was sleeping an awful lot and I felt terrible.
“I had aches and pains in my legs and I just did not feel right at all. I was admitted to hospital the same day for tests. By this point I was very worried.
“I felt quite ill and I knew I was not right at all.”
The muscle ache in his leg turned out to be an infected clot, wedged in his femoral artery which required a five hour operation to clear.
Adam was being treated with medication to fight the infection but chest scans revealed his heart had been severely damaged - and would need an urgent operation.
He was transferred to Derriford Hospital on October 21 and had seven hour open heart surgery to replace his aortic valve and repair his mitral valve, damaged by the infection.
Adam said: “My heart was not properly working anymore. It was essentially wrecked. The infection had eaten the valves away.
“I should have just gone to the dentist in the first place. I don’t want anyone to go through what I have done.
“It all happened so quickly and it did get sketchy. I won’t be going near popcorn again, that’s for sure.
“It’s crazy to think all this happened because of that. It was something so trivial."
Adam made a quick recovery following surgery and returned home to his wife, Helen, and three children Megan, 15, Holly, 14 and George, seven, at the end of October.
Teaching assistant Helen said: “Any sign of toothache, bleeding gums, abscess - get it checked out!
“It is also well worth noting the date in case you get ‘flu like symptoms’. If Adam’s infection was caught earlier it could have been treated with antibiotics.
“Your gums are a bacterial highway to your heart.”
A wheelchair-using student claims her uni has failed to accommodate her disability - and she is forced to sit in the stairwell of lecture halls
Image by: Jack Rivlin
A wheelchair-using student claims her uni has failed to accommodate her disability - and she is forced to sit in the stairwell of lecture halls.
Sarah-Marie Da Silva says she has repeatedly been forced to sit in corners, close to the lecturer, by entrances or without a desk to make notes.
The 21-year-old veterinary student at Hull University said it is "humiliating" and has said her time at university is being blighted by the lack of provision.
Last week, Sarah-Marie, a fresher, was waiting to get into a lecture theatre but, when she pushed in, ended up in the corner of the stairwell because she had no way of getting down the stairs and to a desk.
Speaking to student news site The Tab, she said: "I turned and saw the stairs, panicked and stopped. Then I realised I was in people’s way.
"I adjusted and moved myself against the wall, so people could get past.
"During the next ten minutes people were arriving, looking at me and sometimes asking what was going on. I told them I can’t get down and to just go past me."
Sarah-Marie, who plays wheelchair basketball, said the lecturer was helpful and offered to let her use one of the seats.
But she said: "My wheelchair is made for me, other seats cause me to spasm and cause me an incredible amount of pain."
She was also offered a piggyback by a fellow student but declined.
Image by: Jack Rivlin
She said: "It’s humiliating in a public place, but her intentions were very kind."
Eventually, Sarah-Marie told her lecturer to begin as "there wasn’t an alternative and we were all there to learn, I didn’t want to take up anymore of people’s time."
This is not the first issue Sarah-Marie has had since she started her course in September.
She said the difficulties make her feel like an "other" and added: "I’ve raised it countless times and the only thing they will do is do a room change.
"My first lecture was in September, I pushed in and there was nowhere for me
“It was a lecture theatre where you go in on the floor level.
"Everyone walked up the stairs to take their seats and I was left with nowhere to go – no desk, no seats next to me for other students and I’m right next to the lecturer. I was made to feel like an ‘other’.
“A lot of the time there are no desks for me.
"If there are, they’re moveable desks, but the wheels are always locked and I can’t bend down that far to unlock them, so everyone in the theatre looks on at me while I struggle to get a desk."
Sarah-Marie said she’s raised the issue "countless times" and, while individual lecturers and the university’s disability team have been helpful, no progress has been made beyond offering room changes.
She said: "I’m back in a lecture theatre with the moveable desks that I can’t move, where no one can sit with me or next to me and I’m on the floor with the lecturer."
The University of Hull told The Tab they’re carrying out a "full investigation" into what’s happened after Da Silva raised her concerns on Twitter.
Dr Anji Gardner, Director of Student Services, University of Hull told The Tab: "We are very sorry that this has happened, clearly it is not acceptable. We take these matters very seriously and we are looking into what has happened.
"We are committed to working with our students to put in place any additional support or adjustments where needed. Unfortunately, it is clear this hasn’t happened in this case.
"We will immediately look into this and ensure that we take necessary steps to make sure this does not happen again."
RAF airman quit job and sold belongings to fund stunning globe-trotting adventure across Europe with his pet ferret named Bandit
Image by: Charlie Hammerton
An RAF airman quit his job and sold everything to travel the world -- with his pet ferret.
Charlie Hammerton, 25, was grieving following the deaths of his best friend, mother and adopted mum in around 19 months.
In a bid to feel more positive, he decided to travel the world with his 'best pal', rescue ferret Bandit.
He quit his job, sold his three cars and almost all his possessions, drumming up £15,000 for his dream trip, allowing him to buy a campervan.
The inseparable pair travelled for eight months, driving through 11 countries, from the Arctic Circle to southern Italy.
His hilarious holiday album is full of snaps of Bandit posing in front of iconic landmarks - from the Eiffel tower to the Colosseum.
Charlie has written a book inspired by the trip and now travels the country visiting schools to teach outdoor education.
Image by: Charlie Hammerton
Image by: Charlie Hammerton
Image by: Charlie Hammerton
Image by: Charlie Hammerton
Single Charlie, from Falmouth, Cornwall, said: “Travelling was the most amazing experience of my life and it was completely liberating.
“We followed the sun across the world and camped under the stars in amazing places.
“It was beautiful and I spent it with my best friend.
“I have less money now but I am much wealthier as a person."
Charlie rescued Bandit from an animal sanctuary in 2015 and the pair have been the best of friends ever since.
The little ferret even stayed with him at his military digs in RAF Coningsby whilst Charlie was working for the RAF.
But Charlie suffered depression and suicidal thoughts after a string of heartbreaking losses in 2017 and 2018.
His best friend passed away aged 22 in July 2016 following a following a night out with friends where his family suspect he took drugs.
His mum Jan died in March 2017, aged 53, after suffering with motor neurone disease, and his adopted mum passed away after a heart attack in February 2018.
Living in Arnold, Nottinghamshire at the time he decided to turn his back on a promising career and plough almost all of his money into a globe-trotting adventure - with Bandit.
His adventures have included road trips with Bandit to raise awareness for different charities.
The pair walked across Hadrian's Wall in aid of motor neurone disease charity, MND, and also skateboarded 40 miles across London in aid of a drug awareness charity.
“It was horrible for me but I didn’t want to get into a rut because of it all," he said.
"I did think about killing myself a couple of times. I didn’t know where to turn.
“It took a lot of courage for me to do what I did.
“At the time I was living in a nice flat, had a good job and had three cars.
“I had a lot of savings behind me and I was lucky enough to be very secure.
“But it was all just ‘stuff’ to me and didn’t really mean anything.
“I decided to get rid of the lot - and set off with Bandit.”
Image by: Charlie Hammerton
Image by: Charlie Hammerton
Image by: Charlie Hammerton
Within the space of just a couple of months Charlie quit the RAF, sold his cars and gadgets and even moved out of his flat.
He managed to drum up £15,000 - and spent £5,000 on a camper van which he would go on to call home.
Starting out in February 2018 Charlie and Bandit ventured from Edinburgh, Scotland, to Holland, Germany, Sweden, Norway, France, Spain and Italy on their European road trip.
Just a month into the trip Charlie's girlfriend, Chiara Corsa, 21, joined him and Bandit in Berlin for the rest of the adventure.
They visited some of the world’s most iconic places, including the Eiffel tower, Colosseum in Rome and the Arctic Circle.
The pair visited more than 25 towns and cities in 11 countries and Charlie documented the adventure on a Facebook page, ‘Adventures With The Bandit’.
He posted photos of Bandit at Europe’s most iconic landmarks.
“We visited some incredibly scenic places and camped next to some of the most famous places in the world”, Charlie said.
“It was incredible to do it with Bandit. He has seen me at my best and my worst and has always been with me.
“Bandit has been with me through thick and thin.”
Charlie and Bandit slept, lived and ate in their camper van before travelling back to the UK in September 2018.
In November 2018, Charlie released a book inspired by his travels.
Before Our Adventures is available to buy on Amazon and is a story all about making the most out of a bad situation.
Charlie said: “The trip was completely liberating and I really did have an amazing experience.
“I needed to just go out and do something for me.
“The book is all about how you can take anything bad and turn it into something really good.
“Everyone has the right and the ability to do that.
“It’s easy to get stuck in a rut but there’s no need to. I feel so much better for what I did.”
Charlie now works in schools across the country teaching youngsters lessons on how to build confidence, self-esteem and outdoor living skills, such as camping and bushcraft.
He said: “I went through a really rough time and developed serious depression.
“I felt suicidal and just didn’t know what to do with myself.
“A chain of bad things had happened to me and I had good reason to feel really miserable about my life.
“But I decided that was not what I wanted to be, I didn’t want this to define me.
“I sold the lot and just took off. It was the making of me.
“I channeled the negative energy and turned it into something positive."
Witness the mesmerising moment that a troop of BASE jumpers’ leap from a cliff face in a formation that resembles a multi coloured WATERFALL
Image by: Chris McDougal
This is the mesmerising moment a troop of BASE jumpers leapt from a cliff in a mass formation - that resembles a human WATERFALL.
Captured on film by Professional BASE jumper Chris ‘Douggs’ McDougall the video shows the colourful 26 daredevils perched on the edge of a cliff in Kjerag, Norway.
They jump from the cliff in sequence plunge towards the ground in a waterfall formation that is an absolute visual delight.
Chris, 47 from Switzerland who organized the record BASE jump said: ''We were training with our school for 10 days before the jump and when the weather was perfect, we executed the record jump perfectly. This is the most people off this object ever.”
“I feel like I did a great job organising the jump and that my students and instructors did a perfect job executing the jump.”
Image by: Chris McDougal
Image by: Chris McDougalVideo by: Chris McDougal
Registrar at one of UK’s first mixed sex civil partnership ceremonies described the moment as 'simple but historic'
Image by: Tony Kershaw SWNS
A heterosexual couple who won a Supreme Court battle to have a civil partnership rather than a wedding celebrated their legal union today.
Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan, who campaigned for mixed sex civil partnerships, were among first to register at Kensington and Chelsea Register Office in west London.
The couple walked into the Register Office this morning with their two daughters Eden, four, and two-year-old Ariel.
Charles and Rebecca’s parents and their two children attended the partnership as well as the couple’s witnesses and long term friends Melanie Pilbrow and Oma Sallnger.
The couple had a basic civil partnership costing just £46 with around a dozen guests present.
Speaking after the partnership ceremony, Rebecca said: “It feels fantastic on a personal and a political level.
“We are feminists and we see each other as civil partners.
“We did not want to have to get married, become Mr and Mrs, husband and wife.”
The couple stood on the steps of the Register Office where they told of their love for one another and their success in ending the unrivalled position of marriage.
Rebecca said: “We’ve just signed the Register here at Kensington and Chelsea Register Office, and have formed a civil partnership with each other...finally.
“Today, as one decade ends and another dawns, we have become civil partners in law.
“Our personal wish to form a civil partnership was rooted in our desire to formalise our relationship in a more modern way, focused on equality and mutual respect.
“So today is a unique, special and personal moment for us - a moment when we have been able to affirm our love and commitment to one another in the company of our beautiful children, Eden and Ariel, and close friends, and have that love and commitment given legal recognition in the way that best reflects who we are, what we love and the life we value.”
She added: “Thousands of other people across the country will be forming civil partnerships of their own in the coming decade.
“What began as a personal issue has become so much more than that. There is now a space for new, more modern possibilities for people to express their love and commitment to one another.
“The urgent need to reform cohabitation law so that social policy keeps up with the reality of family life in modern Britain has been brought into greater focus.
“And by ending the unrivalled position of marriage we have helped to create the space for deeper discussions about giving legal recognition to other types of personal and caring relationships, such as those between friends, siblings and co-parents.
“There’s no social script to civil partnerships and you can do whatever feels right for you. Some couples will want to celebrate with an elaborate ceremony and big party. But the beauty is that you can form them at minimal cost, without fanfare.
“Charlie, I hope that you and I, and Eden and Ariel, enjoy many years of civilly partnered life together! I love you.”
Her partner Charlie said the couple’s mental health and ability to be civil to one another was tested through their long journey which they finally succeeded in “against all odds.”
He said: “Becca and I have shared much joy, and supported each other through the strains of life, and loss.
“We have gained so much through the years of trying to become civil partners – new friends, skills - even notoriety - but also confidence and belief in our own agency and capability.
“Against all odds, we succeeded in a legal battle against the government and then they did what we asked for all along. Not many people can say that.
“But we both know that with everything gained, some things risked being lost, or at least un-spoken. Through this long journey and hard fought battle, our mental health has suffered, our ability to be civil to each other has been tested, and, crucially, we missed out on that important moment to state clearly what we mean to each other - not just what we’ve become in the eyes of others.
“So we are grateful to, and wish to thank, everyone who has supported us on this journey so that we could finally do that in private a few moments ago.”
Ben Rich, the couple’s campaign strategist, described Rebecca and Charlie as the couple who changed that.
He said their basic civil partnership registration cost just £46 and has the same legal protection as marriage.
He said: “We are aware of at least 80 and this is the couple who changed that.
“We are aware of at least 80 mixed sex civil partnerships going on today and this is the couple who changed that.
“We think the first that took place today was in Carmarthenshire Wales where the register office did it at midnight.
“We think there will be at least 1,000 today and the government estimate 84,000 in the first year.
“We have been running this campaign for tha beat part of five years.
“I have been married for 25 years and recognise people will continue to choose marriage but it comes with a lot of expectations.
“This is an opportunity for them to create their own tradition and they want to show this is a very easy thing you can do.
“If you want to spend the equivalent of a house on a marriage, that is one option but you can also do it for £46 and this is giving you the same legal protection as marriage.
“This is new and we can make this whatever we want it to be and I love that.”
Image by: Tony Kershaw SWNS
The couple, from Shepherd’s Bush in west London, have two daughters Eden, four, and Ariel, two, whose surname Keidstein is a merger of each of their parents’ last names.
But when Rebecca and Charlie gave notice of their civil partnership, they were told their children would be considered illigitimate and that they would have to reregister their births.
Rebecca, a campaigner and researcher, said: “We were told when we gave notice of our partnership that we would need to reregister the births of our children on the basis any children born before our civil partnership would be considered illegitimate.
“We will not be doing that. We think that is an archaic law.
“We are not sure if we will actively campaign against it but we will not be reregistering the births.”
Rebecca and Charlie, who are both Jewish, met at a lecture about Gaza.
The couple battled through five years and three court cases before finally becaming civil partners today.
Rebecca said: “We would say that we felt very strongly about becoming civil partners because we already saw each other as civil partners in life.
“We wanted to have that legal and financial protection, formalising a relationship of equals.
“We did not feel we could do that by getting married. We felt there would be a lot of social expectation and pressure from a gender point of view and we did not want to have that.
“Sadly it took five years and three court cases but we are here today.”
Charlie said: “The opportunity came to change the law by coming here and trying to form a civil partnership.
“But we were turned away because we were not the same sex and that led to our legal battle and the rest is history.”
The couple said they felt privileged to be able to fight for their beliefs but that it came at a price and took its toll of Charles’ mental health.
Charlie, a magazine editor, said: “It is inevitable. Since we started this we have had two children, we have mixed home multiple times, we are both trying to hold down jobs in charities. Doing these things together obviously comes with huge pressures.
“After we won in court unanimously, after the law changed, it started to feel very very tired in ways I just could not explain. I think I was just burnt out physically and mentally.
“I spoke to the doctor and to my employer and took five weeks off work really just to recover from everything we had been through. It has not just been tough for me, it has been tough for Rebecca as well.
“But it has been good that we have had a chance since the law changed in April to have that period of calm and reflect.
“I don’t regret it but it has been tough, it has come at a cost and at a price.”
Rebecca added: “We lost the high court, we lost at the court of appeal and it was difficult to keep going.
“But we knew we had a lot of people supporting us and it meant a lot to them too so we kept going.
“We has people across the country saying they wanted to be able to form a civil partnership.
“Then we had the Supreme Court’s unanimous five-nil verdict, we felt very vindicated.
“We are very privileged to have been able to take this case up with legal aid. The journey in many ways has been very positive in terms of the people we have met and the insightfulness we have had campaigning.”
When asked what is next in their campaigning, the couple told of further necessary reforms that are close to their hearts.
Charlie said: “There are issues around cohabitation reform and for people who are cohabitants.
“There are 3.5 million cohabitant couples in this country without protection.
“Also, I have been very conscious of the role models we try to be as parents. I have noticed there are no male carers at the children’s nursery - not one.
“We have kept our own names and our children’s names have been fused. We have tried to set a tone in that way. They are family related issues we can address.
“We met at a lecture about Gaza, we are both Jewish, and we feel there are serious issues that need to be addressed about that.”
The couple plan to celebrate their civil partnership with a small group of family and friends at a local pub before Charlie returns to work on Friday.
He added: “I hope Rebecca and I, Eden and Ariel enjoy many years of civil partnership life together.”
Image by: Tony Kershaw SWNS
The registrar of one of the UK’s first mixed sex civil partnerships, who married the country’s first same sex couple, described today's moment as 'simple but historic'.
Rebecca Steinfeld, 38, and Charles Keidan, 43, signed the register of their civil partnership at Kensington and Chelsea register office today after five years of legal battles and three court cases.
Steven Lord said it was a real honour to be a part of people’s special day “especially when they have had to fight for the legal right.“
The registrar of 12 years was also the registrar of the UK’s first same sex marriage at Camden’s register office at a midnight wedding in March 2014.
He said: “It was a very simple signing of the register with the couple chosing one of our smallest rooms, but it was a very historic moment.
“It is a real honour to be doing the first same sex marriage and then one of the first mixed sex couple partnerships.
“And it is a real honour to be a part of people’s special day, especially when they have had to fight for the legal right.
“I was the registrar of one of the first same saved marriages in March 2014, I was a registrar at Camden at the time where I did one at midnight.
“And today, Charles and Rebecca signed the register on the first morning of the new legislation so that is a great pleasure.”
Video by: Ashley Moran
A dog lover says she owes her life to her two German shepherds - after they detected her breast CANCER
Image by: Dave Evitts SWNS
A dog lover says she owes her life to her two German shepherds - after they detected her breast CANCER.
Linda Munkley, 65, was left baffled when five-year-old dog Bea began frequently leaping up at her and headbutting or pawing at her chest.
She thought her dog was just being a nuisance - but as the odd behaviour went on, Linda began checking her breasts, at first finding nothing unusual.
But after about six weeks, Linda began to feel a tingling sensation spreading from her chest and under her arms.
A mammogram in October 2018 revealed that Linda, from Bargoed, in the South Wales Valleys, did in fact have a fast-growing, aggressive form of breast cancer.
But after six months of chemotherapy and a month of radiotherapy, as well as an operation to remove the lump, doctors told Linda her cancer was completely gone - and that her dogs had saved her life.
Mum-of-one Linda, who owns four German Shepherds, said: "The doctor was amazed. She told me to go home and give my dogs a hug, because they had saved my life.
"She said it was one of the most successful set of chemotherapy results they had ever seen.
"The cancer was aggressive, but my dogs had alerted me to it so early, before there was even a lump there, that the chemotherapy managed to kill off the cancerous cells completely."
Linda said Bea first started acting up at the end of August 2018.
She said: "She kept jumping up at me, headbutting my chest.
"To be honest, I was getting quite annoyed with it, because she was hurting me. I kept pushing her down.
"But after about six to eight weeks of this behaviour, I kept feeling my breasts.
"I went for a mammogram in October, and then I went on holiday.
"But while I was away, I knew something was wrong. I could feel there was a lump, and that it was spreading under my arms.
"Then, when I came back from holiday I had a letter waiting for me, telling me to go and see a surgeon two days after I got back.
"That's when I knew something was wrong - because it seemed far too quick," she said.
Linda went to see her surgeon, who told her that she had the human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) gene, which causes the cells to grow too fast and leads to the development of breast cancer.
Image by: Dave Evitts SWNS
Image by: Dave Evitts SWNS
Image by: Linda Munkley
In November, she began a six-month course of chemotherapy - and noticed that Bea's daughter Enya, three, began to exhibit the same odd behaviour as her mum.
"As my chemotherapy started, Enya started coming to me every morning and smelling my chest, really deeply," said Linda.
"Three months into the chemo, Enya stopped doing this.
"When I was later told that the chemotherapy had successfully killed off all the cancer, I wondered whether this was the point that the chemotherapy was successful at killing off the cancerous cells," she said.
After finishing her chemotherapy, Linda then waited six weeks before having the operation to remove her lump.
She then waited a further six weeks before beginning a course of radiotherapy, every day for a month.
After she had finished her treatment, doctors told Linda that the cancerous cells in her lymph nodes were either non-malignant, or some were pre-malignant - effectively, her cancer had been killed off.
Linda is currently undergoing a form of chemotherapy every three weeks to prevent the cancer from returning - but she hopes to be discharged and given the all-clear soon.
She said: "Words can't describe how grateful I am to Bea and Enya. They saved my life.
"In the beginning, it never even dawned on me what they were doing. I just thought they were being nuiscances.
"I have two male dogs, but they never detected anything was wrong - it was just my two girls."
Linda added: "We've always spoilt them and given them lots of attention.
"We've always bred dogs for show, so they're very used to lots of people around and lots of attention. They're so friendly.
"It just goes to show how incredible dogs really are," Linda added.
It is well known that pets, particularly dogs, have heightened senses hundreds of times better than those of humans.
This makes them ideal to be trained as assistance and medical detection pets so they can alert owners with health conditions of any serious impending medical event.
Research is also currently being undertaken to see if dogs can detect diseases, such as cancer, through smell.
Pensioner left "gutted" after burglars steal navy service medals that have been in his family for three generations
Image by: TM Bristol Post
A pensioner has been left "gutted" after priceless 140-year-old navy service medals belonging to his great-great-uncle and grandfather were stolen.
Roy Bowden, 86, is descended from five generations of men who are from a navy background - and his most prized family heirlooms are service medals received by two of his relatives.
But Roy was devastated when he returned home from a week away to find that his house had been broken into and four naval service medals had been stolen.
All of his family's jewellery was also taken in last Monday's burglary when intruders ransacked his home in Nailsea, north Somerset.
Roy, who retired from the Royal Mail in 1999, said: "I'm gutted, really.
"My aunt passed down these medals to me and I really wanted to pass them on to my own children and grandchildren.
"I come from a naval background which goes back five generations. These are my grandfather and two great uncles medals that have been stolen," he added.
The burglary took place at around 6.30pm on January 20, when the thieves gained entry to Roy's home by smashing his dining room window round the back of the house.
The medals stolen were received by two of his relatives - his great great uncle Winfield, and his grandfather Henry Bowden.
They are two Victorian naval silver long service medals, one which includes "Chief Steward Winfield" engraved on the rim, and a silver china medal with "Luck now" relief bar on the ribbon which belonged to Mr Winfield.
An Egypt medal bar with "Alexandria 1881", and a George V Good Conduct and Long Service silver medal belonged to Mr Bowden.
Roy said: "The earliest medal that has been stolen dates back to the reign of George V.
"My great uncle served on the Royal Navy boats which were used to trap the U-boats during the Second World War.
"My grandfather retired from service at some point in the 1950s. He received the George V Good Conduct Medal as well as an Egypt medal bar with 'Alexandria 1881.'
"The rarest medal which has gone missing is a China War Medal which dates back to sometime during the 1880s," he added.
Roy himself is not from a military background. He started out his career as an engineer in Plymouth during the 1960s.
After 1969, Roy worked for the Royal Mail and then moved offices from Plymouth to Southampton, before moving to Bristol. He retired after 30 years service.
Image by: TM Bristol Post
Roy was away from his house for a week when the burglary took place, visiting a friend to celebrate their birthday.
He said: "I came back to my house at 3.30pm on Tuesday and found that all my family's war medals and jewellery had been stolen."
A significant amount of jewellery was also stolen from Roy's home including wedding rings, necklaces and bracelets, pearls, cufflinks and brooches.
Also stolen were an Omega watch, silver cutlery and numerous old pound and shilling notes.
Speaking of the significance of the family heirlooms, Roy said: "All the jewellery that was stolen also belonged to my family.
"It's been passed down throughout the generations.
"You just never expect something like this to ever happen to you," he added.
A witness from the scene described seeing an unknown man in the front room of the property at around 6.30pm.
Police enquiries are ongoing.
PC Emma Leadbeater said: "This is a callous offence in which an elderly man has had his home broken into and a large amount of valuable and sentimental items have been stolen from him, including his war medals.
"We are committed to tackling burglary across and Avon and Somerset.
"We will be doing all that we can to identify and apprehend the individual responsible and, where possible, return the stolen belongings."
Police are asking members of the public to keep an eye out on online selling sites for anyone selling items that match the description of the stolen belongings.
They are also appealing to anyone who works in antique shops and pawnbrokers to call the police with any relevant information.
This stunning picture sequence shows a freediver ‘hanging out’ over a huge underwater trench.
Image by: Daniel Parsons
This stunning picture sequence shows a freediver ‘hanging out’ over a huge underwater trench.
Photographer Daniel Parson, 33, took the breathtaking pictures in Barracuda Lake, Coron, Philippines.
Freedive expert and trainer Daniel photographed his students hanging from the submerged volcanic cliffs against the backdrop of an imposing abyss.
One shot even shows a male diver seemingly allow a female diver to fall into the trench below.
Daniel, from New South Wales, Australia, is the owner and Director of Freediving Central.
He said: "Freediving Central is based in Sydney, Australia, and runs courses across the continent and internationally.
"Freediving is diving to depth while holding your breath! No tanks, no breathing apparatus!
“I had the idea for these photographs for some time before my visit to Coron, however, finding the right backdrop was a challenge.
Image by: Daniel Parsons
Image by: Daniel Parsons
Image by: Daniel Parsons
“The volcanic cliffs surrounding Barracuda Lake are stunning and when you combine freedivers who can hold their breath for substantial amounts of time with such epic underwater scenery, you can create some pretty incredible shots!
“The sheer cliff faces were the perfect backdrop for a ‘cliff hanger’ scene where the freediver risks sinking into the vast nothingness if they let go.
“It was a lot trickier than it looks to get these shots just right but the photographs were a success and turned out better than I imagined!
“The visibility in the lake is endless which gives an illusion that makes the audience question whether they are in water or not.
“I was lucky I had some talented freedivers who could convey the fear of falling into the abyss and holding on for life.
”We are still not sure whether the male freediver let her go, or if her hand slipped … there were rumours at the time that their relationship was on the rocks!”
For more information visit: www.freedivingcentral.com
SILLY SAUSAGE - Woman rang cops to complain that she’d been sent three portions of saveloy and chips instead of one
Video by: Gabriella Petty
A woman rang 999 to complain that she’d been sent three portions of saveloy and chips instead of one.
It was among more than 25,000 time-wasting calls received by the Met Police in London this year.
A recording of several 999 calls where the incident being reported was far from an emergency - many of them verging on the bizarre - has been released by police chiefs.
Among the more ridiculous calls was a woman who phoned the emergency hotline to complain that she had been sent three portions of saveloy and chips from her local chippy, instead of one.
In the recording, the woman can be heard saying: “I only ordered one saveloy and chips. They have sent me three saveloy and chips.”
Other calls singled out for time-wasting by the police include a man who phoned 999 to ask what time it was, and another who called to complain that a packet of biscuits he had bought were out of date.
Officers said that the calls, as well as wasting police time and resources, potentially put Londoners in life or death situations at risk.
Between January 1 and November 30, the Met’s Command and Control call centre received well over two million calls.
Of those calls, more than 25,000 were hung up on by call handlers after being identified as a hoax.
People in non-urgent situations who need the police are encouraged to call 101, rather than 999, or tweet the Met.
Chief Superintendent David Jackson, who is in charge of call handling for the Met, said: “Although these calls can be perceived as amusing, they are actually a huge waste of the Met’s resources.
“These hoax calls block the number from other members of the public who could be calling 999 in a real emergency, keeping people in danger waiting for longer and putting lives at risk."
He added: “If you are in a situation where you need to speak to the police, please think.
“The use of the 999 system is for emergencies only and we have other channels where you can speak with us.”
