thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-04--How To Make A Career Plan When You Feel Like There Are No Options

Listen to Huffpost UK Life’s weekly podcast Am I Making You Uncomfortable? about women’s health, bodies and private lives. Available on Spotify, Apple, Audioboom and wherever you listen to your podcasts.
It’s a scary time to lose your job. Whole sectors, from aviation to the arts, all but disappeared overnight at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and workers continue to be hit by redundancies across many other industries.
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Unemployment in the UK has reached the highest level for more than four years, according to the latest figures from the Office for National statistics. And it remains unclear if the furlough scheme and self-employment grants will be extended beyond April.
It’s caused many workers across the country to step back and ask what’s next, with many confronting the uncomfortable question: who am I without my job?
Work can be all-consuming and for many people, it’s a key part of our identity.
On HuffPost UK’s weekly podcast Am I Making You Uncomfortable? we’ve been attempting to untangle the links between work and self-worth, looking at what happens when your job is suddenly taken away, and what you can do to feel like you’re getting back on track.
In this episode, we’re joined by career coach and founder of CultiVitae Emily Liou, alongside Ama Quashie, who was made redundant from her job in advertising and went on to launch a successful business. Quashie is now the owner of London nail salon, Ama, and has worked as a celebrity manicurist on shoots with the likes of Solange Knowles, Tilda Swinton and Edward Enninful.
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Liou and Quashie have a wealth of tips for anyone feeling especially lost right now, particularly if you’ve recently lost work and don’t know what to do next. Read some of their advice below and listen to the full episode to hear more of their reflections on work and identity.
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Stop blaming yourself
First and foremost, you need to give yourself room to heal, says Liou. Yes, you’ll probably feel the need to fire off applications at a rate of knots, but if you’ve lost your job, take a beat to process what’s happened and try to avoid the self-blame – your applications will be better for it.
“It really, in my opinion, starts with getting comfortable with understanding it’s okay to not have a title. It’s okay to have that status of unemployment,” she says. “A lot of job seekers feel like: ‘Well, I must’ve done something wrong. It must have been me because I was the one laid off from the company.’ But we have to understand the economic climate. And there are some things that are just beyond our control.”
Let go of your ego
Are there really “no jobs available” or is it more accurate to say there are “no jobs that you want available?” Liou points out that rigid, societal ideas of success sometimes stop us from applying for a “bridge job” – something that pays the bills and can take the pressure off, but isn’t the dream.
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“I know a lot of people might feel: ‘I have a degree, I’m too good for this job.’ What I want to say to those of you who are in that situation is: it’s really important to listen to your inner self versus your ego, because your ego is always going to try to protect you from other people’s judgments,” she says. “It’s important to understand that there’s nothing wrong with a bridge job.”
To help shake off that ego, Liou recommends acquainting yourself with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the psychological theory proposed by Abraham Maslow, which highlights five different types of human need.
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The needs of feeling “achievement” and being “respected by others” are near the top of the pyramid. Before we can even think about those, we need to make sure the foundation layer – which represents our physiological needs, such as food and sleep – is established. If that means taking a job that simply puts food on the table, so be it.
“But I do want to emphasise it’s important that you never let go of the long term vision,” says Liou. “Because so many people also start to feel complacent. So really, just having that short term and that long term plan in place is key.”
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Map out your interests
If you’re uncertain about what your long term dream is, don’t panic. One solution can be to look at a job site and print off all the jobs that excite you – without thinking about them too much. Then, you can look at the descriptions in more detail and figure out what they have in common, which may help you figure out what type of job you want, even if you’re still unsure of the exact title.
“You can find that golden thread between all of the different jobs that you are interested in,” says Liou. “On the right hand side, write why they’re exciting to you. What is that skill set that you’re going to be utilising? Or what about that career gets you really invigorated?”
Looking at jobs thematically can also help you to identify your transferable skills, she adds, whether that’s being a great communicator or a whizz at organisation.
Talk to people you admire
Once you’ve narrowed down your areas of interest a little, start talking to people currently working in those fields.
“Don’t be afraid to hit up someone who is already doing what you want to do and ask them for advice and ask them for steps,” says Quashie. “They might tell you to piss off. They might reject you. Ask more people. It’s scary, don’t get me wrong, but it’s necessary sometimes. And change is necessary.”
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Liou agrees with this, saying the pandemic doesn’t mean an end to networking – use LinkedIn and email to connect with new people.
Consider a side hustle
Quashie did a nail course and started building up her client base before she was made redundant in advertising. If you’re thinking about taking a “bridge job” to tide you over, consider a side hustle to enable a transition into your dream role later down the line.
“Side hustles are a great way of dipping your toe into something to see how you feel about it with less commitment,” says Quashie. “You still have your full time job and you can gauge if it’s something you actually want to do. You can see if financially it’s viable. You can build your contacts, your portfolio, your skill set. You can build your speed.
“I’ve got friends that work full time, but have cake businesses on the side, or all sorts. I think building it on the side, slowly, is actually very key.”
Give yourself time
As cheesy as it sounds, only you know the answer about what you want to do next. Give yourself permission to ponder.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-04--We've Been Hit By Insomnia During The Pandemic. This Is What's Helped Us

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We’re here to guide you through the coronavirus pandemic. Sign up to the Life newsletter for daily tips, advice, how-tos and escapism.
If you’ve struggled to sleep during the pandemic, you’re not alone. Insomnia and other sleep problems have dramatically increased since lockdown began in March, new research suggests, with women with young children, key workers and BAME people most affected.
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The research, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and conducted by the University of Southampton, found one in six people experienced sleep problems before the pandemic, compared to one in four after lockdown had been implemented.
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We can’t change the situation, but there are things we can all do to give ourselves a better chances of sleep. We asked people who’ve experienced insomnia during the pandemic to share what’s worked for them.
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Meditation and a hot shower
Liana Fricker, 38, from Surrey, says she didn’t have sleeping problems before the pandemic, but running her own business (The Inspiration Space) alongside homeschooling two children led to stress and insomnia.
“The adrenaline pumping through me during the day as I tried to balance it all, not to mention hours and hours of Zoom meetings each day, meant my mind was in hyperdrive by the evening,” she says. “Bedtime was usually midnight or 1am and then, without skipping a beat, I would be wide awake at 3am.”
Fricker says this pattern was consistent until she discovered the Calm meditation sleep app in June. She also established a sleep routine, including showering and using Neom’s ‘Destress’ oil before bed.
Liana Fricker Liana Fricker
“I still find it a challenge to turn off my brain, but falling asleep to the sounds of meditation means I don’t wake up as often in the middle of the night,” she says. “For anyone else struggling, I recommend an evening shower and aromatherapy. It’s worked wonders for me and it’s not expensive either.” Supplements and ditching alcohol
Melvina Samuels, 49, from South Wales, has always suffered from chronic insomnia, but says it’s been worse this year. “In all honesty, I don’t know if it’s due to pandemic or the fun of perimenopause,” she says.
“On the whole, I’m one of the lucky ones during the pandemic: I can work from home, I live in an idyllic location, so other than worrying about family, I think my sleep is worse due to a combination of factors.”
Melvina Samuels Melvina Samuels
Samuels finds taking vitamin B complex supplements reduce her symptoms of insomnia. Studies have backed this up, finding that vitamin B complex can have a “beneficial effect in the treatment of insomnia regardless of cause”.
She’s also cut back on alcohol. “I noticed years ago that alcohol really affects my quality of sleep, so I now avoid it if I need to sleep,” she says. “Even one glass of wine will mean I will be wide awake and up for the day from 4am. As I don’t normally get to sleep until 12-1 am, it has a huge impact.”
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Reading and removing devices
Sophie Kathir, 32, from London, is a key worker and has found it hard to sleep during the pandemic due to health anxiety. “In the night, my anxiety about what could happen to me or my family goes up,” she says, adding that she lies awake thinking about how she can protect loved ones better.
Sophie Kathir Sophie Kathir
“l found refuge in books and my sleeping has been better,” she adds. “I make sure I put my phone my away when I go to bed and don’t stop reading until I feel sleepy.”
Others on Twitter provided their own tips, from listening to music to playing audiobooks.
I find Sandi Toksvig very soothing. I downloaded her book about manners and I listen to her in bed. Because the book doesn’t have any dramatic parts and it’s gentle. It’s wonderful. pic.twitter.com/5CksX7aPZa — pumpkinkeely (@pumpkinkeely) August 3, 2020
I never struggled with falling asleep before pandemic. End of March I struggled with falling asleep and started sleep meditation. Now I don’t need the meditation but still listen to headspace sleepy music. — Swati Deshpande (@swatistweet) August 3, 2020
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I did initially, then started to play @mogwaiband on my phone very quitetly at night while in bed and it really helps. — Shaun (@LedingtonShaun) August 3, 2020
Kathryn Pinkham, founder of the Insomnia Clinic, previously told HuffPost UK maintaining a routine is key to getting good sleep.
Many of us can technically sleep in later than before the pandemic, with some working from home and saving time commuting, while others are furloughed or have recently been made redundant. Whatever you’re personal situation, Pinkham advised: “Go back to setting your alarm again,” which should help to re-establish some good sleep habits and a crucial routine.
Other tips for getting a good night’s sleep include avoiding devices before bed, getting enough natural light during the day and keeping your bedroom cool.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-04--My Cancer Treatment Means I'm Shielding Until April 2021

HuffPost UK Heather, at home
Sports have always been a massive part of my life. I’ve always been super active, and I was always the keen bean, always the most enthusiastic, I was training every evening and working out before work. I ran marathons and played national league hockey. My nickname was even ‘Hockey Heather’.
So, in 2014, I kept putting my lower back pain down to a bad tackle or something. But when I started to experience intermittent bleeding, I went to my doctor and was referred to hospital, where I was hit totally out of the blue: they found a five-centimetre tumour on my cervix and diagnosed me with a rare and aggressive form of cervical cancer.
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Initially my prognosis wasn’t very good. I had a life expectancy of two years, and mine was only the 19th recorded case of that cancer at that time.
I began an aggressive program of treatment: chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and brachytherapy, a form of internal radiotherapy. Fortunately, it all worked really well. Five months after I got my diagnosis, I got the call to say I was in remission.
But it wasn’t a case of life going back to normal. In fact, my life had gone through a complete 180. Chemo had caused a number of side effects, including inducing early menopause which left me dealing with infertility when I was only 27, something I’m not sure I’ll ever get over. I had to deal with chronic lower back pain and fatigue, which is something I really struggled to adapt to; I went from a really active lifestyle to struggling to walk. I even struggled to walk up the steps to my third-floor flat without taking a break.
“I woke up to find myself surrounded by paramedics in my room. My husband had found me having a seizure, something I’d never had before.”
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But I worked hard and eventually managed to run again. Eighteen months after I finished treatment, I even finished the London Marathon for Cancer Research UK. Later, I actually managed to return to playing the same level of hockey I was at before. After finishing my first full season back on the pitch, I was loving having these parts of my life back, after thinking they’d been shut off forever.
Then, the week after the season was over, I woke up to find myself surrounded by paramedics in my room. My husband, who is in the police and always calm in these situations, found me having a seizure, something I’d never had before. After being taken to A&E and undergoing a scan, I was knocked for six: they found a lesion, and I was diagnosed with two brain tumours.
Obviously, the first question I had was whether this was to do with my cervical cancer. Had it come back? But no, “really bad luck”, as the doctor put it, meant I now had to deal with a new, completely unrelated, cancer.
Thanks to my amazing medical team, I met with the neurosurgeon and had two craniotomies – one for each tumour, which were on either side of my head. Unfortunately, there were signs that it had grown again last year, so I had to go for a third craniotomy last Christmas.
Because of that, I’m currently going through chemotherapy, in the middle of this pandemic. I started a year-long course of chemotherapy at the beginning of lockdown and because of my weakened immune system and the situation with coronavirus, I’ll need to keep shielding – probably until April next year.
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HuffPost UK Heather, completing the Loch Lomond marathon after recovering from cervical cancer
That sounds difficult, and it is, but there have been some really good aspects. My husband is able to work from home, and because my treatment is entirely in the form of a tablet called temezolomide, he can collect it for me from the hospital. We’ve got all the support in terms of getting our groceries covered, and my friends and family are making sure I don’t feel forgotten. And our sausage dogs, Parsnip and Pumpkin, are always the first by my side when I’m feeling sick.
When I was diagnosed six years ago, we were forced to adapt – to the changes in my body, to the challenges of treatment, and I had to re-shift my mindset. Don’t get me wrong, when lockdown came in it was frustrating, but, for me, basically being told to stay at home isn’t the end of the world.
The most difficult part, though, is that I know my cancer is not curable. I know I’ve got a limited amount of time. I’m as positive as I can be, but in lockdown we all have our bad days. Except for me it’s not simply a case of ‘oh, I’m missing my family and friends’, it’s ‘I’m missing the opportunity of making memories with them that’ll last when I’m gone’. I’m losing out on time, and so I feel a bit cheated.
“My treatment is designed to prolong life – if it is impacted, what does that spell for my future?”
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I’m very lucky that my treatment hasn’t been affected so far – it’s regularly reported there’s a backlog for some patients, and I worry if, down the line, that’s going to impact me too. My treatment is designed to prolong life – if it is impacted, what does that spell for my future? Where a lot of my friends are saying things like ‘when lockdown is over we can do this…’,I don’t have that luxury.
It already takes so long to get from the lab to the bedside. Knowing that this virus could be putting valuable research back is hard. Because for me, and others like me, our lives depend on it.
As told to Charlie Lindlar
Covid-19 put Cancer Research UK’s life-saving research on pause. For information on how the charity is trying to get back on track, visit cruk.org/give
Have a compelling personal story you want to tell? Find out what we’re looking for here, and pitch us on ukpersonal@huffpost.com


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-04--I Never Wanted Kids. Covid-19 Changed My Mind

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During college, when I got accidentally knocked up during a friends-with-benefits situation, I recall looking down at my still-flat belly and marvelling at how strange it was that this would be the only time I’d have a bun in the oven.
So, though I can’t recall the exact age that I decided I didn’t want kids, it’s been awhile.
It’s difficult to broach the subject of parenthood in the 30-something dating world. In your 20s, few people are thinking long-term like that, but in your 30s, they are getting down to business.
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With one guy, I brought it up during our second date at a bowling alley. “Nice spare! Also, I don’t want kids.”
When I met Brian, I decided to piggyback the discussion onto an already awkward conversation. We’d been dating for about two months when he mentioned that he wasn’t — technically — divorced. I mentioned that I didn’t — technically — want children. One conversation. Two Band-Aids torn off.
Brian didn’t flinch at this disclosure; it barely seemed to register. But I could soon tell it was an issue. Maybe it was the way he so fastidiously avoided the topic after that. He’d been so open and vulnerable with me around other topics (except, you know, still being married) that I could tell, regarding this one subject, he was holding back.
So, I did what anyone would do — I didn’t bring it up again for weeks. I was excited about Brian. Things were going well. But knowing that he might be bothered by my revelation niggled at me, and I came to the reluctant realisation that, if the other shoe was going to drop on this relationship, I’d best get it over with.
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So, one night when he was over at my apartment, I gulped down half a bottle of dry rosé and asked if he was really, truly okay with not having kids.
He hadn’t wanted to say anything because he was excited about our relationship, too. Not having kids wasn’t a dealbreaker for him. But he was sad. He was really, really sad. Since our conversation, he had been privately mourning a future that involved being called Dad.
And there we were — two people in their mid-30s who by that point loved each other — facing an uncomfortable reality. I was angry that although I’d been upfront with him, I still felt guilty. He was upset that he couldn’t wish away his desire to have kids.
My therapist assured me that people make sacrifices for the ones they love all the time. “It was never my dream to pick up my practice and move to a small town in France,” she said during our video call. “But my husband got this job, and here we are. Brian is making the decision to stay with you of his own volition.”
For a while, neither Brian nor I brought up the topic of kids again. But every time we’d pass by a couple pushing a stroller, I’d tense. Was Brian looking at the young family wistfully? Jealously? Angrily? Resentfully? He seemed fine, but was he really? If the child was crying or whining, I said a silent “thank you.”
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I was always thinking about it. I thought about it every day. I felt like I was tiptoeing around bubbles, not wanting them to pop.
I went back to my therapist with a plan. I would re-examine why I didn’t want kids to ensure my reasons still made sense to me. I had made the decision at least 15 years earlier. In many ways, I was a completely different person now than I was then. I used to wear pleather miniskirts and listen to Nickelback, for goodness’ sake.
I counted my reservations off to her in no particular order:
What if the kid grows up to be a sociopath?
What if giving birth injures my body irreparably?
What if having a kid ruins my relationship with Brian?
What if I don’t get to do any of the hobbies I love or see my friends anymore?
I’d started therapy ten years earlier, when I had severe depression, years of self-injury under my belt, and the occasional suicidal ideation. My first therapist would admit to me years later that, during our initial sessions, he had concluded glumly that I was a “lost cause.”
But I’d gone week after week… after week… and figured my shit out. We dissected my childhood, re-evaluated my friendships, and built layer upon layer of self-worth. I’d worked my ass off to be a success story.
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So, I took quite seriously any disruptions to my new, healthy, carefully crafted life. And you know what a baby is? One ginormous disruption.
If I were to regret taking a new job, I could look for another one. If I made some bad investments, I could declare bankruptcy and slowly rebuild my credit. If Brian and I got married and it was a disaster, we could separate. It would be unbelievably difficult, but it was an option.
Once a kid is plopped into your world, however, that’s it. They come with a jumble of unknowns, and it was that jumble that terrified the hell out of me.
“Do you know if your parents are alive right now, at this very second?” My therapist asked me one Tuesday morning.
“No, I suppose not,” I said, not understanding her point.
“You face uncertainty each day. For whatever reason, you’re more attuned to some unknowns than others. Nevertheless, they are a reality in every aspect of your life.”
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We hung up and I called my parents.
During a work trip over Halloween, a nosy colleague asked if I planned on having children. She was in her mid-50s and had 10-year-old twins. If she’d asked a year earlier, I would have responded with a flat “No.” Now though, I hedged. “Still deciding.”
“You should. It’s fun. No one ever told me how much fun it would be.” Then she excused herself to go FaceTime with her kids so she could see their costumes.
As I was cautiously trying on the potential identity of person-who-wants-kids, I began holding possible futures in my mind that I had never before considered. While I was camping with some friends, a high school track meet was taking place across the river opposite our tents. Cheering on my kid as they ran the 200 meters didn’t seem like such a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I’d pack snacks.
Another time I was sitting idly in a coffee shop, scrolling through Facebook, when a couple came in with a toddler bouncing on his dad’s hip. The boy was dressed in a fuzzy onesie with bear ears and a stubby tail. I imagined myself grabbing coffee with a child in tow. I probably wouldn’t be able to hang out at the coffee shop as long as I had in pre-parenthood days, but that didn’t seem like too big a deal. And that baby bear was pretty cute.
It was true that I was presently enjoying the life I had created — frequent dinners out with friends, kayaking several times a week, regular yoga classes — but would I still enjoy the same life — the exact same life — 10, 20, 30 years down the line? Change could be good. Brian was proof of that.
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Then, the pandemic happened. Before Covid-19, if you had asked me how I would handle being stuck in my apartment for not days or weeks, but months, I wouldn’t have hesitated: “You’ll find me in the back of my closet, curled up in the foetal position, crying.”
But when it did happen and my hobbies and social life evaporated overnight, it wasn’t the catastrophe for my mental health that I assumed it would be. True, I hadn’t lost my job and neither had Brian. We had stayed healthy, as had our family and friends. Still, I had managed to remain content — upbeat, even — during a stressful time. Huh, I thought. Surprising.
In the first few weeks of quarantine, I couldn’t stop thinking about the 1998 movie Sliding Doors in which the life of Gwyneth Paltrow’s character unfolds in two versions: one in which she catches a subway train and one in which she misses it. As I sat in my apartment watching my plans pass by, I kept wondering what I would be doing in that moment if the pandemic hadn’t happened.
What I came to realise is that there aren’t two versions of my life — there’s one. I had assumed my plans would proceed as I had envisioned, but those assumptions were exactly that. A world where Brian and I eloped on top of a mountaintop in Slovenia didn’t exist. A world where we got married in an Arlington, Virginia, lawyer’s office wearing masks was what was always going to happen. I just hadn’t known it.
The pandemic taught me the point that my therapist had been trying to get across. I couldn’t barricade myself against the worst-case scenario. I have to live my life and trust that I have the strength and resilience to handle what comes my way.
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Brian and I are trying now to get pregnant. I don’t know if we’ll be successful. If we are, I don’t know how this stranger will come into our lives and challenge and change it. I don’t know anything. I never did.
This article first appeared on HuffPost Personal


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-04--How Do You Help Girls Grow Up Without Hating Their Bodies?

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Listen to our weekly podcast Am I Making You Uncomfortable? about women’s health, bodies and private lives. Available on Spotify, Apple, Audioboom and wherever you listen to your podcasts.
If there’s one thing many parents worry about, it’s their children’s self-esteem.
And if you’re a parent of girls, chances are you’re even more concerned – research shows only 46% of girls globally have high self-esteem. In the UK, the figure is even lower (39%).
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So, how can we protect girls’ perception of themselves – and is there anything parents can do to boost it? Charlotte Markey, a psychology professor who has a 13-year-old daughter, believes the key lies in teaching girls to be accepting of different kinds of “normal”.
“We should be aiming to differentiate between different shades of normal – and embracing it,” she tells HuffPost UK.
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Markey wrote The Body Image Book For Girls, out in September, and covered off topics including body image, puberty, nutrition, exercise, and self-care. Her inspiration for the book came when she was pregnant with her daughter, now 13, and thought about what she lacked growing up as a young girl.
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She remembers reading about puberty and hoping for more in the books when it came to female bodies. “I would think, ‘There’s three pages on body image – but I want a whole book on that!’.
“When I found out I was having a daughter I thought, ‘Oh wow, I’ve been talking the talk on these issues; now I have to walk the walk’,” she says. “Boys and men have similar issues but it doesn’t resonate in quite the same way.”
It wasn’t until her daughter was a bit older that she started the book she’d dreamed about. She did a focus group with 1,000 adolescent girls – hearing about their thoughts and experiences of body image – as well as using her own expert knowledge as a psychologist.
When the book was ready, she got her daughter to proof-read some of it.
In fact, Markey’s daughter was the first young person to read the book. “It was an interesting role reversal, particularly when it came to topics such as cosmetic surgery,” she says. “Even at a young age, it felt like she had thought through it, and I was interested in her response. She said, ‘It depends why someone would do it. If it’s really for yourself, then it’s different from doing it for someone else’.”
Writing it has been a learning experience for Markey, so what has she taken away from the process? “Our kids are very thoughtful and insightful,” she reflects.
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“They might not get it all, but they’re smart and they pick up on things. We have to watch how much we’re role-modelling negative self-perceptions in front of our kids. How much do we care about how we look, and do we want our daughters to care? It’s important parents try to stop some of the knee-jerk reactions and try to ask questions.”
Reflecting on how she interacts with her daughter, Markey adds: “For me, I consciously don’t make a big deal if I’m making a media appearance, and I don’t want my daughter to see me trying on dresses. I don’t talk about my food choices, other than to say that diets don’t work.
“I think a shift with this generation [in how they view their bodies] is very possible. We just need to open a dialogue with them about it.”
“I think a shift with this generation is very possible.” - Charlotte Markey
Markey says young girls should be “happy, self-assured and go out in the world and accomplish great things”, without primarily focusing on their appearance. If we really want to help them grow up without hating their bodies, she says, “we need to listen to them – and trust them”.
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With this in mind, I decided to read Markey’s book with my eight-year-old daughter and see how she responded. It was a little old for her to read alone, but she looked through the section on menstruation – learning something straight away: “I thought as soon as you first have your period, all of your blood would be bright red, but it taught me that it can actually be brown,” she said.
And, when I asked her why she thought books like these are important, she replied: “So you know stuff you’re not sure about or, if other people tell you stuff, or you see something on social media and you’re not sure if it’s right.”
Markey agrees. “We’re not going to get rid of social media,” she says, “that’s a losing battle. There are positives to it, which maybe aren’t as obvious.”
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“We should encourage young girls to follow positive influencers on Twitter and Instagram,” says Markey. “The trick is helping girls filter out people who are negative and affect their sense of self.” Some kids are going to be more influenced that others, she says. Some will hear your suggestions about who to follow and act on them – and others will do the opposite.
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Ultimately, as parents, it’s important to remind young girls that all bodies are different. “If we can teach the next generation to be more accepting of themselves and of diversity, the negative influences around them could be neutralised,” she adds.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-04--10 Baby Names From The Edwardian Era That Stood The Test Of Time

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There are some baby names which never seem to fall out of favour – and if the top monikers from 1908 are anything to go by, they never will.
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Researchers from Preply.com, who analysed the top 100 baby names from 1908 and 2018, found that nine out of 20 of the most popular boys’ names from the Edwardian era still featured in the top 30 names, 110 years later.
We have a wealth of baby name inspiration on HuffPost UK Parents, but here are 10 vintage names that have stood the test of time.
George
In its original Greek, George – or Georgios – is based on the word, geogros meaning farmer.
Amelia
This pretty name is an English-language variant of the name Amalia, derived from the Germanic word amal, meaning work or strive.
Harry
A Medieval English form of the name Henry, this comes from the Germanic name Heimerich, meaning home and power – translating to “home ruler”.
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Isabella
Isabella, which is often shortened to Bella or Izzy, comes from the Latin. It also has Italian origins, meaning “God is my oath”.
Leo
The popular name Leo – which can be lengthened to Leonard – contains words from the Greek, meaning lion and brave.
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Grace
Grace, which comes from the Latin word gratia, meaning pleasing or thankful, is often used as a name of virtue.
Arthur
Arthur is made up of two Welsh words: Arth meaning bear, and gwr meaning man. It has come to mean “guardian of the bear”.
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Ivy
This pretty motif comes from the Old English word ifig, meaning faithfulness.
William
The popular name William is made up of two parts: wil meaning desire, and helm meaning “helmet or protection”.
Florence


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-04--UK Made 'Critical Error' By Not Imposing Border Restrictions At Start Of Coronavirus Pandemic, Say M

UK Made 'Critical Error' By Not Imposing Border Restrictions At Start Of Coronavirus Pandemic, Say MPs

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The government made “critical errors” in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic which led to many more people contracting the illness, MPs have said.
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In a report published on Wednesday, the Commons home affairs committee said the government should have required people arriving in the UK to quarantine as early as March.
From March 13 until June 8 there was was no quarantine or self-isolation requirements for asymptomatic travellers and no screening or testing at the border.
The committee said the decision to lift the self-isolation guidance for specific countries on March 13, ten days before the nationwide lockdown was imposed, was “inexplicable”.
The report comes as:
- Bars, cafes and restaurants have been ordered to close as lockdown restrictions are reimposed in Aberdeen over a coronavirus cluster in the area. Some 54 cases have now been reported in the outbreak.
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- The epidemiologist behind the government’s national lockdown warned that reopening secondary schools could see the coronavirus reproduction rate increase “by as much as a half”.
- Figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies show there have now been 56,600 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
According to the MPs on the home affairs committee, having no special border measures for people arriving from Spain and France during February and March, and only having voluntary self-isolation measures for travellers from Italy until March 13, was a “serious error and had a material impact on the number of cases arriving in the UK, and on the pace and scale of the epidemic”.
“Many more people in the UK caught Covid-19 as a result,” they said.
Yvette Cooper, the Labour chair of the committee, said this was “a grave error” and meant the virus “spread faster and reached more people”.
“We are concerned that border measures just weren’t taken seriously enough at the beginning of the crisis, either in the discussions among scientific advisers or in ministerial decision making,” she said.
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“It appears ministers took decisions without critical information they should have had, and it has been extremely difficult to work out who took key decisions and on what basis.”
The report supported the government’s introduction of quarantine measures for arrivals from June 8 as well as the opening of so-called “travel corridors” to some destinations.
MPs also said the government had been right to re-impose restrictions on arrivals from Spain.
But they were “very critical of the handling and communication” of the decision and the “lack of earlier warnings”.
A government spokesperson said: “The Home Affairs Committee are incorrect in their assertions. All of our decisions throughout the pandemic have been guided by the science, with appropriate measures introduced at the right time to keep us all safe.
“And with passengers numbers significantly reduced, the scientific advice was clear that quarantine measures for those entering the country from abroad would be most effective when the UK has a lower level of infection.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-04--One In Eight Childcare Workers Paid Less Than £5 An Hour, Report Exposes

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One in eight childcare workers are paid less than £5 an hour, a new report which warns the UK faces an early years workforce crisis has found.
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The Social Mobility Commission says the childcare sector is “increasingly unstable” and it could affect the quality of education and childcare provision for under-fives.
It comes as the Covid-19 crisis threatens to close scores of nurseries and childminders struggle to make ends meet.
But the SMC underlines how the sector has been under pressure long-term, with not enough new childminders, nursery and early years staff replacing those leaving the sector amid low pay, a high workload and lack of career development.
The new report also cautions that high turnover of early years staff can affect children’s outcomes, especially in more disadvantaged areas.
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The research suggests around one in eight (13%) childcare workers are paid under £5 an hour.
In England, average hourly pay in the sector is £7.42, which is lower than the average pay for female workers (£11.37), according to the analysis.
Childcare professionals also work longer hours than people in comparable occupations, the report suggests.
More than one in 10 (11%) full-time early years workers reported working more than 42 hours per week, compared to 3% of retail workers.
The research, carried out for the SMC by the Education Policy Institute (EPI), found that around 37% of early years workers leave their employers within two years.
Little boy playing with wooden toy train. kieferpix via Getty Images
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Lydia Pryor, pre-school leader in Aldborough, Norfolk, said her deputy recently handed in her notice for a job that pays more.
She said: “I had nothing that could entice her to stay. She’s had enough of just making do and worrying about money when her car breaks down.”
Childminders also described long hours and “inadequate” working conditions as causes of exhaustion and low morale, feeding a desire to leave the sector for less-demanding work.
Quality early years provision is “harder to achieve” when the workforce is unstable, according to the SMC report.
It says: “By the time children are five, those from disadvantaged families are already significantly behind their wealthier peers in a variety of development measures. Key to reducing this gap is high-quality early years (EY) provision, delivered by a qualified and skilled workforce.
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Prime minister Boris Johnson with education decretary Gavin Williamson PA
“However, in recent years, there have been signs that the early years workforce is increasingly unstable, with too few new entrants to replace those who are leaving the sector.”
The SMC is calling for urgent action to be taken to improve the stability of provision, especially in light of Covid-19 when early years staff will become even more vital for child development and yet instability is likely to “worsen”.
The commission says the government should introduce a comprehensive career strategy for the early years workforce – including a clear plan for attracting older workers into the profession further on in their careers.
Steven Cooper, interim co-chair of the SMC, said: “The early years workforce is vital in helping to narrow the development gaps between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and privileged ones.
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“We must do everything we can to ensure that childminders and nursery workers are valued more by ensuring we pay them a decent wage, give them a proper career structure and ensure their workload is reasonable.”
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, warned that all too often the early years sector is “still seen as the poor relation of schools”.
He said: “Years of inadequate government investment into the early years has resulted in unacceptably low salaries across the sector, with many practitioners regularly working long hours for little or no additional pay.
“Is it any surprise, then, that more and more are opting to leave and seek employment opportunities elsewhere?”
Shadow minister for children and early years Tulip Siddiq said the government “cannot go back to undervaluing the childcare workforce after this crisis”, adding: “Years of underfunding has left childcare professionals working long hours for very low pay. This is driving talented staff out of the sector and letting down the young children whose life chances are shaped by vital early education.
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A Department for Education spokesperson, meanwhile, said £20m has been invested in improving the training and development available for early years staff.
She said: “Nurseries, pre-schools and childminders are a vital support network for families, and will play an integral role in this country’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-04--Poorest Pupils Hit Hardest As Exam Results Downgraded In UK's First Covid Moderation

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The Scottish government has become embroiled in a row over the moderation of exam results disadvantaging students from poorer backgrounds as critics warned the same problem could happen in the rest of the UK.
In Scotland’s first school year without exams due to coronavirus, the Scottish Qualifications Authority’s (SQA) moderation process reduced the pass rate of the poorest Higher pupils by more than twice that of the richest.
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The pass rate of pupils in the most deprived data zones was reduced by 15.2% from teacher estimates after the exam board’s intervention.
In contrast, the pass rate for pupils from the most affluent backgrounds dropped by 6.9%.
Education commentators said “systemic biasing in favour of the least deprived” was the result of basing results on a school’s previous performance, rather than an individual’s track record.
Labour’s shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray said using previous results from schools to decide grades “embeds disadvantage and the ridiculous league tables that has artificially hampered schools in more deprived areas”.
SNP MP Mhairi Black said she was “deeply concerned” with students from deprived areas seeing their results reduced at a higher rate and urged her colleagues running the Scottish Government to address the issue.
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But Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon said that without the moderation the results would have been “unprecedented and therefore not credible”.
The reduction based on deprivation levels is linear
7% for least deprived
9% for next least deprived
11% for next least deprived
13% for next least deprived
15% for most deprived
No random variation between groups ... a systematic biasing in favour of the least deprived https://t.co/7SwkuHOJFw — Dr Nick Troop 🌹 🎵 (@NicholasTroop) August 4, 2020
Barry Black, a postgraduate researcher at the University of Glasgow, told HuffPost UK that the SQA was warned about the impact on the most disadvantaged pupils by the Scottish parliament’s education committee, and that the poorest were “actually being failed by a statistical model”.
He made the point that the poorest have been downgraded from a pass to a fail over twice the rate of their most affluent peers.
He said: “It’s not being moved from an A to B, or a B to a C, it’s actually from a pass to a fail. The potential consequences of that are really quite significant for those young people. It could be the difference between a university and college entry.
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“If you went to a school in a rich area, and your teacher estimated you should have an A, it’s twice as likely that A would have been kept than if you were a deprived school because the affluent school wouldn’t have been questioned as much.
“The problem is is that you’re applying system-wide statistics to individual exam results.”
He said the SQA had argued a range of evidence would be used to make the calculations but “what we see in the methodology today is actually it’s purely been based on historical school data”.
“I’ve been in politics and education for a good few years and I’ve never seen palpable anger on such a scale,” he continued.
“I think this is probably forbearing exactly what’s going to happen in England and Wales because they’re pretty similar systems. And I imagine it is going to be similar in terms of results.”
Deputy first minister of Scotland and education secretary John Swinney visits Stonlelaw High School in Rutherglen on the day pupils receive their exam results. Pool via Getty Images
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Syeda Mashaim Bukhari, 17, from St Andrew’s Academy in Glasgow, hit out at the “shocking” decision after she received her results, calling the “classist” approach “deeply flawed”.
She told HuffPost UK: “There is no justification for this, pupils have been disadvantaged simply because of the fact they live in a deprived area and pupils before them haven’t performed well.
“I think the SQA should have moderated the results based on individual performances of pupils in the past.
“This would have ensured pupils aren’t just given a huge advantage or disadvantage based on something that is completely out of their control.”
Syeda Mashaim Bukhari Syeda
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Drew Skinner, 17, who attends St Mungo’s Academy in Glasgow, said she was “disheartened after seeing people from privileged areas achieving straight As purely because they live in affluent areas”.
She told HuffPost UK of her “shock and upset” after receiving her results and “let down” by the SQA. She has another year to gain more Highers but thinks she will now have to work harder to get into university.
“I have some friends in the year above that now need to take alternative routes such as college before university because of this,” she said.
Can’t help but feel disheartened after seeing people from privelleged areas achieving straight A’s purely because they live in affluent areas. Here’s a letter I wrote to @JohnSwinney regarding this. Would really appreciate if you took some time to read and rt. pic.twitter.com/l0fdJHic8z — Drew Skinner (@drwskinner) August 4, 2020
Asked about the SQA’s figures showing deprived children being affected more by the downgrading of results, Sturgeon said that without the moderation there would have been a 19.8% increase of the pass rate among the poorest fifth of pupils.
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Sturgeon said: “What we want to make sure is that this year’s results have the degree of credibility that means that they are not so out of sync with previous years that people are going to look at them and say ‘they don’t make any sense’.
“As much as I would love to be in the position of standing here credibly saying that 85% of the 20% in the most deprived areas had passed Higher, given that it was 65% last year, that would raise a real credibility issue.”
She added: “Anybody who has a result, has passed a Higher or a National 5 today, can hold their head up for having a credible exam result, albeit without the actual exam.
“That’s why the methodology in the moderation system is important in order to do that so that people don’t look at incredible inflation and pass rates and say the whole system wasn’t in some way credible.”
At National 5 level, the pass rate for the poorest pupils was 74% when teachers’ estimates would have led to an 84.5% pass rate without moderation.
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For the least deprived, the 92.3% estimated pass rate fell to 87.1% after the SQA’s moderation.
More than a quarter (26.2%) of grades were changed during moderation by the SQA - a total of 133,762 - while 377,308 entries were accepted unchanged.
The exam board’s criteria for moderation included the historic performance of of schools and grades were adjusted “where a centre’s estimates were outside the constraint range for that course”, according to the SQA chief examining officer Fiona Robertson
New schools without previous exam results were unchanged.
Despite the downgrading 124,564 pupils’ results - 93.1% of all the moderated grades - exam pass rates rose at every level and would have been the highest on record without the SQA downgrading some submitted results, education secretary John Swinney said.
Swinney stressed that approximately 90% of moderation “involved a change of just one grade”.
An SQA spokesman said: “The most disadvantaged young people have achieved better results in 2020 compared to both 2019 and the average results for the last four years.
“At Grades A to C, the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged young people is also narrower this year for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher than for last year or the average gap for the last four years.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-04--Hardly Anyone Knows About Covid Death Payout Scheme, PM Told After Just Two Families Get Cash

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Boris Johnson has been told to better publicise a Covid-19 life assurance scheme after it emerged the government had made just two payouts for key worker deaths on the front line.
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Despite at least 300 health and social care workers losing their lives after contracting the disease, just 21 claims for the £60,000 had been successful as of July 23 – and only two families had received the cash so far.
Now, a cross-party group of MPs has written to the prime minister calling on him to actually advertise the payout scheme, announced by his health secretary Matt Hancock in April.
The letter, signed by 25 MPs and peers, calls on the government to “rapidly design and implement a dignified advertising campaign to raise awareness for the scheme amongst workers and their families.” It is signed 13 Lib Dems, nine from Labour and two from the SNP.
Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, who coordinated the letter and campaigned for the scheme, said: “The low take-up of the scheme so far is extremely worrying. It suggests there is an issue with lack of awareness and that some are at risk of missing out.
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“The government urgently needs to get the NHS, GPs and other employers round the table and set up an advertising campaign to raise awareness of this scheme.
“We must ensure that families of NHS and care workers who tragically die on the front line against coronavirus receive support in their time of need.”
It comes after senior doctors warned this week that healthcare workers could be missing out.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson ASSOCIATED PRESS
Giving evidence to the cross-party inquiry on coronavirus last week, Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chair of the British Medical Association’s Council, said the scheme needed to be “disseminated much more visibly to healthcare workers. It’s really important for their dependants to know that they can be looked after and given some support.”
A Freedom of Information investigation by HuffPost UK found the NHS Business Services Authority, which is managing the scheme, had – as of late July – received 58 claims for the cash payout since it was officially opened on May 20.
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Of the 40 that had been assessed, 21 had been accepted, while 15 “require[d] further information” from either the NHS or claimant.
Another four were still being looked at by a panel and at risk of refusal, and a further 18 claims were still waiting to be assessed.
Claims are “time-limited”, the Department for Health and Social Care has said, with the duration of the policy “under review” and set to stick to a six-month sunset clause.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-04--Tips For Creating A Budget With Emilie Bellet From Vestpod

Tips For Creating A Budget With Emilie Bellet From Vestpod
A lot of us are feeling the squeeze after lockdown and not being entirely out of the pandemic. We spoke to an expert on ways to get out of debt, save hard and how to plan that emergency cushion.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-04--Huge Explosion In Beirut Kills At Least 60 People In Lebanon's Capital

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At least 100 people have been killed and 4,000 are injured after a large explosion rocked the Lebanese capital Beirut as images showed a giant column of smoke rising over the city.
The most powerful explosion to hit Beirut in years shook the ground, leaving some residents thinking an earthquake had struck. The blast was so large it was felt over a hundred miles away in Cyprus.
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The blast occurred in the city’s port area, where there were warehouses housing explosives.
President Michel Aoun said that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate had been stored for six years at the port without safety measures. He said it was “unacceptable”.
Hours after the blast, ambulances still carried away the wounded as army helicopters helped battle fires raging at the port.
George Kettani, the head of Lebanon’s Red Cross, said at least 100 people were killed and more than 4,000 were wounded.
“What we are witnessing is a huge catastrophe. There are victims and casualties everywhere,” he said.
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Footage of the blast shared by residents on social media showed a huge plume of smoke rising from the port district followed by an enormous blast. Those filming what initially appeared to be a big blaze were thrown backwards by the shock of the explosion.
Another view of the explosions in Beirut pic.twitter.com/efT5VlpMkj — Borzou Daragahi 🖊🗒 (@borzou) August 4, 2020
My brother sent me this, we live 10 KM away from the explosion site and the glass of our bldgs got shattered. #Lebanon pic.twitter.com/MPByBc673m — Abir Ghattas (@AbirGhattas) August 4, 2020
I am told this was a warehouse storing fireworks that blew up.
There were literally tons of fireworks there, so the explosion was gigantic and the impact radius felt across the city (glass in my own family's homes in different parts of Beirut blew up). https://t.co/L6hfhOhBZT — Rym Momtaz ريم ممتاز (@RymMomtaz) August 4, 2020
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“I have never in my life seen disaster this big, this grand, this catastrophic,” said Beiruit’s governor, Marwan Abboud, before he broke down crying.
“This is a national catastrophe. This a disaster for Lebanon. We don’t know how we’re going to recover from this. We need to stay strong and we need to be courageous, but this, our people have been through so much.”
One witness told the Reuters news agency: “I saw a fireball and smoke billowing over Beirut. People were screaming and running, bleeding. Balconies were blown off buildings. Glass in high-rise buildings shattered and fell to the street.”
Another Reuters witness said she saw heavy grey smoke near the port area and then heard an explosion and saw flames of fire and black smoke: “All the downtown area windows are smashed and there are wounded people walking around. It is total chaos.”
Smoke rises after a fire at a warehouse with explosives at the Port of Beirut led to massive blasts in Beirut, Lebanon. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
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Firefighters carry an injured person from the scene following a large explosion at the Port of Beirut. Bloomberg via Getty Images (Photographer: Hasan Shaban)
A wounded man walks near the scene of an explosion in Beirut. ANWAR AMRO via Getty Images
Lebanon’s health care system is already being outstretched by chronic underfunding and a surge in coronavirus cases. Doctors and nurses had already warned of a shortage of medical supplies, including anaesthesia drugs and sutures, the AP reported last week. The American University of Beirut Medical Center, one of the most prestigious hospitals in the Middle East, laid off hundreds of workers in recent weeks.
Lebanon is in the midst of its worst economic crisis in decades, with its currency losing more than 80% of its value and unemployment soaring, pushing millions of people into poverty.
The crisis began last year, before the coronavirus pandemic hit: Lebanon has long relied on reserves of foreign currency, particularly the US dollar, for essential imports, but political leaders and banks failed to maintain that stock or to develop the economy to produce exports and earn money. The virus-related global economic slowdown further hurt Lebanon’s economy and slashed inflows of money from Lebanese working abroad who suddenly faced reduced circumstances.
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Last autumn, tens of thousands of protesters staged weeks of largely peaceful demonstrations against Lebanon’s ruling elite over their failure to deliver basic services and to prevent the financial crunch.
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picture alliance via Getty Images
The explosion occurred three days before a UN-backed court is due to deliver a verdict in the trial of four suspects from the Shi’ite Muslim group Hezbollah over a 2005 bombing which killed former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri and 21 others.
Hariri was killed by a huge truck bomb on the same waterfront, about one mile from the port.
Israeli officials said Israel, which has fought several wars with Lebanon, had nothing to do with Tuesday’s blast and said their country was ready to give humanitarian and medical assistance. Shi’ite Iran, the main backer of Hezbollah, also offered support, as did Tehran’s regional rival Saudi Arabia, a leading Sunni power.
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Western countries including the US, Britain and France said they were ready to assist.
Images showed port buildings reduced to tangled masonry, devastating the main entry point to a country that relies on food imports to feed its population of more than 6 million.
It threatens a new humanitarian crisis in a nation that hosts hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees and which is already grappling with economic meltdown under one of the world’s biggest debt burdens.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-04--Far-Right Group Britain First Is Setting Up A 'Training Centre' In London

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The leader of the far-right group Britain First has revealed he is setting up a “training centre” in London where recruits will be “drilled” and taught “self-defence techniques”.
Paul Golding, who earlier this year was found guilty of an offence under the Terrorism Act, said the property was donated by a supporter and would be equipped with “a fully sized boxing ring, a huge matted area and every piece of equipment that we need”.
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He added: “The purpose of this is simple. Because of our political opponents and the extremist jihadi Islamist movement in this country... we need our security department to be highly trained and professional.
“They need to be well-versed in self-defence techniques. They need to be trained to do their job. Just like a firefighter.”
So this fella Paul Golding has a criminal conviction under the terrorism act and is setting up a training centre to train a group of thugs....lol....this will end well.... pic.twitter.com/wO2R9mPWZK — Akunjee 🖋 (@mohammedakunjee) July 30, 2020
Tasnime Akunjee, a lawyer who specialises in terrorism related cases, said while the establishment of a Britain First training centre wouldn’t at present warrant police action, it is “worrying”.
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He told HuffPost UK: “Paul Golding has a string of convictions. He’s tried to make a name for himself by allegedly representing the very far right wing of UK politics, bordering on fascistic tendencies and making an issue of going to mosques uninvited and unwelcome and causing people a lot of alarm and distress.
“The idea of somebody who already has a history of public order issues as well as causing alarm to a particular community setting up an organised training facility is worrying.”
Britain First has carried out inflammatory actions against Muslim communities including threatening to bury a pig on the site of a proposed mosque, and advocating banning Islam in the UK following the November 2015 Paris terror attacks.
Other actions include:
At one point Britain First boasted a large following on Facebook but could only ever muster a handful of supporters to attend real world events.
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Britain First
When it was banned from Facebook in March 2018 the group fell into obscurity but its leader, Golding, and former leader Jayda Fransen continued to make headlines when they were both jailed for religiously-aggravated harassment.
A spokesperson for Hope Not Hate told HuffPost UK: ”[Britain First] have always tried try to create fear and intimidation in communities by playing military dress up – whether driving around little towns in an armoured Land Rover, walking about in faux uniforms or using ridiculous job titles like ‘chief of staff’. [...]
“Their only achievement is attention-seeking on the internet. This is a tiny organisation that seeks to inflate its size and importance through posturing and pretending to be competent and capable.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-04--Michelle Obama Celebrates Barack Obama’s Birthday With Sweet Throwback Family Snap

Michelle Obama dug up an old family picture to wish her husband, former President Barack Obama, a happy 59th birthday on Tuesday.
“Happy birthday to my favourite guy,” the former first lady captioned a sweet throwback snap of the couple with their daughters Malia and Sasha.
“Here’s to all the good days, blue skies, and new adventures to come,” Michelle Obama added.
Happy birthday to my favorite guy. Here's to all the good days, blue skies, and new adventures to come. 😘 pic.twitter.com/mxrnNSvJBn — Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) August 4, 2020
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Michelle Obama has in previous birthday posts hailed her husband as “my favourite dance partner” and “the man who always makes me proud.”
She’s also lightheartedly poked fun at his greying hair:
Happy birthday @BarackObama! The view is always better with you. pic.twitter.com/7a6cAkjkAS — Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) August 4, 2018
Another year older, but the same phenomenal guy I married nearly 25 years ago. Happy birthday, @BarackObama -- we love you so much! pic.twitter.com/3WrcGiKgz1 — Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) August 4, 2017
55 years young and that smile still gets me every single day. Happy birthday, Barack. I love you. -mo pic.twitter.com/RbrZ7YTyc8 — First Lady- Archived (@FLOTUS44) August 4, 2016
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Happy birthday to a loving husband, wonderful father and my favorite dance partner. 54 looks good on you, @POTUS! -mo pic.twitter.com/B2JSxCTcCo — First Lady- Archived (@FLOTUS44) August 4, 2015
Happy Birthday to the man who always makes me proud. Thank you for your friendship, honesty and compassion. I will love you always. -mo — First Lady- Archived (@FLOTUS44) August 4, 2014
Happy birthday, Barack! Your hair's a little grayer, but I love you more than ever.
–mo pic.twitter.com/xxYTA9cMK7 — First Lady- Archived (@FLOTUS44) August 4, 2013


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-04--Small Aerosol Droplets Could Penetrate PPE, Scientists Warn

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Small aerosol droplets could penetrate some personal protective equipment (PPE) used to shield people from infections like coronavirus, scientists have warned.
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A team of researchers from Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh created a mathematical model that separated how small, medium and large aerosol droplets were dispersed through the air.
The study, published in the journal Physics of Fluids, found both large and small droplets travelled further than medium-sized ones.
The authors said while PPE such as masks and face shields were an “effective barrier” against larger droplets, it may be less effective against small ones.
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Felicity Mehendale, co-author and academic surgeon at the University of Edinburgh, added: “Our study shows there isn’t a linear relation between droplet size and displacement – with both small and large droplets travelling further than medium-sized ones.
“We can’t afford to be complacent about small droplets. PPE is an effective barrier to large droplets but may be less effective for small ones.”
The team is creating an aerosol extractor device to keep clinicians safe during a wide range of aerosol-generating procedures routinely performed in medicine and dentistry. Extraction units placed near the droplet sources can effectively trap droplets if their diameters fall below that of a human hair, the authors said.
Cathal Cummins, of Heriot-Watt University, added: “This has important implications for the Covid-19 pandemic. Larger droplets would be easily captured by PPE, such as masks and face shields.
“But smaller droplets may penetrate some forms of PPE, so an extractor could help reduce the weakness in our current defence against Covid-19 and future pandemics.”
The authors said that if the spread of coronavirus by aerosol droplets is confirmed to be “significant” then it will require a reconsideration of guidelines on social distancing, ventilation systems and shared spaces.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-04--Katie Price Flashes A Veneer-Less Smile As She Gets A Brand New Set Of Teeth

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We all know Katie Price (a) loves a cosmetic procedure or two and (b) likes to commit most aspects of her life to film, and she did both on her recent trip to Turkey.
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During the family holiday, with her son Junior, daughter Princess and her new boyfriend Carl Woods, the model and reality star decided to get her old veneers replaced with a shiny new set of gnashers.
And this being Pricey, she wasn’t afraid to show off her real teeth once her old veneers were removed.
In a clip on her YouTube channel, Katie tells fans: “It wouldn’t be a holiday, would it, unless Pricey gets something done? ’Course not! I’m gonna get my teeth redone.”
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Katie Price YouTube
Turning to the camera, the 42-year-old flashes a veneer-less smile and jokes: “I love it when you talk dirty,” and laughed, showing off her ‘real’ teeth.
Katie Price YouTube
It was rather an eventful trip for the mum-of-five, who ended up in hospital after breaking both of her feet.
She has been told she will not be able to walk for three to six months after fracturing her heels and ankles when she jumped from a wall during a visit to an amusement park.
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Katie had been expected to cut her holiday short and fly back to the UK for surgery, where she may have to have pins put in her feet.
Posting a picture of both of her feet in plaster on her Instagram account, Katie added: “Yes it’s true I have broken my ankles and my feet, I have to have both feet operated on and pins put in been told I won’t be able to walk for 3 to 6 months, @carljwoods is being amazing looking after me.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-05--How You Can Help The People Of Beirut Right Now

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Following the tragedy in Beirut, which saw an explosion kill at least 100 people and injure thousands, people understandably want to know how to help.
The blast occurred in the city’s port area. It’s thought it was caused by a fire igniting 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate which had been left in a warehouse. Up to 300,000 may have been left homeless because of the blast.
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George Kettani, head of Lebanon’s Red Cross, said: “What we are witnessing is a huge catastrophe. There are victims and casualties everywhere.”
Save The Children staff member, Nour Wahid, who lives 10 minutes away from where the explosion happened, said: “At first, the building started to shake – I thought it was an earthquake.
“Five of my nieces and nephews were out on the balcony playing when the blast went off. They started to scream and run as the windows collapsed around them; they were all wounded. Hospitals told us they couldn’t take them in because they were prioritising serious injuries.”
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STR via Getty Images
Watching this all on TV, or seeing the news unfold on social media, it can be hard to know how’s best to help – especially in a country already heavily impacted by a financial crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Here are some suggestions of how you can offer support.
1. Support the Red Cross
The Red Cross in Lebanon has been on the ground helping treat casualties impacted by the explosion. It dispatched 75 ambulances along with 375 emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and staff to help the most vulnerable.
After the blast happened, the charity also set up triage and first aid stations for people with non-critical injuries. It’s desperate for donations – no matter how big or small. You can donate here.
People in Lebanon are also being urged to give blood as there is an “urgent need” for all blood types. Blood transfusion centres are open in Tripoli, Jounieh, Antelias, Spears, Zahle, Saida and Nabatieh.
2. Donate to local organisations
Impact Lebanon aims to raise £5m to provide disaster relief to Beirut – so far it has reached half its target. The money will be sent to NGOs (non-governmental organisations) dealing with the situation on the ground.
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You can also find individual NGOs to donate to here.
STR via Getty Images
3. Support those made homeless by the blast
It’s thought around 300,000 people have been made homeless. People in Beirut have been offering their homes and hotels for those affected – you can find a thread of offers here and add to it if you own accommodation in the region.
Beit el Baraka is a non-profit organisation that helps destitute Lebanese families and retirees with financial support and help. In a statement shared on its Facebook page on Tuesday evening, a spokesperson said: “Now is the time to pull ourselves together and unite.
“Our unity is what will help us get through this, again. As of tomorrow morning we will be fixing all the homes of our families that were severely damaged tonight.” You can donate to them here.
4. Donate to hospitals in the area
Saint George Hospital in Beirut was so extensively damaged by the explosion that it had to discharge patients and close, the New York Times reported. You can donate to the hospital here to help it get back up and running.
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5. Help feed locals and support clean up efforts
Islamic Relief has been working in Lebanon since 2006, supporting refugees and others living in poverty. It has launched an emergency response to provide drinking water and food for people who have lost their homes. You can donate here.
In a few days, the charity will also start helping to clear the streets of the debris caused by the blast, providing people currently out of work with cash to help out.
“Longer-term we will need to continue providing food parcels, as the seaport has been destroyed, meaning food imports will be significantly reduced to a country that is already on its knees,” said Nidal Ali, Islamic Relief’s Lebanon country director, who was at home in Beirut when the explosion happened.
“This is yet another tragedy for a country that is already deep in crisis on multiple fronts. The economy is the worst it has been in decades, with nearly half the population living below the poverty line and 35% of people out of work,” said Ali.
The Lebanese food bank will also be working hard to help provide food for those impacted in the coming days. You can donate here.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-05--Wesley Streete Guilty Of Raping And Murdering 'Friend' Keeley Bunker

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A man has been found guilty of the 2019 rape and murder of Keeley Bunker, who had “trusted” the killer to walk her home safe, in Tamworth, Staffordshire.
Wesley Streete, 20, was arrested and charged with murder after the 20-year-old’s body was discovered in woodland in September last year.
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She was last seen at about 4am on September 19 in Leyfields, Tamworth.
Paramedics from West Midlands Ambulance Service were called to Roman Way shortly after 9pm later that day, following reports of a person in a nearby stream.
Bunker’s body was found when they arrived but the ambulance service said nothing could be done to save her.
Streete, who was a childhood friend of Bunker, had been among a group of friends on a night out in Birmingham the previous evening.
Arriving back in Tamworth, the two parted ways with another friend and walked together across town. She was not seen alive again.
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Streete had denied the charges of rape and murder but admitted he “accidentally killed” Bunker before leaving her body in a brook in a nearby park and hiding her with branches.
The body of Keeley Bunker was found under branches in a pool in woodland in Tamworth, Staffordshire, in September last year. Staffordshire Police
He repeatedly lied about what had happened while on trial, changing his account at least four times.
A senior investigating officer in the case said there was “audacity in his arrogance” and that Streete had been “playing the martyr” by criticising the police for blaming him.
“There’s Wesley Streete and Wesley Streete alone who is responsible for Keeley’s untimely death,” detective inspector Cheryl Hannan told the PA news agency.
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“Her friend, as Keeley did, trusted him to walk her home that night and there’s only Wesley to blame that she didn’t make it home.
“The lies that he told from the outset meant it was clear that he had something to do with her disappearance.
“When her body was located he was arrested and soon after that CCTV evidence would completely disprove his first account along with phone evidence.”
On Wednesday Streete was found guilty of seven charges at Stafford Crown Court.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-05--No, Gandhi Isn't Going To Be The First BAME Face On UK Currency

Mahatma Gandhi (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi,1869 - 1948), Indian nationalist and spiritual leader, is set to feature on a commemorative coin. Central Press via Getty Images
Organisers of a government-backed campaign to feature Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) figures on British currency for the first time have clarified that Mahatma Gandhi is not under consideration.
Confusion arose following incorrect weekend reports that Gandhi was being lined up as the first non-white person to be honoured on legal UK tender.
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Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced on Sunday that he had asked the Royal Mint to consider how to celebrate the achievements of BAME individuals on UK coinage.
It came after a two-year campaign by the We Too Built Britain movement, which has put forward figures such as British-Jamaican Crimean War nurse Mary Seacole and Second World War spy Noor Inayat Khan for recognition.
It has never proposed Gandhi, and the mix-up appears to have stemmed from an announcement made by former chancellor Sajid Javid in October, in which he said he had separately asked the Royal Mint Advisory Committee (RMAC) to consider a commemorative Ghandi coin.
While commemorative coins are by definition legal tender, they cannot be used in shops and banks like any other cash, and have limited exchange value.
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I know @Zehra_Zaidi @ppvernon and many others have been campaigning for years for the BAME people who built Britain to be recognised on legal tender.
Yesterday I wrote to The Royal Mint urging them to consider how to celebrate the achievements of BAME individuals on UK coinage. — Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) August 2, 2020
Sunak has also written to We Too Built Britain campaigner Zehra Zahidi, saying: “Black, Asian and other ethnic minority communities have made a profound contribution to the shared history of the United Kingdom.
“For generations, ethnic minority groups have fought and died for this country we have built together; taught our children, nursed the sick, cared for the elderly; and through their enterprising spirit have started some of our most exciting and dynamic businesses, creating jobs and driving growth.
“I am writing today to the chair of the Royal Mint Advisory Committee (RMAC), Lord Waldegrave [...] asking the RMAC sub-committee on themes to consider recognising this very great contribution on our nation’s coinage.”
The reports suggesting Indian independence leader Gandhi was set to become the first non-white person to feature on British currency sparked a backlash.
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Former Tory parliamentary candidate Zehra Zaidi, who spearheaded the We Too Built Britain campaign, insisted it was nothing to do with the group and called for people to focus on the campaign’s success.
“There are two separate projects in terms of the Royal Mint,” she told HuffPost UK.
“One, a Gandhi commemorate coin which has created buzz in India. Another, endorsement by the Chancellor of our history making campaign for the first ethnic minority hero on legal tender.
“After four days of headlines on Gandhi, a decision made in 2019, we would like the chance to talk about the 2020 history making decision by Rishi Sunak and those heroes and themes that we suggested for legal tender.
“Only people of national importance can be on legal tender. The absence of any ethnic minority person suggested there had not been any contribution of significance to appear. This is far from the case. Ethnic minority communities helped build Britain. Let’s celebrate them.”
Do people realise that people on the team have been dealing with press for three days on Gandhi? There is no campaign for Gandhi.
And legal tender is people of "national" importance.
Our three campaign is been flooded by commotion over Gandhi that we had nothing to do with. — Zehra Zaidi (@Zehra_Zaidi) August 3, 2020
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Considered by many as India’s greatest leader, Gandhi has also been regarded by some historians as a racist.
Broadcaster Jad Adams quotes him as referring to Black people as “kaffirs”, a deeply offensive term, in a speech in 1896.
“Ours is one continual struggle against a degradation sought to be inflicted upon us by the Europeans, who desire to degrade us to the level of the raw kaffir,” Gandhi is quoted as saying.
“And whose sole ambition is to collect a certain number of cattle to buy his wife with and then pass his life in indolence and nakedness.”
In 2016 Ghana announced it would remove a statue of Gandhi from its main university because of his “alleged past racist comments”, though it paid tribute to his role as a civil rights leader.
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BAME figures such as Walter Tull, the British Army’s first Black officer, have featured on commemorative coins in the past but so far no non-white figures have appeared on coinage or notes in mainstream circulation.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-05--Douglas Ross Named New Scottish Conservative Party Leader

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Moray MP Douglas Ross has been named the new leader of the Scottish Conservatives.
The 37-year-old was unopposed in the race to take on the top job.
“Becoming leader of the Scottish Conservatives today is the honour and privilege of a lifetime,” he said.
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“Now our focus must turn to earning the trust of people looking for a positive and credible alternative for Scotland, and who want a fresh start for our country.”
Ross will replace MSP Jackson Carlaw, whose resignation last week led to Ross declaring his candidacy the following day.
Carlaw said he believed he was not “the person best placed” for the leadership.
Ross quit as a junior minister in the Scotland Office in May over Dominic Cummings’ alleged breach of lockdown rules.
He is expected to stand for election to the Scottish Parliament in May next year.
Ruth Davidson, the party’s former leader, will stand in for Ross at first minister’s questions and, once again, go up against Nicola Sturgeon.
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SNP deputy leader Keith Brown MSP said: “Douglas Ross is Boris Johnson’s man in Scotland. Westminster has launched a total takeover of the Scottish Tories and installed a Brexit-backing MP to act as a puppet for Downing Street.”
Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said: “Just months ago, the Scottish Tories were maintaining the pretence that they were something different from the extremist no-deal Brexiteers of the Boris Johnson camp.
“Today the instalment of Douglas Ross as their part-time, absentee leader without even asking their members confirms that there isn’t a hint of difference between them.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-05--Kimberley Walsh Drops The Biggest Hint Yet That A Girls Aloud Reunion Could Be Happening

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Kimberley Walsh has dropped the biggest hint yet that Girls Aloud could be set to reunite.
The singer has admitted the band are “feeling pressure from the outside” to reform for their 20th anniversary in 2022.
The girl band were formed on Popstars: The Rivals in 2002, which saw them battle it out with boy band One True Voice for the Christmas number one.
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Girls Aloud went on to have a hugely successful career before calling time on the band in 2012 on the final night of their Ten tour.
Cheryl Tweedy, Nicola Roberts, Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh and Sarah Harding of Girls Aloud Dave J Hogan via Getty Images
She told hosts Alex Jones and Gethin Jones: “It’s 20 years in 2022 so we’re feeling a bit of outside pressure now.
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“People keep asking if we’re making any plans and we actually haven’t made any yet, but we’re definitely feeling a bit of pressure from the outside so you never know.”
Just last week, Kimberley admitted she and Nadine had healed their so-called rift after lockdown gave them time to “reflect”.
Girls Aloud pictured at the Brit Awards in 2009 ASSOCIATED PRESS
She told OK magazine: “I speak to Cheryl and Nicola all the time anyway, but I have been in touch with Nadine and Sarah too.
“Lockdown has been a time for reflection. Nadine and I were chatting the other day and we’re going to get the kids together as they haven’t met yet.”
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Since the band split, Kimberley, Nicola and Cheryl have remained close friends, regularly posting about each other on social media, whereas Nadine and Sarah have led largely separate lives from the rest of the group.
In 2017, Nadine admitted she now felt “indifferent” towards the rest of the group telling HuffPost UK: “In an ideal world, we would be all great friends, and it would be a great thing… but I’m really supportive of things that they do, and you can’t help but feel happy for somebody when something great happens, you know, they have a baby or, you know, great things!”
During an appearance on I’m A Celebrity last year, Nadine also claimed reports of a feud between her and Cheryl were “fake news” and insisted she loved being part of the group.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-05--Spitting Image Unveils Boris Johnson And Dominic Cummings Puppets And Obviously, They're Genius

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Spitting Image has unveiled puppets of Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings, ahead of the satirical series’ revival.
In March, it was announced the show was coming back, airing on BBC and ITV’s subscription streaming service BritBox.
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At the time, fans got a glimpse of US president Donald Trump, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Kanye West and Vladimir Putin as Spitting Image puppets, with Johnson and Cummings now added to the collection.
Boris Johnson ITV/BBC/Britbox
And with Cummings’ lockdown scandal dominating headlines earlier this year, we’re sure there’s plenty of material for the show to work with.
Programme makers previously made an offer to the prime minister’s chief adviser, with co-creator Roger Law saying: “When Dominic Cummings gets the boot, Spitting Image will give him a job.
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“We’ve always employed weirdos and are sure Dom will be a great asset, he seems to hate politicians as much as we do.”
Dominic Cummings ITV/BBC/Britbox
Spitting Image is returning later this year BBC/ITV
Spitting Image originally ran for 18 series between 1984 and 1996 and was watched by 15 million viewers in its heyday.
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It cost £300,000 an episode to produce, making it TV’s most expensive light-entertainment show.
Of the decision to revive the show – which will be BritBox’s first original commission – bosses said: “With the world getting smaller and more turbulent, the time couldn’t be more appropriate for an iconic British satirical take on global events.”
The original Spitting Image famously featured Margaret Thatcher in a man’s suit treating her cabinet – “the vegetables” – with contempt, John Major as a grey puppet and the Queen Mother slugging from a gin bottle.
Ronald Reagan was featured in bed with two red call buttons, one marked Nurse, the other Nuke.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-05--Lockdown Will Need To Be 'Tightened' If Schools Are Fully Reopened, Says Neil Ferguson

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Reopening secondary schools could see the coronavirus reproduction rate increase “by as much as a half”, professor Neil Ferguson has warned.
Ferguson – the Imperial College epidemiologist who devised the model of infection that persuaded the government to introduce a national lockdown – said to mitigate this there would likely need to be “some tightening up” of restrictions “in other areas”.
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Schools minister Nick Gibb confirmed on Wednesday the government’s position that all children will return to school in September – including in areas of local lockdown. But he added that the government cannot “decree” that keeping schools open must be prioritised over pubs during local lockdowns to combat spikes in coronavirus cases.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Ferguson said: “I think it is important to say that not all schools are the same. We have a lot of evidence now that primary schools, young children, pose very little risk of transmission.
“I think the concern is with secondary schools, teenagers, further education colleges and universities where the evidence is still not certain, but it looks like older teenagers can transmit just as well as adults.
“The risk then is that big schools, comprehensives, universities, FE colleges, link lots of households together, reconnect the social network which social distancing measures have deliberately disconnected. And that poses a real risk of amplification of transmission, of case numbers going up quite sharply.”
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He added: “In terms of the reproduction value, the ‘R’ value, opening high schools could increase it by as much as a half, but by as little as 0.2 or 0.3, but it will go up.
“Given we’re at ‘R’ equal to one at the moment, clearly we don’t want ‘R’ going up to 1.5 or so, that would ... lead to quite rapid growth of the epidemic.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-05--Virgin Atlantic Could ‘Run Out Of Money By September’ If £1.3bn Rescue Deal Not Approved

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Virgin Atlantic is seeking protection from creditors in the US as it struggles to survive the coronavirus pandemic’s devastating effect on the airline industry, a court has heard.
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The airline, founded by billionaire Sir Richard Branson, could run out of money by the end of September if creditors do not approve a £1.2bn bailout package.
The news comes after Virgin Atlantic announced it was closing its Gatwick operation and axing 3,150 jobs – around a third of its workforce – in May.
The company had previously told staff to take eight weeks of unpaid leave, and called on the UK government to offer emergency the airline industry credit facilities worth up to £7.5bn.
Although further redundancies cannot be ruled out, the latest update has no direct impact on more job cuts and the airline says it is confident it will continue running flights.
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At a High Court hearing in London on Tuesday, a lawyer representing Virgin Atlantic told the judge the company was “undergoing a liquidity crisis” as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The group’s financial position has been severely affected by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, which has caused unprecedented disruption to the global aviation industry,” David Allison QC said in written submissions to the court.
“Passenger demand has plummeted to a level that would, until recently, have been unthinkable.”
“As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the group is now undergoing a liquidity crisis.
“[Without] a restructuring and an injection of new money, it is projected that the group’s cash flow would drop to a critical level by the week commencing September 21, 2020.”
He added: “It is projected that the group would run out of money altogether during the week commencing September 28, 2020.”
Virgin Atlantic is seeking protection from creditors in the US as it struggles to survive in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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In a connected move later on Tuesday, Virgin Atlantic filed for protection in a US federal bankruptcy court in New York.
The company is seeking protection under chapter 15 of the US bankruptcy code, which allows a foreign debtor to shield assets in the country.
In April, Virgin Australia went into administration. Its new owner Bain Capital today announced it is set to cut 3,000 jobs.
Virgin Atlantic has previously said it does not expect demand for air travel to return to pre-coronavirus levels until 2023.
A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: “Virgin Atlantic attended court yesterday (4 August) as part of a solvent recapitalisation process under 26(A) of the UK Companies Act 2006. That process is proceeding with the support of the majority of our creditors.
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“Following the UK hearing held yesterday (4 August), ancillary proceedings in support of the solvent recapitalisation were also filed in the US under their Chapter 15 process. These ancillary US proceedings have been commenced under provisions that allow US courts to recognise foreign restructuring processes.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-05--WH Smith To Cut 'Up To 1,500 Jobs' After Sales Hit By Coronavirus Pandemic

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High street chain WH Smith could slash as many as 1,500 jobs in a bid to tackle the financial hit from the coronavirus pandemic.
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The company said it would be reviewing roles across its high street and travel businesses.
The WH Smith group said it expected a headline loss of up to £75m before tax for the financial year ending August 31.
It comes after the retailer reported a 57% drop in sales in July, compared to the same month in 2019.
Chief executive Carl Cowling said that while there had been a small uptick in business on the high street, recovery continued “to be adversely affected by low levels of footfall”.
“As a result, we now need to take further action to reduce costs across our businesses,” he said.
“I regret that this will have an impact on a significant number of colleagues whose roles will be affected by these necessary actions, and we will do everything we can to support them at this challenging time.”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-08-05--The Real McCoy Makes A Welcome Return To The BBC, But Why Has It Taken 24 Years?

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Many Black TV viewers have welcomed The Real McCoy’s return to BBC iPlayer, 24 years after it was axed.
The sitcom made history for being one of the first shows to have an entirely Black cast on national TV in a primetime slot when it aired between 1991 and 1996.
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It was a show that was ahead of its time, highlighting the then emerging talent that sprung from the Black British comedy scene.
For the first time, a virtually all non-white cast and production team was given the freedom to produce a show in an unapologetically Black way. It meant a mass audience sampled the Black British experience whilst getting some serious laughs at the same time.
Yard food on the plate and The Real McCoy back on the BBC. This could be one of the happiest days of my life. pic.twitter.com/sXVqfWMJCb — Ghostpoet (@ghostpoet) July 29, 2020
So happy The Real McCoy is now available on BBC iPlayer 😁😁😁 pic.twitter.com/dMThCYjXc1 — OGX (@ogreavesx) July 29, 2020
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The Real McCoy makes me proud to be British. Thank you @BBCiPlayer for bringing it back. https://t.co/549NcwWH99 — ill Will (@officialillwill) July 29, 2020
The Real McCoy helped launch the careers of some of the biggest names in comedy including award winning comedian Angie Le Mar, Goodness Gracious Me creator Meera Syal and comedian and broadcaster Eddie Nestor.
The weekly series also featured guest appearances from some of the biggest names on the Black entertainment scene, including Soul II Soul, footballer Ian Wright, legendary newscaster Sir Trevor McDonald and boxer Frank Bruno.
The call by fans to bring back the critically acclaimed series reached a peak in 2012 when former Arts editor at The Voice Newspaper, Davina Hamilton, started the campaign ‘Bring Back The Real McCoy’.
The cast of The Real McCoy. The Real McCoy
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“I attended a BBC event to mark the 21st anniversary of the show first being aired, and it was clear from the event that there was still a huge amount of affection from fans and cast members,” Davina told HuffPost UK.
“On the back of that I decided to launch the campaign and from the response it garnered from our readers, it quickly became evident that there was a strong desire from fans to see the show re-aired or re-released on DVD.
“Sadly that never came into fruition because the BBC said they couldn’t justify the expense. And the option to re-air the show just wasn’t chosen.”
However, the timing of bringing the show back to iPlayer just weeks after the Black Lives Matter protests has not gone unnoticed by fans on social media.
Some are questioning the launch because their pleas were repeatedly ignored by the BBC after years of campaigning. There were even rumours that the tapes had been lost or destroyed.
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Taking to social media platforms to voice scepticism around the BBC’s timing, some fans have asked ‘why now?’ Is it to placate social unrest following the recent Black Lives Matter protests?
The same BBC that claimed they had “lost” all the footage of The Real McCoy. George Floyd happens and miraculously they managed to find the footage and slap it up on BBC iPlayer??? — Mr 5’6 (@MadzHalfLife) July 29, 2020
But Davina says the discussions about its return had already begun before BLM.
“A BBC Insider told me a few weeks ago that the discussion to bring it back had begun some time ago,” Davina explains. “So the decision to bring it to iPlayer at this time wasn’t linked to the Black Lives Matter movement.
“I don’t think that anyone could be wronged for thinking that the timing seems convenient, particularly when you bear in mind they have been sitting in the BBC’s archives for over 25 years”.
When The Real McCoy ended in 1996, the BBC offered up very little else in terms of culturally diverse shows and by the late 90s, cable television became accessible to households and helped introduce the Black British audience to a new market.
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On these outlets there was a spike in shows that had a majority Black cast, but unfortunately these were not aired on terrestrial TV, and they highlighted cultural diversity only from an African American perspective.
The Likes of Sister Sister, Moesha, My Wife and Kids and Smart Guy were received well by UK audiences, but they simply did not reflect the Black British experience.
The BBC launched another Black sitcom, The Crouches, in 2003 but it was poorly received and was axed after just two series.
The Real McCoy. BBC
The Beeb’s decision to make The Real McCoy available again after 24 years highlights how far we have regressed when it comes to cultural diversity both on screen and behind the camera. And to date they have offered little else in trying to redress the balance.
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One of the show’s original cast members, Judith Jacob, has revealed that she is “thrilled” that The Real McCoy is back on our screens, but her joy is tempered by the fact “that it never revolutionised British TV as she hoped”.
Charlie Hanson, a producer on The Real McCoy, told HuffPost: “It was a shock to me and the cast to hear that our show was coming to BBC iPlayer after so long.
“It’s a series I was proud to have co created and produced, particularly as it showcased on TV for the first time, a group of young, talented Black comedy performers.
“It’s been a very long wait for all our fans that have never stopped asking to see the show again.
“The Real McCoy was a landmark series and it deserves to be discovered by new and old fans”.