thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-03--This Is What Happens To Your Body When You Work From Home

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Over the past month, many people who can do their jobs remotely made the transition to working from home to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus.
If you’re one of them, you may have a less-than-ideal office setup without ergonomic chairs, keyboards or computer monitors, and are experiencing new body aches and pains. Slouching, sitting too long, extending your wrists and relying upon a laptop screen put physical stress on your body that you may not notice but will definitely feel later.
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If you are currently holding your neck from the pain of staring down at your laptop, you need to pay attention to what your body is telling you.
“If people wait till things start to hurt, already they’ve waited a little bit too long,” said Alan Hedge, director of the human factors and ergonomics research group at Cornell University.
Keeping your body in a neutral, relaxed position while working is key to avoiding pain, Hedge said. If your work-from-home setup isn’t ergonomic, you will “accelerate the onset of musculoskeletal problems ranging from neck, shoulder, back problems, to hand-wrist problems, to leg problems, all because of working in poor postures,” he said.
Here are some body aches to watch out for and ways to address them:
1. Your neck and shoulders hurt.
If your neck and shoulders are sending you warning pangs, your posture and the way you are looking at your work may be the culprit.
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“If you are looking at a low monitor, you are going to be flexing your neck and your head forward and down, which is going to change your posture,” said Karen Loesing, owner of California-based The Ergonomic Expert, which evaluates ergonomics for businesses. “If your monitor is at the correct height, it’s naturally going to pick you up and put you in the back of the chair.”
Solution: Evaluate your work station to isolate what is causing your neck and shoulders to feel off. Cornell University compiled a “Where It Hurts” guide to address questions specific to your work setup.
For shoulder and neck pain, tips from the guide include positioning the monitor at eye level so that your neck and shoulders are in a neutral position and placing frequently-used objects nearby so your body doesn’t have to strain to use them.
If you’re working from home on a laptop and don’t have the money to upgrade right now, there are still ergonomic upgrades you can do that are free. Loesing suggests placing the laptop on a table or desk that is preferably at elbow height. Change locations and positions frequently up to twice an hour to increase your circulation, Loesing recommends.
“The best posture is the next posture,” she said.
recep-bg via Getty Images "The best posture is the next posture,” ergonomic expert Karen Loesing said about how workers can prevent back and neck pain through ergonomics.
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2. Your eyes feel fatigued.
When you stare at the glare of a computer screen for too long, you are making your eyes work harder. This habit can lead to digital eye strain that is characterized by headaches, blurred vision, dry eyes, and neck and shoulder pain.
“Eye strain is also common for those who don’t take breaks from the computer screen,” said Loesing.
Solution: Seek natural light and take frequent breaks. To give your eyes a break, follow the 20-20-20 rule endorsed by the American Optometric Association: “Take a 20-second break to view something 20 feet away every 20 minutes.”
If you’re working from a home office, Loesing recommends working near a window with natural light that is preferably at a 90-degree angle to your screen, as opposed to right behind you. “That’s better for your eyes than all this artificial [light],” she said.
“To give your eyes a break, follow the 20-20-20 rule endorsed by the American Optometric Association: 'Take a 20-second break to view something 20 feet away every 20 minutes.'”
3. Your hips are tight.
Your back is actually supposed to recline 15 to 20 degrees to keep your hips open, not be ramrod straight.
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“When you’re sitting at 90 degrees, your hip flexors get super tight because they’re kind of squished, so when you go to get up out of your chair, if you haven’t gotten up in a while, it feels like ‘I’m 100 years old,’” Loesing said. “Really tight hip flexors lead to a lot of back pain. It’s a common connection.”
Solution: Recline your seat if your chair is adjustable, and if not, get up frequently. If you are working from a dining chair that has no give and you are hoping that this remote work situation is just temporary, keep your body moving.
“Break at least every 20 minutes and get out of that tight posture,” Loesing said. “The good thing about working at home is that you have that flexibility.”
4. Your legs cramp.
Leg cramps are signs of poor circulation, and the ache is your body telling you that you are not working with good posture. “If you get a cramp in your leg, that’s the muscle saying, ‘Hey, I never had a good blood supply here.’ And if I ask you to sit down kneeling on your leg all day, you’re pretty guaranteed to get a cramp there,” Hedge said.
Solution: Promote good circulation in your legs. One way to do this is to adjust the height of your chair so that your feet are flat on the ground. If that’s not possible, use a footrest. That way there is less pressure on your thighs and the position promotes good circulation, according to Cornell’s “Where It Hurts” guide.
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Periodic breaks every 20 minutes to move around are another way to promote good circulation. “When you’re walking around, the muscles of the body are pumping almost as much blood as your heart is pumping,” Hedge said.
5. Your wrists hurt.
Wavebreakmedia via Getty Images When your forearms sag and your wrists are bent, this position can put your wrists at greater risk of wrist extension.
If your hands and wrists are straining and aren’t in a neutral position, “That puts more strain on the tendons that go through a structure in your wrist called the carpal tunnel, and [as] those tendons become inflamed, they put pressure on the median nerve, and then you get a problem called carpal tunnel syndrome,” Hedge said.
Carpal tunnel syndrome, which affects 1.9 million Americans, can result in tingling, numbness and muscle weakness in your hands and fingers, according to the Centers for Disease Control And Prevention.
Solution: Keep your wrists flat and straight. You want your wrists to be as flat as possible and straight, so they are not bent left or right.
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If it’s possible, look into a keyboard and mouse that will keep your wrists neutral. “If your wrists ache or tire, look into buying an ergonomic keyboard that angles out from the centre, making it easier for you to keep your hand and forearm in a straight line,” recommends Princeton University’s health services.
6. Your back aches.
Leaning forward to type, for example, puts strain on your lumbar region, which can lead to back injuries. “If you lean forward, you increase the compression on those vertebrae, you increase it up to 200% compared to if you can sit back in a relaxed position,” Hedge said.
Solution: Make sure your back is supported and not being strained. The goal with ergonomics is to get your body into the best neutral position you can get into, Hedge said.
When your seat is slightly reclined, “the chair starts to work for the body and there are significant decreases in postural muscle activity and in intervertebral disc pressure in the lumbar spine,” Cornell’s guidelines state.
If you are seeking cheap lumbar support, try using a towel. Roll up the towel and put it behind your back so that it preserves the inward bending of the lower back, Hedge said.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-03--19 Tweets That Hilariously Nail Social Distancing For An Introvert

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If you’re an introvert, you value your alone time. You tend to think before you speak. You’d much rather socialise one-on-one than in a group. A phone call is probably your worst nightmare. But most of all, you are silently strong.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-03--Tom Holland Goes Full-On Spider-Man In Shirtless Instagram Challenge

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Tom Holland certainly isn’t slacking on fitness during his time in self-isolation.
The actor had his Instagram fans swooning when he showed off an impressively chiseled physique while executing a “handstand challenge,” in which he tried to put on a T-shirt while performing a handstand.
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Though the Spider-Man star dropped a few curse words along the way, his attempts were certainly earnest.
And the actor’s strength and physical dexterity, previously demonstrated in Avengers: Endgame, remains intact.
With his fourth attempt at the T-shirt maneuver, success was achieved.
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Tom then challenged actor pals Jake Gyllenhaal, Harrison Osterfield and Ryan Reynolds to follow suit.
By Thursday, both Jake and Harrison had completed the challenge on their own Instagram Stories.
good morning to Jake Gyllenhaal and Jake Gyllenhaal only pic.twitter.com/8FXmnZ0k8n — cowboy cress is on SPN13🤠 (@floofyseb) April 3, 2020
As for Ryan, he replied simply: “No.”
Ryan Reynolds gives a very appropriate response after being tagged in Tom Holland's strenuous IG fitness challenge 😬
(via @VancityReynolds) pic.twitter.com/m792TGd1vD — Fandom (@getFANDOM) April 2, 2020
Overall, fans seemed more interested in Tom’s bod than the actual stunt.
“So I just watched Tom Holland put a T-shirt on whilst doing a handstand,” wrote one person. “My day is complete.” Added another: “I haven’t stopped thinking about this stupid handstand T-shirt contest that Tom Holland did and if more boys would like to do it right now I wouldn’t COMPLAIN.”
Tom, 23, had been at work on a new film, Uncharted, in Germany before the coronavirus pandemic shut down production. Since then, he’s been hunkered down in London while continuing to make headlines for his quirky and alluring presence on social media.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-03--Watch: Here’s The Latest On Coronavirus

Watch: Here’s The Latest On Coronavirus

Watch: Here’s The Latest On Coronavirus - 3 April
The global number of coronavirus cases has reached over a million. The UK will aim to carry out 100,000 tests a day by the end of April, as the health secretary waves 13.4 billion pounds of historic debt held by NHS trusts. A refugee camp in Greece is under quarantine with 20 of its residents testing positive and nearly 7 million people have filed for unemployment benefits in the US.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-03--Amanda Holden's April Fool's Prank On Her Daughters Is Every Kid's Worst Nightmare

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Many kids are already getting on their parents’ nerves as they remain off school during the coronavirus outbreak, but Amanda Holden’s children might argue that it’s actually the other way round.
The Britain’s Got Talent judge has shared a video of her playing an especially cunning prank on her daughters, Lexi, 14, and Hollie, eight, tricking them into believing they would be going to school during weekends and holidays when things eventually get back to normal.
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For April Fool’s Day, Amanda told her girls that she’d received a letter from prime minister Boris Johnson outlining that their school hours would be extended for the foreseeable in order to catch up with the education they’ve missed during the pandemic.
Reading a pretend letter she’d mocked up to look official, Amanda said: “Listen to this, thank you all for all you’ve done so far by keeping your child at home during this quarantine period.
“Thanks to you, we will beat this virus quickly and return to normal by early 2021. This means your child would have missed nearly 200 days of school by the time we return to normality.
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“I’d like to take this opportunity to reassure you we’re doing everything we can to ensure your child’s education is not spoilt anyway by this pandemic, and they will still grow to become world leaders.
“For this reason, when the schools do reopen we will quickly make up for lost time by not only teaching your children from Monday to Friday, but also making it compulsory for your child to attend school on Saturdays, Sundays, half-terms and holidays.
“We will review this in 2025, and hopefully your child will be back at the level of education we expect. Yours sincerely, Boris Johnson.”
Amanda with her eldest daughter Lexi at the 2018 TV Baftas Joe Maher via Getty Images
Amanda’s youngest daughter Hollie was left confused, asking: “So I have to go school every weekend?”
“Starting from September, you go to school with no breaks,” the TV personality replied.
Lexi was initially unbothered, remarking: “What about Christmas Day? It doesn’t bother me!I t’s not that bad,” before realising: ‘Wait, no summer holidays?’”
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“Yes! That’s what I’m saying,” Amanda said. “No summer holidays, no Easter, no half-term.”
This was enough to tip Hollie over the edge, who stormed out of the room and slammed the kitchen door.
Posting the video on Instagram, Amanda wrote: “When the #Boris sends mummy an official letter about new school hours ... 🤣 #AprilFools.”
The prank certainly amused her famous friends, with Olly Murs, Piers Morgan Perrie Edwards, Alesha Dixon and Gethin Jones all commenting with laughing emojis under her post.
Amanda’s close pal, former EastEnders star Tracy Ann Oberman, branded her “Cruella” for doing the prank.
Amanda will be back on screens next weekend when Britain’s Got Talent returns for a new series.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-03--Family Of 13-Year-Old Coronavirus Victim Unable To Attend Funeral After Siblings Develop Symptoms

Family friend Mark Stephenson, who set up an appeal on GoFundMe for the family, said Ismail’s younger brother and older sister have developed mild symptoms including a temperature and loss of taste.
Stephenson said: “Shaykh Sharif Zain will be leading the funeral and I will be delivering a short speech for the Abdulwahab family and a few close family and friends.
“We hope that we can send a live stream of the funeral to his mother and siblings so they can be there remotely, but they are obviously devastated that they can’t be there in person again.
“It’s extremely upsetting for everyone involved, but they have been very moved by the warmth and very positive messages of support from people following their appeal.”
Ismail, who had no apparent underlying health conditions, was described by his family as a “gentle and kind” boy with a “heartwarming” smile.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-03--7 Weird And Wonderful Moments That Brought Us Endless Joy This Week

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We’re here to guide you through the coronavirus lockdown. Sign up to the Life newsletter for daily tips, advice, how-tos and escapism.
Another week of lockdown has passed, and while the thing we shall not name has dominated the news, positive moments have still shone through the darkness.
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Here, we’re celebrating the weird, wonderful and downright amusing videos and pictures that stopped us in our tracks. Enjoy these five minutes of light relief.
Wee granny addresses the nation.
A small but mighty Scottish grandma shared a video update with her family that made it onto social media. It’s become the nation’s much-needed morale boost.
“Hello everybody, I’m still here,” the 93-year-old says in the video. “I tell you I’m like a bad penny, there’s no getting rid of me.
“I hope you’re all keeping well and doing what you’re told. Keep to the rules and you will all be fine, it will all pass. Bye bye for now.”
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Would gladly sign a petition for daily wee granny updates. Anyone else?
Got this update from my wee granny😢 93 and still going strong ❤ pic.twitter.com/SEjCwLZ8Ww — islaanne🌛 (@islaanne1) March 31, 2020
Joe Wicks gets tails wagging.
The Body Coach, who has become the nation’s unofficial PE teacher, has really taken off – and he’s not just a hit with the kids. Joe Wicks has got parents and non-parents working out, too – and now the nation’s canines are obsessed.
Is nobody, no man nor beast, safe from his charm?!
Good morning Neverland!
Another beautiful day☀☀
I loved seeing all your home learning yesterday please continue tweeting me with work you have been doing😊
This morning I started with the Joe Wicks work out! (My dog also joined in😂) pic.twitter.com/Tg50MiFows — MissWaugh (@MissWaugh2) March 25, 2020
Miss Sellars and her dog Penny have been joining in with Joe Wicks' live PE lessons this week! Who else has been doing this at home? 👟🐶 #PEwithJoe #HomeLearningUK #WeGotThis pic.twitter.com/WTncjBSz8Z — Danesholme Infants Academy (@DanesInfAcad) March 26, 2020
Cat’s batting skills are just the cricket.
Some people have far too much time on their hands during this lockdown and honestly, we’re here for it. Introducing Loki the cat and a fabulous recreation of England v Australia at the Ashes last year – featuring lots of (hopefully not stockpiled) tins. Loki, who plays Ben Stokes, smashed it out the park. Iconic.
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This guy’s Zoom background wins the internet.
An iconic meme made even better as a Zoom background. Now he just needs the potato filter and we’re good to go.
Housemates recreate the Jubilee line from the shower.
The attention to detail in this short film (which, let’s face it, deserves an Oscar – or at the very least a replica trophy made out of cardboard) is something else. The sounds, the lights, that guy who stands in the way of the doors as they open. Truly a work of art.
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‘BBC dad’ returns to the nation’s screens.
In 2017, Robert Kelly appeared on a live BBC news broadcast to discuss the South Korean president’s impeachment, only to be interrupted by his two young children who waded into his office during the interview.
So, it was a rather pleasant surprise to find him on the nation’s screens again this week – this time with his whole family in tow. His kids have grown a lot, but there’s not much change for Kelly. Our fave TV family, for sure.
omg our favourite family have returned to bbc world news pic.twitter.com/lP7vIqD37V — Scott Bryan (@scottygb) March 26, 2020
Dog’s trampolining skills are next level.
Not much to say about this one except: a) this dog is having the best time and b) if anyone else did that they’d throw up. Show off.
ever since we got this trampoline, the dog spends more time on it than the kids
(viralhog) pic.twitter.com/Vh0uy8ZW1B — Humor And Animals (@humorandanimals) March 31, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-03--Last Night The Government Pledged 100,000 Coronavirus Tests. Now Matt Hancock Says It's Just A ‘Goal

Last Night The Government Pledged 100,000 Coronavirus Tests. Now Matt Hancock Says It's Just A ‘Goal’

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Matt Hancock has admitted his target of achieving 100,000 daily coronavirus tests in England by the end of April is now a “goal” not a promise.
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Last night the health secretary announced a new strategy to increase the country’s testing capacity, following heavy criticism of the low level of testing compared to some other countries.
So far, a total of 163,194 people in the UK have been tested for coronavirus – roughly 0.2% of the population.
Asked if he could guarantee 100,000 tests a day will happen by the end of April, Hancock said: “Yes, it’s got to happen.”
Pressed on whether it would happen or not, the health secretary would only go so far as to say: “I’ve got a plan to get us there. I’ve set it as a goal.”
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He conceded there is still a “huge amount of work to do” to get to that point.
In an interview with LBC this morning, Hancock refused to say he would resign his post if the goal was not met.
“It’s much more than about that, it’s about getting the country out of this situation we’re in,” he said.
Speaking during Thursday’s Downing Street press conference, Hancock said the testing target included antigen tests, which tell people whether they currently have coronavirus, as well as antibody tests to see whether people have previously had the infection.
But this morning he clarified he was “not assuming any” of the 100,000 tests would actually be of the antibody variety. “So far haven’t found one that works,” he told the BBC.
People who take an antibody test and are found to have already had the virus could be issued with immunity certificates - permitting them to return to work and normal life as they would likely no longer be able to contract the virus or pass it on.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-03--Walsall Nurse Areema Nasreen Dies After Contracting Coronavirus

A sign outside the Walsall Manor Hospital where Areema Nasreen worked. PA
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A 36-year-old nurse and mother-of-three has died after contracting coronavirus.
Areema Nasreen was being treated at Walsall Manor Hospital in the West Midlands, where she worked.
Richard Beeken, chief exec of Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “I would like to pay tribute to Areema Nasreen who sadly passed away in the early hours of this morning [April 3]. Any death is devastating but losing one of our own is beyond words.
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“Areema was extremely committed to her role as a staff nurse on the acute medical unit at Walsall Manor Hospital. She was a professional, passionate nurse who started at the trust as a housekeeper in 2003 before working hard to gain her nursing qualification in January 2019.
“Her dedication to her role and her popularity amongst her colleagues is obvious to see with the outpouring of grief and concern we are seeing around the organisation and on social media. We will do everything that we can in the coming days and weeks to support those that need it.
“Her vocation in nursing was clear for all to see and she always said that she was so blessed to have the role of a nurse which she absolutely loved because she wanted to feel like ‘she could make a difference’ – and you did, Areema, you will be very sadly missed.
“I would, on behalf of the trust, like to pass our deepest condolences to Areema’s family and loved ones and our thoughts are with them all at this very sad time.”
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On Friday, fellow nurse Rubi Akhtar paid tribute to Nasreen online, describing herself as “heartbroken”.
She said: “She was the most loveliest, genuine person you could ever meet, she went above and beyond for everyone she met. I’m so grateful that I had the honour to call her my best friend, she saw me at my best and my worst and accepted my every flaw. I am so broken that words can’t explain. I can’t believe I will not see your smile again. You made me the nurse that I am today, with your support, motivation and inspiration I am the nurse that I am today and I hope I can do you proud Areema.
“I love you so much and I will never forget you. You had so much to live for, I am sorry you didn’t get to see your kids grow up and I’m sorry that you didn’t get to complete your career.”
Another source said Nasreen’s husband had confirmed she died just after midnight on Friday.
Dr Samara Afzal tweeted: “I’m lost for words, I beg you all to stay at home and keep everyone safe.”
A relative told Black Country Live: “The immediate family are devastated. Everyone is in shock this morning.
“She was always so full of life. She was devoted to her job as a nurse, she absolutely loved it. She passed away doing what she loved. I’m really sad for the rest of the family, she was a fantastic person.”
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Her sister, Kazeema Nasreen, who works as a healthcare assistant at the same hospital, told Sky News the family thinks she could have picked it up “virtually anywhere”.
The 22-year-old said her sister, from Walsall, was on annual leave when she first started showing symptoms and does not think she picked it up at work.
Speaking to BirminghamLive before her sister died, Kazeema urged everyone to “take coronavirus seriously”.
“People are not taking this seriously enough. She is young – it is not just the elderly who are at risk.”
It comes after retired NHS doctor Alfa Saadu, who had returned to the health service to help fight coronavirus, died after contracting the disease.
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Dr Saadu, 68, worked for the health service for several decades, and is said to have contracted Covid-19 before his death earlier this week.
According to his family, Dr Saadu was working part-time at the Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital in Welwyn, Hertfordshire, before he died.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-03--Linda Lusardi Says Coronavirus Symptoms Were So Bad She ‘Prayed She Wouldn’t Wake Up’

Linda Lusardi has opened up about her coronavirus diagnosis, revealing the symptoms were so severe she wanted to die.
The former Page 3 model contracted the illness alongside husband Sam Kane last month and spent 10 days in hospital suffering from fever, chronic chest pains and vomiting.
Linda Lusardi Tristan Fewings via Getty Images
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The 61-year-old told The Sun: “It got to the stage where both of us were praying we wouldn’t wake up because it was so bad.”
She added: “I was lying on the bed and had my arm over my head and thought, ‘I’m going, this is it’.
“I could feel myself drifting away.”
The former Loose Women star told the newspaper she fell ill at home and her son Jack called 999. She and her husband were then hooked up to oxygen and taken to hospital in the same ambulance.
She tested positive for Covid-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus. Whilst Sam’s condition improved, Linda’s worsened to the point that a doctor said he did not know if she would pull through.
Linda with her husband Sam Kane David M. Benett via Getty Images
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She added: “I said to him, ‘Am I going to make this?’ and he said, ‘You’re 61, I can’t guarantee anything. We don’t know what we’re dealing with here’.
“To hear that was just dreadful and I just burst into tears.”
The couple are now recovering at home.
Linda previously urged fans to follow expert advice on self-isolation to halt the spread of coronavirus.
“Please take care of yourselves, loved ones and each other,” she said.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-03--Six Things You Need To Know About Coronavirus Today

Get the latest on coronavirus. Sign up to the Daily Brief for news, explainers, how-tos, opinion and more.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases around the world has now topped a million.
According to official figures, in the UK:
3,605 people in hospital had died after contracting coronavirus as of 5pm on Thursday. Those figures included a further 46 people in Scotland, 24 in Wales, and 12 in Northern Ireland.
More than 38,000 people have tested positive for the virus
More than 173,000 people have been tested for Covid-19.
Here’s the latest on Covid-19:
Premier League to consult players on pay cut
Premier League clubs have unanimously agreed to consult with their players concerning a 30 per cent wage deferral to assist with the payment of non-playing staff during the coronavirus pandemic.
Stars and clubs have come under fire after some furloughed non-playing staff but not looked at players’ wages during the coronavirus crisis.
Health secretary Matt Hancock said on Thursday footballers should “take a pay cut and play their part.”
Premier League shareholders met on Friday and confirmed talks will be held with a view to wage cuts.
It was also acknowledged that the season could not begin in May, with the restart date to be kept under constant review.
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The league also confirmed an immediate advance of £125million to the EFL and the National League.
Queen to address the nation
The Queen is to address the nation on Sunday with a message about the coronavirus outbreak, Buckingham Palace has said.
Queen Elizabeth II will address the nation on Sunday night PA
Expectation had been growing about when the head of state would make a public statement about the unprecedented events that have seen the country go into lockdown to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement: “Her Majesty The Queen has recorded a special broadcast to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in relation to the coronavirus outbreak. The televised address will be broadcast at 8pm on Sunday 5th April, 2020.
“The address was recorded at Windsor Castle.”
Sainsbury’s prevents couples from shopping together
Supermarket Sainsbury’s has asked that couples do not shop together to enforce social distancing and minimise queues at the checkouts.
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In a letter to customers, Sainsbury’s chief executive Mike Coupe said: “From today, we are asking everyone to please only send one adult per household to our shops.
“This helps us keep people a safe distance apart and also helps to reduce queues to get into stores. Our store teams will be asking groups with more than one adult to choose one adult to shop and will ask other adults to wait. Children are of course welcome if they are not able to stay at home.”
London’s NHS Nightingale hospital declared open
The Prince of Wales, who tested positive for coronavirus last week after developing mild symptoms, is now out of self-isolation PA
Health secretary Matt Hancock and NHS staff stand on marks on the ground to ensure social distancing guidelines are adhered to at the opening of the NHS Nightingale Hospital at the Excel centre in London PA
Prince Charles has officially opened London’s new NHS Nightingale Hospital.
Speaking from his home in Scotland, the Prince of Wales said via video-link: “It is without doubt a spectacular and almost unbelievable feat of work in every sense, from its speed of construction – in just nine days as we’ve heard – to its size and the skills of those who have created it.
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“An example, if ever one was needed, of how the impossible could be made possible and how we can achieve the unthinkable through human will and ingenuity.”
The Nightingale, named after nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale, will need an army of up to 16,000 staff in clinical and ancillary roles to keep it running.
Split into more than 80 wards containing 42 beds each, the facility at the ExCel centre will be used to treat Covid-19 patients who have been transferred from other intensive care units across London.
We are officially open! In less than two weeks, @ExCelLondon has been transformed into London's newest hospital, and we will be available as soon as patients across London and the south of England need us: https://t.co/jEyCb1rBNQ pic.twitter.com/TLSg3j4ZxH — NHS Nightingale London (@NightingaleLDN) April 3, 2020
Health secretary Matt Hancock called the temporary hospital an “extraordinary project”.
He also praised the NHS and the way its staff are dealing with the virus crisis.
“In these troubled times with this invisible killer stalking the whole world, the fact that in this country we have the NHS is even more valuable than before,” Hancock said.
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Meanwhile, NHS England announced on Thursday night that two more Nightingale hospitals would be opened in Bristol and Harrogate.
The Bristol hospital – which will be at the University of the West of England – will be able to care for 1,000 patients, while the facility in Harrogate will have capacity for 500.
They will join other sites due to open at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre and Manchester’s Central Complex.
Walsall nurse Areema Nasreen dies after contracting coronavirus
Walsall Manor Hospital nurse Areema Nasreen, who died after contracting coronavirus PA
A 36-year-old nurse and mother-of-three has reportedly died after contracting coronavirus.
Areema Nasreen was being treated at Walsall Manor Hospital in the West Midlands, where she worked.
On Friday, fellow nurse Rubi Akhtar paid tribute to Nasreen online, describing herself as “heartbroken”.
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She said: “She was the most loveliest, genuine person you could ever meet, she went above and beyond for everyone she met. I’m so grateful that I had the honour to call her my best friend, she saw me at my best and my worst and accepted my every flaw.
“I am so broken that words can’t explain. I can’t believe I will not see your smile again. You made me the nurse that I am today, with your support, motivation and inspiration I am the nurse that I am today and I hope I can do you proud Areema.
“I love you so much and I will never forget you. You had so much to live for, I am sorry you didn’t get to see your kids grow up and I’m sorry that you didn’t get to complete your career.”
Another source said Nasreen’s husband had confirmed she passed away just after midnight on Friday.
Dr Samara Afzal tweeted: “I’m lost for words, I beg you all to stay at home and keep everyone safe.”
More than one million people have tested positive for coronavirus around the world
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The number of confirmed cases topped one million just before 9pm UK time on Thursday, according to the tally from Johns Hopkins University.
However, the real figures are believed to be much higher because of testing shortages, differences in counting the dead and large numbers of mild cases that have gone unreported.
When the counter reached one million, the US accounted for about 236,000 of confirmed cases – more than any other country.
As hot spots flared around the US in places like New Orleans and southern California, it was New York City which was the hardest hit of all, with bodies loaded on to refrigerated mortuary trucks outside overwhelmed hospitals.
Globally, more than 53,000 people are believed to have died after contracting Covid-19.
Heathrow Airport to close one of its runways
A passenger wears a mask as he arrives at Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Heathrow Airport will close one of its runways next week as air traffic continues to fall globally amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The London hub will operate its landings and takeoffs from one strip from Monday to “increase resilience and safety for staff, passengers and cargo” throughout the Covid-19 outbreak.
The airport has two runways and will alternate which one they keep open on a weekly basis, a spokesman said.
They added: “Although we are seeing significantly fewer flights at the moment, Heathrow will remain open so that we can continue to play a crucial role in helping to secure vital medical goods and food for the nation during this unprecedented epidemic.”
It comes the day after British Airways announced it was going to furlough more than 30,000 of its staff amid the coronavirus outbreak.
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Gatwick Airport has also significantly scaled back its operations.
On Wednesday, the West Sussex airport closed one of its two terminals, and its runway will only be open for scheduled flights between 2pm and 10pm.
The measures will be in place for a minimum of one month.
Meanwhile, coach operator Megabus announced on Friday morning that it would suspend all its services in England and Wales by Sunday.
A Yorkshire hospice reveals the hurdles is it facing to provide end-of-life care to coronavirus patients
Overgate has been serving the people of Calderdale in West Yorkshire since 1981 with a network of 125 staff and more than 700 volunteers.
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Now it wants to provide care for Covid-19 patients who cannot be saved.
However, according Tracey Wilcocks, director of clinical services at the hospice, a lack of protective equipment is a key problem.
She has a stock of 1,100 normal surgical masks remaining, enough to last 10 days or so – but just 22 of the FFP3 masks required to protect staff supporting coronavirus patients.
“Unlike big organisations, it’s just us to do the research and think and interpret it and think what does this mean for us. That was pretty scary,” she says.
As Overgate prepares to help patients, though, it faces a second crisis no NHS ward has to consider. The hospice, which runs on £4.3m a year, gets nearly two-thirds of its funding from the local community, whether through legacies, fundraising events, or its network of 14 shops.
Coronavirus has forced the hospice to shutter all of its shops and furlough their staff, and to cancel all of its upcoming events, including its Colour Run and Midnight Walk – two of its key sources of revenue.
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“[We’re] not sleeping for fear of what might be coming,” Wilcocks said. “At the moment it’s still very much the calm before the inevitable storm.”
Parents are leaving jobs to look after their children during pandemic
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Some parents have left their jobs to look after their children during the coronavirus pandemic, a survey has found.
As UK households ended a second week in lockdown, a survey by Save the Children found that some parents are gravely concerned about children’s mental health and wellbeing.
The survey also revealed a quarter of parents are juggling working from home with childcare duties, while 17% have reduced their working hours to take care of children.
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A further 12% have been forced to take unpaid leave to look after their children, while one in 10 have had to leave their jobs completely.
The survey was carried out between March 24 and 25, involving 1,002 parents with children aged six to 18, as well as youngsters in the same age bracket.
More than half of parents (56%) are worried about their child’s mental health at a time when schools are closed and contact with friends and family is restricted as a result of social distancing.
Asked about the biggest practical concerns that came with looking after their families, parents said ensuring they have food supplies (48%), helping children with schoolwork (44%) and money (38%).
Other issues included job security (20%) and explaining the situation to their child (19%).
The survey was published as Save the Children launched a fundraising appeal for vulnerable children affected by coronavirus.
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The children’s charity announced a new emergency grants programme in the UK to respond to the Covid-19 crisis, which aims to reach thousands of struggling families.
The programme will ensure families have access to early learning resources, as well as goods such as tables and beds, to help build home environments where children can continue learn.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-03--Top US Disease Expert: ‘I Don’t Understand' Why The Entire Country Isn’t Under Stay-At-Home Orders

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Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said he doesn’t know why the United States hasn’t instituted a nationwide stay-at-home order amid the spread of COVID-19, saying the country “really should be” doing so to protect American lives.
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“I don’t understand why that’s not happening,” Fauci, one of the leading scientific voices behind the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, told CNN on Thursday. “The tension between federally mandated versus states’ rights to do what they want is something I don’t want to get into. But if you look at what is going on in this country, I do not understand why we are not doing that. We really should be.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci made it clear that he supports all Americans being under a stay-at-home order.
"If you look at what's going on in this country, I just don't understand why we're not doing that. We really should be." #CNNTownHall https://t.co/3V3x0KimSj pic.twitter.com/MJsoDzSFOe — CNN (@CNN) April 3, 2020
Fauci’s comments come amid increasingly dire figures related to the pandemic: At least 245,000 Americans have been infected and more than 6,100 have died. In New York, the state hardest hit so far, Governor Andrew Cuomo said health workers would run out of ventilators in six days if stockpiles aren’t resupplied.
And those numbers are expected to grow. Fauci warned earlier this week that between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans could die of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, even if social distancing guidelines are maintained.
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In the past few weeks, many states and counties around the country have instituted some form of stay-at-home orders, encouraging residents to stay inside except for essential activities, including grocery shopping and exercise. The New York Times noted that about 297 million people in 38 states and a bevvy of cities are under such guidelines, although some states have not yet announced any such measures.
Many lawmakers have encouraged President Donald Trump to issue a directive, but he has so far resisted instituting a nationwide order, saying such decisions required a “little flexibility.”
“If you have a state in the Midwest, or if Alaska, for example, doesn’t have a problem, it’s awfully tough to say close it down,” Trump said on Wednesday. “We have to have a little bit of flexibility.”
The president did extend nationwide social distancing guidelines — which he initially hoped to lift by Easter — until at least the end of the month amid the sobering predictions of death rates in the country. Surgeon General Jerome Adams told NBC’s “Today” this week that those guidelines should be interpreted as stay-at-home orders.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-03--Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Teaching His One-Year-Old Daughter How To Wash Her Hands Is All You Need I

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Teaching His One-Year-Old Daughter How To Wash Her Hands Is All You Need In Your Life Right Now

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We’ll admit it, we were beginning to feel a little over all of those celebrity hand-washing videos, but then along came Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
The Hollywood star has shared a clip of him teaching his daughter Tia how to wash her hands amid the coronavirus pandemic, and it is the very definition of adorable.
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The actor seated the one-year-old next to the bathroom sink and explained he uses a song from Disney’s Moana when cleaning her hands.
The rap portion from the hit You’re Welcome – performed by his character in the animated film – is the “perfect timing,” he explains.
He then raps for a smiling Tia…
We told you it was adorable.
Alongside the video he shared with his 177 million Instagram followers, The Rock wrote: “Our sheltering at home, pre daddy’s shower ritual. Before my showers now, Baby Tia (mama mia) demands I sing the rap portion of my song You’re Welcome from MOANA, while I wash her hands.
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“We realised a few weeks ago that the rap portion of the song is perfect timing when getting your little ones to have fun washing their hands.
“Stay healthy and safe, my friends.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-03--Trump Attacks Hospitals As Insatiable ‘Complainers’ Amid Crisis

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President Donald Trump on Thursday criticised states and hospitals for requesting medical supplies to cope with the coronavirus pandemic, calling them “complainers” that should have stocked up on supplies “long before this crisis hit.”
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“Some have insatiable appetites & are never satisfied,” Trump wrote in one of two tweets scolding states and health facilities that he claimed have already received “massive amounts of medical supplies” from the federal government.
Massive amounts of medical supplies, even hospitals and medical centers, are being delivered directly to states and hospitals by the Federal Government. Some have insatiable appetites & are never satisfied (politics?). Remember, we are a backup for them. The complainers should... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 2, 2020
....have been stocked up and ready long before this crisis hit. Other states are thrilled with the job we have done. Sending many Ventilators today, with thousands being built. 51 large cargo planes coming in with medical supplies. Prefer sending directly to hospitals. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 2, 2020
The insults from Trump, who downplayed the pandemic for weeks before acknowledging the scope of the crisis in recent days, came after the nation’s top infectious disease expert said as many as 200,000 people in the US may die from the virus. As of Thursday, there were more than 216,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the US and 5,100 deaths.
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency has asked the Pentagon for 100,000 body bags in anticipation that funeral homes will be overwhelmed in the coming weeks.
Officials in hard-hit regions have been pleading with Trump’s government for weeks to send help and medical resources, including ventilators, masks and other personal protective equipment.
I am asking healthcare workers across the country:
If things are not urgent in your own community, please come to New York.
We need relief for nurses. We need relief for doctors.
If you can, help us: https://t.co/hr8dG89QK2
We will return the favor in your hour of need. — Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 30, 2020
New York state, where the coronavirus death toll doubled in 72 hours to more than 1,900 on Wednesday, has predicted a major shortfall of supplies. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday the city needs 3.3 million N95 masks, 2.1 million surgical masks, 100,000 isolation gowns and 400 ventilators by Sunday to meet a surge of cases anticipated early next week.
Trump, who has praised himself over his handling of the outbreak amid widespread criticism of his government’s haphazard response, has repeatedly brushed off reports that hospitals and other medical providers are experiencing a shortage of tests, ventilators and personal protective equipment for workers. He has also insisted that it’s the responsibility of state governments to find their own solutions.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-03--This Hospice Wants To Help Covid-19 Patients, But Faces A Problem The NHS Doesn’t

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At a time when support for the sick and elderly is in high demand, Tracey Wilcocks faces an unusual dilemma.
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As the director of clinical services at a Yorkshire hospice, she is preparing to help take the strain of coronavirus off the NHS by creating support for some patients to have end of life care. But at the same time, she and her colleagues are terrified the virus will have another effect, and bankrupt their organisation.
“[We’re] not sleeping for fear of what might be coming,” she says. “At the moment it’s still very much the calm before the inevitable storm.”
Hospices are places designed to support people with terminal illnesses – and their families and friends – in their community and sometimes eventually as an inpatient, to help them die well, comfortably and with dignity.
Surprisingly, despite receiving some funding from the NHS, they are independent charities completely reliant on donations from the communities they serve to fund their operations.
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Tracey Wilcocks wants the hospice to be able to offer more help. Overgate Hospice
Overgate has been serving the people of Calderdale in West Yorkshire since 1981 with a network of 125 staff and more than 700 volunteers. Tracey Wilcocks is in the process of re-registering as a nurse to be able to support the hospice if coronavirus hits the area in full force.
Perhaps surprisingly, she is helping gear up the hospice to take coronavirus patients – and thus take pressure off the NHS. Some patients Overgate is already supporting could contract coronavirus, and as they have already generally made plans and signed “do not resuscitate” instructions, the hospice would not wish to send them to hospital to die.
But Wilcocks wants the hospice to do more.
“Eventually as the numbers increase – the numbers in Kirklees have doubled over the weekend, the impact is starting to happen here locally – not all patients in hospital will be suitable to be ventilated,” she explains. “Some of those would die in a hospital bed, they would be an end of life patient, and meet our criteria ... End of life care is what we do really well, we’re experts at end of life care.”
Foremost among her immediate problems, though, is a lack of protective equipment. She has a stock of 1,100 normal surgical masks remaining, enough to last 10 days or so – but just 22 of the FFP3 masks required to protect staff supporting coronavirus patients.
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“Unlike big organisations, it’s just us to do the research and think and interpret it and think what does this mean for us. That was pretty scary,” she says.
There is also another side effect to protective gear, as ward sister Maureen Goulden explained: ”[They felt] like a bit of a barrier between the patient and them, and that isn’t what our end of life care is like. Holding someone’s hand as they are dying wearing gloves and a mask isn’t the personal care the team are used to providing and it’s making the nurses quite upset.”
“I think we get forgotten as part of the solution in the system … If hospices go under, what sort of death are people going to get in hospital?” - Janet Cawtheray
As Overgate prepares to help patients, though, it faces a second crisis no NHS ward has to consider. The hospice, which runs on £4.3m a year, gets nearly two-thirds of its funding from the local community, whether through legacies, fundraising events, or its network of 14 shops.
Coronavirus has forced the hospice to shutter all of its shops and furlough their staff, and to cancel all of its upcoming events, including its Colour Run and Midnight Walk – two of its key sources of revenue.
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The hospice raises money through a number of initiatives, including a Colour Run, which are currently impossible to hold. Overgate Hospice
Bazz Robson, a volunteer with the hospice, is closely tied into the institution – his husband’s mother works there, he has relatives who have used its services, and he helped organise its colour runs.
“It’s a great place, I love being involved with it,” he says. “It gives a lot of hope and…we all love our families, and when someone is going through that, all you want for them is release, for the pain to go away, you want them to be comfortable, you want them to be respected, you want them to have dignity.
“It’s quite upsetting, really. It’s quite sad to think that all of these events – because that’s what they rely on, the goodwill of people, these events to help raise funds for the hospice.”
Janet Cawtheray, Overgate’s chief executive, is afraid the hospice – and numerous others like it – won’t come through at all. Overgate, she says, was in a relatively good financial position coming into the crisis, but others were on the brink even before Covid-19.
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“All hospices are hoping that we will get a bailout of some degree. We’ve all been getting out our calculators, how much cash have we got, how long can we keep things running,” she says.
“I think we get forgotten as part of the solution in the system … If hospices go under, what sort of death are people going to get in hospital? If it’s an acute episode, people die in hospital.
“But if it’s planned, if they know they’re going to die – most people wouldn’t die in hospital. It’s too busy, the staff don’t have the time. And I hope when it ends that lots of hospices haven’t gone under, because it’s very hard to start again when they’ve gone.”
Janet Cawtheray is worried hospices have been forgotten about as a potential solution amid the current crisis. Overgate Hospice
Cawtheray, like many other hospice CEOs, had been hoping their umbrella group Hospice UK – which she said had been working tirelessly – could secure bailout funding to tide the sector over to the other side of the crisis. Talks had reportedly been hopeful – only for nothing to emerge by the end of last week. It has left her gravely worried for the future.
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“When I took this role on, given the history of Overgate hospice, I said my job is to make sure I didn’t muck this up,” she says. “I joined on the 30th anniversary, my job is to make sure it’s here in another 30 or 40 years. And that weighs on my mind.”
Toby Scott, head of communications and campaigns for Hospice UK, said they are talking to the government about securing additional support to help boost NHS capacity.
“That’s really our focus at the moment – we have a role to play as part of this general support to this virus. We’ve got the clinical skills, beds and support.”
“We’re in very close contact with all our members to support them through this, there has been a huge loss in revenue, actually right across the charity sector, but hospices especially have a hugely important role to play.”
Volunteer Bazz Robson is trying to stay optimistic, and hoping people will see what hospices can do in the time of crisis, and give them the support they need.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-03--Revealed: How Apprentice Star Raj Dhonota Left Start-Ups Out Of Pocket And Wages Unpaid For A Year

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A British entrepreneur who starred in The Apprentice is facing questions over unpaid wages in the UK and India – and £530,000 of unaccounted-for investments made in his business by start-up firms.
Through a number of his own companies, Raj Dhonota has entered into contracts with at least 20 entrepreneurs since 2017, promising to use his skills and cash to develop their ideas and investments into working apps.
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But none of those 20 came to fruition, and none managed to recover the money they had paid Dhonota’s businesses up front.
The unfolding financial turmoil caused by the coronavirus crisis has only compounded problems for many.
“I personally had to borrow the money from family and friends. They have now lost their jobs as well as a result of Covid-19 and see asking me to repay the loan back, but unfortunately I do not have the money to do so either,” one person told HuffPost UK.
“My family members don’t speak to me any more.”
Raj Dhonota Facebook
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Meanwhile, staff both here and overseas were left out of pocket when wages were not paid, with courts eventually ordering Dhonota’s company Ignivia to pay up – something he admits it still hasn’t done.
Dhonota denies he benefited personally from any of the investments and says the products will be delivered – eventually.
“Ignivia suffered losses from managing the portfolio which meant it was not able to pay the salaries of its staff,” Dhonota exclusively told HuffPost UK.
“When it became clear that this was the case, the UK office was closed. At that time it was not able to clear the final salaries. The business tried to settle the same earlier but was not able to given the problems it had faced.”
He now says he expects to settle outstanding payments by June – 17 months after a court ordered him to pay up.
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Dhonota told HuffPost UK he could “readily admit” there had been “delays” in delivering the projects his businesses had been paid to do.
He blamed the death of family members – one of them a director at Igniva – for the firm’s “underperforming” UK office, and admitted that profits the company expected “never materialised within the time planned”, leaving it without the means to support other start-ups.
But he insists he is still working on delivering the projects, and that he would object to anyone requesting their money back after breaching their contract.
“I personally have invested further funds and spent the best part of two years doing whatever is needed to ensure the projects can be completed,” he said, adding: “It is our intention to complete all the projects and if that obligation cannot be fulfilled, Pressed Investments will take steps to refund the funds invested.”
Howard Jacobson, an entrepreneur from Cardiff, told HuffPost UK: “I approached Raj to help us invest in this app. His spin is basically that ‘I’ve got a business in India called Igniva who will build it for you but you’ve obviously got to put a bit of skin the game.’”
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Jacobson invested £15,000 of his own money at the beginning of 2017 but nearly three years and countless excuses later he is yet to see anything resembling a completed product.
“Businesses do fail,” he said. “It does happen.
“But when you have 30 of them, then there’s something not right there.”
The Apprentice
Raj Dhonota’s first foray into business in 2001 was an estate agent’s in Bexley which he claimed would be so revolutionary it would create 3,500 new jobs. But just months later staff turned up to work to find the business locked and Dhonota filed for bankruptcy.
Undeterred, he appeared in the reality show in 2005 and went on to a career in funding start-ups, pledging £1m of his own money in 2014 to help new businesses.
He graced a number of business magazines at the time to promote his venture, telling one: “I want to help people. I believe if I had the help of a mentor and more funding, my first business would have been successful.”
Talk Business Magazine May 2014
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On his website, Dhonota claims to have raised more than £28m and invested in more than 100 projects – but HuffPost UK has learned of at least 20 instances since 2017 where he has entered into contracts with individuals, promised to develop their ideas with Igniva and then, as soon as money has been handed over, fobbed them off with a string of excuses.
In total, investors handed over £533,863 and haven’t seen a penny in return. In every case, the project stalled and Dhonota became increasingly difficult to contact.
“He jerked me around for many months with no milestones or progress reached,” one American customer, who wishes to remain anonymous, told HuffPost UK.
Another said: “It was very hit and miss – they were constantly pushing back the development.”
In a statement to HuffPost UK, Dhonota said he had been unable to respond quickly to some people because he was “heavily immersed in leading the restructuring, recruiting key people, establishing new teams and so on which limited my ability to respond promptly to a very large volume of emails.” He added that the deaths of three family members had left him out of the office for periods of time.
One of the biggest financial losers has been South African Heather Naude, 33, who in July 2018 took out a loan and raided her savings to put £40,000 towards Igniva developing her idea for an app.
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Initially, contact between her and Igniva went smoothly, but one by one the team working on her project all started to leave the business – due, she was told, to illness.
“We were starting to create the document of understanding and the initial guy I was speaking to was fine at the beginning but then started being ill and having family that were ill,” she said.
“It got to a point in May or June and I emailed Raj and said: ‘Look, this illness is really impacting – we were supposed to be going live by now’.”
Heather was assigned another member but they, too, allegedly became ill.
“That was when I emailed Raj to say I needed to stop working with Igniva because Igniva cannot deliver.”
Dhonota refused to return her funds and instead said he was going to set up a new team, paid for out of his own pocket.
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“He asked for eight weeks to put this team together and after 10 or 12 weeks I asked where the new team was and he asked for more time. I just reached a point in November where I sought legal counsel.”
Former staff have told HuffPost UK the high staff turnover was primarily down to the fact developers weren’t being paid by Dhonota, who outsourced the technical development of the projects to a team called NexCode in India.
One of those developers, who wished to remain anonymous, told HuffPost UK: “For the last three months, we did not get our salaries. When we asked him to give us our salaries he told us he had not got money from clients and was unable to pay.”
They also told HuffPost UK there were 37 others in the same situation.
Meanwhile, two staff working for Igniva Digital in its UK office told HuffPost UK they were forced to quit after not being given computers to work with, in some cases still owed thousands of pounds, and on occasion were made to work from home as the office had been locked due to the rent on the building not being paid.
Rebecca James was employed as a social media assistant for Igniva Digital in November 2017 and resigned in July the next year after months of delayed pay cheques meant she had to use her savings to pay rent.
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“Basically his take on it was: ‘Well, you’ve got to be patient – if you don’t think you can do it, you know where the door is,’” she tells HuffPost UK.
“I was paying for therapy and I had to cancel it because I couldn’t afford it any more and I ended up on anti-depressants because of the stress Igniva caused.”
Last year James was forced to turn to an employment tribunal to recover wages due to her, and in January the court ordered Dhonota to pay her £1,670.93.
Over a year later, she claims he still hasn’t paid up.
By the end of last year, some of those who had dealt with Dhonota began to wonder if they were alone in their experience.
“In December I searched his name again because something never quite sat right with me,” says Heather.
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“And that’s when I connected with others who had posted on Facebook and that’s when we started snowballing into the LinkedIn and WhatsApp groups.”
All told, there are more than 50 people across the globe in those groups, all claiming to be either unpaid former and current employees, or customers whose start-ups never materialised.
According to Companies House records, Dhonota is the director of two companies – Igniva Digital Limited and Raj Dhonota Limited (RDL). Neither has filed financial accounts for 2018 or 2019.
In January, RDL faced being struck off, but some of those who say they are owed money lodged an appeal against this, fearing it could mean they never saw the cash.
Then, in February, the business changed its name to Preseed Investments Limited. Around the same time, a Twitter account in Dhonota’s name that had promoted his work for a number of years was deleted.
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In a statement to HuffPost UK, Dhonota said: “Whilst the delays have been frustrating, they have not resulted in a breach of the agreements we have. Unfortunately, some founders do not understand this.”
Meanwhile, Dhonota’s personal Facebook page documents international trips, a shopping spree and swanky dinners.
But any suggestion he had personally benefited from investments made by start-ups was not true, he told HuffPost UK.
He said he had spent the majority of the last two years in India dealing with business issues or issues resulting from the deaths of family members.
“There have been family celebrations or weddings that I have attended, a small birthday celebration and also a team building exercise with around 10 employees,” he said.
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One post claimed he had “shop[ped] so much” that items had to be dropped off at his hotel.
But he told HuffPost UK: “A local Indian brand had a promotion and I posted the items I bought along with the various free items I received – all for less than £100.”
Raj Dhonota Facebook/Raj Dhonota
A spokesperson for Action Fraud confirmed the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau was assessing two allegations made by start-up founders who had invested money in Dhonota’s businesses.
“Action Fraud can confirm that it received [two reports] in June 2019, and [one report] in September 2019,” she said.
“All three reports were assessed by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) at the City of London Police which found there were not any leads that would result in a successful criminal investigation at that time.
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The reports have been recorded on our system as information reports and will be used by the NFIB for intelligence purposes.
“Action Fraud can also confirm it received [two reports] in February 2020 and they are currently being assessed by the NFIB.
“These reports could include new information which mean viable lines of enquiry are established. If they do, all of the reports will be sent as a full case to the most relevant police force for investigation.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-03--How To Nail The Virtual Playdate

How To Nail The Virtual Playdate

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My daughter loves a playdate. Our journeys to school in the mornings (pre-school closures, of course) used to be filled with her begging for a friend to come over that afternoon – Scarlett, Emilia, Margot, or all three at once.
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I’d try and host one a week, and even though it meant extra noise, extra food and extra high-pitched screaming; in a way, it got me off the hook. At eight, they’re now able to disappear into a bedroom and play unsupervised, meaning I only have one small child left to entertain.
Playdates were a source of weekly joy to my little girl, time to shake off the routine of school and learning. When we discovered schools would be closing and a lockdown was impending, the very first thing she asked was whether she could still see her friends. When I said, sadly, that she couldn’t, she began to cry.
But, as we’ve since learned – all is not lost. We’re just in the world of the virtual playdate, now. Here’s how to make it work.
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SokRom via Getty Images
#1 Keep an eye on them.
You might be tempted to leave them to it, but sending your child off with a device without supervision might not be the best idea – especially if they’re a toddler who’ll likely want to just put the phone in their mouth (or chuck it on the floor). Make sure you’re nearby, keeping an eye – and ear – on what’s going on. It doesn’t mean breathing down their neck, just be an active parent, and remember those passwords and privacy settings.
This is all age-dependant, of course. The older they are, the more likely they will be independent. I let my daughter FaceTime from the room next door, and pop my head around the door, occasionally. When we asked the HuffPost UK Parents community, one mum told us her daughter and school friend played ‘Roblox’ together online – which gave her some peace! “They chatted for over an hour,” she said. “It was so lovely to hear her giggling upstairs and I got an hour to myself, too!”
#2 Find the right app.
There are so many options: some that allow games, others that allow three and four-way calls, and some that are better done on a laptop: FaceTime, WhatsApp, Google Hangouts or Skype. Whatever app you choose, make sure it’s safe.
Some apps, such as Houseparty, have had reports of services being hacked – so keep an eye on any updates or safety recommendations. That being said, a spokesperson for Houseparty told HuffPost UK: “We’ve found no evidence to suggest a link between Houseparty and the compromises of other unrelated accounts. No one should delete their accounts as all accounts are safe.”
A mum told us Houseparty and Zoom have been a lifeline for her eight-year-old old twins. “They’ve been playing Heads Up and trivia games on Houseparty and having fashion shows and chats on Zoom,” she says. “They were a bit bashful at first – and then got verbal diarrhoea!”
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#4 Don’t forget people can probably hear you.
“STOP HITTING YOUR SISTER WITH A PLASTIC TOASTER”, I yelled, before realising that my daughter was still immersed in her ‘virtual playdate’ with Margot – and Margot’s parents were in the same room. Gone are the days of pretending you’re the ‘perfect parent’. Everyone can hear you, now.
#5 Agree timings.
Depending on the age of your child, you might want to agree a timing for a playdate with the friend’s mum – as well as how long they’ll chat for – to avoid any arguments when it’s time to get off FaceTime and eat their dinner.
#6 Think outside the box.
Just because they’re not together physically, it doesn’t mean your kids can’t do interactive activities. My daughter was so quiet, I thought she’d ended the FaceTime call with her friend – but I found out they were drawing pictures, in tandem. Less peaceful, but similarly interactive versions, include: “You play a song on your piano, and I’ll sing along”; “Let’s play our recorders together” and the very cute: “let’s do makeovers!”
One reader told us she has been setting up a virtual video calls for her kids and their friends once or twice a week – including puppet show performances. “Lots is asking each other what they ate for breakfast, I think the four-year-olds are handling it better than the parents!” she said.
You can even host virtual birthday parties. One mum said her sister has done exactly that. “They’ve loved being to ‘see’ their friends and celebrate together,” she said.
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#7 Let them choose.
Ask them who they want to call – and when they want to do it. They might want to simply chat, or sing, or get the aforementioned dreaded recorders out. Whatever it is, as long as they’re doing it safely, you don’t have to be a helicopter parent. Allow your kids to get creative, and support them in trying to come up with new ways to virtually socialise.
One parent said her kids were using the virtual playdate as a “show and tell” experience, with them just showing each other their best toys. “Ours have been hit and miss,” she added. “Some brilliant, some they just ran off!”
#8 Don’t force it.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-03--How The Art Of ‘Deep Breathing’ Can Help With Stress

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When you consider how often it’s used and for what purposes – during labour, training for endurance sports, yoga – deep breathing is perhaps the greatest tool we’re armed with in uncertain times.
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It’s been found in multiple studies to reduce the perception of pain, which is why women are often told to breathe steadily, with deep inhales and exhales, during childbirth. The tactic of using breathing as a painkiller is even adopted by some beauticians offering waxing services, who will tell clients to take a deep breath and exhale while they rip the hair from their bodies. Ouch.
But breathing properly has many other benefits too, it can reduce stress and anxiety levels, slow heart rate, lower blood pressure, and sharpen our focus. In a 2018 study, scientists discovered that breathing properly affects the chemistry of our brains in a way that can enhance attention and improve brain health. Dr Noel Baxter, GP and British Lung Foundation medical adviser, says doing it daily can also help to strengthen the muscles in the chest wall and diaphragm.
The nation’s anxiety levels are, quite understandably, higher than normal. A Mental Health Foundation poll of more than 2,000 UK adults taken between 17-18 March found 62% of adults felt anxious or worried because of the coronavirus pandemic – and that was before the lockdown measures were announced. In fact, a University of Sheffield study found the number of people reporting “significant” depression and anxiety spiked when Boris Johnson announced the lockdown.
The number dropped the day after the announcement, yet levels of depression and anxiety over the whole week were elevated above normal levels, particularly among those aged under 35, living in a city, living alone or with children, with low incomes, with health conditions, or whose incomes had been affected by the pandemic.
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While breathing isn’t by any means a cure for mental health problems – often, people will need professional support, medication, or both – it can help us when we feel anxious or stressed. “It makes such a world of difference, especially if somebody is feeling anxious. Or even nervous, they don’t have to be actually anxious,” says therapist and Counselling Directory member, Sophie Robinson-Matthews. “It’s just so good for us. We are designed to breathe.”
She doesn’t believe nearly enough people are utilising their breathing properly. “People who actively practise meditation and go to yoga will be more aware of the importance of breath and posture so we can breathe properly,” she explains, “but I think people who don’t necessarily have those regular practises aren’t as mindful of their breath.”
A lot of us will now be working from home, hunched over our desks – our posture shot to pieces by makeshift office setups. This in itself is detrimental to the way we breathe and can also result in neck pain and headaches. “It can help so much if we stretch out and breathe properly so our diaphragm can fully expand and contract as it’s meant to,” says Robinson-Matthews. “If we’re hunched over, our lungs can’t properly expand and the stomach can’t properly expand, we can’t be breathing properly.”
As adults, most of the time we’re doing what’s known as shallow breathing, which can actually trigger anxious feelings in itself. Shallow breathing has been linked to anything from panic attacks to dry mouth and fatigue, and aggravated respiratory problems.
Instead, we should be aiming to breathe from our abdomen. “If you’ve ever been around babies, or seen YouTube videos of babies breathing, you can see that they’re breathing with their stomach,” she continues. “Their stomach is coming out and going back in – and we just don’t do that as often as adults. We’re breathing from the throat, more or less, the top of the lungs and are not utilising the full lung space.”
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“Take a few moments regularly throughout the day, as you would with a coffee break, just to check: am I breathing properly right now?”” - Therapist Sophie Robinson-Matthews
So how can you use your lungs to their full capacity? You need to let the air you breathe in push out your abdomen – that’s the sign you’re doing it properly.
First, sit up straight (or stand) to allow yourself to use all the muscles you need to breathe properly. Now, breathe out for longer than you breathe in – so you could breathe in through your nose for four seconds and then breathe out through your mouth for seven seconds – do it to a level that’s comfortable for you. “If you do five rounds of that, usually you can feel the benefit,” says Robinson-Matthews.
She’s also a fan of box breathing or 4x4 breathing, which is a good one if you’re feeling anxious or stressed as you’re basically forced to focus on your breathing and nothing else. “Imagine, in your mind, drawing a box,” says Robinson-Matthews, “or do it with your finger if you’re not a visual person.” Breathe in for four seconds, while drawing one side, and then hold your breath for four seconds while drawing the next, breathe out for four while drawing the third side, and leave your lungs empty while you complete the square. Repeat this about 10 times to feel some effect. You might want to do this exercise first thing in the morning or last thing at night to reap the rewards.
Given the current climate, the therapist suggests people should prioritise taking regular breathing breaks like they would making a drink. “Take a few moments regularly throughout the day, as you would with a coffee break, just to check: am I breathing properly right now?” she says.
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If you keep forgetting, maybe set an alarm on your phone – there’s no time like the present to make breathing your priority.
You can find a range of breathing techniques on the NHS website.
Useful websites and helplines:


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-03--How To Separate Your Week From Your Weekend During Lockdown

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Once again, the days and weeks are rolling into one. Friday afternoon might signal the end of a working week – but what we do on the weekend remains pretty much the same: stay home, save lives.
Last lockdown, my boyfriend and I made a point to only drink booze on the weekends – despite often wanting to crack open one mid-week. The closer 5pm on Friday got, the more excited we were about having a drink.
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Our weekend was marked by a “cheers” in the kitchen. We were still indoors, yes, like we had been all week, yep, but it was Friday! And we were having a drink.
It really made a difference, so we thought about how else our Saturdays and Sundays could differ from our Mondays or Wednesdays. A fancier, bigger brunch. A longer walk. My boyfriend even saved his favourite binge-watch for Friday, so had something to look forward to as the weekend kicked off.
It’s hard to differentiate between the week and the weekend when our freedom to move around and go outside is restricted. But this is our reality yet again, says Vanessa King, psychology expert at Action for Happiness, and author of 10 Keys to Happier Living. So we need to make the best of the situation.
“This requires thinking ahead, where we may not normally do, about how we put that differentiation in place,” she says. Don’t succumb to the idea that there’s “no point of weekends” now – instead, make an active decision to have a good one. Here’s how.
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Clear, and close down, your work space
We don’t all have a desk or a study to work in, so many of us are working in our living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms or other communal spaces. Either way, Friday when you clock off, it’s time to separate yourself from work.
“Clear your desk or work area and put work papers out of sight and reach,” says Sam Fuller, founder of The Wellbeing Project. “Don’t take your work mobile with you during down time and have very clear entry/exit times for opening and closing your laptop.”
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Have weekend ‘rituals’ to signal a difference
King says we should focus on mini “rituals” – small symbols or actions that signal shift or a change – to enter into our weekend. Think of what you’d usually do on a Friday afternoon: do a little less work, speak about going to the pub with colleagues? Maybe then, says King, organise a hangout with your colleagues at 5.30pm to kickstart the weekend.
Make new rituals for your Saturdays and Sundays, too. King suggests “social Saturday”, where you reach out to people who are on their own – not necessarily old, or vulnerable, but living alone in lockdown.
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Save your “I deserve it” beer for Friday
Not only does it give you something to look forward to – alcohol or no alcohol – it’s better for your health. Drinking heavily throughout the pandemic could end up leaving you feeling worse and making you vulnerable to infection.
“Have some clear rules about when you’re allowed to drink,” says Laura Willoughby, co-founder of mindful drinking movement Club Soda. “It’s easy to slip into new bad habits so having firm boundaries will keep alcohol in its place.”
Dress up for the weekend
There’s no reason to have a “work” wardrobe and “weekend” wardrobe right now – but we still can. If you’re wearing joggers and jumpers during the week, save your jeans and tops for the weekend. Or just dress differently to make some sort of distinction.
Some people have been sharing photos of themselves on #DressUpFriday. “There might be nobody to see, but I’ve got frocks and nice tops and a new pair of leather trousers and I demand opportunities to wear them,” tweeted one.
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Plan your Saturday and Sunday
We need to be much more intentional about what we’re doing during the week and at the weekend, says King. Whereas before, we were able to go with the flow – spontaneously head to the pub with friends or have an unexpected brunch meet – things are different now.
The idea of no routine on the weekend may be enticing, but it also a recipe for either not doing anything, doing too much of one thing, or having your Saturday and Sunday blur into the week, says Paul Dolan, professor of behavioural science at LSE and author of Happy Ever After and Happiness by Design.
What are you going to do on the weekend that’s different to weekdays? Walk to a different park? Do a different exercise? “The real danger is that people let the weekends drift, with each day starting with good intentions and ending with nothing getting done,” he says. “If you want to do something that will make you happier, you have to make a plan about how best to implement your intentions.”
It’s also okay simply to catch up on sleep – that’s what weekends are for, right?
Keep kids busy and happy
That last point might have made you scoff if you’re a parent or carer. Weekends with kids are a different proposition, of course. But a lot of these points apply to families, too. It’s healthy to differentiate the week from the weekend for children.
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That probably means setting aside the school work you’ve been trying to get them to do all week and enjoy some family time – plus run off some of that pent up energy that’s been building up in a safe and socially-distanced way.
Or if you’re feeling exhausted, here are some creative ideas to keep them occupied indoors that require little to no energy on your part.
Eat well – and differently
Is your weekday breakfast porridge with banana? Change it up on the weekend and have scrambled eggs, instead. Or, just up your breakfast game in general to give yourself a weekend treat. Consider getting a takeaway on Friday or Saturday from a local restaurant if they’re offering them, seeing as you can’t go out to eat. Or cook your favourite dinner to mark the beginning of the weekend.
Perhaps you might spend longer on a recipe, says King, or tackle something new and challenging that might need more time.
Arrange to ‘meet up’ with your favourite people
Just because you can’t physically see these people doesn’t mean you shouldn’t see them – on screen. “Use your downtime to keep the relationships with your friends and family strong, for example by calling/video chatting with people you are currently unable to see in person,” says Frederika Roberts, a positive psychology author and The Happiness Speaker.
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Have a Saturday morning coffee over Zoom, a Sunday brunch over FaceTime, or, if you’re tired of screentime, a phone call while you walk around the garden.
Take your favourite weekend activities online
It’s healthy to replicate your pre-Covid-19 weekend activities as much as you can. Usually head to the cinema? Have a film night at home with popcorn and your favourite film. You could watch with friends and get together to swap notes – the HuffPost UK Ents team are full of viewing and streaming ideas.
Or, do you usually head to a yoga or gym class on a Saturday morning? Get up at the same time and head to a quiet space in your flat or home where you can either do a live online class or follow a YouTube lesson. Here are our favourites.
Make a separate weekend and weekday list of “ideas” for things to do, adds King. “Creative ideas keep popping into my head,” she says, “so I have a list that I add to for things I could do on the week and weekend.”
The more creative and adaptable we are, the more we’re likely to enjoy our weekends. Are you doing anything differently that is sparking joy? Let us know by emailing uklife@huffpost.com.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-04-03--Women Are Leaning In And Loving Their Grey Hair Like Never Before

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The aesthetics of women’s ageing have always mattered in a way that men’s just haven’t.
In films and on TV, ageist casting is rife ― silver-haired women are either gummy grannies or washed-out women set up for a second sexual wind. Increasingly, they are villains like Narcissa Malfoy (Helen McCrory in the Harry Potter movies) and Alma Coin (Julianne Moore in ”The Hunger Games”), their hair visual affirmation of their frosty, amoral personas and dysfunctional inner lives. Occasionally they are flat, sexless, oracular or quasi-authority figures like M (Dame Judi Dench in the James Bond films) and Nova Prime (Glenn Close in “Guardians of the Galaxy”), placed firmly outside the humanising influences of family and friendships and defined exclusively by their solitariness.
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In real life, white-haired icons are few and far between: Queen Elizabeth II with her prim, fluffy nimbus of a hairdo; Christine Lagarde’s textbook French chicness; and politician Theresa May, whose hair has had to compensate for her lively sartorial style to be declared suitably prime ministerial.
Grey hair has had several “moments” recently, like when Kim Kardashian, Rihanna and Lady Gaga went silver, and when young South Koreans flooded Instagram with unexpectedly flattering pastel-tinted styles. It felt revelatory, but also costume-y: For those who struggle with ageist comments and policies at work, the trend felt especially cruel.
Newer imagery feels like a definite improvement: Salma Hayek’s lush pewter look in “The Hummingbird Project” and Nicole Kidman’s silver seaweed-hair cascading down her warrior’s exoskeleton in “Aquaman” are good examples. Women are showing us that attitudinally, the severe “power grey” isn’t the only way to wear silver hair.
We interviewed eight women who shared what it means to lean into their grey hair right now.
Anuja Chauhan, author, columnist and screenplay writer, India
Courtesy of Anuja Chauhan
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Life gets so much better as you get older. You become less eager to please, more unapologetic, you gain perspective and lose uptightness, you figure out how you like your drinks, your promotions, your orgasms, your boundaries and your balance of life. It’s all great!
I got really excited when the first silvers showed. I liked how they looked ― like natural highlights! My mother had a glorious head of silver hair herself and didn’t want me to quit colouring. She’d always say, “Wait for me to die at least!” There’s a right time for everyone, and at my mum’s funeral, I felt my time had come. I felt older, more mature, and ready to bare my so-called flaws to the world without giving a damn. I’ve been dye-free since August 2016. I’d been wanting to do it for a while ― the sheer drudgery of the process got to me, also hiding the grey made me feel fake and slightly desperate.
There are two perceptions about silver hair in India. 1. It will make you look old. 2. It will make you look dark. Being a dark, old woman is pretty low on the totem pole in Indian society, but I love that there’s a tribe of ladies who are proving that one can still be powerful, relevant, sexually active and gorgeous while being an “old, dark woman.”
Right now I’m enjoying how healthy my hair feels. Being grey makes me feel super smug and virtuous. Also, I’m blunt and a little obnoxious, and I find people take obnoxiousness from grey-haired people better than they take it from people with coloured hair. I love sticking flowers in my hair ― they stand out so well against the grey!
I’d like to see more excitement around silver hair! More styles, rinses, lowlights, streaks. Stuff that celebrates the arrival of our greys, the way the arrival of our breasts was celebrated all those years ago.
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April Showers, actor, model, hairstylist and burlesque dancer, United States
I got my first silvers when I was 18 and in beauty school. I was surprised! I instantly coloured my entire head. At that time, the teachers at my school said I had to “do something about those greys.” Once, my boss at the salon told me that people wouldn’t want their hair done by me because of my hair. He believed that if greying women won’t colour, they should just cut it all off, wear overalls and go live on a farm. That broke my heart.
Now, I’m loving everything about my hair! It’s the healthiest it’s ever been. It kind of changes colour depending on the light I’m in. It’s strong and sparkly and it got me on billboards all over Europe and the U.K. last year! So, yeah, I’d say I love my hair.
In my business, many older women who are naturally grey but colour it assume that I colour my hair this way. They have even said, “Well, you might like that now, but wait until you’re my age and it starts coming in natural.” I tell them, “This is natural.” And it’s always the same ― wide eyes, open mouths. They are stunned. It’s kind of funny! If my clients tell me they’re ready to embrace their grey, I fully support them. Even though colour services are big money, I want them to trust that I do what I do to make them feel happy and beautiful. I want to see this in all salons. It’s getting better but there is still a lot of work to be done.
Lolly Streek, business owner, model and actor, England
Courtesy of Lolly Streek
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When I first started to go grey in my early 30s, my hair was dark brown. The grey came through just as a silver streak at the front, so I continued to use semi colours on the rest of my dark hair to keep the depth, but leave the streak to stay silver. Around 15 years ago, it started to become more grey through the rest of the hair. I was never interested in dyeing it and just let it come on through naturally. My dad had the most beautiful startling white hair, which I always admired, but I knew it was going to be harder for a woman to be accepted as having grey hair especially at a young age.
Now that it’s more silver than not, my hair has really come into its own. It has always been quite fine and, since going grey, it seems to have a better weight and strength to it. I ignore the old adage that women over 50 shouldn’t have long hair, so I enjoy twisting and plaiting my hair and adding flowers, which look great against the silver. I’ve also found that I can pull off a classic look better, and for the first time in my life, rock a red lipstick. I see strength in my hair’s silver, rather than the weakness usually associated with grey hair.
People absolutely should dye their hair whatever colour they choose, should they choose, but so many adverts push women to think that the grey is wrong and needs covering up. When I was younger, it was much harder to make the decision ― no one else had grey hair. I also have a blind eye and occasionally use a walking stick; because all these are stereotypical representations of what old/weak looks like, I like to fight them and rock my own individual look. I’ve recently been signed on by a talent agency, and a big part of that was the new trend for grey models/actors, which was a great moment. I’ve also had someone come up to me on a crowded dance floor to say that she was inspired to ditch the dye and now herself had beautiful silver hair.
Lashawnda Becoats, lifestyle magazine editor, life coach and model, United States
London Becoats
I was 18 when I first started greying. I remember my hair stylist joking back then saying I needed to get rid of the greys because I was too young to have grey hair, so that’s when I started getting it coloured. I think that’s the first negative messaging I received around the idea that grey/silver tresses weren’t an acceptable beauty standard. I stopped colouring my hair nine years ago and funnily enough, it all started with a trip I took to Europe for my 40th birthday. While I was away for two weeks, my grey strands started coming in (I had my hair coloured before I left) and I liked what I saw in the mirror. I felt different. When I returned to the States, I told my stylist not to colour my hair anymore. She protested, so I got rid of her and started my journey to grey hair.
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I got scouted for my first professional modelling gig in New York because of my hair. I cried because I couldn’t believe that something that made me feel so uneasy initially was now something to be celebrated and embraced. Today I’m loving the freedom of wearing my natural grey locks. Without saying a word, I think my hair says I’m a woman who embraces who she is and doesn’t conform to societal standards of beauty.
I was a mess when I started going through the transition because I got so much flak from friends, family and strangers. “Why are you doing this?” they said or “I could never!” was all I heard. There were days when I wanted to run back to hair colour and give up. I’m glad I didn’t. The transition process made me stronger and more secure about myself. I learned that how I felt and what I thought of myself was more important than what other people thought of me. It has been one of the greatest lessons of my life.
A Black woman’s hair is her crown and glory and we express ourselves through our hairstyles and hair colour. I love that in my culture grey hair is being embraced more now because the colour is being seen as “cool” and isn’t associated as much with age or beauty. A lot of younger women are getting grey weaves and braids and colouring their hair grey. I love it! People ask me often what hair dye I use to get my hair colour. I just laugh and say “genes.”
Sandrine, teacher, France
I had been dyeing my hair for 30 years when I first decided to stop. I cut my hair off in 2012 in an attempt to let my grey hair grow out, but I wasn’t quite ready. When my son said I was too young to be grey, I went back to the salon. I finally ditched the dye at 48 after spending three hours in the hairdresser’s chair to be grey-free for the holidays, because I wanted to be as sexy and confident as the ladies I admired on Instagram. Today my hair is thick, healthy and makes me feel so much more free and feminine.
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In France, women really pay attention to how they look. They tend to become invisible once they hit 50 or start to go grey. I remember writing a post about it saying I would prove people wrong. I have modelled for clothing brand Soi Paris and lingerie makers Pomm’Poire and Le Slip Français. I often feel like a pioneer but things are slowly changing as more and more French women let their greys out. I secretly hope I inspire them as I was inspired.
I believe that if the media showed more women with grey hair, it would be easier for women to embrace their greys. Why would you have a lady or man with grey hair promote only hearing aids or funeral conventions?
Carla Martin, graphic designer and homemaker, Mexico
Courtesy of Carla Martin
I started seeing my first greys at 14, I would pull them out and my mom would say that for every grey I pulled out, three would come to the funeral. I started colouring my hair at 19 until 2014. I was so tired of dyeing my hair every two to three weeks; my scalp would get irritated and the burning sensation would last a couple of days. My hair had no life, it was dull and it would not grow long. Now, I love my hair colour, the texture, how healthy and long it is. I love that it makes me feel unique. I wear it so proudly. Before going grey, I looked average; now people pay me so many nice compliments. They approach me in the street and ask about my hair. Now, I stand out.
In Mexico, you see many women with grey hair but they are usually 60-plus. We are still just a few silver-haired women and when I started my transition, I saw disapproving faces everywhere. I’d get angry when I had to explain that we are programmed to think that grey hair is ugly, meant only for old women, or shows that you don’t care for your image. Going dye-free has helped me a lot; I feel real and true to myself.
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To transition, you have to know it won’t be easy. But feeling your newly healthy hair grow gives you the courage and freedom to continue. In my case, I found an inner strength I never knew; my husband has been my biggest supporter and if he likes me like this then that’s what matters. Ageing is a privilege. Stay active and healthy and if you feel young, that’s what you will show to the world.
Regina Burton, model, Germany
I have been dye-free since late 2017. Now my white and dark streaks are my trademark, because you could not dye it grey this way. That’s the beauty of being natural ― it’s not reproducible.
My decision came from seeing women and men over 70 with bleached blond or pitch-black hair ― they didn’t seem authentic. As a European, I learned early on that beauty comes in various forms. There isn’t a formula. Beauty is defined by special characteristics like inner strength, vitality and having conviction and charm. The idea was that you always have a choice; you can choose to highlight what you like about yourself.
I learned a lot about patience and believing in myself during the transitioning process, which was very tiring and tedious. I also learned that I can always start something new. After the transition was done, I embraced my transformation fully. I am growing into it more and more with every passing day, because I realise that I am a role model for other women, women of all ages.
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I feel like I truly belong in this newly founded group of women who are really excited about their transition and happy about freeing themselves from peer pressure ― without feeling alone.
Karen Williams, producer and model, United States
There’s nothing more empowering and liberating than being authentically, unapologetically me. And that’s what my silver hair is. I was about 17 when I spotted my first silver-grey strand. Since both my parents started greying around the same age, I was not at all surprised. As a beauty minimalist, I love the ease of living dye free. About every four years, I grow my hair down the middle of my back and then cut it really short, almost to the scalp. It’s the most exhilarating feeling. Only when it’s not there do you realise how distracting it can actually be and how conditioned women are to believe in the importance of hair.
In Caribbean cultures like most communities of colour worldwide, living with, loving and admiring intergenerational family members is commonplace. Intimacy with older role models growing up normalises ageing and makes embracing and celebrating silver/grey hair a natural rite of passage. I’m inspired by my mum and my blood-related and non-kin aunties whom I’ve watched embrace every chapter of their lives with utmost ease and grace.
To me, self-awareness and a sense of purpose are precursors to joy. It really doesn’t matter what colour your hair is. Joy comes from within so the work must be internal. Figure out who you are, what you truly value, what’s your unique purpose, what gives you inner peace, and don’t compare yourself to others. I would caution women, especially women of colour, against buying into the manufactured fear and shame about ageing that is propagated by mainstream media and advertising. Instead, we need to counter by building our own narratives around ageing, based on our lived experiences.