Student creates app to improve care for black babies

Amy Walker
BBC News, South East

BBC
Trainee midwife Ruby Jackson hopes to pilot the app across an NHS trust


A student midwife has created an app to help raise awareness of the symptoms of maternal and neonatal conditions on black and brown skin.

Ruby Jackson, 23, said she was inspired to create "Melanatal" due to a general lack of understanding about how some conditions present in people who are not white.

It will offer patients and clinicians visual guides to the signs and symptoms of conditions including jaundice, pre-eclampsia and mastitis.

The University of Brighton student, who has secured a place on the NHS clinical entrepreneur programme, hopes to pilot the app within a trust upon its completion.



A report last year found that between 2019 and 2021 woman from black ethnic backgrounds were four times more likely to die during pregnancy or immediately afterwards than white women.

Ms Jackson, who lives in Streatham, south London, said she was inspired to create the app after visiting a neonatal intensive care unit during a placement in Ghana.

HANDOUT
Ruby Jackson said she was inspired after a placement at a maternity clinic in Ghana

"They were showing us a baby and saying 'this baby is here because it has jaundice' and showing us what they were looking at, for example the soles of the feet and the whites of the eyes," she said.

"At university we were taught [to look for] yellow skin."

She said the experience made her realise she could have previously "missed" the signs for certain conditions.

UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON
Maggie Myatt, pictured with her daughter Cleo, said there was a lack of "visual information" that showed different conditions on black and brown skin

After securing a place on the NHS entrepreneur programme, Ms Jackson was given the opportunity to pitch her idea to digital health solutions firms Amazon Web Services Healthcare, Cogniss and The Validitron.

She was named as one of the winners in June, securing 12 months of mentorship and business support to create the app.

Sussex midwife Maggie Myatt, who is also a mother, said the app could mean "families can access their GPs sooner".

She said: "Medical professionals can recognise these conditions sooner and be able to do something about it before it becomes more serious."

UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON
Thelma Lackey said the university "recognised" a general lack of knowledge about how symptoms presented in non-white people

The app is currently being developed using "hyper-realistic" medical illustrations and photographs.

Thelma Lackey, a senior lecturer at the university's School of Education, Sports and Health Science, said the "knowledge gap around recognising different conditions of different coloured skin" was a national problem.

"We have updated all our PowerPoints and all our teaching materials, and when we talk about [for example] a deteriorating woman, we don’t say the sign is 'Oh they’ll go pale'; we talk about how that would look different in different women," said Ms Lackey.

UK

Thousands flock to Peace Museum's new location

Charles Heslett
BBC News•@CharlesHeslett
Reporting fromBradford

BBC
Dr Áine McKenny said the museum had seen a "massive increase" in visitors


More than 9,000 people have visited the newly reopened Peace Museum since its relocation to a new venue.

The museum, which charts the history of peace movements and peacemakers, moved from its original home in Bradford to Salts Mill in Saltaire, in August

Dr Áine McKenny, the museum's head of communications, said the "massive increase" of visitors had been "overwhelming" for all those involved.

A National Lottery heritage grant of just over £245,000 and an additional £150,000 from Bradford 2025 City of Culture helped fund the move to the Grade II listed mill.

Dr Áine McKenny
The museum has had up to 300 visitors per day since it reopened on 10 August

Formerly based in Piece Hall Yard, in Bradford, the museum closed at the start of the pandemic as the original site was no longer viable and had issues with access.

Since it reopened on 10 August, the museum has been open five days a week.

Dr McKenny said: "We're averaging about 300 a day, 1,500 every week, and it's been a massive increase since we were last open in our old site.

"We'd have five visitors a day to the old site. Ten on a really good day. That would be us really busy if we had ten people in.

"To have that massive increase of people coming in and getting to see our amazing collection, it's been incredible."

All 16,000 artefacts in the museum's collection have been moved into a specialist basement storage space in Salts Mill, and will be rotated in the new exhibition space.


Peace banners are among the museum's 16,000 artefacts


Dr McKenny said: "We've been spending years working on this project. Then we spent the whole year in the space getting it ready, getting the collection ready.

"And to see people interacting with it, engaging with it, seeing the positive feedback. It's been really overwhelming. We're really, really happy."

Later this year the museum, which first opened in 1998, will launch its Schools Programme and plans to hold workshops in classrooms across the district.

It also aims to launch an education space in the new site next year, to coincide with the start of the City of Culture programme.

UK

Six-wheeled delivery robot is talk of village

Jake Zuckerman
BBC News

Jake Zuckerman / BBC
Luna is expected to stay in Witham St Hughes for the foreseeable future


A little six-wheeled robot has become a local celebrity, after starting work as a parcel courier in a Lincolnshire village.

The delivery robot, named Luna, began daily rounds in Witham St Hughes near Lincoln three weeks ago as part of a trial by the company DPD, which has a depot in the village.

People living there said they were astonished to see Luna crossing roads and avoiding pedestrians, all without the help of a human operator.

“Everyone loves it, it’s all over the Facebook page,” said one local woman. “The kids all go up to the gate at the school to watch whenever it goes past.”

Another man said: “I saw it the other day and I thought I was in a dream. It came past me and I stood there waiting for the postman to come and nobody came."

The robot has been trained to find its own way around the village, picking the shortest route to its destination. Sensors detect when it’s safe to cross busy roads.

One resident added: “It avoids me and my dog when it passes by.

“It’s absolutely brilliant and I think it’s really funny.”

Once Luna arrives at her destination, a text message alerts the customer that Luna is outside. After the customer enters a four digit PIN number to access their parcel, Luna returns to base to collect the next package for delivery.

Operations manager Daniel McCarthy says Luna is currently making "20 deliveries a day"

Operations manager Daniel McCarthy said the depot is the fourth in the country to receive an autonomous delivery robot, and that Luna is expected to stay in Witham St Hughes for the foreseeable future.

“Luna is currently making 20 deliveries a day, and there are plans to increase that to 30 a day.

“She works a 12-hour shift without the need for a lunch break, but she still has a long way to go before she can match her human colleagues, who average around 120 deliveries a day.”

UK

IRONY

Defaced Banksy gets ‘anti-graffiti’ protection

Tony Grew
BBC News
Adrian Zorzut
Local Democracy Reporting Service
EPA
The work was the second of nine works by Banksy to appear in London


One of London’s recent animal-themed Banksy artworks, vandalised shortly after being discovered, has been restored and will now be protected by an "anti-graffiti solution".

The work - of two elephants poking their heads out of blocked-out windows - was painted on the side of a house in Chelsea, before it was defaced with white stripes.

Council workers removed the unwanted additions and added a special coat to protect the artwork.

It was the second of nine works by Banksy that appeared across the capital over nine days in August.

Handout
The artwork was vandalised with white stripes of paint


Kensington and Chelsea council said the liquid is specially designed not to alter the appearance of the surface it is applied to.

Josh Rendall, who represents the ward where the piece is located, said: “We hope that residents and visitors enjoy this and our other Banksy piece on Portobello Road for many years to come.”

The appearance of Banksy’s works last month led to speculation about their significance, if any.

Search for meaning


James Ryan, CEO of Grove Gallery which sells Banksy originals and prints, told BBC London he initially thought the works had "politically charged and motivated messages, so the goat - references to Palestine and Gaza, and then the wolf crying for help - some kind of persecution".

Some of the works were removed shortly after appearing, while one, a howling wolf sprayed on a satellite dish in Peckham, south-east London, was seemingly stolen.

Two others were removed by London authorities - a silhouette of a cat on a billboard in Cricklewood was taken down for safety reasons; and piranhas painted on a City of London Police sentry box was moved so it could be viewed safely.

UK

Running group call for climate action in the sport

BBC

The Green Runners
Damian Hall (L) and David Starley (R) are among the founders of The Green Runners

A running club has launched a campaign to promote climate action in the industry.

The Green Runners, a group which helps athletes live more sustainability, have created the Race for Change project to build a community and work towards action for the environment.

It was launched by Jasmin Paris MBE, Dan Lawson, and Damian Hall, an ultra-marathon runner from Corsham, Wiltshire.

The Green Runners was launched in 2022, after the founders realised how much the sport contributes to climate change, mainly through travel, clothing and equipment.


The Green Runners were nominated for a BBC Green Sport Award in 2023

Through the campaign, the group hopes to raise £50,000 to expand its work.

It comes as the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warns that the planet is likely to warm by 1.5ºC by the end of the century.

Ross Brannigan, from The Green Runners, said: “For the last two years, every Green Runner who has pledged to make a change in their lives for the planet is taking genuine action for our environment.

"Now, it’s about expanding that work, working with clubs and communities across the world, and collaborating with brands and events.

"This crowdfund does not just affect runners; it affects all of us, and we can make a genuine difference in this time of crisis.”

UK

Electric bus fleet to start operating next year

Daniel Mumby

BBC
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Reporting fromSomerset

LDRS
Taunton bus depot will get an upgrade to install electric charging points


Electric buses will begin operating on five routes across Somerset next year.

Almost 30 new electric double-decker buses will run on routes around Taunton, Burnham-on-Sea, Wellington and Minehead.

Planning permission has now been granted for a new substation and charging points at First Bus South's Taunton depot on Hamilton Road with work due to start next month.

The new electric buses would start operating from Spring 2025.

Alex Ethridge
First Bus operate most of the routes in Somerset

The Department for Transport (DfT) announced in late-March that it would be providing £43.4m of grant funding to councils across the south west to help fund more than 350 new double-decker electric buses, replacing existing diesel models on key routes.

Somerset Council has received £2.2m of funding from the zero emission bus regional area (ZEBRA) scheme, along with £12.5m from First Bus South, which operates Buses of Somerset.

A spokesman said: “Buses of Somerset’s depots in Taunton and Minehead will be electrified, as part of a joint bid with Somerset Council which secured a £2.2m grant from the DfT’s ZEBRA scheme, alongside a substantial investment of £12.5m from First Bus South, which operates Buses of Somerset.

“Work is expected to start in late October, and will complete in early-2025.

“Once works are complete, the depots will support 26 brand new electric buses which will serve communities across Somerset.”

Royals really cost £510m, anti-monarchists say

Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent, BBC News

The royals cost more than official figures suggest, anti-monarchists say


The real cost of the Royal Family to taxpayers is £510m a year - nearly six times more than the £86m of state funding from the annual Sovereign Grant - anti-monarchy campaigners say.

The Sovereign Grant covers costs such as staffing, travel and the upkeep of royal buildings - but not security, for example.

And for security alone, the Republic group says - while calling on the government to provide a definitive figure - £150m is "indicative of a likely cost" based on press reports.

Keeper of the Privy Purse Sir Michael Stevens, who looks after the King's financial affairs, has previously spoken of the "determination to deliver value for money" in royal finances.

But Republic chief executive Graham Smith said: "How can we talk about cutting the winter fuel allowance while wasting half a billion pounds on the royals?"

The group's £510m figure also includes "lost income", such as the £96m a year commercial revenue it says could come from royal residences.

It also says the duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall's property businesses should be paying into the public purse rather than funding the King and the Prince of Wales respectively, with the taxpayer losing out on £99m per year.




Royals to get extra £45m as Crown Estate profits soar


Republic attacks the current funding for the royals as opaque and secretive and a "scandalous abuse of public money".

A head of state should have running costs of £5m-£10m a year, it says, and the King should have an annual salary of £189,000, with increases pegged to that of the prime minister.

Buckingham Palace has declined to respond.

But the latest accounts for the Sovereign Grant, published in July, show state funding for the Royal Household will remain at £86.3m for 2024-25 and rise to £132m in 2025-26.

The level of funding is calculated against the profits of the Crown Estate, with next year's rise reflecting increased income from offshore wind farms.

"This is now the third year for which the Sovereign Grant has not increased by one single penny, despite the supplementary costs incurred by the change of reign and despite the double-digit inflationary pressures that have impacted on goods and services for all organisations in that same period," Sir Michael said earlier this year.

"What has remained constant is the determination to deliver value for money in ensuring the Royal Family are able to serve our communities to the best of their abilities, even in difficult personal circumstances."

Significant divides

As well as costs, there are also harder-to-measure economic benefits from the royals, such as boosting tourism and supporting overseas trade.

Last month, 55% of those surveyed by YouGov viewed the monarchy as good value for money, while 30% saw it as poor value.The institution was seen positively by 59%, negatively by 32%
The King was seen positively by 63%, negatively by 29%

But below these headline figures, there are significant divides, particularly in terms of age groups, with support for the monarchy strongest among older people and opposition strongest among the young.

UK

XL Bully dogs found beheaded and floating dead in cages as neglect against the banned breed soars

IT'S NOT THE DOG IT'S THE OWNER

Cases of the XL Bully dog being abandoned have also increased by 692 per cent since the ban came in

Holly Evans
16 hours ago

The RSCPA have recorded a dramatic increase in abuse towards XL bullies since the government ban (PA) (PA Wire)

Shock figures from the RSPCA show a dramatic rise in abuse toward XL Bully dogs since the government ban on the breed, with the animals decapitated, injured and abandoned.

The animal charity has revealed that in the eight months since it became illegal to own the breed on 31 December last year, reports of neglect have increased by 239 per cent.

The number of reports made to the RSPCA of intentional harm to XL Bully dogs in the first eight months of 2024 was 103, compared to 39 in the same period in 2023.

Recent disturbing incidents of abuse towards the breed include the body and head of a decapitated dog being found in a shallow grave in Evesham, while another dog found in a south London alleyway in January with a fractured skull.

The charity has also responded to reports of a cage with a dead XL Bully dog found floating in a Birmingham canal in June, and a puppy discovered in Bexleyheath with blunt force trauma injuries to its dead.

XL bullies have been banned since 31 December after a spate of deadly attacks (Getty Images)

Meanwhile, reports of XL Bully dogs being abandoned have increased by 692 per cent, with 103 reported to the charity during the same time period.

Dr Samantha Gaines, the RSPCA’s dog welfare expert, said: “These are very concerning figures. We’ve seen an increase generally in reports of serious abuse to animals - particularly intentional harm and beatings - but the increase in reports relating specifically to XL Bully types is very alarming and we fear this is a direct result of the recent UK Government ban on this type of dog.

“This could be a result of the extra pressures this ban has placed on desperate owners who may already be struggling to care for their dogs during this cost of living crisis. But even worse, these could be deliberate acts of cruelty towards dogs who have become increasingly demonised in recent months.

“We’re also heartbroken that many dogs have been and will be put to sleep simply because they are considered to be dangerous because they look a certain way.”

Tens of thousands of the dogs are still kept by their owners who have successfully been granted exemption certificates. Under the agreements, they dogs must always being on the lead, muzzled in public and having been neutered.

Despite the ban, exclusive figures obtained by The Independent revealed that dog attacks have continued to rise, with 6,392 attacks recorded by police in England and Wales in the five months from 1 February.

This was up from 5,888 in the same period in 2023 with campaign groups slamming the “knee-jerk” policy while demanding an overhaul of legislation by the new Labour government.

 SPACE / COSMOLOGY

WALES/CYMRU

Opponents of space radar station project call MoD consultation a shambles

Photo Parc Against Darc Campaign

Martin Shipton

NATION CYMRU

09/23/24

Campaigners who oppose plans to open a space monitoring centre at a barracks in west Wales have strongly criticised the Ministry of Defence after a consultation website became inaccessible.

The MoD says a survey link was temporarily disrupted, but opponents of the project say it was typical of a public engagement exercise they have described as “shambolic”.

Proposals are being developed for the future of Cawdor Barracks – formerly RAF Brawdy in south Pembrokeshire – as part of the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) programme, a strategic agreement between the US, Australia, and the UK to provide 360° global space monitoring to detect, track, identify and characterise objects in deep space (up to around 23,000 miles).

National security

The MoD has said of the project: “Space is crucial for the nation and plays a critical role in our daily lives. Space services, including those delivered by satellites, underpin many aspects of modern life, from enabling navigation, monitoring the climate, forecasting the weather, supporting our emergency services, supporting our Critical National Infrastructure and protecting the public. Understanding what is in space is crucial for the UK’s interests, especially as space becomes more congested with satellites and debris.

“The proposed redevelopment of Cawdor Barracks for the DARC programme would help to protect our present and future prosperity and national security. By enhancing our awareness and understanding of what is happening in space, we can continue to ensure it remains safe, sustainable and accessible to all.”

The MoD announced in 2016 that the barracks, home to 14 Signal Regiment (Electronic Warfare), would close and this is currently planned to take place no earlier than 2028. The development of the site for DARC would, says the MoD, help keep the site open, with a permanent presence of up to 100 personnel to operate DARC.

But opponents of the proposal see it as a way of facilitating the US’s ability to militarily dominate all of space at the same time as having major safety concerns about the 27 radar dishes that would be built.

The campaigners have set up a group called PARC against DARC and recently attended two public engagement sessions in Solva and St Davids.

Serious questions

A PARC spokesperson said: “Person after person came out from these so called public engagement meetings telling us that they were an ‘utter shambles’, that they were being told completely different things by different ‘experts’ and that when pushed on any of the serious questions, they were answered with ‘we can’t answer that’ or ‘we don’t know yet’ over and over again. Others repeated the mantra that DARC was still at the ‘conception phase’, leaving us thinking it was strange they could have so much confidence in a proposal they seemed to know very little about at all.

“One local attendee told us that when they’d asked one of the top military officials present if he’d stand next to one of these radars himself, he’d replied, “No, I wouldn’t stand next to one of these radars myself; it’d be like putting my head in a microwave.’

“Another official, when quizzed as to why they hadn’t re-sent the invitation leaflets sent out to locals which had got wrong the local place names of Newgale, Middle Mill and Penycwm – calling them Newgate, Middle Hill and Penycwn – replied: ‘We could have done, but there wasn’t any point.’

“A further attendee told campaigners that when he asked if it was true that the construction phase of DARC would involve 120 LGV and HGV lorries per day driving along the Haverfordwest to St Davids road and up the narrow and angular Newgale hill, the reply he received was, ‘We don’t know, but I can tell you it will be less than you think.’

“Local resident Jenna asked a question about what the MoD could possibly do about the visual impacts of 27 radars on the landscape that would be unavoidable, Jenna was given answers that ranged from nothing, to maybe something if forced, to a man who confidently said they’d be growing enormous hedges in an area famous for its lack of anything growing beyond 3 ft in the harsh salt wind.”

Technical questions

The spokesperson added: “PARC Against DARC representatives asked a series of technical questions on safety and other issues but received no responses of any meaningful value or reassurance. The London-based PR company Cascade, which was responsible for running the event, were clearly out of their depth here in Wales. It was very apparent this firm was conducting a PR exercise and not the public engagement it was statutorily obliged to carry out.”

Criticising further the way public engagement had been handled, the spokesperson for PARC Against DARC said: “The MoD’s handling of this engagement process has just gone from bad to worse. First they got the names of our towns wrong, then they put on a consultation it’s fair to say was widely described as a shambles. But now, when we as residents get together to send the feedback they wanted from us as a community, they take their own form off the internet altogether. Anyone would think they’re looking pretty afraid of what people around here have to say about the proposal.

“ We’re sure the idea of running a public engagement process is that you want people to engage with it, so it’s strange to us that the MoD seems to be doing as much as it can to make sure as few people say anything about DARC in the area as possible.”

Committed 

An MoD spokesperson responded: “We are committed to engaging with the local community in developing proposals on the future of Cawdor Barracks as part of the DARC programme.

“Two public information events were recently held in Pembrokeshire and we are currently collecting feedback via a dedicated survey on our public website.

“Access to the survey link was temporarily disrupted and it has since been restored. At no point was the survey removed from the website. We look forward to continuing to receive feedback from the public.”

UK

Company fined as worker suffers six bone fractures

Eleanor Lawson
BBC News, West Midlands

HSE
Andrew Elson said he "totally lost my independence for around two months"

A manufacturing company has been fined £28,000 after an employee broke his arm while operating machinery.

Andrew Elson from Rugby suffered six fractures in his right arm and hand which required surgery, while working at Screening Consultancy and Supplies Ltd on 25 November 2022.

The 54-year-old had been clearing debris off the bed of a radial arm drill at the firm’s site on Somers Road in Rugby, when his right hand became entangled in the machine.

Mr Elson said: "I totally lost my independence for around two months and my wife had to do everything.

“I don't know what the future holds. I work a manual job with my hands, I don't know how long I can continue to do this for.

“I still have trouble using my hands and fingers, and sometimes I wake up and they are stiff, numb, and achy.”

HSE
The drill which caused Mr Elson's injuries

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found Screening Consultancy and Supplies Ltd had failed to undertake a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risk associated with this work activity, and subsequently failed to implement a safe system of work.

Screening Consultancy and Supplies Ltd, of Somers Road, Rugby, Warwickshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

HSE
Mr Elson sustained six fractures to the ulna and radius bones in his right arm, which required surgery

The company was fined £28,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3,616 at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

HSE inspector Charlie Rowe said: "This prosecution highlights how employers should adequately assess the risks and then ensure they have a safe system of work in place for the operation of all machinery."