Latest news with #Clitheroe
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Ella takes on Windemere swim to raise £1,350 in memory of her dad
A 25-year-old who described herself as a 'novice swimmer' braved choppy conditions to swim two miles of Lake Windermere as a tribute to her dad. Ella Mason was taking part in last weekend's Great North Swim and raised £1,350 for the Royal Preston Hospital's Critical Care Unit in memory of her dad William. Ella, from Clitheroe, took on the challenge to thank the unit's staff for going 'above and beyond' in the care they gave to William. Despite the treatment he received, William passed away in February, aged 61, after contracting a Staph (Staphylococcus) infection. Ella, who now helps run the family farm with mum Fiona and brother Matthew, said: 'Dad was never ill. 'He was physically strong, but he came down with what we thought was flu. "Dad was never one for doctors but mum took him to the Urgent Care Centre in Burnley. 'Initially, he was sent home, but when he went back, he was taken by ambulance to Royal Blackburn Hospital and then on to the Critical Care Unit in Preston. 'By this time, the infection had spread all the way down his spine, but staff on the Critical Care Unit took on a very complicated surgery to remove a spinal abscess, after which dad was put in an induced coma. 'We were never given any guarantees but dad was so strong, he came round. "He got to see Matthew, who had been working in Australia but immediately flew home when told dad was ill. "Dad received the most exceptional care from all the staff, who went above and beyond. They also cared for us as a family.' Ella added: 'The swim was tougher than I thought it would be because it was very windy and the waves were huge. "I lost my cap and goggles in the first quarter mile, which knocked my confidence, but I made it. I'm very grateful to everyone who sponsored me.' Ella raised her donation through an online fundraising page at the Arla Great North Swim's Enthuse website, and she's hoping to add to it by organising a 13-mile sponsored walk from dad's home village of Dunsop Bridge to Clitheroe on September 6. Lucy Clark, a fundraiser for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Charity, which supports the Critical Care Unit as well as other units and wards at the Royal Preston and Chorley and South Ribble Hospitals said: 'Congratulations to Ella on achieving a tough swim in tough conditions. "We are incredibly grateful to her for her support. 'We know the last few months must have been very difficult for Ella and her family, so for her to go to the time and effort to thank staff in this way is so generous and means a great deal to everyone in the critical care team.'
Daily Mail
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Labour MP accuses families impacted by Labour's tax raid on private schools of 'crying to the courts' after they lost High Court bid to stop VAT on school fees
A Labour MP has accused families impacted by the private school tax raid of 'crying to the courts' after they lost a bid to stop the VAT on fees. Families were dealt a devastating blow after they lost a High Court challenge to the taxes on fees. The judicial review claim, heard earlier this year, aimed to have the 20 per cent tax declared 'incompatible' with human rights law. However, in a decision handed down on Friday, judges rejected all claims, despite agreeing with some of the arguments. Jonathan Hinder, the MP for Pendle and Clitheroe, criticised the families, saying taking the case to High Court was 'crazy'. He said in a post on X: 'A tax commitment included in an election-winning manifesto, duly delivered. That's democracy. Campaign to reverse it if you like. Fine. 'But this habit of going crying to the courts all the time is silly. Obviously the right decision, but crazy that it got to the High Court.' The controversial tax, pledged in Labour's manifesto, came into force in January this year. The MP has accused families impacted by the private school tax raid of 'crying to the courts' after they lost a bid to stop the VAT on fees Three groups of families – most of whom are anonymous – joined private schools in bringing a legal challenge against the policy. Their lawyers argued the tax is a breach of children's right to an education under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The various families also said it was 'discriminatory' – either because their child has special educational needs (SEN), has a preference for a religious education, or because they need an all-girls environment. But Dame Victoria Sharp, Lord Justice Newey and Mr Justice Chamberlain concluded the VAT policy was 'proportionate' in its aim to raise extra revenue for state schools. They added Parliament ultimately had the right make the decision. A spokesman for the lobby group Education not Taxation told The Telegraph: 'The court's ruling that the taxation of independent schooling is discriminatory and will have a disproportionate, prejudicial effect on children with SEN clearly demonstrates that any 'crying to the courts' was entirely justified. 'While it is disappointing that the court ruled the action is not illegal, it nevertheless makes a powerful statement: the policy is discriminatory.' Julie Robinson, the chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), said that schools were 'right' to have escalated the challenge to the High Court. She said: 'Thousands of families have already been negatively affected by the policy, with more than 11,000 children leaving independent education since last year – far more than had been anticipated by the government.' At the opening of the court case in April, families of children with SEN from all over the country protested outside. They said they have been forced to choose the private sector due to the state provision for SEN being so poor – but cannot afford the extra cost of the VAT. Alicia Kearns, the shadow minister for home affairs, described Hinder's tweets as 'class warfare'. She said: 'Parents in my communities have been put through enormous stress and their children's education disrupted. 'They do not deserve the ridicule of Labour MPs indulging in class warfare and crowing about manifesto promises whilst glaringly silent on the extra money promised for state schools. 'I wouldn't be quite so glib if my ideological experiment had left our state schools worse off.' The ruling comes after a £43,000-a-year boarding school has been forced to make the 'heart-wrenching' decision to close after 125 years following Labour's tax raid on private education. Queen Margaret's School For Girls in York said they are 'unable to withstand mounting financial pressure'. The school also blamed 'increased national insurance and pension contributions, the removal of charitable-status business rates relief, and rising costs for the upkeep and operation of our estate'. The 125-year-old institution said that 'tireless efforts' in the past 18 months to 'respond to these challenges' included a possible merger or sale and the search for 'fresh investment'. However, the school said 'none of these routes resulted in a successful outcome' and coupled with declining entries, it has 'been left with no alternative' but to close. After 'strong student enquiry levels' in Autumn, the school said 'these declined sharply in early 2025 following the implementation of VAT' and is 'below the viable level required' to keep the school open.
Telegraph
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Labour MP accuses families hit by private school tax raid of ‘crying to the courts'
A Labour MP has accused families hit by the private school tax raid of 'crying to the courts'. Jonathan Hinder, the MP for Pendle and Clitheroe, criticised families who were hit by Labour's 20 per cent VAT levy on private school fees after they lost their challenge at the High Court on Friday. He said taking the case to the High Court was 'crazy', before adding in the post to X: 'A tax commitment included in an election-winning manifesto, duly delivered. That's democracy. Campaign to reverse it if you like. Fine. 'But this habit of going crying to the courts all the time is silly. Obviously the right decision, but crazy that it got to the High Court.' Three separate challenges were heard together in a judicial review between April 1 and 3, using more than a dozen families as case studies. In a single written judgment issued on Friday, the three judges presiding over the case said they 'dismiss the claims'. Dame Victoria Sharp, Lord Justice Newey and Mr Justice Chamberlain said the VAT policy was 'proportionate' in its aim to raise extra revenue for state schools. A spokesman for the lobby group Education not Taxation told The Telegraph that 'crying to the courts' was 'entirely justified'. He said: 'The court's ruling that the taxation of independent schooling is discriminatory and will have a disproportionate, prejudicial effect on children with special educational needs (SEN) clearly demonstrates that any 'crying to the courts' was entirely justified. 'Without the action taken by the claimants, the government's prejudicial behaviour would have gone unchecked, obscured by the false narratives and political spin used to justify this attack on educational choice. 'While it is disappointing that the court ruled the action is not illegal, it nevertheless makes a powerful statement: the policy is discriminatory.' Julie Robinson, the chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), said that schools were 'right' to have escalated the challenge to the High Court. The ISC was part of the legal challenge and represents more than 1,400 private schools. 'This is an unprecedented tax on education and it is right that its compatibility with human rights law was tested,' she said. 'Thousands of families have already been negatively affected by the policy, with more than 11,000 children leaving independent education since last year – far more than had been anticipated by the government. 'As the court noted, there was interference with human rights and this policy is likely to have an outsized impact on families of faith and children with SEND but without an EHCP.' In the wake of the VAT hike, private schools across the country have been forced to close. Queen Margaret's School for Girls in York said it had been forced to make the 'deeply distressing' decision to close following Labour's VAT raid. The £43,000-a-year boarding school said it was 'unable to withstand mounting financial pressures' after the introduction of the tax in January led to student enquiries 'declining sharply'. According to the school's website, the enrolment numbers for the coming academic year were below the level needed to keep the school open. The 'heart-wrenching' decision was taken after failing to secure fresh investment. The school also blamed 'increased national insurance and pension contributions, the removal of charitable-status business rates relief, and rising costs for the upkeep and operation of our estate'. Queen Margaret's alumni include the socialite Manners sisters – Lady Violet, Lady Alice, and Lady Eliza – daughters of the 11th Duke and Duchess of Rutland. The independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 was due to celebrate its 125th anniversary next year. It will close at the end of their summer term on July 5. Alicia Kearns, the shadow minister for home affairs, described the tweets as 'class warfare'. She said: 'Parents in my communities have been put through enormous stress and their children's education disrupted. 'They do not deserve the ridicule of Labour MPs indulging in class warfare and crowing about manifesto promises whilst glaringly silent on the extra money promised for state schools. 'No sign of keeping that promise, quite the opposite as state schools struggle and Labour Ministers this week admit their funding is insufficient to cover staff pay rises next year, and the NEU calling it a 'crisis in funding'. 'I wouldn't be quite so glib if my ideological experiment had left our state schools worse off.'
Telegraph
11-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
The siblings forced to club together to get on the property ladder
When Sophie Leeming started viewing properties last summer in a bid to move out of her parents' home, she didn't expect her younger sister Georgia to come with her. While it may not be the vision of homeownership they'd first imagined, the sisters soon realised they could get a lot more property for their money if they teamed up to buy their first home. 'I had a budget of £200,000 and had been looking at two-bed terraced houses with no garden,' says Leeming, 28, who works in marketing. 'When Georgia decided to join in, we could up the budget to £300,000.' The sisters had saved a combined £25,000 into Lifetime Isas – accounts that are geared up specially for first-time buyers, paying a 25pc government bonus on up to £4,000 savings each year. This, coupled with £40,000 given to them by their parents, meant they had a total deposit of £65,000. 'Having that level of deposit meant we could get a bigger house, in a nicer area than I would ever have been able to afford by myself,' says Leeming. They moved into their three-bedroom semi-detached house in Clitheroe, Lancashire, in February, along with their dogs Milo and Lola. The siblings took out a two-year fixed-rate mortgage with Skipton Building Society, and monthly repayments on their £285,000 home are £880 between them. To keep costs fair, they pay an equal amount into a joint bank account each month to cover the mortgage, bills and food shop. 'It was important to us that it was affordable, as we still wanted to be able to go on holidays and live our lives,' says Leeming. While this kind of setup might spark a lot of sibling bickering for some, the sisters have successfully avoided one potential argument: Georgia, 25, who runs a beauty business, volunteered to have the smaller bedroom as a thank you to her sister for arranging the mortgage. Unlike buying alone or with a spouse or partner, this kind of living arrangement is likely to have a far shorter shelf life. The sisters are aware of this and have a plan to live together for two or three years before converting the property into a rental and buying their own homes. 'We're really enjoying it so far – I think it could be quite lonely living alone,' says Leeming. 'But it is a big investment, so you need to trust the person you're buying with.' Solo first homes are increasingly out of reach The Leeming sisters are part of an upward trend of first-time buyers looking at alternative ways to get on the property ladder as house prices remain out of reach for the masses – and buddying up with a sibling is one way to do it. The average UK house price reached £270,752 in April, according to Nationwide Building Society, up 3.4pc from a year ago. The average first-time buyer paid £226,900, a sum that is unachievable for the majority of young people to afford on their own. Despite average rents also continuing to rise, aspiring buyers have proven determined to get their foot on the ladder. First-time buyers accounted for one third of homes sold across Great Britain so far this year, according to the estate agency Hamptons, with 57pc of purchases in London. Falling mortgage rates have at least made borrowing a bit easier. The average two-year fixed rate for someone with a 10pc deposit is 4.97pc, down from 5.47pc a year ago, according to Hamptons. It's a helpful reduction, but could easily render repayments unaffordable for a single homeowner unless you have a large deposit. 'The reason why siblings increasingly buy together is affordability. It is a simple fact that you are more likely to get on the ladder if you have two incomes, rather than just one,' says David Hollingworth from brokerage L&C Mortgages. Buying with a sibling may also be easier than teaming up with a friend – after all, you have presumably already lived together with your parents, so you'll know each other's quirks and bad habits. But if you're considering this move, it is important to go in with your eyes open. Set the ground rules 'It can be harder to step into 'adult mode' when you are [living] with a sibling. You can pre-empt some problems – like, what are the rules on having people stay over? And what if I want a quiet night in and you want friends round?' says Simonne Gnessen, founder of financial planner Wise Monkey Financial Coaching. However, she admits that you can't go through every scenario in this way. Therefore, she suggests drawing up an agreement to set some basic rules for when conflict arises. For example, agreeing to take some time out before discussing the problem, or perhaps bringing along a neutral person to mediate. It is also crucial to discuss the future: consider how long you plan to stay in the property; whether you will sell up or convert it into a rental; what happens if one person wants to buy the other out, or to move a partner in? 'Don't forget to talk about the day-to-day issues as well,' Gnessen adds. 'Do you share food or buy your own? What happens if work needs to be done at the property? Will you use apps to split bills so that no one has to ask for money? There is no 'right way' to do things.' Then there's the legalities of buying together. Regardless of how you split the bill, you are jointly responsible for the mortgage – that means if one person misses a payment, the lender can still come to you both. 'If you fall behind, that will be registered against your credit file,' warns Hollingworth. To prevent this, he suggests setting up a joint account from which to pay bills – just like the Leeming sisters have done. 'That way you can see that each person is paying in what they should be – and not taking out anything they shouldn't,' he says. When a couple buys a home together, they typically do so as joint tenants, which means you own the property equally, and if one person dies, their share automatically passes to the other. But this may not be appropriate for friends or siblings, particularly if one person has contributed a larger share of the deposit. The alternative is to be tenants in common, where you can specify the proportion of the property you own, and decide what happens with your share if you die. Be sure to discuss this with your conveyancer, as you'll likely need a legally binding 'declaration of trust', which will need to be set up properly when you buy. 'The more you can have these conversations in advance, the less emotionally charged things might be in the future,' says Gnessen. 'Communication is probably the biggest thing between success and not being able to sit around the Christmas dinner table together.' 'Mum is quite sad that we're leaving' Henry Graves moved into his first home with his brother Ben last month. Aged just 20 and 19, respectively, working as a fabrication engineer apprentice and floating store manager at kitchenware company ProCook, it took less than a year for the siblings to save for their deposit. They set aside a combined £1,400 every month into a savings account with HSBC, paying interest of 6pc. 'We're like twins,' says Graves. 'When we were 16 and 17, we saved for our first cars together. Then we upgraded our cars. Then we thought, 'what's the next thing to save for? A house'.' The brothers put down a 5pc deposit of £7,500 on their £148,000 three-bedroom semi-detached house in Spalding, Lincolnshire. They took a two-year fixed rate mortgage at 5.68pc with NatWest, with repayments of about £750 a month. They have also arranged life insurance cover for about £7 a month, which will pay out a lump sum to clear the mortgage if one of them were to die. 'It's a step in the right direction. Our parents like that we are buying a property rather than renting – although Mum is quite sad that we're leaving,' says Graves. They have a fair bit of work to do on their new home – including fitting a new boiler, replacing the gas fireplace and rewiring. Such DIY tasks could spark a rift with even the closest of siblings, but they're not worried. 'We have talked about things like what if we disagree on the decorating, but we both want to keep things simple,' says Graves. 'Sofa shopping was important – we spent a couple of weeks on that.' Despite reaching their goal of getting on the property ladder, the brothers intend to continue their saving habit. They'd like to invest in another property in the future, either to use as a buy-to-let or to give them the option to live apart – if they've had enough of living together by then.
Daily Mail
05-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
I'm living every parent's worst nightmare, says devastated mother whose daughter, 13, took her own life after bullying on social media
A woman whose teenage daughter took her own life after being bullied on social media has said she is living 'every parent's worst nightmare'. Alyssa Morris was tragically found hanged in Brungerley Park in Clitheroe, Lancashire, just five days before her 14th birthday on February 12, 2023. While life-saving procedures were attempted, the 13-year-old was pronounced dead later that day. Her devastated mother, Kathleen Firth, 37, said that her daughter's death followed months of 'relentless bullying' but believed that it 'could have been prevented' with the right support. She argued that social media, bullying and lockdown created 'the perfect storm' of circumstances that ultimately lead to the death of her 'little girl'. The mother-of-four also suspected that Alyssa may have been neurodiverse but was unable to receive a formal diagnosis, therefore preventing the teen from getting the correct support. Describing the pain of her daughter's tragic loss, Ms Firth, a support worker, said: 'Alyssa took a part of me with her when she died, and life hasn't been the same since. 'As a family, we're still coming to terms with the loss. 'It haunts me that her death could have been prevented, had we known what was really going on and if she'd had the correct support. 'I knew she'd been struggling, but we had no idea how bad the bullying had become. False rumours circulated around school with misinterpreted videos. 'Thanks to phones and social media it didn't just consume her school life, but it intruded into her home life too.' Described as 'funny, beautiful, very clever', Alyssa loved musicals – especially Hamilton – and loved drawing. She also had ambitions to work with animals and the RSPCA. An inquest into the circumstances surrounding her death was held at Accrington Town Hall in May 2023, with Coroner Richard Taylor returning a conclusion of suicide. He also told the hearing that a note from Alyssa 'doesn't give any explanation' for her actions. But Ms Firth insists that Alyssa had taken her life because of 'a combination of three things: bullying, social media and Covid'. Her mother told the hearing that her daughter had no problems at primary school, but struggled after starting secondary school in 2020 – partly due to Covid requirements which saw pupils taught in 'bubbles'. She said that Alyssa had began displaying 'social anxieties' and had self-harmed by cutting her arms. Despite moving schools, the bullying and harassment continued and even included an alleged physical attack at a bus stop in July 2022, which was reported to the police. However, Ms Firth alleged that despite attending a police station, no-one took a statement from her. She described the self-harm, which Alyssa began doing just aged 11, as 'terrifying' and left her feeling 'completely helpless'. Ms Firth added: 'I tried to speak to her about it, but it always led to arguments and she'd get very defensive. 'Whenever I tried to seek medical help, she would get upset. Alyssa wasn't comfortable discussing issues in front of people. 'She became really isolated during covid, which didn't help her anxiety. Covid separated her and the only form of communication she had was social media.' Ms Firth also said that despite monitoring her daughter's phone, the majority of the bullying took place on Snapchat meaning that the messages disappeared after a certain period of time. She added: 'She wasn't really supposed to be using social media, they're not designed for children her age. But we had to become more lenient because she couldn't go out and play during covid. 'The minimum age to use Snapchat is 13, but I think that's too young. It's not suitable for children.' The inquest heard how Alyssa had discussed taking her own life in online chat with two friends and had also looked into a suicide technique. But in the days before her death her mother hadn't noticed 'anything unusual'. In her statement to the hearing, Ms Firth said: 'she had seemed so positive over the previous months. 'This was such a shock because there was nothing to suggest anything would happen.' On February 12, 2023, Ms Firth was shopping in Aldi when she was alerted to an incident in Brungerley Park after her sister text her to ask 'if the kids were OK'. She immediately 'rushed' home to check on her children, but Alyssa was not there. Alyssa was tragically found unresponsive in a secluded area of the park 'just a few minutes away' from her family home, where she often walked the family dog and had previously built dens with her brother. Shortly after being discovered, the young teen passed away at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital. Following her daughter's death, Ms Firth blamed social media platforms for 'trivialising suicide', believing that the videos and content Alyssa was exposed to 'failed to make her understand the severity of her actions'. She said: 'I don't ever want to let her name die with her. I want to keep her name alive. 'I will always advocate for children's mental health. It's two years since and it still doesn't feel real. It doesn't feel like it's happened to me.' Alyssa's family - including her dad, Chris Morris, 36, and siblings, Poppy, 11, Jenson, 14 and Daniella, 17 - have been fundraising for Papyrus, a mental health charity for young people, alongside Chester Hospital and the firefighters. They hope that by sharing their story, they can help keep Alyssa's memory alive and raise awareness of the dangers of social media and online bullying. For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit
