Latest news with #ITVNewsMeridian
ITV News
06-06-2025
- General
- ITV News
Hero crane driver who rescued man from burning building in Reading granted bucket list wish
Glen Edwards talked to ITV News Meridian's Wesley Smith about his heroic rescue and his bucket list wish The crane operator who rescued a worker from a burning tower block at Reading's Station Hill has been granted his bucket list of wishes thanks to a Berkshire charity. No-one who saw the Station Hill fire in November 2023 will ever forget the sight as smoke and flames over the centre of Reading. It was crane driver, Glen Edwards, who saved the day, putting his own life at risk in a daring mission to rescue a trapped worker from the top of the building, surrounded by flames. Glen Edwards said: "The smoke was absolutely intense, I could hardly see him, well, I couldn't see him. I knew he was there, he was standing on the edge of the building. "By the time I got the cradle on he had about two metres of area he was standing on that wasn't alight. The adrenalin was out the roof. "He's got two girls, eight and 13 they were at the time, and I got a ver heartfelt letter that would bring a tear to your eye." Glen, who lives near Ascot, didn't realise at the time he had cancer of the tongue. Although it was treated successfully, the cancer has since returned. "The cancer has spread unfortunately to five places in my spine." At an awards ceremony in Reading, Glen and his wife met Gini Hackett, from Burghfield, who set up the charity, Bucket List Wishes in memory of her mother. She heard Glen had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and gladly took on the role fairy godmother. Gini said: "I found it amazing to do this wish for him. He's really humble, what he did was incredible. He is a real hero to us so we absolutely had to do something for him." But 66-year-old Glen is a modest man and didn't ask for an exotic holiday or lavish cruise. He needed to move home and wanted some new flooring and a in came new flooring, kitchen equipment, generous vouchers for bedding and another big surprise, a fishing trip to Swanage. Glen said: "This is unbelievable what's happened to me, quite emotional really."Whatever the future may hold for Glen, thanks to Gini, he can rest assured he's left his family well cared for and forever proud of their true hero.
ITV News
31-05-2025
- General
- ITV News
Catch up: Watch the latest edition of ITV News Meridian (Thames Valley) from Saturday 31st May
Watch the latest edition of ITV News Meridian's Thames Valley programme from Saturday 31st May
ITV News
30-05-2025
- Business
- ITV News
Emsworth business owner left heartbroken after being forced to shut up shop
ITV News Meridian's Siri Hampapur has talked to business owners on Emsworth's high street, who are being forced to close their doors for good. A businesswoman from the Hampshire - West Sussex border has been left heartbroken after being forced to close her shop for good because of rising costs. Lisa Edgington, the owner of Emsworth-based PO10 Lifestyles and Interiors, sells handmade gifts made by local artists. However, due to rising costs, declining footfall and customers cutting back on luxuries, she has had no choice but to close her shop. She says she would need to sell 2,500 postcards every week, just for her business to survive. Edgington said: "In the seven years we've been here we've had Covid thrown at us, we've had the energy crisis. "I got to the point where I was working out that if I worked two days a week on minimum wage I would be earning more than what I was earning than what I'm doing now working five days a week, just keeping the shop going. "If my heart wanted to continue this I think I will get myself into a debt situation which I will not put my family through." In the shop, Lisa would support local artists, like Sue Mulchrone, and sell their products to help with their business. Sue said: "This was a big part of my business and most of my sales were from this shop and it was really my bread and butter so it's really going to have a big impact and it's going to leave a big hole." Sue Mulchrone on how PO10 Lifestyles and Interiors closing will affect her business. Jonathan Rogers, owner of Vin Wine Merchants in Emsworth, is also being forced to close down because he believes customers' shopping habits are shifting. He said: "I used to get customers who would spend quite happily £60-70 on a case of wine each month but now just maybe three or four bottles for £20-30. "Those bulk sales have diminished somewhat because wine is a luxury and it's something that people can cut back on if they feel the need to and it makes my life harder certainly." "People are finding it hard just to make ends meet so they're looking for cheaper options and central high streets will just become deserted, so what happens next?" A government spokesperson said: 'We are focused on working with banks to create opportunities for small businesses to access the finance they need to scale, export and break into new markets. "We have also provided business rates relief and are protecting the smallest businesses from the employer National Insurance increases.' Havant Borough Council said: "We recognise the value of local businesses and strives to support the borough to thrive economically and are saddened to hear of a local business closing its doors. "With a dedicated Economic Development team, we support the borough's businesses within the resources at our disposal. "The Emsworth high street offer is cherished and respected, as are all high streets in the borough."
ITV News
13-05-2025
- Health
- ITV News
'We're healthy and we can't pass it on' - Shoreham HIV patient's message to combat stigma
ITV News Meridian's James Dunham has been speaking to Sue Hunter about her story. A HIV patient has been sharing the dangers of misinformation around the virus after she feared she would die after her positive diagnosis. Sue Hunter from Shoreham, Sussex, tested positive in 2006 and is on medication. It involves taking one pill a day, which stops her from getting unwell and has suppressed the virus, so it is untransmissible. She is now backing a charity campaign which aims to stop the stigma, as she wants people to understand that the treatment is effective at making sure she is not able to pass on HIV to anyone else. Ms Hunter said: "I didn't have the correct information and that caused me to have fear, the fear that I was going to die. "Obviously, I got that information that allowed me to tell myself that I can live a long and healthy life." When asked how it makes her feel when people are judgemental about her diagnosis, she said: "It makes me feel different, it makes me feel inadequate, it makes me feel as though I've done something wrong. "There was a potential partner and I told him I was living with HIV, on medication, and he told me 'I value my life too much to have a relationship with you'." She wants to combat the stigma of HIV patients like her, saying "We're here, we're great, we're living a healthy life, we can't pass HIV on. Please look at the science." Ms Hunter is one of than 100,000 people thought to be living with the virus in the UK. The 'Can't Pass It On' message, is being shared across Brighton and Hove as part of an awareness drive by theTerrance Higgins Trust. Marc Tweed from Terrance Higgins Trust, said: "People have got really out of date ideas about HIV. "They don't realise how far HIV treatment has progressed and for most people that means one pill a day. There's even injectable HIV medication, some people have an injection once every six months."
ITV News
30-04-2025
- ITV News
Gosport War Memorial Hospital: Families' frustration in latest meeting as they search for answers
ITV News Meridian's Andrew Pate has been speaking to family members at a forum, updating them on the investigation. Families who lost loved ones at Gosport War Memorial Hospital have told ITV News Meridian of their frustration at the slow pace of the police investigation. It revealed many patients, who were often elderly and vulnerable, were prescribed and given powerful painkillers in a manner that violated medical protocols and standards. Nearly thirty years after the deaths of their family members, many are still waiting for answers. For some, the pain is compounded by the fact that they are now the same age their loved ones were when they died in the hospital. Operation Magenta is one of the largest and most complex police inquiries in UK history. Led by Det Ch Con Neil Jerome, the investigation is being hailed for its thoroughness, but there is growing concern among the affected families about the pace of progress. Around 150 serving and retired police officers are working on Operation Magenta. The Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, which is managing the investigation, code-named Operation Magenta, previously said 24 suspects were being interviewed, but have now confirmed this has risen to 29. That includes 24 for alleged gross negligence manslaughter and five for alleged offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act. So far, they have assessed more than 3 million pages of documents. This includes the medical records of over 750 patients and taken witness statements from more than 1,150 individual family members. With nearly seven years having passed since the investigation's inception, many are feeling that justice is taking too long. Linda Lacey, whose father Vernon Gregory died at the hospital said: "Everything seems to be stuck, that's the only way I can describe it, really. "And I just feel very sad for a lot of people like myself getting older. I've just lost my sister a couple of weeks ago. And soon people there'll be nobody left in the family to fight for the ones that they've lost." The son of Walter Wellstead, Tim, said: "Where are we after 27 years, no idea. I've got no idea at all." Robert Logan, son of Robert Wilson, said: "Next year I shall be the same age as my father was when he died, and that's much the same for many other people in there." "We cannot provide a timeline for the completion of this inquiry," Jerome stated. "This is a complex case, and we are committed to ensuring that every individual who may have been involved in these tragic events is thoroughly investigated." The story of the Gosport War Memorial Hospital is far from over, and for those who have waited decades for answers, the fight for justice remains ongoing.
